Importance of assessment of visual function in nautical school students and naval engineers]

Eighty-seven junior nautical school students, of which 46 undergraduate marine engineers and 41 undergraduate nautical officer were examined for visual functions as a part of screening procedure for nautical occupations. All students were male, aged between 17 and 18. Examination comprised visual acuity, visual depth, and colour vision. The visual functions were then quantified according to ergo-ophthalmologic criteria. Statistically, the visual functions were found to be within the normal limits. Only 5% of students bordered with visual impairments in acuity and depth. Five undergraduate marine engineers and one undergraduate nautical officer were found to be deuteranomalous. Deuteranomaly in the latter presented a serious impediment and the student was not eligible for the occupation. It turned out that he had not been examined before the enrollment. The enrollment in the nautical school should be conditioned by previous medical examination that would be performed in accordance with the Regulations for Nautical Personnel. The student's health should be monitored throughout the education and the examination should be repeated on entering the junior class. The existing Regulations for Nautical Personnel should be updated.     

医院工程专业技术人员的职能转变

阐述了医院工程技术人员的职能,及今后工作方向的一些见解。     

The SIFA train function safety circuit

Summary The SIFA is a paced secondary motor task, which is expected to monitor the train driver's fitness for service on engines of the German Federal Railway. Disregard of the device leads to an emergency braking. As, in contrast to a true vigilance test, the SIFA cycles are characterized by paced and clearly supraliminal signals; we presumed that adequate operation of the device does not necessarily correspond to sustained attention of the driver. This study shows how the SIFA can be effectively tested under laboratory conditions. Our design allows the reduction of vigilance as evident from the EEG, and a controlled investigation of the possible connection between different modes of SIFA operation, physical load, and different levels of vigilance. Finally, some sample registrations show that phases of low vigilance do occur and do not prevent adequate operation of the device. It is suggested that SIFA-trained persons can operate the SIFA in phases of low vigilance because a specific central nervous arousal reaction enables them to raise their level of vigilance in synchronisation with the SIFA cycles to a degree that makes the successful performance of this task possible. A future report will provide a quantified analysis of the correlation between vigilance reduction and SIFA operation.The SIFA has sometimes been referred to as a VMD (Vigilance monitoring device), see references     

万吨列车司机神经行为功能状态的调查

目的了解万吨列车司机神经行为功能和情感状态,为制定有效的预防措施提供依据。方法采用WHO推荐的《神经行为功能核心测试组合(NCTB)》测试方法,对60名驾驶万吨列车的司机(观察组)和60名普通列车司机(对照组)进行病例对照观察。结果观察组在数字跨度中倒序、总和得分(7.26±1.12、7.87±1.61),目标追踪的正确打点数、总打点数(125.25±17.80、147.24±13.79),视觉保留得分(5.90±1.06)均低于对照组;简单反应时和目标追踪错误打点数(0.31±0.03、30.11±9.67)均高于对照组,且差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。情感特征指标中,观察组在"紧张-焦虑、压抑-忧郁、疲惫-惰性"等项得分(分别为14.2±3.2、19.1±5.8、17.9±6.3)高于对照组(分别为8.3±3.1、10.9±6.1、11.9±5.2),差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论在多种因素的综合作用下,万吨列车司机在情绪状态和神经行为功能上有一定改变     

Gender approach to studying reproductive aims in young people

The paper presents the preliminary results of estimating reproductive potential in young people. Gender characteristics have been revealed in the sexual behavior (the young men start a sexual life at significantly earlier age; different attitudes towards contraception) and reproductive aims (children rank fourth among family values; a low proportion of persons who wish to have two children or more) of the youth in the Republic of Tatarstan. Certain risk factors influencing reproductive health impairments are identified. Differential forms of prophylactic work, which are aimed at promoting reproductive health for young people, are proposed.     

Evaluation of combined effects of ionizing radiation and mercury on the reproductive function of animals]

Reduction of spermatogenesis and enzymatic activity due to single or combined action of ionizing radiation and mercury was noted. The total biological effects seemed to be close to the cumulative influence of environmental factors.     

Status of reproductive function and the development and health of children of female workers in the synthetic leather industry

The study was undertaken to analyze the course of pregnancy and childbirth along with the state of the lactation function in 48 female workers occupationally exposed to dimethylformamide (DMFA) during 1-5 years of service. Physical development and health status of 48 children born to DMFA-exposed mothers were examined. It was demonstrated that DMFA had adverse effect on pregnancy and childbirth, characterized by a reliable increase of toxicosis rates, birth complications, manual elimination of afterbirth. DMFA-exposed females experienced weakening of the lactation function and some deviations in the development and health status of infants.     

The workload of computer system engineers and mental health]

The nature of labor in Japan is changing from work which is physically demanding to work in which mental activity requiring intellectual and psychological ability results in production. The author studied and analyzed the type of workload experienced by system engineers in informatics. The results of a health study of 2,396 system design engineers in informatics at our company were analyzed (only data on 2,169 males were analyzed). Workload related to the 'quality', or type of work done ('Workload of quality') was felt by 63.5%, with 36.0% feeling workload related to the amount of work ('Workload of quantity'). A very large number of workers felt workload related to the quality, or type of work rather than to the amount of work. The relationship between emotional health indices and workload showed insomnia in 25.5% of workers who felt a 'Workload of quality', and in 11.1% of those who did not feel such a workload. Similarly, depressive mood was seen in 40.3% of workers who felt a 'Workload of quality', and in 18.7% of workers who did not. Insomnia was seen in 42.8% of workers with a feeling of a 'Workload of quality', and in 26.3% of those without. The relationship between workload, related to the quality and quantity of work was also strong for other mental health indices. Workload related to the quality of work was particularly strong. Workload related to the quality or type or work comes from a myriad of factors including the variety of work required from workers in informatics, the still developing nature of the production process, and the rapid pace of technical progress with each type of work carrying a different set of factors. The ability and personality of each individual worker also plays an important role. The results of the survey showed the importance of carrying out occupational healthcare activities in health management from the standpoint of work related health hazards or "quality of work"; in other words, from the standpoint of work type, system operation and the individuality of the worker.     

Study of the reproductive function in albino rats after inhalation of 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl ether of resorcin]

The article contains experimental data on the morphofunctional state of gonads in male rats after chronic inhalation of diamine P, and on the state of embryogenesis after inhalant introduction of diamine P into pregnant rats in threshold-level concentrations. Results of the study revealed that, in chronic inhalant introduction at 29.3 and 4.2 mg/m3, diamine P demonstrated gonadotoxic properties, which was proved by the higher percentage of dead spermatozoa and spermatogonium diseases. The changes in the gonads' state reflected the pathological processes caused by diamine P in the animals due to the general toxicity properties of the substance. The embryotoxic effect of diamine P in inhalations at 5 mg/m3 (close to the threshold levels of total toxicity) was not statistically relevant.     

Stressor and stress reduction strategies for computer software engineers]

First, in this article we discuss 10 significant occupational stressors for computer software engineers, based on the review of the scientific literature on their stress and mental health. The stressors include 1) quantitative work overload, 2) time pressure, 3) qualitative work load, 4) speed and diffusion of technological innovation, and technological divergence, 5) low discretional power, 6) underdeveloped career pattern, 7) low earnings/reward from jobs, 8) difficulties in managing a project team for software development and establishing support system, 9) difficulties in customer relations, and 10) personality characteristics. In addition, we delineate their working and organizational conditions that cause such occupational stressors in order to find strategies to reduce those stressors in their workplaces. Finally, we suggest three stressor and stress reduction strategies for software engineers.     

Lung function disturbances and chest X-ray abnormalities among marine engineers.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to investigate to what extent marine engineers who are exposed to mineral oil mist in the engine rooms of ships have lung function disturbances and chest X-ray abnormalities. METHODS: A previous study examined a cohort of 492 seamen from which we received 169 full-scale (40 x 40 cm) chest radiographs. Among these films were 68 from marine engineers and 101 from seamen who had never worked as engineers (controls). Spirometric data were obtained from 44 engineers and from 71 of the controls. The chest X-rays were classified independently by two certified B-readers, using the ILO classification. RESULTS: Only 7% of the seamen had parenchymal or pleural changes. The only statistically significant difference between the two groups for the chest X-ray findings was for all comments made by the ILO readers which were termed "any symbol" (9.3% for the engineers and 0.6% for the controls; RR = 14.6 (95% CI 1.1-75.5)) and the FEV% (FEV1/FVC x 100) for the spirometric values (82.8 (SD = 10.8) for the engineers and 86.6 (SD = 8.0) for the controls; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicate a slight lung function impairment and an increase in chest X-ray abnormalities, other than small opacities, among the marine engineers.     

男性流动人口主动参与生殖健康活动状况分析

目的:通过对育龄男性流动人群有关生殖健康问题的调查和访谈,了解其参与的主动性。方法:采取多阶随机抽样的方法,对台州市5个县、市、区共计2432名浙江省外来育龄男性人群进行调查和访谈。结果:浙江省台州市男性流动人群的文化程度总体较低,以小学和初中为主(72.3%).他们对生殖健康知识的了解较少,对计划生育/生殖健康服务的可得性明显不足,接受过避孕宣传的占29.1%,参与生殖健康活动主动性差,79.7%缺乏当地社会认同感和归属感。结论:加大对男性流动人群的生殖健康宣传教育力度,提高其生殖健康意识,促进其更多参与计划生育,有利于提升整体人群生殖健康水平。