Parameters Decreased (parameter + decreased)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Influence of hypertension on lower urinary tract symptoms in benign prostatic hyperplasia

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 11 2003
KIMIO SUGAYA
Abstract Aim:, To clarify the influence of hypertension on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) we examined the relationship between blood pressure, LUTS, and the effect of terazosin on LUTS in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods:, The subjects were patients who had LUTS and BPH. They were treated with terazosin (1 mg, twice-a-day) for 12 weeks. Calculation of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), measurement of blood pressure, and uroflowmetry were performed before and after 12 weeks of therapy. Patients were divided into a normotensive (NT) group and a hypertensive (HT) group at the time of first examination. Results:, The IPSS for urinary frequency and nocturia in BPH-HT patients (n = 21; mean age, 71 years) were significantly higher than those in the BPH-NT patients (n = 21; mean age, 69 years) before the administration of terazosin. The total IPSS the BPH-HT patients was also significantly higher than that of the BPH-NT patients. There were no differences of uroflowmetric parameters between the two groups. After 12 weeks of therapy, systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased in the BPH-HT patients, but not in the BPH-NT patients. However, the systolic pressure of the BPH-HT patients was still significantly higher than that of the BPH-NT patients. The score for each IPSS parameter decreased in both groups, but the difference of the score between the two groups increased. Conclusion:, Hypertension may worsen LUTS and may decrease the improvement of symptoms by terazosin. [source]


Serum antioxidant and cholesterol levels in patients with different types of cancer

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL LABORATORY ANALYSIS, Issue 6 2001
Clifford Abiaka
Abstract Serum antioxidant (urate, ,-tocopherol) activity and cholesterol concentration in 142 patients of Indian and Arab (Kuwaitis and other Arabs) origin with different types of cancer (breast, colon, stomach, thyroid, oral, rectal, pancreatic, and renal) were compared to 100 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Values were expressed as medians (interquartile range). Urate concentration was significantly decreased in male patients compared to male controls (P < 0.0001) and in female patients and female breast cancer cases compared to female controls; P < 0.0001 and P = 0.001, respectively. ,-Tocopherol concentration decreased significantly in total cancer, stomach, colon, rectal, and breast cancer cases than the controls; P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, P = 0.012, and P = 0.022, respectively. Cholesterol concentration decreased significantly in stomach, oral, colon, and total cancer cases compared to the controls; P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, P = 0.002, and P = 0.012, respectively. Among controls, females had significantly (P < 0.0001) lower concentrations of ,-tocopherol than males. Among patients, cholesterol, urate, and ,-tocopherol concentrations decreased significantly in smokers than in nonsmokers; P < 0.0001, P = 0.004, and P = 0.047, respectively. Generally, changes in ,-tocopherol/cholesterol ratios mimicked changes in ,-tocopherol concentration. Concentrations of all parameters decreased significantly in male patients compared to male controls. Age was positively associated with all three analytes with respect to the controls. ,-Tocopherol correlated with cholesterol in cancer patients (r = 0.367; P < 0.0001) and with urate in the controls (r = 0.342; P < 0.0001). The data suggest cancer-related diminished synthesis of cholesterol and, generally, a greater antioxidant burden for ,-tocopherol than urate in cancer-generated oxidative stress. The increased incidence of pancreatic cancer in Kuwaitis warrants further study. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 15:324,330, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


OSMOTIC DEHYDRATION OF MUSKMELON (CUCUMIS MELO): INFLUENCE OF BLANCHING AND SYRUP CONCENTRATION

JOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 4 2007
RENZO M. FERNANDEZ
ABSTRACT The influence of blanching and syrup concentration on the quality parameters of osmo-air-dried muskmelon product was investigated. Fruit samples were dehydrated with sucrose solutions at 40, 50 and 60°Brix and the resulting products were analyzed for browning degree, ascorbic acid (AA) concentration and water activity. The values for all three parameters decreased as the syrup concentration increased. Blanching treatment before the osmotic processing had no effect on browning but caused a decrease in AA concentration. Osmotically dehydrated fruits showed no browning increase for at least 4 weeks at 2C. A decrease of about 60% in AA concentration was observed within the first 2 weeks at 10C. In contrast, AA loss was only observed after 2 weeks at 2C. The influence of storage time and temperature on AA retention was investigated by 22 factorial design. Statistical analysis of results showed that the two factors have a significant effect on AA retention. Osmotic dehydration may be an interesting alternative for processing of muskmelon as a pretreatment followed by cold storage or drying. [source]


