External quality assurance schemes (EQUASs) and interlaboratory comparison investigations (ICIs) for the human biomonitoring of aromatic amines in urine as part of the quality assurance programme under HBM4EU.

Exposure to aromatic amines may occur tobacco smoke, hair dyes or tattoo inks, but also in the workplace during certain manufacturing processes. As some aromatic amines are known or suspected carcinogens, human biomonitoring (HBM) is essential to assess their exposure. Aromatic amines were among the selected chemicals in HBM4EU, a European-wide project to harmonise and advance HBM within 30 European countries.

Associations between Psychosocial Working Conditions and Work-Specific Self-Efficacy Beliefs Among Employees Receiving Psychotherapeutic Consultation at Work.

Purpose: By considering work-related aspects during early intervention and treatment of employees with (subclinical) symptoms of common mental disorders, psychotherapeutic consultation at work (PT-W) aims to increase work-specific self-efficacy (SE) to finally reduce sickness absence and contribute to successful return to work. This study, thus, aims to investigate interrelations between working conditions and work-specific SE among employees before receiving PT-W.

Methods: The study uses baseline data of a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of PT-W in Germany (n = 535).

Immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases among pregnant employees in Germany. A situation analysis before the introduction of the Measles Protection Act.

Background: Immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases prior to pregnancy is an important measure of primary prevention both for the mother and the unborn child. We analyzed immunity rates against measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and pertussis in pregnant employees in Germany prior to significant changes in legal conditions in 2020, to provide a basis of comparison for future research.

Methods: We analyzed occupational-medical routine data in three collectives of pregnant women with an occupational risk of infection in the years 2018 and 2019: 1: hospital staff with regular access to an in-house company physician (n = 148); 2: employees in childcare with regular access to external occupational-health services (n = 139); 3: teachers with no regular access to occupational healthcare (n = 285).

Sun protection in outdoor workers - Development and validation of standardized questionnaires for behavior and knowledge.

Background And Objectives: Outdoor workers are at increased risk of developing non-melanoma skin cancer. We aimed to address the lack of validated German-language measurement instruments for outdoor workers' sun safety behavior and knowledge by compiling and validating two questionnaires.

Participants And Methods: By expert consensus, items for the assessment of protective behavior (OccuSun) were compiled based on existing instruments.

Differential effects of benzo[a]pyrene exposure on glutathione and purine metabolism in keratinocytes: Dose-dependent and UV co-exposure effects.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with the key substance benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) are widespread pollutants in the environment and at working places. Nonetheless, the exact underlying mechanisms of toxicological effects caused by B[a]P especially in absence and presence of UV irradiation remain uncertain. This study examines variations in exposure conditions: low B[a]P (4 nM), low B[a]P + UV and high B[a]P (4 μM), selected based on pertinent cytotoxicity assessments.

Working conditions and mental health of migrants and refugees in Europe considering cultural origin- a systematic review.

Background: Migrants and refugees/asylum seekers, as a large part of the European work force, are often confronted with unfavorable working conditions in the host country. Main aim of this systematic review was to compare the association of these working conditions with mental health between migrants and refugees/asylum seekers due to their diverse migration experiences and cultural origins, and between different European host countries.

Methods: Systematic search for eligible primary studies was conducted in three electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO and CINAHL) using quantitative study designs written in English, German, French, Italian, Polish, Spanish or Turkish and published from January 1, 2016 to October 27, 2022.

HBM4EU chromates study - PFAS exposure in electroplaters and bystanders.

The study aims to reveal the exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in workers in different industry sectors with exposures to hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). The PFAS exposure of in total 172 individuals from 4 countries was assessed by the determination of 8 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and 4 perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids in plasma samples. The participants were 52 chrome plating workers, 43 welders, 3 surface treating workers and 74 workers without any occupational Cr exposure as controls.

S3 guideline "actinic keratosis and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma" - update 2023, part 2: epidemiology and etiology, diagnostics, surgical and systemic treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), surveillance and prevention.

Actinic keratosis (AK) are common lesions in light-skinned individuals that can potentially progress to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Both conditions may be associated with significant morbidity and constitute a major disease burden, especially among the elderly. To establish an evidence-based framework for clinical decision making, the guideline "actinic keratosis and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma" was updated and expanded by the topics cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen's disease) and actinic cheilitis.

Assessment of the plasticizer exposure of hospital workers regularly handling medical devices: A pilot study.

Plastic medical devices, e.g. infusion sets, blood bags or tubing material, that are used manifold in the medical treatment of hospital patients, usually contain considerable amounts of plasticizers.

Biological stress responses to multitasking and work interruptions: A randomized controlled trial.

In the course of digitalization, new stressors are emerging. In modern working and living environments, two ubiquitous, technology-mediated stressors are multitasking demands and work interruptions. However, biological stress response patterns to multitasking and work interruptions have been sparsely investigated so far.

Relationship between working conditions and mental health of migrants and refugees/asylum seekers vs. natives in Europe: a systematic review.

Objective: Migrants and refugees/asylum seekers make up a significant proportion of the European workforce. They often suffer from poor working conditions, which might impact mental health. The main objective of this systematic review was to summarize and analyze existing research on working conditions of migrants and refugees/asylum seekers in European host countries and compare them to those of natives.

