Prevalence findings for 1995 of illicit drug use as well as DSM-IV abuse and dependence are reported from a representative population sample of 3,021 respondents from Munich, Germany, aged 14–24 years. Results are based on personal interviews using the M-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI) with its DSM-IV diagnostic algorithms. Findings indicate that more than 30% of the adolescents and young adults are or have been using one or more illicit drugs at least once in their life. Men were slightly more likely to ever use drugs and used them more frequently than women. Cannabinoids were by far the most frequently used type of drug, followed by various stimulating drugs and hallucinogens. There is also considerable polysubstance use among 14- to 24-year-olds. Criteria for DSM-IV abuse without dependence were met by 4.1% of all men and 1.8% of all women, a dependence syndrome of any type of illicit drug was diagnosed in 2.5% of the men and 1.6% of the women. Cumulative age of onset incidence analyses suggest that substance use starts early, in about one-third before the age of 16 years and continues to rise for most drugs throughout adolescence and young adulthood. Overall these findings suggest that substance use and substance disorders are more prevalent than suggested in most previous German studies.

Bakgrund: Hjärt- och kärlsjukdomar är den vanligaste dödsorsaken för både män och kvinnor i Sverige. Trots att lika många kvinnor som män insjuknar förekommer stora skillnader vid insjuknande och behandling. Syfte: Att ur ett genusperspektiv beskriva likheter och skillnader i samband med insjuknande och vårdförlopp hos personer som drabbats av en hjärtinfarkt. Metod: Studien genomfördes som en allmän litteraturstudie. Utifrån en litteratursökning valdes 12 artiklar, som svarade mot syftet. Artiklarna granskades enligt Röda Korsets Granskningsmall. Resultat: Flertalet artiklar påvisade att det fanns skillnader i symptom för män och kvinnor som drabbats av en hjärtinfarkt och att män sökte vård tidigare än kvinnor. Tre studier visade dock inga skillnader i symptom. Vår studie visar att män och kvinnor inte får samma bemötande eller behandling. Diskussion: Skillnad i symtom, okunskap hos både patient och sjukvårdspersonal om sjukdomsbilden samt synen på manligt och kvinnligt beteende var faktorer som bidrog till skillnader vid vård av hjärtinfarkt. Sjukvården i allmänhet och sjuksköterskan i synnerhet behöver bli medveten om och hur genus påverkar omvårdnaden. Alla patienter är unika och ska behandlas utifrån sina behov och villkor. Slutsats: Forskning behövs för att omvårdnad och behandling vid hjärtinfarkt ska kunna ske evidensbaserat till alla oavsett kön. / Background: Cardio-vascular diseases are the main cause of death for both men and women in Sweden. Although as many women as men are diagnosed there are large differences in onset and treatment. Aim: The aim was to describe similarities and differences in onset, treatment and care of myocardial infarction from a gender perspective. Method: The study was performed as a literature study. Twelve articles that matched the aim for this study were chosen. The articles were analyzed according to the Red Cross analysis model. Result: The majority of the articles pointed out differences in indications for men and women who suffered a myocardial infarction. Men sought medical assistance at an earlier stage. Three studies, however, indicated that there were no gender differences in indications. Our study shows that men and women do not receive the same treatment. Discussion: Differences in indications, ignorance concerning symptoms in both patients and in nursing staff, and also preconceived ideas about male and female behaviour were elements that contributed to differences in treatment. The nursing staff generally need enhanced awareness of how gender affects care. Conclusion: More studies will be needed to ensure that both genders receive evidence-based care.

