Influence of individual factors and labor organization on musculoskeletal disorders of automobile manufacturing workers / 公共卫生与预防医学

Objective To investigate the influence of individual factors and labor organization factors on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in automobile manufacturing workers, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of WMSDs in automobile manufacturing workers. Methods In April 2020, 5564 workers in an automobile factory were selected by cluster sampling method. The prevalence of WMSDs was investigated by using the Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire, and the influence of individual factors and labor organization factors on WMSDs was investigated by using generalized estimation equation. Results The prevalence rate of WMSDs was 79.00% (4396/5564), and the prevalence rate of multisite WMSDs was 67.95% (3781/5564). The analysis of generalized estimation equation showed that doing the same job every day (OR= 1.478, P 40 hours per week increased the risk of WMSDs (P< 0.05). Male and adequate rest time were protective factors for WMSDs. The job correlation matrix showed that WMSDs in most parts had a positive correlation. Conclusions The prevalence of multisite WMSDs of workers in automobile manufacturing industry is high, and unreasonable labor organization is the main risk factor of WMSDs. Appropriate work breaks can effectively reduce the risk of WMSDs, and effective intervention measures should be carried out to prevent the occurrence of WMSDs in workers in automobile manufacturing industry. The generalized estimation equation can better analyze the influencing factors of WMSDs.

Assessing Land Use Dynamics of Lower Bhavani Basin Using Multiple GIS Platforms

Land use describes the actual form of land, such as a forest or open water and classification based on human utilization. Land use map provides the information about the current landscape of an area. In this study, the Lower Bhavani basin's land use and land cover were classified using GIS platforms and data from the Landsat 8 satellite. The platform utilized in this study were Semi-Automated Plugin (SAP) in QGIS and Random forest method in Google Earth Engine (GEE). The findings suggested that both platforms performed efficiently and displayed comparable percentages of land covered by various land use features. The accuracy of the resulting land use map was evaluated using a Google Earth image, and it was discovered that SAP and GEE hold 91.8% and 92.6% of the total accuracy. This study aids in evaluating and classifying the various Geographic Information System platforms land use trends.

Research on early warning model of the hearing loss of workers exposed to noise / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective: To explore the change of hearing threshold of workers exposed to noise, establish an individual-based hearing loss early warning model, accurately and differentiated the health of workers exposed to noise. Methods: In September 2019, all physical examination data of 561 workers exposed to noise from an enterprise were collected since their employment. Three indicators of average hearing threshold of the better ear, namely, at high frequency, 4000 Hz and speech frequency, were constructed. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to adjust gender and age and establish the warning model of each indicator. Finally, sensitive indicators and warning models were screened according to AUC and Yoden index. Results: Among the 561 workers exposed to noise, 26 (4.6%) workers had hearing loss. The sensitivity indicators were the average hearing threshold at speech frequency ≥20 dB, high frequency ≥30 dB and 4000 Hz ≥25 dB. The AUC of each index was 0.602, 0.794 and 0.804, and the Youden indexes were 0.204, 0.588 and 0.608, respectively. In GEE of hearing loss warning models, high-frequency hearing threshold ≥20 dB and 4000 Hz hearing threshold ≥25 dB were the optimal models, with AUC of 0.862. Conclusion: Combined with the changes of individual hearing threshold over the years, can accurately assess the risk of individual hearing loss of workers exposed to noise.

Profile of health facilities and determinants of the family planning services supply to unmarried adolescents in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Niger

Objectives: Despite numerous interventions to facilitate adolescents' access to family planning (FP) services in West Africa, studies reveal that unmarried adolescents have difficulties accessing these services. This study analyses the supply of the FP services package to unmarried adolescents as well as the profiles of the facilities that provide this package in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Niger. Also, it examines the determinants of the supply of this package. Design: The study adopted a spatiotemporal descriptive analysis and a binary logistic Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model. The data come from surveys conducted in the three countries between 2013 and 2019 as part of the Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 program. Participants: The target population consists of health facilities that provide health services. Results: The study indicates that more than 80% of FP services are provided by basic health facilities in Burkina Faso and Niger, while in Ghana, the profile is more diversified, including hospitals, polyclinics, and public and private primary health centres. The econometric analysis indicates that regional ownership, examination of client opinion data, ownership of a functioning computer, and knowledge of the served population are the main determinants of the supply of the FP services package to unmarried adolescents. Conclusion: By identifying facility profiles and determinants of FP services supply, this study provides a pathway for action to ensure that adolescents have access to these services regardless of their marital status in West Africa.

Effect of Zhenzhu Tiaozhi Capsule on HbA1c in Patient with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus： A Real-world Study / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the long-term effect of Zhenzhu Tiaozhi capsule（FTZ） on hemoglobin A1c（HbA1c）in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） based on real-world data. Method:T2DM patients who were provided with FTZ （FTZ group） and those receiving conventional hypoglycemic drugs （control group） were extracted from the hospital information system （HIS） of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University， followed by propensity score matching （PSM） for balancing the confounding factors between groups. With HbA1c as the efficacy evaluation index， the difference in efficacy between the two groups was compared using <italic>t</italic>-test and <italic>χ</italic>² test. For repeated measurement data of the same patient， the difference in efficacy and the stability of FTZ against HbA1c were analyzed by generalized estimating equation （GEE）. The factors that might affect the efficacy of FTZ against HbA1c were subjected to multivariate linear regression analysis （MLRA）， and the subgroup analyses were then conducted after the stratification of relevant factors. Result:There were 46 patients included in the FTZ group and 1 208 patients in the control group. PSM yielded 42 pairs of samples with balanced covariates between groups. As revealed by one-year observation， ① HbA1c in the FTZ group after treatment was 6.51%±1.09%. No significant difference was observed either in pre- and post-treatment comparison in the FTZ group or in its comparison with the control group. At the same time， the HbA1c compliance rate in the FTZ group was 73.8% after treatment. No significant difference was observed either in pre- and post-treatment comparison in the FTZ group or in its comparison with the control group. ② The GEE results showed that the post-treatment HbA1c levels in the two groups were not significantly different from each other. Moreover， the HbA1c level remained stable over treatment time. ③ MLRA and subgroup analyses results demonstrated that FTZ was more effective in patients with high baseline HbA1c ［<italic>β</italic>=-0.530，95% confidence interval（CI） -0.850～-0.209，<italic>P</italic><0.01］ or those who were complicated with hypertension （<italic>β</italic>=-0.918，95%CI -1.614～-0.222，<italic>P</italic><0.05）. Conclusion:In the real world， FTZ is able to control the blood sugar， and its effect is similar to those of conventional hypoglycemic drugs. Besides， it is capable of stabilizing the blood sugar for a long time.

Peripheral blood indicators in medical radiation workers in Yangpu District of Shanghai， 2017-2019 / 上海预防医学

Objective:To explore the impact of occupational ionizing radiation exposure on blood indicators including white blood cell（ WBC）， red blood cell （RBC）， hemoglobin （Hb）， platelet （PLT） were analyzed. Methods:A total of 237 medical radiation workers in Yangpu district， Shanghai were recruited and divided into observation group and control group， according to individual average dose of external exposure. The annual effective dose in observation group was 0.357 7-4.704 3 mSv， and the median dose was 0.536 8 mSv （0.441 2-0.893 8）. The annual effective dose in control group was 0.031 2-0.350 8 mSv， and the median dose was 0.199 2 mSv （0.143 8-0.252 8）. Routine blood tests were conducted twice in the occupational health examinations from 2017 to 2019 and the results were collected. Chi-square test， Mann-Whitney U test， and generalized estimating equations （GEE） model were used for statistical analysis. Results:Compared to the first examination， the risk of having abnormal Hb increased （OR=1.029， 95%CI： 1.006-1.053）. After adjusting the factors of age， gender， seniority and exposure time， the risk of Hb abnormality in the observation group was lower than that in the control group （OR=0.422， 95%CI：0.198-0.898）. There was no significant difference between the observation and control groups in the risk of abnormal WBC， RBC， and PLT. Conclusion:Exposure to occupational ionizing radiation may increase the risk of abnormal Hb， while there is no significant change in WBC， RBC and PLT. Radiation workers should have full protection at work and be under appropriate occupational health management.

Generalized Estimating Equation In Pharmacological Study

Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) deals with such data that do not have normal distribution in case of repeated experiment and has better properties as compared to rANOVA. With the objective to describe the use of GEE in pharmacological study this endeavour started. GEE described hereby using rat data. Four correlation structured were taken in GEE. It was found Independent/Exchangeable structure best suited with data. The model fit on data was assessed graphically as well. The trend line of repeated data for all cases (rats) were fallen in 95 % bound of predicted model. The model gave the average weight of rat 226.51 gram with start of experiment and it increases 8.67gram per week after feeding high fat diet.

