Lead Exposure and Oxidative Stress in Coal Miners.

We aimed to investigate the short-term correlation between blood lead levels and oxidative stress generation in coal miners. The study involved 94 male coal miners from the Velenje Coal mine, arranged into four groups: three groups according to the number of consecutive working days, and a fourth control group. Miners who worked for three consecutive days had higher blood levels of lead and 8-isoprostane than the control group (P < 0.001). Correlation between lead and 8-isoprostane was of medium strength (r = 0.512, P < 0.001). Short-term lead environmental exposure can potentially harmful and should be considered when formulating improvements in working processes.

8-isoprostane as Oxidative Stress Marker in Coal Mine Workers.

This study was to investigate whether working in conditions of elevated concentrations of mine gases (CO2, CO, CH4, DMS) and dust may result in oxidative stress. Coal miners (n=94) from the Velenje Coal mine who were arranged into control group and three groups according to a number of consecutive working days. 8-isoprostane as a biological marker of oxidative stress was measured in exhaled breath condensate (EBC). Miners who worked for three consecutive days had higher 8-isoprostane values in EBC compared to the control group. Gas/dust concentrations and exposure time of a single/two day shift seem too low to trigger immediate oxidative stress.

Health Impact of Elevated Levels of Lead Encountered in the Manufacture of Crystal Glass.

Lead is known to cause harmful effects in the haematopoietic, nervous, digestive, renal, and other organ systems, inhibiting a number of enzymes in the biosynthesis of haem, as well as other enzymes with haematological significance. Our study involved 151 employees involved with the cutting of crystal, i.e. leaded glass, who had been found using eco-monitoring to have been exposed to above normal levels of lead. Our bio-monitoring process followed the values of lead, delta-ALAD and EPP.The highest level of lead detected was 276 µg/L, the lowest level of delta-ALAD was 99 nkat/L), and the highest level of EPP was 14.2 nmol/gHb). We had found that contrary to expectations, lead levels were not correlated to haemoglobin levels, or to gender or age, but were instead based only on the post of the employee and their time spent working at the glassworks. The levels of haematopoiesis were directly proportional to the levels of lead, however, the correlation was not statistically significant or had perhaps been masked by the exposure due to the employee's post and gender. We had also found a significant correlation of lead levels to the levels of renal function. The study had indicated some health impacts of lead on the exposed glass workers, but also at least partly diverged from the results of previous studies, prompting us to continue our research.

Age affects drivers' response times.

In Slovenia the number of drivers over 65 is increasing every year. With age comes a decrease in psychophysical abilities, which include sensory and motoric functions and the ability of processing visual information. These changes increase the response time and decrease the driving capacity. The aim of this study was to establish a correlation between age and response time and to determine the difference in response times between men and women. In the research participated 573 randomly chosen drivers aged 19-80 with a valid driving license. We measured their response times, when stimulated by a red traffic light, on a simulator The results clearly demonstrate that a correlation between age and the response time exists. The results show that a significant increase in response times occurs after the age of 65. In all age groups, except the oldest, women achieved longer response times than men.

Three Day Environmental Exposure May Trigger Oxidative Stress Development and Provoke Adaptive Response Resulting in Altered Antioxidant Activity.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the polluted working environment triggers oxidative stress and alter enzymatic antioxidant activity by a short-term interval. METHODS: The experimental study, performed in 2014, involved 94 workers from the Velenje Coalmine in Slovenia, arranged into three groups according to a number of consecutive working days in a mineshaft, supported by a control group. Levels of the antioxidant enzymes (GPx, CAT, SOD) together with TAC (the combined effect of all antioxidants) and 8-isoprostane (a biological marker of oxidative stress/damage) were measured in human plasma. RESULTS: Workers occupationally exposed for three consecutive working days had significantly increased 8-isoprostane biomarker, a parameter of oxidative stress (P<0.001). The antioxidant levels of TAC (P<0.001), CAT (P<0.001) and SOD (P<0.001) were all significantly decreased compared to a control group. CONCLUSION: Workers in polluted working environment had significantly increased oxidative stress and altered antioxidant activity already on a third consecutive working day.

Epilepsy and driving capability in Slovenia.

