Reproduction of portrait of Kurt Rosenberg; Hamburg.

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Reproduction of portrait of Kurt Fritz Rosenberg at age four; Hamburg.

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Reproduction of photograph of Kurt Fritz Rosenberg walking among ruins with his camera; Greece.

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Reproduction of photograph of Kurt Fritz Rosenberg (left) with Karl Kaufman and Elsa Kaufman; Dresden.

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Reproduction of photograph of Kaufman and Rosenberg family portrait on the occasion of the wedding of Ludwig Rosenberg and Paula Rosenberg nee Joseph (left); Hamburg.

Includes Ludwig Rosenberg and Paula Rosenberg nee Joseph (left), Thekla (Tekie) Joseph (standing center), Karl Kaufman and Else Kaufman (right)

Reproduction of wedding portrait of Ludwig Rosenberg and Paula Rosenberg nee Joseph; Hamburg.

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Reproduction of portrait of Ludwig Rosenberg; Hamburg.

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Reproduction of portrait of Paula Rosenberg nee Joseph; Tel Aviv.

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Reproduction of portrait of sisters Thekla and Gabriele Rosenberg.

Daughters of Margarethe and Kurt Rosenberg

Reproduction of portrait of sisters Margarethe and Dorothea Levinson.

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Reproduction of portrait of Dorothea Levinson.

Sister of Margarethe Rosenberg nee Levinson

Reproduction of portrait of Louis Levinson.

Husband of Aurelie Levinson nee Roos who was deported to Riga 6 December 1941

Reproduction of portrait of Auralie Levinson nee Roos.

Wife of Louis Levinson

Noise sensitivity medical, psychological and genetic aspects

Noise can be defined as unwanted sound. It may adversely affect the health and well-being of individuals. Noise sensitivity is a personality trait covering attitudes towards noise in general and a predictor of noise annoyance. Noise sensitive individuals are more affected by noise than less sensitive individuals. The determinants and characteristics related to noise sensitivity are rather poorly known. The risk of health effects caused by noise can be hypothesized to be higher for noise sensitive individuals compared to those who are not noise sensitive. A cardiovascular disease may be an example of outcomes. The general aim of the present study was to investigate the association of noise sensitivity with specific somatic and psychological factors, including the genetic component of noise sensitivity, and the association of noise sensitivity with mortality. The study was based on the Finnish Twin Cohort of same-sex twin pairs born before 1958. In 1988 a questionnaire was sent to twin pairs discordant for hypertension. 1495 individuals (688 men, 807 women) aged 31 88 years replied, including 573 twin pairs. 218 of the subjects lived in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Self-reported noise sensitivity, lifetime noise exposure and hypertension were obtained from the questionnaire study in 1988 and other somatic and psychological factors from the questionnaire study in 1981 for the same individuals. In addition, noise map information (1988 1992) from the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and mortality follow-up 1989 2003 were used. To evaluate the stability and validity of noise sensitivity, a new questionnaire was sent in 2002 to a sample of the subjects who had replied to the 1988 questionnaire. Of all subjects who had answered the question on noise sensitivity, 38 % were noise sensitive. Noise sensitivity was independent of noise exposure levels indicated in noise maps. Subjects with high noise sensitivity reported more transportation noise exposure than subjects with low noise sensitivity. Noise sensitive subjects reported transportation noise exposure outside the environmental noise map areas almost twice as often as non-sensitive subjects. Noise sensitivity was associated with hypertension, emphysema, use of psychotropic drugs, smoking, stress and hostility, even when lifetime noise exposure was adjusted for. Monozygotic twin pairs were more similar with regards noise sensitivity than dizygotic twin pairs, and quantitative genetic modelling indicated significant familiality. The best fitting genetic model provided an estimate of heritability of 36 %. Follow-up of subjects in the case-control study showed that cardiovascular mortality was significantly increased among noise sensitive women, but not among men. For coronary heart mortality the interaction of noise sensitivity and lifetime noise exposure was statistically significant in women. In conclusion, noise sensitivity has both somatic and psychological components. It does aggregate in families and probably has a genetic component. Noise sensitivity may be a risk factor for cardiovascular mortality in women.

Reproduction of grammar school class portrait including Ella, Beatrice and Rose Herz (circled l-r).

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