Background As one of the primary operational methods in the power grid industry, the insulated glove working method imposes significant physical demands due to the constraints of insulating equipment and specific required postures, resulting in substantial occupational health hazards among workers in this sector, which have garnered widespread social attention. Objective To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in the neck, shoulder, and lumbar regions among workers wearing insulated gloves, and to provide targeted measures to reduce occupational hazards. Methods Using stratified cluster sampling, 1079 frontline workers were randomly selected from power supply enterprises across 3 provinces in China. The revised Chinese version of the Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire was used to investigate the 1-year prevalence of WMSDs in the neck, shoulder, and lumbar regions among workers wearing insulated gloves, and to collect factors associated with multi-site WMSDs (defined as involvement of ≥2 sites among the neck, shoulder, and lumbar). Results The 1-year prevalence of WMSDs in the neck, shoulder, and lumbar regions was 39.9%, 30.0%, and 25.3%, respectively, with a multi-site WMSDs prevalence of 32.0%. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that, compared to workers with technical secondary school education or senior high school education and below, workers with junior college education or bachelor’s degrees and above had a higher risk of multi-site WMSDs (OR=2.12, 95%CI: 1.47, 3.06). Compared to workers with <10 years of work experience, those with 10-<20 years of work experience had a higher risk of multi-site WMSDs (OR=1.96, 95%CI: 1.45, 2.67). Working in uncomfortable postures "sometimes" (OR=1.64, 95%CI: 1.14, 2.36), "frequently" (OR=2.75, 95%CI: 1.76, 4.29), and "very frequently" (OR=3.55, 95%CI: 2.04, 6.19) were significantly associated with an increased risk of multi-site WMSDs compared to never working in such postures. Frequent repetitive movements of the low back (OR=2.05, 95%CI: 1.48, 2.84) increased the risk of multi-site WMSDs, while sufficient rest time decreased the risk (OR=0.45, 95%CI: 0.34, 0.61). Conclusion The prevalences of single-site and multi-site WMSDs in the neck, shoulder, lumbar regions are relatively high among workers wearing insulated gloves. Factors associated with multi-site WMSDs include 10-<20 years of work experience, junior college education or bachelor’s degrees and above, uncomfortable working postures, frequent repetitive low-back movements, and lack of sufficient rest time.

Background As a traditional labor-intensive industry, the wooden furniture manufacturing sector has been facing significant occupational health hazards, notably noise exposure. Objective To understand the current status of occupational health management and workplace noise monitoring in the wooden furniture manufacturing industry in Foshan City of Guangzhou Province over the past five years (2020−2024), to clarify the exposure level of occupational noise hazards in this industry, the implementation of prevention and control measures, and their dynamic changing trends, and to provid a reference basis for formulating and optimizing targeted occupational health supervision strategies. Methods By judgment sampling method, 381 wooden furniture manufacturing enterprises in Foshan City from 2020 to 2024 were selected. Through document review, on-site investigation, and on-site testing, the basic information of the enterprise, key indicators of occupational health management (declaration of projects with occupational disease hazards, occupational health training, the setting and effect of occupational disease prevention facilities, the allocation and use of personal protective equipment, occupational health examinations, etc.) and monitoring data of noise intensity in the workplace were systematically collected. Descriptive statistical analysis was adopted to present the characteristics of enterprises and various indicators, and trend tests were used for dynamic changes of occupational health management indicators and noise intensity monitoring results between each year. Results Among the 381 enterprises, small and micro enterprises accounted for 94.0% (358/381), the overall occupational hazard exposure rate of workers was 56.7% (15199/26798), and the noise exposure rate was 45.6% (12221/26798). The report rate of projects with occupational disease hazards was 100%, the occupational health training rate of exposed workers was 69.6%, the setting rate and effectiveness rate of noise prevention facilities were 24.9% and 95.8% respectively, the distribution rate and effective wearing rate of noise protection earplugs/earmuffs were 77.6% and 87.1% respectively, and the rate of occupational health examinations for noise-exposed workers and the abnormal rate were 55.4% and 2.5% respectively. The trend analysis results showed that the rates of occupational health training, setting and effectiveness of noise prevention facilities, distribution and effective wearing of noise protection earplugs/earmuffs, occupational health examinations for noise-exposed workers, and abnormal health examination results all showed an overall upward trend (P values were all<0.05). The proportion of workplace noise intensity greater than 85 dB(A) and the rate of noise exceeding standards at work positions both showed an overall upward trend (P values were both<0.01). Conclusion During the period from 2020 to 2024, the occupational health management in the wooden furniture manufacturing industry in Foshan City has achieved certain positive progress, particularly in areas such as the installation of protective facilities, the use of personal protective equipment, and the implementation of occupational health examinations. However, workplace noise hazards have not been effectively controlled. Moving forward, regulatory efforts must consolidate existing management achievements while strengthening mandatory requirements and support for the technical transformation of high-noise processes and the widespread adoption of noise reduction facilities. This approach is essential to fundamentally curb occupational noise hazards.

