Clinics in occupational and environmental medicine
-
Tendinopathy in the upper extremity continues to be a source of morbidity and disability in the working population despite a benign clinical course. Risk factors include high force, repetition, and awkward positions. An understanding of the pertinent anatomy and pathophysiology should help clinicians in the management of these conditions. ⋯ Clinical presentation includes localized pain and tenderness. Most treatment options have yet to undergo evaluation for efficacy in well-designed clinical trials, yet there is a generally favorable response to nonoperative or conservative management. Cases resistant to conservative treatment may require surgical intervention.
-
The human hand is one of the most amazing instruments we possess. Ligament injuries to the hand and wrist are common occupational injuries. ⋯ When these injuries are discovered late, not only does treatment become more difficult but also traumatic arthritis frequently develops. A brief anatomic description follows each of the most common ligament sprains and strains of the hand and wrist and their evaluation and treatment.
-
The use of tobacco can be traced back to ancient times. Its popularity grew exponentially during the twentieth century, surging during wartime and with the advent of mass media. The tobacco industry in the United States has been under constant legal pressure during the past 40 years. Despite the well-known and continually increasing morbidity and mortality related to smoking, it continues to be a prominent feature in worldwide culture and health.
-
The tobacco control policy tools developed in a few rich countries in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s are currently being implemented widely in many poorer countries, thanks in part to the astonishing success of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). With smoking rates already high in most of the Third World, however, the projections for the twenty-first century are grim: up to 1 billion tobacco-caused deaths, which raises the issue of what more can be done, particularly to help people who already are addicted to nicotine. ⋯ This finding has sparked fierce discussions among anti-tobacco activists about the role of harm reduction in curbing death and disease. This article discusses whether harm reduction is possible with the tobacco industry subject to a largely unregulated environment for tobacco products.
-
This article takes a snap-shot view of current tobacco control laws and where the nation is headed. Smoke-free workplace laws are highlighted, and the New York campaign experience is explained briefly. The article also creates a view into current trends in tobacco excise taxes; youth access laws, US Food and Drug Administration regulations of tobacco, tobacco control program funding, and other regulatory efforts in municipalities, individual states, and the nation as a whole.