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Biomedical subjects

V Vaaranen

Publications and source records attributed to V Vaaranen.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

The treatment of acute low back pain--bed rest, exercises, or ordinary activity?

BACKGROUND: Bed rest and back-extension exercises are often prescribed for patients with acute low back pain, but the effectiveness of these two competing treatments remains controversial. METHODS: We conducted a controlled trial among employees of the city of Helsinki, Finland, who presented to an occupational health care center with acute, nonspecific low back pain. The patients were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: bed rest for two days (67 patients), back-mobilizing exercises (52 patients), or the continuation of ordinary activities as tolerated (the control group; 67 patients). Outcomes and costs were assessed after 3 and 12 weeks. RESULTS: After 3 and 12 weeks, the patients in the control group had better recovery than those prescribed either bed rest or exercises. There were statistically significant differences favoring the control group in the duration of pain, pain intensity, lumbar flexion, ability to work as measured subjectively, the Oswestry back-disability index, and number of days absent from work. Recovery was slowest among the patients assigned to bed rest. The overall costs of care did not differ significantly among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with acute low back pain, continuing ordinary activities within the limits permitted by the pain leads to more rapid recovery than either bed rest or back-mobilizing exercises.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1990

Estimates of new compensated cases of occupational diseases in Finland in 1977-1983.

The increase in the new cases of occupational disease reported in Finland in 1977-1983 has been analyzed. First, the technical nature of the concept of occupational disease as used in the context of compensation insurance is described and a disability grading for the severity of occupational diseases is presented. It is then shown, with the use of a stratified probability sample, that the fraction of compensated cases has remained roughly constant during the study period. However, evidence is presented indicating that the severity of the cases compensated in 1977-1983 has, on the average, decreased.

Disability Evaluation↗
PubMed1983

Wollastonite exposure and lung fibrosis.

Wollastonite is a naturally occurring acicular or fibrous metasilicate used in ceramics and as a substitute for asbestos in some applications. Wollastonite fibers are rather similar in form, length, and diameter to amphibole asbestos fibers but mineralogically they are different. Dust measurements in both the Finnish limestone--wollastonite quarry and in the flotation plant yielded high concentrations of both total dust and respirable fibers in some operational stages. The clinical study comprised a total of 46 men who had been exposed to wollastonite at the quarry for at least 10 years. Three of the fifteen nonsmokers showed chronic bronchitis. Radiographs revealed slight lung fibrosis among fourteen men, and slight bilateral pleural thickening among thirteen men. Their sputum specimens were normal. Spirometry and nitrogen single breath tests indicated the possibility of small airways disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Stainless steel manual metal arc welding fumes in rats.

Forty two male Wistar rats were exposed to manual metal arc (MMA) stainless steel (SS) welding fumes generated by an automatic welding device for "nose-only" exposure. The exposure simulated an actual MMA/SS welding environment as closely as possible. For the retention study, the duration of exposure was one hour per workday for one, two, three, of four weeks and for the clearance study four weeks. The retention and clearance of the chromium, nickel, and iron found in MMA/SS welding fumes in the rats' lungs were studied as was the distribution of the metals to other organs. Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was used for the multi-element chemical activation analyses. The concentrations of chromium and nickel in the blood and the urine were determined by atomic absorption method (AAS). The retention of exogenous iron was determined by a magnetic measuring method. The results indicated that the lungs were the target organs of soluble hexavalent chromates. The half times of lung clearance for Cr, Ni, and Fe were 40 +/- 4 d, 20 +/- d, and 50 +/- 10 d. When the lung clearance curves are compared, the half times of Cr and Fe lung clearance are similar but nickel disappears faster. The distribution and clearance patterns of chromium to other organs differ from those obtained after single intravenous or intratracheal injections of alkaline chromates.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Respiratory status of stainless steel and mild steel welders.

Eighty-three full-time stainless steel and 29 mild steel welders from one shipyard were examined clinically, and their lung function was measured. The stainless steel welders had used both tungsten inert-gas (low-fume concentration) and manual metal-arc (MMA) (high-fume concentration) welding methods. The individual exposure of the welders was estimated based on the time spent doing MMA welding, the amount of retained contaminants in the lungs (magnetopulmography), and urinary chromium excretion. The results suggest that there is a greater prevalence of small airway disease among shipyard mild steel MMA welders than among stainless steel welders. Among the stainless steel welders the impairment of lung function parameters was associated with the MMA welding method. The type of welding, then, is important when the health hazards of welders are studied, and welders cannot be regarded as a single, homogeneous group.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Lung-retained contaminants, urinary chromium and nickel among stainless steel welders.

The magnetic method of measuring the amount of lung retained contaminants as well as urinary chromium and nickel determinations have been performed among 83 stainless steel (SS) welders who have used manual metal arc (MMA) and tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding techniques. The welders were divided into four groups according to the time percentage used for MMA welding. Only exposure to MMA/SS welding fumes resulted in clearly elevated chromium concentrations in the urine, the correlation coefficient between the values of urinary chromium and MMA/SS percentage being very significant (p less than 0.001). Among the smokers the urinary chromium values were increased (p less than 0.05) perhaps owing to contaminated cigarettes. In many workplaces the urinary chromium values of several welders exceeded the value of 30 microgram/l which is the recommended reference value in Finland. Owing to the solubility properties of nickel compounds in SS welding fumes urinary nickel concentrations were only slightly elevated among MMA/SS welders, and therefore, the urinary nickel determinations do not reflect the level of exposure to nickel compounds. The measured average remanent magnetic field of the chest area correlated well (p less than 0.01) with the use of the MMA technique. A very significant correlation (p less than 0.001) existed between the average remanent magnetic fields of the chest and the urinary chromium values of MMA/ss welders.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Sputum cytology of asbestosis patients.

One hundred and fourteen patients with asbestosis, 59% of whom were chronic cigarette smokers, were subjected to a cytological sputum examination which showed: 36 workers (31.6%) with squamous metaplasia, 20 (17.5%) with benigh columnar cell atypia, 5 (4.4%) with benign dysplasia, 2 with suspicious cells for carcinoma, and 1 with anaplastic (microcellular) carcinoma. Clinically and histologically five lung cancers were verified, two of which were cytologically false negatives. All asbestosis patients with lung cancer were chronic smokers. Of the 114 asbestosis patients, 49 (43.0%) had ferruginous bodies in their sputum. The workers from an asbestos quarry more frequently had ferruginous bodies in their specimens than the other patients. Radiographically moderate and severe asbestosis cases showed squamous metaplasia more frequently than those with radiographically slight asbestosis. Most of the detected cellular atypias represented reversible alterations of the respiratory epithelium. It is, however, important to screen the sputum of older (greater than 40 years of age) smoking asbestos workers with benign and suspicious cellular atypias regularly because these alterations may represent the first step int he pathway to bronchogenic cancer. The results of this study did not answer the question of whether bronchial cancer of patients with asbestosis is curable if detected early with cytological methods.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Amount and distribution of welding fume lung contaminants among arc welders.

The amount and distribution of the welding fume lung contaminants was measured in 44 arc welders from two shipyards. The measurement was made from the determination of the permanent field after the subject was magnetized in a low external magnetic field, the values being used for the calculation of the amount of contaminants in the lungs. Less than 4 mg of dust was found in the lungs of nonexposed controls. In the shipyard welder's lungs, after two years of exposure, on the average 7 mg (range 4-15) of welding dust was observed. After a continuous exposure of about 18 years the amounts were 200 mg (range 30-1,500) in shipyard A and 700 mg (150-2,000) in shipyard B, respectively. On the basis of data obtained from retired welders, the clearance rate of 45% in welders from shipyard A and 18% in shipyard B were calculated, the latter figure being probably more accurate. The distribution of contaminants was 52% in the right and 48% in the left lung. The radiological findings correlated well with the amounts of welding fume contaminants measured with the magnetic method.

Adolescent↗