Clinical Evaluation and Exploration of Mechanisms for Modified Xiebai Powder or Modified Xiebai Powder Combined with Western Medicine in the Treatment of Pneumonia.

Objective: To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of modified Xiebai Powder or modified Xiebai Powder combined with Western medicine in the treatment of pneumonia and explore its potential mechanism of action. Methods: Meta-analysis was used to screen the eligible literature on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about Xiebai Powder in the treatment of pneumonia, and Review Manager 5.3 software was used for statistical analysis of the data. Based on the results of the meta-analysis, the active ingredients in Xiebai Powder and their therapeutic targets, disease-related targets, and intersection targets were screened using methods of network pharmacology, and their biological processes and key signaling pathways were analyzed using bioinformatics tools. Molecular docking was carried out to verify and predict the mechanisms for Xiebai Powder combined with Western medicine in the treatment of pneumonia. Results: A total of 16 papers were screened out, with a total of 1,465 patients. The results of the meta-analysis showed that modified Xiebai Powder or modified Xiebai Powder combined with Western medicine were superior to conventional Western medicine in terms of clinical efficacy, shortening the disappearance time of symptoms (body temperature, cough, and pulmonary rales) and reducing the level of C-reactive protein, and the incidence of adverse reactions was significantly reduced. A total of 40 active ingredients in Xiebai Powder and 285 therapeutic targets of Xiebai Powder combined with azithromycin after deduplication were screened out from the database. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that Xiebai Powder combined with azithromycin might play a role in the treatment of pneumonia through the IL-17 signaling pathway, tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway, C-type lectin receptor signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and HIF-1 signaling pathway. Conclusions: Modified Xiebai Powder or modified Xiebai Powder combined with azithromycin has better effects in treating pneumonia, and modified Xiebai Powder combined with azithromycin may play a role in treating pneumonia through several pathways such as the IL-17 signaling pathway.

Screening organic contaminants in soil by two-dimensional gas chromatography high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry: A non-target analysis strategy and contaminated area case study.

Thousands of organic substances that are used in industrial applications ultimately enter the soil and may negatively affect human health. Limited numbers of target pollutants are usually monitored in environmental media because of analytical limitations. In this study, a non-target screening method for quickly analyzing multiple soil samples from a contaminated area (a chemical industry park) by two-dimensional gas chromatography high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed. The types of compounds present in the soil samples were preliminarily analyzed through data simplification and visual assessment. A total of 81 organic compounds with detection frequencies ≥40% in the samples from the chemical industry park were selected for identification, including 38 PAHs, 26 oxygenated organic compounds, eight N-containing compounds, and nine other compounds. Potential sources of the organic compounds in the industrial park were investigated. Some pharmaceutical and organic synthetic intermediates in the soil were affected by nearby chemical plants. After assessing the relative abundances and detection frequencies, 36 pollutants that may pose potential risks to the environment were preliminarily identified. The results of the study were helpful for assessing environmental risks around Yangkou industrial park and they will be helpful when assessing risks in other contaminated areas.

Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in soil from an urban area of northern China: Levels, distribution, and homolog patterns.

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are persistent organic pollutants that are present in relatively high concentrations in various environmental media in China. Many studies have focused on chlorinated paraffins in soil from agricultural land and contaminated areas. There are limited data on the levels of chlorinated paraffins in soil from urban areas. In this study, to investigate the levels, distribution, and homolog patterns of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) in soil from a typical urban area, 130 soil samples were collected and combined to form 26 pooled samples. The samples were analyzed for 50 CP congener groups (C9-17Cl5-10). The concentration ranges for SCCPs, medium-chain CPs (MCCP), and chlorinated nonane paraffin (C9-CP) were 19-1456 ng/g (average: 234 ng/g), <10-385 ng/g (average: 54 ng/g), and 1-39 ng/g (average: 11 ng/g), respectively. The CP concentrations were not significantly correlated with the total organic carbon content (P > 0.05). Compared with other areas worldwide, the SCCP and C9-CP concentrations in soil in this area were at the medium level, and the concentrations of MCCPs were at a low level. The CP concentrations were higher in soil samples collected near factories and domestic garbage disposal sites. C10Cl6-7 were the main SCCP homologs and C14Cl7-8 were the main MCCP homologs. Principal component analysis showed that the sources of C9-CPs, SCCPs, and MCCPs in the soils were similar. Risk assessment showed that the concentrations of SCCPs and MCCPs in soil in this area did not pose a significant risk to soil organisms or human health.

Occurrences, congener group profiles, and risk assessment of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in cup instant noodles from China.

Dietary intake is an important route of human exposure to chlorinated paraffins (CPs). Cup instant noodles are widely popular food and millions packet of instant noodles are consumed every year. To investigate the levels, congener groups, and health risk of SCCPs and MCCPs in each component of cup instant noodles, samples of nine common brands were collected and analyzed by comprehensive two dimensional gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The mean concentrations in the noodles were 1.2 × 103 ng/g wet weight (ww) (SCCPs) and 1.2 × 102 ng/g ww (MCCPs), the mean concentrations in the seasoning were 1.4 × 103 ng/g ww (SCCPs) and 1.3 × 102 ng/g ww (MCCPs), and the mean concentrations in the soup were 5.6 × 102 ng/L (SCCPs) and 5.4 × 102 ng/L (MCCPs). The SCCP to MCCP ratio were similar in the soup and soup container, which means CPs in the soup might be migrated from the soup container. Seasoning and noodles from the same brands have similar congener profiles of SCCPs and MCCPs, which may be raised from the manufacturing process or food packaging materials. The dominant SCCP congener groups were C10-11Cl6-7 in noodles and seasoning, and C10,13Cl6-7 in soup. The dominant MCCP congener groups were C14-15Cl6-7 in noodles and seasoning, and C14-15Cl6-7 in soup. A preliminary health risk assessment indicated that the current intakes of SCCPs and MCCPs through cup instant noodles in China did not pose a significant risk to human health.

Highly elevated levels, infant dietary exposure and health risks of medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in breast milk from China: Comparison with short-chain chlorinated paraffins.

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are persistent organic pollutants which are toxic to human. Median-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) have similar toxicity to SCCPs. The productions of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) in China were 1 million tons in 2013 and remained high after that, which may lead to high risks for human exposure to CPs. To investigate temporal trends and health risks of SCCPs and MCCPs in breast milk in China, samples (n = 2020) were collected from urban and rural areas of 11 Chinese provinces in 2017 and mixed into 42 pooled samples. SCCPs and MCCPs were analyzed by two-dimensional gas chromatography with electron-capture negative-ionization mass spectrometry (GC × GC-ECNI-MS). The MCCP concentrations (median (range)) were 472 (94-1714) and 567 (211-1089) ng g-1 lipid in urban and rural areas, respectively, which showed continuously rapidly increasing during 2007-2017. The SCCP concentrations (median (range)) were 393 (131-808) and 525 (139-1543) ng g-1 lipid in urban and rural areas, respectively. The results showed SCCP levels decreased in urban areas between 2007 and 2017. Significant increases in MCCP/SCCP ratios might arise from extensive manufacturing and use of MCCPs. The median estimated dietary intake via breast milk in urban and rural samples were 1230 and 2510 ng kg-1 d-1, respectively, for SCCPs and 2150 and 1890 ng kg-1 d-1, respectively, for MCCPs. Preliminarily risk assessment showed that SCCPs posed a significant health risk to infants via breastfeeding. The high MCCP levels should also be of concern because of continuous growth and negative effect on infants. Correspondence analysis indicated congeners with higher carbon and chlorine numbers in dietary tend to accumulate in breast milk.

Nontarget Screening of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds in Atmospheric Particulate Matter Using Ultrahigh Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are mutagenic and carcinogenic. 16 PAHs as priority pollutants listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency were usually monitored. Therefore, multiple potentially toxic polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) are not monitored. In this study, atmospheric particulate matter samples from Beijing were analyzed using atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight (GC × GC-TOF) mass spectrometry. The FT-ICR data detected high molecular weight PAHs, alkylated PAHs (APAHs) and heteroatom PAHs. The GC × GC-TOF data tentatively identified 386 PACs in five categories of identification confidence. Twenty-one spectra in the unknown class were manually resolved. Eighty-two PACs with high identification confidence were proposed for further research. The identities of five PAHs and five APAHs that are currently not regulated were confirmed using available standards and quantified in some samples. Some of these PACs, such as dibenzo[a,e]pyrene (C22H14) and 1-methylpyrene (C17H12), should be of concern because of their contamination levels and the high toxicities of themselves and/or their derivatives. This study highlights the possibility of expanding the traditional lists of PAHs to improve pollution control and risk assessment accuracy.

Short- and Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins in Foods from the Sixth Chinese Total Diet Study: Occurrences and Estimates of Dietary Intakes in South China.

Food consumption has been identified as a major pathway for human exposure to short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs), but evaluations of SCCP and MCCP intake from major dietary sources are limited. We used the sixth Chinese Total Diet Study to perform a comprehensive investigation of SCCPs and MCCPs in cereals, vegetables, potatoes, legumes, eggs, milk, meats, and aquatic foods from nine southern provinces. The geographical distribution of CP concentrations showed higher levels in Jiangsu, Hubei, and Zhejiang provinces. The CP concentrations in most animal-origin foods were higher than those in foods of plant origin. The total estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of SCCPs and MCCPs, with average values of 7.0 × 102 and 4.7 × 102 ng kg-1 day-1, respectively, were mostly contributed by cereals, vegetables, and meats. Risk assessment indicated the EDIs of CPs posed no significant risk to residents in South China.

Spatial distributions and homolog profiles of chlorinated nonane paraffins, and short and medium chain chlorinated paraffins in soils from Yunnan, China.

To preliminarily investigate the occurrence, spatial distributions, homolog compositions, and ecological risks of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) in Yunnan, China, 110 soil samples were collected from an area part of Yunnan, representative of the whole Yunnan area, where had similar characteristics to most parts of Yunnan and 22 pooled soil samples were analyzed for 50 CP congener groups (C9-17Cl5-10). The chlorinated nonane paraffin (C9-CP), short chain (SCCP), and medium chain chlorinated paraffin (MCCP) concentrations in soil samples were 8-109 ng/g (average 39 ng/g), 79-948 ng/g (average 348 ng/g), and 20-1206 ng/g (average 229 ng/g), respectively. The C9-CP homologs contributed 5%-16% of the C9-13-CP concentrations in soils. No significant correlation was found between CP concentrations and the total organic carbon content (P > 0.05). The CP levels in soils from Yunnan were at a medium level compared with those in other areas worldwide. Human activity and atmosphere deposition would influence the levels and spatial distributions of CPs in this area. The concentrations of CPs in east area were higher than those in west area. C10Cl6-7 were the major SCCP congeners and C14Cl6-7 were the major MCCP congeners. Principal component analysis indicated that SCCPs and MCCPs came from different sources. A preliminary risk assessment indicated that these concentrations of CPs in soil from Yunnan do not pose a significant ecological risk for soil organisms.

Concentrations of and risks posed by short-chain and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in soil at a chemical industrial park on the southeast coast of China.

The concentrations, spatial distributions, and sources of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) in soil at a chemical industrial park were determined. The samples were analyzed by two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with electron capture-negative ion mass spectrometry. The risks posed by SCCPs and MCCPs to soil biota were assessed. The SCCP and MCCP concentrations were 37.5-995.7 and 15.1-739.6 ng/g dry weight, respectively, and the chlorine contents were 60.5%-63.0% and 56.7%-58.3%, respectively. The CP concentrations in soil were at medium levels relative to concentrations at other areas. The median CP concentration in soil from the sewage treatment plant was higher than the median concentration in road soil, and this was attributed to wastewater being treated centrally. No significant correlations were found between the total organic carbon content and CP concentrations (p > 0.05), so the total organic carbon content did not strongly affect the CP concentrations in the study area. Hierarchical cluster analysis divided the soil samples into three groups. C10Cl6-7, C11Cl7-8, and C14Cl7-9 were the main congeners in most soil samples. Principal component analysis and correlation analysis indicated that the relative abundances of MCCP and SCCP were correlated and that the SCCPs may have been derived from the CP-42 and CP-52 commercial products. A preliminary risk assessment indicated that CPs in soil at the industrial park do not pose clear risks to the environmental organisms.

Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in commercial rubber track products and raw materials.

Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs) in commercial rubber track products and raw materials (rubber granules and adhesives) were investigated by two-dimensional gas chromatography with electron-capture negative-ionization mass spectrometry (GC × GC-ECNI-MS). The mean SCCP and MCCP concentrations in the rubber track products were 3.64 × 103 and 4.14 × 104 µg/g, respectively. The mean SCCP concentration in the products was significantly higher than those in the rubber granules (2.78 µg/g), but in the same order of magnitude as those in the adhesives (3.34 × 103 µg/g). The SCCP concentrations in almost half of the rubber track products and four fifths of the adhesives exceeded the limit (1.5 g/kg) set in Chinese standard GB 36246-2018. The dominant SCCP and MCCP congeners in the rubber track products were similar to those in the relevant adhesives but different from those in the paired granules. Principal component analysis and contribution calculations indicated that chlorinated paraffins (CPs) in adhesives could be the main sources of CPs in rubber track products. The high CP concentrations found in rubber track products are of special concern because of the relatively high exposures for children and negative effect on human health and environment.

Bioaccessibility of short chain chlorinated paraffins in meat and seafood.

Bioaccessibility of short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs), which is important for estimation of dietary exposure, has not been evaluated in previous studies. In the present study, we determined the bioaccessibility of SCCPs in meat (pork, beef and chicken) and seafood (fish, clams, and prawns) using the colon-extended physiologically based extraction test as an in vitro model. The bioaccessibility percentages (BAs) ranged from 33% to 84% in the fed state and from 41% to 63% in the unfed state. The BAs observed in the fed state were lower than in the unfed state in most samples, except for pork sample, which had the highest lipid content. This could be attributed to the effects caused by dietary components added in the fed state. The effects of lipid and protein in samples on bioaccessibility were investigated. In food with a high lipid content, like pork in this study, lipid was the main factor controlling SCCP bioaccessibility. In the other five foods, which had low-medium lipid contents, BA in the unfed state was positively correlated with lipid content (p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with the protein-to-lipid content ratio (p < 0.05). No significant relationships between lipid and protein content and BA were found in the fed state. As to SCCP congener groups, a positive relationship between the BAs of SCCP congener groups and their octanol-water partition coefficients (log Kow) was found in pork sample in the fed state (p < 0.05). The BAs obtained in samples from fish, prawn, clam, and pork in the unfed state and that obtained in clam sample in the fed state were negatively correlated with log Kow (p < 0.05). We calculated more accurate estimated dietary intakes of SCCPs using our SCCP bioaccessibility data. These results will contribute to more reliable dietary risk assessments of SCCPs.