Mustard Gas Induced Corneal Injury Involves Ferroptosis and p38 MAPK Signaling.

Purpose: Sulfur mustard gas (SM) exposure to eyes causes multiple corneal injuries including stromal cell loss in vivo. However, mechanisms mediating stromal cell loss/death remains elusive. This study sought to test the novel hypothesis that SM-induced toxicity to human corneal stromal fibroblasts involves ferroptosis mechanism via p38 MAPK signaling.

The M1/M2 Macrophage Polarization and Hepatoprotective Activity of Quercetin in Cyclophosphamide-Induced Experimental Liver Toxicity.

Background: Chemotherapy drugs may lead to hepatic injury, which is considered one of the limitations of these drugs.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of quercetin (QUE) on M1/M2 macrophage polarization and hepatoprotective effect in cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced liver toxicity.

Methods: Twenty-four mice were divided into four groups (Control, QUE, CTX, CTX + QUE).

Biochar in the Remediation of Organic Pollutants in Water: A Review of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon and Pesticide Removal.

This review explores biochar's potential as a sustainable and cost-effective solution for remediating organic pollutants, particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pesticides, in water. Biochar, a carbon-rich material produced from biomass pyrolysis, has demonstrated adsorption efficiencies exceeding 90% under optimal conditions, depending on the feedstock type, pyrolysis temperature, and functionalization. High surface area (up to 1500 m/g), porosity, and modifiable surface functional groups make biochar effective in adsorbing a wide range of contaminants, including toxic metals, organic pollutants, and nutrients.

Review article: Efficacy of cyproheptadine in the management of serotonin toxicity following deliberate self-poisoning - A systematic review.

Serotonin toxicity is a potentially fatal condition caused by increased serotonergic activity in the central nervous system. Cyproheptadine, a serotonergic antagonist, is recommended for treatment; however, there is a lack of evidence to support its use. The present study aimed to evaluate the evidence for the use of cyproheptadine in the management of serotonin toxicity following deliberate self-poisoning.

Fedratinib combined with ropeginterferon alfa-2b in patients with myelofibrosis (FEDORA): study protocol for a multicentre, open-label, Bayesian phase II trial.

Background: Myelofibrosis (MF) is a clonal haematopoietic disease, with median overall survival for patients with primary MF only 6.5 years. The most frequent gene mutation found in patients is JAK2, causing constitutive activation of the kinase and activation of downstream signalling.

Taurine prevents mitochondrial dysfunction and protects mitochondria from reactive oxygen species and deuterium toxicity.

Taurine, although not a coding amino acid, is the most common free amino acid in the body. Taurine has multiple and complex functions in protecting mitochondria against oxidative-nitrosative stress. In this comprehensive review paper, we introduce a novel potential role for taurine in protecting from deuterium (heavy hydrogen) toxicity.

Repeated sevoflurane exposure causes hypomyelination in the prefrontal cortex of adult male mice.

As one of the most commonly used general anesthetics (GAs) in surgery, numerous studies have demonstrated the detrimental effects of sevoflurane exposure on myelination in the developing and elderly brain. However, the impact of sevoflurane exposure on intact myelin structure in the adult brain is barely discovered. Here, we show that repeated sevoflurane exposure, but not single exposure, causes hypomyelination and abnormal ultrastructure of myelin sheath in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of adult male mice, which is considered as a critical brain region for general anesthesia mediated consciousness change.

Pterostilbene protects against lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation and blood-brain barrier disruption in immortalized brain endothelial cell lines in vitro.

Brain microvascular endothelial cells are connected by tight junction (TJ) proteins and interacted by adhesion molecules, which participate in the selective permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The disruption of BBB is associated with the progression of cerebral diseases. Pterostilbene is a natural compound found in blueberries and grapes with a wide range of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-diabetic effects.

Combination of dapagliflozin and pioglitazone lacks superiority against monotherapy in streptozotocin-induced nephropathy.

Oxidative stress and apoptosis are highly engaged in development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). In monotherapy, dapagliflozin and pioglitazone positively modulate target organ damage even independently of their hypoglycaemic effect. This study evaluated whether a simultaneous PPARγ activation and SGLT cotransporter inhibition offer superior protection against DN-related oxidative and apoptotic processes in a T1DM rat model.

Rapid on-site colorimetric detection of arsenic(V) by NH-MIL-88(Fe) nanozymes-based ultraviolet-visible spectroscopic and smartphone-assisted sensing platforms.

Background: Because arsenate (As(V)) is a highly toxic pollutant, timely on-site monitoring of its concentration is crucial for mitigating potential environmental and health hazards. Traditional on-site detection methods for As(V) often face limitations of long response time and low sensitivity. Nanozymes are nanomaterials that exhibit enzyme-like catalytic activity.

Pyrene functionalized organic cation receptor-based "turn-on" fluorescence approach for monitoring of chlorpyrifos in food, soil, and water samples.

Background: The unregulated use of pesticides by farmers, for crop productivity results in widespread contamination of organophosphates in real environmental samples, which is a growing societal concern about their potential health effects. The conventional approaches for the monitoring these organophosphate-based pesticides which include immunoassays, electrochemical methods, immunosensors, various chromatography techniques, along with some spectroscopic methods, are either costly, sophisticated, or involves the use of different metal complexes. Therefore, there is an urgent need for sensitive, quick, and easy-to-use detection techniques for the screening of widely used organophosphate-based pesticides.

Wintering loons in South Korea face an ongoing threat from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Shifting sources and potential DNA damage.

Diving birds, particularly those sharing coastal habitats with fishing grounds, are at risk from oil pollution. Despite documented cases of bird mortality, the specific role of oil pollution in these death remains unclear. To address this knowledge gap, this study examined polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination, its sources, and its impact on loon health.