It has been proved from several studies that the genetic influence has been the most significant factor for having preeclampsia (PE). Still there are many uncertainties about origin and magnitude of the genetic effects as no specific inheritance patterns have been established. In this study, heritage risk of PE is in both the woman’s family and her partner’s family to her risk of PE is examined, along women and men own history with same and different partners. Moreover it is also examined whether timing of onset of PE is also has any impact on familial clustering of PE. Here, we used the population based Danish birth and multi generation registers to identify a cohort of women who have given birth during 1978 to 2008; which consisted of 1,79,69,28 singleton deliveries. This information is linked with pedigree information from the Danish Family Relation Database to define both maternal and paternal relationships. Risk ratios were estimated comparing women with and without various PE histories. It is found that the recurrence risk of a woman suffering from PE is 12.4 with 95% confidence limits (11.9, 12.8). Woman's recurrence risk diminishes only slightly when she changes partner means that particularly maternal genetic factors play the largest role, compared to male partner whose recurrence risk almost diminishes if he changes his female partner. Women and men from families with PE contribute to risk of PE in pregnancies they are involved in. The woman’s family history is still more important compared to man family history of PE; except for increased rick in pregnancies fathered by men who were born to preeclamptic mothers.  The recurrence risk of a women suffering from PE, if she already has suffered from this condition before 34 weeks is found to be very high (RR=25.4 with 95% confidence limits (21.8, 29.1)) with same male partner. It is found that early-onset PE and later-onset varieties have a clear genetic component but the intensity of early onset is stronger than late onset varieties. There are both maternal and paternal genetic contributions to early-onset PE, with the maternal ones seeming to be stronger.

Early onset depression is associated with high recurrence rates later in life. Recurrent depressive episodes during childhood may be particularly problematic, if additional episodes have a scarring effect that hinders healthy development. Distinguishing between first onsets and recurrences has been useful in understanding adult depression. This distinction has seldom been examined in pediatric depression, in part because it is difficult to enroll adequate samples of children with recurrent depression. We conducted archival analyses of carefully-diagnosed pediatric probands with depression first onset between ages of 4 and 12. Probands who reported one depressive episode (N = 435) were compared with probands who reported two depression episodes (N = 115) on clinical (treatment, comorbidities), psychosocial (negative life events (NLEs), parental psychopathology) and emotion regulation measures. Based on previous findings in older adolescents and adults, we hypothesized that probands with two MDEs will have higher comorbidity, parental psychopathology, more NLEs, and higher maladaptive emotion regulation scale scores than probands with one MDE. Surprisingly, probands with one and two MDEs were indistinguishable on psychological and pharmacological treatment variables. As expected, probands with two MDEs had lower age of first onset, higher maladaptive emotion regulation scores, higher rates of comorbid anxiety and reported more NLEs than probands with one MDE. Probands with two MDEs also spent a longer total time in episode; group differences remained after controlling for time spent depressed. Distinguishing between first onsets and recurrences is meaningful in pediatric depression.

