Objective: To explore the impacts of coal mine dust on lung function in rats, so as to provide the basis for the early prevention and treatment of coal worker's pneumoconiosis. Methods: Seventy-two SPF-grade 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the coal dust group, the coal-silica dust group, the silica dust group and the control group. The rats in the first three groups of rats were administered 1 mL corresponding dust suspension into the lungs using non-exposure tracheal instillation, while the rats in the control group were administered 1 mL normal saline. Respiratory rate (f), forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF) and dynamic pulmonary compliance (Cdyn) were measured at 1, 3 and 6 months after dust exposure. Lung tissues were collected to measure reactive oxygen species (ROS) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels using corresponding ELISA kits and ATP assay kits, respectively. The relative mRNA expressions of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) were detected using real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay. The relative protein expressions of PGC-1α and TFAM were detected using Western blotting. Results: There was no interaction between dust type and exposure duration on f (P>0.05), but there were interactions on FVC, PEF and Cdyn (all P<0.05). Compared with the control group at 6 months after dust exposure, the f of the rats in the silica dust group were increased, while the FVC and PEF of the rats in the coal-silica dust and silica dust groups were decreased, and Cdyn of the rats in the coal dust, coal-silica dust and silica dust groups were decreased (all P<0.05). There were interactions between dust type and exposure duration on ROS and ATP levels, the relative mRNA and protein expressions of PGC-1α and TFAM (all P<0.05). Compared with the control group at 3 and 6 months after dust exposure, the ROS levels in the rats in the coal dust, coal-silica dust and silica dust groups were increased, while the ATP levels, the relative mRNA and protein expressions of PGC-1α and TFAM were decreased (all P<0.05). Conclusion The lung function impairment in rats caused by different types of coal mine dust is related to PGC-1α-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis dysfunction, which leads to increased ROS levels, decreased ATP and TFAM levels.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.05.019.].

Objective: To reveal the molecular basis of the cisAB (p. Met266Leu) glycosyltransferase by studying a proband with cisAB subtype and his family. Methods: A male newborn was selected as the research subject. Tube methods were used to identify ABO blood types of the proband and his family members. PCR-SSP detection, ABO gene sequencing, and cloning analysis were performed on the proband and some family members. The inheritance pattern of the subtype gene in the family was determined through pedigree analysis. Homology modeling was used to analyze the impact of amino acid variations on the structure of the transferase, and molecular docking was used to demonstrate the bifunctional activity of the transferase and the donor-receptor binding conformation. Results: Serological tests showed that the proband and his father had enhanced anti-H agglutination, and the grandmother had a forward and reverse discrepancy. Sequencing of the proband revealed heterozygous variations of c. 297A>G, c. 526C>G, c. 657C>T, c. 703G>A, c. 803G>C, and c. 930G>A compared with A1. 01 (compared with B. 01, lacking the c. 796C>A variation, namely harboring the c. 796A>C variation) and c. 261delG. Combined with cloning analysis, the proband's genotype was determined to be ABO cisAB (c. 796A>C)/ABO O. 01. 01, the father's genotype was ABO cisAB (c. 796A>C)/ABO O. 01. 02, and the grandmother's genotype was ABO cisAB (c. 796A>C)/ABO B102. Pedigree analysis indicated that the cisAB allele in this newborn was inherited from his father and grandmother rather than a natural mutation. Homology modeling showed that the side chain orientation and intermolecular forces of Leu266 in the cisAB (p. Met266Leu) transferase changed, and molecular docking demonstrated that the "binding pocket" of the active center of the variant enzyme could accommodate both UDP-GalNAc and UDP-Gal, indicating that the cisAB enzyme structure has bifunctional activity. Conclusion: The bifunctional activity of this cisAB (p. Met266Leu) enzyme is related to the nucleotide variation of c. 796A>C, and molecular docking indicates that the enzyme has dual affinity for A/B sugar donors.

