bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of an expert system for the classification of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
Authors: Yagin Fatma Hilal , Shateri Ahmadreza , Nasiri Hamid , Yagin Burak , Colak Cemil , Alghannam Abdullah F.
Published: March 2024

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a severe condition with an uncertain origin and a dismal prognosis. There is presently no precise diagnostic test for ME/CFS, and the diagnosis is determined primarily by the presence of certain symptoms. The current study presents an explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) integrated machine learning (ML) framework that identifies and classifies potential metabolic biomarkers of ME/CFS. Metabolomic data from blood samples from 19 controls and 32 ME/CFS patients, all female, who were between age and body mass index (BMI) frequency-matched groups, were used to develop the XAI-based model. The dataset contained 832 metabolites, and after feature selection, the model was developed using only 50 metabolites, meaning less medical knowledge is required, thus reducing diagnostic costs and improving prognostic time. The computational method was developed using six different ML algorithms before and after feature selection. The final classification model was explained using the XAI approach, SHAP. The best-performing classification model (XGBoost) achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCROC) value of 98.85%. SHAP results showed that decreased levels of alpha-CEHC sulfate, hypoxanthine, and phenylacetylglutamine, as well as increased levels of N-delta-acetylornithine and oleoyl-linoloyl-glycerol (18:1/18:2)[2], increased the risk of ME/CFS. Besides the robustness of the methodology used, the results showed that the combination of ML and XAI could explain the biomarker prediction of ME/CFS and provided a first step toward establishing prognostic models for ME/CFS.
Gene‒environment interaction effect of hypothalamic‒pituitary‒adrenal axis gene polymorphisms and job stress on the risk of sleep disturbances
Authors: Zhao Min , Wang Yuxi , Zeng Yidan , Huang Huimin , Xu Tong , Liu Baoying , Wu Chuancheng , Luo Xiufeng , Jiang Yu
Published: March 2024

Background

Studies have shown that chronic exposure to job stress may increase the risk of sleep disturbances and that hypothalamic‒pituitary‒adrenal (HPA) axis gene polymorphisms may play an important role in the psychopathologic mechanisms of sleep disturbances. However, the interactions among job stress, gene polymorphisms and sleep disturbances have not been examined from the perspective of the HPA axis. This study aimed to know whether job stress is a risk factor for sleep disturbances and to further explore the effect of the HPA axis gene × job stress interaction on sleep disturbances among railway workers.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, 671 participants (363 males and 308 females) from the China Railway Fuzhou Branch were included. Sleep disturbances were evaluated with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and job stress was measured with the Effort-Reward Imbalance scale (ERI). Generalized multivariate dimensionality reduction (GMDR) models were used to assess gene‒environment interactions.

Results

We found a significant positive correlation between job stress and sleep disturbances (P < 0.01). The FKBP5 rs1360780-T and rs4713916-A alleles and the CRHR1 rs110402-G allele were associated with increased sleep disturbance risk, with adjusted ORs (95% CIs) of 1.75 [1.38–2.22], 1.68 [1.30–2.18] and 1.43 [1.09–1.87], respectively. However, the FKBP5 rs9470080-T allele was a protective factor against sleep disturbances, with an OR (95% CI) of 0.65 [0.51–0.83]. GMDR analysis indicated that under job stress, individuals with the FKBP5 rs1368780-CT, rs4713916-GG, and rs9470080-CT genotypes and the CRHR1 rs110402-AA genotype had the greatest risk of sleep disturbances.

Conclusions

Individuals carrying risk alleles who experience job stress may be at increased risk of sleep disturbances. These findings may provide new insights into stress-related sleep disturbances in occupational populations.
Biological Containers: Protein Cages as Multifunctional Nanoplatforms
Authors: Uchida M. , Klem M. T. , Allen M. , Suci P. , Flenniken M. , Gillitzer E. , Varpness Z. , Liepold L. O. , Young M. , Douglas T.
Published: April 2007

Materials scientists increasingly draw inspiration from the study of how biological systems fabricate materials under mild synthetic conditions by using self‐assembled macromolecular templates. Containerlike protein architectures such as viral capsids and ferritin are examples of such biological templates. These protein cages have three distinct interfaces that can be synthetically exploited: the interior, the exterior, and the interface between subunits. The subunits that comprise the building blocks of these structures can be modified both chemically and genetically in order to impart designed functionality to different surfaces of the cage. Therefore, the cages possess a great deal of synthetic flexibility, which allows for the introduction of multifunctionality in a single cage. In addition, hierarchical assembly of the functionalized cages paves the way for development of a new class of materials with a wide range of applications from electronics to biomedicine.
Negotiated transfer pricing: Theory and implications for value chains in agribusiness
Authors: Steiner Bodo E.
Published: April 2007

In this article, the author reviews the transfer pricing problem that occurs when trust, the structure of bargaining, relation‐specific investment, and complementarities in organizational design affect trading relationships. A literature review focuses on negotiated transfer pricing in the context of both intra‐ and interfirm transactions. The author analyzes the strategic implications of transfer pricing for organizational design as a result of the imposition of strong informational assumptions without the explicit consideration of the complementary incentives in organizational design. The author review demonstrates that there are practical benefits from addressing these issues, and points to a number of directions for future analysis. [JEL classification: D82, L23, L15, L66] © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 23: 279–292, 2007.
Feasibility of a cash forward contract: An application to the French and Spanish potato sectors
Authors: Bielza María , Garrido Alberto , Sumpsi José M.
Published: April 2007

