Distribution, seasonal variation and ecological risk assessment of phthalates in the Yitong River, a typical urban watercourse located in Northeast China.

Phthalates (PAEs) are a typical class of endocrine disruptors (EEDs). As one of the most commonly used plasticizers, they have received widespread attention due to their wide application in various countries and high detection rates in various environmental media. To be able to clarify the contamination status of PAEs pollutants in a typical northern cold-temperate urban river, 30 water samples from Yitong River in Changchun City, northern China were collected, during the 2023 dry season (March), normal season (May) and wet season (July). Using these samples, a total of 16 target PAEs are investigated. The resulting total PAEs concentrations are: dry season 408 to 1494 ng/L, wet season 491 to 1299 ng/L, and normal season 341 to 780 ng/L. The average concentration of the 16 PAEs over the three seasons is 773 ng/L. Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) have the highest concentrations, ranging from 12 to 403 ng/L and 28-680 ng/L respectively. The ecological risks within the Yitong River Basin are evaluated based on the degree of PAEs contamination. DBP and DEHP pose higher risk assessment levels for algae, crustaceans and fish than the other target PAEs. The accurate determination of PAEs provided baseline data on PAEs for the management of the Yitong River, which is of great significance for the prediction of ecological risk assessment and the development of corresponding control measures, supported further research on PAEs in the cold-temperate zone aquatic environments, and shed light on the seasonal variations of PAEs in the Northeast region in the future. Moreover, considering the bioaccumulation and persistence of PAEs, it is necessary to continue to pay attention to the pollution status of cold-temperate zones rivers and the changes in ecological risks in the future.

Occurrence, removal, and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives in typical wastewater treatment plants.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have a certain removal capacity for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives, but some of them are discharged with effluent into the environment, which can affect the environment. Therefore, to understand the presence, sources, and potential risks of PAHs and their derivatives in WWTPs. Sixteen PAHs, three chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ClPAHs), three oxidized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs), and three methylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MPAHs) were detected in the influent and effluent water of three WWTPs in China. The average concentrations of their influent ∑PAHs, ∑ClPAHs, ∑OPAHs, and ∑MPAHs ranged from 2682.50 to 2774.53 ng/L, 553.26-906.28 ng/L, 415.40-731.56 ng/L, and 534.04-969.83 ng/L, respectively, and the effluent concentrations ranged from 823.28 to 993.37 ng/L, 269.43-489.94 ng/L, 285.93-463.55 ng/L, and 376.25-512.34 ng/L, respectively. The growth of heat transport and industrial energy consumption in the region has a significant impact on the level of PAHs in WWTPs. According to the calculated removal efficiencies of PAHs and their derivatives in the three WWTPs (A, B, and C), the removal rates of PAHs and their derivatives were 69-72%, 62-71%, and 68-73%, respectively, and for the substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (SPAHs), the removal rates were 41-49%, 31-40%, and 33-39%, respectively; moreover, the removal rates of PAHs were greater than those of SPAHs in the WWTPs. The results obtained via the ratio method indicated that the main sources of PAHs in the influent of WWTPs were the combustion of coal and biomass, and petroleum contamination was the secondary source. In risk evaluation, there were 5 compounds for which the risk quotient was considered high ecological risk. During chronic disease evaluation, there were 11 compounds with a risk quotient considered to indicate high risk. PAHs and SPAHs with high relative molecular masses in the effluent of WWTPs pose more serious environmental hazards than their PAHs counterparts.

Enhancing interventions for prevention of mother-to-child- transmission of hepatitis B virus.

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a cornerstone of efforts to support progress towards elimination of viral hepatitis. Current guidelines recommend maternal screening, antiviral therapy during the third trimester of high-risk pregnancies, universal and timely HBV birth dose vaccination, and post-exposure prophylaxis with hepatitis B immunoglobulin for selected neonates. However, serological and molecular diagnostic testing, treatment and HBV vaccination are not consistently deployed, particularly in many high endemicity settings, and models predict that global targets for reduction in paediatric incidence will not be met by 2030. In this article, we briefly summarise the evidence for current practice and use this as a basis to discuss areas in which prevention of mother-to-child transmission can potentially be enhanced. By reducing health inequities, enhancing pragmatic use of resources, filling data gaps, developing advocacy and education, and seeking consistent investment from multilateral agencies, significant advances can be made to further reduce vertical transmission events, with wide health, societal and economic benefits.

