Emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from application of commercial pesticides in China.

Applying pesticides can result in emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but little is known about VOC emission characteristics and the quantities in particular regions. We investigated the use of pesticides in China based on a large-scale survey of 330 counties in 31 provinces and evaluated the national pesticide VOC emission potentials based on thermogravimetric analysis of 1930 commercial pesticides. The results showed that herbicides were the most extensively used pesticide category in China, accounting for 43.47%; emulsifiable concentrate (EC), suspension concentrate, and wettable powder were the dominant pesticide formulations, with proportions of 26.75%, 17.68%, and 17.31%, respectively. The VOC emission potential coefficient (EP) of the liquid formulations was higher than the solid formulations, and the maximum mean EP was 45.59% for EC and the minimum was 0.76% for WP. Among 437 high-VOC pesticide products used in China, EC accounted for 83.52%, and 16.93% of those contained abamectin. The total VOC emissions derived from commercial pesticides in China were 280 kt (kilotons) in 2018, and 65.35% of the contribution was derived from EC. Shandong, Hunan, and Henan were the three provinces with the highest pesticide VOC emissions (>21 kt/y). The emission rate of VOCs from pesticides was 24.80 t/d in China, which was higher than in San Joaquin Valley, California. These findings suggest that some comprehensive measures (e.g., perfecting pesticide management policy, strict supervision for pesticide production and use, and strengthening pesticide reduction publicity) should be taken to reduce VOC emissions from pesticide applications.

Prognostic value of ABO blood group in patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown a link between the ABO blood groups and prognoses for several types of malignancies. However, little is known about the relationship between the ABO blood groups and prognosis in patients with gastric cancer (GC). The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic performance of ABO blood groups in patients with GC. METHODS: A total of 1412 GC patients who had undergone curative intent surgery between January 2005 and January 2010 participated in the present study. A prognostic nomogram was constructed to improve the predictive capacity for patients with gastrectomy using R software, and its predictive accuracy was determined by the concordance index (c-index). RESULTS: The median follow-up period of the 1412 GC patients was 44 mo with 809 alive. Non-AB blood groups were associated with significantly decreased overall survival in GC patients (hazard ratio = 2.59; 95% confidence interval = 1.74-3.86, P < 0.001), but patients in the group AB had a better prognosis than those in the non-AB blood groups. Meanwhile, group A had the worst prognosis among all the blood groups (hazard ratio = 3.14; 95% confidence interval = 2.09-4.72; P < 0.001). In addition, our constructed nomogram, superior to that of the traditional AJCC stage system (c-index: 0.69), could more accurately predict overall survival (c-index: 0.78) in GC patients who had undergone gastrectomy. CONCLUSIONS: The blood group AB is a favorable prognostic factor for GC patients, but the blood group A is an adverse prognostic factor for patients with gastrectomy. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm this relationship.