An epidemiology study of bronchial asthma in the Li ethnic group in China

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of bronchial asthma in the Li ethnic group in Hainan, China.@*METHODS@#This study employed a stratified random sample design using custom-designed questionnaires. Subjects with asthma-like symptoms were first identified by two rounds of surveys and then confirmed by respiratory physicians using pulmonary function test, bronchial dilation test and challenge test. Demographic data, information on family history of asthma, history of allergies, smoking habits, domestic cooking fuel and other potential risk factors were collected. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate risk factors for asthma.@*RESULTS@#The prevalence of asthma in the Li ethnic group was 3.38%, much higher than the national average level in China. Aging, agriculture industry (the rubber industry in particular), rural residence, family history of asthma, history of allergies, cold air, inhalation of dust and irritant gases, smoking, domestic cooking fuel and living environment were associated with increased risk of asthma.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The high prevalence of asthma in the Li ethnic group highlights the importance of asthma prevention and treatment in this population. Risk factors indentified in this study warrant special attention. Elevating public awareness about asthma in local communities will benefit the prevention of the disease.

Prevalence and risk factors of bronchial asthma among Li nationality in Hainan province / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the risk factors of bronchial asthma of Li nationality in Hainan.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 13 050 subjects of Li nationality were selected by random unequal ratio stratified cluster sampling method from southern, central and western part of Hainan and investigated with Hainan Epidemiological Asthma Survey Questionnaire of Li Nationality. There were 441 cases of bronchial asthma, and 1296 cases of control that were sampled by random number table method. The logistic regression method was used to analyze risk factors.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The asthma prevalence of Li nationality in Hainan was 3.38%(441/13 050). The main risk factors of asthma were family asthma (OR = 4.323, 95%CI = 3.259 - 5.735), hypersensitiveness (OR = 7.775, 95%CI = 5.686 - 10.632), smoking (OR = 1.494, 95%CI = 1.174 - 1.902), cooking fuels and living environment. Cold air change (OR = 1.604, 95%CI = 1.286 - 2.001) and respirable dust or irritant gas (OR = 2.123, 95%CI = 1.702 - 2.648) were the important incentives.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The main risk factors of asthma among Li nationality were family asthma, hypersensitiveness, smoking, cooking fuels by means of fuel oil, hay or wood, living environment by means of couch grass room and human-livestock mix live, cold air change, respirable dust or irritant gas.</p>

The analysis of adverse health effects of occupational hazards factors in one solid waste landfill / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine occupational hazards in work sites of a large solid waste landfill and analyze their adverse health effects.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The national standardized detection methods were used to determine dust concentration, harmful gas and physical factors in worksites. Routine physical examination, pulmonary function, hearing tests and nervous system test were performed in workers for 2 consecutive years. Urine lead, cadmium and mercury contents were detected. The comet assay was use to measure DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes among workers.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The main occupational hazard factors in this solid landfill are dust, harmful gas, high temperature and noise. The oxides, carbon monoxide, and noise and high temperatures in summer at some work sites exceeded the national occupational exposure limits. The prevalence of respiratory inflammation and rate of pulmonary function decrease among front-line workers and on-site technical managers are 21.2% and 11.5%, which are significantly higher than those among administrative staff (7.1% and 0) (P < 0.05). Nervous system abnormalities rate of front-line workers and on-site technical managers was 50.0%, which is significantly higher than that (26.7%) of administrative staff (P < 0.05). Because of long-term exposure to high intensity noice, hearing loss rate of bulldozer drivers was 10.3%. In addition, about 75% of workers with DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocyte are front-line workers.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Adverse health effects from occupational hazards were observed among workers in this solid waste landfill.</p>

Study on the injury of vascular endothelial cells affected by dust particles from workplaces in pottery factories and tungsten mines / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>to assess direct adverse effects of occupational dusts from pottery factories and tungsten mines on vascular endothelial cells in vitro test.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) line HUV-EC-C were used as target cells. HUVEC were then treated with respirable dust particles from workplaces in pottery factories and tungsten mines in concentrations of 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 microg/ml for 24 h. Standard quartz was used as control. LDH activity, cell viability, the release of NO and TNF-α levels were determined to assess the biological responses of the dust particles.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>dose-response relationships between the dust concentrations and the enhancement of the LDH activity, the release of NO and TNF-α were found in both dust particles from pottery factories and tungsten mines. The cell viability decreased with the increase of dust concentration from 25 to 400 microg/ml. Compared with the dust particles from workplaces, the quartz dust induced significantly higher LDH activity (P < 0.05) after cultured with HUVEC. No significant difference of releases of NO were observed among the dust particles from workplaces and standard quartz. However, significantly higher levels of TNF-α were induced by standard quartz compared with dust samples from workplaces at concentrations of 200, 400 microg/ml.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>occupational dust particles from workplaces and quartz could induce the injury and the releases of TNF-α from HUVEC.</p>

