Hasil untuk "Industrial medicine. Industrial hygiene"

Xiaoli Ji, Yanping Li, Shuyi Gu et al.

Abstract Background Tin mine dust (MD), a by-product of tin mining and rock drilling, is a significant contributor to miners’ pneumoconiosis. This aerosolized dust is a complex mixture of mineral components, including potentially toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, which may contribute to the development of pneumoconiosis and lung cancer. This study investigates the inhalation toxicity of tin MD samples on pulmonary cells using an Air-Liquid Interface (ALI) exposure model. Results MD-A was characterized by high arsenic content, exceeding 30%. In contrast, the elemental composition of MD-B and MD-C was predominantly composed of calcium, magnesium, and aluminum. In the toxicity study, key toxicological endpoints (cell viability, cytotoxicity, pro-inflammatory markers, and cell barrier function) were systematically assessed, and real-time monitoring of the cell-delivered MD particles (MD-A, MD-B, MD-C, and silica) concentrations was achieved using QCM. MD-A significantly enhanced the proliferation ability of 16HBE and Calu-3 cells compared to other particulate matters, indicating arsenic-containing MD promotes cell proliferation. MD-A resulted in an increase in IL-1β mRNA expression in 16HBE cells; elevations in IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and CCL2 mRNA were observed in Calu-3 cells. Additionally, treatment with four different particles significantly increased the mRNA expression of MUC5AC in both cell types. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated alterations in the typical morphology of epithelial cells exposed to arsenic-containing MD and silica particles. In this study, it was shown that four types of particles delivered via suspension to the same in vitro model can induce differing levels of cytotoxicity and proinflammatory responses. The differences in results underscore the specific effects of the inherent physicochemical attributes of particles on biological interactions. Conclusions Under identical particle size conditions, in vitro studies on inhalation toxicity reveal that the chemical composition of particulate matter causes varying degrees of toxic damage to cells. This study utilizes an advanced in vitro method to assess the inhalation hazards of tin MD particles by integrating the ALICE system. The chemical complexity of tin MD, particularly its significant arsenic content, requires special attention and thorough evaluation.

Ann Olsson, Joachim Schüz, Igor Bukhtiyarov et al.

Abstract Objectives Complementing the previously published cohort-internal comparison we hereby compare the cause-specific mortality in workers of the Asbest Chrysotile Cohort study (ACC) with the general population of Sverdlovsk Oblast where the mine and factories are located. Methods The ACC cohort database and the regional Federal State Statistic Service for the Sverdlovsk Oblast population were used. We calculated sex-specific standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the main ICD-10 disease groups and for selected cancer sites for the populations ≥ 15 years from 1980 to 2015. In relation to exposure, we applied the Sverdlovsk rates to the person-years in each exposure category to obtain expected numbers of lung cancer deaths. For comparing types of ACC workers (mine, enrichment factories, both), we calculated lung cancer SMRs in men by duration of employment (< 5 years, 5–14 years, and ≥ 15 years) and start of employment (before or after 1975) with miners as reference in each stratum. Results Overall mortality of men in the ACC was reduced by 14%, mainly because of the most common cause of death, circulatory disease; this effect was much weaker in women. Elevated mortality was observed for both sexes from diseases of the digestive system (10–30%) and blood and blood forming organs (121–181%). Lung cancer mortality in men was increased from the 3rd quartile of chrysotile containing dust and in the highest quartile with SMR 1.30, 95% CI 1.07–1.57, while the increase in high exposed women was not reaching statistical significance (SMR 1.69, 95% CI 0.87–2.96). No increased SMRs were seen for laryngeal, stomach or ovarian cancers. Male factory workers first employed before 1975 had higher lung cancer mortality compared to miners, but not when employed after 1974. Conclusions The observed excess in lung cancer confirms previous observations in the ACC. Risk management measures in the enrichment factories may have reduced the lung cancer risk to the level of the miners in recent decades.

Aro Choi, David Gimeno Ruiz de Porras, Monica Guidry et al.

