Respiratory effects of exposure to flour dust: A case study among workers of flour production factories in Arak

      Flour dust has been introduced as one of the effective factors in the prevalence of respiratory disorders among the workers of the flour production factories. The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of this pollutant on the pulmonary functions and survey the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among workers of flour production factories in Arak, Iran.  Exposure to flour dust is used to classify subjects into exposed (38 male workers of production plant) or unexposed groups (37 male employee from administrative section). Exposure level to flour dust, the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function in two group were studied using air sampling (based on method NIOSH 0600), a researcher made questionnaire on respiratory symptoms and Spirometer, respectively. The results indicated that workers of the production plant are exposed to high concentration of flour, which causes a decrease in the ratio of FEV1 / FVC compared to the unexposed ones. Among study respiratory symptoms, subjects had reported significantly more sputum secretion than that in control group. Furthermore intervening parameters, including age, work experience, body mass index and smoking didn’t show a significant effect on the pulmonary function of the individuals. Exposure to flour dust concentration with higher than threshold level values causes a decrease in workers respiratory capacity. Therefore, it is recommended that the reduction of both exposure risk and the 8-hour time-weighted average concentration of flour dust should be considered.

Levels of Blood Biomarkers among Patients with Myocardial Infarction in Comparison to Control Group

BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction (MI) as a term for a heart attack happens due to reduced blood flow to heart myocardium and lack of oxygen supply caused by plaques inthe interior walls of coronary arteries. With respect to the importance of MI etiology, we aimed to study the relationship of MI and blood examination variables.METHODS: This study was conducted in Mazandaran Heart Center as a hospital-based case-control Comprising 894 participants including 465 cases and 429 controls, individually matched by sex and age. Considered blood markers were analyzed using routine laboratory methods and equipment.RESULTS: Of all participants, 64.3% of the cases and 51.0% of the controls were males with a mean age of 61.2 (±13.8) in cases and 62.4 (±14.) in controls. We could not find any differences between cases and controls for total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and alkaline-phosphatase (ALP) (P>0.05). However, levels of creatine-kinase-muscle/brain (CK-MB) (P<0.0001), fasting-blood-sugar (FBS) (P<0.0001), aspartateaminotransferase (AST) (P<0.0001), alanine-transferase (ALT) (P<0.0001) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (P=0.001) were significantly higher in cases compared to the controls (P<0.05). Multivariable analyses revealed that the risk of MI was associated with high levels of AST (adjusted OR=24.3, 95%CI=3.5±165.6, P=0.001) and LDL (adjusted OR=7.4, 95%CI=1.0±51.8, P=0.001).CONCLUSION: Our investigation indicated that the levels of CK-MB, FBS, AST, ALT and ESR were significantly higher in patients with MI. Besides, our findings showed that the risk of MI in cases with high levels of AST and LDL was about 24 and 7 times more than the control group respectively

The Relation between Shift Work, Fatigue and Sleepiness and Accidents among Workers in Sugar Factory

Background & Objectives : Shift work has been recognized as an important tool for organizing of work in developing countries. The disturbed sleep, fatigue and accident is the most common health ‐ related effects of shift work. The aim of this study was to evaluate the severity of fatigue and sleepiness between shift and non-shift workers and its relation to occupational accidents. Methods : This cross-sectional study was carried out in Sugar Factory located in Isfahan city. Using simple randomized sampling technique, 120 workers with an average age of 32 years for night work and 33 years for day work were selected. ISI and Epworhth questionnaires and Fatigue Scale were used to determine the prevalence of symptoms of Sleepiness and fatigue. The data was analyzed using SPSS20 software and applying descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation test and t-test. Results : Results showed that the fatigue score among shift workers was 4.41. In all symptoms associated with fatigue average scores of night shift were higher than day shift and there was a significant difference between them. There was a significant relation between the symptoms of fatigue with insomnia severity index and accidents. Conclusion : The rate of fatigue and the number of the work accidents was more in the shift workers compared with non shift workers. The rate of accidents was more common in people who had more severe drowsiness

The Relation between Heat strain and hydration status among

Introduction: during the physical activity in hot environments, sweating with evaporation, the important physiological response of the body&nbsp; increases which can be lead to dehydration . Long-term water shortages could adversely affect vital organs. The aim of this study was to determine heat stress and dehydration status of workers in hot workplaces. Methods: This cross sectional study was done on 90 workers of workers in sugar factory which were exposed to heat. Heart rate and oral temperature were respectively measured using a heart rate meter and an oral thermometer. WBGT index was recorded and the HSSI questionnaire was completed simultaneously, in order to assess dehydration level was measured of refractometer. Data obtained from this study were analyzed using compare means and t-test, paired t-test tests by SPSS 20 software Results: Heat stress exceeded the national and international recommended limits based on the WBGT index in 44% of cases of workstations. According to this study, 8.5% of our population had some degree of dehydration.63.4% of them were significantly dehydrated (urine SG>1.020) and 28% of them were severely dehydrated (urine SG>1.030) and the mean specific gravity was 1.025&plusmn;0.043 The correlations between heat strains, Urine Density and heat stress including oral temperature, heart rate were significant(p<0.05). Conclusion: A high percentage of the study population had some degree of dehydration that based on the results is worrying. It seems that planning in order to control of heat stresses by replace drinking is necessary