Human memory-like NK cells migrating to tuberculous pleural fluid via IP-10/CXCR3 and SDF-1/CXCR4 axis produce IFN-γ in response to Bacille Calmette Guerin

We have previously shown that human memory-like NK cells were persistent in tuberculous pleurisy but it was unclear how NK cells migrated into the pleural fluids. At present, we found that NK cells from TB pleural fluid cells (PFCs) expressed significantly higher levels of CXCR3 and CXCR4 than NK cells from PBMCs. Migration assay demonstrated that IP-10 and SDF-1 induced more migration of NK cells from PFCs than PBMCs. CD45RO⁺ or CD45RO⁻ NK cells from PFCs were co-cultured with autologous monocytes and stimulated with BCG. The results showed CD45RO⁺ but not CD45RO⁻ NK cells produced significantly higher levels of IFN-γ, which was IL-12-dependent since anti-IL-12Rβ1 mAbs could significantly inhibit the IFN-γ by NK cells. Collectively, our data demonstrated that human Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific NK cells were migrated into the local site of TB infection mainly via IP-10/CXCR3 and SDF-1/CXCR4 axis, memory-like NK cells might display an important role against M. tuberculosis infection.     

饮用水检测中全氟化合物标准物质稳定性研究

目的:研究2018年和2019年我国主要流域饮用水中全氟化合物(PFCs)的监测结果,了解饮用水中PFCs检测所用标准物质在不同储存条件下的稳定性.方法:选择饮用水中检出率较高的全氟丁烷磺酸、全氟己酸、全氟辛酸、全氟壬酸和全氟辛烷磺酸5种的中碳链和短碳链PFCs,采用超高效液相色谱串联质谱法对5种的中碳链和短碳链PFC...     

Perfluorocarbon induced intra-arrest hypothermia does not improve survival in a swine model of asphyxial cardiac arrest

Background

Pulseless electrical activity is an important cause of cardiac arrest. Our purpose was to determine if induction of hypothermia with a cold perfluorocarbon-based total liquid ventilation (TLV) system would improve resuscitation success in a swine model of asphyxial cardiac arrest/PEA.

Methods

Twenty swine were randomly assigned to control (C, no ventilation, n = 11) or TLV with pre-cooled PFC (n = 9) groups. Asphyxia was induced by insertion of a stopper into the endotracheal tube, and continued in both groups until loss of aortic pulsations (LOAP) was reached, defined as a pulse pressure less than 2 mmHg. The TLV animals underwent asphyxial arrest for an additional 2 min after LOAP, followed by 3 min of hypothermia, prior to starting CPR. The C animals underwent 5 min of asphyxia beyond LOAP. Both groups then underwent CPR for at least 10 min. The endpoint was the resumption of spontaneous circulation maintained for 10 min.

Results

Seven of 9 animals achieved resumption of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in the TLV group vs. 5 of 11 in the C group (p = 0.2). The mean pulmonary arterial temperature was lower in total liquid ventilation animals starting 4 min after induction of hypothermia (TLV 36.3 ± 0.2 °C vs. C 38.1 ± 0.2 °C, p < 0.0001). Arterial pO₂ was higher in total liquid ventilation animals at 2.5 min of CPR (TLV 76 ± 12 mmHg vs. C 44 ± 2 mmHg; p = 0.03).

Conclusion

Induction of moderate hypothermia using perfluorocarbon-based total liquid ventilation did not improve ROSC success in this model of asphyxial cardiac arrest.     

Two-year follow-up biomonitoring pilot study of residents’ and controls’ PFC plasma levels after PFOA reduction in public water system in Arnsberg,Germany

Residents in Arnsberg, Germany, had been supplied by drinking water contaminated with perfluorooctanoate (PFOA). Biomonitoring data from 2006 evidenced that plasma PFOA concentrations of residents from Arnsberg were 4.5–8.3 times higher than those in reference groups. The introduction of charcoal filtration in July 2006 distinctly reduced PFOA concentrations in drinking water. Our one-year follow-up study showed a 10–20% reduction of PFOA plasma levels in residents from Arnsberg. Here we report the first results of the two-year follow-up study Arnsberg 2008. Additionally, the results of the two-year follow-up examination of the reference group are included. Paired plasma samples of 138 study participants (45 children, 46 mothers and 47 men) collected in 2006 and 2008 were considered in the statistical analyses. Within the two years plasma concentrations of PFOA, perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS) decreased in residents from Arnsberg and in control groups. The geometric means of PFOA plasma levels declined by 39% (children and mothers) and 26% (men) in Arnsberg and by 13–15% in the corresponding subgroups from the reference areas. For the population from Arnsberg a geometric mean plasma PFOA half-life of 3.26 years (range 1.03–14.67 years) was calculated. Our results confirm an ongoing reduction of the PFOA load in residents from Arnsberg. The decline of PFC levels in plasma of participants from the reference areas reflects the general decrease of human PFC exposure during the very recent years.     

