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Biomedical subjects

P Froom

Publications and source records attributed to P Froom.

155 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship of blood lead levels to blood pressure in battery workers.

The effect of lead exposure on blood pressure in the modern industrial setting is controversial. In this study, we followed 67 workers in a lead-battery plant for 6-10 y, and blood pressure and blood lead levels were measured every 6 mo. Weight, height, alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, and age were recorded. Partial correlation coefficients showed that initial systolic blood pressure, age, and body mass index (i.e., weight/height squared) accounted for 25%, 30.9%, and 20.2%, respectively, of the variance in systolic blood pressure (p < .001 in all cases). Conversely, average blood lead levels (13 +/- 3 tests/worker) accounted for only 0.4% of the variance (not significant). Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed a small--but significant--association between blood lead levels and systolic blood pressure. There was a negative correlation between blood lead levels and diastolic blood pressure. There were 18 men with average blood lead levels that were less than 30 micrograms/dl (average = 25 +/- 3 micrograms/dl), and 32 men had levels of 40 micrograms/dl or more (average = 47 +/- 6 micrograms/dl). The mean final systolic blood pressure, adjusted for age, and initial systolic blood pressure were 117 +/- 13 mm Hg and 114 +/- 11 mm Hg, respectively. We concluded that blood lead levels had no clinically significant effect on blood pressure in lead-battery workers. The main predictors of the follow-up systolic blood pressure were age, body mass index, and initial systolic blood-pressure measurements.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Industrial noise exposure, noise annoyance, and serum lipid levels in blue-collar workers--the CORDIS Study.

Chronic noise exposure may constitute a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but the exact mechanism is unclear. The authors studied the association between industrial noise exposure, noise annoyance, and serum lipid/lipoprotein levels in male (n = 1,455) and female (n = 624) blue-collar workers. The authors found that young men (i.e., < or = 44 y of age) exposed to high noise levels (> or = 80 dB[A]) had higher total levels of cholesterol (p = .023) and triglycerides (p = .001), as well as a higher cholesterol ratio (p = .038), than men exposed to low noise levels, even after controlling for confounding variables. In women or in older (> 45 y) men, noise did not affect serum lipid/lipoprotein levels. The authors found no interaction between noise exposure level and noise annoyance (except for high-density lipoprotein in women). However, noise annoyance covaried independently with total cholesterol (p = .022) and high-density lipoprotein (p = .0039) levels in young men and with total cholesterol (p = .035), triglyceride (p = .035), and high-density lipoprotein levels in women (under high noise exposure conditions)(p = .048) levels in women. Noise annoyance and noise exposure levels had an additive effect on cholesterol levels. Young men who scored high on both variables had a 15-mg/dl higher mean cholesterol level (95 % confidence interval [CI] = 7.2, 22.8; p = .0003) than those who scored low on both variables; in women, the corresponding difference was 23 mg/dl (95% CI = 1.5, 42.9; p = .019). The authors concluded that the examination of serum lipid/lipoprotein levels may be useful in studies of the health effects of noise, and particular attention should be paid to noise-annoyed individuals.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Association between somatic symptoms and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure levels.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify whether somatic complaints in healthy normotensive men are associated with differential 24-hour blood pressure and heart rate measures. METHOD: Twenty-four-hour ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressure was monitored in 114 healthy normotensive men, aged 28 to 63 years, engaged in similar physical work. Means were calculated for each hour, for the whole 24-hour period, and for daytime, nighttime, and work time. Subjects were interviewed about somatic complaints, demographic data, and health habits, and body mass index was measured. RESULTS: After controlling for possible confounders, a positive association was found between the somatic complaint score and 24-hour, diurnal, and work-time systolic blood pressure (p = .014, p = .007, and p = .008, respectively). The association with casual systolic blood pressure was of borderline significance (p = .089). There was a positive trend, which did not reach statistical significance, in the relationship between somatic complaint score and all measures of diastolic blood pressure. Diurnal, 24-hour, and work-time heart rates were highest in the subjects with the highest somatic scores (p < .01 for all trends). CONCLUSIONS: In healthy normotensive men, somatic complaints are associated with an increased cardiovascular load. The effects of this increase on long-term cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are uncertain and warrant additional study.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Employee exposure to chromium and plasma lipid oxidation.

Exposure to chromium increases free-radical species in the body, which has an adverse biologic effect. In view of evidence that the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins is important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, the authors measured plasma lipid oxidation and antioxidant levels in 11 welders chronically exposed to chromium and compared them with levels in 15 matched controls. Exposure level was determined by urinalysis. Plasma lipid peroxidation and susceptibility to oxidation were determined by measuring generated thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) and lipid peroxides. Total plasma antioxidant status and serum paraoxonase activity were also measured. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to test for statistical significance. There was no significant difference between the groups with regard to lipid peroxidation, plasma lipid susceptibility to oxidation, total plasma antioxidant status, or serum paraoxonase. Three workers with urinary chromium levels over the biologic exposure index limit (> 10.0 microg/g creatinine) had higher plasma lipid peroxidation and lipid susceptibility to oxidation compared with the rest of the study group. The results suggest that welders exposed to chromium have increased plasma lipid oxidation. The small numbers of subjects and those with elevated urinary chromium limit the power of this preliminary study. Further studies of the association of chromium with plasma lipid oxidation are warranted.