Objective: To investigate the aberrant alterations of microRNAs ( miRNAs) in exosomes derived from bone marrow stromal cells ( BMSCs) in the bone marrow supernatants of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and their impact on the prognosis of AML patients . Methods: Bone marrow supernatant samples were col- lected from three AML patients and three healthy donors . Exosomes were isolated using a commercial kit , identif- ying the morphology and marker expression , and subjected to miRNA sequencing to determine differentially ex- pressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) . The DE-miRNAs were then intersected with the exosomal miRNA expression pro- files of primary AML cells (GSE64029) to exclude AML cell - derived signals and to identify BMSC-derived DE - miRNAs . Subsequently , candidate miRNAs were identified through Cox regression and Lasso regression analyses based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) . A prognostic risk model for AML was constructed , and pa- tients were stratified into high-risk and low-risk groups according to the median risk score . The prognostic value and clinical relevance of the model were further validated . Finally , the target genes of the candidate miRNAs were pre- dicted , followed by pathway enrichment analysis , construction of key regulatory networks , and correlation analysis between the expression levels of key miRNAs and their corresponding target genes . Results: Isolated exosomes ex- hibited a typical cup-shaped morphology with intact structures with particle size of 30 - 150 nm , and expressed exo- somal markers CD63 , ALIX , and TSG101 . miRNA sequencing identified 103 DE-miRNAs in AML patients com- pared with healthy donors; after intersection with the GSE64029 dataset , 83 BMSC-derived DE-miRNAs were re- tained . Among these , five candidate miRNAs ( miR-25-3p , miR-532-5p , miR-194-5p , miR-10a-5p , and miR- 20a-5p) were used to construct the prognostic model . Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated significantly lon- ger overall survival in the low-risk group compared with the high-risk group (P < 0. 05) . The areas under the ROC curve for the training/validation cohorts were 0. 80/0. 74 , 0. 80/0. 78 , and 0. 79/0. 64 at 1 , 2 , and 3 years , re- spectively . The prognostic model was significantly associated with risk stratification , patient age , and FAB classifi- cation (P < 0. 05) . KEGG pathway enrichment revealed that target genes of the candidate miRNAs were closely linked to cancer-related signaling pathways , including hepatocellular carcinoma , breast cancer , and non-small cell lung cancer. Correlation analysis indicated that the candidate miRNAs were significantly associated with key genes such as HIF1A , CREB1 , PIK3CA , IGF1R , PIK3R1 , TIAM1 , CRK , and PTEN (P < 0. 05) . Conclusion AML patients exhibit distinct miRNA expression profiles in BMSC-derived exosomes . A five-miRNA signature ( miR-25 - 3p , miR-532-5p , miR-194-5p , miR-10a-5p , and miR-20a-5p) demonstrates robust prognostic performance , sup- porting its potential clinical utility in risk stratification and outcome prediction for AML.

Objective:To establish a method for the determination of n-butylamine in the air of the workplace by ion chromatography.Methods:In February 2022, on-site sampling was carried out using an atmospheric sampler. N-butylamine was adsorbed by a neutral silica gel tube and then performed for qualitative and quantitative determination by ion chromatography after ultrasonic desorption with 10 mmol/L sulfuric acid solution.Results:The linear range of the method was 0.0375-100.0 μg/ml, the linear equation of the standard curve was y=0.0713 x-0.0327, the correlation coefficient was 0.9992. The detection limit of the method was 11.25 μg/L, and the lower limit of quantification was 37.50 μg/L, the lowest quantitative concentration was 0.025 mg/m 3 (in term of sampling 7.5 L). The average desorption efficiency of the method was 91.50%-95.38%, the precision was 1.10%-2.30%, the standard recovery was 83.83%-100.02%, sampling efficiency was 100.00%. Conclusion:This method is fast, sensitive and accurate, and can be used for the determination of n-butylamine in the air of workplace.

Objective:To observe the changes of lung function and inflammatory factors in rat models of coal workers' pneumoconiosis at different time points.Methods:In June 2021, 96 healthy male SD rats with SPF grade were divided into 1, 3, and 6-month control group and dust staining group (coal dust group, coal silica dust group, quartz group) according to random number table method, with 8 rats in each group. After one week of adaptive feeding, a one-time non-exposed tracheal perfusion method (1 ml/ piece) was used. The dust dyeing group was given 50 g/L coal dust, coal silica mixed dust and quartz dust suspension, respectively, and the control group was given 0.9% normal saline solution. At 1, 3 and 6 months after perfusion, lung function was detected by animal lung function apparatus, then all lung tissues and alveolar lavage fluid were killed, and lung histopathological morphological changes were observed by HE staining, and the contents of interleukin (IL-1β), IL-18, IL-4 and IL-10 in alveolar lavage fluid were detected by ELISA. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare groups. Two factors (inter-group treatment factor (4 levels) and observation time factor (3 levels) ) were used in the analysis of the effects of inter-group treatment and treatment time on related indicators.Results:HE staining results showed that coal spot appeared in the lung tissue of coal dust group, coal spot and coal silicon nodule appeared in the lung tissue of coal dust group, and silicon nodule appeared in the lung tissue of quartz group. Compared with the control group, the forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume at 0.2 second (FEV 0.2) of rats in the dust staining group had interaction between the treatment and treatment time ( P<0.05). With the increase of dust dyeing time, FVC and FEV 0.2 decreased significantly at 3-6 months of dust dyeing, and the maximum gas volume per minute (MVV) decreased significantly at 1-3 months of dust dyeing ( P<0.05). The lowest lung function index was in quartz group, followed by coal-silica group and coal-dust group. There were statistically significant differences in the main effect and interaction effect of the pro-inflammatory factor IL-18 among all groups in treatment and treatment time (IL-18: F=70.79, 45.97, 5.90, P<0.001), and interaction existed. The highest content of inflammatory factors in alveolar lavage fluid of all dust groups was quartz group, followed by coal silica group and coal dust group. There were significant differences in the main effect and interaction effect of anti-inflammatory factors between groups and treatment time (IL-4: F=41.55, 33.01, 5.23, P<0.001, <0.001, <0.001; IL-10: F=7.46, 20.80, 2.91, P=0.002, <0.001, 0.024), and there was interaction. The highest content of anti-inflammatory factor was in quartz group, followed by coal silica group and coal dust group. Conclusion:Lung function decreased and levels of inflammatory fators increased in rat models of coal workers' pneumoconiosis, with the quartz group being the most severely damaged. Lung function is mainly impaired in thrid-six months, and the content of inflammatory factors begins to change in first-thrid months. MVV are the earliest and most obvious in lung function. IL-18 is suitable for monitoring changes in the pro-inflammatory response of coal workers' pneumoconiosis, and IL-10 is suitable for monitoring changes in anti-inflammatory response.

Objective: To investigate the changes in the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and let-7e in rats induced by coal mine dust, so as to provide the basis for the mechanism of coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP). Methods: Sixty-four clean and healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the control group, coal dust group, mixed dust group (mixed coal and silica dust) and quartz group. The rats in the control group were exposed to 1 mL physiological saline by non-exposure tracheal perfusion, and the rats in the dust-exposed groups were exposed to 1 mL dust suspension. Rats were sacrificed by anesthesia after 1 month and 6 months, lung tissue was observed using hematoxylin-eosin staining, the pathological change in the lungs was scored using the Szapiel scoring system, the levels of IL-6 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expression of let-7e was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Results: A month after exposure, a small amount of coal spots and inflammatory exudation were observed in the lung tissue of the coal dust group and the mixed dust group. The quartz group showed tissue structure destruction and mild fibrosis and thickening of alveolar septum. Six months after exposure, there were more coal spots and slightly thickened alveolar septum in the coal dust group, and hyperplasia of pulmonary interstitial fibers, destruction of alveolar structure and silica nodules were observed in the mixed dust group. In the quartz group, the alveolar structure was obviously destroyed, the interstitial fiber proliferation was significant and silica nodules were seen. Two-factor analysis of variance showed that the interaction between duration of exposure and dust type significantly influenced the pathological score of lung tissue, IL-6 levels, and let-7e expression levels (P<0.05). Under the same dust type, the pathological score of lung tissue and IL-6 levels were higher at 6 months after exposure than at 1 month, while the relative expression of let-7e was lower at 6 months after exposure than at 1 month (all P<0.05). Under the same duration of exposure, the pathological score of lung tissue and IL-6 levels were higher in the dust-exposed groups than in the control group, while the relative expression of let-7e was lower in the dust-exposed groups than in the control group (all P<0.05). Conclusions Coal dust can cause an increase in levels of IL-6 and a decrease in let-7e expression in rats. The type of dust and duration of exposure can interactively affect IL-6 and let-7e.

Background Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) is a serious occupational lung disease and one of the prescript occupational diseases in China. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in the diffuse fibrosis of lung tissue of pneumoconiosis patients, and its mechanism may be related to the polarization of macrophages regulated by let-7c. Objective To investigate the effect of let-7c on the regulation of macrophage polarization in EMT in rats induced by coal dust exposure with different content of free SiO₂. Methods SD rats were randomly divided into a control group, a 5% SiO₂ group, a 30% SiO₂ group, and a 99.9% SiO₂ group, with 16 rats in each group. The rats in each group were tracheally titrated with 100 μL of 20 mg·mL⁻¹ suspension (5% SiO₂, 30% SiO₂, and 99.9% SiO₂) or normal saline, respectively. Alveolar lavage fluid was collected at the ends of the 1st month and the 3rd month. The relative expression levels of M1 or M2 markers, CD86 or CD206, in alveolar macrophages (AMs) were detected by immunofluorescence. The inflammation and fibrosis of lung tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Masson staining. The expression levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), E-cadherin, and vimentin were detected by Western blotting. The expression levels of let-7c and c/EBP-δ genes were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. Results The HE and Masson staining results showed that compared with the control group, the degree of pulmonary fibrosis in the 5% SiO₂ group, the 30% SiO₂ group, and the 99.9% SiO₂ group gradually increased with the increase of dust exposure time. Compared with the control group, the expressions of CD86 and CD206 in the 5% SiO₂ group, the 30% SiO₂ group, and the 99.9% SiO₂ group gradually increased at the end of the 1st month (F=330.904, 146.801, P<0.05), and the expression of CD86 in each group decreased gradually at the end of the 3rd month (F=331.781, P<0.05), but the expression of CD206 increased (F=1164.190, P<0.05). At the end of the 1st month, the expressions of TGF-β1 (F=8.847, P<0.05) and vimentin (F=13.275, P<0.05) gradually increased, and the expression of E-cadherin (F=6.253, P<0.05) gradually reduced in the 5% SiO₂ group, the 30% SiO₂ group, and the 99.9% SiO₂ group. At the end of the 3rd month, the expressions of TGF-β1 (F=16.833, P<0.05) and vimentin (F=55.021, P<0.05) increased, and the expression of E-cadherin (F=12.790, P<0.05) gradually decreased in all groups. The PCR results showed that compared with the control group, the expression of let-7c mRNA in the 5% SiO₂ group, the 30% SiO₂ group, and the 99.9% SiO₂ group increased at the ends of the 1st month and the 3rd month (F=11.251, 28.136, P<0.05). The expression of c/EBP-δ mRNA decreased in all groups at the ends of the 1st month and the 3rd month (F=49.204, 177.090, P<0.05). Conclusion In response to dust stimulation, let-7c promotes EMT by modulating macrophage polarization, which is involved in the formation of pulmonary fibrosis and thus influences the progression of CWP .

