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.

Objective: To explore the mechanism of Buzhong Yiqi Decoction in modulating macrophage polarization and intervening in autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) mice. Methods: Using the random number table method, 48 SPF-grade NOD.H-2h4 mice were assigned to the normal, model, low-dose (4.10 g/kg), medium-dose (8.19 g/kg), high-dose group (16.38 g/kg) of Buzhong Yiqi Decoction, and selenium yeast tablet (0.026 mg/kg) groups, with eight mice in each group. All groups, except the normal group, were free to drink high iodine water (0.05% sodium iodide) to prepare AIT mouse models for 8 consecutive weeks. After the modeling was complete, each treatment group was orally administered with the corresponding medication, while the normal and model groups were orally administered with an equal volume of distilled water once a day for 8 consecutive weeks. High-performance liquid chromatography with an oscillometric refractive detector was used to analyze the content of Astragaloside Ⅳ in Buzhong Yiqi Decoction. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe the pathological morphology of mouse thyroid tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of serum thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab), thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). An immunofluorescence assay was used to detect the positive area percentage of M1 and M2 macrophages in mouse thyroid tissue. Flow cytometry assay was used to detect macrophage polarization in mouse spleen tissue. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing receptor 3 (NLRP3), nuclear factor kappa B inhibitory protein α (IκBα), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 in mouse spleen tissue. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of the phosphorylated IκBα (p-IκBα), phosphorylated NF-κB p65 (p-NF-κB p65), and NLRP3 protein in mouse spleen tissue. Results: The content of Astragaloside Ⅳ in Buzhong Yiqi Decoction was (7.09±0.06) g/L. Compared to the normal group, significant lymphocyte infiltration was observed in the thyroid tissue of mice in the model group. The levels of serum TPO-Ab, TgAb, IL-6, and TNF-α increased (P<0.05). The positive area percentage of M1 macrophages in thyroid tissue increased (P<0.05). The proportion of M1 macrophages and M1/M2 in spleen tissue increased (P<0.05). The relative expression levels of NF-κB p65 and NLRP3 mRNA in spleen tissue increased (P<0.05). The relative expression of p-IκBα, p-NF-κB p65, and NLRP3 proteins increased (P<0.05). Compared to the model group, the inflammation infiltration degree in the thyroid tissue of mice in each dose group of Buzhong Yiqi Decoction and selenium yeast tablet group was reduced, the serum TPO-Ab, TgAb, IL-6, TNF-α content was decreased, the spleen tissue M1/M2 was reduced, the expression of NF-κB p65 mRNA was reduced, and the relative expression levels of p-IκBα, p-NF-κB p65 protein were reduced (P<0.05). The Buzhong Yiqi Decoction high-dose and selenium yeast tablets groups showed an increase in IL-10 content, an increase in positive area percentage of M2 macrophages in thyroid tissue, an increase in M2 macrophages proportion in spleen tissue, and a decrease in NLRP3 mRNA and protein relative expression levels (P<0.05). Conclusion Buzhong Yiqi Decoction may regulate macrophage polarization by inhibiting the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway, thus improving the inflammatory damage in mice with AIT.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence levels and trends of overweight and obesity among adult residents in Zhejiang Province from 2015 to 2023, so as to provide a basis for developing regional weight management strategies. Methods: Permanent residents aged ≥18 years from Zhejiang Province who participated in the China Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance Project in 2015, 2018, and 2023 were selected as survey subjects. Data on sociodemographic information, height, weight and waist circumference were collected through questionnaire surveys and physical examinations. The prevalence of overweight, obesity, and central obesity were calculated and standardized using data from the Seventh National Population Census of Zhejiang Province in 2020. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was employed to analyze the trends in prevalence of overweight, obesity, and central obesity across different genders, ages and regions. Results: A total of 23 902 individuals were surveyed, comprising 10 985 males (45.96%) and 12 917 females (54.04%). Participants were aged ≥60 years, with 13 088 individuals accounting for 54.76%. There were 9 388 urban residents (39.28%) and 14 514 rural residents (60.72%). The standardized prevalence of overweight among residents increased from 30.05% in 2015 to 33.98% in 2023, the standardized prevalence of obesity increased from 7.67% to 15.22%, and the standardized prevalence of central obesity increased from 22.81% to 33.82%, all showed upward trends (all P<0.05). In 2015, 2018, and 2023, the standardized prevalence of overweight was higher in males than in females. In 2018 and 2023, the standardized prevalence of obesity and central obesity were higher in males than in females (all P<0.05). From 2015 to 2023, the standardized prevalence of overweight, obesity, and central obesity among both males and females showed upward trends (all P<0.05). In 2015, 2018 and 2023, the prevalence of central obesity showed an increasing trend with age (all P<0.05). From 2015 to 2023, upward trends were observed in the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and central obesity among residents aged 18-<45 years and aged ≥60 years, as well as in the prevalence of obesity and central obesity among residents aged 45-<60 years (all P<0.05). In 2015, 2018 and 2023, the standardized prevalence of overweight obesity were higher in urban areas than in rural areas, while the standardized prevalence of central obesity was lower in urban areas (all P<0.05). From 2015 to 2023, the standardized prevalence of overweight, obesity, and central obesity among both urban and rural areas showed upward trends (all P<0.05). Conclusion From 2015 to 2023, the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and central obesity among adult residents in Zhejiang Province showed increasing trends, with variations in prevalence levels and trends observed across genders, ages, and urban / rural areas.

Based on the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor(α7nAChR), this study examined how tetrahydropalmatine(THP) affected BV2 microglia exposed to lipopolysaccharide(LPS), aiming to clarify the possible mechanism underlying the anti-depression effect of THP from the perspectives of preventing inflammation and regulating polarization. First, after molecular docking and determination of the content of Corydalis saxicola Bunting total alkaloids, THP was initially identified as a possible anti-depression component. The BV2 microglia model of inflammation was established with LPS. BV2 microglia were allocated into a normal group, a model group, low-and high-dose(20 and 40 μmol·L~(-1), respectively) THP groups, and a THP(20 μmol·L~(-1))+α7nAChR-specific antagonist MLA(1 μmol·L~(-1)) group. The CCK-8 assay was used to screen the safe concentration of THP. A light microscope was used to examine the morphology of the cells. Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to determine the expression of α7nAChR. qRT-PCR was performed to determine the mRNA levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS), cluster of differentiation 86(CD86), suppressor of cytokine signaling 3(SOCS3), arginase-1(Arg-1), cluster of differentiation 206(CD206), tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α, interleukin(IL)-6, and IL-1β. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was employed to measure the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in the cell supernatant. The experimental results showed that THP at concentrations of 40 μmol·L~(-1) and below had no effect on BV2 microglia. THP improved the morphology of BV2 microglia, significantly up-regulated the protein level of α7nAChR, significantly down-regulated the mRNA levels of iNOS, CD86, SOCS3, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β, significantly up-regulated the mRNA levels of Arg-1 and CD206, and dramatically lowered the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in the cell supernatant. However, the antagonist MLA abolished the above-mentioned ameliorative effects of THP on LPS-treated BV2 microglia. As demonstrated by the aforementioned findings, THP protected LPS-treated BV2 microglia by regulating the M1/M2 polarization and preventing inflammation, which might be connected to the regulation of α7nAChR on BV2 microglia.
