Unravelling the molecular mechanism of mutagenic factors impacting human health

Heavy metal levels of outdoor dust from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea region and assessment of the ecological and health risk

As a result of some chemical element (heavy metals) pollution of dust, environmental pollution of dust has become an increasing concern, necessitating an assessment of risks to both ecology and human health, particularly in urban areas. Most of these pollutants settle on the outdoors and eventually become part of the outdoor dust. These will have negative long-term repercussions on ecosystems and human health. In this research, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry analytical method was used to assess the pollution characteristics of the eight heavy metals (HMs): Mn, Cu, As, Hg, Ni, Cr, Zn, and Pb in the East Mediterranean Sea area. The concentration of As, Mn, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn analyzed in outdoor dust samples varied from 0.94 to 19.52 mg kg-1, 190.08 to 1019.7 mg kg-1, 20.46 to 45.9 mg kg-1, 19.5 to 62.56 mg kg-1, 0.01 to 0.93 mg kg-1, 10.48 to 40.64 mg kg-1, 12. 6 to 36.1 mg kg-1, and 48.96 to 112.41mg kg-1, respectively. HMs have been detected in the outdoor dust samples analyzed in the study, and, as a result, mean concentrations followed the order Mn > Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb > As > Hg, respectively. The ecological risk was observed at various contamination levels, with As and Hg pollution being the most severe. The highest hazard quotient (HQ) for adults and children was determined as a result of As and Cr, respectively. According to the US-EPA health risk threshold, the cancer risk in the study area is negligible.

Study of the cyto- and genotoxic activity of water from the Kapshagai reservoir (Kazakhstan) on laboratory mice

Chemical compounds in the environment, which exhibit toxic and genotoxic activity, increase the mutational pressure on biota. This study aimed to investigate the genotoxic, mutagenic, and toxic effects of water from the Ile River and the Kapshagai Reservoir, both sites of active economic activities. Cytogenetic analysis of bone marrow from mice exposed to water samples from the Ile River and the Kapshagai Reservoir revealed a statistically significant increase in aberrant (p<0.05) and polyploid cells (p<0.01), as well as a decrease in the mitotic index (p<0.001), compared to the negative control. The water samples caused statistically significant increases in single- and double-strand DNA breaks in cells across various organs in the experimental mice compared to unexposed animals (p<0.001). These observations suggest the existence of chemical compounds within the water samples from the Kapshagai Reservoir and the Ile River, which exhibit genotoxic, mutagenic, and toxic properties.

Evaluation of novel compounds as anti-bacterial or anti-virulence agents

Antimicrobial resistance is a global threat, leading to an alarming increase in the prevalence of bacterial infections that can no longer be treated with available antibiotics. The World Health Organization estimates that by 2050 up to 10 million deaths per year could be associated with antimicrobial resistance, which would equal the annual number of cancer deaths worldwide. To overcome this emerging crisis, novel anti-bacterial compounds are urgently needed. There are two possible approaches in the fight against bacterial infections: a) targeting structures within bacterial cells, similar to existing antibiotics; and/or b) targeting virulence factors rather than bacterial growth. Here, for the first time, we provide a comprehensive overview of the key steps in the evaluation of potential new anti-bacterial and/or anti-virulence compounds. The methods described in this review include: a) in silico methods for the evaluation of novel compounds; b) anti-bacterial assays (MIC, MBC, Time-kill); b) anti-virulence assays (anti-biofilm, anti-quorum sensing, anti-adhesion); and c) evaluation of safety aspects (cytotoxicity assay and Ames test). Overall, we provide a detailed description of the methods that are an essential tool for chemists, computational chemists, microbiologists, and toxicologists in the evaluation of potential novel antimicrobial compounds. These methods are cost-effective and have high predictive value. They are widely used in preclinical studies to identify new molecular candidates, for further investigation in animal and human trials.

Understanding the charismatic potential of nanotechnology to treat skin carcinoma

Carcinoma is a condition that continues to pose a significant challenge, despite current medical advances. Skin carcinoma is the leading cause of cancer, and it has seen a massive increase all over the world. The challenges with current treatment are due to toxicity that leads to many more skin complications. Due to this to avoid such complications by designing diverse nanoparticles as delivery carriers, nanomedicine is employed as a hub for diagnostics and therapy. Liposomes, gold nanoparticles, transferases, nanofibers, etc., can all be used as delivery nanocarriers. These nanoparticles' structures and characteristics protect the medicine from degradation and improve its stability. Surface modifying agents and procedures are employed to functionalize nanoparticles, resulting in smart delivery systems. The application of nanotechnology-based approaches systematically increases drug delivery to target cells. Skin cancer has several challenges, including a long time to diagnose early types of cancer and a slower growth rate. This review focuses on innovative skin cancer therapy techniques, focusing on nanotechnology and the challenges associated with current treatment of skin cancer.

The effects of mutations on gene expression and alternative splicing

Understanding the relationship between mutations and their genomic and phenotypic consequences has been a longstanding goal of evolutionary biology. However, few studies have investigated the impact of mutations on gene expression and alternative splicing on the genome-wide scale. In this study, we aim to bridge this knowledge gap by utilizing whole-genome sequencing data and RNA sequencing data from 16 obligately parthenogenetic Daphnia mutant lines to investigate the effects of ethyl methanesulfonate-induced mutations on gene expression and alternative splicing. Using rigorous analyses of mutations, expression changes and alternative splicing, we show that trans-effects are the major contributor to the variance in gene expression and alternative splicing between the wild-type and mutant lines, whereas cis mutations only affected a limited number of genes and do not always alter gene expression. Moreover, we show that there is a significant association between differentially expressed genes and exonic mutations, indicating that exonic mutations are an important driver of altered gene expression.

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing versus traditional laboratory methods for the diagnosis of central nervous system opportunistic infections in HIV-infected Chinese adults

To evaluate clinical value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who had CNS disorders. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 48 PLWHA presenting with CNS disorders were sequenced using mNGS and compared with clinical conventional diagnostic methods. In total, 36/48 ss(75%) patients were diagnosed with pathogen(s) infection by mNGS, and the positive detection proportion by mNGS was higher than that by clinical conventional diagnostic methods (75% vs 52.1%, X² = 5.441, P = 0.020). Thirteen out of 48 patients (27.1%) were detected with 3-7 pathogens by mNGS. Moreover, 77 pathogen strains were detected, of which 94.8% (73/77) by mNGS and 37.0% (30/77) by clinical conventional methods (X² = 54.206, P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of pathogens detection by mNGS were 63.9% (23/36) and 66.7% (8/12), respectively, which were superior to that by clinical conventional methods (23/36 vs 9/25, X² = 4.601, P = 0.032; 8/12 vs 5/23, X² = 5.029, P = 0.009). The application of mNGS was superior for its ability to detect a variety of unknown pathogens and multiple pathogens infection, and relatively higher sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis of CNS disorders in PLWHA.

Elucidations of Molecular Mechanism and Mechanistic Effects of Environmental Toxicants in Neurological Disorders

Due to rising environmental and global public health concerns associated with environmental contamination, human populations are continually being exposed to environmental toxicants, including physical chemical mutagens widespread in our environment causing adverse consequences and inducing a variety of neurological disorders in humans. Physical mutagens comprise ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, such as UV rays, IR rays, X-rays, which produces a broad spectrum of neuronal destruction, including neuroinflammation, genetic instability, enhanced oxidative stress driving mitochondrial damage in the human neuronal antecedent cells, cognitive impairment due to alterations in neuronal function, especially in synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis repression, modifications in mature neuronal networks drives to enhanced neurodegenerative risk. Chemical Mutagens including alkylating agents (EMS, NM, MMS, and NTG), Hydroxylamine, nitrous acid, sodium azide, halouracils are the major toxic mutagen in our environment and have been associated with neurological disorders. These chemical mutagens create dimers of pyrimidine that cause DNA damage that leads to ROS generation producing mutations, chromosomal abnormalities, genotoxicity which leads to increased neurodegenerative risk. The toxicity of four heavy metal including Cd, As, Pb, Hg is mostly responsible for complicated neurological disorders in humans. Cadmium exposure can enhance the permeability of the BBB and penetrate the brain, driving brain intracellular accumulation, cellular dysfunction, and cerebral edema. Arsenic exerts its toxic effect by induction of ROS production in neuronal cells. In this review, we summarize the molecular mechanism and mechanistic effects of mutagens in the environment and their role in multiple neurological disorders.