Hydrochemistry, quality, and integrated health risk assessments of groundwater in the Huaibei Plain, China.

Groundwater is an essential freshwater resource utilized in industry, agriculture, and daily life. In the Huaibei Plain (HBP), where groundwater significantly influences socio-economic development, information about its quality, hydrochemistry, and related health risks remains limited. We conducted a comprehensive groundwater sampling in the HBP and examined its rock characteristics, water quality index (WQI), and potential health risks. The results revealed that the primary factors shaping groundwater hydrochemistry were rock dissolution and weathering, cation exchange, and anthropogenic activities. WQI assessment indicated that only 73% of the groundwaters is potable, as Fe2+, Mn2+, NO3-, and F- contents in the water could pose non-carcinogenic hazards to humans. Children were more susceptible to these health risks through oral ingestion than adults. Uncertainty analysis indicated that the probabilities of non-carcinogenic risk were approximately 57% and 31% for children and adults, respectively. Sensitivity analysis further identified fluoride as the primary factor influencing non-carcinogenic risks, indicating that reducing fluoride contamination should be prioritized in future groundwater management in the HBP.

Spatial-temporal distribution, source identification, risk assessment and water quality assessment of trace elements in the surface water of typical tributary in Yangtze River delta, China.

As China's first cross-province ecological compensation mechanism pilot area in the hinterland of the Yangtze River Delta, Xin'an River has been hotspot in the study of rational utilization of ecological resources, and the functional value of its ecosystem services has been widely concerned. As an important tributary of the upper reaches of Xin'an River, Fengle River may affect the whole basin. The spatial-temporal distributions, occurrence, water quality and risk assessment of trace elements were studied in Fengle River in three seasons. High element concentrations were found in the downstream. Traceability models results showed that the major sources of trace elements were related to different human activities. The water quality was worse downstream in the wet season, and was more suitable for irrigation in the dry season. Risk assessment results showed that Zn, Cu, Mn, Co, and As were able to pose the risk to the ecological environment and human.

Characteristics, regional differences, and influencing factors of China's water-energy-food (W-E-F) pressure: evidence from Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition and PGTWR model.

Water, energy, and food security are global concerning issues especially in China. To promote regional environmental management cooperation as well as find resource security influencing factor differences among regions, this paper calculates the water-energy-food (W-E-F) pressure, find W-E-F pressure's regional differences, and the influencing factors by Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition and geographically and temporally weighted regression model for panel data (PGTWR). First, the temporal trend of W-E-F pressure is decreasing and then increasing during 2003-2019; pressure in the eastern provinces is significantly higher than in other provinces and structurally energy pressure is the dominant resource pressure in W-E-F in most provinces. Besides, inter-regional differences are the main source of regional differences in China's W-E-F pressure, particularly for the inter-regional differences between eastern regions and other regions. In addition, there are obvious spatio-temporal heterogeneity effects of population density, per capita GDP, urbanization, energy intensity, effective irrigated area, and forest cover on W-E-F pressure. Balancing regional development gaps and developing differentiated resource pressure mitigation strategies based on the characteristics of different regional drivers are of great importance.

Spatial-temporal distribution, occurrence, water quality, and risk assessment of trace elements in ten rivers surrounding Chaohu Lake in China.

As one of the five great lakes in China, the Chaohu Lake Basin is the main water source for regional economic and ecological development in Hefei city and is considered a source of drinking water. The spatial-temporal distributions and occurrence of soluble trace elements were studied in the surrounding ten rivers in the Chaohu Lake Basin as well as water quality and risk assessment during the normal and wet seasons. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the main source of river pollution during the two seasons was the mining industry. High values of most elements were found in the northwestern rivers in the two seasons. The temporal changes in the elements showed that the distributions of As, Mn, Cd, and Cu in the two seasons were very different, but the trends of Ni, Co, and V were basically the same. The sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) showed that almost all river samples needed to be treated before irrigation, and the water quality index (WQI) showed that most samples were of excellent water quality for drinking. The ecological risk assessment results showed that the risks in the two seasons were all slight. The results of the health risk evaluation suggested that no noncarcinogenic risks were found in the normal season and that the carcinogenic risks from Cr and As reached their highest levels in the normal and wet seasons, respectively. This research can provide vital data for rational water control and water quality conservation, offer a scientific basis for ecological environment safety, and offer a reference for carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic health risks to regional residents.