External Quality Assurance Schemes (EQUASs) and Inter-laboratory Comparison Investigations (ICIs) for human biomonitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) biomarkers in urine as part of the quality assurance programme under HBM4EU.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were included as priority substances for human biomonitoring (HBM) in the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU), which intended to harmonise and advance HBM across Europe. For this project, a specific Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) programme applying Inter-laboratory Comparison Investigations (ICIs) and External Quality Assurance Schemes (EQUASs) was developed to ensure the comparability and accuracy of participating analytical laboratories. This paper presents the results of four ICI/EQUAS rounds for the determination of 13 PAH metabolites in urine, i.

Literature review and evaluation of biomarkers, matrices and analytical methods for chemicals selected in the research program Human Biomonitoring for the European Union (HBM4EU).

Humans are potentially exposed to a large amount of chemicals present in the environment and in the workplace. In the European Human Biomonitoring initiative (Human Biomonitoring for the European Union = HBM4EU), acrylamide, mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, deoxynivalenol, fumonisin B1), diisocyanates (4,4'-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate, 2,4- and 2,6-toluene diisocyanate), and pyrethroids were included among the prioritized chemicals of concern for human health. For the present literature review, the analytical methods used in worldwide biomonitoring studies for these compounds were collected and presented in comprehensive tables, including the following parameter: determined biomarker, matrix, sample amount, work-up procedure, available laboratory quality assurance and quality assessment information, analytical techniques, and limit of detection.

Simultaneous and sensitive determination of the main metabolites of the plasticizer DEHP and its substitutes DEHTP, DINCH and TEHTM in human urine by coupling of on-line SPE, UHPLC and tandem mass spectrometry.

With the prominent but toxicologically critical plasticizer di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) declining, alternative plasticizers are increasingly used leading to a continuously more diverse exposure situation of humans with multiple plasticizers. Therefore, an on-line SPE-LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of the most relevant urinary biomarkers of exposure to DEHP and the alternative plasticizers 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (DINCH), di-(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHTP) and tri-(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate (TEHTM) was developed. The method is characterized by a high sensitivity with limits of detection ranging from 0.

Interlaboratory Comparison Investigations (ICIs) and External Quality Assurance Schemes (EQUASs) for human biomonitoring of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in serum as part of the quality assurance programme under HBM4EU.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are of very high concern due to their persistence and accumulative behaviour as well as their manifold adverse health effects. Human biomonitoring (HBM) based on the determination of PFASs in serum samples is an adequate and established strategy for exposure and risk assessment of the population. The suspected health risks associated with exposure levels in the general population call for reliable HBM data verified by Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) measures.

A German Model Project for Workplace Health Promotion-Flow of Communication, Information, and Reasons for Non-Participation in the Offered Measures.

Background: Workplace health promotion (WHP) as a part of workplace health management (WHM) was strengthened in German legislature with the Prevention Act of 2015. However, smaller enterprises often do not offer WHM or WHP. Accordingly, a model-project for improving the uptake and implementation, particularly in micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) was carried out.

Homologous COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination at a German Tertiary Care University Hospital: A Survey-Based Analysis of Reactogenicity, Safety, and Inability to Work among Healthcare Workers.

At the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, healthcare workers had an increased risk of acquiring coronavirus disease (COVID)-19. As tertiary care hospitals are critical for the treatment of severely ill patients, the University Hospital Erlangen offered BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination against COVID-19 to all employees when the vaccine became available in Germany. Here, we performed a survey to assess the age- and sex-dependent reactogenicity and safety of BNT162b2 in a real-life setting with a special emphasis on the rate of vaccine-related incapacity to work amongst the employees.

Association of cultural origin and migration status with work-related mental health of migrants and refugees in Europe: a systematic review protocol.

Unlabelled: Migrants make up a significant proportion of the European working population. Previous studies have already shown that migrants and refugees often suffer from poor work-related conditions in the host country, which might have an impact on mental health. Thus, the main objective of this systematic review is to analyse and summarise existing research on work-related conditions of migrants and refugees in Europe and to investigate the relationship of these conditions with their mental health.

A systematic review: metabolomics-based identification of altered metabolites and pathways in the skin caused by internal and external factors.

The skin's ability to function optimally is affected by many diverse factors. Metabolomics has a great potential to improve our understanding of the underlying metabolic changes and the affected pathways. Therefore, the objective of this study was to review the current state of the literature and to perform further metabolic pathway analysis on the obtained data.

Interlaboratory Comparison Investigations (ICIs) for human biomonitoring of chromium as part of the quality assurance programme under HBM4EU.

Background: The pan-European human biomonitoring initiative HBM4EU targets the harmonization of human biomonitoring (HBM) procedures and data for both environmental and occupational exposure, including chromium. The determination of chromium in urine (U-Cr), plasma (P-Cr) and whole blood (WB-Cr) is a common HBM application in employees occupationally exposed to chromium (VI) compounds.

Methods: European laboratories which have registered as candidate laboratories for chromium analysis within HBM4EU were invited to participate in a quality assurance/qualitycontrol (QA/QC) programme comprising interlaboratory comparison investigations (ICI) for the parameters U-Cr, P-Cr and WB-Cr.

Is bouldering-psychotherapy a cost-effective way to treat depression when compared to group cognitive behavioral therapy - results from a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Bouldering-Psychotherapy (BPT) has proven to effectively reduce depressive symptoms, but evidence on its cost-effectiveness is lacking. Corresponding information is paramount to support health policy decision making on a potential implementation of BPT in routine care.

Methods: Using data from the German KuS trial BPT was compared with group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).