A protocol of Chinese expert consensuses for the management of health risk in the general public

IntroductionNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent the leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide. Robust evidence has demonstrated that modifiable lifestyle factors such as unhealthy diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and physical inactivity are the primary causes of NCDs. Although a series of guidelines for the management of NCDs have been published in China, these guidelines mainly focus on clinical practice targeting clinicians rather than the general population, and the evidence for NCD prevention based on modifiable lifestyle factors has been disorganized. Therefore, comprehensive and evidence-based guidance for the risk management of major NCDs for the general Chinese population is urgently needed. To achieve this overarching aim, we plan to develop a series of expert consensuses covering 15 major NCDs on health risk management for the general Chinese population. The objectives of these consensuses are (1) to identify and recommend suitable risk assessment methods for the Chinese population; and (2) to make recommendations for the prevention of major NCDs by integrating the current best evidence and experts’ opinions.Methods and analysisFor each expert consensus, we will establish a consensus working group comprising 40–50 members. Consensus questions will be formulated by integrating literature reviews, expert opinions, and an online survey. Systematic reviews will be considered as the primary evidence sources. We will conduct new systematic reviews if there are no eligible systematic reviews, the methodological quality is low, or the existing systematic reviews have been published for more than 3 years. We will evaluate the quality of evidence and make recommendations according to the GRADE approach. The consensuses will be reported according to the Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare (RIGHT)

Photoinitiated Polymerization of Cationic Acrylamide in Aqueous Solution: Synthesis, Characterization, and Sludge Dewatering Performance

A copolymer of acrylamide (AM) with acryloyloxyethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DAC) as the cationic monomer was synthesized under the irradiation of high-pressure mercury lamp with 2,2-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (V-50) as the photoinitiator. The compositions of the photoinduced copolymer were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), ultraviolet spectra (UV), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The effects of 6 important factors, that is, photo-initiators concentration, monomers concentration, CO(NH2)2 (urea) concentrations, pH value, mass ratio of AM to DAC, and irradiation time on the molecular weight and dissolving time, were investigated. The optimal reaction conditions were that the photo-initiators concentration was 0.3%, monomers concentration was 30 wt.%, irradiation time was 60 min, urea concentration was 0.4%, pH value was 5.0, and mass ratio of AM to DAC was 6 : 4. Its flocculation properties were evaluated with activated sludge using jar test. The zeta potential of supernatant at different cationic monomer contents was simultaneously measured. The results demonstrated the superiority of the copolymer over the commercial polyacrylamide as a flocculant

Predicting adsorption isotherms of organic micropollutants by high-silica zeolite mixtures

One framework type of high-silica zeolite only can effectively remove a limited range of organic micropollutants (OMPs) from water. In order to extend the OMP removal range, different types of high-silica zeolites need to be combined in the adsorption process. In this study, Mordernite (MOR) and ZSM-5 (MFI) high-silica zeolite powders were mixed in different mass ratios. The removal performances of eight OMPs by zeolite mixtures, as well as single MOR and MFI zeolites, were evaluated through batch adsorption experiments to investigate their adsorption behaviors and mechanisms. When there was only one solute in water, the adsorption isotherms of OMPs by zeolite mixtures were well predicted by combining the experimental adsorption isotherms of single zeolites based on the mass ratios of single zeolites. In multi-solute water, adsorption isotherms by zeolite mixtures were calculated with less accuracy when solely combining experimental isotherms of single zeolites, especially in the case of having a lower portion of more-effective zeolite in the mixture. This could be attributed to the competition for more-effective zeolite between different OMPs.Sanitary Engineerin

Effect of the Cationic Block Structure on the Characteristics of Sludge Flocs Formed by Charge Neutralization and Patching

In this study, a template copolymer (TPAA) of (3-Acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride (AATPAC) and acrylamide (AM) was successfully synthesized though ultrasonic-initiated template copolymerization (UTP), using sodium polyacrylate (PAAS) as a template. TPAA was characterized by an evident cationic microblock structure which was observed through the analyses of the reactivity ratio, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 1H (13C) nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H (13C) NMR), and thermogravimetry/differential scanning calorimetry (TG/DSC). The introduction of the template could improve the monomer (AATPAC) reactivity ratio and increase the length and amount of AATPAC segments. This novel cationic microblock structure extremely enhanced the ability of charge neutralization, patching, and bridging, thus improving the activated sludge flocculation performance. The experiments of floc formation, breakage, and regrowth revealed that the cationic microblock structure in the copolymer resulted in large and compact flocs, and these flocs had a rapid regrowth when broken. Finally, the larger and more compact flocs contributed to the formation of more channels and voids, and therefore the specific resistance to filtration (SRF) reached a minimum

A Novel Magnetic Nano-Adsorbent Functionalized with Green Tea Extract and Magnesium Oxide to Remove Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solutions: Synthesis, Characterization, and Adsorption Behavior

