Pesticide residues in agricultural end-products and risk assessment for consumers in North China.

This study investigated pesticide residues in market-sold vegetables and fruits in Hebei Province, China, over 5 years (2018-2022). A modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method was applied to gas chromatography with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS). The analytical methods were validated with respect to matrix effect (ME), recovery rate (78.9~105.5%), limit of quantitation (LOQ, 2.93~9.73 µg/kg), and linear correlation coefficient (0.9982~0.9997). Residues of 10 pesticides in 12 categories of vegetable and fruit were detected. 31.9% of the samples were detected pesticide residues; 15.5% of samples were detected multi-component pesticide residues. Twenty-seven positive detections of pesticide residues exceeded the corresponding maximum residue limit (MRL), accounting for 2.33%. The most types of pesticide residues were detected in cherry, with the number of 7. Procymidone was the most detected pesticide, and it was detected in 8 categories of samples. The hazard index (HI) of omethoate was the highest and the procymidone was the lowest. The HI of all the vegetables and fruits were less than 100%. The effects of pesticide residues are within an acceptable range for human. Adequate attention and further monitoring are still needed.

Development of reusable chitosan-supported nickel sulfide microspheres for environmentally friendlier and efficient bio-sorptive decontamination of mercury toxicant.

Mercury emissions from the industrial sector have become an undeniable concern for researchers due to their toxic health effects. Efforts have been made to develop green, efficient, and reliable methods for removal of mercury from wastewater. Sorption process promises fruitful results for the decontamination of cations from wastewater. Among the number of used sorbents, metal sulfides have been emerged as an appropriate material for removing toxic metals that possess good affinity due to sulfur-based active sites for Hg through "Lewis's acid-based soft-soft interactions." Herein, nickel-sulfide nanoparticles were synthesized, followed by their incorporation in chitosan microspheres. FTIR analysis confirmed the synthesis of nickel sulfide-chitosan microspheres (NiS-CMs) displaying sharp bands for multiple functional groups. XRD analysis showed that the NiS-CMs possessed a crystallite size of 42.1 nm. SEM analysis indicated the size of NiS-CMs to be 950.71 µm based on SEM micrographs. The sorption of mercury was performed using the NiS-CMs, and the results were satisfactory, with a sorption capacity of 61 mg/g at the optimized conditions of pH 5.0, 80 ppm concentration, in 60 min at 25 °C. Isothermal models and kinetics studies revealed that the process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isothermal model best fitted to experimental data. It was concluded that the NiS-CMs have emerged as the best choice for removing toxic mercury ions with a positive impact on the environment.

Daphnoretin Arrests the Cell Cycle and Induces Apoptosis in Human Breast Cancer Cells.

Emerging evidence has shown that daphnoretin, one of the main active ingredients of Daphne giraldii Nitsche, processes antitumor activities in several tumor cells (e.g., colon cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, and osteosarcoma). However, the antitumor effect and its mechanism in breast cancer are unexplored. In this study, our data indicated that daphnoretin obviously suppressed the proliferation of breast cancer MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Further studies showed that daphnoretin remarkably increased the p21 level, decreased cyclin E and CDK2 levels, and then arrested the cell cycle at the S phase. Moreover, daphnoretin obviously lowered the BCL-2 level and raised the levels of BAX and cleaved caspase-9 and -3, leading to cell apoptosis. Furthermore, daphnoretin remarkably decreased the ratio of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT in breast cancer cells. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that daphnoretin could suppress breast cancer cell proliferation through cell cycle arrest and inducing apoptosis, which is related to the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Design and fabrication of chitosan cross-linked bismuth sulfide nanoparticles for sequestration of mercury in river water samples.