Assessment of Genetic Diversity of the Salangid, Neosalanx taihuensis, Based on the Mitochondrial COI Gene in Different Chinese River Basins.

The salangid Neosalanx taihuensis (Salangidae) is a commercially important economical fish endemic to China and restricted to large freshwater systems with a wide-ranging distribution. This fish species has continuous distribution ranges and a long-introduced aquaculture history in Chinese basins. However, the research on its population genetic differentiation within and between basins is very limited. In this regard, 197 individuals were sampled from 11 populations in the Nenjiang River Basin (A1-A4), Songhua River Basin (B1), Yellow River Basin (C1-C2), Yangtze River Basin (D1), Lanchang River Basin (E1-E2) and Huaihe River Basin (F1). Based on the COI sequence, the N.taihuensis population's genetic difference within and between river basins was investigated. The haplotypes and their frequency distributions were strongly skewed, with most haplotypes (n = 13) represented only in single samples each and thus restricted to a single population. The most common haplotype (H4, 67/197) was found in all individuals. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed a random pattern in the distribution of genetic diversity, which is inconsistent with contemporary hydrological structure. The mismatch between the distribution and neutrality tests supported the evidence of a population expansion, which occurred during the late Pleistocene (0.041-0.051 million years ago). Significant levels of genetic subdivision were detected among populations within basins rather than between the six basins. Population history dynamics showed that N. taihuensis experienced an expansion during the glacial period in the late Pleistocene. Therefore, different populations should be considered as different management units to achieve effective conservation and management purposes. These results have great significance for the evaluation and exploitation of the germplasm resources of N. taihuensis.

The Spatial Interaction Effect of Green Spaces on Urban Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from China.

This paper measures the impact of urban green space construction rate on urban economic growth from the perspective of spatial interaction. To this end, we collect panel data of 31 provincial capital cities in China from 2001 to 2020 and use spatial economics models for empirical testing. The research results are summarized as follows: the level of green space construction can attract talents and investment by improving the environmental level of the city, and these financial expenditures, foreign investment, and talents are conducive to urbanization, thus having a significant positive impact on urban economic development. In addition, it also has a significant positive spatial spillover effect. In addition, the construction of urban green space will also stimulate the environmental protection of neighboring cities, which has a significant positive spatial dependence. At this time, talents and investment are affected by the environmental construction of neighboring cities, and the economic development of the city has also been significantly improved. The spatial spillover effect of green space construction on the economic level of surrounding cities is also positive. The empirical conclusions provide references for implementing green development strategies and promoting high-quality economic development.

Cadmium exposure reprograms energy metabolism of hematopoietic stem cells to promote myelopoiesis at the expense of lymphopoiesis in mice.

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal in our living environment. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are ancestors for all blood cells. Therefore understanding the impact of Cd on HSC is significant for public health. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of Cd2+ on energy metabolism of HSC and its involvement in hematopoiesis. Wild-type C57BL/6 mice were treated with 10 ppm of Cd2+ via drinking water for 3 months, and thereafter glycolysis and mitochondrial (MT) oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) of HSC in the bone marrow (BM) and their impact on hematopoiesis were evaluated. After Cd2+ treatment, HSC had reduced lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and lactate production while having increased pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity, MT membrane potential, ATP production, oxygen (O2) consumption and reactive oxygen species (ROS), indicating that Cd2+ switched the pattern of energy metabolism from glycolysis to OXPHOS in HSC. Moreover, Cd2+ switch of HSC energy metabolism was critically dependent on Wnt5a/Cdc42/calcium (Ca2+) signaling triggered by a direct action of Cd2+ on HSC. To test the biological significance of Cd2+ impact on HSC energy metabolism, HSC were intervened for Ca2+, OXPHOS, or ROS in vitro, and thereafter the HSC were transplanted into lethally irradiated recipients to reconstitute the immune system; the transplantation assay indicated that Ca2+-dependent MT OXPHOS dominated the skewed myelopoiesis of HSC by Cd2+ exposure. Collectively, we revealed that Cd2+ exposure activated Wnt5a/Cdc42/Ca2+ signaling to reprogram the energy metabolism of HSC to drive myelopoiesis at the expense of lymphopoiesis.