Background As one of the primary operational methods in the power grid industry, the insulated glove working method imposes significant physical demands due to the constraints of insulating equipment and specific required postures, resulting in substantial occupational health hazards among workers in this sector, which have garnered widespread social attention. Objective To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in the neck, shoulder, and lumbar regions among workers wearing insulated gloves, and to provide targeted measures to reduce occupational hazards. Methods Using stratified cluster sampling, 1079 frontline workers were randomly selected from power supply enterprises across 3 provinces in China. The revised Chinese version of the Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire was used to investigate the 1-year prevalence of WMSDs in the neck, shoulder, and lumbar regions among workers wearing insulated gloves, and to collect factors associated with multi-site WMSDs (defined as involvement of ≥2 sites among the neck, shoulder, and lumbar). Results The 1-year prevalence of WMSDs in the neck, shoulder, and lumbar regions was 39.9%, 30.0%, and 25.3%, respectively, with a multi-site WMSDs prevalence of 32.0%. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that, compared to workers with technical secondary school education or senior high school education and below, workers with junior college education or bachelor’s degrees and above had a higher risk of multi-site WMSDs (OR=2.12, 95%CI: 1.47, 3.06). Compared to workers with <10 years of work experience, those with 10-<20 years of work experience had a higher risk of multi-site WMSDs (OR=1.96, 95%CI: 1.45, 2.67). Working in uncomfortable postures "sometimes" (OR=1.64, 95%CI: 1.14, 2.36), "frequently" (OR=2.75, 95%CI: 1.76, 4.29), and "very frequently" (OR=3.55, 95%CI: 2.04, 6.19) were significantly associated with an increased risk of multi-site WMSDs compared to never working in such postures. Frequent repetitive movements of the low back (OR=2.05, 95%CI: 1.48, 2.84) increased the risk of multi-site WMSDs, while sufficient rest time decreased the risk (OR=0.45, 95%CI: 0.34, 0.61). Conclusion The prevalences of single-site and multi-site WMSDs in the neck, shoulder, lumbar regions are relatively high among workers wearing insulated gloves. Factors associated with multi-site WMSDs include 10-<20 years of work experience, junior college education or bachelor’s degrees and above, uncomfortable working postures, frequent repetitive low-back movements, and lack of sufficient rest time.

Objective To analyze the distribution of occupational hazard factors (OHFs) in key enterprises in Foshan City. Methods A total of 373 enterprises from 11 key industries in Foshan City in 2022 were selected as the research subjects using the purposive sampling method. Monitoring data of OHFs in workplaces were obtained and analyzed from the "Workplace Occupational Hazards Monitoring Information System" under "China Disease Prevention and Control Information System". Results Among the 373 enterprises, small and micro-sized enterprises, and large and medium-sized enterprises accounted for 85.5% and 14.5% respectively. A total of 24 137 sampling points in the workplaces were monitored for OHFs, with the national standard compliance rate of 92.1%. Among different OHFs, the compliance rates ranked from highest to lowest were chemical agents, dust, and noise (98.0% vs 89.3% vs 52.0%, P<0.01). A total of 63 131 workers were employed in 373 enterprises, among whom 29 753 were exposed to OHFs, yielding an overall exposure rate of 47.1%. Exposure rates of OHFs by enterprise scale, from highest to lowest, were micro-sized, small-sized, medium-sized, and large-sized enterprises (69.2% vs 52.7% vs 47.3% vs 39.0%, P<0.01). The proportion of workers participated in occupational medical examination was 85.1%, with re-examination proportion of 62.5% and the abnormality detection rate of 2.1%. Conclusion In key enterprises in Foshan City, the risk of noise exposure is relatively high, and the exposure rate of OHFs is highest in micro-sized enterprises. The occupational health supervision and management department needs to strengthen the governance of noise hazards in a targeted manner and urge enterprises (especially micro-sized enterprises) to fulfill their primary responsibilities in occupational disease prevention and control.

