Hasil untuk "Industrial medicine. Industrial hygiene"

Yuanyuan Xing, Yu-Rin Kim, Seon-Rye Kim

Objective: This study examined the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk and hearing difficulty and evaluated whether oral health problems mediate this relationship in a nationally representative Korean population. Methods: We analyzed 15,163 adults aged ≥40 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2019–2023 datasets. OSA risk was defined using the snoring, tiredness, observed apneas, pressure, body mass index, age, neck circumference, and gender (STOP-BANG) questionnaire (low risk: 0–2; high risk: ≥3). Oral health problems were operationalized as the summed score of self-reported chewing difficulty and speaking difficulty (two 5-point items; range 2–10). Hearing difficulty was assessed using the KNHANES 4-point self-reported hearing scale (1 = no difficulty to 4 = cannot hear at all). Mediation analyses were conducted using complex-sample hierarchical regression with design-weighted estimation, adjusting for survey year, age, sex, education, marital status, income, smoking, alcohol consumption, metabolic/cardiovascular disease comorbidities, occupational noise exposure, and tinnitus. Results: Adults with high-OSA risk had higher weighted mean hearing difficulty scores than the low-risk group (1.23 vs. 1.16). In the adjusted model, OSA risk was associated with hearing difficulty [total effect β = 0.031, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.013–0.048, P < 0.001]. Oral problems were associated with OSA risk (β = 0.111, 95% CI: 0.049–0.174, P < 0.001) and hearing difficulty (β = 0.014, 95% CI: 0.000–0.027, p = 0.047). The indirect effect was statistically significant (β = 0.001, 95% CI: 0.001–0.002). The direct effect of OSA risk on hearing difficulty remained significant (β = 0.019, 95% CI: 0.011–0.047, P < 0.001). Conclusions: The risk of OSA based on STOP-BANG was associated with increased hearing difficulty among Korean adults, and oral health problems statistically accounted for a small proportion of this cross-sectional association. These results highlight the potential value of jointly considering sleep-related symptoms, oral function, and hearing outcomes in population health research.

Paweł Tomczok

The article discusses the problem of industrial diseases as represented in medicine, socialist discourse, and literature of the final decades of the nineteenth century. The development of industry during this period was accompanied by the great hopes of positivists who promoted the cult of work. However, employment in modern branches of industry that began to emerge or expand in the Russian partition turned out to be not only an opportunity for the surplus population of the agrarian society but also a new threat – both social and health-related. Industrial diseases thus became a major challenge for the discourse of hygiene, which was focused on improving the living conditions of the population. The issue of industrial diseases was also addressed by the illegal socialist press. Numerous articles emphasized the harmfulness of work in various branches of industry. The problem also appeared in literary texts – primarily in the works of Stefan Żeromski and Artur Gruszecki. The article traces the circulation of images and ideas concerning industrial diseases among medical, political, and literary discourses, highlighting the transfer of identical motifs and even fragments of texts from one discourse to another.

Almira Sharafeeva

This article explores the evolution of medical discourse on women's industrial labour and health in the Soviet Union during the 1920s and early 1930s. Using a transnational and comparative approach, it situates Soviet debates within broader international discussions, focusing on German developments. The study examines how Soviet medical professionals investigated the impact of industrial work on women's physical and mental health, influenced by institutional frameworks and political agendas. In the 1920s, labour protection institutes, occupational physicians, and the People's Commissariat of Labour collaborated to collect data on women's working and living conditions, as part of an endeavour to integrate women into industry. This involved an analysis of how production affected health, influenced by German social hygiene and occupational medicine. However, by the late 1920s, political priorities shifted. With forced industrialisation and healthcare restructuring in 1930, the focus moved to labour productivity and economic efficiency. Soviet experts were increasingly expected to prove that women's labour was compatible with industrial demands. Earlier studies highlighting risks – domestic or foreign – were criticised, and medical discourse emphasised industrial work's benefits. The article pays special attention to the exchange of knowledge on women's occupational pathology between Soviet and German specialists, and its reshaping by political and institutional change. It provides new insight into the entanglement of gender, medicine, and labour policy within domestic and transnational contexts during the early Soviet period.

