Effect of Interventions for Improving Lumbar Motor Control on Low Back Pain in Sedentary Office Workers: A Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective: To clarify the effect of intervention with dynamic motor control exercise (DMCE) for the lumbar region on low back pain in sedentary office workers (SOWs). Methods: The participants comprised 32 SOWs with low back pain who were randomly categorized into two groups: the DMCE group and the normal trunk exercise (NTE) group. Both groups performed each exercise for three days per week for 8 weeks. The primary endpoints were evaluated for the lumbar and hip flexion angles during trunk forward bending, effect of low back pain on activities of daily living (using the Oswestry Disability Index), and intensity of low back pain (using the Visual Analog Scale) pre- and post-intervention. The extent of changes was calculated by subtracting the pre-intervention value from the post-intervention value and was compared between the two groups using an unpaired t-test. Results: The extent of changes in the lumbar flexion and hip flexion angles at 10° of trunk forward bending were significantly greater in the DMCE group than in the NTE group, and no significant differences were noted between the two groups at other angles of trunk forward bending. The extent of changes in the Oswestry Disability Index and the Visual Analog Scale scores were significantly greater in the DMCE group than in the NTE group. Conclusion: DMCE is effective in improving motor control in the lumbar region and hip joints, thereby ameliorating low back pain in SOWs.     

Low back pain in car drivers: A review of studies published 1975 to 2005

This review investigates whether there is evidence of an association between car driving and low back pain, and evidence that whole-body vibration contributes to low back pain in car drivers. The evidence of an association between various physical, psychosocial and individual factors and low back pain in car drivers was also investigated. From 23 epidemiological studies of low back problems in groups that reported car driving, nine studies fulfilled simple criteria for detailed review: four cross-sectional studies, three case-control studies and two longitudinal studies. The definition of low back pain was often unclear and, mostly, the physiological mechanisms causing low back pain were not considered. Eight of the nine studies concluded that there was an increase in low back pain among car drivers but there was little consideration of the influence of the many physical factors, individual factors and psychosocial factors that might be associated with an increase in low back pain. Consequently, there is insufficient evidence to form a conclusion on whether whole-body vibration, postural stressors or other factors, specific or not specific to driving, are common causes of low back problems in car drivers.     

Effects of back extensor strengthening exercises on postural alignment,physical function and performance,self-efficacy,and quality of life in Japanese community-dwelling older adults: A controlled clinical trial

Objective: To examine the changes in postural alignment and kyphosis-correlated factors after 6 months of back extensor strengthening exercise in a group of community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 years. Methods: We quasi-randomized 29 subjects into an intervention group treated with a back extensor strengthening program and a control group treated with a full-body exercise program. These groups completed 20-30 minutes of exercise directed by a physical therapist one or more times per week and were instructed to exercise at home as well. The participants were assessed prior to and after the intervention using the following criteria: postural alignment of “usual” and “best” posture, physical function, physical performance, self-efficacy, and quality of life. The differences between two factors (group and period) were compared for each of the measurement variables. Results: Subjects who adequately completed the exercises were analyzed. A reduced knee flexion angle was noted in the “best” posture of both groups, as were improved physical function and performance with the exception of one-leg standing time. Verifying the effect size in the post-hoc analysis, the body parts that showed changes to postural alignment after the intervention differed between groups. Conclusions: Back extensor strengthening exercises improved physical function and performance, but did not improve spinal alignment. The changes due to these interventions were not significantly different from changes observed in the full-body exercise group. However, post-hoc analysis revealed that the effect size of posture change was different, possible indicating that the two groups experienced different changes in the postural alignment.     

MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS AMONG DRIVERS OF ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLES

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to characterize the risk of experiencing musculoskeletal symptoms in the region of the neck, shoulders and upper and lower back for professional drivers of various categories of all-terrain vehicles and to assess the association between symptoms and duration of exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) and shock from driving all-terrain vehicles. The study group consisted of 215 drivers of forest machines, 137 drivers of snowmobiles and 79 drivers of snowgroomers and a control group of 167 men randomly selected from the general population. The subjects were all from one of the four most northern counties in Sweden and they were all men. Musculoskeletal symptoms were assessed by use of a standardized questionnaire. In addition, the questionnaire held items about the driving time with all-terrain vehicles and a subjective estimation of exposure to unpleasant movements (shock, jolt, irregular sway). The job strain was measured according to Karasek's demands/control model. The prevalence ratios were adjusted for age, smoking and job strain. Among drivers, significantly increased prevalence ratios within the range of 1∂5-2·9 were revealed for symptoms from the neck-shoulder and thoracic regions during the previous year. None of the driver categories had a statistically significantly increased risk of low back pain. Forest vehicles were those most reported to cause unpleasant movements. In conclusion, drivers of all-terrain vehicles exhibit an increased risk of symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders in the neck-shoulder and thoracic regions. The increased risk is suggested to be related to physical factors such as exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) and shock, static overload or extreme body postures. However, since symptoms of low back pain were not significantly increased, it appears that factors other than WBV would explain the occurrence of symptoms in the group of all-terrain drivers.     

The Feasibility of a Newly Developed Local Network System for Cardiac Rehabilitation (the CR-GNet) in Disease Management and Physical Fitness after Acute Coronary Syndrome

Objective: To examine the Cardiac Rehabilitation Gifu Network (CR-GNet) feasibility in managing diseases and assisting patients in attaining physical fitness, and its impact on long-term outcomes after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: In this prospective observational study, we enrolled 47 patients with ACS registered in the CR-GNet between February 2016 and September 2019. 37, 29, and 21 patients underwent follow-up assessments for exercise capacity (peak oxygen uptake) at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after discharge, respectively. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were compared with controls not registered in the CR-GNet. Results: The coronary risk factors, except blood pressure, improved at 3 and 6 months, and 1 year after discharge. These risk factors in each patient significantly reduced from 2.9 at admission to 1.6, 1.4, and 1.9 at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after discharge (p<0.05), respectively. Peak oxygen uptake was significantly higher at 3 months (17.5±4.9 ml/kg/min), 6 months (17.9±5.1 ml/kg/min), and 1 year (17.5±5.5 ml/kg/min) after discharge than that at discharge (14.7±3.6 ml/kg/min) (p<0.05). During follow-up, there was no significant difference; MACE did not occur in any patients in the CR-GNet but occurred in controls. Conclusion: CR-GNet is a feasible option for the long-term management of ACS patients.     

GUIDELINES FOR WHOLE-BODY VIBRATION HEALTH SURVEILLANCE

There is strong epidemiological evidence that occupational exposure to WBV is associated with an increased risk of low back pain (LBP), sciatic pain, and degenerative changes in the spinal system, including lumbar intervertebral disc disorders. A prototype health surveillance scheme for WBV is presented in this paper. Surveillance is the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data for the purpose of prevention. The aims are to assess health status and diagnose vibration-induced disorders at an early stage, to inform the workers on the potential risk associated with vibration exposure, to give preventive advice to employers and employees and to control whether preventive measures which have been taken, were successful. It is suggested that a pre-placement health examination should be offered to each worker who will be exposed to WBV so as to make the worker aware of the hazards, to obtain baseline health data, and to identify medical conditions that may increase the risk due to WBV. The case history should focus on personal history, work history, and leisure activities involving driving of vehicles. The personal medical history should detail back pain complaints, disorders in the spine, any injuries or surgery to the musculoskeletal system. A physical examination on the lower back should be performed on workers who have experienced LBP symptoms over the past 12 months. The preplacement examination should be followed by periodic health reassessment with a regular interval according to the legislation of the country. It is suggested that periodic medical examination should be made available at least every 2 years to all workers who are exposed to WBV. Any change in vibration exposure at the workplace should be reported by the employer. If an increase in vibration exposure or a change in health status have occurred, the medical re-examination should be offered at shorter intervals at the discretion of the attending physician. There should be a periodic medical examination, which includes recording any change in exposure to WBV. The findings for the individual should be compared with previous examinations. Group data should also be compiled periodically. Medical removal may be considered along with re-placement in working practices without exposure to WBV. This paper presents opinions on health surveillance for whole-body vibration developed within a working group of partners funded on a European Community Network (BIOMED2 concerted action BMH4-CT98-3251: Research network on detection and prevention of injuries due to occupational vibration exposures). The health surveillance protocol and the draft questionnaire with explanation comments are presented for wider consideration by the science community and others before being considered appropriate for implementation.     

