Occurrence, source apportionment and ecological risk of bisphenol analogues in river sediments in areas with different land use patterns.

Bisphenol analogues (BPs) have gained increasing attention in recent years due to their ubiquitousness and potential endocrine disrupting properties in environments. However, little information is available on their spatiotemporal distribution, source apportionment and ecological risk in river sediments, especially the case in river basins with a high population density and those typical regions with agricultural-urban gradient, where land use patterns and intensity of human activity are varying. In this study, field investigations of BPs in the sediment of the entire Qinhuai River Basin, a typical agricultural-suburban agricultural-urban gradient area, were conducted before and after the flood period. Thirty-two sites were sampled for six types of BPs, resulted in no significant difference in the concentration of ΣBPs between the two periods, with ΣBPs ranging from 3.92 to 151 ng/g and 2.16-59.0 ng/g, respectively. Bisphenol A (BPA) was the main contributor. Whereas a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) suggested that the composition structure of BPs had been influenced by water periods. The land use patterns had an impact on the distribution of ΣBPs in river sediments, which was more significant in after the flood period, with ΣBPs in urban rivers was 1.85 times, 3.44 times, and 3.08 times higher than the suburban rivers, agricultural rivers, and reservoirs, respectively. Yet land use types did not significantly alter the composition structure of BPs. The correlation analysis between BPs and the physicochemical properties of sediments showed a significant positive correlation between BPA and total organic carbon (TOC). The positive matrix factorization model (PMF) suggested that BPs in sediments of the basin might be influenced by industrial coatings, textiles, electronics and biopharmaceuticals, as well as urban wastewater or solid waste generated from daily life. The ecological risk assessment posed by BPA, based on the risk quotient, indicated that the ecological risk of BPA in sediments was low for three indicator benthic organisms: crustaceans, worms, and mollusks. However, the risk of BPA in river sediments varied among different land use patterns, with the risk ranking as follows: reservoirs < agricultural rivers < suburban rivers < urban rivers.

(Ba0.55Sr0.45)1-xLaxTi1.01O3-Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 Positive Temperature Coefficient Resistivity Ceramics with Low Curie Temperature (~-15 °C).

Positive temperature coefficient of electrical resistivity (PTCR) materials with low Curie temperature have been paid increasing attention lately. In this study, PTCR materials with a Curie temperature of approximately -15 °C were investigated by La3+ doping Ba0.55Sr0.45TiO3 ceramics. It could be expected to meet the requirements of thermal management systems for low-temperature control. In addition, a trace amount of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 (BNT) was employed to improve the resistivity and the PTCR performance. A significant PTCR effect was achieved with a high resistivity jump of nearly four orders of magnitude, a high temperature coefficient of ~28.76%/°C, and a narrow transition temperature span of 22 °C in the (Ba0.55Sr0.45)0.99875La0.00125Ti1.01O3-0.0025Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 ceramics. The PTCR enhancement mechanism of BNT is discussed.

Spatiotemporal distribution, source apportionment, and ecological risk of bisphenol analogues in a highly urbanized river basin.

Bisphenol analogues (BPs), as one of the endocrine disruptors, have received wide attention due to their adverse impacts on ecosystems. However, the seasonal spatiotemporal distribution, source apportionment, and ecological risk of BPs in natural basins are poorly understood. Especially in highly urbanized river basins with the extensive economic development and anthropogenic activities threaten these critical but ecologically fragile regions. In this study, field investigations of BPs in the waters of the entire Qinhuai River Basin (QRB) were conducted in June (before the annual flood period) and August (after the annual flood period) 2023. The Qinhuai River, an important primary tributary of the lower Yangtze River, is located in eastern China and the QRB is characterized by a high population density and dense urbanization. Thirty-two sites were sampled for six types of BPs known to be ubiquitous in the surface water of the QRB. Significant differences in the concentrations of those BPs were found. Specifically, the concentration of total BPs (ΣBPs) was significantly higher before than after the flood period: 20.3-472 ng/L (mean = 146 ng/L) and 14.1-105 ng/L (mean = 35.9 ng/L), respectively. BPA was the main contributor to ΣBPs before the flood, and BPB followed by BPA after the flood. ΣBP concentrations were 12-241 % higher downstream than upstream of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The results of a principal component analysis followed by multiple linear regression (PCA-MLR) suggested that untreated wastewater discharge from the WWTPs is an important source of BPs in the basin, with urban rainfall runoff as another potential source after the flood period. An assessment of the ecological risk of BPs, based on a calculation of the risk quotient, showed that BPA and BPS should be given due attention, and overall ecological risk of BPs pose a low risk to local algae but high and medium risks to invertebrates and fish, respectively.

