Periconceptional polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels in maternal hair and fetal risk for congenital heart defects.

Background: Congenital heart defects (CHDs) have a complex etiology, and environmental factors play an important role in their occurrence. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous chemicals, and some have teratogenic potential. However, few studies have examined PAHs exposure and CHD risk.

Distinct toxic effects, gene expression profiles, and phytohormone responses of Polygonatum cyrtonema exposed to two different antibiotics.

The excessive usage of veterinary antibiotics has raised significant concerns regarding their environmental hazard and agricultural impact when entering surface water and soil. Animal waste serves as a primary source of organic fertilizer for intensive large-scale agricultural cultivation, including the widely utilized medicinal and edible plant, Polygonatum cyrtonem. In this study, we employed a novel plant stress tissue culture technology to investigate the toxic effects of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) and sulfadiazine (SDZ) on P.

Isolation, Purification, and Application of Protoplasts and Transient Expression Systems in Plants.

Protoplasts, derived from plant cells, exhibit remarkable totipotency and hold significant value across a wide spectrum of biological and biotechnological applications. These versatile applications encompass protein subcellular localization and interaction analysis, gene expression regulation, functional characterization, gene editing techniques, and single-cell sequencing. Protoplasts' usability stems from their inherent accessibility and their ability to efficiently incorporate exogenous genes.

Unveiling the toxic effects, physiological responses and molecular mechanisms of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) in exposure to organic ultraviolet filters.

Exposure to organic ultraviolet (UV) filters has raised concerns due to their potential adverse effects on environments. However, their toxic mechanisms on plants remain elusive. In this study, using integrative physiological and transcriptomic approaches we investigated the physiological and molecular responses to three representative UV filters, namely oxybenzone (OBZ), avobenzone (AVB), and octinoxate (OMC), in an agricultural model plant tobacco.

Prenatal exposure to silver is associated with an elevated risk for neural tube defects: a case-control study.

Exposure to copper, silver, and titanium has been reported to be associated with a variety of adverse effects on humans, but it is little focused on the fetus. We investigated the associations between prenatal exposure to the three metals (copper, silver, and titanium) and risk for fetal neural tube defects (NTDs). Placental samples from 408 women with pregnancies affected by NTDs and 593 women with normal pregnancies were collected from 2003 to 2016 in Pingding, Xiyang, Shouyang, Taigu, and Zezhou counties of China.

Maternal exposure to heavy metals and risk for severe congenital heart defects in offspring.

Background: Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common congenital malformations with a complex etiology, and environmental factors play an important role. Large epidemiology studies on prenatal exposure to selected heavy metals and their association with risk for CHDs are scarce and joint effects are not well understood.

Objectives: To examine the association between prenatal exposure to selected heavy metals and risk for CHDs.

Placental concentrations of alkali metals and their associations with neural tube defects in offspring.

Introduction: The role of alkali metals in the development of neural tube defects (NTDs) is little known. We examined the associations between placental concentrations of lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), and cesium (Cs), and the occurrence of NTDs in fetuses.

Methods: 408 women who had NTD-affected pregnancies and 593 women who delivered healthy infants were included.

Prenatal uranium exposure and risk for fetal neural tube defects: A case-control study in women living in a rural area of northern China.

The adverse effects of uranium exposure on human health are well-known; less is known, however, regarding its association with congenital malformations. We conducted a case-control study to examine the association between prenatal exposure to uranium and risk for fetal neural tube defects (NTDs) using the concentration of uranium in placental tissue as an exposure marker in 408 NTD cases and 593 healthy controls. Uranium concentration was quantified with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer.

High concentrations of aluminum in maternal serum and placental tissue are associated with increased risk for fetal neural tube defects.

Aluminum (Al) is ubiquitously present in the environment, and human exposure to Al is common. Al has been reported to be involved in various human diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including neural tube defects (NTDs). This study aimed to examine the association between prenatal Al exposure and the risk for NTDs using Al concentrations in maternal serum and placental tissue.

Prenatal exposure to barium and the occurrence of neural tube defects in offspring.

Neural tube defects (NTDs) have a complex etiology. Few studies have assessed alkaline earth metals exposures and occurrence of NTDs. We examined the association between prenatal exposure to magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr) and barium (Ba) and risk for NTDs in a case-control study, and assessed the teratogenic effects of Ba on mice.

Neural Tube Defects and Hypomethylation in Relation to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure.

Background: Epigenetic dysregulation is one of the postulated underlying mechanisms of neural tube defects (NTDs). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of environmental pollutants that are reported as a risk factor of NTDs, may cause decreased genome-wide DNA methylation. With DNA extracted from neural tissues, this study identified gene(s) whose hypomethylation was related to elevated risk for NTDs and examined whether its hypomethylation is related to PAH exposure.

Concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in placental tissue are not associated with risk for fetal orofacial clefts.

Previous epidemiological studies have shown that prenatal exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) entails a variety of adverse impacts on fetal health, but it is not yet known whether it is associated with risk for orofacial clefts (OFCs). This study of 103 fetuses or newborns with a diagnosis of OFCs (cases) and 103 healthy newborns without malformations (controls) examined whether prenatal exposure to OCPs, as indicated by their concentrations in placental tissue, is a risk factor for OFCs. No differences were found in the median concentrations of OCPs between cases and controls, with exception of o,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, o,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane, and total o,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs), whose concentrations were higher in controls than in cases (Ps < 0.

