Occupational and environmental medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of an exercise programme on preventing neck pain among office workers: a 12-month cluster-randomised controlled trial.
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an exercise programme focusing on muscle stretching and endurance training on the 12-month incidence of neck pain in office workers. ⋯ The exercise programme reduced incident neck pain and increased neck flexion movement for office workers with lower-than-normal neck flexion movement.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of exposure assessment methods in a lung cancer case-control study: performance of a lifelong task-based questionnaire for asbestos and PAHs.
To describe the performance of a lifelong task-based questionnaire (TBQ) in estimating exposures compared with other approaches in the context of a case-control study. ⋯ Asbestos-exposure estimates based on the TBQ were consistent with the REFERENCE expertise and yielded a steeper dose-response relationship than the JEM. For PAHs, results were less clear.
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A number of studies examined the effects of prenatal stress on birth outcomes with diverging and inconclusive results. We aimed to examine if working with high job strain during pregnancy measured in week 16 was associated with risk of giving birth to a child born preterm or small/large for gestational age (SGA/LGA), and second, if social support affected any associations. ⋯ In spite of the high statistical precision, we did not find any clear association between job strain and preterm birth nor between job strain and SGA.
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This study was undertaken to explore the association of estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) with exposure to aristolochic acids (ALAs) and nephrotoxic metals in herbalists after the ban of herbs containing ALAs in Taiwan. ⋯ We found that lower estimated GFR was associated with blood lead and mercury in herbalists after the ban of herbs containing ALAs in Taiwan. The ALA-I exposure did not show a significant negative association of estimated GFR, which might due to herbalists having known how to distinguish ALA herbs after the banning policy. Rigorous monitoring is still needed to protect herbalists and the general population who take herbs.
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Comparative Study
International variation in absence from work attributed to musculoskeletal illness: findings from the CUPID study.
To quantify the variation in rates of absence due to musculoskeletal pain across 47 occupational groups (mostly nurses and office workers) from 18 countries, and to explore personal and group-level risk factors that might explain observed differences. ⋯ Musculoskeletal sickness absence might be reduced by eliminating excessive time pressures in work, maximising employees' responsibility and control and providing flexibility of duties for those with disabling symptoms. Care should be taken not to overstate work as a cause of musculoskeletal injury.