Decreased vitamin D bio-availability with altered DNA methylation of its metabolism genes in association with the metabolic disorders among the school-aged children with degree I, II, and III obesity.

Obesity is strongly associated with disturbances of vitamin D (VD) metabolites in the animal models. However, the related epidemiological evidence is still controversial, especially the different degrees of obesity children. Hence, in this present representative case-control study, 106 obesity school-age children aged 7-12 years were included and divided into different subgroups as degree I (the age- and sex-specific BMI≥95th percentile, n=45), II (BMI ≥120% percentile, n=34) and III (BMI ≥140% percentile, n=27) obesity groups across the ranges of body mass index (BMI). While the age- and sex-matched subjects without obesity were as the control group. Notably, it was significantly different of body composition, anthropological and clinical characteristics among the above four subgroups with the dose-response relationships (P<.05). Moreover, comparing with the control group, the serum VD concentrations were higher, VD metabolites like 25(OH)D, 25(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D, and related hydroxylases as CYP27A1, CYP2R1 and CYP27B1 were lower in the degree I, II, and III obesity subgroups (P<.05), which were more disorder with the anthropological and clinical characteristics as the obesity was worsen in a BMI-independent manner (P<.05). However, there was a significant increase of CYP27B1 in the degree III obesity group than those in the degree I and II obesity subgroups. Furthermore, the methylation patterns on the genome-wide (Methylation/Hydroxymethylation) and VD metabolism genes (CYP27A1, CYP2R1 and CYP27B1) were negatively correlated with the worse obesity and their related expressions (P<.05). In summary, these results indicated that obesity could affect the homeostasis of VD metabolism related genes such as CYP27A1, CYP2R1, CYP27B1 and etc through abnormal DNA methylation, resulting in the disorders of VD related metabolites to decrease VD bio-availability with the BMI-independent manner. In turn, the lower levels of VD metabolites would affect the liver function to exacerbate the progression of obesity, as the Degree II and III obesity subgroups.

NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation During Acute Negative Pressure Injury in the Middle Ear of Mice.

HYPOTHESIS: The present study was conducted to explore the role of the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in mouse otic barotrauma models. BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that the NLRP3 inflammasome plays an important role in the pathogenesis of middle ear disease. However, whether middle ear negative pressure injury underlies NLRP3 inflammasome activation remains unclear. METHODS: Wild-type and Nlrp3 -/- mice were randomly assigned to control and pressure injury groups, respectively. Pressure loading was performed using a pressure cabin with the pressure level set to 20 kPa higher than that of the ambient atmosphere. This was achieved in approximately 15 seconds and maintained for 10 minutes. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to detect morphological changes of the middle ear mucosa, tissue IL-1ß was measured via an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and cleaved caspase-1 was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: We found that the maturation of caspase-1 and IL-1ß production in the middle ear significantly increased after otic barotrauma. In Nlrp3 -/- mice, inflammasome activation is downregulated and mucosal hyperplasia is reduced compared with those of wild-type mice during recovery. CONCLUSION: The NLRP3 inflammasome likely plays an important role in the pathogenesis of otic barotrauma. Controlling activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome may promote middle ear recovery after negative pressure injury.

An Insight into the Exploration of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Calorie Restricted Diet Fed Mice.

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) threaten the success of modern drugs against multidrug resistant infections. ARGs can be transferred to opportunistic pathogens by horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Many studies have investigated the characteristics of ARGs in various chemical stressors. Studies on the effects of dietary nutrition and dietary patterns on ARGs are rare. The study first demonstrated the effect of calorie restricted (CR) diet on the ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in mouse feces and explored their relationship with gut microbiota and their functions. The results showed that the abundance of the total ARGs in mouse feces of the CR group increased, especially tetracycline ARGs (tetW-01). The abundance of the MLSB ARGs (ermB) decreased evidently in mouse feces of the CR group. In addition, the total abundance of MGEs decreased evidently in the CR group, especially tnpA-03. In the meantime, the abundance of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in mouse feces of the CR group increased remarkably. The Spearman correlation analysis between gut microbiota and ARGs showed that several probiotics were significantly positively correlated with ARGs (tetW-01), which might be the main contribution to the increase in ARGs of the CR group.

Developmental origins of health and disease: Impact of paternal nutrition and lifestyle.

Most epidemiological and experimental studies have focused on maternal influences on offspring's health. The impact of maternal undernutrition, overnutrition, hypoxia, and stress is linked to adverse offspring outcomes across a range of systems including cardiometabolic, respiratory, endocrine, and reproduction among others. During the past decade, it has become evident that paternal environmental factors are also linked to the development of diseases in offspring. In this article, we aim to outline the current understanding of the impact of male health and environmental exposure on offspring development, health, and disease and explore the mechanisms underlying the paternal programming of offspring health. The available evidence suggests that poor paternal pre-conceptional nutrition and lifestyle, and advanced age can increase the risk of negative outcomes in offspring, via both direct (genetic/epigenetic) and indirect (maternal uterine environment) effects. Beginning at preconception, and during utero and the early life after birth, cells acquire an epigenetic memory of the early exposure which can be influential across the entire lifespan and program a child's health. Potentially not only mothers but also fathers should be advised that maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle is important to improve offspring health as well as the parental health status. However, the evidence is mostly based on animal studies, and well-designed human studies are urgently needed to verify findings from animal data.

Effect of adsorption on ferrihydrite on the photoreactivity of dissolved black carbon for photodegradation of sulfadiazine.

The selective adsorption of dissolved black carbon (DBC) on inorganic minerals is a widespread geochemical process in the natural environment, which could change the chemical and optical properties of DBC. However, it remains unclear how selective adsorption affects the photoreactivity of DBC for photodegradation of organic pollutants. This paper was the first to investigate the effect of DBC adsorption on ferrihydrite at different Fe/C molar ratios (Fe/C molar ratios of 0, 7.50 and 11.25, and marked as DBC0, DBC7.50 and DBC11.25) on the photoproduction of reactive intermediates generated from DBC and their interaction with sulfadiazine (SD). Results showed that UV absorbance, aromaticity, molecular weight and contents of phenolic antioxidants of DBC were significantly decreased after adsorption on ferrihydrite, and higher decrease was observed at higher Fe/C ratio. Photodegradation kinetics experiments showed that observed photodegradation rate constant of SD (kobs) increased from 3.99 × 10-5 s-1 in DBC0 to 5.69 × 10-5 s-1 in DBC7.50 while decreased to 3.44 × 10-5 s-1 in DBC11.25, in which 3DBC* played an important role and 1O2 played a minor role, while ·OH was not involved in the reaction. Meanwhile, the second-order reaction rate constant between 3DBC* and SD (kSD, 3DBC*) increased from 0.84 × 108 M-1 s-1 for DBC0 to 2.53 × 108 M-1 s-1 for DBC7.50 while decreased to 0.90 × 108 M-1 s-1 for DBC11.25. The above results might be mainly attributed to the fact that the decrease of phenolic antioxidants in DBC weakened the back-reduction of 3DBC* and reactive intermediates of SD as the Fe/C ratio increased, while the decrease of quinones and ketones reduced the photoproduction of 3DBC*. The research revealed adsorption on ferrihydrite affected the photodegradation of SD by changing the reactivity of 3DBC*, which was helpful to understand the dynamic roles of DBC in the photodegradation of organic pollutants.

Effects of agricultural land types on microplastic abundance: A nationwide meta-analysis in China.

Microplastics (MPs) accumulation in agricultural land that possibly poses threats to food security and human health has recently attracted increasing attention. Land use type probably is a key factor that drives the contamination level of soil MPs. Nevertheless, few studies have performed large-scale systematic analysis of the effects in different agricultural land soils on the MPs abundance. In this study, we constructed a national MPs dataset comprising 321 observations from 28 articles, summarised the current status of microplastic pollution in five agricultural land types in China through meta-analysis, and investigated the effects and key factors of agricultural land types on microplastic abundance. The results showed that among the existing soil microplastic research, vegetable soils maintained a higher environmental exposure distribution than other agricultural lands, and with the most common trend being vegetable land > orchard land > cropland > grassland. By combining agricultural practices, demographic economic factors and geographical factors, a potential impact identification method based on subgroup analysis was established. The findings demonstrated that agricultural film mulch significantly increased soil MPs abundance, especially in orchards. Increased population and economy (carbon emissions and PM2.5 concentrations) add MPs abundance in all kinds of agricultural lands. And the significant changes of effect sizes in high-latitude and mid-altitude areas suggested that geographical space differences exerted a certain degree of impact on the soil distribution of MPs. By the proposed method, different levels of MPs risk areas in agricultural soils can be more reasonably and effectively identified, which will provide type-specific policies technical and theoretical support for the precise management of MPs in agricultural land soils.

