UV/Ozone-Treated and Sol-Gel-Processed Y2O3 Insulators Prepared Using Gelation-Delaying Precursors.

In this study, a Y2O3 insulator was fabricated via the sol-gel process and the effect of precursors and annealing processes on its electrical performance was studied. Yttrium(III) acetate hydrate, yttrium(III) nitrate tetrahydrate, yttrium isopropoxide oxide, and yttrium(III) tris (isopropoxide) were used as precursors, and UV/ozone treatment and high-temperature annealing were performed to obtain Y2O3 films from the precursors. The structure and surface morphologies of the films were characterized via grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction and scanning probe microscopy. Chemical component analysis was performed via X-ray spectroscopy. Electrical insulator characteristics were analyzed based on current density versus electrical field data and frequency-dependent dielectric constants. The Y2O3 films fabricated using the acetate precursor and subjected to the UV/ozone treatment showed a uniform and flat surface morphology with the lowest number of oxygen vacancy defects and unwanted byproducts. The corresponding fabricated capacitors showed the lowest current density (Jg) value of 10-8 A/cm2 at 1 MV/cm and a stable dielectric constant in a frequency range of 20 Hz-100 KHz. At 20 Hz, the dielectric constant was 12.28, which decreased to 10.5 at 105 Hz. The results indicate that high-quality, high-k insulators can be fabricated for flexible electronics using suitable precursors and the suggested low-temperature fabrication methods.

The impact of ozone treatment on the removal effectiveness of various refractory compounds in wastewater from petroleum refineries.

Large volumes of wastewater are generated during petroleum refining processes. Petroleum refinery wastewater (PRW) can contain highly toxic compounds that can harm the environment. These toxic compounds can be a challenge in biological treatment technologies due to the effects of these compounds on microorganisms. These challenges can be overcome by using ozone (O3) as a standalone or as a pretreatment to the biological treatment. Ozone was used in this study to degrade the organic pollutants in the heavily contaminated PRW from a refinery in Mpumalanga province of South Africa. The objective was achieved by treating the raw PRW using ozone at different ozone treatment times (15, 30, 45, and 60 min) at a fixed ozone concentration of 3.53 mg/dm3. The ozone treatment was carried out in a 2-liter custom-designed plexiglass cylindrical reactor. Ozone was generated from an Eco-Lab-24 corona discharge ozone generator using clean, dry air from the Afrox air cylinder as feed. The chemical oxygen demand, gas chromatograph characterization, and pH analysis were performed on the pretreated and post-treated PRW samples to ascertain the impact of the ozone treatment. The ozone treatment was effective in reducing the benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) compounds in the PRW. The 60-min ozone treatment of different BTEX pollutants in the PRW resulted in the following percentage reduction: benzene 95%, toluene 77%, m + p-xylene 70%, ethylbenzene 69%, and o-xylene 65%. This study has shown the success of using ozone in reducing the toxic BTEX compounds in a heavily contaminated PRW.

Quantifying the contributions of meteorology, emissions, and transport to ground-level ozone in the Pearl River Delta, China.

Ozone pollution presents a growing air quality threat in urban agglomerations in China. It remains challenge to distinguish the roles of emissions of precursors, chemical production and transportations in shaping the ground-level ozone trends, largely due to complicated interactions among these 3 major processes. This study elucidates the formation factors of ozone pollution and categorizes them into local emissions (anthropogenic and biogenic emissions), transport (precursor transport and direct transport from various regions), and meteorology. Particularly, we attribute meteorology, which affects biogenic emissions and chemical formation as well as transportation, to a perturbation term with fluctuating ranges. The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model was utilized to implement this framework, using the Pearl River Delta region as a case study, to simulate a severe ozone pollution episode in autumn 2019 that affected the entire country. Our findings demonstrate that the average impact of meteorological conditions changed consistently with the variation of ozone pollution levels, indicating that meteorological conditions can exert significant control over the degree of ozone pollution. As the maximum daily 8-hour average (MDA8) ozone concentrations increased from 20 % below to 30 % above the National Ambient Air Quality Standard II, contributions from emissions and precursor transport were enhanced. Concurrently, direct transport within Guangdong province rose from 13.8 % to 22.7 %, underscoring the importance of regional joint prevention and control measures under adverse weather conditions. Regarding biogenic emissions and precursor transport that cannot be directly controlled, we found that their contributions were generally greater in urban areas with high nitrogen oxides (NOx) levels, primarily due to the stronger atmospheric oxidation capacity facilitating ozone formation. Our results indicate that not only local anthropogenic emissions can be controlled in urban areas, but also the impacts of local biogenic emissions and precursor transport can be potentially regulated through reducing atmospheric oxidation capacity.

