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Manxue Zhang,1,2 Shengnan Zhao,1 Yuexin Chen,1 Xu Zhang,1 Yuwei Li,1 Peiwei Xu,1 Yi Huang,1,3 Xueli Sun1 1Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 2The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 3Brain Research Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xueli Sun, Department of Psychiatry, Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 28 8542 2023, Fax +862885582944, Email sunxuelihx@163.comIntroduction: Chronic stress has been linked to the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD); however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In BD patients, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity is associated with stress. This study aimed to examine the relationship between HPA axis activity and BD symptoms in various clinical states, as well as how personality influences the process.Methods: This study investigated the differences in HPA axis activity among four BD states. We enrolled 813 BD patients in an 8-week longitudinal study to examine the relationship between HPA axis activity and symptom trajectories using dynamic temporal warping (DTW) analysis and an unsupervised machine learning technique. Furthermore, using mediation analyses, the relationship between the HPA axis, personality, and BD symptoms was investigated.Results: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis showed that glucocorticoid cortisol (CORT) and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) did not differ significantly among the four clinical states of BD. The DTW integrating clustering analysis revealed that the two clusters were optimal, with cluster 1 characterized by severe manic symptoms, which then improved, and cluster 2, characterized by milder manic severity, which also improved. The two clusters showed different ACTH levels (t = 2.289, p = 0.022), and logistic regression analysis revealed a slight positive association between ACTH levels and cluster 1. Furthermore, the mediation analysis indicated that ACTH influences curative efficacy via conscientiousness (βc =0.103, p=0.001).Discussion: In conclusion, we found that a higher level of ACTH is associated with severe manic symptoms, indicating a chronic stress response in BD patients. Additionally, the ACTH levels affect short-term BD curative efficacy via the mediation of conscientiousness, providing a psychotherapeutic strategy direction for BD.Keywords: bipolar disorder, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, personality, dynamic time warping analysis, mediation analysis

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between ambient particulate matters (PMs) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mortality. generalized additive mixed model was employed to investigate the effects of ambient fine and coarse PMs on COPD mortality using 13,066 deaths from 2014 to 2016 among six cities in Zhejiang Province in Southeastern China. The daily average death count due to COPD was 3, varying from 1 to 7 among six cities. The daily 24-h mean concentrations were diverse among cities, from 29.7 to 56.8 μg/m3 for PM2.5, 16.7 to 30.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5-10, and 50.3 to 87.1 μg/m3 for PM10, respectively. The analysis showed that daily exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 was associated with increased mortality due to COPD and that weak effects were observed between PM2.5-10 and COPD mortality. Our results provided solid evidence that the fine particles in air pollution have stronger functions on adverse health effects other than coarser particles in Southeastern China, which may be considered as a potential clinic target in PM-associated COPD.

To evaluate the body burdens of metals and metalloids associated with renal dysfunction in residents living near electroplating industries, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 in Zhejiang Province, China. We recruited 236 subjects and performed physical examinations; determined the blood and urinary levels of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), and selenium (Se) by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS); and measured three renal impairment biomarkers, namely Nacetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), retinol binding protein (RBP), and β2-microglobulin (BMG). The proportion of abnormal nasal symptoms in the exposure group (10.1%) was much higher than in the control group (0; p p p p p p p

The land use for the deceased is not only for the dead but also for the living relatives. It competes with land use for living populations in urban areas through occupying a specific space of land. This article looks at this shared interest in humankind by mapping the land use for the deceased in the mid-twentieth century and modern Beijing and address the sustainability of future land use for dead in Beijing. Specifically, it clarifies the change of its area and location in the urban–regional structure and also considers the background factors. In the 1930s, the spatial distribution of cemeteries in the mid-twentieth century was mapped using the old topographic maps and also mainly using city government materials for modern times. A comparison of land use between the two periods shows that the spatial land use for the deceased continues to be the characteristics of traditional funeral values, Feng Shui philosophy, spatial separation of the dead, and the population, such as public cemeteries surrounding the built-up area. The city government reduced the pressure on land resources by encouraging land-saving burial such as undersea burial, which affects the value of funerals for citizens, resulting in an area of cemetery per urban population.

To better understand the cardiopulmonary alterations associated with personal exposed PM2.5-bound heavy meals, we conducted a cross-sectional study in 2018 on 54 general residents. For each subject, PM2.5 exposure filter was collected by a low-volume sampler for 24 h; blood and urine samples were collected subsequently. Heavy metals in PM2.5, blood, and urine samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method. PM2.5-bound Mn, Cd, Sb, Pb, and Ni levels were 20.5, 9.27, 9.59, 28.3, and 16.9 ng/m3, respectively. The distribution of these metals followed the order: Pb (33.47%) > Mn (24.24%) > Ni (19.99%) > Sb (11.34%) > Cd (10.96%). The distribution of heavy meals in PM2.5, blood, and urine differed from each other. PM2.5-bound Cd, Pb levels were positively correlated with blood Cd, Pb levels (r = 0.323, r = 0.334, p

To evaluate the body burdens of heavy metals and explore the impact of environmental metal exposure on ribosomal DNA (rDNA) or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number (CN) variation in school-age children living near a municipal waste incinerator (MWI), we conducted a follow-up study in 2019. A total of 146 sixth-grade children from a primary school located 1.2 km away from the MWI were recruited for our study. Metals, including vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), stannum (Sn), stibium (Sb), thallium (Tl), and lead (Pb), were determined by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer method. Real-time qPCR was used to measure the rDNA and mtDNA CN. The blood metal levels followed this order: Zn Cu Se Pb Mn Sb As Ni Cd Co Cr Sn V Tl. Blood Cr level was significantly correlated with 18 S, 2.5 S, and 45 S CN (β = -0.25, -0.22, -0.26, p 0.05); Ni was correlated with 5 S (β = -0.36, p 0.01); Cu was correlated with 28 S, 18 S, and 5.8 S (β = -0.24, -0.24, -0.23, p 0.05); while Zn was correlated with 18 S, 5.8 S, and 45 S (β = -0.28, -0.32, -0.26, p 0.05). In conclusion, school-age children living near the MWI had lower blood metal levels compared to children recruited in 2013, while rDNA CN loss was found to be correlated to several heavy metals in these children.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of death in people aged over 60 years old. Research has been reported that ambient temperature and diurnal temperature range (DTR), as representative indices of temperature variability, are contributors to the development and exacerbation of COPD. However, few studies are available in Chinese population. In this study, we aimed to assess the associations of temperature variability on COPD mortality in a fast developing city in China. Using the mortality surveillance system, we obtained a total of 7,863 deaths attributed to COPD from 2014 to 2016. Quasi-Poisson generalized linear regression with distributed lag non-linear model was applied to explore the associations between temperature variability and COPD deaths, after controlling for the potential confounders, including relative humidity, day of week, public holiday, and long-term trend. A J-shaped association of DTR and a reversely J-shaped association of temperature for COPD mortality were observed. Risk estimates showed that the relative risks (RRs) of COPD mortality with extreme high DTR at lag 0 and 0-7 days were 1.045 (95% CI: 0.949-1.151) and 1.460 (95% CI: 1.118-1.908), and the extreme high temperature at lag 0 and 0-7 days were 1.090 (95% CI: 0.945-1.256) and 1.352 (95% CI: 1.163-1.572). Our findings suggest that short-term exposure to extreme temperature was associated with mortality for COPD in Hangzhou. The evidence has implications for policy decision-making and targeted interventions.

A municipal waste incinerator (MWI) in Zhejiang, China, operating since 2008 was completely reconstructed from 2016 to 2019. In 2013, we conducted a cross-sectional study of breastfeeding mothers living near the MWI. We evaluated the concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in the mothers' breast milk and their infants' estimated daily intake (EDI). To investigate the temporal variations of these pollutants, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 29 mothers in 2019. We assessed the levels of 18 PCB congeners, 17 PCDD/F congeners, and 21 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) congeners in breast milk and estimated the EDI. The mean total concentrations of PCDD/Fs (ΣPCDD/Fs) and PCBs (ΣPCBs) were 81.2 and 4.90 ng/g lipid, respectively, while the toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) levels of ΣPCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs (ΣDL-PCBs) were 2.7 and 1.4 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid, respectively. Compared to our 2013 measurements, the mass concentrations of ΣPCDD/Fs and ΣPCBs decreased by 13% and 35%, respectively (3.361 vs. 2.915 pg/g wet weight [ww] and 269.1 vs. 175.0 pg/g ww, respectively). The TEQ-ΣPCDD/F levels decreased by 67% (0.241 vs. 0.080 pg/g ww), but the TEQ-ΣDL-PCB levels increased by 11% (0.046 vs. 0.051 pg WHO-TEQ/g ww). The median concentration of PFASs was 0.250 ng/mL, ranging from 0.151 to 0.833 ng/mL. The infants' mean EDI of total PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs was 17.7 pg TEQ/kg body weight [bw], representing a 20% decline compared to 2013. The average EDI levels of PFOS, PFOA, and PFNA were 5.8, 17.9, and 1.7 ng/kg bw, respectively. A comprehensive comparison of the results with studies from around the world showed that the potential health risks posed by legacy PCDD/F and PCB pollutants were not as grave for mothers and infants living near this MWI, but the emerging PFAS pollutants represented a new cause for concern. MAIN FINDINGS: The potential health risks posed by legacy PCDD/F and PCB pollutants were not particularly serious for mothers and infants living near the MWI, but the emerging PFAS pollutants raised new concerns.

