Evaluation of water conservation function of Danjiang River Basin in Qinling Mountains, China based on InVEST model.

With the shortage of water resources becoming a global concern, the water conservation function has become one of the most important service functions and the key factor in the sustainable development of watershed ecosystem. The Danjiang River Basin as an important source of water for the middle route of China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project, its water conservation function has attracted extensive public attention under global climate change. In this study, InVEST water yield model based on Budyko hydrological method was employed to analyze the spatio-temporal dynamics of water conservation, and the response of water conservation to climate, land use and soil changes for the period from 2000 to 2019. The results show that the water conservation of Danjiang River Basin tends to decrease under the comprehensive influence of various factors. The spatial analysis of the importance of water conservation identified Shangnan County, the southern part of Danfeng County and the northern part of Shanyang County as important water conservation areas in the study area, which should be regarded as the key and priority protection areas in the regional water resource and ecological protection. The study provides insights for sustainable water management and ecological protection policies, and the InVEST model with localized parameters can also be applied to other areas lacking climate, hydrological and geological data.

Serial Attacks: Contralateral Hematoma Secondary to Decompressive Craniectomy for Traumatic Brain Injury Led to Posttraumatic Cerebral Infarction.

A 40-year-old man suffered severe brain injury and received left side subdural hematoma evacuation with decompressive craniectomy. Intraoperative brain swelling had occurred during the surgery. Postoperative computed tomography (CT) scan was done immediately and showed a contralateral epidural hematoma resulting in herniation. Secondary hematoma evacuation was performed and found a linear fracture near a bleeding meningeal artery. 2 days later CT scan showed cerebral infarction mainly in right posterior cerebral artery distribution. Early diagnosis by postoperative CT scan or other potential ways such as intraoperative sonography is important to prompt treatments and interrupt the pathophysiological chain of the serial attacks.

Comparison of the clinical efficacy and toxicity of nebulized polymyxin monotherapy and combined intravenous and nebulized polymyxin for the treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy and toxicity of nebulized polymyxin monotherapy and combined intravenous and nebulized polymyxin for the treatment of VAP caused by CR-GNB. Additionally, among patients treated with nebulized polymyxin monotherapy, we compared the clinical efficacy and toxicity of polymyxin B and polymyxin E. Methods: This study was a single-center, retrospective study. Included patients received aerosolized polymyxin for at least 72 h with or without intravenous polymyxin for the management of CR-GNB VAP. The primary endpoint was clinical cure at the end of polymyxin therapy. Secondary endpoints included AKI incidence, time of bacteria-negative conversion, duration of MV after inclusion, length of stay in ICU, and all-cause ICU mortality. Results: 39 patients treated with nebulized polymyxin monotherapy were assigned to the NL-polymyxin group. 39 patients treated with nebulized polymyxin combined with intravenous use of polymyxin were assigned to the IV-NL-polymyxin group. Among the NL-polymyxin group, 19 patients were treated with polymyxin B and 20 with polymyxin E. The clinical baseline characteristics before admission to the ICU and before nebulization of polymyxin were similar between the two groups. No differences were found between the two study groups in terms of microorganism distribution, VAP cure rate, time of bacteria-negative conversion, duration of MV after inclusion, length of stay in ICU and all-cause ICU mortality. Similarly, survival analysis did not differ between the two groups (χ2 = 3.539, p = 0.06). AKI incidence was higher in the IV-NL-polymyxin group. When comparing the clinical efficacy and toxicity to polymyxin B and polymyxin E, there was no difference between the two groups in terms of VAP cure rate, time of bacteria-negative conversion, duration of MV after inclusion, length of stay in ICU, SOFA score, CPIS, AKI incidence and all-cause ICU mortality. Conclusion: Our study found that nebulized polymyxin monotherapy was non-inferior to combination therapy with intravenous polymyxin in treating CR-GNB-VAP. Furthermore, we observed no differences in clinical efficacy or related toxic side effects between polymyxin B and polymyxin E during nebulized polymyxin therapy as monotherapy. However, future prospective studies with larger sample sizes are required to confirm these findings.

Phosphorus-modified biochar cross-linked Mg-Al layered double-hydroxide composite for immobilizing uranium in mining contaminated soil.

The decommissioning of uranium mill tailings (UMTs) is usually accompanied by uranium (U) contamination in soil, which poses a serious threat to human health and ecological safety. In this study, a novel phosphorus-modified bamboo biochar (PBC) cross-linked Mg-Al layered double-hydroxide (LDH) composite ("PBC@LDH") was successfully prepared by phosphate pre-impregnation and a hydrothermal method with Mg-Al LDH. Physicochemical analysis revealed that phosphorus-containing functional groups and Mg-Al LDH were grafted onto the pristine biochar (BC) matrix. Laboratory-scale incubation and column leaching experiments were performed on the prepared BC, PBC, and PBC@LDH. The results showed that, at a dosage of 10%, the PBC@LDH composite had a commendable ability to immobilize U in soil. After 40 days of incubation with the stabilizer, the more mobile U was converted into immobilized species. Furthermore, during a column leaching experiment with simulated acid rain, the cumulative loss and leaching efficiency of U were remarkably reduced by PBC@LDH treatment compared with the control, reaching 53% and 54%, respectively. Surface complexation, co-precipitation, and reduction described the adsorption and immobilization mechanisms. In conclusion, this research demonstrates that the PBC@LDH composite offers a potentially effective amendment for the remediation of U contaminated soil.