1.Characteristic analysis of the determination standards for toxic substances in the workplace in China
Xiaoshuang XIE ; Tuo LIU ; Yang LU ; Qiuhong ZHU
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(5):353-357
Objective:To analyze the characteristics of toxic substances determination standards in workplaces in China, in order to provide basis for further development of national occupational health standards.Methods:In November 2023, Used descriptive analysis methods, conduct a characteristic analysis of the toxic substance determination standards for workplaces in China issued between 2004 and 2024, including the first drafting situation, standard formulation/revision situation, standard determination methods types, and method performance indicators.Results:The The first drafting unit in the GBZ/T 160 and GBZ/T 300 standards that have been issued is mainly composed of disease prevention and control centers (154, accounting for 60.6%) and the hospital of Occupational disease prevention and control (154, accounting for 60.6%). The regional distribution is North China (65 items, accounting for 25.6%), East China (60 items, accounting for 23.7%), and South China (51 items, accounting for 20.2%). 93.1% of the standards were published between 2004 and 2017; Covering 671 measurement methods.The method types are gas chromatography (367, 54.7%), spectrophotometry (98, 14.6%), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (54, 8.0%), etc. The missing items of standard performance indexes mainly focus on penetration capacity, recovery rate and detection limit. The missing items of penetration capacity and recovery rate are mainly distributed in gas chromatography methods; The missing detection limits and minimum detection concentrations are mainly distributed in spectrophotometry and gas chromatography method.Conclusion:Suggest accelerating the update speed of toxic substance determination standards in the workplace, supplementing the supporting determination methods in GBZ 2.1 standard, focusing on solving common problems in existing standards, gradually improving the standards for missing performance indicators, and gradually carrying out national standard transformation in a hierarchical and phased manner for local or group standards with good practical applications.
2.Application value of one-hour post-load glucose ≥8.6 mmol/L during oral glucose tolerance test in detecting prediabetes
Xin CHAI ; Dongli ZHU ; Yachen WANG ; Di LI ; Kaipeng LIANG ; Chunyu YANG ; Jinping WANG ; Zhiwei YANG ; Ruitai SHAO ; Qiuhong GONG ; Juan ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;59(6):925-932
Objective:To assess the application value of one-hour post-load glucose (1hPG) for detecting prediabetes among individuals with high risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods:The study was conducted between August 2023 and January 2024, and individuals with a high risk of T2DM were invited to receive an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), structural questionnaires, physical measurements, and other biochemical examinations. The fasting, one-, and two-hour glucose and insulin were tested. According to the 1hPG cut point on hyperglycemia suggested by International Diabetes Federation (IDF), normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and prediabetes were further divided into two subgroups, respectively, i.e., NGT with 1hPG<8.6 mmol/L (NGT-1hPG-normal), NGT with 1hPG≥8.6 mmol/L (NGT-1hPG-high), prediabetes with 1hPG<8.6 mmol/L (PDM-1hPG-normal), and prediabetes with 1hPG≥8.6 mmol/L (PDM-1hPG-high). The insulin release curve was drawn by the groups as above. Insulin resistance was evaluated by homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and β-cell secretory function was evaluated by homeostasis model assessment for β cell function (HOMA-β)/HOMA-IR. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to calculate the correlation coefficients among 1hPG, 2hPG and HOMA indices, and Steiger′s Z test was used to compare the difference between two correlation coefficients. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess the accuracy of 1hPG for detecting prediabetes. Results:A total of 2 469 subjects consisting of 1 485 men (60.1%) and 984 (39.9%) women, with a mean age of (45.76±6.20) years, of which 1 844 (74.7%) had 1hPG≥8.6 mmol/L. The prevalence of 1hPG≥8.6 mmol/L was 46.8%, 93.0% and 99.8% in individuals with NGT, prediabetes and newly diagnosed T2DM, respectively ( χ 2=763.78, P<0.001). The insulin release curve showed that insulin secretion increased rapidly in subjects with NGT-1hPG-high, and peaked at one hour, then decreased rapidly, with a significantly higher level of one- and two-hour insulin than those with NGT-1hPG-normal ( P<0.001). Compared to individuals with NGT-1hPG-normal, the counterparts with NGT-1hPG-high exhibited higher HOMA-IR and lower adjusted HOMA-β ( P<0.001). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the correlation coefficient of 1hPG with HOMA-IR was similar to the correlation coefficient of 2hPG with HOMA-IR (0.493 vs. 0.480, P=0.550), while the correlation of 1hPG with adjusted HOMA-β was significantly stronger than that of 2hPG (-0.692 vs. -0.587, P<0.001). Excluding patients with T2DM, according to the cut point recommended by IDF, the AUC of 1hPG≥8.6 mmol/L for detecting prediabetes was 0.731 (95% CI: 0.714-0.748), and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.930 and 0.532, respectively, with the kappa value of 0.45. Conclusion:1hPG is closely related to insulin resistance and islet function, and there′s substantial value for individuals with a high risk of T2DM to detect prediabetes by using the 1hPG cut points recommended by IDF.
