1,721,139 research outputs found
The time is right to establish a Global Network for Evidence for Work
No full textAccess to accurate and unbiased evidence is of paramount importance. An international survey was conducted to determine if establishing a global network for evidence synthesis in occupational safety and health (OSH) was feasible. Many institutions, organizations and experts have expressed an interest in collaborating. This newly established network is aimed at producing and stimulating high-quality syntheses along with methods developments and knowledge transfer for evidence in OSH, work participation and well-being
The mesola red deer: Present numbers and conservation perspectives
Full text linkMost likely, the red deer Cervus elaphus of the Mesola Wood (about 1000 ha; NE Italy) are the only native red deer of peninsular Italy and are a national conservation priority. This population shows morphological and genetic peculiarities and is threatened because of its very small distribution range, low numbers, reduced genetic variability and interspecific competition with allochtonous fallow deer Dama dama. In this paper an assessment is provided of red deer numbers and of relative densities of fallow deer, to evaluate the effects of conservation actions during the last 15 years (e.g. culling of fallow deer, supplementary feeding) on the status of the former. Between July and October 2010, 148 red deer were counted, with a balanced sex-ratio. Red deer productivity was low: the birth rate in 2010 was 0.28 and the post-winter-recruitment in 2011 was 0.21 calves/adult female. Apart from calves, yearlings were about 10% of individuals, in both sexes. Red deer were concentrated in the small (ca. 100 ha) sector of the study area where supplementary feeding is provided. By contrast, fallow deer showed a greater productivity (0.52 fawns/female) and a relatively more homogeneous distribution in the study area than the red deer. The monthly spatial overlap between red deer and fallow deer was almost complete (Pianka index > 0.92) across sectors where no supplemental feeding is provided, suggesting a great potential for competition between our study species. In the last decade, the Mesola red deer have more than doubled, suggesting the favourable effect of management measures on their conservation status. The gradual decline of both productivity and the annual finite rate of increase may indicate that the population is close to the carrying capacity of the Reserve. The culling of fallow deer should go on to decrease the impact of this deer on natural food resources of red deer and to reduce the dependence of the latter from supplementary feeding. © 2012 Associazione Teriologica Italiana
Shoulder Tendinopathies and Occupational Biomechanical Overload: A Critical Appraisal of Available Evidence
No full textBackground: The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between occupational exposure to biomechanical risk factors and shoulder tendinopathies. Methods: We updated recent systematic reviews about speciic shoulder disorders and work-related risk factors. MEDLINE was searched up to September 2022. Studies satisfying the following criteria were included: i) the diagnosis was based on physical examination plus imaging data (when available), and ii) the exposure assessment was based on video analysis and/or directly measured. Results: Five studies met the inclusion criteria: three cross-sectional studies identiied from published systematic reviews and two cohort studies retrieved from the update. Two studies investigated shoulder tendinitis, one supraspinatus tendinitis, and the other two rotator cuff syndrome. The diagnosis was based on physical examination, not supported by imaging techniques for all the included studies. In four out of ive studies, the exposure was assessed by experienced ergonomists with the support of video recordings. In two studies, the exposure assessment was further supplemented by force gauge measurements or direct measurements of upper arm elevation. Only the combined exposure of working with arms above shoulder level with forceful hand exertion appears to be associated with rotator cuff syndrome: i) a cohort study reported an HR=1.11 (95%CI 1.01-1.22) for each unit increase in forceful repetition rate when the upper arm is flexed & GE;45 & DEG; for & GE;29% of the working time; and ii) a cross-sectional study showed an OR=2.43 (95%CI 1.04-5.68) for the combination of upper arm flexion & GE;45 & DEG; for more than 15% of the time with a duty cycle of forceful exertions more than 9% of the time. Conclusions: There is moderate evidence of a causal association between shoulder tendinopathy and combined exposures of working above shoulder level with forceful hand exertion. The evidence is insufficient for any single biomechanical exposure on its own. High-quality cohort studies with direct exposure measures and objective diagnostic criteria are needed. The occupational origin of shoulder tendinopathies is still an open question that must be properly answered
Relationship between symptoms and instrumental findings in the diagnosis of upper limb work-related musculoskeletal disorders.
