A Survey of Plants Used as Wild Vegetables in Four Districts of Botswana

A survey of plants used as wild vegetables was conducted in four districts of Botswana in August and September 2005. The objective was to determine which wild plants were used as vegetables in the study area, and to document their cooking and preservation methods. Fourteen species representing seven families were mentioned as wild vegetables. In addition, six species from four families had other uses in traditional medicine. The implications of the documented processing methods on the retention of nutrients in the vegetables are discussed.     

Causes and types of health effects during the use of crop protection chemicals: data from a survey of over 6,300 smallholder applicators in 24 different countries

Purpose  The present investigation looks in detail at the causes and types of health incidents reported by 6,300 mainly smallholder agrochemical users in 24 countries during 2005 and 2006. Methods  The investigation is based on a questionnaire survey of knowledge, attitude and practice that concentrated on the sequence of events from purchasing the pesticide to disposal. Information was also collected about health problems experienced while using agrochemicals. The survey targeted mainly smallholder knapsack spray operators who were expected to be at a highest risk of exposure. Results  In the 12 months prior to interview, 1.2% of users reported an agrochemical-related incident that required hospital treatment, 5.8% reported an incident requiring at least trained medical treatment but not hospitalisation and 19.8% reported only a minor sign or symptom. Users who had experienced an incident involving agricultural equipment were 3.38 (95% CI 2.29–4.99) times more likely to experience an agrochemical-related health incident, but confident users who felt that their use of personal protective equipment while spraying was best practice were 0.60 (95% CI 0.44–0.84) times less likely to experience such an incident. Over 80% of product-related incidents were caused by insecticides and the incidence rate per spraying time for incidents linked to insecticides was significantly higher than that for fungicides or herbicides. Headache/dizziness and nausea/vomiting, often smell related, were the most common symptoms reported by users who listed agrochemical products that had caused them health problems (52 and 38% of product mentions, respectively). Conclusions  In most countries, the incidence of serious health effects was low; however, there was a high incidence of minor signs and symptoms in a few countries, especially in Africa. A disproportionate number of incidents occurred during insecticide use relative to the time that they were sprayed. Failure to exercise caution as indicated by whether users had incidents involving agricultural equipment or livestock, and lack of confidence in their practices were the most important predictors of agrochemical-related incidents.     

上海市某区警察心理健康状况和生活质量的时点调查

目的调查警察心理健康状况和生命质量的基本流行学资料。方法采用梅奥心理服务问卷,主要内容为心理健康状况和生命质量测定等。在上海市某公安分局内进行截断面时点调查。结果1共调查警员1611人,男性91.5%,女性8.5%,年龄28.8±17.5岁。2GHQ的平均得分:1.5±2.31,存在可能心理障碍倾向者比例15.3%,可能存在重度心理障碍者比例2.9%。3SCL-90总分大于160分者比例17.2%;单项分大于2分比例最高的是强迫症状因子(19.5%),睡眠饮食因子次之(12.8%),躯体化症状因子(12.6%)第3位,敌对因子(12.4%)处于第4位。4健康变化、总体健康感、心理健康和生命活力得分是相对最低的维度。结论1在警察群体中存在心理障碍者比例远高于一般市民,生活质量一些维度相对较差;2建立长效机制是维护和保证警察心理健康和生活质量的有效手段。     

Analysis of the degree of precision of a computer-assisted dietary survey method

A computer-assisted method for the registration of food intakes in real time according to a concise and simple procedure was subjected to a series of controls in order to assess precision. The method employs the 'portion' of a composite dish as unit of measure. The constancy of the portion was tested. The results show that the recipes of the diet of a subject may be stored and utilized in deferred time without loss of precision: data to be recorded in real time are then very limited. The length of period of analysis was also studied. The time of investigation should not be shorter than two weeks to obtain precise information on the feeding habits of an individual subject, whereas for a group of subjects the diary of a single day provides information of sufficient precision.     

