Background Public places are important areas for daily human activities. Frequent contact with public items promotes their role as vehicles for microbial spread, creating a substantial risk for the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms. Objective To understand the hygiene status and influencing factors of public items in typical public places in Shanghai from 2010 to 2024, and to provide a scientific basis for optimizing the hygiene management of public items. Methods Based on the monitoring data of public items in public places in Shanghai from 2010 to 2024, the hygiene status was evaluated in three stages: 2010–2019, 2020–2022, and 2023–2024. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to analyze the impact of factors such as monitoring stages, public place types, and public item categories on the hygiene status. Results The public items in 13807 public places were monitored. A total of 1 022 bed sheets and 9 271 towels were tested for pH value, with qualified rates of 77.66% and 87.81%, respectively. The OR (95%CI) for the pH compliance of towels relative to bed sheets was 1.77 (1.45, 2.15). Compared with bathing places, the ORs for pH compliance of towels in hair salons and beauty salons were 2.24 (1.75, 2.87) and 2.15 (1.57, 2.95), respectively. Additionally, a total of 221 650 samples from various public items were tested for microorganisms, yielding 215554 qualified samples, with an average qualified rate of 97.25%. The qualified rates for total bacterial count, total fungal count, coliforms, and Staphylococcus aureus were 92.66%, 94.63%, 98.85%, and 99.84%, respectively. The logistic regression analysis showed that, compared to the 2016–2019 baseline, no statistically significant differences were observed in the qualified rates of total fungal count across different stages; however, significantly higher qualified rates for total bacterial count, total fungal count, coliforms, and Staphylococcus aureus were recorded during 2020–2022, with ORs (95%CI) of 1.27 (1.16, 1.38), 23.20 (8.42, 63.94), and 12.08 (1.63, 89.92), respectively. Conclusion The pH compliance ranks among the top tier nationwide for cotton textile goods in Shanghai, suggesting minimal detergent retention. Furthermore, continuous improvement in cleaning and disinfection measurements has markedly enhanced the microbial hygiene of public items in public places.

Background As common public facilities essential to daily life, hair and beauty salons frequently contain various airborne toxic and hazardous pollutants potentially leading to adverse health effects for salon practitioners. Objective To characterize the indoor air pollution profiles of common contaminants in hair and beauty salons in Shanghai and to evaluate the associated health risks for practitioners, in order to provide a scientific basis for strengthening the public health management in Shanghai and protecting the health of practitioners. Methods The air quality monitoring data of hair and beauty salons in Shanghai from 2016 to 2024 were obtained from the “Health Hazard Factors Monitoring Program for Public Places” of the National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Monitoring indicators included particulate matter ≤10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀), particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM_2.5), formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, toluene, and xylene. Indicator compliance rates were calculated across various years in accordance with GB 9666-1996 Hygienic standard for barber shop and beauty shop and GB 37488-2019 Hygiene indicators and limit for public places; specifically, PM_2.5 was assessed against the limits stipulated in GB/T 18883-2022 Standards for indoor air quality. A questionnaire survey was conducted among salon practitioners to collect weekly working days and daily working hours. The non-carcinogenic risks associated with inhalation exposure to formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, toluene, and xylene as well as the carcinogenic risks posed by formaldehyde and benzene were evaluated following WS/T 777-2021 Technical guide for environmental health risk assessment of chemical exposure and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inhalation risk model. Results The overall compliance rates of PM₁₀, formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, and toluene in the air of hair and beauty salons in Shanghai from 2016 to 2024 were 92.13%, 96.59%, 96.15%, 94.93%, and 94.97%, respectively; the overall compliance rate of xylene was a little lower (85.92%), and the overall compliance rate of PM_2.5 was 57.18%. The P₅₀ concentrations of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, toluene, and xylene did not exceed the corresponding limits. The P₅₀ of non-carcinogenic risk indicator (hazard quotient, HQ) for formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, toluene, and xylene were <1. The probabilities of non-carcinogenic risk HQ >1 for formaldehyde and xylene were 41.4% and 10.9%, respectively, which were higher than that of other pollutants. The P₅₀ of carcinogenic risk (CR) for formaldehyde and benzene were between 1.0×10⁻⁶ and 1.0×10⁻⁴, while the probabilities of CR >1.0×10⁻⁴ were 16.9% and 14.0%, respectively. Conclusion The overall compliance rate of common pollutant concentrations in the air of hair and beauty salons in Shanghai is high, and the hygienic condition meets the requirements of national standards. The non-carcinogenic health risks posed by formaldehyde and xylene to employees (with formaldehyde being more prominent), as well as the carcinogenic risks associated with formaldehyde and benzene, deserve heightened attention in future health supervision.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness and safety of Qingfei Shenshi Decoction （清肺渗湿汤） combined with western medicine for patients with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome， and to explore its potential mechanism of action. MethodsEighty-six participants with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome were randomly divided into treatment group and control group， each group with 43 participants. The control group received conventional western medicine， and the treatment group was additionally administered Qingfei Shenshi Decoction orally on the basis of the control group， 1 dose per day. Both groups were treated for 14 days. The primary outcome measure was clinical effectiveness； secondary outcome measures included traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score， asthma control test （ACT） score， pulmonary function indices such as forced expiratory volume in 1 second （FEV₁）， forced vital capacity （FVC）， peak expiratory flow （PEF）， serum inflammatory factor levels including interleukin-4 （IL-4）， tumour necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）， and immune function indices including CD3⁺， CD4⁺， CD8⁺， CD4⁺/CD8⁺. All outcome measures were evaluated before and after treatment. Vital signs were monitored， and electrocardiography， blood routine， urine routine， liver function， and renal function tests were performed before and after treatment. Adverse events and reactions during the study were recorded. ResultsA total of 80 patients completed the trial with 40 in each group. The total clinical effective rate of the treatment group was 97.5% （39/40）， which was significantly higher than that of the control group （85.0%， 34/40， P＜0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed decreased TCM syndrome scores， IL-4， TNF-α， hs-CRP， and CD8⁺ levels， as well as increased ACT scores， CD3⁺， CD4⁺， CD4⁺/CD8⁺， FEV₁， FVC， and PEF levels （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Moreover， the improvements in these indices were more significant in the treatment group than in the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. No significant abnormalities in safety indicators were observed in either group， and no adverse events or reactions occurred. ConclusionQingfei Shenshi Decoction combined with conventional western medicine for patients with bronchial asthma of heat wheezing syndrome can effectively improve the clinical symptoms， pulmonary function， and clinical effectiveness， with good safety. Its mechanism may be related to reducing inflammatory factor levels and regulating T lymphocyte subsets to improve immune function.

