Seasonal patterns, fate and ecological risk assessment of pharmaceutical compounds in a wastewater treatment plant with Bacillus bio-reactor treatment.

Pharmaceutical compounds (PhCs) pose a growing concern with potential environmental impacts, commonly introduced into the environment via wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The occurrence, removal, and season variations of 60 different classes of PhCs were investigated in the baffled bioreactor (BBR) wastewater treatment process during summer and winter. The concentrations of 60 PhCs were 3400 ± 1600 ng/L in the influent, 2700 ± 930 ng/L in the effluent, and 2400 ± 120 ng/g dw in sludge. Valsartan (Val, 1800 ng/L) was the main contaminant found in the influent, declining to 520 ng/L in the effluent. The grit chamber and BBR tank were substantially conducive to the removal of VAL. Nonetheless, the BBR process showcased variable removal efficiencies across different PhC classes. Sulfadimidine had the highest removal efficiency of 87 ± 17% in the final effluent (water plus solid phase). Contrasting seasonal patterns were observed among PhC classes within BBR process units. The concentrations of many PhCs were higher in summer than in winter, while some macrolide antibiotics exhibited opposing seasonal fluctuations. A thorough mass balance analysis revealed quinolone and sulfonamide antibiotics were primarily eliminated through degradation and transformation in the BBR process. Conversely, 40.2 g/d of macrolide antibiotics was released to the natural aquatic environment via effluent discharge. Gastric acid and anticoagulants, as well as cardiovascular PhCs, primarily experienced removal through sludge adsorption. This study provides valuable insights into the intricate dynamics of PhCs in wastewater treatment, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies to effectively mitigate their release and potential environmental risks.

PM2.5 exposure-induced senescence-associated secretory phenotype in airway smooth muscle cells contributes to airway remodeling.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been linked to increased severity and incidence of airway diseases, especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Airway remodeling is an important event in both COPD and asthma, and airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) are key cells which directly involved in airway remodeling. However, it was unclear how PM2.5 affected ASMCs. This study investigates the effects of PM2.5 on airway smooth muscle and its mechanism. We first showed that inhaled particulate matter was distributed in the airway smooth muscle bundle, combined with increased airway smooth muscle bundle and collagen deposition in vivo. Then, we demonstrated that PM2.5 induced up-regulation of collagen-I and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression in rat and human ASMCs in vitro. Next, we found PM2.5 led to rat and human ASMCs senescence and exhibited senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) by autophagy-induced GATA4/TRAF6/NF-κB signaling, which contributed to collagen-I and α-SMA synthesis as well as airway smooth muscle remodeling. Together, our results provided evidence that SASP induced by PM2.5 in airway smooth muscle cells prompted airway remodeling.

Occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in a wastewater treatment plant with Bacillus bio-reactor treatment.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have attracted wide attention due to their environmental impacts and health risks. PPCPs released through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are estimated to be 80 %. Nevertheless, the occurrence of PPCPs in the WWTPs equipped with Bacillus spec.-based bioreactors (BBR) treatment system remains unclear. In this study, sludge and waste water samples were collected during separate winter and summer sampling campaigns from a typical BBR treatment system. The results indicate that out of 58 target PPCPs, 27 compounds were detected in the waste water (0.06-1900 ng/L), and 23 were found in the sludge (0.6-7755 ng/g dw). Paraxanthine was the chemical of the highest abundance in the influent due to the high consumption of the parent compounds caffeine and theobromine. The profile for PPCPs in the wastewater and sludge exhibited no seasonal variation. Overall, the removal of target PPCPs in summer is more effective than the winter. In the BBR bio-reactor, it was found that selected PPCPs (at ng/L level) can be completely removed. The efficiency for individual PPCP removal was increased from 1.0 % to 50 % in this unit, after target specific adjustments of the process. The effective removal of selected PPCPs by the BBR treatment system is explained by combined sorption and biodegradation processing. The re-occurrence of PPCPs in the wastewater was monitored. Negative removal efficiency was explained by the cleavage of Phase II metabolites after the biotransformation process, and the lack of equilibrium for PPCPs in the sludge of the second clarifier. A compound specific risk quotient (RQ) was calculated and applied for studying the potential environmental risks. Diphenhydramine is found with the highest environmental risk in wastewater, and 15 other PPCPs show negligible risks in sewage sludge.

Cross-regional scale studies of organochlorine pesticides in air in China: Pollution characteristic, seasonal variation, and gas/particle partitioning.

Few simultaneous studies of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the atmosphere have been conducted across Southeast and Northeast China, and no data on the gas/particle (G/P) partitioning behaviors of several current-use OCPs are available. In this study, a one-year synchronous monitoring program was conducted for OCPs in Chinese atmosphere spanning 30° latitude and 60 °C temperature. A total of 111 pairs of gas and particle samples were collected from Mohe and Harbin in Northeast China and from Shenzhen in Southeast China. The detection frequency for 66.7 % of the OCPs exceeded 80 %, indicating their prevalence in the atmosphere. The concentrations of individual OCPs spanned six orders of magnitude, indicating different pollution levels. Highest levels of hexachlorobenzene were observed at all sites. Banned OCPs were found predominantly in secondary distribution patterns, whereas current-use OCPs were dominated by primary distribution patterns. In Harbin and Mohe, the concentrations of OCPs were highest in summer, followed by autumn and winter. No obvious seasonal variation was observed in Shenzhen associated with different cultivation types. At all three sites, OCPs were predominantly found in the gas phase, and higher percentages of particle-phase OCPs were observed in Harbin and Mohe than in Shenzhen. In this study, G/P partitioning models were used to study the G/P partitioning mechanism of OCPs. The Li-Ma-Yang model provided the most accurate prediction of the G/P partitioning behavior of OCPs with high molecular weights and low vapor pressures, particularly at low temperatures. However, OCPs with lower molecular weights and higher vapor pressures were predominantly in the equilibrium state, for which the Junge-Pankow model was suitable. This systematic cross-scale study provides new insights into pollution, G/P partitioning, and the environmental behavior of OCPs in the atmosphere.

Health Risk Assessment of Organophosphate Flame Retardants in Soil Across China Based on Monte Carlo Simulation.

Health risks from exposure to contaminants are generally estimated by evaluating concentrations of the contaminants in environmental matrixes. However, accurate health risk assessment is difficult because of uncertainties regarding exposures. This study aims to utilize data on the concentrations of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) in surface soil across China coupled with Monte Carlo simulations to compensate for uncertainties in exposure to evaluate the health risks associated with contamination of soil with this class of flame retardants. Results revealed that concentrations of ∑OPFRs were 0.793-406 ng/g dry weight (dw) with an average of 23.2 ng/g dw. In terms of spatial distribution, higher OPFRs concentrations were found in economically developed regions. Although the values of health risk of OPFRs in soil across China were below the threshold, the high concentrations of OPFRs in soil in some regions should attract more attentions in future. Sensitivity analysis revealed that concentrations of OPFRs in soil, skin adherence factor, and exposure duration were the most sensitive parameters in health risk assessment. In summary, the study indicated that the national scale soil measurement could provide unique information on OPFRs exposure and health risk assessment, which was useful for the management of soil in China and for better understanding of the environmental fate of OPFRs in the global perspective.

Acid-induced tubular g-C3N4 for the selective generation of singlet oxygen by energy transfer: Implications for the photocatalytic degradation of parabens in real water environments.

Parabens are widely present in aquatic environments and pose potential health risk. Although great progress has been made in the field of the photocatalytic degradation of parabens, the powerful Coulomb interactions between electrons and holes are the major limitations to photocatalytic performance. Hence, acid-induced tubular g-C3N4 (AcTCN) was prepared and applied for the removal of parabens from a real water environment. AcTCN not only increased the specific surface area and light absorption capacity, but also selectively generated 1O2 via an energy transfer-mediated oxygen activation pathway. The 1O2 yield of AcTCN was 11.8 times higher than that of g-C3N4. AcTCN exhibited remarkable removal efficiencies for parabens depending on the length of the alkyl group. Furthermore, the rate constants (k values) of parabens in ultrapure water were higher than those in tap and river water because of the presence of organic and inorganic species in real water environments. Two possible pathways for the photocatalytic degradation of parabens are proposed based on the identification of intermediates and theoretical calculations. In summary, this study offers theoretical support for the efficient enhancement of the photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4 for the removal of parabens in real water environments.

