[Source Analysis and Pollution Assessment of Soil Heavy Metals in Typical Geological High Background Area in Southeastern Chongqing].

In order to understand the pollution characteristics of soil heavy metals in typical geological high background areas in southeastern Chongqing, analyze its pollution sources, and put forward risk management and control suggestions, 211 topsoil samples (0-20 cm) were collected in Xinglong Town and Muye Township in the north of Youyang County, Chongqing City, and the contents of eight heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and the soil pH value in the surface soil were analyzed. Additionally, mathematical statistics, pollution load index (P), potential ecological risk index (RI), correlation analysis, and the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model were used to study the content and spatial distribution characteristics of heavy metals in the topsoil, and pollution assessment and source analysis of heavy metals were carried out. The results showed that the average concentrations of heavy metals in the surface soil all exceeded the soil background value in Chongqing, showing different levels of enrichment. Among them, the proportion of Cd exceeding the screening value in the "soil environmental quality risk control standard for soil contamination of agricultural land" (GB 15618-2018) was as high as 83.41%, the proportion of exceeding the control value was 7.58%, and the potential risk was relatively high. The evaluation results of the pollution load index method showed that the study area was slightly polluted as a whole, and the evaluation results of the potential ecological risk index showed that the overall ecological risk of the study area was relatively high. Among them, the contribution rates of heavy metals Hg, Cd, and As were 50.27%, 28.63%, and 11.70%, respectively. The PMF results showed that there were three main sources of heavy metals in the soil in the study area:natural parent material sources, agricultural sources, and mixed sources of industrial activities and traffic emissions, accounting for 40.49%, 29.12%, and 30.39%, respectively. The quantitative source analysis results of soil heavy metals in the study area have important reference significance for soil heavy metal pollution control in geologically high background areas.

Megastudies: A New Approach to Reducing Vaccine Hesitation Worldwide.

Vaccine hesitancy is a considerable obstacle to achieving vaccine protection worldwide. There needs to be more evidence-based research for interventions for vaccine hesitancy. Existing effectiveness evaluations are limited to one particular hypothesis, and no studies have compared the effectiveness of different interventions. A megastudy takes a large-scale, multi-intervention, uniform participant and the same evaluation criteria approach to evaluate many interventions simultaneously and find the most effective ones. Therefore, megastudies can help us find the most effective interventions for vaccine hesitancy. Additionally, considering the complex causes of vaccine hesitancy, we design interventions that involve social factors in megastudies. Lastly, quality control and justice are critical issues for megastudies in the future.

[Effect of Vegetation Coverage on the Temporal and Spatial Distribution of PM2.5 Concentration in China's Eight Major Economic Regions from 1998 to 2016].

The study researched the relationship between vegetation cover and PM2.5 pollution. The raster NDVI dataset from 1998 to 2016 were reclassified into low, medium, and high vegetation coverage area, and the corresponding PM2.5 concentration in eight economic regions in China were then calculated. On this basis, the temporal and spatial characteristics of PM2.5 pollution were analyzed and Pearson correlation coefficient was used to explore its correlation with NDVI landscape pattern indexes separately from landscape and class level NDVI. The preliminary results showed that:①The northern, eastern, southern coastal, middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and the northeast economic zones have relatively low vegetation coverage in areas with relatively serious PM2.5 pollution. However, the middle reaches of the Yellow River, the southwestern and the Northwestern Economic Zones in areas with relatively low vegetation coverage showed lighter PM2.5 pollution. ②PM2.5 increased in most areas between 1998 and 2016. ③A significant correlation between PM2.5 and NDVI landscape pattern indexes was not found for all areas. ④Therefore, the impacts of the landscape shape index(LSI), percent of landscape(PLAND), number of patches(NP), largest patch index(LPI), and aggregation index(AI) on PM2.5 are heterogeneous.

Health benefit assessment of PM2.5 reduction in Pearl River Delta region of China using a model-monitor data fusion approach.

The Pearl River Delta (PRD), one of the most polluted and populous regions of China, experienced a 28% reduction in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration between 2013 (47 µg/m3) and 2015 (34 µg/m3) under a stringent national policy known as the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (hereafter Action Plan). In this study, the health and economic benefits associated with PM2.5 reductions in PRD during 2013-2015 were estimated using the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program-Community Edition (BenMAP-CE) software. To create reliable gridded PM2.5 surfaces for BenMAP-CE calculations, a data fusion tool which incorporates the accuracy of monitoring data and the spatial coverage of predictions from the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model has been developed. The population-weighted average PM2.5 concentration over PRD was predicted to decline by 24%. PM2.5-related mortality was estimated to decrease by more than 3800 due to decreases in stroke (48%), ischemic heart disease (IHD) (35%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (10%), and lung cancer (LC) (7%). A 13% reduction in PM2.5-related premature deaths from these four causes yielded a large economic benefit of about 1300 million US dollars. Our research suggests that the Action Plan played a major role in reducing emissions and additional measures should be implemented to further reduce PM2.5 pollution and protect public health in the future.

Fifty-Eight Years and Counting: High-Impact Publishing in Computational Pharmaceutical Sciences and Mechanism-Based Modeling.

With this issue of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, we celebrate the nearly 6 decades of contributions to mechanistic-based modeling and computational pharmaceutical sciences. Along with its predecessor, The Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association: Scientific Edition first published in 1911, JPharmSci has been a leader in the advancement of pharmaceutical sciences beginning with its inaugural edition in 1961. As one of the first scientific journals focusing on pharmaceutical sciences, JPharmSci has established a reputation for publishing high-quality research articles using computational methods and mechanism-based modeling. The journal's publication record is remarkable. With over 15,000 articles, 3000 notes, and more than 650 reviews from industry, academia, and regulatory agencies around the world, JPharmSci has truly been the leader in advancing pharmaceutical sciences.

Assessment of a five-color flow cytometric assay for verifying automated white blood cell differentials.

BACKGROUND: White blood cell (WBC) counts and differentials performed using an automated cell counter typically require manual microscopic review. However, this last step is time consuming and requires experienced personnel. We evaluated the clinical efficiency of using flow cytometry (FCM) employing a six-antibody/five-color reagent for verifying automated WBC differentials. METHODS: A total of 56 apparently healthy samples were assessed using a five-color flow cytometer to verify the normal reference ranges of WBC differentials. WBC differentials of 622 samples were also determined using both a cell counter and FCM. These results were then confirmed using manual microscopic methods. RESULTS: The probabilities for all of the parameters of WBC differentials exceeded the corresponding normal reference ranges by no more than 7.5%. The resulting WBC differentials were well correlated between FCM and the cell counter (r > 0.88, P < 0.001), except in the case of basophils. Neutrophils, lymphocytes, and eosinophils were well correlated between FCM and standard microscopic cytology assessment (r > 0.80, P < 0.001). The sensitivities of FCM for identification of immature granulocytes and blast cells (72.03% and 22.22%, respectively) were higher than those of the cell counter method (44.92% and 11.11%, respectively). The specificities of FCM were all above 85%, substantially better than those of the cell counter method. CONCLUSION: These five-color FCM assays could be applied to accurately verify abnormal results of automated assessment of WBC differentials.

Impact of nodular size on the predictive values of gray-scale, color-Doppler ultrasound, and sonoelastography for assessment of thyroid nodules.

OBJECTIVE: To define the roles of gray-scale, color-Doppler ultrasound, and sonoelastography for the assessment of thyroid nodule to determine whether nodule size affects the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant. METHODS: A total of 243 consecutive subjects (214 women, 29 men) with 329 thyroid nodules were examined by gray-scale, color-Doppler ultrasound, and sonoelastography in this prospective study. All patients underwent surgery and the final diagnosis was obtained from histopathological examination. RESULTS: Three hundred and twenty-nine nodules (208 benign, 121 malignant) were divided into small (SNs, 5-10 mm, n=137) and large (LNs, >10 mm, n=192) nodules. Microcalcifications were more frequent in malignant LNs than in malignant SNs, but showed no significant difference between benign LNs and SNs. Poorly-circumscribed margins were not significantly different between malignant SNs and LNs, but were less frequent in benign LNs than in benign SNs. Among all nodules, marked intranodular vascularity was more frequent in LNs than in SNs. By comparison, shape ratio of anteroposterior to transverse dimensions (A/T) ≥ 1 was less frequent in LNs than in SNs. Otherwise, among all nodules, marked hypoechogenicity and elasticity score of 4-6 showed no significant difference between LNs and SNs. CONCLUSIONS: The predictive values of microcalcifications, nodular margins, A/T ratio, and marked intranodular vascularity depend on nodule size, but the predictive values of echogenicity and elastography do not.

Analysis of pancreatic fistula according to the International Study Group on Pancreatic Fistula classification scheme for 294 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy in a single center.

OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were to validate the value of the International Study Group on Pancreatic Fistula (ISGPF) classification scheme for pancreatic fistula (PF) and to identify predictive factors for clinically significant PF. METHODS: From January 2000 to December 2007, 294 consecutive patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy in a single medical center. Pancreatic fistula was evaluated by the ISGPF criteria and Johns Hopkins Hospital's definition (JHH). Then, logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictive factors for PF development. Our own management strategies with PF were also discussed. RESULTS: The overall incidence of PF was 19.4% (57/294) according to the ISGPF criteria, and 8.8% (26/294) using the JHH definition. Thirty-one patients with PF classified by the ISGPF were missed by the JHH definition. By logistic regression analysis, we found that besides the lack of cardiovascular disease and malignant diseases, our single-layer continuous circular invaginated pancreaticojejunostomy was another independent factor for the lowered incidence of PF. CONCLUSIONS: The ISGPF classification scheme was accurate for evaluating PF. Single-layer continuous circular invaginated pancreaticojejunostomy may be a promising method that may have been responsible for the lower incidence of PF in this study.

Application of electrospray ionization hybrid ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometry in the rapid characterization of quinocetone metabolites formed in vitro.

The application of electrospray ionization hybrid ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometry coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (LC/MS-IT-TOF) in the rapid characterization of in vitro metabolites of quinocetone was developed. Metabolites formed in rat liver microsomes were separated using a VP-ODS column with gradient elution. Multiple scans of metabolites in MS and MS(2) modes and accurate mass measurements were automatically performed simultaneously through data-dependent acquisition in only a 30-min analysis. Most measured mass errors were less than 10 ppm for both protonated molecules and fragment ions using external mass calibration. The elemental compositions of all fragment ions of quinocetone and its metabolites could be rapidly assigned based upon the known compositional elements of protonated molecules. The structure of metabolites were elucidated based on the combination of three techniques: agreement between their proposed structure, the accurate masses, and the elemental composition of ions in their mass spectra; comparison of their changes in accurate molecular masses and fragment ions with those of parent drug or metabolite; and the elemental compositions of lost mass numbers in proposed fragmentation pathways. Twenty-seven phase I metabolites were identified as 11 reduction metabolites, three direct hydroxylation metabolites, and 13 metabolites with a combination of reduction and hydroxylation. All metabolites except the N-oxide reduction metabolite M6 are new metabolites of quinocetone, which were not previously reported. The ability to conduct expected biotransformation profiling via tandem mass spectrometry coupled with accurate mass measurement, all in a single experimental run, is one of the most attractive features of this methodology. The results demonstrate the use of LC/MS-IT-TOF approach appears to be rapid, efficient, and reliable in structural characterization of drug metabolites.