Crystalline silica exposure and air quality perception of residents living around home stone factories

Stone factories containing harmful inhalable crystalline silica that can penetrate deep into the respiratory system causing silicosis. People living around stone factories should be concerned about the risk of dust pollutants. This study aimed to assess the crystalline silica concentrations and air quality perception (AQP) among residents living around home stone factories. Forty samples of PM10 and crystalline silica concentrations were collected from 11 home stone factories and measured following the NIOSH methods 0600 and 7601. A cross- sectional study was carried out into 325 subjects who were interviewed using the AQP and respiratory symptoms questionnaires, and a Geographic Information System technique for distance from stone factories was measured. The average crystalline silica concentrations of all stone factories were higher than the recommendation. Bivariate analyses showed that the subjects’ age, income, occupation, smoking, distances, and number of respiratory symptoms were associated with AQP. Interestingly, those with distance from stone factories lower than 50 m had a poorer AQP than those whose distance from stone factories was more than 100 m (cOR 2.5, 95%CI: 1.3-4.9). An increasing number of respiratory symptoms was associated with a poor quality of air perception (B = 0.752, SE = 0.242) and those which had chest pain, nose irritation and stuffy nose were associated with a poor AQP. All home stone factories produce inhalable dust pollutants. The AQP can be used to link distances from pollutant sources and have a relationship with respiratory symptoms. Periodically monitor dust pollutants exposure, AQP and surveillance of respiratory illness should be done

Investigating the association between obesity and asthma in 6- to 8-year-old Saudi children:a matched case-control study

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated an association between obesity and asthma, but there remains considerable uncertainty about whether this reflects an underlying causal relationship. Aims: To investigate the association between obesity and asthma in pre-pubertal children and to investigate the roles of airway obstruction and atopy as possible causal mechanisms. Methods: We conducted an age- and sex-matched case–control study of 1,264 6- to 8-year-old schoolchildren with and without asthma recruited from 37 randomly selected schools in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. The body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and skin fold thickness of the 632 children with asthma were compared with those of the 632 control children without asthma. Associations between obesity and asthma, adjusted for other potential risk factors, were assessed separately in boys and girls using conditional logistic regression analysis. The possible mediating roles of atopy and airway obstruction were studied by investigating the impact of incorporating data on sensitisation to common aeroallergens and measurements of lung function. Results: BMI was associated with asthma in boys (odds ratio (OR)=1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08–1.20; adjusted OR=1.11, 95% CI, 1.03–1.19) and girls (OR=1.37, 95% CI, 1.26–1.50; adjusted OR=1.38, 95% CI, 1.23–1.56). Adjusting for forced expiratory volume in 1 s had a negligible impact on these associations, but these were attenuated following adjustment for allergic sensitisation, particularly in girls (girls: OR=1.25; 95% CI, 0.96–1.60; boys: OR=1.09, 95% CI, 0.99–1.19). Conclusions: BMI is associated with asthma in pre-pubertal Saudi boys and girls; this effect does not appear to be mediated through respiratory obstruction, but in girls this may at least partially be mediated through increased risk of allergic sensitisation

“Clinical features of women with gout arthritis.” A systematic review

Clinically, gout is generally considered as a preferential male disease. However, it definitely does not occur exclusively in males. Our aim was to assess differences in the clinical features of gout arthritis between female and male patients. Five electronic databases were searched to identify relevant original studies published between 1977 and 2007. The included studies had to focus on adult patients with primary gout arthritis and on sex differences in clinical features. Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility and quality of the studies. Out of 355 articles, 14 were selected. Nine fulfilled the quality and score criteria. We identified the following sex differences in the clinical features of gout in women compared to men: the onset of gout occurs at a higher age, more comorbidity with hypertension or renal insufficiency, more often use of diuretics, less likely to drink alcohol, less often podagra but more often involvement of other joints, less frequent recurrent attacks. We found interesting sex differences regarding the clinical features of patients with gout arthritis. To diagnose gout in women, knowledge of these differences is essential, and more research is needed to understand and explain the differences , especially in the general population

Real-world comparative study of behavioral group therapy program vs education program implemented for smoking cessation in community-dwelling elderly smokers

Chaicharn Pothirat, Nittaya Phetsuk, Chalerm Liwsrisakun, Athavudh Deesomchok Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand Background: Tobacco smoking is known to be an important contributor to a wide variety of chronic diseases, especially in older adults. Information on health policy and practice, as well as evaluation of smoking cessation programs targeting older people, is almost nonexistent. Purpose: To compare the real-world implementation of behavioral group therapy in relation to education alone for elderly smokers. Materials and methods: Elderly smokers ready to quit smoking were identified from a cohort who completed a questionnaire at a smoking exhibition. They were allocated into two groups, behavioral therapy (3 days 9 hours) and education (2 hours), depending on their preferences. Demographic data, the Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence (FTND) score, and exhaled carbon monoxide level were recorded at baseline. Smoking status of all subjects was followed at months 3, 6, and 12. Statistical differences in continuous abstinence rate (CAR) between the two groups were analyzed using chi-square tests. Results: Two hundred and twenty-four out of 372 smoking exhibition attendants met the enrollment criteria; 120 and 104 elected to be in behavioral group therapy and education-alone therapy, respectively. Demographic characteristics and smoking history were similar between both groups, including age, age of onset of smoking, years of smoking, smoking pack-years, education level, and nicotine dependence as measured by the FTND scale. The CAR of the behavioral therapy group at the end of the study (month 12) was significantly higher than the education group (40.1% vs 33.3%, P=0.034). Similar results were also found throughout all follow-up visits at month 3 (57.3% vs 27.0%, P<0.001) and month 6 (51.7% vs 25%, P<0.001). Conclusion: Behavioral group therapy targeting elderly smokers could achieve higher short- and long-term CARs than education alone in real-world practice. Keywords: smoking cessation, behavioral, education, elderl