Do work technique and musculoskeletal symptoms differ between men and women performing the same type of work tasks?

Musculoskeletal disorders are more common among women than among men. When comparing the difference between men and women in the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, methodological problems arise as men and women seldom perform the same type of activities, neither at work nor at home.

The main objective of this cross-sectional case study was to compare work technique and self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms between men and women performing the same type of work tasks within a metal industry. Other factors, such as leisure activities, were also taken into consideration. Three data collection methods were used; questionnaire, interviews and systematic observations. The results from the observations revealed that women worked more frequently and during longer times with their hands above shoulder height than men. Working with hands above shoulder height is considered a risk factor for neck and shoulder disorders according to previous studies. Workplace design factors were probably a reason for differences in working technique between men and women. A higher proportion of women than men reported shoulder symptoms. Women spent more time on household activities than men, which indicates a higher total workload in paid and unpaid work.     

Is there more to complicated grief than depression and posttraumatic stress disorder? A test of incremental validity.

There is growing interest in complicated grief reactions as a possible new diagnostic category for inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. However, no research has yet shown that complicated grief has incremental validity (i.e., predicts unique variance in functioning). The authors addressed this issue in 2 studies by comparing grief, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms with different measures of functioning (interviewer ratings, friend ratings, self-report, and autonomic arousal). The 1st study (N = 73) used longitudinal data collected at 4 and 18 months postloss, and the 2nd study (N = 447) used cross-sectional data collected 2.5-3.5 years postloss. With depression and PTSD controlled, grief emerged as a unique predictor of functioning, both cross-sectionally and prospectively. The findings provide convergent support for the incremental validity of complicated grief as an independent marker of bereavement-related psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beyond low-level activity: on a "non-radioactive" gas mantle

Gas mantles for camping gas lanterns sometimes contain thorium compounds. During the last years, the use of thorium-free gas mantles has become more and more popular due to the avoidance of a radioactive heavy metal. We investigated a gas mantle type that is declared to be "non-radioactive" and that can be bought in Austria at the moment. Methods used were Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA), gamma-spectroscopy, and Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC). We found massive thorium contents of up to 259 mg per gas mantle. Leaching experiments showed that only 0.4% of the Th but approximately 90% of the decay products of (232)Th can be leached under conditions simulating sucking and chewing with human saliva. In this paper, the investigation of these gas mantles including the consideration of the environmental hazard caused by disposed mantles and the health hazard for unsuspecting consumers is presented and legal consequences are discussed for this fraud.     

Penicillium expansum Volatiles Reduce Pine Weevil Attraction to Host Plants

The pine weevil Hylobius abietis (L.) is a severe pest of conifer seedlings in reforested areas of Europe and Asia. To identify minimally toxic and ecologically sustainable compounds for protecting newly planted seedlings, we evaluated the volatile metabolites produced by microbes isolated from H. abietis feces and frass. Female weevils deposit feces and chew bark at oviposition sites, presumably thus protecting eggs from feeding conspecifics. We hypothesize that microbes present in feces/frass are responsible for producing compounds that deter weevils. Here, we describe the isolation of a fungus from feces and frass of H. abietis and the biological activity of its volatile metabolites. The fungus was identified by morphological and molecular methods as Penicillium expansum Link ex. Thom. It was cultured on sterilized H. abietis frass medium in glass flasks, and volatiles were collected by SPME and analyzed by GC-MS. The major volatiles of the fungus were styrene and 3-methylanisole. The nutrient conditions for maximum production of styrene and 3-methylanisole were examined. Large quantities of styrene were produced when the fungus was cultured on grated pine bark with yeast extract. In a multi-choice arena test, styrene significantly reduced male and female pine weevils’ attraction to cut pieces of Scots pine twigs, whereas 3-methylanisole only reduced male weevil attraction to pine twigs. These studies suggest that metabolites produced by microbes may be useful as compounds for controlling insects, and could serve as sustainable alternatives to synthetic insecticides.     

Mathematical model of security of the information circulating in the open optical data link channel

The analysis of probability of erroneous reception of one binary code are lead for transfer of the information to the open optical data links, including IR-keyboards. Theoretical estimations for maximum permissible values of the attitude a signal/noise are received.     

Spatially resolved positron annihilation spectroscopy on friction stir weld induced defects

A friction stir welded (FSW) Al alloy sample was investigated by Doppler broadening spectroscopy (DBS) of the positron annihilation line. The spatially resolved defect distribution showed that the material in the joint zone becomes completely annealed during the welding process at the shoulder of the FSW tool, whereas at the tip, annealing is prevailed by the deterioration of the material due to the tool movement. This might be responsible for the increased probability of cracking in the heat affected zone of friction stir welds. Examination of a material pairing of steel S235 and the Al alloy Silafont36 by coincident Doppler broadening spectroscopy (CDBS) indicates the formation of annealed steel clusters in the Al alloy component of the sample. The clear visibility of Fe in the CDB spectra is explained by the very efficient trapping at the interface between steel cluster and bulk.     

Visualization of immune cell infiltration in experimental viral myocarditis by 19F MRI in vivo

Objective

This paper introduces a new approach permitting for the first time a specific, non-invasive diagnosis of myocarditis by visualizing the infiltration of immune cells into the myocardium.

Materials and methods

The feasibility of this approach is shown in a murine model of viral myocarditis. Our study uses biochemically inert perfluorocarbons (PFCs) known to be taken up by circulating monocytes/macrophages after intravenous injection.

Results

In vivo ¹⁹F MRI at 9.4 T demonstrated that PFC-loaded immune cells infiltrate into inflamed myocardial areas. Because of the lack of any fluorine background in the body, detected ¹⁹F signals of PFCs are highly specific as confirmed ex vivo by flow cytometry and histology.

Conclusion

Since PFCs are a family of compounds previously used clinically as blood substitutes, the technique described in our paper holds the potential as a new imaging modality for the diagnosis of myocarditis in man.     

Present and future of simultaneous EEG-fMRI

The brain’s activity can be measured in numerous complementary ways, including electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The simultaneous acquisition of EEG and fMRI was originally developed to make the localization of the generators of often subtle pathological activity commonly observed in EEG recordings of patients with epilepsy more sensitive and spatially accurate by mapping their hemodynamic correlates. Now, the value of the information provided by simultaneous EEG-fMRI is being evaluated in a clinical context, while in parallel, more sophisticated data analysis techniques, e.g. with electrical source imaging or dynamic causal modeling, have begun to be applied to increase the technique’s sensitivity and allow the study of brain network structure. Beyond its clinically oriented application in epilepsy, simultaneous EEG-fMRI recording has now gained interest as a tool for basic and systems human neuroscience, e.g. the study of neuro-vascular coupling and cognitive studies. In this review, we give an overview over the current use of simultaneous EEG-fMRI, its applications to the study of epilepsy as well as human cognition and systems neuroscience and ongoing and anticipated methodological developments.