International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health
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Int J Occup Med Environ Health · Jan 2015
Case ReportsBroken heart as work-related accident: Occupational stress as a cause of takotsubo cardiomyopathy in 55-year-old female teacher - Role of automated function imaging in diagnostic workflow.
Takotsubo cardiomiopathy (TTC) (known also as "ampulla cardiomyopathy," "apical ballooning" or "broken heart syndrome") is connected with a temporary systolic left ventricular dysfunction without the culprit coronary lesion. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy was first described in 1990 in Japan after octopus trapping pot with a round bottom and narrow neck similar in shape to left ventriculogram in TTC patients. The occurrence of TTC is usually precipitated by a stressful event with a clinical presentation mimicking myocardial infarction: chest pain, ST-T segment elevation or T-wave inversion, a rise in cardiac troponin, and contractility abnormalities in echocardiography. ⋯ Therefore, the assessment of regional pattern of systolic dysfunction with speckle-tracking echocardiography and automated function imaging (AFI) technique may be important in diagnosis of TTC and may improve our insight into its patophysiology. We described a 55-year-old female teacher with TTC diagnosed after acute psychological stress in workplace. The provoking factor related with occupational stress and pattern of contraction abnormalities documented with AFI technique including basal segments of left ventricle make this case atypical.
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Int J Occup Med Environ Health · Jan 2015
Estimation of operators' fatigue using optical methods for determination of pupil activity.
The purpose of this study was to develop and initially validate an objective, yet quick, method for assessment of human fatigue. This aim can be achieved by the use of an optical, non-contact method of analysis of pupil activity. The study involved 2 phenomena typical for the behavior of the human pupil: pupillary reflex and pupillary movements. The 1st phenomenon is related to the pupillary light reflex (PLR), which presents the results of physiological adaptation mechanisms of the human eye. The pupillary unrest index (PUI) is an additional parameter referring to the tendency for instability of the pupil. ⋯ The results of the pilot studies were sufficient to develop minimum requirements for a PLR sensor that would be capable of estimating the level of fatigue with accuracy of a PUI method, but at a 5 times faster rate.
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Int J Occup Med Environ Health · Jan 2015
Case ReportsPneumomediastinum, bilateral pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema complicating acute silicosis.
A case of acute silicosis complicating as spontaneous pneumomediastinum, bilateral pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema is described in a 35-year-old male engaged in stone crusher unit. Diagnosis was established on clinical and radiological assessment and supported by occupational history of the patient. This case is unique one as all these 3 complications at the same time are very uncommon in acute silicosis.
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Int J Occup Med Environ Health · Dec 2014
Effects of work burden, job strain and support on depressive symptoms and burnout among Japanese physicians.
Days off, on call, night duty, working hours and job stress can affect physicians' mental health, and support from supervisors and co-workers may have a buffering effect. This study elucidates whether job strain and job factors affect physicians' mental health, and whether support from supervisors and co-workers has a protective effect on their mental health. ⋯ High job strain was related to depressive symptoms and burnout, and support from co-workers had a buffering effect on depressive symptoms and burnout. An inadequate number of days off was related to burnout. Assessment of job strain may be a good tool to measure physicians' mental health, and a sufficient number of days off may be needed to prevent burnout.
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Int J Occup Med Environ Health · Jun 2014
General self-efficacy and the effect of hospital workplace violence on doctors' stress and job satisfaction in China.
This study aims at exploring associations of general self-efficacy (GSE), workplace violence and doctors' work-related attitudes. ⋯ The findings suggest that GSE can modify effects of workplace violence on health care workers' stress and job satisfaction. Enhancing GSE in combination with stress reduction may lead to facilitating health care workers' recovery from workplace violence, and thereby improving their work-related attitudes.