PURPOSE: To compare medical evaluations of driving capability of drivers with epilepsy with the rules of Slovenian legislation. METHODS: Our research included all drivers in Slovenia that were evaluated as epileptic between 1993 and 2002. The results were processed using the standard descriptive statistical methods. RESULTS: During the 10-year period, the commission evaluated 541 cases and prospective drivers of motor vehicles with the primary diagnosis of epilepsy. On average, these individuals drove a third less than other drivers, moreover only 1.6% of the epileptic drivers caused traffic accidents, which is significantly lower than the percentage in general population. Medical evaluations resulted in 349 cases being recognized as capable of driving, while the legislation would issue a driver's license to only 140 of the cases. CONCLUSION: Our research confirmed the supposition that drivers with epilepsy are safe drivers and mirror the general population in many of their driving capabilities, thus making it urgent that the obsolete Slovenian legislation is modified to conform to the recommendations of the International Bureau for Epilepsy as quickly as possible.

Ability to work and employability of patients in opioid substitution treatment programs in Slovenia.

AIM: To assess the ability to work and employability of individuals taking part in opioid substitution treatment programs (OSTP). METHODS: The study was composed of two surveys. In the first survey, 237 of 480 patients enrolled in OSTP responded to the questionnaire about their employment status, opinion about employment, and perception of assignments before and during OSTP. In the second survey, 66 of 100 employers responded to the questionnaire on the occurrence, perception, and management of addiction problems in their companies. RESULTS: Unemployment rate in individuals enrolled in OSTP was 43.5% and decreased during OSTP by 10.5% (P=0.027). Irregular use of OSTP medications was the most important factor for unemployment (odds ratio, 2.44; P=0.016). OSTP was highly effective in achieving a positive change in patients' perception of different kinds of assignments previously perceived as beyond their abilities. Thus, perception of mentally demanding assignments (P<0.001), working at unfavorable hours (P<0.001), and forced work pace (P<0.001) represented much lower burden after entering OSTP. Only 6.6% of employers reported illicit drugs as being a problem at their companies and 79.1% believed they would not recognize a person under the influence of illicit drugs. In 93.0% of the cases, applicants for a job would have had lower chances if they had been drug users; the percentage was slightly higher for those taking part in OSTP (94.7%). CONCLUSION: OSTP in Slovenia was effective in increasing both employability and OSTP patients' ability to work. To facilitate complete rehabilitation, particularly in obtaining employment for the patients, the process must involve the society as a whole.

Influence of psychosocial work-related factors on conventional risk factors of ischemic heart disease and homocysteine in Slovenian male workers.

The influence of psychosocial work-related factors on the conventional risk factors of ischemic heart disease (IHD), particularly on the lipid changes and their effect on homocysteine is studied in this paper. Employed males aged 35 to 55 with angina pectoris or a myocardial infarction (IHD group) were compared to a group of individuals without ischemic heart disease (Control Group). Psychosocial factors were assessed using a Swedish Theorell questionnaire. The IHD Group was found to be at a higher risk of IHD due to higher work demands (OR = 1.25), worse job control (OR = 1.23), frequent smoking (OR = 2.2), leadership positions (OR = 3.97), higher BMI (p = 0.059) and higher levels of triglycerides (p = 0.005) and LDL-cholesterol (OR = 1.65). The level of HDL-cholesterol was significantly lower (1.0 vs. 1.4 mmol/L, p < 0.001, OR = 1.64), while the level of C-reactive protein (9.1 vs. 1.8 mg/L) and Interleukin-6 (6.5 vs. 1.6 ng/L) was higher. Homocysteine levels showed borderline significance (p = 0.056). Our study suggests a possible influence of psychosocial work-related factors on IHD risk factors, most of all on low HDL-cholesterol. No connection was found between psychosocial factors and the homocysteine level, shown to be an IHD risk factor at lower levels of approximately 10 micromol/L.

The influence of parental education and other socio-economic factors on child car seat use.

INTRODUCTION: The behaviour of parents in ensuring car passenger safety for their children is associated with socio-economic (SE) status of the family; however, the influence of parental education has rarely been researched and the findings are contradictory. The aim of the study was to clarify whether parental education influences the use of a child car seat during short rides. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in outpatient clinics for children's healthcare across Slovenia. 904 parents of 3-year-old children participated in the study; the response rate was 95.9%. A self-administered questionnaire was used. A binary multiple logistic regression was applied to assess the association between parental unsafe behaviour as dependent variable, and education and other SE factors as independent variables. RESULTS: 14.6% of parents did not use a child car seat during short rides. Families where mother had low or college education had higher odds of the non-use of a child car seat than families where mother had a university education. Single-parent families and those who lived in areas with low or medium SE status also had higher odds of the non-use of a child car seat. CONCLUSIONS: Low educational attainment influences parents' behaviour regarding the non-use of a child car seat. Low parental education is not the only risk factor since some highly educated parents also have high odds of unsafe behaviour. All parents should therefore be included in individually tailored safety counselling programmes. SE inequalities could be further reduced with provision of free child car seats for eligible families.

Molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from skin and soft tissue infections samples and healthy carriers in the Central Slovenia region.

Staphylococcus aureus is among the most important human pathogens. It is associated with different infections and is a major cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). The aim of our study was to compare S. aureus isolates associated with SSTIs with isolates obtained from healthy carriers in the Central Slovenia region in terms of antimicrobial susceptibility, genetic diversity by clonal complex (CC)/sequence type, spa type, and by toxin gene profiling. In total, 274 S. aureus isolates were collected prospectively by culturing wound samples from 461 SSTI patients and nasal samples from 451 healthy carriers. We have demonstrated high heterogeneity in terms of CCs and spa type in both groups of isolates. The main clone among SSTI strains was Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene (pvl) positive CC121, whereas the main clone among carrier strains was CC45 carrying a large range of toxin genes. The main spa type in both groups was t091. Pvl was more frequently present in SSTI strains (31.2% SSTI vs 3.6% carrier strains) and staphylococcal enterotoxin C was more frequently present in carrier strains (1.6% SSTI vs 17.0% carrier strains). We have also demonstrated that methicillin-resistant S. aureus was a rare cause (2.8%) of SSTIs in our region.

Occupational medicine in the Slovene area.

Slovenia is a small, fast developing country in the EU with approximately 2,000,000 inhabitants and 700,000 employed. Occupational medicine has been present in Slovenia for as long as 500 yr. Today, 130 specialists of occupational medicine are in charge of health protection of the employed (including transport workers and athletes). There are also 1,100 safety engineers, who take care of the technical side of occupational safety. We are guided in our work by modern occupational health and safety legislation, which is based on EU directive 89/391EEC. The average sick leave rate in Slovenia is about 4.7%, caused mostly by injuries, bone, muscle and connective tissue diseases and respiratory diseases. Sick leave appears most frequently in the textile industries and coal mining. Annually, around 26,000 occupational injuries (32.7 per 1,000 employed) and 25 fatalities (3 per 100,000 employed) occur. Most injuries occur in construction, manufacturing and farming. Each year there are 8,500 disablility cases (2,500 disability retirements-most caused by mental illnesses), but only 30 acknowledged cases of occupational diseases (mostly occupational skin diseases, asthma and asbestosis). Occupational medicine in Slovenia is strongly associated with occupational medicine in the more developed European countries. It is therefore moving out of clinics and into the working environment, where its goals lie in primary prevention, i.e. establishing and keeping healthy working environments that guarantee high productivity, health and well-being of workers as a whole.

[Drivers of advanced age in traffic accidents]. / Vozaci starije zivotne dobi u prometnim nesrecama.

