First Insight into Fetal Exposure to Legacy and Emerging Plasticizers Revealed by Infant Hair and Meconium: Occurrence, Biotransformation, and Accumulation.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the embryonic and developmental toxicity of plasticizers. Thus, understanding the in utero biotransformation and accumulation of plasticizers is essential to assessing their fate and potential toxicity in early life. In the present study, 311 infant hair samples and 271 paired meconium samples were collected at birth in Guangzhou, China, to characterize fetal exposure to legacy and emerging plasticizers and their metabolites.

Bioaccumulation and biotransformation of 1,2-bis (2,4,6-tribromophenoxyethane) (BTBPE) and 1,2-dibromo-4-(1,2-dibromoethyl)-cyclohexane (TBECH) in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Despite the increasing production, use, and ubiquitous occurrence of novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), little information is available regarding their fate in aquatic organisms. In this study, the bioaccumulation and biotransformation of two typical NBFRs, i.e.

Tissue-specific and stereoselective accumulation of Dechlorane Plus isomers in two predator fish in a laboratory feeding study.

The tissue-specific bioaccumulation of Dechlorane Plus (DP) isomers was investigated in two predator fish species (redtail catfish, RF; and oscar fish, OF) that were feeding on tiger barb (TB), which was exposed to syn-DP and anti-DP isomers. The biotransformation potential of DP isomers was examined by in vitro metabolism using fish liver microsomes. No difference in accumulation behaviors of DP isomers was observed between RF and OF, and the accumulation of both syn- and anti-DP isomers exhibiting a linear increase trend with the exposure time in all fish tissues.

Fetal exposure to organic contaminants revealed by infant hair: A preliminary study in south China.

Fetal exposure to multiple organic contaminants (OCs) is a public concern because of the adverse effects of OCs on early life development. Infant hair has the potential to be used as an alternative matrix to identify susceptible fetuses, owing to its reliability, sensitivity, and advantages associated with sampling, handling, and ethics. However, the applicability of infant hair for assessing in utero exposure to OCs is still limited.

[Accuracy and Influence Analysis of 4D CBCT Automatic Registration Algorithm under the Guidance of Chest Tumor Image].

Objective: In order to provide guidance for clinical use of four-dimensional cone-beam CT (4D CBCT), the accuracy of image registration and its influencing factors were analyzed using the automatic registration method when 4D CBCT was used as an image guidance strategy for patients with chest tumors.

Methods: The respiratory motion model and two kinds of lung plug-ins were used to simulate two types of tumors and their movements in the chest. 4D CT was scanned for each kind of simulated tumor, and 4D CBCT was scanned under various artificial positioning errors.

[Liver and Kidney Function of E-waste Dismantling Workers and Potential Influencing Factors].

High levels of exposure to heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) by e-waste dismantling workers has attracted increasing attention, but the health conditions of the workers are seldom reported. The liver and kidney functions of the workers were studied by comparing the blood indicators of the worker group with those of the control group. Moreover, factors affecting the liver and kidney functions, such as the sexuality, age, and working time, were identified using correlation analysis.

Emission characteristics of toxic pollutants from an updraft fixed bed gasifier for disposing rural domestic solid waste.

Gasification has gained advantage as an effective way to dispose domestic solid waste in mountainous rural of China. However, its toxic emissions such as PCDD/Fs and heavy metals, as well as their potential environmental risks, were not well studied in engineering application. In this study, an updraft fixed bed gasifier was investigated by field sampling analysis.

[Possible Sources of PCDD/Fs in Atmosphere of a Certain District in Guangdong].

This paper analyzed 17 polychlorinated dibenzo--dioxins and dibenzofurans(PCDD/Fs) by HRGC/HRMS in the flue gas of a certain municipal solid waste incinerator(MSWI) and its surrounding air and other possible sources in Guangdong. It discussed the feature of homologs and main toxic monomers in all samples. It also investigated the relationship among surrounding area, MSWI and possible sources using principle component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis.

[Internal Exposure Levels of PAHs of Primary School Students in Guangzhou].

In order to investigate the internal exposure levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in primary school students of Guangzhou, the research collected urine of 78 and 86 primary school students from two primary schools in the summer of 2014, one school located in the ordinary residential area and the other in the industrial area. The contents of 10 kinds of OH-PAHs were tested by the rapid liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadruple tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed that the concentrations of total OH-PAHs in primary school students in the residential zone ranged from 0.

[Effect of meteorological factors on characteristics of PCDD/F pollution in Guangzhou].

High-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) was used to measure contents of 2, 3, 7, 8-polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and furan (PCDD/F) in ambient air in Guangzhou city, and its sources were traced and tracked preliminarily. Spatial and seasonal distributions, the correlation between PCDD/F concentrations and various kinds of meteorological factors were studied with emphasis, as well as the trajectory of air mass simulated by hybrid single-particle lagrangian integrated trajectory (HYSPLIT) model of the U. S.

[Concentrations, distribution characteristics and electron beam radiolysis degradation of PCDD/Fs in waste water from a paper mill].

Concentrations and distribution characteristics of 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs) were analyzed in waste water from a paper mill. And concentrations of 2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs in waste water before and after electron beam irradiation with different doses were compared. The feasibility, mechanism and rates of 2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs degradation were discussed.

[Uncertainty analysis of ecological risk assessment caused by heavy-metals deposition from MSWI emission].