3.A systematical review on traditional Chinese medicine treating chronic diseases via regulating ferroptosis from the perspective of experimental evidence and clinical application.
Yuanyuan ZHANG ; Fazhi SU ; Enlin ZHU ; Yanping SUN ; Haixue KUANG ; Qiuhong WANG
Chinese Herbal Medicines 2025;17(2):246-260
Ferroptosis is a unique regulated form of cell death that is distinct from apoptosis, necrosis, and other well-characterized regulated cell death types, and plays an important role in the occurrence and development of chronic metabolic diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Recently, increasing evidence has supported traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a new hot spot for the treatment of chronic metabolic diseases by mediating ferroptosis. Unfortunately, few systematic reviews have described the importance of TCM in treating chronic metabolic diseases through the ferroptosis pathway. In the current review, the mechanism of ferroptosis and the roles of ferroptosis in chronic metabolic diseases are summarized. Additionally, this review illustrates that the regulation of ferroptosis by TCM could be an effective approach for treating chronic metabolic diseases based on experimental evidence and clinical application. In summary, this work will improve the understanding of ferroptosis and the ability of TCM to regulate ferroptosis in chronic metabolic diseases, thereby promoting the development and application of natural TCM.
4.Research on the implementation effect evaluation of Warning Signs for Occupational Hazards in the Workplace (GBZ 158-2003)
Tuo LIU ; Wenjie LI ; Xiaoshuang XIE ; Yang LU ; Peng QIN ; Qiuhong ZHU
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(5):392-396
To summarize the problems and improvement suggestions in the implementation of GBZ158, the focus groups interview was used to interview industry experts from CDC, Occupational disease prevention and control hospital institutes, employers, third d dd鄄party technical service institutions and universities, and extract their opinions on the problems and improvement suggestions in the implementation of the standard. The operability of GBZ 158 is not strong, and there is a certain overlap with the signs in the fields of firefighting, safety and other fields. It urgently needs to be modified to comply with the reality of occupational health management in China. There are many and concentrated revision opinions on "6. Notification Cards for Occupational Hazards of Toxic Substance in Workplaces" and "7. Setting of Warning Signs in Workplaces with Toxic Substances". It is concluded that Some technical indicators of GBZ 158 have not been according with the current actual work of occupational health, and need to be revised and improved urgently, which includes enhancing the coordination with standards in the fields of firefighting and safety, supplementing normative reference documents, clarifying the setting conditions, scope of use, and application examples of warning signs of occupational hazards.
5.Analysis of pulmonary ventilation function and inflammatory indexes in workers exposed to different doses of chromate
Kaining TIAN ; Qiuhong ZHU ; Xin LIU ; Wenjie LI ; Lei HAN ; Weihong CHEN
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(5):338-343
Objective:To investigate the impact of chromate exposure on pulmonary function indices in occupational populations and explore the potential role of alterations in inflammatory indicators in this process.Methods:In July 2024, A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using occupational health examination data of 30875 workers from chromate-related enterprises in Jiangsu Province in 2020 and 2021. Based on the occupational positions and whether there is chromium acid salt exposure in the occupational hazards of the research subjects over the years, they are divided into chromium acid salt exposure group and non-exposure group. For those exposed to chromium acid salts, based on job position descriptions and duration of chromium acid salt exposure, they are further categorized into intermittent exposure group and continuous exposure group; among them, the actual exposure time in the intermittent exposure group is less than half of the working shift time, and the exposure duration is less than the total working life. Pulmonary function test indicators include forced vital capacity (forced vital capacity, FVC) %, first-second forced expiratory volume (forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV 1.0) %, and the ratio of first-second forced expiratory volume to forced vital capacity (FEV 1.0/FVC) %. Peripheral blood samples from the upper limbs of the research subjects were collected on an empty stomach for routine blood tests, selecting neutrophil count, platelet count, and lymphocyte count results, calculating the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR). Quantitative data that meet normal distribution are expressed using Mean±SD, while variables that do not meet normal distribution are represented by M ( Q1, Q3). Categorical data are expressed using frequency or proportion (%). Linear variable comparisons between groups use t-tests. Generalized linear models were employed to assess the correlation between chromate exposure and pulmonary function indices, while mixed regression models were utilized to explore potential underlying effects. Results:Compared with the non-exposed group, the pulmonary function indices FVC (%), FEV 1.0/FVC (%), and FEV 1.0 (%) in the chromate-exposed group showed a decreasing trend ( P<0.01), indicating statistically significant differences. As the frequency of chromate exposure increased, the prevalence of pulmonary dysfunction rose. The prevalence rates of obstructive, restrictive, and mixed respiratory dysfunction among the chromate-exposed population (including intermittent exposure and continuous exposure groups) were 0.26%, 4.67%, and 0.12%, which were higher than those in the non-exposed group (0.09%, 0.84%, and 0.07%, respectively). All these differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). After stratification by gender, a negative correlation was observed between chromate exposure and the inflammatory indicator platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) ( P<0.05). Potential effect analysis revealed that PLR played a certain mediating role between chromate exposure and the decline in pulmonary function indices, with a mediating proportion of 2.2%. Conclusion:Chromate exposure in occupational populations may lead to a decline in pulmonary ventilatory function and alterations in peripheral blood inflammatory indicators. Inflammatory indicators may be involved in the pulmonary function decline caused by chromate exposure.
6.Comparison research on occupational exposure limits of nickle and its compounds between China and foreign countries
Yang LU ; Tuo LIU ; Yuling ZHU ; Wenjie LI ; Qiuhong ZHU
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(5):357-364
Objective:To study and compare the occupational exposure limits (OELs) of nickle and its compounds between China and foreign countries, providing scientific basis for the OEL revision of nickel and its compounds in China.Methods:From July to September 2024, Literature, OEL and related technical documents on nickel and its compounds were searched and sorted systematically at home and abroad, the main contents and technical points of OEL were extracted, and comparative analysis were conducted.Results:The earliest OELs of nickel and its compound introduced to China was maximum allowable concentration (MAC) of nickel carbonyl, and the current effective standard China was occupational exposure limits for hazardous agents in the workplace-part 1: chemical hazardous agents (GBZ 2.1-2019), covering nickel and inorganic compounds and nickel carbonyl. The former was further divided into nickel metal and insoluble compounds, and soluble nickel compounds. Based solely on the OELs of nickel and its compounds, China was relatively lower compared to developed countries such as the United States. There were significant differences in the OEL of different types of nickel and its compounds among different countries, but the OELs in China and the United Kingdom (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) were basically consistent. The European Union, the United States American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), South Africa etal classified nickel and its compounds into respirable and inhalable based on particle size. GBZ 2.1-2019 in China labeled nickel compounds and nickel carbonyl as G1 (carcinogenic to humans), while ACGIH and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the United States, HSE in the UK, Australia, South Africa also labeled one or several different types of nickel and its compounds as carcinogenic.Conclusion:Based on the OELs of nickel and its compounds, China is at a relatively loose level. It is suggested to explore the possibility of future revision, considering various adverse health effects. It is suggested to conduct basic research on fibrosis induced by nickel and its compounds, providing scientific basis for revising OELs.