Background A large number of power supply workers are involved in live working and are exposed to multiple risk factors for long periods of time during outdoor work, which in turn causes occupational health problems. Objective To identify potential ergonomic factors related to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and estimate the ergonomic risk of electricians. Methods A total of 31 workers were randomly selected from a training base under a power supply enterprise in Guangxi, and their operation processes were recorded by video. Using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method, the workers were scored by the posture of their arms, neck, and torso during operation, and the final scores were summarized to assess their risk level. Two independent samples t-tests were used to compare the differences in RULA scores. Results A total of 31 videos for mounting/dismounting insulation mask and 29 videos for breaking/connecting contact terminal were collected. The RULA score for mounting/dismounting insulation mask was 6.6 ± 0.7 (left side) and 7.0 ± 0.2 (right side), most of the workers had a score of 7 (71.0% on the left side and 96.8% on the right side), and the upper limb and overall scores on the right side were higher than those on the left side (P < 0.05). The RULA score for breaking/connecting contact terminal was 6.9 ± 0.4 (both right and left sides), most of workers had a score of 7 (89.7% on the left side and 93.1% on the right side), and the difference of the overall scores between the right and left side for this operation were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The ergonomic risk levels for both operations were level 3 or higher. Conclusion Mounting/dismounting insulation mask and breaking/connecting contact terminal are typical upper limb operations, and have a high level of ergonomics risk, requiring effective preventive and protective measures.

The key pathogenesis of coronary heart disease （CHD） is spleen deficiency and phlegm stasis， and dysfunctional high-density lipoprotein （dys-HDL） may be the biological basis for the occurrence of CHD due to spleen deficiency and phlegm stasis. Considering the biological properties and effects of high-density lipoprotein （HDL）， it is believed that the structure and components of HDL are abnormal in the state of spleen deficiency which led to dys-HDL； and dys-HDL contributes to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques through two major pathways， namely， mediating the dysfunction of endothelial cells and mediating the foaminess of macrophages and smooth muscle cells， thus triggering the development of CHD. It is also believed that dys-HDL is a microcosmic manifestation and a pathological product of spleen deficiency， and spleen deficiency makes foundation for the production of dys-HDL； dys-HDL is also an important biological basis for the phlegm-stasis interactions in CHD. The method of fortifying spleen， resolving phlegm， and dispelling stasis， is proposed as an important principle in the treatment of CHD by traditional Chinese medicine， which can achieve the therapeutic purpose by affecting the changes in the structure and components of dys-HDL， thus revealing the scientific connotation of this method， and providing ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of CHD by traditional Chinese medicine.

