Objective: To examine the relationship between serum perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), a biomarker of ammonium perfluorooctanoate (APFO) exposure, and lipids and liver enzymes in a cross-sectional study among workers with potential occupational exposure to APFO. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1025 active workers with potential exposure to APFO using linear regression to examine the relationship between PFOA and selected outcomes from a standard metabolic health screening survey, emphasizing lipids and liver enzymes. Results: Most outcome parameters were within normal limits. After adjusting for potential confounders, we observed a modest but statistically significant, positive relationship between serum PFOA and total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and gamma glutamyl aminotransferase (GGT). No associations were seen for high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or bilirubin; associations with AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (alanine transpeptidase) did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: Our findings indicate a modest positive association of PFOA on some lipid parameters and a need for follow-up studies.

To examine the relationship between serum perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), a biomarker of ammonium perfluorooctanoate exposure, and lipids and liver enzymes. We conducted a longitudinal study on 454 workers and used mixed models to examine the relationship between serum PFOA and lipids and liver enzymes. One part per million (ppm) increase in serum PFOA was associated with a 1.06 mg/dL increase in total cholesterol, but was not associated with changes in triglycerides or other lipoproteins, after adjusting for potential confounders. Serum PFOA was also associated with total bilirubin (0.008 mg/dL decline/ppm) and serum aspartate aminotransferase (0.35 units increase/ppm) but not with the other liver enzymes. These medical surveillance data collected on workers for up to 25 years contributes useful information on the effects of ammonium perfluorooctanoate exposure on human liver and lipid chemistry.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to their risk of direct exposure to the virus, they were subjected to long working hours, scarcity of PPE, and additional stressors that impacted their psychological wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to assess anxiety and its predictors among a sample of HCWs at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) and to evaluate the association between resilience and anxiety. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey between March and June 2021 among HCWs at AUBMC. The psychosocial scale section included the 7-item generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) scale and a 25-item resilience scale, validated tools used to assess anxiety and resilience respectively. Data were analyzed on SPSS version 27, and descriptive statistics were applied. Predictors were evaluated using bivariate and multivariate linear regression. Results: From a total of 92 participants, 75% were involved in direct patient care, and of those, 95% worked directly with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients. The majority (83%) had minimal to mild anxiety, whereas the rest had moderate to high anxiety levels. Around 41% reported moderately high to high resilience, 47% were found to be between the low end and moderate resilience scale and only 12% had very low or low resilience. More than 80% of the participants received PPE training, reported always working with adequate preventive infection control measures, and were vaccinated. Further, more than 70% of participants reported trusting the management and agreed that the safety of the workers is considered a high priority. No significant association between sociodemographic and COVID-19 work exposure factors with anxiety was found. Multivariate analysis results showed that a lower anxiety score was associated with higher resilience (p = 0.011). Conclusion: This study has shown a strong association between low anxiety levels and high resilience scores in this group of mostly vaccinated HCWs caring for COVID-19 patients. The high percentage of vaccination along with PPE availability could explain the low anxiety levels reported among the participants.

The availability of and access to COVID-19 vaccines has been challenging in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), coupled with mistrust in public health organizations instigated by misinformation and disinformation diffused by traditional and social media. In the Spring of 2021, the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon spearheaded a nationwide vaccination drive with the ambitious goal of vaccinating its entire community by the beginning of the academic year 2021–2022, as the campus was due to be opened only to vaccinated individuals. This case study outlines the development, implementation, and evaluation of a social marketing campaign to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations among members of the AUB community, comprising students, faculty, staff, and dependents. Following French and Evans’ 2020 guidelines, we implemented an evidence-based and co-designed strategy to maximize the availability and facilitate vaccine access. The campaign used a mix of methods to convince the segments of the population to receive their shots before accessing campus, resulting in a 98% uptake among the community segments within three months (July–September 2021). In this case study, we reflect on the experience and share suggestions for future research and applications that other higher education institutions could use to address similar problems.

Objectives: Several adverse pregnancy outcomes were reported among female laboratory workers in a North American aluminum smelter. To determine whether these outcomes were associated with any occupational exposure at the plant, a cross-sectional survey was undertaken. Methods: Rates of miscarriage, premature singleton birth, and major congenital anomaly occurring during employment were compared with a reference group comprised of all pregnancies that occurred before employment. Results: Among female workers, the excess of congenital anomalies among female laboratory workers that defined the initial cluster was observed, but no specific pattern was found. Conclusions: On the basis of these analyses, the increase in congenital anomalies could not be attributed to occupational exposures at the smelter nor could potential exposure likely explain the diverse anomalies described.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are exposed to a multitude of hazards in the hospital environment, increasing their risks of sustaining injuries at a higher rate compared to workers in other sectors and resulting in substantial level of modified work and absenteeism. This study aims to examine the burden and determinants of occupational injury severity of HCWs at a tertiary care hospital in Lebanon. This retrospective cross-sectional study examined incident reports completed by HCWs over a period of 5 years (January 2018 to December 2022). Injury severity was assessed by HCWs’ need for an Emergency Department (ED) visit after sustaining an injury at work. The association with age, sex, occupation, and type of injury was examined. Results were reported as adjusted OR, with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals and p-values, using logistic regression. 1,772 injury reports were recorded, of which 790 were included for analysis since the sample was limited to the outpatient clinic opening hours to ensure a more accurate assessment of injury severity. Of these, 27% required an ED visit. Male sex (OR = 1.601, p-value = 0.005) was associated with more severe injuries. Transportation injuries (OR = 5.927, p-value = 0.001) were more severe compared to other injury mechanism, while needle-pricks (OR = 0.008, p-value = 0.000), exposure to blood products (OR = 0.025, p-value = 0.000), and exposure to harmful substances (OR = 0.209, p-value = 0.003) were less severe. Age and occupation only showed significance at the bivariate level. This study highlighted significant determinants of injury severity among HCWs, emphasizing the critical need for targeted interventions for individuals at risk. Implementing comprehensive safety and wellness programs can enhance the overall health and safety of HCWs in high-stress environments.