BACKGROUND: This study investigated the prevalence of tinnitus and relationship between tinnitus and hearing disturbance of workers with noise-induced hearing loss. METHODS: One hundred thirty three workers with noise-induced hearing loss responded to a self-admiministered questionaire concerning tinnitus, present symptoms and past medical history. Also pure tone audiometry, tympanometry and otoscopic examination was done. RESULTS: The prevalence of tinnitus was 54.14%. There were no significant difference in the prevalence of tinnitus according to age, symptoms (fatigue, sleep disturbance and dizziness), duration of noise exposure, wearing of ear protector, and duration of self-reported hearing difficulty. However, the location of more serious tinnitus was significantly associated with subjective hearing disturbance. CONCLUSION: In hearing conservation program of workers with noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus management has to be considered as an essential part of the program.
Acoustic Impedance Tests ; Audiometry ; Ear ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced* ; Noise ; Prevalence ; Tinnitus*

Physical environmental factors have been found to increase the risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in a variety of occupations. To date little is known about the influence of physical environmental factors in the cabin of an airplane on WMSDs among flight attendants. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-reported physical environment factors in the cabin and WMSDs in the neck, shoulder, upper back, and lower back among U.S. female flight attendants on long-haul international flights. A cross-sectional mailed survey was conducted with 185 female fight attendants working on long-haul international flights. The physical environment measure included 12 items regarding cabin-air quality, noise, lighting, and whole-body vibration. WMSDs were measured by the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Symptom Survey. The percentage of flight attendants who had WMSDs for each body region varied from 31% to 54%. The majority (>80%) of the flight attendants often or always experienced low humidity, stuffy air, and little air movement while working in the cabin. Being frequently exposed to unfavorable cabin environmental factors increased the risk of neck (OR=2.89), shoulder (OR=2.96), and upper-back WMSDs (OR=2.14). Cabin environmental factors should be taken into account when examining the risk factors for WMSDs.
Air Movements ; Aircraft ; Body Regions ; Female* ; Humans ; Humidity ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (U.S.) ; Neck ; Noise ; Occupations ; Postal Service ; Risk Factors ; Shoulder ; Vibration ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Aerotitis media occurs frequently among flyers. 40 cases have been treated with electro- acupuncture in our hospital with satisfactory results. Xiaguan was selected as local point and Hegu as distal point. The patients were needled once a day or every other day. The total rate of effectiveness was 90.0%. According to Western medicine, this disease is due to poor pressure-equilibrating function of the Eustachian tube. The mechanism of treating this disease was explained by traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine theory.
Acupuncture ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Eustachian Tube ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Simple reaction time, digit span, digit symbol, Santa Ana dexterity test, Benton visual retention test, and pursuit aiming of the WHO NCTB (neurobehavioral core test battery) were administered to the 96 males occupationally non-exposed to neurotoxic chemicals. All subjects do not have any disease and head trauma and do not take medicine recently. Multiple regression analysis was done for establishing predict equation to estimate normal ranges of tests for males. Age was main independent variable affected all tests except for simple reaction time. Digit symbol was affected by educational level. Santa Ana dexterity, non-preferred hand was affected by alcohol drinking. Santa Ana dexterity, preferred hand and wrong dot of pursuit aiming were affected by smoking.
Alcohol Drinking ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Hand ; Humans ; Male* ; Occupations* ; Reaction Time ; Reference Values ; Smoke ; Smoking

GABA (-aminobutyric acid) is one of the important neurotransmitters in the central nervous system of mammals and its action is variable according to the maturation phases of neurons. The neurons of early cultural days (less than 7 days) have been used for a developing neuronal model, while the neurons of later days (over 3 weeks) used for a mature model. This study was performed to investigate the electrophysiological property of GABAergic synapses in the hippocampal neurons cultured for 10 to 14 days which are considered to be transitional period between the developing and the mature phases. Membrane potential was depolarized and a inward transmembrane current was induced by 20 M GABA infusion. Frequency and amplitude of spontaneous postsynaptic currents (PSCs) were inhibited during the GABA infusion, but decay time constant was not affected significantly. In most hippocampal neurons, no GABAergic PSCs were observed during the administration of 0.5 M TTX, 50 M APV and 10 M CNQX. In the neurons counting 25% approximately, however, small persisted PSCs showed the existence of GABAergic synapses which were blocked by 10 M bicuculine. As the functional property of isolated GABAergic synapses, amplitude of GABAergic PSCs were diminished, and decay time constants and rising times were prolonged during the 20 M GABA infusion in all recorded neurons. In conclusion, approximately 25% of the hippocmpal neurons cultured 10 to 14 days used GABA as well as glutamate as a neurotransmitter. It seems that the GABAergic synapses composed of functionally homogenous GABAA receptors act as inhibitory modulator of the excitatory signal transmission.
6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione ; Animals ; Central Nervous System ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid* ; Glutamic Acid ; Mammals ; Membrane Potentials ; Neurons* ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Rats* ; Synapses ; Synaptic Potentials

BACKGROUND: Ever since Helicobacter pylori was discovered in 1983 by Warren and Marshall, many studies were conducted resulting in drastic change of the previous concept of gastrointestinal disorders and its treatment. Most people in developing countries are considered to be exposed to the organism at a very early age, being more susceptible to infection. This study was done to find out the diagnostic value of serology antibody test for Helicobacter pylori infection by comparing differences in those checked positive for H. pylori relative to their symptoms and findings on endoscopy, biopsy, and barium swallow. METHODS: Subjects totaling 1240 who visited the Health Promotion Center of a university hospital were surveyed with questionnaire and were performed serology antibody test for H. pylori. 532 subjects underwent endoscopy and biopsy and in 708 subjects barium swallow was performed. All subjects were compared with respect to gastrointestinal symptoms, findings of pathology from the endoscopic and radiologic procedures with their antibody test results and titration. RESULTS: Among 1240 patients, 804 (64.8%) were positive for Helicobacter pylori antibody. There were 449 males (68%), and 355 females (61%), which was statistically significant (p< 0.05).There was no difference in the positive rates of H. pylori according to smoking, drinking, and exercise. Higher prevalence of family history for gastric cancer was shown among those positive for H. pylori (p< 0.01). There was no difference noted in relation to gastric symptoms or past history of gastrointestinal disorders in the two groups. Relative to the gastric symptoms complained by the patients, the findings on endoscopy, biopsy and radiologic study, most of those checked positive for H. pylori were shown to have antibody titers in the range of 20 to 40 units/mL with 83.1% for symptoms, 83.6% for endoscopy, 84.8% for biopsy, 81.7% for barium swallow. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference among those positive and negative for serology antibody test with respect to gastrointestinal symptoms, findings on endoscopy, biopsy, and barium swallow in this study. But because H. pylori is associated with most of the gastrointestinal pathology, testing H. pylori with serology antibody method can be beneficial and useful for its accuracy in primary care setting where further investigation is not possible.
Barium ; Biopsy ; Developing Countries ; Drinking ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Male ; Pathology ; Prevalence ; Primary Health Care ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Aerospace Medicine* ; Aviation* ; Hungary*

No abstract available.
Aviation* ; Humans*

BACKGROUND: The number of migrant workers, especially undocumented, has been increasing in Korea since late 1997. This study was conducted to evaluate the health status of those in Korea. METHODS: In June to November 2000, general health examinations and medical check-up were provided freely to undocumented migrant workers in Gyeonggi province. Total 580 migrant workers participated in this examination. RESULTS: 1. The number of examinee with abnormal results was 176 (30.3%), and hypertension (29.2%), abnormal liver function (13.4%) and abnormal chest X-ray finding (4.3%). 2. The prevalence rate of symptom is 77.2% and the most common symptom was back pain, followed by epigastric pain and joint pain. 3. The frequency of clinical diagnosis classified by physician was most common in hypertension (29.2%), followed by low back sprain/strain (7.4%), gastritis or peptic ulcer (7.4%), myofascial pain syndrome (6.4%). 4. The frequency of abnormal results in undocumented migrant workers was, compared with documented migrant industrial trainees significantly higher in HIV-Ab (+), hypertension and anemia, and compared with domestic workers, higher in hypertension, anemia and pulmonary disease. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that when compared with domestic workers, the number of undocumented migrant workers with abnormal results was not significantly higher, except for hypertension, anemia and pulmonary disease. But measures for infectious disease (including AIDS) transmission and development of work-related or chronic diseases by poor working condition and increased length of stay must be considered, including health management system such as periodical health examination.
Anemia ; Arthralgia ; Back Pain ; Chronic Disease ; Communicable Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Gastritis ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Liver ; Lung Diseases ; Myofascial Pain Syndromes ; Peptic Ulcer ; Prevalence ; Thorax ; Transients and Migrants*

BACKGROUND: By frequent G-exposures cervical and lumbar spinal symptoms may be the factors to limit their flying performance and causes of acute and chronic spinal diseases. We examined not only the frequency and degree of spinal symptoms but inter-relationship between these symptoms and several factors according to aircraft type. METHODS: We surveyed 244 ROKAF aviators by questionnaires attending aerospace-medical aviator physiology class of aeromedical center. RESULTS: Exposured gravities are 8.23, 6.02, 5.89 and 5.38 +Gz in pilots of F-16, F-5, F-4 and trainer aircraft respectively. Pilots of trainer aircraft were most frequently exposured to a gravity in a month. 72.5% of F-16 aviators had neck pain and 82.6% of trainer aircraft low back pain. Spinal symptoms limited checking 6 in about 55% of aviators and air combat maneuver in over 30% of aviators. CONCLUSION: To improve combat performance by alleviation of spinal symptoms aircraft aviators may rest sufficiently and had better keep a correct posture while +Gz exposures. We need to invent stretching exercises for relaxing muscle stress and correct seating frame of aircraft. Skilled medical team and instruments for physiotherapy also needed in airbases.
Aerospace Medicine ; Aircraft* ; Diptera ; Exercise ; Gravitation ; Low Back Pain ; Neck Pain ; Physiology ; Posture ; Spinal Diseases ; Surveys and Questionnaires