Microplastics (MPs) have garnered widespread attention because of their presence in human placenta, stool, and even blood. Ingestion is considered the major route of human exposure to MPs. It has been found that the consumption of food and water is associated with more MP abundance in human stools. The usage of plastic containers, particularly feeding bottles, may be a major contributor to MP contamination. However, human exposure to MPs and potential factors that influence exposure, especially for preschoolers, remains largely unknown. When exposed to MPs, mice exhibited gut microbiota dysbiosis, including alterations in diversity indices, a decreased relative abundance of probiotics and an increased abundance of pathogenic bacteria. Such results have also been observed in human gut in vitro models, however, the actual association between MP exposure and human intestinal microbiota remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate MP concentrations in preschoolers' stools, explore possible dietary factors that influence preschooler exposure to MPs, and investigate their potential association with the gut microbiota. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Xiamen, China in October 2022. We investigated the feeding behaviours and dietary habits of preschool children. A total of 69 couples of stool samples were collected and analyzed for MPs test and gut microbiota analysis. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was used for quantifying 11 types of MPs. The gut microbiota composition was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that only polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), and polyamide 6 (PA6) were detected in 85.5% stool samples, with concentrations of 317.4 (152.0, 491.9) μg/g dw, 299.0 (196.1, 619.9) μg/g dw, 206.2 (154.1, 240.3) μg/g dw, and 17.9 (13.4, 18.6) μg/g dw, respectively. The median estimated daily intake (EDI) for preschoolers was 425.9 (272.5, 762.3) μg/kg-bw/d. Dairy intake may influence MP concentration in preschoolers' stools, and the usage of feeding bottles may be a specific source of MP contamination. Moreover, higher PVC concentrations were observed in the stools when the children took more time to eat a meal. MP exposure was inversely associated with alpha indices and possibly affected certain probiotic taxa, such as Parabacteroides and Alistipes, in preschool children. Our data provided baseline evidence for MP exposure doses and potential dietary factors that may influence MP exposure in preschoolers. These findings supported the perspective that MP exposure might be associated with the disturbance of gut microbiota. Further studies focusing on sensitive populations with larger sample sizes are needed. This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: 82003412), the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission (grant number: 20214Y0019), and the Project of Shanghai Municipal Financial Professional foundation (Food Safety Risk Assessment) (grant number: RA-2022-06).

This study’s objective was to depict sugar-sweetened food (SSF) consumption in medical college students stratified by sex from Shanghai, China, and to explore the association between the Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI) and SSF intake. The data were obtained from 1121 medical college students from the Fudan University, Shanghai, China, who took an online questionnaire investigation in December 2020. Data included demographics, the MPAI, the Nutrition Literacy Assessment Questionnaire (NLAQ), total and food expenditure per month, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and a food frequency questionnaire (carbonated beverages (CB), other sugar-based beverages (OSBB), sugar/chocolate). We evaluated the association between the MPAI and three types of SSF intake according to multivariate logistic regression analysis stratified by sex. The mean CB, OSBB, and sugar/chocolate intakes were, respectively, 65.66 mL/d, 74.20 mL/d, and 4.96 g/d in men and 30.42 mL/d, 71.48 mL/d, and 4.99 g/d in women. The MPAI was positively associated with SSF intake, regardless of sex. In men, the CB and OSBB odds ratios (ORs) were, respectively, 1.023 (95% CI: 1.004–1.042), 1.019 (95% CI: 1.001–1.038); and in women, the CB, OSBB, and sugar/chocolate ORs were, respectively, 1.026 (95% CI: 1.013–1.039), 1.020 (95% CI: 1.007–1.033), and 1.019 (95% CI: 1.006–1.032). Age, NLAQ, total expenditure, food expenditure, and total physical activity also were related to SSF intake. Age and the application capacity of the NLAQ were negatively associated with SSF intake, whereas comprehension capacity of the NLAQ, total and food expenditure, and total physical activity were positively associated with SSF intake. This study confirmed that SSF intake is widespread among medical college students from Shanghai, China, even if they have relatively high nutrition health literacy. From a public health perspective, it is necessary to reduce SSF intake in medical college students by decreasing the MPAI, controlling the total and food expenditure per month in high-consumption areas, and improving the application ability of the NLAQ. Further studies are needed to explore the MPAI and other potential factors that may influence SSF intake of college students by expanding the sample size of college students throughout China, and the causal association between them.