Dietary Folic Acid Supplementation Inhibits HighFat DietInduced Body Weight Gain through Gut Microbiota-Associated Branched-Chain Amino Acids and Mitochondria in Mice.

The effects of folic acid on body weight gain in obesity and gut microbiota-associated branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and mitochondrial function were investigated. Three- to four-wk-old male C57BL/6J conventional (CV) and germ-free (GF) mice were fed a high-fat diet (HD), folic acid-supplemented HD (FSHD) and a normal-fat diet (ND) for 25 wk. In CV mice, the HD-induced increases in body weight and plasma BCAA concentrations, downregulated expression of genes related to BCAA catabolism (Bcat2, Bckdha, or Ppm1k), mitochondrial biogenesis (Pgc-1α, Cox1, Nd1 or Nd6), fusion (Mfn1, Mfn2 or Opa1) and mitophagy (Pink1 or Park2), and upregulated expression of the fission-associated gene Drp1 in epididymal fat were reversely corrected with FSHD feeding. In contrast, the expression of these genes in the liver was the opposite under HD feeding or folic acid supplementation. In GF mice, plasma BCAA concentrations were much less affected by HD feeding and were reduced by FSHD feeding, with almost no alterations in the expression of genes associated with BCAA catabolism and mitochondrial function. Further analysis indicated a correlation between adipose and hepatic Mt C/N and plasma BCAA concentrations, and the latter had a close association with specific gut bacteria. Therefore, dietary folic acid supplementation differentially affected body weight gain, BCAA catabolism, and mitochondrial dynamics and metabolism under HD feeding between CV and GF mice, suggesting that gut bacteria-altered BCAAs and mitochondria might partially share the responsibility for the beneficial effects of dietary folic acid on obesity.

Maternal vitamin D deficiency aggravates the dysbiosis of gut microbiota by affecting intestinal barrier function and inflammation in obese male offspring mice.

OBJECTIVES: The colonization of gut microbiota during early life may play a critical role in the progression of metabolic syndrome in adulthood. Targeting gut-based genes in the barrier function, inflammation, and lipid transportation are potential therapies for obesity. Therefore, this study focused on whether maternal deficient vitamin D (VD) intake could aggravate the dysbiosis of gut microbiota by affecting the expressions of these genes in the ileum and colon of obese male offspring mice. METHODS: Four-week-old female C57 BL/6 J mice were fed normal (VD-C) or VD-deficient (VD-D) reproductive diets throughout pregnancy and lactation (n = 15/group). Weaning male pups (n = 10/group) were fed either a high-fat (HFD; VD-C-HFD, VD-D-HFD) or normal-fat diet (control) for 16 wk. All biologic samples were obtained after the mice were anesthetized by cervical dislocation. Subsequently, the compositions of the gut microbiota in cecal contents were analyzed using 16 S ribosomal RNA sequencing. Messenger RNA expression in the ileum and colon was determined using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The distributions of ZO-1 and Claudin-1 were determined using immunohistochemistry testing. RESULTS: Maternal deficient VD intake significantly aggravated the dysbiosis of gut microbiota persisting into adulthood from phylum to genus levels in the cecal contents among obese male offspring mice. This aggravation led to significantly depleted Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia (Akkermansia, Alliprevotella, and Bacteroides), with higher relative abundance of Firmicutes (Lactobacillus, Lachnoclostridium, Romboutsia, and Ruminiclostridium_9) and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes. The gene expressions of proinflammatory cytokines (Ccl2, Ccl4 and interleukin-1ß) and lipid transportation molecules (Ffar3, Fabp4, and Fabp1) were higher, and the levels of intestinal barrier function (Occludin, ZO-1, and Claudin-1) were lower in the VD-D-HFD group than those in the VD-C-HFD group. Furthermore, there were significant correlations between the dysbiosis of intestinal microbials and expressions of genes related to barrier function, inflammation, and lipid transportation in the ileum and/or colon. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal VD deficiency during pregnancy and lactation could aggravate the dysbiosis of gut microbiota to affect the progression of obesity among male offspring, which might be regulated by genes associated with barrier function, inflammation, and lipid transportation. So early life appropriate VD intake could play a significant role in preventing later obesity.

