Occurrence and health risk of pesticide residues in Chinese herbal medicines from Shandong Province, China.

Pesticide residue was one of the stress factors affecting quality and safety of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs). The present study was designed to investigate the occurrence and dietary exposure of 70 pesticide residues in 307 samples of CHMs, including 104 American ginseng, 100 Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum), and 103 Dendrobium officinale (D. officinale) in Shandong Province, China. The study revealed that a total of 29 pesticides were detected in the majority (92.5%) of samples, and the pesticide residues of 85 (27.7%) samples exceeded the maximum residue levels (MRLs). Particularly, the maximum concentration of chlorpyrifos was 23.8 mg kg-1, almost 50 times of the MRLs in food in GB 2763-2021, while there's no standard restrictions specified in CHMs in China. The chronic, acute, and cumulative risk assessment results indicated that risk exposure of the three types of CHMs were unlikely to pose a health risk to consumers. However, more attention should be paid to the multiple residues with the presence of four or more pesticides in one sample and high over-standard rate of pesticides. The pesticide users and the government should pay more attention to the pesticides used in CHMs and regularly monitor the presence of these compounds. The study recommended the MRLs of these pesticides in CHMs should be established and perfected by the relevant departments in China.

Elevated Sera IL-6 and NK-T Cells Associated With Increased Pathological Complete Response in HER2-positive Breast Cancer With Carboplatin-based Neoadjuvant Therapy.

Context: Neoadjuvant therapy is the primary treatment for stage II to III breast cancer (BC). The heterogeneity of BC challenges the identification of effective neoadjuvant regimens and of the related sensitive populations. Objective: The study intended to explore the predictive role of inflammatory cytokines, immune-cell subsets, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) for the accomplishment of the pathological complete response (pCR) after a neoadjuvant regimen. Design: The research team conducted a phase II, single-armed, open-label trial. Setting: The study took place at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China. Participants: Participants were 42 patients at the hospital receiving treatment for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer (BC) between November 2018 and October 2021. Intervention: Participants received neoadjuvant therapy of six cycles of docetaxel, carboplatin, and trastuzumab (TCbH). Outcome Measures: The research team: (1) measured 13 cytokines and immune-cell populations in peripheral blood prior to neoadjuvant therapy administration; (2) measured TILs in tumor tissues; (3) analyzed correlations among biomarkers and pCR. Results: Of the 42 participants, 18 achieved pCR (42.9%) after the neoadjuvant therapy, with 37 having an overall response rate (ORR) of 88.1%. All participants experienced at least one short-term adverse event. The most common toxicity was leukopenia, with 33 participants (78.6%), while no cardiovascular dysfunction occurred. Compared with the non-pCR group, the pCR group had higher serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-ɑ), with P = .013; interleukin 6 (IL-6), with P = .025; and IL-18, with P = .0004. Univariate analysis showed that IL-6 (OR, 3.429; 95% CI,1.838-6.396; P = .0001) had a significant correlation with pCR. Participants in the pCR group had a higher level of natural killer T (NK-T) cells (P = .009) and a lower ratio of cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4):CD8 (P = .0014) before neoadjuvant therapy. Univariate analysis linked a high population of NK-T cells (OR, 0.204; 95% CI,0.052-0.808; P = .018), a low CD4:CD8 ratio (OR, 10.500; 95% CI, 2.475-44.545; P = .001), and TILs expression (OR, 0.192; 95% CI, 0.051-0.731; P = .013) to pCR. Conclusions: Immunological factors, including IL-6, NK-T cells, CD4+ T versus CD8+ T ratio, and TILs expression were significant predictors for response to TCbH neoadjuvant therapy with carboplatin.

Larvicidal Activity of Two Rutaceae Plant Essential Oils and Their Constituents Against Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Multiple Formulations.

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) is a vector of several arboviruses, such as dengue, chikungunya, West Nile, and Zika viruses. At present, the use of synthetic insecticides is the main vector control strategy. However, the widespread and long-term use of insecticides has aroused several problems, including insecticide resistance, environmental pollution, and non-target species effects, thereby encouraging researchers to search for new alternatives derived from natural products. In recent decades, essential oils (EOs) as natural alternatives to control mosquitoes have received increasing attention. In the initial larvicidal activity screen, two Rutaceae plants (Citrus aurantium and Citrus paradisi) EOs were selected and evaluated for killing Ae. albopictus larvae. The LC50 values of C. aurantium and C. paradisi EOs against Ae. albopictus were 91.7 and 100.9 ppm, respectively. The main components of C. aurantium EO include diethyl o-phthalate (37.32%), limonene (10.04%), and methyl dihydrojasmonate (6.48%). The main components of C. paradisi EO include limonene (60.51%), diethyl o-phthalate (11.75%), linalool (7.90%), and styralyl acetate (6.28%). Among these main components of the two EOs, limonene showed potent larvicidal activity, with the LC50 value of 39.7 ppm. The nanoemulsions of limonene were prepared and characterized. The duration of larvicidal activity was greater in the limonene nanoemulsions than when limonene was applied in solvent. This study demonstrates that EOs of plants in family Rutaceae are a potential resource to develop new larvicides, and nanoemulsification is an effective method for improving the physicochemical properties and efficacy of natural products as larvicides.

Comparison of trace element concentrations in freshwater fish and marine fish consumed in Shandong Province, China, and their potential risks to human health.

This study provides the primary data of ten trace element concentrations from four highly consumed cultured freshwater fish species in comparison to six marine fish collected from markets of the Shandong province, China, and evaluates the potential human health risks from consuming these fish. A significant difference in five metal concentrations (Cr, As, Se, Cd, Pb) was found between freshwater and marine fish. With the exception of chromium, the other four element contents in marine fish were higher than those in freshwater fish. According to estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), total target hazard quotient (TTHQ), and the permissible safety limits prescribed by various agencies, consumption of the examined fish species is safe for human health. However, chromium in freshwater fish and arsenic in marine fish should still be a cause for concern in terms of human health, especially for fisher folk communities and populations that frequently consume fish.

Multistimuli-Responsive Pickering Emulsion Stabilized by Se-Containing Surfactant-Modified Chitosan.

Particle-stabilized emulsions that can respond to external stimuli have attracted significant concerns due to their intelligent-controlled stability, whereas particle-stabilized Pickering emulsions responding to multistimuli but based on biomass have been rarely reported. Here, a multistimuli-responsive Pickering emulsion was developed using the modified chitosan as stabilizer. Due to electrostatic attraction, Se-containing anionic surfactant, sodium 11-(butylselenyl)undecylsulfate (C4SeC11S), can bind with CS at an acidic pH and form CS-C4SeC11S complexes which can further self-associate to form micrometer-sized particles with the character of partially hydrophobicity. Therefore, at pH < pKa, an oil-in-water Pickering emulsion can be formed using CS-C4SeC11S particles as stabilizers and can spontaneously respond to redox, ion, and pH. First, with the addition of oxidation, the hydrophilicity of C4SeC11S was enhanced, and thus, hydrophobic association of CS-C4SeC11S decreased, leading to the disruption of CS-C4SeC11S particles. Hence, the emulsion destabilized. The demulsification process is closely related with the dosage of oxidant and the oxidation time. Second, introduction of a competitive ion (e.g., CTAB) could break the binding between C4SeC11S and CS, leading to the disruption of particle emulsifier. Thereby, demulsification occurred. Third, with sequentially increasing/decreasing pH, the emulsion can be switched from stable to unstable and then to stable again accordingly. Such a unique pH-responsive behavior has never been discovered in other pH-responsive Pickering emulsions. All of the stimuli-responsive behaviors were reversible. Upon alternately adding oxidant/reductant, CTAB/C4SeC11S, or base/acid, the current emulsion can be reversibly switched off (destabilization) and on (stabilization). Such a Pickering emulsion may be a good candidate as a vehicle of functional ingredient.

Quantitative Analysis of CT Images in Patients with Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid-Induced Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome.

This study evaluated hepatic lesion volumes on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) images in patients with pyrrolizidine alkaloid-induced sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (PA-SOS) and the association of lesion volume with the clinical severity and prognosis of the disease. Twenty-five patients with PA-SOS were included in this study, and all patients were subjected to a complete CT imaging series. The imaging results were quantitatively analyzed by a threshold-based region growing algorithm. The liver volumes and hepatic lesion volumes of the patients were estimated. Based on clinical presentations, PA-SOS was classified into three categories: mild, moderate and severe. The associations of hepatic lesion volumes with liver function test parameters and the clinical severity and prognosis of the disease were analyzed. Based on estimations using the threshold-based region growing algorithm, hepatic lesion volumes in patients with mild PA-SOS were significantly lower than those in patients with moderate and severe PA-SOS (P < 0.05). The ratio of hepatic lesion volume to liver volume (Ratio) varied based on alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and serum total bilirubine levels; clinical severity; and disease prognosis, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the threshold-based region growing algorithm can be employed to quantitatively analyze enhanced CT images of PA-SOS patients. And the ratio of hepatic lesion volume to liver volume in patients with PA-SOS is associated with a more serious clinical course and a poorer outcome.