scholarly journals Lung Function Assessment as an Early Biomonitor of Mercury-Induced Health Disorders in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Areas in Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 2480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sri Pateda ◽  
Masayuki Sakakibara ◽  
Koichiro Sera
Keyword(s):  
Lung Function ◽  
Pulmonary Function ◽  
Respiratory Function ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
Atmospheric Mercury ◽  
The Body ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Hair Samples ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

The evaluation of mercury impact on humans is currently nonspecific because the body characteristics (homeostasis) of each human being varies. Therefore, in the early diagnosis of mercury toxicity, one of the most important monitoring parameters is the respiratory function examination. In this study, respiratory function was examined with a portable spirometer and correlated with the mercury levels in hair from the noses and heads of subjects. Samples were taken from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) areas (villages of East Tulabolo and Dunggilata) and control areas (villages of Bongo and Longalo) in Gorontalo Province, Indonesia. A statistical analysis with the Mann–Whitney test (alternative) showed significant differences in lung function between the polluted and control areas (α = 0.03). The analysis of nasal and head hair samples with particle-induced X-ray emissions (PIXE) showed that the mercury levels in the ASGM area were considerably higher than in the more homogeneous control areas. This study confirms that a pulmonary function test is a quick and precise alternative way to monitor the impact of mercury on humans, especially atmospheric mercury, because we detected a negative correlation between pulmonary function and the level of mercury in hair.

PATHOGENETIC MARKERS OF ECOLOGICALLY RELATED RESPIRATORY DISEASES

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (62) ◽  
pp. 8-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Татьяна Виткина ◽  
Tatyana Vitkina ◽  
Людмила Веремчук ◽  
Lyudmila Veremchuk ◽  
Ирина Симонова ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Function ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Respiratory Function ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
The State ◽  
The Body ◽  
The People ◽  
Bronchopulmonary Diseases ◽  
The Impact

The aim of the research is to examine the relationship between the integral parameters of respiratory function, the values of LPO-AOD system and NO level at bronchopulmonary pathology in individuals living in different ecological areas of the city of Vladivostok. 206 patients living in different ecological conditions (healthy individuals, patients with respiratory disorders) were examined. Lung function and the state of LPO-AOD system were studied; the concentration of NO metabolites was assessed in blood serum. The nature and strength of the impact of environmental factors on respiratory function, the state of LPO-AOD, NO level were studied by the method based on correlation analysis. There was calculated power index (D) which was differentiated into power within the system (Ds) which in its turn reflects the in-system interrelationship tension (LPO-AOD, respiratory) and power between systems (Dm) characterizing the activity of interconnections and response to an external stimulus. Intra-system dependences typical for the unfavorable zone were viewed in relation to the favorable zone. It was found out that in ecologically unfavorable regions in individuals with different bronchopulmonary pathologies the value of Ds increases. This indicates that the pathogenic influence of environmental factors increases. In healthy people living in ecologically unfavourable area physiological adaptive-compensatory reaction of the body was revealed, which was proved by high power interconnections (Dm). In the patients with chronic bronchitis there was maintained an adequate level of functioning of the body systems studied. In patients with COPD living in an unfavourable zone there were found strong links between the indicators of the system of LPO-AOD and of NO, and in patients with bronchial asthma - supplementary relationship between lung function and NO. At the same time pathologic changes in the system of LPO-AOD and NO depend on the general pollution, metal and gas components contained in the air. Thus, the people with respiratory diseases being in environmentally unfavorable conditions have the most negative influence. The analysis of the activity of relationships proved that violations of interaction of LPO-AOD systems and NO in ecologically unfavorable regions may contribute to the occurrence and progression of bronchopulmonary diseases.

Mercury, Probable Cause of Deaths and Neurologic Morbidities at Indigenous Villages in Mindanao, Philippines

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veneracion G. Cabana ◽  
Noel E. Lagunday ◽  
Novo M. Sabas
Keyword(s):  
Methyl Mercury ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
River Sediments ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
The Body ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mercury Toxicity ◽  
Hair Samples ◽  
Government Records ◽  
Fish And Shellfish

Methyl mercury, a toxic by-product of the industry including gold processing bioaccumulates in fish and shellfish that when ingested bio-concentrates in the body eventually causing appalling neurologic disorders. This study prompted by the consecutive deaths of two Surigaonon-Manobo siblings from conditions suggestive of neurologic pathology aimed to: (1) document existence of neurologic morbidities indicative of mercury toxicity with assessment of the observable symptoms at selected indigenous communities in Mindanao, Philippines where small-scale gold mining takes place and (2) measure mercury levels in the hair of living subjects and river sediments at the research locale. Following proper entry protocol and securing of informed consent, affected adults, responsible adults in case of children and relatives of those who died from similar conditions were interviewed, government records reviewed. Identified were 31 cases in 22 families, 71% males mostly 0-5 years old. Photo and video images of subjects who displayed the alarming symptoms were taken in situ. Symptoms develop at 6-9 months after birth suggesting mother-offspring transmission through the breast milk. Starting to appear around 1986, majority (54.8%) manifested the symptoms in 2000-2010; 48.4% died in 2005-2015. Sometimes affecting all siblings, in some families no children were left alive. Hair samples from three living subjects and sediments from nearby bodies of water tested positive for mercury. It is concluded that the likely cause of the dreadful morbidities and children’s deaths is mercury toxicity of anthropogenic origin. A more intensive investigation is recommended to identify the cause and bring to an end the children’s deaths and devastating neurologic abnormalities documented herein.Keywords - Environmental Toxicology, mercury toxicity, methyl mercury toxicity, neurologic morbidities, small-scale gold mining, indigenous community, Surigaonon-Manobo, Mindanao, Philippines

Intimacies of Exchange

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Economic Geography ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Key Sites ◽  
Economic Landscape ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Key Nodes

This chapter examines the flow of goods across and through Crimea in an attempt to understand the impact of Russian rule on the economic landscape. It focuses on the patterns of exchange and consumption, arguing for the significance of small-scale transactions for understanding the economic geography of the region. While Russian officials were eager to facilitate and control Black Sea trade, farmers and gardeners and craftsmen began participating in the system of overland markets and fairs that connected the southern provinces to merchants and consumers everywhere from Kharkov and Moscow to Nizhnii Novgorod and Kazan. The Crimean economy thus moved southward toward Constantinople and northward toward Moscow, yet the towns of the peninsula remained key nodes of consumption and production, the orchards and vineyards key sites of prosperity.

scholarly journals The gravitational imprint on sensorimotor planning and control

2020 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. White ◽  
J. Gaveau ◽  
L. Bringoux ◽  
F. Crevecoeur
Keyword(s):  
Internal Representation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Altered Gravity ◽  
Partial Adjustment ◽  
Gravitational Forces ◽  
Planning And Control ◽  
Biomechanical Constraints ◽  
And Control ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Impact

Humans excel at learning complex tasks, and elite performers such as musicians or athletes develop motor skills that defy biomechanical constraints. All actions require the movement of massive bodies. Of particular interest in the process of sensorimotor learning and control is the impact of gravitational forces on the body. Indeed, efficient control and accurate internal representations of the body configuration in space depend on our ability to feel and anticipate the action of gravity. Here we review studies on perception and sensorimotor control in both normal and altered gravity. Behavioral and modeling studies together suggested that the nervous system develops efficient strategies to take advantage of gravitational forces across a wide variety of tasks. However, when the body was exposed to altered gravity, the rate and amount of adaptation exhibited substantial variation from one experiment to another and sometimes led to partial adjustment only. Overall, these results support the hypothesis that the brain uses a multimodal and flexible representation of the effect of gravity on our body and movements. Future work is necessary to better characterize the nature of this internal representation and the extent to which it can adapt to novel contexts.

scholarly journals Short- and long-term effects of diving on pulmonary function

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (143) ◽  
pp. 160097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay Tetzlaff ◽  
Paul S. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Lung Function ◽  
Pulmonary Function ◽  
Ambient Pressure ◽  
Small Airways ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Stress Changes ◽  
The Impact

The diving environment provides a challenge to the lung, including exposure to high ambient pressure, altered gas characteristics and cardiovascular effects on the pulmonary circulation. Several factors associated with diving affect pulmonary function acutely and can potentially cause prolonged effects that may accumulate gradually with repeated diving exposure. Evidence from experimental deep dives and longitudinal studies suggests long-term adverse effects of diving on the lungs in commercial deep divers, such as the development of small airways disease and accelerated loss of lung function. In addition, there is an accumulating body of evidence that diving with self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba) may not be associated with deleterious effects on pulmonary function. Although changes in pulmonary function after single scuba dives have been found to be associated with immersion, ambient cold temperatures and decompression stress, changes in lung function were small and suggest a low likelihood of clinical significance. Recent evidence points to no accelerated loss of lung function in military or recreational scuba divers over time. Thus, the impact of diving on pulmonary function largely depends on factors associated with the individual diving exposure. However, in susceptible subjects clinically relevant worsening of lung function may occur even after single shallow-water scuba dives.

