Psychological distress and post-traumatic growth in France during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mediation model of psychosocial safety climate as a determinant of work performance.

The psychosocial safety climate (PSC) reflects workers' perceptions of senior management's concern for mental health. Because the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated organizational issues, PSC could be a target for interventions attempting to preserve both the psychological health of employees and the economic health of companies. This study examines the direct and indirect relationships between PSC and work performance through two indicators of psychological health, psychological distress and post-traumatic growth, during a health crisis, i.e., prior to the second confinement in France. To this end, 2,004 participants from the French workforce completed a survey in October 2020. The results of mediation analyses indicate that PSC has a direct and positive influence on post-traumatic growth (PTG) and performance, as well as a direct negative influence on psychological distress. PSC also has an indirect positive influence on performance via psychological distress. Organizations that wish to jointly address mental health and performance at work would benefit from optimizing PSC.

Capturing the Active Ingredients of Multicomponent Participatory Organizational Stress Interventions Using an Adapted Study Design.

Adapted study designs use process evaluation to incorporate a measure of intervention exposure and create an artificial control and intervention groups. Taking into account exposure levels to interventions combines process and outcome evaluation and strengthens the design of the study when exposure levels cannot be controlled. This study includes longitudinal data (two assessments) with added process measures at time 2 gathered from three complex participatory intervention projects in Canada in a hospital and a university. Structural equation modelling was used to explore the specific working mechanisms of particular interventions on stress outcomes. Results showed that higher exposure to interventions aiming to modify tasks and working conditions reduced demands and improved social support, but not job control, which in turn, reduced psychological distress. Exposure to interventions aiming to improve relationships was not related to psychosocial risks. Most studies cannot explain how interventions produce their effects on outcomes, especially when there are multiple concurrent interventions delivered in several contexts. This study advances knowledge on process evaluation by using an adapted study design to capture the active ingredients of multicomponent interventions and suggesting some mechanisms by which the interventions produce their effects on stress outcomes. It provides an illustration of how to conduct process evaluation and relate exposure levels to observed outcomes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Autologous platelet concentrates for bone graft enhancement in sinus lift procedure.

BACKGROUND: Autologous platelet (PLT)-rich plasma has been reported in some studies to promote osteogenesis. The goal of this study was to demonstrate that osteogenesis gained by mixing autologous PLT concentrates (APCs) with a small quantity of autologous bone graft could give a sufficient quality to lead to dental implant placement. The second goal was to compare this osteogenesis with that obtained by a traditional method (iliac bone graft), through clinical, radiologic, and histologic methods. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Eighteen patients needing bilateral sinus floor augmentation were enrolled. One sinus was grafted with iliac crest bone alone, and the other sinus with a small quantity of bone and APC. Panoramic view, computed tomography scan, and biopsies were performed 6 months after the initial surgery to compare ossification. RESULTS: The adjunction of APCs permitted a 60 percent reduction of bone graft required for sinus floor elevation. The bone obtained with APCs had the same histologic and mechanical characteristics as the bone obtained by traditional graft. CONCLUSION: Topical use of APCs might be helpful in bone reconstruction. No clinical, radiologic, or histologic osteogenesis inhibition of high PLT concentration was observed. The resulting osteogenesis was adapted to dental implant placements.

Extent and sources of occupational stress in university staff.

Canadian higher education sector has undergone numerous changes during the past decades. Increased student enrolments, massive cuts in human resources and constant restructuring are changes likely to have had a considerable impact on all employees (e.g., administrative, trades, and faculty). While many studies conducted in different countries have shown that stress in universities is a problem of alarming proportions, to date, no study of the entire staff of a university has been carried out in Canada. This research uses an approach based on the prevention and management of the sources of occupational stress to study 1086 employees of a Quebec university. Data were collected by means of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. It was found that the proportion of individuals who reported a high level of psychological distress was twice as high (40%) than that reported for a Quebec-wide sample (20%). Work overload, the relationship with one's superior and participation in decision making were systematically reported as high risks to employees' health. It was found that human resources management practices have not followed the rapid organizational changes which affected the university in the past years. The results are discussed in light of the risk management approach.

