Search Results (2,816)

Background/Objectives: Tinnitus becomes more common with age, and age-related hearing loss accounts for an increasing share of cases in later life, whereas modifiable behavioural factors may contribute relatively more in midlife. Population-based evidence linking sitting time—a construct distinct from physical inactivity—to tinnitus is limited and has not accounted for psychological and sleep-related correlates. Methods: We analysed Korean women aged 40–64 years in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2014–2018, a nationwide complex-sample survey (N = 7239; current tinnitus prevalence 21.9%). Self-reported daily sedentary time was categorised into survey-weighted quartiles (cut-points 5, 7, and 10 h/day). Survey-weighted modified-Poisson regression estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs), adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, behavioural, aerobic-activity, and auditory factors; further models added perceived stress, depressive symptoms, physician-diagnosed depression, sleep duration, menopausal status, and non-occupational noise. Results: Tinnitus prevalence rose across quartiles (weighted 19.7%, 21.6%, 23.2%, and 24.9%; model-standardised 19.4%, 21.9%, 23.5%, and 24.9%). Relative to the lowest quartile, aPRs were 1.13 (95% confidence interval 0.98–1.31), 1.21 (1.07–1.36), and 1.29 (1.11–1.49; p = 0.0007), with a trend of 1.09 per quartile (p = 0.0001). The estimate was 1.26 (1.09–1.46) after mental-health and sleep adjustment, and 1.27 (1.10–1.47) when fully adjusted. A similar association was seen in men (1.22, 1.03–1.45; sedentary-by-sex interaction p = 0.93); in women aged 65 years and over it was absent (0.86, 0.74–1.01). Conclusions: Longer sedentary time was associated with a modestly higher prevalence of current tinnitus, not accounted for by the measured covariates. The design is cross-sectional, the absolute difference was small (5.6 percentage points), and reverse causation cannot be excluded; prospective confirmation is required. Full article

Background/Objectives: Musculoskeletal disorders of the lower back remain one of the leading causes of work-related health problems in occupations involving manual material handling. Passive industrial exoskeletons have gained increasing attention as a workplace-oriented assistance technology to reduce physical strain during lifting, carrying, and forward-bending tasks. This pilot study investigates the effect of a passive back-support exoskeleton on spinal posture during a simulated palletizing task. Manual palletizing remains relevant in manufacturing and distribution environments, despite increasing automation, because flexible, variable, and economically feasible work processes are still required. Methods: Five participants performed repeated palletizing cycles under three conditions: wearing an activated exoskeleton, wearing a deactivated exoskeleton, and without an exoskeleton. Spinal posture was captured using an optical motion-capture system with reflective markers placed along the spine. Marker-defined dorsal segment angles were calculated, normalized to an individual upright reference posture, and analyzed for deviations during distinct task phases. Results: The results indicate a tendency toward reduced spinal flexion when the exoskeleton was activated, particularly in the thoracic and lumbar regions. In contrast, larger deviations from the physiological reference posture were observed when the exoskeleton was deactivated or not worn. Inter-individual differences related to body height and prior ergonomic training were identified. Conclusions: Although the limited sample size does not allow definitive conclusions, the findings suggest that passive back-support exoskeletons can contribute to improved spinal posture during manual palletizing. The study provides a quantitative methodological framework for future large-scale investigations and supports the role of motion capture as an objective assessment tool in ergonomic exoskeleton research. Full article

Interagency collaboration is fundamental to search and rescue (SAR) operations, bringing together police, volunteers, fire services, paramedics, and other responders to locate missing persons and save lives. Although collaboration is recognized as beneficial to operational effectiveness, little is known about how collaborative work shapes responders’ occupational experiences. Drawing on qualitative data from 406 police and SAR volunteer personnel, this study explores how interagency collaboration both supports and challenges those involved in missing persons SAR responses. Findings identified collaboration as a critical operational resource that expanded personnel capacity, strengthened decision-making, improved access to specialized expertise, facilitated knowledge sharing, and enhanced SAR effectiveness. Yet also, participants described collaboration as a source of occupational strain. Role ambiguity, delayed activation, communication difficulties, competing organizational priorities, authority and legitimacy tensions, and inconsistent recognition of expertise created frustration, stress, and additional coordination demands for both police and volunteers. Findings suggest that collaboration should be understood as both an operational necessity and an important component of the occupational environment in which SAR personnel work/volunteer. These findings have important implications for strengthening interagency collaboration and supporting responder well-being. Full article