Systematic investigation and modeling prediction of virus inactivation by ozone in wastewater: Decoupling the matrix effects.

Water disinfection is undoubtedly regarded as a critical step in ensuring the water safety for human consumption, and ozone is widely used as a highly effective disinfectant for the control of pathogenic microorganisms in water. Although the diminished ozone efficiencies in complex water matrices have been widely reported, the specific extent to which individual components of matrix act on the virus inactivation by ozone remains unclear, and effective methodologies to predict the comprehensive effects of various factors are needed. In this study, the decoupled impact of the intricate water matrix on the ozone inactivation of viruses was systematically investigated and assessed from a simulative perspective. The concept of "equivalent ozone depletion rate constant" (k') was introduced to quantify the influence of different species, and a kinetic model was developed based on the k' values for simulating the ozone inactivation processes in complex matrix. The mechanisms through which diverse species influenced the ozone inactivation effectiveness were identified: 1) competition effects (k' = 105∼107 M-1s-1), including organic matters and reductive ions (SO32-, NO2-, and I-), which were the most influential species inhibiting the virus inactivation; 2) shielding effects (k' = 103∼104 M-1s-1), including Ca2+, Mg2+, and kaolin; 3) insignificant effects (k' = 0∼1 M-1s-1), including Cl-, SO42-, NO3-, NH4+, and Br-; 4) promotion effects (k' = ∼-103 M-1s-1), including CO32- and HCO3-. Prediction of ozone disinfection efficiency and evaluation of species contribution under complex aquatic matrices were successfully realized utilizing the model. The systematic understanding and methodologies developed in this research provide a reliable framework for predicting ozone inactivation efficiency under complex matrix, and a potential tool for accurate disinfectant dosage determination and interfering factors control in actual wastewater treatment processes.

Insulin resistance and its relationship with long-term exposure to ozone: Data based on a national population cohort.

The relationship of ozone (O3), particularly the long-term exposure, with impacting metabolic homeostasis in population was understudied and under-recognised. Here, we used data from ChinaHEART, a nationwide, population-based cohort study, combined with O3 and PM2.5 concentration data with high spatiotemporal resolution, to explore the independent association of exposure to O3 with the prevalence of insulin resistance (IR). Among the 271 540 participants included, the crude prevalence of IR was 39.1%, while the age and sex standardized prevalence stood at 33.0%. Higher IR prevalence was observed with each increase of 10.0 µg/m3 in long-term O3 exposure, yielding adjusted odds ratios (OR) of 1.084 (95% CI: 1.079-1.089) in the one-pollutant model and 1.073 (95% CI: 1.067-1.079) in the two-pollutant model. Notably, a significant additive interaction between O3 and PM2.5 on the prevalence of IR was observed (P for additive interaction < 0.001). Our main findings remained consistent and robust in the sensitivity analyses. Our study suggests long-term exposure to O3 was independently and positively associated with prevalence of IR. It emphasized the benefits of policy interventions to reduce O3 and PM2.5 exposure jointly, which could ultimately alleviate the health and economic burden related to DM.

Temporal evolution of speciated volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from solvent use sources in the Pearl River Delta Region, China (2006-2019).

