Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology最新文献

Background: Pneumoconiosis is among the most frequently diagnosed occupational diseases in Turkey, with the ceramic industry accounting for a considerable proportion. This study aimed to assess the frequency of pneumoconiosis among ceramic industry workers referred to an occupational medicine clinic with suspected pneumoconiosis, to identify high-risk departments, and to evaluate the referral process and workplace case management practices.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 295 ceramic industry workers aged 18-64 years who were referred to an occupational medicine clinic for suspected pneumoconiosis by three medium-sized companies between 2013 and 2018 were analyzed. Data were obtained from referral forms and clinic records. Pneumoconiosis diagnosis was established by occupational medicine specialists based on chest radiographs, high-resolution computed tomography, and occupational history. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to assess the normality of the distribution. Pearson's chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for statistical analysis.

Results: Of the 295 workers, 56.3% were current smokers, and 32.5% were diagnosed with pneumoconiosis. The frequency of pneumoconiosis was lower among never-smokers compared with the current and ex-smokers (p < 0.01). The highest diagnosis rates were observed in shaping (41.9%), glazing (38.6%), and raw material processing (36.6%) departments. Referral documents often lacked essential information, with workplace duties missing in 89.5%, workplace exposures in 84.1%, and hygiene assessments in 100% of cases. Among the workers diagnosed with pneumoconiosis who attended at least one follow-up visit, 49.2% were reassigned to different duties. Of the smokers within this follow-up group, 79.0% continued smoking.

Conclusions: Pneumoconiosis is a significant occupational disease among ceramic workers in Turkey, requiring coordinated preventive action at both workplace and national levels. The critical lack of adequate exposure data in referral documents and the absence of structured post-diagnosis follow-up reveal weaknesses in current occupational hygiene and workplace health surveillance practices. Strengthening accurate assessment and documentation of exposure, standardizing referral protocols, ensuring effective periodic screenings, and promoting structured post-diagnosis follow-up, including smoking cessation interventions, are fundamental to improve disease management. To ensure effective control of pneumoconiosis in the ceramic industry in Turkey, existing legislation and occupational safety and health principles must be translated into well-monitored preventive actions at the workplace.

Background: Topical anesthetic abuse keratopathy is a rare but potentially devastating complication that may lead to irreversible vision loss. In occupational settings, workers who sustain frequent ocular injuries may self-administer topical anesthetics without prior prescription, consequently increasing the risk of severe complications. This study evaluated the clinical findings and visual outcomes of patients with this condition.

Methods: All patients diagnosed with topical anesthetic abuse keratopathy who presented to Khalili Hospital, Shiraz, Iran, from March 2023 to March 2025 were included. Demographics, duration of abuse, risk factors, microbial culture results, treatments, and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) at admission and three-month follow-up were analyzed.

Results: Thirteen patients (14 eyes; mean age, 43.15 years; 12 males, 1 female) were included. The median duration of abuse was 8.5 days (IQR = 2). Occupational exposures were the primary risk factors, including welding (5/13, 38.5%), metal grinding (3/13, 23.1%), construction work (2/13, 15.4%), and plumbing (2/13, 15.4%). Additionally, one case (1/13, 7.7%) had a history of drug abuse. Cultures were negative in 7 cases (53.8%); positive results included Staphylococcus aureus (3/13, 23.1%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (3/13, 23.1%), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (1/13, 7.7%). Following topical anesthetic cessation, all patients received supportive therapy with lubricants and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Four patients (30.8%) required hospitalization, and one (7.7%) with a history of drug abuse developed corneal perforation. The proportion of eyes with Snellen visual acuity ≥ 5/10 increased from 2/14 at baseline to 12/14 at follow-up. Median CDVA improved significantly from 0.61 (IQR 0.50) to 0.154 (IQR 0.125) LogMAR at 3 months (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Topical anesthetic abuse keratopathy is a serious public health concern with potential complications such as infectious keratitis and corneal perforation. Public education, workplace protection, and stricter regulations are essential to reducing the burden of this vision-threatening disorder.

Trial registration: Not applicable.

Deer keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae: Lipoptena and Neolipoptena) are bloodsucking arthropods that primarily feed on deer (family Cervidae) but can occasionally bite humans. The knowledge of their potential harm to wildlife, livestock, and pets is fragmentary. These ectoparasites have been historically understudied, as they were only considered nuisances to various occupational groups and the public. However, there is also mounting evidence that they may be pathogen vectors as several infectious disease agents, including Acinetobacter, Anaplasma, Bartonella, Borrelia, Coxiella, Francisella, Mycoplasma, Rickettsia, Chlamydia-like organisms, Trypanosoma, Babesia, and viruses such as Sigmavirus lipoptenae and Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus, have been detected in deer keds. In this context, deer keds should be considered a highly probable vector for Bartonella schoenbuchensis. Persons at risk include anyone who travels or resides in the habitats of deer keds, primarily forests and their immediate surroundings in the Northern Hemisphere, whether for leisure or work purposes, particularly in temperate regions of Europe, Siberia, China, and North America. They also occur in Central and South America, the Russian Federation, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Algeria, and Southern Spain. The ongoing rise in temperatures due to climate change is likely to favor the spread of deer keds, as it alters host distributions and increases their activity levels. Measures to prevent bites include avoiding areas with a high occurrence of deer keds, wearing protective clothing, including permethrin-treated clothing, and conducting a thorough body check for deer keds and bite sites after spending time or working in a risk area. Medical professionals should consider deer ked bites in their differential diagnoses. To ensure occupational and public health safety, it is crucial to educate and train at-risk workers (such as woodsman, foresters, employees of national parks, naturalists, farmers, and veterinarians) and those recreating in forests (such as walkers, hikers, hunters, or mushroom pickers) about deer ked bites, their symptoms, and possible zoonotic implications. This review summarizes the recent knowledge regarding the health risks posed by deer keds, applicable to both occupational groups and anyone who may encounter them within their geographic distribution.

Background: Occupational health services play an important role in supporting employees' work ability and co-ordinating rehabilitation processes. However, they may operate quite separately from other health care systems, and the level of the collaboration between occupational health services and other health care varies across different countries. We aimed to evaluate how the co-operation between occupational health care and other health care providers has been studied.

Methods: This study was a scoping review. The literature search examined the databases of Scopus, Ovid Medline and Cinahl for original studies of collaboration between occupational health services and other social and health services from 2012 to 2022. The articles were evaluated on the basis of actor and form of collaboration.

Results: Out of the 1008 articles we found, 26 articles met our inclusion criteria. After searching the reference lists of the included articles, we chose seven more articles, resulting in a total of 33 articles for our scoping review. The articles were categorized according to the main actors of collaboration into seven groups: (1) collaboration between occupational health physicians (OP) and general physicians, (2) collaboration between OPs and rehabilitation physicians, (3) collaboration between OPs and psychotherapists, (4) collaboration between occupational health physiotherapists and general physiotherapists, (5) collaboration between occupational health professionals (OHP) and general health professionals, (6) collaboration between OHPs and specialized health care professionals and (7) collaboration between OHPs and other work-related stakeholders.

Conclusions: The existing research on the collaboration between occupational health services and other health care appears to be mostly descriptive, highlighting the need for intervention studies of collaboration models.

Background: Police officers are at higher risk for mental health issues. Research that advances knowledge on job demands and resources remains crucial. Research on humor is sparse, despite it being commonplace in the workplace, and an accessible resource. In parallel with traditional demands and resource variables, this study thoroughly assesses humor and develops an integrative model.

Methods: A total of 2291 officers from 24 agencies and 11 job roles participated. They responded to empirically-validated questionnaires on work demands (stress, trauma), 4 pathologies (post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout, anxiety, depression), 14 coping strategies, 8 humor styles, 5 personality traits, professional (work experience, management) and demographic variables (education). Prevalence analyses, t-tests, regression, clustering, and path modelling were performed.

Results: The integrative model provides an overall account of the relationships between job demands, coping, humor, personality, pathology, and demographics. Dark comic styles were never associated with fewer pathological symptoms, only greater. Light comic styles, especially Humor and Jokes, are indicators of good mental health. Extraversion was linked to greater light humor use, and Conscientiousness and Agreeableness to less dark humor. Those tending towards adaptive coping strategies tend towards light humor, and inversely, maladaptive towards dark humor.

Conclusions: Humor, especially the observation of dark humor, may be a crucially convenient tool to rapidly and discreetly identify an officer carrying residual distress, and hence intervene preemptively. A more resilient force may be instilled by fostering, in agency culture, regular light humor use, and routinely encouraging adaptive coping examples.