The combined toxicity of polystyrene nano/micro-plastics and triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) on HepG2 cells.

Combined toxicity is a critical concern during the risk assessment of environmental pollutants. Due to the characteristics of strong hydrophobicity and large specific surface area, microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) have become potential carriers of organic pollutants that may pose a health risk to humans. The co-occurrence of organic pollutants and MPs would cause adverse effects on aquatic organism, while the information about combined toxicity induced by organophosphorus flame retardants and MPs on human cells was limited. This study aimed to reveal the toxicity effects of co-exposure to triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) and polystyrene (PS) particles with micron-size/nano-size on HepG2 cell line. The adsorption behaviors of TPHP on PS particles was observed, with the PS-NP exhibiting a higher adsorption capacity. The reactive oxygen species generation, mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization, lactate dehydrogenase release and cell apoptosis proved that PS-NPs/MPs exacerbated TPHP-induced cytotoxicity. The particle size of PS would affect the toxicity to HepG2 cells that PS-NP (0.07 µm) exhibited more pronounced combined toxicity than PS-MP (1 µm) with equivalent concentrations of TPHP. This study provides fundamental insights into the co-toxicity of TPHP and PS micro/nanoplastics in HepG2 cells, which is crucial for validating the potential risk of combined toxicity in humans.

Assembly of Poly(ethylene glycol)ylated Oleanolic Acid on a Linear Polymer as a Pseudomucin for Influenza Virus Inhibition and Adsorption.

Biomimicry of the mucin barrier function is an efficient strategy to counteract influenza. We report the simple aminolyzation of poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride) (PM) using amine-terminated poly(ethylene glycol)ylated oleanolic acid (OAPEG) to mimic the mucin structure and its adsorption of the influenza virus. Direct interactions between influenza hemagglutinin (HA) and the prepared macromolecule evaluated by surface plasmon resonance and isothermal titration calorimetry demonstrated that the multivalent presentation of OAPEG on PM enhanced the binding affinity to HA with a decrease in KD of approximately three orders of magnitude compared with monomeric OAPEG. Moreover, hemagglutination inhibition assay, viral growth inhibition assay, and cytopathic effect reduction assay indicated that the nonglycosylated polymer could mimic natural heavily glycosylated mucin and thus promote the attachment of the virus in a subnanomolar range. Further investigation of the antiviral effects via time-of-addition assay, dynamic light scattering experiments, and transmission electron microscopy photographs indicated that the pseudomucin could adsorb the virion particles and synergistically inhibit the early attachment and final release steps of the influenza infection cycle. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the macromolecule in the physical sequestration and prevention of viral infection. Notably, due to its structural similarities with mucin, the biomacropolymer also has the potential for the rational design of antiviral drugs, influenza adsorbents, or filtration materials and the construction of model systems to explore protection against other pathogenic viruses.

Bacterial communities on soil microplastic at Guiyu, an E-Waste dismantling zone of China.

Recent studies of microplastic have focused on aquatic environment, but its impacts on soil ecosystems were poorly understood, particularly on bacterial communities. In this study, the bacterial taxon and functional composition of soil microplastic-attached communities at Guiyu, a notorious e-waste dismantling area in Guangdong Province, China, were investigated by means of high-throughput sequencing. The results revealed that fundamental difference in bacterial communities existed among microplastics selected from three plots with different dismantling methods and their surroundings, suggesting that microplastic surface created a new ecological niche in soil environment, and the bacteria adapted well to the surface-related lifestyle. The formation of microplastic-attached bacteria depended not only on various dismantled plastic materials, but also on disassembly methods that caused different soil physicochemical characters which might also influence the bacterial communities. As the hydrocarbon degraders, the family Hyphomonadaceae were also found on soil microplastic, further confirming that microorganisms played a role in biodegrading microplastic in e-waste zone. The analysis of functional profiles speculated that microplastic-attached bacteria had the potential to degrade pollutants. This study provides a new perspective for exploring microplastic-associated bacteria and increasing our understanding of microplastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystems.