Determinants affecting the blood mercury levels of preschool children in Shanghai, China: A cross-sectional study.

Infants and children are vulnerable to mercury (Hg)-induced toxicity, which has detrimental effects on their neurological development. This study measured blood Hg levels (BMLs) and identified potential factors influencing BMLs, including demographic and socioeconomic factors, lifestyle, and daily dietary habits, among 0 to 7-year-old children in Shanghai. Our study recruited 1474 participants, comprising 784 boys and 690 girls. Basic demographic and lifestyle information were obtained and blood Hg were analyzed using the Direct Mercury Analyzer 80. The blood Hg concentrations of children in Shanghai ranged from 0.01 to 17.20 µg/L, with a median concentration of 1.34 µg/L. Older age, higher familial socioeconomic status, higher residential floors, and a higher frequency of consuming aquatic products, rice, vegetables, and formula milk were identified as risk factors. Other potential influencing factors including the mother's reproductive history (gravidity and parity), smoking (passive smoking), supplementation of fish oil and calcium need to be further investigated. These findings can be useful in establishing appropriate interventions to prevent children's high blood Hg concentrations in Shanghai and other similar metropolitan cities.

Corporate financialization, financing constraints, and innovation efficiency-Empirical evidence based on listed Chinese pharmaceutical companies.

The relationship between financialization and innovation has become a common focus of academic attention. This paper analyzes the influence of corporate financialization on innovation efficiency based on balanced panel data of listed Chinese pharmaceutical companies from 2015 to 2020. Also, it examines the relationship between corporate financialization and innovation efficiency under different levels of financing constraints and the moderating mechanisms that exist. The results of the study show that corporate financialization negatively affects innovation efficiency and that this effect has a lag; corporate financialization hurts innovation efficiency across the different regions and firm nature, with a less inhibiting effect for eastern firms and non-state-owned firms; further tests of the mechanism of action show that there is a non-linear negative relationship between corporate financialization and innovation efficiency. And the inhibition of corporate financialization on innovation efficiency decreases as the level of financing constraints rises. Based on the above findings, this study provides warnings and recommendations for pharmaceutical companies to finance their innovative activities through financialization.

Implementation of pollution source assessment and treatment strategy for plateau railway construction in China: an AHP-cloud model approach.

During the construction process of railways in the plateau region, various types of pollution sources can have serious or even irreversible impacts on the plateau ecology. To address pollution source treatment during the construction process, protect the ecological environment along the railway, and maintain the ecological balance, we collected geological and environmental data and analyzed the influencing factors of pollution sources. Taking sewage as the main research subject, we propose a new method based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)-cloud model to classify the pollution source treatment level, establish an index system, and select the ecological environment level, sewage rate, and pollutant characteristics as the three main influencing factors. Finally, we divide the pollution source treatment level into I, II, and III, corresponding to V1 = {I-level} = {high impact}, V2 = {II-level} = {moderate impact}, and V3 = {III-level} = {low impact}. Based on the comprehensive factor weight analysis and the field engineering conditions of the studied railway in the western plateau of China, we classify the pollution source treatment level of six tunnels and propose treatment suggestions for each level. To advance the efficient implementation of environmental protection during the construction of the plateau railway, we propose three policy recommendations that can positively contribute to environmental protection and green development. This work provides theoretical and technical guidance for the treatment of pollution sources in the construction of the plateau railway, which also serves as a significant reference for other similar projects.

Barriers that prevent adults living with HBV infection from participating in clinical research: experience from South Africa.

High profile international goals have been set for the elimination of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection as a public health threat by the year 2030. Developing and expanding equitable, accessible translational HBV research programmes that represent real-world populations are therefore an urgent priority for clinical and academic communities. We present experiences and insights by an expert interdisciplinary group focusing on barriers that impede adults living with HBV infection from participating in clinical studies. Our viewpoint describes barriers we have identified through working in a variety of settings across South Africa, including lack of education and awareness, experiences of stigma and discrimination, challenges for governance and data management, and a burden of complex morbidity. Through identifying these challenges, we propose solutions and interventions, highlight new approaches, and provide a framework for future research.