7.Implementation evaluation and analysis of occupational exposure limits for hazardous agents in the workplace Part 1: Chemical hazardous agents (GBZ 2.1-2019)
Wenjie LI ; Tao LI ; Tuo LIU ; Chen YU ; Dan WANG ; Yang LU ; Xiaoshuang XIE ; Peng QIN ; Kaining TIAN ; Qiuhong ZHU
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(5):364-367
Objective:By systematically evaluate the implementation of GBZ 2.1, so as to provide technical basis for the future revisions of this standard.Methods:From May to October 2023, Based on the pre survey questionnaire, the semi-structured interview method was used to interviews with experts from CDC, Occupational disease prevention and control hospital institutes, employers, occupational hygiene technical service intermediaries and universities, and the inductive method was used to extract the topics and relevant suggestions.Results:Generally, GBZ 2.1 is scientific, practical, progressiveness and operable. There are still some issues such as OELs overlapping and the correspondence between Chinese and English names. The outstanding problem is the coordination with other standard contents.Conclusion:The technical indicators in GBZ 2.1 could adapt to the needs of current practical work. The coordination between standards needs to be clarified, and the new recommended content needs further promotion and exploration on how to implement it.
8.Characteristic analysis of the determination standards for toxic substances in the workplace in China
Xiaoshuang XIE ; Tuo LIU ; Yang LU ; Qiuhong ZHU
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(5):353-357
Objective:To analyze the characteristics of toxic substances determination standards in workplaces in China, in order to provide basis for further development of national occupational health standards.Methods:In November 2023, Used descriptive analysis methods, conduct a characteristic analysis of the toxic substance determination standards for workplaces in China issued between 2004 and 2024, including the first drafting situation, standard formulation/revision situation, standard determination methods types, and method performance indicators.Results:The The first drafting unit in the GBZ/T 160 and GBZ/T 300 standards that have been issued is mainly composed of disease prevention and control centers (154, accounting for 60.6%) and the hospital of Occupational disease prevention and control (154, accounting for 60.6%). The regional distribution is North China (65 items, accounting for 25.6%), East China (60 items, accounting for 23.7%), and South China (51 items, accounting for 20.2%). 93.1% of the standards were published between 2004 and 2017; Covering 671 measurement methods.The method types are gas chromatography (367, 54.7%), spectrophotometry (98, 14.6%), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (54, 8.0%), etc. The missing items of standard performance indexes mainly focus on penetration capacity, recovery rate and detection limit. The missing items of penetration capacity and recovery rate are mainly distributed in gas chromatography methods; The missing detection limits and minimum detection concentrations are mainly distributed in spectrophotometry and gas chromatography method.Conclusion:Suggest accelerating the update speed of toxic substance determination standards in the workplace, supplementing the supporting determination methods in GBZ 2.1 standard, focusing on solving common problems in existing standards, gradually improving the standards for missing performance indicators, and gradually carrying out national standard transformation in a hierarchical and phased manner for local or group standards with good practical applications.
