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Frontiers in Endocrinology 2024To characterize the influence of female-specific hormones on women's thyroid function, the study investigated the influence of extra progestin from oral contraceptives...
INTRODUCTION
To characterize the influence of female-specific hormones on women's thyroid function, the study investigated the influence of extra progestin from oral contraceptives on inducing thyroid dysfunction.
METHODS
Sixty female Wistar rats were divided into six groups based on levonorgestrel or desogestrel administration as the main active agents: control, low (0.0039 mg*20-fold), medium (0.0039 mg*100-fold), high (0.0318 mg*100-fold) levonorgestrel (pure product); and low (0.0083 mg*20-fold) and high (0.0083 mg*100-fold) desogestrel (pure product). Progestin was administered by gavage every 4 days for 1 month. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance and the Kruskal-Wallis test.
RESULTS
Following levonorgestrel gavage, serum free T and thyroidstimulating hormone levels were significantly lower in the experimental group than that in the control group (=0.013 and 0.043). After desogestrel gavage, the serum free T and free T levels were lower in the experimental group than that in the control group (=0.019 and 0.030). Thyroid hormone antibody concentrations were lower in rats administered levonorgestrel and desogestrel than that in control rats. Moreover, exposure to progestin upregulated the expression of the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor and sodium iodide symporter in thyroid.
DISCUSSION
Progestin stimulation enhanced the proliferation of follicular epithelial cells in rat thyroid tissues. Progestin exposure could cause thyroid dysfunction by upregulating the transcription of thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor and sodium iodide symporter in thyroid, thus inducing pathomorphological changes in rats' thyroid.
Topics: Animals; Female; Rats, Wistar; Rats; Progestins; Thyroid Gland; Levonorgestrel; Desogestrel; Thyroxine; Thyroid Hormones; Thyroid Function Tests
PubMed: 38904035
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1362774 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024Tacrolimus (Tac) is commonly used for postoperative immunosuppressive therapy in transplant patients. However, problems, for example, low bioavailability and unstable...
BACKGROUND
Tacrolimus (Tac) is commonly used for postoperative immunosuppressive therapy in transplant patients. However, problems, for example, low bioavailability and unstable plasma concentration, persist for a long time, Studies have reported that the deoxyschizandrin could effectively improve these problems, but the pharmacokinetic parameters (PKs) of Tac combined with deoxyschizandrin are still unknown.
METHOD
In this study, an UHPLC-MS/MS method has been established for simultaneous quantitation of Tac and deoxyschizandrin. The PKs of Tac influenced by different doses of deoxyschizandrin after single and multiple administrations were analyzed, and the different impact of deoxyschizandrin and Wuzhi capsule on PKs of Tac were compared.
RESULT
The modified UHPLC-MS/MS method could rapid quantification of Tac and deoxyschizandrin within 2 min using bifendatatum as the internal standard (IS). All items were successfully validated. The of deoxyschizandrin increased from 148.27 ± 23.20 to 229.13 ± 54.77 ng/mL in rats after multiple administrations for 12 days. After co-administration of 150 mg/mL deoxyschizandrin, Tac had an earlier and greater and AUC, and the and AUC of Tac increased from 14.26 ± 4.73 to 54.48 ± 14.37 ng/mL and from 95.10 ± 32.61 to 315.23 ± 92.22 h/ng/mL, respectively; this relationship was positively proportional to the dosage of deoxyschizandrin. In addition, compared with Wuzhi capsule, the same dose of deoxyschizandrin has a better effective on Tac along with more stable overall PKs.
CONCLUSION
An UHPLC-MS/MS method was established and validated for simultaneous detection of deoxyschizandrin and Tac. Deoxyschizandrin could improve the exposure level and stability of Tac, besides, this effect is better than Wuzhi capsule in same dose.
PubMed: 38903992
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1344369 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is known as the most common complication of diabetes, resulting from a complex inheritance-environment interaction without effective clinical...
Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is known as the most common complication of diabetes, resulting from a complex inheritance-environment interaction without effective clinical treatments. Herein, we revealed the protective effects and mechanisms of Zn(II)-curcumin, a curcumin derivative, against streptozotocin-induced DN in rats in the presence or absence of cadmium exposure. The present study focused on investigating the therapy of Zn(II)-curcumin against cadmium-aggravated DN by regulating gut microbiota, metabolism, inflammation and zinc homeostasis based on pathological changes, TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), 16S rRNA gene sequencing and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). We found Zn(II)-curcumin significantly mitigated the cadmium-aggravated phenotypes of diabetic nephropathy, as indicated by the remission of renal dysfunction, pathological changes, inflammation and zinc dyshomeostasis in streptozotocin-treated rats exposed to cadmium. Administration of Zn(II)-curcumin significantly alleviated the dysbiosis of gut microbiota and the changes of serum metabolite profiles in rats treated with streptozotocin in combination with cadmium. Notably, fecal microbial transplantation identified the ability of Zn(II)-curcumin to regulate renal function, inflammation and zinc homeostasis was partly dependent on the gut microbiota. These findings revealed that Zn(II)-curcumin alleviated cadmium-aggravated diabetic nephropathy by reshaping the gut microbiota and zinc homeostasis, which provided unique insights into the mechanisms of the treatment and prevention of diabetic nephropathy.
PubMed: 38903987
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1411230 -
RSC Advances Jun 2024In recent decades, environmental protection and energy issues have gained significant attention, and the development of efficient, environmentally friendly catalysts has...
In recent decades, environmental protection and energy issues have gained significant attention, and the development of efficient, environmentally friendly catalysts has become especially crucial for the advancement of photocatalytic technology. This study employs the sintering method to produce biochar. A hybrid photocatalyst for the degradation of RHB under visible light was prepared by loading varying proportions of biochar onto g-CN using ultrasonic technology. Among them, 2% CGCD (2% biochar/g-CN) achieved a degradation rate of 91.3% for RHB after 30 minutes of visible light exposure, which was more than 25% higher than GCD (g-CN), and exhibited a higher photocurrent intensity and lower impedance value. The enhancement in photocatalytic activity is primarily attributed to the increased utilization efficiency of visible light and the electron transfer channel effect from a minor amount of biochar, effectively reducing the recombination of photo-generated charge carriers on the g-CN surface, thereby significantly improving photocatalytic activity. The degradation of RHB is synergistically mediated by O , h (photo-generated holes), and ˙OH. The free radical capture experiment indicates that O and ˙OH are the primary active components, followed by h.
PubMed: 38903670
DOI: 10.1039/d4ra03232b -
Communications Biology Jun 2024Dietary emulsifiers are linked to various diseases. The recent discovery of the role of gut microbiota-host interactions on health and disease warrants the safety...
Dietary emulsifiers are linked to various diseases. The recent discovery of the role of gut microbiota-host interactions on health and disease warrants the safety reassessment of dietary emulsifiers through the lens of gut microbiota. Lecithin, sucrose fatty acid esters, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and mono- and diglycerides (MDG) emulsifiers are common dietary emulsifiers with high exposure levels in the population. This study demonstrates that sucrose fatty acid esters and carboxymethylcellulose induce hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in a mouse model. Lecithin, sucrose fatty acid esters, and CMC disrupt glucose homeostasis in the in vitro insulin-resistance model. MDG impairs circulating lipid and glucose metabolism. All emulsifiers change the intestinal microbiota diversity and induce gut microbiota dysbiosis. Lecithin, sucrose fatty acid esters, and CMC do not impact mucus-bacterial interactions, whereas MDG tends to cause bacterial encroachment into the inner mucus layer and enhance inflammation potential by raising circulating lipopolysaccharide. Our findings demonstrate the safety concerns associated with using dietary emulsifiers, suggesting that they could lead to metabolic syndromes.
Topics: Animals; Emulsifying Agents; Dysbiosis; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Mice; Male; Metabolic Diseases; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium; Sucrose; Insulin Resistance; Lecithins
PubMed: 38902371
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06224-3 -
World Journal of Clinical Cases Jun 2024Photoaging, a result of chronic sun exposure, leads to skin damage and pigmentation changes. Traditional treatments may have limitations in high-altitude areas like...
BACKGROUND
Photoaging, a result of chronic sun exposure, leads to skin damage and pigmentation changes. Traditional treatments may have limitations in high-altitude areas like Yunnan Province. Intradermal Col Ι injections stimulate collagen production, potentially improving skin quality. This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of this treatment for photoaging.
AIM
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intradermal type Ι collagen (Col Ι) injection for treating photoaging.
METHODS
This prospective, self-controlled study investigated the impact of intradermal injections of Col Ι on skin photodamage in 20 patients from the Yunnan Province. Total six treatment sessions were conducted every 4 wk ± 3 d. Before and after each treatment, facial skin characteristics were quantified using a VISIA skin detector. Skin thickness data were assessed using the ultrasound probes of the Dermalab skin detector. The Face-Q scale was used for subjective evaluation of the treatment effect by the patients.
