Multienzyme cascades analysis of α-glucosidase by oxygen deficient MoO3-x.

BACKGROUND: Recently, the enzymatic cascade reactions during the cellular process are widely used for fabricating robust biosensors and they have attracted extensive attention in analyzing various clinical biomarkers. The enzymatic cascades analysis is commonly based on the peroxidase (POD)/oxidase coupled system. However, the requirement of harsh acidic environment, poor stability and interference from the oxidase further limit their analytical practicability. Herein, novel chromogenic nanomaterials with H2O2 sensitive features are urgently required to replace the POD nanozyme in enzymatic cascades based bioanalysis. RESULTS: Herein, oxygen deficient MoO3-x with H2O2 sensitive features and near-infrared (NIR) absorption band have been ultra-fast synthesized and utilized for the enzymatic cascades analysis of α-Glucosidase's activity, and inhibitors screening. With the addition of 4-nitrophenyl-α-d-glucopyranoside, the simultaneous presence of α-Glucosidase and glucose oxidase (GOx) would fade their dark blue color and decrease the NIR absorption. The α-Glucosidase's activity can be analyzed by the absorption at 770 nm, and their limit of detection is 8 × 10-5 U/mL, indicating the superior performance of the proposed colorimetric assay. Moreover, this proposed α-Glucosidase assay is further utilized for inhibitors screening. Moreover, the activity of α-Glucosidase can also be analyzed by the smartphone and microplate reader through the agarose-based colorimetric portable kit. SIGNIFICANCE: This MoO3-x involved enzymatic cascades assay would facilitate for the development of bio-analysis related to H2O2 generation or consumption. Moreover, this bio-analysis strategy will contribute to the development of other H2O2 sensitive chromogenic nanomaterials for the analysis of certain biomolecules and biological enzymes.

Is Intravenous Dextrose Infusion During Emergence From Anesthesia Effective in Improving the PONV in Gynecologic Laparoscopy? A Randomized Controlled Trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the relationship between intravenous 5% dextrose infusion during emergence from anesthesia to postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients after gynecologic laparoscopic surgery. DESIGN: This was a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized into the experimental group and control group using a computer-generated random number generator. Intervenors and measurers were blinded to group assignments of the study. SETTING: A single academic tertiary medical center. PATIENTS: Patients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopic surgery. INTERVENTIONS: On completion of surgery, participants were randomized into the test group (receive 5% dextrose) and control group (receive Ringer's lactate solution). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome of the present study was the incidence of PONV. Other outcomes included postoperative rescue analgesic and rescue antiemetic, postoperative pain response, and recovery time of postanesthesia care unit. Baseline characteristics were statistically similar between the 2 groups of participants. There were 49 of 105 patients experienced PONV within 24 hours postoperatively. The overall incidence of PONV within 24 hours postoperatively was not significantly different (45.5% vs 48%; relative risk [RR], 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67-1.37; p = .794). However, fewer patients experienced PONV in the test group than in the control group during 0 to 1 hours (6.0% vs 20.0%; RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73-0.99; p = .024) and 1 to 3 hours (14.5% vs 32.0%; RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.64-0.99; p = .033) postoperatively. In addition, recovery time in the postanesthesia care unit was less in the test group (17.07 ± 6.36 vs 22.04 ± 7.33; mean difference, -4.97; 95% CI, -7.62 to -2.32; p <.001) and pain score was lower in the test group during 0 to 0.5 hours postoperatively (2.29 ± 1.74 vs 3.08 ± 1.64; mean difference, -0.79; 95% CI, -1.45 to -0.13; p = .019). CONCLUSION: In patients after gynecologic laparoscopic surgery, postanesthesia 5% dextrose infusion may be useful in improving the early management of PONV and pain response and may warrant further study.

Non-heme Iron Single-Atom Nanozymes as Peroxidase Mimics for Tumor Catalytic Therapy.

