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PM2.5 metal pollution significantly harms human health. The air quality in Wuxi is poor, especially in winter, and long-term monitoring of PM2.5 elements comprising has not been performed previously. In the present study, 420 PM2.5 samples were collected from January 2016 to December 2020. Eleven elements, including Al, Mn, Ni, Cr, As, Cd, Sb, Hg, Pb, Se, and Tl, were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The mean PM2.5 level was 56.1 ± 31.0 μg/m3, with a tendency of yearly decreasing and a significant seasonal distribution variation. The concentration of 11 elements in the PM2.5 samples was 0.38 ± 0.33 μg/m3. Al was the highest element with a range of 37.5–2148 ng/m3. Meanwhile, the spatial distribution differences were compared by literatures review. Based on the Crystal Ball model, health risks were assessed dynamically using Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis. After 10,000 simulations, the mean value of the hazard index for nine elements was 0.743, and Mn contributed the most to the hazard index among elements, with a correlation of 0.3464. The average carcinogenic risk was 1.01 × 10−5, which indicated that the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were within the acceptable range. However, considerable attention should be paid to the potential health risks associated with long-term Al, Mn, and As exposure. This study provides detailed data on local atmospheric pollution characteristics, helps identify potential risk elements, and contributes to the development of effective regional air quality management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To the Editor: Legionnaires' disease is a systemic infection caused by gram-negative bacteria belonging to the genus Legionella. The primary clinical manifestation is pneumonia. Legionella spp. are typically found in [...]

Recent experimental animal studies suggested that the circadian locomotor output cycles kaput protein gene (CLOCK) has been reported to play a critical role in sperm function and male fertility. The aim of this study was to determine whether variants of the CLOCK gene are involved in idiopathic male infertility. The study included 478 idiopathic infertile men and 194 fertile controls who completed physical examinations. Each subject donated 5 ml of peripheral blood and a sample of semen in the ejaculate. An aliquot of each blood sample was used to separate the serum for the measurement of testosterone as well as follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) using the standard radioimmunoassay. The rest of the blood samples was used to extract the DNA for the assay of three tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms of CLOCK gene, viz., rs1801260, rs3817444 and rs3749474, using the real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. The ejaculate of each subject was used for semen analysis by computer-assisted semen analysis system. The results indicated: (a) the variant rs1801260 associated with normal semen parameters was linked to a significant increase in the risk of idiopathic infertility, (b) the variant rs3817444 associated with both normal and abnormal semen parameters also indicated an increased risk of idiopathic infertility, and (c) the variants rs3749474 associated with both normal and abnormal semen parameters, on the other hand, conferred no significant risk for male infertility. Furthermore, elevated serum testosterone and FSH levels were correlated with the three variants of CLOCK gene in idiopathic infertility. The findings demonstrate that the human subjects with variants of the CLOCK gene are associated with idiopathic male infertility and therefore may be applied as a risk factor of male infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: It has been identified that human epididymal protease inhibitor (EPPIN) plays a critical role in sperm function and male fertility. The aim of this study was to determine whether variants of the EPPIN gene are risk factors for idiopathic male infertility.Methods: All subjects, including 473 idiopathic infertile men and 198 fertile controls, underwent complete historical and physical examinations. Each subject donated 5 ml of peripheral blood for genomic DNA extraction and serum testosterone evaluation and an ejaculate for semen analysis. The semen analysis was performed by computer-assisted semen analysis system. The serum testosterone level was evaluated by radioimmunoassay. Four tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.Results: We have demonstrated a significant decreased risk of idiopathic infertility with abnormal semen parameters in association with the variant rs2231829, and an increased risk of idiopathic infertility with abnormal semen parameters in association with the variant rs11594. However, among men with normal semen parameters, there were no differences in risk for these genotypes. Furthermore, no significant differences were found for the other variants, rs6124715 and rs2227290, on the risk of male infertility with normal or abnormal semen parameters. Similar serum testosterone levels among different EPPIN genotypes were observed for each group.Conclusions: These results suggest that different variants in the EPPIN gene may have different relationships with idiopathic male infertility and men carrying these variants have a decreased or increased risk of abnormal semen parameters associated with male infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Before a spermatozoon can fertilize an oocyte it must undergo a cascade of biochemical and physiological changes that facilitate its binding and penetration into the oocyte. Epididymal protease inhibitor (eppin) has been found to play a critical role in male fertility through an immunological approach.Methods: In this study, we used an anti-eppin antibody to clarify the effect of eppin on human sperm functions during fertilization. Immunofluorescence studies were performed on ejaculated human spermatozoa in uncapacitated, capacitated and ionophore-treated states. Human spermatozoa were incubated in the presence or absence of anti-eppin antibody under capacitating conditions and with A23187. The effects of the antibody