Glycol ethers and semen quality: a cross-sectional study among male workers in the Paris Municipality.

International audienceOBJECTIVES: Apparent increases in human male reproductive disorders, including low sperm production, may have occurred because of increased chemical exposure. Various glycol ether-based solvents have pronounced adverse effects on sperm production and male fertility in laboratory animals. The authors investigated the effects of past and current exposure to glycol ether-containing products on semen quality and reproductive hormones among men employed by the Paris Municipality. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2001 the authors recruited 109 men who gave semen, blood and urine samples and underwent an andrological examination. Information on lifestyle, occupation, exposure and medical history was obtained by interview. According to their job and chemical products used during the period 1990-2000, men were classified as either occupationally exposed or non-exposed. Current exposure levels to glycol ethers at the time of the study were evaluated by biological monitoring of six urinary metabolites. RESULTS: Previous exposure to glycol ethers was associated with an increased risk for sperm concentration, for rapid progressive motility and for morphologically normal sperm below the World Health Organization semen reference values. No effect of previous glycol ether exposure on hormones levels was observed. By contrast, current glycol ether exposure levels were low and not correlated with either seminal quality or hormone levels. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that most glycol ethers currently used do not impact on human semen characteristics. Those that were more prevalent from the 1960s until recently may have long lasting negative effects on human semen quality

Maladie de Parkinson et produits phytosanitaires : apport de la consultation de pathologies professionnelles et environnementales de Poitiers dans la caractérisation des matières actives d’intérêt

33. Congrès National de Santé au Travail, 2014/06/03-06, Lille (France)International audienc

Pharmacokinetics of Colchicine in Pediatric and Adult Patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever

This study sought to determine the appropriate starting dose of colchicine in children aged 2 to 4 years with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) based on steady-state pharmacokinetics in pediatric patients with FMF >= 2 to = 16 to = 2 to = 4 to = 6 to = 12 to = 16 to <= 65 years]), the observed steady-state pharmacokinetic parameters were comparable across age groups, despite the higher doses of colchicine on a mg/kg/day basis in the younger age groups. An exception occurred with once-daily colchicine, whereby mean C-max for colchicine was higher in patients 4 to <6 years (9.4 ng/mL) compared with the younger and older age groups (6.1-6.7 ng/mL). Mean AUC(0_24h) values in children 2 to <4, 6 to <12, and 12 to <16 years were similar to those in adults. However, mean AUC(0_24h) values in children 4 to <6 years were 25% higher than those observed in adults. The results show that the recommended starting dose for children 2-4 years and 4-6 years should be 0.6 mg/day (half the US adult dose). Children aged 6 to <12 years should receive 0.9 mg/day (i.e. three-quarters of the US adult dose). The safety of colchicine in children 2 to <4 years was comparable to that in older children and adults.WoSScopu

Promotion of work ability among French health care workers: value of the work ability index

The French HCWs who have been studied belong to the French sample of European NEXT Study. This sample consists of 55 public and private institutions in five regions. WAI has been calculated on 4306 subjects out of 5376 because of missing data. More than a third have a moderate or a poor index (29.4% and 5.2%, respectively). Half (50.6%) of the sample have a good index and only 14.9%, an excellent one. The WAI decreases with age: 19.4% of the "less than 30", 14.6% of the 30-44 years old and 12.3% of the 45 + have an excellent WAI. But, the rate of decrease depends definitely on job demands and especially on physical load. The multivariate analysis showed that in France as well as in the other countries, work demand, uncertainty about treatments, low support from colleagues, and dissatisfaction with psychological support had high odds ratios for a low WAI. Dissatisfaction with physical working conditions and the necessity to maintain uncomfortable postures were the second group of factors with a strong influence on a low WAI. The absence of time for sports or leisure remained strongly linked with a low WAI after an adjustment to the other risk factors. The WAI enables the workplace physician to summarize data which the hospital can use to further its thinking about how to manage jobs and skills

Nurses'work schedules, work content, and well-being in seven European countries: comparative study within the NEXT project

Recent technological developments (e.g. PET) have given us insight into the brain mechanisms of cognitive processes, i.a. attention. The attention system has a basis of neural networks with a different location for separate subsystems i.e. orienting, detective-executive and vigilance attention networks. Their complex interplay is responsible for the proper functioning of attention governing all cognitive processes from perception to decision making and execution. Driving a vehicle imposes especially high demands on the attention system. Variable road conditions might expose this system to entirely different demands. Monotonous driving on a highway and intense town traffic are typical examples. Additionally the time of day factor complicates the issue. The visual field undergoes specific changes as result of attention functioning. Stressful situations resulting in domination of the executive attention subsystem may cause narrowing of the visual field (tunnel vision). This in turn may lead to danger due to our omitting important information appearing in the peripheral part of the visual field. The examples presented below allow us to conclude that driving a car exposes the attention system to tasks surpassing its capabilities, are phylogenetically adjusted to the natural speed of changes in natural environment conditions. The scale and importance of the problem make it one of the most important challenges for contemporary ergonomics