Single-atom nanozymes (SAzymes) open new possibilities for the development of artificial enzymes that have catalytic activity comparable to that of natural peroxidase (POD). So far, most efforts have focused on the structural modulation of the Fe-N4 moiety to mimic the metalloprotein heme center. However, non-heme-iron POD with much higher activity, for example, HppE, has not been mimicked successfully due to its structural complexity. Herein, carbon dots (CDs)-supported SAzymes with twisted, nonplanar Fe-O3N2 active sites, highly similar to the non-heme iron center of HppE, was synthesized by exploiting disordered and subnanoscale domains in CDs. The Fe-CDs exhibit an excellent POD activity of 750 units/mg, surpassing the values of conventional SAzymes with planar Fe-N4. We further fabricated an activatable Fe-CDs-based therapeutic agent with near-infrared enhanced POD activity, a photothermal effect, and tumor-targeting ability. Our results represent a big step in the design of high-performance SAzymes and provide guidance for future applications for synergistic tumor therapy.

Specific discrimination of zinc and manganese ions by label free dual emissive carbon dots by ratio-metric mode.

Due to the worldwide ecological and environmental issues induced by heavy metal pollution, including zinc and manganese, the ratio-metric discrimination of Zn2+ and Mn2+ based on CDs is urgently required. In this work, reduced CDs (re-CDs) with the intrinsic dual emissive peaks are obtained, and specific discrimination of Zn2+ and Mn2+ is realized by re-CDs with ratio-metric mode. With the addition of Zn2+, the fluorescent (FL) intensity at 650 nm increases obviously, while that at 680 nm progressively decreases. However, the presence of Mn2+ would induce the quenching of FL intensity at 680 nm while that at 650 nm remains constant. Then the Zn2+ and Mn2+ can be separately determined with the ratio of FL intensity at 650 nm to that at 680 mm (F650/F680). Under optimal conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) of Zn2+ is determined to be 9.09 nmol/L, and that for Mn2+ is estimated to be 0.93 nmol/L, which is much lower than previously reported work and standard level of Zn2+ and Mn2+ permitted in drinking water by WHO. Moreover, the specific recognition of Mn2+ and Zn2+ can be realized via the addition of different masking agents (ethylenediamine for Zn2+ and triethanolamine for Mn2+). Furthermore, our results reveal that the structural changes from -NH-CO to -NC-OH induced by Zn2+ contribute to the shift of FL peak from 680 to 650 nm while both static and dynamic quenching processes are involved in the detection of Mn2+. The ratio-metric probe was successfully applied to Zn2+ and Mn2+ determination in human serum samples and Sandy Lake water.

Poria cocos polysaccharides rescue pyroptosis-driven gut vascular barrier disruption in order to alleviates non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCP) are abundant in Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (Poria). This is a common traditional Chinese medicine used to treat gastrointestinal and liver diseases. Poria cocos dispel dampness and enhance gastrointestinal functions, strongly affecting the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Still, the mechanism is not yet clear. AIM OF THE STUDY: The latest research found that protecting the integrity of the intestinal barrier can slow down the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Hence, our research ought to explore the protective mechanism of PCP on the intestinal barrier under a high-fat diet and to clarify the relationship between intestinal barrier damage and steatohepatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: H&E staining was done to evaluate pathological damage, whereas Nile red and oil red O staining was conducted to evaluate hepatic fat infiltration. Immunofluorescence staining and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect protein expression and locations. Bone marrow-derived macrophages were isolated for in vitro experiments. ONOO- and ROS fluorescent probes and MDA, SOD, and GSH kits assessed the levels of nitrogen and oxidative stress. LPS levels were detected with a Limulus Amebocyte Lysate assay. The Western blot analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR detected the expression of related proteins and genes. The Elisa kit detected the level of the inflammatory factors in the cell supernatant. For the vivo NAFLD experiments, in briefly, mice were randomly chosen to receive either a High-fat diet or control diet for 12 weeks. Drug treatments started after 4 weeks of feeding. Zebrafish larvae were raised separately in fish water or 7 mM thioacetamide as the control or model group for approximately 72 h. In the therapy groups, different concentrations of PCP were added to the culture environment at the same time. RESULTS: In zebrafish, we determined the safe concentration of PCP and found that PCP could effectively reduce the pathological damage in the liver and intestines induced by the NAFLD model. In mice, PCP could slow down weight gain, hyperlipidemia, and liver steatosis caused by a high-fat diet. More importantly, PCP could reduce the destruction of the gut-vascular barrier and the translocation of endotoxins caused by a high-fat diet. Further, we found that PCP could inhibit intestinal pyroptosis by regulating PARP-1. Pyroptosis inhibitors, such as MCC950, could effectively protect the intestinal and liver damage induced by a high-fat diet. We also found that pyroptosis mainly occurred in intestinal macrophages. PCP could effectively improve the survival rate of bone marrow-derived macrophages in a high-fat environment and inhibit pyroptosis. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that PCP inhibited the pyroptosis of small intestinal macrophages to protect the intestinal barrier integrity under a high-fat diet. This resulted in decreased endotoxin translocation and progression of steatohepatitis.

