Fate and potential ecological risk of rare earth elements in 3000-year reclaimed soil chronosequences.

The introduction of anthropogenic inputs into natural systems may lead to enduring alterations in the innate characteristics of Rare Earth Elements (REEs). Against this backdrop, the evolutionary processes and environmental drivers of REEs in soil remain uncertain. A 3000-year soil chronosequence with uniform parent material was established in reclaimed farmland along the Yangtze River, reconstructing, for the first time, the dynamic processes of REE accumulation and fractionation over a long-time scale. Analysis of 122 soil samples showed REE concentrations ranging from 146.00 to 216.56 µg/g. Based on reclamation duration, three significant stages of REE evolution were identified: natural leaching, rapid accumulation, and stable accumulation with differentiation. Reclaimed soil after 3000 years exhibited a 14.1 % increase in REE concentrations compared to fresh sediments, attributed to anthro -pedogenic processes. Moreover, Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREEs) accumulated faster than Light Rare Earth Elements (LREEs), particularly in deeper soils (60-100 cm), where HREE concentrations rose by 34.3 %, mainly due to acidic environments promoting HREE fixation. Additionally, the potential ecological risk posed by REEs heightened with reclamation duration, with HREEs exhibiting a sensitivity of 83 % to 94 %. Our findings stress the urgency of carefully monitoring exogenous REEs introduced through anthropogenic activities, particularly HREEs.

Liver injury in paraquat poisoning: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Liver injury is one of the common complications of paraquat (PQ) poisoning, but whether the degree of liver injury is related to patient prognosis is still controversial. This study aimed to investigate whether liver injury was a risk factor for death in PQ-poisoned patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of PQ-poisoned patients from the past 10 years (2011-2020) from a large tertiary academic medical centre in China. PQ-poisoned patients were divided into a normal liver function group (n = 580) and a liver injury group (n = 60). Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was then performed. RESULTS: A total of 640 patients with PQ poisoning were included in this study. To reduce the impact of bias, dose of PQ, urinary PQ concentration and time from poisoning to hospital admission were matched between the two groups. A 3:1 PSM analysis was performed, ultimately including 240 patients. Compared with the normal liver function group, patients in the liver injury group were older, had a higher R value ([ALT/ULN]/[ALP/ULN]) (p < .001) and had a higher mortality rate. Cox regression analysis showed that there was no significant association between alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin levels and hazard of death, but age, PQ dose, creatine kinase isoenzyme, creatine kinase, white blood cell count, neutrophil percentage and lymphocyte percentage were associated with mortality in patients with PQ poisoning. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of liver injury within 48 h after PQ poisoning was a risk factor for mortality, and such liver injury was likely of a hepatocellular nature. Age, PQ dose, creatine kinase isoenzyme and white blood cell count were positively correlated with mortality, while creatine kinase, percentage of neutrophils and lymphocytes were inversely correlated.

Inflammation as a pathway for heavy metal-induced liver damage-Insights from a repeated-measures study in residents exposed to metals and bioinformatics analysis.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies on heavy metal exposure and liver injury are predominantly cross-sectional, lacking longitudinal data and exploration of potential mechanisms. METHOD: We conducted a repeated-measures study in Northeast China from 2016 to 2019, involving 322 participants. Linear mixed models (LMM) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were employed to explore the associations between individual and mixed blood metal concentrations [chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), vanadium (V), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb)] and liver function biomarkers [alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), albumin (ALB), globulin (GLB), total protein (TP)]. Mediation and enrichment analyses were used to determine whether the inflammatory response is a critical pathway for heavy metal-induced liver damage. RESULT: We obtained a total of 958 observations. The results from LMM and BKMR indicated significant associations between individual and mixed heavy metals and liver function biomarkers. Longitudinal analysis revealed associations between Cd and the annual increase rate of ALT (ß = 2.61; 95% CI: 0.97, 4.26), the annual decrease rate of ALB (ß = -0.21; 95% CI: -0.39, -0.03), Mn and the annual increase rate of GLB (ß = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.72), and V and the annual decrease rate of ALB/GLB (ß = -1.15; 95% CI: -2.00, -0.31). Mediation analysis showed that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) mediated the associations between Cd and AST, TP, with mediation effects of 27.7% and 13.4%, respectively. Additionally, results from Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses supported the role of inflammatory response pathways. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that heavy metal exposure leads to liver damage, with the inflammatory response potentially serving as a crucial pathway in this process. This study offers a novel perspective on understanding heavy metal-induced liver injury and provides insights for preventive measures against the health damage caused by heavy metals.

