Environmental occurrence, fate, human exposure, and human health risks of p-phenylenediamines and their quinones.

P-phenylenediamine antioxidants (PPDs) are widely used in the rubber industry and their release and transformation in the environment has become one of the current environmental research hotspots. PPDs are readily oxidized in the environment to form quinone transformation products (PPD-Qs), some of which (e.g.

Impact of microplastics on plant physiology: A meta-analysis of dose, particle size, and crop type interactions in agricultural ecosystems.

The increasing prevalence of plastic pollution has led to widespread environmental concerns, particularly with microplastics (MPs) that persist in various ecosystems. As MPs accumulate in terrestrial environments, their potential impact on plant health and agricultural productivity has become a growing area of focus. This study presents a comprehensive meta-analysis evaluating the effects of MPs on plant physiological and biochemical parameters, synthesizing data from 37 studies comprising 2886 observations.

Trends and drivers of anthropogenic NO emissions in China since 2020.

Nitrogen oxides (NO), significant contributors to air pollution and climate change, form aerosols and ozone in the atmosphere. Accurate, timely, and transparent information on NO emissions is essential for decision-making to mitigate both haze and ozone pollution. However, a comprehensive understanding of the trends and drivers behind anthropogenic NO emissions from China-the world's largest emitter-has been lacking since 2020 due to delays in emissions reporting.

High glucose-induced NCAPD2 upregulation promotes malignant phenotypes and regulates EMT via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in HCC.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is recognized as a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). High glucose levels have been implicated in inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), contributing to the progression of various cancers. However, the molecular crosstalk remains unclear.

Bioaccumulation, trophic transfer and risk assessment of polycyclic musk in marine food webs of the Bohai Sea.

Galaxolide (HHCB) and tonalide (AHTN) are dominant musks added to personal care products. However, the accumulate and trophic transfer of SMs through the marine food chain are unclear. In this study, organisms were collected from three bays in Bohai Sea to investigate the bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, and health risk of SMs.

Natural Extracts for Antibacterial Applications.

Bacteria-induced epidemics and infectious diseases are seriously threatening the health of people around the world. In addition, antibiotic therapy has been inducing increasingly more serious bacterial resistance, which makes it urgent to develop new treatment strategies to combat bacteria, including multidrug-resistant bacteria. Natural extracts displaying antibacterial activity and good biocompatibility have attracted much attention due to greater concerns about the safety of synthetic chemicals and emerging drug resistance.

Microwave-excited, antibacterial core-shell BaSO/BaTiO@PPy heterostructures for rapid treatment of S. aureus-infected osteomyelitis.

Owing to its deep penetration capability, microwave (MW) therapy has emerged as a promising method to eradicate deep-seated acute bone infection diseases such as osteomyelitis. However, the MW thermal effect still needs to be enhanced to achieve rapid and efficient treatment of deep focal infected areas. In this work, the multi-interfacial core-shell structure barium sulfate/barium polytitanates@polypyrrole (BaSO/BaTiO@PPy) was prepared, which exhibited enhanced MW thermal response via the well-designed multi-interfacial structure.

Effect of HHCB and Cd on phytotoxicity, accumulation, subcellular distribution and stereoselectivity of chiral HHCB in soil-plant systems.

The toxicity of HHCB in the growth and development of plants is well known, but its uptake, subcellular distribution, and stereoselectivity, especially in a co-contamination environment, is not fully understood. Therefore, a pot experiment was performed to research the physiochemical response, and the fate of HHCB in pakchoi when the Cd co-existed in soil. The Chl contents were significantly lower, and the oxidative stress was aggravated under the co-exposure of HHCB and Cd.

Clinical significance of anti-rheumatoid arthritis 33 antibody in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Although anti-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 33 antibodies have been reported to be present in various connective tissue diseases (CTDs), the clinical significance of anti-RA33 in CTDs is still obscure. This study was performed to explore the clinical significance of anti-RA33 in CTDs, especially systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A total of 565 patients with positive anti-nuclear antibodies who had been tested for anti-RA33 were included in this study and were further classified into RA33-positive and RA33-negative groups.

Cobalt loaded electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) grafts promote antibacterial activity and vascular regeneration in a diabetic rat model.

Diabetes has been associated with postoperative complications, such as increased risk of tissue infection and impaired tissue repair caused by destabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). Consequently, it is imperative to fabricate anti-bacterial and pro-regenerative small-diameter vascular grafts for treating cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients. Herein, we developed electrospun cobalt ion (Co)-loaded poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) microfiber vascular grafts (PCL-Co grafts).

Current Progress in Natural Degradation and Enhanced Removal Techniques of Antibiotics in the Environment: A Review.

Antibiotics are used extensively throughout the world and their presence in the environment has caused serious pollution. This review summarizes natural methods and enhanced technologies that have been developed for antibiotic degradation. In the natural environment, antibiotics can be degraded by photolysis, hydrolysis, and biodegradation, but the rate and extent of degradation are limited.

Biochar-Mediated Degradation of Roxarsone by MR-1.

It is widely believed that biochar plays an essential role in sequestrating pollutants. The impacts of biochar on microbial growth, and consequently on the environmental fate of pollutants, however, remains poorly understood. In this study, wheat-straw-derived biochar was used to investigate how biochar amendment affected MR-1 growth and roxarsone transformation in water under anaerobic conditions.

Epidemiological survey of the status of iodine nutrition and thyroid diseases in Guangxi, China.

Objective: To survey the status of iodine nutrition and the prevalence of thyroid diseases in Guangxi, China, and to explore the risk factors for positive thyroid antibody.

Methods: We used the multistage stratified cluster random sampling method to select a total of 2488 subjects from an urban and a rural location. All the subjects completed a questionnaire survey, blood and urine samples were also collected, and B-mode thyroid ultrasound was used to determine thyroid function and detect thyroid antibodies.

Effects of polyester microfibers (PMFs) and cadmium on lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and the rhizospheric microbial communities: A study involving physio-biochemical properties and metabolomic profiles.

Microfibers (MFs) and cadmium (Cd) are widely distributed in soil ecosystems, posing a potential threat to soil biota. To explore potential risks of single MFs and in combination with Cd (co-PMFs/Cd) to soil environment, we systematically investigated the effects of PMFs and co-PMFs/Cd treatments on physio-biochemical performance and metabolomic profile of lettuce (Lactuca sativa), as well as the rhizospheric bacterial communities. Our results showed that both PMFs and co-PMFs/Cd treatments adversely disturbed the plant shoot length, photosynthetic, and chlorophyll content.

Case Report: Rapidly Progressive Interstitial Lung Disease in A Pregnant Patient With Anti-Melanoma Differentiation-Associated Gene 5 Antibody-Positive Dermatomyositis.

Dermatomyositis occurs extremely rarely during pregnancy. A number of studies in the published literature have documented how the outcome of pregnancy is poor for both mother and fetus. The present case study reports on a patient who was diagnosed with clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis complicated by interstitial lung disease during pregnancy, and was successfully treated with a combined immunosuppressant regimen.

Dorsolateral medullary infarction during skin infection by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in a patient with triple antiphospholipid antibody positivity: a case-based review.

Thrombotic events are the most frequent causes of death in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Previous studies have reported infection to be the most important trigger of thrombosis in APS, with molecular mimicry considered to be a major mechanism. Although timely management of infections has been recommended in patients with high suspicion of infection, anti-infective therapy would not take effect in a short time due to the dilemma in determining the origins of infection, especially in patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy.

Switchable Synthesis of Arylalkynes and Phthalides via Controllable Palladium-Catalyzed Alkynylation and Alkynylation-Annulation of Benzoic Acids with Bromoalkynes.

A ligand-promoted palladium(II)-catalyzed synthesis of arylalkynes and phthalides from benzoic acids and bromoalkynes via carboxylate-assisted ortho-C-H activation is reported. A series of phthalides with various functional groups are prepared via ortho-alkynylation and alkynylation-annulation. Moreover, the key ortho-alkynylated products are also obtained by controlling the reaction conditions.

Role of extracellular polymeric substances on the behavior and toxicity of silver nanoparticles and ions to green algae Chlorella vulgaris.

The effect of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), vital organic matters and nutrient elements in the natural environment, on the behavior and toxicology of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and ions remains ambiguous. In this study, the role of EPS on the toxicity of AgNPs and dissolved silver ions (from AgNO) to a green algae Chlorella vulgaris was investigated. After the removal of EPS, algae accumulated more silver, about 7.

