First comprehensive assessment of dietary chlorinated paraffins intake and exposure risk for the rural population of the Tibetan Plateau, China.

Knowledge regarding the occurrence of short-chain and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs) in foodstuffs and their dietary exposure risks for rural Tibetan residents remains largely unknown. Herein, we collected main foodstuffs (including highland barley, vegetables, Tibetan butter, mutton, and yak beef) across the rural Tibetan Plateau and characterized the CP profiles and concentrations. The highest SCCPs concentrations were detected in Tibetan butter (geometric mean (GM): 240.6 ng/g wet weight (ww)), followed by vegetables (59.4 ng/g ww), mutton (51.4 ng/g ww), highland barley (46.3 ng/g ww), and yak beef (31.7 ng/g ww). For MCCPs, the highest concentrations were also detected in Tibetan butter (319.5 ng/g ww), followed by mutton (181.9 ng/g ww), vegetables (127.0 ng/g ww), yak beef (71.2 ng/g ww), and highland barley (30.3 ng/g ww). The predominant congener profiles of SCCPs were C13Cl7-8 in mutton and yak beef, C10Cl7-8 in Tibetan butter, and C10-11Cl6-7 in highland barley and vegetables. The predominant congener profiles of MCCPs were C14Cl7-9 in all sample types. Combined with our previous results of free-range chicken eggs, the median estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of SCCPs and MCCPs via diet for Tibetan rural adults and children was estimated to be 728.8 and 1853.9 ng/kg bw/day and 2565.6 and 5952.8 ng/kg bw/day, respectively. In the worst scenario, MCCPs might induce potential health risks for rural Tibetan population. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic dietary exposure research of SCCPs and MCCPs in the remote rural areas.

Short-term prognostic role of peripheral lymphocyte subsets in patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Immune function is associated with clinical outcomes in patients with gastric cancer. This study aimed to explore the prognostic role of peripheral lymphocyte subsets in patients with gastric cancer after curative surgery. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at a single tertiary referral hospital. We included patients diagnosed with gastric cancer who had undergone surgery and met the inclusion criteria. Clinicopathological characteristics and preoperative peripheral lymphocyte subset data were collected for the analysis. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox hazard regression model. We used the Whitney test and Spearman test to analyze the correlation between lymphocyte subsets and clinicopathological characteristics. RESULTS: This study included 171 patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative surgery. Multivariate analysis revealed that carcinoembryonic antigen (p < 0.01), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (p < 0.001), lymph node metastases (p < 0.001), total T-cell count (p = 0.02), B-cell count (p < 0.01), and regulatory T-cell percentage (p < 0.01) were independent predictive factors associated with RFS. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired immune function may lead to early recurrence following curative surgery. Our study showed that the characteristics of peripheral lymphocyte subsets (T, B, and Treg cells) were independent predictive factors for recurrence in patients with gastric cancer after surgery.

Environmental, economic, and energy analysis of municipal solid waste incineration under anoxic environment in Tibet Plateau.

The first Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) plant in Lhasa, Tibet, the plateau region of China, started its operation in 2018. Considering the elevation and extreme climate (low pressure and low oxygen content) in Tibet, noticeable differences may be envisaged compared to MSWI elsewhere. The aim of this study is to evaluate the environmental impacts, economic benefits, and energy efficiency of this MSWI project with three representative MSWI case in plain region using Life cycle assessment (LCA), Cost-benefit analysis (CBA), and energy analysis methods. The result showed that enhancing blast volume and cross-sectional area of the boiler help adapt to the oxygen-deficient environment. GaBi model was employed based on the CML 2001 methodology to perform LCA. LCA shows that the Lhasa MSWI project has lower positive environment impacts than the projects in plain region. More attention is needed for the deficiencies in flue gas emissions of MSWI in the plateau region. CBA shows that the payback period is 11.97 years and the internal rate of return is 8.75%. The energy analysis indicates that the boiler energy efficiency is up to 81.92%. MSWI subject to minor changes seems suitable to Tibetan plateau, and can be deployed further.

Distribution characteristics and potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in soils around Shannan landfill site, Tibet.

