Respiratory Ill-Health and Welding Exposures: A Canadian Cohort Study.

Introduction: Respiratory ill-health in welders is well documented but without a clear indication of exposures responsible.

Methods: In a Canadian cohort study of welders and electrical workers, we collected self-reports of asthma/wheeze and rhinitis at each 6-monthly contact for up to 5 years. Physician diagnoses of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD/bronchitis) were extracted from the Alberta administrative health database (AHDB).

Fiber composition, in vitro true digestibility, and fiber degradation of hempseed meal compared to mainstream feedstuffs using equine feces as microbial inoculum within the Daisy Incubator.

Recent changes in legislation have put hempseed meal (Cannabis sativa L.; HSM) under consideration as a potential livestock feedstuff. Digestibility of HSM has been researched in other species, however, there are little data in horses.

A field investigation of 3 masks proposed as respiratory protection for wildland firefighters: a randomized controlled trial in British Columbia, Canada.

Introduction: Wildland firefighters are exposed through the lungs and skin to particulate matter, fumes, and vapors containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Wearing respiratory protection should reduce pulmonary exposure, but there is uncertainty about the most effective and acceptable type of mask.

Methods: Firefighters from 6 unit crews working with the British Columbia Wildfire Service were approached and those consenting were randomly allocated within each crew to a "no mask" control group or to use 1 of 3 types of masks: X, half-face respirator with P100/multi gas cartridge; Y, cloth with alpaca filter; Z mesh fabric with a carbon filter.

Determinants of Post-COVID Ill-Health in a Cohort of Canadian Healthcare Workers.

Objective: We aimed to estimate prevalence of post-COVID conditions (PCCs) among healthcare workers (HCWs) and to identify predisposing factors.

Methods: A cohort of Canadian HCWs completed four questionnaires during the pandemic. At the final questionnaire, HCWs reported conditions attributed to earlier COVID-19.

Perceptions of Exposure and Mask Use in Wildland Firefighters.

Wildland firefighters are exposed to airborne particulates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other hazardous substances. Respiratory protection is indicated, but information is lacking on the tasks and conditions for which mask wearing should be advised. Studies to assess respiratory protection in wildland firefighters were carried out in western Canada in 2021 and 2023.

Illuminating the deaf experience at STEM conferences.

Deaf professionals experience inequitable access at conferences, but conference hosts can learn to recognize and understand the contributing barriers. Establishing clear accessibility protocols can enhance organizational success and ensure a successful conference.

Availability, use, and impact of workplace mental health supports during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Canadian cohort of healthcare workers.

We investigated the availability and use of workplace mental health (MH) supports during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Canadian cohort of healthcare workers (HCW) and measured anxiety and depression by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) completed at four contacts 2020-2022. Reports were available for 4400 HCW working with patients. Half the HCWs had a clinically significant HADS score at one or more contacts Access to MH supports increased during the pandemic, with 94% reporting access to some workplace support by 2022: 47% had made use of at least one support.

Does recall bias explain the association of mood disorders with workplace harassment?

Purpose: To determine the contribution of recall bias to the observed excess in mental ill-health in those reporting harassment at work.

Methods: A prospective cohort of 1885 workers in welding and electrical trades was contacted every six months for up to 5 years, asking whether they were currently anxious or depressed and whether this was made worse by work. Only at the end of the study did we ask about any workplace harassment they had experienced at work.

Work Characteristics, Workplace Support, and Mental Ill-Health in a Canadian Cohort of Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify determinants of mental health in healthcare workers (HCW) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cohort of Canadian HCW completed four questionnaires giving details of work with patients, ratings of workplace supports, a mental health questionnaire, and substance use. Principal components were extracted from 23 rating scales.

Determinants of SARS-CoV-2 IgG response and decay in Canadian healthcare workers: A prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Healthcare workers (HCWs) from an interprovincial Canadian cohort gave serial blood samples to identify factors associated with anti-receptor binding domain (anti-RBD) IgG response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Methods: Members of the HCW cohort donated blood samples four months after their first SARS-CoV-2 immunization and again at 7, 10 and 13 months. Date and type of immunizations and dates of SARS-CoV-2 infection were collected at each of four contacts, together with information on immunologically-compromising conditions and current therapies.

Excess risk of COVID-19 infection and mental distress in healthcare workers during successive pandemic waves: Analysis of matched cohorts of healthcare workers and community referents in Alberta, Canada.

Objectives: To investigate changes in risk of infection and mental distress in healthcare workers (HCWs) relative to the community as the COVID-19 pandemic progressed.

Methods: HCWs in Alberta, Canada, recruited to an interprovincial cohort, were asked consent to link to Alberta's administrative health database (AHDB) and to information on COVID-19 immunization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Those consenting were matched to records of up to five community referents (CRs).

Reported harassment and mental ill-health in a Canadian prospective cohort of women and men in welding and electrical trades.

Objectives: Experience of psychosocial environments by workers entering trade apprenticeships may differ by gender. We aimed to document perceived harassment and to investigate whether this related to mental ill-health.

Methods: Cohorts of workers in welding and electrical trades were established, women recruited across Canada and men from Alberta.

Estimation of In Vitro True Digestibility and Fiber Degradation from Feedstuff Fiber Composition When Incubated in Equine Fecal Inoculum.

Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) composition have been shown to predict in vitro true digestibility (IVTD), in vitro NDF digestibility (IVNDFD), and in vitro ADF digestibility (IVADFD) in ruminants. This study's objective was to estimate in vitro digestibility measures within the Daisy incubator using equine fecal inoculum from feedstuff NDF and ADF composition. Analyzed feedstuffs included alfalfa hay (), Coastal Bermudagrass hay, soybean meal, rice bran, hempseed meal, and Bluebonnet® Equilene® Pellets.

Determinants of Sickness Absence Duration After Mild COVID-19 in a Prospective Cohort of Canadian Healthcare Workers.

Objective: The aim of the study is to identify modifiable factors associated with sickness absence duration after a COVID-19 infection.

Methods: Participants in a prospective cohort of 4964 Canadian healthcare workers were asked how many working days they had missed after a positive COVID-19 test. Only completed episodes with absence ≤31 working day and no hospital admission were included.

Augmenting hippocampal-prefrontal neuronal synchrony during sleep enhances memory consolidation in humans.

Memory consolidation during sleep is thought to depend on the coordinated interplay between cortical slow waves, thalamocortical sleep spindles and hippocampal ripples, but direct evidence is lacking. Here, we implemented real-time closed-loop deep brain stimulation in human prefrontal cortex during sleep and tested its effects on sleep electrophysiology and on overnight consolidation of declarative memory. Synchronizing the stimulation to the active phases of endogenous slow waves in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) enhanced sleep spindles, boosted locking of brain-wide neural spiking activity to MTL slow waves, and improved coupling between MTL ripples and thalamocortical oscillations.

The evolution of workplace risk for Covid-19 in Canadian healthcare workers and its relation to vaccination: A nested case-referent study.

Background: During the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, studies demonstrated that healthcare workers (HCWs) were at increased risk of infection. Few modifiable risks were identified. It is largely unknown how these evolved over time.

Exposures to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Their Mitigation in Wildland Firefighters in Two Canadian Provinces.

Objectives: We aimed to characterize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the breathing zone and on the skin of wildland firefighters and to assess their contribution to urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HP) over repeated firefighting rotations. We asked if improved skin hygiene or discretionary use of an N95 mask would reduce absorption.

Methods: In collaboration with wildfire services of two Canadian provinces, Alberta and British Columbia (BC), we recruited wildland firefighters from crews willing to be followed up over successive rotations and to be randomly assigned to normal practice, enhanced skin hygiene (ESH), or ESH plus discretionary use of an N95 mask.

Respiratory Tract and Eye Symptoms in Wildland Firefighters in Two Canadian Provinces: Impact of Discretionary Use of an N95 Mask during Successive Rotations.

We examined whether discretionary use of an N95 mask reduced symptom reporting in wildland firefighters. The study collected data from two Canadian provinces during the 2021 fire season, with each firefighter followed for up to 4 rotations. Participants completed questionnaires on symptoms at the start and end of each rotation, when they reported also on mask use (if any) and completed a task checklist.

Flour exposure, sensitization and respiratory health among Alberta trainee bakers.

Background: Sensitization to allergens encountered in baking, and allergic disease including asthma and rhinitis, is recognized. Attempts to reduce this risk have been instituted in some workplaces, but awareness remains low. This study aimed to quantify the current risk among Alberta bakers.

Pregnancy Outcome in Women Exposed to Metal Fume in Welding: A Canadian Cohort Study.

Objectives: Welding is a physically demanding job that entails exposure to metal fume and particles. There is little information on the effect of welding exposures on the outcome of a pregnancy conceived during a period when a woman was employed as a welder.

Methods: Women welders recruited to the Workers Health in Apprenticeship Trades-Metal and Electrical (WHAT-ME) study were followed-up every 6 months for up to 5 years (January 2011-August 2018), and every pregnancy recorded.

Ergonomic demands and fetal loss in women in welding and electrical trades: A Canadian cohort study.

Objectives: To determine the relationship between ergonomic demands of the job at conception and fetal loss (miscarriage or stillbirth).

Methods: Women with a welding or electrical trade apprenticeship were identified across Canada for the Women's Health in Apprenticeship Trades-Metal and Electrical study. They completed a reproductive and employment history at recruitment and every 6 months for up to 5 years to provide details on pregnancies and work demands.

Urinary Metals as a Marker of Exposure in Men and Women in the Welding and Electrical Trades: A Canadian Cohort Study.

Objectives: Men and women working in the welding trades undergo the same apprenticeship training but it is unknown whether, once in the trade, their exposures differ. Comparison of urinary metal concentrations, having adjusted for estimated airborne exposure, may provide an answer.

Methods: Men and women were recruited to a cohort study of workers in the welding and electrical trades (the Workers Health in Apprenticeship Trades-Metal working and Electrical [WHAT-ME study]).

Nutritive Value Variation of Paunch Manure as an Alternative Feed Ingredient.

Ruminants, which have multi-compartmented stomachs, are adapted to digest cellulosic materials, which constitute the primary expense on ranches and dairies. Industrial byproducts can be repurposed for livestock diets to decrease these costs. Therefore, finding alternative feedstuffs may benefit the economics of livestock production.