196,455 research outputs found
Dynamic CFD modelling of thermal mass and air movement
No full textTo the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that adaptive control techniques have been used to ‘freeze’ airflow equations in order to reduce simulation times in dynamic CFD modelling. The technique is currently being used in a project funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research to investigate night cooling strategies.
This work was carried out in collaboration with Prof Dr Peter Pfrommer at Coburg University in Germany. The lead author, Zitzmann, was the PhD student on the project supervised by Cook and Pfrommer
ENDOGENOUS PROGESTERONE AS WELL AS THE EXOGENOUS PROGESTIN NORETHISTERNONE ENENTHATE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A PRO-INFLAMMATORY PROFILE IN HEALTHY MEN.
No full textCONTEXT: Inflammatory processes are related to atherosclerosis. Identification of inflammation triggers may furnish new therapeutic pathways. In women, progestins can have a marked inflammatory capacity. OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: We investigated the effects of progesterone in men within the setting of two independent trials. First, the relation of endogenous progesterone levels to inflammation markers was assessed in 67 healthy nonsmoking Caucasian men (age, 20-50 yr) on a cross-sectional basis. Second, in a longitudinal controlled trial (52 wk) involving 28 healthy men receiving i.m. medication, we determined the effects of an exogenous progestin (norethisterone enanthate 200 mg) in combination with a long-acting testosterone preparation (testosterone undecanoate 1000 mg) administered to avoid androgen deficiency caused by pituitary-hypothalamic feedback. Controls received testosterone plus placebo. RESULTS: In the cross-sectional study, progesterone levels were positively related to concentrations of IL-6 (r = 0.41; P < 0.001), C-reactive protein (r = 0.37; P = 0.007), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (r = 0.28; P = 0.02), E-selectin (r = 0.45; P < 0.001), leptin (r = 0.42; P < 0.001), neutrophils (r = 0.62; P < 0.001), and serum protein fractions alpha-1 (r = 0.44; P < 0.001) and alpha-2 (r = 0.36; P = 0.002). During the pharmacological trial, the testosterone/progestin group exhibited a marked increase of IL-6 concentrations (P < 0.001), whereas these decreased in the testosterone/placebo group (P = 0.03). Antiinflammatory IL-10 levels decreased in the group receiving testosterone/progestin (P = 0.01) but did not change in the testosterone/placebo group. CONCLUSION: Progesterone concentrations correspond to an inflammatory profile in healthy men, and external progestins elicit a similar effect. Men receiving regimens for hormonal male contraception involving progestins should be monitored for inflammatory effects. Speculatively, testosterone treatment decreasing endogenous progesterone production may facilitate beneficial effects on inflammation profiles even in eugonadal men
Supplementary materials to: Dynamics of respect: Evidence from two different national and political contexts
No full textSupplementary materials to: Reininger, K. M., Schaefer, C. D., Zitzmann, S., & Simon, B. (2020). Dynamics of respect: Evidence from two different national and political contexts. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 8(2), 542-559. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v8i2.1199The Supplementary Materials contain further multi-level analyses of Studies 1 and 2.notReviewedpublishedVersio
T variant
No full textbackground there is a strong within-subject alteration of semen parameters in men with infertility. however, it remains unknown in which subgroup variations are likely to occur and which semen parameters are affected. objective to evaluate parameters associated with spontaneous alterations in semen analysis. patients and methods we retrospectively selected 3456 men with infertility without known causes affecting spermatogenesis or sperm output for analysis of repeated ejaculate samples. exclusion criteria comprised sperm concentration <1 million/mL, abnormal follicle-stimulating hormone or low testosterone, and low bitesticular volume (<10 mL). grouped linear two-level nested mixed-effect models were applied. the analyzed parameters included abstinence time, bitesticular volume, age, accessory gland markers, follicle-stimulating hormone, and FSHB c.-211 variants. results groups include A (n = 397): >= 1.0 to <5.0 million/mL, B (n = 708): >= 5.0 to <15.0 million/mL, and C (n = 2351): >= 15.0 million/mL. groups A, B, and C: changes in ejaculate volume were associated with alterations in total sperm count and motility (p < 0.003). changes were, controlled for abstinence time (p < 0.001), related to alpha-glucosidase, fructose, or zinc (p = 0.005-0.02). group A + B: fluctuations in follicle-stimulating hormone level influenced sperm concentration/count (p = 0.004-0.02), albeit only in men with FSHB c.-211 GG (p = 0.007-0.02). T-allele carriers did not show changes in follicle-stimulating hormone levels (p > 0.1). Group B: age <50 years (p = 0.007-0.01) and normal bitesticular volume (p = 0.008-0.02) were associated with spontaneous increases in sperm concentration, count, and motility. conclusion semen parameters exhibit intra-individual alterations associated with organic, hormonal, and genetic variables. changes are pronounced in younger men with normal bitesticular volume and oligozoospermia to almost normozoospermia. the effect is modulated by abstinence time, accessory gland function, and fluctuations in follicle-stimulating hormone level, which is bound to FSHB c.-211G>T variant. Judgment of semen analysis should be based on two semen samples, with abstinence times between 4 and 5 days. as a future perspective, it might be investigated whether younger men with normal bitesticular volume who are unable to elicit increases in serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSHB c.-211 genotype of GT/TT) benefit from improving accessory gland function and increasing follicle-stimulating hormone
Serum adiponectine levels in hypogonadal males: influence of testosterone replacement therapy.