Real-time monitoring of on-duty firefighters has the potential to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and injuries by enabling early detection of fatigue and occupational hazards. Recent work uses wearable sensors to track metrics like heart rate and body temperature. However, most existing systems lack integrated environmental sensing, making it difficult to discern whether elevated vitals stem from physical exertion, ambient heat, or a combination of the two. To address this, a wireless sensing system is proposed that synchronizes physiological and environmental measurements during active firefighting. The system is validated using a new experiment where 28 firefighters completed repeated trials of a training circuit comprising warm-up activities and live-fire suppression. Participants answered survey questions after each phase to gauge overall wellness on a scale from 1 to 10. A predictive framework is developed to classify both the activity type and perceived wellness using the data collected. To extract useful information from the complex multimodal time histories, a series of models are compared using different sets of statistical features extracted from physiological, environmental, and demographic data. Furthermore, a linear mixed-effects (LME) model with subject-specific random intercepts is proposed to account for individual differences in biological response and self-reported wellness. Evaluation demonstrates the system differentiates warm-up from live-fire phases with over 97% accuracy. For wellness prediction, a one-label personalized LME model estimates their later ratings with a mean absolute error of $0.66\pm 0.371$, compared with $0.73\pm 0.327$ for the same model without personalization. Finally, data investigation reveals that wellness ratings were not fully explained by physiological measurements such as elevated vital signs, with individual differences and demographics accounting for most of the variance. These findings support further evaluation of multimodal sensing and personalized modeling for firefighter monitoring. Full article

Background/Objectives: Intensive care units (ICUs) are acoustically demanding environments in which nurses are continuously exposed to alarms, medical equipment, and staff activity. This study assessed ICU nurses’ perceived internal and external noise levels and their perceived noise-related adverse effects, and examined whether these perceptions differed according to demographic and work-related characteristics. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used with 244 ICU nurses in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted to assess perceived internal and external ICU noise and four effect domains (subjective, emotional, physiological, and work performance). Results: Perceived ICU noise was moderate (internal 64.68; external 64.51). Effect-domain means were 50.95 (subjective), 54.67 (emotional), 54.74 (physiological), and 51.28 (work performance). Female nurses scored significantly higher than male nurses for internal and external noise and for subjective, emotional, and physiological effects (all p < 0.05). Staff nurses, rotating-shift nurses, and nurses with <5 years of ICU experience reported higher effects in several domains; significant differences were also found by age group, marital status, and work-shift pattern. In multivariable models adjusting for all characteristics simultaneously, staff-nurse role, female gender and rotating shift remained independently associated with higher scores, whereas age group and years of ICU experience did not. Conclusions: ICU noise was perceived as a significant occupational stressor, with certain nurse subgroups reporting greater adverse effects. Healthcare organizations should prioritize comprehensive noise-reduction policies, effective alarm management, and targeted support strategies to mitigate noise-related impacts on nurses and improve the ICU work environment. Full article

The amount of time office workers spend seated poses multiple health risks and has been associated with increased musculoskeletal pain. To evaluate the potential association of discomfort and computer utilization with workstation type, we conducted a retrospective analysis of data collected at a large US company as part of their corporate wellness initiative. Workers had either an electric height-adjustable or a traditional desk for more than a year prior to the data collection phase. Data collected included participants’ discomfort levels and multiple objective measures of computer utilization as captured by the office ergonomic software package, RSI Guard. Data were collected over a year-long period and reported for each participant (n ≈ 10,145). After a year, the percentage of participants reporting no discomfort increased by 2.4%. Active computing time was reviewed for the two categories, with traditional users having 2.95 h per day while the height-adjustable desk users had 3.66 h per day (p < 0.001). This difference in active computing time equates to 43 additional active minutes per day for individuals with access to height-adjustable workstations. Findings suggest that individuals with access to height-adjustable workstations may be associated with increased computer use and negligible changes in discomfort over a one-year period. Full article

