855 resultados para volunteers
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Hepatitis C is transmitted primarily parenterally by contaminated blood and is often associated with: intravenous drug abuse, invasive procedures, blood transfusions, acupuncture, tattooing, and alcohol and tobacco use. This study aimed to quantify and evaluate the risk factors among blood donors, volunteer blood donors and replacement individuals, infected or not by the C virus. The main transmission routes of C virus were identified in 55 men and 25 women (GI) monitored by the Ambulatory Unit of the Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, and in 24 men and 26 women (GII), all active blood donors at the Bauru State Hospital Transfusional Agency. Both groups were similar in: tobacco and alcohol consumption, sexual behavior, tattooing and illicit drug use. The duration of alcohol and tobacco consumption and blood transfusions in GI were longer, whereas the option for steady partners, condom use, disposable materials and piercings were predominant in GII. In conclusion, the risk factors for hepatitis C demonstrate the necessity of health policies that act on the primary and secondary prevention levels (respectively, reduction of infection incidence and hepatopathy risk).
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The joint sound is a common sign in TMD, the diagnosis is important to establish the treatment of pathological alterations which occur in the TMJ. In this study, two groups were selected: 1, Asymptomatic volunteers; and 2, Symptomatic patients who were diagnosed in a clinical examination. After the initial examination, they were submitted to evaluation using electrovibratography (SonoPAK II, BioResearch Assoc., Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin). The analysis of results indicated that the averages of the vibratory energy in the symptomatic group presented higher values in all stages of the mandibular movement when compared to the averages of vibratory energy registered in the asymptomatic group.
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The Wildlife Master (WM) Program in Colorado was modeled after the highly successful Master Gardener volunteer program. In 10 highly populated suburban counties with large rural areas surrounding the Denver Metro Area, Colorado State University (CSU) Cooperative Extension Natural Resources agents train, supervise and manage these volunteers in the identification, referral, and resolution of wildlife damage issues. High quality, research-based training is provided by university faculty and other professionals in public health, animal damage control, wildlife management and animal behavior. Inquiries are responded to mainly via telephone. Calls by concerned residents are forwarded to WMs who provide general information about human-wildlife conflicts and possible ways to resolve complaints. Each volunteer serves a minimum of 14 days on phone duty annually, calling in from a remote location to a voice mail system from which phone messages can be conveniently retrieved. Response time per call is generally less than 24 hours. During 2004, more than 2,000 phone calls, e-mail messages and walk-in requests for assistance were fielded by 100 cooperative extension WMs. Calls fielded by volunteers in one county increased five-fold during the past five years, from 100 calls to over 500 calls annually. Valued at the rate of approximately $18.00 per volunteer hour, the leveraged value of each WM was about $450 in 2005, based on 25 hours of service and training. The estimated value of the program to Colorado in 2004 was over $45,000 of in-kind service, or about one full-time equivalent faculty member. This paper describes components of Colorado’s WM Program, with guides to the set-up of similar programs in other states.
Nitric Oxide in the Exhaled Breath Condensate of Healthy Volunteers Collected With a Reusable Device
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Background: The analysis of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a non-invasive technique that enables the determination of several volatile and nonvolatile substances produced in the respiratory tract, whose measurement may be useful for the diagnosis and monitoring of several respiratory diseases. Objective: The aim of this study was to produce a low-cost reusable device in order to sample exhaled breath condensate in healthy adult volunteers, and to determine the concentration of nitric oxide in the sample collected. Material and methods: The apparatus was made with a U-shaped tube of borosilicate glass. The tube was placed in a container with ice, and unidirectional respiratory valves were fitted to the distal end. Afterwards, nitric oxide was measured in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) by chemiluminescence. Results: The total cost of the device was $120.20. EBC samples were obtained from 116 volunteers of both sexes, aged between 20 and 70. The mean volume of exhaled breath condensate collected during 10 minutes was 1.0 +/- 0.6 mL, and the mean level of nitric oxide was 12.99 +/- 14.38 mu M (median 8.72 mu M). There was no correlation between the nitric oxide levels in the exhaled breath condensate and age or gender. Conclusion: We demonstrate that it is possible to fabricate a low-cost, efficient, reusable device in order to collect and determine nitric oxide levels in EBC. We have identified no correlation between the nitric oxide levels present in the EBC obtained with this method with either age or sex. (C) 2011 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.
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Objective The objective of this study was to assess the acute effect of intranasally administered oxytocin (OT) on subjective states, cardiovascular, and endocrine parameters in healthy volunteers who inhaled 7.5% CO2. Methods Forty-five subjects were allocated into three matched groups of subjects who received 24?international units (IU) of OT, 2?mg of lorazepam (LZP), or placebo (PL). The challenge consisted of medical air inhalation for 20?min, 10?min of rest, and CO2 7.5% inhalation for 20?min. Subjective effects were evaluated by self-assessment scales; heart rate, blood pressure, skin conductance, and salivary cortisol were also measured. Assessments were performed at four time points: (i) baseline (-15?min); (ii) post-air inhalation (90?min); (iii) post-CO2 inhalation (120?min), and (iv) post-test (160?min). Results CO2 inhalation significantly increased the anxiety score in the PL group compared with the post-air measurement but not in the OT or LZP groups. The LZP reduced anxiety after medical air inhalation. Other parameters evaluated were not affected by OT. Conclusion OT, as well as LZP, prevented CO2-induced anxiety, suggesting that this hormone has anxiolytic properties. Copyright (C) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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We compared the effects of medium light roast (MLR) and medium roast (MR) paper-filtered coffee on antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxidation in healthy volunteers. In a randomized crossover study, 20 volunteers consumed 482 +/- 61 ml/day of MLR or MR for four weeks. Plasma total antioxidant status (TAS), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), oxidized LDL and 8-epi-prostaglandin F2 alpha, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) activity were measured at baseline and after the interventions. MLR had higher chlorogenic acids-(CGA; 334 mg/150 mL) and less caffeine (231 mg/150 ml) than MR had (210 and 244 mg/150 ml, respectively). MLR also had fewer Maillard reaction products (MRP) than MR had. Compared with baseline, subjects had an increase of 21 and 26 % in TAS, 13 and 13 % in CAT, 52 and 75 % in SOD, and 62 and 49 % in GPx after MLR and MR consumption (P < 0.001), respectively. ORAC increased after MLR (P = 0.004). No significant alteration in lipid peroxidation biomarkers was observed. Both coffees had antioxidant effects. Although MLR contained more CGA, there were similar antioxidant effects between the treatments. MRP may have contributed as an antioxidant. These effects may be important in protecting biological systems and reducing the risk of diseases related to oxidative stress.
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Objective: To compare two methods of respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP) calibration in three different positions. Methods: We evaluated 28 healthy subjects (18 women and 10 men), with a mean age of 25.4 +/- 3.9 years. For all of the subjects, isovolume maneuver calibration (ISOCAL) and qualitative diagnostic calibration (QDC) were used in the orthostatic, sitting, and supine positions. In order to evaluate the concordance between the two calibration methods, we used ANOVA and Bland-Altman plots. Results: The values of the constant of proportionality (X) were significantly different between ISOCAL and QDC in the three positions evaluated: 1.6 +/- 0.5 vs. 2.0 +/- 1.2, in the supine position, 2.5 +/- 0.8 vs. 0.6 +/- 0.3 in the sitting position, and 2.0 +/- 0.8 vs. 0.6 +/- 0.3 in the orthostatic position (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: Our results suggest that QDC is an inaccurate method for the calibration of RIP. The K values obtained with ISOCAL reveal that RIP should be calibrated for each position evaluated.
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Dettoni JL, Consolim-Colombo FM, Drager LF, Rubira MC, de Souza SB, Irigoyen MC, Mostarda C, Borile S, Krieger EM, Moreno H Jr, Lorenzi-Filho G. Cardiovascular effects of partial sleep deprivation in healthy volunteers. J Appl Physiol 113: 232-236, 2012. First published April 26, 2012; doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01604.2011.-Sleep deprivation is common in Western societies and is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in epidemiological studies. However, the effects of partial sleep deprivation on the cardiovascular system are poorly understood. In the present study, we evaluated 13 healthy male volunteers (age: 31 +/- 2 yr) monitoring sleep diary and wrist actigraphy during their daily routine for 12 nights. The subjects were randomized and crossover to 5 nights of control sleep (>7 h) or 5 nights of partial sleep deprivation (<5 h), interposed by 2 nights of unrestricted sleep. At the end of control and partial sleep deprivation periods, heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure variability (BPV), serum norepinephrine, and venous endothelial function (dorsal hand vein technique) were measured at rest in a supine position. The subjects slept 8.0 +/- 0.5 and 4.5 +/- 0.3 h during control and partial sleep deprivation periods, respectively (P < 0.01). Compared with control, sleep deprivation caused significant increase in sympathetic activity as evidenced by increase in percent low-frequency (50 +/- 15 vs. 59 +/- 8) and a decrease in percent high-frequency (50 +/- 10 vs. 41 +/- 8) components of HRV, increase in low-frequency band of BPV, and increase in serum norepinephrine (119 +/- 46 vs. 162 +/- 58 ng/ml), as well as a reduction in maximum endothelial dependent venodilatation (100 +/- 22 vs. 41 +/- 20%; P < 0.05 for all comparisons). In conclusion, 5 nights of partial sleep deprivation is sufficient to cause significant increase in sympathetic activity and venous endothelial dysfunction. These results may help to explain the association between short sleep and increased cardiovascular risk in epidemiological studies.
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Metronidazole is a BCS (Biopharmaceutics Classification System) class 1 drug, traditionally considered the choice drug in the infections treatment caused by protozoa and anaerobic microorganisms. This study aimed to evaluate bioequivalence between 2 different marketed 250 mg metronidazole immediate release tablets. A randomized, open-label, 2 x 2 crossover study was performed in healthy Brazilian volunteers under fasting conditions with a 7-day washout period. The formulations were administered as single oral dose and blood was sampled over 48 h. Metronidazole plasma concentrations were determined by a liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. The plasma concentration vs. time profile was generated for each volunteer and the pharmacokinetic parameters C-max, T-max, AUC(0-t), AUC(0-infinity), k(e), and t(1/2) were calculated using a noncompartmental model. Bioequivalence between pharmaceutical formulations was determined by calculating 90% CIs (Confidence Intervall) for the ratios of C-max, AUC(0-t), and AUC(0-infinity) values for test and reference using log-transformed data. 22 healthy volunteers (11 men, 11 women; mean (SD) age, 28 (6.5) years [range, 21-45 years]; mean (SD) weight, 66 (9.3) kg [range, 51-81 kg]; mean (SD) height, 169 (6.5) cm [range, 156-186 cm]) were enrolled in and completed the study. The 90% CIs for C-max (0.92-1.06), AUC(0-t) (0.97-1.02), and AUC(0-infinity) (0.97-1.03) values for the test and reference products fitted in the interval of 0.80-1.25 proposed by most regulatory agencies, including the Brazilian agency ANVISA. No clinically significant adverse effects were reported. After pharmacokinetics analysis, it concluded that test 250 mg metronidazole formulation is bioequivalent to the reference product according to the Brazilian agency requirements.
