Comprehensive efficiency analysis of wastewater treatment plants (WWPTs) in the alpine region with harsh environment and poor techniques as well as managing experience could provide targeted and effective improvement evidences for local wastewater treatment industry and help to improve the water quality of downstream reaches. In this paper, slack–based data envelopment analysis (SBM–DEA) was adopted to assess the operating efficiencies of WWPTs in northeast Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP). Results showed that the average efficiency score for all WWPTs was 0.608, and 32.5% of WWPTs were efficient. Some WWPTs had large improvement potentials in operating costs and pollutant removal rates. Lowering expenditures and promoting facility construction for WWPTs to overcome the climate difficulties and improve management level was necessary according to their improvement potentials. In addition, the relative importance of the quantitative influential factors to efficiencies scores calculated by random forest regression (RFR) indicated that design capacity and temperature were important quantitative factors affecting the performance of WWPTs. Furthermore, geographical location and design capacity also had significant influence on the comprehensive efficiency of WWPTs verified by Kruskal–Wallis test. Our results highlight the importance of facilities upgrading, scientific management for WWPTs. And the relative improvement suggestions on overcoming the high and cold environment should also be considered for the efficient operations of WWTPs as well as the protection the aquatic environment.

A pre-diabetes syndrome induced by endocrine disruptors (ED) was recently demonstrated in the model amphibian Silurana (Xenopus) tropicalis and was suggested to be a potential cause of amphibian population decline. However, such effects have not been found in wild type frogs exposed to ED and the capacity of amphibians to physiologically develop diabetes under natural conditions has not been confirmed. This study showed that a high fat diet (HFD) model displaying the important characteristics of mammal HFD models including glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can be developed with green frogs (Pelophylax spp.). Wild green frogs exposed to 10 μg L⁻¹ benzo [a]pyrene (BaP) for 18 h also displayed several characteristics of the pre-diabetes phenotype previously observed in Xenopus including glucose intolerance, gluconeogenesis activation and insulin resistance. The study results confirmed that metabolic disorders induced by ED in wild green frogs are typical of the pre-diabetes phenotype and could serve as a starting point for field studies to determine the role of ED in the decline of amphibian populations. From an environmental perspective, the response of wild green frogs to different ED (10 μg L⁻¹) suggests that a simple glucose-tolerance test could be used on wild anurans to identify bodies of water polluted with metabolic disruptors that could affect species fitness.

Lipids are the main energy support during gametogenesis. Digestive gland is the key organ of aquatic animal metabolism for storing nutrition and supplying energy. It participates in a variety of life activities (such as growth, digestion, immunity, and reproduction). Nutrients stored in digestive glands, especially lipids, provide energy for reproductive behaviors such as gametogenesis and ovulation. A large number of studies have confirmed the accumulation of lipids from digestive gland to gonad during gametogenesis. At present, the research on the interference mechanism of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on lipid metabolism of aquatic animals and the adaptive response of aquatic animals to POPs stress focus on biochemical levels or a few genes. The potential molecular mechanism of lipid metabolism interference needs to be further studied. In addition, as an important stage of aquatic animals, the reproductive period is a vigorous period of lipid metabolism. However, at present, there is no report on the molecular mechanism of POPs interfering with the lipid metabolism of the digestive gland in the reproductive process of aquatic animals. In this study, female scallop C. farreri was cultured in natural seawater and exposed to 4 μg/L B[a]P in seawater. Transcriptome analysis of digestive glands at multiple stages (proliferative stage, growth stage, mature stage and spawn stage) was performed, and iPath pathway analysis was used to analyze lipid metabolism pathways and differential genes. The interference mechanism of lipid metabolism in bivalves during reproductive period was revealed. This study will provide valuable genomic information on the role of digestive glands in lipid metabolism and reproduction of C. farreri, and will contribute to further functional genomics of bivalves and other closely related species.

Worship activities like burning joss paper during the Chinese Hanyi festival is a common, traditional custom in northwest China. However, the pollutants of e.g., soot particles, released from joss paper burning and the corresponding impacts on urban air quality were poorly investigated, which can be a particular concern since these activities are conducted in an uncontrolled manner. In this study, a long time-of-flight (LToF) soot particle aerosol mass spectrometry (SP-AMS) was deployed to characterize the refractory black carbon (rBC) emitted from the joss paper burning, as well as crop residue, coal combustion, and traffic during the Hanyi Festival in mid-November 2020 in the northwestern city of Xi'an in China. Large difference (from <5% to >100%) in the fragmentation patterns (Cₙ⁺) for the measured rBC from different source emissions were found when compared to the reference Regal Black. Using the receptor model of positive matrix factorization (PMF) with the multilinear engine (ME-2) algorithm, the obtained rBC mass spectra were used as the anchoring profiles to evaluate the emission strengths of different source types to the atmospheric rBC. Our results show that the burning of joss paper accounted for up to 42% of the atmospheric rBC mass, higher than traffic (14–17%), crop residue (10–17%), coal (18–20%) during the Hanyi festival in northwest China. Moreover, we show that the overall air quality can be worsened due to the practice of uncontrolled burning of joss paper during the festival, which is not just confined to the people who do the burning. Although worship activities occur mainly during festival periods, the pollution events contributed by joss paper burning may pose an acute exposure risk for public health. This is particularly important since burning joss paper during worship activities is common in China and most Asian countries with similar traditions.

Children's exposure to lead is a global health problem, especially in low- and middle-income countries. However, research on the relationship between children's blood lead levels (BLLs) and the development of the lead industry is still limited. This study examined whether children's BLLs were associated with the development of lead industry in different regions. Using survey data on the BLLs of children living in 250 prefectures in China with corresponding data on their economic factors and lead industries, we explored the regional variation of children's BLLs using statistical methods. The results show that the level of economic development in leaded areas was associated with inequity in children's BLLs and met the environmental Kuznets hypothesis. In areas without lead industries, there was little correlation between the level of economic development and the BLLs of children and thus the environmental Kuznets hypothesis was not supported. Lead mines, lead smelting and chemical companies are major sources of blood lead in children living in leaded areas. This study demonstrated the success of control policies for lead-acid battery manufacturers in promoting the prevention and control of childhood lead poisoning in China. China should consciously support the improvement of children's BLLs in undeveloped areas with lead industries through national financing and policies to avoid the continuous effects of the regional inequality problem of high children's BLLs.

This study focused on the syngenetic control of polychlorinated-ρ-dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and heavy metals by field stabilization/solidification (S/S) treatment for municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA) and multi-step leachate treatment. Modified European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) speciation analysis and risk assessment code (RAC) revealed the medium environment risk of Cd and Mn, indicating the necessity of S/S treatment for MSWIFA. S/S treatment significantly declined the mass/toxic concentrations of PCDD/Fs (i.e., from 7.21 to 4.25 μg/kg; from 0.32 to 0.20 μg I-TEQ/kg) and heavy metals in MSWIFA due to chemical fixation and dilution effect. The S/S mechanism of sodium dimethyldithiocarbamate (SDD) and cement was decreasing heavy metals in the mild acid-soluble fraction to reduce their mobility and bioavailability. Oxidation treatment of leachate reduced the PCDD/F concentration from 49.10 to 28.71 pg/L (i.e., from 1.60 to 0.98 pg I-TEQ/L) by suspension absorption or NaClO oxidation decomposition, whereas a so-called “memory effect” phenomena in the subsequent procedures (adsorption, press filtration, flocculating settling, slurry separation, and carbon filtration) increased it back to 38.60 pg/L (1.66 pg I-TEQ/L). Moreover, the multi-step leachate treatment also effectively reduced the concentrations of heavy metals to 1–4 orders of magnitude lower than the national emission standards. Furthermore, the PCDD/Fs and heavy metals in other multiple media (soil, landfill leachate, groundwater, and river water) and their spatial distribution characteristics site were also investigated. No evidence showed any influence of the landfill on the surrounding liquid media. The slightly higher concentration of PCDD/Fs in the soil samples was ascribed to other waste management processes (transportation and unloading) or other local source (hazardous incineration plant). Therefore, proper management of landfills and leachate has a negligible effect on the surrounding environment.

Silicosis is a disease mainly caused by pulmonary interstitial fibrosis caused by long-term inhalation of dust with excessively high content of free SiO₂. Transdifferentiation of lung fibroblasts into myofibroblasts is an important cellular basis for silicosis, but the key transcription factors (TFs) involved in this process are still unclear. In order to explore the biological regulation of transcription factor PPARγ/LXRα in silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis, this study explored the molecular mechanism of PPARγ/LXRα involved in regulating transcription factors related to SiO₂-induced lung injury at the cellular level and in animal models. ChIP-qPCR detected that PPARγ directly regulated the transcriptional activity of the LXRα gene promoter, while the PPARγ agonist RSG increased the expression of LXRα. In addition, we demonstrated in the cell model that upregulation of LXRα can inhibit silica-mediated fibroblast transdifferentiation, accompanied by an increase in the expression of SREBF1, PLTP and ABCA1. The results of LXRα silencing experiment matched those of overexpression experiment. These studies explored the role of LXRα in plasticity and phenotypic transformation between lung fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. Therefore, inhibiting or reversing the transdifferentiation of lung fibroblasts to myofibroblasts by intervening PPARγ/LXRα may provide a new therapeutic target for the treatment of silicosis.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease characterized by inflammation and impaired tissue regeneration, and is reported as the fourth leading cause of death worldwide by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Environmental pollution and specifically motor vehicle emissions are known to play a role in the pathogenesis of COPD, but little is still known about the molecular mechanisms that are altered following diesel exhaust particles (DEP) exposure. Here we used lung organoids derived from co-culture of alveolar epithelial progenitors and fibroblasts to investigate the effect of DEP on the epithelial-mesenchymal signaling niche in the distal lung, which is essential for tissue repair. We found that DEP treatment impaired the number as well as the average diameter of both airway and alveolar type of lung organoids. Bulk RNA-sequencing of re-sorted epithelial cells and fibroblasts following organoid co-culture shows that the Nrf2 pathway, which regulates antioxidants' activity, was upregulated in both cell populations in response to DEP; and WNT/β-catenin signaling, which is essential to promote epithelial repair, was downregulated in DEP-exposed epithelial cells. We show that pharmacological treatment with anti-oxidant agents such as N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) or Mitoquinone mesylate (MitoQ) reversed the effect of DEP on organoids growth. Additionally, a WNT/β-catenin activator (CHIR99021) successfully restored WNT signaling and promoted organoid growth upon DEP exposure. We propose that targeting oxidative stress and specific signaling pathways affected by DEP in the distal lung may represent a strategy to restore tissue repair in COPD.

Research over the last three decades showed that chromium, particularly the oxyanion chromate Cr(VI) behaves as a toxic environmental pollutant that strongly damages plants due to oxidative stress, disruption of nutrient uptake, photosynthesis and metabolism, and ultimately, represses growth and development. However, mild Cr(VI) concentrations promote growth, induce adventitious root formation, reinforce the root cap, and produce twin roots from single root meristems under conditions that compromise cell viability, indicating its important role as a driver for root organogenesis. In recent years, considerable advance has been made towards deciphering the molecular mechanisms for root sensing of chromate, including the identification of regulatory proteins such as SOLITARY ROOT and MEDIATOR 18 that orchestrate the multilevel dynamics of the oxyanion. Cr(VI) decreases the expression of several glutamate receptors, whereas amino acids such as glutamate, cysteine and proline confer protection to plants from hexavalent chromium stress. The crosstalk between plant hormones, including auxin, ethylene, and jasmonic acid enables tissues to balance growth and defense under Cr(VI)-induced oxidative damage, which may be useful to better adapt crops to biotic and abiotic challenges. The highly contrasting responses of plants manifested at the transcriptional and translational levels depend on the concentration of chromate in the media, and fit well with the concept of hormesis, an adaptive mechanism that primes plants for resistance to environmental challenges, toxins or pollutants. Here, we review the contrasting facets of Cr(VI) in plants including the cellular, hormonal and molecular aspects that mechanistically separate its toxic effects from biostimulant outputs.