This study examines a cash forward contract (CFC) that a growers' cooperative or association may offer producers to lock in a fixed price for their output. To cover the forward contract's risks, the cooperative would set up a stabilization fund, and as an option, may hedge with futures contracts. The authors evaluate both strategies' costs, which would be charged to the growers signing in the CFC in the form of a fee. By comparing this fee with farmers' willingness to pay, it is determined whether growers' would be interested in the forward contract. The scheme is tested on a selection of Spanish and French potato varieties, with reference to the “April” futures contracts traded on the Amsterdam exchange. The authors conclude that hedging with futures may help to reduce the cooperative's exposure to financial risk, but, on average, the stabilization fund alone is more effective without hedging. Risk‐averse growers may be interested in CFCs to reduce their revenue instability. [JEL Classifications: Q13, Q14, G13] © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 23: 245–261, 2007.
Introduction: Economic measures of food safety interventions
Authors: Caswell Julie A. , Jensen Helen H.
Published: April 2007

EconLit Citations: Q18, I18, L51 © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 23: 153–156, 2007.
Optimal levels of inputs to control Listeria monocytogenes contamination at a smoked fish plant
Authors: Tauer Loren W. , Nightingale Cameron , Ivanek Renata , Gröhn Yrjö T. , Wiedmann Martin
Published: April 2007

Reducing the incidence of listeriosis from contaminated food has significant social health benefits, but reduction requires the use of additional or higher quality inputs at higher costs. The authors estimate the impact of three inputs in a food processing plant on the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes contaminated finished cold smoked salmon. These three inputs were noncontamination of the raw fish fillets, noncontamination of the plant environment, and rate of glove changes on workers. We then estimate the minimum cost levels of these inputs to reach various levels of noncontamination of the finished product, tracing out a cost curve. Marginal cost is then equated to potential marginal benefits from reductions in L. monocytogenes contamination. Results show how socially suboptimal use of inputs may result because the costs of these inputs are borne by the food processing plant, which may not be able to secure a high enough product price. [Econlit Citations: D24, L66, M11, Q13] © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 23: 229–244, 2007.
Food safety approaches to examining HACCP costs and performance and technologies
Authors: Ollinger Michael , Moore Danna
Published: April 2007

In this article, the authors describe the survey methodology needed to obtain data to support several empirical analyses dealing with food safety issues. The most striking finding about the survey methodology was the much higher response rate due to the use of priority mail and an incentive payment of $5 versus priority mail only or first‐class mail only. Letters of support from the major meat and poultry trade associations and the up to five contacts of potential survey respondents by the surveying organization also appear to have improved the response rate. Overall, the survey methodology yielded nearly 1,000 responses from 1,705 possible meat and poultry plants on their costs of compliance with the Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point rule of 1996, plant characteristics, and use of food safety technologies and practices. [EconLit Citations: L250, L510, L150] © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 23: 193–210, 2007.
Economic analysis of Campylobacter control in the dutch broiler meat chain
Authors: Mangen Marie‐Josée J. , de Wit G. Ardine , Havelaar Arie H.
Published: April 2007

The goal of the CARMA (Campylobacter risk management and assessment) project was to advise the Dutch government on the effectiveness and efficiency of interventions aimed at reducing campylobacteriosis cases in the Netherlands. The burden of disease, expressed in Disability‐Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) and the corresponding cost‐of‐illness, were estimated using data from epidemiological studies. With the help of a risk assessment model, the reduction in the incidence of Campylobacter infections due to a set of possible interventions in the broiler meat (chicken) chain was modeled. Separately, costs related to the implementation of these interventions in the broiler meat chain were estimated. For each intervention to be modeled, the net costs of an intervention—additional costs in the broiler meat chain minus reduced cost‐of‐illness—were related to the reduced burden of disease. This resulted in a cost‐utility ratio, expressing the relative efficiency of several policy options to reduce Campylobacter infections. [EconLit Citations: Q180, I180] © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 23: 173–192, 2007.
Kinetic study of oxidation of cyclohexane using complex catalyst
Authors: Kishore M. Jhansi L. , Kumar Anil
Published: April 2007

With an effort to use a multimetallic catalyst system for oxidation of cyclohexane using oxygen, a binuclear monometallic macrocyclic ZrZr complex was prepared and covalently bonded to modified alumina support. The complex catalyst thus prepared was found to be thermally stable and was completely characterized by CHN, SEM‐EDAX, TGA, and FTIR analysis. We carried out liquid phase oxidation of cyclohexane using molecular oxygen without any solvent, coreactant, or cocatalyst at considerably mild reaction conditions (150°C, 27 atm) with extremely high selectivity. The GC‐MS of the liquid product formed showed the total conversion of as much as 19% having cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol in the ratio of 16:1. To explain the experimental data, a possible reaction mechanism has been proposed and rate constants (assuming single phase) at different temperatures were determined using an optimal curve fitting by applying genetic algorithm. We showed that the steady state approximation cannot be assumed, and for the pressure range studied (7–35 atm), the rate constants thus determined were found to be a function of temperature only. From experiments carried out at different temperatures, we found that for every rate constant, an Arrhenious type relation could be established. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007
Modeling of an aerosol reactor for optimizing product properties
Authors: Bain Wasmund Eric , Saberi Shadi , Coley Kenneth S.
Published: April 2007

