[Pollution Level and Risk Assessment of OPEs in Typical River Basins of China]

Organophosphate esters(OPEs), as a substitute for brominated flame retardants, are widely used in production and life, and their environmental pollution and toxic effects have attracted widespread attention. In this study, the concentrations and distribution characteristics of OPEs in seven major drainage basins of China were sorted out. The average daily dose of OPEs in Chinese adults, adolescents, and children was calculated to assess the health risks, and the reliability of the results was evaluated using Monte Carlo simulation. The toxic effect concentrations of 12 OPEs on aquatic organisms were investigated, and the species sensitivity distribution(SSD) curve was constructed to assess the ecological risk. The results showed that the 5th percentile concentration of ΣOPEs in the seven drainage basins was 52.61 ng·L-1 under the low exposure scenario. The median concentration of ΣOPEs in the seven basins was 499.74 ng·L-1, with trichloroethyl phosphate(TCEP), triethyl phosphate(TEP), and triethyl phosphate(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) esters(TDCP) as the main contaminants. Under the high exposure scenario, the 95th percentile concentration of ΣOPEs in the seven basins was 1904.4 ng·L-1, 3.8 times that of the intermediate exposure scenario, and the Yangtze River Basin had the highest ΣOPEs concentration under the high exposure scenario. The health risk assessment showed that the non-carcinogenic risk of OPEs exposure through drinking water was within acceptable limits for different populations. Trimethyl phosphate(TMP), triisobutyl phosphate(TiBP), and TCEP were the main contributors to cancer risk. The results of ecological risk assessment showed that TCEP had medium ecological risk at the high exposure level, tributyl phosphate(TnBP) had medium ecological risk under the intermediate exposure scenario, and there was higher ecological risk under the high exposure scenario. Triphenyl phosphate(TPhP) had a risk quotient greater than 1 under the low, intermediate, and high exposure scenarios, and there was a high ecological risk, which requires special attention.

[Comparison of Health Risk from Sources of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Taihu Lake for Different Years]

Pollution characteristics and spatial distributions of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in surface water samples were investigated in Taihu Lake in 2010 and 2019, respectively. A hybrid model based on the positive matrix factorization (PMF) and the health risk assessment model were employed for quantifying the contributions of sources to PFASs concentrations and the source risks. The method contained two stages:1 the sources of PFASs were apportioned using the PMF model, and 2 the contribution of health risks from each source was quantitively estimated. Three factors (source categories) were extracted using PMF, including:coating industry sources, textile and electroplating sources, and fluoride-processing industry sources. Their contributions to PFASs concentration were 29.59%, 25.68%, and 44.72% for 2010 and 67.69%, 10.26%, 22.05%, for 2019, respectively. The health risk of PFASs in the water assessed by the health risk assessment (HRA) model was 4.56E-07 for 2010 and 2.69E-07 for 2019, which was lower than 1E-06. The source contributions to health risks estimated by the PMF-HRA hybrid model were:64.86% (2010) and 92.48% (2019) for textile and electroplating sources, 31.30% (2010) and 5.04% (2019) for coating industry sources, and 3.84% (2010) and 2.48% (2019) for fluoride-processing industry sources. For the two years, the concentrations of PFOA and PFOS were reduced significantly, indicating the effective control of their emissions during the past ten years in Taihu Lake. However, it was also shown that the concentrations of PFBS and PFHxS were increased. These findings suggest that the above short chain-PFCs species should be the focus for further control and management, and their health risks should be studied in future research.

[Quantitative evaluation of global left ventricular myocardial work in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis by pressure-strain loop]

Objective: To quantitatively evaluate myocardial work in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis by using left ventricular pressure-strain loop. Methods: 70 cases with hepatitis B cirrhosis who were hospitalized in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from March to December 2020 were selected as the study group. Patients were divided into three subgroups according to the Child-Pugh score of liver cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class A, B, and C groups: 25, 25, and 20 patients, respectively). At the same time, 25 healthy volunteers were included as the control group. Global longitudinal strain (GLS), global myocardial work index (GWI), global work efficiency (GWE), global constructive work (GCW), and global wasted work (GWW) were obtained by applying pressure-strain loops. The differences were analyzed and compared among the four groups parameters. Results: Compared with the control group, the Child-Pugh class A group had decreased GLS, while Child-Pugh class B and C had decreased GLS, GWI, GWE, GCW, and increased GWW, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with Child-Pugh class A group, Child-Pugh class B group had decreased GLS, GWE, and increased GWW, while Child-Pugh class C group had decreased GLS,GWI, GWE, GCW, and increased GWW, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with Child-Pugh class B group, Child-Pugh class C group had decreased GLS, GWI, GWE, GCW, and increased GWW, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The pressure-strain loop can detect early myocardial dysfunction, and has a certain value in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis evaluation of myocardial function changes in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis.

[Research on the characteristics of the formation and inheritance of Lei's medicine in Quzhou from the perspective of regional medicine]

Lei's medicine is the main school of traditional Chinese medicine in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province. It originated from Xin'an medical school. It has been passed on for more than 200 years, but it is still lack of in-depth study. From the perspective of regional medicine, combined with the regional characteristics of Quzhou, absorbing the research results of local social history and environmental history, starting with the historical materials such as Lei's medical works, local chronicles literature and so on, the school characteristics are summarized as: the formation of "treatment in accordance with three types of disease causes" , the academic inheritance of "inheriting the past and integrating the present" , the inheritance mode of "multiple integration" , the cultural connotation of "combining medicine with Confucianism" , and the school characteristics of "integration and innovation" . The purpose of this paper is to provide reference for the research of academic schools and the inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine.

[Research progress on urogenital function preservation in extralevator abdominoperineal resection]

Extralevator abdominoperineal excision (ELAPE) has been suggested to potentially improve oncological outcomes in advanced low rectal cancer patients. However, the urogenital function impairment as one of the main complications deteriorates the quality of life in these patients. The key point to prevent urogenital function impairment is to avoid autonomic nerve injury, including the superior and inferior hypogastric nerve plexus and neurovascular bundle. Three areas should be especially focused during surgery, including the posterolateral aspect of the prostate during the separation of the rectum from prostate, the lateral wall of ischioanal fossa and the area in front of anal canal. Previous presumption supposed that extended resection, though promoting oncologic outcomes, might lead to enlarged injury to surrounding vessels and nerves that deteriorated patients' urogenital function. But recent studies show that postoperative urogenital function outcomes of rectal cancer patients who underwent ELAPE are not inferior to conventional APE after the induction of minimal invasive approaches including laparoscopic and robotic surgery. Their quality of life can be comparable with patients who underwent conventional APE, and are even better in some particular area. Moreover, as further improvement of ELAPE procedure has been made, the concept of individualized ELAPE addressed the importance of personalized surgical procedure based on tumor stage and location, dedicating to avoid injury to vessels and nerves through preserving more surrounding tissues. Urogenital function outcomes, as part of postoperative outcomes, get more and more attention in recent years. We review current studies on urogenital function after ELAPE from anatomy to clinical research, in order to raise surgeons' attention of nerve preservation technique and to improve their understanding of ELAPE procedure.

[Refined Assessment of Exposure and Health Risks of Heavy Metals in Water for the Children in Xigu District, Lanzhou]

Water is an important pathway for human exposure to heavy metals. Accurate assessment of the health risks that are related to exposure to heavy metals in drinking and household water are required for the preparation of targeted health risk prevention measures. This study explores and identifies the health risks related to exposure to heavy metals via drinking and household water pathways in Xigu District, Lanzhou, northwestern China, using household water samples and survey data obtained during July-September 2015 (wet season) and December 2015-January 2016 (dry season). During each period, drinking water and household water that were available for use by children aged 0-5 and 6-17 years were sampled and a questionnaire on water-related behavior patterns was completed for each household. Cd, Cr, Pb, and As concentrations were analyzed in all water samples, and were used along with water-related exposure factors from the questionnaires to estimate exposure doses and associated health risks using models recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). The results showed that the concentrations of Cd, Cr, Pb, and As in both drinking and household water samples did not exceed the relative thresholds defined in China's national water quality standards. The concentrations of heavy metals in household water were more affected by seasonal factors than of those of drinking water. The non-cancer and cancer risks were in the ranges of 2.82×10^-8-2.43×10^-2 and 7.55×10^-9-3.62×10^-5, respectively, which are within acceptable levels, although the non-cancer and cancer risks from drinking water were both higher than of those determined for household water. Furthermore, the non-cancer and cancer risks from household water for children aged 0-5 years were lower than of those for children aged 6-17 years in each period. However, the cancer risk from drinking water for children aged 0-5 years was lower than of that for children aged 6-17 years, whereas the reverse was found for non-cancer risks. This study indicates that Cd, Cr, Pb, and As in drinking and household water did not pose significant detrimental effects to human health, and that the refined exposure assessment used could reduce uncertainties in health risk assessments.

