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Environment International Sep 2023
Meta-Analysis
Response to Letter to the Editor regarding "The prevalences and levels of occupational exposure to dusts and/or fibres (silica, asbestos and coal): A systematic review and meta-analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury".
Topics: Humans; Coal; Dust; Prevalence; Silicon Dioxide; Asbestos; Occupational Exposure; Wounds and Injuries; Cost of Illness; World Health Organization
PubMed: 37669593
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108165 -
Environmental Health : a Global Access... Nov 2023Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is associated with the development of lung cancer. However, there is uncertainty around the exposure threshold at which exposure to... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is associated with the development of lung cancer. However, there is uncertainty around the exposure threshold at which exposure to RCS may pose a clear risk for the development of lung cancer. The objective of this study was to review the cut-off points at which the risk of mortality or incidence of lung cancer due to occupational exposure to RCS becomes evident through a systematic review.
METHODS
We conducted a search in PubMed, including cohort and case-control studies which assessed various categories of RCS exposure. A search was also conducted on the webpages of institutional organizations. A qualitative data synthesis was performed.
RESULTS
Twenty studies were included. Studies that assessed lung cancer mortality and incidence displayed wide variability both in RCS exposure categories and related risks. Although most studies found no significant association for RCS exposure categories, it appears to be a low risk of lung cancer for mean concentrations of less than 0.07mg/m. Regulatory agencies set annual RCS exposure limits ranging from 0.025mg/m through 0.1mg/m.
CONCLUSIONS
There is a wide degree of heterogeneity in RCS exposure categories, with most studies observing no significant risk of lung cancer for the lowest exposure categories. Cut-off points differ between agencies but are nonetheless very similar and do not exceed 0.1mg/m.
Topics: Humans; Air Pollutants, Occupational; Inhalation Exposure; Dust; Occupational Exposure; Silicon Dioxide; Lung Neoplasms
PubMed: 38031062
DOI: 10.1186/s12940-023-01036-0 -
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical... May 2024Although randomized controlled trials (RCT) are the reference standard of evidence in allergen immunotherapy (AIT), nonrandomized studies (NRS) are needed to confirm...
IR (index of reactivity)-house dust mite sublingual immunotherapy liquid formulation for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and nonrandomized studies.
BACKGROUND
Although randomized controlled trials (RCT) are the reference standard of evidence in allergen immunotherapy (AIT), nonrandomized studies (NRS) are needed to confirm their results in more representative populations, particularly for treatment duration and persistence. However, when discrepancies are observed between RCT and NRS, NRS reliability decreases because these discrepant results are generally attributed to the methodologic flaws of NRS.
OBJECTIVE
We compared the benefit of sublingual AIT (SLIT) for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in NRS versus RCT focusing on a single product/allergen to reduce heterogeneity.
METHODS
For meta-analysis, house dust mite (HDM) SLIT liquid formulation studies were sourced from computerized (Medline, Web of Science, and LILACS databases, to January 2023) and manual literature searches. Populations, treatments, and outcome data were combined (DerSimonian-Laird method). Noncomparative NRS were compared to RCT' SLIT arm before and after treatment. Efficacy was determined as the standardized mean difference (SMD) in symptom score (SS) and medication score (MS).
RESULTS
Data from 12 NRS (682 patients) and 8 RCT (176 patients) were analyzed. The benefit with index of reactivity (IR)-HDM SLIT liquid formulation was found significant for, first, SS in both NRS (SMD = -1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.64, -0.90) and RCT (SMD = -0.56; 95% CI, -0.90, -0.21), and second, MS with SMD equal to -1.35 (95% CI, -1.77, -0.93) and -0.46 (95% CI, -0.67, -0.25), respectively. Metaregression showed that symptom improvement was correlated with treatment duration with consistent results in NRS and RCT with 12-month SS data: -0.87 (interquartile range, -1.02, -0.77) and -0.75 (interquartile range, -0.93, -0.41), respectively.
CONCLUSION
This meta-analysis showed comparable clinical benefit of IR-HDM SLIT liquid formulation increasing over time in both NRS and RCT, suggesting that NRS may reliably integrate RCT results and be considered for guidelines.
PubMed: 38328804
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacig.2024.100208 -
The Science of the Total Environment Oct 2023Air quality is a critical issue because even small amounts of air pollutants can cause significant adverse health effects. Road traffic is a major contributor to air...
