Occurrence and human health risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in real agricultural systems with long-term reclaimed wastewater irrigation in Beijing, China

Reclaimed wastewater (RW) is increasingly used to irrigate agricultural land and to alleviate agricultural water shortages worldwide. This usage has resulted in concerns about soil contamination by pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and the human health risks associated with dietary crop intake. In this study, we systematically analysed the occurrence and accumulation of 11 PPCPs and one active metabolite in soils and various crops (cucumber, eggplant, long bean and wheat) from realistic RW irrigation fields with different irrigation histories (20, 30 and 40 years) in Beijing and evaluated the human health risks associated with the consumption of these crops. The 11 PPCPs and one active metabolite were detected at concentrations ranging from 0.67 to 22.92 ng L^-1 in RW, 0.029-28.13 μg kg^-1 in irrigated soil, and <0.01-28.01 μg kg^-1 in crops. The concentrations of N4-acetyl-sulfamethoxazole and triclosan were higher than those of other PPCPs, with respective concentrations of 14.39-31.44 ng L^-1 and 15.93-26.23 ng L^-1 in RW, 10.92-23.29 μg kg^-1 and 20.22-28.13 μg kg^-1 in irrigated soil and 17.92-28.01 μg kg^-1 and 8.92-14.91 μg kg^-1 in crops. However, the estimated threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) and hazard quotient (HQ) values revealed that the concentrations of N4-acetyl-sulfamethoxazole and triclosan in crops irrigated with RW should be considered a de minimis risk to human health. The concentrations of 11 PPCPs and one active metabolite in soils and crops and the calculated fruit bioconcentration factors (BCFs) did not display obvious increases associated with the duration of RW irrigation in real agricultural systems (P > 0.05). The concentrations of the studied PPCPs in the RW used for irrigation followed different patterns from the concentrations detected in the irrigated soils and crops. Although the concentrations of sulfamethoxazole, sulfisoxazole, sulfamethazine and trimethoprim in RW were higher than those of many other studied PPCPs, their respective values in the irrigated soils and crops did not display a similar tendency. The uptake and accumulation of PPCPs varied among the crop species (P < 0.05). Although PPCPs were detected in eggplant, long bean and wheat (BCFs: not applicable-1.67, 0.03-1.35 and 0.01-5.01, respectively), PPCPs accumulated at increased levels in cucumber (BCFs 0.03-18.98). The estimated TTC and HQ values showed that the consumption of crops irrigated long-term with RW presents a de minimis risk to human health. However, further studies with more PPCPs and additional crop species need to be conducted, the synergistic effects of chemical mixtures of multiple PPCPs and the toxic effects of PPCP metabolites should be elucidated to obtain more reliable information on the safety of wastewater reuse for irrigation.

101 Dothideomycetes genomes: A test case for predicting lifestyles and emergence of pathogens

Dothideomycetes is the largest class of kingdom Fungi and comprises an incredible diversity of lifestyles, many of which have evolved multiple times. Plant pathogens represent a major ecological niche of the class Dothideomycetes and they are known to infect most major food crops and feedstocks for biomass and biofuel production. Studying the ecology and evolution of Dothideomycetes has significant implications for our fundamental understanding of fungal evolution, their adaptation to stress and host specificity, and practical implications with regard to the effects of climate change and on the food, feed, and livestock elements of the agro-economy. In this study, we present the first large-scale, whole-genome comparison of 101 Dothideomycetes introducing 55 newly sequenced species. The availability of whole-genome data produced a high-confidence phylogeny leading to reclassification of 25 organisms, provided a clearer picture of the relationships among the various families, and indicated that pathogenicity evolved multiple times within this class. We also identified gene family expansions and contractions across the Dothideomycetes phylogeny linked to ecological niches providing insights into genome evolution and adaptation across this group. Using machine-learning methods we classified fungi into lifestyle classes with >95 % accuracy and identified a small number of gene families that positively correlated with these distinctions. This can become a valuable tool for genome-based prediction of species lifestyle, especially for rarely seen and poorly studied species.