Berberine Alkaloids/chemistry* ; alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor/chemistry* ; Microglia/metabolism* ; Mice ; Animals ; Cell Line ; Corydalis/chemistry* ; Humans ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/immunology* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/immunology*

The gut microbiota regulates intestinal nutrient absorption, participates in modulating host glucolipid metabolism, and contributes to ameliorating glucolipid metabolism disorder. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota can compromise the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier, induce inflammatory responses, and exacerbate insulin resistance and abnormal lipid metabolism in the host. Dangua Humai Oral Liquid, a hospital-developed formulation for regulating glucolipid metabolism, has been granted a national invention patent and demonstrates significant clinical efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Dangua Humai Oral Liquid on gut microbiota and the intestinal mucosal barrier in a mouse model with glucolipid metabolism disorder. A glucolipid metabolism disorder model was established by feeding mice a high-glucose and high-fat diet. The mice were divided into a normal group, a model group, and a treatment group, with eight mice in each group. The treatment group received a daily gavage of Dangua Humai Oral Liquid(20 g·kg~(-1)), while the normal group and model group were given an equivalent volume of sterile water. After 15 weeks of intervention, glucolipid metabolism, intestinal mucosal barrier function, and inflammatory responses were evaluated. Metagenomics and untargeted metabolomics were employed to analyze changes in gut microbiota and associated metabolic pathways. Significant differences were observed between the indicators of the normal group and the model group. Compared with the model group, the treatment group exhibited marked improvements in glucolipid metabolism disorder, alleviated pathological damage in the liver and small intestine tissue, elevated expression of recombinant claudin 1(CLDN1), occluding(OCLN), and zonula occludens 1(ZO-1) in the small intestine tissue, and reduced serum levels of inflammatory factors lipopolysaccharides(LPS), lipopolysaccharide-binding protein(LBP), interleukin-6(IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α). At the phylum level, the relative abundance of Bacteroidota decreased, while that of Firmicutes increased. Lipid-related metabolic pathways were significantly altered. In conclusion, based on the successful establishment of the mouse model of glucolipid metabolism disorder, this study confirmed that Dangua Humai Oral Liquid effectively modulates gut microbiota and mucosal barrier function, reduces serum inflammatory factor levels, and regulates lipid-related metabolic pathways, thereby ameliorating glucolipid metabolism disorder.
Animals ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Mice ; Intestinal Mucosa/microbiology* ; Male ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Humans ; Glycolipids/metabolism* ; Lipid Metabolism/drug effects* ; Administration, Oral ; Disease Models, Animal

BACKGROUND: The use of inserted sham acupuncture as a placebo in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is controversial, because it may produce specific effects that cause an underestimation of the effect of acupuncture treatment. OBJECTIVE: This systematic survey investigates the magnitude of insert-specific effects of sham acupuncture and whether they affect the estimation of acupuncture treatment effects. SEARCH STRATEGY: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched to identify acupuncture RCTs from their inception until December 2022. INCLUSION CRITERIA: RCTs that evaluated the effects of acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture and no treatment. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: The total effect measured for an acupuncture treatment group in RCTs were divided into three components, including the natural history and/or regression to the mean effect (controlled for no-treatment group), the placebo effect, and the specific effect of acupuncture. The first two constituted the contextual effect of acupuncture, which is mimicked by a sham acupuncture treatment group. The proportion of acupuncture total effect size was considered to be 1. The proportion of natural history and/or regression to the mean effect (PNE) and proportional contextual effect (PCE) of included RCTs were pooled using meta-analyses with a random-effect model. The proportion of acupuncture placebo effect was the difference between PCE and PNE in RCTs with non-inserted sham acupuncture. The proportion of insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture (PIES) was obtained by subtracting the proportion of acupuncture placebo effect and PNE from PCE in RCTs with inserted sham acupuncture. The impact of PIES on the estimation of acupuncture's treatment effect was evaluated by quantifying the percentage of RCTs that the effect of outcome changed from no statistical difference to statistical difference after removing PIES in the included studies, and the impact of PIES was externally validated in other acupuncture RCTs with an inserted sham acupuncture group that were not used to calculate PIES. RESULTS: This analysis included 32 studies with 5492 patients. The overall PNE was 0.335 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.255-0.415) and the PCE of acupuncture was 0.639 (95% CI, 0.567-0.710) of acupuncture's total effect. The proportional contribution of the placebo effect to acupuncture's total effect was 0.191, and the PIES was 0.189. When we modeled the exclusion of the insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture, the acupuncture treatment effect changed from no difference to a significant difference in 45.45% of the included RCTs, and in 40.91% of the external validated RCTs. CONCLUSION The insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture in RCTs represents 18.90% of acupuncture's total effect and significantly affects the evaluation of the acupuncture treatment effect. More than 40% of RCTs that used inserted sham acupuncture would draw different conclusions if the PIES had been controlled for. Considering the impact of the insert-specific effect of sham acupuncture, caution should be taken when using inserted sham acupuncture placebos in RCTs. Please cite this article as: Luo XC, Liu JL, Yao MH, Chen YM, Fan AY, Liang FR, Zhao JP, Zhao L, Zhou X, Zhong XY, Yang JH, Li B, Zhang Y, Sun X, Li L. Specific effect of inserted sham acupuncture and its impact on the estimation of acupuncture treatment effect in randomized controlled trials: A systematic survey. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):630-640.
Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Placebo Effect ; Placebos ; Treatment Outcome

Case 1: A 19-day-old male infant presented with poor feeding and decreased activity for 2 weeks, worsening with poor responsiveness for 3 days. At 5 days old, he developed poor feeding and poor responsiveness, was hospitalized, and was found to have elevated blood ammonia and thrombocytopenia. Whole-genome genetic analysis revealed a pathogenic homozygous mutation in the PCCA gene, NM-000282.4: c.1834-1835del (p.Arg612AspfsTer44), leading to a diagnosis of propionic acidemia. Case 2: A 4-day-old male infant presented with poor responsiveness and feeding difficulties since birth, with elevated blood ammonia for 1 day. He showed weak sucking and deteriorating responsiveness, with blood ammonia >200 µmol/L. Genetic testing identified two heterozygous mutations in the MMUT gene: NM_000255.4: c.1677-1G>A and NM_000255.4: ex.5del, confirming methylmalonic acidemia. Case 3: A 20-day-old male infant presented with poor feeding for 15 days and skin petechiae for 8 days. He developed feeding difficulties at 5 days old and lower limb petechiae at 12 days old, with blood ammonia measured at 551.6 µmol/L. Genetic analysis found two heterozygous mutations in the PCCA gene: NM_000282.4: c.1118T>A (p.Met373Lys) and NM_000282.4: ex.16-18del, confirming propionic acidemia. In the first two cases, continuous hemodiafiltration was performed for 30 hours and 20 hours, respectively, before administering carglumic acid. In the third case, carglumic acid was administered orally without continuous hemodiafiltration, resulting in a decrease in blood ammonia from 551.6 µmol/L to 72.0 µmol/L within 6 hours, with a reduction rate of approximately 20-25 µmol/(kg·h), similar to the first two cases. Carglumic acid was effective in all three cases, suggesting it may help optimize future treatment protocols for organic acidemia.
Humans ; Male ; Infant, Newborn ; Propionic Acidemia/drug therapy* ; Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors/genetics* ; Mutation ; Methylmalonyl-CoA Decarboxylase/genetics* ; Citrates/administration & dosage* ; Carbon-Carbon Ligases/genetics* ; Glutamates

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to analyze the clinical features and genetic etiology of a patient with multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella (MMAF) retrospectively. METHODS: A severely oligospermic patient from the Reproductive Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University was selected as the study subject. Clinical data and examination results were collected. High-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics were used to analyze the genetic etiology. And Sanger sequencing was employed to validate findings in the family. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to observe the sperm ultrastructure, and immunofluorescence analysis was performed to examine the localization of FSIP2 protein in the sperm. RESULTS: The patient presented with severe oligospermia, and sperm morphology displayed MMAF. TEM revealed fibrous sheath and 9+2 microtubule structural disruptions in the sperm. Sequencing identified compound heterozygous variants in the FSIP2 gene (c.17798C > T, c.5927T > G), inherited from the father and mother, respectively. According to the guidelines of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the variants were classified as pathogenic. The patient's spouse underwent intracytoplasmic single sperm injection, resulting in one embryo, but no clinical pregnancy occurred after embryo transfer. CONCLUSION This study reported the mutation of FSIP2 gene c.17798C > T, c.5927T > G in a patient with MMAF. These findings expand the mutational spectrum of the FSIP2 gene and provide insights for genetic and assisted reproductive counseling for patients with MMAF.
Humans ; Male ; Sperm Tail/pathology* ; Heterozygote ; Oligospermia/genetics* ; Spermatozoa ; Mutation ; Infertility, Male/genetics* ; Adult ; Pedigree ; Retrospective Studies ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic