Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs) frequently occur in eutrophic freshwater ecosystems worldwid... more Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs) frequently occur in eutrophic freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Microcystins (MCs) are considered to be the most prominent and toxic metabolites during HCBs. MCs may be harmful to human and animal health through drinking water and recreational water. Biodegradation is eco-friendly, cost-effective and one of the most effective methods to remove MCs. Many novel MC-degrading bacteria and their potential for MCs degradation have been documented. However, it is a challenge to apply the free MC-degrading bacterial cells in natural environments due to the long-term operational instability and difficult recycling. Immobilization is the process of restricting the mobility of bacteria using carriers, which has several advantages as biocatalysts compared to free bacterial cells. Biological water treatment systems with microbial immobilization technology can potentially be utilized to treat MC-polluted wastewater. In this review article, various types of supp...
Sphingopyxis sp. YF1 has proven to be efficient in biodegrading microcystin (MC)-leucine (L) and ... more Sphingopyxis sp. YF1 has proven to be efficient in biodegrading microcystin (MC)-leucine (L) and arginine (R) (MC-LR); however, the optimal environmental factors to biodegrade the toxin have not been investigated. In this study, the biodegrading characteristics of strain YF1 against MC-LR were assessed under diverse environmental factors, including temperature (20, 30 or 40 °C), pH (5, 7 or 9) and MC-LR concentration (1, 3 or 5 µg/mL). Data obtained from the single-factor experiment indicated that MC-LR biodegradation by strain YF1 was temperature-, pH- and MC-LR-concentration-dependent, and the maximal biodegradation rate occurred at 5 µg/mL/h. Proposing Box-Behnken Design in response surface methodology, the influence of the three environmental factors on the biodegradation efficiency of MC-LR using strain YF1 was determined. A 17-run experiment was generated and carried out, including five replications performed at the center point. The ANOVA analysis demonstrated that the model ...
Background In the year 2019, around 5 million children under age five died and most of the deaths... more Background In the year 2019, around 5 million children under age five died and most of the deaths happened in developing countries. Though large numbers of deaths are reported in such countries, limited availability of data poses a substantial challenge on generating reliable estimates. Hence, this study aims to assess the prevalence and factors associated with under-five mortality in southeastern Ethiopia. Methods A register based cross sectional study was conducted from 1st September 2014 to July 2019 in Asella teaching and referral hospital. A total of 4901 under-five age children registered on the admission and discharge book of pediatric ward with complete information were included for the analysis. Data entry and analysis were conducted using Epidata Version 7 and SPSS version 21, respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to explore the characteristics of the study participants and their condition at discharge. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with its 95% Confidence interval an...
Ovarian stimulation during in vitro fertilization (IVF) needs different medicaments. With this tr... more Ovarian stimulation during in vitro fertilization (IVF) needs different medicaments. With this treatment, it may result in the growth of a leiomyoma however, the evidence is unclear. Further, the effect of a leiomyoma on pregnancy outcome is still vague. This study aims to provide accurate information on the possibility of intramural leiomyoma growth during pregnancy after IVF and identify adverse pregnancy outcomes related to the growth of leiomyomas. This prospective cohort study was set up with all single fetus pregnancies with at least one intramural leiomyoma at the Xiangya Hospital was from 1st May 2017 to 1st May 2019. The information was collected through questionnaires and hospital records. We compare the size of the leiomyoma and pregnancy complications between the two selected groups; group (A) consisted of women who got pregnant through IVF and group (B) consisted of women who had spontaneous pregnancies and thus acted as the control group. We observed that the growth of...
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 2019
Harmful Microcystis aeruginosa blooms occurred frequently in many eutrophic lakes and rivers with... more Harmful Microcystis aeruginosa blooms occurred frequently in many eutrophic lakes and rivers with resultant serious global environmental consequences. Algicidal bacteria may play an important role in inhibiting the growth of Microcystis aeruginosa and are considered as an effective method for preventing the appearance of blooms. In order to counteract the harmful effects of Microcystis aeruginosa, a critical step is to identify, isolate and characterize indigenous algicidal bacteria. This study aimed to isolate a novel indigenous algicidal bacterium identified as Chryseobacterium species based upon its 16S rDNA sequence analysis, and determine whether this bacterium was effective in lysing Microcystis aeruginosa FACHB 905. The influence of environmental factors including temperature, pH, quantity of Chryseobacterium species as well as Microcystis aeruginosa concentration were examined with respect to algae-lysing properties of this bacterial strain. Data demonstrated that the highes...
Introduction: The standard precautions advanced by the United States Centers for Disease Control ... more Introduction: The standard precautions advanced by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1996, goals of Standard precautions to reducing the risk of transmission of blood-borne and other pathogens in hospitals. The prpous of this study :to assess the knowledge and compliance of standard precautions among ICU Nurses in Xi'an hospitals, and to identify the relationship between compliance, knowledge and general self-efficacy of standard among ICU Nurses in China. Methods: This study used a descriptive study design. A convenient sample of 471 ICU nurses working in 11 hospitals from Xi'an of Shaanxi Province in China. Data were gathered over four months, from June to October 2017. Tools: The questionnaire used for data collection included four parts:(1) general information,(2) knowledge of standard precautions, (3) compliance of standard precautions and (4) General self-efficacy scale. Data analyzed by SPSS 18. Result: 100% of respondents were fema...
Microcystins (MCs) are extremely hazardous to the ecological environment and public health. How t... more Microcystins (MCs) are extremely hazardous to the ecological environment and public health. How to control and remove MCs is an unsolved problem all over the world. Some microbes and their enzymes are thought to be effective in degrading MCs. Microcystinase can linearize microcystin-leucine-arginine (MC-LR) via a specific locus. However, linearized MC-LR is also very toxic and needs to be removed. How linearized MC-LR was metabolized by linearized-microcystinase, especially how linearized-microcystinase binds to linearized MC-LR, has not been defined. A combination of in vitro experiments and computer simulation was applied to explore the characterization and molecular mechanisms for linearized MC-LR degraded by linearized-microcystinase. The purified linearized-microcystinase was obtained by recombinant Escherichia coli overexpressing. The concentration of linearized MC-LR was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography, and linearized MC-LR degradation products were analyze...
The increasing production of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) causing animal and human health issues is fou... more The increasing production of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) causing animal and human health issues is found in eutrophic water bodies, marine habitats and desert environments. The health threat posed by MC-LR has led to the establishment of World Health Organization's water guideline value of 1 μg/mL. Combating this has increased the search for cost-effective approach to degrade MC-LR. The study aimed to optimize the MC-degrading environmental factors of bacterial community YFMCD4. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to evaluate the influence of varying temperatures, pH and initial MC-LR concentration on the biodegradation efficiency of MC-LR by bacterial community YFMCD4. The optimal MC-LR biodegradation environmental factors were found to be 30 °C, pH 7 and 2 μg/mL initial MC-LR. The biodegradation rate reached 100% after 10 h. YFMCD4 mainly consisted of genera Alacligenes, Sphingobacterium and Pseudomonas using High-throughput pyrosequencing technology. The mlrA gene encoding MlrA enzyme considered most important for MC-LR biodegradation was obtained from YFMCD4. Data demonstrated that the bacterial structure and biodegradation efficiency of YFMCD4 varied with the change of environmental factors including temperature, pH and MC-LR concentrations. RSM is considered a good method to examine the optimal biodegradation environmental conditions for MC-LR. To date, RSM and High-throughput pyrosequencing technology are employed to optimize the biodegradation conditions (30 °C, pH 7 and 2 μg/mL initial MC-LR) and analyze the structure of bacterial community for the first time.
Cyanobacterial blooms triggered by eutrophication and climate change have become a global public ... more Cyanobacterial blooms triggered by eutrophication and climate change have become a global public health issue. The toxic metabolites microcystins (MCs) generated by cyanobacteria can accumulate in food chain and contaminate water, thus posing a potential threat to human and animals health. Studies have suggested that aside liver, the kidney may be another target organ of MCs intoxication. Therefore, this review provides various evidences on the nephrotoxicity of MCs. The review concludes that nephrotoxicity of MCs may be related to inhibition of protein phosphatases and excessive production of reactive oxygen species, cytoskeleton disruption, endoplasmic reticulum stress, DNA damage and cell apoptosis. To protect human from MCs toxic consequences, this paper also puts forward some directions for further research.
Heart failure (HF) is considered as a severe health problem worldwide, while cardiac fibrosis is ... more Heart failure (HF) is considered as a severe health problem worldwide, while cardiac fibrosis is one of the main driving factors for the progress of HF. Cardiac fibrosis was characterized by changes in cardiomyocytes, cardiac fibroblasts, ratio of collagen (COL) I/III, and the excessive production and deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), thus forming a scar tissue, which leads to pathological process of cardiac structural changes and systolic as well as diastolic dysfunction. Cardiac fibrosis is a common pathological change of many advanced cardiovascular diseases including ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and HF. Accumulated studies have proven that phosphoinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway is involved in regulating the occurrence, progression and pathological formation of cardiac fibrosis via regulating cell survival, apoptosis, growth, cardiac contractility and even the transcription of related genes through a series of molecules including mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3), forkhead box proteins O1/3 (FoxO1/3), and nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Thus, the review focuses on the role of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the cardiac fibrosis. The information reviewed here should be significant in understanding the role of PI3K/Akt in cardiac fibrosis and contribute to the design of further studies related to PI3K/Akt and the cardiac fibrotic response, as well as sought to shed light on a potential treatment for cardiac fibrosis.
Lead (Pb) is a toxic heavy metal, having profound threats to the global population. Multiple orga... more Lead (Pb) is a toxic heavy metal, having profound threats to the global population. Multiple organs such as kidney, and liver, as well as nervous, hematologic, and reproductive systems, are commonly considered the targets of Pb toxicity. Increasing researches reported that the effects of Pb on gastrointestinal tracts are equally intensive, especially on intestinal microbiota. This review summarized Pb toxicity on gut physiology and microbiota in different animal models and in humans, of which the alterations may further have effects on other organs in host. To be more specific, Pb can impair gut barrier and increase gut permeability, which make inflammatory cytokines, immunologic factors, as well as microbial metabolites such as bile acids (BA) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) enter the enterohepatic circulation easily, and finally induce multiple systematic lesion. In addition, we emphasized that probiotic treatment may be one of the feasible and effective strategies for prevent...
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) produce microcystins (MCs) which are associated w... more Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) produce microcystins (MCs) which are associated with animal and human hepatotoxicity. Over 270 variants of MC exist. MCs have been continually studied due of their toxic consequences. Monitoring water quality to assess the presence of MCs is of utmost importance although it is often difficult because CyanoHABs may generate multiple MC variants, and their low concentration in water. To effectively manage and control these toxins and prevent their health risks, sensitive, fast, and reliable methods capable of detecting MCs are required. This paper aims to review the three main analytical methods used to detect MCs ranging from biological (mouse bioassay), biochemical (protein phosphatase inhibition assay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay), and chemical (high performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, high performance capillary electrophoresis, and gas chromatography), as well as the newly emerging bio...
Members of genus Sphingopyxis are frequently found in diverse eco-environments worldwide and have... more Members of genus Sphingopyxis are frequently found in diverse eco-environments worldwide and have been traditionally considered to play vital roles in the degradation of aromatic compounds. Over recent decades, many aromatic-degrading Sphingopyxis strains have been isolated and recorded, but little is known about their genetic nature related to aromatic compounds biodegradation. In this study, bacterial genomes of 19 Sphingopyxis strains were used for comparative analyses. Phylogeny showed an ambiguous relatedness between bacterial strains and their habitat specificity, while clustering based on Cluster of Orthologous Groups suggested the potential link of functional profile with substrate-specific traits. Pan-genome analysis revealed that 19 individuals were predicted to share 1,066 orthologous genes, indicating a high genetic homogeneity among Sphingopyxis strains. Notably, KEGG Automatic Annotation Server results suggested that most genes pertaining aromatic compounds biodegradat...
