Downregulation of Serum PTEN Expression in Mercury-Exposed Population and PI3K/AKT Pathway-Induced Inflammation

Objective This study investigated the impact of occupational mercury(Hg) exposure on human gene transcription and expression, and its potential biological mechanisms.Methods Differentially expressed genes related to Hg exposure were identified and validated using gene expression microarray analysis and extended validation. Hg-exposed cell models and PTEN lowexpression models were established in vitro using 293T cells. PTEN gene expression was assessed using qRT-PCR, and Western blotting was used to measure PTEN, AKT, and PI3K protein levels. IL-6 expression was determined by ELISA.Results Combined findings from gene expression microarray analysis, bioinformatics, and population expansion validation indicated significant downregulation of the PTEN gene in the high-concentration Hg exposure group. In the Hg-exposed cell model(25 and 10 μmol/L), a significant decrease in PTEN expression was observed, accompanied by a significant increase in PI3K, AKT, and IL-6 expression.Similarly, a low-expression cell model demonstrated that PTEN gene knockdown led to a significant decrease in PTEN protein expression and a substantial increase in PI3K, AKT, and IL-6 levels.Conclusion This is the first study to report that Hg exposure downregulates the PTEN gene, activates the PI3K/AKT regulatory pathway, and increases the expression of inflammatory factors, ultimately resulting in kidney inflammation.

Occupational Health Risk Assessment of Benzene,Toluene,and Xylene in Shanghai

Objective This study was designed to conduct a retrospective and systematic occupational health risk assessment(OHRA)of enterprises that used benzene,toluene,and xylene(BTX)in Shanghai,China.Methods All data for the study were obtained from 1,705 occupational health examination and evaluation reports from 2013 to 2017,and a semiquantitative model following Chinese OHRA guidelines(GBZ/T 298-2017)was applied for the assessment.Results The selected enterprises using BTX were mainly involved in manufacturing of products.Using the exposure level method,health risk levels associated with exposure to BTX were classified as medium,negligible,or low.However,the risk levels associated with benzene and toluene were significantly different according to job types,with gluers and inkers exhibiting greater health risks.For the same job type,the health risk levels assessed using the comprehensive index method were higher than those using the exposure level method.Conclusion Our OHRA reveals that workers who are exposed to BTX still face excessive health risk.Additionally,the risk level varied depending on job categories and exposure to specific chemicals.Therefore,additional control measures recommended by OHRA guidelines are essential to reduce worker exposure levels.

The Effect of Silica Dust Exposure on the Serum Clara Cell Protein 16 Levels in Chinese Workers

Pneumoconiosis is a systemic occupational disease that commonly manifests as diffuse fibrosis of the lungs caused by long-term inhalation of silica dust in the production process. The development of pneumoconiosis is a chronic and progressive process;once it occurs, it is irreversible, and gradually develops into lung injury and respiratory failure, and can cause death regardless of exposure to dust. The incidence of pneumoconiosis is the highest in China and the direct and indirect economic loss as a result of pneumoconiosis is approximately 9 billion yuan per year.

How Work Organization Affects the Prevalence of WMSDs: A Case-control Study

Objective In this study, we aimed at exploring the association between work-related musculoskeletal disorders（WMSDs） and work organization based on a case-control study. Methods A total of 1938 workers who claimed to suffer from WMSDs were selected from Beijing, Henan, Hubei, and the Guangdong province. The control group consisted of 2009 workers employed in similar industries without severe disease or musculoskeletal discomforts. We used a modified version of the questionnaire developed by the NMQ and the DMQ to investigate individual and work-related factors. Results A total of 13 variables（P〈0.1） were selected by the chi-square test and finally, 7 variables entered into the equation, with 6 variables reaching statistical significance（P〈0.05）. The odds ratios（OR） of ＇work changing with season＇ and ＇sufficient rest time＇ did not reach 1（0.749 and 0.441, respectively）. In addition, ＇sufficient rest time＇ seemed to be the stronger protective factor according to its higher standardized coefficient. And ＇repetitive work every minute＇, ＇constantly repetitive work＇（every day）, ＇shortage of site personnel＇, and ＇often switching shifts with others＇ seemed to be the risk factors. Conclusion Work organization may have comprehensive effects on the occurrence of WMSDs. This pattern of associations suggests that further investigation into the mechanism of how work organization affects the prevalence of WMSDs is required.

