Association of rotating night shift work, CLOCK, MTNR1A, MTNR1B genes polymorphisms and their interactions with type 2 diabetes among steelworkers: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of rotating night shift work, CLOCK, MTNR1A, MTNR1B genes polymorphisms and their interactions with type 2 diabetes among steelworkers. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted in the Tangsteel company in Tangshan, China. The sample sizes of the case group and control group were 251 and 451, respectively. The logistic regression, log-linear model and generalized multifactor dimensionality (GMDR) method were used to investigate the interaction between circadian clock gene, melatonin receptor genes and rotating night shift work on type 2 diabetes among steelworkers. Relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) and attributable proportions (AP) were used to evaluate additive interactions. RESULTS: Rotating night shift work, current shift status, duration of night shifts, and average frequency of night shifts were associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes after adjustment for confounders. Rs1387153 variants in MTNR1B was found to be associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, which was not found between MTNR1A gene rs2119882 locus, CLOCK gene rs1801260 locus and the risk of type 2 diabetes. The association between rotating night shift work and risk of type 2 diabetes appeared to be modified by MTNR1B gene rs1387153 locus (RERI = 0.98, (95% CI, 0.40-1.55); AP = 0.60, (95% CI, 0.07-1.12)). The interaction between MTNR1A gene rs2119882 locus and CLOCK gene rs1801260 locus was associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes (RERI = 1.07, (95% CI, 0.23-1.91); AP = 0.77, (95% CI, 0.36-1.17)). The complex interaction of the MTNR1A-MTNR1B-CLOCK-rotating night shift work model based on the GMDR methods may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (P = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Rotating night shift work and rs1387153 variants in MTNR1B were associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes among steelworkers. The complex interaction of MTNR1A-MTNR1B-CLOCK-rotating night shift work may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

The diverse life-course cohort (DLCC): protocol of a large-scale prospective study in China.

The Diverse Life-Course Cohort (DLCC) is a large-scale prospective study including around 130,000 participants in mainland China. The primary aims of DLCC include contributing to knowledge on noncommunicable chronic disease determinants, particularly cardiometabolic diseases, and exploring the long-term effect of ambient air pollutants or other environmental risk factors on health among all-age populations. The cohort consists of several sub-populations that cover the whole life-course and diverse resources: from premarital to adolescents, adults from workplace and communities ranged from 18 to 93 years old. Baseline assessment (2017-2021) included face-to-face standardized questionnaire interview and measurements to assess social and biological factors of health. Blood samples were collected from each participant (except for children younger than 6) to establish the biobank. DLCC consists of two visits. Visit 1 was conducted from 2017, and 114850 individuals from one of the world-class urban agglomerations: Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei area were recruited. By the end of 2021, at least one follow-up was carried out, with an overall follow-up rate of 92.33%. In 2021, we initiated Visit 2, newly recruited 9,866 adults from Guangdong province (South China) and Hebei province (Central China), with research focuses on the comparations on ambient pollution hazards and other unique dietary or environmental risks for health. The baseline survey of Visit 2 was finished in July 2021. DLCC is still ongoing with a long-term follow-up design, and not limited by the current funding period. With reliable data and the well-established biobank which consists of over 120,000 individuals' blood samples, DLCC will provide invaluable resources for scientific research.

Rotating night shift work and liver enzymes-associated abnormalities among steelworkers: a cross-sectional study from a Chinese cohort.

