Source identification and toxicity apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface soils in Beijing and Tianjin using a PMF-TEQ method.

Beijing and Tianjin are two of the largest cities in northern China with high population densities and highly developed manufacturing industries. In the past decade, some authors have reported their PAH concentrations in surface soils, identified their sources and quantitatively reported their health risks. However, the contributions of different PAH sources to their toxicity have not been reported thus far. In this study, we reviewed the PAH concentrations, contributions of different sources to the toxicity, and cancer risks in soils from different land use types found within Beijing and Tianjin from data gathered by 41 studies. The total PAH concentration varied in the range of 175.7-1989.0 ng g-1 with a higher median PAH concentration detected in urban soils (789.7 ng g-1), followed by suburban soils (647.3 ng g-1) and rural soils (390.8 ng g-1). Source identification using diagnostic ratios and principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that the PAHs in all three land use types mainly originated from biomass and coal combustion, vehicular emissions, and petrogenic processes with contributions varying from 13% to 62%. Furthermore, results from a positive matrix factorization (PMF) model suggested that vehicular emissions and coal combustion in urban soils, and the vehicular emissions, coal combustion and biomass combustion in suburban and rural soils dominated the total PAH concentrations (>85%). These results were consistent with those of the PCA model. Results of the additional toxicity apportionment performed using the PMF model suggested that vehicular emissions and coal combustion contributed the most to the toxic equivalent quantity for Benzo(a)Pyrene (BaPTEQ) and, by extension, to the carcinogenic potencies. The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values suggested a low risk level for adults exposed to PAHs in the different land use types found within Beijing and Tianjin.

Alteration of gamma-aminobutyric acid in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of individuals with chronic insomnia: a combined transcranial magnetic stimulation-magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate changes in the level of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of patients with chronic insomnia treated with real repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as compared to sham-rTMS, as measured with 1H-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS). METHODS: Forty chronic insomnia participants were randomized to either real or sham rTMS group. The rTMS was administered once per day Continuously for 14 days with the stimulation over the left DLPFC. Left DLPFC GABA level relative to creatine (Cr) was measured by 1H-MRS. Insomnia symptom was evaluated by Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). MRS and ISI were assessed among all participants before and after treatment. This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (No. ChiCTR2100047255). RESULTS: After treatment, the ISI score in real rTMS group was markedly decreased as compared to pre-rTMS (t = -4.25, p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.90), whereas no significant change in ISI was observed in the group of sham rTMS. In addition, we observed a significant increase of GABA+/Cr concentration in the real rTMS group after stimulation (0.37 ± 0.11 to 0.40 ± 0.11, p = 0.039), but that of sham did not (0.38 ± 0.10 to 0.39 ± 0.11, p = 0.151). However, there was no significant association between the change of GABA+/Cr in left DLPFC and the changes of ISI scores in the two groups. CONCLUSION: 1 Hz rTMS has the potential to increase GABA + level in left DLPFC of patients with chronic insomnia, and warrants further investigation.

Pollution status of PAHs in surface sediments from different marginal seas along China Mainland: A quantitative evaluation on a national scale.

China is one of the largest coastal countries in the world, which have all kinds of marginal systems. Studies have reported the sedimentary Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution status, including their concentrations, sources and risks, in localized marginal systems, which showed significant differences. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of their pollution in marginal systems along China Mainland is urgently needed on a national scale. In the present study, the concentrations of 16 priority PAHs in surface sediments from 62 different marginal systems along China Mainland were reviewed. Their sources were identified and apportioned, and the health risks and ecological risks were also evaluated. As a result, the total sedimentary PAHs varied in a wide range of 4-3700 ng/g, with the lowest values observed in Kenting National Park in East China Sea and the highest values observed in Daliao River estuary in Bohai Sea. Their concentrations suggested that they were not contaminated-weakly contaminated in most study areas, but were contaminated-heavily contaminated in some pollution hot-spots. Source identification and apportion suggested that the sedimentary PAHs were mainly originated from coal combustion, vehicular emission, natural gas combustion and petrogenic source, but the coal combustion and vehicular emission contributed most to their emission (>90%). Risk assessment suggested that the carcinogenic risks were lower than the upper limit of the acceptable range (10-4), which were acceptable at a large spatial scale. However, for sediments from Qinhuangdao coastal wetland, Daliao River estuary and Yangpu Bay, their carcinogenic risks were higher than 10-4, which will pose high carcinogenic risks for adults. The non-carcinogenic risks were acceptable in all marginal systems with values lower than the safety guideline (<1). In the ecological risk assessment, their concentrations in some pollution hot-spots were higher than the safety guidelines (effects range low, ERL), suggesting a higher potential ecological risk.

A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction for insomnia secondary to cervical cancer: Sleep effects.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction on objective and subjective sleep parameters and hypnotic medication use of patients with insomnia secondary to cervical cancer. METHODS: This was a randomized controlled trial enrolled insomnia patient who were caused or worsened by cervical cancer. Seventy patients with insomnia caused or aggravated by cervical cancer were at random divided into either a usual care group or an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction group. Subjective sleep parameters, objective sleep parameters and hypnotic medication consumption were assessed at baseline, after the program, 6- and 12-month after finishing the interventions. RESULTS: The results showed that mindfulness-based stress reduction had a positive effect on subjective sleep parameters (Total wake time: ∆ = 45.32, P < 0.05; Sleep efficacy: ∆ = 6.87, P < 0.05; Total sleep time: ∆ = 22.22, P < 0.01). Compared with control group, polysomnography data in mindfulness-based stress reduction group were not improved significantly. There were no associations between subjective sleep parameters and objective sleep parameters. CONCLUSION: Mindfulness-based stress reduction had a definite impact on patients with insomnia that was secondary to cervical cancer just after the intervention, but no long-term influences. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR1800018571; 9/25/2018; retrospectively registered.

Retracted: A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction for insomnia secondary to cervical cancer: Effects on sleep.

Retraction: 'A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction for insomnia secondary to cervical cancer: Effects on sleep' DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/cnr2.1190 by Huashuang Zhang, Yang Li, Mingming Li, Xiaowen Chen. The above article, published online on 29 May 2019 in Wiley Online Library (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, Huashuang Zhang, Yang Li, Mingming Li, Xiaowen Chen, the journal Editor in Chief Nidhi Bansal, and John Wiley and Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed because of an honest error discovered by the authors in the data presented in Table 4 that impacts the overall conclusions of the article.