Assessing the quality of evidence in studies estimating prevalence of exposure to occupational risk factors: The QoE-SPEO approach applied in the systematic reviews from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related burden of disease and Injury.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have produced the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury (WHO/ILO Joint Estimates). For these, systematic reviews of studies estimating the prevalence of exposure to selected occupational risk factors have been conducted to provide input data for estimations of the number of exposed workers. A critical part of systematic review methodology is to assess the quality of evidence across studies.

Assessor burden, inter-rater agreement and user experience of the RoB-SPEO tool for assessing risk of bias in studies estimating prevalence of exposure to occupational risk factors: An analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury.

Background: As part of the development of the World Health Organization (WHO)/International Labour Organization (ILO) Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury, WHO and ILO carried out several systematic reviews to determine the prevalence of exposure to selected occupational risk factors. Risk of bias assessment for individual studies is a critical step of a systematic review. No tool existed for assessing the risk of bias in prevalence studies of exposure to occupational risk factors, so WHO and ILO developed and pilot tested the RoB-SPEO tool for this purpose.

The prevalence of occupational exposure to noise: A systematic review and meta-analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are developing joint estimates of the work-related burden of disease and injury (WHO/ILO Joint Estimates), with contributions from a large network of individual experts. Evidence from mechanistic and human data suggests that occupational exposure to noise may cause cardiovascular disease. In this paper, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of occupational exposure to noise for estimating (if feasible) the number of deaths and disability-adjusted life years from cardiovascular disease that are attributable to exposure to this risk factor, for the development of the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates.

The effect of occupational exposure to noise on ischaemic heart disease, stroke and hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-Related Burden of Disease and Injury.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are developing joint estimates of the work-related burden of disease and injury (WHO/ILO Joint Estimates), with contributions from a large number of individual experts. Evidence from mechanistic data suggests that occupational exposure to noise may cause cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this paper, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis of parameters for estimating the number of deaths and disability-adjusted life years from CVD that are attributable to occupational exposure to noise, for the development of the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates.

RoB-SPEO: A tool for assessing risk of bias in studies estimating the prevalence of exposure to occupational risk factors from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are developing joint estimates of the work-related burden of disease and injury (WHO/ILO Joint Estimates). For this, systematic reviews of studies estimating the prevalence of exposure to selected occupational risk factors will be conducted to provide input data for estimations of the number of exposed workers. A critical part of systematic review methods is to assess risk of bias (RoB) of individual studies.

WHO/ILO work-related burden of disease and injury: Protocol for systematic reviews of exposure to occupational noise and of the effect of exposure to occupational noise on cardiovascular disease.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are developing a joint methodology for estimating the national and global work-related burden of disease and injury (WHO/ILO joint methodology), with contributions from a large network of experts. In this paper, we present the protocol for two systematic reviews of parameters for estimating the number of deaths and disability-adjusted life years from cardiovascular disease attributable to exposure to occupational noise, to inform the development of the WHO/ILO joint methodology.

Objectives: We aim to systematically review studies on exposure to occupational noise (Systematic Review 1) and systematically review and meta-analyse estimates of the effect of occupational noise on cardiovascular diseases (Systematic Review 2), applying the Navigation Guide systematic review methodology as an organizing framework, conducting both systematic reviews in tandem and in a harmonized way.

Decorating protein nanospheres with lactoferrin enhances oral COX-2 inhibitor/herbal therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: Lactoferrin (LF)-targeted gliadin nanoparticles (GL-NPs) were developed for targeted oral therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Materials & Methods: Celecoxib and diosmin were incorporated in the hydrophobic matrix of GL-NPs whose surface was decorated with LF by electrostatic interaction for binding to asialoglycoprotein receptors overexpressed by liver cancer cells.

Results: Targeted GL-NPs showed enhanced cytotoxic activity and increased cellular uptake in liver tumor cells compared with nontargeted NPs.

Design, synthesis & structure-activity relationships of a new class of antihuman enterovirus D68 & A71 agents.

Aim: No antiviral medications are currently approved to treat enterovirus (EV)-associated disease or prevent EV infection.

Methods: In this study, a series of probenecid derivatives were designed via a rational strategy and synthesized to obtain more potent anti-EV agents.

Results: Compounds 8 and 24 exhibited the most potent activity against EV D68 and A71, with half maximal effective concentration (EC) values of 2.

Seasonal variation in food intake and the interaction effects of sex and age among adults in southern Brazil.

Background/objectives: Because studies have evidenced variations in nutrient intake, further investigation of the interaction between demographic characteristics and the seasons is necessary. We aimed to test the differences in food intake throughout the seasons and the interaction between the seasons and sex and age.

Subjects/methods: This study included 273 individuals.

Laboratory studies on nitrogen and phosphorus removal from swine wastewater by iron electrolysis.

Biological process-free ("Bio-free") treatment of swine wastewater (pH 8.5 or above) for the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus was examined. In this study centrifugal separation of solids and liquids was followed by iron electrolysis, which enables removal of nitrogen and phosphorus when iron is set as the cathode and anode, respectively.

Electrochemical treatment of human urine for its storage and reuse as flush water.

We proposed the electrochemical treatment of human urine to enable its storage without the accompanying unpleasant odor. This urine can then be reused as flush water in toilets as a means to tackle water shortage problems. In laboratory-scale experiments, the time-dependent variation in the pH of human urine, after the addition of urease, could be suppressed by chlorine produced via the electrochemical treatment of diluted human urine.

Development of an Exercise Meter using Triaxial Acceleration Data.

Shinshu University and an NPO "JTRC" (Jukunen Taiiku Daigaku Research Center; a health promotion and support organization) provide exercise guidance focused on walking activity with the object of enhancing strength among elderly individuals. Sanyo Electric has developed an exercise meter as a tool to promote these efforts effectively. This exercise meter is equipped with a function providing estimates of energy consumption, leg muscle strength, and endurance based on triaxial acceleration data from the lumbar region.

Dietary patterns are associated with sexual maturation in Korean children.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between dietary patterns and sexual maturation among Korean children. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 422 boys and 365 girls aged 9-12 years living in Seoul, Korea. Three-day food records were obtained, and pubertal stages were determined with a questionnaire using Tanner stages.

Traditional v. modified dietary patterns and their influence on adolescents' nutritional profile.

Korea has experienced exceptionally rapid economic developments. Even though the country has managed to maintain aspects of its traditional diet, dietary habits are changing, especially among adolescents. This study was carried out to identify prevailing dietary patterns among Korean adolescents and to compare the nutrient intakes and dietary behaviours between the patterns.

Odorant binding initially occurring at the central pocket in bovine odorant-binding protein.

Why bovine odorant-binding protein (OBPb), among OBP family, assumes a dimeric structure has been unclear. Here we clarified, by measuring the fluorescence of intrinsic tryptophan and tyrosine residues of intact OBPb and OBPb whose C-terminal 10 amino acids were deleted, that odorant enters the central pocket formed by the dimerization when OBPb first encounters odorant, and odorant with high affinity with OBPb subsequently enters the internal cavity (suggested binding site), releasing the pre-bound odorant. The internal cavity-bound odorant can be released by the binding of other odorants at another internal cavity or at the central pocket, depending on the binding odorants.