Humans are chronically exposed to airborne particulate matter and environmental microplastics through food, water, and consumer products. These anthropogenic pollutants may accumulate in human tissues, but their distribution and chemical identity remain poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed samples of human brain, liver, thyroid, kidney, heart, skeletal muscle, and lung tissue collected post-mortem to assess the presence and composition of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs). Tissue samples were digested using hydrogen peroxide (30% H₂O₂) and processed via alumina filtration. The retained residues and filtrates were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) microscopy. Our analysis revealed a wide range of inorganic particles (primarily aluminosilicates and carbonates) and synthetic polymers, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and cellulose derivatives. Notably, PS, PET, and PAN nanoparticles (<0.02 µm) were detected in the filtrates, indicating their potential to cross biological barriers and accumulate at the nanoscale. The thyroid, kidney, and brain tissues showed the highest levels of microplastic contamination, with up to 40.4 MP/g (wet weight) detected. These findings confirm the heterogeneous organ-specific accumulation of environmental polymers and highlight the potential of human autopsy tissues as biomonitors for environmental plastic exposure. The application of advanced spectroscopic techniques enables precise identification of polymeric contaminants and supports further research on their environmental origins and pathways of human exposure.

Young green barley (YGB) water extract has revealed a beneficial impact on natural killer (NK) cells’ ability to recognize and eliminate human colon cancer cells, without any side effects for normal colon epithelial cells. The direct anticancer effect of the tested compounds has been also shown. The mixture of oligosaccharides found in this extract was characterized by chemical analyses and via FT-IR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF MS techniques. The YGB preparation contained 26.9% of proteins and 64.2% of sugars, mostly glucose (54.7%) and fructose (42.7%), with a small amount of mannose (2.6%) and galactose (less than 0.5%). Mass spectrometry analysis of YGB has shown that fructose oligomers contained from 3 to 19 sugar units. The number of fructans was estimated to be about 10.2% of the dry weight basis of YGB. The presented results suggest the beneficial effect of the consumption of preparations based on young barley on the human body, in the field of colon cancer prevention.

Legionella pneumophila is the primary causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease. The mutant-type strain interrupted in the ORF7 gene region responsible for the lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis of the L. pneumophila strain Heysham-1, lacking the O-acetyl groups attached to the rhamnose of the core part, showed a higher surface polarity compared with the wild-type strain. The measurement of excitation energy transfer between fluorophores located on the surface of bacteria and eukaryotic cells showed that, at an early stage of interaction with host cells, the mutant exhibited weaker interactions with Acanthamoeba castellanii cells and THP-1-derived macrophages. The mutant displayed reduced adherence to macrophages but enhanced adherence to A. castellanii, suggesting that the O-acetyl group of the LPS core region plays a crucial role in facilitating interaction with macrophages. The lack of core rhamnose O-acetyl groups made it easier for the bacteria to multiply in amoebae and macrophages. The mutant induced TNF-α production more strongly compared with the wild-type strain. The mutant synthesized twice as many ceramides Cer(t34:0) and Cer(t38:0) than the wild-type strain. The study showed that the internal sugars of the LPS core region of L. pneumophila sg 1 can interact with eukaryotic cell surface receptors and mediate in contacting and attaching bacteria to host cells as well as modulating the immune response to infection.

Multimodal spectroscopic imaging methods such as Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI MSI), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy were used to monitor the changes in distribution and to determine semi quantitatively selected metabolites involved in nitrogen fixation in pea root nodules. These approaches were used to evaluate the effectiveness of nitrogen fixation by pea plants treated with biofertilizer preparations containing Nod factors. To assess the effectiveness of biofertilizer, the fresh and dry masses of plants were determined. The biofertilizer was shown to be effective in enhancing the growth of the pea plants. In case of metabolic changes, the biofertilizer caused a change in the apparent distribution of the leghaemoglobin from the edges of the nodule to its centre (the active zone of nodule). Moreover, the enhanced nitrogen fixation and presumably the accelerated maturation form of the nodules were observed with the use of a biofertilizer.

The subject of the present work is the synthesis and analysis of the structural and morphological properties of Ag-containing carbon composites and the investigation of their practical application in water purification and disinfection. A series of composites were synthesized by carbonization of resorcinol–formaldehyde polymers filled with Ag-containing fumed silica under an inert atmosphere at 800 °C. The as-synthesized micro- and mesoporous carbon composites were characterized by their specific surface area of 466–529 m²/g. The suitability of the composites for flow-through filters was evaluated by kinetic studies on the adsorption of 4-chlorophenol. The composite with the highest amount of metallic nanophase showed the most effective kinetics with a rate constant (log k) and half-life (t_0.5) of −2.07 and 81 min, respectively. The antimicrobial susceptibility was determined against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923) and Gram-negative strains (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 700603, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, and Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 19606). The zones of bacterial growth inhibition correlated with the silver nanoparticle content and were the lowest for RFC-02 (10–12 mm) and the highest for the RFC-1 composite (15–16 mm), resulting from the increase in number of evenly distributed small Ag nanoparticles (3–5 nm) in the samples.

The Agrobacterium fabrum C58 is a phytopathogen able to infect numerous species of cultivated and ornamental plants. During infection, bacteria genetically transform plant cells and induce the formation of tumours at the site of invasion. Bacterial cell wall components play a crucial role in the infection process. Lipopolysaccharide is the main component of Gram-negative bacteria’s outer leaflet of outer membrane. Its lipophilic part, called lipid A, is built of di-glucosamine backbone substituted with a specific set of 3-hydroxyl fatty acids. A. fabrum incorporates a very long chain hydroxylated fatty acid (VLCFA), namely 27-hydroxyoctacosanoic acid (28:0-(27OH)), into its lipid A. A. fabrum C58 mutants deprived of this component due to mutation in the VLCFA’s genomic region, have been characterised. High-resolution mass spectrometry was used to establish acylation patterns in the mutant’s lipid A preparations. The physiological properties of mutants, as well as their motility, ability to biofilm formation and plant infectivity, were tested. The results obtained showed that the investigated mutants were more sensitive to environmental stress conditions, formed a weakened biofilm, exhibited impaired swimming motility and were less effective in infecting tomato seedlings compared to the wild strain.