Cysteamine and N-Acetyl-cysteine Alleviate Placental Oxidative Stress and Barrier Function Damage Induced by Deoxynivalenol.

Sows are highly sensitive to deoxynivalenol (DON) and susceptible to reproductive toxicity caused by oxidative stress, but the potential mechanisms and effective interventions remain unclear. Here, we investigated the role of two antioxidants (cysteamine and N-acetyl-cysteine) in regulating the reproductive performance, redox status, and placental barrier function of sows and their potential mechanisms under DON exposure. Maternal dietary supply of antioxidants from day 85 of gestation to parturition reduced the incidence of stillbirths and low-birth-weight piglets under DON exposure. Moreover, the alleviation of DON-induced reproductive toxicity by dietary antioxidants was associated with the alleviation of placental oxidative stress, the enhancement of the placental barrier, and the vascular function of sows. Furthermore, in vivo and in vitro vascularized placental barrier modeling further demonstrated that antioxidants could reverse both DON transport across the placenta and DON-induced increase of placental barrier permeability. The molecular mechanism of antioxidant resistance to DON toxicity may be related to the signal transducer and activator of the transcription-3-occludin/zonula occludens-1 signaling pathway. Collectively, these results demonstrate the potential of antioxidants to protect the mother from DON-induced reproductive toxicity by alleviating placental oxidative stress and enhancing the placental barrier.

A seroepidemiological investigation of Lyme disease in Qiongzhong County, Hainan Province in 2019-2020.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and prevalence of Lyme disease are expanding and rising, respectively, which constitutes a worldwide public health problem. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Lyme disease (LD) in Qiongzhong County, Hainan, and to determine the LD infection level in the local population, so as to provide evidence for further local LD surveillance as well as effective prevention and treatment measures. METHODS: A total of 252 serum samples were collected from cases with suspected LD in Qiongzhong County, including 159 and 93 cases with joint and neurological symptoms, respectively. The serum samples were preliminarily screened for LD antibodies by indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA). Western Blot (WB) was used to confirm the diagnosis of IFA positive serum samples. RESULTS: Of the 252 serum samples, 39 tested positive by indirect immunofluorescence, translating to a positive rate of 15.48%. Of these 39 positive serum samples, western blot testing confirmed 28 to be positive for LD antibodies, representing a positive rate of 11.11%. LD spirochete infection was found in individuals of different ages, with the positive rate being highest among those aged ≤20 and ≥81 years old (22.22% in both groups). The positive rate of LD antibody detection in men was 16.89%, which was higher than the rate of 13.46% seen in women; however, the difference was not statistically significant. The positive rate of LD antibody detection using the 2-step testing method was 10.06% in patients with joint symptoms, which was slightly lower than the positive rate among individuals with neurological symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the presence of LD among the population of Qiongzhong County, Hainan. LD surveillance should be carried out to actively prevent and treat LD in the locality. Local doctors should also consider the possibility of LD when diagnosing and treating patients with arthritis and neurological diseases.

Enhanced adsorption of Cd(II) from aqueous solution by a magnesium oxide-rice husk biochar composite.

In this study, a magnesium oxide-rice husk biochar composite (MgO-BCR) was successfully prepared by a MgO impregnation method, and its adsorption performance was investigated in Cd(II) aqueous solution. A pseudo-second-order kinetic model described the Cd(II) adsorption behaviour on BCR and MgO-BCR well, while a Langmuir adsorption isotherm was more suitable for Cd(II) adsorption on the adsorbent. The fitting results of the monolayer model indicated that the number of ions captured by per site varied between 0.97 and 1.09. The calculated thermodynamic parameters indicated that Cd(II) adsorption onto MgO-BCR was spontaneous and endothermic. Characterisation of the adsorbent revealed that in situ precipitation, surface complexation, and electrostatic attraction contributed to the Cd(II) adsorption. The adsorption capacities of rice husk biochar (BCR) and MgO-BCR for Cd(II) reached 6.36 and 18.1 mg/g, respectively. The results demonstrated that MgO-BCR composite could be used as an effective and eco-friendly adsorbent to enhance the removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solution.