Search results for "Norm"
showing 10 items of 4018 documents
Prevalence of and potential influencing factors for alcohol dependence in Europe.
2014
Alcohol use disorders (AUDs), and alcohol dependence (AD) in particular, are prevalent and associated with a large burden of disability and mortality. The aim of this study was to estimate prevalence of AD in the European Union (EU), Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland for the year 2010, and to investigate potential influencing factors. The 1-year prevalence of AD in the EU was estimated at 3.4% among people 18-64 years of age in Europe (women 1.7%, men 5.2%), resulting in close to 11 million affected people. Taking into account all people of all ages, AD, abuse and harmful use resulted in an estimate of 23 million affected people. Prevalence of AD varied widely between European countries, and…
Latent interaction effects in the theory of planned behaviour applied to quitting smoking.
2013
Objectives This study applies three latent interaction models in the theory of planned behaviour (TPB; Ajzen, 1988, Attitudes, personality, and behavior. Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press; Ajzen, 1991, Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process., 50, 179) to quitting smoking: (1) attitude × perceived behavioural control on intention; (2) subjective norms (SN) × attitude on intention; and (3) perceived behavioural control × intention on quitting behaviour. Methods The data derive from a longitudinal Internet survey of 939 smokers aged 15–74 over a period of 4 months. Latent interaction effects were estimated using the double-mean-centred unconstrained approach (Lin et al., 2010, Struct. Equ. Modeling, 17, 3…
Occult hepatitis B virus in liver tissue of individuals without hepatic disease
2008
Abstract BACKGROUND/AIMS: While many data are available concerning occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in patients with hepatic disorders, there is little information about this cryptic infection in individuals without liver disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of occult HBV in the general population by examining liver specimens from a large series of HBV-surface-antigen negative individuals with no clinical and biochemical evidence of liver disease. METHODS: The presence of HBV DNA was evaluated by testing, through polymerase chain reaction techniques, DNA extracts from 98 liver-disease-free individuals who underwent liver resection or needle biopsy during …
Intra and intersession repeatability and reliability of the S-Plate® pressure platform.
2017
Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to assess the repeatability and reliability of the S-Plate® pressure platform in a group of healthy subjects. Material and methods Forty subjects, free from physical conditions that would affect normal gait, walked along a five-meter corridor while data were recorded from the pressure platform. A total of 10 steps (five each side) were obtained as well as five static trials; the same measurements were repeated one week later. Peak and mean plantar pressures and contact area were recorded for both dynamic and static trials. Additionally, weight supported on each limb was documented during static trials. To assess intrasession and intersession repeatabil…
Analysis of Autoantibodies Against Human Retinal Antigens in Sera of Patients with Glaucoma and Ocular Hypertension
2008
The aim of this study was to show that complex antibody patterns against retinal antigens in sera of patients with glaucoma, found in previous studies, are autoantibodies against human antigens.Sera of 179 patients were collected at the Department of Ophthalmology (University of Mainz, Germany): non-glaucomatous control patients (n=45), primary open-angle glaucoma (n=45), ocular hypertension (n=44), and normal tension glaucoma patients (n=45). The sera were tested against Western blots of human retinal antigens. IgG antibody patterns were analyzed by multivariate statistical techniques, and some significant antigens were identified by mass spectrometry.All subjects, even healthy ones, showe…
Ocular pulse amplitude in patients with open angle glaucoma, normal tension glaucoma, and ocular hypertension.
2002
Intraocular pressure (IOP) is not a fixed constant value but rather has pulsatile components associated with cardiac action. The SmartLens dynamic observing tonometer (odc, Ophthalmic Development Company AG, Zurich, Switzerland) can measure and record simultaneously IOP and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA). It was the aim of this study to evaluate OPA in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and high IOP, normal tension glaucoma (NTG), and ocular hypertension (OHT). Furthermore, the authors examined whether there were any correlations with blood pressure.80 subjects were divided into four groups (n=20): 20 patients each with POAG, NTG, and OHT and 20 volunteers without any ocular pat…
KIAA0556 is a novel ciliary basal body component mutated in Joubert syndrome
2015
Background Joubert syndrome (JBTS) and related disorders are defined by cerebellar malformation (molar tooth sign), together with neurological symptoms of variable expressivity. The ciliary basis of Joubert syndrome related disorders frequently extends the phenotype to tissues such as the eye, kidney, skeleton and craniofacial structures. Results Using autozygome and exome analyses, we identified a null mutation in KIAA0556 in a multiplex consanguineous family with hallmark features of mild Joubert syndrome. Patient-derived fibroblasts displayed reduced ciliogenesis potential and abnormally elongated cilia. Investigation of disease pathophysiology revealed that Kiaa0556-/- null mice possess…
Aging Affects the Mental Rotation of Left and Right Hands
2009
BACKGROUND:Normal aging significantly influences motor and cognitive performance. Little is known about age-related changes in action simulation. Here, we investigated the influence of aging on implicit motor imagery. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Twenty young (mean age: 23.9+/-2.8 years) and nineteen elderly (mean age: 78.3+/-4.5 years) subjects, all right-handed, were required to determine the laterality of hands presented in various positions. To do so, they mentally rotated their hands to match them with the hand-stimuli. We showed that: (1) elderly subjects were affected in their ability to implicitly simulate movements of the upper limbs, especially those requiring the largest amplit…
Abnormal facilitatory mechanisms in motor cortex of migraine with aura
2010
Experimental evidence suggests impairment of inhibitory intracortical circuits in migraine, while not much is known about activity of facilitatory intracortical circuits. In the present work we evaluated the effects of high frequency-repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (hf-rTMS) on the activity of facilitatory circuits of motor cortex in 18 patients affected by migraine with aura and 18 healthy subjects. Trains of 10 stimuli were applied to the motor cortex at 5-Hz frequency with recording of the EMG traces from the contralateral abductor pollicis brevis muscle (APB). Two intensities of stimulation (110% and 130% of resting motor threshold) were used in order to explore whether mot…
Does successful attainment of developmental tasks lead to happiness and success in later developmental tasks? A test of Havighurst's (1948) theses.
2006
This study tested Havighurst's (1948) contention that successful attainment of age-specific developmental tasks leads to happiness and success in achieving subsequent tasks. A longitudinal study on 146 participants was carried out to investigate the links between developmental progression in adolescence and young adulthood and happiness, which was assessed by two indices: high self-esteem and low symptomatology. The importance individuals place on achieving normative developmental tasks and current developmental status was assessed six times during adolescence and young adulthood, self-esteem and symptomatology were assessed five times. Results revealed a shift in the time frames for accomp…