Prenatal allergen and diesel exhaust exposure and their effects on allergy in adult offspring mice

Multiple studies have suggested that prenatal exposure to either allergens or air pollution may increase the risk for the development of allergic immune responses in young offspring. However, the effects of prenatal environmental exposures on adult offspring have not been well-studied. We hypothesized that combined prenatal exposure to Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) allergen and diesel exhaust particles will be associated with altered IgE production, airway inflammation, airway hyperreactivity (AHR), and airway remodeling of adult offspring. Following sensitization via the airway route to A. fumigatus and mating, pregnant BALB/c mice were exposed to additional A. fumigatus and/or diesel exhaust particles. At age 9-10 weeks, their offspring were sensitized and challenged with A. fumigatus. We found that adult offspring from mice that were exposed to A. fumigatus or diesel exhaust particles during pregnancy experienced decreases in IgE production. Adult offspring of mice that were exposed to both A. fumigatus and diesel exhaust particles during pregnancy experienced decreases in airway eosinophilia. These results suggest that, in this model, allergen and/or diesel administration during pregnancy may be associated with protection from developing systemic and airway allergic immune responses in the adult offspring

Interrelations of Ecosystem Services and Rural Population Wellbeing in an Ecologically-Fragile Area in North China

Ecosystem services (ES) are indispensable contributors to rural population wellbeing (RPWB). Understanding the relationship between ES and RPWB is important to human welfare and conserving ecosystem services. Ecologically-vulnerable areas are widely distributed in China and are concentrated with impoverished people. This study explored the relations of ES and RPWB in an ecologically-fragile area, and provided some recommendations for regional improvement. We developed an evaluation framework, analyzed the spatio-temporal characteristics of services and RPWB, and examined their relations. Results showed that: (1) the level of RPWB in an ecologically-vulnerable area was lower than that in the downstream region; however, the wellbeing gap between regions has narrowed over time; (2) Regions with a higher ecosystem service capacity had higher levels of rural population wellbeing, and vice versa; (3) In addition to the food supply, other ES indicators were closely associated with RPWB in the region. Specifically, the net income and living space were closely related to food supply, while rural-urban income ratio and water environment were more relevant to the other services. Lastly, it is important to address environment and poverty issues simultaneously

In Vitro Study of the Fibrinolytic Activity via Single Chain Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator and Molecular Docking of FGFC1

Fungi fibrinolytic compound 1 (FGFC1) is a rare marine-derived compound that can enhance fibrinolysis both in vitro and in vivo. The fibrinolytic activity characterization of FGFC1 mediated by plasminogen (Glu-/Lys-) and a single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (pro-uPA) was further evaluated. The binding sites and mode of binding between FGFC1 and plasminogen were investigated by means of a combination of in vitro experiments and molecular docking. A 2.2-fold enhancement of fibrinolytic activity was achieved at 0.096 mM FGFC1, whereas the inhibition of fibrinolytic activity occurred when the FGFC1 concentration was above 0.24 mM. The inhibition of fibrinolytic activity of FGFC1 by 6-aminohexanoic acid (EACA) and tranexamic acid (TXA) together with the docking results revealed that the lysine-binding sites (LBSs) play a crucial role in the process of FGFC1 binding to plasminogen. The action mechanism of FGFC1 binding to plasminogen was inferred, and FGFC1 was able to induce plasminogen to exhibit an open conformation by binding through the LBSs. The molecular docking results showed that docking of ligands (EACA, FGFC1) with receptors (KR1–KR5) mainly occurred through hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions. In addition, the binding affinity values of EACA to KR1–KR5 were −5.2, −4.3, −3.7, −4.5, and −4.3 kcal/moL, respectively, and those of FGFC1 to KR1–KR5 were −7.4, −9.0, −6.3, −8.3, and −6.7 kcal/moL, respectively. The findings demonstrate that both EACA and FGFC1 bound to KR1–KR5 with moderately high affinity. This study could provide a theoretical basis for the clinical pharmacology of FGFC1 and establish a foundation for practical applications of FGFC1

Biomimetic Extracellular Vesicles Embedded with Black Phosphorus for Molecular Recognition-Guided Biomineralization

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are involved in the regulation of cell physiological activity and the reconstruction of extracellular environment. Matrix vesicles (MVs) are a type of EVs, and they participate in the regulation of cell mineralization. Herein, bioinspired MVs embedded with black phosphorus are functionalized with cell-specific aptamer (denoted as Apt-bioinspired MVs) for stimulating biomineralization. The aptamer can direct bioinspired MVs to targeted cells, and the increasing concentration of inorganic phosphate originated from the black phosphorus can facilitate cell biomineralization. The photothermal effect of the Apt-bioinspired MVs also positively affects mineralization. In addition, the Apt-bioinspired MVs display outstanding bone regeneration performance. Considering the excellent behavior of the Apt-bioinspired MVs for promoting biomineralization, our strategy provides a way of designing bionic tools for studying the mechanisms of biological processes and advancing the development of medical engineering.<br /

Prenatal allergen and diesel exhaust exposure and their effects on allergy in adult offspring mice

Abstract Background Multiple studies have suggested that prenatal exposure to either allergens or air pollution may increase the risk for the development of allergic immune responses in young offspring. However, the effects of prenatal environmental exposures on adult offspring have not been well-studied. We hypothesized that combined prenatal exposure to Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) allergen and diesel exhaust particles will be associated with altered IgE production, airway inflammation, airway hyperreactivity (AHR), and airway remodeling of adult offspring. Methods Following sensitization via the airway route to A. fumigatus and mating, pregnant BALB/c mice were exposed to additional A. fumigatus and/or diesel exhaust particles. At age 9-10 weeks, their offspring were sensitized and challenged with A. fumigatus. Results We found that adult offspring from mice that were exposed to A. fumigatus or diesel exhaust particles during pregnancy experienced decreases in IgE production. Adult offspring of mice that were exposed to both A. fumigatus and diesel exhaust particles during pregnancy experienced decreases in airway eosinophilia. Conclusion These results suggest that, in this model, allergen and/or diesel administration during pregnancy may be associated with protection from developing systemic and airway allergic immune responses in the adult offspring.</p