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Motor imagery, passive movement, and movement observation have been suggested to activate the sensorimotor system without overt movement. The present study investigated these three covert movement modes together with overt movement in a within-subject design to allow for a fine-grained comparison of their abilities in activating the sensorimotor system, i.e. premotor, primary motor, and somatosensory cortices. For this, 21 healthy volunteers underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In addition we explored the abilities of the different covert movement modes in activating the sensorimotor system in a pilot study of 5 stroke patients suffering from chronic severe hemiparesis. Results demonstrated that while all covert movement modes activated sensorimotor areas, there were profound differences between modes and between healthy volunteers and patients. In healthy volunteers, the pattern of neural activation in overt execution was best resembled by passive movement, followed by motor imagery, and lastly by movement observation. In patients, attempted overt execution was best resembled by motor imagery, followed by passive movement and lastly by movement observation. Our results indicate that for severely hemiparetic stroke patients motor imagery may be the preferred way to activate the sensorimotor system without overt behavior. In addition, the clear differences between the covert movement modes point to the need for within-subject comparisons. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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A method for the simultaneous quantification of lycopene, beta-carotene, retinol and alpha-tocopherol by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with Vis/fluorescence detection with isocratic elution was optimized and validated. The method consists of a rapid and simple liquid-liquid extraction procedure and a posterior quantification of extracted supernatants by HPLC. Aliquots of plasma were stored at -20 degrees C for three months for stability study. The methodology was applied to samples from painters and individuals not exposed to paints (n = 75). The assay was linear for all vitamins (r > 0.99). Intra-and inter-run precisions were obtained with coefficient of variation smaller than 5%. The accuracies ranged from 0.29 to -5.80% and recoveries between 92.73 and 101.97%. Plasma samples and extracted supernatants were stable for 60 days at -20 degrees C. A significant decrease of lycopene, beta-carotene and retinol concentrations in plasma from exposed individuals compared to non-exposed individuals (p < 0.05) was observed. The method is simple, reproducible, precise, accurate and sensitive, and can be routinely utilized in clinical laboratories.
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Lodenafil carbonate is a new phosphodiesterase Type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor used in treatment of erectile dysfunction. Objective: The present study was conducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of lodenafil carbonate after administering ascending (1 - 100 mg) single oral doses to healthy male volunteers (n = 33). Methods: The study was an open-label, dose-escalation, Phase I clinical trial involving the administration of single oral doses of lodenafil carbonate. Lodenafil carbonate was administered sequentially, escalating in single doses of 1 mg - 100 mg with a washout period of at least 1 week between each dose. The progression to the next dose was allowed after clinical and laboratory exams, Ambulatory Monitoring of Arterial Pressure (AMAP) without relevant clinical modifications and adverse events without clinical relevancy. Blood samples were collected at pre-dose, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 and 24 h post-dosing. Plasma samples for measurement of lodenafil carbonate and lodenafil were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Results: No serious adverse events were observed, and none of the subjects discontinued the study due to intolerance. The AMAP measurements, clinical and laboratory exams and ECG revealed no significant changes even at higher doses. Lodenafil carbonate was not detected in any samples, indicating that it acts as a prodrug. The mean lodenafil pharmacokinetic parameters for t(max) and t(1/2) were 1.6 (+/- 0.4) h and 3.3 (+/- 1.1) h, respectively. This study demonstrated that lodenafil carbonate was well tolerated and showed a good safety profile in healthy male volunteers.
Resumo:
A method for the simultaneous quantification of lycopene, β-carotene, retinol and α-tocopherol by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with Vis/fluorescence detection with isocratic elution was optimized and validated. The method consists of a rapid and simple liquid-liquid extraction procedure and a posterior quantification of extracted supernatants by HPLC. Aliquots of plasma were stored at -20°C for three months for stability study. The methodology was applied to samples from painters and individuals not exposed to paints (n = 75). The assay was linear for all vitamins (r > 0.99). Intra- and inter-run precisions were obtained with coefficient of variation smaller than 5%. The accuracies ranged from 0.29 to -5.80% and recoveries between 92.73 and 101.97%. Plasma samples and extracted supernatants were stable for 60 days at -20°C. A significant decrease of lycopene, β-carotene and retinol concentrations in plasma from exposed individuals compared to non-exposed individuals (p < 0.05) was observed. The method is simple, reproducible, precise, accurate and sensitive, and can be routinely utilized in clinical laboratories.
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To study the changes in blood volume and hormones controlling sodium and water homeostasis after infusions of 0.9% saline, Gelofusine (4% succinylated gelatin in 0.7% saline, weight-average molecular weight 30 kD), and Voluven (6% hydroxyethyl starch in 0.9% saline, weight-average molecular weight 130 kD) in healthy volunteers.
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High-resolution ultrasound is becoming increasingly important in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Most studies define cut-off values of the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve in different locations. The individual range of nerve swelling, the size of the nerve, and its CSA are not addressed. The aim of the study is to define the intra- and interobserver reliability of diagnostic ultrasound using two different cross-sectional areas of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel in predefined locations.