Health Risk Assessment of Petrol Station Workers in the Inner City of Bangkok,Thailand, to the Exposure to BTEX and Carbonyl Compounds by Inhalation

The occupational health risk of petrol station workers from exposure to BTEX and carbonyl compounds via inhalation was estimated in the inner city of Bangkok. Personal sampling was performed within the workers’ breathing zone using 2,4 dinitrophenylhydrazine cartridges and charcoal glass tubes connected to a personal air pump during eight working hours at six petrol stations. BTEX and carbonyl compounds were quantitatively analyzed by GC/FID and HPLC/UV, respectively. Of all detectable BTEX and carbonyl compounds, the levels of the four most prevalent compounds (benzene, ethylbenzene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde) were used to assess the lifetime cancer risk and 95% confidence interval of the risk levels were found to be totally higher than acceptable criteria for benzene (1.82 × 10^–4–2.50 × 10^–4), formaldehyde (7.81 × 10^–6–1.04 × 10^–5), ethylbenzene (4.11 × 10^–6–5.52 × 10^–6), and acetaldehyde (1.39 × 10^–6–2.45 × 10^–6). Thus, petrol station workers in the inner city of Bangkok have a potentially high cancer risk through inhalation exposure. With respect to the noncarcinogenic agents, toluene, m,p-xylene, o-xylene, and propionaldehyde, all non-cancer health risk were within hazard quotients of 1 and of acceptable risk.     

复方安神精油吸入给药的镇静催眠作用及化学成分的GC-MS分析

为研究复方安神精油吸入给药的镇静催眠作用,本实验采用动物自主活动测试和戊巴比妥钠诱导的睡眠潜伏期与睡眠时间实验:GC-MS分析复方安神精油的挥发性化学成分与入脑的主要化学成分;基于网络药理学预测和筛选出治疗失眠症相关靶蛋白与活性成分,旨在为复方安神精油治疗与改善失眠症提供理论依据。研究发现,复方安神精油具有镇静催眠作用,可显著减少动物自主活动,缩短睡眠潜伏期,延长睡眠时间;复方安神精油主要化学成分与入脑主要化学成分中含有多种具有神经中枢镇静催眠作用以及抗焦虑、抗抑郁作用的化学成分;基于网络药理学预测和筛选出25个治疗失眠症相关活性成分作用于39个治疗失眠症相关作用靶点,体现复方安神精油多成分、多靶点发挥镇静催眠作用的特点。     

布地奈德混悬液雾化吸入治疗小儿急性喉炎的临床观察

目的：观察布地奈德混悬液雾化吸入治疗小儿急性喉炎的临床疗效。方法：选择2010年6月~2012年12月我院收治的急性喉炎患儿67例为研究对象,并将其随机分为对照组和观察组,两组均给予相同的综合性治疗。在此基础上,对照组仅通过静脉给予地塞米松,观察组在地塞米松静脉给药的同时,加用布地奈德混悬液雾化吸入治疗。治疗后,观察和比较两组患儿的症状、体征缓解时间及住院时间。结果：观察组声音嘶哑、犬吠样咳嗽、喉喘呜、吸气性呼吸困难的缓解时间及住院时间均明显短于对照组,观察组雾化吸入布地奈德4h、24h时的临床疗效明显优于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）,两组均无不良反应的发生。结论：布地奈德混悬液雾化吸入治疗小儿急性喉炎起效快,病程短,方法简单,不良反应少。     

莫西沙星溶液雾化吸入治疗COPD合并呼吸衰竭的疗效

目的:探讨莫西沙星溶液雾化吸入治疗慢性阻塞性肺病(COPD)合并呼吸衰竭的疗效。方法:选择2014年5月~2016年5月于我院就诊的94例COPD合并呼吸衰竭患者,参照抽签法分为对照组(n=47)与研究组(n=47),对照组行常规治疗,研究组基于对照组加用莫西沙星溶液雾化吸入治疗。比较两组的疗效,血清肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)、C反应蛋白(CRP)、白细胞介素10(IL-10)水平、肌酸磷酸激酶(CK)、谷草转氨酶(AST)水平,血氧分压(PaO_2)、二氧化碳分压(PaCO_2),APACHEⅡ评分和不良反应的发生情况。结果:治疗后,研究组的总有效率显著高于对照组(P0.05),血清TNF-α、CRP、CK、LDH、AST、PaCO_2、APACHEⅡ评分均明显低于对照组(P0.05),血清IL-10、PaO_2水平均高于对照组(P0.05)。两组不良反应的发生情况比较差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:莫西沙星溶液雾化吸入治疗COPD合并呼吸衰竭的疗效确切,可能与其有效抑制炎症反应,改善呼吸有关。     

