[Methodic approaches to evaluation of visual performance in professional computer users].

Occupation-related and physiologic studies in workers using personal computers revealed variable degrees of changed visual performance in accordance with work conditions class and integral parameter of work intensity. Findings are that the performance change is caused by lower accomodation volume and decrease in temporary characteristics of clear vision stability. Correlation was established between work conditions class and percentage of the performance decrease during the working shift in videodisplay users.

[Forecasting decrease in performance and health disorders under exposure to work intensity factors in accordance with work conditions class].

Results of complex physiologic and ergonomic, clinical and functional studies helped to justify approaches to quantitative evaluation and assessment of posssible decrease in performance and health disorders in workers in accordance with work conditions class of mental work. Linear regression dependence was established between work intensity class and performance decrease. The linear regression equation obtained enables to calculate a percentage of performance decrease in various work intensity classes. Intensive direct correlation was revealed between work intensity value and a percentage of individuals with diagnosed occupationally induced diseases.

[Labor physiology role in workers of different type labor activity workability and health. Progress and prospects].

There are presented the data of workers overstrain and fatigue conditions mechanisms based on physiological, psychological and ergonomic aspects of work processes in different types of activities (mental, visual-strained, physical). 15-year historical analysis, current state and prospects of labor physiology methods development are shown. Complex physiological and ergonomic investigations have allowed developing the measures of work ability raise and diseases prevention for workers various professions. Obtained results provided the basis of development of regulatory documents in area of human organism strain physiological norms, consequences of psycho-emotional stress and overstrain prevention taking into account working conditions class.

[Preventing risk of overexertion in mental workers, depending on work conditions class according to work hardiness parameters].

One of the most important tasks of occupational medicine is prevention of overexertion and occupational diseases in physical workers with various characters and degree of muscular exertion (local, regional and general). The studies demonstrated strong corellation between work conditions class in work hardiness, functional state and level of diseases development among 50 occupational groups examined. The article covers specific and differentiated measures on rational work and rest schedules, and other prophylactic means, with consideration of work conditions class for physical workers.

[Visual fatigue in video display terminal users in relation to the type of displayed information].

The functional status of the visual analyzer was studied in professional users of video display terminals (VDT) in relation to the type of displayed information. It was shown that irrespective of the type of displayed information, the VDT users developed visual fatigue over time. With unidirectional changes, visual fatigue was ascertained to be more pronounced and to have developed prematurely in users of VDT with alphanumeric information than in those of VDT with graphic information.

[Risk factors of functional disorders in mental workers].

The authors demonstrated that incomplete consideration of ergonomic requirements in occupational process organization results in more intensive work and therefore to marked unfavorable changes in various human body systems. Preventing functional strain and lowering the occupational risk requires special measures implemented into daily work schedule and into activities of occupational rehabilitation centers.

[Physiologic and ergonomic aspects of social and hygienic monitoring of workers' performance and health].

The article tackles necessity of physiologic and ergonomic research in system of social and hygienic monitoring of workers' performance and health. A presented scheme covers physiologic and ergonimic aspects: monitoring of work process factors; monitoring of workers' performance and functional state. The authors formulated theoretic orientation of the problem and demonstrated scientific and practical importance of physiologic and ergonomic monitoring.

[Methodic approaches to determining the level of occupational fitness in jobs prone to trauma].

The article deals with main methods to evaluate functional state of various body systems and with the methods-based criteria of occupational fitness for miscellaneous activities. Examination of 11 types of jobs prone to trauma helped to specify integral parameter for occupational selection.

[Scientific ideas of I. M. Sechenov, and neurophysiological studies of system stress conditions in occupational healthcare].

Occupational healthcare is one of the priority directions of modern sciences of life. Its achievements are based upon scientific ideas of Sechenov, the first Russian explorer of brain bioelectric activity. The modern neurophysiologic methodology of formalized quantitative evaluation of homeostasis in the higher brain structures allows optimization of early etiological diagnostics and prevention of stress reactions of central nervous and cardiovascular systems of workers exposed to hazardous factors of industrial environment.

[Concept of cerebral mechanisms underlying prolonged adaptation to environmental hazards, according to I.M. Sechenov's scientific heritage].

Occupational medicine is based on scientific ideas of Ivan Mikhailovitch Sechenov, the first Russian researcher of bioelectric activity of brain. Contemporary neurophysiologic methods of formalized quantitative evaluation of homeostasis in higher brain structures enable to optimize early etiologic diagnosis and prevention of central nervous and cardiovascular systems stress under exposure to multiple occupational hazards.

[Changes in central hemodynamics in persons with borderline arterial hypertension during work-related activities]. / Izmenenie tsentral'noi gemodinamiki u lits s pogranichnoi arterial'noi gipertoniei v usloviiakh trudovoi deiatel'nosti.

Changes in the function of the cardiovascular system were studied in 30-39- and 40-49-year-old healthy subjects and patients with borderline arterial hypertension (BAH) who worked 8 or 12 hours every day. During an 8-hour working day, altered central hemodynamics was shown to be detected both in healthy subjects and BAH patients only at the age of 30-39 years and reflected by higher stroke volume (SV), higher cardiac output (CO) and lower total peripheral resistance (TPR) in healthy subjects and diminished heart rate (HR), CO in BAH patients. With this, the distribution of hemocirculatory patterns remained the same as it had been before work. After 12-hour work, the central hemodynamic changes were unindirectional in all the groups in question: decreased HR, SV, CO, cardiac index and increased TPR. There was a decrease in hyperkinetic hemodynamic incidence and an increase in eu- and hypokinetic hemodynamic one.

