Associations between neck musculoskeletal complaints and work related factors among public service computer workers in Kaunas

Objectives:Information technologies have been developing very rapidly, also in the case of occupational activities. Epidemiological studies have shown that employees, who work with computers, are more likely to complain of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between neck MSD and individual and work related factors. Materials and Methods: The investigation which consisted of two parts - a questionnaire study (using Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire and Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire) and a direct observation (to evaluate ergonomic work environment using RULA method) was carried out in three randomly selected public sector companies of Kaunas. The study population consisted of 513 public service office workers. Results: The survey showed that neck MSDs were very common in the investigated population. The prevalence rate amounted to 65.7%. According to our survey neck MSDs were significantly associated with older age, bigger work experience, high quantitative and cognitive job demands, working for longer than 2 h without taking a break as well as with higher ergonomic risk score. The fully adjusted model working for longer than 2 h without taking a break had the strongest associations with neck complaints. Conclusion: It was confirmed, that neck MSDs were significantly associated with individual factors as well as conditions of work, therefore, preventive acions against neck complaints should be oriented at psychosocial and ergonomic work environment as well as at individual factors

Eosinophils enhance WNT-5a and TGF-β1 genes expression in airway smooth muscle cells and promote their proliferation by increased extracellular matrix proteins production in asthma

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that eosinophils may have a direct effect on airway smooth muscle cells (ASMC), causing their proliferation in patients with asthma, but the precise mechanism of the interaction between these cells remains unknown. We propose that changes in Wnt signaling activity and extracellular matrix (ECM) production may help explain these findings. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of eosinophils from asthmatic and non-asthmatic subjects on Wnt-5a, transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), and ECM protein (fibronectin and collagen) gene expression and ASMC proliferation. METHODS: A total of 18 subjects were involved in the study: 8 steroid-free asthma patients and 10 healthy subjects. Peripheral blood eosinophils were isolated using centrifugation and magnetic separation. An individual co-culture of eosinophils with human ASMC was prepared for each study subject. Adhesion of eosinophils to ASMC (evaluated by assaying eosinophil peroxidase activity) was determined following various incubation periods (30, 45, 60, 120, and 240 min). The expression of Wnt-5a, TGF-β1, and ECM protein genes in ASMC was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) after 24 h of co-culture. Proliferation of ASMC was measured using the Alamar blue method after 48 h and 72 h of co-culture with eosinophils. RESULTS: Eosinophils from asthmatic subjects demonstrated increased adhesion to ASMC compared with eosinophils from healthy subjects (p < 0.05) in vitro. The expression of Wnt-5a, TGF-β1, collagen, and fibronectin genes in ASMC was significantly higher after 24 h of co-culture with eosinophils from asthmatic subjects, while co-culture of ASMC with eosinophils from healthy subjects increased only TGF-β1 and fibronectin gene expression. ASMC proliferation was augmented after co-culture with eosinophils from asthma patients compared with co-culture with eosinophils from healthy subjects (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Eosinophils enhance Wnt-5a, TGF-β1, fibronectin, and collagen gene expression in ASMC and promote proliferation of these cells in asthma. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02648074