OBJECTIVE: The association between shift schedules and liver enzymes is unclear. This study aims to explore the effect of rotating night shift work on increased liver enzymes. METHODS: The in-service workers of Tangsteel Company who participated in occupational health examination in Tangshan in 2017 were selected as the research objects. Multifaceted exposure metrics of night shift work and comprehensive liver enzymes were used to evaluate rotating night shift work and liver enzymes-associated abnormalities, respectively. RESULTS: There were positive associations between the odds of all liver enzymes-associated abnormalities and duration of night shifts. Different exposure metrics of night shift work were significantly associated with higher odds of elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT), elevated gamma-glutamyl transaminase (GGT) and increased liver enzymes. Compared with those who never worked night shift, the groups of current night shift, duration of night shifts ≤ 18 years, duration of night shifts > 18 years, cumulative number of night shifts ≤ 1643 nights, cumulative number of night shifts > 1643 nights and average frequency of night shifts > 7 nights/month had an OR of increased liver enzymes of 1.31 (95% CI 1.08-1.58), 1.28 (95% CI 1.05-1.58), 1.27 (95% CI 1.04-1.55), 1.28 (95% CI 1.04-1.58), 1.27 (95% CI 1.04-1.55), 1.32 (95% CI 1.08-1.60) after adjusting for all confounders, respectively. No significant association was found between rotating night shift work and liver enzymes-associated abnormalities among female steelworkers. CONCLUSIONS: Rotating night shift work is associated with elevated ALT, elevated GGT and increased liver enzymes in male steelworkers.

Rotating night shift work and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among steelworkers in China: a cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVES: In a 24/7 society, the negative metabolic effects of rotating night shift work have been increasingly explored. This study aimed to examine the association between rotating night shift work and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in steelworkers. METHODS: A total of 6881 subjects was included in this study. Different exposure metrics of night shift work including current shift status, duration of night shifts (years), cumulative number of night shifts (nights), cumulative length of night shifts (hours), average frequency of night shifts (nights/month) and average length of night shifts (hours/night) were used to examine the relationship between night shift work and NAFLD. RESULTS: Current night shift workers had elevated odds of NAFLD (OR, 1.23, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.48) compared with those who never worked night shifts after adjustment for potential confounders. Duration of night shifts, cumulative number of night shifts and cumulative length of night shifts were positively associated with NAFLD. Both the average frequency of night shifts (>7 nights/month vs ≤7 nights/month: OR, 1.24, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.45) and average length of night shifts (>8 hours/night vs ≤8 hours/night: OR, 1.27, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.51) were independently associated with overall NAFLD after mutually adjusting for the duration of night shifts and other potential confounders among night shift workers. No significant association was found in female workers between different exposure metrics of night shift work and NAFLD. CONCLUSIONS: Rotating night shift work is associated with elevated odds of NAFLD in male steelworkers.

Protein Expression Profile in Rat Silicosis Model Reveals Upregulation of PTPN2 and Its Inhibitory Effect on Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by Dephosphorylation of STAT3.

Silicosis is a chronic occupational lung disease caused by long-term inhalation ofcrystalline silica particulates. We created a rat model that closely approximates the exposure and development of silicosis in humans. Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) technologies weused to identify proteins differentially expressed in activated rat lung tissue. We constructed three lentiviral knockdown vectorsand an overexpression vectorfor the protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2 (PTPN2) geneto achieve stable long-term expression.A total of 471 proteins were differentially expressed in the silicosis group compared with controls. Twenty upregulated, and eight downregulated proteins exhibited a ≥ 1.5-fold change relative to controls. We next found that the PTPN2, Factor B, and VRK1 concentrations in silicotic rats silicosis and SiO2-stimulated MLE-12 cells were significantly higher than control groups.More importantly, we found that overexpression of PTPN2 simultaneously decreased the expression of phospho-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (p-STAT3) and Vimentin, while increasing E-cadherin expression. The opposite pattern was observed for PTPN2-gene silencing. We identified three proteins with substantially enhanced expression in silicosis. Our study also showed that PTPN2 can inhibit epithelial-mesenchymal transition by dephosphorylating STAT3 in silicosis fibrosis.

