Search

Dicyclohexyl phthalate （DCHP） is a phthalic acid esters. It has been widely used in plastic processing and as a component in printing ink， paints， coatings， adhesives， and so on. DCHP can be detected in food， water， soil， air and dust. The application and management of DCHP was introduced， and its pollution characteristics based on existing research at home and abroad was described in this paper. And the research progress of DCHP’s metabolic processes in vivo and the hazard of liver， reproductive system， endocrine system and related mechanisms were further elaborated. And the existing problems and further research directions will be discussed.

ObjectiveApplying the in vivo Mammalian Alkaline Comet Test， this study aimed to investigate the DNA damage caused by the food additive titanium dioxide and nano-titanium dioxide on rat liver cells.MethodsAccording to the guideline “In vivo mammalian alkaline comet assay” （OECD TG489）， male SD rats were randomly divided into nine groups，five rats per group. Food additive titanium dioxide was administered to three groups at doses of 1000， 500 and 250 mg/kg·BW， while pure water served as the negative control. Titanium dioxide nanoparticle was administered in three different doses： 500， 150， and 50 mg/kg·BW. The negative control group received 0.8% Tween + 3% FBS. Test substances were administered by gavage once a day for 15 d. Simultaneously， a positive control group was established， and the positive substance ethyl methyl sulfonate （EMS） was administered once daily on the 14th and 15th days via gavage， at a dosage of 200 mg/kg·BW·d. Animals were anesthetized six hours after the last administration，and the livers were harvested to prepare single-cell suspension smears. The sections were subsequently subjected to lysis，unwinding， electrophoresis， staining to acquire the comet images for analyzing.ResultsThere were no statistical differences （P>0. 05） in the percentages of tail DNA content between the treated and negative control rats. However， the percentage of tail DNA content of rat liver cells in the EMS group showed a significant difference compared to the negative control group （P

At present, no effective strategy exists to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of AD and the development of new therapeutic approaches are essential. Stem cell transplantation for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases is currently a research hotspot. Numerous studies have suggested that neural stem cells (NSCs) can differentiate into functional neurons, replace dead neurons, and form synaptic connections with adjacent surviving neurons, thereby achieving a therapeutic effect. In theory, the use of NSCs to replace and restore damaged cholinergic neurons and synapses may provide a new therapeutic option for AD. This review summarizes the recent preclinical research progress of NSC transplantation for the treatment of AD.

ObjectiveTo establish the Food Toxicology Database （FoodTox）.MethodsA food toxicology database website was established. The priority list of the database was determined. The toxicological data of related substances through literature search was collected， and the systematic literature review （SLR） method was used to sort out the toxicological data of the substances in the library.ResultsThe food toxicology database has collected more than 1 600 substances with related data including toxicology-related information such as metabolism， acute toxicity， genotoxicity， reproductive and developmental toxicity， subchronic toxicity， chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity， population data， health guidance values and regulations of domestic and foreign management， related foods and symptoms etc.， which has been open to researchers in related fields.ConclusionThis database will provide the related professionals with the first-hand data， rapid technical support for emergency risk assessment and reference for priority substance evaluation.

