Occupational Related Diseases Research Articles

88b - Compensation of substance related occupational diseases in the Netherlands

88b - Compensation of substance related occupational diseases in the Netherlands

Revelation of the list of occupational diseases and diagnostic criteria for occupational diseases

The list of occupational diseases reflecting the latest advances in the identification and recognition of occupational diseases, and providing guidance on the protection of workers' health rights and interests and the prevention, recording, notification and compensation of related occupational diseases. Diagnostic criteria for occupational diseases are an important basis for making diagnoses attributable to occupational diseases, and provide a theoretical basis for health monitoring of occupational groups and occupational hygiene supervision. This thesis starts with the definition of the occupational disease elaborates in detail the development history of list of occupational diseases in International Labour Organization (ILO) , compares the list of occupational diseases in China (2013 version) with the list of occupational diseases in international (2010 version) , and then introduces in detail the latest diagnostic standards of the major occupational diseases. And finally, it puts forward relevant suggestions on the list and diagnostic level of China's occupational diseases, so as to provide certain insights for the further improvement of the list and diagnostic standards of occupational diseases.

A Review of Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Rubber Tappers in Thailand, Malaysia, India, and Sri Lanka

Rubber tapping is regarded as an occupational risk for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The impact of MSDs on the individual and their ability to work varies significantly from person to person. MSDs can cause work-limiting pain and fatigue which many people feel unable to disclose. A literature review of 14 papers on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among rubber tappers research in four selected countries Thailand, India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. The highest number of articles were identified from Thailand, the country having the highest production of rubber. Follow by India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. Ergonomic risk factors cause wide range of occupational related diseases among agriculture workers especially rubber plantation population. In view of limited study on prevalence of MSD among rubber tapper in Malaysia, this study was attempted to determine the prevalence of MSD among rubber tapper based on article selection. The highest number of articles were identified from Thailand, the country having the highest production of rubber.

Prevalence and associations between occupational diseases, emotional exhaustion, and dust mask anxiety among coal miners in Northern China.

This study examined the prevalence and associations between occupational-related diseases, emotional exhaustion, and dust mask anxiety among coal miners in Northern China. The study sampled 506 miners from two coal mines in Northern China. Descriptive (frequency, percentages, and chi-square tests) and inferential (complementary log-log logistic regression) analyses were carried out to assess prevalence and associations. The prevalence of coal mining-related pulmonary diseases was 94%, with 40% and 37% reporting pneumoconiosis and bronchitis respectively. Emphysema and tuberculosis were less prevalent with a total prevalence of 5% while 12% of the miners reported two, three, or four of these diseases. For cardiovascular diseases, 66% of the miners reported 3H (hypertension, hyperlipemia, and hyperglycemia) while heart disease and cerebral infarction were reported by 6% and 2% of the miners respectively. Also, 5% and 2% of the miners reported two or all three of 3H, heart condition, and cerebral infarction. The overall prevalence of cardiovascular diseases was 81% while 82% and 63% of the miners reported experiencing some frequency of emotional exhaustion and dust mask anxiety respectively. The study also identified associations between mining-related diseases, emotional exhaustion, dust mask anxiety, and other demographic, personal habits and work-related factors. Miners with pulmonary diseases were more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and dust mask anxiety. Contrariwise, miners with cardiovascular diseases were less likely to experience dust mask anxiety. Factors such as age, engaging in physical exercises, rhinitis, source of pressure and shift system were also associated with emotional exhaustion and dust mask anxiety. These findings highlight the prevalence of occupational diseases, emotional exhaustion, and dust mask anxiety among coal miners in China. The study emphasizes the need for interventions to address health risks, improve work conditions, and support miners' well-being in the coal mining industry.

