Nanoplastics trigger the aging and inflammation of porcine kidney cells.

Nanoplastics have now become a pervasive contaminant, being detected in various environmental media. However, our understanding of the specific toxicological effects of nanoplastics (NPs) on the kidneys remains unclear, which is a scientific problem that needs to be solved. To address this question, we employed two kidney cell lines as in vitro models to study the toxicological effects of NPs on porcine kidney cells.

Polystyrene nanoplastics exposure causes inflammation and death of esophageal cell.

Nanoplastics (NPs) are widely detected in food and drinking water, and human exposure to NPs is ubiquitous. The digestive tract is the main route of exposure to NPs in humans, and the esophagus is one of the main target organs for NPs exposure. However, the toxicological effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) on the esophagus are not fully understood.

Maternal Vitamin D Status and Gestational Weight Gain as Correlates of Neonatal Bone Mass in Healthy Term Breastfed Young Infants from Montreal, Canada.

The implications of maternal gestational weight gain (GWG) and vitamin D status to neonatal bone health are unclear. We tested whether maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and GWG relate to neonatal bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD). Healthy term appropriate for gestational age breastfed neonates ( = 142) and their mothers were recruited 24-36 h after delivery and followed at 1.

Large-for-Gestational-Age, Leptin, and Adiponectin in Infancy.

Context: Fetal overgrowth "programs" an elevated risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in adulthood. Plausibly, adipokines may be involved in programming metabolic health.

Objective: This work aimed to evaluate whether large-for-gestational-age (LGA), an indicator of fetal overgrowth, is associated with altered circulating leptin and adiponectin levels in infancy, and assess the determinants.

Clinical Factors and Quantitative CT Parameters Associated With ICU Admission in Patients of COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Multicenter Study.

The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 pneumonia is varied. Thus, it is important to identify risk factors at an early stage for predicting deterioration that require transferring the patients to ICU. A retrospective multicenter study was conducted on COVID-19 patients admitted to designated hospitals in China from Jan 17, 2020, to Feb 17, 2020.

Large birth size, infancy growth pattern, insulin resistance and β-cell function.

Objective: Large birth size programs an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood, but data are absent concerning glucose metabolic health impact in infancy. We sought to determine whether the large birth size is associated with insulin resistance and β-cell function in infancy and evaluate the determinants.

Design And Participants: In the Canadian 3D birth cohort, we conducted a nested matched (1:2) study of 70 large-for-gestational-age (LGA, birth weight >90th percentile) and 140 optimal-for-gestational-age (OGA, 25th-75th percentiles) control infants.

Cord Blood IGF-I, Proinsulin, Leptin, HMW Adiponectin, and Ghrelin in Short or Skinny Small-for-Gestational-Age Infants.

Context: Small-for-gestational-age (SGA) is an indicator of poor fetal growth "programming" an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood. Little is known about early-life endocrine characteristics in SGA subtypes. Stunting (short) and wasting (skinny) are considered distinct SGA phenotypes in neonatal prognosis.

Polymerase chain reaction with lateral flow sensor assay for the identification of horse meat in raw and processed meat products.

A simple, rapid and accurate detection method for the authentication of animal species is urgently required in the food detection field. The present study established a horse-specific polymerase chain reaction integrated with a lateral flow sensor assay (Horse-PCR-LFS) for the rapid detection of horse meat. In this test, a cytb gene sequence of horse was amplified using PCR, the PCR amplicon was checked with the lateral flow sensor assay, and the result of the sensor can be read within 2-3 min by the naked eye.

Full-length transcriptome analysis of shade-induced promotion of tuber production in Pinellia ternata.

Background: Pinellia ternata is native to China and has been used as a traditional herb due to its antiemetic, antitussive, analgesic, and anxiolytic effects. When exposed to strong light intensity and high temperature during the reproductive growth process, P. ternata withers in a phenomenon known as "sprout tumble", which largely limits tuber production.

Insecticidal effect of aconitine on the rice brown planthoppers.

The brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), severely damages rice production and develops high level resistance to several classes of insecticides. To find potential insecticidal resources is always important. As an environmentally friendly compound, aconitine exhibits potential pesticide features.

Development of a single-tube nested PCR-lateral flow biosensor assay for rapid and accurate detection of Alternaria panax Whetz.

Alternaria panax Whetz causes one of the most commonly occurring and serious diseases in ginseng cultivation, and may cause significant production and economic losses in the ginseng industry. Rapid, early, and accurate identification of Alternaria panax Whetz is an essential prerequisite for the effective prevention and control of further infection spread. In this work, a rapid and accurate molecular diagnostic method, a single-tube nested PCR-lateral flow biosensor assay (STNPCR-LFBA), was developed for rapid identification of Alternaria panax Whetz.

Large-for-Gestational-Age May Be Associated With Lower Fetal Insulin Sensitivity and β-Cell Function Linked to Leptin.

Context: Fetal overgrowth is associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes in adulthood. It is unclear whether there are alterations in insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in early life.

Objective: To determine whether large-for-gestational-age (LGA) (birth weight > 90th percentile), an indicator of fetal overgrowth, is associated with altered fetal insulin sensitivity and β-cell function.

Maternal Circulating Placental Growth Factor and Neonatal Metabolic Health Biomarkers in Small for Gestational Age Infants.

Small for gestational age (SGA) infants are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood. It is unknown whether any prenatal biomarkers are helpful for identifying SGA infants with altered metabolic health profile at birth or later life. In a nested study of 162 SGA (birth weight < 10th percentile) and 161 optimal birth weight (25th-75th percentiles) control infants in the 3D (design, develop and discover) birth cohort in Canada, we assessed whether maternal circulating placental growth factor (PlGF), a biomarker of placental function, is associated with metabolic health biomarkers in SGA infants.

