Search results for "Development"
showing 10 items of 26949 documents
Fetal programming and its effects on vascular pulmonary circulation
2018
Into the scientific community, consensus about the emerging concept of “the fetal origin of adult diseases” is growing. It sustains that the parental (of the two parents) adversities, and the related external influences, during the intra-utero/ perinatal life of each eutherian mammal organism, human included, can permanently set the structure and functionality of specific body systems (i.e., immune, endocrine, nervous and cardiovascular systems), predisposing them to early ageing and disease during adulthood. The pulmonary circulation system also appears to be one of its targets. Established evidence supports the strong association between developmental programming and pulmonary arterial re…
Evaluating the neurotoxic effects of lactational exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Spanish children.
2012
Although the brain continues developing in the postnatal period, epidemiological studies on the effects of postnatal exposure to neurotoxic POPs through breast-feeding remain mostly inconclusive. Failure to detect associations between postnatal exposure and health outcomes may stem from the limitations of commonly employed approaches to assess lactational exposure. The aim of the present study was to assess whether lactational exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl-153 (PCB-153), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), or hexachlorobenzene (HCB) as estimated with a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model, is associated with decrements in mental and psychomotor development scores of…
Second to fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) of the right hand is associated with nociception and augmenting-reducing
2008
The ratio of the length of the second and fourth fingers (2D:4D) represents an individual difference variable putatively related to prenatal testosterone exposure. Previous research found significant associations between this variable and sexually dimorphic and other sex-hormone mediated traits like fertility, masculinity, spatial ability and sensation seeking. The present study aimed to relate digit ratio to pain perception using electric pain stimuli. 131 volunteers (69 females) participated. Two electric stimuli of different intensity were applied to the forearm. Digit ratio was obtained from the left and right hands and pain tolerance was assessed by means of visual analog scales. Addit…
Do human concepti have the potential to enter into diapause?
1999
Although there is no direct evidence as to whether human concepti have the potential to enter into diapause before implantation, the possibility that human concepti may be capable of following this developmental pathway if exposed to an appropriate environment cannot be ruled out. Direct evidence remains elusive because of the ethical restraints associated with research activities within this area of knowledge. If conceptus diapause has evolved in primates and persists at the present time despite its apparent limited or no adaptive advantage, artificial induction of diapause in humans may have clinical implications for increasing: (i) the viability of concepti after biopsy, freezing-thawing…
Modeling the epidemiological history of plague in Central Asia: Palaeoclimatic forcing on a disease system over the past millennium
2010
Abstract Background Human cases of plague (Yersinia pestis) infection originate, ultimately, in the bacterium's wildlife host populations. The epidemiological dynamics of the wildlife reservoir therefore determine the abundance, distribution and evolution of the pathogen, which in turn shape the frequency, distribution and virulence of human cases. Earlier studies have shown clear evidence of climatic forcing on contemporary plague abundance in rodents and humans. Results We find that high-resolution palaeoclimatic indices correlate with plague prevalence and population density in a major plague host species, the great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus), over 1949-1995. Climate-driven models trained…
Prevalence Rate and Course of Symptoms of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
2018
Abstract. Objective: According to DSM-5, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) is characterized by chronic temper outbursts and irritable moods. So far, little is known about its prevalence rate, course and influence on individual well-being. We assessed the prevalence rates of DMDD symptoms during adulthood and primary school age – the latter retrospectively – and studied their relationship with psychiatric disorders and socioeconomic variables. Methods: A total of 2,413 subjects, aged 18–94 years, participated in this population-based, representative study based on self-reports. Results: 12 (0.50 %) subjects reported elevated DMDD symptoms during adulthood, and 19 (0.79 %) report…
Avoidant coping, verbal-autonomic response dissociation and pain tolerance
2006
Higher autonomic reactivity relative to self-reported discomfort, often found in repressors and avoidant copers might be associated with a diminished perception of bodily symptoms. This study aimed at relating such so-called verbal-autonomic response dissociation to pain tolerance. Eighty-five volunteers underwent a public speaking task and a cold pressor test. Heart rate and negative affect in response to the speech, and pain ratings and facial muscle responses for the cold pressor were obtained. A dissociation score was calculated for each individual in response to speech, thereby subtracting standardized changes in negative affect from standardized changes in heart rate. Response dissoci…
Visual Attention, Orthographic Word Recognition, and Executive Functioning in Children With ADHD, Dyslexia, or ADHD + Dyslexia
2019
Objective: The current study examined the differences in visual selective attention, orthographic word recognition, and executive functioning. Method: One hundred and forty Ecuadorian children in third and fifth grades of elementary school (8-10 years old) participated in the study—35 with only dyslexia (DD), 35 with the combined type of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD-C), 35 with disorders (DD + ADHD-C), and 35 typical development children (TD). Results: The Ecuadorian children with DD and/or ADHD-C in this age range usually have difficulties in visual selective attention, and also in orthographic word recognition. The executive functioning results showed that such func…
Can Information about Pandemics Increase Negative Attitudes toward Foreign Groups? A Case of COVID-19 Outbreak
2020
Pathogen threat can translate into a willingness to distance oneself from others on a psychological level. Building on this notion, we predicted that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic can affect attitudes toward foreign nationalities. We explored the intergroup consequences of the current epidemiological situation in two studies involving a total of 652 participants. In correlational Study 1, we showed a positive relationship between media exposure in the United Kingdom (UK) and in Poland, and prejudice to four foreign nationalities. Study 2 showed that negative affect toward Italians (i.e., a nation struggling with the most severe COVID-19 outbreak at the time of the study) was indirectly p…
Will it ever become possible to prevent dopaminergic neuronal degeneration?
2008
Parkinsons disease (PD) is the second leading age-related degenerative brain disease in the world affecting millions of people. This neurological disorder disrupts the quality of life of patients and their families, exerts an enormous emotional and physical strain on caregivers, and has a large cost for society. Moreover, the increasing numbers of elderly people in the population will result in a sharp increase in the prevalence of PD. The understanding of its pathophysiology and treatment has advanced at a very impressive rate during past decades. Nevertheless, PD is still fatal and there is at present no cure for it. Furthermore, there are no proven therapies for prevention of PD and alth…