Search

In the rapidly evolving landscape of medical imaging, our proposed work presents an innovative and efficient approach to brain tumor detection through advanced deep learning methodologies. Central to our methodology is the strategic utilization of pre-trained weights from the formidable MBConv-Finetuned-B0 model, initially honed on the expansive ImageNet dataset, providing a foundation rich in general visual knowledge. Our subsequent fine-tuning process targets specific layers relevant to brain tumor detection, introducing two distinct convolutional layers, MBConv 6, 55, and MBConv 6, 30, meticulously added to the MBConv-Finetuned-B0 base model. These layers are intricately designed to extract and refine features specific to brain tumors, ensuring a nuanced understanding of pathology and enhancing the model's discrimination and accuracy. The flexibility of our methodology is exemplified by the thoughtful consideration of two fine-tuning options: one that adjusts all layers of the model and another that selectively fine-tunes only the proposed layers. We conduct a detailed comparative analysis, including homogeneity and median feature values, placing our work in direct comparison with established techniques such as Ensemble Transfer Learning and Quantum Variational Classifier (ETL & QVC), Ultra-Light Deep Learning (ULDL) Model, Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN), and Deep Learning and Image Processing (DLIP). The results showcase the model's proficiency, achieving an accuracy of 94%, precision of 84%, recall of 92%, F1 score of 88%, and an AUC-ROC of 96%. Notably, our model demonstrates superior performance in terms of homogeneity (vE Homogeneity: 0.93, vN Homogeneity: 0.91, Enhancement Homogeneity: 0.97) and median feature values (Median vE Feature Value: 0.82, Median vN Feature Value: 0.87, Median Enhancement Feature Value: 0.80), providing a comprehensive understanding of its effectiveness in capturing subtle nuances in brain tumor images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycrystalline Ba0.8Sr0.2Ti0.6Zr0.3Mn0.1O3 was synthesized by solid-state reaction at 1600°C. The single phase formation of the compound without any impurities was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction technique. The prepared compound crystallized to a cubic structure with a space group of Pm-3m and the refined lattice parameters were a = b = c = 4.0253 Ǻ, α = β = γ = 90°. Rietveld refinement was carried for the powder XRD data using GSAS software and the experimental data peaks were indexed by Powder X software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophage plasticity is critical for maintaining immune function and developing solid tumors; however, the macrophage polarization mechanism remains incompletely understood. Our findings reveal that Mg 2+ entry through distinct plasma membrane channels is critical to macrophage plasticity. Naïve macrophages displayed a previously unidentified Mg 2+ dependent current, and TRPM7-like activity, which modulates its survival. Significantly, in M1 macrophages, Mg 2+ entry is facilitated by a novel Mg²-dependent current that relies on extracellular Mg 2+ , which was crucial for activating iNOS/NFκB pathways and cellular bioenergetics, which drives pro-inflammatory cytokines. Conversely, in M2 macrophages, Mg 2+ entry occurs primarily through TRPM7 channels, pivotal for IL-4 and IL-10-mediated anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion. Notably, the Mg 2+ deficient diet or addition of TRPM7 agonist Naltriben suppresses the M1 phenotype while promoting angiogenic factors and fostering tumor growth. These findings suggest that Mg 2+ flux via specific channels is indispensable for macrophage polarization, with its dysregulation playing a pivotal role in tumor progression., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Background: Historically, soil-transmitted helminth (STH) control and prevention strategies have relied on mass drug administration efforts targeting preschool and school-aged children. While these efforts have succeeded in reducing morbidity associated with STH infection, recent modeling efforts have suggested that expanding intervention to treatment of the entire community could achieve transmission interruption in some settings. Testing the feasibility of such an approach requires large-scale clinical trials, such as the DeWorm3 cluster randomized trial. In addition, accurate interpretation of trial outcomes requires diagnostic platforms capable of accurately determining infection prevalence (particularly as infection intensity is reduced) at large population scale and with significant throughput. Here, we describe the development and validation of such a high-throughput molecular testing platform., Methodology/principal Findings: Through the development, selection, and validation of appropriate controls, we have successfully created and evaluated the performance of a testing platform capable of the semi-automated, high-throughput detection of four species of STH in human stool samples. Comparison of this platform with singleplex reference assays for the detection of these same pathogens has demonstrated comparable performance metrics, with index assay accuracy measuring at or above 99.5% and 98.1% for each target species at the level of the technical replicate