Occupational trajectories of working conditions in Sweden: Development trends in the workforce, 1997–2015

Objective:This study aimed to explore the development of working conditions within and between occupations in the Swedish labor market from 1997 to 2015 and whether any polarization in working conditions concurrently occurred between occupations.Methods:Cross-sectional data from ten waves of the Swedish Work Environment Surveys (1997–2015) were used and an aggregated occupational-level dataset was created using the Swedish Standard Classification of Occupations. To capture the patterns of change in working conditions over time (ie, growth), growth curve modeling was used to identify the starting points for 89 occupations (intercepts) as well as both the shape (functional form) and rate of growth (slope) over time.Results:The Swedish labor market was stable overall, with some small, mainly positive, changes in job demands and resources. Different occupations developed in divergent directions, but there was no evidence of polarization.Conclusions:The findings indicate that macro-level stability can hide highly heterogeneous patterns of change among different occupational groups. This type of analysis, taking context into account, could be valuable for decision makers intending to improve the work environment.     

Psychosocial work environment,hearing impairment and health

This article summarizes results from a study of hearingimpaired men and women in the labour force in Sweden. A questionnaire about psychosocial work environment (in accordance with the Demand-Control Model), health and wellbeing was sent out and answered by 445 hearingimpaired people, 20-64 years of age. A large reference group had previously answered the same questionnaire. The results indicate that imbalances between demand and control (i.e. high demand and low control, so-called high stress work type) is more common among hearingimpaired people than in the reference group. The outcome of the combination high demand and low control among hearing-impaired people is (much) worse than among hearing-impaired people with other work types ( passive, active, low stress). Hearing-impaired people with the high-stress work type more frequently report bad physical health status and psychological wellbeing regarding a number of indicators. There is, moreover, a tendency for women to be worse off than men. Our data suggest that those involved in audiological rehabilitation should pay great attention to hearing-impaired people with jobs that can be characterized as high stress.     

Minimizing systemic absorption of topically administered ophthalmic drugs

Due to absorption several ocularly applied medications give rise to systemic side-effects. The problem of systemic drug absorption should be taken into account in designing ocular drug and dosage forms so that oculospecificity of the medications is optimized. In this review we summarize the current knowledge about the systemic absorption of ocularly applied topical drugs. Special emphasis is directed to the methods that can be used to minimize systemic absorption and increase the oculospecificity of drugs, e.g., reducing volume and increasing viscosity of eyedrops, controlling drug release from depot preparations, prodrug-derivatization, and addition of vasoconstrictive agents.     

Role of pyloric reflux in experimental stress ulceration during haemorrhagic shock.

The significance of pyloric reflux of bile and duodenal juice in experimental gastric stress ulceration was studied using a swine shock ulcer model. Following a haemorrhagic shock of 3 h duration, nine of the ten control piglets (90%) with normal bile flow have gastric mucosal lesions. None of the five piglets with permanent bile diversion (ligation of common bile duct; cholecystojejunostomy) has gastric lesions. Intragastric instillation of pure bile prior to the shock in piglets with permanent bile diversion induced gastric lesions in only one of the five test animals (20%). If duodenal juice was used instead, four of the six test animals (67%) have lesions. The results indicate that, in the pig, an uninterrupted flow of bile into the duodenum is a prerequisite for the development of gastric mucosal lesions following haemorrhagic shock. They also suggest that duodenal juice containing both bile and pancreatic juice has a stronger ulcerogenic influence on shocked porcine gastric mucosa than bile alone.     

Effect of vasopressin on portal venous pressure

Portal venous pressure measurements were made through percutaneous transhepatic portal vein catheterization in 29 cirrhotics with portal hypertension and in seven controls before and after intravenous vasopressin infusion in a dosage of 0.24 IU/min. In cirrhotic patients the decrease in portal pressure was 8.5% being not statistically significant, while in the control group the decrease was 12% (p less than 0.05). Five of six cirrhotic patients (85%) whose acute bleedings were previously controlled with i.v. vasopressin infusion had reversed portal vein flow. On the other hand, only three of ten (30%) patients whose bleeding failed to be controlled with vasopressin had reversed flow in the portal vein. The difference between these two groups is statistically significant (p less than 0.05) and may suggest that variceal bleeding is most effectively controlled with i.v. vasopressin in cirrhotics with well developed collaterals and reversed portal vein flow.     

A benign hepatocellular adenoma treated by extended right lobectomy.

A 19-year-old woman with a large benign hepatocellular adenoma is presented. The initial symptom was continuous anaemia demanding transfusions twice a month. Coeliac angiography revealed the hepatic tumour, which was thought to be malignant. Angiography produced permanent paraplegia as a complication. The tumour was radically removed by an extended right lobectomy. The weight of the operation specimen was 2200 g. Histologically the differential diagnosis layed between benign hepatocellular adenoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Postoperative stricture of the common duct developed as a complication of T-tube and was successfully treated at reoperation. Liver function became totally restored after the operation and after 5 years' follow-up there has been no tumour recurrence. The very rare benign hepatocellular adenomas are discussed.     

The effect of zinc-protamine-glucagon in acute pancreatitis

A double blind study testing the effect of long-acting zinc-protamine-glucagon (7.5 mg every 12 hours for 4--5 days) was carried out in acute pancreatitis. There were 32 patients in ZP-glucagon- and 39 patients in the placebo group. The results show that glucagon had a slightly favourable effect on the general clinical course of the disease but they do not give enough evidence for routine use of glucagon in pancreatitis.     

Factors influencing ergonomic conditions and employment rate after an occupational musculoskeletal injury

In 195 cases of musculoskeletal occupational injury individual and work related factors and their relationship with reduction of physical work load and active employment was studied. Data concerning the injuries were obtained and after 18 months the work places were assessed. Information on employment status was obtained by a postal questionnaire after 3 years. Multiple logistic regression was used to explain the two outcome measures. Injuries classified as diseases and informative injury reports were factors positively associated with reduction of work load. Male gender, higher education, and a sick-leave shorter than 6 months were factors positively associated with employment.     

Hemiplegic atrophy

Summary Anterior tibial muscle biopsies of the hemiplegic side of 16 patients with a cerebrovascular accident in the middle cerebral artery region were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by enzyme histochemistry and electron microscopy.Patients grouped according to the time lapsed as from the occurrence of the accident (1–17 months) demonstrated a progressive decrease in the fiber diameter and changes in fiber type distribution with predominant type II atrophy and type I predominance. Nuclear internalization, myopathic alterations, and perifascicular fatty infiltrations were observed constantly.In the affected fibers the ultrastructural findings were myofibrillar alterations with the formation of rods and cytoplasmic bodies. There was accumulation of lipofuscin, glycogen, and lipid droplets. Microvascular changes were observed frequently.Biopsies from the asymptomatic legs were either normal or showed age-related muscle alterations.Correlation was noted between the clinical and functional status of the patients and the morphological aspects seen in muscle biopsies.