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from solvent use sources constitute an important part of ozone (O3) and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, China. While stringent control measures targeting VOCs have been implemented in recent years, an assessment of historical trends is imperative to evaluate their effectiveness. In this study, trends of VOC emissions, compositions, and reactivity from solvent use sources in the PRD region from 2006 to 2019 were estimated using a developed methodology, which considered the improvement of manufacturing equipment and removal efficiency. Results show that total VOC emissions from solvent use sources displayed an overall increase from 277 kt in 2006 to 400 kt in 2019 despites some fluctuations, with metal products contributing more than 20 % each year. Aromatics and oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) accounted for over 70 % of total VOC emissions, increasing by 21 kt and 52 kt respectively. OFP and SOAFP increased by 40 % and 23 % respectively from 2006 to 2019. Specific aromatic species, including m/p-xylene, toluene, 1,2,3,5-tetramethylbenzene, o-xylene and ethylbenzene are identified as key species in both VOC emission amount and reactivity. This study aims to facilitate the understanding of VOC emission evolution from solvent use sources in the region and provide insights into the impact of enacted measures, aiding in the future development of more targeted and efficient strategies in the PRD region.

Evaluation of the restorative effect of ozone and chitosan-hyaluronic acid with and without mesenchymal stem cells on wound healing in rats.

This study evaluated the effect of ozone, chitosan-hyaluronic (Cs-HA) acid and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on wound healing in rats. A total of 64 rats were randomly divided into four groups: control, ozone, Cs-HA + ozone and Cs-HA + ozone + MSCs. A 5 mm full-thickness wound was created on the back of each rat. The wound area was measured macroscopically on days 3, 5, 9 and 14. Tissue sections were prepared for histopathological evaluation of inflammation, collagen arrangement, neovascularization and epithelial tissue rearrangement. Macroscopic assessment showed differences in wound area on days 5, 9 and 14. Histopathological examination showed that the Cs-HA + ozone + MSCs and Cs-HA + ozone groups had significantly higher vascularization on day 3 compared to the ozone-treated and control groups. All treatment groups had significantly better collagen arrangement than the control group. On day 5, no significant difference was observed between different groups. On day 9, the inflammation level in the Cs-HA + ozone + MSCs group was significantly lower than in the other groups. All treatment groups had significantly better vascularization compared to the control group. On day 14, the rate of inflammation was significantly lower in the treatment groups than in the control group. Significantly higher collagen arrangement levels were observed in the Cs-HA + ozone and Cs-HA + ozone + MSCs groups compared to the control and ozone groups. All treatment groups had significantly better epithelial tissue rearrangement than the control group. Overall, the results of this study indicated that treatment with ozone, Cs-HA acid, Cs-HA and MSCs accelerated wound healing in rats. The effect of using Cs-HA acid with mesenchymal cells was better than the other types of treatment. Larger clinical trials are needed to assess these factors for improving chronic wound treatment.

Histologic, metabolomic, and transcriptomic differences in fir trees from a peri-urban forest under chronic ozone exposure.

Urbanization modifies ecosystem conditions and evolutionary processes. This includes air pollution, mostly as tropospheric ozone (O3), which contributes to the decline of urban and peri-urban forests. A notable case are fir (Abies religiosa) forests in the peripheral mountains southwest of Mexico City, which have been severely affected by O3 pollution since the 1970s. Interestingly, some young individuals exhibiting minimal O3-related damage have been observed within a zone of significant O3 exposure. Using this setting as a natural experiment, we compared asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals of similar age (≤15 years old; n = 10) using histologic, metabolomic, and transcriptomic approaches. Plants were sampled during days of high (170 ppb) and moderate (87 ppb) O3 concentration. Given that there have been reforestation efforts in the region, with plants from different source populations, we first confirmed that all analyzed individuals clustered within the local genetic group when compared to a species-wide panel (Admixture analysis with ~1.5K SNPs). We observed thicker epidermis and more collapsed cells in the palisade parenchyma of needles from symptomatic individuals than from their asymptomatic counterparts, with differences increasing with needle age. Furthermore, symptomatic individuals exhibited lower concentrations of various terpenes (ß-pinene, ß-caryophylene oxide, α-caryophylene, and ß-α-cubebene) than asymptomatic trees, as evidenced through GC-MS. Finally, transcriptomic analyses revealed differential expression for 13 genes related to carbohydrate metabolism, plant defense, and gene regulation. Our results indicate a rapid and contrasting phenotypic response among trees, likely influenced by standing genetic variation and/or plastic mechanisms. They open the door to future evolutionary studies for understanding how O3 tolerance develops in urban environments, and how this knowledge could contribute to forest restoration.

