In vitro and in vivo evaluation of propylene glycol ethers metabolism in humans.

Propylene glycol ethers (PGEs) consist of a major α-isomer (secondary alcohol group) and a minor β-isomer (primary alcohol group). Animal studies have reported toxic effects of the β-isomer metabolites, but human metabolism of PGEs remains poorly understood. We aimed to characterize the metabolism of two common PGEs in humans.

Well-being at work among general practitioners working in multidisciplinary primary care teams: a cross sectional study.

Background: Transforming primary care (PC) through the development of multidisciplinary teams can represent a challenge in terms of occupational well-being.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate associations between occupational stress, job satisfaction among general practitioners (GPs) and the professional composition of PC teams.

Desing And Setting: We conducted a secondary analysis of the data from 11 Western countries that participated in the 2019 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians ( = 13,200).

Impact of physical activity on ethoxy- and propoxypropanol human toxicokinetics in vivo.

Organic solvents such as propylene glycol ethers (PGEs) represents more than 20 different substances and are incorporated in thousands of commercial and professional products. Two PGEs commonly used in Europe and found mainly in cleaning and water-based paint products are propylene glycol ethyl ether (PGEE) and propylene glycol propyl ether (PGPE). Given their volatile properties, inhalation is the most common route of exposure.

Assessment of a specialized medicine consultation for pregnant workers: The users' perspective.

BackgroundOccupational exposures can endanger the health of pregnant workers and their unborn children. The Department of Occupational and Environmental Health of Unisanté has established a specialized occupational health consultation to assist pregnant workers, employers and gynecologists in implementing maternity protection provisions in the workplace.ObjectiveThe study aims to assess the satisfaction of the users of the consultation, describe their overall experience and identify the benefits and limitations of the consultation.

COPD Risk Phenotypes in Older Smokers: Evaluation in GLI- and GOLD-Defined Respiratory Impairment.

Purpose: In aging populations, the Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) spirometry threshold may misclassify normal spirometry as airflow limitation. The Global Lung Initiative (GLI) method provides age-adjusted criteria. We investigated how the use of GOLD or GLI thresholds in an algorithm affects the classification of elderly smokers into COPD risk phenotypes.

Air Pollution and Primary DNA Damage among Zagreb (Croatia) Residents: A Cross-Sectional Study.

More than eight million premature deaths annually can be attributed to air pollution, with 99% of the world's population residing in areas below recommended air quality standards. Hence, the present study aimed to examine the association between primary DNA damage and air pollution data among 123 participants enrolled between 2011 and 2015 in Zagreb, Croatia. While most measured air pollutants adhered to regulatory limits, benzo[a]pyrene concentrations bound to PM exceeded them.

Long-term exposure to PM and respiratory health among Parisian subway workers.

Exposure to ambient PM10 may increase the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung function decline. We evaluated the long-term exposure to PM10 and its relationship with COPD prevalence and lung function in Parisian subway workers. Participants were randomly selected from a 15,000-subway worker cohort.

Job Exposure Matrix, a Solution for Retrospective Assessment of Particle Exposure in a Subway Network and Their Long-Term Effects.

Introduction: Health effects after long-term exposure to subway particulate matter (PM) remain unknown due to the lack of individual PM exposure data. This study aimed to apply the job exposure matrix (JEM) approach to retrospectively assess occupational exposure to PM in the Parisian subway.

Methods: Job, the line and sector of the transport network, as well as calendar period were four JEM dimensions.

Occupational exposure to nanomaterials and biomarkers in exhaled air and urine: Insights from the NanoExplore international cohort.

The current evidence on nanomaterial toxicity is mostly derived from experimental studies making it challenging to translate it into human health risks. We established an international cohort (N = 141 workers) within the EU-LIFE project "NanoExplore" to address possible health effects from occupational exposures to nanomaterials. We used a handheld direct-reading optical particle counter to measure airborne nanoparticle number concentrations (PNC) and lung-deposited surface areas (LDSAs).

