Manganese induces podocyte injury through regulating MTDH/ALKBH5/NLRP10 axis: Combined analysis at epidemiology and molecular biology levels.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential micronutrient required for various biological processes but excess exposure to Mn can cause neurotoxicity. However, there are few reports regarding the toxicity effect of Mn on the kidney as well as the underlying molecule mechanism. Herein, in vivo experiments were adopted to assess the toxicity effects associated with Mn, and found that chronic Mn treatment induced the injury of glomerular podocytes but not renal tubule in rats.

Metal mixture exposure and the risk for immunoglobulin A nephropathy: Evidence from weighted quantile sum regression.

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common type of glomerulonephritis in adults worldwide. Environmental metal exposure has been reported to be involved in the pathogenic mechanisms of kidney diseases, yet no further epidemiological study has been conducted to assess the effects of metal mixture exposure on IgAN risk. In this study, we conducted a matched case‒control design with three controls for each patient to investigate the association between metal mixture exposure and IgAN risk.

Air pollution associated with incidence and progression trajectory of chronic lung diseases: a population-based cohort study.

Background: No prior study has examined the effects of air pollution on the progression from healthy to chronic lung disease, subsequent chronic lung multimorbidity and further to death.

Methods: We used data from the UK Biobank of 265 506 adults free of chronic lung disease at recruitment. Chronic lung multimorbidity was defined as the coexistence of at least two chronic lung diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.

Household cooking oil type and risk of oral micronucleus frequency in Chinese nonsmokers.

Household animal fat has been linked to increased incidence of cancers compared with vegetable fat. However, few epidemiological studies have associated these two cooking oil types with precancerous genotoxic effects, such as occurrence of micronuclei (MN). This study aimed to explore the association between oral MN frequency and household cooking oil type and whether the association can be attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

High-Temperature Soup Foods in Plastic Packaging Are Associated with Phthalate Body Burden and Expression of Inflammatory mRNAs: A Dietary Intervention Study.

Plastic packaging material is widely used to package high-temperature soup food in China, but this combination might lead to increased exposure to phthalates. The health effects and potential biological mechanisms have not been well studied. This study aimed to examine urinary phthalate metabolites and the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the blood before, during, and after a "plastic-packaged high-temperature soup food" dietary intervention in healthy adults.

Influence of manganese exposure on cognitive function, plasma APP and Aβ levels in older men.

Background: Elevated manganese (Mn) exposure impairs cognition in adults and children, but the association between Mn and cognitive function in elderly people is unclear. Previous studies have linked Mn neurotoxicity in AD to Aβ-dependent mechanisms. However, the association between Mn and plasma APP and Aβ in the general elderly population remains unknown.

Assessment of kitchen emissions using a backpropagation neural network model based on urinary hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Kitchen emissions are mixed indoor air pollutants with adverse health effects, but the large-scale assessment is limited by costly equipment and survey methods. This study aimed to discuss the application of backpropagation (BP) neural network models in the assessment of kitchen emissions based on the exposure marker. A total of 3686 participants were recruited for the kitchen survey, and their sleep quality was measured by the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI).

Relation between cadmium body burden and cognitive function in older men: A cross-sectional study in China.

Cadmium (Cd) is a known neurotoxicant and its relation with cognition has been well studied in children. However, evidence linking Cd and cognitive function among older individuals is limited. To evaluate the association between Cd exposure and cognitive function in older age, we conducted a cross-sectional study involving 375 older men aged 60-74 years (mean age: 66.

Spatiotemporal disequilibrium and spillover effect of fine particulate matter across China.

Massive monitoring data requires effective statistical analysis methods. This paper aims to visualize the spatiotemporal characteristics and spillover effect of air pollutants. Ground-based PM data in 336 cities across China revealed a tough but improving situation.

Probiotics Ameliorate Colon Epithelial Injury Induced by Ambient Ultrafine Particles Exposure.

Diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) are common airborne ultrafine particles (UFPs); however, few studies have examined their effects on the gastrointestinal tract. To investigate the interaction of gut microbiota and DEPs-induced colonic injury, adult C57BL/6 mice are kept in whole-body inhalation chambers and exposed to filtered room air (FRA) or DEPs (300 µg m) 1 h per day for 28 consecutive days. DEPs exposure results in colon epithelial injury with inflammatory cell infiltration and mucus depletion.

Sumoylation of BRI1-EMS-SUPPRESSOR 1 (BES1) by the SUMO E3 Ligase SIZ1 Negatively Regulates Brassinosteroids Signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Brassinosteroids (BRs), a group of plant steroid hormones, participate in the regulation of plant growth and developmental processes. BR functions through the BES1/BZR1 family of transcription factors, however, the regulation of the BES1 activity by post-translational modifications remains largely unknown. Here, we present evidence that the SUMO E3 ligase SIZ1 negatively regulates BR signaling pathway.

Regulation of anthocyanin accumulation via MYB75/HAT1/TPL-mediated transcriptional repression.

Anthocyanin is part of secondary metabolites, which is induced by environmental stimuli and developmental signals, such as high light and sucrose. Anthocyanin accumulation is activated by the MYB-bHLH-WD40 (MBW) protein complex in plants. But the evidence of how plants maintain anthocyanin in response to signals is lacking.

Association of liver and kidney functions with Klotho gene methylation in a population environment exposed to cadmium in China.

