Complex Interaction and Adsorption of Glyphosate and Lead in Soil

Glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)-glycine] is a herbicide widely used in large quantities in agricultural applications. It is also known to form complexes with metal ions, although its influence on metal behavior, such as lead (Pb) in soil, is not well understood. In this study, the adsorption and co-adsorption of Pb and glyphosate were determined on two soils [a red (RS) soil, Udic Ferrisol, and a yellow-brown (YB) soil, Udic Luvisol] of distinctly different chemical characteristics at varying pH conditions. Results indicate that the adsorption of lead and glyphosate strongly depends on soil types: the RS soil, characterized by a relatively high iron/aluminum content but a low pH and organic matter content, shows a much lower adsorption capacity for Pb but a higher sorption for glyphosate than the YB soil. The co-existence of Pb and glyphosate in soils resulted in complex interactions among Pb, glyphosate, Pb-glyphosate complexes, and soil minerals. The presence of glyphosate decreased Pb adsorption on the two soils, which was attributed primarily to the formation of soluble Pb-glyphosate complexes having relatively low affinities to soil surfaces. On the other hand, addition of Pb increased the adsorption of glyphosate on both soils, which was attributed to: (1) a decreased solution pH due to the ion exchange between Pb²⁺ and H⁺ on soil surfaces; and (2) increased sorption sites where Pb was adsorbed and acted as a bridge between glyphosate and the soil. The present study illustrates that the complex interactions among glyphosate, Pb, and soil may have important implications for the mobility and bioavailability of Pb in soil and should thus be considered in future environmental risk assessments.     

Development of rapid and highly sensitive HSPA1A promoter-driven luciferase reporter system for assessing oxidative stress associated with low-dose photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a regulatory-approved modality for treating a variety of malignant tumors. It induces tumor tissue damage via photosensitizer-mediated oxidative cytotoxicity. The heat shock protein 70 (HSP70-1) is a stress protein encoded by the HSPA1A gene and is significantly induced by oxidative stress associated with PDT. The aim of this study was to identify the functional region of the HSPA1A promoter that responds to PDT-induced oxidative stress and uses the stress responsiveness of HSPA1A expression to establish a rapid and cost-effective photocytotoxic assessment bioassay to evaluate the photodynamic potential of photosensitizers. By constructing luciferase vectors with a variety of hspa1a promoter fractions and examining their relative luciferase activity, we demonstrated that the DNA sequence from −218 to +87 of the HSPA1A gene could be used as a functional promoter to detect the PDT-induced oxidative stress. The maximal relative luciferase activity level of HSPA1A (HSP70-1) induced by hypericin-PDT was nearly nine times that of the control. Our results suggest that the novel reporter gene assay using a functional region of the HSP70A1A promoter has significant advantages for the detection of photoactivity in terms of both speed and sensitivity, when compared with a cell viability test based on ATP quantification and ROS levels. Furthermore, phthalocyanine zinc and methylene blue both induced significantly elevated levels of relative luciferase activity in a dose-dependent manner.     

Responses of serum chemokines to dramatic changes of air pollution levels,a panel study

Abstract

Background: Despite the in vitro and in vivo evidence, studies are limited in evaluating whether chemokines are potential inflammatory mediators in response to air pollution exposure in humans.

Methods: We conducted a panel study coinciding with the Beijing Olympics, when temporary air pollution controls were implemented. We measured a suite of serum chemokines among healthy adults before, during and after the Olympics, respectively. Linear mixed-effect models were used to evaluate changes in chemokine levels over the three time periods.

Results: In response to the 50% drop in air pollution levels during the games, levels of RANTES, MCP-2, and TARC decreased by 25.8%, 20.9% and 35.3%, respectively (p?<?0.001) from pre-Olympics, and then increased by 45.8%, 34.9% and 61.5%, respectively (p?<?0.001) after the games when air pollution levels went up again. Similar patterns were observed in subgroup analyses by sex, age, smoking and body mass index. GRO-α and IL-8 decreased significantly during the games (22.5% and 30.4%), and increased non-significantly after the games. Eotaxin-1 only increased significantly from during- to post-games.

Conclusions: The strongest associations with air pollution levels were observed among RANTES, TARC and MCP-2. Those chemokines may play important roles in the air pollution-induced inflammatory pathway.     

