Safety and efficacy of Favipiravir in moderate to severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia

Background: We examined the safety and efficacy of a treatment protocol containing Favipiravir for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Methods: We did a multicenter randomized open-labeled clinical trial on moderate to severe cases infections of SARS-CoV-2. Patients with typical ground glass appearance on chest computerized tomography scan (CT scan) and oxygen saturation (SpO2) of less than 93 were enrolled. They were randomly allocated into Favipiravir (1.6 gr loading, 1.8 gr daily) and Lopinavir/Ritonavir (800/200 mg daily) treatment regimens in addition to standard care. In-hospital mortality, ICU admission, intubation, time to clinical recovery, changes in daily SpO2 after 5 min discontinuation of supplemental oxygen, and length of hospital stay were quantified and compared in the two groups. Results: 380 patients were randomly allocated into Favipiravir (1 9 3) and Lopinavir/Ritonavir (1 8 7) groups in 13 centers. The number of deaths, intubations, and ICU admissions were not significantly different (26, 27, 31 and 21, 17, 25 respectively). Mean hospital stay was also not different (7.9 days SD = 6 in the Favipiravir and 8.1 SD = 6.5 days in Lopinavir/Ritonavir groups) (p = 0.61). Time to clinical recovery in the Favipiravir group was similar to Lopinavir/Ritonavir group (HR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.75 � 1.17) and likewise the changes in the daily SpO2 after discontinuation of supplemental oxygen (p = 0.46) Conclusion: Adding Favipiravir to the treatment protocol did not reduce the number of ICU admissions or intubations or In-hospital mortality compared to Lopinavir/Ritonavir regimen. It also did not shorten time to clinical recovery and length of hospital stay. © 2021 Elsevier B.V

Estimation of thermal power plant workers exposure to magnetic fields and simulation of hazard zones

Extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs) have raised some concerns due to their possible effects on workers� health. In this study ELF-MFs were measured in different units of the thermal power plant based on gridding the indoor space. The exposure level was measured by spot measurement based on the IEEE Std C95.3.1 and then simulated in units with the highest magnetic field intensity by using ArcGIS software. The operators and balance of plant (BOP) technicians (12.64 ± 9.74 μT) and office workers (2.41 ± 1.22 μT) had the highest and lowest levels of both measured and estimated ELF-MFs exposure. The highest measured ELF-MFs were in the vicinity of the power transmission lines in the transformers� building (48.2 μT). Our simulation showed the high and low exposure areas and ranked exposure well; but, the actual measurements of ELF-MFs exposure were in all cases higher than the estimated values, which means we still need to improve our estimations. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved

Investigating the effects of vitamins E and C on oxidative stress and hematological parameters among power plant workers: A double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial

The present study aimed to determine the effect of taking antioxidant vitamins including vitamins E and C in reducing oxidative stress levels and improving blood parameters. This double-blind randomized controlled trial study was conducted among the employees working in different parts of a power plant in Semnan, Iran, in 2017. A total of 91 employees were randomly allocated to four groups including vitamin E (400 units per day), vitamin C (1000 mg per day), vitamin E + C for 90 days, and control. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (Cat), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in plasma, and hematological parameters were measured in the participants before and after the intervention. A significant increase was seen in the mean level of SOD, Cat, and TAC in the vitamin-treated groups as well as a significant decrease in mean MOD in vitamin C and vitamin E groups after the intervention. In the intervention groups, the number of red blood cells, hematocrit, and the level of mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and MCH concentration significantly increased. After the intervention, the mean levels of MDA, SOD, and Cat in vitamin E group were significantly lower than the control group. The mean level of TAC decreased only in the vitamin C group compared to the control group. Taking vitamins E and C as nonenzymatic scavengers of free radicals appears to decrease lipid peroxidation and increase the level of antioxidant enzymes, which can be imbalanced by exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields in power plant employees. Furthermore, some hematological parameters can be improved by consuming these vitamins. © The Author(s) 2020

Investigating the relationship between job stress, workload and oxidative stress in nurses

Objectives. Occupational stress and workload are common risk factors among nurses that increase absenteeism, reduce the quality and quantity of patient care, increase care costs and increase the patient safety risk. The relation between these risk factors and oxidative stress levels has not been clearly defined. Methods. This study was conducted with 258 participants (126 nurses as the case group and 132 healthy adults as the control group). Information was collected using a demographic questionnaire, the nurses� occupational stress scale and the NASA task load index workload questionnaire. Blood samples were taken from the participants and then the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured in the serum samples. Independent t tests and one-way analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis. Results. SOD and TAC were significantly higher and MDA was significantly lower among the case group compared to the control group. TAC levels significantly decreased with increased stress. MDA levels showed negative associations with stress and workload. Nurses experience high levels of occupational stress and workload. Conclusion. Biomarkers such as SOD, TAC and MDA are the most important predictors of work stress and overwork in this study. © 2021 Central Institute for Labour Protection�National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB)

The role of circadian rhythm stability and amplitude in musculoskeletal disorder prevalence and work�family conflict

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effect of circadian rhythm stability and amplitude on musculoskeletal disorder prevalence and work�family conflict among nurses. Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 386 nurses working in three hospitals, in Shahroud, Iran. Method: The data were collected using the Circadian Rhythm Inventory, Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorders, and Carlson Work-Family Conflict questionnaires. Results: The highest prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was reported in the lower back (68.4), upper back (65.5) and shoulders (53.6), respectively. No significant relation was found between circadian rhythm stability and amplitude, and musculoskeletal disorders prevalence. The nurses who could not overcome drowsiness reported more Work Interference with Family (WIF), Family Interference with Work (FIW) (time-based) and FIW (strain-based) compared to the nurses who overcame drowsiness. In addition, the appropriate nurses for shift work experienced less WIF, FIW (behavioural-based) and WIF (strain-based) compared to the nurses who could not work overtime or at night. © 2021 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd