Bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their human health risks depend on the characteristics of microplastics in marine organisms of Sanggou Bay, China.

Microplastics pose a threat to marine environments through their physical presence and as vectors of chemical pollutants. However, the impact of microplastics on the accumulation and human health risk of chemical pollutants in marine organisms remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the microplastics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution in marine organisms from Sanggou Bay and analyzed their correlations. Results showed that microplastic and PAHs concentration ranged from 1.23 ± 0.23 to 5.77 ± 1.10 items/g, from 6.98 ± 0.45 to 15.07 ± 1.25 µg/kg, respectively. The microplastic abundance, particularly of fibers, transparent and color plastic debris, correlates strongly with PAH contents, indicating that microplastics increase the bioaccumulation of PAHs and microplastics with these characteristics have a significant vector effect on PAHs. Although consuming seafood from Sanggou Bay induce no carcinogenic risk from PAHs, the presence of microplastics in organisms can significantly increases incremental lifetime cancer risk of PAHs. Thus, microplastics can serve as transport vectors for PAHs with implications for the potential health risks to human through consumption. This study provides new insight into the risks of microplastics in marine environments.

Safety and Efficacy Comparison of Embospheres and Gelfoam Particles in Bronchial Artery Embolization for Massive Hemoptysis.

Objective: The objective of this research study was to compare the safety and efficacy of bronchial artery embolization (BAE) using Embospheres alone versus Embospheres combined with gelfoam particles in patients with massive hemoptysis. Methods: A total of 127 patients with tuberculous massive hemoptysis who were scheduled to undergo BAE were recruited and divided into two groups: Embosphere group (E group, n = 57) and Embosphere combined with gelfoam particles group (E + G group, n = 70). Technical and clinical success were assessed after BAE surgery, and mortality, untoward reactions, and risk factors for clinical failure were recorded during follow-up. Results: The technical success rate was 92.99% in the E group and 97.14% in the E + G group (P = .272), with similar 1-year mortality rates of 1.76% and 2.86%, respectively (P = .684). However, the E group exhibited a lower clinical success rate compared to the E + G group (85.96% vs. 97.14%), and this difference was statistically significant (P = .020). The untoward reactions showed no statistically significant difference (all P > .05). Univariate analysis revealed that four factors were statistically significant: age (P = .028), presence of pulmonary cavity (P = .001), diabetes (P = .005), and a single use of Embosphere embolization (P = .020). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that embolization with Embosphere alone was a risk factor for clinical treatment failure (P = .025). Conclusion: The combination of Embosphere with gelfoam particles can significantly improve the hemostatic effect of BAE without increasing the incidence of adverse reactions.

The diagnostic value and safety of modified needle aspiration biopsy for superficial lymphadenectasis.

Objective: To explore the safety and diagnostic value of modified needle aspiration biopsy for superficial enlarged lymph nodes. Methods: A total of 88 patients with unknown diagnosis of superficial lymphadenopathy in our hospital (Wuxi Fifth People's Hospital) from January 2018 to July 2021 were recruited and then divided into two groups using the simple random grouping method. The study group included 48 patients who were punctured via modified needle aspiration biopsy, while the control group included 40 patients who were punctured via core needle biopsy (CNB) and had a better clinical evaluation. A BARD® automatic biopsy gun with a 18 G needle was used to puncture any enlarged lymph nodes, and specimens were obtained for pathological examination. The diagnostic positive rate of the two puncture methods was then compared and the complications involved in the two methods were observed. Results: The positive rate of definite pathological diagnosis was 79.2% (38/48) in the study group and 82.5% (33/40) in the control group. Both groups had similar diagnostic positive rates regarding tuberculosis and metastatic tumours in the lymph nodes (P > 0.05). Only slight bleeding was observed during the operations using the two puncture methods, with the bleeding rate of the study group 20.8% and that of the control group 15.0%, and the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). No other complications were observed across both groups. Among the 48 patients with enlarged lymph nodes in the study group, there was no difference in the positive rate of diagnosis between enlarged lymph nodes larger than 20 mm and those smaller than 20 mm in the pathological, bacterial culture and cytology examinations (P > 0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative prediction values of the improved lymph node lesions were 83.3%, 100%, 100% and 90.9%, respectively. Conclusion: The diagnostic efficacy and safety of modified needle aspiration biopsy in superficial swollen lymph nodes are equivalent to those of CNB, but the former is a more economical, simple and practical method for clinical settings and one that could be popularised in primary hospitals.

