Concentration distribution and assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments in the Zhoushan Islands coastal sea, East China Sea.

In an effort to assess the potential contamination and determine the environmental risks associated with heavy metals, 51 surface sediment samples (0-4 cm) were collected in the Zhoushan Islands coastal sea of the East China Sea (ECS). The heavy metal concentrations, grain size and total organic carbon (TOC) contents of these surface sediments were comprehensively analyzed. The results showed that the order of the average concentrations of heavy metals is Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb > As > Cd > Hg. Zn, Cr, Cd and Hg exhibit similar distribution and which derived from a common source, however, Cu, Pb and As present different distribution. The metal enrichment factor (EF) and geoaccumulation index (Igeo) values both suggest that Cu and Cd likely pose environmental risks. The results of this study could provide scientific data to authorities in charge of sustainable marine management.

Erratum to "[18F]ML-10 Imaging for Assessment of Apoptosis Response of Intracranial Tumor Early after Radiosurgery by PET/CT".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2018/9365174.].

[18F]ML-10 Imaging for Assessment of Apoptosis Response of Intracranial Tumor Early after Radiosurgery by PET/CT.

[18F]ML-10 is a novel apoptosis radiotracer for positron emission tomography (PET). We assess the apoptosis response of intracranial tumor early after CyberKnife (CK) treatment by [18F]ML-10 PET imaging. 29 human subjects (30 lesions), diagnosed with intracranial tumors, underwent CK treatment at 14-24 Gy in 1-3 fractions, had [18F]ML-10 positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) before (pre-CK) and 48 hours after (post-CK) CK treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were taken before and 8 weeks after CK treatment. Voxel-based analysis was used for the imaging analysis. Heterogeneous changes of apoptosis in tumors before and after treatment were observed on voxel-based analysis of PET images. A positive correlation was observed between the change in radioactivity (X) and subsequent tumor volume (Y) (r=0.862, p < 0.05), with a regression equation of Y=1.018∗X - 0.016. Malignant tumors tend to be more sensitive to CK treatment, but the treatment outcome is not affected by pre-CK apoptotic status of tumor cells; [18F]ML-10 PET imaging could be taken as an assessment 48 h after CK treatment.

Low-Cost Interactive Image-Based Virtual Endoscopy for the Diagnosis and Surgical Planning of Suprasellar Arachnoid Cysts.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and reliability of virtual endoscopy (VE) as a rapid, low-cost, and interactive tool for the diagnosis and surgical planning of suprasellar arachnoid cysts (SACs). METHODS: Eighteen patients with SACs treated with endoscopic ventriculocystostomy were recruited, and 18 endoscopic patients treated with third ventriculostomy were randomly selected as a VE reconstruction control group. After loading their DICOM data into free 3D Slicer software, VE reconstruction was independently performed by 3 blinded clinicians and the time required for each reconstruction was recorded. Another 3 blinded senior neurosurgeons interactively graded the visibility of VE by watching video recordings of the endoscopic procedures. Based on the visibility scores, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to investigate the reliability of VE to diagnose SACs, and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess the reliability of VE for surgical planning. In addition, the intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated to estimate the consistency among the results of 3 reconstruction performers. RESULTS: All 3 independent reconstructing performers successfully completed VE simulation for all cases, and the average reconstruction time was 10.2 ± 9.7 minutes. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the cyst visibility score was 0.96, implying its diagnostic value for SACs. The Bland-Altman plot indicated good agreement between VE and intraoperative viewings, suggesting the anatomic accuracy of the VE for surgical planning. In addition, the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.81, which revealed excellent interperformer consistency of our simulation method. CONCLUSIONS: This study substantiated the feasibility and reliability of VE as a rapid, low-cost, and interactive modality for diagnosis and surgical planning of SACs.

Shared and discrepant susceptibility for carotid artery and aortic arch calcification: A genetic association study.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified several risk loci for coronary artery calcification. Four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, rs1537370, rs1333049, rs2026458 and rs9349379) were associated with coronary artery calcification with P values less than 5 × 10(-8) in GWASs. It is unclear if these associations exist in other vascular beds. Thus, we evaluated the impacts of these four SNPs on carotid artery and aortic arch calcification in this study. Computed tomography was applied to quantify the calcification of carotid artery and aortic arch. 860 patients with stroke completed calcification quantification and genotype testing were included in data analysis. Each SNP was evaluated for the association with carotid artery calcification, and with aortic arch calcification using generalized linear model. Among the four tested SNPs, rs2026458 was associated with calcification in both carotid artery (ß = 0.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.10-0.52, P = 0.003) and aortic arch (ß = 0.32, 95% CI 0.10-0.54, P = 0.004), while rs1333049 was only associated with carotid artery calcification (ß = 0.28, 95% CI 0.06-0.50, P = 0.011). In gender-stratified analyses, rs2026458 had significant impacts on carotid artery (P = 0.003) and aortic arch calcification (P = 0.008) in male, but not in female patients; while rs1537370 was significantly associated with carotid artery calcification in female (P = 0.013), but not in male patients. In conclusion, SNPs associated with coronary artery calcification may also increase the risk of calcification in other arteries such as carotid artery and aortic arch.

NSFC health research funding and burden of disease in China.

BACKGROUND: Allocation of health research funds among diseases has never been evaluated in China. This study aimed to examine the relationship between disease-specific funding levels of National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the main governmental resource for health research in China, and burden of disease. METHODS: Funding magnitudes for 53 diseases or conditions were obtained from the website of NSFC. Measures of disease burden, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs) and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), were derived from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. The relationship between NSFC funding and disease burden was analyzed with univariate linear regression. For each measure associated with funding, regression-derived estimates were used to calculate the expected funds for each disease. The actual and expected funds were then compared. We also evaluated the impacts of changes of disease burden metrics since 1990, and differences from the world averages on NSFC funding. RESULTS: NSFC health research funding was associated with disease burden measured in mortality (R = 0.33, P = 0.02), YLLs (R = 0.39, P = 0.004), and DALYs (R  = 0.40, P = 0.003). But none of the changes of mortality (R = 0.22, P = 0.12), YLLs (R =  -0.04, P = 0.79) and DALYs (R =  -0.003, P = 0.98) since 1990 was associated with the funding magnitudes. None of the differences of mortality (R =  -0.11, P = 0.45), YLLs (R =  -0.11, P = 0.43) and DALYs (R =  -0.12, P = 0.38) from that of the concurrent world averages were associated with the funding magnitudes. Measured by DALY, stroke and COPD received the least funding compared to expected; while leukemia and diabetes received the most funding compared to expected. CONCLUSION: Although NSFC funding were roughly associated with disease burden as measured in mortality, YLLs and DALYs. Some major diseases such as stroke were underfunded; while others such as leukaemia were overfunded. Change of disease burden during the last 20 years and country-specialized disease burden were not reflected in current allocation of NSFC funds.

A quantitative assessment of the association between 1425G/A polymorphism in PRKCH and risk of stroke.

Previous studies suggested an association between 1425G/A polymorphism in PRKCH and stroke risk, but the results were inconsistent. To obtain a more precise estimation, we carried out a meta-analysis to analyze the effect of 1425G/A SNP in PRKCH on stroke risk. We searched PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and WANFANG Data for all eligible case-control studies through April 2014. The odds ratios (ORs), together with the 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were calculated to evaluate the strength of association between 1425G/A SNP and stroke risk. Overall, seven eligible studies involving a total of 4,574 cases and 5,471 controls were included in our meta-analysis. The results showed that the variant genotypes of 1425G/A polymorphism in PRKCH were significantly associated with a higher risk of stroke in all genetic models (GA vs. GG: OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.24-1.47, P < 0.001; AA vs. GG: OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.24-1.82, P < 0.001; GA/AA vs. GG: OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.26-1.49, P < 0.001; AA vs. GA/GG: OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.12-1.62, P = 0.002; A vs. G: OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.21-1.39, P < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, significantly increased risks were also observed for ischemic stroke, larger sample size (>1,000) and population-based studies. The result of our meta-analysis indicated that the 1425G/A SNP in PRKCH may contribute to susceptibility of stroke, especially for ischemic stroke.