Success rate of the EVL evolution implants (SERF): a five-year longitudinal multicenter study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the success rate of the SERF EVL evolution implants (Décines, France) through a 5-year longitudinal multicentric study. Patients from 3 clinicians working in 3 different private practices (Grenoble, Nice, and Paris) and familiar with this implant system were included in this study; 413 patients and 1198 implants were followed over 5 years. The implant sites and implant types were recorded at the time of placement. The patients were followed yearly and controlled at the end of the study. The criterion for treatment evaluation or success was a qualitative variable related to 4 possible treatment outcomes: success, failure, ailing, and lost (dropout patients). Different variables (sex, bone quantity and quality at the implant site, location) were submitted to the chi-square test. A survival curve was established over 5 years according to the Kaplan Meyer method. The clinical follow-up was 3.1 +/- 1.2 years (ie, 1 to 6 years). At the end of this follow-up period, 1163 implants were classified as successful, 19 as failures, 12 as ailing, and 4 as lost (dropout). This implant system thus presented an overall success rate of 97.08%, over 5 years, independent of implant location, and for patient indications commonly encountered in private practice.

Fatigue management by truck drivers in real life situations: some suggestions to improve training.

Truck driver fatigue is a major safety issue for truck drivers and the public in general. Although training prepares drivers to effectively operate a truck, it tends to minimize the importance of working constraints faced daily on-the-job and thus reduces its impact on safety and effectiveness. With experience, drivers develop skills to combat fatigue. Documenting these skills can contribute to improved training of apprentices. An ethnographic approach was used to better understand the real-life fatigue management skills of truck drivers. Participant observation was used to analyze the activity of apprentices in training and the activity of truck drivers at work. Observations indicated that training focused on time management and regulations, but did not prepare trainees to manage real-life constraints. Experienced drivers were not merely managing time; rather they were managing working constraints (including time) as a whole. To do so, they used two strategies: managing psycho-physical transformations and dynamic work planning. By integrating psycho-physical preoccupations into all aspects of work and by preparing future drivers to face real-life constraints, we could better train and prepare apprentices. Drivers do develop effective skills to combat fatigue which can improve training and better prepare future drivers to face daily constraints. These improvements can have a significant impact on fatigue and safety in the transportation industry.

Training the next generation of researchers in work disability prevention: the Canadian Work Disability Prevention CIHR Strategic Training Program.

INTRODUCTION: There is a need to create, disseminate, and implement new knowledge in the work disability prevention (WDP) field. Training programs attracting high-quality applicants and taking into account the complexity of this emerging field are urgently needed. METHODS: An advanced training program, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), was developed by 24 mentors affiliated with nine different universities. The main objective of this program is to develop transdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding WDP. This program has been developed for PhD students or post-doctoral fellows already registered full-time in a Canadian or recognized foreign university whose main interest is WDP, regardless of the health problem. RESULTS: Since its implementation, the program received two successive cohorts of 10 students. They were registered in 13 universities in five countries and trained in nine different disciplines. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCES: Appropriate WDP research may save major societal costs attributable to prolonged work disability. The proposed training program will contribute to developing tomorrow's research workforce.

Histological evaluation of the Serf EVL evolution implant: a pilot study in a dog model.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare bone-to-implant contact (BIC) of the one-stage sandblasted surface EVL implant (SERF, Decines, France) with that of the two-stage turned (machined) Branemark Nobel BioCare implant in a dog model system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three 1-year old female beagle dogs (canine) were acquired, examined, and quarantined. In dog no. 1, three test implants were placed on one side of the jaw, and four control implants were placed on the other side. In dog no. 2, two test implants were placed in alternation with two control implants on the left and right sides (total 4 tests, 4 controls). In dog no. 3, three test implants were placed on one side and three control implants on the other. After a 3-month period of healing, the dogs were killed and the jaws sectioned for histological preparation. Eleven implants, six tests, and five controls were available for histological evaluation. RESULTS: The percent of BIC for the test implants varied from 24.9% to 61.6%, with an average of 42.7%. The percent of BIC for the control implants varied from 22.1% to 42.6%, with an average of 27.4%. CONCLUSION: The degree of BIC of the EVL implants was on average greater than that of the turned surface of the Branemark implant. However, because of the limited number of implants placed in this pilot study, the results should be interpreted with caution.