were evaluated on sperm motility, protein phosphotyrosine content and free intracellular calcium.Results: Immunofluorescence results demonstrated that eppin is located on the acrosome and tail. After the acrosome reaction eppin is found on the equatorial segment and tail. We found that blocking eppin with antibodies significantly inhibited the human sperm acrosome reaction induced by A23187 in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, fluo-3 analysis demonstrated that the A23187-induced elevation of sperm intracellular calcium concentration was markedly reduced after incubation with anti-eppin antibody. However, the tyrosine phosphorylation of sperm proteins did not change.Conclusion: These results demonstrate that eppin can modulate intracellular calcium concentrations and subsequently affect the calcium ionophore A23187-induced acrosome reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term atmospheric quality monitoring of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and PM 2.5 -bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was performed in Wuxi from 2016 to 2021. In total, 504 atmospheric PM 2.5 samples were collected, and PM 2.5 -bound 16 PAHs were detected. The PM 2.5 and ∑PAHs level decreased annually from 2016 to 2021, from 64.3 to 34.0 μg/m 3 and 5.27 to 4.22 ng/m 3 , respectively. The benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) levels of 42% of the monitoring days in 2017 exceeded the recommended European Union (EU) health-based standard of 1 ng/m 3 . Five- and six-ring PAHs were found, including benz[a]anthracene, benzo[k]fluoranthene (Bkf), BaP, and benzo[g,h,i]perylene, which were the dominant components (indicating a prominent petroleum, biomass, and coal combustion contribution) using molecular diagnostic ratios and positive matrix factorization analysis. Moreover, PM 2.5 and PAHs were significantly negatively associated with local precipitation over a period of six years. Statistically significant temporal and spatial distribution differences of PM 2.5 , and ∑PAHs were also found. The toxicity equivalent quotient (TEQ) of total PAHs was 0.70, and the TEQ of BaP (0.178) was the highest, followed by that of Bkf (0.090), dibenz[a,h]anthracene (Dah) (0.048), and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (0.034). The medians of the incremental lifetime cancer risk for long-term exposure to PAHs were 2.74E-8, 1.98E-8, and 1.71E-7 for children, teenagers, and adults, respectively, indicating that the carcinogenic risk of PAHs pollution in air was acceptable to local residents in this area. Sensitivity analysis revealed that BaP, Bkf, and Dah significantly contributed to carcinogenic toxicity. This research provides comprehensive statistics on the local air persistent organic pollutants profile, helps to identify the principal pollution source and compounds, and contributes to the prevention of regional air pollution., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12403-023-00572-x., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could influence the work reported in this paper., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Employing halenium affinity (HalA) as a guiding tool, the weak nucleophilic character of alkyl ketones was modulated by the templating effect of a tethered 2-tetrahydropyranyl(THP)-protected alcohol towards realizing a bromenium ion initiated spiroketalization cascade. Addition of ethanol aided an early termination of the cascade by scavenging the THP group after the halofunctionalization stage, furnishing monobromospiroketals. Alternatively, exclusion of ethanol from the reaction mixture biased the transient oxocarbenium towards α-deprotonation that precedes a second bromofunctionalization event thus, furnishing dibrominated spiroketals. The regio- and stereoselectivity exploited in the current methodology provides a novel and rapid access to the dibrominated spiroketal motifs exhibited by several natural products., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

FR-1V, a fluorene-based aldehydic chromophore, binds its target protein as an imine to yield a highly bathochromic pigment, CF-2, a prototypic protein-dye tagging system whose NIR emission can be spatiotemporally switched ON by rapid UV-light activation. This is achieved through photoisomerization of the imine and its subsequent protonation. We demonstrate a no-wash protocol for live cell imaging of subcellular compartments in a variety of mammalian cell lines with minimal fluorescence background., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Objective: To explore the correlation between four tagSNPs of Eppin gene (rs6124715, rs2231829, rs2227290 and rs11594) and the risk of idiopathic male infertility in the Chinese Han population., Methods: A total of 473 confirmed infertile patients (from March 2005 to March 2007) and 198 fertile male controls (March 2005 to February 2009) were selected from two hospitals in Nanjing. All the subjects were Han Chinese and came from Nanjing or its surrounding areas. 5 ml peripheral blood was drawn from each subject with informed consent. Four tagSNPs (rs6124715, rs2231829, rs2227290 and rs11594) in Eppin gene were analyzed by the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLP) method. The serum testosterone level was evaluated by radioimmunoassay (RIA)., Results: The genotype frequencies of AA,AC and CC at rs11594 were 76.3% (361/473), 20.1% (95/473) and 3.6% (17/473) respectively in the case group, while the frequencies in the control group were 75.3% (149/198), 24.2% (48/198), 0.5% (1/198) respectively, the differences were statistically significant (χ² = 7.73, P = 0.021), the CC genotype carriers had an increased risk of male infertility (OR = 7.02, 95% CI:0.93-53.19). In the combined genotype analysis, the haplotype CTGA carriers has significantly lower onset risk (OR = 0.18, 95% CI:0.06-0.53). In the two groups, the frequencies and the risk of male infertility were no statistically significant in rs6124715, rs2231829 and rs2227290 genotype., Conclusions: The Eppin gene polymorphisms were correlated to the susceptibility to idiopathic male infertility. Among them, CC genotype at rs11594 could increase the risk of idiopathic male infertility.