At present, sanitary landfill is mainly used for domestic waste treatment in Shannan City, Tibet. However, there are few studies on heavy metals in the soil around the landfill in Shannan city. Therefore, the surrounding soil of Luqionggang landfill in Shannan City, Tibet Autonomous Region, is taken as the research object. In the study, the geo-accumulation index method, Nemerow comprehensive pollution index method and potential ecological risk index method are mainly used to evaluate the pollution and risk of heavy metals in the soil around the landfill site. The main results are as follows: The average pH value of the soil around the landfill site is 9.37, belonging to the strong alkaline range. The average values of heavy metals Hg and Ni in soil exceeded the background content, and the average contents of other heavy metals Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, As and Cd did not exceed the background content. The average content of these eight heavy metals did not exceed the screening value of the national soil environmental quality standard. In the horizontal direction, the average content of heavy metal elements Cu, Cr, Cd, Hg and Ni is relatively high in the west. The average content of heavy metals As, Zn and Pb in the north, east and south is slightly higher than that in the west. And the farther away from the landfill, the less the soil is affected by heavy metals. The evaluation results of geo-accumulation index show that heavy metal Hg is the most affected. The average value of the comprehensive pollution index is 2.969, which is between 2 and 3, belonging to the moderate pollution level. And the west side of the landfill (downstream area) is greatly affected. The evaluation results of potential ecological hazard pollution index show that the potential risk index of single pollutants of heavy metals Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni, As and Cd belongs to low ecological hazard level, and the potential risk index of single pollutants of heavy metal Hg belongs to relatively heavy ecological hazard level. On the whole, the total potential risk coefficient belongs to medium pollution hazard degree. According to the correlation analysis, there is no significant correlation between heavy metal elements As and Hg and the other six heavy metal elements. In addition, the pollution source of heavy metal As may be mainly soil forming factors and the pollution source of Hg may be mainly human factors.

Cone beam computed tomography study on the root and root canal morphology of mandibular first permanent molars in a Tibetan population / 口腔疾病防治

Objective @#To investigate and analyze the root and root canal morphology of mandibular first molars (MFMs) in the Tibetan population using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and to provide references for clinical root canal treatment in the Tibetan population. @*Methods@#This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee, and informed consent was obtained from the patients. CBCT imaging data of 300 mandibular first molars from 300 Tibetan patients were included. Patient age, the number of roots in mandibular first molars were recorded. The morphology and incidence of mesial root and mesial root canals and the morphology and incidence of distal root and distal root canals were statistically analyzed by Vertucci classification. @*Results @#There were 198 double-root teeth and 102 three-root teeth in the 300 mandibular first permanent molars. Among the three-rooted molars, 1 case had mesiolingual roots, and the rest had distolingual roots. The incidence rate of the distolingual root was 33.7%(101/300). The most common root canal configuration was Vertucci Ⅳ 65.7% (197/300), followed by Vertucci Ⅱ 20.3% (61/300) in the mesial roots. The overall incidence of middle mesial canals (MMCs) was 6% (18/300), with the highest incidence of MMCs in the 20-40 year-old group at 9% (9/100). The distal roots canals of single-distal-rooted mandibular first molars were mainly Vertucci Ⅰ 66.8% (133/199), followed by Vertucci Ⅱ 14.6% (29/199) and Vertucci Ⅳ 11.6% (23/199). For the mandibular first permanent molars with two distal roots, 96% (97/101) of the distal buccal roots and 100% (101/101) of the distal lingual roots were Vertucci Ⅰ root canals. @*Conclusion@# The root and root canal morphology of mandibular first permanent molars in a Tibetan population is complex and variable. Approximately one-third of patients have distolingual roots, and clinicians should carefully explore the root canals under the guidance of CBCT.

A consensus on the management of allergy in kindergartens and primary schools / 中国学校卫生

Abstract@#Allergic diseases can occur in all systems of the body, covering the whole life cycle, from children to adults and to old age, can be lifelong onset and even fatal in severe cases. Children account for the largest proportion of the victims of allergic disease, Children s allergies start from scratch, ranging from mild to severe, from less to more, from single to multiple systems and systemic performance, so the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases in children is of great importance, which can not only prevent high risk allergic conditions from developing into allergic diseases, but also further block the process of allergy. At present, there is no consensus on the management system of allergic children in kindergartens and primary schools. The "Consensus on Allergy Management and Prevention in Kindergartens and Primary Schools", which includes the organizational structure, system construction and management of allergic children, provides evidence informed recommendations for the long term comprehensive management of allergic children in kindergartens and primary schools, and provides a basis for the establishment of the prevention system for allergic children.

Research advances of various omics analyses in chronic refractory wounds on body surface / 中华烧伤杂志

The diagnosis and treatment of chronic refractory wounds on body surface has always been full of challenges, and it also poses a huge burden on medical care and society. High-throughput sequencing combined with omics analysis can reveal potential mechanisms of chronic wound formation, and identify potential biomarkers related to diagnosis, prognosis, and screening of chronic wound. Combined with multiple levels of omics analysis, the detailed molecular mechanism of chronic wound development can be further explored and understood, so as to provide clues for the formulation of personalized treatment methods and lay a solid foundation for the precision medicine of chronic wounds. Therefore, this review addresses the recent progress of various omics analyses in chronic refractory wounds on body surface.

Evaluation of genome size and phylogenetic relationships of the Saccharum complex species.

"Saccharum complex" is a hypothetical group of species, which is supposed to be involved in the origin of modern sugarcane, and displays large genomes and complex chromosomal alterations. The utilization of restricted parents in breeding programs of modern cultivated sugarcane has resulted in a genetic blockage, which controlled its improvement because of the limited genetic diversity. The use of wild relatives is an effective way to broaden the genetic composition of cultivated sugarcane. Due to the infrequent characterization of genomes, the potential of wild relatives is diffused in improving the cultivated sugarcane. To characterize the genomes of the wild relatives, the genome size and phylogenetic relationships among eight species, including Saccharum spontaneum, Erianthus arundinaceus, E. fulvus, E. rockii, Narenga porphyrocoma, Miscanthus floridulus, Eulalia quadrinervis, and M. sinensis were evaluated based on flow cytometry, genome surveys, K-mer analysis, chloroplast genome sequencing, and whole-genome SNPs analysis. We observed highly heterozygous genomes of S. spontaneum, E. rockii, and E. arundinaceus and the highly repetitive genome of E. fulvus. The genomes of Eulalia quadrinervis, N. porphyrocoma, M. sinensis, and M. floridulus were highly complex. Phylogenetic results of the two approaches were dissimilar, however, both indicate E. fulvus displayed closer relationships to Miscanthus and Saccharum than other species of Saccharum complex. Eulalia quadrinervis was more closely related to M. floridulus than M. sinensis; E. arundinaceus differ significantly from Miscanthus, Narenga, and Saccharum, but was relatively close to Erianthus. We proved the point of E. rockii and E. fulvus should not be classified as one genus, and E. fulvus should be classified as the Saccharum genus. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-022-03338-5.

Agent-assisted electrokinetic treatment of sewage sludge: Heavy metal removal effectiveness and nutrient content characteristics.

Sewage sludge (SS) is rich in nutrient elements such as phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), and potassium (K), and therefore a candidate material for use in agriculture. But high content of heavy metals (HMs) can be a major obstacle to its further utilization. Therefore, an appropriate HM removal technology is required before its land application. In this study, an innovative biodegradable agent (citric acid, FeCl3, ammonium hydroxide, tetrasodium iminodisuccinate (IDS), and tea saponin) assisted electrokinetic treatment (EK) was performed to investigate the HM removal efficiency (RHMs) and nutrient transportation. Citric acid, IDS, and FeCl3-assisted EK showed a preferable average RHMs (Rave) reduction of 52.74-59.23%, with low energy consumption. After treatment, the content of Hg (0.51 mg kg-1), Ni (13.23 mg kg-1), and Pb (26.45 mg kg-1) elements met the criteria of national risk control standard, in all cases. Following the treatment, most HMs in SS had a reduced potential to be absorbed by plants or be leached into water systems. Risk assessment indicated that the Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) value of HMs has decreased by 0.28-2.40, and the risk of Pb (Igeo=-0.74) reduced to unpolluted potential. Meanwhile, no excessive nutrient loss in SS occurred as a result of the treatment, on the contrary, there was a slight increase in P content (18.17 mg g-1). These results indicate that agent-assisted EK treatment could be an environmentally-friendly method for RHMs and nutrient element recovery from SS, opening new opportunities for sustainable SS recycling and its inclusion into circular economy concepts.

Preoperative Low Prealbumin Is Associated With Recurrence in Patients With Stage II/III Gastric Cancer After Laparoscopic D2 Gastrectomy.

Background: Postoperative recurrence is associated with poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer. This study aimed to explore predictive factors contributing to recurrence in patients with stage II/III gastric cancer after laparoscopic D2 gastrectomy. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a single tertiary referral hospital. Patients diagnosed with gastric cancer who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The clinicopathological characteristics of the patients were collected. The patients were divided into recurrence and non-recurrence groups. The predictive factors were investigated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: In total, 462 patients were included. The incidence of recurrence was 26.4% (122/462) in all patients. The most common recurrence pattern was haematogenous recurrence. In the multivariate analysis, the independent predictive factors for recurrence were serum prealbumin level (p < 0.001), prognostic nutritional index (p = 0.001), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) (p < 0.001), number of lymph node metastases (p < 0.001), signet-ring cell carcinoma (p = 0.001), tumor deposit (p = 0.001), and no/incomplete adjuvant chemotherapy (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings revealed that nutritional status was an independent predictive factor for recurrence in patients with gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy. We suggest that patients with risk factors for recurrence receive both nutritional support and intense surveillance.

Short-Chain Fatty Acids Production from Anaerobic Fermentation of Sewage Sludge: The Effect of Higher Levels Polyaluminium Chloride.

With the annual increase in the sludge production in China's sewage treatment plants, the problem of sewage sludge treatment and disposal is becoming more and more serious. Anaerobic fermentation can convert complex organic matter in sewage sludge into short-chain fatty acid, hydrogen, methane and other resources and is an effective method for sewage sludge treatment and disposal. At the same time, sewage sludge often contains flocculants, which will inevitably affect the effect of anaerobic fermentation. As a high-performance flocculant, polyaluminum chloride (PAC) is widely used in wastewater treatment and sewage sludge dewatering processes. Previous studies indicated that lower levels of PAC inhibit the effect of the anaerobic fermentation process of sewage sludge; on the other hand, it is necessary to understand the effects of higher levels of PAC in anaerobically fermented sewage sludge. The results showed that higher levels (0.2-1 g Al/g total solids (TS)) of PAC could promote acid production from anaerobically fermented sewage sludge. Moreover, mechanism studies suggest that higher levels (0.2-1 g Al/g total solids (TS)) of PAC caused excessive adsorption of the charge on the surface of the sewage sludge colloid and reversed the charge. The sewage sludge colloid was stabilized again, which increases the concentration of soluble proteins, polysaccharides, and soluble extracellular polymers (S-EPS) in the fermentation broth, thereby improving the anaerobically fermented sewage sludge efficiency. The results provided from this study may act as technical reference and guidance for the engineering application of sewage sludge anaerobic fermentation.

Characterization of municipal solid waste incineration and flue gas emission under anoxic environment in Tibet Plateau.

Waste incineration is a process of full combustion reaction between waste and oxygen at high temperature. It is a new problem whether the special natural environmental conditions of Tibet Plateau, such as low air pressure, low oxygen content, and low temperature, will affect the waste incineration in the plateau area. In this work, the influence of different parameters on MSW incineration efficiency and flue gas emission were investigated. The results showed that the temperatures exhibited a significant impact on the flue gas emission. Under the lower temperature, CO was determined to be the main pollutant. With the increase of temperature, NOx became the main pollutant. The optimal temperature range of flue gas emission was between 800 and 900°C. A slight negative pressure in incinerator was benefit for incineration system safety and flue gas emissions. The optimal range was -50 to 0Pa. Lower oxygen content (3-6%) in the incinerator affected the incineration efficiency and flue gas emission. Meanwhile, the high oxygen content had no obvious impact on the flue gas emission, but the cost increased and the service life of the incinerator was affected. The optimal oxygen content in the incinerator was controlled at 6-8%. Furthermore, the air temperatures, pressures, and oxygen content in the natural environment had no significant effect on MSW incineration process. Increasing the air volume would bring about the increase of N2 in the incinerator. This work provides the basic data support for MSW incineration technology in plateau area.