Novel insights into the temporal molecular fractionation of dissolved black carbon at the iron oxyhydroxide - water interface.

As the most reactive and mobile fraction of black carbon, dissolved black carbon (DBC) inexorably interacts with minerals in the biosphere. Nevertheless, the research on the mechanisms and compositions of DBC assembly at the mineral-water interface remains limited. In this study, we revealed the "kinetic architecture" of DBC on iron oxyhydroxide at novel insights based on quantitative and qualitative approaches. The results indicated that high molecular weight, highly unsaturated, oxygen-rich (such as carboxyl-rich fraction, phenolics), aliphatics, and long C chains compounds were preferentially adsorbed on the iron oxyhydroxide. 2D-COS analyses directly disclosed the sequential fractionation: aromatic and phenolic groups > aliphatic groups, and few aromatics were continuously adsorbed after the rapid adsorption. Quantitative determinations identified that aromatic and phenolic components were adsorbed rapidly over the first 60 min, while aromatics achieved the dynamic equilibrium until ∼300 min, which was consistent with the 2D-COS observations. Our findings supported the hypothesis that "mineral-OM" and "OM-OM" interactions worked simultaneously, and the adsorption might be co-driven by ligand exchange, hydrophobic interactions, and other mechanisms. This work provided the theoretical basis for organic carbon storage and turnover, and it was valuable for predicting the behaviors and fates of contaminants at the soil-water interface and surface water.

Maternal inappropriate calcium intake aggravates dietary-induced obesity in male offspring by affecting the differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells.

BACKGROUND: The effects of inappropriate dietary calcium intake in early life on later obesity have not been fully elucidated. AIM: To raise the mechanism of maternal calcium intake on the multi-differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells among their male offspring. METHODS: Four-week-old female C57BL/6N mice were fed by deficient, low, normal and excessive calcium reproductive diets throughout pregnancy and lactation. Bone MSCs (BMSCs) were obtained from 7-day-old male offspring to measure the adipogenic differentiation potential by the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. The other weaning male pups were fed a high-fat diet for 16 wk, along with normal-fat diet as the control. Then the serum was collected for the measurement of biochemical indicators. Meanwhile, the adipose tissues were excised to analyze the adipocyte sizes and inflammatory infiltration. And the target gene expressions on the adipogenic differentiation and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway in the adipose tissues and BMSCs were determined by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, maternal deficient, low and excessive calcium intake during pregnancy and lactation aggravated dietary-induced obesity, with larger adipocytes, more serious inflammatory infiltration and higher serum metabolism indicators by interfering with higher expressions of adipogenic differentiation (PPARγ, C/EBPα, Fabp4, LPL, Adiponectin, Resistin and/or Leptin) among their male offspring (P < 0.05). And there were significantly different expression of similar specific genes in the BMSCs to successfully polarize adipogenic differentiation and suppress osteogenic differentiation in vivo and in vitro, respectively (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, it was accompanied by more significant disorders on the expressions of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway both in BMSCs and adulthood adipose tissues among the offspring from maternal inappropriate dietary calcium intake groups. CONCLUSION: Early-life abnormal dietary calcium intake might program the adipogenic differentiation potential of BMSCs from male offspring, with significant expressions on the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway to aggravate high-fat-diet-induced obesity in adulthood.

Early-life antibiotic exposure increases the risk of childhood overweight and obesity in relation to dysbiosis of gut microbiota: a birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Early-life antibiotic exposure is associated with the development of later obesity through the disruption of gut microbiota in the animal models. However, the related epidemiological evidence is still conflicting. METHODS: A birth cohort was consisted of 2140 mother-infant pairs in Chaoyang District Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital in this study. Here, their available antibiotic exposure during the first one year of life was ascertained using a open-ended questionnaire and related anthropometric parameters from the health screening program. The compositions of gut microbiota were comprehensively analyzed by16S rRNA high throughput sequencing. Then the spearman correlations were performed by the multiple covariance-adjusted regressions between the antibiotic exposure with anthropometric parameters and compositions of gut microbiota. RESULTS: Among the 2140 subjects, the antibiotic exposure during the first one year of life was 53.04%, mainly by Cephalosporins (53.39%) and Erythromycins(27.67%) for the treatment of respiratory tract infection (79.56%), which were not significantly different among the subgroups. Compared to the control group, both childhood overweight and obesity at two and a half years were higher in the antibiotic exposed group, with higher percents of Faecalibacterium, Agathobacter and Klebsiella, and lower percentage of Bifidobacterium. Moreover, there were positively potential associations between early-life antibiotic exposure with the accelerated anthropometric parameters and disruption of Faecalibacterium, Agathobacter, Klebsiella and Bifidobacterium at two and a half years. CONCLUSION: These above results proved that early-life antibiotic exposure was positively associated with the accelerated childhood overweight and obesity from one year to two and a half years by impacting the disorders of Faecalibacterium, Agathobacter, Klebsiella and Bifidobacterium, which would propose the theoretical basis for rationalizing the personalized antibiotic exposure among the infants to truly reflect the fairness of public health.

Paternal preconceptional diet enriched with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids affects offspring brain function in mice.

Recent studies demonstrate that paternal nutrition prior to conception may determine offspring development and health through epigenetic modification. This study aims to investigate the effects of paternal supplementation of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) on the brain development and function, and associated gene imprinting in the offspring. Three to four-week-old male C57BL/6J mice (founder) were fed with an n-3 PUFA-deficient diet (n-3 D), and two n-3 PUFA supplementation diets - a normal n-3 PUFA content diet (n-3 N) and a high n-3 PUFA content diet (n-3 H) for 12 weeks. Then they were mated to 10-week-old virgin female C57BL/6J mice to generate the offspring. The results showed that paternal n-3 PUFA supplementation in preconception reduced the anxiety- and depressive-like behavior, and improved sociability, learning and memory in the offspring, along with increased synaptic number, upregulated expressions of neuron specific enolase, myelin basic protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein, brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, and altered expressions of genes associated with mitochondria biogenesis, fusion, fission and autophagy. Furthermore, with paternal n-3 PUFA supplementation, the expression of imprinted gene Snrpn was downregulated both in testes of the founder mice and their offspring, but upregulated in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, with altered DNA methylation in its differentially methylated region. The data suggest that higher paternal intake of n-3 PUFAs in preconception may help to maintain optimal brain development and function in the offspring, and further raise the possibility of paternal nutritional intervention for mental health issues in subsequent generations.

Dietary acetic acid suppress high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice by altering taurine conjugated bile acids metabolism.

Vinegar is widely used in Chinese diet as a traditional condiment, and its functional component acetic acid has been proposed to prevent obesity, while its mechanism is still unclear. Bile acids (BAs) have been reported to have a protective effect on obesity. This study demonstrated that high-fat diet induced obesity (DIO) seriously disturbed BAs balance by significantly decreasing hepatic BAs synthesis and increasing fecal BAs excretion. However, acetate supplemented in the high-fat diet can restore BAs balance by mainly promoting hepatic taurine conjugated BAs (tauro-BAs) synthesis and decreasing fecal tauro-BAs excretion. The tauro-BAs, as the antagonists, inhibited the intestinal-liver farnesoid X receptor (FXR)-fibroblast growth factor 15 (FGF15)-FGF receptor 4 (FGFR4) signaling pathway, and negatively regulated the production of hepatic BAs. Present study provided important clues for further investigation of the mechanism of acetic acid inhibiting DIO.

