Migration Inhibition Factor Secreted by Peripheral Blood Memory B Cells Binding to CD74-CD44 Receptor Complex Drives Macrophage Behavior in Alzheimer's Disease.

Dysregulation of the peripheral immune system is be involved in the neuroinflammation in Alzheimer disease (AD) and accelerate the disease progression. The contribution of immune cells, particularly B cells, to AD pathogenesis has gained attention in recent research. In this study, we investigated the role of Peripheral Blood Memory B cells (PBMBs) and their secreted Migration Inhibition Factor (MIF) in driving macrophage behavior in AD based on the scRNA-seq technique, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. We discovered that MIF binds to the CD74-CD44 receptor complex on macrophages, influencing their behavior. The dysregulated macrophage response hampers the clearance of amyloid-beta (Aß) plaques, exacerbating AD pathology. Targeting the MIF-CD74-CD44 signal pathway may hold therapeutic potential in modulating macrophage activity and mitigating neuroinflammation in AD. This study provides a further understanding of peripheral immune cells dysregulated in AD.

Mid-arm muscle circumference and triceps skinfold thickness associated with cardiometabolic disease in Chinese residents: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The association of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) with body muscle and fat mass remains unclear. Mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC) and triceps skinfold (TSF) thickness are easily obtained measuring methods for these two body compositions. This study aimed to investigate the association of CMD with MAMC and TSF thickness among Chinese residents. METHODS: A total of 9440 eligible participants from the China Health and Nutrition Survey were included in the analysis. Associations of CMD prevalence with MAMC and TSF thickness were estimated using logistic regression models. Multivariable COX proportional-hazards regression models were used to estimate the effect of baseline MAMC and TSF thickness on subsequent CMD. RESULTS: Positive associations of CMD prevalence with MAMC (odds ratio [OR] = 1.169, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.110-1.232, P < 0.001) and TSF thickness (OR = 1.313, 95%CI 1.240-1.390, P < 0.001) were observed in the cross-sectional analysis. In the longitudinal study, a 1-SD increase in MAMC was associated with a 13.6% increased risk of CMD incidence (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.136, 95%CI 1.073-1.204, P < 0.001), and a 1-SD increase in TSF thickness had a 17.6% increased risk of CMD incidence (HR = 1.176, 95%CI 1.084-1.276, P < 0.001). For the CMD components, both MAMC and TSF thickness contributed to increased incidences of hypertension (HR = 1.163, 95%CI 1.097-1.233, P < 0.001 in MAMC; HR = 1.218, 95%CI 1.110-1.336, P < 0.001 in TSF thickness) and diabetes mellitus (HR = 1.166, 95%CI 1.028-1.323, P = 0.017 in MAMC; HR = 1.352, 95%CI 1.098-1.664, P = 0.004 in TSF thickness). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with higher MAMC and TSF thickness had an increased incidence of CMD, mainly hypertension and diabetes mellitus. This study revealed a seemingly counterintuitive association between body muscle mass and metabolic homeostasis. Although the potential mechanisms require further exploration, the impact of body muscle mass on metabolic health cannot be ignored.

