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Objective: To analyze the correlation between hip joint musculoskeletal ultrasound score and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) disease activity, as well as to investigate the value of high frequency ultrasound in the assessment of hip joint involvement in AS., Methods: The clinical data of 244 patients with AS who were treated in the rheumatology department of from March 2019 to March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, there 174 males and 70 females, aged from 19 to 58 years old with an average of (34.22±9.49) years old;the disease duration of AS patients ranged from 8 months to 26 years, with an average of (13.68±4.04) years.The 244 patients were divided into disease group (83 cases) and control group (161 cases) based in the presence of hip joint involuement. According to the the disease activity, patients in the disease group were further categorezed into active phase (45 cases) and stable phase (38 cases). The ultrasound scores of patients in the active and stable phases of the disease group and the control group were compared. Relevant factors of hip joint involvement in AS patients were analyzed, and analyze the correlation between ultrasound score and Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score index(BASDAI), Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index(BASFI), visual analogue score of pain (VAS), C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and the correlation between hip joint capsule score and tendon attachment end score and BASDAI, BASFI, VAS, CRP and ESR., Results: The hip joint capsule score(3.06±1.12), femoral head score(1.45±0.43), tendon attachment end score(3.28±1.30) and total ultrasound score(6.65±2.31) of the disease group were higher than those of the control group(1.51±0.48)、(0.66±0.27)、(1.61±0.53)、(3.81±1.44)scores ( P <0.05). Multifactor Logstic regression analysis showed that the course of disease, hip joint capsule score and total ultrasound score were independent risk factors for hip involvement in AS patients.The hip capsule score (3.65±1.22)and total ultrasound score(8.28±2.33) in the active phase of the disease group were higher than those in the stable phase (2.48±1.04)、( 6.82±1.96)scores( P <0.05). The hip joint capsule score and total ultrasonic score of AS patients were positively correlated with BASDAI, BASFI, VAS, CRP, and ESR ( P <0.05, P <0.01).The score of tendon attachment end was positively correlated with CRP ( P <0.05). The score of joint capsule effusion in AS patients was positively correlated with BASDAI, BASFI and VAS ( P <0.05, P <0.01). The synovial blood flow score was positively correlated with BASDAI, VAS, CRP and ESR ( P <0.05, P <0.01). The synovial thickening score was positively correlated with BASDAI, BASFI, VAS, CRP and ESR ( P <0.05, P <0.01). There was no correlation between the score of tendon attachment end and BASDAI, BASFI, VAS, CRP and ESR., Conclusion: There is a correlation between hip joint ultrasonic score of hip joint and clinical indexes in AS patients.Hip joint capsule score and total ultrasonic score were independent risk factors for hip involvement in AS patients. High frequency ultrasound exhibits clinical value in the diagnosis of hip joint involvement in AS patients.

To investigate the pollution characteristics and formation mechanism of ambient air ozone(O 3 ) in a typical tropical seaside city, we conducted an observational experiment on O 3 and its precursors at an urban site in Haikou, Hainan Province, from June to October 2019. The O 3 pollution characteristics were analyzed comprehensively; the O 3 -NO x -VOCs sensitivities and key precursors were determined, and the control strategies for O 3 pollution were carried out. The results were as follows:1 O 3 pollution in Haikou mainly occurred in September and October, with daily maximum 8-h O 3 concentrations in the range of 39-190 μg·m -3 , and the daily variation in O 3 was unimodal, peaking at approximately 14:00. 2 The concentrations of NO 2 and VOCs were higher during O 3 pollution episodes than their respective mean values in Haikou City. The increased O 3 precursor concentrations were an important factor leading to O 3 pollution, whereas O 3 pollution was also influenced by regional transport, with pollutants mainly transported from the northeastern part of Haikou City. 3 O 3 -NO x -VOCs sensitivity in Haikou City was in the VOCs and NO x transitional regime, and the most sensitive precursors in various months were different. O 3 formation in September was sensitive to anthropogenic VOCs the most; however, in October it was sensitive to NO x . 4 In the future, the reduction ratio of VOCs to NO x should be 1:1-4:1 to control O 3 pollution effectively in Haikou.