COMPARISON OF MECHANICAL TESTS FOR EVALUATING TEXTURAL CHANGES IN POTATOES DURING THERMAL SOFTENING

JOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 6 2002
W. K. SOLOMON
ABSTRACT The changes in the texture of cylindrical samples of potato tissues immersed in water at 60, 70, 80 and 90C for up to 80 min were monitored at each temperature in terms of tangent modulus of elasticity in axial and radial compression tests, and elasticity and viscosity parameters in creep and stress relaxation tests. The magnitude of all mechanical test parameters decreased with an increase in heating time and temperature. The creep and stress relaxation responses of individual potato samples were adequately represented by respective mechanical models (R2= 0.94 to 0.99). The mechanical test parameters followed apparent first-order degradation kinetics due to the effect of thermal softening, and the rate constant was used as an index of the sensitivity of a mechanical test. The radial compression test was relatively more sensitive than the axial test. Based on an overall comparison, the parameters from creep and stress relaxation tests were found to be the most sensitive in describing the textural changes during thermal softening of potatoes. [source]


Compositional Dependence of Piezoelectric Properties in NaxK1,xNbO3 Lead-Free Ceramics Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 5 2006
Bo-Ping Zhang
Lead-free piezoelectric NaxK1,xNbO3 (x=20,80 mol%) ceramics were fabricated using spark plasma sintering at a low temperature (920°C). All the NaxK1,xNbO3 ceramics showed a similar orthorhombic phase structure, while the corresponding lattice parameters decreased from the KNbO3 side to the NaNbO3 side with increasing Na content. A discontinuous change in lattice parameter close to composition of 60 mol% Na indicated the presence of a transitional area that is similar to the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) in NaxK1,xNbO3 ceramics. The sintered density of the NaxK1,xNbO3 ceramics decreased with increasing Na content, from a relative density of 99% for the K-rich side to 92% for the Na-rich side. The piezoelectric constant d33 and planar mode electromechanical coupling coefficient kp showed a maximum value of 148 pC/N and 38.9%, respectively, due to the similar MPB effects in the PZT system. [source]


Rotigotine improves restless legs syndrome: A 6-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in the United States,,§

MOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 11 2010
Wayne A. Hening MD
Abstract This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial (NCT00135993) assessed efficacy and safety of the dopamine agonist rotigotine in the treatment of idiopathic restless legs syndrome (RLS) over a 6-month maintenance period. A total of 505 eligible participants with moderate to severe RLS (IRLS sum score , 15) were randomly assigned to five groups to receive either placebo or rotigotine (0.5, 1, 2, or 3 mg/24 hr) delivered by once-daily transdermal patch (fixed-dose regimen). The two co-primary efficacy parameters decreased from baseline to end of maintenance in IRLS sum score and in clinical global impressions (CGI-1) score. On both primary measures, 2 and 3 mg/24 hr rotigotine was superior to placebo (P < 0.001). Adjusted treatment differences to placebo for the IRLS sum score were ,4.5 (95% CI: ,6.9, ,2.2) for 2 mg/24 hr rotigotine, ,5.2 (95% CI: ,7.5, ,2.9) for 3 mg/24 hr rotigotine, and for CGI item 1 ,0.65 (95% CI: ,1.0, ,0.3) and ,0.9 (95% CI: ,1.3, ,0.5) for the 2 and 3 mg/24 hr doses, respectively. Skin reactions (27%) and known dopaminergic side effects such as nausea (18.1%) and headache (11.6%) were mostly mild or moderate in rotigotine subjects. Rotigotine transdermal patches releasing 2 to 3 mg/24 hr significantly reduced the severity of RLS symptoms. Treatment efficacy was maintained throughout the 6-month double-blind period. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society [source]


Short-term effects of periodontal therapy as an adjunct to anti-lipemic treatment

ORAL DISEASES, Issue 7 2010
Ö Fento
Oral Diseases (2010) 16, 648,654 Objective:, This study was conducted to assess the effect of improved periodontal health following periodontal treatment on metabolic lipid control of patients on anti-lipemic treatment. Materials and Methods:, The study population consisted of 20 patients aged 34,62 years with diagnoses of hyperlipidemia and chronic periodontitis. All patients used statin to treat their elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Blood samples were obtained for measurement of serum lipids, fasting plasma glucose, and high sensitive C-reactive protein. Periodontal parameters, including plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and percentage of bleeding on probing, were evaluated. All parameters were assessed in each subject at baseline, after 3 months as a control (at the time of periodontal treatment), and 3 months after the non-surgical periodontal treatment that included scaling and root planning. Results:, All lipid parameters decreased after the periodontal treatment, but only the decreases in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels reached statistical significance compared to baseline (P = 0.002 and P = 0.003, respectively). Conclusion:, Improved periodontal health may influence metabolic control of hyperlipidemia and could be considered as an adjunct to the standard measures of hyperlipidemic patient care. [source]


