Prevalence of multisite musculoskeletal symptoms: a French cross-sectional working population-based study

BACKGROUND: The musculoskeletal disorders in working population represent one of the most worrying work-related health issues at the present time and although the very great majority of available data on the subject focus on musculoskeletal disorders defined by anatomical site, a growing number of studies indicate the low prevalence of disorders strictly confined to a specific anatomical site. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of multisite musculoskeletal symptoms (multisite MS) in a large French working population.METHODS: This study was performed on surveillance data of the cross-sectional survey (2002-2005) conducted by a network of occupational physicians in the working population of the Loire Valley region (from 20 to 59 years old). Data concerning MS were collected in the waiting room of the occupational physicians by means of the self-administrated standardized NORDIC questionnaire. RESULTS: The study population comprised 3,710 workers (2,162 men (58%) and 1,548 women (42%)) with a mean age of 38.4 years (standard deviation: 10.4 years). The prevalence of MS during the past 12 months was 83.8% with 95% confidence interval of [82.8-85.3] for men and 83.9% [82.0-85.7] for women. The prevalence of subacute MS (lasting at least 30 days) over the past 12 months was 32.8% [30.9-34.8] for men and 37.3% [34.9-39.7] for women. Two-thirds of workers reported MS in more than one anatomical site and about 20% reported MS lasting at least 30 days in more than one anatomical site. The anatomical sites most frequently associated with other MS were the upper back, hip, elbow and neck. The majority of these multisite MS were widespread, involving at least two of the three anatomical regions (upper limb, axial region and lower limb). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency and extent of multisite MS reported by workers are considerable. Further research must be conducted in this field in order to provide a better understanding of the characteristics and determinants of these multisite MS

Prévalence des symptômes musculo-squelettiques multi-sites dans une population de travailleurs salariés

Objectif.– La prévalence des troubles musculo-squelettiques (TMS) d’origine professionnelle ne cessent d’augmenter et bien que la très grande majorité des données disponibles sur le sujet portent sur les TMS définis par localisation anatomique, un nombre croissant de travaux témoignent de la faible prévalence des symptômes isolés et bien délimités sur un site anatomique spécifique. L’objectif de ce travail est de décrire la prévalence et les caractéristiques des symptômes musculosquelettiques (SMS) multi-sites (MS) dans une large population de travailleurs salariés français. Méthode.– Cette étude a été réalisée à partir des données de surveillance de l’enquête transversale (2002–2005) du réseau de médecin du travail dans la population des travailleurs salariés de la région des Pays-de-la-Loire (20 à 59 ans). Les données sur les SMS ont été renseignées dans la salle d’attente des médecins du travail du réseau au moyen de l’auto-questionnaire standardisé NORDIC. Résultats.– La population de l’étude comprenait 3710 salariés (58 %, soit 2162 hommes et 42 %, soit 1548 femmes) de moyenne d’âge 38,4 ans (écart-type 10,4 ans). Les catégories professionnelles représentées étaient : « ouvriers qualifiés et non qualifiés » (56 %), « professions intermédiaires » (25 %) ou « cadres » (10 %) chez les hommes et « employées » (52 %), « ouvrières qualifiées et non qualifiées » (24 %) ou « professions intermédiaires » (19 %) chez les femmes. La prévalence des SMS au cours des 12 derniers mois était de 83,8 % avec un intervalle de confiance à 95 % de [82,8–85,3] pour les hommes et de 83,9 % [82,0–85,7] pour les femmes. La prévalence des SMS subaigus (d’au moins 30 jours) au cours des 12 derniers mois était de 32,8 % [30,9–34,8] pour les hommes et de 37,3 % [34,9–39,7] pour les femmes. Deux tiers des salariés déclaraient la présence de SMS sur deux sites anatomiques ou plus (SMS-MS) et environ 20 % déclaraient la présence de SMS d’au moins 30 jours sur deux sites anatomiques ou plus (SMS-MS). Les sites anatomiques les plus fréquemment associés à d’autres SMS étaient le haut du dos, la hanche, le coude et la nuque. La majorité de ces SMS-MS était étendue sur au moins deux des trois régions anatomiques (membre supérieur, région axiale et membre inférieur). Conclusion.– La fréquence et l’étendue des SMS-MS sont considérables chez les travailleurs. Il est indispensable d’approfondir nos connaissances dans ce domaine afin de mieux comprendre leurs caractéristiques et leurs déterminants

Factors affecting return to work after carpal tunnel syndrome surgery in a large French cohort

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate occupational outcomes after surgical release of the median nerve in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).DESIGN: Retrospective study 12 to 24 months after surgery. SETTING: Hand centers (N=3) in 2 different areas. PARTICIPANTS: Patients who had undergone surgical release of the median nerve in 2002 to 2003. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Duration of sick leave after surgery and associated factors were analyzed by using bivariate (log rank) and multivariate analyses of survival (Cox model). RESULTS: Questionnaires mailed in 2004 regarding medical condition (history and surgery), employment (occupational category codes in 1 digit), and compensation were returned (N=1248; 62%), with 253 men and 682 women stating they were employed at the time of surgery (N=935). Most were working at the time of the study (n=851; 91.0%). Median duration of sick leave before returning to work was 60 days. The main factors associated with adverse occupational outcome (long duration of sick leave) were simultaneous intervention for another upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorder, belief (by the patient) in an occupational cause, and "blue-collar worker" occupational category (the strongest determinant). CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the multifactorial nature of the occupational outcome of CTS after surgery, including occupational category. The probability of return to work for each risk factor provides a fair description of prognosis for physicians and patients

Biomechanical constraints remain major risk factors for low back pain. Results from a prospective cohort study in French male employees

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Low back pain (LBP) is a major public health problem, with a considerable impact on workers. PURPOSE: To model the risk of LBP in the male general working population. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Repeated cross-sectional surveys in a wide occupational setting. PATIENT SAMPLE: A random sample of 2,161 men working in various occupations in a French region participated in a first survey in 2002, and 1,313 of these (60.8%) participated in a second survey in 2007. OUTCOME MEASURE: The self-reported prevalence of LBP during the previous week in the second survey. METHODS: Twenty-one biomechanical, organizational, psychosocial, and individual factors were assessed in the first survey. The association between these potential risk factors and the prevalence of later LBP (in the second survey) was studied, using multistep logistic regression models. RESULTS: Three hundred ninety-four men reported LBP in the second survey (prevalence 30.0%). The final multivariate model highlighted four risk factors: frequent bending (odds ratio [OR], 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.97 for bending forward only; and OR, 2.13, 95% CI, 1.52-3.00 for bending both forward and sideways), driving industrial vehicles (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.00-1.81), working more hours than officially planned (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.05-1.81), and reported low support from supervisors (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.02-1.79). CONCLUSIONS: These results emphasize that biomechanical factors remain worth considering, even when psychosocial factors are taken into account, and provide a significant contribution to preventive strategies

Harvesting Electricity with Geobacter bremensis Isolated from Compost

Electrochemically active (EA) biofilms were formed on metallic dimensionally stable anode-type electrode (DSA), embedded in garden compost and polarized at +0.50 V/SCE. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene libraries revealed that biofilms were heavily enriched in Deltaproteobacteria in comparison to control biofilms formed on non-polarized electrodes, which were preferentially composed of Gammaproteobacteria and Firmicutes. Among Deltaproteobacteria, sequences affiliated with Pelobacter and Geobacter genera were identified. A bacterial consortium was cultivated, in which 25 isolates were identified as Geobacter bremensis. Pure cultures of 4 different G. bremensis isolates gave higher current densities (1400 mA/m2 on DSA, 2490 mA/m2 on graphite) than the original multi-species biofilms (in average 300 mA/m2 on DSA) and the G. bremensis DSM type strain (100–300 A/m2 on DSA; 2485 mA/m2 on graphite). FISH analysis confirmed that G. bremensis represented a minor fraction in the original EA biofilm, in which species related to Pelobacter genus were predominant. The Pelobacter type strain did not show EA capacity, which can explain the lower performance of the multi-species biofilms. These results stressed the great interest of extracting and culturing pure EA strains from wild EA biofilms to improve the current density provided by microbial anodes

Multidisciplinary intensive functional restoration versus outpatient active physiotherapy in chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.

STUDY DESIGN: Randomized parallel group comparative trial with a 1-year follow-up period. OBJECTIVE: To compare in a population of patients with chronic low back pain, the effectiveness of a functional restoration program (FRP), including intensive physical training and a multidisciplinary approach, with an outpatient active physiotherapy program at 1-year follow-up. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Controlled studies conducted in the United States and in Northern Europe showed a benefit of FRPs, especially on return to work. Randomized studies have compared these programs with standard care. A previously reported study presented the effectiveness at 6 months of both functional restoration and active physiotherapy, with a significantly greater reduction of sick-leave days for functional restoration. METHODS: A total of 132 patients with low back pain were randomized to either FRP (68 patients) or active individual therapy (64 patients). One patient did not complete the FRP; 19 patients were lost to follow-up (4 in the FRP group and 15 in the active individual treatment group). The number of sick-leave days in 2 years before the program was similar in both groups (180 ± 135.1 days in active individual treatment vs. 185 ± 149.8 days in FRP, P = 0.847). RESULTS: In both groups, at 1-year follow-up, intensity of pain, flexibility, trunk muscle endurance, Dallas daily activities and work and leisure scores, and number of sick-leave days were significantly improved compared with baseline. The number of sick-leave days was significantly lower in the FRP group. CONCLUSION: Both programs are efficient in reducing disability and sick-leave days. The FRP is significantly more effective in reducing sick-leave days. Further analysis is required to determine if this overweighs the difference in costs of both programs

Facteurs associés à la lombalgie chez les hommes salariés des Pays de la Loire

Objectif : Les lombalgies ont des répercussions majeures sur le monde du travail. Un manque de données prospectives et représentatives de la diversité des emplois limite l’analyse des facteurs de risque chez les travailleurs. L’objectif de cette étude était d’estimer, à l’aide d’une modélisation, les facteurs associés à la lombalgie chez les salariés des Pays de la Loire.Méthodes : Un échantillon aléatoire de salariés a fait l’objet de deux enquêtes successives. La prévalence des lombalgies lors de la deuxième enquête a été modélisée, par régression logistique multi-étapes, à partir de facteurs de risque individuels et professionnels recueillis lors de la première enquête. Des analyses de sensibilité ont été réalisées. Les analyses ont été stratifiées par sexe ; seuls les résultats pour les hommes sont présentés. Résultats : Parmi les 3 710 participants à la première enquête, 2 332 ont répondu à la deuxième enquête, dont 1 313 hommes. La prévalence des lombalgies était de 30 % chez les hommes. Des douleurs du cou ou des membres supérieurs, se pencher fréquemment et travailler plus que prévu étaient les facteurs de risque principaux de lombalgie ultérieure. L’association observée entre un faible soutien de la hiérarchie et des lombalgies ultérieures devenait non significative dans une analyse restreinte aux salariés sans lombalgie lors de la première enquête. Conclusions : Le rôle des facteurs biomécaniques et organisationnels semble prédominant sur celui des facteurs psychosociaux. Celui des facteurs individuels est d’interprétation délicate. Quelques limites méthodologiques doivent être discutées, mais l’analyse simultanée de multiples facteurs dans une population diversifiée de travailleurs constitue un apport original et utile pour des actions de prévention

The Mars Microphone onboard SuperCam

The Mars Microphone is one of the five measurement techniques of SuperCam, an improved version of the ChemCam instrument that has been functioning aboard the Curiosity rover for several years. SuperCam is located on the Rover's Mast Unit, to take advantage of the unique pointing capabilities of the rover's head. In addition to being the first instrument to record sounds on Mars, the SuperCam Microphone can address several original scientific objectives: the study of sound associated with laser impacts on Martian rocks to better understand their mechanical properties, the improvement of our knowledge of atmospheric phenomena at the surface of Mars: atmospheric turbulence, convective vortices, dust lifting processes and wind interactions with the rover itself. The microphone will also help our understanding of the sound signature of the different movements of the rover: operations of the robotic arm and the mast, driving on the rough floor of Mars, monitoring of the pumps, etc ... The SuperCam Microphone was delivered to the SuperCam team in early 2019 and integrated at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, Pasadena, CA) with the complete SuperCam instrument. The Mars 2020 Mission launched in July 2020 and landed on Mars on February 18th 2021. The mission operations are expected to last until at least August 2023. The microphone is operating perfectly.Comment: 40 page

Étude des facteurs associés au devenir professionnel après intervention chirurgicale pour un syndrome du canal carpien dans les Pays de la Loire

L’objectif était d’étudier le pronostic professionnel après intervention pour syndrome du canal carpien.Les patients opérés en 2002-2003 dans les Pays de la Loire ont rempli un autoquestionnaire. 1 248 questionnaires ont été retournés (62%) ; 253 hommes et 682 femmes déclaraient un emploi au moment de l’opération. Les facteurs de mauvais pronostic identifiés étaient : intervention simultanée sur un autre trouble musculo-squelettique du membre supérieur, catégorie socioprofessionnelle "ouvriers", arrêt de travail pour maladie professionnelle et imputabilité par le patient à une cause professionnelle. Cette étude souligne l’implication de multiples facteurs à prendre en compte pour le pronostic professionnel