Participatory ergonomics generates new product to assist rural workers in greenhouses

The purpose of this paper is to show that the conjunction of participatory ergonomics and outside consulting can be the link among professionals from different areas. This association can result in improvements in the workplace as well as in the production process. Employing participatory ergonomics, an intervention described in the present study reduced the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and increased productivity while also allowing great rest time through the development and deployment of auxiliary devices and job redesign for the gathering of begonia seedlings

Participatory ergonomics and new work: reducing neck complaints in assembling

A participatory ergonomics approach is used to create a new work environment, which is aimed at reducing neck complaints in a cell phone assembly. The participatory ergonomics program included an initiative, problem identification, a selection of solutions, an implementation and evaluation. Twenty-eight women, all operators on an assembly line of cell phone boards, voluntarily participated in the design and evaluation of a device before implementing the device to all 215 employees performing that job. Prior to and after the intervention, RULA, comfort experiences and interviews were used. After introducing an adjustable angled small counter, these measurements showed both posture and comfort improvements. 90% of the 215 workers preferred the new work station and the neck complaints were reduced in 75% of the group. It also showed that the initial prototype needed to be modified as to reduce its sharp edges/compression points for the forearm. This project shows the importance of iterative testing and that an initiative by workers enlarges the chance of successful implementation

Novel electrosurgical hand controls integrated into a standard laparoscopic grasper

A novel device was developed that will allow laparoscopic surgeons to hand-operate standard electrosurgical equipment, eliminating the use of electrosurgical foot pedals, which typically cause static, unstable and non-neutral body positions. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to quantitatively and qualitatively determine the optimal ergonomic placement of the novel electrosurgical hand controls integrated into a standard laparoscopic grasper to optimize functionality. Three distinct hand control designs were evaluated by 26 participants during the performance of four basic inanimate laparoscopic electrosurgical tasks. Hand control actuation force and user preference were evaluated for each hand control design. The results indicate that hand control design 1 (CD 1) resulted in the ability to generate significantly greater actuation force for three of the four tasks (P < 0.05). Additionally, CD 1 was subjectively rated significantly better for comfort and ease-of-use compared to the other two hand control designs (P < 0.05). As a result, CD 1 was determined to be an advantageous ergonomic design placement for the novel electrosurgical hand controls integrated into a standard laparoscopic grasper. Copyright 2010 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Inc. All rights reserved

Evolution of DNA repair defects during malignant progression of low-grade gliomas after temozolomide treatment

Contains fulltext : 155226.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Temozolomide (TMZ) increases the overall survival of patients with glioblastoma (GBM), but its role in the clinical management of diffuse low-grade gliomas (LGG) is still being defined. DNA hypermethylation of the O (6) -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter is associated with an improved response to TMZ treatment, while inactivation of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway is associated with therapeutic resistance and TMZ-induced mutagenesis. We previously demonstrated that TMZ treatment of LGG induces driver mutations in the RB and AKT-mTOR pathways, which may drive malignant progression to secondary GBM. To better understand the mechanisms underlying TMZ-induced mutagenesis and malignant progression, we explored the evolution of MGMT methylation and genetic alterations affecting MMR genes in a cohort of 34 treatment-naive LGGs and their recurrences. Recurrences with TMZ-associated hypermutation had increased MGMT methylation compared to their untreated initial tumors and higher overall MGMT methylation compared to TMZ-treated non-hypermutated recurrences. A TMZ-associated mutation in one or more MMR genes was observed in five out of six TMZ-treated hypermutated recurrences. In two cases, pre-existing heterozygous deletions encompassing MGMT, or an MMR gene, were followed by TMZ-associated mutations in one of the genes of interest. These results suggest that tumor cells with methylated MGMT may undergo positive selection during TMZ treatment in the context of MMR deficiency