Effect of oxygen partial pressure on optical and electrical properties of co-sputtered amorphous zinc indium tin oxide thin films

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 7 2008
K. J. Saji
Abstract Transparent thin films of amorphous zinc indium tin oxide were prepared at room temperature by co-sputtering of zinc oxide and indium tin oxide. Effect of oxygen partial pressure on the optical and electrical properties of amorphous zinc indium tin oxide thin films were investigated. Conductivity, carrier concentration and Hall mobility showed strong dependence on the oxygen partial pressure and these parameters decreased with the increase of oxygen pressure. The effect of subgap states caused a sharp difference in measured optical band gap values between the films deposited with and without oxygen partial pressure. Carrier transport studies were carried out by temperature dependent conductivity measurements. At low electron density, the conductivity showed thermally activated behaviour and at higher carrier concentrations it changed to almost degenerate band conduction. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Photosynthetic parameters of birch (Betula pendula Roth) leaves growing in normal and in CO2 - and O3 - enriched atmospheres

PLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 4 2004
H. EICHELMANN
ABSTRACT Two silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) clones K1659 and V5952 were grown in open-top chambers over 3 years (age 7,9 years). The treatments were increased CO2 concentration (+CO2, 72 Pa), increased O3 concentration (+O3, 2 × ambient O3 with seasonal AOT40 up to 28 p.p.m. h) and in combination (+CO2 + O3). Thirty-seven photosynthetic parameters were measured in the laboratory immediately after excising leaves using a computer-operated routine of gas exchange and optical measurements. In control leaves the photosynthetic parameters were close to the values widely used in a model (Farquhar, von Caemmerer and Berry, Planta 149, 78,90, 1980). The distribution of chlorophyll between photosystem II and photosystem I, intrinsic quantum yield of electron transport, uncoupled turnover rate of Cyt b6f, Rubisco specificity and Km (CO2) were not influenced by treatments. Net photosynthetic rate responded to +CO2 with a mean increase of 17% in both clones. Dry weight of leaves increased, whereas protein, especially Rubisco content and the related photosynthetic parameters decreased. Averaged over 3 years, eight and 17 mechanistically independent parameters were significantly influenced by the elevated CO2 in clones K1659 and V5952, respectively. The elevated O3 caused a significant decrease in the average photosynthetic rate of clone V5952, but not of clone K1659. The treatment caused changes in one parameter of clone K1659 and in 11 parameters of clone V5952. Results of the combined treatment indicated that +O3 had less effect in the presence of +CO2 than alone. Interestingly, changes in the same photosynthetic parameters were observed in chamberless grown trees of clone V5952 as under +O3 treatment in chambers, but this was not observed for clone K1659. These results suggest that during chronic fumigation, at concentrations below the threshold of visible leaf injuries, ozone influenced the photosynthetic parameters as a general stress factor, in a similar manner to weather conditions that were more stressful outside the chambers. According to this hypothesis, the sensitivity of a species or a clone to ozone is expected to depend on the growth conditions: the plant is less sensitive to ozone if the conditions are close to optimal and it is more sensitive to ozone under conditions of stress. [source]


Effect of growth hormone on testicular dysfunction induced by methotrexate in rats

ANDROLOGIA, Issue 2 2009
H. Serati Nouri
Summary Methotrexate (MTX) is a chemotherapeutic agent causing defective oogenesis and spermatogenesis. This study was performed to assess the role of human growth hormone (GH) on testis recovery after treatment with MTX. Forty male Wistar rats were selected and randomly divided into four groups (n = 10): control (vehicle), GH group (0.3 mg kg,1 GH for 28 days, IP), MTX group (MTX 1 mg kg,1 week,1 for 4 weeks, IP) and GH/MTX group (0.3 mg kg,1 GH for 28 day plus 1 mg kg,1 week,1 MTX for 4 weeks, IP). On days 14 and 28, five rats from each group were killed, testes of rats of all groups were removed, spermatozoa were collected from epididymis and then prepared for analysis. MTX caused significant increase in interstitial tissue and capsular thickness and decrease of testicular and body weight (P < 0.05). Moreover, it caused significant decline in seminiferous tubule diameter and epithelium thickness (P < 0.05). There was no obvious change in morphometrical parameters between MTX/GH and control groups. In MTX group, sperm parameters decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Administration of GH plus MTX reduced the effects of MTX on sperm parameters and testosterone concentration. These results suggested that GH had a protective effect on almost all destructive effects caused by MTX in rat testes and thus improved sperm parameters. [source]


Effect of age on anterior chamber angle configuration in Asians determined by anterior segment optical coherence tomography; clinic-based study

ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 6 2010
Mi Hyun Cheon
Acta Ophthalmol. 2010: 88: e205,e210 Abstract. Purpose:, To evaluate the distribution of anterior chamber angle (ACA) parameters and to assess association of these parameters with age in Asian subjects. Methods:, Four hundred and thirty-nine consecutive Korean subjects aged from 30 to 89 were enrolled from a university clinic. All participants were scanned using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT, Visante, version 2.0). We measured ACA parameters such as anterior chamber depth (ACD), angle opening distance at 500 and 750 ,m (AOD500,750), angle recess area at 500 and 750 ,m (ARA500,750), trabecular iris space area at 500 and 750 ,m (TISA500,750), and determined age-related changes in these parameters with use of a linear mixed effect model that adjusted for gender, axial length, intraocular pressure, and keratometry data. Slopes of ACA parameters as a function of age were determined. For various AS-OCT parameters, the normalized slope was calculated by dividing the slope by the mean value. Results:, All analysed ACA parameters decreased with age in both nasal and temporal quadrants. Axial length and keratometry data were significant covariates for ACA changes. The slopes of ACD were ,0.02396 mm/year, AOD500, ARA500, and TISA500 measured at the temporal angle were ,0.00634 mm/year, ,0.0019 mm2/year, and ,0.00177 mm2/year, respectively. There was no age-dependent difference in central corneal thickness (p value; 0.4597) Based on the normalized slopes, the AOD showed the steepest slope at both temporal and nasal sectors. Conclusion:, All ACA parameters assessed by AS-OCT, which accounted for other ocular biometric parameters, showed significant negative slopes with increasing age. These results should be considered when assessing changes in the anterior chamber over time. [source]


The effects of 12 months of growth hormone replacement therapy on cardiac autonomic tone in adults with growth hormone deficiency

CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 6 2005
F. Tanriverdi
Summary Objectives, Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in adults is associated with a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors. Some abnormalities of cardiac structure and function have been reported in adult patients with GHD, but there are few data related to cardiac autonomic tone. Non-invasive assessment of cardiac autonomic status can be achieved by heart rate variability (HRV), which can be measured by using time-domain or frequency-domain variables. To our knowledge, short-term (6 months) effects of GH replacement therapy (GHRT) on HRV in a limited number of patients have been evaluated prospectively in only two previous studies. The present study was therefore designed to investigate the effects of GHD and 12 months of GHRT on cardiac autonomic tone in a larger number of adult patients with severe GHD. Patients and methods, HRV measurement, by using time-domain variables, was performed in 22 patients with GHD (eight men, 14 women; mean age 45·4 ± 2·4 years) and 22 healthy controls (nine men, 13 women; mean age 40·8 ± 1·8 years) at baseline. The time-domain variables (sympathetically influenced parameters SDNN and SDANN and parasympathetically influenced parameters RMSSD and PNN50) were derived from 24-h electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings. In the patient group, cardiac autonomic tone was re-evaluated after 6 and 12 months of GHRT. Results, Mean baseline values of SDNN and SDANN were significantly higher (higher values mean lower sympathetic activity) in GHD patients than in healthy controls (P < 0·05), but mean baseline values of RMSSD and PNN50 did not differ significantly in healthy controls and patients. After 6 and 12 months of GHRT, mean SDNN and SDANN were decreased significantly when compared with the baseline values before GHRT (P < 0·05). However, mean RMSSD and PNN50 did not differ significantly from baseline. When SDNN and SDANN measurements were evaluated individually for each patient, after 12 months of GHRT both of the sympathetically influenced parameters decreased in 90% of the patients. Conclusions, These data indicate that sympathetic tone is decreased in adult patients with severe GHD. Additionally, an increment in sympathetic activity and normalization of sympathovagal balance have been demonstrated after 6 and 12 months of GHRT. This result suggests that, at least at the doses used in this study, GHRT improves sympathetic tone, without an obvious arrhythmogenic effect. [source]