Lead Pollution Research of Resident Children around Some Industrial Park

Lead is an important toxic heavy metal among environment pollution. Some industrial parks were founded in 2005 including non-ferrous metal processing and smelting plants. In order to identify the consequence of lead pollution on children around the industry park, blood samples of neighboring children were collected and analyzed in laboratory. The results showed that the involved children have suffered serious harms from Pb pollution. Almost 75% of the children＇s blood lead levels （BLLs） exceeded the limit of normal blood lead. Worse still, 26.17% of them were at the level of Moderate lead poisoning. The group aged 0-7 showed more susceptibility to Pb than that aged 8-14. Only 19.05% of the children aged 0-7 were at the level of normal blood lead, compared with 45.45% in the group aged 8-14. There was no significant difference between the values of blood lead concentration for male and female or among different age groups. Some approaches, which include controlling the Pb pollution from the industry park and safeguarding the residents, esp. the children were suggested.

Association between Polymorphisms of MALAT1 and Blood Lead Levels in Lead-exposed Workers

Lead,a heavy metal,which is nonessential but may be harmful to the human body,has been widely used to manufacture many products for use in the modern world.Lead-acid batteries have the advantages of low price,high safety,and advanced technology.

Lithospheric structure and geodynamics at the northern margin of Tibetan plateau

A recent integrated geophysical survey has been completed along a transect from Baicheng, Xinjiang to Da Qaidam, Qinghai, China. In this study, wide-angle seismic reflection/refraction exploration with 10 shot points has been carried out to acquire the velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle. The earthquake focal mechanism solutions and terrestrial heat flow along the transect have also been obtained and analyzed. Based on the velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle along the transect, and combined with the focal mechanism solutions and terrestrial heat flow we develop a geodynamic model for the northern margin of the Tibetan plateau. This model reveals the detailed structure of the crust and uppermost mantle, determines the relationship of basin and range coupling, explores the deep dynamic setting for superposed basins, and establishes the northern boundary condition for Tibetan plateau research.

Upregulation of Slc26a4 in the Early Development of Silicosis via GEO Database Analysis in vivo and in vitro

Silicosis is characterized by the development of progressive pulmonary fibrosis as a result of inhaling free SiO2.Treatment is limited as to date only a limited number of effective therapies are known.This fibrotic process usually takes between 15 and 20 years to develop and is dependent on the amount of SiO2 inhaled.Its main symptoms are coughing,breathlessness,and general weakness,and diagnosisis primarily facilitated by chest X-ray.Sufferers tendto be diagnosed only in the late stages,when thelungs present considerable fibrotic nodules,andconsequently,an important loss of respiratoryfunction[1].Based on increasing evidenee fromepidemiological and experimental animal studies,the In ter national Agency for Research on Can cer(IARC)has classified crystalline silica as a Group 1carcinogen(1997),which could lead to lung cancer(LC)[2].

Yiqi Huoxue Decoction in the treatment of Qi and yin deficiency and stasis type diabetic nephropathy in stageⅢ and its effect on VEGF and TGF-β1

