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Telework has become considerably more common during the ongoing pandemic. Although working remotely may have numerous advantages, negative impacts on workers' health and safety should also be considered. Telework is a major contributor to the development or aggravation of work-related musculoskeletal disorders where unsuited workstation ergonomics, sedentary behavior, as well as psychosocial and organizational factors play a role. This paper aims to identify telework-related risks and their impact on musculoskeletal health as well as provide recommendations that may be useful in constructing future preventive measures. A comprehensive literature search regarding the topic has been performed. Teleworkers experience musculoskeletal pain and discomfort mostly in low back area, neck, shoulders, arms, and hands. Poor ergonomic solutions when it comes to workstation design resulting in prolonged sitting in non-neutral positions contribute to the development and aggravation of musculoskeletal disorders in teleworkers. Working with inadequately placed screens and laptops and sitting in maladjusted seats without usual functionalities and ergonomic support is associated with musculoskeletal pain and discomfort. Extended working hours with fewer rest periods to meet increased work demands, social isolation, and lack of support from work colleagues and superiors as well as blurred work-home boundaries and omnipresence of work are commonly stated psychosocial and organizational factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders. Environmental factors such as poor lighting and glare, inadequate room temperature, and ventilation or noise, are frequently overlooked remote workstation risk factors. For a certain part of workers, telework will remain a common way of work in the post-pandemic period. Therefore, it is essential to identify telework-related risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders and address them with timely preventive measures tailored to each remote workstation's risks and individual workers' needs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Milaković, Koren, Bradvica-Kelava, Bubaš, Nakić, Jeličić, Bucić, Bekavac, Čvrljak and Capak.)

This paper examines the impact of work in a pandemic context on workers' mental health. Psychosocial risks have always been a challenging aspect of workplace health and safety practices. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected workplaces in all sectors causing unexpected changes in work organization and working conditions, leading to the emergence of new psychosocial risks for health and wellbeing of workers. This mini-review aims to identify the main work stressors during pandemic period and related mental health problems to suggest recommendations and adjust health and safety practices regarding workplace mental health. A literature search has been performed using MEDLINE/PubMed, ResearchGate and Google Scholar databases, selecting articles focusing on work-related stressors and workers' mental health problems related to the pandemic. Specific psychosocial risks have been identified, including fear of contagion, telework-related risks, isolation and stigmatization, rapid digitalization demands, job insecurity, elevated risk of violence at work or home, and work-life imbalance, among others. All those risks can lead to elevated levels of stress among workers and affect their mental health and wellbeing, especially in terms of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. As one of the social determinants of health, the workplace has an important and moderating role in workers' health. Therefore, in the pandemic context more than ever health protection practices at the workplace should be devoted to mental health problems. Recommendations provided in this study are expected to contribute to workplace practices to preserve and promote workers' mental health., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Koren, Milaković, Bubaš, Bekavac, Bekavac, Bucić, Čvrljak, Capak and Jeličić.)

Background: Metabolic syndrome has become a public health challenge worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for metabolic syndrome among adults in the Mediterranean region of Turkey., Methods: This study included a total of 767 people from 20 to 83 years old from 4 provinces calculated with respect to results of the 2000 census. People from the city centers, districts, and villages were selected by a stratified sampling method. Personal histories were recorded. Weight, height, and waist and hip circumferences were measured. Blood samples were obtained to determine glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides. Components of metabolic syndrome were modified from both Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria., Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 34.6% (male, 31.2%; female, 37.3%) (P > 0.05) and 28.8% (male, 23.1%; female, 33.5% (P < 0.01) according to IDF criteria and ATP III, respectively. The highest prevalence of metabolic syndrome was present in subjects aged 60-69 years; in obese people (43.2%, P < 0.001); in Hatay province (36.5%, P < 0.001); and in districts (32.2%, P > 0.05). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome criteria in all 4 provinces was as follows: type 2 diabetes mellitus, 15%; hypertension, 41.4%; obesity, 44.1%; abdominal obesity, 56.8%; low HDL-C, 34.1%; hypertriglyceridemia, 35.9%; and high LDL-C, 27.4%., Conclusions: The high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in this region is an important public health problem that may cause an increase in mortality. Urgent preventive measurements should be implemented.