Differences in Next-Day Adverse Effects and Impact on Mood of an Evening of Heavy Alcohol Consumption between Hangover-Sensitive Drinkers and Hangover-Resistant Drinkers.

The combination of negative mental and physical symptoms which can be experienced after a single episode of alcohol consumption, starting when blood alcohol concentration (BAC) approaches zero, are collectively referred to as the alcohol hangover. Previous research revealed that 10 to 20% of drinkers claim not to experience next-day hangovers. Past studies were usually limited to single timepoint assessments.

Immune Responses after Heavy Alcohol Consumption: Cytokine Concentrations in Hangover-Sensitive and Hangover-Resistant Drinkers.

This study investigated immunological changes during an alcohol hangover, and the possible difference between hangover-resistant and hangover-sensitive drinkers in terms of immune reactivity. Using a semi-naturalistic design, N = 36 healthy social drinkers (18 to 30 years old) provided saliva samples on a control day (after drinking no alcohol) and on a post-alcohol day. Hangover severity was rated directly after saliva collection.

An explorative approach to understanding individual differences in driving performance and neurocognition in long-term benzodiazepine users.

Objective: Previous research reported cognitive and psychomotor impairments in long-term users of benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRAs). This article explores the role of acute intoxication and clinical complaints.

Methods: Neurocognitive and on-road driving performance of 19 long-term (≥6 months) regular (≥twice weekly) BZRA users with estimated plasma concentrations, based on self-reported use, exceeding the therapeutic threshold (C +), and 31 long-term regular BZRA users below (C -), was compared to that of 76 controls.

Driving performance and neurocognitive skills of long-term users of sedating antidepressants.

Objective: To assess driving performance and neurocognitive skills of long-term users of sedating antidepressants, in comparison to healthy controls.

Methods: Thirty-eight long-term (>6 months) users of amitriptyline (n = 13) and mirtazapine (n = 25) were compared to 65 healthy controls. Driving performance was assessed using a 1-h standardised highway driving test in actual traffic, with road-tracking error (standard deviation of lateral position [SDLP]) being the primary measure.

Cycling on the edge: the effects of edge lines, slanted kerbstones, shoulder, and edge strips on cycling behaviour of cyclists older than 50 years.

To prevent single-bicycle crashes, this study is the first to evaluate effects of slanted kerbstones, edge lines, shoulder strips, and edge strips on cycling behaviour of cyclists ≥50 years. In Experiment 1, 32 participants cycled on a control path and paths with edge lines, slanted kerbstones, and three types of 0.5 m wide shoulder strips (with grey artificial grass, green artificial grass, or concrete street-print).

Driving performance and neurocognitive skills of long-term users of benzodiazepine anxiolytics and hypnotics.

Objective: The aim of this study is to compare actual driving performance and skills related to driving of patients using benzodiazepine anxiolytics or hypnotics for at least 6 months to that of healthy controls.

Methods: Participants were 44 long-term users of benzodiazepine and benzodiazepine-related anxiolytics (n = 12) and hypnotics (n = 32) and 65 matched healthy controls. Performance was assessed using an on-the-road driving test measuring standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP, in cm) and a battery of neurocognitive tasks.

Walking Without Awareness.

Pedestrians are commonly engaged in other activities while walking. The current study assesses (1) whether pedestrians are sufficiently aware of their surroundings to successfully negotiate obstacles in a city, and (2) whether various common walking practices affect awareness of obstacles and, or, avoidance behavior. To this end, an obstacle, i.

The effects of habituation and adding a rest-frame on experienced simulator sickness in an advanced mobility scooter driving simulator.

The aim of this article is to investigate the effect of a physical rest-frame, habituation and age on simulator sickness in an advanced mobility scooter driving simulator. Twenty-six young and 34 older adults completed a total of 12 drives in an advanced mobility scooter driving simulator over two visits. A 2x2 crossover design was used to measure the effect of a rest frame that was added to the driving simulator on either the first or second visit.

The Association of Insomnia, Perceived Immune Functioning, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Complaints.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can have a significant negative impact on quality of life, mood and wellbeing. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between experiencing IBS symptoms and insomnia, and perceived health status.

Method: An online survey was conducted among = 1950 Dutch university students (83.

Susceptibility to Alcohol Hangovers: The Association with Self-Reported Immune Status.

Increasing evidence points at a role for the immune system in the genesis of the alcohol hangover. This study investigated the association between self-reported immune function and experiencing hangovers. Dutch students aged 18 to 30 years old were invited to complete an online survey.

Key factors for the bicycle use of visually impaired people: a Delphi study.

This study aims to identify the most important factors that influence the independent bicycle use of visually impaired people in the Netherlands. Both visually impaired people and professionals participated in a two-round online Delphi study ( = 42). In Round 1 the participants identified the factors which they ranked by relevance in Round 2.

Susceptibility to Alcohol Hangovers: Not Just a Matter of Being Resilient.

Introduction: Although most drinkers have experienced a hangover the day following heavy alcohol consumption, a minority claims to be hangover resistant despite consuming the same large quantities of alcohol as those reporting alcohol hangover. The aim of the current study was to examine if susceptibility to experiencing hangovers is related to a drinker's interpretation of wellbeing and psychological assets to bounce back.

Methods: A survey was conducted among 2295 Dutch students assessing their past month alcohol consumption patterns, and measuring mental resilience and wellbeing.

Biomarkers of the alcohol hangover state: Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS).

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate (EtS) as biomarkers of the hangover state.

Methods: Thirty-sixhealthy social drinkers participated in this study, being of naturalistic design. Eighteen participants experience regular hangovers (the hangover group), whereas the other 18 claim to not experience a hangover (the hangover-immune group).

Mobility scooter driving ability in visually impaired individuals.

Purpose: To investigate how well visually impaired individuals can learn to use mobility scooters and which parts of the driving task deserve special attention.

Materials And Methods: A mobility scooter driving skill test was developed to compare driving skills (e.g.

Traffic management: Assessing various countermeasures to improve detection failure of changes in speed limit signals.

Under certain circumstances, drivers fail to notice changes in electronic speed limits. A video-based study was performed to reveal which countermeasures would improve drivers' ability to detect changes in electronic speed limits. Countermeasures included leaving electronic signs blank prior to a speed limit change and adding motion signals by means of flashing amber lights or a wave.

Vision-related fitness to drive mobility scooters: A practical driving test.

Objective: To investigate practical fitness to drive mobility scooters, comparing visually impaired participants with healthy controls.

Design: Between-subjects design.

Subjects: Forty-six visually impaired (13 with very low visual acuity, 10 with low visual acuity, 11 with peripheral field defects, 12 with multiple visual impairment) and 35 normal-sighted controls.

State of science: mental workload in ergonomics.

Mental workload (MWL) is one of the most widely used concepts in ergonomics and human factors and represents a topic of increasing importance. Since modern technology in many working environments imposes ever more cognitive demands upon operators while physical demands diminish, understanding how MWL impinges on performance is increasingly critical. Yet, MWL is also one of the most nebulous concepts, with numerous definitions and dimensions associated with it.

Effects of alcohol hangover on simulated highway driving performance.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of alcohol hangover on simulated highway driving performance.

Methods: Driving performance of forty-two social drinkers was tested the morning following an evening of consuming on average 10.2 (SD = 4.

Short-term cardiovascular measures for driver support: Increasing sensitivity for detecting changes in mental workload.

With on-going increases in traffic density and the availability of more and more in-vehicle technology, driver overload is a growing concern. To reduce the burden of workload on the driver, it is essential that support systems that become available are able to use estimations of drivers' workload. In this paper a short-term cardiovascular approach to assess drivers' mental workload is described using data collected in a driving simulator study.

Classifying visuomotor workload in a driving simulator using subject specific spatial brain patterns.

A passive Brain Computer Interface (BCI) is a system that responds to the spontaneously produced brain activity of its user and could be used to develop interactive task support. A human-machine system that could benefit from brain-based task support is the driver-car interaction system. To investigate the feasibility of such a system to detect changes in visuomotor workload, 34 drivers were exposed to several levels of driving demand in a driving simulator.

Random and systematic errors in case-control studies calculating the injury risk of driving under the influence of psychoactive substances.

Between 2006 and 2010, six population based case-control studies were conducted as part of the European research-project DRUID (DRiving Under the Influence of Drugs, alcohol and medicines). The aim of these case-control studies was to calculate odds ratios indicating the relative risk of serious injury in car crashes. The calculated odds ratios in these studies showed large variations, despite the use of uniform guidelines for the study designs.

An adaptive driver support system: user experiences and driving performance in a simulator.

Objective: The aim of this study was to test the implementation of an adaptive driver support system.

Background: Providing support might not always be desirable from a safety perspective, as support may lead to problems related to a human operator being out of the loop. In contrast, adaptive support systems are designed to keep the operator in the loop as much as possible by providing support only when necessary.

Repeatability of oral fluid collection methods for THC measurement.

Study Objectives: To determine the influence of sample collection for two different collection methods on THC concentrations and to compare THC concentrations collected by both methods.

Methods: A total of 136 pairs of oral fluid samples from subjects who had recently smoked Cannabis were obtained by the non-acidic Statsure oral fluid collection device and by ordinary spit tubes. Oral fluid was analyzed for THC by LC-MS/MS.

What you may not see might slow you down anyway: masked images and driving.

Many theories of driver behaviour suggest that unconscious or implicit emotions play a functional role in the shaping and control of behaviour. This has not been experimentally tested however. Therefore, in this study the effects of emotive masked images on driver behaviour were examined.

The influence of music on mood and performance while driving.

Mood can influence our everyday behaviour and people often seek to reinforce, or to alter their mood, for example by turning on music. Music listening while driving is a popular activity. However, little is known about the impact of music listening while driving on physiological state and driving performance.