Microcystins (MCs) classified as hepatotoxic and carcinogenic are the most commonly reported cyan... more Microcystins (MCs) classified as hepatotoxic and carcinogenic are the most commonly reported cyanobacterial toxins found in the environment. Microcystis sp. possessing a series of MC synthesis genes (mcyA-mcyJ) are well documented for their excessive abundance, numerous bloom occurrences and MC producing capacity. About 246 variants of MC which exert severe animal and human health hazards through the inhibition of protein phosphatases (PP1 and PP2A) have been characterized. To minimize and prevent MC health consequences, the World Health Organization proposed 1 µg/L MC guidelines for safe drinking water quality. Further the utilization of bacteria that represent a promising biological treatment approach to degrade and remove MC from water bodies without harming the environment has gained global attention. Thus the present review described toxic effects and bacterial degradation of MCs.
Abstract Microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) is the most common microcystin (MC) variant produce... more Abstract Microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) is the most common microcystin (MC) variant produced during cyanobacteria blooms. Chronic and acute exposure to MC-LR is known to cause many health effects on mammalian organs including the heart. Studies suggested that aside the liver, cardiogenic complications may also occur from MC-LR intoxication. Thus, this paper reviews the various effects of MC-LR on cardiac toxicity. In addition, the various techniques used to assess cardiac toxicity induced by MC-LR were elucidated. Based on the MC analysis, this paper concludes that there is the need for a standardized animal model approach to investigate both chronic and acute MC-LR exposure to build convincing evidence to support cardiotoxicity.
The mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in China is on the rise. The increasing burde... more The mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in China is on the rise. The increasing burden of CVD in China has become a major public health problem. Cyanobacterial blooms have been recently considered a global environmental concern. Microcystins (MCs) are the secondary products of cyanobacteria metabolism and the most harmful cyanotoxin found in water bodies. Recent studies provide strong evidence of positive associations between MC exposure and cardiotoxicity, representing a threat to human cardiovascular health. This review focuses on the effects of MCs on the cardiovascular system and provides some evidence that CVD could be induced by MCs. We summarized the current knowledge of the cardiovascular toxicity of MCs, with regard to direct cardiovascular toxicity and indirect cardiovascular toxicity. Toxicity of MCs is mainly governed by the increasing level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative stress in mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, the inhibition activities...
Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs) frequently occur in eutrophic freshwater ecosystems worldwid... more Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs) frequently occur in eutrophic freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Microcystins (MCs) are considered to be the most prominent and toxic metabolites during HCBs. MCs may be harmful to human and animal health through drinking water and recreational water. Biodegradation is eco-friendly, cost-effective and one of the most effective methods to remove MCs. Many novel MC-degrading bacteria and their potential for MCs degradation have been documented. However, it is a challenge to apply the free MC-degrading bacterial cells in natural environments due to the long-term operational instability and difficult recycling. Immobilization is the process of restricting the mobility of bacteria using carriers, which has several advantages as biocatalysts compared to free bacterial cells. Biological water treatment systems with microbial immobilization technology can potentially be utilized to treat MC-polluted wastewater. In this review article, various types of supp...
Sphingopyxis sp. YF1 has proven to be efficient in biodegrading microcystin (MC)-leucine (L) and ... more Sphingopyxis sp. YF1 has proven to be efficient in biodegrading microcystin (MC)-leucine (L) and arginine (R) (MC-LR); however, the optimal environmental factors to biodegrade the toxin have not been investigated. In this study, the biodegrading characteristics of strain YF1 against MC-LR were assessed under diverse environmental factors, including temperature (20, 30 or 40 °C), pH (5, 7 or 9) and MC-LR concentration (1, 3 or 5 µg/mL). Data obtained from the single-factor experiment indicated that MC-LR biodegradation by strain YF1 was temperature-, pH- and MC-LR-concentration-dependent, and the maximal biodegradation rate occurred at 5 µg/mL/h. Proposing Box-Behnken Design in response surface methodology, the influence of the three environmental factors on the biodegradation efficiency of MC-LR using strain YF1 was determined. A 17-run experiment was generated and carried out, including five replications performed at the center point. The ANOVA analysis demonstrated that the model ...