Concentrations of rare earth elements in maternal serum during pregnancy and risk for fetal neural tube defects.

Rare earth elements (REEs) are ubiquitous in the environment. Animal experiments have shown that many REEs have adverse impacts on the health of fetuses. However, data from humans are scarce.

Levels of uranium and thorium in maternal scalp hair and risk of orofacial clefts in offspring.

Uranium and thorium are common radioactive elements that exist in the environment. However, few environmental epidemiological studies have focused on their possible effects on congenital malformations. Here, we explored the association between uranium and thorium concentrations in maternal scalp hair grown from 3 months before to 3 months after conception, namely during the periconceptional period and the risk of orofacial clefts (OFCs) in offspring.

Higher concentration of selenium in placental tissues is associated with reduced risk for orofacial clefts.

Background & Aims: Growing evidence suggests that essential trace element imbalance during pregnancy may contribute to fetal malformations, but the role of essential trace elements in the occurrence of orofacial clefts (OFCs) is unknown. We aimed to examine the association between concentrations of zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), and nickel (Ni) in placental tissues and the risk for OFCs in offspring in a rural population in northern China with a high prevalence of OFCs.

Methods: The case-control study subjects were 103 OFC infants and 206 non-malformed infants.

Association between concentrations of barium and aluminum in placental tissues and risk for orofacial clefts.

Natural exposure to and increasing use of barium and aluminum in various products, such as plastics, rubber, and food additives, raise concerns for their potential health impacts on pregnant women and vulnerable fetuses. We investigated whether there are associations between barium and aluminum concentrations in placental tissues and the risk for orofacial clefts (OFCs) in offspring. In this case-control study, we recruited 103 women with OFC-affected pregnancies and 206 women who delivered healthy newborns.

Concentrations of selected heavy metals in placental tissues and risk for neonatal orofacial clefts.

Orofacial clefts (OFCs) have multifactorial etiologies. Prenatal exposure to heavy metals can induce OFCs in animal models, but evidence from studies of human subjects is scarce. We examined whether concentrations of mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As) in placental tissues are associated with risk for OFCs in offspring.

Secondhand smoke during the periconceptional period increases the risk for orofacial clefts in offspring.

Background: To examine whether exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) during the periconceptional period among nonsmoking women is associated with an increased risk for orofacial clefts (OFCs) in offspring in a population with low rates of maternal active smoking but high rates of SHS exposure.

Methods: We recruited 240 women with OFC-affected pregnancies and 1420 women who delivered healthy infants from a population-based case-control study in northern China during 2002 and 2016. Data including self-reported SHS exposure were collected by trained health care workers through face-to-face interviews.

Urine volatile organic compounds as biomarkers for minimal change type nephrotic syndrome.

Urinary volatile organic compounds (VOCs) profiling has recently received considerable attention because it can be obtained noninvasively and conveniently while it can be successfully used in a variety of diseases and can provide unique biomarkers. The aim of current study was to investigate potential biomarkers between minimal change type nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) and normal. Urinary samples were collected from 38 minimal change type nephrotic syndrome patients and 15 healthy controls.

Urinary volatile organic compounds as potential biomarkers for renal cell carcinoma.

Currently, there is no adequate, sensitive, reproducible, specific and noninvasive biomarker that can reliably be used to detect renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Previous studies have elucidated the urinary non-volatile metabolic profile of RCC. However, whether urinary volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles are able to identify RCC remains to be elucidated.

Comparative Analysis of VOCs in Exhaled Breath of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Patients.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable neurological degenerative disease. It can cause irreversible neurological damage to motor neurons; typical symptoms include muscle weakness and atrophy, bulbar paralysis and pyramidal tract signs. The ALS-mimicking disease cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) presents similar symptoms, but analysis of breath volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can potentially be used to distinguish ALS from CSM.

Lung ventilation strategies for acute respiratory distress syndrome: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

To identify the best lung ventilation strategy for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), we performed a network meta-analysis. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Web of Science were searched, and 36 eligible articles were included. Compared with higher tidal volumes with FiO2-guided lower positive end-expiratory pressure [PEEP], the hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality were 0.

Low tidal volume with PEEP and recruitment expedite the recovery of pulmonary function.

The potentially harmful effects of short-term mechanical ventilation during surgery have been examined in recent years. An optimal strategy for mechanical ventilation of patients during non-laparoscopic abdominal surgery must be devised. A total of 63 patients undergoing elective open abdominal surgery with more than 2 h of ventilation time were selected for this randomized, open-label, clinical study.

Volatile Organic Metabolites Identify Patients with Mesangial Proliferative Glomerulonephritis, IgA Nephropathy and Normal Controls.

Urinary volatile organic compounds (VOCs) analysis for kidney diseases has attracted a large amount of scientific interest recently, and urinary metabolite analysis has already been applied to many diseases. Urine was collected from 15 mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MsPGN) patients, 21 IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients and 15 healthy controls. Solid phase microextraction-chromatography- mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) was used to analyse the urinary metabolites.