The effect of different workplace nanoparticles on the immune systems of employees

Publisher Copyright: © 2017, The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Currently, nanoparticles are widely present in the environment and are being used in various industrial technologies. Nanoparticles affect immune functions, causing different immune responses. The aim of the current study was to evaluate several cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, IL-8, tumour necrosis factor-a (TNF-α), interferon-γ, adhesive molecule sICAM-1, macrophage inhibitory protein 1a (MIP1a) and secretory immunoglobulin A, in nasal lavage fluid and in the peripheral blood of healthy subjects exposed to workplace nanoparticles. Thirty-six employees from three different environments were examined: 12 from a metalworking company, 12 from a woodworking company and 12 office workers. The nanoparticles in the different workplaces were detected in the air in the immediate vicinity of the employees. The particle number concentration and surface area values were significantly higher in the workplaces of the metal- and woodworking industries, but concentrations of mass were lower (the measurements were performed by an electrical low-pressure impactor ELPI+). Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS, an attachment to a high-resolution SEM) was used to provide elemental analysis or chemical characterization of the dust particles in a low-vacuum field-free mode operating at a potential of 15 kV spot 3.0. The technique used provided quantitative and spatial analyses of the distribution of elements through mapping (two to three parallel measurements) and point analysis (four to five parallel measurements). Samples from the metal industry contained more ultramicroscopic and nanometric particles, e.g. toxic metals such as Zn, Mn and Cr, and fewer microscopic dust particles. The nasal lavage and peripheral blood were taken at the beginning and the end of the working week, when immune indices were measured. Our data showed a statistically significant increased level of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α in serum in both exposed groups compared with office workers as well as a higher level of TNF-α in workers from the woodworking company compared with the metalworking employees. We found an elevated level of IL-6 in the exposed groups as well as an elevated level of IL-8 in the nasal lavage in woodworking employees after work.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Wrist hypothermia related to continuous work with a computer mouse : A digital infrared imaging pilot study

Publisher Copyright: © 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Copyright: Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Computer work is characterized by sedentary static workload with low-intensity energy metabolism. The aim of our study was to evaluate the dynamics of skin surface temperature in the hand during prolonged computer mouse work under different ergonomic setups. Digital infrared imaging of the right forearm and wrist was performed during three hours of continuous computer work (measured at the start and every 15 minutes thereafter) in a laboratory with controlled ambient conditions. Four people participated in the study. Three different ergonomic computer mouse setups were tested on three different days (horizontal computer mouse without mouse pad; horizontal computer mouse with mouse pad and padded wrist support; vertical computer mouse without mouse pad). The study revealed a significantly strong negative correlation between the temperature of the dorsal surface of the wrist and time spent working with a computer mouse. Hand skin temperature decreased markedly after one hour of continuous computer mouse work. Vertical computer mouse work preserved more stable and higher temperatures of the wrist (>30 °C), while continuous use of a horizontal mouse for more than two hours caused an extremely low temperature (<28 °C) in distal parts of the hand. The preliminary observational findings indicate the significant effect of the duration and ergonomics of computer mouse work on the development of hand hypothermia.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Ageing and production of the cytokines in Chernobyl clean-up workers from Latvia

Chronic low-grade inflammation with subsequent impairment of immune system function promotes the development of age-related diseases, such as cancers, degenerative and infection diseases. It is not yet clear, if exposure to ionising radiation accelerates the aging process. The aim of the present work was to estimate the production of several cytokines by peripheral blood cells of Latvia's Chernobyl clean-up workers depending on age. ELISA was employed to determine the plasma level of sIL-1β and sIL-6 as well as level of IL-4 and TNF-α spontaneous and 24h and 96h after in vitro stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) mitogens were determined in 40 Chernobyl clean-up workers 17 years after their work in Chernobyl and in 42 blood-donors without a history of occupational radiation exposure. The ability of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) to produce interferons (IFNs) was determined in 73 Chernobyl clean-up workers 15 years after the work in Chernobyl and in age-matched 63 blood-donors. IFNs were tested in whole blood cultures by standard virus cytopathic inhibition micromethod after their in vitro induction by Newcastle disease virus, phytohemagglutinin or double-stranded RNA. Individuals were divided into three age groups: age 50. The ability of PBL to produce IFN was significantly decreased in all Chernobyl clean-up worker age groups in comparison with blood-donors (control groups). The incidence of good ability to produce IFN gradually decreased with age in the control group, but increased with age in aged-matched Chernobyl clean-up workers groups. The production TNF-α and IL-4 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells as well as sIL-1β level in plasma showed no significant differences between all the examined age groups. The sIL-6 level was gradually increased with age in Chernobyl clean-up workers. Our results showed that the concentration of pro-inflammation cytokine sIL-6 in peripheral blood plasma, as well as the ability of PBL to produce IFNs, in Chernobyl clean-up workers from Latvia is age dependent.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Telomere length in Chernobyl accident recovery workers in the late period after the disaster

