Occupational Subgroups Research Articles

The causal effect of early retirement on medication use across sex and occupation: evidence from Danish administrative data.

We examine the causal effect of early retirement on medication use using Danish registry data. A reform in early retirement schemes in 2006 gradually increased eligibility ages from 60 to 64 differentially across birth cohorts. This enables an instrumental variable design that was applied using novel g-estimation methods that alleviate bias in binary outcome IV models. Our data allow studying patterns in the short run (ages 59½-60½) and in the long run (ages 57-63). For those who were eligible already at age 60, retirement did not change overall medication use. However, when investigating medication and population subgroups, we see that painkiller use decreases and hypertension medication as well as mental health medication use increase after retirement in almost all population subgroups. Moreover, males as well as the blue-collar occupation subgroups do show decreases in overall medication use after early retirement. In conclusion, our analyses reveal that retirement can have important heterogeneous health effects across population groups and are potentially informative about the welfare benefits of social insurance more broadly.

HIV epidemiologic trends among occupational groups in Rakai, Uganda: A population-based longitudinal study, 1999-2016.

Certain occupations have been associated with heightened risk of HIV acquisition and spread in sub-Saharan Africa, including female bar and restaurant work and male transportation work. However, data on changes in population prevalence of HIV infection and HIV incidence within occupations following mass scale-up of African HIV treatment and prevention programs is very limited. We evaluated prospective data collected between 1999 and 2016 from the Rakai Community Cohort Study, a longitudinal population-based study of 15- to 49-year-old persons in Uganda. Adjusted prevalence risk ratios for overall, treated, and untreated, prevalent HIV infection, and incidence rate ratios for HIV incidence with 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Poisson regression to assess changes in HIV outcomes by occupation. Analyses were stratified by gender. There were 33,866 participants, including 19,113 (56%) women. Overall, HIV seroprevalence declined in most occupational subgroups among men, but increased or remained mostly stable among women. In contrast, prevalence of untreated HIV substantially declined between 1999 and 2016 in most occupations, irrespective of gender, including by 70% among men (12.3 to 4.2%; adjPRR = 0.30; 95%CI:0.23-0.41) and by 78% among women (14.7 to 4.0%; adjPRR = 0.22; 95%CI:0.18-0.27) working in agriculture, the most common self-reported primary occupation. Exceptions included men working in transportation. HIV incidence similarly declined in most occupations, but there were no reductions in incidence among female bar and restaurant workers, women working in local crafts, or men working in transportation. In summary, untreated HIV infection and HIV incidence have declined within most occupational groups in Uganda. However, women working in bars/restaurants and local crafts and men working in transportation continue to have a relatively high burden of untreated HIV and HIV incidence, and as such, should be considered priority populations for HIV programming.

Gender inequalities of psychosomatic complaints at work vary by occupational groups of white- and blue-collar and level of skill: A cross sectional study.

Previous research has shown that women report more psychosomatic complaints at work than men. However, knowledge about gender inequalities in psychosomatic complaints within occupational groups and specific symptoms is lacking. This study aims to compare gender inequalities in psychosomatic complaints in the occupational groups of white-collar high-skilled, white-collar low-skilled, blue-collar high-skilled and blue-collar low-skilled workers. The study implemented a cross sectional design using data from the nationwide German Employment Survey of the Working Population on Qualification and Working Conditions conducted in 2017/ 2018. Psychosomatic complaints were operationalised by the following symptoms: headache, insomnia, tiredness, irritability, dejection, physical fatigue, and emotional fatigue. N = 20012 working German-speaking respondents were sampled. After excluding persons with missing data on the study variables, the sample consisted of N = 16359 persons. Women reported significantly more psychosomatic complaints than men in the subgroups of white-collar high-skilled and white-collar low-skilled (ps < .05), inequalities in blue-collar high-skilled and blue-collar low-skilled only being numerical. Regarding specific symptoms, women reported more psychosomatic complaints then men in the subgroups of white-collar high-skilled workers, white-collar low-skilled workers, and blue-collar low-skilled workers. Headaches, physical fatigue, and emotional fatigue were the most common symptoms. The white-collar high-skilled subgroup had the highest number of symptoms with significant gender inequalities. These effects remained after controlling for age, working hours, parental status and marital status. Gender inequalities in psychosomatic complaints are ubiquitous but vary in their frequency by occupational subgroup and specific psychosomatic complaint. Women in white-collar high-skilled jobs in particular report to be burdened more often by many specific psychosomatic symptoms. Future studies should investigate the reasons for these occupational inequalities and develop interventions to reduce health inequalities in the workplace.

