Ecotoxicological assessment, oxidative response, and enzyme activity disorder of the rotifer Brachionus asplanchnoidis exposed to a toxic cocktail of spent lithium-ion battery leachate.

Spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have emerged as a major source of waste due to their low recovery rate. The physical disposal of spent LIBs can lead to the leaching of their contents into the surrounding environment. While it is widely agreed that hazardous substances such as nickel and cobalt in the leachate can pose a threat to the environment and human health, the overall composition and toxicity of LIB leachate remain unclear. In this study, a chemical analysis of leachate from spent LIBs was conducted to identify its primary constituents. The ecotoxicological parameters of the model organism, rotifer Brachionus asplanchnoidis, were assessed to elucidate the toxicity of the LIB leachate. Subsequent experiments elucidated the impacts of the LIB leachate and its representative components on the malondialdehyde (MDA) level, antioxidant capacity, and enzyme activity of B. asplanchnoidis. The results indicate that both the LIB leachate and its components are harmful to individual rotifers due to the adverse effects of stress-induced disturbances in biochemical indicators, posing a threat to population development. The intensified poisoning phenomenon under combined stress suggests the presence of complex synergistic effects among the components of LIB leachate. Due to the likely environmental and biological hazards, LIBs should be strictly managed after disposal. Additionally, more economical and eco-friendly recycling and treatment technologies need to be developed and commercialized.

Postnatal feeding with high-fat combined with high-glucose diet induces precocious puberty in Sprague‒Dawley rat pups.

With economic development and overnutrition, including high-fat diets (HFD) and high-glucose diets (HGD), the incidence of obesity in children is increasing, and thus, the incidence of precocious puberty is increasing. Therefore, it is of great importance to construct a suitable animal model of overnutrition-induced precocious puberty for further in-depth study. Here, we fed a HFD, HGD, or HFD combined with a HGD to pups after P-21 weaning, while weaned pups fed a normal diet served as the control group. The results showed that HFD combined with a HGD increased the body weight (BW) of weaned rat pups. In addition, a HFD, HGD, and HFD combined with a HGD lowered the age at which vaginal opening occurred and accelerated the vaginal cell cycle. Furthermore, a HFD combined with a HGD increased the weight of the uterus and ovaries of weaned rat pups. Additionally, a HFD combined with a HGD promoted the development of reproductive organs in weaned female rat pups. Ultimately, a HFD combined with a HGD was found to elevate the serum levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), leptin, adiponectin, and oestradiol (E2) and increase hypothalamic GnRH, Kiss-1, and GPR54 expression levels in weaned female rat pups. The current study found that overnutrition, such as that through a HFD combined with HGD, could induce precocious puberty in weaned female rat pups. In addition, a rat model of overnutrition-induced precocious puberty was established.

Assessment of the Immunoprotective Efficacy of Recombinant 14-3-3 Protein and Dense Granule Protein 10 (GRA10) as Candidate Antigens for Rabbit Vaccines against Eimeria intestinalis.

Eimeria intestinalis infects rabbits, causing severe intestinal coccidiosis. Prolonged anticoccidial drug use might lead to coccidia resistance and drug residues in food. Thus, vaccines are required to control rabbit coccidiosis. In this study, recombinant E. intestinalis 14-3-3 and GRA10 proteins (rEi-14-3-3 and rEi-GRA10) were obtained via prokaryotic expression and used as recombinant subunit vaccines. Fifty 30-day-old rabbits were randomly grouped as follows: PBS-uninfected group, PBS-infected group, Trx-His-S control group, and rEi-14-3-3 and rEi-GRA10 immunized groups. The rabbits were subcutaneously immunized twice at 2-week intervals, challenged with 7 × 104 sporulated oocysts, and sacrificed 14 days later. The protective effects were assessed via clinical signs, relative weight gain, oocyst reduction, mean intestinal lesion score, ACI (anticoccidial index), cytokine, and specific antibody levels in sera. The rEi-14-3-3 and rEi-GRA10 groups had higher relative weight gain rates of 81.94% and 73.61% (p < 0.05), and higher oocyst reduction rates of 86.13% and 84.87% (p < 0.05), respectively. The two immunized groups had fewer intestinal lesions (p < 0.05) and higher IgG levels (p < 0.05). Higher levels of IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-γ cytokines in the rEi-14-3-3 group (p < 0.05) and a higher level of IFN-γ in the rEi-GRA10 group (p < 0.05) were observed. The ACI values of the rEi-14-3-3 and rEi-GRA10 groups were 168.24 and 159.91, with good and moderate protective effects, respectively. Both rEi-14-3-3 and rEi-GRA10 induced humoral immunity in the rabbits. In addition, rEi-14-3-3 induced Th1- and Th2-type immune responses. Both recombinant proteins were protective against E. intestinalis infection in rabbits, with rEi-14-3-3 showing a better protective effect.

