Analysis of the characteristics of intestinal microbiota in patients with different severity of obstructive sleep apnea.

Intestinal microbiota imbalance plays an important role in the progression of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and is considered to be the main mediator that triggers metabolic comorbidities. Here, we analyzed the changes in intestinal microbiota in patients with different severities of OSA based on apnea hypopnea index (AHI) classification, and explored the role of intestinal microbiota in the severity of OSA. This study included 19 healthy volunteers and 45 patients with OSA [5 ≤ AHI < 15 (n = 14), 15 ≤ AHI < 30 (n = 13), AHI ≥ 30 (n = 18)]. Relevant sleep monitoring data and medical history data were collected, and microbial composition was analyzed using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology. The diversity analysis of intestinal microbiota among different groups of people was conducted, including alpha diversity, beta diversity, species diversity, and marker species as well as differential functional metabolic pathway prediction analysis. With the increase of AHI classification, the alpha diversity in patients with OSA significantly decreased. The results revealed that the severity of OSA is associated with differences in the structure and composition of the intestinal microbiota. The abundance of bacteria producing short-chain fatty acids (such as Bacteroides, Ruminococcacea, and Faecalibacterium) in severe OSA is significantly reduced and a higher ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. Random forest analysis showed that Parabacteroides was a biomarker genus with important discriminatory significance. The differential metabolic pathway prediction function shows that the main function of maintaining intestinal microbiota homeostasis is biosynthetic function. Our results show that the differences in the composition of intestinal microbiota in patients with different severities of OSA are mainly related to short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria. These changes may play a pathological role in OSA combined with metabolic comorbidities.

Hyper-Cross-Linked Polyindole for Selective Adsorption and Resource Utilization of Organic Pollutants in Water.

Efficient treatment and utilization of organic pollutants in water are difficult for environmental remediation. A new hyper-cross-linked polymer (PIn-HCP) with high specific surface area was constructed via polyindole (PIn) as building blocks. Rich pore structures and abundant adsorption sites in PIn-HCP were obtained by hyper-cross-linking. The specific surface area of PIn-HCP was enhanced from 14.85 to 431.89 m2/g. The adsorption capacities of PIn-HCP-2 for methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO), rhodamine B (RhB), and tetracycline hydrochloride (TH) are 902.0, 275.2, 16.0, and 0.0 mg/g, respectively. PIn-HCP also realized selective adsorption of MB, which can better separate MB/RhB and MB/TH. MB is adsorbed onto PIn-HCP via a synergistic mechanism including π-π stacking, electrostatic interaction, cation-π interaction, hydrogen bonding interaction, and ion exchange. The huge conjugated structure of PIn promotes PIn-HCP to selectively adsorb MB. In addition, PIn-HCP also retains the electrochemical properties of PIn. MB can improve the specific capacitance of PIn-HCP up to five times, and it has potential as a supercapacitor electrode. PIn-HCP offers a promising and practical solution for the efficient treatment and utilization of organic pollutants in water.

Application of combined ablation and immunotherapy in NSCLC and liver cancer: Current status and future prospects.

This review examines combining tumor ablation therapy with immunotherapy for respiratory and digestive system tumors, particularly NSCLC and liver cancer. Despite advancements in traditional methods, they face limitations in advanced-stage tumors. Ablation techniques like RFA, MWA, and cryoablation offer minimally invasive options, while immune checkpoint inhibitors enhance the immune system's tumor-fighting ability. This review highlights their synergistic effects, clinical outcomes, and future research directions, including optimizing protocols, exploring new combinations, uncovering molecular mechanisms, advancing precision medicine, and improving accessibility. Combined therapy is expected to improve efficacy and patient outcomes significantly.

Theoretical study on multi-perspective interaction analysis of ADN and ADN-H2O-CH3OH solutions.

