SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “DEXTERITY”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,387 records · Page 77Linked to original sources

PubMed1981

Factors predisposing to institutionalism.

UNLABELLED: All psychiatric patients staying in hospital-supervised boarding homes, and a random sample of 50 long-stay patients in the wards of the only mental hospital in Newfoundland were surveyed to determine if certain premorbid factors predispose to institutionalism ('institutional neurosis'). Three hundred and twenty-four patients were examined. Low intelligence, poor education and disabilities in hearing, speech, locomotion and manual dexterity, were significantly associated with institutionalism. Extremes of age on first admission, celibacy, low occupational status in the patient, or his father, and visual disability did not prove to be associated with institutionalism. IN CONCLUSION: institutionalism may be found among patients in boarding homes; some patients are more susceptible to institutionalism than others; and institutionalism tends to be associated with those biological or social handicaps which affect communication and activity of the patient.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Psychiatric and neurological symptoms in workers occupationally exposed to organic solvents--results of a differential epidemiological study.

It is accepted knowledge today that repeated intoxication with organic solvents damages the central nervous system and causes persistent psycho-organic symptoms. That long-term but low-level occupational exposure--typical o painters and other blue-collar workers--can also induce such disorders has not generally been recognized. The present epidemiological study was undertaken to evaluate the possible neuropsychiatric effects of such exposure. 80 laquerers exposed to a mixture of industrial solvents (average hygienic effect 0.3) and 37 printers exposed almost only to toluene (average hygienic effect 1.0) were compared with a control group of 80 age-matched non-exposed subjects. In psychiatric interviews, the painters showed more mental symptoms. Fatigue, nervousness and lack of manual dexterity were most important and formed a typical neurasthenic syndrome. A general decrease in conduction velocity and action potential amplitude was also observed for the peripheral nerves. The printers showed a large decrease of the nerve action potential amplitude only for the sural nerve. No EEG abnormalities were found. Nor could any increase in mental symptoms be detected through psychiatric interviews compared to the controls. The results are interpreted as evidence for a CNS affection with consequent neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms after long-term occupational exposure to mixtures of industrial solvents below the current threshold limit values (TLV) but not after exposure to a single substance like toluene at about the TLV. The differential effects may be explained by synergistic amplification of the toxicity of solvent mixtures.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Social deficits associated with schizophrenia defined in terms of interpersonal Machiavellianism.

The social deficits of schizophrenia have been interpreted in an evolutionary context of Machiavellian social dexterity, stressing deficits in evolved psychological mechanisms that mediate the interpretation of affect and deceptive intention in others. A complementary hypothesis was tested, that patients with schizophrenia will be relatively non-Machiavellian compared to controls, and that social problems associated with the condition may reflect this relative social credulity. This hypothesis was addressed by assessing Mach IV psychometric scale performance in a group of 51 patients with schizophrenia and in 93 controls. Males, but not females, with schizophrenia scored significantly lower on the Mach IV scale than control groups. This result is interpreted in conjunction with the existing literature on social competence and sex differences in the symptomatology of patients with schizophrenia.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1987

The distribution of plaque and gingivitis and the influence of toothbrushing hand in a group of South Wales 11-12 year-old children.

Numerous factors may affect the distribution of plaque and gingivitis in any individuals mouth. Of considerable importance must be the oral hygiene habits of each person, which will be influenced by compliance and dexterity with tooth cleaning methods. The pattern of gingivitis seen at a young age may, with time, reflect the eventual distribution of attachment loss. This in part, could explain the considerable variation in chronic periodontal disease seen between individuals and at different sites within the same mouth. This study reports the baseline data for the distribution of plaque and gingivitis in 1105, 11-12-year-old children in South Wales. The children were selected by disproportionate stratified random sampling and examined by a multidisciplinary group with the long-term aim of evaluating the importance of malocclusion to dental health and psychosocial variables. Toothbrushing frequency had a very low but significant correlation with the distribution of plaque and gingivitis, accounting therefore for only a small % of the variance in the group. For the total group and right-handed toothbrushers, buccal plaque and gingivitis was significantly increased on right contralateral teeth. No specific pattern for plaque and gingivitis distribution by side was seen for 100 left-handed toothbrushers. Plaque and gingivitis also showed significant differences dependent upon arch, tooth number, and surface. The population is being followed at 4-year intervals to monitor the pattern of periodontal disease with time and correlate changes with these baseline findings.

Child↗

PubMed1988

Improvement of oral hygiene habits: a psychological approach. 2-year data.

The present communication attempts to determine the effects of individual interviews, conducted by a psychologist, on unmotivated patients' oral hygiene habits. For this investigation, 26 subjects were selected according to the following main criteria: (a) patients with good motor skills (to make sure that poor hygiene was due to poor compliance and not to poor dexterity); (b) patients suffering from periodontitis of Cl II and Cl III of the Modified Nomenclature of the American Academy of Periodontology; (c) patients, who had never been taught toothbrushing techniques prior to attending 4 routine sessions on oral hygiene, and who in spite of understanding the pathogenic relation between plaque and disease, were unable to reach a plaque index score beneath the 50% level. The 26 selected patients were divided randomly into 2 equal groups. Subjects assigned to the 1st group were submitted to interviews with a psychologist, whereas those of the 2nd group were not (control group). Throughout the investigation period, the plaque indices were scored for both groups at 3-month intervals. Results revealed a decrease of plaque index scores in the interviewed group, from 68% to 49%. During the same period, the non-interviewed group exhibited virtually no change.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Assessment and evaluation of individual prerequisites for dental education.

Since 2001 the School of Dentistry of Malmo University in Sweden has used an alternative admissions procedure based on results of an investigation supported by the Swedish Council for the Renewal of Undergraduate Education. The investigation concerned possibilities of predicting dental school performance on the basis of an interview, as well as tests of general intelligence, spatial ability, manual dexterity, empathy and social competence. Two groups of incoming students were followed from start to completion of their training. Significant relationships were found between (i) number of course examinations failed and poor results on interviews, as well as low scores on intelligence, spatial ability, and a test of spatial-manual ability, (ii) good results in a pre-clinical course in cavity preparation and high scores on spatial ability, (iii) assessments of high social competence during training and good results on interviews, as well as high scores on empathy and non-verbal intelligence. Dropout from the study programme could not be predicted, possibly due to the varying reasons for it.

Achievement↗

PubMed1996

Gene transduction into murine primitive hematopoietic cells with 2-gene retroviral vectors using a Transwell coculture system.

The present study aims at expressing a reporter gene in hematopoietic cells in vivo by introducing it into primitive hematopoietic cells with a 2-gene retroviral vector. Various constructs of retroviral vectors containing the human IL-2 receptor alpha chain gene (TAC) as the reporter and the neomycin phosphotransferase gene (neo) as a selectable marker were engineered, and the effectiveness of these vectors for expression of the reporter gene was evaluated after transfection into the packaging cell line GP + E86. It was found that the highest levels of reporter gene expression were attained with constructs ordered 5' long terminal repeat (LTR)-TAC-internal promoter-neo-3' LTR. In experiments investigating the expression of a reporter gene in hematopoietic cells, we used the Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase gene (lacZ) instead of TAC, because a very sensitive detection method was available for lacZ. For transduction of hematopoietic progenitors, packaging cell lines producing recombinant viruses were cultured in a Transwell hung into a Dexter-type bone marrow (BM) culture. The BM cells were selected with G418, and transferred into irradiated recipient mice. LacZ enzyme activity was detectable in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of recipients taken 8 wk after reconstitution.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Effects of temperature and outdoor air supply rate on the performance of call center operators in the tropics.

