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Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a mycotoxin commonly found in foodstuffs, poses significant health risks when ingested through contaminated food sources. Therefore, it is imperative to devise a safe and efficient method for AFB1 degradation. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) stands out as an exceptionally stable, non-toxic, and economical photocatalyst, which is widely used in photocatalysis. In this study, we explored the photocatalytic performance of four g-C3N4 catalysts derived from different precursors (dicyandiamide (D-CN), melamine (M-CN), thiourea (T-CN), and urea (U-CN)) in AFB1 degradation under visible light. Notably, the U-CN catalyst displayed an impressive degradation rate of 93.5% for AFB1 within 30 min, outperforming M-CN (82.5%), T-CN (78.5%), and D-CN (46.2%). This superior performance is attributed to its inherent porous structure, enlarged specific surface area, and reduced electron–hole pairs' recombination rate. Additionally, our investigation identified ˙O2− as the primary active species in AFB1 degradation. Furthermore, we explored the degradation pathway of AFB1 and its associated inactivation mechanism mediated by the U-CN catalyst. This work provides a theoretical foundation for developing highly efficient photocatalysts in AFB1 degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding efficient photocatalysts is the key to achieving sustainable hydrogen production. In this work, a rational design of Cd2+-doped Zn3In2S6 (ZIS) and a heterojunction structure with g-C3N4 (GCN) was carried out to form a GCN/Cd/ZIS composite. The synergistic effect of Cd2+ doping and heterojunction construction in the photocatalytic hydrogen production process was probed. The results showed that doping Cd2+ modified the bandgap structure of ZIS and improved the photocatalytic activity. The heterojunction construction between Cd/ZIS and GCN also effectively promoted the separation and migration of photogenerated carriers, which significantly improved the hydrogen production performance of the GCN/Cd/ZIS composite. The hydrogen production rate of 15% Cd/ZIS and 5% GCN/Cd/ZIS was 2.45 mmol g−1 h−1, 3.34 mmol g−1 h−1, which was 4.3 and 5.9 times higher than that of ZIS (0.57 mmol g−1 h−1), respectively. This study provides strong evidence that doping and heterojunction construction can synergistically improve photocatalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to create a pediatric head injury database based on cranial CT examinations and explore their epidemiologic characteristics. Data related to cranial CT examinations of pediatric head injuries from March 2014 to March 2021 were collected at outpatient and emergency department of a pediatric medical center. The causes of injury, observable post-injury symptoms, and cranial injury findings were extracted with the assistance of natural language processing techniques. Reviewing the data from records on 52,821 children with head injuries over a period of 7 years, the most common causes of pediatric head injury were falls (58.3%), traffic accidents (26.0%), smash/crush/strike (13.9%), violence (1.5%) and sports-related incidents (0.3%). Overall, most of those injured were boys which accounting for 62.2% of all cases. Skull fractures most commonly occur in the parietal bone (9.0%), followed by the occipital (5.2%), frontal (3.3%) and temporal bones (3.0%). Most intracranial hemorrhages occurred in epidural (5.8%), followed by subdural (5.1%), subarachnoid (0.9%), intraparenchymal (0.5%) and intraventricular (0.2%) hemorrhages. Spring and autumn showed more events than any other season. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest sample of epidemiological study of head injury in the Chinese pediatric population to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundLong-term occupational exposure to cotton dust that contains endotoxin is associated with chronic respiratory symptoms and excessive decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1), but the mechanisms of endotoxin-related chronic airflow obstruction remain unclear.ObjectiveIn the current study, we examined temporal aspects of the exposure-response relationship between airborne endotoxin exposure, longitudinal change in FEV1, and respiratory symptoms in a cohort of Chinese cotton textile workers.MethodsThis prospective cohort study followed 447 cotton textile workers from 1981 to 2006. at approximately 5-year intervals. We used a generalized estimating equations approach to model FEV1 level and respiratory symptoms as a function of past exposure (cumulative exposure up to the start of the most recent 5-year survey interval) and cumulative exposure (within the most recent interval) to endotoxins, after adjusting for other covariates. Models were stratified by active versus retired work status and by years employed before the baseline survey (< 5 and > or = 5 years).Results and conclusionsPast exposure to endotoxin was associated with reduced FEV1 level among retired cotton workers. Among all cotton workers, past exposure was more strongly associated with reduced FEV1 for those hired < 5 years before baseline than for those who were hired > or = 5 years after baseline. Recent endotoxin exposure was significantly associated with byssinosis, chronic bronchitis, and chronic cough.