Maintaining moderate levels of hypochlorous acid promotes neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation in the recovery phase of stroke.

JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202503000-00029/figure1/v/2024-06-17T092413Z/r/image-tiff It has been shown clinically that continuous removal of ischemia/reperfusion-induced reactive oxygen species is not conducive to the recovery of late stroke. Indeed, previous studies have shown that excessive increases in hypochlorous acid after stroke can cause severe damage to brain tissue. Our previous studies have found that a small amount of hypochlorous acid still exists in the later stage of stroke, but its specific role and mechanism are currently unclear. To simulate stroke in vivo, a middle cerebral artery occlusion rat model was established, with an oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation model established in vitro to mimic stroke. We found that in the early stage (within 24 hours) of ischemic stroke, neutrophils produced a large amount of hypochlorous acid, while in the recovery phase (10 days after stroke), microglia were activated and produced a small amount of hypochlorous acid. Further, in acute stroke in rats, hypochlorous acid production was prevented using a hypochlorous acid scavenger, taurine, or myeloperoxidase inhibitor, 4-aminobenzoic acid hydrazide. Our results showed that high levels of hypochlorous acid (200 µM) induced neuronal apoptosis after oxygen/glucose deprivation/reoxygenation. However, in the recovery phase of the middle cerebral artery occlusion model, a moderate level of hypochlorous acid promoted the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons and astrocytes. This suggests that hypochlorous acid plays different roles at different phases of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Lower levels of hypochlorous acid (5 and 100 µM) promoted nuclear translocation of ß-catenin. By transfection of single-site mutation plasmids, we found that hypochlorous acid induced chlorination of the ß-catenin tyrosine 30 residue, which promoted nuclear translocation. Altogether, our study indicates that maintaining low levels of hypochlorous acid plays a key role in the recovery of neurological function.

Probabilistic risk assessment of dietary exposure to benzophenone derivatives in cereals in Taiwan.

Benzophenone (BP) and BP derivatives (BPDs) are widely used as ultraviolet (UV) stabilizers in food packaging materials and as photoinitiators in UV-curable inks for printing on food-contact materials. However, our knowledge regarding the sources and risks of dietary exposure to BP and BPDs in cereals remains limited, which prompted us to conduct this study. We measured the levels of BP and nine BPDs-BP-1, BP-2, BP-3, BP-8, 2-hydroxybenzophenone, 4-hydroxybenzophenone, 4-methylbenzophenone (4-MBP), methyl-2-benzoylbenzoate, and 4-benzoylbiphenyl-in three types of cereals (rice flour, oatmeal, and cornflakes; 180 samples in total). A Bayesian Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MC) simulation approach was used for deriving the posterior distributions of BP and BPD residues. This approach helped in addressing the uncertainty in probabilistic distribution for the sampled data under the detection limit. Through an MC simulation, we calculated the daily exposure levels of dietary BP and BPDs and corresponding health risks. The results revealed the ubiquitous presence of BP, BP-3, and 4-MBP in cereals. Older adults (aged >65 years) had the highest (97.5 percentile) lifetime carcinogenic risk for BP exposure through cereals (9.41 × 10-7), whereas children aged 0-3 years had the highest (97.5 percentile) hazard indices for BPD exposure through cereals (2.5 × 10-2). Nevertheless, across age groups, the lifetime carcinogenic risks of BP exposure through cereals were acceptable, and the hazard indices for BPD exposure through cereals were <1. Therefore, BPD exposure through cereals may not be a health concern for individuals in Taiwan.

Heterogeneous hydrochlorination of lipids mediated by fatty acids in an indoor environment.

Fatty acids from cooking fumes and hypochlorous acid (HOCl) released from indoor cleaning adversely affect respiratory health, but the molecular-level mechanism remains unclear. Here, the effect of cooking oil fumes [palmitic acid (PA), oleic acid (OA), and linoleic acid (LA)] on lung model phospholipid (POPG) hydrochlorination mediated by HOCl at the air-water interface of the hanged droplets was investigated. Interfacial hydrochlorination of POPG was impeded by OA and LA, while that of POPG was facilitated by PA. The effect on POPG hydrochlorination increased with the decrease in oil fume concentration. A potential mechanism with respect to the chain length of these oil fumes, regardless of their saturation, was proposed. PA with a short carbon chain looses the POPG packing and leads to the exposure of the C=C double bonds of POPG, whereas OA and LA with a long carbon chain hinder HOCl from reaching the C=C bonds of POPG. These results for short chain and low concentration dependence suggest that the decay of oil fumes or the conversion of short-chain species by indoor interfacial chemistry might be adverse to lung health. These results provide insights into the relationship between indoor multicomponent pollutants and the respiratory system.

Spontaneous Degradation of the "Forever Chemicals" Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) on Water Droplet Surfaces.

Because of their innate chemical stability, the ubiquitous perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been dubbed "forever chemicals" and have attracted considerable attention. However, their stability under environmental conditions has not been widely verified. Herein, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a widely used and detected PFAS, was found to be spontaneously degraded in aqueous microdroplets under room temperature and atmospheric pressure conditions. This unexpected fast degradation occurred via a unique multicycle redox reaction of PFOA with interfacial reactive species on the droplet surface. Similar degradation was observed for other PFASs. This study extends the current understanding of the environmental fate and chemistry of PFASs and provides insight into aid in the development of effective methods for removing PFASs.

Determination of amino acid metabolic diseases from dried blood spots with a rapid extraction method coupled with nanoelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

In this work, a rapid extraction method of methanol/water (95:5 v/v) with 0.1% formic acid was developed for extraction of amino acids from dried blood spots (DBS) for inherited metabolic diseases (IMDs). The combination of this extraction procedure with nanoelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry (nESI-MS) was used for the rapid analysis of amino acids. This approach with eliminating the chromatographic separation required only 2 min for the extraction of amino acids from DBS, which simplified the configuration and improved the timeliness. Dependence of the sensitivity on the operating parameters was systematically investigated. The LOD of 91.2-262.5 nmol/L and LOQ of 304-875 nmol/L which were lower than the cut-off values were obtained for amino acids within DBS. The accuracy was determined to be 93.82%-103.07% and the precision was determined to be less than 8.30%. The effectiveness of this method was also compared with the gold standard method (e.g., LC-MS/MS). The desalination mechanism was explored with interference mainly originated from the blood. These findings indicated that the rapid extraction procedure coupled with nESI-MS is capable of screening indicators for IMDs in complex biological samples.

Accurate Clinical Detection of Vitamin D by Mass Spectrometry: A Review.

Vitamin D deficiency is thought to be associated with a wide range of diseases, including diabetes, cancer, depression, neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. This vitamin D deficiency is a global epidemic affecting both developing and developed countries and therefore qualitative and quantitative analysis of vitamin D in a clinical context is essential. Mass spectrometry has played an increasingly important role in the clinical analysis of vitamin D because of its accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and the ability to detect multiple substances at the same time. Despite their many advantages, mass spectrometry-based methods are not without analytical challenges. Front-end and back-end challenges such as protein precipitation, analyte extraction, derivatization, mass spectrometer functionality, must be carefully considered to provide accurate and robust analysis of vitamin D through a well-designed approach with continuous control by internal and external quality control. Therefore, the aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the development of mass spectrometry methods for vitamin D accurate analysis, including emphasis on status markers, deleterious effects of biological matrices, derivatization reactions, effects of ionization sources, contribution of epimers, standardization of assays between laboratories.

Nicotiana alkaloids-intervened phospholipid ozonolysis at the air-water interface.

Cigarette nicotiana alkaloids associated with lung and cardiovascular diseases attack enormous attention. However, the mechanism at the molecular level between nicotiana alkaloids and phospholipid ozonolysis remains elusive. Herein, we investigated the interfacial ozonolysis of a hung droplet containing 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-phosphatidylglycerol (POPG) intervened by nicotiana alkaloids (4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone, NNK; rac-N'-nitrosonornicotine, NNN; nicotine; and (R,S)-N-nitrosoanasabine, NAT) and followed by on-line mass spectrometry analysis. NNK and NNN showed an acceleration on the interfacial ozonolysis, while nicotine and NAT inhibited this chemistry. Such acceleration/inhibition on POPG ozonolysis was positively correlated with nicotiana alkaloid concentrations. The reaction rate constants suggested that the ozonolysis of lung phospholipids exposed to cigarette smoke at the air-water interface occurred rapidly. A possible mechanism of the hydrophilic/oleophilic nature of nicotiana alkaloids mediating the packing density of POPG was proposed. NNK and NNN with a hydrophilic nature inserted into the POPG monolayer loosed the packing, but nicotine and NAT with an oleophilic nature let the POPG closely pack and shield the CC double bonds exposed to ozone (O3). These results gain the knowledge of nicotiana alkaloids mediated phospholipid ozonolysis at the molecule level and provide a method for online interfacial reaction studies associated with elevated indoor pollutants on public health.