Background In the year 2019, around 5 million children under age five died and most of the deaths... more Background In the year 2019, around 5 million children under age five died and most of the deaths happened in developing countries. Though large numbers of deaths are reported in such countries, limited availability of data poses a substantial challenge on generating reliable estimates. Hence, this study aims to assess the prevalence and factors associated with under-five mortality in southeastern Ethiopia. Methods A register based cross sectional study was conducted from 1st September 2014 to July 2019 in Asella teaching and referral hospital. A total of 4901 under-five age children registered on the admission and discharge book of pediatric ward with complete information were included for the analysis. Data entry and analysis were conducted using Epidata Version 7 and SPSS version 21, respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to explore the characteristics of the study participants and their condition at discharge. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with its 95% Confidence interval an...
Ovarian stimulation during in vitro fertilization (IVF) needs different medicaments. With this tr... more Ovarian stimulation during in vitro fertilization (IVF) needs different medicaments. With this treatment, it may result in the growth of a leiomyoma however, the evidence is unclear. Further, the effect of a leiomyoma on pregnancy outcome is still vague. This study aims to provide accurate information on the possibility of intramural leiomyoma growth during pregnancy after IVF and identify adverse pregnancy outcomes related to the growth of leiomyomas. This prospective cohort study was set up with all single fetus pregnancies with at least one intramural leiomyoma at the Xiangya Hospital was from 1st May 2017 to 1st May 2019. The information was collected through questionnaires and hospital records. We compare the size of the leiomyoma and pregnancy complications between the two selected groups; group (A) consisted of women who got pregnant through IVF and group (B) consisted of women who had spontaneous pregnancies and thus acted as the control group. We observed that the growth of...
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 2019
Harmful Microcystis aeruginosa blooms occurred frequently in many eutrophic lakes and rivers with... more Harmful Microcystis aeruginosa blooms occurred frequently in many eutrophic lakes and rivers with resultant serious global environmental consequences. Algicidal bacteria may play an important role in inhibiting the growth of Microcystis aeruginosa and are considered as an effective method for preventing the appearance of blooms. In order to counteract the harmful effects of Microcystis aeruginosa, a critical step is to identify, isolate and characterize indigenous algicidal bacteria. This study aimed to isolate a novel indigenous algicidal bacterium identified as Chryseobacterium species based upon its 16S rDNA sequence analysis, and determine whether this bacterium was effective in lysing Microcystis aeruginosa FACHB 905. The influence of environmental factors including temperature, pH, quantity of Chryseobacterium species as well as Microcystis aeruginosa concentration were examined with respect to algae-lysing properties of this bacterial strain. Data demonstrated that the highes...
Introduction: The standard precautions advanced by the United States Centers for Disease Control ... more Introduction: The standard precautions advanced by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1996, goals of Standard precautions to reducing the risk of transmission of blood-borne and other pathogens in hospitals. The prpous of this study :to assess the knowledge and compliance of standard precautions among ICU Nurses in Xi'an hospitals, and to identify the relationship between compliance, knowledge and general self-efficacy of standard among ICU Nurses in China. Methods: This study used a descriptive study design. A convenient sample of 471 ICU nurses working in 11 hospitals from Xi'an of Shaanxi Province in China. Data were gathered over four months, from June to October 2017. Tools: The questionnaire used for data collection included four parts:(1) general information,(2) knowledge of standard precautions, (3) compliance of standard precautions and (4) General self-efficacy scale. Data analyzed by SPSS 18. Result: 100% of respondents were fema...
Microcystins (MCs) are extremely hazardous to the ecological environment and public health. How t... more Microcystins (MCs) are extremely hazardous to the ecological environment and public health. How to control and remove MCs is an unsolved problem all over the world. Some microbes and their enzymes are thought to be effective in degrading MCs. Microcystinase can linearize microcystin-leucine-arginine (MC-LR) via a specific locus. However, linearized MC-LR is also very toxic and needs to be removed. How linearized MC-LR was metabolized by linearized-microcystinase, especially how linearized-microcystinase binds to linearized MC-LR, has not been defined. A combination of in vitro experiments and computer simulation was applied to explore the characterization and molecular mechanisms for linearized MC-LR degraded by linearized-microcystinase. The purified linearized-microcystinase was obtained by recombinant Escherichia coli overexpressing. The concentration of linearized MC-LR was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography, and linearized MC-LR degradation products were analyze...
