ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: General population job-exposure matrices (JEMs) based on expert assessments of physical exposures may be valuable tools for studying occupation-related musculoskeletal disorders. Wrist-hand JEMs are few and the reliability and validity of expert assessments of wrist-hand exposures is uncertain. METHODS: We examined intra- and inter-rater reliability of ratings of five experts of hand-wrist repetition, deviation, force, vibration, and computer work in 33 jobs selected to represent a large exposure variation. The validity of ratings of hand-wrist repetition was examined by comparison with electro-goniometer measurements of wrist angular velocity and mean power frequency (MPF), and the validity of hand-wrist deviation by comparison with goniometer measurements of range of motion (ROM). RESULTS: Intra-rater test-retest and inter-rater Spearman correlation coefficients controlling for rater effects, varied between 0.70 and 0.87. Corresponding kappa statistics of overall agreement showed similar high values, except for wrist deviation (kappa = 0.50). Regression analyses showed strong positive associations between expert assessments of repetition and goniometer measurements of wrist angular velocity (R2 = 0.56, p < 0.0001) and MPF (R2 = 0.37, p < 0.0003), while expert ratings of wrist deviation showed a weak statistically nonsignificant association with goniometer measurements of ROM (R2 = 0.032, p = 0.34). CONCLUSION: The reliability of expert assessments of wrist-hand physical exposures was high. Compared to goniometer measurements, the validity of assessments of wrist-hand repetition was also high, but it was low for assessments of wrist-hand deviation. The results are encouraging for establishing a hand-wrist JEM, but the results for wrist deviation emphasize that expert assessments should be validated against objective measurements.
Subject(s)
Wrist Joint , Wrist , Humans , Range of Motion, Articular , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
Progressive macular hypomelanosis (PMH) is a skin disorder that is characterized by hypopigmented macules and usually seen in young adults. The skin microbiota, in particular the bacterium Propionibacterium acnes, is suggested to play a role. Here, we compared the P. acnes population of 24 PMH lesions from eight patients with corresponding nonlesional skin of the patients and matching control samples from eight healthy individuals using an unbiased, culture-independent next-generation sequencing approach. We also compared the P. acnes population before and after treatment with a combination of lymecycline and benzoylperoxide. We found an association of one subtype of P. acnes, type III, with PMH. This type was predominant in all PMH lesions (73.9% of reads in average) but only detected as a minor proportion in matching control samples of healthy individuals (14.2% of reads in average). Strikingly, successful PMH treatment is able to alter the composition of the P. acnes population by substantially diminishing the proportion of P. acnes type III. Our study suggests that P. acnes type III may play a role in the formation of PMH. Furthermore, it sheds light on substantial differences in the P. acnes phylotype distribution between the upper and lower back and abdomen in healthy individuals.
ABSTRACT
Propionibacterium acnes is a Gram-positive bacterium that is prevalent on human skin. It has been associated with skin disorders such as acne vulgaris and progressive macular hypomelanosis (PMH). Here, we report draft genome sequences of two type III P. acnes strains, PMH5 and PMH7, isolated from PMH skin lesions.
ABSTRACT
Asbestos fibres is the only known cause of malignant mesothelioma (MM). The risk of MM is increased also by low and brief exposure. MM has a latency of 20-50 years. We report two cases of MM who were exposed to asbestos during do-it-yourself roof renovation including cutting and drilling in roof sheeting containing asbestos. A detailed occupational history revealed no occupational exposure. The two cases demonstrate the importance of careful handling of products containing asbestos, with emphasis on avoidance of inhaling asbestos fibres.
Subject(s)
Asbestos/adverse effects , Lung Neoplasms/chemically induced , Mesothelioma/chemically induced , Pleural Neoplasms/chemically induced , Aged , Humans , Male , Mesothelioma, Malignant , Occupational Exposure/adverse effectsABSTRACT
We report two cases of asthma among mink workers. The first case is about a mink farmer who had asthma that was difficult to treat. In the medical history there was no clear relation to work, and no conclusive work relation with peak flow monitoring. He had a positive histamine release test to mink urine. The second case is about a mink farm worker, who had an asthma attack when handling mink furs. Peak flow monitoring showed a clear relation to this work, but there were no signs of allergy. We conclude that these two cases suggest an increased risk of asthma among mink workers.
Subject(s)
Asthma, Occupational/etiology , Mink/immunology , Animals , Asthma, Occupational/diagnosis , Asthma, Occupational/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Peak Expiratory Flow RateABSTRACT
A 55-year-old carpenter developed pleurisy with pleural effusion on the right side in 2000 and on the left side in 2003. No known causes of pleurisy were found. He had been occupationally exposed to asbestos during a 6-month-period in 1971 while working with roof sheets made of asbestos cement. In the literature there is evidence of asbestos being a cause of benign pleural effusion. We found it likely that the pleurisy with pleural effusion found in this patient was an occupational condition and it should therefore be notified as industrial injury.
