Long-term relationships among pesticide applications, mobility, and soil erosion in a vineyard watershed

Agricultural pesticide use has increased worldwide during the last several decades, but the long-term fate, storage, and transfer dynamics of pesticides in a changing environment are poorly understood. Many pesticides have been progressively banned, but in numerous cases, these molecules are stable and may persist in soils, sediments, and ice. Many studies have addressed the question of their possible remobilization as a result of global change. In this article, we present a retro-observation approach based on lake sediment records to monitor micropollutants and to evaluate the long-term succession and diffuse transfer of herbicides, fungicides, and insecticide treatments in a vineyard catchment in France. The sediment allows for a reliable reconstruction of past pesticide use through time, validated by the historical introduction, use, and banning of these organic and inorganic pesticides in local vineyards. Our results also revealed how changes in these practices affect storage conditions and, consequently, the pesticides’ transfer dynamics. For example, the use of postemergence herbicides (glyphosate), which induce an increase in soil erosion, led to a release of a banned remnant pesticide (dichlorodiphenyltrichloro- ethane, DDT), which had been previously stored in vineyard soil, back into the environment. Management strategies of ecotoxico- logical risk would be well served by recognition of the diversity of compounds stored in various environmental sinks, such as agriculture soil, and their capability to become sources when environmental conditions change.

Combined effect of a fluoride-, stannous- and chitosan-containing toothpaste and stannous-containing rinse on the prevention of initial enamel erosion-abrasion.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the preventive effect of a fluoride-, stannous- and chitosan-containing (F/Sn/chitosan-) toothpaste (TP) on initial enamel erosion and abrasion. METHODS In total, 150 human premolar enamel specimens were ground, polished and divided into 5 toothpaste/rinse groups (n=30): (G1) placebo-TP/tap water, (G2) sodium fluoride (NaF-) TP/tap water, (G3) F/Sn/chitosan-TP/tap water, (G4) F/Sn/chitosan-TP/Sn-rinse, (G5) NaF-TP/NaF-rinse. The 8-day erosion-abrasion cyclic treatment (one cycle/day) consisted of incubating the samples in artificial saliva (30min), then submitting the samples to toothbrush abrasion (2min incubation in toothpaste slurry; brushing with 20 toothbrush strokes) and rinsing (2min; 10ml) with the respective solution: tap water (G1-G3), Sn-rinse (G4) or NaF-rinse (G5). Afterwards, the samples were submitted to erosion (2min; 30ml 1% citric acid, pH=3.6). Surface microhardness (SMH) was measured initially and after every abrasion and erosion treatment. Enamel substance loss was calculated after each abrasion. Non-parametric ANOVA followed by Wilcoxon rank tests were used for analysis. RESULTS G1 presented the greatest SMH decrease, while G4 presented the least SMH decrease (p<0.001). G3 had a similar SMH decrease to G2 and G5. Substance loss was significantly lower in G4 than all other groups (p<0.05), closely followed by G3. Both G2 and G5 showed similar calculated enamel substance loss to G1. CONCLUSION The treatment with F/Sn/chitosan-TP and tap water provided a similar SMH decrease to both NaF-TP groups, but significantly lower substance loss. F/Sn/Chitosan-TP and Sn-rinse showed a better preventive effect, which promoted less SMH decrease and reduced substance loss. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The toothpaste containing fluoride, stannous and chitosan shows promising results in reducing substance loss from erosion and abrasion. The combination of this toothpaste with the stannous-containing rinse showed even better prevention against erosion-abrasion.

Understanding the chemistry of dental erosion.

Dental erosion is caused by repeated short episodes of exposure to acids. Dental minerals are calcium-deficient, carbonated hydroxyapatites containing impurity ions such as Na(+), Mg(2+) and Cl(-). The rate of dissolution, which is crucial to the progression of erosion, is influenced by solubility and also by other factors. After outlining principles of solubility and acid dissolution, this chapter describes the factors related to the dental tissues on the one hand and to the erosive solution on the other. The impurities in the dental mineral introduce crystal strain and increase solubility, so dentine mineral is more soluble than enamel mineral and both are more soluble than hydroxyapatite. The considerable differences in structure and porosity between dentine and enamel influence interactions of the tissues with acid solutions, so the relative rates of dissolution do not necessarily reflect the respective solubilities. The rate of dissolution is further influenced strongly by physical factors (temperature, flow rate) and chemical factors (degree of saturation, presence of inhibitors, buffering, pH, fluoride). Temperature and flow rate, as determined by the method of consumption of a product, strongly influence erosion in vivo. The net effect of the solution factors determines the overall erosive potential of different products. Prospects for remineralization of erosive lesions are evaluated.