Mirtazapine is an atypical antidepressant employed clinically for the treatment of major depression. As a multipotent antagonist it acts at α2a-adrenergic receptors (α2a -ARs). serotonin type-2A receptors (5-HT2a-Rs) and histamine type-I receptors (H1-Rs). Its actions at the α2a-AR have been proposed to play a role in its putative earlier onset of action. However, it is not known whether mirtazapine is a neutral antagonist or inverse agonist at α2a- ARs. The current study aimed to determine the mode of α2a-AR antagonism by mirtazapine, as well as to investigate in vitro the modulatory effects of mirtazapine pre-treatments on β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR), muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) and α2a-AR functions. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells expressing the porcine α2a-AR at high numbers (α2a-H), a constitutively active mutant α2a-AR (α2a--CAM), or mock-transfected control cells (neo) were radio-labelled with [3H]-adenine and concentration-effect curves of mirtazapine, yohimbine, mianserin or idazoxan were constructed, measuring [3H]-cAMP accumulation. In addition human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and CHO-K1 cells expressing the porcine α2a- AR at low numbers (am-L) were used to investigate the effect of mirtazapine pre-treatments on mAChRs and β-ARS or α2a-ARs respectively. After radio-labelling with myo-[2-3H]-inositol or [2-%]-adenine, radio-label uptake was measured and receptor function was investigated by constructing concentration-effect curves, measuring [3H]-IPx or [3H]-cAMP accumulation respectively. The results from the current study show that mirtazapine binds to the α2a-AR with an affinity value in the lower micromolar range (K1≈ 0.32 µM; pK1 = 6.50 ± 0.07). Mirtazapine is not a partial agonist at α2a-ARs as it does not affect [3H]-cAMP accumulation in α2a-H cells. Preliminary results suggest that mirtazapine displays partial inverse agonism in α2a-CAM cells, while mianserin displays neutral antagonism. Mirtazapine pre-treatment in SH-SY5Y cells does not alter muscarinic receptor function (different from fluoxetine and imipramine), but reduces I-isoproterenol-induced increase in [3H]-cAMP accumulation in SH-SY5Y cells (typically associated with chronic antidepressant activity). Although inconclusive, the data also suggests that mirtazapine may reduce α2a-AR function. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Pharmacology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti nėščių moterų B grupės β hemolizinio streptokoko (BGS) ir Escherichia coli (E.coli) nešiojimo bei naujagimių kolonizacijos dažnumą ir įvertinti šių mikroorganizmų įtaką naujagimių ankstyvai infekcijai atsirasti. Metodika. Perspektyvinis momentinis stebėjimo tyrimas vykdytas Kauno medicinos universiteto Akušerijos ir ginekologijos bei Neonatologijos klinikose. Moterims du atskiri pasėliai iš makšties apatinio trečdalio ir išangės buvo paimti 35-37 nėštumo savaitę arba gimdymo metu, o naujagimiams - iš ausies išorinės landos bei nosiaryklės per 5 – 15 min. po gimimo. Išskirtų BGS serotipavimas atliktas naudojant 9 specifinius antiserumus, o jautrumas antibiotikams nustatytas diskų difuzijos metodu pagal klinikinių laboratorijų standartus nustatančio komiteto (NCCLS) rekomendacijas. Rezultatai. Šimtas keturiasdešimt aštuonioms moterims iš 970 (15,3 proc.) buvo nustatytas BGS nešiojimas, o 193 moterims (19,9 proc.) - E.coli nešiojimas. Naujagimių BGS ir E.coli kolonizacijos dažnumas buvo 6,4 proc. ir 14,4 proc., o vertikalaus pernešimo – atitinkamai 28,4 ir 24,4 procentai. Moterims ir naujagimiams dažniausiai identifikuotas III ir Ia serotipo BGS. Bendras naujagimių įgimtos infekcijos dažnumas buvo 37,5 atvejai iš 1000 naujagimių, o BGS sukeltos infekcijos dažnumas - 3,6 atvejai iš 1000 naujagimių. Nebuvo nė vieno E.coli sukeltos ankstyvos naujagimių infekcijos atvejo. Klinikinis sepsis diagnozuotas 5 kartus dažniau nei mikrobiologiniais tyrimais... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Objective - to examine the prevalence of maternal and neonatal colonization of group B streptococcus (GBS) and Escherichia coli (E.coli) in our area, and to evaluate the colonization impact on early onset neonatal infections as a whole. Methods. A prospective cross-sectional study carried out at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Department of Neonatology of Kaunas University Hospital. Samples were collected from the lower vagina and the anorectum of pregnant women at 35-37 weeks of gestation or at delivery and the ear canal as well as throat of the neonates within 5 – 15 min of their lives. The distribution of serotypes of the GBS identified was determined using specific antisera and antimicrobial susceptibility was investigated by disc-diffusion method as described by National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). Results. GBS carriage was detected in 148 (15.3%) of 970 women screened whereas E.coli colonisation was found in 193 (19.9%) of the women studied. The overall GBS and E.coli neonatal colonization rates were 6.4% and 14.4%; vertical transmission rates - 28.4% and 24.4%, respectively. The most common GBS serotypes were III and Ia. The overall incidence of early onset neonatal infection was estimated to be 37.5 per 1000 live birth and the incidence of early onset GBS disease in newborns – 3.6 per 1000 live birth. There was no case of early neonatal E. coli infection. The incidence of clinical sepsis in neonates was 5 fold higher that... [to full text]

Darbo tikslas Įvertinti pacientų, vaikystėje susirgusių pirmo tipo cukriniu diabetu (iki 15 m.), mirtingumo ir komplikacijų išsivystymo ypatumus. Darbo uždaviniai 1. Įvertinti standartizuotus mirtingumo rodiklius 1983–2005 metais. 2. Įvertinti ir palyginti standartizuotus mirtingumo rodiklius 1983–1995 m. ir 1996–2005 m. laikotarpiais. 3. Įvertinti mirties priežastis. 4. Įvertinti cukrinio diabeto komplikacijų išsivystymo ypatumus. / The aim of the study was to evaluate the characteristics of mortality and development of diabetes complications in patients with childhood-onset (under the age of 15 years) type 1 diabetes mellitus. The objectives of the study: 1. To evaluate the standardized mortality ratios in 1983–2005. 2. To evaluate and compare the standardized mortality ratios between the periods of 1983–1995 and 1996–2005. 3. To determine the causes of death. 4. To evaluate the characteristics of development of diabetes compli-cations.