Air quality is a critical issue because even small amounts of air pollutants can cause significant adverse health effects. Road traffic is a major contributor to air pollution both through aerosols from exhaust emissions (EE) and non-exhaust emissions (NEE). The latter result from mechanical abrasion of brakes and tires, erosion of road surfaces and resuspension of road dust into the atmosphere by passing traffic. EE have been extensively characterized and have declined over time due to mitigation measures. By contrast, NEE have been less studied, are not tightly regulated and there are limited data on their toxicity. Thus, NEE relative part has become prevalent, potentially making of these emissions a major human health concern. The aim of this systematic review was to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge on the biological effects of NEE. We paid particular attention to the toxicological effects of Tire and Road Wear Particles (TRWP) induced in vitro and in vivo in mammalian models. To this end, we performed a bibliographic search in two databases (PubMed and Web of Science). Of the 400 papers, 22 were found to be relevant and included in our analysis, confirming that the assessment of the TRWP toxicity in mammalian models is still limited. This review also reports that oxidative stress and inflammation are the main mechanisms underlying the toxicity of TRWP.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Dust; Environmental Monitoring; Mammals; Particulate Matter; Vehicle Emissions
PubMed: 37343887
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164989 -
Canadian Journal of Surgery. Journal... 2023The number of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures performed annually is increasing for reasons not fully explained by population growth and increasing rates of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
The number of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures performed annually is increasing for reasons not fully explained by population growth and increasing rates of obesity. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of patient functional status as an indication for surgery and to determine if patients are undergoing surgery with a higher level of preoperative function than in the past.
METHODS
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane databases was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Functional status was assessed using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey's physical component summary (PCS) score. Only primary procedures were included. Articles were screened by 2 independent reviewers, with conflicts resolved with a third reviewer. Meta-regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of time, age and sex on preoperative PCS score. Subgroup analysis was performed to compare results for the United States with those for the rest of the world.
RESULTS
A total of 1502 articles were identified, of which 149 were included in the study. Data from 257 independent groups including 57 844 patients recruited from 1991 to 2015 were analyzed. The mean preoperative PCS score was 31.1 (95% confidence interval 30.6-31.7) with a 95% prediction interval of 22.8-39.5. The variance across studies was found to be significant ( < 0.001) with 99.01% true variance. Year of enrolment, age, the percentage of female patients and geographic region did not have any significant effect on preoperative PCS score.
CONCLUSION
Patients are undergoing TKA with a level of preoperative function similar to their level of function in the past. Patient age, sex and location did not influence the functional status at which patients were considered to be candidates for surgery.
Topics: Female; Humans; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; Osteoarthritis, Knee; Treatment Outcome; Male
PubMed: 37875301
DOI: 10.1503/cjs.013222 -
Toxicology Jun 2024E-waste -the aftermath of large amount of electrical and electronic equipment ferried into Africa from which Nigeria receives a significant chunk, is composed of...
E-waste -the aftermath of large amount of electrical and electronic equipment ferried into Africa from which Nigeria receives a significant chunk, is composed of components known to be hazardous to health. Composition of series of heavy metals (HMs) in e-waste is traceable to many health conditions including cancer which is hitherto incompletely understood. This study harmonizes primary data on HMs from e-waste in different Nigerian environmental media including the air, soil, surface dust, water and plant. We estimated the possible health implications, single and aggregative soil and water pollution indices both in adult and children categories, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks secondary to HM exposure and mapped out the possible mechanism of carcinogenesis. Analysis showed that soil, water, surface dust and plant matrices in Nigerian environment are variedly but considerably contaminated with combination of HMs. The significantly high values of the hazard quotient and hazard index of both water and surface dust matrices are indicative of adverse health effect of the non-carcinogenic risk. The highest HQ is generated by Pb and Cr through dermal exposure to soil and surface dust with mean values of 1718.48, 1146.14, 1362.10 and 1794.61 respectively among Nigerian children followed by the oral exposure. This pattern of observation is similar to that obtained for adult category. HI due to Pb and Cr in soil constitutes the highest HI (2.05E+03 and 1.18E+03 respectively) followed by surface dust. However, this study precipitates the observation that children are more at health risk than adults in contaminated environment. Carcinogenic risk also follows the same pattern of expression in the Nigerian environment. We conclude that exposure to e-waste poses significant carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks and the induction of toxicity may be mediated via DNA damage, oxidative stress and inflammatory/immune cells dysfunction in Nigerian environment.
Topics: Humans; Carcinogens; Electronic Waste; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants; Metals, Heavy; Nigeria; Risk Assessment; Waste Management
PubMed: 38653375
DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2024.153811 -
Reviews on Environmental Health Jan 2024The exposure of occupants to indoor air pollutants has increased in recent decades. The aim of this review is to discuss an overview of new approaches that are used to... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
The exposure of occupants to indoor air pollutants has increased in recent decades. The aim of this review is to discuss an overview of new approaches that are used to study fungal aerosols. Thus, this motivation was to compensate the gaps caused by the use of only traditional approaches in the study of fungal exposure.
