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2-Ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPHP), a widely used organophosphorus flame retardant (OPFR), is ubiquitous in daily life because of its extensive application in plastic production. EHDPHPs, which are only superficially applied and not chemically bonded to products, are released into the environment, posing potential health risks. With increasing environmental concentrations, EHDPHP is a growing threat, particularly to individuals with preexisting health conditions who are more susceptible to environmental pollutants. This study examined the effects of EHDPHP exposure in a colitis model, reflecting a rising chronic health issue, by assessing changes in neuroinflammation and neurobehavioral abnormalities. Healthy and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis C57BL/6 J mice were treated with either 0.2 % Tween or EHDPHP solution (10 mg/kg body weight/day) for 28 days. The study revealed significant increases in the serum and expression levels of TNFα and IL-1β, accompanied by depressive and anxiety-like behaviors. Coexposure to EHDPHP and DSS exacerbated these neurobehavioral impairments. RNA sequencing confirmed that EHDPHP triggered inflammation via the PI3K-Akt-NF-κB and Wnt/GSK3β signaling pathways, as confirmed by Western blot analysis. These findings suggest that EHDPHP aggravates colitis-induced neuroinflammation and neurobehavioral abnormalities, highlighting the harmful impact of EHDPHP, particularly in individuals with preexisting inflammatory conditions., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Nanoplastics (NPs) pollution has become a global environmental problem, raising numerous health concerns. However, the cardiotoxicity of NPs exposure and the underlying mechanisms have been understudied to date. To address this issue, we comprehensively evaluated the cardiotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) in both healthy and pathological states. Briefly, mice were orally exposed to four different concentrations (0 mg/day, 0.1 mg/day, 0.5 mg/day, and 2.5 mg/day) of 100-nm PS-NPs for 6 weeks to assess their cardiotoxicity in a healthy state. Considering that individuals with underlying health conditions are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of pollution, we further investigated the cardiotoxic effects of PS-NPs on pathological states induced by isoprenaline. Results showed that PS-NPs induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis, cardiac fibrosis, and myocardial dysfunction in healthy mice and exacerbated cardiac remodeling in pathological states. RNA sequencing revealed that PS-NPs significantly upregulated homeodomain interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) in the heart and activated the P53 and TGF-beta signaling pathways. Pharmacological inhibition of HIPK2 reduced P53 phosphorylation and inhibited the activation of the TGF-β1/Smad3 pathway, which in turn decreased PS-NPs-induced cardiotoxicity. This study elucidated the potential mechanisms underlying PS-NPs-induced cardiotoxicity and underscored the importance of evaluating nanoplastics safety, particularly for individuals with pre-existing heart conditions., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites are a typical kind of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Development of a simple, cost-effective and sensitive methodology to monitor DDTs concentrations in water environment is of particular significance for understanding the fate and behavior of these pollutants. In this paper, a method on the basis of solid-phase extraction (SPE) using expanded graphite (EG) as sorbent coupled on-line with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed for the determination of trace levels of p,p'-DDD (2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethane), p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE (2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethene) in water. The analytes in water were preconcentrated onto the SPE column packed with expanded graphite, and subsequently eluted with methanol-water (90:10) mixed solvent. HPLC with a photodiode array detector was used for their separation and detection. The developed on-line solid-phase extraction protocol for HPLC permits the current HPLC separation and the next preconcentration proceeded in parallel, and thus allows one determination within 8min. The precision (R.S.D.) for 10 replicate injections of a mixture of 1mugl(-1) of each analyte was 3.2-6.2% for the peak area measurement. The detection limits (S/N=3) for preconcentrating 50ml of sample solution ranged from 10 to 25ngl(-1) at a sample throughput of 7.5samplesh(-1). The enhancement factors were about 700. The method was applied to the determination of trace p,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE in local lake, river and tap water samples.

Background: Operative complications after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) vary. Abdominal pain and other symptoms caused by fluid accumulation in the operative area are not uncommon. Cystic duct (CD) leakage is one of the main sources of the fluid. This study was to evaluate the procedures used in the diagnosis and management of CD leakage after LC., Method: The clinical materials of 3 patients with CD leakage after LC were studied retrospectively., Results: Three female patients underwent LC for chronic cholecystitis associated with stones. Their clinical symptoms were worsened of pre-existed cardiac arrhythmia, bile draining out from drainage tube, and biliary spillage from umbilical incision, respectively. Final diagnosis was made at the 1st, 2nd and 20th post-operative day. Two of the 3 patients were treated laparoscopically. Their opened CD stumps were closed with an endo-loop, with the abdomen irrigated and drained. The other patient was drained with the percutaneous technique, and a biliary stent was inserted under endoscopy. All patients recovered well., Conclusions: The clinical manifestations of CD leakage are different. Ascites can be found by B-ultrasound. Final diagnosis is dependent on magnetic resonance cholangiography and/or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Minimally invasive techniques can be applied to this complication safely and effectively. Reoperation for closure of the opened CD stump can be fulfilled under laparoscopy. Endoscopic drainage must be accompanied with effective abdominal drainage.

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) in selected patients before laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC)., Methods: Patients with risk factors for common bile duct (CBD) stones scheduled for elective LC from March 1999 to May 2001, underwent MRC followed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) to detect the stones and the accuracy of MRC. Selection of suspected patients was based on clinical, ultrasonographic, and laboratory criteria., Results: During a 26-month period, a total of 267 patients were studied. Seventy-eight MRC identified patients were found to have CBD stones by ERC or laparoscopic cholangiography in the study. Seven of 78 patients were misdiagnosed as having CBD stones by MRC. In this study, MRC had a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 96.3%, a positive predictive value of 91.8%, and a negative predictive value of 100% for the detection of common bile duct stones., Conclusions: With the use of LC, ERC is frequently performed before LC to detect CBD stones; but it is invasive with a well-documented complication rate. MRC is a simple non-invasive method for preoperative screening for CBD stones in at-risk patients. In this study if ERC had been limited to patients with a positive MRC, it would have reduced the need for ERC by 68.2%, and the complications of preoperative examination would be minimized significantly.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of aberrant bile duct and its management during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC)., Methods: In 10 000 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy from 1992 to July 2001, 3 had the involvement of the right accessory hepatic duct. In patient 1, the aberrant duct drained into the cystic duct was confirmed by open operation. In patient 2, the aberrant duct, which drained to the common bile duct (CBD), was injured and treated with suture and ligature under laparoscopy. In patient 3, the aberrant duct, which also drained to the CBD, was confirmed and preserved., Results: All patients recovered well except patient 1 who had a transient elevation of ALT. No bile leakage or other complication occurred., Conclusions: Only variation near the confluence and the entrance of the cystic duct into the bile duct is discovered during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Right accessory hepatic duct is common and should be preserved during the operation. The accidentally injured small accessory hepatic duct can be treated with ligature without severe disturbance to liver function.