[Preparation of curcumin TPP-PEG-PE nanomicelles with mitochondrial targeting and lysosomal escape functions and its effect on promoting breast cancer cell apoptosis].

Orthogonal experiments were used to optimize the process parameters of curcumin TPP-PEG-PCL nanomicelles; the particle size, electric potential and morphology under the electron microscope were systematically detected for the curcumin TPP-PEG-PCL nanomicelles; and the stability and in vitro release of the curcumin TPP-PEG-PCL nanomicelles were investigated. With DID fluorescent dye as the fluorescent probe, flow cytometry was used to study the uptake of nanomicelles by breast cancer cells, and laser confocal microscopy was used to study the mitochondrial targeting and lysosomal escape functions of nanomicelles. Under the same dosage conditions, the effect of curcumin TPP-PEG-PCL nanomicelles on promoting the apoptosis of breast cancer cells was evaluated. The optimal particle size of curcumin TPP-PEG-PCL nanomicelle was(17.3±0.3) nm, and the Zeta potential was(14.6±2.6) mV in orthogonal test. Under such conditions, the micelle appeared as regular spheres under the transmission electron microscope. Fluorescence test results showed that TPP-PEG-PCL nanomicelles can promote drug uptake by tumor cells, escape from lysosomal phagocytosis, and target the mitochondria. The cell survival rate and Hoechst staining positive test results showed that curcumin TPP-PEG-PCL nanomicelles had a good effect on promoting apoptosis of breast cancer cells. The curcumin TPP-PEG-PCL micelles can significantly reduce the mitochondrial membrane potential of breast cancer cells, increase the release of cytochrome C, significantly increase the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and reduce the expression of anti-apoptotic Bax protein. These test results were significantly better than those of curcumin PEG-PCL nanomicelles and curcumin, with statistically significant differences. The results revealed that curcumin TPP-PEG-PCL nanomicelles can well target breast cancer cell mitochondria and escape from the lysosomal capture, thereby enhancing the drug's role in promoting tumor cell apoptosis.

Potential dental pulp revascularization and odonto-/osteogenic capacity of a novel transplant combined with dental pulp stem cells and platelet-rich fibrin.

Our aim is to investigate the cytobiological effects of autologous platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) on dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and to explore the ectopic and orthotopic possibilities of dental pulp revascularization and pulp-dentin complex regeneration along the root canal cavities of the tooth by using a novel tissue-engineered transplant composed of cell-sheet fragments of DPSCs and PRF granules. Canine DPSCs were isolated and characterized by assaying their colony-forming ability and by determining their cell surface markers and osteogenic/adipogenic differentiation potential. The biological effects of autologous PRF on DPSCs, including cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and odonto-/osteogenic gene expression, were then investigated and quantified. A novel transplant consisting of cell-sheet fragments of DPSCs and PRF granules was adopted to regenerate pulp-dentin-like tissues in the root canal, both subcutaneously in nude mice and in the roots of canines. PRF promoted the proliferation of DPSCs in a dose- and time-dependent manner and induced the differentiation of DPSCs to odonto-/osteoblastic fates by increasing the expression of the Alp, Dspp, Dmp1 and Bsp genes. Transplantation of the DPSC/PRF construct led both to a favorable regeneration of homogeneous and compact pulp-like tissues with abundantly distributed blood capillaries and to the deposition of regenerated dentin along the intracanal walls at 8 weeks post-operation. Thus, the application of DPSC/PRF tissue constructs might serve as a potential therapy in regenerative endodontics for pulp revitalization or revascularization.

Effects of Microplastics on Endophytes in Different Niches of Chinese Flowering Cabbage (Brassica campestris).

