Burden of diabetes attributable to dietary cadmium exposure in adolescents and adults in China.

At present, the health risk assessment of cadmium exposure has become a major focus of environmental health research. However, there is still a lack of systematic research on the burden of diabetes (DM) attributable to dietary cadmium exposure in adolescents and adults in China. Using the top-down method, the blood cadmium level (B-Cd) of Chinese adolescents and adults from 2001 to 2023 was combined with the relative risk (RR) of cadmium-induced diabetes to calculate the population attribution score (PAF). Subsequently, PAF was used to assess the disease burden (DB) of diabetes caused by cadmium exposure, expressed in disability adjusted life years (DALYs), and attribution analysis was carried out for cadmium exposure from different sources. The average blood cadmium concentration in Chinese adolescents and adults was 1.54 ± 1.13 µg/L, and the burden of DM attributable to cadmium exposure was 56.52 (44.81, 70.33) × 105 DALYs. The contribution rate of dietary cadmium exposure was 59.78%, and the burden of DM attributable to dietary cadmium exposure was 337.86 (267.85, 420.42) × 108 DALYs. In addition, the highest blood cadmium concentrations were found in Henan, Shanxi, and Jiangxi provinces, while the highest burden of DM attributable to cadmium exposure was found in Jiangsu, Henan, and Guangdong provinces. Cadmium exposure is a risk factor for DM, and we need to take comprehensive action to reduce the burden of DM attributable to dietary cadmium from health, economic, and social perspectives.

Aquaporin-4 expression dynamically varies after acute spinal cord injury-induced disruption of blood spinal cord barrier in rats.

The blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) changes badly after spinal cord injury (SCI), and it is an important pathophysiological basis of SCI secondary damage. Aquaporin-4 (AQP4), one of the transmembrane proteins in spinal cord, has been shown to be closely related to the development of the BSCB and edema. We established a SCI model in rats using a free-falling weight drop device to subsequently investigate AQP4 expression. AQP4 messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression and immunoreactivity were detected in spinal cord tissue using reverse transcription-real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. We found the water content and edema of the spinal cord were significantly higher than the control group after SCI, which was related to the growth of BSCB permeability; both reached their peak on the third day after injury. One, 3, 5, 7 days after injury, the immune response and protein expression in the model group increased from 1 to 3 days, with a plateau period from 3 to 5 days and a decline from 5 to 7 days, showing a significant difference compared with the sham group at each time point (P < 0.05), while the RT-qPCR results showed a decline of mRNA just after 3 days. In conclusion, after SCI, the water content of the spinal cord and the BSCB permeability increases, together with the excessive expression of AQP4, which reached a peak on the third day. AQP4 expression is closely relative to the permeability of BSCB and the water content of the spinal cord.

Effects of Clematis chinensis Osbeck mediated by low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on transforming growth factor-ß/Smad signaling in rabbit articular chondrocytes.

PURPOSE: Clematis chinensis Osbeck (CCO) is an essential herb that has been shown to promote the biological functions of cartilage cells. In this study, we aimed to explore whether and how low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) enhanced CCO delivery into chondrocytes and stimulated biological activity in vitro. METHODS: Chondrocytes were isolated from knee articular cartilage of 2-week-old rabbits and treated with LIPUS plus CCO or recombinant transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-ß1; 0.5 ng/mL), with or without anti-TGF-ß1 antibodies (10 µg/mL), for 3 days. Cell proliferation was assessed by Cell-Counting Kit-8 assays. Immunocytochemistry, western blotting, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were applied to detect the expression of type II collagen and some molecules in the TGF-ß1 signal pathway. RESULTS: LIPUS plus 0.1 mg/mL CCO solution promoted chondrocyte proliferation and type II collagen and TGF-ß1 expression synergistically in vitro (P < 0.05). In addition, treatment with anti-TGF-ß1 antibodies blocked this effect (P < 0.01), but not completely. CCO plus LIPUS also showed more enhanced effects on promoting TGF-ß receptor II and Smad2 signaling and reducing Smad7 signaling than either intervention separately (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CCO plus LIPUS promoted extracellular matrix deposition by accelerating the TGF-ß/Smad-signaling pathway in chondrocytes.

Jisuikang, a Chinese herbal formula, increases neurotrophic factor expression and promotes the recovery of neurological function after spinal cord injury.

The Chinese medicine compound, Jisuikang, can promote recovery of neurological function by inhibiting lipid peroxidation, scavenging oxygen free radicals, and effectively improving the local microenvironment after spinal cord injury. However, the mechanism remains unclear. Thus, we established a rat model of acute spinal cord injury using a modified version of Allen's method. Jisuikang (50, 25, and 12.5 g/kg/d) and prednisolone were administered 30 minutes after anesthesia. Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan locomotor scale scores and the oblique board test showed improved motor function recovery in the prednisone group and moderate-dose Jisuikang group compared with the other groups at 3-7 days post-injury. The rats in the moderate-dose Jisuikang group recovered best at 14 days post-injury. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy showed that the survival rate of neurons in treatment groups increased after 3-7 days of administration. Further, the structure of neurons and glial cells was more distinct, especially in prednisolone and moderate-dose Jisuikang groups. Western blot assay and immunohistochemistry showed that expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in injured segments was maintained at a high level after 7-14 days of treatment. In contrast, expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) was down-regulated at 7 days after spinal cord injury. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that expression of BDNF and NGF mRNA was induced in injured segments by prednisolone and Jisuikang. At 3-7 days after injury, the effect of prednisolone was greater, while 14 days after injury, the effect of moderate-dose Jisuikang was greater. These results confirm that Jisuikang can upregulate BDNF and NGF expression for a prolonged period after spinal cord injury and promote repair of acute spinal cord injury, with its effect being similar to prednisolone.