Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and quality of life assessment among garment workers in Tiruppur district, Tamil Nadu.

Objectives. The garment industry is a labour-intensive industry, with workers susceptible to musculoskeletal problems, especially those employed in smaller units that lack adequate occupational health provisions. This study aims to determine the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among workers in both large and small garment units and assess their quality of life (QoL). Methods. The study surveyed 746 garment workers, comprising 372 from large units and 374 from small units. Data were collected through the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF questionnaire, with posture analysis conducted using the rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) and rapid entire body assessment (REBA) scales. Results. The results showed that 32% of workers in large-scale garment units and 43.9% in small-scale garment units reported musculoskeletal symptoms. The occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) was significantly associated with increasing age, smoking, alcohol consumption, job duration, working in shifts and moonlighting. Conclusion. The workers in the garment industry, particularly of small units, are highly susceptible to WMSDs.

Beneficial role of kaempferol and its derivatives from different plant sources on respiratory diseases in experimental models.

Respiratory illnesses impose a significant health burden and cause deaths worldwide. Despite many advanced strategies to improve patient outcomes, they are often less effective. There is still considerable room for improvement in the treatment of various respiratory diseases. In recent years, alternative medicinal agents derived from food plants have shown better beneficial effects against a wide variety of disease models, including cancer. In this regard, kaempferol (KMF) and its derivatives are the most commonly found dietary flavonols. They have been found to exhibit protective effects on multiple chronic diseases like diabetes, fibrosis, and so on. A few recent articles have reviewed the pharmacological actions of KMF in cancer, central nervous system diseases, and chronic inflammatory diseases. However, there is no comprehensive review that exists regarding the beneficial effects of KMF and its derivatives on both malignant- and non-malignant respiratory diseases. Many experimental studies reveal that KMF and its derivatives are helpful in managing a wide range of respiratory diseases, including acute lung injury, fibrosis, asthma, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and their underlying molecular mechanisms. In addition, we also discussed the chemistry and sources, the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties, methods to enhance bioavailability, as well as our perspective on future research with KMF and its derivatives.

Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Bus Conductors of Udupi District, Karnataka.

Background: Government bus conductors are at high risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to the work environment and work conditions. Thus, the present study was undertaken to assess the prevalence and associated factors of musculoskeletal problems among bus conductors. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 237 bus conductors of government bus depots. The data were collected by interview technique on a structured questionnaire. Self-reported musculoskeletal pain over the last 12 months was the case definition. Results: The present study revealed that 62.4% of bus conductors had musculoskeletal pain. The multivariate analysis suggested that tobacco smoking, overweight or obesity, and lack of enough breaks during work were significant risk factors for the occurrence of musculoskeletal pain in study participants. Conclusion: Thus, to conclude, the conductors are at risk of musculoskeletal problems, which can be attributed to occupational as well as non-occupational factors.

Chronic Low-dose Exposure to Highly Toxic Gas Phosgene and Its Effect on Peak Expiratory Flow Rate.

Introduction: Phosgene is a highly toxic gas causing irritation of the airways and eyes though at high dose exposure. The effect on airways can be assessed by peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) which is a cheaper, simple, and easy to perform test under field conditions and routine monitoring. Thus, this study is undertaken to understand the effect of chronic low-dose phosgene exposure on PEFR and the associated factors. Methods: This study included 287 workers of phosgene production and captive units. After recording the demographic, occupational, and clinical history on a questionnaire, every participant was subjected to clinical examination, chest radiography, and measurement of PEFR using Spirovit SP-10. Results: The mean age and mean duration of the job of participants was 42.8 ± 10.4 years and 18.9 ± 9.6 years, respectively. The PEFR was significantly reduced with increasing age, increasing duration in the job, and those having direct exposure. Conclusion: PEFR is affected by chronic low-dose exposure to phosgene.

Non-malignant respiratory illness associated with exposure to arsenic compounds in the environment.

Arsenic (As), a toxic metalloid, primarily originates from both natural and anthropogenic activities. Reports suggested that millions of people globally exposed to high levels of naturally occurring As compounds via inhalation and ingestion. There is evidence that As is a well-known lung carcinogen. However, there has been relatively little evidence suggesting its non-malignant lung effects. This review comprehensively summarises current experimental and clinical studies implicating the association of As exposure and the development of several non-malignant lung diseases. Experimental studies provided evidence that As exposure induces redox imbalance, apoptosis, inflammatory response, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and affected normal lung development through alteration of the components of intracellular signaling cascades. In addition, we also discuss the sources and possible mechanisms of As influx and efflux in the lung. Finally, current experimental studies on treatment strategies using phytochemicals and our perspective on future research with As are also discussed.

