Effect of exposure to trace elements in the soil on the prevalence of neural tube defects in a high-risk area of China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Our objective is to build a model that explains the association between the exposure to trace elements in the soil and the risk of neural tube defects.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We built a function with different parameters to describe the effects of trace elements on neural tube defects. The association between neural tube defects and trace element levels was transformed into an optimization problem using the maximum likelihood method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Tin, lead, nickel, iron, copper, and aluminum had typical layered effects (dosage effects) on the prevalence of neural tube defects. Arsenic, selenium, zinc, strontium, and vanadium had no effect, and molybdenum had one threshold value that affected the prevalence of birth defects.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>As an exploratory research work, our model can be used to determine the direction of the effect of the trace element content of cultivated soil on the risk of neural tube defects, which shows the clues by the dosage effect of their toxicological characteristics. Based on our findings, future biogeochemical research should focus on the direct effects of trace elements on human health.</p>

Oral Chlorhexidine on Ventilator-associated Pneumonia / 中华医院感染学杂志

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the oral decontamination effect of chlorhexidine on ventilator-associated pneumonia. METHODS One hundred and eight patients needing mechanical ventilation were randomly divided into two groups.This was a double-blind and placebo-controlled trial.Placebo group decontaminated oral cavity with saline and test group with 0.5% chlorhexidine.Finally we compared difference of the incidence of VAP,oropharyngeal colonization and endotracheal colonization between two groups. RESULTS There were no statistic differences between two groups in the age,gender,constituent ratio of underlying disease,APACHEⅡ and clinical pulmonary infection scores(CPIS).The incidence of VAP,early onset VAP,oropharyngeal colonization and endotracheal colonization in test group was statistically lower than those in placebo group. CONCLUSIONS Oropharyngeal decontamination with chlorhexidine reducg and delays the development of VAP in patients receiving mechanical ventilation.It is a safe and effective antiseptic solution in oral care.