Search

Background It is very difficult to contain persistently high incidence and mortality rates of gastric cancer. Moreover, the age at onset of gastric cancer is becoming earlier. However, there are few studies on the prediction of the age at gastric cancer onset. Objective To investigate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in mitochondrial displacement loop (D-Loop) and age at gastric cancer onset. Methods A total of 150 patients with confirmed gastric cancer by pathologically examination of biopsy samples taken during gastroscopy were recruited from Department of Gastroenterology, the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University between July 2007 and December 2008. PCR was used to amplify the targeted fragment of peripheral blood mitochondrial DNA, and the mitochondrial D-Loop region was sequenced. Survival curves for patients with different ages of onset of gastric cancer were plotted by the Kaplan-Meier method, and compared by the Log-rank test. Cox regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with age of onset of gastric cancer. Results The age of onset of patients with different degrees of education was statistically significant (P

Black-odor water, which is caused by the excessive accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus in water, is a significant problem. Immobilized microorganisms are considered to be an effective technical solution, but there are still many key parameters to be determined, such as organic matter dissolution, insufficient stability, and insufficient phosphorus removal capacity, among other problems. In this study, the optimum raw material ratios of immobilized microorganism gel beads were determined by means of a response surface experiment. The optimal ratio of raw materials was 5% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), 1% sodium alginate (SA), and 6% bacterial powder. In addition, the nitrogen and phosphorus removal performance of the materials was improved by loading inorganic compounds, such as 0.5 wt.% zeolite, 0.5 wt.% iron powder, and 0.2 wt.% activated carbon. Tolerance analysis determined that these gel beads could maintain a good performance in a series of harsh environments, such as during intense agitation, at high temperatures, and at low pH values, etc. The total nitrogen (TN), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and phosphorus (TP) removal efficiencies were 88.9%, 90%, and 95%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beta diversity represents the spatial or temporal variation of species diversity among sampling sites and may be composed of two elements: turnover (Brepl, replacement of species assemblages) and nestedness (Brich, loss or gain of species assemblages). Knowledge of the mechanisms driving beta diversity contributes to an understanding of the variation in aquatic ecosystem community structures. We sampled zooplankton assemblages at 24 sites in 11 rivers in Shanghai City and conducted a nutrient addition experiment to elucidate the effects of various environmental variables on the community structure and beta diversity patterns of the zooplankton. The zooplankton assemblages in the rivers differed significantly at ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentrations below (Group I) and above (Group II) 1.03 mg·L−1. The nutrient addition experiment further demonstrated that the composition of the zooplankton assemblages changed markedly along an ammonia concentration gradient (0.2 to 5.0 mg N·L−1). The total beta diversity of Group I was considerably higher than that of Group II, indicating that high nutrient (ammonia) pollution led to biotic homogeneity. Overall, turnover was the key factor determining the total beta diversity of the two groups, suggesting the key importance of replacement of zooplankton assemblages. Furthermore, we found a correlation between environmental factors (mainly nitrogen content) and the beta diversity of zooplankton, and beta diversity (Brepl and Btotal) decreased with increasing trophic state. These findings provide further insight into the changing characteristics of the beta diversity patterns of zooplankton in river networks and may help to guide managers dealing with conservation strategies for aquatic biodiversity preservation in urban river ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediments are sinks and sources of pollutants, playing a rather important role in metal migration and transformation. A set of toxic metals of Hg, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cu, Ni and Cd in a suburban river sediment was investigated in the Yangtze River Delta of China, Nantong, and then, the solidification/stabilization scheme and resource-oriented utilization for heavy metal-contaminated sediment were explored. The results showed that all of the metals were apparently higher than the background values. The geo-accumulation index indicated that Ni, Cr, Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd exhibited a none–moderately polluted degree, while Hg corresponded to the moderately contaminated grade. A correlation analysis showed that the contents of metals were not strongly affected by the pH and organic matter content (p > 0.05), but they were associated with each other (p < 0.05) and might have common natural and anthropogenic sources. Moreover, the leaching experiment revealed that the concentration of Ni exceeded the national standard of China for groundwater, which might cause environmental contamination. Thus, three effective solidification/stabilization formulations for amendments were developed: (1) zero valent iron (9.5% w.w.) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (0.5% w.w.); (2) sulphate aluminum cement (1% d.w.) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (0.3% d.w.) and (3) sulphate aluminum cement (1% d.w.), zero valent iron (0.5% d.w.) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (0.3% d.w.). The findings can provide an effective approach and theoretical basis for the treatment of heavy metal pollution in river sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a cost‐effective and eco‐friendly method was developed to remediate soil contaminated by hexavalent chromium (Cr[VI]) using ferrous sulfate and biogas residue (BR). The results show that the addition of BR at mole ratio of Fe(II)/Cr(VI) = 3:1 and mass ratio of BR (dry mass)/Cr(VI) = 70:1 significantly improved the reduction of Cr(VI) and reduced its mobility. Moreover, the reduction efficiency of Cr(VI) was higher than 85% at day 1 and reached a maximum of 96.7% at day 7. The X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and microbial diversity analyses indicated that the microbial mechanism created by the BR addition was crucial for the long‐term and stable reduction of Cr(VI). The enriched Cr(VI)‐reducing bacteria genera in the BR directly reduced Cr(VI), whereas the reducing bacteria in the BR indirectly reduced Cr(VI) to Cr(III) through the electron transport system in the reaction system. The addition of BR can lead to a high reduction efficiency and long‐term stabilization of Cr(VI)‐contaminated soils. This study provides reference values for the combined remediation technology for Cr(VI)‐contaminated soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste disposal sector is an important anthropogenic source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; therefore, it is important to accurately estimate GHG budget of waste disposal activities and evaluate its contribution to global GHG emissions. Based on the GHG inventory guidelines provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, this study calculated GHGs from the municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal sector (including landfill, incineration, and compost) in China during the period 2002–2017. Overall GHG emission from the MSW disposal sector increased from 30,392.0 Gg CO2 in 2002 to 76,623.0 Gg in 2017. MSW landfill contributed most to GHG emissions as indicated by the emission share of landfill decreasing from a peak value of 93.5% in 2002 to 65.8% in 2017. GHG emissions from MSW incineration increased rapidly from less than 3.0% in 2002 to 32.8% in 2017. In 2017, East China contributed the most among the seven regions of China, while the Northwest contributed the least. Methane mitigation technologies such as landfill gas to energy projects and functional solid cover utilization are the primary measures for reducing GHG emissions from landfill; conversion of the treatment method from landfill to incineration is another effective measure; MSW sorting and source reduction of waste amounts prior to incineration were also found to be promising strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the response of Ottelia acuminata to a water-depth gradient, we investigated the plant growth and leaf photosynthesis by setting three water depths (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m) in situ in Yilong Lake, Yunnan Province, China. The results showed that the growth and photosynthetic fluorescent characteristics of O. acuminata exhibited different responses to the water-depth gradient. The plant height, fresh weight, root length, and leaf number of O. acuminata, varied significantly with changes in the water depth. With regard to the photosynthetic fluorescent characteristics of leaves, the maximum quantum yield half-saturation light intensity and fluorescence parameter of photosystem II markedly improved with increasing water depth. The increase of photosynthetically active radiation resulted in a decreased photochemical quenching coefficient (qP). In contrast, the nonphotochemical quenching coefficient was relatively high in the leaves of O. acuminata in shallow water under high photosynthetically active radiation. The chlorophyll content of the leaves varied significantly with changes in the water depth. Higher chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoid contents were detected in the leaves of O. acuminata at the water depth of 1.5 m. The results of the growth and photosynthetic fluorescent characteristics of O. acuminata indicate a better protection mechanism against high light in the leaves of O. acuminata in shallow water and a higher photosynthetic efficiency, as well as a greater photosynthetic potential, in the leaves of O. acuminata in deep water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoplankton and bacterioplankton play a vital role in the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems, and their activity is closely linked to water eutrophication. However, few researchers have considered the temporal and spatial succession of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton, and their responses to environmental factors. The temporal and spatial succession of bacterioplankton and their ecological interaction with phytoplankton and water quality were analyzed using 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing for their identification, and the functions of bacterioplankton were predicted. The results showed that the dominant classes of bacterioplankton in the Qingcaosha Reservoir were Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Actinomycetes, Acidimicrobiia, and Cyanobacteria. In addition, the Shannon diversity indexes were compared, and the results showed significant temporal differences based on monthly averaged value, although no significant spatial difference. The community structure was found to be mainly influenced by phytoplankton density and biomass, dissolved oxygen, and electrical conductivity. The presence of Pseudomonas and Legionella was positively correlated with that of Pseudanabaena sp., and Sphingomonas and Paragonimus with Melosira granulata. On the contrary, the presence of Planctomycetes was negatively correlated with Melosira granulata, as was Deinococcus-Thermus with Cyclotella sp. The relative abundance of denitrifying bacteria decreased from April to December, while the abundance of nitrogen-fixing bacteria increased. This study provides a scientific basis for understanding the ecological interactions between bacteria, algae, and water quality in reservoir ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water level fluctuation (WLF) has a significant effect on aquatic macrophytes, but few experimental studies have examined the effect of WLF on submerged community succession, especially from a large-scale perspective. In this study, field monitoring of WLF and submerged macrophytes was conducted in Yilong Lake (SE China) over two years, and the impacts of WLF on the growth characteristics and the community structure of submerged macrophytes were determined. The results show that the biomass of submerged macrophytes decreased significantly after the water level increased and submerged macrophytes could cope with the adverse environment by adjusting their growth posture, for example, increasing plant length and reducing branch number. However, different submerged plants have different regulatory abilities, which leads to a change in the community structure. Myriophyllum spicatum, Stuckenia pectinata, and Najas marina had better adaptation abilities to WLF than Najas minor and Utricularia vulgaris. Changes in water depth, dissolved oxygen, and transparency significantly contribute to the effect of WLF on submerged plant communities. Therefore, when determining the range of WLF, the above three critical factors and submerged plant species should be considered. WLF changed the spatial distribution of the aquatic plant community. When water levels rose, the density of the submerged macrophyte community in the original growth region reduced as the emergent plants migrated to shallower water, and the seed bank germination was aided by transparent water produced among emergent plants. This can be used as a pioneering measure to restore submerged plants in eutrophic lakes with low transparency. In addition, a suitable water depth created by WLF was conducive to activating the seed bank and improving the diversity of aquatic plants. Finally, a distribution map of aquatic plants in Yilong Lake is drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]