Health,safety, and environmental management system operation in contracting companies: A case study

Systematic and cooperative interactions among parent industry and contractors are necessary for a successful health, safety, and environmental management system (HSE-MS). This study was conducted to evaluate the HSE-MS performance in contracting companies in one of the petrochemical industries in Iran during 2013. Managers of parent and contracting companies participated in this study. The data collection forms included 7 elements of an integrated HSE-MS (leadership and commitment; policy and strategic objectives; organization, resources, and documentation; evaluation and risk management; planning; implementation and monitoring; auditing and reviewing). The results showed that mean percentage of the total scores in seven elements of HSE-MS was 85.7% and 87.0% based on self-report and report of parent company, respectively. In conclusion, this study showed that HSE-MS was desirably functioning; however, improvement to ensure health and safety of workers is still required.     

IL6 −174G>C polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of psoriasis but not response to treatment

Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriasis as well as in its treatment efficacy. The aim of this study of 406 patients with psoriasis and 203 healthy controls was to evaluate the association between the IL6 ?174G>C (rs1800795) polymorphism and psoriasis susceptibility, as well as treatment efficacy. The frequency of genotype GG (33.7% vs 20.7%; P = 0.00022; OR = 0.51, 95% confidence interval 0.34–0.76) and of allele G (56.2% vs 46.8%; P = 0.0023) was significantly higher in the psoriasis group compared with controls. No polymorphism variants were associated with better response to topical or combined topical/narrow‐band ultraviolet B (NB‐UVB) treatment. We conclude that the IL6 ?174G>C polymorphism can be a marker of susceptibility to psoriasis, with an almost twofold increased risk of the disease in individuals carrying the GG genotype; however, it was not associated with treatment response to topical and/or NB‐UVB therapy.     

Common genetic variation in the GAD1 gene and the entire family of DLX homeobox genes and autism spectrum disorders

Biological and positional evidence supports the involvement of the GAD1 and distal‐less homeobox genes (DLXs) in the etiology of autism. We investigated 42 single nucleotide polymorphisms in these genes as risk factors for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in a large family‐based association study of 715 nuclear families. No single marker showed significant association after correction for multiple testing. A rare haplotype in the DLX1 promoter was associated with ASD (P‐value = 0.001). Given the importance of rare variants to the etiology of autism revealed in recent studies, the observed rare haplotype may be relevant to future investigations. Our observations, when taken together with previous findings, suggest that common genetic variation in the GAD1 and DLX genes is unlikely to play a critical role in ASD susceptibility. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Oxidative potential of PM10 and PM2.5 collected at high air pollution site related to chemical composition: Krakow case study

Measurements of the oxidative potential (OP) of airborne particulate matter may be applied for the assessment of the health-based exposure by integrating various biologically relevant properties of particles. This study aimed at the determination of oxidative activity of two size fractions of particulate using the ascorbic acid (AA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) assay. Samples of PM were collected in Krakow, one of the most polluted cities in Poland, in the city centre. Samples were collected during wintertime, when heating sources used in residential areas have significant influence on the concentrations of particulate matter in the air. PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations varied from 8.9 to 92.5 μg m^?3. Samples were chemically analysed for elemental carbon, organic carbon, ions and metals. PM2.5 was found as a more oxidative active fraction, where OP_AA and OP_GSH depletions were up to 81.7 and 132.0 μg m^?3, respectively. The average values of OP_AA of PM10 and PM2.5 were similar and equalled 40.8 and 37.2 μg m^?3, respectively. The average value of OP_GSH of PM2.5 equalled 56.7 μg m^?3 and was 3.5 times higher than OP_GSH of PM10. The loss of AA amount in PM10 and PM2.5 and the depletion of GSH in PM2.5 were best described by the pseudo second-order kinetics model. The kinetics of the GSH depletion reaction in PM10 was best described by the pseudo first-order kinetics model. The strong correlations between carbonaceous and metallic constituents of PM and oxidative potential suggest their relevance in participation in oxidative activity of particulate matter.     

A budget impact analysis of iron polymaltose and ferric carboxymaltose infusions

International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy - Background In Australia, iron deficiency anaemia can be managed by ferric carboxymaltose, and iron polymaltose given via either a traditional slow or...     

Internal Dynamics of Ionic Liquids over a Broad Temperature Range—The Role of the Cation Structure

¹H and ¹⁹F spin-lattice relaxation experiments have been performed for a series of ionic liquids sharing the same anion: bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide but including cations of different alkyl chain lengths: butyltriethylammonium, triethyloctylammonium, dodecyltriethylammo-nium and hexadecyltriethylammonium. The studies have been carried out in the temperature range from 383 to 108 K at the resonance frequency of 200 MHz (for ¹H). A quantitative analysis of the relaxation data has revealed two dynamical processes for both kinds of ions. The dynamics have been successfully modeled in terms of the Arrhenius law. The timescales of the dynamical processes and their temperature evolution have been discussed in detail, depending on the structure of the cation.     

Relationship between serum levels of sex hormones and progression of subclinical atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women

BACKGROUND: Postmenopausal hormone therapy has been examined extensively in relation to cardiovascular disease. However, research relating serum levels of sex hormones to cardiovascular disease is sparse, and the results are inconclusive. METHODS: We measured sex hormones in longitudinally collected samples of 180 postmenopausal women, 91 randomized to 17beta-estradiol and 89 to placebo, in the Estrogen in the Prevention of Atherosclerosis Trial. Repeated measures of sex hormone levels were tested for an association with carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT), which was also assessed longitudinally over 2 yr. RESULTS: In all women, changes in serum estrone (P = 0.02), total estradiol (P = 0.01), free estradiol (P = 0.02), and SHBG (P = 0.005) were significantly inversely associated with CIMT progression, controlling for age and body mass index. All the estrogen compounds and SHBG were significantly inversely related with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and positively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (all P < 0.0001), whereas free testosterone was positively related with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and inversely associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.003). Despite an increase in serum-free estradiol with estradiol therapy, women with unchanged SHBG and free testosterone levels had an average (se) progression in CIMT of 8.53 (4.72) microm/yr, whereas women with increased free estradiol and SHBG and decreased free testosterone had the largest reduction in CIMT progression [-5.45 (2.77) microm/yr; trend P = 0.03]. CONCLUSION: Estrogen and SHBG are associated with reduced subclinical atherosclerosis progression in healthy postmenopausal women. These associations are partially mediated by their beneficial effects on lipids. Among women taking estradiol, the most beneficial hormone profile for CIMT progression was increased free estradiol and SHBG with concomitant decreased free testosterone.