Stand basal area (SBA) is an important variable in the prediction of forest growth and harvest yield. However, achieving the additivity of SBA models for multiple tree species in the complex structure of broad-leaved mixed forests is an urgent scientific issue in the study of accurately predicting the SBA of mixed forests. This study used data from 58 sample plots (30 m × 30 m) for Populus davidiana × Betula platyphylla broad-leaved mixed forests to construct the SBA basic model based on nonlinear least squares regression (NLS). Adjustment in proportion (AP) and nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression (NSUR) were used to construct a multi-species additive basal area prediction model. The results identified the Richards model (M6) and Korf model (M1) as optimal for predicting the SBA of P. davidiana and B. platyphylla, respectively. The SBA models incorporate site quality, stand density index, and age at 1.3 m above ground level, which improves the prediction accuracy of basal area. Compared to AP, NSUR is an effective method for addressing the additivity of basal area in multi-species mixed forests. The results of this study can provide a scientific basis for optimizing stand structure and accurately predicting SBA in multi-species mixed forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arctic has an important strategic position owing to its rich resources. The world's major nations want to enter the Arctic to participate in Arctic affairs and establish influence in the Arctic; it has become one of the current international hot spots. The current research on geo-setting has turned to the perspective of the national state, but there is little research on this region. Under the background of global warming, China proposed the Arctic policy to build the "Polar Silk Road" with all parties as responsible nations. Based on the framework of geo-setting, this study analyzes the geo-setting of the Arctic and the influence of the "Polar Silk Road" on the geo-setting of the Arctic. First, the geo-setting of the Arctic is complex because it is located at the northernmost end of the earth. It contains rich resources and possesses high strategic value, which has led to competition among major nations in the world. As such, the geo-relations in the Arctic involve many subjects and issues. The subject relations include three aspects: the relation among Arctic nations, the relation between the Near-Arctic nations and the Arctic nations, and the relationship between Arctic aborigines and Arctic nations. These issues focus on territory, economy, energy, and the benefits of Arctic aborigines. The geo-structure of the Arctic has experienced three stages of evolution, and now presents a complex structure with the characteristics of "Central-Subcenter-Periphery." Second, the "Polar Silk Road" will influence the geo-settings in the Arctic in two aspects: on the one hand, although some nations disagree with the "Polar Silk Road," it will improve the tense geo-relations in the Arctic, promote the sub-regional cooperation, enable the participation of the Near-Arctic nations in Arctic affairs, and protect the Arctic indigenous people in general. On the other hand, it will make the core of the geo-structure more stable, the tightness among geo-entities closer, and further extend the geo-relations network.

The relationship between the geographical environment and international politics is the main concern in geopolitical research. The existing publications were either inclined to environmental determinism, focused on the geographical imagination constructed by subjective discourse, or investigated the elements in the geographical environment as a whole to explore their interaction with politics. Evidently, discussion is lacking on how geo-entities use the spatial (structure) differentiation of geographical environments to act on power space and their geo-setting effects. Combining theoretical construction and case analysis, this study demonstrates the medium properties of geographical environment and its difference in efficiency of transmission power by proposing the concept of "geographical medium," and clarifies the geopolitical functions of different geographical mediums. Taking Ukraine as a case, the spatial practice of geo-entities mining is revealed herein; furthermore, the role of medium properties of the geographical environment in the enactment of power and their geo-setting effects are demonstrated. The results show that: (1) located in the geostrategic intersection zone, the geographical environment of Ukraine has a significant medium property, which provides a spatial intermediary for actors to establish power in Ukraine; (2) the geopolitical functions of various medium elements in Ukraine's geographical environment and their power transmission effectiveness to actors are significantly different. Geographical position and topography are geo-security functions. Natural resources have powerful geo-economic functions. Political parties and nationalities have strong geopolitical functions, while languages and religions have more prominent geocultural functions. The media attributes of natural resources, political parties, nationalities, and religions are strong; by contrast, the media attributes of geographical location and topography are gradually weakening; (3) different geo-entities (interest groups) compete to use the medium properties of the geographical environment to enact power, so that their geo-potential in Ukraine has alternating growth and decline, which intensifies turbulence in Ukraine's geo-setting. Finally, exploring the spatial practice and its effects of power exertion from the perspective of geographical media has enlightening significance for enhancing China's geopolitical influence abroad.

Objective: Imaging parameters of Chiari malformation type I (CMI) development are not well established. This study aimed to collect evidence of general or specific imaging measurements in patients with CMI, analyze indicators that may assist in determining the severity of CMI, and guide its diagnosis and treatment. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across various databases including the Cochrane Library, PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Embase, covering the period from January 2002 to October 2023, following predefined inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses were performed using RevMan (ver. 5.4). We performed a quantitative summary and systematic analysis of the included studies. This study was registered in the PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) prior to initiation (CRD42023415454). Results: Thirty-three studies met our inclusion criteria. The findings indicated that out of the 14 parameters examined, 6 (clivus length, basal angle, Boogard's angle, supraocciput lengths, posterior cranial fossa [PCF] height, and volume) exhibited significant differences between the CMI group and the control group. Furthermore, apart from certain anatomical parameters that hold prognostic value for CMI, functional parameters like tonsillar movement, obex displacement, and cerebrospinal fluid dynamics serve as valuable indicators for guiding the clinical management of the disease. Conclusion: We collated and established a set of linear, angular, and area measurements deemed essential for diagnosing CMI. However, more indicators can only be analyzed descriptively for various reasons, particularly in prognostic prediction. We posit that the systematic assessment of patients' PCF morphology, volume, and other parameters at a 3-dimensional level holds promising clinical application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at identifying reliable differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) for schizophrenia in blood via meta-analyses combined with deep learning methods. First, we meta-analysed published DEMs. Then, we enriched the pool of schizophrenia-associated miRNAs by applying two computational learning methods to identify candidate biomarkers and verified the results in external datasets. In total, 27 DEMs were found to be statistically significant (p <.05). Ten candidate schizophrenia-associated miRNAs were identified through computational learning methods. The diagnostic efficiency was verified on a blood-miRNA dataset (GSE54578) with a random forest (RF) model and achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.83 ± 0.14. Moreover, 855 experimentally validated target genes for these candidate miRNAs were retrieved, and 11 hub genes were identified. Enrichment analysis revealed that the main functions in which the target genes were enriched were those related to cell signalling, prenatal infections, cancers, cell deaths, oxidative stress, endocrine disorders, transcription regulation, and kinase activities. The diagnostic ability of the hub genes was reflected in a comparably good average AUC of 0.77 ± 0.09 for an external dataset (GSE38484). A meta-analysis that combines computational and mathematical methods provides a reliable tool for identifying candidate biomarkers of schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Phthalates may disturb metabolic homeostasis in the liver by interfering with the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). However, the role of hepatic macrophages in the lipid metabolic dysregulation induced by diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) remains unclear. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the respective role of hepatocyte- and macrophage-specific PPAR[gamma] in the hepatotoxicity induced by DEHP. Methods: Wild-type (WT), hepatocyte-specific PPAR[gamma] knockout (Hep-KO), and macrophage-specific PPAR knockout (Mac-KO) mice were administered DEHP (625 mg/kg body weight) by daily gavage for 28 d, followed by hepatotoxicity examination and macrophage analysis. RNA sequencing and lipid metabolomic analysis were used to characterize the molecular changes in mouse liver. Mouse bone marrowderived macrophages (BMDMs) and human monocytic THP-1 cell-derived macrophages were used to investigate the mechanistic regulation of macrophages' polarization by DEHP and mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP). Results: The levels of hepatic steatosis and triglyceride were significantly higher in the mice treated with DEHP compared with the control mice in the WT and Hep-KO model. Lipid accumulation induced by DEHP was notably attenuated in the Mac-KO mice, but M2-polarization of hepatic macrophages in the Mac-KO mice was significantly higher compared with the WT mice under DEHP treatment. The M2-polarization of BMDMs and human macrophages was suppressed by DEHP and MEHP. Transcriptomic and lipidomic data suggested lower levels of lipid biosynthesis, fatty acid oxidation, and oxidative phosphorylation in the Mac-KO mice compared with the WT and Hep-KO mice under DEHP treatment. Conclusions: Our data suggested that the orchestrated activation of PPAR[alpha] and PPAR[gamma] by MEHP may reprogram hepatic macrophages' polarization, thereby affecting lipid homeostasis in the mouse liver. Although this conclusion was based on studies conducted in mice and in vitro, these findings may aid in elucidating the health effect of environmental phthalate exposure. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9373, Introduction Phthalates are widely used as industrial plasticizers in the manufacture of plastics, resins, rubbers, paints, emulsifiers, medical devices, personal care products, and so on. Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is the [...]