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Due to the wide range of viability on inanimate surfaces and fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2, hydrogen peroxide (0.5%, HP) and hypochlorite-based (0.1%, HC) disinfectants (common biocides) are proposed by World Health Organization to mitigate the spread of this virus in healthcare settings. They can be adopted and applied to outdoor environments. However, many studies have shown that these two disinfectants are toxic to fishes and aquatic non-target organisms (primary producers and macroinvertebrates). The global market of these disinfectants will increase in coming years due to COVID-19. Therefore, it is urgent to highlight the toxicities of these disinfectants. The main findings of this article allow the community to develop a new strategy to protect the environment against the hazardous effects of disinfectants. Therefore, we use the “toxicity calculated ratio (TC ratio)” that refers to the fold increase or decrease in the toxicities reported in the literature (NOEC, LOEC, LC50 and EC50) relative to the WHO-recommended dose of HP and HC. The calculated TC ratios are valuable for policy makers to formulate the regulations to prevent disinfectant exposure in the environment. Our results were collected via PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis) guidelines and showed that the TC ratios are from the single digits to several thousand-fold lower than the HP and HC recommended dose, which means these disinfectants are potentially dangerous to non-target organisms. The results also showed that HP and HC are toxic to the growth and reproduction of non-target organisms. Therefore, we recommend policymakers formulate protocols for critical assessment and monitoring of the environment—especially on non-target organisms in water bodies located in and around disinfectant-exposed areas to safeguard the environment in the future.

Summary Surface modification of anode using surfactant has great influence on the electrical performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC). In this study, the effect of surface‐modified exfoliated graphite used for anode fabrication on a cube‐type MFC batch reactor was examined. The surface exfoliated graphite was modified with 5‐mM anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate. Anaerobic sludge used as inoculum containing 70% (v/v) of artificial wastewater and 30% (v/v) of seed sludge in an anode chamber and air cathode was used in cathode side. Anode modification was explored as an approach to enhance the start‐up and improve the performance of the reactor. Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate the morphology and activity of electrochemically active bacteria. In the study, the start‐up time of MFC required to approach stable voltage was substantially reduced, and the maximum stable voltage was higher than the control. In addition, the activation resistance of the MFC was considerably reduced, and the maximum power density (1640 mW/m2) was 20% higher than control. However, when the surface of exfoliated graphite was modified with over 10‐mM anionic surfactant, some negative effects on start‐up time, activation resistance and maximum power density were observed. This modification also enhanced the bacterial attachment and biofilm formation on the modified anode surface. The result suggested that surface modification anode with surfactant is effective for electrical responses achieved in the MFC. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a highly recurrent form of cancer arising from the oral epithelium, which is the result of mutational change due to etiological factors such as tobacco, smoking, chewing of areca nuts, and alcohol consumption. OSCC occurrence has been observed to be prevalent in different regions of Pacific countries and in most Asian countries. Despite the accessibility of the oral cavity, OSCC is diagnosed at an extremely late stage of pathogenic tumor node metastasis pTNM (III–IV), resulting in a poor prognosis for the individual. Therefore, it is important to make definitive, early, and efficient diagnoses. Owing to the development of omic-natured studies, the presence of proteins, transcribed elements, metabolic products, and even microflora detected in saliva helps us to select biomarkers, which is an especially exciting potential because of the availability and the non-invasive nature of sample collection. Since the discovery of circular RNA (circRNA) by Sanger sequencing, it has been reported to play a pivotal role in several human diseases, including cancer. circRNA functions as a microRNA (miRNA) sponge in the regulation of mRNA expression, forming the circRNA-miRNA regulatory axis. In the case of OSCC, overexpression of different circRNAs exhibits both tumor-progressive and tumor-suppressive effects.

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