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Objective To reveal the sources and ecological risks of heavy metals in a typical lead-zinc mining area in Hebei Province, 156 soil samples were collected around a zinc mining area in Hebei Province through a systematic field sampling method. Methods The sources of heavy metals in the area were analysed via principal component analysis(PCA) and a positive matrix factorization(PMF) model. The risk assessment was carried out according to the index of geoaccumulation method and potential ecological risk index method. Results The results show that the mean values of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb and Hg are 53.6, 25.7, 62.7, 692, 10.6, 1.75, 142, 0.129 mg/kg, respectively. Except for Cr, Ni and As, the other 5 elements present at different pollution levels. Above the background values of the soils in Hebei Province, the coefficient of variation of Hg, Cd, Zn, Pb and Cu is more than 1.75, and the coefficient of variation of As exceeds 0.5, indicating the high variability of these 6 elements. The results of the source analysis reveal that the main sources of soil heavy metals include mining activities, natural sources, agricultural activities, and gold smelting. Zn, Cd and Pb were mainly derived from mining activities; Cr and Ni were influenced by natural parent materials and were derived from natural sources; Cu was mainly derived from agricultural activities and mining activities; As was controlled by natural sources, mining activities and agricultural activities; and Hg was originated from mainly gold smelting and mining activities. The combination of PCA and the PMF model to corroborate each other facilitates the reliability of the heavy metal source analysis results. Conclusion There is anthropogenic Hg and Cd contamination in this area, as indicated by the high geoaccumulation indices and potential ecological risk indices. In addition, the ecological risk in general was found to be very high, and attention needs to be given to and management work to be carried out.

Objective(s): To investigate the effects and mechanisms of ivabradine (IVA) on isoprenaline-induced cardiac injury.Materials and Methods: Forty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control group, model group, high-dose IVA group, and low-dose IVA group. The control group was given saline, other groups were given subcutaneous injections of isoproterenol (ISO) 5 mg/kg/d to make the myocardial remodeling model. A corresponding dose of IVA (high dose 50 mg/kg/d, low dose 10 mg/kg/d) was given by gavage (30 days). A transthoracic echocardiogram was obtained to detect the structure and function of the heart. An electron microscope was used to explore the cardiomyocytes’ apoptosis and autophagy. HE staining and Masson’s trichrome staining were performed to explore myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis. Western blot was used to detect Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3, Becline-1, LC3, phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-p38MAPK), phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinases1/2 (p-ERK1/2), phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in the myocardium.Results: Heart rate in the IVA groups was reduced, and the trend of heart rate reduction was more obvious in the high-dose group. Echocardiography showed that IVA improved the cardiac structure and function compared to the model group. IVA attenuated cardiac fibrosis, decreased cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and increased autophagy. The phosphorylated MAPK in the ISO-induced groups was increased. IVA treatment decreased the p-p38MAPK level. There were no differences in p-ERK and p-JNK levels.Conclusion: The beneficial effects of IVA on myocardial injury are related to blocking the p38MAPK signal pathway, decreasing cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and increasing cardiomyocyte autophagy.

Background: Osteoporosis (OP) patients are usually asymptomatic until osteoporotic fractures occur, which makes early diagnosis and prevention difficult, and the associated fractures secondary to OP could be preventable with appropriate management. Therefore, early identification and relevant evidence-based management of OP could guide the prevention of subsequent fractures. This study will investigate the prevalence of OP and the incidence of osteoporotic fractures in Beijing community residents to further explore the related risk factors and put forward suggestions for people aged 45–80 years old.Methods: Over 2 years, this study will conduct an OP screening and a prospective follow-up in the Beijing community to investigate the incidence of osteoporotic fractures. The study will undertake bone mineral density detection, collect biological samples, and record information via questionnaires.Discussion: The study aims to investigate the potential risk factors for osteoporosis and explore syndromes from traditional Chinese medicine that are associated with this condition based on large samples from the Beijing community. Data on the incidence of osteoporotic fractures among community dwellers in Beijing over the two-years will be available on the Chinese clinical trial registry: ChiCTR-SOC-17013090.

IntroductionXueshuantong injection (XST), a Chinese Medicine, is clinically effective in treating acute cerebral infarction (ACI). However, the meta-analysis of XST combined with conventional treatments (CTs) on ACI remain unexplored. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of XST combined with CTs on patients with ACI.MethodsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) were screened from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and four Chinese medical databases. The meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 and STATA 16.0. The GRADE assessment was performed by the GRADEprofiler (GRADEpro version: 3.6). The aggregate 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and relative risk (RR) estimates were calculated.ResultsForty studies were included, involving a total of 3,868 patients. XST combined with CTs performed significantly better than CTs alone on the overall response rate (ORR) after treatment (RR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.17−1.25, P < 0.001). There was no statistical differences in the incidence of adverse reactions between the experimental group (XST plus CTs) and control group (CTs alone). Groups treated with XST substantially decreased the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score compared to the groups without XST (WMD = −5.31, 95% CI = −6.40 to −4.22, P < 0.001). Activities of daily living (ADL) scores were significantly better in the group treated with XST than CTs alone (WMD = 12.51, 95% CI = 5.6−19.38, P < 0.001). Patients who received XST combined with CTs showed significantly higher improvements in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (WMD = −2.47, 95% CI = −3.11 to −1.82, P < 0.001) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) (WMD = −13.66, 95% CI = −17.80 to −9.51, P < 0.001) than those who received CTs alone. The GRADE assessment indicates that the comprehensive quality of this evidence is low.ConclusionsThis meta-analysis and GRADE assessment conditionally recommend that XST combined with CTs can increase the overall response rate, ameliorate neurological deficit, and improve activities of daily living function more than CTs alone. A significant reduction in the hs-CRP and IL-6 levels were observed when XST was combined with CTs.