UNLABELLED: A study was performed in a call center that provides billing inquiry services using a 2 x 2 balanced experimental plan for nine consecutive weeks. Two independent variables, temperature and outdoor air supply rate, were combined and introduced to the occupants in a blind intervention approach. The temperature set-points were fixed at 22.5 degrees C and 24.5 degrees C, and outdoor air supply rate at 5 l /s/p and 10 l/s/p. Temperature and outdoor air supply rate had significant interaction effects on worker's talk time (P < 0.001), which means that the effects of temperature on talk time performance were not independent of the effects of outdoor air supply rate or the opposite. Talk time was reduced significantly when the outdoor air supply rate was increased from 5 l /s/p to 10 l/s/p at 24.5 degrees C (P < 0.01); this may be associated with the significant reduction in a principal component factor which includes intensity of dryness, aching eyes and nose-related symptoms (P < 0.01). Decreasing the temperature from 24.5 degrees C to 22.5 degrees C at 10 l /s/p significantly increased talk time (P < 0.01). Analysis of the principal component factor based on the neurobehavioral symptoms also revealed that temperature reduction led to an increased mean factor score of these symptoms (P < 0.04). PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: For moderately complex office work which involves manipulation dexterity such as a call center operation where call operators interact with computer-based information systems, tropically acclimatized workers' performance could be improved by increasing the outdoor air supply rate from 5 l/s/p to 10 l/s/p if the temperature is to be maintained at the higher band of the thermal comfort range, around 24.5 degrees C. At a low ventilation rate (5 l/s/p), decreasing the temperature from 24.5 degrees C to 22.5 degrees C (which is a commonly adopted set-point in tropical office buildings) also leads to improvement of talk time performance. The magnitude of talk time improvement was greater by more than four times when the strategy to increase the outdoor air supply rate was implemented at a lower range of outdoor air supply rate (5-10 l /s/p) as compared to the higher range (9.8-22.7 l/s/p).

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Impact of chronic undernutrition on higher mental functions in Indian boys aged 10-12 years.

Undernourished rural children 10-12 years of age demonstrated the following, when compared to normal nourished children: (i) a relative deficit of memory quotients assessed by the Wechsler memory scale; (ii) lower scores for abilities related to personal and current information, orientation, mental control, logical memory, digit span, visual reproduction and associative learning; (iii) impaired set formation and flexibility in attention as assessed by the card sorting test; and (iv) impairment in conditional learning on maze and conditional associative learning tests. The performance on the finger dexterity test for fine motor coordination was not affected in undernourished children.

Attention↗

PubMed1999

Efficacy of antifungal agents in tissue conditioners in treating candidiasis.

UNLABELLED: Chronic atrophic candidiasis is prevalent in up to 72% of institutionalized geriatric populations and is causally associated with Candida albicans. Topical antifungal treatments are difficult to implement in some geriatric patients due to cognitive impairment, reduced motor dexterity and memory loss. OBJECTIVE: This in vitro study incorporated antifungal agents into tissue conditioners to investigate the effectiveness of this method of drug delivery. DESIGN: Combinations of nystatin, fluconazole, itraconazole and Coe Soft, Viscogel, Fitt were tested at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 wt/wt%, with and without sterilized saliva. 6 mm diameter cores were punched in Sabouraud plates pre-grown with standardized C. albicans. Antifungal agents plus tissue conditioner mixtures were injected into each core. Inhibition diameters were measured for 14 days. RESULTS: Cores with only tissue conditioners acted as negative control and showed no significant inhibition activity (ANOVA, p > 0.05). Peak activity was between 65 to 89 hours; followed by a plateau. Itraconazole had greater fungicidal activity than fluconazole; while nystatin was found to have the least fungicidal activity (ANOVA, p < 0.05). The most effective concentration for nearly all combinations was 5% wt/wt (ANOVA, p < 0.05). Specimens with saliva showed greater antifungal activity than those without (t-test, p < 0.001). Itraconazole altered the physical properties of Viscogel hence this combination is not recommended for clinical use. CONCLUSION: The treatment of chronic atrophic candidiasis by incorporation of antifungal drugs into tissue conditioners is efficacious. 5% wt/wt itraconazole mixed with Coe Soft or Fitt is recommended for clinical study where compliance of patient or care giver cannot be relied upon. Peak antifungal activity at 3 days suggests that mixtures prepared for clinical study may be replaced soon after this time for maximum effectiveness.

Acrylic Resins↗

PubMed2001

T2-weighted MRI correlates with long-term histopathology, neurology scores, and skilled motor behavior in a rat stroke model.

The intraluminal suture model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in the Sprague Dawley strain of rats characteristically results in an inconsistently sized brain lesion. The purpose of the investigation reported here was to determine whether there were strong point-to-point correlations between the degree of cortical lesion size, as assessed in vivo using T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and corresponding cortical lesion size using routine histopathological techniques. Moreover, we aimed to investigate if cortical lesion size as determined by these two modalities correlates with neurological and/or skilled motor deficits observed in individual animals. Baseline behavioral scores were obtained on the animals prior to receiving 60 min of transient MCAO. Following MCAO, animals were tested for 1-21 days for neurological deficits. T2-weighted MRIs of the cortex were taken at two and seven days post-MCAO. At 30 and 60 days the rats were retested for forelimb dexterity in the staircase test. Subsequently, the cortex was examined for histopathological damage. Indeed, there were highly significant correlations between lesion size determined by MRI and histopathology. The degree of cortical damage observed in the T2-weighted MRI, as well as the size of the histopathological lesions were, in turn, highly correlated with the degrees of deficiencies observed in the composite neurological assessments and with the deficits involving skilled use of the contralateral forepaw (damaged side).

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Acceptability of powered toothbrushes for elderly individuals.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the usefulness of powered toothbrushes in elderly individuals for removing supragingival plaque and improving gingival health and comparing this to the use of regular manual toothbrushes. METHODS: Fourteen persons aged 68-85 years having moderate gingivitis were included in the study. A crossover clinical trial consisting of two phases of three months' duration each was carried out. All the participants were given an oral prophylaxis, following which they were instructed to use the manual toothbrush for three months. Again, for the same subjects, an oral prophylaxis was given and they were asked to use the powered toothbrush for the next three months. Plaque Index and Gingival Index scores were recorded one, two, and three months after the use of each toothbrush. Oral hygiene instruction was reinforced only at baseline. RESULTS: The powered toothbrush was more effective than a regular manual toothbrush in removing plaque and controlling gingivitis. CONCLUSION: The powered toothbrush may prove to be a good alternative to the manual toothbrush for this segment of the population, as it does not require any special dexterity to use.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Oral hygiene measures and promotion: review and considerations.

Current mechanical and chemotherapeutic approaches to oral hygiene aim to modify the oral microflora to promote healthy periodontal and dental tissues. Current oral hygiene measures, appropriately used and in conjunction with regular professional care, are capable of virtually preventing caries and most periodontal disease and maintaining oral health. Toothbrushing and flossing are most commonly used, although interdental brushes and wooden sticks can offer advantages in periodontally involved dentitions. Chewing sugar-free gums as a salivary stimulant is a promising caries-preventive measure. Despite new products and design modifications, mechanical measures require manual dexterity and cognitive ability. Chemotherapeutic supplementation of mechanical measures using dentifrices, mouthrinses, gels and chewing gums as delivery vehicles can improve oral hygiene. The list includes anticalculus, antibacterial and cariostatic agents. For the population at large to make effective use of these oral hygiene measures, oral hygiene promotion needs to be implemented. Considerations include the role of parents, school and the media for children and the workplace, social environments. nursing homes and trained carers for adults and the elderly. Community oral hygiene promotion must attempt to maximise opportunities for oral health for all and reduce inequalities by removing financial and other barriers. Oral health approaches should be tailored to lifestyles and abilities of children, adults and the elderly in order to enable them to make decisions to improve personal oral hygiene and oral health.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Modern supragingival plaque control.

Supragingival plaque control is essential for the maintenance of oral health. Despite the many chemotherapeutic agents available as mouthrinses and toothpastes, mechanical plaque removal is still the best method to achieve effective plaque control. This is due, in part, to the lack of development of oral antimicrobials with the effectiveness and substantivity of chlorhexidine gluconate but without its adverse effects of dental staining and calculus formation. The use of the numerous mechanical (manual and electric) oral hygiene devices extant and their effectiveness, however, are dependent upon patient dexterity and compliance and concomitant active professional treatment for the monitoring of home care, oral hygiene instruction and patient motivation. This paper evaluates the current methods available to reduce plaque and gingivitis with emphasis on their effectiveness at both supragingival plaque control and disease prevention. In addition, recent studies on the newer oscillating/rotating electric plaque removers and interdental cleaning devices will be discussed as related to their efficacy and compliance.

Anti-Infective Agents↗

PubMed1975

Handedness and controlled movement.

Subjects classified according to degree of hand perference were tested with both hands on two tasks of controlled movement. Strongly lateralized subjects (both left- and right-handers) showed greater skill with their better hand than ambilaterals on a visually controlled aiming test (faster speed and equal errors), but there was no marked differences between groups with the other hand. Between-hand differences were also greater in lateralized subjects. On a ballistic rhythmical tapping test, no marked differences in speed were found, but ambilaterals made slightly fewer errors with the better hand. It is argued (i) that for ballistic movements the hands are equipotential, and skill is a direct function of practice, (ii) that the essential dexterity difference between the preferred and non-preferred hands is in the sensory or feedback control of movements rather than in motor function per se, and (iii) ambilaterals, especially those with very mixed preferences, have virtually two non-preferred hands in continuously controlled movement tasks, and may therefore reply on ballistic movements more than do pronounced sinistrals and dextrals.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Neural and biomechanical specializations of human thumb muscles revealed by matching weights and grasping objects.

1. Human manual dexterity has been linked by some to biomechanical adaptations of the hand and by others to neural adaptations. To investigate neural adaptations, the present study using the performance of four muscles acting on the index and thumb, quantified weight matching and electromyography. 2. The accuracy (i.e. reproducibility) of weight matching was used to investigate whether thumb muscles (i.e. flexor pollicis longus (FPL) and adductor pollicis (AP)) perform differently from index muscles (i.e. flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) and first dorsal interosseous (FDI)), and whether intrinsic hand muscles (AP and FDI) perform differently from extrinsic ones (FPL and FDP). 3. Subjects lifted reference weights on the right which represented predetermined percentages of a force generated in a maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) ranging from 2.5% to 35% MVC (and to 50% MVC in two muscles) and matched them with a variable weight lifted in the same way on the left. 4. Analysis of the coefficients of variation (c.v., expressed as a percentage) and the standard deviations calculated for repeated estimates of perceived heaviness, revealed significant differences in the accuracy of weight matching between different muscles and between reference weights. Based on the c.v., subjects lifted more accurately with FPL and AP (the two thumb muscles) than with the two index muscles. The two intrinsic hand muscles (FDI and AP) were equally accurate, and significantly more accurate than FDP which was the least accurate muscle. The high accuracy for FPL remained when accuracy was expressed in terms of the torque produced by the muscles when lifting the reference weights, and also when the torques were converted to absolute intramuscular forces. 5. Accuracy (based on c.v.) decreased significantly with light weights and increased with heavy weights for all muscles except FPL, which was equally accurate over a very wide range of weights (< 2.5% to 50% MVC). When data from all muscles were pooled, the c.v. increased from 12.9 to 19.1 as the weights lifted decreased from 35% to 2.5% MVC. 6. To examine the functional implications of the weight-matching study, electromyographic activity (EMG) was recorded with fine-wire electrodes from the same four muscles while subjects lifted cylinders of different widths (17-50 mm) and weights (15-1000 g). For recordings in which integrated EMG was linearly related to force up to maximal levels, the amplitudes of the EMGs at 'lift off' and at the mid-point of the 'hold' phase of the task were expressed relative to the maximal EMG during a MVC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

System for the automated photothermal treatment of cutaneous vascular lesions.

It is well known that the use of tightly focused continuous wave lasers can be an effective treatment of common telangiactasia. In general, the technique requires the skills of a highly dexterous surgeon using the aid of optical magnification. Due to the nature of this approach, it has proven to be largely impractical. To overcome this, we have developed an automated system that alleviates the strain on the user associated with the manual tracing method. The device makes use of high contrast illumination, simple monochromatic imaging, and machine vision to determine the location of blood vessels in the area of interest. The vessel coordinates are then used as input to a two-dimensional laser scanner via a near real-time feedback loop to target, track, and treat. Such mechanization should result in increased overall treatment success, and decreased patient morbidity. Additionally, this approach enables the use of laser systems that are considerably smaller than those currently used, and consequently the potential for significant cost savings. Here we present an overview of a proof-of-principle system, and results using examples involving in vivo imaging of human skin.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2004

Comparison of pallidal and subthalamic stimulation on force control in patient's with Parkinson's disease.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of unilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) on the control and coordination of grasping forces produced by Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Ten advanced PD patients with unilateral DBS in the globus pallidus (GPi) or the subthalamic nucleus (STN) (5 patients in each group) performed a functional bimanual dexterous manipulation task. Experiments were performed in the "Off" medication state with DBS "On" and "Off. " DBS resulted in (a) significant clinical improvements, (b) greater maximum grip force for both limbs, (c) reduced movement time, and (d) bilateral coupling of grasping forces. There were no significant differences between the GPi and STN groups for any clinical or kinematic measures. DBS of the GPi and STN leads to an improvement in the motor functioning of advanced PD patients. Improvement in force-timing specification during DBS might allow PD patients to employ a feedforward method of force control.

Adult↗