Objective:To establish a method for the determination of n-butylamine in the air of the workplace by ion chromatography.Methods:In February 2022, on-site sampling was carried out using an atmospheric sampler. N-butylamine was adsorbed by a neutral silica gel tube and then performed for qualitative and quantitative determination by ion chromatography after ultrasonic desorption with 10 mmol/L sulfuric acid solution.Results:The linear range of the method was 0.0375-100.0 μg/ml, the linear equation of the standard curve was y=0.0713 x-0.0327, the correlation coefficient was 0.9992. The detection limit of the method was 11.25 μg/L, and the lower limit of quantification was 37.50 μg/L, the lowest quantitative concentration was 0.025 mg/m 3 (in term of sampling 7.5 L). The average desorption efficiency of the method was 91.50%-95.38%, the precision was 1.10%-2.30%, the standard recovery was 83.83%-100.02%, sampling efficiency was 100.00%. Conclusion:This method is fast, sensitive and accurate, and can be used for the determination of n-butylamine in the air of workplace.

Objective:To observe the changes of lung function and inflammatory factors in rat models of coal workers' pneumoconiosis at different time points.Methods:In June 2021, 96 healthy male SD rats with SPF grade were divided into 1, 3, and 6-month control group and dust staining group (coal dust group, coal silica dust group, quartz group) according to random number table method, with 8 rats in each group. After one week of adaptive feeding, a one-time non-exposed tracheal perfusion method (1 ml/ piece) was used. The dust dyeing group was given 50 g/L coal dust, coal silica mixed dust and quartz dust suspension, respectively, and the control group was given 0.9% normal saline solution. At 1, 3 and 6 months after perfusion, lung function was detected by animal lung function apparatus, then all lung tissues and alveolar lavage fluid were killed, and lung histopathological morphological changes were observed by HE staining, and the contents of interleukin (IL-1β), IL-18, IL-4 and IL-10 in alveolar lavage fluid were detected by ELISA. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare groups. Two factors (inter-group treatment factor (4 levels) and observation time factor (3 levels) ) were used in the analysis of the effects of inter-group treatment and treatment time on related indicators.Results:HE staining results showed that coal spot appeared in the lung tissue of coal dust group, coal spot and coal silicon nodule appeared in the lung tissue of coal dust group, and silicon nodule appeared in the lung tissue of quartz group. Compared with the control group, the forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume at 0.2 second (FEV 0.2) of rats in the dust staining group had interaction between the treatment and treatment time ( P<0.05). With the increase of dust dyeing time, FVC and FEV 0.2 decreased significantly at 3-6 months of dust dyeing, and the maximum gas volume per minute (MVV) decreased significantly at 1-3 months of dust dyeing ( P<0.05). The lowest lung function index was in quartz group, followed by coal-silica group and coal-dust group. There were statistically significant differences in the main effect and interaction effect of the pro-inflammatory factor IL-18 among all groups in treatment and treatment time (IL-18: F=70.79, 45.97, 5.90, P<0.001), and interaction existed. The highest content of inflammatory factors in alveolar lavage fluid of all dust groups was quartz group, followed by coal silica group and coal dust group. There were significant differences in the main effect and interaction effect of anti-inflammatory factors between groups and treatment time (IL-4: F=41.55, 33.01, 5.23, P<0.001, <0.001, <0.001; IL-10: F=7.46, 20.80, 2.91, P=0.002, <0.001, 0.024), and there was interaction. The highest content of anti-inflammatory factor was in quartz group, followed by coal silica group and coal dust group. Conclusion:Lung function decreased and levels of inflammatory fators increased in rat models of coal workers' pneumoconiosis, with the quartz group being the most severely damaged. Lung function is mainly impaired in thrid-six months, and the content of inflammatory factors begins to change in first-thrid months. MVV are the earliest and most obvious in lung function. IL-18 is suitable for monitoring changes in the pro-inflammatory response of coal workers' pneumoconiosis, and IL-10 is suitable for monitoring changes in anti-inflammatory response.