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1.
Huan Jing Ke Xue ; 44(11): 6194-6204, 2023 Nov 08.
Article in Chinese | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37973102

ABSTRACT

Non-point source pollution(NSP) poses a great threat to water ecosystem health. The quantitative estimation of spatial distribution characteristics and accurate identification of critical source areas(CSAs) of NSP are the basis for its efficient and accurate control. The export coefficient model(ECM) has been widely used to assess NSP, but this model should be improved because it ignores pollutant loss in transport processes. In this study, the ECM, which refines the physical transport processes of pollutants through quantifying the loss rate of pollutants in runoff, sediment, and infiltration, was improved to assess NSP and identify CSAs. The simulation accuracy among Johnes ECM, frequent ECM, and improved ECM were analyzed, and the effects of the three models on the simulation results of both spatial distribution characteristics and CSAs were explored. The study showed that:① the simulation error of the improved ECM(-6.79%) was significantly lower than that of the Johnes ECM(50.44%) and the frequent ECM(-84.01%), and this improved ECM increased the simulation accuracy of NSP. ② The spatial distribution characteristics and CSAs of NSP obtained from Johnes, frequent, and improved ECMs were significantly different, and the simulation results of improved ECM were more consistent with the spatial characteristics of NSP in the watershed. The NSP was high in the southeast and low in the northwest of the basin, and the NSP mainly came from urban and cultivated land. ③ Based on the improved ECM, the CSAs of NSP in the basin were mainly distributed in Changping, Shahe, Shigezhuang, the north of Wenquan, and the west of Malianwa Street, accounting for 6.71% of the area. This study can provide an effective tool and scientific reference for the assessment and control of NSP in data-limited regions.

2.
Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao ; 34(1): 264-276, 2023 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36799403

ABSTRACT

Bioretention systems, as one of the most widely used modern stormwater management tools, have outstanding performance in capturing runoff, mitigating peak flow, delaying outflow occur time, and improving effluent quality. We reviewed the research of hydrologic and water quality performance of bioretention systems around the world from different perspectives, including the structure and classification of bioretention systems, the mechanisms of runoff and pollutants regulation of bioretention systems, the hydrologic and water quality performances of bioretention systems, the runoff control and water purification evaluation models of bioretention systems, as well as the influencing factors of runoff control and water purification efficiency. We proposed that future research should focus on hydrologic and water quality of bioretention systems, e.g., optimization of design configurations, revealing the mechanisms of plant action, revealing the mechanisms of microbial action, the effects of climate change on hydrologic and water quality performance, watershed/regional scale hydrologic and water quality performance, purification effect and mechanisms of emerging pollutants, maintenance methods, as well as life-cycle assessment and cost analysis. This review would provide theoretical and technical supports for research, design, construction, and maintenance of bioretention systems.


Subject(s)
Environmental Pollutants , Water Purification , Rain , Water Quality , Hydrology
3.
Huan Jing Ke Xue ; 44(1): 303-311, 2023 Jan 08.
Article in Chinese | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36635818

ABSTRACT

Roofs occupy a great proportion of urban impervious surfaces, and the implementation of eco-roof construction in urban areas is beneficial to alleviate the ecological and environmental problems caused by rapid urbanization. In this study, different eco-roofs (i.e., 68.6%-90.7%, and 39.8%-54.5%, respectively. However, all the eco-roofs were sources of NO-3-N, DCr, DFe, and DNi. The blue roof was a sink of DCu (with a pollutant load reduction rate of 21.9%) and did not affect the cumulative load of PO3-4-P in runoff. However, the green roof and blue-green roof were the sources of PO3-4-P and DCu. The RQI value of the blue roof was the highest, followed by that of the blue-green roof and green roof. The RQI value of the green roof was significantly lower than that of the blue and blue-green roofs (P<0.05). These results indicated that the runoff quality of the blue roof was the best, whereas that of the green roof was the worst. Adding a storage layer to the green roofs could significantly improve the runoff quality. The results of this study provide scientific references for the selection and design of eco-roof facilities.


