Lung cancer risk among bakers, pastry cooks and confectionary makers: the SYNERGY study.

Introduction: Some studies have suggested increased lung cancer risks among bakers, however the results overall were inconsistent. The authors studied lung cancer risks among bakers and baking-related occupations in the SYNERGY pooled case-control database from 16 countries.

Methods: Occupation in a baking-related job was identified from the subjects' job histories.

Transvalvular pacemaker leads increase the recurrence of regurgitation after tricuspid valve repair.

Background: The impact of a transvalvular pacemaker lead on the progression of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) after tricuspid valve (TV) repair has not been clearly demonstrated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of a transvalvular pacemaker lead as a risk factor for TR after TV repair in a large patient cohort.

Methods: A retrospective review included 791 patients who underwent TV repair at our institution from 1977 to 2008.

Effect of systematic downsizing rigid ring annuloplasty in patients with moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation.

Objective: Functional ischemic mitral regurgitation (FIMR) increases mortality independently of the baseline characteristics and ventricular function. The effect of treating FIMR with annuloplasty is unclear when mitral regurgitation is moderate. Myocardial revascularization alone has been shown to improve mitral valve function.

Estimating occupational exposure to carcinogens in Quebec.

Background: We estimated the extent of exposure to occupational carcinogens in Quebec, Canada, to help raise awareness of occupational cancers.

Methods: Proportions of workers exposed to 21 recognized and 17 probable carcinogens (according to Quebec occupational health regulation and the International Agency for Research on Cancer [IARC] classification) were extracted from various sources: workplace monitoring data, research projects, a population survey, radiation protection data, exposure estimates from the Carcinogen Exposure Canada (CAREX Canada) Project database, and published exposure data. These proportions were applied to Quebec labor force data.

Exposures to multiple pesticides and the risk of Hodgkin lymphoma in Canadian men.

Purpose: To determine the risk of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) associated with exposures to multiple pesticides grouped by various classes, including carcinogenic classifications.

Methods: Data collected in the Cross-Canada Study of Pesticides and Health, a population-based incident case-control study in six provinces conducted between 1991 and 1994, were analyzed using unconditional logistic regression. Cases (n = 316) were identified through provincial cancer registries and hospital records.

Carpentier-Edwards pericardial valve in the aortic position: 25-years experience.

Background: The Carpentier-Edwards pericardial valve was designed to minimize structural valve deterioration. Excellent durability and low incidence of valve-related complications have been reported. The objective of the present study was to analyze clinical results after 25 years of experience with this valve implanted in the aortic position.

Long-term residential exposure to air pollution and lung cancer risk.

Background: There is accumulating evidence that air pollution causes lung cancer. Still, questions remain about exposure misclassification, the components of air pollution responsible, and the histological subtypes of lung cancer that might be produced.

Methods: We investigated lung cancer incidence in relation to long-term exposure to three ambient air pollutants and proximity to major roads, using a Canadian population-based case-control study.

Antineoplastic drug contamination of surfaces throughout the hospital medication system in Canadian hospitals.

We previously reported that there is a potential for antineoplastic drug contamination throughout the hospital medication system (process flow of drug within a facility from delivery to waste disposal) due to the various surfaces contacted by health care workers. This article describes the contamination of these frequently contacted surfaces as well as identifies factors that may be associated with surface contamination. Surfaces which health care workers frequently contact were wiped and the concentration of cyclophosphamide (CP) was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A randomized trial of early versus delayed mediastinal drain removal after cardiac surgery using silastic and conventional tubes.

Objectives: Mediastinal drainage following cardiac surgery with traditional large-bore plastic tubes can be painful and cumbersome. This study was designed to determine whether prolonged drainage (5 days) with a silastic tube decreased the incidence of significant pericardial effusion and tamponade following aortic or valvular surgery.

Methods: One hundred and fifty patients undergoing valvular or aortic surgery in a tertiary cardiac surgery institution were randomized to receive a conventional mediastinal tube plus a silastic Blake drain (n = 75), or two conventional tubes (n = 75).

Multiple pesticide exposures and the risk of multiple myeloma in Canadian men.

Multiple myeloma (MM) has been linked to certain agricultural exposures, including pesticides. This analysis aimed to investigate the association between lifetime use of multiple pesticides and MM risk using two exposure metrics: number of pesticides used and days per year of pesticide use. A frequency-matched, population-based case-control study was conducted among men in six Canadian provinces between 1991 and 1994.

The future of exposure assessment: perspectives from the X2012 Conference.

The British Occupational Hygiene Society, in collaboration with the Institute of Occupational Medicine, the University of Manchester, the UK Health and Safety Executive, and the University of Aberdeen hosted the 7th International Conference on the Science of Exposure Assessment (X2012) on 2 July-5 July 2012 in Edinburgh, UK. The conference ended with a special session at which invited speakers from government, industry, independent research institutes, and academia were asked to reflect on the conference and discuss what may now constitute the important highlights or drivers of future exposure assessment research. This article summarizes these discussions with respect to current and future technical and methodological developments.

Population-based surveillance of asthma among workers in British Columbia, Canada.

Introduction: Population-based health databases were used for the surveillance of asthma among workers in British Columbia for the period 1999 to 2003. The purpose was to identify high-risk groups of workers with asthma for further investigation, education and prevention.

Methods: Workers were identified using an employer-paid health premium field in the provincial health registry, and were linked to their physician visit, hospitalization, workers' compensation and pharmaceutical records; asthma cases were defined by the presence of an asthma diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases [ICD]-9-493) in these health records.

Risk-based indicators of Canadians' exposures to environmental carcinogens.

Background: Tools for estimating population exposures to environmental carcinogens are required to support evidence-based policies to reduce chronic exposures and associated cancers. Our objective was to develop indicators of population exposure to selected environmental carcinogens that can be easily updated over time, and allow comparisons and prioritization between different carcinogens and exposure pathways.

Methods: We employed a risk assessment-based approach to produce screening-level estimates of lifetime excess cancer risk for selected substances listed as known carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Hybrid treatment of a complex aortic arch aneurysm with an aberrant left vertebral artery.

We report a case of an elderly male with significant comorbidities and a dominant aberrant left vertebral artery originating on an aneurysmal aortic arch. The patient underwent a successful staged hybrid procedure with aortic arch debranching and left vertebral artery transposition onto the left common carotid artery, followed by endovascular aneurysmal repair.

The PleuraFlow Active Chest Tube Clearance System: initial clinical experience in adult cardiac surgery.

Objective: To address the clinical consequences related to chest tube clogging, a novel chest drainage apparatus, the PleuraFlow Active Tube Clearance System (Clear Catheter Systems, Bend, OR), was developed. The aim of this world's first clinical experience study was to follow clinicians using the PleuraFlow system to assess usability issues and potential areas of improvement in the heart surgery setting.

Methods: A user preference study was conducted to assess how specified users (surgeons, nurses, and intensive care physicians) used the PleuraFlow system to achieve specified goals in an efficient manner.

Fertilizer use and self-reported respiratory and dermal symptoms among tree planters.

In British Columbia, some tree planting operations require workers to fertilize planted seedlings with polymer-coated nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) fertilizers. This study examined respiratory and dermal health associated with fertilizer exposure among tree planters. We interviewed 223 tree planters using an adapted version of the American Thoracic Society questionnaire supplemented with questions on dermal health.

Prevalence of exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on the job in Canada.

Objective: Over one third of all newly diagnosed cancers in Canada in 2010 were skin cancer, despite the fact that skin cancer is largely preventable by limiting ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. Outdoor workers are at risk of exposure to UVR, yet the prevalence of exposure in Canada is unknown. The objective of this study was to estimate the number of outdoor workers in Canada.

Job strain and shift work influences on biomarkers and subclinical heart disease indicators: a pilot study.

This pilot study is one of the first to examine the impact of job strain and shift work on both the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis using two salivary stress biomarkers and two subclinical heart disease indicators. This study also tested the feasibility of a rigorous biological sampling protocol in a busy workplace setting. Paramedics (n = 21) self-collected five salivary samples over 1 rest and 2 workdays.

Retrospective cohort analysis of 926 tricuspid valve surgeries: clinical and hemodynamic outcomes with propensity score analysis.

Background: The objectives were to describe morbidity and mortality after tricuspid valve (TV) surgery, to compare outcomes after repair versus replacement, and to assess risk factors for mortality and tricuspid regurgitation (TR) recurrence.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study including 926 consecutive cases of TV surgery (792 repairs and 134 replacements) performed at the Montreal Heart Institute was conducted. Median follow-up was 4.

Spatiotemporal air pollution exposure assessment for a Canadian population-based lung cancer case-control study.

Background: Few epidemiological studies of air pollution have used residential histories to develop long-term retrospective exposure estimates for multiple ambient air pollutants and vehicle and industrial emissions. We present such an exposure assessment for a Canadian population-based lung cancer case-control study of 8353 individuals using self-reported residential histories from 1975 to 1994. We also examine the implications of disregarding and/or improperly accounting for residential mobility in long-term exposure assessments.

Management of early postoperative coronary artery bypass graft failure.

Perioperative graft failure following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) may result in acute myocardial ischaemia. Whether acute percutaneous coronary intervention, emergency reoperation or conservative intensive care treatment should be used is currently unknown. Between 2003 and 2009, 39 of the 5598 patients who underwent isolated CABG surgery underwent early postoperative coronary angiography for suspected myocardial ischaemia.

Priority issues in occupational cancer research: Ontario stakeholder perspectives.

Introduction: Workers are potentially exposed to known and suspected carcinogens in the workplace, many of which have not been fully evaluated. Despite persistent need, research on occupational cancer appears to have declined in recent decades. The formation of the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) is an effort to counter this downward trend in Ontario.