Hygiene risks and management advices for "Room Escape" venues / 环境与职业医学

In recent years, the "Room Escape" industry in China is booming, and this real live game has become popular. However, health threatening events such as fire, trauma, coma, and lung infection in the game venues have been reported at home and abroad. If these venues are not supervised in time, there will be great potential public safety and health hazards. In this review, we summarized the hidden dangers of public safety and health in such venues, including fire and safety hazards, persistent stress state, indoor ventilation problems, risk of contagious infection, non-player characters’ health risk, special film effects of 4D cinemas, mosquito problems, light pollution and noise, and food safety. Meanwhile, health management recommendations for the game venues were proposed from the aspects of formulating health management standards, improving health security measures, and strengthening related health education to players, so as to improve the hygiene levels of such venues and protect players and staff from injuries or diseases.

Viral RNA level, serum antibody responses, and transmission risk in discharged COVID-19 patients with recurrent positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA test results: a population-based observational cohort study

SummaryO_ST_ABSBackgroundC_ST_ABSManaging discharged COVID-19 (DC) patients with recurrent positive (RP) SARS-CoV-2 RNA test results is challenging. We aimed to comprehensively characterize the viral RNA level and serum antibody responses in RP-DC patients and evaluate their viral transmission risk. MethodsA population-based observational cohort study was performed on 479 DC patients discharged from February 1 to May 5, 2020 in Shenzhen, China. We conducted RT-qPCR, antibody assays, neutralisation assays, virus isolation, whole genome sequencing (WGS), and epidemiological investigation of close contacts. FindingsOf 479 DC patients, the 93 (19%) RP individuals, including 36 with multiple RP results, were characterised by young age (median age: 34 years, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 29-38 years). The median discharge-to-RP length was 8 days (95% CI: 7-14 days; maximum: 90 days). After readmission, RP-DC patients exhibited mild (28%) or absent (72%) symptoms, with no disease progression. The viral RNA level in RP-DC patients ranged from 1{middle dot}9-5{middle dot}7 log10 copies/mL (median: 3{middle dot}2, 95% CI: 3{middle dot}1-3{middle dot}5). At RP detection, the IgM, IgG, IgA, total antibody, and neutralising antibody (NAb) seropositivity rates in RP-DC patients were 38% (18/48), 98% (47/48), 63% (30/48), 100% (48/48), and 91% (39/43), respectively. Regarding antibody levels, there was no significant difference between RP-DC and non-RP-DC patients. The antibody level remained constant in RP-DC patients pre- and post-RP detection. Virus isolation of nine representative specimens returned negative results. WGS of six specimens yielded only genomic fragments. No clinical symptoms were exhibited by 96 close contacts of 23 RP-DC patients; their viral RNA (96/96) and antibody (20/20) test results were negative. After full recovery, 60% of patients (n=162, 78 no longer RP RP-DC and 84 non-RP-DC) had NAb titres of [≥]1:32. InterpretationRP may occur in DC patients following intermittent and non-stable excretion of low viral RNA levels. RP-DC patients pose a low risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2. An NAb titre of [≥] 1:32 may provide a reference indicator for evaluating humoral responses in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. FundingSanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen, China National Science and Technology Major Projects Foundation, Special Foundation of Science and Technology Innovation Strategy of Guangdong Province of China, and Shenzhen Committee of Scientific and Technical Innovation grants.

Analysis of the potential role of SET in chromium-induced malignant transformation cells based on quantitative proteomics / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective@#To investigate alteration of proteins profile in malignant transformation bronchial epithelial cells(16HBE-T) induced by hexavalent chromium[(Cr(VI))] and analyze the expression level of SET protein, then to provide some new insights for the carcinogenesis mechanism of Cr(VI).@*Methods@#Total protein was extracted from 16HBE cells and was alkylated and desalinated before digested into peptides. The products were labeled with Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) and identified using LC-ESI-MS/MS.@*Results@#A total of 3 517 proteins were found, expression differences greater than 1.5 or less 0.67 times were to found have 185 and 201 proteins, respectively. Gene enrichment analysis revealed that differential proteins were mainly involved in autophagy, DNA damage repair, RNA processing and other biological processes. Western blot results showed the expression level of SET was significantly increased while downregulated in histone H3K18/27 acetylation and p53 protein.@*Conclusion@#Proteins involved in multiple biological processes altered in 16HBE-T cells and regulation mode of SET inhibiting histone H3K18/27 acetylation regulating transcriptional activity of p53 may paly an important role in Cr(VI)-association carcinogenesis.