Experimental research on biological responses of productive dusts from pottery factories and tungsten mines / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess biological response and health adverse effects of industrial dusts from pottery factories and tungsten mines on alveolar macrophages (AM) in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>AM acquired from bronchoalveolar lavage of guinea pigs were used as the target cells. AM were then co-cultured with respirable dust particles (15, 30, 60 and 120 μg/10⁶) from pottery factories and tungsten mines. LDH activity, cell viability, the release of ROS and TNF-α were determined to assess the biological responses of the dusts. China Standard Quartz was used as control.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Dose- response relationships between the dust concentrations and the enhancement of LDH activity, the release of ROS and TNF-α were found in both dusts from pottery factories and tungsten mines. The cell viability decreased when the dusts' concentrations increased. Differences of biological response were observed in the dust particles from different mines or factories. Compared with the pottery dusts, higher LDH activity and the release of TNF-α induced by tungsten dust were observed. In the 120 μg/10⁶ group, the TNF-α induced by tungsten dust, pottery dusts and China Standard Quartz was (5.2 +/- 2.0) ng/ml, (3.3 +/- 1.6) ng/ml and (2.8 +/- 0.5) ng/ml respectively. However, the impact on the cell viability induced by pottery dust was higher than that by tungsten mine.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Industrial dusts from various sources could induce different biological effects. The results of the biological effects of dusts in laboratory tests may be of potential use to provide base data for their adverse effects evaluation.</p>

Effect of humidity and temperature on filter and gravimetric measurement of ambient particulate matter in a balance room / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the effects of the alteration of humidity and (or) temperature on weight of filters without and with ambient particulate matter in a balance room.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The mass of blank dust sampling filters were weighed under (18 +/- 1) degrees C and (28 +/- 1) degrees C respectively, with the humidity varying from 35% relative humidity (RH) to 100% RH in a balance room. Then the blank filters were divided into two groups and were used to sample total dust and respirable dust. After sampling, the loaded filters were re-weighed under above conditions and the mass difference before and after the sampling were compared and analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The vibration of the average mass of filters varied from 0.10 to 0.13 mg and from 0.06 to 0.09 mg under the temperatures of (18 +/- 1) degrees C and (28 +/- 1) degrees C respectively; When both the temperature and humidity changed, it varied from 0.12 to 0.16 mg. The deviation of average mass difference ranged from 0.07 to 0.10 mg and from 0.04 to 0.08 mg under the two temperatures mentioned above; When both the temperature and humidity changed, it varied from 0.09 to 0.14 mg. The average mass of blank filters and loaded filters were all positively correlated with the change of humidity (P < 0.01). No effects of humidity on the average mass difference of the loaded filters were observed. The average mass differences of loaded filters and blank filters under (18 +/- 1) degrees C were significantly higher than that under (28 +/- 1) degrees C (P < 0.01) when humidity was not changed.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The alteration of humidity and (or) temperature in a balance room attributes to the deviation of the measurement of the mass of filters and thus affects the gravimetric measurements of ambient particulate matter.</p>

Determination and analysis of silica particles surface alumino-silicate occlusion / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the methods of determining aluminum silicate coated on the surface of silica particles and analyze the role of surface occlusion on development of silicosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Respirable dust samples were collected on filters using 2 L/min flow in tungsten mines and pottery factories of Jiangxi province, and tin mines of Guanxi province. Dust particles were analyzed by a multiple-voltage scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (MVSEM-EDS) using 20 KeV and 5 KeV electron beam accelerating voltages. Changes in the silicon to aluminum X-ray line intensity ratio between the two voltages are compared particle by particle. This provided an index that distinguishes a silica particle that was homogeneously aluminum-contaminated from a clay coated silica particle.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total of 3,982 dust particles from 47 dust samples of seven pottery factories, three tin mines and three tungsten mines were analyzed in this study. Significant difference of aluminum silicate coated on the surface of silica particle was shown between particles from pottery factories and tin mines. The average sample percentage of respirbale-sized silica particles alumino-silicate occlusion in the pottery factories (45%) was higher than that in the tin mines (18%) and tungsten mines (13%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Higher percentages silica particles alumino-silicate occlusion is observed in the pottery factories than that in metal mines. These surface analysis results help to understand differences in risk of silicosis when exposure is normalized to cumulative respirable surface silica dust.</p>

Repair of severe blepharoptosis with a frontalis muscle complex suspension technique / 中华整形外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To search an ideal method for treatment of severe blepharoptosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty-four eyes of 47 patients with severe blepharoptosis were undergoing for the treatment with a frontalis muscle complex flap, included in the frontalis muscle, orbicularis oculi muscle and SMAS membranes, to suspend the dropped eyelids.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The 54 eyes with severe blepharoptosis were successfully treated with the frontalis muscle complex suspension technique. Although the lagophthalmos in different degrees was shown in 3 months after the operation, it usually disappeared 6 months after the operation. The results were shown good appearance without recurrence.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The above mentioned technique may be a good and effective method for treatment of the severe blepharoptosis, compared with the traditional technique.</p>