Adverse Environment Research Articles

Psychosocial Clusters and Their Associations with Depression, Anxiety and Stress Among Older Adults in Shanghai Communities: Results from a Longitudinal Study.

Psychosocial factors have been found to profoundly impact mental health of older adults, but the main focus in the current literature has been on one particular aspect of these factors. This study aimed to identify latent classes of older adults based on four psychosocial factors (loneliness, social isolation, perceived social support, and social capital) and the transition of classes over 6 months. We also sought to assess the predictive role of changes in these classes in relation to depression, anxiety, and stress at 18-month follow-up. We analyzed longitudinal data from 581 community-dwelling older adults in Shanghai, China. The data were collected at baseline (T0), 6-month follow-up (T1) and 18-month follow-up (T2) between March 2021 and April 2023. Using latent class analysis, we identified three underlying classes (Social Connectors, Subjective Social Isolates, and Social Isolates) of the sample. We also established five transition categories from T0 to T1 (Social Connectors T0-T1, Subjective Social Isolates T0-T1, Social Isolates T0-T1, Good Transition, and Bad Transition) using latent transition analysis. Logistic regression was employed to examine the temporal relationships between these transition categories and subsequent symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, adjusting for age, sex, education, marital status, family income level, sleep quality, health status and outcome variables at T0. Multivariable associations revealed that compared to older adults with persistent good social environment (Social Connectors T0-T1), those with persistent high levels of loneliness and social isolation and low levels of perceived social support and social capital (Social Isolates T0-T1), and those who shifted towards a poorer social environment (Bad Transition) were more likely to experience depression, anxiety and stress at T2. Sustained subjective social isolation (Subjective Social Isolates T0-T1) was associated with more severe depressive symptoms at T2. Our study indicated that adverse psychosocial environment worsened mental health in older adults. These findings highlight the importance of early identification of older individuals at long-term psychosocial risk and development of tailored interventions to improve their social environment and mental health.

Clinical Implications of HIV Treatment and Prevention for Polygamous Families in Kenya and Uganda: "My Co-Wife Is the One Who Used to Encourage Me".

Polygamy is the practice of marriage to multiple partners. Approximately 6-11% of households in Uganda and 4-11% of households in Kenya are polygamous. The complex families produced by polygamous marriage customs give rise to additional considerations for healthcare providers and public health messaging around HIV care. Using 27 in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews with participants in two studies in rural Kenya and Uganda, we analysed challenges and opportunities that polygamous families presented in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of HIV, and provider roles in improving HIV outcomes in these families. Overall, prevention methods seemed more justifiable to families where co-wives live far apart than when all members live in the same household. In treatment, diagnosis of one member did not always lead to disclosure to other members, creating an adverse home environment; but sometimes diagnosis of one wife led not only to diagnosis of the other, but also to greater household support.

Associations between psychosocial work environment factors and first-time and recurrent treatment for depression: a prospective cohort study of 24,226 employees.

Adverse factors in the psychosocial work environment are associated with the onset of depression among those without a personal history of depression. However, the evidence is sparse regarding whether adverse work factors can also play a role in depression recurrence. This study aimed to prospectively examine whether factors in the psychosocial work environment are associated with first-time and recurrent treatment for depression. The study included 24,226 participants from the Danish Well-being in Hospital Employees study. We measured ten individual psychosocial work factors and three theoretical constructs (effort-reward imbalance, job strain and workplace social capital). We ascertained treatment for depression through registrations of hospital contacts for depression (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems version 10 [ICD-10]: F32 and F33) and redeemed prescriptions of antidepressant medication (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical [ATC]: N06A) in Danish national registries. We estimated the associations between work factors and treatment for depression for up to 2 years after baseline among those without (first-time treatment) and with (recurrent treatment) a personal history of treatment for depression before baseline. We excluded participants registered with treatment within 6 months before baseline. In supplementary analyses, we extended this washout period to up to 2 years. We applied logistic regression analyses with adjustment for confounding. Among 21,156 (87%) participants without a history of treatment for depression, 350 (1.7%) had first-time treatment during follow-up. Among the 3070 (13%) participants with treatment history, 353 (11%) had recurrent treatment during follow-up. Those with a history of depression generally reported a more adverse work environment than those without such a history. Baseline exposure to bullying (odds ratio [OR] = 1.72, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.30-2.32), and to some extent also low influence on work schedule (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 0.97-1.66) and job strain (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.97-1.57), was associated with first-time treatment for depression during follow-up. Baseline exposure to bullying (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.04-1.88), lack of collaboration (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.03-1.67) and low job control (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.00-1.62) were associated with recurrent treatment for depression during follow-up. However, most work factors were not associated with treatment for depression. Using a 2-year washout period resulted in similar or stronger associations. Depression constitutes a substantial morbidity burden in the working-age population. Specific adverse working conditions were associated with first-time and recurrent treatment for depression and improving these may contribute to reducing the onset and recurrence of depression.

TFOS lifestyle report: Effects of contact lenses on the ocular surface and adnexa

This presentation summarizes the evidence‐based findings of the Contact Lens Subcommittee of the recent Workshop of the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society, entitled “A Lifestyle Epidemic: Ocular Surface Disease” (www.tearfilm.org).Several risk factors can increase the potential for complications associated with contact lens wear, such as ignoring appropriate contact lens care, disregarding an ocular or systemic disease (especially if associated with an unhealthy ocular surface), reduced clinical surveillance and the simultaneous use of excessive alcohol, tobacco, or recreational drugs. The recent pandemic has introduced novel challenges to the wear of contact lenses, including mask associated dry eye, discomfort and fatigue with digital devices, accidental exposure to hand sanitizers and a decreased duration of contact lens wear. Adverse environments for lens wearers, such as pollution, dust, smoke, and sport or work accidents determining ocular trauma, can represent challenges for the use of contact lens, though protective in some cases. To ensure the best outcomes for contact lens wearers in adverse situations, prescription choice should consider several factors, including night driving, sports, wear at high altitude, military application, and outer space environments.This presentation synthetises the lifestyle‐related choices made by both clinicians and contact lens wearers, and underlines that, if appropriately undertaken, these can positively impact contact lens wearers quality of life. A systematic review and meta‐analysis highlight the need to better understand the influence of lifestyle factors on contact lens dropout.

Study on the Potential Probiotics Isolated from Marine Aquaculture System and Evaluation for Aquaculture Application

In recent years, more attention has been paid to the application of host‐associated microorganisms as an appropriate source of probiotics in aquaculture. These probiotics promoted effective colonization and application and provided better benefits than other sources. A total of 32 isolates were collected from the water, shrimp, and sediment of the cultured pond of Litopenaeus vannamei. Probiotic effects were comprehensively evaluated by extracellular enzyme activity, virulence genes detection, bacteriostatic activity, drug susceptibility test, tolerance to adverse environment, and challenge experiment. Six of these isolates exhibited bacteriostatic activity against pathogens, such as Vibrio cholerae, V. owensii, V. fluvialis, V. campbellii, V. rotiferianus, Photobacterium damselae, V. vulnificus, and V. parahaemolyticus. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis, isolates were identified as Bacillus subtilis (P8, P29, and P30), B. velezensis (P12), Prestia flexa (P21), and Cytobacillus firmus (P23). They were tolerant to high temperature, low acid (pH 2.0), bile salt (2%), and the simulated gastrointestinal environment, secreting phospholipase, amylase, protease, gelatinase, and lipase. They were sensitive to only two or fewer drugs among 27 antibacterial drugs and did not carry any of the tested virulence genes. Biosafety in vivo evaluations showed that they were safe for Ctenopharyngodon idella (P12 ＞ P23 ＝ P29 ＞ P8 ＞ P30 ＝ P21). The results suggest that P8, P12, P23, P21, P29, and P30 have high probiotic potential and can be used as good probiotics in aquaculture and the development of ecological preparations.