Assessment of HER2 in Gastric-Type Endocervical Adenocarcinoma and its Prognostic Significance.

As the most common type of human papillomavirus-independent endocervical adenocarcinomas (ECAs), gastric-type endocervical adenocarcinomas (GEAs) account for approximately 10% of all ECAs. Although anti-HER2 therapy has been proven effective in many cancers, it has not been used in ECAs, including GEAs, which is at least partly due to the lack of a well-defined guideline. Limited available data regarding HER2 in GEAs and ECAs have considerable variations likely caused by variations in the tumor type selection, testing methods, and scoring criteria. Here, we selected 58 GEA cases to examine the HER2 status using immunohistochemistry and fluorescent in situ hybridization and investigate the prognostic value and their association with other known or potential prognostic factors. When strong complete or lateral/basolateral membranous reactivity in ≥10% tumor cells was used to define HER2 positivity, relatively high prevalence of HER2 overexpression (10/58[17.2%]) and amplification (9/58 [15.5%]), as well as high immunohistochemistry-fluorescent in situ hybridization concordance rate (9/10 [90%]) was found in GEAs. A lateral/basolateral staining pattern ("U-shaped") was observed, at least focally, in most of HER2-positive (3+) and equivocal (2+) tumors. Notably, considerable heterogeneity of HER2 expression was observed in HER2 positive and equivocal cases (80.0% and 83.3%, respectively). HER2 overexpression and amplification were associated with worse progression-free survival (P = .047 and P = .032, respectively). Programmed death-ligand 1 expression was associated with worse progression-free survival (P = .032), whereas mutant-type p53 demonstrated no prognostic significance. Our work laid a solid foundation for the eventual development of a future standard HER2 testing guideline for GEAs.

SVAT: Secure outsourcing of variant annotation and genotype aggregation.

BACKGROUND: Sequencing of thousands of samples provides genetic variants with allele frequencies spanning a very large spectrum and gives invaluable insight into genetic determinants of diseases. Protecting the genetic privacy of participants is challenging as only a few rare variants can easily re-identify an individual among millions. In certain cases, there are policy barriers against sharing genetic data from indigenous populations and stigmatizing conditions. RESULTS: We present SVAT, a method for secure outsourcing of variant annotation and aggregation, which are two basic steps in variant interpretation and detection of causal variants. SVAT uses homomorphic encryption to encrypt the data at the client-side. The data always stays encrypted while it is stored, in-transit, and most importantly while it is analyzed. SVAT makes use of a vectorized data representation to convert annotation and aggregation into efficient vectorized operations in a single framework. Also, SVAT utilizes a secure re-encryption approach so that multiple disparate genotype datasets can be combined for federated aggregation and secure computation of allele frequencies on the aggregated dataset. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, SVAT provides a secure, flexible, and practical framework for privacy-aware outsourcing of annotation, filtering, and aggregation of genetic variants. SVAT is publicly available for download from https://github.com/harmancilab/SVAT .

Evaluation of vicinity-based hidden Markov models for genotype imputation.

BACKGROUND: The decreasing cost of DNA sequencing has led to a great increase in our knowledge about genetic variation. While population-scale projects bring important insight into genotype-phenotype relationships, the cost of performing whole-genome sequencing on large samples is still prohibitive. In-silico genotype imputation coupled with genotyping-by-arrays is a cost-effective and accurate alternative for genotyping of common and uncommon variants. Imputation methods compare the genotypes of the typed variants with the large population-specific reference panels and estimate the genotypes of untyped variants by making use of the linkage disequilibrium patterns. Most accurate imputation methods are based on the Li-Stephens hidden Markov model, HMM, that treats the sequence of each chromosome as a mosaic of the haplotypes from the reference panel. RESULTS: Here we assess the accuracy of vicinity-based HMMs, where each untyped variant is imputed using the typed variants in a small window around itself (as small as 1 centimorgan). Locality-based imputation is used recently by machine learning-based genotype imputation approaches. We assess how the parameters of the vicinity-based HMMs impact the imputation accuracy in a comprehensive set of benchmarks and show that vicinity-based HMMs can accurately impute common and uncommon variants. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that locality-based imputation models can be effectively used for genotype imputation. The parameter settings that we identified can be used in future methods and vicinity-based HMMs can be used for re-structuring and parallelizing new imputation methods. The source code for the vicinity-based HMM implementations is publicly available at https://github.com/harmancilab/LoHaMMer .

