Perinatal exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonate and the risk of hepatic inflammation in rat offspring: Perturbation of gut-liver crosstalk.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure is associated with harmful hepatic outcomes. Growing evidence indicates that crosstalk between the gut microbiome, immune system, and liver plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of liver diseases. However, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of PFOS exposure during pregnancy and lactation on hepatic inflammation in rat offspring. Features of hepatic inflammation and increased levels of aspartate-amino transferase (AST) were found in pups on postnatal day 28 (PND28) in PFOS-exposed groups. Gut microbiota analysis identified Chitinophaga, Ralstonia, and Alloprevotella as the key genera in distinguishing the PFOS-exposed group from the control group. Metabolic and transcriptomic analyses found that PFOS exposure resulted in 48 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) in the serum, 62 DEMs in the liver, and 289 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the liver of PND28 pups. The immune response is significantly enriched in PFOS-exposed liver on PND28; multi-omics analysis indicated that PFOS might lead to immune response perturbation by disturbing the metabolic profiling in the liver. The changed gut microbiota was significantly related to the serum level of the liver function index. Specifically, Alloprevotella, Chitinophage, Ruminococcus, and Allobaculum were significantly associated with the metabolic abundance changes of 4-Hydroxydebrisoquine, L-Norvaline, and Eremopetasinorol, and the gene expression changes of Acat211, Msmol, Idi1, Sqle, and Gadd45b in the liver. These findings suggest that early-life PFOS exposure may be associated with adverse hepatic inflammation in young offspring via disruption of the gut-liver crosstalk, which may provide mechanistic clues for clarifying the hepatotoxicity in offspring associated with perinatal PFOS exposure.

Potential SLA Hp-4.0 haplotype-restricted CTL epitopes identified from the membrane protein of PRRSV induce cell immune responses.

Swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) class I molecule-restricted T-cell epitopes, which induce cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses, play a critical role in the clearance of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and the development of efficient protective vaccines. The SLA-1*04:01:01, SLA-2*04:01, and SLA-3*04:01 alleles, assigned the Hp-4.0 haplotype, are highly prevalent and usually present in all pig breeds. However, the SLA Hp-4.0 haplotype-restricted CTL epitopes in the structural membrane (M) protein of PRRSV are still unknown. In this study, we predicted 27 possible 9-mer epitope peptides in M protein with high binding scores for SLA-1*04:01:01 using CTL epitope prediction tools. In total, 45 SLA class I complexes, comprising the predicted peptide, extracellular region of the SLA-I molecules, and ß2-microglobulin, were constructed in vitro to detect the specific binding of these peptides to SLA-1*04:01:01 (27 complexes), SLA-2*04:01 (9 complexes), and SLA-3*04:01 (9 complexes), respectively. Our results showed that the M27 (T91WKFITSRC), M39 (N130HAFVVRRP), and M49 (G158RKAVKQGV) peptides bind specifically to SLA-1*04:01:01, SLA-2*04:01, and SLA-3*04:01, respectively. Subsequently, using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from the homozygous Hp-4.0 and Hp-26.0 haplotype piglets vaccinated with commercial PRRSV HuN4-F112 strain, we determined the capacities of these 27 potential peptides to stimulate their proliferation with a Cell Counting Kit-8 and their secretion and expression of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) with an ELISpot assay and real-time qPCR, respectively. The immunological activities of M27, M39, and M49 were therefore confirmed when they efficiently induced PBMC proliferation and IFN-γ secretion in PBMCs from piglets with the prevalent SLA Hp-4.0 haplotype. The amino acid sequence alignment revealed that M27, M39, and M49 are highly conserved among 248 genotype II PRRSV strains collected between 1998 and 2019. These findings contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of cell-mediated immune responses to PRRSV. Our study also provides a novel strategy for identifying and confirming potential SLA haplotype-restricted CTL epitopes that could be used to develop novel peptide-based vaccines against swine diseases.

