1.Transport Personnel Health Cohort (TRAPHEAC): study protocol and methodological considerations.
Irina GUSEVA CANU ; Viviane Fiona Mathilde REMY
Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;30():57-57
BACKGROUND:
Only prospective cohort studies can capture changes in work conditions and their effects on health. Such studies are rare in bus drivers, despite their high rates of injuries and diseases. The three existing cohorts have limited exposure data, collected at baseline and thus uninformative on exposure and exposure-effect dynamics. Therefore, we aimed to develop the Swiss Transport Personnel Health Cohort (TRAPHEAC) and to anticipate and prevent potential bias.
METHODS:
To set up the study protocol, we first organized the stakeholder consultation and available data inventory. Second, we mapped the exposure-outcomes pairs to list the most prevalent occupational hazards, and conducted exposure measurement campaigns. Third, we built the Swiss Bus-Exposure Matrix for physical-chemical hazards and Bus-Ergonomics Matrix for visual and biomechanical constrains. These matrices contain 705 bus models operated in Switzerland since 1980 and enable assessing current and past exposure when merged with bus drivers' work histories.
RESULTS:
We opted for an original study design combining prospective cohort part starting at 2024 and a retrospective part with nested case-control studies. Bus drivers will be invited through three complementary channels: unions, companies, and social media. The eligibility screening, information, and consent form signature and registration will be conducted using the study web-site modules. Registered bus drivers will first receive a comprehensive inclusion questionnaire, then a yearly follow-up questionnaire to assess and update the drivers' work histories. Validated self-reported questionnaires will be used for assessing additional health outcomes (e.g., stress, sleep problems, musculoskeletal disorders, burnout) and individual, occupational and live-style related factors (e.g., personality, ICT use, physical activity). Hospital records (with diagnosed diseases, diagnosis dates and treatments) centralized since 2000 by the Swiss Federal Statics Office will be used for assessing disease prevalence, incidence and case-control status. Advanced statistical analysis will be conducted to address etiological and methodological questions (e.g., individual and joint causal effects of multiple exposures and exposure components; time-varying exposure and outcome variables and confounders mixtures).
CONCLUSIONS
The yearly assessment of both exposure and health outcomes should enable capturing changes in work conditions and their effects on bus drivers' health and well-being over time and facilitate the tailoring, implementation and evaluation of preventive interventions.
Humans
;
Switzerland/epidemiology*
;
Prospective Studies
;
Occupational Exposure/statistics & numerical data*
;
Occupational Diseases/epidemiology*
;
Cohort Studies
;
Motor Vehicles
;
Research Design
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Case-Control Studies
;
Occupational Health
;
Adult
;
Male
;
Female
2.Protocol for a pseudo-randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of eco-driving assistance systems on bus drivers' stress responses.
Maryline KRUMMENACHER ; Manosij GHOSH ; Michelle C TURNER ; Irina GUSEVA CANU
Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;30():90-90
BACKGROUND:
Technological innovations in the public transport sector are increasingly leveraged to support the goals of environmental sustainability and public health. Eco-driving assistance (EDA) systems represent one such intervention, aimed at reducing fuel consumption, emissions, and operating costs while improving passenger comfort. However, the potential unintended impacts of EDA technologies on driver health and well-being remain understudied. The EDA Trial, part of the EU-funded INTERCAMBIO project, seeks to evaluate whether the use of EDA systems may introduce new psychosocial stressors for professional drivers, with implications for occupational and public health.
METHODS:
The EDA tested in this trial is called "NAVIG". Buses will be assigned randomly. Operating EDA-equipped vehicle will be considered as intervention condition, operating vehicle without EDA as control. Each participant will be monitored for 10 working days maximum to accumulate at least 5 intervention shifts during the trial. Heart rate variability (HRV) will be continuously recorded during working hours to assess autonomous stress responses. The root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) will be averaged over intervention and control shifts to enable within-subject comparisons between intervention and control conditions. Subjective stress levels will be evaluated using the self-report instruments: Cohen's perceived stress scale at baseline and visual analogous scale at baseline and daily. Moreover, neuroendocrine stress biomarkers (salivary cortisol and cortisone) will be collected repeatedly across shifts, as additional outcomes. Mixed-effects models with participant's ID as a random effect variable will be used to compare stress outcomes between EDA and non-EDA driving conditions. Models will be adjusted for potential confounders.
RESULTS:
A sample size of 26-40 participants was estimated to provide 80% power (α = 0.05) to detect differences of 12-15% between conditions. Ethical approval was obtained from the Swissethics (CER-VD 2024-01573), and participant recruitment is ongoing, with 27 drivers enrolled as of June 2025.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study will provide empirical evidence on the potential health trade-offs associated with implementing eco-driving technologies in real-world settings. By assessing physiological and psychological stress responses to EDA, the trial supports a more integrated approach to environmental technology evaluation-one that considers not only energy efficiency but also the health and sustainability of the workforce.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
The trial was registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov database (NCT06688721).
Humans
;
Automobile Driving/psychology*
;
Stress, Psychological
;
Motor Vehicles
;
Adult
;
Male
;
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
;
Female
3.Wounding characteristics and treatment principles of ground anti-armored vehicle ammunition against armored crew.
Yue LI ; Guang-Ming YANG ; Yong-Bo ZHAO ; Bing-Cang LI
Chinese Journal of Traumatology 2023;26(3):125-130
The wound mechanism, injury characteristics and treatment principles of anti-armored vehicle ammunition against armored crew in the past 20 years are summarized in this paper. Shock vibration, metal jet, depleted uranium aerosol and post armor breaking effect are the main factors for wounding armored crew. Their prominent characteristics are severe injury, high incidence of bone fracture, high rate of depleted uranium injury, and high incidence of multiple/combined injuries. During the treatment, attention must be paid on that the space of armored vehicle is limited, and the casualties should be moved outside of the cabin for comprehensive treatment. Especially, the management of depleted uranium injury and burn/inhalation injury are more important than other injuries for the armored wounds.
Humans
;
Uranium/analysis*
;
Respiratory Aerosols and Droplets
;
Motor Vehicles
;
Burns/therapy*
;
Multiple Trauma
4.Road traffic injuries among women brought to the largest tertiary hospital in the Philippines
Jinky Leilanie Lu ; Sophia Francesca D. Lu
Acta Medica Philippina 2022;56(1):149-160
Introduction:
Road traffic accidents are a growing public health burden, especially in the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). With resource scarcity, road traffic injuries may lead to poor quality of life among survivors, or deaths at worst. Victims of crashes involving transportations are gendered; therefore, there may be differences in the trends and characteristics of injuries sustained by men and women related to road crash.
Objectives:
This study aimed to determine the factors related to severity of road crashes among women road users in the Philippines from 2008 to 2017.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective review of clinical records of women patients involved in road crash at the Trauma Division, Department of Surgery of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) for the ten-year period, January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2017. Data were extracted from the electronic patient records in Integrated Surgical Information System (ISIS).
Results:
From 2008 to 2017, 926 of the road crash victims brought to PGH were women. There was an increasing trend, with the years 2015 to 2017 accounting for half of the total cases (55.62%). The highest cases of women patient admissions were also recorded during the months of June and July (5.61%). The CALABARZON region (11.23%) and National Capital Region (8.21%) had the highest admissions. The patients were most commonly pedestrians (12.20%) and involved in collisions (13.50%) or vehicle involvement (13.17%). The most common vehicle involved was a motorcycle (9.72%) followed by car and vans (1.62%). Only a small proportion of women patients used helmets (3.33%) and seatbelts (0.12%). The median length of hospital stay of women patients was 5 days. The most commonly sustained injuries among patients were multiple (83.65%), external (43.72%), extremity (33.15%), head and neck (23.47%), and face (21.58%) injuries. Among these, injuries to the extremity had the highest average length of hospital stay (16.04 ± 31.28 days) while external and head and neck injuries had the shortest (10.81 ± 33.42 days). Multinomial regression showed that women patients who suffered from head and neck, and abdominal injuries had increased odds of dying by 4.94 times (CI: 2.158-11.302, p < 0.05), and 3.33 times (CI:1.235-9.02, p < 0.05), respectively, compared to those who did not suffer said injuries.
Conclusion
There is a significant number of women involved in road crashes in the Philippines, and therefore, there is a need for directed policies on female road users as vulnerable road users.
Accidents
;
Women
;
Motor Vehicles
;
Length of Stay
;
Hospitalization
5.Mortality level and tendency of road traffic injury in Shandong Province from 2012 to 2020.
Jie CHU ; Ming Lei XU ; Zi Long LU ; Jing LIU ; Xian Xian CHEN ; Jing DONG ; Xiao Hui XU ; Zhen Tao FU ; Fan JIANG ; Xiao Lei GUO
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2022;56(9):1307-1313
Objective: To analyze the mortality level and tendency of road traffic injury in Shandong province from 2012 to 2020. Methods: Based on the data of road traffic deaths from the cause of death registration system in Shandong province from 2012 to 2020, the mortality rates of road traffic injury were calculated by sex, age, area, and injury type. The mortality was standardized based on the age structure of the Chinese population in the sixth Population Census in 2010. The annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (AAPC) of the mortalities and the standarized mortalities were calculated by using Joinpoint regression model, and the trends were also examined. Results: In 2020, the crude mortality of road traffic injury in Shandong Province was 15.58/100 000, and the standardized mortality was 12.90/100 000. From 2012 to 2020, the standardized mortality of road traffic injury in Shandong province showed a downward trend with AAPC of -5.4%. The standardized mortality of middle-south mountain areas, male and children aged 0-14 years in Shandong showed a significantly decreasing trend with AAPC of -6.8%, -6.1% and -6.0%, respectively. The standardized mortality of people aged 65 years and over did not decrease significantly, but the number of deaths increased significantly by 50.96% in 2020 (5 780 cases), compared with those in 2012 (3 829 cases). The standardized mortality of pedestrian and motorcyclists decreased significantly with AAPC of -7.5% and -6.7%, respectively. There was no significant change in the standardized mortality among people who rode motor vehicles or bicycles. Conclusion: From 2012 to 2020, the standardized mortality of road traffic injury in Shandong Province showed an obvious downward trend, but the standardized mortality of people aged 65 years and over did not decrease significantly. In the future, it is still necessary to take government-led, multi-sectoral collaboration, with a focus on comprehensive preventive measures, to further reduce road traffic injury mortality.
Accidents, Traffic
;
Asian People
;
Child
;
Government
;
Humans
;
Male
;
Mortality
;
Motor Vehicles
6.Concurrent Posterolateral Corner Injury Associated with a Schatzker Type 2 Tibial Plateau Fracture: A Case Report
Jae Cheon SIM ; Choong Won JUNG ; Tae Seok NAM
Journal of the Korean Fracture Society 2020;33(1):27-31
Isolated posterolateral corner (PLC) injury associated with a Schatzker type 2 fracture is a very rare combination of injuries. A male who was driving a motor vehicle was injured after a collision accident. The plain radiographs and computed tomography scans of the knee showed a Schatzker type 2 fracture of the tibial plateau, mostly in the anterolateral portion of tibial plateau, and an avulsion fragment on the fibular tip. Magnetic resonance imaging showed no injury to cruciate ligaments, medial collateral ligament, or any meniscal injury. We performed an open reduction operation and internal fixation for treating the fracture. Six months later, he complained of instability. At 11 months later after initial operation, we performed the second operation for stabilizing the PLC. We present here a rare case of an isolated PLC injury associated with a Schatzker type 2 fracture. We discuss the mechanism of injury and review similar cases.
Collateral Ligaments
;
Humans
;
Knee
;
Ligaments
;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
;
Male
;
Motor Vehicles
;
Tibial Fractures
7.Unilateral loss of thoracic motion after blunt trauma: a sign of acute Brown-Séquard syndrome
Mizuki SATO ; Akira KURIYAMA ; Ryo OHTOMO
Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine 2019;6(3):268-271
Late-onset Brown-Séquard syndrome (BSS) is a rare condition resulting from a spinal cord injury that develops weeks to years after a blunt trauma. Acute-onset BSS after a blunt injury has been rarely reported. Here, we report on a case of BSS, in a 58-year-old man, that developed immediately after a motor vehicle accident. Upon admission, loss of right thoracic motion, complete right paresis, and loss of pain and temperature sensations below the C3 level on the left side were observed. Magnetic resonance imaging showed hyperintensities within the cervical spinal cord at the C2–C3 level, confirming the diagnosis of BSS. Thoracic motion rapidly recovered, but other neurological sequelae persisted. BSS related to cervical cord injury should be suspected when patients develop hemiparesis and contralateral sensory loss immediately after a blunt trauma. Likewise, clinicians should be aware that unilateral loss of thoracic motion could be an important sign of BSS.
Brown-Sequard Syndrome
;
Cervical Cord
;
Diagnosis
;
Humans
;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
;
Middle Aged
;
Motor Vehicles
;
Paresis
;
Sensation
;
Spinal Cord Injuries
;
Wounds, Nonpenetrating
8.The Psychiatric Effects of Cannabis
Journal of the Korean Society of Biological Therapies in Psychiatry 2019;25(3):183-191
With the recent legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada and 11 states of the U.S., the interest surrounding cannabis use is increasing. However, many people and even clinicians in Korea do not have exact knowledge about the psychiatric consequences of cannabis use. In this narrative review, the characteristics of cannabis, the endocannabinoid system, and the psychiatric consequences of cannabis use were provided. Cannabis contains more than 80 cannabinoids in the native plant. Psychotropic properties of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol are most well studied. The two main receptors are cannabinoid-1 receptor and cannabinoid-2 receptor. Several endocannabinoids, such as anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, act on the receptors as the endogenous ligands. Cannabis influences mood, cognitive functions, and psychomotor functions in acute phase responses, increasing the odds ratio for motor vehicle crashes. Long-term cannabis use is associated with various psychotic outcomes, including the development of schizophrenia, although there is interindividual variability. Cannabis adversely influences learning, memory, and attention. More frequent, persistent, and earlier onset cannabis use is associated with greater cognitive impairment. The chronic cognitive effects of cannabis are complex and controversial. Cannabis has addictive potential, and cannabis use disorder is common. Clinicians should have evidence-based knowledge about the consequences of cannabis use and communicate accurate information about cannabis use and its associated risks to the public.
Canada
;
Cannabidiol
;
Cannabinoids
;
Cannabis
;
Cognition
;
Cognition Disorders
;
Endocannabinoids
;
Korea
;
Learning
;
Ligands
;
Marijuana Abuse
;
Memory
;
Motor Vehicles
;
Odds Ratio
;
Plants
;
Psychoses, Substance-Induced
;
Schizophrenia
9.Analysis of Sleep Questionnaires of Commercial Vehicle Operators in Korea
Yoonjae SONG ; Han Gyeol PARK ; Seulki SONG ; Dong Han LEE ; Gene HUH ; Se Jin HYUN ; Goun CHOE ; Sun A HAN ; Jeong Yeon JI ; Jin Kook KIM ; Hyun Jik KIM
Korean Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery 2019;62(4):221-227
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in commercial vehicle operators (CMVOs). This study aimed to evaluate the poor sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and the prevalence of self-reported OSA in CMVOs. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We performed a retrospective review of the medical records of patients who visited a single institution with sleep problems from 2011 January to 2016 December. Among the patients, a total of 38 CMVOs was analyzed. Clinical information, questionnaires about sleep quality (Pittsburg sleep questionnaire, PSQI), excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth sleepiness scale, ESS) and risk factors for OSA (STOP-Bang) were analyzed. The frequency of motor vehicle accidents and near accidents was assessed, and polysomnography (PSG) was used for OSA diagnosis purposes. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 45.3±11.8 years. The average score of PSQI, ESS, and STOP-Bang were 6.75±4.22, 10.79±7.12, and 4.62±3.34, respectively. A significant association between near accidents and high-risk group of OSA was observed [odds ratio (OR)=2.73, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.08–4.48]. Subjects with poor sleep quality showed significantly increased risk of near accidents (OR=2.34, 95% CI=1.01–3.56). Receiver operating characteristic curves of STOP-Bang questionnaire using apnea-hypopnea index (cut-off value=5) indicates that suspected OSA group predicted by STOP-Bang score was significantly correlated with OSA severity (area under curve=0.72, sensitivity 77.1%, specificity 59.4%). CONCLUSION: Administration of STOP-Bang questionnaire before a PSG can identify high-risk subjects, supporting its further use in OSA screening of CMVOs.
Diagnosis
;
Humans
;
Korea
;
Mass Screening
;
Medical Records
;
Methods
;
Motor Vehicles
;
Polysomnography
;
Prevalence
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Risk Factors
;
ROC Curve
;
Sensitivity and Specificity
;
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive
;
Surveys and Questionnaires
10.Factors affecting the Health Problems of Concrete Mixer Truck Driver
Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing 2019;28(1):44-52
PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the level of health problems and the factors that affect health problems for concrete mixer truck divers. METHODS: The questionnaires were administered to 111 drivers in 6 Remicon workplaces located in D city and 7 Remicon workplaces located in K city from September 10 to 28, 2018. A total of 111 questionnaires were collected and 106 were used, excluding 5 incomplete ones. Data were analyzed with frequency, percentage, χ2 test, multiple logistic regression analysis by SPSS/WIN 23.0. RESULTS: The factors affecting subjective health were eating habits, sleeping hours and drinking conditions. The factors that affected chronic diseases were age, eating habits, sleep hours, and drinking conditions. The factors influencing musculoskeletal complaints were work experience, eating habits, and sleep hours. CONCLUSION: The major influencing factors of health problems were eating habits, sleeping hours. This study suggests that it is necessary to run a systematic health care program for the desirable health behaviors in the communities and industrial fields.
Chronic Disease
;
Delivery of Health Care
;
Diagnostic Self Evaluation
;
Drinking
;
Eating
;
Health Behavior
;
Health Status
;
Logistic Models
;
Motor Vehicles
;
Musculoskeletal Diseases


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