Assessment of chronic neuropsychological effects of mercury vapour poisoning in chloral-alkali plant workers

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 29-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurka Pranjić ◽  
Osman Sinanović ◽  
Jasenko Karamehić ◽  
Rušid Jakubović
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Occupational Exposure ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mercury Vapour ◽  
Exposed Workers ◽  
Blood Mercury ◽  
The Mean

A prospective case study was conducted in the Department of Occupational Medicine, Tuzla. The purpose of this study was to indicate negative effects from occupational exposure to mercury on behavioural and mental health, memory and psychomotor function that was tested in 46 chloral-alkali plant workers (mean age was 38. 8+/- 5. 7 years; mean age of occupational history 16. 5+/- 6. 0 years). Data on toxicological monitoring on atomic absorption spectrometer, and data on mental health were collected, psychiatric and other subjective symptoms, and behavioural, psychomotor and memory function tested. The data were compared to control group, 32 healthy non exposed workers. The study was designed to assess blood and urine mercurylevels and length of occupational exposure and investigate its relationships to effects on the mental health. The mean air mercury levels were 0.23 mg/m3, the mean blood mercury concentrations was 3. 6 mg/ dl and the mean urine mercuryconcentrations were 151.7 +/- 180.4 mg/l. In 25 (53%) workers exposed to mercury vapour was identified Depression-Hypochondrias Syndrome (p trend < 0. 001) with higher scores for scales: Hysteria (p trend <0. 001), Schizoid and Psychoastenia (MMPI). All psychological parameters were in highly significantly correlations with mercury levels and length of occupational exposure. Pathological parameters were possible general identified if the concentration of blood mercury levels are >2. 9 mg/ dl, or urine mercury levels > 87 mg/l workers exposed to mercury vapour knew that toxic effects in body resulted in loosing some of intellectual abilities, and that people who handle chemicals had an increased health risk (ESW questionnaire). The occupational mercury exposed workers had introvert behaviour (EPQ). Aggressiveness was found in 71.7% workers. The cognitive disturbances: short-term memory loss, difficult to concentrate on tasks which require attention and thinking, were significantly differed compared to those of controls (p trend < 0. 001). In 24 (52%) exposed to mercury workers we have determined ego strength loss and regressive defensive mechanisms (LB). Handwriting disturbances-micrography we have identified in 27 (58.7%) workers.

Urban stressors and plasmatic 17-β-estradiol (E2) in male exposed workers

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 537-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Tomei ◽  
MV Rosati ◽  
M Ciarrocca ◽  
A Capozzella ◽  
B Pimpinella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Occupational Exposure ◽  
Biological Marker ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Confounding Factors ◽  
Traffic Police ◽  
Exposed Workers ◽  
Endocrine Parameters

The aim of the study is to evaluate if the occupational exposure to urban stressors could cause alterations in 17-β-estradiol (E2) plasma levels and related disorders in male traffic police compared with a control group. After excluding from the study, the subjects with the principal confounding factors, traffic police and controls were matched by age, working life, Body Mass Index (BMI), smoking and drinking habit. A total of 171 male traffic police and 171 controls were included in the study. In traffic police, mean E2 values were significantly lower versus controls ( P < 0.001). The distribution of E2 values in traffic police and controls was significant ( P < 0.001). No significant differences were found in percentage of traffic police versus controls concerning the following questionnaire items: fertility and mental health diseases. Our results suggest that the occupational exposure to chemical urban stressor, interacting with and adding to the psychosocial ones, could alter plasma E2 concentrations in male traffic police compared with a control group. According to our previous researches on other neuro-immune-endocrine parameters, E2 could be used as an early biological marker, valuable for the group, to be used in occupational set even before the onset of the pathologies.

