Interaction study of the effects of environmental exposure and gene polymorphisms of inflammatory and immune-active factors on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease, influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the human genome may influence the risk of developing COPD and the response to treatment. We assessed the effects of gene polymorphism of inflammatory and immune-active factors and gene-environment interaction on risk of COPD in middle-aged and older Chinese individuals.

Study on identification of diagnostic biomarkers in serum for papillary thyroid cancer in different iodine nutrition regions.

Background: At present, there is a lack of efficient biomarkers for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer, and the influence of natural factors such as high iodine exposure on the expression of biomarkers remains unclear.

Methods: Serum samples from papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and non-cancer controls matched 1:1 in different iodine nutritional regions were analyzed metabolomically using an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-Orbitrap Exploris mass spectrometry (UHPLC-OE-MS) platform. Then the data were randomly divided into training and test sets in a 1:1 ratio according to the different iodine nutritional regions and different PTC status.

Evaluating a new obesity indicator for stroke risk prediction: comparative cohort analysis in rural settings of two nations.

Background: While the TyG index has been studied in relation to stroke risk, there is a lack of research integrating fat distribution indicators like Body Roundness Index (BRI) and Fat Mass Index (FMI). Additionally, comparative studies across multiple regions are scarce. This study investigates the association between obesity-related parameters and stroke incidence, examining the mediation effects of multimorbidity, using data from rural areas in China and the United Kingdom.

A new LNC89/LNC60-Col11a2 axis revealed by whole-transcriptome analysis may be associated with goiters related to excess iodine nutrition.

Goiter related to excessive iodine nutrition remains a significant public health issue in some countries. There has been no reported study on long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) related to goiters. In this study, goiter was induced by drinking water with excess iodine for 10 or 20 weeks in Kunming mice.

The RAAS system SNPs polymorphism is associated with essential hypertension risk in rural areas in northern China.

Epidemiological evidence has shown that genetics and environment are associated with the risk of hypertension. However, the specific SNP effects of a cluster of crucial genes in the RAAS system on the risk of hypertension are unclear. A case-control study was performed on the baseline participants of Environment and Chronic Disease in Rural Areas of Heilongjiang China (ECDRAHC) study.

Fluoride-induced hypertension by regulating RhoA/ROCK pathway and phenotypic transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells: In vitro and in vivo evidence.

Fluoride exposure has been implicated as a potential risk factor for hypertension, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the role of the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway in fluoride-induced hypertension. Male Wistar rats were divided into different groups and exposed to varying concentrations of sodium fluoride (NaF) or sodium chloride (NaCl) via drinking water.

Iodine nutritional status and its associations with thyroid function of pregnant women and neonatal TSH.

Introduction: Iodine serves as a crucial precursor for the synthesis of thyroid hormones and plays an import role in both pregnant women and their offspring. The relationships between iodine nutritional status and maternal thyroid function and neonatal outcomes remain inconclusive in areas with adequate iodine nutrition. This study aims to investigate their correlations.

LncRNA MALAT1-miR-339-5p-NIS axis is involved in the increased level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) induced by combined exposure of high iodine and hyperlipidemia.

Hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism were both characterized by elevated levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Previous studies had found that high iodine or hyperlipidemia alone was associated with increased TSH level. However, their combined effects on TSH have not been elucidated.

PKC-θ is an important driver of fluoride-induced immune imbalance of regulatory T cells/effector T cells.

Fluoride is unnecessary in the human body. Long-term fluoride exposure may lead to immune system abnormalities. However, the mechanism remains unclear.

Association Between Iodine Status and Prevalence of Hypothyroidism, Autoimmune Thyroiditis, and Thyroid Nodule: a Cross-Sectional Study in Shandong Province, China.

In this study, the aim was to investigate the correlation between varying levels of urinary iodine concentration (UIC) in adults and the occurrence of thyroid diseases, with the additional objective of determining the optimal iodine status level for adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted on adults from six areas with different drinking water iodine concentrations (WIC) without eating iodized salt in Heze and Jining counties, Shandong Province, China. A total of 1336 adults were included in this study, and drinking water samples, blood samples, urine samples, thyroid ultrasound, and a questionnaire were collected.

Arsenic aggravates the progression of diabetic nephropathy through miRNA-mRNA-autophagy axis.

Environmental factors play an important role in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN), and previous study has shown that arsenic exposure can promote kidney damage in DN rats, however there is no relevant mechanism study so far. In this study, an arsenic-exposed (10 mg/L and 25 mg/L) DN mouse model was established through drinking water for 14 weeks. The results showed that 25 mg/L arsenic exposure increased the renal fibrosis in DN mice significantly, and urinary mAlb level increased with the increasing of arsenic exposure level.

Drinking brick tea containing high fluoride increases the prevalence of osteoarthritis in Tibetan, China.

The prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) in Tibetans is higher than that in Han, while Tibetans have a habit of drinking brick tea with high fluoride. A cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the association between fluoride exposure in drinking brick tea and OA. All subjects were divided into four groups by the quartiles (Q) of tea fluoride (TF) and urine fluoride (UF).

Low Selenium and Low Protein Exacerbate Myocardial Damage in Keshan Disease by Affecting the PINK1/Parkin-mediated Mitochondrial Autophagy Pathway.

Objective: Keshan disease (KD) is a myocardial mitochondrial disease closely related to insufficient selenium (Se) and protein intake. PTEN induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1)/Parkin mediated mitochondrial autophagy regulates various physiological and pathological processes in the body. This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between PINK1/Parkin-regulated mitochondrial autophagy and KD-related myocardial injury.

Effects of sodium arsenite exposure on behavior, ultrastructure and gene expression of brain in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Arsenic, a common metal-like substance, has been demonstrated to pose potential health hazards and induce behavioral changes in humans and rodents. However, the chronic neurotoxic effects of arsenic on aquatic animals are still not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of arsenic exposure on adult zebrafish by subjecting 3-month-old zebrafish to three different sodium arsenite water concentrations: 0 μg/L (control group), 50 μg/L, and 500 μg/L, over a period of 30 days.

MiR-96-5p Suppresses Progression of Arsenite-Induced Human Keratinocyte Proliferation and Malignant Transformation by Targeting Denticleless E3 Ubiquitin Protein Ligase Homolog.

Long-term exposure to arsenic has been linked to a variety of cancers, among which skin cancer is the most prevalent form. However, the mechanism underlying arsenic carcinogenesis is unclear, and there is still limited information on the role of miRNAs in arsenic-induced skin cancer. This study aims to explore the role of miR-96-5p in the arsenite-induced proliferation and malignant transformation of human HaCaT keratinocytes.

Subchronic Arsenic Exposure Induces Behavioral Impairments and Hippocampal Damage in Rats.

This study investigated the effects of subchronic arsenic exposure on behavior, neurological function, and hippocampal damage in rats. Thirty-two male Wistar rats were divided into four groups and exposed to different concentrations of arsenic in their drinking water for 12 weeks, while weekly water intake and body weight were recorded. Various neurobehavioral tests were conducted, evaluating overall activity levels, exploratory behavior, short-term memory, spatial learning and memory, anxiety-like behavior, and depressive-like states.

Unveiling the LncRNA-miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Network in Arsenic-Induced Nerve Injury in Rats through High-Throughput Sequencing.

Arsenic is a natural toxin which is widely distributed in the environment, incurring diverse toxicities and health problems. Previous studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) are also reported to contribute to As-induced adverse effects. LncRNAs are involved in the development of nerve injury, generally acting as sponges for microRNAs (miRNAs).

Association between different water iodine exposures and thyroid cancer: A retrospective study of high water iodine areas in China from 2009 to 2020.

In recent years, the incidence of thyroid cancer has been on a significant rise worldwide, and a number of environmental factors have been suspected to be risk factors for thyroid cancer, especially the relationship between iodine intake and thyroid cancer has attracted attention. In this study, we want to assess the relationship between different water iodine exposures and thyroid cancer incidence before and after water alteration in areas with high water iodine in China. Thyroid cancer patients (2009-2020) were enrolled at two hospitals, both in Heze City, Shandong Province, an area with high water iodine levels.

Distribution of iodine concentration in drinking water in China mainland and influence factors of its variation.

Objective: To identify the current spatial distribution of iodine concentration in drinking water (dWIC) at the township-level across China and its influencing factors through visualization and spatial statistical analysis by the geographic information system.

Methods: The dWIC for each township was used to describe the distribution by ArcGIS 10.7.

The Role of Thyroid Hormone Synthesis Gene-Related miRNAs Profiling in Structural and Functional Changes of The Thyroid Gland Induced by Excess Iodine.

At recent years, the impairment caused by iodine excess are paid more attention. However, there is still largely unknown about the exact mechanism induced by excessive iodine. MiRNAs have been found to act as biomarkers for a variety of diseases, whereas fewer studies focused on miRNAs related to a cluster of genes regulating thyroid hormone synthesis, such as NIS, Pendrin, TPO, MCT8, TSHR, TSHα, and TSHβ-related miRNAs in structural and functional changes of the thyroid gland induced by subchronic and chronic high iodine exposure.

Effects of Inorganic Arsenic on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Vivo: the Roles and Mechanisms of miRNAs.

Accumulating studies have shown that chronic exposure to iAs correlates with an increased incidence of diabetes. In recent years, miRNA dysfunction has emerged both as a response to iAs exposure and independently as candidate drivers of metabolic phenotypes such as T2DM. However, few miRNAs have been profiled during the progression of diabetes after iAs exposure in vivo.