Tizia Thoma, Lan Ma-Hock, Steffen Schneider et al.

Abstract Background Significant variations exist in the forms of ZnO, making it impossible to test all forms in in vivo inhalation studies. Hence, grouping and read-across is a common approach under REACH to evaluate the toxicological profile of familiar substances. The objective of this paper is to investigate the potential role of dissolution, size, or coating in grouping ZnO (nano)forms for the purpose of hazard assessment. We performed a 90-day inhalation study (OECD test guideline no. (TG) 413) in rats combined with a reproduction/developmental (neuro)toxicity screening test (TG 421/424/426) with coated and uncoated ZnO nanoforms in comparison with microscale ZnO particles and soluble zinc sulfate. In addition, genotoxicity in the nasal cavity, lungs, liver, and bone marrow was examined via comet assay (TG 489) after 14-day inhalation exposure. Results ZnO nanoparticles caused local toxicity in the respiratory tract. Systemic effects that were not related to the local irritation were not observed. There was no indication of impaired fertility, developmental toxicity, or developmental neurotoxicity. No indication for genotoxicity of any of the test substances was observed. Local effects were similar across the different ZnO test substances and were reversible after the end of the exposure. Conclusion With exception of local toxicity, this study could not confirm the occasional findings in some of the previous studies regarding the above-mentioned toxicological endpoints. The two representative ZnO nanoforms and the microscale particles showed similar local effects. The ZnO nanoforms most likely exhibit their effects by zinc ions as no particles could be detected after the end of the exposure, and exposure to rapidly soluble zinc sulfate had similar effects. Obviously, material differences between the ZnO particles do not substantially alter their toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics. The grouping of ZnO nanoforms into a set of similar nanoforms is justified by these observations.

Neža Podvratnik, Andrej Ovca, Mojca Jevšnik

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are considered to be one of the biggest health problems as they continue to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. They cannot be completely prevented, but their incidence can be significantly limited. Preventive action is the most important measure in this case. Due to the frequent interaction between healthcare professionals and patients, the crucial importance of hand hygiene is therefore emphasised. Adherence to good disinfection and hand washing practices remains around 40%, which can be improved by using a variety of nudge tools to promote desired hygienic behaviour. We conducted an open observation of employees and visitors with participation. The aim of this study was to determine the actual status of hand disinfection in a selected healthcare facility amongst doctors, registered nurses, medical technicians, cleaners, and visitors or parents of children; then, we selected and introduced three nudge tools of desired hygiene behaviour and analysed their effectiveness; finally, we provided suggestions for the use of nudge tools of desired hygiene behaviour with the aim of influencing doctors, registered nurses, medical technicians, cleaners, and visitors or parents of children so that they disinfect their hands properly. The actual state of hand disinfection was determined on the basis of observation without introducing any changes; then, we separately introduced three nudge tools, posters with an inscription and picture, the scent of citrus, and flashing lights. The obtained results were analysed with the help of the SpeedyAudit Lite application, and the effectiveness of each nudge tool and the adequacy of hand disinfection by categories of people were compared. In general, posters with a picture and an inscription contributed the most to more consistent disinfection of employees’ hands, while the scent of citrus and flashing lights contributed slightly less.

Estela María Hernández Runque, Nelsy Mirabal Rodríguez, Mercedes Berenice Blanco et al.

