Contamination of typical phthalate acid esters in surface water and sediment of the Pearl River, South China: Occurrence, distribution, and health risk assessment.

The occurrence and distribution of six phthalate acid esters (PAEs) in surface water and sediment of the Pearl River were investigated, including Xijiang River (XR), Beijiang River (BR), Lingdingyang Estuary (LE), and Guangzhou River (GR) in South China. Six target PAEs were identified in surface water and sediment at almost all sites in the Pearl River, with di(2-ethyl-ethyl) phthalate (DEHP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) as dominant PAEs. Total 6 PAEs (ΣPAEs) in surface water and sediment ranged from 1,797.5 to 4,968.5 ng L-1 and 95.24 to 3,677.26 ng g-1 dw, respectively. In addition, the contamination levels of PAEs in the Pearl River are in the following order: XR > BR > GR > LE for surface water and BR > XR > GR for sediment. Local agricultural activities, industrial production, water confluence, and seawater intrusion are the probable sources of PAEs in the Pearl River. Based on correlation analysis, the possible collocation patterns of different PAEs were revealed. The risk assessment indicates that residual PAEs in the Pearl River pose a serious threat to the ecological environment. According to risk characterization of fish living in the Pearl River, the decreasing order of health risks was: GR > LE > XR > BR.

The single-cell proteomics methods based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry promote tumor diagnosis research / 中华检验医学杂志

Single-cell proteome analysis can perform in-depth research on cell heterogeneity and further promote the development of precision medicine and tumor research. In recent years, mass spectrometry-based proteomics has made substantial progress, but proteomics analysis at the single-cell level still faces sensitivity challenges. At present, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry has become the main analysis method of proteomics. Because of its high sensitivity, high throughput, and high stability, it has been widely used in the field of single cells. In recent years, the representative single-cell proteomics methods can be divided into three types: single-tube technology, microfluidic platform, and integrated processing platform according to different sample processing methods. Different kinds of data collection and analysis methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. If single-cell proteomics, still a laboratory study, can be applied in diagnostic practice as soon as possible, it will definitely promote the progress of precision medicine and oncology research.