Self-assessment of ergonomics amongst dental students utilising photography: RCT.

INTRODUCTION: Dental professionals are at high risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to static working positions for extended periods of time. Musculoskeletal pain has been identified as early as during their entry-level dental education. The purpose of this study was to determine whether feedback involving photography and self-assessment would improve ergonomic scores and the accuracy of ergonomic self-assessments amongst dental students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved a randomised control design of 135 dental students. At weeks 1 and 4, participants were photographed, and at weeks 1 through 4, participants completed ergonomic self-evaluations, using a Modified-Dental Operator Posture Assessment Instrument (M-DOPAI). During weeks 2 and 3, participants in the training group were photographed and used those photographs to complete ergonomic self-assessments. All participants' pre-training and post-training photographs were evaluated for ergonomic scores by two raters. RESULTS: A mixed-design ANOVA of ergonomic scores revealed that ergonomic scores improved for all students who received the ergonomics training (F(1,254)=17.41, P < .001). In addition, a mixed-design ANOVA of kappa coefficient values between student and rater scores revealed that the accuracy of self-assessments improved for all students who received the ergonomics training (F(1,127)=6.33, P < .05). CONCLUSION: The use of photographs and self-assessment provides dental and dental hygiene educators with a pragmatic method to improve self-assessment skills, increase student awareness of any postural deviations from ideal and improve musculoskeletal health.

A new forest dwelling button spider from South Africa (Araneae, Theridiidae, Latrodectus).

The medically important spider genus Latrodectus Walckenaer 1805, commonly referred to as "button spiders" in South Africa, is represented by six species in the country. Using morphology and the COI barcoding gene we describe a new forest dwelling species, Latrodectus umbukwane n. sp. Wright, Wright, Lyle and Engelbrecht. Females have red markings on both the ventral and posterior dorsal surfaces of the abdomen, parallel spermathecae and three loops of the copulatory ducts. Males have an embolus with four loops and diagnostic white markings on the ventral surface of the abdomen that darken with age. Egg sacs are smooth, large, and bright purple when freshly laid, turning shiny grey with time. Latrodectus umbukwane n. sp. is known only from sand forest vegetation types in northern Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A predicted geographic distribution for this species is provided based on cartographic mapping of known habitat and altitudinal preference, from which area of occupancy (AOO; 698 km2) and extent of occurrence (EOO; 4963 km2) were calculated to assess potential IUCN Red List status. Due to the uncertainty of the distribution of this species, a Red List status of Data Deficient (DD) is recommended. An updated key to the southern African species of Latrodectus is provided.

Change from slowly rotating 8-hour shifts to rapidly rotating 8-hour and 12-hour shifts using participative shift roster design.

OBJECTIVES: The study examined the impact of change, from slowly rotating continuous 8-hour shifts to more rapidly rotating continuous 8-hour and 12-hour shifts, on the health and quality of life of shift workers. METHODS: Self-report survey data were collected from 72 shift workers at 3 sewage treatment plants before and several months after roster change. After the change 1 plant first worked a rapidly rotating, 8-hour shift roster and then worked a 12-hour shift roster, and the other 2 plants worked continuous 12-hour shift rosters. RESULTS: After the change the shift workers at each plant reported increased satisfaction with roster design, a decrease in physical and psychological circadian malaise associated with shift work, improved day sleep quality, less tiredness, and improvements in the quality of home, social and work life. A between-plant comparison of the rapidly rotating 8-hour and 12-hour shift rosters showed greater improvements had been obtained with the 12-hour shift roster, and no significant differences in tiredness or sleep quality between the redesigned 8- and 12-hour shift rosters. However, a within-plant matched-pairs comparison at the 1st plant of the rapidly rotating 8-hour shift roster and the 12-hour shift roster showed no significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that the prior level of support for change may best explain the impact of roster redesign on individual well-being. They lend further support to shift worker participation in roster design.

Parental response to competence and trauma in infants with reproductive casualty.

This study of 31 infants in neonatal intensive care and their parents examined the relationship involving infant characteristics (medical and behavioral), parent characteristics (personality and stuational variables), and the development of parental attachment. As expected, infants who were more visually competent had mothers who were more attentive. Contrary to expectation, greater prematurity was related to greater parental involvement. There were important differences in maternal and paternal responses, with mothers using more denial to cope with the medical crisis. Parents who relied heavily on denial were found to have impaired attachment.

Production uncertainty as a contextual moderator of employee reactions to job design.

A number of authors in the job design field have proposed production uncertainty, the degree to which a qualified incumbent faces unexpected problems in the course of job performance, as a possible moderator of the effectiveness of job design. However, empirical support for this view is limited and has not been explicitly recognized within mainstream job design theory. This study of production operators in a waste water treatment setting provides further empirical support for production uncertainty as a contextual variable influencing job design outcomes, demonstrating that the relationship between job control and affective outcomes (job satisfaction and intrinsic motivation) varies with the level of production uncertainty.

Continuous subcutaneous pethidine for routine postoperative analgesia.

We consider that the present state of postoperative analgesia is unsatisfactory because drugs are given intermittently and usually only at the patients' request and with nurses' acquiescence. A procedure for routine continuous pethidine infusion, suitable for administration and control by the nursing staff is described. The results of a trial on patients after major surgery are summarised. We believe the procedure to be more efficient and effective than those presently in use.

The patient's perception of chronic pain.

Chronic pain is common among hospital inpatients. Patients with chronic pain have low expectations of pain relief. The patient's need for information is frequently not met.