RESULTS
The skin thickness of the right cheek consistently increased after each treatment session compared with baseline. The skin thickness of the left cheek significantly increased after the third through sixth treatment sessions compared with baseline. The skin thickness of the right zygomatic region increased after the second to sixth treatment sessions, whereas that of the left zygomatic region showed a significant increase after the fourth through sixth treatment sessions. The skin thickness of both temporal regions significantly increased after the fifth and sixth treatment sessions compared with baseline ( < 0.05). These findings were also supported by skin ultrasound images. The feature count for the red areas and wrinkle feature count decreased following the treatment ( < 0.05). VISIA assessments also revealed a decrease in the red areas after treatment. The Face-Q-Satisfaction with Facial Appearance Overall and Face-Q-Satisfaction with Skin scores significantly increased after each treatment session. The overall appearance of the patients improved after treatment.
CONCLUSION
Intradermal Col Ι injection improves photoaging, with higher patient satisfaction and fewer adverse reactions, and could be an effective treatment method for populations residing in high-altitude areas.
PubMed: 38899303
DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i16.2713 -
Journal of Global Health Jun 2024There is increasing evidence on the link between environmental factors and myopia in children and adolescents, yet with inconsistent conclusions. We investigated the...
BACKGROUND
There is increasing evidence on the link between environmental factors and myopia in children and adolescents, yet with inconsistent conclusions. We investigated the associations between socioeconomic inequalities and green space with myopia in school-aged students participating in the Tianjin Child and Adolescent Research of Eye (TCARE) study.
METHODS
We obtained data from a population-based dynamic cohort study conducted in Tianjin, China, in 2021 and followed up in 2022. We included 1 245 271 participants from 16 districts with an average age of 11.6 years (standard deviation = 3.3) in our analysis. We synthesized their area-level SES through a prediction model that combined economic, educational, and health care variables and assessed the greenness levels surrounding the school using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) based on data obtained through satellite remote sensing. We performed generalised linear mixed effects analyses for each myopia outcome separately, with adjustments for students' sex, years of education completed, and the school's geographical location.
RESULTS
We observed that students living in low SES areas had the highest prevalence of myopia (60.7%) in the last screening in 2022, as well as a higher incidence of one-year myopia (26.4%) compared to those residing in middle SES areas (22.7%). With a 0.1 increase in the 250, 500, and 1000 m buffer NDVI, the prevalence of myopia dropped by 6.3% (odds ratio (OR) = 0.937; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.915, 0.960), 7.7% (OR = 0.923; 95% CI = 0.900, 0.946), and 8.7% (OR = 0.913; 95% CI = 0.889, 0.937), respectively. The interaction analysis showed that low SES and low greenness exacerbate the prevalence of myopia. Findings from longitudinal analyses consistently demonstrated a correlation between higher values of NDVI and a slower progression of myopia. These findings remained robust across sensitivity analyses, including for variables on parental myopia and students' behaviors.
CONCLUSIONS
Exposure to green spaces could play a crucial role in slowing the progression of myopia among school-aged students. Myopia control policies should prioritise young populations residing in low SES areas with limited access to green spaces, as they face the highest potential risks.
Topics: Humans; Myopia; Female; Male; China; Child; Adolescent; Cohort Studies; Students; Socioeconomic Factors; Prevalence; Parks, Recreational; Socioeconomic Disparities in Health; East Asian People
PubMed: 38898796
DOI: 10.7189/jogh.14.04140 -
BMC Pediatrics Jun 2024To compare the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) between hospitalized children who received intravenous contrast media for imaging examinations and those who did not.
OBJECTIVES
To compare the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) between hospitalized children who received intravenous contrast media for imaging examinations and those who did not.
METHODS
This retrospective cohort study enrolled patients aged 0-18 years with serum creatinine levels before and after imaging examinations from 2015 to 2020 at Beijing Children's Hospital. Participants were classified into an exposure group or a control group. Log-binomial regression analysis was used to estimate the adjusted risk ratio (aRR) value for the association between exposure to contrast media and consequential AKI. After which, inverse probability treatment weighting was used to reduce systematic differences in baseline characteristics among the groups. Moreover, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Finally, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for pediatric AKI.
