Quantifying EDC Emissions from Consumer Products: A Novel Rapid Method and Its Application for Systematic Evaluation of Health Impacts.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are widely used in consumer products and have been associated with adverse public health outcomes and significant economic costs. We developed a rapid chamber method for measuring EDC emissions from consumer products, significantly reducing the time to reach steady state from weeks or months to minutes or hours. Using this method, we quantified EDC emissions from a wide range of products, determined the emission-control parameters, and established their relationship with the EDC content () and physicochemical properties.

Development and evaluation of an intensive short course: the Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment Interdisciplinary Instructional Institute (QMRA III).

Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) is a growing interdisciplinary field addressing exposures to microbial pathogens and infectious disease processes. Risk science is inherently interdisciplinary, but few of the contributing disciplinary programs offer courses and training specifically in QMRA. To develop multidisciplinary training in QMRA, an annual 10-day long intensive workshop was conducted from 2015 to 2019-the Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment Interdisciplinary Instructional Institute (QMRA III).

Lack of SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples collected from September 2020-February 2021 in a university that followed CDC reopening guidance.

This study aimed to provide environmental surveillance data for evaluating the risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 in public areas with high foot traffic in a university. Air and surface samples were collected at a university that had the second highest number of COVID-19 cases among public higher education institutions in the U.S.

Study on the correlation between B vitamins and breast cancer.

Background: Relevant studies suggest that serum vitamin level is related to the risk of breast cancer, and dietary pattern and drug supplementation can significantly affect the level of vitamin in the body. Therefore, intervention of vitamin level in the body is expected to be a potential strategy to reduce the risk of breast cancer. However, the current epidemiological findings of serum vitamin levels and breast cancer risk are inconsistent, and the relationship between serum vitamin and breast cancer is still controversial.

Effects of Return Air Inlets' Location on the Control of Fine Particle Transportation in a Simulated Hospital Ward.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made significant impacts on public health, including human exposure to airborne pathogens. In healthcare facilities, the locations of return air vents in ventilation systems may have important effects on lowering airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission. This study conducted experiments to examine the influence of different return air vents' heights (0.

Electrochemical removal and recovery of uranium: Effects of operation conditions, mechanisms, and implications.

Removing and recovering uranium (U) from U-mining wastewater would be appealing, which simultaneously reduces the adverse environmental impact of U mining activities and mitigates the depletion of conventional U resources. In this study, we demonstrate the application of a constant-voltage electrochemical (CVE) method for the removal and recovery of U from U-mining wastewater, in an ambient atmosphere. The effects of operation conditions were elucidated in synthetic U-bearing water experiments, and the cell voltage and the ionic strength were found to play important roles in both the U extraction kinetics and the operation cost.

Robustness of ventilation systems in the control of walking-induced indoor fluctuations: Method development and case study.

Walking-induced fluctuations have a significant influence on indoor airflow and pollutant dispersion. This study developed a method to quantify the robustness of ventilation systems in the control of walking-induced fluctuation control. Experiments were conducted in a full-scale chamber with four different kinds of ventilation systems: ceiling supply and side return (CS), ceiling supply and ceiling return (CC), side supply and ceiling return (SC), and side supply and side return (SS).

The treatment process of an extremely rare giant borderline phyllodes tumor of breast: case report and literature review.

Giant phyllodes tumors are rare fibroepithelial neoplasms, usually defined as >10 cm. It is often difficult for pathologists to distinguish fibroadenomas from phyllodes tumors and determine the malignant potential level. The current treatment principle is to ensure the extended resection of tumors with a margin of 1 cm or more.

Environmental Surveillance and Transmission Risk Assessments for SARS-CoV-2 in a Fitness Center.

Fitness centers are considered high risk for SARS-CoV-2 transmission due to their high human occupancy and the type of activity taking place in them, especially when individuals pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic for COVID-19 exercise in the facilities. In this study, air (N=21) and surface (N=8) samples were collected at a fitness center through five sampling events from August to November 2020 after the reopening restrictions were lifted in Florida. The total attendance was ~2500 patrons during our air and environmental sampling work.

Environmental Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in Two Restaurants from a Mid-scale City that Followed U.S. CDC Reopening Guidance.

Since mask use and physical distancing are difficult to maintain when people dine indoors, restaurants are perceived as high risk for acquiring COVID-19. The air and environmental surfaces in two restaurants in a mid-scale city located in north central Florida that followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reopening guidance were sampled three times from July 2020 to February 2021. Sixteen air samples were collected for 2 hours using air samplers, and 20 surface samples by using moistened swabs.

An integrated exposure and pharmacokinetic modeling framework for assessing population-scale risks of phthalates and their substitutes.

To effectively incorporate in vitro-in silico-based methods into the regulation of consumer product safety, a quantitative connection between product phthalate concentrations and in vitro bioactivity data must be established for the general population. We developed, evaluated, and demonstrated a modeling framework that integrates exposure and pharmacokinetic models to convert product phthalate concentrations into population-scale risks for phthalates and their substitutes. A probabilistic exposure model was developed to generate the distribution of multi-route exposures based on product phthalate concentrations, chemical properties, and human activities.

Overexpression of is associated with attenuation of migration and invasion in breast cancer.

Inhibitor of growth 3 () has been identified as a potential cancer drug target, but little is known about its role in breast cancer. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate expression in breast cancer, its clinical value, and how influences the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. The Cancer Genome Atlas and UALCAN databases were used to analyze ING3 expression in cancer tissues and normal tissues.

Evaluation of the body mass index in breast cancer prognosis in a cohort of small-stature overweight patients: multi-center study in China.

Background: Overweight and obesity have become a major health issue in the past 30 years. Several studies have already shown that obesity is significantly associated with a higher risk of developing breast cancer. However, few studies have assessed the prognostic value of the body mass index (BMI) in Asian populations.

Direct Transfer of Phthalate and Alternative Plasticizers from Indoor Source Products to Dust: Laboratory Measurements and Predictive Modeling.

Phthalate and alternative plasticizers are semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and among the most abundant indoor pollutants. Although ingestion of dust is one of the major exposure pathways to them, migration knowledge from source products to indoor dust is still limited. Systematic chamber measurements were conducted to investigate the direct transfer of these SVOCs between source products and dust in contact with the source.

Clinical and pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with different chemotherapy regimens predicts the outcome of locally advanced breast cancer.

Background: This retrospective analysis was designed to research whether clinical response partial response (PR)/complete response (CR) and pathological response (PCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy can translate into prognosis benefit pathological response in patients with locally advanced breast cancer and whether different chemotherapy regimens will influence the outcomes.

Methods: One hundred and thirty-five patients with breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were included in the retrospective analysis. Patients were followed up strictly.

A needle trap device method for sampling and analysis of semi-volatile organic compounds in air.

Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), such as phthalates, organophosphates, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are emerging as an important class of pollutants that are of serious health concerns. Determining concentrations of these pollutants is of great importance for environmental and exposure studies. In this work, a needle trap device (NTD) method was developed to measure the concentration of SVOCs in air samples.

Phthalates and organophosphates in settled dust and HVAC filter dust of U.S. low-income homes: Association with season, building characteristics, and childhood asthma.

Phthalates and organophosphates are ubiquitous indoor semi-volatile organic contaminants (SVOCs) that have been widely used as plasticizers and flame retardants in consumer products. Although many studies have assessed their levels in house dust, only a few used dust samples captured by filters of building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. HVAC filters collect particles from large volumes of air over a long period of time (potentially known) and thus provide a spatially and temporally integrated concentration.