The association between childhood adiposity in northeast China and anthropogenic heat flux: A new insight into the comprehensive impact of human activities.

Anthropogenic heat has been reported to have significant health impacts, but research on its association with childhood adiposity is still lacking. In this study, we matched the 2008-2012 average anthropogenic heat flux, as simulated by a grid estimation model using inventory methods, with questionnaire and measurement data of 49,938 children randomly recruited from seven cities in Northeast China in 2012. After adjusting for social demographic and behavioral factors, we used generalized linear mixed-effect models to assess the association between anthropogenic heat flux and adiposity among children. We also examined the effect modification of various social demographic and behavioral confounders. We found that each 10 W/m2 increase in total anthropogenic heat flux and that from the industry source was associated with an increase of 5.82% (95% CI = 0.84%-11.05%) and 6.62% (95% CI = 0.87%-12.70%) in the odds of childhood adiposity. Similarly, the excess rate of adiposity among children were 5.26% (95% CI = -1.33%-12.29%) and 8.51% (95% CI = 2.24%-15.17%) per 1 W/m2 increase in the anthropogenic heat flux from transportation and buildings, and was 7.94% (95% CI = 2.28%-13.91%) per 0.001 W/m2 increase in the anthropogenic heat flux from human metabolism. We also found generally greater effect estimates among female children and children who were exposed to passive smoking during pregnancy, born by caesarean section, non-breastfed/mixed-fed, or lived within 20 m adjacent to the main road. The potential deleterious effect of anthropogenic heat exposure on adiposity among children may make it a new but major threat to be targeted by future mitigation strategies.

Direct Identification and Quantitation of Protein Peptide Powders Based on Multi-Molecular Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Data Fusion.

Given that protein peptide powders (PPPs) from different biological sources were inherited with diverse healthcare functions, which aroused adulteration of PPPs. A high-throughput and rapid methodology, united multi-molecular infrared (MM-IR) spectroscopy with data fusion, could determine the types and component content of PPPs from seven sources as examples. The chemical fingerprints of PPPs were thoroughly interpreted by tri-step infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and the defined spectral fingerprint region of protein peptide, total sugar, and fat was 3600-950 cm-1, which constituted MIR finger-print region. Moreover, the mid-level data fusion model was of great applicability in qualitative analysis, in which the F1-score reached 1 and the total accuracy was 100%, and a robust quantitative model was established with excellent predictive capacity (Rp: 0.9935, RMSEP: 1.288, and RPD: 7.97). MM-IR coordinated data fusion strategies to achieve high-throughput, multi-dimensional analysis of PPPs with better accuracy and robustness which meant a significant potential for the comprehensive analysis of other powders in food as well.

Photocatalytic removal of phenanthrene and algae by a novel Ca-Ag3PO4 composite under visible light: Reactivity and coexisting effect.

In this study, the feasibility of a novel Ca-Ag3PO4 composite with visible light irradiation for the phenanthrene (PHE) degradation and algae inactivation in artificial seawater was firstly investigated. The experimental findings revealed that Ag3PO4 phase was sucessfully formed on the Ca-based material, and the presence of Ca-based material could effectively keep Ag3PO4 particles stable. An excellent performance on PHE degradation or algae inactivation was observed from Ca-Ag3PO4 composite under visible light irradiation. The degradation of PHE or inactivation of algae not only could be efficiently achieved in the single mode, but also could be successfully achieved in the coexisting mode. Above 96% of PHE and algae were simultaneously removed within 12 h in the Ca-Ag3PO4/visible light system. It was further observed that the degradation of PHE and/or inactivation of algae increased with the increase of Ca-Ag3PO4 dosage. HO was the primary radical responsible for PHE degradation, whereas HO and Ag+ released from Ca-Ag3PO4 mainly contributed to the algae inactivation. A possible mechanism involving the catalytic removal of PHE and algae by Ca-Ag3PO4 under visible light irradiation was proposed. This study provides helpful guide for the simultaneous removal of various pollutants in real seawater.

Insights on the nitrate reduction and norfloxacin oxidation over a novel nanoscale zero valent iron particle: Reactivity, products, and mechanism.

Herein, the application of a novel acid mine drainage-based nanoscale zero valent iron (AMD-based nZVI) for the remediation of nitrate and norfloxacin (NOR) was studied. Experimental results indicated that the catalytic reactivity of AMD-based nZVI toward nitrate reduction was superior to that of iron salt-based nanoscale zero valent iron (Iron salt-based nZVI). The presence of ultrasound irradiation could significantly enhance the reactivity toward both the nitrate reduction and NOR oxidation processes. The optimal efficiencies of nitrate and NOR by AMD-based nZVI/US process could be kept 96 and 94% within 120 min, respectively. Ammonia was identified as a major product in nitrate reduction process, while three oxidation products were observed in NOR degradation process. Both reduction reaction of nitrate from AMD-based nZVI and oxidation reaction of NOR from US-assisted Fenton system might be involved in AMD-based nZVI/US process. The AMD-based nZVI/US process showed a better performance on the removal of NOR compared with that of nitrate. The findings of the present work could be as a guide and show that AMD-based nZVI/US process is feasible for the remediation of both nitrate and NOR in real wastewater.

Reproductive effects of synthetic progestin norgestrel in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

The aim of this study was to assess the adverse effects of synthetic progestin norgestrel (NGT) on the reproduction of zebrafish by measuring the egg production, histology and transcriptional expression profiles along the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in adult zebrafish. After a pre-exposure period of 7 days, adult zebrafish were exposed to 6, 29 and 69 ng L-1 NGT for 21 days. The results showed that exposure to 69 ng L-1 NGT led to a significant up-regulation of follicle stimulating hormone, beta polypeptide (fshb), luteinizing hormone, beta polypeptide (lhb), progesterone receptor (pgr), estrogen receptor 1 (esr1) and androgen receptor (ar) genes in the brains, as well as significant up-regulation of hydroxysteroid 20-beta dehydrogenase (hsd20b) and hydroxysteroid 11-beta dehydrogenase 2 (hsd11b2) genes and down-regulation of 11-beta-hydroxylase (cyp11b) gene in the ovaries of females. In the testes of males, an overall down-regulation of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (star), cytochrome P450-mediated side-chain cleavage enzyme (cyp11a1), cyp11b, hsd20b, hydroxysteroid 17-beta dehydrogenase type 3 (hsd17b3), hsd11b2 and ar genes were observed following exposure to different treatments of NGT. These transcriptional alterations imply that NGT could exhibit the potent progestogenic and androgenic activities in zebrafish. Egg production as well as histology in the ovaries and testes was not affected by NGT. Taken together, the overall results demonstrated that NGT could significantly affect transcriptional expression levels of genes related to HPG axis in zebrafish, and whether that change translates to additional physiological effects is needed further research.

Rosiglitazone enhances the proliferation of neural progenitor cells and inhibits inflammation response after spinal cord injury.

It has been previously shown that peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) is beneficial for nervous system injury. In present study, we examined the effect of rosiglitazone, a PPAR-γ agonist, on spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats. SCI was induced by dropping a 10g weight rod at a height of 25mm. The animals were randomly divided into vehicle group, rosiglitazone treated group, and G3335 treated group. Locomotor function recovery was evaluated by the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan locomotor rating scale (BBB scale), NF-κB expression and endogenous neural progenitor cells (NPCs) proliferation and differentiation was assessed by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Compared with the vehicle groups, we found that the rosiglitazone could significantly ameliorate locomotor recovery, reduce NF-κB expression, and increase the proliferation of endogenous NPCs. when the PPAR-γ antagonist was use, these effects were abolished. However, neurons differentiating from endogenous NPCs were inhibited when PPAR-γ was activated. Our results suggest that the activation of PPAR-γ may be a potential alternative treatment for spinal cord injury.

[System parameters selection and optimization of tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy].