Introduction: In the United States (U.S.), the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the incorporation of telework at academic institutions, but its effect on employee well-being has been insufficiently studied. This study aimed to identify telework-related risk factors and assesses their associations with employee well-being during the pandemic. Methods: This repeated cross-sectional survey was conducted at a large U.S. based health sciences university in two waves: the first wave survey was conducted in May 2020 (n=1,648) and the second wave survey in October 2020 (n=932). Survey-weighted logistic regressions were used to estimate the associations of telework-related risk factors with poor well-being, measured by the 5-item World Health Organization (WHO) Well-Being Index. Results: Loneliness and personal health and safety concerns were associated with poor well-being in both waves. The effect of loneliness on poor well-being was amplified when employees needed support, indicating an interaction. Faculty were less likely to have poor well-being than staff personnel in the second wave. Conclusions: Telework may have advantages, but adverse effects are common. Employment policies should address the telework-related risk factors to improve employee well-being for future public health pandemics.

Kothandaraman Narasimhan, Vaitheeswari, Ellie Choi et al.

Abstract Background Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure has been associated with metabolic diseases, however, the underlying molecular pathogenesis remains to be understood. Integrated PFAS and lipidomic analysis has the potential to identify alterations in lipid metabolism pathways for exposome research. Methods A targeted LC-MS/MS method was developed for the quantification of 14 PFAS from human plasma samples (n = 96). Concurrently, high coverage lipidomics was conducted for the quantification of 665 lipid species in the same plasma samples. Linear regression models were implemented to study the association of PFAS with plasma lipidome. Results Women had lower levels of PFAS compared to men and Asian-Indians had lower levels of PFAS compared to both Chinese and Malay subjects. PFAS were positively associated with a number of lipid species from lysophospholipid, ceramide and triacylglycerol lipid classes. Phosphatidylinositol, acylcarnitine and sphingosine-1-phosphate were negatively associated with PFAS. Association studies revealed both shared and distinct relationship of PFAS with plasma lipids. Conclusions We demonstrate that the circulating levels of PFAS vary with age, ethnicity and sex within a multi-ethnic Asian population with potential implications in future biomonitoring and mitigation. Our comprehensive lipidomics methodology and association studies enabled us to characterize the relationship of circulating PFAS and lipidomic profiles. These results will help in better understanding of the molecular basis of PFAS exposure on human health outcomes.

Junxi Chen, Aili Wang, Hang An et al.

Abstract Background Parental exposure to rare earth elements (REEs) could increase the risk of premature rupture of membranes, a major cause of spontaneous preterm birth (SPB). In addition, different subtypes of SPB, such as spontaneous preterm labor (SPL) and preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), may have different susceptibility to environmental exposure. Therefore, we investigated the potential associations between REE exposure in different trimesters and SPB and its subtypes. Methods A nested case-control study was performed. We included 244 women with SPB as cases and 244 women with full-term delivery as controls. The plasma concentrations of light REEs were measured in the first and third trimesters. Logistic regression was used to analyze the associations between single REE levels and SPB, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) was used to analyze the mixed-exposure effect. Results Exposure to light REEs was associated with SPB and its subtypes only in the third trimester. Specifically, the intermediate- and highest-tertile concentration groups of La and the highest-tertile concentration group of Sm were associated with an increased risk of SPL, with adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of 2.00 (95% CIs: 1.07–3.75), 1.87 (95% CIs: 1.01–3.44), and 1.82 (95% CIs: 1.00–3.30), respectively. The highest-tertile concentration group of Pr was associated with an increased risk of PPROM, with an AOR of 1.69 (95% CIs: 1.00–2.85). Similar results were also found in BKMR models. Conclusions La and Sm levels in plasma may be associated with the risk of SPL, and Pr levels in plasma may be associated with the risk of PPROM.

Jordi Ortner Sancho, Rafael Manzanera López, Norma Grau Balcells et al.

