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Background Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath are closely associated with respiratory diseases and are linked to various metabolic reactions in the human body. A quantitative analytical method can provide technical support for studying VOCs related to various diseases. Objective To establish a thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) method for the determination of 27 VOCs in exhaled breath. Methods VOCs in exhaled breath were collected using a Bio-VOC sampler and enriched with Tenax TA thermal desorption tubes before TD-GC-MS analysis. Standards were collected using thermal desorption tubes and optimized for thermal desorption conditions as well as chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions: The separation of the 27 VOCs was achieved by an optimized temperature program, the improvement of sensitivity by optimizing quantitative ions, and the increase of VOCs desorption efficiency by optimizing thermal desorption time and temperature. Limit of detection, limit of quantification, accuracy, precision, and stability of the proposed method were investigated by spiking with a blank gas bag, and exhaled breath samples from 20 healthy individuals were collected for an application study of the proposed method. Results The thermal desorption temperature was 280 ℃, and desorption time was 6 min. A VF-624ms chromatographic column was selected for the separation of target substances. The initial temperature of heating program was 35 ℃, maintained for 1 min, and then increased to 100 ℃ at a heating rate of 3 ℃·min−1 for 1 min, followed by increasing to 210 ℃ at a heating rate of 28 ℃·min−1 for 5 min. A quantitative analysis was conducted with a single ion monitoring (SIM) mode. Under these conditions, the 27 VOCs showed good linear relationships in their respective concentration ranges and the correlation coefficients were higher than 0.9990. The limits of detection of the method were in the range of 0.01-0.13 nmol·mol−1, the limits of quantification were in the range of 0.02-0.44 nmol·mol−1, and the spiked recoveries were in the range of 80.1%-120.5%, with intra-batch and inter-batch precision ≤ 18.8% and 17.9% respectively. All substances can be stored at room temperature (23-28 °C) for 7 d and at 4 °C for 14 d. The proposed method was applied to exhaled breath samples from 20 subjects with detection rates≥ 80% (except for trans-2-pentene and decane) and a concentration range of 0.00-465.50 nmol·mol−1. Conclusion The established TD-GC-MS method for quantification of VOCs in exhaled breath is characterized by high sensitivity and good accuracy, and is suitable for quantitative determination of VOCs in exhaled breath, which can provide technical support for the study of exhaled breath VOCs.
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Background Vascular endothelial injury is an important pathogenic step of vibration-induced hand arm vibration disease (HAVD), and long-term vibration exposure can lead to vascular endothelial cell dysfunction and cell damage. Cell ferroptosis may be one of the important mechanisms of vibration-induced vascular endothelial cell injury and HAVD. Objective To explore whether vibration can induce changes in ferroptosis-related indicators in vascular endothelial cells in vitro. Methods Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were divided into four vibrationgroups and two control groups. The vibration groups were exposed to an vibration setting of 125 Hz, 6.5 m·s−2 frequency band and for different durations: 1 d 2 h (total 1 d, 2 h per day), 1 d 4 h (total 1 d, 4 h per day), 2 d 2 h (total 2 d, 2 h per day), and 2 d 4 h (total 2 d, 4 h per day), respectively. All control groups were treated the same as the experimental groups except no vibration exposure. When the cells were 80% confluent, the control groups and the corresponding experimental groups were harvested at the same time. The effects of subgroup treatments on iron, reduced glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in HUVEC were detected with a cell ferrous colorimetric test kit, a reduced GSH colorimetric test kit, and a trace MDA test kit, respectively. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expressions of ferroptosis-related genes acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 4 (ACSL4), tumor protein 53 (P53), recombinant human ferritin heavy chain (FTH1), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). Western blot (WB) was used to detect the expression levels of ferroptosis-related proteins in HUVEC. Results Compared with the control groups, the vibration induced an increase in the iron content of HUVEC with a dose-response trend. Compared with the control groups, the reduced GSH content of HUVEC in the vibration group decreased with the increase of vibration time and frequency, and there was a dose-response trend. Compared with the control groups, the intracellular MDA content of HUVEC in the 1 d 2 h, 1 d 4 h, and 2 d 4 h vibration groups increased, and the MDA content in the 1 d 2 h and 1 d 4 h vibration group increased with time. The RT-PCR results showed that the mRNA expression levels of ACSL4 and P53 in the 1 d 4 h group increased compared with the 1 d 2 h group. Compared with the 2 d control group, the mRNA expression levels of ACSL4 in the 2 d 2 h vibration group and the 2 d 4 h vibration group increased, and the mRNA expression level of P53 in the 2 d 4 h vibration group increased. Compared with the 1 d control group, the mRNA expression levels of FTH1 and GPX4 in endothelial cells in the vibration 1 d 2 h group decreased. The WB results showed that compared with the control groups, the expression level of ferroptosis-related protein ACSL4 in endothelial cells increased in the vibration 1 d 2 h group; the expression levels of P53 in the 1 d 2 h and 2 d 4 h vibration groups increased; the expression levels of GPX4 decreased in the 1 d 4 h and 2 d 2 h vibration group, and the decrease was more obvious in the 2 d 2 h vibration group than in the 1 d 2 h vibration group; the above differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Vibration induces an increase in iron content, a decrease in GSH, and an increase in MDA in vascular endothelial cells in vitro, as well as mRNA and protein expressions of ferroptosis-related genes ACSL4, P53, FTH1, and GPX4.
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Objective:To investigate the therapeutic effect of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) on patients with pulmonary edema caused by seawater drowning.Methods:A retrospective analysis method was used. Based on the Utstein database of emergency drowning in the First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, the clinical data of patients with seawater drowning pulmonary edema admitted to the emergency medicine department of the First Hospital of Qinhuangdao from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022 were collected. The patients were divided into NPPV group and HFNC group according to different ventilation methods. The general data, endotracheal intubation rate in 7 days, arterial blood gas analysis indexes [arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO 2), arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO 2), arterial oxygen saturation (SaO 2)] and hemodynamic indexes (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, blood lactic acid) before and after treatment, length of stay in intensive care unit (ICU), oxygen therapy comfort of the two groups were compared. Results:A total of 54 patients were enrolled, including 21 patients in the NPPV group and 33 patients in the HFNC group. There were no significant differences in gender, age, state of consciousness and other general information between the two groups. Compared with NPPV group, the rate of endotracheal intubation in HFNC group within 7 days was significantly lower [24.2% (8/33) vs. 33.3% (7/21), P < 0.05]. Before treatment, there were no significant differences in arterial blood gas analysis and hemodynamics between the two groups. After treatment, the above indexes in both groups were significantly improved compared with those before treatment, and PaO 2, SaO 2, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure in HFNC group were significantly higher than those in NPPV group [PaO 2 (mmHg, 1 mmHg≈0.133kPa): 93.56±6.37 vs. 82.14±6.25, SaO 2: 1.02±0.09 vs. 0.95±0.11, systolic blood pressure (mmHg): 117.37±8.43 vs. 110.42±8.38, diastolic blood pressure (mmHg): 79.43±7.61 vs. 72.21±4.32, mean arterial pressure (mmHg): 92.34±6.32 vs. 85.12±5.38], PaCO 2, heart rate and blood lactic acid were significantly lower than those in NPPV group [PaCO 2 (mmHg) : 34.26±5.63 vs. 37.24±6.22, heart rate (times/min): 73.38±7.56 vs. 86.25±5.41, blood lactic acid (mmol/L): 1.38±0.36 vs. 2.25±1.14], and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). In addition, the length of ICU stay in HFNC group was significantly shorter than that in NPPV group (days: 13.30±2.38 vs. 16.27±4.26), and the comfort rate of oxygen therapy was significantly higher than that in NPPV group [66.7% (22/33) vs. 42.8% (9/21)], with statistical significance (all P < 0.05). Conclusion:HFNC can improve the oxygenation of patients with pulmonary edema caused by seawater drowning, improve hemodynamics, reduce the rate of tracheal intubation, shorten the length of ICU stay, and improve the comfort of oxygen therapy, which has certain clinical application value.
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Background Lead and manganese are heavy metal pollutants widely existing in the environment, which can accumulate in the human body through the food chain, exert neurotoxicity, and cause neurodegenerative disorders. Especially in early childhood, the developing blood-brain barrier and nervous system are highly susceptible to environmental chemical pollutants. Most of the previous studies focused on the toxic effects of single heavy metal such as lead or manganese, while the studies on combined toxic effect are still scarce, and involved mechanisms are still unclear. c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) is involved in neuronal development and regeneration, and some studies have found that JNK is involved in lead or manganese induced neurotoxicity. Its role in the toxicity of combined lead and manganese is unknown. Objective To understand the neurodevelopmental toxicity mechanism and to observe changes of JNK expression in zebrafish induced by combined lead and manganese exposure at environmentlly low concentrations. Methods Zebrafish embryos within 2 h post fertilization (hpf) were divided into four groups: control group, lead exposure group (0.1 mg·L−1 lead acetate), manganese exposure group (0.3 mg·L−1 manganous chloride), and lead-manganese combined exposure group (0.1 mg·L−1 lead acetate +0.3 mg·L−1 manganous chloride) and exposed to lead or/and manganese at designed levels for 7 d. Spontaneous movements and motor locomotion were observed, and mortality rate were calculated. The changes of JNK mRNA expression in zebrafish were evaluated. Results The experimental results showed that no significant effect of lead or/and manganese on spontaneous movements and mortality rate was found in zebrafish compared with the control group (P＞0.05). The results of locomotion analysis showed that compared with the control group, the activity counts and activity distance of zebrafish in the manganese exposure group were slightly increased (P＜0.01); the activity counts and activity distance of zebrafish in the lead exposure group were reduced by 50% and those in the lead-manganese exposure group were reduced by 80% (P＜0.01). Compared with the lead exposure group, the activity counts and activity distance of zebrafish in the lead-manganese combined exposure group decreased significantly by 60% (P＜0.05). The real-time quantitative PCR results showed that the JNK mRNA expression level was significantly increased in the lead-manganese combined exposure group compared with the control group(P＜0.01). Conclusion Lead exposure combined with manganese exposure at environmentlly low concentration can induce neurodevelopmental toxicity to zebrafish. JNK may be involved in neurodevelopmental toxicity induced by the combined exposure to lead and manganese.
