The oral bioaccessibility and gingival cytotoxicity of metal(loid)s in wild vegetables from mining areas: Implication for human oral health.

Background: Heavy metal(loid)s are frequently detected in vegetables posing potential human health risks, especially for those grown around mining areas. However, the oral bioaccessibility and gingival cytotoxicity of heavy metals in wild vegetables remain unclear. Methods: In this study, we assessed the total and bioaccessible Cr, As, Cd, Pb, and Ni in four wild vegetables from mining areas in Southwest China. In addition, the cytotoxicity and underlying mechanisms of vegetable saliva extracts on human gingival epithelial cells (HGEC) were studied. Results: The Plantago asiatica L. (PAL) showed the highest bioaccessible Cr, As, Cd, and Pb, while the greatest bioaccessible Ni was in Taraxacum mongolicum (TMM). The Pteridium aquilinum (PAM), Chenopodium album L. (CAL), and TMM extracts decreased cell viability, induced apoptosis, caused DNA damage, and disrupted associated gene expressions. However, PAL extracts which have the highest bioaccessible heavy metals did not present adverse effects on HGEC, which may be due to its inhibition of apoptosis by upregulating p53 and Bcl-2. Conclusion: Our results indicated that polluted vegetable intake caused toxic effects on human gingiva. The heavy metals in vegetables were not positively related to human health risks. Collectively, both bioaccessibility and toxic data should be considered for accurate risk assessment.

A three-dimensional cadmium(II) coordination polymer with unequal homochiral double-stranded concentric helical chains.

A homochiral helical three-dimensional coordination polymer, poly[[(µ2-acetato-κ(3)O,O':O)(hydroxido-κO)(µ4-5-nicotinamido-1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazol-1-ido-κ(5)N(1),O:N(2):N(4):N(5))(µ3-5-nicotinamido-1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazol-1-ido-κ(4)N(1),O:N(2):N(4):N(5))dicadmium(II)] 0.75-hydrate], {[Cd2(C7H5N6O)2(CH3COO)(OH)]·0.75H2O}n, was synthesized by the reaction of cadmium acetate, N-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)isonicotinamide (H-NTIA), ethanol and H2O under hydrothermal conditions. The asymmetric unit contains two crystallographically independent Cd(II) cations, two deprotonated 5-nicotinamido-1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazol-1-ide (NTIA(-)) ligands, one acetate anion, one hydroxide anion and three independent partially occupied water sites. The two Cd(II) cations, with six-coordinated octahedral and seven-coordinated pentagonal bipyramidal geometries are located on general sites. The tetrazole group of one symmetry-independent NTIA(-) ligand links one of the independent Cd(II) cations into 61 helical chains, while the other NTIA(-) ligand links the other independent Cd(II) cations into similar but unequal 61 helical chains. These chains, with a pitch of 24.937 (5) Å, intertwine into a double-stranded helix. Each of the double-stranded 61 helices is further connected to six adjacent helical chains through an acetate µ2-O atom and the tetrazole group of the NTIA(-) ligand into a three-dimensional framework. The helical channel is occupied by the isonicotinamide groups of NTIA(-) ligands and two helices are connected to each other through the pyridine N and carbonyl O atoms of isonicotinamide groups. In addition, N-H···O and O-H···N hydrogen bonds exist in the complex.

Proteome of melamine urinary bladder stones and implication for stone formation.

Melamine can cause urinary stones related to nephropathy of the kidney and hyperplasia or carcinoma of the bladder, but the mechanism of stone formation is not well understood. In this study, male rats were administered melamine for thirteen weeks to establish melamine bladder stone models and the stones were analysed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and western blot, respectively, for the composition and proteome, and to explore the implication of proteins for stone formation. The results showed bladder stones were composed of predominant melamine and a few amount of proteins. The proteins had a wide range of molecular weights and 1051 proteins were identified. Gene Ontology (GO) classification of the identified proteins showed most proteins were from injured cells, involved in various metabolic processes and had binding functions. Of the identified proteins, there were a few inflammatory proteins and urinary proteins. Physicochemical characteristics of the identified proteins showed that 67.1% proteins' isoelectric points (pI) value was below 7.0, 91.1% proteins' grand average of hydropathicity (GRAVY) scores were below 0 and nearly half of the proteins were stable. Our data indicated proteins might play an important role in melamine bladder stone formation.

[Genotype analysis of enterovirus type 71 detected from patients with hand-foot-mouth disease in Shenzhen].

OBJECTIVE: To carry out genotype analysis of enterovirus type 71, detected from hand-foot-mouth disease patients in Shenzhen in 2004. METHODS: All samples were tested by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using EV71 specific primer. The VP1 and VP4 of EV71 were cloned and sequenced. A phylogenetic tree was constructed by comparing the sequences with genogroups A, B and C genotypes using TreeView and PHYLIP software (3.6b). RESULTS: The VP1 nucleotide sequence of 4 strains isolated from Shenzhen shared 87.8% - 92.0% identity with genogroup C, while the homogeneity of the VP4 nucleotide sequence was between 85.9% - 87.4%. The homogeneity of the VP1 nucleotide sequence with genotypes A and B was between 81.9% - 84.2% and was 80.6% - 85.0% with VP4. Among the 4 strains, the homogeneity of the VP1 nucleotide sequence was between 94.1% - 99.8% and was 100% with VP4 which formed a small group and could denominate EV71 genetype C4. CONCLUSION: Similar results were obtained from phylogenetic analysis of EV71 based on VP1 and VP4 nucleotide sequence. The four EV71 strains causing epidemic in Shenzhen could be named as C4 subgroups.