RESULTS
In total, 3061 pediatric patients were included in the analyses (median age, 4.5 [IQR, 1.3-8.9] years, 1760 males). According the KDIGO definition of AKI, the incidence of AKI in the exposure group, and the control group were 7.4% and 6.5%, respectively; furthermore, the aRR was 1.35 (95% CI: 1.31-1.39). In patients underwent CT, the risk of AKI in the exposure group of contrast media increased compared with the control group and the aRR was 1.39 (95% CI: 1.09-1.78). However, it is not observed in patients underwent MRI (aRR: 1.36; 95% CI: 0.96-1.95). According to our subgroup analysis of pediatric patients aged ≥ 2 years (aRR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.05-1.82) and sensitivity analysis (aRR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.08-1.61), the risk of AKI in the exposure group was greater than that in the control group. An increased risk to exposure to contrast media was seen in females (aRR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.05-1.89) rather than males (aRR: 1.30, 95% CI: 0.99-1.70). According to the multivariate logistic regression analyses, the baseline eGFR (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01-1.03) and comorbidities (OR: 2.97; 95% CI: 1.89-4.65) were risk factors, while age (OR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.84-0.91) was a protective factor against AKI.
CONCLUSION
The evidence from the present study suggested that the increased risk of AKI in hospitalized children induced by intravascular contrast should not be ignored.
Topics: Humans; Acute Kidney Injury; Contrast Media; Male; Female; Child, Preschool; Child; Retrospective Studies; Infant; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; China; Risk Factors; Adolescent; Infant, Newborn; Incidence; Hospitalization
PubMed: 38898400
DOI: 10.1186/s12887-024-04875-z -
Vaccine Jun 2024Reactivation of the latent varicella-zoster virus can cause herpes zoster (HZ) infection, and renal transplant recipients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy are...
BACKGROUND
Reactivation of the latent varicella-zoster virus can cause herpes zoster (HZ) infection, and renal transplant recipients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy are particularly susceptible to this condition. This study aims to evaluate the potential increase in HZ incidence following influenza vaccination among this specific patient population.
METHODS
This study was a population-based, retrospective, self-controlled case series. Data were retrieved from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database spanning the years 2008 to 2017. Patients diagnosed with HZ within a 6-month period before and after receiving the influenza vaccine were eligible for inclusion. Two distinct time intervals were defined for analysis: the initial 15 days and 30 days following vaccination were categorized as risk intervals, while all other periods served as control intervals. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were computed to compare HZ incidence during the risk intervals with that during the control intervals.
RESULTS
This study encompassed a cohort of 4,222 renal transplant recipients who had received the influenza vaccine. Among this group, 67 recipients were subsequently diagnosed with HZ. The IRR during both the initial 15 days (IRR = 0.63; 95 % CI, 0.23-1.89) and the first 30 days (IRR = 1.50; 95 % CI, 0.71-3.16) following influenza vaccination did not demonstrate a statistically significant increase when compared to the post-exposure observation times. Comparable results were also observed when comparing these IRR values to the pre-exposure observation times. The subgroup analysis, stratified by age, sex, and underlying medical conditions (including cancer and autoimmune diseases), revealed that the IRRs did not exhibit statistically significant differences.
CONCLUSIONS
No significant association between the influenza vaccine and an elevated risk of HZ was detected. The administration of annual influenza vaccines appears to be a reasonable practice for renal transplant recipients.
PubMed: 38897892
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.06.042 -
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology Jun 2024The incidence and distribution of cutaneous melanoma differs between the sexes, but it is unclear whether these differences have been constant through time or across...
The incidence and distribution of cutaneous melanoma differs between the sexes, but it is unclear whether these differences have been constant through time or across generations. We compared incidence trends by age, sex, and anatomic site by analyzing long-term melanoma data (1982-2018) in three populations residing at high-, moderate- and low- ambient sun exposure: Queensland, Australia; United States White; Scotland. We fit age-period-cohort models and compared trends in the male-to-female incidence rate ratio (IRR) by site and sex. In men, melanoma incidence was always highest on the trunk; in women, incidence was historically highest on limbs, but there have been recent increases in truncal melanoma among females in all populations. The IRR showed excess melanoma in females on the lower limb in most age groups in all populations. In contrast, there was a male excess of melanoma on the trunk (from about age 25 years) and head/neck (from about age 40 years) which increased with age. Birth cohort analyses identified 'turning points' in incidence from high to low incidence among recent birth cohorts, which differed by population and site. Changing exposure to UV radiation is implicated, possibly superimposed upon innate differences between the sexes in site-specific susceptibility.
PubMed: 38897542
DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2024.05.011