Atmospheric benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) can lead to multiple health injuries. However, what remains uncertain is the effect of long-term exposure to low levels of BTEX. Thus, we determined the BTEX levels in the air from the refueling and office areas in gas stations. Then we collected workers’ (200 refueling vs. 52 office workers) peripheral blood samples to analyze the serum total-superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels. DNA damage was analyzed by the comet assay and micronucleus test in buccal epithelial cells. We found that the levels of BTEX in refueling areas were significantly higher than those in office areas (p < 0.001). The serum T-SOD and GSH of refueling workers were significantly lower than those in office workers (p < 0.001). By contrast, the serum MDA and 8-OHdG of refueling workers were significantly higher than those of office workers (p < 0.001, MDA; p = 0.025, 8-OHdG). Furthermore, tail and Olive tail moments in refueling workers were longer (p = 0.004, tail moment; p = 0.001, Olive tail moment), and the micronucleus rate was higher (p < 0.001) than those in office workers. Taken together, long-term exposure to low levels of BTEX may reduce the antioxidant ability and increase the risk of DNA damage in refueling workers of gas stations.

Few studies have reported on the effects of fixed and rotating shift systems on the prevalence of sleep disturbance. Thus, in this study, the relationships between different work schedules and sleep disturbance in Chinese workers were investigated. A total of 2180 workers aged 19–65 years responded to the self-report questionnaire on shift work schedule (fixed day-shift, fixed night-shift, two-shift or three-shift system), working hours a day, and working days a week, physical effort, subjective sleep quality and subjective mental state. It was found that the rotating shift workers, namely, two- and three-shift workers, exhibited higher risks of sleep disturbance than with the fixed day-shift workers did (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.07to 1.74; and OR 2.19; 95% CI 1.52 to 3.15, respectively). The risk was particularly high among two- or three-shift workers who worked more than 8 hours a day or more than 5 days a week and among three-shift workers who reported both light and heavy physical effort at work. Moreover, the two- and three-shift workers (rotating shift workers) suffered from poorer sleep quality than the fixed night shift workers did (OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.01 to 3.32; and OR 2.94; 95% CI 1.53 to 5.64, respectively). Consequently, rotating shift work (two- and three-shift work) is a risk factor for sleep disturbance, and the fixed work rhythm may contribute to the quality of sleep.

Tobacco use has been implicated as an important factor for poor sleep quality. However, in most studies, the sleep quality of smokers was only assessed though a self-reported questionnaire, without measuring any internal biomarkers that reflect the levels of tobacco exposure. We examined the association of active and passive smoking with sleep quality, assessed smoking exposure using urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HOP) as an internal biomarker, and further explored the relationship between 1-HOP and sleep quality. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Liuzhou city, Guangxi, China. A total of 1787 male enterprise workers were enrolled. The smoking attribute data were collected by self-reported questionnaire, and individual sleep quality was evaluated through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The concentration of urinary 1-HOP was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Compared with non-smoking, active smoking and passive smoking were significantly associated with long sleep latency (odds ratio, OR=1.84, 95% confidence interval, CI=1.28-2.64; 1.45, 1.00-2.11, respectively), short sleep duration (OR=2.72, 95% CI=1.45-5.09; 1.94, 1.01-3.71, respectively), daytime dysfunction (OR=1.54, 95% CI=1.10-2.17; 1.44, 1.02-2.03, respectively), and overall poor sleep quality with PSQI total score >5 (OR=1.41, 95% CI=1.05-1.88; 1.34, 1.00-1.79, respectively). Compared with non-smokers, active smokers had higher urinary 1-OHP concentrations that were significant (p=0.004), while passive smokers had no significant difference in urinary 1-OHP concentration (p=0.344). The high concentration group was significantly associated with daytime dysfunction and overall poor sleep quality with PSQI total score >5 (OR = 1.73, 95% CI=1.06-2.81; 1.76, 1.18-2.63, respectively). Both active smoking and passive smoking are risk factors for poor sleep quality among Chinese male enterprise workers. Active smokers had significantly higher levels of urinary 1-OHP than non-smokers, and high concentration of 1-OHP was associated with daytime dysfunction and overall poor sleep quality.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential trace element, while excessive expose may induce neurotoxicity. Recently, lncRNAs have been extensively studied and it has been confirmed that lncRNAs participate in neural functions and aberrantly expressed lncRNAs are involved in neurological diseases. However, the pathological effects of lncRNAs on Mn-induced neurotoxicity remain unclear. In this study, the expression profiles of lncRNAs and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) were identified in Mn-treated hippocampal neurons and control neurons via microarray. Bioinformatic methods and intersection analysis were also employed. Results indicated that 566, 1161, and 1474 lncRNAs meanwhile 1848, 3228, and 4022 mRNAs were aberrantly expressed in low, intermediate, and high Mn-exposed groups compared with the control group, respectively. Go analysis determined that differentially expressed mRNAs were targeted to biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions. Pathway analysis indicated that these mRNAs were enriched in insulin secretion, cell cycle, and DNA replication. Intersection analysis denominated that 135 lncRNAs and 373 mRNAs were consistently up-regulated while 150 lncRNAs and 560 mRNAs were consistently down-regulated. Meanwhile, lncRNA BC079195 was significantly up-regulated while lncRNAs uc.229- and BC089928 were significantly down-regulated in three comparison groups. The relative expression levels of 3 lncRNAs and 4 mRNAs were validated through qRT-PCR. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to identify the expression patterns of lncRNAs and mRNAs in hippocampal neurons of Sprague–Dawley rats. The results may provide evidence on underlying mechanisms of Mn-induced neurotoxicity, and aberrantly expressed lncRNAs/mRNAs may be useful in further investigations to detect early symptoms of Mn-induced neuropsychiatric disorders in the central nervous system.