In this study, a novel green tea/Mg-functionalized magnetic nano-adsorbent, denoted as GTE-MgO-Fe3O4 NPs, was developed and applied to the extraction of Methylene Blue (MB) from water-based solutions. The GTE-MgO-Fe3O4 NPs were synthesized by incorporating green tea extracts (GTE) and Mg species onto the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles using a hydrothermal method. Characterization analyses corroborated the successful functionalization of the Fe3O4 surface with GTE and Mg species, resulting in a superparamagnetic adsorbent equipped with abundant surface functional groups, which promoted MB adsorption and facilitated magnetic separation. Batch experiments revealed that different operating parameters had an impact on the adsorption behavior, such as adsorbent dosage, pH, coexisting ions, contact time, the initial MB concentration, and temperature. The investigations of adsorption kinetics and isotherms emphasized that the MB adsorption onto GTE-MgO-Fe3O4 NPs was an exothermic process dominated by chemisorption. The experimental adsorption capacity of GTE-MgO-Fe3O4 NPs for MB surpassed 174.93 mg g−1, markedly superior to the performance of numerous other adsorbents. Ultimately, the utilized GTE-MgO-Fe3O4 NPs could be effectively regenerated through acid pickling, retaining over 76% of its original adsorption capacity after six adsorption–desorption cycles, which suggested that GTE-MgO-Fe3O4 NPs was a suitable adsorbent for eliminating MB from effluent

Synthesis and Characterization of Ampholytic Flocculant CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC) and Its Flocculation Properties for Microcystis Aeruginosa Removal

The ampholytic chitosan based flocculant carboxylated chitosan graft-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) trimethylammonium chloride-dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC)) was synthesized by photo polymerization using carboxylated chitosan (CPCTS), 3-chloro-2-chloropropyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTA) and dimethyldiallylammonium chloride (DMDAAC) as the cationic co-monomers. The effects of monomer concentration, the ratio of CPCTS and cationic monomers, cationic degree, initiator time, photoinitiator concentration, and pH value on the properties of CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC) were studied. The microcystis aeruginosa that was cultured in laboratory was used for CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC) flocculation tests. The effects of CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC) dosage, pH value and G value on flocculation performance were investigated. The maximum removal rate of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) that were obtained by CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC) were 98.8% and 96.5% under the conditions of dosage 4 mg/L, pH 7 and G value 200 s−1, respectively. The flocculation experiments showed that chitosan-based flocculant CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC) had better flocculation performance than commercially available flocculants cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM), Polyferric Sulfate (PFS), and polymeric aluminium (PAC)

Effects of surfactants on the improvement of sludge dewaterability using cationic flocculants.

The effects of the cationic surfactant (cationic cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, CTAB) on the improvement of the sludge dewaterability using the cationic flocculant (cationic polyacrylamide, CPAM) were analyzed. Residual turbidity of supernatant, dry solid (DS) content, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), specific resistance to filtration (SRF), zeta potential, floc size, and settling rate were investigated, respectively. The result showed that the CTAB positively affected the sludge conditioning and dewatering. Compared to not using surfactant, the DS and the settling rate increased by 8%-21.2% and 9.2%-15.1%, respectively, at 40 mg·L-1 CPAM, 10×10-3 mg·L-1 CTAB, and pH 3. The residual turbidities of the supernatant and SRF were reduced by 14.6%-31.1% and 6.9%-7.8% compared with turbidities and SRF without surfactant. Furthermore, the release of sludge EPS, the increases in size of the sludge flocs, and the sludge settling rate were found to be the main reasons for the CTAB improvement of sludge dewatering performance

UV-Initiated Polymerization of Cationic Polyacrylamide: Synthesis, Characterization, and Sludge Dewatering Performance

P(AM-DAC-BA) was synthesized through copolymerization of acrylamide (AM), acryloyloxyethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DAC), and butylacrylate (BA) under ultraviolet (UV) initiation using response surface methodology (RSM). The influences of light intensity, illumination time, and photoinitiator concentration on the intrinsic viscosity [η] of P(AM-DAC-BA) were investigated. RSM model based on the influencing data was established for optimizing synthetic conditions. It was found that, at light intensity 1491.67 μw·cm−2, illumination time 117.89 min, and photoinitiator concentration 0.60‰, there was a better material performance achieved. Thus P(AM-DAC-BA) prepared under the above conditions showed excellent dewatering performance that, with 40 mg·L−1 P(AM-DAC-BA) at pH 7, the residual turbidity of supernatant and the dry solid content were up to 38 NTU, 28.5%, respectively

Magnetic Template Anion Polyacrylamide–Polydopamine-Fe3O4 Combined with Ultraviolet/H2O2 for the Rapid Enrichment and Degradation of Diclofenac Sodium from Aqueous Environment

In this study, a novel system was set up by preparing a magnetic flocculant combining with ultraviolet/H2O2 to realize the rapid enrichment and degradation of diclofenac sodium (DCFS). For the magnetic flocculant, template anion polyacrylamide (TAPAM) with anion micro-block structure was prepared. Thereafter, polydopamine was used to modify TAPAM, Fe3O4 nanoparticles was grafted to the modified TAPAM by chelation, named template anion polyacrylamide-polydopamine-Fe3O4 (TAPAM-PDA-Fe3O4). Furthermore, the TAPAM-PDA-Fe3O4 preparation protocol was optimized by the response surface method (RSM). In the DCFS enrichment section, the rapid separation of flocs from water was realized by an external magnetic field and it indicated that the π–π stacking effect was dominant in neutral/alkaline condition, whereas charge neutralization was favored in acidic conditions. Meanwhile, a DCFS enrichment kinetic curve was much fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and DCFS enrichment isothermal curve was close to the Freundlich isothermal model, indicating the dependence of DCFS quantity enriched by TAPAM-PDA-Fe3O4 and a multilayer heterogeneous enrichment process. The degradation experiment confirmed that DCFS was effectively degraded by ultraviolet/H2O2/TAPAM-PDA-Fe3O4 and the maximum value of DCFS degradation efficiency reached 98.1%. Furthermore, the regeneration experiment showed that the enrichment and degradation efficiency of DCFS could maintain a relatively high level in the initial three recycles