Subject(s)
Environmental Pollutants , Rain , Conservation of Natural Resources/methods , Water Movements , Urbanization
4.
Huan Jing Ke Xue ; 43(9): 4587-4596, 2022 Sep 08.
Article in Chinese | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36096599

ABSTRACT

Green roofs are regarded as one of the important measures for the sponge city construction. However, the comprehensive impacts of configuration factors (e.g., vegetation and substrates) on runoff quality from green roofs are not clear, which limits the promotion of green roofs. In this study, 12 green roofs with three vegetation types (i.e., Sedum lineare, Portulaca grandiflora, and non-vegetated substrates), three substrate types (i.e., local planting soil, engineered soil, and light growing medium), and two substrate depths (i.e., 10 cm and 15 cm) were set up in Beijing. During the rainy season of 2019, the rainfall characteristics, runoff volumes, and concentrations of nutrients and heavy metals of runoff from the green roofs were monitored. Based on the measured data, a runoff quality index (RQI) was developed to evaluate the comprehensive influences of configurations on runoff quality of the green roofs. The results showed that vegetation could improve runoff reduction rate and decrease the concentrations of NO3--N in runoff of green roofs. The RQIs of green roofs planted with S. linear and P. grandiflora were similar, and the evaluation results of runoff quality were better than those with non-vegetated substrates. The materials of substrates had significant influences on the runoff reduction rate and pollutant concentrations in runoff from green roofs. The green roofs with light growing medium, which had the lowest runoff reduction rates and the highest concentrations of NH4+-N, DFe, DMn, and DZn in the runoff, showed poorer runoff quality than the green roofs with local planting soil and engineered soil. The green roofs with a substrate depth of 15 cm had higher runoff reduction rates than those with 10 cm deep substrate, and the runoff quality was better than those with a substrate depth of 10 cm. The results of this study provide scientific reference for the design and integrated assessment of green roofs.


Subject(s)
Metals, Heavy , Sedum , Conservation of Natural Resources/methods , Plants , Rain , Soil
5.
Huan Jing Ke Xue ; 43(6): 3187-3194, 2022 Jun 08.
Article in Chinese | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35686788

ABSTRACT

As an important measure of the sponge city, green roofs have received extensive attention in recent years. To investigate the inter-annual changes in runoff quality of green roofs with different vegetation types, three green roofs with different vegetation cover (Sedum lineare, Portulaca grandiflora, and a non-vegetated control) were set up in Beijing. The influences of vegetation and monitoring period on runoff quality from the green roofs were evaluated using the plant growth characteristics and the quality of rainwater and runoff from the green roofs during the rainy season of 2017-2019. The results showed that all three green roofs were the sinks of NH4+-N, and the average mass concentration reduction rates were between 50.1% and 79.2%. However, all three green roofs were sources of PO43--P, DCr, DCu, and DNi. The green roofs covered with S. lineare and P. grandiflora were sinks of NO3--N in 2017, and the average mass concentration reduction rates were 71.4% and 99.5%, respectively, but they became sources of NO3--N in both 2018 and 2019. However, the non-vegetated control was the source of NO3--N in all three rainy seasons. Both vegetation type and length of monitoring period had significant effects on the mass concentrations of NO3--N, PO43--P, DNi, and DCu in runoff from the green roofs (P<0.05) but had no significant effects on the mass concentrations of NH4+-N and DCr in runoff from the green roofs (P>0.05). In 2017-2019, the mass concentrations of NO3--N in runoff from the non-vegetated control and the green roofs covered by S. lineare and the mass concentration of PO43--P in runoff from the green roof covered by P. grandiflora increased yearly. The mass concentrations of DNi and DCu in runoff from all three green roofs increased in 2018 but dropped in 2019. Among the green roofs with different vegetation types, the green roof covered by P. grandiflora showed better NO3--N retention capacity than that of the other green roofs but may have increased the concentrations of PO43--P, DNi, and DCu in the runoff.


