The role of the GPS-system in integrated control system skylines in mine for copper Bucim

With the hastily ascent of the techniques at the end of 20th century, the role of the GPS systems rapidly increases in all fields of technologies prevalent on the surface layer and hence in open-cut mining. All tippers and dredgers are equipped with GPS receiver, so both the dispatcher and employer can have information about the current position of the machines. In this article are described part of the GPS receiver, the integration in the Skylines and part of the reports

Anemia as a Comorbidity in COPD Patients

Introduction: Anemia is common in patients with chronic diseases and associated with impaired long-term survival and quality of life. The prevalence of comorbid anemia in patients with COPD ranges from 7.5% to 34%, depending upon the populations selected and diagnostic tools employed to determine the level of hemoglobin. The true prevalence of anemia in patients with COPD, its impact on quality of life, healthcare utilization, and mortality in patients with COPD is unknown. The prevalence of coexisting anemia in COPD is highly variable and depends on the severity of the lung disease, the presence of other comorbidities, and other factors such as socioeconomic status and race. Material and method: The design is a cross-sectional study, including 220 patients with stable COPD as investigated group (IG), aged 40-75 years and 58 non-COPD subjects, matched by gender, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking-status, as control group (CG). All study subjects underwent pulmonary evaluation (dyspnea severity assessment, baseline and post-bronchodilator spirometry, gas analyses, chest X-ray, 6-minute walk distance, modified Medical Research Council dyspnea questionnaire, St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire), and laboratory analyses (blood count, sedimentation rate, c-reactive protein (CRP), routine biochemistry). Patients were classified as anemic based on hemoglobin (Hgb) levels (Hgb<12/13 g/dl, female patients/male patients, according to The World Health Organization). Patients with known causes for anemia were excluded. Results presented statistically significant difference between presence of normocytic anemia in IG 13.6% (n=30) vs. CG 3% (n=3) (p<0.05). There was a significant linear positive correlation between anemia and GOLD stage (R=0.174; p<0.05). With decrease of FEV1(GOLD1→GOLD4), the frequency of anemia increased, significantly. According to gender anemia was more frequent in male 9% (n=20), vs. female 4.5% (n=10) (p<0.05). Anemia was associated with higher levels of serum C-reactive protein in COPD patients with anemia, 10.5mg/L, vs COPD patients without anemia 2.3mg/L (p<0.05). Anemic participants were older with worse airflow obstruction and they had a higher prevalence of cardiac and metabolic comorbidities. Anemia was strongly associated with 6-minute walk distance (β, −62.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], −84.12 to −36.63), St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (β, 3.82; 95% CI, 1.06–6.62) and modified Medical Research Council dyspnea questionnaire (β, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.12–0.45). There was a significant linear positive correlation between anemia and BMI (p=0.012) Conclusion: Comorbid anemia in patients with COPD was associated with greater healthcare resource utilization, impaired quality of life, older age, and male gender. Moreover, anemia in patients with COPD is an independent prognostic predictor of premature mortality and a greater likelihood of hospitalization. Based on the findings from the existing literature, more work is necessary to establish the true prevalence of anemia in COPD. More prospective clinical studies are needed to improve the management of COPD patients with comorbid anemia

Occupational Exposure and Co-Occurrence of Work-Related Skin and Respiratory Disorder in Cleaner: A Case Report

BACKGROUND: Despite the connection between skin and respiratory system in occupational disease is growing area of research interest, there is still a limited evidence for the effects of both airborne and skin exposures together with skin and respiratory outcomes.CASE PRESENTATION: This report describes a 32-years old female with no previous history of atopy, asthma or skin disorders working as an office cleaner for three years. About two years after entering the actual workplace she developed episodic wheezing, shortening of breath and chest tightness. At the same time, she noticed eczematous lesions on the skin of both hands. She reported work-relatedness of both respiratory and skin symptoms, i.e. the symptoms improved during weekends and holidays and worsened when she returned to work. The patient was referred to Institute for Occupational Health of R. Macedonia for assessment of possible occupational asthma (OA) and occupational contact dermatitis (OCD). Diagnosis of asthma was confirmed by standard diagnostic procedure, while the diagnosis of sensitizer-induced OA was established by positive result of serial peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) measurements at and away from work. Diagnosis of allergic OCD was confirmed by positive patch test to formaldehyde. The management of both diseases included complete removal from the harmful workplace exposure, as well as pharmacological treatment according to the actual recommendations.CONCLUSIONS: This case report represents a description of a co-occurrence of work-related skin and respiratory symptoms in a female working as an office cleaner. Formaldehyde is found to be a causative factor of allergic OCD, and it also may be a causative factor of sensitive-induced OA in the same patient, but other occupational sensitizers cannot be excluded

