[Research progress on mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine intervention in angiogenesis in prevention and treatment of nontraumatic avascular necrosis of femoral head].

Nontraumatic avascular necrosis of the femoral head(NANFH) is a common and refractory femoral head disease that causes bone death due to interruption of blood supply. Early clinical symptoms are atypical, such as hip pain and limited joint function. In the late stage, severe pain, shortening of the affected limb, claudication, and other serious symptoms are common, which se-riously affects the quality of life of patients. Therefore, it is of great significance to actively improve the clinical symptoms of NANFH to enhance the quality of life of patients. The pathogenesis of NANFH is complex, such as traumatic vascular circulatory disorders, the use of hormones or other drugs, alcoholism, and diabetes mellitus. These factors directly or indirectly lead to femoral head vascular damage, thrombosis, and coagulation system disorders, which reduce the blood supply to the acetabulum and femoral head, thus causing ischaemic death of the femoral head or even femoral head collapse. NANFH is mainly categorized as "bone impotence" and "bone paralysis" in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). The treatment of NANFH with TCM has the characteristics and advantages of a long history, stable and reliable therapeutic effect, fewer adverse reactions, good patient tolerance, and high acceptance. Previous studies have shown that the promotion of angiogenesis is a key initiative in the prevention and treatment of NANFH, and TCM can promote fe-moral head angiogenesis by interfering with the expression of angiogenesis-related factors, which in turn can help to restore the blood supply of the femoral head and thus improve clinical symptoms of NANFH and prevent and treat NANFH. This article described the roles of blood supply interruption and angiogenesis in NANFH and the accumulated knowledge and experience of TCM in NANFH and summarized the role of angiogenesis-related factors in NANFH and the research progress on TCM intervention, so as to provide an idea for the subsequent research and a new basis for the clinical application of TCM in the treatment of NANFH.

Bioaccessibility and bioavailability of NPAHs in soils using in vitro-in vivo assays: Comparison of laboratory and outdoor environmental aging effect.

Aging process is one of the most important factors that markedly reduces bioaccessibility and bioavailability (bioac-bioav) of organic contaminants. However, only few data on comparison of the effects of laboratory artificial aging (LAA) and outdoor environmental aging (OEA) processes on nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) bioac-bioav are available. In the current study, oral bioac-bioav of NPAHs in LAA and OEA soils (aging time intervals: 0, 45, 90, 120 and 150 d) were measured by in vitro traditional Fed ORganic Estimation human Simulation Test (FOREhST) and Tenax improved FOREhST (TI-FOREhST) methods, and in vivo mouse model. Tenax significantly increased the bioaccessibility of NPAHs in freshly spiked and aging soils from 0.3-40.9 % to 15.6-95.3 %, and 0.3-40.9 % to 1.0-84.5 %, respectively. Aging significantly reduced the NPAHs bioaccessibility (from 36.5 % to 10.7 %, and 12.1 % to 5.1 % as measured by FOREhST and TI-FOREhST, respectively) and bioavailability (from 27.7 % to 9.9 %, as measured by mouse model). The changes in bioac-bioav were mainly observed within the first 120 d of aging. The statistical analyses of NPAHs bioac-bioav showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) among the aging time intervals in LAA and OEA soils, which demonstrated that the LAA can relatively represent the OEA. Determination of TOC content in LAA and OEA soil can intuitively reflect whether the difference of NPAHs bioac-bioav between two aging treatment groups is significant. The mean bioaccessibility of NPAHs in soil measured by TI-FOREhST (mean 20.6 %) is closer to the bioavailability measured by mouse model (mean 19.4 %), indicating that Tenax improved in vitro method is more reliable than traditional methods, to predict the bioavailability of NPAHs.

Effects of Cinnamomum camphora Leaves Extracts-Flocculants Composite Algaecide on Microcystis aeruginosa Growth and Microcystins Release.

