The 1973 national survey of 461 chainsaw operators in private forests was reexamined with respect to vibration exposure dose and the Stockholm Workshop Scale (CIRP and SN stages). Vibration dose (VD) was calculated by the formula "ahw(eq.4h) x D (days) x Y (years)". Vibration dose index (VDI) was calculated according to the level of VD. Subjects were divided into five VDI, for CIRP stage, and f...

AIMS We ascertained effects of hand dominance in both right and left-handed volunteers on the thickness and cross sectional area (CSA) of pronator quadratus (PQ) muscle as measured by the axial and sagittal views of ultrasound imaging. Secondly, we also aimed to document the extent of the relationship between the PQ measurements and handgrip. MATERIALS AND METHODS Healthy adults from the volu...

OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to compare a range of cooling methods possibly utilised by occupational workers, focusing on their effect on body temperature, perception and manual dexterity. METHODS Ten male participants completed eight trials involving 30 min of seated rest followed by 30 min of cooling or control of no cooling (CON) (34°C, 58% relative humidity). The cooling methods util...

OBJECTIVE To validate the psychometric properties of the questionnaire on hand function assessment in leprosy. METHODS Study conducted with a convenience sample of 101 consecutive patients in Brasília (Central-Western Brazil), from June 2008 to July 2009. The individuals were adults affected by leprosy, with impairment of the ulnar, median and radial nerves. Interobservers and intraobserver r...

Dexterity after finger pollicization (reconstruction to thumb) is critical to functional outcomes. While most tests of hand function evaluate a combination of strength, coordination, and motor control, the Strength-Dexterity (S-D) paradigm focuses on the dynamic control of fingertip forces. We evaluated 10 pollicized and 5 non-pollicized hands from 8 participants ages 4-17 years (2 female, 6 ma...

AIM To evaluate the effectiveness of suture anchors in the reconstruction of chronic collateral ligaments of fingers. METHODS We treated 8 patients, 6 with chronic instability of the collateral ligament of the thumb and 2 with the instability of the fifth finger, using the Statak suture anchor. A stable joint was achieved in each case, with no recurrent instability or pain within a mean of 14...

Purpose: To investigate the long-term functional and clinical outcomes of a tendon transfer to restore extension of the thumb using extensor carpi radialis brevis Methods and materials: From Jun 2005 to Sep 2012, 8 patients with rupture or division of extensor pollicis longus (6 males, 2 females; aged 16-52 years, mean age 30 years) underwent a tendon transfer using the extensor carpi radialis ...

Introduction: Clinical measurements of strength in stroke subjects are usually performed and portable dynamometers are one of the most employed instruments. Objective: To verify the standardization procedures of the methods used to assess the strength of the trunk and upper limb muscles with portable dynamometers in stroke subjects, as well as to assess the psychometric properties which were al...

Using fast tapping tasks with each of the four fingers (single-finger tapping) and with two of the fingers used alternately (double-finger tapping), the ability to make rapid tapping movement by the individual fingers was compared between expert pianists and nonmusician controls in both genders. Maximal pinch and grasp forces were also measured to assess strength of individual fingers and whole...

The PINCH-1-integrin-linked kinase (ILK)-alpha-parvin (PIP) complex plays important roles in the regulation of glomerular cell behavior, including podocyte shape change, apoptosis, and mesangial fibronectin matrix deposition. In this study, we show that PINCH-2, a protein that is structurally related to PINCH-1 but encoded by a different gene, is coexpressed with PINCH-1 in podocytes. Treatment...