and individual extraction respectively. Through the implementation of a rigorous validation program, we have developed a diagnostic platform capable of providing the necessary throughput and performance required to meet the needs of the DeWorm3 cluster randomized trial and other large-scale operational research efforts for STH., Conclusions/significance: Resulting from the rigorous developmental approach taken, the platform we describe here provides the needed confidence in testing outcomes when utilized in conjunction with large-scale efforts such as the DeWorm3 trial. Additionally, the successful development of an evaluation and validation strategy provides a template for the creation of similar diagnostic platforms for other neglected tropical diseases., Competing Interests: Co-author Sitara Swarna Rao Ajjampur currently sits on the editorial board for PLoS NTDs., (Copyright: © 2025 Pilotte et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Toxoplasmal meningoencephalitis is a sporadic condition that is often misdiagnosed antemortem, frequently resulting in euthanasia especially in resource-limited settings. Here we report a case of a 7-week-old female domestic shorthair cat from an animal shelter who presented in a compromised condition and continued to display clinical signs consistent with a "failure to thrive" kitten. Weight loss and decreased activity were observed, and later on, neurological dysfunction became apparent. Based on clinical signs, non-effusive feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) was strongly suspected. Other possible conditions, such as a portosystemic shunt or toxoplasmosis, were also considered. Due to a poor prognosis, euthanasia was elected. Molecular testing at necropsy revealed no evidence for feline coronavirus infection; however, histopathological examination of the brain tissue revealed disseminated necrotizing meningoencephalitis with the presence of Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoites and tachyzoites, which was further confirmed by PCR and sequence analysis. In hindsight, it became clear that the kitten's failure to thrive was due to severe neurological compromise caused by overwhelming toxoplasmosis infection. This report underscores the diagnostic challenges associated with feline neurological disorders., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Recent advancements in catalytic micromotors have shown significant potential for environmental applications, yet challenges such as particle agglomeration persist. In this study, we compare the degradation of methylene blue using hematite particles fully coated with platinum and those partially decorated with platinum. The selective decoration, confirmed through techniques like EDX, FESEM, TEM, and XPS, plays a crucial role in the micromotors' behavior. The decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by Pt nanoparticles on one side of the hematite particles generates thrust, propelling the micromotors and enhancing their interaction with pollutant molecules. This active mobility helps counteract agglomeration, preventing the formation of irregular 3D clusters and improving catalytic efficiency. Our findings show that partially decorated particles achieve up to 85% dye removal within 90 min, outperforming fully decorated particles, which reach only 33% efficiency due to aggregation and sedimentation. These results underscore the importance of optimized surface decoration for improving the performance and stability of catalytic systems in pollutant degradation., (© 2024 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive contaminants that pose significant ecological and human health risks, emerging as one of the most widespread anthropogenic pollutants in natural environments. This study investigates the abundance, characteristics, and distribution of microplastics (MPs) in the Yamuna River, encompassing 29 sampling points across urban, rural, and industrial zones in and around Delhi, Mathura, Haryana, and Agra. Microplastics were identified and quantified using Nile red dye staining and Micro-Raman spectroscopy, with particle size distribution predominantly between 2 μm to 80 μm and the largest detected particle measuring 256.5 μm. The average MPs concentration was 14,717 ± 4444 L -1 , with a significant abundance of hazardous polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS). The study found that MPs were predominantly fragments and films (65.6 %) and fibers (30.6 %), with transparent particles being the most prevalent. The Pollution Load Index (PLI) consistently indicated high-risk levels (PLI > 100) at all sampling sites, highlighting substantial MP contamination. These results underscore the urgent need for continuous monitoring and the development of robust management strategies to address microplastic pollution in the Yamuna River. This study provides valuable insights into MPs spatial distribution and persistence, contributing to an improved understanding of their environmental impacts and guiding future mitigation and regulatory efforts., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Vijay A. Loganathan reports financial support was provided by India Ministry of Science & Technology Department of Science and Technology. If there are other authors, they 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.)

