Male Office Workers Research Articles

Tinea pedis et unguium in the Muslim community of Durban, South Africa.

In a pilot study performed in eight mosques in the Durban area, it was found that the prevalence of tinea pedis et unguium in the adult Muslim male population regularly attending mosques was higher than in the nonMuslim male population. The aims of the present study were: (i) to determine the prevalence of tinea pedis et unguium in the adult Muslim male population regularly attending mosques; (ii) to investigate the role of mosque carpets and ablution areas in the spread of infection; and (iii) to develop strategies to combat the infection. Seventy-eight regular worshippers comprising adult Muslim males, chosen at random from five mosques in the Durban area, were examined for clinical evidence of tinea pedis et unguium. Skin scrapings and nail clippings were taken from clinically infected individuals and submitted for microscopy and culture for fungal organisms. A control group, comprising 72 nonMuslim adult male office workers from the administration departments of King Edward VIII Hospital, was similarly examined. In addition, scrapings from high traffic areas of the mosque carpets and swabs from the ablution areas were cultured for fungi. In the mosque group, it was found that the prevalence of tinea pedis et unguium was 85%, taking either microscopy or culture positivity as indicative of infection. In the control group, the prevalence was 41%. Thus a statistical difference of 44% (P < 0.0001) between the two groups was demonstrated. Dermatophytes and yeasts were isolated from the carpets and/or floors of the ablution areas in all the mosques under investigation. The high prevalence of tinea pedis et unguium among regular male worshippers in the Muslim community can be attributed to the spread of fungal organisms in the communal ablution areas and prayer carpets of the mosques. Strategies to combat this spread of infection are being developed. These strategies are expected to find important practical applications in other communal environments, such as gymnasia, health spas, swimming pools, changing rooms of sports clubs, public showers, and even hotels.

Renal Dysfunction Indicators in Lead Exposed Workers

Real Dysfunction Indicators in Lead Exposed Workers: Kap‐Yeol Jung, et al. Department of Preventive Medicine and Industrial Medicine Research Institute, Dong‐A University School of Medicine—This study was undertaken to find out which indicators were most valuable as markers of renal dysfunction related to lead exposure. We selected 75 male workers from the secondary lead smelter, plastic stabilizer and radiator manufacturing industries (the “exposed” group) and 64 male office workers (the “control” group). Blood lead, blood zinc protoporphyrin, urine lead, urine coproporphyrin, δ‐aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity, and urine δ‐aminolevulinic acid were chosen as indicators of lead exposure. Blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, serum uric acid, urine N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase, urine albumin, urinea α1‐microglobulin and urine β2‐microglobulin were used as indicators of renal dysfunction. The urine α2‐microglobulin level was significantly associated with the lead exposure level. Blood urea nitrogen, urine N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase and urine α1‐microglobulin levels were highly correlated with indicators of lead exposure. Urine α1‐microglobulin had the highest correlation with other indicators of renal function. Conclusively, blood urea nitrogen, urine N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase and urine α1‐microglobulin are useful indicators, but urine α1‐microglobulin is the earliest and the most valuable indicator of renal dysfunction due to lead exposure.

Validation of urinary thiocyanate as a biomarker of tobacco smoking

Thiocyanate ion (SCN) is the major detoxication product of cyanide, which is converted to SCN by a thiosulphate sulphurtransferase, mainly in hepatic mitochondria. Low-level cyanide exposure for man is caused by factors such as dietary intake of cyanogenic glucosides, tobacco smoking, drug administration and occupational exposure to organic nitriles. Urinary SCN concentration was determined through a commercial kit for the analysis of cyanide in water. Spot urine samples were collected at 7:30 h and 12:30 h, from 99 healthy male white-collar office workers (non-smokers n=72, smokers n=27). Comparison of SCN excretion values did not show any difference between the morning and midday samples. The SCN median value of non-smokers was 24 μmol l−1 (range 9-24 μmol l−1) and was statistically different from that of smokers (SCN = 92 μmol l−1, range 33-275 μmol l−1) (p<0.001). In smokers median levels of SCN increased with the intensity of tobacco smoking and SCN individual excretion rose in relation to the number of cigarettes smoked daily (r=0.78, p<0.0001, n=16). In the whole group of investigated subjects SCN excretion was correlated with urinary cotinine, a well know biomarker of tobacco consumption (r=0.86, p<0.001, n=99). When the assay was applied as a smoking habit screening test, with a cut-off value of SCN=38 μmol l−1 adopted to discriminate between non-smokers and smokers, the following smoker track-down predictive values resulted: 93% negative for non-smokers and 96% positive for smokers.

