Back disorders and lumbar load in nursing staff in geriatric care: a comparison of home-based care and nursing homes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Back pain is one of the most frequent complaints in the nursing profession. Thus, the 12-month prevalence of pain in the lumbar spine in nursing staff is as high as 76%. Only a few representative studies have assessed the prevalence rates of back pain and its risk factors among nursing staff in nursing homes in comparison to staff in home-based care facilities. The present study accordingly investigates the prevalence in the lumbar and cervical spine and determines the physical workload to lifting and caring in geriatric care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>1390 health care workers in nursing homes and home care participated in this cross sectional survey. The nursing staff members were examined by occupational physicians according to the principals of the multistep diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders. Occupational exposure to daily care activities with patient transfers was measured by a standardised questionnaire. The lumbar load was calculated with the Mainz-Dortmund dose model. Information on ergonomic conditions were recorded from the management of the nursing homes. Comparisons of all outcome variables were made between both care settings.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Complete documentation, including the findings from the occupational physicians and the questionnaire, was available for 41%. Staff in nursing homes had more often positive orthopaedic findings than staff in home care. At the same time the values calculated for lumbar load were found to be significant higher in staff in nursing homes than in home-based care: 45% vs. 6% were above the reference value. Nursing homes were well equipped with technical lifting aids, though their provision with assistive advices is unsatisfactory. Situation in home care seems worse, especially as the staff often has to get by without assistance.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Future interventions should focus on counteracting work-related lumbar load among staff in nursing homes. Equipment and training in handling of assistive devices should be improved especially for staff working in home care.</p

Soleil, tourisme et cuisine : 150 ans de restauration cannoise

Chaque restaurant diffère par sa localisation, son architecture, son service, la nature des mets servis et leur présentation afin de répondre à des clientèles spécifiques. La ville de Cannes en est une bonne illustration car au cours du temps, sa restauration s’est considérablement modifiée en fonction de clientèles bien différentes. Avant la première guerre mondiale, l’aristocratie fréquentait les palaces à la cuisine internationale ; pendant l’entre-deux-guerres, le triomphe de l’automobilisme et le développement du tourisme ont accompagné une relative démocratisation de la fréquentation et une gastronomie plus régionalisée ; enfin, la période actuelle se caractérise par un héliotropisme affirmé et une « méditerranéisation » de l’offre gastronomique. Pourtant, loin d’en profiter, la production locale est menacée par une urbanisation galopante. Pour suivre cette évolution, des études de terrain sont associées aux données fournies par les archives.Each restaurant is different from the others by its location, its architecture, its service appearence and quality of food in order to satisfy specific demands. Cannes has been choosen as an example because the town and its restaurants show clearly the impact of its different customers content since the midth of the 19th century. Before the first World War, aristocraty used to visit palaces with their international cooking; after the first and before the second World War, the triumph of automobilism and the developpement of travel for pleasure went along with a relative democratisation of the frequentation and a new interest for local food and cooking ; nowadays, we can observe the search for sunlight and the impact of mediterranean food. However, far to take advantage of these transformations, local agriculture suffers from an uncontrolled urbanization. In order to show this evolution field works are associated with local record

Membrane stains as an objective means to distinguish isolated inner and outer hair cells

The use of isolated cochlear outer and inner hair cells has become widespread. While the morphological features of these two cell types in general are sufficiently different to allow discrimination, there are situations where confusion can arise. Small outer hair cells, particularly when they are swollen or distorted, can take on an appearance suggestive of inner hair cells. We describe here two fluorescent membrane stains, 3,3'-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide and rhodamine B hexyl ester, as an objective means to distinguish between cochlear hair cell types. Both stains mark the subsurface cisternae of outer hair cells thereby delineating the cell outline, and the interior of the cell shows discrete structure. On the other hand, in inner hair cells, the outline of the cell is not resolved while the interior is diffusely fluorescent. Since the two probes have different excitation and emission wavelengths (fluorescein- and rhodamine-like, respectively), this staining procedure can even he used in the presence of another fluorescent marker (for example, a calcium-indicating dye) by appropriate choice of the membrane stain.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30921/1/0000591.pd

Aminoglycoside antibiotics impair calcium entry but not viability and motility in isolated cochlear outer hair cells

Cochlear outer hair cells have been well established as primary targets of the ototoxic actions of aminoglycoside antibiotics. These cells, isolated from the guinea pig cochlea and maintained in short-term culture, were used as a model for evaluating the acute effects of gentamicin on cell viability, depolarization-induced transmembrane calcium flux, and depolarization-induced motile responses. On the basis of morphology and fluorochromasia, the presence of extracellular gentamicin as high as 5 mM did not affect the viability of the cells for up to 6 hr, the longest time tested. Viable cells showed binding of fluorescently tagged gentamicin to their base but excluded the drug from their cytoplasm. In response to [K + ]-depolarization, intracellular calcium levels (monitored with the fluorescent calcium-sensitive dye fluo-3) increased from a resting value of 218 ± 102 nM to 2,018 ± 1,077 nM concomitant with a cell shortening of 0.7% ± 1.3%. The depolarization-induced calcium increase was apparently caused by calcium entry into the cell as it was inhibited by the calcium-channel blocker methoxyverapamil and prevented in the absence of extracellular calcium. Both gentamicin and neomycin blocked the [K + ]-induced calcium increase at an IC 50 of 50 ΜM. Despite the inhibition of calcium entry the ability of the outer hair cells to shorten under [K + ]-depolarization was not impaired; in fact, cell shortening was even more pronounced in the absence of calcium influx (2.6% ± 1.4%). This argues effectively against the existence of a calcium-dependent actomyosin-mediated component in [K + ]-induced shape changes. The results suggest the existence of voltage-gated calcium channels in outer hair cells and that calcium influx through these channels is impaired by the aminoglycoside antibiotics neomycin and gentamicin. This action may be part of the acute ototoxic mechanism of these molecules. Furthermore, the results not only confirm the calcium independence of the depolarization-induced motility but also suggest that calcium influx into outer hair cells opposes cell shortening.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50224/1/490240226_ftp.pd

