Human health risk assessment of heavy metals in the soil–<i>Panax notoginseng</i> system in Yunnan province, China

<p>In this study, a total of 69 topsoil samples and 10 <i>Panax notoginseng</i> samples from Yunnan Province were collected and the concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn in all the samples were determined. The hazard index (HI), total carcinogenic risk (TCR) and estimated daily intake (EDI) of heavy metals were calculated to assess the health risk of <i>P. notoginseng</i> growers and consumers. The average concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn in <i>P. notoginseng</i> planting soils are 43.6, 0.55, 50.8, 0.30, 73.4, 58.2, and 161 mg/kg, respectively. The average Nemerow integrated pollution index of heavy metals in soils is 1.8, indicating that the <i>P. notoginseng</i> planting soils are slightly polluted by those heavy metals. The average HI value is 1.29 and the TCR value of As is above the threshold value, suggesting that As pollution in soil has adverse impact on local growers' health. <i>P. notoginseng</i> is polluted by Cd, As and Pb. 39.1% of estimated daily intakes of As for <i>P. notoginseng</i> consumers through leaf consumption exceeding its permitted daily exposure dosages, suggesting that there is a potential health risk for <i>P. notoginseng</i> consumers to consume <i>P. notoginseng</i> leaves.</p

Phytoremediation of diphenylarsinic-acid-contaminated soil by <i>Pteris vittata</i> associated with <i>Phyllobacterium myrsinacearum</i> RC6b

<p>A pot experiment was conducted to explore the phytoremediation of a diphenylarsinic acid (DPAA)-spiked soil using <i>Pteris vittata</i> associated with exogenous <i>Phyllobacterium myrsinacearum</i> RC6b. Removal of DPAA from the soil, soil enzyme activities, and the functional diversity of the soil microbial community were evaluated. DPAA concentrations in soil treated with the fern or the bacterium were 35–47% lower than that in the control and were lowest in soil treated with <i>P. vittata</i> and <i>P. myrsinacearum</i> together. The presence of the bacterium added in the soil significantly increased the plant growth and DPAA accumulation. In addition, the activities of dehydrogenase and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis and the average well-color development values increased by 41–91%, 37–78%, and 35–73%, respectively, in the treatments with <i>P. vittata</i> and/or <i>P. myrsinacearum</i> compared with the control, with the highest increase in the presence of <i>P. vittata</i> and <i>P. myrsinacearum</i> together. Both fern and bacterium alone greatly enhanced the removal of DPAA and the recovery of soil ecological function and these effects were further enhanced by <i>P. vittata</i> and <i>P. myrsinacearum</i> together. Our findings provide a new strategy for remediation of DPAA-contaminated soil by using a hyperaccumulator/microbial inoculant alternative to traditional physicochemical method or biological degradation.</p

Coupling between Nitrogen Fixation and Tetrachlorobiphenyl Dechlorination in a Rhizobium–Legume Symbiosis

Legume–rhizobium symbioses have the potential to remediate soils contaminated with chlorinated organic compounds. Here, the model symbiosis between <i>Medicago sativa</i> and <i>Sinorhizobium meliloti</i> was used to explore the relationships between symbiotic nitrogen fixation and transformation of tetrachlorobiphenyl PCB 77 within this association. 45-day-old seedlings in vermiculite were pretreated with 5 mg L^–1 PCB 77 for 5 days. In PCB-supplemented nodules, addition of the nitrogenase enhancer molybdate significantly stimulated dechlorination by 7.2-fold and reduced tissue accumulation of PCB 77 (roots by 96% and nodules by 93%). Conversely, dechlorination decreased in plants exposed to a nitrogenase inhibitor (nitrate) or harboring nitrogenase-deficient symbionts (<i>nifA</i> mutant) by 29% and 72%, respectively. A range of dechlorinated products (biphenyl, methylbiphenyls, hydroxylbiphenyls, and trichlorobiphenyl derivatives) were detected within nodules and roots under nitrogen-fixing conditions. Levels of nitrogenase-derived hydrogen and leghemoglobin expression correlated positively with nodular dechlorination rates, suggesting a more reducing environment promotes PCB dechlorination. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that symbiotic nitrogen fixation acts as a driving force for tetrachlorobiphenyl dechlorination. In turn, this opens new possibilities for using rhizobia to enhance phytoremediation of halogenated organic compounds

Multimolecular characteristics of cell-death related hub genes in human cancers: a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis

Failure of the normal process of cell death pathways contributes to the defection of immune systems and the occurrence of cancers. The key genes, the multimolecular mechanisms, and the immune functions of these genes in pan-cancers remain unclear. Using online databases of The Cancer Genome Atlas, GEPIA2, TISIDB, HPA, Kaplan-Meier Plotter, PrognoScan, cBioPortal, GSCALite, TIMER, and Sangerbox, we identified the key genes from the six primary cell death-related pathways and performed a comprehensive analysis to investigate the multimolecular characteristics and immunological functions of the hub genes in 33 human cancers. We identified five hub genes in the six primary cell death-related pathways (JUN, NFKB1, CASP3, PARP1, and TP53). We found that CASP3, PARP1, and TP53 were overexpressed in 28, 23, and 27 cancers. The expression of the five genes was associated with the development and prognosis of many cancers. Particularly, JUN, NFKB1, CASP3, and TP53 have prognostic values in Brain Lower Grade Glioma (LGG), while PARP1 and CASP3 could predict the survival outcomes in Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). In addition, an extensive association between five genes’ expression, DNA methylation, and tumor-immune system interactions was noticed. The five cell death-related hub genes could function as potential biomarkers for various cancers, particularly LGG and ACC. The immunological function analysis of the five genes also proposes new targets for developing immunosuppressants and improving the immunotherapy efficacy of cancers. However, further extensive clinical and experimental research are required to validate their clinical values.</p

Supplemental Material - <b>Associations of RPEL1 and miR-1307 gene polymorphisms with disease susceptibility, glucocorticoid efficacy, anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life in Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus patients</b>

Supplemental Material for Associations of RPEL1 and miR-1307 gene polymorphisms with disease susceptibility, glucocorticoid efficacy, anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life in Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus patients by Zi-Ye Yan, Wan-Qin Hu, Qi-Qun Zong, Guang-Hui Yu, Chun-Xia Zhai, Lin-Lin Wang, Yu-Hua Wang, Ting-Yu Zhang, Zhen Li, Ying Teng, Jing Cai, Yang-Fan Chen, Mu Li, Zhou-Zhou Xu, Fa-Ming Pan, Hai-Feng Pan, Hong Su, and Yan-Feng Zou in Lupus.</p