The human drama of genetics: 'hard' and 'soft' media representations of inherited breast cancer

This paper examines media coverage of 'breast cancer genetics', and explores its implications for public understanding. We present a content analysis of coverage in British newspapers and look at a variety of popular forms, including women's magazines, television soap opera and radio drama. Genetic/inherited risk receives a great deal of coverage across a wide range of media formats and outlets. Much of this attention has focused on individuals from 'high risk families' and dilemmas around prophylactic mastectomies. Through examining media coverage, combined with interviews with media personnel and their sources, we show why this story proved so attractive to the media and highlight the different production values which influence coverage. Finally, we introduce preliminary findings from focus group discussions to demonstrate how such 'human interest' framing has engaged audience attention and influenced public understandings. The paper concludes by highlighting the implications for analysing, predicting, and engaging with, media representations of science.     

Worker education in the primary prevention of occupational dermatoses

This paper reports the evaluation of a skin care education programmeconducted on a fine chemicals manufacturing site where over1,000 employees are located. Approximately 60% are involvedin chemical manufacture. Over a 12 month period production staffreceived training in prevention of occupational dermatoses linkedto a site-wide poster initiative. The incidence of new casesof occupational dermatoses fell from 0.055 (70 cases in 1,277employees) to 0.021 (27 cases in 1,277 employees) before andafter the intervention respectively (p<0.0001). After otherfactors such as chemicals handled, observer bias and changesin reporting related to socioeconomic climate were taken intoaccount it is concluded that this study demonstrates the importanceof worker education as a tool for primary prevention of disease.Training materials such as video and poster presentations maybe effectively used in the chemical manufacturing industry asan adjunct to prevention and control of exposure to substanceshazardous to the skin. Such methods may also be used in otherindustries where there are significant risks of dermatoses.     

Regional Variation in Travel-related Illness acquired in Africa,March 1997–May 2011

To understand geographic variation in travel-related illness acquired in distinct African regions, we used the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network database to analyze records for 16,893 ill travelers returning from Africa over a 14-year period. Travelers to northern Africa most commonly reported gastrointestinal illnesses and dog bites. Febrile illnesses were more common in travelers returning from sub-Saharan countries. Eleven travelers died, 9 of malaria; these deaths occurred mainly among male business travelers to sub-Saharan Africa. The profile of illness varied substantially by region: malaria predominated in travelers returning from Central and Western Africa; schistosomiasis, strongyloidiasis, and dengue from Eastern and Western Africa; and loaisis from Central Africa. There were few reports of vaccine-preventable infections, HIV infection, and tuberculosis. Geographic profiling of illness acquired during travel to Africa guides targeted pretravel advice, expedites diagnosis in ill returning travelers, and may influence destination choices in tourism.     

The design of hazard risk assessment matrices for ranking occupational health risks and their application in mining and minerals processing

Two hazard risk assessment matrices for the ranking of occupational health risks are described. The qualitative matrix uses qualitative measures of probability and consequence to determine risk assessment codes for hazard-disease combinations. A walk-through survey of an underground metalliferous mine and concentrator is used to demonstrate how the qualitative matrix can be applied to determine priorities for the control of occupational health hazards. The semi-quantitative matrix uses attributable risk as a quantitative measure of probability and uses qualitative measures of consequence. A practical application of this matrix is the determination of occupational health priorities using existing epidemiological studies. Calculated attributable risks from epidemiological studies of hazard-disease combinations in mining and minerals processing are used as examples. These historic response data do not reflect the risks associated with current exposures. A method using current exposure data, known exposure-response relationships and the semi-quantitative matrix is proposed for more accurate and current risk rankings.     