Magnetic Resonance Image in Monitor and Diagnosis of Patients with Neuromyelitis Optica.

This study was aimed to investigate the craniocerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurement and clinical characteristics of patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis (MS). 50 patients with NMO (NMO group) and 50 patients with MS (MS group) were studied. The clinical manifestations, brain injury morphology, MRI signal characteristics, brain distribution characteristics, and related laboratory tests (serum aquaporin 4 [AQP4] antibody) were statistically analyzed. The results showed that the analysis of clinical manifestations of patients revealed that optic neuritis (37 cases) was the most common disease in NMO patients, and myelitis (16 cases) was more common in MS patients than NMO patients. There were significant differences in gender ratio, abnormal expression of brain MR1, positive serum AQP4-IgG, and other immune diseases and symptoms between the two groups (P < 0.05). When the lesions measured by MRI were located in the white matter area of the cerebral hemisphere, the image showed blurred edges and a relatively symmetrical distribution. When the lesions measured by MRI were located around the medulla oblongata, the lesions mainly involved the central gray matter and white matter of the spinal cord, with patchy and line-like long T1 and long T2 signals. Moreover, in the late stage of recurrence of spinal cord disease, severe spinal cord atrophy may occur. In conclusion, craniocerebral MRI measurement in NMO patients can provide more basis for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the disease, so as to improve the diagnostic level of NMO.

Constructing a Predictive Model of Depression in Chemotherapy Patients with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma to Improve Medical Staffs' Psychiatric Care.

OBJECTIVES: Depression is highly prevalent in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients undergoing chemotherapy. The social stress associated with malignancy induces neurovascular pathology promoting clinical levels of depressive symptomatology. The purpose of this study was to establish an effective depressive symptomatology risk prediction model to those patients. METHODS: This study included 238 NHL patients receiving chemotherapy, 80 of whom developed depressive symptomatology. Different types of variables (sociodemographic, medical, and psychosocial) were entered in the models. Three prediction models (support vector machine-recursive feature elimination model, random forest model, and nomogram prediction model based on logistic regression analysis) were compared in order to select the one with the best predictive power. The selected model was then evaluated using calibration plots, ROC curves, and C-index. The clinical utility of the nomogram was assessed by the decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: The nomogram prediction has the most efficient predictive ability when 10 predictors are included (AUC = 0.938). A nomogram prediction model was constructed based on the logistic regression analysis with the best predictive accuracy. Sex, age, medical insurance, marital status, education level, per capita monthly household income, pathological stage, SSRS, PSQI, and QLQ-C30 were included in the nomogram. The C-index was 0.944, the AUC value was 0.972, and the calibration curve also showed the good predictive ability of the nomogram. The DCA curve suggested that the nomogram had a strong clinical utility. CONCLUSIONS: We constructed a depressive symptomatology risk prediction model for NHL chemotherapy patients with good predictive power and clinical utility.

18F-FDG PET/CT and circulating tumor cells in treatment-naive patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: This study retrospectively investigated the clinical utility of 2-deoxy-18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the diagnosis and prognosis of treatment-naive patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: The blood samples of treatment-naive patients with NSCLC were collected for CTCs detection, and the tumor metabolic parameters of 18F-FDG PET/CT, including maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume of primary lesion (MTV-P) and combination of primary lesion and metastases (MTV-C), and total lesion glycolysis of primary lesion (TLG-P) and combination of primary lesion and metastases (TLG-C), were analyzed. Age, sex, smoking, serum tumor markers, tumor size, location, TNM stage, and genetic mutations were also reviewed. Moreover, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of these patients were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 309 patients with NSCLC (200 men, 109 women; mean age: 61 ± 9 years) were enrolled in this study, including 217 patients with adenocarcinoma and 92 with squamous cell carcinoma. Of the 309 cases, 11 were misdiagnosed with benign diseases by 18F-FDG PET/CT. CTCs positivity was detected in 234 cases. The sensitivity of 18F-FDG PET/CT and CTCs in NSCLC were 96.4% and 75.7%, respectively. SUVmax, MTV-P, TLG-P, MTV-C, TLG-C, tumor size, and serum CYFRA211 levels were significantly higher in CTCs positive group than negative group; and advanced TNM stage, squamous cell carcinoma, and EGFR wild type presented higher CTCs positivity. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that SUVmax was significantly associated with CTCs positivity. Multivariate cox regression analysis showed that TLG-P, TLG-C, and CTCs were independent predictors of PFS in patients with NSCLC, and TLG-C and CTCs were independent predictors of OS. CONCLUSIONS: 18F-FDG PET/CT was superior to CTCs in the diagnosis of treatment-naive patients with NSCLC. The levels of CTCs in the peripheral blood were associated with tumor glucose metabolism in NSCLC. Metabolic parameters of 18F-FDG PET/CT and CTCs could separately predict the outcomes of treatment-naive patients with NSCLC.

Lidocaine improves cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats through cAMP/PKA signaling pathway.

Influence of lidocaine on rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) was studied to explore its mechanism of action. A total of 30 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group and model group, and the rat model of CIRI was prepared by the suture-occluded method in the model group. Then the rats in the model group were randomly assigned into the model group (n=10) and the lidocaine group (n=10). The neurological function score of rats was evaluated, and the levels of serum B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax) in rats were determined using ELISA. TUNEL assay was performed to detect the neuronal apoptosis in the brain of rats. The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expression levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and protein kinase A (PKA) were measured via RT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. Compared with those in the control group, the rats in the model group had an elevated neurological function score, a raised level of Bcl-2, but a reduced level of Bax in the serum, an obviously increased rate of neuronal apoptosis in the brain and decreased mRNA and protein levels of cAMP and PKA in cerebral tissues. The rats in lidocaine group had a lower neurological function score, a lower level of Bcl-2, but a higher level of Bax in the serum, an evidently lower rate of neuronal apoptosis in the brain and higher mRNA and protein levels of cAMP and PKA in cerebral tissues than those in the model group. Lidocaine can improve the neurological function of rats with CIRI and inhibit neuronal apoptosis in the brain, and its mechanism of action may be related to the activation of the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway.

Malignant Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Tumor of Lung on FDG PET/CT.

Chest CT images were acquired in a 67-year-old man to evaluate a left lung mass revealed by chest radiography. The image findings suggested possible pulmonary malignancy. FDG PET/CT was performed for staging, which showed the abnormally increased activity in the lung mass with hypermetabolic lymph node. Pathology from the biopsy confirmed malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumor.

