Impact of air pollution and climate change on mental health outcomes: an umbrella review of global evidence

The impact of air pollution and climate change on mental health has recently raised strong concerns. However, a comprehensive overview analyzing the existing evidence while addressing relevant biases is lacking. This umbrella review systematically searched the PubMed/Medline, Scopus and PsycINFO databases (up to June 26, 2023) for any systematic review with meta-analysis investigating the association of air pollution or climate change with mental health outcomes. We used the R metaumbrella package to calculate and stratify the credibility of the evidence according to criteria (i.e., convincing, highly suggestive, suggestive, or weak) that address several biases, complemented by sensitivity analyses. We included 32 systematic reviews with meta-analysis that examined 284 individual studies and 237 associations of exposures to air pollution or climate change hazards and mental health outcomes. Most associations (n=195, 82.3%) involved air pollution, while the rest (n=42, 17.7%) regarded climate change hazards (mostly focusing on temperature: n=35, 14.8%). Mental health outcomes in most associations (n=185, 78.1%) involved mental disorders, followed by suicidal behavior (n=29, 12.4%), access to mental health care services (n=9, 3.7%), mental disorders-related symptomatology (n=8, 3.3%), and multiple categories together (n=6, 2.5%). Twelve associations (5.0%) achieved convincing (class I) or highly suggestive (class II) evidence. Regarding exposures to air pollution, there was convincing (class I) evidence for the association between long-term exposure to solvents and a higher incidence of dementia or cognitive impairment (odds ratio, OR=1.139), and highly suggestive (class II) evidence for the association between long-term exposure to some pollutants and higher risk for cognitive disorders (higher incidence of dementia with high vs. low levels of carbon monoxide, CO: OR=1.587; higher incidence of vascular dementia per 1 μg/m³ increase of nitrogen oxides, NO_x: hazard ratio, HR=1.004). There was also highly suggestive (class II) evidence for the association between exposure to airborne particulate matter with diameter ≤10 μm (PM₁₀) during the second trimester of pregnancy and the incidence of post-partum depression (OR=1.023 per 1 μg/m³ increase); and for the association between short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and schizophrenia relapse (risk ratio, RR=1.005 and 1.004 per 1 μg/m³ increase, respectively 5 and 7 days after exposure). Regarding climate change hazards, there was highly suggestive (class II) evidence for the association between short-term exposure to increased temperature and suicide- or mental disorders-related mortality (RR=1.024), suicidal behavior (RR=1.012), and hospital access (i.e., hospitalization or emergency department visits) due to suicidal behavior or mental disorders (RR=1.011) or mental disorders only (RR=1.009) (RR values per 1°C increase). There was also highly suggestive (class II) evidence for the association between short-term exposure to increased apparent temperature (i.e., the temperature equivalent perceived by humans) and suicidal behavior (RR=1.01 per 1°C increase). Finally, there was highly suggestive (class II) evidence for the association between the temporal proximity of cyclone exposure and severity of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (r=0.275). Although most of the above associations were small in magnitude, they extend to the entire world population, and are therefore likely to have a substantial impact. This umbrella review classifies and quantifies for the first time the global negative impacts that air pollution and climate change can exert on mental health, identifying evidence-based targets that can inform future research and population health actions.     

Treatment of acute ischemic stroke by minimally manipulated umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells transplantation: A case report

BACKGROUNDStroke is one of the major causes of disability and death worldwide. Some treatments for stroke exist, but existing treatment methods have limitations such as difficulty in the regeneration of damaged neuronal cells of the brain. Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been studied as a therapeutic alternative for stroke, and various preclinical and case studies have been reported.CASE SUMMARYA 55-year-old man suffered an acute stroke, causing paralysis in the left upper and lower limbs. He intravenously transplanted the minimally manipulated human umbilical cord-derived MSCs (MM-UC-MSCs) twice with an 8-d interval. At 65 wk after transplantation, the patient returned to his previous occupation as a veterinarian with no adverse reactions.CONCLUSIONMM-UC-MSCs transplantation potentially treats patients who suffer from acute ischemic stroke.     