CONTEXT: Revealing the mechanism of intermolecular interactions in dinitroamine ammonium (ADN)-based liquid propellants and exploring the reasons for their performance changes, multi-perspective interaction analyses of ADN and ADN-water (H2O)-methanol (CH3OH) solutions have been conducted via theoretical methods. The band structure, density of states (DOS), surface electrostatic potential (ESP), Hirshfeld surface, reduced density gradient (RDG), AIM topological analysis, and detonation performance were studied and the results showed that both the ADN and ADN-H2O-CH3OH solutions had hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions. By introducing the small molecules H2O and CH3OH, the detonation performance of the ADN-H2O-CH3OH solution slightly decreased, but its sensitivity also decreased. Overall, the comprehensive performance of the ADN-H2O-CH3OH solution has improved, and the application range has expanded. These results are helpful for obtaining a deeper understanding of ADN-based liquid propellants at the atomic level and contribute to the development of new liquid propellants. METHODS: The ADN and ADN-H2O-CH3OH solutions were constructed by Amorphous cell module and optimized via GGA with PBE methods in the Dmol3 module of the Materials Studio, and their electronic properties were calculated. Hirshfeld surfaces were generated with CrystalExplorer 3.0. A topological analysis of a variety of molecular clusters was performed via QTAIM. The QTAIM and RDG analyses in this work were generated by Multiwfn 3.0.

Carrier-phonon decoupling in perovskite thermoelectrics via entropy engineering.

Thermoelectrics converting heat and electricity directly attract broad attentions. To enhance the thermoelectric figure of merit, zT, one of the key points is to decouple the carrier-phonon transport. Here, we propose an entropy engineering strategy to realize the carrier-phonon decoupling in the typical SrTiO3-based perovskite thermoelectrics. By high-entropy design, the lattice thermal conductivity could be reduced nearly to the amorphous limit, 1.25 W m-1 K-1. Simultaneously, entropy engineering can tune the Ti displacement, improving the weighted mobility to 65 cm2 V-1 s-1. Such carrier-phonon decoupling behaviors enable the greatly enhanced µW/κL of ~5.2 × 103 cm3 K J-1 V-1. The measured maximum zT of 0.24 at 488 K and the estimated zT of ~0.8 at 1173 K in (Sr0.2Ba0.2Ca0.2Pb0.2La0.2)TiO3 film are among the best of n-type thermoelectric oxides. These results reveal that the entropy engineering may be a promising strategy to decouple the carrier-phonon transport and achieve higher zT in thermoelectrics.

Life-time exposure to decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) caused transgenerational epigenetic alterations of thyroid endocrine system in zebrafish.

Because of its ubiquitous occurrence in the environment, decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), a novel brominated flame retardant, has been widely concerned. However, its transgenerational thyroid disrupting potential and intricate mechanism are barely explored. Therefore, zebrafish embryos were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of DBDPE (0, 0.1, 1 and 10 nM) until sexual maturity. The results indicated that life-time exposure to DBDPE caused anxiety-like behavior in unexposed offspring. Furthermore, the changing of thyroid hormones as well as transcriptional and DNA methylation level in the promoter region of related genes were evaluated. The thyroid disruptions observed in F1 larvae were primarily attributed to excessive transfer of thyroid hormone from F0 adults to F1 eggs. Conversely, the disruptions in F2 larvae were likely due to inherited epigenetic changes, specifically hypomethylation of crh and hypermethylation of ugt1ab, passed down from the F1 generation. Additionally, our results revealed sex-specific responses of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis in adult zebrafish. Furthermore, thyroid disruptions observed in unexposed offspring were more likely inherited from their mothers. The current results prompted our in-depth understanding of the multi- and transgenerational toxicity by DBDPE, and also highlighted the need to consider their adverse effects on persistent and inheritable epigenetic changes in future research on emerging pollutants.

Self-separating core-shell spheres with a carboxymethyl chitosan/acrylic acid/Fe3O4 composite core for soil Cd removal.

Cadmium (Cd) removal from soil is crucial as Cd enters the food chain and affect food safety, thus impose severe threaten to human health. We developed PPC@PC-Fe, a dual-functional core-shell sphere for efficient soil Cd reduction. The shell (PPC) was composed of encapsulated citric acid (CA) in a polylactic acid (PLA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) network, which endows a function of activating Cd; and the core (PC-Fe) consisted of a polyacrylic acid/carboxymethyl chitosan (PAA/CMC) hydrogel with Fe3O4 nanoparticles to adsorb adjacent activated Cd. Upon water contact, the shell dissolved, releasing CA to activate soil Cd. Simultaneously, the swellable PC-Fe core absorbed water and expanded in size, promoting the disintegration of PLA in the shell, which triggered the automatic separation of core from shell, enabling the exposed PC-Fe core to rapidly adsorb Cd. Furthermore, the PC-Fe core can be magnetically removed after adsorption of Cd. Soil culture tests showed that 2 % PPC@PC-Fe reduced soil Cd from 6.009 mg/kg to 4.834 mg/kg in 10 days, with the acid-soluble Cd being the predominantly target to be activated and remove. This study demonstrates an effective stepwise activation and adsorption mechanism by a single carrier, with simple magnetic collection minimizing secondary pollution. It offers an innovative approach to the remediation of cadmium-contaminated sites in the field.

Novel chitosan-oligosaccharide derivatives as fluorescent green corrosion inhibitors for P110 steel.

In the exploitation of seawater resources, the transported pipelines are frequently corroded, resulting in economic losses and environmental pollution. The development of corrosion inhibitors is an effective measure to mitigate the corrosion of metals in seawater. In this work, novel chitosan oligosaccharide derivatives (CF) were synthesized as fluorescent eco-friendly corrosion inhibitor by modifying fluorescent monomers. The characterization of CF revealed excellent fluorescence intensity, promising the potential for on-line detection. The inhibition performance of CF on P110 in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution was investigated through experimental evaluation and theoretical analysis. The electrochemical measurements indicated that the corrosion inhibition efficiency was increased from 61.00 % to 91.19 % with the introduction of fluorane. Adsorption isotherm and XPS analysis demonstrated that CF is designed to protect metal by forming the composite film on P110 through physical and chemical adsorption. In addition, theoretical calculations revealed differences in the interaction energies, radial distribution functions and diffusion coefficients of inhibitors on the Fe (110) surface. These theoretical results aligned with the experiments and confirmed the excellent ability of CF in metal corrosion protection from the molecular perspective. This new chitosan derivative provides new possibilities for the development of the green composite inhibitor that allows on-line detection.

Elevated triglyceride-glucose index associated with increased risk of diabetes in non-obese young adults: a longitudinal retrospective cohort study from multiple Asian countries.

Objective: Previous studies have confirmed a positive correlation between the Triglyceride-Glucose (TyG) index and future risk of diabetes. However, evidence of this association in non-obese young populations remains limited. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the TyG index and the future risk of diabetes among non-obese young adults. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 113,509 non-obese young adults from China and 9,549 from Japan. The mean age was 35.73 ± 6.38 years, and 56,469 participants (45.89%) were male. The median follow-up duration was 3.38 years. The association between baseline TyG index and risk of diabetes was examined using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Non-linear relationships between the TyG index and risk of diabetes were identified using cubic splines and smoothed curve fitting in the Cox models. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were also conducted. Results: After adjusting for covariates, the results indicated a positive correlation between the TyG index and risk of diabetes in non-obese young adults (HR=3.57, 95% CI: 2.92-4.36, P<0.0001). A non-linear relationship was observed with an inflection point at 7.3. The HR to the right of this inflection point was 3.70 (95% CI: 3.02-4.52, P<0.0001), while to the left, it was 0.34 (95% CI: 0.06-1.88, P=0.2161). The robustness of our findings was confirmed through a series of sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses. Conclusion: This study reveals a positive and non-linear association between the TyG index and risk of diabetes among non-obese young adults. Interventions aimed at reducing the TyG index by lowering triglycerides or fasting glucose levels could substantially decrease the future likelihood of developing diabetes in this population.

Borate bioactive glass enhances 3D bioprinting precision and biocompatibility on a sodium alginate platform via Ca2+ controlled self-solidification.

Sodium alginate (SA) has gained widespread acclaim as a carrier medium for three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting of cells and a diverse array of bioactive substances, attributed to its remarkable biocompatibility and affordability. The conventional approach for fabricating alginate-based tissue engineering constructs entails a post-treatment phase employing a calcium ion solution. However, this method proves ineffectual in addressing the predicament of low precision during the 3D printing procedure and is unable to prevent issues such as non-uniform alginate gelation and substantial distortions. In this study, we introduced borate bioactive glass (BBG) into the SA matrix, capitalizing on the calcium ions released from the degradation of BBG to incite the cross-linking reaction within SA, resulting in the formation of BBG-SA hydrogels. Building upon this fundamental concept, it unveiled that BBG-SA hydrogels greatly enhance the precision of SA in extrusion-based 3D printing and significantly reduce volumetric contraction shrinkage post-printing, while also displaying certain adhesive properties and electrical conductivity. Furthermore, in vitro cellular experiments have unequivocally established the excellent biocompatibility of BBG-SA hydrogel and its capacity to actively stimulate osteogenic differentiation. Consequently, BBG-SA hydrogel emerges as a promising platform for 3D bioprinting, laying the foundation for the development of flexible, biocompatible electronic devices.