Subject(s)
Portulaca , Sedum , Cities , Conservation of Natural Resources/methods , Rain
6.
J Environ Manage ; 319: 115447, 2022 Oct 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35728983

ABSTRACT

Green roof stormwater retention performance is fundamentally related to design configurations and climates. Efficient tools for assessing stormwater retention performance of green roofs with various configurations in different climates are highly desirable for practical applications. In this study, a hydrological model which can be used to simulate dynamic changes in moisture content and evapotranspiration of green roofs is developed and tested (with average Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency of 0.8197 for calibration and 0.8252 for verification) using monitoring data (2018-2019) of four green roofs with various configurations. The model is applied to simulate long-term (1970-2018) moisture content, actual evapotranspiration, and retention performance of green roofs in eight cities across different climates of China. Green roofs built with engineered soil and Portulaca grandiflora show the largest evapotranspiration and thus provide the largest stormwater retention rates (Rr), while green roofs with light growing medium and Sedum lineare show the lowest evapotranspiration and Rr. Rr of green roofs increases as climate changes from humid to arid. Green roofs at Guangzhou (humid climate) provide the lowest Rr (28% ± 3%) caused by plenty of rainfall (1827 mm), while green roofs at Urumqi (desert climate) show the lowest mean annual actual evapotranspiration (167-269 mm) but provide the largest Rr (84% ± 5%) as a result of the lowest annual rainfall (282 mm). The results highlight that stormwater retention performance of green roofs could be enhanced through configuration optimization. However, a limiting factor in improving green roofs water retention rates may be the peculiarity of local climatic conditions.


Subject(s)
Rain , Water Movements , Climate Change , Conservation of Natural Resources/methods , Hydrology
7.
Huan Jing Ke Xue ; 42(6): 2796-2809, 2021 Jun 08.
Article in Chinese | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34032079

ABSTRACT

Non-point source pollution has become an important factor affecting the aquatic ecological environment and human health, and the analysis of spatial-temporal variations in non-point source pollution risks is an important prerequisite for pollution control. Based on land-use and land-cover data from 1980 to 2020, the potential non-point source pollution index (PNPI) model was applied in the upper Beiyun River Basin using different weighting methods. The results showed that:① The potential risk of non-point source pollution is high in the southeast and low in the northwest of the basin. Between 1980 and 2020, the total area of extremely high-risk and high-risk non-point source pollution regions showed a decreasing trend, and the main types of land use for extremely high-risk and high-risk regions gradually evolved from paddy fields, drylands, and orchards to urban and rural residential land; ② The weighting of the land use index determined by the mean-square deviation decision, entropy, coefficient of variation, and expert scoring methods was largest among the three PNPI indices, with average weightings of 0.46, 0.53, 0.45, and 0.48, respectively. However, the weightings for runoff and distance indices determined by different weighting methods were notably different, and the proportions of regions with different levels of non-point source pollution risk also varied; ③ The exponential function method, which describes the relationship between source factors and transport factors by constructing the exponential functions of land use, runoff, and distance indices, provided results that are more consistent with the spatial distribution characteristics of non-point source pollution risk in the basin. The proportions of extremely low-risk and extremely high-risk regions are 54.22% and 6.23%, respectively. These results provide scientific reference for risk analysis and the control of non-point source pollution in this basin.

8.
J Environ Manage ; 291: 112682, 2021 Aug 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33964623

ABSTRACT

Green roofs are widely considered as a promising nature-based solution for urban stormwater management. In this study, the stormwater retention and detention performance of 6 green roof modules with different types and depth of substrates at Beijing, China was investigated through 3-year continuous monitoring. The Hydrus-1D was applied to further explore the stormwater management performance of green roofs under extreme storms. The average event-based stormwater retention and detention rates of the green roofs with 10 cm substrates ranged between 81% and 87%, and 83%-87%, respectively; and the average time delays in runoff generation and peak discharge ranged between 82 and 210 min, and 63-131 min, respectively. Green roofs with 15 cm depth of substrates offered higher stormwater retention and peak runoff attenuation rates than those with 10 cm substrates. However, due to the high frequency (55 out of total 92) of light rainfall events (<10 mm) and short antecedent dry weather periods (3.8 days in average), no significant difference was found on stormwater control performance of those green roofs. The Hydrus-1D simulations revealed that green roof stormwater retention rate decreases exponentially with return periods of extreme storms but increases with substrate depth. There exists a critical depth of substrates and further increases in substrate depth beyond this critical value could not bring much improvement in stormwater retention performance of green roofs. The application of extensive green roofs with 10-15 cm substrates provides promising stormwater retention and detention performance in highly urbanized area of Beijing.