Mental Health Among Adolescents from Returned Portuguese Immigrant Families

2010 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Félix Neto
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Older Adolescents ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Portuguese Adolescents

This study investigated mental health problems and their predictors among adolescents from returned immigrant families. The sample consisted of 360 returned adolescents (mean age = 16.8 years; SD = 1.9). The mean duration of a sojourn in Portugal for the sample was 8.2 years (SD = 4.5). A control group of 217 Portuguese youths were also included in the study. Adolescents from immigrant families reported mental health levels similar to those of Portuguese adolescents who have never migrated. Girls showed more mental health problems than boys. Younger adolescents showed fewer mental health problems than older adolescents. Adaptation variables contributed to mental health outcomes even after acculturation variables were accounted for. Implications of the study for counselors are discussed.

Effectiveness of humor on short term memory function in age matched elderly and diabetic subjects vs. control group

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gurinder S. Bains ◽  
Lee Berk ◽  
Noha Daher ◽  
Pooja Deshpande ◽  
Everett Lohman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory

scholarly journals Effect of Hope-oriented group counseling on mental health of infertile women with failed IVF cycles: a randomized controlled trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roya Rahimi ◽  
Shirin Hasanpour ◽  
Mojgan. Mirghafourvand ◽  
Khalil Esmaeilpour
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Group Counseling ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Control

Abstract Background Considering the prevalence of infertility in the community and the consequences of failure of infertility treatments on women’s mental health, interventions that can control stress, anxiety and depression in infertile women with a history of IVF failure will be very helpful. This study aimed to determine the effects of hope-oriented group counseling on mental health (primary outcome) and quality of life (QoL) (secondary outcome) of women with failed IVF cycles. Method This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 60 women with failed IVF cycles visiting Infertility Clinic at Al-Zahra Teaching Hospital of Tabriz- Iran. Participants were allocated to the intervention group (n = 30) and control group (n = 30) based on a randomized block design. Hope-oriented group counseling was provided to the intervention group in six 45–60 min sessions (once a week). The control group only received routine care to undergo another IVF cycle. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the SF-12 Quality of Life Scale were filled out by interviewing the participants before the intervention and one week and one month after the intervention. After intervention 26 participants in each group were included in the analysis. Results There was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the socio-demographic profile of participants (P > 0.05). The post-intervention mean score of stress (adjusted mean difference = − 1.7, 95% confidence interval: − 3.2 to − 0.3, P = 0.018) and depression (adjusted mean difference = − 1.3, 95% confidence interval: − 4.7 to − 1.5, P < 0.001) was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control. Although the mean anxiety score was lower in the intervention group compared to the control, the difference between them was not statistically significant (adjusted mean difference = − 1.1, 95% confidence interval: − 2.6 to 0.4, P = 0.153). The mean score of QoL was significantly higher in the intervention group than that of the control group (adjusted mean difference = 6.9, 95% confidence interval: 5.1 to 8.8, P < 0.001). Conclusion Hope-oriented group counseling was effective in reducing stress and depression and improving QoL in women with failed IVF cycles. It is recommended to use this counseling approach, along with other methods, to improve the mental health of women with failed IVF cycles. Trial registration TCT Registration Number: TCTR 20191017003, registered on October 17, 2019.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Group Counseling on the Mental Health of Midwifery Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (08) ◽  
pp. 500-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nezhat Javid ◽  
Atefeh Ahmadi ◽  
Moghadameh Mirzaei ◽  
Monavvareh Atghaei
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Group Counseling ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Solution Focused

Objective The present study was conducted with the objective of investigating the effectiveness of solution-focused group counseling (SFGC) on promoting the mental health of midwifery students. Methods The present study is an intervention-based study with a pretest, a post-test, and a control group. The statistical population included all of the midwifery students studying in the midwifery department of the Bam University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran, who filled out the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in the screening phase. In the second phase, 40 individuals, having a low level of mental health based on the cutoff score of 23, were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups (intervention and control), each group with 20 participants. The intervention group participated in 5 sessions of 75 minutes for SFGC. Then, the post-test was held in both groups and the data analysis was conducted using the Mann-Whitney and the Kruskal-Wallis test with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA). The significance level was considered as p < 0.05. Results The findings showed that the mean of the post-test mental health scores of the intervention group (14.5 ± 50.35) and of the control group (23.6 ± 35.83) showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.0001). Moreover, the comparison between the mean scores of the mental health subscales (physical symptoms, stress, social performance, and depression) showed a statistically significant difference in these groups, and SFGC improved physical symptoms, stress, social performance, and depression in the members of the intervention group. Conclusion Solution-focused group counseling may improve all levels of mental health. This type of counseling is recommended to be used to solve the psychological problems and to improve the mental health of students, as well as of the staff of the health system.

