Refine
Year of publication
- 2022 (13) (remove)
Has Fulltext
- yes (13)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (13) (remove)
Keywords
- Autopsy (1)
- Bevölkerungsschutz (1)
- Bone dust (1)
- Civil protection (1)
- Clinical trials (1)
- Face masks (1)
- Famines (1)
- Germany (1)
- Healthcare (1)
- High radon areas (1)
Institute
Germany experienced a 6-month second lockdown (November 2020–April 2021) during the COVID-19 pandemic, which included the closure of all physical activity (PA) facilities. The use of online exercise classes (OECs) was promoted by public health and exercise organizations. Using the present cross-sectional online survey, we assess the use of and opinion towards OECs in Germany during the second lockdown. We used contingency tables and the Chi2 test to calculate the frequency of awareness and use of OECs according to PA status, well-being and demographic data, and conducted a binary logistic regression with OEC awareness or use and dichotomized independent predictors. The associations between opinion and activity status, frequency of use, educational attainment, age and body mass index were calculated using Spearman correlations. A total of 993 datasets were analyzed in detail. Of the 785 (79.1%) participants reporting awareness of OECs, 536 tried them, and 262, 188 and 85 used them <1 per week, 1–2 per week and ≥3 per week, respectively. The users were typically active, female participants with poorer mental well-being. The opinions towards OECs varied according to participant characteristics, such as activity status, BMI and age. Overall, regular OEC use was quite limited, and, as such, cannot replace in-person exercise opportunities. Keeping physical activity facilities open and safe must be prioritized in the ongoing pandemic.
Cervical cancer has caused substantial morbidity and mortality for millions of women over the past decades. While enormous progress has been made in diagnosis, prevention and therapy, the disease is still fatal for many women—especially in low-income countries. Since no detailed studies are available on the worldwide research landscape, we here investigated the global scientific output related to this cancer type by an established protocol. The “New Quality and Quantity Indices in Science” platform assessed all relevant cervical cancer research published in the Web of Science since 1900. A detailed analysis was conducted including country-specific research productivity, indicators for scientific quality, and relation of research activity to socioeconomic and epidemiologic figures. Visualization of data was generated by the use of density equalizing map projections. Our approach identified 22,185 articles specifically related to cervical cancer. From a global viewpoint, the United States of America was the dominating country in absolute numbers, being followed by China and Japan. By contrast, the European countries Sweden, Austria, and Norway were positioned first when the research activity was related to the population number. When the scientific productivity was related to annual cervical cancer cases, Scandinavian countries (Finland #1, Sweden #4, Norway #5, Denmark #7), the Alpine countries Austria (#2) and Switzerland (#6), and the Netherlands (#3) were leading the field. Density equalizing mapping visualized that large parts of Africa and South America were almost invisible regarding the global participation in cervical cancer research. Our data documented that worldwide cervical cancer research activity is continuously increasing but is imbalanced from a global viewpoint. Also, the study indicated that global and public health aspects should be strengthened in cervical carcinoma research in order to empower more countries to take part in international research activities.
Private-label cigarettes are cigarettes that belong to the retailer itself. Private-label cigarettes from discounters or supermarkets are cheaper than brand-name cigarettes, and their lower price has allowed them to garner an ever-increasing share of the tobacco product market, especially among lower socioeconomic groups. Particulate matter (PM), a considerable component of air pollution, is a substantial health-damaging factor. Smoking is the primary source of PM in smokers’ homes. In a 2.88 m3 measuring chamber, the PM emission fractions PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 from three private-label cigarette brands and three brand-name cigarette brands with identical nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide content were measured and compared to those of a reference cigarette by laser aerosol spectroscopy. All cigarette brands emitted PM in health-threatening quantities. The measurement results ranged from 1394 µg/m3 to 1686 µg/m3 PM10, 1392 µg/m3 to 1682 µg/m3 PM2.5, and 1355 µg/m3 to 1634 µg/m3 PM1, respectively. Only one private-label brand differed significantly (p < 0.001) from the other cigarette brands, which were tested with slightly lower PM levels. All other brands differed only marginally (not significant, p > 0.05) from one another. Significant (p < 0.05) negative correlations between private-label and brand-name cigarettes were found for PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 when accounting for tobacco filling densities, and for PM1 when accounting for filter lengths. The especially health-hazardous fraction PM1 accounted for the largest proportion of PM emissions from the cigarettes tested. The results of this study suggest that- cheaper tobacco products are as harmful as more expensive ones, at least regarding PM emissions. This highlights the importance of anti-smoking campaigns, especially for lower socioeconomic groups, where smoking is more widespread. Governments should reduce the price gap between cheap and more expensive tobacco products by implementing specific tobacco taxes. In such a case, at increasing prices of tobacco products, a downward shift to private-label cigarettes would probably decrease.
