Global burden and inequality of iron deficiency: findings from the Global Burden of Disease datasets 1990-2017.

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency (ID) impairs patient physical activity, recognition and life quality, which is difficult to perceive but should not be underestimated. Worldwide efforts have been made to lower ID burden, however, whether it decreased equally in different regions and sexes is unclear. This study is to examine regional and sex inequalities in global ID from 1990 to 2017. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal, comparative burden-of-disease study. Disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) of ID were obtained from Global Burden of Disease Report 2017. Human Development Index (HDI) data were obtained from Human Development Report 2017. Gini coefficient and the concentration index were calculated to assess the equities in global burden of ID. RESULTS: A downward trend of global ID burden (from 569.3 (95% Uncertainty Interval [UI]: 387.8-815.6) to 403.0 (95% UI: 272.4-586.6), p < 0.001), age-adjusted DALYs per 100,000 population) but an uptrend of its inequalities (from 0.366 to 0.431, p < 0.001, Gini coefficients) was observed between 1990 and 2017. ID burden was heavier in women than that in men ([age-adjusted DALYs per 100,000 population from 742.2 to 514.3] vs [from 398.5 to 291.9]), but its inequalities were higher in men since 1990. The between-sex gap of ID burden was narrowed with higher HDI (ß = - 364.11, p < 0.001). East Asia & Pacific and South Asia regions made a big stride for ID control in both sexes over decades [age-adjusted DALYs per 100,000 population from 378.7 (95% UI: 255.8-551.7) in 1990 to 138.9 (95%UI: 91.8-206.5) in 2017], while a heavy burden among Sub-Saharan African men was persistent[age-adjusted DALYs per 100,000 population, 572.5 (95% UI: 385.3-815) in 1990 and 562.6 (95% UI: 367.9-833.3) in 2017]. CONCLUSIONS: Redistributing attention and resources to help countries with low HDI, especially take care of women with low socioeconomic status (SES) and men under high ID burden may help hold back the expanding ID inequality.

Delicate Tuning of the Ni/Co Ratio in Bimetal Layered Double Hydroxides for Efficient N2 Electroreduction.

Electroreduction of N2 to NH3 at ambient conditions using renewable electricity is promising, but developing efficient electrocatalysts is still challenging due to the inertness of N≡N bonds. Layer double hydroxides (LDHs) composed of first-row transition metals with empty d-orbitals are theoretically promising for N2 electroreduction (NRR) but rarely reported. Herein, hollow NiCo-LDH nanocages with different Ni/Co ratios were prepared, and their electronic structures and atomic arrangements were critical. The synergetic mechanisms of Ni and Co ions were revealed, and the optimized catalytic sites were proposed. Besides, in-situ Raman spectroscopy and 15 N2 isotopic labeling studies were applied to detect reaction intermediates and confirm the origin of NH3 . As a result, high NH3 yield of 52.8 µg h-1 mgcat -1 and faradaic efficiency of 11.5 % were obtained at -0.7 V, which are top-ranking among Co/Ni-based NRR electrocatalysts. This work elucidates the structure-activity relationship between LDHs and NRR and is instructive for rational design of LDH-based electrocatalysts.

Identification of cadmium bioaccumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) by the soil-plant transfer model and species sensitivity distribution.

Contamination of agricultural soil with cadmium (Cd) poses a severe threat to food safety and human health, especially for Cd in rice. It is very important to identify Cd bioaccumulation in rice in order to screen Cd-safe cultivars. In the present study, 183 pairs of rice and soil data collected from Cd-contaminated soil were used to investigate the differences of Cd bioaccumulation in grains among rice cultivars. The results showed that the adverse effect on grain Cd accumulation of japonica was less than that of indica under Cd exposure. The percentage of japonica with grain Cd concentration exceeding 0.2 mg/kg reduced 50.3% compared with indica. Partial correlation analyses suggested that lower pH contributed to Cd accumulation in grains, and a significant increase in grain Cd concentration was observed with increasing soil Cd concentration. The bioaccumulation factors (BCF) of Cd in rice grains could be divided into 5 grades by combining an empirical soil-plant transfer model with species sensitivity distribution (SSD). Grades with lower Cd bioaccumulation (grades 1 and 2) were dominated by japonica, and the intrinsic sensitivity index of Cd-enrichment (k value) and straw to grain transfer factors (TF) increased with ascending grades. Average k value and TF of cultivars in grade 5 were 1.4-7.9 and 1.5-5.7 times higher than those of cultivars in grades 1 to 4, which eventually caused the increase of Cd accumulation in grains. The lower level of Cd absorption and translocation contributed to reducing the bioaccumulation of Cd in rice grains had been proved by the classification of rice on Cd accumulation. Considering the influence of soil properties and intrinsic sensitivity of rice, cultivars with grain Cd bioaccumulation controlled at low levels to safe for human consumption could be identified on Cd-contaminated soils.

[Tobacco cadmium health risk assessment and reduction techniques: A review].

Tobacco is one of the cadmium accumulation and tolerance plants. Decreasing cadmium content of tobacco contributes to environmental safety and human health. Three aspects on tobacco cadmium research were reviewed in this paper, i.e. uptake and distribution of cadmium in tobacco, and health risk assessment of cadmium in tobacco and reduction measures. The current situations and existing challenges in the research field were discussed. The cadmium tolerance mechanisms of tobacco were reviewed, the factors on cadmium uptake were analyzed, and the general distribution of cadmium in tobacco was summarized. From the point of health risk assessment, the lack of cadmium limits in tobacco was identified, the recommended formula to calculate cadmium limits of tobacco based on atmosphere cadmium limits and digestion cadmium limits was provided and the cadmium limits of tobacco were estimated using each formula, and suggestions on cadmium limits in tobacco were presented. At last, we put forward several effective reduction measures to lower cadmium level in tobacco leaves.