Assessment of organic contamination along the coast of Laizhou Bay, China: chemical analysis and integrated biomarker responses in the clam Ruditapes philippinarum.

An investigative biomonitoring study was conducted along the coastal area of Laizhou Bay (China) to evaluate the impact of organic pollution on the clam Ruditapes philippinarum using bioaccumulation and multi-biomarker measurements. In addition, the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) and nonylphenol (NP) content in surface sediment at the study sites were also analyzed. Concentrations of PCBs, TPHs and NP in the sediments of the study area were 1.90 ± 0.10 µg kg-1, 39.55 ± 2.42 mg kg-1, 9.23 ± 0.41 µg kg-1 dry weight, respectively, while the organic contaminants in the soft tissues of R. philippinarum were 14.81 ± 0.96 µg kg-1 for PCBs, 165.87 ± 5.03 mg kg-1 for TPHs and 86.16 ± 5.29 µg kg-1 for NP. Linear regression analysis on the levels of organic pollutants accumulated in R. philippinarum and in sediments showed no significant correlation. Multi-biomarkers including superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, total glutathione and lipid peroxidation were assayed in gills and digestive glands of R. philippinarum. Finally, the biomarkers in gills were selected to calculate the Integrated Biomarker Response (IBR) index and to evaluate the impact of the three organic contaminants on R. philippinarum collected from different sites. According to IBR results, the western coast and eastern coast exhibited higher environmental stress than the sampling sites along the southern coast of Laizhou Bay. Significant correlation was found between the level of organic contaminants in the sediments and IBR whereas no dependence was found between pollutants' concentrations in sediments and separate biomarker responses. The results showed that PCBs and NP were the main organic pollutants among the three studied which have caused pollution pressure on R. philippinarum in Laizhou Bay coastal area.

Chromatin accessibility and transcriptome landscapes of Monomorium pharaonis brain.

The emergence of social organization (eusociality) is a major event in insect evolution. Although previous studies have investigated the mechanisms underlying caste differentiation and social behavior of eusocial insects including ants and honeybees, the molecular circuits governing sociality in these insects remain obscure. In this study, we profiled the transcriptome and chromatin accessibility of brain tissues in three Monomorium pharaonis ant castes: queens (including mature and un-mated queens), males and workers. We provide a comprehensive dataset including 16 RNA-sequencing and 16 assay for transposase accessible chromatin (ATAC)-sequencing profiles. We also demonstrate strong reproducibility of the datasets and have identified specific genes and open chromatin regions in the genome that may be associated with the social function of these castes. Our data will be a valuable resource for further studies of insect behaviour, particularly the role of brain in the control of eusociality.

Assessment of risk factors for early childhood caries at different ages in Shandong, China and reflections on oral health education: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC) is widespread around the world, and oral health education (OHE) plays a vital role in preventing ECC. Numerous studies on ECC risk factor assessment have assisted us in enriching the content of OHE. The objective of this study was to further assess independent risk factors for ECC at different ages to provide evidence and insights for OHE. METHODS: Children aged 3-5 years old (N = 1301) in Shandong Province were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Data about oral health status and caregivers' oral health knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) were extracted from the 4th National Oral Health Survey of China. The associations between ECC prevalence and various KAP variables were tested with chi-square tests, bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The ECC prevalence in Shandong Province was 64.6%, and the dmft mean was 3.15. The independent variables with an increased risk for ECC were age, feeding method within 6 months of birth, bedtime sugar frequency, experience of toothache over the past year and dental visits (P < 0.05, chi-square tests). Complete breastfeeding within 6 months of birth primarily contributed to the high ECC risk of the 3-year-old group (OR: 3.39, 95% CI: 1.41-8.17), while high frequency bedtime sweet consumption mainly contributed to that of the 5-year-old group (OR: 3.22, 95% CI: 1.03-10.06; logistic regression analysis). Tooth brushing was not associated with ECC in this study, and some positive knowledge and attitude variables were positively correlated with a high risk of ECC. CONCLUSION: These data provide evidence to suggest that the ECC-related risk factors at different ages are inconsistent, which provides some insights for OHE. We should highlight the effects of feeding methods in the early stages of deciduous dentition and sugar habits in the late stages of deciduous dentition on ECC, as well as encourage preventive dental visit and supplemental training for oral health practices.

A comparative analysis on human resources among the specialized ophthalmic medical institutions in China.

BACKGROUND: This study compares perspectives on specialized ophthalmic medical institutions, identifies the gaps in property and geographic offerings, and explores the ways that ophthalmic medical institutions can better allocate resources. The results of this research will increase patient's access to equitable and high-quality ophthalmic care in China. METHODS: The data for this research was gathered from the Survey of China National Eye Care Capacity and Resource for the year 2015. The paper specified the number, professional level of expertise, and educational background of ophthalmic health personnel. The authors of the paper analyzed and compared the differences in ophthalmic care in public vs. private and urban vs. rural regions in China. Descriptive statistics were used. RESULTS: Of the 395 specialized ophthalmic hospitals surveyed, 332 were private medical institutions (84%), and 63 were public (16%). Of the 26 607 ophthalmic personnel surveyed, working in specialized ophthalmic hospitals, 17 561 were in private hospitals (66%) and 9 046 were in public ones (34%). Furthermore, 22 578 of those personnel worked in urban ophthalmic institutions (85%) and 4 029 worked in rural ones (15%). As for regional differences, 14 090 personnel were located in eastern China (53%), 8 828 in central regions (33%), and 3 689 in the western regions (14%). CONCLUSIONS: Public ophthalmic medical institutions still face challenges in providing equitable and widespread care. The availability of well-staffed health centers varies significantly by region. These variations impact resource allocation and directly lead to inequalities and inaccessibility of health services in certain regions of China.

Inequity in Access: Cataract Surgery Throughput of Chinese Ophthalmologists from the China National Eye Care Capacity and Resource Survey.

Purpose: To investigate the distribution of cataract surgery performed by ophthalmologists in China.Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed to investigate nationwide ophthalmological resources and capacity for cataract surgery in China⁠-The 2014 China National Eye Care Capacity and Resource Survey. Data analyzed in this report included regional distribution, urban-rural comparison, levels and types of medical institutions, and cataract surgery types and volume per surgeon. In China, only ophthalmologists at or above the level of attending are eligible to perform cataract surgery independently, so the ability of cataract surgery for ophthalmologists at or above the level of attending is analyzed in the current study. Descriptive statistics were used.Results: 36,333 ophthalmologists were included in this survey, which is an average of 1.33 ophthalmologists to every 50,000 population. Of the surgeons in this survey, 23,412 (50.22%) were attending or more senior ophthalmologists and were mainly distributed in eastern urban areas. Annual average cataract surgeries per ophthalmologist in China were 259 in 2017, less than 300 cases.Conclusion: The average number of ophthalmologists per population in China has achieved the goal of WHO's Vision 2020; however, these surgeons are concentrated in urban areas. Further, the ability of cataract surgery among ophthalmologists is unbalanced. The annual average cataract surgeries performed by ophthalmologists are insufficient, which is an important factor resulting in the current situation in China that ophthalmic service capacity has not met the requirements for eliminating cataract blindness.

System dynamics model of taxi management in metropolises: Economic and environmental implications for Beijing.

Taxis are an important component of urban passenger transport. Research on the daily dispatching of taxis and the utility of governmental management is important for the improvement of passenger travel, taxi driver income and environmental impacts. However, urban taxi management is a complex and dynamic system that is affected by many factors, and positive/negative feedback relationships and nonlinear interactions exist between each subsystem and variable. Therefore, conventional research methods can hardly depict its characteristics comprehensively. To bridge this gap, this paper develops a system dynamics model of urban taxi management, in which the empty-loaded rate and total demand are selected as key factors affecting taxi dispatching, and the impacts of taxi fares on driver income and travel demand are taken into account. After the validation of the model, taxi operations data derived from a prior analysis of origin-destination data of Beijing taxis are used as input for the model to simulate the taxi market in Beijing. Finally, economic and environmental implications are provided for the government to optimise policies on taxi management.

The assessment of environmental pollution along the coast of Beibu Gulf, northern South China Sea: an integrated biomarker approach in the clam Meretrix meretrix.

The clam Meretrix meretrix was used as a biomonitor to implement an environmental monitoring program along the coast of Beibu Gulf in October 2011. This program not only analyzed biomarkers including acetylcholinesterase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities, total glutathione content and lipid peroxidation level in M. meretrix but also adopted a multi-biomarker approach - integrated biomarker response (IBR) to assess the environmental quality in this ecosystem. In addition, the metal (Hg, As, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd and Cr) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) content in the surface sediment at the study area were also measured. The results showed that IBR index was able to distinguish a space trend between sampling sites with different degrees of anthropogenic environmental stress. Integrated contamination degree were displayed in the form of star plots and compared to IBR plots. There was a visual consistency between the pollution level and IBR variation. Based on the results, it was proved that the IBR method coupled with chemical analysis was quite useful for the assessment of environmental pollution in the coastal system.

[Pollution assessment in the intertidal zone of Beibu Gulf using multi-biomarker pollution index].

This paper assessed the coastal environmental quality along the Beibu Gulf using a statistical approach, multi-biomarker pollution index (MPI). Samples of clam (Paphia undulata) and sediment were collected at nine sites from the intertidal zone of Beibu Gulf in April 2011. Nine biomarkers of response were measured both in gill and digestive gland in Paphia undulata, and twelve kinds of contaminants were measured in different sediment samples. According to the Pearson' s correlation coefficients between biomarker responses in Paphia undulata and contaminant levels in sediments, five biomarkers either in gill for oxidized glutathione (GSSG), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione S-transferase (GST) or in digestive gland for thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were selected for MPI calculation. For each biomarker at each site, a response index was allocated, and the MPI value of this site was calculated as the sum of the response index of the five biomarkers. The results of the calculation (MPI values from 18 to 39) showed significant differences among sampling sites. The environmental quality of all sites ranged from class 1 (clean) to class 3 (lightly contaminated), and no site fell into class 4 (contaminated) or class 5 (heavily contaminated), indicating a good environmental quality in the intertidal zone of Beibu Gulf. However, the environmental quality at some sites (S1, S3, 54 and S7) fell into class 3 (lightly contaminated), indicating mild interference from human activities has occurred.

[Study on elasticity of medical service demand at the township level in China].

OBJECTIVE: To find out the economic laws regulating medical service demand in accordance with influencing factors at the township level, thus to provide references for further adjusting the medical service demand reasonably in the future. METHODS: The model of medical service demand was established to measure the elasticity of demand in 49 township health clinics in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007. RESULTS: The price elasticity of outpatient and inpatient demand was stable during the four periods, and the average value was -0.029 and -0.132 respectively; the average value of income elasticity was 0.973 and 0.977, registering a downward trend in general. CONCLUSION: The medical service demand at the township level is price inelastic, indicating that it is a necessity for rural residents. The downward trend of income elasticity under the influence of some health policies illustrates a lightening in economic burden for medical service demand among rural residents in township health clinics.