应用污水流行病学方法调查辽宁省主要城市咖啡因消费量

咖啡因是一种主要来源于茶和咖啡类饮料的中枢神经兴奋剂.调查其消费量对于监控人群健康和咖啡因消费市场规模有重要意义.本研究采用污水流行病学的方法对辽宁省7个主要城市的咖啡因消费量进行调查,利用气相色谱质谱分析测定污水进水样品的咖啡因浓度均值为2.77±1.55 μg·L-1,结合污水厂进水口流量、咖啡因的人体代谢数据和污水厂服务人口数量等参数估算辽宁省咖啡因的人均消费量为39.5 mg·d-1.利用蒙特卡罗方法对估算的消费量进行不确定性分析,结果表明,辽宁省城镇居民人均咖啡因消费量为41.2 mg·d-1（95% CI：22.9—74.4 mg·d-1）,结合2017年辽宁省城镇人口数据（2950万）计算,辽宁省城镇居民日均咖啡因消费总量为1210 kg（95% CI：680—2190 kg·d-1）.敏感性分析表明咖啡因的人体代谢因子为反推过程中对不确定性贡献最大的参数.本研究为咖啡因消费的调查提供了一种实时和快速的新方法.     

Correlating element atmospheric deposition and cancer mortality in Portugal: data handling and preliminary results

This study, framed within geographical epidemiology, presents preliminary findings concerning the association between the concentrations of chemical elements obtained through atmospheric biomonitoring with lichens and cancer mortality in the Portuguese population. Exploratory analyses were performed to identify potential confounders for the relationships between chemical elements and neoplasm mortality and to assess the extent of their interference. The results of this study highlight some methodological and conceptual difficulties inherent to observational and geographical studies, in the specific context of the Portuguese population, and the challenge posed by the large numbers of pollutants considered.     

氟与健康的环境流行病学研究

氟是与机体健康密切相关的微量生命元素,原生环境中氟过量或缺乏均会导致机体产生疾病。氟对人类健康的影响已成为全球性的环境健康问题。综合国内外近年来的相关资料,作者概述了环境生态系物质中氟的含量、分布及化学行为,阐述了氟对机体的健康效应,分析了我国地氟病的现状,并指出了今后在氟与健康研究领域中应关注的问题。     

Spatial and space-time scan statistics to detect low rate clusters of sex ratio

Whether general environmental exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (including pesticides and dioxin) might induce decreased sex ratios (male/female ratio at birth) is discussed. To address this issue, the authors looked for a space-time clustering test which could detect local areas of significantly low risk, assuming a Bernoulli distribution. As a matter of fact, if the endocrine disruptor hypothesis holds true, and if the sex ratio is a sentinel health event indicative of new reproductive hazards ascribed to environmental factors, then in a given region, either a cluster of low male/female ratio among newborn babies would be expected in the vicinity of polluting municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) (supporting the dioxin hypothesis), or local clusters would be expected in some rural areas where large amounts of pesticides are sprayed. Among cluster detection tests, the spatial scan statistic has been widely used in various applications to scan for areas with high rates, and rarely (if ever) with low rates. Therefore, the goal of this paper was to check the properties of the scan statistics under a given scenario (Bernoulli distribution, search for clusters with low rates) and to assess its added value in addressing the sex ratio issue. This study took place in the Franche-Comté region (France), mainly rural, comprising three main MSWIs, among which only one had high dioxin emissions level in the past. The study population consisted of 192,490 boys and 182,588 girls born during the 1975–1999 period. On the whole, the authors conclude that: (i) spatial and space-time scan statistics provide attractive features to address the sex ratio issue; (ii) sex ratio is not markedly affected across space and does not provide a reliable screening measure for detecting reproductive hazards ascribed to environmental factors.     

Recent advances in arsenic mutagenesis and carcinogenesis†

Arsenic is ubiquitously distributed in nature and is released into the environment through non‐ferrous smelting operations, generation of power from coal, and agriculture.

Epidemiological studies have shown that the incidences of epidermoid carcinomas of the skin and lungs, and of pre‐cancerous dermal keratoses are significantly increased in human subjects exposed to arsenic compounds by oral or respiratory routes. The negative results obtained on animals treated with arsenicals suggest strongly that this metal is probably a cocarcinogen.

The results of the short‐term tests suggest that the cocarcinogenic properties of arsenic could be related to its ability to inhibit DNA repair.     

SARS流行期的气候学尺度分析

对SARS疫区流行期的气候特征作了统计分析.发现它们共同的特征是月均温在5～22 ℃,降水偏少,约在90 mm以下,其中疫情爆发月均温13～17 ℃.在疫区,如果出现气温日较差较小、大气污染指数高的天气,大约8 d后出现疫情峰值.由于SARS第一次在人群中发现,并且缺乏病毒学研究,本项研究的结论是解释性的.     

广州市SARS传播与空气污染相关性研究

探讨SARS传播与空气污染的关系.根据广州市及周边城市自SARS发病以来主要空气污染物的监测统计结果,结合广州市SARS发病例数和气象观测资料等进行相关性研究,并与香港进行对比.结果表明,广州市SARS发病数与发病前5 d的可吸入颗粒物污染浓度密切相关,香港SARS发病数与发病前1～2 d的可吸入颗粒物污染浓度密切相关.研究表明,SARS发病数与发病前空气污染状况有密切关系.     

Impact of drought‐related vaccination on livestock mortality in pastoralist areas of Ethiopia

Under a national Livestock Policy Forum in Ethiopia the impact of livestock vaccination during drought was assessed in order to inform the development of a best‐practice guideline. For each of the different types of vaccine used during drought years there was no significant difference in livestock mortality, for any species, in vaccinated compared with non‐vaccinated herds. The limited impact of vaccination on livestock mortality was attributed to weaknesses in the design and implementation of vaccination programmes, including use of inappropriate vaccines, low vaccination coverage, problems with vaccine dosing, incorrect timing of vaccination and problems with vaccine storage. If these weaknesses could be overcome vaccination could be a useful means to protect livestock assets, with considerable benefit‐cost ratios. Vaccination should be conducted as a standard preventive measure during normal years, and programme design should be informed by participatory epidemiological studies.     

POLLUTION OF SURFACE IRRIGATION WATERS BY PLANT PATHOGENIC ORGANISMS1

ABSTRACT: Systematic sampling of waterways and irrigation runoff from agricultural lands in the North Platte Project of Nebraska in July and August of 1972–1974 demonstrated that phytopathogenic organisms were disseminated. The organisms monitored included the bean common blight bacterium Xanthomonas phaseoli, the bean white mold fungus Whetzelinia sclerotiorum and various nematodes. Although many types of nematodes often were recovered from irrigation water, Heterodera sp. cysts which cause significant disease problems in the valley were found infrequently. Patterns of movement of the bacterial and fungal organisms were correlated with previous or current season infection of bean plants. The short-term survival of X. phaseoli in sterile deionized water may explain the detection of this organism only in runoff or ditches receiving runoff from common blight infected bean fields. Sclerotial bodies of W. sclerotiorum remained viable for at least 10–21 days in flowing water and were found throughout the irrigation waterways. Irrigation of beans with contaminated water can result in both common blight and white mold diseases. Dissemination of phytopathogenic organisms in irrigation reuse systems as well as agricultural land runoff should be considered in irrigation planning and system design.