1,2-Dichloroethane causes anxiety and cognitive dysfunction in mice by disturbing GABA metabolism and inhibiting the cAMP-PKA-CREB signaling pathway.

1,2-Dichloroethane (1,2-DCE) is a powerfully toxic neurotoxin, which is a common environmental pollutant. Studies have indicated that 1,2-DCE long-term exposure can result in adverse effects. Nevertheless, the precise mechanism remains unknown. In this study, behavioral results revealed that 1,2-DCE long-term exposure could cause anxiety and learning and memory ability impairment in mice. The contents of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamine (Gln) in mice's prefrontal cortex decreased, whereas that of glutamate (Glu) increased. With the increase in dose, the activities of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) decreased and those of GABA transaminase (GABA-T) increased. The protein and mRNA expressions of GABA transporter-3 (GAT-3), vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT), GABA A receptor α2 (GABAARα2), GABAARγ2, K-Cl cotransporter isoform 2 (KCC2), GABA B receptor 1 (GABABR1), GABABR2, protein kinase A (PKA), cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), p-CREB, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), c-fos, c-Jun and the protein of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and PKA-C were decreased, while the expression levels of GABA transporter-1 (GAT-1) and Na-K-2Cl cotransporter isoform 1 (NKCC1) were increased. However, there was no significant change in the protein content of succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH). The expressions of adenylate cyclase (AC) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) contents were also reduced. In conclusion, the results of this study show that exposure to 1,2-DCE could lead to anxiety and cognitive impairment in mice, which may be related to the disturbance of GABA metabolism and its receptors along with the cAMP-PKA-CREB pathway.

Pathogenic Bacteria Are the Primary Determinants Shaping PM2.5-Borne Resistomes in the Municipal Food Waste Treatment System.

Bioaerosol pollution poses a substantial threat to human health during municipal food waste (FW) recycling. However, bioaerosol-borne antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) have received little attention. Herein, 48 metagenomic data were applied to study the prevalence of PM2.5-borne ARGs in and around full-scale food waste treatment plants (FWTPs). Overall, FWTP PM2.5 (2.82 ± 1.47 copies/16S rRNA gene) harbored comparable total abundance of ARGs to that of municipal wastewater treatment plant PM2.5 (WWTP), but was significantly enriched with the multidrug type (e.g., AdeC/I/J; p < 0.05), especially the abundant multidrug ARGs could serve as effective indicators to define resistome profiles of FWTPs (Random Forest accuracy >92%). FWTP PM2.5 exhibited a decreasing enrichment of total ARGs along the FWTP-downwind-boundary gradient, eventually reaching levels comparable to urban PM2.5 (1.46 ± 0.21 copies/16S rRNA gene, N = 12). The combined analysis of source-tracking, metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), and culture-based testing provides strong evidence that Acinetobacter johnsonii-dominated pathogens contributed significantly to shaping and disseminating multidrug ARGs, while abiotic factors (i.e., SO42-) indirectly participated in these processes, which deserves more attention in developing strategies to mitigate airborne ARGs. In addition, the exposure level of FWTP PM2.5-borne resistant pathogens was about 5-11 times higher than those in urban PM2.5, and could be more severe than hospital PM2.5 in certain scenarios (<41.53%). This work highlights the importance of FWTP in disseminating airborne multidrug ARGs and the need for re-evaluating the air pollution induced by municipal FWTP in public health terms.

Epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal clustering of scarlet fever in Liaoning Province, China, 2010-2019.

BACKGROUND: To explore the epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution of scarlet fever in Liaoning Province, which could provide scientific evidence for the formulation and improvement of prevention and control strategies and measures. METHODS: Data on scarlet fever cases and population were obtained from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention in Liaoning Province between 2010 and 2019. We examined the spatial and spatiotemporal clusters of scarlet fever across Liaoning Province using the Moran's I, local indicators of spatial association, local Gi* hotspot statistics, and Kulldorff's retrospective space-time scan statistical analysis. RESULTS: Between 1st January 2010 and 31st December 2019, 46,652 cases of scarlet fever were reported in Liaoning Province, with an annual average incidence of 10.67 per 100,000. The incidence of scarlet fever had obvious seasonality with high incidence in early summer June and early winter December. The male-to-female ratio was 1.53:1. The highest incidence of cases occurred in 3-9 year old children. The most likely spatiotemporal cluster and the secondary clusters were detected in urban regions of Shenyang and Dalian, Liaoning Province. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of scarlet fever has obvious spatiotemporal clustering, with the high-risk areas mainly concentrated in urban area of Shenyang and Dalian, Liaoning Province. Control strategies need to focus on high-risk season, high-risk areas and high-risk populations in order to reduce the incidence of scarlet fever.

Non-negligible health risks caused by inhalation exposure to aldehydes and ketones during food waste treatments in megacity Shanghai.

Aldehydes and ketones in urban air continue to receive regulatory and scientific attention for their environmental prevalence and potential health hazard. However, current knowledge of the health risks and losses caused by these pollutants in food waste (FW) treatment processes is still limited, especially under long-term exposure. Here, we presented the first comprehensive assessment of chronic exposure to 21 aldehydes and ketones in urban FW-air environments (e.g., storage site, mechanical dewatering, and composting) by coupling substantial measured data (383 samples) with Monte Carlo-based probabilistic health risk and impact assessment models. The results showed that acetaldehyde, acetone, 2-butanone and cyclohexanone were consistently the predominant pollutants, although the significant differences in pollution profiles across treatment sites and seasons (Adonis test, P < 0.001). According to the risk assessment results, the estimated cancer risk (CR; mean range: 1.6 × 10-5-1.12 × 10-4) and non-cancer risk (NCR; mean range: 2.98-22.7) triggered by aldehydes and ketones were both unacceptable in most cases (CR: 37.8%-99.3%; NCR: 54.2%-99.8%), and even reached the limit of concern to CR (1 × 10-4) in some exposure scenarios (6.18%-16.9%). Application of DALYs (disability adjusted life years) as a metric for predicting the damage suggested that exposure of workers to aldehydes and ketones over 20 years of working in FW-air environments could result in 0.02-0.14 DALYs per person. Acetaldehyde was the most harmful constituent of all targeted pollutants, which contributed to the vast majority of health risks (>88%) and losses (>90%). This study highlights aldehydes and ketones in FW treatments may be the critical pollutants to pose inhalation risks.

Epidemiological characteristics of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome and its relationship with meteorological factors in Liaoning Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), one kind of tick-borne acute infectious disease, is caused by a novel bunyavirus. The relationship between meteorological factors and infectious diseases is a hot topic of current research. Liaoning Province has reported a high incidence of SFTS in recent years. However, the epidemiological characteristics of SFTS and its relationship with meteorological factors in the province remain largely unexplored. METHODS: Data on reported SFTS cases were collected from 2011 to 2019. Epidemiological characteristics of SFTS were analyzed. Spearman's correlation test and generalized linear models (GLM) were used to identify the relationship between meteorological factors and the number of SFTS cases. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2019, the incidence showed an overall upward trend in Liaoning Province, with the highest incidence in 2019 (0.35/100,000). The incidence was slightly higher in males (55.9%, 438/783), and there were more SFTS patients in the 60-69 age group (31.29%, 245/783). Dalian City and Dandong City had the largest number of cases of SFTS (87.99%, 689/783). The median duration from the date of illness onset to the date of diagnosis was 8 days [interquartile range (IQR): 4-13 days]. Spearman correlation analysis and GLM showed that the number of SFTS cases was positively correlated with monthly average rainfall (rs = 0.750, P < 0.001; ß = 0.285, P < 0.001), monthly average relative humidity (rs = 0.683, P < 0.001; ß = 0.096, P < 0.001), monthly average temperature (rs = 0.822, P < 0.001; ß = 0.154, P < 0.001), and monthly average ground temperature (rs = 0.810, P < 0.001; ß = 0.134, P < 0.001), while negatively correlated with monthly average air pressure (rs = -0.728, P < 0.001; ß = -0.145, P < 0.001), and monthly average wind speed (rs = -0.272, P < 0.05; ß = -1.048, P < 0.001). By comparing both correlation coefficients and regression coefficients between the number of SFTS cases (dependent variable) and meteorological factors (independent variables), no significant differences were observed when considering immediate cases and cases with lags of 1 to 5 weeks for dependent variables. Based on the forward and backward stepwise GLM regression, the monthly average air pressure, monthly average temperature, monthly average wind speed, and time sequence were selected as relevant influences on the number of SFTS cases. CONCLUSION: The annual incidence of SFTS increased year on year in Liaoning Province. Incidence of SFTS was affected by several meteorological factors, including monthly average air pressure, monthly average temperature, and monthly average wind speed.

Disturbance of glutamate metabolism and inhibition of CaM-CaMKII-CREB signaling pathway in the hippocampus of mice induced by 1,2-dichloroethane exposure.

1,2-Dichloroethane (1,2-DCE) is a highly toxic neurotoxicity, and the brain tissue is the main target organ. At present, long-term exposure to 1,2-DCE has been shown to cause cognitive dysfunction in some studies, but the mechanism is not clear. The results of this study showed that long-term 1,2-DCE exposure decreased learning and memory abilities in mice and impaired the structure and morphology of neurons in the hippocampal region. Moreover, except for the mRNA level of PAG, the enzymatic activities and protein levels of GS and PAG, as well as the mRNA level of GS were inhibited. With increasing dose of exposure, the protein and mRNA expression of GLAST and GLT-1 also decreased. Contrarily, there were protein and mRNA expression upregulation of GluN1, GluN2A and GluN2B in the hippocampus, as well as increased levels of extracellular Glu and intracellular Ca2+. In addition, 1,2-DCE exposure also downregulated the protein expression levels of CaM, CaMKII and CREB. Taken together, our results suggest that long-term 1,2-DCE exposure impairs the learning and memory capacity in mice, which may be attributed to the disruption of Glu metabolism and the inhibition of CaM- CaMKII-CREB signaling pathway in the hippocampus.

Spatiotemporal footprints of odor compounds in megacity's food waste streams and policy implication.

Odor pollution is one of the most critical issues in food waste (FW) recycling and has significant implications for human health. However, knowledge of their occurrence and spatiotemporally dynamic in urban FW streams is limited, making it not conducive to implement targeted odor management. This work followed the occurrence of 81 odor compounds (OCs) in nine FW-air environments along the Shanghai's FW streams for one year. Results showed that NH3, acetic acid, acetaldehyde, acetone, 2-butanone, and methylene chloride were consistently the predominant OCs, despite the distinct differences in OCs profiles across seasons and treatment sites. Ridge regression and principal coordinate analysis demonstrated that seasons might play a non-negligible role in shaping odor profiles, and ambient temperature and humidity could account for the seasonal variation in OCs levels. Based on the modified fuzzy synthetic evaluation system, the screened priority pollutants in different FW-air environments were found broadly similar and the regulated air pollutants released via FW should be expanded to aldehyde and ketone compounds, especially for acetaldehyde. To our knowledge, this study is the first to track the spatiotemporal footprints of OCs within urban FW streams, and provides new insights into the control policy on FW-derived odor issues for megacities.

Phytoremediation for Co-contaminated Soils of Cadmium and Polychlorinated Biphenyls Using the Ornamental Plant Tagetes patula L.

In this study, pot-culture experiments were conducted to investigate the single effect of Cd, PCBs, and the combined effect of Cd-PCBs with Tagetes patula L. The study highlights that the minimum concentration of PCBs (100 µg kg-1) could enable the growth of the plant with an increase in biomass by 27.76% when compared with the control. In all the experiments performed, the Cd concentrations over the surface parts were found to be above 100 mg kg-1. Significant positive correlations were observed between the Cd and PCBs concentrations accumulated in tissues of the soil and plants (p < 0.05). T. patula exhibited high tolerance to Cd and PCBs, and the plant promoted the removal rate of PCBs. The removal rates of PCB18 and PCB28 were up to 42.72 and 42.29%, respectively. The study highlights the potential and suitability of T. patula for phytoremediation of Cd and PCBs in contaminated soils.

Epidemiological and genetic investigation of a cluster of cases of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome bunyavirus.

BACKGROUND: To analyze and discuss the transmission route of a cluster of cases of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome bunyavirus (SFTSV). METHOD: We performed an epidemiological investigation and a genetic analysis of patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) caused by SFTSV, their close contacts and the surrounding population. RESULTS: We found that all patients had contact with the blood of the first patient. The comparison of gene sequences in the three isolated SFTSV strains showed that the strains were closely related. Six close contacts and nine individuals in the surrounding population were positive for SFTSV IgM antibody. CONCLUSION: We suspect that the cluster outbreak was transmitted via blood and that the natural reservoir host of SFTSV exists in the patients' environment.

Alterations of NMDA and AMPA receptors and their signaling apparatus in the hippocampus of mouse offspring induced by developmental arsenite exposure.

Loss of cognitive function due to arsenic exposure is a serious health concern in many parts of the world, including China. The present study aims to determine the molecular mechanism of arsenic-induced neurotoxicity and its consequent effect on downstream signaling pathways of mouse N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs). Drinking water containing 0, 25, 50 or 100 mg/L arsenite was provided each day to mother mice throughout gestation period until postnatal day (PND) 35 to expose the newborn mice to arsenite during early developmental period. The effect of arsenite in the expressions of different components of NMDAR (NR1, NR2A, NR2B) and AMPAR (GluR1, GluR2, GluR3), including calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and phosphorylated-CaMKII (p-CaMKII), at PND 7, 14, 21 and 35 was estimated and analyzed from the hippocampus of mice. A significant inhibition in the protein and mRNA expressions of NR1, NR2A, NR2B and GluR1 was observed in mice exposed to 50 mg/L arsenite since PND 7. Down regulation of GluR2 and GluR3 both at mRNA and protein levels was observed in mice exposed to 50 mg/L arsenite till PND 14. Moreover, both CaMKII as well as p-CaMKII expressions were significantly limited since PND 7 in 50 mg/L arsenite exposed mice group. Findings form this study suggested that the previously reported impairment in learning and memorizing abilities in later stage due to early life arsenite exposure is associated with the alterations of NMDARs, AMPARs, CaMKII and p-CaMKII expressions.

Radiological manifestations of renal osteodystrophy in the orofacial region: a case report and literature review.

Renal osteodystrophy (ROD) is a metabolic skeletal pathology that frequently affects the orofacial region and presents with characteristic radiological manifestations. This paper reports a case of ROD causing diffused orofacial bone alterations in a female patient with end-stage chronic kidney disease. The radiological features on panoramic, posteroanterior and lateral skull and computed tomography radiographs are described for this case. Previous reports in the literature are reviewed and discussed with a focus on radiological characteristics and differential diagnoses.

A Novel Francisella-Like Endosymbiont in Haemaphysalis longicornis and Hyalomma asiaticum, China.

Francisella tularensis causes a highly infectious zoonotic disease tularemia. Both Haemaphysalis longicornis and Hyalomma asiaticum are widely distributed in China, but the presence of Francisella and Francisella-like endosymbionts (FLEs) in the two tick species is poorly understood. Therefore, a total of 627 H. longicornis (471 adults and 156 nymphs) and 88 Hy. asiaticum ticks (adults) were collected, of which 88 were from Bole of Xinjiang, 236 from Liaoyang, and 176 from Shenyang of Liaoning, and 215 from Wuhan of Hubei. Notably, five H. longicornis pools from Liaoyang of Liaoning province might have harbored F. tularensis, showing a minimum prevalence of 2.12% (5/236). This study should alert the health department and veterinarians working within the region to prevent and control the emergence of tularemia. After the screening of 16S rRNA and tul4 genes, the results revealed that FLEs were detected in Hy. asiaticum ticks in Bole and in H. longicornis ticks in Liaoyang and Shenyang. Their infection rate was 100% (88/88), 3.39% (8/236 is a minimum), and 8.52% (15/176), respectively. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the sequence named bole in Hy. Asiaticum from Bole, the sequence named liaoyang1 in H. longicornis from Liaoyang, and the sequence named shanyang1 in H. longicornis from Shenyang shared consistent 16S rRNA sequence, and the difference between Chinese FLEs and the known FLEs was obvious. These findings suggest that this FLE species might be a potentially novel FLE circulating in H. longicornis and Hy. asiaticum from China.

Single-Molecule Spectroscopy Study of Crowding-Induced Protein Spontaneous Denature and Crowding-Perturbed Unfolding-Folding Conformational Fluctuation Dynamics.