Mask induced airway resistance and carbon dioxide rebreathing is discussed to impact gas exchange and to induce discomfort and impairments in cognitive performance. N = 23 healthy humans (13 females, 10 males; 23.5 ± 2.1 years) participated in this randomized crossover trial (3 arms, 48-h washout periods). During interventions participants wore either a surgical face mask (SM), a filtering face piece (FFP2) or no mask (NM). Interventions included a 20-min siting period and 20 min steady state cycling on an ergometer at 77% of the maximal heart rate (HR). Hemodynamic data (HR, blood pressure), metabolic outcomes (pulse derived oxygen saturation, capillary carbon dioxide (pCO2), and oxygen partial pressure (pO2), lactate, pH, base excess), subjective response (ability to concentrate, arousal, perceived exertion) and cognitive performance (Stroop Test) were assessed. Compared to NM, both masks increased pCO2 (NM 31.9 ± 3.3 mmHg, SM = 35.2 ± 4.0 mmHg, FFP2 = 34.5 ± 3.8 mmHg, F = 12.670, p < 0.001) and decreased pH (NM = 7.42 ± 0.03, SM = 7.39 ± 0.03, FFP2 = 7.39 ± 0.04, F = 11.4, p < 0.001) during exercise. The FFP2 increased blood pressure during exercise (NM = 158 ± 15 mmHg, SM = 159 ± 16 mmHg, FFP2 = 162 ± 17 mmHg, F = 3.21, p = 0.050), the SM increased HR during sitting (NM = 70 ± 8 bpm, SM = 74 ± 8 bpm, FFP2 = 73 ± 8 bpm, F = 4.70, p = 0.014). No mask showed any comparative effect on other hemodynamic, metabolic, subjective, or cognitive outcomes. Mask wearing leads to slightly increased cardiovascular stress and elevated carbon dioxide levels during exercise but did not affect cognitive performance or wellbeing.
Driven by globalization, urbanization and climate change, the distribution range of invasive vector species has expanded to previously colder ecoregions. To reduce health-threatening impacts on humans, insect vectors are extensively studied. Population genomics can reveal the genomic basis of adaptation and help to identify emerging trends of vector expansion. By applying whole genome analyses and genotype-environment associations to populations of the main dengue vector Aedes aegypti, sampled along an altitudinal gradient in Nepal (200–1300 m), we identify putatively adaptive traits and describe the species' genomic footprint of climate adaptation to colder ecoregions. We found two differentiated clusters with significantly different allele frequencies in genes associated to climate adaptation between the highland population (1300 m) and all other lowland populations (≤800 m). We revealed nonsynonymous mutations in 13 of the candidate genes associated to either altitude, precipitation or cold tolerance and identified an isolation-by-environment differentiation pattern. Other than the expected gradual differentiation along the altitudinal gradient, our results reveal a distinct genomic differentiation of the highland population. Local high-altitude adaptation could be one explanation of the population's phenotypic cold tolerance. Carrying alleles relevant for survival under colder climate increases the likelihood of this highland population to a worldwide expansion into other colder ecoregions.
Background: Driven by globalization, urbanization and climate change, the distribution range of invasive vector species has expanded to previously colder ecoregions. To reduce health-threatening impacts on humans, insect vectors are extensively studied. Population genomics can reveal the genomic basis of adaptation and help to identify emerging trends of vector expansion.
Results: By applying whole genome analyses and genotype-environment associations to populations of the main dengue vector Ae. aegypti, sampled along an altitudinal temperature gradient in Nepal (200- 1300m), we identify adaptive traits and describe the species’ genomic footprint of climate adaptation to colder ecoregions. We found two clusters of differentiation with significantly different allele frequencies in genes associated to climate adaptation between the highland population (1300m) and all other lowland populations (≤ 800 m). We revealed non-synonymous mutations in 13 of the candidate genes associated to either altitude, precipitation or cold tolerance and identified an isolation-by-environment differentiation pattern.
Conclusion: Other than the expected gradual differentiation along the altitudinal gradient, our results reveal a distinct genomic differentiation of the highland population. This finding either indicates a differential invasion history to Nepal or local high-altitude adaptation explaining the population’s phenotypic cold tolerance. In any case, this highland population can be assumed to carry pre-adapted alleles relevant for the species’ invasion into colder ecoregions worldwide that way expanding their climate niche.
Background: In general, the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) in dentistry is high, and dental assistants (DA) are even more affected than dentists (D). Furthermore, differentiations between the fields of dental specialization (e.g., general dentistry, endodontology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, or orthodontics) are rare. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the ergonomic risk of the aforementioned four fields of dental specialization for D and DA on the one hand, and to compare the ergonomic risk of D and DA within each individual field of dental specialization. Methods: In total, 60 dentists (33 male/27 female) and 60 dental assistants (11 male/49 female) volunteered in this study. The sample was composed of 15 dentists and 15 dental assistants from each of the dental field, in order to represent the fields of dental specialization. In a laboratory setting, all tasks were recorded using an inertial motion capture system. The kinematic data were applied to an automated version of the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA). Results: The results revealed significantly reduced ergonomic risks in endodontology and orthodontics compared to oral and maxillofacial surgery and general dentistry in DAs, while orthodontics showed a significantly reduced ergonomic risk compared to general dentistry in Ds. Further differences between the fields of dental specialization were found in the right wrist, right lower arm, and left lower arm in DAs and in the neck, right wrist, right lower arm, and left wrist in Ds. The differences between Ds and DAs within a specialist discipline were rather small. Discussion: Independent of whether one works as a D or DA, the percentage of time spent working in higher risk scores is reduced in endodontologists, and especially in orthodontics, compared to general dentists or oral and maxillofacial surgeons. In order to counteract the development of WMSD, early intervention should be made. Consequently, ergonomic training or strength training is recommended.
Particulate matter emitted during autopsies can serve as a vector for numerous viruses or bacteria and can lead to infections. Reducing the exposure of those particles in indoor working environments is, therefore, an important issue. To assess the health risk for employees in forensic medicine, we measure particulate matter in the ambient air during autopsies by using an aerosol spectrometer. The autopsies were performed with either an ordinary oscillating saw or an adapted saw with a suction unit. The particle emissions from both saws were compared to each other in order to evaluate whether a technical adaption leads to a particle reduction. Furthermore, the particle exposure reduction by wearing a face mask and variations in the background concentration in the room were analyzed. High particle concentrations were measured while using the ordinary saw. By using the adapted saw or wearing a face mask, the particle exposure could mostly be avoided. On the majority of the working days, an increase in the background concentration could be observed. Based on this knowledge, the use of a proper suction unit and wearing a face mask during autopsies is necessary. Besides, it is important to have sufficient ventilation in the room so that long-lasting high background concentrations can be prevented.
Radon ist ein ubiquitär im Erdmantel sowie in der Luft und im Wasser vorkommendes radioaktives Edelgas. Obwohl die mit der Exposition assoziierten Erkrankungen seit dem Mittelalter bekannt waren, ist eine kausale Zuordnung von Agens und Krankheit erst in der Mitte des letzten Jahrhunderts gelungen. Durch die physikalischen Eigenschaften des Gases ist die Prävention darauf ausgerichtet, die Exposition zu minimieren. Eine koordinierte Bemühung der EU, durch einheitliche Regeln die Bevölkerung zu schützen, stellt die Richtlinie 2013/59/EURATOM vom 5. Dezember 2013 dar. Umgesetzt in nationales Recht, sah die deutsche Strahlenschutzgesetzgebung vor, dass am 01.01.2021 die verantwortlichen Bundesländer basierend auf einer Expositionskarte die Gebiete festlegen, in denen der Grenzwert der Aktivitätskonzentration von Radon in der Luft im Jahresmittel 300 Bq/m3 überschreitet. In dieser Arbeit sollen die Fortschritte auf dem Weg zu einem umfassenderen Schutz vor den Gefahren durch Radon für die Bevölkerung in Deutschland dargestellt werden.
Background: After nearly a quarter-century of declining poverty, the numbers are rising again significantly. This is due not only to effects of climate change but also to the COVID-19 pandemics and armed conflict. Combined with the enormous health impacts, that will cause misery and health care costs worldwide. Therefore, this study provides background information on the global research landscape on poverty and health to help researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers determine the best way to address this threat.
Results: The USA is the key player, dealing mainly with domestic issues. European countries are also involved but tend to be more internationally oriented. Developing countries are underrepresented, with Nigeria standing out. A positive correlation was found between publication numbers and economic strength, while the relationship between article numbers and multidimensional poverty was negatively correlated.
Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for advanced networking and the benefits of cross-disciplinary research to mitigate the coming impacts.