-
Health Care Science Jun 2024The exploration of newer antibacterial strategies is driven by antibiotic-resistant microbes that cause serious public health issues. In recent years, nanoscale... (Review)
Review
The exploration of newer antibacterial strategies is driven by antibiotic-resistant microbes that cause serious public health issues. In recent years, nanoscale materials have developed as an alternative method to fight infections. Despite the fact that many nanomaterials have been discovered to be harmful, numerous researchers have shown a keen interest in nanoparticles (NPs) made of noble metals like silver, gold and platinum. To make environmentally safe NPs from plants, green chemistry and nanotechnology have been combined to address the issue of toxicity. The study of bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) has increased tremendously in the past 10 years. The production of BNPs mediated by natural extracts is straightforward, low cost and environmentally friendly. Due to their low toxicity, safety and biological stability, noble BNPs with silver, gold, platinum and palladium have the potential to be used in biomedical applications. They have a significant impact on human health and are used in medicine and pharmacy due to their biological characteristics, which include catalytic, antioxidant, antibacterial, antidiabetic, anticancer, hepatoprotective and regenerative activity.
PubMed: 38947365
DOI: 10.1002/hcs2.96 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2024Heavy metals, ubiquitous in the environment, pose a global public health concern. The correlation between these and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) remains unclear. Our...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Heavy metals, ubiquitous in the environment, pose a global public health concern. The correlation between these and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) remains unclear. Our objective was to explore the correlation between heavy metal exposures and the incidence of DKD.
METHODS
We analyzed data from the NHANES (2005-2020), using machine learning, and cross-sectional survey. Our study also involved a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.
RESULTS
Machine learning reveals correlation coefficients of -0.5059 and - 0.6510 for urinary Ba and urinary Tl with DKD, respectively. Multifactorial logistic regression implicates urinary Ba, urinary Pb, blood Cd, and blood Pb as potential associates of DKD. When adjusted for all covariates, the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals are 0.87 (0.78, 0.98) ( = 0.023), 0.70 (0.53, 0.92) ( = 0.012), 0.53 (0.34, 0.82) ( = 0.005), and 0.76 (0.64, 0.90) ( = 0.002) in order. Furthermore, multiplicative interactions between urinary Ba and urinary Sb, urinary Cd and urinary Co, urinary Cd and urinary Pb, and blood Cd and blood Hg might be present. Among the diabetic population, the OR of urinary Tl with DKD is a mere 0.10, with a 95%CI of (0.01, 0.74), urinary Co 0.73 (0.54, 0.98) in Model 3, and urinary Pb 0.72 (0.55, 0.95) in Model 2. Restricted Cubic Splines (RCS) indicate a linear linkage between blood Cd in the general population and urinary Co, urinary Pb, and urinary Tl with DKD among diabetics. An observable trend effect is present between urinary Pb and urinary Tl with DKD. MR analysis reveals odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of 1.16 (1.03, 1.32) ( = 0.018) and 1.17 (1.00, 1.36) ( = 0.044) for blood Cd and blood Mn, respectively.
CONCLUSION
In the general population, urinary Ba demonstrates a nonlinear inverse association with DKD, whereas in the diabetic population, urinary Tl displays a linear inverse relationship with DKD.
Topics: Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Mendelian Randomization Analysis; Machine Learning; Metals, Heavy; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Diabetic Nephropathies; Adult; Environmental Exposure; Nutrition Surveys; Aged
PubMed: 38947355
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1367061 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2024The recent trend of global warming poses a significant threat to ecosystems worldwide. This global climate change has also impacted the pollution levels in aquatic...
The recent trend of global warming poses a significant threat to ecosystems worldwide. This global climate change has also impacted the pollution levels in aquatic ecosystems, subsequently affecting human health. To address these issues, an experiment was conducted to investigate the mitigating effects of iron nanoparticles (Fe-NPs) on arsenic and ammonia toxicity as well as high temperature stress (As+NH+T). Fe-NPs were biologically synthesized using fish waste and incorporated into feed formulations at 10, 15, and 20 mg kg diet. A total of 12 treatments were designed in triplicate following a completely randomized design involving 540 fish. Fe-NPs at 15 mg kg diet notably reduced the cortisol levels in fish exposed to multiple stressors. The gene expressions of , damage-inducible protein (), and DNA damage were upregulated by stressors (As+NH+T) and downregulated by Fe-NPs. Apoptotic genes ( and ) and detoxifying genes (), metallothionein (), and inducible nitric oxide synthase () were downregulated by Fe-NPs at 15 mg kg diet in fish subjected to As+NH+T stress. Immune-related genes such as tumor necrosis factor (), immunoglobulin (), and interleukin () were upregulated by Fe-NPs, indicating enhanced immunity in fish under As+NH+T stress. Conversely, Toll-like receptor () expression was notably downregulated by Fe-NPs at 15 mg kg diet in fish under As+NH+T stress. Immunological attributes such as nitro blue tetrazolium chloride, total protein, albumin, globulin, A:G ratio, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were improved by dietary Fe-NPs at 15 mg kg diet in fish, regardless of stressors. The antioxidant genes (, , and ) were also strengthened by Fe-NPs in fish. Genes associated with growth performance, such as growth hormone regulator ( and ), growth hormone (), and insulin-like growth factor ( and ), were upregulated, enhancing fish growth under stress, while and were downregulated by Fe-NPs in the diet. Various growth performance indicators were improved by dietary Fe-NPs at 15 mg kg diet. Notably, Fe-NPs also enhanced arsenic detoxification and reduced the cumulative mortality after a bacterial infection. In conclusion, this study highlights that dietary Fe-NPs can effectively mitigate arsenic and ammonia toxicity as well as high temperature stress by modulating gene expression in fish.
Topics: Animals; Gene Expression Regulation; Iron; Fishes; Stress, Physiological; Metal Nanoparticles; Arsenic
PubMed: 38947331
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1410150 -
Frontiers in Medicine 2024Purse-string suture with nylon cords and metal clips under the endoscope is a novel therapeutic technique which is minimally invasive and it is particularly indicated...
Purse-string suture with nylon cords and metal clips under the endoscope is a novel therapeutic technique which is minimally invasive and it is particularly indicated for the closure and repair of gastrointestinal fistula or perforations such as duodenal fistulae. Duodenal fistulae are often caused by medical manipulation, disease progression or trauma. Once this occurs, it leads to a series of pathophysiologic changes and a variety of complications. In most cases, these complications will exacerbate the damage to the organism, and the complications are difficult to treat and can lead to infections, nutrient loss, multi-organ dysfunction and many other adverse effects. In this case report, the use of endoscopic nylon cords combined with purse-string suture and metal clips in the treatment of duodenal fistula is presented and discussed. The patient was treated with endoscopic purse-string suture and the duodenal fistula was significantly improved. The results indicate that endoscopic purse-string suture is an effective strategy for the treatment of duodenal fistulae.
PubMed: 38947235
DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1403218 -
ACS Central Science Jun 2024Metalloporphyrins are widely used as homogeneous electrocatalysts for transformations relevant to clean energy and sustainable organic synthesis. Metalloporphyrins are...
Metalloporphyrins are widely used as homogeneous electrocatalysts for transformations relevant to clean energy and sustainable organic synthesis. Metalloporphyrins are well-known to aggregate due to π-π stacking, but surprisingly, the influence of aggregation on homogeneous electrocatalytic performance has not been investigated previously. Herein, we present three structurally related iron -phenylporphyrins whose aggregation properties are different in commonly used ,-dimethylformamide (DMF) electrolyte. Both spectroscopy and light scattering provide evidence of extensive porphyrin aggregation under conventional electrocatalytic conditions. Using the electrocatalytic reduction of CO to CO as a test reaction, cyclic voltammetry reveals an inverse dependence of the kinetics on the catalyst concentration. The inhibition extends to bulk performance, where up to 75% of the catalyst at 1 mM is inactive compared to at 0.25 mM. We additionally report how aggregation is perturbed by organic additives, axial ligands, and redox state. Periodic boundary calculations provide additional insights into aggregate stability as a function of metalloporphyrin structure. Finally, we generalize the aggregation phenomenon by surveying metalloporphyrins with different metals and substituents. This study demonstrates that homogeneous metalloporphyrins can aggregate severely in well-solubilizing organic electrolytes, that aggregation can be easily modulated through experimental conditions, and that the extent of aggregation must be considered for accurate catalytic benchmarking.
PubMed: 38947202
DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.4c00121 -
ACS Central Science Jun 2024Directing groups guide substitution patterns in organic synthetic schemes, but little is known about pathways to control reactivity patterns, such as regioselectivity,...
Directing groups guide substitution patterns in organic synthetic schemes, but little is known about pathways to control reactivity patterns, such as regioselectivity, in complex inorganic systems such as bioinorganic cofactors or extended surfaces. Interadsorbate effects are known to encode surface reactivity patterns in inorganic materials, modulating the location and binding strength of ligands. However, owing to limited experimental resolution into complex inorganic structures, there is little opportunity to resolve these effects on the atomic scale. Here, we utilize an atomically precise Fe/Co/Se nanocluster platform, [Fe(L)CoSeL'] ([(L)]; L = CN Bu, THF; L' = PhPNTol), in which allosteric interadsorbate effects give rise to pronounced site-differentiation. Using a combination of spectroscopic techniques and single-crystal X-ray diffractometry, we discover that coordination of THF at the ligand-free Fe site in [(CN Bu)] sets off a domino effect wherein allosteric through-cluster interactions promote the regioselective dissociation of CN Bu at a neighboring Fe site. Computational analysis reveals that this active site correlation is a result of delocalized Fe···Se···Co···Se covalent interactions that intertwine edge sites on the same cluster face. This study provides an unprecedented atom-scale glimpse into how interfacial metal-support interactions mediate a collective and regiospecific path for substrate exchange across multiple active sites.
PubMed: 38947197
DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.4c00210 -
Endoscopic Ultrasound 2024Previous studies showed that lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) provides a feasible route to perform direct endoscopic necrosectomy. However, the high risk of bleeding...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Previous studies showed that lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) provides a feasible route to perform direct endoscopic necrosectomy. However, the high risk of bleeding and migration induced by the placement of LAMS attracted attention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a novel LAMS.
METHODS
In this retrospective study, we enrolled patients with symptomatic pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) to perform EUS-guided drainage with a LAMS in our hospital. Evaluation variables included technical success rate, clinical success rate, and adverse events.
RESULTS
Thirty-two patients with a mean age of 41.38 ± 10.72 years (53.1% males) were included in our study, and the mean size of PFC was 10.06 ± 3.03 cm. Technical success rate and clinical success rate reached 96.9% and 93.8%, respectively. Stent migration occurred in 1 patient (3.1%), and no stent-induced bleeding occurred. The outcomes of using LAMS in 10 patients with pancreatic pseudocyst and 22 patients with walled-off necrosis were comparable. Compared with pancreatic pseudocyst, walled-off necrosis needed more direct endoscopic necrosectomy times to achieve resolution ( = 0.024).
CONCLUSIONS
Our study showed that the novel LAMS is effective and safe for endoscopic drainage of PFCs with a relatively low rate of adverse events. Further large-scale multicenter studies are needed to confirm the present findings.
PubMed: 38947119
DOI: 10.1097/eus.0000000000000039 -
MedRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Jun 2024Scarce knowledge about the impact of metabolism-disrupting chemicals (MDCs) on liver injury limits opportunities for intervention. We evaluated pregnancy MDC-mixture...
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Scarce knowledge about the impact of metabolism-disrupting chemicals (MDCs) on liver injury limits opportunities for intervention. We evaluated pregnancy MDC-mixture associations with liver injury and effect modification by folic acid (FA) supplementation in mother-child pairs.