Microplastics (MPs) are present in soil as emerging contaminants and pose a threat to soil as well as plants. Here, the effects of MPs on Chinese flowering cabbage from a microbiology perspective were explored. MP size and concentration significantly affected endophytic communities of plant root and petiole (p < 0.05). Under MP treatments, the root, petiole, and leaf exhibited a substantial abundance of pathogenic biomarkers, such as Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, Ralstonia, and Escherichia, resulting in the slow growth and morbidity of the plant. Difference analysis of metabolic pathways revealed that MPs significantly upregulated the pathogenic metabolic pathways (p < 0.05), and the presence of Vibrio infectious and pathogenic metabolic pathways was detected in all three niches of the plant. Moreover, MPs significantly inhibited the contents of carotenoids, iron, vitamin C, and calcium in edible niches of the plant (p < 0.05), and most of the high-abundant biomarkers were negatively correlated with their nutritional qualities.

Four novel species of Pleurotheciaceae collected from freshwater habitats in Jiangxi Province, China.

During an investigation of fungal diversity from freshwater environments in different regions in Jiangxi Province, China, four interesting species were collected. Morphology coupled with combined gene analysis of an ITS, LSU, SSU, and rpb2 DNA sequence data showed that they belong to the family Pleurotheciaceae. Four new species, Pleurotheciella ganzhouensis, Pla. irregularis, Pla. verrucosa, and Pleurothecium jiangxiense are herein described. Pleurotheciella ganzhouensis is characterized by its capsule-shaped conidia and short conidiophores, while Pla. irregularis has amorphous conidiophores and 3-septate conidia. Pleurotheciella verrucosa has cylindrical or verrucolose conidiogenous cells, 1-septate, narrowly fusiform, meniscus or subclavate conidia. Pleurothecium jiangxiense characterized in having conidiogenous cells with dense cylindrical denticles and short conidiophores. Pleurothecium obovoideum was transferred to Neomonodictys based on phylogenetic evidence. All species are compared with other similar species and comprehensive descriptions, micrographs, and phylogenetic data are provided.

Deciphering the distinct successional patterns and potential roles of abundant and rare microbial taxa of urban riverine plastisphere.

Microbial colonization on microplastics has provoked global concern; however, many studies have not considered the successional patterns and potential roles of abundant and rare taxa of the plastisphere during colonization. Hence, we investigate the taxonomic composition, assembly, interaction and function of abundant and rare taxa in the riverine plastisphere by conducting microcosm experiments. Results showed that rare taxa occupied significantly high community diversity and niche breadth than the abundant taxa, which implies that rare taxa are essential components in maintaining the community stability of the plastisphere. However, the abundant taxa played a major role in driving the succession of plastisphere communities during colonization. Both stochastic and deterministic processes signally affected the plastisphere community assemblies; while, the deterministic patterns (heterogeneous selection) were especially pronounced for rare biospheres. Plastisphere microbial networks were shaped by the enhancement of network modularity and reinforcement of positive interactions. Rare taxa played critical roles in shaping stable plastisphere by occupying the key status in microbial networks. The strong interaction of rare and non-rare taxa suggested that multi-species collaboration might be conducive to the formation and stability of the plastisphere. Both abundant and rare taxa were enriched with plentiful functional genes related to carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur cycling; however, their potential metabolic functions were significantly discrepant, implying that the abundant and rare microbes may play different roles in ecosystems. Overall, this study strengthens our comprehending of the mechanisms regarding the formation and maintenance of the plastisphere.

[Clinical effect of simultaneous implantation and maxillary sinus floor elevation with or without bone graft].

PURPOSE: To investigate the difference of osteogenic effect and stability of maxillary sinus implants 6 months after maxillary sinus elevation with or without bone grafting. METHODS: A total of 150 patients with maxillary sinus floor lift and simultaneous implantation in Lishui People's Hospital from December 2019 to December 2021 were divided into group A (internal maxillary sinus lift + bone grafting) and group B (internal lift without bone grafting). Preoperative and postoperative CBCT data and implant stability of all patients were measured and analyzed to compare whether there were differences in clinical efficacy between the two groups. SPSS 25.0 software package was used for data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 199 implants were implanted, the implant retention rate was 97.6% in group A and 95.7% in group B one year after surgery, with no significant difference between the two groups(P＞0.05). There was no significant difference in residual bone height(RBH) and gray scale value (HU) between the two groups before and 6 months after operation (P＞0.05). There was no significant difference in ISQ value between the two groups during operation and 6 months after operation(P＞0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In cases with the remaining alveolar bone height of 3～8 mm and the planned lifting height of 3～4 mm, maxillary sinus floor lifting procedure achieved good clinical results in both groups with or without bone grafting, which indicated that bone grafting had little effect on retention rate and stability of the implants.

