Roles of serum uric acid on the association between arsenic exposure and incident metabolic syndrome in an older Chinese population.

Growing evidences showed that heavy metals exposure may be associated with metabolic diseases. Nevertheless, the mechanism underlying arsenic (As) exposure and metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk has not been fully elucidated. So we aimed to prospectively investigate the role of serum uric acid (SUA) on the association between blood As exposure and incident MetS. A sample of 1045 older participants in a community in China was analyzed. We determined As at baseline and SUA concentration at follow-up in the Yiwu Elderly Cohort. MetS events were defined according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Generalized linear model with log-binominal regression model was applied to estimate the association of As with incident MetS. To investigate the role of SUA in the association between As and MetS, a mediation analysis was conducted. In the fully adjusted log-binominal model, per interquartile range increment of As, the risk of MetS increased 1.25-fold. Compared with the lowest quartile of As, the adjusted relative risk (RR) of MetS in the highest quartile was 1.42 (95% confidence interval, CI: 1.03, 2.00). Additionally, blood As was positively associated with SUA, while SUA had significant association with MetS risk. Further mediation analysis demonstrated that the association of As and MetS risk was mediated by SUA, with the proportion of 15.7%. Our study found higher As was remarkably associated with the elevated risk of MetS in the Chinese older adults population. Mediation analysis indicated that SUA might be a mediator in the association between As exposure and MetS.

HCN channels in the lateral habenula regulate pain and comorbid depressive-like behaviors in mice.

AIMS: Comorbid anxiodepressive-like symptoms (CADS) in chronic pain are closely related to the overactivation of the lateral habenula (LHb). Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels have been implicated to play a key role in regulating neuronal excitability. However, the role of HCN channels in the LHb during CADS has not yet been characterized. This study aimed to investigate the effect of HCN channels in the LHb on CADS during chronic pain. METHODS: After chronic neuropathic pain induction by spared nerve injury (SNI), mice underwent a sucrose preference test, forced swimming test, tail suspension test, open-field test, and elevated plus maze test to evaluate their anxiodepressive-like behaviors. Electrophysiological recordings, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, pharmacological experiments, and virus knockdown strategies were used to investigate the underlying mechanisms. RESULTS: Evident anxiodepressive-like behaviors were observed 6w after the SNI surgery, accompanied by increased neuronal excitability, enhanced HCN channel function, and increased expression of HCN2 isoforms in the LHb. Either pharmacological inhibition or virus knockdown of HCN2 channels significantly reduced LHb neuronal excitability and ameliorated both pain and depressive-like behaviors. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that the LHb neurons were hyperactive under CADS in chronic pain, and this hyperactivation possibly resulted from the enhanced function of HCN channels and up-regulation of HCN2 isoforms.

Evaluation and clinical application of a bracketing calibration-based isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry candidate reference measurement procedure for serum theophylline.

A candidate reference measurement procedure (RMP) for serum theophylline via isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed. With a single-step precipitation pretreatment and a 6-min gradient elution, the method achieved baseline separation of theophylline and its analogs on a C18-packed column. A bracketing calibration method was used to ensure repeatable signal intensity and high measurement precision. The intra-assay and inter-assay imprecisions were 1.06%, 0.84%, 0.72% and 0.47%, 0.41%, 0.25% at concentrations of 4.22 µg/mL (23.40 µmol/L), 8.45 µg/mL (46.90 µmol/L), and 15.21 µg/mL (84.43 µmol/L), respectively. Recoveries ranged from 99.35 to 102.34%. The limit of detection (LoD) was 2 ng/mL, and the lowest limit of quantification (LLoQ) was 5 ng/mL. The linearity range extended from 0.47 to 60 µg/mL (2.61-333.04 µmol/L). No ion suppression and carry-over (< 0.68%) were observed. The relative bias for this candidate RMP that participated in 2023 External Quality Control for Reference Laboratories (RELA) conducted by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) was within a range of 0.17 to 0.93%. Furthermore, two clinical immunoassay systems were compared with this candidate RMP, demonstrating good correlations. The results of the Trueness Verification Plan indicate significant differences among routine systems, highlighting the need for standardization efforts. The developed candidate RMP for serum theophylline serves as a precise reference baseline for standardizing clinical systems and assigning values to reference materials.