HIV and AIDS--employers grapple with difficult issues.

HIV infection and AIDS pose special challenges to employers. Myriad laws affect how the employer must respond when an applicant or employee is infected with HIV or is ill due to AIDS. An overall compliance strategy should include thorough knowledge of those laws and a policy on HIV and AIDS, put in place before a crisis occurs.

Tumor-derived macrophage migration inhibitory factor promotes an autocrine loop that enhances renal cell carcinoma.

The macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a hypoxia regulated gene that has a variety of tumorigenic functions. In clear cell renal carcinoma (CCRC), hypoxic signaling is constitutively active because of the frequent loss of function of the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein. We therefore sought to assess the expression of MIF in CCRC and its biological functions. We stained tumor tissue microarrays comprising sections of 128 CCRC tumors and found MIF to be moderately or highly expressed in >98%. MIF expression was further found to be dramatically elevated in blood plasma of individuals with CCRC compared with healthy controls, suggesting that measurement of MIF levels in the blood may have utility as a diagnostic marker in CCRC. At a functional level, MIF has been reported to engage the CD74 and CD44 receptors and induce signal transduction. In CCRC cell lines, depletion of MIF, CD74 or CD44 by small hairpin RNA led to a significant reduction in growth rate, and clonogenic survival, coinciding with the degree of knockdown. Interruption of the MIF pathway also decreased tumorigenic potential. Biochemically, we found that in CCRC cells MIF signaling leads to activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway and to Src phosphorylation, which is critical for regulation of p27. Together, our studies establish MIF as a protumorigenic signaling molecule that functions in an autocrine fashion to promote renal cell carcinoma and may be useful as a minimally invasive marker of disease status.

A portable ballistocardiograph.

The instrument consists of a pneumatic accelerometer which is worn on the top of the head, secured by a strap under the chin. It is connected by a tube to a sensitive capacitance manometer, the signals from which are amplified and displayed on a meter. Connection can also be made to an ECG recorder to display waveform. The apparatus is battery-operated and fully portable, so that it is possible to record Bcg on patients in their own beds.

Cryosurgery for prostatic obstruction using liquid nitrous oxide.

The history of the use of liquid N2O for prostatic cryosurgery is briefly reviewed and an account given of a new simple instrument. Details are given of the first 3 operations and of the results of another 82 performed at a number of different centres. Relief of acute or chronic obstruction was obtained in about two-thirds of the patients, all of whom were elderly and unfit for conventional operations. There were no serious complications attributable to the operation and it was suggested that it would be justifiable to offer it as an alternative, to patients who are fit for conventional surgery.

Variable focus spectacles.

The history of prostheses for presbyopia is reviewed with an account of the development of variable focus spectacles. They have fluid-filled cells, with one flexible wall on the back of the base lens. The curvature of the flexible wall can be varied by operating a bellows in one side-arm. Their use for presbyopia, aphakia, and glaucoma is considered. The spectacles are believed to have reached a stage where they are ready for commercial production.

A miniature Wright peak-flow meter.

A new miniature Wright peak-flow meter has been designed and produced. The meter is tubular with a spring-loaded piston and a longitudinal slot through which air escapes. Its dynamic characteristics have been carefully designed to make it respond only to peak flow and not to rate of rise. Performance tests on early instruments showed fairly close correlation with the Wright peak-flow meter but with a constant error of + 38 1/min. On later models the correlation was increased to 0.990 and the error reduced to + 3%. The mini-meter correlates as well with the standard instrument as two standard instruments correlate with each other and should prove useful clinically.

Effects of aging on sex differences in psychomotor reminiscence and tracking proficiency.

The influence of aging on sex differences in psychomotor reminiscence and practice distribution effects was investigated in young (18 to 22 year) and elderly (57 to 86 year) participants within the context of reactive inhibition theory. As predicted by the theory in conjunction with hormonal considerations, aging eliminated the sex differences typically found in young adults, reduced the absolute amount of reminiscence, and diminished the gains in task proficiency arising from practice distribution, progressively so as practice increased. Significant age effects on task proficiency were detectable even within the age span of the elderly adults.

Caffeine ingestion and performance of a 1,500-metre swim.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential ergogenic benefit of caffeine in the performance of a 1,500-meter swim. Caffeine (6 mg.kg-1) or placebo was administered 2-1/2 hrs prior to the swim trial in a double-blind crossover design. Caffeine resulted in a significantly lower perceived exertion for 100-m warm-up swims. Subjects swam significantly (p < 0.05) faster with caffeine (20:58.8 +/- 0:36.4, mean +/- SEM) than without (21:21.8 +/- 0:38). Plasma potassium was significantly lower prior to the swim with caffeine, and blood glucose was higher after that swim. Caffeine provides an ergogenic benefit for a 1,500-meter swim, an event that is completed in less than 25 min. Lower plasma potassium concentration prior to exercise and higher blood glucose following the trial suggest that electrolyte balance and glucose availability may be important aspects of the ergogenic effects of caffeine.

Distress in clients and significant others: the question of causality.

Previous research documenting the association between the level of client disturbance and distress in a significant other has generated two competing causal models. Investigators measuring the level of family burden have suggested that it is the discharged patient who causes distress in the family. Investigators of family factors in patient relapse have suggested that it is the family who disturbs the patient. In this study the relative strengths of these two causal models are compared in a sample of outpatients over a six-month period of time. The data indicate that the significant other is causally predominant in the exacerbation of client disturbance.