Associations of occupational standing with musculoskeletal symptoms: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Objective Given the high exposure to occupational standing in specific occupations, and recent initiatives to encourage intermittent standing among white-collar workers, a better understanding of the potential health consequences of occupational standing is required. We aimed to review and quantify the epidemiological evidence on associations of occupational standing with musculoskeletal symptoms. Design A systematic review was performed. Data from included articles were extracted and described, and meta-analyses conducted when data were sufficiently homogeneous. Data sources Electronic databases were systematically searched. Eligibility criteria Peer-reviewed articles on occupational standing and musculoskeletal symptoms from epidemiological studies were identified. Results Of the 11 750 articles screened, 50 articles reporting 49 studies were included (45 cross-sectional and 5 longitudinal; n=88 158 participants) describing the associations of occupational standing with musculoskeletal symptoms, including low-back (39 articles), lower extremity (14 articles) and upper extremity (18 articles) symptoms. In the meta-analysis, 'substantial' (>4 hours/workday) occupational standing was associated with the occurrence of low-back symptoms (pooled OR (95% CI) 1.31 (1.10 to 1.56)). Evidence on lower and upper extremity symptoms was too heterogeneous for meta-analyses. The majority of included studies reported statistically significant detrimental associations of occupational standing with lower extremity, but not with upper extremity symptoms. Conclusions The evidence suggests that substantial occupational standing is associated with the occurrence of low-back and (inconclusively) lower extremity symptoms, but there may not be such an association with upper extremity symptoms. However, these conclusions are tentative as only limited evidence was found from high-quality, longitudinal studies with fully adjusted models using objective measures of standing

Integrative Gene Regulatory Network Analysis Reveals Light-Induced Regional Gene Expression Phase Shift Programs in the Mouse Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

We use the multigenic pattern of gene expression across suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) regions and time to understand the dynamics within the SCN in response to a circadian phase-resetting light pulse. Global gene expression studies of the SCN indicate that circadian functions like phase resetting are complex multigenic processes. While the molecular dynamics of phase resetting are not well understood, it is clear they involve a “functional gene expression program”, e.g., the coordinated behavior of functionally related genes in space and time. In the present study we selected a set of 89 of these functionally related genes in order to further understand this multigenic program. By use of high-throughput qPCR we studied 52 small samples taken by anatomically precise laser capture from within the core and shell SCN regions, and taken at time points with and without phase resetting light exposure. The results show striking regional differences in light response to be present in the mouse SCN. By using network-based analyses, we are able to establish a highly specific multigenic correlation between genes expressed in response to light at night and genes normally activated during the day. The light pulse triggers a complex and highly coordinated network of gene regulation. The largest differences marking neuroanatomical location are in transmitter receptors, and the largest time-dependent differences occur in clock-related genes. Nighttime phase resetting appears to recruit transcriptional regulatory processes normally active in the day. This program, or mechanism, causes the pattern of core region gene expression to transiently shift to become more like that of the shell region

Diverse perspectives on interdisciplinarity from the Members of the College of the Royal Society of Canada

Various multiple-disciplinary terms and concepts (although most commonly “interdisciplinarity”, which is used herein) are used to frame education, scholarship, research, and interactions within and outside academia. In principle, the premise of interdisciplinarity may appear to have many strengths; yet, the extent to which interdisciplinarity is embraced by the current generation of academics, the benefits and risks for doing so, and the barriers and facilitators to achieving interdisciplinarity represent inherent challenges. Much has been written on the topic of interdisciplinarity, but to our knowledge there have been few attempts to consider and present diverse perspectives from scholars, artists, and scientists in a cohesive manner. As a team of 57 members from the Canadian College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada (the College) who self-identify as being engaged or interested in interdisciplinarity, we provide diverse intellectual, cultural, and social perspectives. The goal of this paper is to share our collective wisdom on this topic with the broader community and to stimulate discourse and debate on the merits and challenges associated with interdisciplinarity. Perhaps the clearest message emerging from this exercise is that working across established boundaries of scholarly communities is rewarding, necessary, and is more likely to result in impact. However, there are barriers that limit the ease with which this can occur (e.g., lack of institutional structures and funding to facilitate cross-disciplinary exploration). Occasionally, there can be significant risk associated with doing interdisciplinary work (e.g., lack of adequate measurement or recognition of work by disciplinary peers). Solving many of the world’s complex and pressing problems (e.g., climate change, sustainable agriculture, the burden of chronic disease, and aging populations) demand thinking and working across long-standing, but in some ways restrictive, academic boundaries. Academic institutions and key support structures, especially funding bodies, will play an important role in helping to realize what is readily apparent to all who contributed to this paper—that interdisciplinarity is essential for solving complex problems; it is the new norm. Failure to empower and encourage those doing this research will serve as a great impediment to training, knowledge, and addressing societal issues

