An optimal sampling approach to modelling whole-body vibration exposure in all-terrain vehicle driving.

Exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) presents an occupational health risk and several safety standards obligate to measure WBV. The high cost of direct measurements in large epidemiological studies raises the question of the optimal sampling for estimating WBV exposures given by a large variation in exposure levels in real worksites. This paper presents a new approach to addressing this problem.

Effective information campaign for management of exposure to hand-arm vibration in the metal and construction industries.

European Directive 2002/44/EC defines employers' responsibilities in the risk management of hand-arm vibration (HAV). However, the directive is still not completely implemented in all risk industries. The aim of our study was to determine whether it is possible to improve the recognition and management of the risks of HAV at workplaces with a one-year information campaign.

Feasibility of force platform based roadside drowsiness screening - a pilot study.

Previous research on driver drowsiness detection has focused on developing in-car systems that continuously monitor the driver while driving and warn him/her when drowsiness compromises safety. In occupational settings a simple test of postural control has showed sensitivity to work shift induced fatigue in drivers. Whether the test is feasible for surveillance purposes in roadside settings is unknown.

Postural stability and quality of life after guided and self-training among older adults residing in an institutional setting.

Purpose: To evaluate whether rehabilitation of muscle force or balance improves postural stability and quality of life (QoL), and whether self-administered training is comparable with guided training among older adults residing in an institutional setting.

Patients And Methods: A randomized, prospective intervention study was undertaken among 55 elderly patients. Three intervention groups were evaluated: a muscle force training group; a balance and muscle force training group; and a self-administered training group.

Evaluation of the postural stability of elderly persons using time domain signal analysis.

A force platform is widely used in the evaluation of postural stability in man. Although an abundance of parameters are typically retrieved from force platform data, no uniform analysis of the data has been carried out. In general, the signal analysis does not analyze the underlying postural event, i.

Characterization of presbyequilibrium among institutionalized elderly persons.

Objective: The aim was to characterize dizziness, vertigo, poor maintenance of posture, and sudden instabilities (called presbyequilibrium) among institutionalized elderly to model and identify possible treatable causes.

Methods: A questionnaire based study focusing on symptoms among 72 elderly persons from a single residential facility and followed them for 3 years.

Results: Dizziness, vertigo, poor maintenance of posture, and black-outs were reported by 68% of the 72 elderly and make them at risk for falls, and reduced quality of life.

Removal of GABA(A) receptor γ2 subunits from parvalbumin neurons causes wide-ranging behavioral alterations.

We investigated the behavioral significance of fast synaptic inhibition by αβγ2-type GABA(A) receptors on parvalbumin (Pv) cells. The GABA(A) receptor γ2 subunit gene was selectively inactivated in Pv-positive neurons by Cre/loxP recombination. The resulting Pv-Δγ2 mice were relatively healthy in the first postnatal weeks; but then as Cre started to be expressed, the mice progressively developed wide-ranging phenotypic alterations including low body weight, motor deficits and tremor, decreased anxiety levels, decreased pain sensitivity and deficient prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex and impaired spatial learning.

A multicenter study on the audiometric findings of styrene-exposed workers.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate hearing loss among workers exposed to styrene, alone or with noise.

Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted as part of NoiseChem, a European Commission 5th Framework Programme research project, by occupational health institutes in Finland, Sweden, and Poland.

Study Sample: Participants' ages ranged from 18-72 years (n = 1620 workers).

Presbyequilibrium in the oldest old, a combination of vestibular, oculomotor and postural deficits.

Background And Aims: Dizziness, impaired balance and fear of falling are common complaints in the elderly. We evaluated the association of vestibular symptoms with vestibular findings in the elderly by posturography and video-oculography (VOG).

Methods: We studied 38 oldest old subjects (≥ 85 yrs, mean age 89) living in a residential home.

Hearing loss among classical-orchestra musicians.

This study intended to evaluate classical musicians' risk of hearing loss. We studied 63 musicians from four Helsinki classical orchestras. We measured their hearing loss with an audiometer, found their prior amount of exposure to sound and some individual susceptibility factors with a questionnaire, measured their present sound exposure with dosimeters, and tested their blood pressure and cholesterol levels, then compared their hearing loss to ISO 1999-1990's predictions.

Principal component analysis detects sleepiness-related changes in balance control.

Computerized posturography exploits balance scores that quantify the size, dynamics, or structure of the recorded sway. Since people employ different balance strategies, one single balance score will not detect balance changes in all subjects. Principal component analysis (PCA) can combine balance scores that quantify different features into one new balance score.

Facilities for music education and their acoustical design.

Good rehearsal facilities for musicians are essential. Directive 2003/10/EC necessitates that musicians are protected from noise exposure. A code of conduct gives the guidelines how this should be done.

Quantitative test for sensory hand symptoms based on mechanoreceptor-specific vibrotactile thresholds.

A vibrotactile test for assessing the presence or absence of sensory symptoms in the hand has been developed from thresholds believed mediated by Merkel disks and Meissner corpuscles at the fingertips. It is constructed from the summed differences between the thresholds recorded at the fingertip of an individual and the mean values of the threshold for healthy persons at the same stimulation frequencies. The summed normalized threshold shift, TS(Sum(SD)), is shown to be related to reports by subjects of numbness and pain using three statistical tests for evaluating the significance of associations in 2x2 contingency tables.

Wavelet analysis to detect gait events.

Manually detecting gait events by visual inspection of gait data is laborious. Currently, there are no robust techniques available to automate the process. However, detecting gait events is essentially a classification problem; an application for which wavelet analysis, a multiresolution technique, is well suited for.

The effect of removing the force feedback during the quiet stance.

The human postural control system is complex and it combines information from different sources. The most important information comes from vestibular, visual and proprioceptive senses. We studied the effects of removing the visual and proprioceptive information simultaneously.

Quality of life (EQ-5D) and hand-arm vibration syndrome.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of life of a population of Finnish metalworkers who were exposed to hand-arm vibration (HAV) and who suffered from white fingers, tingling, or numbness of the fingers, musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremities, or symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Methods: A questionnaire on vibration exposure in the workplace and symptoms relating to the upper extremities was sent to a sample (n = 530) of members of the local Metalworkers Union. Of those who reported vibration-induced white fingers (VWF), numbness or tingling of the fingers, or symptoms of CTS, 131 men participated in clinical examinations.

Evaluation of the increased accident risk from workplace noise.

Directive 2003/10/EC sets the requirement for evaluating the effect of noise on accident risk. Accident risk is elevated for workers with a hearing handicap because of their reduced speech intelligibility and reduced capability to perceive the direction of incoming sound. An audiogram is not a good method for the evaluation of these functions.

Vestibular dysfunction in vitamin D receptor mutant mice.

The vitamin D endocrine system is essential for calcium and bone homeostasis. Vitamin D deficits are associated with muscle weakness and osteoporosis, whereas vitamin D supplementation may improve muscle function, body sway and frequency of falls, growth and mineral homeostasis of bones. The loss of muscle strength and mass, as well as deficits in bone formation, lead to poor balance.

Dose-response relationship between exposure to hand-arm vibration and health effects among metalworkers.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship of exposure to hand-arm vibration (HAV) and vascular, sensorineural and musculoskeletal symptoms and symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in a population of Finnish metalworkers.

Methods: A questionnaire on HAV exposure and symptoms was sent to 530 metalworkers. Those who reported finger blanching, numbness or tingling of the fingers or symptoms of CTS were invited to further examinations (n = 133).

Vibration-induced white finger syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome among Finnish metal workers.

Objective: Officially 10-26 cases of vibration-induced white fingers (VWF) have been reported annually in Finland. It has been suggested that the numbers are underestimated. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the cumulative exposure to hand-arm vibration (HAV) and the prevalence of clinically diagnosed cases of VWF and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in a population of Finnish metal workers and to determine the symptoms and clinical tests that would best predict the diagnosis.

Biocompatibility of different biopolymers after being implanted into the rat cochlea.

Objective: To assess the biocompatibility of different biopolymers with cochlea implant.

Materials And Methods: Six bioabsorbable polymers and biostable silicone were used for testing histologic reactions in the cochlea of the rat. The samples were prepared from three 50/50 poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) PDLLGA having different inherent viscosity (IV) values and 75/25 poly(DL-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) P(DLLA/CL), poly-epsilon-caprolactone PCL, silicone, and chitosan by extruding the biomaterial as a rod using melt molding (for 50/50 PDLLGAs and 75/25 P(DLLA/CL) and PCL), blending (for silicone), and solving (for chitosan).

Distribution of lipid nanocapsules in different cochlear cell populations after round window membrane permeation.

Hearing loss is a major public health problem, and its treatment with traditional therapy strategies is often unsuccessful due to limited drug access deep in the temporal bone. Multifunctional nanoparticles that are targeted to specified cell populations, biodegradable, traceable in vivo, and equipped with controlled drug/gene release may resolve this problem. We developed lipid core nanocapsules (LNCs) with sizes below 50 nm.

Language abilities of children with Asperger syndrome.

Current diagnostic taxonomies (ICD-10, DSM-IV) emphasize normal acquisition of language in Asperger syndrome (AS). Although many linguistic sub-skills may be fairly normal in AS there are also contradictory findings. There are only few studies examining language skills of children with AS in detail.