Providing security to Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is significant worldwide problem for future generations its implementation to be successful. The traditional security methodologies developed for IoMT struggles with the specific issues of high false positives and lower detection rate. Therefore, the proposed work aims to develop a ground-breaking intrusion detection model, named as, Group Teaching Optimized Probabilistic Deep Auto-Encoder (GTPDA) for increasing the security of IoMT networks. Here, the data transformation and normalization processes are applied to balance the dataset's properties. Then, an Intriguing Group Teaching Optimization (IGTO) algorithm is applied to choose the most correlated and essential traits from the normalized dataset for effective intrusion detection. Consequently, a Conditional Probabilistic Deep Auto-Encoder (CPDAE) model is used to more accurately classify the type of intrusion with system complexity. This study uses the BoT-IoT, Kaggle invasion dataset, and ToN-IoT open benchmarking datasets for evaluation and performance assessments. Among all, the proposed GTPDA with its various performance metrics presented, achieves an impressive 98.8% precision, 99% recall, 98.8% F1-score, and 99% accuracy, showing its significant performance in ensuring IoMT network security., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Abstract: Echinococcus is a genus of cestode parasites of paramount veterinary and medical importance globally. Two species, Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato and Echinococcus multilocularis, are endemic to North America and are the etiologic agents of cystic echinococcosis and alveolar echinococcosis, respectively. North America is currently experiencing an epidemiological shift in the state of transmission, distribution, and prevalence of E. multilocularis, following the introduction of the European variant of the parasite. The rapid expansion of the parasite into the northeastern United States has resulted in novel detections of spillover to humans, indicating the need for active surveillance to direct public health education and disease control measures. Our surveillance of the parasite in definitive hosts in New York State from 2019 to 2023 yielded 8 detections of the parasite, for a sample prevalence of 8.3% (8/96). Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial markers confirmed that all New York isolates belong to the European lineage and group in a well-supported clade with E. multilocularis isolates described from Slovakia and Poland. Investigation of the highly polymorphic EmsB microsatellite marker revealed several E. multilocularis genotypes circulating in New York, including 1 that is distinct from European isolates detected in western North America. These data are consistent with 1 or more unique introductions from Europe rather than a spread from western regions of Canada and the United States, where other European variants are found. Echinococcus multilocularis appears to have a complex epidemiology in North America that warrants further detailed surveillance to evaluate the risks for zoonotic transmission., (© American Society of Parasitologists 2024.)

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the influence of maintaining apical patency (AP) in endodontic treatment outcome., Methodology: An electronic database search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Library, LIVIVO, LILACS, and EBSCO host from inception till July 2024. The data from the included articles were extracted and the quality was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool and ROBINS-I tool., Results: Five articles were included for the qualitative synthesis, and all the included articles were determined to have a low risk of bias. Maintaining the AP resulted in two-fold increase in the healing outcome with long-term follow-up., Conclusion: It can be concluded from this systematic review that maintaining AP is likely to enhance the endodontic treatment outcome. However, more long-term clinical studies are required to further evaluate the possible influence of AP., Registration: The protocol of this review was registered in the PROSPERO database with registration number: CRD42022374966., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics.)

