Gaining insight into the water structure at the electrified phospholipid membranes/aqueous interface is vital and essential for elucidating the mechanism of many biochemical reactions, but still ...remains a formidable challenge. Herein, based on the superiority of surface enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy combined with electrochemistry in interfacial analysis, the evolution of local water structure at the zwitterionic phospholipid membranes/aqueous interface with an external electric field is revealed by means of ion perturbation. The strongly hydrogen‐bonded water directly bonded to the phosphate groups (PO2−) has a strong mechanical strength to resist potential perturbations, and that portion of water greatly affects the electrostatic properties of the phospholipid membranes. This study innovates the basic understanding of electric double layer (EDL) at the membranes/aqueous interface.
By virtue of double disturbance of applied potentials and added ions, it is clearly revealed that the strongly hydrogen‐bonded water in the vicinity of the phosphate groups can resist the disturbance of potentials. The removal of such a strongly H‐bonded water structure has a dramatic influence on the electrostatic properties of the phospholipid membranes.
As a new type of persistent organic pollutant, perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) has received extensive attention worldwide. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive natural cannabinoid extract that ...has been proved to have antioxidation, regulation of inflammation and other functions. However, the effects of PFOS on liver injury and whether CBD can alleviate PFOS-induced liver injury are still unclear. Therefore, in this study, we used CBD (10 mg/kg) and/or PFOS (5 mg/kg) to intraperitoneally inject mice for 30 days. We found that PFOS exposure led to inflammatory infiltration in the liver of mice, increased the formation of macrophage extracellular trap (MET), and promoted fibrosis. In vitro, we established a coculture system of RAW264.7, AML12 and LX-2 cells, and treated them with CBD (10 μM) and/or PFOS (200 μM). The results showed that PFOS could also induce the expression of MET, inflammation and fibrosis marker genes in vitro. Coiled-coil domain containing protein 25 (CCD25), as a MET-DNA sensor, was used to investigate its ability to regulate inflammation and fibrosis, we knocked down CCDC25 and its downstream proteins (integrin-linked kinase, ILK) by siRNA technology, and used QNZ to inhibit NF-κB pathway. The results showed that the knockdown of CCDC25 and ILK and the inhibition of NF-κB pathway could inhibit MET-induced inflammation and fibrosis marker gene expression. In summary, we found that PFOS-induced MET can promote inflammation and fibrosis through the CCDC25-ILK-NF-κB signaling axis, while the treatment of CBD showed a protective effect, and it is proved by Macromolecular docking that this protective effect is achieved by combining CBD with peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) to alleviate the release of MET. Therefore, regulating the formation of MET and the CCDC25-ILK-NF-κB signaling axis is an innovative treatment option that can effectively reduce hepatotoxicity. Our study reveals the mechanism of PFOS-induced hepatotoxicity and provides promising insights into the protective role of CBD in this process.
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•PFOS induces liver inflammation and fibrosis in mice.•PFOS induces liver inflammation in mice depends on the formation of MET.•MET passes CCDC25-ILK-NF-κB pathway leads to inflammation.•CBD regulates the release of MET by binding to PAD4.•CBD can prevent PFOS induced liver inflammation and fibrosis.
•PM2.5 is positively related with increasing expression level of HSPA8 and SOD1.•SO2 is positively related with increasing AHR expression level.•SO2 is negatively associated with increasing ...expression levels of several genes.•SO2-DUSP1 association was stronger among monozygotic twins than dizygotic twins.
Epidemiological studies have linked air pollutant to adverse health effects even at low exposure levels, but limited evidence is available on its associations with gene expression levels.
To investigate associations between air pollutants and gene expression levels.
We collected data from Brisbane System Genetics Study (BSGS) — a family-based system genetics study. Expression levels of candidate genes were obtained for whole blood from 266 pairs of twins (192 monozygotic and 74 dizygotic pairs) and 165 parents. Data on individual phenotypes were also obtained, including age, sex, Body Mass Index and exposure to smoke. Daily data on mean temperature and air pollutants, including particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), were collected from seven monitoring stations for the day when the blood samples were collected. The association between each air pollutant and expression level of each gene was analyzed by using generalized linear models with adjustment for temperature and individual phenotypes, and its difference between monozygotic and dizygotic twins was investigated.
The mean value for daily concentration of air pollutants were 5.9 µg/m3 for PM2.5, 16.3 ppb for O3, 6.5 ppb for NO2, and 1.4 ppb for SO2, respectively. All air pollutants’ levels in Brisbane during our study period were well under the National Air Quality Standard Air pollutant levels. We observed positive associations (false discovery rate FDR<0.1) among twins between PM2.5 and expression levels of HSPA8 and SOD1 and also between SO2 and AHR expression level. Negative associations were observed between SO2 and 11 genes among twins, including AHR, DUSP1, GEMIN4, GPX1, KLF2, PTGS2, TLR4, TNF, TNFRSF1B, TXNRD1, and XBP1, with most of them found at lag 0–7 days (FDR < 0.1). Furthermore, the association between SO2 and DUSP1 expression level was stronger among monozygotic twins than dizygotic twins (FDR < 0.1). We did not find strong evidence linking air pollutants to gene expression levels among parents.