Breeding of new Rehmannia glutinosa variety

Huaidi 81, a new variety of Rehmannia glutinosa with excellent comprehensive characters, was screened by space mutation of hybrid seeds of 85-5 and Beijing No.1. The fresh weight, index composition, resistance, chlorophyll, anthocyanin and photosynthetic characteristics of Huaidi 81 and the main cultivars were determined. The results showed that: the per plant fresh weight of Rehmannia ranked in the order as follows: Huaidi 81 > 85-5 > Golden Nine >Huaifeng >Qinhuai>Beijing No.3, there was extremely significant difference between Huaidi 81 and others. The catalpol content ranked in the following order: Beijing No.3 (1.601%)> Qinhuai (1.588%)> Huaidi 81 (1.314%)> Golden Nine > 85-5 (1.073%)> Huaifeng (0.924%). There was no significant difference between Huaidi 81 and Golden Nine, but extremely significant difference between was found in Huaidi 81 and other varieties; The acteoside content ranked in the following following order: Huaidi 81 (0.096%) > Qin Huai (0.069%) >85-5 (0.047%) > Beijing No.3 (0.035%) > Huaifeng (0.023%) > Golden Nine (0.022%). There was significant difference between Huaidi 81 and other varieties. Huaidi 81 showed high resistance to Septoris digitalis Pass and middle resistance against leaf ring rot, which indicated that Huaidi 81 had good resistance to leaf diseases. Huaidi 81 with highest chlorophyll content and moderate anthocyanin content showed the highest photosynthetic rate. All these results indicated that the new variety Huaidi 81 with best comprehensive properties was suitable for popularizing as a new Rehmannia glutinosa variety.

Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infections in goats in Hubei province, China

Scarce information is available about the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and Neospora caninum (N. caninum) infections in goats in Hubei province, China. In the present study, the prevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum infections in goats were investigated in Hubei province, China between 2014 and 2015. A total 2007 serum samples were collected from 6 counties of Hubei province, China and were tested for antibodies to N. caninum and T. gondii by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and an indirect agglutination test (IAT), respectively. Antibodies against T. gondii and N. caninum were detected in 13.4% and 3.9%, respectively in goats. 2% (41) serum samples were positive to both parasites. There was no apparent association of T. gondii and N. caninum infection with gender of the animals. There were significant differences of T. gondii (p < 0.01), N. caninum (p < 0.05) and both parasites (p < 0.01) infection with season. This is the first time that antibodies to T. gondii and N. caninum have been detected in goats in Hubei province, China.

Antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities of exopolysaccharide by submerged culture of inocutus hispidus

This work was to investigate the hypoglycemic and antioxidant activities of the exopolysaccharides produced in a stirred-tank bioreactor by Inocutus hispidus. The exopolysaccharides showed significant antioxidant activities, up to 70.7±2.5% inhibition of hydroxyl radicals, 50% inhibition of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals, and a Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity of 3.3 mM. The exopolysaccharide also showed notable hypoglycemic effects in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, reducing the plasma glucose, total cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations by 18.2±1.5, 20.9±0.8 and 14.4±0.4, respectively. The results demonstrated the potential of this EPS for human health protection against oxidative damage and hyperglycemia.