The system performance of tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) is affected by the modulation parameters such as modulation index, modulation frequency, scanning amplitude and scanning frequency. There is a lack of definite parameters selection basis in practical measurement. Aiming at this problem, the influence of modulation parameters on second harmonic signals was observed by experiment based on a certain theory in the present paper, and the basis and method of modulation parameters optimization for various system functions and demands were summarized by analyzing the signal characteristic including amplitude, signal to noise ratio, symmetry and peak width. For the system of concentration or temperature detection the amplitude and signal to noise ratio will be taken into prior consideration which require optimum modulation index, lower modulation frequency and lower scanning frequency. In condition of pressure detection deduced by lineshape the signal symmetry and peak width are more important to ascertain the modulation parameters according to practical demands. Scanning amplitude will be adjusted to obtain complete signal waveforms, then scanning frequency can be adjusted according to system speed and accuracy requirement. The result of the experiment provided a definite basis for conforming the working state of such system.

[Ascertaining the optimal quantitative wavenumber range of gas with two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy].

It is important to determine the optimal wavenumber ranges of spectra for quantitative analysis in gas detection. In traditional way, selection of optimal wavenumber ranges is based on the absorption characteristics of standard spectra, while this may introduce some deviation to the result due to its low capability of anti-interference. Two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy technology was applied in gas detection in the present paper. The spectral structure and spectral information of SO2, NO and NO2 were analyzed in order to determine the optimal wavenumber range. The dynamic spectra of the detected gas were gained by the two-dimensional correlation analysis of a series of infrared absorption spectra according to changing concentrations. The most sensitive wavenumber ranges to gas concentration were determined by combining synchronous correlation spectra and asynchronous correlation spectra. These were taken as the optimal wavenumber ranges for quantitative gas analysis, which included a series of unattached wavenumber points and continous wavenumber ranges. Results showed that the selected wavenumber ranges were consistent with theoretic analyzed results. Two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy can be a novel way to determine the optimal spectral range for gas analysis.

[Pulmonary function of children with right lung middle lobe syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To study the changes of pulmonary function in children with right lung middle lobe syndrome before and after treatment. METHODS: Thirty children with right lung middle lobe syndrome were classified into two age groups: < or =4 years old and >4 years old. Pulmonary function was tested by the 2600-type and the MIR-type pulmonary function spirometry in the < or =4 years and the >4 years age groups, respectively before and after treatment. Terminal flows/peak expiratory flow (25/PF) and the percentage of tidal volume to peak tidal expiratory flow (% V-PF) were measured in the <4 years age group. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were measured in the >4 years age group. RESULTS: The values of 25/PF and %V-PF in the < or =4 years age group were 0.42+/-0.08 and 0.28+/-0.03, respectively before treatment. The values were improved after treatment (0.58+/-0.12 and 0.39+/-0.06 respectively) (P<0.05). The values of FVC, FEV1 and PEF were 1.75+/-0.32, 1.36+/-0.52 and 2.56+/-0.78, respectively in the >4 years age group before treatment. The values were also improved after treatment (2.37+/-0.78, 2.08+/-0.65 and 3.68+/-0.80 respectively) (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences in the pulmonary function before and after treatment in children with right lung middle lobe syndrome. The pulmonary function can return to normal after treatment.

Treatment with yiqi bushen koufuye combined with chemotherapy for preventing postoperative metastasis of stomach cancer--a clinical observation of 28 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of yiqi bushen koufiuye (oral liquid for invigorating qi and tonifying the kidney) combined with chemotherapy on postoperative metastasis of stomach cancer. METHODS: The 47 cases of postoperative stomach cancer with the syndrome of deficiency of both the spleen and kidney were divided randomly into the treatment group (28 cases), and the control group (19 cases). The control group was treated simply by chemotherapy; while the treatment group, was treated with Yiqi Bushen Koufuye in addition to chemotherapy. The effect was observed 12 months later on local relapse and distal metastasis, the life quality, peripheral hemogram, and immunologic function. RESULTS: The rates of postoperative relapse and metastasis of the treatment group were obviously lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The Karnofasky scores, peripheral hemogram and immunologic function of the treatment group were obviously improved in comparison with the control group (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Yiqi bushen koufuye combined with chemotherapy is effective in preventing postoperative metastasis of stomach cancer, increasing sensitivity and decreasing toxins, and improving the life quality and immunologic function of the patient.