Impact of metabolic disorders on gallstone disease and perioperative recovery after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Gallstone disease (GSD), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are common medical disorders worldwide. This study aimed to ascertain how NAFLD, MAFLD, MetS, and other factors affect the development of GSD, and how the GSD-associated factors influence patient recovery after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). METHODS: We included 200 patients who were diagnosed with GSD and underwent LC between January 2017 and February 2022. A total of 200 subjects without GSD and "non-calculous causes" during the same period were also included as controls. We compared the metabolic disorder differences between GSD patients and controls. Furthermore, we sub-grouped patients based on the comorbidities of preoperative NAFLD, MAFLD, and MetS, and compared the impacts of these comorbidities on short-term post-LC functional recovery of the patients. RESULTS: The prevalence of NAFLD and MetS were higher in GSD patients (P < 0.05). Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis, hyperglycemia [odds ratio (OR) = 2.2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4-3.4, P = 0.001] and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1-3.1, P = 0.048) were linked to GSD. NAFLD and MetS linked to liver enzymes after LC (P < 0.05). MetS also linked to the levels of inflammatory indicators after LC (P < 0.05). The obesity, hyperlipidemia, low HDL-C level, and hyperglycemia linked to liver enzymes after LC (P < 0.05). Hyperlipidemia, low HDL-C level, and hypertension linked to inflammation after LC (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of GSD may be linked to NAFLD and MetS. Hyperglycemia and low HDL-C level were independent risk factors of GSD.

Genome-Wide Association Study of MKI67 Expression and its Clinical Implications in HBV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Southern China.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with a high rate of recurrence. Immunohistochemical analysis of the marker of proliferation Ki-67 (MKI67) is used to assess proliferation activity of HCC The regulation of MKI67 expression remains unclear in HCC This study aims to explore the association between MKI67 expression and gene variants. METHODS: A total of 195 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC patients were genotyped using Illumina HumanExome BeadChip-12-1_A (242,901 markers). An independent cohort (97 subjects) validated the association of polymorphism determinants and candidate genes with MKI67 expression. The relationships between MKI67 with p53 and variants of candidate genes in the clinical outcomes of HCC patients were analyzed. RESULTS: We found that MKI67 combined with p53 was associated with a 3-year recurrence-free survival and five variants near TTN and CCDC8 were associated with MKI67 expression. TTN harboring rs2288563-TT and rs2562832-AA+CA indicated a favorable outcome for HCC patients. CONCLUSION: Variants near TTN and CCDC8 were associated with MKI67 expression, and rs2288563 and rs2562832 in TTN are potential biomarkers for the prediction of clinical outcomes in HBV-related HCC patients.

Prediction of the joint toxicity of five organophosphorus pesticides to Daphnia magna.

The individual toxicities of five organophosphorus pesticides (dichlorvos, parathion, methyl parathion, malathion and dimethoate) to Daphnia magna were investigated in 24-h immobilization experiments. Using these toxicity data, their combined toxicities were measured in pesticide mixtures designed using either 'equivalent-effect concentration ratios' or 'uniform-design concentration ratios'. The toxicities of mixtures of similarly or dissimilarly acting toxicants are often predicted from the individual toxicities of the component compounds, using one of two distinct biometric models: concentration addition (CA) or independent action (IA). The relative accuracies of the CA and IA models were assessed using the model deviation rate (MDR), which represents the difference between the effect predicted from the individual pesticide concentrations and the observed effect. The mean MDR value of CA was 0.93 (range 0.75-1.31) and the mean value obtained by IA was 3.13 (range 2.52-4.37). We conclude that the CA model is better able to predict the joint toxicities of mixtures of organophosphorus pesticides to D. magna.

Ecotoxicity stress and bioaccumulation in Eisenia fetida earthworms exposed to vanadium pentoxide in soil.

