DYNAMIC STUDY OF HEAVY METAL FATES IN BIORETENTION SYSTEMS

Bioretention is a best management practice (BMP). In this research, pot prototypes filled with bioretention media were built to simulate the conditions of natural growth of three grasses: Panicum virgatum, Kentucky-31 and Bromus ciliatus. Synthetic runoff was applied. The results show average removals of Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd exceed 90% by the bioretention media and the fates of input metals are 87.5-96.9% captured in soil media, 0.5-3.3% accumulated in plants and 2.0-11.6% not captured by bioretention media. Based on field biomass yields and laboratory metal concentrations in plants, it appears possible and practical to achieve removals of Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd of 20% by Panicum virgatum, 15% by Kentucky-31 and 10% by Bromus ciliatus, espectively. If 20% of input metals are accumulated by plants, the lifetime of a bioretention cell will be extended by 1.25 times

Circadian rhythm disruptions: A possible link of bipolar disorder and endocrine comorbidities

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between bipolar disorder (BP) and endocrine diseases. Further, circadian rhythm disruptions may be a potential common pathophysiological mechanism of both disorders. This review provides a brief overview of the molecular mechanisms of circadian rhythms, as well as roles circadian rhythms play in BP and common endocrine comorbidities such as diabetes and thyroid disease. Treatments targeting the circadian system, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological, are also discussed. The hope is to elicit new interest to the importance of circadian system in BP and offer new entry points and impetus to the development of medicine

mHealth in China and the United States: How Mobile Technology is Transforming Healthcare in the World's Two Largest Economies

In this paper, we explore ways mobile technology can help with these difficulties. Specifically, we look at avenues through which mobile devices boost productivity, aid communications, and help providers improve affordability, access, and treatment. Using data drawn from China and the United States as well as global trends, we look at recent developments andemerging opportunities in mobile health, or mHealth. We argue that mobile technology assists patients, health providers, and policymakers in several different respects. It helps patients by giving them tools to monitor their health conditions and communicate those results to physicians. It enables health providers to connect with colleagues and offers alternative sources of information for patients. It is also an important tool to inform policymakers on health delivery and medical outcomes

Screening of the LTBP2 gene in 214 Chinese sporadic CYP1B1-negative patients with primary congenital glaucoma

Purpose To identify deleterious mutations in the latent transforming growth factor-β–binding protein 2 (LTBP2) gene in sporadic patients with primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) from a Han Chinese population, which had been excluded for mutations in the CYP1B1 gene. Methods: In this retrospective case–control study, 36 coding exons and adjacent exon–intron boundaries of LTBP2 were amplified with PCR and screened for mutations with Sanger sequencing in DNA samples of 214 sporadic patients with PCG. Sequence variants identified in the patients with PCG were subsequently screened in 100 unaffected control subjects and the unaffected parents of the patients with PCG who had sequence changes in LTBP2. Results: Eight heterozygous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in coding regions of LTBP2 were identified in the patients with PCG. Four of these SNPs were missense changes that resulted in the replacement of amino acids (rs2304707, rs116914994, rs45468895, and rs763035721), two of which (rs2304707 and rs116914994) were also present in the control subjects. No significant differences in the frequencies of the missense SNPs were found between the patients with PCG and the controls. The two missense SNPs, rs45468895 and rs763035721, which were each found in one patient also existed in their unaffected parents, suggesting that these two SNPs were not segregated in these families and are unlikely to be a disease-causative variant. In addition, four synonymous SNPs were detected in the patients with PCG (rs61738025, rs862031, rs199805158, and rs12586758). Conclusions: The results showed that no deleterious mutations were found in coding regions of LTBP2 in patients with PCG, suggesting that it is not a causal gene for PCG in the Han Chinese population