De l’authenticité des produits alimentaires

La demande d’authenticité est au centre de multiples préoccupations actuelles dont celles concernant l’alimentation en particulier ne sont pas les moins importantes. La mention de l’origine et la référence explicite au terroir de production d’un produit alimentaire entraînant quasi automatiquement la garantie de sa qualité, labels, indications de provenance et appellations d’origine contrôlée sont devenus des vecteurs indispensables de la démonstration de la preuve de la qualité, et des arguments de vente décisifs. Considérés comme essentiels à la protection des filières, les démarches nécessaires à leur obtention montrent les affrontements d’ordre socioprofessionnel et les clivages spatiaux. Mais l’authenticité est-elle toujours garantie par l’origine ? Le lien entre provenance et qualité est-il toujours aussi indiscutable qu’on veut bien le laisser penser ? L’exemple de deux produits, de nature et de statuts différents, le haricot tarbais et le champagne, sert de base à cette analyse.Food Products and Authenticity The need for authenticity is the focus of numerous concerns, among which food is today one of the most important. Mentioning the origin of a food product and setting an explicit link with its production area is automatically interpreted nowadays as a guarantee of quality. Consequently, labels, geographical indications, protected designations of origin, have become essential vectors for the demonstration of the quality of food and decisive selling arguments. Considered as an essential point for the protection of commercial channels, they enlighten existing social and professional conflicts and spatial delimitation problems. However, is authenticity always guaranteed by origin? Moreover, is the link between origin and quality as certain as usually asserted? To answer those questions, our demonstration will be founded on the study of two particular products, different by nature and status, the "haricot tarbais" and the "champagne"

Fertility disorders and pregnancy complications in hairdressers - a systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hairdressers often come into contact with various chemical substances which can be found in hair care products for washing, dyeing, bleaching, styling, spraying and perming. This exposure can impair health and may be present as skin and respiratory diseases. Effects on reproduction have long been discussed in the literature.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>A systematic review has been prepared in which publications from 1990 to 2010 were considered in order to specifically investigate the effects on fertility and pregnancy. The results of the studies were summarised separately in accordance with the type of study and the examined events.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 2 reviews and 26 original studies on fertility disorders and pregnancy complications in hairdressers were found in the relevant databases, as well as through hand searches of reference lists. Nineteen different outcomes concerning fertility and pregnancy are analysed in the 26 original studies. Most studies looked into malformation (n = 7), particularly orofacial cleft. Two of them found statistically significant increased risks compared to five that did not. Small for gestational age (SGA), low birth weight (LBW) and spontaneous abortions were frequently investigated but found different results. Taken together the studies are inconsistent, so that no clear statements on an association between the exposure as a hairdresser and the effect on reproduction are possible. The different authors describe increased risks of infertility, congenital malformations, SGA, LBW, cancer in childhood, as well as effects from single substances.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>On the basis of the identified epidemiological studies, fertility disorders and pregnancy complications in hairdressers cannot be excluded. Although the evidence for these risks is low, further studies on reproductive risks in hairdressers should be performed as there is a high public health interest.</p

Travail, emploi et douance

Sujet émergent depuis quelques années, la question des adultes doués et de la place qui leur est faite au sein de notre société met en évidence les difficultés d’intégration socio-professionnelle auxquelles ces derniers sont exposés. Bénéficiant d’une intelligence à laquelle sont cependant corrélées certaines vulnérabilités, les personnes douées ne bénéficient pas toujours de conditions favorables au développement de leur plein potentiel. Pourtant, les politiques publiques, qu’elles soient européennes ou nationales, tendraient à ce qu’une attention particulière leur soit accordée au sein des organisations socio-productives – prise en charge par la collectivité qui, à n’en pas douter et au regard des enjeux que recouvre la promotion de la diversité et de la qualité de vie au travail, ne peut que leur être profitable tant elle leur permettrait d’intégrer toutes les ressources de l’intelligence humaine.Interest in the place accorded to gifted adults in our society and the socio-occupational integration difficulties they have to deal with has grown over the last few years. Despite their intelligence, gifted people have certain vulnerabilities and do not always enjoy working conditions that would allow them to develop to their full potential. However, public policies, be they European or national, are paying more attention to their place in socio-productive organizations. Given the importance of promoting diversity and quality of work life, a collective investment in this issue would undoubtedly be beneficial to society and allow it to better integrate the myriad resources of human intelligence

Differential motile response of isolated inner and outer hair cells to stimulation by potassium and calcium ions

Inner and outer hair cells were mechanically isolated from the guinea pig cochlea and subjected to stimuli known to induce shape changes in outer hair cells. Depolarization by 70 mM KCl which causes osmotic swelling of outer hair cells also swelled inner hair cells by approximately 8% of their volume. The application of the calcium ionophore ionomycin which induces cortical contractions and elongation of outer hair cells, did not affect the shape of inner hair cells. Since ionomycin increased free intracellular calcium levels in both inner and outer hair cells, the results demonstrate that inner hair cells do not possess the mechanisms necessary for a contractile response to calcium. Thus, calcium is a specific regulator of outer hair cell motility making this mechanism a likely physiological modulator of a transduction feedback process.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29432/1/0000513.pd