Risky leisure noise exposure during the transition to adulthood and the impact of major life events - results of the OHRKAN cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the influence of four major life events (leaving home, full-time employment, married/cohabiting, parenthood) and socio-demographic variables on risky total leisure noise (TLN) during transition to adulthood with a special focus on visiting discotheques and listening to portable listening devices (PLDs).

Design: Longitudinal analysis of the OHRKAN cohort. Risky TLN covering 22 activities was defined as exceeding 85 dB(A) averaged over a 40-hour week.

Nature-based remediation of mine tailings: Synergistic effects of narrow-leafed lupine and organo-mineral amendments on soil nutrient-acquiring enzymes and microbial activity.

Rising global metal demand has led to extensive mining, leaving post-mining landscapes with degraded soil and metal contamination. The exacerbated heavy metals concentrations deteriorate soil microbial activity and consequent microbial biomass, enzymatic activities, and organic matter are impaired. This study explores nature-based solutions, focusing on assisted natural remediation and organo-mineral amendments: marble waste (Mw), clay (Cy), and compost (Cp).

Monitoring of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in human blood samples collected in three regions with known PFAS releases in the environment and three control regions in South Germany.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known as persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals. The present paper describes the analysis of 969 human blood samples collected in South Germany aiming to determine whether there are statistic significant differences in internal PFAS burden between three regions with known PFAS releases in the environment (study regions) and three regions without known PFAS releases in the environment (control regions). Nine environmental relevant PFAS were analyzed, including the perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) substitute 3H-perfluoro-3-[(3-methoxy-propoxy)propanoic acid] ammonium salt (ADONA).

Human biomonitoring follow-up study on PFOA contamination and investigation of possible influencing factors on PFOA exposure in a German population originally exposed to emissions from a fluoropolymer production plant.

Background: In the past, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was produced and applied as an emulsifier in a fluoropolymer production plant in the Altötting district, southern Bavaria (Germany). This chemical was released directly into the environment, resulting in the contamination of the local drinking water. During a human biomonitoring (HBM) survey in 2018, increased median PFOA blood serum levels, compared to a normally exposed control group with no known source of PFOA exposure from Munich, Germany, were detected in the resident population (23.

[Patient Care in German Outpatient Clinics for Environmental Medicine Illustrated by the Examples of Hamburg and Munich University Hospitals].

People can be affected by various environmental factors (e. g., odor, noise) which can lead to medical complaints or illnesses.

Risky listening behaviour to music via headphones and its determinants - 7.5 years OHRKAN cohort study.

Objective: To examine risky leisure noise exposure from listening to music via headphones and to identify potential determinants with special focus on portable listening devices (PLDs) among adolescents over a period of 7.5-years.

Design: Data were collected by questionnaires at four equidistant time points (O1-O4).

Ten-year results of leisure noise exposure among adolescents and young adults-findings from the OHRKAN cohort study.

Objective: To observe total leisure noise (TLN) exposure and to investigate determinants of risky TLN exposure among adolescents and young adults over a ten-year observation period.

Design: OHRKAN is a longitudinal study with five equidistantly distributed questionnaires (waves) over ten years. Risky TLN exposure was defined as exceeding ≥85dB(A) averaged over 40h per week.

Mental health and work-related factors in healthcare workers in a pandemic - meta-analysis.

Due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, healthcare workers worldwide faced major challenges in the form of psychological stress. The aim of this systematic literature review and meta-analysis is to identify mental health consequences and associated work-related factors in healthcare workers during a pandemic and to quantify the influence of associated work-related factors on mental health consequences. A systematic literature search according to PRISMA was conducted on 5 August 2021 using the databases PubMed Central and APA PsychInfo.

The validity of using a self-report single question as a means to detect hearing loss in an adolescent population.

Objective: The overall objective in the study was to compare self-reported hearing based on a single question ("how good would you currently rate your hearing?") to measure hearing loss determined by audiometry in a cohort of adolescents. Prevalence of audiometrically measured hearing loss and frequencies of self-reported poor hearing as well as factors that have an impact on self-reported hearing were examined.

Design: Baseline and 5-year follow-up data of the Ohrkan study were used.

Phytoavailability and uptake of arsenic in ryegrass affected by various amendments in soil of an abandoned gold mining site.

Abandoned gold mining spoils pose socio-environmental, human, and animal health impacts and threaten sustainability of mineral extraction. Green trials and ecological solutions are required to effectively remediate these contaminated soils and mitigate the associated risks. Here, we carried out a pot experiment using a highly contaminated soil (mean total As = 5104.

The Relevance of Leisure Noise to Hearing Threshold Shifts: A Longitudinal Analysis Among Adolescents.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the association of total leisure noise exposure and hearing threshold shifts over 5 years among adolescents enrolled in the Ohrkan cohort study.

Method: The Ohrkan cohort of 2,148 students aged 13-19 years was recruited from 2009 to 2011 and followed up 5 years later. Complete baseline and follow-up reports on exposure and outcome were available for 989 participants.

Combined application of marble waste and beneficial microorganisms: toward a cost-effective approach for restoration of heavy metals contaminated sites.

