Results of studies on long-term results of the effects of hot microclimate on the body of workers

The article presents data on the functional features of thermoregulation, cardiovascular and respiratory system, neuro-muscular and immune state in those engaged in heating microclimate labour conditions. It is proposed that intensive heat and physical overload results in presenilation among workers, which is proved by changes in their cardiopulmonary and biologic aging processes.     

Physiological and hygienic evaluation of controllers' work in coal mines

The article contains data on the results of the on-the-spot studies of coal mine controllers' labour conditions and relating hygienic factors. It was established that the work at the dispatcher's control point in coal mines was considerably affected by unfavourable factors (low degree of illumination, constructional shortcomings of the control point and seat) with concomitant neuropsychic stress conditions. Revealed were specific functional shifts in CVS and CNS, neuromuscular disorders and the analyzers' malfunctioning. A set of measures was proposed for labour conditions improvement, ergometric perfection of the working place and reduction of neuroemotional tension.     

Physiological and hygienic assessment of work process and working conditions in processing sugar beets on mechanized MSK-15 production lines

The MSK-15 mechanized line for white-beet processing corresponds to the 2nd class (permissible conditions) with regard to the work-load of female beet-sorters, and to the 3rd class of labour intensity (1st degree of unhealthy conditions of work). By the end of the working shift the women-sorters were displaying functional overstrain of CNS and CVS, neuro-muscular overstrain of the upper extremities. Measures for working conditions improvement should include an ergonomic perfection of the working sites, improvement of the regimen of work and rest, means of individual technical safety.     

Evaluation of the effectiveness of health-related improvement in working conditions of postal services employees

Basing on the physiological and hygienic research performed after a series of prophylactic measures, it was established that the introduction of rational working conditions in combination with physically active rest influences most postively the functional neuro-muscular state of upper extremities in telephone operators and mail sorters, and has a positive bearing on the hemodynamic indices, CNS and regulatory mechanisms status of operators and mail sorters.     

Study of muscular work capacity in operators using manual mechanical instruments]

The article contains a hygienic assessment of the influence of vibration on the muscular and working capacity of the workers using manual mechanical devices. The neuro-muscular state evaluation was performed with a manual dynamograph. 161 workers from different professional groups and a sample group of 26 workers were examined. The indices of the maximum muscular force and resistance to fatiguability proved to be the most informative ones. The most apparent neuro-muscular changes were found in the professional groups of moulders and mould-cutters, which could be related to the greatest dosages of vibration and intensive physical overload.     

Pesticide consumption,central nervous system and cardiovascular congenital malformations in the South and Southeast region of Brazil

Objectives

To investigate the association between per capita pesticide consumption and infant mortality rates from CNS and CVS congenital malformations in microregions in the South and Southeast Region of Brazil.

Material and Methods

An ecological study was conducted using data on pesticide expenditure in 1985 and 1996, and deaths caused by CNS and CVS malformations in infants under 1 year old in 1986–1990 and 1997–2001, respectively. Per capita pesticide consumption and infant mortality rates were calculated for each microregion. Microregions were grouped according to quintiles of pesticide consumption, taking the first quintile as reference. The association between pesticide consumption and infant mortality was examined by calculating Spearman correlation coefficients (r) and mortality rate ratios (RR), stratifying by gender and type of microregion (urban or rural).

Results

Significant and positive correlations between per capita pesticide consumption and rates of mortality due to CNS and CVS defects were observed in rural but not urban microregions. In general, mortality RRs for the 2 types of malformations in rural microregions were significantly higher in each quintile of pesticide consumption compared to the lowest quintile in the 2 study periods, with elevations ranging between 10% and 30%. Likewise, mortality RRs in these microregions showed significant trends of increase across quintiles of pesticide consumption in both study periods. In urban areas, however, mortality RRs from both CNS and CVS malformations were weak and not statistically significant, and a trend of increase of mortality with increasing pesticide usage was not observed.