Typhoid and Non-Typhoid Salmonellosis Related Mortality in Iran, National Data from the Ministry of Health.

Despite the declining trend, salmonellosis is still an important preventable cause of death in Iran and the world, especially in certain age and occupational subgroups, and the need for preventive measures, especially raising awareness of at-risk groups, is necessary. Data were obtained from the Ministry of Health covering the years 2013 to 2019. The data were then stratified by year, season, month, and province of death as well as sex, age group, belonging to rural vs. urban communities and cause of death and were then analyzed using SPSS to report differences in age, sex, seasonal patterns, and spatial distribution. Non-typhoid salmonellosis (NTS) and typhoid were recorded as the cause of 800 and 32 deaths, respectively, with the highest number in 2015 and 2013. Septicemia was the cause of 87.3% of deaths due to NTS, whereas typhoid was the cause of 62.5% of its respective cases. The highest percentage of death related to both occurred in spring (P<0.001). NTS mortality rates were higher in the 70-80 and 80-90 age groups, while typhoid mortality was greatest in the under 10 yr age group. NTS mortality was higher in urban while typhoid mortality was higher in rural areas (P<0.001). Most deaths occurred in Ardabil, Sistan and Baluchistan and Khorasan Razavi provinces and Sistan and Baluchistan, West Azerbaijan and Khorasan Razavi related to NTS and typhoid, respectively. Salmonella remains a preventable cause of death, especially among the elderly and children, the data gathered in this study provides important information for priority setting in specific subpopulations and food safety policy.

Efficacy of a Text-Based Mental Health Coaching App in Improving the Symptoms of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Stress, anxiety, and depression are major mental health concerns worldwide. A wide variety of digital mental health interventions have demonstrated efficacy in improving one's mental health status, and digital interventions that involve some form of human involvement have been shown to demonstrate greater efficacy than self-guided digital interventions. Studies demonstrating the efficacy of digital mental health interventions within the Asian region are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the potential efficacy of the digital mental health intervention, ThoughtFullChat, which consists of one-on-one, asynchronous, text-based coaching with certified mental health professionals and self-guided tools, in improving self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. The study also aims to examine the potential differences in efficacy among occupational subgroups and between sexes. A randomized controlled study was conducted among housemen (trainee physicians), students, faculty members, and corporate staff at International Medical University, Malaysia. A total of 392 participants were enrolled and randomized to the intervention (n=197, 50.3%) and control (n=195, 49.7%) groups. Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 items at baseline and after the 3-month intervention period. The Satisfaction with Life Scale and Brief Resilience Scale were also included, along with a questionnaire about demographics. Significant decrease was observed in depression (P=.02) and anxiety (P=.002) scores in the intervention group. A subgroup (corporate staff) also demonstrated significant decrease in stress (P=.005) alongside depression (P=.006) and anxiety (P=.002). Females showed significant improvements in depression (P=.02) and anxiety (P<.001) when compared with males. This study provides evidence that the ThoughtFullChat app is effective in improving the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in individuals, particularly among corporate staff from the educational field. It also supports the notion that mobile mental health apps that connect users to mental health professionals in a discreet and cost-efficient manner can make important contributions to the improvement of mental health outcomes. The differential improvements among occupational subgroups and between sexes in this study indicate the need for future digital mental health app designs to consider an element of personalization focused on systemic components relating to occupation. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04944277; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04944277.

