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Many societies around the world are rapidly aging and this has implications for social and economic development. We collect data on NEEQ-listed enterprises from 2010 to 2021 in China and empirically test the effect of population aging on the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The findings show that population aging has a significant positive impact on SME digital transformation, and private enterprises and enterprises in eastern regions of China tend to benefit more than other regions. The mechanism studies find that population aging positively impacts SME digital transformation by increasing labor costs, facilitating human capital accumulation, and raising savings rates. Furthermore, the threshold effect analyses find that the marginal promotion effect of population aging will weaken with greater aging and will strengthen with a higher level of marketization. Finally, we provide policy recommendations for promoting digital transformation in SMEs against the background of population aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: The health implications of BMI and MetS in lactating women are significant. This study aims to investigate the relationship between risk of Mets in lactation and BMI in four stages: pre-pregnancy, prenatal period, 42 days postpartum, and current lactation. Methods and results: A total of 1870 Lactating Women within 2 years after delivery were included from "China Child and Lactating Mother Nutrition Health Surveillance (2016–2017)". Logistic regression model and Restricted cubic spline (RCS) were used to estimate the relationship between BMI and risk of MetS. ROC analysis was used to determine the threshold for the risk of MetS. Chain mediating effect analysis was used to verify the mediating effect. BMI of MetS group in all stages were higher than non-MetS group (P < 0.0001). There were significant positive correlations between BMI in each stage and ORs of MetS during lactation (P < 0.05). The best cut-off values for BMI in the four stages were 23.47, 30.49, 26.04 and 25.47 kg/m2. The non-linear spline test at BMI in 42 days postpartum, current and MetS in lactation was statistically significant (P non-linear = 0.0223, 0.0003). The mediation effect of all chains have to work through lactation BMI. The total indirect effect accounted for 80.95% of the total effect. Conclusions: The risk of MetS in lactating women is due to a high BMI base before pregnancy and postpartum. High BMI in all stages of pregnancy and postpartum were risk factors for MetS in lactation. BMI during lactation plays a key role in the risk of MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The cuttlefish, Sepia esculenta, is both a valuable economic resource and a creature of scientific interest. Our study investigated how changes in ocean salinity, a factor subject to environmental shifts, affect young, more responsive cuttlefish. We examined the gene expression of cuttlefish when exposed to lower levels of salinity. Using transcriptomic and enrichment analysis, we identified over a thousand genes that were differentially expressed under these circumstances. The images created from the results of these analyses can be used to visualize the content of the analyses. Interestingly, we discovered that low salinity could trigger harmful cell proliferation in juvenile cuttlefish, thus disrupting their normal functions. This information is valuable as it can inform potential measures to reduce the mortality rate of hatchling cuttlefish in artificially controlled conditions. Sepia esculenta is an economically important mollusk distributed in the coastal waters of China. Juveniles are more susceptible to stimulation by the external environment than mature individuals. The ocean salinity fluctuates due to environmental changes. However, there is a lack of research on the salinity adaptations of S. esculenta. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the differential expression of genes in S. esculenta larvae after stimulation by low salinity. RNA samples were sequenced and 1039 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Then, enrichment analysis was performed using the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. Finally, a protein–protein interaction network (PPI) was constructed, and the functions of key genes in S. esculenta larvae after low-salinity stimulation were explored. We suggest that low salinity leads to an excess proliferation of cells in S. esculenta larvae that, in turn, affects normal physiological activities. The results of this study can aid in the artificial incubation of S. esculenta and reduce the mortality of larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the world's consensus on low-carbon emission reduction, all walks of life have formulated low-carbon development goals. As a high-energy consumption industry, it is urgent for mining industry to implement the development strategy of low-carbon emission reduction. Therefore, this study tries to provide reasonable suggestions and references for the low-carbon development of the mining industry. Firstly, this study analyzes the industry development, energy consumption, and carbon emission of mining industry from 2000 to 2020. Then, using the Tapio theory, this study constructs the analysis model of decoupling between carbon emission of mining industry and industry growth. The analysis method of decoupling state assignment is proposed for the first time in the model. At the same time, the energy efficiency decoupling index and energy structure decoupling index are introduced to explain the causes of carbon emission decoupling. The research