Bronhokonstrikcija i respiratorni simptomi uzrokovani tjelesnim opterećenjem u radnika izloženih čajnoj prašini

Assuming that airborne particles and pollutants are important contributing factors in the development of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), we performed a case-control study including 63 tea workers (36 men and 27 women, aged 36-55, duration of employment 3-30 years) and an equal number of office workers, matched by sex and age. Exercise-induced respiratory symptoms were recorded in a questionnaire. Skin prick tests, spirometry, as well as exercise and histamine challenge were carried out. Environmental measurements were performed on site during the work shifts. The prevalence of self-reported exercise-induced respiratory symptoms and EIB did not differ significantly between the exposed and control group (41.6 % vs 36.8 %, and 6.4 % vs 4.8 %, respectively). In both exposed and control workers, EIB was strongly linked to asthma (P<0.01). In the exposed workers it was significantly associated with positive family history of asthma (P<0.01) and positive family history of atopies (P<0.05), whereas in the exposed smokers it was significantly related to smoking duration (P<0.05). Bronchial reaction to exercise in the exposed smokers was significantly greater than in control smokers (P<0.05). Self-reported exercise-induced respiratory symptoms were weakly associated with EIB, with a large proportion of false positive and a low proportion of false negative results in both groups.Polazeći od pretpostavke da čestice nošene zrakom i onečišćivači bitno pridonose razvoju bronhokonstrikcije uzrokovane tjelesnim opterećenjem, ispitano je 63 radnika u tvornici čaja (36 muškaraca i 27 žena u dobi od 36 do 55 godina sa stažem od 3 do 30 godina) i 63 kontrolna ispitanika, administrativna službenika koji su izloženoj skupini odgovarali po spolu i dobi. Podaci o respiratornim simptomima uzrokovanim opterećenjem prikupljeni su s pomoću upitnika. Također su napravljeni skin-prick test, spirometrija te test tjelesnim opterećenjem i bronhoprovokativni test histaminom. Mjerenja u zraku radnoga okoliša napravljena su za trajanja smjene. Izloženi radnici nisu se statistički značajno razlikovali od kontrolne skupine u prevalenciji prijavljenih respiratornih simptoma odnosno bronhokonstrikcije uzrokovane opterećenjem (41,6 % naspram 36,8 %, odnosno 6,4 % naspram 4,8 %). U obje je skupine bronhokonstrikcija uzrokovana opterećenjem bila izrazito povezana s astmom (P<0,01). U izloženoj skupini, bronhokonstrikcija uzrokovana opterećenjem bila je statistički značajno povezana s pozitivnom obiteljskom anamnezom astme (P<0,01) i atopije (P<0,05). U izloženih pušača ona je značajno bila povezana s trajanjem pušenja (P<0,05). Bronhalne reakcije na opterećenje u izloženih pušača bile su značajno jače od onih u kontrolnih pušača (P<0,05). Zamijećena je slaba povezanost između prijavljenih respiratornih simptoma i bronhokonstrikcije uzrokovane opterećenjem, s velikim udjelom lažno pozitivnih i malim udjelom lažno negativnih nalaza u obje skupine

