MyMedR

Assess and reduce toxic chemicals in bioplastics

Xia C, Lam SS, Zhong H, Fabbri E, Sonne C

Science, 2022 Nov 25;378(6622):842.

PMID: 36423283 DOI: 10.1126/science.ade9069

Climate change puts Amur leopard at risk

Li X, Lam SS, Xia C, Zhong H, Sonne C

Science, 2023 Dec;382(6674):1007.

PMID: 38033061 DOI: 10.1126/science.adl6721

Fulltext 1H NMR-based Investigation of Metabolic Response to Electro-Acupuncture Stimulation

Lin C, Wei Z, Cheng KK, Xu J, Shen G, She C, et al.

Sci Rep, 2017 07 28;7(1):6820.

PMID: 28754994 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07306-5

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy that has been found useful for treating various diseases. The treatments involve the insertion of fine needles at acupoints along specific meridians (meridian specificity). This study aims to investigate the metabolic basis of meridian specificity using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based metabolomics. Electro-acupuncture (EA) stimulations were performed at acupoints of either Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming (SMFY) or Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang (GMFS) in healthy male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. 1H-NMR spectra datasets of serum, urine, cortex, and stomach tissue extracts from the rats were analysed by multivariate statistical analysis to investigate metabolic perturbations due to EA treatments at different meridians. EA treatment on either the SMFY or GMFS acupoints induced significant variations in 31 metabolites, e.g., amino acids, organic acids, choline esters and glucose. Moreover, a few meridian-specific metabolic changes were found for EA stimulations on the SMFY or GMFS acupoints. Our study demonstrated significant metabolic differences in response to EA stimulations on acupoints of SMFY and GMFS meridians. These results validate the hypothesis that meridian specificity in acupuncture is detectable in the metabolome and demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of a metabolomics approach in understanding the mechanism of acupuncture.

Fulltext Vinyl chloride accident unleashes a toxic legacy

Li C, Gao P, Yu R, Zhong H, Wu M, Lam SS, et al.

Environ Sci Ecotechnol, 2023 Apr;14:100259.

PMID: 36949895 DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2023.100259

Norway's mining plans threaten Arctic life

Sonne C, Ciesielski TM, Jenssen BM, Lam SS, Zhong H, Dietz R

Science, 2023 Aug 25;381(6660):843-844.

PMID: 37616344 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj4244

Fulltext Protect the oceans from Japan's radioisotope dumping

Li C, Zhong H, Meng L, Wu M, Ning W, Lam SS, et al.

Environ Sci Ecotechnol, 2024 Jul;20:100369.

PMID: 38318213 DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2023.100369

•Dumping of Fukushima's radioactive wastewater raises marine food web concern.•Tritium seems to be the most problematic compound.•Long-lived radioisotopes Biomagnify up to 50,000 folds in marine fish species.•This threatens fragile deep-sea ecosystems requiring immediate action.•Empowered Routine monitoring is crucial to maintain planetary health.

Fulltext Man-made reactive oxygen species as green disinfectants

Li C, Zhong H, Liu G, Liu D, Wu M, Lam SS, et al.

Eco Environ Health, 2023 Dec;2(4):243-245.

PMID: 38435354 DOI: 10.1016/j.eehl.2023.05.001

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Fulltext Metabolic Response in Rats following Electroacupuncture or Moxibustion Stimulation

Xu J, Lin X, Cheng KK, Zhong H, Liu M, Zhang G, et al.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2019;2019:6947471.

PMID: 31186665 DOI: 10.1155/2019/6947471

Electroacupuncture and moxibustion are traditional Chinese medicine practices that exert therapeutic effects through stimulation of specific meridian acupoints. However, the biological basis of the therapies has been difficult to establish; thus the current practices still rely on ancient TCM references. Here, we used a rat model to study perturbations in cortex, liver, and stomach metabolome and plasma hormones following electroacupuncture or moxibustion treatment on either stomach meridian or gallbladder meridian acupoints. All treatment groups, regardless of meridian and mode of treatment, showed perturbation in cortex metabolome and increased phenylalanine, tyrosine, and branched-chain amino acids in liver. In addition, electroacupuncture was found to increase ATP in cortex, creatine, and dimethylglycine in stomach and GABA in liver. On the other hand, moxibustion increased plasma enkephalin concentration, as well as betaine and fumarate concentrations in stomach. Furthermore, we had observed meridian-specific changes including increased N-acetyl-aspartate in liver and 3-hydroxybutyrate in stomach for gallbladder meridian stimulation and increased noradrenaline concentration in blood plasma following stimulation on stomach meridian. In summary, the current findings may provide insight into the metabolic basis of electroacupuncture and moxibustion, which may contribute towards new application of acupoint stimulation.

Fulltext Metabolomics analysis of herb-partitioned moxibustion treatment on rats with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome

Lin X, Liu X, Xu J, Cheng KK, Cao J, Liu T, et al.

Chin Med, 2019;14:18.

