Elizabeth F. Mi[uter] to Mr. Meredith (1 October 1962)

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/mercorr_pro/1340/thumbnail.jp

Is occupational exposure to solvents associated with an increased risk for developing systemic scleroderma?

BACKGROUND: Our study was aimed to investigate in a German collective if there are any hints for an increased occupational or environmental risk to develop systemic sclerosis, especially, focussing on work-related exposure to solvents. Moreover, we tried to evaluate the feasibility of a sampling method addressing support groups. METHODS: A standardised questionnaire was published in two journals subscribed by members of two different support groups and all members were asked to complete the questionnaire and to return it anonymously. The subjects were not informed on the scientific hypotheses, nor did they know who of them belonged to the case group (scleroderma) or to the control group (multiple sclerosis). RESULTS: 175 questionnaires could be included in the statistical analysis. As expected, a female predominance was in our collective. In the male subpopulation, the occupational exposure to solvents was higher in the case group than in the control-group (70% versus 45.8%). Based only on the male subgroup, a tendency for an association between occupational exposure to solvents and the risk to develop systemic sclerosis was found. CONCLUSION: According to our experience in this case-control-study exposure misclassification, qualitative or quantitative, was an eminent problem. Within such a setting, it is generally very difficult to establish an exact dose-response relationship due to incomplete, imprecise or missing data concerning duration of exposure, frequency of use and kind of solvent. Additionally, a well-known problem in studies based on self-reported questionnaires is the so-called volunteer bias. Unfortunately, but similar to other studies assessing epidemiologic factors in such a rare disease, our study was of limited power, especially in the subgroups defined by gender

Secondary prevention of allergic symptoms in a dairy farmer by use of a milking robot

BACKGROUND: Animal-derived allergens include lipocalins which play an increasing role in occupational respiratory sensitizations. The prevention of sensitization in stock farming is often difficult due to intense exposure, with traditional milking still requiring close animal contact. Complete avoidance of allergen exposure is only possible if stock farming is abandoned. This is, however, often not feasible in small dairy plants because of the resulting loss of income. CASE PRESENTATION: In a 37-year-old female farmer daily asthmatic complaints appeared, associated with cow dust-derived allergen exposure by milking with a conventional device. Respiratory symptoms increased during a period of 12 years. Allergic bronchial asthma was diagnosed, caused by sensitization against cow dust-derived allergens, as demonstrated by positive skin prick test and by detection of IgE antibodies. In a separate specific inhalation challenge test using a 10% extract of cow dust-derived allergens a 330% increase of airway resistance was detected. To enable further dairy farming, a milking robot was installed in 1999, i.e., an automatic milking system. The novel milking technique reduced the daily exposure from over 2 hours to approximately 10 min. The clinical course after the installation of the milking robot was favourable, with less frequent allergic and asthmatic symptoms. Furthermore, asthma medication could be reduced. Improvement was noted also in terms of lung-function and decreased total serum IgE. CONCLUSION: The case presented and the evidence from the literature indicates that the strategy of exposure minimization to allergens at workplaces can be an effective alternative to total elimination. In farmers with cow dust allergy a milking robot is an appropriate technical measure to minimize allergen-exposure

The digital data processing concepts of the LOFT mission

The Large Observatory for X-ray Timing (LOFT) is one of the five mission candidates that were considered by ESA for an M3 mission (with a launch opportunity in 2022 - 2024). LOFT features two instruments: the Large Area Detector (LAD) and the Wide Field Monitor (WFM). The LAD is a 10 m 2 -class instrument with approximately 15 times the collecting area of the largest timing mission so far (RXTE) for the first time combined with CCD-class spectral resolution. The WFM will continuously monitor the sky and recognise changes in source states, detect transient and bursting phenomena and will allow the mission to respond to this. Observing the brightest X-ray sources with the effective area of the LAD leads to enormous data rates that need to be processed on several levels, filtered and compressed in real-time already on board. The WFM data processing on the other hand puts rather low constraints on the data rate but requires algorithms to find the photon interaction location on the detector and then to deconvolve the detector image in order to obtain the sky coordinates of observed transient sources. In the following, we want to give an overview of the data handling concepts that were developed during the study phase.Comment: Proc. SPIE 9144, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 91446

Application of the linear network model of finding the shortest way of evacuation of the population

The report considers an algorithm for solving the problem of advance evacuation of the population, which is formulated as finding the shortest path in a linear network model representing the routes of movement along the existing transport network of roads with a cycle. The starting point is the prefabricated evacuation point, and the final one is the receiving evacuation point, the numbers on the edges are the length of the path between the intermediate points

Methylisothiazolinone contact allergy in Croatia: epidemiology and course of disease following patch testing

Background: Methylisothiazolinone (MI) caused an epidemic of contact allergy in Europe, as shown by data from many countries, but no studies from Croatia exist. Also, data are lacking on the severity of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) caused by MI, and its impact on quality of life and prognosis. ----- Objectives: To determine the frequency of MI contact allergy among Croatian dermatitis patients, identify causative exposures, assess the impact of disease, and study the prognosis. ----- Methods: Data were collected for consecutive dermatitis patients with MI contact allergy patch tested in Croatia between November 2, 2015 and November 3, 2016. ----- Results: MI contact allergy was diagnosed in 13.2% of 798 tested patients. The most frequent dermatitis locations were the hands (76%) and face (61%). In 89.3% of patients, MI contact allergy was found to be of current relevance. Considerable severity and impact on daily life of disease was found at the first consultation, but this significantly decreased until follow-up 3 months later. ----- Conclusions: Patch testing is the standard method for the diagnosis of ACD, and it has been shown to have an important beneficial effect on prognosis. The severity of MI ACD and the impact on daily life emphasize the need for prevention

Long-Term Experience of Chemoradiotherapy Combined with Deep Regional Hyperthermia for Organ Preservation in High-Risk Bladder Cancer (Ta, Tis, T1, T2).

