Search results for "Protective"
showing 10 items of 512 documents
Does higher education protect against obesity? Evidence using Mendelian randomization
2017
Objectives. The aim of this explorative study was to examine the effect of education on obesity using Mendelian randomization. Methods. Participants (N = 2011) were from the on- going nationally representative Young Finns Study (YFS) that began in 1980 when six cohorts (aged 30, 33, 36, 39, 42 and 45 in 2007) were recruited. The average value of BMI (kg/m(2)) measurements in 2007 and 2011 and genetic information were linked to comprehensive register based information on the years of education in 2007. We first used a linear regression (Ordinary Least Squares, OLS) to estimate the relationship between education and BMI. To identify a causal relationship, we exploited Mendelian randomization …
Recovery, relapse, or else? Treatment outcomes in gambling disorder from a multicenter follow-up study
2017
AbstractPurpose:Gambling disorder is associated with various adverse effects. While data on the immediate effectiveness of treatment programs are available, follow-up studies examining long-term effects are scarce and factors contributing to a stable therapy outcome versus relapse are under-researched.Materials and methods:Patients (n = 270) finishing inpatient treatment for gambling disorder regularly participated in a prospective multicenter follow-up study (pre-treatment, post-treatment, 12-month follow-up). Criteria for gambling disorder, psychopathology, functional impairment were defined as endpoints. Changes in personality were defined as an additional parameter.Results:At follow-up,…
The effect of amifostine or IMRT to preserve the parotid function after radiotherapy of the head and neck region measured by quantitative salivary gl…
2008
Purpose: In this retrospective study, two approaches to preserve the parotid function after radiotherapy (RT) were compared: application of the radioprotective agent amifostine during RT and parotid sparing intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Patients and methods: Patients were qualified for this analysis if (1) both parotid glands received a radiation dose of P50 Gy using conventional radiotherapy techniques (cRT) or if they received a parotid sparing IMRT as alternative, if (2) salivary gland scintigraphies before and after RT were performed, and if (3) a normal parotid function was present before RT. Quantitative salivary gland scintigraphy was used to assess the parotid gland funct…
The impact of rear-view mirror distance and curvature on judgements relevant to road safety
2011
We report two experiments that investigate the impact of rear-view mirror distance and curvature on distance, spacing, and time-to-contact (TTC) judgements. The variation in mirror distance had a significant effect on TTC judgements, but only marginally influenced distance and spacing estimations. As mirror distance increased, TTC was overestimated, which is potentially dangerous. Control conditions with identical visual angles across different mirror distances revealed that effects were not solely caused by variation in visual angle. The impact of mirror curvature moderated the effect. While observers were unable to compensate for the mirror distance effect, they could do so for the distor…
Convex rear view mirrors compromise distance and time-to-contact judgements
2007
Convex rear view mirrors increasingly replace planar mirrors in automobiles. While increasing the field of view, convex mirrors are also taken to increase distance estimates and thereby reduce safety margins. However, this study failed to replicate systematic distance estimation errors in a real world setting. Whereas distance estimates were accurate on average, convex mirrors lead to significantly more variance in distance and spacing estimations. A second experiment explored the effect of mirrors on time-to-contact estimations, which had not been previously researched. Potential effects of display size were separated from effects caused by distortion in convex mirrors. Time-to-contact est…
Protective effect of amifostine on dental health after radiotherapy of the head and neck.
2000
Abstract Purpose: The cytoprotective agent amifostine has been shown to reduce the radiation-induced acute and chronic xerostomia in head and neck cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether or not amifostine also reduces the incidence of dental caries associated with the radiation-induced xerostomia. Methods and Materials: The dental status before and 1 year after radiotherapy was retrospectively compared in 35 unselected patients treated as part of the prospective randomized and multicenter open-label Phase III study (WR-38) at the University Hospitals of Heidelberg, Freiburg, and Erlangen. The WR-38 study compared radiotherapy in head and neck cancer with and witho…
Modeling offenses among motorcyclists involved in crashes in Spain.
2013
In relative terms, Spanish motorcyclists are more likely to be involved in crashes than other drivers and this tendency is constantly increasing. The objective of this study is to identify the factors that are related to being an offender in motorcycle accidents. A binary logit model is used to differentiate between offender and non-offender motorcyclists. A motorcyclist was considered to be offender when s/he had committed at least one traffic offense at the moment previous to the crash. The analysis is based on the official accident database of the Spanish general directorate of traffic (DGT) for the 2003–2008 time period. A number of explanatory variables including motorcyclist character…
Cardiovascular prevention and at-risk behaviours in a large population of amateur rugby players.
2019
Background and aim We aimed to investigate cardiovascular risk factors and health behaviours prospectively in a large population of French amateur rugby players. Methods An anonymous questionnaire was displayed to rugby players aged over 12 years enrolled in the 2014–2015 French amateur rugby championship from the Burgundy region ( n = 5140). Questions addressed awareness on: (a) cardiovascular prevention; (b) tobacco, alcohol and highly caffeinated beverages consumption; and (c) adherence to prevention guidelines (ECG checks, training in basic life support, avoidance of sports practice during fever/infectious episodes). Results Among the 640 participants who completed the questionnaires, m…
Frequency and correlates of anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in low- and middle-income countries: A multinational study
2021
Objective Studies have documented the significant direct and indirect psychological, social, and economic consequences of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in many countries but little is known on its impact in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) already facing difficult living conditions and having vulnerable health systems that create anxiety in individuals for themselves and their loved ones. Using a multinational convenience sample from four LMICs (DR Congo, Haiti, Rwanda, and Togo), this study aims to explore the prevalence of anxiety symptoms and associated risk and protective factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A total of 1222 individuals (40.9% of women) complet…
Predisposing, Enabling and Reinforcing Factors Associated with Smoking Relapse among Hospital Workers
2013
Objectives: A better identification of the determinants of smoking relapse among hospital workers would be helpful in development of more effective interventions to decrease the frequency of relapses in this group. The aim of this study was to determine the predisposing enabling, and reinforcing factors associated with smoking relapse among workers at a university hospital. Methods: This was a case-control study based on a self-administered and structured questionnaire. Cases were all those workers who had relapsed after at least 6 months without smoking, and controls were ex-smokers without relapse for more than 6 months. We obtained the following information: sociode- mographic and tobacc…