[Revelation of the list of occupational diseases and diagnostic criteria for occupational diseases]

The list of occupational diseases reflecting the latest advances in the identification and recognition of occupational diseases, and providing guidance on the protection of workers' health rights and interests and the prevention, recording, notification and compensation of related occupational diseases. Diagnostic criteria for occupational diseases are an important basis for making diagnoses attributable to occupational diseases, and provide a theoretical basis for health monitoring of occupational groups and occupational hygiene supervision. This thesis starts with the definition of the occupational disease elaborates in detail the development history of list of occupational diseases in International Labour Organization (ILO) , compares the list of occupational diseases in China (2013 version) with the list of occupational diseases in international (2010 version) , and then introduces in detail the latest diagnostic standards of the major occupational diseases. And finally, it puts forward relevant suggestions on the list and diagnostic level of China's occupational diseases, so as to provide certain insights for the further improvement of the list and diagnostic standards of occupational diseases.

[Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Black Carbon Over the Eastern Tibetan Plateau]

As the most important absorbing aerosol, black carbon (BC) can affect radiation, clouds, and surface snow cover over the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, the BC mass concentrations were measured using a seven-channel aethalometer (AE-33) in Litang County over the eastern Tibetan Plateau from July 5 to September 5, 2017. The aethalometer model, potential source contribution function (PSCF), and concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) models were used to analyze the variation characteristics, potential sources, and affecting areas of BC. The results showed that the mass concentration of ρ(BC) in Litang ranged from 0.4 to 4699.8 ng·m^-3, with an average value of 816.4 ng·m^-3, accounting for 5.96% of PM_2.5. The average mass concentrations of ρ(BC_liquid) and ρ(BC_solid) in Litang were 486.1 ng·m^-3 and 398.5 ng·m^-3, respectively, with a C of 0.51. The ρ(BC) mass concentration was mainly distributed from 0-2000 ng·m^-3, which accounted for 92.5% of the total observation period. The diurnal variation in BC, BC_liquid, and BC_solid showed a bimodal distribution, with the peaks appearing at 08:00 and 20:00, respectively. The first peak was mainly related to traffic sources and incomplete combustion of carbonaceous materials, whereas the second peak was mainly related to incomplete combustion of carbonaceous materials. The potential sources and affecting areas of PM_2.5 and BC were different. Imports from abroad had a greater impact on the concentrations of PM_2.5 and BC in Litang, and the affecting areas were mainly transmitted to the northeast in China. The high-value centers were mainly concentrated in the surrounding areas of Litang.

[Analysis of Pollution Characteristics and Sources of PM2.5 Chemical Components in Chengdu in Winter]

Day-night PM_2.5 samples were continuously collected in Chengdu from January 1 to 20, 2017, and the concentrations of major chemical components (water-soluble ions and carbonaceous components) were measured in the laboratory. During the observation period, the average mass concentration of PM_2.5 was (127.1±59.9) μg·m^-3. The mass concentration of water-soluble ions was (56.5±25.7) μg·m^-3 and SO₄^2-, NO₃^-, and NH₄⁺ were the most dominant ions with a concentration of (13.6±5.5), (21.4±12.0), and (13.3±5.7) μg·m^-3, respectively, accounting for 85.6% of the water-soluble ions. The average mass concentrations of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were 34.0 and 6.1 μg·m^-3, respectively, accounting for 26.8% and 4.8% of the PM_2.5 mass concentration, respectively. The comparison of the average day-night concentration shows that the daytime and nighttime mass concentrations of PM_2.5 are (120.4±56.4) and (133.8±64.0) μg·m^-3, respectively, and that the nighttime pollution is more serious. The SO₄^2-, NO₃^-, and NH₄⁺ concentrations are higher during the day than at night, which is related to daytime light, which promotes the formation of secondary ions. The Cl^-, K⁺, OC, and EC concentrations increase significantly, which may be affected by increased emissions from coal and material combustion. Based on the literature review and comparison of the winter chemical composition of PM_2.5 in Chengdu in recent years, the SO₄^2- concentration significantly decreases from 50.6 μg·m^-3 in 2010 to 13.6 μg·m^-3 in 2017. The NO₃^- concentration changes little; it is maintained at~20 μg·m^-3. The analysis of the acid-alkali ion balance shows that PM_2.5 in Chengdu is alkaline due to the relative overgrowth of NH₄⁺, which is different from previous partially acidic results. The average value of NO₃^-/SO₄^2- is 1.57. Mobile sources have a greater impact on the PM_2.5 pollution in Chengdu in winter. The correlation coefficients of OC and EC between daytime and nighttime are 0.82 and 0.90, respectively (P<0.01), which indicates that the OC and EC sources are consistent. The SOC estimation shows that the SOC concentrations during the day and night are 8.5 μg·m^-3 and 11.9 μg·m^-3, respectively, accounting for 28.1% and 30.8% of the OC, respectively. The K⁺/EC average value is 0.31 and the correlation coefficient between K⁺ and OC is 0.87 (P<0.01), indicating that biomass combustion has a certain influence on the carbonaceous aerosol in Chengdu in winter. The principal component analysis shows that the winter PM_2.5 in Chengdu mainly originates from combustion sources (coal burning, biomass burning, etc.), secondary inorganic sources, and soil and dust sources. The contribution rates are 32.8%, 34.5%, and 21.5%, respectively.