Pušenje među makedonskim radnicima pet godina nakon kampanje protiv pušenja

To assess the efficacy of a nationwide anti-smoking campaign, we compared the findings of a study on worker smoking performed in 2005 with our latest cross-sectional study completed in 2010. It included 753 randomly selected workers, of whom 126 office, 108 construction, 93 agricultural, 97 petroleum refinery, 114 textile, 117 food processing workers, and 98 cleaners. Information was collected with a selfadministered questionnaire. The prevalence of current smokers among all workers was 35.4 %, ranging from 30.2 % in office workers to 43.5 % in construction workers. It did not significantly differ from the prevalence recorded in 2005 (35.4 % vs. 36.8 %, respectively; P=0.441). Mean pack-years smoked among all smokers was 12.4±2.3, ranging from 10.9 in administrative workers to 13.7 in agricultural workers. We did not find any significant difference in the prevalence of current smokers between male and female workers and between workers aged less or more than 40 years, as well as between workers of higher and lower education. The prevalence of ex-smokers was 10.5 %, ranging from 8.4 % in construction workers to 12.1 % in administrative workers, whereas the prevalence of passive smokers was 29.1 %, ranging from 26.2 % in food processing workers to 32.9 % in agricultural workers. Our findings indicate that the prevalence of current and passive smokers has remained high regardless of the anti-smoking campaign and call for stricter implementation of anti-smoking regulations.Želeći utvrditi djelotvornost kampanje protiv pušenja u Makedoniji, usporedili smo rezultate istraživanja o pušenju u radničkoj populaciji provedenog 2005. s rezultatima našega najnovijega presječnoga randomiziranog ispitivanja koje je dovršeno 2010. Ispitivanje je obuhvatilo 753 radnika, od kojih je 126 uredskih, 108 građevinskih, 93 poljoprivrednih, 97 u rafineriji nafte, 114 tekstilnih, 117 prehrambenih te 98 čistač(ic)a. Podaci su prikupljeni s pomoću upitnika koji su ispunjavali ispitanici. Prevalencija aktivnih pušača među svim radnicima bila je 35,4 %, od 30,2 % u uredskih radnika do 43,5 % u građevinskih. Nije se značajno razlikovala od prevalencije zabilježene 2005. (35,4 % odnosno 36,8 %, P=0,441). Srednja vrijednost kutija/godina u pušača bila je 12,4±2,3, od 10,9 u uredskih do 13,7 u poljoprivrednih radnika. Značajnih razlika u aktivnome pušenju nije bilo među ženama i muškarcima, radnicima starijim i mlađima od 40 godina, niti među radnicima višeg i nižeg obrazovanja. Prevalencija bivših pušača bila je 10,5 %, od 8,4 % u građevinskih do 12,1 % u uredskih radnika, dok je prevalencija pasivnih pušača bila 29,1 %, od 26,2 % u radnika u preradi hrane do 32,9 % u poljoprivrednih radnika. Naši rezultati pokazuju da je prevalencija aktivnih i pasivnih pušača ostala visoka bez obzira na kampanju protiv pušenja te pozivaju na strožu provedbu propisa koji ograničavaju pušenje

Profesionalna astma u autolakirera: opis dvaju slučajeva

This report describes two patients who had developed asthma after working as automobile painters with isocyanate-based aerosol paint for two years or over. In both patients asthma was confirmed using the standard diagnostic procedure. One of the subjects was atopic. One was ex-smoker and the other had never smoked. Neither had a family history of asthma. The symptoms occurred after workplace exposure lasting two years in one patient and three in the other. As both reported work-relatedness of the symptoms, they underwent serial peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) measurement and bronchoprovocation testing. Significant work-related changes in PEFR diurnal variations and in non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness (NSBH) were observed in one patient, suggesting allergic occupational asthma (OA), while the other patient was diagnosed work-exacerbated asthma (WEA). Our data confirm that spray painting is an occupation with increased risk of respiratory impairment and asthma.U radu su opisana dva bolesnika koji su nakon rada s aerosolskom bojom na bazi izocijanata u autolakirerskoj radionici dobili astmu. U oba je slučaja dijagnoza potvr|ena standardnim postupkom. Jedan je bolesnik bio atopičan. Jedan je bivši pušač, a drugi nikad nije pušio. U obiteljskoj anamnezi nije bilo astme ni u jednog bolesnika. Simptomi su se javili nakon profesionalne izloženosti u trajanju od dvije odnosno tri godine. Budući da su oba bolesnika povezivala simptome s poslom, podvrgnuti su mjerenju vršnog ekspiratornog protoka (engl. peak expiratory flow rate, krat. PEFR) te nizu bronhoprovokacijskih testova. U jednoga su bolesnika zamijećene značajne profesionalne dnevne promjene u PEFR-u i nespecifične bronhalne hiperreaktivnosti, što upućuje na profesionalnu alergijsku astmu, dok je u drugoga ispitanika dijagnosticirano pogoršanje astme povezano s profesionalnom izloženosti. Naši podaci potvr|uju pretpostavku da posao autolakiranja sprejem nosi povećani rizik od respiratornih tegoba i astme

Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function in Never-Smoking Male Workers Exposed To Hardwood Dust

BACKGROUND: Results from many studies suggest that workplace exposure to organic dust may lead to adverse respiratory effects in exposed workers.AIM: In order to assess the respiratory effects of the workplace exposure to hardwood dust we performed a cross-sectional study of never-smoking male workers employed in parquet manufacture and never-smoking male office workers as a control.MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study including 37 never-smoking male workers employed in parquet manufacture and an equal number of never-smoking male office workers studied as a control. Evaluation of examined subjects included completion of a questionnaire for respiratory symptoms in the last 12 months and baseline spirometry performed according to the actual recommendations.RESULTS: We found a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms in parquet manufacturers than in office workers with significant difference for cough and phlegm. Majority of the respiratory symptoms in the parquet manufacturers were work-related. The mean values of all spirometric parameters with exception of forced ventilatory capacity (FVC) were significantly lower in the parquet manufacturers as compared to their mean values in the office workers. We found close relationship between both the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and the reduction of spirometric parameters in the parquet manufacturers and the duration of the workplace exposure to wood dust.CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that workplace exposure to hardwood dust may lead to adverse respiratory effects indicating the need of adequate preventive measures in order to protect the respiratory health of exposed workers

Utjecaj pasivnog pušenja na radnome mjestu na dišne simptome, funkciju pluća i bronhijalnu reaktivnost u uredskih spremačica-nepušačica

This cross-sectional study compares respiratory symptoms, lung function, and bronchial responsiveness between 27 office cleaning women exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at work and 57 unexposed controls. The age range of both groups was 24 to 56 years, and none of the women had ever smoked. Information on respiratory symptoms, cleaning work history, and passive smoking in the workplace were obtained with a questionnaire. The subjects also took a skin prick test to common inhalant allergens, a lung function test, and a histamine challenge. Despite smoking restriction in indoor environments, we found a high prevalence of passive smokers in the workplace (32.1 %). In these subjects we found a significantly higher prevalence of wheezing with breathlessness (25.9 % vs. 8.8 %; P=0.036), wheezing without cold (25.9 % vs. 7.0 %; P=0.016), and breathlessness after effort (29.6 % vs. 8.8 %; P=0.014) than in control subjects. Objective measurements showed a significantly lower MEF25 (53.6 % vs. 63.7 %; P=0.001) and a significantly higher prevalence of borderline bronchial hyperresponsiveness (22.2 % vs. 7.0 %; P=0.044) in the passive smokers in the workplace. This study provides evidence of adverse respiratory effects in office cleaning women associated with passive smoking in the workplace. Our findings support a stricter implementation of the current national law to protect respiratory health of all workers.Provedeno je presječno istraživanje na skupini od 84 žene nepušačice u dobi od 24 do 56 godina s ciljem procjene učinaka pasivnog pušenja na radnome mjestu na dišne simptome, funkciju pluća i bronhijalnu reaktivnost. Podaci o dišnim simptomima, radnom stažu na poslovima spremačica ureda te o pasivnom pušenju na radnome mjestu prikupljeni su primjenom anketnog upitnika. Ispitanicama je zatim učinjen kožni pricktest (ubodni test) na najčešće inhalacijske alergene, mjerene su funkcije pluća te su provedena testiranja na histamin. Unatoč propisima o zabrani pušenja u zatvorenim prostorima, utvrdili smo veliku prevalenciju pasivnog pušenja na radnim mjestima (32,1 %). U tih smo ispitanica utvrdili i značajno veću prevalenciju piskanja u plućima i zadihanosti (25,9 % prema 8,8 %; P=0,036), piskanja u plućima bez prehlade (25,9 % prema 7,0 %; P=0,016) te gubitka daha nakon napora (29,6 % prema 8,8 %; P=0,014) u usporedbi s ispitanicama koje na radnim mjestima nisu bile izložene pasivnom pušenju. Mjerenja su pokazala i značajno nižu vrijednost maksimalnog ekspiracijskoga protoka pri 25 % forsiranoga vitalnog kapaciteta (MEF25) (53,6 % prema 63,7 %; P=0,001) te značajno višu pojavnost granične bronhijalne hiperreaktivnosti (22,2 % prema 7,0 %; P=0,044) u ispitanica koje su na radnim mjestima izložene pasivnom pušenju. Ovo je istraživanje dokazalo prisutnost štetnih učinaka na dišni sustav u ispitanica zaposlenih kao spremačice ureda koje su na svojim radnim mjestima bile izložene pasivnom pušenju. Dobiveni rezultati govore u prilog potrebi za oštrijom primjenom postojećih zakonskih propisa kako bi se zaštitilo zdravlje dišnog sustava u svih radnika

Occupational Health

Health at work and healthy work environments are among the most valuable assets of individuals, communities and countries. Nowadays, new broader approach is promoted, recognizing the fact that occupational health is a key, but not a unique element of workers’ health. Workers health is a public health approach to resolving the health problems of working populations including all determinants of health recognized as targets of risk management. It focuses on primary prevention of occupational and work-related diseases and injuries, protection and promotion of the health of workers. The major component of occupational safety and health system or infrastructure is occupational health service. The Basic Occupational Health Services (BOHS) are an essential service for protection of people's health at work, for promotion of health, well-being and work ability, as well as for prevention of ill-health and accident. BOHS should provide the services available to all workers, addressing to local needs and adapted to local conditions and existing resources. The development of occupational health system and policy requires strengthen governmental stewardship and ensure continuous political commitment to occupational health. OH policy should provide the development of legislation and standards in the field as well as effective mechanisms for financing of occupational health services. The expected results should be ensuring access to basic occupational health services for all workers with establishing essential requirements for service provision and providing the quality assurance systems for occupational health services

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2D) as a comorbidity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

We aimed to investigate the association between COPD and T2D and the relation to the severity of airflow limitation. Cross-sectional study including 120 patients with initially diagnosed COPD, aged 40 to 75 years and 60 nonCOPD subjects matched by age, smoking status, body mass index, as controls. All study participants underwent anthropometric measurements, fasting blood sugar (FBS), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) (performed in patients with fasting blood sugar level 5.6- 6.1mmol/L (measured two times), lipid profile, CRP, pulmonary evaluation (dyspnea severity assessment, baseline and post-bronchodilator spirometry, gas analyses, chest X-ray). Results presented statistically significant difference in presence of T2D in COPD patients compared to controls (45.0% vs 20.0%; P=0.0011). According to the GOLD classification, the frequencies of T2D in COPD patients were categorized in stages I, II, III, IV (25.0%, 43.3%, 52.5%, 58.3%, respectively), and according to combined assessment test in A, B, C, D (29.2%, 37.5%, 35.0%, 41.7% respectively). In GOLD 2 stage the risk for T2D was 2.3 times higher than GOLD1. COPD patients with T2D presented significant association with pulmonary function. FBS was higher in COPD than controls (8.4±1.1mmol/L vs 4.9±2.1mmol/L) with statistical significance (p<0.0001), but HDL was lower in COPD than controls (39.1±6.4mg/dl vs 49.6±3.9mg/dl) with statistical significance (p<0.0001).We found higher prevalence of T2D in patients with COPD even in early COPD stages compared to nonCOPD. Our findings suggest multidisciplinary approach in COPD patients for prevention, diagnosis and early start of treatment