Introducción: La resiliencia puede definirse como la capacidad que tiene un individuo de crecer, ser fuerte y hasta triunfar a pesar de las adversidades. De ahí que las empresas cuenten con un equipo de trabajo para apoyar y alentar acciones que contribuyan a la proliferación de conductas resilientes individuales y organizacionales. Objetivo: Analizar el nivel de resiliencia en trabajadores de una empresa venezolana productora de concreto. Métodos: Investigación de campo, no experimental, descriptiva. Las propiedades psicométricas de la resiliencia se presentaron a través de la Resilience Scale de 14 ítems aplicada a 73 trabajadores con edades entre 18 y 61 años, de los cuales 37 eran operarios y 36 administrativos. Resultados: El nivel de resiliencia de los trabajadores fue de 44.84, lo cual clasifica como bajo. En el caso de las mujeres se detectó que eran más resilientes que los hombres y el nivel del personal administrativo fue superior al de los operarios. La trabajadora con un nivel alto de resiliencia mostró mayor capacidad de disciplina y los trabajadores con niveles normales y bajos presentaron como factor protector la autoestima. Conclusiones: Los trabajadores de la empresa estudiada poseen un nivel general de baja resiliencia, coincidente con signos de apatía laboral, desinterés por las actividades asignadas, ausencias injustificadas al trabajo, renuncias sin motivos aparentes. Los resultados proyectan que los factores resilientes subyacentes en esta conducta están relacionados con las variables edad, sexo, estado civil, nivel educativo y condición de empleo Introduction: Resilience may be defined as the capacity of an individual to grow, be strong and even succeed despite adversity. Hence the presence in enterprises of a work team whose aim is to support and foster actions contributing to the spread of individual and organizational resilient behavior. Objective: Analyze the level of resilience in workers from a Venezuelan concrete producing enterprise. Methods: A field non-experimental descriptive study was conducted. The psychometric properties of resilience were presented through the 14-Item Resilience Scale as applied to 73 workers aged 18-61 years, of whom 37 were operators and 36 were administrative employees. Results: The resilience level of workers was 44.84, which classifies as low. It was found that women were more resilient than men and administrative workers were more resilient than operators. Female workers with a high resilience level showed greater discipline capacity, and workers with normal and low levels presented self-esteem as a protective factor. Conclusions: Workers from the study enterprise have a low overall resilience level, coinciding with signs of work apathy, disinterest in the tasks assigned, unjustified absences to work and resignations for no apparent reason. Results suggest that the resilience factors underlying this behavior are related to the variables age, sex, marital status, educational level and employment conditions

M. Farag, Wael M. Abdel-Mageed, Ali A. El Gamal et al.

Salvadora persica L. is also known as Arak (in Arabic) and Peelu (in Urdu). Its frequent use as a toothbrush (miswak) is highly recommended by Prophet Muhammad. With a long history in folk medicine for centuries, S. persica was used in oral hygiene, food, cosmetics, fuel, and even as a medicine. Previous phytochemical investigation of its different parts afforded different classes of secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, glycosides, sterols, terpenes, carbohydrates and alkaloids. Organic sulfur-containing compounds and elemental sulfur are also present. In addition, there is a huge research on its biological potentials and industrial applications. Many pharmacological activities were reported experimentally, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, analgesic, anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, sedative, anticonvulsant, anti-osteoporosis, antidiabetic, hypo-lipidemic, in addition to wound-healing, antidepressant and antitumor activities. Recently, a possible activity against COVID-19 protease was documented by molecular docking. This review tries to provide a recent detailed documentation of folk and modern uses of S. persica, focusing on the possible relations between its chemical constituents, pharmacological properties, and industrial applications. Moreover, a brief about recent analytical and validation methods for the major antimicrobial component is reported.

Ilioni Cristian

Occupational safety and health is increasingly considered to be a distinct scientific discipline, with a well-defined place in the labor sciences system. The evolution of research in recent years at European and international level has highlighted an increasing interpenetration of occupational safety and health with other scientific disciplines circumscribed or related to the field of industrial engineering, such as medicine and occupational hygiene, ergonomics, sociology, mathematics, computer science etc. In national legislation, the intervention and rescue activity in toxic / explosive / flammable environments has so far proved to be generally appropriate both in terms of prevention and in terms of limiting the effects of technological damage of lesser or greater magnitude. The theoretical and instrumental aspects presented in the paper have a wide applicability, being intended for all rescue stations, regardless of the branch of activity, as well as for specialists in the field of occupational safety and health. Understanding the relationship between the environment, equipment and rescue station personnel and ho-w these three components interact is fundamental to achieving increased efficiency in rescue work.