A torus source and its application for non-primary radiation evaluation.

Objective. Non-primary radiation doses to normal tissues from proton therapy may be associated with an increased risk of secondary malignancies, particularly in long-term survivors. Thus, a systematic method to evaluate if the dose level of non-primary radiation meets the IEC standard requirements is needed.Approach. Different from the traditional photon radiation therapy system, proton therapy systems are composed of several subsystems in a thick bunker. These subsystems are all possible sources of non-primary radiation threatening the patient. As a case study, 7 sources in the P-Cure synchrotron-based proton therapy system are modeled in Monte Carlo (MC) code: tandem injector, injection, synchrotron ring, extraction, beam transport line, scanning nozzle and concrete reflection/scattering. To accurately evaluate the synchrotron beam loss and non-primary dose, a new model called the torus source model is developed. Its parametric equations define the position and direction of the off-orbit particle bombardment on the torus pipe shell in the Cartesian coordinate system. Non-primary doses are finally calculated by several FLUKA simulations.Main results. The ratios of summarized non-primary doses from different sources to the planned dose of 2 Gy are all much smaller than the IEC requirements in both the 15-50 cm and 50-200 cm regions. Thus, the P-Cure synchrotron-based proton therapy system is clean and patient-friendly, and there is no need an inner shielding concrete between the accelerator and patient.Significance. Non-primary radiation dose level is a very important indicator to evaluate the quality of a PT system. This manuscript provides a feasible MC procedure for synchrotron-based proton therapy with new beam loss model. Which could help people figure out precisely whether this level complies with the IEC standard before the system put into clinical treatment. What' more, the torus source model could be widely used for bending magnets in gantries and synchrotrons to evaluate non-primary doses or other radiation doses.

Identification of Key Genes Related to Immune Cells in Patients with COVID-19 Via Integrated Bioinformatics-Based Analysis.

COVID-19 has spread all over the world which poses a serious threat to social economic development and public health. Despite enormous progress has been made in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, the specific mechanism and biomarker related to disease severity or prognosis have not been clarified yet. Our study intended to further explore the diagnostic markers of COVID-19 and their relationship with serum immunology by bioinformatics analysis. The datasets about COVID-19 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were selected via the limma package. Then, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted to identify the critical module associated with the clinic status. The intersection DEGs were processed for further enrichment analysis. The final diagnostic genes for COVID-19 were selected and verified through special bioinformatics algorithms. There were significant DEGs between the normal and COVID-19 patients. These genes were mainly enriched in cell cycle, complement and coagulation cascade, extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor interaction, and the P53 signaling pathway. As much as 357 common intersected DEGs were selected in the end. These DEGs were enriched in organelle fission, mitotic cell cycle phase transition, DNA helicase activity, cell cycle, cellular senescence, and P53 signaling pathway. Our study also identified CDC25A, PDCD6, and YWAHE were potential diagnostic markers of COVID-19 with the AUC (area under curve), 0.958 (95% CI 0.920-0.988), 0.941(95% CI 0.892-0.980), and 0.929 (95% CI 0.880-0.971). Moreover, CDC25A, PDCD6, and YWAHE were correlated with plasma cells, macrophages M0, T cells CD4 memory resting, T cells CD8, dendritic cells, and NK cells. Our study discovered that CDC25A, PDCD6, and YWAHE can be used as diagnostic markers for COVID-19. Moreover, these biomarkers were also closely associated with immune cell infiltration, which plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis and progression of COVID-19.

A hybrid model analysis of digitalization energy system: evidence from China's green energy analysis.

The integration of renewable energy sources can be supported by the digitalization of energy systems, which increase dependability and lower costs of energy production and consumption. However, the energy digitalization support energy infrastructures and technologies currently in place are insufficient. This research presented the study results by using the generalized least square estimates (GLS) model and the international sample of China regions from 2003 to 2017. Main results of the dynamic fixed effect (DFE) estimator for the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) method, establishing ES goals for lowering energy consumption and pollution emission fosters a country's renewable energy business sector's digital transformation in the short term, while encouraging the use of renewable energy sources fosters a country's long-term digitalization efforts. Based on this, the direct effects and dynamic effects of digitalization and financial development on environmental are explored, respectively, using the panel data regression model and panel vector autoregression (PVAR) model. The threshold regression model is then used to examine the two parameters' threshold effects on eco-efficiency. An accurate estimate of the resource consumption in smart factories is made possible by the digital twin that is created using the product's and its attributes as well as manufacturing data. The results suggests the future directions for the associated stakeholders.

The assessment value of pathological condition of serum adiponectin and amylin in primary osteoporosis and its correlation analysis with bone metabolism indexes.

Background: This paper explores the assessment value of pathological condition of serum adiponectin (APN) and amylin in primary osteoporosis (POP) and their correlation with bone metabolism indexes. Methods: From January 2019 to June 2021, 79 cases of POP patients were selected as the research objects. A test of the patients' bone density was conducted, and clinical grading of POP was via T value (normal, mild, moderate, severe). The analysis of the assessment value of pathological condition of serum APN and amylin for POP and their association with bone metabolism indexes in patients was performed. Results: APN and amylin in patients were declined with POP's aggravation. APN of 5.15 µg/mL or less and amylin of 15.38 pmol/L or less were risk factors influencing the aggravation of pathological condition of POP (P< 0 .0 5). The area under the curve (AUC) of combined detection of APN and amylin to assess the severity of POP was elevated vs. alone test of amylin (P< 0.05). 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-(OH) D) and total type 1 procollagen amino-terminal propeptide (t-PINP) in patients were descended with the aggravation of pathological condition of osteoporosis (P < 0.05). At the same time, no distinct differences were presented in the three groups of type I collagen hydroxyl terminal peptide b degradation product (ß-CTX) and N-terminal osteocalcin (N-MID) (P> 0.05). APN, amylin, 25-(OH)D, ß-CTX, and t-PINP were negatively linked with POP clinical grade (P< 0.05). APN and amylin were associated with 25-(OH) D, ß-CTX, t-PINP (P< 0.05), and APN and amylin were not linked with N-MID (P> 0.05). Conclusions: Serum APN and amylin are provided with evaluation values for the severity of POP and are associated with bone metabolism in patients.

Water quality assessment and pollution source apportionment using multivariate statistical techniques: a case study of the Laixi River Basin, China.

Identifying potential sources of pollution in tributaries and determining their contribution rates are critical to the treatment of water pollution in main streams. In this paper, we conducted a multivariate statistical analysis on the water quality data of 12 parameters for 3 years (2018-2020) at six sampling sites in the Laixi River to qualitatively identify potential pollution sources and quantitatively calculate the contribution rates to reveal the tributaries' pollution status. Spatio-temporal cluster analysis (CA) divided 12 months into two parts, corresponding to the lightly polluted season (LPS) and highly polluted season (HPS), and six sampling sites were divided into two regions, corresponding to the lightly polluted region (LPR) and highly polluted region (HPR). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine the potential sources of contamination, identifying four and three potential factors in the LPS and HPS, respectively. The absolute principal component score-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) receptor model quantitatively analyzed the contribution rates of identified pollution sources, and the importance of the different pollution sources in LPS can be ranked as domestic sewage and industrial wastewater and breeding pollution (33.80%) > soil weathering (29.02%) > agricultural activities (20.95%) > natural influence (13.03%). HPS can be classified as agricultural cultivation (41.23%), domestic sewage and industrial wastewater and animal waste (33.19%), and natural variations (21.43%). Four potential sources were identified in LPR ranked as rural domestic sewage (31.01%) > agricultural pollution (26.82%) > industrial effluents and free-range livestock and poultry pollution (25.13%) > natural influence (14.82%). Three identified latent pollution sources in HPR were municipal sewage and industrial effluents (37.96%) > agricultural nonpoint sources and livestock and poultry wastewater (33.55%) > natural sources (25.23%). Using multivariate statistical tools to identify and quantify potential pollution sources, managers may be able to enhance water quality in tributary watersheds and develop future management plans.

Water quality assessment and pollution source apportionment using multivariate statistical and PMF receptor modeling techniques in a sub-watershed of the upper Yangtze River, Southwest China.

Rapid industrial and agricultural development as well as urbanization affect the water environment significantly, especially in sub-watersheds where the contaminants/constituents present in the pollution sources are complex, and the flow is unstable. Water quality assessment and quantitative identification of pollution sources are the primary prerequisites for improving water management and quality. In this work, 168 water samples were collected from seven stations throughout 2018-2019 along the Laixi River, a vital pollution control unit in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Multivariate statistics and positive matrix factorization (PMF) receptor modeling techniques were used to evaluate the characteristics of the river-water quality and reveal the pollution sources. Principal component analysis was employed to screen the crucial parameters and establish an optimized water quality assessment procedure to reduce the analysis cost and improve the assessment efficiency. Cluster analysis further illustrates the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of river-water quality. Results indicated that high-pollution areas are concentrated in the tributaries, and the high-pollution periods are the spring and winter, which verifies the reliability of the evaluation system. The PMF model identified five and six potential pollution sources in the cold and warm seasons, respectively. Among them, pollution from agricultural activities and domestic wastewater shows the highest contributions (33.2% and 30.3%, respectively) during the cold and warm seasons, respectively. The study can provide theoretical support for pollutant control and water quality improvement in the sub-watershed, avoiding the ecological and health risks caused by the deterioration of water quality.

Multi-scale variations and impact factors of carbon emission intensity in China.

China's carbon emissions have developed swiftly in recent decades, which will not only affect the nation's own sustainable development, but have a potentially negative impact on global climate stability. Given that socioeconomic development is susceptible to regional heterogeneity and geographic scales, a systematic exploration of spatiotemporal variations of carbon emission intensity (CEI) and their drivers across different levels is conducive to enacting more reasonable and efficient measures for emission reduction. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive analysis of these issues. In this paper, we attempted to quantify and compare the spatiotemporal evolution and spatial spillover effects of impact factors on CEI from nighttime light imagery and socioeconomic data at two China's administrative levels by utilizing the variation coefficient, spatial autocorrelation model and spatial econometric methods. The results showed that the spatiotemporal variations of CEI were greater at the prefecture level compared to the provincial level during 2000-2017. There were significant positive spatial autocorrelation of CEI at two administrative levels, and self-reinforcing agglomeration was more substantial at the prefectural level than that provincial level. While the local spatial clustering of CEI of each administrative level altered with scale dependence, the binary spatial structure (High-High and Low-Low) of CEI remained relatively steady in China. Various driver factors not only had direct effects on local CEI, but had spatial spillover effects on neighboring areas. Our findings illustrate that China's CEI is sensitive to the space-time hierarchy of multi-mechanisms, and suggest that "proceed in the light of local conditions" strategies can assist the Chinese government for CEI mitigation.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Rural Revitalization and an Improvement Path: A Typical Old Revolutionary Cultural Area as an Example.

At present, the focus of global attention is on implementing rural revitalization strategies. However, constructing a set of scientifically based evaluation indexes for the evaluation of the effectiveness of rural revitalization implementation, exploring the implementation plan for rural revitalization, has become a common concern and a focus of discussion in political and academic circles. This study used a typical rural revitalization demonstration area in China as an example. We proposed a theoretical framework for rural revitalization research and constructed an index evaluation system for the evaluation of the effectiveness of rural revitalization implementation and influencing factors from two perspectives: material life and spiritual life. The results were as follows: Differences were found in the implementation effectiveness of rural revitalization strategies in the study area; especially, in areas with obvious rural cultural characteristics, their implementation level was relatively high. The implementation effectiveness of rural revitalization strategies was the result of multi-factor interactions. The village greening rate, innovation ability, and the age of village supporters were the main factors affecting rural revitalization, and the interaction effects of a village's innovation ability and other factors were significant. Therefore, we argue that in the process of promoting the sustainable development of villages, it is necessary to prominent the characteristics of village construction and improve the effectiveness of the implementation of village revitalization strategies at both the material and spiritual levels.

A review of agroforestry ecosystem services and its enlightenment on the ecosystem improvement of rocky desertification control.

Agroforestry (AF) has become an important strategy in reconciling the contradictory requirements of environmental protection and economic development in ecologically fragile areas, and whose multiple ecosystem services provide effective ways to promote the restoration of degraded ecosystems in the region. However, agroforestry ecosystem services (AFES) are usually constrained by their generative elements (vulnerability, structure, function, and ecological assets) and service management-both crucial for informed decision-making which enhances AFES supply capacity and AF sustainable management. Karst rocky desertification (KRD) is a typical case in an ecologically fragile area, and within the KRD region greatly relevant for promoting AFES as a strategy for restoring degraded regional ecosystems and for achieving sustainable development goals. In this study, a total of 164 publications related to AFES that met a set of inclusion criteria were obtained through the Scopus database using the literature review method of searching, appraisal, synthesis, and analysis. From the systematic literature review results, (i) we found that the number of relevant publications generally exhibited a year-on-year growth trend, with AFES generation elements being the most common topic (68.11 % of publications), and service management research being the second most common (31.89 % of publications); (ii) we summarised the main progress and landmark results of AFES generation elements and service management research and explored the relevant key scientific questions; and (iii) the above information enlightened the key improvement areas of KRD control ecosystem within three aspects: natural environment, agricultural development, and human-environment relationship. This study provides agroforestry practitioners and relevant decision-makers with information for improving and managing the supply capacity of AFES, and also presents important insights on the KRD control ecosystem to land degradation restoration technicians.

In vitro assessment of the anti-inflammatory and skin-moisturizing effects of Filipendula palmata (Pall.) Maxim. On human keratinocytes and identification of its bioactive phytochemicals.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The meadowsweet family (genus Filipendula) includes about 30 species, which have been traditionally used in folk medicine to treat various inflammatory diseases. Particularily, F. palmata (Pall.) Maxim. (Siberian meadowsweet) were traditionally and widely used as an ethnic herb in the Oroqen application. AIM OF THE STUDY: Limited studies have been documented on most species, except for two main species, F. ulmaria (L.) Maxim. and F. vulgaris Moench. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory and skin-moisturizing effects of 70% ethanolic extract (FPE) of F. palmata on human epidermal keratinocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HaCaT keratinocytes were treated with FPE under different conditions. Quantitative real time-PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blotting methods were used to evaluate the effect and molecular mechanism of the cells treated with FPE. The bioactive compounds in FPE, which are responsible for biological activities, was explored using mass spectrometric analysis. RESULTS: FPE did not show a cytotoxic effect on the cells at concentrations below 200 µg/mL. FPE significantly suppressed the intracellular reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial superoxide of inflamed HaCaT cells induced by tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ (T + I) and inflammatory chemokine genes and proteins, such as CC chemokine ligands (CCL5, CCL17, and CCL27) and CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL8). These anti-inflammatory activities of FPE were mediated by the downregulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling pathways. In normal HaCaT cells, FPE significantly promoted the production of hyaluronic acid (HA) via the downregulation of hyaluronidase (HYAL1 and HYAL2) and upregulation of hyaluronic acid synthase (HAS1, HAS2, and HAS3) genes, and these effects seemed to be associated with the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling. Ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry indicated that FPE contains four flavonoids, including (+)-catechin, miquelianin, scutellarin, and quercitrin, as its major phytochemicals. Finally, we demonstrated that miquelianin and quercitrin contribute partially to the anti-inflammatory and HA-producing activity of FPE without cytotoxic effects on HaCaT cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that topical applications of FPE can be utilized as an alternative therapy for treating skin inflammation. Additionally, our findings serve as a reference in applying FPE as a functional ingredient to treat inflammatory skin diseases and promote skin health.

[Geographical Detection of Spatial Heterogeneity and Drivers of PM2.5 in the Yangtze River Economic Belt].

Based on ground monitoring data, we explored the spatiotemporal characteristics and drivers of PM2.5 in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) in 2018 using spatial autocorrelation analysis and geodetector modeling methods. The results showed that:① the PM2.5 concentration in the YREB posed the obvious characteristics of low values in summer and high values in winter, seasonal variation in spring and autumn, monthly U-shaped variation, and daily pulse variation. The low value area was mainly concentrated in the south bank of the upper reaches, whereas the high value area was located in the north of the middle-lower reaches of the YREB. ② PM2.5 pollution in the YREB had a stable positive spatial correlation, and the local association pattern showed a significant HH and LL spatial convergence. ③ The spatial correlation of PM2.5 in the YREB decreased with the increase in geographical distance, and its spatial autocorrelation threshold was approximately 870 km, within which the spatial agglomeration of PM2.5 pollution was strong. ④ The influences of natural and anthropogenic factors on PM2.5 had significant spatial differences. Altitude, relief, and population density were the high impact factors of PM2.5 pollution in the YREB. The interaction of factors had a far greater explanatory power on PM2.5 pollution than that of single factors. The dominant interaction factor was industrial structure ∩ altitude, which reflected the complexity of the drivers of air pollution in the YREB.

A new assessment of the algal biomass of green tide in the Yellow Sea.

The annually recurring Yellow Sea green tide causes significant economic, social, and ecological impacts in China. Currently, the magnitude of Yellow Sea green tide is usually evaluated according to the snap shot maximum algal coverage area or artificially removed algal biomass. However, this method ignores growth of the alga Ulva prolifera and thus needs improvement. We build a model to predict algal growth in drifting from upstream and the potential muaximum biomass of green tide. The results suggest that the potential maximum biomass is significantly higher than those estimated merely from maximum algal coverage area, particularly for years with extended period of algal loading in the upstream. Our method improves the evaluation of the magnitude of green tide and provides a scientific basis for developing effective countermeasures to reduce the persistent disaster.

Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Single-Dose Amphotericin B Colloidal Dispersion in Healthy Chinese Subjects and Population Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Analysis to Inform Clinical Efficacy in Invasive Infections Caused by Candida albicans.

PURPOSE: Amphotericin B colloidal dispersion (ABCD) is a less toxic formulation of amphotericin B for the treatment of invasive fungal infections. The pharmacokinetic (PK) profile and safety of a generic ABCD were investigated after a single dose (0.5 to 1.5 mg/kg) administered as an intravenous infusion in 30 healthy Chinese subjects. METHODS: PK data from healthy Chinese male subjects were applied for developing a population PK model to predict the PK profiles of standard doses (3 or 4 mg/kg) in patients. A 5000-time Monte Carlo simulation of AUC0-24/MIC target was implemented to determine the probability of target attainment (PTA) and cumulative fraction of response (CFR) under standard doses. FINDINGS: The PK profiles of intravenous administration of ABCD were best described by a 3-compartmental model with a time-varying clearance and a dose-dependent volume of distribution in the peripheral compartment. PK/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analysis revealed that 3 or 4 mg/kg ABCD once a day resulted in favorable CRF (>98%) with 2-log reduction of Candida albicans. A high PTA (>90%) was achieved at MIC ≤2 mg/L for the dosing regimen of ABCD 3 mg/kg and 4 mg/kg for MIC ≤4 mg/L. IMPLICATIONS: PK/PD analysis indicated that a favorable efficacy of ABCD could be reached at a dose of 3 or 4 mg/kg once daily for 14 to 28 days to treat invasive fungal infections caused by C albicans. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03577509.

Reliability and validity of DSM-IV and DSM-5 methamphetamine use disorder diagnoses using the Chinese Version of the Semi-Structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism (SSADDA).

BACKGROUND: The Semi-structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism (SSADDA) was developed to assess substance-use disorders and other psychiatric traits. We translated the SSADDA into Chinese and evaluated its inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity in diagnosing DSM-IV methamphetamine (MA) dependence and DSM-5 MA-use disorder (MUD). METHODS: The sample comprised 231 participants who were interviewed using the Chinese SSADDA and the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (Chinese MINI) for concurrent validation. Of the 231 participants, 191 were interviewed by two different interviewers two weeks apart. We evaluated the inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity of the diagnoses using percent agreement and Cohen's kappa coefficient (κ). Cohen's linear weighted kappa was used to assess the reliability of DSM-5 MUD severity. RESULTS: It showed good inter-rater reliability and no significant differences among the DSM-5 MUD (κ = 0.71), DSM-IV MA abuse or dependence (κ = 0.72), and the DSM-IV diagnoses of MA dependence (κ = 0.66) and abuse (κ = 0.68) tested separately. The weighted kappa was 0.67 across the three DSM-5 MUD severity levels. The reliability of each individual diagnostic criterion for DSM-5 MUD ranged from fair to excellent (κ = 0.41-0.80), except for "repeated attempts to quit/control use" (κ = 0.38). The concurrent validity based on MINI-derived diagnoses ranged from good to excellent (κ = 0.65-0.78). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the Chinese version of SSADDA has good reliability and validity among Chinese MA users.

Medical expenditure for lung cancer in China: a multicenter, hospital-based retrospective survey.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer, and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in China. The aim of this study was to estimate the direct medical expenditure incurred for lung cancer care and analyze the trend therein for the period 2002-2011 using nationally representative data in China METHODS: This study was based on 10-year, multicenter retrospective expenditure data collected from hospital records, covering 15,437 lung cancer patients from 13 provinces diagnosed during the period 2002-2011. All expenditure data were adjusted to 2011 to eliminate the effects of inflation using China's annual consumer price index. RESULTS: The direct medical expenditure for lung cancer care (in 2011) was 39,015 CNY (US$6,041) per case, with an annual growth rate of 7.55% from 2002 to 2011. Drug costs were the highest proportionally in the total medical expenditure (54.27%), followed by treatment expenditure (14.32%) and surgical expenditure (8.10%). Medical expenditures for the disease varied based on region, hospital level, type, and stage. CONCLUSION: The medical expenditure for lung cancer care is substantial in China. Drug costs and laboratory test are the main factors increasing medical costs.

Role of Muscle Mass and Nutritional Assessment Tools in Evaluating the Nutritional Status of Patients With Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Objective: This study was to explore the role and necessity of muscle mass [fat-free mass index (FFMI) and appendicular skeletal muscle index (ASMI) measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)] in nutritional status evaluation of patients with locally advanced (III, IVa) nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: One hundred and thirty locally advanced NPC patients were recruited. Their nutritional status was assessed by albumin (ALB), body mass index (BMI), Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002), Patient generated-Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), and muscle mass. Consistency test and McNemar test were used to evaluate the consistency of muscle mass with ALB, BMI, NRS 2002, and PG-SGA, and correlation analysis was performed on muscle mass and PG-SGA or BMI. Results: 61/130 (46.9%) of the patients had nutritional risks according to NRS 2002, 68/130 (53.1%) of the patients had malnutrition according to PG-SGA assessment. FFMI and ASMI could determine the loss of muscle mass that cannot be detected by albumin (30.2 and 65.6%), BMI (28.0 and 35.3%), NRS 2002 (26.1 and 25.0%), and PG-SGA (18.6 and 55.6%). McNemar test showed that the malnutrition results assessed by FFMI and BMI were inconsistent (P <0.001), but further Pearson correlation analysis showed that BMI was positively correlated with FFMI (rs = 0.300, P = 0.001). Conclusion: The commonly used nutritional assessment scale/parameters cannot identify the muscle mass loss in patients with locally advanced NPC. Analysis of human body composition is important for nutritional assessment in patients with locally advanced NPC.

[Pollution Characteristics and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Water of Lijiang River Basin].

In order to clarify the pollution levels of heavy metals in the drinking water sources of the Lijiang River Basin, surface water samples were collected from 62 sites throughout the Lijiang River during May 2019. Heavy metals, including As, Cd, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Hg, Co, and Sb, in the water samples were analysed. Health risk assessments associated with these nine heavy metals were conducted using the health risk assessment model from the US EPA. The results indicated that the order of the average concentrations of heavy metals in the water samples were Mn > Zn > As > Cr > Cu > Sb > Co > Cd > Hg. No heavy metals exceeded the limit values of the drinking water health standards in China (GB 5749-2006), and the concentrations were lower than the limitations of Grade Ⅰ level in the environmental quality standards for surface water (GB 3838-2002). According to the spatial distribution, the high contents areas of As, Cr, Zn, and Sb were predominantly distributed downstream of the Lijiang River, while the high contents areas of Cd, Cu, Hg, Co, and Mn were mostly distributed in the upper reaches. Multivariate analysis indicated that Cd, Mn, Cu, and Co were primarily from agricultural production; Cr, Zn, and Sb were mainly from tourism transportation; As was predominantly from the weathering of rock parent material and soil erosion; Hg was mainly from the improper disposal of domestic garbage and atmospheric deposition. The results of the health risk assessment indicated that children were more susceptible to the threat of heavy metal pollution than adults, and the average annual risk of carcinogenic heavy metals to human health through drinking water ingestion were higher than those of non-carcinogenic metals. The maximum personal average annual health risk of Cr was higher than the maximum allowance levels recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (5×10-5 a-1). The average annual risk of non-carcinogenic heavy metals (10-14-10-9 a-1) decreased in the order of Co > Cu > Hg > Zn > Sb > Mn, which were far below the maximum allowance levels recommended by the ICRP.