布地奈德福莫特罗治疗支气管哮喘患者的临床疗效及对患者血清炎性因子水平的影响

目的:探讨布地奈德福莫特罗吸入治疗对慢性支气管哮喘患者的临床疗效及其对患者血清炎性因子水平、肺功能和生活质量的影响。方法:选择2014年2月至2016年2月于我院呼吸内科就诊并确诊为慢性支气管哮喘患者123例,根据随机数字表法分为观察组65例和对照组58例。比较两组患者治疗前后血清白介素17(IL-17)、白介素33(IL-33)、基质金属蛋白酶9(MMP-9)、肺功能、生活质量评分的变化、临床疗效有效率及不良反应的发生情况。结果:观察组的总有效率为92.3%(60/65),显著高于对照组(81.03%,P0.05)。治疗后,两组患者的血清IL-17、IL-33水平与治疗前相比均显著降低(P0.05),且观察组显著低于对照组(P0.05);两组血清MMP-9水平与治疗前相比差异均无统计学意义(P0.05);观察组患者的第一秒用力呼吸容积(FEV1)、峰值呼气流速(PEF)与第一秒用力呼气容积与用力肺活量比值(FEV1/FVC)水平均明显增加,且观察组上述指标明显高于对照组(P0.05);圣.乔治呼吸问卷(SGRQ)评分结果显示观察组患者的生活质量显著高于对照组患者。结论:布地奈德福莫特罗吸入治疗对慢性支气管哮喘临床效果显著,可显著控制炎症反应,改善肺功能,显著提升患者生活质量。     

The silver lining: towards the responsible and limited usage of silver

Silver has attracted a lot of attention as a powerful, broad spectrum and natural antimicrobial agent since the ancient times because of its nontoxic nature to the human body at low concentrations. It has been used in treatment of various infections and ulcers, storage of water and prevention of bacterial growth on the surfaces and within materials. However, there are numerous medical and health benefits of colloidal or nanosilver apart from its microbicidal ability which as yet has not been fully embraced by the medical community. These include antiplatelet activity, antioxidant effect, anticancer activity, wound healing and bone regeneration, enhancement of immunity, and increase in antibiotic efficiency. Additionally silver also provides protection against alcohol toxicity, upper respiratory tract infections and stomach ailments. Although nanosilver has been proposed for various topical applications, its usage by ingestion and inhalation remains controversial due to the lack of detailed and precise toxicity information. These beneficial properties of silver can be utilized by using silver at very low concentrations which are not harmful to the human body and environment. The following review discusses the diverse medical applications of silver and further recommends human clinical studies for its in vivo usage.     

Uptake Kinetics,Species Differences,and the Determination of Equivalent Combinations of Air Concentration and Exposure Duration for Assessment of Acute Inhalation Toxicity

For acute inhalation toxicity assessment, I develop a conceptual framework for expressing combinations of intensity (air concentration) and duration that produce equivalent toxicity by examining how the shape of the body-burden uptake curve during a bout of inhalation interacts with various pharmacodynamic measures of the critical body burden needed to produce toxicity. If toxicity depends on attaining a critical tissue concentration, three existing empirical approaches—Haber's Law, the ten Berge equation, and pure air-concentration-dependence—are but local approximations to different parts of an overarching mathematical relationship. The compound-specific half-life of elimination determines the range of durations for which each applies: durations of one half-life or shorter follow Haber's Law, exposures of 4 or more half-lives follow pure air-concentration-dependence, and intermediate durations can be approximated by the ten Berge equation. Better animal-to-human extrapolation is achieved if exposure durations are expressed as number of species-specific half-lives. I consider several alternative pharmacodynamic criteria, such as the dependence of toxicity on time spent above a critical tissue concentration, or on the area under the tissue concentration curve, on the tissue concentration of a toxic metabolite, or on the imbalance of damage and repair processes.     