Megan M. Niedzwiecki, Shoshannah Eggers, Anu Joshi et al.

Abstract Background Lead (Pb) exposure is a global health hazard causing a wide range of adverse health outcomes. Yet, the mechanisms of Pb toxicology remain incompletely understood, especially during pregnancy. To uncover biological pathways impacted by Pb exposure, this study investigated serum metabolomic profiles during the third trimester of pregnancy that are associated with blood Pb and bone Pb. Methods We used data and specimens from 99 women enrolled in the Programming Research in Obesity, Growth, Environment, and Social Stressors birth cohort in Mexico City. Maternal Pb exposure was measured in whole blood samples from the third trimester of pregnancy and in the tibia and patella bones at 1 month postpartum. Third-trimester serum samples underwent metabolomic analysis; metabolites were identified based on matching to an in-house analytical standard library. A metabolome-wide association study was performed using multiple linear regression models. Class- and pathway-based enrichment analyses were also conducted. Results The median (interquartile range) blood Pb concentration was 2.9 (2.6) µg/dL. Median bone Pb, measured in the tibia and patella, were 2.5 (7.3) µg/g and 3.6 (9.5) µg/g, respectively. Of 215 total metabolites identified in serum, 31 were associated with blood Pb (p < 0.05). Class enrichment analysis identified significant overrepresentation of metabolites classified as fatty acids and conjugates, amino acids and peptides, and purines. Tibia and patella Pb were associated with 14 and 8 metabolites, respectively (p < 0.05). Comparing results from bone and blood Pb, glycochenodeoxycholic acid, glycocholic acid, and 1-arachidonoylglycerol were positively associated with blood Pb and tibia Pb, and 7-methylguanine was negatively associated with blood Pb and patella Pb. One metabolite, 5-aminopentanoic acid, was negatively associated with all three Pb measures. Conclusions This study identified serum metabolites in pregnant women associated with Pb measured in blood and bone. These findings provide insights on the metabolic profile around Pb exposure in pregnancy and information to guide mechanistic studies of toxicological effects for mothers and children.

P. Barbieri, R. Calisti, S. Silvestri et al.

Dawud Abduweli Uyghurturk, Dana E. Goin, Esperanza Angeles Martinez-Mier et al.

Abstract Background Previous studies have shown a correlation between fluoride concentrations in urine and community water fluoride concentrations. However, there are no studies of the relationship between community water fluoridation, urine, serum, and amniotic fluid fluoride concentrations in pregnant women in the US. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between maternal urine fluoride (MUF), maternal urine fluoride adjusted for specific gravity (MUFSG), maternal serum fluoride (MSF), amniotic fluid fluoride (AFF) concentrations during pregnancy, and community water fluoridation in Northern California. Methods Archived samples of urine, serum and amniotic fluid collected from second trimester pregnant women in Northern California from 47 different communities in Northern California and one from Montana (n = 48), were analyzed for fluoride using an ion specific electrode following acid microdiffusion. Women’s addresses were matched to publicly reported water fluoride concentrations. We examined whether fluoride concentrations in biospecimens differed by fluoridation status of the community water, and determined the association between water fluoride concentrations and biospecimen fluoride concentrations using linear regression models adjusted for maternal age, smoking, Body Mass Index (BMI), race/ethnicity, and gestational age at sample collection. Results Fluoride concentrations in the community water supplies ranged from 0.02 to 1.00 mg/L. MUF, MSF , and AFF concentrations were significantly higher in pregnant women living in communities adhering to the U.S. recommended water fluoride concentration (0.7 mg/L), as compared with communities with less than 0.7 mg/L fluoride in drinking water. When adjusted for maternal age, smoking status, BMI, race/ethnicity, and gestational age at sample collection, a 0.1 mg/L increase in community water fluoride concentration was positively associated with higher concentrations of MUF (B = 0.052, 95% CI:0.019,0.085), MUFSG (B = 0.028, 95% CI: -0.006, 0.062), MSF (B = 0.001, 95% CI: 0.000, 0.003) and AFF (B = 0.001, 95% CI: 0.000, 0.002). Conclusions We found universal exposure to fluoride in pregnant women and to the fetus via the amniotic fluid. Fluoride concentrations in urine, serum, and amniotic fluid from women were positively correlated to public records of community water fluoridation. Community water fluoridation remains a major source of fluoride exposure for pregnant women living in Northern California.

J. Heller, J. Gervasoni, J. Gaydos

G. Egger

In his 1970 book, Future shock,1 Alvin Toffler warned of the ways in which the world would be affected by exponential change in post-industrial societies. He did not specifically refer to public health or clinical practice, but to say that such change has not dramatically affected the practice of both would be naive. This has necessitated a change in orientation in both public health and clinical practice. The ‘germ theory’ of the late 19th century, for example, had a monocausal focus (‘germs’). Health workers were able to succeed against the dominant infectious diseases in the 19th and early 20th centuries through changes in public health, hygiene, immunisation and ultimately the development of antibiotics and other medications. By the time of publication of Future shock, it appeared that we had all but won the battle against disease. However, since 1970 we have seen a dramatic shift in health in Western societies from a predominance of acute, infectious diseases to a predominance of chronic, usually non-infectious diseases. The latter have not just been due to the extra longevity gained through the reduction of infectious ailments, but from our modern ways of living. Unlike the infectious diseases, these do not have a simple ‘cause’. As a result, they have been largely managed in silos, such as heart disease, cancers, respiratory ailments and musculoskeletal problems. Increasing levels of obesity since 1980 have been proposed as an underlying and ubiquitous ‘cause’ of chronic disease. But recent work shows that much chronic disease exists in the absence of obesity, which may be a sufficient, but not necessary, factor. In the 1990s, Harvard researchers found a previously unrecognised low-level form of systemic inflammation, called ‘metaflammation’ because of its link with the metabolic system.2 Initially this was thought to be the link between obesity and disease. However, work carried out in the past decade has shown that metaflammation can exist in the absence of obesity but in the presence of some of the determinants of obesity (eg diet, inactivity, stress). Focusing on metaflammation thus offers prospects for better managing chronic diseases. Hence the task of finding a ‘germ theory’ equivalent for chronic disease becomes more interesting. Find an underlying ‘cause’ of metaflammation – if there is one – and we have a point of attack. Lifestyle medicine has arisen as a relatively new (adjunct) discipline to assist conventional approaches to clinical care in dealing with lifestyle (behaviour) and environmental, in contrast to microbiallyinduced, disease. It is not and was never meant to be a substitute for conventional medicine but is an adjunct to the principles and practices that have served medicine well over the years. Furthermore, it is not radical in scope: lifestyle medicine is targeted at making realistic and progressive evidence-based changes in people’s behaviour to reduce the risks of common modern (mainly chronic, but potentially new lifestyle-related acute and infectious) diseases. In doing so it targets not just the risks and markers of disease but, in the vernacular of the great English epidemiologist Jeffrey Rose,3 the ‘... cause of the cause ... and the cause of the cause of the cause ... ’, without which long-term permanent improvements are unlikely. In doing this, it becomes imperative that lifestyle medicine includes aspects of the environment – social, political, cultural and economic4 – as well as personal behaviour and risk. Human behaviour does not exist in a vacuum, and any attempt to see it as such could be rightly labelled ‘victim blaming’ – a criticism directed at many current political and health policymakers. Like many new branches of practice, however, lifestyle medicine is an evolving discipline with a dynamic structure and pedagogy designed to reflect the ‘future shock’ gathering in pace in health and society as foretold by Alvin Toffler. In this issue of Australian Journal of General Practice we provide an overview of the current landscape of the science and art of lifestyle medicine and include several practitioners’ perspectives on individual components of the field. This is obviously limited by space, but follows some initial, more widely scoped texts on the topic.5–7 With the field growing rapidly, it is expected that this will evolve further in the future and hopefully provide some new perspectives on a changing health culture.

V. I. Boiko, Yu. I. Dotsenko, A. Akhmineeva et al.

This review in chronological order considers steps of the solution of the one of key issues of occupational medicine, namely - a hygienic assessment of working conditions at enterprises of gas-processing industry - the most steadily growing sector of economy, reliably providing the population’s needs and the national economy for fuel and energy resources. The intensity of the working process at these enterprises was shown to be often associated with the persistent exposure to various harmful factors of the occupational environment that in the complex promotes the formation of unfavorable functional states, a decline in the level of physical and mental health, productivity and efficiency of work. Industrial air environment in services workshop and compressor houses is often polluted with hydrogen sulphide, sulfur dioxide, mercaptans, methanol, saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, nitrogen and carbon oxides. The main cause of this pollution is a certain imperfection of the technological process and equipment, especially the lack of its tightness. The number of processes at a high temperature and elevated pressure in the presence of very aggressive reagents primarily, as hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide promotes the release of harmful substances into air environment. The possibility of their additive or synergistic impact on employees is not excluded because just in such industries there is seen a number of combinations of harmful substances enforcing the action of each other. There is made a conclusion that working conditions and environmental protection at the enterprises for the processing of natural gas and condensate with the high content of hydrogen sulfide and other corrosive components need for the further comprehensive hygienic assessment with the aim of the development of measures for the improvement of working conditions, preservation of workers’ health and environmental protection at all stages of production and processing of hydrocarbon raw materials in modern conditions. In preparing the review, the Scopus and Russian Information Scientific Center databases were used.

Hailong Hu, Xingpei Fan, Qian Guo et al.

Abstract Background Silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) are one of the most widely utilized NPs in various food sectors. However, the potential endocrine toxicity of SiO2 NPs has not been characterized. Results In the present study, mice were orally administered a series of doses of SiO2 NPs. All doses of SiO2 NPs were absorbed into the blood, liver, and pancreas of the mice. Administration of 100 mg/kg bw (body weight) of SiO2 NPs significantly increased blood glucose levels in mice. However, the same dose of SiO2 fine-particles (FPs) did not result in altered blood glucose. Whole-genome analysis showed that SiO2 NPs affected the expression of genes associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In addition, we showed that SiO2 NPs activated xenobiotic metabolism, resulting in ER stress. Endoplasmic reticulum stress resulted in increased ROS production, which activated the NF-κB pathway leading to expression of inflammatory cytokines. Increased inflammatory cytokine expression resulted in serine phosphorylation of IRS1, which induced insulin resistance (IR). Furthermore these inflammatory cytokines activated the MAPK pathway, which further promoted the serine phosphorylation of IRS1. Insulin resistance resulted in elevated blood glucose. The ER stress inhibitor 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA) inhibited SiO2 NP-induced ROS production. The ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC) did not affect SiO2 NP-induced ER stress, but inhibited SiO2 NP-induced activation of the NF-κB and MAPK pathways, expression of inflammatory cytokines, SiO2 NP-induced serine phosphorylation of IRS1, and SiO2 NP-induced elevations of blood glucose. Conclusion Silicon dioxide NPs induced IR through ER stress and generation of ROS, but SiO2 FPs did not. Therefore, lifelong exposure of humans to SiO2 NPs may result in detrimental effects on blood glucose. The results of this study strongly suggested that non-nanoformed SiO2 should be used as food additives.

Alejandra Riquelme Lagos, Marcela Soto Retamal, Marlene Torres Jaque et al.

Introducción: Las condiciones de trabajo pueden presentar factores de riesgo para la salud de los trabajadores y causar disfunciones organizacionales como estrés laboral. La enseñanza es considerada una ocupación particularmente estresante y existe alta prevalencia de mujeres en el área educacional. Objetivo: Determinar la relación entre las condiciones de trabajo y estrés laboral en madres académicas universitarias. Material y método: Se realizó un estudio analítico de corte transversal en 61 académicas perteneciente a una universidad chilena, de la región de Ñuble, en el año 2018. Se aplicó un cuestionario de características sociodemográficas, la Escala de Condiciones de Trabajo y el Cuestionario de Estrés Laboral oit-oms. Para el análisis estadístico se utilizaron pruebas descriptivas e inferenciales, en el programa spss versión 15.0. Resultados: Se observó que las académicas tienen una edad media de 49,87 ± 9,47; el 49,2 % manifestó tener 2 hijos y el 60,7 % estar casada. El 49,2 % contaba con un contrato de planta; el 31,1 % tenía una antigüedad laboral entre 20-29 años, y el 90,2 % tenía jornada laboral completa. El 34,4 % manifestó tener óptimas condiciones de trabajo, el 85,2 % presentó un nivel bajo de estrés. Al evaluar la relación entre condiciones de trabajo y estrés laboral, se encontró un coeficiente de correlación Rho de Spearman de 0,621 (p<0,001). Conclusiones: A mejores condiciones de trabajo de las académicas, menor es el nivel de estrés laboral presentado en esta población docente.

C. Sellers

Saravanan Veluswami Subramanian, Min Jung Cho, F. Mukhitdinova

Worldwide, development agencies have increased their investments in water supply and sanitation as a “powerful preventive medicine” to address infectious diseases. These interventions have focused on on-site technical interventions or social engineering approaches, emulating the result-based targets of the development goals. Against this backdrop, the study examines the following research question: What is the role of socio-cultural backgrounds, housing characteristics, and environmental hygiene practices in addressing water-transmitted diseases in the Tashkent province of Uzbekistan. In a country where public statistics and official maps are rarely accessible, and research is restrictive, the study carried out a household survey using open data kit (ODK) between July and October 2015 in Olmalik, an industrial district, and the Kibray urbanizing district in the province. The findings reveal that demographic factors, poor sanitation practices, housing characteristics, and social behaviors are key predictors of water-transmitted diseases in the two districts. In the industrial township, poor housing, larger household size, and poor excreta disposal habits increased the occurrence of diseases, while in urbanizing districts, higher household size, frequently eating out, and access to public taps significantly increased the occurrence of water-transmitted diseases. The study, which was carried out in a challenging institutional environment, highlights the need for Uzbekistan to focus their policies on environmental hygiene, demographic factors and social behavior as key interventions rather than merely on on-site drinking water and sanitation interventions.

S. A. Druzhilov, I. P. Danilov

The article covers contents and objectives of scientific fields connected with study of human states in work, influence of occupational conditions and occupational environment factors on human health. The authors used specifications of scientific specialties “occupational medicine”, “hygiene” and “labor psychology”, and descriptions of these specialties and their units “industrial hygiene” and “labor physiology” in literature. The consideration covered field of research for the scientific branches, objects of the study, direction of occupational environment factors and their influence on workers’ health. For the “labor psychology” specialty, the authors defined fields of research related to occupational medicine objective Findings are that using scientific armory of labor psychology is helpful for solving psycho-hygienic and medical prevention problems aimed to preservation and improvement of workers’ health.

Adriana Caballero, Aleida Fernández Moreno, Solángel García Ruíz et al.

Este documento fue enviado a la WFOT y divulgado al interior del Colegio Colombiano de Terapia Ocupacional en el año 2012; para su publicación en este número como documento histórico, se introdujeron correcciones mínimas de estilo respecto a la versión original, los datos de identificación de las autoras corresponden al año 2012. La discusión y construcción alrededor de los conceptos y propuestas que en su momento se plantearon resulta pertinente, pues en la actualidad el desplazamiento forzado sigue siendo un problema de grandes dimensiones en Colombia. Los datos estadísticos de 2012 han sido superados de manera importante por causa del conflicto armado y de las condiciones que persisten en algunos territorios, no obstante el importante resultado para Colombia que se deriva de la firma del Acuerdo de Paz con las FARC y el proceso que actualmente adelanta el Gobierno Nacional con el ELN.