Search results for " distribution."
showing 10 items of 4588 documents
Which group of smokers is more vulnerable to the economic crisis?
2016
Objectives: Studies investigating whether smoking increases or decreases during economic downturn provided contrasting results. For the first time, we used direct questions to analyse changes in smoking behaviour due to the 2008 financial crisis, comparing socio-economic characteristics of smokers who changed with those who kept their smoking intensity. Study Design: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: We used data from three annual surveys conducted in Italy in 2012-2014 on representative samples of te Italian general population aged >_15 years. Results: A total of 1919 current smokers were asked specific questions on the influence of the economic crisis that started in 2008 on their smoking …
Factors related to the quantity of subgingival calculus in proximal root surfaces
1999
The aim of this study was to determine the association between the quantity of subgingival calculus and the following factors: type and severity of periodontal disease, age, gender and tobacco consumption. A sample of 622 periodontal patients was studied. The radiographically detectable subgingival calculus in proximal root surfaces was recorded in periapical radiographs, considering the number of surfaces without calculus and the number of surfaces exhibiting deposits equal or greater than I mm. The association between the subgingival calculus and the factors under study was analyzed by distinct non-parametric tests. A statistically significant association was found between the absence/pre…
Neuromuscular performance in voluntary bilateral and unilateral contraction and during electrical stimulation in men at different ages.
1995
A group of 33 men divided into three different age groups, M30 years (n = 11), M50 years (n = 12) and M70 years (n = 10) volunteered as subjects for examination of their maximal voluntary isometric bilateral and unilateral forces and force-time curves of the knee extensor muscle group as well as electromyogram activity of the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and rectus femoris muscles of the right and/or left leg contractions. Electrical stimulation (ES) of 50 Hz was also given by two surface tin electrodes for each subject and each leg separately with the maximal tolerable intensity for recording the isometric force evoked. The maximal force produced by the voluntary isometric unilateral …
Age-associated changes in skeletal muscles and their effect on mobility: an operational diagnosis of sarcopenia.
2003
Sarcopenia, the reduction of muscle mass and strength that occurs with aging, is widely considered one of the major causes of disability in older persons. Surprisingly, criteria that may help a clinician to identify persons with impaired muscle function are still lacking. Using data from a large representative sample of the general population, we examined how muscle function and calf muscle area change with aging and affect mobility in men and women free of neurological conditions. We tested several putative indicators of sarcopenia, including knee extension isometric torque, handgrip, lower extremity muscle power, and calf muscle area. For each indicator, sarcopenia was considered to be p…
Asymmetry in dopamine D2/3 receptors of caudate nucleus is lost with age
2007
Molecular and functional imaging techniques reveal evidence for lateralization of human cerebral function. Based on animal data, we hypothesized that asymmetry in dopamine neurotransmission declines during normal aging. In order to test this hypothesis, we measured dopamine D2/3 receptor availability with [18F]desmethoxyfallypride-PET (DMFP) in putamen and caudate nucleus (NC) of 21 healthy, right-handed males (24-60 years; 35+/-10). For volumetric analysis, high-resolution T1-weighted MR-images were obtained in 18 of the PET-subjects in order to assess possible age-related decreases in NC and putamen volume. The calculated DMFP binding potentials (BP) showed a right-ward asymmetry in NC of…
Lisuride, a dopamine D2 receptor agonist, and anticraving drug expectancy as modifiers of relapse in alcohol dependence
2002
Due to a central role of dopamine in mediating ethanol intake and dependence, the authors tested lisuride, a dopamine D2 receptor agonist, for relapse prevention in alcoholics. Psychological and neuroendocrine determinants of outcome were also assessed within the study. This double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized study comprised 120 alcoholics who were subjected to an intend-to-treat analysis (ITT). After hospital detoxification, patients received an outpatient rehabilitation program and either the study medication or placebo for 6 months and follow-up for another 6 months without medication. Pharmacological and psychological effects on relapse and times to first drink were assessed us…
Altered effective connectivity in drug free schizophrenic patients
2003
The present fMRI study aimed to investigate effective connectivity within a cortical-subcortical-cerebellar information processing network in drug free schizophrenic patients while performing a 2-back working memory task. The finding of enhanced thalamo-cortical and cortico-cortical intrahemispheric connectivity could be interpreted as a compensatory increase of neuronal connection strength consistent with a model of cortical inefficiency in schizophrenic patients. Additionally, the result could be integrated into a model of deficient thalamo-cortical filter functions. Conversely, lower interhemispheric connectivity of the frontal and parietal association cortex appears to be the functional…
A Bayesian Method for Predicting 5‐Fluorouracil Pharmacokinetic Parameters Following Short‐Term Infusion in Patients With Colorectal Cancer
2003
Abstract The objective of this study was to develop a population pharmacokinetic model and validate it using a Bayesian approach for predicting, a priori and a posteriori , the individual volume of distribution ( V d ) and clearance ( Cl ) of 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) given as short‐term intravenous infusion in weekly and multiple doses. Forty‐four patients were divided in group A (5‐FU weekly doses) including 27 patients with nonmetastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma treated with 450 mg/m 2 of 5‐FU, 1 day per week for 48 doses, plus oral levamisol (50 mg/8 h) for 3 days, every 15 days and group B (5‐FU multiple doses) including 17 patients with metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma, receiving 5‐F…
Body mass index as a determinant of clozapine plasma concentrations: A pharmacokinetic-based hypothesis
2021
Background: Knowledge regarding the impact of body composition measures on pharmacokinetics of antipsychotics is limited. Aims: Our aim was to investigate the impact of body weight and body mass index on clozapine pharmacokinetics using a therapeutic drug monitoring database. Methods: A large therapeutic drug monitoring dataset of clozapine plasma concentrations considering three patient subgroups was analysed: a control group (CLZ0, 20–30 kg/m2, n=266), a group with high body mass index (CLZhigh, body mass index ⩾30 kg/m2, n=162) and with low body mass index values (CLZlow, body mass index <20 kg/m2, n=27). Comparisons of plasma and dose-adjusted plasma concentrations (C/D) of clozapine…
A population-based coprological study of human fascioliasis in a hyperendemic area of the Bolivian Altiplano
1997
The community of Chijipata Alta, at an altitude of 3850 m, near the southern coast of Lake Titicaca in the Northern Altiplano of Bolivia, was surveyed for human fascioliasis. The global prevalence (66.7 %) and intensity (eggs per gram of faeces - epg: range: 24-4440; arithmetic mean: IooI; geometric mean: 390) proved to be the highest known in the world by means of coprological techniques. These results suggest the existence of highly hyperendemic subzones among the large human fascioliasis-endemic zone of the Bolivian Northern Altiplano. Despite the decrease in prevalence and intensity from children (75.0%, 24-4440 epg) to adults (41.7%, 144-864 epg), our findings show that in an hyperende…