Prognostic value of metabolic indices and bone marrow uptake pattern on preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT in pediatric patients with neuroblastoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prognostic value of metabolic parameters and bone marrow uptake (BMU) patterns on pretherapeutic 18-F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in pediatric patients with neuroblastoma (NB). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-seven pediatric patients with newly diagnosed neuroblastoma who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT were retrospectively reviewed. Clinicopathological factors and metabolic parameters including maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG) and bone marrow uptake patterns on PET/CT were compared to predict recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 27 (57.4%) patients experienced recurrence. MTV (P = 0.001), TLG (P = 0.004) and BMU patterns (P = 0.025) remained significant predictive factors for tumor recurrence, along with tumor size, histology, stage, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and other distant metastasis (except bone metastasis). Univariate analysis showed that histology, stage, tumor size (>37.25 cm), other distant metastasis, MTV (>88.10cm3) and TLG (>1045.2 g) and BMU patterns correlated with both RFS and OS (P < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, TLG remained the only independent prognostic factor for RFS (P = 0.016) and OS (P = 0.012), and BMU patterns and MTV were statistically significant for OS (P = 0.024 and P = 0.038, respectively). CONCLUSION: Pretherapeutic 18F-FDG PET/CT can provide reliable prognostic information for neuroblastoma pediatric patients, and patients with high MTV, TLG and focal bone marrow (unifocal and multifocal) uptake on PET/CT may have inferior outcomes during subsequent treatment.

Nematotoxicity of drupacine and a Cephalotaxus alkaloid preparation against the plant-parasitic nematodes Meloidogyne incognita and Bursaphelenchus xylophilus.

BACKGROUND: Species of Cephalotaxus (the plum yews) produce nematotoxic compounds of unknown identity. Consequently, bioassay-guided fractionation was employed to identify the compound(s) in Cephalotaxus fortunei twigs and leaves with activity against plant-parasitic nematodes. RESULTS: A crude alkaloid extract, particularly drupacine, was responsible for much of the nematotoxicity. The ED50 of drupacine for Bursaphelenchus xylophilus was 27.1 µg mL⁻¹, and for Meloidogyne incognita it was 76.3 µg mL⁻¹. Immersion of M. incognita eggs in 1.0 mg mL⁻¹ crude alkaloid extract (the highest tested concentration) reduced hatch by 36%; immersion of second-stage juveniles (J2) resulted in 72-98% immobility. Crude alkaloid extract and drupacine suppressed protease activity in extracts of the microbivorous nematode Panagrellus redivivus by 50% and 80%, respectively. Application of 0.02-0.5 mg mL⁻¹ crude alkaloid extract to soil with M. incognita inoculum did not significantly reduce pepper plant shoot length or weight, compared with nematode-inoculated, water-treated controls, but the number of eggs and J2 per root system respectively decreased by 69% and 73% at 0.5 mg mL⁻¹. CONCLUSION: Drupacine and a crude alkaloid extract suppress nematode hatch, activity of mixed life stages, and population numbers on plant roots. This is the first demonstration of nematotoxicity of crude Cephalotaxus alkaloids and drupacine.

In vitro assessment of thyroid hormone disrupting activities in drinking water sources along the Yangtze River.

The thyroid hormone disrupting activities of drinking water sources from the lower reaches of Yangtze River were examined using a reporter gene assay based on African green monkey kidney fibroblast (CV-1) cells. None of the eleven tested samples showed thyroid receptor (TR) agonist activity. Nine water samples exhibited TR antagonist activities with the equivalents referring to Di-n-butyl phthalate (DNBP) (TR antagonist activity equivalents, ATR-EQ(50)s) ranging from 6.92 × 10(1) to 2.85 × 10(2) µg DNBP/L. The ATR-EQ(50)s and TR antagonist equivalent ranges (ATR-EQ(30-80) ranges) for TR antagonist activities indicated that the water sample from site WX-8 posed the greatest health risks. The ATR-EQ(80)s of the water samples ranging from 1.56 × 10(3) to 6.14 × 10(3) µg DNBP/L were higher than the NOEC of DNBP. The results from instrumental analysis showed that DNBP might be responsible for the TR antagonist activities in these water samples. Water sources along Yangtze River had thyroid hormone disrupting potential.

