Objectively measured the impact of ambient air pollution on physical activity for older adults.

BACKGROUND: Air pollution poses a significant health risk to the human population, especially for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, potentially discouraging their engagement in physical activity. However, there is a lack of sufficient objective and longitudinal data in current research on how air pollution affects physical activity among older adults. With these gaps, we aimed to explore the relationship between air pollution and objective measurement-based physical activity among older adults by engaging in a longitudinal study design. METHODS: A total of 184 older adults were recruited from three cities with varying levels of air quality. Mean daily minutes of physical activity were measured with 7 consecutive days of accelerometer monitoring (ActiGraph GT3X-BT). Corresponding air pollution data including daily PM2.5 (µg/m3), PM10 (µg/m3) and air quality index (AQI) were sourced from the China National Environmental Monitoring Centre at monitor locations close to older adults' addresses. Associations between air quality and physical activity were estimated using a fixed effect model, adjusting for average daytime temperature, rain, age and weight. RESULTS: AQI and PM2.5 were observed to exhibit significant, inverse, and linear associations with mean daily walk steps, minutes of light physical activity (LPA), moderate physical activity (MPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in the single variable models. A one-level increase in AQI corresponded to a decline in 550.04 steps (95% [CI] = -858.97, -241.10; p < 0.001), 10.43 min (95% [CI] = -17.07, -3.79; p < 0.001), 4.03 min (95% [CI] = -7.48, -0.59; p < 0.001) and 4.16 min (95% [CI] = -7.77, -0.56; p < 0.001) in daily walking steps, LPA, MPA, and MVPA, respectively. A one-level increase in PM2.5 correlated with a decline in daily walk steps, LPA, MPA and MVPA by 361.85 steps (95% [CI] = -516.53, -207.16; p < 0.001), 8.97 min (95% [CI] = -12.28, -5.66; p < 0.001), 3.73 min (95% [CI] = -5.46, -2.01; p < 0.001,) and 3.79 min (95% [CI] = -5.59, -1.98; p < 0.001), respectively. However, PM10 displayed a significant negative association exclusively with LPA, with one-level increase in PM10 resulting in a 3.7-minute reduction in LPA (95% [CI] = -6.81, -0.59, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Air pollution demonstrates an inverse association with physical activity levels among older adults, potentially discouraging their engagement in physical activity. Different air quality indicators may exert varying impacts on physical activity. Future studies are warranted to enhance policy interventions aimed at reducing air pollution and promoting physical activity.

MIP3α as an early prognostic predictor for patients with B-cell malignancies receiving CD19/CD22-redirected CAR-T cell cocktail therapy.

PURPOSE: Identifying the temporal pattern of recurrence and prognostic biomarkers would further help improve the efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) -T therapy. METHODS: We examined the prognoses of 119 patients after sequential infusion of anti-CD19 and anti-CD22, a cocktail of 2 single-target CAR (CAR19/22) T cells in an open-label, single-center clinical trial (ChiCTR-OPN-16008526). And we, from a 70-biomarker panel, identified candidate cytokines that might predict the treatment failure, including primary non-response (NR) and early relapse (ER). RESULTS: In our study, 3 (11.5%) patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and 9 (12.2%) cases of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) failed to respond to sequential CAR19/22 T-cell infusion (NR). A total of 11 (42.3%) B-ALL patients and 30 (52.7%) B-NHL patients had relapses during follow-up. Most recurrence events (67.5%) occurred within six months of sequential CAR T-cell infusion (ER). We found that macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-3α was a highly sensitive and specific prognostic predictor for patients with NR/ER and those attaining over-6-month remission. Patients who had higher MIP3α levels after sequential CAR19/22 T-cell infusion had significantly favorable progression-free survival (PFS) than their counterparts with relatively lower MIP3α expression. Our experiments demonstrated that MIP3α could enhance the therapeutic effect of CAR-T cells by promoting T-cell infiltration into and enriching memory-phenotype T cells in the tumor environment. CONCLUSION: This study showed that relapse occurred mainly within six months after sequential CAR19/22 T-cell infusion. Moreover, MIP3α could act as a valuable post-infusion biomarker for identifying patients with NR/ER.

Revealing the impact of CD70 expression on the manufacture and functions of CAR-70 T-cells based on single-cell transcriptomics.