La urbanización altera tanto las condiciones del ecosistema como los procesos evolutivos, siendo la contaminación del aire, principalmente el ozono troposférico (O3), un factor que contribuye al declive de los bosques urbanos y periurbanos. Un ejemplo destacado son los bosques de oyamel (Abies religiosa) en las montañas periféricas al suroeste de la Ciudad de México, que han sufrido graves afectaciones por la contaminación de O3 desde la década de 1970. Resulta curioso observar que algunos individuos jóvenes presentan un daño mínimo relacionado con el O3 dentro de zonas con una exposición significativa a este contaminante. Aprovechando este entorno como un experimento natural, hemos comparado individuos asintomáticos y sintomáticos de edad similar (≤15 años; n = 10) mediante enfoques histológicos, metabolómicos y transcriptómicos. Las muestras de plantas se recolectaron durante días con concentraciones altas (170 ppb) y moderadas (87 ppb) de O3. Dado que se han llevado a cabo esfuerzos de reforestación en la región con plantas de diferentes poblaciones, primero confirmamos que todos los individuos analizados se organizaron dentro del grupo genético local en comparación con un amplio panel poblacional de esta misma especie (Análisis de Admixture con ~1.5 K SNPs). Observamos una epidermis más gruesa y más células colapsadas en el parénquima en empalizada de las agujas de los individuos sintomáticos que de sus contrapartes asintomáticas, y estas diferencias aumentaban con la edad de la aguja. Además, los individuos sintomáticos exhibieron concentraciones más bajas de varios terpenos (ß­pineno, óxido de ß­cariofileno, α­cariofileno y ß­α­cubebeno) que los árboles asintomáticos, según se evidenció mediante GC­MS. Por último, los análisis transcriptómicos revelaron una expresión diferencial para trece genes relacionados con el metabolismo de carbohidratos, la defensa de plantas y la regulación génica. Nuestros resultados indican una respuesta fenotípica rápida y contrastante entre los árboles, probablemente influenciada por la variación genética presente y/o mecanismos plásticos. Estos hallazgos abren la puerta a futuros estudios evolutivos para comprender cómo se desarrolla la tolerancia al O3 en entornos urbanos y cómo este conocimiento podría contribuir a la restauración forestal.

Potential Impact of Climate Change-Induced Alterations on Pyroptotic Cell Death in Animal Cells: A Review.

