Publications by authors named "Jelena Macan"

Article Synopsis
  • * It revealed that dental surgeons and dentists had significantly higher transepidermal water loss (TEWL) on their hands compared to their forearms, indicating a concerning level of work-related skin barrier damage.
  • * The findings suggested that prolonged use of gloves, along with being male, contributed to worsening skin conditions, emphasizing the importance of monitoring TEWL and pH levels to assess occupational skin health.
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Background: Measurements of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and stratum corneum (SC) pH can help indicate work-related skin barrier damage, but sensitivity to confounding personal and ambient factors limits their potential as biomonitoring tools.

Objectives: To evaluate the difference between hand and forearm skin barrier conditions as a tool for early recognition of workers with occupational contact dermatitis.

Participants And Methods: The participants were nursing apprentices (N = 238, median age 19 years) from Zagreb, Croatia.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the validity of a self-report questionnaire for hand eczema (HE) among Croatian hairdressers, aiming to determine how accurately apprentices could self-identify their symptoms.
  • Results showed that the questionnaire had low sensitivity (7%-37%) but high specificity (≥95%), meaning it was better at identifying true negatives than true positives, with improvements noted over time as training progressed.
  • The severity of HE signs was linked to better self-identification of symptoms, suggesting that further modifications and validation of the questionnaire are needed for adolescent populations.
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The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize thin hybrid films on polyurethane-coated knitted fabrics and to achieve satisfactory color fastness to artificial light. Sol-gel-derived hybrid thin films were deposited via the dip-coating of 3-glycidoxypropiltrimethoxysilane. Titanium dioxide (TiO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanopowders were added to compensate for the insufficient aging resistance, which manifests itself in low color fastness and is one of the most frequent complaints from manufacturers of coated marine fabrics (yachts, boats, etc.

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The aim of this study was to explore occupational safety in pregnant Croatian healthcare workers (HCWs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. To this end we composed an anonymous questionnaire that included pregnancy data, risk assessment and mitigation, and workplace intervention and distributed it to HCWs through social media of their groups and associations. The study includes a total of 173 respondents (71.

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Objectives: This study aims to present an overview of the formal recognition of COVID-19 as occupational disease (OD) or injury (OI) across Europe.

Methods: A COVID-19 questionnaire was designed by a task group within COST-funded OMEGA-NET and sent to occupational health experts of 37 countries in WHO European region, with a last update in April 2022.

Results: The questionnaire was filled out by experts from 35 countries.

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Physicians and dentists are at risk for chronic hand eczema, but their skin barrier condition has rarely been investigated before. To objectively assess the skin barrier condition among physicians and dentists. This cross-sectional epidemiological study included an occupational questionnaire, medical examination of hand skin, skin transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and pH measurements, analyzed in 5 groups (N = 37 in each): physicians-nonsurgeons, physicians-surgeons, dentists-nonsurgeons, dentists-surgeons, and control group (unexposed workers).

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Background: It is known that a large number of hairdressing apprentices (HA) develop occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) during schooling, but studies that address prevalence of contact sensitization in HAs with hand eczema are missing.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence, incidence rate and clinical characteristics of OCD, including contact sensitization, in a sample of Croatian HAs.

Materials And Methods: A total of 408 HAs from 25 Croatian towns were examined at the beginning of education and monitored at the end of each school year.

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Background: This research looks at the connection between psychological stress and the prevalence of hand eczema (HE) among physicians and dentists (surgeons, non-surgeons).

Methods: This cross-sectional field study involved 185 participants: physicians (surgeons, non-surgeons), dentists (surgeons, non-surgeons) and controls. Hand lesions were examined using the Osnabrueck Hand Eczema Severity Index (OHSI), and participants answered the Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire (NOSQ) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).

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Purpose Of Review: This study aims to provide an overview on current knowledge on occupational allergic diseases in hairdressers and up-to-date perspectives of prevention.

Recent Findings: Hand eczema (dermatitis) is common in hairdressers, often caused by contact allergy to one or multiple small molecules (haptens) used, e.g.

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This systematic review, conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines, focuses on genotoxicity of oxidative hair dye precursors. The search for original papers published from 2000 to 2021 was performed in Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane registry, Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety of the European Commission and German MAK Commission opinions. Nine publications on genotoxicity of -phenylenediamine (PPD) and toluene-2,5-diamine (-toluylenediamine; PTD) were included, reporting results of 17 assays covering main genotoxicity endpoints.

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Background: While obesity is recognisably associated with changes in heart rate variability (HRV), the association between skeletal muscle mass and HRV is less clear.

Aims: In this cross sectional study, we analysed the association of body fat (four parameters) and muscle mass (five parameters) with indicators of HRV activity.

Subjects And Methods: Assessment of body composition and HRV was performed in  = 180 young-to-middle age healthy men exposed to high occupational physical activity, using the multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance device and the PPG-StressFlow® HRV photoplethysmography device, respectively.

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Inorganic perovskite CaMnO was proposed as a substitution for the TiO anatase in electron transport layers of solar cells containing the hybrid perovskite CH NH PbI based on increased mobility of electrons and better optical matching. Due to a suitable band gap concerning the absorption of sunlight, we investigate the potential of CaMnO and similar manganite perovskites, where Ca is replaced by either Sr, Ba or La, as an absorber layer in inorganic perovskite solar cells. In this study, we have used optical measurements on the synthesized AMnO (A=Ca, Sr, Ba, La) samples to aid density functional theory calculations (DFT) in order to accurately simulate the electronic and optical properties of AMnO compounds and gauge their potential for the role of absorber layer.

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Article Synopsis
  • Hand eczema (HE) is a common skin condition that causes symptoms like itching, pain, and visible skin changes, and there's a need to identify which outcomes are most important to patients for future trials.
  • The Hand Eczema Core Outcome Set (HECOS) initiative aims to create a comprehensive list of key domains for measuring treatment effectiveness by gathering input from both patients and experts through interviews and surveys.
  • Results revealed that patients and experts prioritize measuring 'itch', 'symptoms', and 'HE-related quality of life', leading to a 'Long List' of 7 domains and 58 sub-domains, which will be refined further through a Delphi survey.
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Article Synopsis
  • Occupational hand eczema is a significant issue for hairdressers due to the presence of strong allergens in hair cosmetic products.
  • A systematic review of studies found that hairdressers have a higher prevalence of contact allergies to certain hair product ingredients, particularly p-phenylenediamine (PPD) and ammonium thioglycolate (ATG), with relative risks substantially higher than non-hairdressers.
  • The study highlights the need for improved working conditions and safer products to reduce the risk of contact allergies among hairdressers.
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Objectives: To review recent epidemiological studies investigating carcinogenic or reprotoxic effects among hairdressers who seem to be at greater risk for systemic adverse effects of chemicals released from hair care products than consumers.

Methods: A systematic review according to the PRISMA-P guidelines was performed and included studies published from 2000 to August 2021, in which cancer or adverse reproductive effects were diagnosed in 1995 and onward. Data were synthetized qualitatively due to the small number of studies, heterogeneity of study designs, outcomes, and methods.

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The safety assessment of cosmetics considers the exposure of a 'common consumer', not the occupational exposure of hairdressers. This review aims to compile and appraise evidence regarding the skin toxicity of cysteamine hydrochloride (cysteamine HCl; CAS no. 156-57-0), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP; CAS no.

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An enormous increase in the application of wireless communication in recent decades has intensified research into consequent increase in human exposure to electromagnetic (EM) radiofrequency (RF) radiation fields and potential health effects, especially in school children and teenagers, and this paper gives a snap overview of current findings and recommendations of international expert bodies, with the emphasis on exposure from Wi-Fi technology indoor devices. Our analysis includes over 100 , animal, epidemiological, and exposure assessment studies (of which 37 and 30 covering Wi-Fi technologies). Only a small portion of published research papers refers to the "real" health impact of Wi-Fi technologies on children, because they are simply not available.

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Introduction: Exposure to hazardous chemicals released during hairdressing activities from hair care products puts hairdressers at risk of adverse health effects. Safety assessments of hair products are mainly focused on consumers, but exposure for professional hairdressers might be substantially higher.

Objective: To identify and assess available research data on inhalation exposures of professional hairdressers.

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Objective: To review the literature on respiratory effects of persulfate salts (PS) or hair bleaches in hairdressers and animal models exploring mechanisms behind PS-induced asthma.

Methods: A systematic review according to the PRISMA guidelines was performed. Studies published from 2000 to July 2021 that fulfilled predefined eligibility criteria were retrieved.

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Background: Studies investigating simultaneous influence of personal and work-related factors on skin health during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are missing.

Objectives: To investigate the associations of skin hazards relevant for nursing apprentices with parameters of skin barrier function.

Methods: A total of 238 nursing apprentices attending the final year of education (median age 19 years) from vocational schools in Zagreb, Croatia, were enrolled in this study.

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Current cosmetic regulations primarily focus on protecting consumers, not the professional user who is subjected to a partly different, and certainly more intense exposure to hazardous substances. Against this background, this systematic review aims to compile and appraise evidence regarding skin toxicity of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA; CAS no. 212-782-2) and ethyl cyanoacrylate (ECA; CAS no.

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Hairdressers are at high risk of developing occupational hand eczema. Opinions on the health and safety concerns of nonfood consumer products, such as cosmetics and their ingredients, consider the exposure of a "common consumer," which may not account for occupational exposure of hairdressers. As a result, there is a parlous scenario in which serious safety concerns about occupational exposures are present.

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