This paper summarized Professor ZHOU Zhaoshan's clinical experience in treating bronchial asthma （abbreviated as asthma） by stages with dampness-draining method. It is believed that pathogenic dampness is the key pathological factor in the onset of asthma. Dampness accumulates into water， which gathers into rheum； the condensed rheum forms phlegm， which lingers in the lungs. When external pathogens trigger the latent phlegm， phlegm and qi become mutually obstructed， leading to airway obstruction， disrupted qi movement， and upward reversal of lung qi， thereby resulting in asthma attacks. The treatment emphasizes a stage-based approach. During acute attacks， the main syndromes include cold-damp obstructing the lungs， damp-heat accumulating in the lungs， and shaoyang （少阳） constraint with heat. For the syndrome of cold-damp obstructing the lungs， a self-formulated Wenfei Shenshi Decoction （温肺渗湿汤） is used to warm the lungs and disperse cold， drain dampness and relieve panting； for the syndrome of damp-heat accumulating in the lungs， a self-formulated Qingfei Shenshi Decoction （清肺渗湿汤） is employed to clear the lungs and expel heat， drain dampness and relieve asthma； and for the syndrome of shaoyang constraint with heat， a self-formulated Chaihu Shenshi Decoction （柴胡渗湿汤） is administered to harmonize the shaoyang， clear heat and drain dampness. During the remission stage， treatment is based on the underlying kidney-deficiency constitution， and a self-formulated Bushen Shenshi Decoction （补肾渗湿汤） is formulated to tonify the kidneys and drain dampness， improve qi reception and relieve panting.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the otoprotective effects of mouse nerve growth factor (mNGF) in A/J mice. METHODS: The mice at postnatal day 7 (P7) were randomly separated into a mNGF treated group (mNGF group) and a distilled water (for injection) treated group (control group). The mNGF dissolved in distilled water or distilled water alone was given to the mice once every other day from P7 by intramuscular injection in the hips. The otoprotective effects of mNGF in A/J mice were observed in a time course manner. The thresholds of auditory-evoked brainstem response (ABR) were tested from the age of the 3rd to the 8th week. Sections of the inner ears were stained by hematoxylin and eosin, and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) were observed at the age of the 3rd, the 6th,and the 8th week. Counts of whole mount outer hair cells (OHCs) in the cochleae were made at the age of 8 weeks. Expression of apoptosis related genes was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. RESULTS: ABR thresholds of the mNGF group were significantly lower than those of the control group at the age of the 6th and the 8th week. Moreover, the mNGF preserved OHC and SGN in the mouse cochleae in this period. Further experiments showed that the expression of caspase genes (including caspase-3) was inhibited in the mouse inner ears in the mNGF group. CONCLUSION: The mNGF improves hearing in A/J mice by preserving SGN and OHC in the cochleae.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Blotting, Western ; Brain Stem ; Cochlea ; Ear, Inner ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer ; Hearing* ; Hematoxylin ; Hip ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Mice* ; Nerve Growth Factor* ; Neurons ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Spiral Ganglion ; Water

AIM: To identify the down-regulated genes in adult rat cardiac fibroblasts (CF) stimulated with angiotensin Ⅱ (AngⅡ). METHODS: Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was performed between the CF stimulated by AngⅡ (driver) and unstimulated CF (tester) to generate subtractive cDNA library. The library was screened with dot blots hybridization to further verify the differentially expressed cDNA clones. Partial positive clones were sequenced and BLAST analyzed. RESULTS: Seventeen down-regulated genes related to intracellular signal transduction, transcriptional repression, deposition of fibrous matrix and cellular cytoskeletal rearrangement, and 4 new expression sequence tags (EST) were acquired. CONCLUSION: SSH is a powerful technique with high sensitivity for the detection and clone of down-regulated genes expressed in CF induced by AngⅡ, which is helpful to clarify the mechanism of cardiac remodeling.