Experimental study on the therapeutic effect of C-phycocyanin against pulmonary fibrosis induced by paraquat in rats / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the therapeutic effect of C-phycocyanin (C-PC) from Spirulina platensis on paraquat (PQ)-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 90 healthy Wistar rats were randomly and equally divided into normal control group, model group (PQ group), and C-PC treatment group (C-PC group). Each rat in the PQ group and C-PC group were orally administered with a single dose of PQ (50 mg/kg) to establish a rat model of PQ poisoning. Then, the rats in the normal control group and PQ group were orally given saline solution (1 ml/100 g) every day, and the rats in the C-PC group were orally given C-PC (50 mg/kg) every day. Six rats were randomly selected from each group on days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28. The inferior lobe of each rat's right lung was homogenized for the measurement of hydroxyproline (HYP) and maleic dialdehyde (MDA) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Parts of each rat's left lung were subject to HE staining and Masson staining for pathological observation, and the expression of transforming growth factor-β(1) (TGF-β(1)), nuclear factor-kappa B p65 (NF-κB p65), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in lung tissue was measured by immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The HYP levels on days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 and MDA levels on days 14 and 28 were significantly lower in the C-PC group than in the PQ group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The SOD activity was significantly higher in the C-PC group than in the PQ group on days 1, 7, 14, and 28 (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The protein content of TGF-β(1) and the activities of NF-κB p65 and TNF-α in the PQ group and C-PC group were significantly higher than those in the normal control group, while the indices in the C-PC group were significantly lower than those in the PQ group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The pathological observation showed that C-PC could alleviate pulmonary alveolitis and fibrosis in rats with PQ poisoning.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>C-PC can significantly inhibit PQ-induced pulmonary alveolitis and fibrosis in rats.</p>

The occupational and procreation health of immigrant female workers in electron factory / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the occupational and reproductive health problems of migrant female workers in electron factory.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total number of 2000 female migrant workers were randomly sampled from three electronic factories for the study. All were investigated by questionnaire and data were input to EpiData 3.0 data base, SPSS17.0 statistical software and analyzed by Chi-square test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>1971 complete questionnaires were received, the recovery rate reached over 98.6%. The average age of interviewees is (21.1 ± 3.9) years. Junior employee between 16 and 18 years accounted for 19.04%. The average working age was (1.1 ± 2.2) years and about 90% were single including 0.11% of them were divorced. The main occupational hazards were: sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, formaldehyde, hydrochloric acid, stannic anhydride, benzene analogues, n-hexane methanol, glycol isopropanol, sulphuric acid, nitric oxide, noise, ultraviolet radiation, etc. Workplace monitoring indicated that benzene and noise levels and ultraviolet radiation were over the national OEL at fewer worksites. More than 50% female workers worked over 8 hours per day and 83% of them worked 22 days per month. The ergonomic problems: 63.86% of them worked with tedious repetitiveness and monotonous job task. About 42% of them need to be continuously with standing posture. As a consequence, there were 30% workers complain about LBP, 21% had experienced work injury; 15% ∼ 18% had some non-specific discomfort, such as insomnia, dysacusis, dizzy and headache. The incidence rate of reproductive system such as abnormal menstrual cycle (5.71%), dysmenorrhea (25.11%), congestion (8.91%), etc. The first four reproductive system disease were pelvic inflammation, adnexitis, cervical erosion, and vaginitis. There are significant differences between continuous and temporary standing work, and repeated and unrepeated job action in terms of dysmenorrheal and congestion related-discomfort(P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There are many occupational hazards in electronic industry. And there is somewhat a serious occupational and reproductive health problems among female migrant workers, that seem to be a matter of great concern.</p>

Carbendazim affects testicular development and spermatogenic function in rats / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of carbendazim on the testicular development and spermatogenic function of male rats and its action mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty clean-grade impubic male Wistar rats were equally randomized into a low-dose, a medium-dose, a high-dose and a control group, treated respectively with carbendazim at 20, 100 and 200 mg/kg (bw) and Tween-80 solution, all by oral gavage once a day for 80 days. After treatment, the rats were weighed, their testes and epididymides immediately excised, their morphological changes observed and the weights of the right testis and epididymis obtained. Sperm motility and counts in the left cauda epididymis were determined. Histopathological changes, cell apoptosis and the expression of Bcl-2/Bax in the testis were detected by HE staining, TUNEL and immunohistochemical SABC method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The medium- and high-dose groups showed obviously atrophic testes and epididymides, marked histopathological abnormality of the testis, reduced weight of the right testis and epididymis, and decreased sperm motility and counts in the left cauda epididymis (P < 0.01). With the increasing dose of carbendazim, the apoptosis rate and Bax expression were significantly raised, while the expression of Bcl-2 significantly decreased (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Carbendazim affects the testicular development and spermatogenic function of male rats, and the mechanism may involve cell apoptosis induced by down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax.</p>

Effects of Benzimidazole on Spermatogenesis Function and Enzymatic Activity in Testis of Rats / 环境与健康杂志

Objective To explore the effects of benzirnidazole on spermatogenesis function and enzymatic activity in testis of male rats.Methods 40 male Wistar rats,clean degree,were randomly divided into four groups,10 in each.The rats in the low- dose group (20 mg/kg),the moderate-dose group (100 mg/kg) and the high-dose (200 mg/kg) were treated with benzimidazole at different doses by garage,once a day for 80 consecutive days.Simultaneously,the rats control group were treated with the equivalent volume of distilled water and tween-80.In the end of the experiment,the rats were weighed,the testis and epididymides were immediately excised and weighed,the appearance was observed,and the viscera coefficients of the bilateral testis and epididymides were calculated.The number and motility of sperms in the tail of epididymis,the activity of some enzymes (LDH, ACP,SDH,G-6-PDH) of testis were tested.Results The testis and epididymides in the control group and the low-dose group were pink,large,smooth and plump,but they were mauve,small,obviously atrophic in the moderate-dose group and the high-dose group. The viscera coefficient of the testis and epididymides,the number and motility of sperms in the tail of epididymis were significantly decreased in the moderate-dose group and the high-dose group (P