Survey of the risk management methods, techniques and software used most frequently in occupational health and safety

Throughout modernity, increasing emphasis on knowledge, digitization and information technology has fueled the emergence of new methods of organizational management. In several fields, digital technologies have proven indispensable for facilitating and improving operations as well as business development. Companies that recognize this are now acquiring software even for risk management, notably for work-related injuries and illnesses, a persistent and particularly complicated problem because of its multidisciplinary nature and entanglement with human behavior. Despite their undeniable contribution to the progress made so far, conventional methods are not entirely adequate for managing the unpredictability characterizing occupational health and safety (OHS) risks. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the current use of software in OHS risk management, based on a survey of the advantages and limitations of the most widely used tools. Our findings reveal that such tools are intended primarily for use in construction and chemical processing, the industries in which OHS is taken most seriously. They are found nevertheless to hold promise as solutions to OHS risk management problems encountered in a wide variety of small and medium-sized businesses

Gastric nodules with Neospora caninum zooites in a confirmed clinical Neospora caninum infection in a dog

Generalized neosporosis was diagnosed in a two year old rottweiler. The dog had a history of tetraparesis, muscle atrophy, regurgitation and vomiting. Serological analysis by indirect fluorescent antibody test was 1/400 for Neospora caninum. Contrasted radiological surveys showed megaesophagus and during ultrasonografic examination an 8.2 mm diameter mural nodule was observed at the pyloric region. Citologic evaluation revealed highly number of zooites. Microscopically, severe myositis were observed in histologic muscle sections and several groups of tachyzoites and tissue cysts were associated with these lesions. The result of the immunhistochemical staining was: protozoa in muscle sections of the dog stained strongly using 5.2.15 monoclonal antibodies against N. caninum tachyzoites. This paper describes a clinical case of canine neosporosis with vomiting associated to Neospora gastric nodule.Se realizó el diagnóstico de neosporosis generalizada en un canino rottweiler de dos años de edad. El paciente presentaba las siguientes alteraciones: tetraparesia, atrofia muscular, regurgitación y vómito. El resultado del análisis serológico por prueba de inmunofluoresencia indirecta fue 1/400 para Neospora caninum. Los estudios radiológicos contrastados mostraron megaesófago y durante el examen ultrasonográfico se observó un nódulo mural de 8,2 mm de diámetro en la región pilórica. La evaluación citológica reveló numerosos zooítos. En las secciones histológicas de músculo se observaron varios grupos de taquizoitos y quistes asociados a miositis severa. El resultado de las técnicas de immunohistoquímica fue: protozoos en secciones de músculo que se tiñeron fuertemente con 5.2.15 anticuerpos monoclonales contra taquizoitos de N. caninum. Este reporte describe un caso clínico de neosporosis canina con vómitos asociados a nódulo gástrico de Neospora

Neural correlates of sexual cue reactivity in individuals with and without compulsive sexual behaviours

Although compulsive sexual behaviour (CSB) has been conceptualized as a "behavioural" addiction and common or overlapping neural circuits may govern the processing of natural and drug rewards, little is known regarding the responses to sexually explicit materials in individuals with and without CSB. Here, the processing of cues of varying sexual content was assessed in individuals with and without CSB, focusing on neural regions identified in prior studies of drug-cue reactivity. 19 CSB subjects and 19 healthy volunteers were assessed using functional MRI comparing sexually explicit videos with non-sexual exciting videos. Ratings of sexual desire and liking were obtained. Relative to healthy volunteers, CSB subjects had greater desire but similar liking scores in response to the sexually explicit videos. Exposure to sexually explicit cues in CSB compared to non-CSB subjects was associated with activation of the dorsal anterior cingulate, ventral striatum and amygdala. Functional connectivity of the dorsal anterior cingulate-ventral striatum-amygdala network was associated with subjective sexual desire (but not liking) to a greater degree in CSB relative to non-CSB subjects. The dissociation between desire or wanting and liking is consistent with theories of incentive motivation underlying CSB as in drug addictions. Neural differences in the processing of sexual-cue reactivity were identified in CSB subjects in regions previously implicated in drug-cue reactivity studies. The greater engagement of corticostriatal limbic circuitry in CSB following exposure to sexual cues suggests neural mechanisms underlying CSB and potential biological targets for interventions

TMEM120A and B: Nuclear Envelope Transmembrane Proteins Important for Adipocyte Differentiation

<div><p>Recent work indicates that the nuclear envelope is a major signaling node for the cell that can influence tissue differentiation processes. Here we present two nuclear envelope trans-membrane proteins TMEM120A and TMEM120B that are paralogs encoded by the <i>Tmem120A</i> and <i>Tmem120B</i> genes. The TMEM120 proteins are expressed preferentially in fat and both are induced during 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation. Knockdown of one or the other protein altered expression of several genes required for adipocyte differentiation, <i>Gata3</i>, <i>Fasn</i>, <i>Glut4</i>, while knockdown of both together additionally affected <i>Pparg</i> and <i>Adipoq</i>. The double knockdown also increased the strength of effects, reducing for example <i>Glut4</i> levels by 95% compared to control 3T3-L1 cells upon pharmacologically induced differentiation. Accordingly, TMEM120A and B knockdown individually and together impacted on adipocyte differentiation/metabolism as measured by lipid accumulation through binding of Oil Red O and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy (CARS). The nuclear envelope is linked to several lipodystrophies through mutations in lamin A; however, lamin A is widely expressed. Thus it is possible that the TMEM120A and B fat-specific nuclear envelope transmembrane proteins may play a contributory role in the tissue-specific pathology of this disorder or in the wider problem of obesity.</p></div