[Research Progress on Characteristics of Human Microplastic Pollution and Health Risks].

Microplastic pollution is not only an environmental problem but also a social problem. Many studies have been conducted on the sources, abundance, and distribution of microplastics in the environment, but an understanding of human exposure levels and potential health risks remains very limited. Based on the bibliometric methods, the present review systematically summarized the exposure pathways of microplastics in humans, and then the characteristics and potential adverse impacts on human health were expounded upon. Available literature showed that microplastics in human bodies were mainly concentrated on sizes smaller than 50 µm, and polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were the main polymers. Microplastics in environments entered human bodies mainly through food and respiratory pathways, then accumulated in lung and gastrointestinal tissues. Most importantly, small-sized microplastics could distribute in tissues and organs via the circulatory system. The results from lab-based toxicological experiments showed that microplastics not only posed threats to cell membrane integrity, immune stress, gut microbiota, and energy metabolism but also had potentially adverse impacts on the reproductive system. To further understand the health risks of microplastic pollution, it is necessary to promote research on the toxicological effects of microplastics as well as the inner mechanisms and also to establish risk assessment frameworks for evaluating microplastic pollution. These works are crucial to preventing the risks of microplastic pollution with scientific evidence.

Transfemoral and perventricular device occlusions and surgical repair for doubly committed subarterial ventricular septal defects.

BACKGROUND: Transfemoral and perventricular device occlusions are performed for doubly committed subarterial ventricular septal defect (dcVSD) to reduce the invasiveness of the conventional surgical repair through a median sternotomy. Few comparative studies have been conducted of these three procedures. METHODS: Inpatients with isolated dcVSD who had undergone transfemoral and perventricular device occlusions or conventional surgical repair from January 2009 to June 2013 were reviewed to compare the three procedures. RESULTS: Procedure success was achieved in 33 transfemoral (66%), in 74 perventricular (94.9%), and in 205 repair (97.6%) procedures. The transfemoral group had the lowest success rate (p < 0.001), whereas the perventricular and repair groups had similar success rates (p = 0.418). Transfemoral patients were the oldest (p < 0.001) and had a dcVSD size similar to that of patients in other two groups (p = 0.518). The repair group required the longest hospitalization and longest stays in the intensive care unit (p < 0.001), required the longest operating room and mechanical ventilation times (p < 0.001), and had the highest rate of transfusion (p < 0.001). Major adverse events occurred in one transfemoral (3%), in two perventricular (2.7%), and in three repair (1.4%) procedures. Minor adverse events were absent in transfemoral (0%) and occurred in three perventricular (4%) and 14 repair (6.7%) procedures. No significant difference was noted in the rates of adverse events the three groups (p = 0.569). No grade 3 valvular regurgitation or complete atrioventricular block was observed in the studied patients. CONCLUSIONS: Device occlusion may be an alternative to surgical repair in selected patients with dcVSD. Perventricular occlusion was the preferred approach because it showed a higher success rate than transfemoral occlusion.