Our findings require confirmation but suggest potential associations of expression levels at several genes with air pollutants at low exposure level and an individual’s genetic background modifies the association between SO2 and DUSP1 gene, which may help bridge the gap of epidemiological studies with both in vivo and in vitro toxicological experiments and provide some insights into the role of nature-nurture of an individual in gene expression response to air pollutants.
Curcumin is a natural polyphenolic compound in Curcuma longa with beneficial effects on neuronal protection. This study aims to investigate the action of curcumin in the hippocampus subjected to ...glutamate neurotoxicity. Glutamate stimulation induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) and TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome activation, leading to damage in the hippocampus. Curcumin treatment in the hippocampus or SH-SY5Y cells inhibited IRE1α and PERK phosphorylation with suppression of intracellular ROS production. Curcumin increased AMPK activity and knockdown of AMPKα with specific siRNA abrogated its inhibitory effects on IRE1α and PERK phosphorylation, indicating that AMPK activity was essential for the suppression of ER stress. As a result, curcumin reduced TXNIP expression and inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation by downregulation of NLRP3 and cleaved caspase-1 induction, and thus reduced IL-1β secretion. Specific fluorescent probe and flow cytometry analysis showed that curcumin prevented mitochondrial malfunction and protected cell survival from glutamate neurotoxicity. Moreover, oral administration of curcumin reduced brain infarct volume and attenuated neuronal damage in rats subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion. Immunohistochemistry showed that curcumin inhibited p-IRE1α, p-PERK and NLRP3 expression in hippocampus CA1 region. Together, these results showed that curcumin attenuated glutamate neurotoxicity by inhibiting ER stress-associated TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome activation via the regulation of AMPK, and thereby protected the hippocampus from ischemic insult.
•Curcumin attenuates glutamate neurotoxicity in the hippocampus.•Curcumin suppresses ER stress in glutamate-induced hippocampus slices.•Curcumin inhibits TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome activation.•Regulation of AMPK by curcumin contributes to suppressing ER stress.
Abstract
Background
The first three years of life are the critical and sensitive periods for the formation of individual abilities. However, existing data indicates that early childhood development ...(ECD) in economically vulnerable areas of China is lagging, which is closely related to the lack of parenting knowledge and poor parenting practices.
Methods
We conducted a non-masked cluster-randomized controlled trial in a former nationally designated poverty county of China. All 6–36-month-old children and their caregivers living in 18 communities/clusters (10 towns and 8 districts of the county seat) were enrolled in a 9-month parenting training program. In the treatment-group communities, ECD centers were installed where community workers provided parenting training sessions. If caregivers were unable to visit the center, home-based parenting training was offered. No intervention was provided to the control group. Furthermore, we assigned half of the treatment group to receive monthly developmental feedback in addition to the parenting training. Based on the baseline and follow-up data, we investigated the treatment effects on parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices through
Intention-to-Treat
(ITT) and
Treatment-on-the-Treated
(TOT) analyses.
Results
We found no effects on the parenting knowledge and attitudes of the caregivers but significant effects on the parenting practices. The effects were heterogeneous among families with different characteristics. Specifically, on average, the program had the largest effect on internally oriented caregivers, mothers with higher education, and mothers who are primary caregivers. We want to emphasize that, although the ITT effect on parenting practices (the average treatment effect) were stronger for mothers with higher education, the TOT effect on parenting practices (the local average treatment effect, LATE) were stronger for mothers with less education. That is, even though on average the program helped mothers with higher education, but among complier families, the program benefited mothers with less education.
Conclusion
The findings indicate that, at least in the short run, the program can directly change caregivers’ parenting practices without changing their knowledge and attitudes. Future studies are needed to investigate whether parenting knowledge and attitudes can change in the long run.
•Ambient temperature was linearly associated intentional homicide with seven days lag.•The association was significant in Chicago and New York but not in other cities.•The association was stronger ...for cases that happened during the hot season, in the nighttime and on the street.
There has been an increasing interest in the association between ambient temperature and violence and crime, in the context of global warming. We aimed to evaluate the association between daily ambient temperature and intentional homicide—a proxy for overall inter-personal violence.
We collected daily weather and crime data from 9 large US cities (Chicago, Detroit, Fort Worth, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Louisville, New York, Tucson and Virginia Beach) from 2007 to 2017. A time-stratified case-crossover design was used. The associations were quantified by conditional logistic regression with distributed lag models, adjusting for relative humidity, precipitation and effects of public holidays. City-specific odds ratios (OR) were used to calculate the attributable fractions in each city.
