Evaluation of occupational diseases according to their risk and severity

Article covers approaches to evaluation and forecasting of occupational risk for workers exposed to occupational hazards, formulates a concept to evaluate occupational disease according to risk and severity categories, gives an integral parameter for qualitative and quantitative analysis of group risk for one occupational disease or their combination. Trials proved acceptability of the method for group risk evaluation according to WHO concept concerning occupational diseases.     

Lung cancer risk among beauticians and other female workers: brief communication

Lung cancer risk among occupational groups of women was reviewed. A previous suggestion of a sixfold risk of developing lung cancer among beauticians was not confirmed; however, an approximately twofold risk was found.     

Community based survey of STD/HIV infection among commercial sex workers in Calcutta (India). Part-IV: Sexually transmitted diseases and related risk factors

Community based survey on a sample of commercial sex workers in one red light area of Calcutta, was carried out to determine prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) including HIV infection and related risk factors. An alarmingly high prevalence of STDs (80.56 per cent) but low HIV-seropositivity (1.13 per cent) was observed. Candida albicans, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Trichomonas vaginalis were detected in 23.24, 13.24 and 11.11 per cent of genital specimens respectively. BY TPHA test 62.97 per cent of the sera were reactive for Treponema pallidum. Duration in the profession of sex workers was found to have an association with seropositivity for syphilis. Prevalence of HIV infection might be low at present, but conditions were highly favourable for rapid spread of infection.     

Current objectives for the improvement of work conditions and prevention of occupational diseases among miners

Workers engaged into deep mining are subjected to occupational factors intensity of which is significantly higher than the allowable. Changing the mining enterprises involves deterioration of the working environment, increase in occupational morbidity. Features of the working environment, parameters of main occupational entities, recent social instability at mining enterprises necessitate further investigations on the problem.     

Prevalence and risk of HIV infection among female sex workers in Burkina Faso

The American College of Radiology Task Force on Appropriateness Criteria was developed in 1993 with the major objective of creating the most credible patient care guidelines possible. Oncology-related clinical conditions addressed by the Task Force pertain to the diagnosis of suspected disease and, after disease is diagnosed, its staging, treatment, and follow-up to determine the effectiveness of therapy.     

AIDS: risk behaviors among rural Mexican women married to migrant workers in the United States

International migration between Mexico and the United States has been acknowledged as a phenomenon that may contribute to the spread of AIDS in rural Mexico. The purpose of this study is to identify the information held by the participants regarding AIDS and to describe selected high-risk behaviors for AIDS transmission among a representative sample of rural women living in Mexico who are married to immigrant temporary workers to the United States. The women who participated in the study were married, of reproductive age, and had active sex lives with their spouses. Results revealed that most of the women interviewed had at least some knowledge about AIDS. Although some misconceptions were evident, most of the information they had was accurate. About one-third of the women felt at risk for AIDS, mostly because they doubted their husbands' fidelity, or because in the last five years they had donated blood, received a blood transfusion, or received an intramuscular or intravenous injection. The results of the study are discussed within the sociocultural context that surrounds the lives of the women interviewed.     

The management view of the future of occupational therapy in mental health

The dramatic changes in the field of mental health and their impact over the past ten years are reviewed in this article. The community mental health movement, the decline of the state hospital, court decisions, and new laws have resulted in a new atmosphere in psychiatric practice. The future role of the state hospital is examined, particularly in view of the scandalous situation of the long-term chronic patient. Some clear implications for the field of occupational therapy are drawn from this background. Challenges are given in the areas of training and research, innovative programming, management, and for the professional association.     

