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Published Article / The abattoir Hygiene Management System (HMS) was regulated in South Africa under the Meat Safety Act 40 of 2000. Presently, there is no national regulated microbiological standard to compare against meat tested at abattoirs as an indicator of good hygiene practices. The aim of the study was to establish a provincial guideline for a microbiological baseline. This may be used to verify the performance of the implemented HMS. Thirty red meat and twenty-two poultry abattoirs were sampled to determine baseline Total Bacterial Counts (TBCs). The results of this study were compared to standards presently used in the United Kingdom (UK). The results compared favourably.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005. / Emergency medical personnel have a number of occupational risk factors that are listed in the reviewed literature (Davis and Heaney 2000, Volinn 1997 and Andersson 1999) as risk factors for low back pain. Physical lifting and carrying of patients and equipment increases stress on the lower back, while occupational stress and a high level of patient responsibility are mental risk factors (Davis and Heaney, 2000). Emergency medical personnel that spend long hours in response vehicles, ambulances or helicopters are exposed to vibrational stressors and may therefore have an increased risk of low back pain due to this whole body vibration (Palmer et al, 2000). In addition it has been noted that the number of motor vehicle accidents will also increase the risk of low back pain due to mechanical injury (Cassidy et al, 2003). Low back pain could therefore interfere with their ability to carry out their duties, affect their attitude towards patients and colleagues, impact on the level of patient care required of them, and result in increased absenteeism. Persistence of chronic low back with the inability to perform their duties may result in the need to find alternative employment or result in premature dismissal. The objectives of this study were: to determine if emergency medical personnel have a higher risk factor for the development of low back pain due to their occupation than the general population; as well as determine if an increase in the number of years working in the field (i.e. years of exposure) leads to an increased incidence and / or prevalence of low back pain. / M

Industrial hygienists can compare "total" dust concentrations to higher inhalable concentrations using a value called the performance ratio. A commonly used performance ratio of 2.5 is used for dusts found in the workplace, after results from multiple studies were compiled. The objective of this study was to evaluate the "total" and inhalable dust performance ratio over a range of conditions to investigate whether the commonly used value of 2.5 varies between: (1) dust type (2) IOM and Button inhalable samplers and (3) distance from the dust source. Dust concentrations were generated in a still air chamber using three dust types; sawdust, flour, and glass microbeads. The IOM, Button, and CFC samplers were used to measure concentrations at four locations increasing in distance from the source. Linear regressions in the form of [Inhalable mg m-3] = S x ["Total" mg m-3] were used to calculate the appropriate performance ratio, S. The intercept of this regression was forced through the origin. Linear regression was also used to examine whether the effect of distance on S was significant and a distance factor (β1) was calculated. The calculated performance ratios, S, differed between sawdust, flour, and glass microbeads, and were 1.62, 2.82, and 2.97 respectively when comparing IOM concentration to CFC concentration. Performance ratios computed for the Button sampler for sawdust, flour, and glass microbreads were 0.82, 1.04, and 0.57 respectively. Performance ratios were significantly different (p=0.049) between the two inhalable sampler types. The IOM/CFC performance ratio for all three dusts averaged 2.47 (SD=0.74), whereas the Button/CFC performance ratio for the three dusts averaged 0.81 (SD=0.24). Only the IOM/CFC performance ratio had a statistically significant distance factor at α=0.05. The authors caution against using a single performance ratio of 2.5 for all dusts due to the large variance involved with dust sampler and dust type. Distance from the source did not significantly affect the performance ratios computed under laboratory conditions. Industrial hygienists are advised to perform side by side sampling with inhalable and "total" dust samplers to create specific performance ratios appropriate for tasks found in the workplace.

The collection and quantification of influenza virus is important in determining exposure, and in the control of infection. There are a number of bioaerosol samplers and analytical methods available to do this, however few researchers have been able to detect influenza virus in the environment. Therefore, new samplers and methods should be considered. This study compared influenza virus recovery from three filter types (PTFE, PVC, and PS) treated with sampling air or no air, using HBSS or PBS as wash buffers, and the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit or Trizol method in the extraction of viral RNA. Twenty, 30-minute laboratory trials were completed in a sampling chamber designed to control RH at 50%. Samples were analyzed using RT-qPCR. Viral recovery for each filter type was significantly different (p-value < .0001), with the new PS filter material resulting in the recovery of the most viral RNA. Treating filters with simulated sampling air did not affect the recovery of viral RNA from the filter materials (Kit, HBSS: Air vs. No Air p-value = 0.615; Trizol, HBSS: Air vs. No Air p-value = 0.947; Kit, PBS: Air vs. No Air p-value = 0.224; Trizol, PBS: Air vs. No Air p-value = 0.1122). Using HBSS and PBS as a filter wash buffer resulted in viral recoveries that were significantly different, depending on the RNA extraction method used (Kit, Air or No: HBSS vs. PBS p-value = 0.0001, 0.0001; Trizol, Air or No: HBSS vs. PBS p-value = 0.0322, 0.499). Viral RNA counts were significantly different when using the Kit and Trizol extraction methods for all comparisons (HBSS, Air or No-Air: Kit vs. Trizol p-value = 0.0021, 0.0013; PBS, Air or No-Air: Kit vs. Trizol p-value = 0.0001, 0.0002). Our results demonstrated that the novel PS filter material resulted in the highest counts of extracted RNA compared to the commonly used PTFE and PVC, and that sampling air did not have a significant effect on viral recovery. Also, that the combination of HBSS with QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit, and PBS with the Trizol method, resulted in the highest counts of RNA extracted.

Bibliographische Beschreibung: Christian Dick „Schützen Impfungen vor der Entstehung von Allergien?“ Universität Leipzig, Dissertation 68 S., 72 Lit., 9 Abb., 19 Tab., 7 Anlagen. Referat: Die Anzahl von Kindern mit allergischen Erkrankungen steigt in den industrialisierten Staaten dieser Welt stetig. Nach der „Hygiene-Hypothese“ ist dafür ein moderner „westlicher“ Lebensstil mitverantwortlich. Dieser führt dazu, dass Menschen einer immer geringeren Anzahl von Infektionen und mikrobiellen Expositionen ausgesetzt sind. Diese scheinen jedoch gerade in den ersten Lebensjahren ein wichtiges Stimulans des Immunsystems darzustellen. Die Folge davon scheint eine Imbalance zwischen T1- und T2-Helferzellen zu sein, welche zu einem verstärkten Auftreten von allergischen Erkrankungen führt. Entsprechend dieser „Hygiene-Hypothese“ könnten im Umkehrschluss Impfungen im frühen Kindesalter als eine Art „Ersatzinfektion“ einen protektiven Effekt auf allergische Erkrankungen besitzen. Anhand der Daten einer prospektiven Geburtskohortenstudie mit einer Anfangsteilnehmerzahl von 3097 Kindern wurde zum Ende des 6. Lebensjahres die Lebenszeitprävalenz des atopischen Ekzems von geimpften und nicht geimpften Kindern verglichen. Der Vergleich wurde zum einen für drei unterschiedliche Impfungen -Tetanus, Haemophilus influenzae b und Masern- einzeln durchgeführt. Zum anderen wurden Kinder mit einem hohen Impfstatus, welche drei Mal als erfolgreich geimpft gewertet wurden, Kindern mit niedrigem Impfstatus gegenübergestellt, die nur einmal oder gar nicht als erfolgreich geimpft gewertet wurden. Für keine der drei einzeln untersuchten Impfungen konnte ein signifikanter Einfluss auf die Ekzemlebenszeitprävalenz zum Ende des 6. Lebensjahrs festgestellt werden. Dagegen erwies sich ein hoher Impfstatus als protektiver Faktor in Bezug auf die Ekzemlebenszeitprävalenz zum vollendeten 6. Lebensjahr (OR=0,29, 95% Konfidenzintervall=0,12 - 0,71 /p=0,006). Ergebnis dieser Arbeit ist, dass sich ein hoher Impfstatus protektiv auf die Allergieentwicklung auswirkt. Damit stützen die Ergebnisse die „Hygiene-Hypothese“.

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Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--California State University, Long Beach, 1997. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--California State University, Long Beach, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references.