Prevalence of age-related hearing loss in Europe: a review

Populations are becoming progressively older thus presenting symptoms of diminished organ function due to degenerative processes. These may be physiological or caused by additional factors damaging the organ. Presbyacusis refers to the physiological age-related changes of the peripheral and central auditory system leading to hearing impairment and difficulty understanding spoken language. In contrast to epidemiological data of other continents, the prevalence of age-related hearing loss (ARHL) in Europe is not well defined, due in part to the use of different classification systems. We performed a systematic literature review with the aim of gaining a picture of the prevalence of ARHL in Europe. The review included only population and epidemiological studies in English since 1970 with samples in European countries with subjects aged 60years and above. Nineteen studies met our selection criteria and additional five studies reported self-reported hearing impairment. When these data were crudely averaged and interpolated, roughly 30% of men and 20% of women in Europe were found to have a hearing loss of 30dB HL or more by age 70years, and 55% of men and 45% of women by age 80years. Apparent problems in comparing the available data were the heterogeneity of measures and cut-offs for grades of hearing impairment. Our systematic review of epidemiological data revealed more information gaps than information that would allow gaining a meaningful picture of prevalence of ARHL. The need for standardized procedures when collecting and reporting epidemiological data on hearing loss has become evident. Development of hearing loss over time in conjunction with the increase in life expectancy is a major factor determining strategies of detection and correction of ARHL. Thus, we recommend using the WHO classification of hearing loss strictly and including standard audiometric measures in population-based health survey

Aging Images as a Motivational Trigger for Smoking Cessation in Young Women

Recruiting adolescents into smoking cessation programs has been challenging, and there is a lack of effective smoking cessation interventions for this age group. We aimed to assess whether the approach of using aging images can be used to recruit young, female smokers for a smoking cessation course. In this study, 853 14- to 18-year-old subjects were photographed (2006–2007). After software-aided aging, the images evoked strong emotions, especially in subjects with an advanced motivational stage to quit. Twenty-four percent of current smokers reported that the aging images increased their motivation to quit smoking (pre-contemplation: 8%; contemplation: 32%; and preparation: 71%). In multivariate analyses, the aged images had a high motivational impact to quit smoking that was associated with an increased readiness to stop smoking and the individual’s assessment of the aging images as shocking, but not with the number of previous attempts to quit and the assessment of the pictures as realistic. However, it was not possible to recruit the study population for a smoking cessation course. We concluded that aging images are a promising intervention for reaching young women and increasing their motivation to stop smoking. However, smoking cessation courses may not be appropriate for this age group: none of the recruits agreed to take a cessation course

Prevalence of age-related hearing loss in Europe: a review

Populations are becoming progressively older thus presenting symptoms of diminished organ function due to degenerative processes. These may be physiological or caused by additional factors damaging the organ. Presbyacusis refers to the physiological age-related changes of the peripheral and central auditory system leading to hearing impairment and difficulty understanding spoken language. In contrast to epidemiological data of other continents, the prevalence of age-related hearing loss (ARHL) in Europe is not well defined, due in part to the use of different classification systems. We performed a systematic literature review with the aim of gaining a picture of the prevalence of ARHL in Europe. The review included only population and epidemiological studies in English since 1970 with samples in European countries with subjects aged 60 years and above. Nineteen studies met our selection criteria and additional five studies reported self-reported hearing impairment. When these data were crudely averaged and interpolated, roughly 30% of men and 20% of women in Europe were found to have a hearing loss of 30 dB HL or more by age 70 years, and 55% of men and 45% of women by age 80 years. Apparent problems in comparing the available data were the heterogeneity of measures and cut-offs for grades of hearing impairment. Our systematic review of epidemiological data revealed more information gaps than information that would allow gaining a meaningful picture of prevalence of ARHL. The need for standardized procedures when collecting and reporting epidemiological data on hearing loss has become evident. Development of hearing loss over time in conjunction with the increase in life expectancy is a major factor determining strategies of detection and correction of ARHL. Thus, we recommend using the WHO classification of hearing loss strictly and including standard audiometric measures in population-based health surveys

Absenteeism : a cross-sectional study in a high-tech metalworking plant in Germany

