Biotransformation of Ginsenoside Rb1 to Ginsenoside Rd and 7 Rare Ginsenosides Using Irpex lacteus with HPLC-HRMS/MS Identification.

The biotransformation of ginsenosides using microorganisms represents a promising and ecofriendly approach for the production of rare ginsenosides. The present study reports on the biotransformation of ginsenoside Rb1 using the fungus Irpex lacteus, resulting in the production of ginsenoside Rd and seven rare ginsenosides with novel structures. Employing high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry, the identities of the transformation products were rapidly determined. Two sets of isomers with molecular weights of 980.56 and 962.55 were discovered among the seven rare ginsenosides, which were generated through the isomerization of the olefin chain in the protopanaxadiol (PPD)-type ginsenoside skeleton. Each isomer exhibited characteristic fragment ions and neutral loss patterns in their tandem mass spectra, providing evidence of their unique structures. Time-course experiments demonstrated that the transformation reaction reached equilibrium after 14 days, with Rb1 initially generating Rd and compound 5, followed by the formation of other rare ginsenosides. The biotransformation process catalyzed by I. lacteus was found to involve not only the typical deglycosylation reaction at the C-20 position but also hydroxylation at the C-22 and C-23 positions, as well as hydrogenation, transfer, and cyclization of the double bond at the C-24(25) position. These enzymatic capabilities extend to the structural modification of other PPD-type ginsenosides such as Rc and Rd, revealing the potential of I. lacteus for the production of a wider range of rare ginsenosides. The transformation activities observed in I. lacteus are unprecedented among fungal biotransformations of ginsenosides. This study highlights the application of a medicinal fungi-based biotransformation strategy for the generation of rare ginsenosides with enhanced structural diversity, thereby expanding the variety of bioactive compounds derived from ginseng.

FBP1 orchestrates keratinocyte proliferation/differentiation and suppresses psoriasis through metabolic control of histone acetylation.

Keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation in epidermis are well-controlled and essential for reacting to stimuli such as ultraviolet light. Imbalance between proliferation and differentiation is a characteristic feature of major human skin diseases such as psoriasis and squamous cell carcinoma. However, the effect of keratinocyte metabolism on proliferation and differentiation remains largely elusive. We show here that the gluconeogenic enzyme fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1) promotes differentiation while inhibits proliferation of keratinocyte and suppresses psoriasis development. FBP1 is identified among the most upregulated genes induced by UVB using transcriptome sequencing and is elevated especially in upper epidermis. Fbp1 heterozygous mice exhibit aberrant epidermis phenotypes with local hyperplasia and dedifferentiation. Loss of FBP1 promotes proliferation and inhibits differentiation of keratinocytes in vitro. Mechanistically, FBP1 loss facilitates glycolysis-mediated acetyl-CoA production, which increases histone H3 acetylation at lysine 9, resulting in enhanced transcription of proliferation genes. We further find that the expression of FBP1 is dramatically reduced in human psoriatic lesions and in skin of mouse imiquimod psoriasis model. Fbp1 deficiency in mice facilitates psoriasis-like skin lesions development through glycolysis and acetyl-CoA production. Collectively, our findings reveal a previously unrecognized role of FBP1 in epidermal homeostasis and provide evidence for FBP1 as a metabolic psoriasis suppressor.

Clinical outcomes of corticosteroid administration for acute respiratory distress syndrome in adults based on meta-analyses and trial sequential analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which results in lung injury as a consequence of sepsis and septic shock, is associated with severe systemic inflammation and is responsible for a high worldwide mortality rate. OBJECTIVE: Investigate whether corticosteroids could benefit clinical outcomes in adult with ARDS. METHODS: A comprehensive search of electronic databases Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMbase, and Cochrane Library from their inception to 7 May 2023 was conducted to identify studies that met the eligibility criteria, including only randomized controlled trials. The study was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the methods of trial sequential analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality rates, including including the 14-, 28-, 45-, and 60-day mortality, hospital mortality, and intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. SAMPLE SIZE: 17 studies with 2508 patients. RESULTS: Data relating to mortality at 14, 28, 45, and 60 days were not significantly different when treatments with corticosteroids and placebo were compared. In terms of hospital and ICU mortality, the mortality of those who had received corticosteroids was significantly lower than that of those who had not. ARDS patients who received assisted ventilation benefited from corticosteroid therapy, as revealed by the significant difference in outcome days between those who received assisted ventilation and those who did not. Corticosteroid had significantly more days free from mechanical ventilation, ICU-free days, and MODS-free days during the first 28 days, but not more organ support-free days up to day 28. CONCLUSION: Although corticosteroid therapy did not reduce mortality rates at different observation periods, it significantly reduced hospital and ICU mortality. Administering corticosteroids to ARDS patients significantly decreased the days of assisted ventilation and time cost consumption. This study confirmed that long-term use of low-dose glucocorticoids may have a positive effect on early ARDS. LIMITATION: Risk of bias due to the differences in patient characteristics.