对一宗入境二级放射货包的监测结果分析

汕头卫生检疫局空港处对汕头航空口岸—宗入境二级货包的监测过程及对有关运输工作人员作了放射知识问卷调查。从中发现。运输单位货物存放设施落后。有关工作人员放射卫生知识欠缺，对放射污染可能造成的危害缺乏正确的认识。为此，笔者提出了自己的看法，以期对放射监测工作的进一步完善提供参考。     

A survey of the use of special food products by diabetics

A food frequency of consumption questionnaire was completed by 137 diabetic outpatients attending the University of Wales Hospital in Cardiff, to provide information about the use of special dietary products.
Seventy-four per cent of the diabetics used special dietary products, the most popular of which were artificial sweeteners (45%) and preserves (47%), followed by squash (34%), sweets (31%) and chocolate (31%). Twenty per cent of diabetics consumed biscuits and tinned fruit. Cake and other products (e.g. jelly), were used by less than 10% of the respondents. Over half of all the diabetics consumed one or more products on a daily basis. The use of special products bore no significant relationship to the sex of the respondents, nor to the duration of the diabetes. However, a significantly higher proportion of the Insulin Dependent Diabetics (IDDM) group used dietary products compared with the Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetics (NIDDM) group. This can be explained largely by the differences in age between the diabetics; the under-18-year-old age group (who were all IDDM respondents) were the greatest users of sweets, chocolate and squash.
Forty-three per cent of diabetics who did not use special food products cited at least one reason for non-use. The reasons included dietetic advice (NIDDM respondents only), high cost, poor palatability, lack of availability and unsuitability for other members of the family.     

Methods for analysis of a food frequency questionnaire

Fifty-five students and staff at Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology completed a food frequency questionnaire and then weighed their food for one week. Several methods of calculating nutrient intakes from the questionnaire are compared to results from the weighed inventory. Intakes of energy and several nutrients calculated using estimated typical portion weights were less than those derived from the weighed inventory. Food groups contributing to the apparent under-estimation have been identified. A further method of calculation involved derivation of a factor for each food group such that the frequency estimated from the questionnaire multiplied by the factor equalled the average weight of the foods in that group that had been eaten. Using these factors instead of the typical portion weights resulted in closer agreement to the weighed inventory method, but the difference ranged from positive for some groups to negative for others. Use of separate factors for each group of subjects reduced the range of differences to the weighed inventory method.     

The epidemiology and surveillance of blood lead in Taiwan (R.O.C.): A report on the PRESS-BLL project

 To monitor the lead hazards in industries and to investigate the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) in lead-exposed workers, a lead surveillance system (PRESS-BLLs) has been established and operated in Taiwan, Republic of China, since July 1993. A cohort of lead-exposed workers who received a periodic annual health examination at 55 accredited hospital laboratories was constructed. A total of 9807 separate BLL measurements were reported to the system in 1994. The mean BLL was 15.8 μg/dl in male workers and 11.6 μg/dl in female workers. The mean BLL of lead-exposed workers was significantly (P<0.05, z-test) higher than that of the general Taiwanese population (8.6 μg/dl for males and 6.7 μg/dl for females). In addition, the BLLs of 983 (10.0%) workers exceeded the regulatory action level (40 μg/dl for males; 30 μg/dl for females). The workplaces and homes of 57% of the workers with elevated BLLs were thoroughly investigated to determine the sources of lead contamination. These actions identified the causes of elevated BLLs and set up strategies to reduce workers’ lead exposure. The establishment of this occupational lead surveillance system represents a method for monitoring of lead hazards from occupational and environmental settings to prevent lead poisoning. The information acquired from the system can help in the setting up of a priority of prevention and the development of control measures. It is also useful for further monitoring of changes in the BLLs of the lead-exposed-worker cohort. The Health Department of Taiwan can use this information to evaluate the effectiveness of current industrial hygiene practice. Subjects with elevated BLLs have been medically treated and placed on long-term follow-up for sequelae. Received: 2 September 1996/Accepted: 29 November 1996     

Respiratory symptoms and lung function following exposure in workers exposed to soft paper tissue dust

Summary The objective of this study was to investigate if the dust in a mill producing soft paper tissue caused respiratory symptoms or impaired respiratory function. Using a questionnaire and spirometry, 355 persons were examined. They were divided into three groups according to present exposure to dust; low (< 1 mg/m³), moderate (1–5 mg/m³) and heavy (> 5 mg/m³). There was a dose-dependent increase of symptoms from the upper respiratory tract. However, coughing and coughing with phlegm were not found to be more common among persons with heavy exposure compared to those with low exposure to the dust. There was no difference in FEV, or FVC during a work shift. Persons with long-term (> 10 years) and heavy exposure to dust seemed to have impaired respiratory function compared to those with low and/or short-term exposure to the dust.