Background/Objectives: Nitric oxide (NO) donors reliably provoke cluster headache attacks in susceptible individuals, supporting an important role of NO signalling in cluster headache pathophysiology. Headache following accidental nitric acid inhalation has previously been reported; however, de novo chronic cluster headache following inhalational exposure to nitric acid and nitrogen oxides has not been described. We report a case in which the close temporal relationship and clinical circumstances raise the possibility of secondary headache attribution according to the principles of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3). Methods: We describe the clinical course of a 54-year-old man without a previous history of cluster headache or comparable recurrent headache attacks who developed a novel headache immediately following occupational inhalational exposure involving nitric acid and nitrogen oxides. Clinical characteristics, temporal evolution, diagnostic findings and treatment response were evaluated according to ICHD-3 criteria and interpreted in the context of published evidence concerning nitric acid-induced headache and NO-provoked cluster headache. Results: Following the inhalational event in September 2024, a novel headache occurred immediately and subsequently evolved into a characteristic trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia. From December 2024 onward, the patient experienced 5–8 daily attacks of severe to very severe, strictly left-sided periorbital–temporal pain lasting 15–20 min, accompanied by ipsilateral lacrimation and marked restlessness. The disorder persisted without sustained remission for more than one year, fulfilling the phenotypic criteria of chronic cluster headache. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging revealed no structural cause. According to ICHD-3 attribution principles, the de novo onset in close temporal relation to an exposure capable of causing headache supports classification as secondary headache. This attribution is further supported biologically by the established ability of NO donors to provoke cluster headache attacks and activate trigeminovascular mechanisms. Conclusions: This case describes a de novo chronic cluster headache phenotype temporally associated with occupational inhalational exposure to nitric acid and nitrogen oxides. The temporal relationship and experimental evidence concerning TRPA1-mediated chemosensory activation, NO–cGMP signalling, CGRP release and trigeminovascular activation provide biological plausibility for a possible exposure-related association. However, neither a toxicological causal relationship nor the proposed transition to persistent trigeminal–autonomic sensitization can be established from this single case. Full article

Crown gall remains difficult to manage because pathogenic agrobacteria can persist in soil, rhizosphere niches, infected roots, plant residues, and propagative materials, while repeated wounding creates new infection sites. This review examines how these reservoirs interact with soil and plant-associated microbiota to shape disease recurrence. Crown gall-specific studies show that gall and graft-union communities are spatially structured and identify pathogen competition, opine use, and virulence-related functions as processes that may shape disease-associated microbial assemblages. Evidence from better-characterized suppressive soils further identifies niche occupation, resource competition, bacterial–fungal interactions, and community stability as mechanisms worth testing in crown gall systems. Sanitation, wound protection, and single-strain biocontrol remain central to preventive management in nurseries and perennial production systems, whereas microbiome-based approaches remain complementary and experimental. Evaluation of locally adapted microbial consortia should consider pathogen rebound in infection-relevant niches, persistence of protective microorganisms, functional activity, new gall incidence, soil conditions, and non-target effects. Distinguishing crown gall-specific evidence from cross-pathosystem inference will help define testable mechanisms and appropriate criteria for field evaluation. Full article

Occupational accident severity is often modeled as a single ordered outcome, potentially obscuring differences between fatal and severe non-fatal injuries. This study develops a dual-pathway framework that separately analyzes fatal versus non-fatal outcomes and severe versus minor injuries among non-fatal cases. Using 48,909 accident records from the CSDataset, structured attributes were integrated with narrative-derived scenario-exposure and work-activity variables obtained through rule-constrained LLM coding; expert validation yielded Cohen’s κ = 0.742. Logistic and Firth logistic regressions were combined with machine learning models, SHAP analysis, and scenario–activity co-occurrence analysis. The two pathways shared several explanatory variables but differed in association direction and magnitude. In the fatality pathway, vehicle and mobile-equipment exposure (OR = 1.813, 95% CI: 1.668–1.971) and workplace violence (OR = 5.184, 95% CI: 4.190–6.415) showed positive associations. Among non-fatal cases, driving operation showed the strongest positive activity-level association with severe injury (OR = 2.188, 95% CI: 1.715–2.793). Co-occurrence analysis showed that frequent combinations were not necessarily outcome-enriched; vehicle and mobile-equipment exposure combined with driving operation was enriched in both pathways. These findings support pathway-specific interpretation and work-context-oriented safety management and prevention. Full article