BACKGROUND: Chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells (CAR T-cells) have shown exhilarative clinical efficacy for hematological malignancies. However, a shared antigen pool between healthy and malignant T-cells remains a concept to be technically and clinically explored for CAR T-cell therapy in T-cell cancers. No guidelines for engineering CAR T-cells targeting self-expressed antigens are currently available. METHOD: Based on anti-CD70 CAR (CAR-70) T-cells, we constructed CD70 knock-out and wild-type CAR (CAR-70KO and CAR-70WT) T-cells and evaluated their manufacturing and anti-tumor capability. Single-cell RNA sequencing and TCR sequencing were performed to further reveal the underlying differences between the two groups of CAR T-cells. RESULTS: Our data showed that the disruption of target genes in T-cells before CAR transduction advantaged the expansion and cell viability of CAR T-cells during manufacturing periods, as well as the degranulation, anti-tumor efficacy, and proliferation potency in response to tumor cells. Meanwhile, more naïve and central memory phenotype CAR+ T-cells, with higher TCR clonal diversity, remained in the final products in KO samples. Gene expression profiles revealed a higher activation and exhaustion level of CAR-70WT T-cells, while signaling transduction pathway analysis identified a higher level of the phosphorylation-related pathway in CAR-70KO T-cells. CONCLUSION: This study evidenced that CD70 stimulation during manufacturing process induced early exhaustion of CAR-70 T-cells. Knocking-out CD70 in T-cells prevented the exhaustion and led to a better-quality CAR-70 T-cell product. Our research will contribute to good engineering CAR T-cells targeting self-expressed antigens.

Preclinical development and evaluation of nanobody-based CD70-specific CAR T cells for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment remains challenging. CD70 was reported as a promising AML-specific antigen. Preclinically, CAR T-cell with single-chain-variable fragment (scFv) or truncated CD27 targeting CD70 has been reported to treat AML. However, various disadvantages including spontaneous exhaustion, proteinase-mediated loss of functional receptors, and high immunogenicity, limited its further application to clinical settings. Alternatively, the single-variable domain on heavy chain (VHH), also known as nanobodies, with comparable binding ability and specificity, provides an optional solution. METHOD: We generated CD70 knocked-out novel nanobody-based anti-CD70-CAR T-cells (nb70CAR-T) with two different VHHs for antigen detection. Next, we detected the CD70 expression on primary AML blasts by flow cytometry and associated the efficacy of nb70CAR-T with the target antigen density. Finally, epigenetic modulators were investigated to regulate the CD70 expression on AML cells to promote the functionality of nb70CAR-T. RESULTS: Our nb70CAR-T exhibited expected tumoricidal functionality against CD70-expressed cell lines and primary AML blasts. However, CD70 expression in primary AML blasts was not consistently high and nb70CAR-T potently respond to an estimated 40.4% of AML patients when the CD70 expression level was over a threshold of 1.6 (MFI ratio). Epigenetic modulators, Decitabine and Chidamide can up-regulate CD70 expression on AML cells, enhancing the treatment efficacy of nb70CAR-T. CONCLUSION: CD70 expression in AML blasts was not fully supportive of its role in AML targeted therapy as reported. The combinational use of Chidamide and Decitabine with nb70CAR-T could provide a new potential for the treatment of AML.

Monitoring anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cell population by flow cytometry and its consistency with digital droplet polymerase chain reaction.

Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR19) T cell therapy has produced impressive clinical efficacy in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies. As a living drug, monitoring the pharmacokinetics of CAR T cells in vivo is an important part of clinical work, which provides valuable information for assessing therapeutic response and related side effects. However, no guidelines are available regarding the detection and quantification of CAR T cells. Flow cytometry is a convenient and commonly used method in monitoring CAR T cell kinetics, but its performance remains to be validated. By using a commercial anti-idiotype antibody that detects unique epitopes on the most popular CAR19 construct, we evaluated important performance parameters, including specificity, lower limit of detection, lower limit of quantification, and precision of flow cytometry in the detection and quantification of CAR19 T cells. Consistency between the results generated by flow cytometry and droplet digital PCR was then investigated in 188 pairs of clinical data and in cell line experiments. Rabbit anti-mouse FMC63 monoclonal antibody possesses high specificity in the detection of CAR19 positive cells by FCM with a cut-off value of 0.05%. The results produced by flow cytometry and ddPCR were well correlated in the clinical samples and in cell lines, but the correlation deteriorated as the abundance of CAR19 positive cells decreased. This was especially evident with less than 0.5% of lymphocytes in clinical data, possibly due to reduced precision (indicated by intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variability) of both droplet digital PCR and flow cytometry. We demonstrated that flow cytometry using anti-idiotype antibody is a reliable and robust approach in the detection and quantification of CAR19 T cells in vivo and has good consistency with droplet digital PCR in monitoring CAR19 T cell kinetics.

Farmers perceive diminishing ecosystem services, but overlook dis-services in intensively used agricultural landscapes in the North China Plain.

The UN sustainable development goals ask countries to advance sustainable production methods in agriculture. While the need for a transition to sustainable agricultural production is widely felt, there is little insight into local stakeholders' perceptions regarding agroecosystem (dis)services in areas with intensive production methods. The North China Plain is an agricultural production area with intensive production systems and simplified agricultural landscapes. We conducted a survey with 267 farmers in Quzhou county in the North China Plain in 2020 to measure the perceived level of agroecosystem (dis)services supply and the changes therein between 2015 and 2020. We analyzed which explanatory factors were associated with farmers' perceptions. Provisioning services were at a high level, while the regulating and supporting ecosystem services were considered to be in low supply, as evidenced by low scores for the presence of natural enemies and earthworms, and for natural habitats such as hedgerows and windbreaks. Most of the participants did not perceive dis-services from agriculture. Differences in perception between villages with contrasting biophysical and socio-economic conditions highlight the relevance of contextualized policy development for agricultural landscape composition and configuration to manage ecosystem (dis)services.

Efficacy and safety of CAR19/22 T-cell cocktail therapy in patients with refractory/relapsed B-cell malignancies.

Antigen-escape relapse has emerged as a major challenge for long-term disease control after CD19-directed therapies, to which dual-targeting of CD19 and CD22 has been proposed as a potential solution. From March 2016 through January 2018, we conducted a pilot study in 89 patients who had refractory/relapsed B-cell malignancies, to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sequential infusion of anti-CD19 and anti-CD22, a cocktail of 2 single-specific, third-generation chimeric antigen receptor-engineered (CAR19/22) T cells. Among the 51 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the minimal residual disease-negative response rate was 96.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 86.3-99.5). With a median follow-up of 16.7 months (range, 1.3-33.3), the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 13.6 months (95% CI, 6.5 to not reached [NR]), and the median overall survival (OS) was 31.0 months (95% CI, 10.6-NR). Among the 38 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the overall response rate was 72.2% (95% CI, 54.8-85.8), with a complete response rate of 50.0% (95% CI, 32.9-67.1). With a median follow-up of 14.4 months (range, 0.4-27.4), the median PFS was 9.9 months (95% CI, 3.3-NR), and the median OS was 18.0 months (95% CI, 6.1-NR). Antigen-loss relapse occurred in 1 patient during follow-up. High-grade cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity occurred in 22.4% and 1.12% patients, respectively. In all except 1, these effects were reversible. Our results indicated that sequential infusion of CAR19/22 T cell was safe and efficacious and may have reduced the rate of antigen-escape relapse in B-cell malignancies. This trial was registered at www.chictr.org.cn as #ChiCTR-OPN-16008526.

Occurrence, potential release and health risks of heavy metals in popular take-out food containers from China.

Global consumption of take-out food increased rapidly and the chemicals in their containers become a potential source of human exposure. However, available information on heavy metals in the containers is extremely limited and the associated health risks remain poorly understood. We investigated Cd, Cr, Pb, Sb, Mn, Ni and Co in the popular take-out food containers from China and found the concentrations of these metals were moderate in comparison to the concentrations reported in other food contact materials. The metal concentrations in sampled containers by material type differed significantly, and higher concentrations of Cd, Pb, Sb, Mn and Co were observed in expanded polystyrene samples. The metals in the containers likely originated from intentional addition and/or contamination of materials. The potential release of the metals from containers was simulated and found the median leaching rates of Cd, Pb, Sb, Ni and Co in the range of 0.36-4.80% under typical conditions, which depended largely on the material types. Based on the observed leaching rates, we estimated that the summed carcinogenic risks of Cd, Pb, Ni and Co were unacceptable under specific exposure frequency, although the total non-carcinogenic risks from metal intake were low.

Occurrence and health implications of heavy metals in preschool children's clothing manufactured in four Asian regions.