Fibrosis-4 index is closely associated with clinical outcomes in acute cardioembolic stroke patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Liver cirrhosis is a confirmed risk factor for poor prognosis of stroke; however, the contribution of clinically inapparent liver fibrosis to cardioembolic stroke (CES) and its outcomes are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the associations between liver fibrosis-measured by the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score-and stroke severity and short-term clinical outcomes of patients with acute CES due to nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). A total of 522 patients were followed for a median of 90 days. We calculated the FIB-4 score and defined liver fibrosis as follows: likely advanced fibrosis (FIB-4 > 3.25), indeterminate advanced fibrosis (FIB-4, 1.45-3.25), and unlikely advanced fibrosis (FIB-4 < 1.45). Logistic regression analysis and Cox regression analysis were used to investigate the relations between the FIB-4 score and stroke severity, major disability at discharge, and all-cause mortality. Among these 522 acute CES patients with NVAF, the mean FIB-4 score (2.28) on admission reflected intermediate fibrosis, whereas liver enzymes were largely normal. In multivariate regression analysis, patients with advanced liver fibrosis were more likely to have a higher risk of severe stroke (OR = 2.21, 95% CI 1.04-3.54), major disability at discharge (OR = 4.59, 95% CI 1.88-11.18), and all-cause mortality (HR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.10-1.56) than their counterparts. Regarding sex, these associations were stronger in males but not significant in females. In patients with acute CES due to NVAF, advanced liver fibrosis is associated with severe stroke, major disability, and all-cause death. Our findings indicate that early screening and management of liver fibrosis may decrease stroke severity and risk of death in patients with NVAF, especially for male patients. Consequently, FIB-4 > 3.25 of male patients should receive ultrasound elastography to further determine the degree of liver fibrosis.

Development and validation of a network calculator model for safety and efficacy after pancreaticoduodenectomy in the elderly patients with pancreatic head cancer.

BACKGROUND: Benefiting from increased life expectancy and improved perioperative management, more elderly patients with pancreatic head cancer (PHC) underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). However, individualized predictive models for the safety and efficacy of PD is still lacking. this study aimed to developed three safety- and efficacy-related risk calculators for elderly (> = 65 years) PHC patients. METHODS: This study was designed with two research cohorts, namely, the training cohort and the validation cohort, and comprises four general steps: (1) Risk factors were analyzed for the incidence of postoperative complications, cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) in the training cohort (N = 271) using logistic and Cox-regression analysis. (2) Nomograms were then plotted based on the above results. (3) The accuracy of the developed nomogram models was then verified with the validation cohort (N = 134) data using consistency index (C-index) and calibration curves. (4) We then evaluated the efficacy of these nomograms using decision curve analysis (DCA) in both the training and validation cohorts, and ultimately constructed three online calculators based on these nomograms. RESULTS: We identified ASA, diabetes, smoking, and lymph node invasion as predisposing risk factors for postoperative complications, and the predictive factors that affected both OS and CSS were ASA, diabetes, BMI, CA19-9 level, and tumor diameter. By integrating the above risk factors, we constructed three nomograms on postoperative complication, CSS, and OS. The C-index for complication, CSS, and OS were 0.824, 0.784, and 0.801 in the training cohort and 0.746, 0.718, and 0.708 in the validation cohort. Moreover, the validation curves and DCA demonstrated good calibration and robust compliance in both training and validation cohorts. We then developed three web calculators (https://caiming.shinyapps.io/CMCD/, https://caiming.shinyapps.io/CMCSS/, and https://caiming.shinyapps.io/CMOS/) to facilitate the use of the nomograms. CONCLUSIONS: The calculators demonstrated promising performance as an tool for predicting the safety and efficacy of PD in elderly PHC patients.

Prediction of malignant intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm: A nomogram based on clinical information and radiological outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical practitioners face a significant challenge in maintaining a healthy balance between overtreatment and missed diagnosis in the management of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN). The current study aimed to identify significant risk factors of malignant IPMN from a series of clinical and radiological parameters that are widely available and noninvasive and develop a method to individually predict the risk of malignant IPMN to improve its management. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated 168 patients who were pathologically diagnosed with IPMN after individualized pancreatic resection between June, 2012 and December, 2020. Independent predictors determined using both univariate and multivariate analyses to construct a predictive model. The discriminatory power of the nomogram was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Decision curve analysis was performed to demonstrate the clinical usefulness of the nomogram. Internal cross validation was performed to assess the validity of the predictive model. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, five significant independent risk factors were identified: increased serum CA19-9 level, low prognostic nutritional index (PNI), cyst size, enhancing mural nodule, and main pancreatic duct diameter. The nomogram based on the parameters mentioned above had outstanding performance in distinguishing malignancy, with an AUC of 0.907 (95% confidence interval: 0.859-0.956, p < 0.05), which remained 0.875 after internal cross-validation, and showed good clinical usefulness. CONCLUSION: A novel nomogram for predicting malignant IPMN first introducing PNI was developed, which may aid in improving IPMN management. Nevertheless, external validation is required to confirm its efficacy.

Occult pancreaticobiliary reflux is a pathogenic factor of some benign biliary diseases and gallbladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM) is a well-known high-risk factor for biliary malignant tumors because of constant pancreaticobiliary reflux (PBR). However, the impact of occult pancreaticobiliary reflux (OPR), which is characterized by high bile amylase levels in individuals with anatomically normal pancreaticobiliary junction, on biliary diseases remains unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between OPR and biliary diseases. METHODS: We enrolled 94 consecutive patients with normal pancreaticobiliary junction and primary biliary diseases confirmed by magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. We prospectively collected patients' bile samples and measured bile amylase levels. We investigated the incidence of OPR and the difference in bile amylase levels among these patients and assessed the correlation between high bile amylase levels (HBAL) and benign or malignant biliary diseases, as well as the OPR risk factors. RESULTS: The incidence of OPR was 36.6% in patients with benign biliary diseases, 26.7% in those with cholangiocarcinoma and 62.5% in those with gallbladder cancer. The median bile amylase level tended to be higher in patients with gallbladder cancer than in those with benign biliary diseases, but there was no significant difference (165.5 IU/L vs. 23.0 IU/L, P = 0.212). The prevalence of an HBAL with bile amylase levels of 1000-7500 IU/L was similar in patients with gallbladder cancer and benign biliary diseases. However, the incidence of HBAL with bile amylase levels greater than 7500 IU/L was significantly higher in patients with gallbladder cancer than in those with benign biliary diseases (37.5% vs. 4.2%, P = 0.012). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that choledocholithiasis was an independent risk factor for OPR. CONCLUSIONS: OPR can occur in benign and malignant biliary diseases, and it may be a pathogenic factor for some benign biliary diseases and a high-risk factor for gallbladder cancer. There is a correlation between choledocholithiasis and OPR.

Intestinal flora induces depression by mediating the dysregulation of cerebral cortex gene expression and regulating the metabolism of stroke patients.

Post-stroke depression (PSD) is a common cerebrovascular complication characterized by complex pathogenesis and poor treatment effects. Here, we tested the influence of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), non-targeted metabolites, and intestinal microbes on the occurrence and development of PSD. We acquired gene expression profiles for stroke patients, depression patients, and healthy controls from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. After screening for DEGs using differential expression analysis, we identified common DEGs in stroke and depression patients that were considered to form the molecular basis of PSD. Functional enrichment analysis of DEGs also revealed that the majority of biological functions were closely related to metabolism, immunity, the nervous system, and microorganisms, and we also collected blood and stool samples from healthy controls, stroke patients, and PSD patients and performed 16S rDNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomics. After evaluating the quality of the sequencing data, we compared the diversity of the metabolites and intestinal flora within and between groups. Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis was used to identify metabolic pathways that were significantly involved in stroke and PSD, and a global metabolic network was constructed to explore the pathogenesis of PSD. Additionally, we constructed a global regulatory network based on 16S rDNA sequencing, non-targeted metabolomics, and transcriptomics to explore the pathogenesis of PSD through correlation analysis. Our results suggest that intestinal flora associates the dysregulation of cerebral cortex gene expression and could potentially promote the occurrence of depression by affecting the metabolism of stroke patients. Our findings may be helpful in identifying new targets for the prevention and treatment of PSD.

Growth arrest-specific protein 2 (GAS2) interacts with CXCR4 to promote T-cell leukemogenesis partially via c-MYC.

