Concentrations, Sources and Health Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Chinese Herbal Medicines.

The determination and evaluation of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in seven Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) were conducted through a rapid and straightforward extraction and purification method, coupled with GC-MS. A sample-based solid-phase extraction (SPE) pretreatment technique, incorporating isotopic internal standards, was employed for detecting various medicinal parts of CHMs. The assay exhibited linearity within the range of 5 to 500 ng/mL, with linear coefficients (R2) for PAHs exceeding 0.999. The recoveries of spiked standards ranged from 63.37% to 133.12%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranging from 0.75% to 14.54%. The total PAH content varied from 176.906 to 1414.087 µg/kg. Among the 16 PAHs, phenanthrene (Phe) was consistently detected at the highest levels (47.045-168.640 µg/kg). Characteristic ratio analysis indicated that oil, coal, and biomass combustion were the primary sources of PAHs in CHMs. The health risk associated with CHMs was assessed using the lifetime carcinogenic risk approach, revealing potential health risks from the consumption of honeysuckle, while the health risks of consuming Lycium chinense berries were deemed negligible. For the other five CHMs (glycyrrhizae, Coix lacryma, ginseng, lotus seed, seed of Sterculia lychnophora), the health risk from consumption fell within acceptable ranges. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses utilizing Monte Carlo exposure assessment methods identified PAH levels in CHMs as health risk sensitizers. It is crucial to recognize that the consumption of herbal medicines is not a continuous process but entails potential health risks. Hence, the monitoring and risk assessment of PAH residues in CHMs demand careful attention.

Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk assessment of organic compounds and heavy metals in electronic cigarettes.

E-cigarettes are now very popular in the world. Compared to traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes are often considered safer and healthier. However, their safety remains controversial and requires further research and regulation. In this study, we aimed to understand the possible hazards to humans of four compounds (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, and acetone) and seven heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, manganese, lead, copper, nickel, and chromium) contained in e-cigarette liquids and aerosols and perform a health risk assessment. We searched PubMed, CNKI, and other databases for relevant literature to obtain data on organic compounds and heavy metals in e-cigarette liquids and aerosols, and conducted acute, chronic, and carcinogenic risk assessments of various chemicals by different exposure routes. This study showed that exposure to four organic compounds and seven heavy metals in e-cigarette aerosols and e-liquids can cause varying levels of health risks in humans through different routes, with the inhalation route posing a higher overall risk than dermal exposure and oral intake. Various chemicals at high exposure doses can produce health risks beyond the acceptable range. E-cigarette designers must improve their products by changing the composition of the e-liquid and controlling the power of the device to reduce the health effects on humans.

Deterministic and Probabilistic Health Risk Assessment of Toxic Metals in the Daily Diets of Residents in Industrial Regions of Northern Ningxia, China.

This study was designed to investigate the toxic metal (aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn)) concentrations in drinking water and different foodstuffs meat (pork, beef, and mutton), cereals (rice, flour, corn, millet), beans (cowpeas, tofu), potatoes (potato, sweet potato), solanaceous fruits (pepper, eggplant, bitter gourd, cucumber), vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower, spinach), and fruits (apples, watermelons, pears, grapes)) and then estimate the potential health risks of toxic metal consumption to local residents in industrial regions of northern Ningxia, China. As in drinking water, Cr in meat, Pb in cereals, Pb in beans, As and Pb in potatoes, Pb in solanaceous fruits, Cr and Ni in vegetables, and Ni and Pb in fruits were the most contaminated heavy metals in the corresponding food with over-standard rates of 16.7%, 12.5%, 5.1%, 60%, 50%, 50%, 38.2%, 44.4%, 44.4%, 31.8%, and 31.8%, respectively.The results of the deterministic assessment of health risks showed that the total noncarcinogenic risk value of dietary intake of toxic metals by the local population was 5.6106, indicating that toxic metals pose a high noncarcinogenic risk. The order of the non-carcinogenic risk is HIcereal (1.2104) > HIsolanaceous fruit (0.9134) > HIVegetables (0.8726) > HIFruit (0.8170) > HIMeat (0.7269) > HIDrinking water (0.6139) > HIBeans (0.2991) > HIPotatoes (0.1573). The total carcinogenic health risk from exposure to toxic metals through dietary intake was 9.98 × 10-4, indicating that the total cancer risk value of residents is beyond the acceptable range (10-4) under the current daily dietary exposure and implies a high risk of cancer. The order of the carcinogenic risk is RDrinking water (2.34 × 10-4) > RMeat (2.11 × 10-4) > Rsolanaceous fruit (1.89 × 10-4) > RFruit (1.88 × 10-4) > Rcereal (1.36 × 10-4) > RPotatoes (2.44 × 10-5) > RVegetables (1.51 × 10-5) > RBeans (0). The probabilistic assessment results showed that 98.83% of the population is exposed to severe noncarcinogenic risk and 87.02% is exposed to unacceptable carcinogenic risk. The sensitivity analysis showed that drinking water, local cereals, vegetables, and fruits were the major contributors to health risks. Our results indicated that the daily dietary exposure of residents in industrial regions of northern Ningxia poses a serious threat to human health, and it is suggested that relevant departments should strengthen monitoring and control of the current situation of toxic metal pollution in the environment and continue to pay attention and take measures to reduce the exposure of toxic metals in the diets of residents in this area.

