Urban soil and human health: a review Li, G.; Sun, G.‐X.; Ren, Y. ...
European journal of soil science,
January 2018, 2018-01-00, 20180101, Volume:
69, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Summary
Rapid industrialization and urbanization during recent decades are having dramatic effects on urban soil properties and lead to large discharges of pollutants, which inevitably affect the ...health of the soil, ecosystems and human populations. This paper provides a systematic review of the relations between urban soil and human health. First, it summarizes the organic and inorganic pollutants in urban soil and their potential risks to human health. Second, the relations between urban greenbelt land, soil microbial diversity and human health are also explored. Third, we propose that future research should focus on the integration of assessments of health risks with exposure pathways and site characteristics. Bioavailability‐based risk assessment frameworks for pollutants in urban soil can elucidate the complicated relations between urban soil, pollutant exposure and human health in cities. Finally, management of urban soil and policy should be strengthened in the future to maintain its sustainable development and utilization. More effort should be directed to understanding the relations between soil microbial diversity, green space and human health in cities.
Highlights
Evidence indicates the importance of urban soil in maintaining human health.
Pollutants, green space and microbial biodiversity have been systematically summarized.
Urban vegetation and antibiotic resistance genes in urban soil have implications in human health.
Bioavailability of pollutants and antibiotic resistance genes should be considered for human risk assessment.
Summary
Background
Various trials have been conducted on the management of male pattern hair loss (MPHL), but the outcomes often seem to be limited. Adjuvant therapies are urgently needed.
Aim
To ...evaluate the efficacy and safety of combined fractional radiofrequency microneedling (FRM) and 5% topical minoxidil in the treatment of male pattern hair loss.
Methods
In total, 19 Chinese men were enrolled in this randomized, controlled, split‐scalp trial. Participants received monotherapy with 5% topical minoxidil twice daily to one half of the scalp, while on the other half of the scalp the treatment with twice‐daily 5% topical minoxidil was combined with five sessions of FRM at 4‐week intervals. Mean hair count and hair thickness, global assessment by the investigators, subject self‐assessment and adverse effects were assessed.
Results
After 5 months of treatment, mean hair count increased from 44.12 ± 21.58 to 73.14 ± 25.45 on the combined‐therapy side and from 46.22 ± 18.77 to 63.21 ± 19.22 on the monotherapy side, while mean hair thickness increased from 53 ± 13 μm to 71 ± 15 μm and from 52 ± 16 μm to 66 ± 14 μm, respectively. Compared with the monotherapy side, the combined‐therapy side had a higher degree of improvement in both hair count (P = 0.01) and hair thickness (P = 0.02).
Conclusions
Combined treatment with fractional radiofrequency microneedle and 5% topical minoxidil could be an effective and safe treatment option for male pattern hair loss.
Iron selenide superconductors exhibit a number of unique characteristics that are helpful for understanding the mechanism of superconductivity in high-Tc iron-based superconductors more generally. ...However, in the case of AxFe2Se2 (A = K, Rb, Cs), the presence of an intergrown antiferromagnetic insulating phase makes the study of the underlying physics problematic. Moreover, FeSe-based systems intercalated with alkali metal ions, NH3 molecules or organic molecules are extremely sensitive to air, which prevents the further investigation of their physical properties. It is therefore desirable to find a stable and easily accessible FeSe-based superconductor to study its physical properties in detail. Here, we report the synthesis of an air-stable material, (Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe, which remains superconducting at temperatures up to ~40 K, by means of a novel hydrothermal method. The crystal structure is unambiguously determined by a combination of X-ray and neutron powder diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance. Moreover, antiferromagnetic order is shown to coexist with superconductivity. This synthetic route opens a path for exploring superconductivity in other related systems, and confirms the appeal of iron selenides as a platform for understanding superconductivity in iron pnictides more broadly.