Background: Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, is recognized for its ability to modulate cortical neuronal activity. However, its effects over time and the dynamics following stimulation are less well understood. Understanding the temporal dynamics of iTBS effects is essential for optimizing the timing and frequency of stimulation in therapeutic applications., Objective: This study investigated the temporal changes in protein expression induced by iTBS in Neuro-2a cells., Methods: We analyzed protein expression in retinoic acid-differentiated Neuro-2a cells at multiple time points - 0.5, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours post-iTBS - using Western blot and immunocytochemistry techniques., Results: Our findings reveal a significant early increase in neurotransmitter receptor subunits, neurotrophic factors, and cytoskeletal proteins within the first 0.5 hour following iTBS. Notably, proteins such as mGLuR1, NMDAR1, GABBR2, and β-tubulin III showed substantial increase in expression. However, the effects of iTBS on protein expression was not sustained at later timepoints., Conclusion: Our results suggest that iTBS can transiently alter the expression of specific proteins in Neuro-2a cells. Future research should investigate the potential benefits of repeated stimulations within the early time window to refine iTBS interventions, potentially expanding their research and clinical applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Ismail, Krishnan, Jayaraj, Bru-Mercier, Pessia and Ljubisavljevic.)

Background: Tuberculosis in cattle is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) species. Apart from MTBC, different Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) species have also been isolated from cattle. The presence of NTM infection in bovines makes the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) a cumbersome task. Therefore, a cross sectional study was conducted to isolate and characterize different Mycobacterium spp. from a slaughterhouse situated in Kolkata, a city in the eastern part of India., Results: Out of 258 morbid samples, 98 isolates were found to be positive for bacterial growth, and 35% (n = 34) were positive for Mycobacterium. 94% of Mycobacterial cultural isolates were NTM (n = 32), and the rest (n = 2) were found to be MTBC. Species-level identification of the isolates by hsp65 sequencing revealed that out of 32 isolates, 24 were M. fortuitum, three were M. abscessus, two each were M. chelonae and M. parascrofulaceum, and one was M. novocastrense. A phylogenetic tree with partial hsp65 gene sequences was also constructed to determine the relatedness of the unknown isolates to the reference strains., Conclusion: Both NTM species and MTBCs were identified from TB-like lesions in cattle that were slaughtered at the Kolkata abattoir. This discovery may indicate that NTM contributes to the development of lesions in cattle. Also, we recommend implication of more specific diagnostic tests for bTB., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Coastal pollutants, from harmful algal blooms, sewage and industrial discharges, pose severe risks to marine ecosystems and public health. Recently, Promenade Beach in Puducherry, Southeast-India, experienced reddish-brown water discoloration, suspected to result from either algal blooms or suspended matter. This study monitored the spatial extent and characteristics of the discoloration using Sentinel-2 satellite images from September to November 2023, with field observations and laboratory analyses. Analyses included measurements of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), Total Suspended Matter (TSM), and the Normalized Difference Chlorophyll Index (NDCI) to differentiate between algal blooms and other pollutants. The satellite data indicated extents of discoloration, with high TSM concentrations (>45 g/m 3 ) and negative NDCI values suggesting absence of algal blooms. No mortality of aquatic organisms was observed during this discoloration, indicating no deleterious impact on aquatic life. This approach highlights the importance of combining satellite technology with field data for effective coastal pollution monitoring, essential for protecting marine ecosystems., 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. We wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus clade 2.3.4.4b has caused the death of millions of domestic birds and thousands of wild birds in the USA since January 2022 (refs. 1-4 ). Throughout this outbreak, spillovers to mammals have been frequently documented 5-12 . Here we report spillover of the HPAI H5N1 virus to dairy cattle across several states in the USA. The affected cows displayed clinical signs encompassing decreased feed intake, altered faecal consistency, respiratory distress and decreased milk production with abnormal milk. Infectious virus and viral RNA were consistently detected in milk from affected cows. Viral distribution in tissues via immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization revealed a distinct tropism of the virus for the epithelial cells lining the alveoli of the mammary gland in cows. Whole viral genome sequences recovered from dairy cows, birds, domestic cats and a raccoon from affected farms indicated multidirectional interspecies transmissions. Epidemiological and genomic data revealed efficient cow-to-cow transmission after apparently healthy cows from an affected farm were transported to a premise in a different state. These results demonstrate the transmission of the HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b virus at a non-traditional interface, underscoring the ability of the virus to cross species barriers., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Great Crested Flycatchers (Myiarchus crinitus), migratory passerines with a breeding range throughout the northeastern, midwestern, and southern US, are banded annually at the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, New York, USA. In 2016, a Great Crested Flycatcher was observed with distinct lesions in the gular and ventral neck region, which prompted evaluation for similar lesions in subsequently trapped flycatchers and other passerine species. From 2016 to 2023, 62/102 banded Great Crested Flycatchers had their gular region examined, and seven were found to have lesions (11.3% incidence). Similar lesions were not found in any other species. Lesions were localized to the gular region and included extensive feather loss with thickened, corrugated, pale-yellow skin. Grossly visible 1- to 2-mm-diameter, raised, white-to-yellow foci throughout the affected region corresponded microscopically to feather follicles that were massively dilated with mites. Morphologic analysis of mites obtained from skin scrapes revealed that this mite species belongs to the family Harpirhynchidae. Mites in this family have restricted avian host ranges and cause varying clinical presentations in passerines, though many species remain unidentified. PCR efforts were unsuccessful in yielding a species-level identification. Further monitoring of Great Crested Flycatchers and other avian species is warranted, as the fitness implications of this ectoparasitism at the individual and population levels are not known., (© Wildlife Disease Association 2024.)

The organized provision of health services in India has been envisioned since 1946 by the recommendations from the Bhore committee. However, the policy and program strategies for the provision of good quality health care still lack effectiveness. Access to rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities continues to be a significant public health problem in India. This review intended to identify the barriers to integration and implementation of rehabilitation services within the national program for stroke in India. The methods involved the critical review and appraisal of the last five years of the published common review mission reports which report the performance of the entire health system and national program of the country. All relevant policy and program documents related to the national program for the prevention and control of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and stroke, were also reviewed. The World Health Organization, Rehabilitation 2030 recommendations were also cross-compared to summarize the findings from the critical review. The results revealed that rehabilitation was neglected within the conceptualization and implementation of the NPCDCS program. Let alone for the Stroke program, there was not any evidence-based description of the concept of disability management and rehabilitation within the NPCDCS program. The health system in its current form appears to be a non-inclusive system for disability-inclusive development. The priority is mainstreaming disability within the agenda for the health of the nation. If disability could be mainstreamed within the health agenda of India and in LMICs, universal health coverage and disability-inclusive development can certainly, be achieved.

Owing to the extreme hardness and toughness of sintered silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ), the material is used in high stress and/or temperature applications such bearings, turbines, and combustion engines. Unfortunately, the same properties which make it ideal for use also make it particularly difficult to machine -- microcracks, inclusions and spalling are all common. While prior research has shown that it is possible to grind sintered Si 3 N 4 without inducing surface damage so long as material is removed entirely under ductile flow, but grind forces associated with ductile Si 3 N 4 material flow are so small as to render the material removal rate (MRR) impractical. Prior researchers have attempted to solve the MRR problem through laser-assisted machining. Laser ablation, by inducing a steep thermal gradient, weakens material through surface and subsurface cracks. Grinding of fractured weakened Si 3 N 4 has been done at upwards of 50 % higher MRR. There are, however, issues with laser ablation, which prevent its widespread use. Laser ablation severely disrupts the microstructure of Si 3 N 4 . Because cracks propagate along and through grain boundaries, the irregular morphology makes accurately predicting crack growth from ablation and during subsequent grinding highly problematic. In this proof-of-concept work, researchers determined that it is possible to irradiation weaken Si 3 N 4 without cracking it, and the material can be ground defect-free at a highly productive MRR. Findings suggest present laser-assisted machining methods which fracture weaken Si 3 N 4 prior to grinding may not be the best way to maximize MRR., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Dr. Craig Seidelson reports financial support was provided by 10.13039/100019542Timken Foundation Center for Precision Manufacturing, (© 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Intracellular Mg 2+ ( i Mg 2+ ) is bound with phosphometabolites, nucleic acids, and proteins in eukaryotes. Little is known about the intracellular compartmentalization and molecular details of Mg 2+ transport into/from cellular organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We found that the ER is a major i Mg 2+ compartment refilled by a largely uncharacterized ER-localized protein, TMEM94. Conventional and AlphaFold2 predictions suggest that ERMA (TMEM94) is a multi-pass transmembrane protein with large cytosolic headpiece actuator, nucleotide, and phosphorylation domains, analogous to P-type ATPases. However, ERMA uniquely combines a P-type ATPase domain and a GMN motif for ER Mg 2+ uptake. Experiments reveal that a tyrosine residue is crucial for Mg 2+ binding and activity in a mechanism conserved in both prokaryotic (mgtB and mgtA) and eukaryotic Mg 2+ ATPases. Cardiac dysfunction by haploinsufficiency, abnormal Ca 2+ cycling in mouse Erma +/- cardiomyocytes, and ERMA mRNA silencing in human iPSC-cardiomyocytes collectively define ERMA as an essential component of ER Mg 2+ uptake in eukaryotes., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We report 2 autochthonous feline thelaziosis cases caused by the eyeworm Thelazia callipaeda and discuss the spread among dogs in the northeastern United States. Phylogenetic analysis suggests the parasite was introduced from Europe. Adopting a One Health approach is needed to limit further spread of T. callipaeda eyeworms in North America.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widely present in the atmosphere and primarily originate from the incomplete burning of fossil fuels and biofuels. Exposure to PAHs leads to harmful effects on human health and the environment. Diesel engines are a major source of PAH production in the transportation sector. Various approaches have been employed to reduce PAH emissions from diesel engines, including the use of biodiesel, green gaseous fuels, exhaust gas recirculation, exhaust after-treatment, and genetically modifying biodiesel with nanoparticles. This review focuses on PAH emissions from different generations of fuels and examines the remedial control actions taken to mitigate PAH formation. The study underscores the necessity for effective regulation of emissions from diesel engines, especially in developing countries where the reliance on fossil fuels is significant. Biodiesel has shown promise in reducing PAHs and carcinogenic pollutants, with higher biodiesel concentrations resulting in lower PAH formation. Replacing diesel with biodiesel and optimizing engine operating conditions are feasible methods to reduce PAH levels in the atmosphere. The use of nanoparticles in fuel blends and higher oxygen content in combustion chambers are also considered potential strategies for pollutant reduction. Additionally, the utilization of hydrogen and ammonia as secondary fuels has been explored as promising alternatives to fossil fuels. The study highlights the importance of further research on the presence of residual PAHs in the atmosphere and the implementation of strategies to curtail vehicular emissions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financialinterestsor personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Humans are constantly exposed to low concentrations of ubiquitous environmental pollutant, Bisphenol A (BPA). Due to the prevalence of hypertension (one of the major risk factors of cardiovascular disease [CVD]) in the population, it is necessary to explore the adverse effect of BPA under hypertension associated pathogenic milieu. The current study exposed the Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) induced hypertensive Wistar rats to low dose BPA (50 μg/kg) for 30 days period. In tissue samples immunohistochemistry, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzymatic assays were conducted. Moreover, studies on primary kidney cell culture were employed to explore the impact of low dose of BPA exposure at nanomolar level (20-80 nM range) on renal cells through various fluorescence assays. The observed results illustrate that BPA exposure potentiates/aggravates hypertension induced tissue abnormalities (renal fibrosis), oxidative stress (ROS generation), elevated angiotensin-converting enzyme activity, malfunction of the antioxidant and tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes, tissue lipid abnormalities and inflammatory factor expression (both messenger RNA and protein level of TNF-α and IL-6). Further, in vitro exposure of nM levels of BPA to primary kidney cells modulates oxidative stress (both superoxide and total ROS), mitochondrial physiology (reduced mitochondrial transmembrane potential-∆ψm) and lipid peroxidation in a dose dependent manner. In addition, angiotensin II induced ROS generation was aggravated further by BPA during coexposure in kidney cells. Therefore, during risk assessment, a precise investigation on BPA exposure in hypertensive (CVD vulnerable) populations is highly suggested., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)