Cannabidiol mitigates radiation-induced intestine ferroptosis via facilitating the heterodimerization of RUNX3 with CBFß thereby promoting transactivation of GPX4.

Radiation enteritis remains a major challenge for radiotherapy against abdominal and pelvic malignancies. Nevertheless, there is no approved effective therapy to alleviate irradiation (IR)-induced gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity. In the current study, Cannabidiol (CBD) was found to mitigate intestinal injury by GPX4-mediated ferroptosis resistance upon IR exposure. RNA-sequencing was employed to investigate the underlying mechanism involved in the radio-protective effect of CBD, wherein runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) and its target genes were changed significantly. Further experiment showed that the transactivation of GPX4 triggered by the direct binding of RUNX3 to its promoter region, or by stimulating the transcriptional activity of NF-κB via RUNX3-mediated LILRB3 upregulation was critical for the anti-ferroptotic effect of CBD upon IR injury. Specially, CBD was demonstrated to be a molecular glue skeleton facilitating the heterodimerization of RUNX3 with its transcriptional chaperone core-biding factor ß (CBFß) thereby promoting their nuclear localization and the subsequent transactivation of GPX4 and LILRB3. In short, our study provides an alternative strategy to counteract IR-induced enteritis during the radiotherapy on abdominal/pelvic neoplasms.

Multi-View Time-Series Hypergraph Neural Network for Action Recognition.

Recently, action recognition has attracted considerable attention in the field of computer vision. In dynamic circumstances and complicated backgrounds, there are some problems, such as object occlusion, insufficient light, and weak correlation of human body joints, resulting in skeleton-based human action recognition accuracy being very low. To address this issue, we propose a Multi-View Time-Series Hypergraph Neural Network (MV-TSHGNN) method. The framework is composed of two main parts: the construction of a multi-view time-series hypergraph structure and the learning process of multi-view time-series hypergraph convolutions. Specifically, given the multi-view video sequence frames, we first extract the joint features of actions from different views. Then, limb components and adjacent joints spatial hypergraphs based on the joints of different views at the same time are constructed respectively, temporal hypergraphs are constructed joints of the same view at continuous times, which are established high-order semantic relationships and cooperatively generate complementary action features. After that, we design a multi-view time-series hypergraph neural network to efficiently learn the features of spatial and temporal hypergraphs, and effectively improve the accuracy of skeleton-based action recognition. To evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of MV-TSHGNN, we conduct experiments on NTU RGB+D, NTU RGB+D 120 and imitating traffic police gestures datasets. The experimental results indicate that our proposed method model achieves the new state-of-the-art performance.

A novel model combining genes associated with disulfidptosis and glycolysis to predict breast cancer prognosis, molecular subtypes, and treatment response.

Breast cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous malignancy with a dismal prognosis. Disulfidptosis is a novel type of regulated cell death that happens in the presence of glucose deficiency and is linked to the metabolic process of glycolysis. However, the mechanism of action of disulfidptosis and glycolysis-related genes (DGRG) in BC, as well as their prognostic value in BC patients, remain unknown. After identifying the differentially expressed DGRG in normal and BC tissues, a number of machine learning algorithms were utilized to select essential prognostic genes to develop a model, including SLC7A11, CACNA1H, SDC1, CHST1, and TFF3. The expression characteristics of these genes were then examined using single-cell RNA sequencing, and BC was classified into three clusters using "ConsensusClusterPlus" based on these genes. The DGRG model's median risk score can categorize BC patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. Furthermore, we investigated variations in clinical landscape, immunoinvasion analysis, tumor immune dysfunction and rejection (TIDE), and medication sensitivity in patients in the DGRG model's high- and low-risk groups. Patients in the low-risk group performed better on immunological and chemotherapeutic therapies and had lower TIDE scores. In conclusion, the DGRG model we developed has significant clinical application potential because it can accurately predict the prognosis of BC, TME, and pharmacological treatment responses.