Although growth arrest-specific protein 2 (GAS2) promotes the growth of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells in culture, the effect of GAS2 on T-cell leukemogenesis has not been studied, and the mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, xenograft studies showed that GAS2 silencing impaired T-cell leukemogenesis and decreased leukemic cell infiltration. Mechanistically, GAS2 regulated the protein expression of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) rather than its transcript expression. Immunoprecipitation revealed that GAS2 interacted with CXCR4, and confocal analysis showed that GAS2 was partially co-expressed with CXCR4, which provided a strong molecular basis for GAS2 to regulate CXCR4 expression. Importantly, CXCR4 overexpression alleviated the inhibitory effect of GAS2 silencing on the growth and migration of T-ALL cells. Moreover, GAS2 or CXCR4 silencing inhibited the expression of NOTCH1 and c-MYC. Forced expression of c-MYC rescued the growth suppression induced by GAS2 or CXCR4 silencing. Meanwhile, GAS2 deficiency, specifically in blood cells, had a mild effect on normal hematopoiesis, including T-cell development, and GAS2 silencing did not affect the growth of normal human CD3+ or CD34+ cells. Overall, our data indicate that GAS2 promotes T-cell leukemogenesis through its interaction with CXCR4 to activate NOTCH1/c-MYC, whereas impaired GAS2 expression has a mild effect on normal hematopoiesis. Therefore, our study suggests that targeting the GAS2/CXCR4 axis is a potential therapeutic strategy for T-ALL.

Latent Class Analysis to Identify Parental Involvement Styles in Chinese Children's Learning at Home.

BACKGROUND: Parental involvement is one of the most important factors affecting students' academic learning. Different families seem to show similar parental involvement patterns. This study employed a representative sample of 12,575 seventh- and eighth-grade Chinese students' parents to explore the patterns of parental involvement. (2) Methods: Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify different parental involvement styles in children's studies at home. Discriminant analysis, MANOVA, post-hoc tests, and effect size were used to verify the LCA results. (3) Results: Four distinctive latent class groups were identified and named: supportive (20%), permissive (54%), restrictive (8%), and neglectful (18%). A discriminant analysis supported the LCA group classification results. The MANOVA results indicated statistically significant differences between the four latent classes using the set of predictor variables. The post-hoc test results and effect sizes showed that the predictor variables had substantial differences among the four latent class groups. Parental education and family income showed statistically significant links to these four parental involvement styles, which, in turn, were linked to students' academic achievement according to the MANOVA, effect sizes, and post-hoc test results. (4) Conclusions: Parental involvement styles in children's learning at home can be identified and categorized into four different latent class styles.

Synthesis of Terpineol from Alpha-Pinene Catalyzed by α-Hydroxy Acids.

We report the use of five alpha-hydroxy acids (citric, tartaric, mandelic, lactic and glycolic acids) as catalysts in the synthesis of terpineol from alpha-pinene. The study found that the hydration rate of pinene was slow when only catalyzed by alpha-hydroxyl acids. Ternary composite catalysts, composed of AHAs, phosphoric acid, and acetic acid, had a good catalytic performance. The reaction step was hydrolysis of the intermediate terpinyl acetate, which yielded terpineol. The optimal reaction conditions were as follows: alpha-pinene, acetic acid, water, citric acid, and phosphoric acid, at a mass ratio of 1:2.5:1:(0.1-0.05):0.05, a reaction temperature of 70 °C, and a reaction time of 12-15 h. The conversion of alpha-pinene was 96%, the content of alpha-terpineol was 46.9%, and the selectivity of alpha-terpineol was 48.1%. In addition, the catalytic performance of monolayer graphene oxide and its composite catalyst with citric acid was studied, with acetic acid used as an additive.

Age-specific clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic analysis of neuroendocrine carcinomas of the gallbladder.