Sleep quality mediates the effect of medical social support on depression symptoms in patients with HIV/AIDS.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of our study is to further understanding of the depression symptoms of HIV/AIDS patients in Guilin, Guangxi via exploring whether there is a mediating effect of sleep quality on medical-social support and depression symptoms and therefore provide a theoretical basis for application of medical-social support to alleviate depression symptoms of HIV/AIDS patients. METHODS: A convenience sampling method was used to select 200 HIV/AIDS patients for the study. Depression symptoms, sleep quality, and medical-social support of the study participants were investigated using The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), The Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and The Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS), respectively. Predictors of depression symptoms were explored by multiple linear regression, and Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between sleep quality, medical-social support, and depression symptoms. Mediating effect analysis was performed by nonparametric Bootstrap test. RESULTS: In this study, the incidence of depression symptoms was 54.4%. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that leanness (ß = 0.161, P = 0.008), obesity (ß = 0.186, P = 0.002), sleep quality score > 7 (ß = 0.331, P < 0.001), and medical-social support score > 56 (ß = -0.247, P < 0.001) could influence depression symptoms of HIV and Pearson's correlation analysis demonstrated that there was a two-way correlation between sleep quality, medical social support and depression symptoms (P < 0.05). In addition, Bootstrap tests showed that medical-social support might affect depression symptoms not only directly but also indirectly through the mediating effect of sleep quality with the direct and mediating effects accounting for 77.25% and 22.75% of the total effect, respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of depression symptoms is high among HIV/AIDS patients in Guilin City. The depressive symptoms of PLWHs(people living with HIV) are related to their sleep quality and medical-social support, and sleep quality partially mediates the relationship between medical-social support and depression symptoms. Therefore, interventions to improve sleep quality and medical-social support have the potential to allay the depression symptoms of HIV/AIDS patients.

Multi-omics reveal disturbance of glucose homeostasis in pregnant rats exposed to short-chain perfluorobutanesulfonic acid.

Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), a short-chain alternative to perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), is widely used in various products and is increasingly present in environmental media and human bodies. Recent epidemiological findings have raised concerns about its potential adverse health effects, although the specific toxic mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the metabolic toxicity of gestational PFBS exposure in maternal rats. Pregnant Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned to three groups and administered either 3% starch gel (control), 5, or 50 mg/kg bw·d PFBS. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) and lipid profiles were measured, and integrated omics analysis (transcriptomics and non-targeted metabolomics) was employed to identify changes in genes and metabolites and their relationships with metabolic phenotypes. The results revealed that rats exposed to 50 mg/kg bw·d PFBS exhibited a significant decrease in 1-h glucose levels and the area under the curve (AUC) of OGTT compared with the starch group. Transcriptomics analysis indicated significant alterations in gene expression related to cytochrome P450 exogenous metabolism, glutathione metabolism, bile acid secretion, tumor pathways, and retinol metabolism. Differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were enriched in pathways such as pyruvate metabolism, the glucagon signaling pathway, central carbon metabolism in cancer, and the citric acid cycle. Co-enrichment analysis and pairwise correlation analysis among genes, metabolites, and outcomes identified several differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including Gstm1, Kit, Adcy1, Gck, Ppp1r3c, Ppp1r3d, and DEMs such as fumaric acid, L-lactic acid, 4-hydroxynonenal, and acetylvalerenolic acid. These DEGs and DEMs may play a role in the modulation of glucolipid metabolic pathways. In conclusion, our results suggest that gestational exposure to PFBS may induce molecular perturbations in glucose homeostasis. These findings provide insights into the potential mechanisms contributing to the heightened risk of abnormal glucose tolerance associated with PFBS exposure.

Development of a triplex quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for the detection of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus, and porcine rotavirus A.