Thyroid hormone disrupting activities associated with phthalate esters in water sources from Yangtze River Delta.

Thyroid hormone disrupting compounds in water sources is a concern. Thyroid hormone (TH) agonist and antagonist activities of water sources from the Yangtze River, Huaihe River, Taihu Lake and ground water in the Yangtze River Delta region were evaluated by use of a TH reporter gene assay based on the green monkey kidney fibroblast (CV-1). While weak TH receptor (TR) agonist potency was observed in only one of 15 water sources, antagonist potency was present in most of the water sources. TR antagonist equivalents could be explained by the presence of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), with concentrations ranging from 2.8×10(1) to 1.6×10(3) µg DBP /L (ATR-EQ(50)s). None of the ground waters exhibited TH agonist potencies while all of the samples from Taihu Lake displayed notable TR antagonist potencies. To identify the responsible thyroid active compounds, instrumental analysis was conducted to measure a list of potential thyroid-disrupting chemicals, including organochlorine (OC) pesticides and phthalate esters. Combining the results of the instrumental analysis with those of the bioassay, DBP was determined to account for 17% to 144% of ATR-EQ(50)s in water sources. Furthermore, ATR-EQ(20-80) ranges for TR antagonist activities indicated that samples from locations WX-1 and WX-2 posed the greatest health concern and the associated uncertainty may warrant further investigation.

Occurrence of thyroid hormone activities in drinking water from eastern China: contributions of phthalate esters.

Thyroid hormone is essential for the development of humans. However, some synthetic chemicals with thyroid disrupting potentials are detectable in drinking water. This study investigated the presence of thyroid active chemicals and their toxicity potential in drinking water from five cities in eastern China by use of an in vitro CV-1 cell-based reporter gene assay. Waters were examined from several phases of drinking water processing, including source water, finished water from waterworks, tap water, and boiled tap water. To identify the responsible compounds, concentrations and toxic equivalents of a list of phthalate esters were quantitatively determined. None of the extracts exhibited thyroid receptor (TR) agonist activity. Most of the water samples exhibited TR antagonistic activities. None of the boiled water displayed the TR antagonistic activity. Dibutyl phthalate accounted for 84.0-98.1% of the antagonist equivalents in water sources, while diisobutyl phthalate, di-n-octyl phthalate and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate also contributed. Approximately 90% of phthalate esters and TR antagonistic activities were removable by waterworks treatment processes, including filtration, coagulation, aerobic biodegradation, chlorination, and ozonation. Boiling water effectively removed phthalate esters from tap water. Thus, this process was recommended to local residents to reduce certain potential thyroid related risks through drinking water.

Identification of trace organic pollutants in freshwater sources in Eastern China and estimation of their associated human health risks.

Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in ten water samples (four pairs of tap water with source water and two additional tap water) were analyzed and a US EPA algorithm was used to estimate their associated human health risks. Organochlorine pesticides were found in most samples analyzed. Concentrations of total PAHs ranged from 4.8 to 84.4 and 0.7 to 53.8 ng/l, for source and tap water, respectively. Carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risk assessments were employed for various trace organic pollutants in the tap water. The results indicated that carcinogenic risk for male and female lifetime of tap water from XuZh (XZ) city was higher than the others. XZ located in the northern part of Jiangsu province, which takes ground water as the water source. Children were more vulnerable to the carcinogenic chemicals than adults. Carcinogenic risks for male children (0-14 years old) in XZ were the highest, reaching 3.68 × 10(-6). Contribution analysis showed that dibenz[a,h]anthracene contributed most to the carcinogenic risk in XZ city, and α-HCH, ß-HCH and γ-HCH posed the most carcinogenic risk in tap water from GoHu (GH) in Eastern Taihu Lake. Additionally, noncarcinogenic risks posed by the detected chemicals to local people were negligible. Risk alleviation strategies should be adopted, taking into account the results of these health risk assessments.