The elderly are vulnerable and potentially unpredictable active participants in traffic who deserve special attention. Longer life expectancy entails a greater number of senior drivers, that is, persons with various health problems and difficulties accompanying old age. At the turn of the millennium, the share of population aged 65 or more in Slovenia was around 13%, and in 25 years it will be near as much as 19%. The share of drivers from this age group was 28% a year ago, and it is expected to reach about 54%. Numerous studies have shown that there are many differences in driving attitude between the young and the elderly. The young are by large active victims, and their main offense and cause of accident is speeding, while the elderly are more passive and their main offense is ignoring and enforcing the right of way. This paper focuses on the differences in the occurrence and type of injuries between the young and the elderly drivers, based on an analysis of all road accidents in Slovenia in the period between 1998-2000. Older people (over 65) caused only 4.7% of all road accidents (16.7% of all accidents involving pedestrians, 11.5% of all involving cyclists, 2.7% involving motorcyclists and 5% of all accidents involving car drivers). Of all accidents, 89.3% were without injuries, and the fatal outcome was registered in 0.4% accidents. Among the elderly (65-74 years of age), however, this share was 1%, and rising to 2.7% with the age 75 and above. By calculating the weight index, which discriminates between minor and severe injuries, and the fatal outcome, it was established that age groups 65-74 and > or = 75 cause three and five times greater damage, respectively than age groups from 18 to 54 years. With years, psychophysical changes lead to a drop in driving ability, which in turn increases the risk of road accidents. It is true that elderly people cause less traffic accidents (and also drive less) than the young, but when they are involved in an accident, as a rule the consequences are more tragical. A research of this increasing group traffic participants (in the role of drivers as well) could provide an important contribution to their safety and to the safety of all people involved in road traffic.

Blood biomarkers of alcohol abuse.

The biological, clinical and social effects of alcohol abuse call for objective and specific biomarkers of alcohol-related diseases and early detection of alcohol consumers at risk. Alcohol abusers may exhibit several clinical and/or chemical changes. Changes in parameters such as gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) may serve as biomarkers of chronic alcoholism. All available biomarkers have two drawbacks. The first is that they indicate adverse effects in a particular organ, but tell little about their aetiology. The second is that they are not sensitive enough to detect abuse before it results in organic impairment. The 1990s have seen the introduction of a new diagnostic biomarker, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT). Reduced concentrations of this biomarker are found in serum after regular high alcohol intake. Relying on literature and their own clinical experience, the authors conclude that CDT seems to meet the clinical criteria of reliability and specificity.

Influence of daily individual meteorological parameters on the incidence of acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: A nationwide study was conducted to explore the short term association between daily individual meteorological parameters and the incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) treated with coronary emergency catheter interventions in the Republic of Slovenia, a south-central European country. METHOD: We linked meteorological data with daily ACS incidence for the entire population of Slovenia, for the population over 65 years of age and for the population under 65 years of age. Data were collected daily for a period of 4 years from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2011. In line with existing studies, we used a main effect generalized linear model with a log-link-function and a Poisson distribution of ACS. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Three of the studied meteorological factors (daily average temperature, atmospheric pressure and relative humidity) all have relevant and significant influences on ACS incidences for the entire population. However, the ACS incidence for the population over 65 is only affected by daily average temperature, while the ACS incidence for the population under 65 is affected by daily average pressure and humidity. In terms of ambient temperature, the overall findings of our study are in line with the findings of the majority of contemporary European studies, which also note a negative correlation. The results regarding atmospheric pressure and humidity are less in line, due to considerable variations in results. Additionally, the number of available European studies on atmospheric pressure and humidity is relatively low. The fourth studied variable-season-does not influence ACS incidence in a statistically significant way.

Seat-belt use and non-use in adults in Slovenia.

AIM: To identify population groups at risk of non-use of seat belts in front and rear seats in order to enable more focused planning of preventive actions in Slovenia. METHODS: The national health behaviour survey of 15,379 adults aged 25-64, carried out in 2001; response rate 64%; 9043 questionnaires eligible for analysis. The observed outcomes: non-use of seat belts in the front and rear seats. Logistic regression was used for relating gender, age, education level, socio-economic factors and geographical region to the observed outcomes. RESULTS: Non-use of seat belts in the front seats: 5.7%; the highest odds: males (OR(males vs. females)= 1.89, p < 0.001), aged 25-29 (OR(25-29 vs. 50-59) = 2.68, p < 0.001), the lowest education level (OR(uncompleted primary vs. university education) = 2.77, p = 0.001), upper social class (OR(upper vs. lower) = 3.54, p = 0.014), western Slovenia (OR(western vs. eastern) = 1.31, p = 0.027). Non-use of seat belts in the rear seats: 65.2%; the highest odds: aged 25-29 (OR(25-29 vs. 6-64) = 2.83, p < 0.001), vocational (OR(vocational vs. university education) = 1.36, p = 0.005) and secondary education level (OR(secondary vs. university education) = 1.36, p = 0.003), western Slovenia (OR(western vs. eastern) = 1.37, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Both observed outcomes are a problem particularly in younger age groups with secondary education level or lower, living in western Slovenia; non-use of seat belts in the front seats also in males and in upper social class.

Incidence of cytogenetic damage in lead-zinc mine workers exposed to radon.

The purpose of this study was to detect cytogenetic damage in mine workers working in a lead-zinc mine, which could be associated with a combined exposure to radon and heavy metals. Our study involved 70 mine workers from the lead-zinc mine. We used peripheral blood lymphocytes as the target material. The total share of structural chromosome aberration (SCA) decreased significantly over the 3 years of monitoring, from 5.08/200 analyses of metaphases in 1995 to 3.28 in 1997, owing to the decrease in exposure during the process of mine closure. The share of SCA was significantly different from the group of local people, who had never worked in the mine (1.43), as well as from the control group of Slovene residents (1.88). The share of micronuclei (MN) in mine workers also decreased in the monitored period, from 14.65/500 cytokinesis-blocked cells in 1995 to 11.77 in 1997, while the sister chromatic exchange (SCE) level did not change much (from 8.105/50 analysed cells in 1995 to 7.73 in 1997). Owing to the closure activities, the received concentrations of contaminants were falling constantly, particularly concentrations of radon. This was particularly evident in the level of SCA and the MN incidence, while the SCE values remained nearly on the same level. This indicates that the incidence of SCE is probably more strongly influenced by heavy metals than by radon.

Identification of population groups at very high risk for frequent perception of stress in slovenia.

AIM: To identify population groups at very high risk for frequent perception of stress and thus enable more focused planning of prevention actions in Slovenia. METHODS: Data originate from the national survey carried out in 2001 on health behavior of 15,379 adults aged 25-64. The overall response rate of the mailed questionnaire was 64%, with 9,043 questionnaires eligible for analysis. Binary multiple logistic regression was used to determine the impact of gender, age, education, employment, self-assessed social class, type of residence community, and geographical region on the prevalence of frequent stress perception. RESULTS: The highest odds for stress were registered in women (OR(women vs men)=1.39, P<0.001), aged 40-49 years (OR(40-49 vs 30-39)=1.18, p=0.017; OR(50-59 vs 40-49)=0.73, P<0.001), participants with the lowest (OR(primary vs uncompleted primary education)=0.72, P=0.008) and the highest education levels (OR(college or higher vs secondary education)=1.26, P=0.022), unemployed participants (OR(unemployed vs housekeepers/students)=1.80, P=0.001), and administrative/intellectual employees (OR(administrative/intellectual employees vs housekeepers/students)=1.75, P=0.001), participants self-classified in the lowest social class (OR(labor vs lower)=0.50, P<0.001); residents from urban and suburban communities (OR(rural vs suburban/urban residence community)=0.86, P=0.037), and participants from the Eastern geographical region of Slovenia (OR(Eastern vs Western)=1.12, P=0.097). CONCLUSION: In Slovenia, employed women, aged 40-49, with at least college education level were identified as the largest population sub-group at very high risk for frequent stress perception with at least minor difficulties in coping with these feelings, requiring specific public health measures to be introduced in this group.

Mutagenic testing of workers exposed to toluene-diisocyanates during plastics production process.

BACKGROUND: Toluene diisocyanates (TDIs) are important industrial intermediates used in conjunction with polyester polyols as coreactants in the manufacture of polyurethane foam blocks, paints, etc. It is listed as a potential carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and is known to induce chromosomal aberrations. METHODS: The study involved 26 people, exposed to TDI during the production of plastics. The corresponding control group was comprised of 21 people coming from the same geographic area, who were never exposed to isocyanates. RESULTS: The concentration of TDI ranged between 0.007 mg/m3 and 0.016 mg/m3, which amounts to 0.10-0.23 MDK (extreme value of a single substance) 0.007 mg/m3. Structural chromosome aberrations (SCA) were evaluated in 200 lymphocytes of peripheral blood. The average value was 2.6. Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) was established in 50 cells, the average being 8.127. Micronucleus (MN) was established in 500 CB, with an average of 12.07. The averages of the control group were 1.89 (SCA), 5.52 (SCE), and 4.38 (MN). The difference between the groups is of statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The ascertained results accentuate mutagenic activity of isocyanates or their metabolic products.