Gestational exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances is associated with placental DNA methylation and birth size.

DNA methylation is one potential mechanism for the effects of gestational exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) on fetal growth. We investigated 180 pregnant women who participated in a cohort study conducted in Tangshan City, Northern China, and determined the concentrations of 11 PFASs and the methylation of two genes related to fetal growth [insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) and nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1 (NR3C1)] and one surrogate marker for global methylation [long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1)] in placenta tissue. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the associations of log transformed PFASs with the DNA methylation and birth size.

Exploring potential mechanisms of Suhexiang Pill against COVID-19 based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.

Background: The traditional Chinese medicine prescription Suhexiang Pill (SHXP), a classic prescription for the treatment of plague, has been recommended in the 2019 Guideline for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis and treatment of a severe type of COVID-19. However, the bioactive compounds and underlying mechanisms of SHXP for COVID-19 prevention and treatment have not yet been elucidated. This study investigates the mechanisms of SHXP in the treatment of COVID-19 based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.

Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances was associated with estrogen homeostasis in pregnant women.

Previous studies have suggested that perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) can act as endocrine disruptors, but few studies have investigated the effects of serum PFASs on estrogen homeostasis during pregnancy. The present study included 557 pregnant women in Tangshan City, North China, and determined 11 serum PFASs in the early term of pregnancy and three typical estrogens (estrone (E), estradiol (E) and estriol (E)) in the early (n = 557), middle (n = 339), and late (n = 286) terms of pregnancy. Sociodemographic factors and diet information were obtained by structured questionnaires.

Effects of histone H4 hyperacetylation on inhibiting MMP2 and MMP9 in human amniotic epithelial cells and in premature rupture of fetal membranes.

Histone modification is closely associated with several diseases. The aim of the current study was to investigate the associations among histone acetylation, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and premature rupture of membranes (PROM) during pregnancy. A total of 180 puerperants were divided into three groups: i) Preterm-PROM (PPROM), ii) term-PROM (TPROM) and iii) full-term labor (FTL).

Serum perfluoroalkyl substances in relation to lipid metabolism in Chinese pregnant women.

Laboratory and epidemiologic studies suggested that exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) could affect lipid metabolisms, but data remain limited for pregnant women. A total of 436 pregnant women were selected in Tangshan City, North China. Serum levels of 11 PFASs were determined in the early term of pregnancy.

Serum Bisphenol A, glucose homeostasis, and gestational diabetes mellitus in Chinese pregnant women: a prospective study.

Lab studies have suggested that exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) could disturb glucose homeostasis, but epidemiologic studies are limited and show inconsistent results for pregnant women. For this, 535 pregnant women were selected from a pregnant women cohort established in Tangshan City in North China between 2013 and 2014. Serum concentrations of BPA were measured in the early term of pregnancy, and fasting glucose and insulin levels were repeatedly measured in each of three terms of pregnancy (early, middle, and late).

Serum phytosterols associate with T helper 1 cytokine concentration in pregnant women.

The dietary phytosterols have been demonstrated to modulate CD4 T-cell polarization in cells, animals, and humans. However, T helper (Th)1/Th2 dichotomy has rarely been correlated with phytosterols during pregnancy. The present study investigated associations between the serum cytokines and serum phytosterols in 100 pregnant women at 34- to 37-week gestation and their offspring.

PFOS, PFOA, estrogen homeostasis, and birth size in Chinese infants.

Laboratory studies have suggested that perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) could affect fetal growth by disrupting estrogen homeostasis, but there are limited data for human. For this, 424 mother-infant pairs were selected from a cohort established in Hebei Province of North China in 2013. Two typical PFASs, perfluorooctyl sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and three typical estrogens, estrone (E), β-estradiol (E), and estriol (E), were measured in cord serum.

Factors associated with exposure of pregnant women to perfluoroalkyl acids in North China and health risk assessment.