Variations in excess commuting by educational and occupational worker subgroups: A case study of Shanghai

The excess commuting framework has been used to explore the potential of reducing commuting. Many papers on excess commuting evaluate commuting efficiency from the perspective of average trip length, while very few studies measure commuting orderliness from another perspective --- spatial organization. Additionally, some previous disaggregate analyses focus on a single socio-economic class, which may fail to uncover the nuanced relationship between observed commuting and urban land use. Based on the National 1% Population Sampling Survey (NPSS) in Shanghai, this study examines variations in excess commuting by three educational levels and five occupational types from the perspectives of average trip length and spatial organization. The results suggest that there are significant excess commuting differences across fifteen worker subgroups, which highlights the importance of considering education and occupation simultaneously. There is a complex relationship between the average trip length and spatial organization of commuting pattern. Manufacturing workers for all education levels commute longer but show less excess commuting than other sectors. Social service workers have a shorter commuting distance but a more disordered commuting organization. The results also show that highly educated workers contribute the most to excess commuting.

Gender and occupational differences in post-terrorist mental health outcomes among emergency responders with and without crisis intervention

Abstract Introduction After the Berlin terrorist attack at Breitscheidplatz, the gender-specific evaluation of emergency responders (ER) revealed higher perceived levels of paranoid ideation among females. The occupation-specific evaluation revealed higher hostility among police officers and a lower quality of life among firefighters. The aim of this study was to examine the outcome of crisis intervention (CI) provided for ER deployed to this terrorist attack. Methods In total, N = 55 ER were included (n = 37 with and n = 18 w/o CI). Stress, quality of life, post-traumatic stress disorder, and current psychological stress were assessed 4 months after the attack. Results ER with and w/o CI were compared. Participants with CI showed lower quality of life in psychological health (t(53)=2.01, p=.050) and higher depressive symptomatology (t(44) = 2.51, p=.016). Females with CI showed lower quality of life in social relationships (t(12)=2.46, p=.030), whereas males showed more posttraumatic stress symptoms (t(39)= .32, p=.026). Emergency responders from NGOs with CI had higher phobic anxiety (t(9.2)=2.72, p=.023). Emergency medical technicians with CI showed more somatic (t(7.5)=2.52, p=.037) and depressive (t(8)=2.30, p=.050) symptoms. Conclusions This study provides evidence for differences in the mental health burden for ER with and w/o CI, in general and for subgroups of gender and occupation. There is no conclusive explanation for why ER with CI score worse on certain measures. It is possible that CI had a harmful influence due to the reinforcement of negative emotions in some parts of measures like the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD). While it is known that ERs are vulnerable to develop mental problems, and appropriate and timely help is recommended, it is important to critical evaluate the methods used and to take also into account the identified gender and occupational differences. Further research is needed to better understand the interaction of risk factors.

The risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 antibody level differences in healthcare workers post vaccination in Siloam hospitals: A nationwide multicenter study

BackgroundSeveral vaccines have been approved against COVID-19, and five have been used in Indonesia. Due to the decrease in antibody levels three to six months after the second dose of CoronaVac, healthcare workers received the third booster of mRNA vaccine (mRNA-1273) to increase the antibody level. This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors of anti-S-RBD IgG levels differences in healthcare workers.MethodsThis study is a retrospective cohort study of 576 healthcare workers without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection who received two doses of CoronaVac and the third dose of mRNA-1273 six months after the second dose. Blood samples were obtained 2nd, 6th, 12th, and 24th weeks after the second dose of CoronaVac vaccine administration, with mRNA-1273 booster on week 20. Quantitative measurements of IgG antibodies were performed with Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S immunoassay. We identify the baseline factors predicting post-vaccination antibody titers using univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis.ResultsThis study comprised 576 participants aged 32 years old, 72.05% female, and 45.84% from high-risk occupation subgroups. The median antibodies titer level on the 2nd, 6th, 12th, and 24th weeks after the second vaccine dose administration were 40.99 u/mL, 42.01 u/mL, 54.78 u/mL, and 23,225 u/mL. Antibody levels trended highest in female and younger age group (20-29 years old).ConclusionThe third dose of vaccine increased the quantitative SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG antibody titers and eliminated differences in antibodies titer by gender. Keywords: Antibodies titer, COVID-19, Immune response, S-RBD IgG, Vaccine

