The assessment of maximum allowable heat load of a body in a hot environment is determined using the WBGT index. The name of the WBGT index is derived from the measurement of two parameters: natural wet-bulb temperature and black globe temperature. WBGT as an indicator used to assess the heat load (until 2017) was related to the metabolic heat production and placed in the form of tables in the Polish edition of Standard No.PN-EN 27243:2005 (and PN-EN 27243:2005P). In 2017, this standard was replaced by Standard No. EN ISO 7243:2017, and in January 2018, the Polish translation of Standard No. PN-EN ISO 7243:2018-01 was approved. This article describes the methodology of conducting WBGT research according to Standard No. PN-EN ISO 7243:2018-01. This article discusses the problems of occupational safety and health, which are covered by health sciences and environmental engineering.

Objective. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of initial conditions of a microclimate on volunteers’ permissible exposure limits to a hot and humid environment. Materials and methods. Eighteen experimental studies with the participation of three volunteers were performed under controlled microclimate conditions (two climate chambers). The skin temperature and body core temperature were measured after they had stabilized in the following microclimate conditions: temperature of 17, 21 and 23 °C, relative humidity of 50% and hot microclimate conditions, i.e., temperature of 35 and 42 °C, humidity of 80% and physical work load at 30 W. The time needed to reach a body core temperature of 38 °C was determined under hot conditions. Heat accumulation was calculated. Results. Lowering volunteers’ skin temperature under conditions of stabilized physiological parameters prolongs the time necessary for the body core temperature to reach 38 °C during physical work in a hot and humid environment. Conclusions. Appropriate acclimatization before exposure may prolong the time of safe work in a hot environment, e.g., during activities of rescue services.

This article aims to present the physical adaptation capabilities of a human, seen as a response to extreme hot and dry or hot and humid conditions. Adaptation capabilities are expressed as safe exposure time in two variants: at rest and during physical activity. The study shows the results of calculations of the variability over time of the core temperature and skin temperature as well as heat balance. Calculations were made according to Standard No. EN ISO 7933:2005 on the basis of assumed and actual meteorological data. The results of the calculations show that in these conditions a hot but dry environment enables a human (although to a limited extent) to stay and perform low physical activity, provided access to drinking water is ensured. In contrast, a hot but humid environment causes more serious problems, due to the inability to reduce skin temperature by evaporation of sweat from the skin surface.

Comparison of the results of tests carried out in a climatic chamber with volunteers at ambient conditions: ta = 42 °C; RH = 80%; the vapor pressure = 6.56 kPa, V = 0.5 m/s; with predictions from numerical simulation made by the PHS program, they showed their satisfactory compatibility. This confirms the possibility of using the PHS program to predict the heat load of a human being in an extreme hot environment, when the vapor pressure in the surrounding environment exceeds 4.5 kPa, indicated in PN-EN ISO 7933:2005 as a limit value.

Gunnar Aronsson Krzysztof Baszczyński Roman Broszkiewicz Joanna Bugajska Donatella Camerino Alireza Choobineh Marek Dźwiarek Achim Elfering Richard Gowland Emilia Irzmańska Guoxun Jing Jussi Kantola Krzysztof Kędzior Kazutaka Kogi Maria Konarska Kamal Kothiyal Desré M. Kramer Sylwia Krzemińska Risto Kuivanen Martin Liedtke Anna Łuczak Helena Mäkinen Teresa Makowiec-Dąbrowska Józef Nizioł Clas-Håkan Nygård Halszka Ogińska Nina Ogińska-Bulik Grzegorz Owczarek Rauno Pääkkönen Józef Pacyna Zofia Pawłowska Krzysztof Pieszyński Zofia Ratajczak Danuta Roman-Liu Anugrah Shaw Dina Šimunić Tomasz Sosnowski Ryszard Studenski Jeffrey O. Stull Adam Tarnowski Tomasz Tokarski Gunnela Westlander Maria Widerszal-Bazyl Richard A. Williams Agnieszka Wolska Maciej Zajkowski Andrzej Ziemba Dorota Żołnierczyk-Zreda Marek Adam Zmyślony Gerard I.J.M. Zwetsloot