Clothing may be a potential contributor to body metal burden in children. However, available information on heavy metals in children's clothing is extremely limited and the associated health risks remain poorly understood. This study investigated the concentrations of Pb, Cd, Co, Zn, Cr, As, Cu and Ni in new preschool children's clothing manufactured in four Asian regions. The children's clothing had higher levels of Ni and Cr but lower levels of Pb and Cd in comparison to the concentrations reported in other textile products. The concentrations of Cd were higher in the black clothing than those in the white and color samples. The non-cotton samples contained higher Co concentrations. The Pb concentrations in the samples manufactured in China were significantly higher than those in the other three regions. We estimated the dermal exposure doses for these metals and calculated the associated risks. The results indicated that the health risks from exposure to these metals in the children's clothing were acceptable. However, more research is required to investigate heavy metals and the associated risks in child clothing due to the increasing complexity of their materials and manufacturing processes.

Green Preparation of Durian Rind-Based Cellulose Nanofiber and Its Application in Aerogel.

In this study, a green, highly efficient and low energy consumption preparation method of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) was developed by using agricultural and forestry waste durian rinds as raw materials. The power of ultrasonic treatment was successfully reduced to only 360 W with low molecular weight liquid DMSO. The obtained durian rind-based CNF had a diameter of 8-20 nm and a length of several micrometers. It had good dispersion and stability in water, and could spontaneously cross-link to form hydrogel at room temperature when the concentration was more than 0.5%. The microscopic morphology and compressive properties of CNF aerogels and composite cellulose aerogels prepared from durian rind-based CNF were evaluated. It was found that CNF could effectively prevent the volume shrinkage of aerogel, and the concentration of CNF had a significant effect on the microstructure and mechanical properties of aerogel. The CNF aerogel with 1% CNF exhibited a sheet structure braced by fibers, which had the strongest compression performance. The porosity of CNF aerogels was high to 99%. The compressive strength of the composite cellulose aerogel with durian rind-based CNF was effectively enhanced.

Methylsiloxanes in street dust from Hefei, China: Distribution, sources, and human exposure.

Methylsiloxanes are widely found in the environment and have been of increasing concern because of their strong resistance to degradation and potential toxicity to organisms. However, little is known about the distributions of these chemicals in street dust and the associated human health risks. This study investigated three cyclic (D4-D6) and nine linear methylsiloxanes (L5-L13) in street dust from Hefei, China and found total concentrations in the range of 183-1030 (median, 527) ng/g dry weight. The linear congeners were dominant and represented a median of 85.3% of the total methylsiloxanes. D5 contributed 90.0% of the total concentrations of cyclic methylsiloxanes. In this study, higher concentrations of dust methylsiloxanes were found in the industrial area relative to the other functional areas. A source assessment indicated that the linear and cyclic methylsiloxanes in the street dust were mainly from the industrial and traffic activities, respectively, in addition to important sources of the use of siloxanes-containing products. The estimated median daily intakes of total methylsiloxanes through street dust were 0.037 and 0.476 ng/kg-bw/d for adults and children, respectively, under high-exposure scenarios. More research is needed to characterize the occurrence of methylsiloxane in various exposure sources and the associated adverse effects on human health.

Objectively measured association between air pollution and physical activity, sedentary behavior in college students in Beijing.

The purpose of this study is to examine the association between hourly air pollution on hourly physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) among college students in Beijing, China. The secondary aim was to examine such associations varied at specific time. A total of 340 participants were recruited from the Tsinghua University, in Beijing, China. Accelerometers provided PA measures, including moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), walking steps, energy expenditure and sedentary time for 7 consecutive days. Corresponding air pollution data by the Beijing Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau in the closed site (Wan Liu site) in Tsinghua University were collected including average hourly air quality index (AQI) and PM2.5 (µg/m³). Associations were estimated using linear individual fixed-effect regressions. We also conducted an air pollution risk perception survey among 2307 freshmen (76.6% males) who were enrolled in Tsinghua in 2016, and the survey was done in May 22-26, 2017. A one level increase in hourly air quality index (AQI) was associated with a reduction in 1-h PA by 0.083 (95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.137, -0.029) minutes of MVPA, 8.8 (95% CI = -15.0, -2.6) walking steps, 0.65 (95% CI = -1.03, -0.27) kcals of energy expenditure. A 10 µg/m³ increase in air pollution concentration in hourly PM2.5 was associated with a reduction in 1-h PA by 0.021 (95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.033, -0.010) minutes of MVPA, 2.2 (95% CI = -3.5, -0.9) walking steps, 0.170 (95% CI = -0.250, -0.089) kcals of energy expenditure an increase in 1-h sedentary behavior 0.045 (0.005, 0.0845). At specific time, stronger negative associations of AQI and PM2.5 air pollution with PA at 8 a.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Similarly, stronger positive associations of 1 h AQI and PM2.5 air pollution with SB at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 7 p.m. A total of 94.9% participants (n = 2235) responded "yes" to air pollution change activities in the survey, which may partially explain PA change. Air pollution may discourage physical activity and increases sedentary behavior among freshman students living in Beijing, China. This is preliminary study. The impact of air pollution on physical activity and sedentary behavior at a specific time may be different.