METHODS
We studied ∼200 mother-child pairs from the Mexican PROGRESS cohort, with measured 43 MDCs during pregnancy (estimated air pollutants, blood/urine metals or metalloids, urine high- and low-molecular-weight phthalate [HMWPs, LMWPs] and organophosphate-pesticide [OP] metabolites), and serum liver enzymes (ALT, AST) at ∼9 years post-parturition. We defined liver injury as elevated liver enzymes in children, and using established clinical scores for steatosis and fibrosis in mothers (i.e., AST:ALT, FLI, HSI, FIB-4). Bayesian Weighted Quantile Sum regression assessed MDC-mixture associations with liver injury outcomes. We further examined chemical-chemical interactions and effect modification by self-reported FA supplementation.
RESULTS
In children, many MDC-mixtures were associated with liver injury outcomes. Per quartile HMWP-mixture increase, ALT increased by 10.1% (95%CI: 1.67%, 19.4%) and AST by 5.27% (95% CI: 0.80%, 10.1%). LMWP-mixtures and air pollutant-mixtures were associated with higher AST and ALT, respectively. Air pollutant and non-essential metal/element associations with liver enzymes were attenuated by maternal cobalt blood concentrations ( -interactions<0.05). In mothers, only the LMWP-mixture was associated with liver injury [OR=1.53 (95%CI: 1.01, 2.28) for HSI>36, and OR=1.62 (95%CI: 1.05, 2.49) for AST:ALT<1]. In mothers and children, most associations were attenuated (null) at FA supplementation≥600mcg/day ( -interactions<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Pregnancy MDC exposures may increase liver injury risk, particularly in children. These associations may be attenuated by higher FA supplementation and maternal cobalt levels.
PubMed: 38947077
DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.13.24308903 -
Research Square Jun 2024The assessment of heavy metals' effects on human health is frequently limited to investigating one metal or a group of related metals. The effect of heavy metals...
The assessment of heavy metals' effects on human health is frequently limited to investigating one metal or a group of related metals. The effect of heavy metals mixture on heart attack is unknown. This study applied the Bayesian kernel machine regression model (BKMR) to the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data to investigate the association between heavy metal mixture exposure with heart attack. 2972 participants over the age of 20 were included in the study. Results indicate that heart attack patients have higher levels of cadmium and lead in the blood and cadmium, cobalt, and tin in the urine, while having lower levels of mercury, manganese, and selenium in the blood and manganese, barium, tungsten, and strontium in the urine. The estimated risk of heart attack showed a negative association of 0.0030 units when all the metals were at their 25 percentile compared to their 50 percentile and a positive association of 0.0285 units when all the metals were at their 75 percentile compared to their 50 percentile. The results suggest that heavy metal exposure, especially cadmium and lead, may increase the risk of heart attacks. This study suggests a possible association between heavy metal mixture exposure and heart attack and, additionally, demonstrates how the BKMR model can be used to investigate new combinations of exposures in future studies.
PubMed: 38946989
DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4456611/v1 -
Research Square Jun 2024Human manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) plays a crucial role in controlling levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by converting superoxide (O ) to molecular...
Human manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) plays a crucial role in controlling levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by converting superoxide (O ) to molecular oxygen (O ) and hydrogen peroxide (H O ) with proton-coupled electron transfers (PCETs). The reactivity of human MnSOD is determined by the state of a key catalytic residue, Tyr34, that becomes post-translationally inactivated by nitration in various diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. We previously reported that Tyr34 has an unusual pK due to its proximity to the Mn metal and undergoes cyclic deprotonation and protonation events to promote the electron transfers of MnSOD. To shed light on the role of Tyr34 MnSOD catalysis, we performed neutron diffraction, X-ray spectroscopy, and quantum chemistry calculations of Tyr34Phe MnSOD in various enzymatic states. The data identifies the contributions of Tyr34 in MnSOD activity that support mitochondrial function and presents a thorough characterization of how a single tyrosine modulates PCET catalysis.
PubMed: 38946943
DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4494128/v1