The extensive exposure to multiple mycotoxins has been demonstrated in many countries; however, realistic assessments of the risks related to cumulative exposure are limited. This biomonitoring study was conducted to investigate exposure to 23 mycotoxins/metabolites and their determinants in 227 adults (aged 20–88 years) in the Yangtze River Delta, China. Eight mycotoxins were detected in 110 urine samples, and multiple mycotoxins co-occurred in 51/227 (22.47%) of urine samples, with deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin B1 (FB1), and zearalenone (ZEN) being the most frequently occurring. For single mycotoxin risk assessment, FB1, ZEN, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and ochratoxin A (OTA) all showed potential adverse effects. However, for the 12 samples containing DON and ZEN, in which none had a hazard risk, the combination of both mycotoxins in two samples was considered to pose potential endocrine disrupting risks to humans by hazard index (HI) method. The combined margin of exposure (MOE_T) for AFB1 and FB1 could constitute a potential health concern, and AFB1 was the main contributor. Our approach provides a blueprint for evaluating the cumulative risks related to different types of mycotoxins and opens a new horizon for the accurate interpretation of epidemiological health outcomes related to multi-mycotoxin exposure.

This biomonitoring study was conducted to investigate the concentration levels of five Alternaria mycotoxins in urine samples from 269 healthy volunteers living in the Yangtze River Delta, China. Alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tenuazonic acid (TeA) and tentoxin (TEN) were detected in 38.3%, 48.7%, 63.9% and 23.4% of urine samples with the concentrations ranging from 0.057 to 45.8 ng/mL, 0.020 to 0.802 ng/mL, 0.050 to 80.6 ng/mL and 0.021 to 0.939 ng/mL, respectively. Altenuene (ALT) was not detected in any urine sample. Based on the urinary concentrations, the probable daily intake (PDI) values of Alternaria mycotoxins were calculated, and 100%, 99.2–100%, 0.372% and 1.12% of participants exceeded the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) values for AOH, AME, TeA and TEN, respectively. This study revealed high potential health risks related to the contaminations of major Alternaria mycotoxins in China and highlighted the necessity for more toxicological studies to provide better basis for further comprehensive risk assessments.

Coronavirus disease 2019 is a rather heterogeneous disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The ongoing pandemic is a global threat with increasing death tolls worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 belongs to lineage B β-CoV, a subgroup of Sarbecovirus. These enveloped, large, positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses are easily spread among individuals, mainly via the respiratory system and droplets. Although the disease has been gradually controlled in many countries, once social restrictions are relaxed the virus may rebound, leading to a more severe and uncontrollable situation again, as occurred in Shanghai, China, in 2022. The current global health threat calls for the urgent development of effective therapeutic options for the treatment and prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This systematic overview of possible SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic strategies from 2019 to 2022 indicates three potential targets: virus entry, virus replication, and the immune system. The information provided in this review will aid the development of more potent and specific antiviral compounds.

A reliable high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was established for the simultaneous detection of zearalenone-14-glucoside (ZEN-14G) and its metabolite, zearalenone (ZEN), in the plasma, urine, and various tissues of rats. The performance of the developed method was validated by determining the selectivity, linearity (R² > 0.99), sensitivity (lower limit of quantification, 0.1–1 μg/L), recovery (80.7 ± 3.0–112.3 ± 3.1%), precision (0.6–16.5%), and stability (81.7 ± 1.7–104.1 ± 3.9%). Through use of the methodological advances, the subsequent kinetics and distribution after administration of ZEN-14G by gavage were thoroughly investigated. ZEN-14G and ZEN exhibited similar trends in the plasma, and reached their peak concentrations at 10 min and then rapidly decreased. ZEN-14G could be quantified in the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine 24 h after administration, while ZEN was detectable in all tested tissues. Interestingly, ZEN-14G (7.6 ± 3.0 μg/L) and ZEN (977.5 ± 98.0 μg/L) were also detected in the urine 24 h after administration, indicating that ZEN-14G was prone to be slowly and continuously hydrolyzed into ZEN to be absorbed into the plasma and distributed to various tissues, thus leading to a cumulative exposure. Continuous attention should be paid to the co-exposure of ZEN and ZEN-14G, which might pose additional health risks to humans and animals.

Seasonal (temporal) variations can influence the δ¹³C, δ²H, δ¹⁸O, and δ¹⁵N values and nutrient composition of organic (ORG), green (GRE), and conventional (CON) vegetables with a short growth cycle. Stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with the partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) method were used to investigate seasonal effects on the identification of ORG, GRE, and CON Brassica chinensis L. samples (BCs). The results showed that δ¹⁵N values had significant differences among the three cultivation methods and that δ¹³C, δ²H, and δ¹⁸O values were significantly higher in winter and spring and lower in summer. The NIR spectra were relatively clustered across seasons. Neither IRMS-PLS-DA nor NIRS-PLS-DA could effectively identify all BC cultivation methods due to seasonal effects, while IRMS-NIRS-PLS-DA combined with Norris smoothing and derivative pretreatment had better predictive abilities, with an 89.80% accuracy for ORG and BCs, 88.89% for ORG and GRE BCs, and 75.00% for GRE and CON BCs. The IRMS-NIRS-PLS-DA provided an effective and robust method to identify BC cultivation methods, integrating multi-seasonal differences.

During postharvest storage, the yellow peach (Amygdalus persica) is susceptible to infection by Alternaria alternata, which causes fruit decay and produces multiple Alternaria toxins (ATs), leading to economic losses and potential health risks. The present study investigated the inhibitory effects of infrared radiation treatment against A. alternata on yellow peaches. Our in vitro experimental results indicated that infrared radiation at 50 °C for 30 min could completely inhibit fungal growth and AT production. Furthermore, infrared treatments prior to cold storage effectively delayed the onset of decay and significantly reduced the lesion diameter, decay rate, and AT levels in the yellow peaches inoculated with A. alternata. After the peaches underwent infrared radiation at 50 °C for 30 min and then cold storage for 60 days, the levels of tenuazonic acid, alternariol, alternariol methyl ether, and altenuene in the yellow peaches decreased by 95.1%, 98.6%, 76.1%, and 100.0%, respectively. Additionally, infrared radiation caused slight changes in their firmness, total soluble solids, and concentrations of sugar and organic acids, indicating minor negative impacts on the quality of the yellow peaches. Therefore, the present work provides a novel strategy for controlling A. alternata and AT contamination, thereby extending the shelf-life of yellow peaches, and improving food safety administration.