Sex‐specific endocrine‐disrupting effects of three halogenated chemicals in Japanese medaka

Several halogenated chemicals are found in an array of products that can cause endocrine disruption. Human studies have shown that endocrine responses are sex specific, with females more likely to develop hypothyroidism and males more likely to have reproductive impairment. The objective of this study was to assess sex differences on thyroid and estrogenic effects after exposure of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes, SK2MC) to halogenated compounds. This strain is an excellent model for these studies as sex can be determined non‐destructively a few hours postfertilization. Medaka embryos were exposed to sublethal concentrations of Tris(1,3‐dichloro‐2‐propyl) phosphate (TDCPP, 0.019 mg/L), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, 4.7 mg/L) and its next generation alternative, perfluorobutyric acid (PFBA, 137 mg/L). Methimazole (inhibits thyroid hormone synthesis) and the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine served as reference controls. Fish were exposed throughout embryo development until 10 days postfertilization. Females displayed significantly larger swim bladders (which are under thyroid hormone control) after exposure to all chemicals with the exception of triiodothyronine, which caused the opposite effect. Females exposed to TDCPP and PFOA had increased expression of vitellogenin and exposure to PFOA upregulated expression of multiple thyroid‐related genes. Upregulation of estrogenic‐regulated genes after exposure to TDCPP, PFOA and methimazole was only observed in males. Overall, our results suggest that females and males show an estrogenic response when exposed to these halogenated chemicals and that females appear more susceptible to thyroid‐induced swim bladder dysfunction compared with males. These results further confirm the importance of considering sex effects when assessing the toxicity of endocrine‐disrupting compounds.     

Perfluorinated Compounds,Polychlorinated Biphenyls,and Organochlorine Pesticide Contamination in Composite Food Samples from Dallas,Texas, USA

Objectives

The objective of this article is to extend our previous studies of persistent organic pollutant (POP) contamination of U.S. food by measuring perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in composite food samples. This study is part of a larger study reported in two articles, the other of which reports levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecane brominated flame retardants in these composite foods [Schecter et al. 2010. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclodecane (HBCD) in composite U.S. food samples, Environ Health Perspect 118:357–362].

Methods

In this study we measured concentrations of 32 organochlorine pesticides, 7 PCBs, and 11 PFCs in composite samples of 31 different types of food (310 individual food samples) purchased from supermarkets in Dallas, Texas (USA), in 2009. Dietary intake of these chemicals was calculated for an average American.

Results

Contamination varied greatly among chemical and food types. The highest level of pesticide contamination was from the dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) metabolite p,p′- dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, which ranged from 0.028 ng/g wet weight (ww) in whole milk yogurt to 2.3 ng/g ww in catfish fillets. We found PCB congeners (28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) primarily in fish, with highest levels in salmon (PCB-153, 1.2 ng/g ww; PCB-138, 0.93 ng/g ww). For PFCs, we detected perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in 17 of 31 samples, ranging from 0.07 ng/g in potatoes to 1.80 ng/g in olive oil. In terms of dietary intake, DDT and DDT metabolites, endosulfans, aldrin, PCBs, and PFOA were consumed at the highest levels.

Conclusion

Despite product bans, we found POPs in U.S. food, and mixtures of these chemicals are consumed by the American public at varying levels. This suggests the need to expand testing of food for chemical contaminants.     

Polyfluoroalkyl chemicals in house dust

We developed a high throughput analytical method using on-line solid phase extraction coupled with isotope dilution high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (on-line SPE-HPLC-MS/MS) to simultaneously determine the concentrations of 17 polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs) in house dust. The sample preparation includes dispersion of the dust samples in 0.1 M formic acid:MeOH (1:1), followed by agitation and filtration, addition of the isotope-labeled internal standard solution to the filtrate, and analysis by on-line SPE-HPLC-MS/MS. The limits of quantitation were <4.0 ng/g. The method accuracies ranged between 73.2% and 100.2% for the different analytes at two spike levels. We confirmed the validity of the method by analyzing 39 household dust samples collected in 2004. Of the 17 PFCs measured, 6 of them—perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBuS), N-ethyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamide, 2-(N-ethyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamido) acetic acid (Et-PFOSA-AcOH), 2-(N-methyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamido) ethanol (Me-PFOSA-EtOH), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)—had detection frequencies >70%. We detected PFOS, PFBuS, and PFHxS at the highest median concentration, followed by Et-PFOSA-AcOH and Me-PFOSA-EtOH.     

On the Use of EBSD and Microhardness to Study the Microstructure Properties of Tungsten Samples Prepared by Selective Laser Melting

Additively manufactured tungsten and its alloys have been widely used for plasma facing components (PFCs) in future nuclear fusion reactors. Under the fusion process, PFCs experience a high-temperature exposure, which will ultimately affect the microstructural features, keeping in mind the importance of microstructures. In this study, microhardness and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques were used to study the specimens. Vickers hardness method was used to study tungsten under different parameters. EBSD technique was used to study the microstructure and Kikuchi pattern of samples under different orientations. We mainly focused on selective laser melting (SLM) parameters and the effects of these parameters on the results of different techniques used to study the behavior of samples.     

Perfluorinated Compounds in River Water, River Sediment, Market Fish, and Wildlife Samples from Japan

Perfluorinated organic compounds (PFCs) such as PFOS, PFOA, PFBS, PFH×S, PFOSA and PFDoA were determined in river water, river sediment, liver of market fish and liver of wildlife samples from Japan. Concentrations of PFOA and PFOS in water samples were 7.9–110 and <5.2–10 ng/L. Only PFOA were detected in sediment from Kyoto river at 1.3–3.9 ng/g dry wt. Among fish, only jack mackerel showed PFOA and PFOS at 10 and 1.6 ng/g wet wt. Wildlife liver contained PFOSA, PFOS, PFDoA, PFOA and PFH×S in the range of 0.31–362, 0.15–238, <0.03–28, >0.07–7.3 and <0.03–1.5, respectively, on ng/g wet wt. Cormorants showed maximum accumulation followed by eagle, raccoon dog and large-billed crow.