No full textBACKGROUND: Upper limb work-related musculoskeletal disorders (UL-WRMSDs) are common among workers performing repetitive and forceful manual work. The diagnosis of UL-WRMSDs is mainly based on clinical features but its accuracy is further increased by physical examination and instrumental analysis. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: In the occupational setting, several case definitions for UL-WRMSDs, based on different combinations of symptoms, physical examination findings and instrumental test results, have been proposed and published in the literature. Case definitions based on a combination of clinical history and instrumental findings would be preferred both for surveillance and epidemiological purposes. However, the use of instrumental tests introduces the issue of the poor level of agreement between symptoms and instrumental findings. Moreover, in the course of time both symptoms and instrumental findings tend to fluctuate and can be affected by several variables: exposure, individual factors, criteria used for data collection and time of examination in relation to work shift. As a paradigmatic example of UL-WRMSDs, the case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is discussed. In an improvement perspective, we suggest to focus on the following aspects: the monitoring of exposure assessment, the time of data collection in relation to work shift, the opportunity to collect clinical and instrumental data at the same time and the selection of normative data and of the best informative parameters for epidemiological studies
Heavy lifting at work and risk of retinal detachment: A population-based register study in Denmark
Full text linkObjectives: To investigate the relationship between rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and frequent heavy lifting in a Danish working population through national register data. Methods: A dynamic cohort of all men aged 20-59 years in Denmark was followed through the Danish Occupational Hospitalisation Register from 1995 to 2010 for diagnosed RRD. Occupational categories were classified according to their potential for heavy lifting in 4 main groups: heavy lifters, manual workers unlikely to be heavy lifters, other manual workers and non-manual workers unlikely to be heavy lifters. The agestandardised rate of diagnosed RRD for heavy lifting occupations was compared with that experienced by the other 3 occupational categories. Rate ratios (RRs) and 95% CIs were estimated through a Poisson regression model adjusted for calendar period and age group. Results: The highest age-standardised rate of diagnosed RRD was recorded among non-manual workers performing occupational activities unlikely to be associated with heavy lifting (18.0 cases per 100 000 person-years). The RR for workers in jobs expected to entail a high frequency of heavy lifting compared with manual workers whose occupation was unlikely to be associated with heavy lifting was 0.91 (95% CI 0.73 to 1.14), while in comparison with other manual workers, it was 0.93 (95% CI 0.78 to 1.11). The RR compared with non-manual workers in occupations unlikely to entail heavy lifting was 0.51 (95% CI 0.43 to 0.60). Conclusions: These findings do not support an association of occupational heavy lifting with diagnosed RRD. The epidemiological evidence for this association is still inconclusive. Future studies should use a more specific measure of exposure to resolve the outstanding uncertainties
Sentinel surveillance and occupational disease
No full textImproving collection and analysis of data to measure trends in occupational diseases (ODs) has long been, and continues to be, a strategic aim of past and future European Union strategies for health and safety at work.
precision in terminology has traditionally influenced the gradual growth of science, including in the discipline of medicine. Definitions evolve over time reflecting contemporary scientific thinking and developments shaped by social, political and academic factors.
Sentinel surveillance systems in occupational health involve the ongoing and rapid identification of sentinel health events (cases and their corresponding occupational risks) for purposes of follow-up and for developing statistical trends. The goal of such surveillance systems is to enhance case reporting, identify risk factors and high-risk work sites and link preventive interventions to work sites and the broader community.
The under-reporting of compensable and non-compensable work-related health problems by physicians is a well-documented phenomenon. Improving the reporting by physicians to surveillance systems in general and particularly health problems attributed to new and emerging risks is a central objective for MODERNET. In the MODERNET consortium, we looked specifically at the term ‘OD’ as it is applied to sentinel surveillance systems and examined if the term facilitates or hinders reporting of work-related health problems to surveillance systems
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Occupational (and non-occupational) risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders
No full textBACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders are an important cause of disability and absence from work in industrialized countries. A number of studies reported the importance of occupational, personal and psycho-social factors in the aetiology of these work-related disorders. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: To stress the complex relationships existing between risk factors, reporting findings from reviews and original studies regarding two of the most significant musculoskeletal disorders: carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and low back pain (LBP). CONCLUSIONS: More detailed epidemiological studies are needed to explore the interactions between risk (and protective) factors, since these can play the role of determinants, confounders or effect modifiers
Rhythm control and increased risk of noncardiovascular death in the Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management trial
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