This study aimed to evaluate the body burdens of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and their associated health impacts toward school-age children living near a municipal waste incinerator (MWI). A total of 82 children from the exposure area and 49 from the control area were recruited. We measured blood PCDD/F levels, conducted comet assays, calculated the percentage of 5-methylcytosine (%5-mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (%5-hmC), performed flow cytometry, measured hormonal levels, and analyzed hematological parameters. We also examined 17 congeners of PCDD/Fs in environmental samples, namely, eggs, rice, water, soil, and PM2.5. The mean blood levels of ΣPCDD/Fs and TEQ-ΣPCDD/Fs were statistically higher in the exposure group than in the control group (3.40 vs. 2.77 pg/g wet weight and 0.40 vs. 0.28 pg WHO-TEQ/g wet weight, respectively; p 0.05). Furthermore, the mean ΣPCDD/F levels in eggs and soil obtained from the exposure area were statistically higher than those of the samples obtained from the control area (31.08 vs. 4.32 pg/g dry weight and 1026.04 vs. 674.97 pg/g dry weight, respectively). In conclusion, children living near the MWI may suffer genetic and epigenetic modifications, such as DNA damage or global DNA hypomethylation due to the MWI-emitted PCDD/Fs and other contaminants.

To evaluate the body burdens of heavy metals correlated with health impact on school-age children living around a waste incinerator. A total of 81 children from the exposure area and 95 from the control area were recruited in our study. We measured the blood levels of chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS), conducted comet assays, calculated the percentage of 5-methylcytosine (5 mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) by MethylFlash methylated and a hydroxymethylated DNA quantification kit, and performed the flow cytometry to detect the expressions of surface antigens (including CD3+, CD19+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, and CD3−CD16+ and/or CD56+) in peripheral lymphocytes. Besides, we measured hormonal levels, including triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and analyzed several regular hematological parameters. In addition, concentrations of heavy metals in environmental samples including rice, soils, vegetables, and drinking water were detected by ICP-MS. The mean blood levels of Cr, Cd, and Pb in the exposure group were all statistically higher than in the control group (2.57 vs. 0.79 μg/L; 1.83 vs. 1.81 μg/L; 44.00 vs. 32.31 μg/L, p

To monitor the body burden of persistent organic pollutants in mothers and infants living in proximity to a 10-year-old municipal waste incinerator (MWI), levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the breast milk of mothers were evaluated, and the estimated daily intake (EDI) level of these pollutants in infants was assessed. In total, 14 mothers from the exposure area and 18 mothers from a control area were recruited for this study. In addition, the levels of 17 PCDD/F congeners and 18 PCB congeners in the breast milk of the mothers were estimated, and risk assessment for their infants by calculating their EDI levels was performed. The mean levels of ΣPCDD/Fs and TEQ-ΣPCDD/Fs in the breast milk of the exposure group were significantly greater than those of the control group (3.36 vs. 1.47 pg/g wet weight; and 0.24 vs. 0.12 pg TEQ/g wet weight, respectively; p 0.05). With respect to PCBs, the mean levels of the total PCBs (ΣPCBs) and non-dioxin like-PCBs (ΣNDL-PCBs) in the exposure group were significantly greater than those in the control group (269 vs. 141 pg/g wet weight; 230 vs. 115 pg/g wet weight, respectively; p 0.05). The mean levels of ΣPCDD/Fs and TEQ-ΣPCDD/Fs were positively correlated with the inhabit time of the exposure group (r = 0.636, r = 0.629, p 0.05, respectively). The mean EDI level of the exposure group in infants was significantly greater than that of the control group (22.0 vs. 13.0 pg TEQ/kg bw day; p 0.05). In conclusion, mothers and their breast-fed infants living in proximity to the 10-year-old MWI located in the Zhejiang Province of China exhibited a significantly higher body burden of PCDD/Fs and PCBs compared to those living in the control area.

Heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils has attracted increasing attention in recent years. In this study, 1999 agricultural soil samples were collected from 11 cities in Zhejiang Province from 2016 to 2020, and the spatial and temporal variation characteristics of 3 of the most important heavy metals, i.e., lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and chromium (Cr) were analyzed. The results showed that Cd had a slightly higher sample over-standard rate of 12.06%. Spatial distribution and temporal trends showed that the Pb concentrations overall increased from 2016 to 2020 and mainly accumulated in southern Zhejiang. In addition, multiple exposure routes were evaluated for human health risks. Children are more susceptible to the adverse effects of heavy metals in agricultural soils, and oral ingestion was the major exposure route. Cr poses higher human health risks to humans than Pb and Cd in agricultural soils. Therefore, more rigid environmental monitoring and related soil remediation counter-measures for some sites with high concentrations of heavy metals are necessary to limit the potential threat to human health.

Epidemiological evidence linking metals bound to ambient particulate matters with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM

This study aims to evaluate the body burdens of cadmium (Cd) associated with potential health impairment in residents living near electroplating industries. A total of 269 residents from exposure area and 106 from control area were recruited. We measured the blood and urinary Cd levels using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS); performed physical examinations; determined the urinary levels of β2-microglobulin (β2-MG), Nacetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG); and evaluated the associations between Cd and these biomarkers. Blood and urinary Cd levels in exposure group were statistically higher than in control group (1.712 vs. 1.159 μg/L; 1.980 vs. 1.740 μg/L, respectively, p 0.05). The proportion of abnormal nasal symptoms occurring in exposed subjects (88.8%) was much higher than in control subjects (78.2%, p 0.05). In conclusion, our study revealed that residents living in close proximity to electroplating industries had elevated body burdens of Cd levels, as well as slight renal dysfunction and DNA oxidation damage.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between ambient particulate matters(PMs)and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mortality.Methods: Generalized Additive Mixed Model was employed to investigate the effects of ambient fine and coarse PMs on COPD mortality using 13,066 deaths from 2014 to 2016 among six cities in Zhejiang Province in Southeastern China.Results: The daily average death count due to COPD was 3, varying from 1 to 7among six cities. The daily 24-hour mean concentrations were diverse among cities, from 29.7 to 56.8 µg/m3 for PM2.5, 16.7 to 30.3 µg/m3 for PM2.5−10, and 50.3 to 87.1 µg/m3 for PM10, respectively. The analysis showed that daily exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 was associated with increased mortality due to COPD and that weak effects were observed between PM2.5−10 and COPD mortality.Conclusions: Our results provided evidence that the fine particles in air pollution have stronger functions on adverse health effects other than coarser particles in Southeastern China, which may be considered as a potential clinic target in PM-associated COPD.

To better understand the cardiopulmonary alterations associated with personal exposed PM

Previous studies have found that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution is associated with decreased lung function. However, most current research focuses on children with asthma, leading to small sample sizes and limited generalization of results. The current study aimed to measure the short-term and lag effects of PM2.5 among school-aged children using repeated measurements of lung function.This prospective panel study included 848 schoolchildren in Zhejiang Province, China. Each year from 2014–2017, two lung function tests were conducted from November 15th to December 31st. Daily air pollution data were derived from the monitoring stations nearest to the schools. A mixed-effects regression model was used to investigate the relationship between PM2.5 and lung function. The effect of PM2.5 on lung function reached its greatest at 1-day moving average PM2.5 exposure. For every 10 μg/m3 increase in the 1-day moving average PM2.5 concentration, Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) of children decreased by 33.74 mL (95% CI: 22.52, 44.96), 1-s Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1) decreased by 32.56 mL (95% CI: 21.41, 43.70), and Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) decreased by 67.45 mL/s (95% CI: 45.64, 89.25). Stronger associations were found in children living in homes with smokers. Short-term exposure to PM2.5 was associated with reductions in schoolchildren’s lung function. This finding indicates that short-term exposure to PM2.5 is harmful to children’s respiratory health, and appropriate protective measures should be taken to reduce the adverse effects of air pollution on children’s health.