As an important commercial form of vanadium, vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) is widely used in various modern industries, and its environmental impacts and ecotoxicity have been extensively studied. In this research, the ecotoxicity of V2O5 to earthworms (Eisenia fetida) in soil was tested by exposure to V2O5 at a series of doses, and biochemical response indices, such as the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzyme activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, were analysed to determine the mechanism by which antioxidant enzymes respond to V2O5 exposure. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of vanadium pentoxide in the earthworms and soil was also measured to explore the bioaccumulation process of V2O5 in the test period. The results showed that the acute and subchronic lethal toxicity values of V2O5 towards E. fetida were 21.96 mg/kg (LC50, 14 days) and 6.28 mg/kg (LC10, 28 days), respectively. For the antioxidant enzymes, SOD and CAT were synchronously induced or inhibited within the time period, and the enzyme activity had a dose-effect relationship with the V2O5 concentration. MDA analysis indicated that lipid peroxidation in earthworms mainly occurred at the early stage and was eliminated slowly in the later stage during the test time. In addition, the BAFs were much less than 1, which indicated that V2O5 did not easily accumulate in earthworms, and the BAF was positively correlated with the exposure time and negatively linearly correlated with the V2O5 concentration in the soil. These results indicated that the bioconcentration and metabolic mechanism of V2O5 in earthworms differed with the different exposure concentrations, and bioaccumulation became balanced after 14-28 days in earthworms exposed to a relatively lower dose of V2O5. The analysis of the integrated biomarker response (IBR) index indicated that the trends of IBR values were positively related to the changing V2O5 concentration, and the IBR index could reflect the organism's sensitivity to the external stimulus of V2O5. The toxicity of V2O5 is mainly caused by V5+, which is also an important factor in formulating guidelines regarding vanadium levels in soil, and the test earthworm species (Eisenia fetida) is a sensitive biological indicator for risk assessments of vanadium oxidation in the soil.

[Effect Factors and Model Prediction of Soil Heavy Metal Bioaccessibility].

The soil environmental pollution situation has been severe in recent years, but studies on evaluating with bioavailability testing and prediction models are lacking, which makes it difficult to accurately assess the ecological risks of contaminated soil. As an important indicator of bioavailability, the bioaccessibility of cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb) in the soil was analyzed in this study. The bioaccessibility content and their corresponding soil property data were screened and systematically analyzed to explore the relationship between bioaccessibility content and soil properties. Furthermore, some testing methods for bioaccessibility were summarized to analyze the relationship between bioaccessibility content, test methods, and bioavailability content. Additionally, the bioaccessibility content prediction models were established. The results showed that there was a strong correlation between the bioaccessibility content and the total content of heavy metals (P<0.01) and a significant (P<0.05) correlation with the soil pH. Different test methods had obvious effects on bioavailability. The proportion of bioaccessibility content determined via various test methods was as follows:in vitro gastrointestinal tract simulation>chemical reagent extraction. The proportions of bioaccessibility content of Cd and Pb in natural soil were relatively high, with mean values of 42.12% and 37.33%, respectively, indicating that Cd and Pb had higher risks of being absorbed by soil organisms. Moreover, 30 bioaccessibility prediction models for five heavy metals were constructed, which involved the soil properties and test methods. The results of this study can provide scientific information and bioaccessibility prediction models that can help in accurately assessing the ecological risks of contaminated soil.

[Human Health Risk Assessment of Phenol in Poyang Lake Basin].