Climate change-induced alterations in temperature variation, ozone exposure, water salinity and acidification, and hypoxia might influence immunity and thus survival in diverse groups of animals from fish to mammals. Pyroptosis is a type of lytic pro-inflammatory programmed cell death, which participates in the innate immune response, and is involved in multiple diseases characterized by inflammation and cell death, mostly studied in human cells. Diverse extrinsic factors can induce pyroptosis, leading to the extracellular release of pro-inflammatory molecules such as IL-18. Climate change-related factors, either directly or indirectly, can also promote animal cell death via different regulated mechanisms, impacting organismal fitness. However, pyroptosis has been relatively less studied in this context compared to another cell death process, apoptosis. This review covers previous research pointing to the potential impact of climate change, through various abiotic stressors, on pyroptotic cell death in different animal cells in various contexts. It was proposed that temperature, ozone exposure, water salinity, water acidification and hypoxia have the potential to induce pyroptotic cell death in animal cells and promote inflammation, and that these pyroptotic events should be better understood to be able to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on animal physiology and health. This is of high importance considering the increasing frequency, intensity and duration of climate-based changes in these environmental parameters, and the critical function of pyroptosis in immune responses of animals and in their predisposition to multiple diseases including cancer. Furthermore, the need for further mechanistic studies showing the more direct impact of climate change-induced environmental alterations on pyroptotic cell death in animals at the organismal level was highlighted. A complete picture of the association between climate change and pyroptosis in animals will be also highly valuable in terms of ecological and clinical applications, and it requires an interdisciplinary approach. SIGNIFICANCE: Climate change-induced alterations might influence animal physiology. Pyroptosis is a form of cell death with pro-inflammatory characteristics. Previous research suggests that temperature variation, ozone exposure, water salinity and acidification, and hypoxia might have the potential to contribute to pyroptotic cell death in certain cell types and contexts. Climate change-induced pyroptotic cell death should be better understood to be able to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on animal health.

Assessment of ground-level ozone pollution in Türkiye according to new WHO limits.

Ground-level ozone is a secondary pollutant and is attributable to respiratory diseases and mortality. For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) implemented a new long-term (peak season) limit value for ozone. The previous studies related to ozone in Türkiye were spatially limited to certain locations. In this study, annual mean and peak season ozone concentrations, and limit exceedances were investigated for Türkiye for the year 2021. Moreover, ozone peak seasons were determined for the first time for 126 air quality monitoring stations. The annual mean ozone concentration was determined as 44.3 ± 19.3 µg/m3 whereas the peak season average ozone level was 68.4 ± 27.2 µg/m3. April-September period was the most frequently observed ozone peak season. Among all stations, Erzurum Palandöken was by far the most polluted station in terms of annual mean and limit exceedances of ozone. Ankara Siteler stations have the highest rank in peak season mean. 87 and 83 stations exceeded the short-term and long-term recommendations of WHO, respectively. Four hotspot regions were revealed in terms of peak season exceedance: Adana and surrounding provinces, the surroundings of Burdur and Isparta provinces, and the northeastern and northwestern parts of Türkiye. To protect public health, WHO recommendations for 8-h and peak season limits should be immediately implemented in Turkish regulations.

Relationship of long-term exposure to air pollutant mixture with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease and subtypes: A retrospective cohort study of the employed population of Southwest China.

BACKGROUND: While evidence suggests that PM2.5 is associated with overall prevalence of Metabolic (dysfunction)-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD), effects of comprehensive air pollutant mixture on MAFLD and its subtypes remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate individual and joint effects of long-term exposure to comprehensive air pollutant mixture on MAFLD and its subtypes. METHODS: Data of 27,699 participants of the Chinese Cohort of Working Adults were analyzed. MAFLD and subtypes, including overweight/obesity, lean, and diabetes MAFLD, were diagnosed according to clinical guidelines. Concentrations of NO3-, SO42-, NH4+, organic matter (OM), black carbon (BC), PM2.5, SO2, NO2, O3 and CO were estimated as a weighted average over participants' residential and work addresses for the three years preceding outcome assessment. Logistic regression and weighted quantile sum regression were used to estimate individual and joint effects of air pollutant mixture on presence of MAFLD. RESULTS: Overall prevalence of MAFLD was 26.6 % with overweight/obesity, lean, and diabetes MAFLD accounting for 92.0 %, 6.4 %, and 1.6 %, respectively. Exposure to SO42-, NO3-, NH4+, BC, PM2.5, NO2, O3and CO was significantly associated with overall MAFLD, overweight/obesity MAFLD, or lean MAFLD in single pollutant models. Joint effects of air pollutant mixture were observed for overall MAFLD (OR = 1.10 [95 % CI: 1.03, 1.17]), overweight/obesity (1.09 [1.02, 1.15]), and lean MAFLD (1.63 [1.28, 2.07]). Contributions of individual air pollutants to joint effects were dominated by CO in overall and overweight/obesity MAFLD (Weights were 42.31 % and 45.87 %, respectively), while SO42- (36.34 %), SO2 (21.00 %) and BC (12.38 %) were more important in lean MAFLD. Being male, aged above 45 years and smoking increased joint effects of air pollutant mixture on overall MAFLD. CONCLUSIONS: Air pollutant mixture was associated with MAFLD, particularly the lean MAFLD subtype. CO played a pivotal role in both overall and overweight/obesity MAFLD, whereas SO42- were associated with lean MAFLD.

The joint effect of long-term exposure to multiple air pollutants on non-accidental and cause-specific mortality: A longitudinal cohort study.

The long-term joint impacts of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) on mortality are inconclusive. To bridge this research gap, we included 283,568 adults from the Taiwan MJ cohort between 2005 and 2016 and linked with the mortality data until 31 May 2019. Participants' annual average exposures to PM2.5, NO2, and O3 were estimated using satellite-based spatial-temporal models. We applied elastic net-regularised Cox models to construct a weighted environmental risk score (WERS) for the joint effects of three pollutants on non-accidental, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality and evaluated the contribution of each pollutant. The three pollutants jointly raised non-accidental mortality risk with a WERS hazard ratio (HR) of 1.186 (95% CI: 1.118-1.259) per standard deviation increase in each pollutant and weights of 72.8%, 15.2%, and 12.0% for PM2.5, NO2, and O3, respectively. The WERS increased cardiovascular death risk [HR: 1.248 (1.042-1.496)], with PM2.5 as the first contributor and O3 as the second. The WERS also elevated the cancer death risk [HR: 1.173 (1.083-1.270)], where PM2.5 played the dominant role and NO2 ranked second. Coordinated control of these three pollutants can optimise the health benefits of air quality improvements.

Highly Dispersed Ni Atoms and O3 Promote Room-Temperature Catalytic Oxidation.

Transition metal oxides are promising catalysts for catalytic oxidation reactions but are hampered by low room-temperature activities. Such low activities are normally caused by sparse reactive sites and insufficient capacity for molecular oxygen (O2) activation. Here, we present a dual-stimulation strategy to tackle these two issues. Specifically, we import highly dispersed nickel (Ni) atoms onto MnO2 to enrich its oxygen vacancies (reactive sites). Then, we use molecular ozone (O3) with a lower activation energy as an oxidant instead of molecular O2. With such dual stimulations, the constructed O3-Ni/MnO2 catalytic system shows boosted room-temperature activity for toluene oxidation with a toluene conversion of up to 98%, compared with the O3-MnO2 (Ni-free) system with only 50% conversion and the inactive O2-Ni/MnO2 (O3-free) system. This leap realizes efficient room-temperature catalytic oxidation of transition metal oxides, which is constantly pursued but has always been difficult to truly achieve.

Divergent responses of ascorbate and glutathione pools in ozone-sensitive and ozone-tolerant wheat cultivars under elevated ozone and carbon dioxide interaction.

Crop plants face complex tropospheric ozone (O3) stress, emphasizing the need for a food security-focused management strategy. While research extensively explores O3's harmful effects, this study delves into the combined impacts of O3 and CO2. This study investigates the contrasting responses of O3-sensitive (PBW-550) and O3-resistant (HUW-55) wheat cultivars, towards elevated ozone (eO3) and elevated carbon dioxide (eCO2), both individually and in combination. The output of the present study confirms the positive effect of eCO2 on wheat cultivars exposed to eO3 stress, with more prominent effects on O3-sensitive cultivar PBW-550, as compared to the O3-resistant HUW-55. The differential response of the two wheat cultivars can be attributed to the mechanistic variations in the enzyme activities of the Halliwell-Asada pathway (AsA-GSH cycle) and the ascorbate and glutathione pool. The results indicate that eCO2 was unable to uplift the regeneration of the glutathione pool in HUW-55, however, PBW-550 responded well, under similar eO3 conditions. The study's findings, highlighting mechanistic variations in antioxidants, show a more positive yield response in PBW-550 compared to HUW-55 under ECO treatment. This insight can inform agricultural strategies, emphasizing the use of O3-sensitive cultivars for sustained productivity in future conditions with high O3 and CO2 concentrations.

