Background Lead (Pb) is a highly toxic heavy metal that accumulates in the body, potentially leading to multi-systemic impairment. Compared with traditional statistical methods, machine learning techniques offer unique advantages, opening new avenues for occupational health risk assessment and the exploratory analysis of complex associations. Objective To examine the association between occupational lead exposure and multiple health indicators and to identify key risk factors for lead toxicity. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted, integrating occupational hygiene investigation results from 16 lead-acid battery enterprises in Jiangsu Province with occupational health examination data from 1914 lead-exposed workers. Inter-group differences were analyzed using the χ² test or Fisher's exact test. Binary logistic regression and machine learning algorithms [CatBoost, Naive Bayes model (NBM), and random forest (RF)] were employed to evaluate the association between blood lead (PbB), urine lead (PbU), and health indicators including blood pressure (BP), red blood cell count (RBC), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Results The prevalence of abnormal PbB and PbU were 14.52% and 9.35%, respectively. The risks of abnormal BP, RBC, and ALT were significantly increased in the population with high lead levels (P<0.05). PbB abnormalities were closely associated with gender, environmental lead concentration, wearing masks, smoking, and alcohol consumption (P<0.05). Regarding occupational hazards, workers exposed to lead dust had a 1.98-fold risk of PbU abnormality compared to those exposed to lead fumes. The plate coating and acid leaching process posed the highest risk for both PbB (OR=8.81) and PbU (OR=5.46) abnormalities compared with assembly process. Furthermore, the risks of PbB and PbU abnormalities were significantly elevated among workers with abnormal BP, RBC or ALT (P<0.05). Among the models, CatBoost performed best in predicting RBC abnormality (accuracy: 95.8%; precision: 44.9%; F1 score: 0.952; AUC: 0.981). Feature importance analysis identified PbB and PbU as the core factors affecting abnormal RBC and ALT, while RBC and ALT abnormalities as key features for predicting the risk of PbB and PbU abnormalities. Conclusion By integrating traditional statistical methods with machine learning, this study reveals a complex bidirectional association between occupational lead exposure and multiple health indicators, and identifies gender, job category, and environmental Pb concentration as the key factors influencing PbB abnormalities. These findings provide a scientific foundation for the implementation of precision occupational health management models.

Background Lead (Pb) is a highly toxic heavy metal that accumulates in the body, potentially leading to multi-systemic impairment. Compared with traditional statistical methods, machine learning techniques offer unique advantages, opening new avenues for occupational health risk assessment and the exploratory analysis of complex associations. Objective To examine the association between occupational lead exposure and multiple health indicators and to identify key risk factors for lead toxicity. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted, integrating occupational hygiene investigation results from 16 lead-acid battery enterprises in Jiangsu Province with occupational health examination data from 1914 lead-exposed workers. Inter-group differences were analyzed using the χ² test or Fisher's exact test. Binary logistic regression and machine learning algorithms [CatBoost, Naive Bayes model (NBM), and random forest (RF)] were employed to evaluate the association between blood lead (PbB), urine lead (PbU), and health indicators including blood pressure (BP), red blood cell count (RBC), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Results The prevalence of abnormal PbB and PbU were 14.52% and 9.35%, respectively. The risks of abnormal BP, RBC, and ALT were significantly increased in the population with high lead levels (P<0.05). PbB abnormalities were closely associated with gender, environmental lead concentration, wearing masks, smoking, and alcohol consumption (P<0.05). Regarding occupational hazards, workers exposed to lead dust had a 1.98-fold risk of PbU abnormality compared to those exposed to lead fumes. The plate coating and acid leaching process posed the highest risk for both PbB (OR=8.81) and PbU (OR=5.46) abnormalities compared with assembly process. Furthermore, the risks of PbB and PbU abnormalities were significantly elevated among workers with abnormal BP, RBC or ALT (P<0.05). Among the models, CatBoost performed best in predicting RBC abnormality (accuracy: 95.8%; precision: 44.9%; F1 score: 0.952; AUC: 0.981). Feature importance analysis identified PbB and PbU as the core factors affecting abnormal RBC and ALT, while RBC and ALT abnormalities as key features for predicting the risk of PbB and PbU abnormalities. Conclusion By integrating traditional statistical methods with machine learning, this study reveals a complex bidirectional association between occupational lead exposure and multiple health indicators, and identifies gender, job category, and environmental Pb concentration as the key factors influencing PbB abnormalities. These findings provide a scientific foundation for the implementation of precision occupational health management models.

