Environmental pollutions, particularly toxic elements such as lead, are among the most significant factors affecting the growth and functional development of children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of blood lead levels on handgrip strength (HGS) in urban children resident in the Copper Basin of Lower Silesia, Poland, controlling for the effects of chronological age, body size and socioeconomic status. The study included 165 boys (9−11 years of age) and 79 girls (9−10 years of age) from Polkowice town. Anthropometric measurements involved height, body mass and grip strength of the left and right hands. Maternal education was a proxy for socioeconomic status. Based on the median value of blood lead level (3.10 µg/dL), the two groups-below and above/equal median value-were defined. Analysis of covariance revealed that age (all p < 0.001), sex (at least p < 0.01), BMI (all p < 0.001), and blood lead level (at least p < 0.05) had a significant effect on the three indicators of HGS (right hand, left hand, average), while the level of maternal education did not significantly affect HGS (p > 0.05). The results of this study indicate a potentially negative effect of elevated blood lead level on grip strength in preadolescent children, irrespective of sex.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/toxics10110646 | DOI Listing |
RNA Biol
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Biorepository and Omics Research Group, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical College, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
This study aimed to identify differentially expressed non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) associated with preterm birth (PTB) and determine biological pathways being influenced in the context of PTB. We processed cell-free RNA sequencing data and identified seventeen differentially expressed (DE) ncRNAs that could be involved in the onset of PTB. Per the validation via customized RT-qPCR, the recorded variations in expressions of eleven ncRNAs were concordant with the analyses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Cardiol Rep
January 2025
Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Ave, Campus Box 8086, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Purpose Of Review: This review aims to explore the role of immune memory and trained immunity, focusing on how innate immune cells like monocytes, macrophages, and natural killer cells undergo long-term epigenetic and metabolic rewiring. Specifically, it examines the mechanisms by which trained immunity, often triggered by infection or vaccination, could impact cardiac processes and contribute to both protective and pathological responses within the cardiovascular system.
Recent Findings: Recent research demonstrates that vaccination and infection not only activate immune responses in circulating monocytes and tissue macrophages but also affect immune progenitor cells within the bone marrow environment, conferring lasting protection against heterologous infections.
Ecotoxicology
January 2025
Unidad Académica Mazatlán, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México.
Monitoring the dynamics of contaminants in ecosystems helps understand their potential effects. Seabirds have been used as biomonitors of marine ecosystems for this purpose. However, exposure and vulnerability to pollutants are understudied in tropical species, and the relationships between various pollutants and the trophic ecology of seabirds are poorly understood.
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January 2025
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Hazrat-e Rasool General Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Dengue virus (DENV) poses a considerable threat to public health on a global scale, since about two-thirds of the world's population is currently at risk of contracting this arbovirus. Being transmitted by mosquitoes, this virus is associated with a range of illnesses and a small percentage of infected individuals might suffer from severe vascular leakage. This leakage leads to hypovolemic shock syndrome, generally known as dengue shock syndrome, organ failure, and bleeding complications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMacromol Biosci
January 2025
Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Carrer de Baldiri Reixac, 10, 12, Barcelona, 08028, Spain.
Blood-contacting medical devices, especially extracorporeal membrane oxygenators (ECMOs), are highly susceptible to surface-induced coagulation because of their extensive surface area. This can compromise device functionality and lead to life-threatening complications. High doses of anticoagulants, combined with anti-thrombogenic surface coatings, are typically employed to mitigate this risk, but such treatment can lead to hemorrhagic complications.
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