Predictors of return to work in patients with occupational hand injury.

Work-related hand injuries are the primary cause of disability and prolonged time away from work. This prospective cohort study was conducted to determine the predictors of return to work (RTW) after traumatic work-related hand injuries. Our study included 280 patients who were referred to the Plastic and Reconstructive Center for treatment of their occupational hand injuries from July 2017 to February 2018. Several functional questionnaires were completed, and they were followed up at 1, 3 and 8 weeks. Telephone interviews were done 3 months later. Approximately half the subjects had returned to work during the first 3 months after a median time away of 57 days. No relationship was found between age, gender, marital status, hand dominance and RTW time. Nevertheless, there was correlation between RTW time with cigarette smoking, injury severity and disability. Our study findings suggest that injury severity and higher work disability scores are prognostic factors for RTW. Also, smoking was associated with later RTW, which could be the result of poor circulation and delayed healing. Employers should implement injury prevention programs with appropriate rehabilitation that takes into consideration the severity of the hand injury, and health strategies to improve unhealthy lifestyle factors such as smoking.

Job satisfaction and its relationship to Radiation Protection Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (RPKAP) of Iranian radiation workers.

This study aimed to find the association between job satisfaction and radiation protection knowledge, attitude and practice of medical radiation workers occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation. In this crosssectional study, 530 radiation workers affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences completed a knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire on protecting themselves against radiation and Job Descriptive Index as a job satisfaction measure during May to November 2014. Opportunities for promotion (84.2%) and payment (91.5%) were the most important factors for dissatisfaction. Radiation workers who were married, had more positive attitudes toward protecting themselves against radiation, and had higher level of education accounted for 15.8% of the total variance in predicting job satisfaction. In conclusion, medical radiation workers with a more positive attitude toward self-protection against radiation were more satisfied with their jobs. In radiation environments, improving staff attitudes toward their safety may be considered as a key strategy to increase job satisfaction.

Job satisfaction and its relationship to radiation protection knowledge, attitude and practice [RP-KAP] of Iranian radiation workers

This study aimed to find the association between job satisfaction and radiation protection knowledge, attitude and practice of medical radiation workers occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation. In this cross-sectional study, 530 radiation workers affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences completed a knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire on protecting themselves against radiation and Job Descriptive Index as a job satisfaction measure during May to November 2014. Opportunities for promotion [84.2%] and payment [91.5%] were the most important factors for dissatisfaction. Radiation workers who were married, had more positive attitudes toward protecting themselves against radiation, and had higher level of education accounted for 15.8% of the total variance in predicting job satisfaction. In conclusion, medical radiation workers with a more positive attitude toward self-protection against radiation were more satisfied with their jobs. In radiation environments, improving staff attitudes toward their safety may be considered as a key strategy to increase job satisfaction

La présente étude avait pour objectif de déterminer l'association entre la satisfaction au travail et les connaissances, attitudes et pratiques en matière de radioprotection des travailleurs exposés aux rayonnements médicaux ionisants dans le cadre de leur activité professionnelle. Au cours de cette étude transversale, 530 travailleurs exposés aux rayonnements rattachés à l'université de Sciences médicales de Téhéran ont rempli, entre mai et novembre 2014, un questionnaire portant sur les connaissances, attitudes et pratiques pour se protéger contre les rayonnements, ainsi que sur l'indice de satisfaction professionnelle Job Descriptive Index dans le but d'évaluer leur satisfaction au travail. Les possibilités de promotion [84,2%] et les salaires [91,5%] étaient les facteurs les plus importants d'insatisfaction. Les travailleurs exposés aux rayonnements qui étaient mariés étaient davantage disposés à se protéger des rayonnements, et avaient un niveau d'éducation plus élevé représentant 15,8% de la variance totale relative à l'évaluation de la satisfaction au travail. En conclusion, les travailleurs exposés aux rayonnements médicaux ayant une attitude plus positive vis-à-vis du fait de se protéger étaient plus satisfaits de leur travail. Dans des environnements à rayonnement, améliorer la disposition du personnel à se protéger peut être considéré comme une stratégie clé pour augmenter la satisfaction au travail

Micronucleus, Nucleoplasmic Bridge, and Nuclear Budding in Peripheral Blood Cells of Workers Exposed to Low Level Benzene.

BACKGROUND: Benzene is one of the important occupational pollutants. There are some reports about the leukemogenic effects related to low-level exposure to benzene. OBJECTIVE: To study the frequency of micronucleus (MN), nucleoplasmic bridge (NB), and nuclear budding (NBUD) in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of petrochemical workers with low level exposure to benzene. METHODS: We enrolled 50 workers exposed to low-level benzene and 31 unexposed workers of a petrochemical industry. After exclusion of 3 samples, peripheral blood lymphocytes of the remaining 47 exposed and 31 unexposed workers were analyzed for the frequency of MN, NB, and NBUD by cytochalasin-blocked MN technique. RESULTS: MN was present in 28 (60%) exposed and 18 (58%) unexposed workers. NB was observed in 6 (13%), and 2 (7%) exposed and unexposed workers, respectively; the frequency for NBUD was 20 (43%), and 13 (42%), respectively. No significant difference was found in the observed frequencies of MN, NB, and NBUD in the peripheral blood lymphocytes between the exposed and unexposed group workers. CONCLUSION: Occupational exposure to low-level benzene does not increase the frequency of MN, NB, and NBUD in the peripheral blood lymphocytes, biomarkers for DNA damage.