[Analysis of the characteristics of reported cases of occupational brucellosis in a city from 2008 to 2018]

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological, occupational characteristics and clinical manifestations of reported cases of occupational brucellosis (OB) in Hulunbeier city from 2008 to 2018, so as to provide scientific basis for the formulation of prevention and control measures for occupational brucellosis. Methods: China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention had exported the network report data of "occupational diseases and occupational health information monitoring" from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2018 and had created the database; The epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations and laboratory examinations of OB were analyzed. Results: There were 262 OB cases in Hulunbuir from 2008 to 2018, including male in 235 cases, female in 27 cases. The most age was 41-50 years old (97 cases, 37%) . The length of service was concentrated in 0-10 years (146 cases, 55.7%) ; in the time distribution, the incidence in January was mostly (87 cases, 33.2%) . The industry distribution of veterinarians was the most (139 cases, 53.1%) , followed by epidemic prevention workers (58 cases, 22.1%) . The regional distribution is mainly concentrated in Ergun city (51 cases, 19.5%) , Hailar District (43 cases, 16.4%) , Orogen Autonomous Banner (40 cases, 15.3%) . The main clinical features were asthenia (194 cases, 74.0%) , hyperhidrosis (144 cases, 55.0%) , joint and muscle pain (156 cases, 59.5%) . The course of disease was mostly chronic (181 cases, 69.1%) . Conclusion: The cases of OB in Hulunbuir city are distributed in the developed areas of animal husbandry, and the incidence months are concentrated. Veterinarians are the key high-risk occupational groups.

Identification of genetic loci associated with growth traits at weaning in yak through a genome-wide association study

A multilocus GWAS was performed to explore the genetic architecture of four growth traits in yak. In total, 354 female yaks for which measurements of body weight (BW), withers height (WH), body length (BL) and chest girth (CG) at weaning were available underwent genotyping with the Illumina BovineHD BeadChip (770K). After quality control, we retained 98 688 SNPs and 354 animals for GWAS analysis. We identified seven, 18, seven and nine SNPs (corresponding to seven, 17, seven and eight candidate genes) associated with BW, WH, BL and CG at weaning respectively. Interestingly, most of these candidate genes were reported to be involved in growth-related processes such as muscle formation, lipid deposition, feed efficiency, carcass composition and development of the central and peripheral nervous system. Our results offer novel insight into the molecular architecture underpinning yak growth traits. Further functional analyses are thus warranted to explore the molecular mechanisms whereby these genes affect these traits of interest.

Identification of urinary hsa_circ _0137439 as potential biomarker and tumor regulator of bladder cancer

Cell-free circular RNAs (circRNAs) stably and abundantly exist in body fluids. In this study we aimed to investigate the potential of urinary cell-free circRNAs as a novel class of noninvasive disease biomarkers for diagnosis of bladder cancer. Differentially expressed circRNAs from 10 normal and 10 bladder cancer urine samples were firstly detected by microarray. Hsa_circ_0137439 was then screened and validated in 30 normal and 116 bladder cancer samples. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of hsa_circ_0137439. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate the significance of hsa_circ_0137439 in the prognosis of bladder cancer. We found that hsa_circ_0137439 was significantly upregulated in bladder cancer samples. Moreover, increased expression of hsa_circ_0137439 was correlated with higher tumor stage, higher tumor grade, higher lymph node status, and history of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Also, urinary cell-free hsa_circ_0137439 could not only differentiate bladder cancer from normal controls but also distinguish MIBC from non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Additionally, hsa_circ_0137439 in urine supernatant could serve as an independent prognostic predicator of recurrence-free survival and overall survival for patients with bladder cancer. Cell assays showed that hsa_circ_0137439 knockdown contributed to the inhibition of cell proliferation and migration via hsa_circ_0137439/miR-142-5p/ MTDH axis. In conclusion, urinary cell-free hsa_circ_0137439 could be a promising biomarker for tumor diagnosis and prognostic assessment of bladder cancer patients.

Integrating transcriptome-wide association study and mRNA expression profiling identified candidate genes and pathways associated with osteomyelitis

Objective: Osteomyelitis (OM) is an acute or chronic inflammatory process, characterized by severe inflammation and progressive bone destruction. Limited efforts have been made to explore the genetic basis of OM.Method: The genome-wide association study data set of OM was obtained from the UK Biobank. A transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) of OM was conducted by the FUSION tool using the gene expression reference weights of lymphocytes and blood. The OM-associated genes identified by TWAS were subjected to gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis to explore OM-related gene sets. The TWAS results of OM were finally compared with a genome-wide mRNA expression profiling of OM to detect common genes and gene sets.Results: TWAS of OM detected 86 genes for lymphocytes and 387 genes for blood. Comparing the genes identified by TWAS and mRNA expression profiling detected eight common genes for OM, including VWF (p_TWAS = 0.0030, p_mRNA = 3.44 × 10^-9), CCDC50 (p_TWAS = 0.0130, p_mRNA = 0.0003), and TPD52 (p_TWAS = 0.0180, p_mRNA = 1 × 10^-6). GO analysis of the genes identified by TWAS detected multiple OM-associated GO terms, e.g. peroxisomal matrix (p_TWAS = 0.0082), extracellular exosome (p_TWAS = 0.0248), and monooxygenase activity (p_TWAS = 0.0040). Further comparing the GO results of TWAS and mRNA expression profiling detected one common GO term, named extracellular exosome (p_TWAS = 0.0248, p_mRNA = 0.0027).Conclusion: This integrative study of TWAS and mRNA expression profiling detected multiple candidate genes and GO terms for OM. Our results provide novel clues for understanding the pathogenesis of OM.