Study the mechanism of Dingchuan decoction in neutrophilic asthma mice on serum metabolomics / 中国医师杂志

Objective:Based on the method of metabonomics, the intervention effect of Dingchuan decoction on neutrophilic asthma and its possible mechanism were analyzed from the changes of endogenous metabolites.Methods:Forty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups: normal group (group A), neutrophilic asthma model group (group B), Dingchuan decoction low dose treatment group (group C), Dingchuan decoction medium dose treatment group (group D), and Dingchuan decoction high dose treatment group (group E), with 8 mice in each group.B/C/D/E group used ovalbumin (OVA) and complete Freund′s adjuvant (CFA) to induce sensitized mice to establish neutrophilic asthma model, and C/D/E group used Dingchuan decoction with different concentrations of crude drugs for intervention treatment.Buxco small animal lung function tester was used to evaluate the airway reactivity of mice; The total number of white blood cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was counted by counting plate, and the number was classified by cell smear staining; The pathological changes of lung tissue were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining.The serum metabolites of mice in each group were detected by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with four pole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). The commonly used principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models were used for statistical analysis of the metabolite profiles in serum. The intervention effect of Dingchuan decoction and its possible mechanism were reflected from the changes of endogenous metabolites.Results:(1) General behavior observation: except mice in group A, mice in other groups showed asthma symptoms of different degrees during the challenge period. The symptoms of mice in each treatment group (group C, D, E) of Dingchuan decoction were less than those in group B. (2) Airway reactivity: the airway reactivity of mice in group B to methacholine (MCh) increased with the inhalation concentration, and the airway resistance at each concentration of MCh was significantly higher than that in group A (all P<0.01); the airway reactivity in group C, D and E was lower than that in group B (all P<0.01); the airway reactivity in group D and E was lower than that in group C (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in airway reactivity between group D and E ( P>0.05). (3) Airway inflammatory cell infiltration: the total number of white blood cells (WBC) and percentage of neutrophil in BALF of group B were significantly higher than those of group A (all P<0.01). The total WBC and percentage of neutrophil in group C, D and E were lower than those in group B (all P<0.01). The total number of WBC and percentage of neutrophil in group D and E were lower than those in group C (all P<0.01). There was no significant difference between group D and group E (all P>0.05). (4) Pathological changes of lung tissues: no pathological changes were observed in the lung tissues of group A mice. In group B, typical pathological changes such as bronchial lumen stenosis, intraluminal mucosal folds hyperplasia, epithelial cell exfoliation, swelling, mucous embolus, alveolar and lung tissue structure destruction, massive inflammatory cell infiltration around bronchus and blood vessels were observed, among which neutrophil and lymphocyte infiltration were the most obvious. The damage of lung tissue structure, bronchial mucosa edema and inflammatory cell infiltration in Dingchuan decoction treatment groups were significantly improved compared with group B, and the pathological changes of lung tissue in group D were relatively light. (5) Metabolomics analysis: PCA, PLS-DA and OPLS-DA analysis of serum metabolites in each group showed that serum metabolites in group A and group B were significantly different. The metabolic pathway analysis showed that Dingchuan decoction with different crude drug concentrations could improve the metabolic disorders caused by asthma in different degrees. Conclusions:Dingchuan decoction can effectively reduce airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in mice with neutrophil asthma, and effectively regulate metabolic abnormalities caused by neutrophil asthma.

Peripheral Lymphocyte Subsets Absolute Counts as Feasible Clinical Markers for Predicting Surgical Outcome in Gastric Cancer Patients After Laparoscopic D2 Gastrectomy: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Immune function influenced patients' recovery from major abdominal surgery. The aim of this study is to explore the clinical feasibility of peripheral lymphocyte absolute counts for predicting short-term surgical outcomes in gastric cancer patients after laparoscopic D2 gastrectomy. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study from a single tertiary referral hospital. Patients diagnosed with gastric cancer who met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. We collected the demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of included patients. We monitored perioperative dynamics of absolute counts of peripheral lymphocyte subsets. Predictive factors for length of postoperative hospital stay and complications were investigated in univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: A total of 137 gastric cancer patients were included. Decreased preoperative absolute counts of peripheral lymphocyte subsets were correlated with advanced clinical stage. In multivariate analysis, independent predictive factors for prolonged hospital stay were age (p=0.04), decreased preoperative B cell counts (p=0.05), decreased preoperative NK cell counts (p=0.05) and complications (p<0.01). For postoperative complication, independent predictive factors were age (p=0.02), operation time (p=0.05), lymphocyte to C-reactive protein ratio (p=0.01) and decreased preoperative B cell counts (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Our findings for the first time revealed that absolute counts of peripheral lymphocyte subsets are independent predictive factors for surgical outcomes in gastric cancer patients after D2 gastrectomy. We suggested that patients with impaired immune state should receive both preoperative immune modulator and nutritional support.

Cytotoxic steroidal glycosides from the underground parts of Hosta ventricosa.

A phytochemical study on the underground parts of Hosta ventricosa yielded one new spirostanol saponin (1), two new furostanol saponins (2 and 3), and one new pregnane glycoside (4), along with three known compounds (5‒7). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic analysis. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic effects against five human cancer cell lines (HL-60, A-549, SMMC-7721, MCF-7, and SW-480). Compounds 1, 2, and 5‒7 showed cytotoxic activities with IC50 values of 3.21-17.06 µM.

Research progress of sphingosine 1-phosphate(S1P) in respiratory diseases / 中国医师杂志

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a lipid mediator with biological activity, which is widely expressed in various tissues. Via combining with G-protein-coupled receptors (S1PR1-5) in different tissues, S1P can regulate Ras /MEK/ERK, PI3K/AKT, PLC/IP3, Rho/NF-κB and other signaling pathways and mediate various physiological and pathological reactions. The interaction of S1P and its receptors can affect the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of cells in airway and lung tissue, and it also plays an important role in inflammation and immune regulation. S1P mediates the pathogenic process of diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary infection and acute lung injury, while antagonizing S1P could relieve symptoms and delay the development of these diseases. Further study of S1P may provide a new therapeutic target for respiratory diseases.

Analysis of Thalassemia Gene Carriers in 19 482 Pregnant Women from 2015 to 2019 in Guilin, Guangxi / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the types and frequencies of thalassemia genes carried by the pregnant women in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.@*METHODS@#From January 2015 to December 2019, blood samples of the pregnant women who visited the Outpatients of Obstetrics clinic and Eugenics Genetic clinic in Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University were collected. Gap-PCR was used to detect deletional α-thalassemia, PCR-RDB to detect the gene mutations of non-deletional α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia, and MLPA or DNA sequencing to detect rare thalassemia mutations. Different types and frequencies of thalassemia mutations carried by pregnant women were analyzed statistically.@*RESULTS@#A total of 19 482 blood samples were collected, including 3 801 thalassemia gene carriers (19.51%). Seven types of α-thalassemia gene mutation were detected with a carrier rate of 15.43%. Among them, --@*CONCLUSION@#Guilin is a high-risk area for thalassemia. Alpha-thalassemia is dominated by --

Contamination, ecological and health risks of trace elements in soil of landfill and geothermal sites in Tibet.

Due to the utilization of landfill technology and geothermal energy production in Tibet, the contamination of the soils and underground water by trace element has currently become a serious problem, both ecologically and to the human health point of view. However, relevant studies concerning this critical problem, particularly in the Tibet area has not been found. Therefore, this study investigated the soil contamination and the spatial distribution of the trace elements in the areas surrounding the Tibetan landfill sites (LS) and geothermal sites (GS) through several pollution evaluation models. In addition, the possible sources of trace elements and their potential impact on public health were also investigated. Results showed that the trace elements in soils nearby LS and GS had moderate to high contamination risk. In soils surrounding LS, mercury had the highest concentration of 0.015 mg/kg and was 6 times higher than the background value of 0.008 mg/kg while in GS, arsenic had the highest concentration of 66.55 mg/kg, and exceeded the soil contamination risk value of 25 mg/kg. Maizhokunggar LS was the most polluted site with an average pollution load index value of 2.95 compared to Naqu, Nyingchi, Shigatse, and Lhasa. 42% of LS were with considerable ecological risk, and all GS had low ecological risk. Both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk for children and adults (male, female) were within the acceptable range. According to the source analysis, unscientific anthropogenic activities including accumulated MSW, industrial discharges, and vehicle emissions significantly contributed 51.83% to soil trace element contamination. Considering that Tibet is an environment-ecologically vulnerable region with very weak self-adjustment ability, accumulated municipal solid waste in the landfill sites should be well disposed of, and even soil remediation should be well implemented.

Specific enrichment of microbes and increased ruminal propionate production: the potential mechanism underlying the high energy efficiency of Holstein heifers fed steam-flaked corn.

Corn grain has a high starch content and is used as main energy source in ruminant diets. Compared with finely ground corn (FGC), steam-flaked corn (SFC) could improve the milk yield of lactating dairy cows and the growth performance of feedlot cattle, but the detailed mechanisms underlying those finding are unknown. The rumen microbiome breaks down feedstuffs into energy substrates for the host animals, and contributes to feed efficiency. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate the ruminal bacterial community changes of heifers fed differently processed corn (SFC or FGC) using 16S rRNA sequencing technologies, and to uncover the detailed mechanisms underlying the high performance of ruminants fed the SFC diet. The results revealed that different processing methods changed the rumen characteristics and impacted the composition of the rumen bacteria. The SFC diet resulted in an increased average daily gain in heifers, an increased rumen propionate concentration and a decreased rumen ammonia nitrogen concentration. The relative abundance of the phylum Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were tended to increase or significantly increased in the heifers fed SFC diet compared with FGC diet. In addition, the relative abundance of amylolytic bacteria of the genera Succinivibrio, Roseburia and Blautia were elevated, and the cellulolytic bacteria (Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014 and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-013) were decreased by the steam flaking method. Spearman correlation analysis between the ruminal bacteria and the microbial metabolites showed that the rumen propionate concentration was positively correlated with genera Succinivibrio and Blautia abundance, but negatively correlated with genera Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014 abundance. Evident patterns of efficient improvement in rumen propionate and changes in rumen microbes to further improve feed conversion were identified. This observation uncovers the potential mechanisms underlying the increased efficiency of the SFC processing method for enhancing ruminant performance.

Characteristics and management modes of domestic waste in rural areas of developing countries: a case study of China.

A huge accumulation of domestic waste has caused serious environmental contamination in rural areas of developing countries (RADIC). The characteristics and management of domestic waste are carefully discussed, based on field surveys and a literature review. The results indicate that the generation in most of RADIC is less than the median of 0.521 kg day-1 per capita in China, and much smaller than in rural areas of developed countries (RADEC). Organic waste and inert waste with an accumulative mass percentage of 72.31% are dominant components of domestic waste in the rural areas of China. There are trends of increasing amounts of kitchen waste, paper/cardboard, and plastic/rubber and a decreasing trend of ash waste. The RADIC composition of domestic waste had a high content of organic waste and a low content of recyclable waste compared to the RADEC. Domestic waste has good compressibility and a light bulk density ranging from 40 to 650 kg m-3. The moisture, ash, combustible, and calorific values of domestic waste were 53.31%, 18.03%, 28.67%, and 5368 kJ kg-1, respectively. The domestic waste has an abundance of nutrients including organic matter (39.05%), nitrogen (1.02%), phosphorus (0.50%), and potassium (1.42%). In RADIC, domestic waste can be used as an agricultural manure only after it has been collected and sorted for the potential risk of heavy metal accumulation. Based on these characteristics of domestic waste and the different situations of rural areas, four waste management modes including centralized treatment, decentralized treatment, group treatment, and mobile treatment are designed and discussed.