Dopamine induced multiple bonding in hyaluronic acid network to construct particle-free conductive hydrogel for reliable electro-biosensing.

Conductive hydrogel (CH) as flexible electrophysiology interface has become the new trend of bioelectronics, but still challenging in synergizing the biocompatibility, mechanics and comprehensive electrical performance. Hyaluronic acid (HA), featured with abundant active sites for personalized-modification and well-known biocompatibility, is one of the alterative candidates. The obstacle lies in the unstable conductivity from the ionic conduction, and the electronic conduction by embedding conductive nanoparticles (NPs) is likely to result in inhomogeneous CH with poor stretchability and discontinuous conductive network. Herein, inspired by catechol chemistry, dopamine (DA)-modified HA was homogeneously composited with DA-modified poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS, named PP), to produce particle-free conductive hydrogel (HA-DA-PP). The DA-introduced multiple bondings in HA network and PP molecules brought aqueous conductive PP into HA hydrogel to form a homogeneous crosslinking network, imparted the flexible stretchability. By accurately regulation, HA-DA-PP achieved high stretchability with large tensile deformation (over 470 %) in the category of natural polymer-based hydrogels. Moreover, the interaction between DA and PP (conformational transition and charge transfer) could effectively enhance the hydrogel's conductivity. Consequently, HA-DA-PP hydrogel showed high sensibility to human movement, epidermal and in vivo electrophysiological signals monitoring. Overall, DA-mediated multiple bonding is a powerful strategy for constructing CH with high performance for bioelectronics.

Enhanced Antibacterial and Osteogenic Properties of Graphene Oxide Loaded with Berberine on Biomedical Titanium.

Internal implants are widely used in most orthopedic surgeries, of which titanium and its alloys are most widely used owing to the excellent corrosiveness resistance, low elastic modulus and good biocompatibility. However, implant failure still occurs for that titanium and its alloys themselves do not own antibacterial and osteogenic properties. In this work, we successfully fabricated berberine-loaded graphene oxide (GO) on the surface of biomedical titanium and systematically investigated its capabilities of antibacteria and osteogenesis. In vitro results showed that berberine had low antibacterial activity, but GO loaded with berberine on titanium (Ber&GO@Ti) exhibited superior antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) with the synergistic effect of GO and berberine. Meanwhile, Ber&GO@Ti performed satisfactory cytocompatibility and was capable of promoting osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells. In the vivo experiment, Ber&GO@Ti showed excellent antibacterial properties and inflammatory cells e.g., neutrophils had seldom been found. No visceral toxicity had been found. This multifunctional coating showed great potential in orthopedic implants.

Discrepancy strategies of sediment abundant and rare microbial communities in response to floating microplastic disturbances: Study using a microcosmic experiment.

Floating microplastics (FMPs) in surface water have been extensively studied, but their influence on sedimentary microbial ecosystems is poorly understood. Here, we investigated response patterns of abundant and rare sedimentary microbes to FMP disturbances by performing microcosmic experiments using fluvial sediment with polyethylene (PE), polylactic acid (PLA), polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) MPs. The results indicated that FMPs altered sediment microbial community diversity and composition. Some organic-degrading, nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria significantly decreased in response to FMP disturbances, which may affect the sediment carbon and nitrogen cycles. Rare taxa persisted under FMP disturbances, whereas abundant taxa were more susceptible to FMP disturbances, suggesting a higher sensitivity of abundant taxa to FMP disturbances. Although stochastic processes governed the assembly of the overall microbial communities, the assembly mechanisms of abundant and rare populations have significantly different responses to FMP interference. The relative contribution of deterministic processes was reinforced by enhanced homogenous selection in abundant populations, while it markedly decreased in rare populations under FMP disturbances. Furthermore, FMPs substantially decreased the network complexity, loosened the coexistence relationships, and increased the negative correlations. Rare species play an important role in reshaping complex microbial interactions and coexistence networks in response to FMP disturbances. This research broadens our perspectives for comprehensively evaluating the ecological effects of FMPs in the aquatic environment to formulate further policy controls.

Promotion of the biodegradation of phenanthrene adsorbed on microplastics by the functional bacterial consortium QY1 in the presence of humic acid: Bioavailability and toxicity evaluation.

The adsorption of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) by microplastics (MPs) has attracted great attention in recent years. However, the ultimate environmental fate of the HOCs sorbed on MPs (HOCs-MPs) is poorly understood. In this work, we investigated the potential influence of the biotransformation process on the environmental fate of phenanthrene (PHE, a model HOC) sorbed on MPs (PHE-MPs) under the existence of humic acid (HA, the main ingredient of dissolved organic matter (DOM)) in the aquatic environment. The results indicated that the adsorption behavior of PHE on MPs decreased its bioavailability and thus inhibited its biotransformation efficiency. However, HA significantly promoted the biodegradation rate and percentage of PHE-MPs. This was probably because HA improved the desorption of PHE from MPs, which promoted the acquisition of PHE by bacteria from the aqueous phase. Further, HA dramatically increased the bacterial community diversity and richness and altered the community composition. The richness of some PHE-degrading bacteria, such as Methylobacillus and Sphingomonas, significantly increased, which may also be an important factor for promoting PHE biodegradation. Molecular ecological network analysis implied that HA enhanced the modularity and complexity of bacterial interaction networks, which was beneficial to maintaining the functional stability of the consortium QY1. Besides, HA decreased the cytotoxicity of functional microbes induced by HOCs-MPs. This work broadens our knowledge of the environmental fate of HOCs-MPs and interactions of MPs, HOCs, DOMs and functional microbial consortiums in aqueous environments.

Trends of calcium silicate biomaterials in medical research and applications: A bibliometric analysis from 1990 to 2020.

Background: Calcium silicate biomaterials (CSB) have witnessed rapid development in the past 30 years. This study aimed to accomplish a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the published research literature on CSB for biomedical applications and explore the research hotspot and current status. Methods: Articles related to CSB published in the last three decades (1990-2020) were retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection. The R bibliometrix package and VOSviewer were used to construct publication outputs and collaborative networking among authors, their institutes, countries, journals' matrices and keywords plus. Results: A total of 872 publications fulfilling the search criteria were included. CSB is mainly reported for bone tissues and dental applications. Among researchers, Chang J from Chinese Academy of Sciences and Gandolfi MG from the University of Bologna are the most productive author in these two fields, respectively. China was the leading contributor to the research on CSB in the medical field. A total of 130 keywords appeared more ten or more times were identified. The term "mineral trioxide aggregate" ranked first with 268 occurrences. The co-occurrence analysis identified three major clusters: CSB in dentistry, bone tissue and vitro bioactivity. Conclusion: Calcium silicate biomaterials have a promising scope for various biomedical applications ranging from regeneration of hard tissues (bone and teeth) to skin, tumor, cardiac muscle and other soft tissues. This study may help researchers further understand the frontiers of the field.

Sustainable hydrophilic ultrasmall carbonaceous spheres modified by click reaction for high-performance polymeric ion chromatographic stationary phase.