Association between ambient temperature and risk of notifiable infectious diseases in China from 2011 to 2019.

Previous studies on temperature and infectious diseases primarily focused on individual disease types, yielding inconsistent conclusions. This study collected monthly data on notifiable infectious disease cases and meteorological variables across 7 provinces in China from 2011 to 2019. A distributed lag nonlinear model was used to evaluate the association between ambient temperature and infectious diseases within each province, and random meta-analysis was applied to evaluate the pooled effect. Extreme hot temperature (the 97.5th percentile) was positively associated with the risk of respiratory infectious diseases with the relative risk (RR) of 1.45 (95%CI: 1.01-2.08). Conversely, extreme cold temperature (the 2.5th percentile) was negatively associated with intestinal infectious diseases and zoonotic diseases and vector-borne diseases, reporting RRs of 0.43 (95%CI: 0.30-0.60) and 0.46 (95%CI: 0.38-0.57), respectively. This study described the nonlinear association between ambient temperature and infectious diseases with different transmission routes, informing comprehensive prevention and control strategies for temperature-related infectious diseases.

Outdoor Light at Night, Air Pollution, and Risk of Cerebrovascular Disease: A Cohort Study in China.

BACKGROUND: We sought to explore the associations of outdoor light at night (LAN) and air pollution with the risk of cerebrovascular disease (CeVD). METHODS: We included a total of 28 302 participants enrolled in Ningbo, China from 2015 to 2018. Outdoor LAN and air pollution were assessed by Satellite-derived images and land-use regression models. CeVD cases were confirmed by medical records and death certificates and further subdivided into ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% CIs. RESULTS: A total of 1278 CeVD cases (including 777 ischemic and 133 hemorrhagic stroke cases) were identified during 127 877 person-years of follow-up. In the single-exposure models, the hazard ratios for CeVD were 1.17 (95% CI, 1.06-1.29) for outdoor LAN, 1.25 (1.12-1.39) for particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm, 1.14 (1.06-1.22) for particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 µm, and 1.21 (1.06-1.38) for NO2 in every interquartile range increase. The results were similar for ischemic stroke, whereas no association was observed for hemorrhagic stroke. In the multiple-exposure models, the associations of outdoor LAN and PM with CeVD persisted but not for ischemic stroke. Furthermore, no interaction was observed between outdoor LAN and air pollution. CONCLUSIONS: Levels of exposure to outdoor LAN and air pollution were positively associated with the risk of CeVD. Furthermore, the detrimental effects of outdoor LAN and air pollution might be mutually independent.

Association between drinking water quality and mental health and the modifying role of diet: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Environmental factors play an important role in developing mental disorders. This study aimed to investigate the associations of metal and nonmetal elements in drinking water with the risk of depression and anxiety and to assess whether diets modulate these associations. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study including 24,285 participants free from depression and anxiety from the Yinzhou Cohort study in the 2016-2021 period. The exposures were measured by multiplying metal and nonmetal element concentrations in local pipeline terminal tap water samples and total daily drinking water intakes. Cox regression models adjusted for multi-level covariates were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs). RESULTS: During an average follow-up period of 4.72 and 4.68 years, 773 and 1334 cases of depression and anxiety were identified, respectively. A 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in manganese exposure reduced the incidence of depression by 8% (HR 0.92, 95%CI 0.88 to 0.97). In contrast, with a 1 SD increase in copper and cadmium exposure, the incidence of depression increased by 6% (HR 1.06, 95%CI 1.01 to 1.11) and 8% (HR 1.08, 95%CI 1.00 to 1.17), respectively. The incidence of anxiety increased by 39% (HR 1.39, 95%CI 1.20 to 1.62), 33% (HR 1.33, 95%CI 1.03 to 1.71), and 14% (HR 1.14, 95%CI 1.03 to 1.25) respectively for a 1 SD increase in manganese, iron, and selenium exposure. Diets have a moderating effect on the associations of metal and nonmetal elements with the risk of anxiety. Stronger associations were observed in older, low-income groups and low-education groups. CONCLUSIONS: We found significant associations between exposure to metal and nonmetal elements and depression and anxiety. Diets regulated the associations to some extent.

