But other than mesothelioma? An estimate of the proportion of work-related cancers in Quebec.

BACKGROUND: More than 30 exposures in the workplace are proven carcinogens. In the present study, we aimed to estimate the burden of occupational cancer in Quebec so as to increase awareness among stakeholders and to prioritize research activities. METHODS: Work-attributable fractions-that is, the proportions of cancers attributable to work-as published in Finland and the United Kingdom were applied to Quebec 2002-2006 cancer incidence and mortality data to estimate the number of work-related cases for 28 cancer sites. RESULTS: Overall, 6.0% of incident cancers (men: 9.1%; women: 2.7%) and 7.6% of cancer deaths (men: 11.8%; women: 2.8%) could be attributable to work, resulting annually in an average of 2160 new cancer diagnoses and 1190 cancer deaths in Quebec. Incident cancers of the lung, prostate, skin, bladder, and (female) breast were the most numerous; cancer sites resulting in more deaths were lung, (female) breast, and pleura. During the same period, compensation statistics reported annual averages of 94.3 incident cancers and 61.9 cancer deaths, mostly involving mesothelioma (64% of compensated incident cancers) and lung cancer (30% of compensated incident cancers). CONCLUSIONS: Increased recognition of workplace cancers by all stakeholders, from workers and employers to treating physicians, will foster appropriate preventive measures for safer workplaces.

[The ODEC (Organization for Development and Community Networks) and mental health: from networking to opening in the local community]. / L'ODEC et la santé mentale: de l'entraide à l'ouverture sur la communauté locale.

The Organisme de développement et d'entraide communautaire (ODEC) is a nonprofit mental health organization that was established in 1987 and offers mutual help and community development services in the Vallée-de-la-Lièvre region in the Outaouais area of Quebec. Starting with an individual accompaniment service for people living with mental health problems, ODEC has succeeded in establishing a significant mutual help network that now involves more than 100 people. This article comes out of an in-depth case study of ODEC. By analysing the major parameters of its journey over more than 10 years, it brings to the fore the impact in the mental health field of providing a network in close association with community involvement.

Cardioprotective effects of the lazaroid U74389G following cold preservation and transplantation of rat hearts.

Limited recovery of contractile function and loss of coronary reactivity have been observed following prolonged hypothermic storage and transplantation of the heart. Since lipid peroxidation has a significant role in these deficits, we investigated the cardioprotective effects of a 21-aminosteroid. U74389G, 3 mg/kg i.v., was given daily for 2 consecutive days to donor Lewis rats before the hearts were harvested and to recipient Lewis rats for 3 consecutive days after heart transplantation. Donor hearts were preserved for 4 hr in cold saline (4 degree C) before transplantation. Left ventricular developed pressure (LVP), basal coronary perfusion, and coronary reactivity to endothelium-dependent dilation (bradykinin, 0.1 microM) or endothelium-dependent dilation (sodium nitroprusside, 0.5 microM) were studied in isolated, buffer-perfused heart, using a modified Langendorff model. Cold preservation alone significantly reduced LVP and coronary perfusion. Coronary reactivity to bradykinin and sodium nitroprusside was also significantly impaired. In U74389G-treated donor hearts, 4 hr of cold ischemia did not alter contractile function, coronary perfusion or endothelial reactivity, although the response to sodium nitroprusside did not fully recover. In untreated recipients, in vivo reperfusion (transplantation) resulted in reduced LVP and perfusion deficits. Treating donors and recipients with U74389G improved left ventricular contractibility and coronary perfusion, although endothelium-dependent and -independent coronary reactivity remained affected. These results indicate that the lazaroid U74389G exerts significant cardioprotection during both preservation and transplantation of the heart. Donor and recipient pretreatment is mandatory for maximal efficacy with U74389G.

The likelihood of detecting a significant hearing threshold shift among noise-exposed workers subjected to annual audiometric testing.

The ability of annual audiometric surveillance to detect significant deteriorations in hearing sensitivity is examined considering the time pattern of the growth of noise-induced hearing loss. The yearly rate of change in hearing level due to the effects of noise exposure and age is computed from a mathematical model put forward in the International Standard ISO 1999 (1989). The first-order derivative of hearing level associated with noise and age was compared with different criteria of significant threshold shift (STS). The results show that the potential annual variation in hearing level at 4 kHz, the audiometric frequency most affected by noise, is always less than the minimum margin of error of audiometry under exposure to 90 dBA-8 h. At 100 dBA it nearly equals the margin of error only for the very first year of exposure and for the most sensitive individuals. The rate of change in hearing threshold at 4 kHz is less than or equal to 1 dB per year for a major portion of a population exposed to an average noise level of 90 dBA-8 h (+/- 5 dB SD). For other audiometric frequencies, or for combinations of frequencies, this rate is even lower. It is also demonstrated that, using annual hearing tests, the likelihood of measuring an STS in a noise-exposed population is very small. It would be nearly equal to the likelihood of some workers being exposed to 100 dBA-8 h or more for a first year. Such results throw doubt on the validity of audiometric surveillance as a procedure for early detection of noise-induced hearing loss. They also imply that the detection by audiometric tests of true cases of significant threshold shift due to noise is excessively expensive.