Objective To evaluate the impact of setting a 4-day incubation time on the detection performance of bloodstream infection(BSI)pathogens by the BacTALERT VIRTUO blood culture system(VIRTUO).Methods Retrospectively collecting blood culture(BC)results from Zhongshan Hospital,Fudan University,from June 2021 to December 2023,and comparing the time-to-detection for clinically significant microorganisms.Results A total of 87 052 BC bottles were collected,of which 7 167(8.23%)were positive.95%of aerobic and anaerobic bottles were reported positive at 65.67 h and 91.2 h respectively.The average(median)time-to-detection for Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus)was 21.76(16.08)h,Klebsiella pneumoniae(KP)was 15.32(11.65)h,Escherichia coli(E.coli)was 16.14(10.87)h,and Candida species was 35.2(28.5)h.Only 213 bottles(0.24%)were reported positive after 4 days of incubation;among them,88 bottles(41.31%)cultured Propionibacterium acnes(P.acnse).Medical chart reviews for BC reported positive after 96 h(4 days)showed no clinical significance.Simulated growth experiments were conducted on 11 fastidious bacteria,and the median detection time was only 10.8 h,indicating that an incubation time of 4 days is sufficient for fastidious bacteria.Conclusion A 4-day incubation is adequate for VIRTUO system.Reporting 1 day earlier to the doctors can reduce the positive rate of contaminants and the use of antimicrobial agents.

Objective To evaluate the impact of setting a 4-day incubation time on the detection performance of bloodstream infection(BSI)pathogens by the BacTALERT VIRTUO blood culture system(VIRTUO).Methods Retrospectively collecting blood culture(BC)results from Zhongshan Hospital,Fudan University,from June 2021 to December 2023,and comparing the time-to-detection for clinically significant microorganisms.Results A total of 87 052 BC bottles were collected,of which 7 167(8.23%)were positive.95%of aerobic and anaerobic bottles were reported positive at 65.67 h and 91.2 h respectively.The average(median)time-to-detection for Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus)was 21.76(16.08)h,Klebsiella pneumoniae(KP)was 15.32(11.65)h,Escherichia coli(E.coli)was 16.14(10.87)h,and Candida species was 35.2(28.5)h.Only 213 bottles(0.24%)were reported positive after 4 days of incubation;among them,88 bottles(41.31%)cultured Propionibacterium acnes(P.acnse).Medical chart reviews for BC reported positive after 96 h(4 days)showed no clinical significance.Simulated growth experiments were conducted on 11 fastidious bacteria,and the median detection time was only 10.8 h,indicating that an incubation time of 4 days is sufficient for fastidious bacteria.Conclusion A 4-day incubation is adequate for VIRTUO system.Reporting 1 day earlier to the doctors can reduce the positive rate of contaminants and the use of antimicrobial agents.

Glyphosate is an organophosphorus herbicide with a large global production volume and wide application. It is commonly present in the environment and has a relatively long residual period. Its long-term toxicity, carcinogenic potential and other health effects deserve attention and further research. Glyphosate exposure has toxic effects on a variety of organs, including but not limited to hepatotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, etc., and is associated with the occurrence and development of different types of cancer. This article summarizes the physicochemical properties of glyphosate, its usage and pollution status in China, sorts out and summarizes its population load situation, and focuses on discussing the hepatotoxic effects of glyphosate under various exposure scenarios, including the acute poisoning situation and the progress of long-term low-dose exposure in the general population, and long-term high dose exposure condition in the occupational population. The hepatotoxic effects of glyphosate on mammals, fish, and organs and cells in vitro experiments were deeply analyzed. The possible toxicological mechanism of glyphosate hepatotoxicity was analyzed from oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation and other aspects, aiming to explore the effects of glyphosate exposure on liver health and provide a reference for scientific guidance on the rational use of glyphosate.

