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Antibiotic pollution is a major health issue inducing antibiotic resistance and the inefficiency of actual drugs, thus calling for improved methods to clean water and wastewater. Here we review the recent development of heterojunction photocatalysis and application in degrading tetracycline. We discuss mechanisms for separating photogenerated electron–hole pairs in different heterojunction systems such as traditional, p–n, direct Z-scheme, step-scheme, Schottky, and surface heterojunction. Degradation pathways of tetracycline during photocatalysis are presented. We compare the efficiency of tetracycline removal by various heterojunctions using quantum efficiency, space time yield, and figures of merit. Implications for the treatment of antibiotic-contaminated wastewater are discussed.

El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been shown to relate to the epidemiology of childhood infectious diseases, but evidence for whether they increase child deaths is limited. Here, we investigate the impact of mothers’ ENSO exposure during and prior to delivery on child mortality by constructing a retrospective cohort study in 38 low- and middle-income countries. We find that high levels of ENSO indices cumulated over 0–12 lagged months before delivery are associated with significant increases in risks of under-five mortality; with the hazard ratio ranging from 1.33 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26, 1.40) to 1.89 (95% CI, 1.78, 2.00). Child mortality risks are particularly related to maternal exposure to El Niño-like conditions in the 0th–1st and 6th–12th lagged months. The El Niño effects are larger in rural populations and those with unsafe sources of drinking water and less education. Thus, preventive interventions are particularly warranted for the socio-economically disadvantaged. El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been shown to relate to the epidemiology of child infectious diseases, but evidence for child deaths is limited. Here, the authors show that maternal exposure to high levels of ENSO before conception and giving birth may increase under-five mortality.

Epidemiologic evidence on thermal stress and preterm birth (PTB) is based on ambient temperature rather than a biothermal metric. Thyrotropin abnormalities have been associated with PTB and may increase thermal vulnerability. However, it remains unknown whether thermal stress and thyrotropin abnormalities synergistically contribute to increased risk of PTB. Here we conducted a nationwide cohort study among 6,218,131 singleton live births in China. Biothermal stress was measured using the Universal Thermal Climate Index. We found that both heat stress and cold stress during each trimester were associated with increased risks of PTB, with hazard ratios ranging from 1.06 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05, 1.07) to 2.33 (95% CI: 2.30, 2.35) and from 1.08 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.09) to 1.68 (95% CI:1.67, 1.70), respectively. Participants with subnormal (<0.37 mIU/L) or supranormal thyrotropin levels (≥4.88 mIU/L) and biothermal stress had higher risks of PTB, compared with those with normal thyrotropin levels and non-thermal stress. Additive interactions were also identified between biothermal stress and thyrotropin abnormalities. We estimated that up to 13.52% of PTB were attributable to biothermal stress and thyrotropin abnormalities. Our study showed a synergistic effect of biothermal stress and preconceptional thyrotropin abnormalities, highlighting the importance of climate adaption measures and thyroid management toward pregnant women under climate change scenario. The thyroid plays an important role in pregnancy and body temperature maintenance, and both ambient temperature and thyrotropin levels have been reported to associate with risk of preterm birth. Here the authors report that in a nationwide cohort from China biothermal stress during each trimester was associated with increased risks of preterm birth, with synergistic interactions with preconceptional thyrotropin abnormalities.

A novel biological material named activated carbon fibers-sodium alginate@ Sphingopyxis sp. YF1 (ACF-SA@YF1) was synthesized for microcystin-RR (MC-RR) and nutrient pollutant degradation in eutrophic water. The synthesized biomaterial was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology (RSM) were utilized for the optimization of conditions during the MC-RR degradation. The degradation of MC-RR and nutrient pollutants was dynamically detected. The results revealed that the optimal conditions were temperature 32.51 °C, pH 6.860, and inoculum 14.97%. The removal efficiency of MC-RR, nitrogen, phosphorus, and chemical oxygen demand were 0.76 μg/mL/h, 32.45%, 94.57%, and 64.07%, respectively. In addition, ACF-SA@YF1 also performed satisfactory cyclic stability, while the MC-RR removal efficiency was 70.38% after seven cycles and 78.54% of initial activity after 20 days of storage. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that ACF-SA@YF1 is an effective material which has a great prospect in removing MC-RR and nutrients from freshwater ecosystems.

