Objective : To investigate the mechanism of sertoli/spermatogenic injury induced by cigarette smoke extract(CSE) based on ROS/NLRP3 signaling pathway. Methods : The sertoli/spermatogenic of rat were cultured in vitro , and they were divided into control group , cigarette Smoke extract (CSE) group and CSE + NLRP3 inflammosome inhibitor MCC950 group. Cell viability was detected by CCK⁃8 assay; Lactate dehydrogenase ( LDH) was used to detect cell membrane damage ; reactive oxygen species ( ROS) production was used to detect oxidative stress level ; Hoechst/PI fluorescent staining was used to detect cell pyroptosis. Real⁃time quantitative PCR ( RT⁃qPCR) was used to determine the mRNA level of NLRP3 , ASC , Caspase⁃1 , GSDMD , IL⁃1β and IL⁃18. Western blot was used to determine the protein level of NLRP3 , ASC , Caspase⁃1 , GSDMD , IL⁃1β and IL⁃18. Results: CCK⁃8 assay showed that cell viability decreased in CSE group (P < 0. 001) , LDH leakage rate (P < 0. 001) and ROS (P < 0. 001) production increased. Compared to the CSE group , cell viability increased (P < 0. 001) , LDH leakage rate (P < 0. 01) and ROS (P < 0. 001) production decreased in CSE + MCC950 group. The number of PI staining cells in CSE group was more than that in control group and CSE + MCC950 group , but staining cells in CSE + MCC950 group was less than that in CSE group. RT⁃qPCR and Western blot results showed that the expression levels of NLRP3 , ASC , Caspase⁃1 , GSDMD , IL⁃1β and IL⁃18 increased in CSE group but decreased in CSE+ MCC950 group. Conclusion The oxidative stress and inflammation of sertoli/spermatogenic induced by ciga⁃ rette smoke may be related to the activation of ROS/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Background Occupational stress has become one of the main factors affecting people's physical and mental health, and there are many sources of occupational stress in petrochemical enterprises. Objective To evaluate the current situation of occupational stress and its related factors among employees in a petrochemical enterprise, and to provide a scientific basis for reduing the risk of occupational stress among employees in petrochemical enterprises. Methods In June 2022, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in a petrochemical enterprise in Hainan, including a general information questionnaire for basic information, the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) for occupational stress, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality. Chi-square test was used to compare differences in positive occupational stress by demographic characteristics, occupational characteristics, behavior, and occupational disease hazards. Logistic regression was employed to evaluate factors associated with occupational stress. Results Of the 1129 questionnaire distributed, a total of 999 valid questionnaire were returned,with a valid recovery rate of 88.5%. The positive rate of occupational stress among employees in the petrochemical enterprise was 29.5%. There were statistically significant differences in the positive rate of occupational stress among the employees grouped by gender, age, marital status, body mass index (BMI), monthly income, length of service, smoking, weekly working hours, type of work, working mode, sleep quality, noise exposure, and high temperature exposure (P<0.05). In terms of positive occupational stress among subcategories: workers being male (vs. female), working ＞40 h per week (vs. ≤40 h per week), regular day shift (vs. shift work), smoking (vs. not smoking), with exposure to noise and heat (vs. without such exposure), and having poor sleep quality (vs. good sleep quality) reported higher positive occupational stress rates (P＜0.05). The results of pairwise comparison showed that the positive rate of occupational stress in divorced (50.0%) or married (32.0%) workers was higher than that in single (27.1%) workers, and higher in operation workers (30.6%) than in other types of work (20.5%) (P＜0.05). The trend chi-square results showed that the positive rate of occupational stress increased linearly with the increase of age, length of service, BMI, or monthly income (P＜0.05). The results of logistic regression analysis after adjustment showed that workers who worked ＞40 h a week had a higher risk of occupational stress than those who worked ≤40 h a week, and the OR (95%CI) was 1.909 (1.135, 3.211); the workers of other types of work had a lower risk of reporting occupational stress than operation workers, and the OR (95%CI) was 0.513 (0.272, 0.968); the workers with noise exposure had a higher risk of occupational stress than the workers without, and the OR (95%CI) was 2.457 (1.070, 5.642). Conclusion The positive rate of occupational stress among employees in this petrochemical enterprise is high. Among them, operators, working hours per week＞40 h, and noise exposure may increase the incidence of occupational stress. The enterprise should actively take measures to reduce the occurrence of occupational stress among employees.

Background Workers engaged in benzene-exposed or benzene-containing solvent-exposed operations in China are predominantly subjected to a low concentration of benzene series compounds, and prolonged exposure to low concentrations of benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) may have implications for blood pressure. Objective To investigate the influence of low-concentration BTX exposure on the blood pressure of workers, aiming to provide a basis for enterprises to devise associated health management strategies to mitigate the occurrence of hypertension among workers exposed to low concentrations of BTX. Methods Using a cross-sectional design, 884 workers from a petroleum refining enterprise in Hainan who participated in an occupational health examination in 2022 were selected as the study population, and were divided into an exposure group of 649 workers and a control group of 235 workers based on their reporting of BTX exposure or not. Data on workplace BTX concentrations and health examinations of the study subjects were collected and questionnaires were administered. In addition, S-phenylmercapturic acid (S-PMA), hippuric acid (HA), and methyl hippuric acid (MHA, including the three isomers 2-MHA, 3-MHA, and 4-MHA) were measured in the urine of the workers using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry to assess internal BTX burden. The effects of low-concentration BTX exposure on blood pressure were analyzed. Results In 2022, the concentrations of benzene, toluene, and xylene of all monitoring points did not exceeded the national limits by either time-weighted average (TWA) or short-term exposure limit (STEL), indicating low-concentration BTX exposure. Regarding the internal burden of BTX, the concentrations of benzene metabolite S-PMA, toluene metabolite HA, and xylene metabolites 3-MHA and 4-MHA in the urine samples in the exposure group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between urinary S-PMA concentration and diastolic blood pressure in the workers (r=0.265, P < 0.05). Differences in systolic and diastolic blood pressure distributions were statistically significant among workers grouped by sex, age, work years, educational levels, monthly income, body mass index (BMI), alcohol use, dietary oil, and types of residential address (P < 0.05). Significant differences in systolic blood pressure distribution were observed among workers by smoking status and levels of labor intensity (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the workers in the exposure group exhibited a significant increase in diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.05). The results of multiple linear regression showed that age, sex, and BMI had statistically significant effects on systolic blood pressure (P < 0.05), while age, work years, and BMI had statistically significant effects on diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.05). The systolic blood pressure of age > 35 years, male, overweight and obese workers was significantly higher than that of age ≤ 35 years, female, and underweight workers, and the diastolic blood pressure of age > 35 years, work years > 5 years, and obese workers was higher than age ≤35 years, ≤5 years of service, and underweight workers. Low-concentration BTX exposure was one of the main influencing factors for elevated diastolic blood pressure, and the exposed workers showed a 1.337 mmHg increase in diastolic blood pressure compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion Low-concentration BTX exposure, work years > 5 years, and obesity may elevate blood pressure among petroleum refininig workers. Regular blood pressure monitoring and enhanced health interventions for this occupational group are warranted.