Potential Risk, Spatial Distribution, and Soil Identification of Potentially Toxic Elements in Lycium barbarum L. (Wolfberry) Fruits and Soil System in Ningxia, China.

Eight potentially toxic elements (PTEs, including nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), and mercury (Hg)) in Lycium barbarum L. (wolfberries) and the associated root soil from a genuine producing area were analyzed. The potential ecological risk of PTEs in the soil and the health risk of PTEs through wolfberry consumption were determined. Geostatistical methods were used to predict the PTE concentrations in the wolfberries and soil. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to identify the source of PTEs in the soil. The PTE concentrations in the soils were within the standard limits, and Cd in the wolfberries exceeded the standard limit at only one site. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) order for the different PTEs was Cd > Cu > 1 > Zn > Cr > As > Ni > Pb, indicating that Cd and Cu were highly accumulated in wolfberries. The multiple regression models for Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, and Cr concentrations in the wolfberries exhibited good correlations (p < 0.1). The ecological risk for Hg in the soil was high, whereas the risks for the remaining PTEs were mostly medium or low. Health risks for inhabitants through wolfberry consumption were not obvious. The spatial distributions of the PTEs in the soil differed from the PTE concentrations in the wolfberries. Source identification results were in the order of natural source (48.2%) > industrial activity source (27.8%) > agricultural activity source (14.5%) > transportation source (9.5%). The present study can guide the site selection of wolfberry cultivation and ensure the safety of wolfberry products when considering PTE contamination.

Role of comprehensive nursing care in improving the prognosis and mood of patients with secondary cerebral infarction after craniocerebral injury.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application value of comprehensive nursing in improving prognosis and relieving bad moods of patients with secondary cerebral infarction after craniocerebral injury. METHODS: Patients with cerebral infarction secondary to craniocerebral injury in our hospital from January 2017 to October 2019 were selected as the study subjects. According to the random number table method, they were randomly divided into the control group and the observation group, with 40 patients in each group. The control group was given routine nursing care and the observation group was given comprehensive nursing care. The prognosis, the changes of mood before and after nursing, nursing satisfaction, quality of life after nursing, and complications were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After the implementation of nursing, the good prognosis rate of the observation group was 90.00% (36/40), significantly higher than that of the control group 60.00% (24/40) (P<0.05); the HAMA and HDRS scores of the observation group were significantly better than that of the control group, and the nursing satisfaction rate was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). The total score of quality of life in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group, and the incidence of complications was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Comprehensive nursing care for patients with secondary cerebral infarction after craniocerebral injury can effectively improve prognosis and relieve bad moods, reduce the incidence of complications and improve nursing satisfaction, so as to improve the quality of life of patients.

Acteoside Presents Protective Effects on Cerebral Ischemia/reperfusion Injury Through Targeting CCL2, CXCL10, and ICAM1.

The objective of this study is to investigate the roles of acteoside (ACT) in cells with oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R)-induced injury and the underlying mechanisms. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion were identified using GSE61616 data set. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment with the DEGs and the prediction of ACT's targets were conducted using The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database. The OGD/R model was established with bEnd.3 cells. Following that, bEnd.3 cells were treated by distinct concentrations of ACT and IL-10. The proliferation and apoptosis of cells were analyzed by cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Western blot was used to check involved proteins. Herein, we identified CCL2, CXCL10, and ICAM1 as the targets of ACT, which were upregulated in tissues of MACO rats and cells with OGD/R-induced injury. ACT promoted the proliferation but reduce the apoptosis of cells with OGD/R-induced injury. Moreover, these effects of ACT were enhanced by IL-10. After being treated with ACT, IL-10, or ACT together with IL-10, the levels of CCL2, CXCL10, and ICAM1 were all decreased, whereas p-Stat3 was raised in cells with OGD/R-induced injury, while Stat3 expression presented no significant difference among groups. ACT protected cells against OGD/R-induced injury through regulating the IL-10/Stat3 signaling, indicating that ACT might be an effective therapy drug to lower cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Effect of orexin-A on mitochondrial biogenesis, mitophagy and structure in HEK293-APPSWE cell model of Alzheimer's disease.

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a key role in the pathogenesis and progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Our previous studies showed that over expression of AD-associated mutant ß-amyloid precursor protein (APP) led to abnormalities of mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of orexin-A on mitochondrial biogenesis, mitophagy and mitochondrial structure in overexpression of AD-associated mutant APP cells. We used 20E2 cells as the AD cell model. 20E2 cells were treated with orexin-A (50, 100 nmol/L). The effect of different concentrations of orexin-A on cell activity was detected by MTT. As compared with the non-treated 20E2 cells, orexin-A-treated 20E2 cells showed increased expression of APP, decreased cell viability and decreased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) level, decreased levels of regulatory proteins of mitochondrial biogenesis (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha [PGC-1α], nuclear respiratory factor 1/2 [NRF1/2], mitochondrial transcription factor A [TFAM]), increased levels of regulatory proteins of mitophagy (Parkin, PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 [PINK1], microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 II/I [LC3-II/LC3-I]) and decreased p62 level, with damaged mitochondrial structure. Orexin-A may reduce mitochondrial biogenesis, enhance mitophagy and damage mitochondrial structure in AD.