PCB Bioavailability Control in <i>Lumbriculus Variegatus</i> through Different Modes of Activated Carbon Addition to Sediments

PCB bioavailability to a freshwater oligochaete (Lumbriculus variegatus) was studied using sediments from a PCB-impacted river that was treated with different modes of granular activated carbon (GAC) addition. For sediment treated with 2.6% GAC and mixed for 2 min prior to L. variegatus addition, the reduction in total PCB biouptake was 70% for 75−300 μm size carbon, and 92% for the 45−180 μm size carbon. For the case where the GAC was placed as a thin layer on top of the sediments without mixing, the reduction in total PCB uptake was 70%. PCB biouptake kinetics study using treated and untreated sediment showed that the maximum PCB uptake in tissue was achieved at 28 days and decreased after that time. Although the absolute uptake of PCB changed over time, the percent reduction in total PCB uptake upon GAC amendment remained constant after the first few days. Our results indicated that PCB bioavailability was reduced upon the addition and little or no mixing of GAC into sediments. PCB aqueous equilibrium concentration and desorption rates were greatly reduced after GAC amendment, indicating reductions in the two primary mechanisms of PCB bioavailability in sediments:  chemical activity and chemical accessibility

Modeling PCB Mass Transfer and Bioaccumulation in a Freshwater Oligochaete Before and After Amendment of Sediment with Activated Carbon

A mass transfer model is presented that couples sediment geochemistry with PCB bioaccumulation by the benthic invertebrate, Lumbriculus variegatus. This model accounts for PCB intraparticle mass transfer, desorption, and adsorption by different particle types, and uptake by the benthic invertebrates through two pathways, dermal absorption, and sediment ingestion. The biological parameters, dermal uptake coefficients, depuration rates, sediment ingestion rates, and uptake efficiencies, were measured independently. The model was evaluated by laboratory bioaccumulation experiments for three freshwater sediments that were characterized for PCB concentration, PCB desorption rate, and equilibrium partitioning behavior. The model was also tested for its ability to predict changes in PCB bioaccumulation in the three sediments after amendment with activated carbon to reduce PCB bioavailability. For most PCB congeners, the modeled results and measured values agree within a factor of 2 for all three sediments before and after treatment with activated carbon. This model broadly agrees with the experimental data and can be used to predict changes in bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic compounds by the benthic organisms in sediments with known geochemical characteristics and under different sorbent amendment scenarios

Additional file 1 of COVID-19-associated impact and post-traumatic stress symptoms 39 days after pandemic in a sample of home-quarantined Chinese college students: the mediating effecting of past stressful events, psychological resilience, and social support

Additional file 1

Reliability of the four factors and the total scale.

<p>Reliability of the four factors and the total scale.</p

Load factor of the four factors in the scale (LAMBDA-X).

Load factor of the four factors in the scale (LAMBDA-X).</p

Somatic symptoms in the internal structure model.

<p>Somatic symptoms in the internal structure model.</p

The fitting index of confirmatory factor analysis of the scale.

<p>The fitting index of confirmatory factor analysis of the scale.</p

The Theoretical Construction of a Classification of Clinical Somatic Symptoms in Psychosomatic Medicine Theory

<div><p>Objective</p><p>This article adopts the perspective of psychosomatic medicine to present and test a theoretical model of the classification of clinical somatic symptoms. The theoretical model consists of four dimensions: emotional somatic symptoms, biological somatic symptoms, imaginative somatic symptoms, and cognitive somatic symptoms.</p><p>Method</p><p>A clinical somatic symptom classification scale was developed according to the theoretical model. A total of 542 participants completed the clinical somatic symptoms classification scale. The data were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.</p><p>Results</p><p>The results confirmed the theoretical model. The analyses found that the proposed theoretical structure of the scale was good, as indicated by factor loadings and fit indices, and that the scale had good reliability and construct validity.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Based on the interpretation of the clinical symptoms of psychosomatic medicine, the treatment of chronic non-infectious diseases includes at least three dimensions: the first is the etiological treatment, the second is the pathophysiological and pathopsychological dimension, and the third is symptomatic treatment. The unified psychosomatic point of view and diverse clinical thinking modes are aimed at identifying different classes of somatic symptoms and important prerequisites for the treatment of these symptoms. We registered the study with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry and it was approved by the West China Hospital, Sichuan University ethics committee. Trial registration: The registration number is ChiCTR-OCS-14004632 (time: 2014-05-12).</p></div

Data_Sheet_1_The association between neuroendocrine/glucose metabolism and clinical outcomes and disease course in different clinical states of bipolar disorders.PDF

ObjectiveThe treatment of bipolar disorder (BD) remains challenging. The study evaluated the impact of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis/hypothalamic–pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis and glucose metabolism on the clinical outcomes in patients with bipolar depression (BD-D) and manic bipolar (BD-M) disorders.MethodsThe research design involved a longitudinal prospective study. A total of 500 BD patients aged between 18 and 65 years treated in 15 hospitals located in Western China were enrolled in the study. The Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) were used to assess the BD symptoms. An effective treatment response was defined as a reduction in the symptom score of more than 25% after 12 weeks of treatment. The score of symptoms was correlated with the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index, the HPA axis hormone levels (adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol), and the HPT axis hormone levels (thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), free triiodothyronine (fT3), and free thyroxine (fT4)).ResultsIn the BD-M group, the YMRS was positively correlated with baseline T4 (r = 0.349, p = 0.010) and fT4 (r = 0.335, p = 0.013) and negatively correlated with fasting insulin (r = −0.289, p = 0.013). The pre-treatment HOMA-IR was significantly correlated with adverse course (p = 0.045, OR = 0.728). In the BD-D group, the baseline MADRS was significantly positively correlated with baseline fT3 (r = 0.223, p = 0.032) and fT4 (r = 0.315, p = 0.002), while baseline T3 (p = 0.032, OR = 5.071) was significantly positively related to treatment response.ConclusionThe HPT axis and glucose metabolism were closely associated with clinical outcomes at 12 weeks in both BD-D and BD-M groups. If confirmed in further longitudinal studies, monitoring T3 in BD-D patients and HOMA-IR for BD-M could be used as potential treatment response biomarkers.</p

High temperature associated microRNAs and their potential roles in mediating heat tolerance in the leaf of banana inoculated with <i>Serendipita indica</i>

Serendipita indica (S. indica) is an endophytic root fungus that sustains the growth and enhances tolerance of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, little is known on the symbiosis mediated high temperature stress (HT) tolerance regulated at microRNAs (miRNAs) level. In this study, we have elucidated the impact of miRNAs in regulating the S. indica-mediated heat tolerance in the leaves of ‘Tianbao’ banana (Musa acuminata cv.). The small RNA (sRNA) sequence analysis of the leaves of ‘Tianbao’ banana inoculated and exposed to HT of 45°C established a set of 278 differentially abundant miRNAs in response to HT stress. These included 185 known miRNAs differentially expressed (DE) and 93 novel miRNAs. GO and KEGG analysis showed that the DE miRNAs were significantly associated with nutrient sources uptake, secondary metabolism, growth regulators, auxin-responsive factor, signal transduction pathways. In summary, our study revealed that miRNA play important regulatory roles during the banana-HT tolerance by regulating the genes involved in heat shock protein, peroxidase, transcription factor, phenylalanine, sucrose synthase, protein kinase, 7-hydroxymethyl chlorophyll. Our result unravelled a framework for future functional analysis of selected miRNAs and their targets in response to HT stress, which may contribute towards the future development of S. indica application to plants.</p