Abstract Some typical immune proteins are expressed in the nervous system, among which the paired-immunoglobulin-like receptor B (PirB) is a receptor for major histocompatibility complex class I ...antigen (MHC-I), but may play a physiological role in the brain for neuronal circuitry stability by inhibiting synaptic plasticity. Chronic neuroinflammation is common to many neurodegenerative diseases and is often associated with neuronal/synaptic damage and dysfunction. Here we examined the expression of PirB in the rat brain following intracerebral application of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which has been shown to induce proinflammatory changes and cognitive deficits in rodents. One month after unilateral intrahippocampal LPS injection (10 μg in 4 μl phosphate-buffered saline, PBS), increased protein levels and immunoreactivity of PirB were detected in the ipsilateral hippocampal formation and cortex of the experimental group relative to vehicle (PBS) control. The increased PirB labeling was localized to astrocytes and neurons. Reduced synaptophysin protein levels and immunoreactivity were also found in the ipsilateral hippocampal formation and cortex in LPS-treated rats relative to controls. Morris water maze tests indicated that hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory were impaired in LPS-treated animals. Our findings add new experimental data for an upregulation of immune proteins in neuronal and glial cells in the brain in a model of endotoxin-induced neuroinflammation, synaptic alteration, and cognitive decline. The results suggest that PirB modulation may be involved in the pathological process under neurodegenerative conditions.
Macroscopic fibres made up of carbon nanotubes exhibit properties far below theoretical predictions and even much lower than those for conventional carbon fibres. Here we report improvements of ...mechanical and electrical properties by more than one order of magnitude by pressurized rolling. Our carbon nanotubes self-assemble to a hollow macroscopic cylinder in a tube reactor operated at high temperature and then condense in water or ethanol to form a fibre, which is continually spooled in an open-air environment. This initial fibre is densified by rolling under pressure, leading to a combination of high tensile strength (3.76-5.53 GPa), high tensile ductility (8-13%) and high electrical conductivity ((1.82-2.24) × 10(4) S cm(-1)). Our study therefore demonstrates strategies for future performance maximization and the very considerable potential of carbon nanotube assemblies for high-end uses.
The importance of the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) effect in Fe-based superconductors (FeSCs) has recently been under hot debate. Considering the Hund’s coupling-induced electronic correlation, the ...understanding of the role of SOC in FeSCs is not trivial and is still elusive. Here, through a comprehensive study ofSe77andFe57nuclear magnetic resonance, a nontrivial SOC effect is revealed in the nematic state of FeSe. First, the orbital-dependent spin susceptibility, determined by the anisotropy of theFe57Knight shift, indicates a predominant role from the3dxyorbital, which suggests the coexistence of local and itinerant spin degrees of freedom in the FeSe. Then, we reconfirm that the orbital reconstruction below the nematic transition temperature (Tnem∼90K) happens not only on the3dxzand3dyzorbitals but also on the3dxyorbital, which is beyond a trivial ferro-orbital order picture. Moreover, our results also indicate the development of a coherent coupling between the local and itinerant spin degrees of freedom belowTnem, which is ascribed to a Hund’s coupling-induced electronic crossover on the3dxyorbital. Finally, because of a nontrivial SOC effect, sizable in-plane anisotropy of the spin susceptibility emerges in the nematic state, suggesting a spin-orbital-intertwined nematicity rather than a simple spin- or orbital-driven nematicity. The present work not only reveals a nontrivial SOC effect in the nematic state but also sheds light on the mechanism of nematic transition in FeSe.
Tunable lattice resonances are demonstrated in a hybrid plasmonic crystal incorporating the phase-change material Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) as a 20-nm-thick layer sandwiched between a gold nanodisk array and a ...quartz substrate. Non-volatile tuning of lattice resonances over a range Δλ of about 500 nm (1.89 µm to 2.27 µm) is achieved experimentally via intermediate phase states of the GST layer. This work demonstrates the efficacy and ease of resonance tuning via GST in the near infrared, suggesting the possibility to design broadband non-volatile tunable devices for optical modulation, switching, sensing and nonlinear optical devices.
STUDY QUESTION
Is preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for translocation carriers more effective when done with a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array using trophectoderm (TE) biopsy and ...frozen embryo transfer (FET) compared with traditional PGD based on fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH-PGD) using blastomere biopsy and fresh embryo transfer?
SUMMARY ANSWER
The procedure using the SNP array combined with TE biopsy and FET significantly improves the clinical pregnancy rate for translocation carriers. The miscarriage rate also slightly decreases.
WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
FISH-PGD has been widely used in translocation carriers but the clinical outcomes have not been ideal. SNP arrays can detect both chromosome segmental imbalances and aneuploidy, and may overcome the limitations of FISH in PGD for translocation carriers.
STUDY DESIGN, SIZE AND DURATION
This was a retrospective study of 575 couples with chromosomal translocations, including 169 couples treated by SNP-PGD between October 2011 and August 2012, and 406 couples treated by FISH-PGD between January 2005 and October 2011.
PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS
The study was set in an IVF center at the Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, China. In total, 169 couples underwent SNP analysis, including 52 Robertsonian translocation carriers and 117 carriers of reciprocal translocations. Blastocysts (n = 773) were biopsied and FET was carried out on the balanced embryos. Four hundred and six couples underwent FISH-PGD, including 149 Robertsonian translocation carriers and 257 reciprocal translocation carriers. In total, 3968 embryos were biopsied and balanced embryos were transferred fresh. The SNP-PGD results and clinical outcomes were compared with those of FISH-PGD.
MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
Reliable SNP-PGD results were obtained for 717 out of 773 (92.8%) biopsied blastocysts. The proportions of normal/balanced embryos, embryos with translocation-related and translocation-unrelated abnormalities, the median number of embryos per patient, the ongoing pregnancy rate per embryo transfer and the miscarriage rate were 58, 23, 19, 2, 69 and 12%, respectively, for Robertsonian translocation carriers and 36, 52, 12, 1, 74 and 11%, respectively, in reciprocal translocation carriers. Reliable FISH-PGD results were obtained for 3452 out of 3968 (87.0%) biopsied embryos. The proportions of normal/balanced embryos, unbalanced embryos, the median number of embryos per patient, the ongoing pregnancy rate per transfer and the miscarriage were 36, 64, 3, 38 and 17%, respectively, for Robertsonian translocation carriers and 20, 80, 1, 39 and 16%, respectively, for reciprocal translocation carriers. Thus, SNP-PGD achieved a higher pregnancy rate but a lower miscarriage rate than FISH-PGD. There were no significant differences in maternal age, basal endocrine level and the average number of retrieved oocytes and good-quality D3 embryos in the SNP-PGD group compared with the FISH-PGD group.
LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
This was a retrospective study with the two groups treated in different periods; therefore, there is a chance of sample bias and a possibility that the results were influenced by other factors that changed over time. Furthermore, the two treatment protocols differ in several respects and we cannot say which makes the greatest contribution to the difference in success. Complete pregnancy outcomes of SNP-PGD have not been obtained as some embryos have not been transferred yet. We cannot exclude differences between the final data and the data in the present manuscript.
WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
The adoption of SNP-PGD combined with TE biopsy and FET may significantly improve the clinical pregnancy rate, and decrease the miscarriage rate after PGD for translocation carriers.
STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)
This work was supported by a grant from the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (No. 2012CB944901) and National Science Foundation of China (No. 81222007). The authors have no competing interests to declare.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
Not applicable.
► The pH plays important roles in 2205 DSS passive film composition and occurrence of pitting. ► The passive film of 2205 DSS in the alkaline solution, presenting a bilayer structure, composed of an ...outer and inner layer. ► As the pH increases, there is a gradual enrichment in chromium and nitrogen in the surface film. ► The peak of NH3/NH4+ is disappeared in the pH 10.5 solutions. ► The pit initiated at inclusions or in austenite phase near the γ/δ boundaries.
The electrochemical behaviour of 2205 duplex stainless steel in alkaline solutions with different pH values in the presence of NaCl was evaluated by different techniques: potentiodynamic measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and capacitance measurements (Mott–Schottky approach). The chemical composition was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In addition, the site of pitting nucleated preferentially on the duplex stainless steel had been confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that both the pH and immersion time play important roles in the evolution of the film resistance, charge transfer processes and the occurrence of pitting. The composition of the surface film changes with the pH value. The film formed in the alkaline solution, presenting a bilayer structure, predominantly contained Fe species and Cr-oxide. The NH3/NH4+ species in the passive film are disappeared in the pH 10.5 solution. The pit initiation sites occurred in austenite phase near the γ/δ boundaries or at inclusions. The number and size of the pits increases with the decrease of pH value after long time immersion.
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