Workplace assessment of naphtha exposure in a tire manufacturing industry.

A qualitative and quantitative workplace assessment was carried out to determine naphtha exposure in a tyre manufacturing industry. A qualitative chemical health risk assessment was conducted to identify naphtha hazard at the workplace. Quantitative assessment using Portable VOC Monitor, Automatic Sampling Pump and personal air sampling pump was used to determine VOC concentrations, organic solvents, and individual air naphtha respectively. The risk rating of naphtha was estimated to be 5. The mean VOC concentration was in the range of 2.43 to 92.93 ppm. Repair area had the highest VOC concentration while the lowest was in the moulding area. Each work station had significant differences for VOC concentrations (p < 0.001). Laboratory analysis found various solvents including 2-methyl pentane, hexane, methyl cyclopentane, heptane, cyclohexane and toluene which were present in the liquid naphtha. Only xylene has been detected in the making and moulding areas with a range of 2 to 5 ppm. Meanwhile, the air naphtha concentrations of the exposed workers were significantly higher than those unexposed. The risk of naphtha exposure was qualitatively significant and not adequately controlled. Naphtha was detected in all work stations since it is the main solvent used. The “Repair Area” was significantly more contaminated than the other area

On the behavior of lightning current and charge density in the case of tall tower

Considering on the behavior of charge density in the case of strikes of lightning to tall tower is an important issue and it can be applied in the electrical protection of equipment (on the tower) and also lightning electromagnetic fields due to tower and channel. In this paper, the behaviors of charge density under the different tower and channel conditions were considered and the results were discussed accordingly. The results showed that the tower height and tower reflection factor are strongly effective on the values of charge density due to additional reflected currents along towering a channel, however other parameters of the tower and channel can be effective on the values of charge density that were studied in this paper

Air pollution and its association with cervical cancer: a scoping review

Kanser serviks adalah salah satu kanser wanita yang utama di dunia. Punca kanser serviks adalah 'human papillomavirus' (HPV), namun faktor risiko lain seperti faktor persekitaran turut mempunyai kaitan dengan penyakit ini. Pencemaran udara adalah penyebab utama kematian akibat kanser. Walaupun ia telah lama dikaitkan dengan kanser paru-paru, terdapat kajian-kajian yang telah membuktikan ianya merupakan faktor risiko untuk kanser lain di kalangan manusia, termasuklah kanser serviks. Kajian skop ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti dan meneliti literatur sedia ada yang mengkaji perkaitan antara pencemaran udara dengan perkembangan kanser serviks. Protokol 'Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews' (PRISMA-ScR) telah digunakan untuk membimbing kajian ini. Tujuh penerbitan yang membincangkan pencemaran udara dan kaitannya dengan kanser serviks telah dipilih berdasarkan kriteria tertentu. Huraian tentang punca pencemaran udara, jenis bahan pencemar udara, dan kesan pendedahannya terhadap kejadian kanser serviks telah dibincangkan. Beberapa bahan pencemar udara dikaitkan dengan pelbagai kesan pendedahannya yang berhubungkait dengan kanser serviks, termasuklah perkembangan pra-kanser serviks, serta peningkatan dalam kejadian dan kematian kanser serviks. Kajian ini menekankan perkaitan antara pencemar udara yang bertindak sebagai faktor risiko bersama dalam perkembangan kanser serviks. Dengan mengenalpasti bahan pencemar udara yang mempengaruhi perkembangan kanser serviks, kajian ini seterusnya dapat dijadikan panduan untuk penyelidikan berkaitan mekanisma faktor-faktor risiko pencemar udara yang menyebabkan kanser serviks di masa hadapan

Reliability and validity of the Malay-version Chicago lead knowledge test (CLKT) among parents of preschool children in Malaysia

The primary objective of this study was to validate the Malay-version Chicago lead knowledge test (CLKT). The CLKT was chosen based on thorough literature review followed by a systematic translation. Data collection involved three phases; initial test was done among 70 parents, retest was done at two weeks apart among similar respondents with response rate of 71.4% (n=50), and another test among 60 professional group. The authors performed non-parametric tests since the data was not normally distributed. The non-parametric test results showed no significant mean knowledge score differences in all demographic parameters. The difficulty factor ranged from 0.01 to 0.99. The mean + SD for difficulty factor was 0.52 + 0.32. Half of the 24 items (n=12) had a difficulty factor of less than 0.75. Only one item (item 6) had item-total correlation of less than 0.2 (0.140). The overall Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.851. No significant difference was detected by the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test between the overall score, the test and retest scores for all domains. All domains showed moderate to strong correlation (Spearman’s Correlation: r=0.546 - 0.814, p<0.001). The Mann-Whitney U test showed a significantly higher knowledge score in professional group compared to parent group for all domains and total knowledge score (p<0.001). The Malay-version CLKT was moderately difficult but had a good reliability and validity. Thus, this instrument can be applied in future larger-scale study

CORRECTION Knowledge, Attitude and Vaccination Status of Varicella Among Students of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

Varicella is a highly infectious disease that can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis and death. Vaccination is the best method to prevent the disease. The objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and vaccination status of varicella among UKM students. A cross sectional study involving pre-tested questionnaires was undertaken between February and April, 2005. Questionnaires were distributed and filled by the first and second year students from four faculties in UKM (n=879). The faculties included were divided into two categories: medical fields and non-medical fields. The results showed that the overall level of knowledge on varicella among respondents was intermediate. The score of knowledge was significantly higher among medical students (t=10.9, p&lt;0.05) compared to non-medical students. The varicella vaccination coverage was low among UKM students (19.3%). The vaccination status was significantly higher among medical students compared to non-medical students (χ 2 =8.6, p&lt;0.05). Vaccination status of varicella among respondents had no association with the level of knowledge (χ 2 =2.42, p&gt;0.05). In conclusion: the awareness and vaccination status of varicella among UKM students were low. More varicella awareness programs should be held on universities ’ campuses to educate students on methods of prevention of this serious disease

Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial on Suction Elastic Band Ligator Versus Forceps Ligator in the Treatment of Haemorrhoids

This prospective randomized clinical trial was undertaken to compare the use of a single-operator vacuum suction ligator and the traditional forceps ligator in terms of pain perception following the procedure, intra-procedure bleeding and other complications. Methods: One hundred consecutive patients with second- and third-degree haemorrhoids presenting between July 2002 and September 2003 were randomized into suction and forceps groups for rubber band ligations. They were equally distributed in both groups, with a mean age of 48.7 years (range, 15-83 years). The immediate, 24-hour, 7-day and 14-day pain scores after the procedure were evaluated using a visual analogue scale. Intraprocedure bleeding and other complications at follow-up were evaluated. Results: Pain perception was worse in the forceps group immediately after ligation, with a mean score of 6.08 compared with 3.08 in the suction group (p < 0.001). Pain score remained high among the forceps patients at 24 hours post-banding, with a mean score of 4.00 compared with 1.92 in the suction group (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in terms of immediate and 24-hour pain perceptions whether two or three haemorrhoids were banded per session (p = 0.904 and p = 0.058). The amount of analgesia consumed after banding correlated well with the severity of pain reported, being higher among the forceps group with a mean of 4.48 tablets (p = 0.003). Intra-procedure bleeding occurred in 25 patients in the forceps group compared with five in the suction group (p < 0.001). There were no severe complications such as perianal sepsis, urinary retention, sphincter dysfunction or bleeding during the trial. Conclusion: Suction band ligation is superior to forceps ligation for the treatment of second- and third-degree haemorrhoids in terms of pain tolerance, amount of analgesia consumed and intra-procedure bleeding

Chronic coronary syndromes without standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes: the CLARIFY registry

Background and Aims: It has been reported that patients without standard modifiable cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (SMuRFs—diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and smoking) presenting with first myocardial infarction (MI), especially women, have a higher in-hospital mortality than patients with risk factors, and possibly a lower long-term risk provided they survive the post-infarct period. This study aims to explore the long-term outcomes of SMuRF-less patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: CLARIFY is an observational cohort of 32 703 outpatients with stable CAD enrolled between 2009 and 2010 in 45 countries. The baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with and without SMuRFs were compared. The primary outcome was a composite of 5-year CV death or non-fatal MI. Secondary outcomes were 5-year all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE—CV death, non-fatal MI, or non-fatal stroke). Results: Among 22 132 patients with complete risk factor and outcome information, 977 (4.4%) were SMuRF-less. Age, sex, and time since CAD diagnosis were similar across groups. SMuRF-less patients had a lower 5-year rate of CV death or non-fatal MI (5.43% [95% CI 4.08–7.19] vs. 7.68% [95% CI 7.30–8.08], P = 0.012), all-cause mortality, and MACE. Similar results were found after adjustments. Clinical event rates increased steadily with the number of SMuRFs. The benefit of SMuRF-less status was particularly pronounced in women. Conclusions: SMuRF-less patients with stable CAD have a substantial but significantly lower 5-year rate of CV death or non-fatal MI than patients with risk factors. The risk of CV outcomes increases steadily with the number of risk factors