Emergence of Noise-Induced Oscillations in the Central Circadian Pacemaker

Computational modeling and experimentation explain how intercellular coupling and intracellular noise can generate oscillations in a mammalian neuronal network even in the absence of cell-autonomous oscillators

The role of knowledge transfer in participatory ergonomics: evaluation of a case study at a poultry processing plant

Aims: -- This project involved the evaluation of a transfer of a ‘train-the-trainer’ knife sharpening and steeling program (KSP) for butchery operations from Quebec to Newfoundland. The objectives of this study were to evaluate: 1) the factors that impacted upon the transfer of the KSP from a Quebec Research Team (QRT) to the Newfoundland Research Team (NRT) and a poultry plant, 2) to evaluate the impact of the KSP on employee health and productivity and, 3) to attempt to identify the impact that a KT strategy has within a participatory ergonomics (PE) intervention. The Eastern Canadian Consortium on Workplace Health identified the KSP as a successful existing program that could be transferred to Newfoundland and Labrador. It was thought that this program would benefit a St. John's, Newfoundland poultry processing plant. Researchers (ergonomists, engineers and KT specialists), plant management and plant employees constituted a tripartite partnership that would guide the knowledge adaptation, transfer and assimilation. The KSP uses a 'train-the-trainer' approach that identified plant personnel who could acquire the ability to machine-sharpen knives. Following a series of training sessions, the plant trainers were asked, in cooperation with factory management, to proceed with training of plant workers in proper knife steeling and care techniques. The QRT provided the NRT with methods to assess skill development and work behavior changes of a production line cohort. Researchers adapted survey, video and semi-structured interview techniques to assess the intervention. A KT Model (Parent et al., 2007) was employed as a diagnostic tool to evaluate KT capacities. While KT was slow and was not completely successful, the project recognizes that KT capacities within social networks impacted on the KSP intervention. Networks for actor communications, managerial involvement, organizational culture and facilitative ability of the NRT appear to have impacted disseminative and absorptive capacities required for successful KT. The QRT and the trainers displayed active generative capacity, by developing new knowledge regarding the KSP process, and strategies to use in smaller enterprises. The NRT gained experience in applying a PE framework. However, it is clear that additional steps are required for the knowledge gained within the province from the experience to become institutionalized. At the industrial site, the trainer's skills and knowledge have been recognized as exceptional by the QRT and Quebec experts. Some, but not all, employees have adopted the principles of the KSP and demonstrate the potential for reductions in cutting-related musculoskeletal disorders. However, managers at the plant did not taken steps to institutionalize knowledge, suggesting that the continuity of the KSP may be threatened

Processes of Metastudy: A Study of Psychosocial Adaptation to Childhood Chronic Health Conditions

Metastudy introduces a systematically aggregated interpretive portrayal of a body of literature, based on saturation and the synthesis of findings. In this metastudy, the authors examined qualitative studies addressing psychosocial adaptation to childhood chronic health conditions, published over a 30-year period (1970–2000). They describe metastudy processes, including study identification, strategies for study search and retrieval, adjudication of difference in study design and rigor, and analysis of findings. They also illustrate metastudy components through examples drawn from this project and discuss implications for practice and recommendations

Lower limb blood flow and mean arterial pressure during standing and seated work: Implications for workplace posture recommendations

Sit-stand workstations are a popular workplace intervention. Organizations often require a medical professional's guidance for implementation. Therefore, it is important to understand potential negative outcomes associated with standing work, such as lower limb discomfort and peripheral vascular issues. The objective of this study was to compare changes in lower limb discomfort, blood pressure and blood flow accumulation during a light-load repetitive upper limb work task accomplished from seated and standing postures. At the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital (Laval, Quebec, Canada), 16 participants were outfitted with Laser Doppler Flow (LDF) electrodes to measure blood flow in the lower limb, and a sphygmomanometer to measure lower limb mean arterial blood pressure (MAP). Participants completed simulated work over 34 min in standing and seated conditions. Repeated measures ANOVAs (Posture x Time) were used to assess the differences. There were significant effects for both Posture (p = 0.003) and Time (p = 0.007) for LDF-measured of blood flow accumulation in the soleus and the foot, with a mean increase of 77% blood flow over time in the standing posture, when compared to seated work. There was a significant ‘Posture × Time’ (p = 0.0034) interaction effect and a significant Posture (p = 0.0001) effect for MAP, with higher values in the standing posture by a mean of 37.2 mmHg. Posture had a significant effect (p < 0.001) on lower limb discomfort, with standing posture reporting higher levels. These results suggest that recommendations for using static standing work postures should be tempered, and physicians' guidance on workstation changes should consider the impacts on the lower limb. Keywords: Work postures, Standing, Sitting, Vascular outcomes, Lower limb discomfor