Iron oxide-mediated abiotic humification is critical for long-term soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilization. Goethite (α-FeOOH), the most thermodynamically stable iron oxyhydroxide in terrestrial ecosystems, is proposed to catalyze coupled Maillard reaction and polyphenol oxidation via surface hydroxyl and Fe(III) active sites. Nevertheless, the divergent interfacial regulatory mechanisms of glycine (Gly, N source) and glucose (Glu, C source) concentration gradients in goethite-catalyzed polyphenol-Maillard systems remain poorly understood. Two independent 360-h gradient incubation experiments were performed using synthetic goethite as a catalyst and catechol as a model polyphenol precursor to probe their concentration-dependent effects on short-term interfacial transformation kinetics and humic-like product properties. Kinetics, product properties, and underlying pathways were characterized via Gaussian and first-order asymptotic modeling, humic-like acid (HLA)/fulvic-like acid (FLA) fractionation, elemental analysis, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results showed that 0.12 mol/L was the optimal concentration for both precursors to accelerate intermediate transformation. Gly elevated the baseline aromaticity parameter y₀ by 108.87% (vs. 20.38% for Glu), while Glu increased the asymptotic maximum dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by 322.66% (vs. 78.02% for Gly). Moderate Gly (0.03 mol/L) yielded the highest C_HLA. Excessive precursors reduced the C_HLA/C_FLA ratio via interfacial competitive adsorption and site occupation. The two precursors exerted opposing effects on the hydroxyl stretching peak of humic products, but both induced goethite surface reconstruction and activated iron-bearing surface functional groups. PLS-SEM confirmed precursor concentration as the dominant driver of humification kinetics. This study clarifies the distinct roles of Gly in aromatic cyclization and Glu as an aliphatic C donor during short-term mineral–organic interfacial processes, providing quantitative benchmarks for optimizing artificial humus production. Full article

The Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) contains high-Mg volcanic rocks, evolved basalts, and Fe-Ti-V-oxide-bearing layered intrusions, providing a natural system for investigating the coupled effects of H₂O and the redox state on silicate crystallization. We modeled three representative starting melts, namely Melt-6 (basaltic), Melt-8 (meimechitic), and Melt-10 (komatiitic), at 5 kbar under prescribed fO₂ conditions spanning ΔFMQ = −3 to +3 using rhyolite-MELTS. The simulations show that the starting melt composition sets the liquidus temperature and controls whether olivine saturates first. H₂O depresses silicate saturation temperatures, with the strongest effect on plagioclase, whereas fO₂ modifies phase relations mainly through Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺, effective FeO activity, and competition with Fe-Ti oxide saturation. The orthopyroxene saturation temperature and enstatite-ferrosilite (En-Fs) composition show the strongest redox response, whereas clinopyroxene is buffered by Ca occupancy in the M2 site and plagioclase records mainly the H₂O content and residual melt evolution. These results support a coupled model in which the starting melt, H₂O, and fO₂ jointly control crystallization paths and Fe-Ti-V oxide enrichment in ELIP layered intrusions. Full article

Beekeeping is a physically demanding agricultural occupation involving repetitive lifting, awkward postures, prolonged outdoor work, and environmental exposures. Musculoskeletal disorders have been documented among beekeepers, but less is known about broader occupational health experiences, ergonomic practices, and intervention needs. This study characterized the occupational health, physical demands, and ergonomic priorities among beekeepers through a regional needs assessment focused primarily on Kentucky and Tennessee (n = 86). A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 100 U.S. beekeepers in active management roles. The survey assessed self-reported health, physical workload, musculoskeletal strain, injuries, ergonomic tool use, and occupational challenges. Over half routinely lifted loads exceeding 40 pounds, yet 55% never used lifting aids. Larger operations reported significantly greater back strain, suggesting operation size may reflect cumulative physical workload. Approximately one-quarter reported a beekeeping-related injury, with nearly all managed through self-care. Cost was the primary barrier to ergonomic tool adoption. Despite common musculoskeletal strain, participants generally reported favorable overall health compared with regional population benchmarks. Within this regional sample, occupational health concerns were associated with physical workload, operation size, and barriers to ergonomic intervention. Future investigations should address hazardous tasks alongside behavioral, economic, and cultural factors affecting adoption of preventative strategies. Full article