Epidemiological evidence linking metals bound to ambient particulate matters with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and maternal thyroid function is limited. In this study, we investigated the association of PM2.5-bound metals with maternal thyroid hormones (TH) during the first trimester. We retrospectively reviewed data for 2528 pregnant women attending prenatal care in Jinhua Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Jinhua, China, from January to December 2018. Information including thyroid hormone levels and demographics was retrieved from existing medical records. We analyzed the concentration of 10 metals for collected particulate samples, and estimated their exposure levels during the first trimester for each woman. We employed multivariate linear regression models to estimate the association of exposure to individual PM2.5-bound metals with serum levels of maternal TH, and weighted quantile sum (WQS) to estimate the overall association of exposure to PM2.5-bound metals within a mixture. Higher exposures to most of the PM2.5-bound metals were associated with lower levels of maternal free thyroxine (FT4) and free triiodothyronine (FT3). The thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) or thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) status had no effect modification on the observed associations. WQS analyses further suggested that Be, Ni, Tl and Ba contributed the most to the associations. These findings highlight the associations of exposure to PM2.5-bound metals with maternal thyroid function, and emphasize the public health significance of commitments to improve air quality.

Air pollution could be a risk factor for the development of pterygium. This study aimed to investigate the potential associations between outpatient visits for pterygium and air pollutants. Using a time-stratified case-crossover design, the data of 3017 outpatients with pterygium visiting an eye center in Hangzhou, China, and the air pollution data of the Environmental Protection Department of Zhejiang Province between July 1, 2014, and November 30, 2019, were examined. The relationships between the air pollutants nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone, and fine particulate matter (PM) with median aerometric diameter

In recent years, the development of unmanned driving technology requires continuous progress in environment perception technology. Aiming at the key research direction of infrared environment perception in unmanned driving technology, a lightweight real-time detection network model for infrared environment perception, IEPet, is proposed. The model backbone adds the BottleneckCSP module and the proposed DCAP attention module, which can significantly improve the detection ability and spatial position perception ability while maintaining light weight. At the same time, the model improves the detection accuracy by using a 3-scales detection head. Comparative experiments on the unmanned driving data set show that compared with the lightweight model YOLOv4-tiny, the model proposed in this paper has an increase in F1 Score by 1.48% and an average detection accuracy by 6.37% to reach 84.31%. And the model is lighter. It shows that the proposed IEPet model can better meet the excellent performance required for infrared environment perception.

Previous studies have found that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution is associated with decreased lung function. However, most current research focuses on children with asthma, leading to small sample sizes and limited generalization of results. The current study aimed to measure the short-term and lag effects of PM2.5 among school-aged children using repeated measurements of lung function.This prospective panel study included 848 schoolchildren in Zhejiang Province, China. Each year from 2014–2017, two lung function tests were conducted from November 15th to December 31st. Daily air pollution data were derived from the monitoring stations nearest to the schools. A mixed-effects regression model was used to investigate the relationship between PM2.5 and lung function. The effect of PM2.5 on lung function reached its greatest at 1-day moving average PM2.5 exposure. For every 10 μg/m3 increase in the 1-day moving average PM2.5 concentration, Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) of children decreased by 33.74 mL (95% CI: 22.52, 44.96), 1-s Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1) decreased by 32.56 mL (95% CI: 21.41, 43.70), and Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) decreased by 67.45 mL/s (95% CI: 45.64, 89.25). Stronger associations were found in children living in homes with smokers. Short-term exposure to PM2.5 was associated with reductions in schoolchildren’s lung function. This finding indicates that short-term exposure to PM2.5 is harmful to children’s respiratory health, and appropriate protective measures should be taken to reduce the adverse effects of air pollution on children’s health.

To take an insight into the long-term accumulation of chromium (Cr) and cadmium (Cd) in school-age children living near an MWI and to assess their early renal impairment, we conducted a cross-sectional study in 2015. A total of 116 children from the exposure area and 122 from the control area were recruited. We measured the urinary levels of Cr (U-Cr) and Cd (U-Cd) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and detected three classic renal tubule indicators, including N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAG), β2-microglobulin (BMG), and retinol binding protein (RBP). The U-Cd and U-Cr levels in children living near the MWI were 0.11 and 1.57 μg/g creatinine, respectively. Both the U-Cd and U-Cr levels in the exposure group were lower than those in the control group, although only U-Cd showed a statistical difference (p < 0.01). The U-NAG and U-RBP levels in the exposure group were also statistically lower than those in the control group (0.80 vs. 1.74 IU/g creatinine, 0.26 vs. 0.48 mg/g creatinine, respectively). The U-Cd level in this study was positively correlated with the U-NAG level (r = 0.26, p < 0.01), as the U-Cr level was also positively correlated with the levels of U-NAG, U-RBP, and U-BMG (r = 0.21, 0.33, 0.18, p < 0.01, respectively). This study indicates that children living close to this particular MWI may not suffer considerable long-term accumulation of Cd or Cr, nor early renal impairment.