Phenol is widely used in the production of insulation and thermal insulation materials, adhesives, perfumes, coatings for food containers, paints, and pharmaceutical production, and is also widely detected in the aquatic environment. Long-term exposure to phenol can elicit adverse effects, such as skin burn, liver and central system damage. Here, phenol concentrations in the water and aquatic products of Poyang Lake were investigated. Human health risks from phenol to adults and adolescents were also assessed based on local population exposure parameters. The exposure concentration range of phenol in the studied water and aquatic products was not detected (ND)-556.26 ng·L-1 and 11.98-255.51 µg·kg-1, respectively. Human health risk based on drinking water in different areas ranged from 3.80×10-7-8.46×10-5. Higher human health risks from drinking water was detected in the southern area of Poyang Lake and at the confluence of the Yangtze River to the north. Health risks caused by different types of aquatic products ranges 2.65×10-5-1.47×10-4. In particular, human health risks from the consumption of yellow catfish and catfish are an order of magnitude higher than for other aquatic products. Probabilistic risk assessment was also conducted through Monte Carlo simulation to analyze the health risk to the population in the Poyang Lake Basin and assess its sensitivity of different exposure parameters. The 95th percentile health risk of drinking water and aquatic product consumption in the Poyang Lake Basin was calculated as being acceptable. Overall, the concentrations of phenol had the greatest impact on the calculated health risk values. This study provides valuable information for phenol risk management in the Poyang Lake basin.

[Distribution and Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Water Bodies in Seven Basins of China].

The concentrations and spatial distribution characteristics of 16 US EPA priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water bodies in seven basins in China were systematically analyzed and summarized. The acute ecological risks of 8 PAHs to aquatic organisms were evaluated by means of species sensitivity distribution (SSD). The joint acute ecological risks of ΣPAH8 to aquatic organisms were evaluated by concentration addition model and response addition model. The health risks of PAHs ingestion were estimated by hazard quotients. The results showed that the 2-, 3-, and 4 ringed-PAHs had higher-than-average concentrations in the water bodies from the seven basins, and the mean concentration of ΣPAH16 was 2596.25 ng·L-1, which is higher than in most foreign water bodies. The composition characteristics and sources of PAHs in water bodies of China and other countries were similar. The pollution of ΣPAH16 in northern water bodies was more serious compared with that of southern water bodies. The potentially affected fraction (PAF) values of naphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, and anthracene to aquatic organisms in the seven basins were less than 4%. Except for the Haihe River and Yangtze River basins, the PAF values of benzo (a) pyrene to aquatic organisms exceeded 5%, which indicates that benzo (a) pyrene had high acute ecological risks to aquatic organisms. The concentration addition model was not suitable for water ecological risk assessments of PAHs. The results of risk assessments based on response addition model showed that except for the Haihe River, the multisubstance PAF (msPAF) values of ΣPAH8 to aquatic organisms in other basins exceeded 5%, which indicates that ΣPAH8 constitutes high joint acute ecological risks to aquatic organisms. The health risks through ingestion of carcinogenic PAHs from water bodies of the seven basins were at 10-5 level, which is higher than the baseline value of acceptable risk (10-6) from the US EPA. The health risks through the ingestion of non-carcinogenic PAHs were at 10-9 level, which is far lower than the baseline value of acceptable risk. The results indicate that there are potential carcinogenic risks to human health through ingestion of PAHs from seven basins in China.

miR-223-3p regulating the occurrence and development of liver cancer cells by targeting FAT1 gene.

