The influence of environmental and health indicators on premature mortality: An empirical analysis of the City of Toronto's 140 neighborhoods

The objective of this paper was to assess the link between premature mortality and a combination of neighbourhood contextual (environmental and health) and compositional (socioeconomic and demographic) characteristics. We statistically and spatially examined six environmental variables (ultrafine particles, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic pollutants, pollution released to air, tree cover, and walkability index), six health service indicators (number health providers, breast, colorectal and cervical cancer screening uptake rates, student nutrition program uptake rates, and healthy food index), and eight socioeconomic indicators (total income, Gini coefficient, two age categories – below and above 40 years, proportion of females to males, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, education, less than grade 9) among 140 neighbourhoods of the City of Toronto in Ontario (Canada). We applied principal component analysis to identify patterns and to reduce the number of explanatory variables into combined component axes that represent unique variation in these confounded and overlapping factors. We then applied regression analysis to model the relationship between the indices of enviro-health and socioeconomics and their potential relationship with premature mortality. Residual spatial analysis was used to investigate any remaining spatial structure (such as neighbourhoods with higher residual premature mortality rates). Neighbourhood Equity Index was correlated with our enviro-health and socioeconomic indices. Premature mortality within neighbourhoods was predicted by poor cancer screenings, pollution, lack of tree canopy, increased uptake of student nutrition programs and high walkability index. A negative association between premature mortality and pollution was associated low walkability index and presence of visible minorities within neighbourhoods. There was some unexplained residual spatial variation in our model of premature mortality - especially along the shores of Lake Ontario and in neighbourhoods with major highways or road corridors: premature mortality in Toronto neighbourhoods was higher than expected along highway-corridor neighbourhoods and shorelines. Our analysis revealed a significant relationship between neighbourhood contextual features – both environmental and health – and premature mortality, suggesting that these contextual components of neighbourhoods can predict rates of urban premature mortality in Toronto.     

Ethyl lactate as a potential green solvent to extract hydrophilic (polar) and lipophilic (non-polar) phytonutrients simultaneously from fruit and vegetable by-products

Phytonutrients extracted from natural resources are receiving much attention among researchers due to their highly antioxidative characteristics which prevent several degenerative diseases including cardiovascular diseases and cancers. These nutraceutical compounds can be used in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products as natural antioxidants, preservatives, colourants and functional foods. Huge volume of food wastes are generated from the processing industry and these low-value food residues are rich in various phytonutrients worth recovering. This approach of valorisation reduces the generation of food wastes and is cost-effective considering the cheap feedstock, reduced waste management expenses and high market value of extracted compounds. In light of the health and safety risks posed by commonly used organic extraction solvents derived from the petrochemical industry, there is a need to recover the phytonutrients using green, sustainable and efficient solvents that are safe for human consumption. This work discusses ethyl lactate as a safe, green, efficient and potentially cheap solvent to recover phytonutrients from fruit and vegetable by-products. Ethyl lactate is compared with other organic solvents commonly used from the aspects of safety, environmental impacts and efficiency. Current challenges when employing ethyl lactate are also discussed.     

SYBR Green Ⅰ实时荧光定量RT-PCR测定猴免疫缺陷病毒RNA拷贝数方法的建立

.学者论坛·在动物实验中解决临床难题···························，·······································································……顾玉东(3)基因〕:程     

骨髓干细胞参与小鼠急性肾小管坏死修复的实验研究

【摘要】 目的 观察在生理和病理情况下,骨髓来源的干细胞(BMSC)能否分化成肾小管上皮细胞。 方法 绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)标记的C57BL/6转基因小鼠提供骨髓细胞。同种无荧光标记的C57BL/6小鼠100只分为正常对照组、全身照射组、缺血再灌注组、骨髓移植组、骨髓移植+缺血再灌注组。受体鼠的骨髓重建经血液常规检查和流式细胞仪检测确认,并采用荧光组织化学、免疫组织化学等方法观察绿色荧光标记的BMSC在受体鼠肾脏的分布及数量。 结果 全身致死剂量γ射线照射未造成小鼠肾脏组织结构和生理功能的明显改变。骨髓移植后第56、84天的受体鼠肾小管中有少量GFP阳性细胞的存在[(78.75±5.99)%、(79.58±4.60)%],激光共聚焦显微镜进一步证实这些细胞位于肾小管,并表达肾小管上皮细胞特异性的功能蛋白megalin。 结论 在生理和病理情况下,骨髓干细胞均可以向肾小管上皮细胞转分化,参与肾小管上皮细胞的更新,并且在急性肾小管坏死的病理条件下,骨髓干细胞的肾向转化率与肾脏受损程度有关。     

