Parkinson's disease (PD) is a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder that affects an estimated 10 million sufferers worldwide. The two forms of PD include familial and sporadic, and while the etiology of PD is still largely unknown, the condition is likely to be multifactorial with genetic and environmental factors contributing to disease genesis. Diagnosis of the condition is attained through the observation of cardinal clinical manifestations including resting tremor, muscle rigidity, slowness or loss of movement, and postural instability. Unfortunately, by the time these features become apparent extensive neurological damage has already occurred. A cure for PD has not been identified and the current therapy options are pharmaceutical- and/or surgical-based interventions to treat condition symptoms. There is no specific test for PD and most diagnoses are confirmed by a combination of clinical symptoms and positive responses to dopaminergic drug therapies. The prevalence and incidence of PD vary worldwide influenced by several factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, genetic susceptibilities, and environmental exposures. Here, we will present environmental factors implicated in sporadic PD onset. By understanding the mechanisms in which environmental factors interact with, and affect the brain we can stride toward finding the underlying cause(s) of PD.

Carbon has long been applied as an electrochemical sensing interface owing to its unique electrochemical properties. Moreover, recent advances in material design and synthesis, particularly nanomaterials, has produced robust electrochemical sensing systems that display superior analytical performance. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are one of the most extensively studied nanostructures because of their unique properties. In terms of electroanalysis, the ability of CNTs to augment the electrochemical reactivity of important biomolecules and promote electron transfer reactions of proteins is of particular interest. The remarkable sensitivity of CNTs to changes in surface conductivity due to the presence of adsorbates permits their application as highly sensitive nanoscale sensors. CNT-modified electrodes have also demonstrated their utility as anchors for biomolecules such as nucleic acids, and their ability to diminish surface fouling effects. Consequently, CNTs are highly attractive to researchers as a basis for many electrochemical sensors. Similarly, synthetic diamonds electrochemical properties, such as superior chemical inertness and biocompatibility, make it desirable both for (bio) chemical sensing and as the electrochemical interface for biological systems. This is highlighted by the recent development of multiple electrochemical diamond-based biosensors and bio interfaces.

A global study on tap water samples has found that up to 83% of these contained microplastic fibres. These findings raise concerns about their potential health risks. Ingested microplastic particles have already been associated with harmful effects in animals, which raise concerns about similar outcomes in humans. Microplastics are ubiquitous in the environment, commonly found disposed in landfills and waste sites. Within indoor environments, the common sources are synthetic textiles, plastic bottles, and packaging. From the various point sources, they are globally distributed through air and water and can enter humans through various pathways. The finding of microplastics in fresh snow in the Antarctic highlights just how widely they are dispersed. The behaviour and health risks from microplastic particles are strongly influenced by their physicochemical properties, which is why their surfaces are important. Surface interactions are also important in pollutant transport via adsorption onto the microplastic particles. Our review covers the latest findings in microplastics research including the latest statistics in their abundance, their occurrence and fate in the environment, the methods of reducing microplastics exposure and their removal. We conclude by proposing future research directions into more effective remediation methods including new technologies and sustainable green remediation methods that need to be explored to achieve success in microplastics removal from waters at large scale.

The availability of safe water has a significant impact on all parts of society, its growth and sustainability, both politically and socioeconomically.

Rapid and accurate analysis of food produce is essential to screen for species that may cause significant health risks like bacteria, pesticides and other toxins. Considerable developments in analytical techniques and instrumentation, for example chromatography, have enabled the analyses and quantitation of these contaminants. However, these traditional technologies are constrained by high cost, delayed analysis times, expensive and laborious sample preparation stages and the need for highly-trained personnel. Therefore, emerging, alternative technologies, for example biosensors may provide viable alternatives. Rapid advances in electrochemical biosensors have enabled significant gains in quantitative detection and screening and show incredible potential as a means of countering such limitations. Apart from demonstrating high specificity towards the analyte, these biosensors also address the challenge of the multifactorial food industry of providing high analytical accuracy amidst complex food matrices, while also overcoming differing densities, pH and temperatures. This (public and Industry) demand for faster, reliable and cost-efficient analysis of food samples, has driven investment into biosensor design. Here, we discuss some of the recent work in this area and critique the role and contributions biosensors play in the food industry. We also appraise the challenges we believe biosensors need to overcome to become the industry standard.