Search Results (12)

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a common type of sensorineural hearing loss caused by exposure to high-intensity noise that leads to irreversible cochlear damage. Despite extensive research on cochlear pathophysiology, the precise mechanisms remain unclear, and no established treatment exists. This is due to the challenges in imaging and the inability to perform biopsies in human patients. Consequently, animal models, particularly mice, have been widely used to study NIHL. Clinically, NIHL presents as either a temporary threshold shift, in which hearing recovers, or a permanent threshold shift, which results in an irreversible loss. Histopathological studies have identified the key features of NIHL, including outer hair cell loss, auditory nerve degeneration, and synaptic impairment. Recent findings suggest that oxidative stress and inflammation are major contributors to NIHL, highlighting the potential for therapeutic interventions, such as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. Given the increasing prevalence of NIHL owing to occupational noise exposure and personal audio device use, addressing this issue is a pressing public health challenge. This review summarizes the clinical features, underlying mechanisms, and emerging treatment strategies for NIHL while identifying current knowledge gaps and future research directions. Full article

Archaeological investigations worldwide have focused on when and how humans permanently settled in high-altitude environments. Recent evidence from Xiada Co, Qusongguo, and Dingzhonghuzhuzi in western Tibet, where lithic artifacts and radiocarbon dates with original deposits were first accessed, provides new insights into human activities in this extreme environment during the early Holocene. This paper examines the mobility and land-use patterns of foragers in western Tibet from the perspectives of lithic analysis. Assemblages from three sites suggest homogenous technologies and raw material use, as well as potential interaction network of hunter-gatherers within the plateau during the early Holocene. It further argues that the material exponents and travel cost models of site location supported permanent occupation of the western Tibetan Plateau in this period. Full article

Human existence and development have always relied on suitable shelter. The dual-directional relationship of human residence has always been a material dealt with to enhance residential living conditions. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic introduced abrupt and dramatic changes to human life protocols that exerted clear pressure on different sectors within the built environment. Housing experienced a great impact due to the need for social distancing and quarantine obligations to support human life. In this study, in order to measure human adaptation and residence alterations following new residential requirements, the quality of interior space investigations to promote a better built environment for occupants was facilitated using the theory of residential dissatisfaction, already adopted in the current study. Residents’ responses were extracted regarding their dissatisfaction by applying the Likert scale for measurement and evaluation. This study focused on homogenous housing estates in Erbil City. Apartments were precisely selected with different plans and building layouts for widespread use in the city. They were occupied during the three stages of the study to extend beyond investigating the direct impact of the pandemic on the permanence of alterations and adaptation even after the pandemic. The reasons for changed dissatisfaction levels were investigated to improve the reliability of formulating final conclusions and recommendations. The findings showed increased dissatisfaction during the pandemic in most spaces; apartment layout and space design significantly affected responses and demands. The levels of dissatisfaction after the pandemic changed from stable to a slight decline in dissatisfaction. The effect of limited external spaces in apartments limited the possibility of managing pressure. This case might be less demanding in single-family housing due to the availability of private gardens. The results indicate that five distinct spaces were affected by the pandemic: the living room, family dining area, children’s bedroom, laundry room, and storage area. The dissatisfaction with these spaces increased during the pandemic and either remained unchanged or continued to rise afterward. Full article

This paper aims to enhance the understanding of the littoralization process in mainland Portugal over a broad chronological framework. Littoralization is defined as the occupation and settlement of human communities along the coast. In this case, the analysis was based on the synchronic analysis of three chronologies: from the formation of Portugal to the settlement of the fountains (1096–1325); at the dawn of modernity, marked by the Portuguese expansion (1500–1524), with the first scientific census (1860); and in the present, with data from the last census (2021). The choice of chronology was dictated by the historical sources available and allowed us to check the trend of population dispersion both in terms of latitude and longitude, the latter being the analysis of the distance of the main population centers (counties) from the coast. In the first chronological segment, there is a “safety distance” from the exposed coastlines, which is gradually blurred over time until there is an impressive coastal demographic concentration in 2021, with around 80% of people settled within 50 km of the sea. So, the management of Portugal’s territory is an unequivocal indicator of the Anthropocene even with the risks of the disappearance of some beaches. Full article

