Institute of Occupational Safety

Age is a key risk factor for morbidity in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study investigates how "inflammaging" predisposes older hosts to severe SARS-CoV-2 outcomes through systemic and localized metabolic shifts. SARS-CoV-2 infection experiments were conducted respectively on 8 week-old mice and 16 week-old mice. An integrated multiomics approach was employed to delineate age-dependent molecular signatures and metabolic-immune crosstalk. 16 week-old mice exhibited significantly exacerbated weight loss and pulmonary pathology, successfully recapitulating age-related susceptibility. Multiomics integration revealed a "systemic bioenergetic gap": suppressed plasma TCA cycle metabolites correlated with depleted pulmonary nucleotide pools (AMP, GMP, UMP and uracil). This metabolic failure led to a paradoxical proteomic profile: despite interferon pathway activation, key antiviral effectors (RSAD2, ISG15, IFIT3B) were downregulated, while stress markers (CYP1A1, MAPK8) increased. Furthermore, threonic acid, betaine, and d-ribose were identified as robust, age-dependent biomarkers of infection severity. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 severity in the aging host is driven by the failure of a systemic-to-local metabolic-immune axis. The exhaustion of circulating energetic precursors constrains localized pulmonary nucleotide metabolism, thereby impairing essential antiviral responses and tissue repair. This study identifies the "systemic bioenergetic gap" as a novel therapeutic target, suggesting that systemic metabolic resuscitation may improve clinical outcomes in elderly populations.

Abstract Background: Low back pain (LBP) and neck pain (NP) are major public health concerns and leading causes of disability worldwide. While workplace psychosocial factors have been identified as risk factors, the role of workplace conflicts and rivalry remains underexplored. This study examines the association between hierarchical workplace conflicts, rivalry, and the prevalence of LBP and NP among Latvian employees working with computers. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Work Conditions and Risks in Latvia 2019-2021 survey, which included 1,313 employees who worked with computers for more than two hours per day. Workplace psychosocial factors, including conflicts with managers, coworkers, worker groups, and clients, as well as workplace rivalry, were assessed. Binomial logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for age, gender, and education. Results: Workplace conflicts were significantly associated with increased odds of LBP and NP. Conflicts with managers increased the odds of LBP (aOR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.12–2.00) and NP (aOR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.06–2.32). Employees experiencing conflicts with coworkers (aOR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.25–2.22), clients (aOR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.07–1.93), and rivalry (aOR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.01–1.84) also had significantly higher odds of LBP. Conclusions: Our findings highlight workplace conflicts and rivalry as important psychosocial risk factors for LBP and NP. Addressing these factors through workplace interventions and leadership strategies could contribute to musculoskeletal health promotion.

This communication is aimed at outlining the role of the National Register of Biological Agents (NRoBA) in the system of working conditions supervision in Poland. The paper was prepared based on a review of Polish legislation related to employee health protection, as well as scientific literature and recommendations of expert organizations regarding the intentional use of biological agents. Polish law obliges employers to protect the health and safety of employees occupationally exposed to harmful agents. The State Sanitary Inspection and the State Labor Inspection supervise the employer's fulfillment of these obligations. Occupational exposure to biological agents may result from their intentional use (e.g., in the biotechnology industry or a scientific laboratory) or be related to their unintentional presence (e.g., in healthcare, sewage treatment plants, municipal waste management plants). Making a distinction between these 2 types of exposure is important for employers in relation to their legal obligations. In the case of using harmful biological agents for scientific, industrial or diagnostic purposes, the employer is obliged to notify the State Sanitary Inspection. Such notifications from employers are gathered in the NRoBA. Its aim is to support hygiene supervision over the intentional use of biological agents and to increase the employer's attention to the protection of the health of employees exposed to these agents. The International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2023 published Technical Guidelines on Biological Hazards in the Working Environment, in which it recommended increasing the capacity for epidemiological surveillance by creating networks or dedicated websites to collect and analyze adverse events in employees of research and development laboratories. The NRoBA complies with these guidelines but in order to use it in epidemiological studies, it should be re-digitalized to extend the range of collected data. The NRoBA in its present form has been used in Poland for almost 2 decades. Now it is time for re-digitalization to ensure its full compliance with the ILO recommendations and to use it in epidemiological studies. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2025;38(1):91-97.

Abstract Introduction Work-related stress is a significant risk factor contributing to burnout, especially in professions characterized by elevated mental demands such as front-line occupational physicians. The aim of our study was to assess the extent of psychosocial risk (PSR) factors among occupational physicians. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among physicians working in occupational medicine groups in Tunisia in November 2022. The Karasek questionnaire and Siegrist’s effort/reward imbalance model were utilized to assess PSR factors among the participants. Results The participation rate was 46%. The mean age was 41± 6 years. The sex ratio was 0.2. A high psychological demand and a low level of social support were found in 79% and 75% of the cases respectively. The prevalence of job strain was 60% and iso strain 75%. Effort/reward imbalance was noted in 30% of cases. High psychological demand and low social support were significantly associated with the number of patients per day and per year. Low decision latitude was significantly associated with the number of patients per year, the scarcity of participation in medical training and the presence of third-party constraints whose purpose is to interfere with the medical decision. The main source of work-related stress was poor administrative management for 38% of cases. Discussion These findings highlight the prevalence of PSR among occupational physicians. We recommend considering a legislative reform to improve the overall well-being of these healthcare professionals. Conclusion One out of two occupational physicians is experiencing job strain. A specific preventive strategy is suggested, as well as a legislative reform.

This review is aimed at summarizing the current state of knowledge about the relationship between environmental exposure to the bioaerosol emitted by intensive livestock farming and changes in the microbiome of people living in livestock farm vicinity. The PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched by crossing keywords from the following 3 groups: a) "livestock," "animal farms," "animal breeding"; b) "microbiome," "resistome"; c) "livestock vicinity," "farm vicinity," "neighborhoods and health" in 2010-2022. Literature screening did not reveal any paper related to the full microbiome composition in the population studied. In the study, the authors included 7 papers (5 from the Netherlands, 1 from the USA, and 1 from China). The studies confirmed the carriage of Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), livestockassociated MRSA (LA-MRSA MC398) and multidrug-resistant S. aureus (MDRSA) in the nasal microbiome of adults and children living within 500-2000 m from a livestock farm. Clostridium difficile, including LA-ribotype RT078 carriage, was detected in the intestinal microbiome of adults living within 500-1000 m. Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacteriaceae were confirmed in the intestinal microbiome of adults living within 500-6200 m. Knowledge on the composition of the microflora of people living in livestock farm vicinity is insufficient to conclude about changes in the microbiome caused by the environmental emission of bioaerosol. The carriage prevalence of the LA-bacteria, including both strains with antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial resistance genes, confirms the presence of zoonotic bacteria in the human microflora in populations without occupational contact with animals. It cannot be ruled out that zoonotic bacteria, as a component of the microbiome, have a negative impact on people's health. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2024;37(2):138-52.

The contemporary landscape of eHealth is characterized by major concerns related to electronic medical records (EMRs). In an EMR, critical patient health information gets its own repository, which is the core of the eHealth system. Notably, the EMR not only retrieves health information generated in ambulatory clinical settings but also includes court-generated records. These overlapping records assume the role of a foundational data source for a comprehensive electronic health record (EHR). This scholarly review sheds light on recent trends in medical records and associated challenges, while at the same time providing insights into Saudi Arabia’s targeted approaches to healthcare delivery. Additionally, the talk expands to include a description of blockchain technology and its underlying conceptual framework. This demonstration positions blockchain technology as a promising approach that requires consideration for future use in the healthcare system.