Pollution characteristics and health risk assessment of PM2.5-bound arsenic: a 7-year observation in the urban area of Jinan, China

Independent and interaction effects of prenatal exposure to high AQI and extreme Humidex on the risk of preterm birth: A large sample population study in northern China

The combined effects of air pollution and extreme temperature on PTB remain unclear. To evaluate the independent effect and interaction effect of prenatal extreme exposure to air quality index (AQI) and Humidex, on PTB. Based on the National Health Care Data Platform of Shandong University, women who gave birth in 2019-2020 were selected for the study. First, the independent effects of AQI and Humidex on PTB were assessed by logistic regression model. Subsequently, the interaction effects of AQI and Humidex on PTB were estimated separately by calculation of the relative excess risk of interaction (RERI). A total of 34365 pregnant women were included and 1975 subjects were diagnosed with PTB. We observed a significant increase in the odds of PTB associated with maternal high AQI exposure, with an OR of 1.70 (95% CI: 1.59, 1.81). Similarly, extreme exposure to Humidex also demonstrated an elevated PTB odds, with a low Humidex OR of 2.48 (95% CI: 2.23, 2.76) and a high Humidex OR of 1.48 (95% CI: 1.31, 1.67). Finally, we observed an interaction between high AQI and extreme Humidex during the 1st trimester. Interaction effects were noted between high AQI and low Humidex throughout the entire trimester and the 2nd trimester. This study suggests that prenatal exposure to high AQI and extreme Humidex could increase the odds of PTB, with effects exhibiting the sensitivity window and a cumulative trend. Additionally, there is an interaction between AQI and Humidex.

Long-Term Exposure to Decabromodiphenyl Ether Promotes the Proliferation and Tumourigenesis of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma by Inhibiting TRß

Simple Summary

PBDEs have been reported to have endocrine-disrupting and tumour-promoting activity; however, the effects of BDE209 (the highest brominated PBDEs) on the thyroid and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we found that long-term exposure to BDE209 could cause chronic toxicity and potential tumourigenesis by inhibiting the expression and function of TRß, which induces the proliferation of thyroid tissue and the oncogenesis of thyroid carcinoma. These findings emphasize the damaging effects that exposure to BDE209 has on human thyroid and papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been reported to possess endocrine-disrupting and tumour-promoting activity. However, the effects of long-term exposure to decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209) on thyroid tumourigenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly defined. In this study, functional assays in vitro and mouse models in vivo were used to evaluate the toxic effects of long-term exposure to environmental concentrations of BDE209 on the pathogenesis and progression of PTC. MTS, EdU and colony-forming assays confirmed the chronic toxicity of BDE209 on the proliferation of human normal follicular epithelial cell line (Nthy-ori 3-1) and PTC-derived cell lines (TPC-1 and BCPAP). Wound and Transwell assays showed that BDE209 exacerbated the aggressiveness of PTC cells. BDE209 significantly promoted cell proliferation during the S and G2/M phases of the cell cycle. Mechanistically, BDE209 altered the thyroid system by acting as a competitive inhibitor of thyroid receptor beta (TRß) expression and function, which was further proven by public databases and RNA-seq bioinformation analysis. Taken together, these results demonstrated that BDE209 has chronic toxicity and potential tumourigenic effects on the thyroid by inhibiting TRß.