Analysis of the disease burden of pneumoconiosis globally and in China from 1990 to 2019 / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective: To analyze the disease burden of pneumoconiosis globally and in China from 1990 to 2019 using Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 data, and to provide a theoretical basis for prevention and control of pneumoconiosis. Methods: In September 2022, the data of incidence, prevalence, morality and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) of pneumoconiosis and its subtypes globally and in China from 1990 to 2019 were collected from GBD 2019, including absolute number and age-standardized rate (ASR). Joinpoint linear regression model was used to calculate average annual percent change (AAPC) and analyze the change trends of incidence, prevalence, mortality and DALY of pneumoconiosis and its subtypes. Results: From 1990 to 2019, the incident cases, prevalent cases and DALY value of pneumoconiosis showed upward trends, while the number of death cases showed downward trends. And the ASR of incidence (ASIR), the ASR of prevalence (ASPR), the ASR of mortality (ASMR) and the ASR of DALY (ASDR) showed downward trends globally and in China. China accounted for a large proportion of the global disease burden of penumoconiosis, accounting for more than 67% of the incident cases, more than 80% of the prevalent cases, more than 43% of the deaths cases and more than 60% of the absolute number of DALY in the world every year. Male were the main population of pneumoconiosis disease burden globally and in China, and the age of onset was earlier than that of female. The peak age periods of incidence, prevalence, mortality and DALY of pneumoconiosis globally and in China from 1990 to 2019 have increased. Silicosis was still the type with the highest disease burden of pneumoconiosis globally and in China. The disease burden of coal workers' pneumoconiosis had an overall improvement trend, but asbestosis had an increasing disease burden worldwide. Conclusion: The disease burden of pneumoconiosis is heavy globally and in China, which is necessary to strengthen the supervision and prevention measures according to gender, age and etiological types.

Effects and mechanism of oridonin on pulmonary hypertension induced by chronic hypoxia-hypercapnia in rats / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by suppressing apoptosis and enhancing cell proliferation in the vascular wall. Inducing pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) apoptosis had been regarded as a therapeutic approach for PAH. Oridonin can cause apoptosis in many cell lines, while little has been done to evaluate its effect on PASMC.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups: normal control (NC); hypoxia-hypercapnia (HH); Hypoxia-hypercapnia + oridonin (HHO). Rats were exposed to hypoxia-hypercapnia for four weeks. Cultured human PASMC (HPASMC) were assigned to three groups: normoxia (NO); hypoxia (HY); hypoxia + oridonin (HO). The mean pulmonary artery pressure, mass ratio of right ventricle over left ventricle plus septum (RV/(LV + S)), the ratio of thickness of the pulmonary arteriole wall to vascular external diameter (WT%) and the ratio of the vessel wall area to the total area (WA%) were measured. Morphologic changes of pulmonary arteries were observed under light and electron microscopes. The apoptotic characteristics in vitro and in vivo were detected.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mPAP, RV/(LV + S), WT%, and WA% in the HH group were significantly greater than those in the NC (P < 0.01) and HHO groups (P < 0.01); the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9, and the expressions of Bax, cyt-C and apoptotic index (AI) in the group HH were less than those in the NC and HHO groups; and the expression of Bcl-2 in group HH was greater than that in the NC and HHO groups. HPASMC mitochondrial membrane potentials in group HO was lower than in group HY (P < 0.01), and cyt-C in the cytoplasm, AI, and caspase-9 in the HO group were greater than that in the HY group (P < 0.01), but the expression of Bcl-2 in the HO group was less than that in the HY group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The results suggest that oridonin can lower pulmonary artery pressure effectively, and inhibit pulmonary artery structural remodeling by inducing smooth cell apoptosis via a mitochondria-dependent pathway.</p>

The effects of safflower injection on lipid peroxidation level and expression of heme oxygenase-1 of the rat liver with hypoxia and hypercapnia / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>AIM</b>To investigate the changes of lipid peroxidation level and expression of heme oxygenase-1 of the rat liver with chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia, and the effects of Safflower injection (a compond of Chinese Traditional medicine).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty male SD rats weighing 180 approximately 220 g were divided into three groups (n=10): control group (N group), chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia for four weeks group(F group), and Safflower injection group (H group). SOD and MDA in liver tissue were measured by spectrophotometric method. And methods Immunohistochemical assay was used to detect the distribution of HO-1 protein. Pathological changes in liver tissues were observed in HE staining section. The mRNA expressions of HO-1 in liver were detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The activity of SOD of the liver in F group were significantly lower than those in N group, and the content of MDA were significantly higher. The activity of SOD of the liver in H group were significantly higher than those in F group, and the content of MDA were significantly lower. In F group there were multiple dispersed immunoreactivity cells in liver. And compared to those in F group, the immunoreactivity cells were significantly decreased in H group. HE staining revealed that there were many hepatocytes with obvious adipose degeneration. Hepatic pathological damage in H group was slighter than that in F group. The expression of HO-1 mRNA of the liver in F group were significantly higher than those in N group (P < 0.01), and those in H group were significantly lower than those in F group (P < 0.01) .</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia increases the level of oxidative stress. Safflower injection have a protective effect, maybe because of the accommodation of the expression of HO-1 of the liver and the elimination of free radicals.</p>

An experimental study on the regulation of pulmonary arterial remodeling by protein kinase C in chronic hypoxic rats / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>AIM</b>To investigate the effect of protein kinase C regulating pulmonary arterial remodeling in chronic hypoxic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Electron microscope, radioactivity, immunohistochemistry and image analyser were used.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) and weight ratio of RV to LV + S were significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.01). (2) WA/TA and SMC were significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.01). Electron microscopy showed the proliferation of smooth muscle cells and the disposition of collagenous fiber in pulmonary arterioles induced by hypoxia. (3) The total, cytosolic, particulate fraction PKC activity and the ratio of particulate fraction to total PKC activity were significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.01). (4) Expression of PKC, collagen I were significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.01), the difference of collagen III was not significant between two groups (P > 0.05). (5) There were good correlation between the total, particulate fraction PKC activity, the ratio of particulate fraction to total PKC activity, expression of PKC and SMC, collagen I in pulmonary arterioles.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The PKC regulates the proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and expression of pulmonary arterial collagen in chronic hypoxic rats, which may play an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension and structural remodeling of pulmonary arteries.</p>