Nontarget Analysis of Legacy and Emerging PFAS in a Lithium-Ion Power Battery Recycling Park and Their Possible Toxicity Measured Using High-Throughput Phenotype Screening.

Driven by the global popularity of electric vehicles and the shortage of critical raw materials for batteries, the spent lithium-ion power battery (LIPB) recycling industry has exhibited explosive growth in both quantity and scale. However, relatively little information is known about the environmental risks posed by LIPB recycling, in particular with regards to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In this work, suspect screening and nontarget analysis were carried out to characterize PFAS in soil, dust, water and sediment from a LIPB recycling area. Twenty-five PFAS from nine classes were identified at confidence level 3 or above, including 13 legacy and 12 emerging PFAS, as well as two ultrashort-chain PFAS. Based on the target analysis of 16 PFAS, at least nine were detected in each environmental sample, indicating their widespread presence in a LIPB recycling area. Perfluorodecanoic acid, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and trifluoromethanesulfonamide showed significant differences in the four phenotypic parameters (growth, movement, survival and fecundity) of Caenorhabditis elegans and were the most toxic substances in all target PFAS at an exposure concentration of 200 µM. Our project provides first-hand information on the existence and environmental risk of PFAS, facilitating the formulation of regulations and green development of the LIPB recycling industry.

Association of circulating vaspin levels and patients with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The incidence rate of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is increasing annually; however, there are still no effective methods for establishing an early diagnosis and conducting real-time tracing. Vaspin can affect the metabolic processes in the body, and it is closely associated with many metabolic diseases. Many previous studies have speculated on the association between vaspin and MAFLD, but the results of these studies have not been conclusive. This meta-analysis examined the differences in circulating vaspin levels between patients with MAFLD and healthy individuals. METHODS: Six databases and other sources were searched with free terms and Medical Subject Headings terms, and a total of 13 articles were included (900 cases and 669 controls). RevMan 5.3 and Stata 16 were used for analysis. The standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the overall outcomes. Cohen's kappa coefficient was applied to examine the differences between the two authors in the selection of studies and in the evaluation of the quality of evidence for the studies. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the circulating vaspin levels between the MAFLD group and healthy group (SMD = 0.46, 95% CI: [- 0.12, 1.04]). The subgroup analysis suggested that area and body mass index (BMI) may be the sources of heterogeneity, and the results of univariate meta-regression analysis were consistent with those of the subgroup analysis (P = 0.005 and P < 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, BMI may better explain the source of heterogeneity (P = 0.032) in the multivariate meta-regression analysis. CONCLUSION: In summary, no significant correlation was observed between the circulating vaspin levels and MAFLD. BMI may be an important factor affecting this correlation, which may provide a reference for further studies on mechanism and diagnosis of MAFLD.

Association of circulating visfatin level and metabolic fatty liver disease: An updated meta-analysis and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The rate of incidence of metabolic dysfunction-related fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has rapidly increased globally in recent years, but early diagnosis is still a challenge. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to identify visfatin for early diagnosis of MAFLD. METHODS: We strictly adhered to the relevant requirements of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The systematic search was conducted in 7 sources (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, CBM, and ClinicalTrials.gov) until February 2024. The meta-analysis was performed using Stata 12. Outcomes were expressed in the form of standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval and were analyzed using meta-analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that there was no significant difference in circulating visfatin levels between patients with MAFLD and controls (SMD = 0.13 [-0.34, 0.60]). However, the outcomes indicated that the level of circulating visfatin was significantly higher in MAFLD patients in the Middle Eastern subgroup (SMD = 0.45 [0.05, 0.85]) and in the obese patient subgroup (SMD = 1.05 [0.18, 1.92]). No publication bias was detected, and sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of the outcomes. CONCLUSION: The serum visfatin levels of MAFLD patients did not differ significantly from those of controls. However, visfatin concentrations in serum were statistically higher within Middle Eastern or obese MAFLD patients compared to controls. There is a need for further research to investigate visfatin's potential as a biomarker for MAFLD.

Clinical Utility of Circulating Pentraxin 3 as a Prognostic Biomarker in Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is involved in inflammation regulation and has a certain association with infectious diseases. However, its specific correlation with infectious diseases remains controversial. This study aimed to analyze the association between them and explore the possible role of PTX3 in the prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: Five databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Clinicaltrials.gov, and gray literature) were searched. Outcomes were expressed as a standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to evaluate the quality of included articles. Stata 12 and Meta-DiSc were applied to analyze the pooled data. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were conducted to determine the prognostic value of PTX3 for mortality. RESULTS: Six articles met the inclusion criteria. Circulating PTX3 levels had a nonsignificant difference between intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU patients with COVID-19 [SMD 1.37 (-0.08, 2.81); I2 = 93.9%, P < 0.01], while the PTX3 levels in nonsurvival COVID-19 patients was significantly lower than those in survival patients [SMD -1.41 (-1.92, -0.91); I2 = 66.4%, P = 0.051]. Circulating PTX3 had good mortality prediction ability (area under ROC curve, AUC = 0.829) in COVID-19. Funnel plots and Egger's tests showed low probabilities of publication bias. Through sensitivity analysis, the results of this study were robust. CONCLUSION: This study found that PTX3 was differentially expressed between survival and nonsurvival patients with COVID-19, while there was no significant difference between ICU and non-ICU patients. Meanwhile, circulating PTX3 may be a good biomarker for monitoring the prognosis of COVID-19, which may provide new ideas and directions for clinical and scientific research.

This study focuses on the relationship between circulating pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 can initiate the inflammatory reaction of the body, trigger a series of immune mechanisms, and cause death in severe cases. PTX3 is a soluble pattern recognition molecule (PRM) belonging to the humoral innate immune system, which may be increasingly deemed as an independent strong prognostic indicator in severe infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. Five databases (Pubmed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Clinicaltrials.gov, and gray literature) were searched for six keywords. There was no significant difference in circulating PTX3 levels between intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU patients with COVID-19, while the PTX3 levels of nonsurvival patients with COVID-19 was significantly lower than those of survival patients. Circulating PTX3 may indicate good diagnostic value in predicting the mortality of COVID-19, which may be useful as an indicator for monitoring.

Association of circulating omentin level and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is closely associated with omentin, a novel adipokine that plays a vital role in metabolic balance. The literature about the relationship between circulating omentin and MAFLD is conflicting. Therefore, this meta-analysis evaluated circulating omentin levels in patients with MAFLD compared with healthy controls to explore the role of omentin in MAFLD. Methods: The literature search was performed up to April 8, 2022, using PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang, CBM, Clinical Trials Database and Grey Literature Database. This meta-analysis pooled the statistics in Stata and presented the overall results using the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Twelve studies with 1624 individuals (927 cases and 697 controls) were included, and all of them were case-control studies. In addition, ten of twelve included studies were conducted on Asian participants. Patients with MAFLD had significantly lower circulating omentin levels than healthy controls (SMD=-0.950 [-1.724, -0.177], P=0.016). Subgroup analysis and meta-regression demonstrated that fasting blood glucose (FBG) might be the source of heterogeneity and was inversely associated with omentin levels (coefficient=-0.538, P=0.009). No significant publication bias existed (P>0.05), and outcomes were robust in the sensitivity analysis. Conclusion: Lower circulating omentin levels were associated with MAFLD, and FBG might be the source of heterogeneity. Since Asian studies accounted for a significant portion of the meta-analysis, the conclusion might be more applicable to the Asian population. By investigating the relationship between omentin and MAFLD, this meta-analysis laid the foundation for the development of diagnostic biomarkers and treatment targets. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022316369.