Global distribution and trends of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in human blood and breast milk: A quantitative meta-analysis of studies published in the period 2000-2019.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of flame-retardants that are found throughout the human body. However, global trends and diversity of the concentrations in human body and the potential risks remain largely unresolved. Based on published data during 2000-2019, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis to understand the burden and risks of PBDEs in humans and their spatiotemporal variations. The report provides a global picture of PBDE concentrations in human blood and breast milk. We found the levels of body PBDE burden in the North American population were higher than those from Asia and Europe. However, high concentrations of blood PBDEs in occupational population from Asia were observed, largely because of poorly controlled e-waste recycling operations. Penta- and deca-BDE were the main contributors in North America and Asia, respectively, reflecting the difference in the production and use of these chemicals. On a global scale, no substantial decreases in the concentrations of PBDEs in the blood and breast milk were observed, although most of the chemicals have been phased out. The results suggested that humans will be exposed to PBDEs with relatively high concentrations in a certain period because of the legacy in products and the environmental media. And the potential health risks necessitate careful study in the future. Our results also remind that the uses of degradation-resistant chemicals should be attached great importance to their safety.

Methyl siloxanes in soils from a large silicone-manufacturing site, China: concentrations, distributions and potential human exposure.

Methyl siloxanes are widely found in the environment, but little is known about the distributions of these chemicals in soils especially in areas where they are manufactured. We determined the concentrations of four cyclic (D3-D6) and 13 linear methyl siloxanes (L4-L16) in the soils from a siloxane-manufacturing site in China; the total concentrations of these 17 siloxanes (TSi) in the soils were 17.1-3,191 (median, 134) ng/g. We did not find extremely high concentrations of siloxanes in the soils. The median concentrations of total cyclic siloxanes (TCSi) were approximately sevenfold higher than those of total linear congeners. Hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane and octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane contributed a median of 59.7% and 20.3% of the TSi concentrations, respectively. Higher concentrations of soil TCSi were found in the silicone-manufacturing area relative to the other study areas. Source analysis indicated that industrial activities contributed substantially to soil siloxanes, in addition to the contribution of the siloxane emissions from specific consumer products. We calculated that the median values of daily TSi intakes through soil ingestion were 0.021 and 0.138 ng/kg-body weight/day for adults and children, respectively, under high exposure scenarios. Although our estimated daily intakes of the chemicals from soils were low, more research is required to improve our understanding of the health risks posed to humans exposed to siloxanes through other pathways.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in soils from Tianjin, North China: distribution, health risk, and temporal trends.

Available information is still insufficient for a comprehensive understanding of the global distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the environment. In particular, little is known about the changing trend of their distribution in urban soils. We conducted a survey of 21 PBDEs in urban soils from Tianjin, China. The chemicals were widely present in the area and summed concentrations ranged from 0.65 to 108 ng/g in soil, indicating low to moderate levels of pollution relative to other areas. BDE-209 was the predominant congener, contributing 88.9% of the concentrations of total soil PBDEs. Source assessment indicated that soil PBDEs in the area were mainly derived from the release of commercial deca-BDE from local industrial production processes and consumer products. We found that the soil concentrations of PBDEs appear to have declined in recent years, compared with other previous reports in this region. However, more studies are needed on this possible change trend of PBDE pollution, especially its impact on human health, although their calculated non-carcinogenic health risks in this study were low.

Efficacy and toxicity for CD22/CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy in patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive B-cell lymphoma involving the gastrointestinal tract.

Gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the most common site of extranodal involvement in non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Life-threatening complications of GI may occur because of tumor or chemotherapy. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has been successfully used to treat refractory/relapse B-cell lymphoma, however, little is known about the efficacy and safety of CAR-T cell therapy for GI lymphoma. Here, we reported the efficacy and safety of CAR-T cell therapy in 14 patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive B-cell lymphoma involving the GI tract. After a sequential anti-CD22/anti-CD19 CAR-T therapy, 10 patients achieved an objective response, and seven patients achieved a complete response. CAR transgene and B-cell aplasia persisted in the majority of patients irrespective of response status. Six patients with partial response or stable disease developed progressive disease; two patients lost target antigens. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and GI adverse events were generally mild and manageable. The most common GI adverse events were diarrhea (4/14), vomiting (3/14) and hemorrhage (2/14). No perforation occurred during follow-up. Infection is a severe complication in GI lymphoma. Two patients were infected with bacteria that are able to colonize at GI; one died of sepsis early after CAR-T cells infusion. In conclusion, our study showed promising efficacy and safety of CAR-T cell therapy in refractory/relapsed B-cell lymphoma involving the GI tract. However, the characteristics of CAR-T-related infection in GI lymphoma should be further clarified to prevent and control infection.

[Sugar and sugar alcohols in infants Ying Yang Bao based on derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) method for determination of seven sugars and sugar alcohols in infants Ying Yang Bao nutritional supplements. METHODS: The samples were extracted with pure water and diluted with 95% ethanol. After being dried by nitrogen, methoxyamine hydrochloride oxime was dissolved in pyridine and derivatized by MSTFA. The capillary column TG-5 Ms(30 m×0. 25 mm, 0. 25 µm) was used for determination by GC-MS. RESULTS: The limits of detection(LODs)were 1. 0-3. 0 mg/g and the limits of quantification(LOQs)were 3. 3-10. 0 mg/g. The average recoveries of seven kinds of sugar and sugar alcohols were 86. 7%-96. 7%, and the relative standard deviation was less than 5. 1%(n=6). The contents of seven sugars and sugar alcohols in soybean matrix nutritional supplements were determined in the range of 0. 25-13. 70 g/100 g, which was consistent with the nutrition label of the products. CONCLUSION: The method is convenient, mild and fit for batch sample analysis.

Occurrence and Distribution of Phthalates in Sanitary Napkins from Six Countries: Implications for Women's Health.

Chemicals in feminine hygiene products can exert adverse health effects as a result of strong absorptive capacity of the vagina and vulva. However, little information is available on phthalates in sanitary napkins. We measured the concentrations of 15 phthalates in sanitary napkins collected from six countries and found total concentrations in the range of 1733-11942 ng/g. Di(isobutyl)phthalate (DiBP), bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), and di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) were the dominant congeners, representing a median of 27.3, 26.7, and 20.4% of the total median phthalate concentrations across all countries, respectively. The phthalates likely originated mainly from the introduction in the manufacturing process, and some may have been from the use of plastic or paper materials. The estimated intake (at the 90th percentile) of DiBP, DnBP, and DEHP from sanitary napkins approximately represented 6.35-23.6, 3.35-9.90, and 1.06-9.57%, respectively, of the total exposure, indicating that sanitary napkins are a relevant source of exposure to these chemicals. The calculated health risks of phthalates in sanitary napkins were generally low, but the carcinogenic risks in some samples exceeded acceptable levels. More research is required to investigate the contaminations in sanitary napkins and those associated with risks to women.

[Determination of amino acids in Hulless barley].

OBJECTIVE: A new method for the determination of 16 amino acids in Hulless barley which were planted in the Tibetan plateau of China was established by the amino acid analyzer(AAA), and the amino acid was graded. METHODS: The samples were subjected to hydrolysis by the hydrochloric acid solution containing 0. 05% thioglycolic acid, and were carried out by AAA and hydrolyzed amino acid column PH(4. 6 mm×60 mm, 3 µm). The external standard method was used for quantitative analysis. RESULTS: This hydrolysis pretreatment process could effectively prevent oxidation of methionine. The recoveries were 93. 2%-96. 7%, and the relative standard deviations were no more than 2. 9%(n=6). As the cereal-restricted amino acid, Hulless barley restricted amino acid lysine was the content of up to 0. 367 g/100 g, and the lysine score(AAS) was 62. 4, which was better than the corresponding scores of wheat, glutinous rice, corn and millet. CONCLUSION: The method is accurate, and has good repeatability which could meet the requirements for determination of 16 amino acids in Hulless barley.