Antioxidants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Smoking, diet, and health behaviors among lead-exposed blue-collar workers.

The objectives of the study were to compare dietary intake by smoking levels in blue-collar Israeli workers occupationally exposed to lead and thus identify additional areas for health-enhancing intervention in addition to smoking cessation. One hundred and eighty-seven male industrial employees who were exposed to lead through their work were screened at the worksite to evaluate health status and dietary intake. Smokers had higher intakes of fat, cholesterol, calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin E per day. They were consuming more meat and high-fat dairy products. Dose-response relationships were shown for fat and energy intake by smoking level. Thus, smoking is associated with other adverse health behaviors. When conducting epidemiologic or occupational studies, analyses should include adjustment for the fact that the lifestyles of smokers may also be unhealthy in other ways.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Measurement and management of hyperlipidemia for the primary prevention of coronary heart disease.

BACKGROUND: As part of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) two expert panel reports (1988, 1993) recommend serum cholesterol measurements in all adults aged 20 years and older and cholesterol-lowering treatment for those with abnormal levels. METHODS: All major drug intervention trials for primary prevention of coronary heart disease were reviewed. Similarly, selected studies on risks of dyslipidemia and benefit of therapy for the elderly and for women without coronary heart disease were analyzed. These studies were evaluated to test the soundness of the NCEP panel's recommendations. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Five major randomized drug intervention trials for primary prevention of coronary heart disease showed that cholestyramine, gemfibrozil, clofibrate, and pravastatin can reduce the rate of nonfatal myocardial infarctions in middle-aged men. All-cause and ischemic heart disease mortality were increased by clofibrate and unaffected by the other three drugs. Extrapolation of these findings to women and older and younger men is unwarranted because there is no evidence that either diet or drugs provide primary protection from coronary heart disease in these groups. It is uncertain whether dyslipidemia is a risk factor for coronary heart disease in the elderly. The annual cost of drugs for full implementation of the panel's recommendations ranges from $6 billion to $11.5 billion and an additional $13 billion will be required for initial screening, classifying, and monitoring serum cholesterol levels. Potential adverse consequences of a national program include possible risks from low cholesterol levels, drug side-effects, and disease labeling.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predicting increases in skin temperature using heat stress indices and relative humidity in helicopter pilots.

We used measurements of heat stress in the cockpit of Bell 206 and 212 helicopters manned by a crew of two to predict changes in the skin temperatures of 50 pilots over a 1-h ground standby period. Cockpit wet bulb globe temperatures increased from 28.1 +/- 5.6 degrees C to 32.9 +/- 3.9 degrees C over the 1-h ground standby period. Skin temperatures increased from 34.7 +/- 1.1 to 35.4 +/- 1.1 degrees C, while heart rate increased from 79.4 +/- 9.6 to 82.6 +/- 9.8 bpm. Cockpit wet bulb temperatures explained 26.9% of the variance of the increase in skin temperature (P = 0.0002). Wet bulb globe temperatures, discomfort index and dry bulb temperatures did not improve the predictive value of wet bulb temperatures alone. Relative humidity was not significantly associated with the increase in skin temperature. We conclude that wet bulb temperatures predict changes in skin temperature as well as other heat stress indices. Furthermore, despite high cockpit temperatures, pilots experienced only minimal strain during the 1-h ground standby period. Extrapolation of our results to the effects on body temperature of higher degrees of heat stress and physical activity is unwarranted and deserves further study.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of low back pain in employees of a pharmaceutical company.

The association of low back pain (LBP) with mechanical factors at the workplace is uncertain. Most of the studies on this subject did not examine multiple levels of symptoms and did not take into account both the type of work and the primary activity during work. We studied the annual prevalence, severity and duration of attacks of LBP recorded on a physician-administered questionnaire in 208 workers in a pharmaceutical factory. Symptoms were then cross-tabulated with job type, location, work requirements, gender, and years at the factory. LBP was reported by 138 (66.3%) of the workers. Although over 75% of jobs in the packing department, laboratories and offices required prolonged sitting, LBP was most prevalent among workers in the packing department, where the chairs were found to be ergonomically unfit (odds ratio 3.7, 95% confidence interval 1.5-9.1, P = 0.003). Logistic regression demonstrated a highly significant and independent association between LBP and work in the packing or production department (odds ratio 2.03), sitting or lifting (odds ratio 1.97) and 6 years seniority (odds ratio 1.64). Gender was not a significant variable. We conclude that among these pharmaceutical company employees, prolonged sitting and work in the packing or production departments were independently associated with LBP. Prospective studies are warranted to substantiate our findings.

Confidence Intervals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Treatment of Hodgkin's disease at a local hospital.

It is unclear whether patients with Hodgkin's disease can be adequately treated at local hospitals. From 1978 through 1991, 40 patients with Hodgkin's disease were treated at the Carmel Medical Center. Disease-free survival was 36/40 (90%) and 19/23 (83%) after 3 and 10 years follow-up, respectively. These results are comparable to those reported by tertiary cancer centers. We conclude that adequate treatment for patient's with Hodgkin's disease can be given at local hospitals. Further studies are warranted to determine if our results can be extrapolated to other local hospitals.

Adolescent↗