Predictive factors of return-to-work trajectory after work-related rotator cuff syndrome: A prospective study of 96 workers.

Objective: Sustained return to work after surgery for work-related rotator cuff syndrome (WRRCS) remains quite difficult. The main purpose of the present study was to identify predictive factors of a return-to-work (RTW) trajectory.

Methods: A total of 96 workers with WRRCS were identified by 4 surgeons.

Clinical Use of an Exposure, Symptom, and Spirometry Algorithm to Stratify Smokers into COPD Risk Phenotypes: A Case Finding Study Combined with Smoking Cessation Counseling.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) case-finding aims to detect airflow obstruction in symptomatic smokers and ex-smokers. We used a clinical algorithm including smoking, symptoms, and spirometry to classify smokers into COPD risk phenotypes. In addition, we evaluated the acceptability and effectiveness of including smoking cessation advice in the case-finding intervention.

Hematological variations in healthy participants exposed 2 h to propylene glycol ethers under controlled conditions.

Glycol ethers are solvents used in a plethora of occupational and household products exposing the users to potential toxic effects. Several glycol ethers derived from ethylene glycol induce hematological toxicity, such as anemia in workers. The exposure effects on blood cells of glycol ethers derived from propylene glycol are unknown in humans.

A harmonized protocol for an international multicenter prospective study of nanotechnology workers: the NanoExplore cohort.

Nanotechnology applications are fast-growing in many industrial fields. Consequently, health effects of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) should be investigated. Within the EU-Life project NanoExplore, we developed a harmonized protocol of an international multicenter prospective cohort study of workers in ENM-producing companies.

Consultation frequency and general practitioners' and practices' characteristics.

Background: High workloads generated by a few patients who consult very frequently can become huge burdens for general practitioners (GPs). Patient-related factors have been repeatedly associated with frequent consultations, but there is evidence that GPs can also influence that frequency. We investigated how patients, GPs and their practices' organisational characteristics were associated with consultation frequency.

Co-exposures to physical and psychosocial work factors increase the occurrence of workplace injuries among French care workers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of co-exposures to physical and psychosocial factors (PSF) regarding the incidence of workplace injuries (WI) among care workers. Additional objective was to identify the work factors associated with the co-exposure combinations leading to the highest rates of WI.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 4,418 care workers participating to the French Working Conditions Survey both in 2013 and 2016.

Identifying complex patients in family medicine for potential benefit from a case manager: a short questionnaire derived from the INTERMED Self-Assessment (IMSA) questionnaire.

Purpose: To investigate how useful the Intermed-Self Assessment (IMSA) questionnaire and its components were for identifying which patient candidates would benefit most from case management (CM) in general practice.

Methods: The study was carried out in a group family medicine practice in Lausanne comprising seven GPs and four medical assistants, from February to April 2019. All the patients attending the practice between February and April 2019 were invited to complete the IMSA questionnaire.

Season, Vegetation Proximity and Building Age Shape the Indoor Fungal Communities' Composition at City-Scale.

Exposure to particular microbiome compositions in the built environment can affect human health and well-being. Identifying the drivers of these indoor microbial assemblages is key to controlling the microbiota of the built environment. In the present study, we used culture and metabarcoding of the fungal Internal Transcribed Spacer ribosomal RNA region to assess whether small-scale variation in the built environment influences the diversity, composition and structure of indoor air fungal communities between a heating and an unheated season.

Oxidative Potential in Exhaled Air (OPEA) as a Tool for Predicting Certain Respiratory Disorders in the General Adult Population: Cross-Sectional Analysis Nested in the Swiss Health Study.

In a pilot clinical study, OPEA allowed for distinguishing participants with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This study aimed to assess whether abnormal spirometry parameters and immunity against SARS-CoV-2 are associated with increased OPEA and estimating the OPEA reference interval. Swiss adult residents of the Vaud Canton aged 20-69 years randomly selected from the Federal Statistical Office's registries, speaking French or German, were included and examined between 1 October 2020 and 31 December 2021.