Background Arsenic, cobalt, barium, and other individual metal exposure have been confirmed to be associated with the incidence of kidney stones. However, there are few studies on the association between mixed metal exposure and kidney stones, especially in occupational groups. Objective To investigate the association between mixed metal exposure and kidney stones in an occupational population from a metal smelting plant. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, and lifestyle information of 1158 mixed metal-exposed workers in a metal smelting plant in Guangdong Province from July 2021 to January 2022. Midstream morning urine samples were collected from the workers, the concentrations of 18 metals including lithium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, selenium, strontium, molybdenum, cadmium, cesium, barium, tungsten, titanium, and lead were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and the urinary mercury levels were measured by cold atomic absorption spectroscopy. Based on predetermined inclusion criteria, a total of 919 mixed metal-exposed workers were included in the study, including 117 workers in the kidney stone group and 802 workers in the non-kidney stone group. With a detection rate of urinary metals greater than 80% as entry criterion, 16 eligible metals were finally included for further analysis. Parametric or non-parametric methods were used to compare the differences between continuous or categorical variables of the non-kidney stone group and the kidney stone group. Logistic regression models were constructed to explore the association between individual metal exposures and kidney stones. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression models were used to evaluate the association between mixed metal exposure and kidney stones, as well as the weights of each metal on kidney stones. Then Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were used to explore the overall effect of mixed metal exposure on renal calculi and the potential interactions between metals. Results We found that there were significant differences in sex, age, length of service, and body mass Index (BMI) between the non-kidney stone group and the kidney stone group (P<0.05). The urinary concentrations of molybdenum and barium in the kidney stone group were higher than those in the non-kidney stone group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The logistic regression models demonstrated that urinary cobalt, arsenic, molybdenum, and barium were positively correlated with the risk of kidney stones (P_trend<0.05). The WQS regression models showed that the mixed exposure to vanadium, cobalt, arsenic, molybdenum, and barium was positively associated with the risk of kidney stones (P<0.05). Among them, molybdenum, arsenic, and barium accounted for 0.391, 0.337, and 0.154, respectively. The BKMR results revealed a positive association between metal mixture exposure and the risk of kidney stones (P<0.05). When other metals were fixed at the 25th, 50th, or 75th percentile, arsenic, molybdenum, cobalt, and barium exhibited significant positive effects on the risk of kidney stones (P<0.05), while vanadium showed a significant negative effect (P<0.05). The interaction analysis demonstrated interactions between barium and cobalt, as well as between vanadium and cobalt (P<0.05). Conclusion In the occupational population of this smelter, occupational mixed metal exposure could increase the risk of kidney stones, and the main metals are molybdenum, arsenic, barium, and cobalt.

Background Occupational exposure to lead, cadmium, or arsenic is a potential risk factor for blood pressure elevation. Current studies mainly focus on the relationship between a single metal and blood pressure. However, mixed metal exposure often exists in the actual working environment, and the interactive effects of polymetallic interactions on blood pressure and the dose-effect relationship remain unclear yet. Objective To explore the influence proportion of occupational exposure to lead, cadmium, or arsenic on blood pressure and their interactive effects. Methods From January to December 2021, workers from a smelter in southern China were selected. Demographic characteristics, height, weight, and blood pressure of workers were collected through questionnaire and physical examination. At the same time, their urine samples were collected and the levels of urinary lead, urinary cadmium, and urinary arsenic were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and corrected by urinary creatinine (Cr). Linear regression and logistic regression were used to analyze the relationship between urinary lead, cadmium, and arsenic and blood pressure. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression was applied to evaluate the dose-effect relationship between urinary lead, cadmium, and arsenic exposures and blood pressure and the effect weight of each metal on blood pressure. Generalized linear regression and additive/multiplicative scaling were used to identify interactive effects of the three metals on blood pressure. Results A total of 1075 workers were included in this study, with a mean age of (44.68±5.11) years and mean working seniority of (24.66±5.23) years. There were 891 males (88.9%) and 184 were females (17.1%); 24.7% workers were drinkers and 45.7% workers were smokers; 302 workers (28.1%) reported hypertension and 37 of them were taking antihypertensive drugs. The P₅₀ (P₂₅, P₇₅) levels of urinary lead, urinary cadmium, and urinary arsenic were 6.11 (3.71, 11.08), 3.88 (2.68, 5.44), and 26.04 (19.99, 35.11) μg·g⁻¹, respectively. After adjusting for gender, age, working seniority, body mass index, smoking, drinking, and the usage of antihypertensive drugs, systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased by 0.772 and 0.418 mmHg respectively for 10% increase in lead, cadmium, and arsenic mixed exposure. Urinary cadmium, among the three single exposures, had the greatest effect on systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight (w)=0.523 and 0.551 respectively. The interaction of urinary lead and urinary cadmium was positively correlated with the occurrence of hypertension, multiplicative interaction OR (OR_int)=1.88 (95%CI: 1.09, 3.63), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP)=1.19 (95%CI: 0.40, 8.18). Conclusion This study shows that mixed exposure to lead, cadmium, and arsenic has a positive relationship with blood pressure, in which cadmium plays a major role. Co-exposure to lead and cadmium has a positive interactive effect on hypertension development and systolic blood pressure elevation.