Silver sulfide nanoparticles eliminate the stimulative effects of earthworms on nutrient uptake by soybeans in high organic matter soils.

A significant knowledge gap exists regarding the impact of soil organic matter on the bioavailability of Ag2S-NPs (environmentally relevant forms of Ag-NPs) in soil-earthworm-plant systems. This study used two soils with varying organic matter content, both with and without earthworms, to investigate the bioavailability of Ag2S-NPs. The findings revealed an 80 % increase in Ag bioaccessibility to soybeans in soils with high organic matter content compared to soils with low organic matter. Additionally, the presence of earthworms significantly increased Cl concentrations from 24.3-62.2 mg L-1 to 80.1-147.2 mg L-1, triggering the elevated bioavailability of Ag. Interestingly, Ag2S-NPs eliminated the stimulative effects of earthworms on plant nutrient uptake. In the presence of earthworms, the high organic matter soil amended with Ag2S-NPs exhibited lower concentrations of essential elements (Ca, Cu, Fe, K, and P) in plant tissues compared to soils without earthworms. Our study presents evidence of the transformation of Ag2S-NPs into Ag-NPs across various soil solutions, resulting in the formation of Ag nanoparticle complexes. Particularly noteworthy is the significant reduction in particle sizes in soils incubated with earthworms and high organic matter content, from 85.0 nm to 40.2 nm. Notably, in the rhizosphere soil, a decrease in the relative abundance of nutrient cycling-related phyla was observed, with reductions of 18.5 % for Proteobacteria and 30.0 % for Actinobacteriota. These findings offer valuable insights into the biological and biochemical consequences of Ag2S-NP exposure on earthworm-mediated plant nutrient acquisition.

Evaluating the oral delivery of GalNAc-conjugated siRNAs in rodents and non-human primates.

Oral delivery is the most widely used and convenient route of administration of medicine. However, oral administration of hydrophilic macromolecules is commonly limited by low intestinal permeability and pre-systemic degradation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Overcoming some of these challenges allowed emergence of oral dosage forms of peptide-based drugs in clinical settings. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) have also been investigated for oral administration but despite the recent progress, the bioavailability remains low. Given the advancement with highly potent and durable trivalent N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)-conjugated small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) via subcutaneous (s.c.) injection, we explored their activities after oral administration. We report robust RNA interference (RNAi) activity of orally administrated GalNAc-siRNAs co-formulated with permeation enhancers (PEs) in rodents and non-human primates (NHPs). The relative bioavailability calculated from NHP liver exposure was <2.0% despite minimal enzymatic degradation in the GI. To investigate the impact of oligonucleotide size on oral delivery, highly specific GalNAc-conjugated single-stranded oligonucleotides known as REVERSIRs with different lengths were employed and their activities for reversal of RNAi effect were monitored. Our data suggests that intestinal permeability is highly influenced by the size of oligonucleotides. Further improvements in the potency of siRNA and PE could make oral delivery of GalNAc-siRNAs as a practical solution.

Review of the Capacity to Accurately Detect the Temperature of Human Skin Tissue Using the Microwave Radiation Method.

Microwave radiometry (MWR) is instrumental in detecting thermal variations in skin tissue before anatomical changes occur, proving particularly beneficial in the early diagnosis of cancer and inflammation. This study concisely traces the evolution of microwave radiometers within the medical sector. By analyzing a plethora of pertinent studies and contrasting their strengths, weaknesses, and performance metrics, this research identifies the primary factors limiting temperature measurement accuracy. The review establishes the critical technologies necessary to overcome these limitations, examines the current state and prospective advancements of each technology, and proposes comprehensive implementation strategies. The discussion elucidates that the precise measurement of human surface and subcutaneous tissue temperatures using an MWR system is a complex challenge, necessitating an integration of antenna directionality for temperature measurement, radiometer error correction, hardware configuration, and the calibration and precision of a multilayer tissue forward and inversion method. This study delves into the pivotal technologies for non-invasive human tissue temperature monitoring in the microwave frequency range, offering an effective approach for the precise assessment of human epidermal and subcutaneous temperatures, and develops a non-contact microwave protocol for gauging subcutaneous tissue temperature distribution. It is anticipated that mass-produced measurement systems will deliver substantial economic and societal benefits.

