Background: Occupational respiratory allergy to green coffee beans (GCB) and to castor beans (CB) was studied in 112 workers in a modern coffee manufacturing plant of Trieste (Italy), where the process is completely automatic, the environmental conditions are good and where exposure to CB can be considered absent because since 1970, only new sacks have been used for coffee transportation.
Methods: All subjects were interviewed by a trained doctor using a questionnaire to investigate allergic symptoms and predisposing factors. Sensitization to GCB and to common allergens (pollens, molds, house dust mites) were evaluated by the skin-prick test. The serum of subjects with a positive skin-prick test to CGB or who had symptoms at work was tested for specific IgE (RAST) for GCB and CB. Lung function was evaluated by a Ponigraph spirometer.
Results: Sensitization to GCB was found in 25.8% of green coffee workers (31 cases), in 2.7% of roasted coffee workers (37 cases) and in 4.5% of the clerks (44 cases), p < 0.01. The evaluation of IgE specific for CB gave positive results only in 3 of 10 subjects sensitized to GCB. A total of 20% of GCB workers (6 cases) complained of work-related respiratory symptoms (asthma and/or rhinitis) compared with only one subject in the roasted coffee group and one in the control group (p < 0.01). Asthma was reported by 2/31 of the green coffee workers and by 1/44 of roasted coffee workers.
Conclusions: There was a significant correlation between sensitization to GCB and work related symptoms (p < 0.01), common allergic symptoms (p < 0.05) and atopy by prick test (< 0.01). These results point to the need to evaluate atopic status in workers and identify the most susceptible subjects, with the aim of informing them of their at-risk status and monitoring their progress. This makes it possible to diagnose sooner those symptoms possibly indicative of a work-related disease, because even in presence of good environmental conditions and even when symptoms are mild, it is almost always the atopic subjects who are affected.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199812)34:6<623::aid-ajim11>3.0.co;2-r | DOI Listing |
J Contemp Dent Pract
October 2024
Department of Prosthodontics, Government Dental College, Kozhikode, Kerala, India, Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1456-3851.
Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the surface roughness and color stability of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) with those of conventional interim prosthetic materials like polymethylmethacrylate, bis-acrylic composite, and rubberized diurethane dimethacrylate, following immersion in solutions of varying pH value.
Materials And Methods: A total of 320 circular discs with 10 mm diameter and 2 mm height were divided based on the fabrication ( = 80)-group A: polymethylmethacrylate; group B: bis-acrylic composite; group R: rubberized diurethane; and group P: hot-pressed PEEK-and were subjected to baseline measurement of roughness ( = 40) and color ( = 40) using 3D profilometer and UV-Vis spectrophotometer, respectively. Later, 10 samples from each group were immersed in distilled water, black coffee, green tea, and Pepsi, respectively, for 120 days, and measurements of roughness and color were repeated.
ACS Nano
January 2025
Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research, Dresden 01069, Germany.
Droplet evaporation on solid substrates is a ubiquitous phenomenon and is relevant in many natural and industrial processes. Whereas it has been reported that the evaporation process is sped up on soft substrates compared with that on hard substrates, no attempt has been made in exploring how substrate stretching affects droplet evaporation and evaporative deposition patterns. Here, we systematically investigate the contact line dynamics of droplets evaporating on substrates with different stiffnesses and stretching ratios and the structures of the evaporative deposition patterns of nanoparticles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Stomatol Oral Maxillofac Surg
January 2025
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University / Second Faculty of Clinical Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650101, China.
Background: Oral cancer is a common head and neck cancer malignancy that seriously affects patients' quality of life and increases the health care burden. Moreover, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews of previous research on factors associated with oral cancer. The aim of the current umbrella review was to provide a comprehensive and systematic summary of relevant studies, to grade the quality of evidence of relevant studies, and to provide guidance for the prevention of oral cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlants (Basel)
January 2025
Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Campus Universitário, Avenida Peter Henry Rolfs, s/n, Viçosa 36570-900, MG, Brazil.
Soxhlet extraction is a method recommended by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) to determine the lipid content in plant samples. Generally, n-hexane (toxicity grade 5) is used as the solvent (≈300 mL; ≈30 g sample) at boiling temperatures (69 °C) for long times (≤16 h) under a chilled water reflux (≈90 L/h), proportionally aggravated by the number of repetitions and samples determined. In this sense, the technique is neither safe nor sustainable for the analyst or the environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFoods
January 2025
Network of Chemistry and Technology/Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry (REQUIMTE/LAQV), Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
Coffee pulp, a by-product of wet coffee processing, shows significant potential in the food and health domains, but its real applications remain underexplored. This work investigated the chemical composition and bioactive properties of coffee pulp from São Miguel Island (Azores, Portugal). The studied coffee pulp exhibited high fiber content (52% dw), mostly insoluble; notable mineral levels (10.
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