Spatial distribution and temporal trend of organochlorine pesticides in Chinese surface soil.

Although organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the Stockholm Convention List were banned for a period of time, the residue of OCPs in environment was still detected recently. Therefore, the continuous environmental monitoring was necessary and important for the deep understanding on the temporal trend of environmental fate of OCPs. In this study, the national scale surface soil samples in 26 provinces of China in 2012 were collected, and 28 OCPs were analyzed. The mean concentrations (ng/g dw) of Σhexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), Σdichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) were 2.47 ± 5.4, 4.29 ± 8.28, 3.33 ± 7.68, and 0.041 ± 0.097, respectively. The correlations between OCPs concentrations with temperature, latitude, and longitude were conducted for the deep study of the spatial distribution pattern of OCPs. It was found that HCHs, HCB, and HCBD are positively correlated with latitude and longitude; however, the correlations were not significant. HCHs followed the secondary distribution pattern, and DDTs followed both the primary and/or secondary distribution patterns. Except for HCB, other OCPs showed a gradual downward trend from 2005 to 2012, indicating the effectiveness of the phase-out of OCPs. In summary, the results of the study provided new insight into the related studies, which will help us to better understand the long-term environmental fate of OCPs on large scales.

Effectively removing gaseous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by willow catkins: Do you still dislike the catkins floating?

The floating catkins generated by willow and poplar trees have been criticized for spreading germ and causing fire for decades. It has been found that catkins are with a hollow tubular structure, which made us wonder if the floating catkins can adsorb atmospheric pollutions. Thus, we conducted a project in Harbin, China to investigate whether and how willow catkins could adsorb atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The results suggest that both the catkins floating in the air and on the ground preferred to adsorb gaseous PAHs rather than particulate PAHs. Moreover, 3- and 4-ring PAHs were the dominating compositions adsorbed by catkins, which significantly increased with exposure time. The gas/catkins partition (KCG) was defined, which explained why 3-ring PAHs are more easily adsorbed by catkins than by airborne particles when their subcooled liquid vapor pressure is high (log PL > -1.73). The removal loading of atmospheric PAHs by catkins were estimated as 1.03 kg/year in the center city of Harbin, which may well explain the phenomenon that levels of gaseous and total (particle + gas) PAHs are relatively low in the months with catkins floating reported in peer-reviewed papers.

Removal of antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes by nanoscale zero-valent iron activated persulfate: Implication for the contribution of pH decrease.

The mechanism of removing antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) by persulfate was attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the potential contribution of decreased pH in persulfate system to ARB and ARGs removal has rarely been reported. Here, the efficiency and mechanism of removing ARB and ARGs by nanoscale zero-valent iron activated persulfate (nZVI/PS) were investigated. Results showed that the ARB (2 × 108 CFU/mL) could be completely inactivated within 5 min, and the removal efficiencies of sul1 and intI1 were 98.95% and 99.64% by nZVI/20 mM PS, respectively. Investigation of mechanism revealed that hydroxyl radicals was the dominant ROS of nZVI/PS in removing ARB and ARGs. Importantly, the pH of nZVI/PS system was greatly decreased, even to 2.9 in nZVI/20 mM PS system. Impressively, when the pH of the bacterial suspension was adjusted to 2.9, the removal efficiency of ARB, sul1 and intI1 were 60.33%, 73.76% and 71.51% within 30 min, respectively. Further excitation-emission-matrix analysis confirmed that decreased pH contributed to ARB damage. The above results on the effect of pH indicated that the decreased pH of nZVI/PS system also made an important contribution for the removal of ARB and ARGs.

Influence on the levels of PAHs and methylated PAHs in surface soil from pollution control in China: Evidence in 2019 data compared with 2005 and 2012 data.

To comprehensively clarify the pollution characteristics of persistent toxic substances, the Soil and Air Monitoring Program Phase III (SAMP-III) was conducted in 2019 in China. In total, 154 surface soil samples were collected across China, and 30 unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (U-PAHs) and 49 methylated PAHs (Me-PAHs) were analyzed in this study. The mean concentrations of total U-PAHs and Me-PAHs were 540 ± 778 and 82.0 ± 132 ng/g dw, respectively. Northeastern China and Eastern China are the two regions of concern with high PAH and BaP equivalency levels. Compared with SAMP-I (2005) and SAMP-II (2012), an obvious upward temporal trend followed by a downward trend of PAH levels was observed in the past 14 years for the first time. The mean concentrations of 16 U-PAHs were 377 ± 716, 780 ± 1010, and 419 ± 611 ng/g dw in surface soil across China for the three phases, respectively. Considering rapid economic growth and energy consumption, an increasing trend from 2005 to 2012 was expected. From 2012 to 2019, the PAH levels in soils across China decreased by 50 %, which was consistent with the decline in PAH emissions. The period of reduction of PAHs in surface soil coincided with the implementation of Air and Soil Pollution Control Actions in China after 2013 and 2016, respectively. Along with the pollution control actions in China, the pollution control of PAHs and the increase in soil quality can be expected in the near future.

BMAL1/p53 mediating bronchial epithelial cell autophagy contributes to PM2.5-aggravated asthma.

BACKGROUND: Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with increased incidence and severity of asthma. PM2.5 exposure disrupts airway epithelial cells, which elicits and sustains PM2.5-induced airway inflammation and remodeling. However, the mechanisms underlying development and exacerbation of PM2.5-induced asthma were still poorly understood. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like protein 1 (BMAL1) is a major circadian clock transcriptional activator that is also extensively expressed in peripheral tissues and plays a crucial role in organ and tissue metabolism. RESULTS: In this study, we found PM2.5 aggravated airway remodeling in mouse chronic asthma, and exacerbated asthma manifestation in mouse acute asthma. Next, low BMAL1 expression was found to be crucial for airway remodeling in PM2.5-challenged asthmatic mice. Subsequently, we confirmed that BMAL1 could bind and promote ubiquitination of p53, which can regulate p53 degradation and block its increase under normal conditions. However, PM2.5-induced BMAL1 inhibition resulted in up-regulation of p53 protein in bronchial epithelial cells, then increased-p53 promoted autophagy. Autophagy in bronchial epithelial cells mediated collagen-I synthesis as well as airway remodeling in asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results suggest that BMAL1/p53-mediated bronchial epithelial cell autophagy contributes to PM2.5-aggravated asthma. This study highlights the functional importance of BMAL1-dependent p53 regulation during asthma, and provides a novel mechanistic insight into the therapeutic mechanisms of BMAL1. Video Abstract.

Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in indoor/outdoor window films and the indoor film/air partition of northeastern Chinese college dormitories.

Indoor window films can represent short-term air pollution conditions of indoor environment through rapidly capturing organic contaminants as effective passive air samplers. To investigate the temporal variation, influence factors of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor window films, and the exchange behavior with gas phase in college dormitories, 42 pairs window films of interior and exterior window surfaces and corresponding indoor gas phase and dust samples were collected monthly in six selected dormitories, Harbin, China, from August to December 2019 and September 2020. The average concentration of ∑16PAHs in indoor window films (398 ng/m2) was significantly (p < 0.01) lower than that in outdoors (652 ng/m2). In addition, the median indoor/outdoor ∑16PAHs concentration ratio was close to 0.5, showing that outdoor air acted as a major PAH source to indoor environment. The 5-ring PAHs were mostly dominant in window films whereas the 3-ring PAHs contributed mostly in gas phase. 3-ring PAHs and 4-ring PAHs were both important contributors for dormitory dust. Window films showed stable temporal variation, i.e. PAH concentrations in heating months were higher than those in non-heating months. The atmospheric O3 concentration was the main influence factor of PAHs in indoor window films. PAHs with low molecular weight in indoor window films rapidly reached film/air equilibrium phase within in dozens of hours. The large deviation in the slope of the log KF-A versus log KOA regression line from that in reported equilibrium formula might be the difference between the window film composition and octanol.

Association of occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in workers with hypertension from a northeastern Chinese petrochemical industrial area.

Elevated urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, for petrochemical workers with potentially high PAH exposure, it remains largely unknown whether the link will be amplified. Thus, this work aimed to investigate 14 urinary mono-hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs) in 746 petrochemical workers working in a Chinese petrochemical industrial area and their association with the risk of hypertension using the binary logistic regression. Metabolites of naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene were frequently detected in the 746 urine samples analyzed (>98%), with Σ10OH-PAH concentration in the range of 0.906-358 ng/mL. 2-hydroxynaphthalene accounted for the largest proportion of ten detected OH-PAHs (60.8% of Σ10OH-PAHs). There were significant correlations between these metabolites and other factors, including gender, age, and body mass index. Diastolic blood pressure, not systolic blood pressure, was significant positively associated with the urinary Σ10OH-PAH concentrations of the petrochemical workers. Elevated urinary 2/3-OH-Flu was significantly associated with an increased risk of hypertension (adjusted odds ratio: 1.96, 95% confidence interval: 1.20-3.18, p = 0.007), suggesting that PAH exposure in petrochemical workers was a driving factor of hypertension. In the stratified analysis, the association was more pronounced in those who were overweight with older age. Although the PAH exposure risk in petrochemical workers based on the estimated daily intakes was relatively low. Given the long-term impact, we call attention to CVDs of petrochemical workers.

A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Phase 3 Trial of Tobramycin Inhalation Solution in Adults With Bronchiectasis With Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection.

BACKGROUND: Few large-scale studies have demonstrated the efficacy of tobramycin nebulization in bronchiectasis. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of nebulized tobramycin inhalation solution (TIS) in adults with bronchiectasis with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. RESEARCH QUESTION: Can TIS effectively reduce sputum P aeruginosa density and improve the bronchiectasis-specific quality of life in patients with bronchiectasis with P aeruginosa infection? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a phase 3, 16-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Eligible adults with bronchiectasis were recruited from October 2018 to July 2021. On the basis of usual care, patients nebulized TIS (300 mg/5 mL twice daily) or normal saline (5 mL twice daily) via vibrating-mesh nebulizer. Treatment consisted of two cycles, each consisting of 28 days on-treatment and 28 days off-treatment. The coprimary end points included changes from baseline in P aeruginosa density and Quality-of-Life Bronchiectasis Respiratory Symptoms score on day 29. RESULTS: The modified intention-to-treat population consisted of 167 patients in the tobramycin group and 172 patients in the placebo group. Compared with placebo, TIS resulted in a significantly greater reduction in P aeruginosa density (adjusted mean difference, 1.74 log10 colony-forming units/g; 95% CI, 1.12-2.35; P < .001) and greater improvement in Quality-of-Life Bronchiectasis Respiratory Symptoms score (adjusted mean difference, 7.91; 95% CI, 5.72-10.11; P < .001) on day 29. Similar findings were observed on day 85. TIS resulted in a significant reduction in 24-h sputum volume and sputum purulence score on days 29, 57, and 85. More patients became culture negative for P aeruginosa in the tobramycin group than in the placebo group on day 29 (29.3% vs 10.6%). The incidence of adverse events and serious adverse events were comparable between the two groups. INTERPRETATION: TIS is an effective treatment option and has an acceptable safety profile in patients with bronchiectasis with P aeruginosa infection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov; No. NCT03715322; URL: www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov.

Solar-induced efficient propylparaben photodegradation by nitrogen vacancy engineered reticulate g-C3N4: Morphology, activity and mechanism.

Propylparaben (PrP) has attracted extensive concerns due to its wide occurrence in wastewater and potential health risk. Herein, nitrogen vacancy engineered reticulate g-C3N4 (Nv-RCN) was successfully synthesized for the photodegradation of PrP. Nv-RCN exhibited larger specific surface area, greater light absorption ability, higher transfer and separation efficiency of charge carriers in comparison with bulk g-C3N4 (CN). According to the characterization results and DFT calculation, nitrogen vacancy could capture electrons and facilitate oxygen adsorption. The Nv-RCN exhibited an outstanding PrP removal efficiency of 94.3 %, and the corresponding apparent rate constant of Nv-RCN was 3.37 times higher than that of CN. High O2 concentration (8 mg/L) and low pH value (pH = 3) promoted PrP photodegradation based on Box-Behnken Design. The O2- was the major radical during PCOP of Nv-RCN, and could oxidize PrP by decarbonylation and dealkylation. This study provided new insights to the improvement of photodegradation performance of g-C3N4 for parabens removal and related environmental remediation.

Modeling historical budget for ß-Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) in the Arctic Ocean: A contrast to α-HCH.

The historical annual loading to, removal from, and cumulative burden in the Arctic Ocean for ß-hexachlorocyclohexane (ß-HCH), an isomer comprising 5-12% of technical HCH, is investigated using a mass balance box model from 1945 to 2020. Over the 76 years, loading occurred predominantly through ocean currents and river inflow (83%) and only a small portion via atmospheric transport (16%). ß-HCH started to accumulate in the Arctic Ocean in the late 1940s, reached a peak of 810 t in 1986, and decreased to 87 t in 2020, when its concentrations in the Arctic water and air were ∼30 ng m-3 and ∼0.02 pg m-3, respectively. Even though ß-HCH and α-HCH (60-70% of technical HCH) are both the isomers of HCHs with almost identical temporal and spatial emission patterns, these two chemicals have shown different major pathways entering the Arctic. Different from α-HCH with the long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT) as its major transport pathway, ß-HCH reached the Arctic mainly through long-range oceanic transport (LROT). The much higher tendency of ß-HCH to partition into the water, mainly due to its much lower Henry's Law Constant than α-HCH, produced an exceptionally strong pathway divergence with ß-HCH favoring slow transport in water and α-HCH favoring rapid transport in air. The concentration and burden of ß-HCH in the Arctic Ocean are also predicted for the year 2050 when only 4.4-5.3 t will remain in the Arctic Ocean under the influence of climate change.

Size-resolved environmentally persistent free radicals in cold region atmosphere: Implications for inhalation exposure risk.

Environmental persistent free radicals (EPFRs) have attracted more attentions recently due to their potential adverse effects to human. EPFRs in full-size range particles were comprehensively investigated in this study. The average EPFRs concentration during heating season was 3.01 × 1014 spins/m3, which was much higher than that in non-heating season (4.30 × 1013 spins/m3). The highest concentration of EPFRs presented in 0.56-1.0 µm particles during heating season, while it shifted to 5.6-10 µm particles during non-heating season. Besides, the contributions of EPFRs on PM>10 to the total concentration of EPFRs cannot be neglected, especially in the non-heating season. The International Commission on Radiological Protection model and the specific factors of the Chinese population were applied to evaluate the inhalation exposure risk of EPFRs. The results indicated that the exposure levels of EPFRs to the upper respiratory tract were much higher. The daily exposure dose of EPFRs suggested the inhalation exposure risk of 3-4 years old was higher than other age groups. In summary, these finding provided new insights for the full range particle size distribution and the inhalation exposure risk of EPFRs, which improved our understanding on the environmental fate and the health risk of EPFRs in atmosphere.

National-scale monitoring of historic used organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and current used pesticides (CUPs) in Chinese surface soil: Old topic and new story.

Along with the restriction and prohibition of historic used organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), current used pesticides (CUPs) were widely used as alternatives. In order to investigate the pollution characteristics of pesticides, the levels and spatial distributions of OCPs and CUPs in 154 surface soil across China were comprehensively compared. Totally, 107 target pesticides were screened, and 20 OCPs and 34 CUPs were detected. The numbers of co-occurred pesticides in single soil sample were from 17 to 36 indicating the diversity and complexity of pesticides pollution. The concentrations of OCPs in urban soils were higher than rural soils, while rural > urban for CUPs. Furthermore, obviously different spatial distribution patterns were found for OCPs and CUPs. For OCPs, the secondary distribution pattern was dominant. For CUPs, the primary distribution pattern was obviously observed due to their current extensive usage. In addition, higher concentrations of both CUPs and OCPs were accumulated in the Northeast China Plain due to long-range atmospheric transport and deposition. Along with the old topic of OCPs, the study pointed out the preliminary understanding of CUPs pollution characteristic in surface soil of China, which provided a new story with the deep understanding of their environmental fate in both China and the world.

Blockade of phosphotyrosine pathways suggesting SH2 superbinder as a novel therapy for pulmonary fibrosis.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and irreversible fibrotic disease with high mortality. Currently, pirfenidone and nintedanib are the only approved drugs for IPF by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but their efficacy is limited. The activation of multiple phosphotyrosine (pY) mediated signaling pathways underlying the pathological mechanism of IPF has been explored. A Src homology-2 (SH2) superbinder, which contains mutations of three amino acids (AAs) of natural SH2 domain has been shown to be able to block phosphotyrosine (pY) pathway. Therefore, we aimed to introduce SH2 superbinder into the treatment of IPF. Methods: We analyzed the database of IPF patients and examined pY levels in lung tissues from IPF patients. In primary lung fibroblasts obtained from IPF patient as well as bleomycin (BLM) treated mice, the cell proliferation, migration and differentiation associated with pY were investigated and the anti-fibrotic effect of SH2 superbinder was also tested. In vivo, we further verified the safety and effectiveness of SH2 superbinder in multiple BLM mice models. We also compared the anti-fibrotic effect and side-effect of SH2 superbinder and nintedanib in vivo. Results: The data showed that the cytokines and growth factors pathways which directly correlated to pY levels were significantly enriched in IPF. High pY levels were found to induce abnormal proliferation, migration and differentiation of lung fibroblasts. SH2 superbinder blocked pY-mediated signaling pathways and suppress pulmonary fibrosis by targeting high pY levels in fibroblasts. SH2 superbinder had better therapeutic effect and less side-effect compare to nintedanib in vivo. Conclusions: SH2 superbinder had significant anti-fibrotic effects both in vitro and in vivo, which could be used as a promising therapy for IPF.

A New Predictive Model for the Prognosis of MDA5+ DM-ILD.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze clinical information and combine significant parameters to generate a predictive model and achieve a better prognosis prediction of dermatomyositis-associated interstitial lung disease with positive melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibody (MDA5+ DM-ILD) and stratify patients according to prognostic risk factors appropriately. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 63 patients MDA5+ DM-ILD who were treated in our hospital from January 2018 to January 2021. Our study incorporated most clinical characteristics in clinical practice to explore the associations and predictive functions of clinical characteristics and prognosis. Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, chi-squared test, Pearson correlation analysis, Cox regression analysis, R, receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC curves), and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were performed to identify independent predictors for the prognosis of MDA5+DM-ILD. Results: In all the 63 patients with MDA5+DM-ILD, 44 improved but 19 did not. Poor prognosis was found more frequently in patients who were older, clinically amyopathic variant of dermatomyositis (CADM), and/or with short duration, short interval of DM and ILD, long length of stay, fever, dyspnea, non-arthralgia, pulmonary infection, pleural effusion (PE), high total computed tomography scores (TCTs), ground-glass opacity (GGO), consolidation score, reticular score and fibrosis score, decreased forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1), albumin, A/G, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), high titer of anti-MDA5, proteinuria, high levels of monocyte, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), ferritin (FER), neuron specific enolase (NSE) and glucocorticoid, antibiotic, antiviral, and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV). The multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that duration, fever, PE, TCTs and aspartate transaminase (AST) were independent predictors of poor prognosis in patients with MDA5+DM-ILD. The nomogram model quantified the risk of 400-day death as: duration ≤ 4 months (5 points), fever (88 points), PE (21 points), TCTs ≥10 points (22 points), and AST ≥200 U/L (100 points) with high predictive accuracy and convenience. The ROC curves possessed good discriminative ability for combination of fever, PE, TCTs, and AST, as reflected by the area under curve (AUC) being.954, 95% CI 0.902-1.000, and sensitivity and specificity being 84.2 and 94.6%, respectively. Conclusion: We demonstrated that duration, fever, PE, TCTs, and AST could be integrated together to be independent predictors of poor prognosis in MDA5+ DM-ILD with highly predictive accuracy.