Objective: To investigate the effect of combined exposure to four heavy metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury) on early kidney injury in occupational population. Methods: A total of 384 workers exposed to combined heavy metals in a non-ferrous metal smelting plant in Guangdong Province were selected as the research subjects using judgment sampling method. The levels of blood lead, urinary cadmium and urinary arsenic were detacted by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, while urinary mercury levels were measured using cold atomic absorption spectroscopy (acidic tin chloride reduction method). The levels of biomarkers such as urinary β₂-microglobulin (β₂-MG), kidney injury molecule-1 (Kim-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Spearman correlation analysis, linear regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were used to analyze the association between the exposure to the four heavy metals and early kidney injury biomarkers. Results: The median of blood lead, urinary cadmium, urinary arsenic and urinary mercury were 0.47 μmol/L and 4.450, 27.790 and 0.520 μg/gCr, respectively. The median of urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL were 62.960, 1.130 and 18.150 μg/gCr, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed that urinary levels of β₂-MG, Kim-1, and NGAL were weakly correlated with blood lead and urinary mercury levels (all P<0.01), but not correlated with urinary cadmium and urinary arsenic (all P>0.05). The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that urinary mercury was positively correlated with urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL (all P<0.01), urinary arsenic was positively correlated with urinary β₂-MG level (P<0.01), and blood lead was negatively correlated with urinary β₂-MG and Kim-1 (all P<0.05). The WQS regression analysis showed that the combined effect of the four heavy metals was positively correlated with urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL (all P<0.01), with mercury having the highest impact and lead the lowest. BKMR model analysis showed the increasing trend in urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL with the increasing levels of the combined exposure to the four heavy metals. Urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL decreased when urinary mercury level increased from the 25th percentile to the 75th percentile and the other metals were correspondingly fixed at a certain level. When the blood exposure levels of other metals remained at the corresponding median levels, urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL levels were positively correlated with urinary arsenic level, but no significant linear dose-response relationship was observed with the other three heavy metals. Conclusion: sLead, arsenic, and mercury are independently associated with early kidney injury biomarkers in occupational population from non-ferrous metal smelting. The four heavy metals had positive combined effects on urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL, with mercury having the greatest impact.