Mental health professionals’ attitudes towards patients with borderline personality disorder: The role of disgust

IntroductionMental health professionals’ derogatory attitudes towards patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) may negatively affect treatment outcomes.ObjectivesWe aimed to identify a) negative attitudes exhibited by mental health professionals towards BPD patients and b) the effects of disgust propensity and disgust sensitivity on theses negative attitudes.MethodsMental health professionals (N = 136) completed questionnaires on attitudes towards BPD patients, disgust propensity/sensitivity, and sociodemographic variables.ResultsSignificant differences in negative attitudes toward BPD patients based on gender, marital status, occupational subgroup, educational level, psychotherapy training, level of exposure to BPD patients, and political ideology were found. Results suggested BPD patients are viewed by mental health professionals as ineffective, incomprehensible, dangerous, unworthy, immoral, undesirable to be with, and dissimilar to the mental health professionals. Moreover, disgust propensity and the pathogen component of disgust sensitivity were associated with stronger negative attitudes towards BPD patients.ConclusionsThe findings emphasize the importance of mental health professionals’ awareness of the emotion of disgust as a relevant factor to their negative attitudes towards BPD patients.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Prevalence of Hoarseness in Primary Health Care and Hospitals—Associations With Different Work Tasks and Environmental Factors Among Nurses

The voice is one of the most essential tools necessary for nurses achieve high care satisfaction and safety. Research on hoarseness has mainly focused on professional speakers, like teachers. The aim of this study was to determine the current prevalence of hoarseness among six subgroups of nurses (registered nurses, primary care nurses, pediatric nurses, laboratory nurses, dental nurses, and midwives) and also to identify potential environmental risk factors in their working environment. The health data was collected in collaboration with two health care professional trade unions. The findings are based on 15,553 returned health questionnaires which were statistically analyzed. The 1-year prevalence of hoarseness among all participating nurses was 30.2 % in this data, but the variation between different occupational subgroups was significant; ranging from 25 % for laboratory nurses to 38 % for midwives. These findings were in line with perceived environmental problems and the differences between the sub-groups were not explained by the participants suffering from asthma, sinusitis, rhinitis, or common respiratory infections; there were no explanatory differences in the prevalence's of the above-mentioned diseases. The variation in prevalence of hoarseness between the different occupational subgroups was significant and the prevalence was found to be in line with perceived environmental problems. The most common problems were stuffiness, dry air, and inadequate ventilation. In addition, both a perceived "sewer odor" and "smell of mold or cellar" in one's own working environment were also found to be significant risk factors for hoarseness. Based on this study, the current indoor air problems in Finnish health care facilities can be verified and are a source of risk to nurses' voices.

Prevalence and health correlates of workplace violence and discrimination against hospital employees \u2013 a cross-sectional study in German-speaking Switzerland

BackgroundViolence and discrimination are common events at work, especially in health care. Moreover, such workplace experiences are considered to have negative impacts and particularly adverse health consequences on health care workers. Nevertheless, the problem is still highly underreported and thus largely ignored and unexplored in Switzerland as comprehensive data and studies on their prevalence and health correlates among hospital staffs and health professionals are widely missing.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was based on secondary data from a company survey among several public hospitals and rehabilitation clinics in German-speaking Switzerland conducted in 2015/16. The study population was limited to a subsample of 1567 health professionals among the surveyed staffs of five participating hospitals and clinics. Relative frequencies of different forms of violence and discrimination at work and the total number of such experiences were calculated for the entire study population and for occupational subgroups. These data were compared with a nationally representative subsample of the Swiss Health Survey 2017 as a reference population. Multiple logistic regression analyses were further computed to investigate the association between the number of different experienced forms of violence and/or discrimination at work and several poor general and mental health outcomes.Results23% of the inverviewed hospital employees experienced at least one form of discrimination or violence at work in the past year, compared to 18% of the general working population. Nurses were by far the most affected occupational group regarding all forms of violence. More and particularly the most exposed and affected hospital employees with regard to experiences of violence and/or discrimination at work showed almost consistently increased frequencies and relative risks for the studied poor mental and general health outcomes. Prevalence rates and odds ratios for strong sleep disorders, strong stress feelings and increased burnout symptoms were between 3 and 4 times higher among the most exposed compared to the non-exposed group of hospital employees.ConclusionsStudy findings underline the importance of an active combat against violent and discriminatory behaviors in health care. Prevention strategies should particularly focus on nurses and midwives, which turned out to be the most affected and exposed group of all health professions.

