Background: The construction industry is characterized by a high prevalence of accidents and injuries. Inadequate risk management measures, including failure to use or incorrect use of personal protective equipment (PPE) may significantly increase the risk of accidents. Objectives: The main objectives of the current study were to measure the prevalence of PPE use and accidents and their associated factors among construction workers. Methods: A cross-sectional field study with an analytic component was carried out on 384 workers from different sites in Port-Said, Egypt, using an interview administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included sociodemographic and occupational data, practice of PPE use and accident analysis. Results: About 60% of workers use PPE during work. Main reasons for non-use are discomfort, lack of knowledge on how to use it and poor fit. Occupational accidents in the last 12 months were reported by 64.3% of workers. The main accident types were: being hit by falling objects, falls from height, and tool related accidents. Safety training was the significant independent predictor of PPE use (AOR=2.0). However, age, marital status, smoking, safety training, and PPE use were also significant independent predictors of accidents (AOR=2.4, 3.1, 0.5, 0.5, and 0.2; respectively). Discussion: Among construction workers, PPE utilization is low with significant relation to safety training while occupational accidents are common and significantly related to safety training and PPE use. Therefore, safety training should be provided, and PPE use should be enforced at construction sites.

Background: Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are widely used in many industrial sectors and previous studies have reported that exposure of the lungs to ZnO-NPs induces both acute and/or chronic pulmonary inflammation, but the exact mechanism underlying such response remains elusive. This study investigated the role of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) in pulmonary inflammation induced by exposure to ZnO-NPs using Nrf2 null (Nrf2^−/−) mice.Methods: Twenty-four maleNrf2^−/−mice and thirty male wild type C57BL/6 J mice were divided into three groups of eight and ten each respectively, and exposed once to ZnO-NPs at 0, 10, 30 μg/mouse by pharyngeal aspiration. At 14 days after the exposure to ZnO-NPs, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lungs were collected to quantify protein level and the number of inflammatory cells. The mRNA levels ofNrf2-dependent antioxidant enzymes and inflammatory cytokines in lung tissue were measured.Results: Exposure to ZnO-NPs dose-dependently increased the number of total cells, macrophages, lymphocytes and eosinophils in BALF both inNrf2^−/−mice and wild type mice, but the magnitude of increase was significantly higher inNrf2^−/−mice than wild type mice. The number of neutrophils in BALF increased inNrf2^−/−mice, being accompanied by marginal trend of increase in mRNA expression ofMIP-2, neutrophil chemoattractant, but such changes were not observed in wild type mice. Exposure to ZnO-NPs did not dose-dependently increase mRNA level ofNrf2-dependent antioxidant enzymes both inNrf2^−/−mice and wild type mice.Conclusion: Pharyngeal aspiration of ZnO-NPs induced infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lung of mice, but minimally inducedNrf2-dependent antioxidant enzymes. The results suggest thatNrf2play a role in negative regulation on ZnO-NP exposure-induced neutrophil migration, but does not demonstrate that the regulation is through suppression of oxidative stress.

The present study investigated the effects of exposure to metal oxide nanoparticles on vasculogenesis/angiogenesis using transgenic zebrafish. The study also examined the potential mechanisms involved in those effects using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). TG (nacre/fli1:EGFP) zebrafish were exposed to nano-sized titanium dioxide (TiO₂), silica dioxide (SiO₂), and copper oxide (CuO) particles at 0.01, 1 and 100 μg/ml concentrations from 1 to 5 dpf (day-post-fertilization). Angiogenesis was evaluated morphologically at the end of exposure. Exposure to CuO nanoparticles reduced the number of transversely-running subintestinal vessels in TG zebrafish. Exposure to CuO nanoparticles down-regulated the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor in endothelial cells sorted by Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter (FACS). Exposure of HUVEC to CuO nanoparticles reduced cell viability and increased apoptotic index in a dose-dependent manner. The results suggested that CuO nanoparticles inhibit vasculogenesis through reduction of VEGF expression and induction of apoptosis.

Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) can negatively affect patients’ employment and work-life activities with a significant indirect economic impact. The current study aimed to measure unemployment, work productivity, activity impairment, and their associated factors among COPD patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Chest outpatient clinic, Mansoura University Hospital, Egypt. COPD patients completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire including sociodemographic, occupational data, clinical history, medical research council (mMRC) dyspnea scale, the COPD assessment test (CAT), and work productivity and activity impairment Questionnaire (WPAI-COPD). A total 140 patients were included in the study and 22.1% of them gave up their jobs because of their COPD. Due to COPD, the mean percentage of daily activity impairment was 39.8 among all patients. The mean percentages of absenteeism, presenteeism, and overall work impairment among the 84 working patients were 0.07, 24.4, and 24.5. The CAT score was the significant predictor of all components of WPAI. In conclusion, COPD causes early retirement, high work productivity loss, and impaired daily activities. Higher CAT scores and increased disease severity significantly increase absenteeism, presenteeism, overall work, and activity impairment. Thus, timely diagnosis of COPD with appropriate management can help improve outcomes and lower the disease burden and economic impact.