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Scientific Reports Jun 2024The aim of the present study was to assess the drinking water quality in the selected urban areas of Lahore and to comprehend the public health status by addressing the...
The aim of the present study was to assess the drinking water quality in the selected urban areas of Lahore and to comprehend the public health status by addressing the basic drinking water quality parameters. Total 50 tap water samples were collected from groundwater in the two selected areas of district Lahore i.e., Gulshan-e-Ravi (site 1) and Samanabad (site 2). Water samples were analyzed in the laboratory to elucidate physico-chemical parameters including pH, turbidity, temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), total hardness, magnesium hardness, and calcium hardness. These physico-chemical parameters were used to examine the Water Quality Index (WQI) and Synthetic Pollution Index (SPI) in order to characterize the water quality. Results of th selected physico-chemical parameters were compared with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines to determine the quality of drinking water. A GIS-based approach was used for mapping water quality, WQI, and SPI. Results of the present study revealed that the average value of temperature, pH, and DO of both study sites were within the WHO guidelines of 23.5 °C, 7.7, and 6.9 mg/L, respectively. The TDS level of site 1 was 192.56 mg/L (within WHO guidelines) and whereas, in site 2 it was found 612.84 mg/L (higher than WHO guidelines), respectively. Calcium hardness of site 1 and site 2 was observed within the range from 25.04 to 65.732 mg/L but, magnesium hardness values were higher than WHO guidelines. The major reason for poor water quality is old, worn-out water supply pipelines and improper waste disposal in the selected areas. The average WQI was found as 59.66 for site 1 and 77.30 for site 2. Results showed that the quality of the water was classified as "poor" for site 1 and "very poor " for site 2. There is a need to address the problem of poor water quality and also raise the public awareness about the quality of drinking water and its associated health impacts.
Topics: Drinking Water; Water Quality; Pakistan; Environmental Monitoring; Cities; Geographic Information Systems; Groundwater; Humans; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Pollution; Water Supply
PubMed: 38862670
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63296-1 -
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Jul 2024Sertoli cells (SCs) maintain testicular homeostasis and promote spermatogenesis by forming the blood-testis barrier (BTB) and secreting growth factors. The...
Sertoli cells (SCs) maintain testicular homeostasis and promote spermatogenesis by forming the blood-testis barrier (BTB) and secreting growth factors. The pro-proliferative and anti-apoptotic effects of nerve growth factor (NGF) on SCs have been proved previously. It is still unclear whether the damage effect of arsenic on testis is related to the inhibition of NGF expression, and whether NGF can mitigate arsenic-induced testicular damage by decreasing the damage of SCs induced by arsenic. Here, the lower expression of NGF in testes of arsenic exposed mice (freely drinking water containing 15 mg/l of NaAsO) was observed through detection of Western blot and Real-time PCR. Subsequently, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, Evans blue staining and transmission electron microscopy were used to evaluate the pathology, BTB permeability and tight junction integrity in testes of control mice, arsenic exposed mice (freely drinking water containing 15 mg/l of NaAsO) and arsenic + NGF treated mice (freely drinking water containing 15 mg/l of NaAsO + intraperitoneal injection with 30 μg/kg of NGF), respectively. Evidently, spermatogenic tubule epithelial cells in testis of arsenic exposed mice were disordered and the number of cell layers was reduced, accompanied by increased permeability and damaged integrity of the tight junction in BTB, but these changes were less obvious in testes of mice treated with arsenic + NGF. In addition, the sperm count, motility and malformation rate of mice treated with arsenic + NGF were also improved. On the basis of the above experiments, the viability and apoptosis of primary cultured SCs treated with arsenic (10 μM NaAsO) or arsenic + NGF (10 μM NaAsO + 100 ng/mL NGF) were detected by Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and transferase-mediated DUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining, respectively. It is found that NGF ameliorated the decline of growth activity and the increase of apoptosis in arsenic-induced SCs. This remarkable biological effect that NGF inhibited the increase of Bax expression and the decrease of Bcl-2 expression in arsenic-induced SCs was also determined by western blot and Real-time PCR. Moreover, the decrease in transmembrane resistance (TEER) and the expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and occludin was mitigated in SCs induced by arsenic due to NGF treatment. In conclusion, the above results confirmed that NGF could ameliorate the injury effects of arsenic on testis, which might be related to the function of NGF to inhibit arsenic-induced SCs injury.
Topics: Animals; Male; Sertoli Cells; Nerve Growth Factor; Mice; Arsenic; Testis; Blood-Testis Barrier; Spermatogenesis; Apoptosis; Tight Junctions
PubMed: 38861803
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116578 -
Environmental Health : a Global Access... Jun 2024Several legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been regulated around the world. There is growing concern over the proliferation of...
Serum concentrations of legacy, alternative, and precursor per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: a descriptive analysis of adult female participants in the MIREC-ENDO study.
BACKGROUND
Several legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been regulated around the world. There is growing concern over the proliferation of alternative PFAS, as well as PFAS precursors. Biomonitoring data for PFAS are critical for assessing exposure and human health risk.
METHODS
We collected serum samples from 289 adult female participants in a 2018-2021 follow-up study of the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) Canadian pregnancy cohort. Samples were analyzed for 40 PFAS using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. For those compounds with > 50% detection, as well as the sum of these compounds, we describe serum concentrations and patterns of exposure according to sociodemographic and obstetrical history characteristics.
RESULTS
17 out of 40 PFAS were detected in > 50% of samples with 7 of these detected in > 97% of samples. Median [95th percentile] concentrations (µg/L) were highest for PFOS (1.62 [4.56]), PFOA (0.69 [1.52]), PFNA (0.38 [0.81]), and PFHxS (0.33 [0.92]). Geometric mean concentrations of PFOA and PFHxS were approximately 2-fold lower among those with more children (≥ 3 vs. 1), greater number of children breastfed (≥ 3 vs. ≤ 1), longer lifetime duration of breastfeeding (> 4 years vs. ≤ 9 months), and shorter time since last pregnancy (≤ 4 years vs. > 8 years). We observed similar patterns for PFOS, PFHpS, and the sum of 17 PFAS, though the differences between groups were smaller. Concentrations of PFOA were higher among "White" participants, while concentrations of N-MeFOSE, N-EtFOSE, 7:3 FTCA, and 4:2 FTS were slightly higher among participants reporting a race or ethnicity other than "White". Concentrations of legacy, alternative, and precursor PFAS were generally similar across levels of age, education, household income, body mass index, and menopausal status.
CONCLUSIONS
We report the first Canadian biomonitoring data for several alternative and precursor PFAS. Our findings suggest that exposure to PFAS, including several emerging alternatives, may be widespread. Our results are consistent with previous studies showing that pregnancy and breastfeeding are excretion pathways for PFAS.
Topics: Humans; Female; Fluorocarbons; Adult; Environmental Pollutants; Canada; Biological Monitoring; Pregnancy; Young Adult; Cohort Studies
PubMed: 38858670
DOI: 10.1186/s12940-024-01085-z -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2024DNA extraction yield from drinking water distribution systems and premise plumbing is a key metric for any downstream analysis such as 16S amplicon or metagenomics...
DNA extraction yield from drinking water distribution systems and premise plumbing is a key metric for any downstream analysis such as 16S amplicon or metagenomics sequencing. This research aimed to optimize DNA yield from low-biomass (chlorinated) reverse osmosis-produced tap water by evaluating the impact of different factors during the DNA extraction procedure. The factors examined are (1) the impact of membrane materials and their pore sizes; (2) the impact of different cell densities; and (3) an alternative method for enhancing DNA yield via incubation (no nutrient spiking). DNA from a one-liter sampling volume of RO tap water with varying bacterial cell densities was extracted with five different filter membranes (mixed ester cellulose 0.2 μm, polycarbonate 0.2 μm, polyethersulfone 0.2 and 0.1 μm, polyvinylidene fluoride 0.1 μm) for biomass filtration. Our results show that (i) smaller membrane pore size solely did not increase the DNA yield of low-biomass RO tap water; (ii) the DNA yield was proportional to the cell density and substantially dependent on the filter membrane properties (i.e., the membrane materials and their pore sizes); (iii) by using our optimized DNA extraction protocol, we found that polycarbonate filter membrane with 0.2 μm pore size markedly outperformed in terms of quantity (DNA yield) and quality (background level of 16S gene copy number) of recovered microbial DNA; and finally, (iv) for one-liter sampling volume, incubation strategy enhanced the DNA yield and enabled accurate identification of the core members (i.e., and as the most abundant indicator taxa) of the bacterial community in low-biomass RO tap water. Importantly, incorporating multiple controls is crucial to distinguish between contaminant/artefactual and true taxa in amplicon sequencing studies of low-biomass RO tap water.
PubMed: 38855767
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1339844 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2024Human infections with the food-borne enteropathogen are responsible for increasing incidences of acute campylobacteriosis cases worldwide. Since antibiotic treatment is...
INTRODUCTION
Human infections with the food-borne enteropathogen are responsible for increasing incidences of acute campylobacteriosis cases worldwide. Since antibiotic treatment is usually not indicated and the severity of the enteritis directly correlates with the risk of developing serious autoimmune disease later-on, novel antibiotics-independent intervention strategies with non-toxic compounds to ameliorate and even prevent campylobacteriosis are utmost wanted. Given its known pleiotropic health-promoting properties, curcumin constitutes such a promising candidate molecule. In our actual preclinical placebo-controlled intervention trial, we tested the anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effects of oral curcumin pretreatment during acute experimental campylobacteriosis.
METHODS
Therefore, secondary abiotic IL-10 mice were challenged with synthetic curcumin via the drinking water starting a week prior oral infection. To assess anti-pathogenic, clinical, immune-modulatory, and functional effects of curcumin prophylaxis, gastrointestinal bacteria were cultured, clinical signs and colonic histopathological changes quantitated, pro-inflammatory immune cell responses determined by immunohistochemistry and intestinal, extra-intestinal and systemic pro-inflammatory mediator measurements, and finally, intestinal epithelial barrier function tested by electrophysiological resistance analysis of colonic biopsies in the Ussing chamber.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Whereas placebo counterparts were suffering from severe enterocolitis characterized by wasting symptoms and bloody diarrhea on day 6 post-infection, curcumin pretreated mice, however, were clinically far less compromised and displayed less severe microscopic inflammatory sequelae such as histopathological changes and epithelial cell apoptosis in the colon. In addition, curcumin pretreatment could mitigate pro-inflammatory innate and adaptive immune responses in the intestinal tract and importantly, rescue colonic epithelial barrier integrity upon infection. Remarkably, the disease-mitigating effects of exogenous curcumin was also observed in organs beyond the infected intestines and strikingly, even systemically given basal hepatic, renal, and serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory mediators measured in curcumin pretreated mice on day 6 post-infection. In conclusion, the anti- and disease-mitigating including anti-inflammatory effects upon oral curcumin application observed here highlight the polyphenolic compound as a promising antibiotics-independent option for the prevention from severe acute campylobacteriosis and its potential post-infectious complications.
Topics: Animals; Curcumin; Campylobacter Infections; Mice; Campylobacter jejuni; Administration, Oral; Mice, Knockout; Disease Models, Animal; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Interleukin-10; Acute Disease; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 38855111
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1363457 -
ACS Omega Jun 2024In the present work, an extract of leaves was used to synthesize an alumina/NiO nanocomposite by the coprecipitation method. First, the shape and surface content of the...
In the present work, an extract of leaves was used to synthesize an alumina/NiO nanocomposite by the coprecipitation method. First, the shape and surface content of the synthesized adsorbent were determined. Scanning electron microscopy images showed the production of nanospheres and nanorods with sizes between 35 and 50 nm. X-ray diffraction measurement revealed strong, high-intensity peaks, confirming the preparation of a highly crystalline alumina/nickel oxide nanocomposite. Then, the pure nanoalumina, nickel oxide, and functionalized alumina/nickel oxide nanocomposite for water defluoridation were investigated under various conditions, for example, stirring period, pH, and initial fluoride concentration. Defluoridation with greener alumina, nickel oxide, and alumina/nickel oxide nanocomposite lasted 120 min at adsorbent dosages of 0.8 g/L in a pH 7 solution. The adoption process for the three sorbents matches the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The process dynamics were explored using pseudo-second-order and first-order kinetics. The water quality after treatment met drinking water requirements, proving the viability of using nanoparticles for drinking water defluoridation. This work confirmed effective water defluoridation in the crystalline phase using synthesized nanoalumina, nickel oxide, and their nanocomposite, which highlights their importance for future drinking water defluoridation.
PubMed: 38854543
DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c09076 -
BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Jun 2024A better understanding of nicotine neurobiology is needed to reduce or prevent chronic addiction, ameliorate the detrimental effects of nicotine withdrawal, and increase...
A better understanding of nicotine neurobiology is needed to reduce or prevent chronic addiction, ameliorate the detrimental effects of nicotine withdrawal, and increase successful cessation of use. Nicotine binds and activates two astrocyte-expressed nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), α4β2 and α7. We recently found that ( or ) expression is restricted to astrocytes in mice and humans. To determine if AKT2 plays a role in astrocytic nicotinic responses, we generated astrocyte-specific conditional knockout (cKO) and full KO mice for and experiments. For studies, we examined mice exposed to chronic nicotine for two weeks in drinking water (200 μg/mL) and following acute nicotine challenge (0.09, 0.2 mg/kg) after 24 hrs. Our studies used cultured mouse astrocytes to measure nicotine-dependent astrocytic responses. We validated our approaches using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure inducing astrogliosis. Sholl analysis was used to measure glial fibrillary acidic protein responses in astrocytes. Our data show that wild-type (WT) mice exhibit increased astrocyte morphological complexity during acute nicotine exposure, with decreasing complexity during chronic nicotine use, whereas cKO mice showed increased astrocyte morphology complexity. In culture, we found that 100μM nicotine was sufficient for morphological changes and blocking α7 or α4β2 nAChRs prevented observed morphologic changes. Finally, we performed conditioned place preference (CPP) in cKO mice and found that astrocytic AKT2 deficiency reduced nicotine preference compared to controls. These findings show the importance of nAChRs and signaling in the astrocytic response to nicotine.