Diffusion tensor imaging reveals white matter reorganization in early blind humans

Multiple functional methods including functional magnetic resonance imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and positron emission tomography have shown cortical reorganization in response to blindness. We investigated microanatomical correlates of this reorganization using diffusion tensor imaging and diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). Five early blind (EB) were compared with 7 normally sighted (NS) persons. DTT showed marked geniculocalcarine tract differences between EB and NS participants. All EB participants showed evidence of atrophy of the geniculocortical tracts. Connections between visual cortex and the orbital frontal and temporal cortices were relatively preserved in the EB group. Importantly, no additional tracts were found in any EB participant. Significant alterations of average diffusivity and relative anisotropy were found in the white matter (WM) of the occipital lobe in the EB group. These observations suggest that blindness leads to a reorganization of cerebral WM and plausibly support the hypothesis that visual cortex functionality in blindness is primarily mediated by corticocortical as opposed to thalamocortical connections.

Improving relative anisotropy measurement using directional correlation of diffusion tensors

A method employing directional correlation of the diffusion tensor, directional-correlation weighted relative anisotropy (DRA), was developed to improve the accuracy of estimated relative anisotropy (RA). The intravoxel directional correlation was established on the same voxel between two identically acquired diffusion tensor images, and the correlation coefficient derived from tensor dot product was employed as the weighting factor applied in the calculation of RA. The effect of noise influence was reduced since the random noise between repeated scans is not directionally correlated. The RA and the inter- and intravoxel DRA estimations were examined on rat brains in vivo. The background noise alters the direction of eigenvectors and the magnitude of eigenvalues. The dispersion angle between repeatedly obtained eigenvectors, representing the extent of directional alteration of eigenvectors, depends on the tissue anisotropy as well as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the source images. Current results demonstrate that the intravoxel DRA improves the accuracy of RA estimation, increases the relative contrast of gray and white matter, and avoids the partial volume effect commonly seen in the intervoxel operations.

Colonic motility abnormality in patients with irritable bowel syndrome exhibiting abdominal pain and diarrhea

OBJECTIVES

Although colon dysmotility is recognized as a pathophysiological factor in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it has not been characterized. We have investigated motility patterns in IBS patients with abdominal pain and frequent defecation or diarrhea and in healthy volunteers.

METHODS

A recording catheter that had six polyvinyl tubes with infusion ports was placed in the transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon under fluoroscopy. After 2-h basal recordings, motility responses to cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) and a meal were studied for 3 h. The motility index (MI) and number of high amplitude propagating contractions (HAPCs) in 10 IBS patients were compared with those of 10 controls. HAPCs were correlated with abdominal pain, and colon transit time using radio-opaque markers was determined. Using human colon muscle strips, the effect of CCK-8 on muscle contractions was also studied.

RESULTS

The MI and mean number and peak amplitude of HAPCs in IBS patients were significantly greater than in controls. These abnormalities paralleled markedly shortened colonic transit time. Abdominal pain coincided with >90% of HAPCs. Dose-dependent muscle contraction by CCK-8 was profoundly suppressed both by loxiglumide and atropine.

CONCLUSIONS

The dysmotility in this subset of IBS patients was characterized by significantly increased occurrences of powerful HAPCs that paralleled rapid colon transit and were accompanied by abdominal pain. Thus, it is suggested that this powerful contraction is one of the causes of abdominal pain. The action of CCK-8 seems to be mediated via the colon enteric nervous system.

Determination of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids by high-performance liquid chromatography (II)

After the earlier analysis of nine bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids with ion pair chromatography, seven other bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids were analyzed using gradient elution with an acetonitrile-phosphate buffer (pH 8.0) mixture, and UV detection. Four alkaloids were detected in the stem woods of a Lauraceous plant, Dehaasia triandra Merr. and their contents determined. LC-MS suggested that a major unknown compound in the plant was also a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid.

Attachment, adolescent competencies, and substance use: developmental considerations in the study of risk behaviors

Social-control-based deviance theories highlight parental bonding as a protective factor for problem behaviors in that bonds are viewed as reflecting the adolescent's adoption of conventional societal attitudes and values. Developmental theory and research suggest an alternative conceptualization of the linkages between family bonding and adolescent risk behaviors. This conceptualization requires concurrent examination of a range of adolescent competencies as well as consideration of parent and peer contexts. Support is found for several hypotheses derived from a developmental approach proposing: (a) positive associations between adolescent-parent attachment and adolescent competencies--autonomy, peer relationship competency, and coping; (b) coherence in the pattern of negative associations between attachment/competencies and substance use problems; and (c) a disjunctive pattern of associations with substance use reflected by positive associations with peer competencies but not with parental attachment.

