This review seeks to highlight the issue of utilizing a widely distributed aquatic species within the broader context of the transition from a linear to a circular economy and the growing emphasis on environmental sustainability. To promote a cleaner aquatic environment and ensure compliance with current regulations, the use of bioindicators and plant bioaccumulators presents a viable alternative. Lemna minor, a small aquatic species, serves as a noteworthy example that warrants greater consideration. A review of specialized literature was conducted to provide a comprehensive overview of these issues, drawing from the most relevant sources. This paper offers a broad discussion on bioeconomy and water management, along with an in-depth examination of L. minor, its characteristics, and its practical applications. The biological characteristics, ecological significance, and useful applications of L. minor in wastewater treatment, bioenergy, and bioproduct production are summarized in this research. The analysis also identifies research gaps for further investigation and looks at how this plant fits into new frameworks for the circular economy.

The aim of this research was to investigate the bioremediation conditions of copper in synthetic water. In the present study, copper ions accumulation efficiency was determined using various genetically modified strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (EBY100, INVSc1, BJ5465, and GRF18), Pichia pastoris (X-33, KM71H), Escherichia coli (XL10 Gold, DH5α, and six types of BL21 (DE3)), and Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) OverExpress expressing two different peroxidases. Viability tests of yeast and bacterial strains showed that bacteria are viable at copper concentrations up to 2.5 mM and yeasts up to 10 mM. Optical emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma analysis showed that the tolerance of bacterial strains on media containing 1 mM copper was lower than the tolerance of yeast strains at the same copper concentration. The E. coli BL21 RIL strain had the best copper accumulation efficiency (4.79 mg/L of culture normalized at an optical density of 1.00), which was 1250 times more efficient than the control strain. The yeast strain S. cerevisiae BJ5465 was the most efficient in copper accumulation out of a total of six yeast strains used, accumulating over 400 times more than the negative control strain. In addition, E. coli cells that internally expressed recombinant peroxidase from Thermobifida fusca were able to accumulate 400-fold more copper than cells that produced periplasmic recombinant peroxidases.

Triazole fungicides are widely used in agriculture but may pose risks to human health through occupational, accidental, or environmental exposure. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the toxicity of ten European Union-approved triazole fungicides in rodent models and cell lines. A total of 70 studies were included, reporting quantitative in vivo oral, dermal, or inhalation toxicity in mammals or quantitative in vitro cytotoxicity in human or mammalian cell lines; the exclusion criteria comprised publications not in English or not accessible. Literature searches were conducted in Web of Science, Google Scholar, and the Pesticide Properties DataBase (PPDB), and risk of bias in included studies was assessed using ToxRTool. Due to heterogeneity in study designs, reporting formats, and endpoints, data were synthesized descriptively. Quantitative endpoints included LD₅₀/LC₅₀ values for in vivo studies and LOEC, IC₅₀, LC₅₀, and EC₅₀ values for in vitro studies, while mechanistic endpoints highlighted apoptosis, oxidative stress, genotoxicity, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Difenoconazole and tebuconazole were the most extensively studied compounds, whereas several triazoles had limited data. The limitations included heterogeneity of data and incomplete reporting, which restrict cross-study comparisons. Overall, the findings provide a comprehensive overview of potential human health hazards associated with EU-approved triazole fungicides and highlight critical knowledge gaps. The review was registered in Open Science Framework.

Bor, Krivelj, and Bela Rivers in Eastern Serbia belong to the watershed of Timok River, which is a tributary of Danube River. These Rivers flow near to the largest mining complex in Republic of Serbia. Rivers Bosneag, Radimna and Nera from the Romanian side in Caras Severin County near to Moldova Noua are also tributary of Danube and flow in area which is affected by spreading of dust from the abandoned flotation tailing of copper mine. This study includes environmental monitoring of the surface waters in considered Romania-Serbia cross border area during 2019-2020. Chemical analyses confirmed pollution mostly with heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Ni, Pb, Cd) closer to mines while with larger distance pollution decrease. The measured values were compared with Serbian and Romanian legislation which confirmed moderate and high pollution depending on category of surface waters. Measured Cd concentrations were of 9.51 - 5375 μg L-1 for the IV category of River water close to Bor mine. The main anthropogenic source in Eastern Serbia was Bor mine and smelter.

Tarragon extracts, especially from Artemisia dracunculus, have shown their potential as natural pesticides and can harm aquatic ecosystems. In addition, waste from tarragon essential oil production can also contribute to aquatic pollution if not properly managed. In this study, a hydrodistillate and a commercial tarragon essential oil were considered to evaluate their effects on aquatic ecosystems. A growth inhibition test was performed using Lemna minor to evaluate the potential ecotoxicity of tarragon extracts, and a biochemical test was performed to investigate the potential effects of the lowest volume of oil, which did not cause any visible impact on this organism. The results showed that the hydrodistillate did not show toxic effects on L. minor, but the essential oil demonstrated potential ecotoxicity, with volumes of 0.5 µL and above leading to percentage reductions in frond numbers of 50% and higher. The biochemical assay revealed no significant differences between the negative control and the lowest volume of oil tested, suggesting the absence of biochemical effects at low exposure levels. The effects of compounds identified at higher concentrations in the tarragon extracts on other aquatic organisms were predicted using the admetSAR3.0 tool, and potential toxicity against numerous aquatic organisms was emphasized, particularly for cis-beta-ocimene, trans-beta-ocimene, and caryophyllene oxide. These findings emphasize the need for careful consideration of both the application dose and disposal practices of tarragon-based products.

Ragweed pollen allergy is the most common seasonal allergy in western Romania. Prolonged exposure to ragweed pollen may induce sensitization to pan-allergens such as calcium-binding proteins (polcalcins) and progression to more severe symptoms. We aimed to detect IgE sensitization to recombinant Amb a 9 and Amb a 10 in a Romanian population, to assess their potential clinical relevance and cross-reactivity, as well as to investigate the relation with clinical symptoms. rAmb a 9 and rAmb a 10 produced in Escherichia coli were used to detect specific IgE in sera from 87 clinically characterized ragweed-allergic patients in ELISA, for basophil activation experiments and rabbit immunization. Rabbit rAmb a 9- and rAmb a 10-specific sera were used to detect possible cross-reactivity with rArt v 5 and reactivity towards ragweed and mugwort pollen extracts. The results showed an IgE reactivity of 25% to rAmb a 9 and 35% to rAmb a 10. rAmb a 10 induced basophil degranulation in three out of four patients tested. Moreover, polcalcin-negative patients reported significantly more skin symptoms, whereas polcalcin-positive patients tended to report more respiratory symptoms. Furthermore, both rabbit antisera showed low reactivity towards extracts and showed high reactivity to rArt v 5, suggesting strong cross-reactivity. Our study indicated that recombinant ragweed polcalcins might be considered for molecular diagnosis.