Porcine viral diarrhea is caused by many pathogens and can result in watery diarrhea, dehydration and death. Various detection methods, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), have been widely used for molecular diagnosis. We developed a triplex real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) for the simultaneous detection of three RNA viruses potentially associated with porcine viral diarrhea: porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), and porcine rotavirus A (PoRVA). The triplex qRT-PCR had R2 values of 0.999 for the standard curves of PEDV, TGEV and PoRVA. Importantly, the limits of detection for PEDV, TGEV and PoRVA were 10 copies/µL. The specificity test showed that the triplex qRT-PCR detected these three pathogens specifically, without cross-reaction with other pathogens. In addition, the approach had good repeatability and reproducibility, with intra-and inter-assay coefficients of variation <1%. Finally, this approach was evaluated for its practicality in the field using 256 anal swab samples. The positive rates of PEDV, TGEV and PoRVA were 2.73% (7/256), 3.91% (10/256) and 19.14% (49/256), respectively. The co-infection rate of two or more pathogens was 2.73% (7/256). The new triplex qRT-PCR was compared with the triplex RT-PCR recommended by the Chinese national standard (GB/T 36871-2018) and showed 100% agreement for PEDV and TGEV and 95.70% for PoRVA. Therefore, the triplex qRT-PCR provided an accurate and sensitive method for identifying three potential RNA viruses for porcine viral diarrhea that could be applied to diagnosis, surveillance and epidemiological investigation.

Latent Profile Analysis of Medication Beliefs in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in the Hospital-Home Transition and Comparison with Medication Adherence.

Background: The treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a protracted and arduous process. Medication, being a universally crucial therapeutic measure, underscores the significance of medication adherence in managing the disease effectively. Medication beliefs have emerged as a significant predictor of adherence, attracting considerable scholarly attention in recent years. However, there remains a paucity of research utilizing individual-centered approaches to explore medication beliefs among the T2DM population during the hospital-home transition, leaving the relationship between these beliefs and medication adherence unclear. Purpose: To investigate latent categories of medication beliefs among patients with T2DM during the transition from hospital to home, and to analyze variations in medication adherence across these categories of patients. Patients and methods: Between August 2022 and September 2023, this study selected 304 patients with a pre-discharge diagnosis of T2DM as study subjects from a tertiary hospital in Dongguan City. The patients' profiles were assessed comprehensively via the Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics Questionnaire, alongside the Chinese version of Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire-Specific and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8. The present study conducted latent profile analysis using Mplus 7.4 software and analyzed the influencing factors of different medication belief categories and their differences in medication adherence using SPSS 26.0 software. Results: The medication beliefs of 304 patients were rated at 3.36±5.24 points, while medication adherence scored 6.23±1.56 points. The medication beliefs were classified into four categories: moderate necessity - low to moderate concern group (40.13%), high necessity - low concern group (9.54%), moderate necessity - moderate to high concern group (19.08%), and moderate necessity - high concern group (31.25%). Age, monthly per capita household income, and place of residence emerged as influential factors for the four categories. Moreover, the disparity in medication adherence among these categories demonstrated statistical significance (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The medication beliefs of patients were classified into four distinct categories, and variations in medication adherence were evident across these categories. The high necessity - low concern group demonstrated the highest medication adherence scores, while the moderate necessity - high concern group exhibited the lowest scores. Healthcare providers are advised to tailor personalized medication belief enhancement programs based on patients' homogeneous beliefs, addressing specific issues encountered by each category. This approach aims to ensure optimal medication adherence across diverse medical and social environments, effectively improving patient prognosis and enhancing quality of life.

Policies for recovery from drug use: Differences between public stigma and perceived stigma and associated factors.

INTRODUCTION: Public stigma towards people who use drugs is widespread and places obstacles in way of their recovery. Previous studies have used different approaches to measure public stigma, resulting in a notable gap in the understanding of the relationship between it and its associated factors. Some studies measure public stigma by assessing stigma perceived by those who use drugs, while others investigate attitudes towards them among the general public. This study aimed to compare perceived and public stigma, and factors related to these two variables. METHODS: The study comprised a cross-sectional survey in China of two samples: males who used drugs (N = 257) and the general public (N = 376). The survey assessed demographic variables, social distance, public stigma and perceived stigma of those who use drugs. The data were analysed using t-tests and linear regression. RESULTS: Public stigma was significantly higher than perceived stigma. The findings indicated that gender, knowledge of drugs, family relationships with people who use drugs, attributions of drug use and social distance were significantly related to levels of public stigma. Among those who use drugs, perceived stigma was significantly correlated with age, marital status, duration of drug abstinence and social distance. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that public stigma undermines the recovery of people who use drugs and highlight the importance of interaction between them and the social environment. The study also underscores the necessity of developing policies to enhance their integration into mainstream culture and provide access to social support and life activities.

