A regional haze episode occurred in the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province (BTH) area in the North China Plain (NCP) from 16 to 19 January 2010. Data were collected and analyzed during the time frame of 14 through 23 January 2010 to include the haze event. The increase of secondary inorganic pollutants (SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻, NH₄⁺) in PM_2.5 was observed simultaneously at four sites, especially in the plain area of the BTH, which could be identified as a common characteristic of pollution haze in east China. The sulfate and nitrate in PM_2.5 were mainly formed through the heterogeneous reaction process in the urban area. The organic matter (OM) increased more significantly at the Chengde (CD) site than the other three sites in the plain area. The secondary organic aerosols only existed during haze days at CD but in both haze and non-haze days at the other three sites, which suggested the greater regional impact of secondary formation process during the haze episode. The secondary formation of aerosol was one important formation mechanism of haze. The strong temperature inversion and descending air motions in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) allowed pollutants to accumulate in a shallow layer. The weak surface wind speed produced high pollutants concentration within source regions. The accumulation of pollutants was one main factor in the haze formation. The enhanced southwest wind in the last period of this episode transported pollutants to the downwind area and expanded the regional scope of the haze

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A regional haze episode occurred in the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province (BTH) area in the North China Plain (NCP) from 16 to 19 January 2010. The chemical and optical properties of aerosols and the meteorological condition were investigated in this study with intensive measurement of aerosol and trace gases from 14 to 23 January 2010 at five sites. The episode was caused by the combination of anthropogenic emissions and surface air stagnation under a high pressure system followed by a low pressure system. The concentrations of PM_2.5 and trace gases increased significantly on a regional scale during this episode. The increased aerosol scattering coefficient (σ^sp), absorption coefficient (σ_ap), and aerosol optical depth (AOD) showed the importance of aerosol extinction during this haze episode. The increase of secondary inorganic pollutants (SO₄^2−, NO₃^−, NH₄⁺) was observed simultaneously at four sites, especially in the plain area of BTH, which could be identified as a common characteristic of pollution haze in east China. The organic matter (OM) was different from secondary inorganic pollutants, which increased more significantly at Chengde (CD) site than the other three sites in plain area. The sulfate and nitrate in PM_2.5 were mainly formed through the heterogeneous reaction process in the urban area. The secondary organic aerosols in PM_2.5 only existed during haze days at CD but in both haze and normal days at the other three sites. The chemical characteristics of aerosols in PM_2.5 indicated that the secondary formation of aerosol was one important mechanism in the formation of haze episode. The strong temperature inversion and descending air motions in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) allowed pollutants to accumulate in a shallow layer. The weak surface wind speed produced high pollutants concentration within these source regions. The accumulation of pollutants was one main factor in the haze formation. The enhanced southwest wind in the last period of this episode transported pollutants to the downwind area and expanded the regional scope of the haze

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a common chronic remitting disease driven through altered immune responses with production of inflammatory cytokines. Oxidant/antioxidant balance is also suggested to be an important factor for the recurrence and progression of UC. Maggots are known as a traditional Chinese medicine also known as “wu gu chong.” NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) transcription factor regulates the oxidative stress response and also represses inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of maggot extracts on the amelioration of inflammation and oxidative stress in a mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium- (DSS-) induced colitis and evaluate if the maggot extracts could repress inflammation and oxidative stress using RAW 264.7 macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In the present study, we found that the maggot extracts significantly prevented the loss of body weight and shortening of colon length in UC induced by DSS. Furthermore, DSS-induced expression of proinflammatory cytokines at both mRNA and protein levels in the colon was also attenuated by the maggot extracts. In addition, the maggot extracts could significantly suppress the expression of interleukin- (IL-) 1β, IL-6, TNF-α, NFκB p65, p-IκB, p22-phox, and gp91-phox in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and colonic tissues. The maggot extracts increased the level of Nrf2 and prevented the degradation of Nrf2 through downregulating the expression of Keap1, which resulted in augmented levels of HO-1, SOD, and GSH-Px and reduced levels of MPO and MDA. However, after administering an Nrf2 inhibitor (ML385) to block the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, we failed to observe the protective effects of the maggot extracts in mice with colitis and RAW 264.7 cells. Taken together, our data for the first time confirmed that the maggot extracts ameliorated inflammation and oxidative stress in experimental colitis via modulation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. This study sheds light on the possible development of an effective therapeutic strategy for inflammatory bowel diseases.

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