Research progress on source, risk assessment, and management of emerging pollutants in drinking water.

With the extensive production and use of various chemicals, emerging pollutants including environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals, perfluoro chemicals, antibiotics, and microplastics have been continuously entering the environment, and spread to water through multiple pathways. The pollution of these emerging pollutants raised continuous concerns for the safety of drinking water, threating the ecological environment and human health. In combination with international research progress, we discussed in detail about pollution, source, and risk assessment of emerging pollutants in drinking water.

Interleukin-1β-induced matrix metalloproteinase-3 via ERK1/2 pathway to promote mesenchymal stem cell migration.

Human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs), a source of cell therapy, have received a great deal of attention due to their homing or migrating ability in response to signals emanating from damaged sites. It has been found that IL-1β possesses the ability to induce the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in bone marrow MSCs. MMP-3 is involved in cell migration in various types of cells, including glioblastoma, vascular smooth muscle, and adult neural progenitor cells.

The prevalence of ampicillin-resistant opportunistic pathogenic bacteria undergoing selective stress of heavy metal pollutants in the Xiangjiang River, China.

The emergence of clinically relevant β-lactam-resistant bacteria poses a serious threat to human health and presents a major challenge for medical treatment. How opportunistic pathogenic bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance and the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant opportunistic pathogenic bacteria in the environment are still unclear. In this study, we further confirmed that the selective pressure of heavy metals contributes to the increase in ampicillin-resistant opportunistic pathogens in the Xiangjiang River.

Stiffness-controlled three-dimensional collagen scaffolds for differentiation of human Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells into cardiac progenitor cells.

Stem cell-based regenerative therapy has emerged as a promising treatment for myocardial infarction. The aim of this study is to develop stiffness-controlled collagen scaffolds to allow proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) into cardiac progenitor cells. In this study transforming growth factor β2 (TGF-β2), was used to induce stem cell differentiation into cardiac lineage cells.

Reduction of fibrosis in dibutyltin dichloride-induced chronic pancreatitis using rat umbilical mesenchymal stem cells from Wharton's jelly.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of rat umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) from Wharton's jelly on dibutyltin dichloride (DBTC)-induced chronic pancreatitis (CP) and subsequent pancreatic fibrosis in rats.

Methods: A rat model of CP induced by DBTC was used. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: the control, DBTC, DBTC + UCMSCs, and control + UCMSC groups.