Association between plasma and dietary trace elements and obesity in a rural Chinese population.

Trace elements may play an important role in obesity. This study aimed to assess the plasma and dietary intake levels of four trace elements, Mn, Cu, Zn and Se in a rural Chinese population, and analyse the relationship between trace elements and obesity. A cross-sectional study involving 2587 participants was conducted. Logistic regression models were used to analyse the association between trace elements and obesity; restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to assess the dose-response relationship between trace elements and obesity; the weighted quantile sum (WQS) model was used to examine the potential interaction of four plasma trace elements on obesity. Logistic regression analysis showed that plasma Se concentrations in the fourth quartile (Q4) exhibited a lower risk of developing obesity than the first quartile (Q1) (central obesity: OR = 0·634, P = 0·002; general obesity: OR = 0·525, P = 0·005). Plasma Zn concentration in the third quartile (Q3) showed a lower risk of developing obesity in general obesity compared with the first quartile (Q1) (OR = 0·625, P = 0·036). In general obesity, the risk of morbidity was 1·727 and 1·923 times higher for the second and third (Q2, Q3) quartiles of dietary Mn intake than for Q1, respectively. RCS indicated an inverse U-shaped correlation between plasma Se and obesity. WQS revealed the combined effects of four trace elements were negatively associated with central obesity. Plasma Zn and Se were negatively associated with obesity, and dietary Mn was positively associated with obesity. The combined action of the four plasma trace elements had a negative effect on obesity.

Dietary protein in early pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: The relationship between dietary protein intake and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) remains inconsistent and unclear. Here, we examined the correlation between the various sources of protein intake among Chinese pregnant women and GDM. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 1060 pregnant women at 6-13+6 weeks of gestation from Guangdong Provincial Hospital for Women and Children, South China. The participants' intake of dietary protein was assessed using a validated quantitative food frequency questionnaire during the early trimester. GDM was diagnosed via an oral glucose tolerance test performed at 24-28 gestational weeks. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between dietary protein intake during pregnancy and GDM. Furthermore, we applied restricted cubic splines to determine their linear relationship. RESULTS: About 26.3% (n = 279) of pregnant women were diagnosed with GDM. Animal protein intake was revealed to have a positive correlation with GDM risk (Q4 vs. Q1: OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 1.46-5.34; P = 0.015), whereas high intake levels of dietary plant protein were linked to reduced GDM risk (Q4 vs. Q1: OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.25-0.73). In stratified analysis, the relationship between protein and GDM was stronger during early pregnancy in women with obesity. However, total protein intake did not show a significant association with GDM. CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings suggest that a plant protein-based diet was associated with reduced GDM risk, whereas the dietary intake of animal protein was positively associated with GDM risk among Chinese women during early pregnancy.

Transcriptomic and metabolomic profile changes in the liver of Sprague Dawley rat offspring after maternal PFOS exposure during gestation and lactation.

Epidemiological and experimental research has indicated an association between perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure and liver disease. However, the potential hepatotoxic effects and mechanisms of low-level prenatal PFOS exposure in offspring remain ambiguous. The objective of this research was to examine the alterations in liver transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles in offspring rats at postnatal day (PND) 30 following gestational and lactational exposure to PFOS (from gestational day 1 to 20 and PND 1 to 21). Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were separated into a control group (3% starch gel solution, oral gavage) and a PFOS exposure group (0.03 mg/kg body weight per day, oral gavage). Histopathological changes in liver sections were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Biochemical analysis was conducted to evaluate changes in glucose and lipid metabolism. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were utilized to identify significant genes and metabolites associated with alterations of liver glucose and lipid metabolism through an integrated multi-omics analysis. No significant differences were found in the measured biochemical parameters. In total, 167 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to processes such as steroid biosynthesis, PPAR signaling pathway, and fat digestion and absorption were identified in offspring rats in the PFOS exposure group. Ninety-five altered metabolites were exhibited in the PFOS exposure group, such as heptaethylene glycol, lysoPE (0:0/18:0), lucidenic acid K, and p-Cresol sulfate. DEGs associated with steroid biosynthesis, PPAR signaling pathway, fat digestion and absorption were significantly upregulated in the PFOS exposure group (P < 0.05). The analysis of correlations indicated that there was a significant inverse correlation between all identified differential metabolites and the levels of fasting blood glucose, high-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides in the PFOS exposure group (P < 0.05). Our findings demystify that early-life PFOS exposure can lead to alterations in transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles in the offspring's liver, which provided mechanistic insights into the potential hepatotoxicity and developmental toxicity associated with environmentally relevant levels of PFOS exposure.

