Correction: Could long-term overhead load in painters be associated with rotator cuff lesions? A pilot study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Could long-term overhead load in painters be associated with rotator cuff lesions? A pilot study.

Background: Use of the arm above shoulder level has been described as a risk factor for developing rotator cuff tears (RCT). There is a lack of information regarding the frequency and distribution of RCT in a population using their arms above shoulder level during daily work. The aim of this study was to analyze clinical and radiographic findings in a population of painters working more than 10 years and to compare the results with a control group (CG).

Occupational allergic respiratory diseases in garbage workers: relevance of molds and actinomycetes.

Exposures to molds and bacteria (especially actinomycetes) at workplaces are common in garbage workers, but allergic respiratory diseases due to these microorganisms have been described rarely. The aim of our study was a detailed analysis of mold or bacteria-associated occupational respiratory diseases in garbage workers. From 2002 to 2011 four cases of occupational respiratory diseases related to garbage handling were identified in our institute (IPA).

Repeated measures of body mass index and risk of health related outcomes.

Most studies examining the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality neglected changes in weight over time, which may have led to underestimation of the true association. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between BMI and health related outcomes while accounting for variations of BMI over time. The association between BMI and both mortality and occupational disability was examined in a follow-up of 5,554 male construction workers in Württemberg/Germany, who participated at least two times in routine occupational health examinations between 1986 and 2005.

Liver enzymes: interaction analysis of smoking with alcohol consumption or BMI, comparing AST and ALT to γ-GT.

Background: A detrimental interaction between smoking and alcohol consumption with respect serum γ-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) has recently been described. The underlying mechanisms remain unknown. The present work aimed to provide further insights by examining similar interactions pertaining to aspartate and alanine transaminase (AST, ALT), routine liver markers less prone to enzyme induction.

Gamma-glutamyltransferase, general and cause-specific mortality in 19,000 construction workers followed over 20 years.

Background & Aims: Associations of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase levels with a variety of incident diseases and mortality have been suggested. The present study attempted to expand the body of evidence to especially relevant occupational cohorts in which exposure to established γ-GT determinants may greatly differ from the general population.

Methods: The study was based on occupational health examinations conducted from 1986 to 1992 in 19,090 German male workers from the construction industry, aged 25-64years.

Smoking and γ-glutamyltransferase: opposite interactions with alcohol consumption and body mass index.

Background: Smoking has recently been suggested to synergistically interact with alcohol intake as a determinant of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT), an emergent powerful predictor of disease and mortality. This study investigated whether this also applies to higher smoking and alcohol exposure ranges and to body mass index (BMI), which likewise is strongly associated with γ-GT.

Methodology/principal Findings: Analyses were based on occupational health examinations of more than 15,000 German male workers aged 16-64 years, predominantly from the construction industry.

Serum uric acid and risk of occupational disability: findings from a cohort study of male construction workers in Germany.

Objective: The role of serum uric acid (UA) as an independent risk factor for several health outcomes remains controversial. However, given the accumulating evidence that UA is related to predictors of occupational disability such as obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, UA may represent a relevant risk indicator for occupational disability, which has emerged as an important public health problem.

Methods: The association between UA and occupational disability was examined in a cohort of 16,532 male construction workers in Germany who underwent occupational health examinations from 1986 to 1992 and were followed until 2005.

Gamma-glutamyltransferase and disability pension: a cohort study of construction workers in Germany.

Unlabelled: Given the accumulating evidence that gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT) is not merely a sensitive marker for liver and bile disorders but also a risk marker for a multiplicity of other chronic diseases, gamma-GT may represent a promising risk indicator for occupational disability, which has emerged as an important public health problem. The association between gamma-GT and disability pension was examined in a cohort of 16,520 male construction workers in Württemberg, Germany, who participated in routine occupational health examinations from 1986 to 1992 and who were followed until 2005. Using the Cox proportional hazards model, hazard ratios were calculated with gamma-GT concentrations in the lowest quartile (1 to 24 U/L) as reference category after adjustment for age and further adjustment for potential confounding factors such as nationality, type of occupation, smoking, alcohol consumption, cholesterol, and body mass index (BMI).

Smoking habits and occupational disability: a cohort study of 14,483 construction workers.

Objectives: Although smoking causes a variety of diseases and both, a high smoking prevalence and permanent occupational disability are a great burden on the population level, data about the impact of smoking habits on occupational disability are sparse. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of smoking habits on occupational disability among construction workers, an occupational group with particularly high smoking prevalence.

Methods: The association between smoking and occupational disability was examined during a mean follow-up of 10.

Overweight, obesity and risk of work disability: a cohort study of construction workers in Germany.

Objectives: Although obesity and permanent work disability impose a great burden on the individual and are very costly for society, data on the impact of being overweight on occupational disability are sparse, especially in men who work hard physically. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of body mass index (BMI) with work disability among construction workers.

Methods: The association between BMI and work disability was examined during a mean follow-up period of 10.