The CALPUFF model was applied to simulate the ground-level atmospheric concentrations of Pb and Cd from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) plants, and the soil concentration model was used to estimate soil concentration increments after atmospheric deposition based on Monte Carlo simulation, then ecological risk assessment was conducted by the potential ecological risk index method. The results showed that the largest atmospheric concentrations of Pb and Cd were 5.59 x 109-3) microg x m(-3) and 5.

[Seasonal variation of concentrations and distribution characteristics of PCDD/Fs in atmosphere of an industrial area, Guangzhou].

Atmospheric concentrations of 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were measured seasonally in an industrial area of Guangzhou City. And seasonal variation of concentrations and distribution characteristics of 2,3,7,8- PCDD/Fs was investigated. The PCDD/Fs concentrations and corresponding I-TEQ (toxic equivalent quantity) values were in the range of 2.

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in paired human hair and serum from e-waste recycling workers: source apportionment of hair PBDEs and relationship between hair and serum.

Human hair has been widely used as a bioindicator for human persistent organic pollutants (POPs) exposure, but studies on the sources of hair POPs and the relationship between hair and body burden are limited. This study analyzed the possible source apportionment of hair PBDEs and examined the relationship between PBDE concentrations in paired hair and serum from e-waste recycling workers. Using the ratio of BDE 99/47 and BDE 209/207 as indices, we calculated that only 15% of the highly brominated congeners (nona- and deca-BDE congeners) comes from exogenous (external) exposure for both female and male hair, but an average of 64% and 55% of the lower-brominated congeners (tetra- to penta-BDE congeners) come from exogenous exposure for female and male hair, respectively.

[Concentration, profile distribution and source identification of PCDD/Fs in environmental medium around a HSWI].

The concentration and profiles of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in the environmental air, soil and plant samples around a hospital solid waste incinerator (HSWI) in Northwest of China were determined by HRGC/HRMS, and the flue gas samples of the HSWI were also involved. The results showed that the average concentration (I-TEQ) of PCDD/Fs in the exhaust gas was 184 ng x m(-3), which seriously exceeds the emission standard (0.5 ng x m(-3)).

A systemic administration of liposomal curcumin inhibits radiation pneumonitis and sensitizes lung carcinoma to radiation.

Radiation pneumonitis (RP) is an important dose-limiting toxicity during thoracic radiotherapy. Previous investigations have shown that curcumin is used for the treatment of inflammatory conditions and cancer, suggesting that curcumin may prevent RP and sensitize cancer cells to irradiation. However, the clinical advancement of curcumin is limited by its poor water solubility and low bioavailability after oral administration.

Effects of the proapoptotic regulator Bcl2/adenovirus EIB 19 kDa-interacting protein 3 on radiosensitivity of cervical cancer.

Purpose: Bcl2/adenovirus EIB 19 kDa-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) is a proapoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family. To address its potential as a therapeutic target for radiosensitization, this study investigated the effect of Bnip3 expression on radiosensitivity of cervical cancer in vitro and in vivo.

Materials And Methods: In vitro: A plasmid expressing the BNIP3 gene was transfected into human cervical cancer HeLa cells using Lipofectamine(2000), and western blot and immunohistochemistry analysis were performed to evaluate the expression of BNIP3 in transfected cells.

[Volumetric and geometric changes of parotids occurring during IMRT for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) using daily CBCT].

Objective: To study the volumetric and geometric changes of parotids occurring during IMRT treatment for NPC.

Methods: The pre-treatment CBCT images of 10 patients were obtained using kV-CBCT and transmitted back to TPS. The gross tumor volumes (GTVs) and volumes of parotids were manually drawn slice by slice on the CBCT images by the same person using image analysis software system Tomcon 3.

[Effect and mechanism of DNMT inhibitor on the reversal of multidrug resistance in human colon cancer cell line sw620/L-OHP].

Objective: To explore whether demethylation inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) could reverse multidrug resistance (MDR) of human colon cancer and its impacts on the expressions of Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19 KDa protein interacting protein 3 (BNIP3), P-glycoprotein (P-GP) and multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP), as well as the activity of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT).

Methods: Oxaliplatin (L-OHP) resistant human colon carcinoma cells (sw620/L-OHP) and its parental cells (sw620) were used to determine the effect of 5-aza-dC. CCK-8 assay was adopted to evaluate the cytotoxicity of 5-aza-dC.

[Content analysis and assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments from Beijiang River, China].

In the present study, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the surface sediment from Beijiang River in China were quantitatively determined by GC/MS. The concentration of PAHs varied from 38.2 to 6470 ng x g(-1) dry weight, with average 1071 ng x g(-1), which was in moderate level compared with other rivers in Pear River Basin.

[Interfractional and intrafractional setup errors in radiotherapy for tumors analyzed by cone-beam computed tomography].

Background & Objective: Both interfractional and intrafractional setup errors may affect the precision of radiotherapy. This study was to analyze the interfractional and intrafractional setup errors in radiotherapy for tumors using cone-beam computed tomography(CBCT).

Methods: Of the 51 patients received radiotherapy, 19 had head and neck tumors, 25 had thoracic tumors, and seven had abdominal-pelvic tumors.

[Preliminary application of kilo-volt cone-beam computed tomography to intensity-modulated radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

Background & Objective: The intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with its highly conformed dose distribution to nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) and the surrounding critical organs is being accepted increasingly in clinical practice. Due to the steep dose fall-offs of IMRT at the target margin, precise patient positioning and verification are required. This study was to evaluate the role of kilo-volt cone-beam computed tomography (kV-CBCT) in guiding the accurate positioning of IMRT for NPC.