Analysis of the association between dietary patterns and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a county in Guangxi.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the relationship between different dietary patterns and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: Residents over 30 years old in the ecological longevity cohort in Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi Province were the research objects selected from 2018 to 2019. Physical examination, baseline population survey, and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) survey were conducted. Dietary patterns were analyzed by factor analysis. Influencing factors of NAFLD were analyzed by multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: NAFLD was diagnosed in 241 of 2664 participants based on ultrasonography, and the detection rate was 9.0%. Factor analysis yielded a total of three dietary patterns, namely, traditional Chinese, Western, and cereal-potato dietary patterns. Results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for confounding factors, participants in the highest quartile of the Western dietary pattern exhibited a higher prevalence of NAFLD (OR = 2.799; 95% CI: 1.620-4.837; p < 0.05) than participants in the lowest quartile. Participants in the highest quartile of the cereal-potato pattern exhibited a decreased risk of NAFLD compared with those in the lowest quartile (OR = 0.581; 95% CI: 0.371-0.910, p < 0.05). The traditional Chinese patterns did not show any association with the risk of NAFLD. CONCLUSIONS: The Western dietary pattern increases the risk of NAFLD, whereas the cereal-potato dietary pattern reduces the risk of NAFLD. It is important for the prevention and control of NAFLD to adhere to the cereal-potato dietary.

Transcriptomics integrated with metabolomics reveals perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) exposure effect during pregnancy and lactation on lipid metabolism in rat offspring.

Emerging epidemiological evidence indicates potential associations between gestational perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) exposure and adverse metabolic outcomes in offspring. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Our study aimed to investigate PFBS exposure effects during pregnancy and lactation on rat offspring lipid profiles and the possible underlying mechanisms. Although the biochemical index difference including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), alanine amino transaminase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), and fasting blood glucose between exposed groups and the control group was not significant, transcriptome analyses showed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the 50 mg/kg/day PFBS exposure group were significantly related to protein digestion and absorption, peroxisome proliferator activated-receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway, xenobiotic metabolism by cytochrome P450, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, ß-alanine metabolism, bile secretion, unsaturated fatty acid (FA) biosynthesis, and alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism. Untargeted metabolomics analyses identified 17 differential metabolites in the 50 mg/kg/day PFBS exposure group. Among these, phosphatidylserine [PS (18:0/22:6(4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z))], lysoPE (18:1(11Z)/0:0), and PS (14:0/20:4(5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)) were significantly correlated with phospholipid metabolism disorders. Correlation analysis indicated the DEGs, including FA binding protein (Fabp4), spermine oxidase (Smox), Fabp2, acyl-CoA thioesterase 5 (Acot5), sarcosine dehydrogenase (Sardh), and amine oxidase, copper-containing 3 (Aoc3) that significantly enriched in xenobiotic metabolism by cytochrome P450 and glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism signaling pathways were highly related to the differential metabolite pantetheine 4'-phosphate. Pantetheine 4'-phosphate was significantly negatively associated with non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) and TC levels. Collectively, our study indicated that maternal PFBS exposure at a relatively low level could alter gene expression and metabolic molecules in lipid metabolism-related pathway series in rat offspring, although the effects on metabolic phenotypes were not significant within the limited observational period, using group-wise and trend analyses.

ApoE gene polymorphisms and metals and their interactions with cognitive function.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between plasma metal elements, ApoE gene polymorphisms and the interaction between the two and impaired cognitive function in elderly population. METHOD: A stratified sample was drawn according to the age of the study population, and 911 subjects were included. Baseline information and health indicators were obtained, and cognitive function status was assessed by health examination, a general questionnaire and Mini-Mental Status Examination. Plasma metal elements were measured, and SNP typing was performed. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the factors influencing cognitive function status and the association between the SNP genetic pattern of the ApoE gene and cognitive function. RESULTS: The differences in gene frequencies and genotype frequencies of the ApoE rs7412 and rs7259620 genotype frequencies were statistically different between the cognitive impairment group and the control group (P < 0.05). statistically differences were found for the codominant model in rs7412-TT compared with the CC genotype (OR = 3.112 (1.159-8.359), P = 0.024) and rs7259620-AA compared with the GG genotype (OR = 1.588 (1.007-2.504), P = 0.047). Statistically differences were found in the recessive models rs7412-TT compared with (CC + CT) (OR = 2.979 (1.112-7.978), P = 0.030), rs7259620-AA compared with (GG + GA), and rs405509-GG compared with (TT + TG) (OR = 1.548(1.022-2.344), P = 0.039) all of which increased the risk of developing cognitive impairment. The differences in plasma Fe, Cu, and Rb concentrations between the case and control groups were significant (P < 0.05). The regression results showed that the plasma Cd concentrations in the Q1 range was a protective factor for cognitive function compared with Q4 (0.510 (0.291-0.892), P = 0.018). Furthermore, there was a multiplicative interaction between the codominant and recessive models for the Q2 concentrations of Cd and the rs7259620 loci, and the difference was significant, indicating increased risk of developing cognitive impairment (codominant model OR = 3.577 (1.496-8.555), P = 0.004, recessive model OR = 3.505 (1.479-8.307), P = 0.004). There was also a multiplicative interaction between Cd and the recessive model at the rs405509 loci, and the difference was significant, indicating increased risk of developing cognitive impairment (OR = 3.169 (1.400-7.175), P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: The ApoE rs7412, rs7259620 and rs405509 loci were associated with cognitive impairment in the elderly population, and there was an interaction between plasma metalloid Cd and the rs7259620 and rs405509 loci that increased the risk of cognitive impairment in the elderly population.

Correlation between dietary patterns and cognitive function in older Chinese adults: A representative cross-sectional study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between dietary patterns and cognitive function in older adults (≥60 years old). Methods: Food intake was quantitatively assessed by the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), and cognitive function was assessed by the Chinese version of the Simple Mental State Examination Scale (MMSE). Four major dietary patterns were identified by the factor analysis (FA) method. The relationship between dietary patterns and cognitive function was evaluated by logistic regression. Results: A total of 884 participants were included in the study. Four dietary patterns (vegetable and mushroom, oil and salt, seafood and alcohol, and oil tea dietary patterns) were extracted. In the total population, Model III results showed that the fourth quartile of dietary pattern factor scores for the vegetable and mushroom pattern was 0.399 and 7.056. The vegetable and mushroom dietary pattern may be a protective factor for cognitive function, with p-value = 0.033, OR (95% CI): 0.578 (0.348, 0.951) in Model III (adjusted for covariates: sex, ethnic, marital, agricultural activities, smoking, drinking, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, BMI, and dietary fiber). In the ethnic stratification analysis, the scores of dietary pattern factors of the vegetable and mushroom among the Yao participants were 0.333 and 5.064. The Vegetable and mushroom diet pattern may be a protective factor for cognitive function, p-value = 0.012, OR (95% CI): 0.415 (0.206, 0.815). Conclusion: The fourth quartile of the vegetable and mushroom dietary pattern scores showed dose-dependent and a strong correlation with cognitive function. Currently, increasing vegetable and mushroom intake may be one of the effective ways to prevent and mitigate cognitive decline. It is recommended to increase the dietary intake of vegetables and mushroom foods.

Association between barium exposed, CYP19A1 and central obesity: A cross-sectional study in rural China.

