Occupational respiratory diseases

Shipping list no.: 87-222-P."September 1986."S/N 017-033-00425-1 Item 499-F-2Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographies and index

THE PREVALENCE AND PREDICTION OF PULMONARY FIBROSIS IN AN

This thesis describes an ancillary project to the Early Diagnosis of Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer in Prior Asbestos Workers study and was conducted to determine the effects of asbestos exposure, pulmonary function and cigarette smoking in the prediction of pulmonary fibrosis. 613 workers who were occupationally exposed to asbestos for an average of 25.9 (SD=14.69) years were sampled from Sarnia, Ontario. A structured questionnaire was administered during a face-to-face interview along with a low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) of the thorax. Of them, 65 workers (10.7%, 95%CI 8.12—12.24) had LDCT-detected pulmonary fibrosis. The model predicting fibrosis included the variables age, smoking (dichotomized), post FVC % splines and post- FEV1% splines. This model had a receiver operator characteristic area under the curve of 0.738. The calibration of the model was evaluated with R statistical program and the bootstrap optimism-corrected calibration slope was 0.692. Thus, our model demonstrated moderate predictive performance

Computer-aided diagnosis in chest radiography

Chest radiographs account for more than half of all radiological examinations; the chest is the mirror of health and disease. This thesis is about techniques for computer analysis of chest radiographs. It describes methods for texture analysis and segmenting the lung fields and rib cage in a chest film. It includes a description of an automatic system for detecting regions with abnormal texture, that is applied to a database of images from a tuberculosis screening program

Asbestos bibliography (revised)

"This publication is a compendium of NIOSH research and recommendatiions on asbestos. This publication is divided into three Parts: Part I consists of full or partial text of selected NIOSH documents on asbestos. These documents provide an overview of NIOSH research on the health hazards of asbestos and NIOSH recommendations on workplace exposure to asbestos. Part II contains a comprehensive bibliography of NIOSH documents on asbestos. It is divided into two sections: (1) NIOSH-authored documents (which include numbered publications, testimony, journal articles, and miscellaneous reports) and (2) NIOSH-funded documents (which include grant and contract reports). Part III contains summary asbestos information from other Federal agencies. " - NIOSHTIC-2"NIOSHTIC No 20000043"The Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), having primary responsibility for development of a NIOSH position paper on health effects of occupational asbestos exposure, has critiqued all available data and prepared the following document for publication and transmittal to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), as requested by the Assistant Secretary of Labor. Primary responsibility for development of this document was shared by Richard A. Lemen and John M. Dement, with technical consultation provided by Dr. Joseph K. Wagoner." - p. 1

Diseases of the Chest, Breast, Heart and Vessels 2019-2022

This open access book focuses on diagnostic and interventional imaging of the chest, breast, heart, and vessels. It consists of a remarkable collection of contributions authored by internationally respected experts, featuring the most recent diagnostic developments and technological advances with a highly didactical approach. The chapters are disease-oriented and cover all the relevant imaging modalities, including standard radiography, CT, nuclear medicine with PET, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as imaging-guided interventions. As such, it presents a comprehensive review of current knowledge on imaging of the heart and chest, as well as thoracic interventions and a selection of "hot topics". The book is intended for radiologists, however, it is also of interest to clinicians in oncology, cardiology, and pulmonology

Diseases of the Chest, Breast, Heart and Vessels 2019-2022

This open access book focuses on diagnostic and interventional imaging of the chest, breast, heart, and vessels. It consists of a remarkable collection of contributions authored by internationally respected experts, featuring the most recent diagnostic developments and technological advances with a highly didactical approach. The chapters are disease-oriented and cover all the relevant imaging modalities, including standard radiography, CT, nuclear medicine with PET, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as imaging-guided interventions. As such, it presents a comprehensive review of current knowledge on imaging of the heart and chest, as well as thoracic interventions and a selection of "hot topics". The book is intended for radiologists, however, it is also of interest to clinicians in oncology, cardiology, and pulmonology

Welding, brazing, and thermal cutting.

"This document examines the occupational health risks associated with welding, brazing, and thermal cutting, and it provides criteria for eliminating or minimizing the risks encountered by workers in these occupations. The main health concerns are increased risks of lung cancer and acute or chronic respiratory disease. The data in this document indicate that welders have a 40% increase in relative risk of developing lung cancer as a result of their work experience. The basis for this excess risk is difficult to determine because of uncertainties about smoking habits, possible interactions among the various components of welding emissions, and possible exposures to other occupational carcinogens. However, the risk of lung cancer for workers who weld on stainless steel appears to be associated with exposure to fumes that contain nickel and chromium. The severity and prevalence of noncarcinogenic respiratory conditions are not well characterized among welders, but they have been observed in both smoking and nonsmoking workers in occupations associated with welding. Excesses in morbidity and mortality among welders exist even when reported exposures are below current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limits (PELs) for the many individual components of welding emissions. An exposure limit for total welding emissions cannot be established because the composition of welding fumes and gases varies for different welding processes and because the various components of a welding emission may interact to produce adverse health effects. Some of these include alkali metals, alkaline earths, aluminum, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, fluorides, iron, lead, manganese, nickel, silica, titanium, zinc, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and ozone. NIOSH therefore recommends that exposures to all welding emissions be reduced to the lowest feasible concentrations using state-of-the-art engineering controls and work practices. Exposure limits for individual chemical or physical agents are to be considered upper boundaries of exposure." - NIOSHTIC-2CurrentPrevention and ControlEnvironmental Healt

Dust, Cadmium and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic, inflammatory disease with an estimated global prevalence of 0.3–1.0%. Evidence suggests that RA is initiated in the lungs. Cigarette smoking and various occupations associated with vapour, gas, dust, and fume (VGDF) inhalation can increase the risk of RA development. The association of VGDF, smoking, development of rheumatoid autoantibodies such as rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and their relationship to RA disease development is poorly understood. Structure There are seven chapters in the dissertation. Chapter 1 introduces the dissertation reasoning and hypothesis. Chapter 2 is a published review of literature on RA and inhaled occupational exposures. Chapters 3 and 4 are published empirical studies analysing the clustering pattern of RF and ACPA, suggesting a potential common autoantigen in RA. Chapter 5 is a published empirical study analysing the pattern of autoantibody development with inhalational exposures to smoking and VGDF in male RA. Chapter 6 analyses the role of cadmium (as a common factor in smoking and VGDF), in relation to autoantibody development in nodular and non-nodular RA. Chapter 7 discusses further the strengths, limitations, unanswered questions and future direction of research. Conclusions Overall, this research provides evidence that RA, particularly in males, is precipitated by inhaled environmental exposures and RA patients with multiple inhalational insults are likely to have higher RF and ACPA levels. Empirical and laboratory evidence suggests a common autoantigen in RA to explain autoantibody clustering. Nodular RA patients demonstrate higher rheumatoid autoantibody levels, and significantly higher cadmium levels were found in female nodular RA patients. A model of heavy metal adsorption onto VGDF particles in vitro is proposed, stimulating pulmonary nodule formation and generating autoantibodies in response to a common autoantigen: post-translationally modified heavy chain fragments of immunoglobulin G