Epidemiological studies have consistently linked air pollution to severe health risks. One strategy to reduce the impact of combustion products from engines is adding additives to the fuel. Potential benefits have been observed in terms of performance and emissions, as well as in decreasing fuel consumption. However, the associated emission of particulate matter into the environment may have unforeseen health effects. This study examines the effects of diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) from diesel fuel mixed with amide-functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTF). The aim is to analyze the properties of DEPs and determine their toxic effects on lung cells. The DEPs were characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, while the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed through gas chromatography. Various assays were conducted to assess cell viability, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and DNA damage. The addition of CNTF to diesel fuel altered the morphology and size of the particles, as well as the quantity and composition of PAHs. At the cellular level, diesel DEPs induce higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, DNA damage, apoptosis, and cytotoxicity compared to both CNTF and diesel–CNTF DEPs. These findings suggest that the nano-additives enhance energy efficiency by reducing pollutants without significantly increasing cell toxicity.

It has been determined factors that make humans more attractive to mosquitoes and which strategies they use to detect a potential host. Preferential differences for human/non-human hosts are related to variations in odorant receptors (OR) genes in the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. This study use sequencing to establish the genetic variation in the odor receptor OR4 in 900 mosquitoes from different regions of Antioquia. A behavioral test using an olfactometer was also made to stablish the relationship of these variation with the attraction on different human hosts. The analysis in the attraction and OR4 variants did not show significant differences in the arrival rate among different human hosts. No significant differences in the description of OR4 variants between populations and between hosts, show that this gene is homogeneously distributed. The analysis showed a high genetic population diversity, measured as polymorphism and heterozygosity. This may be due to a few high frequency haplotypes in all the populations examined, suggesting a model of high gene flow between populations and/or selection in favor of these variants in all populations. Other low-frequency variants, many of which are population-specific, reflect the effect of genetic drift probably due to stochastic changes in the size of natural mosquito populations.