The future of genetic studies of complex human diseases: an epidemiologic perspective

Every intubated and mechanically-ventilated patient should be clinically evaluated, at least on a daily basis, by a skilled team in order to speed up the weaning process as much as possible. Again, it should be emphasized that the adoption of an active clinical strategy when faced with "difficult" to wean patients is of paramount importance. In one study, performed in Spain, analysing the prevalence of mechanical ventilation in intensive care units [3], reported the mean number of days that patients spent on mechanical ventilation was 27. In a more recent intervention study, in which a specific protocol was followed each day [2], the mean number of days on mechanical ventilation was only 12. These data have been confirmed by several authors [4, 40], and it has also been reported that a protocol-directed weaning strategy leads not only to a significant reduction in the duration of mechanical ventilation but also to a significant decrease in the number of complications and cost [4]. However, even following a protocol-directed weaning strategy, it is possible that weaning duration can be further reduced. In a prospective study performed in our institution [41] during 32 months, we reported that, following an episode of unplanned extubation, the only independent variables associated with the need for reintubation were the number of days of mechanical ventilation and the type of ventilatory support at the time of autoextubation. Indeed, when patients were in the weaning period only 16% (5 out of 32) needed reintubation, whereas reintubation was needed in 82% (22 out of 27) of patients who had an unplanned extubation during full mechanical ventilatory support. These data suggest that there are still some patients being on mechanical ventilation for a longer than necessary period of time. Finally, very recent advances in technological areas such as artificial intelligence, are proving to be useful in the management of the weaning process. When such systems are applied to modern microprocessor-controlled mechanical ventilators they can significantly help in the process of weaning [42] by automatically reducing the ventilatory assistance and by indicating the optimal time to withdraw the patient from the ventilator and proceed with extubation.     

高速公路发展对铁路客运的影响和对策研究

本文根据目前我国铁路与公路客运竞争的现状，分析比较了公路、铁路客运各自的特点，并根据铁路客运所占有的优势，讨论了铁路客运在与公路竞争中所应采取的策略。     

铁路道口信号自动防护系统研究与应用

铁路道口是铁路路外事故多发地段,国家铁路和地方铁路目前采用的防护系统尚存在一些问题。经多方调查研究,结合现行可靠设备和开滦煤矿实际,综合利用研究开发一套可以满足需要的铁路道口信号自动防护系统。     

Adjustment to occupational stress: The relationship of perceived control to effectiveness of coping strategies.

A sample of 187 medical center nurses described 2 stressful occupational episodes varying in perceived controllability and provided information regarding the coping strategies used. Outcome measures assessed effectiveness of coping across 3 dimensions: perceived coping effectiveness, job affect, and psychological adjustment. Negative affectivity was measured to control for its tendency to inflate stress-adjustment relationships. Use of problem-solving strategies was related to perceived coping effectiveness only for high-control episodes. However, differential use of coping across levels of controllability was not related to job affect or psychological adjustment. Avoidant coping was strongly associated with negative affect at work. In contrast, problem-reappraisal and problem-solving strategies were related to positive affect at work. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development of occupational aspirations and expectations among inner-city boys

The occupational aspirations and expectations of two populations of boys in grades 2, 4, 6, and 8 were examined in order (1) to describe what is unique about the development of job preferences among urban ghetto children who live in settings where many adult males are not well attached to the labor force and (2) to examine 6 reasons for any age- and population-dependent patterns there might be in job aspirations and job expectations. Findings show that boys tend to be more realistic about occupational aspirations and expectations the older they are; that from second grade on the occupational expectations of inner-city boys mirror existing race and class differences in adult job holdings; that the gap between occupational aspirations and expectations is greater for the ghetto boys and remains roughly constant in size across the grades examined; and that the lower occupational expectations of the inner-city boys are strongly related to their lower educational expectations, with these educational expectations being associated with fewer poor boys having a biological father at home and with more of these boys seeing obstacles to success in the local social setting. But, the lower occupational expectations of the ghetto boys are not due to having fewer positive role models or believing that schooling will not pay off for them in the future as it does for others.     

Present versus future time perspective and HIV risk among heterosexual college students.

Because safer sex behaviors require planning and forethought and their primary motivations lie in the future, the hypothesis that behaviors that might reduce exposure to HIV would positively correlate with future time orientation, whereas risky behaviors would correlate with present time orientation, was tested in a survey of 188 heterosexual college students. As expected, those high in future time orientation were less likely to be sexually experienced and had fewer sexual partners. In contrast, present time orientation positively related to those measures. Those high in future orientation were more likely to use alternate methods of reducing exposure to HIV (e.g., inquiring about partner's sexual history, delaying or abstaining from sex). Time perspective also interacted with both gender and fear of AIDS. The responses of women and individuals low in fear were more related to time orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)