Laxative threshold of sugar alcohol erythritol in human subjects

The dose-response relation between a low energy bulking sweetener, erythritol, and the induction of diarrhea symptoms was investigated in healthy human subjects, 14 male office workers and 24 female students. The subjects ingested 1.0 to 3.5 cups of jelly containing 25 g of erythritol once in a day about 2 h after a meal. The jelly intake was stopped at the dosage level that test substance caused diarrhea or at the maximum dose level in the study. A record of gastrointestinal symptoms and physical conditions were kept by all subjects before and after each ingestion of the test substance. Sorbitol and sucrose were used in order to provide a comparison with erythritol. The laxative threshold of erythritol was estimated as 0.80 g/kg body weight for females and 0.66 g/kg body weight for males, respectively. Those of sorbitol were 0.24 g/kg body weight for females and 0.17 g/kg body weight for males. But, no subjects experienced diarrhea in the dosage of more than 1.2 g of sucrose per kg of body weight. These results suggest that erythritol would be quite acceptable to administer up to 1 g per kg of body weight in daily use because the permissible dose level certainly increases with ingestion 2 or 3 times in a day and with the adaptation that occurs after repeated ingestion.

Cytopathology of the Nasal Mucosa in Smokers: A Possible Biomarker of Air Pollution?

In our search for an easy, reliable, and inexpensive screening method to assess the toxic effects of air pollution and the attendant cancer risk on the respiratory tract, we investigated to what extent brush cytology of the nasal mucosa satisfies these demands. Using brush cytology, we examined the nasal mucosa of 60 cigarette smokers and compared the cytopathologic findings with those of 60 nonsmokers. All subjects were healthy male office workers with no nasal disorders. Mucosal cells were obtained from the maxillo-turbinal region with a small nylon brush, subsequently processed by Papanicolaou staining on a glass slide, and examined “blinded” by cytopathologists. The cytologic findings were normal in 46 of the nonsmokers, with simple squamous cell metaplasia detectable in the remaining 14 of this group. However, in the group of cigarette smokers, 52 showed unequivocal dysplasia of various degrees, whereas merely eight showed only metaplasia. Dividing the smokers into two groups based on pack/years of cigarette consumption revealed that the severity of dysplasia (mild or moderate) correlated well with the pack/years (P = 0.0001). As yet, no significant relation between smoking habits and the incidence of nasal sinus squamous cell carcinomas has been demonstrated in contrast to the established relationship between smoking and carcinomas of the larynx and lungs. Nevertheless, it is conceivable that cytopathologic changes in the nasal mucosa could act as a biomarker reflecting similar changes in the lower respiratory tract.

Work Stress in Japanese Computer Engineers: Effects of Computer Work or Bioeducational Factors?

To examine whether computer work and bioeducational factors (age and school career) have significant effects on work stress in computer engineers in Japan, we administered a stress questionnaire to 764 male computer engineers and 211 male office workers in a computer-manufacturing factory in Tokyo. Four scales of perceived psychological stress at work examined were work overload, poor human relationships at work, unsuitable job, and competition–dismissal anxiety. The results of the three-way analysis of variance, in which age (20–29, 30–39, and 40–49 years), school career (high school and university graduates), and computer work (computer engineers and office workers) were three variation factors, indicated that: (1) there were no significant differences in all scores of work stress between computer engineers and office workers (P > 0.05); (2) scores for unsuitable job and poor human relationships at work were significantly higher in high school graduates than in university graduates (P < 0.05); and (3) there were significant age differences in scores for three scales of work stress (unsuitable job, competition-dismissal anxiety, and work overload: P < 0.001, P < 0.01, and P < 0.05, respectively). These findings suggest that computer work has no significant effect on perceived work stress in computer engineers; on the other hand, age and school career do have effects.

Asbestos exposure among Finnish lung cancer patients: occupational history and fiber concentration in lung tissue.

In a series of 65 surgically treated lung cancer patients, past exposure to asbestos was evaluated by personal interviews, and by scanning electron microscopy analyses of the mineral fibers in lung tissue. Lung tissue samples of 17 autopsied male office workers were analyzed as referents. According to occupational history, 37% of the lung cancer patients had definite or probable, 31% possible, and 32% unlikely exposure to asbestos. The fiber concentration in the lung tissue ranged from < 0.1 to 65 million fibers per gram dry tissue in the lung cancer group, and from < 0.1 to 0.8 million fibers per gram dry tissue in the reference group. In 26% of the lung cancer patients, but in none of the referents, the fiber concentration exceeded 1 million fibers per gram dry tissue. Most of the exposed patients had been employed in various construction jobs, and valuable information about the exposure levels could be obtained by the mineral fiber analyses. In general, there was a good accord between the exposure categorization and the fiber burden measured in the lung.

The results of routine health examinations before the onset of cardiovascular disease among male office workers

The results of routine health examinations before the onset of cardiovascular disease among male office workers

Aerobic capacity of forestry workers and physical demands of forestry operations.

The present study aimed at evaluating the aerobic capacities of forestry workers and the physical demands of their occupation. A submaximal cycle ergometer test was conducted on 22 male forestry workers and 15 male sedentary office workers aged 40-59 years. The slope of the regression line of heart rates on given exercise intensities was significantly smaller in the forestry workers than in the office workers. The mean heart rate of the forestry workers was 9 beats.min-1 less than that of the office workers at the initial exercise intensity of 50 W. This difference increased to 25 beats.min-1 at 175 W. For 6 of the 22 forestry workers, heart rates were recorded continuously during a usual workday. The metabolic rates, as multiples of basal metabolic rate (in met) of various forestry activities were estimated from the average heart rate during the activity of interest and a predicted maximal oxygen consumption of the subject obtained from a submaximal cycle ergometer test. The mean energy expenditure was 4.5 met with a range of 3.3-6.3 met for an average of 509 min at a worksite. These results indicated that the forestry workers had high aerobic capacities and this was ascribed to the high physical demands of their occupation.

Occupational exposure to asbestos as evaluated from work histories and analysis of lung tissues from patients with mesothelioma.

The past occupational exposure to asbestos of 23 patients with mesothelioma (21 men and two women) has been evaluated by a personal interview of their work history and by determination of the fibre burden in their lung tissue with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x ray microanalysis. According to the work history, nine patients (39%) had definitely been or probably been exposed to asbestos, six patients (26%) had had possible exposures, and eight patients (35%) unlikely or unknown exposure to asbestos. The two female patients were in the unknown exposure category. The fibre concentrations in the patients' lung tissue ranged from less than 0.1 million to 370 million fibres (f) per g dry tissue. Concentrations of over one million f per g dry tissue were found in 15 patients (65%). The lung fibre concentrations of all nine male office workers analysed for reference were less than one million f per g dry tissue. Seventy eight per cent of the patients with mesothelioma had at least possible exposure according to their history of work or concentrations of more than one million f per g dry tissue.

An evaluation of efficacy of cigarette smoking cessation in preventing low levels of serum high-density lipoprotein(HDL) cholesterol.

Correlation of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) with cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption habit was investigated in 562 male office workers aged 31 to 60 yr. HDL-C concentrations were found to be positively associated with alcohol consumption in subjects with relative weight below 10%, but a positive association was not observed in obese subjects having relative weight of 10% or above. In contrast, HDL-C levels were significantly lower in smokers than in non-smokers regardless of obesity. The effectiveness of smoking cessation in preventing low levels of serum HDL-C was estimated by comparing prevalence rates of HDL-C levels lower than an arbitrarily determined HDL-C cutoff value in smokers with those in non-smokers. The estimation was made with unadjusted subjects and also with subjects adjusted for age, relative weight and alcohol consumption. The effectiveness was found to be considerably high in heavy smokers having lower HDL-C levels (less than or equal to 35 mg/dl) with or without hypercholesterolemia (greater than or equal to 220 mg/dl) and further remarkably high in all smokers having hypertriglyceridemia (greater than or equal to 300 mg/dl) besides lower HDL-C levels. It is therefore expected that health education focused on stopping smoking can produce favorable alterations in HDL-C for preventing coronary heart disease, especially in heavy smokers having low serum HDL-C levels concomitant with hypercholesterolemia and/or hypertriglyceridemia.

Development of a system for static measurment of skin-muscle hardness and a fundamental study on its applications.