The reversal of PXR or PPARα activation-induced hepatomegaly.

The activation of pregnane X receptor (PXR) or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) can induce liver enlargement. Recently, we reported that PXR or PPARα activation-induced hepatomegaly depends on yes-associated protein (YAP) signaling and is characterized by hepatocyte hypertrophy around the central vein area and hepatocyte proliferation around the portal vein area. However, it remains unclear whether PXR or PPARα activation-induced hepatomegaly can be reversed after the withdrawal of their agonists. In this study, we investigated the regression of enlarged liver to normal size following the withdrawal of PCN or WY-14643 (typical agonists of mouse PXR or PPARα) in C57BL/6 mice. The immunohistochemistry analysis of CTNNB1 and KI67 showed a reversal of hepatocyte size and a decrease in hepatocyte proliferation after the withdrawal of agonists. In details, the expression of PXR or PPARα downstream proteins (CYP3A11, CYP2B10, ACOX1, and CYP4A) and the expression of proliferation-related proteins (CCNA1, CCND1, and PCNA) returned to the normal levels. Furthermore, YAP and its downstream proteins (CTGF, CYR61, and ANKRD1) also restored to the normal states, which was consistent with the change in liver size. These findings demonstrate the reversibility of PXR or PPARα activation-induced hepatomegaly and provide new data for the safety of PXR and PPARα as drug targets.

CAR and PPARα do not perform liquid-liquid phase separation in cells.

Constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily, which regulates various physiological and pathological processes. Phase separation is a dynamic biophysical process that biomacromolecules form liquid-like condensates, which have been identified as a contributor to many cellular functions, such as signal transduction and transcription regulation. However, the possibility of phase separation for CAR and PPARα remains unknown. This study explored the potential phase separation of CAR and PPARα. The computational analysis utilizing algorithms tools examining the intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of CAR and PPARα suggested a limited likelihood of undergoing phase separation. Experimental assays under varying conditions of hyperosmotic stress and agonist treatments confirmed the absence of phase separation for these receptors. Additionally, the optoDroplets assay, which utilizes blue light stimulation to induce condensate formation, showed that there was no condensate formation of the fusion protein of Cry2 with CAR or PPARα. Furthermore, phase separation of CAR or PPARα did not occur despite reduced target expression under hyperosmotic stress. In conclusion, these findings revealed that neither the activation of CAR and PPARα nor hyperosmotic stress induces phase separation of CAR and PPARα in cells. Significance Statement CAR and PPARα are key regulators of various functions in the body. This study showed that CAR and PPARα do not exhibit phase separation under hyperosmotic stress or after agonist-induced activation. These findings provide new insights into the CAR and PPARα biology and physiology.

New alkaloids from Stemona tuberosa and structural revision of tuberostemonols P and R.

Three Stemona alkaloids named stemotuberines A-C (1-3) with unique C17N frameworks, presumably formed by elimination of the C-11-C-15 lactone ring of the stichoneurine skeleton, were isolated from the roots of Stemona tuberosa. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, X-ray diffraction, and computational methods. Compounds 2 and 3 showed inhibition (IC50 values of 37.1 and 23.2 µM, respectively) against LPS-induced nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, concern was expressed about the reported plant origin (S. sessilifolia) of the recently described alkaloids tuberostemonols O-R (4-7), which should be S. tuberosa. NMR calculations indicated structural misassignment of these compounds except for 6. Isolation of tuberostemonol P (5) from our material of S. tuberosa allowed for a close examination of the spectroscopic data leading to the revised structure 5a. Tuberostemonol R (7) was found to have identical 1H and 13C NMR data to the well-known alkaloid croomine, and therefore its structure including relative stereochemistry must be revised as 7a.

