Irina Guseva Canu

Instute for Work and Health, Lausanne, Switzerland · Education and research in health

We aimed to describe the attributes and attitudes of Swiss health professionals who treat persons with occupational burnout (POB) in the outpatient sector and explore associated determinants. The study design was descriptive cross-sectional survey, distributed to the 16,883 general practitioners (GP), psychiatrist-psychotherapists (PP), occupationa...

Air pollution, a major global issue, comprises various solid and gaseous pollutants in urban environments, including particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and isomeric xylenes (BTEX) constitute about 80% of VOC emissions, primarily from vehicle exhaust, tobacco smoke, petrol, paints, adhesive...

(1) Background: A strategic approach to managing and evolving the bus fleet is essential for optimizing public transportation, improving service efficiency, meeting future demands, and incorporating environmentally friendly technologies. However, country-specific data on fleet composition and evolution are often lacking despite their importance in...

Air pollution, a global environmental and health concern, is being studied for its impact on genome integrity and human health due to the complex composition of urban air and its association with adverse health outcomes. Using alkaline comet assay descriptors and micronucleus frequency from peripheral blood cells as indicators of early biological e...

Purpose To prospectively assess (1) the associations of Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI), its individual components, and over-commitment with (a) the onset of a Major Depressive Episode (MDE) during a 3.6-year follow-up in a population-based cohort in participants with no current Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in the beginning of the follow-up (n = 9...

Background and aims: A serious suicide attempt (SSA) is defined as a suicidal act that requires subsequent hospitalization for more than 24 hours. As some occupations have been identified as being at an increased risk of suicide, we hypothesized that certain socioprofessional factors act as risk factors for SSAs. To test this hypothesis, we assesse...

Introduction Compassion fatigue (CF) refers to emotional or physical exhaustion and emotional reactions resulting from prolonged exposure to traumatic events, commonly experienced by professionals in caregiving roles. CF is prevalent among healthcare professionals, including those in animal care. Several Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) we...

Introduction There is an interdependence between air quality and professional bus drivers’ (PBDs) health. The transport sector contributes to a large part of gaseous and particulate air pollutant emissions, whereas the availability of functional and sustainable public transport decreases these emissions. The latter is however dependant on the avail...

Introduction Epidemiological studies require coded occupational data. Standardized classifications of occupations and economic activities contain hundreds of options, raising misclassification concerns. We developed an application, PROCODE, for coding raw occupational data and transcoding them between different classifications. The 1st PROCODE vers...

Introduction The current evidence on nanomaterial (NM) toxicity is mostly derived from experimental studies making it challenging to translate it into human health risks. We established an international cohort of 141 workers within the EU-LIFE project “NanoExplore” to address possible health effects from occupational NM exposures. Methods We used...

Background Today, nanomaterials are broadly used in a wide range of industrial applications. Such large utilization and the limited knowledge on to the possible health effects have raised concerns about potential consequences on human health and safety, beyond the environmental burden. Given that inhalation is the main exposure route, workers expos...

Nanomaterials (NMs) are in high demand for a wide range of practical applications; however, comprehensively understanding the toxicity of these materials is a complex challenge, due to the limited availability of epidemiological evidence on the human health effects arising from workplace exposures. The aim of this work is to assess whether and how...

Objectives Work-related stress is highly prevalent. Recent systematic reviews concluded on a significant association between common work-related stress measures and depression. Our scoping review aims to explore whether work-related psychosocial stress is generally associated with depression or depressiveness, the extent and methodology of the prim...

Objectives The mental health of veterinary and other animal health professionals is significantly impacted by the psychological stressors they encounter, such as euthanasia, witnessing animal suffering and moral distress. Moral distress, initially identified in nursing, arises when individuals are aware of the right action but are hindered by insti...

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affecting 334 million people in the world remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Proper diagnosis of COPD is still a challenge and largely solely based on spirometric criteria. We aimed to investigate the potential of nitrosative/oxidative stress and related metabolic biomarkers in...

In this pilot study on subway workers, we explored the relationships between particle exposure and oxidative stress biomarkers in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and urine to identify the most relevant biomarkers for a large-scale study in this field. We constructed a comprehensive occupational exposure assessment among subway workers in three dist...

More than eight million premature deaths annually can be attributed to air pollution, with 99% of the world’s population residing in areas below recommended air quality standards. Hence, the present study aimed to examine the association between primary DNA damage and air pollution data among 123 participants enrolled between 2011 and 2015 in Zagre...

Air pollution is regarded as one of the major issues in environmental and public health and has been recognized by leading world authorities as a risk factor associated with adverse health outcomes. Air pollution can alter DNA molecules and consequently human health in either ambient or occupational settings. Exposure to various air pollutants has...

In the absence of internationally recognised standardised criteria, several patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have been developed to measure occupational burnout. The aim of this study was to extend our 2021 review of the psychometric validity of five PROMs to the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM) and the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT)....

Air pollution is the presence of harmful substances in the Earth’s atmosphere, primarily caused by human activities like industrial processes, vehicle emissions, and deforestation. Common pollutants include particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, and ozone. These pollutants can cause severe health effects, contribute to climate change...

We aimed to describe the characteristics and current practices of Swiss health professionals who manage patients with occupational burnout (POB), namely the general practitioners (GP), psychiatrist-psychotherapists (PP), occupational physicians (OP) and psychologists. Among 3216 respondents, 2951 reported to consult POB, and 1130 (713 physicians an...

Objectives: To prospectively investigate the association between Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) and over-commitment and the scores of the burnout dimensions over a 4 years follow-up period considering potential confounders. Methods: Data stemmed from CoLaus|PsyCoLaus, a population-based cohort study including 575 participants (mean age 55 years, 50%...

Introduction: Health effects after long-term exposure to subway particulate matter (PM) remain unknown due to the lack of individual PM exposure data. This study aimed to apply the job exposure matrix (JEM) approach to retrospectively assess occupational exposure to PM in the Parisian subway. Methods: Job, the line and sector of the transport ne...

To assess whether organizational interventions are effective to prevent or reduce exhaustion, the core dimension of occupational burnout. We searched in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library databases randomized and non-randomized controlled trials conducted among active workers and reporting the outcome as exhaustion score. We calculated...

The growing demand for energy, the use of fossil fuels, the increase in traffic, as well as the increase in industrial production greatly contribute to air pollution in cities. It affects the environment and human health. The air in urban areas is a complex and variable mixture of various chemical compounds whose mechanism of action is not fully un...

Air pollution is a persistent serious public health issue worldwide and has been recognized as a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths, so there is an urgent and constant need for continuous prospective studies investigating the effects of air pollution on genome integrity and human health. Considering that the sample of urban air is a very...

Air pollution is acknowledged as one of the most serious public health issues in the world and a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths. Hence, there is an ongoing need for prospective studies investigating the impact of air pollution on genome integrity and human health. Given the fact that urban air is a complex and variable mixture of nume...

The current evidence on nanomaterial toxicity is mostly derived from experimental studies making it challenging to translate it into human health risks. We established an international cohort (N = 141 workers) within the EU-LIFE project "NanoExplore" to address possible health effects from occupational exposures to nanomaterials. We used a handheld...

Objectives: Within the framework of the burden of disease (BoD) approach, disease and injury burden estimates attributable to risk factors are a useful guide for policy formulation and priority setting in disease prevention. Considering the important differences in methods, and their impact on burden estimates, we conducted a scoping literature re...

Objectives: To study the change in the prevalence of bus drivers’ health outcomes between 2010 and 2022 and their relationship with working conditions. Method: Unionized bus drivers completed a self-administered questionnaire in 2010, 2018, and 2022 on 13 health outcomes, sick leaves, and accidents and working conditions and their change during SAR...

Background: There is still a gap of knowledge in the detection and treatment of occupational burnout because it is not recognized as a disease and there are no standard criteria for its detection. We conducted a qualitative study to: (1) identify the different types of professionals who intervene in occupational burnout detection, treatment, preven...

affecting human organs, tissues, cells, and molecules. It is considered responsible for more than 3 million premature deaths annually. Currently ongoing HUMNap project investigates possible associations between air pollutants and biomarkers of exposure and early biological effects. The evaluation of results is divided in two parts. In part 1 we exa...

We aimed at analyzing dose-response relationship between occupational exposure to a mixture of nanomaterials (NMs) and effect biomarkers measured according to the NanoExplore protocol in exhaled breath condensate (EBC, local pulmonary level)) and urine (systemic level) of 141 workers. Two exposure metrics: particle number concentration (PNC) and lu...

The production of paints, coatings and construction materials may generate nanoparticles (NP) with potential adverse health effects. We carried out a study aimed at investigating exposure biomarkers reflecting the internal dose of inhaled particles and NP. NTA was used to quantify particle number concentration and size in EBC collected at the end o...

Exposure to metal oxides nanomaterials (NMs) might trigger adverse health effects. NMs can generate Oxidative Stress (OS), causing redox effects detectable in urine through suitable biomarkers. We evaluated the cross-sectional association of urinary OS biomarkers with urinary metal concentrations, using data collected in the multicenter internation...

Exposure to nanomaterials (NMs) may harm biological systems by altering the redox status and triggering inflammatory processes, which in turn may affect respiratory health. In the NanoExplore cohort of 141 workers, we observed a positive dose-response relationship between the short-term exposure to NMs and biomarkers of inflammation, measured in Ex...

‘Burnout’ is one of those medical terms that lack a consensual definition, although its definitions may appear very similar. This paper outlines and discusses research carried out to find the shared elements of the original reference definitions of ‘burnout’ used in scientific literature between the 1990s and today, as a preliminary step towards th...

Introduction Occupation can contribute to differences in risk and stage at diagnosis of breast cancer. This study aimed at determining whether occupation, along with skill level and the socio-professional category, affect the breast cancer survival (BCS) up to 10 years after diagnosis. Materials and methods We used cancer registry records to ident...

Introduction Lung and breast cancer are important in the working-age population both in terms of incidence and costs. The study aims were to estimate the 10-year risk of lung and breast cancer by occupation and smoking status and to create easy to use age-, and sex-specific 10-year risk charts. Methods New lung and breast cancer cases between 2010...

Nanotechnology applications are fast-growing in many industrial fields. Consequently, health effects of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) should be investigated. Within the EU-Life project NanoExplore, we developed a harmonized protocol of an international multicenter prospective cohort study of workers in ENM-producing companies. This article descri...

Introduction Occupation and socio-economic status may both contribute to differences in risk and stage at diagnosis of breast cancer. We aimed at determining whether occupation, skill level required for the occupation and the socio-professional category affect the breast cancer survival (BCS) up to 10 years after diagnosis. Material and Methods We...

Introduction For the past decades, bus drivers (BDs) have been considered as one of the most exposed and diseased occupational groups worldwide. This study aimed to assess and compare the prevalence of the health problms and BDs’ working conditions in 2010, 2018, and 2022. Material and Methods This repeated cross-sectional study was conducted amon...

Objectives To assess the efficacy of organizational interventions on primary and secondary prevention of occupational burnout. Methods We searched in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library databases (since inception until the 31.05.2022) experimental or quasi-experimental controlled studies that reported the effect of preventive interventi...

Increased road traffic and industrial and energy production contribute to urban air pollution worldwide. Consequently, cities are hotspots for air pollution, representing a global health threat, resulting in millions of premature deaths annually. The HUMNap project aims to provide scientifically based data on how air pollution can affect genomic in...

While previous Swiss studies have demonstrated differences in lung cancer mortality between occupational groups, no estimates are available on the association of occupation-related factors with lung cancer survival. This study aimed at determining whether occupation or work-related factors after diagnosis affect lung cancer survival. We used cancer...

In a pilot clinical study, OPEA allowed for distinguishing participants with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This study aimed to assess whether abnormal spirometry parameters and immunity against SARS-CoV-2 are associated with increased OPEA and estimating the OPEA reference interval. Swiss adult residents of the Vaud Canton aged...

Background: This meta-analysis summarized longitudinal findings pertaining to exhaustion's predictors. In so doing, our aim was ultimately to identify target factors for the prevention of burnout. Methods: We searched for studies that (a) examined predictors of exhaustion longitudinally and (b) reported correlation coefficients as an effect esti...

Aims of the study: To estimate the prevalence of occupational burnout among the Swiss working population. Methods: We interrogated three international databases (Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, and PsycINFO) and the databases of 15 Swiss universities to identify studies reporting the prevalence of occupational burnout in Swiss workers over the last 10...

Air pollution is recognized as one of the most serious public health issues worldwide and was declared to be a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths. At the same time, the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay serves as a cancer predictive method that is extensively used in human biomonitoring for populations exposed to environmental c...

Inflammation is a comprehensive set of physiological processes that an organism undertakes in response to a wide variety of foreign stimuli, such as viruses, bacteria, and inorganic particles. A key role is played by cytokines, protein-based chemical mediators produced by a broad range of cells, including the immune cells recruited in the inflammat...

Socioeconomic differences in breast cancer (BC) incidence are driven by differences in lifestyle, healthcare use and occupational exposure. Women of high socioeconomic status (SES) have a higher risk of BC, which is diagnosed at an earlier stage, than in low SES women. As the respective effects of occupation and SES remain unclear, we examined the...

The regularly reported associations between particulate matter (PM) exposure, and morbidity and mortality due to respiratory, cardiovascular, cancer, and metabolic diseases have led to the reduction in recommended outdoor PM10 and PM2.5 exposure limits. However, indoor PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in subway systems in many cities are often higher...

Many pathological conditions and certain airway exposures are associated with oxidative stress (OS). Malondialdehyde (MDA) is an end-product of the oxidation of lipids in our cells and is present in all biological matrices including exhaled breath condensate (EBC). To use MDA as a biomarker of OS in EBC, a reference interval should be defined. Thus...

We developed a Bayesian spline model for real-time mass concentrations of particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, PM1, and PM0.3) measured simultaneously in the personal breathing zone of Parisian subway workers. The measurements were performed by GRIMM, a gravimetric method, and DiSCmini during the workers’ work shifts over two consecutive weeks. The mea...

We aimed to review the determinants of burnout onset in teachers. The study was conducted according to the PROSPERO protocol CRD42018105901, with a focus on teachers. We performed a literature search from 1990 to 2021 in three databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase. We included longitudinal studies assessing burnout as a dependent variable, with...

Objectives Animal bioassays have demonstrated convincing evidence of the potential carcinogenicity to humans of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), but limitations in cohort studies have been identified, among which is the healthy worker survivor effect (HWSE). We aimed to address this bias in a pooled study of four cohorts of TiO 2 workers. Methods We rea...

Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) has attracted substantial interest in the last few years, enabling the assessment of airway inflammation with a non-invasive method. Concentrations of 8-Hydroxydesoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and 8-isoprostane in EBC have been suggested as candidate biomarkers for lung diseases associated with inflammation and oxidative str...

Vodeće svjetske organizacije poput Europske agencije za okoliš, Svjetske zdravstvene organizacije, Međunarodne agencije za istraživanje raka i Globalnog opterećenja bolestima istakle su onečišćenje zraka kao vodeću globalnu zdravstvenu prijetnju odgovornu za 3 – 7 milijuna smrtnih slučajeva godišnje. Zrak u urbanim sredinama kompleksna je i promjen...