Concentrations and sociodemographic determinants of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in women pregnant using assisted reproduction technology in comparison with women pregnant naturally

BackgroundPer- and polyfuoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are categorized as persistent organic pollutants and commonly detected in humans, and their toxicity has attracted widespread attention. However, few studies have reported comparison of PFAS levels and potential factors between women pregnant using assisted reproduction technology (ART) and women pregnant naturally. ObjectiveTo analyze and compare serum concentrations and sociodemographic determinants of PFAS in pregnant women conceiving through ART and conceiving naturally from Shanghai. MethodsBased on the China National Birth Cohort (CNBC) in Shanghai from 2017 to 2019, 333 pregnant women conceiving through ART and 689 pregnant women conceiving naturally were recruited during the same period as study subjects. The concentrations of 32 PFAS were measured in early-pregnancy serum of all pregnant women, and four PFAS with the highest co-exposure levels in both groups were included in the subsequent analysis. Multiple linear regression models were performed to evaluate the associations of sociodemographic factors with serum PFAS concentrations in the two groups respectively. Beta coefficients and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were exponentiated to calculate the ratio of the geometric mean (GM) of PFAS concentrations after each unit change in the independent variable.ResultsPerfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), 6∶2 chlorinated polyfluoroethersulfonic acid (6∶2 Cl-PFESA), and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) were four major PFAS in serum of pregnant women conceiving through ART and conceiving naturally, and the concentrations of PFOA, PFOS, and 6∶2 Cl-PFESA were higher in pregnant women conceiving through ART than in pregnant women conceiving naturally (P 300000 CNY had lower serum concentrations of PFOA [GM ratio (95%CI): 0.82 (0.72, 0.95) and 0.89 (0.81, 0.97), respectively] and PFHxS [GM ratio (95%CI): 0.66 (0.51, 0.86) and 0.77 (0.66, 0.90), respectively] than those women whose household annual income <200000 CNY. Additionally, pregnant women conceiving naturally with a graduate education or above had lower serum 6∶2 Cl-PFESA concentrations than women with an education below college (GM ratio: 0.81), and multiparous pregnant women conceiving naturally had higher serum concentrations of PFOS, 6∶2 Cl-PFESA, and PFHxS than primiparous pregnant women (GM ratio: 1.14, 1.25, and 1.27 respectively). ConclusionAlthough differences in serum PFAS levels are found between pregnant women conceiving through ART and women conceiving naturally in this study, maternal age and household income are common determinants of PFAS exposure levels in both populations. We find no special sociodemographic factors to affect PFAS concentrations of pregnant women conceiving through ART compared to pregnant women conceiving naturally. Further research is required to explore other potential factors

Decay pattern of SARS-CoV-2 RNA surface contamination in real residences

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has provided valuable lessons that deserve deep thought to prepare for the future. The decay pattern of surface contamination by SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the residences of COVID-19 patients is important but still unknown. We collected 2,233 surface samples from 21 categories of objects in 141 residences of COVID-19 patients in Shanghai when attacked by the omicron variant in spring 2022. Several characteristics of the patients and their residences were investigated to identify relevant associations. The decay of contamination was explored to determine the persistence. Approximately 8.7% of the surface samples were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The basin, water tap, and sewer inlet had the highest positive rates, all exceeding 20%. Only time was significantly associated with the level of surface contamination with SARS-CoV-2, showing a negative association. The decrease fit a first-order decay model with a decay rate of 0.77 ± 0.07 day−1, suggesting a 90% reduction in three days. Positive associations between the cumulative number of newly diagnosed patients in the same building and the positive rate of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the public corridor were significant during the three days. Our results, in conjunction with the likely lower infectivity or viability, demonstrate that fomite transmission played a limited role in COVID-19 spread. The time determined SARS-CoV-2 RNA contamination, which was reduced by three days. This study is the first to show the decay patterns of SARS-CoV-2 contamination in real residential environments, providing insight into the patterns of transmission, as well as community-based prevention and control of similar threats

Chrysanthemum extract attenuates hepatotoxicity via inhibiting oxidative stress in vivo and in vitro

