Aquaculture allows sustainable fish farming to meet global demand; however, fish feed can contain mycotoxins and contaminate animals and humans. Bentonites are clayey materials composed mainly of montmorillonite and are used to reduce or diminish the toxicity of aflatoxins to animals and humans. In this sense, new cheap technologies from natural resources are necessary for controlling fungi and mycotoxins in food. However, information on the potential adverse effects on fish health and performance caused by adding bentonite clays to reduce mycotoxin exposure is scarce. Thus, this systematic review aims to analyze recent studies focusing on the use of bentonite clays as adsorbent materials for mycotoxins in fish feed. In this systematic evaluation of the literature on the subject, which was conducted in Cochrane, Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus, 1,878 publications from the last 10 years were found, but 1,871 of them were excluded, leading to the selection of only seven for this study. The articles were classified according to the main theme of fish detoxification, the use of natural or chemically modified bentonite clays through adsorbents to remove mycotoxins. The results of the risk of bias analysis of the included studies (seven) were carried out according to the Down and Black criteria. The studies showed that hematological parameters such as total serum protein, albumin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, N‐urea, and creatinine were altered in some fish species due to contamination by aflatoxin B1 in the diet. On the other hand, the use of bentonite reveals that it has the potential to reduce the effects of aflatoxicosis in fish, causing an increase in body weight, changes in serum enzymes related to humoral immunity, and changes in gill morphology and liver tissue. Contamination of fish diets (especially tilapia) by aflatoxins B1 produces severe changes in all investigated parameters and is extremely dangerous for fish productivity and public health. It was observed that adding clays to tilapia diets reduces the effects of aflatoxicosis while improving economic output and lowering health hazards by adsorbing aflatoxins B1. Thus, the use of bentonite clays is one of the most promising decontamination techniques that can be used by pisciculture.

Hair dyes are widely used cosmetic products that can contain trace metals and metalloids, posing potential health risks through dermal exposure. This study aimed to assess and compare the concentrations of selected metals and metalloids in six brands of commercial hair dyes sold in Brazil and Paraguay and to evaluate their average daily dermal exposure doses, hazard quotients, hazard indices, and carcinogenic risk. Concentrations of Cr, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, As, Al, Pb, Ba, Ag, and Zn in hair dye were quantified by standardized analytical methods. The Paraguayan brand showed the highest levels for several elements, including As (4.17 mg/kg), Al (130.276 mg/kg), and Fe (30.033 mg/kg). Estimated dermal exposure doses reached up to 3.35 × 10⁻⁶ mg/kg/day for arsenic, 1.68 × 10⁻³ mg/kg/day for aluminum, and 8.59 × 10⁻⁸ mg/kg/day for chromium. Although all hazard indices remained below 1, suggesting low non-carcinogenic risk, the calculated carcinogenic risk for arsenic in the Paraguayan product was 1.23 × 10⁻⁵, entering the medium-risk range. These findings highlight relevant differences in raw material control and potential cumulative health risks, especially for frequent users. Continuous quality control, harmonized regulatory standards, clear labeling, and further biomonitoring studies are strongly recommended to minimize long-term exposure to toxic elements in hair dye formulations and to ensure safer consumer products.

Growth-promoting rhizobacteria are soil bacteria that inhabit the surrounding root, and are directly or indirectly involved in promoting plant growth and development. The productivity efficiency of these groups of microorganisms can be applied to planting crops, providing an interesting alternative for minimize the negative effects of water deficit. The objective of this study was to verify if the mechanism of growth promotion of the bacterium is similar to that promoted by polyethylene glycol (PEG) and to compare the possible effects of water stress on the tomato against the effects of inoculation of the bacterium Serratia sp. The methodology was based on in vitro bioassays using tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seedlings, kept in a growth chamber with temperature of 25 °C and photoperiod of 12 hours. The results revealed that the promotion of tomato root growth by Serratia sp. is similar to that promoted by PEG 7%, differing significantly from the results found with different doses of indoleacetic acid (IAA). The promotion of root growth in tomatoes by Serratia sp. and PEG 7% partly indicates a physical effect, since the water restriction imposed by the PEG molecule decreases the water movement capacity, also observed by bacteria, when colonizing plant tissues and cells (biofilm) reducing the hydraulic conductivity of water through the root. Stimulation to promote root growth in tomatoes cannot be reproduced by auxin.

No Brasil, de um modo geral, o leite é obtido em condições higiênico-sanitárias deficientes, em consequência, apresenta elevado número de microrganismos contaminantes. O crescimento microbiano no leite causa um grande prejuízo econômico para as indústrias de beneficiamento. Os fungos desempenham um importante papel na indústria de produtos lácteos, pois podem promover deterioração ou desencadear fermentação e/ou maturação indesejáveis aos derivados do leite. O presente trabalho objetivou investigar a relação entre contagem bacteriana total (CBT) e o isolamento de fungos filamentosos e leveduras em amostras de leite do tanque de expansão. O leite de 160 propriedades foi monitorado por 6 meses quanto à contagem de células somáticas (CCS) e CBT por métodos oficiais. Foram analisadas amostras de 120 propriedades quanto à CBT e isolamento de fungos. Em 102 amostras (85%) foram isolados fungos filamentosos (Acremonium sp., Alternaria spp., Aspergillus sp., Cladosporium sp., Fusarium sp., Mucor spp., Penicillium sp.) e/ou leveduras Candida sp., Geotrichum sp., Pichia sp., Prothoteca sp., Rodothorula sp., Trichosporon sp.) com média de 1.284 UFC/mL e CBT de 133.000 UFC/mL. Em 14 amostras negativas para fungos obteve-se uma média de 652.000 UFC/mL para a CBT. A diferença da CBT entre amostras positivas e negativas para fungos foi significativa (p<0,001), demonstrando a influência dos fungos sobre o crescimento bacteriano e a CBT do leite. A presença de fungos e o potencial risco de produção de toxinas no leite cru e seus derivados devem ser investigadas, bem como a relação entre o isolamento de fungos e a baixa CBT do leite.

Agriculture is the main economic activity responsible for the highest rates of water consumption worldwide. Understanding strategies that combine decreasing the amount of water available and reducing the addition of chemical fertilizers is a major challenge today. Within this context, the work aimed to evaluate the efficiency in promoting growth in tomato seedlings, inoculated with Serratia nematodiphila, submitted to different water deficit conditions. The methodology consisted of using tomato seeds cv. Santa Clara Miss Brasil previously disinfected and inoculated with the Serratia nematodiphila bacterium. The experimental design was completely randomized in the factorial scheme 2 (with bacteria and without bacteria) x 3 (irrigation levels: 100%, 50% and 25% water), making a total of 6 treatments with 6 repetitions. When evaluating the effect of the bacteria Serratia nematodiphila in the treatment with irrigation to 25% of water, it was observed that the average values ​​of the root length of the tomato seedlings was the one that suffered the most stimulus in the root growth when compared to the other irrigation levels. These results suggest that under conditions of greater water deficit the bacteria is able to mitigate drought by promoting root growth.

Urban and peri-urban river systems subjected to intensive agriculture are vulnerable to diffuse metal(loid) inputs, yet the integration of hydrological compartments, bioindicators, and human health risk remains poorly explored. This study investigated the seasonal dynamics, bioaccumulation patterns, and potential human health risks associated with metal(loid)s in the Santa Virgem River (Brazil–Paraguay border), using water from backwater zones and three plant groups (Apiaceae angiosperms, mosses, and the liverwort Dumortiera sp.). Water and plant samples were collected during five seasonal campaigns (2019–2020) and analyzed by ICP OES. Multivariate analysis (PCA) was applied, and biological accumulation coefficients (BAC) and chronic daily intake (CDI) were estimated for adults and children under different ingestion scenarios. Results showed that Mg, Fe, K, S, and P dominated water chemistry, while As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Se were mostly below detection limits. PCA explained 77.6% of total variance, distinguishing agricultural and hydrological phases. Bryophytes exhibited markedly higher BAC values, particularly for Mn (up to 2.3 × 10⁵) and Fe, compared with Apiaceae. CDI and hazard assessment indicated negligible non-carcinogenic risk for most elements (HQ < 1), except phosphorus, which dominated the Hazard Index due to its low reference dose. Overall, the results demonstrate that hydrodynamic conditions and plant functional traits jointly control metal(loid) dynamics, highlighting the value of multispecies biomonitoring in peri-urban river systems.