Neuron-specific ablation of eIF5A or deoxyhypusine synthase leads to impairments in growth,viability, neurodevelopment,and cognitive functions in mice

Eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF5A)^†, ^‡ is an essential protein that requires a unique amino acid, hypusine, for its activity. Hypusine is formed exclusively in eIF5A post-translationally via two enzymes, deoxyhypusine synthase (DHPS) and deoxyhypusine hydroxylase. Each of the genes encoding these proteins, Eif5a, Dhps, and Dohh, is required for mouse embryonic development. Variants in EIF5A or DHPS were recently identified as the genetic basis underlying certain rare neurodevelopmental disorders in humans. To investigate the roles of eIF5A and DHPS in brain development, we generated four conditional KO mouse strains using the Emx1-Cre or Camk2a-Cre strains and examined the effects of temporal- and region-specific deletion of Eif5a or Dhps. The conditional deletion of Dhps or Eif5a by Emx1 promotor–driven Cre expression (E9.5, in the cortex and hippocampus) led to gross defects in forebrain development, reduced growth, and premature death. On the other hand, the conditional deletion of Dhps or Eif5a by Camk2a promoter–driven Cre expression (postnatal, mainly in the CA1 region of the hippocampus) did not lead to global developmental defects; rather, these KO animals exhibited severe impairment in spatial learning, contextual learning, and memory when subjected to the Morris water maze and a contextual learning test. In both models, the Dhps-KO mice displayed more severe impairment than their Eif5a-KO counterparts. The observed defects in the brain, global development, or cognitive functions most likely result from translation errors due to a deficiency in active, hypusinated eIF5A. Our study underscores the important roles of eIF5A and DHPS in neurodevelopment.     

Zur Kenntniss der antifermentativen,lytischen und agglutinierenden Wirkungen des Blutserums und der Lymphe

Following the discovery of ABO blood group over 100 years ago, a variety of studies sought to determine whether different disease states are influenced by ABO inheritance. As oligosaccharide antigens, ABO blood group antigens are widely expressed on the membrane of red blood cells and tissue cells, as well as in the saliva and body fluid. It is by far the most important blood group system in human immunohematology and transfusion medicine. While, other than determining blood group phenotype, accumulating evidence indicates that ABO blood group is implicated in the development of a number of human diseases. This review mainly focuses on the associ-ation between ABO blood group and cardiovascular system risk, corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), affective disorders, allergic diseases, as well as cancers.     

炎症性肠病患者肠道菌群分布及其与炎症指标和免疫球蛋白水平的关系

目的 研究炎症性肠病(inflammatory bowel disease,IBD)患者肠道菌群分布特点及其与血清髓过氧化物酶(MPO)、C反应蛋白(CRP)、免疫球蛋白表达的关系。 方法 选择2015年5月至2018年5月在延安市中医医院诊断治疗的65例炎症性肠病患者为观察组,另选取于本院体检的65例无消化系统疾病者作为对照组,分析两组患者肠道菌群分布特点以及血清MPO、CRP和免疫球蛋白表达情况,同时分析其相关性。 结果 观察组患者肠道乳杆菌(t=6.128,P结论 在炎症性肠病的发展中,肠道菌群与血清MPO、CRP水平及免疫球蛋白水平均具有相关性,可作为IBD患者诊断和治疗的依据。     

Intrinsically disordered proteins: modes of binding with emphasis on disordered domains

Our notions of protein function have long been determined by the protein structure–function paradigm. However, the idea that protein function is dictated by a prerequisite complementarity of shapes at the binding interface is becoming increasingly challenged. Interactions involving intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) have indicated a significant degree of disorder present in the bound state, ranging from static disorder to complete disorder, termed ‘random fuzziness’. This review assesses the anatomy of an IDP and relates how its intrinsic properties permit promiscuity and allow for the various modes of interaction. Furthermore, a mechanistic overview of the types of disordered domains is detailed, while also relating to a recent example and the kinetic and thermodynamic principles governing its formation.     