PubMed: 38854016
DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.31.596856 -
Korean Journal of Family Medicine Jun 2024This study aimed to determine the link between water consumption and abdominal obesity in individuals aged 19 years and above, utilizing a sample from the 8th Korea...
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to determine the link between water consumption and abdominal obesity in individuals aged 19 years and above, utilizing a sample from the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
METHODS
Participants were divided into two groups based on their water intake: those meeting adequate intake (≥5 cups for men and ≥4 cups for women) and those with inadequate intake (<5 cups for men and <4 cups for women). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for potential confounders.
RESULTS
Compared with the inadequate water intake group, the adequate water intake group showed a lower adjusted OR for abdominal obesity (adjusted OR, 0.874; 95% CI, 0.770-0.992). In the subgroup analysis, the adjusted OR for abdominal obesity in the 19-39 age group was 0.712 (95% CI, 0.520-0.974). However, no significant association was observed in the 40-64 and 65 or higher age groups.
CONCLUSION
Our findings indicate that sufficient water consumption may be negatively associated with abdominal obesity in adults, particularly among young adults; however, this association may not extend to older age groups.
PubMed: 38853445
DOI: 10.4082/kjfm.23.0277 -
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy =... Jul 2024The metastasis of tumors into bone tissue typically leads to intractable pain that is both very disabling and particularly difficult to manage. We investigated here...
BACKGROUND
The metastasis of tumors into bone tissue typically leads to intractable pain that is both very disabling and particularly difficult to manage. We investigated here whether riluzole could have beneficial effects for the treatment of prostate cancer-induced bone pain and how it could influence the development of bone metastasis.
METHODS
We used a bone pain model induced by intratibial injection of human PC3 prostate cancer cells into male SCID mice treated or not with riluzole administered in drinking water. We also used riluzole in vitro to assess its possible effect on PC3 cell viability and functionality, using patch-clamp.
RESULTS
Riluzole had a significant preventive effect on both evoked and spontaneous pain involving the TREK-1 potassium channel. Riluzole did not interfere with PC3-induced bone loss or bone remodeling in vivo. It also significantly decreased PC3 cell viability in vitro. The antiproliferative effect of riluzole is correlated with a TREK-1-dependent membrane hyperpolarization in these cells.
CONCLUSION
The present data suggest that riluzole could be very useful to manage evoked and spontaneous hypersensitivity in cancer-induced bone pain and has no significant adverse effect on cancer progression.
Topics: Riluzole; Animals; Potassium Channels, Tandem Pore Domain; Male; Bone Neoplasms; Humans; Cancer Pain; Mice, SCID; Analgesics; Cell Proliferation; PC-3 Cells; Mice; Cell Survival; Prostatic Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor
PubMed: 38852511
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116887 -
Water Research Aug 2024Anthropogenic gadolinium from MRI contrast agents has been detected in surface waters worldwide. It is released with the treated effluents of wastewater treatment...
Impacts of COVID-19 and climate change on wastewater-derived substances in urban drinking water: Evidence from gadolinium-based contrast agents in tap water from Berlin, Germany.
Anthropogenic gadolinium from MRI contrast agents has been detected in surface waters worldwide. It is released with the treated effluents of wastewater treatment plants, similar to other wastewater-derived substances (WWDS) such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products. We determined concentrations of the rare earth elements in tap water from Berlin, Germany, using an automated preconcentration procedure that is both time- and cost-efficient. Anthropogenic gadolinium concentrations in Berlin's tap water increased on average 30-fold between 2009 and 2021. However, the tap water composition responded quickly to the reduced number of MRI scans during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some districts show a decrease from 2016 to 2021. Since climate change causes groundwater levels to decline in many regions, this needs to be mitigated by artificial groundwater recharge with surface water. This will inevitably lead to an increase in WWDS in potable water, which can be cost-efficiently monitored using anthropogenic gadolinium as tracer.
Topics: Gadolinium; COVID-19; Contrast Media; Wastewater; Climate Change; Drinking Water; Berlin; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Humans; Germany; SARS-CoV-2; Environmental Monitoring
PubMed: 38852394
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121847