The effects of molecular crowding on protein folding-unfolding processes are of importance for understanding protein function and structure dynamics in living cells. The enhancement of protein stability as a result of reduced entropic effect in the presence of molecular crowding is well understood both experimentally and theoretically. However, because of the complexity and interplay between various interactions existing in an equally favored environment of protein folding and unfolding conformational dynamics, such a simple reduced entropic enhancement model does not suffice to describe protein folding conformational dynamics under a protein crowding condition. In this paper, we report our observation on that single protein molecules spontaneously denature into unfolded proteins and folding-unfolding fluctuations in solution of crowding reagent Ficoll 70. We have identified that such protein dynamics involves a combined mechanism of polymer-polymer interaction, entropic effects, and protein solvation dynamics. We characterize the protein folding-unfolding dynamics by using single-molecule spectroscopy to obtain detailed molecular dynamic scale information on the protein folding-unfolding conformational fluctuation dynamics. Our findings suggest that the complex unfolding dynamic processes are spontaneous denature of single protein molecules induced by molecular crowding effect which has been elusive for analysis in ensemble-averaged measurements. Furthermore, the energy needed for the spontaneous unfolding is at the biological accessible force fluctuation level, which suggests a strong implication of significant human health relevance and importance. The new knowledge of the inhomogeneous protein unfolding processes can serve as a step forward to a mechanistic understanding of human diseases associated with molecular crowding, protein aggregates, fibril formation, as well as gene translational regulation processes typically under a molecular crowded local environment.

Phylogenetic Characteristics of Anthrax Outbreaks in Liaoning Province, China, 2001-2015.

Anthrax is a continuous threat in China, especially in rural regions. In July 2015, an anthrax outbreak occurred in Xifeng County, Liaoning Province. A total of 10 cutaneous anthrax cases were reported, with 210 people under medical observation. In this study, the general characteristics of human anthrax outbreak occurred in Liaoning Province were described, and all cases were caused by butchering and contacting sick animal. Meanwhile, the phylogenetic relationship between outbreak-related isolates/samples of the year 2015 and previous Bacillus anthracis strains was analyzed by means of canonical single nucleotide polymorphisms (canSNP), multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) with 15 markers and single-nucleotide repeats (SNR) analysis. There are two canSNP subgroups found in Liaoning, A.Br.001/002 and A.Br.Ames, and a total of six MLVA 15 genotypes and five SNR genotypes were observed. The strain collected from anthrax outbreak in Xifeng County in 2015 was classified as A.Br.001/002 subgroup and identified as MLVA15-29 genotype, with same SNR profile (CL10: 17, CL12: 15, CL33: 29, and CL35: 13). So we conclude that the same clone of B.anthracis caused the anthrax outbreak in Xifeng County in 2015, and this clone is different to previous isolates. Strengthening public health education in China is one of the most important measures to prevent and control anthrax.

Factors influencing phototaxis in nocturnal migrating birds.

Many migratory bird species fly during the night (nocturnal migrants) and have been shown to display some phototaxis to artificial light. During 2006 to 2009, we investigated phototaxis in nocturnal migrants at Jinshan Yakou in Xinping County (N23°56', E101°30'; 2400 m above sea-level), and at the Niaowang Mountain in Funing County (N23°30', E105°35'; 1400 m above sea-level), both in the Yunnan Province of Southwest China. A total of 5069 birds, representing 129 species, were captured by mist-netting and artificial light. The extent of phototaxis effect on bird migration was examined during all four seasons, three phases of the moon, and under two weather conditions (mist and wind). Data were statistically analyzed to determine the extent to which these factors may impact phototaxis of nocturnal migrants. The results point to phototaxis in birds migrating in the spring and autumn, especially in the autumn. Furthermore, migrating birds were more readily attracted to artificial lights during nights with little moonlight, mist, and a headwind. Regardless of the initial orientation in which birds flew, either following the wind or against the wind, birds would always fly against the wind when flying towards the light. This study broadens our understanding of the nocturnal bird migration, potentially resulting in improved bird ringing practices, increased awareness, and better policies regarding bird protection.

[Variation of estrogenic effects during water treatment processes in a drinking water work in South China].

The variation of estrogenic effects during water treatment processes in a drinking water work in South China was investigated. Water samples were collected from the source water and the different treatment processes. Crude extracts were obtained by solid phase extraction (SPE) using HLB columns and three fractionated extracts were obtained by elution using organic reagents with different polarity. Recombinant gene yeast assay was used to evaluate the endocrine disrupters effects of all the samples. The combination of the recombinant gene yeast assay and the sample fractionation technique was effective to evaluate the estrogenic effects for water samples. All the crude samples showed positive results in the yeast assay and the highest effect was occurred in the source water sample, in which the effects were mainly attributed to the none-polar fraction and the estradiol equivalent concentration was 0.25 pmol/L. 83% estrogenic effects were reduced effectively by the treatment processes.