Objetivo. Evaluar diferencias entre la detección de incidentes o eventos adversos (I/EA) en una mutua laboral, mediante una herramienta tipo Trigger Tool (TT) y una plataforma de notificación voluntaria (SNEA). Métodos. La población de estudio es la población trabajadora atendida ambulatoriamente en una mutua laboral de Enero a Septiembre del 2016. Se seleccionaron los casos declarados como I/EA según si el evento no ha afectado al paciente o por el contrario le ha afectado, a través del SNEA (n=21 casos). Por otro lado, se seleccionaron aleatoriamente 20 historias clínicas por mes donde se aplicó la herramienta TT (180 casos).  Se adaptaron 11 triggers para detectar I/EA. Se revisaron las 201 historias clínicas buscando la existencia de triggers. Se obtuvo la concordancia entre el sistema SNEA y el TT utilizando la proporción de concordancia positiva (I/EA), proporción de concordancia negativa (no I/EA) e índice Kappa. Resultados. TT detectó casos de I/EA en el 41,3% de las revisiones mientras que el SNEA 10,3% (p<0,001). El índice Kappa ofreció un valor de concordancia baja (Kappa=0,12) lo que denota la pequeña coincidencia de sucesos adversos detectados por ambos sistemas. La proporción de concordancia negativa fue mayor que la de concordancia positiva (74,5% frente a un 26,9%). El sistema SNEA detectó menos I/EA y sobre todo se trata de menos incidentes. Por el contrario, el sistema TT detectó mayor número de I/EA y especialmente EA. Conclusiones. Trigger Tool es una herramienta recomendable para la detección de incidentes.

Yuyan Wang, Yinxiang Wu, Melanie H. Jacobson et al.

Abstract Background Statistical methods to study the joint effects of environmental factors are of great importance to understand the impact of correlated exposures that may act synergistically or antagonistically on health outcomes. This study proposes a family of statistical models under a unified partial-linear single-index (PLSI) modeling framework, to assess the joint effects of environmental factors for continuous, categorical, time-to-event, and longitudinal outcomes. All PLSI models consist of a linear combination of exposures into a single index for practical interpretability of relative direction and importance, and a nonparametric link function for modeling flexibility. Methods We presented PLSI linear regression and PLSI quantile regression for continuous outcome, PLSI generalized linear regression for categorical outcome, PLSI proportional hazards model for time-to-event outcome, and PLSI mixed-effects model for longitudinal outcome. These models were demonstrated using a dataset of 800 subjects from NHANES 2003–2004 survey including 8 environmental factors. Serum triglyceride concentration was analyzed as a continuous outcome and then dichotomized as a binary outcome. Simulations were conducted to demonstrate the PLSI proportional hazards model and PLSI mixed-effects model. The performance of PLSI models was compared with their counterpart parametric models. Results PLSI linear, quantile, and logistic regressions showed similar results that the 8 environmental factors had both positive and negative associations with triglycerides, with a-Tocopherol having the most positive and trans-b-carotene having the most negative association. For the time-to-event and longitudinal settings, simulations showed that PLSI models could correctly identify directions and relative importance for the 8 environmental factors. Compared with parametric models, PLSI models got similar results when the link function was close to linear, but clearly outperformed in simulations with nonlinear effects. Conclusions We presented a unified family of PLSI models to assess the joint effects of exposures on four commonly-used types of outcomes in environmental research, and demonstrated their modeling flexibility and effectiveness, especially for studying environmental factors with mixed directional effects and/or nonlinear effects. Our study has expanded the analytical toolbox for investigating the complex effects of environmental factors. A practical contribution also included a coherent algorithm for all proposed PLSI models with R codes available.

Rostam Golmohammadi, Mohammad Oliaei, Mohsen Aliabadi et al.

Introduction: Sound absorption coefficient determination is one of the most important factors among material selection for indoor noise control. The objectives of this study were: 1) comparison sound absorption coefficient of different materials by standing wave ratio and transfer function methods, and 2) developing a regression model in adjusting provided results. Methods: In this study, 46 acoustic materials were selected and tested. In order to measure the absorption coefficient of materials two instrument called the impedance tube model 9410 made in the Iranian company AvaSina, and the impedance tube BSWA model SW 260 in 125 to 2000 Hz frequency range were utilized. Results: The results obtained from the regression model shown that frequency of 500 Hz has the highest correlation (R=0.968, R2=0.936), and the lowest correlation coefficient was founded at 125 Hz (R=0.368, R2=0.136). Also, the value 0.829 was obtained for correlation coefficient of NRC. Conclusions: The results showed that there were good agreement at 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz frequencies between two methods. It can be concluded that the standing wave ratio method is a reliable approach in determining sound absorption coefficient of acoustic materials.

Samantha Huo Yung Kai, Jean-Bernard Ruidavets, Camille Carles et al.

Abstract Background The role of occupational stressors (OS) on blood pressure (BP) is often suspected, but asserting its impact remains uncertain. Our goal was to evaluate their impact on BP increase and on incident cases of hypertension over a 5-year period. Methods One thousand, one hundred and fifty-six men and women from the French prospective VISAT study were followed up over five-years (T1 to T2). Exposures to a large panel of OS (physical, organizational, psychosocial and employment categories) were collected. Linear and logistic regressions were used to assess associations between OS and T2-T1 SBP difference and incident cases of hypertension. They were performed to determine the role of OS first considered separately, then in combination, in crude and adjusted models for main cardiovascular risk factors (gender, age, education, BMI, lifestyle habits and medical history). Results For initial SBP level < 130 mmHg, carrying loads, intense noise exposure, working more than 48 h/week, active and high strain tended to be associated with an SBP difference increase, while job recognition was associated with a decrease. After adjustment, only significant associations with job strain and job recognition persisted. For initial SBP level ≥ 130 mmHg, being exposed to an active job strain was positively associated with T2-T1 SBP difference only in unadjusted model. Considering all the OS, the recognition of completed tasks had a major protective role. No impact of OS on incident cases of hypertension was observed. Conclusion Associations between OS and SBP were observed mainly when initial SBP is within the normal range, and are mainly explained by cardiovascular factors, requiring physician’s particular attention to people exposed to these OS. VISAT study is registered in “LE PORTAIL EPIDEMIOLOGIE – FRANCE- AVIESAN –ID 3666”.

Hamideh Ghorbani, Alireza Nezami, Behjat Sheikholeslami et al.

Abstract Background Formic acid (formate) is the main reason for toxicity and death through methanol poisoning. The simultaneous determination of methanol, ethanol, and formate in the body can help to discover the cause of death and is useful in the diagnosis of acute methanol poisoning. The measurement of formate is not yet available in Iran. With regard to the increasing rate of methanol poisoning and its related mortality in Iran, as well as the main role of formate in methanol poisoning, this study was designed to set up an analytical method for the concurrent determination of ethanol, methanol, and formate. Methods Following the modification of a previously developed gas chromatography method, vitreous and blood samples of 43 postmortem cases with a history of methanol intoxication were collected over a period of 2 years at the Legal Medicine Organization of Mashhad. Thereafter, ethanol, methanol, and formate concentrations were measured by headspace GC/FID. Formate esterification was performed by the methylation of formate with sulfuric acid and methanol. In order to confirm the esterification method for the production of methyl formate, we used gas chromatography with a mass detector (GC/MS) because of its higher sensitivity and accuracy. Furthermore, the correlations between formate and methanol concentrations in blood and vitreous samples, and between formate and methanol were investigated. Results A significant relationship was found only between methanol concentrations in blood and vitreous samples (P < 0.03). Conclusions In postmortems, with the passage of time since alcohol ingestion, the measurement of only methanol concentration cannot determine the degree of toxicity or the cause of death. Therefore, using the present analytical method and measurement of formic acid, we can estimate the degree of toxicity and cause of death.

Koustav Ganguly, Dariusch Ettehadieh, Swapna Upadhyay et al.

