Maternal dietary copper deficiency induces cardiomyopathy and liver injury in mice by activating autophagy.

Maternal nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy result in birth defects and elevate the risk of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases. Accumulating evidence suggests that deficiency of copper, a fundamental trace element involved in several pivotal physiological processes, promotes the onset of multiple diseases, notably heart and liver diseases. Yet, exploration into the effects of maternal copper deficiency (CuD) on offspring is still limited.

Fructose aggravates copper-deficiency-induced cardiac remodeling by inhibiting SERCA2a.

Objectives: Accumulating evidence demonstrates that copper deficiency (CuD) is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, besides, fructose has been strongly linked to the development of cardiovascular diseases. However, how CuD or fructose causes cardiovascular diseases is not clearly delineated. The present study aims to investigate the mechanism of CuD or fructose on cardiac remodeling.

Fructose aggravates copper-deficiency-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is the most common cause of chronic liver disease, affecting 24% of the global population. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that copper deficiency (CuD) is implicated in the development of NAFLD, besides, high fructose consumption by promoting inflammation contributes to NAFLD. However, how CuD and/or fructose (Fru) causes NAFLD is not clearly delineated.

Unusually high (210)Po activities in the surface water of the Zhubi Coral Reef Lagoon in the South China Sea.

Recent researches revealed the exciting application of (210)Po in tracing carbon and nitrogen cycling in the coral reef system. In order to quantify the recycling of particulate organic nitrogen (PON), both (210)Po and (210)Pb were examined at both high and low tides in the Zhubi Coral Reef lagoon, the South China Sea. Unusually, much higher (210)Po activities and (210)Po/(210)Pb ratios, in comparison with those found in the open seawater and the lagoon subsurface water, showed additional input of (210)Po besides production from in situ(210)Pb in the lagoon surface water.

Carbon Dots as Nontoxic and High-Performance Fluorescence Imaging Agents.

Fluorescent carbon dots (small carbon nanoparticles with the surface passivated by oligomeric PEG molecules) were evaluated for their cytotoxicity and in vivo toxicity and also for their optical imaging performance in reference to that of the commercially supplied CdSe/ZnS quantum dots. The results suggested that the carbon dots were biocompatible, and their performance as fluorescence imaging agents was competitive. The implication to the use of carbon dots for in vitro and in vivo applications is discussed.

Size-fractionated thorium isotopes (228Th, 230Th, 232Th) in surface waters in the Jiulong River estuary, China.

Thorium isotopes (228Th, 230Th, 232Th and 234Th) are useful tracers for studying particle dynamics and trace element scavenging in marine environments. In this study, surface waters were collected along a salinity gradient from the Jiulong River estuary, China, for determination of activity concentrations of 228Th, 230Th and 232Th in different size fractions, namely, the >53 microm, 10-53 microm, 2-10 microm, 0.4-2 microm, 10 kDa-0.