[Research progress on the human health risks assessment of radionuclides in water environment].

The quality of the water environment is one of the most important factors that can directly affect the health of human beings and other non-human species. The levels of the radionuclides in water environment are the key indicator while assessing the quality of water environment. Recently, with the development of the nuclear energy in China, the public people have paid a focus attention on the levels and the health risks of the radionuclides. This paper introduced the sources, the health effects, the health risk assessment methods and the current status of the health risk assessment study about the radionuclides, in order to provide basis for the health risk assessment of radionuclides in water environment and the protection of human health.

[Application of five methods in the occupational health risk assessment of workers exposed to welding fumes].

Objective: To assess the health risks of welding fume jobs with five occupational health risk assessment methods, and to compare the advantages, disadvantages and applicability of these methods in the health risk assessment of welding fume. Methods: The International Commission for Mining and Metals (ICMM) occupational health risk assessment method, MES method, the qualitative method and comprehensive index method in GBZ/T 298-2017 "Technical Guidelines for Occupational Health Risk Assessment of Chemical Hazardous Factors in the Workplace" were used to assess the risk of welding fume exposure positions in four manufacturing enterprises in Tianjin in March, 2020. The assessment results of different methods were standardized by risk ratio (RR) . Results: After the results were standardized, the results of enterprises 1, 2 and 4 were negligible risks, enterprise 3 was medium risk in the ICMM matrix method and MES method, and the results of ICMM quantitative method for each enterprise were negligible risk, low risk, extremely high risk and low risk, respectively. The results of the qualitative assessment of the guidelines for all companies were negligible risks, and the comprehensive index method were medium risks. Conclusion: The five models are all suitable for occupational health risk assessment of welding fumes, but they all have certain shortcomings. They should be combined with qualitative and semi-quantitative assessment results for comprehensive analysis.

Assessment of preoperative and postoperative quality of life of 24 patients with fibrous dysplasia of the mandible.

The aims of this study were to compare preoperative and postoperative quality of life (QoL) in 24 patients with fibrous dysplasia of the mandible, and evaluate the effects of two surgical techniques on their postoperative QoL. Their QoL was assessed using the University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QoL) questionnaire. The patients was divided into two groups according to the two different surgical techniques used. The first group (n=11) were managed with focal bone modification, and their results compared with those of the other group (n=13) who were managed with total resection of the focal bone. Their total postoperative QoL score of patients was significantly higher than that of the preoperative period (p=0.035). The postoperative scores for activity (p=0.004), recreation (p<0.001), chewing (p=0.03), and speech (p=0.001) were significantly lower than those before operation, and those for pain (p<0.001), appearance (p<0.001), mood (p<0.001), and anxiety (p=0.001) were significantly higher. The change in scores for each patient (between before and after the operation) also differed. The UW-QOL can be used to evaluate the QoL of patients with fibrous dysplasia of the mandible, and operation can improve it. Different surgical techniques have a significant influence on patients' QoL.

pLARmEB: integration of least angle regression with empirical Bayes for multilocus genome-wide association studies.

Multilocus genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become the state-of-the-art procedure to identify quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) associated with complex traits. However, implementation of multilocus model in GWAS is still difficult. In this study, we integrated least angle regression with empirical Bayes to perform multilocus GWAS under polygenic background control. We used an algorithm of model transformation that whitened the covariance matrix of the polygenic matrix K and environmental noise. Markers on one chromosome were included simultaneously in a multilocus model and least angle regression was used to select the most potentially associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), whereas the markers on the other chromosomes were used to calculate kinship matrix as polygenic background control. The selected SNPs in multilocus model were further detected for their association with the trait by empirical Bayes and likelihood ratio test. We herein refer to this method as the pLARmEB (polygenic-background-control-based least angle regression plus empirical Bayes). Results from simulation studies showed that pLARmEB was more powerful in QTN detection and more accurate in QTN effect estimation, had less false positive rate and required less computing time than Bayesian hierarchical generalized linear model, efficient mixed model association (EMMA) and least angle regression plus empirical Bayes. pLARmEB, multilocus random-SNP-effect mixed linear model and fast multilocus random-SNP-effect EMMA methods had almost equal power of QTN detection in simulation experiments. However, only pLARmEB identified 48 previously reported genes for 7 flowering time-related traits in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Improvements on a patient-specific dose estimation system in nuclear medicine examination.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a patient-specific dose estimation system in nuclear medicine examination. A dose deposition routine to store the deposited energy of the photons during their flights was embedded in the widely used SimSET Monte Carlo code and a user-friendly interface for reading PET and CT images was developed. Dose calculated on ORNL phantom was used to validate the accuracy of this system. The ratios of S value for (99m)Tc, (18)F and (131)I computed by this system to those obtained with OLINDA for various organs were ranged from 0.93 to 1.18, which were comparable to that obtained from MCNPX2.6 code (0.88-1.22). Our system developed provides opportunity for tumor dose estimation which cannot be known from the MIRD. The radiation dose can provide useful information in the amount of radioisotopes to be administered in radioimmunotherapy.

