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A cross-sectional study concerning working conditions and the fatigue complaints of assembly line workers employed in two different electronic factories (A and B) in Vietnam was conducted from August to September 1994. While general working conditions, such as noise, dust, heat and lighting, were worse in Factory B, the prevalence rate of the subjective fatigue after working time was significantly higher among workers in Factory A. Fatigue symptoms in category I (Drowsiness and dullness) were particularly apparent among workers in Factory A. More interestingly, one-third of workers in Factory A complained of stiff shoulders and low back pain. Our field observation results suggest that the ergonomic inappropriateness of the assembly line in Factory A, may be causing a high rate of subjective fatigue among workers.

Unlabelled: The aim of our study was (1) to verify whether haemodialysis (HD) with cuprophane (CUP) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes is associated with the release of vasoactive leukotriene (LT) C4 and chemotactic LTB4 and (2) to analyse the respective roles of lipoxygenase and cyclo-oxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid in membrane bio-incompatibility. The investigation was performed in 10 uremic patients using hollow-fibre dialysers and dialysed successively, in random order, with CUP and PAN membranes. The arterial and venous (from dialyser) blood was sampled for the measurement of biochemical parameters, plasma LTC4, LTB4 and prostaglandins (PG) 6-keto-F1 alpha, E2, F2 alpha and thromboxane B2 before and after 15, 30 and 240 min of HD. Eicosanoids were measured by RIA after prior extraction and HPLC separation., Results: CUP HD was associated with a marked early leukopenia and a delayed decrease in blood pO2. Simultaneously, plasma LTB4 and LTC4 increased significantly in arterial blood after 30 min of HD and in venous blood at the end of session of 240 min. Cyclo-oxygenase metabolites increased as well, but nonsignificantly, with a maximum at the end of HD. PAN HD did not significantly change white blood cell count, pO2, or plasma eicosanoid levels., Conclusion: CUP membranes stimulate the release of proinflammatory and vasoactive LTB4 and LTC4. PAN membrane haemodialysis is without such side effects. The release of LTs may be an additional valuable marker of membrane bioincompatibility.

The oxygen (O2) consumption, and superoxide anion (O2-.) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) were investigated in 5 end-stage renal disease patients, before and after the 1st, 4th and 10th dialysis sessions. Resting values of O2-. production and O2 consumption were not significantly different from values for PMNs from normal subjects. After stimulation by opsonized zymosan or phorbol myristate acetate, the three parameters measured were significantly (p less than 0.001) enhanced in comparison with healthy control values. Cross-incubation studies showed a lack of effect of patient plasma on O2-. production by stimulated control cells: PMN oxidative metabolism would therefore appear to be increased in these patients. The anomalies observed probably arise via a mechanism involving a cellular dysfunction resulting from the renal disease, rather than from the presence of a plasma factor.

The presence of 3,4-benzopyrene is reported in samples of water and sediments from three briny ponds free from pollution of exogenous origin belonging to three different atolls of Polynesia. The synthesis of this hydrocarbon seems to be dependent on the presence of abundant phytoplancton and of bacterial flora.