Photodegradation of free estrogens driven by the UV light: Effects of operation mode and water matrix

Estrogens are endocrine disrupting chemicals that have been frequently detected in diverse water matrices (e.g. surface water, wastewater and drinking water) and caused a series of health risks. This study was aimed at investigating the photochemical degradation of free estrogens estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), and 17α-ethyl estradiol (EE2) upon the monochromatic irradiation (253.7 nm). Concerning the practical installation of photolysis treatment, exposing the impacts of photoreactor operation mode (stationary or up-flow) and the water matrix (ultrapure water or natural surface water) on the photolytic behaviour of estrogens was of high importance. The pseudo-first-order rate constants showed that E1 was the most susceptible to UV radiation among chosen estrogens due to its high molar absorption coefficient of 402.4 M^{−1] cm^{−1} and quantum yield of 0.065 mol E^{−1} at λ = 253.7 nm. Moreover, the up-flow mode and the surface water matrix collected from a lake in Regent's Park (London) were found to favour the photodegradation of estrogens due to the introduction of more dissolved oxygens and promotion of reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. These findings may shed light on the photochemical behaviour of estrogens in some specific scenarios

Blood cholesterol in late-life and cognitive decline: a longitudinal study of the Chinese elderly

Mean difference in annual cognitive change for each mmol/L increment of lipid concentrations, stratified by age. (DOCX 13 kb

Smoking behaviours and cessation services among male physicians in China: Evidence from a structural equation model

Objective To investigate smoking prevalence and cessation services provided by male physicians in hospitals in three Chinese cities. Methods Data were collected from a survey of male physicians employed at 33 hospitals in Changsha, Qingdao and Wuxi City (n=720). Exploratory factor analysis was performed to identify latent variables, and confirmatory structural equation modelling analysis was performed to test the relationships between predictor variables and smoking in male physicians, and their provision of cessation services. Results Of the sampled male physicians, 25.7% were current smokers, and 54.0% provided cessation services by counselling (18.8%), distributing self-help materials (17.1%), and providing traditional remedies or medication (18.2%). Factors that predicted smoking included peer smoking (OR 1.14 95% CI 1.03 to 1.26) and uncommon knowledge (OR 0.94 95% CI 0.89 to 0.99), a variable measuring awareness of the association of smoking with stroke, heart attack, premature ageing and impotence in male adults as well as the role of passive smoking in heart attack. Factors that predicted whether physicians provided smoking cessation services included peer smoking (OR 0.82 95% CI 0.76 to 0.89), physicians’ own smoking (OR 0.87 95% CI 0.81 to 0.93), training in cessation (OR 1.36 95% CI 1.27 to 1.45) and access to smoking cessation resources (OR 1.69 95% CI 1.58 to 1.82). Conclusions The smoke-free policy is not strictly implemented at healthcare facilities, and smoking remains a public health problem among male physicians. A holistic approach, including a stricter implementation of the smoke-free policy, comprehensive education on the hazards of smoking, training in standard smoking-cessation techniques and provision of cessation resources, is needed to curb the smoking epidemic among male physicians and to promote smoking cessation services in China

White Matter Injury After Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) accounts for 15% of all stroke cases. ICH is a devastating form of stroke associated with high morbidity, mortality, and disability. Preclinical studies have explored the mechanisms of neuronal death and gray matter damage after ICH. However, few studies have examined the development of white matter injury (WMI) following ICH. Research on WMI indicates that its pathophysiological presentation involves axonal damage, demyelination, and mature oligodendrocyte loss. However, the detailed relationship and mechanism between WMI and ICH remain unclear. Studies of other acute brain insults have indicated that WMI is strongly correlated with cognitive deficits, neurological deficits, and depression. The degree of WMI determines the short- and long-term prognosis of patients with ICH. This review demonstrates the structure and functions of the white matter in the healthy brain and discusses the pathophysiological mechanism of WMI following ICH. Our review reveals that the development of WMI after ICH is complex; therefore, comprehensive treatment is essential. Understanding the relationship between WMI and other brain cells may reveal therapeutic targets for the treatment of ICH

Investigations of a controllable nanoscale coating on natural fiber system: effects of charge and bonding on the mechanical properties of textiles

A novel nano-sized copolymer nanofilm provides a unique reinforcement to the mechanical properties of natural textiles. This study reveals that a nano-sized coating provides a strong healing effect to resist the crack propagation of natural fiber surfaces. As little as 0.15 wt\% addition of the nanoparticles to the cotton surface improved the fabrics' tearing resistance by 56\% and abrasion resistance by 100\%. Surface analyses (SEM and AFM) demonstrated that the nanoparticles formed a uniform monolayer and after heat treatment the monolayer nanofilm covalently bonded to the substrate. This nanofilm is reliable in repeated washes due to its covalent bonding. Using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS), we studied the reactivity and phase-transition process of the nanoparticles as they transformed into the nanofilm. The study demonstrates the active role of the N-methylol group and the primary hydroxyl group toward the cotton surface, which modulate the rupture process of the fiber substrate; meanwhile, it demonstrates the positively charged nanoparticles have an excellent dispersibility on the negatively charged cotton surface. The result opens the possibility for various textiles to enhance their properties via an electrostatic affinity and covalent bonding of functional nanoparticles

Identification of Urban Functional Areas and Urban Spatial Structure Analysis by Fusing Multi-Source Data Features: A Case Study of Zhengzhou, China

