1,721,498 research outputs found
Reversible color vision loss in occupational exposure to metallic mercury
No full textColor vision was evaluated in twenty-one mercury exposed workers and referents matched for sex, age, tobacco smoking, and alcohol habits. The Lanthony 15 Hue desaturated panel (D-15 d) was applied. In the workers, mean urinary Hg (HgU) was 115 +/- 61.5 mu g/g creatinine; in all but one the values exceeded the biological limit (BEI) proposed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. A dose-related subclinical color vision impairment was observed in Hg-exposed workers compared to the referents. Just after the survey, working conditions were improved. Twelve months later the workers were reexamined. Mean HgU was 10.0 mu g/g creatinine and in no subjects was the BEI exceeded. Color perception was significantly improved compared to the first examination and, furthermore, no differences were observed between exposed workers and referents. The results add evidence that the color vision loss observed during the first part of the study was related to Hg exposure and, moreover, show that this effect is reversible. These data indicate that metallic Hg can induce a reversible impairment in color perception. This suggests that color vision testing should be included in studies on the early effects of Hg, The possibility of applying the D-15 d as an early effect index in the biological monitoring of Hg exposed workers should also be entertained
Evolution of color vision loss induced by occupational exposure to chemicals
No full textevolution of occupationally induced color vision loss was studied in workers exposed to various chemicals. Exposure was evaluated by biological monitoring or personal air samplers, and color vision using the Lanthony D-15 desaturated panel (D-15 d). The effect of short-term interruption of exposure was studied in 39 Styrene (St) exposed workers: at a first examination a dose-related color vision loss was disclosed; a re-lest performed after one month ́s interruption of exposure did nor show any improvement of the effect. The evolution during longer periods was studied in another group of 30 St workers. Exposure and color vision were evaluated, then a follow-up was done 12 months later the exposure was unmodified or slightly decreased in 20 subjects, and D-15 d outcomes remained unchanged, while St levels had increased and color vision loss progressed in the other 10. Similar results were obtained in 33 PCE exposed dry-cleaners: no change in color perception was observed in 14 workers whose exposure decreased, while in the other 19 a rise in PCE levels was followed by a significant color vision worsening. In 27 Hg exposed workers whose mean urinary excretion of Hg was threefold the BEI proposed by ACGIH, a dose-related impairment in color perception was observed. 12 months after a marked reduction of exposure, an almost complete recovery of the impairment was observed. Our data show that an increase in exposure can induce a worsening in color Vision loss. A short interruption in exposure did not reduce the effect. A more prolonged reduction of dose reversed color vision loss in Hg exposed workers, while in solvent-exposed individuals the progression deserves further evaluation. D-15 d proved a useful test for studies on the evolution of color perception in workers exposed to eye-toxic chemicals
Identification of occupations with greater risk of accidents and micro-accidents
No full textOccupational accidents represent an important problem in Occupational Medicine, not fairly investigated till now; as a consequence, data on the matter are lacking. The frequency of accidents is higher in the building, metal and wood industry. As regard to mycro-accidents, information are deeply lacking, and any comparison among different occupational groups is difficult, even if for some workers the risk is high. A very important issue concerning labour injuries is at present time represented by the risk of occupational HIV infection. From this point of view, we can distinguish three groups of workers: 1) health care workers (the group at highest risk); 2) other workers at risk of direct contact with infected blood, such as low-enforcement and correctional-facility officers; 3) workers not at risk of blood contact for occupational causes. Only in the first group some cases of seroconversion (18 until 1988) have been documented. The risk of occupational infection by HIV seems currently low, but a great effort must be devoted to accidents prevention, especially in relation to the great increase of seropositivity prevalence in the population
The biology of chronic myeloid leukemia: an overview of the new insights and biomarkers
Full text linkChronic myeloid leukemia is one of the onco-hematologic diseases in which the identification of disease markers and therapeutic advances have been particularly impactful. Despite this, significant gaps remain in our understanding of disease pathogenesis, progression, mechanisms of immune escape, and resistance to standard therapies. Recently, advances in technology and biological knowledge have drawn attention to several promising areas of research. Among these, leukemic stem cells, miRNAs, extracellular vesicles, and additional BCR::ABL1 mutations, with particular reference to the ASXL1 gene, have been the most extensively investigated. In this review we summarized and critically commented the main findings on these key topics over the past 5 years, evaluating their potential impact on patient management and their role in the development of new therapeutic strategies
Kinetics of urinary excretion and effects on colour vision after exposure to styrene
No full textWe evaluated the influence of the body burden of styrene on biological indices of exposure and the effects of this solvent on colour perception. The exposure of 19 workers was followed during a working week by personal sampling and biological monitoring. Although no significant difference in daily exposure was observed, pre-shift values of urinary styrene and urinary mandelic acid increased significantly during the week, and the regression line between external dose and biological exposure indices changed correspondingly. These data suggest that body burden can influence the results of biological monitoring of styrene. The effect of styrene on colour vision was evaluated in two further groups: 73 exposed workers and 53 referents and 36 pairs of workers and controls. A dose-related impairment was observed, which appeared to be synergistic with age and was not significantly improved by a one-month interruption of exposure. Our data show the need to improve biological monitoring of exposure to styrene and, in particular, to establish dose-effect and dose-response relationships between exposure and early effects. Urinary excretion of styrene and colour vision assessment represent, respectively, promising indices of exposure to and an effect of styrene
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