Pulmonary function testing and questionnaires are valuable tools in epidemiologic studies of occupational lung disease. Accurate equipment and standardized methodology are vital to obtain reproducible responses. For spirometry, the FVC and FEV show the least intrasubject variability and on questionnaires, occupational and smoking history are more reproducible than symptoms. The limitations of ...

A randomised controlled trial compared the management of elderly patients with acute stroke in a stroke unit and medical units. A significantly higher proportion of patients discharged from the stroke unit (78 of the 155 admitted) were assessed as independent compared with patients discharged from medical units (49 of the 152 admitted). The intensive use of treatment that might have been implie...

BACKGROUND The natural history of occupational asthma (OA) is influenced by many determinants. This study aims to assess the combined roles of personal characteristics, including occupational exposure and nutritional habits, on the incidence of OA during the first years at work. METHODS A nested case-control study was conducted within a retrospective cohort of young workers in the bakery, pas...

The present review was aimed to determine the influence of working conditions, occupational exposures to potential chemical and physical reproductive toxic agents and psychological stress during work on male fertility. Significant associations were reported between impaired semen parameters and the following chemical exposures: metals (lead, mercury), pesticides (dibromochlorophane, 2,4-dichlor...

INTRODUCTION Pigeon fanciers lung, a form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, is an unusual but important occupational and recreational cause of severe and debilitating breathlessness. CASE PRESENTATION We report the case of a 61-year-old Caucasian man suffering with severe breathlessness due to pigeon fanciers lung. He had previously raced and bred pigeons for 25 years but had discontinued the ...

Silicosis may be defined as the disease resulting from chronic occupational exposure to silica dust. Silica is primarily composed of quartz dust and has been classified since 2000 as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. government. Silicosis may lead to impairment of lung function resulting from fibrosis of the lungs. This may in turn lead to an increased susceptibility to the development of tu...

Occupation Mediates Ecosystem Services with Human Well-Being Mami Aoyama PhD, OTR a , Mark J. Hudson PhD b c & Kara C. Hoover PhD d a Department of Occupational Therapy and Associate Dean, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences , Nishikyushu University (University of West Kyushu) , Kanzaki , Saga , Japan b Anthropology, Department of Occupational Therapy , Nishikyushu University (University of West...

: Occupational contact dermatitis accounts for 90% of all cases of work-related cutaneous disorders. It can be divided into irritant contact dermatitis, which occurs in 80% of cases, and allergic contact dermatitis. In most cases, both types will present as eczematous lesions on exposed parts of the body, notably the hands. Accurate diagnosis relies on meticulous history taking, thorough physic...