Complex interplay of heavy metals and renal injury: New perspectives from longitudinal epidemiological evidence.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have reported associations between heavy metals and renal function. However, longitudinal studies are required to further validate these associations and explore the interactive effects of heavy metals on renal function and their directional influence. METHOD: This study, conducted in Northeast China from 2016 to 2021, included a four-time repeated measures design involving 384 participants (1536 observations). Urinary concentrations of chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), and lead (Pb) were measured, along with renal biomarkers including urinary microalbumin (umAlb), urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), and ß2-microglobulin (ß2-MG) levels. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated. A Linear Mixed Effects Model (LME) examined the association between individual metal exposure and renal biomarkers. Subsequently, Quantile g-computation and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) models assessed the overall effects of heavy metal mixtures. Marginal Effect models examined the directional impact of metal interactions in the BKMR on renal function. RESULT: Results indicate significant impacts of individual and combined exposures of Cr, Cd, Pb, and Mn on renal biomarkers. Metal interactions in the BKMR model were observed, with synergistic effects of Cd-Cr on NAG, umAlb, UACR; Cd-Pb on NAG, UACR; Pb-Cr on umAlb, UACR, eGFR-MDRD, eGFR-EPI; and an antagonistic effect of Mn-Pb-Cr on UACR. CONCLUSION: Both individual and combined exposures to heavy metals are associated with renal biomarkers, with significant synergistic interactions leading to renal damage. Our findings elucidate potential interactions among these metals, offering valuable insights into the mechanisms linking multiple metal exposures to renal injury.

Joint and interactive effects of metal mixtures on liver damage: Epidemiological evidence from repeated-measures study.

BACKGROUND: The impact of heavy metals on liver function has been examined in numerous epidemiological studies. However, these findings lack consistency and longitudinal validation. METHODS: In this study, we conducted three follow-up surveys with 426 participants from Northeast China. Blood and urine samples were collected, along with questionnaire information. Urine samples were analyzed for concentrations of four metals (chromium [Cr], cadmium [Cd], lead [Pb], and manganese [Mn]), while blood samples were used to measure five liver function indicators (alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate aminotransferase [AST], albumin [ALB], globulin [GLB], and total protein [TP]). We utilized a linear mixed-effects model (LME) to explore the association between individual heavy metal exposure and liver function. Joint effects of metal mixtures were investigated using quantile g-computation and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR). Furthermore, we employed BKMR and Marginal Effect models to examine the interaction effects between metals on liver function. RESULTS: The LME results demonstrated a significant association between urinary heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Pb, and Mn) and liver function markers. BKMR results indicated positive associations between heavy metal mixtures and ALT, AST, and GLB, and negative associations with ALB and TP, which were consistent with the g-comp results. Synergistic effects were observed between Cd-Cr on ALT, Mn-Cr and Cr-Pb on ALB, while an antagonistic effect was found between Mn-Pb and Mn-Cd on ALB. Additionally, synergistic effects were observed between Mn-Cr on GLB and Cd-Cr on TP. Furthermore, a three-way antagonistic effect of Mn-Pb-Cr on ALB was identified. CONCLUSION: Exposure to heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Mn, Pb) is associated with liver function markers, potentially leading to liver damage. Moreover, there are joint and interaction effects among these metals, which warrant further investigation at both the population and mechanistic levels.

