Biomedical subjects

Pei-jun Li

Publications and source records attributed to Pei-jun Li.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Removal of heavy metals from a contaminated soil using tartaric acid.

This study reports the feasibility of remediation of a heavy metal (HM) contaminated soil using tartaric acid, an environmentally-friendly extractant. Batch experiments were performed to test the factors influencing remediation of the HM contaminated soil. An empirical model was employed to describe the kinetics of HM dissolution/desorption and to predict equilibrium concentrations of HMs in soil leachate. The changes of HMs in different fractions before and after tartaric acid treatment were also investigated. Tartaric acid solution containing HMs was regenerated by chestnut shells. Results show that utilization of tartaric acid was effective for removal of HMs from the contaminated soil, attaining 50%-60% of Cd, 40%-50% of Pb, 40 %-50% of Cu and 20%-30% of Zn in the pH range of 3.5-4.0 within 24 h. Mass transfer coefficients for cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were much higher than those for copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn). Sequential fractionations of treated and untreated soil samples showed that tartaric acid was effective in removing the exchangeable, carbonate fractions of Cd, Zn and Cu from the contaminated soil. The contents of Pb and Cu in Fe-Mn oxide fraciton were also significantly decreased by tartaric acid treatment. One hundred milliliters of tartaric acid solution containing HMs could be regenerated by 10 g chestnut shells in a batch reactor. Such a remediation procedure indicated that tartaric acid is a promising agent for remediation of HM contaminated soils. However, further research is needed before the method can be practically used for in situ remediation of contaminated sites.

Decontamination↗

PubMed2005

[Correlation of benign prostatic hyperplasia with hyperlipemia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate relationship between benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and hyperlipemia, and to clear out possible factors related to BPH etiology. METHODS: A total of 462 cases of BPH diagnosed by pathological examination were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: Of 462 cases, BPH with hyperlipemia was noted in 232 cases (50.22%). In comparison with the data of simple BPH, both prostate volume (P = 0.029) and residual urine (P = 0.03) were significantly increased in the BPH patients with hyperlipemia. Statistical analysis regarding the effects of different components of serum lipid on BPH clinical factors showed that the level of high density lipoprotein was significantly associated with both the enlargement of prostate volume (P < 0.05) and increasing of serum PSA (P < 0.05) Further study indicated that hypertension was demonstrated in 39.2% patients of BPH with hyperlipemia. Hyperlipemia accompanied with hypertension in BPH patients was significantly related to increased IPSS (P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: The situation of BPH with hyperlipemia is frequently noted in clinics, and the decreased level of high-density lipoprotein is significantly associated with the enlargement of prostate volume. Co-existence of hypertension with hyperlipemia in BPH patients greatly worsens the lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) of BPH. Hyperlipemia may be one of the risk factors in the processes of BPH growth and progression.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

[Impact of hypertension on angiogenesis in the tissues of benign prostatic hyperplasia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of primary hypertension on angiogenesis in the tissues of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was carried out to examine the expression of CD34, so as to calculate the microvassel density (MVD), and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the tissues of prostatic gland, resected during operation, of 50 simple BPH patients, aged 68.3 (56 approximately 83), and 50 patients with BPH with hypertension, aged 69.0 (55 approximately 91) with a course of hypertension of 16.5 +/- 11.9 years (1 - 41 years). RESULTS: The MVD of the simple BPH group was 23.1 +/- 9.2, significantly lower than that of the BPH complicated with hypertension group (28.2 +/- 9.5, P < 0.01), especially the BPH complicated with hypertension group with a course >/= 15 years (31.3 +/- 8.5). The MVD of the BPH complicated with hypertension group with a course >/= 15 years was significantly higher than that of the BPH complicated with hypertension group with a course < 15 years (25.7 +/- 9.7, P < 0.05). The VEGF positive rate of the stroma of the simple BPH group was 46.0%, significantly lower than that of the BPH complicated with hypertension group (66.0%, P < 0.05), especially that of the BPH complicated with hypertension group with a course >/= 15 years (81.8%). The VEGF positive rate of the stroma of the BPH complicated with hypertension group with a course >/= 15 years was significantly higher than that of the BPH complicated with hypertension group with a course < 15 years (53.6%, P < 0.05). In the group of BPH with hypertension, MVD was positively correlated with the expression of VEGF in the stromal tissue (R = 0.11, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Hypertension may be closely related to the increased expression of VEGF in prostatic stroma. The increased expression of VEGF may induce angiogenesis and consequently lead to clinical progression of BPH in patients with hypertension.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

[Association study between benign prostatic hyperplasia and primary hypertension].

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether primary hypertension affects the occurrence and progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: A total of 423 cases of BPH, undergoing transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) or open surgery due to severe low urinary tract symptoms, were reviewed and analyzed. All cases were verified to be BPH postoperatively following histopathological examination. RESULTS: Of 423 patients, 295 cases (69.7%) were simple BPH (group BPH-NT); 128 cases (30.3%) were BPH with hypertension (group BPH-HT). The mean age and the incidence of haematuria were significantly higher in group BPH-HT than those in group BPH-NT (P < 0.05). The time of BPH occurrence and surgical treatment in group BPH-HT with mean diastolic blood pressure >/= 90 mmHg was significantly earlier than those with diastolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg (P < 0.05; P < 0.01). As compared with group BPH-NT, the time of BPH occurrence was significantly earlier in group BPH-HT with more than 10 years hypertension; the rate of urinary retention and haematuria was significantly higher and prostatic volume was significantly greater in group BPH-HT with more than 20 years hypertension; (all P < 0.05). Additionally, prostatic volume was positively correlated with the years of hypertension in group BPH-HT (Rsq = 0.056, P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: The present results demonstrate that BPH may be frequently accompanied by the disease of hypertension. A long-term hypertension, particularly the condition of high diastolic blood pressure may improve the occurrence and clinical progression of BPH.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

[Application of wastewater land treatment technique to the construction of ecological engineering in sand land].

In this paper studies on the feasibility of harmlessness and resource of wastewater, which was discharged from a thermal power plant, by using slow rate filtration of land treatment technique for the fast recovery of vegetation in the Kubuqi sand land were carried out. The selected arbor, shrub and herbage in the land treatment system were poplar (Populus alba Var. Pyramidalis bunge), seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) and sweet clover (Melilotus suaveolens) respectively. Three levels of wastewater hydraulic loading were designed in the field pilot experiment. They were high plot with 3000 mm/a irrigation (H), medium plot with 1500 mm/a irrigation (M) and low plot (L) with small volume of irrigation only used in the period of transplant seedlings. The performance indicate that the purification function of power plant wastewater by pre-treatment through combination of precipitation pool with storage ponds is effective and therefore the effluent after pretreatment can be used to irrigation vegetation. The experiment results show that the volume of tree crown for poplar in H plot and M plot was up to 1.07 and 2.21 times comparing with L plot respectively. The annual yield (dry weight) of sweet clover in H plot and M plot was up to 2.33 and 3.0 times comparing with L plot respectively. The height of seabuckthorn in H zone and M plot was up to 1.08 and 1.32 times comparing with L plot respectively. There is direct proportion between growth status of vegetation and hydraulic loading of irrigation. The contents of heavy metals for sweet clover (Cd 0.021 mg/kg, Pb<0.001 mg/kg, Cr <0.01 mg/kg, As 0.043 mg/kg) are much lower than the food standards of grain and vegetables, therefore the sweet clover for raising livestock is safe. Wastewater in this area is valuable source. Its reasonable utilization can contribute important benefits in economy and ecology in the ecological construction and developing effective agriculture and animal husbandry.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

PubMed2003

Rapid ecotoxicological assessment of heavy metal combined polluted soil using canonical analysis.

Quick, simple to perform, and cheap biomarkers were combined in a rapid assessment approach to measure the effects of metal pollutants, Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn in meadow burozem on wheat. Analysis of orthogonal design showed that the significant zinc factor indicated both the inhibition rate of shoot mass and that of root elongation were affected by zinc (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). The first toxicity canonical variable (TOXI), formed from the toxicity data set, explained 49% of the total variance in the toxicity data set; the first biological canonical variable (BIOL) explained 42% of the total variation in the biological data set. The correlation between the first canonical variables TOXI and BIOL (canonical correlation) was 0.94 (P < 0.0001). Therefore, it is reliable and feasible to use the achievement to assess toxicity of heavy metal combined polluted soil using canonical analysis. Toxicity of soil combined polluted by heavy metals to plant community was estimated by comparing the IC50 values describing the concentration needed to cause 50% decrease with grow rate compared to no metal addition. Environmental quality standard for soils prescribe that all these tested concentration of heavy metals in soil should not cause hazard and pollution ultimately, whereas it indicated that the soils in second grade cause more or less than 50% inhibition rates of wheat growth. So environmental quality standard for soils can be modified to include other features.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2002

Greenhouse gas emissions from a constructed wetland for municipal sewage treatment.

The fluxes of greenhouse gases (methane and nitrous oxide) emission from a constructed wetland in the Eastern China as municipal sewage treatment were measured from June 1999 to August 2000 by the closed chamber method. The constructed wetland for municipal sewage treatment is a significant source of methane, up to 976.6 x 10(6) g CH4/a, which was emitted from the constructed wetland with the area of 495,000 m2 and wastewater loading rate of 12,000 m3/d. Its daily mean methane flux reached 5.22 g CH4/(m2.d), 250 times as much as that in natural wetland in the same latitude region. 227.8 mg CH4 was produced from the treatment of 1 liter wastewater, up to 700-1000 times as much as that in the secondary treatment. The emission of nitrous oxide from the constructed wetland is not higher than that from secondary treatment of wastewater, only 0.07 mg N2O/L.

Air Pollutants↗