Objective:To observe the efficacy of Yiqi Huoxue Decoction in the treatment of patients with diabetic nephropathy(DN)stageⅢwith qi and yin deficiency and stasis and its effects on vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)and transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β1).Methods:Sixty patients with stage DN of Qi-yin deficiency and stasis type DN who were treated in the Endocrinology Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from September 2018 to December 2019 were selected as the research subjects.The remainder method was used to divide them into 30 cases in the observation group and 30 cases in the control group.Patients in both groups were referred to the guidelines and expert consensus for general treatment of DN(hypogl-ycemic,antihypertensive,lipid-lowering,etc.).The control group was given pancreatic kallikrein enteric-coated tablets orally once,120U,3 times a day,and the observation group was given The traditional Chinese medicine Yiqi Huoxue Decoction was taken orally,one dose daily,twice a day in the morning and evening;the two groups intervened continuously for 8 weeks.Detect blood FPG,PBG,HbA1c,β2-MG,BUN,SCr,VEGF,TGF-β1,and urine mALB and UACR levels before and after treatment,and calculate eGFR before and after treatment in both groups;observe changes in TCM syndrome scores in the two groups,Compare its clinical efficacy.Results:After 8 weeks of treatment,the total clinical effective rate of patients in the observation group was 93.3%,which was significantly different from the control group of 76.6%(P<0.05);the TCM syndrome scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those before treatment and in the control group(P<0.05);The levels of FPG,HbA1c,PPG,mALB,β2-MG,UACR,VEGF,and TGF-β1 in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group,with significant differences(P<0.05).The levels of SCr and BUN in the observation group were significantly lower.Compared with before treatment,eGFR increased,but there was no signi-ficant difference(P>0.05).Conclusion:Yiqi Huoxue Decoction for the treatment of patients with DN typeⅢqi-yin deficiency and stasis type,not only helps to lower blood sugar levels,improve TCM syndromes,but also can reduce early renal damage,reduce urine albumin,and delay kidney function It may be further worsened and has better safety.The mechanism may be related to reducing the levels of VEGF and TGF-β1,thereby delaying the fibrosis of tubulointerstitial scar and inhibi-ting glomerular capillary sclerosis.

Dimethylacetamide-induced Hepatic Injury in Vitro: Mechanism and Potential Preventive Strategy

N,N-Dimethylacetamide （DMAc） is a widely used organic solvent in modern chemical industry with low to moderate hepatotoxicity to occupational health of employees. But so far, there are fewer and less conclusive data concerning its pathogenic mechanism in detail. In current study, the toxicity of DMAc was firstly investigated on human normal hepatocytes （LO-2）, using a series of molecular biology measurements to ananlyze the effect and mechanism of DMAc-induced hepatic cell injury and explore effective prophylactic measures. We found that DMAc triggered LO-2 apoptosis in a obviously dose-dependent manner, caused by increased ROS generation and activation of Bcl-2 pathway. Significantly, glutathione （GSH） rather than vitamin C （Vit C） could partially inhibit DMAc-induced apoptosis thus showing potential as a effective precaution for workers.

Association between the HOTAIR Polymorphism and Susceptibility to Lead Poisoning in a Chinese Population

This study explored the association between the lncRNA HOTAIR polymorphism and susceptibility to lead poisoning in a Chinese population. We speculated that lead poisoning caused elevated levels of oxidative stress, which, in turn, activate the HOTAIR gene to cause apoptosis. Three lncRNA HOTAIR tagSNPs（rs7958904, rs4759314, and rs874945） were genotyped by TaqM an genotyping technology in 113 lead-sensitive and 113 lead-resistant Chinese workers exposed to lead. Rs7958904 was significantly associated with susceptibility to lead poisoning（P = 0.047）. The rs7958904 G allele had a protective effect compared with the C allele and reduced the risk of lead poisoning（P = 0.016）. Rs7958904 may act as a potential biomarker for predicting the risk of lead poisoning and distinguishing lead-sensitive individuals from lead-resistant individuals.

Q value structure of geoscience transect from Korla to Jimsar and its geodynamic implication

In this paper, the methods for Q value inversion in 2-D lateral inhomogeneous medium have been introduced. The 2-D Q value inversion has been conducted using seismic wide-angle reflection/refraction data of the profile from Korla to Jimsar. The result shows that the 2-D Q value structure of the transect from Korla to Jimsar is characterized by vertical stratifying and lateral zoning. Vertically, the crust can be divided into upper crust, middle crust and lower crust with the Q value increasing downwards. Horizontally, the total transect can be classified as three regions— the northern margin of the Tarim Basin, the Tianshan orogenic belt (TOB) and the southern margin of the Junggar Basin. At the northern margin of the Tarim Basin the Q value increases northwards, indicating a northward subduction of the Tarim Basin into the The Q value within the TOB jumps near Kumux, making a stage-like difference in Q value. The Q value distribution at the southern margin of the JB suggests a southward subduction of the Junggar Basin (JB) into theThe double subduction pattern of the and JB into the TOB revealed by the transect from Korla to Jimsar has a big difference from the model “lithospheric subduction with intrusion of the layers into the crust” developed according to the results of the geoscience transect from Xayar to Burjing. The differences between the two provide some dynamic evidence at lithospheric scale for the segmentation of the

