[Information as physical factor: problems of measurement, hygienic assessment and IT-automation].

The increasing flow of information, speeding up the progress of society, can impact the health that puts the task of its hygienic reglamentation. The physical aspects of information, parameters and units of quantities, aspects of measurement and evaluation with account of information quantity and quality as well as criteria of its permissible and optimal levels are considered. The results of measurements of quantity of text information produced per year on computer in 17 occupations of 10 economic sectors are presented. The principle of IT-automation of operator's work and of dynamic monitoring is proposed. On the basis of research performed the glossary of terms and guide on the problem with computer support are elaborated for the accumulation of experience and clarification of prospects.

[Prevention and protection of workers' reproductive health].

The article mentiones issues of preserving and strengthening the reproductive health of women workers, dealed by researchers of the laboratory, established in 1974. It describes the developed concept of the reproductive health problems and scientific research areas, developed documents, including legislative fields, formulates main prospects of the laboratory to meet the requirements of the present moment. Noted the role of the Problem Commission "Scientific basis for the reproductive health of workers", in the work of the Scientific Council on medical and environmental issues of workers' health.

[Paradigm shift in health: forecasting and causation as a basis for risk management].

The problem of occupational risk management (ORM) is discussed using the evidence-based medicine approach and bio- and IT-technologies. The prognosis and causation of work-related health disorders are analyzed as components of ORM system. The Web-based handbook "Occupational risk assessment" with software and information materials as practical tool is presented.

[Occupational health in E.U.: strategy, directives, guides, statistics].

Review of official rules and guides of E.U. on occupational health. Considered is the EU strategy for 2007-2012 on health and safety at work, framework directive 89/391/EEC and particular directives, European schedule of occupational diseases and guide on their diagnosis, classification of causal agents of occupational diseases, methodology of occupational diseases statistics system, as well as regulation on statistics on public health and health and safety at work. Trends of occupational morbidity recognition are considered.

[Methodology to reveal and prevent diseases associated to work].

Based on legislation of RF, Occupational Health Ministry and WHO, the authors specified methodology to reveal diseases associated to work, in addition to present system of occupational diseases diagnosis. The article also covers terminology, premises and causation (determining relationships with work) principles. The authors presented models and criteria for causation in consensus and evidence based medicine with computerized and Internet technologies, described contemporary approaches to prophylaxis.

[The loudness and hazard of noise; phenomenology, measurement, and evaluation].

The loudness and hazard of noise as a determinant of sound undesirability are considered. Physiological and hygienic acoustics are compared in the context of biomechanics and psychoacoustics. Evaluation of pulse noises and a problem of the diurnal action of noise on working and non-working populations are considered. Despite an abundance of acoustic indices, no uniform theory exists pertaining to the population's complaints. The European Union noise regulations, unsolved problems, their solution, and prospects are outlined.

[Possibility to reveal signs of occupational respiratory diseases through acoustic spiroanalyzer and probabilistic neuronal networks].

The authors described acoustic spiroanalyzer with data processing through probabilistic neuronal networks. Application of the spiroanalyzer for respiratory diseases diagnosis proved possibility of occupational diseases identification: classification reliability was 78% for diseased and 77% for healthy miners.