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.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Shenqi Gualou Xiebai Banxia Decoction （参芪瓜蒌薤白半夏汤， SGXBD） in the treatment of atherosclerosis. MethodsThirty Apolipoprotein E gene knockout （ApoE^-/-） mice were randomly divided into five groups： model group， rosuvastatin group， low-， moderate-， and high-dose SGXBD， with six mice in each group. They were fed a high-fat diet to prepare for atherosclerosis model. Another six C57BL/6J wild-type mice were set as the blank group. After modeling， the low-， moderate-， and high-dose SGXBD groups were gavaged with 6.46， 12.92， and 25.84 g/（kg·d） of SGXBD， respectively. The rosuvastatin group was given 1.55 mg/（kg·d） of rosuvastatin tablets by gavage. The blank group and model group were given 0.5 ml saline by gavage. After four weeks， the total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） in the serum of each group were detected， as well as TC and TG in the liver. The serum bile acid level was detected by enzyme cycling colorimetry. The mRNA and protein expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ （PPARγ）， sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 （SREBP2）， 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase （HMGCR）， and cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase （CYP7A1） in the liver were detected by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group showed significant increases in serum TG， TC， and LDL-C levels， and significant decreases in HDL-C and bile acid levels； the levels of TG and TC in the liver， as well as the expression of SREBP2 and HMGCR proteins and mRNA in the liver significantly increased， while the expression of PPARγ and CYP7A1 proteins and mRNA significantly decreased （all P＜0.01）. Compared with the model group， the rosuvastatin group and high-dose SGXBD group showed significant decreases in serum TG， TC， and LDL-C levels and liver TG and TC levels， and significant increases in bile acid levels； the expression of PPARγ and CYP7A1 proteins and mRNA increased， while the expression of SREBP2 and HMGCR proteins and mRNA decreased； the low-dose SGXBD group showed significant decreases in serum TC and LDL-C levels and liver TC level （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the rosuvastatin group， the low-dose SGXBD group had a significantly higher liver TC level， while the high-dose SGXBD group had a significantly lower liver TC level， CYP7A1 mRNA level， and PPARγ protein expression level， and a significantly higher SREBP2 protein expression level （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the low- and moderate-dose groups， the high-dose SGXBD group had significantly lower serum TG and liver TC levels （P＜0.05）. ConclusionSGXBD may improve blood lipid levels and exhibit anti-atherosclerotic effects by regulating the protein level of PPARγ and simultaneously affecting the synthesis of liver cholesterol and the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids.

【Objective】 To evaluate and analyze the impact of COVID-19 epidemic on inventory of red blood cells (RBCs)in local and municipal blood stations in China, and to provide reference for the management of public health emergencies. 【Methods】 Relevant data from 2018 to 2021 were collected, and the differences in the volume of qualified RBCs, the usage efficiency of inventory RBCs, the average daily distribution of RBCs,the blood distribution rate of RBCs prepared by 400 mL whole blood, the difference in the average storage days of RBCs at the time of distribution, the average daily inventory of RBCs and the time of the average daily inventory of RBCs to maintain the distribution in 24 local and municipal blood stations in China during the COVID-19 epidemic and non-epidemic periods were retrospectively analyzed. 【Results】 Compared with non-epidemic periods, the volume of qualified RBCs [(117 525.979 ±52 203.175)U] and the average daily distribution of RBCs [( 156. 468 ± 70. 186) U ] increased significantly, but the usage efficiency of inventory RBCs decreased(97.24%±0.51%) significantly (P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the blood distribution rate of RBCs prepared by 400 mL whole blood(73.88%±20.30%), the average storage days of RBCs distribution(13.040 ±3.486), the average daily stock quantity of RBCs[(2 280.542 ±1 446.538) U ] and the time of the average daily inventory of RBCs to maintain the distribution[(15.062 ±7.453) d] (P>0.5). 【Conclusion】 During the COVID-19 epidemic, the inventory management of RBCs operated well, the overall inventory remained relatively stable, the stock composition and storage period showed no significant change.

For the detection of steatosis, quantitative ultrasound imaging techniques have achieved great progress in past years. Magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction is currently the most accurate test to detect hepatic steatosis. Some blood biomarkers correlate with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, but the accuracy is modest. Regarding liver fibrosis, liver stiffness measurement by transient elastography (TE) has high accuracy and is widely used across the world. Magnetic resonance elastography is marginally better than TE but is limited by its cost and availability. Several blood biomarkers of fibrosis have been used in clinical trials and hold promise for selecting patients for treatment and monitoring treatment response. This article reviews new developments in the non-invasive assessment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Accumulating evidence suggests that various non-invasive tests can be used to diagnose NAFLD, assess its severity, and predict the prognosis. Further studies are needed to determine the role of the tests as monitoring tools. We cannot overemphasize the importance of context in selecting appropriate tests.
Elasticity Imaging Techniques/methods* ; Humans ; Liver/pathology* ; Liver Cirrhosis/pathology* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease