Search results for "Function"
showing 10 items of 14432 documents
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…
Dysfunctional cortical inhibition in adult ADHD: neural correlates in auditory event-related potentials.
2013
In recent times, the relevance of an accurate diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults has been the focus of several studies. No longer considered a pathology exclusive to children and adolescents, and taking into account its social implications, developing enhanced support tools for the current diagnostic procedure becomes a priority. Here we present a method for the objective assessment of ADHD in adults using chirp-evoked, paired auditory late responses (ALRs) combined with a two-dimensional ALR denoising scheme to extract correlates of intracortical inhibition. Our method allows for an effective single-sweep denoising, thus requiring less trials to obtain r…
The Attentional Demand of Automobile Driving Revisited: Occlusion Distance as a Function of Task- Relevant Event Density in Realistic Driving Scenari…
2014
Objective: We studied the utility of occlusion distance as a function of task-relevant event density in realistic traffic scenarios with self-controlled speed. Background: The visual occlusion technique is an established method for assessing visual demands of driving. However, occlusion time is not a highly informative measure of environmental task-relevant event density in self-paced driving scenarios because it partials out the effects of changes in driving speed. Method: Self-determined occlusion times and distances of 97 drivers with varying backgrounds were analyzed in driving scenarios simulating real Finnish suburban and highway traffic environments with self-determined vehicle speed…
Semantic distance as a critical factor in icon design for in-car infotainment systems
2017
In-car infotainment systems require icons that enable fluent cognitive information processing and safe interaction while driving. An important issue is how to find an optimised set of icons for different functions in terms of semantic distance. In an optimised icon set, every icon needs to be semantically as close as possible to the function it visually represents and semantically as far as possible from the other functions represented concurrently. In three experiments (N = 21 each), semantic distances of 19 icons to four menu functions were studied with preference rankings, verbal protocols, and the primed product comparisons method. The results show that the primed product comparisons me…
Difficulties of Drivers With Dyslexia When Reading Traffic Signs: Analysis of Reading, Eye Gazes, and Driving Performance
2018
A group of adult individuals with dyslexia and a matched group of normally reading individuals participated in a driving simulation experiment. Participants were asked to read the word presented on every direction traffic sign encountered along a route, as far as possible from the sign, maintaining driving performance. Word frequency and word length were manipulated as within-subject factors. We analyzed (a) reading accuracy, (b) how far the sign was when the participant started to give the response, (c) where the participant looked during the time leading up to the response, and (d) the variability of the vehicle’s speed during that time and during driving on similar segments of the route…
Absence of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction and vagal pancreatic impairment in idiopathic achalasia of the oesophagus
2007
Abstract Extra-oesophageal autonomic dysfunction in idiopathic achalasia is not well documented, due to contradictory results reported. We aimed to study the cardiovascular and pancreatic autonomic function in patients with idiopathic achalasia. Thirty patients with idiopathic achalasia (16M/14F; 34.5 ± 10.8 years) and 30 healthy volunteers (13M/17F; 34.8 ± 10.7 years) were prospectively studied. Age >60 years and conditions affecting results of autonomic evaluation were excluded. Both groups underwent the sham feeding test and plasmatic levels of pancreatic polypeptide (PP) were determined by radioimmunoassay (basal, at 5, 10, 20 and 30 min). Cardiovascular parasympathetic (deep breathing…
Premature ejaculation: Pharmacotherapy vs group psychotherapy alone or in combination
2017
Objectives: Premature Ejaculation (PE), the commonest sexual dysfunction in males, is generally treated with local anesthetic and SSRI (Dapoxetine). The aim of our study was investigate Group Psychotherapy as an alternative treatment for PE and compare the efficacy of pharmacological treatment and psychotherapy, either alone or in combination, in terms of response and improved Quality of Life (QoL). From a male outpatient population screened for PE, those who received a diagnosis of PE were proposed for the study, enrolled and divided into 3 groups (A, B and C). Each group was treated with Dapoxetine, Group Psychotherapy alone and Dapoxetine and Group Psychotherapy, respectively. Materials …
Altered functional connectivity between emotional and cognitive resting state networks in euthymic bipolar I disorder patients.
2013
Bipolar disorder is characterized by a functional imbalance between hyperactive ventral/limbic areas and hypoactive dorsal/cognitive brain regions potentially contributing to affective and cognitive symptoms. Resting-state studies in bipolar disorder have identified abnormal functional connectivity between these brain regions. However, most of these studies used a seed-based approach, thus restricting the number of regions that were analyzed. Using data-driven approaches, researchers identified resting state networks whose spatial maps overlap with frontolimbic areas such as the default mode network, the frontoparietal networks, the salient network, and the meso/paralimbic network. These ne…
Impaired regulation of emotion: Neural correlates of reappraisal and distraction in bipolar disorder and unaffected relatives
2015
Deficient emotion regulation has been proposed as a crucial pathological mechanism in bipolar disorder (BD). We therefore investigated emotion regulation impairments in BD, the related neural underpinnings and their etiological relevance for the disorder. Twenty-two euthymic patients with bipolar-I disorder and 17 unaffected first-degree relatives of BD-I patients, as well as two groups of healthy gender-, age- and education-matched controls (N=22/17, respectively) were included. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while applying two different emotion regulation techniques, reappraisal and distraction, when presented with emotional images. BD patients and relatives …
Gender differences in C-reactive protein and homocysteine modulation of cognitive performance and real-world functioning in bipolar disorder.
2018
Background: Cognitive and psychosocial impairment has been associated with increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine in bipolar disorder, but gender differences have seldom been studied. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-four bipolar outpatients were included. Cognitive performance was assessed through the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP). Psychosocial functioning was evaluated using the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) and the General Assessment of Functioning (GAF). Homocysteine and CRP levels were determined. Separate analyses were performed by gender. Partial correlations were calculated to test for associations between biomarkers and cognit…