Studies on the DNA damage in the transformed bronchial epithelial cells induced by hexavalent chromium / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective@#To investigate DNA damage in the transformed human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) induced by hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) and further elucidate the potential carcinogenesis mechanism of Cr6+.@*Methods@#16HBE were treated with different concentration of Cr6+ (0, 0.625, 1.25, 2.5 μmol/L) for 15 weeks. The malignant degrees of transformed cells were identified by the assays for anchorage-independent growth and tumorigenicity. According to the single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay, the DNA damage rate was calculated. The expression level of 53BP1 was determined by Western blot.@*Results@#Chromium-treated cells could form colonies in soft agar and tumors in nude mice. Compared with the control group, colony formation efficiency of 1.25μmol/L and 2.5 μmol/L Cr6+-treated cells in soft agar showed significant increases (p<0.05) . The 2.5 μmol/L Cr6+-treated cells also formed tumors subcutaneously in nude mice. Cr6+ could cause different degree of DNA damage to 16HBE cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, Western blot analyses showed that 53BP1 was aberrantly down-regulated at 2.5 μmol/L dose and has no significant changes at 0.625 μmol/L and 1.25 μmol/L dose under the treatment of Cr6+.@*Conclusion@#The declined expression of 53BP1 may mediate Cr6+-induced DNA damage and further involved in the cell malignant transformation.

Trichloroethylene-induced abnormal methylation on promoter region of SET in hepatic L-02 cells / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective@#To explore the trichloroethylene-induced alteration of methylation on the promoter region of SET and related mechanisms in hepatic L-02 cells.@*Methods@#L-02 cells were treated with different concentrations of TCE(0 mmol/L, 1 mmol/L, 2 mmol/L, 4 mmol/L, 8 mmol/L) for 24 h. The genomic DNA were then extracted and modified by bisulfite sodium. The DNA methylation was then analyzed using bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP).@*Results@#The overall methylation on promoter region of SET was decreased along with the increased concentrations of TCE in hepatic L-02 cells. Moreover, 73 CpG islands were found abnormally altered, among which 9 were predicted in transcriptional factor binding regions.@*Conclusion@#The decreased levels of CpG islands in the transcriptional factor binding region may contribute to the elevation of SET in TCE-induced hepatotoxicity.

An investigation of trichloroethylene-induced effects on histone methylation in L-02 hepatic cells / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective@#To further explore TCE-induced hepatotoxicity and its mechanisms by identification of trichloroethylene (TCE) induced abnormal histone methylation in human liver cells.@*Methods@#L-02 cells were treated with 0 and 8 mmol/L TCE for 24 h. Histones were extracted by acid. Liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-LC-MS/MS) were used to identify and quantify TCE related histone methylations. TCE induced abnormal methylation of H3K79 me2 and H3K79 me3 were validated by Western blot analysis. The further analysis of the function of histone abnormal methylation modifications were done by single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) and Western blot analysis of p53 and ɤH2AX.@*Results@#After treatment with TCE for 24 h in L-02 cells, the 36 TCE related histone methylation sites in 28 peptide segments were identified by MS. After treatment with TCE in concentrations of 0 and 8.0 mmol/L in L-02 cells for 24 h, the relative expression level of histone H3K79 me3 were 1.00±0.06, 0.70±0.09 (t=15.01, P=0.015); the relative expression level of histone H3K79 me2 were 1.00±0.05, 0.74±0.07 (t=16.69, P=0.018); the Olive Tail Moment about DNA damage were 1.46±0.28, 3.12± 0.68 (t=15.22, P=0.018); the relative expression levels of p53 were 1.00±0.04, 1.24±0.04 (t=18.71, P= 0.012); and the relative expression levels of ɤH2AX were 1.00 ± 0.03, 1.56 ± 0.11 (t=8.32, P=0 045).@*Conclusion@#TCE can induce changes in the relative expression level of H3K79 me2 and H3K79 me3 in L-02 cell, and induce DNA damage, suggesting that TCE may induce changes in the relative expression level of H3K79 me2 and H3K79 me3 by DNA damage.

Research progress in carcinogenicity of trichloroethylene and its metabolites / 中华预防医学杂志

Trichlorethylene (TCE) is a widely used organic solvent and an important industrial material. It's easily released into the environment through manufacture, use and disposal process, so there is a wide range of occupationally and environmentally exposed population. Based on accumulated research data, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) increased the carcinogenic rating of TCE from probable human carcinogen to certain human carcinogen in 2012. This paper is a review of the carcinogenic effects of TCE and its metabolites from the aspects of epidemiological data, experimental evidence on animals as well as the mechanisms of carcinogenesis.