Maternal DHA-rich n-3 PUFAs supplementation interacts with FADS genotypes to influence the profiles of PUFAs in the colostrum among Chinese Han population: a birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the fatty acid desaturases and elongases might associate with the endogenous synthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). However, the related epidemiological evidence is still conflicting. So we aimed to clearly evaluate the interactions between maternal DHA-rich n-3 PUFAs supplementation and the known 26 SNPs on the profiles of PUFAs in the colostrum using a Chinese birth cohort. METHODS: Totally, 1050 healthy mother-infant pairs were enrolled in this study at gestational 6-8 weeks when they established their pregnancy files at Fuxing Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University in Beijing from January to December 2018. Meanwhile, their venous blood samples were obtained for DNA extraction to detect the genotypes of SNPs in the Fads1, Fads2, Fads3, Elovl2 and Elovl5 using the Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry. Then the colostrum samples were collected to determine the profiles of PUFAs by gas chromatography. RESULTS: Maternal DHA-rich n-3 PUFAs supplementation from the early and middle pregnancy could reduce the infant BMI at birth, and impact the profiles of PUFAs in the colostrum, as higher n-3 PUFAs (EPA, DHA, DHA/ALA and DHA/EPA), lower n-6 PUFAs (AA and AA/LA) and ∑-6/n-3ΣPUFAs. Moreover, there were significant correlations between multiple SNPs and the profiles of n-6 PUFAs (rs76996928 for LA, rs174550, rs174553 and rs174609 for AA, rs174550 and rs76996928 for AA/LA) and n-3 PUFAs in the colostrum (rs174448, rs174537, rs174550, rs174553, rs174598, rs3168072, rs174455 and rs174464 for ALA, rs174550, rs174553 and rs174598 for EPA, rs174455 and rs174464 for DHA, rs174448 and rs3168072 for DHA/EPA) using the multiple linear regressions by adjusting the maternal age, gestational week, mode of delivery, infant sex and BMI at birth, and all these above significant SNPs had the cumulative effects on the profiles of PUFAs. Furthermore, the pairwise comparisons also showed the meaningful interactions between maternal DHA-rich n-3 PUFAs supplementation and related genotypes of SNPs (rs76996928 for LA, rs174598 for EPA, rs174448 for DHA and DHA/EPA) on the contents of PUFAs in the colostrum. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this birth cohort study proved that the pregnant women with the following SNPs such as Fads3 rs174455 T, Fads3 rs174464 A and Fads1 rs174448 G alleles should pay more attention on their exogenous DHA supplementation from the early and middle pregnancy for the blocked endogenous synthesis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Beijing Pediatric Research Institution, Beijing Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University (2016-08), which was also registered at the website of http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=4673 (No: ChiCTR-OCH-14004900).

Dynamic colonization of gut microbiota and its influencing factors among the breast-feeding infants during the first two years of life.

The maturation of infant gut microbiota has lifelong implications on health, which has been proposed as the major events during the first year of life. However, little is known about their dynamic colonization and influencing elements among the first two-year infancy as well as into the adulthood. So based on the 16S rRNA sequencing data among 30 healthy breast-feeding mother-infant pairs with normal ranges of growth and development indicators from birth to two years old, the dynamic colonization of gut microbiota and its influencing factors were discussed using this birth cohort. Among these, we identified that the diversity of gut microbiota was significantly increased from six-month to two-year subgroups. The significantly dynamic trends of gut microbiota at the phylum (genus) level were that the percents of Firmicutes (Faecalibacterium, Blautia, Enterococcus, Subdoligranulum, Agathobacter, unidentified_Erysipelotrichaceae, Staphylococcus, unidentified_Ruminococcaceae, and Fusicatenibacter), Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia were increased, while Actinobacteria (Bifidobacterium) and Proteobacteria (unidentified-Enterobacteriaceae and Klebsiella) were decreased with the increased ages from six months to two years old, which might simultaneously modulate the host pathways, such as the higher percents of chemoheterotrophy and fermentation, and lower percentages of nitrate_reduction, aerobic_chemoheterotrophy and so on. Furthermore, there were significant associations between maternal (milk microbiota, pre-pregnancy BMI, BMI increment during the pregnancy)/infant characteristics (BMI at birth and BMI gain), and the compositions of gut microbiota. However, no differences of gut microbiota were shown between the different sex and productive mode subgroups. Overall, the colonization of gut microbiota is significantly matured into the adulthood with the increased ages to two-years old and regulated by the above maternal/infant characteristics, which will provide a new direction for the host-gut microbiota interplay during the first two years of life.

N-CQDs from reed straw enriching charge over BiO2-x/BiOCl p-n heterojunction for improved visible-light-driven photodegradation of organic pollutants.

Green bismuth-based photocatalysts have attracted extensive attention in the field of PPCPs photodegradation. The improved carrier separation efficiency still remains a key factor to enhance photocatalytic performance. Herein, N-doped biomass carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) decorated p-n heterojunction photocatalyst BiO2-x/BiOCl was prepared using a facile ion-etching strategy, and it displayed a markedly enhanced catalytic activity in the photodegradation of sulfonamide antibiotics. Calculated by the differential charge density, the doped N-CQDs could gather photogenerated electrons, which indicated that the introduction of N-CQDs into BiO2-x/BiOCl would effectively inhibit the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. In addition, photocatalytic performance and density functional theory (DFT) calculation results revealed that the photogenerated electrons tended to transfer from p-BiOCl to n-BiO2-x through N-CQDs, which could generate ·O2- and photogenerated h+ to oxidize the target pollutants. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of accelerated separation of e--h+ in p-n heterojunction and the electron-rich performance of N-CQDs, the superb TOC removal efficiencies (89.40% within 120 min visible-light irradiation) and toxicity reduction performance of photodegradation intermediates were achieved. As a consequence, this work will provide a design of high-quality photocatalysts and a green-promising strategy for bismuth-based photocatalysts in the water treatment of PPCPs.

Association of fish oil containing lipid emulsions with retinopathy of prematurity: a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) remains a leading cause of childhood blindness worldwide. This study aimed to investigate whether supplementation of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) in parenteral nutrition may have beneficial effects on ROP in preterm infants. METHODS: A total of 89 preterm infants, admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital from September 2017 to August 2020, were recruited in the study. Based on the medical documents, the subjects were categorised into two groups: administration of the fish oil emulsion (n=43) containing soy oil, medium-chain-triglycerides (MCT), olive oil and fish oil (6g/dL, 6g/dL, 5g/dL and 3g/dL respectively), and the soy oil emulsion (n=46) containing 10g/dL of soy oil and MCT each. At 4 weeks of hospitalization, ROP was screened and diagnosed. Fatty acids in erythrocytes were determined using gas chromatography. RESULTS: The averaged birth weight and gestational age were 1594±296 g and 31.9±2.3 wk, 1596±263 g and 31.6±2.3 wk respectively for preterm infants in the fish oil group and soy oil group. After 4 to 6 weeks of hospitalization, among all the preterm infants, 52 developed ROP (all stages) indicating an incidence of ROP at 58.43%. Although the incidence of ROP with any stages showed no differences between the two groups, the severe ROP incidence in the group with fish oil emulsions (2.33%) was significantly lower than that in the group with soy oil emulsions (23.91%) (P<0.05). After 14 days of nutrition support, the preterm infants administered fish oil emulsions had an increase in erythrocyte DHA content, with a reduction in ratio of arachidonic acid (AA) to DHA and an increase of n-3 index. CONCLUSION: Supplementation of n-3 PUFAs through parenteral fish oil containing lipid emulsions resulted in an increase in erythrocyte DHA, and this might have beneficial effects on prevention of severe ROP in preterm infants.

S-scheme BiVO4/CQDs/ß-FeOOH photocatalyst for efficient degradation of ofloxacin: Reactive oxygen species transformation mechanism insight.

Photocatalysis technology exhibited promising application for advanced treatment of wastewater. Nevertheless, the design of efficient photocatalyst and the mechanism of free radicals in pollutant degradation still remained to be further investigated. Herein, BiVO4/CQDs/ß-FeOOH photocatalyst was fabricated by electrostatic self-assembly method, which exhibited the excellent photocatalytic performance. Under visible-light irradiation, the removal rate of ofloxacin by BiVO4/CQDs/ß-FeOOH (0.25 min-1) was 1.93 times than pristine BiVO4, and the removal efficiency in 15 min reached 99.21%. The perfect reusability of BiVO4/CQDs/ß-FeOOH was ascribed to the persistent catalytic active centers provided by the renewable surface oxygen vacancies on the ß-FeOOH. As electron transfer channels, CQDs facilitated the transfer of BiVO4 photogeneration electrons. The matched band structure allowed the construction of S-scheme heterojunctions, and the higher conduction band position was retained while the carrier separation was promoted. More importantly, this work firstly reported the phenomenon that the main reactive groups in the photocatalysis process would be directionally transformed with the change of pH conditions. Based on the analysis of capture and electron paramagnetic resonance experiments, ·O2- was the main free radicals to photodegrade OFL in neutral and alkaline conditions. However, when the solution pH turned into acidic, the photodegradation of OFL was dominated by 1O2. This innovative phenomenon was due to that acidic condition accelerated the reaction kinetics of spontaneous transformation of ·O2- to 1O2 and inhibited the direct oxidation of pollutants by ·O2-. Accordingly, this research could inspire theoretical study of free radical reaction and the design of S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts.

Suppression of high-fat-diet-induced obesity in mice by dietary folic acid supplementation is linked to changes in gut microbiota.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether the effects of dietary folic acid supplementation on body weight gain are mediated by gut microbiota in obesity. METHODS: Male C57 BL/6J conventional (CV) and germ-free (GF) mice both aged three to four weeks were fed a high-fat diet (HD), folic acid-deficient HD (FD-HD), folic acid-supplement HD (FS-HD) and a normal-fat diet (ND) for 25 weeks. Faecal microbiota were analyzed by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, and the mRNA expression of genes was determined by the real-time RT-PCR. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in faeces and plasma were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: In CV mice, HD-induced body weight gain was inhibited by FS-HD, accompanied by declined energy intake, smaller white adipocyte size, and less whitening of brown adipose tissue. Meanwhile, the HD-induced disturbance in the expression of fat and energy metabolism-associated genes (Fas, Atgl, Hsl, Ppar-α, adiponectin, resistin, Ucp2, etc.) in epididymal fat was diminished, and the dysbiosis in faecal microbiota was lessened, by FS-HD. However, in GF mice with HD feeding, dietary folic acid supplementation had almost no effect on body weight gain and the expression of fat- and energy-associated genes. Faecal or plasma SCFA concentrations in CV and GF mice were not altered by either FD-HD or FS-HD feeding. CONCLUSION: Dietary folic acid supplementation differently affected body weight gain and associated genes' expression under HD feeding between CV and GF mice, suggesting that gut bacteria might partially share the responsibility for beneficial effects of dietary folate on obesity.

The binding characteristics of sediment-derived dissolved organic matter with ceftazidime: a microstructural and spectroscopic correlation study.

This research focused on the characterization of sediment-derived dissolved organic matter (SDOM) extracted from sediment of Yellow River and the binding behaviors of ceftazidime (CAZ) with the presence of SDOM. The morphology, surface composition and structure of SDOM and the complexation between SDOM and CAZ in terms of component features, binding capacity and sequence were studied by multiple approaches. Results showed that SDOM was in situ autochthonous-dominated with a low weight-average molecular weight and aromaticity (the value of SR was 2.523). The multiple morphological characteristics, high surface oxygen contents (53.49%) and more aliphatic (H/C = 1.91) of SDOM were further confirmed. Studies on SDOM-CAZ interaction suggested that the functional groups and chemical compositions of SDOM were susceptible to CAZ. In more detail, the aromatic protons and aliphatic protons of CAZ impacted significantly, and the binding between CAZ and SDOM might relate to noncovalent. The protein-like fractions were considered to be the primary participant with 49% fractions lost and the aromatics and amides as mainly active site interaction with CAZ. These findings have significant implications on the environmental fate of cephalosporin antibiotics and that of sediment-derived DOM.