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is a typical phthalate (PAEs). The environmental health risks of DBP have gradually attracted attention due to the common use in the production of plastics, cosmetics and skin care products. DBP was associated with diabetes, but its mechanism is not clear. In this study, an in vitro culture system of rat insulinoma (INS-1) cells was established to explore the effect of DBP on insulin synthesis and secretion and the potential mechanisms. INS-1 cells were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum and treated with 15, 30, 60 and 120 μmol/L of DBP and dimethyl sulfoxide (vehicle, < 0.1%) for 24 h. The contents of insulin in the intracellular fluid and the extracellular fluid of the cells were measured. The results showed that insulin synthesis and secretion in INS-1 cells were significantly decreased in 120 μmol/L DBP group. The apoptosis rate and mitochondrial membrane potential of INS-1 cells were measured by flow cytometry with annexin V-FITC conjugate and PI, and JC-1, respectively. The results showed that DBP caused an increase in the apoptosis rate and a significant decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential in INS-1 cells in 60 μmol/L and 120 μmol/L DBP group. The results of western blot showed that the expression of Bax/Bcl-2, caspase-3, caspase-9 and Cyt-C were significantly increased. Meanwhile, the level of oxidative stress in INS-1 cells was detected by fluorescent probes DCFH-DA and western blot. With the increase of DBP exposure, the oxidative stress levels (MDA, GSH/GSSG) were increased; and the antioxidant index (SOD) levels were decreased. Our experimental results provide reliable evidence that DBP induced apoptosis and functional impairment in INS-1 cells through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and oxidative stress. Therefore, we hypothesized that interference with these two pathways could be considered in the development of preventive protection measures.

The relationships between microplastics (MP) exposure through respiratory and exacerbation of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), as well as the potential influences of respiratory microbiota and inflammatory factors remain unknown in adults. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study involving 50 non-severe CAP (NSCAP) and severe CAP (SCAP) patients to examine the associations of MP exposure in sputum (SP) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples with SCAP risk, and the underlying influences of respiratory microbiota and inflammatory factors. The average concentration of total MP was 23.24 μg/g dw and 4.49 μg/g dw in SP and BALF samples, with the detection rates of 98 % and 94 %. Participants who performing housework often or sedentary time ≤ 5h exhibited a higher proportion of high exposure to MP. Multivariable logistic regression and weighted quantile sum regression models showed the significantly positive relationships of single type or overall MP exposure with SCAP risk. Correlation analysis revealed that MP concentrations in BALF samples were significantly associated with multiple respiratory microbiota and inflammatory factors, particularly with the reduction in α-diversity indices of the respiratory microbiota. Our findings demonstrated that respiratory exposure to MP may cause the risk increase of SCAP, along with the alterations of respiratory microbiota and inflammatory factors. It is recommended that patients with CAP should reduce the respiratory exposure to MP for preventing the exacerbation of CAP in clinical practice.

Melamine (MEL) and its derivatives, ammeline (AMN), ammelide (AMD), cyanuric acid (CYA) are widely existed in environmental media. Animal studies have reported the cumulative risk assessment (CRA) of simultaneous exposure to MEL and its derivatives and explored the associations between exposure and routine blood parameters. Such information is largely unknown in human studies. In this study, we detected the urinary concentrations of MEL and its derivatives in 239 Chinese adults to conduct the CRA by evaluating their hazard quotients (HQ) and hazard Index (HI), and also explored the possible associations between exposure and measured routine blood parameters in study population. The detectable frequencies of MEL, AMN, AMD and CYA were 96.65%, 41.00%, 97.91% and 97.07%, respectively. The median values of creatinine (Cr)-adjusted MEL, AMN, AMD, CYA and the total concentrations of MEL and its derivatives (∑MEL) were 11.41 μg/g Cr, not detected (ND), 2.64 μg/g Cr, 15.30 μg/g Cr, 35.02 μg/g Cr, respectively. There were 9 (3.77%) participants with estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of CYA exceeding the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 2500 ng/kg bw/day, and 12 (5.02%) participants with HI of ∑MEL exposure exceeding 1 based on the strictest TDI value. Urinary concentrations of MEL and its derivatives were positively associated with specific routine blood parameters, including hematocrit, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, white blood cell, neutrophil count (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, exposure to MEL and its derivatives increased the risk of red blood cell abnormality (P < 0.05). Our study is the first study to provide evidence-based data on the CRA of exposure to MEL and its derivatives in Chinese adults, and to propose a possible association between such exposure and routine blood parameters in human.