Advancements in modern medicine have improved the quality of life across the globe and increased the average lifespan of our population by multiple decades. Current estimates predict by 2030, 12% of the global population will reach a geriatric age and live another 3–4 decades. This swelling geriatric population will place critical stress on healthcare infrastructures due to accompanying increases in age-related diseases and comorbidities. While much research focused on long-lived individuals seeks to answer questions regarding how to age healthier, there is a deficit in research investigating what aspects of our lives accelerate or exacerbate aging. In particular, heavy metals are recognized as a significant threat to human health with links to a plethora of age-related diseases, and have widespread human exposures from occupational, medical, or environmental settings. We believe heavy metals ought to be classified as a class of gerontogens (i.e., chemicals that accelerate biological aging in cells and tissues). Gerontogens may be best studied through their effects on the “Hallmarks of Aging”, nine physiological hallmarks demonstrated to occur in aged cells, tissues, and bodies. Evidence suggests that cellular senescence—a permanent growth arrest in cells—is one of the most pertinent hallmarks of aging and is a useful indicator of aging in tissues. Here, we discuss the roles of heavy metals in brain aging. We briefly discuss brain aging in general, then expand upon observations for heavy metals contributing to age-related neurodegenerative disorders. We particularly emphasize the roles and observations of cellular senescence in neurodegenerative diseases. Finally, we discuss the observations for heavy metals inducing cellular senescence. The glaring lack of knowledge about gerontogens and gerontogenic mechanisms necessitates greater research in the field, especially in the context of the global aging crisis. Full article

Since the beginning of the second industrial revolution, the use of tanks for the storage of petroleum products ensured the permanent supply of equipment that depended on fossil fuel derived from petroleum, either for direct consumption or as an element for power generation. For correct operation, periodic cleaning of these confined spaces was required, being a common practice for the direct exposure of operators to explosive atmospheres. Currently, there are many industries that keep this kind of deposit, and cleaning works are considered of high occupational risk. In this context, the question arises as to whether human–machine collaboration thanks to the technologies that compose Industry 5.0 can mitigate these risks while generating a sustainable balance by optimizing costs and protecting the environment. In the present work, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method is used to prioritize the requirements that should be compiled to establish safe protocols in tank cleaning works, solving the multi-criteria problem. Results prove that a couple of alternatives improve the working conditions of the people involved in this process: the chemical cleaning and the robotic cleaning, which approximately accounts for two thirds of the decision. These requirements are aligned with the Industry 5.0 paradigm, encouraging the use of robots for high-risk processes, and influencing human behavior. In addition, cost reduction is achieved without compromising on quality of service or delivery schedule, thus enabling a circular economy that promotes occupational safety in company policies. Full article

The Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State (FACTS) began accepting whole-body donations for scientific research and educational purposes under the Texas Anatomical Gift Act in 2008. Research conducted with donated whole bodies involves studies in taphonomy and human decomposition, including reconstructing the postmortem interval. Following decomposition, the skeletal elements of all donors are collected, cleaned, and permanently curated into the Texas State Donated Skeletal Collection (TXSTDSC), which is used for teaching and research by faculty and students at Texas State but is also open to external researchers. To date, FACTS has received 710 donors. Fifty-eight percent of donors are male and 42% are female. Donor ages range from 21 weeks’ gestation to 103 years old at the time of death, with a mean of 66 years, and a median of 68 years. Based on self-identified or family-identified ancestry, 90% of donors are White, 4.5% are Hispanic, 3% are Black, less than 2% are of mixed ancestry, and less than 1% are Asian or Native American. Information collected about each donor includes geographic/residential history; occupational history; socioeconomic status; anthropometrics; parity status; alcohol, tobacco, and drug use history; mobility status; an overall health questionnaire; cause and manner of death. Full article

Dissecting a human cadaver is an irreplaceable practice in general training of medical students. Cadavers in anatomy laboratories are usually preserved in formalin, an embalming fluid whose basic component is formaldehyde (FA). The aim of this study is to assess the cancer risk of employees and students that are exposed to FA based on the results of three monitoring campaigns, as well as to suggest permanent solutions to the problem of FA exposure based on the results obtained. Three sampling campaigns of formaldehyde concentration in indoor environments were conducted at five different locations at the Anatomy Department of the Faculty of Medicine with the purpose of assessing permanent employees’ and medical faculty first year students’ exposure to FA. Indoor air was continuously sampled during 8 h of laboratory work and analyzed in accordance with the NIOSH Method 3500. Exceeding of the 8 h time-weighted average (8 h TWA) values recommended by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of 0.75 ppm was recorded in 37% of the samples during the three-month monitoring campaign. Cancer risk assessment levels for permanent employees were in the range from 6.43 × 10⁻³ to 8.77 × 10⁻⁴, while the cancer risk assessment levels for students ranged from 8.94 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.83 × 10⁻⁶. The results of the research show that cancer risk assessment for employees is several thousand times higher than the limit recommended by the EPA (10⁻⁶) and point to the importance of reducing exposure to formaldehyde through the reconstruction of the existing ventilation system, continual monitoring, the use of formaldehyde-free products, and plastination of anatomical specimens. Full article

The timing and motivation of prehistoric human expansion into the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a widely debated scientific issue. Recent archaeological studies have brought forward predictions of the earliest human occupation of the TP to the late–Middle Pleistocene. However, massive human occupation of the TP did not appear until the termination of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The spatio-temporal distribution of prehistoric hunter-gatherers on the TP varies significantly before the permanent occupation after 3600 BP (before present). Here, we report on environmental-archaeological evidence from the Canxionggashuo (CXGS) site in Yushu Prefecture, which provides information that is key to understanding the dynamics of post-LGM human occupation on the TP. Radiocarbon dating has revealed two occupation periods of the CXGS site at 8600–7100 cal (calibrated years) BP and 2400–2100 cal BP. The charcoal concentration in cultural layers correlates well with paleo–human activities. Hunter-gatherers expanded westwards from the northeastern margin of the TP to the hinterland of the TP during the warming period of the early–middle Holocene (~11,500–6000 BP). However, these groups retreated during the middle–late Holocene (~6000–3600 BP) under a cooling-drying climate. Prehistoric humans finally occupied the hinterland of the TP permanently after 3600 BP, with an enhanced cold-adaptive lifestyle, although the climate was still deteriorating. Full article

The SW coast of the Iberian Peninsula experiences a lack of palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data. With the aim to fill this gap, we contribute with a new palynological and geochemical dataset obtained from a sediment core drilled in the continental shelf of the Algarve coast. Archaeological data have been correlated with our multi-proxy dataset to understand how human groups adapted to environmental changes during the Early-Mid Holocene, with special focus on the Mesolithic to Neolithic transition. Vegetation trends indicate warm conditions at the onset of the Holocene followed by increased moisture and forest development ca. 10–7 ka BP, after which woodlands are progressively replaced by heaths. Peaks of aridity were identified at 8.2 and 7. 5 ka BP. Compositional, textural, redox state, and weathering of source area geochemical proxies indicates abrupt palaeoceanographic modifications and gradual terrestrial changes at 8.2 ka BP, while the 7.5 ka BP event mirrors a decrease in land moisture availability. Mesolithic sites are mainly composed of seasonal camps with direct access to the coast for the exploitation of local resources. This pattern extends into the Early Neolithic, when these sites coexist with seasonal and permanent occupations located in inland areas near rivers. Changes in settlement patterns and dietary habits may be influenced by changes in coastal environments caused by the sea-level rise and the impact of the 8.2 and 7.5 ka BP climate events. Full article

The effectiveness of the audit is conditioned by the systematic nature of the analyses and their periodicity. In this respect, the work of internal auditors must be coherent, continuous, and professional. These conditions can be met only if the activity is organized as a permanent system, which has its objectives and has resources (human, material, and financial), as well as adequate tools (audit method) corresponding to the activities carried out within the hydro-construction companies. The methodology for assessing the occupational safety status specific to companies in the field of hydrotechnical constructions was tested at the economic operators within SC HIDROCONSTRUCȚIA SA Bucharest. Thus, from the observation made based on the two calculation formulas’ application, it can be appreciated that the weighted amount more clearly and objectively reflects the existence of problems in achieving safety and health at work, thus constituting the result of a cautious approach, as opposed to the arithmetic mean formula, which leads to a result that tends to overestimate the value of the assessment. Additionally, the security risk determination in the field of occupational security at the economic operators was performed, according to the procedure of applying the method, based on the Gumbel probability function associated with insecurity, and the accuracy of various estimates on risk predictors was ensured by using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistical verification test in order to determine the confidence interval of the forecast results. Full article

In southern Europe, the present stock of social housing is ventilated naturally, with practice varying in the different seasons of the year. In winter, windows are kept closed most of the day with the exception of short periods for ventilation, whereas the rest of the year the windows are almost permanently open. In cold weather, air changes depend primarily on the air infiltrating across the envelope and when the temperature is warm, on the air flowing in through open windows. CO₂, PM_2.5, and TVOC concentration patterns were gathered over a year’s time in three social housing developments in southern Europe with different airtightness conditions and analyzed to determine possible relationships between environmental parameters and occupants’ use profiles. Correlations were found between TVOC and CO₂ concentrations, for human activity was identified as the primary source of indoor contaminants: peak TVOC concentrations were related to specific household activities such as cooking or leisure. Indoor and outdoor PM_2.5 concentrations were likewise observed to be correlated, although not linearly due to the presence of indoor sources. Ventilation as presently practiced in winter appears to be insufficient to dilute indoor contaminants in all three buildings, nor does summertime behavior guarantee air quality. Full article