[The scientific trends and tasks in occupational physiology today]. / Nauchnye napravleniia i zadachi fiziologii truda na sovremennom étape.

Evaluating a human during occupational activities, occupational physiology should put emphasis on two principal and cooperated directions. Those are aimed to minimize occupational risk, preservation of working capacity, long occupational life and human health. The first direction is associated with theoretic and practical work on differential diagnosis of various functional systems: regulation of working strain, fatigue and tension. Work in this direction helps to solve such practical problems as rehabilitation and assessment of human resources, evaluation of occupational stress, design of automated monitoring systems, etc. The second direction covers hygienic regulation of occupational factors. Their intensity and duration should be assessed with consideration of age, personality and other traits of a worker. In addition, combined action of existing hazards and the new ones should be considered in formation of regulatory technology documents.

[Peculiarities of stress at work under various work intensity]. / Osobennosti formirovaniia proizvodstvennogo stressa pri razlichnoi napriazhennosti truda.

Complex hygienic approach using psychophysiologic and clinical methods revealed features of occupational stress for various work intensity.

[Physiologic and hygienic characteristics of work conditions of miners in the Far North]. / Fiziologo-gigienicheskaia kharakteristika uslovii truda gornorabochikhrossypnykh shakht Krainego Severa.

Workers engaged into subsurface extraction of sand containing gold were proved to work in difficult conditions characterized by stable negative temperatures, high concentrations of dust, elevated levels of noise and vibration. The drill operators demonstrated extremely unfavorable changes of physiologic processes within a shift. Those changes were compromised cardiovascular regulation, early occurrence and intensive progress of fatigue. The authors provide recommendations to normalize the work conditions and to create rational scheme of work and rest for the occupations.

[Psychophysiological aspects of occupational stress in occupational medicine]. / Psikhofiziologicheskie aspekty proizvodstvennogo stressa v meditsine truda.

The authors necessitate complex psychophysiologic, hygienic and clinical research to form a concept of stress induced by occupational factors. The materials disclosure role of fundamental studies, critically review various models (two- and three-dimensional) of stress at work. Analysis of the authors' data and facts obtained by other researchers in detection and evaluation of various stress factors. Essential is to specify prophylactic measures against stress at work for workers' health preservation.

[Bases of the integral indicator in the determination of the category of work intensity]. / Obosnovanie integral'nogo pokazatelia dlia opredeleniia kategorii napriazhennosti truda.

Physiologic and clinical examination of mental workers (19 occupational groups) helped to justify and calculate integral parameter evaluating the work intensity, to determine 6 categories of work intensity. Physiologic and clinical data prove that higher integral parameter of work intensity (category of work intensity) correlates with higher degree of strain at work and higher share of the diseased individuals. The results help to improve classification of hygienic criteria for evaluation of work conditions, in particular the work intensity.

[Effects of occupational mental strain on etiology of neuroses in operators]. / Vliianie nervno-napriazhennogo truda na razvitie nevroticheskikh rasstroistv u operatorov.

Complex clinical and physiologic examination covered operators facing changeable psychoemotional strain at work. The degree of psychoemotional strain appeared to have strong correlation with the diagnosed neurosis rate. The examination revealed main clinical syndrome in the neuroses and proved a distinct trend that prolonged forms of the condition were prevalent in the groups engaged into more emotionally burdensome work. The data obtained require further investigation to elaborate optimum measures for prophylaxis and treatment of the diseases diagnosed.

[Effect of working shift timing and different workload on development of fatigue in workers]. / Osobennosti formirovaniia utomleniia u rabotnikov s razlichnoi stepeníu napriazhennosti truda v zavisimosti ot prodolzhitelnosti rabochei smeny.

The authors studied functional changes of central nervous and cardiovascular systems among operators having variable work strain (airlines dispatchers, operators of robot complexes, TV operators) and changeable duration of working shift (8 and 12 hours). Analysis of the materials considered work strain in the occupational groups (I, II and III degrees of strain) and duration of the working shift. The results proved that the fatigue degree depends on the work strain degree and duration of the working shift, so prophylaxis and normal work duration could be set.

[The influence of occupational factors on clinical and physiological states of those working at video-display terminals]. / Vliianie faktorov professional'noo sredy na kliniko-fiziologicheskii status lits, rabotaiushchikh s videodispleinymi terminalami.

The studies proved users of videodisplays to be under exposure to occupational hazards cumulative even in total 4-hour daily work at the videodisplay. That induces energetic and informational stress that clinically resembles fatigue neurosis. The examinees demonstrated premorbid condition, lower physiologic resources, homeostatic potential and occupational health quality.

[Physiological and clinical disorders in muscular work depending on factors of work process]. / Fiziologo-klinicheskie narusheniia pri myshechnoi rabote v zavisimosti ot faktorov trudovogo protsessa.

Clinical and physiologic studies covered 26 occupational groups engaged into physical work and revealed that physiologic value of muscular work is a function of quantitative parameters, intensity and duration of work. Physiologic value of the work appeared to correlate with morbidity structure.