Sensitization to green coffee bean (GCB) and castor bean (CB) allergens among dock workers

Summary Dock workers (n = 218) occupationally exposed to green coffee beans (GCB) were studied, using a specific questionnaire for allergic symptoms and skin tests for common and occupational allergens. Thirty-one workers (14.3%) complained of allergic symptoms of the eye, nose and bronchial system at the workplace. The prick tests, using both commercial allergens and specific extracts prepared from the most common types of coffee and their corresponding sacks, confirmed a sensitization in 21 workers (9.6%). A positive skin reaction to castor beans (CB) was found in nearly all these cases; in ten workers there was also a positive reaction to GCB allergens and in 14 cases prick tests were positive to extracts of sacks. There was a good concordance between prick tests and specific IgE for CB (95.0%) and also, but to a lesser extent, for GCB. The authors concluded that there is a significant risk of sensitization to CB and GCB allergens in dock workers occupied in handling green coffee bean, despite the fact that the exposure is not continuous. CB emerged as a common contaminant of GCB from various countries. For effective prevention, a modification of the methods of transport is required to avoid CB contamination to other products. Eliminating environmental dust during shipping operations is the most important preventive measure and it can be achieved by the use of containers, as some exporting countries are already doing.     

Vertical profile of Cs in soil

In this paper, a vertical distribution of ¹³⁷Cs in undisturbed soil was investigated experimentally and theoretically. Soil samples were taken from the surroundings of the city of Kragujevac in central Serbia during spring-summer of 2001. The sampling locations were chosen in such a way that the influence of soil characteristics on depth distribution of ¹³⁷Cs in soil could be investigated. Activity of ¹³⁷Cs in soil samples was measured using a HpGe detector and multi-channel analyzer. Based on vertical distribution of ¹³⁷Cs in soil which was measured for each of 10 locations, the diffusion coefficient of ¹³⁷Cs in soil was determined. In the next half-century, ¹³⁷Cs will remain as the source of the exposure. Fifteen years after the Chernobyl accident, and more than 30 years after nuclear probes, the largest activity of ¹³⁷Cs is still within 10 cm of the upper layer of the soil. This result confirms that the penetration of ¹³⁷Cs in soil is a very slow process. Experimental results were compared with two different Green functions and no major differences were found between them. While both functions fit experimental data well in the upper layer of soil, the fitting is not so good in deeper layers. Although the curves obtained by these two functions are very close to each other, there are some differences in the values of parameters acquired by them.     

二子合剂对糖尿病大鼠肾脏的保护作用

目的：探讨富含木脂素成分的中药牛蒡子、五味子组成的二子合剂对糖尿病大鼠肾脏的保护作用。方法：将SD大鼠建成链脲佐菌素诱导的糖尿病模型，设正常对照组、模型对照组、苯那普利治疗组、二子合剂大剂量治疗组及小剂量治疗组．4周后检测血糖、24h尿量、尿蛋白总量、尿白蛋白总量、血胆固醇、尿ET-1、TNF-α及肾组织病理变化。结果：与模型对照组相比，苯那普利组及二子合剂大剂量治疗组各项检测指标均有改善，两疗效近似。二子合剂小剂量治疗组仅见尿白蛋白总量及毛细血管襻面密度有减少。结论：牛蒡子、五味子合剂对糖尿病肾脏损害有一定的保护作用，其作用与剂量有相关性。     

云南阳春砂仁的质量与生态环境关系的探讨

当前云南阳春砂仁产量,占全国总产量的65.5％,商品有左右全国砂仁市场之势。经调查云南产区生态环境较原产区广东阳春县为优,故表现出植株生长较高,果实较大,每室籽粒数较多等性状特征之差,这些差异并非是物种的变异,而是生态环境较好所致。从两地商品中的精油成分和微量元素分析结果也基本一致,认为影响云南阳春砂仁质量的酸味,两地商品均有,并都来源于假种皮,只不过云南商品果实较大,假种皮较厚,总酸含量较高,但是总酸均为无毒副作用的低分子有机酸,不影响砂仁的质量。因此我们认为云南引种区的阳春砂仁质量,与广东原产区的阳春砂仁质量应基本一致。