Objective:To carry out the monitoring of H5N6 subtype avian influenza virus (AIV) in the population infection and live poultry markets (LPMs) environmental pollution in Changsha city from 2016 to 2018. Laboratory data were provided to prevent human infection with H5N6 subtype AIV.Methods:A total of 6 909 throat swab specimens from the population and 1 719 environmental specimens from LPMs were collected in Changsha city from 2016 to 2018. The real-time RT-PCR method was used for the detection of influenza virus in type A, H5, H7, H9 and N6 subtypes. Eighty-two AIV nucleic acid-positive specimens were subjected to high-throughput nucleotide sequencing, and then BLAST similarity and amino acid (aa) key site analyses were performed on the sequencing results.Results:One H5N6 subtype AIV nucleic acid was detected from 6 909 population throat swab specimens, 927 (53.93%) positive specimens of A-type AIV nucleic acids and 193 (11.23%) positive specimens of both H5 and N6 subtypes were detected from 1 719 LPMs environmental specimens. Fourteen genomic sequences of H5N6 subtype AIV were obtained with high-throughput nucleotide sequencing, and aa key site analyses showed that there were 6 basic aa in 338-347 aa of viral HA protein-linked peptide, which was highly pathogenic to birds. Receptor binding site (RBS) 238-240 aa (corresponding to H3 type influenza virus 226-228 aa) is QSG or QRG, and the receptor is characterized by avian origin. The 290th resistance gene locus of NA protein did not show R290K mutation, and was sensitive to NA inhibitor (Duffy/osoterosine phosphate). The E627K and D701N(I) mutations in the viral PB2 protein indicate that the virus is pathogenic.Conclusions:Human infected with H5N6 subtype AIV in Changsha city is sporadic, and the H5N6 subtype AIV of LPMs is seriously polluted. It is necessary to further strengthen the AIV surveillance of LPMs.

Objective To analyze the expressions of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) in the peripheral blood of patients with active tuberculosis (ATB ) or latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) ,and to evaluate its diagnostic value in differentiation of ATB and LTBI .Methods Forty-eight patients including 18 ATB cases and 30 LTBI cases were continuously enrolled from Wuxi No . 5 People′s Hospital and Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University from January 2011 to March 2013 .Flow cytometry was applied to detect the CTLA-4 expression in CD4+CD25+ FoxP3+ T cells in the peripheral blood of the 48 subjects .CTLA-4 levels were compared using non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test .Results The median percentage of CTLA-4+ Treg in CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Treg cells of ATB patients was 18 .95％ (quantile range :13 .86％ ,27 .73％ ) ,and that in LTBI patients was 6 .67％(quantile range :5 .74％ ,9 .59％ ) ,which was statistically significant (U=18 .0 , P< 0 .01) .Receiver operating curve (ROC) based on the CTLA-4 expression indicated that the area under the curve was 0 .96 , with the optimum cut-off value of 13 .25％ .Thus ,the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of ATB were 86 .7％ and 94 .4％ ,respectively .Conclusion CTLA-4 has highly sensitivity and specificity for the differential diagnosis of ATB and LTBI whose interferon-gamma releasing assays are all positive ,which may also provide meaningful clue for the study of pathogenesis of ATB .

The aim of this study is to analyze the evolutional and molecular characteristics of Hemagglutinin (HA),Neuraminidase(NA)and non-structural (NS) genes of H5N1 avian influenza virus (AIV) from sewage in live bird markets (LBMs) in Changsha,2014.Five hundred and one specimens were collected from environment in LBMs in Changsha,2014,and real-time RT-PCR was used for influenza A typing and subtyping (H5,H7 and H9) detection.Sequencing were used for the positive of single H5.The sequence homology of HA,NA and NS genes of the viruses were analyzed with the online Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST).The phylogenetic trees for HA,NA and NS genes and the ClustalW Multiple alignments of amino acids were constructed using MEGA 5 and BioEdit software,respectively.Results showed that of 501 environmental samples,177 (35.33 ％) samples were positive for influenza A viruses and H5 subtype.Eight H5N1 subtype AIV were confirmed by sequencing from the samples of the positive of single H5.Phylogenetic analysis indicated that most of HA genes of the H5N1 subtype AIV strains isolated in Changsha city were located in 2.3.2 and clustered into new subclade,and the most of NA and NS genes in this study were clustered into subclade 2.3.2.1b.QSG of the HA protein of the receptor binding site were found in these H5N1 viruses,and the characteristics was shown to be associated with increased affinity of HA to the glycan-receptors of AIV.In strains from this study,we did not found amino acid substitutions of the NA protein at H275Y and N295S,and sensitive to neuraminidases,and the high pathogenicity molecular characteristics of HA,NA and NS genes were showed in these viruses.In conclusion,molecular characteristics of the HA,NA and NS of these H5N1 subtype viruses in this study showed high pathogenicity,but that may not facilitate human infection.So,the prevalence and genetic evolution of this virus should be closely monitored.

