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Design Subjects (design + subject)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	75%

Selected Abstracts

TSH concentration within the normal range is associated with cognitive function and ADHD symptoms in healthy preschoolers

CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 6 2007
Mar Álvarez-Pedrerol
Summary Objective, Thyroid hormone concentrations outside the normal range affect brain development, but their specific influence on behaviour and mental abilities within normal values is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate whether thyroid hormone concentrations are related to neurodevelopment and ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder) symptoms in healthy preschoolers. Design subjects and measurements, Children from two general population birth cohorts in Menorca (n = 289) and Ribera d'Ebre (n = 53), Spain, were assessed in a cross-sectional study at the age of 4. Thyroid hormones (free T4 and T3) and TSH concentrations were measured and mental and motor development was assessed using McCarthy's scales for neuropsychological outcomes and ADHD-DSM-IV for attention deficit and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms. Results, Children with TSH concentrations in the upper quartile of the normal range performed lower on McCarthy's scales and were at higher risk for attention deficit and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms. In the Menorca cohort, a decrease of 5·8 (P < 0·05) and 6·9 (P < 0·01) points was observed in memory and quantitative skills, respectively. In contrast, high T4 concentrations were associated with decreased risk of having 1,5 attention deficit symptoms (odds ratio: 0·25; P < 0·01); these findings were observed in both cohorts despite differences in mean TSH concentrations. No associations were observed with T3. Conclusions, Despite being within the normal range, high TSH concentrations are associated with a lower cognitive function and high TSH and low free T4 with ADHD symptoms in healthy preschoolers. Statistically significant differences were observed in the highest quartiles of TSH, suggesting a need for re-evaluation of the upper limit of the normal TSH range. [source]

The importance of drinking frequency in evaluating individuals' drinking patterns: implications for the development of national drinking guidelines

ADDICTION, Issue 7 2009
Catherine Paradis
ABSTRACT Aims This paper examines the relationship between frequency of drinking, usual daily consumption and frequency of binge drinking, taking into consideration possible age and gender differences. Participants and design Subjects were 10 466 current drinkers (5743 women and 4723 men) aged between 18 and 76 years, who participated in the GENACIS Canada (GENder Alcohol and Culture: an International Study) study. Setting Canada. Measurements The independent variable was the annual drinking frequency. The dependent variables were the usual daily quantity consumed, annual, monthly and weekly frequency of binge drinking (five drinks or more on one occasion). Findings Logistic regressions show (i) that those who drink less than once a week are less likely than weekly drinkers to take more than two drinks when they do drink; (ii) that the usual daily quantity consumed by weekly drinkers is not related to their frequency of drinking; but that (iii) the risk and frequency of binge drinking increase with the frequency of drinking. Conclusions Given that risk and frequency of binge drinking among Canadians increases with their frequency of drinking, any public recommendation to drink moderately should be made with great caution. [source]

Hostility, drinking pattern and mortality

ADDICTION, Issue 1 2008
Stephen H. Boyle
ABSTRACT Aims This study examined the association of hostility to drinking pattern and whether this association mediated the relation of hostility to mortality. Participants and design Subjects were 3326 current drinkers from the Vietnam Experience Study cohort who were followed for vital status. Setting United States. Measurements Hostility was measured by an abbreviated version of the Cook,Medley Hostility Scale (ACM). The alcohol variables were total monthly intake of alcohol, drinking frequency, drinks per drinking day and drinking , 5 drinks on at least one occasion in the past month (i.e. heavy episodic drinking). Findings Regression analyses showed associations between the ACM and total monthly intake of alcohol (P < 0.0001), drinks per drinking day (P < 0.0001) and heavy episodic drinking (P < 0.0001), but not with frequency of drinking days. Hostility, drinks per drinking day, heavy episodic drinking and total monthly alcohol intake were also associated with all-cause mortality (all Ps < 0.0001). Further analyses showed that drinking pattern, particularly drinks per drinking day, may account partially for the relation of hostility to mortality. Conclusions High hostility is associated with elevated mortality and a deleterious drinking pattern characterized by relatively high intake per drinking occasion. Drinking pattern could help explain the relationships between hostility and health. [source]

A geometry projection method for shape optimization

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 14 2004
J. Norato
Abstract We present a new method for shape optimization that uses an analytical description of the varying design geometry as the control in the optimization problem. A straightforward filtering technique projects the design geometry onto a fictitious analysis domain to support simplified response and sensitivity analysis. However, the analytical geometry model is referenced directly for all purely geometric calculations. The method thus combines the advantages of direct geometry representations with the simplified analysis procedures that are possible with fictitious domain analysis methods, such as the material distribution methods commonly used in topology optimization. The projected geometry measure converges to the indicator function of the analytical geometry model in the limit of numerical mesh refinement. Consequently, optimal designs obtained with the new method converge to solutions of well-defined continuum optimization problems in the limit of mesh refinement. This property is confirmed in example computations for minimum compliance design of an elastic structure subject to a volume constraint and for minimum volume design subject to a maximum stress constraint. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]