Diese Studie untersucht die Fehlzeiten-Muster in einem transnationalen Hightech- Unternehmen der metallverarbeitenden Branche in Deutschland. Ein systematischer Review fasst zunächst den Stand der empirischen Fehlzeiten-Forschung und deren theoretischer Entwicklung zusammen. Eine log-lineare Regressionsanalyse untersucht die Zusammenhänge zwischen mehreren gut validierten Konzepten (z. B. Effort- Reward-Imbalance und Job-Demand-Control) und fünf Fehlzeiten-Kriterien. Lineare Strukturgleichungsmodelle fokussieren das Forschungs-Paradigma der willentlichen (Motivation zur Anwesenheit) und nicht-willentlichen (Möglichkeit zur Anwesenheit) Fehlzeiten. Die hier zugrunde liegende Hypothese besagt, dass längere Fehlzeitenperioden vornehmlich mit gesundheitlichen Faktoren ("unbeabsichtigte" Fehlzeiten) und kürzere Fehlzeitenperioden ("willentliche" Fehlzeiten) vornehmlich mit unbefriedigenden Arbeitsplatzvariablen verknüpft sind. Qualitative Ergebnisse des Reviews zeigen den eklektischen Charakter des Forschungsfeldes. Quantitative Befunde stellen einen deutlich ausgeprägten Zusammenhang zwischen selbstberichteter psychischer und physischer Gesundheit einerseits und sowohl kurzen wie langen Fehlzeitenperioden andererseits dar, wobei die beiden Gesundheitsmasse unkorreliert sind. Weder das Konzept Job-Demand- Control, noch Effort-Reward-Imbalance zeigte einen bedeutsamen Zusammenhang mit den Fehlzeitenindizes. Die Korrelationen zwischen psychosozialen Arbeitsplatzvariablen (wie z. B. unterstützendem Vorgesetzenverhalten oder partizipativem Führungsverhalten) und den Fehlzeitenmassen waren vergleichsweise gering. Zusammengefasst unterstützen die Befunde nur eingeschränkt den Bestand des Konstruktes willentlicher und nicht-willentlicher Fehlzeiten. Der SF-36 (Bullinger & Kirchberger, 1998) scheint in seiner Kurzform SF-12 (J. Ware, Jr., Kosinski, & Keller, 1996) jedoch ein hinreichendes Screening-Instrument für die Praxis und die Forschung zu sein. The present study examines employees' absence patterns in a transnational high-tech metalworking plant in Germany. First, a systematic review of recent empirical absenteeism research in industry and the theoretical developments is provided. A log- linear regression analysis examines the associations between numerous well-validated concepts (e.g. effort-reward imbalance and job-demand control) with five measures of absenteeism. Linear structural equation models refer to the research paradigm of voluntary (motivation to attend) and involuntary (ability to attend) absences. The underlying hypothesis assumes long-term absences to be predominantly associated with health-related factors ("involuntary" absenteeism) and short-term absences to be predominantly associated with disencouraging workplace factors ("voluntary" absenteeism). Qualitative results from the literature review support the notion that there is an eclectic research field. Quantitative results show an apparently strong association between self-reported physical and mental health, and both short-term and long-term absences. Self-reported physical and mental health was not significantly correlated. Neither the concept of job-demand control, nor that of effort-reward imbalance was remarkably related to any kind of absence index. The correlations between social workplace variables (such as supportive supervisor behavior and participative leadership style) and short-term absences were comparably weak. In summary, the results of the present study do not support the hypothetical voluntary-involuntary argument but provide a potential screening instrument for both researchers and practitioners (SF-12 (J. Ware, Jr., Kosinski, & Keller, 1996), short form of the SF-36 (Bullinger & Kirchberger, 1998))

Burnout and related conditions in managers: a five-year longitudinal study

(VLID)249878

Delayed response and lack of habituation in plasma interleukin-6 to acute mental stress in men

Acute mental stress induces a significant increase in plasma interleukin (IL)-6 levels as a possible mechanism for how psychological stress might contribute to atherosclerosis. We investigated whether the IL-6 response would habituate in response to a repetitively applied mental stressor and whether cortisol reactivity would show a relationship with IL-6 reactivity. Study participants were 21 reasonably healthy men (mean age 46+/-7 years) who underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (combination of a 3-min preparation, 5-min speech, and 5-min mental arithmetic) three times with an interval of 1 week. Plasma IL-6 and free salivary cortisol were measured immediately before and after stress, and at 45 and 105 min of recovery from stress. Cortisol samples were also obtained 15 and 30 min after stress. Compared to non-stressed controls, IL-6 significantly increased between rest and 45 min post-stress (p=.022) and between rest and 105 min post-stress (p=.001). Peak cortisol (p=.034) and systolic blood pressure (p=.009) responses to stress both habituated between weeks one and three. No adaptation occurred in diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and IL-6 responses to stress. The areas under the curve integrating the stress-induced changes in cortisol and IL-6 reactivity were negatively correlated at visit three (r=-.54, p=.011), but not at visit one. The IL-6 response to acute mental stress occurs delayed and shows no adaptation to repeated moderate mental stress. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis may attenuate stress reactivity of IL-6. The lack of habituation in IL-6 responses to daily stress could subject at-risk individuals to higher atherosclerotic morbidity and mortality

Pleistocene variability of the Subtropical Convergence at East Tasman Plateau: Evidence from planktonic foraminiferal Mg/Ca (ODP Site 1172A).

Combined measurements of Mg/Ca and stable oxygen isotopes in tests of the planktonic foraminifer G. bulloides from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1172A (East Tasman Plateau) allowed us to reconstruct sea surface temperature (SSTMg/Ca), sea surface salinity (SSS), and hence variations in the Subtropical Convergence (STC) in the southwestern Tasman Sea over the last four major glacial-interglacial changes. During interglacials the commonly enhanced SSTMg/Ca and SSS correspond to a lowered marine productivity and a lowered terrigenous flux, implying that the STC separating cool, high-nutrient Subantarctic Surface Water from warm, saline, oligotrophic Subtropical Surface Water and hence the band of zonal westerlies responsible for the eolian dust flux were located south of East Tasman Plateau. The warm East Australian Current was well established during warm periods and propagated far south. During glacial times, SSTMg/Ca and SSS were lower, while both marine productivity and eolian flux increased. Such conditions prevailed during glacial Marine Isotope Stages MIS 12, MIS 10, and to a lesser degree MIS 6 and implied the extended northward influence of Subantarctic SurfaceWater and a shift of the STC to <44�S. The overall climatic signal at Site 1172A appears to be largely attenuated when compared to published climate records from comparable latitudes to the west and to the east. SSTMg/Ca amplitudes were more pronounced in the subantarctic Indian Ocean and at Chatham Rise. They exhibit a consistent pattern suggesting that latitudinal shifts of the STC occurred synchronously in the subantarctic Indian Ocean and at Chatham Rise but were largely damped at East Tasman Plateau due to the influence of the East Australian Current