Objective: To explore the mechanism of miR-223-3p regulating the occurrence and development of liver cancer cells by targeting FAT1 gene. Methods: Bioinformatics analysis was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes in liver cancer tissue chips. Forty-eight cases of liver cancer tissues and corresponding adjacent tissues were selected, and qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-223-3p and FAT1mRNA in tissues. Wound healing assay was used to detect the migration ability of liver cancer cells. Transwell assay was used to detect cells invasion ability. Dual-luciferase assay was used to detect the targeting relationship between miR-223-3p and FAT1. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of EMT-related markers, E-cadherin and Vimentin. Results: FAT1 was highly expressed in liver cancer tissues and cells, while miR-223-3p was lowly expressed. Silencing FAT1 could inhibite the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of liver cancer cells. miR-223-3p targeted down-regulated the expression of FAT1, and inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of liver cancer cells by targeting FAT1. Conclusion: miR-223-3p regulates the occurrence and development of liver cancer cells by targeted down-regulating the expression of FAT1.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) isoform expression and potential clinical implications in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent and life-threatening malignancies worldwide. There are few diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and druggable targets for HCC. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) is a marker of stem cells in a variety of cancers, but the mRNA levels and prognostic value of ALDH1 isoforms in HCC patients remain unknown. In the present study, gene ontology annotation of the ALDH1 family was performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID), and the gene pathway analsis was performed using GeneMANIA software. The initial prognostic value of ALDH1 expression in 360 HCC patients was assessed using the OncoLnc database. The expression levels of ALDH1 isoforms in normal liver tissues and clinical specimens of cancer vs. normal control datasets were determined using the GTEx and Oncomine databases, respectively. We then analyzed the prognostic value of ALDH1 expression in 212 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC patients using the GEO database. We found that the ALDH1 isoform showed high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity. The ALDH1A1, ALDH1B1, and ALDH1L1 genes encoded for the ALDH1 enzyme. High ALDH1B1 expression had protective qualities in HCC patients. Moreover, HBV-related HCC patients who showed high ALDH1L1 gene expression had a better clinical outcomes. In addition, high ALDH1A1 expression was associated with a 57-month recurrence-free survival in HBV-related HCC patients. High ALDH1B1 expression was protective for HCCs with multiple nodules and high serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level. Furthermore, high serum AFP levels contributed to lower ALDH1L1. ALDH1A1, ALDH1B1, and ALDH1L1, all of which were considered promising diagnostic and prognostic markers as well as potential drug targets.

Assessing the anti-estrogenic activity of sodium pentachlorophenol in primary cultures of juvenile goldfish (Carassius auratus) hepatocytes using vitellogenin as a biomarker.

Both pentachlorophenol and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) had been studied widely because of their probable anti-estrogenic activity. Sodium pentachlorophenol (PCP-Na), as a industrial product used in many fields, usually contains a trace of TCDD. The aim of this study was to assess the anti-estrogenic effect of PCP-Na in juvenile goldfish (Carassius auratus) hepatocyte cultures using vitellogenin (VTG) as the biomarker. The ID50 of PCP-Na was investigated and then a series of concentrations (0.001-0.5 microg/ml) of PCP-Na were evaluated to estimate the anti-estrogenic activity. Results showed that PCP-Na was cytotoxic for hepatocytes even at very low concentration < 1.21 microg/ml, and it could not induce VTG at any concentrations tested. Since it failed to stimulate VTG production, the possibility of its anti-estrogenic effect was tested, and a well-known anti-estrogenic compound-tamoxifen was used as positive control. PCP-Na caused a reduction in VTG synthesis in juvenile goldfish (Carassius auratus) hepatocytes at concentrations > 0.1 microg/ml when co-exposure with 1 microg/ml 17beta-estradiol (E2), making its anti-estrogenic activity approximately as potent as tamoxifen. Our results indicate that PCP-Na can act as negative modulators of estrogenic function in juvenile goldfish (Carassius auratus) hepatocytes.

[Concentrations and Distribution of Metals in the Core Sediments from Estuary and City Section of Liaohe River].

The particle size, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), C/N ratio and metal concentrations as well as activities of 210Pb were determined in Liaohe River estuary area (LN-2) and Shenyang area (LN-5), and the organic matter resources were discussed in two core sediments. Also the index of geoaccumulation (Igeo) and enrichment factors (EFs) methods were applied to evaluate the state of heavy metal contamination in the studied sties. The study showed that both sediment cores LN-2 and LN-5 were dominated by silts, and the vertical variations of grain-size composition and organic matter were well distributed in LN- 2 while fluctuated in LN-5. According to the organic matter source analysis through C/N ratio, C/N ratio varied in the scale of 5. 24-7.93 in LN-2 which was dominated by river source, and 9.94-14.21 in LN-5 which was dominated by terrestrial input. Al, Ca, Fe, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb and Cr in two sediment cores had different vertical changing rules, Ni and Zn in LN-2 as well as Pb and Zn in LN-5 were affected by both natural and human factors, other elements had similar distributions to those of organic matters, which showed that these elements were mainly affected by the natural activities. Based on Igeo and EFs, both sediment cores were more severely polluted with Ni, Zn and Pb than other metals. The effects of human activities on the environment were also discussed in this study, combined with the economical development of Liaoning Province and the studied sites in the past 20 years.

[Difference of Species Sensitivities for Aquatic Life Criteria in China and the USA].

Recently, China has commenced water quality criteria (WQC) research using the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) method. However, it is difficult to obtain sufficient toxicity data on native species for thousands of contaminants. In this study, the feasibility of deriving aquatic life criteria using toxicity data from non-native species was analyzed (taking the USA as an example). Firstly, 10 pollutants [As(Ⅲ), Cr(Ⅵ), Hg, Cu, Pb, Zn, nitrobenzene, parathion, chlorpyrifos, tributyltin] with plenty of toxicity data (at least 3 Phyla and 8 Families) both in China and the USA were selected based on the recommended aquatic life criteria of 58 pollutants by the US EPA. Secondly, the two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test and comparison method of important points of HC5 and HC50 (hazardous concentrations for 5% of the species and 50% of the species) were used to determine the difference of species sensitivity between China and the USA. The result of two-sample K-S test showed that the difference of species sensitivity to Cu, chlorpyrifos and tributyltin between the two countries was significant (P<0.05). Additionally, there were significant differences for HC5 values [Cr(Ⅵ), chlorpyrifos] between the two countries, as well as the HC50 (chlorpyrifos). As a result, there were significant differences for the species sensitivity to some pollutants [Cr(Ⅵ), chlorpyrifos, etc.] between China and the USA. Therefore, in this situation, "over-protection" or "non-protection" may happen when using the criteria values or the toxicity data of American species directly to protect the Chinese native species.

[Measured and Predicted Aquatic Life Criteria and Risk Assessment of Chromium (VI) in Liaohe River].

In this study, toxicity data of aquatic species in Liaohe River for heavy metal chromium (VI) was collected and selected. The aquatic life criteria for chromium (VI) in Liaohe River was derived based on these toxicity data. Moreover, water samples of 25 sites in Liaohe River were collected, and the concentrations of chromium (VI) in these samples were analyzed. Finally, ecological risk assessment of chromium (VI) in Liaohe River was performed. Moreover, interspecies correlation estimation method (ICE) established by US EPA was used to predict the acute toxicity of species in Liaohe River, and aquatic life criteria based on predicted toxicity data was derived. The results showed that: the measured CMC (criteria maximum concentration), measured CCC (criteria continuous concentration) and the predicted CMC were 17. 73, 12. 15 and 13. 97 µg . L -1, respectively. Therefore, the ICE method could be used to predict the aquatic life criteria, because the predicted criteria value was very similar to the measured criteria value. Analysis of chromium (V) showed that the chromium (VI) concentrations of the 25 sites in Liaohe River were all below Class I or Class II water quality standards (GB 3838-2002), and the water quality was in good condition. However, for the potential risk of chromium (VI) exposure to the aquatic life of Liaohe River, the result of ecological risk assessment showed that chromium (V) concentrations in 7 sites exceeded the CCC in July, and chromium (VI) concentrations in 6 sites exceeded the CCC in December. Therefore, unacceptable effect on aquatic species caused by chromium (VI) exposure might have occurred in some sites of Liaohe River.

PNPLA3 I148M variant affects non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in liver transplant recipients.

De novo non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common late complication for long-term survivors after liver transplantation. Genomic studies confirmed that PNPLA3 I148M and TM6SF2 E167K polymorphisms affected NAFLD susceptibility in the general population. However, this association was not validated in survivors after liver transplantation (LT). We performed a cross-sectional survey to investigate this relationship. A comprehensive survey, including anthropometric measurements, fasting venous blood sampling, ultrasound, and questionnaires was performed in the short-term. The clinical indications and patient's steatosis status before LT were collected from inpatient medical records. Sixty-five long-term recipients with a survival exceeding 10 years were enrolled in the final analysis. De novo NAFLD was more frequent in PNPLA3 GG carriers (0.33 vs 0.10 for GG vs CC + CG carriers, P = 0.018), while the genetic impact on NAFLD susceptibility was insignificant when categorized by the TM6SF2 polymorphism (0.19 in CC vs 0.14 in CT + TT carriers, P = 0.883). Multi-covariate analysis revealed that PNPLA3 exerted a significant genetic effect on de novo NAFLD following a recessive model (GG vs CC + CG, OR = 14.2, 95%CI: 1.78-113, P = 0.012). Compared to recipients with only the PNPLA3 GG allele or obesity (defined as body mass index > 25 kg/m(2)), steatosis was highly prevalent (71.4%) in PNPLA3 GG carriers with obesity. In conclusion, PNPLA3 I148M, but not TM6SF2 E167K, affects de novo NAFLD occurrence with a prominent interaction with obesity. Weight control might be a meaningful method to reduce the genetic susceptibility to NAFLD exerted by PNPLA3 variants.

Development of water quality criteria for phenanthrene and comparison of the sensitivity between native and non-native species.

Phenanthrene (PHE) is a priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) which is toxic to aquatic organisms.However, there has been no paper dealing with water quality criteria (WQC) of PHE due to the shortage of toxicity data of different taxonomic levels. In the present study, toxicity data were obtained from 8 acute toxicity tests and 3 chronic toxicity tests using 8 Chinese native aquatic species from different taxonomic levels, and the water quality criteria was derived using 3 methods. Furthermore, differences of species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) between native and non-native species were compared. A criterion maximum concentration of 0.0514 mg/L and a criterion continuous concentration of 0.0186 mg/L were developed according to the US EPA guidelines. Finally, by using risk quotient (RQ) to assess the site-specific ecological risk in Liao River, the results indicated that the PHE might pose no risk to local aquatic species.

[Studies of genetic structure of genetic relationship of Boer goat and its upgrading offspring to Tangshan Diary goat].

The gentic structure and relationship of Boer goat and its upgrading offspring to Tangshan Dairy goat were studied using the RAPD maker and some statistical program, such as POPGENE, PHYLIP and SPSS. The results indicated that there were the similar percentage of polymorphic loci, observed and effective number of alleles, gene diversity between Boer goat and its upgrading offspring, especially higher upgrading offspring. With the increasing of upgrading, the difference of population structure decreased as well as the genetic distance and differentiation among higher upgrading offspring and their improving parental, but gene flow and genetic identity increased. There was a close genetic relationship between higher upgrading offspring and Boer goat.

[Ecotoxicological effect and soil environmental criteria of the heavy metal chromium(VI)].

Nowadays, systematic studies about water quality criteria are being carried out in China, but studies on soil environmental criteria are comparatively insufficient. In this study, germination and root growth of 8 terrestrial plants (Triticum aestivum, Lactuca sativa, Cucumis sativus, Zea mays, Brassica pekinensis, Glycine max, Allium tuberosum and Solanum lycopersicum) and growth inhibition of 1 terrestrial animal (Achatina fulica) were used to determine the chronic ecotoxicological effects of chromium (VI) using the agricultural moisture soil of Baoding. In addition, with the native toxicity data selected, the HC5 (hazardous concentration for 5% of species) and the ecological protected soil environmental criteria of chromium (VI) in Baoding moisture soil were calculated using the log-normal species sensitivity distribution (SSD) method. Results showed that the no observed effect concentration (NOEC) values for the growth of the terrestrial plants T. aestivum, L. sativa, C. sativus, Z. mays, B. pekinensis, G. max, A. tuberosum, S. lycopersicum, and the terrestrial invertebrate snail A. fulica were 19.0, 21.0, 28.0, 32.0, 28.0, 32.0, 32.0, 12.0 and 20.0 mg x kg(-1), respectively. The comparison of species toxicity data that were tested in the same conditions showed that the terrestrial plant S. lycopersicum was the most sensitive species to chromium (VI), T. aestivum and L. sativa had the same sensitivity to chromium (VI) exposure, whereas, plants C. sativus, Z. mays, B. pekinensis, G. max and A. tuberosum had the same sensitivity to chromium (VI) exposure. Finally, the HC5 value of chromium (VI) in the moisture soil of Baoding was calculated to be 7.7 (4.1 < CI < 11. 3) mg x kg(-1) using the log-normal SSD method, and the ecological protected soil environmental criteria of chromium (VI) was 1.5-7.7 mg x kg(-1). With the investigation of this work, we expect that it could provide useful information for the study of soil environmental criteria in China.

[Effects of lead on the growth and reproduction of Eisenia fetida with aged soils].

In this study, effects of Pb (NO3)2 on the growth and reproduction of Eisenia fetida were investigated with artificial soils. The results showed that: compared with the control group, the growth of E. fetida in contaminated soil was inhibited significantly with increasing Pb (NO3)2 concentrations. But there were great differences in the extent of inhibition after 0, 7, 28 and 84 days of aging in the artificial soils. The most obvious effect occurred in 1000 mg x kg(-1) and 1500 mg x kg(-1) experimental groups. There was a very big difference in the effects of Pb (NO3)2 on reproduction of E. fetida with different aging times. The medium effective concentration (EC50)values of cocoon production inhibition were 1085.10, 1163.32, 1666.86 and 1606.94 mg x kg(-1). In addition, the EC50 values of the number of juvenile inhibition were 700.01, 703.88, 1 031.34 and 1 017.89 mg x kg(-1), respectively. This study indicates that soil aging which affects the toxicity of Pb (NO3)2 should be taken into consideration when toxicity tests of Pb (NO3)2 were carried out. The results could provide a scientific basis for the ecological risk assessment of aging soils and soil environmental quality standards.

[Application of biotic ligand model for the acute toxicity of copper to Daphnia magna in water of Liaohe River and Taihu Lake].

The acute toxicity (48 h-LC50 ) of copper to Daphnia magna predicted by the biotic ligand model (BLM) was compared with the 48 h-LC50 measured in water samples from Liaohe River and Taihu Lake at four specific sites in wet and dry seasons. The results showed that 48 h-LC50 values predicted by BLM were 232.75-411.49 microgL-1 and 48 h-LC50 values measured in the water samples were 134. 55-350. 00 microg L-1 in three sites of Hongmiaozi of Liaohe River, Pingtaishan and Tuoshan of Taihu Lake, which had a better consistency. While for Tongjiangkou of Liaohe River, there was a difference between the BLM predictions and the measured values in wet and dry seasons. According to the predictions and the experimental results, water effect ratios (WERs) were in the range of 2. 18-5.79 and 1.88-11.15 which all were higher than 1. The acute toxicity of Cu of all sites in dry season was greater than those in wet season, which might be that Cu complexation with dissolved organic matter (DOC) reduced the toxicity of Cu.

[Species sensitivity evaluation of Pseudorasbora parva].

Acute toxic effects of cadmium and copper to Pseudorasbora parva and copper to Daphnia magna were tested in this study. Then comparative analysis of species sensitivity of P. parva to six typical pollutants was performed with toxicity data from our experiments and published literatures. The result showed that: (1) P. parva was generally sensitive to various pollutants, especially to organic pollutants, and it was relatively most sensitive to pesticides. P. parva might be an indicator organism in organic pollution monitoring and a representative testing organism in the development of water quality criteria. (2) Cyprinidae was sensitive to various pollutants in fish sensitivity distribution, therefore the toxicity data of Cyprinidae should be given more attention in the study of water quality criteria and environmental monitoring. (3) P. parva was sensitive to various pollutants, and it had a stable position in fish sensitivity rank. This study indicated that P. parva might be an ideal indicator organism in environmental monitoring and a potential model organism in water quality criteria considering that it has a small size and is easy to obtain.