Reduced Regional Homogeneity in Bilateral Frontostriatal System Relates to Higher Impulsivity Behavior in Codeine-Containing Cough Syrups Dependent Individuals

Background

In the past twenty years, codeine-containing cough syrups (CCS) was recognized as a new type of addictive drugs. However, the exact neurobiologic mechanisms underlying CCS-dependence are still ill-defined. The aims of this study are to identify CCS-related modulations of neural activity during the resting-state in CCS-dependent individuals and to investigate whether these changes of neural activity can be related to duration of CCS use, the first age of CCS use and impulse control deficits in CCS-dependent individuals. We also want to observe the impact of gray matter deficits on these functional results.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Thirty CCS-dependent individuals and 30 control subjects participated. Resting-state functional MRI was performed by using gradient-echo echo-planar imaging sequence. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) was calculated by using REST software. Voxel-based analysis of the ReHo maps between controls and CCS-dependent groups was performed using two-sample t tests (p<0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons). The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11 (BIS.11) was surveyed to assess participants'' impulsivity trait soon after MR examination. Abnormal clusters revealed by group comparison were extracted and correlated with impulsivity, duration of CCS use, and age of first CCS use. ReHo was diminished in the bilateral medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) and left dorsal striatum in CCS-dependent individuals. There were negative correlations between mean ReHo in the bilateral medial OFC, left dorsal striatum and duration of CCS use, BIS.11 total scores, and the subscale of attentional impulsivity in CCS-dependent individuals. There was a significantly positive correlation between mean ReHo in the left dorsal striatum and age of first CCS use in CCS-dependent individuals. Importantly, these results still remain significant after statistically controlling for the regional gray matter deficits.

Conclusion

Resting-state abnormalities in CCS-dependent individuals revealed in the present study may further improve our understanding about the neural substrates of impulse control dysfunction in CCS-dependent individuals.     

Impact of Functional Constipation on Health-Related Quality of Life in Preschool Children and Their Families in Xi’an,China

Aim

Functional constipation (FC) is one of the common diseases among children. The aim of this study was to investigate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in preschool children diagnosed with FC and the impact of the condition on affected families.

Methods

In this cross-sectional, case-control study, 152 children aged 3–6 years with FC, 176 healthy children aged 3–6 years without FC, and their primary caregivers were selected. Chinese versions of the PedsQL^TM 4.0 Generic Core Scale and the Family Impact Module (FIM) were used to assess childhood HRQOL and the impact of FC on family members, respectively. HRQOL scores were compared between children with FC and healthy children. In addition, a multiple step-wise regression with demographic variables of children and their caregivers, family economic status, duration and symptoms of FC, as independent variables, was used to determine factors that influenced HRQOL in children and had impacted caregivers.

Results

Scores of physical, emotional, social and school functions, and summary scales were significantly lower in children with FC than in healthy children (p < 0.05). Physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and communication scores for caregivers, as well as daily activities and relationships for families of children with FC, were significantly lower than those of caregivers and families with healthy children (p < 0.05). Children’s ages, duration of FC, symptoms of FC, the child-caregiver relationship, family economic status, and caregiver education level emerged as the main factors influencing HRQOL in children, caregivers, and family members.

Conclusions

FC had a significant impact on HRQOL of affected children and their caregivers, as well as their family functions. Social characteristics of children and caregivers, duration and symptoms of FC and family economic status significantly affected HRQOL of children and caregivers, as well as family functions of children with FC.     

β3 Integrin Promotes TGF-β1/H2O2/HOCl-Mediated Induction of Metastatic Phenotype of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells by Enhancing TGF-β1 Signaling

In addition to being an important mediator of migration and invasion of tumor cells, β3 integrin can also enhance TGF-β1 signaling. However, it is not known whether β3 might influence the induction of metastatic phenotype of tumor cells, especially non-metastatic tumor cells which express low level of β3. Here we report that H₂O₂ and HOCl, the reactive oxygen species produced by neutrophils, could cooperate with TGF-β1 to induce metastatic phenotype of non-metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. TGF-β1/H₂O₂/HOCl, but not TGF-β1 or H₂O₂/HOCl, induced β3 expression by triggering the enhanced activation of p38 MAPK. Intriguingly, β3 in turn promoted TGF-β1/H₂O₂/HOCl-mediated induction of metastatic phenotype of HCC cells by enhancing TGF-β1 signaling. β3 promoted TGF-β1/H₂O₂/HOCl-induced expression of itself via positive feed-back effect on p38 MAPK activation, and also promoted TGF-β1/H₂O₂/HOCl-induced expression of α3 and SNAI2 by enhancing the activation of ERK pathway, thus resulting in higher invasive capacity of HCC cells. By enhancing MAPK activation, β3 enabled TGF-β1 to augment the promoting effect of H₂O₂/HOCl on anoikis-resistance of HCC cells. TGF-β1/H₂O₂/HOCl-induced metastatic phenotype was sufficient for HCC cells to extravasate from circulation and form metastatic foci in an experimental metastasis model in nude mice. Inhibiting the function of β3 could suppress or abrogate the promoting effects of TGF-β1/H₂O₂/HOCl on invasive capacity, anoikis-resistance, and extravasation of HCC cells. These results suggest that β3 could function as a modulator to promote TGF-β1/H₂O₂/HOCl-mediated induction of metastatic phenotype of non-metastatic tumor cells, and that targeting β3 might be a potential approach in preventing the induction of metastatic phenotype of non-metastatic tumor cells.     