Crystal structure of the apo form of a β‐transaminase from Mesorhizobium sp. strain LUK

Pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate (PLP)‐dependent β‐transaminases (βTAs) reversibly catalyze transamination reactions by recognizing amino groups linked to the β‐carbon atoms of their substrates. Although several βTA structures have been determined as holo forms containing PLP, little is known about the effect of PLP on the conversion of the apo structure to the holo structure. We determined the crystal structure of the apo form of a βTA from Mesorhizobium sp. strain LUK at 2.2 Å resolution to elucidate how PLP affects the βTA structure. The structure revealed three major disordered regions near the active site. Structural comparison with the holo form also showed that the disordered regions in the apo form are ordered and partially adopt secondary structures in the holo form. These findings suggest that PLP incorporation into the active site contributes to the structural stability of the active site architecture, thereby forming the complete active site. Our results provide novel structural insights into the role of PLP in terms of active site formation.     

The crowd you're in with: Effects of different types of crowding agents on protein aggregation

The intracellular environment contains high concentrations of macromolecules occupying up to 30% of the total cellular volume. Presence of these macromolecules decreases the effective volume available for the proteins in the cell and thus increases the effective protein concentrations and stabilizes the compact protein conformations. Macromolecular crowding created by various macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates has been shown to have a significant effect on a variety of cellular processes including protein aggregation. Most studies of macromolecular crowding have used neutral, flexible polysaccharides that function primarily via excluded volume effect as model crowding agents. Here we have examined the effects of more rigid polysaccharides on protein structure and aggregation. Our results indicate that rigid and flexible polysaccharides influence protein aggregation via different mechanisms and suggest that, in addition to excluded volume effect, changes in solution viscosity and non-specific protein–polymer interactions influence the structure and dynamics of proteins in crowded environments.     

‘黄金梨’果肉硬化症的果实显微结构观察

本文以‘黄金梨’硬化症病果和正常果为试材,采用常规的石蜡切片法,比较了硬化症病果果肩部（SE）、果顶部（CE）以及正常果果肩部（CKSE）和果顶部（CKCE）的表皮及果肉的解剖结构差异。结果表明,CKSE和CKCE的角质层薄,随表皮细胞的生长出现不同程度的起伏,单宁细胞层平均为3-4层;SE和CE的角质层和单宁细胞层细胞相对较厚。‘黄金梨’的表皮层和单宁细胞层细胞的横径长度均大于纵径,但CE和SE的纵／横比值均高于CKSE和CKCE,说明病果的细胞形状发生了变化,逐渐接近于圆形或椭圆形,尤其是硬化症症状严重的果顶部。果肉硬度大小依次是CE〉SE〉CKCE〉CKSE：CKCE、CKSE和SE果肉中石细胞团直径较CE大;CKSE和CKCE的团围薄壁细胞的长度比SE和CE的长。     

抗生素对老年前期及老年患者所致肠菌群紊乱的探讨

本文对23例联合用广谱抗生素的老年前期及老年患者发生腹泻后,进行了肠菌群分析,部分做了难辨梭菌的培养。结果表明,全部被检患者应用广谱抗生素后都发生腹泻,应用抗生素种类繁多,其中以氨苄加庆大或先锋加庆大最多。取患者新鲜便作肠菌群分析,6例曾进行纤维结肠镜检查,其中2例肠粘膜有小片状伪膜附着。在使用大量、多种抗生素后,最短在半天内,大多在2周内即发生腹泻,菌群中肠杆菌、拟杆菌、双歧杆菌、乳杆菌,肠球菌、葡萄球菌、酵母菌、小梭菌及真杆菌有显著的差异,均明显低于正常,6/15例难辨梭菌为阳性,检出率40％。治疗先停用抗生素加强支持疗法或用健康人粪便滤液灌肠,15例停止腹泻,2例使用万古霉素才停止。