PECULIARITIES OF THE WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT HEALTH EFFECTS IN THE MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION EMPLOYEES.

The aim of the study was to assess the health status of municipal transportation employees. A comprehensive study of the health condition of the employees, in particular, bus drivers and the administrative staff of the transportation company has been carried out. The study participants were divided into two groups - main and control. The main group consisted of bus drivers, while the control group consisted of administrative staff who had no contact with the factors of the main group's work environment (industrial vibration, noise, workplace air pollution with dust and toxic compounds, industrial microclimate). The criteria for inclusion in the study were: age - over 35 years, gender - Male, length of employment - at least three years. The study showed that in the main group, compared to the control group, pathology of the nervous system, respiratory and musculoskeletal system are significantly higher - almost 5 times, 3.6 times and 4.8 times, respectively. Pathology of the cardiovascular system and eyesight almost equally (1.7 times and 1.8 times, respectively) exceeded the rate of the control group. Digestive system disorders also were higher in the main group, however, no reliable correlation was found with occupational activity. It was also found that the individuals in the main group were overweight (29.7%), which, in our opinion, is related to long working hours and poor diet, high-calorie food intake, and prolonged sitting posture, as well as stressful situations encountered during working hours. High-frequency of occupational health effects in the main group and high OR (Odds ratio) indicate a determinative relationship between the health effects and exposure to working conditions (parameters of industrial noise, vibration, and industrial microclimate in the workplace; occupational stress; concentrations of pollutants and toxic gases in the air are close to and above maximum allowable levels), which necessitates regulation of this problem by implementing preventive (primary and secondary) measures.

Correlation between Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials and Disease Progression in Ménière's Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between ocular (oVEMPs) and cervical (cVEMPs) vestibular evoked myogenic potentials and audiometrically determined clinical stage in Ménière's disease (MD). METHODS: Thirty-four unilateral MD patients and 30 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Pure-tone hearing levels, oVEMPs, cVEMPs, and videonystagmography results were analyzed and compared between the groups. RESULTS: Both oVEMPs and cVEMPs were highly reproducible in the control group. At the early stages of MD, cVEMPs were particularly disturbed, while at the advanced stages both oVEMPs and cVEMPs were altered pathologically. In the study group, oVEMP and cVEMP amplitudes and interaural amplitude difference (IAD) statistically differed from those in the control sample. oVEMPs were absent in 7.7% of stage III and in 44.5% of stage IV MD patients, while cVEMPs were absent in 15.4% of stage III and in 54.5% of stage IV MD patients, respectively. In stage III and IV MD patients in whom oVEMPs and cVEMPs were obtained, IADs were increased. Caloric asymmetry was found in 64.7% of MD patients. Caloric weakness was more prominent in cases with advanced MD. CONCLUSION: VEMPs can be used for objective validation of the stage of MD.