Age affects drivers' response times Bilban, Marjan; Vojvoda, Alenka; Jerman, Janez
Collegium antropologicum,
06/2009, Volume:
33, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
In Slovenia the number of drivers over 65 is increasing every year. With age comes a decrease in psychophysical abilities, which include sensory and motoric functions and the ability of processing ...visual information. These changes increase the response time and decrease the driving capacity. The aim of this study was to establish a correlation between age and response time and to determine the difference in response times between men and women. In the research participated 573 randomly chosen drivers aged 19-80 with a valid driving license. We measured their response times, when stimulated by a red traffic light, on a simulator The results clearly demonstrate that a correlation between age and the response time exists. The results show that a significant increase in response times occurs after the age of 65. In all age groups, except the oldest, women achieved longer response times than men.
Epilepsy poses a risk for all participants in road traffic; therefore, people with epilepsy do not meet the criteria for an unlimited driving licence. Their driving is affected not only by epileptic ...seizures causing impaired consciousness and involuntary movements, but also by antiepileptic drugs with their many adverse affects. The experts have not yet agreed on whether people with epilepsy have an increased risk of experiencing a road traffic accident. However, recent data suggest that the overall risk is lower compared to other medical conditions. Scientic evidence forms the basis for legislation which enables all participants in road traffic to drive in the safest possible environment by imposing restrictions people with epilepsy. The legislation that governs epilepsy and driving in Slovenia has been recently thoroughly reformed, thus allowing a less discriminatory management of people with epilepsy. Although people with epilepsy experience many issues in their daily life, including their personal relationships and employment, they oen list the need for driving as a top concern in surveys. General physicians play an important role in managing the issues of people with epilepsy.
The purpose of this study was to detect cytogenetic damage in mine workers working in a lead–zinc mine, which could be associated with a combined exposure to radon and heavy metals. Our study ...involved 70 mine workers from the lead–zinc mine. We used peripheral blood lymphocytes as the target material. The total share of structural chromosome aberration (SCA) decreased significantly over the 3 years of monitoring, from 5.08/200 analyses of metaphases in 1995 to 3.28 in 1997, owing to the decrease in exposure during the process of mine closure. The share of SCA was significantly different from the group of local people, who had never worked in the mine (1.43), as well as from the control group of Slovene residents (1.88). The share of micronuclei (MN) in mine workers also decreased in the monitored period, from 14.65/500 cytokinesis-blocked cells in 1995 to 11.77 in 1997, while the sister chromatic exchange (SCE) level did not change much (from 8.105/50 analysed cells in 1995 to 7.73 in 1997). Owing to the closure activities, the received concentrations of contaminants were falling constantly, particularly concentrations of radon. This was particularly evident in the level of SCA and the MN incidence, while the SCE values remained nearly on the same level. This indicates that the incidence of SCE is probably more strongly influenced by heavy metals than by radon.
Anterior cruciate ligament injuries of the knee represent an increasing problem among the active female population in comparison to their male counterparts. Besides temporary or prolonged joint ...dysfunction, such injuries may predispose an individual to early osteo-arthritis. Recognizing the sex differences is essential for the determination of preventive measures against these injuries. Besides anatomical and biomechanical differences, the role of hormonal oscillation during the menstrual cycle has been hypothesized. This manuscript presents a literature review based on cruciate ligament and menstrual cycle research published between 1992 and 2012. According to the experimental and epidemiologic studies, menstrual cycle was shown to be linked to anterior cruciate ligament injuries. The pre-ovulatory phase represents an increased risk, with the peak serum levels of estrogen emerging toward the end of that phase. However, the significance of menstrual cycle seems to be of lesser importance in preventive measures against female anterior cruciate injuries.
Poškodbe sprednje križne vezi kolenskega sklepa postajajo vse pogostejši problem aktivne ženske populacije v primerjavi v moškimi. Poleg začasno ali celo trajno okrnjene funkcije sklepa povečujejo tudi tveganje za nastanek zgodnje artroze. Prepoznava dejavnikov tveganja za nastanek tovrstnih poškodb v povezavi z razlikami med spoloma bi bila smiselna pri razvoju preventivnih ukrepov pred tovrstnimi poškodbami. Pregledane laboratorijske in epidemiološke raziskave v letih 1992-2012 so poleg anatomskih in biomehanskih razlik potrdile povezavo med nihanjem hormonov menstrualnega cikla in tveganjem za poškodbo sprednje križne vezi. Preovulatorna faza predstavlja obdobje največjega tveganja zaradi povečane koncentracija estrogena. Kljub navedenim ugotovitvam je videti pomen mesečnega nihanja hormonov premajhen, da bi na njem lahko učinkovito gradili preventivne programe pred poškodbami kolenskih vezi pri ženskah.
Personnel exposure to anaesthetic gases in the health sector, whether in the operating room, recovery room, or in the context of outpatient clinics, may entail a health risk. The goal of this ...research was to study the cytogenetic effects of chronic exposure to small doses of pollutants in operating theatres.
Results of cytogenetic analyses structural chromosomal aberrations (SCAs), sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronucleus (MN) test of anaesthetists and other personnel handling anaesthetic gases, who only occasionally work in zones of ionizing radiation, were compared with results from radiologists, occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation only, and with the results obtained from a group of Slovene citizens who were never exposed to genotoxic agents.
This study involved 153 workers handling anaesthetic gases. The average frequency of SCAs in the group working with anaesthesia was 2.693. The result was statistically significantly higher than in the group of radiologists and Slovene citizens. The frequency of SCE and MN was also statistically significant. A number of authors, who used the same cytogenetic tests, found similar results in the group of anaesthetist.
The results of our study indicate that exposure to anaesthetic gases induced changes in human chromosomes.
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