shows that the carbon emission of energy consumption in China's mining industry peaked in 2013, and the energy efficiency decoupling in 2001–2014 is the main driver of carbon emission decoupling. The sharp growth of industrial output value leads to the decoupling of energy efficiency. At present, the improvement of energy efficiency of China's mining industry faces great resistance. At the same time, the inhibition effect of energy efficiency on carbon emissions is limited, and the energy structure will be the main factor to inhibit carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthworms are known to accumulate inorganic contaminants from the soil; they are also used as a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) called Pheretima , which might cause safety problems with long-term exposure. Here, this study was conducted to determine and analyze the level of heavy metal contamination such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) in Pheretima and then explore the probabilistic health risks caused by 8 heavy metals in 98 batches of Pheretima using Monte Carlo simulation. A risk assessment strategy was conducted to assess heavy metal–associated health risk of Pheretima based on consumption data. For random consumption sampling, the results found that the non-carcinogenic risk of As is higher than the acceptable level, and the carcinogenic risk levels of As and Cr exceeded the acceptable risk recommended by the USEPA. Cr and As were regarded as the priority metals for risk control in the present study. Finally, it was recommended that the dosing frequency should be less than 24 d/y. In general, this study conducted a probabilistic risk assessment of heavy metals in Pheretima , which would be of significance for policy makers to take effective strategies to improve the quality and safety of Pheretima. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lianpu drink (LPD) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula for the treatment of chronic gastritis (CG), and its clinical effects have been effectively verified. However, due to the complexity of the chemical composition of TCM formulas, its mechanism of action has not yet been clearly explained. Many studies have shown that the principal drugs in the TCM formula play a major therapeutic role. Therefore, in this study, the principal drugs Coptidis Rhizoma (CR) and Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils. (MOR) in LPD were used as the main research objects to predict the mechanism of LPD on CG. We contrasted a "compounds-targets-diseases" network and screened the putative targets of CR and MOR in LPD related to CG, respectively. Furthermore, common targets of CR and MOR related to CG were selected as candidate targets. In this study, the specific target proteins of CR, MOR, and CG were combined by protein-protein interaction (PPI) to construct a pharmacological network of "components-targets-diseases." In addition, we investigated the effects of CR and MOR on the TNF signaling pathway, which mediated the remission of CG. This study preliminarily revealed that CR and MOR play a key role in the treatment of CG. Animal experiments also showed that CR and MOR could significantly improve CG by inhibiting MKK6/p38 and RIP/p38 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV-infected (HIV+) women may be more vulnerable to neurocognitive impairment (NCI) due to psychological and physiological factors but previous studies show mixed findings. We investigated the neurocognitive performances in HIV+ versus HIV− women and men. This cross-sectional analysis included 669 HIV+ patients (223 women) and 1338 HIV-uninfected (HIV−) controls (446 women) which were frequency matched on sex, education, and 5-year age categories. NCI was screened using the Mini-mental State Examination. Psychomotor speed was assessed using timed alternating hand sequence test. Prevalence of NCI was higher among women versus men in the HIV+ group (16.1% vs 10.5%) but not the HIV− group (4.3% vs 3.5%). HIV+ women performed worse compared to men on psychomotor speed, orientation, attention, and calculation, whereas HIV− women performed worse compared to men on attention and calculation. Adjusted interaction effects of HIV status × sex (women vs men) were significant on orientation, attention, and calculation, and marginally significant on psychomotor speed (p = 0.053). In multivariable models, among both HIV+ women and men, less years of education and depressive symptoms were associated with NCI. Waist-to-hip ratio above the cut-off was strongly associated with NCI among HIV+ women. HIV+ women perform worse on cognitive measures compared to HIV+ men. The association of central obesity with NCI in HIV+ women should be noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Practical approaches to protect individuals from ambient particulate matter (PM) are urgently needed in developing countries. Evidence on the health benefits of wearing particulate-filtering respirators is limited. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the short-term cardiovascular health effects of wearing respirators in China. METHODS: A randomized crossover trial was performed in 24 healthy young adults in Shanghai, China in 2014. The subjects were randomized into two groups and wore particulate-filtering respirators for 48 hr alternating with a 3-week washout interval. Heart rate variability (HRV) and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) were continuously monitored during the 2nd 24 hr in each intervention. Circulating biomarkers were measured at the end of each intervention. Linear mixed-effect models were applied to evaluate the effects of wearing respirators on health outcomes. RESULTS: During the intervention periods, the mean daily average concentration of PM with an aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 μm (PM2.5) was 74.2 μg/m3. Compared with the absence of respirators, wearing respirators was associated with a decrease of 2.7 mmHg [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.1, 5.2 mmHg] in systolic BP and increases of HRV parameters, including 12.5% (95% CI: 3.8%, 21.2%) in high frequency (HF) power, 10.9% (95% CI: 1.8%, 20.0%) in the root mean square of the successive differences, and 22.1% (95% CI: 3.6%, 40.7%) in the percentage of normal RR intervals with duration > 50 msec different from the previous normal RR interval (pNN50). The presence of respirators was also associated with a decrease of 7.8% (95% CI: 3.5%, 12.1%) in the ratio of low frequency (LF)/HF power. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term wearing of particulate-filtering respirators may produce cardiovascular benefits by improving autonomic nervous function and reducing BP. CITATION: Shi J, Lin Z, Chen R, Wang C, Yang C, Cai J, Lin J, Xu X, Ross JA, Zhao Z, Kan H. 2017. Cardiovascular benefits of wearing particulate-filtering respirators: a randomized crossover trial. Environ Health Perspect 125:175-180; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP73 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin found in a variety of foods and herbal medicines, and several governmental bodies around the world have set maximum allowable levels of OTA in different foods and herbal medicines. This study aims to evaluate the health risk of OTA in Astragali Radix (AR) in China, and to evaluate the effects of different limit levels on the risk control of OTA in AR. The concentrations of OTA in 187 samples of AR were investigated, and 61 (32.6%) samples were positive. The mean, 50th and 95th percentile values of OTA in positive samples were 56.2, 5.1 and 304.5 μg/kg, respectively. A margin of exposure (MOE) approach was applied to assess the risk. Considering other food sources, long-term consumers have a relatively high risk of OTA exposure due to the ingestion of AR. Theoretical limit levels of OTA in AR were evaluated from two dimensions by weighing the costs and the benefits. The results indicated that the limit levels that might be applied to the management of OTA contamination in AR in China could be screened out through risk-based evaluation of limit levels. [Display omitted] • Long-term high consumers have a relatively high risk of ochratoxin A exposure due to the ingestion of Astragali Radix in China. • Theoretical limit levels of ochratoxin A in Astragali Radix could been evaluated from two dimensions by weighing the costs (non-compliant batches) and the benefits (reduction in health risk). • The most appropriate limit level that might be applied to the management of ochratoxin A contamination in Astragali Radix in China could be screened out through risk-based evaluation of limit levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution has been accepted as an important contributor to asthma development and exacerbation. However, the evidence is limited in China. In this study, we investigated the acute effect of air pollution on asthma hospitalization in Shanghai, China. We applied over-dispersed generalized additive model adjusted for weather conditions, day of the week, long-term and seasonal trends. An interquartile range increase in the moving average concentrations of PM10, SO2, NO2 and BC on the concurrent day and previous day corresponded to 1.82%, 6.41%, 8.26% and 6.62% increase of asthmatic hospitalization, respectively. The effects of SO2 and NO2 were robust after adjustment for PM10. The associations appeared to be more evident in the cool season than in the warm season. Our results contribute to the limited data in the scientific literature on acute effects of air pollution on asthma in high exposure settings, which are typical in developing countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Few prior cohort studies exist in developing countries examining the association of ambient particulate matter (PM) with mortality. We examined the association of particulate air pollution with mortality in a prospective cohort study of 71,431 middle-aged Chinese men. Baseline data were obtained during 1990–1991. The follow-up evaluation was completed in January, 2006. Annual average PM exposure between 1990 and 2005, including TSP and PM10, were estimated by linking fixed-site monitoring data with residential communities. We found significant associations between PM10 and mortality from cardiopulmonary diseases; each 10 μg/m3 PM10 was associated with a 1.6% (95%CI: 0.7%, 2.6%), 1.8% (95%CI: 0.8%, 2.9%) and 1.7% (95%CI: 0.3%, 3.2%) increased risk of total, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, respectively. For TSP, we observed significant associations only for cardiovascular morality. These data contribute to the scientific literature on long-term effects of particulate air pollution for high exposure settings typical in developing countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background and Objective: High concentrations of air pollutants have been linked to increased incidence of stroke in North America and Europe but not yet assessed in mainland China. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between stroke hospitalization and short-term elevation of air pollutants in Wuhan, China. Methods: Daily mean NO2, SO2 and PM10 levels, temperature and humidity were obtained from 2006 through 2008. Data on stroke hospitalizations (ICD 10: I60–I69) at four hospitals in Wuhan were obtained for the same period. A time-stratified case-crossover design was performed by season (April-September and October-March) to assess effects of pollutants on stroke hospital admissions. Results: Pollution levels were higher in October-March with averages of 136.1 µg/m3 for PM10, 63.6 µg/m3 for NO2 and 71.0 µg/m3 for SO2 than in April-September when averages were 102.0 µg/m3, 41.7 µg/m3 and 41.7 µg/m3, respectively (p<.001). During the cold season, every 10 µg/m3 increase in NO2 was associated with a 2.9% (95%C.I. 1.2%–4.6%) increase in stroke admissions on the same day. Every 10 ug/m3 increase in PM10 daily concentration was significantly associated with an approximate 1% (95% C.I. 0.1%–1.4%) increase in stroke hospitalization. A two-pollutant model indicated that NO2 was associated with stroke admissions when controlling for PM10. During the warm season, no significant associations were noted for any of the pollutants. Conclusions: Exposure to NO2 is significantly associated with stroke hospitalizations during the cold season in Wuhan, China when pollution levels are 50% greater than in the warm season. Larger and multi-center studies in Chinese cities are warranted to validate our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few studies have evaluated the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation against fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm [PM2.5]) exposure in highly polluted areas.Objectives: The authors sought to evaluate whether dietary fish-oil supplementation protects cardiovascular health against PM2.5 exposure in China.Methods: This is a randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled trial among 65 healthy college students in Shanghai, China. Participants were randomly assigned to either the placebo group or the intervention group with dietary fish-oil supplementation of 2.5 g/day from September 2017 to January 2018, and received 4 rounds of health examinations in the last 2 months of treatments. Fixed-site PM2.5 concentrations on campus were measured in real time. The authors measured blood pressure and 18 biomarkers of systematic inflammation, coagulation, endothelial function, oxidative stress, antioxidant activity, cardiometabolism, and neuroendocrine stress response. Acute effects of PM2.5 on these outcomes were evaluated within each group using linear mixed-effect models.Results: The average PM2.5 level was 38 μg/m3 during the study period. Compared with the placebo group, the fish-oil group showed relatively stable levels of most biomarkers in response to changes in PM2.5 exposure. Between-group differences associated with PM2.5 exposure varied by biomarkers and by lags of exposure. The authors observed beneficial effects of fish-oil supplementation on 5 biomarkers of blood inflammation, coagulation, endothelial function, oxidative stress, and neuroendocrine stress response in the fish-oil group at a false discovery rate of <0.05.Conclusions: This trial shows that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is associated with short-term subclinical cardiovascular benefits against PM2.5 exposure among healthy young adults in China. (Effect of Dietary Supplemental Fish Oil in Alleviating Health Hazards Associated With Air Pollution; NCT03255187). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) air pollution has been associated with increased airway inflammation, but the roles of various PM 2.5 constituents remain to be determined. Objectives To investigate the acute effects of PM 2.5 constituents on fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a well-established biomarker of respiratory inflammation. Methods A longitudinal panel study was performed among 32 healthy young adults in Shanghai, China from January 12th to February 6th, 2015. FeNO was repeatedly measured, 6–8 times per subject. Real-time mass concentration of ambient PM 2.5 and chemical constituents were obtained from a nearby monitoring station. Linear mixed-effect models were applied to evaluate the association between FeNO and PM 2.5 constituents, with the adjustment of age, gender, body mass index, temperature, relative humidity and day of week. The robustness of constituents’ effects was also evaluated. Results A total of 234 effective measurements of FeNO were obtained with a geometric mean of 13.1 ppb. The PM 2.5 -FeNO associations were strongest at lags of 0–6 h and diminished at lags longer than 12 h. An interquartile range increase in PM 2.5 constituents (NH 4 + , NO 3 − , K + , SO 4 2− and elemental carbon) at lags of 0–6 h were significantly associated with increments in FeNO by 12.3%, 11.3%, 11.1%, 9.6% and 10.7%, respectively. After controlling for PM 2.5 total mass and the colinearity, only elemental carbon remained significant. Conclusion Several chemical constituents of PM 2.5 may impact FeNO following acute exposure. Elemental carbon in particular may be the primary component responsible for increased airway inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: There is only limited monitoring data of black carbon for epidemiologic analyses. In the current study, we used the distributed lag models to evaluate the association between mortality outcomes (both total and cause-specific) and exposure to black carbon and fine particle (PM2.5) in Shanghai, China. During our research period, the mean daily concentrations of black carbon and PM2.5 were 3.9μg/m3 and 53.9μg/m3, respectively. The regression results showed that black carbon was significantly associated with total and cardiovascular mortality, but not with respiratory mortality. An inter-quartile range increase (2.7μg/m3) of black carbon corresponded to a 2.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.6–4.1), 3.2% (95% CI: 0.6–5.7), and 0.6% (95% CI: −4.5 to 5.7) increase in total, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, respectively. When adjusted for PM2.5, the effects of black carbon increased and remained statistically significant; in contrast, the associations of PM2.5 with daily mortality decreased and became statistically insignificant after adjustment for black carbon. To our knowledge, this is the first study in China, or even in Asian developing countries, to report the acute effect of black carbon and PM2.5 on daily mortality simultaneously. Our findings suggest that black carbon is a valuable additional air quality indicator to evaluate the health risks of ambient particles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Phage therapy is gaining momentum as an alternative to antibiotics in the treatment of salmonellosis caused by Salmonella. In this study, a novel Salmonella phage, vB&#95;SalS&#95;JNS02, was isolated successfully from poultry farms in Shandong, China. The biological characteristics of vB&#95;SalS&#95;JNS02 were analysed, which revealed a short latent period of approximately 10 min and a burst size of 110 PFU/cell. Moreover, vB&#95;SalS&#95;JNS02 exhibited remarkable stability across a wide pH range (pH 3-12) and temperatures ranging from 30 to 80°C. Genome sequencing analysis provided valuable insights into the genetic composition of vB&#95;SalS&#95;JNS02, which consists of a double-stranded DNA genome that spans 42,450 base pairs and has a G + C content of 49.4%. Of significant importance, the genomic sequence of vB&#95;SalS&#95;JNS02 did not contain any genes related to lysogenicity, virulence, or antibiotic resistance. The phage's efficacy was evaluated in a larval challenge study. Treatment with the phage resulted in increased survival of Galleria mellonella larvae (100, 70, and 85%) (MOI 0.1) in the prophylactic treatment, co-infection treatment, and remedial treatment experiments, respectively. Another in vivo experiment investigated the potential application of the phage in broiler chickens and revealed that a single oral dose of vB&#95;SalS&#95;JNS02 (10 8 PFU/mL, 100 µL/chick) administered 3 h after S. enteritidis oral administration provided effective protection. The introduction of bacteriophage not only enhances the production of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), but also induces alterations in the composition of the gut microbial community. Phage therapy increases the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria, which helps to maintain intestinal barrier homeostasis. However, it is unable to fully restore the disrupted intestinal microbiome caused by S. enteritidis infection. Importantly, no significant adverse effects were observed in the animal subjects following oral administration of the phage, and our findings highlight vB&#95;SalS&#95;JNS02 is a hopeful candidate as a promising tool to target Salmonella infections in poultry., Competing Interests: DISCLOSURES The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Lulu Li reports financial support was provided by Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Sarcopenia can lead to significant personal, social, and economic burdens. The diagnosis of sarcopenia heavily relies on the identification of Low Skeletal Muscle Mass (LSMM), which is an independent predictor of frailty, disability, and increased risk of death among seniors. Women have physiologically lower levels of skeletal muscle mass than men, and female sarcopenia appears to be more influenced by menopause. They also tend to have higher body fat levels than man, which increases the risk of sarcopenia obesity. On another front, it's also recognized that humans are largely prone to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, with global prevalence rates often surpassing 50%. Nevertheless, the interconnection between H. pylori infection and LSMM remains relatively unexplored. Hence, our study specifically targeted women as the research population and sought to explore several risk factors for LSMM. Additionally, we delved into the potential correlation between LSMM and H. pylori infection in women, hoping to gain insights into potential preventative measures or treatment options that may enhance the quality of life for women affected by sarcopenia., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among women aged over 18 years undergoing physical examination. We performed 13C-urea breath test (UBT) for diagnosis of H. pylori infection and Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) for the assessment of LSMM. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations of H. pylori infection with LSMM., Results: This study enrolled 1984 Chinese women who were undergoing health check-ups. A univariate logistic regression analysis did not reveal a direct correlation between H. pylori infection and LSMM among this female population (OR=1.149, 95% CI 0.904-1.459, p =0.257). Yet, upon dividing the participants into age-based subgroups, an evident link was observed between H. pylori infection and LSMM in women aged 40 or above (OR=1.381, 95%CI 1.032-1.848, p = 0.030). After adjusting for variables including Age, BMI, TP, ALK, Cre, this relationship remained statistically relevant (OR=1.514, 95%CI 1.085-2.113, p = 0.015)., Conclusions: Women who are over 40 years old and currently infected with H. pylori have an increased risk of developing LSMM. Therefore, timely treatment for H. pylori eradication is recommended for this group of women to reduce the occurrence of LSMM., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Xu, Qian, Jin, Chen, Fu, Chen and Zhu.)

Introduction: Numerous studies have reported the modification of particulate matters (PMs) on the association between cold temperature and health. However, it remains uncertain whether the modification effect may vary by size of PMs, especially in Shandong Province, China where the disease burdens associated with cold temperature and PMs are both substantial. This study aimed to examine various interactive effects of cold exposure and ambient PMs with diameters ≤1/2.5 μm (PM1 and PM2.5) on premature deaths in Shandong Province, China., Methods: In the 2013-2018 cold seasons, data on daily mortality, PM1 and PM2.5, and weather conditions were collected from the 1822 sub-districts of Shandong Province. A time-stratified case-crossover study design was performed to quantify the cumulative association between ambient cold and mortality over lag 0-12 days, with a linear interactive term between temperature and PM1 and PM2.5 additionally added into the model., Results: The mortality risk increased with temperature decline, with the cumulative OR of extreme cold (-16.9°C, the 1st percentile of temperature range) being 1.83 (95% CI: 1.66, 2.02), compared with the minimum mortality temperature. The cold-related mortality risk was 2.20 (95%CI: 1.83, 2.64) and 2.24 (95%CI: 1.78, 2.81) on high PM1 and PM2.5 days, which dropped to 1.60 (95%CI: 1.39, 1.84) and 1.60 (95%CI: 1.37, 1.88) on low PM1 and PM2.5 days. PM1 showed greater modification effect for per unit concentration increase than PM2.5. For example, for each 10?g/m3 increase in PM1 and PM2.5, the mortality risk associated with extreme cold temperature increased by 7.6% (95% CI: 1.3%, 14.2%) and 2.6% (95% CI: -0.7%, 5.9%), respectively., Discussion: The increment of smaller PMs' modification effect varied by population subgroups, which was particularly strong in the elderly aged over 75 years and individuals with middle school education and below. Specific health promotion strategies should be developed towards the greater modification effect of smaller PMs on cold effect., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhao, Chu, Xu, Cao, Schikowski, Geng, Chen, Bai, Hu, Xia, Ma, Liu, Lu, Guo and Zhao.)

Objectives: To provide a guideline for assessing the occupational exposure to nanomaterials in workplaces in China., Methods: Based on the basic requirement for the sampling of harmful substances, condensation particle counter/optical particle counter (CPC/OPC) was selected as the tool and the total number concentration (TNC) was used as an index to measure engineering nanomaterials in workplaces., Results: The strategy included instrument preparation, identification of particle-emission source, particle-property analysis, measurement of background concentration, concentration measurement based on working activity, concentration calculation and analysis, and recording of measurements., Conclusions: The draft guideline based on traditional industrial hygiene practices can be used to identify the emission source of nanomaterials, qualitatively and quantitatively assess exposure to nanomaterials in workplaces., (© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Occupational Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Japan Society for Occupational Health.)

Acephalic spermatozoa is an extremely rare disease associated with primary infertility. A recent study showed that genetic alterations in the SUN5 gene lead to this disease, and SUN5 mutations could explain the disease in about half of the patients. Therefore, in the present study, to re-visit the genetic contribution of SUN5 mutations to acephalic spermatozoa, we recruited 15 unrelated affected individuals and screened the SUN5 gene for mutations by whole-exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing. Five of the 15 (33.33%) subjects were found to carry the same homozygous mutation in the SUN5 gene c.381delA (p.V128Sfs*7). Neither homozygous nor compound heterozygous mutations in SUN5 were found in the other 10 patients. The c.381delA mutation resulted in the truncation of the SUN5 protein and decreased the expression and altered the distribution of the outer dense fiber 1 (ODF1) protein. Thus, in our study SUN5 mutations accounted for only one-third of the patients in our cohort, which is lower than the percentage reported previously. Thus, our study suggests that the contribution of SUN5 mutations to acephalic spermatozoa might not be as high as described previously. These results will help in the genetic counseling of patients with acephalic spermatozoa., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Short-term associations between size-fractionated particulate matter (PM) air pollution and circulating biomarkers are not well established, especially among diabetes patients., Methods: We conducted a longitudinal panel study involving 6 repeated measurements of 12 circulating biomarkers among 35 diabetes patients from April to June, 2013 in Shanghai, China. Real-time number and mass concentrations of PM with multiple size fractions between 0.25 and 10 μm were measured. Linear mixed-effect models were used to explore the associations between size-fractionated PM concentrations and blood biomarkers at different time windows., Results: Short-term exposure to PM was significantly associated with elevated levels of 5 biomarkers of inflammation, 3 biomarkers of coagulation and 1 vasoconstrictor. The effects varied considerably by particle size and time windows. Overall, PM with smaller size had stronger associations, and the most significant size fractions were 0.25-0.40 μm. Even 2 h exposure to PM can lead to a significant increase in biomarkers. The effects on biomarkers of inflammation and vasoconstriction were restricted to the first 12h after exposure, but the effects on coagulation persisted for 24-72 h. For example, an interquartile range increase in 2h average exposure to PM(0.25-0.40) was associated with 6-20% increase in biomarkers of inflammation, 19-38% in coagulation and 17% in vasoconstriction. PM had a stronger effect among male patients than female patients., Conclusions: Our results provided important evidence on the roles of the size and time windows of exposure in the PM-mediated effects on circulating biomarkers of inflammation, coagulation and vasoconstriction in diabetes patients in China., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Existing studies found paradoxical effects of carbon monoxide (CO) on human health. Carbon monoxide (CO), at high concentrations, is a well-known toxicant, but recent studies suggest that CO at low concentrations may have protective health effects under certain conditions., Objectives: To investigate the acute effect of ambient CO on hospital admission for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Shanghai, China., Methods: Daily data on COPD admissions and CO concentrations between 2006 and 2008 were collected. We applied over-dispersed generalized additive Poisson models, adjusted for weather conditions, day of the week and public holidays, long-term and seasonal trends., Results: During the study period, the average CO concentration was 1.3mg/m(3), well below the international health-based standard. Negative associations were found between ambient CO concentration and daily COPD hospitalization. An interquartile range increase (0.6 mg/m(3)) in CO concentration at lag 3 day corresponded to -2.97% (95% confidence interval: -4.63%, -1.31%) change in COPD hospitalization. The negative associations were robust after adjustment for co-pollutants (PM10, NO2 and SO2). The protective effect of CO appeared to be more evident in the cool season., Conclusion: Short-term exposure to CO at low ambient concentration may be associated with reduced risk of COPD hospitalization. Our results may contribute to a comprehensive understanding on the health effects of ambient CO., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

To investigate the relationship between amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and candidate gene polymorphisms in a Chinese population, 116 aMCI patients and 93 normal controls were recruited. Multi-dimensional neuropsychological tests were used to extensively assess the cognitive functions of the subjects. MassARRAY and iPLEX systems were used to measure candidate single nucleotide polymorohisms (SNPs) and analyse allelic, genotypic or haplotypic distributions. The scores of the neuropsychological tests were significantly lower for the aMCI patients than for the normal controls. The distributions of SNPs relating to the amyloid cascade hypothesis (TOMM40 rs157581 G and TOMM40 rs2075650 G), to the cholesterol metabolism hypothesis (ApoE rs429358 C, LDLR rs11668477 G and CH25H rs7091822 T and PLAU rs2227564 CT) and to the tau hypothesis (MAPT/STH rs242562 GG) in aMCI were significantly different than those in normal controls. Interactions were also found in aMCI amongst SNPs in LDLR rs11668477, PLAU rs2227564, and TOMM40 rs157581, between SNPs in TOMM40 rs157580 and BACE2 rs9975138. The study suggests that aMCI is characterised by memory impairment and associated with SNPs in three systems relating to the pathogenesis of AD--those of the amyloid cascade, tau and cholesterol metabolism pathways. Interactions were also observed between genes in the amyloid pathway and between the amyloid and cholesterol pathways.