Mental Health Professionals’ Attitudes towards Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder: The Role of Disgust

Negative attitudes towards patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) may affect treatment outcomes. We aimed to identify a) negative attitudes exhibited by mental health professionals towards patients with BPD and b) the effects of disgust propensity and disgust sensitivity on these negative attitudes. Mental health professionals (N = 136) completed questionnaires on attitudes towards patients with BPD and disgust propensity/sensitivity. Significant differences in negative attitudes towards patients with BPD based on gender, marital status, occupational subgroup, educational level, psychotherapy training, level of exposure to patients with BPD, and political ideology were found. Results suggested patients with BPD are viewed by mental health professionals as ineffective, incomprehensible, dangerous, unworthy, immoral, undesirable to be with, and dissimilar to the mental health professionals. Moreover, disgust propensity and disgust sensitivity were associated with stronger negative attitudes towards patients with BPD. The findings emphasize the importance of mental health professionals’ awareness of the emotion of disgust as a relevant factor to their negative attitudes towards patients with BPD.

Control of a nosocomial measles outbreak among previously vaccinated adults in a population with high vaccine coverage: Korea, 2019.

We describe a measles outbreak among previously vaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs) and inpatients and the control measures implemented at a tertiary care hospital in 2019. Case-patients were laboratory-confirmed measles with throat swabs tested by quantitative polymerase chain reactions (PCR), during April-May 2019. Medical histories and documented immunization records were obtained. We compared attack rates (ARs) among HCWs by occupational subgroup and age and examined the outbreak-associated costs. The index case was not ascertained. Among 26 measles case-patients (22 HCWs, four inpatients) aged 18-28years, 25 had previously received measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine (12/26, 46% (two doses); 13/26, 50% (one dose)), and 16 (62%) had positive results of measles IgG prior to measles diagnosis. ARs were higher among HCWs aged < 30years (1.88%), especially in the subgroup under 25years of age (2.22%). Control measures included work restrictions for seronegative HCWs (218/2320, 9.4%) in immunity verification, administration of the MMR vaccine (207 HCWs) or intravenous immunoglobulin (2 HCWs and 11 inpatients), enhanced health surveillance of HCWs, and mandatory assessment of patients with measles-like symptoms at the infectious diseases screening units. The hospital spent 90,417,132 Korean won (US $79,733) in response to the outbreak. Measles outbreaks can occur in healthcare settings despite high population immunity, highlighting the importance of stronger vaccination policies, particularly among young HCWs. Moreover, an effective outbreak response comprising immunization activities and enhanced surveillance of HCWs and patients to rapidly detect measles-like symptoms at a prodromal phase is essential to control nosocomial measles outbreaks.

Inequalities in occupational exposures among people using popular commute modes

Several recent studies have looked into the differences in air qualities inside popular commute modes. The impact of daily commuting patterns and work-related trips on inhalation doses, however, are not investigated. The purpose of this study is to quantify the variation in air pollutants within popular commute modes in Mumbai, India, and to estimate the variation in exposure as a result of occupational or work-related trips across different sub-groups. Real-time pollutants, both gaseous and particulate matters (PM), were measured on a pre-defined route during rush and non-rush hours on buses, cars, auto-rickshaws, sub-urban trains, and motorbikes through several trips (N = 98). Household surveys were conducted to estimate the exposures of different occupational subgroups (cab-driver, auto-rickshaw drivers, delivery persons) and people commuting to their offices daily. Participants (N = 800) from various socioeconomic backgrounds in the city were asked about their job categories, work-activity patterns, and work-related commute trips. Mass concentrations of particles in different size ranges (PM1, PM2.5, and PM10) were substantially higher (p < 0.05) inside auto-rickshaws (44.6 μg/m3, 84.7 μg/m3, and 138.3 μg/m3) compared to other modes. Inside cars, gaseous pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO) and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) were significantly higher (p < 0.05). Although both gaseous and particulate concentrations were lower (p < 0.05) inside buses, bus-commuters were found to be highly exposed to the pollutants due to the extended trip time (∼1.2 times longer than other modes) and driving conditions. Office commuters inhale a large fraction of their daily doses (25–30%) during their work-related travel. Occupational sub-groups, on the other hand, inhale ∼90% of the pollutants during their work. In a day, an auto-rickshaw driver inhales 10–15% more (p < 0.05) pollutants than cab driver or delivery personnel. Therefore, this study highlights the inequalities in occupational exposure as a combined effect of in-cabin air qualities and commute patterns due to occupational obligations.

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and Construction Industry: insights from Italian data.

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and Construction Industry: insights from Italian data.

The epidemiological aspects of fungal keratitis in a population sample from Northern Iran: A cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACTIntroduction:Fungal keratitis can be influenced by different genetic, environmental, and even iatrogenic factors that the impact of such factors can be very different in various populations. Thus, it should be attempted to provide a clear picture of the epidemiological situation of this disease in different areas. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological aspects of fungal keratitis in a population sample from northern Iran.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted on all consecutive patients clinically suspected to fungal keratitis that were ultimately diagnosed by positive fungal culture that admitted to Amiralmomenin hospital in Rasht city, Iran, between 2011 and 2019. The sampling method was census. The required information was collected by reviewing the hospital’s recorded files.Results:Forty seven patients were examined in the study that 53.2% of the patients were men. Among the population of women, housewives-farmers with the prevalence rate of 45% and among the population of men, those with farm occupation with the prevalence rate of 52% formed the most common occupational subgroups. Most patients (89.3%) had no history of any ocular surgery or manipulation. Aspergillus was the most frequent pathogen (23.4%) followed by Penicillium (19.1%) and Fusarium (17.0%). History of chronic disorders was also revealed in 44.6%. The results of smear and culture obtained from the study were as follows: in 8.5% of patients as positive smear and positive culture, and in 91.5% as negative smear and positive culture. Only 2.1% used the lens.Conclusion:Fungal keratitis affects our male population slightly higher than females with the highest overall prevalence rate in the sixth and seventh decades of life. The most frequent fungal strains responsible for fungal keratitis include Aspergillus followed by Penicillium and Fusarium.

All-mail voting in Colorado increases turnout and reduces turnout inequality

The COVID-19 crisis has generated interest in all-mail voting (AMV) as a potential policy solution for avoiding in-person elections. However, the quality of AMV implementation has varied greatly across states, leading to mixed results in previous research. We exploit the understudied 2014 implementation of AMV in Colorado to estimate the effect on turnout for all registered voters, along with age, racial, education, income and wealth, and occupational subgroups. Using large voter file data and a difference-in-differences design within individuals, we find a positive overall turnout effect of approximately 8 percentage points—translating into an additional 900,000 ballots being cast between 2014 and 2018. Effects are significantly larger among lower-propensity voting groups, such as young people, blue-collar workers, voters with less educational attainment, and voters of color. The results suggest that researchers and policymakers should look to Colorado's AMV approach as an effective model for boosting aggregate turnout and reducing voting disparities across subgroups.

Effect of inhaled anaesthetics gases on cytokines and oxidative stress alterations for the staff health status in hospitals

ObjectivesThe present study aimed to evaluate the effects of waste anaesthetic gases on cytokines and oxidative stress of hospital health team members following exposure to waste anaesthetic gases (WAGs).Subjects and methodsIn total, 180 participants took part in this study; 60 of these were healthy male controls and the 120 participants in the intervention group were staff who work in the operating room. This latter group comprises six occupational subgroups (1) surgeons, (2) surgical assistants, (3) anaesthesiologists (4) anaesthesiology assistants, (5) nurses and (6) janitors. The following parameters were assessed: catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSHpx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, plasma fluoride, serum interferon gamma (IFN-γ), serum interleukin 2 (IL2), serum interleukin 4 (IL4) and plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS).ResultsAnaesthesiologists and their assistants exhibited the highest levels of plasma fluoride, serum IFN-γ and IL 2, exceeding the levels in detected in all the other occupational subgroups. Furthermore, the serum levels of IL4 were significantly raised in anaesthesiologists and the difference between this group and other groups was statistically significant. However, compared with the other subgroups, surgeons exhibited elevated plasma TBARS and reduced CAT, GSHpx and SOD; these variances were also statistically significant.Conclusion and recommendationsThe findings of this study indicate that operating room staff exposed to WAGs are vulnerable to experiencing immunotoxicity as the WAGs are considered to initiate oxidative stress and increase the levels of cytokines in serum. Thus, an education programme is warranted to inform staff working in environments where they may be subjected to WAGs on the effects that the gases can have upon their health and how to minimise their exposure to WAGs. An ongoing effort is also needed to ensure anaesthesia safety standards are maintained at all times. The findings of this study may provide a springboard for future research into occupational exposure to WAGs and their wider effect upon health.

Analysis of Prevalence and Risk Factors of Contact Sensitization with respect to the Occupational Profiles in a Greek Patient Cohort: A Retrospective Analysis of a Greek Referral Centre and Future Perspectives.

Contact dermatitis is a frequent skin disorder related to environmental and occupational etiological factors, which could potentially affect all age groups, as well as both genders. The current study is aimed at exploring the patterns of contact sensitization with respect to the population's occupational patterns in Greece. A retrospective analysis was performed in a cohort of 1978 patients from 2014 to 2016. Patients were divided into two categories; blue collars (BlC) and white collars (WhC), as well as detailed occupation was considered. Separation was performed on the basis of their profession, i.e., labor workers and handicraftsmen were sorted to the BlC group, while office employees were sorted to the WhC group. The common allergen in all occupational subgroups was nickel sulphate. The three most prevalent allergens in both BlC and WhC were nickel sulphate 5%, fragrance mix (I) 8%, and Balsam of Peru 25%. WhC males were uniquely sensitized to colophony 20% and formaldehyde 2%, and WhC females were uniquely sensitized to 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (CMIT) and neomycin sulphate 20%. Sensitization to allergens manifested occupation-specific patterns. Allergic contact dermatitis surveillance is of great importance towards the clinical and systematic understanding of the disease, especially with respect to the patient's occupational profile.

Demographic variations and temporal trends in prenatal use of multiple micronutrient supplements in Beijing, 2013-2017.

To provide updated information about demographic variations and temporal trends in the prenatal use of multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplements in the metropolitan areas of China. Descriptive analysis of routine prenatal healthcare data between 2013 and 2017. Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. A total of 197 346 pregnant women who attended their first prenatal care visit and provided information about MMN supplementation during the periconceptional period. Of these pregnant women, 60·6 % reported consuming prenatal MMN supplements. In multivariate-adjusted models, there were significant gradients of age, education and parity in prenatal MMN supplementation, with the highest likelihood of MMN use among the oldest, the most highly educated and nulliparous women (Pfor trend < 0·001). Compared with that among unemployed women, prenatal MMN supplementation was more common among the employed, especially those engaged in business (adjusted relative risks (95 % CI): 1·08 (1·06, 1·10)) and management (1·10 (1·08, 1·12)). The proportion of prenatal MMN supplementation was 57·0 % in 2013, which increased to 63·5 % in 2017 (Pfor trend < 0·001). The trends varied by age, education and parity (Pfor heterogeneity < 0·001), whereas no significant difference was observed in trends across subgroups of ethnicity or occupation. The greatest magnitude increase in MMN supplement use occurred in women of age < 25 years (annual percent change: 5·7 %), less than high school education (9·6 %), parity ≥ 2 (6·8 %) or unemployment (6·1 %). Approximately two-thirds of women consumed prenatal MMN supplements during the periconceptional period in the central area of Beijing and the proportion increased over time, indicating a need to evaluate the effectiveness and safety and to develop a guideline for relatively well-nourished women.