XAB2 tagSNPs contribute to non-small cell lung cancer susceptibility in Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: XPA-binding protein 2 (XAB2) interacts with Cockayne syndrome complementation group A (CSA), group B (CSB) and RNA polymerase II to initiate nucleotide excision repair. This study aims to evaluate the association of XAB2 genetic variants with the risk of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using a tagging approach. METHODS: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted in 470 patients with NSCLC and 470 controls in Chinese population. Totally, 5 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in XAB2 gene were selected by Haploview software using Hapmap database. Genotyping was performed using iPlex Gold Genotyping Asssy and Sequenom MassArray. Unconditional logistic regression was conducted to estimate odd ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI). RESULTS: Unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that the XAB2 genotype with rs794078 AA or at least one rs4134816 C allele were associated with the decreased risk of NSCLC with OR (95 % CI) of 0.12 (0.03-0.54) and 0.46 (0.26-0.84). When stratified by gender, we found that the subjects carrying rs4134816 CC or CT genotype had a decreased risk for developing NSCLC among males with OR (95 % CI) of 0.39 (0.18-0.82), but not among females. In age stratification analysis, we found that younger subjects (age ≤ 60) with at least one C allele had a decreased risk of NSCLC with OR (95 % CI) of 0.35 (0.17-0.74), but older subjects didn't. We didn't find that XAB2 4134816 C > T variant effect on the risk of NSCLC when stratified by smoking status. The environmental factors, such as age, sex and smoking had no effect on the risk of NSCLC related to XAB2 genotypes at other polymorphic sites. CONCLUSIONS: The XAB2 tagSNPs (rs794078 and rs4134816) were significantly associated with the risk of NSCLC in Chinese population, which supports the XAB2 plays a significant role in the development of NSCLC.

[Association between joint of heat and noise and metabolic syndrome in steel workers].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between joint of heat and noise, and metabolic syndrome in a steel rolling factory workers. METHODS: A total of 590 steel workers were selected as subjects by cluster sampling method from workers of a steel factory. They were investigated by face to face way with the unified questionnaire which contents included personal information, occupational history, personal history, habits and other factors. Furthermore, height, weight, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured. Referring to the 2005 International Diabetes Federation (IDF) issued by the metabolic syndrome (MS) worldwide uniform definition combines waist diagnosis MS. A database was built by Epidata 3.0 software, and data was analyzed by SPSS 17.0. RESULTS: 571 steel workers were from 22 to 60 years, mean age (41.2 -7.9) years old. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in steel workers was 17.9%. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome of those who exposed to high temperature was 18.8%, higher than that of those who did not expose to high temperature (5.3%), there was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome of those who exposed to noise was 20.6%, higher than that of those who did not exposed to noise (14.0%) (P < 0.05). After adjusting for the effects of confounding factors, the prevalence of MS those who exposed to high temperatures and noise is 1.118 times as high as that of those who did not exposed to high temperatures and noise. CONCLUSIONS: The combined effects of heat and noise is related to the increasing prevalence of MS of steel workers.

[The study of autophagy in alveolar macrophages of patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the differences in the autophagy activity of alveolar macrophages between patients with different stages of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP). METHODS: A total of 116 coal workers were investigated in the field. Their lung lavage fluid was collected and purified to obtain alveolar macrophages. The morphological characteristics of autophagy were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The expression of autophagy marker (LC3) and autophagy regulators (Beclin1, mTOR, and p-mTOR) was measured by Western blot. The autophagy activity of alveolar macrophages was compared between dust-exposed subjects and patients with stage I, II, and III CWP. RESULTS: The autophagy activity of alveolar macrophages differed between patients with different stages of CWP, according to transmission electron microscopy. Patients with stage II CWP had significantly higher protein expression of LC3 II/I and Beclin1 in pulmonary macrophages than those with stage ICWP (P < 0.05); patients with stage III CWP had significantly lower protein expression of LC3 II/I and Beclin1 in pulmonary macrophages than those with stage II CWP (P < 0.05), but had significantly higher protein expression of LC3 II/I and Beclin1 than those with stage I CWP (P < 0.05); patients with stage II CWP had a significantly higher protein expression of Beclin1 than the dust-exposed subjects (P < 0.05). Patients with stage II CWP had significantly lower expression of mTOR and p-mTOR in pulmonary macrophages than the dust-exposed subjects and those with stage I CWP (P < 0.05), while patients with stage III CWP had significantly higher expression of mTOR and p-mTOR than those with stage II CWP (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The autophagy activity of alveolar macrophages varies between patients with different stages of CWP.