Endocrine disruption effects of 2,2',4,4',6-pentabromodiphenylether (BDE100) in reporter gene assays.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) constitute an important group of flame retardants. 2,2',4,4',6-Pentabromodiphenylether (BDE100) is a prominent PBDE congener in some human populations. The potential of BDE100 to modulate responses mediated by the estrogen (ER), thyroid hormone (ThR) or androgen receptors (AR) were investigated by use of transactivation reporter gene assays. The African green monkey kidney CV-1 cell transiently transfected with the constructed reporter gene plasmid ERE-TATA-Luc and pUAS-tk-Luc with luciferase (Luc) under control of the estrogen response (ERE), or thyroid hormone response (ThRE) elements were used to evaluate (anti)estrogen and thyroid effects of BDE100. The (anti)androgenic potency of BDE100 was also evaluated by use of MDA-kb2 cells, which were stably transfected with MMTV-luciferase. The assays displayed appropriate responses to known natural estrogen 17ß-estradiol (E2), ThR ligand triiodothyronine (T3), and the AR agonist 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). 10 or 50 µM BDE100 significantly up-regulated expression of Luc under control of the ER. Antiestrogenic potency was observed for BDE100 (IC50 = 6.21 µM). Co-exposure to 50 µM BDE100 significantly enhanced expression of Luc caused by 5 nM T3. BDE100 was antiandrogenic at 10 and 50 µM with an IC50 of 28.60 µM BDE100. These results suggest that BDE100 can modulate the endocrine system in multiple ways by interfering with several hormonal signaling pathways simultaneously.

Hantaviruses in rodents and humans, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.

Surveys were carried out in 2003-2006 to better understand the epidemiology of hantaviruses in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China (Inner Mongolia). Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) was first reported in this region in 1955 and has been an important public health problem here since then. During 1955-2006, 8,309 persons with HFRS were reported in Inner Mongolia (average incidence rate 0.89/100,000), and 261 (3.14%) died. Before the 1990s, all HFRS cases occurred in northeastern Inner Mongolia. Subsequently, HFRS cases were registered in central (1995) and western (1999) Inner Mongolia. In this study, hantaviral antigens were identified in striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius) from northeastern Inner Mongolia and in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from middle and western Inner Mongolia. Phylogenetic analysis of hantaviral genome sequences suggests that HFRS has been caused mainly by Hantaan virus in northeastern Inner Mongolia and by Seoul virus in central and western Inner Mongolia.

[Study on the epidemiological characteristics of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Inner Mongolia].

OBJECTIVE: In order to better understand the epidemiological features of Hantviruses in Inner Mongolia. METHODS: Epidemiological surveillance data during the period of the past 52 years were analyzed. An epidemiological survey was carried out in the main epidemic areas in 2005. RESULTS: A total of 8310 hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) cases were reported in Inner Mongolia from 1955 to 2006, and distributed in 61 counties. HFRS cases were mainly distributed in the east part of Inner Mongolia before 1990. However, HFRS cases had occurred in the middle and western parts since 1990. Hulunbeier prefecture, from the eastern part of Inner Mongolia, had been the most severe area being hit by HERS since the first outbreak in 1955, with 7369 cases reported over the past 52 years, and accounted for 88.68% of the total cases in the whole autonomous region. Although no HFRS cases had been reported before 1999 in Bayannaoer which located in the western part of Inner Mongolia, a total of 95 cases were reported in 2005. Hantavirus antigens had been detected in 11 species of rodents so far,including Apodemus agrarius, Rattus norvegicus, Mus Musculus, Cricetulus barabensis, meriones meridianus, Microtus maximowiczii , Clethrionomys rutilus, Apodemus peninsulae, Phodopus roborvskii, Dipus sagitta and Allactaga sibirica. CONCLUSION: Results suggested that the epidemics might remain at a relatively high level in the years to come in Inner Mongolia. Furthermore, there might be other types of Hantaviruses in addition to the already identified Seoul viral type in this area.