Work Place Self-Management by Academic Cum Clinical Physiotherapist – A Case Study

One of the main issues in industrialized nations is work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD), which are linked to demanding and repetitive work environments. Repetitive actions and work without leisure can lead to musculoskeletal problems. To prevent this occurrence, promoting healthy lifestyle self-care management is essential. The main objective of this case study was to assess the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in professional physiotherapist and their workplace self-management. Case Description: a case of a 39-year-old male assistant professor cum clinical practitioner with 12 years of experience in the profession, who engages in using the computer for 6 hours a day for his academic and clinical documentation purposes, was assessed in the workstation. He complains of neck and shoulder pain after engaging in front of the computer for more than one hour, which he manages during the routine practice. He manages his pain by doing simple exercises like chin tuck-in and shoulder bracing by taking a short break every hour while working on a computer. Musculoskeletal-related pain was analyzed using the VAS score (visual analogue scale), and the level of the risks was analyzed using the rapid entire body assessment (REBA) scale. The case study showed that professional physiotherapists have a high risk of MSDs due to their engagement in multiple tasks and less attention to body posture. Regular exercise in the workstation and ergonomic workplace awareness would prevent the occurrence of work-related MSD

Severity of parkinsonism associated with environmental manganese exposure

BACKGROUND: Exposure to occupational manganese (Mn) is associated with neurotoxic brain injury, manifesting primarily as parkinsonism. The association between environmental Mn exposure and parkinsonism is unclear. To characterize the association between environmental Mn exposure and parkinsonism, we performed population-based sampling of residents older than 40 in Meyerton, South Africa (N = 621) in residential settlements adjacent to a large Mn smelter and in a comparable non-exposed settlement in Ethembalethu, South Africa (N = 95) in 2016-2020. METHODS: A movement disorders specialist examined all participants using the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor subsection part 3 (UPDRS3). Participants also completed an accelerometry-based kinematic test and a grooved pegboard test. We compared performance on the UPDRS3, grooved pegboard, and the accelerometry-based kinematic test between the settlements using linear regression, adjusting for covariates. We also measured airborne PM RESULTS: Mean PM CONCLUSIONS: Environmental airborne Mn exposures at levels substantially lower than current occupational exposure thresholds in the United States may be associated with clinical parkinsonism

Hyperlocal Air Quality Exposure Assessment to Support Health Studies

Hyperlocal air pollution exposure is driven by local emission sources, meteorology, and the built environment, with traffic-related emissions modulating primary and secondary pollutant concentrations against a variable background of similar contaminants from other sources. Recent studies show that intra-urban air quality has temporally persistent patterns that sharply vary 5-8 times within a city block; currently, regulatory ambient air quality monitoring (2-5 fixed-site monitors per 1000 km2 in U.S. census urban areas) cannot capture exposure at this spatial resolution. This dissertation aims to advance methods relying on fixed-site and mobile measurements using high-time resolution aerosol instruments as well as low-cost sensors to generate pollutant concentration surfaces with spatial resolutions required for robust health effect studies. Specific outcomes from this work include 1) assessment of the near-road pollution attenuation capability of an engineered vegetative buffer, 2) community-level air pollutant exposure estimation in neighborhoods of metropolitan Louisville, KY, and 3) evaluation of the association of biomarker metal abundances among residents of Meyerton, South Africa, and their proximity to a ferromanganese smelter. In the first study, I measured oxides of nitrogen using passive samplers and ultrafine particle number concentrations using high time-resolution instruments to quantify changes to pollutant levels due to the vegetative barrier. This work is distinct in its evaluation of a barrier designed to maximize pollutant removal using ecologically compatible flora. In the second study, I deployed passive samplers bimonthly for three years in a dense, fixed-site network in the domain of a health study, Green Heart Louisville, to measure mixing ratios of oxides of nitrogen and ozone. Additionally, I conducted mobile monitoring campaigns to measure ultrafine particle number concentrations in the study domain. Datasets from both the passive sampling—the most temporally extensive and spatially resolved of its kind to date—and mobile monitoring informed hyperlocal land-use regression models of air pollution. Lastly, I quantified metal content in hair and toenail of residents and fine particulate matter to determine biomarkers of inhalation exposure to urban air toxic metals; this project is notable for its focus on a heretofore understudied geography and demography. All projects informed clinical studies of health effects in area residents

Time-dependent effect of various irrigants for root canal on smear layer removal

Background: Existence of smear layer in root canals caused by instrumentation is believed to prevent penetration of irrigating agents, thereby resulting in endodontic treatment. Aims and Objectives: To compare and evaluate the effectiveness of two irrigants: 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and mixture of tetracycline isomer, an acid, and a detergent (MTAD) as final agents for eliminating the smear layer. Materials and Methods: We included 50 human lower premolar teeth whose crowns were sectioned at cementoenamel junction. The sample was randomly grouped into five groups, each with 10 teeth. Group 1: 1mL of 17% EDTA as final rinse for 1min, Group 2: 1mL of 17% EDTA for 30s, Group 3: 5mL of MTAD for 2.5min, Group 4: 5mL of MTAD for 5min, and Group 5: saline. The specimens were sectioned vertically all along the long axis and fixed on an aluminum stub for gold ion sputtering. Scanning electron microscope was used to observe the specimens, and photomicrographs were taken at coronal, middle, and apical thirds of canal, and assessed by Torabinejad scoring system by two examiners, and the observations were analyzed statistically. Results: When Group 1 and Group 2 and Groups 3 and 4 were compared, we found a significant variation in removal of smear layer at cervical and middle thirds, and insignificant difference at apical third. In comparison with EDTA and saline, MTAD was more efficient significantly in middle and cervical thirds and insignificant at apical third. Conclusion: MTAD is an efficient irrigant for removing smear layer than EDTA and saline

Hand Manifestations of Systemic Diseases: Radiographic Imaging Findings and Approaches

The hands act as a mirror in many systemic diseases. Identification of a variety of inflammatory, degenerative, congenital, and hematological diseases can be performed by a single hand radiograph which may help start early intervention and prevent morbidity. Endocrinological and metabolic disorders also may demonstrate signs on a hand radiograph. Granulomatous conditions and systemic connective tissue disorders demonstrate characteristic imaging features which may aid the diagnosis. Radiologists should be familiar with the radiographic imaging findings of common systemic disorders because these may be a problem solving tool to aid in diagnosis

Severity of parkinsonism associated with environmental manganese exposure

BACKGROUND: Exposure to occupational manganese (Mn) is associated with neurotoxic brain injury, manifesting primarily as parkinsonism. The association between environmental Mn exposure and parkinsonism is unclear. To characterize the association between environmental Mn exposure and parkinsonism, we performed population-based sampling of residents older than 40 in Meyerton, South Africa (N = 621) in residential settlements adjacent to a large Mn smelter and in a comparable non-exposed settlement in Ethembalethu, South Africa (N = 95) in 2016-2020. METHODS: A movement disorders specialist examined all participants using the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor subsection part 3 (UPDRS3). Participants also completed an accelerometry-based kinematic test and a grooved pegboard test. We compared performance on the UPDRS3, grooved pegboard, and the accelerometry-based kinematic test between the settlements using linear regression, adjusting for covariates. We also measured airborne PM-Mn in the study settlements. RESULTS: Mean PM-Mn concentration at a long-term fixed site in Meyerton was 203 ng/m in 2016-2017 - approximately double that measured at two other neighborhoods in Meyerton. The mean Mn concentration in Ethembalethu was ~ 20 times lower than that of the long-term Meyerton site. UPDRS3 scores were 6.6 (CI 5.2, 7.9) points higher in Meyerton than Ethembalethu residents. Mean angular velocity for finger-tapping on the accelerometry-based kinematic test was slower in Meyerton than Ethembalethu residents [dominant hand 74.9 (CI 48.7, 101.2) and non-dominant hand 82.6 (CI 55.2, 110.1) degrees/second slower]. Similarly, Meyerton residents took longer to complete the grooved pegboard, especially for the non-dominant hand (6.9, CI -2.6, 16.3 s longer). CONCLUSIONS: Environmental airborne Mn exposures at levels substantially lower than current occupational exposure thresholds in the United States may be associated with clinical parkinsonism

Depression and anxiety in a manganese-exposed community

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the association between residential environmental manganese (Mn) exposure and depression and anxiety, given prior associations among occupationally-exposed workers. METHODS: We administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to 697 study participants in their preferred languages. These participants represented a population-based sample of residents aged ≥40 from two predominantly Black African communities in Gauteng province, South Africa: 605 in Meyerton, adjacent to a large Mn smelter, and 92 in Ethembalethu, a comparable non-exposed community. We investigated the associations between community (Meyerton vs. Ethembalethu) and severity of depression and anxiety, using linear regression, adjusting for age and sex. To document community-level differences in Mn exposure, we measured airborne PM-Mn. RESULTS: Meyerton residents had BDI scores 5.63 points (95 % CI 3.07, 8.20) higher than Ethembalethu residents, with all questions contributing to this significant difference. STAI-state scores were marginally higher in Meyerton than Ethembalethu residents [2.12 (95 % CI -0.17, 4.41)], whereas STAI-trait scores were more similar between the communities [1.26 (95 % CI -0.82, 3.35)]. Mean PM-Mn concentration was 203 ng/m at a long-term fixed site in Meyerton and 10 ng/m in Ethembalethu. CONCLUSION: Residence near Mn emission sources may be associated with greater depression symptomatology, and possibly current, but not lifetime, anxiety

Environmental manganese exposure and cognitive control in a South African population

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the association between environmental (residential air) manganese (Mn) exposure and cognitive performance, focusing on cognitive control, in a Black African population. METHODS: We administered the Go-No-Go, Digit Span, and Matrix Reasoning tests to population-based samples age ≥40 from a high Mn (smelter) exposed community, Meyerton (N = 629), and a demographically comparable low (background levels) non-exposed community, Ethembalethu, (N = 96) in Gauteng province, South Africa. We investigated the associations between community and performance on the cognitive tests, using linear regression. We adjusted a priori for age and sex, and examined the effect of adjustment for education, nonverbal IQ, smoking, and alcohol consumption. We measured airborne PM-Mn to confirm community exposure differences. RESULTS: Compared to Ethembalethu residents, Meyerton residents\u27 test scores were lower (poorer) for all tests: 0.55 (95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.08, 1.03) lower scores for Matrix Reasoning, 0.34 (95 % CI -0.07, 0.75) lower for Digit Span, and 0.15 (95 % CI 0.09, 0.21) lower for Go-No-Go (high frequency discriminability index [probability]). The latter represented the most marked difference in terms of z-scores (0.50, 95 % CI 0.30, 0.71 standard deviations lower). The mean of the z-score of each of the three tests was also lower (0.34, 95 % CI 0.18, 0.50 standard deviations lower). These associations were similar in men and women, but attenuated with adjustment for education. Differences for Matrix Reasoning and Digit Span between the two communities were observed only among those who had lived in Meyerton ≥10 years, whereas for Go-No-Go, differences were also apparent among those who had lived in Meyerton \u3c10 years. Mean PM-Mn at a long-term fixed site in Meyerton was 203 ng/m and 10 ng/m in Ethembalethu. CONCLUSION: Residence in a community near a high Mn emission source is associated with cognitive dysfunction, including aspects of cognitive control as assessed by the Go-No-Go test

Plasma mineral status after a six-month intervention providing one egg per day to young Malawian children: a randomized controlled trial

Mineral deficiencies are common in children living in low-resource areas. Eggs are a rich source of essential nutrients and have been shown to improve growth in young children, although little is known about their impact on mineral status. Children aged 6-9 months (n = 660) were randomized to receive either one egg/day for 6-months or no intervention. Anthropometric data, dietary recalls, and venous blood were collected at baseline and 6-months follow-up. Quantification of plasma minerals (n = 387) was done using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy. Difference-in-difference mean plasma mineral concentrations was determined from baseline and follow-up values and assessed between groups by intention-to-treat using ANCOVA regression models. Prevalence of zinc deficiency was 57.4% at baseline and 60.5% at follow-up. Mean difference (MD) of plasma magnesium, selenium, copper, and zinc levels were not different between groups. Plasma iron concentrations were significantly lower in the intervention compared to the control group (MD = - 9.29; 95% CI: - 15.95, - 2.64). Zinc deficiency was widely prevalent in this population. Mineral deficiencies were not addressed with the egg intervention. Further interventions are needed to improve the mineral status of young children