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A 19-year-old male patient who suffered from sudden and repeated multiple organ dysfunction syndrome one month after the bar removal procedure of Nuss surgery for pectus excavatum was admitted to our department. With organ function supportive treatment, the etiology was finally identified to be a bone spur located at the inner border of the left costa due to repeated friction between the implanted steel bar and the rib, which damaged the heart repeatedly and induced the consequent acute cardiac tamponade. After operation, the patient was successfully managed and discharged. Follow-ups till three years indicated a good recovery.

Atrazine (ATR) is a widely used herbicide with biologically toxic effects that can lead to neurotoxicity. Lycopene (LYC) is an antioxidant with chemoprotective properties. However, little know about the mechanisms of preventative interventions about LYC alleviated ATR-induced neurotoxicity. Male mice were treated with distilled water (C), 5 mg/kg BW/day LYC (L), 50 and 200 mg/kg BW/day ATR (A1, A2), respectively and LYC + ATR (A1+L, A2+L). ATR promoted oxidative stress and inflammatory damage, as showed by the effects on MDA, H

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), as a widely used plasticizer, is reported to have widespread environmental and global health hazards. Trace amounts of phthalates in the environment are sufficient to disrupt ecological balance and affect human health. However, DEHP-induced splenic toxicity remains in an unknown state. Therefore, to explore the mechanism of DEHP-induced splenic toxicity, male quail were employed with 0, 250, 500 and 750 mg/kg body weight DEHP by daily gastric perfusion for 45 days. Notably, splenic corpuscular border and cell gap enlargement were observed in the spleen tissue of DEHP-exposed quail under the histopathological analysis. Furthermore, DEHP induced dysregulation of oxidative stress markers by increasing malondialdehyde (MDA) content and decreasing superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) activities. Low concentration of DEHP (≤250 mg/kg) exposure suppressed nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway, while high concentration of DEHP (≥500 mg/kg) exposure activated Nrf2-mediated defense response. DEHP induced splenic oxidative stress via interfering Nrf2 signal pathway and altering the transcription of its downstream genes. In conclusion, this study suggested that DEHP induced splenic toxicity.

Ophraella communa LeSage (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was accidentally introduced in China, and it is a biological control agent of common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Asterales: Asteraceae). Life history and life table parameters of O. communa were studied in the open field of Langfang city, Hebei province, north China (39°30′42″N, 116°36′07″E) in early spring. Development durations for egg, larva, pupa and entire immature stage of O. communa were 13.6, 21.1, 7.9 and 42.8 d, respectively. Adults could survive in 37.41 d, no differences in the longevities between female and male, and fecundity was 713.1 eggs per female. The intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), net reproductive rate (R0), and mean generation time (T) were 0.0660 d− 1, 1.0683 d− 1, 73.9 offspring/individual and 63.0 d, respectively. The results of our study can offer valuable insight on the population demography of O. communa in early spring in the field. In addition, the effects of temperature fluctuation on the development, survival and fecundity of O. communa and the potential of using the beetle for controlling A. artemisiifolia are also discussed in the early spring.

In this paper, we present experimental data on the resistance, capacity, and life cycle of lithium iron phosphate batteries collected by conducting full life cycle testing on one type of lithium iron phosphate battery, and we analyse that data using the data mining method of pattern recognition. We also predict battery reliability using cluster analysis. A strategy for enhancing the reliability of lithium iron phosphate batteries is proposed based on a statistical analysis and study of the macromechanism of product failures. We show in practice that the average life cycle of a battery is increased by 45.5% after adopting a new strategy that we suggest. The strategy is effective for mass-producing reliable lithium iron phosphate batteries and instructive for improving the industry of lithium iron phosphate battery production, as well as the quality of its products.

China has the highest greenhouse-based production in the world. In 2010, the area of greenhouses devoted to vegetable production was estimated at 4.7 million ha. With the increasing costs of pest control, expanding pesticide resistance and the growing consumer concern regarding pesticide residues in fresh vegetables, a strong demand for applying non-chemical control methods is emerging in China. Biological control in the greenhouse environment is a viable alternative to pesticide use from both environmental and economic perspectives. Although we have only 17 cases of fully documented, successful biological control operations from China, involving 8 crops, 8 pest species and 14 species of natural enemies, the use of the biological control agents is much more widespread. There are 7 commercial companies and facilities producing 21 species of natural enemies, and most of them are available country-wide. Several of these employ a rearing system using artificial diets, and many now move to an integrated production system, including the mass production of the biocontrol agents, quality control, methods of long-distance transportation, release recommendations, and user feedback. While initially these systems relied on introduced natural enemies, they increasingly develop modified systems using native natural enemies. The increasing demand for pesticide-free, high quality vegetable produce year-round and the existing certification schemes make it very likely that the use of biocontrol agents will continue to increase in China.