Exposure to the heavy metal cadmium has adverse effects on human health, including DNA methylation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of cadmium on liver and kidney functions and  gene methylation and to explore the relationship of methylation level with indicators of liver and kidney functions. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry was conducted to determine urinary cadmium, and an automatic biochemical analyzer was used to detect indices of liver and kidney functions.

Potential diagnostic and prognostic value of plasma long noncoding RNA LINC00086 and miR-214 expression in gastric cancer.

Background: Plasma carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), and cancer antigen 72-4 (CA72-4) are common markers which are useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of GC. However, their sensitivity and specificity in GC remain unsatisfactory. Identification of cancer diagnosed-biomarkers would be of great value.

Multiple-life-stage probabilistic risk assessment for the exposure of Chinese population to PBDEs and risk managements.

Studies assessing body burden of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) exposure have been conducted in the United States and Europe. However, the long-term assessment that is associated with multimedia exposure of PBDEs for the Chinese population is not available. The current study estimated the health risks using large PBDEs data to quantify the contributions of various media from different regions and distinguished the most vulnerable periods in life.

Association of active/passive smoking and urinary 1-hydroxypyrene with poor sleep quality: A cross-sectional survey among Chinese male enterprise workers.

Introduction: Tobacco use has been implicated as an important factor for poor sleep quality. However, in most studies, the sleep quality of smokers was only assessed though a self-reported questionnaire, without measuring any internal biomarkers that reflect the levels of tobacco exposure. We examined the association of active and passive smoking with sleep quality, assessed smoking exposure using urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HOP) as an internal biomarker, and further explored the relationship between 1-HOP and sleep quality.

Nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in brassinosteroid-mediated virus resistance to Cucumber mosaic virus in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are growth-promoting plant hormones that play a crucial role in biotic stress responses. Here, we found that BR treatment increased nitric oxide (NO) accumulation, and a significant reduction of virus accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the plants pre-treated with NO scavenger [2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-imidazoline-1-1-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO)] or nitrate reductase (NR) inhibitor (tungstate) hardly had any NO generation and appeared to have the highest viral replication and suffer more damages.

Relationship between shift work schedule and self-reported sleep quality in Chinese employees.

Few studies have reported on the effects of fixed and rotating shift systems on the prevalence of sleep disturbance. Thus, in this study, the relationships between different work schedules and sleep disturbance in Chinese workers were investigated. A total of 2180 workers aged 19-65 years responded to the self-report questionnaire on shift work schedule (fixed day-shift, fixed night-shift, two-shift or three-shift system), working hours a day, and working days a week, physical effort, subjective sleep quality and subjective mental state.

Association between Chinese cooking oil fumes and sleep quality among a middle-aged Chinese population.

Poor sleep quality is an important symptom of many medical or psychiatric disorders. However, the impact of cooking oil fumes (COFs) on sleep quality has not been studied. This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the association between COFs of Chinese household cooking and sleep quality.

Probabilistic risk assessment of Chinese residents' exposure to fluoride in improved drinking water in endemic fluorosis areas.

Studies have yet to evaluate the effects of water improvement on fluoride concentrations in drinking water and the corresponding health risks to Chinese residents in endemic fluorosis areas (EFAs) at a national level. This paper summarized available data in the published literature (2008-2016) on water fluoride from the EFAs in China before and after water quality was improved. Based on these obtained data, health risk assessment of Chinese residents' exposure to fluoride in improved drinking water was performed by means of a probabilistic approach.

Oxidative Stress and Genotoxicity of Long-Term Occupational Exposure to Low Levels of BTEX in Gas Station Workers.

Atmospheric benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) can lead to multiple health injuries. However, what remains uncertain is the effect of long-term exposure to low levels of BTEX. Thus, we determined the BTEX levels in the air from the refueling and office areas in gas stations.

Manganese accumulation in hair and teeth as a biomarker of manganese exposure and neurotoxicity in rats.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential trace element to humans. However, excessive Mn causes cognitive impairment resulting from injury to the central nervous system within the hippocampus. No ideal biomarker is currently available for evaluating Mn exposure and associated neurotoxicity in the body.

Increased oxidative stress and plasma Hsp70 levels among gasoline filling station attendants.

Objectives: Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) is an organic derivative of manganese (Mn) and is used as an antiknock agent and octane enhancer in gasoline. In this article, we tested the oxidative stress and heat stress protein (Hsp) 70 levels of gasoline station attendants to explore potential plasma biomarkers. Furthermore, the dose-response relationship was also identified.

Expression Profiles of Long Noncoding RNAs and Messenger RNAs in Mn-Exposed Hippocampal Neurons of Sprague-Dawley Rats Ascertained by Microarray: Implications for Mn-Induced Neurotoxicity.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential trace element, while excessive expose may induce neurotoxicity. Recently, lncRNAs have been extensively studied and it has been confirmed that lncRNAs participate in neural functions and aberrantly expressed lncRNAs are involved in neurological diseases. However, the pathological effects of lncRNAs on Mn-induced neurotoxicity remain unclear.

Concentrations and potential health risks of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) in air and drinking water from Nanning, South China.

Levels of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) in occupational air, ambient air, and drinking water in Nanning, South China, were investigated, and then their potential health risks to occupational workers and the general public were evaluated. Results show that the MTBE concentration in occupational air from 13 service stations was significantly higher than that in ambient air from residential areas (p<0.0001); both are far lower than the threshold limit value-time weighted average of MTBE regulated in the United States (US).