scholarly journals Asthma progression and mortality: the role of inhaled corticosteroids

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 1900491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul O'Byrne ◽  
Leonardo M. Fabbri ◽  
Ian D. Pavord ◽  
Alberto Papi ◽  
Stefano Petruzzelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Function ◽  
Pulmonary Function ◽  
Inhaled Corticosteroids ◽  
Administrative Databases ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Lung Function Decline ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Asthma Mortality

Overall, asthma mortality rates have declined dramatically in the last 30 years, due to improved diagnosis and to better treatment, particularly in the 1990s following the more widespread use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs). The impact of ICS on other long-term outcomes, such as lung function decline, is less certain, in part because the factors associated with these outcomes are incompletely understood. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the effect of pharmacological interventions, particularly ICS, on asthma progression and mortality. Furthermore, we review the potential mechanisms of action of pharmacotherapy on asthma progression and mortality, the effects of ICS on long-term changes in lung function, and the role of ICS in various asthma phenotypes.Overall, there is compelling evidence of the value of ICS in improving asthma control, as measured by improved symptoms, pulmonary function and reduced exacerbations. There is, however, less convincing evidence that ICS prevents the decline in pulmonary function that occurs in some, although not all, patients with asthma. Severe exacerbations are associated with a more rapid decline in pulmonary function, and by reducing the risk of severe exacerbations, it is likely that ICS will, at least partially, prevent this decline. Studies using administrative databases also support an important role for ICS in reducing asthma mortality, but the fact that asthma mortality is, fortunately, an uncommon event makes it highly improbable that this will be demonstrated in prospective trials.

The impact of supportive supervision of infection prevention and control practices on Ebola outbreak in Liberia

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 287-293
Author(s):  
Ogbaini-Emovon Ephraim ◽  
Sneh Cyrus ◽  
Pajibo Myer ◽  
Abah Steve
Keyword(s):  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Supportive Supervision ◽  
And Control ◽  
Isolation Facilities ◽  
The Impact

Background: Supportive supervision of infection prevention and control (IPC) practices was one of a range of interventions employed at the county level in the control of the world’s most deadly Ebola virus disease outbreak that affected Liberia during 2013–2016. Methods: Datasets generated from four consecutive assessment visits to 25 health facilities in Maryland County, in Liberia, were analysed. Information on IPC practices was obtained by interview, direct observation and completion of a standardised assessment tool. For each of the IPC fields assessed, a score < 50% was graded poor, 50–75% as fair, while > 75% was rated as good. Results: Before the intervention, the first assessment (baseline) indicated that the majority of the health facilities scored low in terms of isolation facilities, IPC administration, supply and equipment, personnel and staffing, triage and waste management. Following the application of supportive supervision and monitoring, all the facilities recorded moderate to good performance in all the fields during the fourth round of assessment, except for isolation facilities, which scored low. Conclusion: Supportive supervision and monitoring of healthcare facilities appeared to have contributed to the improvement in IPC standards and compliance during the Ebola outbreak as demonstrated in this small-scale study and should be sustained as a core component of IPC programs, particularly in prolonged outbreak situations.

scholarly journals Acute and Chronic Toxicity of Mercury Exposure in Seafood and Human Populations near a Small-Scale Gold Mining Area

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Sofia ◽  
Adi Heru Husodo ◽  
Eko Sugiharto
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
Chronic Toxicity ◽  
Penaeus Monodon ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Acute And Chronic Toxicity ◽  
Hair Samples ◽  
Gold Miners

<p>Gold amalgamation processes using mercury were practiced in small scale gold mining activities in Krueng Sabee, Aceh Province. Seafood (fish, mollusc, shrimp) and human hair samples were collected to assess mercury concentrations.  Acute and chronic toxicity symptoms which arise among the populations were observed as well as personal protective equipment used by gold miners. The range of mercury concentrations varied among fish, shrimp, and molluscs. The highest mercury levels were recorded in fish <em>Puntius latristriga</em> (172.299 ± 10.626 µg/g wet wt.), followed by mollusc, <em>Polymesoda caroliniana </em> (160,032 ± 0,522 µg/g wet wt.), fish <em>R.kanagurta</em> (149 ±2,000 µg/g wet wt.), shrimp <em>Penaeus monodon</em> (116.975 ± 4.807 µg/g wet wt.).  The variation of mercury concentrations in hair samples of 72 respondents were detected from 5.7 µg/g to 88.1 µg/g. The most frequent acute and chronic intoxication symptoms documented were headache, muscle cramps, cough, and aphthous ulcers. Personal protective equipment which has correlation with high mercury levels in gold miners were respirator/mask, gloves, and apparel (p &lt; 0.05). All seafood samples exceeded 0.5 µg Hg/g MoH Food and Drug Administrasion threshold level and hair samples over 10 µg/g as set by WHO tolerance limit.</p>

scholarly journals Comparable human spatial memory distortions in physical, desktop virtual and immersive virtual environments

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Zisch ◽  
Coco Newton ◽  
Antoine Coutrot ◽  
Maria Murcia-Lopez ◽  
Anisa Motala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Memory ◽  
Path Integration ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
The Body ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Spatial Distributions ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Physical Environments ◽  
Desktop Vr ◽  
The Impact

Boundaries define regions of space and are integral to episodic memories. The impact of boundaries on spatial memory and neural representations of space has been extensively studied in freely-moving rodents. But less is known in humans and many prior studies have employed desktop virtual reality (VR) which lacks the body-based self-motion cues of the physical world, diminishing the potentially strong input from path integration to spatial memory. We replicated a desktop-VR study testing the impact of boundaries on spatial memory (Hartley et al., 2004) in a physical room (2.4m x 2.4m, 2m tall) by having participants (N = 27) learn the location of a circular stool and then after a short delay replace it where they thought they had found it. During the delay, the wall boundaries were either expanded or contracted. We compared performance to groups of participants undergoing the same procedure in a laser-scanned replica in both desktop VR (N = 44) and freely-walking head mounted display (HMD) VR (N = 39) environments. Performance was measured as goodness of fit between the spatial distributions of group responses and seven modelled distributions that prioritised different metrics based on boundary geometry or walking paths to estimate the stool location. The best fitting model was a weighted linear combination of all the geometric spatial models, but an individual model derived from place cell firing in Hartley et al. 2004 also fit well. High levels of disorientation in all three environments prevented detailed analysis on the contribution of path integration. We found identical model fits across the three environments, though desktop VR and HMD-VR appeared more consistent in spatial distributions of group responses than the physical environment and displayed known variations in virtual depth perception. Thus, while human spatial representation appears differentially influenced by environmental boundaries, the influence is similar across virtual and physical environments. Despite differences in body-based cue availability, desktop and HMD-VR allow a good and interchangeable approximation for examining human spatial memory in small-scale physical environments.

Improving access to frontline psychosocial services for youths in difficulty by using LSS: an action research case study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tasseda Boukherroub ◽  
Lysane Ouellet ◽  
Guillaume Lemay ◽  
Nathalie Bibeau ◽  
Diane Thiffault ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
The Body ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Psychosocial Services ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to improve accessibility to frontline psychological services for youths in difficulty. In the province of Quebec, Canada, the first significant intervention must take place within 30 days for at least 75% of the clients. Achieving this target is challenging. This was observed in the Youth Programme of a health-care network in Montreal (Centre Intégré (Universitaire) de la Santé et des Services Sociaux Centre-Sud-de-l’île-de-Montréal). Design/methodology/approach Lean Six Sigma (LSS) approach within the Action Research methodology was used. Define, Measure, Analyse, Innovate, Implement and Control structure combined with Lean techniques and a Kaizen event were implemented. Findings In total 69% of the clients have now had their first intervention within 30 days and 91% within 60 days. Improving accessibility to frontline services led to improving accessibility to second-line services. Communicating performance objectives to employees led to increasing their awareness about the importance of performance assessment and their willingness to contribute to improvement. The Kaizen event was a driving force that enabled more collaboration and trust. The participation of a partner-client in the Kaizen helped finding client-centred solutions. The large number of participants in the Kaizen added complexity. Research limitations/implications It was difficult to sort and rank a large number of solutions during the Kaizen. The impact of hiring additional employees has not been investigated. Despite the significant improvements, the targets were not achieved. More research is required to identify more accurately critical factors that have a major impact on the success of LSS projects involving complex processes. Originality/value This study contributes to the body of knowledge in Lean health care. It describes Lean tools/techniques used, solution implementation and improvements achieved in a real context. 10 success factors and 4 challenges were identified. The study provides a model for other organizations for developing their own roadmap to improve accessibility to their services, notably in large and complex processes.

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