Aqueous microdroplets promote C-C bond formation and sequences in the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle.

The reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle (rTCA) is a central anabolic network that uses carbon dioxide (CO2) and may have provided complex carbon substrates for life before the advent of RNA or enzymes. However, non-enzymatic promotion of the rTCA cycle, in particular carbon fixation, remains challenging, even with primordial metal catalysis. Here, we report that the fixation of CO2 by reductive carboxylation of succinate and α-ketoglutarate was achieved in aqueous microdroplets under ambient conditions without the use of catalysts. Under identical conditions, the aqueous microdroplets also facilitated the sequences in the rTCA cycle, including reduction, hydration, dehydration and retro-aldol cleavage and linked with the glyoxylate cycle. These reactions of the rTCA cycle were compatible with the aqueous microdroplets, as demonstrated with two-reaction and four-reaction sequences. A higher selectivity giving higher product yields was also observed. Our results suggest that the microdroplets provide an energetically favourable microenvironment and facilitate a non-enzymatic version of the rTCA cycle in prebiotic carbon anabolism.

DRAGON: Harnessing the power of DNA repair for accelerating genome evolution in Corynebacterium glutamicum.

Hypermutation is a robust phenotype characterized by high elevation of spontaneous mutation rates, which has been shown to facilitate rapid adaptation to the stressful environments by hitchhiking with favorable mutations. Accumulating evidence argues that deficient DNA repair can give rise to hypermutation events in bacteria. Here, we provided a comprehensive survey of DNA repair systems to identify promising targets ensuring high DNA fidelity in Corynebacterium glutamicum. Four effective DNA repair factors, including nucS, tag, xpb, and dinP, were found to be strongly associated with the occurrence of hypermutable phenotypes, and these targets were then engineered to establish a CRISPRi-based all-in-one plasmid system for genome mutagenesis. On the basis of these findings, we presented a novel evolutionary engineering method named "DNA repair-assisted genome evolution (DRAGON)". As a proof-of-concept, DRAGON strategy was successfully applied to facilitate rapid acquisition of microbial robustness in C. glutamicum, such as increased tolerances towards kanamycin, acidic pH and high L-serine, showing its promise and potential for rapid strain improvement. Overall, our study will offer new insights into the understanding of DNA repair and evolutionary adaptation in C. glutamicum.

Accumulation degree and risk assessment of metals in street dust from a developing city in Central Taiwan.

Due to the numerous industrial parks and high traffic density in Miaoli, Taiwan, large amounts of metals may be released into the atmosphere, accumulating in street dust. Therefore, this study aimed to collect street dust in Miaoli to quantify the metals and assess the accumulation degree, sources, and potential risks. The enrichment factor (EF), geological accumulation index (Igeo), ecological risk, and non-carcinogenic and lifetime carcinogenic risk were estimated to assess the accumulation degree and the potential environmental and health risks. Pearson correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and positive matrix factor model were used to clarify the relationship between levels of metals and identify possible sources. The levels of metals in street dust in order were Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb > Sr > Co > Sb. According to Igeo, the level of Ni indicated moderately polluted. The levels of Zn, Cu, and Pb showed moderate to strong pollution, strong pollution, and very strong pollution, respectively. Results of average ecological risk analysis pointed out that Pb and Cu represent a very high risk, while other metals posed low-to moderate-level ecological risks. Excluding the Steel Enterprise area, based on the EF value and source identification, it might be concluded that Co, Sr, Fe, Mn, and Sb were mainly from natural sources, while Cu, Pb, and Zn come from anthropogenic pollution sources. Based on the results of the risk assessments, most metals pose no serious adverse health risk to humans. But, in comparison to Miaoli townships, the health risks of residents living in the Steel Enterprise area were higher. However, given that children and adolescents exposure to Co, Cr, Pb, and Ni together constitute a relatively higher carcinogenic risk (CR > 10-6), more attention needs to be paid to the populations most susceptible.

