“
“Noise annoyance is influenced by sound-related factors: type of noise, noise level and frequency, and person-related factors-physiological, psychological, and social factors. Prior to implementation

of the Directive 2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council in Serbia, there was a need for the first comprehensive study on noise annoyance in Serbian urban MEK pathway population. The aim of this study was to determine principal factors for high noise annoyance in an adult urban population and to assess their predictive value. A cross-sectional study was performed on 3097 adult residents of a downtown municipality in Belgrade (1217 men and 1880 women), aged 18-96 years. Equivalent noise levels [Leq (dBA)] were measured during day. evening and night in all streets of the municipality. Noise annoyance was estimated

using self-reported annoyance scale. Noise annoyance showed strong correlation with noise levels, personal characteristics and some housing conditions. Dose-response relationship was found between the percentage of highly annoyed residents and Lden. Logistic regression model identified increased risk for a high level of noise annoyance with regard to: orientation of living room/bedroom toward the street see more (Odds Ratio=2.60; 95% Confidence Interval =2.04-3.31), duration of stay at apartment during the day [OR= 1.04,95%CI = 1.02-1.06 (per hour)], noise sensitivity [OR= 1.04,95%CI = 1.03-1.04 (per scale unit)], and nighttime

road-traffic noise level [OR = 1.03,95%CI = 1.02-1.04 (per decibel)]. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition that affects thousands of new individuals each year, the majority of which are males. Males with SCI tend to be injured at an earlier age, mostly during sports or motor vehicle accidents, whereas females tend be injured later in life, particularly in the age group 65 and older. In both experimental and clinical studies, the question as to whether gender affects outcome has been addressed in a variety of C188-9 chemical structure patient groups and animal models. Results from experimental paradigms have suggested that a gender bias in outcome exists that favors females and appears to involve the advantageous or disadvantageous effects of the gonadal sex hormones estrogen and progesterone or testosterone, respectively. However, other studies have shown an absence of gender differences in outcome in specific SCI models and work has also questioned the involvement of female sex hormones in the observed outcome improvements in females. Similar controversy exists clinically, in studies that have examined gender disparities in outcome after SCI. The current review examines the experimental and clinical evidence for a gender bias in outcome following SCI and discusses issues that have made it difficult to conclusively answer this question.