Utilizing method of plant growth regulators induction in processing of polyploidization—A perspective crop development

Nowadays, it seems like human beings are worried about how the world will meet its food security demand urgently when they have faced on rapidly increasing population and combat climate change. Scientists and researchers are indispensably investigating to enhance food sources such developing novel cops with high yield and good quality and even coping with the adverse environment in terms of biotic and abiotic stresses. Thus, there is one valuable method it is believed that should be developed further. In fact, it is believed that human beings should continue using it as soon as possible because it can provide the world with a source of food. Polyploidization introduced by plant growth regulator induction is a good method because it is safety and easy to develop new crops with potential agronomic traits, these polyploidy plants are rare aneuploid and it contains intriguing characteristics of polyploidy plants in adapting to ecological variability. This review sheds light on 1) summarizing molecular mechanism of plant growth regulator induction for plant ploidy manipulation; 2) achieving of polyploidization through plant growth regulator induction; 3) enumerating the perspectives of polyploidization in crop development to cope with climate change. Although the role of phytohormones is underestimated, the effectiveness on physiological level of plants to make polyploidy plants is worth considering and the effects and bio-safety of that on human are also concerned.

Long-term health risk of offspring born from assisted reproductive technologies.

Since the world's first in vitro fertilization baby was born in 1978, there have been more than 8 million children conceived through assisted reproductive technologies (ART) worldwide, and a significant proportion of them have reached puberty or young adulthood. Many studies have found that ART increases the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight, small size for gestational age, perinatal mortality, and congenital anomalies. However, data regarding the long-term outcomes of ART offspring are limited. According to the developmental origins of health and disease theory, adverse environments during early life stages may induce adaptive changes and subsequently result in an increased risk of diseases in later life. Increasing evidence also suggests that ART offspring are predisposed to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, such as malignancies, asthma, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. In this review, we summarize the risks for long-term health in ART offspring, discuss the underlying mechanisms, including underlying parental infertility, epigenetic alterations, non-physiological hormone levels, and placental dysfunction, and propose potential strategies to optimize the management of ART and health care of parents and children to eliminate the associated risks. Further ongoing follow-up and research are warranted to determine the effects of ART on the long-term health of ART offspring in later life.

Triple Interactions Between the Environment, Brain, and Behavior in Children: An ABCD Study

BackgroundEnvironmental exposures play a crucial role in shaping children's behavioral development. However, the mechanisms by which these exposures interact with brain functional connectivity and influence behavior remain unexplored. MethodsWe investigated the comprehensive environment-brain-behavior triple interactions through rigorous association, prediction, and mediation analyses, while adjusting for multiple confounders. Particularly, we examined the predictive power of brain functional network connectivity (FNC) and 41 environmental exposures for 23 behaviors related to cognitive ability and mental health in 7655 children selected from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study at both baseline and follow-up. ResultsFNC demonstrated more predictability for cognitive abilities than for mental health, with cross-validation from the UK Biobank study (N = 20,852), highlighting the importance of thalamus and hippocampus in longitudinal prediction, while FNC+environment demonstrated more predictive power than FNC in both cross-sectional and longitudinal prediction of all behaviors, especially for mental health (r = 0.32–0.63). We found that family and neighborhood exposures were common critical environmental influencers on cognitive ability and mental health, which can be mediated by FNC significantly. Healthy perinatal development was a unique protective factor for higher cognitive ability, whereas sleep problems, family conflicts, and adverse school environments specifically increased risk of poor mental health. ConclusionsThis work revealed comprehensive environment-brain-behavior triple interactions based on the ABCD Study, identified cognitive control and default mode networks as the most predictive functional networks for a wide repertoire of behaviors, and underscored the long-lasting impact of critical environmental exposures on childhood development, in which sleep problems were the most prominent factors affecting mental health.

Metabolic adaptations of Pinus massoniana to low phosphorus and acidic aluminium with or without ectomycorrhization

