Anthropogenic inputs of petroleum hydrocarbons into the marine environment can have long lasting impacts on benthic communities. Sponges form an abundant and diverse component of benthic habitats, contributing a variety of important functional roles; however, their responses to petroleum hydrocarbons are largely unknown. This study combined a traditional ecotoxicological experimental design and endpoint with global gene expression profiling and microbial indicator species analysis to examine the effects of a water accommodated fraction (WAF) of condensate oil on a common Indo-Pacific sponge, Phyllospongia foliascens. A no significant effect concentration (N(S)EC) of 2.1 % WAF was obtained for larval settlement, while gene-specific (N(S)EC) thresholds ranged from 3.4 % to 8.8 % WAF. Significant shifts in global gene expression were identified at WAF treatments ≥20 %, with larvae exposed to 100 % WAF most responsive. Results from this study provide an example on the incorporation of non-conventional molecular and microbiological responses into ecotoxicological studies on petroleum hydrocarbons.

Ethyl chloride is a common topical anesthetic. However, when abused as an inhalant, effects can range from headaches and dizziness to debilitating neurotoxicity requiring intubation. While previous case reports describe the short-term reversible neurotoxicity of ethyl chloride, ours show chronic morbidity and mortality outcome. During the initial evaluation, it is essential to consider the rising trend of commercially available inhalants being used as recreational drugs. We present a case of a middle-aged man presenting with subacute neurotoxicity due to repeated abuse of ethyl chloride.

Fuel spills are a major source of contamination in terrestrial environments in Antarctica. Little is known of the effects of hydrocarbon contaminants in fuels on Antarctic terrestrial biota, and how these change as fuel ages within soil. In this study we investigate the sensitivity of juveniles of the endemic Antarctic nematode Plectus murrayi to diesel-spiked soil. Toxicity tests were conducted on soil elutriates, and changes in concentrations of hydrocarbons, polar compounds and PAHs were assessed as the spiked soil was artificially aged at 3 °C over a 45-week period, representing multiple summer seasons of fuel degradation. Nematodes were most sensitive to elutriates made from freshly spiked soils (LC50 419 μg/L TPH and 156 μg/L TPH-SG), with a subsequent decline in toxicity observed in the first 6 weeks of laboratory ageing (LC50 2945 μg/L TPH and 694 μg/L TPH-SG). Effects were still evident up to 45 weeks (lowest observed effect concentration 2123 μg/L TPH) despite hydrocarbons being depleted from soils with ageing (84 % loss) and elutriates becoming dominated by polar metabolites (95 % polar). Nematode sensitivity throughout the ageing period showed evidence of a relationship between LC50 and the proportions of the lighter carbon range fraction of TPH in elutriates, the F2 fraction (C10-14). This study is the first to estimate the sensitivity of Antarctic terrestrial fauna to diesel and provides novel data on the dynamics of fuel chemistry under Antarctic conditions and how this influences toxicity. Findings contribute to predicting ecological risk at existing diesel fuel spill sites in Antarctica, to the derivation of site-specific remediation targets, and to environmental guidelines to assess ecosystem health.

Inhalants are common drugs of abuse. Hydrocarbons, the active ingredient in most inhalants, exert depressant effects on the central nervous system, causing a \'high\'. In the heart, hydrocarbon toxicity can predispose patients to arrhythmias and heart failure through increased sympathetic susceptibility. We present the case of a 28-year-old female who developed dilated cardiomyopathy in the setting of chronic inhalant abuse.
CONCLUSIONS: Chronic inhalant abuse can lead to cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure.Chronic inhalant abusers should be screened for signs of heart failure.Severe hydrocarbon toxicity can cause sudden sniffing death syndrome.

Inhalant abuse, also known as huffing, is common among teenagers and adolescents in the United States and worldwide. Inhaled aerosols are dangerous due to both the presence of volatile hydrocarbons causing direct organ damage and the risk of the compressed air causing physical trauma (e.g. expansion, barotrauma) or skin trauma from chemical or temperature burn. Here, we present the case of a 35-year-old man who was inhaling multiple canisters of Dust-Off (Falcon Safety Products Inc., Branchburg, NJ) keyboard air duster daily for approximately one month. He presented with intermittent burning chest pains, and was found to have elevated troponin (peak 17 ng/mL, normal range 0-0.5 ng/mL) without ST-segment elevations, concerning for non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) as well as elevated aminotransferases and elevated serum creatinine. He was treated conservatively with supportive measures, with successful resolution of his laboratory abnormalities as well as his chest pain. Clinicians should be aware of the possible medical complications of inhalant abuse, and the expected clinical course. In this case, we aim to demonstrate the acute onset and self-resolution of significant cardiomyocyte damage in a young male patient abusing duster.