Impact of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) on CD4+ T-Lymphocyte Count < 200 cells/μL among HIV-Positive Adults: A Longitudinal Evaluation.

Aims: Previous research on whether Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)/HIV coinfection alters the natural history of HIV disease progression shows conflicting findings. The aim of this study is to investigate whether HCV/HIV coinfection has an adverse effect on the outcome of a CD4+ count < 200 cells/μL in HIV-positive adults. Study Design: A retrospective longitudinal study. Place and Duration of Study: Royal University Hospital and West Side Community Clinic in Saskatoon, Canada. Individuals were diagnosed with HIV between January 1, 2005 and September 1, 2011. Methodology: Data were collected using medical charts. CD4+ count was dichotomized into a binary variable (1 for CD4+ count < 200; 0 for ≥ 200). Independent t-tests or Wilcoxon test, and Chisquare tests were used to compare quantitative and qualitative variables between groups, respectively. The risk factors for CD4+ count < 200 were determined using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) marginal logistic regression model. Analysis was done by SAS 9.4 and P<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Among 369 patients, 48.5% were female, 72.1% were Aboriginals, 82.4% were HCV/HIVcoinfected and 77.4% had history of Injection Drug Use (IDU) at diagnosis. The mean age at diagnosis was 35.5 years. In univariate GEE logistic regression model, patients with coinfection of HCV/HIV, Aboriginals ethnicity, ever use of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), social assistance, older age, and higher viral load at baseline were significantly more likely to have CD4+ count < 200. In multivariate model, HCV/HIV coinfection, age, and ART were associated with CD4+ count < 200. Patients with HCV/HIV coinfection, older age, and ever use of ART had significantly higher odds of having CD4+ count < 200 (adjusted odds ratios 2.21, 1.48, and 2.70 respectively). Conclusions: HCV/HIV-coinfected patients were significantly more likely to have CD4+ count < 200. Results support earlier treatment of HCV and HIV as well as increased monitoring for coinfected individuals.

Data mining and influential analysis of gene expression data for plant resistance gene identification in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

Background Molecular mechanisms of plant-pathogen interactions have been studied thoroughly but much about them is still unknown. A better understanding of these mechanisms and the detection of new resistance genes can improve crop production and food supply. Extracting this knowledge from available genomic data is a challenging task. Results Here, we evaluate the usefulness of clustering, data-mining and regression to identify potential new resistance genes. Three types of analyses were conducted separately over two conditions, tomatoes inoculated with Phytophthora infestans and not inoculated tomatoes. Predictions for 10 new resistance genes obtained by all applied methods were selected as being the most reliable and are therefore reported as potential resistance genes. Conclusion Application of different statistical analyses to detect potential resistance genes reliably has shown to conduct interesting results that improve knowledge on molecular mechanisms of plant resistance to pathogens.

Identification of alternate dwarfing gene sources to widely used Dee-Gee-Woo-Gen allele of sd1 gene by molecular and biochemical assays in rice ( Oryza sativa L. )

After the success of IR8 and TN1, breeders depended heavily on these two rice cultivars for source of short stature led to the narrow genetic base to majority of present day rice varieties, as far as sd1 (semi-dwarf1) gene is concerned. In addition, analysis of genetic lineage of the majority of the cultivated rice varieties in tropical Asia reveals that sd1 from DGWG (Dee-Gee-Woo-Gen) is the major source of dwarfing gene. Such high amount of genetic homogeneity renders rice plants vulnerable to epidemic of diseases and insect pests. In the current study, we made an attempt to identify the alternate sources of DGWG allele of sd1 gene by characterizing 29 induced and 3 spontaneous dwarf accessions employing marker for DGWG allele of sd1 gene and exogenous application of gibberellic acid (GA3). When occurrence of DGWG allele of sd1 gene and GA3 response were analyzed together, existence of two kinds of dwarfs was noticed viz., dwarf accessions with DGWG allele and dwarf accessions without DGWG allele of sd1 allele exhibiting varying responses to GA3. As many as 22 of 32 dwarf accessions showed absence of DGWG allele of sd1 gene with varying response to GA3 could be used as excellent alternate sources for DGWG allele of sd1 gene. These dwarf accessions could be used for broadening the genetic base for the plant height and thereby minimize the risk of genetic vulnerability. Our strategy of combining molecular and biochemical assays can be efficiently used for identifying alternate dwarfing gene sources to the Green Revolution gene sd1.