We analyzed the evolutional and molecular characteristics of Hemagglutinin(HA),Neuraminidase(NA) and nonstructural(NS) genes of avian influenza A(H9n2) viruses from environment in poultry markets in Changsha,China,2014,providing laboratory data for prevention and control of human infection with avian influenza A(H9N2) virus.Five hundred and one specimens (263 poultry drinking water specimens,226 poultry sewage specimens and 17 others specimens) were collected from environment in poultry markets in Changsha,2014,and real-time RTPCR was used for influenza A typing and subtyping (H5,H7 and H9) detection.HA and NA universal primer sets for conventional RT-PCR and sequencing were used for the positivity of single H9.The sequence homology of HA,NA and NS genes of the viruses were analyzed with the online Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST).The ClustalW multiple alignments of amino acids and the phylogenetic trees for HA,NA and NS genes were constructed using the BioEdit and MEGA 5 software,respectively.Results showed that among 501 environmental samples,350 samples were positive for influenza A virus,191 (38.12％) for H9 subtype,177 (35.33％) for H5 subtype,11 (2.20％) for H7 subtype and 68 (13.57％) for H5 and H9 subtypes co-detection.Twenty-three H9N2 subtype AIV were confirmed by conventional RT-PCR and sequencing from the samples of the positivity of single H9.Phylogenetic analysis revealed that most of HA,NA and NS genes of the H9N2 subtype AIV isolated in Changsha City had gene constellations of genotype S,and these virues might have acquired their HA,NA and NS from A/Chicken/Shanghai/F/1998-like (H9N2).L235 (correspond to H3 numbering 226) of the HA protein of the receptor binding site (RBS) were found in these H9N2 viruses,and the characteristics was shown to be associated with increased affinity of HA to the glycan-receptors of human influenza virus,and the low pathogenicity molecular characteristics of HA,NA and NS genes were showed in these viruses.The positive rate of nucleic acid of the H9 subtype of avian influenza virus from environment was the highest in poultry markets in Changsha,2014,and molecular characteristics of the HA,NA and NS of these H9N2 subtype AIV showed low pathogenicity,but that may facilitate human infection.So,the prevalence and genetic evolution of this virus should be closely monitored.

A 65-year-old male presented with recurrent palpitation and fatigue over one year. Lab tests revealed him with hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycemia. Insulin autoimmune antibody was repeatedly negative. Imaging of the pancreas seemed to be normal. Insulin-insulin autoimmune antibody complexes were detected by polyethylene glycol precipitation and gel filtration chromatography, thus the diagnosis of insulin autoimmune syndrome was suggested. By adjusting diet and administration of acarbose, all the symptoms were evidently relieved.

Objective To establish a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for rapid detection of three kinds of di‐arrheagenic Escherichia coli(EPEC ,EIEC ,EHEC)simultaneously .Methods The eae gene of EPEC ,ipaH gene of EIEC and stx1 gene of EHEC were selected to design primers ;the reaction system and condition were adjusted to optimize the multiplex PCR sys‐tem .Results The target gene fragments were amplified correctly with these primers .The three target bacteria could be detected at the same time by multiplex PCR .Conclusion A rapid multiplex PCR system were successfully established for detection of three di‐arrheagenic Escherichia coli ,and this system could be suitable for rapid screening in food safety .

To develop a low-cost, reliable, easy-to-maintain and practical instrument for protein purification. Some ultraviolet luminescent diode was used to provide 280 nm light source, and high-sensitivity S1336 photo-electric detector was employed for real-time monitoring of purified protein solution flowing through quartz cell to supervise the concentration of the protein. The instrument gave voice alarm and stopped working in case the protein concentration was less than the standard one. The lower SCM monitored the liquid level of the protein collecting cup and the position of loading arm through laser infrared distance sensor, so that a cup full of protein might be replaced by another empty cup. The instrument involved in Samsung S5PV210 embedded master computer, Wince6.0 operating system, Keil4.0 and VS2005. Trials proved that the instrument could perform real-time monitoring and curve display of dual-channel ultraviolet absorption, and could realize auto collection of 735 ml protein solution and up to 5-hour standby. The instrument developed has simple structure, high reliability and easy maintenance, and meets the desired require-ments.