Pregnancy outcome following exposure to shortwaves among female physiotherapists in Israel.

Background: The findings of the few epidemiological studies on the possible association between shortwave diathermy use by pregnant physiotherapists and adverse pregnancy outcome are inconsistent. We investigated such an association among physiotherapists in Israel.

Methods: Individualized data on exposure to shortwaves, ultrasound, and heavy lifting were collected by questionnaires and telephone interviews.

Inconsistencies in the classification of preventive interventions.

Background And Objective: Preventive measures are commonly classified into primary (prevention of a disease from occurring), secondary (screening of asymptomatic persons with a view of early detection and treatment of disease), and tertiary (treatment of patients with a view of palliation, cure, rehabilitation, prevention of relapse, or prevention of complications). The objective of the present survey was to assess the adherence to this classification in a sample of abstracts of scientific publications.

Method: We searched the literature (key terms prevention and primary, secondary, or tertiary) and identified 317 abstracts describing various preventive interventions.

[How valid is the official data from the Health Department on reported morbidity in Israel? Hepatitis A as an example].

Hepatitis A is one of the most frequently reported notifiable infectious diseases in Israel. The annual incidence as reported is around 70/100,000. The physician or the diagnostic laboratory notifies the district health office of the Ministry of Health.

Summer-winter differences in 24 h variability of heart rate.

Objective: To examine possible seasonal changes in heart rate variability (HRV).

Background: Greater than normal mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the winter has been reported for many countries and might be partly explained by considering seasonal changes in CVD risk factors. Depression of HRV is an independent predictor of arrhythmic complications and of cardiac death, and it is also among the variables that may be affected by the season of the year.

Effect of exposure to lead on postural control in workers.

Objectives: To examine the effect of lead on postural control of workers who have been exposed to lead.

Methods: 63 Male, lead battery workers mean (SD) age 41.0 (7.

Continuing medical education and primary physicians' job stress, burnout and dissatisfaction.

Objectives: The association between opportunities for continuing medical education (CME) and primary physicians' job stress, burnout and job dissatisfaction has not been investigated. It was hypothesized that participation in CME activities and perceived opportunities at work for keeping up-to-date with medical and professional developments would be correlated negatively with job stress and burnout, and positively with job satisfaction.

Method: 309 primary care physicians (183 family physicians and 126 paediatricians) employed in health maintenance organizations in Israel responded to a mailed questionnaire.

Risk of hepatitis A virus infection among sewage workers in Israel.

Sewage workers are exposed to a wide range of chemicals and biological agents, including the hepatitis A virus. Inasmuch as Israel is an endemic area for hepatitis A, it is unclear if sewage workers are at increased risk for hepatitis A or which factors contribute to such risk. The authors compared seropositivity of hepatitis A in 100 sewage workers with that in 100 blue-collar worker controls.

Association of physical activity at work with mortality in Israeli industrial employees: the CORDIS study.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of physical activity at work with the risk of all-cause cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality. The cohort consisted of 3488 male, Israeli, industrial employees who participated in an 8-year follow-up study. During this period 129 deaths were recorded: 54 from cardiovascular disease, 47 from cancer, and 28 from other causes.

Circulating natural killer cells in retired asbestos cement workers.

The effect of past exposure to asbestos on natural killer (NK) cell number and activity is uncertain. We measured NK cell number and activity in 1052 retired asbestos workers without symptomatic lung disease, lung cancer, or mesothelioma and with a long latency period from exposure; results were compared with those for 100 healthy age-matched controls. The exposed workers showed a decreased NK cell activity and increased NK cell number, yielding a 10.

The association of resting heart rate with cardiovascular, cancer and all-cause mortality. Eight year follow-up of 3527 male Israeli employees (the CORDIS Study).

Background: Resting heart rate has frequently been shown to be a predictor of coronary heart disease mortality. Elevated heart rate could also be a marker for the presence of other risk factors, which have not been taken into consideration in previous studies.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of resting heart rate on the risk of all-cause cardiovascular and cancer mortality, taking into consideration haematological variables.

Association between burnout at work and leukocyte adhesiveness/aggregation.

Objective: This study examined whether burnout at work is associated with leukocyte adhesiveness/aggregation (LAA), a phenomenon known to be affected by stress.

Methods: The LAA levels of 179 employees (68 men and 111 women) of Tel Aviv University were determined when the employees underwent their annual routine medical checkup. Blood pressure and toxic chemical exposure were also measured, and background data were retrieved from medical records.

Healthy volunteer effect in industrial workers.

Volunteers for epidemiological research, have lower mortality rates than non-volunteers, thereby producing a bias referred to as the "healthy volunteer effect" (HVE). Occupationally active persons have been similarly shown to have a reduced mortality relatively to the general population (the "healthy worker effect"). To determine whether a HVE exists in occupationally active persons, we followed for 8 years a cohort of Israeli male industrial employees, of whom 71.

Chronic burnout, somatic arousal and elevated salivary cortisol levels.

Burnout syndrome, comprised of the symptoms of emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and cognitive weariness, is believed to be a result of ineffective coping with enduring stress. This study of 111 nonshift blue-collar workers free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) examined whether chronic burnout is associated with a state of somatic and physiological hyperarousal. Results showed that 37 workers exhibited symptoms of chronic burnout, with symptoms lasting at least 6 months.

Increased serum concentrations of growth factor receptors and Neu in workers previously exposed to asbestos.

Objectives: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and oncogene Neu belong to a family of growth factor receptors which may play a part in carcinogenesis. Although increased serum concentrations of Neu and EGFR have been shown in several patients with asbestosis who later developed cancer, serum concentrations have not been studied in workers exposed in the past to asbestos but without asbestos related diseases.

Methods: Serum concentrations of secreted growth factor receptors were studied in 300 workers exposed in the past to asbestos and the results were compared with those of 70 controls.

Occupations at increased risk of hepatitis A: a 2-year nationwide historical prospective study.

The recent licensing of active hepatitis A vaccines raises the question of vaccine candidates. Although various groups of workers are at theoretical occupational risk of hepatitis A infection, no comprehensive quantitative data exist to determine which occupational groups should receive active vaccination. Therefore, the aims of this study were to identify occupations at risk for hepatitis A infection and to determine their relative risk.

The association between occupational lead exposure and serum cholesterol and lipoprotein levels.

Objectives: This study sought to clarify the possible associations between blood lead level and serum cholesterol and lipoprotein levels in subjects occupationally exposed to lead.

Methods: Levels of blood lead, serum total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides in 56 male industrial employees who were exposed to lead were compared with those in 87 unexposed employees.

Results: Mean blood lead levels were 42.

Accelerated silicosis with mixed-dust pneumoconiosis in a hard-metal grinder.

We describe a fatal case of accelerated silicosis with a component of mixed-dust pneumoconiosis in a young hard-metal grinder that we believe is the first case of its kind in Israel and one of the rare cases reported worldwide. The patient's diagnosis was based on typical features: restrictive lung function, abnormal chest roentgenogram suggesting lung fibrosis, a history of exposure to silica and hard metals, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid findings, and mineralogical studies. BAL cells showed an abundance of giant multinucleated macrophages.

Smoking, diet, and health behaviors among lead-exposed blue-collar workers.

The objectives of the study were to compare dietary intake by smoking levels in blue-collar Israeli workers occupationally exposed to lead and thus identify additional areas for health-enhancing intervention in addition to smoking cessation. One hundred and eighty-seven male industrial employees who were exposed to lead through their work were screened at the worksite to evaluate health status and dietary intake. Smokers had higher intakes of fat, cholesterol, calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin E per day.

Emotional reactivity and debilitating beliefs during hospitalization predict future adjustment to first myocardial infarction in men.

Research efforts are being made to identify personality and cognitive variables predictive of poor adjustment following myocardial infarction. Sixty-two male patients were examined after a first and uncomplicated myocardial infarction to determine whether dispositional emotional reactivity and debilitating beliefs measured during hospitalization can predict work engagement, social activities involvement, and ambulation/independence six months later. A structural model with direct paths between emotional reactivity, debilitating beliefs, and the above outcomes, as well as partial mediation of emotional distress and illness preoccupation, was tested using the CALIS procedure.

Lead exposure in battery-factory workers is not associated with anemia.

Anemia is a manifestation of lead toxicity. However, there are conflicting reports of its prevalence among lead-exposed workers, and it is uncertain whether they should be monitored by periodic hemoglobin (Hb) examinations. To explore the relationship between Hb and lead exposure, we examined the correlation between Hb, blood lead (PbB), and zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) levels in 961 blood samples obtained from 94 workers in a lead-acid battery plant in Israel between 1980 and 1993.

Evaluation of an occupational health education program among 11th grade students.

Background: There is a paucity of publications on occupational health as part of the educational curricula in high schools. We investigated the extent to which a new occupational health education program for 11th graders succeeded in achieving changes in their knowledge and attitudes.

Methods: Six classrooms were randomly assigned to either 96 participating students or to a control group (n = 100) that did not participate.

Effect of dietary calcium on blood lead concentrations in occupationally exposed and nonexposed workers.

Workers exposed to lead may benefit from a calcium-rich diet, since calcium competes with lead for intestinal absorption. We studied the effect of dietary calcium on blood lead levels. We assessed blood lead levels, dietary intake of calcium, smoking and alcohol consumption, and anthropometric and demographic data in 56 workers exposed to lead and 90 workers without such exposure.

Malingering assessment in behavioral toxicology: what, why, and how.

Neurobehavioral assessment is frequently made in a forensic context. The cognitive assessment may be biased due to an international manipulation of data by the patient motivated by attainment of compensation, that is, malingering. Although malingering is highly relevant in behavioral toxicology, the issue and its assessment are underrepresented in the literature.

Variation in the ambulatory blood pressure response to daily work load--the moderating role of job control.

Objectives: This quasi-experimental study tested the ambulatory blood pressure responsivity to daily variation in the work load of the same workers and examined whether this responsivity is moderated by perceived job control.

Methods: The subjects were 79 nonshift, normotensive men who reported nearly almost equal occurrences of low and high work load in a typical workday. Job control was assessed by questionnaire.

Predictive value of determinations of zinc protoporphyrin for increased blood lead concentrations.

Blood lead (PbB) and red cell zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) concentrations are widely used biomarkers for lead toxicity. It is uncertain, however, whether either or both are needed for monitoring lead exposure and how discordant PbB and ZPP values should be interpreted. We reviewed the results of PbB and ZPP determinations in 94 workers in a lead-battery plant over a 13-year period and retrieved all 807 sets of tests in which both PbB and ZPP were available, with a follow-up PbB value 6 months later.