In this study, a composite algaecide containing flocculants and Cinnamomum. camphora leaves extracts (CCCLE) were synthesized. The inhibition and flocculation effects on Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) were investigated, and the release of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) was determined. Results showed that the CCLEC composite algaecide was effective for the inhibition and flocculation of M. aeruginosa, and the optimal dose of CCLEC composite algaecide was 1.8%, which resulted in an algae inhibition ratio of 98.00% and a flocculation efficiency of 99.44% within 5 days of M. aeruginosa culturing. Besides, the total amount of MC-LR decreased by 80.04% on day 20 compared with the control group, while the concentration of intracellular MC-LR on day 5 was 36.69 µg L-1, which was related to a portion of cells underwent apoptosis-like cell death under CCLEC composite algaecide stress. The results of this study may improve our understanding of the M. aeruginosa control by CCCLE composite algaecide.

Combined proteomics and transcriptomics reveal the genetic basis underlying the differentiation of skin appendages and immunity in pangolin.

Pangolin (Mains javanica) is an interesting endangered mammal with special morphological characteristics. Here, we applied proteomics and transcriptomics to explore the differentiation of pangolin skin appendages at two developmental stages and to compare gene expression profiles between abdomen hair and dorsal scale tissues. We identified 4,311 genes and 91 proteins differentially expressed between scale-type and hair-type tissue, of which 6 genes were shared by the transcriptome and proteome. Differentiation altered the abundance of hundreds of proteins and mRNA in the two types of skin appendages, many of which are involved in keratinocyte differentiation, epidermal cell differentiation, and multicellular organism development based on GO enrichment analysis, and FoxO, MAPK, and p53 signalling pathways based on KEGG enrichment analysis. DEGs in scale-type tissues were also significantly enriched in immune-related terms and pathways compared with that in hair-type tissues. Thus, we propose that pangolins have a normal skin innate immune system. Compared with the abdomen, the back skin of pangolins had more genes involved in the regulation of immune function, which may be an adaptive adjustment for the vulnerability of scaly skin to infection and injury. This investigation provides a scientific basis for the study of development and immunity of pangolin skin, which may be helpful in the protection of wild pangolin in China.

Transcriptome analysis reveals the genetic basis underlying the development of skin appendages and immunity in hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris).

The expression of hair features is an evolutionary adaptation resulting from interactions between many organisms and their environment. Elucidation of the mechanisms that underlie the expression of such traits is a topic in evolutionary biology research. Therefore, we assessed the de novo transcriptome of Atelerix albiventris at three developmental stages and compared gene expression profiles between abdomen hair and dorsal spine tissues. We identified 328,576 unigenes in our transcriptome, among which 4,435 were differentially expressed between hair- and spine-type tissues. Dorsal and abdomen skin tissues 5 days after birth were compared and the resulting DEGs were mainly enriched in keratin filament, epithelium cell differentiation, and epidermis development based on GO enrichment analysis, and tight junction, p53, and cell cycle signaling pathways based on KEGG enrichment analysis. MBP8, SFN, Wnt1 and KRT1 gene may involve in the development of hedgehog skin and its appendages. Strikingly, DEGs in hair-type tissues were also significantly enriched in immune-related terms and pathways with hair-type tissues exhibiting more upregulated immune genes than spine-type tissues. Our study provided a list of potential genes involved in skin appendage development and differentiation in A. albiventris, and the candidate genes provided valuable information for further studies of skin appendages.

Infection with SARS-CoV-2 causes abnormal laboratory results of multiple organs in patients.

AIM: To evaluate the clinical value of abnormal laboratory results of multiple organs in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) and to help clinicians perform correct treatment. RESULTS: Elevated neutrophil-to-LYM ratio (NLR), D-dimer(D-D), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-2, interferon-Y, and age were significantly associated with the severity of illness. However, significant and sustained decreases were observed in the LYM subset (p<0.05). D-D, T cell counts, and cytokine levels in severe COVID-19 patients who survived the disease gradually recovered at later time points to levels that were comparable to those of mild cases. Second, D-D increased from 0.5 to 8, and the risk ratio increased from 2.75 to 55, eventually leading to disseminated intravascular coagulation. Moreover, the acute renal function damage occurred earlier than abnormal heart and liver functions (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The degrees of lymphopenia and proinflammatory cytokine storm were higher in severe COVID-19 patients than in mild cases. The degree was associated with the disease severity. Advanced age, NLR, D-D, and cytokine levels may serve as useful prognostic factors for the early identification of severe COVID-19 cases. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were collected from 93 confirmed COVID-19 patients. The samples were examined for lymphocyte (LYM) subsets by flow cytometry and cytokine profiles by specific immunoassays. The receiver operating characteristic curve was applied to determine the best diagnostic thresholds for laboratory results, and principal component analysis was used to screen the major risk factors. The prognostic values were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier curve and univariate and multivariate COX regression models.

