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A systematic mechanistic review was performed to determine mechanistic evidence for curcumin on pro-inflammatory matrix metalloproteinases and Osteoarthritis to understand the underlying pathophysiology, and to evaluate available human intervention evidence to inform clinical decision making. The systematic literature search was performed in 3 tranches (reviews, mechanistic, intervention studies) using PubMed, with no date limitations and using specific search terms. 65 out of 393 screened papers were accepted based on detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria. The mechanistic search was divided into three searches and the intervention searches were subdivided into four searches. Curcumin demonstrated significant inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases linked to cartilage degradation in Osteoarthritis through reduced activation of the nuclear factor kappa-B signaling pathway via suppressing phosphorylation of Iκβa and p65 nuclear translocation. Mechanistic evidence implicated matrix metalloproteinases in Osteoarthritis by decreasing Type II collagen, leading to cartilage damage. As a potential nutritional intervention for Osteoarthritis, curcumin could reduce inflammatory markers and improve pain and function scores. The evidence indicates most formulations of turmeric extract and curcumin extract, bio-enhanced and non-bio-enhanced, are effective at improving inflammatory markers and pain and function to a greater or lesser extent. Due to the high heterogeneity of the formulations, dosage, and duration of the studies, further research is needed to fully understand curcumin's potential as a promising non-pharmaceutical intervention for Osteoarthritis. This mechanism review identifies a gap in current research for the mechanism by which Type II collagen is mediated., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Microplastics are a relatively new but important form of freshwater contamination that can be ingested by a range of different species, with particle counts thought to be predictable from species ecology and morphology. Here, we report levels of microplastics in a 26 μm-5 mm size range within the macroinvertebrate and fish community of a lowland river (Dorset Stour, SW England), and test the hypothesis that counts are predictable from characteristics such as feeding guild, body length and trophic position. Macroinvertebrates (n = 257, 12 taxa) and fish (n = 418, 9 species) were collected from distinct river reaches by kick sampling and rod and line angling, respectively. Batches of whole macroinvertebrates and individual fish gastrointestinal tracts were digested with 30% hydrogen peroxide before microplastic screening and FTIR polymer confirmation on a particle subset. Particles were found in 40% of pooled macroinvertebrate batches (taxa incidences: 14-75%) and 39% of fishes (species incidences: 29-47%). Dominant particle feature categories were ≤100 μm, blue/green, fragments and fibres identified as various polyolefins. Although particle counts in macroinvertebrates were highest in Ephemeroptera (mean of 0.74 particles per individual), the relationships between particle loads, batch number and guild were all non-significant. In fishes, particle counts were not significantly related to species, stomach structure, feeding guild or body length, with spatial differences also not apparent across the catchment. Individual fish particle counts were similarly not significantly associated with their trophic positions (calculated from bulk δ 15 N values for a subset of fishes) and parasite load of Pomphorhynchus tereticollis. Correlations between fish and macroinvertebrate particle counts within specific river reaches were also not significant. In entirety, these results indicated although loadings of microplastic particles were relatively consistent within the two communities, they were not predictable from any of their ecological or morphological characteristics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Urban freshwaters, their sediments and resident biota are often highly susceptible to microplastic contamination from catchment-specific sources. Water velocity and spatiotemporal dynamics within the system can impact microplastic loads, while biological features may additionally impact levels within freshwater biota. Here, we investigated the spatiotemporal variations in microplastic loads collected from sediment, macroinvertebrate and fish samples from an urban watercourse (Bourne Stream) in Dorset, southwest England. Sediment particles were mostly fragments of colours (especially orange and purple) whereas microplastics in both macroinvertebrates and fishes were blue/green and fibres. Across all sample types, the dominant particle size class was ≤100 μm. Median (M) and range (R) of microplastic loads within each sample type were sediment: M = 0.06, R = 0-0.36 particles g -1 ; macroinvertebrates: M = 0, R = 0-4 particles per batch; and fishes: M = 1, R = 0-6 particles per individual. Sediment loads varied spatially, with the highest load in the most upstream site, whereas biotic loads did not vary across space and time. Macroinvertebrate batch loadings varied between taxa and feeding guild, with counts significantly higher in annelids but lower in herbivores. Fish counts were higher in species with true, differentiated stomachs, but with the effects of species, feeding guild and body size being non-significant. Within sites, mean microplastic loads did not correlate between sediment, macroinvertebrate and fish samples. These results suggest that sediment freshwater microplastic loadings may vary spatially but that these trends are not reflected by, or correlated to, those in the biota where ingestion varies with biological traits. Assessments of freshwater microplastic contamination must therefore consider sampling spatiotemporally and across different biotic communities to fully understand the scale of contamination, and to subsequently undertake effective mitigation steps., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background Aims: Tracking cells during regenerative cytotherapy is crucial for monitoring their safety and efficacy. Macrophages are an emerging cell-based regenerative therapy for liver disease and can be readily labeled for medical imaging. A reliable, clinically applicable cell-tracking agent would be a powerful tool to study cell biodistribution., Methods: Using a recently described chemical design, we set out to functionalize, optimize and characterize a new set of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) to efficiently label macrophages for magnetic resonance imaging-based cell tracking in vivo., Results: A series of cell health and iron uptake assays determined that positively charged SPIONs (+16.8 mV) could safely label macrophages more efficiently than the formerly approved ferumoxide (-6.7 mV; Endorem) and at least 10 times more efficiently than the clinically approved SPION ferumoxytol (-24.2 mV; Rienso). An optimal labeling time of 4 h at 25 µg/mL was demonstrated to label macrophages of mouse and human origin without any adverse effects on cell viability whilst providing substantial iron uptake (>5 pg Fe/cell) that was retained for 7 days in vitro. SPION labeling caused no significant reduction in phagocytic activity and a shift toward a reversible M1-like phenotype in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). Finally, we show that SPION-labeled BMDMs delivered via the hepatic portal vein to mice are localized in the hepatic parenchyma resulting in a 50% drop in T2* in the liver. Engraftment of exogenous cells was confirmed via immunohistochemistry up to 3 weeks posttransplantation., Discussion: A positively charged dextran-coated SPION is a promising tool to noninvasively track hepatic macrophage localization for therapeutic monitoring., (Copyright © 2017 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

An anonymous questionnaire was sent to determine the opinions and attitudes of 342 Leicestershire midwives who are responsible for counselling antenatal patients about maternal serum screening for Down's syndrome. This asked questions regarding grade, background training, attitudes towards testing for spina bifida and Down's syndrome, and opinions upon termination of pregnancy for these and other conditions. A total of 188 (55%) midwives completed the questionnaire. In all, 40.4% of midwives admitted that they did not feel confident counselling for the serum screening test for Down's syndrome; 38.3% of midwives did not feel termination of pregnancy for Down's syndrome was justified; 25% of midwives admitted that they were not in favour of this prenatal test. In conclusion, if such a screening programme is to be introduced across the UK, more attention must be paid in advance to the views and training requirements of those midwives who will be associated with the test. It should not be assumed that ethical considerations, relating to a prenatal test, are of minor significance to those health care professionals involved in its implementation.

Leukocytosis, blood glucose, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal radiograph have been reported as early indicators of toxic serum iron levels. To test the applicability of this battery of five variables, the charts of 64 patients admitted for toxic iron ingestion were reviewed. When these variables were subjected to tests of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive negative and positive values in 42 patients meeting study criteria, they failed to reach statistical significance. Only vomiting was found to approach statistical significance and, therefore, may serve as an early indicator of toxicity. In addition, several epidemiological issues relevant to the study population are discussed.