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of chemoradiotherapy (RCT) combined with regional deep hyperthermia (RHT) of high-risk bladder cancer after transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-BT).Materials and methodsBetween 1982 and 2016, 369 patients with pTa, pTis, pT1, and pT2 cN0-1 cM0 bladder cancer were treated with a multimodal treatment after TUR-BT. All patients received radiotherapy (RT) of the bladder and regional lymph nodes. RCT was administered to 215 patients, RCT + RHT was administered to 79 patients, and RT was used in 75 patients. Treatment response was evaluated 4-6 weeks after treatment with TUR-BT.ResultsComplete response (CR) overall was 83% (290/351), and in treatment groups was RT 68% (45/66), RCT 86% (178/208), and RCT + RHT 87% (67/77). CR was significantly improved by concurrent RCT compared with RT (odds ratio [OR], 2.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-5.12; p = .037), less influenced by hyperthermia (OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 0.88-8.00; p = .092). Overall survival (OS) after RCT was superior to RT (hazard ratio [HR], 0.7; 95% CI, 0.50-0.99; p = .045). Five-year OS from unadjusted Kaplan-Meier estimates was RCT 64% versus RT 45%. Additional RHT increased 5-year OS to 87% (HR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.18-0.58; p = .0001). RCT + RHT compared with RCT showed a significantly better bladder-preservation rate (HR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.03-0.56; p = .006). Median follow-up was 71 months. The median number of RHT sessions was five.ConclusionThe multimodal treatment consisted of a maximal TUR-BT followed by RT; concomitant platinum-based chemotherapy combined with RHT in patients with high-grade bladder cancer improves local control, bladder-preservation rate, and OS. It offers a promising alternative to surgical therapies like radical cystectomy.Implications for practiceRadical cystectomy with appropriate lymph node dissection has long represented the standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer in medically fit patients, despite many centers reporting excellent long-term results for bladder preserving strategies. This retrospective analysis compares different therapeutic modalities in bladder-preservation therapy. The results of this study show that multimodal treatment consisting of maximal transurethral resection of bladder tumor followed by radiotherapy, concomitant platinum-based chemotherapy combined with regional deep hyperthermia in patients with Ta, Tis, T1-2 bladder carcinomas improves local control, bladder-preservation rate, and survival. More importantly, these findings offer a promising alternative to surgical therapies like radical cystectomy. The authors hope that, in the future, closer collaboration between urologists and radiotherapists will further improve treatments and therapies for the benefit of patients

A needs-based investigation to manage the safety of public transport infrastructure using Jamaica as a case study

The global concerns for road safety have risen over the past decades based on the number of road fatalities and serious injuries that have occurred. Nonetheless, there have been significant gains in reducing the number road crashes that occur in developed countries. However, road crashes still remain a challenge for developing countries, where road safety is not included as a key aspect of road design. This is as a result of road crashes being viewed as a consequence of road transport and not a preventable occurrence in most developing countries, (WHO, 2005). This research begins with introducing the global problem of mass population movement into urban areas and the impact on road users, public transport facilities and urban road design features. It explains the background for the basis of the research project by looking at the existing situation in Jamaica. And at the same time presents a literature review, which looks at research in the areas of road safety, road safety models and public transport facilities. The methodology that follows, demonstrates the development of a new crash allocation star rating model for pub-lic transport pedestrian users at public transport facilities. This by adopting the model development principles of the iRAP methodology. In addition, a needs-based approach was developed to assess the safety needs of public transport pedestrian users at public transport facilities. This was as a result of public transport pedestrian users and public transport facilities not included as a road user type or road attribute in iRAP. Nonetheless, data collection was done using the iRAP methodology. In particular, the data was collected at different IQL levels according to the iRAP road survey methodology. The data considered road attributes, transport facilities such as bus shelters and transport centres and road crash fatalities. Moreover, road crash fatalities that occurred at public transport facilities in the study area of Kingston and St. Andrew on 9 road sections. The assessment process was carried out first using the iRAP methodology which focused on road attributes within the existing iRAP data base. Where road attributes were not identified, the needs-based assessment process was used. In this way, risk factors identified using the need-based approach were to expand the iRAP methodology, to develop a star rating equation for public transport pedestrian users. By extension, countermeasure interventions were introduced where these were not found to be included in the existing iRAP methodology. Furthermore, an economic analysis was done for two options using the FYRR method. The results demonstrated positive FYRRs’, however the rate of return on investment depended on the cost to implement the countermeasure identified