OBJECTIVES: As early as the Apollo 11 mission, astronauts experienced ocular, skin, and upper airway irritation after lunar dust (LD) was brought into the return cabin, drawing attention to its potential biological toxicity. However, the biological effects of LD exposure through the digestive system remain poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of digestive exposure to lunar dust simulant (LDS) on gut microbiota and on the intestine, liver, kidney, lung, and bone in mice. METHODS: Eight-week-old female C57BL/6J mice were used. LDS was used as a substitute for lunar dust, and Shaanxi loess was used as Earth dust (ED). Mice were randomly divided into a phosphate buffered saline (PBS) group, an ED group (500 mg/kg), and a LDS group (500 mg/kg), with assessments at days 7, 14, and 28. Mice were gavaged once every 3 days, with body weight recorded before each gavage. At sacrifice, fecal samples were analyzed by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing; inflammatory cytokine expression [interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)] in intestinal, liver, and lung tissues was measured by real-time reverse transcription PCR (real-time RT-PCR); hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was performed on lung, liver, and intestinal tissues; Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining was used to assess the integrity of the intestinal mucus barrier, and immunohistochemical staining was performed to evaluate the expression of mucin-2 (MUC2). Serum biochemical tests assessed hepatic and renal function. Femoral bone mass was analyzed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT); osteoblasts and osteoclasts were assessed by osteocalcin (OCN) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining. Bone marrow immune cell subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: At day 10, weight gain was slowed in ED and LDS groups. At days 22 and 28, body weight in both ED and LDS groups was significantly lower than controls (both P<0.05). LDS exposure increased microbial species richness and diversity at day 7. Compared with the PBS and ED groups, mice in the LDS group showed increased relative abundance of Deferribacterota, Desulfobacterota, and Campylobacterota, and decreased Firmicutes, with increased Helicobacter typhlonius and reduced Lactobacillus johnsonii and Lactobacillusmurinus. HE and PAS staining of the colon showed that mucosal structural disruption and goblet cell loss were more severe in the LDS group. In addition, immunohistochemistry revealed a significant downregulation of MUC2 expression in this group (P<0.05). No obvious pathological alterations were observed in liver HE staining among the 3 groups, and none of the groups exhibited notable hepatic or renal dysfunction. HE staining of the lungs in the ED and LDS groups showed increased perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration (both P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS LDS exposure via the digestive route induces gut dysbiosis, intestinal barrier disruption, pulmonary inflammation, bone loss, and bone marrow immune imbalance. These findings indicate that LD exposure poses potential health risks during future lunar missions. Targeted restoration of beneficial gut microbiota may represent a promising strategy to mitigate LD-related health hazards.
Animals ; Dust ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Dysbiosis/etiology* ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Moon ; Liver/metabolism* ; Digestive System/microbiology* ; Lung/metabolism* ; Kidney

OBJECTIVES: Due to prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation and meteorite impacts, lunar surface dust forms nanoscale angular particles with strong electrostatic adsorption properties. These dust particles pose potential inhalation risks, yet their pulmonary toxicological mechanisms remain unclear. Given the need for dust exposure protection in future lunar base construction and resource development, this study established an acute exposure model using lunar soil simulant (LSS) and used Earth soil (ES; Loess from Shaanxi, China) as a comparison to investigate lung injury mechanisms. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to 3 groups: Phosphate buffered saline (PBS), LSS, and ES, with 5 to 7 mice per group. Mice in the LSS and ES groups received a single intratracheal instillation to induce acute inhalation exposure. Body weight was monitored for 28 days. Mice were euthanized at days 3, 7, 14, and 28 post-exposure, and peripheral blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissues were collected. Immune cell subsets in BALF were analyzed using flow cytometry. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining assessed lung structure and inflammation; periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining evaluated airway mucus secretion; Masson staining examined collagen deposition. Real-time reverse transcription PCR (real-time RT-PCR) was used to measure the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) and epithelial barrier genes (Occludin, Cadherin-1, and Zo-1). Lung tissues at day 7 were subjected to transcriptomic sequencing, followed by immune infiltration and pathway enrichment analyses to determine immunoregulatory mechanisms. RESULTS: Body weight in the ES group progressively declined after day 18 (all P<0.05), while the LSS group showed no significant changes compared with the control group. HE staining showed both LSS and ES induced inflammatory cell infiltration around airways and vasculature, which persisted for 28 days but gradually lessened over time. PAS staining revealed marked mucus hypersecretion in the LSS group at day 3, followed by gradual recovery; no significant mucus changes were observed in the ES group. Masson staining indicated no obvious pulmonary fibrosis in either group within 28 days. Real-time RT-PCR demonstrated significant upregulation of IL-1β and TNF-α in both LSS and ES groups, peaking on day 7, accompanied by downregulation of epithelial barrier genes (Occludin, Cadherin-1, and Zo-1)(all P<0.05). Transcriptomic analysis showed that both LSS and ES activated chemokine-related pathways and enriched leukocyte migration and neutrophil recruitment pathways. Further validation revealed upregulation of CXCL2 and MMP12 in the LSS group, whereas CXCL3 and MMP12 were predominantly elevated in the ES group. CONCLUSIONS Both LSS and ES can induce sustained lung injury and neutrophil infiltration in mice, though the underlying molecular mechanisms differ. Compared with ES, exposure to LSS additionally triggers a transient eosinophilic response, suggesting that lunar dust particles possess stronger immunostimulatory potential and higher biological toxicity.
Animals ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Soil ; Lung Injury/etiology* ; Dust ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Moon ; Lung/pathology* ; Inhalation Exposure/adverse effects* ; Male

Clq/tumor necrosis factor related proteins(CTRPs)are a newly discovered superfamily of proteins with wide tissue distribution and diverse biological functions, which are involved in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, vascular endothelial cell function and inflammatory response.There are few studies on the relationship between CTRP family and sepsis, and a few studies have shown that some CTRP family members are involved in the occurrence and development of sepsis.This review introduced the role of CTRP family in sepsis and related mechanism.

Objective:To evaluate the effects of smart stethoscope on the monitoring childhood asthma exacerbation, so as to assist family management in childhood asthma.Methods:A prospective randomized controlled study was carried out.A total of 80 children with asthma who were treated at Department of Pediatric Respiratory, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and Shanghai Tonxin Pediatric Clinic from November 2020 to May 2021 were enrolled and randomly divided into a test group of 40 cases (used the smart stethoscope) and a control group of 40 cases(not used the smart stethoscope). Medical history data were collected.The control group received monthly routine follow-up, while the test group was followed up both routinely and by smart stethoscope.In the test group, hearing wheezing sound was regarded as asthma exacerbation, and in the control group, the asthma exacerbation was reported by the parents themselves.The frequency of asthma exacerbation, asthma control level and quality of life were compared between the two groups.The recognition, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of acute asthma exacerbation in two groups of children were described and analyzed.Measurement data were analyzed by t test or Mann- Whitney U test.Numeration data were analyzed by χ2 test. Results:Respiratory sounds collected by smart stethoscope in the test group were assessed by 3 specialist physicians.There were 12 wheezing rales (42.86%), 1 moist rale (3.57%) and 1 rhonchi rale (3.57%). Besides, 12 files (42.86%) were difficult to distinguish, and 2 files (7.14%) induced inconsistent identification.The number of asthma exacerbation was 12 in the test group and 5 in the control group.In the test group, 12 were recognized by the smart stethoscope, and only 6 were recognized by the parents.Comparing the diagnosis and treatment measures between two groups, it was found that there were more children in the test group (38.1%) receiving home treatment through telemedicine than those in the control group (20.0%). Besides, there were less children (61.9%) in the test group receiving unplanned hospital treatment (including unplanned outpatient, emergency and hospitalization) than those in the control group (80.0%). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups of children during acute asthma exacerbation ( χ2=4.67, P=0.097). Parents were satisfied with the common functions, convenience and stability of smart stethoscope. Conclusions:Smart stethoscope can acquire the respiratory sounds of children with asthma in real time, achieving timely detection, diagnosis and treatment of asthma exacerbation in children.What′s more, smart stethoscope reduces the incidence of unplanned hospital diagnosis and treatment, and assists parents with better family management of children asthma.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and optimization effect of modifying the Henry Ford Hospital (HFHS) RapidPlan model for stereotactic body radiation therapy planning based on local requirements.Methods:The following changes were made based on Henry Ford Health System(HFHS) Rapid Plan Lung SBRT model, taking the latest clinical guideline evidence and local clinical practice into account: Internal gross target volume(IGTV) and organ at risk(OAR) structure, lung, were added and set corresponding parameters.The upper value of planning target volume (PTV) was adjusted from 109% to 125%. The original training library was replaced with 73 local historical simultaneous integrated boosting plans, and statistical verification and outlier cleaning of the initial trained model were performed using Model Analytics software. Totally 10 cases not included in the model library were selected for independent verification, and automatic optimization result of the models before and after modifying were compared under the same beam condition. The following dosimetric parameters were compared after target dose normalization: conformal index (CI) of target volume, the mean doses, maximum doses and dose-volume parameters of OARs.Results:The " tail" of the PTV′s DVH and the " shoulder" and " tail" of the IGTV′s DVH of model M (local) validation plan (M (local)_P) performs higher than the original model HFHS (HFHS_P). The PTV_CI (1.07±0.13) of M local_P were significantly smaller than HFHS_P (1.25±0.24) ( Z=-2.497, P<0.05). Except for Heart_ D15 cm 3 and Heart_ Dmax, most of the M local_P dosimetric parameters of OARs were lower than HFHS_P, and the standard deviation was smaller. However, the difference of between two plans was no more than 3.06%. 10 HFHS_P plans don′t satisfy dose parameters requirement, two of which PTV_CI values are 1.52 and 1.74, far beyond the clinically acceptable range. Conclusions:Commercial model HFHS could be localized by replacing training library and adjusting parameters. Moreover, plans optimized by the modified model are local clinical acceptable in the aspects of target volume conformity and hotspots, and have a better performance in terms of OAR sparing and plan consistency.

ZNF804A rs1344706 has been identified as one of the risk genes for schizophrenia. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this association are unknown. Given that ZNF804A upregulates the expression of COMT, we hypothesized that ZNF804A may influence brain activity by interacting with COMT. Here, we genotyped ZNF804A rs1344706 and COMT rs4680 in 218 healthy Chinese participants. Amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFFs) were applied to analyze the main and interaction effects of ZNF804A rs1344706 and COMT rs4680. The ALFFs of the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex showed a significant ZNF804A rs1344706 × COMT rs4680 interaction, manifesting as a U-shaped modulation, presumably by dopamine signaling. Significant main effects were also found. These findings suggest that ZNF804A affects the resting-state functional activation by interacting with COMT, and may improve our understanding of the neurobiological effects of ZNF804A and its association with schizophrenia.