Effect of Body Weight-supported Walking on Exercise Capacity and Walking Speed in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To compare the effect of body-weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) and full-body-weight treadmill training (FBWTT) on patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Design was Randomized controlled trial. Patients with knee osteoarthritis (n = 30; mean age, 76.0±7.5 y) were randomly assigned to BWSTT or FBWTT group. All patients performed 20 min walking exercise twice a week for 6 weeks under the supervision of the therapist. Main measures were 10-meter walking test (10MWT), functional reach test (FRT), timed get up and go test (TUG), one-leg standing test, 6-minute walking test (6MWT), the parameters set on the treadmill, MOS Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF36), Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM). Results: Twenty-five patients (10 men, 15 women; mean age, 76.5 ± 8.0 y) completed the experiment. Exercise capacity, indicated by the heart rate, was similar in both groups. After 3 weeks of BWSTT, the patients performed significantly better in the 10-m and 6-min walking tests. This was not the case with FBWTT even after 6 weeks training. Pain levels assessed were significantly improved after 3 weeks of BWSTT and 6 weeks of FBWTT. There were no significant improvements in either group assessed by the FRT, one-leg standing time test, TUG, or SF -36 questionnaire. Conclusions: BWSTT enhanced exercise capacity in terms of walking speed and pain reduction after 3 weeks; however, there was no significant improvement in patients'' functional abilities or quality of life.     

Factors influencing the sound preference in urban open spaces

In this paper, based on a large scale survey in Europe and China as well as corresponding laboratory studies, the influencing factors on the sound preference evaluation, considering social, demographical, physical, behavioural and psychological facets, have been systematically examined based on statistical analyses for each of the 19 case study sites. Various sound types have been considered, including natural, human, mechanical and instrumental sounds. In terms of social/demographical factors, the results suggest that age and education level are two factors which universally influence the sound preference significantly, although the influence may vary with different types of urban open spaces and sounds. With increasing age or education level, people tend to prefer natural sounds and are more annoyed by mechanical sounds in general. It has also been found that gender, occupation and residence status generally would not influence the sound preference evaluation significantly, although gender has a rather strong influence for certain sound types such as bird sounds, especially at certain case study sites. In terms of physical factors (season, time of day), behavioural factors (frequency of coming to the site, reason for coming to the site), and psychological factors (site preference), generally speaking, their influence on the sound preference evaluation is insignificant, except for limited case study sites and certain sound types. The influence of home sound environment, in terms of sounds heard at home, on the sound preference has been found to be generally insignificant, except for certain sounds. It is noted that there are some correlations between social/demographical factors and the studied physical/behavioural/psychological factors, which should be taken into account when considering the influence of individual factors on sound preference.     

Computational Abstraction

Representation and abstraction are two of the fundamental concepts of computer science. Together they enable “high-level” programming: without abstraction programming would be tied to machine code; without a machine representation, it would be a pure mathematical exercise. Representation begins with an abstract structure and seeks to find a more concrete one. Abstraction does the reverse: it starts with concrete structures and abstracts away. While formal accounts of representation are easy to find, abstraction is a different matter. In this paper, we provide an analysis of data abstraction based upon some contemporary work in the philosophy of mathematics. The paper contains a mathematical account of how Frege’s approach to abstraction may be interpreted, modified, extended and imported into type theory. We argue that representation and abstraction, while mathematical siblings, are philosophically quite different. A case of special interest concerns the abstract/physical interface which houses both the physical representation of abstract structures and the abstraction of physical systems.     

