[Non-carcinogenic Risk Assessment of Cadmium Exposure Through Drinking Water in Chinese Residents Based on Age-stratification Weight].

Drinking water is an important cadmium (Cd) exposure pathway for residents in China. In order to quantitatively characterize the risk of cadmium exposure through drinking water, the Cd concentrations of three main drinking water types in China were collected via systematic literature review. The probability distribution of the exposure parameters was estimated using regression models. The non-carcinogenic risk of cadmium exposure to residents through drinking water was evaluated by Monte Carlo simulation. The results showed that significant differences were found among Cd contents in the three water types. The geometric mean of ρ(Cd) in tap water, untreated underground water, and surface water were (0.48±0.78), (1.07±1.82), and (1.04±1.38) µg·L-1, respectively. The non-carcinogenic risk assessment showed that the median of hazard quotients in all age groups and in the three water types were found to be less than 1. Compared with the exposure dose threshold recommended by the US EPA, the probabilities exceeding the threshold of underground water, surface source water, and tap water were 2.4%, 1.3%, and 1.0%, respectively. Children aged 6-8 had the greatest daily average dose of Cd, and the least exposure dose was found in the 15-17 age group. The result of Monte Carlo simulation based on age-stratification weight showed that people 18-44 years old accounted for 50.8% of the total number of people who exceeded the exposure threshold. In summary, the probability of noncarcinogenic risk caused by Cd exposure through drinking water of Chinese residents was relatively low. However, people in some sub-groups still had a relatively high probability of exceeding the exposure dose threshold. It is necessary to further strengthen the control of cadmium pollution in drinking water in order to reduce the health risk caused by cadmium exposure and ensure drinking water safety.

Duration of immobilisation after Achilles tendon rupture repair by open surgery: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The best treatment for acute Achilles tendon ruptures remains controversial. No cohort studies have compared different immobilisation durations after open surgery. This retrospective cohort study aimed to determine the optimal duration of immobilisation after this surgery. METHODS: A total of 266 patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture were divided into 4 groups (A, B, C, and D) according to immobilisation duration of 0, 2, 4, and 6 weeks, respectively. All patients underwent the same suture technique with a similar rehabilitation protocol and were examined clinically at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 24, and 48 weeks, with a final follow-up at a mean of 22.3 months postoperatively. The primary outcome was the time of return to light sports activity (LSA). Secondary outcomes included range of motion (ROM) and single-legged heel rise height (SHRH). Data on operation time, complications, visual analogue pain scale (VAS), American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) hindfoot score, and Achilles tendon Total Rupture score (ATRS) were also collected. Demographic baseline data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance; outcome parameters were analysed using Kruskal-Wallis H test, and complications were analysed using Fisher's exact test. Statistical significance was considered at P ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: VAS scores decreased significantly, reaching 0 in all groups after 12 weeks. The AOFAS and ATRS scores were significantly different between the groups from weeks 2 to 12 (P<0.001) and weeks 2 to 16 (P<0.001), respectively. All the mean scores showed better results in group B than in the other groups. In terms of recovery time of ROM, SHRH, and LSA, groups A and B were significantly faster than groups C and D (P<0.001). There were 13 (13/266, 4.9%) complications: 5 superficial infections, 3 deep venous thrombosis, and 5 trauma-related re-ruptures. On the last follow-up, all complications had recovered. There were no significant differences in complications between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Immobilisation for 2 weeks after this open surgery is the best choice for early rehabilitation and weight-bearing while minimising pain and other complications.

Identification of 2 Potential Core Genes for Influence of Gut Probiotics on Formation of Intracranial Aneurysms by Bioinformatics Analysis.

BACKGROUND Rupture of intracranial aneurysms (IA) is associated with high rates of mortality around the world. Use of intestinal probiotics can regulate the pathophysiology of aneurysms, but the details of the mechanism involved have been unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS The GEO2R analysis website was used to detect the DEGs between IAs, AAAs, samples after supplementation with probiotics, and normal samples. The online tool DAVID provides functional classification and annotation analyses of associated genes, including GO and KEGG pathway. PPI of these DEGs was analyzed based on the STRING database, followed by analysis using Cytoscape software. RESULTS We found 170 intersecting DEGs (contained in GSE75240 and more than 2 of the 4 aneurysms datasets), 5 intersecting DEGs (contained in all datasets) and 1 intersecting DEG (contained in GSE75240 and all IAs datasets). GO analysis results suggested that the DEGs primarily participate in signal transduction, cell adhesion, immune response, response to drug, extracellular matrix organization, cell-cell signaling, and inflammatory response in the BP terms, and the KEGG pathways are mainly enriched in focal adhesion, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, ECM-receptor interaction, amoebiasis, chemokine signaling pathway, proteoglycans, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in cancer pathways. Through PPI network analysis, we confirmed 2 candidates for further study: CAV1 and MYH11. These downregulated DEGs are associated with the formation of aneurysms, and the change of these DEGs is the opposite in probiotics-treated animals. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that MYH11 and CAV1 are potential target genes for prevention of aneurysms. Further experiments are needed to verify these findings.

[Segmental Zoster Paresis:Report of One Case and Literature Review].

Segmental zoster paresis(SZP)is a rare complication in herpes zoster infection,with its symptoms often neglected due to the co-existence of pain.Here we reported a case of SZP.Also,we analyzed 42 Chinese SZP cases in literature,which revealed that the male to female ratio of SZP patients was 13∶8,and the median age of disease onset was 65 years.The most commonly affected region is upper limb.The diagnosis depends mainly on typical medical history and clinical symptoms.Although there is no definite therapy for SZP,the antiviral therapy is the most commonly used treatment,which achieved complete recovery in 78.6% of the patients and partial recovery in 14.3% of the patients.

Preparation and In vitro Evaluation of FDM 3D-Printed Ellipsoid-Shaped Gastric Floating Tablets with Low Infill Percentages.

The aim of the study is to investigate the feasibility of fabricating FDM 3D-printed gastric floating tablets with low infill percentages and the effect of infill percentage on the properties of gastric floating tablets in vitro. Propranolol hydrochloride was selected as a model drug, and drug-loaded polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) filaments were produced by hot melt extrusion (HME). Ellipsoid-shaped gastric floating tablets with low infill percentage of 15% and 25% (namely E-15 and E-25) were then prepared respectively by feeding the extruded filaments to FDM 3D printer. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to characterize the filaments and 3D-printed tablets, and a series of evaluations were performed to the 3D-printed tablets, including the weight variation, drug content, hardness, in vitro floating behavior, and drug release of the tablets. The SEM results showed that the drug-loaded filaments and 3D-printed tablets appeared intact without defects, and the printed tablets were composed of filaments deposited uniformly layer by layer. The model drug and the excipients were thermally stable under the process temperature of extruding and printing, with a small amount of drug crystals dispersing in the drug-loaded filaments and 3D-printed tablets. Both E-15 and E-25 could float on artificial gastric fluids without any lag time and released in a sustained manner. Compared with E-15, the E-25 presented less weight variation, higher tablet hardness, shorter floating time, and longer drug release time.

Bactericidal properties of ZnO-Al(2)O (3) composites formed from layered double hydroxide precursors.

ZnO-Al(2)O(3) composites with different Zn/Al molar ratios (R) have been prepared using zinc-aluminium layered double hydroxides (LDHs) Zn( R )Al-CO(3) as precursor. The samples were characterized by XRD, ICP, EDX, EPR and FT-IR. The results show that ZnO is highly dispersed in all of the ZnO-Al(2)O(3) composites. Bactericidal experiments against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and Bacillus subtilis var. niger ATCC 9372 were carried out by contacting the bacteria and spores with the ZnO-Al(2)O(3) composites. The composites all showed high bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, and the bactericidal efficiency against Bacillus subtilis var. niger ATCC 9372 increased with increasing content of ZnO. The mechanism of bactericidal activity of ZnO-Al(2)O(3) has also been investigated. It is suggested that highly active O(2) (-) and *OH species generated on the surface of ZnO-Al(2)O(3) particles react with the peptide linkages in the cell walls of bacteria or spores resulting in their destruction.

Patterned growth of ZnO nanorod arrays on a large-area stainless steel grid.

Large-area ZnO nanorod arrays have been synthesized successfully on a stainless steel grid at a mild growth temperature of around 400 degrees C. The as-grown ZnO nanorods have uniform diameters of about 30-50 nm with approximately 5 nm tips. Patterned growth can be realized by engineering the shape of the grid in the growth. Photoluminescence demonstrates a sharp strong UV peak and a broad green band. The growth method provides a promising way of producing nanorod arrays with good controllability in patterns and morphologies, which will be critical in potential application such as high-efficiency filtering and catalysts.