Mechanistic study of highly effective phosphate removal from aqueous solutions over a new lanthanum carbonate fabricated carbon nanotube film.

The effective purification of phosphate-containing wastewater is considered as increasingly important. In this study, a highly effective LC-CNT film was developed for efficient phosphate removal. Kinetic results showed that the adsorbent exhibited an improved mass transfer efficiency and a fast adsorption rate during adsorption (reaching 80% and 100% equilibrium adsorption capacity within 175 and 270 min, respectively). Kinetic model analysis suggested that the adsorption was a combined chemical physical process. Isotherm study revealed that the LC-CNT film showed a superior adsorption capacity (178.6 mg/g, estimated from the Langmuir model) with multiple adsorption mechanisms. pH study suggested that surface complexation and ligand exchange played important roles during adsorption, and the adsorbent worked well within the pH range of 3-7 with little La leakage. The ionic strength and competing anions showed little influence on the adsorbent effectiveness except for the carbonate and sulfate ions. The characterization and mechanism study revealed that the phosphate adsorption of the LC-CNT film was controlled by inner-sphere complexation, outer-sphere complexation and surface precipitation. The LC-CNT film also showed excellent regenerability and stability in cycling runs, further demonstrating its potential in industrial applications.

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria induced metal and salt stress tolerance in Brassica juncea through ion homeostasis.

Soil heavy metal contamination and salinity constitute a major environmental problem worldwide. The affected area and impact of these problems are increasing day by day; therefore, it is imperative to restore their potential using environmentally friendly technology. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) provides a better option in this context. Thirty-seven bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere of maize cultivated in metal- and salt-affected soils. Some selected bacterial strains grew well under a wide range of pH (4-10), salt (5-50 g/L), and Cd (50-1000 mg/L) stress. Three bacterial strains, Exiguobacterium aestuarii (UM1), Bacillus cereus (UM8), and Bacillus megaterium (UM35), were selected because of their robust growth and high tolerance to both stress conditions. The bacterial strains UM1, UM8, and UM35 showed P-solubilization, whereas UM8 and UM35 exhibited 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity and indole acetic acid (IAA) production, respectively. The bacterial strains were inoculated on Brassica juncea plants cultivated in Cd and salt-affected soils due to the above PGP activities and stress tolerance. Plants inoculated with the bacterial strains B. cereus and B. megaterium significantly (p < 0.05) increased shoot fresh weight (17 ± 1.17-29 ± 0.88 g/plant), shoot dry weight (2.50 ± 0.03-4.40 ± 0.32 g/plant), root fresh weight (7.30 ± 0.58-13.30 ± 0.58 g/plant), root dry weight (0.80 ± 0.04-2.00 ± 0.01 g/plant), and shoot K contents (62.76 ± 1.80-105.40 ± 1.15 mg/kg dwt) in normal and stressful conditions. The bacterial strain B. megaterium significantly (p < 0.05) decreased shoot Na+ and Cd++ uptake in single and dual stress conditions. Both bacterial strains, E. aestuarii and B. cereus, efficiently reduced Cd++ translocation and bioaccumulation in the shoot. Bacterial inoculation improved the uptake of K+ and Ca++, while restricted Na+ and Cd++ in B. juncea shoots indicated their potential to mitigate the dual stresses of salt and Cd in B. juncea through ion homeostasis.

Interactive effects of aquatic nitrogen and plant biomass on nitrous oxide emission from constructed wetlands.

Understanding of mechanisms in nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from constructed wetland (CW) is particularly important for the establishment of related strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) production during its wastewater treatment. However, plant biomass accumulation, microbial communities and nitrogen transformation genes distribution and their effects on N2O emission from CW as affected by different nitrogen forms in aquatic environment have not been reported. This study investigated the interactive effects of aquatic nitrogen and plant biomass on N2O emission from subsurface CW with NH4+-N (CW-A) or NO3--N (CW-B) wastewater. The experimental results show that NH4+-N and NO3--N removal efficiencies from CW mesocosms were 49.4% and 87.6%, which indirectly lead to N2O emission fluxes of CW-A and CW-B maintained at 213 ± 67 and 462 ± 71 µg-N/(m2·h), respectively. Correlation analysis of nitrogen conversion dynamic indicated that NO2--N accumulation closely related to N2O emission from CW. Aquatic NH4+-N could up-regulate plant biomass accumulation by intensifying citric acid cycle, glycine-serine-threonine metabolism etc., resulting in more nitrogen uptake and lower N2O emission/total nitrogen (TN) removal ratio of CW-A compared to CW-B. Although the abundance of denitrifying bacteria and N2O reductase nosZ in CW-B were significantly higher than that of CW-A, after fed with mixed NH4+-N and NO3--N influent, N2O fluxes and N2O emission/TN removal ratio in CW-A were extremely close to that of CW-B, suggesting that nitrogen form rather than nitrogen transformation microbial communities and N2O reductase nosZ determines N2O emission from CW. Hence, the selection of nitrate-loving plants will play an important role in inhibiting N2O emission from CW.

[Treatment of severe hypospadias and analysis of related problems].

Hypospadias is one of the common congenital malformations of the urogenital system in children, with a high incidence and an increasing trend. And the incidence rate of severe hypospadias is increasing year by year, which seriously affects the penile development of the patient. With deepened understanding of hypospadias, accumulated experience in its diagnosis and treatment, and continuous improvement of surgical strategies, the success rate of surgical repair of hypospadias has been elevated to a certain extent. However, quite a few problems remain to be studied, such as the high rate of complications, insufficient understanding of penile curvature, long-term follow-up recurrence of penile curvature, selection of strategic staged surgery, etc. This article analyzes the treatment of severe hypospadias and related problems, and provides some reference for clinicians in surgical repair of severe hypospadias.

Low-carbohydrate diets and the risk of pancreatic cancer: a large prospective cohort study.

Low-carbohydrate diets have become a popular approach for weight loss in recent years. However, whether low-carbohydrate diets are associated with the risk of pancreatic cancer remains to be elucidated. Hence, we examined the association of low-carbohydrate diets with the risk of pancreatic cancer in a US population. A population-based cohort of 95 962 individuals was identified. A low-carbohydrate-diet score was calculated to quantify adherence to this dietary pattern, with higher scores indicating greater adherence. Cox regression was used to calculate risk estimate for the association of the low-carbohydrate-diet score with the risk of pancreatic cancer. Subgroup analysis was used to identify the potential effect modifiers. After an average follow-up of 8.87 years (875856.9 person-years), we documented a total of 351 pancreatic cancer cases. In the fully adjusted model, the highest versus the lowest quartiles of the overall low-carbohydrate-diet score were found to be associated with a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer (hazard ratioquartile 4 versus 1: 0.61; 95% confidence interval: 0.45, 0.82; Ptrend < 0.001). Subgroup analysis found that the inverse association of low-carbohydrate diets with the risk of pancreatic cancer was more pronounced in individuals aged ≥65 years than in those aged <65 years (Pinteraction = 0.015). Similar results were obtained for animal and vegetable low-carbohydrate-diet scores. In conclusion, low-carbohydrate diets, regardless of the type of protein and fat, are associated with a lower risk of pancreatic cancer in the US population, suggesting that adherence to low-carbohydrate diets may be beneficial for pancreatic cancer prevention. Future studies should validate our findings in other populations.

Dietary Vitamin K Intake and the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: A Prospective Study of 101,695 American Adults.

No epidemiologic studies have been conducted to assess the association of intake of dietary vitamin K with the risk of pancreatic cancer. We used prospective data from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial between 1993 and 2009 to fill this gap. A total of 101,695 subjects were identified. Dietary intakes of phylloquinone (vitamin K1), menaquinones (vitamin K2), and dihydrophylloquinone (dihydrovitamin K1) were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Cox regression was applied to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. During a mean follow-up of 8.86 years (900,744.57 person-years), 361 cases of pancreatic cancer were documented. In the fully adjusted model, dietary intakes of phylloquinone (for quartile 4 vs. quartile 1, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.39, 0.83; P for trend = 0.002) and dihydrophylloquinone (for quartile 4 vs. quartile 1, HR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.85; P for trend = 0.006), but not menaquinones (for quartile 4 vs. quartile 1, HR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.65, 1.33; P for trend = 0.816), were found to be inversely associated with the risk of pancreatic cancer in a nonlinear dose-response manner (all P values for nonlinearity < 0.05), and this was not modified by predefined stratification factors and remained in sensitivity analyses. In conclusion, dietary intakes of phylloquinone and dihydrophylloquinone, but not menaquinones, confer a lower risk of pancreatic cancer. Future studies should confirm our findings.

Association between hypomagnesemia and severity of primary hyperparathyroidism: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of hypomagnesemia in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) has been noted previously; however, the association of hypomagnesemia and severity of primary hyperparathyroidism remains unknown. The present study aimed to evaluate the association of hypomagnesemia with biochemical and clinical manifestations in patients with PHPT. METHODS: This was a retrospective study conducted at a tertiary hospital. We obtained data from 307 patients with PHPT from January 2010 through August 2020. Data on demographics, history, laboratory findings, bone densitometry findings, and clinical presentation and complications were collected and were compared in normal magnesium group vs hypomagnesemia group. RESULTS: Among the 307 patients with PHPT included in our study, 77 patients (33/102 [32.4%] males and 44/205 [21.5%] females) had hypomagnesemia. Mean hemoglobin levels in the hypomagnesemia group were significantly lower than those in the normal magnesium group in both males and females. In contrast, patients with hypomagnesemia had a higher mean serum calcium and parathyroid hormone than individuals with normal magnesium. The typical symptoms of PHPT, such as nephrolithiasis, bone pain/fractures, polyuria, or polydipsia, were more common in the hypomagnesemia group. In addition, patients with hypomagnesemia had a higher prevalence of osteoporosis, anemia, and hypercalcemic crisis. Even after adjusting for potential confounders, including age, sex, body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and parathyroid hormone levels, these associations remained essentially unchanged. CONCLUSION: Biochemical and clinical evidence indicates that patients with PHPT with hypomagnesemia have more severe hyperparathyroidism than those without hypomagnesemia. In addition, PHPT patients with hypomagnesemia had a higher prevalence of osteoporosis, anemia, and hypercalcemic crisis.

[Application of the lateral preputial fascial island flap in hypospadias reoperation].

Objective: To evaluate the application and effect of the lateral preputial fascial island flap (LPFIF) in hypospadias reoperation. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data on the children patients undergoing hypospadias reoperation with LPFIF in our Department of Urology from December 2016 to June 2019. RESULTS: A total of 85 cases were included in this study, including 18 cases of LPFIF, 19 cases of Duplay technique, 25 cases of tubularized incised plate urethroplasty (TIP) and 23 cases of Mathieu urethroplasty. The patients were aged from 18 months to 12 years and 8 months, averaging 4.6 years. Postoperatively, all the children were followed up for ≥ 6 months, which found satisfactory appearance of the penis body and glans, the urethral orifice in the normal position of the glans, and the external orifice of the urethra fissured. Urethral fistula occurred in 2 cases and glans dehiscence in 1 after LPFIF; 5 of the patients presented urethral fistula after Duplay; 3 developed urethral fistula and 1 urethral stricture after TIP; 6 showed urethral fistula and 2 glans dehiscence after Mathieu urethroplasty. No postoperative urethral stricture, urethral diverticulum or flap necrosis occurred in any of the cases. Hypospadias reoperation succeeded in 83.3% (15/18) of the cases after LPFIF. The urine flow curve of the LPFIF cases was bell-shaped or high flat-shaped, with a maximum urinary flow rate of 8.56 ± 3.99 ml/s and an average urinary flow rate of 5.23 ± 2.32 ml/s, not significantly different from those of the TIP and Duplay cases. CONCLUSIONS: There is no statistically significant difference in the success rate of hypospadias reoperation between TIP and LPFIF. Urethroplasty with LPFIF can be used as one of the surgical options for hypospadias reoperation.

Consistency between nasopharyngeal aspirates and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in pathogen detection in children with pneumonia: an analysis of 533 cases. / 533ä¾‹è‚ºç‚Žå„¿ç«¥é¼»å’½æŠ½å¸ç‰©å’Œæ”¯æ°”ç®¡è‚ºæ³¡çŒæ´—æ¶²çš„ç— åŽŸæ£€å‡ºä¸€è‡´æ€§åˆ†æž.

OBJECTIVES: To study the consistency between nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in pathogen detection in children with pneumonia. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the data of pathogens detected in 533 children with pneumonia from February 2017 to March 2020. The paired McNemar's test was used to compare the difference in pathogen detection between NPA and BALF groups. The Kappa coefficient was used to analyze the consistency in pathogen detection between the two groups. RESULTS: NPA had a sensitivity of 28%, a specificity of 74%, a positive predictive value of 14%, and a negative predictive value of 91% in detecting bacteria, and a Kappa coefficient of 0.013 suggested poor consistency between NPA and BALF. NPA had a sensitivity of 52%, a specificity of 81%, a positive predictive value of 24%, and a negative predictive value of 94% in detecting viruses, and a Kappa coefficient of 0.213 suggested poor consistency between NPA and BALF. NPA had a sensitivity of 78%, a specificity of 71%, a positive predictive value of 49%, and a negative predictive value of 90% in detecting Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and a Kappa coefficient of 0.407 suggested moderate consistency between NPA and BALF. CONCLUSIONS: There is poor consistency between NPA and BALF in the detection of bacteria and viruses, and clinicians should be cautious in diagnosing lower respiratory tract infection based on bacteria or viruses detected in NPA. There is moderate consistency between NPA and BALF in the detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, suggesting that it may be reliable to diagnose lower respiratory tract infection based on Mycoplasma pneumoniae detected in NPA, while comprehensive judgment in combination with clinical conditions is needed.

[Epidemiological characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus in hospitalized children with acute lower respiratory tract infection in Chongqing, China, from 2013 to 2018: an analysis of 2 066 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To study the detection rate, epidemic pattern, and clinical features of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in hospitalized children with acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI). METHODS: Nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from children with ALRI, aged < 2 years, who were hospitalized in Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from June 2013 to May 2018. Multiplex PCR was used to detect 16 common respiratory viruses. The epidemiological characteristics of RSV were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 2 066 hospitalized children with ALRI were enrolled. Among the children, 1 595 (77.20%) tested positive for virus and 826 (39.98%) tested positive for RSV [410(49.6%) positive for RSV-A, 414 (50.1%) positive for RSV-B, and 2 (0.2%) positive for both RSV-A and RSV-B]. RSV-B was the main subtype detected in 2013-2014 and 2016-2017, while RSV-A was the main subtype in 2014-2015 and 2017-2018, and these two subtypes were prevalent in 2015-2016. The highest detection rate of RSV was noted in winter. RSV + human rhinovirus was the most common combination of viruses and was detected in 123 children. These children were more likely to develop wheezing than those with single RSV detected (P=0.030). A total of 298 samples were detected with single RSV, 148 were detected with RSV mixed with other viruses, 389 were detected with other viruses, and 241 were detected negative for viruses. Compared with the other viruses and negative virus groups, the single RSV group had a significantly younger age and significantly higher incidence rates of dyspnea, respiratory failure, and severe lower respiratory tract infection (P < 0.0083). The RSV-A positive group had a significantly higher proportion of boys than the RSV-B positive group (P=0.004), but there were no significant differences in clinical manifestations between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In Chongqing in 2013-2018, RSV-A and RSV-B not only can predominate alternately, but also can co-circulate during a season. RSV is the major viral pathogen of hospitalized children with ALRI and can cause severe lower respiratory tract infection. There are no differences in clinical manifestations between children with RSV-A infection and those with RSV-B infection, but boys are more susceptible to RSV-A infection.

Handwashing Sink Contamination and Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella Infection in the Intensive Care Unit: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Handwashing sinks can become contaminated by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella (CRK), including carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella oxytoca (CRKO), but whether they are major sources of CRK infections remains unknown. METHODS: We performed a prospective multicenter study in 16 intensive care units (ICUs) (9 general and 7 neonatal) at 11 hospitals. All sinks at these locations were sampled to screen CRK. All CRK clinical isolates recovered between 2 weeks before and 3 months after sampling in ICUs with CRK-positive sinks or other participating ICUs at the same hospital were collected. Whole-genome sequencing of all isolates was performed. Isolates of the same sequence type (ST) were assigned to clones by calling single-nucleotide polymorphisms. RESULTS: Among 158 sinks sampled, 6 CRKP and 6 CRKO were recovered from 12 sinks in 7 ICUs, corresponding to a 7.6% CRK contamination rate. Twenty-eight clinical isolates were collected, and all were CRKP. The 34 CRKP isolates belonged to 7 STs, including ST789 (n = 14, all had blaNDM-5); ST11 (n = 12, 5 belonged to KL64 and 7 to KL47, all had blaKPC-2); ST709 (n = 4, all had blaNDM-5); and ST16, ST20, ST1027, and ST2407 (n = 1 each). One particular ST789 clone caused an outbreak and contaminated a sink. ST11_KL47 sink isolates were likely the source of a cluster of clinical isolates. Two ST11_KL64 isolates belonged to a common clone but were from 2 hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Contaminated sinks were not the major source of CRK in our local settings. ST789 blaNDM-5-carrying CRKP might represent an emerging lineage causing neonatal infections.

Correction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa-derived exosomes ameliorates allergic reactions via inducing the Treg response in asthma.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Interactive effects between cadmium stabilized by palygorskite and mobilized by siderophores from Pseudomonas fluorescens.

The application of palygorskite (PAL) for potentially toxic trace elements (Cd2+, Ni2+, etc.) remediation in polluted soil can substantially reduce the bioavailability and toxicity of these hazard materials. However, the secretion of organic acids and siderophores by microorganisms might result in the re-mobilization of cadmium (Cd) in PAL-bound forms (PAL-Cd). In this study, the interactive effects between Cd stabilized by PAL and mobilized by siderophores from Pseudomonas fluorescens were performed with four flask-shaking experimental treatments, namely, strain with or without an ability of siderophores production respectively associated with or without PAL-Cd. The GC-MS and UHPLC-MS test methods were used to analyze the concentrations of metabolites. Results showed that the Cd mobilized by strain with siderophores production was 22.1% higher than that of strain without the ability of siderophores production (p < 0.05). The mobilization of Cd in PAL in turn significantly reduced the siderophores production of Pseudomonas fluorescens by 25.1% (p < 0.05). The numbers of metabolites significantly up-regulated and down-regulated were 9 and 22 in strain groups with PAL-Cd addition compared with the groups without PAL-Cd, respectively. Metabolomics analysis revealed that the mobilized Cd affects the signal transduction pathway and primary metabolic processes, reduces the metabolic capacity of pentose phosphate pathway, glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle pathway. These changes inhibit the ability of strain to biosynthesize amino acids during the mobilization processes, further reducing the capacity of Pseudomonas fluorescens to produce siderophores. This study provides a useful information on how to select soil Cd-stabilizing materials in a targeted manner and how to avoid Cd re-mobilization by siderophores.

[Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in children].

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a clinical syndrome with major clinical manifestations of hemoptysis, anemia, and diffuse infiltration in the lung. DAH has a high mortality rate in the acute stage and is a life-threatening emergency in clinical practice. Compared with adult DHA, childhood DHA tends to have a specific spectrum of underlying diseases. It has long been believed that idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) is the main cause of childhood DAH; however, with the increase in reports of childhood DAH cases, the etiology spectrum of childhood DAH is expanding. The treatment and prognosis of DAH with different etiologies are different. This review article gives a general outline of childhood DAH, with focuses on DAH caused by IPH, systemic lupus erythematosus, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-related vasculitis, COPA syndrome, or IgA vasculitis.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa-derived exosomes ameliorates allergic reactions via inducing the Treg response in asthma.

BACKGROUND: Exosomes are nanovesicles originating from multivesicular bodies that have complex functions and significant therapeutic effects in many diseases. In the present study, we successfully extracted exosomes from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and assessed the effect of those exosomes on the development of the allergic response in two types of classic asthma models. METHODS: Female BALB/c mice were administrated with P. aeruginosa-derived exosomes 1 week before ovalbumin (OVA) or house dust mite (HDM) sensitization. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, serums and lung tissues were collected and analyzed for pathophysiology and immune responses. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that P. aeruginosa-derived exosomes inhibited the development of airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), peribronchial and perivascular inflammation in lung tissues and the level of serum IgE. Moreover, this protective effect was associated with an increase in the regulatory T cell (Treg) response and a concomitant decreased Th2 response. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, these observations demonstrated that P. aeruginosa-derived exosomes could induce protection against allergic sensitization in asthma mice, and our study provided a new insight to prevent allergic diseases.

An updated analysis with 45,078 subjects confirms the association between SNCA rs11931074 and Parkinson's disease.

Large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) has identified that the alpha-synuclein (SNCA) rs11931074 polymorphism is associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) susceptibility in individuals of Japanese descent. Subsequently, a number of replication studies have been performed in Asian and Caucasian populations. However, the results remain controversial due to the relatively small sample sizes and genetic heterogeneity. Here, to overcome the limitations of individual studies, we reevaluated this association with data from 33 independent studies involving 15,368 patients and 29,710 control samples identified by searching PubMed and EMBase databases. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were applied to assess the association between SNCA rs11931074 polymorphism and PD. Heterogeneity, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias were conducted to measure the robustness of our findings. Using allele, recessive, dominant, and additive models, we did not reveal significant heterogeneity among 33 studies. Significant association of the SNCA rs11931074 polymorphism with PD was observed (T vs. G: OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.31-1.42; TT vs. TG + GG: OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.46-1.72; TT + TG vs. GG: OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.35-1.55; TT vs. GG: OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.68-2.09) in the pooled populations. Furthermore, subgroup analyses accounting for ethnicity found similar significant results in both Asian and Caucasian populations. In conclusion, our meta-analysis further indicates that the SNCA rs11931074 polymorphism contributes to PD susceptibility. We believe that our findings will be very useful for future genetic studies on PD.

[Effect of vitamin A as an adjuvant therapy for pneumonia in children: a Meta analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect and safety of vitamin A supplementation in children with pneumonia through a systematic review. METHODS: Cochrane Library, EMbase, PubMed, China Biology Medicine disc, CNKI, and Wanfang Data were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on vitamin A as an adjuvant therapy for pneumonia in children. Two reviewers independently screened the studies and evaluated their quality according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. RevMan5.3 was used for the Meta analysis. RESULTS: A total of 15 RCTs with 3 021 patients were included. The Meta analysis showed that vitamin A supplementation did not reduce the mortality of children with pneumonia (P>0.05), but it increased the overall clinical response rate (P<0.05) and shortened the duration of pyrexia and cough, clearance time of signs and abnormal chest X-ray results, and length of hospital stay (P<0.05). As an adjuvant therapy, vitamin A did not increase the incidence rates of adverse reactions such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, allergy, and bregma bulging. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence shows that in the treatment of pneumonia in children, vitamin A supplementation helps to relieve clinical symptoms and signs and shorten the length of hospital stay.The adjuvant therapy does not increase the incidence rates of adverse reactions.

Effects of freshwater leaching on potential bioavailability of heavy metals in tidal flat soils.

Leaching experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of desalination levels and sediment depths on potential bioavailability of heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in tidal flat soils. The data showed that both the desalination levels (p < 0.001) and soil depths (p < 0.001) had significant effects on the concentrations of acid-volatile sulfide (AVS). AVS concentrations generally exhibited increasing trends with an increase in depth and decreasing trends with enhanced desalination levels. The desalination levels had significant (p < 0.05) effects on the concentrations of simultaneously extracted metal (SEM; Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn). Moreover, the concentrations of SEM (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn) generally tended to decrease with an increase in the desalination level. The desalination treatment significantly reduced the ratios of SEM/AVS compared with control. However, the ratios of SEM/AVS increased with enhanced desalination levels in treatments. Results reveal that low desalination treatment is better for reducing toxicity to benthic organisms than high desalination treatment. Since these reclaimed tidal flats with low desalinisation are suitable for saline water aquaculture, transforming the present land use of reclaimed tidal flats from fresh water aquaculture into saline water aquaculture may reduce health risk of heavy metals remained in sediments. These results will also contribute to our understanding of the dynamic behavior of heavy metals in the reclamation of tidal flats during leaching and the role of the ratio of SEM/AVS predictions on assessing the ecological risks of reclaimed tidal flats.

Treatment strategy for hepatic trauma.

Liver is one of the organs with the highest injury rate, and in recent decades, the guidelines for the treatment of liver trauma have changed considerably. Now, there is a growing consensus that the most important step is diagnosis and depending upon the degree of severity, non-operative therapy is the main treatment method for hepatic trauma if conditions permit. For serious hepatic trauma patients such as those with hemodynamic instability, they should be operated upon as soon as possible. Regardless of the surgical options, doctors should control damage to patients and try to prevent complications. New therapies such as hepatic artery embolization and liver transplantation have been more and more used for the treatment of serious hepatic damage in clinics.

[Levels of surfactant proteins A and D in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of children with pneumonia and their relationships with clinical characteristics].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the levels of pulmonary surfactant proteins A and D (SP-A, SP-D) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of children with pneumonia, and to explore their relationships with clinical characteristics. METHODS: Thirty-five children with pneumonia were enrolled in this study. Differential cell counts were obtained by Countstar counting board. The levels of SP-A and SP-D in BALF were detected using ELISA. RESULTS: In children with pneumonia, SP-D levels were significantly higher than SP-A levels (P<0.001). SP-D levels were negatively correlated with the neutrophil percentage in BALF (r(s)=-0.5255, P<0.01). SP-D levels in BALF in children with increased blood C-reactive protein levels (>8 mg/L) were significantly lower than in those with a normal level of C-reactive protein (P<0.05). Compared with those in children without wheezing, SP-D levels in children with wheezing were significantly lower (P<0.01). There was no correlation between SP-A levels and clinical characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: SP-D levels in BALF are significantly higher than SP-A levels, and have a certain correlation with clinical characteristics in children with pneumonia. As a protective factor, SP-D plays a more important role than SP-A in regulating the immune and inflammatory responses.