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, a commonly used industrial plasticizer, causes liver tumorigenesis presumably via activation of peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor alpha (PPARα). The mechanism of DEHP tumorigenesis has not been fully elucidated, and to clarify whether DEHP tumorigenesis is induced via PPARα, we compared DEHP-induced tumorigenesis in wild-type and Pparα-null mice. Mice of each genotype were divided into three groups, and treated for 22 months with diets containing 0, 0.01 or 0.05% DEHP. Surprisingly, the incidence of liver tumors was higher in Pparα-null mice exposed to 0.05% DEHP (25.8%) than in similarly exposed wild-type mice (10.0%). These results suggest the existence of pathways for DEHP-induced hepatic tumorigenesis that are independent of PPARα. The levels of 8-OHdG increased dose-dependently in mice of both genotypes, but the degree of increase was higher in Pparα-null than in wild-type mice. NFκB levels also significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner in Pparα-null mice. The protooncogene c-jun-mRNA was induced, and c-fos-mRNA tended to be induced only in Pparα-null mice fed a 0.05% DEHP-containing diet. These results suggest that increases in oxidative stress induced by DEHP exposure may lead to the induction o f i n f l a m m a t i o n a n d / o r t h e e x p r e s s i o n o f protooncogenes, resulting in a high incidence of tumorigenesis in Pparα-null mice. (J Occup Health 2007; 49: 172-182)

Objectives-To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of epicondylitis among cooks in nursery schools in a cross sectional study because they are suspected to have strenuous workloads on the hands and arms. Methods-Prevalence of epicondylitis among 209 nursery school cooks and 366 control workers aged 40-59 were studied. Both groups consisted of women workers chosen from 1299 subjects who agreed to participate from 1329 social welfare employees in a city. All workers were interviewed with a questionnaire and had a clinical examination of the tenderness to palpation of epicondyles and epicondylar pain provoked by resisted extension and flexion of the wrist. Results-Nursery school cooks had a significantly higher prevalence of epicondylitis (11.5%) than the controls (2.5%). In a logistic regression model, job title of the cook was also found to have a strong association with epicondylitis (odds ratio (OR) 5.4, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.4 to 11.9) after adjustment for age, body length, and body mass index. Weaker associations were also found between epicondylitis and suspected job stress or workload scores for mechanical workload and psychosocial stressors based on factor analysis. Conclusions-This study supported the hypothesis that nursery school cooks had a higher prevalence of epicondylitis than other workers with less strenuous hand and arm tasks. It was suggested that risk factors of epicondylitis would be multifactorial, including mechanical workload and psychosocial factors. (Occup Environ Med 1998;55:172-179) Keywords: epicondylitis; cooks; cross sectional There have been several studies reporting a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal problems in cooks than in other occupational workers.

The TCE-related generalized skin disorders are important not only in terms of the number of disease occurrences and severity but from the viewpoint of drug hypersensitivity. Systematic collection of clinical information is necessary in cases diagnosed by the same criteria as those used for drug hypersensitivities. Detailed exposure assessments are also required to establish preventive strategies in these countries.

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