Important and unique metal powders are made industrially by a variety of vapor condensation processes in tube reactors. Often, however, the fundamental mechanisms for particle formation and growth are still not well understood. In this article, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to examine a tube reactor's internal flow characteristics. The model identified a massive zone of fluid recirculation in the top half of the reactor. In‐situ sampling from an experimental reactor under the same conditions revealed a large increase of aerosol particle size corresponding to the region of recirculation. A first principles mass balance model based on chemical kinetics and aerosol physics was developed for this system which showed that the average particle size grew monotonically with time in the reactor. On the basis of this firmly established link between residence time and particle size, a new reactor geometry was proposed to produce a “plug‐flow” velocity profile with a narrower particle size distribution. A CFD model was used to prototype the new configuration, and then this new reactor design was tested experimentally to confirm that the design objective was achieved. This work shows the potential synergies between first principles models for process understanding and CFD models for process prototyping and optimization. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007
Decontamination of sulfur mustard on manganese oxide nanostructures
Authors: Prasad G. K. , Mahato T. H. , Singh Beer , Pandey P. , Rao A. N. , Ganesan K. , Vijayraghavan R.
Published: April 2007

Nanostructures made up of restacked manganese oxide nanosheets and nanotubes were tested as reactive sorbents for the detoxification of sulfur mustard, a highly persistent and a deadly chemical warfare agent. The kinetic data was compared with that of the precursor bulk HxMnO2 material and the data show that the agent undergoes hydrolysis and elimination reactions and yields hemisulfur mustard, thiodiglycol, chlorovinylethyl sulfide, divinyl sulfide, and hydroxyvinylethyl sulfide on the surface of the adsorbent made up of nanosheets and tubes; however, it undergoes oxidation reaction and yields sulfoxide of sulfur mustard on the surface of bulk HxMnO2 material. Kinetic data reveal that the adsorbent compiled of manganese oxide nanosheets and nanotubes show a reaction half life of 9.12 h, where the bulk HxMnO2 show the reaction half life of 29.8 h. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007
Piperazine‐induced airway symptoms: Exposure‐response relationships and selection in an occupational setting
Authors: Hagmar Lars , Bellander Tom , Ranstam Jonas , Skerfving Staffan
Published: April 2007

The heterocyclic secondary amine piperazine is known to cause asthma. In a cohort of 602 workers, employed during the period 1942‐1979, at a chemical industry where piperazine is handled, a study conducted by means of a mailed questionnaire showed a strong exposure‐response relationship as to frequency of work‐related airway symptoms indicating asthma. In the most exposed group about a third of the workers had experienced such symptoms. Age, length of employment, smoking habits, and previous work‐related asthmatic symptoms, but not atopy, modified the response. Further, there was an association between piperazine exposure and chronic bronchitis. In the most exposed group every fourth subject had chronic bronchitis. The frequency was modified by smoking habits; atopy was a confounder. Although many subjects, especially high‐exposed ones, left work because of airway symptoms, there was no difference in occurrence of airway symptoms between former and present employees, ie, no “healthy worker selection” (“survivor population effect”).
In vitro assessment of the fibrogenicity of mineral dusts
Authors: Heppleston A. G. , Kulonen E. , Potila M.
Published: April 2007

Relying on in vitro production of the macrophage fibrogenic factor, an attempt was made to quantitate the fibrogenicity of mineral particles. Having determined the optimal conditions by means of quartz, two series of experiments were conducted with respirable coal mine dusts; the first employed artificial mixtures of a mine dust, having a low natural quartz content, with various proportions of quartz, and the second native dusts from European mines.

The fibrogenic responses in both series suggest that dust concentration is more important than its composition. Quartz and ash contents of native dusts bore no evident relation to fibrogenicity, high quartz and ash levels sometimes being associated with low collagen levels and vice versa. Comparison with other information disclosed disparities with epidemiology and different experimental assessments. Factors affecting the disarray may well include the neglected lipid response in vivo and individual susceptibility, aspects which do not appear beyond experimental assay.
Serum immunoglobulin levels and humoral immune competence in coalworkers
Authors: Robertson Maura D. , Boyd Janice E. , Collins Heather P. R. , Davis J. M. G.
Published: April 2007

