Psychological Distress and Pain Reporting in Australian Coal Miners

BACKGROUND: Coal mining is of significant economic importance to the Australian economy. Despite this fact, the related workforce is subjected to a number of psychosocial risks and musculoskeletal injury, and various psychological disorders are common among this population group. Because only limited research has been conducted in this population group, we sought to examine the relationship between physical (pain) and psychological (distress) factors, as well as the effects of various demographic, lifestyle, and fatigue indicators on this relationship. METHODS: Coal miners (N = 231) participated in a survey of musculoskeletal pain and distress on-site during their work shifts. Participants also provided demographic information (job type, age, experience in the industry, and body mass index) and responded to questions about exercise and sleep quality (on- and off-shift) as well as physical and mental tiredness after work. RESULTS: A total of 177 workers (80.5%) reported experiencing pain in at least one region of their body. The majority of the sample population (61.9%) was classified as having low-level distress, 28.4% had scores indicating mild to moderate distress, and 9.6% had scores indicating high levels of distress. Both number of pain regions and job type (being an operator) significantly predicted distress. Higher distress score was also associated with greater absenteeism in workers who reported lower back pain. In addition, perceived sleep quality during work periods partially mediated the relationship between pain and distress. CONCLUSION: The study findings support the existence of widespread musculoskeletal pain among the coal-mining workforce, and this pain is associated with increased psychological distress. Operators (truck drivers) and workers reporting poor sleep quality during work periods are most likely to report increased distress, which highlights the importance of supporting the mining workforce for sustained productivity.

Evaluation of treatment planning system monitor unit calculations for three intensity modulated radiotherapy delivery techniques

We have validated the monitor unit calculations from a commercially available treatment planning system [TPS] for three intensity modulated radiotherapy [IMRT] planning techniques for tangential breast irradiation by using ionization chamber measurements. Treatment plans were generated for forty-two breast patients by a forward planned field in field technique, electronic tissue compensation [ETC], and an inverse planned sliding window technique. We also performed a reproducibility of delivery and dose linearity analysis for each technique. The treatments were delivered to a phantom using a Varian CL21EX linear accelerator. A 2571 0.6 cm3 Farmer type ionization chamber and Farmer 2570/1 electrometer from NE Technology was used to measure output of the linear accelerator and the dose at predefined point in the verification plan. The agreement between the measured and calculated dose was-0.87% +/- 0.54% for field in field technique,-0.74% +/- 0.23% for electronic tissue compensators, and-1.26% +/- 0.48% for the inverse planning technique and. In terms of reproducibility the mean deviation was-1.10% +/- 0.44% for the field in field technique,-0.38% +/- 0.42% for electronic tissue compensators,-1.04% +/- 0.42% for inverse planning technique. Dose linearity experiments showed no significant variations for clinical situations but a breakdown was observed in relative dose for very low monitor units. We have found that the monitor unit calculations for all three planning techniques are correct to the order of 1%, and that the plans can be delivered in a reproducible and accurate manner

Low birth weight in Mexico: new evidence from a multi-site postpartum hospital survey

OBJETIVO: Objetivo. Identificar los factores relacionados con el bajo peso al nacer en mujeres mexicanas. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se analizan datos de una encuesta recientemente aplicada en 2001 a 565 mujeres en condición de posparto, en ocho hospitales de la Secretaría de Salud, en el Occidente de la República Mexicana, que permite una evaluación detallada de los factores que contribuyen al riesgo de bajo peso. La mitad de las mujeres había dado a luz a recién nacidos de bajo peso (menos de 2.5 kgs) y el resto de peso normal. Este trabajo presenta los resultados de una serie de regresiones logísticas que estiman el riesgo de bajo peso al nacer. RESULTADOS: Los resultados indican que mientras los factores de comportamiento están asociados significativamente al bajo peso al nacer, los factores sociodemográficos y socioeconómicos están más relacionados con la utilización de servicios de atención prenatal. CONCLUSIONES: El papel clave de las características de comportamiento en la determinación del riesgo del bajo peso y el papel de los factores sociodemográficos y socioeconómicos en la determinación de atención prenatal, enfatizan la necesidad de incrementar la utilización de servicios de atención prenatal por parte de los sectores más desfavorecidos de la población.