Psychopathological features of a patient population of targets of workplace bullying

BACKGROUND: A strong association between workplace bullying and subsequent anxiety and depression, indicated by empirical research, suggests that bullying is an aetiological factor for mental health problems. AIMS: To evaluate levels of stress and anxiety-depression disorder developed by targets of workplace bullying together with outcome at 12 months and to characterize this population in terms of psychopathology and sociodemographic features. METHODS: Forty-eight patients (36 women and 12 men) meeting Leymann Inventory of Psychological Terror criteria for bullying were included in a prospective study. Evaluations were performed at first consultation and at 12 months using a standard clinical interview, a visual analogue scale of stress, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale, the Beech scale of stress in the workplace and a projective test (Picture-Frustration Study). RESULTS: At first consultation, 81% of patients showed high levels of perceived stress at work and 83 and 52% presented with anxiety or depression, respectively. At 12 months, only 19% of working patients expressed a feeling of stress at work. There was a significant change in symptoms of anxiety while there was no change in symptoms of depression. Stress at work and depression influenced significatively capacity to go back to work. At 12-month assessments, workers showed a significantly better score on the HAD scale than non-workers. Over half the targets presented a neuroticism-related predominant personality trait. CONCLUSION: Workplace bullying can have severe mental health repercussions, triggering serious and persistent underlying disorders.     

The rise and fall in incidence of malignant mesothelioma from a British Naval Dockyard, 1979-1999

BACKGROUND: The incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Britain is predicted to rise over the next 15-25 years because of past failure to protect the workforce against inhalation of asbestos. In British Naval dockyards, alternative insulation materials and respiratory protection were introduced from the mid-1960s. Aims This study was carried out to investigate the effects of these control measures on mesothelioma deaths in dockyard workers. METHODS: Cases of mesothelioma of the pleura and peritoneum between 1979 and 1999 in workers from the Devonport Naval Dockyard, south-west England, were sought from coroners' and medico-legal records. RESULTS: Three hundred and one cases were identified, 7% peritoneal. The peak incidence occurred in 1991 with 25 cases per annum (quadratic model fit R(2) = 74.2%, P < 0.001) and we predict that by 2003 the incidence will fall to fewer than five cases per annum. The mean time between first exposure and presentation was 48.5 years [95% confidence interval (CI) = 47.3-49.8], but this was significantly shorter in the more heavily exposed trades, when compared with the less heavily exposed (42 years, 95% CI = 39.0-45.0, versus 49.5 years, 95% CI = 48.2-50.9). Those with higher exposure were also at significantly greater risk of peritoneal disease (P < 0.023, Fisher's exact test). CONCLUSION: The reduction in incidence of mesothelioma is greater than can be accounted for by reduction in numbers of dockyard workers over the last 50 years. Changes in insulation materials and improved industrial hygiene measures introduced into the Devonport Dockyard from the mid-1960s have resulted in an earlier decline in the incidence of malignant mesothelioma than that predicted for the British workforce as a whole.     

Die sogenannte Vinylchlorid-Krankheit—eine berufsbedingte Systemsklerose?

Zusammenfassung Es wurden 13 Arbeiter untersucht, die zwischen 1 3/4 und 18 Jahren in einem PVC-herstellenden Betrieb beschäftigt waren. 8 von ihnen wiesen sklerodermieartige Hautveränderungen (Abb. 2) auf, die histologisch charakterisiert sind durch Verbreiterung und Homogenisierung der kollagenen Faserbündel (Abb. 3 u. 4) sowie Fragmentation und Rarefizierung der elastischen Fasern (Abb. 5). Bei 7 Patienten bestanden trommelschlegelartige Auftreibungen einzelner Fingerendphalangen (Abb. 1). 11 Patienten zeigten Durchblutungsstörungen der Extremitäten (4 von diesen ein Raynaud-Syndrom) und 6 Patienten Acroosteolysen einzelner Fingerendphalangen (Abb. 6, Tabellen 1–3).Darüber hinaus bestand bei allen Patienten eine Thrombocytopenie, bei 12 Patienten eine Splenomegalie, bei 11 Patienten eine Einschränkung der Leberfunktion (erhöhte BSP-Retention). An der Leber ließ sich histologisch bei den 5 laparoskopierten Patienten eine deutliche Fibrosierung der Portalfelder nachweisen. Bei 4 Patienten bestanden Oesophagusvaricen (Tabellen 4 u. 5). 8 Patienten zeigten eine Partialinsuffizienz mit Hinweisen für vorwiegend restriktive Veränderungen.Die hier beschriebenen Veränderungen gehen weit über das bisher bekannte Acroosteolysesyndrom hinaus. Es wird der dringende Verdacht geäußert, daß langfristige Vinylchlorid-Exposition dieses komplexe Krankheitsbild verursacht. Daher wird für diese systemische Krankheit die Bezeichnung Vinylchlorid-Krankheit vorgeschlagen.Wir danken Frau E. Voigtländer für die Herstellung der klinischen und histologischen Abbildungen.     