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) have been frequently found in blood of pregnant women, but the predictors and potential health risk have not been well studied in China. We recruited 534 pregnant women in Tangshan City of Hebei Province in North China between 2013 and 2014 and measured five PFAAs in serum during their early term of pregnancy, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluoro‑n‑undecanoic acid (PFUdA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA). We explored the factors associated with the levels of serum PFAAs and assessed associated health risks.

Perfluoroalkyl substances, glucose homeostasis, and gestational diabetes mellitus in Chinese pregnant women: A repeat measurement-based prospective study.

Background: Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) can affect glucose homeostasis and has been suggested as a potential risk of diabetes mellitus, but data are limited for pregnant women.

Objectives: We aimed to explore the associations of exposure to PFASs with glucose homeostasis and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Chinese pregnant women.

Methods: The current study was conducted in Hebei Province of Northern China between 2013 and 2014 and 560 pregnant women were recruited in their early term of pregnancy and two representative serum PFASs, perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), were measured.

Noninvasive prenatal testing in routine clinical practice for a high-risk population: Experience from a center.

This study aimed to summarize the effects of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) on aneuploidy among high-risk participants in Tangshan Maternal and Children Health Hospital.NIPT or invasive prenatal diagnosis was recommended to patients with a high risk of fetal aneuploidy from February 2013 to February 2014. Patients who exhibited eligibility and applied for NIPT from January 2012 to January 2013 were included in a comparison group.

Association Between Gene Polymorphisms on Chromosome 1 and Susceptibility to Pre-Eclampsia: An Updated Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND This meta-analysis enabled us to obtain a precise estimation of the association between gene polymorphisms on chromosome 1 (MTHFR, AGT, F5, IL-10, LEPR) and the susceptibility to pre-eclampsia (PE) in order to reach a uniform conclusion. MATERIAL AND METHODS Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochran Library (CENTRAL), and Chinese databases (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure-CNKI and Wan Fang) were electronically searched to select relevant studies for this meta-analysis. We selected 95 case-control studies investigating 5 genes (MTHFR, AGT, F5, IL-10, and LEPR) with 8 SNPs.

Non-thermal plasma treatment of Radix aconiti wastewater generated by traditional Chinese medicine processing.

The wastewater effluent from Radix aconiti processing, an important step in the production processes of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is a type of toxic wastewater and difficult to treat. Plasma oxidation methods have emerged as feasible techniques for effective decomposition of toxic organic pollutants. This study examined the performance of a plasma reactor operated in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) to degrade the effluent from R.

Dickeyafangzhongdai sp. nov., a plant-pathogenic bacterium isolated from pear trees (Pyrus pyrifolia).

Gram-stain-negative, pectinolytic bacteria were repeatedly isolated from pear trees displaying symptoms of bleeding canker in China. Three strains, JS5T, LN1 and QZH3, had identical 16S rRNA gene sequences that shared 99 % similarity to the type strain of Dickeya dadantii. Phylogenetic analysis of strains JS5T, LN1 and QZH3 with isolates representing all species of the genus Dickeya and related Pectobacterium species supported their affiliation to Dickeya.

Genomic sequence, organization and characteristics of a new nucleopolyhedrovirus isolated from Clanis bilineata larva.

Background: Baculoviruses are well known for their potential as biological agents for controlling agricultural and forest pests. They are also widely used as expression vectors in molecular cloning studies. The genome sequences of 48 baculoviruses are currently available in NCBI databases.

Identification of a single-nucleocapsid baculovirus isolated from Clanis bilineata tsingtauica (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae).

A nucleopolyhedrovirus isolated from infected larvae of Clanis bilineata tsingtauica was characterized. Electron microscopical studies on the ultrastructure of C. bilineata nucleopolyhedrovirus (ClbiSNPV) occlusion bodies (OBs) showed several virions (up to 16) with a single nucleocapsid packaged within a single viral envelope.

[Extraction of mitochondrial DNA of Tilletia indica Mitra and application of the ATP6 gene on fungal phylogenetic analysis].

Tilletia indica Mitra, an important pest around the world which is the causative agent of Karnal Bunt of wheat, was very close to Tilletia walkeri phylogenetically and morphologically. 69.6 ng mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Tilletia indica obtained from 6.