Characterization of multiple soluble immune checkpoints in individuals with different Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection status and dynamic changes during anti-tuberculosis treatment.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoints are crucial for the maintenance of subtle balance between self-tolerance and effector immune responses, but the role of soluble immune checkpoints (sICs) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) infection remains unknown. We assessed the levels of multiple sICs in individuals with distinct M. tb infection status, and their dynamic changes during anti-tuberculosis treatment. METHODS: We enrolled 24 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, among which 10 patients were diagnosed with tuberculous pleurisy (TBP), 10 individuals with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and 10 healthy volunteers from Wuxi Fifth People's Hospital and Huashan Hospital between February 2019 and May 2021. Plasma concentrations of thirteen sICs were measured at enrollment and during anti-tuberculosis treatment using luminex-based multiplex assay. sICs levels in tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) and their relations to laboratory test markers of TPE were also assessed in TBP patients. RESULTS: The circulating levels of sPD-1, sPD-L1, sCTLA-4, sBTLA, sGITR, sIDO, sCD28, sCD27 and s4-1BB were upregulated in tuberculosis patients than in healthy controls. A lower sPD-L1 level was found in LTBI individuals than in tuberculosis patients. In TBP patients, the levels of sPD-1, sPD-L2, sCD28, sCD80, sCD27, sTIM-3, sLAG-3, sBTLA, s4-1BB and sIDO increased significantly in TPE than in plasma. In TPE, sBTLA and sLAG-3 correlated positively with the adenosine deaminase level. sIDO and sCD80 correlated positively with the lactate dehydrogenase level and the percentage of lymphocytes in TPE, respectively. Meanwhile, sCD27 correlated negatively with the specific gravity and protein level in TPE. In tuberculosis patients, the circulating levels of sBTLA and sPD-L1 gradually declined during anti-tuberculosis treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We characterized the changing balance of sICs in M. tb infection. And our results revealed the relations of sICs to laboratory test markers and treatment responses in tuberculosis patients, indicating that certain sICs may serve as potential biomarkers for disease surveillance and prognosis of tuberculosis.

Ocean acidification increases polyspermy of a broadcast spawning bivalve species by hampering membrane depolarization and cortical granule exocytosis.

Ensuring that oocytes are fertilized by a single sperm during broadcast spawning is crucial for the fertilization success of many marine invertebrates. Although the adverse impacts of ocean acidification (OA) on various marine species have been revealed in recent years, its impact on polyspermy and the underlying mechanisms involved remain largely unknown. Therefore, in the present study, the effect of OA on polyspermy risk was assessed in a broadcast spawning bivalve, Tegillarca granosa. In addition, the impacts of OA on the two polyspermy blocking processes, the fast block (membrane depolarization) and the permanent block (cortical reaction), were investigated. The results show that the exposure of oocytes to two future OA scenarios (pH 7.8 and pH 7.4) leads to significant increases in polyspermy risk, about 1.70 and 2.38 times higher than the control, respectively. The maximum change in the membrane potential during oocyte membrane depolarization markedly decreased to 15.79 % (pH 7.8) and 34.06 % (pH 7.4) of the control value. Moreover, the duration of oocyte membrane depolarization was significantly reduced to approximately 63.38 % (pH 7.8) and 21.91 % (pH 7.4) of the control. In addition, cortical granule exocytosis, as well as microfilament migration, were significantly arrested by OA treatment. Exposure to future OA scenarios also led to significant reductions in the ATP and Ca2+ content of the oocytes, which may explain the hampered polyspermy blocking. Overall, the present study suggests that OA may significantly increase polyspermy risk in T. granosa by inhibiting membrane depolarization and arresting cortical granule exocytosis.

Clinical significance of high expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in non-small cell lung cancer.

