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BMC Public Health Jun 2024Global warming has led to an increase in the number and intensity of extreme heat events, posing a significant threat to the health and safety of workers, especially...
PURPOSE
Global warming has led to an increase in the number and intensity of extreme heat events, posing a significant threat to the health and safety of workers, especially those working outdoors, as they often have limited access to cooling strategies. The present systematic literature review (a) summarizes the current knowledge on the impacts of climate change on outdoor workers, (b) provides historical background on this issue, (c) explores factors that reduce and increase thermal stress resilience, (d) discusses the heat mitigation strategies, and (e) provides an overview of existing policy and legal frameworks on occupational heat exposure among outdoor workers.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this systematic review, we searched scientific databases including Scopus (N = 855), Web of Science (N = 828), and PubMed (N = 202). Additionally, we identified relevant studies on climate change and heat-stress control measures through Google Scholar (N = 116) using specific search terms. In total, we monitored 2001 articles pertaining to worker populations (men = 2921; women = 627) in various outdoor climate conditions across 14 countries. After full-text assessment, 55 studies were selected for inclusion, and finally, 29 eligible papers were included for data extraction.
RESULTS
Failure to implement effective control strategies for outdoor workers will result in decreased resilience to thermal stress. The findings underscore a lack of awareness regarding certain adaptation strategies and interventions aimed at preventing and enhancing resilience to the impact of climate change on heat stress prevalence among workers in outdoor tropical and subtropical environments. However, attractive alternative solutions from the aspects of economic and ecological sustainability in the overall assessment of heat stress resilience can be referred to acclimatization, shading, optimized clothing properties and planned breaks.
CONCLUSION
The integration of climate change adaptation strategies into occupational health programs can enhance occupational heat resilience among outdoor workers. Conducting cost-benefit evaluations of health and safety measures for thermal stress adaptation strategies among outdoor workers is crucial for professionals and policymakers in low- and middle-income tropical and subtropical countries. In this respect, complementary measures targeting hydration, work-rest regimes, ventilated garments, self-pacing, and mechanization can be adopted to protect outdoor workers. Risk management strategies, adaptive measures, heat risk awareness, practical interventions, training programs, and protective policies should be implemented in hot-dry and hot-humid climates to boost the tolerance and resilience of outdoor workers.
Topics: Humans; Climate Change; Heat Stress Disorders; Occupational Exposure; Hot Temperature; Female; Male
PubMed: 38926816
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19212-3 -
Journal of Thermal Biology Dec 2018In recent decades, changes in climate have caused impacts on natural and human systems on all continents and across the oceans and many species have shifted their...
In recent decades, changes in climate have caused impacts on natural and human systems on all continents and across the oceans and many species have shifted their geographic ranges, seasonal activities, migration patterns, abundances and interactions in response to these changes. Projections of future climate change are uncertain, but the Earth's warming is likely to exceed 4.8 °C by the end of 21th century. The vulnerability of a population, species, group or system due to climate change is a function of impact of the changes on the evaluated system (exposure and sensitivity) and adaptive capacity as a response to this impact, and the relationship between these elements will determine the degree of species vulnerability. Predicting the potential future risks to biodiversity caused by climate change has become an extremely active field of research, and several studies in the last two decades had focused on determining possible impacts of climate change on Lepidosaurians, at a global, regional and local level. Here we conducted a systematic review of published studies in order to seek to what extent the accumulated knowledge currently allow us to identify potential trends or patterns regarding climate change effects on lizards, snakes, amphisbaenians and tuatara. We conducted a literature search among online literature databases/catalogues and recorded 255 studies addressing the influence of climate change on a total of 1918 species among 49 Lepidosaurian's families. The first study addressing this subject is dated 1999. Most of the studies focused on species distribution, followed by thermal biology, reproductive biology, behavior and genetics. We concluded that an integrative approach including most of these characteristics and also bioclimatic and environmental variables, may lead to consistent and truly effective strategies for species conservation, aiming to buffer the climate change effects on this group of reptiles.
Topics: Acclimatization; Animal Distribution; Animals; Biodiversity; Body Temperature; Climate Change; Reptiles
PubMed: 30509664
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2018.11.005 -
Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) Jan 2021In accordance with the principle of training specificity, adaptations to vertically or horizontally orientated plyometric training (VPT, HPT) directly transfer to... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
In accordance with the principle of training specificity, adaptations to vertically or horizontally orientated plyometric training (VPT, HPT) directly transfer to athletic tasks that are carried out in the same direction as they are performed.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the relative effect of VPT and HPT on both vertical and horizontal measures of physical performance.
DATA SOURCES
Google Scholar, CrossRef, Microsoft Academic, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus.
STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
To qualify for inclusion in the meta-analysis, studies must have included a plyometric training intervention that compared jumps executed in a vertical direction [i.e. countermovement jump (CMJ)] to jumps executed in a horizontal direction (i.e. standing horizontal jump).
STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS
We used the inverse-variance random effects model for meta-analyses. Effect sizes, calculated from measures of horizontally or vertically orientated performance, were represented by the standardised mean difference and presented alongside 95% confidence intervals (CI).
RESULTS
For between-group analysis on horizontal outcomes, there was a moderate, significant effect size (ES) in favour of HPT (0.65 [95% CI 0.12, 1.18], Z = 2.41 [p = 0.02]). For the analysis on vertical outcomes, there was a trivial, non-significant difference between VPT and HPT (- 0.04 [95% CI - 0.33, 0.24], Z = 0.0.29 [p = 0.77]). Within-group analysis showed HPT to be superior to VPT across horizontally- (1.05 [0.38, 1.72] vs. 0.84 [0.37, 1.31]) and vertically-orientated (0.74 [0.08, 1.40] vs. 0.72 [0.02, 1.43]) performance measures. For horizontally-orientated outcomes, single-factor moderator analyses showed that longer programmes (> 7 weeks), more sessions (> 12) and combined bilateral and unilateral training were most effective, favouring HPT in each case. In vertically orientated outcomes, these same variables showed only trivial differences between HBT and VBT.
CONCLUSIONS
HPT is at least as effective as VPT at enhancing vertical performance but is superior at enhancing horizontal performance. This means that HPT might be a more efficient method for enhancing multi-vector performance for sport.
Topics: Acclimatization; Athletic Performance; Humans; Muscle Strength; Plyometric Exercise; Soccer
PubMed: 32897526
DOI: 10.1007/s40279-020-01340-6 -
Cureus Apr 2024Entering and acclimatizing to a university is crucial for achieving academic goals and graduation. Chronic illnesses can reduce a person's capacity to perform tasks,... (Review)
Review
Entering and acclimatizing to a university is crucial for achieving academic goals and graduation. Chronic illnesses can reduce a person's capacity to perform tasks, whether physically, cognitively, or emotionally, about inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), there is a lack of research about the impact of IBD on the daily lives of students. IBD can be seen as having an adverse effect on the life of college students. The objective of this review was to examine the psychological ramifications, particularly in relation to stress levels, that IBD elicits in the daily lives of students. The elementary search utilized specific databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The search terms employed were "IBD," "University," "Students," and "Stress." We reviewed 80 papers and selected 25 for their applicability and relevance. The current review includes at least a total of 12 articles. The following issues arose: 1) adaption to university, 2) managing IBD individually and from the university setting, 3) social impact, and 4) methods of controlling and coping with the IBD. Students with IBD have a tough time adapting to new situations. Their emotional and social status plays a significant role in this. The proper management and treatment of IBD throughout studies can have a significant impact on student's academic achievement as well as their later lives.
PubMed: 38807823
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.59176 -
Frontiers in Physiology 2019A majority of high profile international sporting events, including the coming 2020 Tokyo Olympics, are held in warm and humid conditions. When exercising in the heat,...
A majority of high profile international sporting events, including the coming 2020 Tokyo Olympics, are held in warm and humid conditions. When exercising in the heat, the rapid rise of body core temperature ( ) often results in an impairment of exercise capacity and performance. As such, heat mitigation strategies such as aerobic fitness (AF), heat acclimation/acclimatization (HA), pre-exercise cooling (PC) and fluid ingestion (FI) can be introduced to counteract the debilitating effects of heat strain. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of these mitigation strategies using magnitude-based inferences. A computer-based literature search was performed up to 24 July 2018 using the electronic databases: PubMed, SPORTDiscus and Google Scholar. After applying a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 118 studies were selected for evaluation. Each study was assessed according to the intervention's ability to lower before exercise, attenuate the rise of during exercise, extend at the end of exercise and improve endurance. Weighted averages of Hedges' were calculated for each strategy. PC ( = 1.01) was most effective in lowering before exercise, followed by HA ( = 0.72), AF ( = 0.65), and FI ( = 0.11). FI ( = 0.70) was most effective in attenuating the rate of rise of , followed by HA ( = 0.35), AF ( = -0.03) and PC ( = -0.46). In extending at the end of exercise, AF ( = 1.11) was most influential, followed by HA ( = -0.28), PC ( = -0.29) and FI ( = -0.50). In combination, AF ( = 0.45) was most effective at favorably altering T, followed by HA ( = 0.42), PC ( = 0.11) and FI ( = 0.09). AF (1.01) was also found to be most effective in improving endurance, followed by HA (0.19), FI (-0.16) and PC (-0.20). AF was found to be the most effective in terms of a strategy's ability to favorably alter , followed by HA, PC and lastly, FI. Interestingly, a similar ranking was observed in improving endurance, with AF being the most effective, followed by HA, FI, and PC. Knowledge gained from this meta-analysis will be useful in allowing athletes, coaches and sport scientists to make informed decisions when employing heat mitigation strategies during competitions in hot environments.
PubMed: 30842739
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00071 -
Comparative Biochemistry and... Jan 2022Human-induced climate change is occurring rapidly. Ectothermic organisms are particularly vulnerable to these temperature changes due to their reliance on environmental...
Human-induced climate change is occurring rapidly. Ectothermic organisms are particularly vulnerable to these temperature changes due to their reliance on environmental temperature. The extent of ectothermic thermal adaptation and plasticity in the literature is well documented; however, the role of oxidative stress in these processes needs more attention. Oxidative stress occurs when reactive oxygen species, generated mainly through aerobic respiration, overwhelm antioxidant defences and damage crucial biomolecules. The effects of oxidative damage include the alteration of life-history traits and reductions in whole-organism fitness. Here we review the literature addressing experimental temperature effects on oxidative stress in vertebrate ectotherms. Acute and acclimation temperature treatments produce distinctly different results and highlight the role of phylogeny and thermal adaptation in shaping oxidative stress responses. Acute treatments on organisms adapted to stable environments generally produced significant oxidative stress responses, whilst organisms adapted to variable conditions exhibited capacity to cope with temperature changes and mitigate oxidative stress. In acclimation treatments, the temperature treatments higher than optimal temperatures tended to produce significantly less oxidative stress than lower temperatures in reptiles, whilst in some eurythermal fish species, no oxidative stress response was observed. These results highlight the importance of phylogeny and adaptation to past environmental conditions for temperature-dependent oxidative stress responses. We conclude with recommendations on experimental procedures to investigate these phenomena with reference to thermal plasticity, adaptation and biogeographic variation that provide the most significant benefits to adaptable populations. These results have potential conservation ramifications as they may shed light on the physiological effects of temperature alterations in some vertebrate ectotherms.
Topics: Acclimatization; Animals; Biomarkers; Climate Change; Fishes; Humans; Models, Biological; Oxidative Stress; Reactive Oxygen Species; Reptiles; Temperature; Vertebrates
PubMed: 34571153
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.111082 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2021Investigating difficulties during activities of daily living is a fundamental first step for the development of vision-related intervention and rehabilitation...
Investigating difficulties during activities of daily living is a fundamental first step for the development of vision-related intervention and rehabilitation strategies. One way to do this is through visual impairment simulations. The aim of this review is to synthesize and assess the types of simulation methods that have been used to simulate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in normally sighted participants, during activities of daily living (e.g., reading, cleaning, and cooking). We conducted a systematic literature search in five databases and a critical analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of various AMD simulation methods (following PRISMA guidelines). The review focuses on the suitability of each method for investigating activities of daily living, an assessment of clinical validation procedures, and an evaluation of the adaptation periods for participants. Nineteen studies met the criteria for inclusion. Contact lenses, computer manipulations, gaze contingent displays, and simulation glasses were the main forms of AMD simulation identified. The use of validation and adaptation procedures were reported in approximately two-thirds and half of studies, respectively. Synthesis of the methodology demonstrated that the choice of simulation has been, and should continue to be, guided by the nature of the study. While simulations may never completely replicate vision loss experienced during AMD, consistency in simulation methodology is critical for generating realistic behavioral responses under vision impairment simulation and limiting the influence of confounding factors. Researchers could also come to a consensus regarding the length and form of adaptation by exploring what is an adequate amount of time and type of training required to acclimatize participants to vision impairment simulations.
