Assessing occupational styrene exposure in the European and US Glass Reinforced Plastics Industry for the period between 1947 and 2020.

Background: We aimed to develop a method for assessing occupational styrene exposures for application in epidemiological studies on risks of lymphohematopoietic neoplasms and other malignant and non-malignant diseases in the European and the US glass reinforced plastics industries.

Method: We estimated a linear mixed effects model based on individual airborne personal measurements of styrene from the glass reinforced plastics industry in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, UK, and the US. The most suitable model was chosen based on its predictive power as assessed using cross validation with different combinations of predictors; and by comparing their prediction errors.

Assessment of Occupational Exposure to Inhalable Aerosols in an Instant Powdered Food Manufacturing Plant in Norway.

Background: In the food manufacturing industry, exposure to inhalable aerosols contributes to respiratory illnesses such as occupational asthma and rhinitis. However, there is a lack of comprehensive exposure assessment studies. This study evaluated occupational exposure to inhalable aerosols in an instant powdered food manufacturing plant during work operations involving dried food and powders.

Timing of acute cold exposure determines UCP1 and FGF21 expression - Possible interactions between the thermal environment, thermoregulatory responses, and peripheral clocks.

Thermoregulation is synchronized across the circadian cycle to uphold thermal homeostasis. To test if time-of-day matters for the response to environmental cold exposure, mice were acclimated to thermoneutrality (27 °C) for 2 months were subjected acutely (8 h) to cold ambient conditions (15 °C), whereas controls were maintained at thermoneutral conditions. The thermal exposure was tested in separate groups (N = 8) at three distinct time-of-day periods: in the LIGHT phase (L); the DARK phase (D); and a mix of the two (D + L).

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Associates Negatively With Arterial Stiffness in a Cohort of Industrial Workers Followed Up for 4 Years.

Objective: Previously, we have found increased carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) among shift workers compared to day workers in industry, and a decline in maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O 2max ) in all 86 workers.

Methods: Utilizing all available measurements in 2018, 2021, and 2022, this study investigated associations between V̇O 2max and measures of arterial stiffness. Using a mixed model approach, we analyzed the cross-sectional association between all V̇O 2max (outcome) and measures of arterial stiffness (covariates).

Blood biomarkers for occupational hand-arm vibration exposure.

Hand-arm vibration is a common occupational exposure that causes neurological impairment, myalgia, and vibration-induced Raynaud's phenomena or vibration white fingers (VWF). The pathological mechanism is largely unknown, though several mechanisms have been proposed, involving both immunological vascular damage and defective neural responses. The aim of this study was to test whether the substances interleukin-33 (IL-33), macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), interleukin-10 (IL-10), endothelin-1 (ET-1), C-C motif chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20), calcitonin, and thromboxane (TXA) changed before and after occupational hand-arm vibration exposure.

The risk for ophthalmological conditions in ulcerative colitis: A population-based case-control study. Is silica dust-exposure associated with inflammatory eye disease?

Purpose: To study the risk for eye diseases in individuals with Ulcerative Colitis (UC), and to assess whether silica dust-exposure could contribute to the development of inflammatory eye diseases.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted using a patient register processed by the National Board of Health and Welfare (NBHW) and Statistics Sweden. Cases were diagnosed with UC between 2007 and 2016.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Decreases Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study in Industry.

Background: We aimed to determine if maximal oxygen uptake (V˙Omax), resting heart rate (RHR), and self-reported leisure- time moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) changed over a 3-year follow-up (FU) among industrial workers.

Methods: We assessed cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) August 2018 and August 2021. The last 17-18 months coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The association between proportion of night shifts and musculoskeletal pain and headaches in nurses: a cross-sectional study.

Background And Purpose: Shift work is associated with musculoskeletal pain and headaches, but little is known about how the intensity of shift work exposure is related to musculoskeletal pain and headaches. This study aimed to investigate whether a higher proportion of night shifts is associated with a higher occurrence of musculoskeletal pain and headaches. Furthermore, to investigate whether sleep duration can mediate this potential association.

Comprehensive assessment of occupational exposure to microbial contamination in waste sorting facilities from Norway.

Introduction: It is of upmost importance to contribute to fill the knowledge gap concerning the characterization of the occupational exposure to microbial agents in the waste sorting setting (automated and manual sorting).

Methods: This study intends to apply a comprehensive field sampling and laboratory protocol (culture based-methods and molecular tools), assess fungal azole resistance, as well as to elucidate on potential exposure related health effects (cytotoxicity analyses). Skin-biota samples (eSwabs) were performed on workers and controls to identify other exposure routes.

Identification of genetically predicted DNA methylation markers associated with non-small cell lung cancer risk among 34,964 cases and 448,579 controls.

Background: Although the associations between genetic variations and lung cancer risk have been explored, the epigenetic consequences of DNA methylation in lung cancer development are largely unknown. Here, the genetically predicted DNA methylation markers associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) risk by a two-stage case-control design were investigated.

Methods: The genetic prediction models for methylation levels based on genetic and methylation data of 1595 subjects from the Framingham Heart Study were established.

A cross-sectional study on occupational exposure to microorganisms, endotoxin, hydrogen sulfide, and dust during work at drilling waste treatment plants.

This cross-sectional study aims to obtain knowledge about workers' exposure to airborne dust, bacterial and fungal species, endotoxin, biofilm formation, and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in drilling waste treatment plants. In total, 408 full-shift personal samples, 66 work areas, 40 drilling waste, and reference (outdoor air and seawater) samples were analyzed. Some workers were exposed to high levels of endotoxin (207 EU/m3), bacteria (3.

Occupational exposures of firefighting and urinary tract cancer risk among men in the Norwegian Fire Departments Cohort.

Objectives: Increased risks of bladder cancer and mesothelioma were the strongest evidence for the recent reclassification of firefighting as carcinogenic (Group 1) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Our study aim was to develop indicators for specific firefighting exposures and examine associations with urinary tract cancer (UTC), including bladder cancer.

Methods: We developed indicators for exposure from employment at a fire department or in firefighting jobs, to fire and smoke, and to diesel exhaust for men in the Norwegian Fire Departments Cohort (n=4250).

Cancer incidence among visual artists: 45 years of follow-up in four Nordic countries.

Introduction: Professional visual artists constitute a heterogeneous vocational group, including, but not limited to painters, photographers, textile artists, and sculptors who may face exposure to workplace hazardous substances and lifestyle factors that may contribute to the development of selected cancers. The objective of this registry-based cohort study was to assess the cancer incidence among Nordic visual artists.

Materials And Methods: This study is based on data from the Nordic Occupational Cancer (NOCCA) project that combines census data of 15 million people from all Nordic countries and cancer registries from 1961 to 2005.

No Excess Cancer Risk among Veterinarians in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden after the 1980s.

The cancer profile of veterinarians has received little research attention, despite the profession potentially being exposed to a wide range of known and suspected carcinogens. In this large-scale cohort study, we assessed cancer incidence in veterinarians in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, across more than 40 years (1961-2005). The cohort comprised 4708 veterinarians and 119,503 person-years at follow-up.

Occupational variation in incidence of oropharyngeal cancer in the Nordic countries.

Purpose: Evaluate the occupational variation in incidence of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC).

Methods: We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of OPC in occupational categories in the Nordic countries relative to the entire national populations. The data covered 6155 OPC cases.

Functional expression of the thermally activated transient receptor potential channels TRPA1 and TRPM8 in human myotubes.

Transient potential (TRP) ion channels expressed in primary sensory neurons act as the initial detectors of environmental cold and heat, information which controls muscle energy expenditure. We hypothesize that non-neuronal TRPs have direct cellular responses to thermal exposure, also affecting cellular metabolism. In the present study we show expression of TRPA1, TRPM8 and TRPV1 in rat skeletal muscle and human primary myotubes by qPCR.

Antidepressants escitalopram and venlafaxine up-regulate BDNF promoter IV but down-regulate neurite outgrowth in differentiating SH-SY5Y neurons.

Antidepressants are used to treat depression and some anxiety disorders, including use in pregnant patients. The pharmacological actions of these drugs generally determine the uptake and metabolism of a series of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine, along with an increase in BDNF expression. However, many aspects of antidepressant action remain unknown, particularly whether antidepressants interfere with normal neurodevelopment when taken by pregnant women.

Exposure to pesticides and risk of Hodgkin lymphoma in an international consortium of agricultural cohorts (AGRICOH).

Purpose: Some pesticides may increase the risk of certain lymphoid malignancies, but few studies have examined Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). In this exploratory study, we examined associations between agricultural use of 22 individual active ingredients and 13 chemical groups and HL incidence.

Methods: We used data from three agricultural cohorts participating in the AGRICOH consortium: the French Agriculture and Cancer Cohort (2005-2009), Cancer in the Norwegian Agricultural Population (1993-2011), and the US Agricultural Health Study (1993-2011).

Chloroform exposure in air and water in Swedish indoor swimming pools-urine as a biomarker of occupational exposure.

Introduction: Disinfection by-products are produced in water disinfected with chlorine-based products. One such group is trihalomethanes, and chloroform is the most abundant trihalomethane in swimming pool areas. Chloroform can be absorbed by inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption, and is classified as possibly carcinogenic.

Occupational variation in the incidence of lip cancer in the Nordic countries.

Introduction: While certain occupations, such as agriculture and fishery, have been associated with an increased risk of lip cancer, the occupational risk profile of lip cancer and its change over time remain poorly known. This study aims to evaluate the incidence of lip cancer across different occupations in the Nordic countries.

Methods: The Nordic Occupational Cancer Study (NOCCA) covers 14.

Transferability and reproducibility of exposed air-liquid interface co-culture lung models.

Background: The establishment of reliable and robust in vitro models for hazard assessment, a prerequisite for moving away from animal testing, requires the evaluation of model transferability and reproducibility. Lung models that can be exposed via the air, by means of an air-liquid interface (ALI) are promising in vitro models for evaluating the safety of nanomaterials (NMs) after inhalation exposure. We performed an inter-laboratory comparison study to evaluate the transferability and reproducibility of a lung model consisting of the human bronchial cell line Calu-3 as a monoculture and, to increase the physiologic relevance of the model, also as a co-culture with macrophages (either derived from the THP-1 monocyte cell line or from human blood monocytes).

Divergent TLR2 and TLR4 Activation by Fungal Spores and Species Diversity in Dust from Waste Sorting Plants.

This manuscript presents the results of an exploratory study on the relationships between NF-κB response through Toll-like receptor (TLR) activation by dust characterized by fungal spore concentrations and species diversity. Personal total dust samples were collected from Norwegian waste sorting plants and then characterized for fungal spores and fungal species diversity, as well as for other bioaerosol components, including endotoxins and actinobacteria. The ability of the dust to induce an NF-κB response by activating TLR2 and TLR4 was evaluated, as well as the relationship between such responses and quantifiable bioaerosol components.