A Simple Proposition for Improving Industrial Hygiene Air Sampling Methods

When conducting an exposure assessment, the primary goal of the industrial hygienist is to fully characterize the worker's exposure during a work shift to compare it with an occupational exposure limit. This applies regardless of the duration of the work activity as an activity that is relatively short in duration can still present exposure in excess of the occupational exposure limit even when normalized over an 8-hr shift. This goal, however, is often impeded by the specification of a minimum sample volume in the published sampling method, which may prevent the sample from being collected or submitted for analysis. Removing the specification of minimum sample volume (or adjusting it from a requirement to a recommendation), in contrast, allows for a broader assessment of jobs that consist of short-duration and high-exposure activities and also eliminates the unnecessary practice of running sampling pumps in clean air to collect a specified, minimum volume.

Short period of mild hypothermia improves resuscitation outcome in a porcine model of prolonged ventricular fibrillation / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To investigate the resuscitation outcome after a short period of mild hypothermia in porcine model of prolonged ventricular fibrillation (VF).Methods Fourteen male healthy domestic swine weighting 34 to 36 kg were used.VF was induced electrically and maintained untreated for 11 mins,followed by manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) procedure.Two investigators initiated chest compression and bag-valve mask ventilation in pattern of 2 min rotation.A biphasic wave of 120 J electric defibrillation (ED) was attempted 6 mins after CPR.If there was no return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC),CPR was restored and ED was delivered when necessarily.Resuscitation was considered unsuccessful if absence of ROSC for 12 mins.However,if ROSC occurred,animals were randomly (random number) diveded into normothermia (NT) group and hypothermia treatment (CH) group.Animals in CH group were immediately cooled by using intravenous infusion of ice-cold saline and surface cooling.Core temperature was reduced to 32-34 degrees centigrade within 120 mins and maintained at this level for 2 h.Active rewarming was completed within 2 h until baseline body temperature was reached.Data of hemodynamic variables,blood-gas analysis and blood lactate before VF of two groups were recorded.Meawhile,cardiac output (CO),heart rate and Tc after ROSC were recorded.Neurological defect scores (NDS) were evaluated every 24 h until 96 h after ROSC.Variables were compared using either Fisher test or repeated measures analysis of variance,followed by Bonferroni for multiple comparisons.A two-sided P value ＜0.05 was regarded statistically significant.Results There was no significant difference in body weight,mean arterial pressure,CO,pH,pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) and lactate between groups before VF.In the period of CPR,there were also no significant difference in total resuscitation time,first shock success rate,ROSC rate,shock ROSC rate,total number of shock and doses of epinephrine.However,animals in CH group survived longer time than that in NT groups [(96.00 ± 0.00) hvs.(49.71 ±43.65) h,P=0.031].Meanwhile,the survival rate of 96 h was significantly higher in CH than that in NT (P ＜ 0.05).For neurological function,there was a obviously better NDS in CH group than that in NT group within ROSC 96 h (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Even a short duration of 2 hour mild hypothermia could improve resuscitation outcome in porcine model of 11 minute VF.

The effect of a short-term pulmonary rehabilitation on exercise capacity and quality of life in patients hospitalised with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background. Recent research shows that pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programmes in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), reduced dyspnoea, improved exercise capacity, and prevented occurrence of further exacerbations. Objective. To evaluate the utility of a 3-week PR programme in patients with AECOPD. Methods. Patients admitted with AECOPD, following clinical stabilisation in the respiratroy intensive care unit (RICU), were alternately assigned to intervention (n=15); and control groups (n=15), respectively. Baseline assessment included spirometry, six-minute walk test (6MWT), symptom limited cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assessment by generic questionnaire medical outcomes study short form (S-F 36) questionnaire and dyspnoea evaluation by Borg score. The intervention group patients were treated with usual care plus PR exercises in the form of 20 minutes each of walking, bicycle ergometry and resistance exercises, thrice-weekly for three weeks. The control group patients were treated with only the usual care. After discharge from hospital the treatment regimens were continued on alternate days on outpatient basis, for a total of three weeks. The assessment was repeated in both the groups after three weeks. Results. Nine sessions of PR exercises produced statistically significant improvement in general well-being, forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), 6MWT parameters, exercise capacity, peak oxygen uptake and volume of oxygen consumption (VO2)/Watts slope on CPET in patients with AECOPD.

THE SYNERGIC EFFECTS OF COENZYMEQ10 AND CREATINE THROUGH ORAL INTAKE ON REPETITIVE SHORT DURATION HIGH-INTENSITY EXERCISE / 体力科学

A double-blind placebo-controlled trial was undertaken to evaluate the synergic effects of coenzymeQ10 (CoQ10) and creatine (Cr) through oral supplementation on the intermittent short duration high-intensity exercise on a cycle ergometer. Twenty-eight male athletes were divided into four groups of CoQ10 and Cr (CoQ10+Cr), CoQ10 (CoQ10+Pl), Cr (Pl+Cr) and placebo group (Pl+Pl). Each participant was instructed to have 100 mg of CoQ10 and/or 5 g of Cr per day for 2 weeks. Repetitive 5 bouts of 10-sec high-intensity cycle exercise tests were performed before and after supplementations. After supplementations, subjects in (CoQ10+Cr) revealed most improved performance in mean power outputs at the 2^nd (p<0.05), the 3^rd (p<0.05), the 4^th (p<0.05) and the 5^th set (p=0.06), comparing with the participants in the other 3 groups. These findings suggest that enhanced mean power output on repetitive short duration high-intensity exercise can be acquired after supplementing CoQ10 combined with Cr.