Association Between Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and the Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment in a Chinese Urban Area: A Case-Control Study.

Background: As a prodromal stage of dementia, significant emphasis has been placed on the identification of modifiable risks of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Research has indicated a correlation between exposure to air pollution and cognitive function in older adults. However, few studies have examined such an association among the MCI population inChina. Objective: We aimed to explore the association between air pollution exposure and MCI risk from the Hubei Memory and Aging Cohort Study. Methods: We measured four pollutants from 2015 to 2018, 3 years before the cognitive assessment of the participants. Logistic regression models were employed to calculate odds ratios (ORs) to assess the relationship between air pollutants and MCI risk. Results: Among 4,205 older participants, the adjusted ORs of MCI risk for the highest quartile of PM2.5, PM10, O3, and SO2 were 1.90 (1.39, 2.62), 1.77 (1.28, 2.47), 0.56 (0.42, 0.75), and 1.18 (0.87, 1.61) respectively, compared with the lowest quartile. Stratified analyses indicated that such associations were found in both males and females, but were more significant in older participants. Conclusions: Our findings are consistent with the growing evidence suggesting that air pollution increases the risk of mild cognitive decline, which has considerable guiding significance for early intervention of dementia in the older population. Further studies in other populations and broader geographical areas are warranted to validate these findings.

C-doped ZnO nanocomposites molecularly imprinted photoelectrochemical sensor for ultrasensitive and selective detection of oxytetracycline in milk.

Antibiotic monitoring remains vital to ensure human health and safety in the environment and foods. As the most popular detection method, photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor can achieve rapid and accurate detection of antibiotics with the advantages of high sensitivity, easy-to-preparation process, as well as high selectivity. Herein, an extremely-efficient visible-light responsible ZnO/C nanocomposite was prepared and combined with acetylene black (as an enhanced conductive matrix), and the electron migration efficiency was greatly accelerated. Meanwhile, a molecularly imprinted polymer obtained by electrical agglomeration was conjugated as a specific recognizing site for target. Furthermore, the as-prepared rMIP-PEC sensor showed a low detection limit (8.75 pmol L-1, S/N = 3) in a wide linear detection range of 0.01-1000 nmol L-1 for oxytetracycline (OTC), with excellent selectivity and long-term stability. Our work shed light on applying C-doped ZnO semiconductor and molecularly imprinted polymer as photoelectric active sensing materials for rapid and accurate analysis of antibiotics in foods and environment.

[Corrigendum] MicroRNA­24 attenuates diabetic vascular remodeling by suppressing the NLRP3/caspase­1/IL­1ß signaling pathway.

Subsequently to the publication of the above article, the authors have realized that the immunohistochemical staining of CD31 in the 'Ad­NC group' portrayed in Fig. 7 on p. 1539 was published with an image that had been incorrectly captured from the 'Saline' group. This inadvertent error arose as a consequence of miscommunication between a pair of the authors on the paper when capturing the images. The authors have re­examined their original data and identified the correct data for the Ad­NC group in Fig. 7. The corrected version of Fig. 7, showing the correct CD31 staining data for the Ad­NC group, is shown below. Note that this error did not affect the major conclusions reported in the paper. All the authors have agreed to this corrigendum, and apologize to the Editor of International Journal of Molecular Medicine and to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published in International Journal of Molecular Medicine 45: 1534­1542, 2020; DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2020.4533].

MicroRNA­24 attenuates diabetic vascular remodeling by suppressing the NLRP3/caspase­1/IL­1ß signaling pathway.

Vascular remodeling plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiovascular complications. Previous published research has indicated that microRNA­24 (miR­24) is involved in diabetic vascular remodeling, but the underlying molecular mechanisms have yet to be fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether adenovirus­mediated miR­24 overexpression can suppress the NOD­like receptor family pyrin domain­containing 3 (NLRP3)­related inflammatory signaling pathway and attenuate diabetic vascular remodeling. The carotid arteries of diabetic rats were harvested and prepared for analysis. Reverse transcription­quantitative PCR and western blotting assays were used to detect the expressions of related mRNAs and proteins. Morphological examinations, including hematoxylin and eosin, immunohistochemical and Masson's trichrome staining, were also performed. The results of the present study demonstrated that miR­24 upregulation suppressed neointimal hyperplasia and accelerated reendothelialization in the injured arteries, lowered the expression of NLRP3, apoptosis­associated speck­like protein, caspase­1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, CD45, interleukin (IL)­1ß, IL­18 and tumor necrosis factor­α, and increased the expression of CD31, smooth muscle (SM) α­actin and SM­myosin heavy chain. These data indicated that miR­24 overexpression can attenuate vascular remodeling in a diabetic rat model through suppressing the NLRP3/caspase­1/IL­1ß signaling pathway.