[Contamination levels of perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl compounds in breast milk and assessment of their exposure risk to infants].

The purposes of this study are to explore the contamination levels of perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in breast milk and assess their exposure risk to infants. Based on data from a birth cohort study conducted in Yingcheng, Hubei Province, from 2018 to 2021, the contents of 23 types of PFASs in the breast milk of 324 pregnant women were determined using isotope dilution-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Multiple linear regression was then performed to analyze the effects of various demographic characteristics and eating habits on the concentration of PFASs in breast milk. The daily PFASs intake of infants through breast milk was estimated, and the exposure risk of infants was also assessed. The results revealed that 23 types of PFASs in breast milk had good linear relationships in the range of 0.2-100 ng/mL, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.992. The limits of detection were 5-42 pg/mL, the limits of quantification were 15-126 pg/mL, the recoveries were 65.6%-108.1%, and the relative standard deviations were 1.6%-12.8%. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate acid (PFOA), and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), with median concentrations of 200.7, 63.5, and 25.2 pg/mL, respectively, were the main PFASs found in breast milk. The detection rates of these three contaminants were higher than 80%, whereas the detection rates of other compounds were lower than 45%. The results of multiple linear regression showed that older pregnant women and a higher frequency of pickled food intake may be related to increased PFAS levels in breast milk whereas a higher frequency of legume intake may be related to decreased PFAS levels in breast milk. The median estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS for infants were 25.1, 7.9, and 3.2 ng/(kg·d), respectively. In summary, this study found notable PFAS levels in breast milk in Yingcheng, Hubei Province. Among these PFASs, PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS were the main contaminants. Maternal age as well as pickled food and legume intake may affect the PFAS level in breast milk. The health risk of PFAS intake through breast milk to some infants is worthy of attention and further study.

Assessment of lake area in response to climate change at varying elevations: A case study of Mt. Tianshan, Central Asia.

Changes in lake area (water surface area) are often considered accurate and sensitive representations of climate change. However, the role that elevation plays in this dynamic is somewhat unclear; studies remain inconclusive as to whether lake responses are consistent across elevation gradients. Here, we used Landsat and keyhole satellite images to quantify lake area changes from the 1960s to 2020 at different elevations in Central Asia's Tianshan Mountains and relate them to both climatic and anthropogenic factors. The results revealed that all low-elevation lakes showed a decreasing trend, and the total area of all monitored low-elevation lakes was reduced by 18.50 %. The total area of the mid-elevation lakes decreased by 0.16 %, while the total area of the high-elevation glacial lakes increased by 4.35 %. Lakes are recharged by a variety of influxes including glacial meltwater and precipitation. Notably, human activities (urban and agricultural water consumption) were the dominant factors in the shrinkage of low-elevation lakes. Climatic factors were the main driving factors of mid-elevation lake changes, and these lakes appeared to be more sensitive to temperature changes than lakes at other elevations. In addition, significant warming dominated area changes in high-elevation proglacial and unconnected glacial lakes. Overall, those results emphasized that when using lakes to reconstruct paleoclimates or predict lake evolution, it is necessary to consider how elevation gradients and recharge types may affect lake sensitivity to variations in climatic and anthropogenic activity.

Assessment of the anti-nociceptive effects of fetal ventral mesencephalic tissue allografts in a rat model of hemi-Parkinson's disease using fMRI.

Extensive studies showed increased subjective pain sensitivity in Parkinson's disease (PD), which appeared to be partially reversed by dopaminergic (DA) treatment. Although cell replacement represents an attractive therapeutic strategy, its potential for PD-related hyperalgesia remains unclear. We investigated re-establishment of DA function via allografting exogenic DA cells on pain hypersensitivity in a rat model of PD. We evaluated the anti-nociceptive effects of fetal ventral mesencephalic (rVM) tissue allografts in PD rats after unilateral 6-OHDA-induced toxicity in the medial forebrain bundle. The drug -induced rotation test was used to validate the severity of the nigrostriatal lesion; von Frey and thermal pain tests were employed to evaluate nociceptive function. Nociception-induced cerebral blood volume (CBV) response was measured using a 4.7-T MR system. Finally, the immunohistochemical (IHC) studies were performed and the results were compared with the imaging findings from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The grafts significantly improved drug-induced rotation behavior and increased mechanical and thermal nociceptive thresholds in PD rats. The elevation of CBV signals significantly recovered on the grafted striatum, whereas this effect was inhibited by the D2R antagonist eticlopride in each striatum. Quantitative IHC analysis revealed the transplantation markedly increased the numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive cells. Therefore, we concluded transplantation of rVM tissue results in anti-nociceptive effects and improves motor function. Moreover, in vivo CBV response confirmed the key role of D2R-mediated pain modulation. Therefore, we demonstrate fMRI as a reliable imaging index in evaluating the anti-nociceptive therapeutic effects of fetal rVM transplantation in the rat model of PD.

Exposure and risk assessment of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) for primiparous mothers and breastfed infants in Penang, Malaysia.

An average 50 ml breast milk samples were collected from 21 lactating primiparous mothers (range 25 to 45 years, mean 33 years), 4-8 weeks after delivery in Penang Island, Malaysia. The geometric mean concentration of the most toxic congeners, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) was 0.14 pg WHO2005-TEQ g-1 zlipid. The most abundant congeners of PCDD/Fs were octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) (5.9-75.4%), followed by 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD) (1.1-30.7%). The geometric mean level of total dioxins and dl-PCBs was 2.2 pg WHO2005-TEQ g-1 lipid, significantly lower than those in developed countries or highly contaminated areas. The total dioxins and dl-PCBs in pg WHO2005-TEQ levels in breast milk were significantly correlated with years of residence at potential contaminated site. The average daily intake of 11.8 pg WHO2005-TEQ kg-1 body weight was estimated for a breastfed infant at 6 months of age. This demonstrates the exposure risk to infants, especially from Penang region, to these pollutants from human milk intake are potentially high during the lactation period.

Assessment of a biofluid mechanics-based model for calculating portal pressure in canines.

BACKGROUND: Portal hypertension is a severe complication caused by various chronic liver diseases. The standard methods for detecting portal hypertension (hepatic venous pressure gradient and free portal pressure) are available in only a few hospitals due to their technical difficulty and invasiveness; thus, non-invasive measuring methods are needed. This study aimed to establish and assess a novel model to calculate free portal pressure based on biofluid mechanics. RESULT: Comparison of each dog's virtual and actual free portal pressure showed that a biofluid mechanics-based model could accurately predict free portal pressure (mean difference: -0.220, 95% CI: - 0.738 to 0.298; upper limit of agreement: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.34 to 3.14; lower limit of agreement: -2.68, 95% CI: - 3.58 to - 1.78; intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.96 to 0.99; concordance correlation coefficient: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.93 to 0.99) and had a high AUC (0.984, 95% CI: 0.834 to 1.000), sensitivity (92.3, 95% CI: 64.0 to 99.8), specificity (91.7, 95% CI: 61.5 to 99.8), positive likelihood ratio (11.1, 95% CI: 1.7 to 72.8), and low negative likelihood ratio (0.08, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.6) for detecting portal hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that the biofluid mechanics-based model was able to accurately predict free portal pressure and detect portal hypertension in canines. With further research and validation, this model might be applicable for calculating human portal pressure, detecting portal hypertensive patients, and evaluating disease progression and treatment efficacy.

Interannual variation and exposure risk assessment of lead in brick tea in Hubei, China.

Lead (Pb) exposure may cause severe health outcomes such as decreased fertility, joint pain and neurological disorders. It is important to know the Pb exposure level in tea and the risk assessment for local residents who drink brick tea daily. This study detected sixteen brick tea samples over 26 years and fifteen green tea samples in 2011 in a southeast city of Hubei province. The Pb content in brick tea was found to increase rapidly with the fast development of industrial activities represented by car sales from 1985 to 2011, which was less susceptible to gasoline. The concentrations of Pb in 16 brick tea were in the range of 1.77-17.8 mg/kg with a mean value of 11.1 mg/kg. Their percentiles P50, P90, and P95 were 13.22, 16.95, and 17.21 mg/kg. A regressional model was built, suggesting strong correlation between the Pb content in brick tea and the car sales. The concentrations of Pb in 15 green tea samples were between 0.36-1.30 mg/kg with a mean value of 0.66 mg/kg and the percentiles P50, P90, and P95 were 0.62, 1.05, and 1.23 mg/kg. The MOE values of brick tea and green tea were all greater than 1 just considering tea consumption which displayed low Pb exposure risk. By adding the Pb exposure by food, the MOE values for green tea were still greater than 1 while the MOE values of brick tea were less than 1 suggesting a potential risk of Pb exposure to the people drinking brick tea daily, who should pay more attention.

Dental expenditure, progressivity and horizontal inequality in Chinese adults: based on the 4th National Oral Health Epidemiology Survey.

BACKGROUND: The financial burden of oral diseases is a growing concern as the medical expenses rise worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the dental expenditure, analyze its progressivity and horizontal inequality under the general health finance and insurance system, and identify the key social determinants of the inequality for Chinese adults. METHODS: A secondary analysis used the data of 13,464 adults from the 4th National Oral Health Epidemiological Survey (NOHES) in China was undertaken. The dental expenditure was collected and divided into out-of-pocket and health insurance payments. Horizontal inequality index and Kakwani index were used to analyze the horizontal inequality and progressivity, respectively. The decomposition model of the concentration index was set up to explore the associated socioeconomic determinants. RESULTS: The results showed that a mean dental expenditure per capita of Chinese adults was $20.55 (95% Confidence Interval-CI: 18.83,22.26). Among those who actually used dental service, the cost was $100.95 (95%CI: 93.22,108.68). Over 90% of dental spending was due to out-of-pocket expenses. For self-reported oral health, the horizontal inequality index was - 0.1391 and for the decayed tooth (DT), it was - 0.2252. For out-of-pocket payment, the Kakwani index was - 0.3154 and for health insurance payment it was - 0.1598. Income, residential location, educational attainment, oral hygiene practice, self-reported oral health, age difference were the main contributors to the inequality of dental expenditure. CONCLUSION: Dental expenditure for Chinese adults was at a lower level due to underutilization. The ratio of payments of dental expenditure and utilization was disproportional, whether it was out-of-pocket or insurance payment. Individuals who were more in need of oral care showed less demand for service or not required service in time. For future policy making on oral health, it is worth the effort to further promote the awareness of the importance of oral health and utilization of dental service.

Quantitative shear wave elastography for noninvasive assessment of solid pancreatic masses.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of quantitative shear wave elastography (SWE) for the differential diagnosis of solid pancreatic tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 66 solid pancreatic masses were enrolled in this study and all the lesions underwent quantitative SWE. The stiffness of the masses was expressed in shear wave velocity (SWV, m/s). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to assess the diagnostic performance of quantitative SWE. The optimal cutoff value for SWV in the differentiation of benign from malignant masses was determined. RESULTS: The final diagnoses were 26 benign and 40 malignant masses. The SWVs were statistically higher for pancreatic malignant masses compared with those for benign masses (3.30±1.22 m/s versus 1.31±0.64 m/s; P < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC, 0.93) was obtained. When the best cut-off point was 1.77 m/s, the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 92.4%, 90.0%, and 96.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative SWE is a novel technique that can be considered as a quantitative and objective diagnostic tool for prediction of pancreas malignancy.

Drivers of the relative richness of naturalized and invasive plant species on Earth.

Biological invasions are a defining feature of the Anthropocene, but the factors that determine the spatially uneven distribution of alien plant species are still poorly understood. Here, we present the first global analysis of the effects of biogeographic factors, the physical environment and socio-economy on the richness of naturalized and invasive alien plants. We used generalized linear mixed-effects models and variation partitioning to disentangle the relative importance of individual factors, and, more broadly, of biogeography, physical environment and socio-economy. As measures of the magnitude of permanent anthropogenic additions to the regional species pool and of species with negative environmental impacts, we calculated the relative richness of naturalized (= RRN) and invasive (= RRI) alien plant species numbers adjusted for the number of native species in 838 terrestrial regions. Socio-economic factors (per-capita gross domestic product (GDP), population density, proportion of agricultural land) were more important in explaining RRI (~50 % of the explained variation) than RRN (~40 %). Warm-temperate and (sub)tropical regions have higher RRN than tropical or cooler regions. We found that socio-economic pressures are more relevant for invasive than for naturalized species richness. The expectation that the southern hemisphere is more invaded than the northern hemisphere was confirmed only for RRN on islands, but not for mainland regions nor for RRI. On average, islands have ~6-fold RRN, and >3-fold RRI compared to mainland regions. Eighty-two islands (=26 % of all islands) harbour more naturalized alien than native plants. Our findings challenge the widely held expectation that socio-economic pressures are more relevant for plant naturalization than for invasive plants. To meet international biodiversity targets and halt the detrimental consequences of plant invasions, it is essential to disrupt the connection between socio-economic development and plant invasions by improving pathway management, early detection and rapid response.

[Pathological Features, Treatment Options and Prognosis Assessment of Patients with Bone Lymphoma in Real-World].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical manifestations pathologic features, treatment options and prognosis of patients with bone lymphoma. METHODS: The clinical characteristics, pathologic features, treatment and prognosis of 34 BL patients diagnosed by histopathologic method or/and PET-CT and treated in first hospital of peking university from January 2004 to April 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The median age of 34 BL patients was 56 years old, the male and female ratio was 1.43∶1 (24 /10). Among 34 patients, the patients with primary bone lymphoma(PBL) were 8 cases, the patients with secondary bone lymphoma(SBL) was 26 cases, the PBL and SBL ratio was 0.31∶1. Bone lymphoma lacks typical systemic symptoms, and its onset began mostly from bone pain and pathologic bone fracture. The most frequent pathological type of bone lymphoma in our study was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), accounting for 55.88%. At present, the conventional treatment for bone lymphoma includes chemotherapy, or chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy and surgery, as well as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The average and median OS time of BL patients were 349 years and 3 years respectively, meanwhile the OS rate for three years and two years were 56.25% and 78.16%, respectively. Factors that affect survival of BL patients were PBL and SBL classification, pathological type, blood LDH level, and treatment methods. CONCLUSION: Bone lymphoma is usually concealed onset，an adequate and adequate combination therapy can improve the survival rate and transplantation therapy plays an important role. Primary bone lymphoma is rare, the prognosis of patients with primary bone lymphoma is good, whereas the prognosis of patients with secondary bone lymphoma is poor.

Report of the National Investigation of Resources for Oral Health in China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current status and distribution of resources for oral health in China, by means of analysing national data from the National Investigation of Resources for Oral Health. METHODS: The National Investigation of Resources for Oral Health in China was performed in 2015, in parallel with the 4th National Oral Health Survey of China (2015 to 2016). A structured questionnaire on resources for oral health was used to collect the data of professional institutions and stomatological/dental workforce in each province. For each province, the local Investigation Group was responsible to summarise the status and distribution of institutions with stomatological/dental departments and stomatological/dental workforce. Descriptive analysis of resources for oral health was performed to learn about the number and percentage of each category both for each province and nationally. The ratio of number of stomatological/dental workforce to population was also calculated and compared with the criteria of the World Health Organisation (WHO). RESULTS: There were totally 75,399 stomatological/dental departments nationally in all professional institutions in the mainland of China, most of which were set in institutions of primary health care services. Institutions of private sectors accounted for a higher proportion (69.8%) which was over two-fold compared to that of public ones (30.2%). General hospitals were the major part of hospitals with stomatological/dental departments compared with stomatological/dental specialised hospitals. Stomatological/dental clinics were the majority of institutions of primary health care services, compared to community health care service centres/stations and township health care services. Amongst all professional institutions of public health with stomatological/dental departments, 35.0% were maternal and child health care services and 11.2% were institutions for prevention and control of oral diseases. The total number of stomatological/dental workforce in the country was 314,347, among whom 171,587 (54.6%) were stomatologists/dentists. The ratio of number of stomatologists/dentists to population was 1:7,768 nationally, which was lower than the WHO standard of 1:5,000. CONCLUSION: The National Investigation of Resources for Oral Health in China exhibited the current status and distribution of resources for oral health over the country, whereas insufficiencies of stomatological/dental workforce and institutions and inequalities of their distribution were found nationally. This could provide some policy suggestions for the health authorities in China to promote oral health in the Chinese population in the future.

Utilisation of Oral Health Services and Economic Burden of Oral Diseases in China.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of oral health services, the economic burden of oral diseases and related influential factors in China. METHOD: Using the multistage, stratified, equal proportion, random sampling method in the 4th National Oral Health Survey of China conducted in 2015 to 2016, residents aged 3 to 5 years, 12 to 15 years, 35 to 44 years, 55 to 64 years, and 65 to 74 years respectively were recruited, clinically examined and answered a questionnaire. Utilisation of oral health services were assessed in all the age groups and the economic burden of oral diseases in the past 12 months were assessed in the 3 to 5 years and 35 to 74 year-old groups. Chi-squared tests, t tests, correlation analysis and a one-way ANOVA were used to determine the relationships of different factors with utilisation of oral health services and the economic burden of oral diseases. RESULTS: In the subject groups - 3 to 5 years, 12 to 15 years and 35 to 74 years - the prevalence of the utilisation of oral health services in the past 12 months was 14.6% (5,876/40,353), 23.6% (27,936/118,592), and 20.1% (2,708/13,461), respectively. In all three groups, receiving dental treatment was the most common reason for subjects' recent dental visit. The average dental cost in the past 12 months was 403.43 CNY (median = 100) for 3 to 5-year-old children and 850.83 CNY (median = 300) for adults aged 35 to 74 years old. Area, education and annual household income per person were the socio-economic influential factors. Oral health status, oral hygiene and attitudes to and knowledge of oral health affected the utilisation of oral health services and the economic burden of oral diseases. CONCLUSION: The percentage of dental service utilisation was relatively low, and the economic burden was high. The related factors for both utilisation of oral health services and the economic burden of oral diseases included living in area, educational attainment, household income, perceived oral health status, and oral hygiene.

Effects of Concentration and Ionization Degree of Anchoring Cationic Polymers on the Lateral Heterogeneity of Anionic Lipid Monolayers.

We employed coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulations to investigate a system composed of cationic polymers and a phosphatidyl-choline membrane monolayer, doped with univalent anionic phosphatidylserine (PS) and tetravalent anionic phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) lipid molecules. For this system, we consider the conditions under which multiple cationic polymers can anchor onto the monolayer and explore how the concentration and ionization degree of the polymers affect the lateral rearrangement and fluidity of the negatively charged lipids. Our work shows that the anchoring cationic polymers predominantly bind the tetravalent anionic PIP2 lipids and drag the PIP2 clusters to migrate on the monolayer. The polymer/PIP2 binding is found to be drastically enhanced by increasing the polymer ionization fraction, which causes the PIP2 lipids to form into larger clusters and reduces the mobility of the polymer/PIP2 complexes. As expected, stronger competition effects between anchoring polymers occur at higher polymer concentrations, for which each anchoring polymer partially dissociates from the monolayer and hence sequesters a smaller PIP2 cluster. The desorbed segments of the anchored polymers exhibit a faster mobility on the membrane, whereas the PIP2 clusters are closely restrained by the limited adhering cationic segments of anchoring polymers. We further demonstrate that the PIP2 molecules display a hierarchical mobility in the PIP2 clusters, which is regulated by the synergistic effect between the cationic segments of the polymers. The PS lipids sequester in the vicinity of the polymer/PIP2 complexes if the tetravalent PIP2 lipids cannot sufficiently neutralize the cationic polymers. Finally, we illustrate that the increase in the ionic concentration of the solution weakens the lateral clustering and the mobility heterogeneity of the charged lipids. Our work thus provides a better understanding of the fundamental biophysical mechanism of the concentration gradients and the hierarchical mobility of the anionic lipids in the membrane caused by the cationic polymer anchoring on length and time scales that are generally inaccessible by atomistic models. It also offers insight into the development and design of novel biological applications on the basis of the modulation of signaling lipids.

Integrated emergy and economic evaluation of lotus-root production systems on reclaimed wetlands surrounding the Pearl River Estuary, China.

Lotus (Newnbo nucifera, Gaertn) is the most important aquatic vegetable in China, with a cultivation history of over 3000 years. The emergy, energy, material, and money flows of three lotus root cultivation modes in Wanqingsha, Nansha District, Guangzhou, China were examined using Energy Systems Language models and emergy evaluation to better understand their ecological and economic characteristics on multiple spatial and temporal scales. The natural resource foundations, economic characteristics and sustainability of these modes were evaluated and compared. The results showed that although all three modes were highly dependent on purchased emergy inputs, their potential impacts as measured by the local (ELRL) and global (ELRW) environmental loading ratios were less than 1.2 and 0.7, respectively. The lotus-fish mode was the most sustainable with its emergy index of sustainable development (EISD) 2.09 and 2.13 times that of the pure lotus and lotus-shrimp modes, respectively. All three lotus-root production modes had superior economic viability, since their Output/Input ratio ranged from 2.56 to 4.95. The results indicated that agricultural systems may have different environmental impacts and sustainability characteristics at different spatial and temporal scales, and that these impacts and characteristics can be simultaneously explored using integrated emergy and economic evaluations.

[Distribution, Sources and Risk Assessment of the PAHs in the Surface Sediments and Water from the Daye Lake].

8 surface sediments and 8 water samples were collected from the Daye Lake in August 2015.The 16 kinds of EPA control polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed by GC-MS.The results showed that the PAHs concentrations of surface sediments and water ranged from 35.94 ng·g-1 to 2032.73 ng·g-1 and from 27.94 ng·L-1 to 242.95 ng·L-1,with average contents of 940.61 ng·g-1 and 107.77ng·L-1,respectively.The distribution of PAHs in surface sediments indicated that the contents in the center samples were higher than those in the bank samples,but the water showed nearly the opposite tendency.The 4-5 rings high molecular weight PAHs were the main components in the surface sediments,and the 2,4 and 5 rings PAHs were given priority in water.Compared with the other domestic and oversea lakes,the PAHs pollution of the Daye Lake was at a moderate level.Source apportionment showed that the PAHs in surface sediments and water from the Daye Lake came from the combustion source,HWM-PAHs were the dominant part of the PAHs in the sediment,reflecting the sediment PAHs pollution under the effects of mining and smelting over a long period;All monomer PAHs and total PAHs content in sediment did not exceed the ERM and FEL limiting values,showing that there was no particularly serious ecological risk caused by PAHs in the surface sediments from the Daye Lake;the incremental lifetime cancer risks assessment showed that the uptake risk of PAHs in Daye Lake water through the ingestion and dermal absorption were both in the acceptable range recommended by the USEPA,but all sites had higher risk than the acceptable risk level recommended by the Sweden environmental protection agency and Royal society.The pollution of seven carcinogenic PAHs needs prevention and control.

[Pollution Characteristics and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Water and Sediment from Daye Lake].

The surface water and surface sediments were collected from Daye Lake in April 2014. The concentrations of heavy metals were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The pollution potential health risk and ecological risk of heavy metals in water and sediment were assessed by the health risk assessment model and the potential ecological risk index method. The results showed that the concentrations of the heavy metals (Ni, Cd, Cu and Pb) was 49.27 µg·L-1, 2.19 µg·L-1, 12.18 µg·L-1, 12.13 µg·L-1(water) and 78.46 mg·kg-1, 77.13 mg·kg-1, 650.13 mg·kg-1 and 134.22 mg·kg-1 (sediment). Enrichment coefficient indicated that the enrichment of Cd, Cu and Pb was more serious, especially the accumulation of Cd was the most obvious. Compared to typical lakes in China, the contents of heavy metals in water and sediment were relatively high. The spatial pollutant distribution of the heavy metals in water and sediment all presented that the concentrations of the heavy metals were relatively higher in east and west of Daye Lake, relatively more uniform in the middle, and their origins were mainly from human activities. The results of environmental risk indicated that the carcinogens and chemical non-carcinogens health risk values of heavy metals by drinking water pathway were 9.77E-08~1.63E-05a-1. Therefore, the pollution of Ni and Cd should be the primary control target for environmental health risk management. The descending order of pollution degree of four metals in sediment was Cd> Cu> Pb> Ni, and Cd was the main contributor of the potential ecological risk elements.

Effects of chain rigidity on the adsorption of a polyelectrolyte chain on mixed lipid monolayer: a Monte Carlo study.

We apply Monte Carlo simulation to explore the adsorption of a positively charged polyelectrolyte on a lipid monolayer membrane, composed of electronically neutral, monovalent anionic and mulvitalent anionic phospholipids. We systematically assess the influence of various factors, including the intrinsic rigidity of the polyelectrolyte chain, the bead charge density of the polyelectrolyte, and the ionic strength of the saline solution, on the interfacial structural properties of the polyelectrolyte/monolayer complex. The enhancement of the polyelectrolyte chain intrinsic rigidity reduces the polyelectrolyte conformational entropy loss and the energy gains in electrostatic interaction, but elevates the segregated anionic lipid demixing entropy loss. This energy-entropy competition results in a nonmonotonic dependence of the polyelectrolyte/monolayer association strength on the degree of chain rigidity. The semiflexible polyelectrolyte, i.e., the one with an intermediate degree of chain rigidity, is shown to associate onto the ternary membane below a higher critical ionic concentration. In this ionic concentration regime, the semiflexible polyelectrolyte binds onto the monolayer more firmly than the pancake-like flexible one and exhibits a stretched conformation. When the chain is very rigid, the polyelectrolyte with bead charge density Zb = +1 exhibits a larger tail and tends to dissociate from the membrane, whereas the one with Zb = +2 can still bind onto the membrane in a bridge-like conformation. Our results imply that chain intrinsic rigidity serves as an efficient molecular factor for tailoring the adsorption/desorption transition and interfacial structure of the polyelectrolyte/monolayer complex.

[Transportation and risk assessment of heavy metal pollution in water-soil from the Riparian Zone of Daye Lake, China].

Each 20 water samples and soil samples (0-10 cm, 10-20 cm) were collected from the riparian zone of Daye Lake in dry season during March 2013. Heavy metals (Cu, Ph, Cd, Zn) have been detected by flame atomic absorption spectrometric (FAAS). The results showed that the average concentrations of Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn in the water were 7.14, 25.94, 15.72 and 37.58 microg x L(-1), respectively. The concentration of Cu was higher than the five degree of the surface water environment quality standard. The average concentrations of Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn in soil(0-10 cm) were 108.38, 53.92, 3.55, 139.26 mg x kg(-1) in soil (10-20 cm) were 93.00, 51.72, 2.08, 171.00 mg x kg(-1), respectively. The Cd concentrations were higher than the three grade value of the national soil environment quality standard. The transportation of Pb from soil to water was relatively stable, and Zn was greatly influenced by soil property and the surrounding environment from soil to water. The transformation of heavy metal in west riparian zone was higher than that of east riparian zone. The potential environmental risk was relatively high. Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn were dominated by residue fraction of the modified BCR sequential extraction method. The overall migration order of heavy metal element was: Pb > Cu > Cd > Zn. There were stronger transformation and higher environmental pollution risk of Cu, Pb. The index of assessment and potential ecological risk coefficient indicated that heavy metal pollution in soil (0-10 cm) was higher than the soil (10-20 cm), Cd was particularly serious.

Potential risk assessment of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) by consuming animal-derived foods collected from interior areas of China.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are one class of brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Although studies have reported the occurrence of PBDEs in freshwater fish species from several locations, to our best knowledge, there was no comprehensive data on PBDEs in foods of animal origin, such as pork, egg, and milk samples from interior areas of China, where pork and eggs are the major constituents of diet. The levels of PBDEs (BDE-28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, and 183) were determined in samples of animal-derived foods widely consumed by the population of Hubei in east-central China and the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Two hundred six samples of animal-derived foods were randomly acquired in 17 sites of Hubei in 2010. The highest medium concentration of ∑7PBDEs was found in chicken eggs (0.191 ng/g wet weight (ww)), followed by duck eggs (0.176 ng/g ww), pork (0.050 ng/g ww), carps (0.047 ng/g ww), and cow milk (0.013 ng/g ww). The estimated dietary intake of Σ7PBDEs for a standard adult of 60 kg body weight based on medium and 95th percentile concentrations with consumption of animal-derived foods in Hubei province were 157.5 and 1960.3 pg/kg body weight/day, respectively. Chicken eggs (65.9 %) and pork (23.4 %) were the largest contributors to dietary intake of ∑7PBDEs through animal-derived foods. The same PBDE sources were exposed in Hubei province via principal component analysis (PCA), and the particular congener profile in samples of animal-derived foods revealed the possible exposure history of octa-BDEs and penta-BDEs in the local region. The large margins of exposure (MOE) calculated following the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approach for three important congeners, BDE-47, BDE-99, and BDE-153, indicated that the estimated dietary exposures were unlikely to be a significant health concern to in Hubei.

HLA disparity is not crucial for the survival rate and severity of chronic health conditions in adult recipients following family donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

The shortage of HLA-identical siblings or unrelated donors has restricted the application of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Few studies have systematically assessed survival and chronic health conditions (CHCs) in the same cohort of patients after HLA-mismatched/haploidentical (mismatched) family donor transplantation. In the present study, we retrospectively analyzed the survival of 127 adult patients receiving either HLA-matched (71 cases) or HLA-mismatched (56 cases) family donor transplantation. Of 127 patients, 81 patients survived at least 2 years after HSCT and were still alive until the present investigation. We evaluated the CHCs in 76 survivors (41 matched and 35 mismatched). CHC-related information was scored according to the Bone Marrow Transplant Survivor Study questionnaire. There was no significant difference in overall survival or disease-free survival between HLA-matched and -mismatched transplant recipients. The CHCs were less severe in HLA-mismatched recipients than in matched cohorts. Multivariate analysis identified that age over 40 years at transplantation and presence of chronic graft-versus-host disease were independent risk factors for CHCs, while anti-thymocyte globulin-containing conditioning regimens might be protective. However, HLA disparity was not crucial for either the survival rate or CHCs. In conclusion, HLA-mismatched family donor transplantation can achieve comparable therapeutic effects to HLA-identical sibling transplantation.