Based on 19,523 intentional homicide cases, we found a linear temperature-homicide association. Every 5 °C increase in daily mean temperature was associated with a 9.5% 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.3–15.0% and 8.8% (95% CI: 1.5–16.6%) increase in intentional homicide over lag 0–7 days in Chicago and New York, respectively. The association was not statistically significant in the other seven cities and seemed to be stronger for cases that happened during the hot season, at night (18:00–06:00) and on the street. During the study period, 8.7% (95%CI: 4.3–12.7%) and 7.1% (95% CI: 1.4–12.0%) intentional homicide cases could be attributed to temperatures above city-specific median temperatures, corresponding to 488 and 316 excess cases in Chicago and New York, respectively.
Our study suggests that the interpersonal violence might increase with temperature in some US cities. We also provide some insights into the mechanisms and targeted prevention strategies for heat-related violence.
The evidence for adverse effects of ambient particulate matter (PM) pollution on mental health is limited. Studies in Western countries suggested higher risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ...associated with PM air pollution, but no such study has been done in developing countries.
A case-control study was performed in Shanghai with a multi-stage random sampling design. Children's exposures to PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter < 1 μm, < 2.5 μm and < 10 μm, respectively) during the first three years after birth were estimated with satellite remote sensing data. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine the PM-ASD association.
In total, 124 ASD cases and 1240 healthy controls were included in this study. The median levels of PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 exposures during the first three years of life were 48.8 μg/m3, 66.2 μg/m3 and 95.4 μg/m3, respectively, and the interquartile range (IQR) for these three pollutants were 4.8 μg/m3, 3.4 μg/m3 and 4.9 μg/m3, respectively. The adjusted odds ratios (and 95% confidence intervals) of ASD associated with an IQR increase for PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 were 1.86 (1.09, 3.17), 1.78 (1.14, 2.76) and 1.68 (1.09, 2.59), respectively. Higher ORs of ASD associated with PM pollution were observed in the second and the third year after birth.
Exposures to PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 during the first three years of life were associated with the increased risk of ASD and there appeared to be stronger effects of ambient PM pollution on ASD in the second and the third years after birth.
•Post-natal exposure to PM1 significantly increased the risk of autism (OR = 1.86).•Post-natal exposure to PM2.5 significantly increased the risk of autism (OR = 1.78).•Stronger associations were observed in the second and the third year after birth.
•Long-term exposure to PM2.5 was associated with poor sleep quality (OR = 1.15).•Long-term exposure to NO2 was associated with poor sleep quality (OR = 1.14).•Exposure to air pollution showed adverse ...effects on sleep quality in rural China.•Health effects of air pollution in rural areas should be given more attention.
Poor sleep quality is associated with poor quality of life and may even lead to mental illnesses. Several studies have indicated the association between exposure to air pollution and sleep quality. However, the evidence is very limited in China, especially in rural areas.
Participants in this study were obtained from the Henan Rural Cohort established during 2015–2017. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in the baseline survey. Poor sleep quality was defined by the global score of PSQI > 5. Participants’ exposures to PM2.5, PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤2.5 μm and 10 μm, respectively) and NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) during the three years before the baseline survey were estimated using a satellite-based prediction. The associations between long-term exposure to air pollutants and sleep quality were examined using both the linear regression and logistic regression models.
The IQRs (interquartile range) of mean levels of participants’ exposures to PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 were 3.3 µg/m3, 8.8 µg/m3, and 4.8 µg/m3, respectively. After adjusted for potential confounders, the global score of PSQI (and 95%CI, 95% confidence intervals) increased by 0.16 (0.04, 0.27), 0.09 (−0.01, 0.19) and 0.14 (0.03, 0.24), associated with per IQR increase in PM2.5, PM10 and NO2, respectively. The odds ratios (and 95%CI) of poor sleep quality associated with per IQR increase in PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 were 1.15 (1.03, 1.29), 1.11 (1.02, 1.21) and 1.14 (1.03, 1.25), respectively.
Long-term exposures to PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 were associated with poor sleep quality in rural China. Improvement of air quality may help to improve sleep quality among rural population of China.
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•Arabinoxylans can interact with gut microbiota to show prebiotic effects.•Arabinoxylans exert beneficial impacts on many physiological processes.•Arabinoxylans’ structures will ...change health functions and prebiotic effects.•Only structure can’t explain arabinoxylans’ different antioxidant capacity.
Arabinoxylans are the main type of noncellulose polysaccharide in cereals and grasses. They are also important functional ingredients in baked products.Arabinoxylans derived from different sources or extracted in different ways may exhibit different structures which give rise to various physiological functions and exert diverse impacts on gut microbiota. This review summarizes the most current researches on arabinoxylans’ beneficial effects to human health, their prebiotic effects, the influences of structural features on short-chain fatty acids production as well as on physiological functions. We aim to identify arabinoxylans’ primary structural features that related to each functional property and also provide the explaination to the inconsistent antioxidant capacity of arabinoxylans with similar structural features.
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