Browsing by Author "Zhang, Ran"

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    A Comparative Perspective on "Public Participation" in Environmental Protection in the United States and China
    (2021) Zhang, Ran
    Increasingly, severe pollution in China is drawing more and more attention in recent years. We are seeing rampant incidents of pollution, such as the Beijing smog, due to heavy industrialization. It is in everyone’s interest to develop environmental management approaches especially those related to laws and to their use for pollution reduction. Since technology, along with the desire for rapid economic growth, is occurring at a rapid pace, China has been very active in addressing pollution by means of legislation and management. But still much has to be done. As long as pollution is primarily considered as something that the government alone should manage, the basic motivation and incentives for public participation in environmental management will remain lacking in China. It is also necessary to recognize that the government (by means of administration), at times, is not the sole and only effective player when “government failure” occurs in environmental battle. Better legal constructions of environmental protection in China will help ensure that non-administrative powers can be brought to bear on pollution. This dissertation compares and analyzes “public participation” in environmental protection in China and the U.S. It showcases the effectiveness and importance of public participation in the U.S. This dissertation concludes by proposing measures to strengthen public participation in environmental protection in China.
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    Dysregulation of angiopoietin-Tie-2 axis in ugandan children hospitalized with pneumonia
    (Elsevier, 2020-09) Zhang, Ran; Rai, Urvi; Ibrahim, Nafeesah Bte Mohamed; Amazouz, Yanni; Soo, Jeremy; Conroy, Andrea L.; Namasopo, Sophie; Opoka, Robert O.; Bhargava, Ravi; Hawkes, Michael T.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Objective Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children under 5, with the highest burden in resource-limited countries. Endothelial activation occurs in pneumonia and can be assessed using quantitative levels of biomarkers angiopoietin (Ang)-1 and Ang-2. We examined admission levels of Ang-1 and Ang-2 in pediatric pneumonia and their association with disease severity and outcome. Methods Prospective cohort study of children with hypoxemic pneumonia admitted to two hospitals in Uganda. Clinical, radiographic, and microbiologic characteristics were measured at admission. Disease severity was assessed using the Respiratory Index of Severity in Children (RISC). Plasma levels of Ang-1 and Ang-2 were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Vital signs, oxygen supplementation, and mortality were assessed prospectively. Results We included 65 patients (43% female) with median age 19 months (IQR 8–24). Admission Ang-2/Ang-1 ratio directly correlated with RISC (ρ = 0.32, p = 0.008) and lactate level (ρ = 0.48, p < 0.001). Ang-2/Ang-1 ratio was higher in pneumococcal pneumonia than viral RTI (0.19 [IQR: 0.076–0.54] vs. 0.078 [IQR: 0.027–0.11]; p = 0.03). Elevated Ang-2/Ang-1 ratio (>0.084) was associated with prolonged tachypnea (HR 0.50 (95%CI 0.29–0.87), p = 0.02), fever (HR 0.56 (95%CI 0.33 to 0.96), p = 0.02), longer duration of oxygen therapy (HR 0.59 (95%CI 0.35–0.99), p = 0.04), and hospital stay (HR 0.43 (95%CI 0.25–0.74), p = 0.001). The Ang-2/Ang-1 ratio at admission was higher in fatal cases relative to survivors (0.36 [IQR: 0.17–0.58] vs. 0.077 [IQR: 0.025–0.19]; p = 0.05) Conclusion Endothelial activation in hypoxemic pediatric pneumonia, reflected by high plasma Ang-2/Ang-1 ratio, is associated with disease severity, prolonged recovery time, and mortality.
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    Rice consumption and cancer incidence in US men and women
    (Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons), 2016-02-01) Zhang, Ran; Zhang, Xuehong; Wu, Kana; Wu, Hongyu; Sun, Qi; Hu, Frank B.; Han, Jiali; Willett, Walter C.; Giovannucci, Edward L.; Department of Dermatology, IU School of Medicine
    While both the 2012 and 2014 Consumer Reports concerned arsenic levels in US rice, no previous study has evaluated long-term consumption of total rice, white rice and brown rice in relation to risk of developing cancers. We investigated this in the female Nurses' Health Study (1984-2010), and Nurses' Health Study II (1989-2009), and the male Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2008), which included a total of 45,231 men and 160,408 women, free of cancer at baseline. Validated food frequency questionnaires were used to measure rice consumption at baseline and repeated almost every 4 years thereafter. We employed Cox proportional hazards regression model to estimate multivariable relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). During up to 26 years of follow-up, we documented 31,655 incident cancer cases (10,833 in men and 20,822 in women). Age-adjusted results were similar to multivariable-adjusted results. Compared to participants with less than one serving per week, the multivariable RRs of overall cancer for individuals who ate at least five servings per week were 0.97 for total rice (95% CI: 0.85-1.07), 0.87 for white rice (95% CI: 0.75-1.01), and 1.17 for brown rice (95% CI: 0.90-1.26). Similar non-significant associations were observed for specific sites of cancers including prostate, breast, colon and rectum, melanoma, bladder, kidney, and lung. Additionally, the null associations were observed among European Americans and non-smokers, and were not modified by BMI. Long-term consumption of total rice, white rice or brown rice was not associated with risk of developing cancer in US men and women.