Establishment and characterization of a new and stable collagen-binding assay for the assessment of von Willebrand factor activity.

INTRODUCTION: Laboratory diagnosis of von Willebrand disease (VWD) requires determination of both von Willebrand factor (VWF) protein levels and activity. Current VWF activity tests include the ristocetin cofactor assay and the collagen-binding assay (VWF:CB). The goal of this investigation is to characterize a new collagen-binding assay and to determine its effectiveness in identifying VWD. METHODS: Analytical studies were carried out to characterize the performance of a new VWF:CB ELISA. Additionally, samples from a normal population were tested as were well-characterized type 1 and type 2 VWD samples. RESULTS: Repeatability and within-laboratory precision studies resulted in coefficients of variation (CVs) of ≤11%. A linear range of 1-354% (0.01-3.54 IU/mL) was determined, along with a limit of detection and a lower limit of quantitation of 1.6% and 4.0% (0.016 and 0.04 IU/mL), respectively. Samples tested from apparently healthy individuals resulted in a normal range of 54-217% (0.54-2.17 IU/mL). Known VWD type 1 and type 2 samples were also analyzed by the ELISA, with 99% of samples having VWF:CB below the normal reference range and an estimated 96% sensitivity and 87% specificity using a VWF collagen-binding/antigen cutoff ratio of 0.50. CONCLUSION: This new VWF:CB ELISA provides an accurate measure of collagen-binding activity that aids in the diagnosis and differentiation of type 1 from type 2 VWD.

Comparing two methods for assessment of perfusion-diffusion mismatch in a rodent model of ischaemic stroke: a pilot study.

This stroke experiment was designed to define the mismatch between perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in MRI by applying early or instantly acquired PWI. Eight rats were induced with stroke through photothrombotic occlusion of the middle cerebral artery and scanned serially between 1 h and day 3 after induction using DWI and PWI with a 1.5 T MR scanner. The relative lesion volumes (rLV) on MRI and triphenyl tetrazolium chloride-stained specimens were defined as the proportion of lesion volume over brain volume. Discrepancies in the rLV between PWI- and DWI-derived apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps were expressed by subtraction of the ADC from PWI, resulting in three possible patterns: (i) (PWI-ADC > 10% of PWI) denoting a mismatch; (ii) (-(10% of PWI)

Drop size stability assessment of fluorocarbon emulsions.

The aging of fluorocarbon emulsions prepared with natural egg yolk phospholipids (EYP) has been studied and a linear variation (r2 greater than 0.95) of the mean average volume of the droplets with time has been observed. The slope of the experimental lines, called "Stability Parameter, S" can thus be taken as a representation of the rate of aging of the emulsions. Examples are given of use of parameter S to assess the effect of formulation and processing parameters on the stability of diverse fluorocarbon emulsions. S is a useful tool to compare emulsions and ascertain any factors of stabilization/destabilization.

More choices of birth control approaches.

PIP: In rural Zhejiang Province, China, family planning intermediaries are appointed for each village to introduce comprehensive measures of birth control to the people. With an education level of junior middle school at least, they are mostly working women of high prestige in their villages. After appointment as intermediaries, these women are trained for 1-2 weeks in health stations or maternal and child health care stations in towns. Back in the villages, they take over responsibility for distributing monthly contraceptives as needed by women of childbearing age. The intermediaries also explain the advantages and disadvantages of different kinds of contraceptives to newly wedded women and give them guidance and recommendations. Intermediaries also can provide simple treatment for complaints caused by contraceptive use. For example, if women complain of nausea while 1st taking oral contraceptives (OCs), the intermediaries will give them vitamin B6. When intermediairies encounter difficulties, such as women who cannot use OCs for a long time because of a liver ailment, they refer the people to health stations or send for a doctor. The number of induced abortions has declined because of the fact that a vast number of women of childbearing age in rural areas now obtain appropriate contraceptives in time. Generally, each intermediary is assigned to be in charge of 15-20 households, making a regular monthly visit to each of these families. The contraceptives they distribute are from town governments, which give them a certain amount of annual subsidies.^ieng