Assessing patient information needs for new antidiabetic medications to inform shared decision-making: A best-worst scaling experiment in China.

BACKGROUND: Shared decision-making (SDM) is a patient-centred approach to improve the quality of care. An essential requirement for the SDM process is to be fully aware of patient information needs. OBJECTIVES: Our study aimed to assess patient information needs for new antidiabetic medications using the best-worst scaling (BWS) experiment. METHODS: BWS tasks were developed according to a literature review and the focus group discussion. We used a balanced incomplete block design and blocking techniques to generate choice sets. The final BWS contains 11 attributes, with 6-choice scenarios in each block. The one-to-one, face-to-face BWS survey was conducted among type 2 diabetic patients in Jiangsu Province. Results were analyzed using count-based analysis and modelling approaches. We also conducted a subgroup analysis to observe preference heterogeneity. RESULTS: Data from 539 patients were available for analysis. The most desired information domain was the comparative effectiveness of new antidiabetic medications. It consists of the incidence of macrovascular complications, the length of extended life years, changes in health-related quality of life, the incidence of microvascular complications, and the control of glycated haemoglobin. Of all the attributes, the incidence of macrovascular complications was the primary concern. Patients' glycemic control and whether they had diabetes complications exerted a significant influence on their information needs. CONCLUSIONS: Information on health benefits is of critical significance for diabetic patients. Patients have different information needs as their disease progresses. Personalized patient decision aids that integrate patient information needs and provide evidence of new antidiabetic medications are worthy of being established. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Before data collection, a pilot survey was carried out among diabetic patients to provide feedback on the acceptability and intelligibility of the attributes.

Highly Flexible and Superelastic Graphene Nanofibrous Aerogels for Intelligent Sign Language.

Highly flexible and superelastic aerogels at large deformation have become urgent mechanical demands in practical uses, but both properties are usually exclusive. Here a trans-scale porosity design is proposed in graphene nanofibrous aerogels (GNFAs) to break the trade-off between high flexibility and superelasticity. The resulting GNFAs can completely recover after 1000 fatigue cycles at 60% folding strain, and notably maintain excellent structural integrity after 10000 cycles at 90% compressive strain, outperforming most of the reported aerogels. The mechanical robustness is demonstrated to be derived from the trans-scale porous structure, which is composed of hyperbolic micropores and porous nanofibers to enable the large elastic deformation capability. It is further revealed that flexible and superelastic GNFAs exhibit high sensitivity and ultrastability as an electrical sensors to detect tension and flexion deformation. As proof, The GNFA sensor is implemented onto a human finger and achieves the intelligent recognition of sign language with high accuracy by multi-layer artificial neural network. This study proposes a highly flexible and elastic graphene aerogel for wearable human-machine interfaces in sensor technology.

Brain delivery of fibronectin through bioactive phosphorous dendrimers for Parkinson's disease treatment via cooperative modulation of microglia.

Effective treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD), a prevalent central neurodegenerative disorder particularly affecting the elderly population, still remains a huge challenge. We present here a novel nanomedicine formulation based on bioactive hydroxyl-terminated phosphorous dendrimers (termed as AK123) complexed with fibronectin (FN) with anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities. The created optimized AK123/FN nanocomplexes (NCs) with a size of 223 nm display good colloidal stability in aqueous solution and can be specifically taken up by microglia through FN-mediated targeting. We show that the AK123/FN NCs are able to consume excessive reactive oxygen species, promote microglia M2 polarization and inhibit the nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway to downregulate inflammatory factors. With the abundant dendrimer surface hydroxyl terminal groups, the developed NCs are able to cross blood-brain barrier (BBB) to exert targeted therapy of a PD mouse model through the AK123-mediated anti-inflammation for M2 polarization of microglia and FN-mediated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, thus reducing the aggregation of α-synuclein and restoring the contents of dopamine and tyrosine hydroxylase to normal levels in vivo. The developed dendrimer/FN NCs combine the advantages of BBB-crossing hydroxyl-terminated bioactive per se phosphorus dendrimers and FN, which is expected to be extended for the treatment of different neurodegenerative diseases.

Sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation: a comprehensive evaluation across diseases in randomized controlled trials.

Background: Current literature extensively covers the use of sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation (SPGs) in treating a broad spectrum of medical conditions, such as allergic rhinitis, cluster headaches, and strokes. Nevertheless, a discernible gap in the systematic organization and analysis of these studies is evident. This paper aims to bridge this gap by conducting a comprehensive review and analysis of existing literature on SPGs across various medical conditions. Methods: This study meticulously constructed a comprehensive database through systematic computerized searches conducted on PubMed, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and CBM up to May 2022. The inclusion criteria encompassed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in either Chinese or English, focusing on the therapeutic applications of SPGs for various medical conditions. Both qualitative and quantitative outcome indicators were considered eligible for inclusion. Results: This comprehensive study reviewed 36 publications, comprising 10 high-quality, 23 medium-quality, and three low-quality articles. The study investigated various diseases, including allergic rhinitis (AR), ischemic strokes (IS), cluster headache (CH), primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN), pediatric chronic secretory otitis (PCSO), refractory facial paralysis (RFP), chronic tension-type headache (CTTH), as well as the analysis of low-frequency sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation (LF-SPGs) in chronic cluster headache (CCH) and the impact of SPGs on Normal nasal cavity function (NNCF). SPGs demonstrate efficacy in the treatment of AR. Regarding the improvement of rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ) scores, SPGs are considered the optimal intervention according to the SUCRA ranking. Concerning the improvement in Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS), Conventional Acupuncture Combined with Tradiational Chinese Medicine (CA-TCM) holds a significant advantage in the SUCRA ranking and is deemed the best intervention. In terms of increasing Effective Rate (ER), SPGs outperformed both conventional acupuncture (CA) and Western Medicine (WM; P < 0.05). In the context of SPGs treatment for IS, the results indicate a significant improvement in the 3-month outcomes, as evaluated by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) in the context of Cerebral Cortical Infarction (CCI; P < 0.05). In the treatment of CH with SPGs, the treatment has been shown to have a statistically significant effect on the relief and disappearance of headaches (P < 0.05). The impact of SPGs on NNCF reveals statistically significant improvements (P < 0.05) in nasal airway resistance (NAR), nasal cavity volume (NCV), exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), substance P (SP), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY). SPGs treatments for PCSO, RFP, and CTTH, when compared to control groups, yielded statistically significant results (P < 0.05). Conclusion: SPGs demonstrate significant effectiveness in the treatment of AR, IS, and CH. Effective management of CCH may require addressing both autonomic dysregulation and deeper neural pathways. However, additional high-quality research is essential to clarify its effects on NNCF, PTN, PCSO, RFP, and CTTH. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO, identifier CRD42021252073, https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=312429.

Highly Sensitive Whole-Cell Mercury Biosensors for Environmental Monitoring.

Whole-cell biosensors could serve as eco-friendly and cost-effective alternatives for detecting potentially toxic bioavailable heavy metals in aquatic environments. However, they often fail to meet practical requirements due to an insufficient limit of detection (LOD) and high background noise. In this study, we designed a synthetic genetic circuit specifically tailored for detecting ionic mercury, which we applied to environmental samples collected from artisanal gold mining sites in Peru. We developed two distinct versions of the biosensor, each utilizing a different reporter protein: a fluorescent biosensor (Mer-RFP) and a colorimetric biosensor (Mer-Blue). Mer-RFP enabled real-time monitoring of the culture's response to mercury samples using a plate reader, whereas Mer-Blue was analysed for colour accumulation at the endpoint using a specially designed, low-cost camera setup for harvested cell pellets. Both biosensors exhibited negligible baseline expression of their respective reporter proteins and responded specifically to HgBr2 in pure water. Mer-RFP demonstrated a linear detection range from 1 nM to 1 µM, whereas Mer-Blue showed a linear range from 2 nM to 125 nM. Our biosensors successfully detected a high concentration of ionic mercury in the reaction bucket where artisanal miners produce a mercury-gold amalgam. However, they did not detect ionic mercury in the water from active mining ponds, indicating a concentration lower than 3.2 nM Hg2+-a result consistent with chemical analysis quantitation. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of Mer-Blue as a practical and affordable monitoring tool, highlighting its stability, reliance on simple visual colorimetry, and the possibility of sensitivity expansion to organic mercury.