Microplastics in coastal farmed oyster (Crassostrea angulata) shells: Abundance, characteristics, and diversity.

One of the most concerning emerging pollutants is microplastics (MPs), which can infiltrate soft tissues of organisms by ingestion, adhesion, and fusing and may even become embedded in biominerals. However, very little evidence is available about MPs in biominerals found in the wild. This study detected the abundance and characteristics of MPs in the shells of farmed oysters (Crassostrea angulata) off the coast of Taiwan and discussed the distribution, accumulation, and diversity in the oyster shells. The results showed that MPs were ubiquitous in oyster shells, with an average abundance of 0.70 ± 0.40 MPs/g. MPs abundance was significantly (p < 0.01) higher in small oyster shells (shell length < 6.5 cm, weight 5-10 g) and inorganic (CaCO3) fraction (HCl digestion) than in large oyster shells (>6.5 cm, 10-25 g) and an organic fraction (H2O2 digestion), respectively. However, there was no significant difference in MPs abundance between the top and bottom shells (p > 0.05). MPs with a size <2 mm accounted for 78.5 %, fibrous MPs for 93.7 %, and rayon for 89.5 %. The MPs diversity integrated index (MPDII) in oyster shells was low (0.27), and the small and fibrous MPs seemed more easily embedded in biominerals. The findings confirm the presence of MPs in oyster shells in coastal environments. In addition, oyster shells may contain higher amounts of MPs than soft tissues 4-5 times, which needs to be confirmed. Further revealing the distribution and accumulation of MPs in water/terrestrial biominerals will help to understand the fate of MPs in the environment.

Microplastics in coral reef sediments underestimated? They may hide in biominerals.

Microplastics (MPs) may be underestimated in coral reef sediments. Current pretreatments for determining MPs in the sediments are mainly density separation and organic matter removal, ignoring MPs that may be embedded or encrusted in biominerals. This could lead to discrepancies in assessing the potential risk of MPs contamination. To confirm whether MPs in coral reef sediments are underestimated, a two-step sequential digestion, including organic matter removal (H2O2 digestion) and biomineral removal (HCl digestion), was performed on sediments from the coral reef area of the South Penghu Marine National Park (SPMNP, Taiwan). The MPs abundance and characteristics of the two steps were analyzed separately. The results showed that the average MPs abundance after HCl digestion (78 ± 42 MPs/kg) was significantly higher than that of H2O2 digestion (38 ± 25 MPs/kg). The MPs diversity integrated index (MPDII) in coral reef sediments was low (MPDII = 0.35), and MPs were mainly small (<2.0 mm, 91.3 %), fibrous (93.5 %), colored (60.9 %), and rayon polymers (73.9 %). Correlation analysis showed that MPs in biominerals mainly dominated MPs in the sediments. These results confirm that current assessments of MPs contamination levels in biomineral-rich sediments may be underestimated and uncertain. In addition, the mineralization of organisms in SPMNP reef regions was affected by MPs from moderate to high levels, depending on the proportion of MPs in biominerals.

Comprehensive assessment of metals and organic pollutants in pelagic fishing port sediments.

Fishing ports are among the environments that accumulate pollutants along the coast but often lack environmental data and scientific research. This study investigated 8 metals, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 10 phthalate esters (APs), and 2 alkylphenols (APs) in the surface sediments of Qianzhen Fishing Port, the largest pelagic fishing port in Taiwan. Indicator compounds, pollution hotspots, potential ecological risk levels, and pollution sources were evaluated. Results showed that copper, zinc, and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in surface sediments were pollution indicators posing potential toxicological risks. Metals and PAHs in sediments were mainly from ship-related sources, while PAEs and APs were related to dockland activities. Combining metal and organic pollutants, the sediments had a moderate potential ecological risk, with metals higher than organic pollutants. Cluster analysis and color geographic map of risks indicate sediment pollution hotspots and areas requiring immediate intervention. In the future, sustainable operation and management can be carried out by using metal-free antifouling paint, improving sewage treatment rate, and regular environmental dredging of fishing port.

A novel pollution index to assess the metal bioavailability and ecological risks in sediments.

The chemical forms of metals in sediments of ports around Taiwan were investigated using sequential extraction. Based on the availability of different chemical forms, novel indices such as bioavailability, mobility, availability, and availability risk of metals in sediments were developed. The results showed that Co, Zn, Pb, Mn, and Cu were mainly present in available forms (49-84 %), and the proportion of oxidative or reductive fractionation was the highest. This suggests that the redox potential is a major factor for metal mobility in the sediments. The results from the proposed indexes showed that metals in sediments have low bioavailability but high to very high mobility and availability. Primarily, the proposed index is more appropriate, as the current index for assessing total metal content may overestimate the level of risk. The indexes established can comprehensively evaluate the bioavailability, mobility, availability, and ecological risk of metals in sediments.

Reaction acceleration in microdroplet mass spectrometry: Inlet capillary and solvent composition effects.

RATIONALE: Microdroplet chemistry has attracted tremendous interest in recent years. We have previously reported that microdroplet mass spectrometry (MS) achieves reaction acceleration. Here we systematically investigated the effect of capillary heating of MS inlet and solvent polarity of microdroplets on the conversion ratios of dehydration and phosphorylation reactions. METHODS: The micron-sized droplets generated by high-speed gas encapsulated the compounds. The conversion ratios of dehydration and phosphorylation reactions were investigated at different capillary temperatures of MS inlet between 30°C and 300°C. Subsequently, the effects of solvent polarity of different microdroplets (acetonitrile, acetonitrile/water [v/v: 9:1], and water) on microdroplet reactions were investigated. RESULTS: The microdroplets could be used as reaction vessels for rapid dehydration and phosphorylation reactions. Microdroplet MS is characterized by the completion of the reaction in microseconds. The increase in capillary temperature increased the conversion ratio of dehydration reactions but had little effect on phosphorylation reactions. The stability of compounds supports this phenomenon. In addition, the increase in solvent polarity in microdroplets promoted the dehydration reaction but inhibited the nucleophilic substitution reaction (phosphorylation reaction). CONCLUSIONS: Microdroplet MS achieved an acceleration of the reaction, which was attributed to capillary temperature, microdroplet solvents, and the stability of reaction products. This finding suggested that the inlet capillary and solvent system should be considered in the study and interpretation of microdroplet MS.

Interfacial Extraction to Trap and Characterize the Criegee Intermediates from Phospholipid Ozonolysis.

Criegee intermediates (CIs) play a significant role in cell membrane peroxidation, but their identification remains elusive at the molecular level. Herein, we combined interfacial extraction and sonic spray ionization mass spectrometry to study the oxidation reaction of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol) (POPG) mediated by ozone (O3) at/near the surface of a hung water droplet. On-line interfacial extraction and ionization provided a snapshot of the short-lived CIs. Experiments in which the content of water was varied provided evidence for the formation of CIs, which has not been previously observed. Capture experiments using 5,5-dimethyl-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) indicated that CIs could be selectively characterized, and the extracted ion current (EICs) of CIs vs DMPO-CI adducts further confirmed the successful observation of CIs. Theoretical calculation suggested that surface ozonolysis of POPG was mainly mediated by anti-CI. These results open a new route for aqueous surface reactive species identification, and benefit toward the understanding of disease development associated with cell oxidative stress mediated by CIs.

Abiotic synthesis with plausible emergence for primitive phospholipid in aqueous microdroplets.

Phospholipids are the protective layer of modern cells, but it is challenging for the formation of phospholipids that require a simple abiotic synthesis before the advent of primitive cells. Here, we reported the abiotic synthesis for lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs) with prebiotically plausible reactants in aqueous microdroplets under ambient conditions. The LPAs formation is carried out by fusing two microdroplets streams: one contains glycerol and pyrophosphate in water and the other one contains fatty acids in acetonitrile. Compared with the bulk solution, LPAs were generated in microdroplets without the addition of catalyst and heating. Conditions of reactant concentrations and microdroplet size varied and suggested that LPAs formation occurred near or at the microdroplet surface. The LPAs formation also showed chemoselective toward on chain-length of fatty acids. Finally, the formation of LPAs underwent two-step reactions with glycerol phosphorylation eliminating one water molecule followed by esterification with fatty acids. These results also implicated that pyrophosphate functioned as both catalysts and precursors in prebiotic LPAs synthesis. The approach using fusion aqueous microdroplets has desirable features in studying the substance exchange and interaction in atmosphere.

Ischemic accumulation of succinate induces Cdc42 succinylation and inhibits neural stem cell proliferation after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion.

Ischemic accumulation of succinate causes cerebral damage by excess production of reactive oxygen species. However, it is unknown whether ischemic accumulation of succinate affects neural stem cell proliferation. In this study, we established a rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. We found that succinate levels increased in serum and brain tissue (cortex and hippocampus) after ischemia/reperfusion injury. Oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation stimulated primary neural stem cells to produce abundant succinate. Succinate can be converted into diethyl succinate in cells. Exogenous diethyl succinate inhibited the proliferation of mouse-derived C17.2 neural stem cells and increased the infarct volume in the rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Exogenous diethyl succinate also increased the succinylation of the Rho family GTPase Cdc42 but repressed Cdc42 GTPase activity in C17.2 cells. Increasing Cdc42 succinylation by knockdown of the desuccinylase Sirt5 also inhibited Cdc42 GTPase activity in C17.2 cells. Our findings suggest that ischemic accumulation of succinate decreases Cdc42 GTPase activity by induction of Cdc42 succinylation, which inhibits the proliferation of neural stem cells and aggravates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Lung Involvement: A Comprehensive Review.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease with multiorgan manifestations, including pleuropulmonary involvement (20-90%). The precise mechanism of pleuropulmonary involvement in SLE is not well-understood; however, systemic type 1 interferons, circulating immune complexes, and neutrophils seem to play essential roles. There are eight types of pleuropulmonary involvement: lupus pleuritis, pleural effusion, acute lupus pneumonitis, shrinking lung syndrome, interstitial lung disease, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH), pulmonary arterial hypertension, and pulmonary embolism. DAH has a high mortality rate (68-75%). The diagnostic tools for pleuropulmonary involvement in SLE include chest X-ray (CXR), computed tomography (CT), pulmonary function tests (PFT), bronchoalveolar lavage, biopsy, technetium-99m hexamethylprophylene amine oxime perfusion scan, and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. An approach for detecting pleuropulmonary involvement in SLE includes high-resolution CT, CXR, and PFT. Little is known about specific therapies for pleuropulmonary involvement in SLE. However, immunosuppressive therapies such as corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide are generally used. Rituximab has also been successfully used in three of the eight pleuropulmonary involvement forms: lupus pleuritis, acute lupus pneumonitis, and shrinking lung syndrome. Pleuropulmonary manifestations are part of the clinical criteria for SLE diagnosis. However, no review article has focused on the involvement of pleuropulmonary disease in SLE. Therefore, this article summarizes the literature on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of pleuropulmonary involvement in SLE.

Comparing the applicability of ecological risk indices of metals based on PCA-APCS-MLR receptor models for ports surface sediments.

This study collected surface sediments from seven ports in Taiwan and analyzed their characteristics along with 10 metals. Enrichment factor (EF), relative EF (REF), potential ecological risk index (PERI), and mean effect range median quotient (m-ERM-q) were used to evaluate the levels of metal contamination and ecological risks in sediments. Principal component analysis (PCA) and the absolute principal component score-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) model were applied to quantify the main factors affecting the variations in sediment metals. The different normalization techniques that vary between indexes significantly affect the estimates of risk levels for sediment metals. APCS-MLR model confirmed the significant difference among the sediment quality indices in the degree of anthropogenic pollution, ranging in the order of REF (normalized with reference site and Fe, 97.0 %), PERI (normalized with reference site, 85.5 %), EF (normalized with crust and Fe, 79.4 %), and m-ERM-q (not normalized, 56.6 %).