The diagnostic and predictive role of NLR, d-NLR and PLR in COVID-19 patients.

AIM: To accumulate evidence that indicated the key role played by virus-triggered inflammation in the 2019-novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which emerged in Wuhan City and rapidly spread throughout China. METHODS: Age, neutrophil(NEU)-to-lymphocyte (LYM) ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte (MON) ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) of 93 patients with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 were investigated and compared. The receiver operating characteristic curve was applied to determine the thresholds for five bio-markers, and their prognostic values were assessed via the Kaplan-Meier curve and multivariate COX regression models. RESULTS: The median age was 46.4 years old, and 37cases were females. A total of 27.8% of patients had been to Wuhan, and 73.1% had contacted with people from Wuhan. Fever (83.8%) and cough (70.9%) were the two most common symptoms. Elevated NLR and age were significantly associated with illness severity. The binary logistic analysis identified elevated NLR (hazard risk [HR] 2.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.98-4.57) and age (HR 2.52, 95% CI 1.65-4.83) as independent factors for poor clinical outcome of COVID-19. NLR exhibited the largest area under the curve at 0.841, with the highest specificity (63.6%) and sensitivity (88%). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated age and NLR can be considered independent biomarkers for indicating poor clinical outcomes.

Study of multi-objective path planning method for vehicles.

To address the problems associated with single-objective path planning, herein, we propose a multi-objective path planning method that takes into account emissions, fuel consumption, and time as travel demands. First, a fuel consumption and emission estimation model, suitable for coupling with a dynamic transportation network, is established, and then, the multi-objective path planning model is presented. In addition, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and gray relational analysis are used to derive relative priorities of each sub-objective according to driver preference. The above two models are combined with an improved Dijkstra algorithm to perform multi-objective path planning based on dynamic time-dependent road conditions. Finally, the method is verified using real-world vehicle experiments on actual roads. Compared to single-objective path planning, the multi-objective planning method meets travel needs and can save time and fuel, thereby providing greater environmental protection while still considering driver preferences.

SMRT sequencing of the full-length transcriptome of the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica).

It is widely known that transcriptional diversity contributes greatly to biological regulation in eukaryotes. With the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, several studies on RNA sequencing have considerably improved our understanding of transcriptome complexity. However, obtaining full-length (FL) transcripts remains a considerable challenge because of difficulties in short read-based assembly. In the present study, single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing and NGS were combined to generate the complete and FL transcriptome of Manis javanica. The results provide a comprehensive set of reference transcripts and hence contribute to the improved annotation of the M. javanica genome. We obtained 45,530 high-confidence transcripts from 19,109 genic loci, of which 8014 genes have not yet been annotated within the M. javanica genome. Furthermore, we revealed 8824 long-chain noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). A total of 30,199 alternative splicing (AS) and 11,184 alternative polyadenylation (APA) events were identified in the sequencing data. The structure and expression level of 59 digestive enzyme genes, including 13 carbohydrase genes, 28 lipase genes and 18 protease genes, were analyzed, which might provide original data for further research on M. javanica.

The Fecal Metagenomics of Malayan Pangolins Identifies an Extensive Adaptation to Myrmecophagy.

The characteristics of flora in the intestine of an animal, including the number and abundance of different microbial species and their functions, are closely related to the diets of the animal and affect the physical condition of the host. The Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica) is an endangered species that specializes in myrmecophagy. Analyzing the microbiome in the intestine of the pangolin is imperative to protect this species. By sequencing the metagenomes of the feces of four pangolins, we constructed a non-redundant catalog of 211,868 genes representing 1,811 metagenomic species. Taxonomic annotation revealed that Bacteroidetes (49.9%), Proteobacteria (32.2%), and Firmicutes (12.6%) are the three main phyla. The annotation of gene functions identified 5,044 genes from 88 different glycoside hydrolase (GH) families in the Carbohydrate-Active enZYmes database and 114 gene modules related to chitin-degrading enzymes, corresponding to the catalytic domains of GH18 family enzymes, containing chitinase genes of classes III and V in the dataset. Fourteen gene modules corresponded to the catalytic domains of GH19 family enzymes, containing chitinase genes of classes I, II, and IV. These genes were found in 37 species belonging to four phyla: Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. Moreover, when the metabolic pathways of these genes were summarized, 41,711 genes were associated with 147 unique KEGG metabolic pathways, and these genes were assigned to two Gene Ontology terms: metabolic process and catalytic activity. We also found several species that likely play roles in the digestion of cellulose and may be able to degrade chitin, including Enterobacter cloacae, Lactococcus lactis, Chitinimonas koreensis, and Chitinophaga pinensis. In addition, we identified some intestinal microflora and genes related to diseases in pangolins. Twenty-seven species were identified by STAMP analysis as differentially abundant in healthy and diseased animals: 20 species, including Cellulosilyticum lentocellum and Lactobacillus reuteri, were more abundant in healthy pangolins, while seven species, including Odoribacter splanchnicus, Marinilabilia salmonicolor, Xanthomonas citri, Xanthomonas vasicola, Oxalobacter formigenes, Prolixibacter bellariivorans, and Clostridium bolteae, were more abundant in diseased pangolins. These results will support the efforts to conserve pangolins.

[Pollution Levels and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals from Atmospheric Deposition in Nanjing].

In order to evaluate the pollution levels of and risk from heavy metals in the atmospheric deposition of different functional urban districts, dust samples were collected from 20 sampling sites in typical industrial, traffic, residential, and educational districts of Nanjing. The concentrations of As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, Ti, V, and Zn were analyzed. The potential ecological risk and health risk were evaluated using the potential ecological risk index and U.S. EPA's health risk assessment models. Enrichment factors, correlation analysis, and principal component analysis were used to analyze the sources of heavy metals. Results showed that the concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn were the highest in the industrial district and the concentrations of Ba, Ni, Ti, and V were the highest in the traffic district. The value of the potential ecological risk index was the highest in the industrial district and lowest in the educational district. Meanwhile, the ecological risk of Cr was the highest, achieving a moderate ecological hazard level. None of the studied heavy metals had noncarcinogenic risk or carcinogenic risk, according to the results of health risk assessment. Source analysis indicated that heavy metals in the atmospheric deposition from the study areas were mainly from traffic and industrial activities, coal combustion, natural process and life sources.

A pilot study of a cardiovascular virtual endoscopy system based on multi-detector computed tomography in diagnosing tetralogy of Fallot in pediatric patients.

The present study aimed to investigate the capabilities of the cardiovascular virtual endoscopy (VE) system in diagnosing tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and performing measurements. A total of 37 patients underwent two-dimensional echocardiography (2-DE) and multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) examinations. The obtained MDCT images were applied to a cardiovascular VE system. Diagnostic time by VE was first studied and compared with MDCT. Subsequently, with surgical findings as the ground truth, the capabilities of VE, 2-DE and MDCT in diagnosing TOF and its complications were investigated. Additionally, measurements on aorta overriding ratio and diameters for the left pulmonary artery, right pulmonary artery and right ventricular outflow tract by 2-DE and VE were analyzed. Diagnostic time by VE was significantly shorter than MDCT (188±42 vs. 303±42 sec, respectively; P<0.0001). VE, MDCT and 2-DE demonstrated comparable diagnostic rates of TOF (35/37 vs. 34/37 vs. 32/37, respectively; P>0.05). Similar findings were demonstrated in diagnosing complications of the muscular ventricular septal defects, patent ductus arteriosus, vagus subclavian artery, right arch, double superior vena cava and pulmonary artery. Furthermore, in diagnosing the atrial septal defect, 2-DE outperformed MDCT and VE (accuracy, 100 vs. 81 vs. 73%, respectively; all P<0.05). In performing relevant measurements, VE outperformed MDCT and 2-DE, particularly in accessing aorta overriding ratios with no intra-operator difference (P=0.3770) and high consistency (r=0.916). In conclusion, cardiovascular VE was demonstrated to have acceptable accuracy in diagnosing TOF, and possess advantages in shortening the diagnostic time and in performing measurements.

