Concentrations, compositional profiles, and health risks of benzophenones among the Taiwanese population based on analysis of 23 daily consumed foods.

In this study, we analyzed the occurrence and distribution of 11 benzophenone-type ultraviolet filters (BPs) in 893 food samples spanning 7 food categories in Taiwan. We conducted a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks of BPs. The results indicated that cornflakes had the highest mean level of BPs (103 ng/g), followed by bread (101 ng/g) and pastries (59 ng/g). BP was the most prevalent category, followed by 4-methylbenzophenone (4-MBP), 2-hydroxybenzophenone, and benzophenone-3. Estimation of the lifetime cancer risk (LTCR) of BP (average life expectancy of 80 years) placed them in the 50th and 97.5th percentiles [P50 (P97.5)] LTCR of 1.9 × 10-7 (5.7 × 10-6), indicating that BP in food poses a low renal hazard to the Taiwanese population. The noncarcinogenic risk of BPs was evaluated using a hazard quotient and combined margin of exposure (MOET), revealing a P50 (P97.5) hazard index of < 1 for BP, 4-MBP, and methyl-2-benzoylbenzoate. Although the P50 MOET values for all age groups were within the moderate range of concern, with a more conservative extreme (P2.5), the MOET values for the 0-3, 3-6, and 6-12 age groups fell below 100, indicating a high concern for renal degeneration and hyperplasia.

[Self-evaluation of core competencies and related factors among baccalaureate nursing students].

BACKGROUND: Evaluations of higher education programs are increasingly centered on the learner and designed to assess learning effectiveness and core competencies. Although the Taiwan Nursing Accreditation Council (TNAC) has established eight core competencies for college nursing departments, little research has been done to identify the most salient contributors to undergraduate nursing students' perceived competency levels. PURPOSE: This paper investigates the influence of student demographic factors and learning experience on students' development in terms of a selected sample of core nursing competencies and then identifies factors that significantly predicts such development. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional descriptive correlational study. We collected data from a sample of freshmen students currently enrolled in a two-year nursing bachelor degree program at a private vocational university in Taipei, Taiwan. Participants self-assessed abilities in designated core nursing competencies using the Competency Inventory of Nursing Students (CINS). A total of 279 of 290 distributed questionnaires were returned and used in data collection, giving this study a valid return rate of 96.2%. RESULTS: Participants earned a mean CINS score of 5.23 (SD = 0.49). Scale dimensions from highest to lowest mean score rank were: ethics, accountability, caring spirit, communication and cooperation, lifelong learning, general clinical nursing skills, critical thinking, and basic biomedical science. Differentiated analysis revealed that nursing students who expressed a strong interest in nursing, had a clear career plan, held aspirations to pursue higher nursing education, designated "major hospital" as their first workplace of choice, designated a post-college department / workplace preference, had participated in campus activities, were outspoken in classroom discussions and debates, made consistent effort to complete homework assignments and prepare for examinations, and performed relatively strong academically earned CINS scores significantly above the mean. The three factors "having a clear career plan," "having designated a post-college department / workplace preference," and "having participated in campus activities" accounted for 14.4% of variance in subjects' CINS self-rating scores (adjusted R2 = 12.5%). CONCLUSION: The CINS is an effective instrument for assessing the core professional competencies of nursing students. We recommend that nursing education strategies may be adjusted to enhance student interest in nursing, encourage their developing career plans, and encourage greater participation in campus activities and classroom discussions as a way to improve core professional competencies.

Dietary risk assessment of benzophenone derivatives using bread consumption estimates in a Taiwanese population.

Listed as endocrine-disrupting chemicals, benzophenone (BP) and its nine analogues (BPs) are an emerging group of contaminants. The migration of BPs from ultraviolet inks to food has been investigated in many studies; however, few studies have investigated BPs in foods and the risks of human exposure to BPs. We validated a trace and multi-residue method for simultaneously determining 10 BPs, including BP, BP-1, BP-2, BP-3, BP-8, 4-MBP, 2-OHBP, 4-OHBP, M2BB, and PBZ. Eighty-one bread samples were analyzed using stable isotope labeling and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry with solid-liquid extraction. We determined the estimated daily intake of BPs, non-cancer risks, and lifetime cancer risks (LTCRs) from daily bread consumption for seven age groups using a Monte Carlo simulation. The method demonstrated robust linearity (R2 ≥ 0.991), low limits of detection (0.04-2 ng/g), and satisfactory precision. The intra- and interday relative standard deviation ranges were 0.6%-9% and 3%-20%, respectively. BP, 4-MBP, 2-OHBP, BP-1, and BP-3 were detected in 97%, 67%, 59%, 24%, and 23% of the samples, respectively. 2-OHBP had the highest mean (range) value of 18.3 (

Protective properties of heme oxygenase-1 expressed in umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells help restore the ovarian function of premature ovarian failure mice through activating the JNK/Bcl-2 signal pathway-regulated autophagy and upregulating the circulating of CD8+CD28- T cells.

BACKGROUND: Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (UCMSCs) transplantation has been widely studied in premature ovarian failure (POF). However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. This study aims to investigate the protective properties and mechanisms of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expressed in UCMSCs in restoring the ovarian function of POF mice. METHODS: In in vitro and in vivo experiments, mice were treated with the presence or absence of the HO-1/shHO-1-transfected UCMSCs, and the administration of SP600125 or anisomycin, the inhibitor or activator of JNK. The viability and apoptosis of granulosa cells (GCs) at different time points of co-cultivation were assessed in vitro. In in vivo experiments, mouse ovarian function was assessed by detecting the serum levels of hormone and observing the ovarian morphological changes. Multiple molecular indices of JNK/Bcl-2 signal pathway were performed. And the autophagy changes in GCs were assessed by detecting the associated cytokines and observing the intracellular autophagosome accumulation. Additionally, the spleen levels of CD8+CD28- T cells and serum levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10) were tested to evaluate the immune mechanisms involved. RESULTS: UCMSCs transfected with shHO-1 or treated with SP600125 inhibited GCs' viability and promoted its apoptosis in a time-dependent manner in vitro. In in vivo experiments, mice in both groups showed little therapeutic efficiency which presented as the increased extent of ovarian fibrosis with decreased number of functional follicles, and disordered hormone production. Additionally, the JNK/Bcl-2-associated cytokines were obviously declined. The inhibited autophagy-related cytokines, the chromatin condensation and abound vacuolar autophagosome in GCs, and weakened fluorescence intensity by MDC were observed. The downregulated levels of CD8+CD28- T cells and serum levels of IL-10 were also detected. The damages above can be alleviated with HO-1-MSCs treatment or anisomycin administration. CONCLUSIONS: HO-1 expressed in UCMSCs is critical in restoring the ovarian function in POF mice with UCMSC transplantation, which is mediated by the activation of JNK/Bcl-2 signal pathway-regulated autophagy and upregulating the circulating of CD8+CD28- T cells.