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the between-day reliability of selected force-time curve indices and the activity onset of selected neck muscles in the performance of maximal, isometric contractions in five different directions. The measures extracted are deemed important for future investigations aimed at exploring the role of cervical musculature in reduction of concussion occurrences in sports. Twenty eight physically active male participants performed two testing sessions separated by 7-8 days. In each testing session, force and surface electromyography (EMG) data were recorded simultaneously in a custom-made testing apparatus whilst subjects performed four randomized maximal isometric efforts in extension, flexion, and left and right lateral bending and protraction. The variables examined were the peak force, rate of force development (RFD), time to 50% of peak force and bilateral activity onset of the splenius capitis, upper trapezius, and sternocleidomastoid. For all variables, reliability was assessed by: 1) difference scores between the testing sessions and corresponding 95% confidence intervals; 2) standard error of measurement (SEM), expressed in either the original units of measurement, or as a coefficient of variation; and, 3) Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). The results indicated that for all variables, in all testing directions, no differences in scores were observed between the first and second testing sessions. The precision of measurement for all measures, barring muscle onsets obtained in protraction, was deemed acceptable for future clinical application. ICC score ranges for force-time curve-based measurements were high (< 0.90), while for muscle onsets, the ICC ranges are low to moderate (0.23 -0.79). Based on these results, it was concluded that, in highly active male participants, a dedicated familiarization session for the elimination of potential learning effects is not required. In addition, for the majority of testing directions, the force-time curve-based variables as well as muscle activity onsets are recorded with a sufficiently high level of precision, which make them prime candidates for utilization in future investigations concerned with quantitative assessment of cervical musculature function. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-23 01:23:12.324

Mirtazapine is an atypical antidepressant employed clinically for the treatment of major depression. As a multipotent antagonist it acts at α2a-adrenergic receptors (α2a -ARs). serotonin type-2A receptors (5-HT2a-Rs) and histamine type-I receptors (H1-Rs). Its actions at the α2a-AR have been proposed to play a role in its putative earlier onset of action. However, it is not known whether mirtazapine is a neutral antagonist or inverse agonist at α2a- ARs. The current study aimed to determine the mode of α2a-AR antagonism by mirtazapine, as well as to investigate in vitro the modulatory effects of mirtazapine pre-treatments on β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR), muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) and α2a-AR functions. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells expressing the porcine α2a-AR at high numbers (α2a-H), a constitutively active mutant α2a-AR (α2a--CAM), or mock-transfected control cells (neo) were radio-labelled with [3H]-adenine and concentration-effect curves of mirtazapine, yohimbine, mianserin or idazoxan were constructed, measuring [3H]-cAMP accumulation. In addition human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and CHO-K1 cells expressing the porcine α2a- AR at low numbers (am-L) were used to investigate the effect of mirtazapine pre-treatments on mAChRs and β-ARS or α2a-ARs respectively. After radio-labelling with myo-[2-3H]-inositol or [2-%]-adenine, radio-label uptake was measured and receptor function was investigated by constructing concentration-effect curves, measuring [3H]-IPx or [3H]-cAMP accumulation respectively. The results from the current study show that mirtazapine binds to the α2a-AR with an affinity value in the lower micromolar range (K1≈ 0.32 µM; pK1 = 6.50 ± 0.07). Mirtazapine is not a partial agonist at α2a-ARs as it does not affect [3H]-cAMP accumulation in α2a-H cells. Preliminary results suggest that mirtazapine displays partial inverse agonism in α2a-CAM cells, while mianserin displays neutral antagonism. Mirtazapine pre-treatment in SH-SY5Y cells does not alter muscarinic receptor function (different from fluoxetine and imipramine), but reduces I-isoproterenol-induced increase in [3H]-cAMP accumulation in SH-SY5Y cells (typically associated with chronic antidepressant activity). Although inconclusive, the data also suggests that mirtazapine may reduce α2a-AR function. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Pharmacology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Lic.-avh. Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2005.