Subject(s)
Rain , Water Movements , Beijing , China , Conservation of Natural Resources , Hydrology
9.
J Environ Manage ; 280: 111850, 2021 Feb 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33360388

ABSTRACT

Rainwater harvesting is widely implemented to deal with urban water scarcity and stormwater control issues. In the context of climate change, however, the impacts of rainfall change on rainwater harvesting systems (RHS) are still unknown in many regions. In this study, effects of rainfall change on both water saving and stormwater control performance of RHS across six cities in different climatic zones of Pakistan were investigated and location-specific and adaptive measures to mitigate the negative impacts of rainfall change on RHS were proposed. The commonly defined "dry gets drier, wet gets wetter" rainfall change pattern is not retained in the cities. Water saving performance of RHS is positively affected by increasing trend of rainfall at Khanpur and Peshawar, whereas negatively affected by rainfall decreases at Zhob and Murree. Conversely, increasing trend of rainfall is non-beneficial for stormwater control at Khanpur and Peshawar but rainfall decreases are beneficial at Zhob and Murree. Islamabad and Lahore do not have notable changes in performance of RHS due to the non-significant changing trends in rainfall. The impacts of rainfall change on performance of RHS are dependent on not only the trends and extents of local rainfall change, but also tank sizes and water demands. At Khanpur and Murree, the negative impacts of rainfall change on performance of RHS can be resolved by enlarging tank sizes. At Zhob and Peshawar, however, adjusting contributing areas or water demands should also be considered. Therefore, location-specific and adaptive measures should be adopted for RHS to accommodate rainfall change.


Subject(s)
Rain , Water Supply , Cities , Conservation of Natural Resources , Pakistan , Water
10.
J Environ Manage ; 269: 110731, 2020 Sep 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32425163

ABSTRACT

Rainwater harvesting systems (RHS) have been increasingly used to mitigate urban water scarcity and flooding problems. Rainfall data with various lengths have been used for RHS modelling. However, short-term rainfall data with inadequate lengths used for the modelling of RHS may lead to considerable errors. In this study, a method that can be used to identify representative length of short-term rainfall data for RHS modelling was proposed and tested in 12 cities located in different climatic zones. The influences of local rainfall characteristics on the variation of representative time series lengths (RTSL) were revealed using linear regression and partial correlation analyses. The results show that RHS with larger storage capacity and located in more humid cities can provide higher water saving efficiency and reliability. Rainfall time series length has significant influence on the modelling results of RHS. The RTSL for the 12 cities vary from 6 to 21 years. The RTSL for the 12 cities are non-significantly correlated with mean annual rainfall (R2 = 0.32, n = 12, p > 0.05) and seasonality index (R2 = 0.28, n = 12, p > 0.05), but significantly correlated with variation coefficients of annual rainfall (R2 = 0.76, n = 12, p < 0.05). The partial correlation coefficient between RTSL and the variation coefficients of annual rainfall is 0.878, while the partial correlation coefficients between RTSL and the mean annual rainfall and seasonality index are -0.569 and -0.522, respectively. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using short-term rainfall data with adequate length instead of long-term rainfall data for RHS modelling and also provide insights into the variation of RTSL in different climatic zones.


Subject(s)
Rain , Water Supply , Cities , Conservation of Natural Resources , Reproducibility of Results
11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32092917

ABSTRACT

Soil erosion risk assessment is an essential foundation for the planning and implementation of soil and water conservation projects. The commonality among existing studies is that they considered different indicators (e.g., rainfall and slope) in order to determine the soil erosion risk; however, the majority of studies in China neglect one important indicator, namely the slope aspect. It is widely accepted that the vegetation and distribution of rainfall differs according to the different slope aspects (such as sunny slope and shady slope) and these attributes will accordingly influence the soil erosion. Thus, existing studies neglecting this indicator cannot reflect the soil erosion well. To address this problem, a flexible soil erosion risk assessment method that supports decision makers in identifying priority areas in soil and water conservation planning was developed in the present study. Firstly, in order to verify the impact of the slope aspect on soil erosion, field investigations were conducted, and its impact on the characteristics of the community in the study area was analyzed. Secondly, six assessment indicators were selected, including slope gradient, precipitation, NDVI, land use, soil texture and slope aspect. Next, a developed multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method based on the Choquet integral was adopted to assess the soil erosion risk. The MCDA method, combining objective data with subjective assessment based on Choquet integral, could solve the weight problem encountered when using the quantitative method. The parameters required can be modified according to the soil erosion types, assessment scales, and data availability. The synergistic and inhibitory effects among the soil erosion parameters were also considered in the assessment. Finally, the soil erosion risk results in the Xinshui River watershed revealed that more attention should be paid to the slope of farmland and grassland during the planning and management of soil and water conservation projects. The methodology used in the current study can support decision makers in planning and implementing soil and water conservation measures in regions with different erosion types.


Subject(s)
Conservation of Water Resources , Decision Support Techniques , Soil , China , Conservation of Natural Resources , Environmental Monitoring
12.
Huan Jing Ke Xue ; 40(8): 3618-3625, 2019 Aug 08.
Article in Chinese | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31854768

ABSTRACT

As a key component of green roofs, vegetation may have significant impacts on both the quantity and quality of runoff. In this study, the effects of vegetation on both the quantity and quality of runoff from green roofs are investigated through monitoring the rainfall and runoff processes of green roofs with four different types of vegetation cover (Portulaca grandiflora, Sedum lineare, Festuca elata, and a non-vegetated bed as control) during 2017. The growth characteristics of the vegetation were also monitored, and the nutrients (NH4+-N, NO3--N, NO2--N, and PO43--P) and heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Cu, and Ni) in the rainwater and runoff were measured. The results show that the average rainfall event-based runoff reduction rates for the four green roof types were 51.3%, 41.5%, 36.3%, and 33.0%, respectively. Furthermore, the runoff reduction rates of the green roof planted with Portulaca grandiflora were significantly higher than both the Festuca elata green roof and the non-vegetated bed (P<0.05). The green roofs planted with Portulaca grandiflora and Sedum lineare both acted as sinks for the nutrients. The Portulaca grandiflora green roof, which had a higher biomass, provides higher nutrient load reduction rates (59.6%, 99.9%, 82.5%, and 25.7% for NH4+-N, NO3--N, NO2--N, and PO43--P, respectively) than the Sedum lineare green roof (52.5%, 89.3%, 75.3%, and 7.8%, respectively). The Festuca elata green roof and the non-vegetation bed acted as sinks for NH4+-N and NO2--N but were sources of NO3--N and PO43--P. All four of the green roofs were sinks for DCd, with pollution load reduction rates of 19.2%, 41.5%, 38.4%, and 31.1%, respectively. However, all the green roofs acted as the sources of DCr, DCu, and DNi.


Subject(s)
Metals, Heavy , Sedum , Conservation of Natural Resources , Housing , Plants , Rain , Water Movements
13.
Sci Total Environ ; 665: 262-274, 2019 May 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30772557

ABSTRACT

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is promoted in many cities (e.g., Beijing and Shenzhen) as a climate change adaptation measure to relieve urban water supply and drainage pressures. In this study, the impacts of future climate change on water saving and stormwater capture performances of RWH systems at cities across four climatic zones of China are investigated. A downscaling technique based on the Climate Generator is evaluated and employed to generate future (2020-2050) daily rainfall data. Performance indices of RWH systems (i.e., water saving efficiency, reliability, and stormwater capture efficiency) calculated using both the future and historical (1985-2015) daily rainfall data are compared. Two water demand scenarios (i.e., lawn irrigation and toilet flushing) are included in the investigation. The water saving performance is positively affected by the increases in future rainfall at the four cities, while the stormwater capture performance is negatively affected as a larger tank size is required to achieve a desired stormwater capture efficiency in the future period. The responses of water saving and stormwater capture performances of RWH systems to climate change are varying with not only the system dimensions (i.e., storage capacity and catchment area), but also the water demand scenarios and locations. RWH systems with larger storage capacity for larger water demand scenarios at humid and semi-humid cities is expected to be more resilient to climate change. The various changing patterns of the performance indices highlight the importance of incorporating climate change in the design of RWH systems. Location-specific adaptive adjustments (e.g., adjusting tank sizes, catchment areas or water demand rates) need to be adopted so that RWH systems can sustainably meet water saving and stormwater control requirements under future climate conditions.

14.
Huan Jing Ke Xue ; 39(11): 5015-5023, 2018 Nov 08.
Article in Chinese | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30628224

ABSTRACT

Vegetation is an important component of green roofs and may affect their hydrological performance through the processes of rainwater interception and evapotranspiration. Based on the rainfall-runoff observations of green roofs with four types of vegetation covers (Portulaca grandiflora, Sedum lineare, Festuca elata, and bare substrate) located in Beijing during 26 rainfall events from April to October 2017, the impacts of vegetation cover on the hydrological performance of green roofs were investigated using runoff and peak discharge reduction rates and time-delay of runoff generation and peak discharge as indices. For the 12 green roofs, there was a significantly negative correlation (P<0.01) between runoff reduction rate and rainfall event volume. For low rainfall (<10 mm), the runoff reduction rates of all the green roofs were equal or close to 100%. When the rainfall volume increased to about 30 mm, the runoff reduction rates dropped to below 70%. For the heaviest rainfall event during the observation period (81.4 mm), the runoff reduction rates of all the green roofs were less than 55%. The impacts of vegetation on the hydrological performance of green roofs changed with rainfall conditions. The differences between runoff reduction rates of green roofs with different types of vegetation cover were largest for the heavy rainfall events. For the moderate rainstorm events, the differences were slightly lower. For light rainfall events, however, no significant differences were observed among the runoff reduction rates of green roofs with different types of vegetation cover, as little runoff was generated. Vegetation cover could enhance the hydrological performance of green roofs, as the runoff and peak discharge reduction rates and time-delay of runoff generation and peak discharge of green roofs covered with vegetation were all better than those of the bare substrate for all the groups of rainfall events except the light rainfall. Vegetation-covered green roofs with P. grandiflora performed the best, as the average height and aboveground biomass per unit area of P. grandiflora were the largest.


Subject(s)
Conservation of Natural Resources , Plants , Rain , Water Movements , Beijing , Construction Materials , Festuca/physiology , Hydrology , Plant Transpiration , Portulaca/physiology , Sedum/physiology
15.
J Nucl Med ; 57(12): 2012-2015, 2016 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27561881

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate in vivo dynamic metabolic changes after transplantation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and iPSC-derived enriched cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) in a rat model of ischemic injury. METHODS: Serial 18F-FDG PET, echocardiographic, immunohistochemical, and immunofluorescence studies were performed after transplantation of iPSCs and iPSC-CMs and compared with embryonic stem cells (ESCs), ESC-CMs, and a phosphate-buffered saline control group of rats with myocardial infarction. RESULTS: Increased glucose metabolism in periinfarct areas and improved myocardial function were observed in the stem cell transplantation groups compared with the control group, and serial immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical results exhibited the survival and migration of stem cells during the study period. CONCLUSION: Serial 18F-FDG PET and echocardiographic imaging studies demonstrated the dynamic metabolic changes and recovery of myocardial function after stem cell transplantation. 18F-FDG PET could be a potential approach to evaluating spatiotemporal dynamic metabolic changes in vivo after transplantation of iPSCs or iPSC-CMs for ischemic injury.


Subject(s)
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/transplantation , Myocardial Ischemia/metabolism , Animals , Electrocardiography , Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 , Male , Myocardial Ischemia/diagnostic imaging , Myocardial Ischemia/therapy , Positron-Emission Tomography , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley
16.
Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol ; 37(6): 602-7, 2013 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24012221

ABSTRACT

Hepatic fibrosis is a major consequence of liver aggression. Finding novel ways for counteracting this damaging process, and for evaluating fibrosis with a non-invasive imaging approach, represent important therapeutic and diagnostic challenges. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is an anti-fibrosis cell growth factor that induces apoptosis in activated hepatic stellate cells, reduces excessive collagen deposition, and stimulates hepatocyte regeneration. Thus, using HGF in gene therapy against liver fibrosis is an attractive approach. The aims of the present study were: (i) to explore the efficacy of treating liver fibrosis using HGF expression vector carried by a novel ultrasound microbubble delivery system; (ii) to explore the diagnostic interest of diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI-MRI) in evaluating liver fibrosis. We established a rat model of hepatic fibrosis. The rats were administered HGF linked to novel ultrasound micro-bubbles. Progression of hepatic fibrosis was evaluated by histopathology, hydroxyproline content, and DWI-MRI to determine the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Our targeted gene therapy produced a significant anti-fibrosis effect, as shown by liver histology and significant reduction of hydroxyproline content. Moreover, using DWI-MRI, the b value (diffusion gradient factor) was equal to 300s/mm(2), and the ADC values significantly decreased as the severity of hepatic fibrosis increased. Using this methodology, F0-F2 could be distinguished from F3 and F4 (P<0.01). This is the first in vivo report of using an ultrasound microbubble-cationic nano-liposome complex for gene delivery. The data indicate that, this approach is efficient to counteract the fibrosis process. DWI-MRI appears a promising imaging technique for evaluating liver fibrosis.


Subject(s)
Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Gene Transfer Techniques , Hepatocyte Growth Factor/administration & dosage , Liver Cirrhosis/pathology , Liver Cirrhosis/therapy , Microbubbles , Animals , Common Bile Duct/injuries , Disease Models, Animal , Drug Carriers , Echo-Planar Imaging , Genetic Therapy , Hepatocyte Growth Factor/genetics , Hydroxyproline/metabolism , Ligation , Liposomes/chemistry , Liver/diagnostic imaging , Liver/metabolism , Liver/pathology , Liver Cirrhosis/metabolism , Male , Nanoparticles/chemistry , Phosphatidylethanolamines , Polyethylene Glycols , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Severity of Illness Index , Sonication/methods , Ultrasonography
17.
IEEE Trans Image Process ; 19(1): 141-53, 2010 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19775968

ABSTRACT

A new inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging approach is presented for application in situations where the maneuverability of noncooperative target is not too severe and the Doppler variation of subechoes from scatterers can be approximated as a first-order polynomial. The proposed algorithm is referred to as the range centroid Doppler (RCD) ISAR imaging technique and is based on the stretch Keystone-Wigner transform (SKWT). The SKWT introduces a stretch weight factor containing a range of chirp rate into the autocorrelation function of each cross-range profile and uses a 1-D interpolation of the phase history which we call stretch keystone formatting. The processing simultaneously eliminates the effects of linear frequency migration for all signal components regardless of their unknown chirp rate in time-frequency plane, but not for the noise or for the cross terms. By utilizing this novel technique, clear ISAR imaging can be achieved for maneuvering targets without an exhaustive search procedure for the motion parameters. Performance comparison is carried out to evaluate the improvement of the RCD technique versus other methods such as the conventional range Doppler (RD) technique, the range instantaneous Doppler (RID) technique, and adaptive joint time-frequency (AJTF) technique. Examples provided demonstrate the effectiveness of the RCD technique with both simulated and experimental ISAR data.

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