Serum metabolome perturbation in relation to noise exposure: Exploring the potential role of serum metabolites in noise-induced arterial stiffness.

Noise pollution has grown to be a major public health issue worldwide. We sought to profile serum metabolite expression changes related to occupational noise exposure by untargeted metabolomics, as well as to evaluate the potential roles of serum metabolites in occupational noise-associated arterial stiffness (AS). Our study involved 30 noise-exposed industrial personnel (Lipo group) and 30 noise-free controls (Blank group). The untargeted metabolomic analysis was performed by employing a UPLC-HRMS. The associations of occupational noise and significant differential metabolites (between Blank/Lipo groups) with AS were evaluated using multivariable-adjusted generalized linear models. We performed the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis to further screen for AS's risk metabolites. We explored 177 metabolites across 21 categories significantly differentially expressed between Blank/Lipo groups, and these metabolites were enriched in 20 metabolic pathways. Moreover, 15 metabolites in 4 classes (including food, glycerophosphocholine, sphingomyelin [SM] and triacylglycerols [TAG]) were adversely associated with AS (all P < 0.05). Meanwhile, five metabolites (homostachydrine, phosphatidylcholine (PC) (32:1e), PC (38:6p), SM (d41:2) and TAG (45:1) have been proven to be useful predictors of AS prevalence. However, none of these 15 metabolites were found to have a mediating influence on occupational noise-induced AS. Our study reveals specific metabolic changes caused by occupational noise exposure, and several metabolites may have protective effects on AS. However, the roles of serum metabolites in noise-AS association remain to be validated in future studies.

Association of noise exposure, plasma microRNAs with metabolic syndrome and its components among Chinese adults.

AIMS: We aimed to evaluate the association of occupational noise with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components, and to assess the potential role of miRNAs in occupational noise-associated MetS. METHODS: A total of 854 participants were enrolled in our study. Cumulative noise exposure (CNE) was estimated in conjunction with workplace noise test records and research participants' employment histories. Logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders were used to assess the association of CNE and miRNAs with MetS and its components. RESULTS: We observed linear positive dose-response associations between occupational noise exposure and the prevalence of MetS (OR: 1.031; 95 % CI: 1.008, 1.055). And linear and nonlinear relationship were also found for the association of occupational noise exposure with high blood pressure (OR: 1.024; 95 % CI: 1.007, 1.041) and reduced high-density lipoprotein (OR: 1.051; 95 % CI: 1.031, 1.072), respectively. MiR-200a-3p, miR-92a-3p and miR-21-5p were inversely associated with CNE, or the prevalence of MetS and its components (all P < 0.05). However, we did not find any statistically significant mediation effect of miRNAs in the associations of CNE with MetS. Furthermore, the prevalence of bilateral hearing loss in high-frequency increased (OR: 1.036; 95 % CI: 1.008, 1.067) with CNE level rising, and participants with bilateral hearing loss in high-frequency had a significantly higher risk of MetS (OR: 1.727; 95 % CI: 1.048, 2.819). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that occupational noise exposure is associated with MetS and its components, and the role of miRNAs in noise-induced increasing MetS risk needs to be confirmed in future studies.

Association of Work Stress With Anxiety and Depression Among Adults in Wuhan, China: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the relationship of work stress with anxiety and depression and the mediation of job satisfaction. METHODS: We conducted a survey among gas station workers in Wuhan, China. Multivariate and bootstrap mediating analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The rate of effort-reward imbalance, overcommitment (OC), anxiety, and depression were 22.9%, 29.2%, 20.1%, and 19.9%. Work stress was positively associated with anxiety ( ß = 0.213 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.156-0.270] for logarithmic effort-reward ratio [LgERR] and ß = 0.563 [95% CI, 0.505-0.621] for OC) and depression ( ß = 0.291 [95% CI, 0.227-0.356] for LgERR and ß = 0.417 [95% CI, 0.351-0.483] for OC). The mediation of job satisfaction from LgERR and OC to anxiety and depression were 14.93%, 9.05%, 24.34%, and 19.85%. CONCLUSIONS: We should concern the anxiety and depression, and work stress status of workers and improve the situation by improving job satisfaction.

Association between occupational noise exposure duration and heart rate variability among Chinese adults: The role of plasma miRNAs.

We aimed to explore the association between occupational noise exposure duration and heart rate variability (HRV) and the underlying mechanism. A total of 449 subjects in a manufacturing company in Wuhan, China were included in our study and six candidate miRNAs (miR-200a-3p, miR-200b-3p, miR-200c-3p, miR-1-3p, miR-92a-3p and miR-21-5p) were tested among 200 individuals. Information combining the work histories and the occupational noise monitoring records were used to calculate the exposure of occupational noise, HRV indices were measured by using 3-channel digital Holter monitors, including the standard deviation of all normal R-R intervals (SDNN), the root mean of the square of successive differences between adjacent normal NN intervals (r-MSSD), SDNN index, low-frequency power (LF), high-frequency power (HF) and TP (total power). We found a significant linear negative dose-response relationship between occupational noise exposure duration and HRV indices (P for overall <0.05, P for nonlinear >0.05), including SDNN, r-MSSD, SDNN index, LF and HF. In the continuous models, the ß (95% CIs) for each 1-year occupational noise exposure were -0.002 (-0.004, -0.001) for SDNN, -0.002 (-0.004, -0.001) for r-MSSD, -0.002 (-0.004, -0.001) for SDNN index, and -0.006 (-0.012, -0.001) for HF. Meanwhile, we also found that occupational noise exposure duration was significantly associated with lower expression of five miRNAs, when adjusting for other covariates. The ß (95% CIs) were -0.039 (-0.067, -0.011) for miRNA-200c-3p, -0.053 (-0.083, -0.022) for miRNA-200a-3p, -0.044 (-0.070, -0.019) for miRNA-200b-3p, -0.032 (-0.048, -0.017) for miRNA-92a-3p, and -0.063 (-0.089, -0.038) for miRNA-21-5p in the continuous models. In addition, we found a positive association between miRNA-1-3p and LF (ß = 0.039, 95% CI = 0.002, 0.080). Our study suggests that occupational noise exposure duration is associated with cardiac autonomic dysfunction, and the role of miRNAs in noise induced HRV reduction needs to be confirmed in future studies.

Association between triglyceride-glucose index and carotid atherosclerosis detected by ultrasonography.

BACKGROUND: Several previous studies have indicated that the triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) index is associated with carotid atherosclerosis (CA); however, the evidence of the association is limited and inconsistent, which may result from small sample sizes or differences in study populations. Therefore, we examined the relation between the TyG index and CA in a large general population of Chinese middle-aged and elderly population. METHODS: A total of 59,123 middle-aged and elderly participants were enrolled. The TyG index was calculated as ln[fasting triglycerides (mg/dL)×fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2]. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between the TyG index as continuous variables and quartiles and CA. The relationships between the TyG index and CA according to sex, age groups, blood pressure groups and body mass index groups were also assessed. RESULTS: The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the TyG index was significantly associated with the prevalence of CA (OR: 1.48; 95% CI 1.39-1.56), carotid intima-media thickness (CMT) (1.55; 1.45-1.67), plaques (1.38; 1.30-1.47) and stenosis severity (> 50%) (1.33; 1.14-1.56). Compared with the quartile 1, quartile 4 was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of CA (1.59; 1.45-1.75), CMT (1.93; 1.82-2.18), plaques (1.36; 1.22-1.51) and stenosis severity (> 50%) (1.56; 1.20-2.04). Subgroup analyses showed significant associations between the continuous TyG index and the prevalence of CA, CMT, plaques and stenosis severity (> 50%) according to sex, with a higher prevalence of CA, CMT, and plaques among males, while a higher prevalence of stenosis severity in females (> 50%). For participants aged < 60 years old and with hypertension, the relationship between the TyG index and stenosis severity (> 50%) was not observed (1.47; 0.97-2.22 and 1.13; 0.91-1.41). For body mass index (BMI), the association was just observed among overweight participants (1.48; 1.17-1.86). In addition, similar results were also observed when the TyG index was used as a categorical variable. CONCLUSIONS: There is a positive association between the TyG index and CA. The association is higher in males and middle-aged individuals than those in females and elderly individuals. Besides, the relationship is stronger among individuals with normal blood pressure and underweight subjects.

Association of weight change across adulthood with hearing loss: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the relationship of weight change across adulthood with the risk of hearing loss. METHODS: The data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to explore the association between weight change and risk of hearing loss. Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot the survival curves associated with weight change patterns. RESULTS: Compared with participants who remained at normal weight, those with stable obese participants had increased risks of total hearing loss across adulthood, with hazard ratios of 1.24 (95% confidence intervals 1.11-1.38) from age 25 years to baseline, 1.09 (1.001-1.18) from 10 years before baseline to baseline, and 1.23 (1.10-1.37) from age 25 years to 10 years before baseline. Moving the obese to non-obese weight change pattern from middle to late adulthood was not significantly associated with an increased risk of total hearing loss (1.04, 0.91-1.19) and high-frequency hearing loss (1.02, 0.90-1.17), whereas changing from non-obese to obese body mass index over this period was associated with total hearing loss risk (1.20, 1.11-1.29), and speech- and high-frequency hearing loss (1.21, 1.07-1.36; 1.18, 1.09-1.28). Those moving from the non-obese to obese category between young and middle adulthood had a 16% (1.16, 1.02-1.33) higher risk of speech-frequency hearing loss. CONCLUSIONS: Stable obesity and weight gain across adulthood are both associated with increased risks of hearing loss. Our findings imply that maintaining normal weight across adulthood is of great importance for preventing hearing loss in later life.