Disparate exposure to physically demanding working conditions in France

BackgroundOur study was aimed at examining disparate exposure to physically demanding working conditions in France, a key objective being to identify the types of employees/jobs requiring high-priority preventive actions.MethodsWe analyzed the data from the 2017 French nationwide cross-sectional survey (SUMER) on occupational hazards to which French employees in various sectors were subjected. The prevalence of several types of physically demanding working conditions (lifting of heavy loads, awkward body postures, vibrations, noise, and extreme temperatures) was explored. Potential associations of individual and job characteristics with these factors of hardship at work were studied by multivariate logistic regression.ResultsIn total, 48% of employees were exposed to at least one physically demanding working condition and 24.8% were exposed to multiple constraints. While managers and intellectual professionals were exposed relatively infrequently to physical constraints, blue-collar workers experienced the highest frequency of exposure. On the one hand, the role of company size depended on the factor of hardship at work considered; on the other hand, employees in large-scale companies were generally less exposed. As expected, employees in the construction industry were the most exposed to physical constraints; that said, our results also show that some activities in the services sector (e.g., personal care, administrative and support services) were quite significantly affected by a wide array of physically demanding working conditions.ConclusionNotwithstanding the establishment in France of Plans de Santé au travail (preventive workplace health and safety plans), occupational risks were found to be high, and above all, they were unevenly distributed among the various socio-professional categories, and strongly contributed to social inequalities in health. Our results identify the types of publics to be designated as high-priority targets for preventive measures aimed at reducing the adverse impacts of physically demanding working conditions and the incidence of associated musculoskeletal disorders.     

Registro Multicêntrico de Takotsubo (REMUTA) – Aspectos Clínicos,Desfechos Intra-Hospitalares e Mortalidade a Longo Prazo

BackgroundTakotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an acquired form of cardiomyopathy. National Brazilian data on this condition are scarce. The Takotsubo Multicenter Registry (REMUTA) is the first to include multicenter data on this condition in Brazil.ObjectiveTo describe the clinical characteristics, prognosis, in-hospital treatment, in-hospital mortality, and mortality during 1 year of follow-up.MethodsThis is an observational, retrospective registry study including patients admitted to the hospital with diagnosis of TTS and patients admitted for other reasons who developed this condition. Evaluated outcomes included triggering factor, analysis of exams, use of medications, complications, in-hospital mortality, and mortality during 1 year of follow-up. A significance level of 5% was adopted.ResultsThe registry included 169 patients from 12 centers in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mean age was 70.9 ± 14.1 years, and 90.5% of patients were female; 63% of cases were primary TTS, and 37% were secondary. Troponin I was positive in 92.5% of patients, and median BNP was 395 (176.5; 1725). ST-segment elevation was present in 28% of patients. Median left ventricular ejection fraction was 40 (35; 48)%. We observed invasive mechanical ventilation in 25.7% of cases and shock in 17.4%. Mechanical circulatory support was used in 7.7%. In-hospital mortality was 10.6%, and mortality at 1 year of follow-up was 16.5%. Secondary TTS and cardiogenic shock were independent predictors of mortality.ConclusionThe results of the REMUTA show that TTS is not a benign pathology, as was once thought, especially regarding the secondary TTS group, which has a high rate of complications and mortality. (Arq Bras Cardiol. 2020; 115(2):207-216)     

Antimicrobial activities of novel bipyridine compounds produced by a new strain of Saccharothrix isolated from Saharan soil

The actinobacterium strain ABH26 closely related to Saccharothrix xinjiangensis, isolated from an Algerian Saharan soil sample, exhibited highly antagonist activity against Gram-positive bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi. Its ability to produce antimicrobial compounds was investigated using several solid culture media. The highest antimicrobial activity was obtained on Bennett medium. The antibiotics secreted by strain ABH26 on Bennett medium were extracted by methanol and purified by reverse-phase HPLC using a C18 column. The chemical structures of the compounds were determined after spectroscopic (¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ¹H-¹H COSY and ¹H-¹³C HMBC spectra), and spectrometric (mass spectrum) analyses. Two new cyanogriside antibiotics named cyanogriside I (1) and cyanogriside J (2), were characterized along with three known caerulomycins, caerulomycin A (3), caerulomycin F (4) and caerulomycinonitrile (5). This is the first report of cyanogrisides and caerulomycins production by a member of the Saccharothrix genus. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of these antibiotics were determined against pathogenic microorganisms.     

糖尿病肾病内热证与肾功能及炎症因子的相关性研究

目的:观察糖尿病肾病不同分期内热证与肾功能及炎症指标的相关性。方法:收集202例糖尿病肾病患者的临床资料,采用酶联免疫吸附法检测微炎症指标,包括超敏C反应蛋白(high-sensitivity C-reactive protein,HS-CRP)、白细胞介素-6(interleukin-6,IL-6)、肿瘤坏死因子-α(tumor necrosis factor-α,TNF-α),进行统计分析。结果:与非内热证组比较,中期、晚期内热证组24小时尿蛋白定量明显升高;晚期内热证组的血清肌酐明显升高,肾小球滤过率(glomerular filtration rate,GFR)明显降低;炎症因子CRP、IL-6、TNF-α随疾病进展均呈上升趋势;晚期内热证组与非内热证组比较,IL-6、TNF-α升高;中期HS-CRP与内热积分呈正相关,晚期TNF-α与内热积分呈正相关。结论:内热病机贯穿于糖尿病肾病的始终,与糖尿病肾病肾功能以及疾病进展密切相关;同时,内热积分与炎症因子HS-CRP、TNF-α的表达存在一定的相关性,这种相关性在疾病中期、晚期表现更加明显。     

Diabetes im Alter

Zusammenfassung In Deutschland leiden 25% der über 70-Jährigen unter einem Diabetes mellitus. Biologisch ältere, multimorbide und in ihren Funktionen beeinträchtigte geriatrische Patienten benötigen spezielle Vorgehensweisen bei Zielplanung, Allgemeinmaßnahmen und Pharmakotherapie. Auf der Basis der vorhandenen Leitlinien werden gesicherte Erkenntnisse dargestellt und Empfehlungen zu den Besonderheiten der Therapie des geriatrischen Diabetespatienten gegeben. Besonderes Augenmerk liegt dabei auf der Interaktion von geriatrischen Syndromen und Diabetes sowie der Verbesserung der Lebensqualität.     

Faut-il être adventiste du 7 Jour pour être en bonne santé ?

Many health-related research studies among Seventh-day Adventists (SDA) were published since 1958. Californian and Norwegian studies have shown that SDA have lower coronary mortality rates than the general population. This finding is usually attributed to the lifestyle advocated by the Seventh-day Adventist church with greater physical activity, lower median BMI, abstention from use of alcohol and tobacco, food habits characterized by a large intake of fruits, vegetables, cereal fiber, unsaturated fatty acids and a low consumption of saturated fats. The results about cancer incidence were discussed. Californian studies have shown significantly decreased relative risk in SDA than in the general population. Japanese studies have also reported lower risk of cancers in men with lifestyles similar to those of SDA. By contrast the Norwegian study of SDA has shown that the risk of cancer seems to be similar to that of the general population. Some studies reported a greater prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the non vegetarian SDA than the vegetarian. Compared with vegetarian, non vegetarian SDA reported more medication use, more chronic diseases, more hospitalizations and surgeries. Lifestyle choices of SDA as above described could prevent a great many coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes. This lifestyle is now emphasized by French PNNS.