CONTENT
The search involved various databases such as; Science Direct, PubMed, SAGE, Springer Link, EBCOHOST, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane library, Web of Science and Wiley Online Library. It was limited to full text research articles that reported the use of non-viable method in assessing bioaerosol, written in English Language, full text publications and published from year 2015-2022.
SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK
A total of 15 articles met the inclusion criteria and was included in this review. The use of next-generation sequencing, which is more commonly referred to as high-throughput sequencing (HTS) or molecular methods in microbial studies is based on the detection of genetic material of organisms present in a given sample. Applying these methods to different environments permitted the identification of the microorganisms present, and a better comprehension of the environmental impacts and ecological roles of microbial communities. Based on the reviewed articles, there is evidence that dust samples harbour a high diversity of human-associated bacteria and fungi. Molecular methods such as next generation sequencing are reliable tools for identifying and tracking the bacterial and fungal diversity in dust samples using 18S metagenomics approach.
PubMed: 38214730
DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2023-0004 -
Journal of Occupational Health Jan 2024The purpose of this study was to present a systematic review of the health-related problems of factory workers in the textile and fashion industry. These workers endure...
OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to present a systematic review of the health-related problems of factory workers in the textile and fashion industry. These workers endure long sitting postures, poor workspace conditions, and long working hours to complete their overload of tasks. This situation results in several health problems that affect the productivity, mental health, and well-being of the workers.
METHODS
The relevant data (21 article publications) were obtained from the Scopus database. Analysis of the 21 articles was grouped under 3 research themes based on the critical reading of the content and abstracts: respiratory problems, musculoskeletal disorders, and psychological stressors and other health issues.
RESULTS
The findings show that factory workers are exposed to dust particles of cotton and other raw materials, fumes, and chemicals from manufacturing processes. This prolonged exposure without the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) leads to respiratory diseases like byssinosis that affect the workers' health. Additionally, working in a particular posture due to the workstation design for prolonged hours causes musculoskeletal disorders or pains. Workers also suffer from anxiety, depression, and stress from workload and pressure, hence making them unstable with reduced productivity.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings of the study reinforce the need for a safe workspace and spacious work environment, provision of PPE, training in occupational hazards, frequent health checks, and ergonomic assessment of workstations to reduce prolonged work postures. Stakeholders, employers, policymakers, and governments should collaborate to safeguard and protect the well-being and health of the workers at these factories.
Topics: Humans; Occupational Exposure; Occupational Diseases; Byssinosis; Textiles; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Textile Industry
PubMed: 38289711
DOI: 10.1093/joccuh/uiae007 -
Revista Alergia Mexico (Tecamachalco,... Feb 2024Review the historical records of house dust mites in the countries of the Pacific and continental Caribbean of Latin America.
OBJECTIVE
Review the historical records of house dust mites in the countries of the Pacific and continental Caribbean of Latin America.
METHODS
A systematic review was carried out, adapting the PRISMA method, in digital repositories using a combination of the terms in Spanish: "ácaros domésticos" "alergia" and in English: "dust mites" "allergy" with the names of the countries "Costa Rica". "Panamá" "Venezuela" "Colombia" "Ecuador" "Peru" between 1970-2022. The inclusion criteria were presence of the mite species, city or municipality, country, height above sea level and year. A database was built in Microsoft Excel Office 365. Maps were created using QGIS 3.30 geographic information systems and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the findings.
RESULTS
From the search and identification, 3959 references were obtained, of which 133 were considered potentially eligible, of these 45 met inclusion criteria, and only 32 presented records of domestic mite species. Historically there were 424 records and 27 species (18 genera and 9 families). The countries with the most studies and records were Colombia (14 and 242), Panama (8 and 64) and Peru (5 and 74). 66% (281/424) of the records were of the species (81), followed by (58), (40), (39), . (33) and (30). The species with the greatest altitudinal range were , (2-4800 m.a.s.l) and (2- 3399 m.a.s.l).
CONCLUSIONS
A synthesis was presented on the historical geographical and altitudinal distribution of house dust mites in countries of the Pacific and continental Caribbean of Latin America, which in turn allowed us to determine the species with the greatest records, highlighting those of importance in allergology. These findings are an input for acarological surveillance in public health.
Topics: Animals; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Latin America; Pyroglyphidae; Pacific Ocean; Caribbean Region
PubMed: 38683087
DOI: 10.29262/ram.v71i1.1307