Risk factors associated with patient assaults of home healthcare workers.

This study used surveys from 677 home healthcare aides and nurses to explore factors associated with assaults by patients. Among respondents, 4.6% reported one or more patient assaults (being hit, kicked, pinched, shoved, or bitten) during the past year.

A meta-analysis of studies investigating the effects of lead exposure on nerve conduction.

Group means from nerve conduction studies of persons exposed to lead were used in a meta-analysis. Differences between the control and exposed groups, and the slopes between nerve conduction measurements and log(10) blood lead concentrations were estimated using mixed models. Conduction velocity was reduced in the median, ulnar, and radial nerves in the arm, and in the deep peroneal nerve in the leg.

The relationship between blood lead levels and neurobehavioral test performance in NHANES III and related occupational studies.

Objectives: The goals of this study were two-fold: (1) to assess the relationship between blood lead levels and neurobehavioral test performance in a nationally sample of adults from the third National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey and (2) to analyze the results from previously published studies of occupational lead exposure that used the same neurobehavioral tests as those included in the survey.

Methods: Regression models were used to test and estimate the relationships between measurements of blood lead and performance on a simple reaction time, a symbol-digit substitution, and a serial digit learning test in adults aged 20-59 years who participated the survey. Mixed models were used to analyze the data from the occupational studies.

Neurobehavioral test performance in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) contained three computerized neurobehavioral tests from the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System (NES): simple reaction time, symbol-digit substitution and serial digit learning. The neurobehavioral data that were collected came from a nationally representative sample of adults 20-59 years old. Performance on the tests was related to sex, age, education level, family income and race-ethnicity.

Evaluation of postural stability in workers exposed to lead at a secondary lead smelter.

Postural sway testing was carried out on a group of 145 workers exposed to lead in a secondary lead smelter and 84 workers not exposed to lead in a hinge manufacturing plant. All workers were measured for blood lead levels (BLL) and erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) concentrations at the time of testing and both a total cumulative and a time-weighted average BLL value was constructed for the lead exposed workers. The lead exposed workers mean BLL at the time of testing was 38.