1.Latent class analysis and influencing factor study of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among operating room nurses in tertiary hospitals
Xiaogui TANG ; Li LI ; Yue ZHAO ; Ningning HU ; Feng FU ; Boya LI ; Mengru YANG ; Yinglan LI
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(3):293-301
Background Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), as one of the major occupational health issues worldwide, have shown an increasing positive rate year by year. Due to the unique demands of work, operating room nurses exhibit a higher positive rate of WMSDs compared to other occupational groups, necessitating active attention and intervention. Objective To estimate the prevalence of WMSDs among operating room nurses in tertiary hospitals, explore the characteristics and latent categories of WMSDs, and analyze the influencing factors associated with the occurrence of WMSDs. Method Using a randomized cluster sampling method, operating room nurses from nine tertiary hospitals in Urumqi were selected as study participants between December 2023 and January 2024. Data were collected through a general information questionnaire, an ergonomic questionnaire for operating room nurses, and the Chinese Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire. Latent class analysis was employed to examine the patterns of WMSDs among the nurses, while chi-square test and multinomial logistic regression were utilized to analyze the influencing factors of WMSDs. Result A total of 411 valid questionnaires were collected in this survey. The positive rate of WMSDs among operating room nurses in the tertiary hospitals of Urumqi over the past year was 91.9%. The positive rates, ordered from highest to lowest by body region, were neck (79.1%), shoulders (70.3%), and lower back (68.1%). The operating room nurses were categorized into three distinct groups by latent class analysis: multi-site pain group, neck-shoulder-back pain group, and neck and lower back pain group. The results of the multinomial logistic regression models revealed that gender, job strain level, ergonomic load level in the operating room, and exposure to cold or drafty working conditions or not were significant influencing factors for reporting WMSDs among operating room nurses. Specifically, having less than 5 years of work experience, low ergonomic load level, low job strain, and moderate job strain were identified as protective factors against WMSDs. Conversely, exposure to cold or drafty working environments and being female were identified as risk factors for WMSDs. The logistic regression models also indicated that compared to the neck-lower back pain group, the neck-shoulder-back pain group had a higher probability of reporting low job strain (OR=0.168, 95%CI: 0.029, 0.968) and being female (OR=4.847, 95%CI: 2.506, 9.378). In contrast, when comparing to the neck-lower back pain group, the multi-site pain group had a higher probability of reporting, low-level ergonomic workload (OR=0.079, 95%CI: 0.015, 0.412), low job strain (OR=0.019, 95%CI: 0.002, 0.145), moderate job strain (OR=0.080, 95%CI: 0.016, 0.401), high job strain (OR=0.132, 95%CI: 0.027, 0.647), less than 5 years of work experience (OR=0.173, 95%CI: 0.044, 0.683), being female (OR=2.424, 95%CI: 1.130, 5.200), and exposure to cold or drafty working environments (OR=3.277, 95%CI: 1.657, 6.481). Conclusion The positive rate WMSDs among operating room nurses in tertiary hospitals is notably high in Urumqi, with distinct co-occurrence characteristics observed within the population. To mitigate the risk of WMSDs, it is essential to implement targeted health education and prevention training programs tailored to different patterns of WMSDs. Additionally, improving working conditions, optimizing human resource allocation , and other proactive measures should be undertaken. These efforts will effectively reduce the incidence of WMSDs among operating room nurses and safeguard their occupational health.
2.Discovery of a novel AhR-CYP1A1 axis activator for mitigating inflammatory diseases using an in situ functional imaging assay.
Feng ZHANG ; Bei ZHAO ; Yufan FAN ; Lanhui QIN ; Jinhui SHI ; Lin CHEN ; Leizhi XU ; Xudong JIN ; Mengru SUN ; Hongping DENG ; Hairong ZENG ; Zhangping XIAO ; Xin YANG ; Guangbo GE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(1):508-525
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays a crucial role in regulating many physiological processes. Activating the AhR-CYP1A1 axis has emerged as a novel therapeutic strategy against various inflammatory diseases. Here, a practical in situ cell-based fluorometric assay was constructed to screen AhR-CYP1A1 axis modulators, via functional sensing of CYP1A1 activities in live cells. Firstly, a cell-permeable, isoform-specific enzyme-activable fluorogenic substrate for CYP1A1 was rationally constructed for in-situ visualizing the dynamic changes of CYP1A1 function in living systems, which was subsequently used for discovering the efficacious modulators of the AhR-CYP1A1 axis. Following screening of a compound library, LAC-7 was identified as an efficacious activator of the AhR-CYP1A1 axis, which dose-dependently up-regulated the expression levels of both CYP1A1 and AhR in multiple cell lines. LAC-7 also suppressed macrophage M1 polarization and reduced the levels of inflammatory factors in LPS-induced bone marrow-derived macrophages. Animal tests showed that LAC-7 could significantly mitigate DSS-induced ulcerative colitis and LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice, and markedly reduced the levels of multiple inflammatory factors. Collectively, an optimized fluorometric cell-based assay was devised for in situ functional imaging of CYP1A1 activities in living systems, which strongly facilitated the discovery of efficacious modulators of the AhR-CYP1A1 axis as novel anti-inflammatory agents.
3.Mechanism of Shengmaisan Regulating Cardiac Remodeling of Arrhythmias with Deficiency of Qi and Yin
Jingheng WEI ; Xiaolu SHI ; Wei YANG ; Cong HUANG ; Mengru SHI ; Runhao MA ; Mingjie SUN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(4):248-259
Arrhythmia is an important disease among cardiovascular diseases. Malignant arrhythmias often occur clinically and are induced by abnormal ion channels, electrical activity disorders, myocardial fibrosis, inflammation, dysfunctional mitochondrial biogenesis, mitochondrial calcium overload, out-of-balance energy metabolism, oxidative stress, sympathetic hyperactivity, and other pathological cardiac remodeling, and they are the main causes of sudden cardiac death. In traditional Chinese medicine, arrhythmias are considered to be palpitations, which are commonly caused by deficiency of Qi and Yin. It is often manifested as a deficiency of the spleen and stomach, resulting in malfunction of the Qi mechanism, followed by a particularly severe decline in cardiac function. Shengmaisan is a representative formula for nourishing Qi and Yin, consisting of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Ophiopogonis Radix, and Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus. In recent years, clinical studies have shown that Shengmaisan and its additions and subtractions are commonly used in the treatment of arrhythmias. In this article, the mechanisms of the active ingredients of Shengmaisan in the electrophysiology, biochemistry, structure, autonomic nervous system, and subcellular fraction of the heart are reviewed, and the multi-target, multi-system, and integrality of Shengmaisan in the treatment of arrhythmias of Qi and Yin deficiency are described. In addition, energy metabolism disorder is tightly juxtaposed with Qi and Yin deficiency syndrome. Mitochondria, as the center of myocardial energy metabolism, play a paramount role in cardiac remodeling, indicating that Shengmaisan will be a salient part of future research to ameliorate cardiac pathologic remodeling through energy metabolism of mitochondria, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of these arrhythmias.
4.Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the Molecular Expression Pattern and Intercellular Interactions in the Glial Scar Response to Spinal Cord Injury.
Leilei GONG ; Yun GU ; Xiaoxiao HAN ; Chengcheng LUAN ; Chang LIU ; Xinghui WANG ; Yufeng SUN ; Mengru ZHENG ; Mengya FANG ; Shuhai YANG ; Lai XU ; Hualin SUN ; Bin YU ; Xiaosong GU ; Songlin ZHOU
Neuroscience Bulletin 2023;39(2):213-244
Nerve regeneration in adult mammalian spinal cord is poor because of the lack of intrinsic regeneration of neurons and extrinsic factors - the glial scar is triggered by injury and inhibits or promotes regeneration. Recent technological advances in spatial transcriptomics (ST) provide a unique opportunity to decipher most genes systematically throughout scar formation, which remains poorly understood. Here, we first constructed the tissue-wide gene expression patterns of mouse spinal cords over the course of scar formation using ST after spinal cord injury from 32 samples. Locally, we profiled gene expression gradients from the leading edge to the core of the scar areas to further understand the scar microenvironment, such as neurotransmitter disorders, activation of the pro-inflammatory response, neurotoxic saturated lipids, angiogenesis, obstructed axon extension, and extracellular structure re-organization. In addition, we described 21 cell transcriptional states during scar formation and delineated the origins, functional diversity, and possible trajectories of subpopulations of fibroblasts, glia, and immune cells. Specifically, we found some regulators in special cell types, such as Thbs1 and Col1a2 in macrophages, CD36 and Postn in fibroblasts, Plxnb2 and Nxpe3 in microglia, Clu in astrocytes, and CD74 in oligodendrocytes. Furthermore, salvianolic acid B, a blood-brain barrier permeation and CD36 inhibitor, was administered after surgery and found to remedy fibrosis. Subsequently, we described the extent of the scar boundary and profiled the bidirectional ligand-receptor interactions at the neighboring cluster boundary, contributing to maintain scar architecture during gliosis and fibrosis, and found that GPR37L1_PSAP, and GPR37_PSAP were the most significant gene-pairs among microglia, fibroblasts, and astrocytes. Last, we quantified the fraction of scar-resident cells and proposed four possible phases of scar formation: macrophage infiltration, proliferation and differentiation of scar-resident cells, scar emergence, and scar stationary. Together, these profiles delineated the spatial heterogeneity of the scar, confirmed the previous concepts about scar architecture, provided some new clues for scar formation, and served as a valuable resource for the treatment of central nervous system injury.
Mice
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Animals
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Gliosis/pathology*
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Cicatrix/pathology*
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Spinal Cord Injuries
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Astrocytes/metabolism*
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Spinal Cord/pathology*
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Fibrosis
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Mammals
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Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
5.Occupational stress, anxiety, and depression among grassroots disease control and prevention staff in Hebei Province: A qualitative comparative analysis based on fuzzy sets
Mengru YANG ; Jianguo LI ; Junqin ZHAO ; Lixin YANG ; Qiuying DONG ; Chunxiang ZHAO
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2023;40(6):681-687
Background Grassroots center for disease control and prevention (CDC) staff undertake intensive work of disease prevention and control, and may be susceptible to occupational stress, anxiety, depression, and other health problems. Objective To understand the current situation of occupational stress, anxiety, and depression among grassroots CDC staff, and to identify potential risk factor configurations for occupational stress, anxiety, and depression using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), so as to provide a basis for effective intervention. Methods The staff working in county/district-level CDCs in Hebei Province were the target population of the current study. Stratified random cluster sampling method was used to select 1860 staff members of the target population. A questionnaire of general situation, Job Content Scale, 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 were used. Risk factor configurations associated with health outcomes of interest were identified by fsQCA3.0 software. Results The positive rates of occupational stress, anxiety, and depression were 42.69%, 44.25%, and 47.96%, respectively. Marital status was a necessary condition for occupational stress, anxiety, and depression in the grassroots CDC staff (the necessity values were 0.911, 0.939, and 0.933, respectively). There were two types of risk factor configurations for occupational stress: "self-improvement" and "disease burden"; the risk factor configurations for anxiety were "disease burden" and "economic-disease burden"; while the risk factor configurations for depression were "disease burden", "economic-disease burden", and "self-improvement". The overall consistency scores of occupational stress, anxiety, and depression were 0.941, 0.820, and 0.774, respectively. Regarding outstanding components, "self-improvement" included pressure of job requirements and promotion, "disease burden" included impact of chronic illness on psychological state, and "economic-disease burden" included not only impact of chronic illness but also financial support for CDC staff. Conclusion All positive rates of occupational stress, anxiety, and depression are high among grassroots CDC staff in Hebei Province. Occupational stress, anxiety, and depression of grassroots CDC staff are the results of multiple influencing factors, so targeted intervention measures should be formulated.
6.Development and preliminary evaluation of a fluorescence RPA assay for the rapid detection of Necator americanus
LIANG Jiarui ; XU Bin ; HU Wei ; LI Mengru ; YANG Shuo ; ZHENG Bin
China Tropical Medicine 2023;23(7):681-
Abstract: Objective To establish a rapid detection assay based on fluorescence recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) targeting Necator americanus eggs, and to evaluate its efficacy, providing technical support for rapid detection of Necator americanus in fecal samples. Methods The fluorescence RPA primers and probe were designed based on the cox1 gene of Necator americanus and then screened the optimal combination to develop the assay. The genomic DNA of Necator americanus eggs was diluted to 7 concentration gradients including 100 pg/µL, 10 pg/µL, 1 pg/µL, 100 fg/µL, 10 fg/µL, 1 fg/µL, 0.1 fg/µL, to determine the detection limit of the assay. The specificity of the assay was demonstrated by detected genomic DNA from Schistosoma japonicum, Ascaris lumbricoides, Clonorchis sinensis and Fasciola hepatica. A total of 44 fecal samples were collected and DNA extraction was performed, and the modified Kato-Katz method, semi-nest PCR method, and fluorescent RPA method were simultaneously used for detection to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity. Results The established fluorescence RPA assay can specifically amplify a fragment of 194 bp of the Necator americanus cox1 gene within 20 min, with a detection limit of 10 fg/µL. There was no cross-reactivity with Schistosoma japonicum, Ascaris lumbricoides, Clonorchis sinensis, Fasciola hepatica after specificity validation. In 44 fecal samples, 27 positive samples were detected by the fluorescence RPA assay, and 26 positive samples were detected by both the Kato-Katz and the semi-nested PCR. The fluorescence curve of sample number 1 was slightly higher than the negative control in the later stage of the reaction, but did not show a similar trend to the positive control, and was therefore judged to be a suspected negative sample. Compared with the Kato-Katz method and the semi-nest PCR method, The sensitivity of the fluorescent RPA method were 100.00% and the specificity were 94.44%, and the consistency of the detection results was good (Kappa=0.953>0.75). Conclusions The assay based on the fluorescence RPA is an efficient, sensitive and specific technique for detecting Necator americanus and it can be applied for surveillance and early warning of hookworm infection.
7.Establishment and evaluation of a LAMP-CRISPR-based nucleic acid detection method for Schistosoma japonicum
LI Mengru ; QIN Zhiqiang ; YIN Kun ; LIANG Jiarui ; YANG Shuo ; ZHENG Bin
China Tropical Medicine 2023;23(7):686-
Abstract: Objective To establish a sensitive and specific nucleic acid detection method for Schistosoma japonicum based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) technology. Methods The LAMP primers, gRNA and ssDNA probe that target Schistosoma japonicum SjR2 genes were designed according to the principles of LAMP and CRISPR. The LAMP-CRISPR reaction system was established and optimized. The sensitivity and specificity of the method were evaluated against the ten-fold serial dilutions of plasmid containing SjR2 target sequences, as well as genomic DNA at different stages of Schistosoma japonicum and other parasites, including Fasciola hepatica, Schistosoma mansoni, Taenia saginata, Clonorchis sinensis, Ascaris lumbricoides, Necator americanus, Paragonimus westermani, and Echinococcus granulosus. Additionally, 15 schistosome-infected snail and 30 uninfected samples were tested by LAMP-CRISPR and LAMP methods, respectively, to evaluate the potential of this method for screening for infected snails. Results The developed LAMP-CRISPR method was able to specifically amplify and detect the SjR2 gene of S. japonicum. The optimal reaction temperature was 37 ℃, and the optimal reaction concentrations were both 40 nmol/L for gRNA and Cas12a protein. No cross-reaction was observed with genomic DNA from other parasites such as F. hepatica. The detection limit of the method was 10 copies/μL when testing 10-fold dilutions of recombinant plasmids as a template. Furthermore, the LAMP-CRISPR method was able to accurately detect genomic DNA from S. japonicum at various stages of development, including eggs, cercariae, schistosomula, juvenile worms, and adult worms. The results of testing 45 snail samples showed no significant difference between the LAMP-CRISPR and LAMP methods for detecting infected snails (χ2=0.05, P>0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of the LAMP-CRISPR method were 100.00% (15/15) and 96.67% (29/30), respectively, compared to the gold standard, while the sensitivity and specificity of the LAMP method were 100.00% (15/15) and 93.33% (28/30), respectively. Conclusions This established LAMP-CRISPR detection method presented good sensitivity, specificity and reliability, making it a promising tool for rapid detection and risk monitoring of S. japonicum.
8.Progress in research and application of risk assessment methods for imported malaria in China
Shuo YANG ; Hanyin YANG ; Shuning YAN ; Jiarui LIANG ; Mengru LI ; Bin ZHENG ; Zhigui XIA ; Shang XIA
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2023;44(11):1820-1824
With the gradual resumption of international travel, cross-border population movement has become frequent again, risk assessment of imported malaria has important public health significance to maintain malaria elimination status in China. Currently, risk index system construction method, risk index method, mathematical model method, and infectivity-receptivity- vulnerability method are mainly used in imported malaria risk assessment in China. This paper summarizes the common evaluation methods in the risk assessment of imported malaria research in China to provide references for the further research.
9.Modified Sanpiantang Treats Nitroglycerin-induced Migraine in Rats via p38 MAPK/iNOS Signaling Pathway
Kun WANG ; Ming MA ; Yanhua YANG ; Quanna REN ; Yuhan CHEN ; Mengru YUE ; Xu ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2023;29(22):64-70
ObjectiveTo decipher the mechanism of modified Sanpiantang in the treatment of nitroglycerin-induced migraine in rats. MethodSeventy-two Wistar rats were randomized into the control, model (nitroglycerin, 10 mg·kg-1), positive control (rizatriptan, 0.89 mg·kg-1), and high- (12.96 g·kg-1), medium- (6.48 g·kg-1), and low-dose (3.24 g·kg-1) modified Sanpiantang groups. The rat model of migraine was established by intraperitoneal injection of 10 mg·kg-1 nitroglycerin. The behavioral test was carried out to measure the mechanical pain thresholds (MPT) of the periorbital region and hindpaw after successful modeling. The serum levels of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in rats were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was employed to determine the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC). Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of iNOS and phospho-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-p38 MAPK) in the TNC. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(Real-time PCR) was performed to measure the mRNA levels of iNOS, p38 MAPK, and IL-1β in the TNC. ResultCompared with the control group, the model group showed decreased MPT (P<0.01), elevated serum levels of NO, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-1β (P<0.01), and up-regulated expression levels of p38 MAPK, iNOS, and IL-1β in the TNC (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, modified Sanpiantang increased the MPT (P<0.05), and the medium-dose group showed the most significant effect (P<0.01). In addition, modified Sanpiantang down-regulated the mRNA levels of iNOS, p38 MAPK, and IL-1β and the protein levels of p-p38 MAPK and iNOS in the TNC of migraine rats (P<0.05, P<0.01) and lowered the serum levels of NO, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-1β (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionModified Sanpiantang may treat migraine by down-regulating the expression of pro-inflammatory factors such as NO, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-1β in the p38 MAPK/iNOS signaling pathway to reduce the neurogenic inflammation.
10.Motivations for hospice care volunteerism and its influencing factors among undergraduate nursing students in Xinjiang
Mengru YANG ; Xinxin LIU ; Peijuan JIAO ; Yue ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2023;29(32):4390-4397
Objective:To investigate the current situation of motivations for hospice care volunteerism among undergraduate nursing students, and to analyze its influencing factors.Methods:Using the convenient sampling method, a total of 575 nursing students from Nursing Department of Xinjiang Medical University were selected as the research objects in August 2022. They were investigated using general information questionnaire, Chinese version of Inventory of Motivations for Hospice Palliative Care Volunteerism Scale, The Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing, the Organizational Climate Scale and Prosocial Tendencies Measure Scale.Results:The score of Motivations for Hospice Palliative Care Volunteerism Scale for 575 nursing students was (87.32±20.54) , score of Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing was (7.89±3.44) , score of Organizational Climate Scale was (49.35±10.33) and the score of Prosocial Tendencies Measure scale was (96.71±18.25) . Qualities and abilities that college student volunteers should possess, access to hospice care, pro-social tendencies, and knowledge of palliative care were influential factors in nursing students' motivation to volunteerism for hospice care ( P<0.05) , which could explain 19.9% of the total variation. Conclusions:The motivations for hospice care volunteerism of undergraduate nursing students is in a medium and above level. Nursing educators should strengthen education and training related to nursing students' participation in hospice care, so that nursing students will participate in voluntary service activities through their own professional advantages, strengthen the voluntary team of hospice care, and promote the development of voluntary hospice care services.

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