This study aimed to assess the relationship between shift working and occupational exposure to noise with blood pressure (BP). The study was carried out in a rubber manufacturing company in 2010. Demographic, medical and occupational information for carrying out the study were collected through direct interview. All 331 under study workers were divided into four groups according to work shift and noise exposure severity, from non-noise exposed day time workers (Group1) to noise exposed shift workers (Group 4). Finally, systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were compared among these four groups. The results of this study showed that there was a significant difference between average systolic and diastolic BP and hypertension (HTN) frequency in the four groups (p<0.05). The highest rate of HTN and mean systolic and diastolic BP were observed among shift workers who were exposed to noise higher than permissible limit (Group 4). Also the results of logistic regression analysis showed that there was a significant relationship between simultaneous exposures to noise more than the permitted limit and shift work with HTN (p<0.05). The results of our study showed that shift working and simultaneous exposure to noise have an additive effect on occurrence of HTN. It is recommended that during periodic physical examinations of noise exposed shift workers, assessment of the cardiovascular system and BP should be done as well as the auditory system.

The purpose of this research was to compare the effects of drug therapy, perceptual motor training and a combination of drug therapy and perceptual motor training on gross and fine motor skills of 6 to 12 year-old Iranian attention deficit hyperactivity disorder children. Thirty-six attention deficit hyperactivity disorder children currently under treatment in three Iranian psychological-neurological clinics participated in this research study. Participants were sampled from the accessible population and randomly assigned to three experimental groups (n = 12 each). The Conners Parent Rating Scale was used to classify the children and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency was administered before and after a three month treatment/ training session. Participants in the first experimental group received drug therapy (including methylphenidate). In the second group participants took part in 18 sessions of perceptual-motor skill training for six consecutive weeks, and in the third group children received both interventions. The results indicated that interventions using perceptual-motor training alone or in combination with a drug therapy significantly improved both gross and fine motor skills over a period of six weeks. Participants in the drug-only group showed no improvement in motor performance.

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Workers in the rubber industry are exposed to pulmonary health hazards. The main purpose of this study was to assess the combined effect of cigarette smoking and occupational exposures on lung function. The exposed group consisted of tire manufacturing workers in production units and the non-exposed group included executives from the same factory. The researchers calculated the synergy index (SI) to determine the combined effect of exposures to cigarette smoke and pulmonary health hazards on lung function. A significant correlation was found between occupational exposures in the rubber industry and abnormal spirometric findings (p < .05). The synergistic effect of cigarette smoking and occupational exposures on lung function was significant (SI = 2.25; p < .05). This study demonstrated that occupational exposures and smoking may have a synergistic effect on the respiratory systems of tire manufacturing workers. The results suggest that tire manufacturing companies should consider establishing spirometric surveillance systems in their factories. Also, smoking cessation should be promoted, engineering controls applied, and respiratory protection provided to workers.

Background:During the past decade, incidence of asthma has increased, which might have been due to environmental exposures.Objectives:Considering the expansion of cable manufacturing industry in Iran, the present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of occupational asthma in a cable manufacturing company in Iran as well as its related factors.Patients and Methods:This study was conducted on employees of a cable manufacturing company in Yazd, Iran, in 2012. The workers were divided into two groups of exposure (to toluene diisocyanate, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene or polypropylene) and without exposure. Diagnosis of occupational asthma was made based on the subjects’ medical history, spirometry and peak flowmetry, and its frequency was compared between the two groups.Results:The overall prevalence of occupational asthma was 9.7%. This rate was 13.8% in the exposed group. Logistic regression analysis showed that even after adjustment for confounding factors, a significant correlation existed between the frequency of occupational asthma and exposure to the produced dust particles (P < 0.05). In addition, age, work experience, body mass index, cigarette smoking and shift work had significant correlations with the prevalence of occupational asthma (P < 0.05).Conclusions:Considering the high prevalence of occupational asthma among cable manufacturing company workers in Iran, this issue needs to be addressed immediately in addition to reduction of exposure among subjects. Reduction in work shift duration, implementation of tobacco control and cessation programs for the personnel, and performing spirometry tests and respiratory examinations in shorter periods may be among effective measures for reducing the incidence of occupational asthma in this industry.