Hearing protector fit testing with off-shore oil-rig inspectors in Louisiana and Texas

Objective: This field study aimed to assess the noise reduction of hearing protection for individual workers, demonstrate the effectiveness of training on the level of protection achieved, and measure the time required to implement hearing protector fit testing in the workplace. Design: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted field studies in Louisiana and Texas to test the performance of HPD Well-Fit. Study sample: Fit tests were performed on 126 inspectors and engineers working in the offshore oil industry. Results: Workers were fit tested with the goal of achieving a 25-dB PAR. Less than half of the workers were achieving sufficient protection from their hearing protectors prior to NIOSH intervention and training; following re-fitting and re-training, over 85% of the workers achieved sufficient protection. Typical test times were 6–12?minutes. Conclusions: Fit testing of the workers’ earplugs identified those workers who were and were not achieving the desired level of protection. Recommendations for other hearing protection solutions were made for workers who could not achieve the target PAR. The study demonstrates the need for individual hearing protector fit testing and addresses some of the barriers to implementation.     

BURDEN 2020—Burden of disease in Germany at the national and regional level

Background

Evidence-based policy measures need non-interest-guided information about the health status of a population and the diseases that affect the population the most. In such cases, a national burden of disease study can provide reliable insights at the regional level.

Aim

This article presents the potential of the BURDEN 2020 project and its expected outcome for Germany at the national and regional level.

Methods

The BURDEN 2020 project uses several indicators including years of life lost (YLL) to cover the impact of mortality and years lived with disability (YLD) to cover morbidity. The sum of both is the measure of population health called disability adjusted life years (DALY).

Results

The study ranks individual diseases and risk factors based on their impact on population health. The burden of disease approach is assumed to be sensitive to subnational differences and may generate immediate benefits for regional planning. The BURDEN 2020 study will pilot a national burden of disease study for Germany that will later be transformed into a continuous data processing and visualization tool. This is done by using, modifying and supplementing the methodology employed by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study to better fit the needs of health policy in Germany. This study is aimed at calculating the disease burden for up to 17 preselected diseases. Furthermore, the estimates of burden of disease are attributed to a selected set of risk factors.

Conclusion

The Burden 2020 study will provide the results of a new, health-related data processing system to the public. This includes a noninterest-guided presentation of the burden of disease (DALY) in Germany at the national and regional level.

     

Domains for activation and inactivation in G protein-coupled receptors – A mutational analysis of constitutive activity of the adenosine A2B receptor

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a major drug target and can be activated by a range of stimuli, from photons to proteins. Most, if not all, GPCRs also display a basal level of biological response in the absence of such a stimulus. This level of so-called constitutive activity results from a delicate energy equilibrium that exists between the active and the inactive state of the receptor and is the first determinant in the GPCR activation mechanism. Here we describe new insights in specific regions of the adenosine A_2B receptor that are essential in activation and inactivation. We developed a new screening method using the MMY24 S. Cerevisiae strain by which we were able to screen for constitutively inactive mutants receptors (CIMs). We applied this screening method on a mutagenic library of the adenosine A_2B receptor, where random mutations were introduced in transmembrane domains four and five (TM4 and TM5) linked by extracellular loop 2 (EL2). The screen resulted in the identification of 22 single and double mutant receptors, all showing a decrease in constitutive activity as well as in agonist potency. By comparing these results with a previous screen of the same mutagenic library for constitutively active mutant receptors (CAMs), we discovered specific regions in this G protein-coupled receptor involved in either inactivation or activation or both. The results suggest the activation mechanism of GPCRs to be much less restricted to sites of high conservation or direct interaction with the ligand or G protein and illustrate how dynamic the activation process of GPCRs is.     

Effects of oral cisapride on interdigestive jejunal motor activity,psychomotor function,and side-effect profile in healthy man

Intravenous cisapride was shown to induce a phase-2-like pattern of human interdigestive jejunal motor activity containing an increased number of propagated contractions. This study investigated the effects of oral cisapride in 12 fasting healthy males. Jejunal pressures were recorded by a pneumohydraulic system and five catheter orifices positioned 10–30 cm aborad the ligament of Treitz. Single oral doses of 5 and 10mg cisapride, administered 5 min after an activity front under random double-blind conditions, induced a phase-2-like jejunal motor pattern with a significantly higher number and amplitude of contractions and significantly more aborally propagated waves than placebo (P<0.001), while the number of subjects with activity fronts decreased with increasing dose. Five and 10mg cisapride administered tid for three days affected psychomotor function, subjective feelings, and side-effect frequency, apart from increases in systolic blood pressure and heart rate, no more than placebo. It is concluded that in fasting man, oral cisapride induces a highly propagative phase-2-like jejunal motor pattern causing only minor side effects.     