Most existing epidemiological studies on the impact of air pollution on noncommunicable diseases have focused on urban areas, rather than nationwide studies that include rural areas. This study utilized a time-stratified case-crossover study that included deaths registered in the National Mortality Surveillance System from 2008 to 2020. Atmospheric particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO) were evaluated via the National Nested Air Quality Prediction Modeling System. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the associations between short-term air pollution exposure and the risk of respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. There were increases in the risk of respiratory diseases (0.12%, 0.10%, 0.10%, 0.05%, and 0.40%) and CVDs (0.08%, 0.07%, 0.03%, 0.02%, and 0.22%) for each 10 μg/m3 increase in the concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, NO2, and SO2, respectively, and for each 1 mg/m3 increase in the concentration of CO, which may be associated with the participants’ characteristics. The results of these national analyses indicate that ambient air pollutants are significantly associated with increased risks of respiratory disease and CVD death in both urban and rural areas, which is critical for air pollution control, especially in low- and middle-income areas.

Evidence of the precise biological pathway responsible for acute cardiovascular events triggered by particulate matter (PM) exposure from anthropogenic emissions is sparse. We investigated the associations of biomarkers relevant to the pathophysiology of atherothrombosis (ceramide metabolism, pro-inflammatory response, and blood coagulation) with primary and secondary components in particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5). A total of 152 healthy participants were followed with four repeated clinical visits between September 2019 and January 2020 in Beijing. Exposure to ambient inorganic aerosols (sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and chloride), as well as organic aerosols (OA) in PM2.5, was measured by a real-time aerosol chemical speciation monitor, and sources of OA were performed by positive matrix factorization. We found significant increases of 101.9–397.9% in ceramide indicators associated with interquartile-range increases in inorganic aerosols and OA prior to 72 h of exposure. Higher levels of organic and inorganic aerosols in PM2.5 were associated with increases of 3.1–6.0% in normal T cells regulated upon activation and expressed and secreted relevant to the pro-inflammatory response; increases of 276.9–541.5% were observed in D-dimers relevant to coagulation. Detrimental effects were further observed following OA exposure from fossil fuel combustion. Mediation analyses indicated that ceramide metabolism could mediate the associations of PM2.5 components with pro-inflammatory responses. Our findings expand upon the current understanding of potential pathophysiological pathways of cardiovascular events posed by ambient particulates and highlight the importance of reducing primary and secondary PM from anthropogenic combustions.

Carbon loading in airway cells has shown to worsen function of antimicrobial peptides, permitting increased survival of pathogens in the respiratory tract; however, data on the impacts of carbon particles on childhood acute respiratory infection (ARI) is limited. We assembled daily health data on outpatient visits for ARI (bronchitis, pneumonia, and total upper respiratory infection [TURI]) in children aged 0–14 years between 2015 and 2019 in Beijing, China. Anthropogenic carbons, including black carbon (BC) and its emission sources, and wood smoke particles (delta carbon, ultra‐violet absorbing particulate matter, and brown carbon) were continuously monitored. Using a time‐stratified case‐crossover approach, conditional logistic regression was performed to derive risk estimates for each outcome. A total of 856,899 children were included, and a wide range of daily carbon particle concentrations was observed, with large variations for BC (0.36–20.44) and delta carbon (0.48–57.66 μg/m3). Exposure to these particles were independently associated with ARI, with nearly linear exposure‐response relationships. Interquartile range increases in concentrations of BC and delta carbon over prior 0–8 days, we observed elevation of the odd ratio of bronchitis by 1.201 (95% confidence interval, 1.180, 1.221) and 1.048 (95% CI, 1.039, 1.057), respectively. Stronger association was observed for BC from traffic sources, which increased the odd ratio of bronchitis by 1.298 (95% CI, 1.273, 1.324). Carbon particles were also associated with elevated risks of pneumonia and TURI, and subgroup analyses indicated greater risks among children older than 6 years. Our findings suggested that anthropogenic carbons in metropolitan areas may pose a significant threat to clinical manifestations of respiratory infections in vulnerable populations. Plain Language Summary Carbon air pollution has been linked to potential biological mechanisms responsible for respiratory diseases, but its impact on childhood respiratory infection remain sparse. In this study, we examined the associations of carbon particles with childhood hospital visits for acute respiratory infection in the megacity Beijing. The results indicated that recent exposure to ambient black carbon and wood smoke‐related particles (delta carbon, ultra‐violet absorbing particulate matter, and brown carbon) was associated with heightened risks of upper and lower respiratory tract infections in children. Greater detrimental respiratory effects were observed for carbon particles from traffic. Up to date, the global pandemic of pediatric respiratory infection and air pollution episodes occurs frequently under the context of climate crisis, our findings highlighted the importance of discerning adverse respiratory effects caused by source‐specific carbon particles in real‐world settings, particularly at the extreme levels of anthropogenic carbon exposures faced by billions of children living in urban areas worldwide today. Key Points Extremely high levels of ambient black carbon and wood smoke‐related particles were found during the study period Carbon particles, particularly from traffic, were associated with increased risks of childhood respiratory infections Greater risks were found among children older than 6 years

ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate the impact of ambient carbon particles on hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) and evaluate whether the associations differed by maternal characteristics.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was constructed based on data from the Haidian Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Beijing, China. A total of 41 374 participants with last menstrual period dates between 2014 and 2018 were included. Black carbon (BC), ultraviolet light absorbing particulate matter (UVPM), delta carbon (Delta-C) and brown carbon (BrC) were measured at a fixed air monitoring site. Source contributions to BC were analysed using the Aethalometer model. Delta-C has been used as a specific indicator for wood-smoke pollution, and both UVPM and BrC represent a typical cluster of organic fractions. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between carbon particle exposure and gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia risk and identify sensitive windows.ResultsWe observed that pre-eclampsia risk was associated with UVPM and Delta-C exposure during the first trimester, with ORs per IQR increase in exposure being 1.27 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.58), and 1.60 (95% CI 1.32 to 1.94), respectively. Pre-eclampsia risk was associated with BC, UVPM, Delta-C and BrC exposure 3 months before conception. No significant associations were found between carbon particles and gestational hypertension. Stronger associations were observed for BC from traffic sources. Subgroup analyses indicated greater risks among participants who were over 30 years old, weighed over 60 kg and were nulliparous.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that carbon particle exposure may be associated with increased pre-eclampsia risk during early pregnancy, highlighting the importance of anthropogenic emission control for reducing adverse health impacts.

Green finance promotes the optimization of industrial structure and continuous improvement of ecological environment by supporting the development of green industries. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2012 to 2020, this paper uses the entropy weight TOPSIS method to measure the development level of green finance and the level of industrial structure optimization in China, and constructs a panel data model to empirically test the impact of green finance on the upgrading of China’s industrial structure. The study finds that there is still an imbalance and insufficiency in the development of green finance and industrial structure optimization in China. From 2012 to 2020, the development level of green finance and the level of industrial structure optimization in China have been continuously rising, but there is obvious heterogeneity, showing an eastern>central>western spatial pattern. Empirical analysis results show that at the significance level of 1‰, the development of green finance has a significant promoting effect on the rationalization and upgrading of the industrial structure. However, there is significant heterogeneity in the impact of green finance on industrial structure optimization. In terms of regional heterogeneity, at the significance level of 1‰, the role of green finance in promoting the optimization of industrial structure in central and western China is higher than that in eastern China, and the impact of green finance on China’s industrial structure shows a spatial pattern of western>central>eastern China. In terms of industry heterogeneity, at the significance level of 1‰, green finance has a significant promoting effect on the development of green industries, and a significant inhibiting effect on the development of high-energy-consuming industries. Specifically, in the green industry, green finance has the greatest promoting effect on the communication and other electronic equipment manufacturing industry; in the high-energy-consuming industry, green finance has the greatest inhibiting effect on the black metal smelting and rolling processing industry, and the smallest impact on the petroleum, coal and other fuel processing industry. Finally, based on this, policy suggestions for green finance to support the optimization of industrial structure are proposed from two dimensions: government and financial institutions.