Prognostic value of Interleukin-36s in cancers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-36s (IL-36s) are a category of inflammatory cytokines and an increasing number of studies over the past decade have found that different kinds of IL-36s play different roles in cancers. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of IL-36s in different cancer types. METHOD: Two reviewers independently searched in PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMBASE up to December 13, 2022. We extracted the hazard ratio (HR) and the confidence intervals (CIs) of the related prognostic outcomes and analyzed the pooled HR. RESULTS: We included 12 studies including 1925 patients. In all, six studies including IL-36α, five including IL-36γ and one including IL-36ß. A high expression of IL-36α was associated with better overall survival (OS) (HR = 0.48, 95 %CI: 0.37-0.62, P < 0.001) of cancer patients. The expression of IL-36γ was not related with cancers. Further, subgroup analysis showed that the expression of IL-36γ had no correlation with the OS of colorectal cancer (CRC) and non­small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Interestingly, a high expression of IL-36γ played contrasting prognostic roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (HR = 0.43, 95 %CI: 0.27-0.69, P < 0.001) patients and gastric cancer (GC) (HR = 1.58, 95 %CI: 1.33-1.87, P < 0.001) patients. The only IL-36ß related study showed the expression of IL-36ß was not correlated with the prognosis of CRC patients (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: IL-36α, IL-36ß and IL-36γ possibly play different roles in different cancers. High expression of IL-36α may be associated with good prognostic value in cancer patients, especially in CRC patients. The association between cancers prognosis and expression of IL-36ß or IL-36γ needs further evaluation. These conclusions need more clinical prognostic data for confirmation.

Photodynamic therapy improves the outcome of immune checkpoint inhibitors via remodelling anti-tumour immunity in patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) plays an immunoregulatory role in tumours. Here, we conducted a retrospective patient analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of PDT plus immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in gastric cancer. Further, we performed a dynamic analysis of gastric cancer patients receiving PDT to clarify its effects on anti-tumour immunity. METHODS: Forty ICI-treated patients that received PDT or not were retrospectively analysed. Five patients with gastric adenocarcinoma were enrolled for sample collection before and after PDT. Single-cell RNA/T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing, flow cytometry and histological exanimation were used to analyse the collected specimens. RESULTS: Patients in PDT group had a significantly better OS after ICI treatment than those in No PDT group. Single-cell analysis identified ten cell types in gastric cancer tissues and four sub-populations of T cells. Immune cell infiltration increased in the tumours after PDT and the circular immune cells showed consistent alterations. TCR analysis revealed a specific clonal expansion after PDT in cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), but a constriction in Tregs. The B2M gene is upregulated in tumour cells after PDT and is associated with immune cell infiltration. Several pathways involving the positive regulation of immunity were enriched in tumour cells in the post-PDT group. The interactions following PDT were increased between tumour cells and effector cells but decreased between Tregs and other immune cells. Some co-stimulatory signaling emerged, whereas co-inhibitory signaling disappeared in intercellular communication after PDT. CONCLUSIONS: PDT elicits an anti-tumour response through various mechanisms and is promising as an adjuvant to enhance ICI benefit.

Radiomics-based prediction of response to immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment for solid cancers using computed tomography: a real-world study of two centers.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) represent an approved treatment for various cancers; however, only a small proportion of the population is responsive to such treatment. We aimed to develop and validate a plain CT-based tool for predicting the response to ICI treatment among cancer patients. METHODS: Data for patients with solid cancers treated with ICIs at two centers from October 2019 to October 2021 were randomly divided into training and validation sets. Radiomic features were extracted from pretreatment CT images of the tumor of interest. After feature selection, a radiomics signature was constructed based on the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression model, and the signature and clinical factors were incorporated into a radiomics nomogram. Model performance was evaluated using the training and validation sets. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to visualize associations with survival. RESULTS: Data for 122 and 30 patients were included in the training and validation sets, respectively. Both the radiomics signature (radscore) and nomogram exhibited good discrimination of response status, with areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.790 and 0.814 for the training set and 0.831 and 0.847 for the validation set, respectively. The calibration evaluation indicated goodness-of-fit for both models, while the decision curves indicated that clinical application was favorable. Both models were associated with the overall survival of patients in the validation set. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a radiomics model for early prediction of the response to ICI treatment. This model may aid in identifying the patients most likely to benefit from immunotherapy.

Balloon pulmonary angioplasty vs. pulmonary endarterectomy in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Although balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) and pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) are effective in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), the comparison of their efficacy and safety is still unclear. We identified studies through a systematic review of PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase and used a random effects meta-analysis model to synthesize estimates of weighted mean differences or combined effect size. In total, 54 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The survival rates at perioperative/in-hospital period, 2 years, and 3 years were 100%, 99%, and 97%, respectively, in BPA group and 93%, 90%, and 88%, respectively, in PEA group. The variation of 6-min walk distance was 141.80 m in BPA and 100.73 m in PEA when the follow-up was 1-6 months. At < 1-month, 1-6-month, and > 12-month follow-up, the changed results of mean pulmonary arterial pressure were - 18.31, - 17.00, and - 12.97 mmHg in BPA group and - 18.93, - 21.21, and - 21.35 mmHg in PEA group. At < 1-month and 1-6-month follow-up, the changed values of pulmonary vascular resistance were - 542.24 and - 599.77 dyne•s•cm-5 in PEA group and - 443.49 and - 280.00 dyne•s•cm-5 in BPA group. In addition, there was more wide variety of complications in PEA group than in BPA group. BPA might have higher survival rate (perioperative/in-hospital period, 2-year and 3-year follow-up) and fewer types of complications compared with PEA. The improvement in exercise capacity (1-6-month follow-up) in the BPA group might be more pronounced than in PEA group. Moreover, PEA might be superior in improvement of hemodynamic parameters (< 1-month, 1-6-month, and > 12-month follow-up).

Comparison of properties of dust in alveolar of rats and the workplace.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to analyze the α-SiO2 content, composition, dispersion, morphology, and free radical content of dust between the alveolar and the workplace, to explore the possible changes in the properties (especially the pathogenicity) of dust after it enters the lung. METHODS: We collected the dust in the workplace in HANDAN Coal mine. They were selected by a 400 mesh sieve and was made a suspension of 50 mg/ml, which would be used to perfuse into the trachea of rats. When one week, four weeks, eight weeks, fourteen weeks, twenty weeks after perfusing, we harvested dust in rats alveolar through lung lavage for further processing. RESULTS: In the animal test, typical fibrous nodules appeared 20 weeks after dust exposure. No inflammatory reaction was observed in the saline group. The results of animal experiments showed that there was no significant difference in the content of α-SiO2 between dust in the workplace and the lung lavage (P > 0.05). The content of the Fe element gradually increased with dust exposure time. The 12 elements of Al, Mg, Si, Pb, Mn, Ni, Zn, Cu, Cr, Sb, Cd, and AS were reduced in the experiment group compared with the workplace group. The shape of the dust in the workplace was mostly spherical. The shape of the dust extracted from the lung lavage fluid was mostly blocky and angular, and a few dust edges were sharp, and more than 80% of the particle size was smaller than 5 µm, while less than 1% of the particle size was larger than 10 µm. The amount of hydroxyl radical released by lung lavage dust in phosphate buffer was higher than that of the workplace dust. CONCLUSIONS: After the dust entered the alveoli, the content of α-SiO2 in the dust did not change with dust exposure time, while the content of elements in the dust, the morphology, and dispersion of the dust changed. The ability of dust in alveoli to produce hydroxyl radicals in phosphate buffer was higher than that in the workplace.

The role of α-smooth muscle actin in confirming the microinvasion of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of microinvasive laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is not always straightforward and sometimes can be very challenge in daily clinical practice. The focus lies in the confirmation of microinvasion. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), as the major element of reactive tumor stroma, are believed to participate actively in the growth and invasion of tumor cells. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic role of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) labelling CAFs in microinvasive LSCC. METHODS: A total of 81 laryngeal biopsy specimens were retrieved, including 41 cases of microinvasive LSCC with depth of invasion no more than 3 mm, 20 laryngeal squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL), and 20 benign pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia (PEH). All cases were stained for immunohistochemistry, using antibody against the α-SMA antigen. The correlation between the presence of CAFs in microinvasive LSCC and tumor histological characteristics was investigated. RESULTS: Immunoreactivity of α-SMA was detected in twenty-nine microinvasive LSCC (29/41, 71%), while no reactivity was observed in laryngeal SIL (0/20, 0%), and rarely in PEH (2/20, 10%). The α-SMA expression pattern in stroma of microinvasive LSCC was significantly different from that of SIL (χ2 = 26.966, p = 0.000) and PEH (χ2 = 19.838, p = 0.000). In addition, there seemed to be a certain correlation between the histological characteristics of microinvasive LSCC and the presence of interstitial CAFs. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the practical role of utilizing α-SMA in the pathological diagnosis of microinvasive LSCC, with emphasis on variable histomorphologic features of microinvasive LSCC.

Sinonasal low-grade non-intestinal-type adenocarcinoma: A retrospective analysis and literature review.

Sinonasal low-grade non-intestinal-type adenocarcinomas (LG non-ITACs) are uncommon tumors with unclear histogenesis, although they are presumed to arise from seromucous glands or respiratory epithelium. We investigated the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of the tumors, with particular attention to the transition area from the normal epithelium to neoplastic cells and concurrent lesions; these features were compared with those of 10 patients with chronic sinusitis, who served as a control group. Seventeen patients with LG non-ITACs (17 tumors) were enrolled in this retrospective study (9 male patients and 8 female patients; mean age, 48 years [range, 16-74 years]). Tumor cells continuous with respiratory epithelium were detected in 10 tumors composed of a single layer of cells with papillary, tubular, or cystic growth pattern. The tumor cells were uniformly cuboidal to columnar and polar. In seven tumors without transition areas discerned, three tumors consisted of polygonal and flat cells with a solid, acinar, micropapillary and cribriform pattern. The others had the same morphology as those with transition areas. The tumor cells were positive for SOX10 (15/17), S100 protein (8/17), and CK7 (17/17). The normal epithelium connected to the respiratory epithelium was the terminal duct in the control group. Except for the lack of p63-positive cells, the immunophenotype and histomorphology of transition areas with LG non-ITACs were similar to those of the continuous areas between the terminal duct and the respiratory epithelium in the control group. LG non-ITACs are seromucinous tumors, some of which may originate from the terminal ducts of seromucinous glands.

Study of the Ultrasound Appearance of the Normal Parathyroid Using an Intraoperative Procedure.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to confirm the echogenicity of normal parathyroid glands using intraoperative ultrasound (US). METHODS: Between October 2015 and January 2016, normal parathyroid glands were examined with an intraoperative US transducer during thyroidectomy procedures in 13 patients with thyroid disease. According to the findings from intraoperative US, routine percutaneous US of normal parathyroid glands was performed in a group of adults. On the basis of previous information on normal parathyroid echogenicity, a series of parathyroid diseases that were proved by surgery and histopathologic analyses were retrospectively reviewed. The presence of residual normal parathyroid in the lesion on US imaging, which was defined as the residual parathyroid sign in this study, was reviewed and correlated with histopathologic results. RESULTS: In the intraoperative US group, 23 parathyroid glands were scanned intraoperatively, and 21 (91.3%) were hyperechoic, homogeneous in texture, and oval. In the routine percutaneous US group, 106 parathyroid glands were found in total, and 96 (90.5%) of the glands had hyperechoic and homogeneous echogenicity, with 75 (70.8%) being oval. In the review of parathyroid diseases, 33 parathyroid glands in 30 cases were reviewed, with a positive residual parathyroid sign in 7 (21.2%) parathyroid glands, presenting with a hyperechoic rim in the margin, and 4 of them (12.1%) were confirmed by histopathologic results. CONCLUSIONS: The normal parathyroid had hyperechoic echogenicity on both intraoperative and percutaneous US imaging. Residual tissue of parathyroid glands can also be observed in some parathyroid abnormalities with an echogenic appearance on US imaging and confirmed by histopathologic results.

[Renal damage of indium sulfate on rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the renal damage of indium sulfate. METHODS: 32 healthy Wistar rats were randomly and equally divided into 3 dose groups( 52. 3 mg/kg、104. 6 mg/kg 261. 4 mg/kg) and one negative control group. Indium sulfate were orally given once a day successively 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Each group of rats was collected24 hour urine after the end of the posion. We tested the content of Cr, BUN, T-AOC, ALB in serum and the GSH activity in kidney by kids and detected the ß2-MG content in serum and urine by ELISA test. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry( ICP-MS)method was used to detect the content of indium in whole blood, urine and kidney tissue of rats. Hematoxylin and eosin( H&E) staining was used to detect histological changes. RESULTS: During the experiment, all the rats were normal in activities, feed and drinking water, and they developed stably. In the period of seventh weeks and eighth weeks, the body weight of rats in high dose group was significantly lower than the control group( P <0. 05). Compared with the control group[( 1. 27 ± 0. 55), ( 0. 40 ± 0. 01) and( 0. 30 ±0. 06) µg/L], 3 dose group of indium in blood[( 44. 10 ± 23. 10), ( 52. 08 ± 21. 03) and( 67. 42 ± 45. 98) µg/L], urine[( 0. 72 ± 0. 13), ( 2. 75 ± 0. 15) and( 4. 31 ± 0. 33)µg/L]and kidney [( 1. 36 ± 0. 83), ( 1. 52 ± 0. 49) and( 2. 87 ± 0. 20) µg/L] were significantly increased( P < 0. 05). The level of Cr in serum in the high dose group were significantly higher than that in the control group [( 66. 06 ± 18. 62) and( 46. 53 ± 7. 95)µmol/L, P < 0. 05], the serum BUN content[( 3. 98 ± 0. 82) and( 4. 09 ± 0. 71) mmol/L] in the high dose group and middle dose group were significantly lower than the control group [( 4. 77 ± 0. 49) mmol/L, P < 0. 05]. Compared with the control group, 3 dose group of the ß2-MG in serum and urine were significantly increased( P < 0. 05), and the level of T-AOC[( 4. 87 ± 2. 36), ( 4. 50 ± 2. 33) and( 4. 00 ± 3. 29) U/m L] in serum and GSH[( 6. 41 ± 1. 86), ( 5. 06 ± 2. 09) and( 2. 77 ± 2. 64) µmol/( g prot) ] in renal tissue were significantly decreased[( 15. 20 ± 5. 43) U/m L and( 14. 74 ± 6. 47) µmol/( g prot), P < 0. 05]. Compared with the control group, the middle and high dose exposure group had significant inflammatory pathological changes, mainly manifested as glomerular swelling, renal tubular structure abnormalities and inflammatory cell infiltration. CONCLUSION: Indium sulfate can cause the accumulation of indium in the kidney, oxidative damage, pathological changes and dysfunction in the kidney of rats.

[Study and Discuss on Examining and Approving Medical Device Advertisement in China].

This paper summarizes the historical development and main features on the laws and regulations of medical device advertisement in China, and puts forward the suggestions on examining and approving medical device advertisement. To insure the quality of examining and approving medical device advertisement, standardize the order of releasing medical device advertisement, medical device advertising reviewers should know well the laws and regulations of medical device advertisement in China and improve the level of examining and approving medical device advertisement.

[CK7, CK20, SOX10 and CDX2: expressions and diagnostic values in primary adenocarcinoma of the sinonasal tract].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the expressions of the cytokeratin 7 (CK7), cytokeratin 20 (CK20), SOX10 and cadual type homeobox transcription factor 2 (CDX2) in primary adenocarcinoma of the sinonasal tract, and evaluate their diagnostic values. METHODS: A total of 41 paraffin-embeded specimens of primary adenocarcinoma of the sinonasal tract treated in Beijing Tongren Hospital of Capital Medical University were selected from May 2002 to January 2015. All cases were confirmed by histology and clinical data, including 12 cases of non-intestinal sinonasal adenocarcinomas (non-ITACs), 10 cases of intestinal sinonasal adenocarcinomas (ITACs) and 19 cases of salivary gland-type adenocarcinomas (including 12 cases of adenoid cystic carcinomas, 3 cases of polymorphous low grade adenocarcinomas, 2 cases of mucinous adenocarcinomas and 2 cases of acinar cell carcinomas). Expressions of CK7, CK20, SOX10 and CDX2 were assessed by immunohistochemistry staining method. RESULTS: Nuclear staining for CDX2 was identified in all the ITACs,including diffuse nuclear staining in 8 cases and partial nuclear staining in 2 cases. Cytoplasmic staining for CK20 was identified in 9 cases of ITACs, and partial cytoplasmic staining was found in 1 case of non-ITACs, while CK20 was negative in all other adenocarcinomas.Seven cases of ITACs were negative for CK7, while CK7 was positive in all other adenocarcinomas. CK7, but not CDX2 and CK20, was expressed in normal sinonasal epithelium. SOX10 was negative in 10 cases of ITACs and 2 cases of non-ITACs, and positive in all other adenocarcinomas. The sensitivity of CK7-, CK20+, SOX10- and CDX2+ in primary ITACs of the sinonasal tract were 70.0%, 90.0%, 100%, 100%, respectively, and the specificity were 100%, 96.8%, 93.5%, 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Expressions of CK7-, CK20+, SOX10- and CDX2+ have high sensitivity and specificity in ITACs and can be used as a reliable diagnostic marker for primary intestinal-type adenocarcinoma of the sinonasal tract. Additionally, diagnostic value of CDX2 in primary intestinal-type adenocarcinoma of the sinonasal tract is superior to CK20, CK7 and SOX10.

[Middle ear adenoma: clinical and pathologic analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical and pathologic features of middle ear adenoma (MEA). METHODS: Eight cases of MEA were collected from Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University between 2004 and 2014, and immunohistochemical staining was performed. RESULTS: The patients included five women and three men (mean age, 37.5 years; median 37 years; range, 21-51 years). All patients had unilateral lesions. Five MEA occurred on the left side, and three on the right. In seven patients the MEA was primary, and they presented with hearing loss (6 cases), tinnitus (5 cases), sense of ear blockage (3 cases), otalgia (1 case) and facial nerve paralysis (1 case). The remaining patient had recurrent MEA, and presented with otorrhea, aural fullness and tinnitus. Histologically, the tumor cells were arranged in a variety of patterns, including solid sheets, nests, glands, ribbons or trabeculae. Glandular structures were prominent in one case only. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were diffusely positive for keratin (8/8) and vimentin (8/8), and focally positive for CK 7(8/8) and CK5/6(8/8). CK7 and CK5/6 were predominantly positive in tumor cells with glandular growth pattern; CK7 was positive in the luminal cells while CK5/6 was positive in the abluminal cells. Both were also expressed focally in scattered tumor cells with non-glandular pattern. The tumor cells were also diffusely positive for synaptophysin(8/8), diffusely but weakly positive for NSE (5/8), and were diffusely or focally positive for chromogranin A (4/8). Both S-100 protein and calponin were negative in all cases. The proliferation rate was low, about 1%-2%. Six cases were followed up for one year and three months to ten years and six months, with an average follow-up period of four years and two months. Two patients developed recurrence, but there were no regional or distant metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of MEA requires pathologic confirmation since the clinical symptoms are non-specific. MEA can show a variety of histologic patterns, and should be distinguished from other space-occupying lesions at this site. Immunohistochemical staining has greatly contributed to the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of MEA. The prognosis of this tumor is good. Patients with MEA require long-term follow-up for recurrences.

N-acetylcysteine alleviated silica-induced lung fibrosis in rats by down-regulation of ROS and mitochondrial apoptosis signaling.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a normal metabolic product of cellular respiration, but too much ROS can induce cell apoptosis. Here, we used N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to inhibit ROS activity to explore the effects of NAC on silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats and provide evidence for study on the mechanism of silicosis. 24 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 180-220 g were randomly divided into three groups with eight rats in each group. Silicosis model group and NAC group were adopted non-tracheal exposure method of disposable intrapulmonary injection of 50 g/L, silica suspension 1 mL to establish animal silicosis model, NAC group treated with 600 mg/kg NAC by gavage from the right day of modeling, all animals were sacrificed after 28 days. The level of ROS contents and mitochondrial transmembrane potential changes of AM, the mRNA expression level of type I and type III procollagen, cytochrome C, cysteinyl aspartate specific protease-9 and caspase-3 were detected. The severity of pathological changes and pulmonary fibrosis were observed by pathologic specimens. It was showed that ROS contents and MTP changes were lower in the NAC group compared with the silicosis model group, other indexes were lower in the NAC group than the model group, but higher than those of the control group, the degree of lung fibrotic lesions observed from the pathological slices showed the same trend. These data indicated that NAC can reduce ROS content of AM in silica exposure rats, the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway can also be inhibited, the severity of pulmonary fibrosis alleviated as a result.

[Investigation on the psychological quality of mine rescue staff].

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the psychological quality and its influencing factors of mine rescue staff. METHODS: A total of 310 on front line rescue staff from the mines in Tangshan were sampled by random cluster sampling method.Our own designed measurement tools for psychological quality, including Eysenck personality questionnaire (EPQ), attention test scale, willpower test scale and reactive agility test were used to investigate the psychological quality of mine rescue staff. All tests were conducted in quiet state.Other information including age, length of service for rescue, sex, education, smoking and drinking, and so on were collected at the same time. The mood and influencing factors on psychological quality of the rescue staff were also analyzed. RESULTS: The personality traits of mine rescue staff are close to the national norm.0.6% (2/310) staff showed weak willpower.20.7% (64/310) staff had unstable mood. The E and N factor scores in 20-29 years old group (12.7 ± 4.3 and 12.1 ± 5.1) were higher than 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 years old groups (E factor scores:11.4 ± 3.9, 10.6 ± 3.7 and 10.7 ± 3.9; N factor scores:11.0 ± 5.1, 9.4 ± 4.9 and 6.3 ± 3.4, respectively) (FE = 4.28, FN = 11.35, all P < 0.01) . The L factor score in 40-49 and 50-58 years old groups (13.0 ± 4.2 and 14.8 ± 3.6) were higher than 20-29 and 30-39 years old groups (11.5 ± 3.8 and 12.2 ± 3.8) (F = 6.08, P < 0.01) . Multivariate analysis found that the psychological quality of mine rescue staff was mainly influenced by the length of service (ß'E factor = -0.12, ß'willpower = -0.12), the amount of participating rescue (ß'P factor = 0.12, ß'N factor = -0.14), alerting duty (ß'L factor = 0.16, ß 'error number of target tracking = -0.161) , daily training (ß'attention = 0.22,ß'total number of aimed at the test = -0.18) and life events (ß'N factor = -0.14,ß'L factor = 0.13,ß'correct number of target tracking = -0.18). CONCLUSION: The mine rescue staff had high level psychological quality, length of service. the amount of participating rescue, and life events in the year effect the psychological quality of mine rescue staff.

[Determination of cyanamide in workplace air by high-performance liquid chromatography].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a method for determining cyanamide in workplace air by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). METHODS: Air samples were collected from the workplace using the shock absorption tube containing water solution at a rate of 2.8∼3.0 ml/min for 60 min; dansyl chloride was used as a derivatization reagent to conduct pre-column derivatization, and the procedure was as follows: acetone solution (2.5 ml), mixed solution (1.0 ml) containing 0.016 mol/L Na2CO3 and 0.184 mol/L NaHCO3, and 10 mg/ml acetone solution of dansyl chloride (0.5 ml) were added into the samples, and reaction proceeded in a water bath (50 °C) for 1 h. HPLC was performed on an ODS C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 üm) with a mobile phase of acetonitrile-phosphate buffer (35:65) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min and a column temperature of 25°C; a fluorescence detector was used at an excitation wavelength of 360 nm and an emission wavelength of 495 nm. RESULTS: The minimum detectable concentration of cyanamide was 0.05 üg/ml; a good linear relationship was noted when the concentration of cyanamide was 0.2∼100.0 üg/ml; the intraday relative standard deviation (RSD) was 0.28%∼1.18%, and the interday RSD was 0.22∼2.16%; the recovery rate was 95.7%∼103.0%, and the sampling efficiency was 95.8%∼96.9%. Water solution of cyanamide (pH<6.5) could be stable in the dark at room temperature for 7 d. CONCLUSION: This method is stable, reliable, easy to operate, and highly sensitive and suitable for determination of cyanamide in workplace air.

[Investigation on psychological stress of mine emergency rescue personnel].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate psychological stress and influence factors on the mine emergency rescue personnel. METHOD: 564 mine emergency rescue personnel from a rescue group were select as subjects, and 60 designers from a steel design institute were as controls. Self-made questionnaire and general job stress questionnaire were used to investigate the basic information, rescue history, psychosomatic symptoms, depression symptoms, daily job stress and negative emotions of emergency rescue personnel. SPSS17.0 software was used to analysis the psychological stress on the mine rescue personnel and its influence factors. RESULTS: The detection rate (41.94%) of depression symptoms in rescue team was higher than that of controls (24.90%). The score of daily job stress was higher than that of logistical support. The older age group with higher negative emotional and daily job stress than the younger. The highest negative emotion was in age group of more than 40 years old. The highest score of daily job stress was in ≤30 years old. The score of depression and psychosomatic symptoms were higher than those of the college and the above. The scores of depression in group of duration of rescue <10 years was higher than that of duration≥10 years. The score of daily job stress is the lowest in rescue for 1 to 2 times per year and the highest in group of simulation training once a week. The score of daily job stress and depressive symptoms were getting higher with the extension of combat duty time. Age, hours of combat duty, training times a week, education and life events were the main affecting fectors on mental health of mine rescuers. CONCLUSIONS: Mine rescuers have more psychological stress than generic population. The psychological stress of the mine crew is related to age, education, life events, training and combat readiness duty time.

Dynamic simulation of the water-land-food nexus for the sustainable agricultural development in the North China Plain.

Inter-regional trade of agricultural products based on the flow of agricultural virtual resources is of great importance for sustainable agricultural development. We focused on grain crops (rice, wheat and maize) in the North China Plain (NCP), and used the Penman-Monteith equation to simulate crop water requirements. We further analyzed the flow of virtual land and virtual water associated with the grain trade using an environmentally expanded multi-regional input-output model. The coupling coordination of land, water, and food was evaluated to assess the rationality of regional agricultural production resource allocation. Between 2007 and 2017, agricultural virtual land and virtual water embodied in the grain trade between the NCP and other areas increased by 48.10 % and 34.41 %, respectively, indicating that the NCP is gradually consolidating its position as the main production area and distribution center of crops in China. Agricultural virtual resources in the NCP were mainly transported to the southeast coastal region, with an overall trend of resource movement from north to south. The total supply of agricultural land and water resources markedly increased in the NCP, whereas the transfer of virtual resources across regions showed a decreasing trend. Because of the irrational structure of crop cultivation and unevenness of regional resource allocation, the coupling coordination of the water-land-food nexus in the NCP is much lower than the national average. This study provides important information on the trade flows and coupling relationships of virtual water and land resources of three major food crops, which will help to alleviate resource pressure in agricultural production and promote sustainable agricultural development in the NCP.

Tele-connecting local consumption to cultivated land use and hidden drivers in China.

China faces significant pressure on cultivated land resources due to the accelerated pace of urbanization in recent years. The study of embodied cultivated land offers a new perspective on alleviating pressure on cultivated land between different regions. However, the temporal dynamics characteristic and the intersectoral linkages of embodied cultivated land have rarely been systematically described. Therefore, we applied an environmental extended multi-regional input-output approach to analyze the spatial patterns and flow relationships of virtual cultivated land (VCL) between regional, provincial and sectoral scale in China from 2007 to 2017, considering both temporal and spatial dimensions. Then, we explored the hidden drivers of VCL change using structural decomposition analysis (SDA). Our results showed that trade embodied cultivated land increase by 8.5 % from 2007 to 2017. The flow trend is primarily flowed out from the less developed northwest China but with abundant cultivated land to the more developed regions of the southeast coast. Especially, in 2015, the net outflow of VCL from the northwest region reached 15.82 Mha, which was the maximum value during the study period. In addition, agricultural and construction sector were the major land consumption sector. VCL consumed by the agricultural sector declined 12.51 %, while the VCL consumed by construction sector had a significant growth in 2007-2017. Furthermore, the results of SDA revealed that cultivated land use intensity and per capita final demand were the main factors causing changes in embodied cultivated land. The results can help clarify the responsible parties for land consumption and provide a guarantee for alleviating the pressure on regional cultivated land resources.

[Delineation of water ecological restoration zoning from a multi-dimensional perspective: A case study in Hechi, a typical karst region]. / 多维视角下水生态修复分区划定­­ä»¥å ¸åž‹å–€æ–¯ç‰¹åœ°åŒºæ²³æ± 市为例.

Water ecological restoration zoning, which involves articulating goals for restoring water ecosystems upwards and guiding the spatial layout of restoration projects downwards, is key to achieving systematic restoration of water resource elements. There are many challenges in water ecological restoration zoning, including disparate hierarchical systems, incomplete indicators, and vague boundaries. With Guangxi Hechi, a karst ecologically fragile region, as a case, we developed a multidimensional zoning system framework based on "watershed natural unit-dominant ecological function-ecological stress risk". The first-level zoning employed river systems and geomorphic types as indicators and delineated the sub-watershed unit as the boundary. The second-level zoning adopted a "top-down" division method to clarify the goal of water ecological restoration based on watershed natural geography and select three indicators (water conservation, biodiversity, and landscape cultural services) for evaluation. We used the K-means clustering method to identify dominant ecological functions in spatial units, with the sub-watershed unit demarcating second-level zoning boundaries. The third-level zoning was the specific implementation unit for ecological restoration projects. We used three indicators (soil erosion, flooding risk, and human interference) to characterize water ecosystem risk from external coercion, and defined the third-level zoning. We delineated 11 primary water ecological zones, four secondary zones, and three tertiary zones. Synthesizing tertiary zoning results accounted for spatial differentiation characteristics of watershed natural geography, dominant ecological functions, and ecological coercion risks, and combining sub-watershed and township administrative units determined zoning boundaries, water ecological restoration zoning was comprehensively classified into five categories and 32 sub-ecological zones. Corresponding ecological restoration strategies were proposed based on zoning and classification.

A Differential Protein Study on Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid at Different Stages of Silicosis.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, by comparing the difference in protein expression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid between silicosis patients in different stages and healthy controls, the pathogenesis of pneumoconiosis was discussed, and a new idea for the prevention and treatment of pneumoconiosis was provided. METHODS: The lung lavage fluid was pretreated by 10 K ultrafiltration tube, Agilent 1100 conventional liquid phase separation, strong cation exchange column (SCX) HPLC pre-separation, and C18 reverse phase chromatography desalting purification, and protein was labeled with isotope. GO, KEGG pathway, and PPI analysis of differential proteins were conducted by bioinformatics, and protein types and corresponding signal pathways were obtained. RESULTS: Thermo Q-Exactive mass spectrometry identified 943 proteins. T-test analysis was used to evaluate the different significance of the results, and the different protein of each group was obtained by screening with the Ratio≥1.2 or Ratio≤0.83 and P<0.05. We found that there are 16 kinds of protein throughout the process of silicosis. There are different expressions of protein in stages III/control, stages II/control, stage I/control, stages III/ stages II, stages III/ stage I and stages II/ stage I groups. The results of ontology enrichment analysis of total differential protein genes show that KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of differential protein suggested that there were nine pathways related to silicosis. CONCLUSION: The main biological changes in the early stage of silicosis are glycolysis or gluconeogenesis, autoimmunity, carbon metabolism, phagocytosis, etc., and microfibril-associated glycoprotein 4 may be involved in the early stage of silicosis. The main biological changes in the late stage of silicosis are autoimmunity, intercellular adhesion, etc. Calcium hippocampus binding protein may participate in the biological changes in the late stage of silicosis. It provides a new idea to understand the pathogenesis of silicosis and also raises new questions for follow-up research.