Association of pre-eclampsia with SOD2 Ala16Val polymorphism among mother-father-infant triads.

Objective: To determine whether pre-eclampsia is associated with polymorphisms in superoxide dismutase (SOD) genes among mother-father-infant triads.

Methods: We did this follow-up cohort study at 17 urban hospitals in Canada between October 1, 2008, and September 30, 2010. We recruited Canadian participants who had participated in the International Trial of Antioxidant Supplementation for the Prevention of Pre-eclampsia.

Vitamin A and E Nutritional Status in Relation to Leptin, Adiponectin, IGF-I and IGF-II in Early Life - a Birth Cohort Study.

The metabolic health effects of vitamin A and E nutritional status in early life are largely unknown. We assessed whether vitamin A and vitamin E nutritional status may affect circulating leptin, adiponectin, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-II levels in early life in humans. In a singleton birth cohort (n = 248), vitamin A and E nutritional status in fetuses/newborns were assessed by cord plasma concentrations of retinol, β-carotene, α- and γ-tocopherols.

Maternal Vitamin D Insufficiency Early in Pregnancy Is Associated with Increased Risk of Preterm Birth in Ethnic Minority Women in Canada.

Maternal vitamin D insufficiency (plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] <75 nmol/L) may play a role in ethnic disparities in rates of preterm and spontaneous preterm births. We explored the relation between maternal plasma 25(OH)D concentration in the first trimester (8-14 wk of gestation) and the risk of preterm and spontaneous preterm births (<37 wk of gestation) by ethnicity. We designed a case-control study that included 120 cases of preterm birth (<37 wk of gestation) and 360 term controls (≥37 wk of gestation) of singleton pregnancies from the 3D cohort, a multicenter study in 2456 pregnant women in Quebec, Canada.

Advanced neonatal medicine in China: a quantitative analysis of research productivity and impact factors.

Objectives: To summarize academic productivity of neonatal medicine in China and explore its relationship with health care workforce and activities.

Methods: We retrospectively extracted data from national key clinical subspecialty proposals, and used accessible databases as Science Citation Index (SCI), PubMed, and National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Results: Between 2008 and 2010, 61 newborn units at the most advanced level in 31 cities from 28 of 31 provincial districts in mainland China were included.

Advanced Neonatal Medicine in China: A National Baseline Database.

Previous surveys of neonatal medicine in China have not collected comprehensive information on workforce, investment, health care practice, and disease expenditure. The goal of the present study was to develop a national database of neonatal care units and compare present outcomes data in conjunction with health care practices and costs. We summarized the above components by extracting data from the databases of the national key clinical subspecialty proposals issued by national health authority in China, as well as publicly accessible databases.

Bilateral traumatic hemorrhage of the basal ganglia.

Hemorrhage of the basal ganglia is common in hypertensive patients, and most of the cases are spon- taneous unilateral hemorrhage. Traumatic basal ganglia hemorrhage is uncommon, while bilateral hemorrhage of the basal ganglia after trauma is an extremely rare entity. This report described a rare case of bilateral hemorrhage of the basal ganglia after head trauma.

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and the risk of Parkinson's disease.

The effect of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms on Parkinson's disease (PD) has recently gained interest. However, evidence on this relationship is controversial. We searched PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library database targeted all studies that evaluated VDR gene polymorphisms and PD up to April 2,014.

Plasma cotinine indicates an increased risk of preeclampsia in previous and passive smokers.

Objective: Self-reported tobacco smoking in pregnancy has been consistently associated with a decreased risk of developing preeclampsia, but the evidence has been limited and inconsistent for previous and passive smokers. Misclassifications and inaccuracies of self-reported tobacco exposure may disguise the true relationship. This study aimed to assess the association of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia with maternal smoking status as ascertained by plasma cotinine.

Early amniotomy and early oxytocin for prevention of, or therapy for, delay in first stage spontaneous labour compared with routine care.

Background: Caesarean section rates are over 20% in many developed countries. The main diagnosis contributing to the high rate in nulliparae is dystocia or prolonged labour. The present review assesses the effects of a policy of early amniotomy with early oxytocin administration for the prevention of, or the therapy for, delay in labour progress.

Maternal plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, angiogenic factors, and preeclampsia.

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the associations of maternal plasma levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] with angiogenesis and endothelial dysfunction indicators: soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), placental growth factor (PlGF), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and risk of preeclampsia.

Study Design: In this prospective cohort study (n = 697), maternal plasma 25(OH)D levels were measured at 12-18 and 24-26 weeks; sFlt-1, PlGF, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 levels were measured at 24-26 weeks.

Results: Maternal PlGF levels were significantly lower in women with 25(OH)D less than 50 nmol/L at 12-18 weeks (median, 449.

In vitro evaluation of enhancing effect of borneol on transcorneal permeation of compounds with different hydrophilicities and molecular sizes.

To investigate the enhancing effect of borneol on transcorneal permeation of compounds with different hydrophilicities and molecular sizes. Six compounds, namely rhodamine B, sodium-fluorescein, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) dextrans of 4, 10, 20 and 40 kDa were selected as model drugs. Permeation studies were performed using excised cornea of rabbits by a Franz-type diffusion apparatus.

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene polymorphisms and risk of preeclampsia.

Polymorphisms in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene may affect the risk of preeclampsia. This systematic review aimed to provide an updated review of the literature to better understand the association between the eNOS gene polymorphisms and the risk of preeclampsia. We searched electronic databases of the human literature in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library up to July 2012.