Sexual functioning of male anabolic steroid abusers

The effects of anabolic steroid use on male sexual behavior were assessed using a structured clinical interview administered to male body builders currently using steroids, and to two comparison groups (body builders with a past but not current history of steroid use, and a group of natural body builders who had never used steroids). Current anabolic steroid users had a significantly higher coital and orgasmic frequency than did comparison athletes. They also reported a significantly higher incidence of erectile difficulties during the past month. Beliefs concerning the sexually stimulating effects of steroids did not correlate with the frequencies of specific sexual behaviors. The data support the contention that anabolic steroids, as androgenic compounds, enhance sexual desire.     

High exposures to organic solvents among graffiti removers

Summary The exposure to organic solvents among 12 graffiti removers was studied. Health effects were also assessed by structured interview and a symptom questionnaire. Blood and urine samples were collected at the end of the day of air sampling. The concentrations of dichloromethane, glycol ethers, trimethylbenzenes and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone in the breathing zone of each worker were measured during one working day. The 8-h time-weighted average exposure to dichloromethane ranged from 18 to 1200 mg/m³. The Swedish Permissible Exposure Limit value for dichloromethane is 120 mg/m3. The air concentrations of glycol ethers, trimethylbenzens and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone were low or not detectable. No exposure-related deviations in the serum concentrations of creatinine, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, -glutamyl transpeptidase or hyaluronan or the urine concentrations of ₁-microglobulin, R2-microglobulin or N-acetyl--glucos-aminidase were found. Irritative symptoms of the eyes and upper respiratory tract were more prevalent than in the general population. This study demonstrates that old knowledge about work harzards is not automatically transferred to new professions. Another aspect is that the public is also exposed as the job is performed during daytime in underground stations. At least for short periods, bystanders may be exposed to high concentrations of organic solvent vapours. People with predisposing conditions, e.g. asthmatics, may risk adverse reactions.     

Mental retardation in ten-year-old children in relation to their mothers' employment during pregnancy

We conducted a case-control study to examine relationships between potential risk factors in women's prenatal occupational histories and subsequent mental retardation in their 10-year-old children. Children with mental retardation (intelligence quotient less than 71) were identified from special education records maintained by the public school systems in the metropolitan Atlanta area and from records of various medical and social service agencies serving children with special needs. Control children were chosen from the rosters of 10-year-olds who were enrolled in regular education classes in the local public school systems. To obtain occupational histories, sociodemographic data, and other information, we interviewed 352 natural mothers (67%) of 525 case children and 408 natural mothers (64%) of 636 control children. We computed odds ratios for each of 25 selected occupation, industry, and agent categories controlling for maternal education, birth order, and race. Most comparisons yielded odds ratios that were not indicative of unusual risks, but we did find lower than expected risks among children of teachers and health-care professionals. We also found a strong, positive association between mental retardation and maternal employment in the textile and apparel industries. The findings are useful for planning the direction of future studies of childhood cognitive ability to focus on specific parental occupations or industries. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

     

Biological monitoring of occupational exposure to toluene diisocyanate

Summary The study validated the use of urinary toluene diamine (TDA) in postshift samples as an indicator of preceding 8-h exposure to toluene diisocyanate (TDI). Nine workers exposed in TDI-based polyurethane foam production were studied. Their exposure levels varied in 8-h time-averaged samples from 9.5 to 94 g/m³. The urinary TDA concentrations varied from 6.5 to 31.7g/g creatinine and they were linearly related to the atmospheric TDI levels. Approximately 20% of TDI is metabolized to diamines but their specificity is remarkable to the extent that by analysis for the 2,4- and 2,6-diamino isomers an idea of the percutaneous absorption may be had.     

On the need of a sampling strategy in biological monitoring: The example of hexane exposure

Ambient and biological monitoring of hexane exposure were repeatedly carried out in 14 female shoe makers. Airborne hexane (Ci-H) was measured in 4-h samples collected by a diffusive method. Urinary spot samples were collected before, during (at noon), and at the end of a work shift. 2,5-Hexanedione (2,5HD) in urine collected at noon was poorly related to morning Ci-H. End-of-shift 2,5HD were also poorly related to afternoon air samples. The correlation was still relatively low when end-of-shift 2,5HD was related to 8-h TWA Ci-H (r= 0.44; P<0.01 on=" a=" linear=" scale,=" and=">r-0.58, P< 0.01=" on=" a=" log-log=" scale).=" end-of-shift=" 2,5hd=" levels=" estimated=" on=" the=" basis=" of=" pre-shift=" values=" using=" a=" mathematical=" model=" were=" much=" higher=" (2.3=" times=" on=" average)=" than=" those=" experimentally=" measured=" during=" the=" study=" period.=" owing=" to=" its=" relatively=" long=" half-time,=" 2,5hd=" seems=" to=" be=" influenced=" not=" only=" by=" current=" exposure,=" but=" also=" by=" hexane=" absorbed=" during=" the=" day(s)=" preceding=" sampling.=" the=" lack=" of=" a=" sampling=" strategy=" may=" account=" not=" only=" for=" inconsistencies=" between=" environmental=" and=" biological=" data,=" but=" also=" for=" a=" possible=" misuse=" of=" biological=" monitoring=" when=" utilized=" for=" risk=" assessment.=" despite=" sometimes=" poor=" correlations=" with=" ci-h,=" 2,5hd=" may=" still=" be=" preferred=" to=" other=" indicators=" as=" a=" marker=" of=" effective=" internal=" dose.=" a=" sampling=" strategy=" should=" ensure=" that=" measured=" values=" are=" representative=" of=" the=" individual=" risk=" for=" adverse=">     

Cancer risk assessment for health care workers occupationally exposed to cyclophosphamide

In the present study a cancer risk assessment of occupational exposure to cyclophosphamide (CP), a genotoxic carcinogenic antineoplastic agent, was carried out following two approaches based on (1) data from an animal study and (2) data on primary and secondary tumors in CP-treated patients. Data on the urinary excretion of CP in health care workers were used to estimate the uptake of CP, which ranged from 3.6 to 18 g/day. Based on data from an animal study, cancer risks were calculated for a health care worker with a body weight of 70 kg and a working period of 40 years, 200 days a year (linear extrapolation). The lifetime risks (70 years) of urinary bladder cancer in men and leukemias in men and women were found to be nearly the same and ranged from 95 to 600 per million. Based on the patient studies, cancer risks were calculated by multiplication of the 10-year cumulative incidence per gram of CP in patients by the estimated mean total uptake in health care workers over 10 years, 200 days a year. The risk of leukemias in women over 10 years ranged from 17 to 100 per million using the secondary tumor data (linear extrapolation). Comparable results were obtained for the risk of urinary bladder tumors and leukemias in men and women when primary tumor data were used. Thus, on an annual basis, cancer risks obtained from both the animal and the patient study were nearly the same and ranged from about 1.4 to 10 per million. In The Netherlands it is proposed that, for workers, a cancer risk per compound of one extra cancer case per million a year should be striven for (target risk) and that no risk higher than 100 per million a year (prohibitory risk) should be tolerated. From the animal and the patient study it appears that the target risk is exceeded but that the risk is still below the prohibitory risk.     

职业人群不健康行为生活方式与高尿酸血症的关系及高血压、血脂异常的效应修饰作用

目的 探索不健康行为生活方式与高尿酸血症的关系,以及高血压、血脂异常的效应修饰作用,为预防高尿酸血症提供理论依据。方法 采用横断面调查研究设计,基于2021年10-12月来自四川省、贵州省28个地级市和重庆市33个区（县）中国铁路成都局集团有限公司的西南职业人群队列基线数据,通过问卷调查、体格测量及实验室生化检测收集研究对象的人口学特征、行为生活方式、慢性非传染性疾病患病情况。不健康行为生活方式得分根据吸烟、饮酒、膳食模式、体力活动和低体重/超重状况进行评分,分值越高不健康行为生活方式越多。采用多因素logistic回归模型分析不健康行为生活方式评分、吸烟状况、饮酒状况等与高尿酸血症的关系,采用分层分析探索高血压等疾病对不健康行为生活方式与高尿酸血症之间关系的修饰效应。结果 共纳入11 748名研究对象,高尿酸血症患病率为34.4%。多因素logistic回归分析显示,现在吸/既往吸烟、现在饮/既往饮酒及BMI异常是高尿酸血症患病的危险因素,不健康行为生活方式对高尿酸血症患病风险呈现累积效应,随着得分的升高,高尿酸血症患病风险升高,OR值由1.64（95%CI：1.34~2.00）上升至2.89（95%CI：2.39~3.50）。分层分析结果显示,在高血压及血脂异常人群中,不健康行为生活方式对高尿酸血症患病风险影响更大。结论 多种不健康行为生活方式的共存会升高高尿酸血症患病风险,这一效应在高血压、血脂异常人群中更明显。及时纠正不健康行为生活方式,并控制高血压和血脂异常,降低患高尿酸血症的风险。     

The Israeli Sexual Behavior Inventory (ISBI): Scale Construction and Preliminary Validation

This study describes the construction and preliminary validation of the Israeli Sexual Behavior Inventory (ISBI). The ISBI was primarily designed to assess the impact of sexual problems, chronic illness and disability on sexual functioning and experience. Scales were designed to measure three areas of healthy sexual functioning and three areas of sexual dysfunction for both males and females. To provide normative data to which clinical samples can be compared, a large randomly selected sample from an adult male and female population was used for scale construction and preliminary validation. Scale reliabilities, intercorrelations between the ISBI scales, comparisons between the above sample and a clinical sample provide evidence of the ISBI's reliability and validity.     

Transient decrease in sound tolerance levels following hearing deprivation in normal-hearing subjects

ObjectiveTo determine the circadian influence on sound sensitivity produced by temporal hearing deprivation in healthy normal human subjects.DesignParticipants underwent bilateral earplugging before completion of anthropometry, the author's developed questionnaire, the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Inventory, pure tone audiometry (PTA), stapedial reflex thresholds (SRT), distortion products otoacoustic emissions input/output (DPOAE-I/O), and uncomfortable loudness levels (ULLs). Afterward, the participants were randomly divided into group A, starting at 8:00 a.m. and finishing at 8:00 p.m., and group B, starting at 4:00 p.m. and ending at 4:00 a.m. Serum cortisol levels and audiological test results were obtained at the beginning and end of the session and 24-h free urinary cortisol levels were measured.Study sampleThirty healthy volunteers.ResultsPTA was 2.68 and 3.33 dB HL in groups A and B, respectively, with no statistical difference between them. ULLs were significantly lower in group A compared to group B, with an average of 8.1 dB SPL in group A and 3.3 dB SPL in group B (p < 0.0001). A SRT shift was observed in group A, with no difference in group B, and a night shift in DPOAE-I/O in group B.ConclusionsReduced loudness tolerance is demonstrated during daytime hearing deprivation in contrast to nighttime; this may be due to increased central gain in the awake cortex.     

The epidemiology of occupational contact dermatitis

Occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) ranks first of all occupational diseases in many countries. The incidence rate is believed to be around 0.5–1.9 cases per 1000 full-time workers per year. Epidemiological studies play an important role in observing disease trends, analysing risk factors, and monitoring the effect of preventive measures. In this review article the lack of truly epidemiologic data on OCD and the difficulties of those studies are illustrated. The following issues are highlighted: case ascertainment and bias, the distribution of allergic and irritant contact dermatitis in the working population, the interrelationship between exogenous (allergens, irritants) and endogenous factors, the prognosis, the social and economic impact, and the need for intervention studies. Received: 26 January 1999 / Accepted: 24 April 1999