Oral hygiene products, medications and drugs - hidden aetiological factors for dental erosion.

Acidic or EDTA-containing oral hygiene products and acidic medicines have the potential to soften dental hard tissues. The low pH of oral care products increases the chemical stability of some fluoride compounds and favours the incorporation of fluoride ions in the lattice of hydroxyapatite and the precipitation of calcium fluoride on the tooth surface. This layer has some protective effect against an erosive attack. However, when the pH is too low or when no fluoride is present these protecting effects are replaced by direct softening of the tooth surface. Oral dryness can occur as a consequence of medication such as tranquilizers, antihistamines, antiemetics and antiparkinsonian medicaments or of salivary gland dysfunction. Above all, patients should be aware of the potential demineralization effects of oral hygiene products with low pH. Acetyl salicylic acid taken regularly in the form of multiple chewable tablets or in the form of headache powder, as well as chewing hydrochloric acids tablets for the treatment of stomach disorders, can cause erosion. There is most probably no direct association between asthmatic drugs and erosion on the population level. Consumers and health professionals should be aware of the potential of tooth damage not only by oral hygiene products and salivary substitutes but also by chewable and effervescent tablets. Several paediatric medications show a direct erosive potential in vitro. Clinical proof of the occurrence of erosion after use of these medicaments is still lacking. However, regular and prolonged use of these medicaments might bear the risk of causing erosion. Additionally, it can be assumed that patients suffering from xerostomia should be aware of the potential effects of oral hygiene products with low pH and high titratable acidity.

Erosion in relation to nutrition and the environment.

When considering the erosive potential of a food or drink, a number of factors must be taken into account. pH is arguably the single most important parameter in determining the rate of erosive tissue dissolution. There is no clear-cut critical pH for erosion as there is for caries. At low pH, it is possible that other factors are sufficiently protective to prevent erosion, but equally erosion can progress in acid of a relatively high pH in the absence of mitigating factors. Calcium and phosphate concentration, in combination with pH, determine the degree of saturation with respect to tooth minerals. Solutions supersaturated with respect to enamel or dentine will not cause them to dissolve, meaning that given sufficient common ion concentrations erosion will not proceed, even if the pH is low. Interestingly, the addition of calcium is more effective than phosphate at reducing erosion in acid solutions. Today, several calcium-enriched soft drinks are on the market, and acidic products with high concentrations of calcium and phosphorus are available (such as yoghurt), which do not soften the dental hard tissues. The greater the buffering capacity of the drink or food, the longer it will take for the saliva to neutralize the acid. A higher buffer capacity of a drink or foodstuff will enhance the processes of dissolution because more release of ions from the tooth mineral is required to render the acid inactive for further demineralization. Temperature is also a significant physical factor; for a given acidic solution, erosion proceeds more rapidly the higher the temperature of that solution. In recent years, a number of interesting potentially erosion-reducing drink and food additives have been investigated.

Prevalence, incidence and distribution of erosion.

There is evidence that the presence of erosion is growing steadily. Due to different scoring systems, samples and examiners, it is difficult to compare the different studies. Preschool children from 2 to 5 years showed erosion on deciduous teeth in 1 to 79% of the subjects. Schoolchildren (aged from 5 to 9 years) already had erosive lesions on permanent teeth in 14% of the cases. In the adolescent group (aged between 9 and 20 years), 7 to 100% of the persons examined showed signs of erosion. Incidence data (the increase in the number of subjects presenting signs of dental erosion) was evaluated in four of these studies and presented average annual values between 3.5 and 18%, depending on the initial age of the examined sample. In adults (aged from 18 to 88 years) prevalence data ranged between 4 and 100%. Incidence data are scarce in this age group, and only one study was found analysing the increase of affected surfaces, showing an incidence of 5% for the younger and 18% for older age groups. In general, males present more erosive tooth wear than females. The distribution showed a predominance of affected occlusal surfaces (mandibular first molars) followed by facial surfaces (anterior maxillary teeth). Oral erosion was frequently found on maxillary incisors and canines. Overall, prevalence data are not homogeneous. Nevertheless, there is a trend towards a more pronounced rate of erosion in younger age groups. Furthermore, a tendency was found for more erosive lesions with increasing age and these erosions progressed with age.