Publisher Copyright: © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japan Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.The outcome of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (CNPP) accident was that a huge number of people were exposed to ionizing radiation. Previous studies of CNPP clean-up workers from Latvia revealed a high occurrence of age-associated degenerative diseases and cancer in young adults, as well as a high mortality as a result of cardiovascular disorders at age 45-54 years. DNA tandem repeats that cap chromosome ends, known as telomeres, are sensitive to oxidative damage and exposure to ionizing radiation. Telomeres are important in aging processes and carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effect of protracted ionizing radiation exposure on telomere length in CNPP clean-up workers. Relative telomere length (RTL) was measured in peripheral blood leukocytes of 595 CNPP clean-up workers and 236 gender- and agematched controls using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR). Close attention was paid to participation year and tasks performed during the worker's stay in Chernobyl, health status, and RTL differences between subgroups. Telomere shortening was not found in CNPP clean-up workers; on the contrary, their RTL was slightly greater than in controls (P = 0.001). Longer telomeres were found in people who worked during 1986, in those undertaking 'dirty' tasks (digging and deactivation), and in people with cancer. Shorter telomeres appeared frequently in those with cataract, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, or coronary heart disease. We conclude that the longer telomeres revealed in people more heavily exposed to ionizing radiation probably indicate activation of telomerase as a chromosome healing mechanism following damage, and reflect defects in telomerase regulation that could potentiate carcinogenesis.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Investigations on Health Conditions of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident Recovery Workers from Latvia in Late Period after Disaster

Publisher Copyright: © 2016 Jeļena Reste et al., published by De Gruyter Open 2016.The paper summarises the main findings on Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) accident recovery workers from Latvia and their health disturbances, which have been studied by the authors during the last two decades. Approximately 6000 persons from Latvia participated in CNPP clean-up works in 1986-1991. During their work period in Chernobyl they were exposed to external as well as to internal irradiation, but since their return to Latvia they were living in a relatively uncontaminated area. Regular careful medical examinations and clinical studies of CNPP clean-up workers have been conducted during the 25 years after disaster, gathering knowledge on radiation late effects. The aim of the present review is to summarise the most important information about Latvian CNPP clean-up worker health revealed by thorough follow-up and research conducted in the period of 25 years after the accident. This paper reviews data of the Latvian State Register of Persons Exposed to Radiation due to CNPP Accident and gives insight in main health effects found by the researchers from the Centre of Occupational and Radiological Medicine (Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital) and Riga Stradiņš University in a number of epidemiological, clinical, biochemical, immunological, and physiological studies. Latvian research data on health condition of CNPP clean-up workers in the late period after disaster indicate that ionising radiation might cause premature ageing and severe polymorbidity in humans.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Veselibas traucejumu dinamika Cernobilas avarijas seku likvidetajiem velina perioda pec darba piesarnotaja vide (1996-2001)

Abstract in Latvian, English, Russian. Separate summaries in Latvian, EnglishAvailable from Latvian Academic Library / LAL - Latvian Academic LibrarySIGLELVLatvi

Wrist Hypothermia Related to Continuous Work with a Computer Mouse: A Digital Infrared Imaging Pilot Study

Computer work is characterized by sedentary static workload with low-intensity energy metabolism. The aim of our study was to evaluate the dynamics of skin surface temperature in the hand during prolonged computer mouse work under different ergonomic setups. Digital infrared imaging of the right forearm and wrist was performed during three hours of continuous computer work (measured at the start and every 15 minutes thereafter) in a laboratory with controlled ambient conditions. Four people participated in the study. Three different ergonomic computer mouse setups were tested on three different days (horizontal computer mouse without mouse pad; horizontal computer mouse with mouse pad and padded wrist support; vertical computer mouse without mouse pad). The study revealed a significantly strong negative correlation between the temperature of the dorsal surface of the wrist and time spent working with a computer mouse. Hand skin temperature decreased markedly after one hour of continuous computer mouse work. Vertical computer mouse work preserved more stable and higher temperatures of the wrist (&gt;30 °C), while continuous use of a horizontal mouse for more than two hours caused an extremely low temperature (&lt;28 °C) in distal parts of the hand. The preliminary observational findings indicate the significant effect of the duration and ergonomics of computer mouse work on the development of hand hypothermia