The presence of intraepithelial CD45RO+ cells in resected lymph nodes with metastases from NSCLC patients is an independent predictor of disease-specific survival.

BACKGROUND: Operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients whose tumours have spread to regional or central lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis have dismal prognoses compared with those who have limited disease. The current TNM staging system for NSCLC poorly distinguishes patients with lymph-node metastases who will succumb to, and those who will eventually be cured from, their disease. This novel study: (1) evaluates the presence of different subsets of intraepithelial tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in lymph nodes with metastases from NSCLC patients; (2) explores the impact of intraepithelial TILs in lymph nodes on survival; (3) correlates their presence with both intraepithelial and stromal TILs in their corresponding primary tumours. METHODS: Metastatic lymph-node tissue from 143N+ NSCLC patients was collected and tissue microarrays were constructed. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the presence of intraepithelial CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD20+ and CD45RO+ TILs and their impact on survival. RESULTS: A high level of intraepithelial CD45RO+ TILs in lymph-node metastases from N+ NSCLC patients was an independent positive prognostic factor for disease-specific survival in all patients (HR=0.58, P=0.029) and in squamous cell carcinoma (HR=0.31, P=0.006), but not in adenocarcinoma patients. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of intraepithelial CD45RO+ cells in lymph-node metastases from N+ NSCLC patients predicts favourable disease-specific survival and outperforms the established TNM staging system in the SCC subgroup.

Work ability index among healthcare personnel in a university hospital in Tehran, Iran.

BACKGOUND: Work ability is an important issue from a social point of view, as it is essential for workers health and welfare. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine work ability among healthcare personnel and to investigate its relationship with demographic and lifestyle-related factors. METHODS: Data were collected using the Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaire among 517 personnel of a hospital in Tehran, Iran. RSULTS: Findings showed a mean WAI of 40.3 (±5.2) for the study population. Work ability was significantly lower in the older personnel and higher for men. A significant correlation was observed between BMI and exercise activity and WAI score. Moreover, employees with experience of less than five years had significant higher work ability than those with 16-20 years of service. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the young study population, it seems the mean WAI is not as desirable. The use of lifestyle promoting programs, besides workplace interventions, can be an effective strategy to increase work ability among healthcare workers.

Metabolic syndrome: a common problem among office workers.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MSx) is associated with several health problems. Workers are an important part of any organization. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of MSx and related variables among office workers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study evaluated 1488 office workers in Qom province, Central Iran, by using a multi-stage cluster sampling. Diagnosis of MSx was based on blood HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, and fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels and waist circumference, and blood pressure. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of MSx was 35.9% (95% CI 33.5% to 38.3%), higher in men (37.2%) than in women (20.6%), and increased with age. The most common laboratory findings of MSx were hypertriglyceridemia (45.9%) and low HDL-cholesterol level (45.5%). Office workers with MSx had a significantly (p<0.001) higher body mass index than those without MSx. Lack of regular leisure time physical activity (p=0.003), and low intake of fruits (p=0.02) were associated with MSx. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MSx was very high among office workers. Workplace health improvement programs through identifying and preventing MSx are necessary for improvement of staff's health.

Psychosocial factors at work and blood-borne exposure among nurses.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to human blood and body fluids is a common risk for nurses. Many factors can affect the prevalence and incidence of this occupational hazard. Psychosocial factors at work may be a risk factor for the exposure. OBJECTIVE: To assess needle stick, sharp injury and mucus exposure to blood-borne pathogens among nurses in Iran and to determine the association between these exposures and psychosocial factors at work. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on nurses in a public hospital, Tehran, Iran. 364 nurses received and 339 completed and returned a self-reported questionnaire containing demographic data, history of exposure to blood-borne pathogens at work during previous year and the General Nordic questionnaire for psychological and social factors at work (QPS Nordic 34+ Questionnaire). RESULTS: Of 339 participants, 197 (58.1%) reported needle-stick injury, 186 (54.6%) reported another type of sharp injury, and 112 (33%) reported a mucous membrane exposure during the previous year. More than half of the participants who had history of exposure, had not reported it. Those with middle or high level of stress had higher crude and adjusted odds than those with lower stress for all kinds of exposure. Adjusted odds ratios for high stress group (ranging from 2.8 to 4.4) were statistically different from 1. CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of needle-stick and sharp injury and mucous membrane exposure to patients' blood or body fluids among studied nurses. There is a significant association between increasing psychosocial factors at work and exposure to blood-borne pathogens among this group of nurses.

Dynamics of translational friction in needle-tissue interaction during needle insertion.

In this study, a distributed approach to account for dynamic friction during needle insertion in soft tissue is presented. As is well known, friction is a complex nonlinear phenomenon. It appears that classical or static models are unable to capture some of the observations made in systems subjected to significant frictional effects. In needle insertion, translational friction would be a matter of importance when the needle is very flexible, or a stop-and-rotate motion profile at low insertion velocities is implemented, and thus, the system is repeatedly transitioned from a pre-sliding to a sliding mode and vice versa. In order to characterize friction components, a distributed version of the LuGre model in the state-space representation is adopted. This method also facilitates estimating cutting force in an intra-operative manner. To evaluate the performance of the proposed family of friction models, experiments were conducted on homogeneous artificial phantoms and animal tissue. The results illustrate that our approach enables us to represent the main features of friction which is a major force component in needle-tissue interaction during needle-based interventions.

Analysis of accidents in nine Iranian gas refineries: 2007-2011.

BACKGROUND: Occupational accidents are one of the major health hazards in industries and associated with high mortality, morbidity, spiritual damage and economic losses in the world. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of occupational accidents in 9 Iranian gas refineries between March 2007 and February 2011. METHODS: Data on all occupational accidents occurred between March 2007 and February 2011, as well as other possible associated variables including time of accident, whether the accident was due to a personal or systemic fault, type of accident and its outcomes, age and gender of the victim, the injured parts of the body, job experience, and type of employment, were extracted from HSE reports and notes of health care services. Based on these data, we calculated the incidence rate of accidents and assessed the associated factors. RESULTS: During the 5 studied years, 1129 accidents have been recorded. The incidence of fatal accidents was 1.64 per 100 000 and of nonfatal accidents was 1857 per 100 000 workers per year. 99.4% of injured workers were male. The mean±SD age of injured people was 29.6±7.3 years. Almost 70% of injured workers aged under 30 years. The mean±SD job experience was 5.3±5.3 years. Accidents occurred more commonly around 10:00. More than 60% of accidents happened between 8:00 and 15:00. July had the highest incidence rate. The most common type of accident was being struck by an object (48%). More than 94% of accidents are caused by personal rather than systemic faults. Hands and wrists were the most common injured parts and involved in more than one-third of accidents. 70% of injured workers needed medical treatment and returned to work after primary treatment. CONCLUSION: The pattern of occupational accidents in Iranian gas refineries is similar to other previous reports in many ways. The incidence did not change significantly over the study period. Establishment of an online network for precise registration, notification and meticulous data collection seems necessary.

Compensation for relative velocity between needle and soft tissue for friction modeling in needle insertion.

Percutaneous therapies and in particular needle insertion treatments require an accurate model of needle-tissue interaction. Friction is a major interaction force component during needle insertion, and force-velocity mapping is an indicator of the interaction characteristics. However, soft tissue deformation is an inevitable and complex phenomenon that should be taken into account in order to correct the friction-velocity cycle. The main purpose of this study is to provide a means of compensating for the velocity of tissue with respect to a moving needle in the insertion direction. A high-gain observer is presented which can track this relative motion in a simple manner with no need for computer vision that may pose further challenges. To evaluate the performance of the velocity observer, experiments were carried out on gelatin and agar phantoms.

Applications of artificial intelligence in safe human-robot interactions.

The integration of industrial robots into the human workspace presents a set of unique challenges. This paper introduces a new sensory system for modeling, tracking, and predicting human motions within a robot workspace. A reactive control scheme to modify a robot's operations for accommodating the presence of the human within the robot workspace is also presented. To this end, a special class of artificial neural networks, namely, self-organizing maps (SOMs), is employed for obtaining a superquadric-based model of the human. The SOM network receives information of the human's footprints from the sensory system and infers necessary data for rendering the human model. The model is then used in order to assess the danger of the robot operations based on the measured as well as predicted human motions. This is followed by the introduction of a new reactive control scheme that results in the least interferences between the human and robot operations. The approach enables the robot to foresee an upcoming danger and take preventive actions before the danger becomes imminent. Simulation and experimental results are presented in order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

A compact dynamic force model for needle-tissue interaction.

In this paper, the interaction force between a surgical needle and soft tissue is studied. The force is modeled using nonlinear dynamics based on a modified LuGre model that captures all stages of needle-tissue interaction including puncture, cutting, and friction forces. An estimation algorithm for identifying the associated parameters is then presented. This approach, which is based on extended Kalman filtering (EKF), enables us to characterize the interaction with a mathematical model in the force domain. It compares the axial force measured at the needle base with its expected value and then adapts the model parameters to represent the actual interaction. To evaluate the performance of our model, experiments were performed on an artificial phantom.