Worldwide, there are plants known as psychoactive plants that naturally contain psychedelic active components. They have a high concentration of neuroprotective substances that can interact with the nervous system to produce psychedelic effects. Despite these plants' hazardous potential, recreational use of them is on the rise because of their psychoactive properties. Early neuroscience studies relied heavily on psychoactive plants and plant natural products (NPs), and both recreational and hazardous NPs have contributed significantly to the understanding of almost all neurotransmitter systems. Worldwide, there are many plants that contain psychoactive properties, and people have been using them for ages. Psychoactive plant compounds may significantly alter how people perceive the world.
1. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2024 Nov 1;286:117163. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.117163. Epub 2024 Oct 12. The effect of dietary oxidation balance scores and volatile organic compounds exposures on inflammation. Zhang W(1), Lin A(2), Chen W(3). Author information: (1)The Affiliated Panyu Central Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 511400, China. Electronic address: zhangweipeng@pyhospital.com.cn. (2)Sun Yat-sen Memory Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510120, China. (3)The Second Nanning People's Hospital, Nanning, Guangxi 530031, China. BACKGROUND: Inflammation is a significant factor in adverse health outcomes, but the combined effects of diets with varying oxidation levels and exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on inflammation are not well understood. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of the recognized Dietary Oxidative Balance Score (DOBS) and five VOCs on the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and C-reactive protein (CRP). METHODS: This cross-sectional study included data from participants in three cycles (2003-2004, 2005-2006, 2009-2010) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We used Spearman correlation, logistic regression, and trend tests to explore the associations between DOBS, VOCs, SII, and CRP. Additionally, we conducted restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis to assess dose-response relationships between exposure and effect. G-computation and stratified analyses were performed to further elucidate these associations. RESULTS: We included 7033 eligible participants, with 48.8 % males and 51.2 % females. Spearman correlation revealed that DOBS was negatively correlated with SII and CRP, while the five VOCs were positively correlated with SII and CRP. Although fully adjusted logistic regression models did not yield statistically significant results, trend tests indicated a gradual decrease in SII and CRP with increasing DOBS, a finding validated by RCS analysis. G-computation results demonstrated that the combined effect of DOBS and VOCs on inflammation was positive, with DOBS exerting a negative effect and benzene, ethylbenzene, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene exerting positive effects. Stratified analysis showed that maintaining physical activity significantly influenced the effects of DOBS and VOCs on inflammation. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that adjusting dietary structure and reducing daily exposure to VOCs can effectively reduce inflammation in the body. Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.117163 PMID: 39405971 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. 2. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2024 Nov;41(11):1480-1497. doi: 10.1080/19440049.2024.2400224. Epub 2024 Sep 5. Rapid determination of volatile benzene derivatives and chlorobenzenes in goat's milk by HS-SPME-GC-MS/MS. Qin J(1)(2), Tong K(1), Chang Q(1)(3), Xie Y(1), Wu X(1), Fan C(1), Chen H(1). Author information: (1)Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, Beijing, China. (2)College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hebei University, Baoding, China. (3)National Center of Technology Innovation for Dairy, Hohhot, China. A method for the determination of eight benzenes (BTEXs) and twelve chlorobenzenes (CBs) in goat's milk by headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS/MS) was developed. The study investigated the impact of various factors such as extraction fiber type, salt amount, equilibrium conditions, and desorption conditions on the outcomes. Target analytes were separated on a DB-HeavyWAX column and quantified using the external standard method. The results showed that the target compounds had a good linear relationship in the range of 0.01 ∼ 50 μg/L (R2 > 0.997), the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.003 ∼ 0.150 μg/L, and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.01 ∼ 0.50 μg/L. The average recoveries were 82%-116% and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 0.8%-17.3% under the three addition levels of 1×, 2×, and 10 × LOQ. In a survey of twenty goat's milk samples, only ethylbenzene, xylenes, cumene, chlorobenzene, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene were detected at levels exceeding their respective limits of quantification. The method was evaluated using two ecological scales (Eco-Scale), GAPI and AGREEN, to verify its environmental friendliness and applicability. This method is simple, green, and efficient, which provides a certain theoretical basis for the production and quality safety evaluation of dairy products. DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2024.2400224 PMID: 39236017 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 3. Sci Rep. 2024 Aug 28;14(1):20036. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-70923-4. Environmental life cycle assessment of corn production in tropical regions. Hossein HY(1), Azizpanah A(2), Namdari M(3), Shirkhani H(4). Author information: (1)Department of Biosystem Mechanic Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran. (2)Department of Biosystem Mechanic Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran. a.azizpanah@ilam.ac.ir. (3)Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, 45371-38791, Iran. namdari@znu.ac.ir. (4)Ministry of Agriculture-Jahad, Mehran Office, Ilam, Iran. Corn growing is an important cultural and traditional system in the Iran that has considerable environmental impacts. This study was conducted to determine the environmental effects of corn production using life cycle assessment methodology. In the present study, the data have been collected from face-to-face interviews and completing a questionnaire among corn farmers in Ilam province of Iran, in 2021. The functional unit for analysis was defined as one ton of corn produced in the region. As a result, energy efficiency, energy productivity, net energy and specific energy were equal to 4.41, 0.20 kg MJ-1, 675,379.84 MJ ha-1 and 4.88 MJ kg-1 respectively. Direct, indirect, renewable and non-renewable energies was 61.59, 38.41, 16.03 and 83.97%, respectively. In this study, the amount of global warming potential per ton of product produced is estimated to be 4747,505 kg CO2 equivalent. After normalization and weighting, the highest environmental pollutants are related to the marine aquatic ecotoxicity index with 225,273 kg 1,4-dichlorobenzene equivalent and the lowest pollutants are related to the depletion of ozone layer 1,19 × 10-5 kg CFC-11 equivalent. Result showed that chemical fertilizers and electricity led to the highest contaminating emissions. © 2024. The Author(s). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-70923-4 PMCID: PMC11358543 PMID: 39198515 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing interests. 4. Chemosphere. 2024 Sep;363:142914. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142914. Epub 2024 Jul 23. Research on pollution identification and safety thresholds based on the olfactory effect on a halogenated hydrocarbon contaminated site. Li X(1), Xie W(1), Zhang Y(1), Chen Y(1), Li M(1), Kong L(1), Ding D(2), Deng S(3). Author information: (1)Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing, 210042, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing, 210042, China. (2)Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing, 210042, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing, 210042, China. Electronic address: dingda@nies.org. (3)Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing, 210042, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing, 210042, China. Electronic address: dsp@nies.org. To effectively address odor control issues at sites contaminated with halogenated hydrocarbons, it is essential to establish an odor risk prediction system for evaluating potential risks that may impact future planning. This research focuses on a representative halogenated hydrocarbon-contaminated site, examining the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of key pollutants in soil gas. By analyzing odor contribution rates, the study identifies significant odorants in soil gas, which enables the derivation of both probabilistic and deterministic safety thresholds for soil and groundwater based on olfactory effects. The findings indicate that 1,1-dichloroethylene, vinyl chloride, chloroform, and 1,1-dichloroethane are prevalent throughout the contaminated site, displaying elevated concentration levels and substantially influencing the overall contamination extent. These substances are highlighted as critical pollutants requiring attention. Correlation analysis (P < 0.05) reveals a strong relationship between the concentrations of vinyl chloride, 1,1-dichloroethane, and chloroform with groundwater depth and air temperature. Additionally, the analysis of odor activity values (OAV) identified 1,1-dichloroethene, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, chlorobenzene, chloroform, and vinyl chloride as key olfactory factors at the site. The corresponding probabilistic safety thresholds are 0.68, 1.65, 0.50, 7.87, and 3.72 mg kg-1 for soil, and 9.29, 3.46, and 1.09, 69.55, and 47.01 mg L-1 for groundwater, respectively. Among them, the odor risks of chlorobenzene and 1,1-dichloroethylene warrant more attention than soil contamination risks; regarding 1,4-dichlorobenzene, it is recommended to concurrently consider odor risks during human health risk assessment; as for vinyl chloride and chloroform, their odor risks can be largely eliminated based on human health-oriented pollution management. Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142914 PMID: 39053779 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. 5. J Clin Periodontol. 2024 Oct;51(10):1359-1368. doi: 10.1111/jcpe.14041. Epub 2024 Jul 14. Association between volatile organic compounds exposure and periodontitis: A representative cross-sectional study. Dong H(1), Wang X(2)(3), Xiao N(1), Yang X(2)(3), Zhang X(1), Niu P(2)(3), Chen T(2)(3). Author information: (1)Department of Stomatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. (2)Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. (3)Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. AIM: Periodontitis is one of the most common oral diseases and a major cause of tooth loss in adults. Environmental pollution is closely associated with the prevalence of periodontitis. However, few studies have focused on the association between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and periodontitis. This cross-sectional study aims to examine whether exposure to VOCs is associated with periodontitis, based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2011-2014). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analysed data on blood VOC levels, periodontitis and related covariates from 2772 participants of the NHANES. The association between the blood VOCs and periodontitis was analysed using weighted logistic regression analysis, the restricted cubic spline (RCS) model and the weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression model. Interaction tests and mediation analysis were also conducted. RESULTS: After adjusting for covariates, for each natural constant-fold increase in 1,4-dichlorobenzene, the odds of having periodontitis increased by 16% (odds ratio = 1.16; 95% confidence interval: 1.08-1.24, p < .001). WQS regression model indicated that 1,4-dichlorobenzene contributed the most to the association between VOC co-exposure and periodontitis. Mediation analysis further revealed that total bilirubin levels mediated the association between 1,4-dichlorobenzene and the prevalence of periodontitis, accounting for 4.32%. In addition, the positive association between o-xylene and periodontitis was more pronounced in the <65-year-old group. CONCLUSIONS: This study has provided relatively little evidence to demonstrate a specific link between VOCs and periodontitis. Nonetheless, exposure to VOCs remains a non-negligible public health concern, and further research is required to investigate the association and potential mechanisms of action between VOCs and periodontitis. © 2024 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.14041 PMID: 39004511 [Indexed for MEDLINE]