Comparison of external R&D and internal R&D: Based on the perspective of S&T development of China's pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

PURPOSE: The science and technology (S&T) innovation in China's pharmaceutical industry has entered a bottleneck. The choice between external and internal research and development (R&D) has become a significant challenge for S&T development. To provide scientific suggestions for companies to choose an R&D strategy and enhance S&T development, we analyzed and compared the impacts of two R&D strategies on S&T output. METHODS: We selected the data related to China's pharmaceutical manufacturing industry from 2000 to 2019, established regression equations by the E-G two-step method, and used the VAR model for impulse responses and variance decompositions to research the relationship between two R&D strategies and S&T output. RESULTS: There is a stable long-term equilibrium relationship between two R&D strategies, including external and internal R&D, and S&T output in China's pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. When internal R&D increases by 1%, S&T output increases by 0.7382% with a 5-year lag. When S&T output increases by 1%, external R&D increases by 2.0749% with a 2-year lag. CONCLUSION: Compared with external R&D, internal R&D can boost S&T output.

The Effects of Congruence Between Person and Environment on Innovation Performance in Ports.

The projected growth and rapid technological development in maritime transportation will create demand for a newly skilled and motivated workforce in the port sector. Thus, it is important for ports to attract, recruit and retain talented employees to promote innovation and enhance competitive advantages. This manuscript focuses on the welfare and talent of port staff from the perspective of person-environment (P-E) fit. Using polynomial regression with response surface analysis, this study explores the effect of P-E fit on job satisfaction, work engagement and innovation performance, and bootstrapping is applied to confirm the mediating roles of job satisfaction and work engagement in the relationship between P-E fit and innovation performance. Results show that (1) need-supply (N-S) fit and demands-abilities (D-A) fit improved port employees' job satisfaction, work engagement and innovation performance, and the impacts on work engagement and innovation performance show an inverted "U" and "U" shape, respectively; (2) D-A fit is more important when job satisfaction plays a mediating role; and (3) N-S fit makes a greater contribution when work engagement mediates the effect of P-E fit on the innovation performance. These findings contribute to P-E fit research as well as to human resource management practices in ports.

How Technological Innovation Affect China's Pharmaceutical Smart Manufacturing Industrial Upgrading.

In recent years, a new generation of information technology has provided sufficient technical support for the smart manufacturing industry. In order to promote the upgrading of China's pharmaceutical smart manufacturing industry, the direction of industrial upgrading and transformation will be discussed from the perspective of technological innovation. According to the input and output data of technological innovation in China's pharmaceutical manufacturing industry from 2007 to 2019, the DEA method is used to analyze the allocation of innovative resources in China's pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in recent years. The study found that the efficiency of technological innovation in China's pharmaceutical manufacturing industry fluctuated greatly from 2007 to 2019, with a low overall level and varying degrees of wasted resources. On this basis, an in-depth analysis of the system architecture of the pharmaceutical smart manufacturing industry under the Industry 4.0 environment was performed. Finally, four paths for the digital transformation of China's pharmaceutical manufacturing industry are proposed. Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing companies need to use new technologies to carry out comprehensive intelligent upgrading and digital transformation to improve innovation efficiency.

Health Related Social Needs Among Chinese American Primary Care Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Cancer Screening and Primary Care.

Research Objective: Initiatives to address social determinants of health (SDOH) and measure health-related social needs (HRSN) within clinic settings are increasing. However, few have focused on the specific needs of Asian Americans (AA). We examine the prevalence of HRSN during a period spanning the COVID-19 pandemic to inform strategies to improve cancer screening and primary care among AA patients. Methods: We implemented a self-administered HRSN screening tool in English and Chinese, traditional (T) or simplified (S) text, within a hospital-affiliated, outpatient primary care practice predominantly serving AA in New Jersey. HRSN items included food insecurity, transportation barriers, utility needs, interpersonal violence, housing instability, immigration history, and neighborhood perceptions on cohesion and trust. We conducted medical chart reviews for a subset of participants to explore the relationship between HRSN and history of cancer screening. Results: Among 236 participants, most were Asian (74%), non-US born (79%), and privately insured (57%). One-third responded in Chinese (37%). Half reported having ≥1 HRSN. Interpersonal violence was high across all participants. Transportation needs were highest among Chinese-T participants, while food insecurity and housing instability were higher among Chinese-S participants. Lower-income patients had higher odds of having ≥2 HRSN (OR:2.53, 95% CI: 1.12, 5.98). Older age and public insurance/uninsured were significantly associated with low neighborhood perceptions. Conclusions: We observed higher than anticipated reports of HRSN among primary care patients in a suburban, hospital-affiliated practice serving AA. Low neighborhood perceptions, particularly among Chinese-S participants, highlight the importance of addressing broader SDOH among insured, suburban AA patients. These study findings inform the need to augment HRSN identification to adequately address social needs that impact health outcomes and life course experiences for Asian patients. As HRSN measuring efforts continue, and COVID-19's impact on the health of minority communities emerge, it will be critical to develop community-specific referral pathways to connect AA to resources for HRSN and continue to address more upstream social determinants of health for those who are disproportionately impacted.

The Lived Experience of Chronic Hepatitis B: A Broader View of Its Impacts and Why We Need a Cure.

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is one of the most widespread liver diseases in the world. It is currently incurable and can lead to liver cirrhosis and cancer. The considerable impacts on society caused by CHB through patient mortality, morbidity, and economic loss are well-recognised in the field. This is, however, a narrow view of the harms, given that people living with CHB can be asymptomatic for the majority of their life-long infection. Of less-appreciated importance are the psychosocial harms, which can continue throughout an affected person's lifetime. Here we review the broad range of these impacts, which include fear and anxiety; financial loss and instability; stigma and discrimination; and rejection by society. Importantly, these directly affect patient diagnosis, management, and treatment. Further, we highlight the roles that the research community can play in taking these factors into account and mitigating them. In particular, the development of a cure for hepatitis B virus infection would alleviate many of the psychosocial impacts of CHB. We conclude that there should be a greater recognition of the full impacts associated with CHB to bring meaningful, effective, and deliverable results to the global community living with hepatitis B.

Assessment and Predictors of Grief Reactions among Bereaved Chinese Adults.

BACKGROUND: The Texas Revised Inventory of Grief-Present Scale (TRIG-Present) is a widely used tool to measure grief. Most existing research related to the assessment and characteristics of grief has been conducted sampling bereaved Western subjects and, as such, limited information is available on the experience of grief in Chinese samples. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to validate the Chinese version of the TRIG-Present (TRIG-Present-C) and explore the predictors of grief among bereaved adults in China. METHODS: Responses from 460 bereaved Chinese adults were collected through an online survey. Subjects completed a specially developed questionnaire covering demographic data/loss-related variables, the TRIG-Present-C, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-9). RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis validates the original one-factor structure. The overall content validity index is equal to 1.0. Significant correlations were observed, with CES-D-9 and factor subscales (r ranged from -0.228 to 0.607, p < 0.05) indicating the convergent validity. The TRIG-Present-C scores distinguished grieving individuals from those experiencing unanticipated death and those where death was anticipated. The internal consistency is satisfactory (Cronbach's α = 0.957). In multiple regression analyses, with grief severity as the dependent variable, 28.6% of the variance was explained by religious belief, the immediacy of the loss, the loss of a first-degree relative, and where the deceased was relatively young. CONCLUSIONS: The TRIG-Present-C scale is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing grief reaction among bereaved Chinese adults. Religious belief, loss of a first-degree relative, where the deceased was relatively young, and the immediacy of loss were associated with higher levels of grief.