Although proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) plays an important role in tumor proliferation and its expression level is closely related to the biological activity of tumor cells, PCNA expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been seldom reported. In this study, we aimed to investigate the significance of PCNA expression in NSCLC tissues. PCNA expression in NSCLC and adjacent tissues were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blotting, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Single factor analysis was used to study the relationship between the expression of PCNA and clinicopathological features of NSCLC. Multi-factor Cox survival analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between the expression of PCNA and overall survival of postoperative NSCLC patients. The areas under the receiver operating characteristics were calculated to evaluate the value of PCNA expression level in predicting the 3-year survival of NSCLC patients. IHC analysis showed that the positive expression rates of PCNA protein in NSCLC and adjacent tissues were 91.79% (257/280) and 25.83% (31/120), respectively. Western blotting confirmed that PCNA protein level was significantly higher in NSCLC tissues than in the adjacent tissues (P < .05). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction showed that the positive rate of PCNA mRNA in NSCLC was 88.93% (249/280), which was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissues 29.17% (35/120) (P < .05). Both PCNA mRNA and protein levels were correlated with tumor differentiation, size, metastasis, and stage in NSCLC. Patients exhibiting higher PCNA protein expression had a significantly shorter disease-specific survival rate than the other patients. PCNA protein level and tumor pathological type, metastasis, differentiation degree, and stage were independent factors affecting the overall survival of postoperative patients. The areas under the receiver operating characteristics of PCNA mRNA for predicting the 3-year survival of NSCLC patients was 0.89 (0.79-0.98), with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.84 and 0.76, respectively. In conclusion, high PCNA protein and mRNA levels may be associated with the occurrence, development, and prognosis of NSCLC.

Polystyrene microplastics increase uptake, elimination and cytotoxicity of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) in the marine scallop Chlamys farreri.

Microplastics are a growing problem in marine environments due to their ubiquitous occurrence and affinity for chemical pollutants. However, the influence of microplastics on the uptake, depuration and toxicity of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) in marine organisms is unclear. We exposed the marine scallop Chlamys farreri to polystyrene microplastics (PS; 125 µg/L) combined with BDE-209 (10 and 100 µg/L) to determine their toxicokinetics, cellular toxicity and histopathological effects. The results showed that PS acted as both a carrier and a scavenger for the bioaccumulation of BDE-209. Importantly, the carrier role of PS was greater than scavenger one. PS increased the negative effect of BDE-209 (100 µg/L) on hemocyte phagocytosis, and ultrastructural changes in gills and digestive gland of scallops due to their carrier role for the bioaccumulation of BDE-209. However, PS did not increase the DNA damage of BDE-209 on the hemocytes. These findings are evidence of microplastics transferring adsorbed pollutants to marine organisms, and increasing their toxicity.

Effects of anthropogenic sound on digging behavior, metabolism, Ca(2+)/Mg(2+) ATPase activity, and metabolism-related gene expression of the bivalve Sinonovacula constricta.

Anthropogenic sound has increased significantly in the past decade. However, only a few studies to date have investigated its effects on marine bivalves, with little known about the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms. In the present study, the effects of different types, frequencies, and intensities of anthropogenic sounds on the digging behavior of razor clams (Sinonovacula constricta) were investigated. The results showed that variations in sound intensity induced deeper digging. Furthermore, anthropogenic sound exposure led to an alteration in the O:N ratios and the expression of ten metabolism-related genes from the glycolysis, fatty acid biosynthesis, tryptophan metabolism, and Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle (TCA cycle) pathways. Expression of all genes under investigation was induced upon exposure to anthropogenic sound at ~80 dB re 1 µPa and repressed at ~100 dB re 1 µPa sound. In addition, the activity of Ca(2+)/Mg(2+)-ATPase in the feet tissues, which is directly related to muscular contraction and subsequently to digging behavior, was also found to be affected by anthropogenic sound intensity. The findings suggest that sound may be perceived by bivalves as changes in the water particle motion and lead to the subsequent reactions detected in razor clams.

Ocean acidification increases cadmium accumulation in marine bivalves: a potential threat to seafood safety.

To date, the effects of ocean acidification on toxic metals accumulation and the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown in marine bivalve species. In the present study, the effects of the realistic future ocean pCO2 levels on the cadmium (Cd) accumulation in the gills, mantle and adductor muscles of three bivalve species, Mytilus edulis, Tegillarca granosa, and Meretrix meretrix, were investigated. The results obtained suggested that all species tested accumulated significantly higher Cd (p < 0.05) in the CO2 acidified seawater during the 30 days experiment and the health risk of Cd (based on the estimated target hazard quotients, THQ) via consumption of M. meretrix at pH 7.8 and 7.4 significantly increased 1.21 and 1.32 times respectively, suggesting a potential threat to seafood safety. The ocean acidification-induced increase in Cd accumulation may have occurred due to (i) the ocean acidification increased the concentration of Cd and the Cd(2+)/Ca(2+) in the seawater, which in turn increased the Cd influx through Ca channel; (ii) the acidified seawater may have brought about epithelia damage, resulting in easier Cd penetration; and (iii) ocean acidification hampered Cd exclusion.