Abstract Background The death toll associated with inhaled ambient particulate matter (PM) is attributed mainly to cardio-vascular rather than pulmonary effects. However, it is unclear whether the key event for cardiovascular impairment is particle translocation from lung to circulation (direct effect) or indirect effects due to pulmonary particle-cell interactions. In this work, we addressed this issue by exposing healthy mice via inhalation and intra-arterial infusion (IAI) to carbon nanoparticles (CNP) as surrogate for soot, a major constituent of (ultrafine) urban PM. Methods Equivalent surface area CNP doses in the blood (30mm2 per animal) were applied by IAI or inhalation (lung-deposited dose 10,000mm2; accounting for 0.3% of lung-to-blood CNP translocation). Mice were analyzed for changes in hematology and molecular markers of endothelial/epithelial dysfunction, pro-inflammatory reactions, oxidative stress, and coagulation in lungs and extra-pulmonary organs after CNP inhalation (4 h and 24 h) and CNP infusion (4 h). For methodological reasons, we used two different CNP types (spark-discharge and Printex90), with very similar physicochemical properties [≥98 and ≥95% elemental carbon; 10 and 14 nm primary particle diameter; and 800 and 300 m2/g specific surface area] for inhalation and IAI respectively. Results Mild pulmonary inflammatory responses and significant systemic effects were observed following 4 h and 24 h CNP inhalation. Increased retention of activated leukocytes, secondary thrombocytosis, and pro-inflammatory responses in secondary organs were detected following 4 h and 24 h of CNP inhalation only. Interestingly, among the investigated extra-pulmonary tissues (i.e. aorta, heart, and liver); aorta revealed as the most susceptible extra-pulmonary target following inhalation exposure. Bypassing the lungs by IAI however did not induce any extra-pulmonary effects at 4 h as compared to inhalation. Conclusions Our findings indicate that extra-pulmonary effects due to CNP inhalation are dominated by indirect effects (particle-cell interactions in the lung) rather than direct effects (translocated CNPs) within the first hours after exposure. Hence, CNP translocation may not be the key event inducing early cardiovascular impairment following air pollution episodes. The considerable response detected in the aorta after CNP inhalation warrants more emphasis on this tissue in future studies.

Alan Zanardi, Antonio Conti, Marco Cremonesi et al.

Abstract Aceruloplasminemia is a monogenic disease caused by mutations in the ceruloplasmin gene that result in loss of protein ferroxidase activity. Ceruloplasmin plays a role in iron homeostasis, and its activity impairment leads to iron accumulation in liver, pancreas, and brain. Iron deposition promotes diabetes, retinal degeneration, and progressive neurodegeneration. Current therapies mainly based on iron chelation, partially control systemic iron deposition but are ineffective on neurodegeneration. We investigated the potential of ceruloplasmin replacement therapy in reducing the neurological pathology in the ceruloplasmin‐knockout (CpKO) mouse model of aceruloplasminemia. CpKO mice were intraperitoneal administered for 2 months with human ceruloplasmin that was able to enter the brain inducing replacement of the protein levels and rescue of ferroxidase activity. Ceruloplasmin‐treated mice showed amelioration of motor incoordination that was associated with diminished loss of Purkinje neurons and reduced brain iron deposition, in particular in the choroid plexus. Computational analysis showed that ceruloplasmin‐treated CpKO mice share a similar pattern with wild‐type animals, highlighting the efficacy of the therapy. These data suggest that enzyme replacement therapy may be a promising strategy for the treatment of aceruloplasminemia.

Kirsty Meldrum, Chang Guo, Emma L. Marczylo et al.

Abstract Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease known for its high susceptibility to environmental exposure. Inadvertent inhalation of engineered or incidental nanomaterials is a concern for human health, particularly for those with underlying disease susceptibility. In this review we provide a comprehensive analysis of those studies focussed on safety assessment of different nanomaterials and their unique characteristics on asthma and allergic airway disease. These include in vivo and in vitro approaches as well as human and population studies. The weight of evidence presented supports a modifying role for nanomaterial exposure on established asthma as well as the development of the condition. Due to the variability in modelling approaches, nanomaterial characterisation and endpoints used for assessment in these studies, there is insufficient information for how one may assign relative hazard potential to individual nanoscale properties. New developments including the adoption of standardised models and focussed in vitro and in silico approaches have the potential to more reliably identify properties of concern through comparative analysis across robust and select testing systems. Importantly, key to refinement and choice of the most appropriate testing systems is a more complete understanding of how these materials may influence disease at the cellular and molecular level. Detailed mechanistic insight also brings with it opportunities to build important population and exposure susceptibilities into models. Ultimately, such approaches have the potential to more clearly extrapolate relevant toxicological information, which can be used to improve nanomaterial safety assessment for human disease susceptibility.

Thomas W Frederiksen, Cecilia H Ramlau-Hansen, Zara A Stokholm et al.

Aims: To survey current, Danish industrial noise levels and the use of hearing protection devices (HPD) over a 10-year period and to characterise the association between occupational noise and hearing threshold shift in the same period. Furthermore, the risk of hearing loss among the baseline and the follow-up populations according to first year of occupational noise exposure is evaluated. Materials and Methods: In 2001–2003, we conducted a baseline survey of noise- and hearing-related disorders in 11 industries with suspected high noise levels. In 2009–2010, we were able to follow up on 271 out of the 554 baseline workers (49%). Mean noise levels per industry and self-reported HPD use are described at baseline and follow-up. The association between cumulative occupational noise exposure and hearing threshold shift over the 10-year period was assessed using linear regression, and the risk of hearing loss according to year of first occupational noise exposure was evaluated with logistic regression. Results: Over the 10-year period, mean noise levels declined from 83.9 dB(A) to 82.8 dB(A), and for workers exposed >85 dB(A), the use of HPD increased from 70.1 to 76.1%. We found a weak, statistically insignificant, inverse association between higher ambient cumulative noise exposure and poorer hearing (−0.10 dB hearing threshold shift per dB-year (95% confidence interval (CI): −0.36; 0.16)). The risk of hearing loss seemed to increase with earlier first year of noise exposure, but odds ratios were only statistically significant among baseline participants with first exposure before the 1980s (odds ratio: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.11; 3.22). Conclusions: We observed declining industrial noise levels, increased use of HPD and no significant impact on hearing thresholds from current ambient industrial noise levels, which indicated a successful implementation of Danish hearing conservation programs.

Flora G Nassrallah, Christian Giguere, Hilmi R Dajani et al.

The measurement of noise exposure from communication headsets poses a methodological challenge. Although several standards describe methods for general noise measurements in occupational settings, these are not directly applicable to noise assessments under communication headsets. For measurements under occluded ears, specialized methods have been specified by the International Standards Organization (ISO 11904) such as the microphone in a real ear and manikin techniques. Simpler methods have also been proposed in some national standards such as the use of general purpose artificial ears and simulators in conjunction with single number corrections to convert measurements to the equivalent diffuse field. However, little is known about the measurement agreement between these various methods and the acoustic manikin technique. Twelve experts positioned circum-aural, supra-aural and insert communication headsets on four different measurement setups (Type 1, Type 2, Type 3.3 artificial ears, and acoustic manikin). Fit-refit measurements of four audio communication signals were taken under quiet laboratory conditions. Data were transformed into equivalent diffuse-field sound levels using third-octave procedures. Results indicate that the Type 1 artificial ear is not suited for the measurement of sound exposure under communication headsets, while Type 2 and Type 3.3 artificial ears are in good agreement with the acoustic manikin technique. Single number corrections were found to introduce a large measurement uncertainty, making the use of the third-octave transformation preferable.

E. M. Lozano, Miryam Esther Hernandez Rodriguez, C. Rodriguez et al.

Mei‐Chih Meg Tseng, Fu-Chang Hu

Pontida Sriboonruang, Krajang Talabnin, Wanlapa Sriboonpimsuay

Mohamed As

E. Saldutti, L. Bindi, A. Di Giacobbe et al.