Ranking the environmental factors of indoor air quality of metropolitan independent coffee shops by Random Forests model.

Independent coffee shops are the alternative workplaces for people working remotely from traditional offices but are not concerned about their indoor air quality (IAQ). This study aimed to rank the environmental factors in affecting the IAQ by Random Forests (RFs) models. The indoor environments and human activities of participated independent coffee shops were observed and recorded for 3 consecutive days including weekdays and weekend during the business hours. The multi-sized particulate matter (PM), particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (p-PAHs), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), CO, CO2, temperature and relative humidity were monitored. RFs models ranked the environmental factors. More than 20% of the 15-min average concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, and CO2 exceeded the World Health Organization guidelines. Occupant density affected TVOCs, p-PAHs and CO2 concentrations directly. Tobacco smoking dominated PM10, PM2.5, TVOCs and p-PAHs concentrations mostly. CO concentration was affected by roasting bean first and tobacco smoking secondly. The non-linear relationships between temperature and these pollutants illustrated the relative low concentrations happened at temperature between 22 and 24 °C. Tobacco smoking, roasting beans and occupant density are the observable activities to alert the IAQ change. Decreasing CO2 and optimizing the room temperature could also be the surrogate parameters to assure the IAQ.

Comment on Iavicoli et al. Ethics and Occupational Health in the Contemporary World of Work. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1713.

In their recent paper, Iavicoli and colleagues provided a narrative review on the historical development of ethics in occupational health and discussed several ethical concerns; they also hinted the "next step" for resolving the ethical challenges that occupational health professionals (OHPs) will encounter [...].

Psychosocial Work Hazards, Self-Rated Health and Burnout: A Comparison Study of Public and Private Sector Employees.

OBJECTIVES: To compare psychosocial work conditions and health status between public and private sector employees and to examine if psychosocial work conditions explained the health differences. METHODS: Two thousand four hundred fourty one public and 15,589 private sector employees participated in a cross-sectional survey. Psychosocial work hazards, self-rated health (SRH), and burnout status were assessed by questionnaire. RESULTS: As compared with private sector employees, public sector employees reported better psychosocial work conditions and better SRH, but higher risk of workplace violence (WPV) and higher levels of client-related burnout. Regression analyses indicated that higher psychosocial job demands, lower workplace justice, and WPV experience were associated with poor SRH and higher burnout. The public-private difference in client-related burnout remained even with adjustment of psychosocial work factors. CONCLUSION: Greater risks of WPV and client-related burnout observed in public sector employees warrant further investigation.

Clinical features and outcome of sporadic serogroup W135 disease Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Few published reports have evaluated the clinical features and outcome of serogroup W135 meningococcal disease. In Taiwan, W135 is the second most prevalent meningococcal disease serogroup. METHOD: A nationwide study was conducted to retrospectively analyze epidemiologic data from 115 patients with laboratory confirmed meningococcal disease that occurred from 2001 through 2003. RESULTS: Serogroup W135 accounted for 26% of all cases and most (76.7%) were older than 20 years. There were no cases of serogroup W135 meningococcal disease associated with Hajj pilgrims, and all cases were sporadic. In 88 patients with complete case records, we compared the presenting symptoms, signs, laboratory data, and outcomes between W135 and non-W135 patients. There were no differences in presenting symptoms except for the higher prevalence of pneumonia found in W135 patients (23.8% vs. 1.5%; OR: 20.6; 95%CI: 2.3-189.0; p = 0.003). The distribution of inflammatory cells in CSF in patients with meningitis was also different between W135 and non-W135 patients. W135 patients had a trend toward more intubations and shock but it did not achieve statistical significance. In multivariate analysis of factors associated with death, three independent factors were found: bacteremia without meningitis, altered mental status, and petechiae or purpura on admission. CONCLUSION: Sporadic serogroup W135 meningococcal disease is an important component of the meningococcal disease burden in Taiwan, but it is not directly associated with Hajj pilgrims. Compared with patients infected by other serogroups of meningococci, patients with serogroup W135 were older and more likely to have extrameningeal involvement such as pneumonia.