Search

Evidence regarding the cognitive effects of air pollution is inconsistent. This study aimed to quantitatively analyze the relationship between air pollutants and cognitive abilities using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). We systematically searched for studies published until July 1, 2023, and assessed heterogeneity with Cochran's Q test and I² statistics, while publication bias was evaluated using Funnel plots and Egger's test. Out of 380 studies, 17 were included in the meta-analysis. Results demonstrated significant relationship among long-term exposure to PM 2.5 , O 3 , and cognitive decline. The pooled RR of cognitive impairment per 10μg/m 3 increase were 1.17 for PM 2.5 and 1.07 for PM 10 . Furthermore, there was a significant association between cognitive decline and long-term exposure to PM 2.5 (β = -0.30; I 2 = 95.30%) and PM 10 (β = -0.15; I 2 = 87.50%). Our research suggests that long-term exposure to air pollution, especially PM 2.5 , is a risk factor for cognitive impairment.

Previous research on respiratory system mortality primarily focused on understanding their combined effects and have neglected the fact that air pollution mixtures are interrelated. This study used Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to analyze the relationship between air pollutant mixtures and respiratory mortality in Hangzhou, China from 2014 to 2018. The results showed a significant association between pollutant mixtures and respiratory system mortality primarily driven by PM 2.5 and SO 2 . The joint exposure of air pollutants was positively correlated with respiratory system mortality at lag 01 and lag 02 days. The estimated joint effects of log-transformed mixture air pollution exposure on log-transformed respiratory system mortality increased from -0.02 (95% CI: -0.08-0.02) and -0.01 (95% CI: -0.05-0.04) at the 25th percentile to 0.06 (95% CI: 0.01-0.12) and 0.04 (95% CI: -0.001, 0.09) at the 75th percentile. Additionally, there was evidence of an interaction between O 3 and PM 10 . This study confirms that exposure to multiple pollutants is a significant public health problem facing the Hangzhou population given the compounded effect proven with regression analysis, while furthermore, the control of PM 2.5 and SO 2 also represents a serious concern. Implications: Evidence indicates interactions between O 3 and PM 10 . This study demonstrates that exposure to multiple pollutants exerts combined effects on the public health of the Hangzhou population, highlighting the importance of controlling PM 2.5 and SO 2 .

The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 levels in urban sewage and evaluate the associated positivity rates, thereby developing comprehensive insights into the epidemic situation and providing valuable inputs for the development of effective disease prevention and control strategies. The PubMed, Scopus, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, and VIP databases were systematically searched based on the predefined retrieval strategy. The literature published up to February 2023 was meticulously screened according to the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the relevant data were extracted for subsequent integration. The quality assessment of the included studies adhered to the rigorous Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement guidelines. The meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 17.0 software. The meta-analysis included a total of 34 studies, encompassing 8429 municipal wastewater samples. A random effects model was employed for the analysis, revealing an overall SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate of 53.7% in the municipal wastewater samples. The subgroup analyses demonstrated significant regional variations in the SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate in municipal wastewater, with Africa exhibiting the highest rate at 62.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 47.4 ~ 76.0%) and Oceania displaying the lowest at 33.3% (95% CI 22.0 ~ 46.3%). However, the subgroup analyses based on the sampling site, strain prevalence period, and laboratory testing method did not yield any statistically significant differences. The SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate in wastewater is relatively high globally, although it exhibits regional disparities. Regions with larger populations and lower economic levels demonstrate higher viral detection rates in sewage. Different types of wastewater sampling sites can be employed to monitor distinct aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continuous surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater plays a pivotal role in complementing clinical data, helping to track outbreak progression across diverse regions., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Objective: To explore the accuracy of a dietary recording tool based on the mobile phone WeChat applet-"Zhishi AI Dietitian" applied to dietary records., Methods: The research subjects were 109 full-time undergraduates from Zhejiang University. Respondents completed one round of dietary records of "Zhishi AI Dietitian" for three non-consecutive days and one round of non-consecutive three-day 24-hour dietary review method records. The two method must overlap for one day. The energy, nutrients and various food intake data obtained from the Zhishi AI nutritionist survey were sorted and compared with the corresponding survey result of the 24-hour dietary review method. Pearson correlation coefficient or Spearman correlation coefficient was used for correlation analysis, intra-group correlation coefficient was used for reliability analysis, and Bland-Atlman scatter plot was used for consistency analysis., Results: In terms of reliability, the two method had certain reliability in assessing intake of various foods, energy and nutrients. After energy correction, the reliability of nutrient intake was enhanced. In terms of correlation, the correlation coefficients of food groups ranged from 0.34 to 0.79(mean 0.60), and the energy and nutrient correlation coefficients ranged from 0.34 to 0.72(mean 0.55). In terms of consistency, the proportion of research subjects outside the 95% consistency interval is less than 10%, indicating that the two have good consistency., Conclusion: Zhishi AI Dietitian applied to college students' dietary records has good accuracy.