Deciphering multi-temporal scale dynamics in the concentration, sources and processes of near surface ozone over different climatic regions of India.

This study aims to investigate the factors influencing seasonal and long-term (2003-2021) changes in the near surface ozone (850 hpa) concentrations over different climatic sub-regions of India. Detailed comparison of daily (2019-2021) near surface ozone values of ERA-5 and CAAQMS (Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations) ground-based measurements revealed that ERA-5 is temporally in phase with CAAQMS measurements falling indifferent climatic sub-regions of India. ERA-5 near surface ozone shows statistically significant long-term (2003-2021) positive trends [2-4 percent per decade (ppd)] over most of the climatic sub-regions, over Indo-Gangetic Planes (IGPs), Southern and Central India trends are particularly strong. Trends were also estimated for each season separately, which were largely positive (2-6 ppd) over Central and Southern India in the Autumn and Winter seasons. Extensive climatological analysis reveals that the reversal of winds in the Indian monsoonal system plays a vital role in such trend patterns across the Indian subcontinent. South-westerly winds from June through September presumably bring ozone deficit air of marine origin, thus causing a dilution effect while the North-easterly winds during late Autumn and early Winters plausibly bring ozone-rich air from the stratospheric-tropospheric efflux dominated Himalayan region. It allows near surface ozone enhancement over Central and Southern India. Seasonal Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that precursor gases (CH4 and NO2) and climatic variables especially specific humidity (SH) are the primary drivers of near surface ozone variability in the Winter season, while in Spring, climatic variables like boundary layer height (BLH), temperature (T) and SH have a significant role. Principal component regression (PCR) reveals a long-term increase in near surface ozone levels mostly dominated by precursor concentration over IGPs and Southern sub-regions. Whereas, BLH, T and SH significantly explain near surface ozone trends over North-eastern and Coastal India.

CT-guided ozone-mediated lumbar-renal sympathetic denervation for resistant hypertension treatment: A pilot single-arm clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) reduces blood pressure (BP). METHODS: This single-arm open-label study enrolled patients with resistant hypertension (RH) and treat them by CT-guided ozone mediated lumbar-renal sympathetic denervation (L-RDN). The primary endpoint was to assess the changes of BP over 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) and to evaluate the anti-hypertensive medication burden (AHMB) at 3-month follow-up. This study was registered in Chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR2300071375). RESULTS: 17 patients (mean age 65.12 ± 10.77 years) with AHMB of 4.12 ± 1.11 were enrolled. After the procedure, 7 patients (46.7 %) matched the criteria for antihypertensive medication reduction. The AHMB decreased to 3.87 ± 0.96 for the whole objectives and from 3.87 ± 0.96 to 3.55 ± 0.78 for patients with normal baseline renal function. On top of the lessened AHMB, L-RDN further reduced morning systolic BP (SBP) by -8.6 ± 4.0 mmHg (p = 0.034) and diastolic BP (DBP) by -4.6 ± 2.1 mmHg (p = 0.032) for all participants and morning SBP by -13.2 ± 3.6 mmHg (p < 0.001), morning DBP by -6.2 ± 2.4 mmHg (p = 0.011) and daytime SBP by -4.1 ± 1.6 mmHg (p = 0.009) for those with normal baseline renal function at 3-month of follow-up. No adverse events were reported intra- and post operation. CONCLUSIONS: CT-guided ozone-mediated L-RDN might be an innovative approach of RDN for treating RH. Confirmatory studies are warranted.

Evidence-based effectiveness of Ozone therapy in the treatment for oral lichen planus - A systematic review.

Oral lichen planus is a common, chronic mucocutaneous condition of uncertain origin. Early treatment of OLP can dramatically reduce the risk of further development, which in turn reduces the risk of developing cancer. Numerous methods can be used to treat OLP. Since the significance of ozone in treating this disease is still uncertain. This systematic review was conducted based on english databases, including PUBMED, SCOPUS, Embase, Ovid, and Journal of Web up to July 2022. We used the search phrases "ozone," "ozone in the treatment of oral lichen planus," "oral lichen planus," and "ozone therapy." Finally, five papers were selected for qualitative analysis. This review included a total of five papers, four of which were clinical trials and one was a longitudinal study. All studies included the erosive form of OLP, also ozone therapy was applied to patients who did not respond to conventional treatment. Ozone showed significant therapeutic effects in terms of reduction in pain and size of the lesion. The signs and symptoms associated with OLP such as burning sensation, lesion size, and scarring all considerably improved with ozone therapy.

Characteristics, sources, and health risks of volatile organic compounds in different functional regions of Shenyang.

The concentration of 56 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the ambient air of Shenyang was continuously monitored at four sites in 2021. The characteristics, sources, secondary pollution potential and health risks of VOCs in different functional regions of Shenyang were discussed. The results indicate that the concentration of VOCs in industrial regions was significantly higher than that in non-industrial regions, with a mean of 41.09 ±â€¯69.82 parts per billion volumes (ppbv) compared to 19.99 ±â€¯17.86 ppbv (commercial & residential region in urban fringe), 27.51 ±â€¯28.81 ppbv (educational & scenic region) and 29.71 ±â€¯23.97 ppbv (commercial & residential region in urban center). The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was utilized to assign the sources of VOCs in Shenyang, and six factors were recognized: gasoline vehicles (34.8 %), diesel vehicles (28.3 %), combustion (11.4 %), biogenic emissions (9.7 %), industrial processes (8.2 %), and fuel evaporation (7.7 %). The results of the reactivity evaluation indicated that the ozone (O3) formation potential (OFP) was primarily influenced by industrial processes (29.2 %), diesel vehicles (25.7 %), biogenic emissions (17.0 %). These three factors were also the top three contributors to secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOAP), accounting for 44.2 %, 9.4 % and 30.3 %, respectively. At the all four sites, the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of VOCs ranged from 1.6 × 10-2 to 3.8 × 10-2 and from 2.3 × 10-6 to 3.3 × 10-6, respectively. And the main risks can be attributed to emissions from industrial processes and gasoline vehicles. These findings suggested to strengthen the control of vehicle emissions throughout all regions in Shenyang and industrial processes emissions in industrial regions.

Ozone-activated lignocellulose films blended with chitosan for edible film production.

This work focuses on the influence of ozone pretreatment on the fractionation and solubilization of sugarcane bagasse and soda bagasse pulp fibers in sodium hydroxide/urea solution, as well as the application of regenerated cellulose for producing edible films. The methodology involved pretreating lignocelluloses with ozone for 20 to 120 min before dissolving in sodium hydroxide/urea solution. The influence of the pretreatment conditions on cellulose dissolution yield was investigated. Regenerated cellulose films were then formed, with and without the addition of 2 % chitosan. Mechanical, physical, structural, thermal, and antimicrobial attributes were determined as a function of ozonation conditions of raw materials and chitosan content. The findings exhibited positive effects of short ozonation on enhancing mechanical strength, cohesion, and hydrophobicity. The prolonged ozonation of 120 min demonstrated optimal improvements in continuity, swelling, and antibacterial resistance of obtained films. Incorporating chitosan enhanced tensile performance, stiffness, and vapor barriers but increased moisture absorption. Tailoring the activation of biomass through ozone pretreatment and chitosan addition resulted in renewable films with adjustable properties to meet diverse packaging requirements, particularly for fruit protective coatings, ensuring the preservation of post-harvest quality.