N-acetylcysteine alleviated silica-induced lung fibrosis in rats by down-regulation of ROS and mitochondrial apoptosis signaling.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a normal metabolic product of cellular respiration, but too much ROS can induce cell apoptosis. Here, we used N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to inhibit ROS activity to explore the effects of NAC on silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats and provide evidence for study on the mechanism of silicosis. 24 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 180-220 g were randomly divided into three groups with eight rats in each group. Silicosis model group and NAC group were adopted non-tracheal exposure method of disposable intrapulmonary injection of 50 g/L, silica suspension 1 mL to establish animal silicosis model, NAC group treated with 600 mg/kg NAC by gavage from the right day of modeling, all animals were sacrificed after 28 days. The level of ROS contents and mitochondrial transmembrane potential changes of AM, the mRNA expression level of type I and type III procollagen, cytochrome C, cysteinyl aspartate specific protease-9 and caspase-3 were detected. The severity of pathological changes and pulmonary fibrosis were observed by pathologic specimens. It was showed that ROS contents and MTP changes were lower in the NAC group compared with the silicosis model group, other indexes were lower in the NAC group than the model group, but higher than those of the control group, the degree of lung fibrotic lesions observed from the pathological slices showed the same trend. These data indicated that NAC can reduce ROS content of AM in silica exposure rats, the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway can also be inhibited, the severity of pulmonary fibrosis alleviated as a result.

Effects of extreme meteorological factors and high air pollutant concentrations on the incidence of hand, foot and mouth disease in Jining, China.

Background: The evidence on the effects of extreme meteorological conditions and high air pollution levels on incidence of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is limited. Moreover, results of the available studies are inconsistent. Further investigations are imperative to elucidate the specific issue. Methods: Data on the daily cases of HFMD, meteorological factors and air pollution were obtained from 2017 to 2022 in Jining City. We employed distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) incorporated with Poisson regression to explore the impacts of extreme meteorological conditions and air pollution on HFMD incidence. Results: We found that there were nonlinear relationships between temperature, wind speed, PM2.5, SO2, O3 and HFMD. The cumulative risk of extreme high temperature was higher at the 95th percentile (P95th) than at the 90th percentile(P90th), and the RR values for both reached their maximum at 10-day lag (P95th RR = 1.880 (1.261-2.804), P90th RR = 1.787 (1.244-2.569)), the hazardous effect of extreme low temperatures on HFMD is faster than that of extreme high temperatures. The cumulative effect of extreme low wind speeds reached its maximum at 14-day lag (P95th RR = 1.702 (1.389-2.085), P90th RR = 1.498(1.283-1.750)). The cumulative effect of PM2.5 concentration at the P90th was largest at 14-day lag (RR = 1.637 (1.069-2.506)), and the cumulative effect at the P95th was largest at 10-day lag (RR = 1.569 (1.021-2.411)). High SO2 concentration at the P95th at 14-day lag was associated with higher risk for HFMD (RR: 1.425 (1.001-2.030)). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that high temperature, low wind speed, and high concentrations of PM2.5 and SO2 are associated with an increased risk of HFMD. This study not only adds insights to the understanding of the impact of extreme meteorological conditions and high levels of air pollutants on HFMD incidence but also holds practical significance for the development and enhancement of an early warning system for HFMD.

[Study on predictive value of pulmonary ventilation function of healthy coal mine workers].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the predictive value of pulmonary ventilation function for dust-exposed-workers in some coal mine. METHODS: From March to August in 2011, 2994 coal workers were involved in the research, their pulmonary ventilation function were examined by pulmonary function measuring instrument. 1389 worker's pulmonary ventilation function were normal, the data of 1139 workers established the predictive value equation, and those of 250 workers tested the equation. RESULTS: Age was negatively correlated with FVC, FEV1, FEV1%, MMF and PEFR (P < 0.05). Height was negatively correlated with FEV1%, however, it was positively correlated with others (P < 0.05). Weight was negatively correlated with MMF and positively correlated with FVC and PEFR (P < 0.05). The regression equation of the predictive value was established by age, height and weight as in dependent variables. It were above 90% that the accordance ratio to test the equation by original data and test data. Predictive value of pulmonary ventilatory function from predictive value equation were lower than that of lung fucntion machine (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Predictive value of pulmonary ventilatory function from predictive value equation was superior to that of lung fucntion machine.

[Autophagy in lung tissue of rats exposed to silica dust].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the autophagy of effector cells in lung tissue at different time points when rats were exposed to free SiO2 dust. METHODS: Sixty Wistar rats (220∼230 g) were selected and allocated to experimental group (n = 30) and control group (n = 30). In the experimental group, a rat silicosis model was established by infusing SiO2 suspension into the trachea of rats. Six rats in each group were sacrificed on days 1, 7, 14, 21, or 28 of dust exposure. Lung tissue samples were collected to prepare lung tissue sections. The pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis were observed by HE staining. The proautophagosome, autophagosome, and autophagolysosome in lung tissue sections were observed under a transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: On day 1 of dust exposure, many proautophagosomes and autophagosomes were seen in both experimental group and control group. On day 7 of dust exposure, the experimental group had more autophagosomes in lung tissue than the control group. On day 14 of dust exposure, the experimental group had fewer autophagosomes than the control group. On days 21 and 28, autophagolysosomes were seen in macrophage plasma in both experimental group and control group; the autophagolysosomes in experimental group showed cloudy swelling and expansion, and some were vacuolated, and these changes were more significant on day 28. CONCLUSION: Free SiO2 dust can induce autophagy in the lung tissue of rats, with varying degrees at different time points of dust exposure.

CYP1A2 rs762551 polymorphism contributes to cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis from 19 case-control studies.

BACKGROUND: Genetic polymorphism (rs762551A>C) in gene encoding cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) has been shown to influence the inducibility of CYP1A2 expression and thus might be associated with risk of several types of human cancer. However, the results of previous studies on the associations of this polymorphism with risk of cancer are not all consistent. To clarify the potential contribution of CYP1A2 rs762551 to cancer risk, we performed a meta-analysis of the published case-control studies. METHODS: We used PubMed, Embase, OVID, ScienceDirect, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases to identify the related publications for this meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using random effect model to evaluate the association of rs762551 with cancer risk. A χ(2)-based Q-test was used to examine the heterogeneity assumption and the funnel plot and Egger's test were used to examine the potential publication bias. The leave-one-out sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine whether our assumptions or decisions have a major effect on the results of the review. RESULTS: Our analysis of 19 eligible case-control studies showed a significant association between rs762551C variant with risk of cancer in the genetic model of CC versus AA (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.02-1.64) and the dominant model (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.04-1.36). In subgroup analysis based on ethnicity, the rs762551CC genotype was associated with increased cancer risk (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.27-1.63 in co-dominate model and OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.02-1.34 in dominant model in Caucasians, but not in Asians and the mixed population. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that CYP1A2 rs762551 polymorphism is likely to be associated with susceptibility to cancer in Caucasians.

