Biomedical subjects

Shlomo Moshe

Publications and source records attributed to Shlomo Moshe.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Allergic contact dermatitis among maintenance and clerical workers in a military population.

Contact dermatitis is one of the leading causes of occupational morbidity and absenteeism and has become an intolerable cause of missed workdays and health problems in the Israeli military. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of contact dermatitis in maintenance and clerical workers, the common allergens causing it, and the background of atopy in the subjects in order to design preventive measures. Medical records of all recruits to the Israel Defense Forces from 2000 to 2003 were reviewed for contact dermatitis. The 102 cases found were further assessed for job assignment, atopic background, and allergens. Of the 102 cases, 60 had irritant contact dermatitis and 42 had allergic contact dermatitis, of which 33 (78.6%) were maintenance workers, mainly mechanics. 13 soldiers in the maintenance job category (39%) and 2 soldiers in the clerical group (22.2%) had atopic background. There were 55 positive reactions in patch tests, 25 of them to oil and cooling fluids, with 14.5% attributed to methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone) (Kathon CG). Atopy was found to be a risk factor for allergic contact dermatitis in our study and should be screened for in job assignment procedures in the military. Oil and greases contain significant allergens, especially their preservatives.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

[Occupational aspects of low back pain].

Low back pain is a very common ailment among workers of all ages. Approximately 60-90% of the adult population suffers from low back pain at least once during their life time. The yearly incident rate of low back pain is about 1-2%. This is one of the major causes of occupational illnesses and absence from work. A high rate of low back pain is found among workers involved with heavy physical labour and also among truck drivers. Risk factors for low back pain are intense heavy labour, lifting heavy objects, protracted static positions, repetitive movements and awkward body postures accompanied by vibration. Prolonged standing and sitting are not risk factors for low back pain. Work dissatisfaction, low wages and low levels of education are possible predictors for low back pain. The only reliable predictor of future low back pain is the evidence of previous back pain as disclosed during the preemployment health examination.

Automobile Driving↗

PubMed2003

Value of preemployment medical assessments for white-collar workers.

Employee absenteeism as a result of illness, as well as the need to enhance worker efficiency, are areas of increasing concern to employers. Given that preemployment medical assessments are expensive, the authors believe it is prudent to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of such procedures. Medical literature was reviewed, and relevant studies on preemployment assessments were analyzed in terms of yield and methodology. The authors found no clear guidelines for preemployment medical evaluations for white-collar applicants, who typically work in low-risk environments; however, they did conclude that laboratory testing and imaging methods are likely overused. Clear criteria should exist for medical assessment of job applicants, with an emphasis on cost-effectiveness. On the basis of recommendations contained in the literature, the authors suggest use of a self-administered questionnaire, with evaluation by an occupational health staff member when necessary, as the method(s) of choice for preemployment assessment of white-collar workers.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed2002

Functional evaluation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: pulmonary function test versus cardiopulmonary exercise test.

The pulmonary function test (PFT) alone may be inadequate for predicting work-related exercise capacity in patients who file workers' compensation claims for respiratory limitation and compensation. Two hundred sixteen ambulatory patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (forced expiratory volume in 1 second = 54.1 +/- 16.8% predicted) were administered the PFT and cardiopulmonary exercise test, and the results were analyzed by categorical statistical comparison, based on standard medical impairment classifications. Sixty-five patients (30.1%) were similarly classified by the two methods. Of the remaining patients, 132 (61.1%) were found to be less impaired according to the cardiopulmonary exercise test than according to the PFT, and 19 (8.8%) were more impaired according to the PFT. The results favor the use of the cardiopulmonary exercise test for the routine evaluation of respiratory impairment in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, particularly for patients with mild or moderate impairment revealed by the PFT. The large discrepancy between the two procedures emphasizes the need for a novel approach.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Effects of Occupational Exposure to Mercury or Chlorinated Hydrocarbons on the Auditory Pathway.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of industrial exposure to mercury and chlorinated hydrocarbons (CH) on the auditory pathway. To this effect, auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were recorded from 40 workers exposed to mercury, 37 workers exposed to CH and from a control group of 36 subjects that were never exposed to neurotoxic substances. The interpeak latency (IPL) of waves I-III, III-V and I-V were measured. The mean duration of exposure to mercury and CH was 15.5 (+6.4) and 15.8 (+7.2) years respectively. The air sample monitoring of mercury was 0.008 mg/m(3) (0.32 of the Threshold Limit Value - TLV(R) as published by ACGIH 2000). The mean average air sample monitoring was found to be 98 ppm for TCE, 12.7 ppm for PCE and 14.4 ppm for TCA which is respectively between 0.28 - 0.51 of the TLV(R) of CH. The mean blood mercury (B-Hg) levels were found to be 0.5mgr% (+0.3mgr%), which is 0.13 of the upper range of the permitted biologic exposure index (BEI) published by the ACGIH 2000. The mean urine samples levels of trichloroacetic acid were between 0.11-0.2 of the permitted BEI for the CH workers. The percent of workers exposed to mercury and CH workers with abnormal prolongation of IPL I-III was higher than the control group (42.5% and 33.8% vs. 18.0% respectively p<0.02). These results are consistent with other studies and show that ABR may provide a sensitive tool for detecting subclinical central neurotoxicity caused by CH and mercury

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Neuropathy in an artist exposed to organic solvents in paints: a case study.

A 61-year-old artist in Israel had been painting for 30 years in his home studio. He had been healthy until he reached the age of 59.5 years, at which time he began complaining of weakness and paresthesia in both hands and legs. He also complained that he had difficulty concentrating, and his memory was impaired. His work was unusual in that he painted large posters (i.e., 2 x 3 m) with different mixtures of organic solvents, including toluene, xylene, benzene, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene diisocyanate, acetone, and thinner. He did not use any protective gloves and did not wear a mask. He was evaluated with several methods and was diagnosed as having peripheral and central neuropathy, including ototoxic hearing loss as a result of long exposures to organic solvents. The authors were unable to find any similar case report in the literature.

Acetone↗