Objective To investigate the drinking water quality in the countryside in different river systems areas in Hefei, China and to provide scientific data for the improvement of drinking water quality and protection of human health. Methods In Hefei, according to hydrological geology, the rural areas were classified into the Lake-Chaohu river system, the Huaihe-River river system, the Yangtze-River-Huaihe-River watershed area and the general area, the multi-stages sampling method were employed in the investigation of water quality. Results 82.15% of local people drank the shallow-layer well water. 82.73% of water wells exposed to a pollution source which was no more than 30 meters from the well. Dissolved total solid and total coliforms were higher in the rainy season compared with that in the dry season, but the content of the other contaminants were higher in the dry season. Among the river systems areas, the content of some contaminants showed a significant difference. When the distance of pollutant source was fixed, increasing the well depth could reduce the bacterium count in water. Conclusion In the countryside of Hefei, the total bacteria count and the total coliforms in drinking water greatly exceed the allowed limits, water supply improvement should be made according to the local hydrological and geological condition.

Objective To investigate the protective effects of imipramine on alveolar epithelial barrier functiou in mice against LPS-induced acute lung injury (ALI),and explore the possible mechanisms.Methods Total of 32 SPF male Balb/c mice were randomly (random number) divided into four groups:control group,Imipramine group,LPS group,LPS + Imipramine group.To establish an animal model of ALI,mice were administered intraperitoneally with LPS in 20 mg/kg.Mice were treated with imipramine in 25 mg/kg 30 min prior to LPS administration.FITC-FD4 was administered in mice via the tail vein with FITC-FD4 10 min before mice sacrificed under anesthesia at 12 hours after LPS administration,then bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were obtained.HE staining was used to observe histopathological changes,and pathology scores;lung tissue wet-to-dry weight ratio and BALF/serum FD4 ratio were used to assess pulmonary edema and alveolar epithelial permeability.Real-time PCR,western blot and immunochemistry were employed to detect the mRNA expressions and protein levels of Occludin,Claudin-4 and ZO-1.Data were analyzed with SPSS 16.0 software,one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare multiple sets of variables,the intergroup comparisons were analyzed by the least-significant-difference (LSD) tests with P ＜ 0.05 for the statistically significant difference.Results Compared with LPS group,LPS + lmipramine group had a statistically significant decrease in pathological score [(9.22 ± 0.21) vs.(11.23 ± O.55),P ＜ O.05);the wet-to-dry weight ratio in LPS + Imipramine group was less than that in LPS group and the difference was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05);compared with LPS group,the ratio of BALF/serum FD4 in LPS + Imipramine was less and the difference was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05);compared with LPS group,the mRNA expressions and protein levels of Occludin,Claudin-4 and ZO-1 in LPS + Imipramine group were significantly increased (mRNA:Occludin:P ＜ 0.05;Claudin-4:P ＜ 0.05;ZO-1:P ＜ 0.05 . western blot:Occludin:P ＜ 0.05;Claudin-4:P ＜ 0.05;ZO-1:P ＜ 0.05).Immunochemistry showed that Occludin and Claudin-4 were present mainly in alveolar epithelial cell membrane,Z0-1 was found mainly in cytoplasm of alveolar epithelial cell.In control group and Imipramine group,tight junction proteins were obviously expressed.Compared with control group,protein levels in LPS group were significantly decreased (Occludin:P ＜ 0.05;Claudin-4:P ＜ 0.05;ZO-1:t =6.59,P ＜ 0.05);compared with LPS group,the tight junction proteins in LPS + Imipramine group were significantly increased (Occludin:P ＜ 0.05;Claudin-4:P ＜ 0.05;ZO-1:P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The protective effects of imipramine on alveolar epithelial barrier function by up-regulating tight junction proteins expression in murine LPS-induced ALI.

Objective To explore the relationship between the outpatient visits for adult asthma and air pollution in a tertiary hospital in Hefei. Methods The number of outpatient visits for asthma in a tertiary hospital in Hefei from 2014 to 2020 was collected. The air pollutant data was obtained through the Hefei Air Monitoring Station, and the meteorological indicators of the same period were collected through the China Meteorological Network. The R statistical software was used to establish a generalized additive model to analyze the lag effect of air pollution on the number of outpatient visits for asthma. Results From 2014 to 2020, there were 7 220 asthma outpatients in the tertiary hospital in Hefei, including 3104 males and 4 116 females, 3 798 patients in warm season, and 3 422 patients in cold season. During the period, the average concentrations of SO₂, NO₂, CO, O₃, PM₁₀, and PM_2.5 were 11.9μg/m³, 40.1μg/m³, 0.9 mg/m³, 87.3μg/m³, 81.3μg/m³, and 55.7μg/m³, respectively. The results of the single-pollutant model showed that every 10μg/m³ increase in SO₂ concentration increased the risk of asthma by 0.74% (95%CI: 0.22%-1.29%), and the effect was the greatest on Lag2 day. NO2 increased the risk of asthma by 0.31% (95%CI: 0.13%-0.49%), with the greatest effect on Lag0 day. The analysis of the dual pollutant model found that whereas the effect of SO₂ decreased after the incorporation of NO₂, the effect increased after the incorporation of CO, O₃, PM₁₀, or PM_2.5, respectively. The effect of NO₂ on asthma decreased after the incorporation of SO₂, whereas the effect on asthma increased after the inclusion of CO, PM₁₀, or PM_2.5. Stratified analysis of cold and warm seasons showed that the effect of NO₂ on asthma was the greatest in lag0 in cold season. The effect of SO₂ was higher in cold season than in warm season, and it was the highest in lag2. The gender stratification analysis showed that the effects of SO₂ and NO₂ on male asthma were higher than those on females. Conclusion From 2014 to 2020, the increase of SO₂ and NO₂ concentrations in Hefei is positively correlated with the risk of asthma in the outpatient department of a tertiary hospital. The effect has a certain lag. It is of great significance to formulate relevant preventive measures for the occurrence and attack of asthma.