In 2015, we measured polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5) collected from 5 cities in Zhejiang Province. The mean toxic equivalent quotient (TEQ) values of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) ranged between 1.2–3.1 ng/m3. The BaP-TEQ displayed seasonal trends, such that winter > spring and autumn > summer. During the winter, the most abundant individual PAHs were 4–6ring PAHs (84.04–91.65%). The median daily intake of atmospheric PAHs ranged between 2.0–7.4 ng/day for all populations, with seasonal trends identical to that of BaP-TEQ. The 95th incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values induced by PM2.5-bound PAHs were far lower than 10−6 for all populations. The data suggested that the pollution levels in the 5 Zhejiang Province cities were higher than the Chinese National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). In the future, relevant measures should be taken to control atmospheric PAHs, especially 4–6 ring PAHs. The data also revealed no obvious cancer risk for populations residing in these 5 cities of Zhejiang Province.

To confirm our hypothesis that inhalation might be the primary exposure route of heavy metals for children living in proximity to a municipal waste incinerator (MWI), we conducted a one-year follow up study to characterize the distributions of heavy metals featured in different types of ambient air particles, including PM1, PM2.5 and PM10, at two exposure sites near the MWI (E1 and E2) and one control site (C) in Zhejiang, China. Particle samples were collected by a mid-volume sampler and heavy metals were determined by the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method. The mass concentrations of PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 were 52.0, 85.8 and 100.3 μg/m3 at E1 site, while the concentrations were 40.2, 92.1 and 106.6 μg/m3 at E2 site and 33.4, 55.6 and 66.1 μg/m3 at C site, respectively. Both E1 and E2 had higher PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 levels than C site. The levels of pollution were season dependent, with autumn having the highest levels of PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 across all three sampling sites. Regarding the distributions of heavy metals, Pb accounted for the majority of the seven metals in all groups, ranging from 43.2% to 51.3%, followed by Mn that ranged from 22.0% to 32.0%. The Pb levels of PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 in the MWI area were 22.6, 34.2 and 36.2 ng/m3, respectively, while Mn levels were 10.1, 20.0 and 23.5 ng/m3, respectively. The health risk assessment results suggested that residents were suffering high non-carcinogenic risk posed by MWI-emitted particle-bound toxic metals, as well as the high lifetime carcinogenic risk. This study revealed that ambient air, no matter whether near or far away from an MWI, bore more PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 particles than general, non-polluted ambient air, especially in autumn.

With the rapid development of satellite navigation technology, the application fields of GNSS receivers are also extending. In various military and civil application scenarios, the complex electromagnetic environment will affect the performance of the GNSS receivers, and even make receivers work improperly. Therefore, it is important to test the performance of the GNSS receivers in the complex electromagnetic environment by adaptability test. Based on the analysis of the concept of complex electromagnetic environment, this paper discusses key issues in complex electromagnetic environment adaptability test of GNSS receivers, such as the construction and evaluation of complex electromagnetic environment, adaptability test procedures, test evaluation method, and so on. The research achievements may provide technique reference for the further research on the adaptability test of GNSS receiver in complex electromagnetic environment.

