Levels, profiles and potential human health risks of brominated and parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils around three different types of industrial areas in China.

Brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Br-PAHs) are an emerging class of persistent organic pollutants with toxicity similar to dioxins. Industrial thermal processes have been identified as major sources of Br-PAHs in the current environment. However, studies on soil contaminations with Br-PAHs around industrial areas were scarce. In this study, 18 Br-PAHs and 16 PAHs were analyzed in soils around an electronic waste dismantling area (EDA), an industrial area that mainly performed steel smelting (SSP), and an industrial area mainly performed secondary copper smelting (SCS). The mean concentrations of Br-PAHs and PAHs were 1362 pg/g and 1034 ng/g, 582 pg/g and 13,938 ng/g, and 307 pg/g and 2211 ng/g in the soil around EDA, SSP, and SCS, respectively. The order of Br-PAH concentrations among three industrial areas was inconsistent with that of PAHs, suggesting that there may be some differences in contamination characteristics of Br-PAHs in three types of industrial areas. The significant correlation between Br-PAHs and parent PAHs indicated that direct bromination may be the main formation pathway of Br-PAHs in soils in EDA. The result of principal component analysis further revealed that the congener pattern of Br-PAHs in soils around EDA is different from that of SSP and SCS. It was found that the ratio of 1-BrPyr and 3-BrFlu can be applied to identify environmental contamination with Br-PAHs from e-waste dismantling. The health risk assessment results showed that there were some soil samples with carcinogenic risks above the risk threshold in each industrial area, and deserve our concern.

Effect of Affinity between Dechlorane Plus and Human Serum Albumin on Its Serum Concentration in a General Population.

Dechlorane Plus (DP) has been detected in human serum around the world. Determining how DP binds to human serum albumin (HSA) could improve our understanding of the effects of DP in humans. The results of a fluorescence titration experiment indicated that DP binds to HSA at the interface between domains IIA and IIB, and HSA has more affinity for anti-DP than syn-DP. The DP concentrations in serum from 33 people living in Wuxi City, China, were determined in five consecutive years (2012-2016). The total concentrations of the two DP isomers were 1.73-16.3 ng·g-1 lipid weight (mean 4.7 ng·g-1 lipid weight). No clear increasing or decreasing temporal trend was found in the DP concentrations in serum over the study period. The affinity between DP and HSA will increase as the amount of fatty acids combined with HSA increases. This explained the syn-DP and anti-DP concentrations in serum being higher for overweight people than for normal weight people. Ethanol can occupy the DP binding sites on HSA. This explained the syn-DP and anti-DP concentrations being lower for alcoholic people than for nonalcoholic people.

Amiodarone Induces Overexpression of Similar to Versican b to Repress the EGFR/Gsk3b/Snail Signaling Axis during Cardiac Valve Formation of Zebrafish Embryos.

Although Amiodarone, a class III antiarrhythmic drug, inhibits zebrafish cardiac valve formation, the detailed molecular pathway is still unclear. Here, we proved that Amiodarone acts as an upstream regulator, stimulating similar to versican b (s-vcanb) overexpression at zebrafish embryonic heart and promoting cdh-5 overexpression by inhibiting snail1b at atrioventricular canal (AVC), thus blocking invagination of endocardial cells and, as a result, preventing the formation of cardiac valves. A closer investigation showed that an intricate set of signaling events ultimately caused the up-regulation of cdh5. In particular, we investigated the role of EGFR signaling and the activity of Gsk3b. It was found that knockdown of EGFR signaling resulted in phenotypes similar to those of Amiodarone-treated embryos. Since the reduced phosphorylation of EGFR was rescued by knockdown of s-vcanb, it was concluded that the inhibition of EGFR activity by Amiodarone is s-vcanb-dependent. Moreover, the activity of Gsk3b, a downstream effector of EGFR, was greatly increased in both Amiodarone-treated embryos and EGFR-inhibited embryos. Therefore, it was concluded that reduced EGFR signaling induced by Amiodarone treatment results in the inhibition of Snail functions through increased Gsk3b activity, which, in turn, reduces snail1b expression, leading to the up-regulation the cdh5 at the AVC, finally resulting in defective formation of valves. This signaling cascade implicates the EGFR/Gsk3b/Snail axis as the molecular basis for the inhibition of cardiac valve formation by Amiodarone.

Cancer metastasis and EGFR signaling is suppressed by amiodarone-induced versican V2.

Extracellular matrix components play an active role in cancer progression and prognosis. Versican, a large extracellular matrix proteoglycan, can promote cancer metastasis through facilitating cell proliferation, adhesion, migration and angiogenesis. We had previously demonstrated that amiodarone caused ectopic overexpression of similar to versican b (s-vcanb), inhibited EGFR/GSK3ß/Snail signaling, and enhanced Cdh5 at the heart field of zebrafish, indicating interference with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Since S-vcanb is homologous to mammalian versican V2 isoform, we examined the effects of amiodarone on mammalian tumor proliferation, migration, invasion and metastasis in vitro and in vivo and on EMT signaling pathways. Monolayer wound assays and extracellular matrix transwell invasion assays showed reduced migration and invasion by 15 µM amiodarone treated B16OVA, JC, 4T-1, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 tumor cell lines. All cancer cell lines showed reduced metastatic capabilities in vivo after treatment with amiodarone in experimental animals. Western blots revealed that EMT-related transcription factors Snail and Twist were reduced and E-cadherin was enhanced in amiodarone treated cells through an EGFR/ERK/GSK3ß-dependent pathway. Immunohistochemistry showed amiodarone lead to increased expression of versican V2 isoform concomitant with reduced versican V1. Our study illustrated the role of versican v2 in EMT modulation and cancer suppression by amiodarone treatment.

Effect of belt pressure and breath held on trunk electromyography.

STUDY DESIGN: This study examined the effect of a belt on ventilation and trunk muscle activities during repetitive lifting tasks with a control of breathing type and belt pressure. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of the lifting belt on the trunk muscle electromyography (EMG) and to parse out potential interaction between ventilatory changes and lifting belts. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although both tensed thorax and compressed abdomen are considered to assist transferring the force from torso to pelvis in lifting, there has not been any consideration of the interaction between the two chambers in most published analyses. METHODS: Eleven male study participants participated in the study. They performed five minutes of paced repetitive squat lifts at frequencies of one or three lifts per minute, with loads of 10 or 25 kg. Belt pressure was set at 0 (no belt), 10, and 20 mm Hg. Study participants lifted with inspire-hold and expire-hold for a period of 5 minutes. Lift ventilation data and trunk muscle normalized electromyography (NEMG) (including rectus abdominis, external oblique, latissimus dorsi, and erector spinae) for the final lift were collected for analysis. RESULTS: The results indicate that the ventilation demand for lifting was not different with or without use of a belt. The prelifting erector spinae NEMG was 8-11% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) lower and the latissimus dorsi NEMG was 15-21% MVC lower than that without belt. This is also the case in the lifting phase. The rectus abdominis NEMG was increased by 4% MVC and the external oblique NEMG was increased by 3-5% MVC while lifting with a belt. CONCLUSIONS: These data do not lead to a statistical effect of lifting belt pressure on ventilatory behavior. It appears that the use of a belt in lifting significantly decreased the back muscular activation yet increased the abdominal muscular activation. Thus, claims of benefits derived from the use of a belt in lifting remain controversial. The simultaneous controls of the air volume held and pressure of the belt during the moment-controlled lifting tasks allowed this presentation of belt effects on trunk muscle NEMG unique from that in most of the literature.