Introduction. The results of assessing radiation risk associated with occupational exposure are presented in numerous publications devoted to specific diseases. A comprehensive approach makes it possible to objectively assess the cumulative effect of radiation exposure on mortality rates.The study aims to assess the radiation related risk of mortality for the main classes of non oncological diseases, depending on the period of professional activity.Materials and methods. The authors conducted a study on a cohort of employees hired by the Mayak production association between 1948 and 1982. The cohort included 25.755 people, including 13.790 who were hired during the period of production ramp up (1948–1958) and 11.965 who were hired during the period of normal operation (1959–1982), with significantly different working conditions in terms of the level of radiation exposure. During the observation period, which ended on December 31, 2018, more than 1 million person years of observation were accumulated, and 17.810 deaths were recorded.Results. A positive and statistically significant point estimate of the excess relative risk coefficient per unit dose of external gamma radiation was obtained for mortality from blood and hematopoietic organ diseases (IOR/Hr=1.74; 95% CI: 0.17; 7.21), as well as respiratory diseases in the entire cohort was (IOR/Hr=0.32; 95% CI: 0.14; 0.55) and is due to the indicators in the 1948-1958 subcorte of hiring. For the class of diseases of the circulatory system, the IRR/Gy was 0.06 (95% CI: 0.02; 0.10), and the coefficient estimate was the same for individuals hired in 1948–1958 and in 1959–1982, but it differed significantly between residents and migrants. No relationship between excess risk and the dose of external gamma radiation was identified for mortality from other classes of diseases.Limitations. A large proportion of cases with an unknown cause of death among individuals who died after 2006 outside the city of Ozyorsk.Conclusion. Cancer accounted for the majority of radiation-induced deaths (68%). The contribution of the radiation factor to the structure of mortality from non-oncological causes was 5%.Ethics. The study was conducted on the basis of archival information and did not require the conclusion of an ethics committee.Contributions:Kuznetsova I.S. — modeling, generalization of results, preparation of the article text;Denisova E.V. — analytical review of literature data, editing of the article text.Funding. The study was conducted as part of the applied research work "Technogenic Exposure and Its Long Term Medical Consequences" (code "Consequences 2025") based on the Federal Target Program "Ensuring Nuclear and Radiation Safety for 2016–2020 and for the Period up to 2035".Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Received: 18.09.2026 / Accepted: 23.09.2026 / Published: 09.10.2026
Introduction. The reliability of a human operator’s performance in extreme and isolated working conditions naturally decreases as the intensity of the work–rest schedule increases. The authors consider the substantive analysis of professional speech to be a standard, non invasive method of remote assessment of functional state, which does not require additional equipment or the specialist’s working time.The study aims to establish a quantitative relationship between the degree and substantive type of workload intensity during the workday and the characteristics of the operator’s professional communication, as well as to assess the suitability of speech indicators for detecting acute situational stress.Materials and methods. The researchers analyzed the transcripts of negotiations between 14 cosmonauts from the Russian segment of the International Space Station and the Mission Control Center, accumulated during the "Content" space experiment (2015–2018): 1279 active days. For each day, using the expanded author’s version of the W&R intensity scale, a score of intensity (from 0 to 10) and a content type were assigned. The authors used quantitative content analysis of speech and non parametric statistical methods (Mann–Whitney U test, Spearman’s rank correlation, and Kruskal–Wallis test).Results. Three hundred and seventy days (28.9%) were classified as strenuous. On such days the overall communication volume doubled (from 11.2 to 22.6 statements per day; p<0.001). The speech signature was two-layered: a moderate rise of task-oriented categories was accompanied by a steeper rise of affective and regulatory ones (negative emotion ×4.4, confrontation ×3.6). The severity score correlated with most categories. The dependence of speech volume on load level was non-linear — with a rise, a plateau and a paradoxical decline at critical intensity.Limitations. The study has a number of limitations. First, only the crew’s external communication with ground services is available for analysis; intra group communication was not recorded for bioethical reasons, which, from the perspective of designing a scientific experiment, limits the reconstruction of a number of phenomena. Second, the interpretation of the relationship between categories in terms of locus of control requires further validation through direct psychodiagnostic measurements. Thirdly, inter category comparisons partially depend on the coding scheme. Fourthly, the sample is limited to 14 cosmonauts from the Russian segment, and subgroups of rare content types (in particular, psychological problems) are objectively rare and small in number, which requires caution when generalizing. Finally, the stress score is partially based on expert assessment, which means that the "expert problem" in this study has not yet been fully resolved. The listed limitations outline the directions for further work, including the validation of the scale and the application of the approach to other professional groups.Conclusion. The content of professional speech reflects both the degree and the substantive type of stress associated with the work and rest (W&R) schedule, and in this regard, it can serve as a non invasive indicator of acute situational stress and the preservation of the adaptive response of the human operator.Ethics. The study was conducted as part of the routine space experiment "Content" on the Russian segment of the International Space Station. All participants provided informed consent; the study was approved by the bioethics commission of the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Human Research Multilateral Review Board (protocol No. 14 006).Contributions:Yusupova A.K. — research concept and design, development of the problem severity scale, data collection and processing, statistical analysis, text writing;Supolkina N.S. — concept and design of the study, development of the problem severity scale, data collection and processing, editing.Acknowledgement. The authors express gratitude to A.P. Nechaev for his interest in the development of his valuable practical findings.Funding. Data collection and initial processing were carried out within the Framework of the RAS Fundamental Scientific Research Program FMFR-2024-0034, as well as within the Framework of the RAS Fundamental Scientific Research Program FMFR-2024-0038. The data analysis was carried out with funding from the State Corporation "Roscosmos".Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Received: 22.09.2026 / Accepted: 29.09.2026 / Published: 09.10.2026