Serum immunoglobulin (Ig) levels were measured in 788 coalworkers and 121 nonmining controls for comparison with the radiological category of pneumoconiosis after taking into account age and smoking habit. In addition a simple assessment of humoral immune competence was made by estimating the titre of serum antibody against the common gut commensal Escherichia coli. Smoking was found to depress serum IgA and IgM whilst levels of IgG and IgA increased slightly with age. Men with radiological signs of coalworkers pneumoconiosis (CWP) had significantly raised levels of IgA and IgG with increasing pneumoconiosis category. Even coalworkers with less than category 1 simple pneumoconiosis had raised levels of IgA, suggesting that increased production of this immunoglobulin occurs before radiologically identifiable pathological changes have occurred in the lung tissue. No association between reduced humoral immune competence and radiological category of pneumoconiosis was found. Whether high Ig levels in men exposed to coal dust are merely a passive response to dusted lung tissue or whether they indicate that an immunological process is important in the development of pneumoconiotic lesions remains uncertain.
The accuracy of self‐reported regulatory data: The case of coal mine dust
Authors: Boden Leslie I. , Gold Morris
Published: April 2007

Coal‐mine owners are required to measure miner exposures to respirable dust so that compliance with Federal health regulations can be monitored. This study analyzes the problem of possible underreporting of dust exposures. Using two statistical approaches, data for three mining occupations in 54 large underground coal mines during 1976–1978 are examined for evidence of underreporting. First, regression estimates compare dust concentrations reported by coal‐mine owners with those reported by government health inspectors. Then, the statistical distribution of concentrations reported by coal‐mine owners are examined for the size and nature of their deviation from log‐normality. Both approaches suggest widespread underreporting.
Reversible subacute ethylene glycol monomethyl ether toxicity associated with microfilm production: A case report
Authors: Cohen Richard
Published: April 2007

The first reported case of a possible toxic effect of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME) exposure in the microfilm manufacturing industry is described. Reversible subjective central nervous sytem complaints and asymptomatic hematopoetic effects occurred following inhalation and skin exposure to EGME. Hematopoetic changes occurred at airborne levels which have been associated with reproductive and teratogenic effects in other studies. This finding leads to a recommendation for further research to determine whether or not hematopoetic medical surveillance can provide an indication of not only EGME hematopoetic effects but also an indication of sufficient EGME exposure to affect human reproduction and fetal development.
Lead in finger‐bone analysed in vivo in active and retired lead workers
Authors: Christoffersson J. O. , Schütz A. , Ahlgren L. , Haeger‐Aronsen B. , Mattsson S. , Skerfving S.
Published: April 2007

In 75 active lead workers the median lead level in finger‐bone (bone‐Pb), as determined in vivo by an X‐ray fluorescence method, was 43 μg/g (range < 20–122). In 32 retired workers the median level was even higher, 59 μg/g (range < 20–135), which indicates a slow turnover rate of lead in finger‐bone. This was confirmed in 18 of the “active” workers, in whom bone‐Pb was studied in connection with an exposure‐free period. In spite of a significant decrease in blood‐lead levels (B‐Pb), no systematic change of bone‐Pb occurred. There was an increase of bone‐Pb with time of employment, but with a large interindividual variation. No association was found between bone‐Pb and present B‐Pb in the active lead workers. However, in the retired ones, B‐Pb rose with increasing bone‐Pb. The bone‐lead pool thus causes an “internal” lead exposure.
Exacerbation of coronary artery disease by occupational carbon monoxide exposure: A report of two fatalities and a review of the literature
Authors: Atkins Elisha H. , Baker Edward L.
Published: April 2007

The recent deaths of two workers with coronary artery disease (CAD) following exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) at work reinforced our appreciation of the hazard of this exposure to individuals with preexisting heart disease. Carbon monoxide acts to precipitate ischemia by reducing oxygen delivery to the myocardium. Animal and in vitro experiments suggest that CO may accelerate the development of atherosclerosis, particularly if exposure is in association with other risk factors. Thus, persons with known CAD who are exposed to CO at work are at risk for both the acceleration of the course of the underlying disease and for precipitation of acute ischemia or infarction following excessive exposure. Particular attention should be given to control of CO exposures in light of this hazard. For various reasons, preplacement evaluations or other job selection procedures do not adequately address this hazard. In view of the high prevalence of CAD in the U.S. and the high frequency of workplace exposure to CO, particular attention should be given to control of CO exposure through industrial hygiene measures.
A case‐control study of renal cancer mortality at a texas chemical plant
Authors: Bond Gregory G. , Shellenberger Rita J. , Flores George H. , Cook Ralph R. , Fishbeck William A.
Published: April 2007

An in‐plant case‐control study of 26 renal cancer deaths was conducted to determine whether an occupational exposure may be related to an apparent increase in mortality from this disease observed among a sample of employees at a multiple process chemical production facility. None was found that explained the excess. Elevated odds ratios were identified for employment in the cell maintenance area of chlorine production and with those presumptive exposures considered to occur in this job, asbestos and caustic, but not chlorine. While an association between renal cancer and asbestos has been previously reported, an association with caustic, per se, is not consistent with prior observations made by others. Diminished risk estimates were observed for employment in magnesium production and for exposures in this process to sulfur dioxide and heat. Both the increased and decreased risks, while statistically significant, are based on small numbers of exposed subjects and may be spurious owing to the problem of multiple comparisons.
Saccadic eye movements among copper smelter workers
Authors: Glickman Linda , Valciukas José A. , Lilis Ruth , Weisman Irving
Published: April 2007