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Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are chronic and cumulative disorders that are affected by multiple ergonomic factors. They are widespread in occupational populations and have a high prevalence. They have caused a substantial economic and social burden, which has become a major occupational health problem worldwide. The mechanism of WMSDs needs to be clarified. More authoritative and unified diagnostic criteria and specific therapeutic drugs are required. Therefore, an in-depth epidemiological investigation on WMSDs involving occupational ergonomics is of great scientific value and practical significance, which aims to improve hazard identification and ergonomic load risk assessment and to facilitate the prevention, control, and intervention of WMSDs. This article introduced the concept, status report, risk factors, ergonomic assessment methods, and preventive measures of WMSDs. This special column on "occupational ergonomics and work-related musculoskeletal disorders" presented the prevalence and related risk factors of WMSDs in different industries, as well as working condition simulation studies for specific tasks, aiming to provide objective and detailed scientific data for the prevention and control of WMSDs.
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Background Operation and maintenance work in the power grid industry often involving climbing, manual handling, and poor postures causing serious problems like work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The influencing factors of WMSDs are not very clear, but the problem has been widely concerned in this industry. Objective To understand the prevalence and influencing factors of WMSDs among climbing task-involved workers in power supply enterprises. Methods Using a cross-sectional design, a total of 702 workers involving climbing task from 10 power supply enterprises in Jilin Province, Tianjin Municipality, and Shandong province were selected as study subjects using cluster sampling. The Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire which was revised by Lei Yang was used to estimate the prevalence and identify related factors of WMSDs. \begin{document}$ {\chi
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Background Power grid is a basic industry of national economy. The occupational health problems among operation and maintenance workers in this industry have become increasingly prominent in recent years, and they should receive enough attention. Objective To estimate the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) of neck and shoulder among operation and maintenance workers of power supply enterprises, and analyze related influencing factors. Methods From March to June 2021, a total of 1433 operation and maintenance worker from 10 power supply enterprises in three provinces of North China were selected as research subjects using cluster sampling method. A revised Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire was used to investigate the prevalence and ergonomic factors of neck and shoulder pain in the past year. χ2 test and logistic regression model were used to explore influencing factors of neck and shoulder pain among operation and maintenance workers. Results A total of 1343 valid questionnaires were recovered and the effective recovery rate was 93.72%. The neck pain prevalence was 66.0% (886 cases) and the shoulder pain prevalence was 54.1% (727 cases). The multiple logistic regression analysis results showed that often/very often long-time sitting (OR=1.864, 95%CI: 1.236-2.811; OR=1.659, 95%CI: 1.091-2.524), sometimes holding awkward postures (OR=1.695, 95%CI: 1.294-2.219; OR=1.596, 95%CI: 1.218-2.092), often/very often holding awkward postures (OR=2.416, 95%CI: 1.618-3.607; OR=2.058, 95%CI: 1.405-3.015), long-time slight neck tilting forward (OR=1.327, 95%CI: 1.023-1.722; OR=1.571, 95%CI: 1.221-2.022), long-time elbows bending (OR=1.327, 95%CI: 1.023-1.722; OR=1.506, 95%CI: 1.112-2.040) and department or team staff shortages (OR=1.578, 95%CI: 1.153-2.161; OR=1.831, 95%CI: 1.320-2.539) were associated with higher neck and shoulder pain prevalence rates. While exercise (OR=0.630, 95%CI: 0.492-0.809; OR=0.707, 95%CI: 0.557-0.899) was associated with lower neck and shoulder pain prevalence rates. Doing same work every day (OR=1.704, 95%CI: 1.305-2.225) was associated with a higher neck pain prevalence rate. Awkward postures with ineffectual force (OR=1.808, 95%CI: 1.226-2.665) and often keeping arms above shoulders (OR=1.424, 95%CI: 1.017-1.992) were associated with a higher shoulder pain prevalence rate. Conclusion The prevalence rates of neck and shoulder pian are high among operation and maintenance workers of power supply enterprises in selected three provinces of North China, and the main associated factors include individual factors, awkward work postures, and labor organization.
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Background Prolonged awkward postures during occupational activities can lead to excessive musculoskeletal load on the wrist of workers and symptoms such as wrist pain or discomfort. Objective To survey the prevalence of wrist pain among workers in 10 key industries and analyze its correlation with wrist working postures. Methods By using stratified cluster sampling method, workers from 10 key industries, such as footwear manufacturing industry, shipbuilding manufacturing industry, and automobile manufacturing industry, were selected from seven regions in North China, East China, Central China, South China, Southwest China, Northwest China, and Northeast China. The demographic information, wrist working postures, pain in wrist of the workers were collected through a cross-sectional survey. Pearson χ2 test was used to compare prevalence by selected factors, trend χ2 test for between group comparison, and unconditional logistic regression models for the association of wrist working postures with wrist pain. Results There were 64052 workers enrolled in this survey, and 56286 provided valid questionnaires (the effective rate was 87.8%). According to the survey, the prevalence of wrist pain was 23.3% (13112/56286), and the industries with higher prevalences were footwear manufacturing (27.1%, 1927/7106), automobile manufacturing (24.9%, 5378/21560), and shipbuilding and related equipment manufacturing (24.4%, 850/3488) industries. Finger pinching (OR=2.09, 95%CI: 1.95-2.24), frequent wrist bending (OR=2.03, 95%CI: 1.92-2.15), fixed wrist bending (OR=1.77, 95%CI: 1.69-1.85), wrist on hard edge (OR=1.34, 95%CI: 1.28-1.40), and arms over shoulders (OR=1.11, 95%CI: 1.05-1.17) increased the risk of reporting wrist pain. Conclusion Awkward postures are related to wrist pain among workers in selected 10 key industries. The related factors are wrist on hard edge, frequent wrist bending, finger pinching, fixed wrist bending, and arms over shoulders.
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Background Long working hours is harmful to the physical and mental health of occupational groups, and should receive active attention. Objective To evaluate the current status of long working hours among operation and maintenance workers of power supply enterprises, and explore its effects on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) of the population. Methods From March to June 2021, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1433 operation and maintenance workers from 10 power supply enterprises in Jilin Province, Shandong Province, and Tianjin Municipality using cluster sampling. A total of 1433 copies of revised Mus-culoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire were distributed, 1343 questionnaires were recovered, and the recovery rate was 93.72%. The questionnaire included general information, personal health behaviors, weekly working hours, work-related factors, and musculoskeletal pain or discomfort in nine body parts in the past 12 months. χ2 test and multiple logistic regression models were used to investigate the relationships between long working hours (>40 h per week) and WMSDs. Results The average age of the workers was (39.42±9.89) years, and the average work experience was 11.00 (5.00, 21.00) years. There were 1158 males (86.22%) and 185 females (13.78%). The average weekly working hours of the workers were (47.98±11.35) h, and the proportion of long working hours (>40 h per week) was 61.06% (820/1343). The proportions of long working hours were higher among the workers with characteristics of male, power distribution, shift work, often/very often long-time standing, often/very often holding awkward postures, often handling heavy objects, limited space to operate, long-time neck tilting backward, keeping arms above shoulders, frequent elbow bending, repeating knee movement every minute, and repeating lower limb or foot movement every minute (all P<0.05). The prevalence rate of WMSDs was 81.53% (1095/1343) among the workers. The results of multiple logistic regression showed that after adjusting education, smoking, exercise, awkward postures, often handling heavy objects, limited space to operate, long-time heavy trunk bending, long-time neck tilting backward, and keeping arms above shoulders, compared with working ≤40 h per week, the risk of WMSDs among workers working >49 h per week was higher (OR=1.406, 95%CI: 1.011-1.955). Conclusion Long working hours is prominent among operation and maintenance workers of power supply enterprises, and increases the risk of reporting WMSDs.
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Background Climbing pylons during high-voltage cable maintenance is not only a labor-intensive task, but also a challenge bringing about heat stress and mental pressure from working at height, which may lead to accumulation of muscle fatigue and work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Objective To record the local muscle fatigue during a simulated climbing task by high-voltage cable electricians based on surface electromyography (sEMG) signals, explore the characteristic changes in sEMG signals and their relationship with subjective fatigue evaluation of the task, and provide data support for developing task specific objective assessment tools for local muscle fatigue and prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Methods Ten male college students were recruited to conduct a test of a simulated pylon climbing task. The climbing distance was 60 m, and a task segment was set for every 20 m (about 100 s), recorded as T1, T2, and T3, respectively. After completing each task segment, the subjects were required to rate their subjective fatigue using the Borg's RPE Scale. Fatigue was defined by rating of perceived exertion (RPE) score ≥ 14 in this study. The sEMG signals of trapezius, erector spinae, rectus femoris, and gastrocnemius muscles were recorded wirelessly. The standardized maximal voluntary electrical activation (MVE) obtained by standardizing the root mean square (RMS) of the time domain index and the median frequency (MF) of the frequency domain index were estimated for the recorded sEMG signals, and joint amplitude and spectrum analysis (JASA) was used to evaluate local muscle fatigue of target muscles involving in the climbing task. Results The RPE scores of T1, T2, and T3 were 11.9, 15.3, and 17.4, respectively. Subjective fatigue was found in T2 and T3 but not in T1. With the extension of climbing time, the MVE values of left and right erector spinae muscles, left and right rectus femoris, and right gastrocnemius muscle increased gradually, while the MVE values of left and right trapezius muscles and left gastrocnemius muscle increased first and then decreased. The MF values of left and right rectus femoris increased at first, then remained unchanged, while the MF values of the other muscles remained basically unchanged. In T1, three muscles, including left trapezius muscle and both side of erector spinae muscles, showed fatigue; in T2, five muscles, including both sides of erector spina muscles, right trapezius muscle, and both sides of gastrocnemius muscle appeared fatigue; in T3 , except for left rectus femoris, the other seven muscles were fatigue. Conclusion The characteristic changes of electromyography signals in the simulated climbing task are not completely consistent with the typical amplitude increase and left shift of the frequency spectrum of sEMG signals in static tasks, indicating that the application of time-domain and frequency-domain analysis methods in the evaluation of muscle fatigue in climbing tasks needs further discussion. Trapezius muscles and erector spinae muscles are the first to show fatigue in the simulation, and may be the sensitive muscle groups of muscle fatigue associated with climbing movement. Compared with subjective evaluation, surface electromyography is more sensitive in the assessment of body fatigue. Fatigue is reported about 100 s of climbing (the climbing length is about 20 m).