PubMed: 34483815
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.663062 -
Journal of Thermal Biology May 2021Thermal conditioning has been introduced as a cost-effective way to improve performance and thermotolerance in broilers. However, since all the trials were performed... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Thermal conditioning has been introduced as a cost-effective way to improve performance and thermotolerance in broilers. However, since all the trials were performed under various experimental conditions, it appears difficult to draw general conclusions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify the response of broilers to thermal conditioning through a meta-analysis approach. A literature search was conducted on Scopus, PubMed, Scielo, Web of Science, and Google scholar in December 2020. A restricted maximum likelihood random effect model was used to pool the effect sizes from the body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and body temperature (Tb). BWG, FI, and Tb were computed using the standardized mean difference (SMD) while FCR was computed using mean differences (MD) with a 95% confidence interval (IC). Growth performances were evaluated during the thermoneutral conditions while Tb was evaluated after either acute or chronic heat stress after early age thermal conditioning. A total of 17 studies were included in the dataset. Thermal conditioning significantly increased BWG (SMD = 0.139, IC = 0.0372-0.2407, P = 0.0074) and FI (SMD = 0.292, IC = 0.108-0.476, P = 0.0019) compared with the control. Additionally, subgroup analysis revealed that overall Tb was significantly reduced under acute heat stress (SMD = -0.455, IC = -0.718 to -0.192, P < 0.001) but not affected during chronic heat stress (SMD = -0.115, IC = -0.651 to -0.420, P = 0.6729). In conclusion, thermal conditioning significantly increased the broiler's BWG and FI under thermoneutral conditions and can help in reducing Tb under acute heat stress.
Topics: Animals; Chickens; Heat-Shock Response; Thermotolerance
PubMed: 34016343
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2021.102916 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2020Plants are key to the functionality of many ecosystem processes. The duration and intensity of water stress are anticipated to increase in the future; however, a...
Plants are key to the functionality of many ecosystem processes. The duration and intensity of water stress are anticipated to increase in the future; however, a detailed elucidation of the responses of plants to water stress remains incomplete. For this study, we present a meta-analysis derived from the 1,301 paired observations of 84 studies to evaluate the responses of plants to water stress. The results revealed that although water stress inhibited plant growth and photosynthesis, it increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), plasma membrane permeability, enzymatic antioxidants, and non-enzymatic antioxidants. Importantly, these responses generally increased with the intensity and duration of water stress, with a more pronounced decrease in ROS anticipated over time. Our findings suggested that the overproduction of ROS was the primary mechanism behind the responses of plants to water stress, where plants appeared to acclimatize to water stress, to some extent, over time. Our synthesis provides a framework for better understanding the responses and mechanisms of plants under drought conditions.
PubMed: 32676096
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00978 -
Journal of Sports Sciences Jun 2022We estimated the effectiveness of using velocity feedback to regulate resistance training load on changes in muscle strength, power, and linear sprint speed in... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Comparison of the effects of velocity-based vs. traditional resistance training methods on adaptations in strength, power, and sprint speed: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and quality of evidence appraisal.
We estimated the effectiveness of using velocity feedback to regulate resistance training load on changes in muscle strength, power, and linear sprint speed in apparently healthy participants. Academic and grey literature databases were systematically searched to identify randomised trials that compared a velocity-based training intervention to a 'traditional' resistance training intervention that did not use velocity feedback. Standardised mean differences (SMDs) were pooled using a random effects model. Risk of bias was assessed with the Risk of Bias 2 tool and the quality of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE approach. Four trials met the eligibility criteria, comprising 27 effect estimates and 88 participants. The main analyses showed trivial differences and imprecise interval estimates for effects on muscle strength (SMD 0.06, 95% CI -0.51-0.63; = 42.9%; 10 effects from 4 studies; low-quality evidence), power (SMD 0.11, 95% CI -0.28-0.49; = 13.5%; 10 effects from 3 studies; low-quality evidence), and sprint speed (SMD -0.10, 95% CI -0.72-0.53; = 30.0%; 7 effects from 2 studies; very low-quality evidence). The results were robust to various sensitivity analyses. In conclusion, there is currently no evidence that VBT and traditional resistance training methods lead to different alterations in muscle strength, power, or linear sprint speed.
Topics: Acclimatization; Adaptation, Physiological; Humans; Muscle Strength; Resistance Training
PubMed: 35380511
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2022.2059320