Saccade accuracy was studied in 87 copper smelter workers. Findings were compared with those obtained in 52 lead‐exposed automobile production workers and 52 controls examined as part of a separate study. Both groups of workers showed a decrease in saccade accuracy compared to controls. Saccade accuracy was reduced in copper smelter workers over 50 years of age compared to automobile production workers in this age group. Decreased saccade accuracy was not correlated with blood lead (Pb‐B), zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP), or urinary arsenic (As‐U) levels among copper smelter workers, but was significantly correlated with both Pb‐B and ZPP in the group of automobile production workers. Saccade accuracy decreased significantly with age and duration of exposure only in the group of copper smelter workers. Complex exposures to lead and other toxic agents present in the smelter may account for the reduction in saccade accuracy among copper smelter workers.
Animal studies and prediction of human tumors can be aided by graphical sorting of animal data: Neoplastic risk from B(a)P, benzene, benzidine, and chromium
Authors: Jones Troyce D. , Walsh P. J.
Published: April 2007

This work is a graphical study of all known dose‐response data for neoplasia induced by B(a)P, benzene, benzidine, and chromium administered to test animals. Doses are put in units of lifetime intake given in micromoles of chemical per kilogram body weight, and responses are in percent increased effect per unit dose. Space limitations do not permit experiment‐by‐experiment critiques; however, computer graphics have been used to compare the relationship of any individual dose‐response point estimate to other such point estimates for the chemical of interest. Graphics are also used to study variability resulting from different experimental parameters such as species, route of intake, number of treatments, pathological classification of neoplasia, etc. Graphical sorting, according to various physical and biological classification parameters, permits one to judge, from visual inspection, such questions as whether mice as a species are more sensitive than rats as a species, whether intravenous injection is generally more effective than inhalation, whether a single well‐defined dose‐response function, which ignores these classification parameters, can be evaluated numerically from the composite data base deriving from all oncogenic studies with a given chemical, etc.
Mortality studies of dockyard workers (longshoremen) in italy
Authors: Bonassi S. , Ceppi M. , Puntoni R. , Valerio F. , Vercelli M. , Belli S. , Biocca M. , Comba P. , Ticchiarelli L. , Mariotti F. , Taddeo D. , Zuccherelli D. , Casalini A. , Perini C. , Nelli L. , Sansoni G. , Pupp N. , Farina M. , Luciani A.
Published: April 2007

A polycentric mortality study was performed in five Italian harbours: Savona, Marina di Carrara, Livorno, Civitavecchia, and Ravenna. The cohort included active and retired workers (longshoremen), who had been employed between 1960 and 1981. Causes of death were ascertained from death certificates; expected numbers of deaths were generated from age, sex, calendar year, and cause‐specific national mortality rates. A low overall mortality was found, which is in agreement with procedures of health selection, typical of physically demanding jobs; an excess of lung cancer was, however, found in four out of five harbours.
A respiratory epidemiological study of stevedores intermittently exposed to asbestos in a South African port
Authors: Myers J. E. , Garisch D. , Myers H. S. , Cornell J. E. , Rwexu R. D.
Published: April 2007

The prevalence of asbestosis in stevedores intermittently transporting crocidolite asbestos in a South African port was found to be 30% in a cross‐sectional survey. Diagnostic criteria are discussed in terms of the low index of suspicion for industrial diseases, the high probability of missing slight radiological changes, and the attribution of radiological lesions to other diseases, particularly tuberculosis, in a high prevalence area. Results are compared with other studies. Asbestosis was not associated with tuberculosis. Smoking was not significantly associated with asbestosis, other respiratory signs and symptoms, or radiological abnormality.
An epidemiologic surveillance program for evaluating occupational reproductive hazards
Authors: Wong Otto , Morgan Robert W. , Whorton M. Donald
Published: April 2007

A noninvasive and inexpensive epidemiologic program for evaluating the possible effects of occupational exposures on fertility is proposed. This surveillance program utilizes reproductive information obtainable from a short questionnaire (1–2 pages in length) or directly from existing medical, employment, or insurance records, and results can be generated readily on a routine basis. This program examines the reproductive experience of the exposed workers in terms of live births compared with that of the US general population with the proper statistical adjustments. It calculates the standardized birth ratios (SBR), adjusting for maternal age, parity, calendar time, and race. Such an analysis will detect whether there is a significant decrease in fertility among a group of employees, and is, therefore, a useful surveillance tool. The proposed method should be viewed as a mechanism to provide an early signal for any potential hazard and to direct priority for other more in‐depth epidemiologic or physiologic studies. The procedure is illustrated with data from individuals exposed to EDB, DBCP, and waste‐water treatment plant processes. The method can be modified to compare the reproductive performance of an exposed group to that of an internal control group. With an internal control group, additional confounding factors can be taken into consideration. The relative merits of this approach compared to another method of fertility evaluation, semen analysis, are discussed.
Low level benzene exposure in sweden: Effect on blood elements and body burden of benzene
Authors: Berlin Maths
Published: April 2007