There have been many attempts to quantitatively measure the hardness of skin-muscle, but no objective method for doing so has been established, because there is no universal standard for the hardness of organisms. The author considered elasticity and viscosity as the most important mechanical properties of the hardness of skin-muscle and applied the Maxwell model, in which a spring and a dash-pot are arranged in a series, to the static mechanical behavior of skin-muscle. A relatively large globular pressing body with a radius of 5 mm was set as a transducer in the measuring system, so that the conformity of the practically measured values to those calculated theoretically by the model was increased. Strain of skin-muscle is expressed as a function of the load, which includes indices of elasticity (1/M) (M(N/mm2) = E/(1-lambda 2) (E: Young's modulus, lambda:Poisson's ratio)) and viscosity (1/eta) (eta:modulus of viscosity) in a particular region. Because hardness is defined as the degree of resistance against transformation by loading, decreases in the indices of both elasticity and viscosity mean increases of hardness. With 150 male and female office workers chosen as the subjects, the model was examined and the indices were calculated. The results were as follows. 1) Very good conformity of practically measured values to those calculated theoretically by the Maxwell model was recognized within the range of load velocity from 0.3 G to 3.0 G (N/sec). 2) In both males and females the regions with values nearest to those of a Newtonian fluid were, in descending order, the distal phalanxes of digiti 2-4, the palm, the distal phalanx of the first digitus and the arm. In reverse order these regions approached complete elasticity. 3) In males it was suggested that the element of viscosity in the region of the biceps brachii muscle and the hardness in the regions of the brachioradialis, the flexor carpi radialis and palmalis longus muscles and the distal phalanxes of the 4th and the 5th digiti were increased with age. In females, a decrease in hardness in the region of the biceps brachii muscle with age was observed. 4) The indices of not only elasticity, but also of viscosity in females were higher than those in males. The results showed that for both elasticity and viscosity, the hardness of skin-muscles in males were higher than that in females. Furthermore, the index of plasticity was determined by examining the mark remaining after unloading, and good correlation of the index to age was observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Natural history of duodenal ulcer detected by the gastric mass surveys in men over 40 years of age.

In a gastric mass survey with photofluorography performed on 10,605 male office workers over 40 years of age, 456 cases of duodenal ulcer (4.3%) were detected. These cases were scheduled to be followed up every 6 months with endoscopy and without any anti-ulcer drugs. Two hundred and seventy-six of the cases, including 169 cases with craters and 107 cases with scars, were followed up for 2 years. Forty-one of 169 craters (24.3%) had healed, and 21 of 107 scars (19.6%) had relapsed at 6 months. At 24 months 36 of 169 craters (21.3%) had healed, and 31 of 107 scars (29.0%) had relapsed. Sixty-four and a half per cent of the ulcers that showed crater at entry remained at the crater stage, and 62.6% of ulcer scars at entry remained healed at every endoscopy during the trial period. With regard to the cases' background, cigarette smoking adversely affected the natural history of the duodenal ulcer. However, years after onset, previous treatment, history of overt bleeding, and alcohol and coffee consumption did not affect the present ulcer activity.

Improving the precision of biological age determinations. Part 2: Automatic human tests, age norms and variability

In order to eliminate variability due to test operators, procedures for measuring 12 physiological functions that are candidate biomarkers of aging have been automated. Data was collected from a norm group of 2462 male and female office workers using an instrument which requires no test operators, administers all 12 tests in about 45 min. per subject, computes biological age, prints out results, and stores data on floppy disks for transfer to other computers for analysis. This report a) describes the instrumentation and test procedures, b) presents normal age/sex standards for each of the 12 biomarkers, c) reports the variance of the data for each biomarker by sex, d) lists sources of biomarker variance, e) discusses criteria for biomarker selection and f) examines implications for information loss when biomarker data is combined to calculate biological age. After eliminating chronological age as a variable, the standard deviations of the frequency distributions of predicted age for individual biomarkers were found to vary from .226 to 1.075, a range of more than 4 to 1. Procedures are discussed for improving the ratio of useful-to-useless variance in calculating biological age.

Relationship between alcohol consumption, body weight, family history of hypertension and blood pressure in young adults.

It is not clear why blood pressure rises with age in civilized countries. We examined the relationship between alcohol consumption, obesity, family history of hypertension and blood pressures at medical checkups in 534 male office workers, aged 20 to 40. The results in two age groups, 20-30 and 31-40, are as follows. Those who drank heavily (greater than 60 ml of ethanol) the previous night and/or habitual heavy drinkers (greater than 60 ml/day) had the highest blood pressure. Obese workers had higher blood pressure. Subjects with a family history of hypertension had higher blood pressure. The frequencies of heavy drinkers and obesity were higher in the group aged 31 to 40 than in the other group. These factors might contribute to the blood pressure elevation with age. 5) A histogram of the first readings of systolic blood pressure showed a bimodal distribution only in persons with a family history of hypertension.

