Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) is a common cause of foodborne illness. An outbreak of acute gastrointestinal illness occurred at two middle schools in a rural region of Chongqing, China, in 2021. This study aimed to elucidate the outbreak’s characteristics, identify risk factors, and determine the source of contamination. A retrospective cohort study and an environmental investigation were conducted. Vomit samples, anal swabs, and food samples were collected and tested by RT-PCR for 18 species of bacteria and viruses, including B. cereus. Positive samples of B. cereus underwent biochemical experiments and bacterial quantification. A total of 198 cases were reported in this outbreak, with an attack rate of 24.63%. The main symptoms were vomiting (100%), bellyache (83.33%), and dizziness (62.63%). The retrospective cohort study showed a significant association between the outbreak and rice noodles provided by a nearby food manufacturer (RR = 39.63, p < 0.001). B. cereus was detected in 20 vomit samples, three anal swabs, and seven rice noodles samples, with a count exceeding 10³ CFU/g. These findings strongly suggested that the outbreak was linked to B. cereus-contaminated rice noodles. Enhancing food safety surveillance and promoting health measures among schools and food manufacturers in rural areas is crucial to prevent similar incidents in the future in Chongqing, China.

Background: Combined effect of elevated blood pressure and occupational noise exposure on hearing loss have rarely been evaluated among Chinese population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 242,811 participants. Logistic regression model was performed to estimate the independent and combined associations. Results: Compared with participants without occupational noise exposure, the risk of bilateral high-frequency hearing loss (BHFHL) was significantly higher for noise exposure 10 years or more (odds ratio [OR] = 1.29, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.23–1.35). Compared with no hypertension, participants with grade 1 hypertension had higher risk of BHFHL in all age groups (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.09–1.20). As to the combined effect, the highest BHFHL risk was found in males (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.37–1.67), especially among participants with grade 1 hypertension older than 50 years (OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.46–1.88). Conclusions: Elevated blood pressure may synergistically influence hearing loss combined with occupational noise exposure.

Influenza vaccination is the most cost-effective strategy for influenza prevention. Influenza vaccines have been found to be effective against symptomatic and medically attended outpatient influenza illnesses. However, there is currently a lack of data regarding the effectiveness of inactivated influenza vaccines in Chongqing, China. We conducted a prospective observational test-negative design study. Outpatient and emergency cases presenting with influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and available influenza reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were selected and classified as cases (positive influenza RT-PCR) or controls (negative influenza RT-PCR). A total of 7,307 cases of influenza and 7,905 control subjects were included in this study. The overall adjusted influenza vaccine effectiveness (IVE) was 44.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 32.5-54.2%). In the age groups of less than 6 years old, 6-18 years old, and 19-59 years old, the adjusted IVE were 32.2% (95% CI: 10.0-48.9%), 48.2% (95% CI: 30.6-61.4%), and 72.0% (95% CI: 43.6-86.1%). The adjusted IVE for H1N1, H3N2 and B (Victoria) were 71.1% (95% CI: 55.4-81.3%), 36.1% (95% CI: 14.6-52.2%) and 33.7% (95% CI: 14.6-48.5%). Influenza vaccination was effective in Chongqing from 2018 to 2022. Evaluating IVE in this area is feasible and should be conducted annually in the future.

Although studies have shown that work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are common and continue to be a major source of disability and work time loss, there are few reports about elbow WMSDs. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and associated factors of elbow WMSDs. The valid questionnaires of 57501 workers from 15 different industries nationwide were collected and the c² test and logistic regression analysis were applied to reveal the prevalence and risk factors of elbow WMSDs. The findings indicated that the overall prevalence of elbow WMSDs among workers was 7.3%. However, the prevalence of elbow WMSDs in toy manufacturing was 21.3%, which was significantly higher than that in other industries (P < .05). Logistic regression analysis showed that age 40 and above, married, very poor health, left-handedness, lifting weights (more than 20 kg each time), work requiring upper limb or hand force, work in an uncomfortable position, repetitive operations within 1 minute, using vibrating tools, work involving cold, cool draughts, or temperature changes, work being completed in the same workshop, work being done outdoors, frequent dealings with customers, 2 shifts, often working overtime, staff shortage, and often working for colleagues were risk factors for elbow WMSDs. A higer education level, monthly income, and enough rest time were protective factors for elbow WMSDs. Toy manufacturing is a high-risk industry for elbow WMSDs. Promotion of education about ergonomics should be strengthened, and workers’ ergonomics awareness should be improved to reduce the impact of WMSDs.

Although the association between particulate matter(PM_2.5) exposure and congenital heart disease (CHD) has been widely reported, the component-specific effects, critical exposure window period, and multicomponent synergistic effects remain unknown. This study used a case-control design. In our study, we assessed PM_2.5 and its components exposure concentrations during preconception and first trimester of 9152 pregnancies collected from the Chongqing Municipal Birth Defects Surveillance System. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse the effect of PM_2.5 and its components on offspring CHD prevalence. A quantile-based g-computation was also used to analyse the risk of mixed exposure to the components. For all participants, mean daily PM_2.5 exposure was 31.26 and 32.59 μg/m³ during preconception and first trimester, respectively. Black carbon (BC),and unspeciated matter (UM) were significantly associated with overall CHD, Septal Defects (SPD), and Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) risk in the single-pollution model. Sulfates(SO₄^2-), and organic matter (OM) specifically increased the risk of PDA during preconception and first-trimester, respectively. During the first trimester, co-exposure to PM_2.5 components was associated with a 17 % increase (OR = 1.17, 95 % CI: 1.03-1.33) in the overall risk of CHD, a 22 % increase (OR = 1.22, 95 % CI: 1.00-1.50) in SPD, a 29 % increase (OR = 1.29, 95 % CI: 1.05-1.59) in PDA, and a 33 % increase (OR = 1.33, 95 % CI: 1.03-1.72) in other CHD subtypes. In the preconception period, the risk of PDA increased by 38 % (OR = 1.38, 95 % CI: 1.07-1.78). The Marginal Mixture Odds Ratios (MM-ORs) for the combined effects of components during both the preconception and first-trimester periods were higher than those for PM_2.5 alone, highlighting the importance of considering component mixtures. This study suggests that the toxicity of PM_2.5 may be driven by the synergistic effects of its components. BC, SO₄^2-, OM, and UM may interfere with offspring cardiac development through distinct mechanisms during both preconception and the first trimester of pregnancy. These results advocate for component-specific air quality regulations to mitigate CHD risk.