Diabetic Patients Could Do As Well as Non-Diabetic Patients without Inflammation on Peritoneal Dialysis

Background

Diabetic patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) have lower survival and are more likely complicated with inflammation than their non-diabetic counterparts. Here, we explored the interaction effects between diabetes and inflammation on the survival of PD patients.

Methods

Overall, 2,264 incident patients were enrolled from a retrospective cohort study in China. Patients were grouped according to the baseline levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP, ≤3 mg/L or >3 mg/L) or serum albumin (SA, ≥38 g/L or <38 g/L). Then, several multivariable adjusted stratified Cox regression models were constructed for these groups to explore the predicted role of diabetes on all-cause or cardiovascular death under inflammatory or non-inflammatory conditions.

Results

Diabetics on PD were more likely to have inflammation than non-diabetics on PD, and they presented with elevated hsCRP (52.7% vs. 47.3%, P = 0.03) or decreased SA (77.9% vs. 62.7%, P < 0.001) levels. After stratification by size of center and controlling for confounding factors, diabetes was found to predict all-cause death in patients with hsCRP >3 mg/L or SA <38 g/L but not in patients with hsCRP ≤3 mg/L or SA ≥38 g/L. Similarly, the presence of diabetes was an indication of cardiovascular death in patients with hsCRP >3 mg/L or SA <38 g/L. However, if further adjusted by baseline cardiovascular disease, the predicted role of diabetes on death related to cardiovascular disease in patients with SA <38 g/L disappeared.

Conclusion

Diabetic patients could do as well as non-diabetic patients without inflammation on peritoneal dialysis. Active strategies should be implemented to improve inflammation status in diabetic patients on PD.     

A Hamster-Derived West Nile Virus Isolate Induces Persistent Renal Infection in Mice

Background

West Nile virus (WNV) can persist long term in the brain and kidney tissues of humans, non-human primates, and hamsters. In this study, mice were infected with WNV strain H8912, previously cultured from the urine of a persistently infected hamster, to determine its pathogenesis in a murine host.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We found that WNV H8912 was highly attenuated for neuroinvasiveness in mice. Following a systemic infection, viral RNA could be detected quickly in blood and spleen and much later in kidneys. WNV H8912 induced constitutive IL-10 production, upregulation of IFN-β and IL-1β expression, and a specific IgM response on day 10 post-infection. WNV H8912 persisted preferentially in kidneys with mild renal inflammation, and less frequently in spleen for up to 2.5 months post infection. This was concurrent with detectable serum WNV-specific IgM and IgG production. There were also significantly fewer WNV- specific T cells and lower inflammatory responses in kidneys than in spleen. Previous studies have shown that systemic wild-type WNV NY99 infection induced virus persistence preferentially in spleen than in mouse kidneys. Here, we noted that splenocytes of WNV H8912-infected mice produced significantly less IL-10 than those of WNV NY99-infected mice. Finally, WNV H8912 was also attenuated in neurovirulence. Following intracranial inoculation, WNV persisted in the brain at a low frequency, concurrent with neither inflammatory responses nor neuronal damage in the brain.

Conclusions

WNV H8912 is highly attenuated in both neuroinvasiveness and neurovirulence in mice. It induces a low and delayed anti-viral response in mice and preferentially persists in the kidneys.     

Salt-Restriction-Spoon Improved the Salt Intake among Residents in China

Objective

To evaluate the effect of an improved salt-restriction spoon on the attitude of salt-restriction, the using rate of salt-restriction-spoon, the actual salt intake, and 24-hour urinary sodium excretion (24HUNa).

Design

A community intervention study.

Setting

Two villages in Beijing.

Participants

403 local adult residents being responsible for home cooking.

Intervention

Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group or the control group. Those in the intervention group were provided with an improved salt-restriction-spoon and health education, and were informed of their actual salt intake and 24HUNa. Not any intervention was given to those in the control group.

Main Outcome Measures

The scores on the variables of Health Belief Model, the using rate of salt-restriction-spoon, the actual salt intake, and 24HUNa.

Analysis

Covariance analyses, Chi-square tests, Student’s t tests, and repeated measures analyses of variance.

Results

After 6 months of intervention, the intervention group felt significantly less objective barriers, and got access to significantly more cues to action as compared to the control group. The using rate and the correctly using rate of salt-restriction-spoon were significantly higher in the intervention group. The daily salt intake decreased by 1.42 g in the intervention group and by 0.28 g in the control group, and repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant change over time (F = 7.044, P<0.001) and significant difference between groups by time (F = 2.589, P = 0.041). The 24HUNa decreased by 34.84 mmol in the intervention group and by 33.65 mmol in the control group, and repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant change over time (F = 14.648, P<0.001) without significant difference between groups by time (F = 0.222, P = 0.870).

Conclusions

The intervention effect was acceptable, therefore, the improved salt-restriction-spoon and corresponding health education could be considered as an alternative for salt reduction strategy in China and other countries where salt intake comes mainly from home cooking.