[Cinnamaldehyde attenuates lipopolysaccharide induced inflammation and apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells]

Objective: To investigate the effect of cinnamaldehyde (CIN) on the inflammation and apoptosis on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and to explore the potential mechanisms. Methods: HUVECs were divided in to 8 groups: blank control group, LPS group, LPS+(low, medium, high) dose CIN groups and (low, medium, high) CIN groups. Cell cytotoxicity was determined by trypan blue staining, mRNA expression of the inflammatory factors was determined by RT-PCR,apoptosis was determined by TUNEL staining,the signal pathway was determined by Western blot. Results: (1) Cell viability:compared with the control group,cell survival rate was significantly lower in the LPS group (P<0.01), while the survival rates were all significantly higher in the 3 LPS+CIN groups than in the LPS group (all P<0.01) in a concentration-dependent manner. (2) The mRNA expression of the inflammation factors: compared with the control group, mRNA expression of the inflammation factors were all increased in the LPS group (all P<0.01),while the effect of LPS could be significantly reversed by cotreatment with CIN in a concentration-dependent manner (all P<0.01). Compared with control group, the mRNA expression of the inflammation factors in the LPS group were all enhanced in a time-dependent manner (0,6,12,24 h),which could be significantly downregulated by cotreatment with LPS+CIN (high dose) in a time-dependent manner. (3) Cell apoptosis: compared with the control group, the apoptosis rate was significantly higher in the LPS group (P<0.01), while this effect could be significantly reversed by the cotreatment with CIN (high dose) (P<0.01). (4) Signaling pathway: compared with the control group, the phosphorylation of iκBα, p65 in HUVECs treated with LPS were rapidly up-regulated compared with their corresponding total proteins and the expression of TLR4 (all P<0.01), while the degree of p-iκBα/iκBα, p-p65/p65 and TLR4 could be significantly suppressed by cotreatment with CIN (high dose) (all P<0.01). Conclusion: CIN can attenuate LPS induced inflammation and apoptosis in HUVECs, possibly by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway.

U.S. prevalence of endocrine therapy-naïve locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer

Background

Variations in treatment choice, or late stage at first diagnosis, mean that, despite guideline recommendations, not all patients with hormone receptor (hr)-positive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (la/mbca) will have received endocrine therapy before disease progression. In the present study, we aimed to estimate the proportion of women with postmenopausal hr-positive la/mbca in the United States who are endocrine therapy-naïve.

Methods

Women in the Optum Electronic Health Record (ehr) database with a breast cancer (bca) diagnosis (January 2008-March 2015) were included. Patient and malignancy characteristics were identified using structured data fields and natural-language processing of free-text clinical notes. The proportion of women with postmenopausal hr-positive, human epidermal growth factor 2 (her2)-negative (or unknown) la/mbca who had not received prior endocrine therapy was determined. Results were extrapolated to the entire U.S. population using the U.S. National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Results are presented descriptively.

Results

In the ehr database, 11,831 women with bca had discernible information on postmenopausal status, hr status, and disease stage. Of those women, 1923 (16.3%) had postmenopausal hr-positive, her2-negative (or unknown) la/mbca, and 70.7% of those 1923 patients (n = 1360) had not received prior endocrine therapy, accounting for 11.5% of the overall population. Extrapolating those estimates nationally suggests an annual incidence of 14,784 cases, and a 5-year limited duration prevalence of 50,638 cases.

Conclusions

A substantial proportion of women with postmenopausal hr-positive la/mbca in the United States could be endocrine therapy-naïve.

Measurement of single particle impact charging under an external electric field

Electrostatic charges of granular materials always generate under a strong electric field for both nature and industry. To understand the impact charging of a single particle in such situations is therefore essential. However, the traditional Faraday cup approach has difficulty in determining the impact charge with the electric field. Here, we develop Millikan's method to measure the transferred charge of individual particle collision. The target plate lies beneath the vertical electrodes, and a high-speed camera records the particle movement. The single particle passes through the uniform electric field before and after colliding with the target. We can calculate the impact charge of the particle according to its initial charge and final charge, as well as the impact speed and impact angle. In addition, the electric field strength on the particle above the impact point is determined with the finite element method. The immunity to electric field influence on charge measurement and the ability to obtain relevant parameters make this a powerful tool to characterize charging processes under the electric field.