Enhanced osteoclast formation and function have essential roles during post‑menopausal osteoporosis. A number of cytokines have been reported to regulate osteoclastogenesis and to be involved during the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. However, the regulation of osteolysis by microRNAs (miRNAs) has remained to be fully elucidated. The present study used a microarray analysis to identify a variety of miRNAs that are differentially expressed during osteoclast formation. Six down‑regulated miRNAs, miR‑21a‑5p, miR‑27a‑3p, let‑7i‑5p, miR‑22‑3p, miR‑340‑5p and miR‑23a‑5p, whose molecular mechanisms during osteoclast differentiation have not been reported previously, were further assessed. Using an osteoclast formation assay and a mouse model of progressive osteoporosis, the downregulation of these miRNAs was validated in vitro and in vivo. Of note, the expression patterns of these six miRNAs were associated with the progression of osteoporosis. Therefore, these miRNAs are of potential diagnostic and therapeutic value for osteolytic diseases.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are two typical categories of contaminants released from e-waste dismantling environments. In China, the body burdens of PCBs and PBDEs are associated with abnormal thyroid hormones in populations from e-waste dismantling sites, but the results are limited and contradictory. In this study, we measured the serum levels of PCBs and PBDEs and the thyroid hormone free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in 40 residents in an e-waste dismantling area and in 15 residents in a control area. Additionally, we also measured some lymphocyte proliferation indexes, hematologic parameters and kidney injury markers, including white blood cells, neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, hemoglobin, platelets, serum creatinine and beta 2-microglobulin (β2-MG). The results indicated that the mean level of ΣPCBs in the exposure group was significantly higher than that in the control group (964.39 and 67.98 ng g(-1), p0.0001), but the mean level of ΣPBDEs in the exposure group was not significantly higher than that in the controls (139.32 vs. 75.74 ng g(-1), p0.05). We determined that serum levels of FT3, FT4, monocytes and lymphocytes were significantly lower, whereas the levels of neutrophils, hemoglobin, platelets and serum creatinine were significantly higher in the exposed group (p0.05). The mean level of ΣPCBs was negatively correlated with levels of FT3, FT4, monocytes and lymphocytes (p0.05) and positively correlated with levels of neutrophils, hemoglobin, serum creatinine and β2-MG (p0.05). Additionally, the mean level of ΣPBDEs was positively correlated with levels of white blood cells, hemoglobin and platelets (p0.05). Our data suggest that exposure to an e-waste dismantling environment may increase the body burdens of PCBs and the specific PBDEs congeners in native residents and that the contaminants released from e-waste may contribute to abnormal changes in body levels of thyroid hormone, hematology and kidney injury markers.

(Bi 1/2 Na 1/2 )TiO 3 (BNT) based lead-free incipient piezoceramics are promising candidates for actuator applications due to their giant electromechanical strains originating from the reversible relaxor-ferroelectric phase transition. To decrease the electric field required for this large strain, the templated grain growth method was employed to prepare 〈1 0 0〉 oriented 0.91Bi 1/2 Na 1/2 TiO 3 –0.06BaTiO 3 –0.03AgNbO 3 piezoceramics using plate-like BNT templates. Textured samples provided a high unipolar strain of 0.38% and a corresponding large signal piezoelectric coefficient, d 33 ∗ of 766 pm/V at 5 kV/mm, which are 78% higher than the values of the randomly oriented ones. The enhanced electric-field-induced strain at relatively lower field was attributed primarily to the facilitated phase-transition to form a long range ferroelectric order along the 〈1 0 0〉 direction. It was also found that the textured piezoceramics exhibited significantly reduced frequency dependence in the unipolar strain behavior at room temperature, resulting from the decreased electric field required for the relaxor-ferroelectric phase transition.

To evaluate the distributions and health risks of phthalate esters in the main source water and corresponding drinking water of Zhejiang Province, the concentrations of 16 phthalate esters in water samples from 19 sites were measured from samples taken in the dry season and wet season. The concentration of the total phthalate ester congeners in source water ranged from 1.07 μg/L to 7.12 μg/L in the wet season, from 0.01 μg/L to 1.58 μg/L in the dry season, from 1.18 μg/L to 15.28 μg/L from drinking water in the wet season, and from 0.16 μg/L to 1.86 μg/L from drinking water in the dry season. Of the 16 phthalate esters, dimethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, di-(2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate, di-iso-butyl phthalate, bis-2-n-butoxyethyl phthalate, and dicyclohexyl phthalate were present in the samples analyzed, dominated by di-iso-butyl phthalate and di-(2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate. The concentrations of phthalate esters in the wet season were all relatively higher than those in the dry season, and the drinking water had higher concentrations of phthalate esters than source water. The phthalate ester congeners studied pose little health risk to nearby citizens. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:2205-2212. © 2015 SETAC.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential associations between air pollution and dry eye disease (DED). Data of outdoor air pollutants and meteorology as well as outpatient visits for DED were collected. A time-stratified case-crossover approach was used to analyze the associations between ambient air pollutants and outpatient visits for DED. Among the 5062 DED patients studied, 65.45% were female and 34.55% were male. In the single-pollutant model, significant associations were observed between an increase of 10 μg/m3 in the concentrations of fine-particulate matter with a median aerometric diameter of less than 10 μm (PM10), fine-particulate matter with a median aerometric diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and carbon monoxide (CO) and outpatient visits for DED. These results were consistent with those of the multipollutant model. The strongest associations between air pollutants and patient visits were observed during the cold season and in patients aged 21–40. The significant association between air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, and CO) and DED outpatient visits indicates the importance of increased environmental protection.

BACKGROUND Conjunctivitis, one of the most common ocular surface diseases, can be caused by many factors. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to investigate the potential association between conjunctivitis and air pollutants. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data of 9737 outpatient visits for conjunctivitis from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2016 were obtained from the Eye Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China. The data were linked to data on the concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and fine particulate matter with a median aerometric diameter of less than 10 and 2.5 μm (PM10 and PM2.5, respectively), which were obtained from the Environmental Protection Department of Zhejiang Province. A time-stratified case-crossover study design and conditional logistic regression were applied to analyze the association between air pollutants and outpatient visits for conjunctivitis. RESULTS A 10 μg/m3 increase in PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, and CO concentrations on the same day as the hospital visit or on lag days before the hospital visit date was associated with outpatient visits for conjunctivitis. The strongest association was observed between SO2 and conjunctivitis patients aged 2–5 years. Variation occurs between warm and cold seasons, between genders, and among different age groups. CONCLUSIONS Our study provided evidence that outpatient visits for conjunctivitis were significantly associated with air pollution in Hangzhou, China.

Increased electronic waste (e-waste) has raised public concerns regarding exposure to numerous toxic contaminants, particularly polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). In China, the body burdens of PCBs, PBDEs and PCDD/Fs are associated with thyroid hormones in populations from e-waste dismantling sites; however, it is unclear whether this association occurs in children. In this study, we determined the serum levels of PCBs, PBDEs and PCDD/Fs and the endocrine hormones including free triiodothyronine (FT3), total triiodothyronine (TT3), free thyroxine (FT4), total thyroxine (TT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol and growth hormone (GH) in 21 children from an e-waste dismantling area and 24 children from a control area. The results showed that the mean levels of ∑PCBs and ∑PBDEs in the exposure group were significantly higher than in the control group (40.56 and 32.09 ng g(-1) lipid vs. 20.69 and 8.43 ng g(-1) lipid, respectively, p0.01 for each), and the mean level of ∑PCDD/Fs in the exposure group was higher than in the control group, but the difference was not significant (206.17 vs. 160.27 pg g(-1) lipid, p0.05). For the endocrine hormones, we did not find significant differences between the exposed and control groups, although the mean levels of FT3, TT3, TT4, ACTH, cortisol and GH were higher, whereas the mean levels of FT4 and TSH were lower in the exposed group. The mean level of ∑PBDEs was positively correlated with the mean levels of ∑PCBs (r=0.60, p0.05) and ∑PCDD/Fs (r=0.61, p0.05). Furthermore, the mean level of ∑PBDEs was positively correlated with ACTH (r=0.61, p0.05). In conclusion, our data suggested that exposure to e-waste dismantling environment increased the body burdens of PCBs and PBDEs in local children and that these contaminants released from the e-waste might contribute to abnormal changes in hormone levels.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is related to the genetic and epigenetic factors. The goal of this study was to determine association of cigarette smoking and BPDE-DNA adducts with promoter methylations of several genes in NSCLC. Methylation of the promoters of p16, RARβ, DAPK, MGMT, and TIMP-3 genes of tumor tissues from 199 lung cancer patients was analyzed with methylation-specific PCR (MSP), and BPDE-DNA adduct level in lung cancer tissue was obtained by ELISA. Level of BPDE-DNA adduct increased significantly in males, aged people (over 60 years), and smokers; however, no significant difference was found while comparing the BPDE-DNA adduct levels among different tumor types, locations, and stages. Cigarette smoking was also associated with increased BPDE-DNA adducts level (OR = 2.43, p > .05) and increased methylation level in at least 1 gene (OR = 5.22, p < .01), both in dose-response manner. Similarly, cigarette smoking also significantly increase the risk of p16 or DAPK methylation (OR = 3.02, p < .05 for p16, and 3.66, p < .05 for DAPK). The highest risk of BPDE-DNA adducts was detected among individuals with cigarette smoking for more than 40 pack-years (OR = 4.21, p < .01). Furthermore, the present study did not show that BPDE-DNA adducts are significantly associated with abnormal TSGs methylations in NSCLC, including SCC and AdO, respectively. Conclusively, cigarette smoking is significantly associated with the increase of BPDE-DNA adduct level, promoter hypermethylation of p16 and DAPK genes, while BPDE-DNA adduct was not significantly related to abnormal promoter hypermethylation in TSGs, suggesting that BPDE-DNA adducts and TSGs methylations play independent roles in NSCLC.