Short-term effects of high-resolution (1-km) ambient PM2.5 and PM10 on hospital admission for pulmonary tuberculosis: a case-crossover study in Hainan, China.

Introduction: There is limited evidence regarding particulate matter (PM)'s short-term effects on pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) hospital admission. Our study aimed to determine the short-term associations of the exposure to ambient PM with aerodynamic diameters <2.5 µm (PM2.5) and < 10 µm (PM10) with hospital admission for PTB in Hainan, a tropical province in China. Methods: We collected individual data on patients hospitalized with PTB, PM2.5, PM10, and meteorological data from 2016 to 2019 in Hainan Province, China. Conditional logistic regression models with a time-stratified case-crossover design were used to assess the short-term effects of PM2.5 and PM10 on hospital admission for PTB at a spatial resolution of 1 km × 1 km. Stratified analyses were performed according to age at admission, sex, marital status, administrative division, and season of admission. Results: Each interquartile range (IQR) increases in the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were associated with 1.155 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.041-1.282) and 1.142 (95% CI: 1.033-1.263) hospital admission risks for PTB at lag 0-8 days, respectively. The stratified analyses showed that the effects of PM2.5 and PM10 were statistically significant for patients aged ≥65 years, males, married, and those residing in prefecture-level cities. Regarding seasonal differences, the associations between PM and hospital admission for PTB were statistically significant in the warm season but not in the cold season. The effect of PM2.5 was consistently stronger than that of PM10 in most subgroups. Conclusion: Short-term exposure to PM increases the risk of hospital admission for PTB. The potential impact of PM with smaller aerodynamic diameter is more detrimental. Our findings highlight the importance of reducing ambient PM level to alleviate the burden of PTB.

Case analysis of brain abscesses caused by Nocardia asiatica: A case report / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To investigate the clinical characteristics and diagnosis key points of brain abscess caused by Nocardia asiatica, and provide a clinical basis for diagnosing and treating intracranial infection caused by Nocardia. Methods　A case of pulmonary Nocardia asiatica complicated with brain abscess diagnosed at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University was selected to analyze the clinical manifestations, cerebrospinal fluid characteristics, pulmonary and cranial imaging features, and treatment plan, and to summarize the diagnosis and treatment experience. Results　The patient was an elderly woman with a history of diabetes, dry cough was the first symptom without fever or headache. At the beginning of the course, it was diagnosed as pulmonary infection and tuberculosis in the local hospital, and received conventional antimicrobial and anti-tuberculosis therapies, but showed no improvement. The patient developed progressive limb weakness, followed by consciousness disorders, and coma. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) adenosine deaminase and lactate dehydrogenase were not abnormal, CSF pressure, protein and white blood cells were high, mainly with multiple nuclear cells. CSF glucose and chloride were normal in the early stage of the disease, but decreased significantly in the later stage. Metagenomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid indicated Nocardia asiatica with a specific sequence number of 537. Lung CT showed exudation, abscess, and cavity in the right lung. Skull MRI scan + enhancement suggested multiple scattered abscesses in both cerebral hemispheres. The abscesses were of different sizes and showed ring enhancement, with extensive surrounding edema, and ventricular compression. After treatment with meropenem, linezolid, and compound sulfamethoxazole tablets, the cerebrospinal fluid recovered, and the lesions in the lungs and intracranial structures improved. Conclusions　Brain abscess caused by Nocardia asiatica is similar to the tuberculous brain in clinical symptoms, cerebrospinal fluid examination, craniocerebral imaging, so we should be alert to the possibility of Nocardia infection in patients with diabetes. At the same time, metagenomic testing of the cerebrospinal fluid can help confirm the diagnosis. The mortality and disability rates of brain abscess caused by Nocardia are high. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve the prognosis.

[Influence of Salinity on Microbial Community in Activated Sludge and Its Application in Simulated Dye Wastewater Treatment].

The performance and microbial community profiles in a sequencing batch reactor(SBR) treating saline wastewater were studied over 300 days from 0% to 2.0% salinity. The effects of crystal violet wastewater and nano-ferroferric oxide on microbial communities were also researched. The experimental results indicated that the activated sludge had high sensitivity to salinity variations in terms of pollutants removal and sedimentation. At 2.0% salinity, the system retained a good performance, and 80% removal rate of COD and 75% removal rate of NH4+-N could be achieved and SVI value was less than 35 mL·g-1; With the increase of salinity, the microbial diversity reduced gradually, the advantageous position of Gram-negative bacteria was gradually replaced by fungi and actinomycetes, whereas Gram-positive bacteria strains remained the advantageous group; In the comparison of activated sludge added with crystal violet dye with the activated sludge samples with a salinity of 2%, it was found that the contents of Parvibaculum and Winogradskyella were higher while the contents of Rhodanobacter and Agrobacterium decreased. In the comparison of crystal violet-activated sludge with and without addition of MNPs, it was found that the contents of Acidocella and Rhodanobacter were higher while the contents of Parvibaculum and Agrobacterium decreased.

[Research on treatment of high salt wastewater by the graphite and activated carbon fiber composite electrodes].

High salinity wastewater is one of the difficulties in the field of wastewater treatment. As a new desalination technology, electrosorption technology has many advantages. This paper studied a new type of carbon-based electrodes, the graphite and activated carbon fiber composite electrodes. And the influencing factors of electrosorption and its desalination effect were investigated. The electrosorption device had optimal desalination effect when the voltage was 1. 6 V, the retention time was 60 min and the plate spacing was 1 cm. The graphite and activated carbon fiber composite electrodes were used to treat the black liquor of refined cotton and sodium copper chlorophyll wastewater to investigate its desalination effect. When the electrodes were used to treat the black liquor of refined cotton after acid treatment, the removal rate of conductivity and COD reached 58. 8% and 75. 6% respectively when 8 pairs of electrodes were used. And when the electrode was used to treat the sodium copper chlorophyll wastewater, the removal rate of conductivity and COD reached higher than 50. 0% and 13. 5% respectively when 6-8 pairs of electrodes were used.

[Performance of slow-release organic carbon-source (SOC) materials for in-situ biological denitrification in groundwater].

As lack of electron donor (carbon source) is a key problem of in-situ denitrification in groundwater, slow-release organic carbon-source (SOC) materials were produced as appropriate electron donor in denitrification PRB. GPVAS and GEPVAS series were manufactured by blending starch and PVA together, with alpha-amylase as the additive, and their performance was detected through SEM and static batch experiments. The results showed that PVA formed the framework filling with starch molecule, and the carbon releasing process followed the law of second order kinetics. Equilibrium concentration of COD (c(m)) and release rate coefficient (k) were key factors of kinetics evaluation. Both c(m) and k of GPVAS-40 were the lowest. The influence of alpha-amylase to the performance of SOC materials was remarkable. The c(m) values would ascend rapidly with augmenting of alpha-amylase content, while the releasing speed rose when amylase activity was lower than 0.03 U/g and then decreased. Consequently, the releasing process was controllable through changing the content of starch and activity of alpha-amylase to meet needs of different situations and pollution of groundwater and improve the effect of in-situ nitrate removal.