The identification and delineation of urban functional zones (UFZs), which are the basic units of urban organisms, are crucial for understanding complex urban systems and the rational allocation and management of resources. Points of interest (POI) data are weak in identifying UFZs in areas with low building density and sparse data, whereas remote sensing data lack the necessary semantic information for functional zoning, and single-source data cannot perform a highly comprehensive characterization of complex UFZs. To address these issues, this study proposes a method for identifying UFZs by fusing multi-attribute features from multi-source data and introduces nighttime light and land surface temperature (LST) indicators as functional zoning references, taking the main urban area of Zhengzhou as an example. The experimental results show that the POI data with integrated three-level semantic information can characterize the semantic information of functional areas well, and the incorporation of multi-spectral, nighttime light, and LST data can further improve the recognition accuracy by approximately 10.1% compared with the POI single-source data. The final recognition accuracy and kappa coefficient reached 84.00% and 0.8162, respectively, indicating that the method is largely consistent with the actual situation and is feasible. The analysis showed that the main urban area of Zhengzhou as a whole is characterized by the coordinated development of single and mixed functional areas, in which a distinct residential-commercial-public complex is formed, and the urban functional areas on the block scale have diverse attributes. This study can provide a decision-making reference for the future development planning and management of Zhengzhou, China

Nicotine from cigarette smoking and diet and Parkinson disease: a review

Abstract Evidence from epidemiological studies suggest a relationship between cigarette smoking and low risk of Parkinson disease (PD). As a major component of tobacco smoke, nicotine has been proposed to be a substance for preventing against PD risk, with a key role in regulating striatal activity and behaviors mediated through the dopaminergic system. Animal studies also showed that nicotine could modulate dopamine transmission and reduce levodopa-induced dyskinesias. However, previous clinical trials yield controversial results regarding nicotine treatment. In this review, we updated epidemiological, preclinical and clinical data, and studies on nicotine from diet. We also reviewed interactions between genetic factors and cigarette smoking. As a small amount of nicotine can saturate a substantial portion of nicotine receptors in the brain, nicotine from other sources, such as diet, could be a promising therapeutic substance for protection against PD

Simulating Urban Agglomeration Expansion in Henan Province, China: An Analysis of Driving Mechanisms Using the FLUS Model with Considerations for Urban Interactions and Ecological Constraints

Urban expansion is influenced by complex and variable social, economic, natural, and policy-related factors. Given their nonlinear interactions, accurately modeling these urban expansion processes poses a challenge. While most studies treat the city as an independent entity, prioritizing internal urban factors, urban land expansion is influenced by intercity interactions and the ecological environment. This study proposes a new approach that couples the gravitational field model, ecological constraints, and the Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS) model, comprehensively considering the impact of intercity interaction and the ecological environment. The experiment in Henan Province in China assessed the effects of factors such as basic spatial variables (Slope and distance to the city center), urban gravitational field, and ecological constraints on urban expansion through the optimal parameters-based geographical detector (OPGD) model. The feasibility of the method was confirmed by this case study, which shows that it improves the simulation accuracy of the urban agglomeration scale, particularly for central cities. We identified the urban gravitational field and ecological constraints as two important factors affecting the expansion of urban agglomerations. Areas with stronger urban spatial fields are more likely to attract neighboring resources and promote urban expansion, whereas ecological factors constrain the expansion behavior of cities under the condition of ecological and environmental resource protection needs, and both of them work together to influence the expansion behavior of urban clusters. Therefore, we posit that intercity interactions and ecological constraints are important considerations for the future spatial planning of urban agglomerations and for coordinating the harmonious development of urbanization and ecological conservation

Bactericidal functionalization of wrinkle-free fabrics via covalently bonding TiO2@Ag nanoconjugates

A simple technique is first developed to functionalize the durable-press all-cotton fabrics by grafting silver anchored TiO2 (P25) nanoconjugates through enediol ligand-metal oxide bonding and resin dehydration. The functionalization is incorporated into a conventional pad-dry-cure process. The treatment ensures the nanoconjugates are covalently bonded to the substrate fabric materials (cotton cellulose). We tested the bactericidal activity of these surface-modified fabric samples after repeated laundries, using the waterborne Escherichia coli bacteria. Strong inhibition results were observed on the TiO2@Ag treated samples than using bare TiO2 alone. After 60 min of sunlight irradiation, the overall bactericidal efficiency reached 96\% after 7.5 h culturing. After 60 min of artificial solar light irradiation, the overall bactericidal efficiency reached 99\%. Our observations suggest that the enediol linkage can be an effective candidate to graft functional metal oxide nanoconjugates onto a variety of fabric surfaces via a conventional pad-dry-cure process

Detection and Characterization of Metastatic Cancer Cells in the Mesogastrium of Gastric Cancer Patients.

Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Here, we propose a novel type of tumor metastasis designated as Metastasis V in gastric cancer. Metastasis V is defined as the appearance of cancer cells in the mesogastrium with perigastric adipose tissue. To detect its incidence and characterize its clinic pathological features, large cross sectional tissue analysis of mesogastrium from 74 patients were used. Metastasis V was detected in 1 of 40 (2.5%) patients with early gastric cancer, 8 of 34 (24%) patients with advanced gastric cancer. The mean distance of Metastasis V from gastric wall was approximately 2.6 cm. Metastasis V was closely associated with tumor invasion depth, along with a number of positive lymph node metastasis. The prognosis of patients with Metastasis V was significantly (P<0.05) worse than those with tumor cell-free mesogastrium. These findings indicate that by using whole-sectional analysis, Metastasis V can be detected in the mesogastrium of gastric cancer patients, and also suggests that it may be a risk factor for patient survival after radical surgery