Diagnostic features of atherosclerosis development in miners having anthracosilicosis.

To design forecasting system, the authors studied occurrence of atherosclerosis and its risk factors in 152 workers of coal mines in South Kouzbass (tunnellers, cleaning pit-face miners, mining excavator operators), suffering from anthracosilicosis. Atherosclerosis was revealed in 124 (81.6%) workers with anthracosilicosis. With Bayess method for independent signs and Wald's sequential analysis method, the authors created a way to forecast atherosclerosis with coronary, extracranial and peripheral arteries involvement in miners with anthracosilicosis. Maximal risk of atherosclerosis in miners with anthracosilicosis is associated with following parameters: age 45 years and over, arterial hypertension, smoking, abdominal obesity type, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, respiratory failure, family history of IHD, hypercholesterolemia, increased LDL cholesterol, decreased HDL cholesterol, increased atherogeneity coefficient, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperhomocysteinemia, hyperfibrinogenemia, increased C-reactive protein, hypersthenic type according to Reese-Isenc index, andromorphic type according to Tanner index, blood group. markers A (II) and B (III), rhesus negative, MN and NN. Through increased number of factors analyzed and selected additional markers, accuracy of atherosclerosis forecasting is increased - that enables to proceed with opportune treatment and prevention.

[Contemporary features of pneumoconiosis formation and course in miners of East Donbass].

The author analyzed dynamics and structure of occupational morbidity including pneumoconiosis in Rostov region of Russian Federation, since 1990 until now. They were compared with analogous parameters of previous historical period. Findings are that contemporary dynamics of anthracosilicosis clinical features is characterized by severily reduced terms of the disease development from medical registration of the diseased miner, earlier addition of malignancy, respiratory failure and other complications--that in aggregate causes earlier disablement and drastically reduced survival rate in occupational patients with anthracosilicosis.

[Occupational diseases-related autonomic system cardioneuropathy in Chelyabinsk region].

Cardiovascular diseases appear to be the most frequent complication and death cause in patients with various forms of occupational diseases. Autonomous nervous system could play significant role in genesis of those complications.

[Serum phospholipids in anthracosilicosis associated with vibration disease].

The authors studied serum phospholipid subunits in patients with anthracosilicosis associated with vibration disease. Findings are significantly higher detergent fraction of phospholipids--lysophosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, sphingomyelin, lower phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphoinositides--that suggests increased transmissivity of biologic membranes and activated inosite mechanism of transmembrane signal transmission. Aeroionization appeared to have positive influence, normalizing serum phospholipids level.

[Immune genetic markers of anthracosilicosis].

Studies of ABO, Rh, MN, rho, Lewis blood groups in coal miners suffering from anthracosilicosis and in reference healthy individuals proved that MM phenotypes are predisposed to anthracosilicosis and MN phenotypes could be resistant to the disease. These results could be valuable for prevention of this occupational disease among coal industry workers.

Changes in health conditions in the Huainan coal mine in the past three decades.

Health conditions in the Huainan Coal Mine have improved greatly since 1950. In particular, the work and living environments, the underground dust concentration, the water supply and waste disposal systems, and the nutritional value of miners' food have become much better. Thus the rates of occupational, infectious, and parasitic diseases and nutritional deficiency diseases have decreased considerably among miners. The decreases in the prevalence of anthracosilicosis and hookworm have been especially striking.

[Evaluation of the effectiveness of medical prevention of pneumoconiosis based on studies of its incidence in selected coal mines]. / Ocena skutecznosci profilaktyki medycznej pylic w oparciu o badania chorobowosci w wybranych kopalniach wegla kamiennego.

In a group of 3,938 persons--pit miners of 3 coal mines--employed over 8 years, full-size X-ray pictures of the chest have been taken and through a special questionnaire information has been collected on the length of employment, workstation, risk of dustiness, exposure to fibrogenic dusts outside the mine. Basing on the studies, the mean annual incidence of pneumoconiosis in particular mines has been calculated. The data has been compared with the mean annual incidence rate of pneumoconiosis calculated for 10 years prior to epidemiological studies and based on the primary selection by means of small-size pictures. This comparison indicated that the full-size pictures revealed 3-7 times more pneumoconioses as compared to the hitherto applied system. The comparison of full-size and small-size X-ray pictures demonstrated that the lesions visible in full-size pictures have not been registered in small-size pictures in as many as half of the cases. The obtained results indicate that the effectiveness of the hitherto applied system of medical prevention of pneumoconiosis is insufficient. A change in this system is indispensable; miniature roentgenography should be replaced by full-size X-ray pictures.

[Analysis of the incidence of pneumoconiosis among coal miners]. / Analiza zachorowalnosci na pylice u górników jednej kopalni wegla kamiennego.

Basing on the prevention system for pneumoconiosis in ++coal mining, an analysis of the disease incidence in the workers of a selected ++coal mine was performed. The subjects were 2.495 miners with the work period longer than 8 years and a group of 822 retired miners. In the former group 16 cases (0.64%) of pneumoconiosis were diagnosed, whereas in the latter as many as 89 cases (10.8%) were found which would indicate a necessity for more detailed examinations in ex-miners of this ++coal mine. The pneumoconiosis changes were detected in the early period of their development. The highest risk was found to refer to longwall and blasting miners and cutter-loadermen. The correlation between radiological changes of the s, t, and u type and the duration of work as well as the high frequency of these changes at highly polluted workplaces seem to point to their relation to dust exposure.

[Comparative analysis of respiratory function in miners suffering from anthracosilicosis and silicosis]. / Sravnitel'nyi analiz funktsii vneshnego dykhaniia u gornorabochikh s antrakosilikozom i silikozom.

The authors revealed differences in pulmonary volumes, bronchial patency of bronchi at various levels, integral time of air transit in individuals having early anthracosilicosis and silicosis signs vs in healthy miners. During stage 1 of anthracosilicosis and silicosis respiratory function progressively deteriorates and demonstrates moderate disorders. When compared to anthracosilicosis ones, patients having polymetallic dust silicosis showed more significant decrease of the studied parameters.

[Pathomorphosis of coniotuberculosis]. / Patomorfoz koniotuberkuleza.

Changes in the epidemiology, morphology and clinical picture of active anthracotic tuberculosis within the last 20 years referred to an increase in the average age of the patients and the length of service under dust conditions. Among the patients with anthracotic tuberculosis the number of drufters increased while the number of coal cutters and breakage face workers decreased. There was observed a rise in the proportion of infiltrative tuberculosis and tuberculomas of the lungs with a simultaneous decrease in the proportion of fibrocavernous tuberculosis. At present the process of active anthracotic tuberculosis is more favourable. The percentage of extended forms of anthracotic tuberculosis decreased.

[Epidemiology of pneumoconiosis and dust bronchitis in machine-building industry workers]. / Epidemiologiia pnevokonioza i pylevogo bronkhita u mashinostroitelei.

The article provides a study of pneumoconiosis morbidity rate in machine-building industry workers in 1967-1986. The pneumoconiosis prevalence was ranging from 3.9 to 0.8 cases per 1000 medical examinations performed. The disease's initial forms were predominantly diagnosed through considerably frequent (30%) cases of anthraco-tuberculosis. More complicated forms of dust bronchitis were studied in 1971-1988 and registered at approximately 1 case per 1000 medical examinations. A vivid trend towards pneumoconiosis morbidity decrease and respective age and duration of work indices' growth was found in the latter decade, which was explained by more persistent measures taken towards working conditions improvement.

Mineral fibres and dusts in lungs of subjects living in an urban environment.

We have undertaken a study on 200 autopsy lung samples collected from subjects who lived in the Rome urban area and were not occupationally exposed to mineral dusts. The samples belonged to subjects who died aged between 15 and 65, both male and female. Subjects suffering from diseases and drug addicts were excluded. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether any correlation existed between subjects' life-style, in particular smoking habits, and the presence of mineral fibres and dusts in their lungs. The data obtained were compared with those on airborne mineral dusts in the environment of the subjects themselves, particularly data on the concentration and types of mineral fibres present in that environment.

[Occupational morbidity among coal miners in the RSFSR]. / Profzabolevaemost' rabochikh ugol'noi promyshlennosti v RSFSR.

Analysis of occupational morbidity for 1982-1989 in coal extraction industry workers in the Russian Federation showed its high-level detection in coal-miners. Revealed was a decrease in dust-induced occupational diseases and a greater detection of vibration disease cases, which accounted for 50% in the occupational diseases' structure. In miners, vibration disease cases occurred equally often in coal mine face-workers and driving team workers. The face-workers also exhibited dust-induced diseases and locomotor system disorders. In open pit mines and coal-refining plants, occupational pathology cases were only sporadic. Detectability of occupational morbidity cases was highest in the Rostov Region, Kemerovo, Far-East and Komi coal mines. The performed analysis revealed factors which influence most of all the prevalent forms of occupational pathology, thus laying the basis for the elaboration of health improvement measures.

[Occupational hygiene and miners' health status in the main coal mining areas of the RSFSR]. / Gigiena truda i zdorov'e shakhterov osnovnykh ugol'nykh mestorozhdenii RSFSR.

The article deals with the methological issues of preventive measures in the process of technological restructuring of mines in the Russian Federation, with due account of the hygienic stratification of different mines as to the degrees of the labour conditions' potential hazardness, regularities in and prognostics of occupational pathologies decreases and morbidity with temporary disability rates.