Occupational respiratory morbidity among hair and beauty salon workers in Udupi taluk, Karnataka, India.

BACKGROUND: The Indian hair and beauty salon industry is growing rapidly due to the demand for beauty and personal care services and products. Workers in the industry are vulnerable to several occupational factors such as chemicals, confined space, and poor ventilation. Chemicals in the products used are known or suspected to cause allergies, respiratory, neurological and reproductive health problems and cancer. METHODS: The present study was carried out to determine the factors associated with the occurrence of respiratory morbidity among hair and beauty salon workers of Udupi taluk, Karnataka, India. A total of 240 salon workers were recruited for the study. A semistructured, interviewer-led questionnaire was used to collect data. Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was done using a JSB peak flow meter. RESULTS: The frequency of respiratory morbidity among participating beauty salon workers was 19%. Men reported respiratory symptoms more frequently than women. Receiving training on work materials and practices was a significant protective factor (odds ratio = 0.3; 95% confidence interval: 0.1-0.7) for the occurrence of respiratory morbidity. The mean observed PEFR in these workers was significantly lower than their predicted values. While 61.2% of the workers were using some form of personal protective equipment, only 4% of workers used a mask or respiratory protection. CONCLUSION: Hair and beauty salon workers are at risk of developing respiratory morbidity potentially from harmful exposures and lack of effective control measures at the workplace.

Dendritic cell engineering for selective targeting of female reproductive tract cancers.

Female reproductive tract cancers (FRCs) are considered as one of the most frequently occurring malignancies and a foremost cause of death among women. The late-stage diagnosis and limited clinical effectiveness of currently available mainstay therapies, primarily due to the developed drug resistance properties of tumour cells, further increase disease severity. In the past decade, dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy has shown remarkable success and appeared as a feasible therapeutic alternative to treat several malignancies, including FRCs. Importantly, the clinical efficacy of this therapy is shown to be restricted by the established immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. However, combining nanoengineered approaches can significantly assist DCs to overcome this tumour-induced immune tolerance. The prolonged release of nanoencapsulated tumour antigens helps improve the ability of DC-based therapeutics to selectively target and remove residual tumour cells. Incorporation of surface ligands and co-adjuvants may further aid DC targeting (in vivo) to overcome the issues associated with the short DC lifespan, immunosuppression and imprecise uptake. We herein briefly discuss the necessity and progress of DC-based therapeutics in FRCs. The review also sheds lights on the future challenges to design and develop clinically effective nanoparticles-DC combinations that can induce efficient anti-tumour immune responses and prolong patients' survival.

An epidemiological study of low back pain among oil drilling workers in India.

Many episodes of low back pain are disabling, thus making it one of the costly occupational health problem. The proper alignment and lifting operations during drilling process frequently exposed the oil-drilling workers to unusual strain on the spine and thus make them susceptible for developing low back pain. The present cross-sectional study was carried out in 71 oil-drilling workers. The prevalence of self-reported low back pain was found to be 29.6%. Higher prevalence was found in those working in awkward working posture (c 2 = 6.41; df = 1; p < 0.01). No other factors, namely, age, obesity, duration of exposure, smoking habit, family history of musculoskeletal disorders, exposure to vibration, lifting of weights and past history of injury was found to be statistically significant. Furthermore, using univariate and multivariate analysis, none of the factor was found to have excess risk of occurrence of low back pain, which can partly be attributed to small sample size.

Risk factor analysis in self-reported diabetes in a rural Kerala population.

AIM: To find the prevalence of self-reported diabetes mellitus (DM) in rural Kerala. METHODOLOGY: Interview schedule was used to collect the information on pre-designed and pre-tested proforma. Self-reported DM was taken as outcome measure. All these patients were diagnosed by their respective physicians and were on anti-diabetic drugs. Body weight was measured to the nearest 1 kg using bathroom scale; while height was measured using a nonstretchable tape to the nearest 1 mm. Standard classification of obesity and waist circumference was used. RESULTS: The present cross-sectional study was carried out in the Venganoor village of Kerala. Four hundred and sixty four subjects, 64.4% women and 35.6% men, were selected randomly. Nearly half of the subjects were in the age range of 25-54 years, while about one-third of the subjects were over 55 years. Among the men, 38.5% were ever smokers, while 5.5% were in the habit of consuming alcohol. 27.8% of the subjects were found to be obese, while 20.3% of the subjects reported raised waist circumference. The level of physical activity in the majority of the subjects was either sedentary or mild. On multivariate analysis, increasing age was found to be significantly associated with self-reported diabetes (OR = 1.07; 95% CI: 1.04-1.09). The other factors namely sex, smoking habit, alcohol use, obesity, waist circumference and physical activity were found to be statistically nonsignificant. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of self-reported diabetes was found to be 13.1% and that it was seen to be associated with increasing age.

