Search results for "Motor"
showing 10 items of 3137 documents
Association of attentional network function with exon 5 variations of the CHRNA4 gene
2007
Mutational analyses in xenopus oocyte and mice models indicate that the positive effect of nicotine on attention may be modulated by genetic variations within exon 5 of the alpha4 subunit of the nicotinergic acetylcholine receptor gene CHRNA4. The potential relevance of exon 5 is further emphasized by two recent family-based association studies of nicotine dependence because subgroups of nicotine-dependent subjects are thought to 'self-medicate' attentional deficits with nicotine. We investigated a synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP): rs1044396, which has recently been associated with nicotine-dependence, plus two adjacent synonymous SNPs rs1044394 and rs1044393 in exon 5 of n …
Schizophrenic patients who smoke have a faster finger tapping rate than non-smokers
2002
The increased rate of smoking in schizophrenia patients remains unexplained and may reflect attempts at self-treatment. The effect sought from smoking may be related to nicotine's stimulating action. We tested this hypothesis by examining the relationship between smoking status and finger tapping rate, a measure of central processing, in schizophrenia patients treated with atypical antipsychotics. Smokers showed significantly faster finger tapping rates than non-smokers. This was not related to clinical state, illness chronicity, medication side-effects, antipsychotic dose or plasma concentrations. Nicotine can improve central processing in medicated schizophrenia patients and this may cons…
Correlates of increased lean muscle mass in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
2009
ObjectiveMuscle mass plays an important role in determining cardiovascular and metabolic risks in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In addition, whether lean mass influences carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in PCOS has not been assessed.DesignProspective investigation.MethodsNinety-five women with PCOS were age- and weight-matched to 90 ovulatory controls. All women had dual X-ray absorptiometry for lean, fat and bone mass, and bone mass density (BMD). Serum testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, insulin, and glucose and carotid IMT were determined. Free androgen index (FAI) and insulin resistance (by QUICKI) were calculated.ResultsIn PCOS, waist circumference and insulin were high…
Entrapment of adult fingers between window glass and seal entry of a motor vehicle side door: an experimental study for investigation of the force at…
2011
In modern motor vehicles with automatic power windows, a potential hazard exists for jam events of fingers between the window glass and seal entry. This study determined entrapment forces acting on adult fingers at the subjective maximum pain threshold during entrapment in such windows. The length and the girth of the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints of the triphalangeal fingers of the right hands of 109 participants (60 men, 49 women) were measured; the diameter was calculated from girth, which was assumed to be circular. The automatic power window system of a motor vehicle side door was changed to a mechanical system. During entrapment the force distributed across the four proxi…
Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation of the primary sensory cortex on somatosensory perception.
2011
Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is able to modify cortical excitability and activity in humans. Objective: The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of tDCS of the primary sensory cortex (SI) on thermal and mechanical perception, assessed by quantitative sensory testing (QST). Methods: The comprehensive QST protocol encompassing thermal and mechanical detection and pain thresholds as devised by the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (DFNS) was applied to skin areas innervated by the radial and median nerve of 12 healthy subjects, who were examined before and after each tDCS stimulation type. Anodal, cathodal, and sham tDCS was applied at a 1…
Effects of botulinum toxin type A on vibration induced facilitation of motor evoked potentials in spasmodic torticollis.
2004
It has not been clarified if botulinum toxin (BTX) injection leads to muscle spindle dysfunction in man. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that BTX application reduces the facilitation of a magnetic evoked response (MEP).We used the vibration induced facilitation of an MEP of the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) as a surrogate marker for muscle spindle function in 20 healthy subjects and 10 patients with idiopathic rotational torticollis in whom BTX was injected unilaterally.The increase in the amplitude and area of the MEPs in the clinically not affected and untreated SCM of the patients did not differ significantly from the controls. At baseline, the vibration induced increase in th…
Child-caregivers’ body weight and habitual physical activity status is associated with overweight in kindergartners
2014
Background The aim of this study was to examine whether child-caregivers’, both parents and kindergarten teachers, health parameters (age, weight status, habitual physical activity score) are significantly associated with the risk of overweight in young children. Methods We assessed the individual body mass index standard deviation score in a regional cross-sectional health study and matched a representative sample of 434 kindergartners aged 3 to 6-years with their caregivers’ weight and habitual physical activity status. Furthermore, we identified factors associated with the general ability of child-caregivers to identify overweight in children, and the awareness to classify a child within…
FiberWire tension band for patellar fractures.
2015
Background Symptomatic hardware represents the most frequent complication reported following surgical treatment of patellar fracture. For this reason, some authors suggested using nonabsorbable sutures to fix the fracture with various techniques. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and radiological results of patients treated following a modified Pyriford technique using a FiberWire suture (Arthrex, Naples, FL, USA). Materials and methods We retrospectively evaluated a case series of seventeen patients with displaced patellar fractures treated by open reduction and internal fixation with a modified tension band using FiberWire sutures. Clinical and radiological outcome were eval…
DNA-fragmentation and apoptosis-related proteins of muscle cells in motor neuron disorders
2009
Apoptosis has been described as one of the mechanisms of muscle fiber loss in infantile spinal muscular atrophy. In order to investigate if muscle fiber-apoptosis plays a role in other denervating disorders as well, we studied DNA-fragmentation, a hallmark of apoptosis, by the TUNEL-method and, moreover, the expression patterns of apoptosis-related proteins in 2 patients suffering from ALS and in 6 patients with polyneuropathy. We identified DNA-cleavage in muscle fibers of all these patients. Furthermore, we found strong expression of bax and ICE promoting apoptosis in muscle fibers. However, also strong expression of the anti-apoptotic factor bcl-2 was found. Our findings indicate that de…
Prenatal manganese exposure and neuropsychological development in early childhood in the INMA cohort.
2020
Abstract Introduction Manganese (Mn) is an essential element, diet being its main source. Some epidemiological studies have found that a prenatal excess of Mn could negatively affect neuropsychological development during infancy, but the evidence is inconclusive. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between maternal serum Mn concentrations and child neuropsychological development assessed at 1 year of age. Methods study subjects were 1179 mother–child pairs from two Spanish cohorts (Valencia and Gipuzkoa) of the INMA (Environment and Childhood) Project. Mn was measured in serum samples collected during the first trimester of pregnancy. Child neuropsychological development w…