Exposure to Dishwashing Liquid Assessed in University Students from Brest City: A Preliminary Study—A First Approach to Household Products Exposure in France

In recent years, more attention has been paid to exposure of the general population to household products. In order to assess exposure, it is necessary to generate exposure data. For this reason, a preliminary study of dishwashing liquid contact on Brest university students was performed. Dishwashing liquid is frequently used and when it is improperly mixed it can liberate harmful molecules. As for university students, they may have a repetitive contact with dishwashing liquid during their academic studies. Relevant parameters as frequency of dishwashing, duration, and amount of dishwashing liquid were assessed from questionnaires and laboratory tests. Tests revealed that overall no difference between the sexes and the type of residential household on dishwashing was present on this population. Amount of washed items and duration was significantly correlated, which could seem logical but remarkable considering the lack of correlation between other parameters. Values of 1.39 and 58.8 μg/kg bw/day for the 95th percentile of dermal and inhalation probabilistic exposure were found, respectively. Dermal exposure coincides with deterministic published data. In the case of inhalation exposure no published data are available. Higher inhalation exposure value may show that dermal exposure is diminished by high dilution of dishwashing liquid in water.     

金莲花液雾化吸入对慢性鼻窦炎功能性内窥镜术后患者鼻通气功能、生活质量和血清炎性因子的影响

目的:探讨金莲花液雾化吸入对慢性鼻窦炎(CRS)功能性内窥镜术后患者鼻通气功能、生活质量和血清炎性因子的影响。方法:选取2017年10月~2019年8月期间我院收治的CRS功能性内窥镜术后患者160例,采用随机数字表法将患者分为对照组(n=80)和研究组(n=80),对照组术后在常规治疗的基础上予以鼻腔生理盐水雾化吸入治疗,研究组在常规治疗的基础上予以金莲花液雾化吸入治疗,比较两组患者鼻通气功能[鼻腔最小截面积(NMCSA)、鼻腔容积(NV)]、生活质量和血清炎性因子[白介素-5(IL-5)、肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)、降钙素原(PCT)]及预后相关指标。结果:两组患者治疗10 d后NMCSA、NV均升高,且研究组高于对照组(P<0.05)。两组治疗10 d后情感职能、躯体疼痛、社会功能、生理功能、精神健康、活力、生理职能、总体健康的维度评分均升高,且研究组高于对照组(P<0.05)。两组治疗10 d后血清IL-5、TNF-α、PCT水平均较治疗前下降,且研究组低于对照组(P<0.05)。研究组术腔清洁时间、上皮化时间均短于对照组(P<0.05);研究组鼻黏液纤毛传输速度高于对照组(P<0.05)。结论:金莲花液雾化吸入治疗CRS功能性内窥镜术后患者,可有效改善其鼻通气功能及生活质量,抑制炎性反应,促进患者恢复。     

Treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a presumed autoimmune disease of the liver, which predominantly affects middle age women. Most patients are diagnosed when asymptomatic. The disease is characterised by chronic, granulomatous inflammation of the small bile ducts, which leads to progressive ductopenia, cholestasis, fibrosis, cirrhosis and eventual liver failure. All PBC patients with abnormal liver biochemistry should be considered for therapy. Ursodeoxycholic acid (URSO) treatment reduces intracellular hydrophobic bile acid levels and thereby may have a cytoprotective effect on cell membranes. URSO may also act as an immunomodulating agent. Multicenter randomised controlled trials proved that the treatment is associated with a marked improvement in serum biochemical markers of cholestasis, i.e. bilirubin, ALP, GGT, including fall in serum cholesterol levels. Treatment does not seem to benefit the symptoms of fatigue, pruritus, and osteoporosis. UDCA has been shown when given in a dose of 15 mg/kg daily for up to 4 years to prolong the time to liver transplantation or death. Immunosuppressive therapy: based on the immunological abnormalities, several immunosuppressive drugs have been tested. Neither azathioprine nor cyclosporine was found in large enough trials to show beneficial effect on survival. D-penicillamine, cholchicin, methotrexát, prednisolone were found without significant long-term benefit. Combination therapy with URSO and budenoside appears to add some benefit to URSO monotherapy, but further studies are needed. Liver transplantation. The most crucial question is the timing. Serum bilirubin, Mayo risk score and some other factors such as uncontrollable pruritus and severe osteoporosis influence the decision. Recurrence of PBC in allograft is rare, the progress is slow, and is no reason for not recommending transplantation. Symptomatic treatment of pruritus, sicca syndrome and preventive treatment of osteoporosis, neuropathy and fat soluble vitamin deficiency is also important.