Measurements for benzene exposure were performed for different work places. In addition, breath benzene concentrations were measured in different occupations in order to establish toxico‐kinetics of benzene in man; chromosomal aberrations in lymphocytes of exposed workers were also examined. Smoking appears to result in a large increase in benzene concentration in exhaled breath. The smoke from one cigarette contains 60‐80 μg of benzene. It was found that exposure levels of 10 ppm are rather uncommon among workers handling gasoline or gasoline equipment. It was concluded that the gasoline load of road tankers cannot be responsible for chromosome changes of the driver, as milk truck drivers showed the same changes. These results did not prove that benzene was the cause of the observed changes. Smoking is the confounding factor, with a potency of at least the same order of magnitude as benzene. In addition, our present knowledge about mechanisms of benzene is not sufficiently developed to permit quantitative conclusions as to the human health risks.
Benzene: Standards, occurrence, and exposure
Authors: Holmberg Bo , Lundberg Per
Published: April 2007

The national occupational standard values for benzene are 10 ppm for Australia, 10 ppm for Denmark, 10 ppm for Finland, 10 ppm for Japan, 10 ppm for The Netherlands, 10 ppm for the United States, and 5 ppm for Sweden; in the Federal Republic of Germany the technical guideline value is 8 ppm. Crude mineral oil contains benzene as a natural constituent of approximately 0.1%. Gasoline in Sweden may contain 4–5% benzene by volume. The 8‐hour time‐weighted average (TWA) exposure levels of Swedish petroleum refinery workers vary between 0.1 to 1 mg benzene/m3 in air. The exposures of benzene in various other occupations were measured and described. Other environmental exposures to benzene may have their origin in pyrolysis, such as tobacco smoking and burning of substances such as polyvinylchloride.
Benzene exposure in the United States 1978–1983: An overview
Authors: Runion H. E. , Scott L. M.
Published: April 2007

Due to the interest in reducing the benzene exposure limit from 10 to 1 ppm, the benzene exposure data collected since 1977 were compiled and evaluated. Some 38,000 data points representing either time‐weighted air samples or persons exposed were collected from five industries which produce and/or use benzene and two government organizations. Of the reported data, 87% represented exposure levels of 1.0 ppm or less. Petroleum and chemical operations where elevated exposure levels were reported included petrochemical and bulk loading operations. Benzol and by‐product plants in the iron and steel industry showed similar elevated results.
Subchronic inhalation toxicity of benzene in rats and mice
Authors: Ward C. O. , Kuna R. A. , Snyder N. K. , Alsaker R. D. , Coate W. B. , Craig P. H.
Published: April 2007

A subchronic inhalation toxicity study of benzene was conducted in CD‐1 mice and Sprague‐Dawley rats. Four groups of animals consisting of 150 mice and 50 rats/sex each were exposed to concentrations of 1, 10, 30, and 300 ppm benzene vapor, 6 hours/day, 5 days/week, for 13 weeks. Additional groups of mice and rats, of equal size, were exposed under similar conditions to filtered air and served as control groups. Thirty mice and 10 rats/sex in each group were sacrificed after 7, 14, 28, 56, and 91 days of treatment. Criteria used to evaluate exposure‐related effects included behavior, body weights, organ weights, clinical pathology, gross pathology, and histopathology. Fifty animals per sex of each species were exposed concurrently for cytogenetic studies. In addition, blood serum was obtained for immunological assays. The results of these two studies will be reported separately.

No consistent exposure‐related trends were seen in the clinical observations and body weight data. Exposure‐related clinical pathology changes were seen in the high‐level (300 ppm) animals of both species. In the mice, these changes included decreases in hematocrit, total hemoglobin, erythrocyte count, leukocyte count, platelet count, myeloid/erythroid ratios, and percentage of lymphocytes. Mean cell volume, mean cell homoglobin, glycerol lysis time, and the incidence and severity of red cell morphologic changes were increased in the mice. In the rats, decreased lymphocyte counts and a relative increase in neutrophil percentages were the only exposure‐related clinical pathology alterations. Histophathologic changes were present in the thymus, bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, ovaries, and testes of mice exposed to 300 ppm and in most cases the incidence and severity of the lesions were greater in the males. These changes in the testes and ovaries at 300 ppm were also seen at lower concentrations, but they were of doubtful biological significance. In rats, the only exposure‐related lesion consisted of slightly decreased femoral marrow cellularity in the animals exposed to 300 ppm.
Benzene myeloclastogenicity: A function of its metabolism
Authors: Gad‐El‐Karim Mohy Morris , Ramanujam V. M. Sadagopa , Ahmed Ahmed E. , Legator Marvin S.
Published: April 2007

Using the micronucleus test we have found no significant difference between germ‐free and conventional (non‐germ‐free) male CD‐1 mice gavaged twice with 440 or 880 mg benzene/kg. Hence, the higher myeloclastogenicity observed previously with the p.o. (4‐6 times) than with the i.p. route of benzene administration was ruled out as being due to the involvement of gut flora in benzene biotransformation. Pretreatment of males with 3‐methylcholanthrene or β‐naphthoflavone, inducers of P‐448 monooxygenase, but not phenobarbital, an inducer of P‐450, significantly enhanced the myeloclastogenic effect of a single oral dose of benzene (440 mg/kg). Single oral doses of phenol, catechol, or hydroquinone (250, 150, and 200 mg/kg, respectively) failed to reproduce the potent myeloclastogenic effect of benzene. In fact, only hydroquinone was mildly clastogenic. The relation between benzene's myeloclastogenicity and metabolism is discussed.
A longitudinal study of pulmonary function in coal miners in Lorraine, France
Authors: Bates D. V. , Pham Q. T. , Chau N. , Pivoteau C. , Dechoux J. , Sadoul P.
Published: April 2007