[Pollution Characteristics of Aerosol Number Concentration in Winter and Spring in a Northern Suburb of Nanjing]

Using APS-3321, the atmospheric aerosol number concentrations (0.5-20 μm) were continuously monitored to analyze the characteristics of winter and spring pollution in 2014 in a northern suburb of Nanjing. The average number concentrations were (364.8±297.8) cm^-3 and (79.6±62.4) cm^-3 in winter and spring, respectively; fine particles (0.5-1.0 μm) accounted for 87.8% and 86.6% of the total, respectively. There were significant variations in number concentration at different periods. The diurnal variations in number concentrations were evident with high concentrations at night and low concentrations during the day. The early peaks were at 07:00 and 09:00, and number concentrations began to increase rapidly starting at 17:00 and 18:00 in winter and spring, respectively. The distribution of the number concentrations was unimodal, with peak sizes between 0.583 and 0.626 μm in winter and less than 0.542 μm in spring. With the increase in relative humidity, aerosol number concentrations increased gradually; at the same time, the peak size moved to a larger diameter which reflected the influence of hygroscopic growth of aerosols. During the total observation period, it reached 83.3% of the proportion of hazy days. The number concentration of particles less than 2.0 μm increased significantly with the increase in the haze pollution level, which was more obvious in winter. In spring, the proportion of fine particles increased with the increase in the haze level but in winter, it decreased during hazy days due to a significant increase in particle size caused by aging. The analysis of the typical pollution process in January indicated that there was a strong correlation between the source of air mass and the surface wind direction. Pollutants transmitted from the northern Jiangsu Province and the accumulation of pollutants due to slow winds were important causations of the pollution process.

[Pollution Characteristics and Light Extinction Contribution of Water-soluble Ions of PM2.5 in Hangzhou]

The pollution characteristics and light extinction contribution of water-soluble ions of PM_2.5 in Hangzhou were investigated by sampling and laboratory analysis of aerosol samplers in 2013. The water-soluble ions were dominant in PM_2.5 and the total mass concentration was 37.5 μg·m^-3, accounting for 44.4% of the PM_2.5 mass concentration. Water-soluble ions were mainly composed of secondary ions(SO₄^2-,NO₃^- and NH₄⁺), which accounted for 83.4% of total ions. The highest mass concentrations of PM_2.5 and major ions were observed in winter and the lowest in summer. The proportions of water-soluble ions in PM_2.5 in summer and autumn were obviously higher than those in winter and spring and proportions of secondary ions in water-soluble ions were very close in each season. The contribution was the greatest to PM_2.5 from secondary ions generation caused by fuel combustion and automobile exhaust. The annual average values of SOR and NOR were 0.27 and 0.15 respectively, the conversion rate of SO₂ in atmosphere was greater than that of NO_x. There was obvious positive correlation between SOR or NOR and humidity which indicated the important contribution of heterogeneous oxidation process to the generation of SO₄^2- and NO₃^-. The annual average of[NO₃^-]/[SO₄^2-] was 0.63, and the aerosol pollution was primarily affected by emissions from coal burning. In haze days, with the increase of haze pollution level, the mass concentrations of PM_2.5, water-soluble ions, secondary ions as well as SOR and NOR all increased gradually, and the stable weather condition in haze days could efficiently promote the accumulation and secondary conversion of pollutants. There were obvious positive correlations between mass concentrations of PM_2.5 and SNA and the atmospheric light extinction coefficient. The IMPROVE formula which was used to calculate the light extinction coefficients of different chemical components could efficiently indicate the tendency of aerosol scattering. The extinction contribution of SNA could reach 60.8%. The extinction coefficient of SNA was the highest in winter and lowest in summer, and its value and contribution proportion both increased gradually as the haze pollution level rose.

A large-scale analysis study on the clinical and viral characteristics of hepatitis B infection with concurrence of hepatitis B surface or E antigens and their corresponding antibodies

Concurrent detection of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HBs antibody or hepatitis B surface E antigen (HBeAg) and anti-HBe antibody in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection is well established. However, the clinical implications of these proteins remain largely unknown. In this study, demographic, clinical, and laboratory data from 124,865 patients with chronic CHB infection were analyzed. Viral genotypes were determined by nested polymerase chain reaction. A chemiluminescent assay was applied to measure HBsAg, HBsAb, HBeAg, HBeAb, and HBcAb in sera. Among 124,865 patients with CHB infection, 324 (0.3%) were concurrently positive for HBsAg and anti-HBs, and 206 (0.2%) were concurrently positive for HBeAg and anti-HBe. The HBeAg+/anti-HBe+ group was composed of younger patients (P < 0.05). Subgenotype B2 was prevalent in HBV patients concurrently positive for HBeAg and anti-HBe, while HBV patients positive for both HBsAg and anti-HBs exhibited the C2 subgenotype. Among 530 concurrent patients, 126 (39%) HBsAg+/anti-HBs+ patients were in the low-replication phase, and 62 (19%) were in the reactivation phase; 87 (42%) HBeAg+/anti-HBe+, and 19 (6%) HBsAg+/anti-HBs+ patients were in the immune clearance phase. In this large-scale analysis, the clinical and viral characteristics of HBV infections with concurrent HBs Ag/antibody or HBe Ag/antibody presentations have been examined, and the results may contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of CHB patients.

[Variation of Size Distribution and the Influencing Factors of Aerosol in Northern Suburbs of Nanjing]

The size distribution of particulate was analyzed by the FA-3 9 stage sampler in Northern-suburb of Nanjing from January to November in 2014. First, the monitoring result from FA-3 was compared with the results of the same period obtained from a medium flow size grading sampler (KC-120H) and online monitoring instrument of the Environmental Protection Agency. The data correlation coefficients were all greater than 0.95. The fine particle concentration from FA-3 was lower by 13.9% and 16.6%, while PM₁₀ concentration was higher by 15.2% and 13.3% respectively. However, the deviations were in the acceptable range of atmospheric sampling which could indicate the accurate classification and sampling of particulate for FA-3. Particulate pollution in Northern-suburb Nanjing was serous in which the annual average concentrations of PM_1.1, PM_2.1 and PM₁₀ were(65.6±37.6), (91.0±54.7) and (168.0±87.0) μg·m^-3 respectively; fine particles dominated and most of them had a diameter of less than 1.1 μm. Particle size distribution was bimodal with peaks at 0.43-0.65 and 9-10 μm; the median diameter was 1.83 μm which was in the accumulation mode. In winter, the concentration of fine particle size was higher and in spring the coarse particle size was higher; in summer, the fine particle size concentration was not significantly reduced but coarse particle size was obviously lower than those in other seasons. The differences of particle size distribution in day and at night were very small in coarse segment and in fine segment, the nocturnal concentrations were mostly higher than diurnal concentrations. The precipitation had cleaning effect for each size range of particulate except in summer and the effect was more distinct in fine particle size. In haze days, with the aggravation of haze level, the particle concentration in the diameter range of 0.43-2.1 μm increased gradually while in this segment the particle concentration was significantly negatively correlated with visibility. Using relative humidity of 70% as the demarcation, the particle size distribution changed significantly:when humidity was greater than 70%, mass concentration of particle with a diameter of less than 0.43 μm reduced significantly but that with diameter range of 0.43-2.1 μm increased obviously which should be related to the particle hygroscopic growth. The air mass sources could be divided into four categories in northern-suburb of Nanjing. Air mass from the northwest with rapid transport velocity was the cleanest in which the fine particle size concentration was significantly lower than those in other directions; the air mass from local and surrounding was the most severely polluted with high concentrations in both fine and coarse segment, its transmission distance was short and wind speed was small which contributed greatly to air pollution of Nanjing with probability of occurrence of pollution reaching 73.9%.

Association of the IFNAR1-17470 and IL-10-592 cytokine variants with susceptibility to chronic hepatitis B viral infections in a Chinese population

An association between the sequence variants of cytokine genes and various clinical outcomes in subjects infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been demonstrated. However, the results are inconsistent and inconclusive. Further studies in other populations and the evaluation of a greater number of individuals may contribute to a better understanding of the influence of the cytokine genetic variants on the evolution of HBV infections. This study was performed to explore the relationships between the sequence variants of TNF-A-308, IFNAR1-17470, and IL-10-592 and the susceptibility to chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in a Chinese population. A total of 160 patients with CHB and 124 individuals who had spontaneously recovered (SR) from hepatitis B were enrolled in the present study. The variants at TNF-A-308, IFNAR1-17470, and IL-10-592 were determined by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and were confirmed by bidirectional DNA sequencing. Significant differences were found between the CHB and the SR groups in the frequency and distribution of the genotypes of both IFNAR1-17470 and IL-10-592 genes. In comparison with the CHB patients with the IFNAR1-17470 G/G variant, the odds ratio (OR) of the CHB patients with the IFNAR1-17470 C/C variant developing chronic hepatitis was 2.06 (95%CI = 1.03-4.14). In addition, the OR of the patients with CHB having the IL-10-592 C/C variant developing chronic hepatitis was 2.77 (95%CI = 1.13-4.57) when compared with that of the patients with the IL-10-592 A/A variant. In conclusion, sequence variants of both the IFNAR1-17470 and IL-10-592 genes were correlated with susceptibility to CHB.

First Report of a Group 16SrI Phytoplasma Associated with Amaranthus hypochondriacus Cladodes in China

Amaranthus spp. are cultivated worldwide as leafy vegetable, cereal, and ornamentals. In China, stems and leaves of Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. are used as a vegetable (2). In July 2010, sporadic amaranth plants exhibiting symptoms of cladodes and spica proliferation were observed in a vegetable garden near Foshan, Guangdong, China. Stem samples were collected from two symptomatic and two asymptomatic plants. Total DNA was extracted with a modified cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method (1). Nested PCR with a combination of phytoplasma-specific universal primer pairs (P1/P7 and R16F2n/R16R2) amplified 16S rDNA sequences with the expected size of 1.2 kb from all samples of symptomatic amaranth plants, but not from the asymptomatic plants (3). Nested PCR products yielded identical AluI, HhaI, HpaII, HaeIII, KpnI, MseI, RsaI, Sau3AI, and TaqI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profiles with chinaberry witches'-broom phytoplasma (16SrI-B subgroup), but different from peanut witches'-broom phytoplasma (16SrII group), jujube witches'-broom phytoplasma (16SrV group), and paulownia witches'-broom phytoplasma (16SrI-D subgroup). Nested PCR products were purified, cloned in pMD18-T Simple Vector (TaKaRa, Dalian, China), and sequenced. The 16S rDNA sequences were identical and deposited in GenBank (Accession No. JF323034). GenBank BLASTn analysis indicated that the amaranth extracts showed as high as 99% sequence identity with the members of 16SrI group phytoplasmas, including those associated with arecanut yellow leaf disease (FJ998269) and aster yellow AY-27 (HM467127). A polygenetic tree was constructed using MEGA 4.0 based on the 16S rDNA sequences of amaranth cladode phytoplasma and other phytoplasmas belonging to 16SrI phytoplasma group. In phylogenetic analysis, the sequences clustered on a single branch with members of 16SrI-B subgroup in the tree. Therefore, the phytoplasma was classified in subgroup 16SrI-B. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a subgroup 16SrI-B phytoplasma associated with diseased A. hypochondriacus in China. References: (1) E. Angelini et al. Vitis 40:79, 2001. (2) M. Costea et al. Econ. Bot. 57:646, 2003. (3) I. M. Lee et al. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 48:1153, 1998.

Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum, pleural and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid using DNA amplification of the MPB 64 protein coding gene and IS6110 insertion element

Two gene sequences specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis were evaluated for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculous (PTB) in pleural fluid (PF), bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) and sputum (Sp). The 240 bp sequence (nts 460-700) coding for the MPB 64 protein coding gene and the 123 bp IS6110 insertion element present in multiple copies in the mycobacterial genome were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction. Fifty-nine clinical specimens were studied. The diagnosis of PTB was confirmed by positive M. tuberculosis cultures in 14 specimens, and by the presence of characteristic histological features of granuloma and Langerhan's giant cells on pleural biopsy in 3 PF specimens through cultures for M. tuberculosis were negative. The remaining 42 specimens were obtained from patient's with non-tuberculosis pulmonary infections or malignancy, and these served as negative controls. Our results showed that the IS6110 insertion element and MPB 64 gene sequence were detected in all 14 culture positive PTB cases, although detection of the latter sequence required both DNA amplification and oligonucleotide hybridization. There was however one false positive specimen with the MPB 64 detection protocol. More importantly, both the MPB 64 sequence and IS6110 insertion element protocols were unable to detect M. tuberculosis DNA in the 3 PF samples diagnosed by histological characteristics on pleural biopsy and culture negative. We conclude that DNA amplification for M. tuberculosis-specific sequences is a useful method for rapid diagnosis of PTB in culture positive specimens. However, the false negative results with TB culture negative cases of tuberculosis pleurisy, limits its usefulness for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy.