Lysosomal dysfunction in carbon black-induced lung disorders.

Carbon black (CB), a component of environmental particulate pollution derived from carbon sources, poses a significant threat to human health, particularly in the context of lung-related disease. This study aimed to investigate the detrimental effects of aggregated CB in the average micron scale on lung tissues and cells in vitro and in vivo. We observed that CB particles induced lung disorders characterized by enhanced expression of inflammation, necrosis, and fibrosis-related factors in vivo. In alveolar epithelial cells, CB exposure resulted in decreased cell viability, induction of cell death, and generation of reactive oxidative species, along with altered expression of proteins associated with lung disorders. Our findings suggested that the damaging effects of CB on the lung involved the targeting of lysosomes. Specifically, CB promoted lysosomal membrane permeabilization, while lysosomal alkalization mitigated the harmfulness of CB on lung cells. Additionally, we explored the protective effects of alkaloids derived from Nelumbinis plumula, with a focus on neferine, against CB-induced lung disorders. In conclusion, these findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the pathophysiological effects of CB particles on the lungs and propose a potential therapeutic approach for pollution-related diseases.

Arsenic pollution remediation mechanism and preliminary application of arsenic-oxidizing bacteria isolated from industrial wastewater.

Microbial remediation is vital for improving heavy metal-polluted water. In this work, two bacterial strains, K1 (Acinetobacter gandensis) and K7 (Delftiatsuruhatensis), with high tolerance to and strong oxidation of arsenite [As(III)], were screened from industrial wastewater samples. These strains tolerated 6800 mg/L As(III) in a solid medium and 3000 mg/L (K1) and 2000 mg/L (K7) As(III) in a liquid medium; arsenic (As) pollution was repaired through oxidation and adsorption. The As(III) oxidation rates of K1 and K7 were the highest at 24 h (85.00 ± 0.86%) and 12 h (92.40 ± 0.78%), respectively, and the maximum gene expression levels of As oxidase in these strains were observed at 24 and 12 h. The As(III) adsorption efficiencies of K1 and K7 were 30.70 ± 0.93% and 43.40 ± 1.10% at 24 h, respectively. The strains exchanged and formed a complex with As(III) through the -OH, -CH3, and C]O groups, amide bonds, and carboxyl groups on the cell surfaces. When the two strains were co-immobilized with Chlorella, the adsorption efficiency of As(III) improved (76.46 ± 0.96%) within 180 min, thereby exhibiting good adsorption and removal effects of other heavy metals and pollutants. These results outlined an efficient and environmentally friendly method for the cleaner production of industrial wastewater.

Telomere length in multiple cancer: insight into recurrence risk from a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have revealed the relationships between telomere length and the risk and mortality of numerous cancers. This meta-analysis aims to insightfully clarify the potential relationship between telomere length and the recurrence of multiple cancers. METHODS: PubMed database was used to search and identify interrelated citations. These reports investigated the relationship between telomere length and various cancer recurrences. Meta-analysis pooled data from studies that reported risk ratio (RR) of 95 (CI = 95%) confidence intervals and/or P-values. The cancer recurrence was investigated from an overall standpoint to the multiple levels of subtypes of cancers. RESULTS: The meta-analysis involved 5907 recurrent multiple cancer patients from 13 cohort studies. Compared to these cancer recurrence cases and the telomere length differences, there was no significant correlation between telomere length and cancer recurrence risk (short telomeres vs long telomeres; RR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.72-1.20, P = 0.59). Additionally, a negative association was observed between telomere length and cancer recurrence in gastrointestinal cancer and a positive association in head and neck cancer, while telomere length had little effect on the recurrence of hematological malignancies and genitourinary cancer in this analysis. CONCLUSION: There was no significant relationship between recurrence and telomere length in 5907 cases in 13 studies. However, there was a correlation between specific tumors. These results suggested that telomere length as a recurrence marker or telomere length to determine the possibility of recurrence must be evaluated on the specific type of cancer.

Aquatic Bacteria Rheinheimera tangshanensis New Ability for Mercury Pollution Removal.

To explore the strong tolerance of bacteria to Hg pollution, aquatic Rheinheimera tangshanensis (RTS-4) was separated from industrial sewage, with a maximum Hg(II) tolerant concentration of 120 mg/L and a maximum Hg(II) removal rate of 86.72 ± 2.11%, in 48 h under optimum culture conditions. The Hg(II) bioremediation mechanisms of RTS-4 bacteria are as follows: (1) the reduction of Hg(II) through Hg reductase encoded by the mer operon; (2) the adsorption of Hg(II) through the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs); and (3) the adsorption of Hg(II) using dead bacterial biomass (DBB). At low concentrations [Hg(II) ≤ 10 mg/L], RTS-4 bacteria employed Hg(II) reduction and DBB adsorption to remove Hg(II), and the removal percentages were 54.57 ± 0.36% and 45.43 ± 0.19% of the total removal efficiency, respectively. At moderate concentrations [10 mg/L < Hg(II) ≤ 50 mg/L], all three mechanisms listed above coexisted, with the percentages being 0.26 ± 0.01%, 81.70 ± 2.31%, and 18.04 ± 0.62% of the total removal rate, respectively. At high concentrations [Hg(II) > 50 mg/L], the bacteria primary employed EPS and DBB adsorption to remove Hg(II), where the percentages were 19.09 ± 0.04% and 80.91 ± 2.41% of the total removal rate, respectively. When all three mechanisms coexisted, the reduction of Hg(II) occurred within 8 h, the adsorption of Hg(II) by EPSs and DBB occurred within 8-20 h and after 20 h, respectively. This study provides an efficient and unused bacterium for the biological treatment of Hg pollution.

A GPR17-cAMP-Lactate Signaling Axis in Oligodendrocytes Regulates Whole-Body Metabolism.

The CNS plays a pivotal role in energy homeostasis, but whether oligodendrocytes are involved has been largely unexplored. Here, we show that signaling through GPR17, a G-protein-coupled receptor predominantly expressed in the oligodendrocyte lineage, regulates food intake by modulating hypothalamic neuronal activities. GPR17-null mice and mice with an oligodendrocyte-specific knockout of GPR17 have lean phenotypes on a high-fat diet, suggesting that GPR17 regulates body weight by way of oligodendrocytes. Downregulation of GPR17 results in activation of cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) signaling in oligodendrocytes and upregulated expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1), which promotes lactate production. Elevation of lactate activates AKT and STAT3 signaling in the hypothalamic neurons, leading to increased expression of Pomc and suppression of Agrp. Our findings uncover a critical role of oligodendrocytes in metabolic homeostasis, where GPR17 modulates the production of lactate, which, in turn, acts as a metabolic signal to regulate neuronal activity.