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This study compared the number of postural shifts and perceived discomfort while leaning and sitting on an air-filled seat cushion for 1 hour. Sixty office workers typed a standard text while leaning on a cushion placed behind the low back, sitting on a cushion placed under the buttocks, and sitting without a cushion (a control condition). The number of postural shifts was collected using a seat pressure mat device. Low back discomfort was assessed using the Borg CR-10 scale. Leaning on a seat cushion (22 shifts/h) led to a significantly higher number of postural shifts than sitting on a seat cushion (18 shifts/h) and the control condition (20 shifts/h). Leaning or sitting on a seat cushion significantly decreased low back discomfort compared to the control condition (p < 0.05). Leaning on a seat cushion placed behind the low back may be an effective means of preventing low back pain among office workers. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: During prolonged sitting, using a seat cushion, whether leaning or sitting on it, may be more efficient in preventing low back pain compared to not using one. Particularly, leaning on a seat cushion led to more postural shifts during sitting compared to sitting on one or not using any. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple diseases and disorders are connected with occupational and environmental exposure risk. It is also well-established that chemicals and chemical mixtures have an influence on the immune cells of humans. This is an important field of research that has been pursued extensively in relation to autoimmune illnesses, allergy/asthma, and lung cancer, but Prostate Carcinoma has received rare reports. Chronic chemical exposure is known to produce inflammation, which is one of the most prominent characteristics of all malignancies. Changes in the ratio of pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory molecules are thought to be a key factor in the emergence of inflammation. Prostate gland cells express the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-18 (IL-18), which is a major facilitator of immunological responses. Conversely, interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that is linked to immune responses and inhibits the development of an inflammatory environment. Our goal is to investigate the inflammatory status of IL-18 (pro-) and IL-10 (anti-) in a variety of occupationally exposed populations in patients with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) and patients with Prostate Carcinoma. The present study was conducted with 664 subjects, comprising 285 Prostate Carcinoma patients, 94 BPH patients and 285 controls. The subjects of BPH and Prostate Carcinoma were screened and confirmed on the basis of Prostate Serum Antigen (PSA) and pathological biopsy. All subjects were categorized as per their occupational exposure into various groups. The pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory Interleukins (IL-18 and IL-10) and serum PSA levels were analysed by using corresponding quantitative ELISA kits. The results showed that as compared to control participants, the serum PSA levels were higher in the Prostate Carcinoma and BPH groups. When mean levels of IL-18 were compared between various occupational groups, Tanners (tanning industry), Agriculture, and Ordnance workers had significantly higher levels (P < 0.05) of IL-18 than sedentary workers. The pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-18) levels were also found to be aggravated in Prostate Carcinoma compared to BPH and controls. According to the findings of the current study, the levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-18 and IL-10) in various occupational groups of BPH, Prostate Carcinoma, and controls were altered. Long-term occupational exposure may have a negative influence on inflammation levels and the immune system; therefore, preventative measures should be explored for improved health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Flexibility is the ability to move single joint or series of joints smoothly and easily through an unrestricted, pain free ROM. Adequate flexibility is an important characteristic of physical and health related fitness. Objective: To find out the effect of Non-Ballistic Active Knee Extension in Neural Slump Position versus Post Isometric Relaxation techniques on hamstring flexibility in sedentary workers assessed using Active Knee Extension (AKE) test and Sit and Reach Flexibility test at the end of 3 weeks of intervention. Methodology: The present experimental study was carried out in sedentary workers having hamstring tightness (age group of 30 to 50) at musculoskeletal physiotherapy department at PES Moderna College of Physiotherapy, Pune. Results: Majority of the patients in group A were from 36-40 years age group i.e. 14(31.1%). Majority of the patients in group B were from 30-35 years age group i.e. 18(40%). Hamstring flexibility of right leg and left leg are comparable at the end of 3 weeks. Post intervention hamstring flexibility using Sit and Reach in both legs are comparable at the end of 3 weeks. Conclusion: Both non-ballistic active knee extension in neural slump position versus post isometric relaxation technique's along with conventional treatment are equally effective in improving hamstring flexibility in sedentary workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Shoulder pain is prominent among sedentary employees who make motions of the upper limbs on a regular basis. Rounded shoulder posture (RSP) and hunched shoulder posture (HSP) are the most common clinical postural misalignments. These causes the spine to bend and raise tension on the nerve roots, which has a negative impact on upper-extremity muscular strength and function. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the effect of RSP and HSP on the mechanical parameters of the upper body muscles in clinically asymptomatic sedentary workers. Methods: Twenty office workers with RSP, 20 with HSP, and 20 with normal shoulder posture (NSP) were matched for age, BMI, and type of job. Volunteers were split into groups based on photometric shoulder angle measurements. Mechanical properties such as muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity of the upper trapezius, middle trapezius, posterior deltoid, and pectoralis major were assessed in sedentary postures. Results: The study revealed a significant decrease in muscle tone for the pectoralis major and a significant increase in muscle stiffness for the poster deltoid in both RSP and HSP as compared to NSP. Specifically, muscle tone decreased from 20.1 ± 4.0 to 12.4 ± 3.1 Hz (38.3%), (p ≤ 0.001) in RSP and from 20.1 ± 4.0 to 14.0 ± 4.8 Hz (30.3%), (p ≤ 0.001) in HSP. Muscle stiffness increased from 309.9 ± 70.7 to 348.15 ± 68.7 N/m (11%), (p ≤ 0.001) in RSP and from 309.9 ± 70.7 to 441.7 ± 45.9 N/m (29.8%), (p ≤ 0.001) in HSP. Conclusions: RSP and HSP have an impact on the tone, stiffness, and elasticity of upper body muscles in healthy asymptomatic sedentary workers. These postures, on a regular basis, may affect physical health and decrease workers' productivity. In addition, it is recommended for sedentary workers to take regular breaks and attend training that could help improve their physical health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Shoulder pain is prominent among sedentary employees who make motions of the upper limbs on a regular basis. Rounded shoulder posture (RSP) and hunched shoulder posture (HSP) are the most common clinical postural misalignments. These causes the spine to bend and raise tension on the nerve roots, which has a negative impact on upper-extremity muscular strength and function. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the effect of RSP and HSP on the mechanical parameters of the upper body muscles in clinically asymptomatic sedentary workers. Methods: Twenty office workers with RSP, 20 with HSP, and 20 with normal shoulder posture (NSP) were matched for age, BMI, and type of job. Volunteers were split into groups based on photometric shoulder angle measurements. Mechanical properties such as muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity of the upper trapezius, middle trapezius, posterior deltoid, and pectoralis major were assessed in sedentary postures. Results: The study revealed a significant decrease in muscle tone for the pectoralis major and a significant increase in muscle stiffness for the poster deltoid in both RSP and HSP as compared to NSP. Specifically, muscle tone decreased from 20.1 ± 4.0 to 12.4 ± 3.1 Hz (38.3%), (p ≤ 0.001) in RSP and from 20.1 ± 4.0 to 14.0 ± 4.8 Hz (30.3%), (p ≤ 0.001) in HSP. Muscle stiffness increased from 309.9 ± 70.7 to 348.15 ± 68.7 N/m (11%), (p ≤ 0.001) in RSP and from 309.9 ± 70.7 to 441.7 ± 45.9 N/m (29.8%), (p ≤ 0.001) in HSP. Conclusions: RSP and HSP have an impact on the tone, stiffness, and elasticity of upper body muscles in healthy asymptomatic sedentary workers. These postures, on a regular basis, may affect physical health and decrease workers’ productivity. In addition, it is recommended for sedentary workers to take regular breaks and attend training that could help improve their physical health.

Objective: Despite the increasing literature on the association of diabetes with inflammation, cardiovascular risk, and vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations, strong evidence on the direction of causality among these factors is still lacking. This gap could be addressed by means of artificial neural networks (ANN) analysis.Methods: Retrospective observational study was carried out by means of an innovative data mining analysis-known as auto-contractive map (AutoCM)-and semantic mapping followed by Activation and Competition System on data of workers referring to an occupational-health outpatient clinic. Parameters analyzed included weight, height, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), percentage of fat mass, glucose, insulin, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), creatinine, total cholesterol, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, fibrinogen, homocysteine, C-reactive protein (CRP), diastolic and systolic blood pressure, and 25(OH)D.Results: The study included 309 workers. Of these, 23.6% were overweight, 40.5% were classified into the first class of obesity, 23.3% were in the second class, and 12.6% were in the third class (BMI > 40 kg/m ). All mean biochemical values were in normal range, except for total cholesterol, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, CRP, and 25(OH)D. HbA1c was between 39 and 46 mmol/mol in 51.78%. 25(OH)D levels were sufficient in only 12.6%. Highest inverse correlation for hyperglycemia onset was with BMI and waist circumference, suggesting a protective role of 25(OH)D against their increase. AutoCM processing and the semantic map evidenced direct association of 25(OH)D with high link strength (0.99) to low CRP levels and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Low 25(OH)D led to changes in glucose, which affected metabolic syndrome biomarkers, first of which was homeostatic model assessment index and blood glucose, but not 25(OH)D.Conclusions: The use of ANN suggests a key role of 25(OH)D respect to all considered metabolic parameters in the development of diabetes and evidences a causation between low 25(OH)D and high glucose concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background and aims: Musculoskeletal pain may negatively affect work ability, especially when work demands are high and/or physical capacity of the worker is low. This study investigated the association between intensity of musculoskeletal pain in multiple body regions and work ability among young and old workers with sedentary and physical demanding jobs. Methods: Currently employed wage earners (n=10,427) replied to questions about pain intensity, work ability, and physical work demands. The odds ratio (OR) for having a lower level of work ability in relation to the physical demands at work were modeled using logistic regression controlled for various confounders. Results: The OR for lower work ability increased with higher pain intensity in all regions among workers with sedentary and physical work. The same pattern was observed among workers <50 years and ≥50 years in both work types. The association was quite consistent across age and work activity groups, although it tended to be more pronounced among those with physically demanding work in some of pain regions. Conclusions: This study shows that increasing pain intensity in multiple sites of the body is associated with lower work ability. This was seen for both younger and older workers as well as those with sedentary and physical work. Implications: Physical workers with multiple-site pain may especially be at increased risk of the consequences of reduced work ability. Therefore, extra attention is needed and this group may benefit from better targeted preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of our study is to compare whether yoga and aerobic exercise makes sedentary workers healthy. Introduction: A sedentary lifestyle is a type of lifestyle involving little or no physical activity. Yoga is a type of exercise, in which we can stretch body into various positions to improve breathing, relaxation, etc. Aerobic exercise is an activity to increase cardiovascular efficiency. Materials and Methods: A comparative study was conducted to sedentary workers by preparing a set of questions by online survey method. Discussion: The present study shows that yoga is more effective in decreasing stress, anxiety, and gives mind relaxation. Conclusion: The findings in this study indicate that there was a significant improvement in health performing yoga than aerobic exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We assessed the burden of cardiometabolic risk factors in Information Technology (IT) employees as they are exposed to adverse lifestyle. In this cross-sectional study, Materials and Methods: health records were obtained from two IT industries in Pune. Prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors [hyperglycemia, high blood pressure (BP), hypertriglyceridemia, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, and overweight/obesity] was determined using standard cutoffs. We also examined clustering of risk factors (=two risk factors). Data were available on 1,350 of 5,800 Results: employees (mean age: 33 ± 6 years, 78% men). Prevalence of diabetes and hypertension was 2.5% and 13.5%, respectively. Prevalence of prediabetes, borderline high BP, hypertriglyceridemia, high LDL-cholesterol, low HDL-cholesterol, and overweight/obesity was 6.5%, 20.3%, 21%, 22.1%, 70.1%, and 51.4%, respectively. Risk factor clustering was observed in 63.5% that increased with age (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Given the high burden of risk factors at relatively young age, spreading awareness and promoting healthy lifestyle through workplace interventions are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two hundred and eighty-five Office workers were surveyed and the micro-climatic conditions in which they worked were measured to evaluate their preferred temperature. About 78% of workers considered the natural tropical climate uncomfortable. However, 76% to 87% of workers in airconditioned Offices approved of their thermal environment if its temperature ranged from 21°C to 27°C. Many workers who felt that the temperature produced a neutral thermal sensation in the body as a whole, tended to complain that their heads were too warm and at the same time their limbs too cool. About 60% of workers in airconditioned Offices were exposed to an air temperature of less than 24°C. Present data suggest that an air temperature of 27°C would be comfortable for more than 80% of workers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: Despite previous research aimed at identifying factors linked to musculoskeletal health issues, there was no evidence about the relationship between road traffic delays (RTDs) and musculoskeletal health in sedentary employees. As a result, the aim of our research was to understand such a correlation among bank employees in Dhaka, Bangladesh., Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted with bank employees who worked in sedentary settings. The Eriksen subjective health complaints scale was used to measure the eight items of musculoskeletal health complaints (MHCs), and RTDs were measured using principal component analysis using variables commute time, distance, and traffic congestion experience to work. The association between RTDs and MHCs was identified using a multilevel model after adjusting potential confounders., Results: A total of 628 employees (mean[SD] age, 36.1[7.0] years; 254[40.5%] women) participated in the study. Among the employees, the one-month prevalence of MHCs was 57.2%. The highest prevalence of MHCs was low-back pain (36.6%), followed by neck pain (22.9%) and upper-back pain (21.2%). Also, 136(21.7%) employees reported long-RTDs in commuting workplace and 81% of them had MHCs. The multilevel analysis identified that long-RTDs had a significant relationship with MHCs (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 10.20, 95%CI = 5.41-16.91). Private transportation commuters reported 70% reduced odds of MHCs (AOR = 0.30, 95%CI = 0.15-0.59) and walking or bicycling commuters had 84% fewer MHCs (AOR = 0.16, 95%CI = 0.10-0.28) compared to public bus commuters., Conclusions: Sedentary employees with long-RTDs reported increased MHCs, emphasizing the importance of including musculoskeletal exercise in office facilities. Findings of this study also highlight the need for a sound public transportation system in Dhaka city., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Occupational Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Japan Society for Occupational Health.)