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There is an urgent requirement for selecting appropriate technologies to solve food safety problems due to soil contamination. In this study, the hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens and a high Cd accumulator pakchoi cultivar (Brassica rapa L. spp. Chinenesis cv.) were grown in a moderately Cd-contaminated soil with three planting systems (mono-crop, inter-crop, and crop-rotation) and three growing durations (25, 50, and 75 days) to study the role of rhizosphere interaction of both species on the uptake of Cd. The Cd accumulations in the shoot of pakchoi were significantly reduced in the inter-crop treatment, also the decreased percentage increased with rhizosphere interaction between the two species. In the inter-crop systems of 75 days, the Cd concentration and amount in the shoot of pakchoi represented 54% and 83% reduction, respectively, while the total depletion of Cd decreased by approximate 19%. Although the Cd concentration and amount in the shoot of pakchoi were significantly reduced by 52% and 44%, respectively, in the crop-rotation treatment, the decreased percentage were markedly lower than in the inter-crop treatment. Therefore, the rhizosphere interaction of hyperaccumulator with non-hyperaccumulator may reduce the risk of vegetable contamination during making full use of or remediating the contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the extremely high content of soil mineral elements in high geological background areas, it is crucial to understand the transportation and health risks of mineral elements in soil-plant systems. In this study, 30 soil and apple-paired samples were collected from the main apple production areas of Yunnan's high geological background region to determine the contents of mineral elements. The aim was to research the enrichment characteristics, nutritional values, and health risks associated with 12 mineral elements in apples. The results revealed that Cd, As, Pb and Cr contents in soil samples exceeded their corresponding risk screening values with percentages of 50%, 17%, 48%, and 30%, respectively. However, only 13.3% of Pb content in apple samples exceeded the safety limit （0.1 mg·kg -1 , fresh fruit）. In addition to the toxic elements, apples had higher contents of K, Ca, Mg, Mn, and Zn, with average contents of 1.241 g·kg -1 , 0.045 g·kg -1 , 0.061 g·kg -1 , 0.648 mg·kg -1 , and 0.944 mg·kg -1 , respectively. The nutritional evaluation results showed that the index （INQ） of K and Cu were higher than 2 through the consumption of apples, suggesting that apple consumption was one of the primary sources of K and Cu intake. The health risk assessment revealed that the target hazard quotient （THQ） of a single heavy metal was： Cu > As > Cr > Pb > Zn > Cd； the hazard index （HI） of all heavy metals was far lower than 1, indicating that apple consumption did not pose significant heavy metal exposure risks. The results of this study will provide a scientific insight into the nutritional aspects and health risks associated with mineral elements in soil-plant systems within high geological background areas.

The health risk caused by heavy metal accumulation in vegetables is of great concern. In this study, a database of heavy metal content in a vegetable-soil system in China was constructed through literature review and field sample collection. A systematic analysis of seven heavy metal contents in edible parts of vegetables and their bioaccumulation capacity among different vegetables was also performed. Additionally, the non-carcinogenic health risks of four types vegetables were assessed by using Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). The mean values of Cd, As, Pb, Cr, Hg, Cu, and Zn in the edible parts of the vegetables were 0.093, 0.024, 0.137, 0.118, 0.007, 0.622, and 3.272 mg·kg -1 , and the exceedance rates of the five toxic elements were:Pb (18.5%)>Cd (12.9%)>Hg (11.5%)>Cr (4.03%)>As (0.21%). Leafy vegetables showed high Cd enrichment, and root vegetables showed high Pb enrichment, with mean bioconcentration factors of 0.264 and 0.262, respectively. Generally, legumes vegetables and solanaceous vegetables showed lower bioaccumulation for heavy metals. The health risk results indicated that the non-carcinogenic risk for single elements of vegetable intake was within the acceptable range, with the health risk for children being higher than that for adults. The mean non-carcinogenic risk for single elements were:Pb>Hg>Cd>As>Cr. The multi-element combined non-carcinogenic risks of four types vegetables were:leafy vegetables>root vegetables>legume vegetables>solanaceous vegetables. Planting lower-heavy metal bioaccumulation vegetables in heavy metal-contaminated farmland is an effective method to minimize the health risk.

Tri-and hexavalent chromium have different chemical properties, and their levels of toxicity to plants are different. However, there is no limit set by the soil environmental quality risk control standard for Cr(Ⅲ) or Cr(Ⅵ). Therefore, studying the ecological toxicity of Cr has important implications for protecting the environment. Based on the dynamics of the Cr(Ⅲ) and Cr(Ⅵ) levels in soil solution collected from eight soils, the toxicity thresholds of the two Cr forms to barley roots were investigated through model calculation and correlation analysis under different soil properties. The results showed that both Cr forms and the soil properties had significant effects on the root length of barley. The effective concentrations of Cr(Ⅲ) added to the soils that led to 10% inhibition (EC 10 ), 50% inhibition (EC 50 ), and no-observed-effect concentrations (NOEC) were significantly higher than those of Cr(Ⅵ). The EC 50 of Cr(Ⅲ) ranged from 298.8 to 2014.1 mg·kg -1 (6.7-fold variation); the EC 50 of Cr(Ⅵ) ranged from 8.0 to 126.6 mg·kg -1 (15.8-fold variation). Under the same soil conditions, the EC 50 of Cr(Ⅲ) was 2.8 to 101.7 times higher than that of Cr(Ⅵ), suggesting the higher phytotoxicity of Cr(Ⅵ) than Cr(Ⅲ). Correlation analysis showed that the pH and soil organic matter were the main factors that influenced the Cr toxicity thresholds, as indicated by the root length of barley. The concentration of chromium in the soil solution was below the detection limit of the TAS-990 when Cr(Ⅲ) was applied at 1280 mg·kg -1 (or less) to soils, whereas for Cr(Ⅵ), the level was 40 mg·kg -1 (or less). Cr(Ⅲ) adsorption to the soil was significantly stronger than that of Cr(Ⅵ). The toxicity of Cr(Ⅵ) was significantly higher than that of Cr(Ⅲ), which was also influenced by soil properties.

The environmental risks posed by heavy metals (HMs) in animal manure are increasing because of the use of trace metals as additives in feedstuffs. Manure samples were collected, and published literature was reviewed in this study to systematically analyze the HMs content in animal manure and compare the results to different sources of animal manures. Results show that the distribution of HMs content in animal manure was skewed. The ranges were between not detected (ND)-147 mg·kg -1 for Cd, ND-1919 mg·kg -1 for Pb, 0.003-2278 mg·kg -1 for Cr, ND-978 mg·kg -1 for As, ND-103 mg·kg -1 for Hg, ND-1747 mg·kg -1 for Cu, ND-11547 mg·kg -1 for Zn, and 1.22-1140 mg·kg -1 for Ni. The means (medians) of those elements were 2.31(0.72) mg·kg -1 , 13.5(8.96) mg·kg -1 , 36.3(12.0) mg·kg -1 , 14.0(3.52) mg·kg -1 , 0.97(0.07) mg·kg -1 , 282(115) mg·kg -1 , 656(366) mg·kg -1 , and 21.8 (13.1) mg·kg -1 for Cd, Pb, Cr, As, Hg, Cu, Zn, and Ni, respectively. Means were significantly higher (1-13 times) than the medians. According to maximum limits of Cd, Pb, Cr, As, and Hg for organic fertilizers NY 525-2012, about 12.3% (for Cd), 2.58% (for Pb), 2.76% (for Cr), 20.6% (for As), and 3.69% (for Hg) of the data were above the limits. According to the composting regulations of Germany, about 53.9% (for Cu), 45.7% (for Zn), and 0.59% (for Ni) exceeded the maximum limits. The heavy metal contents in animal manure of different regions differs significantly. As and Cd contents in animal manure in the Shandong Province tend to be higher with their average values at 1.7 times and 10.1 times of the mean contents for national scale, respectively; the heavy metal contents in eastern China tend to be higher. Cd and As contents in animal manure tend to be higher in Northeast and Eastern China, while Cu and Zn contents were higher in Eastern and South China. After comparing HMs content in different sources of manures, we found that Cd, As, Hg, Cu, Zn, and Ni mean contents in pig manure were 1.0-3.0 times, 1.8-6.8 times, 1.1-15.8 times, 4.9-17.5 times, 2.7-12.0 times, and 1.7-2.1 times that of cattle manure, sheep manure, and poultry manure. The Pb content in poultry manure was the highest, with the mean being 2.8, 2.5, and 2.2 times higher than pig manure, cattle manure, and sheep manure, respectively. When recycling animal manure into the crop field, the accumulation rates for Cd were under 0.02 mg·(kg·a) -1 in over 90% of the circumstances and the accumulation rates for Pb were all below 0.15 mg·(kg·a) -1 . When applying poultry manure, Cr in soil is easily accumulated with the maximum accumulation rate of 0.28 mg·(kg·a) -1 .

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal. Brassica rapa (pak choi) is a vastly common vegetable, which readily accumulates Cd. Given the current conditions of Cd contamination in domestic soil, it is important to reduce Cd accumulation in the edible part of pak choi. Research has shown that selenium (Se) can regulate Cd uptake by plants. Cd accumulation (three cultivars) and Cd uptake kinetics in pak choi were investigated under hydroponic conditions. Results showed that the three levels of selenite significantly reduced Cd content in the Hangzhouyoudonger shoot by 50%, while the levels in Suzhouqinggen and Shanghaiqing shoots were not significantly decreased with elevated levels of selenite. Selenite reduces the Cd translocation factors, and higher levels had more obvious effects; 50 μmol·L -1 of selenite significantly decreased the factors by 50% in Hangzhouyoudonger and Suzhouqinggen shoots. Selenite also increased iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) contents in pak choi, especially in the Hangzhouyoudonger shoot, where 50 μmol·L -1 increased the Fe content by approximately 50%. In the uptake kinetics of Cd, both selenite and selenate significantly increased Cd uptake rates and V max by over 100%. Therefore, Se could reduce Cd accumulation in pak choi. This also depended on the tested cultivar. Therefore, reduction effects of Se on the Cd content mainly stemmed from the alteration of Cd translocation in pak choi instead of the uptake competition between Cd and Se.

Hydroponics experiments were carried out to study the effects of different sizes of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and different pH on the absorption and transportation of Se by wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) and rice ( Oryza sativa L.). The results showed that SeNPs with different sizes (50, 100, and 150 nm) had various characteristics with respect to absorption and translocation in wheat and rice. There was no significant difference in the uptake of SeNPs with different sizes by wheat roots after 24 h and 72 h; however, the highest Se content in wheat shoots was (1.89±0.47) μg·g -1 dry weight (DW) and (5.18±1.51) μg·g -1 DW under the 50 nm SeNPs treatment after 24 h and 72 h, respectively. Moreover, the transfer factor for Se in wheat under the 50 nm SeNPs treatment was 2.38 times higher than that of the 100 nm and 150 nm treatments. The Se content of rice roots treated for 24 h with the 50 nm SeNPs increased by 11.18% and 41.81% compared to those treated with the 100 nm and 150 nm SeNPs, respectively. There were, however, no significant differences in Se content between all of the SeNPs treatments after 72 h. The Se content of rice shoots and the Se transfer factor both reached the maximum when 50 nm SeNPs were applied. In addition, Se absorption by plants was also affected by pH. Specifically, the amount of Se absorbed by wheat roots treated with SeNPs was the greatest at a pH of 6 after 24 h, which was 89.47% higher than wheat treated with selenite. Furthermore, the highest Se transfer factor occurred at a pH of 4 in wheat. The uptake of SeNPs in rice was markedly lower than that of selenite at low pH values (pH=3.5 and 5.5) and SeNPs was more readily transported at a pH of 3.5. These results demonstrate that SeNPs could be taken up by wheat and rice and that it could be transferred more easily as small particle size (50 nm) than the larger ones (100 nm and 150 nm) at low pH values (pH 3.5).

Lead (Pb) accumulation in rice grains has been identified as a potential threat to human health. Our study investigated the effects of varied rates of selenite fertilization (0, 0.5 and 1.0 mg·kg -1 ) on the dynamics of Pb in soil solutions, and its uptake and translocation by rice under different water management scenarios (aerobic and flooded) in pot experiments. Plants were harvested at seedling stage and at maturity to determine the Pb contents, and soil solutions were extracted during the growing season to monitor the Pb dynamics. Results showed that flooding the soil significantly increased Pb concentrations in DCB extracts and rice roots both at seedling stage and maturity. Root Pb contents in flooded treatments were 4.2-8.5 and 1.4-1.5 times higher than those under aerobic conditions at rice seedling stage and maturity. Flooding also decreased the percentage of Pb in rice shoots. The Pb content in soil solutions, rice seedlings, rice roots and stems at maturity were significantly decreased by selenite additions. Relative to the control treatment, selenite additions decreased the rice root Pb contents by 5.4%-24.3% and 2.7%-61.7% under flooding and aerobic conditions at seedling stage, respectively; while decreased Pb in rice root by 56.1%-64.1% and 53.8%-63.2% respectively, at maturity. No significant differences existed in grain Pb levels among the treatments. Results demonstrated that water management regimes and selenite additions affected Pb uptake by rice roots significantly, but had no significant influence on Pb accumulation in rice grains.

In order to investigate heavy metals in phosphorus fertilizers in China, 159 samples of phosphorus fertilizers including imported fertilizers and domestic fertilizers were collected from fertilizer markets, and the contents of heavy metals were determined by ICP-MS and AFS after microwave digestion. The results showed that the phosphorous fertilizers contained certain amount of heavy metals, and there was great variability in the contents of heavy metals. The mean contents of Cd, Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, Ni, As and Hg were 0. 77, 35.6, 102.7, 24. 1, 16.6, 15.4, 19.4 and 0. 08 mg kg-1 fertilizer, respectively; based on the calculation of P2O5, the mean contents of above heavy metals were 4. 48, 258. 4, 767. 4, 190. 0, 151.3, 134. 5, 155. 8 and 8. 79 mg kg-1 P2 O5, respectively. The contents of heavy metals Cd, Cr, Pb, As and Hg in the tested samples accord with the ecological index of arsenic, cadmium, lead, chromium and mercury for fertilizers (GB/T 23349-2009), with the exception of Cd in one imported sample of diammonium phosphate and As in one sample of mono-ammonium phosphate. Analyzing the contents of heavy metals in imported fertilizers, the Cd contents in imported fertilizers was ranged from 0. 02 to 27. 2 mg kg-1 fertilizer, the mean and median Cd contents in imported fertilizers were 3. 20 and 0. 41 mg kg-1 fertilizer, respectively. And the Cu, Cr and Hg contents in the imported fertilizers were higher than that of domestic fertilizers, the mean contents of Cu, Cr and Hg in imported fertilizers were 39. 4, 26. 6 and 0. 47 mg kg-1 fertilizer, respectively.