BACKGROUND: We have limited information about neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the gallbladder. The purpose of this paper is to compare clinical and pathological features between different age groups and prognostic factors for gallbladder NEC and how it differs from adenocarcinoma (ADC) of the gallbladder. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study included 28 gallbladder NEC patients and 137 ADC patients whose clinical characteristics and pathological findings were retrospectively collected. Propensity score matching and Cox regression analysis were used for the analysis of prognostic factors. RESULTS: We divided NEC patients into two groups based on the age more than or less than 60 years. Most of the NEC patients less than 60 years old complained of abdominal pain or discomfort (p = 0.038), and more younger patients accepted adjuvant therapy (p = 0.020) than older patients did. CD56 was positive in all patients more than 60 years old, which is significantly higher than that of younger patients (p = 0.039). The mean age was similar between NEC and ADC patients. After eliminating confounding factors between NEC and ADC patients, the overall survival rates were still lower in NEC patients. Univariate analysis extracted six possible risk factors. Multivariate analysis indicated that surgery type, tumor size, and existence of gallstones were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: The overall survival of gallbladder NEC is not associated with age. In this study, surgical method and tumor size were found to be independent risk factors for NECs. In addition, NEC patients have a worse prognosis than ADC patients with similar clinical and pathological features.

Surgical methods of treatment for cholecystolithiasis combined with choledocholithiasis: six years' experience of a single institution.

INTRODUCTION: The optimal treatment of choledocholithiasis combined with cholecystolithiasis remains controversial. Common surgical methods vary among endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), laparoscopic transcystic common bile duct exploration (LTCBDE), laparoscopic transductal common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) with or without T-tube drainage. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of surgical methods and to determine the appropriate procedure for patients with cholecystolithiasis combined with choledocholithiasis. METHODS: From January 2013 to January 2019, a total of 1555 consecutive patients diagnosed with cholecystolithiasis combined with choledocholithiasis who underwent surgical treatment in Tongji Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Total 521 patients with intrahepatic bile duct stones underwent LC + LCBDE + T-Tube were excluded from the analysis. At last, 1034 patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into three groups according to their surgical methods: preoperative ERCP + subsequent LC (ERCP + LC group, n = 275), LC + LCBDE + intraoperative endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD) + primary duct closure (Tri-scope group, n = 479) and LC + laparoscopic transcystic CBD exploration (LTCBDE group, n = 280). Clinical records, operative findings and postoperative follow-up were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: There was no mortality in three groups. Common bile duct (CBD) stone clearance rate was 97.5% in ERCP + LC group, 98.7% in Tri-scope group, and 99.3% in LTCBDE group. There were no difference in terms of demographic characteristics, biochemistry findings and presentations, but the Tri-scope group had the biggest diameter and amount of stones and diameter of CBD, the LTCBDE group had the least CBD stones and the biggest diameter of cystic gall duct (CGD). ERCP + LC group have the longest hospital stay (14.16 ± 3.88 days vs 6.92 ± 1.71 days vs 10.74 ± 5.30 days, P < 0.05), also has the longest operative time than others (126.08 ± 42.79 min vs 92.31 ± 10.26 min, 99.09 ± 8.46 min, P < 0.05). Compared to ERCP + LC group, LTCBDE group and Tri-scope group had lower postoperation-leukocyte, shorter surgery duration and hospital stay (P < 0.05). Compared to the Tri-scope group, the LTCBDE group had the shorter hospital stay, extubation time and operation time and less intraoperative bleeding. There were less postoperative complications in LTCBDE group (1.1%) compared to the ERCP + LC group (3.6%) and Tri-scope group (2.2%). Follow-up time was 6 to 72 months. Four patients in ERCP + LC group and 5 in Tri-scope group reported recurrent stones. CONCLUSION: All the three surgical methods are safe and effective. Tri-scope approach and LTCBDE approach have superiority to preoperative ERCP + LC. LC + LTCBDE shows priority over Tri-scope approach, but should be performed in selected patients. LC + LCBDE + T-Tube can be an alternative management if the other three procedures were failed. The surgeons should choose the most appropriate surgical procedure according to the preoperative examination results and intraoperative situation.

Research progress in gene editing technology.

As a tool for modifying the genome, gene editing technology has developed rapidly in recent years, especially in the past two years. With the emergence of new gene editing technologies, such as transposon editing tools, numerous advancements have been made including precise editing of the genome, double base editing, and pilot editing. This report focuses on the development of gene editing tools in recent years, elaborates the progress made in classic editing tools, base editor and other new editing tools, and provides insights into challenges and opportunities.

Potential Genes and Mechanisms Linking Intracerebral Hemorrhage and Depression: A Bioinformatics-Based Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential pathogenic mechanisms of post-intracerebral hemorrhage depression. METHODS: Profiles of gene expression in brain tissue of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) or depression were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for the two diseases separately. With these DEGs, we conducted an enrichment analysis based on Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) as well as cross-talk analysis, then we identified hub bridge genes using integrated bridge landscape analysis. RESULTS: We found 131 DEGs for interaction between ICH and depression. In the enrichment analysis, we found 55 GO terms and KEGG pathways involving interacting genes of ICH and depression, and 10 GO terms and 10 KEGG pathways most significantly related to cross-talk between ICH and depression. In the integrated bridge landscape analysis, we identified 20 hub bridge genes. In further analysis, we found that hub bridge genes HLA-A, HMOX1, and JUN related to endocytosis, cell adhesion, and phagosomes may exert their effects through the dopamine (DA) system and the serotonergic pathway post-ICH depression. HLA-A may play a role in the occurrence and development of ICH and depression through immune mediation and cell adhesion. HMOX1 and JUN may participate in the mechanism by interacting with HLA-A. CONCLUSION: Through bioinformatics analysis, we identified potential hub bridge genes and pathways related to post-ICH depression. Our study provides references for further research on mechanisms on the pathogenesis of post-ICH depression.

Cardiometabolic diseases, frailty, and healthcare utilization and expenditure in community-dwelling Chinese older adults.

This study investigated associations between cardiometabolic diseases, frailty, and healthcare utilization and expenditure among Chinese older adults. The participants were 5204 community-dwelling adults aged at least 60 years from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Five cardiometabolic diseases were assessed including hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, cardiac diseases and stroke. Frailty status was based on five criteria: slowness, weakness, exhaustion, inactivity, and shrinking. Participants were deemed frailty if they met at least three criteria. As the number of cardiometabolic diseases increased, so did the prevalence of frailty, and the proportion of healthcare utilization, including outpatient visit and inpatient visit. Moreover, the total healthcare expenditure and the odds of catastrophic health expenditure were increased with the number of cardiometabolic disorders. After adjusting for covariates, cardiometabolic diseases were positively associated with higher odds of frailty, incurring outpatient and inpatient visit. And individuals with 2 or more cardiometabolic diseases had a higher odds of catastrophic health expenditure than persons with non-cardiometabolic disease. Participants who were frailty were more likely to report higher odds of healthcare utilization. These findings suggest that both cardiometabolic diseases and frailty assessment may improve identification of older adults likely to require costly, extensive healthcare.

Novel Wx alleles generated by base editing for improvement of rice grain quality.

Amylose content (AC), which is regulated by the Waxy (Wx) gene, is a major indicator of eating and cooking quality (ECQ) in rice (Oryza sativa). Thus far, only a limited number of mutations in the N-terminal domain of Wx were found to have a major impact on the AC of rice grains and no mutations with such effects were reported for other regions of the Wx protein. Here, nucleotide substitutions in the middle region of Wx were generated by adenine and cytosine base editors. The nucleotide substitutions led to changes in 15 amino acid residues of Wx, and a series of novel Wx alleles with ACs of 0.3%-29.43% (wild type with AC of 19.87%) were obtained. Importantly, the waxyabe2 allele showed a "soft rice" AC, improved ECQ, favorable appearance, and no undesirable agronomic traits. The transgenes were removed from the waxyabe2 progeny, generating a promising breeding material for improving rice grain quality.

Inequality amplifies the negative association between life expectancy and air pollution: A cross-national longitudinal study.

Ambient air pollution, in the form of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), poses serious population health risks. We estimate cross-national longitudinal models to test whether the negative relationship between life expectancy and PM2.5 concentration is larger in nations with higher levels of income inequality. The dependent variable is average life expectancy at birth, and the focal predictor variables include PM2.5 concentration, income inequality, and the two-way interaction between them. We also estimate the average marginal effects of PM2.5 concentration from low to high values of income inequality, and the predicted values of life expectancy from low to high values of PM2.5 concentration and income inequality. Results indicate that the negative relationship between life expectancy and PM2.5 concentration is larger in nations with higher levels of income inequality, and the reductions in predicted life expectancy are substantial when both PM2.5 concentration and income inequality are high. We suggest that the theoretical principles of Power, Proximity, and Physiology help explain our findings. This study underscores the importance in considering the multiplicative impacts of environmental conditions and socioeconomic factors in the modeling of population health.

The strength of green ties: Massachusetts cranberry grower social networks and effects on climate change attitudes and action.

The cranberry, a commodity of social, cultural, and economic importance to New England, is under threat due to climatic change in this region of the United States. Yet, previous research reveals that cranberry growers have mixed attitudes about the anthropogenic roots of climate change, with many being skeptical. Building on the researchers' analysis of the personal and ecological conditions that affect climate change attitudes among cranberry growers, this paper examines the effect that key actors in the growers' social networks have on those attitudes. Through statistical analysis of survey data and content analysis of two important cranberry newsletters, the paper finds that cranberry growers' perceived importance of two key cranberry growing institutions, the "sociopolitically focused" Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association and the "technically focused" University of Massachusetts Cranberry Station, as well as connections to other cranberry growers, is associated in nuanced ways with growers' climate change attitudes. Drawing on the sociological theory of "social capital," the paper examines how these social ties to key actors/institutions may result in greater threat perception or worry about climate change. It then considers how "green ties," if harnessed and supported by these important actors in the cranberry grower network, might significantly mitigate climate change in the future.

The multiplicative impacts of working hours and fine particulate matter concentration on life expectancy: A longitudinal analysis of US States.

This study contributes to interdisciplinary research on the social and environmental determinants of population health, with a focus on the interaction between working hours and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration. The authors estimate longitudinal models of the relationship between US state-level average life expectancy and both average working hours and PM2.5 concentration for the 2005-2014 period. Results obtained from two-way fixed effects models indicate that average life expectancy is negatively associated with both average working hours and fine particulate matter concentration. Findings also indicate clear moderating relationships: the negative association between life expectancy and working hours is amplified as PM2.5 concentration increases, and the negative relationship between life expectancy and fine particulate matter concentration is amplified when average working hours increase. The results of this study underscore the need for additional research on the multiplicative impacts of socioeconomic factors and environmental factors in the modeling of population health.

Biodistribution and acute toxicity of cadmium-free quantum dots with different surface functional groups in mice following intratracheal inhalation.

Indium phosphide/zinc sulfate (InP/ZnS) quantum dots (QDs) are presumed to be less hazardous than those that contain cadmium. However, the toxicological profile has not been established. The present study investigated the acute toxicity of InP/ZnS QDs with different surface modifications (COOH, NH2, and OH) in mice after pulmonary aerosol inhalation. InP/ZnS QDs were able to pass through the blood-gas barrier and enter the circulation, and subsequently accumulated in major organs. No obvious changes were observed in the body weight or major organ coefficients. Red blood cell counts and platelet-related indicators were in the normal range, but the proportion of white blood cells was altered. The InP/ZnS QDs caused varying degrees of changes in some serum markers, but no histopathological abnormalities related to InP/ZnS QDs treatment was observed in major organs except that hyperemia in alveolar septa was found in lung sections. These results suggested that the effects of respiratory exposure to InP/ZnS QDs on the lungs need to be fully considered in future biomedical application although the overall toxicity of quantum dots is relatively low.