Blood lipids and lipoproteins in married and formerly married women.

As part of the Cardiovascular Occupational Risk Factors Determination in Israel (CORDIS) study, the association between marriage termination (divorce/separation or widowhood) and blood lipids and lipoproteins was examined in a sample of 351 healthy women employed in industry. Eighty-seven former spouses were each matched with three married women (N = 264) for age, number of children, smoking status, and type of job (blue/white collar). After controlling for age, number of cigarettes per day, leisure sport participation, and daily coffee consumption, former spouses in the younger women group (younger than 45 years) had significantly higher total cholesterol, total cholesterol ratio, and LDL levels than married women.

Objective and subjective work monotony: effects on job satisfaction, psychological distress, and absenteeism in blue-collar workers.

The relation of objective work conditions (work underload, repetitive or varied work) and subjective monotony to job satisfaction, psychological distress, and sickness absence was examined in 1,278 male and female workers. Subjective monotony was moderately related to the objective work conditions. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the effects on all outcomes were partially mediated by subjective monotony and were also directly related to repetitive work and work underload.

Repetitive work, work underload and coronary heart disease risk factors among blue-collar workers--the CORDIS study. Cardiovascular Occupational Risk Factors Determination in Israel.

Evidence from survey-based studies suggests that monotonous work increases the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). In this study of 1944 male and 832 female blue-collar workers aged 20-64 yr, we examined the association of CHD risk factors with two distinct objective work conditions--repetitive work (3 levels) and work underload-compared to varied work. After controlling for shift work, high ambient noise exposure and four other possible confounders, repetitive work was positively associated with both blood pressure and serum lipid levels in women, and with blood pressure in men.

Listening to patients' stories. Storytelling approach in family medicine.

This paper discusses the relevance of a storytelling approach for understanding psychological problems in family practice and assesses the value of such an approach.

Teaching stress management skills to occupational and environmental health physicians and practitioners. A graduate-level practicum.

The World Health Organization Study Group on Training and Evaluation in Occupational Medicine has emphasized recently the importance of incorporating theoretical and practical aspects of primary and secondary prevention of stress in the professional training of occupational health practitioners. This paper describes such a course developed for the Tel-Aviv University Medical School graduate program in occupational health. The course objectives are consistent with the current call for improved training in psychosocial issues in medical care.

Model of coupled or dissociated eye-head coordination.

Tight coupling between eye and head movements have been observed in response to a single visual target offset or a single flash. On this basis, when the visual stimulus consists of two successive steps or flashes in the same (horizontal) direction, either increasing in eccentricity or decreasing in eccentricity, gaze should be due to concomitant eye and head angular displacement. The main findings were that in response to increasing eccentricity stimulus, the majority of the gaze movement had a staircase pattern, and to decreasing eccentricity stimulus, a pulse-step pattern.

Noise exposure, noise annoyance, use of hearing protection devices and distress among blue-collar workers.

Objectives: This study tested the hypotheses that, in high noise levels [> or = 85 dB(A)], hearing protection devices are used largely by workers sensitive to noise, as reflected by reports of noise annoyance, and that the usage would reduce distress symptoms.

Methods: Data collected from 1587 healthy male blue-collar workers included noise exposure level, noise annoyance, use of hearing protection devices, distress symptoms (somatic complaints and poststress irritability), and possible confounding by age, education and ethnic origin.

Results: Multiple logistic regression results indicated that the use of hearing protection devices was related to noise exposure level [odds ratio (OR) 2.

Teaching interpersonal skills to occupational and environmental health professionals.

An innovative course for teaching communication and interpersonal relationships was delivered to 29 environmental and occupational health professionals. This course aimed to highlight interpersonal and emotional aspects in the professional-client interaction and incumbent communication aspects when consulting team members, colleagues, and nonprofessionals in the occupational arena. Various experiential and other teaching techniques were used.

Serum lipids and haematological factors associated with resting heart rate: the CORDIS Study. Cardiovascular Occupational Risk Factors Detection in Israeli Industries.

Objective: We set out to examine the association between resting heart rate and haematological factors and blood lipids, all believed to be associated with coronary heart disease.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 6016 industrial employees in Israel were screened between 1985 and 1987 for cardiovascular disease risk factors [the CORDIS Study (Cardiovascular Occupational Risk Factors Detection in Israeli Industries)]. Repeated measures of resting heart rates were obtained.

Manual or automatic nulling DC offset for physiological DC amplifier.

An inexpensive circuit to compensate for DC offset is presented. The circuit may be connected in a straightforward manner to any currently existing DC isolation amplifier and causes no deterioration in the performance of the system. The offset voltage is measured at discrete time intervals and then subtracted from the input signal.

Developing psychosocial mindedness and sensitivity to mental health issues among primary care nurses using the Balint group method.

This study empirically evaluated the impact of a Balint group for primary care nurses on awareness of mental health and psychosocial issues and professional psychosocial efficacy. Thirteen female primary care nurses working in community clinics participated in a year-long fortnightly Balint group led by two psychologists at a regional school of nursing. Cases were presented and analyzed to highlight emotional and cognitive components and processes.

Seasonal changes in red blood cell parameters.

Seasonal changes in blood count (haematocrit and haemoglobin values) have been described in studies of small samples. Since Israel is characterized by high summer temperatures, we attempted to determine whether there are circannual changes in blood count, and how they are influenced by mean monthly temperature. In a cross-sectional study, venous blood was drawn from 4317 male employees in industry aged 20-64 years.

Type A behavior, tension, and ambulatory cardiovascular reactivity in workers exposed to noise stress.

Recent negative findings regarding differences in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) reactivity at work between Type A and Type B workers may stem from the failure to note the stressors to which they were exposed. In this naturalistic study, an objective work stressor--varying levels of ambient noise--was individually monitored among 123 normotensive males. We examined the relationship of Type A behavior (assessed by the Thurstone Temperament Schedule) to ambulatory BP and HR reactivity under high and low noise conditions.

Circannual variations in blood cholesterol levels.

The seasonality of blood cholesterol is still not well established. Some have described a seasonal pattern with highest levels during autumn and lowest in summer, whereas others have reported no change. A number of studies showed circannual variations with maximum levels in winter and minimum in summer.

The Gulf War and its impact on burnout and well-being of working civilians.

Burnout signifies the chronic depletion of coping resources following prolonged exposure to emotionally charged demands. It is manifested by symptoms of emotional, physical and cognitive exhaustion, and is usually studied in relation to occupational stressors. We hypothesized that the major life crisis engendered by missile attacks would give rise to burnout or exacerbate preexisting burnout symptoms.

Gaze and eye movement disorders.

Cortical areas were explored with regard to saccade control: the lateral intraparietal (LIP) area is involved in the spatial aspects of sensorimotor processing; the supplementary motor area in goal-directed gaze control; and from lesion studies; the posterior parietal cortex in triggering visually guided saccades. Different studies have suggested that the spatial-to-temporal transformation takes place in the superior colliculus (SC) and the cerebellum. When the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) produces inadequate eye movements, other supplementary mechanisms (e.

Prevalence and control of hypertension in a large cohort of occupationally-active Israelis examined during 1985-1987: the Cordis Study.

In view of the many changes in the approach to the detection and management of hypertension that have occurred, the paucity of current data on this subject in Israel limits the possibilities of making international comparisons or evaluating trends. This study contributes recent information on the occupationally-active population. Between 1985 and 1987, blood pressures were measured and interview data obtained on awareness and treatment of hypertension in a sample of 3677 male and 1573 female employees in 21 Israeli industries, examined in the CORDIS Study.

Sickness absence in 21 industrial plants in Israel (1986-87)--the Cordis Study.

A population of 6,016 men and women working in 21 factories in Israel was screened for cardiovascular risk factors in the course of the Cordis Study. Sickness absence was analyzed to obtain overall indices and distributions by disease groups. Factors such as sex, age, and type of occupation were introduced.

Absence from work among smokers and nonsmokers in Israeli industries--the Cordis Study.

While the negative economic effects of cigarette smoking are frequently examined in terms of the costs of health services and potential years of life lost, data on the indirect costs due to absence from work in Israel are scarce. During 1985-87, cigarette smoking habits and absence due to illness and accidents were examined in 5,826 employees (4,177 men and 1,649 women) in Israeli industry, screened in the framework of the Cordis Study. The absenteeism data related to the period 1986-87.

Noise exposure, noise annoyance and their relation to psychological distress, accident and sickness absence among blue-collar workers--the Cordis Study.

This study examined the impact of chronic industrial noise exposure on psychological distress symptoms, accident involvement and sickness absence among male and female workers. It also examined whether workers expressing high noise annoyance were more adversely affected by it. Subjects were blue-collar workers, 1,680 males and 688 females, who participated in the Cordis Study.

Training in oculomotor tracking: occupational health aspects.

Smooth pursuit and optokinetic nystagmus were repeatedly examined in nine patients who sustained hemilateral brain injury. The follow-up period extended over several months of the in-hospital rehabilitation phase. Five of the patients were trained for 3-10 weeks to improve tracking responses using a biofeedback technique; the remaining four patients were not trained and served as a control group.

Contrast sensitivity and the near point of accommodation after work with a visual display unit.

After several hours of work with a visual display unit (VDU), operators become myopic for a short time. Such transient myopia may be evaluated by measuring contrast sensitivity to a modulated grating pattern. The aim of the present study was to determine whether there are any accumulative myopic effects after 1 day of VDU work.

Cytogenetic changes in ethylene oxide-exposed workers: a challenge to occupational medicine.

Ethylene oxide is a colorless gas that can cause neoplastic disease (leukemia, stomach cancer) in animals and humans. Its mutagenic potential is expressed by chromosome aberrations and sister chromatid exchange, as has been shown in numerous studies of groups exposed to ethylene oxide. The results of our pilot study on the effects of exposure to high levels of ethylene oxide show chromosome breakage in exposed individuals at twice the frequency of the normal population.

Occupational cancer in Israel: an overview.

Occupational cancer is a result of exposure to carcinogens in the workplace. The critical interaction during the initiation stage of the carcinogenesis process occurs between the ultimate form of a carcinogen and the DNA, resulting in the formation of a DNA adduct or several types of gross structural alterations. Several methods have been developed by which carcinogens can be detected.