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Simple Summary: Bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP-6) is known for its ability to stimulate bone and cartilage formation. The rib cage is an important skeletal structure; however, there has been limited research undertaken on the effects of the bmp6 gene on rib development. This study showcases the effective utilisation of CRISPR/Cas9 technology for the purpose of disrupting the bmp6 gene in silver carp, leading to the creation of chimeras in the P0 generation, marking the first instance of such an achievement. The chimeras exhibited complete viability, normal appearance, and partial intermuscular bones loss, with approximately 30% of them displaying rib bifurcation or bending. Subsequently, a transcriptome analysis on ribs of P0 chimeras and wild-type silver carp was conducted, leading to the identification of 934 genes exhibiting differential expression. A KEGG analysis revealed that the up-regulated genes such as tnfα, fos, and ctgf may facilitate the proliferation and differentiation of osteoclasts, whereas the down-regulation of genes such as tgfb2 and tgfbr1 may hinder the formation and specialisation of osteoblasts, ultimately resulting in rib abnormalities. This study presents novel findings on the impact of bmp6 gene deletion on the rib development of silver carp, while simultaneously investigating the previously unexplored molecular mechanisms underlying rib defects in fish. Bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP-6) is a constituent of the TGF-β superfamily, known for its ability to stimulate bone and cartilage formation. The investigation of bmp6's involvement in the formation of intermuscular bones in fish has garnered significant attention in recent years. The rib cage is an important skeletal structure that plays a protective function for internal organs in fish. However, there has been limited research conducted on the effects of the bmp6 gene on rib development. Silver carp is one of four major fish in China, favoured for its affordability and tender muscle. Nevertheless, the presence of numerous intermuscular bones in silver carp significantly hinders the advancement of its palatability and suitability for processing. This study showcases the effective utilisation of CRISPR/Cas9 technology for the purpose of disrupting the bmp6 gene in silver carp, leading to the creation of chimeras in the P0 generation, marking the first instance of such an achievement. The chimeras exhibited complete viability, normal appearance, and partial intermuscular bones loss, with approximately 30% of them displaying rib bifurcation or bending. Subsequently, a transcriptome analysis on ribs of P0 chimeras and wild-type silver carp was conducted, leading to the identification of 934 genes exhibiting differential expression, of which 483 were found to be up-regulated and 451 were found to be down-regulated. The results of the KEGG analysis revealed that the "NF-kappa B signalling pathway", "Hippo signalling pathway", "osteoclast differentiation", and "haematopoietic cell lineage" exhibited enrichment and displayed a significant correlation with bone development. The up-regulated genes such as tnfα, fos, and ctgf in pathways may facilitate the proliferation and differentiation of osteoclasts, whereas the down-regulation of genes such as tgfb2 and tgfbr1 in pathways may hinder the formation and specialisation of osteoblasts, ultimately resulting in rib abnormalities. This study presents novel findings on the impact of bmp6 gene deletion on the rib development of silver carp, while simultaneously investigating the previously unexplored molecular mechanisms underlying rib defects in fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION The use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in adults is increasing globally, and similar trends may be observed in the young population. Our objective was to estimate the awareness and use of e-cigarettes among the students from two comprehensive universities in Shanghai, China, and to identify the factors that may influence their decision to use e-cigarettes and their possible adverse effects. METHODS An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among the students of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Fudan University. A total of 869 students (412 males and 457 females), mean age 21.09 years (SD=2.44), were recruited in 2018. Multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the associations between ever e-cigarette use and influencing factors. RESULTS Of the responding students, 88.4% were aware of e-cigarettes, 4.6% had used e-cigarettes at least once in their lifetime, and 1.7% were current e-cigarettes users. Males and smokers were more likely to use e-cigarettes (ever used e-cigarettes even once) than females (OR=3.51; 95% CI: 1.69--7.27; p=0.001) and non-smokers (OR=28.58; 95% CI: 14.03--58.20; p<0.001). University students were easily motivated to use e-cigarettes when their peers also used them, and the risk ratio was 4.15 (95% CI: 2.11--8.19) compared with if their peers never used e-cigarettes. The major factors found to motivate university students to use e-cigarettes were the belief that e-cigarettes were less harmful or not harmful (55.0%) and the perception that e-cigarettes were helpful to quit smoking (37.5%). The survey also indicated that 72.4% of the respondents heard about e-cigarettes from television advertisements, 42.7% from websites online, and 41.2% from their parents and friends. CONCLUSIONS University students who were males, cigarette smokers and whose peers used e-cigarettes were more likely to use e-cigarettes. The use of traditional cigarettes should be controlled strictly in order to reduce the likelihood of e-cigarette use among university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate if short-term exposure to reduced particulate matter (PM) air pollution would affect respiratory function in healthy adults. We followed a cohort of 42 healthy participants from a community afflicted with severe PM air pollution to a substantially less polluted area for nine days. We measured daily airborne PM [with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and 10 μm (PM10)] and PM2.5 carbon component concentrations. Five repeated respiratory function measurements and fractional exhaled nitric oxide test were made for each participant. Associations between respiratory health and PM exposure were assessed using linear mixed models. Each 10 μg/m3 decrease in same-day PM2.5 was associated with small but consistent increase in the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (9.00 mL) and forced vital capacity (14.35 mL). Our observations indicate that respiratory health benefits can be achieved even after a short-term reduction of exposure to PM. Our results provide strong evidence for more rigorous air pollution controls for the health benefit of populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mean urinary levels of mPAEs were higher than that of OH-PAHs (310 vs. 4.57 ng/mL). • Urinary OH-PAHs and mPAEs did not correlated with gender and ages. • Urinary concentrations of OH-PAHs and mPAEs have significant geographical difference. • OH-PAHs could result over 65 times higher risks of DNA damage than mPAEs. • Children in Shenzhen were subjected to non-carcinogenic risks from PAEs but not PAHs. Monohydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs), phthalate metabolites (mPAEs), and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the urine of school children aged 8–11 years from Shenzhen, China were measured in order to investigate oxidative stress damage from co-exposure to PAHs and PAEs. The concentrations of OH-PAHs and mPAEs in urine were 0.36–36.5 (median: 3.86) and 9.48–1609 (median: 240) ng/mL respectively. Gender and age did not influence urinary concentrations of ΣOH-PAHs and ΣmPAEs, but geographical variations (i.e., urban versus suburban) were observed. Levels of 8-OHdG were positively correlated with urinary OH-PAHs and mPAEs, with correlation coefficients (r) varying between 0.160 and 0.365 (p < 0.05). OH-PAHs made a greater contribution to oxidative DNA damage than mPAEs when these two types of pollutants were present at the same concentrations. Human health risks were assessed using the hazard quotient and the hazard index for the cumulative risk of a complex of chemicals. The results demonstrated that risks from PAHs could be neglected, but that 29.5 % of school children may be subject to obvious health risks from PAEs, especially diethylhexyl phthalate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]