PMID: 31080495 DOI: 10.1186/s13020-019-0240-2

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder, which is commonly treated with antidiarrhoeal, antispasmodics, serotonergic agents or laxative agents. These treatments provide relief for IBS symptoms but may also lead to undesired side effects. Previously, herb-partitioned moxibustion (HPM) treatment has been demonstrated to be effective in ameliorating symptoms of IBS. However, the underlying mechanism of this beneficial treatment is yet to be established. The aim of the current study was to systematically assess the metabolic alterations in response to diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) and therapeutic effect of HPM.

Methods: Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR)-based metabolomics approach was used to investigate fecal and serum metabolome of rat model of IBS-D with and without HPM treatment.

Results: The current results showed that IBS-induced metabolic alterations in fecal and serum sample include higher level of threonine and UDP-glucose together with lower levels of aspartate, ornithine, leucine, isoleucine, proline, 2-hydroxy butyrate, valine, lactate, ethanol, arginine, 2-oxoisovalerate and bile acids. These altered metabolites potentially involve in impaired gut secretory immune system and intestinal inflammation, malabsorption of nutrients, and disordered metabolism of bile acids. Notably, the HPM treatment was found able to normalize the Bristol stool forms scale scores, fecal water content, plasma endotoxin level, and a number of IBS-induced metabolic changes.

Conclusions: These findings may provide useful insight into the molecular basis of IBS and mechanism of the HPM intervention.

Fulltext The hidden risk of microplastic-associated pathogens in aquatic environments

Zhong H, Wu M, Sonne C, Lam SS, Kwong RWM, Jiang Y, et al.

Eco Environ Health, 2023 Sep;2(3):142-151.

PMID: 38074987 DOI: 10.1016/j.eehl.2023.07.004

Increasing studies of plastisphere have raised public concern about microplastics (MPs) as vectors for pathogens, especially in aquatic environments. However, the extent to which pathogens affect human health through MPs remains unclear, as controversies persist regarding the distinct pathogen colonization on MPs as well as the transmission routes and infection probability of MP-associated pathogens from water to humans. In this review, we critically discuss whether and how pathogens approach humans via MPs, shedding light on the potential health risks involved. Drawing on cutting-edge multidisciplinary research, we show that some MPs may facilitate the growth and long-range transmission of specific pathogens in aquatic environments, ultimately increasing the risk of infection in humans. We identify MP- and pathogen-rich settings, such as wastewater treatment plants, aquaculture farms, and swimming pools, as possible sites for human exposure to MP-associated pathogens. This review emphasizes the need for further research and targeted interventions to better understand and mitigate the potential health risks associated with MP-mediated pathogen transmission.

A hidden demethylation pathway removes mercury from rice plants and mitigates mercury flux to food chains

Tang W, Bai X, Zhou Y, Sonne C, Wu M, Lam SS, et al.

Nat Food, 2024 Jan;5(1):72-82.

PMID: 38177223 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-023-00910-x

Dietary exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) causes irreversible damage to human cognition and is mitigated by photolysis and microbial demethylation of MeHg. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) has been identified as a major dietary source of MeHg. However, it remains unknown what drives the process within plants for MeHg to make its way from soils to rice and the subsequent human dietary exposure to Hg. Here we report a hidden pathway of MeHg demethylation independent of light and microorganisms in rice plants. This natural pathway is driven by reactive oxygen species generated in vivo, rapidly transforming MeHg to inorganic Hg and then eliminating Hg from plants as gaseous Hg°. MeHg concentrations in rice grains would increase by 2.4- to 4.7-fold without this pathway, which equates to intelligence quotient losses of 0.01-0.51 points per newborn in major rice-consuming countries, corresponding to annual economic losses of US$30.7-84.2 billion globally. This discovered pathway effectively removes Hg from human food webs, playing an important role in exposure mitigation and global Hg cycling.

Soil Geobacteraceae are the key predictors of neurotoxic methylmercury bioaccumulation in rice

Zhong H, Tang W, Li Z, Sonne C, Lam SS, Zhang X, et al.

Nat Food, 2024 Apr;5(4):301-311.

PMID: 38605129 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-024-00954-7

Contamination of rice by the potent neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg) originates from microbe-mediated Hg methylation in soils. However, the high diversity of Hg methylating microorganisms in soils hinders the prediction of MeHg formation and challenges the mitigation of MeHg bioaccumulation via regulating soil microbiomes. Here we explored the roles of various cropland microbial communities in MeHg formation in the potentials leading to MeHg accumulation in rice and reveal that Geobacteraceae are the key predictors of MeHg bioaccumulation in paddy soil systems. We characterized Hg methylating microorganisms from 67 cropland ecosystems across 3,600 latitudinal kilometres. The simulations of a rice-paddy biogeochemical model show that MeHg accumulation in rice is 1.3-1.7-fold more sensitive to changes in the relative abundance of Geobacteraceae compared to Hg input, which is recognized as the primary parameter in controlling MeHg exposure. These findings open up a window to predict MeHg formation and accumulation in human food webs, enabling more efficient mitigation of risks to human health through regulations of key soil microbiomes.

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