Finite Element Simulation and Microstructural Analysis of Roll Forming for DP590 High-Strength Dual-Phase Steel Wheel Rims.

In this study, finite element (FE) simulation by the software Abaqus was relied on to investigate the roll forming process of a wheel rim made of an innovative dual-phase steel, i.e., DP590, after flash butt welding (FBW). In the simulation, an FE model was generated, including the design of the dies for flaring, three-roll forming, and expansion, and detailed key processing parameters based on practical production of the selected DP590. Combined with the microstructures and properties of the weld zone (WZ) and heat-affected zones (HAZs) after FBW, the distribution of stress/strain and the change in thickness of the base metal (BM), WZ and HAZs were analyzed, and compared in the important stages of roll forming. Theoretically, the variation in the microstructure and the corresponding stress-strain behaviors of the BM, WZ, and HAZs after FBW have led to the thickness reduction of DP590 that originated from softening behaviors occurring at the region of subcritical HAZs (SCHAZs), and a small amount of tempered martensite has evidently reduced the hardness and strength of the SCHAZ. Meanwhile, the distribution of stress/strain has been influenced to some extent. Further, the study includes the influence of the friction coefficient on the forming quality of the wheel rim to guarantee the simulation accuracy in practical applications. In sum, the dual-phase steel has to be carefully applied to the wheel rim, which needs to experience the processes of FBW and roll forming, focusing on the performance of SCHAZs.

Impact of dietary fat types on expression levels of dopamine and serotonin transporters in the ileum of broiler chickens.

Various types of dietary fats undergo distinct fermentation processes by gut microbes, potentially leading to the production of neurotransmitters that can influence the gut. Serotonin and dopamine are recognized neurotransmitters with positive effects on gut function. A broiler chicken trial was conducted to evaluate the influence of dietary fat types on protein expression of 2 neurotransmitter transporters, dopamine (DAT) and serotonin (5-HTT). A total of 560 day-old (Ross 708) male broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 7 dietary treatments. The experimental treatments included a basal diet of corn-soybean meal (SBM), supplemented with 3% of various fats: poultry fat (CON), olive oil (OLIV), fish oil (FISH), canola oil (CANO), lard (LARD), coconut oil (COCO), or flaxseed oil (FLAX). Bodyweight (BW) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded. Ileal tissues were aseptically collected to determine the expression levels of DAT and 5-HTT through western blot analysis. In addition, plasma samples were analyzed for reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROM) tests on d 55. Results showed that dietary fat type inclusion did not have any detrimental effect on growth performance parameters. The expression levels of DAT were higher (P < 0.05) in FLAX treatments compared to CON treatments on d 20 and d 55, respectively. Similarly, with 5-HTT levels, FLAX, CANO, and LARD treatments were higher (P < 0.05) than CON treatments on d 20 and d 55. However, higher levels of oxidative stress (d-ROM values) were recorded in COCO (32.75 Carr U), CANO (29 Carr U), and CON treatments (25.5 Carr U) compared to FLAX (18.5 Carr U; P < 0.05) treatment. These findings suggest that incorporating dietary flaxseed oil at a 3% level in the diet has significant potential to elevate the expression levels of intestinal DAT and 5-HTT without inducing oxidative stress.

Multi-omic Analyses Shed Light on The Genetic Control of High-altitude Adaptation in Sheep.

Sheep were domesticated in the Fertile Crescent and then spread globally, where they have been encountering various environmental conditions. The Tibetan sheep has adapted to high altitudes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau over the past 3000 years. To explore genomic variants associated with high-altitude adaptation in Tibetan sheep, we analyzed Illumina short-reads of 994 whole genomes representing ∼ 60 sheep breeds/populations at varied altitudes, PacBio High fidelity (HiFi) reads of 13 breeds, and 96 transcriptomes from 12 sheep organs. Association testing between the inhabited altitudes and 34,298,967 variants was conducted to investigate the genetic architecture of altitude adaptation. Highly accurate HiFi reads were used to complement the current ovine reference assembly at the most significantly associated ß-globin locus and to validate the presence of two haplotypes A and B among 13 sheep breeds. The haplotype A carried two homologous gene clusters: (1) HBE1, HBE2, HBB-like, and HBBC, and (2) HBE1-like, HBE2-like, HBB-like, and HBB; while the haplotype B lacked the first cluster. The high-altitude sheep showed highly frequent or nearly fixed haplotype A, while the low-altitude sheep dominated by haplotype B. We further demonstrated that sheep with haplotype A had an increased hemoglobin-O2 affinity compared with those carrying haplotype B. Another highly associated genomic region contained the EGLN1 gene which showed varied expression between high-altitude and low-altitude sheep. Our results provide evidence that the rapid adaptive evolution of advantageous alleles play an important role in facilitating the environmental adaptation of Tibetan sheep.

Grain boundaries are Brownian ratchets.

We demonstrate that grain boundaries (GBs) behave as Brownian ratchets, exhibiting direction-dependent mobilities and unidirectional motion under oscillatory driving forces or cyclic thermal annealing. We observed these phenomena for nearly all nonsymmetric GBs but not for symmetric ones. Our observations build on molecular dynamics and phase-field crystal simulations for a wide range of GB types and driving forces in both bicrystal and polycrystalline microstructures. We corroborate these simulation results through in situ experimental observations. We analyze these results with a Markov chain model and explore the implications of GB ratchet behavior for materials processing and microstructure tailoring.

Variants in NLRP2 and ZFP36L2, non-core components of the human subcortical maternal complex, cause female infertility with embryonic development arrest.

The subcortical maternal complex (SCMC), which is vital in oocyte maturation and embryogenesis, consists of core proteins (NLRP5, TLE6, OOEP), non-core proteins (PADI6, KHDC3L, NLRP2, NLRP7), and other unknown proteins that are encoded by maternal effect genes. Some variants of SCMC genes have been linked to female infertility characterized by embryonic development arrest. However, so far, the candidate non-core SCMC components associated with embryonic development need further exploration and the pathogenic variants that have been identified are still limited. In this study, we discovered two novel variants [p.(Ala131Val) and p.(Met326Val)] of NLRP2 in patients with primary infertility displaying embryonic development arrest from large families. In vitro studies using 293T cells and mouse oocytes, respectively, showed that these variants significantly decreased protein expression and caused the phenotype of embryonic development arrest. Additionally, we combined the 'DevOmics' database with the whole exome sequence data of our cohort and screened out a new candidate non-core SCMC gene ZFP36L2. Its variants [p.(Ala241Pro) and p.(Pro291dup)] were found to be responsible for embryonic development arrest. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments in 293T cells, used to demonstrate the interaction between proteins, verified that ZFP36L2 is one of the human SCMC components, and microinjection of ZFP36L2 complementary RNA variants into mouse oocytes affected embryonic development. Furthermore, the ZFP36L2 variants were associated with disrupted stability of its target mRNAs, which resulted in aberrant H3K4me3 and H3K9me3 levels. These disruptions decreased oocyte quality and further developmental potential. Overall, this is the first report of ZFP36L2 as a non-core component of the human SCMC and we found four novel pathogenic variants in the NLRP2 and ZFP36L2 genes in 4 of 161 patients that caused human embryonic development arrest. These findings contribute to the genetic diagnosis of female infertility and provide new insights into the physiological function of SCMC in female reproduction.

Subchronic oral toxic effects of 2,4-dinitroaniline in wistar rats: A comprehensive toxicity evaluation.

2,4-dinitroaniline (2,4-D), a widely used dye intermediate, is one of the typical pollutants, and its potential health risks and toxicity are still largely unknown. To explore its subchronic oral toxicity, Wistar rats (equal numbers of males and females) were used as test animals, and a 90-day oral dosing experiment was conducted, divided into control group, low-dose group (0.055 mg/kg), medium-dose group (0.22 mg/kg), medium-high dose group (0.89 mg/kg), and high-dose group (3.56 mg/kg). The body weight data, clinical appearance, and drug reactions of each test rat within 90 days of dosing were recorded; morning urine samples were collected four times to test for eight urinary indicators; blood samples were collected to test for nineteen hematological indicators and sixteen biochemical indicators; tissue samples were collected for pathological analysis; moreover, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) was determined, and the benchmark dose method was used to support this determination and provide a statistical estimate of the dose corresponding. The results indicated that the chronic toxicity of 2,4-dinitroaniline showed certain gender differences, with the eyes, liver, and kidneys being the main potential target organs of toxicity. Moreover, the subchronic oral NOAEL for 2,4-dinitroaniline was determined to be 0.22 mg/kg body weight (0.22 mg/kg for males and 0.89 mg/kg for females), and a preliminary calculation of the safe exposure limit for human was 0.136 mg/kg. The research results greatly enriched the safety evaluation data of 2,4-dinitroaniline, contributing to a robust scientific foundation for the development of informed safety regulations and public health precautions.

Longitudinal sex-specific impacts of high-fat diet on dopaminergic dysregulation and behavior from periadolescence to late adulthood.

OBJECTIVES: Obesity is recognized for its adverse impact on brain health and related behaviors; however, the specific longitudinal effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) from juvenile stages of development through late adulthood remain poorly understood, particularly sex-specific outcomes. This study aimed to determine how prolonged exposure to HFD, commencing during periadolescence, would differentially predispose male and female mice to an elevated risk of dopaminergic dysregulation and associated behavioral deficits. METHODS: One-month-old C57BL/6J male and female mice were subjected to either a control diet or an HFD for 5 and 9 months. Muscle strength, motor skills, sensorimotor integration, and anxiety-like behaviors were assessed at the end of the 5th and 8th months. Key dopaminergic molecules, including dopamine (DA), dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2), dopamine transporter (DAT), and vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), were quantified at the end of the 5th or 9th months. RESULTS: Behaviorally, male mice exposed to HFD exhibited more pronounced alterations in sensorimotor integration, anxiety-like behavior, and muscle strength after the 5th month of dietary exposure. In contrast, female mice displayed most behavioral differences after the 8th month of HFD exposure. Physiologically, there were notable sex-specific variations in the dopaminergic pathway response to HFD. Male mice exposed to HFD exhibited elevated tissue levels of VMAT2 and DRD2, whereas female mice showed reduced levels of DRD2 and DAT compared to control groups. DISCUSSION: These findings indicate a general trend of altered time course susceptibility in male mice to chronic HFD consumption compared to their female counterparts, with male mice impacted earlier than females.

Early evolution of the ecdysozoan body plan.

Extant ecdysozoans (moulting animals) are represented by a great variety of soft-bodied or articulated organisms that may or may not have appendages. However, controversies remain about the vermiform nature (i.e. elongated and tubular) of their ancestral body plan. We describe here Beretella spinosa gen. et sp. nov. a tiny (maximal length 3 mm) ecdysozoan from the lowermost Cambrian, Yanjiahe Formation, South China, characterized by an unusual sack-like appearance, single opening, and spiny ornament. Beretella spinosa gen. et sp. nov has no equivalent among animals, except Saccorhytus coronarius, also from the basal Cambrian. Phylogenetic analyses resolve both fossil species as a sister group (Saccorhytida) to all known Ecdysozoa, thus suggesting that ancestral ecdysozoans may have been non-vermiform animals. Saccorhytids are likely to represent an early off-shot along the stem-line Ecdysozoa. Although it became extinct during the Cambrian, this animal lineage provides precious insight into the early evolution of Ecdysozoa and the nature of the earliest representatives of the group.

Behavioral impairments and disrupted mitochondrial energy metabolism induced by polypropylene microplastics in zebrafish larvae.

Polypropylene microplastics (PP-MPs) are emerging pollutant commonly detected in various environmental matrices and organisms, while their adverse effects and mechanisms are not well known. Here, zebrafish embryos were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of PP-MPs (0.08-50 mg/L) from 2 h post-fertilization (hpf) until 120 hpf. The results showed that the body weight was increased at 2 mg/L, heart rate was reduced at 0.08 and 10 mg/L, and behaviors were impaired at 0.4, 10 or 50 mg/L. Subsequently, transcriptomic analysis in the 0.4 and 50 mg/L PP-MPs treatment groups indicated potential inhibition on the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation pathways. These findings were validated through alterations in multiple biomarkers related to glucose metabolism. Moreover, abnormal mitochondrial ultrastructures were observed in the intestine and liver in 0.4 and 50 mg/L PP-MPs treatment groups, accompanied by significant decreases in the activities of four mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes and ATP contents. Oxidative stress was also induced, as indicated by significantly increased ROS levels and significant reduced activities of CAT and SOD and GSH contents. All the results suggested that environmentally relevant concentrations of PP-MPs could induce disrupted mitochondrial energy metabolism in zebrafish, which may be associated with the observed behavioral impairments. This study will provide novel insights into PP-MPs-induced adverse effects and highlight need for further research.