Grażyna Bartkowiak Roman Broszkiewicz Joanna Bugajska Bogusław Buszewski Izabela Cichocka Cary L. Cooper Biman Das Marek Dźwiarek Kaj Frick Adam Gedliczka Rafał Górny Krystyna Gorzelska Andrzej Grabowski Robert Irzmański Helena Janik Piotr Jurowski Waldemar Karwowski Krzysztof Kędzior Anita Komlodi Maria Konarska Piotr Kowalski Marcin Kozak Stefan Kwiatkowski Martin Liedtke Harri Lindholm Adam Lipowczan Emma-Christin Lönnroth Anna Łuczak Holger Luczak Helena Mäkinen Teresa Makowiec-Dąbrowska Simona Miclaus Tadeusz Missala† Nina Ogińska-Bulik Grzegorz Owczarek Zofia Pawłowska Dariusz Pleban Daniel Podgórski Małgorzata Pośniak Zofia Ratajczak Danuta Roman-Liu Paolo Rossi René Rossi Władysław M. Rzymski Simo Salminen Józef Sułkowski Sándor Suplicz Barbara Surdykowska Ryszard Steller Ryszard Studenski Jeffrey O. Stull Jukka Takala Tomasz Tokarski Edwin Tytyk Kamil Wais Gunnela Westlander Maria Widerszal-Bazyl Agnieszka Wolska Maciej Zajkowski Dorota Żołnierczyk-Zreda

ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to verify whether simultaneous responses from the muscular and circulatory system occur in the driver’s body under simulated conditions of a crash threat.Materials and MethodsThe study was carried out in a passenger car driving simulator. The crash was included in the driving test scenario developed in an urban setting. In the group of 22 young male subjects, two physiological signals — ECG and EMG were continuously recorded. The length of the RR interval in the ECG signal was assessed. A HRV analysis was performed in the time and frequency domains for 1-minute record segments at rest (seated position), during undisturbed driving as well as during and several minutes after the crash. For the left and right side muscles: m. trapezius (TR) and m. flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS), the EMG signal amplitude was determined. The percentage of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) was compared during driving and during the crash.ResultsAs for the ECG signal, it was found that in most of the drivers changes occurred in the parameter values reflecting HRV in the time domain. Significant changes were noted in the mean length of RR intervals (mRR). As for the EMG signal, the changes in the amplitude concerned the signal recorded from the FDS muscle. The changes in ECG and EMG were simultaneous in half of the cases.ConclusionSuch parameters as mRR (ECG signal) and FDS-L amplitude (EMG signal) were the responses to accident risk. Under simulated conditions, responses from the circulatory and musculoskeletal systems are not always simultaneous. The results indicate that a more complete driver’s response to a crash in road traffic is obtained based on parallel recording of two physiological signals (ECG and EMG).

BACKGROUND:'Ihe aim of the study was to identify determinants of quality of life in people with physical disability.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A survey was conducted in a group of 426 people with physical disabilities (mean age, 44.4 years; SD = 12.6). The study group was divided into various sub-groups by the cause of dysfunction, degree of disability, time of disability diagnosis and issuing of disability certification, as well as age, gender and place of residence. Quality of life questionnaires SF36v2 served as a research tool. Assessing quality of life two major spheres of life associated with its quality, physical health and mental health, were taken into account.RESULTS:The results of logistic regression analysis showed that a lower quality of life is mainly influenced by demographic factors, such as low levels of education and living in small places of residence.CONCLUSION:The level of education and place of living can be considered as main factors predicting quality of life of people with physical disability.

The aim of this study was to assess self-perceived quality of life of people with physical disabilities from the perspective of work. The following tools were used in the study: a personal questionnaire, an SF-36v2 questionnaire, an I-E Scale at Work and a Polish adaptation of the Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index. The study involved 426 disabled persons aged 18-65. It demonstrated that quality of life depends, to a large extent, on factors such as age and labour force participation. Duration of looking for work had a significant influence on the satisfaction from the psychological perspective and on the perception of general health. For the respondents who were unemployed and not looking for work, quality of life decreased with increased duration of professional inactivity.

The aim of this study was to present the situation of women with disabilities on the labour market. Women with disabilities suffer from social and professional discrimination. They are discriminated because of their gender and disability. The Q1 Labour Force Participation Study (2013) showed that, in Poland, labour force participation for men and women with disabilities was 29.4% and 14.7%, respectively, while the unemployment rate was 16.1% for men and 17.2% for women. Quarterly information on employment, unemployment and economic inactivity was gathered from a Labour Force Survey in the first quarter of 2013; data from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy were also included. The participants of the survey were 15 years old or older; they were members of a sample household. The methodology was based on definitions recommended by the International Labour Office and Eurostat. It is important that women with disabilities are substantially less professionally active, while the unemployment rate for them is only slightly higher.

This article proposes a method for a comprehensive assessment of the effect of integral motorcycle helm-nets on physiological and cognitive responses of motorcyclists. To verify the reliability of commonly used tests, we conducted experiments with 5 motorcyclists. We recorded changes in physiological parameters (heart rate, local skin temperature, core temperature, air temperature, relative humidity in the space between the helmet and the surface of the head, and the concentration of O-2 and CO2 under the helmet) and in psychological parameters (motorcyclists' reflexes, fatigue, perceptiveness and mood). We also studied changes in the motorcyclists' subjective sensation of thermal comfort. The results made it possible to identify reliable parameters for assessing the effect of integral helmets on performance, i.e., physiological factors (head skin temperature, internal temperature and concentration of O-2 and CO2 under the helmet) and on psychomotor factors (reaction time, attention and vigilance, work performance, concentration and a subjective feeling of mood and fatigue).

The purpose of the study was to determine the relation between overtime, job strain and life style, and cardiovascular risk (CVR) in 97 managers and 98 physical workers. CVR was measured with the Framingham method. Information about job strain, overtime, life style and extra-occupational activities was obtained with a self-administered questionnaire. The results showed that both groups had a similar, medium-level job stress. Being a manager and having extra-occupational activities (self-education) were significantly related with CVR (p = .000, p = .035, respectively), whereas other factors that were analysed (i.e., physical work and overtime) were not. The managers were older than the physical workers; that may be why the factor of being a manager was significantly related to CVR. The extra-occupational activities connected with improving workers' skills may play an important role in the development of workers' overload and an increase in CVR.

The aim of this study was to determine what proportion of occupationally active Poles have working capacity that enables them to tolerate hard and very hard physical work. For this purpose physical capacity of 1188 occupationally active subjects (524 women and 664 men), aged 18-64 years was examined. Their maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) was determined indirectly on the basis of their heart rate during an incremental exercise test on a bicycle ergometer. It was found that hard occupational physical work was an excessive load for almost 40% of men and women. This paper discusses how this load should be decreased with planned, appropriately long rest breaks. The percentage of persons for whom their hard physical work becomes an excessive load increases with age to such a degree that a new assessment of individual capability for such work is recommended for persons over 40 years old.

The goal of the study was to determine the effect of a 1-h hour long forklift truck virtual simulator driving on the mechanism of autonomic heart rate (HR) regulation in operators. The participants were divided into 2 subgroups: subjects with no definite inclination to motion sickness (group A) and subjects with a definite inclination to motion sickness (group B). Holter monitoring of electrocardiogram (ECG) signal was carried out in all subjects during the virtual simulator driving. For 12 consecutive epochs of ECG signal, HR variability analysis was conducted in time and frequency domains. In subjects with a definite inclination to motion sickness after ~30 min of the driving, changes in parameter values were found indicating an increase in sympathetic and parasympathetic activity with parasympathetic dominance.

Chemokiny są cytokinami działającymi na określone subpopulacje leukocytów. Stanowią rodzinę ponad 50 białek o stosunkowo małej masie cząsteczkowej (8-12 kDa). Wyróżniamy kilka grup chemokin: CXC, CC, CX3C, C. Działają one na komórki docelowe za pośrednictwem odpowiednich receptorów C-R, CC-R, CXC-R, CX3C-R. Zidentyfikowano dotąd około 20 receptorów dla chemokin. Wykazano, że z danym receptorem mogą się zwykle wiązać różne chemokiny, a dana chemokina może wykazywać powinowactwo do więcej niż jednego receptora. Chemokiny są zaangażowane w szereg procesów fizjologicznych, m.in. w patogenezę udaru niedokrwiennego mózgu. Zasadnicza rola chemokin polega na ich udziale w rozwoju reakcji zapalnej. Chemokiny odgrywają również kluczową rolę w dojrzewaniu i funkcjonowaniu układu immunologicznego. Ponadto są zaangażowane w patogenezę wielu różnorodnych schorzeń, takich jak zawał mięśnia sercowego, udar mózgu, stwardnienie rozsiane, choroba Alzheimera, nowotwory mózgu. Zwiększona ekspresja chemokin w mózgu jest następstwem działania różnorodnych bodźców, takich jak niedokrwienie, uszkodzenie aksonalne czy obecność substancji o działaniu neurotoksycznym. Dotychczas przebadano wiele chemokin pod kątem ich udziału w rozwoju blaszki miażdżycowej w tętnicach szyjnych, zarówno na materiale zwierzęcym, jak i na materiale ludzkim. Oceniano między innymi ekspresję wybranych chemokin w blaszkach miażdżycowych pobranych od pacjentów z krytycznym zwężeniem tętnicy szyjnej wewnętrznej poddanych zabiegowi endarterektomii. Analizowano chemokiny należące do różnych klas o udowodnionym, ale nie do końca zbadanym udziale w patogenezie miażdżycy i jej powikłań (tj. CCL2, CXCL1, CX3CL1, CCL5, CXCL1). Ponadto oceniano stężenie wybranych chemokin we krwi obwodowej oraz ekspresję wybranych chemokin na komórkach jednojądrzastych krwi obwodowej u pacjentów z restenozą i bez niej. Są one także zaangażowane w patogenezę rozwoju powikłań blaszki miażdżycowej, tj. udaru niedokrwiennego mózgu czy zawału mięśnia sercowego. W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono dane dotyczące udziału różnych chemokin i ich receptorów. Wyniki badań eksperymentalnych z wyciszaniem genów czy zastosowaniem agonistów receptorów chemokinowych pozwalają mieć nadzieję na rozwój nowych terapii chorób naczyniowych.

Chemokines are cytokines which attract certain supopulations of leukocytes. They constitute the family of 50 proteins of low molecular weight (8-12 kDa). They are divided into four groups: CXC, CC, CX3C, C. Chemokines acts via receptors C-R, CC-R, CXC-R, CX3C-R. About 20 receptors for chemokines are described so far. Many chemokines may bind to one receptor and one chemokine may target more than one receptor. Chemokines exert many physiological activities as well as can be involved in pathogenesis of ischaemic stroke. The main role of chemokines is engagement into development of inflammatory reaction. Chemokines are engaged also in maturation and function of immunological system as well. Further they are engaged into pathogenesis of many other pathologies like myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, brain tumours. The increased expression of chemokines in the brain is induced by different stimulus as ischaemia, axonal damage, or presence of neurotoxic substances. Till now, many chemokines were investigated because of their participation in development of atheromatous plaque in carotid arteries of animal models and humans is increased as well. Expression of selected chemokines on atheromatous plaques from patients operat-ed because of critical stenosis of internal carotid artery was described. Chemokines belonging to different classes (CCL2, CXCL1, CX3CL1, CCL5, CXCL1) with proven but not finally investigated participation in atherogenesis and its complications were analysed. Furthermore concentration of selected chemokines in peripheral blood and expression of some chemokines on peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with and without restenosis was also published. Chemokines are engaged also in complications of atherosclerosis such as ischaemic stroke or myocardial infarction. The goal of this review was to highlight the role of various chemokines and their receptors in such conditions. Experimental data with knock-out genes or agonists of chemokine receptors give the hope to development of new therapies for brain ischaemia.