Accidental oil spills from shipping and during extraction can threaten marine biota, particularly coral reef species which are already under pressure from anthropogenic disturbances. Marine sponges are an important structural and functional component of coral reef ecosystems; however, despite their ecological importance, little is known about how sponges and their microbial symbionts respond to petroleum products. Here, we use a systems biology-based approach to assess the effects of water-accommodated fractions (WAF) of crude oil, chemically enhanced water-accommodated fractions of crude oil (CWAF), and dispersant (Corexit EC9500A) on the survival, metamorphosis, gene expression, and microbial symbiosis of the abundant reef sponge Rhopaloeides odorabile in larval laboratory-based assays. Larval survival was unaffected by the 100% WAF treatment (107 μg liter-1 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon [PAH]), whereas significant decreases in metamorphosis were observed at 13% WAF (13.9 μg liter-1 PAH). The CWAF and dispersant treatments were more toxic, with decreases in metamorphosis identified at 0.8% (0.58 μg liter-1 PAH) and 1.6% (38 mg liter-1 Corexit EC9500A), respectively. In addition to the negative impact on larval settlement, significant changes in host gene expression and disruptions to the microbiome were evident, with microbial shifts detected at the lowest treatment level (1.6% WAF; 1.7 μg liter-1 PAH), including a significant reduction in the relative abundance of a previously described thaumarchaeal symbiont. The responsiveness of the R. odorabile microbial community to the lowest level of hydrocarbon treatment highlights the utility of the sponge microbiome as a sensitive marker for exposure to crude oils and dispersants.IMPORTANCE Larvae of the sponge R. odorabile survived exposure to high concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons; however, their ability to settle and metamorphose was adversely affected at environmentally relevant concentrations, and these effects were paralleled by marked changes in sponge gene expression and preceded by disruption of the symbiotic microbiome. Given the ecological importance of sponges, uncontrolled hydrocarbon releases from shipping accidents or production could affect sponge recruitment, which would have concomitant consequences for reef ecosystem function.

In the ecotoxicological assessment of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil, microbial community profile is important aspect due to their involvement in soil functions. However, soil physicochemical properties and the inhabiting plants could dictate the microbial composition. A question remains unanswered is, how an integrated approach may be utilized to account for various contrasting soil properties, plant types (reference vs. native) and the nature of the hydrocarbon contamination. In this study, we utilized bacterial DNA profiling techniques to investigate the relationship between soil properties, contaminant and plant species. Results identified that Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the most abundant bacteria of the 45 phyla identified in the hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. The bulk and rhizosphere microbiome showed that the contaminated soil originally had quite distinct bacterial communities compared to the artificially contaminated soil (mine soil = 95 genera vs. other soils = 2-29 genera). In these cases, not significantly but the native plant slightly increased bacterial diversity and relative abundance in the same soils. Also, within each site, the bacterial community was significantly altered with the hydrocarbon concentration. In this instance, the influence of the contaminant was strong and also with the soil pH and organic matter. These results would significantly contribute to the novel insights on the molecular technique-based hydrocarbon toxicity assessment and the development of the further integrative approach with other microbial community and their metabolic profile in the contaminated sites.

The individual toxicity of different hydrocarbons (naphthalene, cyclododecane and aniline) on the growth of selected bacteria (Pseudomonas sp., Phaeobacter sp. and Leuconostoc mesenteroides) was studied by means of a toxicodynamic model combination of two sigmoid equations (logistic and Weibull). All the toxicological effects on growth parameters and kinetic properties were characterized and the global toxicity of such chemicals was evaluated. It was observed that two kinetic parameters (maximum growth and maximum growth rate) were in almost all cases influenced by the hydrocarbons studied. Aniline was less toxic than cyclododecane and naphthalene. The presented approach is a reasonable starting point for understanding and modeling complete and real assessment of chemical toxic effects on bacterial growths. The values of EC50,τ could be used for a most efficient comparison of the individual toxicity of chemicals.