Morbidity profile of steel pipe production workers.

OBJECTIVE: To study the different morbid conditions among steel pipe producing workers. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study has been carried out among the workers of one of the steel pipes and tubes manufacturing factory of Gujarat. Hundred workers from the four major departments of the steel pipe production plant, namely welding, pressing machine, X-ray welding and loading/transportation department were covered. The information regarding demographic, occupational, clinical characteristics and diagnosis were recorded on a pre-designed proforma. Statistical analysis included calculation of percentages and proportions and was carried out using the statistical software Epi Info Version 3.3.2. RESULTS: The mean age of the study subjects was found to be 38.7+/-7.1 years. The mean duration of exposure was found to be 9.0+/-3.4 years. Forty-four percent of the subjects had an upper respiratory tract infection, as evidenced by symptoms like dry cough, cough with rhinitis and cough with fever. Symptoms suggestive of allergic bronchitis were observed in 12% of the subjects while symptoms suggestive of heat stress such as prickly heat, dehydration, perspiration and pyrexia were observed in 13% of the subjects.

Hypertension and epidemiological factors among tribal labour population in Gujarat.

A cross sectional study was carried out in 2005 to find out the magnitude of hypertension among 154 tribal labourers of Gujarat belonging to Naika, Rathwa and Damor tribes. WHO classification of hypertension was taken as operational criteria and data was collected in pre-designed, pretested schedule. Blood pressure measurement was done twice on each subject using mercury sphygmomanometer. Overall magnitude of hypertension was found to be 16.9%, and only smoking was found to have significantly associated with it.

Serum copper levels among quartz stone crushing workers: a cross sectional study.

The present cross sectional study was carried out among 134 workers of quartz stone crushing units to assess the serum Cu activity among quartz stone workers without disease. Demographic and occupational details of the subjects were recorded on the predesigned proforma. Standard diagnostic criteria were used for diagnosing silicosis and tuberculosis. The pulmonary functions of the subjects were measured using Spirovit SP-10. The mean age for male was found to be 26.63 +/- 6.28 years while that for female was 21.93 +/- 4.29 years and for the whole group was 26.13 +/- 6.26 years. In the present study only one case of silicosis and seven cases of tuberculosis were found. The mean serum Cu levels of those having respiratory disease was found to be 91.5 +/- 19.8 microg/dl while mean serum Cu level of those free from respiratory disease was 86.8 +/- 21.3 microg/dl The difference was found to be statistically non-significant (t = 0.64, df= 1, P > 0.05). Thus, in the present study, though the elevated level of serum Cu was found in solitary case of silicosis, no association could be established between the silica exposure and serum copper levels as suggested by non-significant effect of duration of exposure (P = 0.53).

Spirometric measurements among quartz stone ex-workers of Gujarat, India.

The present cross sectional study was carried out among 134 ex-workers from quartz stone crushing units. Using the interview technique as a tool for data collection, demographic and occupational details of the subjects were recorded on the predesigned proforma. Standard diagnostic criteria were used for diagnosing silicosis and silico-tuberculosis. The pulmonary functions of the subjects were measured with Spirovit SP-10. The mean age of the males was found to be 33.18 +/- 10.39 yr and that of the females was 30.10 +/- 9.3 yr and for the whole group was 31.77 +/- 9.99 yr. Mean duration of exposure was 2.74 +/- 1.65 yr. The study variables included age, sex, duration of exposure, smoking and respiratory morbidity. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) which suggests lung parenchymal disorders was found to be significantly reduced with female sex, presence of smoking, increasing duration of exposure and presence of pneumoconiosis, whereas the lung function parameters indicating the status of airways were found to be significantly reduced with all the factors. Therefore, it was concluded that quartz stone workers exposed to approximately 100% free silica had deteriorated lung function which can be attributed mainly to respiratory disorders along with other epidemiological factors such as age, sex, duration of exposure and smoking.