Introduction. A shortage of skilled workers increases the relevance of programmes aimed at extending occupational longevity for employees with early signs of exposure to occupational hazards, including noise. However, evidence of the effectiveness of such programmes is limited.The aim of the study is to evaluate the medium-term clinical and economic outcomes of a medical preventive programme for machine-building plant workers with early signs of occupational noise exposure.Materials and methods. A historical closed cohort of 113 workers (mean age 55.8 years, work experience 26.1 years, equivalent sound level 89.7 dBA) was followed up from 2013 to 2025. Workers received two or three courses of the medical preventive programme (median duration 4 years) between 2013 and 2023. Shifts and rates of shift in hearing thresholds at frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz, as well as the binaural pure tone average (BPTA), were assessed using linear mixed-effects models. The rate of threshold shift was compared with the age-related reference vales of ISO 7029-2017, and the number of cases of occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) assessed against that predicted by the ISO 1999‑2017 model and the comparison group (113 workers selected using a matched-pair design). A scenario-based calculation of the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) was carried out using the modified human capital approach.Results. Hearing thresholds increased at all frequencies; at 2000 and 4000 Hz, as well as for BPTA, not statistically significant. The rate of threshold shift was below the expected at 4000 Hz (–1.06 dB/year; 95% CI –1.76…–0.35; p=0.003) and for BPTA (–0.38 dB/year; 95% CI –0.71…–0.05; p=0.024). The result was robust in sensitivity analysis. Over 12 years, no cases of ONIHL with loss of occupational working capacity were registered, compared with 10.4 expected by the model and one case in the comparison cohort. The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases rose from 41.6% to 54.9% (p<0.001). Payback is achieved by preventing approximately 2 cases of occupational working capacity per 100 employees.Limitations. The observational design without an external control group limited the ability to separate the contribution of the intervention from the natural course of the disease. The small number of ONIHL cases reduced the statistical power of the comparisons. The study evaluated the effect of a package of measures rather than individual interventions. The economic calculation was scenario-based.Conclusions. Among workers who completed a two- or three-course medical preventive programme, the rate of hearing threshold shifts at 4 kHz and by BPTA was below the expected changes. The programme proved to be potentially cost-effective. The rise in cardiovascular morbidity indicates the need to integrate measures for cardiometabolic risk factors correction. The findings require confirmation in a prospective study.Ethics. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki; all participants provided written informed consent.Contributions:Fayzova Yu.M. — collection and processing of material, data processing, text writing;Fatkhutdinova L.M. — study concept and design, data processing, text writing;All authors — approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article.Funding. The study had no financial support.Conflict of interest. The authors declare the absence of any apparent or potential conflicts of interest related to the publication of this article.Received: 29.09.2026 / Accepted: 30.09.2026 / Published: 09.10.2026
Introduction. The article presents the results of a study devoted to the issue of the impact of health status and blood contamination with toxic elements on immune status.The study aims to examine the characteristics of immune status in workers engaged in secondary lead production, depending on their health status.Materials and methods. The authors conducted a clinical and immunological examination of 80 workers engaged in the secondary production of lead. The comparison group consisted of 80 conditionally healthy workers in auxiliary workshops who were practically not exposed to factors contained in the air. The health status was assessed by specialists based on the results of periodic medical examinations. The state of the local and systemic immune response was studied. The elemental composition of the blood was determined.Results. Most workers have a health group III, and every fifth worker has an absolutely high or very high cardiovascular risk. The immune response was characterized by a tendency towards immunodeficiency. The deficiency of immunity in the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract was more pronounced in individuals with health group III. The study revealed high concentrations of lead in the blood of almost all the examined individuals; some workers showed elevated concentrations of cadmium, copper, and arsenic.Limitations. In a comparative analysis of the impact of metals on the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, the researchers did not take into account the medications and dietary supplements taken by the study participants.Conclusion. The state of somatic health and blood contamination with toxic elements are determining factors for the formation of an immune response in workers in the secondary lead production industry.Ethics. The study was approved by the conclusion of the Local Ethics Committee of the Federal Budgetary Institution "Yekaterinburg Medical Research Center for the Prevention and Health Protection of Workers in Industrial Enterprises" of Rospotrebnadzor (Protocol No. 4 dated June 22, 2026). All study participants signed an informed voluntary consent.Contributions:Artemenko E.P. — study design, text writing, data collection and processing;Bushueva T.V. — study concept and design, text writing;Roslaya N.A. — study concept and design, editing;Gribova Yu.V. — conducting clinical studies, collecting data;Gurvich V.B. — study concept.Funding. The study had no funding.Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Received: 26.08.2026 / Accepted: 09.09.2026 / Published: 09.10.2026
In modern occupational medicine and occupational health, there is a growing interest in studying the phenomenon of occupational polymorbidity. The modern concept of occupational safety is based on the principle that an employee’s health is not an expense, but an investment. This directly aligns with the fundamental principle that health in the workplace and a healthy work environment are among the core values of the individual, society, and the state. However, in practice, implementing this principle faces a serious challenge — the phenomenon of polymorbidity in occupational pathology. It refers to the presence of multiple occupational diseases in a single worker, the combination of occupational pathology with chronic non infectious diseases, and the mutually aggravating effect of various nosologies on work capacity.Contributions:Rumyantseva O.I. — research concept and design, text writing;Nepershina O.P. — text writing, editing;Petrykina M.V. — text writing, editing;Bulgakova M.V. — text writing, editing.Funding. The study had no funding.Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Received: 03.08.2026 / Accepted: 14.08.2026 / Published: 09.10.2026
