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Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) have been documented among various occupational groups in Nigeria. However, there is limited data on the prevalence of WMSDs among call center operators (CCOs).~Background~To determine the prevalence of WMSDs among CCOs in Nigeria and to explore the extent to which these discomforts impact the daily work activities of the respondents.~Objective~374 respondents who were randomly selected from 4 telecommunication companies in Lagos State, Nigeria, participated in this study. They were asked to complete a pre-tested questionnaire designed to capture the prevalence, impact and associated risk factors of WMSDs among CCOs.~Methods~42% and 65.2% of respondents experienced at least one WMSDs in the past 7 days, and 12 months, respectively. Women and CCOs who received calls with hand-held phones rather than headsets reported more discomforts during both 7 days and 12 months periods. Neck, shoulder, upper back, and lower back were the most affected areas during past 7 days and 12 months. Discomforts in the neck, low back, and knees prevented most of the respondents from performing their daily work.~Results~WMSDs have a serious impact on the daily job activities of the CCOs in Nigeria.~Conclusion [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence, pattern, impact, risk factors and the anatomical parts of the body most frequently affected by musculoskeletal disorders among bottling company workers. The study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey. All participants were evaluated using a 46- item questionnaire. There was a 12-month prevalence (83%) of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) among the bottling company workers. The result showed that the most commonly affected body part was the low back (70.2%). There was a high prevalence of WRMDs among bottling company workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the current research was to define the impact of individual characteristics on the response of osteoporosis patients to bisphosphonate medication, as well as the influence of gender on changes in the bone mineral density (BMD).The DXA scan was used to assess a group of 647 osteoporosis patients (533 females and 114 males) who visited the St Bartholomew's Hospitals and Royal London osteoporosis clinics. All male subjects received statistically substantial increases in BMD relative to baseline values after two years of therapy. When compared to prior therapy, men's BMD of the lumbar spine (LS) and hip joint (HJ) rose by 0.057 g/cm 2 (6.9%, p0.001) and 0.021 g/cm 2 (2.48 percent, p0.001), respectively.. Female patients had BMD changes of 0.028 g/cm 2 (3.58 percent, p0.001 vs. prior therapy) and -0.006 g/cm 2 (-0.78 percent, p0.001 vs. before treatment) in the lumbar spine and hip, respectively. Male patients exhibited a greater increase in BMD than female patients due to ovarian failure and significant oestrogen loss, which speeds up bone resorption by 90% following menopause, according the research findings., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: An urgent need to reduce the metabolic side-effects of glucocorticoid overexposure has been recognised, as glucocorticoid excess can lead to Cushing's syndrome, which is associated with high morbidity. We aimed to evaluate the potential of metformin to reverse such effects while sparing the anti-inflammatory benefits of glucocorticoids., Methods: We did a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept, phase 2 trial involving four hospitals in the UK. Patients without diabetes were eligible if they were between the ages of 18 and 75 years with an inflammatory disease treated with continuous prednisolone (≥20 mg/day for ≥4 weeks and remaining on ≥10 mg/day for the subsequent 12 weeks, or its cumulative dose-equivalent). Eligible patients were randomly allocated (1:1) to either the metformin or placebo groups, using a computer-generated randomisation table stratified according to age and BMI. Metformin and placebo were administered orally for 12 weeks in escalating doses: 850 mg/day for the first 5 days, 850 mg twice a day for the next 5 days, and 850 mg three times a day subsequently. The primary outcome was the between-group difference in visceral-to-subcutaneous fat area ratio over 12 weeks, assessed by CT. Secondary outcomes included changes in metabolic, bone, cardiovascular, and inflammatory parameters over 12 weeks. Our analysis followed a modified intention-to-treat principle for the primary outcome. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01319994., Findings: Between July 17, 2012, and Jan 14, 2014, 849 patients were assessed for study eligibility, of which 53 were randomly assigned to receive either metformin (n=26) or placebo (n=27) for 12 weeks. 19 patients in the metformin group and 21 in the placebo group were eligible for the primary outcome analysis. Both groups received an equivalent cumulative dose of glucocorticoids (1860 mg prednisolone-equivalent [IQR 1060-2810] in the metformin group vs 1770 mg [1020-2356] in the placebo group); p=0·76). No change in the visceral-to-subcutaneous fat area ratio between the treatment groups was observed (0·11, 95% CI -0·02 to 0·24; p=0·09), but patients in the metformin group lost truncal subcutaneous fat compared with the placebo group (-3835 mm 2 , 95% CI -6781 to -888; p=0·01). Improvements in markers of carbohydrate, lipid, liver, and bone metabolism were observed in the metformin group compared with the placebo group. Additionally, those in the metformin group had improved fibrinolysis, carotid intima-media thickness, inflammatory parameters, and clinical markers of disease activity. The frequency of pneumonia (one event in the metformin group vs seven in the placebo group; p=0·01), overall rate of moderate-to-severe infections (two vs 11; p=0·001), and all-cause hospital admissions due to adverse events (one vs nine; p=0·001) were lower in the metformin group than in the placebo group. Patients in the metformin group had more events of diarrhoea than the placebo group (18 events vs eight; p=0·01)., Interpretation: No significant changes in the visceral-to-subcutaneous fat area ratio between the treatment groups were observed; however, metformin administration did improve some of the metabolic profile and clinical outcomes for glucocorticoid-treated patients with inflammatory disease, which warrants further investigation., Funding: Barts Charity and Merck Serono., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The levels of Al, Sn, Cs, Rb, Sr, Br, Cr, Mo, Co, Ba, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Mn, Se, As, V and Ni were determined in drinking water supplies (public taps, domestic taps and treated water from public water sources) and groundwater supplies (boreholes and shallow wells) in some parts of Southern Nigeria. The water samples were analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry (ICP-MS). The mean levels (microgram/l) of all the elements ranged between 0.35 microgram/l for Cs and 87.3 micrograms/l for Zn in the drinking waters and between 0.54 microgram/l for Co and 420.3 micrograms/l for Ba in the groundwaters. A comparison of the elemental concentrations with WHO guidelines showed that with the exception of violations of Cd, Cr and Se limits in some of the drinking water samples, the levels of all the other elements investigated were below the WHO maximum allowable concentrations.

This study examined the effect of fatigue on the hand flexor muscles. Sixty University Champion athletes in either power or endurance events were used as subjects for the study. For each group there were thirty subjects (Male N = 15, Females N = 15). Maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVC) were measured followed by force estimation at 25%. 50% and 75% of the MVC. Fatigue was induced in the hand flexor muscles and subjects repeated the force estimation trials at the three levels. Results showed that the Power athletes force estimation were significantly higher than that for the endurance athletes at all the three levels of estimation. It was further found that as the level of force estimation increases so did the variability irrespective of type of athlete. In addition, it was found that the force estimation for endurance athletes was less than that for power athletes at the 75% level. Fatigue resulted in a decrement in force estimation for both power and endurance athletes at the three levels of estimation. It was also found that while endurance athletes were consistent at low level of force estimation, power athletes were more consistent at the high level of estimation.