Working suspended in a harness rig: A comparative study of musculoskeletal health complaints in rope access technicians and controls.

Background: Rope access technique is an alternative method for gaining access to challenging work locations. There is limited knowledge about possible adverse effects of this technique on the workers' health.

Objective: To compare the frequency of bodily regions with pain in rope access technicians with craft workers and the working population in general.

Are elderly construction workers sufficiently fit for heavy manual labour?

Unlabelled: This study analysed the work ability of elderly construction workers. Forty male construction workers, 20 young (age < 33 yrs) and 20 senior (age>44 yrs) workers, were tested regarding aerobic power (VO2max) and muscle strength. The aerobic demand of a number of tasks in construction work was measured and compared with the workers' aerobic power.

Association between perceived present working conditions and demands versus attitude to early retirement among construction workers.

Background: Early retirement is an increasing problem in the construction industry. There is limited information about causes leading employees to leave working life early. We have compared construction workers present situation with their perception of future demands at work to avoid early retirement.

Adrenaline potentiates insulin-stimulated PKB activation in the rat fast-twitch epitrochlearis muscle without affecting IRS-1-associated PI 3-kinase activity.

We have previously shown in the rat slow-twitch soleus muscle that adrenaline greatly potentiates insulin-stimulated protein kinase B (PKB) phosphorylation without having an effect alone. However, insulin signalling capacity through the PKB pathway is higher in soleus than in fast-twitch muscles, whereas adrenaline activates phosphorylase more strongly in epitrochlearis. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the interaction between adrenaline and insulin signalling in the fast-twitch epitrochlearis muscle.

Muscle glycogen inharmoniously regulates glycogen synthase activity, glucose uptake, and proximal insulin signaling.

Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and incorporation of glucose into skeletal muscle glycogen contribute to physiological regulation of blood glucose concentration. In the present study, glucose handling and insulin signaling in isolated rat muscles with low glycogen (LG, 24-h fasting) and high glycogen (HG, refed for 24 h) content were compared with muscles with normal glycogen (NG, rats kept on their normal diet). In LG, basal and insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis and glycogen synthase activation were higher and glycogen synthase phosphorylation (Ser(645), Ser(649), Ser(653), Ser(657)) lower than in NG.

Adrenaline potentiates insulin-stimulated PKB activation via cAMP and Epac: implications for cross talk between insulin and adrenaline.

Adrenaline and insulin are two of the most important hormones regulating a number of physiological processes in skeletal muscle. Insulin's effects are generally requiring PKB and adrenaline effects cAMP and PKA. Recent evidence indicates cAMP can regulate PKB in some cell types via Epac (Exchange protein directly activated by cAMP).

Quantitative determination of cell surface beta-adrenoceptors in different rat skeletal muscles.

In the present study, the density of cell surface beta-adrenergic receptors was determined in different skeletal muscles using the hydrophilic ligand [3H]CGP 12177. The density of beta-adrenergic receptors was highest in the slow-twitch soleus muscle (32.8+/-0.