Prevalence of Chronic Diseases and Occupational Injuries and their Influence on the Health-Related Quality of Life Among Farmers Working in Small-Farm Enterprises

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic diseases and occupational accidents and injuries, and to examine their association with the quality of life among a sample of Iranian farmers.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 736 male farmers. Data on the prevalence of chronic diseases and occupational accidents and injuries was collected using an author-developed questionnaire, and the SF-36 questionnaire was used to obtain information on quality of life.

Results: The prevalence of chronic diseases was 96.1%. Musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs), eye diseases and neurology diseases were the most prevalent diseases. Almost half of the farmers (42.7%) had experienced an occupational accident during the last 12 months and cuts and fractures accounted for the most frequent injuries. Sick leave was reported by 28.2% of the farmers and from those with history of accidents, 21.4% were hospitalized. A significant association was found between age and education level with quality of life. Most of the chronic diseases showed a significant and inverse association with quality of life, however, the strongest association was found for MSDs and mental disorders. Furthermore, the most important injury associated with quality of life was cuts and fractures.

Conclusions: Based on the results, MSDs, mental disorders, and cut and fractures were the main determinants of the farmers’ quality of life. Hence, a better quality of life among farmers is especially dependent on eliminating ergonomics risk factors leading to developing musculoskeletal disorders, improving psychosocial work climate, and promoting occupational and personal safety culture.     

Removal of traumatic cyclitic membranes: surgical technique and results

Background As most patients with a history of open globe injury and judged to have cyclitic membrane are denied further surgery because of poor prognosis, a technique for creating radial cuts in traumatic cyclitic membranes and its results are described. Method This is a retrospective non-comparative interventional case series of eight eyes with history of penetrating eye injury with fibrovascular membrane over the pars plicata observed during vitrectomy. All eyes were hypotonic; two had undergone previous vitrectomy and had developed RD. During vitrectomy after penetrating trauma, lens and its capsule or IOL was removed, fibrovascular membrane was visualized over pars plicata with the aid of external compression and after removal of the center of anterior hyaloid face, radial cuts were placed over the membrane. The resulting pieces were removed with vitrectomy probe. An encircling buckling element was placed in all eyes. Best corrected visual acuity, IOP, and postoperative complications are described. Results Eight eyes of eight patients (F: 3, M: 5) with an age range of 2–22 years (median: 11.5) with traumatic cyclitic membranes treated with the above technique were included in the study. They were followed for 6–18 months (median: 12 months). Seven patients had visual acuity of light perception to hand motion before operation .Preoperative IOP was low in all eyes (2–5 mmHg, median: 4 mmHg). One eye with a history of large foreign body removal was finally visually lost due to PVR. The other eyes had visual acuity of more than 20/100 (more than 20/60 in six eyes) and a normal IOP (8–20 mmHg, median 11 mmHg) in the last visit. Conclusion Placement of radial cuts over traumatic cyclitic membranes followed by removal of the pieces is well tolerated by the ciliary epithelium with good retaining of its secretory function and normalization of IOP. This work was presented as a poster at the 20th Congress of APAO, Kuala Lumpur March 2005. The authors have no proprietary interest in the materials and instruments mentioned in this article.     

Special issue: Abstracts of the 7<Superscript>th</Superscript> International Conference on Environmental Health Science, 29–30 October 2014, Seoul Korea

Metagenome analysis was used to monitor changes in microbial population during the industrial-scale batch fermentation period (0, 15 days and 2 years). Genomic DNA was extracted from Bachu-Kimchi samples and was sequenced using GS Junior Titanium system, which yielded a total 6886, 6271, and 6621 reads from 0, 15 days and 2 years samples, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequences showed clearly that microbial population was changed depending on the fermentation process (initial, rancid, and over-ripening stage). Wessella sp. and Leuconostoc sp. became the predominant group in microbial community at the optimumrancid stage (15 days), but as the fermentation progressed more, the abundance of Lactobacillus sp. and Bacillus sp. increased (2 years). Moreover, the specific kimchi microbes in the industrial-scale fermentation process were isolated: Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus sakei, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Weissella koreensis.     

Utility of 1% Tropicamide in Improving the Quality of Images for Tele-Screening of Diabetic Retinopathy in Patients with Dark Irides

Purpose: To compare the quality of fundus photographs taken before and after instillation of one drop of tropicamide.

Methods: The 45º fundus photographs were taken with a non-mydriatic fundus camera in three conditions of the pupil; pre-mydriatic, 10 minutes after one drop of tropicamide, and fully dilated. Two photographs were taken in each condition; one centered on the macula and the other on the optic disc. Two vitreoretinal specialists graded the images.

Results: A total of 1768 fundus photographs of 149 diabetic patients with dark irides were included. There were more ungradable images (38.1% and 50.3%, graders 1 and 2, respectively) in the non-mydriatic state than partially- (4.6% and 11.5%) or fully-dilated (15.4% and 10.0%) conditions (p < 0.001, both graders). Partially and fully dilated states had similar rates of ungradable images (p = 0.56 and p = 0.54, graders 1 and 2, respectively). Test–retest reliability (repeatability) was 92.5% and 74.3% for the two graders, respectively. Inter-grader agreement was moderate (Kappa = 0.50).

Conclusion: Non-mydriatic fundus photographs have a high rate of ungradable images in patients with dark irides. Instillation of only one drop of tropicamide improves the quality of fundus photographs, which is not furthered by adding more drops. This strategy can be used in tele-ophthalmology programs.     

Human papillomavirus type 77 E7 protein is a weak deregulator of cell cycle

Human Papillomavirus type 77 is a skin type found in non-melanoma skin cancers of immuno-compromised individuals. Although, the HPV77 E6 oncoprotein has been well studied, nothing is known about E7. Studies on mucosal HPV types (e.g. HPV16) showed that E7 deregulates the cell cycle by binding to and promoting degradation of retinoblastoma protein (pRb). Here, we characterized the impact of HPV77 E7 on the cell cycle. We observed that HPV77 E7 associated with pRb with a lower affinity than HPV16 E7, promoting weakly its degradation. Although, HPV16 E7 led to cellular proliferation and accumulation of the cell cycle inhibitor p16(INK4a), both events were not clearly observed in HPV77 E7 cells. Together, these data indicate that HPV77 E7 does not efficiently deregulate the cell cycle, in contrast to several E7s of mucosal HPV types.