Volume 2 Issue 1
Authors: Alfredo Reda; Adolfo Sabato; Alessandro Sabato
Abstract: In Europe, the protection of workers from damage arising from prolonged exposure to sources of noise is assured by Directive 2003/10/EC. This directive defines health and safety requirements and creates a minimum guaranteed level of protection for all European Community workers. Unfortunately, this legislation has a number of shortcomings, which render protection not as effective in respect of its original aims. First, it does not place enough emphasis on impulsive events. These last are characterized by extremely high sound pressure level values (SPLs) but, because of their short temporal duration, cannot influence the daily exposure dose L<sub>EX, 8h</sub>, which is one of the two main parameters used to classify a sound as either harmful or not in the legislation. Second, there is the choice of the C-frequency weighted curve, which strongly and artificially underrates the level of peak sound pressure p<sub>peak</sub>. In this paper, through analysis of several data sources, the above mentioned failures will be highlighted and it will be demonstrated how these shortcomings are a serious impediment to achievement of preventive measures for effective health protection of workers. The analyses presented in this paper refer to various working and industrial activities – sampled by the writers during their research - aiming to identify those values of the physical parameters that could determine the onset of physical damage.
Keywords: Workers Protection from Noise; Impulsive Events; Frequency Weighted Curve; Directive 2003/10/EC
Authors: Rowa Hassan; Fatehia B. Garma; Esraa Salman; Esraa Farah; Alnazier Hamza
Abstract: The aim of this project is to design an infrared (IR) monitor to detect and measure the amount of infrared radiation, to control the treatment time of the IR physiotherapy, and to provide a tool to determine standard doses for different cases. The problem was the absence of the quality control tools of the infrared physiotherapy devices in Sudan that led to inappropriate treatment, complains and decrease in patient satisfaction. The patient safety is human-dependent; it can lead to severe burns when the patient exposes to IR radiation more than the required treatment time. The proposed solution for this issue is a design of a monitor of IR physiotherapy, which was done by using both software (BASCOM) and hardware (microcontroller atmega 8) tools, a control system which enables and controls the input power that inters the IR lamp is implemented, and an IR sensor which provide feedback from the IR lamp to monitor the amount of IR radiation. The result of the project was an IR physiotherapy monitor, which has the ability to monitor 80 percent of the lamp’s chosen intensities and control the infrared radiation intensity, dose, and time to ensure the patient safety.
Keywords: Heat physiotherapy; Infrared Physiotherapy; Monitors
Authors: Shyamal Koley; Archana Khanna
Abstract: Measurement of handgrip strength is commonly performed by physiotherapists to measure baseline deficiency in hand muscle power, to monitor progress during rehabilitation, and to document outcome after rehabilitation. The present study deals with the trends of handgrip strength (both dominant and non-dominant) of randomly selected 2167 Indian students (1101 male and 1066 female) aged 6-25 years collected from various schools, colleges and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India, and its correlations with demographic characteristics. Handgrip strength was measured by standard technique. In results, statistically significant differences (p<0.003-0.001) of dominant and non-dominant handgrip strength were found in all the age groups, except 6,7, 11,12,13 years between the male and female students. Both in male and female students, the increase in dominant and non-dominant handgrip strength were continuous until 13 years of age, after which male students were significantly stronger than female students. The dominant handgrip strength was found to have significantly positive correlations (p<0.05-0.01) with high and moderate socio-economic status, height and body weight of the subjects.
Keywords: Handgrip strength; Amritsar; Normative data; Indian population
Authors: Alexis Ortiz; Farah Ramirez-Marrero; Martin Rosario; Heidi L. Venegas-Rios
Abstract: This study primarily evaluated the effects of a nine-month community-based exercise program on cardiometabolic risk factors and physical fitness for adults living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We evaluated several cardiometabolic measures (total cholesterol, triglycerides, and body composition), physical fitness variables (cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle strength and endurance, and flexibility), health status (Karnofsky) and immune profile (CD4) of adults living with HIV who participated in a community-based exercise program for a period of nine months. The exercise program adhered to guidelines from The American College of Sports Medicine and comprised of an aerobic, muscular strengthening/endurance, and neuromuscular training components. Participants were tested at baseline and every three months thereafter. Results showed positive changes in lipid profile (p < 0.040), body composition (p < 0.008), and muscle performance (p < 0.046) without affecting the immune system amongst the participants. In summary, it appears that adults living with HIV could benefit from participating in a community-based exercise programs without affecting their immune system.
Keywords: HIV; Fitness; Exercise; Cardiometabolic; Community Health