Novel poly(ethylvinylbenzene-divinylbenzene) (EVB-DVB) agglomerated with ultrasmall carbonaceous spheres (UCSs) anion-exchange packings for ion chromatography (IC) were constructed. Hydrophilic UCSs with mean sizes of 62-98 nm were synthesized in quantity by the polydiallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride aided hydrothermal carbonization of fructose. The green strategy based on the thiol-ene click reaction with cysteamine in aqueous system was first designed for the hyperbranched polyquaternary amine (HPA) grafting of UCSs with negligible damage on their monodispersity. The HPA modified UCSs were evenly distributed on sulfonated EVB-DVB substrate to form one uniform layer of functional nanospheres without observable coagulum. Seven typical anions (F-, Cl-, NO2-, Br-, NO3-, SO42- and PO43-) were baseline separated on constructed packing in 5 min with high efficiencies in the range of 44,800-71,100 plates m - 1. The rapid separation of polarizable anions, small organic acids and saccharides could be also accomplished under isocratic elution with competitive peak symmetry and efficiency. Good reproducibility was demonstrated by consecutive injection. Thiosulfate in water reducer was further detected on prepared packing in 4 min with detection limit of 0.04 mg L - 1 (S/N = 3) and good repeatability.

[Effect of rat allogeneic BMSCs-Bio-Oss-bFGF compound on tooth extraction healing: a micro-CT study].

PRUPOSE: To investigate the effect of a compound of BMSCs-Bio-Oss-bFGF on microstructure of extraction sockets in rats. METHODS: Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were isolated from bone marrow of 3-week SD rats by adherent method. Maxillary posterior teeth of 36 6-week SD rats were extracted and materials were implanted into sockets according to grouping. The rats were divided into 4 groups: compound group with implanting BMSCs-Bio-Oss-bFGF compound, powder group with implanting Bio-Oss, BMSCs group with implanting BMSCs, and control group without implanting any materials. The sockets were scanned by micro-CT 4 weeks, 12 weeks and 24 weeks after implantation. Two-way ANOVA was used to assess whether there was significant difference between groups with GraphPad Prism 6.0 software package. RESULTS: There was no significant difference among groups in bone mineral density (BMD), trabecular separation(Tb.Sp), trabecular thickness(Tb.Th), degree of anisotropy(DA), and trabecular number(Tb.N) 4 weeks after implantation. By 12 weeks, BMD of compound group was significantly greater than those of BMSCs group, powder group and control group (P＜0.05), and significantly greater than those of powder group and control group at 24 weeks (P＜0.05). Tb.Th of compound group was significantly greater than that of BMSCs group at 12 and 24 weeks(P＜0.05). DA had no significant difference among groups at 4, 12, and 24 weeks (P＞0.05). Tb.Sp of compound group was significantly smaller than those of powder group, BMSCs group and control group at 24 weeks(P＜0.05). Tb.N of compound group was significantly greater than those of BMSCs group and control group(P＜0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The compound of rat allogeneic BMSCs-Bio-Oss-bFGF improves socket healing.

Efficacy of machine learning assisted dental age assessment in local population.

INTRODUCTION: Although the dental age assessment is commonly applied in forensic and maturity evaluation, the long-standing dilemma from population differences has limited its application. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to verify the efficacy of the machine learning (ML) to build up the dental age standard of a local population. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 2052 panoramic films retrieved from healthy Taiwanese children aged 2.6-17.7 years with comparable sizes in each age-group. The recently reported Han population-based standard (H method) served as the control condition. To develop and validate ML models, random divisions of the sample in an 80%-20% ratio repeated 20 times. The model performances were compared with the H method, Demirjian's method, and Willems's method. RESULTS: The ML-assisted models provided more accurate age prediction than those non-ML-assisted methods. The range of errors was effectively reduced to less than one per year in the ML models. Furthermore, the consistent agreements among the age groups from preschool to adolescence were reported for the first time. The Gaussian process regression was the best ML model; of the non-ML modalities, the H method was the most efficacious, followed by the Demirjian's method and Willems's methods. CONCLUSION: The ML-assisted dental age assessment is helpful to provide customized standards to a local population with more accurate estimations in preschool and adolescent age groups than do studied conventional methods. In addition, the earlier complete tooth developments were also observed in present study. To construct more reliable dental maturity models in the future, additional environment-related factors should be taken into account.

