[Meteorological Impact Assessment of PM2.5 and O3 Complex Pollution in Key Regions of China Based on Meteorological Conditions Index].

Meteorological conditions play a key role in the occurrence and evolution of atmospheric complex pollution. Considering the different pollution formation mechanisms of PM2.5 and O3, statistical calculation and in-depth learning methods were used to construct the PM2.5 and O3 meteorological condition indexes based on long-term pollution meteorological observation data. A research method was developed to study the meteorological characteristics and impact contribution of atmospheric complex pollution by using the meteorological condition index, and quantitative analysis of the distribution and variation of pollution excluding the influence of regional meteorological differences was also conducted. The results showed that in the summer of 2021, the pollution meteorological conditions in the key regions in central and eastern China were generally worse in the north and better in the south(index:"2+26" cities>the border area of Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, and Henan>the Yangtze River Delta) and the worst in June and the best in July. The "double high" pollution began to appear when the PM2.5 meteorological condition index>30 and O3 meteorological condition index>100; meanwhile, the unfavorable meteorological conditions for O3 also promoted the increase in PM2.5 concentration, resulting in the frequency of "double high" increases with the increase in O3 meteorological condition index. Compared with that during the same period last year, ρ(PM2.5) of each region decreased by 3.9 µg·m-3, 3.3 µg·m-3, and 1.4 µg·m-3 due to the contribution of the improvement in the pollution meteorological conditions, which is nearly 58.5% on average of the total decrease in PM2.5 concentration. However, the change in O3 pollution meteorological conditions was better in the north and worse in the south, and the overall deterioration in the Yangtze River Delta Region led to approximately 2.8 µg·m-3 growth for the O3 concentration. The PM2.5 and O3 concentrations after excluding the impact of meteorological differences showed different distribution characteristics from the air quality monitoring, in which the high concentrations of PM2.5 were distributed along the Bohai Sea, the inter-provincial border, and the south of the region, whereas the high concentrations of O3 were concentrated along the Taihang Mountains, around Mount Tai, and in parts of the Yangtze River Delta. The daily concentration variations in a single city during a specific pollution control period could be used as a basis for evaluating the effectiveness of local supervision and control, which will provide a reference for the dynamic supervision and daily scheduling of local control management.

[Effect of Clean Heating on Carbonaceous Aerosols in PM2.5 During the Heating Period in Baoding].

In order to study the effects of clean heating measures on the concentration and source of carbonaceous aerosols in PM2.5 in Baoding, we collected PM2.5 samples in Baoding during the winter heating periods of 2014 and 2019. The concentrations of OC and EC in the samples were determined by using a DRI Model 2001A thermo-optical carbon analyzer.The results showed that the average values of ρ(OC) and ρ(EC) in the heating period in 2014 were 60.92 µg·m-3 and 18.15 µg·m-3, and the average values of ρ(OC) and ρ(EC) in the heating period in 2019 were 36.63 µg·m-3 and 6.07 µg·m-3. Compared with those in 2014, the concentrations of OC and EC decreased by 39.87% and 66.56%, respectively, in 2019; the decrease in EC was larger than that in OC, and the meteorological conditions in 2019 were more severe than those in 2014, which was not conducive to the spread of pollutants.The correlation analysis and SOC estimation of OC and EC indicated that the correlation R2 of OC and EC in Baoding in 2014 and 2019 were 0.874 and 0.811, respectively, indicating that OC and EC in Baoding had relatively consistent sources. The average values of ρ(SOC) in 2014 and 2019 were 16.59 µg·m-3 and 11.31 µg·m-3, respectively, and the contribution rates to OC were 27.23% and 30.87%, respectively. This showed that in 2019, compared with that in 2014, the primary pollution decreased, but the secondary pollution increased, and the atmospheric oxidation increased.The analysis of the pollution sources of carbonaceous aerosols revealed that in 2014 and 2019 before and after the implementation of clean heating, the carbonaceous aerosols in the atmosphere were mainly from biomass combustion, coal combustion, and vehicle exhaust emissions. However, the contribution from biomass burning and coal burning decreased in 2019 compared to that in 2014. The decrease in OC and EC concentrations was attributed to the control of coal-fired and biomass-fired sources by clean heating. At the same time, the implementation of clean heating measures reduced the contribution of primary emissions to carbonaceous aerosols in PM2.5 in Baoding City.

Angioplasty for Supra-Aortic Arterial Lesions from Takayasu Arteritis: Efficacy of Cutting Balloon Angioplasty Versus Conventional Balloon Angioplasty.

BACKGROUND: This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cutting balloon angioplasty and conventional balloon angioplasty in supra-aortic arterial lesions caused by Takayasu arteritis. METHODS: A total of 46 patients with supra-aortic arterial lesions between January 2011 and December 2018 were included. Cutting balloon angioplasty was applied for 17 patients with 24 supra-aortic arterial lesions (group A), while 29 patients with 36 supra-aortic arterial lesions received conventional balloon angioplasty (group B). The preoperative clinical manifestation, operation result, and postoperative outcomes were recorded and compared in the 2 groups. RESULTS: Dizziness, visual disturbance, and unequal/absent pulses were the most common manifestations. The technical success of revascularization was 93.5% (43/46) in patients and 93.3% (56/60) in lesions. The stent implantation rate in group A was significantly lower than that in group B (4.2% vs. 50% in lesions, P < 0.05). Restenosis was the most common complication in both groups. Although the early (≤30 days) and late (>30 days) complications in group A were less than those in group B, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). Moreover, the primary-assisted patency of cutting balloon angioplasty and conventional balloon angioplasty at 1, 2, and 5 years were 66.7%, 62.5%, and 62.5% and 61.1%, 58.2%, and 49.8%, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups (P > 0.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with conventional balloon angioplasty, cutting balloon angioplasty could be considered a safe and effective alternative for supra-aortic arterial lesions caused by Takayasu arteritis, demonstrating better patency and clinical benefit.

Investigation and influencing factors about well-being level of elderly chronic patients during COVID-19 postpandemic period in Beijing.

ABSTRACT: The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has huge impacts on the world, including human health and economic decline. The COVID-19 has severe infectivity, especially the elderly with chronic diseases will cause various complications after infection and accelerate the disease process. In addition, COVID-19 will also affect their mental health. Therefore, the mental health of elderly patients with chronic diseases cannot be ignored. The aim of this study was to investigate the well-being level of elderly people with chronic disease during COVID-19 postpandemic period in Beijing and analysis related influencing factors, so as to provide a basis for improving the well-being level of elderly chronic patients during the postpandemic period.Elderly patients with chronic diseases who met the inclusion criteria in 5 different administrative regions in Beijing were selected to carry out a questionnaire survey. The contents of the questionnaire included general data, the Memorial University of Newfoundland Happiness scale and the awareness situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed by WeChat and 486 valid questionnaires were collected. The t test and one-way analysis of variance were used to compare Memorial University of Newfoundland Happiness scores between 2 or more groups, multiple linear regression analysis was used to conduct multiple factor analysis to explore the related factors about well-being level of elderly chronic patients.A total of 109 cases (22.43%) were evaluated high well-being level, 319 cases (65.64%) were evaluated moderate well-being level and 58 cases (11.93%) were evaluated low well-being according to the Memorial University of Newfoundland Happiness (MUNSH) scores rating. The multiple linear regression indicated that the education level, number of chronic diseases, medical expenses, frequency of children's visits, taking care of grandchildren or not, and group activity frequency significantly affected the well-being of patients with chronic diseases during COVID-19 postpandemic period in Beijing (P < .05).Most elderly patients with chronic diseases had moderate or above sense of well-being during postpandemic period, but we should still pay attention to the mental health of those elderly chronic patients with low education level, much comorbidity, more medical expenses, less visits by children, not take care of grandchildren and never participate in group activities.

Analysis of psychological status and effect of psychological intervention in quarantined population during the epidemic of SARS-CoV-2.

ABSTRACT: During outbreaks of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many countries adopted quarantine to slow the spread of the virus of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Quarantine will cause isolation from families, friends, and the public, which consequently leads to serious psychological pressure with potentially long-lasting effects on the quarantined population. Experience of specific practices to improve the psychological status of the mandatory quarantined population was limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychological impact of mandatory quarantine, and evaluate the effect of psychological intervention on the quarantined population.We conducted a prospective cohort study to assess and manage the psychological status of a mandatory quarantined population in Beijing, China. A total of 638 individuals completed 2 questionnaires and were enrolled in this study, of which 372 participants accepted designed psychological intervention while other 266 participants refused it. The SCL-90 questionnaire was used to evaluate the psychological status and its change before and after the intervention. The differences of SCL-90 factor scores between participants and the national norm group were assessed by 2 samples t test. While the SCL-90 factor scores before and after intervention were compared with 2 paired samples t test.Compared with the Chinese norms of SCL-90, the participants had higher SCL-90 factor scores in most items of the SCL-90 inventory. The SCL-90 factor scores of participants with psychological intervention significantly decreased in somatization, obsessive-compulsive, depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism. In contrast, most factor scores of the SCL-90 inventory changed little without statistical significance in participants without psychological intervention.Psychological problems should be emphasized in the quarantined individuals and professional psychological intervention was a feasible approach to improve the psychological status of the mandatory quarantined population in the epidemic of SARS-CoV-2.

[Analysis of Characteristics and Causes of a Typical Haze Pollution in Beijing in the Winter of 2019].

In order to study the pollution characteristics and causes of winter haze pollution in Beijing, a typical PM2.5 pollution process in Beijing in December 2019 was used as the analysis object using aerosol vertical detection data, boundary layer meteorological field and near-ground turbulence data, and the difference in haze. The characteristics of the pollution stage and the evolution of the physical and chemical characteristics of the boundary layer were comprehensively analyzed. The results showed that ① the pollution process in Beijing during the observation period lasted 5 d and experienced two generations and eliminations. The maximum hourly PM2.5 concentration was 220 µg·m-3 and the time exceeding the severe pollution standard was 64 h, thereby accounting for 53% of the total time. ② The aerosol optical properties and meteorological field observation data showed that the pollution originated from the regional transmission of aerosols and water vapor on the surface of the southwest urban agglomeration in Beijing, which accounted for 48% of the total pollution transmission, followed by a stable high-altitude situation and ground pressure field configuration. The near-surface layer maintained weak southerly winds (wind speed: 1-2 m·s-1), a strong inversion temperature close to the ground ï¼»0.8 K·(100 m)-1ï¼½, high humidity (relative humidity above 80%), and other unfavorable diffusion weather conditions, thereby promoting the accumulation of pollutants and the conversion of moisture absorption. Superimposing local pollution emissions were the main reasons for the maintenance of haze days. In addition, the near-ground extinction coefficient increased from 0.070 km-1 to 5.954 km-1, and the depolarization ratio decreased from 0.05 to 0.02 during the two pollution generation and disappearance processes, thereby indicating that the spherical characteristics of aerosols gradually became significant as the pollution increased. ③ The analysis of the turbulence observation data showed that the characteristic quantities of different pollution stages were significantly different and negatively correlated with the pollutant concentration. Before the occurrence of heavy pollution, the turbulence statistics (turbulence intensity, friction velocity, and turbulent kinetic energy) suddenly decreased from high values (the hourly variation rate was 77%, thereby far exceeding the daily fluctuation of 33%), and the turbulence intensity responded first. During the pollution accumulation stage, the friction velocity (0.04-0.21 m·s-1), turbulence intensity (average: 0.678 m2·s-2), and turbulence energy (average: 0.643 m2·s-2) were maintained at a low level, and the bottom atmosphere had a poor mixing and diffusion ability, which is important for continuous pollution accumulation. Four hours before the end of the pollution event, the turbulence intensity again showed a sharp increase (increment of more than one order of magnitude); thus, the turbulence intensity can be used as a predictive indicator of the occurrence and end of a heavy pollution event, and the response time is the same as the continuous turbulence intensity after the turbulence peak. In addition, the sensible heat fluxes on sunny days and haze days were both transported from the ground to the atmosphere, and showed clear daily single-peak changes. The sensible heat flux on haze days (20 W·m-2) was smaller than that on sunny days (60 W·m-2). The latent heat flux was approximately 0 W·m-2 in the whole process. ④ There was a feedback effect between the meteorological conditions of the pollution layer and the boundary layer. On the one hand, unfavorable diffusion of the meteorological conditions was conducive to the accumulation of pollution. On the other hand, the aerosol layer and water vapor cooling effect that accumulated near the ground were worse than the night cooling radiation on the inversion layer The contribution was greater, thereby further inhibiting the development of turbulent motion and ultimately resulting in increased pollution.

[Clinical Features of Coccidioidomycosis:Analysis of 33 Chinese Cases].

Objective To summarize the characteristics of Chinese coccidioidomycosis cases, improve the diagnosis and treatment of this disease and prevent misdiagnosis as well as therapeutic error.Methods Search in databases including Medline,Wanfang,and CNKI using "Coccidioidomycosis" and "China" as index words yielded 23 articles that reported a total of 32 Chinese coccidioidomycosis cases.In addition,one patient with disseminated coccidioidomycos was treated in our center in April 2016.The demographic data,site of infection,clinical manifestations,past medical history,exposure history,imaging and laboratory findings,and pathological features of these 33 patients were analyzed.Results Among these 33 patients,7(21.2%)had visited an epidemic area and 6(18.2%)were immunocompromised.The disease involved the respiratory system,skin,bone,central nervous system,cornea,and stomach in 24,6,3,2,1,and 1 patients,respectively.Eight patients (24.2%) had multiple system involvement,and three of them died.The imaging findings included pulmonary nodules(n=14),mediastinal lymphadenopathy(n=5),solid shadow(n=4),cavity(n=4),pleural effusion(n=3),multiple plaques(n=2)and masses(n=2).Coccidiolys cysts were detected in the affected tissues(n=28)or in pus,exudate or pleural smear(n=3);in addition,coccidioides mycelium and spores were found in the sputum,pus,and tissue cultures in 4 cases,among whom only 2 cases were confirmed by serological examination.The treatments included triazoles(n=20),systemic or local administration of amphotericin B(n=13),surgical resection of the lesion(n=8),and intravenous gamma globulin(n=1).Five patients died,among whom three had underlying diseases that caused immunosuppression and one was an infant.The prognoses were relatively good in the remaining patients.Conclusions Early diagnosis and proper treatment can achieve good prognosis in coccidioidomycosis patients.Multi-system involvement and immunosuppression are risk factors for poor prognosis of coccidioidomycosis.For these patients,adequate and full-course medication may prevent rapid disease progression.

Transcriptomic Insights into the Response of the Olfactory Bulb to Selenium Treatment in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the presence of extracellular senile plaques primarily composed of Aß peptides and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) composed of hyperphosphorylated tau proteins. Olfactory dysfunction is an early clinical phenotype in AD and was reported to be attributable to the presence of NFTs, senile Aß plaques in the olfactory bulb (OB). Our previous research found that selenomethionine (Se-Met), a major form of selenium (Se) in organisms, effectively increased oxidation resistance as well as reduced the generation and deposition of Aß and tau hyperphosphorylation in the olfactory bulb of a triple transgenic mouse model of AD (3×Tg-AD), thereby suggesting a potential therapeutic option for AD. In this study, we further investigated changes in the transcriptome data of olfactory bulb tissues of 7-month-old triple transgenic AD (3×Tg-AD) mice treated with Se-Met (6 µg/mL) for three months. Comparison of the gene expression profile between Se-Met-treated and control mice revealed 143 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Among these genes, 21 DEGs were upregulated and 122 downregulated. The DEGs were then annotated against the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. The results show that upregulated genes can be roughly classified into three types. Some of them mainly regulate the regeneration of nerves, such as Fabp7, Evt5 and Gal; some are involved in improving cognition and memory, such as Areg; and some are involved in anti-oxidative stress and anti-apoptosis, such as Adcyap1 and Scg2. The downregulated genes are mainly associated with inflammation and apoptosis, such as Lrg1, Scgb3a1 and Pglyrp1. The reliability of the transcriptomic data was validated by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) for the selected genes. These results were in line with our previous study, which indicated therapeutic effects of Se-Met on AD mice, providing a theoretical basis for further study of the treatment of AD by Se-Met.

[Correlation coefficient-based classification method of hydrological dependence variability: With auto-regression model as example]. / åŸºäºŽç›¸å ³ç³»æ•°çš„æ°´æ–‡ç›¸ä¾æ€§å˜å¼‚åˆ†çº§æ–¹æ³•­­ä»¥è‡ªå›žå½’模型为例.

Hydrological process evaluation is temporal dependent. Hydrological time series including dependence components do not meet the data consistency assumption for hydrological computation. Both of those factors cause great difficulty for water researches. Given the existence of hydrological dependence variability, we proposed a correlationcoefficient-based method for significance evaluation of hydrological dependence based on auto-regression model. By calculating the correlation coefficient between the original series and its dependence component and selecting reasonable thresholds of correlation coefficient, this method divided significance degree of dependence into no variability, weak variability, mid variability, strong variability, and drastic variability. By deducing the relationship between correlation coefficient and auto-correlation coefficient in each order of series, we found that the correlation coefficient was mainly determined by the magnitude of auto-correlation coefficient from the 1 order to p order, which clarified the theoretical basis of this method. With the first-order and second-order auto-regression models as examples, the reasonability of the deduced formula was verified through Monte-Carlo experiments to classify the relationship between correlation coefficient and auto-correlation coefficient. This method was used to analyze three observed hydrological time series. The results indicated the coexistence of stochastic and dependence characteristics in hydrological process.

Invisibility Cloak Printed on a Photonic Chip.

Invisibility cloak capable of hiding an object can be achieved by properly manipulating electromagnetic field. Such a remarkable ability has been shown in transformation and ray optics. Alternatively, it may be realistic to create a spatial cloak by means of confining electromagnetic field in three-dimensional arrayed waveguides and introducing appropriate collective curvature surrounding an object. We realize the artificial structure in borosilicate by femtosecond laser direct writing, where we prototype up to 5,000 waveguides to conceal millimeter-scale volume. We characterize the performance of the cloak by normalized cross correlation, tomography analysis and continuous three-dimensional viewing angle scan. Our results show invisibility cloak can be achieved in waveguide optics. Furthermore, directly printed invisibility cloak on a photonic chip may enable controllable study and novel applications in classical and quantum integrated photonics, such as invisualising a coupling or swapping operation with on-chip circuits of their own.

Amiloride attenuates lipopolysaccharide-accelerated atherosclerosis via inhibition of NHE1-dependent endothelial cell apoptosis.

AIM: To investigate the effects of the potassium-sparing diuretic amiloride on endothelial cell apoptosis during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-accelerated atherosclerosis. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were exposed to LPS (100 ng/mL) in the presence of drugs tested. The activity of Na(+)/H(+) exchanger 1 (NHE1) and calpain, intracellular free Ca(2+)level ([Ca(2+)](i)), as well as the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in the cells were measured. For in vivo study, ApoE-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) mice were fed high-fat diets with 0.5% (w/w) amiloride for 4 weeks and LPS (10 µg/mouse) infusion into caudal veins. Afterwards, atherosclerotic lesions, NHE1 activity and Bcl-2 expression in the aortic tissues were evaluated. RESULTS: LPS treatment increased NHE1 activity and [Ca(2+)](i) in HUVECs in a time-dependent manner, which was associated with increased activity of the Ca(2+)-dependent protease calpain. Amiloride (1-10 µmol/L) significantly suppressed LPS-induced increases in NHE1 activity, [Ca(2+)](i). and calpain activity. In the presence of the Ca(2+) chelator BAPTA (0.5 mmol/L), LPS-induced increase of calpain activity was also abolished. In LPS-treated HUVECs, the expression of Bcl-2 protein was significantly decreased without altering its mRNA level. In the presence of amiloride (10 µmol/L) or the calpain inhibitor ZLLal (50 µmol/L), the down-regulation of Bcl-2 protein by LPS was blocked. LPS treatment did not alter the expression of Bax and Bak proteins in HUVECs. In the presence of amiloride, BAPTA or ZLLal, LPS-induced HUVEC apoptosis was significantly attenuated. In ApoE(-/-) mice, administration of amiloride significantly suppressed LPS-accelerated atherosclerosis and LPS-induced increase of NHE1 activity, and reversed LPS-induced down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression. CONCLUSION: LPS stimulates NHE1 activity, increases [Ca(2+)](i), and activates calpain, which leads to endothelial cell apoptosis related to decreased Bcl-2 expression. Amiloride inhibits NHE1 activity, thus attenuates LPS-accelerated atherosclerosis in mice.

Protective effects of Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharide on ovariectomy-induced bone loss in rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: To assess the ability of traditional Chinese medicine Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharide to prevent bone loss in the ovariectomized rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PSP was administered intragastrically to the rats. After 35 days, the total body bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed in all of the rats. All sections were processed for immunohistochemistry and hematoxylin-eosin staining (H.E.). RESULTS: BMD was lower in the ovariectomized group (OVX, 0.163 g/cm(2)), the group that received a moderate dose of PSP on OVX animals (OVX+MP, 0.163 g/cm(2)) and the group that received a low dose of PSP on OVX animals (OVX+LP, 0.162 g/cm(2)) than in the sham-operated group (SHAM, 0.180 g/cm(2)), the OVX+E(2) group (OVX+E(2), 0.176 g/cm(2)) and the group that received a high dose of PSP on OVX animals (OVX+HP, 0.174 g/cm(2)) (P<0.05). Clear arrangements of bone trabeculae were observed in the OVX+E(2) and OVX+HP. The expression of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the OVX, OVX+MP and OVX+LP was down regulated compared to the SHAM, OVX+E(2) and OVX+HP (P<0.05). The rats in the OVX+E(2) and OVX+HP had lower levels of bone Gla protein (BGP), bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α) expression than the rats in the OVX, OVX+MP and OVX+LP (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: This experiment demonstrates that the administration of PSP to ovariectomized rats reverses bone loss and prevents osteoporosis.