The use of small molecule kinase inhibitors, which target specific enzymes that are overactive in cancer cells, has revolutionized cancer patient treatment. To treat some types of breast cancer, CDK4/6 inhibitors, such as palbociclib, have been developed that target the phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene. Acquired resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors may be due to activation of the AKT pro‑survival signaling pathway that stimulates several processes, such as growth, metastasis and changes in metabolism that support rapid cell proliferation. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether targeting ATP citrate lyase (ACLY), a downstream target of AKT, may combine with CDK4/6 inhibition to inhibit tumorigenesis. The present study determined that ACLY is activated in breast and pancreatic cancer cells in response to palbociclib treatment and AKT mediates this effect. Inhibition of ACLY using bempedoic acid used in combination with palbociclib reduced cell viability in a panel of breast and pancreatic cancer cell lines. This effect was also observed using breast cancer cells grown in 3D cell culture. Mechanistically, palbociclib inhibited cell proliferation, whereas bempedoic acid stimulated apoptosis. Finally, using Transwell invasion assays and immunoblotting, the present study demonstrated that ACLY inhibition blocked cell invasion, when used alone or in combination with palbociclib. These data may yield useful information that could guide the development of future therapies aimed at the reduction of acquired resistance observed clinically.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and their extracellular matrix are active participants in cancer progression. While it is known that functionally different subpopulations of CAFs co-exist in ovarian cancer, it is unclear whether certain CAF subsets are enriched during metastatic progression and/or chemotherapy. Using computational image analyses of patient-matched primary high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas, synchronous pre-chemotherapy metastases, and metachronous post-chemotherapy metastases from 42 patients, we documented the dynamic spatiotemporal changes in the extracellular matrix, fibroblasts, epithelial cells, immune cells, and CAF subsets expressing different extracellular matrix components. Among the different CAF subsets, COL11A1 + CAFs were associated with linearized collagen fibers and exhibited the greatest enrichment in pre- and post-chemotherapy metastases compared to matched primary tumors. Although pre- and post-chemotherapy metastases were associated with increased CD8 + T cell infiltration, the infiltrate was not always evenly distributed between the stroma and cancer cells, leading to an increased frequency of the immune-excluded phenotype where the majority of CD8 + T cells are present in the tumor stroma but absent from the tumor parenchyma. Overall, most of the differences in the tumor microenvironment were observed between primary tumors and metastases, while fewer differences were observed between pre- and post-treatment metastases. These data suggest that the tumor microenvironment is largely determined by the primary vs. metastatic location of the tumor while chemotherapy does not have a significant impact on the host microenvironment.

A highly sensitive luminescent bioassay for the detection of Salmonella typhimurium was fabricated using Mn 2+ -doped NaYF 4 :Yb,Tm upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) as the donor and gold nanorods (Au NRs) as the acceptor and utilizing an energy transfer (LET) system. Mn 2+ -doped NaYF 4 :Yb,Tm UCNPs with a strong emission peak at 807nm were obtained by changing the doped ion ratio. Carboxyl-terminated Mn 2+ -doped NaYF 4 :Yb,Tm UCNPs were coupled with S. typhimurium aptamers, which were employed to capture and concentrate S. typhimurium. The electrostatic interactions shorten the distance between the negatively charged donor and the positively charged acceptor, which results in luminescence quenching. The added S. typhimurium leads to the restoration of luminescence due to the formation of UCNPs-aptamers-S. typhimurium, which repels the UCNPs-aptamers from the Au NRs. The LET system does not occur because of the nonexistence of the luminescence emission band of Mn 2+ -doped NaYF 4 :Yb,Tm UCNPs, which had large spectral overlap with the absorption band of Au NRs. Under optimal conditions, the linear range of detecting S. typhimurium was 12 to 5×10 5 cfu/mL (R=0.99). The limit of detection for S. typhimurium was as low as 11cfu/mL in an aqueous buffer. The measurement of S. typhimurium in milk samples was satisfied in accordance with the plate-counting method, suggesting that the proposed method was of practical value in the application of food security., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)