It is argued that as the major occupational cancer risks become matters of historical interest, research epidemiologists working in the field should broaden their approaches to encompass life style factors. In the investigation of possible low-cancer risks, it no longer makes any sense to confine their data-collecting activities solely to exposure to dusts and chemicals at work and to regard ex...

Within the large variety of subtypes of chronic cough, either defined by their clinical or pathogenetic causes, occupational chronic cough may be regarded as one of the most preventable forms of the disease. Next to obstructive airway diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which are sometimes concomitant with chronic cough, this chronic airway disease gains importance...

BACKGROUND An apparent excess of teachers and healthcare workers among the Parkinson's disease patients of a large tertiary care movement disorders clinic suggested the hypothesis that high exposure to viral (or other) respiratory infections in these occupations might be a risk factor for Parkinson's disease. METHODS A case-control study of the association between occupation and Parkinson's d...

BACKGROUND The etiology of Dupuytren's disease is unknown, and the role of occupational exposure is still debated. Our objective was to study the association between occupational exposures, personal risk factors and Dupuytren's disease. METHODS In this cross-sectional survey, nine occupational physicians performed clinical examinations, focused on Dupuytren's disease, of 2,406 French male civ...

OBJECTIVE Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although the aetiology of IBD is not completely understood, an interaction between genetic and environmental factors has been proposed. In this context, however, environmental epidemiology lacks a comprehensive evaluation of the possible role of occupational exposures in IBD development ...

The purpose of this article is to critically review the available evidence pertaining to occupational, environmental, and individual factors that can affect the development of occupational asthma (OA). Increasing evidence suggests that exploration of the intrinsic characteristics of OA-causing agents and associated structure-activity relationships offers promising avenues for quantifying the se...

A survey was administered to patients and their therapists in an attempt to assess which therapeutic factors were perceived as helpful in occupational therapy groups. The patients' responses were compared to their therapists' for similarities and differences. Both groups highly valued factors of group cohesiveness, instillation of hope, and interpersonal learning. The therapists also valued gui...

Occupational exposure to a range of pathogens represents a serious risk to anaesthetists. The risk of transmission of blood-borne pathogens, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B and C, are well known, but occupational exposure also includes airborne pathogens such as tuberculosis. The risk of occupational infection with a blood-borne pathogen is proportional to three factors: