International Maritime Health最新文献

Background: This work performs two-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of pulsatile bubbly flow in a column resembling the flow inside human vena cava during Decompression Sickness (DCS), aiming to illustrate the effect of certain parameters in bubbly blood flow and so facilitate the design of the: a) corresponding in-vitro bubbly flow experiments under pulsatile flow conditions inside a flow loop and b) in-vivo trials on swines for assessing a novel electrical impedance spectroscopy technique on the detection of bubbles (as those found during DCS) in their bloodstream.

Materials and methods: The commercially available ANSYS 2019-R3 CFD code was employed to simulate the pulsatile bubbly flow that resembled DCS. Simulations were validated against experiments conducted in a vertical co-current upward pulsatile bubbly flow provided by a flow loop equipped with electrical, optical and pressure diagnostics.

Results: CFD simulations under pulsatile conditions were initially validated by oscillatory in-vitro bubbly flow experiments. Then, the influence of pulsation parameters on void fraction, α, and flow velocity, U, profiles was computationally investigated. Intense periodic fluctuations of void fraction were observed along the column and their intensity increases with pulsation amplitude. Moreover, U and α radial profiles were uniform for bubbles 30 μm but showed a core-peaking profile for bubbles 300 μm.

Conclusions: CFD simulations of pulsatile bubbly flow resembling DCS provided unconventional information about the influence of different-sized sub-millimetre bubbles on the flow velocity and void fraction profiles, which are expected to improve the design of in-vitro and in-vivo trials for the detection of bubbles such as those found in DCS.

Background: A descriptive study was designed to determine the relationship between the anxiety levels of offshore workers participating in the Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET) and their success in the training and to examine the potential factors affecting anxiety.

Materials and methods: The trainees' state-anxiety values were determined using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Form TX-1 before and after each exercise, and trait-anxiety values were determined using TX-2 after all exercises had been completed.

Results: Among 276 trainees, female (n = 17), non-swimmers (n = 22) and younger trainees (median age: 35 [32-41]) had higher state-anxiety levels. The most anxiety-provoking and the most unsuccessful parts of the training were helicopter escape, the use of Compressed Air Emergency Breathing System (CA-EBS), and sea survival, respectively. After the CA-EBS exercise, where failure was seen for the first time, the anxiety level of those who failed increased.

Conclusions: The post-exercise state-anxiety scores of the unsuccessful ones were higher than those of the successful ones.

Background: The aim of this survey was to assess the health status, sleep habits and dyssomnia of coastal fishermen.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional survey involved a representative sample of 948 coastal fishermen. All participants were men and had a regular activity for at least 2 years. We used an individual questionnaire inspired by those of Morphée network, the National Institute for Research and Security of France, and of the Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire.

Results: The prevalence of sociodemographic and individual parameters was similar in rotating shiftwork (RW) and in nocturnal work (NW). The average age of the total population was 38.8 ± 8.1 years. The prevalence of sleep habits and alertness disorders was similar in RW and in NW. The average daily sleep time of the total population was 5.5 ± 0.9 hours during the week, and 8.7 ± 0.8 hours during the holidays, Fridays and recovery days. Upon waking, 49.7% of the subjects felt tired and sleepy, 43.2% fit and 7.1% had a headache. 47.2% reported being chronic insomniac. The index of severity of insomnia was moderate to severe in 29.6%. The prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth > 10) was 16.2%. Fatigue, iso-strain and socio-economic concerns were associated with a higher risk of chronic insomnia.

Conclusions: Coastal fishermen were at a high risk of chronic dyssomnia and alertness disorders. Education initiatives should be conducted to raise fishermen's awareness on their health and safety consequences.

Background: The frequent encounters of seafarers with people from different countries compared to other occupations increase their risk of contracting different variants of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This risk may cause additional anxiety for them. The main purpose of this research is to determine the mediating role of COVID-19 burnout and intention to quit in the impact of seafarers' anxiety about contracting COVID-19 on work stress.

