Respiratory health in cottonseed crushing mills.
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Adult↗
Biomedical subjects
J E Diem
Publications and source records attributed to J E Diem.
Interaction of atopy and exposure to cotton dust in the bronchoconstrictor response.
A survey of 255 workers in four cottonseed crushing mills included a respiratory health questionnaire, allergy skin testing, and measurements of lung function over the Monday working shift. Atopy was defined as having two or more positive weal reactions to common inhalant antigens. Categories of exposure to dust were based on the stage of milling, and one category contained workers with continuous exposure to cotton dust derived from linters, the cotton fibres adherent to cottonseed. Atopy and exposure to dust were found to have significant interaction: large mean declines in FEV1 and FEF 25-75 occurred only in the workers exposed to linter dust who were also atopic. Skin-testing surveys in cotton textile mills have concentrated on specific cotton antigen reactivity and its first-order relations to symptoms. Our results indicate a need to identify atopic workers, and to search for interactions between atopy and other variables that may influence acute changes in expiratory flow rates.
Adult↗
Progression of asbestos radiographic abnormalities: relationships to estimates of dust exposure and annual decline in lung function.
The determinants of radiographic worsening were examined in a cohort of 244 asbestos-cement manufacturing workers. Progression of irregular small opacities was related to higher average and cumulative dust exposures. Progression of pleural thickening or pleural plaques was related to length of exposure and time since first exposure, but not to average or cumulative exposure. Larger declines in forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume (one second) were related to larger cumulative dust exposures and to progression of irregular small opacities and pleural thickening. Progression of pleural calcification was not associated with significantly declines in lung function. Changes in lung diffusing capacity did not correlate with measures of dust exposure or with progression of radiographic abnormalities.
Adult↗
Mill effect and dose-response relationships in byssinosis.
Four hundred and eighty-six textile workers in three cotton mills and one wool/synthetic mill were studied for symptoms and functional effects of workroom exposure to dust. Byssinosis was found in 5.7% of 386 cotton workers, with an apparent threshold level of 0.5 mg cotton dust/m3 of air. Mean post-shift functional declines were greater in workers exposed to greater than or equal to 0.2 mg/m3. Workers with byssinosis were unequally distributed, however, with respect to job category and mill; and these variables, rather than current dust exposure levels, accounted for the observed distribution of byssinosis prevalence rates. Variation in biological potency of different samples of cotton dust could be responsible for 'mill effect', the residual variation in response rates by mill after controlling for variation due to dust exposure. A number of other potential influencing variables that are likely to be distributed unequally by mill should also be considered. Mill effect should be assessed in large-scale studies of byssinosis, most of which have analysed biological response rates by combining mill and other variables to examine first-order effects of dust dosage. In such analyses, much of the observed variability may be due to factors other than dust dosage.
Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
A comparison of the Jones and Stead-Wells spirometers.
A comparison was made between the noncounterweighted Jones and Stead-Wells spirometers, and "conversion factors" were determined for the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and the forced vital capacity (FVC). A cross-sectional study produced a high correlation between the instruments for these two measurements, yielding quadratic and linear regression equations ("conversion factors") for FEV1 and FVC, respectively. Standard deviations of measurements were similar for both spirometers. Results from a longitudinal study agreed with the "conversion factors" predicted from the cross-sectional study; however, significant day-to-day variability was observed by both spirometers. Neither spirometer met all of the technical recommendations proposed by the Committees on Environmental Health and Respiratory Physiology of the American College of Chest Physicians; however, the Stead-Wells water-sealed spirometer complied more often than the Jones waterless spirometer (Pulmonor). In addition, the open-circuit procedure used for the Jones spirometer required more corrdination in the subject than did the closed-circuit procedure employed in this study for the Stead-Wells spirometer; however, with application of the "conversion factors," both instruments, yield comparable data and prove adequate for spirometric studies.
Forced Expiratory Flow Rates↗
Longitudinal study of workers employed in the manufacture of toluene-diisocyanate.
Workers at a toluene-diisocyanate manufacturing plant were studied longitudinally to determine the effects of the chemical on their health. Studies included health questionnaire, pulmonary function, environmental monitoring, and immunologic testing. Workers reporting increased lower respiratory symptoms were from the nonsmoker group. Environmental monitoring showed frequent excursions of toluene-diisocyanate concentrations above the threshold limiting value. There was poor correlation between area and personal exposure levels. No exposure-related decline of pulmonary function was demonstrable. Immunologic studies showed development of a positive skin test to a toluene-diisocyanate-human serum albumin conjugate by some persons and an increasing incidence of toluene-diisocyanate-specific IgE antibodies as measured by a radioallergosorbent test. Toluene-diisocyanate did not induce histamine release from leukocytes in vitro but did diminish the in vitro stimulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate by isoproterenol. Most of the clinically sensitive persons demonstrated adverse bronchial response when challenged by inhalation of toluene-diisocyanate. This response was dose dependent in some persons. When challenged with Mecholyl, clinically sensitive persons showed greater reactivity of airways than nonsensitive persons.
Antibodies↗
Prognostic parameters and clinical staging criteria in the epidermoid carcinoma of the vulva.
An evaluation and a critique of prognostic parameters and criteria involved in the classification and clinical staging of epidermoid carcinoma of the vulva are presented, comparing the FIGO system and a proposed more definitive system. Biostatistical as well as clinical evidence for an improved system is presented. The proposed system is based on statistically valid data, has good patient distribution, and an orderly progression for therapy and prognosis. In addition, it is well suited for computer programming and for the comparison of patients and therapy, as well as for delineating the natural history of vulvar cancer.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
The New Orleans drinking water controversy. A statistical perspective.
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Carcinogens↗
A comparative study of three methods for analysing longitudinal pulmonary function data.
We compare three methods of longitudinal analysis of pulmonary function data. Our data set is taken from a study of exposure to toluene diisocyanate (TDI) vapours in a new manufacturing plant. The first two methods are a two-stage weighted regression method and maximum likelihood estimation via the EM algorithm, and these give very similar results. The third method, regression with an autoregressive error structure, was not successfully implemented, and in our view needs better documentation.
Adult↗