[Effect of CYP11B2 gene -344T/C polymorphism on renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activity and blood pressure response to hydrochlorothiazide].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of CYP11B2 gene -344T/C polymorphism on renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activity and blood pressure in response to hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) treatment in Han Chinese patients with essential hypertension. METHODS: Eight hundred and twenty-nine patients with mild/moderate essential hypertensive were enrolled. All subjects had their antihypertensive medications withdrawn. After two weeks of wash-out period with placebo, each patient was given 12.5 mg of HCTZ per day for the next six weeks. Physical, biochemical measurements, and the activity of RAAS were taken at the end of the wash-out period (baseline) and 6-week diuretic therapy period. Changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were analyzed for association with interaction between genotypes at CYP11B2 -344T/C polymorphism and gender. RESULTS: A total of 776 patients completed the study. 17.5% of subjects have achieved blood pressure normalization after six weeks treatment. For male patients, the aldosterone level with CC genotype was significantly higher than that of those with TT or TC genotype. Following the HCTZ treatment, the blood pressure response in patients with CC genotype was less obvious than that in others, whilst the increase of aldosterone level was greater. For female patients, no association was found between CYP11B2 -344T/C polymorphism and aldosterone level. Following the HCTZ treatment, the blood pressure response in patients with CC genotype was greater than others, whilst the increase of aldosterone activity was less apparent. CONCLUSION: In males, the -344T/C polymorphism of CYP11B2 gene is associated with aldosterone level, and the change of aldosterone level was greater, the blood pressure response was weaker after HCTZ treatment. In females, there was no association between this polymorphism and aldosterone level. The change of aldosterone level and blood pressure response to HCTZ were different from that in males.

Association between rotating night shift work and carotid atherosclerosis among Chinese steelworkers: a cross-sectional survey.

This study aimed to examine the association between rotating night shift work and carotid atherosclerosis in Chinese steelworkers. A total of 3582 subjects were included in this study. Different exposure metrics of night shifts, including current shift status, duration of night shifts (years), the cumulative number of night shifts (nights), cumulative length of night shifts (hours) and average frequency of night shifts (nights/month), were used to examine the relationship between night shift work and carotid atherosclerosis, including carotid plaque and carotid plaque scores. The prevalence of carotid plaque was 29.9% in the study population. Compared with day workers, significantly increased odds of carotid plaque were observed among shift workers in each quartile of the duration of night shifts after adjusting for potential confounders, especially in the third and fourth quartiles: odds ratio (OR) = 1.91, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.46 to 2.49, in the third quartiles; OR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.30 to 2.20, in the fourth quartiles. Positive associations of different exposure metrics of night shifts (continuous) with the odds of carotid plaque and the carotid plaque score were observed in the restricted cubic spline (RCS) models. No significant association was found in female workers between night shift work and carotid plaque. Rotating night shift work is associated with elevated odds of carotid atherosclerosis in male steelworkers.

Association between insomnia and subclinical atherosclerosis among Chinese steelworkers: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Insomnia is a common prevalent sleep disorder. Difficulty maintaining sleep or poor in quality in insomnia caused by disrupted or misaligned circadian rhythms may play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. This study aimed to examine the association between insomnia and subclinical atherosclerosis in Chinese steelworkers. METHODS: A total of 3240 subjects from a large enterprise located in northern China were included in this study. The Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) was used to assess the status of insomnia. Subclinical atherosclerosis was evaluated using ultrasonographic measurements of carotid plaque. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify association between insomnia and carotid atherosclerosis. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of insomnia and carotid plaque were 35.3 and 31.7% in the study population. Compared with non-insomnia workers, significantly increased odds of carotid plaque were observed among insomnia workers after adjusting for potential confounders, odds ratio (OR) = 1.38, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.17 to 1.63. Exposure to current shift work and insomnia simultaneously can significantly elevated the odds of carotid plaque. CONCLUSION: Insomnia is associated with elevated odds of carotid atherosclerosis in male steelworkers. Insomnia problems of workers should receive further attention in occupational worker health interventions.

Fat mass index as a screening tool for the assessment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is replacing hepatitis B as the leading cause of chronic liver disease in China. The purpose of this study is to select good tools to identify NAFLD from the body composition, anthropometry and related routine clinical parameters. A total of 5076 steelworkers, aged 22-60 years, was included in this study. Body fat mass was measured via bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and fat mass index (FMI) was derived. Ultrasonography method was used to detect hepatic steatosis. Random forest classifier and best subset regression were used to select useful parameters or models that can accurately identify NAFLD. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to describe and compare the performance of different diagnostic indicators and algorithms including fatty liver index (FLI) and hepatic steatosis index (HSI) in NAFLD screening. ROC analysis indicated that FMI can be used with high accuracy to identify heavy steatosis as determined by ultrasonography in male workers [area under the curve (AUC) 0.95, 95% CI 0.93-0.98, sensitivity 89.0%, specificity 91.4%]. The ability of single FMI to identify NAFLD is no less than that of combination panels, even better than the combination panel of HSI. The best subset regression model that including FMI, waist circumference, and serum levels of triglyceride and alanine aminotransferase has moderate accuracy in diagnosing overall NAFLD (AUC 0.83). FMI and the NAFLD best subset (BIC) score seem to be good tools to identify NAFLD in Chinese steelworkers.

Association of Metabolically Healthy Obesity and Glomerular Filtration Rate among Male Steelworkers in North China.

This study aims to investigate the association between metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and the early stages of renal dysfunction and whether systemic inflammation affects the study's outcome. Male steelworkers in northern China were investigated in this cross-sectional survey (n = 6309). A decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was used as the primary outcome, which was defined as an eGFR of ≤89 mL/min/1.73 m2. A BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 was used to determine obesity. In the definition of metabolic health, the absence of metabolic syndrome components is considered metabolically healthy. An assessment of inflammation was carried out using a surrogate marker called high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) and confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using the multivariable logistic regression model. After adjusting for hs-CRP, MHO (OR = 1.97; 95% CI: 1.21 to 3.21) was significantly associated with decreased eGFR compared to metabolically healthy non-obesity (MHNO). With the MHNO/hs-CRP ≤ 0.01 mg/dL group as a reference, the OR was 2.17 (95% CI: 1.17 to 4.02) for decreased eGFR in the group with MHO/hs-CRP > 0.01 mg/dL. MHO is associated with renal dysfunction at an early stage. To some degree, this risk can be explained by the level of inflammation.

Metabolically Healthy Obesity and Carotid Plaque among Steelworkers in North China: The Role of Inflammation.

This study aimed to investigate the association between metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and carotid plaque. In this cross-sectional survey, 3467 steelworkers in North China were surveyed. There are two criteria for defining a carotid plaque: (1) the lesion structure exceeds 50% of the peripheral intima-media thickness value or invades the arterial lumen by at least 0.5 mm; (2) a thickness > 1.5 mm from the intima−lumen interface to the media−adventitia interface. Metabolic health was defined as the nonexistence of one of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) diagnostic criteria for metabolic abnormalities. Obesity was defined as having a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. To calculate the odds ratio (OR) for the prevalence carotid plaque, a logistic regression was used for the analysis. The prevalence of carotid plaque in the subjects was 14.3% for metabolically healthy non-obesity (MHNO), 32.4% for MHO, 18.9% for metabolically unhealthy non-obesity (MUNO), and 46.8% for metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO). The odds ratios for suffering from carotid plaque were 1.27 (95% CI: 0.69 to 2.32) for MHO, 1.83 (95% CI: 1.29 to 2.58) for MUNO, and 1.81 (1.28 to 2.56) for MUO in comparison with MHNO after adjusting for confounders. There was no association between the MHO phenotype and carotid plaque prevalence among steelworkers in North China.

Association between rotating night shift work and carotid intima-media thickness among Chinese steelworkers: a cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the association between rotating night shift work and subclinical athero-sclerosis among Chinese steelworkers. METHODS: We evaluated 3582 steelworkers who participated in the legally required health examination in 2017. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) was measured using ultrasonography. Different exposure metrics of night shifts collected by face-to-face personal interviews were used to examine the relationship between night shift work and the mean CIMT. RESULTS: The mean CIMT values were 0.66 (standard deviation 0.22) mm in the study population. Current shift workers shown higher mean CIMT compared to day workers. There were no significant associations between the current shift status, the duration of night shifts, the cumulative number of night shifts, the average frequency of night shifts, and the mean CIMT after all confounding factors adjusted both in male and female. CONCLUSIONS: Rotating night shift work is not associated with subclinical atherosclerosis among steelworkers. Further large-scale prospective longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm our findings.