Organophosphate toxicity and occupational exposure

The ubiquitous organophosphates present a continuing health hazard in agriculture, public health eradication programmes and as chemical warfare agents. Despite significant progress in understanding the potential mechanisms of toxicity far beyond the commonly accepted mechanism of cholinesterase inhibition in intentional exposures, the precise health effects following occupational exposures are yet to be completely defined. A much greater understanding exists of the clinical features of organophosphate poisoning. These are characterized by a triphasic response involving an initial acute cholinergic phase, an intermediate syndrome (both associated with high mortality) and a disabling but non-lethal delayed polyneuropathy. The delayed polyneuropathy may occur in the absence of the cholinergic or intermediate phases. However, progress is still required in order to improve the quantification and assessment of occupational exposures and the implementation of appropriate preventive measures. Finally, evidence-based guidelines for appropriate or optimal therapeutic interventions following poisoning are required urgently and collaborative work with colleagues in developing countries, where the occurrence of organophosphate exposures is more frequent, may provide the answers.     

Miliaria rubra of the lower limbs in underground miners

This report documents a case series of miliaria rubra of the lower limbs in miners at a deep underground metalliferous mine in tropical arid Australia. During the summer months of February and March 1999, all cases of miliaria rubra of the lower limbs in underground miners seen at the mine's medical centre were clinically examined and administered a questionnaire. Twenty-five patients were seen, an incidence of 56.4 cases per million man-hours. Miliaria rubra was most often located between the ankle and knee (88% of cases). Twenty-four percent had concurrent folliculitis and 20% had concurrent tinea. Thirty-two percent had a personal history of asthma. Walking through ground-water and splashing of the legs was common. Three to 4 weeks of sedentary duties in air conditioning was generally required to achieve resolution of miliaria rubra. The incidence of miliaria rubra of the lower limbs is 38% of the incidence of heat exhaustion at the same mine. The length of disablement is greater, however. Atopics may be at increased risk of miliaria rubra. Control measures are discussed.     

Empathic processes: perception by medical students of patients'' anxiety and depression

Perceptions by medical students of patients' affective states were investigated, and the effect of the students' own emotions on such perceptions. One hundred and one fourth-year medical students rated the levels of anxiety and depression of three women patients presented on videotape, rated their own levels of anxiety and depression and completed a questionnaire on aspects of the rating process. Students had widely different and often inappropriate perceptions of patients' levels of anxiety and depression. Students who consistently overrated anxiety or depression in patients, compared to those who consistently underrated, were themselves significantly more anxious or depressed. These data suggest a need in medical education for systematic teaching of empathic skills and for recognition of potential bias in clinical decision-making arising from the clinician's own emotional state.     

Planning research

The starting point for any research project should be a question.Once this has been defined and the relevant scientific literaturereviewed, a protocol should be drawn up. This will be used notonly as a guide to the conduct of the study and in the preparationof the final report, but also in seeking any financial supportand approvals that are required for the investigation. A protocolis normally arranged in sections covering the background tothe study, the question(s) that it will address, the methodsthat will be used for the collection and analysis of data, thestatistical power of the investigation (where relevant), anyethical considerations, and the financial input that will beneeded. A pilot study is often helpful where aspects of thestudy method are untried or of uncertainvalidity.     

