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Thirty-two women between 62 and 75 years old were randomized into 3 groups. Each group performed a program of 4 sessions a week over 6 weeks. Group SC (n - 11) climbed up and down stairs, group ES (n = 11) practiced electrostimulation, and group SC + ES (n = 10) superimposed the 2 activities simultaneously. Using a force platform and a seesaw platform, static and dynamic balance in eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions were analyzed before and after the programs for each group. After the programs, the results indicated that dynamic balance improved for the 3 groups, but the contribution of visual information in the control of oscillation amplitude was lower in the SC group than in the ES and SC + ES groups. In the SC + ES group, the electrical stimulation interferes with neurophysiologic afference integration in postural control in relation to voluntary movement. Voluntary exercise appears to be more efficient than electrical stimulation and the superimposed techniques to change balancing tactics in the elderly. Key Words. electrical stimulation, physical activity, strength, balance, gait, elderly

Background: Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) is the main causative agent of bovine zoonotic tuberculosis. The aim of this systematic review is to highlight the occupational exposure to bovine tuberculosis due to M. bovis. Methodology/principal findings: A computer based literature search was carried out to identify papers published between January 2006 and March 2017. “PubMed, Cochrane Library and Science Direct” databases were searched systematically. Articles presenting the following properties were included: (i) focusing on M. bovis; (ii) concerning occupational exposure to bovine tuberculosis. A quality assessment was performed after selection of studies. Our search strategy identified a total of 3,264 papers of which 29 studies met the inclusion criteria. Of the 29 articles, 17 were cross-sectional studies (6 were of high quality and scored in the range of 6–7, 11 were of moderate quality and scored in the range 3–5), 10 were case reports, and 2 were reviews. Different occupational fields exposing to the disease were described: livestock sector, particularly in contact with dairy cattle (farmers, veterinaries and assistants, abattoir workers) and working in contact with wildlife (hunters, taxidermists). Conclusions: A specific guideline for occupational practitioners taking care of employees exposed to bovine tuberculosis is warranted and should be tailored to level of exposure. This review was intended to be the first step of such a project. Articles were identified from various continents and countries with different socio-economic situations, broadening our understanding of the worldwide situation. Published data on occupational exposure in developed countries are scarce. We had to extrapolate findings from countries with higher prevalence of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Riveted bone strips have been described variously as 'riveted mounts' or the components of combs. They are examined here and interpreted as connecting plates from horn composite combs. This comb type came into use during the ninth century and quickly became the most common form of the Late Saxon period, continuing in use until the twelfth century. It is essentially an Anglo-Saxon comb form but examples have been found also in Dublin and across numerous sites in northern France. Connecting plates, made of antler or bone, occur in three basic shapes. Horn composite comb waste assemblages from Norwich, Thetford and Winchester suggest that by the late eleventh century commodity-based manufacture had superseded earlier forms of material-centred production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fipronil represents a chemical class of insecticides acting at the γ-aminobutyric acid receptor in pests. Fipronil has been associated with a significant increase in the incidence of thyroid gland tumors concomitant with prolonged exposure to thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in rats. An association between human TSH concentration and thyroid cancer has been also reported. The primary objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that chronic occupational fipronil exposure may be associated with abnormal thyroid function tests. Methods: In 2008, 159 workers of a factory manufacturing fipronil-containing veterinary drugs were assessed. Serum concentrations of TSH, total thyroxine, free thyroxine, fipronil, and fipronil sulfone were measured. Results: A positive and significant correlation was observed between serum fipronil or fipronil sulfone levels and duration of fipronil exposure. Serum fipronil sulfone concentration was negatively correlated with TSH concentration in fipronil-exposed workers, but with no significant increase in thyroid function test abnormalities. Conclusion: This study did not show that chronic fipronil exposure was associated with an increase of thyroid function test abnormalities. But, despite the fact that fipronil exposure in rats has been associated with increased serum TSH, fipronil sulfone concentrations were negatively correlated with serum TSH concentrations in fipronil-exposed workers, raising the possibility that fipronil has a central inhibitory effect on TSH secretion in humans. Close occupational medical surveillance, therefore, appears to be required in factory workers manufacturing fipronil-containing veterinary drugs. Larger epidemiological studies as well as investigations on possible thyroid-disrupting mechanisms of fipronil are also required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of shift work on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and metabolic syndrome are not yet completely understood. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of shift work on metabolic syndrome according to two different definitions in a population of strictly rotating shift workers (3×8 h) compared to paired counterparts working only day hours, and to study whether shift work itself is a determinant of metabolic syndrome after taking into account a large panel of confusing factors. We conducted a cross-sectional study comparing 98 strictly rotating shift workers to 100 regular day-workers (all subjects had a long experience of their working rhythms) within the same petrochemical plant. Clinical, behavioral, occupational, and biological data were collected, and a detailed nutritional investigation was done. Shift and day workers were comparable in terms of major CVD factors, and both had a 10 yr Framingham risk scoring of 11%. Shift workers reported an increased job strain and higher total and at-work physical activity. Alterations in metabolic parameters were evident with a rise in triglycerides, free fatty acids, and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase and lower HDL-cholesterol. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that shift work was associated with occurrence of metabolic syndrome, as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program-ATPIII criteria, OR: 2.38 (1.13-4.98), but not using the more recent score from the International Diabetes Federation, which gives a major emphasis on abdominal obesity. Total energy intake and contributions of the major nutrients did not differ between the two groups, with the notable exception of saturated lipids (+10% in shift workers). Meal distribution was clearly different: energy intake was more fractionated within the day, with a lesser contribution of breakfast and lunch but with increased intakes during intermediate light meals, particularly in the afternoon and night. Multivariate analyses were performed to test for the influence of dietary rhythms on the development of an NCEP-ATPIII metabolic syndrome. Dietary intakes at breakfast and during intermediate light meals appear to be “protective” against metabolic syndrome, while a high load at dinner favors its occurrence. A high intake at lunch is particularly deleterious to shift workers. However, in all tested models, shift work remained significantly associated with metabolic syndrome, after taking into account potential covariates like job strain, physical activity, quantitative dietary parameters, and meal distribution. A specific follow-up of shift workers should be recommended to occupational physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Substance use disorders (SUD) might concern as many as 8-15% of physicians. Previous studies suggest that self-diagnosis and self-medication are common practices among physicians. The aim of this review was to identify if barriers to seeking help and medical care for impaired physicians exist. We also aimed at characterizing the nature of these barriers.Methods: The review included scientific papers published on the MEDLINE and PsychINFO databases between January 2000 and September 2018. The inclusion criteria were: (i) articles that focused on SUD in physicians. The exclusion criteria were: (i) no mention of SUD; (ii) no mention of barriers to seeking help; (iii) articles focused on burn-out and work-related stress; (iv) articles focused on risk factors or treatments for SUD; (v) articles focused on psychiatric comorbidities and (vi) those focused on other professionals.Results: Potential barriers to seeking help that were identified for impaired physicians with SUD included denial of the disease and of loss of performance, fear of stigma, psychiatric comorbidities, fear of familial/social/professional and economic consequences and a lack of knowledge.Conclusions: Different barriers to seeking help could be identified. Priority should be given to educating medical students to ameliorate this. Increased awareness should reduce the stigma, which, even nowadays, still prevents some physicians from seeking help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tortoiseshell is a proteinaceous material derived from the scutes of marine turtles, and was shaped into an abundance of objects, especially luxurious items, at its peak in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. It has continued to be used even after the advent of plastics and remains one of the main causes of illegal poaching of marine turtles, in particular the hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata . Tortoiseshell is made of structural proteins, of which the most abundant are known as β-keratins, or 'corneous beta-proteins' (CBPs), a family of short proteins containing a central structure in β-sheets. There are, however, few CBP sequences of marine turtles in protein databases. The scutes of the five main species of marine turtles ( Chelonia mydas , Caretta caretta, Eretmochelys imbricata , Lepidochelys olivacea and Lepidochelys kempii ) were analysed by proteomics, using nano-liquid chromatography-Orbitrap-mass spectrometry to generate peptidic markers for species identification. A total of 187 marker sequences were identified, the large majority of them obtained from automated de novo sequencing. The sequences were classified into peptides A to F: A to D at the N-terminus and central region that forms the β-pleated sheets, E1-4 for a variable region of glycine-repeats region and F at the C-terminus. The markers were tested against a set of combs discovered in various archaeological sites of modern period in France, successfully identifying hawksbill turtle and highlighting patterns of degradation in archaeological tortoiseshell., (© 2021 The Authors.)