Effect of Home-based Exercise Therapy for Peripheral Arterial Disease Patients Underwent Endovascular Treatment: A Clinical Controlled Design

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the effect of home-based exercise therapy on physical activity in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients after EVT. Methods: Study design was controlled clinical design. The subjects were 30 patients (76.6% men) who underwent EVT in the Sakakibara Heart Institute of Okayama. Patients with EVT meeting the inclusion criteria were divided into two groups, intervention group (Home-based exercise) and control group. Patients'' basic characteristics, the number of steps walked and QOL questionnaire (WIQ, SEPA, Vascu QOL) were assessed before surgery and, at the 3 month after discharge. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to compare number of steps walked and QOL questionnaire. Results: Interaction effect were observed in the number of steps walked (F (1,28) =13.89, p<0.01). A multiple comparison test confirmed a significant increase between results of before surgery and at three months after surgery in the intervention group (p<0.01). An interaction between the presence and absence of intervention was found for the WIQ pain score (F(1,28) = 5.86, p=0.01), speed score (F(1,28) = 3.80, p=0.04) and SEPA (F(1,28) = 4.99, p=0.03). In a multiple comparison study, there was a significant increase in WIQ pain and speed scores in both groups before and 3 months after discharge from the hospital. Conclusion: Home-based exercise therapy using physical activity indices has the potential to improve number of steps and quality of life in patients with PAD after EVT.     

Observational cosmology within the ESA science programme

Summary Several missions of the Science Programme of ESA aim at tackling issues of direct relevance to fundamental questions of modern cosmology. In this paper we are following the arrow of time on a simplified space-time diagram on which we identify the means of observing back in the past the physical phenomena or the structures which occur or appear at various epochs in the evolution of the Universe. We show how ESA through its science missions can contribute to these observations in a unique way. The missions themselves are not described in detail but we give in the text the relevant bibliographical references. To speed up publication, the proofs were not sent to the authors and were supervised by the Scientific Committee     

Short-Term Therapeutic Trial of Proton Pump Inhibitors in Suspected Extraesophageal Reflux

Pharyngoesophageal gastric acid reflux is thought to initiate chronic posterior laryngitis. The gold standard for measuring gastric reflux is dual-channel 24-hour pH monitoring. This is a time-consuming, inconvenient, expensive method that is not available in all areas. New therapeutic regimes that make use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have proven to be therapeutically efficient for control of acid reflux. Twenty-four consecutive patients with chronic voice disorders and signs of posterior laryngitis were selected for therapy. Twenty-four hour pH monitoring was performed independently before the therapy. The trial therapy consisted of all patients receiving pantoprazole, 40 mg once daily for 6 weeks. Immediately following the therapy a statistically significant (p < 0.05) improvement was observed in all patients. This improvement was analyzed retrospectively by comparison with the results of 24-hour pH monitoring. In 71% of the patients the 24-hour pH-monitoring gave a positive result showing a high number of patients with extraesophageal reflux in our study group. Patients with positive results of pH-monitoring responded in a statistically significant manner (p < 0.05) to the pantoprazole therapy, whereas those patients without detected reflux did not. A 3-month follow-up of the patients with a positive result of the pH-monitoring confirmed the improvement. No patients reported adverse effects. A 6-week treatment with pantoprazole can be clinically justified. It helps to save time and reduce costs, allows for selection of reflux-negative patients for alternative therapy, and may prevent inadequate treatment of patients with false-negative pH monitoring. Twenty-four hour pH monitoring is still recommended for patients unresponsive to this trial therapy.     

Bring your paper into the ‘Fast Lane’ of the editorial process and increase your changes for final acceptance in Micron,The International Research and Review Journal for Microscopy

In the past few years Micron has revised the scope of the journal, bringing it back to its original core values when it was founded in 1969. Micron's aim is to be the leading international microscopy and microanalysis journal, covering the latest advances in the fields of biological and physical science. In order to achieve this, the editorial team carefully revised the guidelines to authors in 2011. As a team we now find it timely to report on the outcomes of this policy change.     

Entropy of electromyography time series

A nonlinear analysis based on Renyi entropy is applied to electromyography (EMG) time series from back muscles. The time dependence of the entropy of the EMG signal exhibits a crossover from a subdiffusive regime at short times to a plateau at longer times. We argue that this behavior characterizes complex biological systems. The plateau value of the entropy can be used to differentiate between healthy and low back pain individuals.     

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions for hearing threshold estimation and differentiation between middle-ear and cochlear disorders in neonates

Our aim in the present study was to apply extrapolated DPOAE I/O-functions [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 111, 1810-1818 (2002); 113, 3275-3284 (2003)] in neonates in order to investigate their ability to estimate hearing thresholds and to differentiate between middle-ear and cochlear disorders. DPOAEs were measured in neonates after birth (mean age = 3.2 days) and 4 weeks later (follow-up) at 11 test frequencies between f2 = 1.5 and 8 kHz and compared to that found in normal hearing subjects and cochlear hearing loss patients. On average, in a single ear hearing threshold estimation was possible at about 2/3 of the test frequencies. A sufficient test performance of the approach is therefore suggested. Thresholds were higher at the first measurement compared to that found at the follow-up measurement. Since thresholds varied with frequency, transitory middle ear dysfunction due to amniotic fluid instead of cochlear immaturity is suggested to be the cause for the change in thresholds. DPOAE behavior in the neonate ears differed from that found in the cochlear hearing loss ears. From a simple model it was concluded that the difference between the estimated DPOAE threshold and the DPOAE detection threshold is able to differentiate between sound conductive and cochlear hearing loss.     

The effects of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) on the female singer

A review of the medical literature concerning the psychological, physical, and vocal effects of premenstrual syndrome reveals a wide range of significant effects for the female singer and a larger number of proposed treatments. A survey was conducted to evaluate the frequency and severity of 67 general physical and psychological symptoms and 20 vocal symptoms experienced by 104 female singers. The variables of age, menstrual history, voice type, and performing experience were examined. The average number of general symptoms was 33 and the average number of vocal symptoms three. The most frequently reported general symptom was abdominal bloating, while the most frequently reported vocal symptom was difficulty in singing high notes. The subjects reported that symptoms occurred with moderate regularity and severity. At age 35 symptoms decreased in number and severity.     

Glafka 2004: The Decoherent Histories Approach to the Quantization of Cosmological Models

The decoherent histories approach is a particularly useful approach to quantum theory especially when time enters in a non-trivial way, or indeed, when there is no physical time coordinate at all, as is the case in quantum cosmology. Here, attempts to apply the decoherent histories approach to quantum cosmology are described.     

Pain in Spinal Muscular Atrophy: A Questionnaire Study

Objective: This study aimed to reveal the chronic pain prevalence in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients and identify the clinical characteristics of these patients with chronic pain. The pain status was also investigated in SMA patients with chronic pain. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2018 and December 2018. SMA type II and type III patients in Japan were mailed a survey questionnaire. The survey items were chronic pain prevalence, clinical characteristics, and motor function. Patients with chronic pain also answered questions on various pain status parameters: pain intensity, frequency, duration, location using body map, and factors that exacerbated and relieved pain. Results: The questionnaire recovery rate was 61.1%. Sixty-four type II (mean age 17.3 ± 11.7 years) and 22 type III (mean age 44.9 ± 21.6 years) patients were eligible for inclusion. The prevalence of chronic pain in type II and III patients was 40.6% and 40.9%, respectively. Type II patients with chronic pain were more likely to report the inability to sit without manual support than those without pain (p = 0.03). Pain intensity in SMA patients was mild, but pain usually occurred daily, for prolonged durations, most often in the neck, back, and lower extremities. Sitting and high physical activity exacerbated pain the most. Conclusion: The percentage of patients with SMA with chronic pain was high, at above 40%. Moreover, the pain experienced by patients with SMA was low in intensity but frequent and most common in the lower extremities.     

Charged scalar fields in an external magnetic field: Renormalisation and universal diamagnetism

The physical and mathematical mechanism behind diamagnetism of N (finite) spinless bosons (relativistic or non-relativistic) is well known. The mathematical signature of this diamagnetism follows from Kato's inequality while its physical way of understanding goes back to Van Leeuwen. One can guess that it might be true in the field theoretic case also. While the work on systems with a finite number of degrees of freedom suggests that the same result is true in a field theory, it does not by any means prove it. In the field theoretic context one has to develop a suitable regularisation scheme to renormalise the free energy. We show that charged scalar fields in (2+1) and (3+1) dimensions are always diamagnetic, even in the presence of interactions and at finite temperatures. This generalises earlier work on the diamagnetism of charged spinless bosons to the case of infinite degrees of freedom. We also discuss possible applications of the theory.