Conclusions

The results show the relevance of pesticide exposure in rural areas with intense agricultural activity, suggesting that such prenatal exposures may be related with the occurrence of certain congenital defects.     

Characteristics of health status of children-orphans and the effectiveness of health promotion in a preventive sanatorium]

The data are provided on the health status of 850 children-orphans and effectiveness of their health promotion under conditions of sanatorium dispensary. The following results were obtained: the abnormalities in physical development were identified in 22 percent of children, high incidence of ENT diseases (18.8%), visual disturbance (18.8%), deviations in the somatic status (18.7%) and in neuropsychic development (12%). The children of the I group health constituted 7 percent. The experience is summarized of health promoting activities among children from 4 boarding schools. It is indicated that health promotion has a favourable effect on child neuropsychic status, with the rate of acute diseases per year being declined by 2.2 times and the incidence of chronic diseases aggravations--by 1.5. The high efficiency of health promotion under conditions of sanatorium-dispensary permits to recommend this method for wide introduction into the practical performance of curative and preventive institutions.     

Development of a system for the early diagnosis and prevention of children's health changes caused by exposure to heavy metals

At the moment, the making a diagnosis of an environment-induced disease in Russia is not routine and this is not relied on a rather evidence basis. Nevertheless, the choice of exposure methods from educational and preventive to therapeutic depends on the intensity and pattern of exposure to ecotoxicants and on the magnitude of appropriate specific changes. Epidemiological surveys of 5-7-year-old children from 3 towns of Russia have revealed that 8.3-24.5% of the children have moderate excesses of the allowable levels of lead in blood; 4.6-12.8% have excess hair magnesium levels, and 5.9-33.8% have excess hair copper levels. The real damage to the children's neuropsychic health manifests as a significant reduction in the memory and academic achievement indices, the parameters of fine and gross motor coordination, speech expressiveness, and in the rate of minor successive movements. The prevalence of environment-dependent neuropsychic malformations is 3-7%, as calculated with reference to all the children examined. The children aged 5-7 years are shown not to be in need of therapeutic measures in all the towns compared. At the same time, 61.1-83.2% of the children need neuropsychic health-promoting measures. For this, it is expedient to use informational and educational technologies. About 4.3-17.8 and 11.5 - 21.1% need primary and secondary preventive measures against environment-dependent neuropsychic changes. The authors present approaches to developing measures to promote neuropsychic health and to prevent neuropsychic malformations. There is evidence that primary prevention is more effective for the pediatric population. There is no question that multivariate analysis of the problems associated with childhood neuropsychic development, including environmental, behavioral, sociomedical components, is of importance. These approaches may be realized at the municipal level and taken as the basis for preparing national guidelines for the promotion of health and for the prevention of environment-dependent conditions in children.     

29 277例神经与精神疾病患者的医院感染流行病学调查

目的 了解神经与精神疾病专科医院内医院感染的流行病学特点，评价医院感染的控制措施。方法 对某院1996～2002年的29277例神经精神疾病住院患者进行回顾性调查，对各科室的医院感染发病率、感染部位分布、易感相关因素和病原微生物分布结果进行比较。结果 精神科医院感染发病率为4．60％，高于神经科(3．22％)，老年精神科发病率最高，为7．20％。各科室在医院感染部位分布、易感相关因素和病原微生物分布上均明显不同。结论 神经与精神疾病专科医院的医院感染的发生与患者年龄、基础疾病、住院时间、侵袭性诊疗操作、抗菌药物使用、住院环境密切相关。精神科特殊的病房管理模式、抗精神病药物应用和住院时间长等是引起医院感染的主要危险因素。不应忽视对精神病患者尤其是老年精神病患者医院感染的监测。     

某脑科医院近20年神经精神疾病门诊量动态分析

目的探讨某脑科医院神经精神疾病门诊量的动态变化规律,为疾病的预防和控制提供科学依据.方法选择某脑科医院1985年1月-2004年12月的门诊人次为历史资料,应用Excel 2000和SAS 6.12统计分析软件进行动态分析,选用ARIMA（1,0,1）（0,1,1）12模型做趋势预测.结果1985-2004年间的门诊人次呈上升趋势,年平均增长率为3.06%且有明显的季节变动,年内明显呈现低谷和峰谷现象.同时预测2005年各月的门诊人次.结论神经精神等慢性病正成为严重影响我国居民健康的重大的公共卫生问题,是疾病防治的重点.     

Positive correlation between pesticide sales and central nervous system and cardiovascular congenital abnormalities in Brazil

Background: This study investigated the association between pesticide exposure in Brazil (2005–2013) with rates of central nervous system (CNS) and cardiovascular system (CVS) congenital abnormalities in 2014. Method: An exposure variable was established from data on production and sales of pesticides (kg) per crop area (ha) for 2012 and 2013 years. The Brazilian states were divided into three categories: high, medium, and low pesticide use and rate ratios were estimated for each group of states (CI: 95 %). Results: In 2013 and 2014, the high use group presented a 100 and a 75 % increase, and the medium group a 65 and 23 % increase, respectively, in the risk of CNS and CVS congenital abnormalities at birth, compared to the low use group. Conclusion: These findings suggest that pesticide exposure could be associated with increased risk of congenital malformations at birth in Brazil.     

Physiological-hygienic aspects of the work of tractor drivers engaged in open-soil vegetable planting

The labour conditions of tractor drivers engaged in open soil vegetable planting in subtropical zones were characterized by the unfavourable influence of weather, noise and vibration, dust and exhaust contamination, and by static tension. The physiological studies performed revealed considerable tensions of the CVS, CNS, thermoregulatory and muscle systems in the drivers. The specificity of the identified changes confirmed marked decrease in the functional resources of the organism, which should be taken into account when providing medical services to the drivers.     

Physiological and hygienic characteristics of working conditions of bus drivers in the Tadzhik SSR]

In warm seasons of the year, the major unfavourable factors in the labour conditions of bus-drivers engaged in local and transrepublican bus routes were heating microclimate, neuropsychic and physical overload, excessive noise levels. The unsatisfactory labour conditions resulted into strain and overstrain of the thermoregulatory function and cardio-vascular system, decreased working capacity and increased fatiguability, as well as in development of nonspecific pathology in the drivers. Improving of the labour conditions should include measures towards optimization of the microclimate and modernization of the cabin's design, rationalization of the labour regimen and improvement of services on the roads.     

Industrial hygiene in the modern manufacture of synthetic detergents]

Work conditions in the synthetic detergents production according to the new technology created by Sumitomo (Japan) were evaluated from hygienic point of view. The main unfavourable factor is the contamination of air by initial products (aerosols of sodium tripoli phosphate, carboxy methylcellulose, optic bleacher, enzymes et al.) and dust of the final product. Sulphur oxides appear in the air of the sulphating unit. Levels of noise and vibration are surpassed. At the same time the studied technology is more profitable than the current ones. Parameters of the cardiovascular, central nervous and neuromuscular systems do not indicate the physical and neuropsychic fatigue.     

A method of measuring and evaluating the changes in body temperature in humans]

Studies of thermoregulation (skin and body temperature) and heat exchange in humans engaged in physical work of different type and intensity in variable environmental temperatures provided coefficients of 'cover' and 'core' mixing to calculate the mean body temperature and changes in heat content. The derived coefficient for a certain individual depended on body cooling and on the intensity of physical work.     

Impaired physical mobility in elderly: related factors and defining characteristics

The present exploratory study aims at estimating the occurrence of the Nursing Diagnosis "Impaired Physical Mobility' in elderly who live in a home institution in the city of Goiania, Goiás. The study was carried out from December 1999 to February 2000. The collection of data was done through interviews, observations, physical exam and information obtained from the professionals who assisted the elderly. Sixty patients ranging from 60 to 105 years were the subjects of this study. Results showed 100% of the elderly were impaired regarding physical mobility. This impairment was generally related to muscular-skeletal-weakness (76.7%), reduced muscle resistance and strength (61.7%), neuro-muscular weakness (55%), besides perceptional or cognitive damage (53.3%). The most frequent defining characteristics were: decreased flexibility (96.7%), jeopardized articulations (96.7%), and inability to move in a physical environment (83.3%).     

Differential assessment of the health status of preschool children in risk groups]

Health status of the underschool children from the second health group, which with having some morphofunctional changes, (503 persons) was studied. The key changes were postural, cardiovascular, neuropsychic changes. The lysozyme level in saliva is the informative index related to the health status of underschool children.     

Theorising lifestyle drift in health promotion: explaining community and voluntary sector engagement practices in disadvantaged areas

The past two decades have seen an increasing role for the UK community and voluntary sector (CVS) in health promotion in disadvantaged areas, largely based on assumptions on the part of funders that CVS providers are better able to engage ‘hard-to-reach’ population groups in services than statutory providers. However, there is limited empirical research exploring CVS provider practices in this field. Using ethnographic data, this paper examines the experiences of a network of CVS providers seeking to engage residents in health-promoting community services in a disadvantaged region in the North of England. The paper shows how CVS providers engaged in apparently contradictory practices, fluctuating between an empathically informed response to complex resident circumstances and (in the context of meeting externally set targets) behavioural lifestyle approaches to health promotion. Drawing on concepts from figurational sociology, the paper explains how lifestyle drift occurs in health promotion as a result of the complex web of relations (with funders, commissioners and residents) in which CVS providers are embedded. Despite the fact that research has revealed the impact of targets on the work of the CVS before, this paper demonstrates more specifically the way in which monitoring processes within CVS contracts can draw providers into the neoliberal lifestyle discourse so prevalent in health promotion.     

The effect of their life style and ecological factors on the health status of pre-draft-age youth]

Assessing the health indices in 330 adolescents aged 14-17 years who live in different microdistricts of an oil-processing center has demonstrated that adolescents of today are taller than those of the 1980s. Their body weight and chest circumference are greater only in 14-16-year-old adolescents, the lung capacity (LC) is higher only in 14-year-olds. Normal physical development was observed in 47.8-71/9%. Asthenic and hypertensive responses of the cardiovascular system (CVS) to graded exercise were found in 9.7-19.6%. There are no differences in the mean increment and mean rate of growth as to height in adolescents of today and the 1980s. But there are differences in the increase in body weights and LC. The adolescents residing in the more polluted microdistricts show less increases in their growth (8.4 vs 10.8 cm), body weight (8.1 vs 14.7 kg, and resting chest circumference (5.1 vs 7.5 cm). Gradual exercise testing has revealed asthenic and hypertensive CVS responses in 20% (13.4% in a less polluted area). By physical development, as high as 41.3% of adolescents are referred to health group II, in the less polluted area, this health group has been established only in 14-year-old adolescents.     

Equipment for programmed multi-channel electric stimulation of the motor neuro-muscular structures in man]

It appears possible to apply electric action not only for medical purposes, but also in stimulating the locomotor apparatus of healthy people. To achieve an effective influence on the neuro-muscular structure of the locomotor apparatus in man all-purpose multichannel on the neuro-muscular structure of the locomotor apparatus in man an all-purpose multichannel programmed electric stimulator with an autonomously pre-set program that permits it to form an arbitrary structure of stimulation signals, capable of being reconstructed in the course of the action, is proposed. This makes it possible to more flexibly and accurately take account of a naturally coordinated interaction of the muscles. A simplified portable version of an all-purpose stimulator is discussed.