Interactions between dodecyl phosphates and hydroxyapatite or tooth enamel: relevance to inhibition of dental erosion.

Tooth surface modification is a potential method of preventing dental erosion, a form of excessive tooth wear facilitated by softening of tooth surfaces through the direct action of acids, mainly of dietary origin. We have previously shown that dodecyl phosphates (DPs) effectively inhibit dissolution of native surfaces of hydroxyapatite (the type mineral for dental enamel) and show good substantivity. However, adsorbed saliva also inhibits dissolution and DPs did not augment this effect, which suggests that DPs and saliva interact at the hydroxyapatite surface. In the present study the adsorption and desorption of potassium and sodium dodecyl phosphates or sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) to hydroxyapatite and human tooth enamel powder, both native and pre-treated with saliva, were studied by high performance liquid chromatography-mass Spectrometry. Thermo gravimetric analysis was used to analyse residual saliva and surfactant on the substrates. Both DPs showed a higher affinity than SDS for both hydroxyapatite and enamel, and little DP was desorbed by washing with water. SDS was readily desorbed from hydroxyapatite, suggesting that the phosphate head group is essential for strong binding to this substrate. However, SDS was not desorbed from enamel, so that this substrate has surface properties different from those of hydroxyapatite. The presence of a salivary coating had little or no effect on adsorption of the DPs, but treatment with DPs partly desorbed saliva; this could account for the failure of DPs to increase the dissolution inhibition due to adsorbed saliva.

The geomorphology and morphometry of the banded terrain in Hellas basin, Mars

Hellas basin is a large impact basin situated in the southern highlands of Mars. The north-western part of the basin has the lowest elevation (-7.5 km) on the planet and contains a possibly unique terrain type, which we informally call “banded terrain”. The banded terrain is made up of smooth-looking banded deposits that display signs of viscous behavior and a paucity of superimposed impact craters. In this study, we use newly acquired high spatial resolution images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) in addition to existing datasets to characterize the geomorphology, the morphometry and the architecture of the banded terrain. The banded terrain is generally confined to the NW edge of the Alpheus Colles plateau. The individual bands are ~3–15 km-long, ~0.3 km-wide and are separated by narrow inter-band depressions, which are ~65 m-wide and ~10 m-deep. The bands display several morphologies that vary from linear to concentric forms. Morphometric analysis reveals that the slopes along a given linear or lobate band ranges from 0.5° to 15° (average~6°), whereas the concentric bands are located on flatter terrain (average slope~2–3°). Crater-size frequency analysis yields an Amazonian-Hesperian boundary crater retention age for the terrain (~3 Gyr), which together, with the presence of very few degraded craters, either implies a recent emplacement, resurfacing, or intense erosion. The apparent sensitivity to local topography and preference for concentrating in localized depressions is compatible with deformation as a viscous fluid. In addition, the bands display clear signs of degradation and slumping at their margins along with a suite of other features that include fractured mounds, polygonal cracks at variable size-scales, and knobby/hummocky textures. Together, these features suggest an ice-rich composition for at least the upper layers of the terrain, which is currently being heavily modified through loss of ice and intense weathering, possibly by wind.

Mucosal Erosion of the Cricoid Cartilage After the Use of an i-Gel Supraglottic Airway Device in a Patient with Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis

After standard hip arthroplasty, an 82-year-old patient with previously undiagnosed diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis of the cervical spine experienced life-threatening side effects after use of a supraglottic airway device (i-gel). Extensive mucosal erosion and denudation of the cricoid cartilage caused postoperative supraglottic swelling and prolonged respiratory failure requiring tracheostomy. In this case report, we highlight the importance of evaluating risk factors for failure of supraglottic airway devices.