Materials and methods: The research is a quantitative correlational research design cross-sectional study. We determined the research data according to the random sampling technique. Participants consist of 390 maritime business employees operating in Istanbul and Izmir. We determined the participants based on voluntary participation. We collected the data with the help of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, COVID-19 Burnout Scale, Intention to Quit Scale, and Work Stress Perception Scale.

Results: The study found that seafarers' anxiety about contracting the novel coronavirus positively influences their perception of job stress and that COVID-19 burnout and intention to quit strongly mediate this interaction. We also determined that seafarers had a high level of COVID-19 anxiety, leading to a higher perception of COVID-19 burnout.

Conclusions: These findings mean that although personal factors are important, negative psychological perceptions feed off each other and cause another psychological perception. The research results need to be strengthened by psychological factors such as job satisfaction, organizational trust and organizational support, and their psychological resilience should be increased so that seafarers do not show COVID-19 anxiety due to job stress and intention to quit.

Background: An innovative medical simulation course was offered to seafarers during their statutory medical education refresher course. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, they experienced difficulties dealing with mariners' mental health problems.

Materials and methods: One hundred and fifty-three seafarers underwent training at the C3S medical training centre in Lorient Hospital. At the end of the module they were asked to fill in a questionnaire.

Results: Ninety-seven per cent of them were satisfied with their training. They felt that their training had given them confidence to deal with these problems when returning to sea. On this occasion, we tested their feelings on the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on board and compared their answers with the data available in our telemedical assistance service (TMAS) and in the literature.

Conclusions: Simulation training is an appreciated and effective educational tool for raising awareness and training medical managers in psychological or psychiatric situations.

An increasing presence on many beaches worldwide, jellyfish are a diverse group of Cnidarians equipped with stinging cells termed cnidocytes. Though few of the over 10,000 species are dangerous to humans, and most that are produce no more than a painful sting, some jellyfish can produce systemic symptoms and even death. Chironex fleckeri, the Australian box jellyfish, has a venom potent enough to kill in less than 10 minutes, and for which there is an antivenom of debatable efficacy. Stings from Carukia barnesi can cause Irukandji syndrome, characterised by severe pain and hypertension. Jellyfish stings have also been associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome and anaphylaxis. Though optimal treatment of stings remains controversial, after removal from the water and addressing any immediate life threats, the tentacles should be removed and the area washed, with seawater being the best choice due to its low likelihood of inducing further cnidocyte discharge. Hot water immersion may be beneficial for pain control for non-tropical jellyfish stings, and cold packs for tropical stings. In general, there is no consensus for the optimal treatment of jellyfish stings, and so further research is needed into species-specific guidelines and whether there are any overarching rules.

Background: Quality of shipboard life plays a significant role, as for a seafarer the ship is both his workplace and home for extended periods. Physical, psychological, social and environmental factors have a substantial impact on the seafarers' quality of life and work. The aim of the study was to analyse the domains determining the factors associated with the seafarers' quality of life at Kochi Port, India.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which 302 Indian seafarers took part in the research and was conducted in January-February, 2020. WHOQOL-BREF scale was used to explore the four domains of quality of life, and the participants had to rate their perceived satisfaction in each of the domains. The trained researcher conducted a face-to-face interview session using a structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was used to determine associations and predictors for quality of life, respectively.

Results: The majority (80%) of the seafarers were married and were from a rural area (74%). The mean score (standard deviation) was highest for the psychological domain 70.9 (10.5), followed by environmental domain 69.9 (13.2), social relations domain 68.5 (16.9) and physical domain 61.2 (12.8), respectively. A significant association was found between age and the psychological domain (p < 0.05). At the same time, the area of residence had a significant association with physical and psychological domains whereas marital status with physical, psychological and environmental domains (p < 0.05). Daily working hours had a significant association with psychological domains and work experience with the physical and psychological domains (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The findings of this study are an indication for the health policy makers to focus on interventions for improving the quality of life among the seafarers and would also help in enhancing healthy work environments for them.