No full textOBJECTIVE: Adiponectin is an adipocyte-specific secretory protein which exhibits antiatherogenic, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic properties. We hypothesized that testosterone plays an important role in the regulation of its secretion in humans, as adiponectin concentrations are higher in women than in men and as testosterone administration is accompanied by a reduction in serum adiponectin in animals and by reduced protein secretion in cultured adipocytes. This study aimed to evaluate adiponectin levels in hypogonadal men prior to and during testosterone replacement therapy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In a retrospective study, adiponectin, total and free testosterone, oestradiol, SHBG, total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were evaluated in 31 hypogonadal men [HM; age, mean +/- SEM: 36.5 +/- 2.4 years; body mass index (BMI) 24.6 +/- 0.8 kg/m2] and 29 weight-matched eugonadal men (EM; age 30.8 +/- 1.5 years; BMI 23.4 +/- 0.6 kg/m2). In 13 HM (age 33.9 +/- 3.2 years; BMI 24.2 +/- 0.9 kg/m2) the same parameters were also evaluated after 6 months of testosterone replacement therapy. Correlation analysis between adiponectin and hormonal, biochemical and anthropometric parameters was performed in all subjects. RESULTS: Testosterone, free testosterone and oestradiol concentrations were significantly lower in HM than in EM (4.4 +/- 0.4 nmol/l, 78.4 +/- 10.9 pmol/l and 36.1 +/- 3.0 pmol/l, respectively, in HM vs. 21.9 +/- 0.7 nmol/l, 507.9 +/- 13.8 pmol/l and 65.2 +/- 1.8 pmol/l, respectively, in EM, P < 0.0001), while SHBG levels in HM were higher than in EM (54.4 +/- 7.5 vs. 30.9 +/- 2.2 nmol/l, P < 0.005). Serum adiponectin levels in HM were significantly higher than in EM (9.53 +/- 0.73 vs. 6.80 +/- 0.55 microg/ml, P < 0.01). Calculation of the Pearson coefficient showed that adiponectin levels in HM were not correlated with any of the anthropometric and hormonal parameters examined, but showed a significant negative correlation with serum triglycerides (r = -0.38, P < 0.05). Serum adiponectin levels were negatively correlated with body weight (r = -0.41, P < 0.05) in EM but not with other anthropometric, hormonal or biochemical parameters. Six months after initiation of testosterone replacement therapy, which increased testosterone and free testosterone levels to the normal range, adiponectin levels were significantly reduced in HM (6.37 +/- 0.93 vs. 9.26 +/- 1.01 microg/ml, P < 0.01) and similar to those recorded in EM. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to eugonadal subjects, hypogonadal men show higher adiponectin levels which are reduced by testosterone replacement therapy. This study indicates that testosterone exerts a regulatory role on adiponectin secretion in humans
Supplementary materials to: The meaning of respect under varying context conditions
No full textSupplementary materials to: Schaefer, C. D., Zitzmann, S., Loreth, L., Paffrath, J., Grabow, H., Loewy, M., & Simon, B. (2021). The meaning of respect under varying context conditions. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 9(2), 536-552. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.7313The Supplementary Materials contain the following items:
- Online Appendix A: Original items used in the studies and their English translations.
- Online Appendix B: Means, standard deviations, and intercorrelations for the main variables
Adverse effects of 5α-reductase inhibitors: What do we know, don't know, and need to know?
No full textSteroids are important physiological orchestrators of endocrine as well as peripheral and central nervous system functions. One of the key processes for regulation of these molecules lies in their enzymatic processing by a family of 5α-reductase (5α-Rs) isozymes. By catalyzing a key rate-limiting step in steroidogenesis, this family of enzymes exerts a crucial role not only in the physiological control but also in pathological events. Indeed, both 5α-R inhibition and supplementation of 5α-reduced metabolites are currently used or have been proposed as therapeutic strategies for a wide array of pathological conditions. In particular, the potent 5α-R inhibitors finasteride and dutasteride are used in the treatments of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), as well as in male pattern hair loss (MPHL) known as androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Recent preclinical and clinical findings indicate that 5α-R inhibitors evoke not only beneficial, but also adverse effects. Future studies should investigate the biochemical and physiological mechanisms that underlie the persistence of the adverse sexual side effects to determine why a subset of patients is afflicted with such persistence or irreversible adverse effects. Also a better focus of clinical research is urgently needed to better define those subjects who are likely to be adversely affected by such agents. Furthermore, research on the non-sexual adverse effects such as diabetes, psychosis, depression, and cognitive function are needed to better understand the broad spectrum of the effects these drugs may elicit during their use in treatment of AGA or BPH. In this review, we will summarize the state of art on this topic, overview the key unresolved questions that have emerged on the pharmacological targeting of these enzymes and their products, and highlight the need for further studies to ascertain the severity and duration of the adverse effects of 5α-R inhibitors, as well as their biological underpinnings
Serum concentrations of dihydrotestosterone are associated with symptoms of hypogonadism in biochemically eugonadal men
No full textPurpose: Symptoms of hypogonadism are often reported by subjects with normal serum testosterone (T) levels. We aimed to assess the association between clinical symptoms in andrological outpatients and sex steroids levels. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional cohort study in an Academic clinic and research unit. International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF, EF domain) and Aging Males Symptoms scale (AMS) questionnaires were completed by 635 and 574 men, respectively (mean age: 47.3 ± 13.9 and 47.4 ± 13.8 years, p = 0.829), free of interfering medications with complaints possibly related to hypogonadism. Results: Serum total/free T as well as dihydro-T (DHT) was associated with IIEF-EF and AMS scores in the overall population using univariate analyses. Multivariate approaches revealed DHT concentrations in subjects with normal T levels (n = 416, Total T > 12 nmol/L) to be significant predictors of AMS scores. A 0.1 nmol/l serum DHT increase within the eugonadal range was associated with a 4.67% decrease in odds of having worse symptoms (p = 0.011). In men with biochemical hypogonadism (Total T < 12 nmol/L), total and free T rather than DHT were associated with AMS results. This association was not found for IIEF-EF scores. Indirect effects of age and BMI were seen for relations with hormone concentrations but not questionnaire scores. Conclusion: DHT can be associated with symptoms of hypogonadism in biochemically eugonadal men. Serum DHT measurement might be helpful once the diagnosis of hypogonadism has been ruled out but should not be routinely included in the primary diagnostic process
Recent trends and future direction of dental research in the digital era
No full textThe digital transformation in dental medicine, based on electronic health data information, is recognized as one of the major game-changers of the 21st century to tackle present and upcoming challenges in dental and oral healthcare. This opinion letter focuses on the estimated top five trends and innovations of this new digital era, with potential to decisively influence the direction of dental research: (1) rapid prototyping (RP), (2) augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), (3) artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), (4) personalized (dental) medicine, and (5) tele-healthcare. Digital dentistry requires managing expectations pragmatically and ensuring transparency for all stakeholders: patients, healthcare providers, university and research institutions, the medtech industry, insurance, public media, and state policy. It should not be claimed or implied that digital smart data technologies will replace humans providing dental expertise and the capacity for patient empathy. The dental team that controls digital applications remains the key and will continue to play the central role in treating patients. In this context, the latest trend word is created: augmented intelligence, e.g., the meaningful combination of digital applications paired with human qualities and abilities in order to achieve improved dental and oral healthcare, ensuring quality of life
Dr. Duane M. Jackson, Morehouse College, July 2011
No full textThis video is a conversation with Dr. Duane M. Jackson. Dr. Jackson talks about his paper, "Recall and the Serial Position Effect: The Role of Primacy and Recency on Accounting Students' Performance." Jackie Daniel, AUC Woodruff Library, is the interviewer
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