Spatiotemporal occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in the urban road dust in a megacity, eastern China.

The pervasive issue of microplastics pollution has garnered public attention, yet urban residents remain unaware of the threat within their living spaces. Urban road dust, as primary reservoirs for environmental microplastics, offers an insightful perspective into their occurrence and characteristics. This study investigated microplastics in the urban road dust in Nanjing, a megacity in eastern China, to reveal their spatiotemporal pattern. The abundance of microplastics in the road dust measured 143.3 ± 40.8 particles/m2, with predominant fragments and suspected tire wear particles, particularly those below 100 µm. Significant spatial variations were observed across urban functional zones (P < 0.05), with commercial and heavy industrial areas experiencing the highest microplastic pollution (up to 223.5 particles/m2). Infrared spectroscopy analysis identified 29 polymer types, with polystyrene (PS), polyamide (PA), and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) prevailing. Light industrial zones exhibited slight contamination (mean = 93.4 particles/m2) but with diverse polymer components (24 types). Redundancy analysis and variation partitioning revealed that urban functional zoning, 7-day accumulated precipitation, and monthly PM2.5 primarily influenced the occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in urban road dust (P = 0.001). This study deepened our understanding of microplastics pollution in urban environments, providing novel insights for effective urban environmental management and improvement.

Perinatal depression care pathway for obstetric settings.

Perinatal depression is common and can have deleterious effects on mothers, infants, children, partners, and families. Despite this, few women who screen positive for depression receive psychiatric treatment. A comprehensive perinatal depression care pathway includes: (1) screening, (2) assessment, (3) triage and referral, (4) treatment access, (5) treatment initiation, (6) symptom monitoring, and (7) adaptation of treatment based on measurement until symptoms remit. This depression care pathway provides a scaffold on which to frame the challenges encountered when, and the opportunities that exist for, addressing depression in obstetric settings. Comprehensive interventions that address each step on the care pathway are needed to support obstetric practices in providing high-quality, evidence-based, effective treatment including pro-active follow-up for depression management. Despite recent attention being brought to, and significant progress in the field of maternal mental health, gaps in care persist. Ultimately, depression care needs to be fully integrated into obstetric care. Additionally, more targeted maternal mental health support and structure are needed for integration to occur and ultimately be optimized. Specific areas requiring more attention include consistency of screening, evaluation of patients with a positive depression screen for bipolar disorder, anxiety or substance use disorders, and monitoring of symptom improvement.

PMLIV overexpression promotes TGF-ß-associated epithelial-mesenchymal transition and migration in MCF-7 cancer cells.

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key event associated with metastasis and dissemination in breast tumor pathogenesis. Promyelocytic leukemia (PML) gene produces several isoforms due to alternative splicing; however, the biological function of each specific isoform has yet to be identified. In this study, we report a previously unknown role for PMLIV, the most intensely studied nuclear isoform, in transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) signaling-associated EMT and migration in breast cancer. This study demonstrates that PMLIV overexpression promotes a more aggressive mesenchymal phenotype and increases the migration of MCF-7 cancer cells. This event is associated with activation of the TGF-ß canonical signaling pathway through the induction of Smad2/3 phosphorylation and the translocation of phospho-Smad2/3 to the nucleus. In this study, we report a previously unknown role for PMLIV in TGF-ß signaling-induced regulation of breast cancer-associated EMT and migration. Targeting this pathway may be therapeutically beneficial.

