Hearing loss among ship crewmembers

Modern life in conditions of globalization and increasing freedom of movement of people and goods is a prerequisite for increasing transport activity. As a part of it, water transport meets increased demand with flexible operation of various types of vessels, equipped with modern technologies, materials and systems. Of course, in addition to the accomplished success are some new ecological problems. Some of them are related to noise pollution. The frequencies of hearing disorder are studied among deck, machine and kitchen crew. There are 388 subjects in the study (374 or 98.4% men and 6 or 1.6% women), average age of 43,49 ± 10,7 years. Pure tone audiometry was performed. The results show pronounced professional etiology of hearing loss with peak violations at 4000Hz for machine crew. There are statistically significant correlations of the average hearing loss with age, work experience, body mass index and chronic non-communicable diseases. Additional prophylactic measures are needed to control noise levels on board vessels, medical monitoring of workers in hazardous environments and audiometric functional study of mechanics at least every two years, in accordance with international standards

ASSESSING SALIVARY CORTISOL IN RESEARCH OF SHIFT WORK RISKS AMONG CASINO EMPLOYEES IN BULGARIA

Although the effects of shift work on casino employees have been documented, no data exists describing the effect of stress on the hormone secretion. The present quantitative study evaluates the use of salivary cortisol concentration as a biomarker of the stress level among casino employees in Bulgaria. This new data emphasize the need to examine the circadian rhythm of cortisol in a casino environment

The endogenous cannabinoid and the adrenergic systems in modulation of stress-response

In our modern, fast-paced society, excessive stress (or distress) is a major risk factor for developing a plethora of diseases. There are several neuromediatory systems in the brain that regulate the response to stress, including the adrenergic and endocannabinoid systems. In our experiments, we study the effects of the endocannabinoid system on the restrain stress-induced analgesia (r-SIA). The experiments were done on male Wistar rats. The animals were confined in special restrainers for a period of one hour. The animals were treated with Clonidine (at 4 mg/kg) – a prototypical α2-agonist; Yohimbine – an α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist; Desipramine – a NE reuptake blocker; CB1r agonist anandamide (AEA); CB1r antagonist АМ251 in different combinations. r-SIA was investigated by means of the paw pressure test in order to get a better understanding of the role that the neurotransmitter anandamide plays in the process. The degree to which the levels of r-SIA fluctuated served as an indicator of the degree to which the cannabinoid system and the adrenergic system interacted with one another. Cannabinoids that are administered exogenously were found to reduce levels of r-SIA and modulate the effects of the adrenergic system. These conclusions were reached based on the findings of our research

A 36-year-old woman with a parathyroid cyst

Background: Parathyroid cysts are rare entities. They account for less than 0.5% of parathyroid lesions. They are divided into two main groups: functioning and non-functioning. Case description: We present a 36- year-old woman with complaints of palpitations, sweating, and nervousness of about 2 months’ duration. From an ultrasound of the thyroid gland with data on anechoic formation under the lower pole of the left lobe of the thyroid gland with dimension 14/16/24 mm. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the formation was performed with aspiration of about 5 ml of clear liquid and examination of washout. PTH from the washout of the extrathyroidal lesion-1040 pg/ml. A month later with ultrasound data on recurrence of the formation; repeated aspiration of about 5 ml of blood fluid was performed with subsequent application of 1 ml of absolute alcohol intranodal. Conclusion: Thirty days after the procedure with ultrasound data of slight regression in the dimension: 10/11/20 mm

Contact sensitization to metals in dental exposures in Bulgaria

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of contact sensitization to metals used in dental practice among students of dental medicine, students from a dental technician school, dental professionals and patients. A total of 128 participants: 28 dental professionals, 40 students of dental medicine, 38 students from a dental technician school and 22 patients without occupational exposure to metals, were patch tested with potassium dichromate, cobalt(II)chloride hexahydrate, copper(II)sulfate pentahydrate, palladium(II)chloride, aluminium(III)chloride hexahydrate, gold(I)sodium thiosulfate dehydrate, tin and nickel(II)sulfate hexahydrate. The main metal allergens for students of dental medicine were cobalt(II)chloride hexahydrate, gold(I)sodium thiosulfate dehydrate, nickel(II)sulfate hexahydrate and potassium dichromate; for students from the dental technician school – cobalt(II)chloride hexahydrate, nickel(II)sulfate hexahydrate and gold(I)sodium thiosulfate dehydrate; for dental professionals – cobalt(II)chloride hexahydrate, palladium(II)chloride and nickel(II)sulfate hexahydrate, and for dental patients – cobalt(II)chloride hexahydrate, nickel(II)sulfate hexahydrate and copper(II)sulfate pentahydrate. There was a significantly higher incidence of sensitization to potassium dichromate (χ2 = 10.497, p = 0.012), palladium(II)chloride (χ2 = 5.381, p = 0.02) and gold(I)sodium thiosulfate dehydrate (χ2 = 6.347, p = 0.018) in the group of students of dental medicine. Our findings confirm the importance of cobalt(II)chloride hexahydrate as contact sensitizer for all the studied groups. Students of dental medicine could be defined as a group of particular risk of contact sensitization with metals. We recommend that knowledge on the sensitizing properties of metals be provided at the very beginning of the course of practical education in dentistry, together with application of adequate preventive measures