Search results for "Method"
showing 10 items of 13253 documents
The Construct of Sexual Openness for Females in Steady Intimate Relationships
2017
The analysis of open-minded attitudes towards sexuality in general requires a construct based on attitudinal dimensions. Although several existing studies involve sexual attitudes, they differ substantially and standardized conceptual work is missing. Thus, the authors introduce the latent variable sexual openness to develop a construct based on self-oriented attitudes towards different sexual topics. Available survey data of female German students in a steady relationship allowed providing a first empirical test for the applicability of this construct. Five subdimensions are acknowledged central for sexual openness: sexual practices, masturbation, bisexuality, permissiveness, and pornograp…
Analysis of sleep EEG microstructure in subchronic paroxetine treatment of healthy subjects
1997
Paroxetine is a selective and potent serotonin reuptake inhibitor and its efficacy for the treatment of depression has been proven. Under acute and subchronical treatment regimens, disturbances of the regular sleep pattern are a reported side effect of the drug. The present study was therefore performed to investigate the impact of subchronic treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine on the microstructure of the sleep EEG. The study especially addressed the question of subchronic effects of paroxetine medication (30 mg/day) in eight healthy male volunteers in a double blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. Conventional sleep EEG parameters and a spectral powe…
Serotonergic modulation of response inhibition and re-engagement? Results of a study in healthy human volunteers
2010
Objective Cognitive functions dependent on the prefrontal cortex, such as the ability to suppress behavior (response inhibition) and initiate a new one (response re-engagement) is important in the activities of daily life. Central serotonin (5-HT) function is thought to be a critical component of these cognitive functions. In recent studies, 5-HT failed to affect stop-signal reaction time (SSRT), a fundamental process in behavioral inhibition. We were interested if response inhibition and re-engagement are influenced through central 5-HT activity as mediated via the 5-HT transporter. Methods Here, using a stop-change task, we investigated the effects of acute and repeated treatment with 10 …
Autologous whole blood injections to patients with chronic urticaria and a positive autologous serum skin test: a placebo-controlled trial.
2005
<i>Background:</i> Patients with chronic urticaria (CU) frequently exhibit positive skin test reactions to autologous serum (ASST). Therapies aimed at inducing tolerance to circulating histamine-releasing factors in ASST+ CU patients, e.g. by treatment with autologous whole blood (AWB), have not yet been tested. <i>Objective:</i> To test whether ASST+ CU patients can benefit from repeated low-dose intramuscular injections of AWB. <i>Methods:</i> We characterized CU severity and duration, anti-Fc<sub>&#917;</sub>RI and anti-IgE expression, use of antihistamines, and quality of life in 56 CU patients (ASST+: 35, ASST–: 21) and assessed the t…
Personality Variables as Predictors of Facebook Usage
2014
This study investigates the role of personality factors as predictors of Facebook usage. Data concerning Facebook usage and personality factors from 654 Facebook users were gathered using a web survey. Using path analysis, the results showed Openness was a predictor of Facebook early adoption, Conscientiousness with sparing use, Extraversion with long sessions and abundant friendships, and Neuroticism with high frequency of sessions. The possible role of Agreeableness in predicting low session frequency and friendships needs further validation.
Early and late histamine release induced by albumin, hetastarch and polygeline: some unexpected findings.
2003
Objective: The perioperative use of colloidal plasma substitutes is still under discussion. We therefore conducted a prospective randomised study with three commonly used plasma substitutes to examine their histamine releasing effects in 21 volunteers. Material or subjects: 21 male volunteers were enrolled in this prospective, randomised, controlled clinical study. Endpoints were the incidence of early and late histamine release and the time course of the release kinetics. Normovolemic hemodilution technique was used with hydroxyethyl starch (n = 6), human albumin (n = 6) and polygeline (n = 9). Measurement and observation period was 240 min after the start of the plasma substitute infusion…
Transcranial direct current stimulation of the motor cortex induces distinct changes in thermal and mechanical sensory percepts
2009
Abstract Objective The aim of this single-blinded, complete crossover study was to evaluate the effects of tDCS on thermal and mechanical perception, as assessed by quantitative sensory testing (QST). Methods QST was performed upon the radial part of both hands of eight healthy subjects (3 female, 5 male, 25–41 years of age). These subjects were examined before and after cathodal, anodal or sham tDCS, applied in a random order. TDCS was administered for 15 min at a 1 mA current intensity, with the active electrode placed over the left primary motor cortex and the reference electrode above the right orbit. Results After cathodal tDCS, cold detection thresholds (CDT), mechanical detection thr…
Lipid-altering efficacy of ezetimibe/simvastatin 10/20 mg compared with rosuvastatin 10 mg in high-risk hypercholesterolaemic patients inadequately c…
2009
SUMMARY Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of switching from a previous statin monotherapy to ezetimibe ⁄simvastatin (EZE ⁄SIMVA) 10 ⁄20 mg vs. rosuvastatin (ROSUVA) 10 mg. Methods: In this randomised, double-blind study, 618 patients with documented hypercholesterolaemia [low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ‡ 2.59 and £ 4.92 mmol ⁄l] and with high cardiovascular risk who were taking a stable daily dose of one of several statin medications for ‡ 6 weeks prior to the study randomisation visit entered a 6-week open-label stabilisation ⁄screening period during which they continued to receive their prestudy statin dose. Following stratification by study site and statin dose ⁄potency, patien…
Contour integration with corners.
2016
Contour integration refers to the ability of the visual system to bind disjoint local elements into coherent global shapes. In cluttered images containing randomly oriented elements a contour becomes salient when its elements are coaligned with a smooth global trajectory, as described by the Gestalt law of good continuation. Abrupt changes of curvature strongly diminish contour salience. Here we show that by inserting local corner elements at points of angular discontinuity, a jagged contour becomes as salient as a straight one. We report results from detection experiments for contours with and without corner elements which indicate their psychophysical equivalence. This presents a challeng…
S-Ketamine-Induced NMDA Receptor Blockade during Natural Speech Production and Its Implications for Formal Thought Disorder in Schizophrenia: A Pharm…
2017
Structural and functional changes in the lateral temporal language areas have been related to formal thought disorder (FTD) in schizophrenia. Continuous, natural speech production activates the right lateral temporal lobe in schizophrenia, as opposed to the left in healthy subjects. Positive and negative FTD can be elicited in healthy subjects by glutamatergic NMDA blockade with ketamine. It is unclear whether the glutamate system is related to the reversed hemispheric lateralization during speaking in patients. In a double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled study, 15 healthy, male, right-handed volunteers overtly described 7 pictures for 3 min each while BOLD signal changes were acquired…