Use of portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and geostatistics for health risk assessment.

Laboratory analysis of trace metals using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy is not cost effective, and the complex spatial distribution of soil trace metals makes their spatial analysis and prediction problematic. Thus, for the health risk assessment of exposure to trace metals in soils, portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectroscopy was used to replace ICP spectroscopy for metal analysis, and robust geostatistical methods were used to identify spatial outliers in trace metal concentrations and to map trace metal distributions. A case study was carried out around an industrial area in Nanjing, China. The results showed that PXRF spectroscopy provided results for trace metal (Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) levels comparable to ICP spectroscopy. The results of the health risk assessment showed that Ni posed a higher non-carcinogenic risk than Cu, Pb and Zn, indicating a higher priority of concern than the other elements. Sampling locations associated with adverse health effects were identified as 'hotspots', and high-risk areas were delineated from risk maps. These 'hotspots' and high-risk areas were in close proximity to and downwind from petrochemical plants, indicating the dominant role of industrial activities as the major sources of trace metals in soils. The approach used in this study could be adopted as a cost-effective methodology for screening 'hotspots' and priority areas of concern for cost-efficient health risk management.

Application of cardiovascular virtual endoscopy: a pilot study on roaming path planning for diagnosis of congenital heart diseases in children.

To investigate roaming paths planning for diagnosis of congenital heart diseases (CHD) using a cardiovascular virtual endoscopy (VE) system. Forty children were enrolled. VE system was applied to support in establishing a diagnosis. Performance in diagnosing CHDs by CT, VE using automatically planned roaming paths (VE-auto, objects were treated as left heart system and right heart system), VE using manually planned paths (VE-manual), and VE using automatically planned path for left heart system and manually planned path for right heart system (VE-combined) were studied and compared. Comparable accuracy of 93%, 93%, 95% and 95% was found by CT, VE-auto, VE-manual and VE-combined. However, in diagnosing tetralogy of Fallot, significantly higher performance was found by VEs, compared with CT. For VE-auto, poor performance with an accuracy of 85% and sensitivity of 22% was revealed in diagnosing muscular ventricular septal defect, compared with VE-manual and VE-combined. Compared with VE-manual, VE-combined illustrated comparable diagnostic accuracy on all CHDs; however, significantly smaller diagnostic time was utilized (P < 0.05).Cardiovascular VE system demonstrated considerable clinical value in the diagnosis of CHDs. Left and right heart system should not be modeled as two cavity objects simultaneously. When one of two systems is treated as one object, the other system should be treated as three separate objects when using VE to diagnose CHDs.

Assessment of coronary artery by prospective ECG-triggered 256 multi-slice CT on children with congenital heart disease.

This study aims to investigate the imaging quality and radiation dose of prospective ECG-triggered 256 multi-slice computer tomography (MSCT) in accessing the coronary artery (CA) in children. Coronary arteries of 149 children were evaluated using prospective ECG-triggered 256 MSCT with the same system settings. A four-point scoring system was applied to study the capability of MSCT in detecting CA in these patients. Signal, noise and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) were analyzed to investigate the association of image quality with age. Then, volumetric CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length product (DLP), and effective dose (ED) were utilized to study the association of radiation dose with age. The detection rate for original, proximal, middle, distal and the 11 segments of CA was 100, 97, 92, 81 and 92%, respectively; and there was no influence on age during the detection (all, P < 0.05). A negative correlation was found between ED and age (r = -0.664, P < 0.001). Significantly larger EDs were found in younger patients (age: <3 years; 1.2 ± 0.5 and 0.6 ± 0.2 mSv; P < 0.001), while higher DLPs were found in elder patients, although no correlation was found between ages versus DLP (r = 0.092, P = 0.262). Prospective ECG-triggered 256 MSCT has considerable performance for the evaluation of CA in children. However, great caution is needed for children under the age of three in the selection of this examination. Furthermore, the tube current could be further reduced for the examination of children ≥8 years.