9.Application value of one-hour post-load glucose ≥8.6 mmol/L during oral glucose tolerance test in detecting prediabetes
Xin CHAI ; Dongli ZHU ; Yachen WANG ; Di LI ; Kaipeng LIANG ; Chunyu YANG ; Jinping WANG ; Zhiwei YANG ; Ruitai SHAO ; Qiuhong GONG ; Juan ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;59(6):925-932
Objective:To assess the application value of one-hour post-load glucose (1hPG) for detecting prediabetes among individuals with high risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods:The study was conducted between August 2023 and January 2024, and individuals with a high risk of T2DM were invited to receive an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), structural questionnaires, physical measurements, and other biochemical examinations. The fasting, one-, and two-hour glucose and insulin were tested. According to the 1hPG cut point on hyperglycemia suggested by International Diabetes Federation (IDF), normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and prediabetes were further divided into two subgroups, respectively, i.e., NGT with 1hPG<8.6 mmol/L (NGT-1hPG-normal), NGT with 1hPG≥8.6 mmol/L (NGT-1hPG-high), prediabetes with 1hPG<8.6 mmol/L (PDM-1hPG-normal), and prediabetes with 1hPG≥8.6 mmol/L (PDM-1hPG-high). The insulin release curve was drawn by the groups as above. Insulin resistance was evaluated by homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and β-cell secretory function was evaluated by homeostasis model assessment for β cell function (HOMA-β)/HOMA-IR. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to calculate the correlation coefficients among 1hPG, 2hPG and HOMA indices, and Steiger′s Z test was used to compare the difference between two correlation coefficients. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess the accuracy of 1hPG for detecting prediabetes. Results:A total of 2 469 subjects consisting of 1 485 men (60.1%) and 984 (39.9%) women, with a mean age of (45.76±6.20) years, of which 1 844 (74.7%) had 1hPG≥8.6 mmol/L. The prevalence of 1hPG≥8.6 mmol/L was 46.8%, 93.0% and 99.8% in individuals with NGT, prediabetes and newly diagnosed T2DM, respectively ( χ 2=763.78, P<0.001). The insulin release curve showed that insulin secretion increased rapidly in subjects with NGT-1hPG-high, and peaked at one hour, then decreased rapidly, with a significantly higher level of one- and two-hour insulin than those with NGT-1hPG-normal ( P<0.001). Compared to individuals with NGT-1hPG-normal, the counterparts with NGT-1hPG-high exhibited higher HOMA-IR and lower adjusted HOMA-β ( P<0.001). Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the correlation coefficient of 1hPG with HOMA-IR was similar to the correlation coefficient of 2hPG with HOMA-IR (0.493 vs. 0.480, P=0.550), while the correlation of 1hPG with adjusted HOMA-β was significantly stronger than that of 2hPG (-0.692 vs. -0.587, P<0.001). Excluding patients with T2DM, according to the cut point recommended by IDF, the AUC of 1hPG≥8.6 mmol/L for detecting prediabetes was 0.731 (95% CI: 0.714-0.748), and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.930 and 0.532, respectively, with the kappa value of 0.45. Conclusion:1hPG is closely related to insulin resistance and islet function, and there′s substantial value for individuals with a high risk of T2DM to detect prediabetes by using the 1hPG cut points recommended by IDF.
10.Research on the implementation effect evaluation of Warning Signs for Occupational Hazards in the Workplace (GBZ 158-2003)
Tuo LIU ; Wenjie LI ; Xiaoshuang XIE ; Yang LU ; Peng QIN ; Qiuhong ZHU
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(5):392-396
To summarize the problems and improvement suggestions in the implementation of GBZ158, the focus groups interview was used to interview industry experts from CDC, Occupational disease prevention and control hospital institutes, employers, third d dd鄄party technical service institutions and universities, and extract their opinions on the problems and improvement suggestions in the implementation of the standard. The operability of GBZ 158 is not strong, and there is a certain overlap with the signs in the fields of firefighting, safety and other fields. It urgently needs to be modified to comply with the reality of occupational health management in China. There are many and concentrated revision opinions on "6. Notification Cards for Occupational Hazards of Toxic Substance in Workplaces" and "7. Setting of Warning Signs in Workplaces with Toxic Substances". It is concluded that Some technical indicators of GBZ 158 have not been according with the current actual work of occupational health, and need to be revised and improved urgently, which includes enhancing the coordination with standards in the fields of firefighting and safety, supplementing normative reference documents, clarifying the setting conditions, scope of use, and application examples of warning signs of occupational hazards.

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