Stress in the Norwegian police service

BACKGROUND: High levels of stress have been attributed to the conditions of police work, but there is little empirical evidence for this. AIMS: To develop a new instrument to measure job stress in the police; to assess the most severe and frequent police stressors; to compare levels of stress according to the demographic and organizational factors; and to study stress in relation to personality traits, work locus of control and coping strategies. METHODS: A comprehensive nationwide questionnaire survey of 3272 Norwegian police at all hierarchical levels, including the Norwegian Police Stress Survey (NPSS), the Job Stress Survey, the Basic Character Inventory, the Work Locus of Control Scale, and the Coping Strategies Scale. RESULTS: Work injuries were appraised as the most stressful but least frequent stressor and job pressure was reported the least severe but most frequent stressor. Females experienced job stressors less frequently, but appraised them as more severe than men did. Older police officers reported more job pressure severity and fewer work injuries. The police in districts where peer support was planned but not implemented, and who worked in districts with more than 50,000 inhabitants, perceived the lack of support more severely than others. The correlations between stress and personality traits, work locus of control, and coping were moderate. CONCLUSIONS: The NPSS captures police-specific stressors that are not adequately measured by global stress instruments. The study of stress in police work should preferably involve a nationwide use of police-specific stress instruments.     

Respiratory symptoms and wheat flour exposure: a study of flour millers

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and their relationship to sensitization to wheat flour allergens and fungal amylase, in a group of workers from the UK flour milling industry. A cross-sectional study was used to evaluate symptoms, using a structured interview technique, and sensitization, using skin prick test findings, from 679 employees in flour milling and packing operations at 18 flour mills. A total of 147 workers (147/679, 22%) described upper respiratory tract symptoms of some kind. In the majority (139/147, 95%) these symptoms were of an occasional or transitory nature and were related to short-term exposures to high levels of dust. Three individuals (3/679, 0.4%) were identified whose symptoms were thought to be the result of allergy to wheat flour. The prevalence of positive skin prick tests to wheat flour allergens and to fungal amylase was 1.2% (8/678) and 0.9% (6/678), respectively. Measurements of total inhalable dust exposure for personnel exposed to flour dust were taken at 10 of the sites (116 samples). For production personnel the levels were typically between 1 and 10 mg/m3 (8-h time weighted average), with a median of 6.2 mg/m3. Hygiene operatives had appreciably higher exposure than production personnel, with a median of 18.7 mg/m3. Overall, 43% (50/116) of all samples exceeded 10 mg/m3 (8-h time weighted average). The findings suggest that the risk of sensitization to wheat flour allergens from current dust exposures in flour mills is very low. Wheat allergy was responsible in only a small proportion of the total who had respiratory symptoms. The principal causation of symptoms experienced by the workforce was considered to be a non-specific irritant effect related to short-term exposures to high levels of total inhalable dust.     

New stressors, new remedies

This paper looks at the stressors prominent in the workplace at the end of the 20th century--increases in workload, falls in social support, uncertainty and violence. It considers some of the pressures that have created these stressors and some of the interventions used to combat them; for example, better teamworking, different management style, an emphasis on quality, a more accurate analysis of the burgeoning costs of stress to organizations, and an increasing appreciation that parental stress affects children negatively and so makes our future society more at risk. It considers the rising emphasis on the individual role in stress, and on the increase in counselling services. It concludes that occupational health services have a very important role to play not only in providing secondary interventions but also in influencing preventive measures.     

Sense of smell in workers exposed to agricultural odours

AIM: To investigate the effect of occupational exposure to agricultural odours on sense of smell. METHODS: Olfaction was investigated in 60 employees of dairy and pig-breeding farms and compared to 60 non-farm controls living in the same rural area. Both groups were matched for age, sex and smoking habits. All participants underwent standardized, validated tests for olfactory function and were tested before and after the first day of a working cycle. In addition, farm subjects were also tested in the evening of Day 5 of this period. RESULTS: There was no difference in overall olfactory function between the two groups. Olfactory function was not related to duration of exposure to the odorous environment. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that occupational exposure to strong agricultural odours has no major impact on the sense of smell.     

The value of screening tests in applicants for professional pilot medical certification

Good medicine does not consist in the indiscriminate application of laboratory examinations to a patient, but rather in having so clear a comprehension of the probabilities and possibilities of a case as to know what tests may be expected to give information of value.' (Francis Peabody, 1922)     

How a sample of businesses in the West Midlands (UK) are currently managing vibration exposure

This paper discusses the results of a local initiative in the West Midlands (UK) which looked at how businesses in engineering, utilities and foundry trades managed the risks from hand-arm vibration. Inadequacies of health surveillance programmes and the need for enforcement action are outlined.     

Type A lactic acidosis in occupational heat exhaustion

BACKGROUND: This paper presents a further analysis of biochemical data collected during a 1 year prospective study of 106 cases of heat exhaustion at a deep underground metalliferous mine. RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis results indicate that the haemoglobin, serum creatinine and plasma lactate concentrations are statistically significant predictors of the anion gap. Together, they explain 65% of the variance in the anion gap (R(2) = 0.650). Spearman's rho correlation results also confirm that haemoglobin, creatinine and lactate are each statistically significantly correlated with the anion gap (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that dehydration and lactate are important determinants of the metabolic acidosis previously observed in occupational heat exhaustion. It is likely that dehydration in these workers has resulted in poor muscle perfusion, anaerobic conditions and elevated lactate. This constitutes Type A lactic acidosis. Creatine kinase is not a statistically significant predictor of the anion gap in multiple regression (P = 0.956). Furthermore, the Spearman's rho correlation coefficient for creatine kinase versus the anion gap is weak (r(s) = 0.175) and is not statistically significant (P = 0.073). These results suggest that there was no rhabdomyolysis contributing to the metabolic acidosis.     

Outbreaks of Human Salmonella Infections Associated with Live Poultry,United States, 1990–2014

Backyard poultry flocks have increased in popularity concurrent with an increase in live poultry–associated salmonellosis (LPAS) outbreaks. Better understanding of practices that contribute to this emerging public health issue is needed. We reviewed outbreak reports to describe the epidemiology of LPAS outbreaks in the United States, examine changes in trends, and inform prevention campaigns. LPAS outbreaks were defined as ≥2 culture-confirmed human Salmonella infections linked to live poultry contact. Outbreak data were obtained through multiple databases and a literature review. During 1990–2014, a total of 53 LPAS outbreaks were documented, involving 2,630 illnesses, 387 hospitalizations, and 5 deaths. Median patient age was 9 years (range <1 to 92 years). Chick and duckling exposure were reported by 85% and 38% of case-patients, respectively. High-risk practices included keeping poultry inside households (46% of case-patients) and kissing birds (13%). Comprehensive One Health strategies are needed to prevent illnesses associated with live poultry.     

The reported incidence of work-related ill-health in Scotland (2002-2003)

BACKGROUND: Although incidence data for work-related ill-health in the UK are available, more detailed information for smaller geographical areas has hitherto been unpublished. AIMS: To estimate the incidence of work-related ill-health reported by clinical specialists in Scotland, 2002-2003. METHODS: THOR (The Health and Occupation Reporting network) is a UK wide reporting scheme for work-related ill-health. In 2002-2003, 241 out of 2162 physicians in THOR were based in Scotland. We have summarized the reported cases and calculated incidence rates for categories of ill-health by age, gender and industry. The UK Labour Force Survey (2002) was used to provide denominator data, with comparisons made between rates for Scotland and the rest of the UK. RESULTS: In 2002-2003, 4043 estimated cases were reported from Scotland. Mental ill-health was most frequently reported (41%); followed by musculoskeletal disorders (31%), skin disorders (16%), respiratory disease (10%), hearing disorders (2%) and infection (1%). The reported average annual incidence rate per 100,000 employees for all work-related ill-health in Scotland was 86.0. The highest reported rate for mental ill-health was found for employees in public administration and defence (76.7 per 100,000), and health and social work (72.3 per 100,000). The construction industry had the highest reported rate of musculoskeletal disorders (41.6 per 100,000), while hairdressers appeared at most risk of developing occupational contact dermatitis (rate=86.4 per 100,000). CONCLUSIONS: Despite its limitations, THOR has indicated types of work-related ill-health and related industries for targeted disease prevention in Scotland.