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• Speech Average Loss Index (SAL), the Early Loss Index (ELI) and the Percentage of Hearing Loss. • We examined a sample of 1,418 workers from a wide range of jobs. • Variables used: gender, age, noise level and other non-work-related factors. • Bayesian networks. Introduction: This research relates the most important work-related factors affecting the development of hearing loss to the main methods used as medical assessment criteria in the diagnosis of occupational deafness. These criteria are the Speech Average Loss Index (SAL), the Early Loss Index (ELI) and the Percentage of Hearing Loss, and are applied to data obtained from audiograms performed on workers in occupational medical examinations. Method: Depending on the assessment method selected, these often return different results in grading an individual's hearing status and predicting how it will evolve. To address this problem, medical examinations (including audiograms) were carried out on a heterogeneous sample of 1,418 workers in Spain, from which demographic or personal data (gender, age, etc.), occupational data (noise level to which each individual is exposed, etc.) and other non-work-related factors (exposure to noise outside work, family history, etc.) were also gathered. Using Bayesian Networks, the conditional probability of an individual developing hearing loss was obtained taking into account all these factors and, specifically, noise level and length of service in the workplace. Sensitivity analyses were also carried out using the three scales (SAL, ELI and Percentage Hearing Loss Index), proving their suitability as tools the diagnosis and prediction of deafness. These networks were validated under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC) criterion and in particular by the Area Under the Curve (AUC). Results: The results show that all three methods are deficient in so far as detecting preventive hearing problems related to noise in most workplaces. Conclusions: The most restrictive methods for detecting possible cases of deafness are the SAL index and the Percentage Loss Index. The ELI index is the least restrictive of the three methods, but it is not able to discriminate the causes of hearing problems in an individual caused by exposure to noise, either by its intensity level or by the time of exposure to noise. Practical Applications: The use of the three methods in the field of occupational risk prevention is extremely limited and it seems reasonable to think that there is a need for the construction of new scales to correct or improve the existing ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: excess salt intake is associated to the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Bread is one of the foods that contributes the most salt to the diet in Spain. It is important to monitor the salt content of bread.Objective: to quantify the amount of salt in bread in Spain in 2014, and to compare it to the amount of salt in 2008.Methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted in Spain in 2014, and 1,137 loaves of bread (three types: barra, a Spanish style, similar in shape to a baguette; baguettes and wholemeal) were purchased at bakeries with and without on-site workrooms and at supermarkets in all of Spain's autonomous communities. Salt content (g/100 g bread) was estimated by determining total sodium. In one subsample, mean salt content was estimated by determining chlorides; it was compared to previous data of 2008 salt content (chloride determination).Results: the mean salt content was 2.08 g/100 g (SD: 0.32) with a minimum value of 0.30 and a maximum of 3.33. The mean salt content was similar in barraand baguette-type breads (2.09 g/100 g) and somewhat lower in wholemeal. The mean salt was 2.07 g/100 g in breads made with fresh dough and 2.12 g/100 g in breads made with frozen dough. The mean salt content (chlorides) was 1.64 g/100 g (SD: 0.42) in 2014 and 1.63 g/100 g (SD: 0.37) in 2008. This was not a significant difference (p = 0.428).Conclusions: the amount of salt in common bread in Spain remains stable from 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Tiempos Modernos is the property of Tiempos Modernos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)