Procollagen-lysine 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 2 promotes collagen cross-linking and ECM stiffening to induce liver fibrosis.

Procollagen-lysine 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 2 (Plod2) is a key collagen lysyl hydroxylase mediating the formation of collagen fiber and stabilized collagen cross-links, and has been identified in several forms of fibrosis. However, the potential role and regulatory mechanism of Plod2 in liver fibrosis remain unclear yet. Mouse liver fibrosis models were induced by injecting carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) intraperitoneally. The morphology and alignment of collagen was observed under transmission and scanning electron microscopy, and extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness was measured by atomic force microscopy. Large amounts of densely packed fibrillar collagen fibers produced by myofibroblasts (MFs) were deposited in fibrotic liver of mice reaching very large diameters in the cross section, accompanied with ECM stiffening, which was positively correlated with collagen-crosslinking. The expression of Plod2 was dynamically up-regulated in fibrotic liver of mouse and human. In MFs transfection of Plod2 siRNA made collagen fibers more orderly and linear aligned which can be easily degraded and protected from ECM stiffness. Administration of Plod2 siRNA preventatively or therapeutically in CCl4 mice reduced the average size of collagen bundles in transverse section, increased collagen solubility, decreases the levels of crosslinking products hydroxylysylpyridinoline and lysylpyridinoline, prevented ECM stiffening and alleviated liver fibrosis. Altogether, Plod2 mediates the formation of stabilized profibrotic collagen cross-links in MFs, leading to the alteration of collagen solubility and ECM stiffness, and eventually aggravates liver fibrosis, which provide potential target for the treatment of liver disease.

Two noncompeting human neutralizing antibodies targeting MPXV B6 show protective effects against orthopoxvirus infections.

The recent outbreak of mpox epidemic, caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV), poses a new threat to global public health. Here, we initially assessed the preexisting antibody level to the MPXV B6 protein in vaccinia vaccinees born before the end of the immunization program and then identified two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), hMB621 and hMB668, targeting distinct epitopes on B6, from one vaccinee. Binding assays demonstrate that both MAbs exhibit broad binding abilities to B6 and its orthologs in vaccinia (VACV), variola (VARV) and cowpox viruses (CPXV). Neutralizing assays reveal that the two MAbs showed potent neutralization against VACV. Animal experiments using a BALB/c female mouse model indicate that the two MAbs showed effective protection against VACV via intraperitoneal injection. Additionally, we determined the complex structure of B6 and hMB668, revealing the structural feature of B6 and the epitope of hMB668. Collectively, our study provides two promising antibody candidates for the treatment of orthopoxvirus infections, including mpox.

Maternal Di-(2-ethylhexyl)-Phthalate exposure during pregnancy altered energy metabolism in immature offspring and caused hyperglycemia.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP), as distinctive endocrine disrupting chemicals, has become a global environmental pollutant harmful to human and animal health. However, the impacts on offspring and mothers with maternal DEHP exposure are largely unknown and the mechanism remains elusive. We established DEHP-exposed maternal mice to investigate the impacts on mother and offspring and illustrate the mechanism from multiple perspectives. Pregnant mice were administered with different doses of DEHP, respectively. Metagenomic sequencing used fecal and transcriptome sequencing using placentas and livers from offspring have been performed, respectively. The results of the histopathology perspective demonstrated that DEHP exposure could disrupt the function of islets impact placentas and fetus development for maternal mice, and cause the disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism for immature offspring mice, resulting in hyperglycemia. The results of the metagenome of gut microbial communities indicated that the dysbiosis of gut microbiota in mother and offspring mice and the dominant phyla transformed through vertical transmission. Transcriptome analysis found DEHP exposure induced mutations of Ahcy and Gstp3, which can damage liver cells and affect the metabolism of the host. DEHP exposure harms pregnant mice and offspring by affecting gene expression and altering metabolism. Our results suggested that exposure of pregnant mice to DEHP during pregnancy and lactation increased the risk of metabolic disorders by altering key genes in liver and gut microbiota, and these results provided new insights into the potential long-term harms of DEHP.