An examination of sex and racial/ethnic differences in the metabolic syndrome among adults: A confirmatory factor analysis and a resulting continuous severity score

Objective

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is typically diagnosed based on abnormalities in specific clustered clinical measures that are associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, current MetS criteria result in racial/ethnic discrepancies. Our goals were to use confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to delineate differential contributions to MetS by sub-group, and if contributions were discovered, develop sex and racial/ethnic-specific equations to calculate MetS severity.

Research Design and Methods

Using data on adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2010, we performed a CFA of a single MetS factor that allowed differential loadings across groups, resulting in a sex and race/ethnicity-specific continuous MetS severity score.

Results

Loadings to the single MetS factor differed by sub-group for each MetS component (p < 0.001), with lower factor loadings among non-Hispanic-blacks for triglycerides and among Hispanics for waist circumference. Systolic blood pressure exhibited low factor loadings among all groups. MetS severity scores were correlated with biomarkers of future disease (high-sensitivity C-reactive-protein, uric acid, insulin resistance). Non-Hispanic-black-males with diabetics had a low prevalence of MetS but high MetS severity scores that were not significantly different from other racial/ethnic groups.

Conclusions

This analysis among adults uniquely demonstrated differences between sexes and racial/ethnic groups regarding contributions of traditional MetS components to an assumed single factor. The resulting equations provide a clinically-accessible and interpretable continuous measure of MetS for potential use in identifying adults at higher risk for MetS-related diseases and following changes within individuals over time. These equations hold potential to be a powerful new outcome for use in MetS-focused research and interventions.     

Screening for Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction: Reasons for Not Receiving Interventional Treatment

Background

Evidence for bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) is based on phase 2 studies and small randomized controlled trials with in- and exclusion criteria defining a therapeutic window and contraindications. Little is known about the applicability in routine clinical practice.

Aim

Which percentage of patients with severe emphysema referred to a specialized treatment center for BLVR is ultimately suitable for interventional bronchoscopic treatment? What is the relevance of the different contraindications?

Methods

Retrospective evaluation of emphysema patients referred to Asklepios Fachkliniken Munich-Gauting for BLVR between January 2014 and June 2015.

Results

138 patients were referred for evaluation of BLVR. 38 patients (27.5%) underwent BLVR procedures (valves n = 18; coils n = 18; thermal vapor ablation n = 2). 100 patients (72.5%) were deemed not eligible for BLVR based on the following contraindications: 34% emphysema morphology and emphysema-related findings (severe homogeneous emphysema, extensive pleuropulmonary adhesions, postinflammatory scaring with natural volume reduction, giant bullae), 16% active smoking; 9% pulmonary function not within indication range; 8% unexpected CT findings (nodules, cancer, interstitial disease); 8% chronic ventilatory failure; 8% patient refused BLVR; 5% relevant comorbidity; 5% frequent exacerbations, 3% preserved quality of life, 4% other.

Conclusion

BLVR is a therapeutic option for highly selected patients. In our cohort, one in four could be treated. These data highlight the limitations of BLVR under real-life conditions.

     

The role of BDNF methylation and Val66Met in amygdala reactivity during emotion processing

Epigenetic alterations of the brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene have been associated with psychiatric disorders in humans and with differences in amygdala BDNF mRNA levels in rodents. This human study aimed to investigate the relationship between the functional BDNF‐Val⁶⁶Met polymorphism, its surrounding DNA methylation in BDNF exon IX, amygdala reactivity to emotional faces, and personality traits. Healthy controls (HC, n = 189) underwent functional MRI during an emotional face‐matching task. Harm avoidance, novelty seeking and reward dependence were measured using the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ). Individual BDNF methylation profiles were ascertained and associated with several BDNF single nucleotide polymorphisms surrounding the BDNF‐Val⁶⁶Met, amygdala reactivity, novelty seeking and harm avoidance. Higher BDNF methylation was associated with higher amygdala reactivity (x = 34, y = 0, z = ?26, t₍₁₆₆₎ = 3.00, TFCE = 42.39, p_(FWE) = .045), whereby the BDNF‐Val⁶⁶Met genotype per se did not show any significant association with brain function. Furthermore, novelty seeking was negatively associated with BDNF methylation (r = ?.19, p = .015) and amygdala reactivity (r = ?.17, p = .028), while harm avoidance showed a trend for a positive association with BDNF methylation (r = .14, p = .066). The study provides first insights into the relationship among BDNF methylation, BDNF genotype, amygdala reactivity and personality traits in humans, highlighting the multidimensional relations among genetics, epigenetics, and neuronal functions. The present study suggests a possible involvement of epigenetic BDNF modifications in psychiatric disorders and related brain functions, whereby high BDNF methylation might reduce BDNF mRNA expression and upregulate amygdala reactivity.