Estuarine environmental flow assessment based on the flow-ecological health index relation model: a case study in Yangtze River Estuary, China.

Environmental flow (e-flow) is the water demand of one given ecosystem, which can become the flow regulation target for protection and restoration of river or estuarine ecosystems. In this study, an e-flow assessment based on the flow-ecological health index (EHI) relation model was conducted to improve ecosystem health of the Yangtze River Estuary (YRE). Monitoring data of hydrology, biology, and water environment in the last decades were used for the model establishment. For the description of the YRE ecosystem, an EHI system was developed by cumulative frequency distribution curves and adaption of national standards. After preprocessing original flow values into proportional flow values, the generalized additive model and Monte Carlo random sampling were used for the establishment of the flow-EHI relation model. From the model calculation, the e-flow assessment results were that, in proportional flow values, the suitable flow range was 1.05-1.35, and the optimum flow range was 1.15-1.25 (flows in Yangtze River Datong Station). For flow regulation in two crucial periods, flows of 42,630-65,545 m3/s or over 14,675 m3/s are needed for the suitable flow of YRE in summer (June-August) or January, respectively. An adaptive management framework of ecological health-based estuarine e-flow assessment for YRE was contrived due to the limitation of current established model when facing the extreme drought in summer, 2022. The methodology and framework in this study are expected to provide valuable management and data support for the sustainable development of estuarine ecosystems and to bring inspiration for further studies at even continental or global levels.

Effect of a comprehensive geriatric assessment-based individualized intervention on postoperative patients with cerebral hemorrhage: A randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) has been used in inpatient, outpatient, and emergency patients in Western countries and is an important evaluation tool in medicine. In China, the application of CGA to multiple single diseases has achieved satisfactory intervention effects. OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of CGA on postoperative quality of life (QoL), psychological state, neurological recovery, and self-efficacy in patients with cerebral hemorrhage. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, a total of 133 postoperative patients with cerebral hemorrhage who were treated and nursed in our hospital between March 2019 and March 2021 were randomly assigned to a control group (68 patients) and an observation group (65 patients). The control group was given a general comprehensive care intervention. The observation group was evaluated using an electronic medical record-based CGA system that assessed patient prognosis and was given individualized interventions based on the CGA findings. The postoperative QoL, psychological state, neurological recovery, and self-efficacy of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: After the intervention, self-decompression, self-decision-making, and positive attitudes of the observation group were higher than those of the control group. However, the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score of the observation group was lower than that of the control group, the Self-rating anxiety scale and self-rating depression scale scores of the observation group were lower than those of the control group, and the social support score was significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group. After the intervention, the mental vitality, social interaction, emotional restriction, and mental status scores of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive evaluation of patients with cerebral hemorrhage based on a CGA, targeting the individual factors that affect the prognosis of patients, and formulating and implementing individualized nursing intervention programs based on the CGA results can effectively relieve the symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve the QoL of patients with cerebral hemorrhage.

Assessment of relationship between aging and contaminant-carryover for different filter layer of surgical mask under urban environmental stressors.

Abundant disposable surgical masks (SMs) remain in the environment and continue to age under urban environmental stressors. This study aimed to investigate the aging characteristics of SMs and the effect of different aged layers of SMs on phenanthrene (PHE), tylosin (TYL), and sulfamethazine (SMT) under two different urban environmental stressors (UV and ozone). The results show that UV exposure causes more severe aging of the SM layers than ozone. The middle layer, made of melt-brown fabric, has displayed the highest degree of aging due to its smaller diameter and mechanical strength. The two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) analysis reveals the different aging sequences of functional groups and three layers in aged SMs under the two urban environmental stressors. Whether the SMs are aged or not, the adsorptions of three organic pollutants on SMs are positively correlated with the octanol-water partition coefficient. Furthermore, except for the dominant hydrophobic interaction, aged SMs can promote the adsorption of three organic pollutants by accessory interactions (hydrogen bonding and partition), depending on their structures. These findings highlight the environmental effects of new microplastic (MP) sources and coexisting pollutants under the influence of COVID-19, which is helpful in accurately evaluating the biological toxicity of SMs.

Early assessment of the safety and immunogenicity of a third dose (booster) of COVID-19 immunization in Chinese adults.

Inducing durable and effective immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) via vaccination is essential to combat the current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It has been noticed that the strength of anti-COVID-19 vaccination-induced immunity fades over time, which calls for an additional vaccination regime, as known as booster immunization, to restore immunity among previously vaccinated populations. Here we report a pilot open-label trial of a third dose of BBIBP-CorV, an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (Vero cell), on 136 participants aged between 18 to 63 years. Safety and immunogenicity in terms of neutralizing antibody titers and cytokine/chemokine responses were analyzed as the main endpoint until day 28. While systemic reactogenicity was either absent or mild, SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibody titers rapidly arose in all participants within 4 weeks, surpassing the peak antibody titers elicited by the initial two-dose immunization regime. Broad increases of cellular immunity-associated cytokines and chemokines were also detected in the majority of participants after the third vaccination. Furthermore, in an exploratory study, a newly developed recombinant protein vaccine, NVSI-06-08 (CHO Cells), was found to be safe and even more effective than BBIBP-CorV in eliciting humoral immune responses in BBIBP-CorV-primed individuals. Together, these results indicate that a third immunization schedule with either homologous or heterologous vaccine showed favorable safety profiles and restored potent SARS-CoV-2-specific immunity, providing support for further trials of booster vaccination in larger populations.

Haze Attitudes and the Willingness to Pay for Haze Improvement: Evidence from Four Cities in Shandong Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Given the health and welfare impacts of haze, haze reduction governance challenges Chinese policy-makers. Surprisingly, there have been no studies of the differences in the public's willingness to pay (WTP) for haze governance within a province. Yet haze reduction policies are implemented at the provincial level. Based on the contingent valuation method, data on WTP for haze governance across four industrial cities in Shandong province were collected using a questionnaire survey. METHOD: A combination of stratified sampling and non-probability sampling methods were used, yielding a valid sample of 1006 respondents. The Heckman sample selection model was used to analyze factors determining WTP and WTP amount. RESULTS: 53% of respondents were unwilling to pay for haze reduction, while less than 1% of these respondents were satisfied with Shandong's air quality. About half (47%) of the respondents were willing to pay, on average, US$14.14 per household per year for haze governance. We found that there were significant inter-city differences in the WTP and WTP amounts: those with a higher income, education, haze knowledge, and haze concern were WTP; age, marital status, and subjective indicators displayed a negative relationship with WTP amount. About two thirds of the non-payers, and those with poor environmental knowledge, argued that air quality improvement was mainly the responsibility of governments (39.3%) and polluters (25.6%), instead of ordinary citizens. Further, 27% of non-payers said that their income was too low to contribute to a pollution tax and 6.3% claimed that they did not believe the funds would be used effectively for environmental conservation. CONCLUSIONS: City-specific differences in WTP may caution against "one size fits all" policies. The study indicates that the government may need to target policies to specific cities and the characteristics of residents in those cities by age, education, and income groups and residents' subjective evaluation of the government and the haze problem and those responsible for pollution.

Assessment of the Remediation Effect of Nano-hydroxyapatite in Exogenous Pb-contaminated Soil Using Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure and Soil Enzyme Activities.

Lead (Pb) is one of the most abundant metal soil pollutants. In this research, effects of nano-hydroxyapatite (NHAP) on remediation of Pb-contaminated soil were evaluated by the measure of extractable Pb using toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and soil enzyme activities. Results suggested NHAP significantly decreased the concentrations of extractable Pb, achieving the maximum decrement rate of 75.71%. Activity of urease decreased with increasing Pb concentrations. Moreover, activities of alkaline phosphatase, dehydrogenase, and catalase increased at the lower Pb levels and decreased at the higher Pb levels. NHAP had a positive effect on regulating soil enzymes. Thus, soil enzyme activities, especially dehydrogenase, could be used as biological indicators of Pb pollution and NHAP remediation. Moreover, NHAP could reduce the mobility and bioavailability of Pb, while increasing enzyme activities, thereby lowering the leaching risk and biotoxicity of Pb.

Comprehensive assessment of the association between XPD rs13181 polymorphism and lung cancer risk.

Xeroderma pigmentosum group D (XPD) rs13181 may reduce DNA repair capacity (DRC) through modifying XPD protein product. Reduced DRC is reportedly related to an increase in the risk of lung cancer. To precisely estimate the association between XPD rs13181 and lung cancer risk, we carried out the current meta-analysis. We searched multiple databases (up to 31 October 2013) for studies investigating the association of XPD rs13181 and lung cancer. Odds ratio (OR) was estimated with the fixed effect model to assess the association. Heterogeneity between studies was measured using Q test. Subgroup analyses were conducted by ethnicity, histological type, and sample size. Meta-analysis of 30 studies suggested that individuals carrying Gln/Gln genotype were more likely than the individuals with Lys/Lys or Lys/Gln + Lys/Lys genotypes (homozygous model, OR 1.18, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.07-1.31; recessive model, OR 1.17, 95 % CI 1.06-1.29) to develop lung cancer, without any substantial heterogeneity. This significantly increased risk was also revealed in the individuals harboring Gln/Gln + Lys/Gln genotypes (dominant model, OR 1.07, 95 % CI 1.01-1.12). Further stratification by histological type, ethnicity, and sample size yielded statistically significant estimates in subgroup of Caucasian subjects, non-small cell lung cancer, and relatively large studies, but borderline association in Asians. Our analyses demonstrate that XPD rs13181 may be associated with an increase in the risk of lung cancer among Caucasian populations.