ABSTRACT
Introduction: Automotive body painters are at risk of excessive lead exposure that may compromise their health. This study examined the protective effects of masks against lead exposure and its correlation with blood profile of automotive body painters at Ligu district, Semarang, Indonesia. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 61 painters at Ligu district, Semarang, Indonesia (mean age 45 years, 100% male). Mask use was categorized into "frequent" and "infrequent". Blood samples were taken to measure lead exposure and haematological parameters (haemoglobin/HGB, erythrocytes/RBC, haematocrit/HCT, mean corpuscular haemoglobin/MCH, mean corpuscular volume/MCV, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration/MCHC). Effectivity of mask use against lead exposure was analysed with Fisher's exact test, while lead exposure and haematopoietic parameters were evaluated with Pearson's correlation tests. Results: There were 26 automotive painters (42.6%) classified as unfrequent mask users, and all of them had high blood lead levels. Most haematopoiesis parameters were in normal range. Workers with infrequent mask use were 1.269 more likely to be exposed to lead compared to those with frequent mask use (CI 95%, 1.082-1.552). Significant associations were found between lead exposure and RBC (p=0.0, r=-0.53), HGB (p=0, r=-0.61), and HCT (p=0.00, r=-0.61). No significant correlations were observed between lead exposure and MCV, MCH, MCHC. Conclusion: Lead exposure was significantly associated with haematological parameters RBC, HGB, and HCT, confirming the effects of prolonged exposure on blood profile. However, mask use provided significant protection against lead exposure in automotive body painters and should be an obligatory gear for workers.
ABSTRACT
Change in gut microbiome diversity (the so-called dysbiosis) is correlated with insulin resistance conditions. Exercise is typically the first management for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which is generally well-known for improving glucose regulation. The new prebiotics and probiotics, like synbiotics, designed to target specific diseases, require additional studies. While the effectiveness of exercise combined with synbiotics seems promising, this review discusses these agents' possibility of increasing the gut microbiota's diversity. Therefore, they could enhance short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). In particular, the synbiotic interaction on gut microbiota, the exercise mechanism in improving gut microbiota, and the prospect of the synergistic effect of the combination of synbiotic and exercise to improve insulin sensitivity are addressed.