Effects of Irbesartan Pretreatment on Pancreatic -Cell Apoptosis in STZ-Induced Acute Prediabetic Mice.

The current study was performed to investigate the effects and potential effects of irbesartan pretreatment on pancreatic -cell apoptosis in a streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced acute mouse model of prediabetes. Twenty-four male BALB/C mice (18-22 g) were randomly divided into three groups: normal control group (NC, = 6), STZ group (STZ, = 8), and irbesartan + STZ group (IRB + STZ, = 10). In the IRB + STZ group, mice were administered irbesartan (300 mg/kg per day) by gavage for one week.

Influence of acylglycerol emulsifier structure and composition on the function of shortening in layer cake.

The effect of the structure and composition of acylglycerol emulsifiers on the functionality of a palm-based shortening and quality of layer cake was investigated. The emulsifiers evaluated were distilled monoacylglycerol (DMG) and four acylglycerols (40% monoacylglycerol content) of octanoic acid (8:0), palmitic acid (16:0), stearic acid (18:0), and linoleic acid (18:2), designated as GMOct40, GMP40, GMS40, and GML40, respectively. The addition of GMP40 and GMS40 led to shortening with a higher solid fat content, finer crystals, and higher proportion of β' form.

Physiological and Antioxidant Responses in Wheat (Triticum aestivum) to HHCB in Soil.

Seedlings of wheat (Triticum aestivum) were exposed in soil to the polycyclic musk chemical, 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta[g]-2-benzopyran (HHCB) for 21 days, to evaluate its effect upon chlorophyll (CHL), lipid peroxidation and the antioxidant system. The content of CHL in leaves was inhibited significantly after 14- and 21-days exposures, whereas it was significantly induced by a low level of HHCB after a 7-days exposure. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in wheat leaves increased with an increase in the concentration of HHCB in soil, indicating that oxidative stress could be induced by HHCB.

Effect of soil HHCB on cadmium accumulation and phytotoxicity in wheat seedlings.

The accumulation of cadmium (Cd) in wheat seedlings under single and joint stress of galaxolide (HHCB) and Cd was investigated, and their phytotoxicity and oxidation stress including chlorophyll (CHL), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase, and perosidase were assessed. The results showed that the accumulation of Cd in wheat seedlings increased with an increase in the concentration of Cd in soil. The low concentration of HHCB inhibited the accumulation of Cd, while the high concentration of HHCB induced the accumulation of Cd.

Responses of oxidative stress biomarkers and DNA damage on a freshwater snail (Bellamya aeruginosa) stressed by ethylbenzene.

Ethylbenzene is classified as a priority pollutant; however, toxicity data, especially those regarding sublethal toxicity, are rarely reported on gastropods. The present work was performed to elucidate the sublethal effects of ethylbenzene using a freshwater snail, Bellamya aeruginosa (Reeve), exposed to ethylbenzene for 21 days followed by a 17-day recovery period. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), reduced glutathione (GSH), and malonyldialdehyde (MDA) were used as biomarkers to evaluate oxidative stress in hepatopancreas of snails.

Behavioral alteration and DNA damage of freshwater snail Bellamya aeruginosa stressed by ethylbenzene and its tissue residue.

To study the sublethal effects induced by ethylbenzene and the capability of a freshwater gastropod Bellamya aeruginosa to take up and depurate ethylbenzene, the snail was subjected to two treatments, a 23-day exposure period followed by a 17-day depuration period. Behavioral alteration, namely retraction response, was observed during the exposure period, and the proportion of retracted snails increased under each treatment as the exposure time prolonged but there was no linear relationship between the retracted proportion and the exposure dose. Such behavioral alteration was probably due to the disturbance of membrane permeability stressed by ethylbenzene.

Bioelectrochemical stimulation of petroleum hydrocarbon degradation in saline soil using U-tube microbial fuel cells.

Bioremediation is a cost-effective and eco-friendly approach to decontaminate soils polluted by petroleum hydrocarbons. However, this technique usually requires a long time due to the slow degradation rate by bacteria. By applying U-tube microbial fuel cells (MFCs) designed here, the degradation rate of petroleum hydrocarbons close to the anode (<1 cm) was enhanced by 120% from 6.