Coking-Produced Aromatic Compounds in Urine of Exposed and Nonexposed Populations: Exposure Levels, Source Identification, and Model-Based Health Implications.

Coking contamination in China is complex and poses potential health risks to humans. In this study, we collected urine samples from coking plant workers, nearby residents, and control individuals to analyze 25 coking-produced aromatic compounds (ACs), including metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives, chlorophenols, and nitrophenols. The median concentration of total ACs in urine of workers was 102 µg·g-1 creatinine, significantly higher than that in the other two groups. Hydroxy-PAHs and hydroxy hetero-PAHs were the dominant ACs. Workers directly exposed from coking industrial processes, i.e., coking, coal preparation, and chemical production processes, showed higher concentrations of hydroxy-PAHs and hydroxy hetero-PAHs (excluding 5-hydroxyisoquinoline), while those from indirect exposure workshops had higher levels of other ACs, indicating different sources in the coking plant. The AC mixture in workers demonstrated positive effects on DNA damage and lipid peroxidation with 5-hydroxyisoquinoline and 3-hydroxycarbazole playing a significant role using a quantile g-computation model. Monte Carlo simulation revealed that coking contamination elevated the carcinogenic risk for exposed workers by 5-fold compared to controls with pyrene, pentachlorophenol, and carbazole contributing the most, and workers from coking process are at the highest risk. This study enhances understanding of coking-produced AC levels and provides valuable insights into coking contamination control.

Nontarget Screening of Novel Urinary Biomarkers for Occupational Exposure to Toxic Chemicals from Coking Industry Using HPLC-QTOF-MS.

High-resolution mass spectrometry is an advanced technique for comprehensive screening of toxic chemicals. In this study, urine samples were collected from both an occupationally exposed population at a coking site and normal inhabitants to identify novel urinary biomarkers for occupational exposure to coking contaminants. A coking-site-appropriate analytical method was developed for unknown chemical screening. Through nontarget screening, 515 differential features were identified, and finally, 32 differential compounds were confirmed as candidates for the current study, including 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolites. Besides monohydroxy-PAHs (such as 1-&2-naphthol, 2-&9-hydroxyfluorene, 2-&4-phenanthrol, and 1-&2-hydroxypyrene), many other PAH metabolites including dihydroxy metabolites, PAH oxide, and sulfate conjugate were detected, suggesting that the quantification based solely on monohydroxy-PAHs significantly underestimated the human exposure to PAHs. Furthermore, several novel compounds were recognized that could be considered as biomarkers for the exposure to coking contaminants, including quinolin-2-ol (1.10 ± 0.44 ng/mL), naphthylmethanols (11.4 ± 5.47 ng/mL), N-hydroxy-1-aminonaphthalene (0.78 ± 0.43 ng/mL), hydroxydibenzofurans (17.4 ± 7.85 ng/mL), hydroxyanthraquinone (0.13 ± 0.053 ng/mL), and hydroxybiphenyl (2.70 ± 1.03 ng/mL). Despite their lower levels compared with hydroxy-PAHs (95.1 ± 30.8 ng/mL), their severe toxicities should not be overlooked. The study provides a nontarget screening approach to identify chemicals in human urine, which is crucial for accurately assessing the health risks of toxic chemicals in the coking industry.

Pb-Induced Eryptosis May Provoke Thrombosis Prior to Hemolysis.

Lead (Pb) is a common metal, which can be toxic to the human body via the pollution of water or food, and can cause anemia and other diseases. However, what happens before hemolysis and anemia caused by Pb poisoning is unclear. Here, we demonstrated Pb can cause procoagulant activity of erythroid cells leading to thrombosis before hemolysis. In freshly isolated human erythroid cells, we observed that Pb resulted in hemolysis in both concentration- and time-dependent manners, but that no lysis occurred in Pb-exposed erythroid cells (≤20 µM for 1 h). Pb treatment did not cause shape changes at up to 0.5 h incubation but at 1 h incubation echinocyte and echino-spherocyte shape changes were observed, indicating that Pb can exaggerate a concentration- and time-dependent trend of shape changes in erythroid cells. After Pb treatment, ROS-independent eryptosis was shown with no increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but with an increase of [Ca2+]i and caspase 3 activity. With a thrombosis mouse model, we observed increased thrombus by Pb treatment (0 or 25 mg/kg). In brief, prior to hemolysis, we demonstrated Pb can cause ROS-independent but [Ca2+]i-dependent eryptosis, which might provoke thrombosis.

Measuring and modeling the inconspicuous iridescence of Formosan blue magpie's feather (Urocissacaerulea).

The iridescence of the blue feathers of the Formosan blue magpie (Urocissacaerulea) is not conspicuous when the viewing angle is less than 40°. The spongy medullary keratin inside the feather barbs is investigated by two-dimensional Fourier analysis of transmission electron microscopic images of various positions on a barb to explain this unique characteristic. The orientation of the quasi-ordered nanostructure varies depending on its position of the feather barb. The predicted reflectance increases with the distance of the nanostructures from the vertex of the feather barb, and this result agrees closely with measurements.