A study of fitness and cardiovascular risk factors in male office workers.

A study of fitness and cardiovascular risk factors in male office workers.

VIGOROUS EXERCISE IN LEISURE-TIME: PROTECTION AGAINST CORONARY HEART DISEASE

1138 first clinical episodes of coronary heart disease (CHD) in 17 944 middle-aged male office workers in the Civil Service are reported. Men who engaged in vigorous sports, keep-fit, and the like during an initial survey in 1968-70 had an incidence of CHD in the next 81/2 years somewhat less than half that of their colleagues who recorded no vigorous exercise. The CHD rates of men who took such vigorous exercise were lower in both fatal and non-fatal clinical manifestations, though more so in fatal; throughout the age-range studied, though more striking in later middle age and early old age; and in all other sub-groups examined, including men with a family history of CHD, the obese, the short of stature, cigarette smokers, and men with severe hypertension and subclinical angina, as well as in those in favourable situations for CHD or neutral. The generality of the advantage suggests that vigorous exercise is a natural defence of the body, with a protective effect on the ageing heart against ischaemia and its consequences.

Environmental effects on the subjective perception of level of arousal and the human body temperature rhythm

Subjective estimates of arousal and oral temperature were investigated in a group of young male and female office workers in a constant thermal environment. The measures of arousal were obtained over the period from before rising in the morning until just before sleep in the evening and the results were compared to recently published data in the literature. This comparison indicates a decrease in arousal in this group of subjects and the possible implications of these findings for the artificial control of the thermal environment are discussed.

Respiratory function and symptoms in urban office workers in relation to oxidant air pollution exposure.

Similar populations of male and female office workers in San Francisco, which has little air pollution, and in Los Angeles, which experiences frequent photochemical smog episodes, were surveyed in an attempt to document excess respiratory symptoms and dysfunction in Los Angeles relatable to air pollution. Most results of forced expiratory tests, single-breath N2 tests, and questionnaire interviews did not differ significantly between cities. Los Angeles women reported nonpersistent cough and phlegm more often than did San Francisco women. Smokers in both cities showed increased functional abnormalities. These results suggested that Los Angeles oxidant exposure is far less significant than smoking as a risk factor in development of chronic respiratory disease in sedentary indoor workers in good general health. Oxidant exposure has not been ruled out as a significant risk to more heavily exposed on more highly susceptible persons.

男子事務作業者の皮膚温に関する統計解析

Statistical analysis of skin temperatures in male office workers was made in connection with the seasonal difference between summer and winter on various spots of the body. According to the Research Committee on physiological reaction to climatic seasonal change in Japan, seasonal : variation of the skin temperature was observed obviously throughout the year. Skin temperatures of extremities varied greater than those of many other selected areas of the body to the change of thermal environment. These previous results, however, had been obtained under seasonal change uncontrolled to some large. extent. In our study, mean air temperature of the room, in which measurement was done, was maintained at 24.6°C in summer and 23.5°C in winter by the central system of air conditioning. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to investigate the seasonal difference of the skin temperature among workers under a modern working conditions that the thermal difference in both seasons was eliminated. The change of skin temperatures were estimated by the use of a bioelectric thermographic computor at three spots including forehead, finger and toe. The results obtained were as follows : 1) As shown in Table 1, the standard deviation of the forehead skin temperature ranged from 0 to 1.04°C as to variance components. They were divided into three parts (a) within person (b) between persons (c) between seasons. The range of the forehead skin temperature showed that it varied with thermal environment to a relatively small extent in comparison with the skin temperature of extremities.2) The finger skin temperature varied markedly with the individuality of physiological responces, while the toe skin temperature had a remarkable difference between summer and winter.3) As shown in Table 2, correlation between the room temperature and each skin temperature was significant in summer. On the contrary, there was no significant correlation in winter.4) Table 3 shows that the forehead skin temperature was much higher than that of two others. In addition to that, it was noted that the forehead skin temperature in summer was lower than that in winter. On the other hand, the toe skin temperature was lower than that of the finger skin temperature in without regard to the season.