Gender-specific effects of prenatal mixed exposure to serum phthalates on neurodevelopment of children aged 2-3 years:the Guangxi Birth Cohort Study.

Phthalates have been shown to have adverse effects on neurodevelopment, which may be gender-specific. However, the association between prenatal mixed exposure to phthalates and children's neurodevelopment remains inconsistent. We measured 15 prenatal serum phthalate levels and evaluated children's neurodevelopmental indicators using Gesell Developmental Schedule (GDS) (n = 750). Generalized linear regression was fitted to examine the association. Among boys, mono-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl phthalate (MEHHP) had adverse effects on gross motor [odds ratio (OR): 7.38, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.42, 38.46]. For gross motor in boys, joint effect was discovered between mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) and MEHHP. Moreover, synergistic effects were found for MEHP with vanadium and cadmium, and antagonistic effects for MEHP with magnesium, calcium, titanium, iron, copper, selenium, rubidium, and strontium. We did not find statistically significant relationships in girls. In the 1st trimester, adverse effects were identified between mono-2-ethyl-5-oxoyhexyl phthalate (MEOHP) and adaptation (P = 0.024), and monomethyl phthalate (MMP) with social area (P = 0.017). In the 2nd trimester, MEHHP had adverse effects on social area (P = 0.035). In summary, we found boys may be more vulnerable to the neurotoxicity than girls in gross motor, and we also discovered the detrimental effects of phthalates on children's neurodevelopment in the 1st and 2nd trimesters. Therefore, the supplementation of appropriate elements in the 1st and 2nd trimesters may help reduce the adverse effects of phthalates on children's neurodevelopment, especially among boys.

Fabrication of FeOOH hollow microboxes for purification of heavy metal-contaminated water.

FeOOH, a frequently used adsorbent, has been widely applied in purifying aqueous heavy metals, and its performance can be greatly improved by enlarging the number of surface active sites. To this end, we fabricated FeOOH hollow microboxes constructed from numerous 2D nanosheets via a template-engaged reaction between Prussian blue (PB) and NaOH solution. With combined observations from X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), we confirmed that the hollow microboxes corroded from PB were composed of ample frizzy FeOOH nanosheets, which ensured extensive exposure of the surface active sites. Moreover, the FeOOH microboxes were utilized as an adsorbent in the removal of heavy metals (As(III), As(V) and Se(IV)) from water and the maximum adsorption capacities were reached up to 192.19 mg g(-1), 250.0 mg g(-1) and 169.9 mg g(-1) at pH = 7.0, 4.0 and 5.0, respectively. The superior adsorptive performance of the FeOOH microboxes was derived from their large content of reactive exposed hydroxyl groups, which was unambiguously confirmed by X-ray adsorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS), as well as by surface site density analysis.