Nasal filter reveal exposure risks of inhalable particulates and heavy metals in urban women.

Urban populations, especially women, are vunerable to exposure to airborne pollution, particularly inhalable particulates (PM10). Thus, more accurate measurement of PM10 levels and evaluating their health effects is critical for guiding policy to improve human health. Previous studies obtained personal PM10 with time-weighted average by air filter-based sampling (AFS), which ignores individual differences and behavioral patterns. Here, we used nasal filters instead of AFS to obtain actual inhaled PM10 under short-term exposure for urban dwelling women during a severe haze event in Beijing in 2016. The levels of six heavy metals such as As, Cd, Ni, Cr, Pb, and Co in PM10 were investigated, and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks evaluated based on an adjusted US EPA health risk assessment model. The health endpoints for urban dwelling women were further assessed through an exposure-reponse model. We found that the hourly inhaled dose of PM10 obtained through the nasal filter was about 2.5-17.6 times that obtained by AFS, which also resulted in 4.41-11.30 times more morbidity than estimated by AFS (p < 0.05). Proximity to traffic emissions resulted in greater exposure to particulate matter (>18.8 µg/kg·h) and heavy metals (>2.2 ng/kg·h), and these populations are therefore at greatest risk of developing non-cancer (HI = 4.16) and cancer (Rt = 7.8 × 10-3) related morbities.

Nanomaterials-incorporated polymeric microneedles for wound healing applications.

There is a growing and urgent need for developing novel biomaterials and therapeutic approaches for efficient wound healing. Microneedles (MNs), which can penetrate necrotic tissues and biofilm barriers at the wound and deliver active ingredients to the deeper layers in a minimally invasive and painless manner, have stimulated the interests of many researchers in the wound-healing filed. Among various materials, polymeric MNs have received widespread attention due to their abundant material sources, simple and inexpensive manufacturing methods, excellent biocompatibility and adjustable mechanical strength. Meanwhile, due to the unique properties of nanomaterials, the incorporation of nanomaterials can further extend the application range of polymeric MNs to facilitate on-demand drug release and activate specific therapeutic effects in combination with other therapies. In this review, we firstly introduce the current status and challenges of wound healing, and then outline the advantages and classification of MNs. Next, we focus on the manufacturing methods of polymeric MNs and the different raw materials used for their production. Furthermore, we give a summary of polymeric MNs incorporated with several common nanomaterials for chronic wounds healing. Finally, we discuss the several challenges and future prospects of transdermal drug delivery systems using nanomaterials-based polymeric MNs in wound treatment application.

Causal relationship between neuroticism and frailty: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Observational studies have shown that neuroticism is associated with frailty, but the causal relationship between them remains unclear. METHODS: A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was conducted to explore the bidirectional causal relationship between neuroticism (n = 380,506 for the primary analysis, n = 79,004 for the validation) and frailty (n = 175,226) using publicly available genome-wide association study data. The inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, and MR-Egger were used to obtain the causal estimates. Findings were verified through extensive sensitivity analyses and validated using another dataset. Multivariable MR (MVMR) analysis was performed to estimate the direct causal effects with adjustment of potential confounders. Two-step MR technique was then conducted to explore the mediators in the causal effects of neuroticism on frailty. RESULTS: Genetically-predicted higher neuroticism score was significantly correlated with higher frailty index (IVW beta: 0.53, 95%CI: 0.48 to 0.59, P = 9.3E-83), and genetically-determined higher frailty index was significantly associated with higher neuroticism score (IVW beta: 0.28, 95%CI: 0.21 to 0.35, P = 1.3E-16). These results remained robust across sensitivity analyses and were reproducible using another dataset. The MVMR analysis indicated that the causal relationships remained significant after adjusting for the potential confounding factors. Mediation analysis revealed that depression, years of schooling, and smoking were significantly mediated the causal effects of neuroticism on frailty. CONCLUSIONS: A bidirectional causal relationship existed between neuroticism and frailty. Our findings suggested that early intervention and behavioral changes might be helpful to reduce the neuroticism levels and prevent the development of frailty.