Occupational health: normative view for the diagnosis of silicosis

Silicosis is an occupational lung fibrosis caused by the inhalation of dust containing free crystalline silica. Its prevalence can vary in different countries and regions. In the case of Chile, silicosis has been recognized as a significant occupational health problem. The clinical presentation of silicosis largely depends on the intensity and duration of exposure. Initially, there may be no signs or symptoms. The differential diagnosis is mainly performed with pulmonary tuberculosis, pulmonary aspergillosis, pulmonary metastasis, sarcoidosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and other pneumoconiosis. After confirming the diagnosis, the process of determining the origin of the pathology begins, for which an Occupational History is required to describe occupational exposure to the risk agent (silica) in terms of time, magnitude, and/or intensity sufficient to develop an occupational-related disease. A Chest X-ray using the ILO (International Labour Organization) technique is necessary, classified as category 1 according to the ILO Classification, and should be interpreted by certified readers. The similarity in radiographic readings necessitates a greater emphasis on the differential diagnosis among these conditions. A high- resolution chest computed tomography without contrast and a lung biopsy should be considered in case of comorbidity, if these diagnostic tests are available. Finally, it is suggested that workers diagnosed with silicosis in the early stages should be identified and removed from silica exposure to prevent disability through medical surveillance.

Bladder cancer course, four genetic high-risk variants, and histopathological findings.

Urinary bladder cancer, a smoking and occupation related disease, was subject of several genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, studies on the course of the disease based on GWAS findings differentiating between muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) are rare. Thus we investigated 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) detected in GWAS, related to the genes coding for TACC3 (transforming, acidic coiled-coil containing protein 3), for FGFR3 (fibroblast growth factor receptor 3), for PSCA (prostate stem cell antigen) and the genes coding for CBX6 (chromobox homolog 6) and APOBEC3A (apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like 3A). This study is based on 712 bladder cancer patients and 875 controls from 3 different case control studies in Germany. The 4 SNPs of interest (PSCA rs2294008 and rs2978974, FGFR3-TACC3 rs798766, and CBX6-APOBEC3A rs1014971) were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The distribution of the 4 SNPs does not vary significantly between cases and controls in the entire study group and in the 3 local subgroups, including two former highly industrialized areas and a region without such history. Also, no significant differences in the bladder cancer subgroups of MIBC and NMIBC were observed. The 4 investigated SNPs do not noticeably contribute differently to the bladder cancer risk for the bladder cancer subgroups of MIBC and NMIBC.

Occupational-Related Injuries and Associated Risk Factors Among Healthcare Workers Working in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review.

Occupational-related diseases or illnesses account for an estimated 2.4 million deaths worldwide every year. Currently, occupational hazards threaten healthcare workers' (HCWs) lives, safety, and well-being. Therefore, providing the prevalence and major causes of occupational-related diseases may enable injury reduction and the creation of safer working environments, which are important for providing higher quality services. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of occupational-related injuries and associated risk factors among HCWs, particularly in developing countries. The articles published in English were retrieved using a combination of Boolean logic operators (AND, OR, and NOT), Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), and keywords in electronic databases (SCOPUS/Science Direct, Web of Science, DOAJ, PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Google Scholars). Using Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools, a quality assessment was conducted to determine the articles' relevance. In addition, the relevant articles were identified through a series of assessment and evaluation stages. About 721 studies were searched using electronic databases, of which 36 articles included 139,578 HCWs. The average prevalence of occupational-related injuries among HCWs in the career and previous last year accounted for 60.17%, ranged from 32% to 87.8% and 39.16%, ranged from 1.14% to 87%, respectively. The current study found that sex and hours worked, stress at work, occupation, age, training in infection prevention, use of universal precautions, recapping needles, ward work experience, staffing and resource adequacy, awareness, outdated guidelines, and previous exposure to sharp injury were statistically associated with occupational-related injuries. This study revealed that 39% and 60% of HCWs experienced occupational-related injuries in the last year and during their career, respectively. Therefore, the appropriate measures must be taken to reduce the burden of occupational-related injuries by following standard precautions or occupational health and safety measures.

Prevalence of pesticide related occupational diseases among Indonesian vegetable farmers - A collaborative work.

This study was done to understand the prevalence of various occupational diseases including dry eyes, nail dystrophy, and neuropathy related to pesticide exposure in Indonesian local vegetable farmers. The data were collected through questionnaires and physical examination involving dermatology, neurology, and ophthalmology domains at Ngablak District, Magelang, Central Java directed to local vegetable farmers. Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire and the Schirmer test were used. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 21.0) and presented in tables. Inadequate spraying equipment and improper storage of pesticides were found. Out of 105 farmers, 41.9% experienced occupational skin diseases (OSD). Definite cognitive impairments were found in 3.4% of subjects but probable in 28.3% of subjects. Neuropathies were found in 61.7% of subjects, and dry-eyes syndrome were found in 28.78% of subjects. There was a high prevalence of peripheral neuropathy and tremor, dry eyes syndrome in one-third of the population, and the most common skin problem was nail discoloration, with a low incidence of contact dermatitis.

Environmental and occupational exposure to chemicals and related occupational diseases

Environmental and occupational exposure to chemicals and related occupational diseases

STUDY OF CLINICAL PROFILE, SPIROMETRIC FUNCTION TEST, DIFFUSING CAPACITY OF CARBON MONOXIDE, 6 MINUTE WALK TEST AND CHEST X-RAY FINDINGS IN TEXTILE DYE-PRINTING WORKERS IN SURAT CITY

INTRODUCTION The textile industry consists of several processes including dyeing, printing etc. and due to the exposures to various chemicals at work, these workers frequently complain of respiratory symptoms. Spirometry allows us to measure FEV1,FVC, FEV1/FVC ratio,FEF25- 75%.Diffusion Capacity of Lung for Carbon Monoxide(DLCO) test indicates the diffusion of Carbon Monoxide gas across the alveolar membrane. In 6 Minute walk Test ,Pulse rate and SpO2 is measure at the start and at the end of the test. (At 0 min and at 6 min) and then fall or rise in Pulse or SpO2 is observed. METHODOLOGY This study included all the subjects according to the inclusion criteria(40) coming to Respiratory Medicine OPD during the study period (15 months). Data was collected and analyzed .RESULTS Majority of the patients were male, (50%) and smokers. Dry cough seen in – 29 patients (72.5%) & Dyspnoea on exertion in 15(37.5%) patients. Chest X-Ray was normal in – 21patients (52.5%), followed by Prominent Broncho-Vascular markings (BVM) was seen in 10(25%) patients. On Spirometry Findings, 24 (60%) patients were normal, 8 (20%) patients showed Restrictive Pattern, 6 (15%) showed Obstructive Pattern and 2 (5%) patients showed Mixed Pattern. In DLCO ndings, 27 patients showed normal (67.5%) and 13 (32.5%) patients showed Decreased Pattern. CONCLUSION Duration of exposure to dye and smoking were signicantly associated with Clinical features, reduced 6 Minute Walk distance, Abnormal Spirometry and DLCO ndings. FEF25-75% was signicantly decreased in most of the dye-workers in present study. As the Dyeing-workers are working in hazardous environment, there should protocols be formed for routine medical check-up at frequent interval in textile industry to detect occupation related diseases at early stage and to intervene the problem timely.

Seroprevalence of brucellosis among the high-risk population in Ujjain district, Madhya Pradesh

Background: Brucellosis is the most common zoonotic disease caused by Gram-negative coccobacillus belonging to genus Brucella. It is a recognized public health problem in developing countries including India. Aims and Objectives: The aims of these study were to determine the seroprevalance of brucellosis in population having occupation dealing with animals and thus are in close contact of animals. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in semi-urban areas of central India. Blood samples were collected from personnel working in slaughter houses, meat shops, and veterinarians and their close contact and who are willing to participate in study. A total 102 samples collected randomly from butchers (n=20), veterinarians (n=29), and animal handlers (n=53) and were tested for Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis by a commercial kit which allows the detection of both complete (IgG and IGM) and incomplete antibodies. Results: A total 102 subjects were included in the study and overall prevalence of brucellosis among high-risk group was found to be 2.9%. One veterinarian doctor was also found positive for both B. melitensis and B. abortus. Highest prevalence of brucellosis was found in veterinarians (6.8%) followed by animal handlers (1.8%), and none of the butcher was tested positive for any of the Brucella antibody. Conclusion: The present study screened all possible known high-risk groups for brucellosis and revealed that veterinarians have high chances of getting the infection. Occupation-related disease like brucellosis needs regular surveillance and integration into control and prevention program at a local and national level.

Implementation of education to batik workers about contact dermatitis in Tanjung Bumi, Bangkalan, Madura, Indonesia

The harmful substances used in the batik industry may cause health problems to batik workers. Knowledge of occupational-related diseases is necessary for workers. This study evaluated the knowledge of batik workers about contact dermatitis and assessed their work-related skin complaints. This experimental study was conducted in Tanjung Bumi, Bangkalan district, Madura Island, Indonesia. Pre-test and post-test were conducted before and after the intervention of health education session. Fifty batik workers were involved in this study. The mean age of the subjects was 36.5 ± 10.201. Analysis with paired-samples t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores (p = 0.040). It was found that almost half of the subjects experienced direct exposure to wax and dyes with forty-four percent and forty-two percent, respectively. The use of gloves while working was not common among the subjects with only thirty-four percent using gloves. The most complained symptom among the batik workers was dry skin. The knowledge about occupational contact dermatitis related to the batik industry’s work environment can be beneficial to prevent the incidence of the disease and raise awareness about the importance of maintaining a safe and healthy work environment among batik workers.

Research on occupational diseases in the absence of occupational data: a mixed-method study among cancer registries of Western Switzerland.

The contribution of occupation-related diseases to the global burden of disease is greatly underestimated, mainly due to a shortage of occupational exposure data. This problem is particularly salient in Switzerland, where no estimates of occupation-related disease burden exist, even for the well-recognised occupational cancers, such as malignant pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer. To overcome this situation, we launched a research project "Examining Cancers and Labour Indicators to assess the Burden" (ExCaLIBur). Within this project, we aimed to assess the need for and quality (i.e., completeness, accuracy and precision) of occupation registration in all cancer registries of Western Switzerland. We also aimed to find a relevant and feasible strategy to collect this information in the future. We applied a mixed research method. We observed that, independently of the level of precision (5-3-2-1-digit aggregation level), the accuracy was lesser in the registries that were able to actively search and verify occupational information. Overall, the distinction of occupations based on the 3-digit code presents an acceptable compromise in terms of precision. Having such occupations registered in all, or most, Swiss cancer registries routinely would obviously be valuable for epidemiological surveillance of occupational cancers in Switzerland. However, it seems less obvious how these data could fulfill the research objectives, since a better precision than 3-digit occupational coding is challenging to achieve. Currently, the collection of occupational data by the Swiss cancer registries remains feasible in the frame of specific research projects on occupational cancers. However, available data sources, as well as lack of financial and human resources, will continue to affect quality of the collected occupation data. Therefore, the usage of the standardised questionnaire retracing the individual occupational history to enable further assessment of individual exposure to potential occupational hazards is recommended. However, this approach will disable the Swiss registries to insuring their epidemiological surveillance mission with respect to occupational cancers in Switzerland, for which national statistics remain limited.

Identifying and assessment the health hazards of the petrochemical industry using the localized JHA method

Introduction: In the petrochemical industry, there are various harmful factors that lack of attention and proper management will have adverse consequences for the organization and employees. The aim of this study was to Identifying and assessment the health hazards of the petrochemical industry using the localized JHA method.
 Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study that conducted in one of Iran's petrochemicals, in order to assess the health risk caused by harmful factors was used from localized JHA method. First, after determining the desired job and dividing it into job duties, the number of tasks was specified. Then, in order to calculate the Risk Priority Number (RPN), from multiplication of 3 factors of probability of occurrence, severity and frequency of exposure was used. All calculations were performed by Excell.
 Results: The results showed that from 353 calculated risks, 93.48% of the total risks are at the acceptable risk level, 4.82% of the risks are at the low importance level and 1.7% is at risk level with medium importance. Also, at between the studied hazards, ergonomic harmful factors with 22%, had the highest frequency and biological harmful factors with 1% had the lowest frequency of hazards.
 Conclusion: Regarding to importance of health hazards, in addition to identifying and evaluating them, it is necessary to determine and implement appropriate management measures to reduce and control of risk levels to prevent from accidents and related occupational diseases and the heavy costs.

COVID-19 with respect to occupational healthcare and public health services

HintergrundMedizinisches Personal hat ein arbeitsbedingtes Risiko für eine Infektion mit dem „severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2“ (SARS-CoV‑2) und kann COVID‑19 auf Patienten übertragen. Bei der zugehörigen Berufskrankheit handelt es sich um die BK 3101.FragestellungHäufigkeit von Verdachtsmeldungen berufsbedingter SARS-CoV-2-Infektionen und anerkannter COVID-19-Berufskrankheiten, Meldepflichten nach Infektionsschutzgesetz (IfSG) und Anzeigepflichten des Arztes.Material und MethodenSelektive Literaturrecherche unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Daten der Unfallversicherungsträger zu arbeitsbedingten SARS-CoV-2-Infektionen des medizinischen Personals.ErgebnisseDie SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie stellt sich auch als Herausforderung der Arbeitsmedizin und des Öffentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (ÖGD) dar. In den letzten Monaten wurden bei den Unfallversicherungsträgern im Zusammenhang mit COVID-19 vermehrt Verdachtsfälle einer Berufskrankheit (BK 3101) sowie eine steigende Zahl von Arbeitsunfallmeldungen registriert. Der ÖGD bearbeitet die Meldungen gemäß dem IfSG und koordiniert die Kontaktpersonennachverfolgung.SchlussfolgerungenArbeitsbedingte SARS-CoV-2-Infektionen geben Anlass zur Sorge. Die Meldedaten der Unfallversicherungsträger belegen hohe Fallzahlen. Präventive Maßnahmen, z. B. das Tragen der persönlichen Schutzausrüstung (PSA) und COVID-19-Impfungen, reduzieren sowohl das Infektionsrisiko der Beschäftigten signifikant als auch das Risiko einer nosokomialen Übertragung auf die Patienten.

Which factors influence the frequency of participation in longitudinal cohort studies? - An analysis of demographics, social factors, and medical preconditions in participants of the health effects in high level exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (HELPcB) cohort

ABSTRACT The continuous drop out of participants in longitudinal studies is a trend that may be observed in nearly all fields of medical research. A reduced participation rate might compromise the power of statistical analysis as well as lead to an attrition bias of the study. The aim of this analysis was to identify influencing factors on participation frequency in the monitoring program Health Effects in High Level Exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (HELPcB) study, a cohort investigation of occupationally polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) exposed individuals. The HELPcB study was initiated in 2010 and consisted of 7 study visits. At the last cross-section in 2019, less than one third of the included patients still actively participated. As possible influencing factors on study participation frequency, demographic, social, and medical characteristics of the participants were examined. In addition, a logistic regression model to predict study participation behavior was calculated. An overall higher frequency of participation was observed, if participants joined the program together with relatives or friends and had a higher age. For PCB plasma levels, an exceedance of the biological reference value (BAR) and further factors, such as (1) professional qualification, (2) later inclusion, (3) type of participant and (4) occupational-related disease notification, significant differences in the participation frequency were observed in the univariate analysis. Only age and joined study participation remained significant in the multivariate logistic regression. In conclusion, it was possible to identify several social and occupational-related factors that influence the frequency of participation of study attendees.

Plasma metabolomic profiling in workers with noise-induced hearing loss: a pilot study.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) remains a leading occupational related disease and is a serious public health problem. Hence, the identification of potential biomarkers for NIHL prevention and diagnosis has become an urgent work. To discover potential metabolic biomarkers of NIHL, plasma metabolomics analysis in 62 NIHL patients and 62 normal hearing controls was performed using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF MS). Orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) model was applied to distinguish metabolite profile alterations in plasma samples between the two groups. The metabolites with a variable importance of projection (VIP) value > 1 and P value < 0.05 were considered to be potential metabolic biomarkers. KEGG database was performed to explore the involved pathways of potential biomarkers. Three autophagy-related genes (PI3K, AKT, and ATG5) were selected for further verification, and mRNA levels were detected using RT-qPCR analysis. Twenty plasma metabolites with VIP > 1 and P < 0.05 were significantly altered between the two groups. Totally, seven metabolic pathways involving the glycerophospholipid metabolism, glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor biosynthesis, autophagy pathway, choline metabolism, the alpha-linolenic acid metabolism and linoleic acid metabolism, and retrograde endocannabinoid pathway were significantly related to NIHL. Furthermore, verification by RT-qPCR suggested that the mRNA expression levels of PI3K and AKT along with ATG5 were significantly lower in the NIHL patients compared with controls. In summary, the present study provides the first evidence that the identified aberrantly altered metabolites may be the potentially valuable biomarkers of NIHL for occupational noise-exposed workers. Autophagy signal pathway may be involved in the occurrence and development of NIHL. Moreover, this present study may be helpful to further better understand the metabolic changes in NIHL and be helpful for the understanding of pathogenic mechanism.