The existence of heavy metals in ecological systems poses great threats to living organisms due to their toxicant and bio-accumulating properties. Mercury is a known toxicant with notable malignant impacts. It has long been known to cause toxic threats to the health of living organisms since the break out of Minamata disease. The turbulent expulsion of mercury-based pollutants from the industrial sector, requires a proper solution. Many attempts have been made to design a greener and more efficient route for a satisfactory removal of mercury. In the current study, bismuth sulfide nanoparticles (BiSNPs) have been synthesized via the co-precipitation method. The BiSNPs were supported with crosslinked chitosan to enhance their sorption capacity and avoid leaching. The average size of the BiSNPs was 42 nm based on SEM micrographs. The SEM analysis of the bismuth sulfide chitosan-crosslinked beads (BiS-CB) showed that the beads possessed a spherical and smooth morphology with a size of 1.02 mm. The FTIR analysis showed that the beads possessed the characteristics bands of imine groups of chitosan, bismuth, sulfur, and glycosidic linkages present in the molecules. The XRD analysis confirmed the phase crystallinity of the BiS-CB with an average crystallite size of 11 nm. The BiS-CB was employed for the sorption of mercury from water samples. The maximum sorption capacity of 65.51 mg/g was achieved at optimized conditions of pH 5, concentration 80 ppm, in 45 min at 30 °C. The mechanism studied for mercury removal showed that sorption followed the complexation mechanism according to the SHAB concept. In conclusion, the results showed that the BiS-CB sorbent exhibited an excellent sorption capacity to remove mercury.

Therapeutic effect of low frequency electric pulse therapy on cisplatin-based chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with lung adenocarcinoma: A prospective controlled study.

To explore the efficacy of low-frequency electric pulse therapy (LFEPT) combined with 2 antiemetics in the prevention and treatment of cisplatin-based chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. A total of 82 patients with lung adenocarcinoma who received cisplatin-based chemotherapy were randomly divided into the experimental group (n=41) and control group (n=41) by random numerical table method. The experimental group was treated with LFEPT combined with 2 antiemetic drugs (tropisetron hydrochloride and dexamethasone hydrochloride), while the control group was treated with the same 2 antiemetic drugs. Revised index of nausea and vomiting and retching (R-INVR) and Functional Living Index-Emesis (FLIE) scale were used to quantitatively evaluate the symptoms of nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy, and the effect of LFEPT in the prevention and treatment of CINV was observed. The baseline characteristics had no statistical difference between the 2 groups. The degree of nausea reaction, vomiting, and dry retching were similar in 2 groups on the first day after chemotherapy. However, the degree of nausea reaction, vomiting, and dry retching were significantly improved in the experimental group than that of the control group on 2 to 5 days with all P<.05. The score of FLIE had no difference between the 2 groups on the first day after chemotherapy (84.05 vs 82.69, P=.30), and the score was significantly higher in experiment group on day 6 compared with the control group (103.71 vs 89.38, P=.02). The side effects had no difference between the 2 groups. The LFEPT can significantly ameliorate CINV in patients with lung adenocarcinoma, which is worthy of clinical application.

Monitoring of Aluminum content in food and assessment of dietary exposure of residents in North China.

Although the Chinese diet has become very abundant in the past 30 years, few people know that traditional Chinese diet is exposed to aluminium (Al). A total of 1232 samples were purchased during 2017-2019 and analysed for Al content with an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. High Al levels were found in deep-fried dough sticks (mean 219 mg/kg), starch products (mean 84.5 mg/kg), and steam bread (mean 28.6 mg/kg). The average dietary Al exposure of residents in North China was 1.82 mg/kg bw/week, lower than the PTWI (provisional tolerable weekly intake). Deep-fried dough sticks (DFDS) are the main Al contributor in North China, providing 28.2% of the daily intake. The P95 dietary exposure to Al from DFDS was 2.3 mg/kg bw/week, exceeding the PTWI. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the health risk of exposure to Al from DFDS and starch products. Over-use of Al associated with food additives should be effectively controlled.

Analysis of expression and prognosis of KLK7 in ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is one of the common malignant tumors in female reproductive organs. Kallikrein-related peptidase (KLK) 7 is a secreted serine peptidase that is related to different cancer. To investigate the expression and significance of KLK7 in ovarian cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of KLK7 in human ovarian cancer was evaluated by Oncomine and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia database. Then the co-expression genes relevant to the KLK7 gene were analyzed by the Pearson correlation test. Finally, the impact of KLK7 on clinical prognosis was investigated in distinct subtypes of ovarian cancer patients by UALCAN database and Kaplan-Meier plotter database. RESULTS: It was found that the expression of KLK7 was higher in ovarian cancer compared with other types of cancer, such as gastric cancer and pancreatic cancer. The expression of KLK7 was found to be increased in four various ovarian cancer data sets compared with the healthy tissues. In addition, upregulation of KLK7 expression was associated with age and cancer stage. Moreover, survival analysis revealed that higher KLK7 expression was negatively associated with progression-free survival. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of the expression of KLK7 may be useful for better understanding the outcome in ovarian cancer patients.

Changes in the gene expression profile of Arabidopsis thaliana under chromium stress.

Based on previous studies and preliminary test results, 200 µM was used as the test concentration of chromium (Cr), and changes in the gene expression profile of Arabidopsis thaliana in response to 24-h treatments of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) were analyzed using the Arabidopsis ATH1 Genome Array. The results were as follows. There were 238 upregulated genes and 858 downregulated genes in response to treatments with Cr(III) and Cr(VI). For Cr(III) and Cr(VI) treatments, there were 185 and 587 specifically upregulated genes as well as 220 and 956 specifically downregulated genes, respectively. Among the common differentially expressed genes (DEGs), the expression levels of genes involved in redox, secondary metabolism, and energy metabolism processes were significantly downregulated, while those of genes related to the stress response, photosynthesis, and sulfur metabolism were significantly upregulated. These findings indicated that Cr seriously affected the normal activities of A. thaliana cells. Some genes associated with stress and regulation were upregulated to adapt to the stress caused by Cr. Among the unique DEGs, the expression levels of genes involved in indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) regulatory pathway were significantly increased in response to Cr(III) treatment; the expression levels of genes involved in the abscisic acid (ABA) regulation pathway and carotenoid synthesis were significantly increased following Cr(VI) treatment. These results revealed some differences in response to Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in A. thaliana.

Mitigation of chromium toxicity in Arabidopsis thaliana by sulfur supplementation.

Chromium (Cr) contamination of soil and water has become a severe threat to human health. In this study, a series of experiments were conducted to examine the ameliorative effects of Cr toxicity, by exogenous 100 µM sodium sulfate. Our team has examined the plant growth, Cr content, chlorophyll, antioxidant index and soluble protein content, before and after the addition of sodium sulfate. The results showed that the addition of sulfur (S) can reduce the enrichment of Cr and the content of malonyldialdehyde (MDA) under Cr stress. After addition of S in the culture solution, the biomass and roots length of Arabidopsis thaliana increased under Cr stress. Furthermore, the content of chlorophyll, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and soluble protein increased with the addition of sulfur. Transmission electron microscope observation point to that the chloroplasts can be damaged in leaf. All data demonstrate that S supplementation should help to alleviate the negative effects caused by both Cr(III) and Cr(VI) on Arabidopsis thaliana.

Correlation of microRNA expression profile with clinical response to tumor necrosis factor inhibitor in treating rheumatoid arthritis patients: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the correlation of circulating microRNA (miRNA) expression profile with clinical response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS: Baseline PBMC samples from eight responders and eight non-responders after 24-week TNF inhibitor (etanercept) treatment were subjected to miRNA microarray. Then, top 10 dysregulated miRNAs were selected and further validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in baseline PBMC samples from 92 RA patients treated with 24-week TNF inhibitor (etanercept). Responders and non-responders were divided referring to the decline in disease activity score in 28 joints. RESULTS: In microarray assay, total 59 upregulated and 78 downregulated miRNAs were identified in responders compared to non-responders, which were mainly enriched in regulating immune- and inflammation-related biological processes and pathways. The top 10 dysregulated miRNAs were as follows: miR-192-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-19b-3p, miR-320c, miR-335-5p, miR-149-3p, miR-766-3p, let-7a-5p, miR-24-3p, and miR-1226-5p. In qPCR validation, miR-146a-5p was increased, while let-7a-5p was decreased in responders compared with non-responders. Multivariate logistic analysis illuminated that miR-146a-5p and CRP independently correlated with higher clinical response, while let-7a-5p and biologics history independently associated with lower clinical response. Subsequently, receiver operating characteristic curve showed that combination of these four independent factors presented with a great predictive value for clinical response with area under curve: 0.863, 95% CI 0.781-0.945. CONCLUSION: miRNA expression profile is closely implicated in the treatment efficacy of TNF inhibitor, and combined measurement of miR-146a-5p, let-7a-5p, CRP, and biologics history disclosed a great predictive value for clinical response to TNF inhibitor in RA patients.

Antiviral activity of sophoridine against enterovirus 71 in vitro.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Enterovirus 71 (EV71) has a propensity to cause hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) epidemics associated with neurological sequelae. Unfortunately, no drugs are currently available for the clinical treatment of EV71 infections. Sophoridine (SRI) is one of the most abundant alkaloids in Sophora flavescens Aiton (Leguminosae), which has been used to treat fever, throat inflammation, cancer, and other diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we found that SRI inhibits EV71 infection in Vero cells. To study the antiviral activity of SRI, Vero cells were divided into 3 treatment groups based on the timing of SRI dosing: prior to viral adsorption (Group A), during viral adsorption (Group B), and after viral adsorption (Group C). We further revealed the antiviral activity of SRI with the attachment assay and the penetration assay. For Group A, 50% viability of Vero cells was observed at a SRI concentration of 61.39 µg/mL, whereas for Groups B, 50% viability was observed at SRI concentrations of 196.86 µg/mL. Furthermore, 29.7% cell viability was observed even at a SRI concentration of 1000 µg/mL in Groups C. The results show that SRI was highly effective against EV71 when Vero cells were pretreated with SRI for 2 h (Group A). Further researches indicate SRI was highly effective at inhibiting EV71 attachment when the SRI concentrations over 250 µg/mL (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that Vero cell viability increases when SRI is administered prior to viral adsorption. This suggests that SRI has the considerable potential as an antiviral for EV71 disease prevention.

Clinical effect of lamivudine in treating liver function lesion caused by hepatitis B combined with Anti-TB drugs.

The present study is designed to conduct, the analysis on the curative effect of Lamivudine in treating liver function lesion caused by hepatitis B combined anti-TB drugs. The 4200 patients who have been treated for hepatitis B combined with pulmonary TB in 8 different hospitals from Feb 2014 to Feb 2016 were selected as research objects. They were randomly divided into control group and observation group, each containing 2100 patients. In control group, patients were applied with conventional Anti-TB therapy and liver-protecting therapy; while in observation group, patients were applied with lamivudine in addition to conventional therapies. The variations of liver functions of both groups before and after therapies were observed. After treatment, the liver function lesions of patients in observation group were significantly lower than that in control group; moreover, the drug withdrawal rates of patients in control group were significantly higher. There was statistical difference between both group, P<0.05. In the process of treating patients with liver function lesions caused by hepatitis B combined with anti-TB, applying Lamivudine on the basis of conventional liver protection therapy and anti-TB therapy can effectively inhibit HBV replication, and prevent liver disease from getting worse, so as to reduce the liver function lesions in treating patients with hepatitis B combined with anti-TB and accelerate rehabilitation.

Sophocarpine against enterovirus 71 in vitro.

Sophocarpine (SCA) is a bioactive alkaloid present in Sophoraflavescens Ait. The present study demonstrated that SCA inhibited enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection in Vero cells. The results indicated that the 50% cytotoxicity concentration of SCA for Vero cells was 1,346 µg/ml, and the 50% inhibition concentration of SCA against EV71 was 350 µg/ml. SCA produced a marked inhibitory effect against EV71 when the Vero cells were treated with SCA prior to infection with the virus. Additionally, SCA was effective against EV71 when the Vero cells were infected with EV71 (100xTCID50) that had been treated with SCA for 2 h, and was effective when the Vero cells were infected with EV71 (100xTCID50) at 37°C under 5% CO2 for 2 h prior to treatment with SCA for 2 h. SCA was demonstrated to inhibit the attachment and penetration of EV71 and was more effective at inhibiting attachment. The assay additionally verified that SCA suppressed the replication of viral genomic RNA and indicated that SCA may inhibit EV71 infection in vitro.

A Legislative Reform for the Food Safety System of China: A Regulatory Paradigm Shift and Collaborative Governance.

After describing the historical development of China's food safety system from the perspectives of legislation and administration, this article discusses progress in its food law (The Draft Amendments to Food Safety Law). As a further legislative reform for China's food safety system, the Draft Amendments to the Food Safety Law contain innovative institutional designs and manifest a regulatory paradigm shift from government-centered governance to collaborative governance. However, the Draft Amendments face challenges in their implementation. This article argues that developing collaborative governance for food safety in China can be a solution to these challenges. Based on theoretical and empirical studies of collaborative governance, this article proposes that the institutional design of collaborative governance should focus on providing obligations for administrative agencies in the process of food safety rule-making and standard-setting, increasing the independence of nongovernmental organizations, and building two-way electronic platforms for public participation.

[A case of repairing face slant diastema by rotating push of nasal bottom skin flap].

We use Z type skin flap to repair face slant diastema by combining nasal bottom and infraorbital border. The therapeutic efficacy was satisfactory. The dislocated nostril, eversioned eyelid and lowered eyeball was resettled.