The increasing production of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) causing animal and human health issues is fou... more The increasing production of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) causing animal and human health issues is found in eutrophic water bodies, marine habitats and desert environments. The health threat posed by MC-LR has led to the establishment of World Health Organization's water guideline value of 1 μg/mL. Combating this has increased the search for cost-effective approach to degrade MC-LR. The study aimed to optimize the MC-degrading environmental factors of bacterial community YFMCD4. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to evaluate the influence of varying temperatures, pH and initial MC-LR concentration on the biodegradation efficiency of MC-LR by bacterial community YFMCD4. The optimal MC-LR biodegradation environmental factors were found to be 30 °C, pH 7 and 2 μg/mL initial MC-LR. The biodegradation rate reached 100% after 10 h. YFMCD4 mainly consisted of genera Alacligenes, Sphingobacterium and Pseudomonas using High-throughput pyrosequencing technology. The mlrA gene encoding MlrA enzyme considered most important for MC-LR biodegradation was obtained from YFMCD4. Data demonstrated that the bacterial structure and biodegradation efficiency of YFMCD4 varied with the change of environmental factors including temperature, pH and MC-LR concentrations. RSM is considered a good method to examine the optimal biodegradation environmental conditions for MC-LR. To date, RSM and High-throughput pyrosequencing technology are employed to optimize the biodegradation conditions (30 °C, pH 7 and 2 μg/mL initial MC-LR) and analyze the structure of bacterial community for the first time.
Cyanobacterial blooms triggered by eutrophication and climate change have become a global public ... more Cyanobacterial blooms triggered by eutrophication and climate change have become a global public health issue. The toxic metabolites microcystins (MCs) generated by cyanobacteria can accumulate in food chain and contaminate water, thus posing a potential threat to human and animals health. Studies have suggested that aside liver, the kidney may be another target organ of MCs intoxication. Therefore, this review provides various evidences on the nephrotoxicity of MCs. The review concludes that nephrotoxicity of MCs may be related to inhibition of protein phosphatases and excessive production of reactive oxygen species, cytoskeleton disruption, endoplasmic reticulum stress, DNA damage and cell apoptosis. To protect human from MCs toxic consequences, this paper also puts forward some directions for further research.
Heart failure (HF) is considered as a severe health problem worldwide, while cardiac fibrosis is ... more Heart failure (HF) is considered as a severe health problem worldwide, while cardiac fibrosis is one of the main driving factors for the progress of HF. Cardiac fibrosis was characterized by changes in cardiomyocytes, cardiac fibroblasts, ratio of collagen (COL) I/III, and the excessive production and deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), thus forming a scar tissue, which leads to pathological process of cardiac structural changes and systolic as well as diastolic dysfunction. Cardiac fibrosis is a common pathological change of many advanced cardiovascular diseases including ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and HF. Accumulated studies have proven that phosphoinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway is involved in regulating the occurrence, progression and pathological formation of cardiac fibrosis via regulating cell survival, apoptosis, growth, cardiac contractility and even the transcription of related genes through a series of molecules including mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3), forkhead box proteins O1/3 (FoxO1/3), and nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Thus, the review focuses on the role of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the cardiac fibrosis. The information reviewed here should be significant in understanding the role of PI3K/Akt in cardiac fibrosis and contribute to the design of further studies related to PI3K/Akt and the cardiac fibrotic response, as well as sought to shed light on a potential treatment for cardiac fibrosis.
Lead (Pb) is a toxic heavy metal, having profound threats to the global population. Multiple orga... more Lead (Pb) is a toxic heavy metal, having profound threats to the global population. Multiple organs such as kidney, and liver, as well as nervous, hematologic, and reproductive systems, are commonly considered the targets of Pb toxicity. Increasing researches reported that the effects of Pb on gastrointestinal tracts are equally intensive, especially on intestinal microbiota. This review summarized Pb toxicity on gut physiology and microbiota in different animal models and in humans, of which the alterations may further have effects on other organs in host. To be more specific, Pb can impair gut barrier and increase gut permeability, which make inflammatory cytokines, immunologic factors, as well as microbial metabolites such as bile acids (BA) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) enter the enterohepatic circulation easily, and finally induce multiple systematic lesion. In addition, we emphasized that probiotic treatment may be one of the feasible and effective strategies for prevent...
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) produce microcystins (MCs) which are associated w... more Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) produce microcystins (MCs) which are associated with animal and human hepatotoxicity. Over 270 variants of MC exist. MCs have been continually studied due of their toxic consequences. Monitoring water quality to assess the presence of MCs is of utmost importance although it is often difficult because CyanoHABs may generate multiple MC variants, and their low concentration in water. To effectively manage and control these toxins and prevent their health risks, sensitive, fast, and reliable methods capable of detecting MCs are required. This paper aims to review the three main analytical methods used to detect MCs ranging from biological (mouse bioassay), biochemical (protein phosphatase inhibition assay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay), and chemical (high performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, high performance capillary electrophoresis, and gas chromatography), as well as the newly emerging bio...
Members of genus Sphingopyxis are frequently found in diverse eco-environments worldwide and have... more Members of genus Sphingopyxis are frequently found in diverse eco-environments worldwide and have been traditionally considered to play vital roles in the degradation of aromatic compounds. Over recent decades, many aromatic-degrading Sphingopyxis strains have been isolated and recorded, but little is known about their genetic nature related to aromatic compounds biodegradation. In this study, bacterial genomes of 19 Sphingopyxis strains were used for comparative analyses. Phylogeny showed an ambiguous relatedness between bacterial strains and their habitat specificity, while clustering based on Cluster of Orthologous Groups suggested the potential link of functional profile with substrate-specific traits. Pan-genome analysis revealed that 19 individuals were predicted to share 1,066 orthologous genes, indicating a high genetic homogeneity among Sphingopyxis strains. Notably, KEGG Automatic Annotation Server results suggested that most genes pertaining aromatic compounds biodegradat...
Microcystins (MCs) classified as hepatotoxic and carcinogenic are the most commonly reported cyan... more Microcystins (MCs) classified as hepatotoxic and carcinogenic are the most commonly reported cyanobacterial toxins found in the environment. Microcystis sp. possessing a series of MC synthesis genes (mcyA-mcyJ) are well documented for their excessive abundance, numerous bloom occurrences and MC producing capacity. About 246 variants of MC which exert severe animal and human health hazards through the inhibition of protein phosphatases (PP1 and PP2A) have been characterized. To minimize and prevent MC health consequences, the World Health Organization proposed 1 µg/L MC guidelines for safe drinking water quality. Further the utilization of bacteria that represent a promising biological treatment approach to degrade and remove MC from water bodies without harming the environment has gained global attention. Thus the present review described toxic effects and bacterial degradation of MCs.
Abstract Microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) is the most common microcystin (MC) variant produce... more Abstract Microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) is the most common microcystin (MC) variant produced during cyanobacteria blooms. Chronic and acute exposure to MC-LR is known to cause many health effects on mammalian organs including the heart. Studies suggested that aside the liver, cardiogenic complications may also occur from MC-LR intoxication. Thus, this paper reviews the various effects of MC-LR on cardiac toxicity. In addition, the various techniques used to assess cardiac toxicity induced by MC-LR were elucidated. Based on the MC analysis, this paper concludes that there is the need for a standardized animal model approach to investigate both chronic and acute MC-LR exposure to build convincing evidence to support cardiotoxicity.
The mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in China is on the rise. The increasing burde... more The mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in China is on the rise. The increasing burden of CVD in China has become a major public health problem. Cyanobacterial blooms have been recently considered a global environmental concern. Microcystins (MCs) are the secondary products of cyanobacteria metabolism and the most harmful cyanotoxin found in water bodies. Recent studies provide strong evidence of positive associations between MC exposure and cardiotoxicity, representing a threat to human cardiovascular health. This review focuses on the effects of MCs on the cardiovascular system and provides some evidence that CVD could be induced by MCs. We summarized the current knowledge of the cardiovascular toxicity of MCs, with regard to direct cardiovascular toxicity and indirect cardiovascular toxicity. Toxicity of MCs is mainly governed by the increasing level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative stress in mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, the inhibition activities...
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Papers by Isaac Y A W Massey