BACKGROUND: The effect of the interval between previous Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication and rescue treatment on therapeutic outcomes remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between eradication rates and treatment interval durations in H. pylori infections. METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted from December 2021 to February 2023 at six tertiary hospitals in Shandong, China. We recruited patients who were positive for H. pylori infection and required rescue treatment. Demographic information, previous times of eradication therapy, last eradication therapy date, and history of antibiotic use data were collected. The patients were divided into four groups based on the rescue treatment interval length: Group A, ≥4 weeks and ≤3 months; Group B, >3 and ≤6 months; Group C, >6 and ≤12 months; and Group D, >12 months. The primary outcome was the eradication rate of H. pylori . Drug compliance and adverse events (AEs) were also assessed. Pearson's χ2 test or Fisher's exact test was used to compare eradication rates between groups. RESULTS: A total of 670 patients were enrolled in this study. The intention-to-treat (ITT) eradication rates were 88.3% (158/179) in Group A, 89.6% (120/134) in Group B, 89.1% (123/138) in Group C, and 87.7% (192/219) in Group D. The per-protocol (PP) eradication rates were 92.9% (156/168) in Group A, 94.5% (120/127) in Group B, 94.5% (121/128) in Group C, and 93.6% (190/203) in Group D. There was no statistically significant difference in the eradication rates between groups in either the ITT ( P = 0.949) or PP analysis ( P = 0.921). No significant differences were observed in the incidence of AEs ( P = 0.934) or drug compliance ( P = 0.849) between groups. CONCLUSION: The interval duration of rescue treatment had no significant effect on H. pylori eradication rates or the incidence of AEs. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT05173493.
Humans ; Helicobacter Infections/drug therapy* ; Helicobacter pylori/pathogenicity* ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/adverse effects* ; Adult ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Proton Pump Inhibitors/therapeutic use*

Purpose To investigate the application value of cardiac magnetic resonance tissue tracking imaging in assessing early heart failure(HF)in plateau environment.Materials and Methods Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into 10 in the control group and 20 in the experimental group.The rats in the experimental group were transported to the Qinghai Plateau laboratory(average altitude 4 250 metre)for eight weeks of exposure,and then divided into the plateau hypoxia group and the plateau HF group,and the HF group was treated with 5 mg/ml Isoprenaline 10 mg/(kg·d)subcutaneously for 14 consecutive days to establish a HF rat model.The rats were then transported back to the plains(average elevation 500 metre)for 7T cardiac magnetic resonance movie sequence scanning.Cardiac function parameters and myocardial strain parameters were obtained using CVI 42 software.Myocardial pathological changes were detected using HE staining and Masson trichrome staining.Serum levels of malondialdehyde and glutathione peroxidase were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Western blot and PCR were used to detect the expression of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2(NRF2)and heme oxygenase 1(HO-1)in myocardial tissues.Results Left ventricular ejection fraction was reduced in the HF group compared with the control group[(67.06±4.66)%vs.(61.91±2.11)%;F=4.149,P=0.037],and overall left ventricular circumferential strain was significantly reduced in the HF group compared with the control group[(-24.60±0.81)%vs.(-20.16±1.86)%;F=12.241,P=0.001],and pathologic staining showed necrosis as well as interstitial fibrosis in cardiomyocytes.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results showed decreased glutathione peroxidase levels in the HF group[(1 079.94±70.58)U vs.(311.99±39.47)U;F=209.294,P=0.001]and increased malondialdehyde in the HF group compared with those in the control group[(7.24±2.48)μmol/L vs.(53.28±4.51)μmol/L;F=156.39,P=0.010).Western blot results showed significantly lower NRF2 and HO-1 expression in myocardial tissues of the HF group compared with those in the control group(1.00±0.00 vs.0.52±0.13;F=26.607,P=0.001).PCR results showed significantly lower NRF2 and HO-1 mRNA expression in myocardial tissues of the HF group compared with those in the control group(1.19±0.16 vs.0.31±0.07;F=84.784,P=0.010).Conclusion Magnetic resonance tissue tracking imaging can be used for early assessment of HF caused by plateau environment.

Purpose To explore the application value of magnetic resonance feature tracking to assess early heart failure in different rat models.Materials and Methods Fifty male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups:the control group(8 rats),the isoproterenol high dose(ISO-H)group(14 rats),the isoproterenol low dose(ISO-L)group(14 rats)and the coronary artery ligation surgery(myocardial infarction,MI)group(14 rats).The ISO-H group received intraperitoneal injections of ISO at 100 mg/kg once a week for two consecutive weeks.The ISO-L group received continuous intraperitoneal injections of ISO at 5 mg/(kg·d)for 14 days.The MI group underwent coronary ligation to establish a heart failure rat model.Scans using a 7T cardiac MRI cine sequence were performed after two weeks and four weeks.Heart function parameters and myocardial strain parameters were obtained using CVI 42 software.Serum markers of myocardial injury,including creatine kinase,creatine kinase-MB,lactate dehydrogenase and α-hydroxybutyric dehydrogenase levels,were measured.HE staining and Masson staining were used to detect myocardial pathological changes.Results Compared with the control group,the ISO-H group,ISO-L group and MI group showed significant changes in left ventricular ejection fraction(t=-2.387,P=0.04;t=5.622,P<0.001;t=17.715,P<0.001)and overall radial strain(t=-4.570,P=0.001;t=6.587,P<0.001;t=10.649,P<0.001)after two weeks.Compared with the control group,the ISO-H group,ISO-L group and MI group showed varying degrees of reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction(t=4.834,P=0.001;t=10.325,P<0.001;t=26.286,P<0.001)and overall radial strain(t=3.890,P=0.003;t=9.547,P<0.001;t=13.751,P<0.001)after four weeks.The serum markers of myocardial injury,including creatine kinase,creatine kinase-MB,lactate dehydrogenase and α-hydroxybutyric dehydrogenase levels,were significantly elevated(t=-93.373--11.019,P<0.001),and pathological staining revealed that all model groups exhibited varying degrees of myocardial cell hypertrophy,necrosis and interstitial fibrosis compared with the control group.Conclusion Magnetic resonance feature tracking has guiding significance for the dynamic monitoring,early diagnosis and prognosis assessment of heart failure in different rat models.

Glyphosate is an organophosphorus herbicide with a large global production volume and wide application. It is commonly present in the environment and has a relatively long residual period. Its long-term toxicity, carcinogenic potential and other health effects deserve attention and further research. Glyphosate exposure has toxic effects on a variety of organs, including but not limited to hepatotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, etc., and is associated with the occurrence and development of different types of cancer. This article summarizes the physicochemical properties of glyphosate, its usage and pollution status in China, sorts out and summarizes its population load situation, and focuses on discussing the hepatotoxic effects of glyphosate under various exposure scenarios, including the acute poisoning situation and the progress of long-term low-dose exposure in the general population, and long-term high dose exposure condition in the occupational population. The hepatotoxic effects of glyphosate on mammals, fish, and organs and cells in vitro experiments were deeply analyzed. The possible toxicological mechanism of glyphosate hepatotoxicity was analyzed from oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation and other aspects, aiming to explore the effects of glyphosate exposure on liver health and provide a reference for scientific guidance on the rational use of glyphosate.

Purpose To investigate the application value of cardiac magnetic resonance tissue tracking imaging in assessing early heart failure(HF)in plateau environment.Materials and Methods Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into 10 in the control group and 20 in the experimental group.The rats in the experimental group were transported to the Qinghai Plateau laboratory(average altitude 4 250 metre)for eight weeks of exposure,and then divided into the plateau hypoxia group and the plateau HF group,and the HF group was treated with 5 mg/ml Isoprenaline 10 mg/(kg·d)subcutaneously for 14 consecutive days to establish a HF rat model.The rats were then transported back to the plains(average elevation 500 metre)for 7T cardiac magnetic resonance movie sequence scanning.Cardiac function parameters and myocardial strain parameters were obtained using CVI 42 software.Myocardial pathological changes were detected using HE staining and Masson trichrome staining.Serum levels of malondialdehyde and glutathione peroxidase were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Western blot and PCR were used to detect the expression of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2(NRF2)and heme oxygenase 1(HO-1)in myocardial tissues.Results Left ventricular ejection fraction was reduced in the HF group compared with the control group[(67.06±4.66)%vs.(61.91±2.11)%;F=4.149,P=0.037],and overall left ventricular circumferential strain was significantly reduced in the HF group compared with the control group[(-24.60±0.81)%vs.(-20.16±1.86)%;F=12.241,P=0.001],and pathologic staining showed necrosis as well as interstitial fibrosis in cardiomyocytes.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results showed decreased glutathione peroxidase levels in the HF group[(1 079.94±70.58)U vs.(311.99±39.47)U;F=209.294,P=0.001]and increased malondialdehyde in the HF group compared with those in the control group[(7.24±2.48)μmol/L vs.(53.28±4.51)μmol/L;F=156.39,P=0.010).Western blot results showed significantly lower NRF2 and HO-1 expression in myocardial tissues of the HF group compared with those in the control group(1.00±0.00 vs.0.52±0.13;F=26.607,P=0.001).PCR results showed significantly lower NRF2 and HO-1 mRNA expression in myocardial tissues of the HF group compared with those in the control group(1.19±0.16 vs.0.31±0.07;F=84.784,P=0.010).Conclusion Magnetic resonance tissue tracking imaging can be used for early assessment of HF caused by plateau environment.