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Background Since the outbreak of COVID-19, primary health care workers have been facing unprecedented work pressure, and their occupational stress should be taken seriously. Objective To analyze the occupational stress situation and its influencing factors of primary health care workers in Guangdong Province, and to propose targeted interventions. Methods Using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method, each prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province was classified into "good", "medium", or "poor" category based on its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 released by the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Statistics. In September 2021, four primary health care institutions were randomly selected from each stratum, and a total of 1327 staff members were selected for the study. The Core Occupational Stress Scale (COSS) and a basic information questionnaire designed by the authors were used. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the means between two groups, and Kruskal-Walis H test was used to compare the means among multiple groups. The comparison of categorical data was performed by trend χ2 test or Pearson χ2 test; the analysis of factors influencing occupational stress was performed by dichotomous multiple logistic regression analysis. Results There were 365 health care workers reporting occupational stress in this survey, and the positive rate of occupational stress was 27.5%. The total occupational stress score in M (P25, P75) and the scores of social support, organization and reward, demand and effort, and control were 45.0 (40.0, 50.0), 20.0 (17.0, 21.0), 14.0 (12.0, 17.0), 12.0 (10.0, 15.0), and 5.0 (4.0, 6.0), respectively. The results of dichotomous multiple logistic regression analysis showed that high education, low income, doctor positions, long working hours in a day, and shift work were associated with the occurrence of reporting occupational stress (P<0.05). Conclusion Education, average monthly income, job category, daily working hours, and shifts are factors influencing the occurrence of reporting occupational stress in primary health care workers; targeted interventions should be implemented to reduce their occupational stress levels.
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{L-End}Objective To explore the suitable methods for individual occupational stress examination and evaluation for workers in China based on the electronics industry. {L-End}Methods A total of 1 164 workers from four electronics enterprises in Beijing City were selected as the research subjects using a convenient sampling method. The Occupational Stress Measurement Scale, which was developed based on the Japanese Brief Job Stress Questionnaire, was used to assess the occupational stress of the research subjects, and test the reliability and validity of the scale. Percentile norms and T-score norms were established, and the T-scores of the three dimensions of stress reaction (psychological reaction and physical symptoms), stress factors, and social support were divided into five stages using the normal distribution method with x¯±0.5 s and x¯±1.5 s, which was used to explore a proposed standard for assessing individual stress levels. {L-End}Results The revised scale consisted of 57 items, which could explain 64.0% of the total variation of occupational stress based on the result of item analysis and exploratory factor analysis. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the model fitted well, with root mean square error of approximation of 0.052, standardized root mean square residual of 0.070, comparative fit index of 0.960, and Tucker-Lewis index of 0.958. The Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was 0.951, and the Spearman-Brown coefficient was 0.837. Cronbach's α coefficients of the three dimensions ranged from 0.794 to 0.952, and the Spearman-Brown coefficients ranged from 0.737 to 0.850. The scores of the three dimensions of stress reaction, stress factors, and social support were (49.1±13.0), (44.9±7.7), and (18.1±3.6), respectively. Workers in the electronics industry met one of the following items were identified as the high level of occupational stress individuals: i) a score of stress reaction dimension ≥72.0 points; ii) a sum of stress factor and social support dimension scores ≥81.0 points, and a stress reaction dimension score ≥58.0 points. {L-End}Conclusion The Occupational Stress Measurement Scale and the criteria for determining high level of occupational stress can be used to assess the individual occupational stress levels of workers in the electronics industry in China. This method can provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of occupational stress examination and assessment for Chinese workers.
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Background Long-term exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) will affect the health of occupational drivers. However, research on the characteristics of WBV exposure by urban bus drivers and health risk evaluation is still insufficient. Objective To identify the characteristics of occupational WBV exposure of bus drivers serving 31 bus routes provided by three branches of Haikou Public Transport Group, and to evaluate their occupational health risks related to WBV. Methods A total of 31 out of 142 bus routes run by three branches of Haikou Public Transport Group were selected to monitor WBV exposure of 31 bus drivers during driving. WBV parameters such as triaxial frequency weighted acceleration (awx, awy, awz) and triaxial crest factor (CFx, CFy, CFz) of the drivers were determined with a six-channel human vibration meter. Two methods, 8-hour daily value of the weighted root mean square average weighted vibration [A(8)] based on aw and 8-hour daily value of vibration dose [VDV(8)] based on vibration dose value (VDV), were used for health risk assessment and classified WBV health risk results into three levels (high, medium, and low) by the exposure action value (EAV) and exposure limit values (ELV) for A(8) and VDV(8) recommended by ISO 2631-1:1997. The two evaluation methods, A(8) and VDV(8), were compared by Fisher's exact test. Results Regarding the WBV parameters, the vector sum of acceleration (av) was 0.321-0.680 m·s−2, the VDV of monitoring interval was 3.824-10.174 m·s−1.75, and the VDV(8) was 6.039-13.505 m·s−1.75; their values in mean ± standard deviation were (0.480±0.100) m·s−2, (6.987±2.737) m·s−1.75, and (9.773±4.540) m·s−1.75, respectively. Positive correlations were found between awx and awz, av and awz, CFx and CFy, CFy and CFz. No bus route's WBV exposure level was graded as high health risk by either A(8) or VDV(8). The number of routes graded as low health risk by A(8) was 26, while the number by VDV(8) was 12. The consistency rates of health risk levels evaluated by the two methods were 66.7% (6/9), 54.6% (6/11), and 45.5% (5/11) for the three bus group branches, respectively. The difference in WBV health risk assessment results between the two evaluation methods was not statistically significant. Conclusion Positive correlations are found between triaxial acceleration and triaxial crest factor. There is no difference in the results of using A(8) and VDV(8) to evaluate health risks of WBV in urban bus routes.