Despite technological developments and increasing awareness in the field of occupational health and safety, occupational accidents remain one of the fundamental problems that continue to have significant economic and social consequences. Particularly in the manufacturing sector, the diversity of production processes, differences in the machinery and equipment used, and the complexity of working environments cause occupational accidents to exhibit risk patterns that are both shared across sectors and specific to individual sectors. In this context, this study conducted a topic modeling analysis using the BERTopic algorithm on 1,600,000 occupational accident narratives to identify sector-specific risk patterns and error types associated with 24 different economic activities within the manufacturing sector. To improve topic modeling performance, a multilingual SentenceBERT-based embedding model and a Turkish-specific tr-MTEB embedding model were compared, and the analysis was carried out using the model that provided higher representational capacity and better topic separation performance for the occupational accident narratives. The findings show that, although the sectors differ in terms of production structure, types of machinery and equipment used, material characteristics, and working environments, occupational accidents largely cluster around similar risk mechanisms. As a result, it was determined that the BERTopic method makes the sectoral risk patterns embedded in occupational accident narratives more visible and provides an analytical basis for developing sector-specific prevention strategies in occupational safety practices. Full article

Silicosis is one of the most prevalent occupational diseases worldwide, resulting from prolonged exposure to crystalline silica (SiO₂). This exposure leads to persistent inflammation, lung fibrosis, and ultimately significant loss of lung function and death. Although the precise mechanisms remain unclear, the primary molecular pathogenesis of silicosis—ranging from SiO₂-induced chronic inflammation to irreversible pulmonary fibrosis—shares considerable overlap with fibrosis mechanisms in various organs, including the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, the activation of fibrosis-related signaling pathways, and ferroptosis. Currently, there is no cure for silicosis; anti-fibrotic treatments are recommended to slow disease progression. Bicyclol, a hepatoprotective agent commonly used to manage elevated aminotransferases due to chronic hepatitis, has garnered attention in recent years for its anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties in organs such as the liver, heart, and kidney. It significantly reduces extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and deposition in these organs, thereby decelerating fibrosis progression. In the context of silicosis, bicyclol has demonstrated promising effects on both chronic inflammation and fibrosis, indicating its potential as a clinical treatment for silicosis. This review summarizes the effects of bicyclol during the chronic inflammation and fibrosis stages of silicosis progression, providing both direct and indirect evidence for its potential therapeutic application in silicosis management. However, it is worth noting that there is limited direct evidence specific to silicosis, and the current prospects mainly stem from indirect evidence of anti-fibrotic effects in other organs. There is still a long way to go before bicyclol truly becomes an approved drug for silicosis. Full article

Indoor air quality (IAQ) in healthcare environments is affected by dynamic interactions between occupancy, ventilation, operational activities, and indoor emission sources, which are not always captured through conventional punctual assessments. This study evaluated long-term IAQ dynamics in different hospital microenvironments using continuous low-cost sensor monitoring combined with targeted chemical characterization of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and specific aldehydes. Continuous monitoring was conducted from June 2023 to December 2025, measuring CO₂, PM_2.5, PM₁₀, formaldehyde (CH₂O), temperature, relative humidity, and total VOCs (TVOC). A total of 1.79 million raw records were processed, generating 1.42 million indoor measurements and 264,311 hourly aggregated observations. Complementary VOC and aldehyde sampling campaigns supported the interpretation of pollutant specific temporal patterns. Results revealed differentiated and recurrent IAQ signatures across hospital areas. CO₂ dynamics were mainly associated with occupancy and ventilation demand, whereas formaldehyde showed more persistent and seasonally dependent sensor patterns, compatible with the influence of indoor emission sources and ventilation heterogeneity. Targeted chemical characterization further identified area specific pollutant profiles associated with cleaning activities, laboratory processes, materials, and operational conditions. Importantly, recurrent periods were identified in which acceptable occupancy related CO₂ conditions coincided with elevated chemical pollutant levels. These findings show how long-term multi-parameter monitoring can distinguish function and pollutant specific IAQ signatures that would remain obscured by aggregated or single parameter assessments, providing an evidence base for area specific monitoring strategies and future adaptive hospital IAQ management. Full article