A longitudinal study of pulmonary function and radiological change has been conducted on 141 nonsmoking coal miners and 256 smoking coal miners from Lorraine, France. At the time of the first examination occasioned by radiological change or shortness of breath, the men averaged between 46.6 years and 50.9 years of age, and they retired approximately 8 years after entering the study. They have been followed for average periods of about 18 years and a mean of five FEV1 observations per man were made over that period. Changes in radiological category have been documented. Average rates of decline of FVC and FEV1 were similar, and varied between −47 ml/yr in nonsmoking miners still alive, to −78 ml/yr in deceased smoking miners. These accelerated rates were similar before and after retirement from the mine.
Concentration of ethylene oxide in the alveolar air of occupationally exposed workers
Authors: Brugnone F. , Perbellini L. , Faccini G. , Pasini F.
Published: April 2007

Ethylene oxide was tested in environmental air and in the alveolar air of 10 workers employed in a hospital sterilizer unit at hourly intervals during the work shift. Alveolar ethylene oxide concentrations (Ca) were correlated with environmental concentration (Ci) in all the workers studied (r = 0.89–0.99). The ratio between alveolar and environmental concentration (Ca/Ci) given by the slope of the regression line obtained for all the data collected was 0.24. This means that the alveolar retention of ethylene oxide, expressed as 1 ‐ (Ca/Ci), corresponded, on average, to about 75% of the environmental concentration.
Occupational deafness: The continuing challenge of early German and Scottish research
Authors: Atherley Gordon , Noble William
Published: April 2007

Systematic studies in occupational deafness were first carried out in the late 19th century, in America, Germany, Russia, and Scotland. The studies by Gottstein and Kayser, in 1881 in Germany, and by Barr, in 1886 in Scotland, are identified as the two principal landmarks. The physicians who carried them out should be seen as occupying a place in the mainstream of development of industrial medicine.

Gottstein and Kayser's study of personnel in a railway works reflected a contemporary concern about railway safety; Barr's, of boilermakers, a feeling for the difficulties in hearing in the everyday world experienced by the victims of occupational deafness. Barr's evaluation of such difficulties through self‐report, we argue, reveals more of the quality of hearing handicap than the present century's apparently objective tests.

Both studies relied on occupation‐based epidemiology, which was able to identify occupational deafness, distinguish its etiology, and locate the site of its pathology. We argue that occupation‐based epidemiology has since been neglected in favour of dose‐response epidemiology to the detriment of research in occupational deafness and in industrial medicine generally. Dose‐response epidemiology seems the more scientific but, in practice, it is afflicted by even more uncertainty than occupation‐based epidemiology. To compound the uncertainty, there are two incompatible mathematical expressions for the dose‐response relation for noise, both separately enshrined in legislation in various parts of the world.

We conclude by advocating more secondary research in industrial medicine. Barr points us to a further topic for such research, the place of temporary threshold shift in the development of knowledge about occupational deafness as a problem for industrial medicine.
Evaluation of occupational exposure to carbon disulphide by blood, exhaled air, and urine analysis
Authors: Campbell L. , Jones A. H. , Wilson H. K.
Published: April 2007

This paper compares three analytical methods that may be considered for monitoring workers who are exposed to carbon disulphide (CS2). An estimate of the uptake of CS2 was assessed by the measurement of “bound” CS2 in blood, CS2 in expired alveolar air, and 2‐thiothiazolidine‐4‐carboxylic acid (TTCA), in urine. The concentration of TTCA in end‐of‐shift urine samples was related to exposure and appears to be a good measure of uptake of CS2.
Safety and health in boatbuilding and repair
Authors: Brigham Christopher R. , Landrigan Philip J.
Published: April 2007

Boatbuilding is a complex, chemically intensive industry which employs approximately 43,000 workers in the United States, 77% of them in shops with fewer than 20 workers. Boatbuilders and repairers are at high risk of occupational injury from falls, lacerations, low back trauma, repetitive motion, noise, burns, fires, and explosions. Also they are at risk of acute and chronic illness, including dermatitis, toxic hepatitis, peripheral neuropathy, and chronic encephalopathy as a result of their occupational exposures to such materials as styrene, resins, solvents, paints, welding fumes, and coating systems. Boatbuilders also are exposed to toxic woods and to lead. Hazard recognition is the first step toward reduction of injury and disease in boat building. Control of recognized hazards is achieved through engineering controls, ventilation in particular, and through medical surveillance. Strong programs for injury preventiuon and for health and safety education will produce significant health and economic benefit in the boatbuilding industry.
An analysis of exposure to styrene in the reinforced plastic boat‐making industry
Authors: Crandall Michael S. , Hartle Richard W.
Published: April 2007

To evaluate patterns of occupational exposure to styrene monomer in the boat‐building industry, we conducted industrial hygiene surveys in seven fiberglass‐reinforced plastic boat‐fabrication plants. A total of 397 personal breathing zone air samples were collected on workers in four key job categories: gel coating and hull, deck, and small‐parts lamination. We found that exposure to styrene in 234 (59%) of the personal samples exceeded the NIOSH‐recommended time‐weighted average (TWA) standard of 50 parts per million (ppm), and 96 (24%) of these samples exceeded the OSHA eight‐hour TWA permissible exposure limit of 100 ppm. From highest to lowest average exposure potential, the job categories ranked in the following order: hull lamination (range 2–183 ppm, mean 78 ppm), deck lamination (range 12–160 ppm, mean 73 ppm), gel coating (range 5–94 ppm, mean 48 ppm), and small‐parts lamination (range 9–130 ppm, mean 45 ppm). The former two categories composed a higher‐exposure group, and the latter two tended to form a lower‐exposure group. Exposures in these jobs appear to be proportional to resin consumption. Statistical analyses indicated that the parameter that most affects exposure potential is job category. Within a job category, part size, configuration, and surface area are important determinants of exposure. The principal reason for high exposures was the absence of control technologies and, in particular, the absence of adequate ventilation.
Mortality patterns among styrene‐exposed boatbuilders
Authors: Okun Andrea H. , Beaumont James J. , Meinhardt Theodore J. , Crandall Michael S.
Published: April 2007

In order to test the hypothesis that leukemia and lymphoma may be associated with exposure to styrene, cause‐of‐death patterns were studied at two reinforced plastic boatbuilding facilities. There were 5,021 workers who met the criterion of having worked at the two plants between 1959 and 1978. Based on industrial hygiene surveys conducted at the two plants, 2,060 individuals were determined to have worked in departments classified as having high exposure to styrene. There were 176 deaths observed among the total cohort, in comparison to 195.3 deaths expected (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 90). Among the high styrene exposure group, 47 deaths were observed in comparison to 41.5 deaths expected (SMR = 113). No leukemia or lymphoma deaths were observed in either the high exposure group or the total cohort. An excess of accidental deaths among the high exposure group (18 observed vs 12.4 expected) did not appear to be due to styrene's acute central nervous system effects, since none of the individuals were employed at the facilities at the time of their death. However, the possibility of a chronic effect could not be dismissed. While leukemia and lymphoma did not appear to be related to styrene exposure, the study had little statistical power to detect excesses of these diseases, due to the short length of observation and the young age of most cohort members. It was concluded that the cohort should provide increasingly useful information on chronic styrene toxicity as the population ages and the observation period increases.
The neurotoxicity of industrial solvents: A review of the literature
Authors: Baker Edward L. , Smith Thomas J. , Landrigan Philip J.
Published: April 2007

Organic solvents, particularly stryrene, are used widely in boatbuilding. They may be absorbed by workers either through the respiratory tract or the skin. Uptake is influenced by level and duration of exposure, work load, and specific physicochemical features of each solvent, as well as by work practices and use of protective equipment. Kinetics of metabolism and excretion kinetics are highly variable among compounds. Metabolites can be measured in blood, urine, or exhaled breath and may serve as indirect indices of absorption.

Acute high‐dose exposure to organic solvents can produce a transient narcotic effect on the central nervous system. This effect occurs in proportion to brain dose, which in turn is determined by intensity and duration of exposure. Additionally, chronic exposures to organic solvents have been reported to produce an increased frequency of neurologic signs and symptoms. These findings include peripheral neuropathies and toxic encephalopathies. The latter are characterized by alterations in affect, memory loss, and impaired cognition. Concern exists that prolonged excessive exposure to organic solvents may lead to premature and persistent dementia in certain workers.
Repeated mechanical trauma to the skin: Occupational aspects
Authors: Samitz M. H.
Published: April 2007

Many of today's jobs involve repetitive tasks, often resulting in mechanical trauma to the skin. Trauma from pressure, pounding, friction, vibration, and penetration of foreign materials produce a great variety of skin lesions. Mechanical insults contribute directly or indirectly to a number of distinctive problems that are work related, viz, infections, contact dermatitis, occupational skin stigmata, reactions to unabsorbable materials, vibration effects, dermatoses among athletes, the Koebner phenomenon in palmar psoriasis, pressure urticaria, and cutaneous neoplasms arising in burns and scars.
The chronic effects of mechanical trauma to the skin: A review of the literature
Authors: Susten Allan S.
Published: April 2007

This paper summarizes the findings of a NIOSH reported entitled “The Chronic Effects of Repeated Mechanical Trauma to the Skin: A Description of the Problem in the Workplace” (the Trauma Report). Medical literature and U.S. health statistics (population surveys and occupational health reports) were reviewed to determine the long‐range impact of repeated mechanical trauma sustained in the workplace. Trauma was rarely recognized as contributing to dermatological disorders. Conventional sources of information were found to be inadequate for precise estimation of costs. A minimal estimate of the annual cost of cutaneous disorders resulting from repeated mechanical trauma to the skin is $15 million.