Hydrochemical environment of a fractured karst aquifer influenced by petroleum hydrocarbons.

A fractured karst aquifer polluted by petroleum hydrocarbons (PH) for several decades was selected to study the influences of PH on the hydrochemical environment. The research was implemented using the hydrochemical indicators (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na++K+, HCO3-, NO3-, Cl-, F-, and SO42-) and PH with the help of GIS and origin platforms, statistical analyses, and graphical methods. Results showed that PH had significant influences on the hydrochemical environment over the last several decades. The main principle elements influencing the evolution processes of hydrochemical environment were carbonates dissolution, leaking wastewater, and biodegradation processes from 1977 to 2019, and hydrochemistry types changed from HCO3-Ca-Mg and HCO3-Ca to HCO3-Cl-Ca-Mg and HCO3-Cl-Ca. The contribution rate of PH biodegradation to the representative ion increased at first, then decreased over time, which has a close relationship with the variation characteristics of PH. The dynamic evolution processes of hydrochemical environment have significances for indentifying the influencing mechanisms of hydrogeochemical reactions, which could provide valuable scientific suggestions for the local administrators to take effective efforts to optimize and protect the karst groundwater environment.

Contamination characteristics of chlorinated hydrocarbons in a fractured karst aquifer using TMVOC and hydro-chemical techniques.

In this study, we investigated a fractured karst aquifer polluted by chlorinated hydrocarbons to determine the contamination characteristics of the main hydrocarbon components. The natural attenuation processes of representative components were simulated and forecasted using TMVOC and hydro-chemical components (NO3-, SO42-, HCO3- Cl- and δ13CDIC). The impact of hydrocarbon compounds on the hydro-chemical ions were estimated, and their historical contamination characteristics were also reconstructed. Results showed that the dynamic characteristics of Trichloromethane and 1,1,2-Trichlorethane can indicate those of chlorinated hydrocarbons, where the rate of natural attenuation was observed to decrease with decreasing concentrations of hydrocarbon compounds. Additionally, the long-term variation characteristics in groundwater levels showed that the relatively stable hydrodynamic field conditions enabled the simulation of the natural attenuation processes of chlorinated hydrocarbons. The simulation which also considered the biodegradation processes showed that the use of TMVOC and hydro-chemical parameters may better describe natural attenuation processes. Over 3 years (from 2017 to 2019), the average percentage of biodegradation in the total natural attenuation was estimated to be 88.35%. Similarly, Trichloromethane and 1,1,2-Trichlorethane are forecasted to have no health hazards in 10 and 15 years, respectively. The contribution rates of biodegradation to HCO3- and Cl- in the fractured karst aquifer varied with the concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons. Overall, the findings and methods in this work have significant contributions for advancing remediation developments of petroleum hydrocarbons, especially in karst environments that are highly susceptible to contamination.

The hepatoprotective efficacy and biological mechanisms of three phenylethanoid glycosides from cistanches herba and their metabolites based on intestinal bacteria and network pharmacology.

Echinacoside (ECH), acteoside (ACT), and isoacteoside (ISAT), the typical phenylethanoid glycosides (PhGs) in cistanches herba, have various pharmacological activities. However, the ECH, ACT and ISAT have extremely low oral bioavailability, which is related to their metabolism under the intestinal flora. Previous studies showed that intestinal metabolites were the hepatoprotective substances in vivo, but the research on whether PhGs has effects without intestinal bacteria has not been studied. In this paper, ECH, ACT and ISAT were incubated with human or rat intestinal bacteria for 36 h. After incubating with human bacteria for 36 h, three prototype compounds were not detected and were mainly biotransformed to 3-HPP and HT. In the network pharmacology, a total of 6 common targets were obtained by analysing the prototypes, the metabolites and the liver injury. It was found that the combinations of three metabolites and common targets were more stable than those of the prototypes and common targets by molecular docking. Meanwhile, hepatocellular apoptosis, proliferation, inflammation and oxidative responses might play important roles in the mechanisms of the metabolites exerting hepatoprotective activities. Then normal and pseudo-sterile mice experiments were adopted to further compare the hepatoprotective activities of prototypes and metabolites. Animal experiment results showed that the prototypes and the metabolites in the normal mice had significantly hepatoprotective activity. Interestingly, in the pseudo-germfree mice, the metabolites showed significant hepatoprotective effect, but the prototypes had not effect. It indicated that the prototype cannot exert liver protective activity without the effect of intestinal bacteria.

Contamination and natural attenuation characteristics of petroleum hydrocarbons in a fractured karst aquifer, North China.

A rare super-large fractured karst aquifer located in Zibo city, Shandong Province of Northern China was polluted by petroleum hydrocarbons from a petrochemical company. Over the last 30 years, it has been the focus of several remediation efforts. In this study, the contamination and natural attenuation characteristics of the petroleum hydrocarbons were elucidated using hydrogeochemical indicators (DO, DOC, Cl-, HCO3-, pH, NO3-, and SO42-), petroleum hydrocarbons elements and environmental isotopes (δ15NNO3, δ18ONO3, δ13CDIC, and δ13CDOC). With the aid of GIS, statistical analyses, as well as first-order decay model and electron-acceptor-limited kinetic model, the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of the petroleum hydrocarbons were modeled. Results showed a positive natural attenuation trend over the last 3 decades where intrinsic biodegradation mechanism was found to be the most important factor driving the degradation of hydrocarbons in the aquifer system. The hydrogeochemical association between the indicators and petroleum hydrocarbons provided the evidences of biodegradation and also served as markers, highlighting the occurrence of anaerobic respiration without methanogenic activities within the heterogenous karst media. Furthermore, the mean natural attenuation rate of petroleum hydrocarbons was calculated to be 3.76 × 10-3/day whereby the current highest petroleum hydrocarbons concentration (361.13 µg/L) is estimated to be degraded completely in 6 years under the present hydrogeological and environmental conditions.

The optimal surgical approach for papillary thyroid carcinoma with pathological n1 metastases: An analysis from the SEER database.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The definition of large-volume pathologic N1 metastases has been changed in the 2017 version 2 of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, leading to a controversy over the optimal surgical approach selection for patients with biopsy-proven papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of total thyroidectomy (TT) and thyroid lobectomy (TL) for these patients. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective population-based database analysis. METHODS: A total of 906 consecutive PTC patients with pathologic N1 metastases (>5 involved nodes with metastases ≤5 mm in the largest dimension) were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, and divided into two groups (≤2 mm, >2-5 mm) based on the size of the extent of disease. Overall survival (OS) was then compared between patients treated with TT and TL, followed by Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to explore multiple prognostic factors. RESULTS: OS favored TT compared with TL in patients with more than five involved nodes and metastases >2 to 5 mm in the largest dimension (P < .05). Cox analysis showed that the TL was not an independent factor associated with poorer OS than TT in these patients (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: TT showed better survival than TL for patients with more than five involved nodes and metastases >2 to 5 mm in the largest dimension. For patients with more than five involved nodes and metastases ≤2 mm in the largest dimension, either TT or TL can be recommended because there was no difference in survival. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 130:269-273, 2020.

Production of Structured Triacylglycerols Containing Palmitic Acids at sn-2 Position and Docosahexaenoic Acids at sn-1, 3 Positions.

Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation has been shown well-established health benefits that justify their use as functional ingredients in healthy foods and nutraceutical products. Structured triacylglycerols rich in 1,3-docosahexenoyl-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycerol were produced from algal oil (Schizochytrium sp) which was prepared by a two-step process. Novozym 435 lipase was used to produce tripalmitin. Tripalmitin was then used to produce the final structured triacylglycerol (STAG) through interesterification reactions using Lipozyme RM IM. The optimum conditions for the enzymatic reaction were a mole ratio of tripalmitin/fatty acid ethyl esters 1:9, 60°C, 10% enzyme load (wt % of substrates), 10 h; the enzymatic product contained 51.6% palmitic acid (PA), 30.13% docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n-3) and 5.33% docosapentanoic acid (DPA, C22:5 n-3), 12.15% oleic acid (OLA). This STAG can be used as a functional ingredient in dietary supplementation to provide the benefits of DHA.

[Relationship of alcohol drinking and tea consumption with the risk of nasopharynx cancer among Chinese population: a meta-analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship and strength of association for alcohol drinking and tea consumption with the riskS of nasopharynx cancer among Chinese population so as to provide control rationales for nasopharynx cancer in China. METHODS: A systematic search of 3 Chinese electronic databases (CNKI, VIP, Wanfang) and 3 English databases (Pubmed, ScienceDirect and SpringerLink) up to March 2013 was performed. Two reviewers independently conducted the literature search, examined eligibility and performed data extraction and quality evaluations. Pooled odd ratio (OR) value and 95%CI value were calculated with random-effects model weighted with inverse of variances. RESULTS: A total of 14 studies (including 3 cohort and 11 case-control) involving 6559 cases of nasopharynx cancer and 10 567 controls from 6 provinces were included. The pooled OR between alcohol drinking and risks of nasopharynx cancer was 1.12 (95%CI: 0.98-1.26; I(2) = 44.5%, P = 0.037). Compared with the non-drinkers, the risks of nasopharynx cancer for regular drinkers and occasional drinkers were 1.18 (95%CI: 1.00-1.38; I(2) = 0.0%, P = 0.578) and 0.76 (95%CI: 0.65-0.89; I(2) = 33.4%, P = 0.212). And the association of tea consumption with the risks of nasopharynx cancer was 0.53 (95%CI: 0.43-0.60; I(2) = 17.9%, P = 0.301). CONCLUSIONS: In China, occasional alcohol drinking may decrease the risks of nasopharynx cancer while regular drinking elevates the risks. And there is significantly protective effect for tea consumption on the risks of nasopharynx cancer.

Adenosine diphosphate ribosyl transferase and x-ray repair cross-complementing 1 polymorphisms in gastric cardia cancer.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Adenosine diphosphate ribosyl transferase (ADPRT) and x-ray repair cross-complementing 1 (XRCC1) are major DNA base excision repair proteins acting interactively in repair processes. This study examined the effects of ADPRT Val762Ala and XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphisms on ADPRT-XRCC1 interaction in vitro in cells and their contributions to gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) risk. METHODS: The ADPRT-XRCC1 interaction in cells transfected with ADPRT and XRCC1 variant complementary DNA (cDNA) constructs were examined by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting analysis. Genotypes were analyzed in 500 patients and 1000 controls, and odds ratios (ORs) were estimated by logistic regression. RESULTS: Interactions between ADPRT-762Val and XRCC1-399Arg or XRCC1-399Gln were robust, but interactions between ADPRT-762Ala and either XRCC1-399Arg or XRCC1-399Gln were very weak. A case-control analysis showed ORs of 2.17 (95% CI, 1.55-3.04) and 1.61 (95% CI, 1.06-2.44) for GCA in the ADPRT Ala/Ala or XRCC1 Gln/Gln genotype carriers, respectively, compared with noncarriers. Gene-gene interaction of ADPRT and XRCC1 polymorphisms increased the OR of GCA in a multiplicative manner (OR for the presence of both ADPRT Ala/Ala and XRCC1 Gln/Gln genotypes, 6.43; 95% CI, 1.80-22.97). A supermultiplicative joint effect between the ADPRT polymorphism and smoking was observed. The ORs (95% CIs) of the Ala/Ala genotype for nonsmokers and smokers who smoked < or = 24 or > 24 pack-years were 1.44 (0.89-2.32), 2.00 (1.09-3.67), or 3.19 (1.59-6.42), respectively (Ptrend test = .008). CONCLUSIONS: The ADPRT and XRCC1 polymorphisms confer host susceptibility to GCA, which might result from reduced ADPRT-XRCC1 interaction and attenuated base excision repair capacity.