Ekologiya cheloveka (Human Ecology)

BACKGROUND: Modern information technologies and automation of work processes have been widely integrated into professional activities worldwide, resulting in the widespread emergence of workplaces characterized by exposure to factors potentially associated with reproductive disorders. Changes in working conditions among professionals who intensively use information and communication technologies (ICT professionals) have reduced the relevance of earlier findings on reproductive health risks in this population. This necessitates updated research and reconsideration of previously established assumptions regarding possible associations between reproductive disorders and occupational exposures in ICT professionals.

AIM: This work aimed to systematize and analyze publications on reproductive disorders and their risk factors among ICT specialists from a historical perspective in order to identify current challenges and approaches to studying reproductive health at the present stage.

METHODS: A scientific data search on reproductive disorders among individuals who work at computers covering 1972–2024 was conducted in the Medline and eLibrary databases. The analysis included meta-analyses, systematic reviews, cohort studies, case–control studies, and cross-sectional studies for disorders where higher levels of evidence were unavailable. A total of 22 publications were selected for review.

RESULTS: Some individual studies suggest associations between computer work and threatened miscarriage, spontaneous abortion, and congenital malformations; however, meta-analyses and adjusted risk estimates generally do not confirm these associations. Among potential occupational risk factors for reproductive disorders, electromagnetic radiation, occupational stress, and prolonged sitting have been identified as the most remarkable. Contemporary studies increasingly focus on possible associations with impaired fertility in both women and men.

CONCLUSION: The conducted analysis did not demonstrate a consistent association between computer work and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Modern research has shifted toward investigating potential effects on fertility. Future studies should consider the multifactorial etiology of reproductive disorders, which may be related to occupational environmental factors, technical devices, and work organization and content. Prospective studies using objective and standardized methodologies are required for a more comprehensive assessment.

BACKGROUND: The respiratory system is one of the few physiological systems that cannot be fully protected from the adverse effects of extreme environmental factors under normal conditions. The impact of such factors is expected to vary across regions of the country that differ markedly in their climatic characteristics.

AIM: The work aimed to identify respiratory function patterns in young men residing in different ecological and climatic conditions of the Russian Federation.

METHODS: A total of 424 apparently healthy young men aged 17–21 years were examined. Participants represented three macroregions: the Arctic zone (Murmansk, 68°58ʹ N, 33°05ʹ E), the Far North (Magadan, 59°34ʹ N, 150°48ʹ E), and Сentral Russia (Ulyanovsk, 54°19ʹ N, 48°22ʹ E). Pulmonary function was assessed using the Diamant-C device (Russia). Volume and flow parameters of the respiratory system were analyzed. Measured pulmonary function indices were compared with predicted reference values calculated for the population of Сentral Russia. Inclusion criteria involved the absence of acute or chronic diseases and no health-related complaints at the time of examination.

RESULTS: Substantial intergroup differences were observed in most pulmonary function parameters between young men from Murmansk and Magadan, as well as between Magadan and Ulyanovsk. A marked increase in patency of large (maximal expiratory flow at 25%), medium (maximal expiratory flow at 50%), and small (maximal expiratory flow at 75%) bronchi was identified in young men from Magadan, with minimal deviations in volume and flow capacity parameters of the respiratory system.

CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate regional characteristics of respiratory function in young adults residing in extreme climatic conditions of the Arctic zone and the Far North of the Russian Federation. The greatest functional strain of the respiratory system was observed in young men residing long-term in the Far North (Magadan), even compared with those from the Arctic region (Murmansk). The most favorable pulmonary function characteristics were recorded in participants from Сentral Russia (Ulyanovsk).

BACKGROUND: The environmental discomfort of the North comprises a combination of physical-geographical, climatic, and hydrological conditions. The combination of extreme environmental factors imposes substantial demands on the human body, compelling it to mobilize physiological reserves and to utilize additional social, biological, and technological means of protection against adverse environmental factors. The status of cellular immunity among residents of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous area remains insufficiently studied.

AIM: This work aimed to assess the status of cellular immunity in women residing in Nadym, Yamalo-Nenets autonomous area.

METHODS: This was an observational, cross-sectional study. The sampling principle was random sampling. Forty women residing in the Far North of the Russian Federation (Nadym, Yamal-Nenets autonomous area) were examined during an expedition; all participants were considered apparently healthy. The mean age was 50.07 ± 1.66 years. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected from the cubital vein in the morning under fasting conditions. Leukocyte counts were determined using a Pentra 60 ABX hematology analyzer. The percentage of lymphocyte subpopulations (CD4+, CD5+, CD8+, CD71+, CD95+) was assessed by indirect immunoperoxidase assay using monoclonal antibodies. Reference values specific to residents of the Far North were applied in the study. Statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel 2010 and Statistica 10.0. For each specified indicator, the following descriptive statistical parameters were calculated: the arithmetic mean (M) and the standard error of the mean (m). Associations between immunological parameters were evaluated using Spearman’s correlation coefficient (r).

RESULTS: Women of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous area demonstrated signs of immune system strain, including reduced proportions of CD5+ lymphocytes (100.00% ± 2.48% of participants), CD4+ cells (25.00% ± 1.24%), and CD95+ cells (42.50% ± 1.62%), along with increased CD8+ cell levels (35.00% ± 1.47%) and leukocytosis (12.50% ± 0.87%). Elevated proportions of monocytes (22.5 ± 1.17% of women), lymphocytes (12.5 ± 0.87% of women), and eosinophils (20.0 ± 1.11% of women) were also observed. These alterations indicate reduced regulatory reserve capacity of immune homeostasis and the formation of environmentally associated secondary immunodeficiency.

CONCLUSION: Low activity of CD95+, CD5+, and CD4+ lymphocytes associated with high CD8+ levels characterizes the cellular immune response as strained in women residing in Nadym. Immune strain is further reflected by increased monocyte, lymphocyte, and eosinophil counts. The study has limitations related to the sample.