PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
BACKGROUND: Occupational noise exposure is a major public health concern, impacting a large workforce worldwide. In this study, we sought to evaluate the serum concentrations of prestin, a cochlear protein that diminishes following noise exposure, and otolin-1, a protein secreted into the bloodstream subsequent to inner ear damage, among three diverse professional categories, each exposed to varying degrees of noise. Helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) pilots and construction workers were considered high-risk groups due to their elevated exposure to occupational noise, whereas office workers were regarded as a low-risk group, reflecting their comparatively minimal noise exposure.
METHODS: The study sample included 60 males, encompassing helicopter pilots, construction laborers, and office workers (n=20, each). Recruitment occurred during standard occupational health visits, with all participants presenting normal clinical audiograms. Serum levels of prestin and otolin-1 were measured in duplicate using commercially available immunoassays and compared across the three professional categories.
RESULTS: HEMS pilots had the lowest mean serum prestin level at 211±27 pg/mL, followed by construction workers at 234±29 pg/mL, and office workers at 269±42 pg/mL (p<0.001, one-way analysis of variance), with all inter-group differences statistically significant (p<0.05, Tukey\'s post hoc tests). For otolin-1, HEMS pilots showed the highest mean at 216±20 pg/mL, with construction workers at 196±22 pg/mL, and office workers at 181±20 pg/mL (p<0.001, one-way analysis of variance). Statistically significant differences were found between HEMS pilots and both other groups for otolin-1 levels (p<0.05, Tukey\'s post hoc tests), but not between construction workers and office workers.
CONCLUSIONS: Serum concentrations of prestin and otolin-1 may differ among healthy individuals according to their occupational noise exposure and have the potential to act as indicators of subclinical inner ear injury. To substantiate these preliminary observations, incorporating exposure assessment, especially via direct measurements of noise and vibration exposure, would markedly improve the reliability of our findings.
METHODS: The study sample included 60 males, encompassing helicopter pilots, construction laborers, and office workers (n=20, each). Recruitment occurred during standard occupational health visits, with all participants presenting normal clinical audiograms. Serum levels of prestin and otolin-1 were measured in duplicate using commercially available immunoassays and compared across the three professional categories.
RESULTS: HEMS pilots had the lowest mean serum prestin level at 211±27 pg/mL, followed by construction workers at 234±29 pg/mL, and office workers at 269±42 pg/mL (p<0.001, one-way analysis of variance), with all inter-group differences statistically significant (p<0.05, Tukey\'s post hoc tests). For otolin-1, HEMS pilots showed the highest mean at 216±20 pg/mL, with construction workers at 196±22 pg/mL, and office workers at 181±20 pg/mL (p<0.001, one-way analysis of variance). Statistically significant differences were found between HEMS pilots and both other groups for otolin-1 levels (p<0.05, Tukey\'s post hoc tests), but not between construction workers and office workers.
CONCLUSIONS: Serum concentrations of prestin and otolin-1 may differ among healthy individuals according to their occupational noise exposure and have the potential to act as indicators of subclinical inner ear injury. To substantiate these preliminary observations, incorporating exposure assessment, especially via direct measurements of noise and vibration exposure, would markedly improve the reliability of our findings.
摘要：
背景：职业噪声暴露是一个主要的公共卫生问题，影响全球范围内的庞大劳动力。在这项研究中,我们试图评估Prestin的血清浓度，一种在噪声暴露后减少的耳蜗蛋白，和otolin-1，一种内耳损伤后分泌到血液中的蛋白质，在三个不同的专业类别中，每个人都受到不同程度的噪音。直升机紧急医疗服务（HEMS）飞行员和建筑工人被认为是高危人群，因为他们暴露于职业噪音。而上班族被认为是低风险人群，反映了他们相对最小的噪声暴露。
方法：研究样本包括60名男性，包括直升机飞行员，建筑工人,和办公室工作人员(每人n=20)。招募发生在标准职业健康访问期间，所有参与者表现出正常的临床听力图。使用市售免疫测定法一式两份测量Prestin和otolin-1的血清水平，并在三个专业类别中进行比较。
结果：HEMS飞行员的平均血清prestin水平最低，为211±27pg/mL，其次是234±29pg/mL的建筑工人，和办公室工作人员的浓度为269±42pg/mL(p<0.001，单向方差分析)，所有组间差异均具有统计学意义（p<0.05，Tukey的事后检验）。对于otolin-1，HEMS飞行员的平均值最高，为216±20pg/mL，建筑工人的浓度为196±22pg/mL，和办公室工作人员的浓度为181±20pg/mL(p<0.001，单向方差分析)。HEMS飞行员和其他两组的otolin-1水平之间存在统计学上的显着差异（p<0.05，Tukey的事后检验），但不是在建筑工人和上班族之间。
结论：根据职业噪声暴露的不同，健康个体的Prestin和otolin-1的血清浓度可能有所不同，并且有可能作为亚临床内耳损伤的指标。为了证实这些初步观察，纳入暴露评估，特别是通过直接测量噪声和振动暴露，将显著提高我们研究结果的可靠性。
方法：研究样本包括60名男性，包括直升机飞行员，建筑工人,和办公室工作人员(每人n=20)。招募发生在标准职业健康访问期间，所有参与者表现出正常的临床听力图。使用市售免疫测定法一式两份测量Prestin和otolin-1的血清水平，并在三个专业类别中进行比较。
结果：HEMS飞行员的平均血清prestin水平最低，为211±27pg/mL，其次是234±29pg/mL的建筑工人，和办公室工作人员的浓度为269±42pg/mL(p<0.001，单向方差分析)，所有组间差异均具有统计学意义（p<0.05，Tukey的事后检验）。对于otolin-1，HEMS飞行员的平均值最高，为216±20pg/mL，建筑工人的浓度为196±22pg/mL，和办公室工作人员的浓度为181±20pg/mL(p<0.001，单向方差分析)。HEMS飞行员和其他两组的otolin-1水平之间存在统计学上的显着差异（p<0.05，Tukey的事后检验），但不是在建筑工人和上班族之间。
结论：根据职业噪声暴露的不同，健康个体的Prestin和otolin-1的血清浓度可能有所不同，并且有可能作为亚临床内耳损伤的指标。为了证实这些初步观察，纳入暴露评估，特别是通过直接测量噪声和振动暴露，将显著提高我们研究结果的可靠性。