Family correlates of adolescent self-monitoring and social competence

The purpose of this study was to investigate linkages between adolescent self-monitoring, global social competence, and parenting and family environment dimensions of support and encouragement of autonomy. The sample consisted of 233 young women and 199 young men at 2 southwestern universities. The primary measures used were the Family Environment Scale (R. H. Moos, 1981), the Parent Behavior Form (L. Worell & J. Worell, 1974), the revised Self-Monitoring Scale (M. Snyder, 1987), and the Texas Social Behavior Inventory (R. Helmreich, J. Stapp, & C. Ervin, 1974). Findings indicated that family variables are more strongly associated with social competence than with self-monitoring; family support was, overall, a more important ingredient of social competence than was autonomy. Women and men had different patterns of associations among specific variables.

Lowering the legal blood alcohol level for motorcyclists

The blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of all operators involved in motorcycle accidents (MCA) and drivers of motor vehicle accidents (MVA) admitted to a New Jersey Level I Trauma Center during 1992 (the first year such data were computerized) were evaluated. Comparable to other institutional statistics (one-third of vehicular accidents are related to alcohol consumption) our data showed 13 (33%) of 40 MCA operators and 117 (35%) of 340 MVA drivers had measurable BAC. These values, as well as their respective Injury Severity Scores (ISS), were recorded and compared for significance of apparent differences using the 't' test for unpaired observations. Mean BAC was 124 +/- 24 (SE) mg dl-1 for MCA and 180 +/- 9 mg dl-1 for MVA (p < 0.05). The respective mean ISS for MCA was 13.1 +/- 5.4 and MVA was 7.9 +/- 0.9 (p = 0.12). These data indicate that drivers involved in MVA and MCA are frequently under the influence of alcohol. The mean BAC for motorcyclists is significantly less than that for drivers of four-wheeled passenger vehicles and is likely to reflect the need for greater coordination and balance when operating a two-wheeled vehicle.

The structure and expression of an hsc70 gene from Lycopersicon esculentum

A tomato hsc70 genomic clone (Lehsc70-3; Lycopersicon esculentum heat-shock cognate 70-3) was obtained by screening a genomic library with the tomato Lehsc70-2 cDNA. Two restriction fragments of 2.6 and 5 kb, which compose the Lehsc70-3 gene, were subcloned into pBluescriptIIKS+ and analyzed. Transcript mapping reveals that the mature Lehsc70-3 mRNA contains a 122-nt 5' untranslated region (UTR), a coding region of 1956 nt corresponding to a polypeptide of 651 amino acids, an intron of 717 nt and a 3' UTR. Analysis of genomic DNA indicates that Lehsc70-3 is present as a low-copy-number gene. We note that the sequence upstream from the coding region of Lehsc70-3 shares common features with a number of hsc/hsp genes. High-temperature treatment (37 degrees C) caused a twofold increase in the level of the Lehsc70-3 mRNA. However, Lehsc70-3 has also been expressed at substantial levels in tomato vegetative tissues, suggesting a general function of this hsc70 gene in L. esculentum.

Point mutations in the chloroplast 16s rRNA gene confer streptomycin resistance in Nicotiana plumbaginifolia

In a previous paper we reported the isolation of streptomycin-resistant mutants from Nicotiana plumbaginifolia and presented evidence for chloroplast control of the resistance trait. To understand the molecular basis of the resistance in these mutants, we sequenced three regions in the chloroplast 16s rRNA gene, which correspond to the 5' terminus, the 530 loop, and the 900 stem/loop of Escherichia coli 16s rRNA, and compared them with the sequences of the wild-type. Our results show that: (1) nine mutants have a C to T change at position 912, (2) one mutant (SR1021) has a G to A change at position 885, (3) one mutant has a C to T change at position 526, based on E. coli numbering; and (4) three mutants do not have any change in the regions analyzed. The point mutation detected in SR1021 has not been reported previously. In E. coli 16s rRNA, position 885 is protected from chemical probing by ribosomal protein S12 and is closely juxtaposed with the streptomycin-binding region (positions 912-915) in the predicted secondary structure. It is likely that the G to A transition at this position is a novel mutation for streptomycin resistance.