Phosphorus (P) deficiency and aluminium toxicity often coexist and are the major constraints hampering plant growth in acidic soils. Plants have evolved several strategies to cope with these adverse environments, including the recruitment of beneficial microbes, especially mycorrhizal fungi. By employing microscopic observation, histochemical staining, and UPLC-MS/MS techniques, we analyzed the aluminium deposition and cell viability of root, symbiotic process with ECM fungus Suillus bovinus, as well as the metabolic adjustments in Pinus massoniana under low P and/or acidic aluminium conditions. The formation process of mycorrhizae between P. massoniana and S. bovinus was not affected by low P and acidic aluminium treatments, but low P postponed the development of mantle and Hartig nets. The colonization rate increased in the presence of acidic aluminium, and S. bovinus inoculation improved root cell viability and promoted the growth of P. massoniana under low P and/or acidic aluminium conditions. The metabolic responses of nonmycorrhizal and mycorrhizal P. massoniana to low P and/or acidic aluminium were different. Low P and/or acidic aluminium significantly increased the accumulation of phenolic acids and altered starch and sucrose metabolism in roots of nonmycorrhizal P. massoniana. However, for mycorrhizal P. massoniana, low P and/or acidic aluminium treatments increased the organic acids content of shared differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs). Furthermore, acidic aluminium mainly altered arginine and proline metabolism, and phenylalanine metabolism was affected under low P conditions, linoleic acid metabolism was changed under the combined treatment of low P and acidic aluminium in mycorrhizal P. massoniana. These findings enhance our comprehension of how ECM fungi assist P. massoniana in coping with P deficiency and aluminium toxicity in acidic environments and provide a theoretical basis for ECM fungal application during seedling cultivation in acidic soils.

1-(Tert-Butoxy)Propan-2-Amine and It's Efficacy Towards Corrosion Inhibition of Mild Steel in Marine Environment – Experimental Study

The alloy of iron has wide applications in industries ranging from health to construction sector. The mild steel is the most sought alloy of iron in industries and is preferred due to its low cost and better mechanical properties. Even though mild steel possesses high mechanical strength it may readily undergo corrosion during its usage in adverse environments. Therefore, in the present research an effort was made to improve the inhibition of mild steel corrosion in the presence of chloride ions using 1-(tert-butoxy)propan-2-amine. The mild steel samples were initially investigated for weight loss measurements to assess the state of mild steel in different concentrations of 1-(tert-butoxy)propan-2-amine and later subjected to electrochemical studies using Tafel polarisation and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) to know the corrosion state when exposed to inhibited and uninhibited solutions of 3.5% NaCl. The microstructural characterisation using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis gives the surface micrographs of the mild steel subjected to corrosion and inhibition. The inhibitor is found to perform better with high inhibition efficiency from above tests when compared to the uninhibited solution and is a clear indication of the corrosion inhibiting property of the employed inhibitor. The presence of π-electrons on heteroatoms in the employed organic inhibitor is the main reason for the inhibition efficiency and effective adsorption on the mild steel surface.

NEIGHBORHOOD SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND CHANGES IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN OLDER ADULTS: FINDINGS FROM HEALTH ABC STUDY

Abstract Neighborhood socioeconomic status (NSES), an overall marker of neighborhood condition, may influence multiple aspects of health and well-being in older adulthood, including cognitive function, though results regarding neighborhood and cognition have been largely cross-sectional. We examined the association between NSES and changes in cognitive function using 610 participants from the Pittsburgh site of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study, a longitudinal cohort of community-dwelling, Black and white adults aged 70 and older. Changes in cognitive function were measured annually over a 6-year follow-up (2006-2012) using the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (range: 0-100, 3 visits on average per person). Using baseline home address, NSES was calculated for census tracts by summing z-scores of six 2010 census variables representing wealth/income, education, and occupation, and divided into tertiles. Multivariate mixed-effect linear regression models assessed associations, adjusting for individual-level sociodemographic and health-related covariates. In the fully adjusted model, the lowest NSES tertile (vs. the highest) was not associated with baseline cognitive function (β: -0.99, 95% CI: -3.86, 1.87) but was associated with a faster rate of decline in cognitive function (β: -1.54, 95% CI: -2.67, -0.41). No significant differences in baseline cognitive function or rates of change were observed in the middle (vs. the highest) NSES tertile. There was no evidence of effect modification by race. The results indicate that exposure to adverse neighborhood socioeconomic environments may accelerate cognitive decline in late life. The findings add to existing literature concerning the role of environments in the context of aging.

NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS AND SLEEP PROBLEMS: MEDIATING ROLES OF HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract Existing studies have well-documented the relationship between the neighborhood environment and health among older adults. Yet very few have focused on how the neighborhood environment predicts late-life sleep quality. Using longitudinal data (Rounds 7-9) from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, this study examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between neighborhood characteristics (physical disorder and social cohesion) and sleep problems among Americans aged 65 or older, as well as whether health behaviors and mental health mediated these associations. The analytical sample included 4,029 adults aged 65 or older. Logistic regressions with a lagged dependent variable were adopted to test longitudinal associations. Longitudinal mediation analyses were also used to examine the mediation effects of health behaviors and mental health. The results suggested that neighborhood physical disorder was a significant predictor of sleep problems cross-sectionally, whereas social cohesion was both cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with sleep problems. Moreover, mediation analysis revealed that health behaviors and mental health significantly mediated the longitudinal relationship between social cohesion and sleep problems, though the strength of the indirect effect diminished over time. These findings suggest that neighborhood physical disorder and social cohesion are significant predictors of late-life sleep problems among older Americans. The study also highlighted older adults’ resilience and adaptability to adverse neighborhood environments and the long-term health benefits of social cohesion in late-life sleep quality. Therefore, community health interventions that facilitate older adults’ physical and social activity, along with mental health programs, may help community-dwelling older adults improve their sleep quality.

RETURNS TO EDUCATION UNDER THE HUKOU SYSTEM: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF SCHOOL TYPE?

Purpose – Estimating the gap in returns to education between China’s urban and rural areas based solely on education attainment can be misleading, especially when there are significant differences in the allocation of educational resources between urban and rural areas. This paper explores the relationship between school types, primarily representing the educational resources available in China, and education returns in urban and rural China under the Hukou system.Methodology – This paper used data from the 2013 Chinese Household Income Project (CHIP) and applied the OLS method to estimate the traditional Mincer and extended models by adding school types.Results – Firstly, we found that school types significantly impact income, and different types of schools have different returns on education. The returns to school type increase with the geographical administrative level of the school. In addition, in most cases, the impact of key schools on the income of urban people is more significant than that of rural people. Secondly, when we consider the effect of school type on income, the gap in education returns between non-agricultural Hukou groups and agricultural Hukou groups is widened compared to the results under the traditional Mincer model. Finally, migration does not appear to have brought the desired improvement to their education, with the returns to education for migrants being significantly lower than rural in some cases.Implications – For individuals, especially those rural Hukou holders, investment in education should be strengthened to improve access to key schools. Providing equal access to quality education and reducing educational disparities between urban and rural areas is essential for the government.Originality/Value – The results highlight the role of inequality in the allocation of educational resources and the inequality of educational opportunities among the groups with different Hukou statuses and also show that migrating to urban areas may place migrants in a more adverse environment.

Outcomes of early social experiences on glucocorticoid and endocannabinoid systems in the prefrontal cortex of male and female adolescent rats.

Social and emotional experiences differently shape individual's neurodevelopment inducing substantial changes in neurobiological substrates and behavior, particularly when they occur early in life. In this scenario, the present study was aimed at (i) investigating the impact of early social environments on emotional reactivity of adolescent male and female rats and (ii) uncovering the underlying molecular features, focusing on the cortical endocannabinoid (eCB) and glucocorticoid systems. To this aim, we applied a protocol of environmental manipulation based on early postnatal socially enriched or impoverished conditions. Social enrichment was realized through communal nesting (CN). Conversely, an early social isolation (ESI) protocol was applied (post-natal days 14-21) to mimic an adverse early social environment. The two forms of social manipulation resulted in specific behavioral and molecular outcomes in both male and female rat offspring. Despite the combination of CN and ESI did not affect emotional reactivity in both sexes, the molecular results reveal that the preventive exposure to CN differently altered mRNA and protein expression of the main components of the glucocorticoid and eCB systems in male and female rats. In particular, adolescent females exposed to the combination of CN and ESI showed increased corticosterone levels, unaltered genomic glucocorticoid receptor, reduced cannabinoid receptor type-1 and fatty acid amide hydrolase protein levels, suggesting that the CN condition evokes different reorganization of these systems in males and females.