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Background Hand-arm vibration disease is harmful to human body, but there are no effective diagnosis and treatment so far, and current occupational exposure limits underestimate the health damage caused by high-frequency vibration exposure. Objective To evaluate and compare the damage to workers' peripheral circulation and peripheral nerve caused by different frequencies of vibration operation. Methods Drilling workers (n=187) from a mining company in Shandong Province and golf club head grinding workers (n=228) from a sports equipment factory in Guangdong Province were selected as study subjects. Hand symptoms were investigated. SV106 vibration meter was used to measure the target operation-associated vibration frequency spectrum. The 8 h energy-equivalent frequency weighted acceleration, cumulative vibration exposure level (CVEL), and the working age related to causing white finger in 10% of an exposed group were calculated. Result The study subjects were all male. More grinding workers reported hand symptoms than the drilling workers, e.g. peripheral circulation injury (52.6% vs 19.3%), peripheral nerve injury (71.5% vs 23.0%), hand stiffness (64.0% vs 7.0%), and deformed fingers (69.7% vs 4.3%) (all P<0.001). The main vibration frequencies of grinding operation (500-800 Hz) were much higher than those of drilling operation (125~160 Hz). CVEL and working age of vibration exposure showed a linear rising relationship with the cumulative prevalence rate of peripheral circulation and peripheral never injury, the fitting lines all showed good fitting effects (R2=0.812-0.988), and the slope of the fitting line of the grinding workers was larger than that of the drilling workers. The working age of vibration exposure associated with 10% cumulative prevalence of white finger was shorter in the grinding workers than in the drilling workers (6.81 years vs 10.27 years). According to the ISO prediction formula, the working age of vibration exposure was associated with 10% white finger prevalence shorter in the drilling workers than in the grinding workers (3.12 years vs 8.23 years). Conclusion Both the vibration exposure level and the prevalence of hand symptoms are high in two groups of workers with different vibration frequencies, and vibration exposure at a higher frequency tends to have severer damage to workers' hands.
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Background Hand-arm vibration disease (HAVD) is a chronic progressive disease caused by long-term exposure to hand-transmitted vibration, but the mechanism by which vibration affects peripheral vascular function of fingers is not completely clear. Objective To study the association between vasoactive factors and HAVD, and to screen specific indicators for its early diagnosis and prevention. Methods Judgmental sampling method was used to select workers with (HAVD group) and without HAVD (vibration contact group), and non-hand-transmitted vibration operation workers (control group), with 60 workers in each group. The levels of leukotriene B4 (LTB4), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), 5-hydroxy tryptamine (5-HT), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in plasma of the three groups were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The association between vasoactive factors and HAVD was analyzed using logistic regression, and the diagnostic HAVD indicators were screened by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve of a multivariate model indicator \begin{document}$ \widehat{Y} $\end{document}. Results The hand symptom rates of the HAVD group, the vibration contact group, and the control group were 26.7%, 66.7%, and 96.7% respectively, with a significant difference (P<0.05). The levels of LTB4, 5-HT, IL-1β, and CGRP in the HAVD group were the highest followed by the vibration contact group, and lowest levels were in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the VEGF level among the three groups (P>0.05). The logistic regression results showed that higher levels of LTB4 (OR=1.048, 95%CI: 1.022-1.076), 5-HT (OR=1.011, 95%CI: 1.004-1.018), IL-1β (OR=1.148, 95%CI: 1.071-1.230), and CGRP (OR=1.055, 95%CI: 1.008-1.104) were associated with a higher risk of HAVD (P<0.05). The order of the potential indicators' area under the ROC curve from high to low was:\begin{document}$ \widehat{Y} $\end{document} (0.969) > IL-1β (0.907) > LTB4 (0.876) > 5-HT (0.858) > CGRP (0.836). Conclusion The expression levels of LTB4, 5-HT, IL-1β, and CGRP are altered with occupational exposure in hand-transmitted vibration operations and may be associated with HAVD; VEGF is not found to be associated with HAVD. The accuracy of early screening for HAVD can be improved by combining the monitoring of various biochemical indicators.
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Background Prolonged exposure to vibration can cause vascular endothelial injury, and inflammatory response plays an important role in vascular endothelial injury. Studies have shown that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) is involved in regulating the expression of inflammatory injury of endothelial cells. Objective To investigate the effects of vibration on the secretion of inflammatory factors and the expression of IncRNA MEG3 by vascular endothelial cells in vitro. Methods Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were divided into two categories: vibration and control. The vibration exposure included 63 Hz (6.76 m·s−2), 200 Hz (5.08 m·s−2), and 250 Hz (4.56 m·s−2) frequency bands, and 1 and 2 d exposure time with 1 to 4 h of daily vibration. The control treatment was the same as the vibration category except that they were not exposed to vibration. CCK-8 was used to detect the effects of different vibration frequencies and time on the viability of HUVEC. The expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the cells and supernatants were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression levels of IncRNA MEG3 were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. Results Compared with the cells with the control treatment, the cell viability of the 1-day exposure group increased after 1.5 h and 3 h of vibration at 63 Hz, while decreased after 2 h and 2.5 h; the cell viability of the 2-day exposure group increased at the frequency of 63 Hz for 1.5 h, but decreased at 2 h and 2.5 h. At the frequency of 200 Hz, the cell viability of the 1-day exposure group increased at 2 h and 4 h, but decreased at 2.5 h and 3 h; the cell viability of the 2-day exposure group increased at 1.5 h and decreased at 2.5 h. For the vibration exposure at frequency of 250 Hz, the cell viability of the 1-day exposure group increased at 1.5 h and 2.5 h, but decreased at 3 h; of the 2-day exposure group, the cell viability increased at 1.5 h and decreased at 3 h. For the exposure settings of 63 and 200 Hz vibration for 2.5 h and 250 Hz vibration for 3 h, and with the control treatment as reference, the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-8, IL-4, and IL-10 in cells and supernatants were increased in the 1 d and 2 d exposures; the expression level of lncRNA MEG3 decreased in the 1 d exposure group; however, for the 2 d exposure, the expression level of lncRNA MEG3 decreased only in the 63 Hz vibration exposure. All of these results were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Vibration could induce an increase in the levels of inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-8, IL-4, and IL-10 and a decrease in the expression level of lncRNA MEG3 in vascular endothelial cells in vitro.
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Background Long-term exposure to hand-transmitted vibration can lead to hand-arm vibration syndrome, one manifestation of which is impaired peripheral blood circulation in the arms. Altered expressions of prostacyclin I2 (PGI2) and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) in blood may be one of the important mechanisms of vibration-induced hand-arm vibration syndrome. Objective To reveal the effects of rat tail vibration on the expressions of PGI2 and TXA2 in plasma, and to establish the correlation between the change of rat plasma PGI2 to TXA2 ratio and rat tail vibration. Methods Fifty SPF-grade male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups: control group, 1 d exposure group, 3 d exposure group, 7 d exposure group, and 14 d exposure group, with 10 rats in each group. The rats were placed in rat immobilizes on a immobilization table, and the rats' tails were connected to a shaker and fixed with medical tape. There was no overlap between the immobilizes and between the rats' tails by no contact between the immobilization table and the shaker. The exposure dose was 125 Hz, 5.9 m·s−2, 4 h·d−1, and the vibration direction was linear vertical vibration. Abdominal aortic blood was taken at the end of vibration exposure, and the expressions of PGI2, TXA2, and their hydrolysates 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α (6-keto-PGF1α) and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the 6-keto-PGF1α/TXB2 values were calculated. Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze whether the expression of vascular factors correlated with the accumulated time of vibration. Results The expression levels of plasma 6-keto-PGF1α were (896.12±124.37), (1068.13±119.41), (1215.26±122.64), and (1317.94±106.54) ng·L−1 in the 1 d, 3 d, 7 d, and 14 d groups of rats, respectively, which were higher than that in the control group, (830.60±109.47) ng·L−1 (P<0.001). The PGI2 expression levels were (86.49±2.40), (107.90±2.65), (114.02±2.16), and (126.95±1.94) ng·L−1 in the 1 d, 3 d, 7 d, and 14 d groups of rats, respectively, all higher than (60.09±2.11) ng·L−1 in the control group (P＜0.001). The expression levels of TXB2 were (132.14±4.10), (145.52±4.09), (179.91±4.98), and (204.10±3.22) ng·L−1 in the 1 d, 3 d, 7 d, and 14 d groups of rats, respectively, which were higher than that in the control group, (106.08±3.26) ng·L−1 (P<0.001). The expression levels of plasma TXA2 were (211.99±3.24), (236.33±3.88), and (245.45±4.23) ng·L−1 in rats in the 3 d, 7 d, and 14 d groups, respectively, which were all elevated compared with (174.79±4.19) ng·L−1 in the control group (P<0.001). Compared with the control group, the 6-keto-PGF1α/TXB2 values were decreased in the 7 d and 14 d groups (P<0.05). The 6-keto-PGF1α, PGI2, TXB2, and TXA2 expressions were positively correlated with vibration accumulation time (r=0.84, 0.84, 0.80, 0.84, P<0.001) and the 6-keto-PGF1α/TXB2 values were negatively correlated with vibration accumulation time (r=-0.24, P=0.003). Conclusion Local exposure of rat tail to vibration could increase the expressions of PGI2 and TXA2 in blood, and the elevated expressions show a dose-effect relationship with the duration of vibration exposure, but the PGI2/TXA2 tends to decrease with the accumulation of vibration exposure.
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Background The metabolites and metabolic pathways of hand-arm vibration syndrome have not yet been elucidated. Objective To investigate the effect of local vibration on endogenous metabolites in rat serum by metabolomic analysis, to preliminarily explore the potential metabolic pathway of endogenous metabolites, so as to provide evidence for further research on the mechanism of hand-arm vibration syndrome. Methods Thirty-two SPF male SD rats, (211.3±11.1) g, 7−8 weeks of age, were selected and randomly divided into three groups: control group (14 rats, without vibration), 7 d vibration group (9 rats, continuously vibration for 7 d), and 14 d vibration group (9 rats, continuous vibration for 14 d). The vibration rats were vibrated every day for 4 h, the frequency weighted acceleration was 4.9 m·s−2, the vibration frequency was 125 Hz, and the vibration direction was one-way vertical vibration. The control group had the same conditions except not contacting vibration. After the vibration exposure, the blood samples taken from the abnormal aorta of rats were collected, and the changes of rat serum metabolome were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to explore changes in rat serum metabolic profile, and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was used to screen out differential metabolites. Combined with online databases, a metabolic pathway enrichment analysis of differential metabolites was performed. Results The PCA analysis showed that compared with the control group, the rat serum metabolic profiles in the 7 d group and the 14 d group were clearly differentiated, and the rat serum metabolic profiles in the 7 d group and the 14 d group partially overlapped. The OPLS-DA analysis showed significant differences between groups. The main parameters were: model interpretation rate R2Y=0.914, model predictive ability Q2=0.58. The OPLS-DA analysis screened out 26 and 119 differential metabolites from the 7 d group and the 14 d group respectively, and there were 24 common differential metabolites between the 7 d group and the 14 d group. The metabolomic pathway analysis showed that local vibration-induced changes in rat serum metabolism were mainly related to arachidonic acid metabolism in the 14 d group, among which the metabolites with significant effects were arachidonic acid, prostaglandin E2, and prostaglandin D2. Conclusion Local vibration could affect the normal metabolism in rats, and the metabolic pathway with significant influence is arachidonic acid metabolism after a 14 d exposure and the involved metabolites are arachidonic acid, prostaglandin E2, and prostaglandin D2.
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Objective:To analyze the distribution and composition characteristics of jellyfish stings in various coastal baths in Qinhuangdao City from 2017 to 2019, and to provide scientific basis for the prevention, control and early warning of jellyfish stings.Methods:Statistics and analysis of the age, gender, time of stings, location of injury, first symptoms, and playing time in the sea at the time of the sting, etc. of people with jellyfish stings in various bathing beaches along the coast of Qinhuangdao from 2017 to 2019 (July to August) were conducted.Results:The number of jellyfish stings in the coastal bathing beaches of Qinhuangdao City in 2017, 2018, and 2019 was decreasing year by year, with 1 890, 492, and 171 cases respectively. Among them, Qianshuiwan Bathing Beach and Dongshan Bathing Beach had more stings (60.90% and 35.08% respectively in 2017, 24.39% and 64.23% respectively in 2018, 16.96% and 16.42% respectively in 2019). There was no significant change in the gender and age distribution of jellyfish stings each year [57.99% males in 2017, with a median age of 13 (8, 31) years old; 63.21% males in 2018, with a median age of 25 (8, 29) years old; and 59.65% males in 2019, with a median age of 12 (7, 31) years old]. Stings were mainly located at the lower limbs (the proportion of lower limb injuries: 46.54% in 2018, 45.61% in 2019), followed by upper limbs (upper arm, elbow, forearm), trunk, etc. The first symptom was mainly pain (89.43% in 2018, 38.29% in 2019), followed by rash (64.43% in 2018, 59.43% in 2019), numbness, blisters, etc. Sting incidents mainly occurred from 13:00 to 17:59 (the proportion of sting incidents in this time period in 2018 and 2019 were 68.09% and 52.63%, respectively).Conclusions:Jellyfish stings in coastal baths in Qinhuangdao City are mainly distributed in Qianshuiwan Baths and Dongshan Baths. The management of these sea areas should be strengthened, and scientific publicity and medical rescue should be strengthened to prevent jellyfish stings in peak hours and related baths.
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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of hand-transmitted vibration on the subjective symptoms of mine drilling workers. METHODS: A total of 117 mine drilling workers exposed to hand-transmitted vibration were selected as the exposure group, and 46 workers without hand-transmitted vibration exposure were selected as control group by judgment sampling method. The Occupational Epidemiology Questionnaire of Mine Drilling Workers was used to investigate their subjective symptoms. RESULTS: The prevalence of tinnitus, hearing loss, cough and sputum in the exposure group was higher than that in the control group(P<0.05). The occurrence rate of numbness, tingling, self-reported white fingers and cold hands in the exposure group was higher than that in the control group(P<0.05). The total rate of symptoms of hand in the exposure group was higher than that in the control group(38.5% vs 21.7%, P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis results indicated that hand-transmitted vibration exposure and service length were risk factors of abnormal hand symptoms(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Occupational hand-transmitted vibration exposure can affect the hand subjective symptoms of mine drilling workers, and the length of service is a synergistic influencing factor.