Solution culture experiments were carried out to study the uptake and translocation of selenate (Na2SeO4) or selenite (Na2SeO3) by wheat and rice seedlings. When supplied with Na2SeO4 in nutrient solution, the concentrations of selenium (Se) in normal shoots and roots of rice were 30.3 mg x kg(-1) and 39.0 mg x kg(-1) respectively, and the absorbed Se was quickly translocated to shoots accounting for 80% of the total uptake. Se concentrations in wheat shoots and roots were 1.76 mg x kg(-1) and 6.99 mg x kg(-1) respectively, accounting for 62% in shoots. However, when supplied with Na2SeO3, Se concentrations in shoots and roots of rice were 4.40 mg x kg(-1) and 230 mg x kg(-1) respectively, 1.24 mg x kg(-1) and 88.3 mg x kg(-1) in shoots and roots of wheat respectively, and only 8.2% was transferred to shoots. The influence of phosphorus (P) starvation on Se uptake was different for rice and wheat seedlings. Comparing to normal plants, the Se concentrations in the shoots and roots of rice under P starvation condition were decreased, however increased for wheat. In Na2SeO3 uptake kinetics, K(m) of wheat seedlings was 8.7 folds of that of rice, and the affinity of wheat root to selenite was much weaker than that of rice. The Se uptake rate of wheat (V(max)) was 14% lower than that of rice. The uptake and translocation mechanisms of selenate and selenite by rice and wheat seedlings were revealed. And the results demonstrate that the absorbed selenate is quickly translocated to shoot and selenite is mainly accumulated in root. These results provide basic information for biofortification of crops with Se.

A pot experiment was conducted using a soil contaminated with 2.12 mg x kg(-1) Cd to study the effect of the variety of the soil bulk density on the Zn/Cd uptake by the hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens and the removal of Cd and Zn from the soil. The contaminated soil received 0, 0.1%, 2% of soil conditioner and the plants were harvested after 100 days. The results showed that soil amendment with the soil conditioner (EB. a) significantly decreased the soil bulk density. Compared to the control, the bulk density value decreased from 1.27 g x cm(-3) to 1.09 g x cm(-3) at the level of 2% soil conditioner. The increased biomass of shoot and root was observed at the treatment of EB. a amendment. The total root length, root hair length and root/shoot ratio were all significantly enhanced (p < 0.05) by the addition of EB. a. The significant positive relationships between the total root length and the removed Cd/Zn from soil were determined (p < 0.05). Compared with the control,the total root length was increased by 2.6 folds at the addition of 2% soil conditioner; the Cd concentration and removal of Cd from soil were significantly elevated by 20% and 30% respectively. The phytoextraction efficiency of Cd was improved from 15% to 19%. However, the Zn concentration and removal of Zn were not significantly elevated by the addition of soil conditioner. The present results demonstrate that the decreased soil bulk density may improve the root system of T. caerulescens and enhance the phytoextraction efficiency of Cd.

AIM:To study the role of HBV especially HBx Open Reading Frame (ORF) in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).METHODS:HBV 3.2kb fragment was retrieved by digesting recombinant plasmid pBR(322)-2HBV with EcoR II, and HBx 0.59kb fragments by digesting HBV-DNA with BamH I and Bgl II. These fragments were labelled with digoxigenin to get HBV-DNA and HBx-DNA probes. HBV-DNA was detected in HCC by dot blot and Southern blot hybridization with HBV-DNA probe, so the positive specimens in which HBV-DNA were integrated were selected. HBx-DNA was subsequently detected in the selected specimens with HBx-DNA probe.RESULTS:HBV-DNA was detected in 75% HCC, among which integrated type, integrated + free type covered 63.6% and 36.4%. There was no free type. HBx-DNA was detected in 90.5% specimens of integrated type.CONCLUSION:Hepatocarcinogenesis was highly related to HBV-DNA integration, and HBV-DNA mainly integrated into chromosome with incomplete virus DNA fragments among which HBx fragment was the predominant one.