Risk of infection and adverse outcomes among pregnant working women in selected occupational groups: A study in the Danish National Birth Cohort

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Exposure to infectious pathogens is a frequent occupational hazard for women who work with patients, children, animals or animal products. The purpose of the present study is to investigate if women working in occupations where exposure to infections agents is common have a high risk of infections and adverse pregnancy outcomes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used data from the Danish National Birth Cohort, a population-based cohort study and studied the risk of Infection and adverse outcomes in pregnant women working with patients, with children, with food products or with animals. The regression analysis were adjusted for the following covariates: maternal age, parity, history of miscarriage, socio-occupational status, pre-pregnancy body mass index, smoking habit, alcohol consumption.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Pregnant women who worked with patients or children or food products had an excess risk of sick leave during pregnancy for more than three days. Most of negative reproductive outcomes were not increased in these occupations but the prevalence of congenital anomalies (CAs) was slightly higher in children of women who worked with patients. The prevalence of small for gestational age infants was higher among women who worked with food products. There was no association between occupation infections during pregnancy and the risk of reproductive failures in the exposed groups. However, the prevalence of CAs was slightly higher among children of women who suffered some infection during pregnancy but the numbers were small.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite preventive strategies, working in specific jobs during pregnancy may impose a higher risk of infections, and working in some of these occupations may impose a slightly higher risk of CAs in their offspring. Most other reproductive failures were not increased in these occupations.</p

Cyclophosphamide effect on coccidioidomycosis in the rat

Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic mycosis, endemic in arid areas of the American continent. The rat was employed as an experimental host, since it had been shown to reproduce human lesions and present a chronic course of disease with granulomas mainly restricted to lungs. Given the influence of immunosuppressive therapy on the clinical course of human coccidioidomycosis, we studied the effect of cyclophosphamide (CY) in the experimental rat model. Accordingly, animals were inoculated with 400 Coccidioides immitis arthroconidia of the Acosta strain, by intracardiacal route. As single CY doses failed to alter the course of disease, three schedules were used: A) 4 daily doses of 20 mg/kg each, prior to C. immitis inoculation; B) 4 similar daily doses after infection; and C); 6 doses of 20 mg/kg each, given from day +1 to +4, then on days +8 and +9, post infection (pi), taking day 0 as the time of fungal inoculation. The first two schedules inhibited antibody formation up to day 28 pi, without modifying cellular response to coccidioidin as measured by foodpad swelling. Initially, there was greater fungal spread than in controls receiving C. immitis alone, which proved self-limiting in the latter. In contrast, schedule C led to 559r mortality, with both humoral and cellular response abrogation, accompanied by extensive C. immitis dissemination. Histology disclosed significant alterations, such as the persistence of primary infection sporangia, corresponding to the acute stage of coccidioidomycosis in the absence of granuloma development. Therefore, the observed depression in cellular immunity seems responsible for the lack of inflammatory reaction capable of restricting sporangia proliferation in tissues which, in turn, enhances pathogen spread and mortality rate.El propósito de este trabajo fue estudiar el efecto de la inmunosupresión causada por la droga ciclofosfamida (CY) sobre la infección de la rata con Coccidioides immitis por vía intracardíaca. Este huésped fue empleado como modelo experimental, ya que presenta una evolución de la enfermedad semejante a la del hombre, alcanzando una etapa crónica con granulomas principalmente restringidos a los pulmones. Se utilizaron tres esquemas de CY: A) 4 dosis de 20 mg/kg cada una, antes de la inoculación de Ci; B) 4 dosis de igual cantidad de CY, luego de la infección; y C) 6 dosis de 20 mg/kg cada una, administradas desde el día +1 hasta +4 y continuando los días + 8 y +9 post-infección (pi). Los dos primeros esquemas inhibieron la formación de anticuerpos hasta el día 28 pi, sin modificar la respuesta celular a la coccidioidina, medida como hinchazón de la almohadilla plantar. Se observó una mayor diseminación fúngica inicial, autolimi-tándose más tarde. Por el contrario, el esquema C provocó un 55% de mortalidad, disminución de la respuesta humoral y celular, acompañada de una extensa diseminación del Ci. La histología mostró alteraciones significativas, tales como persistencia de esporangios de primoinfección, correspondientes al estadio agudo de la coccidioidomicosis, con ausencia de desarrollo de granulomas. Por lo tanto, la depresión observada en la respuesta celular debido al tratamiento con CY sería la responsable de la ausencia de la reacción inflamatoria capaz de restringir la proliferación de esporangios en los tejidos, lo cual a su vez favorece la diseminación del microorganismo patógeno y el aumento de morta lidad

Development of a HVDC prototype breaker. Final report

The significant design features of a high-voltage dc (HVDC) circuit breaker based on the commutation concept were developed. Tests of components indicate the breaker is capable of interrupting a fault current of 10 kA on a 400 kV system and absorbing up to 10 MJ of system energy without generating more than 1.6 per unit (P.U.) voltage of the system. Interactions of the breaker with a three-terminal network were studied, using a system simulator. An ultrafast hydraulic actuator system was developed for this program which enables the breaker to initiate the current limiting process within 5 ms after receipt of a trip signal. A new hydraulic valve, operated by a repulsion coil, minimizes the delay before motion begins. Interruption will occur in series-connected vacuum interrupters. A 400 kV circuit breaker is estimated to require eight breaks in series. Only a single break was tested as part of this program because of the scale and cost required for multibreak tests. System energy will be absorbed by zinc-oxide-based surge suppressors included as an integral part of the breaker. The overall design is envisioned as a dead tank type using pressurized SF/sub 6/ gas as a dielectric medium. The actuator and all control functions are located at ground potential, with easy access for inspection or adjustment. Operational specifications have been carried over from NEMA standards for ac power circuit breakers where applicable. The cost of one pole of this circuit breaker, when in regular production, has been estimated as two times the cost of a three-phase 500 kV ac circuit breaker