Serum sirtuin1: a potential blood biomarker for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: Sirtuin 1, a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent deacetylase that is highly expressed in the hippocampus and anterior cortex tissues related to Alzheimer's Disease pathology, can cross the blood-brain barrier and is a promising biomarker. METHODS: A 1:1:1 case-control study was conducted and serum fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, SIRT1, IL-6, Aß1-42, T-tau and P-tau-181 levels were evaluated in blood samples of 26 patients form the Alzheimer's Disease group, 26 patients form the mild cognitive impairment group, and 26 individuals form the normal control group. Receiver operator characteristic curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic significance. RESULTS: Serum SIRT1 level was significantly down-regulated in the mild cognitive impairment patients and Alzheimer's Disease patients compared with that in the normal control group (P<0.05). ROC curve analysis demonstrated that SIRT1 was a promising biomarker to distinguish Alzheimer's Disease patients from the mild cognitive impairment patients and the normal control group. In addition, SIRT1 was estimated to perform well in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease ([AUC] = 0.742). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the present study suggested that serum SIRT1 might be an early promising diagnostic biomarker for Alzheimer's Disease.

Occupational Health Risk Assessment of Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene in Shanghai.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to conduct a retrospective and systematic occupational health risk assessment (OHRA) of enterprises that used benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) in Shanghai, China. METHODS: All data for the study were obtained from 1,705 occupational health examination and evaluation reports from 2013 to 2017, and a semiquantitative model following Chinese OHRA guidelines (GBZ/T 298-2017) was applied for the assessment. RESULTS: The selected enterprises using BTX were mainly involved in manufacturing of products. Using the exposure level method, health risk levels associated with exposure to BTX were classified as medium, negligible, or low. However, the risk levels associated with benzene and toluene were significantly different according to job types, with gluers and inkers exhibiting greater health risks. For the same job type, the health risk levels assessed using the comprehensive index method were higher than those using the exposure level method. CONCLUSION: Our OHRA reveals that workers who are exposed to BTX still face excessive health risk. Additionally, the risk level varied depending on job categories and exposure to specific chemicals. Therefore, additional control measures recommended by OHRA guidelines are essential to reduce worker exposure levels.

Preparation and properties of microfibrillated cellulose with different carboxyethyl content.

Carboxyethyl reaction was used as a pretreatment method before grinding and homogenization to prepare microfibrillated cellulose (MFC). The effect of carboxyethylation on the properties of cellulose materials and prepared MFC samples were investigated. Results showed that cellulose materials with different carboxyethyl content were obtained by controlling the chemical dosage. This reaction increased the water retention value, decreased the degree of polymerization and crystallinity, and changed the crystalline structure of cellulose. After pretreatment, the cellulose fibers were easier to be swelled and fibrillated, which greatly reduces the frequency of grinding. In addition, the diameter of the produced MFC decreased with the increase of carboxyl content. The charge density, suspension stability and transparency of MFC increased obviously due to the presence of carboxyethyl groups. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of carboxyethyl pretreatment for the preparation of MFC, which may help to enrich and promote the preparation and application of MFC.