The "Surprise Question" Asked of Emergency Physicians May Predict 12-Month Mortality among Older Emergency Department Patients.

BACKGROUND: Identification of older adults with serious illness (life expectancy less than one year) who may benefit from serious illness conversations or other palliative care interventions in the emergency department (ED) is difficult. OBJECTIVES: To assess the performance of the "surprise question (SQ)" asked of emergency physicians to predict 12-month mortality. DESIGN: We asked attending emergency physician "Would you be surprised whether this patient died in the next 12 months?" regarding patients ≥65 years old that they had cared for that shift. We prospectively obtained death records from Massachusetts Department of Health Vital Records. SETTING: An urban, university-affiliated ED. MEASUREMENT: Twelve-month mortality. RESULTS: We approached 38 physicians to answer the SQ, and 86% participated. The mean age of our cohort was 76 years, 51% were male, and 45% had at least one serious illness. Out of 207 patients, the physicians stated that they "would not be surprised" if the patient died in the next 12 months for 102 of the patients (49%); 44 of the 207 patients (21%) died within 12 months. The SQ demonstrated sensitivity of 77%, specificity of 56%, positive predictive value of 32%, and negative predictive value of 90%. When combined with other predictors, the model sorted the patient who lived from the patient who died correctly 72% of the time (c-statistic = 0.72). CONCLUSION: Use of the SQ by emergency physicians may predict 12-month mortality in older ED patients and may help emergency physicians identify older adults in need of palliative care interventions.

Effects of Alcohol on Mitochondrial Functions of Cumulus Cells in Mice.

Alcohol is an important compound used in food, agriculture, and medicine. In this study, we investigated the effect of alcohol on oocyte quality in mice by exposing animals for different duration times during an estrous cycle. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were collected from mice after pregnant mare serum gonadotropin- and human chorionic gonadotropin-induced superovulation. Ovulation number, E2 level in serum, and parthenogenetic embryo development in vitro were evaluated. Mitochondrial gene expression, mitochondrial membrane potential, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in the cumulus were also assessed. The results showed that acute exposure to alcohol did not affect ovulation time (p > 0.05). Blasocyst formation rate in vitro was significantly improved after 1 and 2 days of alcohol exposure (p < 0.01). Mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly increased after 1-4 days of alcohol exposure (p < 0.05), but it decreased after 5 days (p < 0.05). ROS levels remained relatively low after 2, 3, and 4 days of exposure (p < 0.05), and they significantly increased after 6 days (p < 0.05). In addition, alcohol altered the expression of mitochondrial and nuclear genes in the cumulus. Taken together, our data suggest that acute exposure to alcohol affects oocyte quality by influencing the function and gene expression in the cumulus. These results underscore potential implications for the development of human reproductive therapeutics.

Potential advantages of CUDC-101, a multitargeted HDAC, EGFR, and HER2 inhibitor, in treating drug resistance and preventing cancer cell migration and invasion.

CUDC-101 is a novel, small-molecule, anticancer agent targeting histone deacetylase (HDAC), EGF receptor (EGFR), and HER2. It is currently in phase I clinical development in patients with solid tumors. Previously, we reported that CUDC-101 has potent antiproliferative and proapoptotic activity in cultured tumor cells and in vivo xenograft models. We now show that cancer cells that have acquired resistance to single-target EGFR inhibitors through upregulation of AXL or loss of E-cadherin remain sensitive to CUDC-101, which inhibits MET- and AXL-mediated signaling, restores E-cadherin expression, and reduces cell migration. CUDC-101 also efficiently inhibited the proliferation of MET-overexpressing non-small cell lung cancer and gastric cancer cell lines and inhibited the migration and invasion of invasive tumor cells. Taken together, these results suggest that coupling HDAC and HER2 inhibitory activities to an EGFR inhibitor may potentially be effective in overcoming drug resistance and preventing cancer cell migration.