Intracerebral hemodynamic abnormalities in patients with Parkinson's disease: Comparison between multi-delay arterial spin labelling and conventional single-delay arterial spin labelling.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the intracerebral abnormalities of hemodynamics in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) through arterial spin labelling (ASL) technique with multi-delay ASL (MDASL) and conventional single-delay ASL (SDASL) protocols and to verify the potential clinical application of these features for the diagnosis of PD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Perfusion data of the brain obtained using MDASL and SDASL in patients with PD were compared to those obtained in healthy control (HC) subjects. Intergroup comparisons of z-scored cerebral blood flow (zCBF), arterial transit time (zATT) and cerebral blood volume (zCBV) were performed via voxel-based analysis. Performance of these perfusion metrics were estimated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and compared using Delong test. RESULTS: A total of 47 patients with PD (29 men; 18 women; mean age, 69.0 ± 7.6 (standard deviation, [SD]) years; range: 50.0-84.0 years) and 50 HC subjects (28 men; 22 women; mean age, 70.1 ± 6.2 [SD] years; range: 50.0-93.0 years) were included. Relative to the uncorrected-zCBF map, the corrected-zCBF map further refined the distributed brain regions in the PD group versus the HC group, manifested as the extension of motor-related regions (PFWE < 0.001). Compared to the HC subjects, patients with PD had elevated zATT and zCBV in the right putamen, a shortened zATT in the superior frontal gyrus, and specific zCBV variations in the left precuneus and the right supplementary motor area (PFWE < 0.001). The corrected-zCBF (AUC, 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84-0.96) showed better classification performance than uncorrected-zCBF (AUC, 0.84; 95% CI: 0.75-0.92) (P = 0.035). zCBV achieved an AUC of 0.89 (95% CI: 0.82-0.96) and zATT achieved an AUC of 0.66 (95% CI: 0.55-0.77). The integration model of hemodynamic features from MDASL provided improved performance (AUC, 0.97; 95% CI: 0.95-0.98) for the diagnosis of PD by comparison with each perfusion model (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: ASL identifies impaired hemodynamics in patients with PD including regional abnormalities of CBF, CBV and ATT, which can better be mapped with MDASL compared to SDASL. These findings provide complementary depictions of perfusion abnormalities in patients with PD and highlight the clinical feasibility of MDASL.

VSIG4 inhibits RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis by enhancing Nrf2-dependent antioxidant response against reactive oxygen species production.

Osteoporosis is a prevalent systemic skeletal disorder, particularly affecting postmenopausal women, primarily due to excessive production and activation of osteoclasts. However, the current anti-osteoporotic drugs utilized in clinical practice may lead to certain side effects. Therefore, it is necessary to further unravel the potential mechanisms regulating the osteoclast differentiation and to identify novel targets for osteoporosis treatment. This study revealed the most significant decline in VSIG4 expression among the VSIG family members. VSIG4 overexpression significantly inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption function. Mechanistically, both western blot and immunofluorescence assay results demonstrated that VSIG4 overexpression attenuated the expression of osteoclast marker genes and dampened the activation of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. Furthermore, VSIG4 overexpression could inhibit the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and stimulate the expression of Nrf2 along with its downstream antioxidant enzymes via interaction with Keap1. Notably, a potent Nrf2 inhibitor, ML385, could reverse the inhibitory effect of VSIG4 on osteoclast differentiation. In line with these findings, VSIG4 overexpression also mitigated bone loss induced by OVX and attenuated the activation of osteoclasts in vivo. In conclusion, our results suggest that VSIG4 holds promise as a novel target for addressing postmenopausal osteoporosis. This is achieved by suppressing osteoclast formation via enhancing Nrf2-dependent antioxidant response against reactive oxygen species production.

Cinnamaldehyde Alleviates Bone Loss by Targeting Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Damage via the Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway in BMSCs and Ovariectomized Mice.

Osteoporosis (OP) is typically brought on by disruption of bone homeostasis. Excessive oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are believed to be the primary mechanisms underlying this disorder. Therefore, in order to restore bone homeostasis effectively, targeted treatment of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction is necessary. Cinnamaldehyde (CIN), a small molecule that acts as an agonist for the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2), has been found to possess antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. We found that CIN, while rescuing apoptosis, can also reduce the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to improve mitochondrial dysfunction and thus restore the osteogenic differentiation potential of BMSCs disrupted by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) exposure. The role of CIN was preliminarily considered to be a consequence of Nrf2/HO-1 axis activation. The ovariectomized mice model further demonstrated that CIN treatment ameliorated oxidative stress in vivo, partially reversing OVX-induced bone loss. This improvement was seen in the trabecular microarchitecture and bone biochemical indices. However, when ML385 was concurrently injected with CIN, the positive effects of CIN were largely blocked. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the intrinsic mechanisms by which CIN regulates BMSCs and highlights the potential therapeutic applications of these findings in the treatment of osteoporosis.

Fucoxanthin ameliorates endoplasmic reticulum stress and inhibits apoptosis and alleviates intervertebral disc degeneration in rats by upregulating Sirt1.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and apoptosis of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells are considered to be the main pathological factors of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Fucoxanthin (FX), a marine carotenoid extracted from microalgae, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of FX on NP cells induced by oxidative stress and its molecular mechanism. Primary NP cells of the lumbar vertebrae of rats were extracted and tested in vitro. qRT-PCR, western blot, immunofluorescence, and TUNEL staining were used to detect apoptosis, ERS, extracellular matrix (ECM), and Sirt1-related pathways. In vivo experiments, the recovery of IDD rats was determined by X-ray, hematoxylin and eosin, Safranin-O/Fast Green, Alcian staining, and immunohistochemistry. Our study showed that oxidative stress induced ERS, apoptosis, and ECM degradation in NP cells. After the use of FX, the expression of Sirt1 was up-regulated, the activation of PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP was decreased, and apoptosis and ECM degradation were decreased. At the same time, FX improved the degree of disc degeneration in rats in vivo. Our study demonstrates the effect of FX on improving IDD in vivo and in vitro, suggesting that FX may be a potential drug for the treatment of IDD.

Effect of boxers' social support on mental fatigue: Chain mediating effects of coach leadership behaviors and psychological resilience.

BACKGROUND: Athletic fatigue is an inescapable issue in competitive sports. It belongs to a physiological response that is triggered when competitive athletes are trained to a critical point. OBJECTIVE: The study aims to explore the relationships involving boxers' social support, mental fatigue, coach leadership behaviors and psychological resilience. METHODS: 1050 boxers were selected in several provinces across China and investigated on the basis of the Social Support Questionnaire for Athletes, Mental Fatigue Scale, Psychological Resilience Scale, and Leadership Scale for Sport. RESULTS: Boxers' social support was negatively correlated with mental fatigue and psychological resilience, while it was positively correlated with coach leadership behaviors. Apart from direct effects on mental fatigue, other impacts are imposed by boxers' social support via mediating effects such as coach leadership behaviors and psychological resilience. The total effect value was -0.18, the direct effect value was -0.08, and the indirect effect value was -0.12; furthermore, coach leadership behaviors and psychological resilience play a mediating role, accounting for 65.57% of the total. CONCLUSION: In order to alleviate the stress from intense competitive training and abate mental fatigue, competitive athletes may be encouraged in subsequent training to seek all-sided social support for social interpersonal relationships. While clarifying the mechanism how the external environment affects individuals, this paper explains the principle of social support on athletes' psychological fatigue and identifies mutual influences between coaches and athletes.

Musculoskeletal adverse events induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors: a large-scale pharmacovigilance study.

Background: The musculoskeletal toxicity of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is receiving increasing attention with clinical experience. Nevertheless, the absence of a systematic investigation into the musculoskeletal toxicity profile of ICIs currently results in the under-recognition of associated adverse events. Further and more comprehensive investigations are warranted to delineate the musculoskeletal toxicity profile of ICIs and characterize these adverse events. Material and methods: The present study employed the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System database to collect adverse events between January 2010 and March 2021. We utilized both the reporting odds ratio and the Bayesian confidence propagation neural network algorithms to identify suspected musculoskeletal adverse events induced by ICIs. Subsequently, the clinical characteristics and comorbidities of the major musculoskeletal adverse events were analyzed. The risk of causing these events with combination therapy versus monotherapy was compared using logistic regression model and Ω shrinkage measure model. Results: The musculoskeletal toxicity induced by ICIs primarily involves muscle tissue, including neuromuscular junctions, fascia, tendons, and tendon sheaths, as well as joints, spine, and bones, including cartilage. The toxicity profile of PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 inhibitors varies, wherein the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab exhibits a heightened overall risk of inducing musculoskeletal adverse events. The major ICIs-induce musculoskeletal adverse events, encompassing conditions such as myositis, neuromyopathy (including myasthenia gravis, Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy), arthritis, fractures, myelitis, spinal stenosis, Sjogren's syndrome, fasciitis, tenosynovitis, rhabdomyolysis, rheumatoid myalgia, and chondrocalcinosis. Our study provides clinical characteristics and comorbidities of the major ICIs-induced musculoskeletal adverse events. Furthermore, the combination therapy of nivolumab and ipilimumab does not result in a statistically significant escalation of the risk associated with the major musculoskeletal adverse events. Conclusion: Immune checkpoint inhibitors administration triggers a range of musculoskeletal adverse events, warranting the optimization of their management during clinical practice.

TOMM40 '523 Genotype Distinguishes Patterns of Cognitive Improvement for Executive Function in APOEɛ3 Homozygotes.

BACKGROUND: TOMM40 '523 has been associated with cognitive performance and risk for developing Alzheimer's disease independent of the effect of APOE genotype. Few studies have considered the longitudinal effect of this genotype on change in cognition over time. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between TOMM40 genotype status and change in cognitive performance in the TOMMORROW study, which was designed to prospectively evaluate an algorithm that includes TOMM40 '523 for genetic risk for conversion to mild cognitive impairment. METHODS: We used latent growth curve models to estimate the effect of TOMM40 allele carrier (short, very long) status on the intercept and slope of change in cognitive performance in four broad cognitive domains (attention, memory, executive function, and language) and a combined overall cognitive score over 30 months. RESULTS: TOMM40 very long allele carriers had significantly lower baseline performance for the combined overall cognitive function score (B = -0.088, p = 0.034) and for the executive function domain score (B = -0.143, p = 0.013). Slopes for TOMM40 very long carriers had significantly greater increases over time for the executive function domain score only. In sensitivity analyses, the results for executive function were observed in participants who remained clinically stable, but not in those who progressed clinically over the study duration. CONCLUSIONS: Our results add to the growing body of evidence that TOMM40, in the absence of APOEɛ4, may contribute to cognitive changes with aging and dementia and support the view that mitochondrial function is an important contributor to Alzheimer's disease risk.

Ajugol's upregulation of TFEB-mediated autophagy alleviates endoplasmic reticulum stress in chondrocytes and retards osteoarthritis progression in a mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative disease with a high global prevalence, is characterized by the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the apoptosis of chondrocytes. Ajugol, a extract derived from the herb Rehmannia glutinosa, has not yet been investigated for its potential in modulating the development of OA. METHODS: We employed techniques such as western blotting, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, X-ray imaging, HE staining, and SO staining to provide biological evidence supporting the role of Ajugol as a potential therapeutic agent for modulating OA. Furthermore, in an in vivo experiment, intra-peritoneal injection of 50 mg/kg Ajugol effectively mitigated the progression of OA following destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) surgery. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that treatment with 50 µM Ajugol activated TFEB-mediated autophagy, alleviating ER stress-induced chondrocyte apoptosis and ECM degradation caused by TBHP. Furthermore, in an in vivo experiment, intra-peritoneal injection of 50 mg/kg Ajugol effectively mitigated the progression of OA following destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) surgery. CONCLUSION: These results provide compelling biological evidence supporting the role of Ajugol as a potential therapeutic agent for modulating OA by activating autophagy and attenuating ER stress-induced cell death and ECM degradation. The promising in vivo results further suggest the potential of Ajugol as a treatment strategy for OA progression.

Metallomics analysis of metal exposure and cognitive function in older adults: A combined epidemiological and bioinformatics study.

Dementia is a significant cause of elderly disability and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia. As an early stage of AD, the mechanism related to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and heavy metals is still unclear. This study utilized a cross-sectional design and enrolled 514 older adults in Bejing, China. Cognitive function was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and fourteen blood metals were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In the adjusted single-metal models, we observed that copper [Cu, ß (95% CI): 3.73 (-6.42, -1.03)] and lead [Pb, ß (95% CI): 0.79 (-1.26, -0.32)] demonstrated negative associations with cognitive function, while selenium [Se, ß (95% CI): 2.97 (1.23, 4.70)] was beneficial to cognition. Our findings were robust in secondary analysis using multi-metal models, which included generalized linear models (GLM), Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), and quantile g-computation (qgcomp). Moreover, the toxic metal mixture (Cu and Pb) exhibited a significant negative association with MMSE scores and the inclusion of Se in the metal mixture attenuated the neurotoxicity of Cu-Pb mixture. The in silico analysis was used to examine the potential molecular mechanisms (genes, biological processes, pathways, and illnesses) of interaction among metal mixtures. We identified 20 cognition-related genes that are associated with both Cu-Pb and Se. Among these genes, eight (APOE, APP, BAX, BDNF, CASP3, HMOX1, TF, and TPP1) exhibited opposite effects on protein activity, mRNA expression, or protein expression in response to Se and Cu/Pb exposure, which could be the key genes accounting for the anti-neurotoxic effects of Se. Our findings support that Se can attenuate the neurotoxicity of exposure to single Cu or Pb, and Cu-Pb mixture. More research is needed to confirm our findings and gain knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of combined metal exposure on cognitive function.

Coastal blue carbon in China as a nature-based solution toward carbon neutrality.

To achieve the Paris Agreement, China pledged to become "Carbon Neutral" by the 2060s. In addition to massive decarbonization, this would require significant changes in ecosystems toward negative CO2 emissions. The ability of coastal blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs), including mangrove, salt marsh, and seagrass meadows, to sequester large amounts of CO2 makes their conservation and restoration an important "nature-based solution (NbS)" for climate adaptation and mitigation. In this review, we examine how BCEs in China can contribute to climate mitigation. On the national scale, the BCEs in China store up to 118 Tg C across a total area of 1,440,377 ha, including over 75% as unvegetated tidal flats. The annual sedimental C burial of these BCEs reaches up to 2.06 Tg C year-1, of which most occurs in salt marshes and tidal flats. The lateral C flux of mangroves and salt marshes contributes to 1.17 Tg C year-1 along the Chinese coastline. Conservation and restoration of BCEs benefit climate change mitigation and provide other ecological services with a value of $32,000 ha-1 year-1. The potential practices and technologies that can be implemented in China to improve BCE C sequestration, including their constraints and feasibility, are also outlined. Future directions are suggested to improve blue carbon estimates on aerial extent, carbon stocks, sequestration, and mitigation potential. Restoring and preserving BCEs would be a cost-effective step to achieve Carbon Neutral by 2060 in China despite various barriers that should be removed.

OSWG Recommended Approaches to the Nonclinical Pharmacokinetic (ADME) Characterization of Therapeutic Oligonucleotides.

This white paper summarizes the recommendations of the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) Subcommittee of the Oligonucleotide Safety Working Group for the characterization of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of oligonucleotide (ON) therapeutics in nonclinical studies. In general, the recommended approach is similar to that for small molecule drugs. However, some differences in timing and/or scope may be warranted due to the greater consistency of results across ON classes as compared with the diversity among small molecule classes. For some types of studies, a platform-based approach may be appropriate; once sufficient data are available for the platform, presentation of these data should be sufficient to support development of additional ONs of the same platform. These recommendations can serve as a starting point for nonclinical study design and foundation for discussions with regulatory agencies.

Diffusion-weighted and diffusion kurtosis imaging analysis of microstructural differences in clear cell renal cell carcinoma: a comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively compare the diagnostic values of conventional diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) analysis of microstructural differences for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CRCC). METHODS: A total of 108 patients with pathologically confirmed CRCC, including 38 Grade I, 37 Grade II, 18 Grade III and 15 Grade IV, were enrolled and divided into groups according to tumor grade [low grade (Ⅰ+Ⅱ, n = 75) and high grade (Ⅲ+Ⅳ, n = 33)]. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), mean diffusivity (MD), mean kurtosis (MK), kurtosis anisotropy (KA) and radial kurtosis (RK) were performed. RESULTS: Both the ADC (r = -0.803) and MD (-0.867) values showed a negative correlation with tumor grading (p < 0.05) and MK (r = 0.812), KA (0.816) and RK (0.853) values a positive correlation with tumor grading (p < 0.05). Mean FA values showed no significant differences among CRCC grades (p > 0.05). ROC curve analyses showed that MD values had the highest diagnostic efficacy in differentiating low/high and Ⅱ/Ⅲ tumor grading. MD values gave AUC: 0.937 (0.896); sensitivity: 92.0% (86.5%); specificity: 78.8% (77.8%) and accuracy: 90.7% (87.3%). ADC performed worse than MD, MK, KA or RK (all p < 0.05) during pair-wise comparisons of ROC curves to show diagnostic efficacy. CONCLUSION: DKI analysis performs better than ADC in differentiating CRCC grading. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Both the ADC and MD values correlated negatively with CRCC grading.The MK, KA and RK values correlated positively with CRCC grading.MD values had the highest diagnostic efficacy in differentiating low/high and Ⅱ/Ⅲ CRCC grading.