Heavy metal (HM) pollution and the need to preserve the environment have gathered increasing scientific attention. The immobilization of HMs into less-soluble, less mobile, and less toxic forms in addition to the improvement of Medicago sativa L. growth and HMs accumulation were evaluated after the application of marble waste (MW) and/or beneficial PGP rhizobacteria and mycorrhizae to the mining soil compost.

Atopic diseases and airway-related symptoms in Bavarian children before starting primary school: Time trend analyses.

Background: After decades of rising prevalence of atopic and airway-related diseases, studies showed stagnating prevalence in western industrialised countries. Objective of this study is to analyse the time trend of prevalence of atopic diseases and airway-related symptoms among Bavarian children before starting primary school.

Materials And Methods: Five cross-sectional studies from 2004/2005, 2006/2007, 2012/2013, 2014/2015 and 2016/2017 took place in urban and rural regions in Bavaria, Germany.

Change in exposure of children to second-hand smoke with impact on children's health and change in parental smoking habits after smoking ban in Bavaria - a multiple cross-sectional study.

Background: Concerns about smoking displacement from public places to private amenities aroused following smoking ban implementation in Bavaria in 2008. We analysed children's exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) before and after the ban, its effect on children's health and prevalence of active smoking in adults.

Methods: Six cross-sectional surveys (n = 32,443) on pre-school children in Bavaria were analysed, two surveys before the smoking ban in years 2004 and 2005 (S1 and S2) and four after the ban in 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2016 (S4, S6, S7 and S8).

Non-pharmacological interventions for pollen-induced allergic symptoms: Systematic literature review.

Background: Allergic diseases pose a health problem worldwide. Pollen are widespread aeroallergens which can cause symptoms like shortness of breath, cough, itchy eyes, or rhinitis. Apart from preventive measures and pharmacological treatment, also non-pharmacological interventions have been suggested to reduce symptoms.

[Generation of an FAQ page on Dealing with Multi-resistant Pathogens at the Interface of Veterinary and Human Medicine].

Objective: The aims of this work were the systematic and evidence-based generation and answering of frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding contact with multi-drug resistant pathogens (MDR) including aspects of veterinary and human medicine for the public health service (PHS) and the general population.

Methods: In order to determine the information needs of the population, guideline-based expert interviews with veterinarians and physicians were conducted in five surveys. In addition, information about the project was published in two journals and the participants were asked to submit open questions from their daily routine with respect to MDR.

Functions of elements in soil microorganisms.

The soil microbial community fulfils various functions, such as nutrient cycling and carbon (C) sequestration, therefore contributing to maintenance of soil fertility and mitigation of global warming. In this context, a major focus of research has been on C, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling. However, from aquatic and other environments, it is well known that other elements beyond C, N, and P are essential for microbial functioning.

Atopic diseases and airway-related symptoms in Bavarian pre-schoolers: determinants and association with immunization.

Background: Atopic diseases are among the most common chronic conditions in childhood. Causes of allergies are manifold. The aim of this paper is to evaluate risk factors for atopic diseases and unremitting wheeze and to examine if there is an association between measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination and atopic dermatitis, asthma and unremitting wheeze in Bavarian pre-schoolers.

Compensating for missing data in the OHRKAN cohort study examining total leisure noise exposure among adolescents.

Objective: Investigating determinants of total leisure noise (TLN) exposure among adolescents over 7.5 years and compensating for missing data due to loss to follow-up.

Design: In the OHRKAN cohort study, data were collected by questionnaires at four waves.

Medical care and treatment of children with asthmatic or wheezing health outcomes and urban-rural differences in Bavaria - a cross-sectional study.

Asthma is among the most common chronic conditions in children. The aim of this publication is to describe prevalence rates and factors associated with asthmatic or wheezing preschoolers and to evaluate medical care and treatment with regard to urban-rural differences. Data for this cross-sectional study were collected through a questionnaire, which was distributed to parents within the Health Monitoring Units in Bavaria (HMU), Germany.

Exposure to leisure noise and intermittent tinnitus among young adults in Bavaria: longitudinal data from a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: To investigate the association between total leisure noise exposure and intermittent tinnitus among young adults.

Design: Data were obtained from the study, an ongoing prospective cohort study conducted in South Germany since 2009. Information about exposure to impulse and leisure noise, tinnitus occurrences, sociodemographic variables, and self-rated hearing ability were analysed at four time points over a period of seven and a half years.

Poststratification as a suitable approach to generalize findings of two cross-sectional studies along the Bavarian compulsory school entrance examination: An exemplary poststratified analysis for asthma, hay fever and wheezing.

Background: A compulsory school entrance examination of pre-school children (SEU) is administered in the German state of Bavaria. Every second year since 2004, the examinations are expanded in six study regions using a cross-sectional survey design (GME). However, the extent to which the results of the GME surveys are generalizable to the SEU population is unknown.

Extreme weather events in europe and their health consequences - A systematic review.

Background: Due to climate change, the frequency, intensity and severity of extreme weather events, such as heat waves, cold waves, storms, heavy precipitation causing wildfires, floods, and droughts are increasing, which could adversely affect human health. The purpose of this systematic review is therefore to assess the current literature about the association between these extreme weather events and their impact on the health of the European population.

Methods: Observational studies published from January 1, 2007 to May 17, 2020 on health effects of extreme weather events in Europe were searched systematically in Medline, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.