Dental and alveolar pathologies of the Early Iron Age population of the Upper Ob region based on the materials of the Bystrovka-3 burial ground)

The study is focused on the analysis of distribution of the dentoalveolar pathologies (caries, calculus, periodontitis, dental fluorosis, antemortem enamel chips, alveolar abscess, antemortem loss of teeth), which are generally used for revealing the diet component composition of ancient groups and as the markers of the stress episodes (enamel hypoplasia, child dental caries). In addition, several anomalies in the structure of the dentition (dystopia, crowding, hypo- and hyperdentia) are considered. The study is based on the anthropological materials of the Bolsherechenskaya culture of the Bystrovka-3 burial ground, dated to the second half of the 1st millennium BC. The series consist of 130 skulls: 46 male, 34 female, 26 infants and 24 individuals whose gender could not be determined. The frequencies of the pathologies of the Bystrovka-3 sample were compared with those of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages populations of Western Siberia. The results of the study reveals that diet of the Bystrovka-3 people included both animal and plant products. The presence of endemic fluorosis on the teeth of four people (two female and two infants) may indicate the migration of a small group of people from outer regions with high fluoride content in soil and water to the Bolsherechye area. It was also found that the representatives of the study group experienced significant stress caused by adverse environment event. In addition, in the main group several rather rare dentoalveolar anomalies were identified, which, according to some researchers, are hereditary. Comparative analysis of frequencies of dentoalveolar pathology of the study group and the Neolithic-Bronze Age population of the south of Western Siberia revealed that the component composition of the diet of Bolsherechye people had significant differences from that of the Bronze Age pastoralists and is more similar to the Neolithic and pre-Andronovo bronze populations of Baraba forest-steppe, which had similar economy structure based on fishing, gathering and hunting.

ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION OF SHINE AND LAL INDEX β-THALASSEMIA TRAIT SCREENING RESULTS WITH ANAEMIA AND LOW BIRTH WEIGH

Beta thalassemia trait are more likely to have anemia which leading to intrauterine hypoxia and adverse uterine conditions. Adverse intrauterine environment has been shown to have a significant impact on the risk of low birth weight. Therefore, this study aims to investigate association between Shine and Lal index β-thalassemia trait screening results with anaemia and lowbirth weight. A retrospective study design was conducted based on medical records of mothers and their infants born in 2022 at a regional hospital, in East Nusa Tenggara. The inclusion criteria were being live birth, singleton births and gestational age >28 weeks. Mothers didn’t have complete records were excluded from study. Analysis uses chi-square test to evaluate the relationship between dependent and independent variables, This study identified 738 eligible samples. The incidence of suspected β-thalassemia trait according Shine and Lal Index was about 42.5%. There is a significant relationship between Shine and Lal β-thalassemia trait screening results with maternal anaemia and no relationship between Shine and Lal index β-thalassemia trait screening results and LBW

DNA methylation reprogramming mediates transgenerational diabetogenic effect induced by early-life p,p’-DDE exposure

Increasing evidence shows that an adverse environment during the early fetal development can affect the epigenetic modifications on a wide range of diabetes-related genes, leading to an increased diabetic susceptibility in adulthood or even in subsequent generations. p,p’-Dichlorodiphenoxydichloroethylene (p,p’-DDE) is a break-down product of the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). p,p’-DDE has been associated with various health concerns, such as diabetogenic effect. However, the precise molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, p,p’-DDE was given by gavage to pregnant rat dams from gestational day (GD) 8 to GD15 to generate male germline to investiagate the transgenerational effects. We found that early-life p,p’-DDE exposure increased the transgenerational diabetic susceptibility through male germline inheritance. In utero exposure to p,p’-DDE altered the sperm DNA methylome in F1 progeny, and a significant number of those differentially methylated genes could be inherited by F2 progeny. Furthermore, early-life p,p’-DDE exposure altered DNA methylation in glucose metabolic genes Gck and G6pc in sperm and the methylation modification were also found in liver of the next generation. Our study demonstrate that DNA methylation plays a critical role in mediating transgenerational diabetogenic effect induced by early-life p,p’-DDE exposure.

The Role of Drought and Temperature Stress in the Regulation of Flowering Time in Annuals and Perennials

Plants experience a variety of adverse environments during their vegetative growth and reproductive development, and to ensure that they complete their life cycle successfully, they have evolved specific defense mechanisms to cope with unfavorable environments. Flowering is a vital developmental stage and an important determinant of productivity in the lifetime of plants, which can be vulnerable to multiple abiotic stresses. Exposure to stress during this period can have dramatic effects on flower physiological and morphological development, which may ultimately lead to a substantial loss of yield in seed-producing plants. However, there has been increasing research evidence that diverse abiotic stresses, ranging from drought, low temperature, and heat stress can promote or delay plant flowering. This review focuses on how plants alter developmental direction to balance between survival and productivity under drought and extreme temperature conditions. Starting from the perspective of the functional analysis of key flowering-regulated genes, it is of great help for researchers to quickly gain a deeper understanding of the regulatory effects of abiotic stress on the flowering process, to elucidate the molecular mechanisms, and to improve the regulatory network of abiotic-stress-induced flowering. Additionally, the important agronomic significance of the interaction between abiotic stress and the flowering regulation of perennial plants under climate change conditions is also discussed after summarizing studies on the mechanisms of stress-induced flowering in annual plants. This review aims to clarify the effects of abiotic stresses (mainly drought and temperature) on plant flowering, which are significant for future productivity increase under unfavorable environmental conditions.

Green tea polysaccharide conjugates and bovine serum albumin have a synergistic effect in improving the emulsification ability

Our previous study revealed that green tea polysaccharide conjugate (gTPC) has emulsion effect, but its emulsifying ability is weak. In order to improve the emulsification ability of gTPC, gTPC and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were combined to form five different mass proportions of the TPC/BSA (TB) complex: TPC/BSA: 5:1, 5:2, 5:3, 5:4, and 5:5 w/w. We observed that the 5:5 w/w TB emulsion was more hydrophobic and surface-active. Furthermore, the emulsions prepared using 50.00wt% medium-chain triglycerides exhibited the best stability. In addition, the TB emulsion exhibited stability in adverse environments of pH, salt, and heat; in particular, under salt conditions, no significant changes were observed in zeta potential. Subsequently, in vitro simulated digestion experiments were performed to investigate the use of TB emulsions for β-carotene encapsulation. We observed that the encapsulation efficiency for β-carotene was approximately 90.0%; it was subsequently released in the intestine.

A fetal rat model of ventricular noncompaction caused by intrauterine hyperglycemia

BackgroundThis study aims to develop a fetal rat model of ventricular noncompaction (NVM) using streptozotocin (STZ)-induced gestational hyperglycemia and compare it with a retinoic acid (RA) model. MethodsFemale SD rats were categorized into STZ, RA, and normal control (NC) groups. The STZ group was given a high-fat diet pre-pregnancy and 35 mg/kg of 2% STZ postpregnancy. The RA group received a 90 mg/kg dose of RA on day 13 postpregnancy. Embryonic myocardial morphology was analyzed through HE staining, and embryonic cardiomyocyte ultrastructures were studied using electron microscopy. Diagnoses of NVM were based on a ratio of noncompact myocardium (N) to compact myocardium (C) >1.4, accompanied by thick myocardial trabeculae and a thin myocardial compaction layer. Kruskal-Wallis test determined N/C ratio differences among groups. ResultsBoth STZ and RA groups displayed significant NVM characteristics. The left ventricular (LV) N/C in the STZ, RA, and NC groups were 1.983 (1.423-3.527), 1.640 (1.197-2.895), and 0.927 (0.806-1.087), respectively, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.001). The right ventricular (RV) N/C in the STZ, RA, and NC groups were 2.097 (1.364-3.081), 1.897 (1.337-2.662), and 0.869 (0.732-1.022), respectively, with a significant difference (P<0.001). Electron microscopy highlighted marked endoplasmic reticulum swelling in embryonic cardiomyocytes from both STZ and RA groups. ConclusionOur model underscores the pivotal role of an adverse intrauterine developmental environment in the onset of NVM. This insight holds significant implications for future studies exploring the pathogenesis of NVM.