Analysis on the Development Status of Coal Mine Dust Disaster Prevention Technology in China

In recent years, with the increasing level of mechanization, automation, and intelligence in mine mining, dust pollution in the working environment of coal mines has become increasingly serious. Coal mine dust prevention is an important work related to the life, health, and production safety of miners, and it is also one of the technical problems of mine safety in production. With the continuous revision and improvement of China′s Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, coal mining enterprises have generally strengthened the publicity, prevention, and control of occupational diseases among employees, and the control of coal mine dust has been used as a means for enterprises to improve the production environment and strengthen the occupational health of employees. Key work-based studies have shown that China’s coal mines have formed a theoretical system and technology system of dust prevention and control. In the future, China’s coal mines will start from intelligent dust prevention, achieve high-precision dust sensing-transmission-assessment and early warning, and develop a combined dust collector that integrates the functions of atomization dust removal, miniaturization, dry and wet mixing, and large air suction capacity. The combined dust collector realizes the efficient ventilation control and dust removal of the fine dust in wide-area complex spaces such as fully mechanized mining face and fully mechanized mining face. At the same time, breakthroughs have been achieved in low-permeability coal seams, such as strong hydraulic permeability-enhancing technology, intelligent dust-proof robots, and chemical dust suppression. This article introduces the basic concepts, generation, distribution, and hazards of coal mine dust and analyzes the characteristics, applicable conditions, and use effects of various dust control measures such as ventilation dust removal and wet dust removal. Moreover, this article also proposes specific prevention and control measures for related occupational diseases and discusses the development trend of dust prevention and control technology in the hope of providing guidance and reference for coal mine dust prevention and control.

Functional Analysis of the Spine with the Idiag SpinalMouse System among Sedentary Workers Affected by Non-Specific Low Back Pain.

WHO describes “low back pain” (LBP) as the most common problem in overall occupational-related diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate characteristics of spinal functionality among sedentary workers and determine usability of the SpinalMouse® skin-surface measurement device in workplace settings in a risk population for LBP. The spinal examination was implemented at National Instruments Corporations’ Hungarian subsidiary, Debrecen in October, 2015, involving 95 white-collar employees as volunteers to assess spinal posture and functional movements. Data from the physical examination of 91 subjects (age: 34.22 ± 7.97 years) were analyzed. Results showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in posture and mobility of the spinal regions in sitting compared to standing position. Significant positive correlations were observed between values measured in standing and sitting positions in all observed regions and aspects of the spine (p < 0.05) except posture of lumbar extension (p = 0.07) and mobility of sacrum/hip in E-F (p = 0.818). Significant (p < 0.001) difference (5.70°) was found between the spinal inclination in sitting 6.47 ± 3.55° compared to standing 0.77 ± 2.53 position. Sitting position has a negative effect on the posture and mobility of the spine among white-collar employees. The SpinalMouse can be used effectively to determine spinal posture and mobility in cross-sectional studies and impact analysis of physical exercise interventions.

Cytotoxic effects of manganese oxide nanoparticles in combination with microbial components on intestinal epithelial cells

Background: Manganese oxide has been shown to cause toxicity and is associated with occupational-related disease (e.g., welders). With the goal to improve several biomedical areas, manganese oxide nanoparticles (MnO NP) are being considered for use in drug delivery and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to obtain high resolution anatomical images of tumors and gastrointestinal (GI) inflammation. Regardless of whether it is intentional or unintentional ingestion, the GI tract has been shown to be the primary route of entry for metal nanoparticles including MnO NP. However, studies assessing toxicity of MnO NP for intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) are virtually nonexistent. Methods: Given the proximity to the GI lumen, assessing the effects of nanoparticles on IECs in the presence of bacterial components presents a more holistic model of exposure. Therefore, we examined the effects of MnO NP alone and MnO NP in combination with Escherichia coli LF82 bacterial lysate on selected functions of MODE-K cells, a murine intestinal epithelial cell line. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Differences with p &lt; 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Results showed MnO NP plus E. coli LF82 lysate added to MODE-K cells severely inhibited monolayer scratch wound healing, enhanced the secretion of interleukin 6 (IL-6), and induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Conclusions: Overall, our findings show that toxicity of MnO NP deleteriously affected MODE-K cells and demonstrated the necessity to integrate other environmental factors, such as microbial components and/or inflammatory cytokines, into studies assessing effects of nanoparticles on mucosal epithelia.