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In this study, the Pb2+ biosorption potential of live and dead biosorbents of the hydrocarbon-degrading strain Rhodococcus sp. HX-2 was analyzed. Optimal biosorption conditions were determined via single factor optimization, which were as follows: temperature, 25°C; pH, 5.0, and biosorbent dose, 0.75 g L−1. A response surface software (Design Expert 10.0) was used to analyze optimal biosorption conditions. The biosorption data for live and dead biosorbents were suitable for the Freundlich model at a Pb2+ concentration of 200 mg L−1. At this same concentration, the maximum biosorption capacity was 88.74 mg g−1 (0.428 mmol g−1) for live biosorbents and 125.5 mg g−1 (0.606 mmol g−1) for dead biosorbents. Moreover, in comparison with the pseudo-first-order model, the pseudo-second-order model seemed better to depict the biosorption process. Dead biosorbents seemed to have lower binding strength than live biosorbents, showing a higher desorption capacity at pH 1.0. The order of influence of competitive metal ions on Pb2+ adsorption was Cu2+ > Cd2+ > Ni+. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analyses revealed that several functional groups were involved in the biosorption process of dead biosorbents. Scanning electron microscopy showed that Pb2+ attached to the surface of dead biosorbents more readily than on the surface of live biosorbents, whereas transmission electron microscopy confirmed the transfer of biosorbed Pb2+ into the cells in the case of both live and dead biosorbents. It can thus be concluded that dead biosorbents are better than live biosorbents for Pb2+ biosorption, and they can accordingly be used for wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child emotional or behavioral problems and insufficient social development has been a heavy burden on family and society. However, currently large-scale studies on emotional and behavioral problems as well as social competence among school children in China are still lacking. This cross-sectional study analyzed the current status and risk factors of behavioral problems and social competences in Beijing students. A total of 9,295 students, with ages ranging from 6 to 16 years old, were enrolled in the study. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used to screen emotional and behavioral problems, social competences of students. We then assessed significant predictors factors associated with children behavioral problems and social competences. The total detection rate of behavioral problems of this cohort was 16.7%. All kinds of social competence scores of boys were lower than girls (P <0.05). The scores of social and learning ability in children with behavioral problems were significantly lower than those without behavior problems (P <0.05). Gender, developmental delay, recent life events, negative relationships and negative child-rearing styles were the shared influencing factors for behavioral problems and social competence. In addition, age, macrosomia, threatened abortion, hospitalization for physical illness, physical illness, poor sleep were independent risk factors for children's emotional and behavioral problems, and non-breastfeeding was an independent risk factor for abnormal social competence. The social competence, emotional and behavioral problems are serious among students in Beijing. More attention should be paid to mental health and effective intervention measures should be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Equitable access to basic public health services is a priority in China. However, primary healthcare workers’ competence to deliver public health services is relatively poor because they lack professional training. Since the availability of web-based training has increased in China, the current study explored stakeholders’ perceptions of a web-based training program on basic public health services to understand their thoughts, experiences, and attitudes about it. Methods: Six focus group discussions with primary healthcare workers and three with directors of township hospitals, county-level Health Bureaus, and county-level Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were conducted in Yichang City during 2013. Semi-structured topic guides were used to facilitate qualitative data collection. Audio recordings of the sessions were transcribed verbatim and theme analysis was performed. Results: Most of the study’s participants, especially the village doctors, had insufficient knowledge of basic public health services. The existing training program for primary healthcare workers consisted of ineffective traditional face-to-face sessions and often posed accessibility problems for the trainees. Most of the study’s participants had a positive attitude about web-based learning and expressed a strong desire to receive this novel training approach because of its flexibility and convenience. The perceived barriers to utilizing the web-based training method included poor computer literacy, lack of personal interaction, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of time and motivation. The facilitators of this approach included the training content applicability, the user-friendly and interactive learning format, and policy support. Conclusions: Web-based training on basic public health services is a promising option in rural China. The findings of the study will contribute knowledge to implementation of web-based training in similar settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of the study was to investigate the association between depression and/or depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the risk of an operative delivery or preeclampsia, and to quantify the strength of the association. Methods: A search of the PubMed, SCI/SSCI, Proquest PsycARTICLES and CINAHL databases was supplemented by manual searches of bibliographies of key retrieved articles and review articles. We aimed to include case control or cohort studies that reported data on antenatal depression and /or depressive symptoms and the risk of an operative delivery and/or preeclampsia. Results: Twelve studies with self-reported screening instruments were eligible for inclusion with a total of 8400 participants. Seven articles that contained 4421 total participants reported the risk for an operative delivery, and five articles that contained 3979 total participants reported the risk for preeclampsia. The pooled analyses showed that both operative delivery and preeclampsia had a statistically significant association with antenatal depressive symptoms (RR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.35, and OR = 1.63, 95% CI, 1.32 to 2.02, respectively). When the pre-pregnancy body mass indices were controlled in their initial design, the risk for preeclampsia still existed (OR = 1.48, 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.01), while the risk for an operative delivery became uncertain (RR = 1.01, 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.22). Conclusions: Antenatal depressive symptoms are associated with a moderately increased risk of an operative delivery and preeclampsia. An abnormal pre-pregnancy body mass index may modify this association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: School absenteeism is a common data source in syndromic surveillance, which allows for the detection of outbreaks at an early stage. Previous studies focused on its correlation with other data sources. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of control measures based on early warning signals from school absenteeism surveillance in rural Chinese schools. Methods: A school absenteeism surveillance system was established in all 17 primary schools in 3 adjacent towns in the Chinese region of Hubei. Three outbreaks (varicella, mumps, and influenza-like illness) were detected and controlled successfully from April 1, 2012, to January 15, 2014. An impulse susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered model was used to fit the epidemics of these three outbreaks. Moreover, it simulated the potential epidemics under interventions resulting from traditional surveillance signals. The effectiveness of the absenteeism-based control measures was evaluated by comparing the simulated datasets. Results: The school absenteeism system generated 52 signals. Three outbreaks were verified through epidemiological investigation. Compared to traditional surveillance, the school absenteeism system generated simultaneous signals for the varicella outbreak, but 3 days in advance for the mumps outbreak and 2–4 days in advance for the influenza-like illness outbreak. The estimated excess protection rates of control measures based on early signals were 0.0%, 19.0–44.1%, and 29.0–37.0% for the three outbreaks, respectively. Conclusions: Although not all outbreak control measures can benefit from early signals through school absenteeism surveillance, the effectiveness of early signal-based interventions is obvious. School absenteeism surveillance plays an important role in reducing outbreak spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the Pb2+ biosorption potential of live and dead biosorbents of the hydrocarbon-degrading strain Rhodococcus sp. HX-2 was analyzed. Optimal biosorption conditions were determined via single factor optimization, which were as follows: temperature, 25°C; pH, 5.0, and biosorbent dose, 0.75 g L-1. A response surface software (Design Expert 10.0) was used to analyze optimal biosorption conditions. The biosorption data for live and dead biosorbents were suitable for the Freundlich model at a Pb2+ concentration of 200 mg L-1. At this same concentration, the maximum biosorption capacity was 88.74 mg g-1 (0.428 mmol g-1) for live biosorbents and 125.5 mg g-1 (0.606 mmol g-1) for dead biosorbents. Moreover, in comparison with the pseudo-first-order model, the pseudo-second-order model seemed better to depict the biosorption process. Dead biosorbents seemed to have lower binding strength than live biosorbents, showing a higher desorption capacity at pH 1.0. The order of influence of competitive metal ions on Pb2+ adsorption was Cu2+ > Cd2+ > Ni+. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analyses revealed that several functional groups were involved in the biosorption process of dead biosorbents. Scanning electron microscopy showed that Pb2+ attached to the surface of dead biosorbents more readily than on the surface of live biosorbents, whereas transmission electron microscopy confirmed the transfer of biosorbed Pb2+ into the cells in the case of both live and dead biosorbents. It can thus be concluded that dead biosorbents are better than live biosorbents for Pb2+ biosorption, and they can accordingly be used for wastewater treatment., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.