scholarly journals Characterising post-COVID syndrome more than 6 months after acute infection in adults; prospective longitudinal cohort study, England

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahin Amin-Chowdhury ◽  
Ross J Harris ◽  
Felicity Aiano ◽  
Maria Zavala ◽  
Marta Bertran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Acute Infection ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Blurred Vision ◽  
Persistent Symptoms ◽  
Loss Of Appetite ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

AbstractBackgroundMost individuals with COVID-19 will recover without sequelae, but some will develop long- term multi-system impairments. The definition, duration, prevalence and symptoms associated with long COVID, however, have not been established.MethodsPublic Health England (PHE) initiated longitudinal surveillance of clinical and non-clinical healthcare workers for monthly blood sampling for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in March 2020. Eight months after enrolment, participants completed an online questionnaire including 72 symptoms in the preceding month. Symptomatic mild-to-moderate cases with confirmed COVID-19 were compared with asymptomatic, seronegative controls. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent symptoms associated with long COVID.ResultsAll 2,147 participants were contacted and 1,671 (77.8%) completed the questionnaire, including 140 (8.4%) cases and 1,160 controls. At a median of 7.5 (IQR 7.1-7.8) months after infection, 20 cases (14.3%) had ongoing (4/140, 2.9%) or episodic (16/140, 11.4%) symptoms. We identified three clusters of symptoms associated with long COVID, those affecting the sensory (ageusia, anosmia, loss of appetite and blurred vision), neurological (forgetfulness, short-term memory loss and confusion/brain fog) and cardiorespiratory (chest tightness/pain, unusual fatigue, breathlessness after minimal exertion/at rest, palpitations) systems. The sensory cluster had the highest association with being a case (aOR 5.25, 95% CI 3.45-8.01). Dermatological, gynaecological, gastrointestinal or mental health symptoms were not significantly different between cases and controls.ConclusionsMost persistent symptoms reported following mild COVID-19 were equally common in cases and controls. While all three clusters identified had a strong association with previous COVID-19 infection, the sensory cluster had the highest specificity and strength of association.Key pointsCompared to controls, we identified three clusters of symptoms affecting the sensory, neurological and cardiorespiratory systems that were more prevalent among cases. Notably, gastrointestinal and dermatological symptoms and symptoms related to mental health were as prevalent among cases as controls.

Span of temporal continuity as a measure of personal and present existence

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-86
Author(s):  
KONSTANTINE K. ZAKZANIS ◽  
LARRY LEACH ◽  
MORRIS MOSCOVITCH
Keyword(s):  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Informal Conversation ◽  
Temporal Continuity ◽  
Neuropsychological Tasks

Severely impaired memory deprives amnesics of a sense of personal continuity in their daily lives, yet there are no tests that accurately measure this impairment (see Lezak, 1995). Several neuropsychological tasks have been developed to document the severity of memory loss in terms of memory span, such as the Brown–Peterson Technique (Peterson & Peterson, 1959), but the ecological validity of such tasks as measures of personal or temporal continuity is not obvious (see Heinrichs, 1990). Instead they measure memory in terms of how much information could be held in working or short-term memory, not memory span in the sense of continuity. To develop a new measure of amnesia with greater relation to everyday function, we had to examine the integrity of memory function in terms of temporal continuity in a way that would engage the patient in everyday behavior, such as informal conversation, and still allow memory function to be quantifiable. Thus, we set out to create a bedside task that could measure the span in which the patient with amnesia experiences temporal continuity. We call this measure the “span of temporal continuity,” or “personal and present span of existence.”

scholarly journals Effects on Plasmatic Androstenedione in Female Workers Exposed to Urban Stressors

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 175-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Tomei ◽  
A. Sancini ◽  
D. Cerratti ◽  
M. Fiaschetti ◽  
M.F. Anzani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Occupational Exposure ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Initial Sample ◽  
Length Of Service ◽  
Traffic Police ◽  
Female Workers ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
Habitual Intake

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether occupational exposure to urban stressors can cause alterations on androstenedione plasma levels and related diseases in female traffic police compared to a control group. The research was carried out on an initial sample of 468 female workers (209 traffic police and 259 controls). After excluding the subjects with confounding factors, 192 female subjects: 96 traffic police and 96 controls were included in the study. Traffic police and controls were matched by age, length of service, body mass index, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking habits, habitual consumption of Italian coffee, and habitual intake of soy and liquorice in diet. The results show that the percentage of subjects with fertility and mental health disorders were no different between traffic police and controls. Mean androstenedione values were significantly higher in female traffic police compared to controls. The distribution into classes of androstenedione values in traffic police was statistically significant. The percentage of traffic police with fertility and mental health disorders were not significant compared to controls. Our results suggest that the occupational exposure to urban stressors could alter plasma androstenedione levels in female traffic police. According to our previous research all the hormonal parameters studied, including androstenedione, could be used as early biological markers of chronic exposure to urban stressors, usable in occupational sets.

scholarly journals The Effects of Emotional Schema Therapy and Differentiation Training on Emotional Divorce in Women

2121 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-74
Author(s):  
Tahmineh Kamalian ◽  
◽  
Hassan Mirzahosseini ◽  
Nader Monirpoor ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Cognitive Model ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Schema Therapy ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Marital Intimacy ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Study Participants

Background: Emotional Divorce (ED) is associated with decreased levels of Emotion Regulation (ER), adaptation, and mental health; subsequently, all such pressures raise stress in various dimensions among the affected individuals. Emotional Schema Therapy (EST), as a socio-cognitive model of ER, may improve marital intimacy and reduce couples’ psychological distress. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of EST and differentiation training on the odds of ED among women. Methods: The mean values of ED significantly decreased in both experimental groups, compared to the control group (P<0.05). A significant difference was also observed between the effects of the two interventions on decreasing the ED rate; thus, the effectiveness of EST was greater than that of differentiation training in this respect (P<0.05). Results: The mean values of ED significantly decreased in both experimental groups, compared to the control group (P<0.05). A significant difference was also observed between the effects of the two interventions on decreasing the ED rate; thus, the effectiveness of EST was greater than that of differentiation training in this respect (P<0.05). Conclusion: EST and differentiation training reduced ED among the study participants. These approaches can be adopted as an effective intervention to solve the couples’ problems and improve their marital relationship to reduce the odds of emotional divorce.

scholarly journals The assessment of DNA damage in lymphocytes of wooden furniture workers.

1998 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 605-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Palus ◽  
E Dziubałtowska ◽  
K Rydzyński
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Dna Repair ◽  
Occupational Exposure ◽  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Wood Dust ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Single Strand Breaks ◽  
Exposed Workers ◽  
Wooden Furniture

Single-strand breaks (SSB) and DNA repair were detected in peripheral lymphocytes derived from workers of a furniture factory in a non-polluted region of Poland. The workers were exposed to wood dust (n = 19), or to the dust and varnishes or lacquers together (n = 5). Four groups were studied simultaneously: (a) exposed workers smokers of cigarettes (n = 14), (b) nonexposed smokers--control (n = 14), (c) exposed workers' nonsmokers (n = 14), (d) exposed nonsmokers (n = 10). In exposed workers DNA SSB and DNA repair were statistically significantly increased. DNA SSB was clearly higher in the smoking workers than in the smoking controls. Cigarette smoking itself has produced no evident increase in the frequency of DNA SSB in the control group. Occupational exposure had a significant effect on DNA repair in non stimulated lymphocytes both in smoking and nonsmoking workers.

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