Biomedical subjects

R Bloigu

Publications and source records attributed to R Bloigu.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1994

+Gz-related neck pain: a follow-up study.

This epidemiologic study was aimed at detecting determinants of acute inflight neck pain. It followed a cohort of 66 student fighter pilots from 1 to 3 years. These pilots were frequently exposed to high +Gz forces. The number of flight hours, strenuousness of work, job satisfaction, symptoms suggesting psychologic distress, smoking habits, and the frequency of muscle strength, muscle endurance, and aerobic training were investigated by questionnaires at the beginning and end of the follow-up period. Physical examination, consisting of measurement of height, body weight, body mass index, head and neck circumference, passive cervical range of motion, grip strength, and isometric strength of neck muscles was done only at the beginning of the study. The cumulative incidence of acute inflight neck pain was 37.9%. The number of flight hours was found to be the only significant determinant of acute inflight neck pain.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1994

The repeatability of posturographic measurements and the effects of sleep deprivation.

The repeatability of posturographic measurements and the effects of sleep deprivation on them were investigated in 23 volunteers over a period of four months. Postural stability was studied by evaluating body sway velocity and the maximal and average vibration-induced shifts of the centre of pressure in the anterio-posterior and lateral directions. The posturographic test was performed with and without exposure of the calf muscles to vibration. Subjects were tested both with their eyes open and closed, and the measurements were performed weekly during the first month and once every month thereafter. The interindividual results differed more than the intraindividual ones, indicating that posturographic measurements are most suitable for functional monitoring in one person's tests. The dispersion of the results did not diminish with time, nor did the body sway decrease. The findings suggest that no learning takes place in nontrained persons. In the second part of the research, measurements were performed twice after the subjects had been awake the previous night or 24 hours. Postural stability did not deteriorate in this situation.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Repeatability of measurement of tenderness in the neck-shoulder region by a dolorimeter and manual palpation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test the repeatability of dolorimeter measurements in subjects with and without neck-shoulder symptoms and interobserver agreement in manual palpation. The second aim was to analyze how subjects, measures, and the order of attempt influenced the repeatability of pain threshold (PT) measurements. DESIGN: Repeated measurements in 100 female volunteers who were office workers. SETTING: Interobserver repeatability was tested by examining 60 female office employees twice during the same day, and intraobserver repeatability was tested by examining 40 female office employees at an interval of 2 days. PATIENTS: Their mean age was 38 (20-55) years; height was 163 (149-174) cm; and weight was 60 (44-115) kg. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PT measurement by dolorimeter and manual palpation findings of four defined palpation points. RESULTS: The inter- and intraobserver repeatability coefficients of the dolorimeter varied from 0.87 to 0.65; they were lower in subjects with neck-shoulder symptoms (DS) than in subjects with no or occasional symptoms (NOS). The sensitivity and specificity of dolorimeter for neck-shoulder symptoms was poor. The interobserver repeatability of manual palpation at trigger areas of trapezius and levator muscles varied from 0.15 to 0.62. CONCLUSIONS: The repeatability of dolorimeter is good, but sensitivity and specificity for neck-shoulder symptoms are poor. The dolorimeter is a good device for measurement of cervicobrachial tenderness when the subject acts as his or her own control. The repeatability of manual palpation is poor.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Determinants of +Gz-related neck pain: a preliminary survey.

The aim of the present study was to detect determinants of acute inflight neck pain in a cohort of 27 student fighter pilots frequently exposed to high +Gz forces. Strenuousness of work, job satisfaction, psychological distress, smoking habits, and frequency of muscle strength, muscle endurance, and aerobic training regimens were inquired about by questionnaire. Physical examination determined the subjects' height, body weight, body mass index, head and neck circumference, passive cervical range of motion, grip strength, and isometric strength of neck muscles. The frequency of muscle endurance training was the only possible determinant related to experienced acute inflight neck pain.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1992

Effect of positioning of the feet in posturography.

Static posturography has been developed from a basic research test to a widely used clinical tool for evaluating dizzy patients. Before any actual standardization can be achieved, however, several aspects of the test situations have to be evaluated, including the position of the feet. The quantitative significance of the standing position in posturographic measurements was evaluated with healthy volunteers studied under visual and nonvisual conditions, using 4 foot positions: heels together with the toes 30 degrees apart or at an angle of the volunteer's own choice, and the feet parallel and either 0 or 10 cm apart were studied separately. Each measurement was characterized in terms of 5 parameters (body sway velocity, vibration-induced shift of centre of force in anteroposterior and lateral directions, and maximum displacement of centre of force in the same directions). Body sway velocities were smallest when the feet were parallel and 10 cm apart. Although the position chosen by the subject was usually more stable than that with the toes 30 degrees apart, the difference was nonsignificant. According to our results, the standing position is not crucial in posturographic measurements provided that the distance between the heels is determined, and the subject can just as well choose the angle between the feet if the heels are kept together.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

High-frequency air-conduction and electric bone-conduction audiometry. Age and sex variations.

208 subjects representing both sexes and five age groups (15-70 years) were examined to obtain age-related threshold values for high-frequency (HF) electric bone-conduction (EBC) audiometry. The measurements also included conventional pure-tone audiometry and air-conduction (AC) HF (8-18 kHz) audiometry. The measured EBC thresholds were comparable to the values obtained with AC audiometers, and were equal to ISO standards at the frequencies of 0.5-6 kHz. The 15- and 20-year-old groups' EBC thresholds at 8 kHz were equivalent to thresholds of 15-year-old people from a cross-sectional material in Northern Finland. Thresholds deteriorated as a function of age, particularly in the HF range. The males had poorer thresholds than the females, especially in the age groups of 40 and 60 years. This could be attributed mainly to their greater noise exposure. The EBC method is quite practical and reliable for routine clinical measurements, but the dynamic range of the audiometer limits its use to relatively young subjects.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Postoperative PINP in serum reflects metastatic potential and poor survival in node-positive breast cancer.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the postoperative serum markers of type I collagen synthesis (PINP,PICP) and degradation (ICTP) and their possible potential for predicting the spread of disease and survival. 373 node-positive breast cancer patients were enrolled. 120 patients (32%) developed recurrent disease in the follow-up. The mean time to recurrence was 17 months and the mean follow-up time was 45 months. The mean level of PINP was significantly elevated in the patients who developed metastatic disease in the follow-up as compared with those without metastases. PINP was statistically significantly higher in all the patients who developed bone metastases than in those without metastases. When patients with only bone metastases or patients with bone and soft tissue and/or visceral metastases and patients with only visceral or soft tissue metastases were compared with those not exhibiting metastases, PINP was significantly higher in the group with recurrence in the bone, but there were no significant differences in serum PINP, PICP or ICTP values between the patients with only bone metastases and those who developed soft or visceral metastases during the follow-up. Postoperative high PINP was also a factor for poorer survivaL Tumor size, malignancy grade and progesterone receptors were shown in multivariate analysis to be predictors of recurrence and tumor size and PINP and progesterone receptors to be predictors of survivaL

Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Static posturography and intravenous alcohol.

Twelve health subjects were assessed using static posturography before and after intravenous alcohol infusion in a double-blind experiment. The dose was 0.5 g ethanol per kg body weight in 15 minutes, which raised the blood alcohol concentration to a level of approximately 1 mg/mL. Among other parameters, the average body sway velocity (BSV) and area of body sway (BSA) were measured. BSV was the most sensitive parameter for detecting increased body sway after alcohol infusion, and a significant effect of alcohol on its values was seen at 0.46 to 1.0 mg/mL alcohol concentrations. The second best indicator was the BSA. There was a positive correlation between the BSV and the BSA. The other parameters were not affected. The Romberg quotient remained constant during the alcohol test. The test battery used was relevant to distinguish the effect of alcohol on balance. In this study, acute blood alcohol concentrations of around 0.5 to 1.0 mg/mL affected BSV more significantly than BSA. The authors do not, however, recommend the test for forensic purposes in examining drivers with alcohol in their blood, as there is too much interindividual dispersion in the results.

Adolescent↗