Background: ‘Bianliang ziyu’, a famous chrysanthemum variety commonly planted in Kaifeng, China, is often consumed by local residents. However, the hepatoprotective effects of Bianliang ziyu and their underlying mechanisms are not clear. Objective: In this study, we investigated the hepatoprotective and antioxidative effects of Bianliang ziyu extract (BZE) on liver injury and explored its molecular mechanisms. Design: Sprague-Dawley rats were administered BZE by intragastric administration for 8–9 days, and then alcohol or carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) was administered by gavage to induce acute liver injury. The activities of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, superoxide dismutase, and malondialdehyde in the rats were measured, and the liver of each rat was examined for histopathological changes. In vitro, HL-7702 cells were pretreated with BZE for 24 h and then exposed to 30 mmol•L−1 acetaminophen (APAP) for 12 h. The survival rate of the cells and the alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities were determined. Then, we investigated the effects of BZE on oxidative stress, apoptosis, and the activation of nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling in HL-7702 cells induced by APAP. Results: The results showed that BZE prevented alcohol-, CCl4-, and APAP-induced liver injury and suppressed hepatic oxidative stress in vitro and in vivo. BZE was also observed to significantly inhibit the reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential and regulate the expression of Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 in APAP-induced HL-7702 cells. In addition, BZE significantly promoted nuclear translocation and the expression of Nrf2 as well as its downstream gene hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) in vitro. Furthermore, the findings showed that Nrf2 siRNA reversed the effects of BZE on cell survival and apoptosis-related protein expression in APAP-induced HL-7702 cells. Conclusions: BZE plays an important role in preventing hepatotoxicity by inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis through activation of Nrf2 signaling. BZE could be developed as an effective functional food for protecting the liver

Revealing hidden patterns in deep neural network feature space continuum via manifold learning

Abstract Deep neural networks (DNNs) extract thousands to millions of task-specific features during model training for inference and decision-making. While visualizing these features is critical for comprehending the learning process and improving the performance of the DNNs, existing visualization techniques work only for classification tasks. For regressions, the feature points lie on a high dimensional continuum having an inherently complex shape, making a meaningful visualization of the features intractable. Given that the majority of deep learning applications are regression-oriented, developing a conceptual framework and computational method to reliably visualize the regression features is of great significance. Here, we introduce a manifold discovery and analysis (MDA) method for DNN feature visualization, which involves learning the manifold topology associated with the output and target labels of a DNN. MDA leverages the acquired topological information to preserve the local geometry of the feature space manifold and provides insightful visualizations of the DNN features, highlighting the appropriateness, generalizability, and adversarial robustness of a DNN. The performance and advantages of the MDA approach compared to the existing methods are demonstrated in different deep learning applications

Effects of prenatal exposure to PM2.5 and its composition on cognitive and motor functions in children at 12 months of age: The Shanghai Birth Cohort Study

Background: Prenatal fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure has been linked to infant cognitive and motor functions, but the effects of PM2.5 chemical composition remain unclear. Objectives: We aimed to explore the associations of prenatal PM2.5 and its composition exposure with infant cognitive and motor functions. Methods: We studied 2,435 mother-infant pairs in the Shanghai Birth Cohort Study. PM2.5 and its seven compositions [primary particles (black carbon, mineral dust and sea salts) and secondary particles (NH4+, NO3–, SO42- and organic matter)] during the three trimesters of pregnancy were retrieved from the V4.CH.03 product developed by using a combined geoscience-statistical method. At the 12-month-old follow-up, infant cognitive and motor functions in five domains were assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). We used multivariable linear regressions to estimate the effects of PM2.5 and its composition on the ASQ scores, for all infants and stratifying by sex and breastfeeding duration. Results: PM2.5 exposure was negatively associated with gross motor, problem-solving and personal-social scores for all infants. PM2.5 compositions were inversely associated with ASQ scores in all five domains, and the effects of different compositions varied across domains. Specifically, all compositions except organic matter were correlated with lower problem-solving scores [e.g., (βSO42- =  − 10.79, 95 % CI: −17.40, −4.18) ∼ (βNO3- =  − 4.68, 95 % CI: −7.84, −1.53); for each 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 compositions during the third trimester]. Primary and some secondary particles (organic matter, NO3–) were related to lower gross motor scores. Secondary particles were also inversely associated with communication (organic matter and NO3–), fine motor (NH4+, NO3–, SO42-) and personal-social (NH4+) scores. Additionally, boys and infants breastfed for < 6 months appeared to be more susceptible. Conclusions: We found negative associations of PM2.5 and its compositions with infant cognitive and motor functions over a range of domains, especially the problem-solving domain