In order to explore the pollution characteristics and potential sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the polluted air of a port area, PM 2.5 samples ( n =59) were collected from Qingdao Port for four seasons from August 2018 to May 2019. The seasonal variation and composition characteristics of PM 2.5 -bound PAHs were analyzed, the influence of meteorological factors on PAH concentrations was explored using correlation analysis, and the potential sources were analyzed using positive definite matrix factorization and potential source contribution function models. The results showed that the total mean concentration of PAHs was (8.11±12.31) ng·m -3 , which was higher in autumn and winter than that in spring and summer. The seasonal molecular compositions of PAHs were similar, dominated by 4-5 ring PAHs (75.43%). Fluoranthene, benzo[e]pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, phenanthrene, pyrene, and chrysene were the dominant species of PAHs in the study area, which are similar to the major compounds in ship exhaust. Correlation analysis showed that PAH concentrations were significantly negatively correlated with temperature and relative humidity and significantly positively correlated with atmospheric pressure and wind direction and had a poor correlation with wind speed. PMF analysis extracted six contribution factors, and the results indicated that Qingdao Port was mainly influenced by shipping emissions (28.83%), followed by vehicle emissions (20.49%), as well as crude oil volatilization (13.47%). Summer had the greatest impact on shipping emissions. The PSCF results suggested that Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Bohai Rim, and northern Shandong were the main source regions for long-range transport.

Halocarbons are hot topics in atmospheric environment and climate change research. Combining observational data from six field campaigns at the summit of Mount Taishan (36.25°N, 117.10°E, 1534 m above sea level) with backward trajectory and receptor source analyses, this study analyzed the long-term trends and major emission sources of halocarbons in the regional background atmosphere of the North China Plain (NCP) from 2003 to 2018. The results showed that the volume fraction of species eliminated by the Montreal Protocol (MP) showed a significant downward trend; however, the MP-controlled and unregulated species showed an overall upward trend. Meanwhile, the median volume fraction of the MP-controlled and unregulated species at Mount Taishan were significantly higher than the mid-latitude median background values in the northern hemisphere. Mount Taishan air was mainly affected by four types of air masses, of which the air mass originating from NCP accounted for the highest proportion (41%). The major sources of halocarbons were biomass/biofuel burning (38.1%), refrigeration (26.2%), industrial and domestic solvent use (21.7%), solvent use in the electronic industry (8.7%), and leakage of chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) banks (5.3%). This study fully demonstrates that MP has been effectively implemented in China and provides evidence and recommendations to further reduce and control the volume fraction of halocarbons.

Atmospheric particle number size distributions were measured by a wide-range particle size spectrometer and a scanning mobility particle size spectrometer in the summertime and wintertime in the coastal area of Qingdao (China). The inorganic and organic gaseous precursors and particulate chemical composition were measured to characterize new particle formation (NPF) events by combining meteorological parameters and backward trajectories. In summer, the occurrence frequency of NPF events was 18% lower. However, the atmospheric particle number concentration increased by approximately 1-4 times during the NPF events compared with those without NPF. The apparent formation rates and growth rates were (5.2±4.3) cm -3 ·s -1 and (6.5±2.2) nm·h -1 , respectively, except for a special NPF event on July 20. The correlation analysis results implied that biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) seemingly favor NPF, and the reverse is true for anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (AVOCs). The occurrence frequency of NPF events of 27% in winter was clearly higher than that in summer. The apparent formation rates and growth rates, i.e., (3.3±3.1) cm -3 ·s -1 and (5.3±3.3) nm·h -1 , decreased, although the decreases were not significant ( P >0.05). The correlation analyses implied that AVOCs favored NPF. However, BVOCs had no correlation with NPF. For the cases in which new particles could grow to CCN sizes (>50 nm), the particle growth characteristics showed significant seasonal differences, i.e., in summer, new particles could grow to CCN sizes via photochemical reactions, whereas in winter, second-stage growth driven by the formation of nitrate aerosols was needed to grow new particles to CCN sizes.

In order to study the seasonal variations in the chemical composition of atmospheric particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ) and its influence on visibility in background areas, atmospheric PM 2.5 samples were collected in spring, summer, autumn, and winter 2016 at Qixingtai in Ji'nan. The pollution characteristics of water-soluble ions components, organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) were analyzed, and their regional transmission contributions were studied. The results show that NH 4 + , SO 4 2- , and NO 3 - were the main components of water-soluble ions, accounting for 90.24% of the annual total ion concentration. The secondary water soluble inorganic ions were polluted severely. NO 3 - /SO 4 2- presented obvious seasonal variations of high (low) levels in winter (summer). In each season, SO 4 2- and NH 4 + existed mainly in the form of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 . The value of secondary OC (SOC)/OC ranged from 21.17% to 54.21%, indicating the presence of relatively severe secondary organic pollution in this area. The sulfur oxidation ratio (SOR) value in all seasons was greater than 0.1, indicating that the secondary generation of SO 4 2- occurs in all seasons in this region, and the value of nitrogen oxidation ratio (NOR) in all seasons was higher than the SOR value. The secondary transformation of NO 2 in the Qixingtai region was stronger than that of SO 2 . The range of atmospheric extinction coefficient ( B ext ) was 172.68-320.61 Mm -1 , with an annual mean of 256.48 Mm -1 . The atmospheric extinction coefficient showed an obvious seasonal trend of the lowest (highest) in summer (winter). The backward airflow trajectory shows that the Qixingtai was affected mainly by the long-distance transmission from Northwest China and the ocean in spring and summer and by local sources in autumn and winter. A comparison of the characteristics of atmospheric PM 2.5 pollution in Ji'nan in 2008 revealed that the influence of motor vehicles on the atmospheric environment has been significantly improved.

Objective: To observe the effects of recombinant fusion protein interleukin (IL)-18 on the expression of immune-inflammatory factors in the mice infected with Staphylococcus aureus (SA), and to investigate the mechanism of action of IL-18 in defense of SA infection in vivo., Methods: A total of 40 specific pathogen-free female BLAB/c mice were randomly divided into four groups: control, SA infection, immunized, and intervention. A mouse model of SA infection was established by nasal inoculation with SA liquid. The immunized group and the intervention group were intranasally given IL-18 before SA modeling, and then the SA infection group and the intervention group received the nasal inoculation with SA liquid; the control group was treated with phosphate buffered saline instead. The levels of IL-4, interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), IgM in the serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of mice were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α mRNA and MIP-2β mRNA in the lung tissue of mice were determined by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR., Results: Compared with the control group, the SA infection group and the immunized group had significantly higher levels of IL-4, G-CSF, and IgM in the serum and BALF and expression of MIP-1α mRNA and MIP-2β mRNA in the lung tissue (P<0.05); the SA infection group had a significantly lower level of IFN-γ and a significantly higher level of TNF in the serum and BALF (P<0.05); the immunized group had a significantly higher level of IFN-γ in the serum and BALF (P<0.05). Compared with the SA infection group, the intervention group had significantly higher levels of IL-4, IFN-γ, G-CSF, and IgM in the serum and BALF and expression of MIP-1α mRNA in the lung tissue. In contrast, the intervention group showed a significantly lower level of TNF in the serum and BALF and expression of MIP-2β mRNA in the lung tissue (P<0.05). All the above indicators in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), except the serum level of IFN-γ., Conclusions: In the mice infected with SA, the recombinant fusion protein IL-18 by mucosal immunity can affect inflammatory factors in the serum and BALF and the expression of MIP-1α mRNA and MIP-2β mRNA in the lung tissue to promote the anti-infective immune response and enhance the ability to clear pathogens.