The need for nutritional assessment and interventions based on the prognostic nutritional index for patients with femoral fractures: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of adverse perioperative outcomes in surgery for femoral fractures is high and associated with malnutrition. Here, we identified independent factors and assessed the predictive value of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) for perioperative adverse outcomes in patients with femoral fractures. METHODS: This retrospective study included 343 patients who underwent surgery for a single femur fracture. Demographic characteristics, surgery and anaesthesia records and blood test results at admission, 1 day postoperatively and before discharge were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. The discriminatory ability of the independent factors was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, and DeLong's test was used to compare the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: Overall, 159 patients (46.4%) experienced adverse perioperative outcomes. Amongst these, 123 (35.9%) had lower limb vein thrombus, 68 (19.8%) had hospital-acquired pneumonia, 6 (1.7%) were transferred to the postoperative intensive care unit, 4 (1.2%) had pulmonary embolism, 3 (0.9%) died during hospitalisation and 9 (2.6%) had other adverse outcomes, including incision disunion, renal and liver function impairment, acute heart failure, acute cerebral infarction and stress gastroenteritis. The PNI at admission, age, postoperative hospital stay, time to admission, hypertension, combined injures and surgery type were independent factors for adverse perioperative outcomes. Based on the AUC (PNI at admission: 0.772 [0.723-0.821], P < 0.001; age: 0.678 [0.622-0.734], P < 0.001; postoperative hospital stay: 0.608 [0.548-0.668], P = 0.001; time to admission: 0.585 [0.525-0.646], P = 0.006), the PNI at admission had optimal discrimination ability, indicating its superiority over other independent factors (age vs. PNI at admission, P = 0.002; postoperative hospital stay vs. PNI at admission, P < 0.001; time to admission vs. PNI at admission, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with femoral fractures require a nutritional assessment and appropriate nutritional intervention at admission, and that the PNI value at admission may be a good nutritional assessment indicator.

[Spatial Distribution and Pollution Assessment of Dissolved Heavy Metals in Chaohu Lake Basin During the Wet Season].

The spatial distribution characteristics of the mass concentration of V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Fe, and Sb in the Chaohu Lake basin and ten surrounding rivers during the wet season were explored. The results showed that the average mass concentration of heavy metals in the western and northwestern Chaohu Lake surrounding rivers was higher than that in the central and eastern regions. The correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between the concentrations of Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb, and Cd, which indicated a similarity of spatial distribution among the five elements. The single-factor pollution index evaluation results classified Cr in the ten surrounding rivers as Grade I based on the Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water. Pb was classified as Grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ; Cu and Zn as Grade Ⅰ-Ⅴ; Fe, Sb, and V were far below the standard limit; Ni slightly exceeded the standard at some sampling points of the Nanfei River; Mn slightly exceeded the standard at some points of the Shiwuli and Pai River; Cd exceeded the standard at some points of the Nanfei River. Except Mn at one point of the Tangxi River, V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Fe were all<1, which indicated clean and pollution-free level. The integrated pollution index of the rivers surrounding the lake in the northwestern part was the highest compared to the southwestern, central, and eastern parts.

A scoping review on the influencing factors and development process of professional identity among nursing students and nurses.

BACKGROUND: Professional identity (PI) is culturally shaped. It is associated with a sufficient and stable workforce of professionals. China has a relatively low ratio of nursing professionals to its population. AIM: This scoping review aims to obtain comprehensive knowledge of the influencing factors and PI development process among nursing students and nurses in China. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted. The most common Chinese databases, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang Data were searched for publications in Chinese. The databases of EBSCOhost and ProQuest Dissertation & Thesis Global (Full Text) were searched for publications in English. After screening the title and abstract of the articles and further assessing the full text of the articles identified after the initial screening, 53 articles were included for analysis. RESULTS: The influencing factors to PI development in nursing were grouped into four dimensions: personal, family, institutional, and social factors. The social factors tended to negatively affect professional identity whereas the factors of the three other dimensions exerted influence in different directions. A framework was established based on PI levels in different career stages of nurses to depict the continuum and dynamic nature of the development process. CONCLUSIONS: The PI development in nursing is a dynamic process shaped by multidimensional factors. Changes in policy should be made to reverse the nursing profession stereotype of being an assistant role to medicine.

Assessment of the hepatocyte protective effects of gypenoside and its phosphorylated derivative against DHAV-1 infection on duck embryonic hepatocytes.

BACKGROUND: Duck viral hepatitis (DVH) is an acute disease of young ducklings with no effective veterinary drugs for treatment. Gynostemma pentaphyllum is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine that plays an important role in the treatment of various diseases. Gypenoside (GP), one of the main ingredients of Gynostemma pentaphyllum, was reported with good hepatoprotective effects. However, its low solubility limits its application in the clinics. To improve its solubility and bioactivity, a phosphorylated derivative of gypenoside (pGP) was prepared by the sodium trimetaphosphate-sodium tripolyphosphate (STMP-STPP) method. An infrared spectroscopy method was applied to analyse the structures of GP and pGP. Then, a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) colorimetric assay was applied to study the hepatocyte protective efficacy of these two drugs against duck hepatitis A virus type 1 (DHAV-1) infection, and qPCR, TUNEL labelling and flow cytometry methods were used to study the relevant hepatocyte protective in vitro. RESULTS: The infrared spectroscopy detection results showed that the phosphorylation modification of GP was successful. The MTT colorimetric assay results showed that both GP and pGP possessed good hepatocyte protective efficacy in vitro, and pGP performed better than GP when the drug was added before or after virus inoculation. Furthermore, the qPCR results revealed that both drugs could effectively inhibit the adsorption (when adding GP and pGP pre-virus inoculation), replication and release of DHAV-1, and the viral inhibition rate of pGP was greater than that of GP. The subsequent TUNEL labelling and flow cytometry assays showed that both GP and pGP could significantly inhibit duck embryo hepatocyte apoptosis induced by DHAV-1, and the inhibition effect of pGP was much stronger than that of GP. CONCLUSIONS: GP exerts good hepatocyte protective efficacy not only by inhibiting the proliferation of DHAV-1 but also by inhibiting duck embryonic hepatocyte apoptosis induced by DHAV-1, and phosphorylation modification significantly improves the antiviral and the anti-apoptotic effects of GP. Therefore, pGP has the potential to be developed into a novel drug against DHAV-1 infection.

The ratio of cavum septi pellucidi width to anteroposterior cerebellar diameter: A novel index as a diagnostic adjunct for prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 18.

AIM: To explore the effectiveness of cavum septi pellucidi (CSP) width to anteroposterior cerebellar diameter (APCD) ratio as a diagnostic adjunct for prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 18. METHODS: Images of normal fetal brain within 15 and 35 weeks were stored in our center from 2016 to 2017. Images of aneuploid fetuses were retrospectively collected from 2004 to 2017. The transverse cerebellar diameter, APCD and CSP width were measured. CSP/APCD and APCD/transverse cerebellar diameter ratios were calculated and compared between euploid and aneuploid fetuses. RESULTS: One thousand and forty one fetuses were analyzed, including 817 euploid fetuses and 224 aneuploid fetuses (trisomy 21 117 cases, trisomy 18 82 cases, trisomy 13 9 cases, sex-linked 16 cases). No correlation had been found between both ratios and gestational weeks (P > 0.05). In aneuploid groups, means of ratios were both significantly different just between trisomy 18 group and euploid group (P < 0.05). The best area under the curve was shown by the CSP/APCD ratio. The cutoff value of CSP/APCD was 0.46 (sensitivity 87.0%, specificity 85.0%). CONCLUSION: A wide CSP or cerebellar hypoplasia warrants a more detailed ultrasound screening and genetic counseling. A larger CSP/APCD ratio alerts us to trisomy 18 syndrome, especially in cases with subtle anomalies.

Disparities in the Global Burden of Age-Related Macular Degeneration: An Analysis of Trends from 1990 to 2015.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the disparities in burden of disease of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Method: This is an international, database observational study. The DALYs due to AMD were retrieved from the 2015 Global Burden of Disease study. The human development index (HDI) and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita across countries were obtained from the 2016 Human Development Report and the World Bank. Other related data were obtained from the World Health Organization and United Nations. Results: A total of 195 countries were included in this study. From 1990 to 2015, the AMD-related global DALY numbers, crude DALY rate, and age-standardized DALY rate increased by 147.66%, 78.13%, and 19.3%, respectively. Global DALY rates increased with age and females had higher DALY numbers and rates than males in each age group (all P < 0.01). The age-standardized DALY rate was positively associated with HDI and GDP per capita (P < 0.001). An analysis by HDI ordering showed substantial socioeconomic inequality, with a concentration index of 0.322 for DALY numbers, 0.472 for crude DALY rate, and 0.142 for age-standardized DALY rate, respectively. The country-wide mean body mass index (BMI), serum cholesterol concentration, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, percent of cell phone subscribers, and urbanization rate were also significantly associated with age-standardized DALY rate. Four variables (GDP per capita, mean BMI, alcohol consumption, and urbanization rate) explained 36.48% of the variation of age-standardized DALY rate across countries. Conclusion: The global health burden of AMD is constantly increasing, implying more demand for AMD services in the coming decades. Older age, female gender, higher socioeconomic development, physical inactivity, and urbanization rate were related to higher AMD burden. These findings may raise the public concern and awareness of the global impact of AMD burden and are valuable for policy planning.

Resilient guaranteed cost control for uncertain T-S fuzzy systems with time-varying delays and Markov jump parameters.

This paper aims to investigate the problem of resilient guaranteed cost control for uncertain Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems with Markov jump parameters and time-varying delay. A resilient mode-dependent fuzzy controller is designed and a weak sufficient condition is developed to ensure that the resulting closed-loop system is robust almost surely asymptotically stable with guaranteed cost index not exceeding the specified upper bound. Subsequently, the controller gain and upper bound of the guaranteed cost index can be obtained by solving a set of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, numerical and practical examples of the single-link robot arm system are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed approach.

Probabilistic ecological risk assessment of effluent toxicity of a wastewater reclamation plant based on process modeling.

The growing use of reclaimed wastewater for environmental purposes such as stream flow augmentation requires comprehensive ecological risk assessment and management. This study applied a system analysis approach, regarding a wastewater reclamation plant (WRP) and its recipient water body as a whole system, and assessed the ecological risk of the recipient water body caused by the WRP effluent. Instead of specific contaminants, two toxicity indicators, i.e. genotoxicity and estrogenicity, were selected to directly measure the biological effects of all bio-available contaminants in the reclaimed wastewater, as well as characterize the ecological risk of the recipient water. A series of physically based models were developed to simulate the toxicity indicators in a WRP through a typical reclamation process, including ultrafiltration, ozonation, and chlorination. After being validated against the field monitoring data from a full-scale WRP in Beijing, the models were applied to simulate the probability distribution of effluent toxicity of the WRP through Latin Hypercube Sampling to account for the variability of influent toxicity and operation conditions. The simulated effluent toxicity was then used to derive the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) in the recipient stream, considering the variations of the toxicity and flow of the upstream inflow as well. The ratio of the PEC of each toxicity indicator to its corresponding predicted no-effect concentration was finally used for the probabilistic ecological risk assessment. Regional sensitivity analysis was also performed with the developed models to identify the critical control variables and strategies for ecological risk management.

A Quantitative Toxicogenomics Assay for High-throughput and Mechanistic Genotoxicity Assessment and Screening of Environmental Pollutants.

The ecological and health concern of mutagenicity and carcinogenicity potentially associated with an overwhelmingly large and ever-increasing number of chemicals demands for cost-effective and feasible method for genotoxicity screening and risk assessment. This study proposed a genotoxicity assay using GFP-tagged yeast reporter strains, covering 38 selected protein biomarkers indicative of all the seven known DNA damage repair pathways. The assay was applied to assess four model genotoxic chemicals, eight environmental pollutants and four negative controls across six concentrations. Quantitative molecular genotoxicity end points were derived based on dose response modeling of a newly developed integrated molecular effect quantifier, Protein Effect Level Index (PELI). The molecular genotoxicity end points were consistent with multiple conventional in vitro genotoxicity assays, as well as with in vivo carcinogenicity assay results. Further more, the proposed genotoxicity end point PELI values quantitatively correlated with both comet assay in human cell and carcinogenicity potency assay in mice, providing promising evidence for linking the molecular disturbance measurements to adverse outcomes at a biological relevant level. In addition, the high-resolution DNA damaging repair pathway alternated protein expression profiles allowed for chemical clustering and classification. This toxicogenomics-based assay presents a promising alternative for fast, efficient and mechanistic genotoxicity screening and assessment of drugs, foods, and environmental contaminants.

Comparative and mechanistic genotoxicity assessment of nanomaterials via a quantitative toxicogenomics approach across multiple species.

This study reports a comparative and mechanistic genotoxicity assessment of four engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) across three species, including E. coli, yeast, and human cells, with the aim to reveal the distinct potential genotoxicity mechanisms among the different nanomaterials and their association with physiochemical features. Both the conventional phenotypic alkaline comet test and the newly developed quantitative toxicogenomics assay, that detects and quantifies molecular level changes in the regulation of six DNA damage repair pathways, were employed. The proposed molecular endpoints derived from the toxicogenomics assays, namely TELI (Transcriptional Effect Level Index) and PELI (Protein Effect Level Index), correlated well with the phenotypic DNA damage endpoints from comet tests, suggesting that the molecular genotoxicity assay is suitable for genotoxicity detection. Temporal altered gene or protein expression profiles revealed various potential DNA damage types and relevant genotoxic mechanisms induced by the tested ENMs. nTiO2_a induced a wide spectrum of DNA damage consistently across three species. Three carbon-based ENMs, namely carbon black, single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and fullerene, exhibited distinct, species and ENM property-dependent DNA damage mechanisms. All carbon based ENMs induced relatively weak DNA damage repair response in E. coli, but more severe DNA double strand break in eukaryotes. The differences in cellular structure and defense systems among prokaryotic and eukaryotic species lead to distinct susceptibility and mechanisms for ENM uptake and, thus, varying DNA damages and repair responses. The observation suggested that eukaryotes, especially mammalian cells, are likely more susceptible to genotoxicity than prokaryotes in the ecosystem when exposed to these ENMs.

Operational energy performance assessment system of municipal wastewater treatment plants.

Based on the statistical analysis of operational energy consumption and its influential factors from data of 599 Chinese WWTPs in 2006, it is noticed that the most influential factors include treatment technology adopted, treated sewage amount, removed pollutants amount, etc. Using the conclusion above, this paper sets up an integrated system of operational energy performance assessment for municipal wastewater treatment plants. Combining with result from on-spot research and model simulation, the calculating method of benchmark value and score of 7 energy efficiency indicators grouped into 3 levels is stated. Applying the assessment system to three plants, its applicability and objectivity are proved and suggestions to improve energy performance are provided.

Prokaryotic real-time gene expression profiling for toxicity assessment.

Examining global effects of toxins on gene expression profiles is proving to be a powerful method for toxicity assessment and for investigating mechanisms of toxicity. This study demonstrated the application of prokaryotic real-time gene expression profiling in Escherichia coli for toxicity assessment of environmental pollutants in water samples, by use of a cell-array library of 93 E. coli K12 strains with transcriptional green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusions covering most known stress response genes. The high-temporal-resolution gene expression data, for the first time, revealed complex and time-dependent transcriptional activities of various stress-associated genes in response to mercury and mitomycin (MMC) exposure and allowed for gene clustering analysis based on temporal response patterns. Compound-specific and distinctive gene expression profiles were obtained for MMC and mercury at different concentrations. MMC (genotoxin) induced not only the SOS response, which regulates DNA damage and repair, but also many other stress genes associated with drug resistance/sensitivity and chemical detoxification. A number of genes belonging to the P-type ATPase family and the MerR family were identified to be related to mercury resistance, among which zntA was found to be up-regulated at an increasing level as the mercury concentration increased. A mechanism-based evaluation of toxins based on real-time gene expression profiles promises, to be an efficient and informative method for toxicity assessment in environmental samples.

Enhancement of CLAIM (clinical accounting information) for a localized Chinese version.

CLinical Accounting InforMation (CLAIM) is a standard for the exchange of data between patient accounting systems and electronic medical record (EMR) systems. It uses eXtensible Markup Language (XML) as a meta-language and was developed in Japan. CLAIM is subordinate to the Medical Markup Language (MML) standard, which allows the exchange of medical data between different medical institutions. It has inherited the basic structure of MML 2.x and the current version, version 2.1, contains two modules and nine data definition tables. In China, no data exchange standard yet exists that links EMR systems to accounting systems. Taking advantage of CLAIM's flexibility, we created a localized Chinese version based on CLAIM 2.1. Since Chinese receipt systems differ from those of Japan, some information such as prescription formats, etc. are also different from those in Japan. Two CLAIM modules were re-engineered and six data definition tables were either added or redefined. The Chinese version of CLAIM takes local needs into account, and consequently it is now possible to transfer data between the patient accounting systems and EMR systems of Chinese medical institutions effectively.