BACKGROUND: obesity is a major risk factor for many metabolic diseases such as diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the association of plasma and urinary barium concentrations, CYP19A1 gene polymorphisms, and their interaction with central obesity in a rural Chinese population. METHODS: restricted cubic spline model was used to explore the dose-response relationship between barium and the risk of developing central obesity and waist circumference; logistic regression model was used to assess the association between barium, CYP19A1 gene polymorphisms and their interaction with central obesity. RESULTS: the results of the restricted cubic spline model showed that plasma barium concentration was linearly associated with the risk of developing central obesity and non-linearly associated with waist circumference. Logistic regression analysis showed that participants with Q4 plasma barium concentration exhibited a higher risk of central obesity compared to participants with Q1 barium concentration; participants carrying the rs10046-AA gene exhibited a lower risk of central obesity than those carrying the rs10046-G(GG+GA) gene; participants carrying the rs10046-GA genotype showed 1.754 times higher risk of central obesity than those carrying rs10046-GG+AA genotype. There was a significant interaction between plasma barium and CYP19A1 gene polymorphism on central obesity. CONCLUSION: the development of central obesity was associated with plasma barium and CYP19A1.

Metabolic perturbations in pregnant rats exposed to low-dose perfluorooctanesulfonic acid: An integrated multi-omics analysis.

Emerging epidemiological evidence has linked per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure could be linked to the disturbance of gestational glucolipid metabolism, but the toxicological mechanism is unclear, especially when the exposure is at a low level. This study examined the glucolipid metabolic changes in pregnant rats treated with relatively low dose perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) through oral gavage during pregnancy [gestational day (GD): 1-18]. We explored the molecular mechanisms underlying the metabolic perturbation. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and biochemical tests were performed to assess the glucose homeostasis and serum lipid profiles in pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats randomly assigned to starch, 0.03 and 0.3 mg/kg·bw·d groups. Transcriptome sequencing combined with non-targeted metabolomic assays were further performed to identify differentially altered genes and metabolites in the liver of maternal rats, and to determine their correlation with the maternal metabolic phenotypes. Results of transcriptome showed that differentially expressed genes at 0.03 and 0.3 mg/kg·bw·d PFOS exposure were related to several metabolic pathways, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) signaling, ovarian steroid synthesis, arachidonic acid metabolism, insulin resistance, cholesterol metabolism, unsaturated fatty acid synthesis, bile acid secretion. The untargeted metabolomics identified 164 and 158 differential metabolites in 0.03 and 0.3 mg/kg·bw·d exposure groups, respectively under negative ion mode of Electrospray Ionization (ESI-), which could be enriched in metabolic pathways such as α-linolenic acid metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, glycerolipid metabolism, glucagon signaling pathway, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism. Co-enrichment analysis indicated that PFOS exposure may disturb the metabolism pathways of glycerolipid, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, linoleic acid, steroid biosynthesis, glycine, serine and threonine. The key involved genes included down-regulated Ppp1r3c and Abcd2, and up-regulated Ogdhland Ppp1r3g, and the key metabolites such as increased glycerol 3-phosphate and lactosylceramide were further identified. Both of them were significantly associated with maternal fasting blood glucose (FBG) level. Our findings may provide mechanistic clues for clarifying metabolic toxicity of PFOS in human, especially for susceptible population such as pregnant women.

The relationship between dietary complexity and cognitive function in Guangxi, China: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The composition of the human diet is complex and diverse, and the relation-ship between dietary composition and cognitive decline has not been adequately studied. Therefore, this study explored the possible association between food items and the risk of cognitive impairment. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was based on an ecological longevity cohort and included 2881 participants (1086 men and 1795 women) aged ≥30 years between December 2018 and November 2019. The association between food items and the risk of cognitive impairment was explored using the Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) learning model. RESULTS: Finally, 2881 participants (1086 men and 1795 women) were included. In all participants, the multivariable logistic analysis showed that fresh fruit consumption was associated with cognitive function (OR=0.999, 95% CI: 0.998-0.999, p=0.021). Using the BKMR model, none of the 18 food items were significantly correlated with cognitive function among women. In men, when the other food items were fixed at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile values (P25, estimate=-0.239; P50, estimate=-0.210; P75, estimate=-0.158), there was a negative correlation between fresh fruit consumption and the predicted risk of cognitive function disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Men displayed a negative association be-tween fresh fruit consumption and the risk of cognitive function disorders, but this was not apparent among women.

Sex-Specific Associations of Urinary Metals with Renal Function: a Cross-sectional Study in China.

BACKGROUND: Extensive studies have revealed the link between heavy metals and CKD. Compared to single meta-elements, mixture of metals reflect real-life metals exposure scenarios and are of interest. However, the mechanism of action of metal mixture on renal function is unclear. METHODS: This study aimed to explore the potential relationship between urinary arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and chromium (Cr) contents with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) levels in 2775 participants. The levels of metals in urine were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. We used linear regression models and the Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to evaluate the association between metals and eGFR levels. RESULTS: In linear regression analysis, urinary As (ß = 2.723, 95%CI: 0.29, 5.157) and Pb (ß = 3.081, 95%CI: 1.725, 4.438) were positively associated with eGFR in the total population. In the BKMR model, a mixture of the five metals had a positive joint effect on eGFR levels, while Pb (PIP = 0.996) contributed the most to eGFR levels. Pb was positively associated with eGFR levels in the total participants and women. As was positively correlated with eGFR levels in women. Pb and eGFR levels were positively correlated when the other metals were set at 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, all five metals mixed exposure was positively associated with eGFR. Pb showed more important effects than the other four metals in the mixture, especially in women.

Association of CYP19A1 Gene, Plasma Zinc, and Urinary Zinc with the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a Chinese Population.

To explore the effects of CYP19A1 gene polymorphisms, plasma zinc, and urinary zinc levels and their interactions on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in residents of Gongcheng County, Guangxi, China. The case-control study was used for the investing. The MassARRAY System was applied to genotype the CYP19A1 genes rs752760, rs10046, rs10459592, and rs700518 in 540 study subjects. Plasma and urinary zinc concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Conditional logistic regression showed that rs752760 and plasma zinc were associated with T2DM risks with ORs of 0.593 (95% CI: 0.371-0.948) and 0.563 (95% CI: 0.356-0.889), respectively. Unconditional logistic regression analysis showed an association between urinary zinc levels and the risk of T2DM as well, with an OR of 0.352 (95% CI: 0.212-0.585). The results of the multiplicative interaction model showed that the rs752760 T allele was associated with a significantly reduced risk of T2DM with moderate/low plasma zinc levels, with ORs of 0.340 (95% CI: 0.161-0.715) and 0.583 (95% CI: 0.346-0.981), respectively, and the rs752760 T allele was also associated with a significantly decreased risk of T2DM with moderate/low urinary zinc levels, with ORs of 0.358 (95% CI: 0.201-0.635) and 0.321 (95% CI: 0.183-0.562), respectively. CYP19A1 rs752760 T allele and moderate/low plasma/urinary zinc levels reduce the risk of T2DM.

Association between combined exposure to plasma heavy metals and dyslipidemia in a chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to heavy metals in the environment is widespread, while the relationship between combined exposure to heavy metals and dyslipidemia is unclear. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed, and 3544 participants aged 30 years or older were included in the analyses. Heavy metal concentrations in plasma were based on inductively coupled plasma‒mass spectrometry. The relationship between heavy metals and dyslipidemia was estimated by logistic regression. BKMR was used to evaluate metal mixtures and their potential interactions. RESULTS: In logistic regression analysis, participants in the fourth quartile of Fe and Zn (Fe > 1352.38 µg/L; Zn > 4401.42 µg/L) had a relatively higher risk of dyslipidemia (Fe, OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.92,1.38; Zn, OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.03,1.64). After sex stratification, females in the third quartile of plasma Zn (1062.05-4401.42 µg/L) had a higher relative risk of dyslipidemia (OR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.28, 2.38). In BKMR analysis, metal mixtures were negatively associated with dyslipidemia in females when all metal concentrations were above the 50th percentile. In the total population (estimated from 0.030 to 0.031), As was positively associated with dyslipidemia when other metals were controlled at the 25th, 50th, or 75th percentile, respectively, and As was below the 75th percentile. In females (estimated from - 0.037 to -0.031), Zn was negatively associated with dyslipidemia when it was above the 50th percentile. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that As was positively associated with dyslipidemia and that Zn may be negatively associated with dyslipidemia in females. Combined metal exposure was negatively associated with dyslipidemia in females. Females with low plasma Zn levels are more likely to develop dyslipidemia and should receive more clinical attention in this population.