[Magnetic Response of Heavy Metal Pollution in Playground Dust of an Industrial Area].

The use of mineral magnetic measurements as a potential pollution proxy is explored as an alternative means of monitoring heavy metal pollution in playground dust in industrial areas. Dust samples were collected from playgrounds in an industrial area in Nanjing. The magnetic properties of the samples were analyzed, and the total and acid-extractable concentrations of heavy metals were measured.Mineral magnetic concentration parameters[mean magnetic susceptibility (χlf) 939.31×10-8 m3·kg-1 and saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM) 16618.74×10-5 A·m2·kg-1] indicate that the dust samples contain high concentrations of magnetic minerals when compared to the non-industrial zone of the city. High and stable S-ratio values (mean 0.97, standard deviation 0.01) indicate the prominence of ferromagnetic minerals. Low values of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (χARM)/χlf(2.35) and χARM/SIRM (0.12×10-3 m·A-1) indicate predominantly coarse pseudo single domain (PSD) and multi-domain (MD) magnetic grain size assemblages. The playground dust is considered moderately to highly polluted, and the enrichment factor values for Cd, Zn, Cu, and Pb indicate extremely high contamination levels in the playground dust. Mineral magnetic parameters[χlf, SIRM, hard isothermal remanent magnetization (HIRM), χARM, and χARM/SIRM] reveal significant correlations with total and acid-extractable concentrations of the trace metals, and the correlations with total concentrations are stronger. The most significant correlations were found with mineral magnetic concentrations (χARM and SIRM) and total concentrations of the elements Mn, Ni, and Cr and the Tomlinson pollution load index (PLI) (0.69 ≤ r ≤ 0.86, P<0.01). Consistent spatial characteristics between them were also found, showing that the total concentrations of heavy metals and magnetic parameter values are higher in the playgrounds near and downwind of the power plant. Results of a principal component analysis indicate that anthropogenic activities (mainly from coal consumption by power plants) are the main sources for both heavy metals and magnetic minerals. In summary, significant correlations and consistent spatial characteristics between heavy metal contents and magnetic parameters and the same anthropogenic source for heavy metals and magnetic minerals confirm that magnetic parameters could be considered as efficient indicators for heavy metal contamination in the playground dust in industrial areas.

[Pollution Evaluation and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals from Atmospheric Deposition in the Parks of Nanjing].

Contents of heavy metals involving As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn from atmospheric deposition in 10 parks of Nanjing were analyzed. The pollution level, ecological risk and health risk were evaluated using Geoaccumulation Index, Potential Ecological Risk Index and the US EPA Health Risk Assessment Model, respectively. The results showed that the pollution levels of heavy metals in Swallow Rock Park, Swallow Rock Park and Mochou Lake Park were higher than the others. Compared to other cities such as Changchun, Wuhan and Beijing, the contents of heavy metals in atmospheric deposition of parks in Nanjing were higher. The evaluation results of Geoaccumulation Index showed that Pb was at moderate pollution level, Zn and Cu were between moderate and serious levels, while Cd was between serious and extreme levels. The ecological risk level of Cd was high. The assessment results of Health Risk Assessment Model indicated that there was no non-carcinogenic risk for all the seven heavy metals. For carcinogenic risk, the risks of Cd, Cr and Ni were all negligible (Risk < 1 x 10⁻6), whereas As had carcinogenic risk possibility but was considered to be acceptable (10⁻6 < Risk < 10⁻4).

Influence of pollution control on lead inhalation bioaccessibility in PM2.5: A case study of 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing.

Pollution controls were implemented to improve the air quality for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Nanjing. To investigate the influence of pollution control on Pb inhalation bioaccessibility in PM2.5, samples were collected before, during, and after YOG. The objectives were to identify Pb sources in PM2.5 using stable isotope fingerprinting technique and compare Pb inhalation bioaccessibility in PM2.5 using two simulated lung fluids. While artificial lysosomal fluid (ALF) simulates interstitial fluid at pH 7.4, Gamble's solution simulates fluid in alveolar macrophages at pH 4.5. The Pb concentration in PM2.5 samples during YOG (88.2ngm(-3)) was 44-48% lower than that in non-YOG samples. Based on stable Pb isotope ratios, Pb in YOG samples was mainly from coal combustion while Pb in non-YOG samples was from coal combustion and smelting activities. While Pb bioaccessibility in YOG samples was lower than those in non-YOG samples (59-79% vs. 55-87%) by ALF, it was higher than those in non-YOG samples (11-29% vs. 5.3-21%) based on Gamble's solution, attributing to the lower pH and organic acids in ALF. Different Pb bioaccessibility in PM2.5 between samples resulted from changes in Pb species due to pollution control. PbSO4 was the main Pb species in PM2.5 from coal combustion, which was less soluble in ALF than PbO from smelting activities, but more soluble in Gamble's solution. This study showed it is important to consider Pb bioaccessibility during pollution control as source control not only reduced Pb contamination in PM2.5 but also influenced Pb bioaccessibility.

Saikosaponin a mediates the anticonvulsant properties in the HNC models of AE and SE by inhibiting NMDA receptor current and persistent sodium current.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, yet its treatment remains unsatisfactory. Saikosaponin a (SSa), a triterpene saponin derived from Bupleurum chinensis DC., has been demonstrated to have significant antiepileptic activity in a variety of epilepsy models in vivo. However, the electrophysiological activities and mechanisms of the antiepileptic properties of SSa remain unclear. In this study, whole-cell current-clamp recordings were used to evaluate the anticonvulsant activities of SSa in the hippocampal neuronal culture (HNC) models of acquired epilepsy (AE) and status epilepticus (SE). Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings were used to evaluate the modulation effects of SSa on NMDA-evoked current and sodium currents in cultured hippocampal neurons. We found that SSa effectively terminated spontaneous recurrent epileptiform discharges (SREDs) in the HNC model of AE and continuous epileptiform high-frequency bursts (SE) in the HNC model of SE, in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC(50) of 0.42 µM and 0.62 µM, respectively. Furthermore, SSa significantly reduced the peak amplitude of NMDA-evoked current and the peak current amplitude of I(NaP). These results suggest for the first time that the inhibitions of NMDA receptor current and I(NaP) may be the underlying mechanisms of SSa's anticonvulsant properties, including the suppression of SREDs and SE in the HNC models of AE and SE. In addition, effectively abolishing the refractory SE implies that SSa may be a potential anticonvulsant candidate for the clinical treatment of epilepsy.

MiR-15a decreases bovine mammary epithelial cell viability and lactation and regulates growth hormone receptor expression.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of target genes at the post-transcriptional level by transcript degradation or translational inhibition. The role of bta-miR-15a in bovine mammary gland hasn't been reported. Using miRNAs prediction software, GHR gene was predicted to be a potential target of bta-miR-15a. In this study, bovine mammary epithelial cell line was used as an in vitro cell model to address the function of bta-miR-15a on bovine mammary epithelial cells. The expression changes of bta-miR-15a and Ghr after bta-miR-15a transfection were detected by qRT-PCR; the expression of GHR protein and casein was detected by western blotting. To determine whether bta-miR-15a can affect cell viability, cells were examined using an electronic Coulter counter (CASY-TT). In conclusion, bta-miR-15a inhibited the expression of casein of bovine mammary epithelial cells, and cell number and viability were reduced by bta-miR-15a expression. Bta-miR-15a inhibited the viability of mammary epithelial cells as well as the expression of GHR mRNA and protein level, therefore suggesting that bta-miR-15a may play an important role in mammary gland physiology.