[Occupational characteristics and clinical manifestations of 245 cases of occupational brucellosis]

Objective: To analyse epidemiological, clinical characteristics and laboratory examination results of 245 occupational brucellosis form 2008 to 2018, which providing theoretical basis for prevention and control of occupational brucellosis. Methods: Based on the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention Information System, a database of occupational brucellosis cases in HunlunBuir from January 2008 to July 2018 was established. The Epidemiological characteristics, Clinical manifestation, laboratory examination of 245 occupational brucellosis and 359 without occupational brucellosis were comparatively analyzed about the same period. Results: Among the 245 patients, 219 were males, 254 in 359, malese were significantly higher than control group (χ(2)=21.331, P<0.05) . Fever, fatigue, hyperhidrosis and splenomegaly are common in patients with occupational brucellosis and non occupational brucellosis. Arthralgia (54.3%/44.8%) and CRP (81.2%/71.3%) were significantly also higher than control group (χ(2)=5.193, P<0.05; χ(2)=7.704, P<0.05) Fever, hyperhidrosis, fatigue and splenomegaly were common clinical manifestation and signs in the two groups. Brucellosis can cause a variety of complications, including osteoarticular hematological system and hepatic involvement, some patients with multiple system damage. Conclusion: The incidence of occupational brucellosis in HulunBuir is concentrated in agriculture and animal husbandry. Veterinarians are the main occupational groups, Occupational health interventions should be strengthened for key occupational hazards, regular occupational health examination, avoid chronic brucellosis and protect the health of key occupational groups.

[Application of low-dose ATG for GVHD prophylaxis in patients undergoing PBSCT aged over forty years old]

目的

探讨在供、受者年龄均≥40岁同胞相合外周血干细胞移植（MSD-PBSCT）移植物抗宿主病（GVHD）预防方案中增加低剂量抗胸腺细胞球蛋白（ATG）的效果。

方法

回顾性分析2013年3月至2017年4月行MSD-PBSCT且供、受者年龄均≥40岁恶性血液病患者的临床资料。43例患者在常规急性GVHD预防方案（环孢素A或他克莫司联合短疗程甲氨蝶呤）中加入ATG 1.5 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹×3 d（ATG组），55例患者应用常规GVHD预防方案（对照组）。

结果

①ATG组中性粒细胞植入中位时间短于对照组[13（11~17）d对14（12~24）d，P=0.001]，血小板植入中位时间差异无统计学意义[14（11~43）d对15（11~42）d，P=0.071）]。②ATG组+100 d内急性GVHD累积发生率低于对照组[25.6%（95%CI 13.7%~39.3%）对49.1%（95%CI 35.2%~61.6%），P=0.018]，Ⅱ~Ⅳ度急性GVHD、慢性GVHD发生率差异无统计学意义[18.6%（95%CI 8.6%~31.5%）对23.6%（95%CI 13.4%~35.6%），P=0.509；49.6%（95%CI 31.6%~65.3%）对56.4%（95%CI 41.4%~69.0%），P=0.221]。③ATG组与对照组移植后1年巨细胞病毒血症累积发生率差异无统计学意义[21.1%（95%CI 10.3%~34.5%）对31.1%（95%CI 18.8%~44.2%），P=0.429]。④ATG组及对照组移植后2年累积复发率[24.0%（95%CI 11.5%~38.9%）对24.0%（95%CI 12.1%~38.2%），P=0.608]、非复发死亡率[10.2%（95%CI 3.1%~22.1%）对21.6%（95%CI 9.4%~37.0%），P=0.411]及无病生存率[65.8%（95%CI 50.3%~81.3%）对54.4%（95%CI 37.7%~71.1%），P=0.955]差异均无统计学意义，但ATG组移植后2年总生存率优于对照组[83.8%（95%CI 71.8%~90.0%）对58.0%（95%CI 42.2%~73.9%），P=0.019]。

结论

对于年龄较大的MSD-PBSCT患者，在常规GVHD预防方案基础上加入低剂量ATG可以显著降低移植后急性GVHD发生率、改善OS率，病毒感染发生率和复发率无明显增加。

[Accuracy analysis of computer assisted navigation for condylectomy via intraoral approach]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the application accuracy of virtual preoperative plan after the condylectomy via intraoral approach under computer assisted surgical navigation, and to analyze the location and cause of the surgical deviation to provide reference for the surgical procedure improvement in the future.

METHODS

In the study, 23 cases with condylar hypertrophy (11 with condylar osteochondroma and 12 with condylar benign hypertrophy) in Department of Oral and Maxilloficial Surgery, Peking University School and Hospital of Atomatology from December 2012 to December 2016 were treated by condylectomy via intraoral approach under computer assisted surgical navigation. The patient's spiral CT data were imported into ProPlan software before operation, and the affected mandibular ramus was reconstructed three-dimensionally. The condylar osteotomy line was designed according to the lesion range, and the preoperative design model was generated and introduced into the BrainLab navigation system. Under the guidance of computer navigation, the intraoral approach was used to complete the condylar resection according to the preoperative design of the osteotomy line. Cranial spiral CT of the craniofacial region was taken within one week after operation. three-dimensional reconstruction of the mandibular ramus at the condylectomy side was performed, and the condylar section was divided into six segments (anterolateral, anterior, anteromedial, posteromedial, posterior, and posterolateral) and the corresponding regional measurement points P1 to P6 were defined. Then the preoperative virtual model and the postoperative actual model were matched by Geomagic studio 12.0 to compare the differences and to analyze the accuracy of the operation.

RESULTS

All the patients had successfully accomplished the operation and obtained satisfactory results. Postoperative CT showed that the condyle lesion was completely resected, and the condylar osteotomy line was basically consistent with the surgical design. No tumor recurrence or temporomandibular joint ankylosis during the follow-up period. The postoperative accuracy analysis of the condylar resection showed that the confidence intervals measured by the six groups of P1 to P6 were (-2.26 mm, -1.89 mm), (-2.30 mm, -1.45 mm), (-3.37 mm, -2.91 mm), (-2.83 mm, -1.75 mm), (-1.13 mm, 0.99 mm), and(-1.17 mm, 0.17 mm), where P3 group was different from the other 5 groups. There was no significant difference between the P5 and P6 groups and the difference between the other four groups was statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

Under the guidance of computer navigation, the intraoral approach can be performed more accurately. The surgical deviation of each part of the osteotomy surface is mainly due to excessive resection. The anterior medial area of the anterior medial condyle represents the most excessive resection. The posterior and posterior lateral measurement points represent the posterior condylar area. The average deviation is not large, but the fluctuation of the deviation value is larger than that of the other four groups. The accuracy of computer-assisted subtotal resection has yet to be improved.

[Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for treatment of refractory and relapsed acute myeloid leukemia: outcomes and prognostic factors]

目的

评价异基因造血干细胞移植（allo-HSCT）治疗难治/复发急性髓系白血病（AML）的疗效，并对预后相关因素进行分析。

方法

回顾性分析allo-HSCT治疗99例难治/复发AML患者总体生存（OS）率、无病生存（DFS）率、移植物抗宿主病（GVHD）发生率、移植相关死亡率（TRM）及复发率，并分析影响预后的危险因素。

结果

全部99例患者中男59例，女40例，中位年龄为35（6~58）岁，均接受清髓性预处理。所有患者中性粒细胞均达植入标准，中位植活时间为14（9~25）d。移植后100 d Ⅱ~Ⅳ度急性GVHD累积发生率为27.3%（95% CI 18.9%~36.3%）；2年慢性GVHD累积发生率为33.9%（95%CI 24.6%~43.5%），其中广泛型慢性GVHD累积发生率为9.3%（95%CI 4.5%~16.1%）。移植后3年OS、DFS、TRM率分别为45.0%（95%CI 34.6%~55.4%）、45.0%（95%CI 34.8%~55.2%）、19.7%（95%CI 12.4%~28.3%），复发率为36.6%（95%CI 26.9%~46.4%）。多因素分析显示，影响OS的独立危险因素包括移植前未缓解[P=0.009，HR=2.21（95%CI 1.22~4.04）]、初诊WBC>50×10⁹/L[P=0.024，HR=2.11（95%CI 1.11~4.02）]、供者年龄>35岁[P=0.031，HR=1.96（95%CI 1.06~3.60）]、移植后未发生慢性GVHD[P=0.008，HR=0.38（95%CI 0.18~0.78）]。根据移植前危险因素（移植前未缓解、初诊WBC>50×10⁹/L、供者年龄>35岁）进行危险度分组，具有0、1、2~3个危险因素患者的3年OS率分别为75.0%、46.9%、15.4%（χ²=26.873，P<0.001）。

结论

allo-HSCT是挽救性治疗难治/复发AML的有效手段，复发是影响生存的主要原因。移植前缓解状态、发病时WBC水平、供者年龄及移植后是否发生慢性GVHD是难治/复发AML患者allo-HSCT预后的独立影响因素。