Transformative knowledge of polar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons via high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic contaminants with a widespread presence in diverse environmental contexts. Transformation processes of PAHs via degradation and biotransformation have parallels in humans, animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. Mapping the transformation products of PAHs is therefore crucial for assessing their toxicological impact and developing effective monitoring strategies.

Glycyrrhizic Acid Mitigates Haloperidol-Induced Neurotoxicity in SHSY-5Y Cells and Rats Via Activation of PI3k/Akt/Nrf2 Pathways.

Antipsychotic medications are used to treat a psychological condition called 'Schizophrenia'. However, its long-term administration causes irregular involuntary motor movements, targeting the orofacial regions. Glycyrrhizic acid (GA) is a naturally occurring triterpene saponin glycoside obtained from the roots of the Glycyrrhiza glabra (liquorice) plant and well known for its antioxidant, antiapoptotic and neuroprotective abilities.

Enhanced remediation of naphthalene from aqueous solutions using synthesized organoclay: characterization, mechanisms, and isotherms.

Water contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), particularly naphthalene, is a serious environmental concern due to its persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. This study explores the adsorption behavior of naphthalene using organobentonite (OBt), synthesized by intercalating cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) into sodium bentonite (SBt) with varying cation exchange capacities (CECs). The effectiveness of OBt in naphthalene adsorption was evaluated by analyzing key parameters, including CEC, contaminant concentration, and contact time.

Public Health.

Exposure to environmental chemicals has been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, most studies have used a targeted approach to study this relationship. While targeted approaches have been critical to understand mechanisms, they do not reflect real world exposures where an individual is exposed to multiple chemicals at the same time. Exposomics provides the opportunity to use an -omics level approach to understand the environmental drivers of disease by measuring the burden of multiple chemicals at the same time.

Developing Topics.

Background: Autophagy-lysosomal pathway (ALP) dysfunction emerges early in Alzheimer's disease(AD). In mouse AD models, lysosomal acidification deficits impair ALP in neurons, in some inducing massive autolysosome accumulations, intraneuronal amyloid plaque, and early neuronal death yielding an extracellular amyloid plaque. This distinctive neurodegenerative pattern (PANTHOS) emerges in early-stage AD and is recapitulated in human late-onset AD (accompanying poster).

Drug Development.

Background: Accumulation of amyloid beta 42 (Aβ42) senile plaques is the most critical event leading to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Currently approved drugs for AD have not been able to effectively modify the disease. This has caused increasing research interests in health beneficial nutritious plant foods as viable alternative therapy to prevent or manage AD.

Drug Development.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most common form of dementia. Although AD is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), it's estimated that nearly half of AD cases might be attributed to modifiable risk factors and lifestyle-based interventions may offer promising preventative strategies to delay disease onset and progression. Polyphenolic derivatives easily found in foods like luteolin and curcumin have shown beneficial effects to counteract cognitive decline.

Triple-drug antibiotic therapy for disseminated nocardial abscess in the mediastinum and brain of an immunocompetent patient: a case report.

Background: Nocardia are widely present in nature and considered opportunistic pathogens. They can result in hematogenous spread infection through the ruptured skin or respiratory tract when the host's immune system is compromised. Currently, 119 species of Nocardia have been identified, with 54 capable of causing infections in humans.

Evaluation of rewarding effects of nitazene analogs: results from conditioned place preference tests and in vivo microdialysis experiments in mice.

In illicit drug markets, the most recently expanding new synthetic opioid subclass is benzimidazoles, also known as nitazenes, which were originally developed as analgesics in the 1950s. The emergence of this classical, potent drug family has attracted extensive research interest in the field of forensic toxicology; however, information on their psychological and physical dependence is very limited. Herein, we evaluated the rewarding effects of four nitazene analogs using a battery of in vivo experiments, with a positive control drug (isotonitazene).

Investigation of additional suitable positive controls in the human Cell Line Activation Test.

The human Cell Line Activation Test (h-CLAT) is an in vitro skin sensitization assay adopted by the OECD as Test Guideline 442E. In the h-CLAT, 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) is used as a positive control; however, DNCB is considered a poisonous substance under the Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Act in Japan since 2014 because of its high acute toxicity. Strict control, handling, and storage are required when using DNCB, which is a burden to the users.

Bioavailability study of OTA, ZEN, and AFB1 along with bioactive compounds from tiger nut beverage and its by-products.

Mycotoxins pose significant health risks due to their prevalence in food products and severe health implications, including carcinogenicity. This study investigates the bioavailability of mycotoxins aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and zearalenone (ZEN) individually and combined, in the presence of identified polyphenols from tiger nut beverage (TNB) and tiger nut by-product (TNBP) using the in vitro model Caco-2 cells, which simulates the human intestinal barrier. The objective is to understand how bioactive compounds from TNBP can mitigate the effects of AFB1, OTA and ZEN (and their combination) by bioavailability interference, contributing to safer food products and innovative food safety strategies.

A Systematic Review of Aspilia africana (Pers.) C.D. Adams Traditional Medicinal Uses, Phytoconstituents, Bioactivities, and Toxicities.

Aspilia africana (Pers.) C. D.

Toxicity assessment of DMSO extracts of environmental aged beached plastics using human cell lines.

Plastic products contain complex mixtures of chemical compounds that are incorporated into polymers to improve material properties. Besides the intentional chemical additives, other compounds including residual monomers and non-intentionnaly added substances (NIAS) as well as sorbed pollutants are usually also present in aged plastic. Since most of these substances are only loosely bound to the polymer via non-covalently interactions, i.