Neurocognitive deficits and sequelae following severe hand, foot, and mouth disease from 2009 to 2017, in JiangSu Province, China: a long-term follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term sequelae and cognitive profiles resulting from severe hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) with central nervous system (CNS) involvement. METHODS: 294 HFMD cases were included in a retrospective follow-up study. Physical examinations were conducted. The Chinese Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV) was used to assess intelligence. RESULTS: 58 mild HFMD cases and 99 severe HFMD cases with mild CNS involvement did not present any neurological sequelae. In comparison, the sequelae incidence for severe HFMD with more severe CNS complications was 50.0%. The proportion of full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) impairment was 45.0%. In the 2:6-3:11 age group, severe HFMD with more severe CNS complications and lower maternal education level were risk factors for verbal comprehension disorder. Urban-rural residence and lower paternal education level were risk factors for FSIQ disorder. Furthermore, in the 4:0-6:11 age group, severe HFMD with more severe CNS complication was a risk factor for visual spatial disorder and fluid reasoning disorder. Lower paternal education level was a risk factor for FSIQ disorder. CONCLUSION: Early assessment and intervention among severe HFMD patients with more severe CNS involvement at a very young age will prove beneficial for their future performance.

Influence of the co-exposure of microplastics and tetrabromobisphenol A on human gut: Simulation in vitro with human cell Caco-2 and gut microbiota.

Microplastics (MPs) pollution becomes an emergent threat to the ecosystem, and its joint effect with organic contaminants will cause more severe consequences. Recently, MPs has been observed in human feces, suggesting that we are exposed to an uncertain danger. In this study, the joint effect of polyethylene microplastics particles (PEMPs) and Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) on human gut was explored through the simulation experiment in vitro with human cell Caco-2 and gut microbiota. The toxicity of TBBPA and PEMPs on Caco-2 human cells was considered by physiological and biochemical indexes such as cell proliferation, cell cycle, reactive oxygen species, lactate dehydrogenase release, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Besides, microbial community diversity, community structure, and function changes of gut microbiota were investigated using Illumina 16S rRNA gene MiSeq sequencing to reveal the influence of TBBPA and PEMPs on human gut microbiota. The results indicated that both PEMPs and TBBPA would deteriorate the status of Caco-2 cells, and TBBPA played a major role in it; meanwhile, PEMPs affected Caco-2 cells at high concentrations. Particularly, TBBPA and PEMPs exhibited a joint effect on Caco-2 cells to a certain degree. TBBPA selectivity inhibited the growth of gram-positive bacteria such as Enterococcus and Lactobacillus, contributing to the thriving of gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia and Bacteroides. The existence of PEMPs would enhance the proportion of Clostridium, Bacteroides, and Escherichia. Community composition changed dramatically with the interference of PEMPs and TBBPA; this was undesirable to the healthy homeostasis of the human gut. PICRUSt analysis determined both PEMPs and TBBPA interfered with the metabolism pathways of gut microbiota. Hence, the threat of MPs and TBBPA to humans should arouse vigilance.

Simultaneously constructing nanotopographical and chemical cues in 3D-printed polylactic acid scaffolds to promote bone regeneration.

Topographical structures and bioactive surface coatings are effective in improving the biological function for bone regeneration. However, the simultaneous introduction of these benefits into three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds poses a daunting challenge. In this study, we proposed a simple yet effective approach to decorate 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) scaffolds with chemically modified nanotopographical patterns. The nanotopography was produced by etching the amorphous phase of PLA in an alcohol/alkali solution to expose dense lamellae. Subsequently, conformal decoration of polydopamine (PDA) was realized via self-assembly of catecholamines without changing the surface nanotopography. In vitro cell experiments including live and dead staining, cell morphology, cell growth, and alkaline phosphatase showed that the combination of nanotopography and PDA-coating led to a favorable enhancement of osteoblasts adhesion, spread and proliferation in 3D-printed scaffolds. The contribution of integrated patterns to bone regeneration was evaluated using a rat femur critical-sized defect model in vivo. Micro-CT evaluation and histological analysis demonstrated that the scaffold decorated with integrated pattens promoted osteogenesis more than the bare scaffolds and the scaffolds decorated with only nanotopography. Our proposed approach offers a promising method for improving bioactivity of 3D polymer scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration.