A study on the short-term effect of particulate matter pollution on hospital visits for asthma in children in Shanghai,China

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Recently, particulate matter pollution has been worsening, which has been affecting the asthma visits in children. In this study, we assessed the short-term...     

17α-甲基睾酮对稀有鮈鲫肝脏脂质代谢的影响

环境内分泌干扰物对环境影响十分严重,绝大部分进入水环境,危害水生生物健康,进而影响人类健康.17α-甲基睾酮(17α-methyltestosterone,MT)是一种常见的环境雄激素,但在鱼体内的作用机制尚不明确.为了探究MT对鱼类肝脏脂质代谢的影响,采用不同浓度的MT(0、25、50和100 ng·L-1)处理864尾稀有鮈鲫(Gobiocypris rarus),分别在7、14和21 d取肝脏样品.用石蜡组织切片(H-E染色)研究MT对稀有鮈鲫肝脏组织的影响;用RT-qPCR检测4个内参基因的稳定性及5个脂质代谢相关基因(acaca、acacb、fasn、gpat1和cpt1α)的mRNA表达;用ELISA法测定肝脏中甘油三酯的含量.结果 表明,MT会对稀有鮈鲫肝脏造成一定程度的影响,50 ng·L-1 MT处理14 d,肝脏组织损伤最明显.25 ng·L-1和50 ng·L-1 MT处理14 d,相关基因的表达均显著变化(P＜0.05).mRNA表达与组织学结果均表明50 ng·L-1 MT对稀有鮈鲫肝脏影响最为显著.100ng·L-1 MT处理21 d,acaca、cpt1α和gpat1基因表达量显著下降(P＜0.05).MT对雌鱼肝脏甘油三酯影响较雄鱼大.综上,MT通过影响肝脏脂质代谢相关基因mRNA的表达,干扰了稀有鮈鲫肝脏脂质代谢过程,进而对肝脏产生不同程度的损伤.由于MT在不同性别鱼体内的代谢途径不同,推测MT在稀有觞鲫体内可能被芳香化为雌激素(ME),从而发挥部分雌激素作用.     

新烟碱类杀虫剂吡虫啉和啶虫脒对人神经母细胞瘤SK-N-SH细胞的毒性作用

吡虫啉和啶虫脒是目前使用较广的2种新烟碱类杀虫剂,它们在环境、食品和人体样品中的普遍残留,对人体健康构成威胁,但目前关于其对人的神经毒性仍知之甚少.本文以人神经母细胞瘤SK-N-SH细胞为模型,采用体外细胞实验,研究不同浓度吡虫啉和啶虫脒暴露对细胞活力、细胞形态、烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体(nAChRs)α7亚基的mRNA和蛋白表达、乙酰胆碱酯酶活性以及氧化应激的影响,为这2种杀虫剂的健康风险评价提供依据.实验中,先将SK-N-SH细胞分别暴露于不同浓度的吡虫啉和啶虫脒24 h,通过测定细胞活力,确定2种杀虫剂的10％抑制浓度(IC10)值.在此基础上,设定3个梯度的低暴露浓度(0.01、0.1和1 mmol· L-1)和溶剂对照,研究吡虫啉和啶虫脒对SK-N-SH细胞其他指标的影响(暴露24 h后).细胞活力、氧化损伤和乙酰胆碱酯酶活性分别用相应的试剂盒测定,细胞形态用倒置光学显微镜观察,nAChRs α7亚基的mRNA和蛋白表达分别用RT-qPCR和Western Blot测定.结果 表明,吡虫啉和啶虫脒的IC10值分别约为1.5 mmol· L-1和2.0 mmol· L-1.1 mmo1·L-1吡虫啉对nAChR α7的mRNA表达和蛋白表达均显著提高,对乙酰胆碱酯酶活性有显著抑制,并引起细胞显著的氧化应激(P＜0.05).0.1 mmol· L-1吡虫啉对乙酰胆碱酯酶活性有显著抑制(P＜0.05).1 mmol· L-1啶虫脒对nAChR α7的mRNA表达和蛋白表达均有显著提高(P＜0.05).为进一步揭示吡虫啉的影响,对0.1 mmol· L-1吡虫啉暴露组和溶剂对照组细胞进行了转录组分析,发现吡虫啉暴露对一些神经退行性疾病相关基因及其他一些重要通路相关基因有显著影响.本研究证明,吡虫啉和啶虫脒在非致死浓度条件下会对细胞产生一系列显著影响,吡虫啉的影响大于啶虫脒.     

Catalytic fast pyrolysis of walnut shell for alkylphenols production with nitrogen-doped activated carbon catalyst

• N-doped activated carbon was prepared for catalytic pyrolysis of walnut shell. • Alkylphenols were selectively produced from catalytic pyrolysis process. • The alkylphenols yield increased by 8.5 times under the optimal conditions. • Formation mechanism of alkylphenols was proposed. Alkylphenols are a group of valuable phenolic compounds that can be derived from lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, three activated carbons (ACs) were prepared for catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) of walnut shell to produce alkylphenols, including nitrogen-doped walnut shell-derived activated carbon (N/WSAC), nitrogen-doped rice husk-derived activated carbon (N/RHAC) and walnut shell-derived activated carbon (WSAC). Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) experiments were carried out to reveal the influences of AC type, pyrolytic temperature, and AC-to-walnut shell (AC-to-WS) ratio on the product distributions. Results showed that with nitrogen doping, the N/WSAC possessed stronger capability than WSAC toward the alkylphenols production, and moreover, the N/WSAC also exhibited better effects than N/RHAC to prepare alkylphenols. Under the catalysis of N/WSAC, yields of alkylphenols were significantly increased, especially phenol, cresol and 4-ethylphenol. As the increase of pyrolytic temperature, the alkylphenols yield first increased and then decreased, while high selectivity could be obtained at low pyrolytic temperatures. Such a trend was also observed as the AC-to-WS ratio continuously increased. The alkylphenols production achieved a maximal yield of 44.19 mg/g with the corresponding selectivity of 34.7% at the pyrolytic temperature of 400°C and AC-to-WS ratio of 3, compared with those of only 4.67 mg/g and 6.1% without catalyst. In addition, the possible formation mechanism of alkylphenols was also proposed with the catalysis of N/WSAC.     

Novel perspective for urban water resource management: 5R generation

• 5R (Recover, Reduce, Recycle, Resource and Reuse) approaches to manage urban water. • 5R harvests storm water, gray water and black water in several forms. • 5R offers promise for moving solutions for urban water scarcity in practice. Demand for water is expanding with increases in population, particularly in urban areas in developing countries. Additionally, urban water system needs a novel perspective for upgradation with urbanization. This perspective presents a novel 5R approach for managing urban water resources: Recover (storm water), Reduce (toilet flushing water), Recycle (gray water), Resource (black water), and Reuse (advanced-treated wastewater). The 5R generation incorporates the latest ideas for harvesting storm water, gray water, and black water in its several forms. This paper has briefly demonstrated each R of 5R generation for water treatment and reuse. China has the chance to upgrade its urban water systems according to 5R principles. Already, a demonstration project of 5R generation has been installed in Qingdao International Horticultural Exposition, and Dalian International Convention Center (China) has applied 5R, achieving over 70% water saving. The 5R offers promise for moving solutions for urban water scarcity from “hoped for in the future” to “realistic today”.     

Inhibition character of crotonaldehyde manufacture wastewater on biological acidification

• The inhibition of the main organic pollutions in CMW was demonstrated. • Variations of AK and BK showed a high correlation with the SAA of Ac and n-Bu. • The inhibitory degree was in the order of Ac>n-Bu for individual toxicants. • Biodegradation products of the main toxicants were analyzed. This work aims to investigate the inhibitory effect of crotonaldehyde manufacture wastewater (CMW) on biological acidification. To reveal the inhibitory effect of wastewater to the anaerobic granular sludge (AnGS), variations of the specific acidogenic activity (SAA) and activities of key enzymes were investigated. The results indicated that the dosage of CMW causing a 50% effect concentration (EC₅₀) on the activity of total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) production was 380 mg COD/g VSS. The inhibitory effect of individual toxicants in CMW on the activity of TVFA production were in the order of crotonaldehyde>ethyl sorbate>(E,E)-2,4-hexadienal, and their inhibitory degrees on individual VFA products were acetic acid (Ac)>n-butyric acid (n-Bu), which could correspond to the variations in the activities of acetate kinase (AK) and butyrate kinase (BK). Furthermore, the combined effect of three toxicants on the activity of TVFA production was significantly higher than that of any individual toxicant, and the contribution of the relative toxicity to CMW was 77.27%. Additionally, the biodegradation products of the main toxicants indicated that the removal of crotonaldehyde and (E,E)-2,4-hexadienal was primarily due to the hydrogenation of alkene and aldehyde and the oxidation of aldehyde. Nevertheless, the removal of ethyl sorbate was primarily based on adsorption. In conclusion, biological acidification has a limited ability to treatment CMW, therefore, a further pretreatment technology should be used to remove the main toxicant of wastewater.     

Aerosol transmission,an indispensable route of COVID-19 spread: case study of a department-store cluster

• Aerosol transmission is an indispensable route of COVID-19 spread. • Different outbreak sites have different epidemiologic feature. • SRAS-CoV-2 can exist for a long time in aerosol. • SRAS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in aerosol in diverse places. • Some environmental factors can impact SARS-CoV-2 transportation in aerosol. Patients with COVID-19 have revealed a massive outbreak around the world, leading to widespread concerns in global scope. Figuring out the transmission route of COVID-19 is necessary to control further spread. We analyzed the data of 43 patients in Baodi Department Store (China) to supplement the transmission route and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in a cluster outbreak. Incubation median was estimated to endure 5.95 days (2–13 days). Almost 76.3% of patients sought medical attention immediately upon illness onset. The median period of illness onset to hospitalization and confirmation were 3.96 days (0–14) and 5.58 days (1–21), respectively. Patients with different cluster case could demonstrate unique epidemiological characteristics due to the particularity of outbreak sites. SRAS-CoV-2 can be released into the surrounding air through patient’s respiratory tract activities, and can exist for a long time for long-distance transportation. SRAS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in aerosol in different sites, including isolation ward, general ward, outdoor, toilet, hallway, and crowded public area. Environmental factors influencing were analyzed and indicated that the SARS-CoV-2 transportation in aerosol was dependent on temperature, air humidity, ventilation rate and inactivating chemicals (ozone) content. As for the infection route of case numbers 2 to 6, 10, 13, 16, 17, 18, 20 and 23, we believe that aerosol transmission played a significant role in analyzing their exposure history and environmental conditions in Baodi Department Store. Aerosol transmission could occur in some cluster cases when the environmental factors are suitable, and it is an indispensable route of COVID-19 spread.     

基于协同反硝化脱氮的光伏废水处理

以光伏废水为研究对象,利用启动成功的协同反硝化反应器,在进水F-浓度为800mg/L,NO₃^--N为350mg/L的条件下,控制进水C/N为0.7左右,实现反硝化过程无需酸碱调控,TN去除率为90%以上,TN去除速率为2.0~2.5kg/（m³·d）.除氟试验表明,通过投加CaO初步除氟能将F-浓度降低至800mg/L,同时将pH提升至7.68,满足协同反硝化的pH范围（7.5~8.5）要求;二次除氟能有效降低废水中残余的F-及协同反硝化生成的SO₄^2-.针对多数含F-浓度超过800mg/L的光伏废水,可采用先初步除氟、协同反硝化脱氮,最终二次除氟、除硫酸盐的工艺路线.相比于完全异养反硝化脱氮处理光伏废水,采用协同反硝化可节约脱氮成本0.82元/t.     

Characteristics of residual organochlorine pesticides in soils under different land-use types on a coastal plain of the Yellow River Delta

The residual levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were examined in soils covering five types of land use along a salinity gradient on the Yellow River Delta. The most prominent OCPs were dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (∑DDT, arithmetic mean = 5.11 μg kg^?1), hexachlorocyclohexane (∑HCH, 1.69 μg kg^?1) and ∑endosulfan (10.4 μg kg^?1). The spatial variability of OCPs composition shifted from γ-HCH and o,p′-DDT dominated pesticides in coastal soils to p,p′-DDE dominated pesticides in inland soils. In different land-use types, the percentages of β-HCH and p,p′-DDE are characterized by more recalcitrant components in decreasing order of vegetable fields, cereal fields, cotton fields, wetlands and tidal flats with increasing soil salinity. However, the less recalcitrant components, γ-HCH and o,p′-DDT, showed an opposite trend. Endosulfan sulfate predominated in all land-use types. Residual levels of β-HCH were affected by soil organic matter. The correlations between γ-HCH and clay content and between p,p′-DDE, o,p′-DDT and salinity might associate with the influence of sediment cotransport by the Yellow River and the density of anthropogenic activities in coastal region. Depth distribution of the OCPs in typical soil profiles also implied that local historical usage and sediment transport by the Yellow River both affected the OCPs residual in this region.