Effect of changes in food groups intake on magnesium, zinc, copper, and selenium serum levels during 2 years of dietary intervention.

Background: Essential elements in serum are related to specific changes in food groups intake.

Objective: To address the effect of 2-year food intake changes in an intervention study on serum concentrations of magnesium, zinc, copper, and selenium.

Method: Two hundred thirty-one participants, a subgroup of the Dietary Intervention Randomized Control Trial (DIRECT) study (age = 52 years; body mass index = 32.

The influence of hearing impairment on sleep quality among workers exposed to harmful noise.

Objective: To assess connections between sleeping quality and hearing impairment due to prolonged exposure to industrial noise.

Design: Observational cross-sectional study.

Setting: Occupational clinic of the Clalit Health Services in Israel.

The effect of women's occupational psychologic stress on outcome of fertility treatments.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the possible association between women's occupational stress and outcome of fertility treatments.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed, including a consecutive group of 75 working women with a female fertility problem attending fertility clinics between the years 1999 and 2000. A structured questionnaire measuring burnout, job strain, and job satisfaction was used.

Effect of occupational exposures on male fertility: literature review.

The present review was aimed to determine the influence of working conditions, occupational exposures to potential chemical and physical reproductive toxic agents and psychological stress during work on male fertility. Significant associations were reported between impaired semen parameters and the following chemical exposures: metals (lead, mercury), pesticides (dibromochlorophane, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), ethylene glycol ethers and estrogens. The following physical exposures were shown to deteriorate sperm parameters: radiation (both ionized and microwaves) and heat.

Potential association between male infertility and occupational psychological stress.

The purpose of this work was to investigate the influence of working conditions, occupational exposures to potential reproductive toxic agents, and psychological stress on male fertility. The study population consisted of 202 consecutive male patients attending a fertility clinic. Of those, 106 patients had attended the clinic because of a male infertility problem (case group), 66 patients had attended the clinic because of a female infertility problem (control group), and 30 patients had a combined infertility problem (male and female).

Accidental out-of-hospital delivery as an independent risk factor for perinatal mortality.

Objective: To determine maternal characteristics and perinatal outcomes of unattended out-of-hospital deliveries.

Study Design: A population-based study including all singleton deliveries between 1988 and 1999. Maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of accidental out-of-hospital births were compared with those of women who delivered in the hospital.

Ethnic differences influence care giver's estimates of pain during labour.

The present study compared the childbirth experience of two different ethnic groups living in the same area and sharing the same medical facilities. We investigated the influence of ethnic differences between patient and care provider on the interpretation of pain. The subjects were 225 Jewish and 192 Bedouin parturients, who were prospectively evaluated for their labour pain experience.