Comparison of Two Dose-response Relationship of Noise Exposure Evaluation Results with High Frequency Hearing Loss

Background:Complex noise and its relation to hearing loss are difficult to measure and evaluate.In complex noise measurement,individual exposure results may not accurately represent lifetime noise exposure.Thus,the mean LAeq,8 h values of individuals in the same workgroup were also used to represent LAeq,8h in our study.Our study aimed to explore whether the mean exposure levels of workers in the same workgroup represented real noise exposure better than individual exposure levels did.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted to establish a model for cumulative noise exposure (CNE) and hearing loss in 205 occupational noise-exposed workers who were recruited from two large automobile manufacturers in China.We used a personal noise dosimeter and a questionnaire to determine the workers' occupational noise exposure levels and exposure times,respectively.A qualified audiologist used standardized audiometric procedures to assess hearing acuity after at least 16 h of noise avoidance.Results:We observed that 88.3％ of workers were exposed to more than 85 dB(A) of occupational noise (mean:89.3 ± 4.2 dB(A)).The personal CNE (CNEp) and workgroup CNE (CNEg) were 100.5 ± 4.7 dB(A) and 100.5 ± 2.9 dB(A),respectively.In the binary logistic regression analysis,we established a regression model with high-frequency hearing loss as the dependent variable and CNE as the independent variable.The Wald value was 5.014 with CNEp as the independent variable and 8.653 with CNEg as the independent variable.Furthermore,we found that the figure for CNEg was more similar to the stationary noise reference than CNEp was.The CNEg model was better than the CNEp model.In this circumstance,we can measure some subjects instead of the whole workgroup and save manpower.Conclusions:In a complex noise environment,the measurements of average noise exposure level of the workgroup can improve the accuracy and save manpower.

Use of liposomal doxorubicin for adjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer in clinical practice

Breast cancer is one of the malignant tumors with the highest morbidity and mortality. It is helpful to reduce the rate of tumor recurrence and metastasis by treating breast cancer with adjuvant chemotherapy, so as to increase the cure rate or survival of patients. In recent years, liposomes have been regarded as a kind of new carrier for targeted drugs. Being effective for enhancing drug efficacy and reducing side effects, they have been widely used for devel- oping anticancer drugs. As a kind of anthracycline with high anticancer activity, doxorubicin can treat or alleviate a variety of malignant tumors effectively when it is used on its own or in combination with other anticancer drugs~ Alt- hough liposomal doxorubicin has been extensively used in the adjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer, its exact therapeutic efficacy and side effects have not been definitely proven. Various clinical studies have adopted different combined regimes, dosages, and staging, so their findings differ to certain extent. This paper reviews the clinical application of liposomal doxorubicin in the adjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer and illustrates therapeutic effects and side effects of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin （PLD） and non-PLD （NPLD） in clinical research, in order to discuss the strategies for applying these drugs in such adjuvant chemotherapy, looking forward to providing references for related research and clinical treatment in terms of dosage, staging, combined regimes, and analysis methods and so on.

csd alleles in the red dwarf honey bee （Apis florea, Hymenoptera： Apidae） show exceptionally high nucleotide diversity

The single locus complementary sex determination （sl-csd） gene is the primary gene determining the gender of honey bees （Apis spp.）. While the csd gene has been well studied in the Western honey bee （Apis mellifera）, and comparable data exist in both the Eastern honey bee （Apis cerana） and the giant honey bee （Apis dorsata）, no studies have been conducted in the red dwarf honey bee, Apisflorea. In this study we cloned the genomic region 3 of the A. florea csd gene from 60 workers, and identified 12 csd alleles. Analysis showed that similar to A. mellifera, region 3 of the csd gene contains a RS domain at the N terminal, a proline-rich domain at the C terminal, and a hypervariable region in the middle. However, the A. florea csd gene possessed a much higher level of nucleotide diversity, compared to A. mellifera, A. cerana and Apis dorsata. We also show that similar to the other three Apis species, in A. florea, nonsynonymous mutations in the csd gene are selectively favored in young alleles.