Weight change and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: A 25-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Whether the dynamic weight change is an independent risk factor for mortality remains controversial. This study aimed to examine the association between weight change and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality based on the Linxian Nutrition Intervention Trial (NIT) cohort. METHODS: Body weight of 21,028 healthy residents of Linxian, Henan province, aged 40-69 years was measured two times from 1986 to 1991. Outcome events were prospectively collected up to 2016. Weight maintenance group (weight change <2 kg) or stable normal weight group was treated as the reference. Cox proportional hazard model was performed to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to estimate the risk of mortality. RESULTS: A total of 21,028 subjects were included in the final analysis. Compared with the weight maintenance group, subjects with weight loss ≥2 kg had an increased risk of death from all-cause (HR All-cause  = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.09-1.19, P  <0.001), cancer (HR Cancer  = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.03-1.21, P  = 0.009), and heart disease (HR Heart diseases  = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.11-1.31, P  <0.001), whereas subjects with weight gain ≥5 kg had 11% (HR Cancer  = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.79-0.99, P  = 0.033) lower risk of cancer mortality and 23% higher risk of stroke mortality (HR Stroke  = 1.23,95% CI: 1.12-1.34, P  <0.001). For the change of weight status, both going from overweight to normal weight and becoming underweight within 5 years could increase the risk of total death (HR Overweight to normal = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.09-1.27; HR Becoming underweight = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.25-1.46) and cancer death (HR Overweight to normal = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.04-1.39; HR Becoming underweight = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.24-1.67), while stable overweight could increase the risk of total death (HR Stable overweight = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05-1.17) and death from stroke (HR Stable overweight = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.33-1.56). Interaction effects were observed between age and weight change on cancer mortality, as well as between baseline BMI and weight change on all-cause, heart disease, and stroke mortality (all Pinteraction  <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Weight loss was associated with an increased risk of all-cause, cancer, and heart disease mortality, whereas excessive weight gain and stable overweight were associated with a higher risk of stroke mortality. Efforts of weight management should be taken to improve health status. TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ , NCT00342654.

Gender differences in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in obese children and adolescents: a large cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have reported sex differences in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among adults; however, little is known about its occurrence in children and adolescents. This study aims to examine the prevalence of NAFLD among them and investigate the relationship between sex hormones and NAFLD. METHOD: This study included 2999 obese Chinese children aged 2-18 years. We examined the prevalence of NAFLD by sex, age, and Tanner stage. The regression model and principal component analysis were used to analyze the relationship between sex hormones and NAFLD. RESULTS: The prevalence of NAFLD increased with age in both sexes, and the gender difference appeared before puberty. The prevalence in boys tended to stabilize at the age of 11 years, whereas girls reached their peak temporarily. NAFLD prevalence was positively associated with estradiol in boys (p = 0.011), but the opposite trend was observed in girls (p = 0.031). Testosterone levels decreased with the increase of NAFLD prevalence in boys (p < 0.001). Luteinizing hormone and prolactin were inversely associated with NAFLD prevalence in boys and girls, respectively. Results from the principal component analysis showed that sex hormone levels and fat distribution were important risk factors for the prevalence of NAFLD in obese children (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The significant difference in NAFLD prevalence between genders in obese children begins in early childhood. This distinction emerges long before puberty onset and tends to stabilize during late adolescence. Sex hormones are associated with NAFLD prevalence and are influenced by the Tanner stages and fat distribution.

Integrated CO2 capture and conversion via H2-driven CO2 biomethanation: Cyclic performance and microbial community response.

This study investigated the use of H2-driven CO2 biomethanation for integrated CO2 capture and conversion (iCCC). Anaerobic chambers containing Na2CO3-amended microbial growth medium provided with H2 were inoculated with anaerobic granular sludge. Microorganisms were enriched that could regenerate carbonate by using the bicarbonate formed from CO2 absorption to generate methane. Multiple absorption-regeneration cycles were performed and effective restoration of CO2 absorption capacity and stable carbonate recycling via CO2 biomethanation were observed for CO2 absorbents adjusted to three different pH values (9.0, 9.5, and 10.0). The pH = 10.0 group had the highest CO2 absorption capacity; 65.3 mmol/L in the 5th cycle. A slight alkaline inhibition of acetoclastic methanogenesis occurred near the end of regeneration, but had limited impact on the cyclic performance of the iCCC process. Microbial communities were dominated by H2-utilizing and alkali-tolerant species that could participate in CO2 biomethanation and survive under alternating neutral and alkaline conditions.

Comparison of ozone-based AOPs on the removal of organic matter from the secondary biochemical effluent of coking wastewater.

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on ozone are gaining continuously growing popularity in wastewater treatment. This study explored the treatment of coking wastewater using a combination of ozonation (O3), ultraviolet (UV), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) process expressed by % chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, % total organic carbon (TOC), % UV254, % fluorescence intensity removal and its electrical energy consumption. The obtained results demonstrated that, the combination of O3, UV, and H2O2 which is denoted by O3/UV/H2O2 in this study achieved great success in COD removal (92.08%), TOC removal (78.25%), and reduction of fluorescence intensity (99.82%). Compared with the O3 and O3/UV processes, O3/UV/H2O2 improved the COD removal by approximately 54-69% and 38-51%, respectively. In addition, the energy consumption was reduced by 53-67%. The TOC removal rate in the effluent ranged 71% and 83%, while the UV254 removal rate was up to 90%. The fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the O3/UV/H2O2 combination process reduced the fluorescence intensity by almost 97% within 10 min. Furthermore, the total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentration in the effluent was less than 10µg/L (removal efficiency > 80%) and the most toxic benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) was less than 0.03 µg/L (0.018µg/L). In addition, the energy consumption of the O3/UV/H2O2 process was 53-67% lower than those of O3 and O3/UV processes. Furthermore, the energy consumption was 80.26 kWh m-3 after 60 min of reaction time when the COD (69.3 mg/L) met the standard discharge. Finally, the O3/UV/H2O2 process could be an effective method for improving the mineralisation of refractory organic matter.

Association between visit-to-visit lipid variability and risk of ischemic heart disease: a cohort study in China.

AIMS: To explore the associations between visit-to-visit lipid variability and risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in a population-based cohort in China. METHODS: We evaluated lipid variability in 30,217 individuals from the Yinzhou Health Information System who had ≥3 recorded lipid measurements during 2010-2014. We used various indicators including standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), variability independent of the mean (VIM), and average real variability (ARV) to quantify the variability in triglycerides, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Overall, a total of 1305 participants with IHD were identified during the follow-up of 194,421 person-years. Subjects in Q4 had a 21% elevated risk of IHD (HR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.03-1.41) for LDL-C variability (CV) compared with the reference (Q1). The HRs for Q4 vs Q1 were 1.21 (95% CI: 1.04-1.42) for HDL-C variability, and 1.28 (95% CI: 1.10-1.50) for TC variability. However, no association was observed between triglycerides variability and risk of IHD. CONCLUSIONS: Higher variability in LDL-C, HDL-C, and TC levels was associated with an elevated risk of IHD, suggesting that lipid variability could be considered as an independent risk factor of IHD.

Performance and mechanism of La-Fe metal-organic framework as a highly efficient adsorbent for fluoride removal from mine water.

Water fluoride pollution has caused non-negligible harm to the environment and humans, and thus it is crucial to find a suitable treatment technology. In this study, La-Fe@PTA adsorbent was synthesized for the defluoridation of mine water. The results showed that the optimum conditions for defluoridation by La-Fe@PTA were pH close to 7.0, the initial F- concentration of 10 mg/L, the dosage of 0.5 g/L and the adsorption time of 240 min. Compared with SO42‒, Cl‒, NO3‒, Ca2+ and Mg2+, CO32‒ and HCO3‒ presented severer inhibition on fluoride uptake by La-Fe@PTA. The adsorption process fits well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlich model, and the maximum adsorption capacity of Langmuir model was 95 mg/g. Fixed-bed adsorption results indicated that fluoride in practical fluorinated mine water could be effectively removed from 3.6 mg/L to less than 1.5 mg/L within 130 bed volume (BV) by using 1.5 g La-Fe@PTA. Furthermore, the adsorbent still had good adsorption capacity after regeneration, which confirms the great application potential of La-Fe@PTA as a fluoride ion adsorbent. The mechanism analysis showed that La-Fe@PTA adsorption of fluorine ions is a physicochemical reaction driven by electrostatic attraction and ion exchange.

Experimental demonstration of a free space optical wireless video transmission system based on image compression sensing algorithm.

The wireless transmission of video data mainly entails addressing the massive video stream data and ensuring the quality of image frame transmission. To reduce the amount of data and ensure an optimal data transmission rate and quality, we propose a free-space optical video transmission system that applies compressed sensing (CS) algorithms to wireless optical communication systems. Based on the Artix-7 series field programmable gate array (FPGA) chip, we completed the hardware design of the optical wireless video transceiver board; the CS image is transmitted online to the FPGA through Gigabit Ethernet, and the video data is encoded by gigabit transceiver with low power (GTP) and converted into an optical signal, which is relayed to the atmospheric turbulence simulation channel through an attenuator and a collimating mirror. After the optical signal is decoded by photoelectric conversion at the receiving end, the Camera-Link frame grabber is d; thus, the image is collected, and it is reconstructed offline. Herein, the link transmission conditions of different algorithm sampling rates, optical power at the receiving end, and atmospheric coherence length are measured. The experimental results indicate that the encrypt-then-compress (ETC) type algorithm exhibits a more optimal image compression transmission reconstruction performance, and that the 2D compressed sensing (2DCS) algorithm exhibits superior performance. Under the condition that the optical power satisfies the link connectivity, the PSNR value of the reconstructed image is 3-7 dB higher than that of the comparison algorithm. In a strong atmosphere turbulence environment, the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of the corresponding reconstructed image under different transmission rates at the receiving end can still exceed 30 dB, ensuring the complete reconstruction of the image.

Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Anodes Enabled by an Ordered Conductive Ni-Based Catecholate Interlayer for Solid-State Lithium Batteries.

The large-scale commercial application of Li metal batteries is hindered by uncontrolled Li dendrite growth. Most of the present interfacial engineering strategies in lithium metal batteries can only prolong the nucleation time of lithium dendrites but cannot prevent the growth of lithium dendrites in three-dimensional space. In this work, a nickel-based catecholate (Ni-CAT) conductive interlayer that can guide the orderly migration of lithium ions and inhibit the disordered deposition of lithium dendrites is successfully constructed between the solid electrolyte and lithium metal through a reasonable design. The experimental analysis proves that the Ni-CAT nanorod arrays with unique vertical structures are closely connected to the solid electrolyte, which can reduce the charge-transfer resistance at the interface and guide lithium ions to be preferentially deposited on the surface of the Ni-CAT intermediate layer through the conduction gradient. Hence, this structure effectively avoids the phenomenon of apical growth during lithium deposition. In addition, the rich pores and inherent nanochannels of Ni-CAT itself act as an "ion sieve", successfully inducing the uniform deposition of lithium metal, which greatly reduces the occurrence of dead lithium due to the loss of electrical contact of lithium during cycling. This strategy holds promise for solving the lithium dendrite problem.

Air Pollution and Allergic Rhinitis: Findings from a Prospective Cohort Study.

To investigate the association of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution with the risk of allergic rhinitis (AR), we performed a longitudinal analysis of 379,488 participants (47.4% women) free of AR at baseline in the UK Biobank. The annual average concentrations of PM2.5, PMcoarse, PM10, NO2, and NOx were estimated by land use regression models. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A weighted polygenic risk score was constructed. During a median follow-up period of 12.5 years, 3095 AR cases were identified. We observed significant associations between the risk of AR and PM2.5 (HR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.27-1.79, per 5 µg/m3), PMcoarse (HR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.06-1.55, per 5 µg/m3), PM10 (HR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.20-1.74, per 10 µg/m3), NO2 (HR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.09-1.19, per 10 µg/m3), and NOx (HR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.05-1.15, per 20 µg/m3). Moreover, participants with high air pollution combined with high genetic risk showed the highest risk of AR, although no multiplicative or additive interaction was observed. In conclusion, long-term exposure to air pollutants was associated with an elevated risk of AR, particularly in high-genetic-risk populations, emphasizing the urgent need to improve air quality.

Exposure to Neighborhood Walkability and Residential Greenness and Incident Fracture.

Importance: Emerging studies have suggested that environmental factors are associated with fracture. However, little is known about the association of neighborhood walkability and residential greenness with fracture. Objective: To investigate the association of long-term exposure to walkability and greenness with incident fracture and explore the potential interaction effect. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study recruited participants aged 40 years or older in Ningbo, China from June 2015 to January 2018. Participants were observed for outcomes through February 2023, with data analysis conducted in March 2023. Exposures: Neighborhood walkability was measured by a modified walkability calculation method according to a walk score tool. Residential greenness was assessed by satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) within a 1000-m buffer. Main Outcomes and Measures: Incident fracture was ascertained according to International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes via the Yinzhou Health Information System. Cox proportional hazards models were fit, with age as time scale to estimate the associations of walkability and greenness with fracture. Potential effect modification was explored by covariates, as well as the interactive effect of walkability and greenness. Results: A total of 23 940 participants were included in this study with 13 735 being female (57.4%). The mean (SD) age at baseline was 63.4 (9.4) years. During a follow-up period of 134 638 person-years, 3322 incident fractures were documented. In the full adjusted model, every IQR increment in neighborhood walkability and residential greenness was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.88 (95% CI, 0.83-0.92) and 0.84 (95% CI, 0.80-0.89), respectively, for fracture. Furthermore, the association of greenness and fracture was greater with an increase in walkability. The HR (Q4 vs Q1) for greenness was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.46-0.82) in neighborhoods with the highest quartile of walkability. Conclusions and Relevance: This population cohort study suggested that long-term exposure to neighborhood walkability and residential greenness were both associated with lower risk of incident fracture. The benefits of greenness increased in more walkable areas.

Long-Term Exposure to PM2.5 and Mortality: A Cohort Study in China.

We investigated the association of long-term exposure to atmospheric PM2.5 with non-accidental and cause-specific mortality in Yinzhou, China. From July 2015 to January 2018, a total of 29,564 individuals aged ≥ 40 years in Yinzhou were recruited for a prospective cohort study. We used the Cox proportional-hazards model to analyze the relationship of the 2-year average concentration of PM2.5 prior to the baseline with non-accidental and cause-specific mortality. The median PM2.5 concentration was 36.51 µg/m3 (range: 25.57-45.40 µg/m3). In model 4, the hazard ratios per 10 µg/m3 increment in PM2.5 were 1.25 (95%CI: 1.04-1.50) for non-accidental mortality and 1.38 (95%CI:1.02-1.86) for cardiovascular disease mortality. We observed no associations between PM2.5 and deaths from respiratory disease or cancer. In the subgroup analysis, interactions were observed between PM2.5 and age, as well as preventive measures on hazy days. The observed association between long-term exposure to atmospheric PM2.5 at a relatively moderate concentration and the risk of non-accidental and cardiovascular disease mortality among middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults could provide evidence for government decision-makers to revise environmental policies towards a more stringent standard.

Simultaneous Desalination and Glyphosate Degradation by a Novel Electro-Fenton Membrane Distillation Process.

The industrial effluent from glyphosate production has high salinity and refractory organic contaminants. The removal of organics and the recycling of inorganic salts from this kind of water are challenging issues. In this study, electro-Fenton (EF) and membrane distillation (MD) were coupled in a single reactor utilizing a membrane-based electrode (Mem-GDE) with the ability to bidirectionally transfer vapor and oxygen and electrochemically synthesize H2O2. The operating thermal conditions for MD significantly promoted Fenton reactions and, thus, the removal of glyphosate. During operation, Fe species deposited on the Mem-GDE and enhanced its catalytic activity and adsorptive capacity, which markedly increased the apparent reaction rate constant of glyphosate by 6 times. This novel EF-MD process simultaneously removed organics and concentrated the inorganics, which is very meaningful for decreasing the costs for subsequent crystallization and achieving high-quality crystal salts. This study provides an efficient method for the treatment of organic-inorganic hybrid wastewater.

Critical analysis on the transformation and upgrading strategy of Chinese municipal wastewater treatment plants: Towards sustainable water remediation and zero carbon emissions.

In the light of circular economy aspects, processing of large-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) needs reconsideration to limit the overuse of energy, implement of non-green technologies and emit abundant greenhouse gas. Along with the huge increase in the worldwide population and agro-industrial activities, global environmental organizations have issued several recent roles to boost scientific and industrial communities towards sustainable development. Over recent years, China has imposed national and regional standards to control and manage the discharged liquid and solid waste, as well as to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. The aim of this report is to analyze the current state of Chinese WWTPs routing and related issues such as climate change and air pollution. The used strategies in Chinese WWTPs and upgrading trends were critically discussed. Several points were addressed including the performance, environmental impact, and energy demand of bio-enhanced technologies, including hydrolytic acidification pretreatment, efficient (toxic) strain treatment, and anaerobic ammonia oxidation denitrification technology, as well as advanced treatment technologies composed of physical and chemical treatment technologies, biological treatment technology and combined treatment technology. Discussion and critical analysis based on the current data and national policies were provided and employed to develop the future development trend of municipal WWTPs in China from the construction of sustainable and "Zero carbon" WWTPs.

Activation of persulfate with magnetic Fe3O4-municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash-derived zeolite core-shell materials for tetracycline hydrochloride degradation.

A novel and environmentally friendly magnetic iron zeolite (MIZ) core-shell were successfully fabricated using municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash-derived zeolite (MWZ) coated with Fe3O4 and innovatively investigated as a heterogeneous persulfate (PS) catalyst. The morphology and structure composition of as-prepared catalysts were characterised, and it was proved that the core-shell structure of MIZ was successfully synthesised by coating Fe3O4 uniformly on the MWZ surface. The tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) degradation experiment indicate that the optimum equimolar amount of iron precursors was 3 mmol (MIZ-3). Compared with other systems, MIZ-3 possessed a superior catalytic performance, and the degradation efficiency of TCH (50 mg·L-1) in the MIZ-3/PS system reached 87.3%. The effects of reaction parameters on the catalytic activity of MIZ-3, including pH, initial concentration of TCH, temperature, the dosage of catalyst, and Na2S2O8, were assessed. The catalyst had high stability according to three recycling experiments and the leaching test of iron ions. Furthermore, the working mechanism of the MIZ-3/PS system to TCH was discussed. The electron spin resonance (ESR) results demonstrated that the reactive radicals generated in the MIZ-3/PS system were sulphate radical (SO4-∙) and hydroxyl radical (•OH). This work provided a novel strategy for TCH degradation under PS with a broad perspective on the fabrication of non-toxic and low-cost catalysts in practical wastewater treatment.