Introduction: Specifics of activities of medical personnel in different types of laboratories can potentially create working conditions that violate occupational safety and health regulations. Objective: The study aimed to assess health risks of thermal balance disruption in PCR laboratory staff wearing personal protective equipment for biohazards in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in winter 2020–2021 in PCR laboratories of the Volgograd Region. It included measurements of laboratory microclimate parameters, such as relative humidity, air temperature and velocity, used to estimate the heat load index. An observation cohort of 31 female medical laboratory workers aged 32.48 ± 1.45 years with a three to nine months experience of work in the PCR laboratory was formed to monitor the thermal state at the start and end of the work shift by measuring skin temperature at five points, sublingual temperature, and heat sensation. The results of measurements were used to estimate the mean skin temperature and heart rate while the dynamics of work ability was assessed by the results of contact tremorometry. Results: We established a significant increase in all measured values. The mean skin temperature at the end of the shift reached 33.85 ± 0.24 °C, thus exceeding the upper limit of the permissible value. The heart rate and heat sensation parameters approached the upper values of the maximum permissible thermal state of a person. Contact tremorometry results indicated a decrease in the performance by the end of the work shift. The findings gave evidence of tension of thermoregulatory reactions and the risk of thermal balance disruption posed by the use of a specific type of personal protective equipment in the PCR laboratory. Conclusion: The research results provide strong support for the conclusion that the use of PPE for biohazards poses a risk of thermal balance disruption in medical laboratory personnel. The severity of stress of thermoregulatory reactions depends on technical and design characteristics of the PPE used. The necessity of a physiological and hygienic substantiation of acceptable duration of work of medical workers wearing various types of PPE for biohazards in PCR laboratories justifies the importance of further studies.
Introduction. The profession of “machine operator in metalworking”, one of the most common professions in various industries, characterized by a large volume of abrasive operations, accompanied by dust formation, which creates a potential for the occurrence of diseases of the visual organ.The aim of the study is to provide a hygienic assessment of working conditions and occupational risk of visual organ pathology in metalworking machine operators.Materials and methods. Observation groups — machine operators for metalworking of two training groups (experience up to 5 years, experience of 6–20 years). Two comparison groups (administrative and technical personnel of the enterprise) are formed according to the same age-experience principle.Results. The working conditions of machine operators were classified as class 3.2. taking into account the severity and intensity of the work process and the noise level (80 dBA) in the workplace. Nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and manganese were registered in the air of the working area in concentrations below the permissible concentration (PC), and the aerosol dihydroxide was registered above the PC in 25.8% of cases. In the main working groups, diseases of the anterior segment of the eye were more often registered, among which dry eye syndrome (DYS) prevailed (94.1%), chronic blepharoconjunctivitis (79.9%), persistent corneal opacification (21.7%). There was an increase in the prevalence of detected diseases with an increase in work experience (p≤0.05). In machine operators, the frequency of inhibition of lacrimal formation and decreased stability of the tear film was recorded significantly more often, with increasing work experience, the degree of violation of lacrimal formation and stability of the tear film increased. The chances of detecting pathology of the anterior segment of the eye in machine operators are 5.9 and 3.5 times higher than in the comparison group. There are different forces of connection, increasing with the increase of work experience in the profession, between the working conditions of machine operators and the occurrence of SHG (relatively strong), with chronic blepharoconjunctivitis and persistent corneal opacity (medium strength), which suggests the professional conditionality of this pathology.Conclusions. The results obtained suggest that the pathology of the anterior segment of the eye is professionally conditioned in metalworking machine operators and necessitate the introduction of preventive measures aimed at protecting the visual organ.
Relevance. Currently, one of the most common risk factors for young students is eating disorders, manifested by high rates of overweight and obesity among adolescents.The purpose of the study. To study the nature of nutrition and the features of the component composition of the body of medical college students.Materials and methods. The observation group consisted of students of the 1st and 3rd courses of the medical college. Measured: height, body weight, fat-free body weight (BZHMT), fat mass (fat) and its proportion (% fat), active cell mass (ACM) and its proportion (%), the amount and distribution of fluid in the body, metabolic parameters.Results and discussion. Violations of the regularity of food intake, the absence of a number of biologically valuable foods in the daily diet of most students, more often in senior students, more often in girls, were revealed. Students' meals are associated with frequent visits to public catering places. During the period of study, the number of overweight and obese students increases. The results showed an increase in LM, a more pronounced increase in the per cent of LM of the body in young men, a decrease in the proportion of BZHM and AKM in the component composition of the body. The results of the correlation analysis confirmed that the increase in MT and BMI is more due to an increase in adipose tissue in young men. It was found that the BMI in boys is mainly due to the fat component, in girls to the fat and muscle components. They argue the need to develop preventive measures to rationalize the nutrition of students, including on the basis of an educational organization of secondary vocational education and correction of students' motor activity.
Background: Sanitary and hygienic well-being of the air environment of closed premises for various purposes is the most important direction in preventing the spread of infections with an aerosol mechanism of pathogen transmission. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative method of reducing microbial indoor air contamination in auditoriums using a film absorber of original design. Materials and methods: We investigated microbial contamination of indoor air in medical university auditoriums in the cold (January-February 2021) and warm (April 2021) seasons of the year. We also tested the efficiency of air purification using a specially designed film absorber with and without an aqueous solution of lithium chloride added as an active substance. The microbial air contamination was monitored during the academic day under various modes of the device operation. Air sampling and testing were carried out using certified methods. Results: Our findings showed the presence of 2 to 4-component associations of microorganisms in most collected indoor air samples. Higher levels of microbial contamination in auditoriums were observed in the cold season of the year. A decrease in microbial air contamination after classes by 0–38 % was detected following 30 minutes of the absorber operation in the general ventilation mode and by 80–99 % after operating it with the active substance added. Conclusion: Test results demonstrate high efficiency of the method of reducing microbial air contamination in auditoriums using the film absorber of original design.
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