An exploratory study Evaluating the impact of opioid and non-opioid pain medications on serum/plasma free testosterone and free estradiol concentrations

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1555-1560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie A. Ray ◽  
Mark M. Kushnir ◽  
A. Wayne Meikle ◽  
Jill E. Sindt ◽  
Frederick G. Strathmann
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Free Testosterone ◽  
Pain Medications ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Free Estradiol

Motivation for the Pastoral Profession in the Netherlands

2000 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hessel J. Zondag
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Pastoral Ministry ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Organizational Psychology ◽  
Expectancy Theory ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Item Questionnaire ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Protestant Denominations

Expectancy theory has been utilized by organizational psychology to explore the expectations and valuations of individuals in various professions. This study employs expectancy theory to clergy, investigating pastors' personal motivations, or values, for assuming pastoral ministry and the subsequent expectation that these values will be honored by their activities within the pastorate. The responses of 235 pastors from Catholic and Protestant denominations on a 24-item questionnaire devised to gauge pastoral motivation and adapted to assess pastoral expectations were factor analyzed and correlated in this exploratory study. The analysis yielded four robust factors. The first two motives found to be dominant were the pursuit of a Christian Way of Life and Anthropocentric Altruism. Anthropocentric Egoism and Theocentric Egoism, although secondary motivations, were theoretically meaningful in the understanding of pastoral motivations and expectations. The impact of expectations upon pastoral well-being and resilience against burnout is discussed.

Marital Satisfaction of Portuguese Families in Times of Social Lockdown

2021 ◽  
pp. 106648072110098
Author(s):  
Carla Sílvia Fernandes ◽  
Bruno Magalhães ◽  
Sílvia Silva ◽  
Beatriz Edra
Keyword(s):  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Marital Relations ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family ◽  
Convenience Sampling ◽  
Global Threat ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a global threat and crisis situation, and its wide-reaching impact has also affected marital satisfaction. Dysfunction of the marital system puts the survival of the family unit at risk. This research aimed to determine the level of marital satisfaction of Portuguese families during the social lockdown and the association between the variables under study. A descriptive, exploratory study was conducted. During the social lockdown, 276 people of Portuguese nationality and residing in Portugal were recruited using nonprobabilistic convenience sampling. Marital satisfaction in the pandemic phase showed low values that may be associated with the social, economic, and political context experienced by the pandemic situation. Future research must be carried out in order to identify, prevent, and intervene in situations of violence. In addition, future research should explore not only marital satisfaction during the current pandemic but a more systemic assessment of marital relations during crises, expanding the impact of marital satisfaction in family functioning.

scholarly journals Hyperandrogenism by Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry in PCOS: Focus on Testosterone and Androstenedione

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 119
Author(s):  
Giorgia Grassi ◽  
Elisa Polledri ◽  
Silvia Fustinoni ◽  
Iacopo Chiodini ◽  
Ferruccio Ceriotti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Liquid Chromatography ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Free Testosterone ◽  
Reference Intervals ◽  
Model Assessment ◽  
Homeostatic Model Assessment ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

The identification of hyperandrogenism in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is concerning because of the poor accuracy of the androgen immunoassays (IA) and controversies regarding which androgens should be measured. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of the assessment of testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A) by liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS), in the diagnosis of PCOS. We evaluated 131 patients referred for suspected PCOS. Fourteen patients in total were excluded, some because of other diagnosis (n = 7) or incomplete diagnostic workup (n = 7). We measured T and A both by IA and LC-MS/MS in the 117 subjects included. We calculated free T (fT) by the Vermeulen formula and recorded clinical and metabolic data. 73 healthy females served as controls to derive immunoassays (IA) and LC-MS/MS reference intervals for T, fT and A. PCOS was confirmed in 90 subjects by IA and in 93 (+3.3%) by LC-MS/MS. The prevalence of biochemical hyperandrogenism in PCOS by LC-MS/MS increased from 81.7% to 89.2% if A was also considered. The most frequently elevated androgens were fT (73.1%) and A (64.5%) and they had similar levels of accuracy in differentiating PCOS and controls (0.34 ng/dL, Sn 91% Sp 89%; 1.16 ng/mL, Sn 91% Sp 88%, respectively). Free testosterone correlated with body mass index (BMI), homeostatic model assessment (HOMA)-index, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and sex-binding globulin (SHBG). The results confirm that LC-MS/MS is slightly more sensitive than IA in the diagnosis of PCOS with LC-MS/MS detecting higher levels of fT and A. Moreover, assessment of fT and A by LC-MS/MS had a similar level of accuracy in discriminating between PCOs and control subjects. Lastly, fT by LC-MS/MS correlates with adverse metabolic parameters.

Exploratory study of the impact of project domain and size category on the detection of the God class design smell

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid Alkharabsheh ◽  
Yania Crespo ◽  
Manuel Fernández-Delgado ◽  
José R. Viqueira ◽  
José A. Taboada
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Size Category ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals An Exploratory Study of Length and Frequency of Internet Banking Usage

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-85
Author(s):  
Booi Hon Kam ◽  
Hernan Riquelme
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Foreign Exchange ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Internet Banking ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Market Segments ◽  
Customer Base ◽  
Banking Service ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Exchange Transactions

The advent of Internet has provided banks an opportunity to reduce costs, increase customer base, and mass customize by delivering their products and services through this medium. A flurry of studies on Internet banking (IB) has since emerged. The majority of these studies, however, have been directed to either IB adoption or IB service quality delivery. With few exceptions, the impact that customer satisfaction with e-banking service qualities has on IB usage remains unexplored. This study examines a sample of Australian IB users based on their frequency and length of usage. The results show that as customers become more acclimatized to IB, they use these services more often. Further, daily and frequent IB users are more pleased with “ease of use” and “aesthetics” and tend to use IB more for electronic fund transfer and foreign exchange transactions than the less frequent users. The findings suggest that banks need to develop more customized services since there are distinct market segments with different banking requirements.

The impact of culture in TV advertising behaviour: an exploratory study in Southeast Asia

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 422
Author(s):  
Demetris Vrontis ◽  
Andriani Susanti ◽  
Ioanna Papasolomou
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Tv Advertising ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Reduced-Calorie Dietary Weight Loss, Exercise, and Sex Hormones in Postmenopausal Women: Randomized Controlled Trial

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (19) ◽  
pp. 2314-2326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin L. Campbell ◽  
Karen E. Foster-Schubert ◽  
Catherine M. Alfano ◽  
Chia-Chi Wang ◽  
Ching-Yun Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Free Testosterone ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Weight Loss Diet ◽  
Vigorous Intensity ◽  
Free Estradiol

Purpose Estrogens and androgens are elevated in obesity and associated with increased postmenopausal breast cancer risk, but the effect of weight loss on these biomarkers is unknown. We evaluated the individual and combined effects of a reduced-calorie weight loss diet and exercise on serum sex hormones in overweight and obese postmenopausal women. Patients and Methods We conducted a single-blind, 12-month, randomized controlled trial from 2005 to 2009. Participants (age 50 to 75 years; body mass index > 25.0 kg/m2, exercising < 100 minutes/wk) were randomly assigned using a computer-generated sequence to (1) reduced-calorie weight loss diet (“diet”; n = 118), (2) moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise (“exercise”; n = 117), (3) combined reduced-calorie weight loss diet and moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise (“diet + exercise”; n = 117), or (4) control (n = 87). Outcomes were estrone concentration (primary) and estradiol, free estradiol, total testosterone, free testosterone, androstenedione, and sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations (secondary). Results Mean age and body mass index were 58 years and 30.9 kg/m2, respectively. Compared with controls, estrone decreased 9.6% (P = .001) with diet, 5.5% (P = .01) with exercise, and 11.1% (P < .001) with diet + exercise. Estradiol decreased 16.2% (P < .001) with diet, 4.9% (P = .10) with exercise, and 20.3% (P < .001) with diet + exercise. SHBG increased 22.4% (P < .001) with diet and 25.8% (P < .001) with diet + exercise. Free estradiol decreased 21.4% (P < .001) with diet and 26.0% (P < .001) with diet + exercise. Free testosterone decreased 10.0% (P < .001) with diet and 15.6% (P < .001) with diet + exercise. Greater weight loss produced stronger effects on estrogens and SHBG. Conclusion Weight loss significantly lowered serum estrogens and free testosterone, supporting weight loss for risk reduction through lowering exposure to breast cancer biomarkers.

scholarly journals Strategies Older New Zealanders Use to Participate in Day-To-Day Occupations

2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 509-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Hocking ◽  
Juanita Murphy ◽  
Kirk Reed
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Older People ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Falls Prevention ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
The Impact

Aim: This exploratory study aimed to uncover the strategies that older adults employ to ameliorate the impact of impairments and barriers to participation. Method: Eight participants were interviewed in their own homes, in a town or city in New Zealand. Findings: Inductive analysis of data revealed four main categories of strategies: strategies to keep safe, to recruit and accept help, to meet social and biological needs (nutritional and medical), and to conserve financial, material and bodily resources. Discussion: The study supports some previous findings of strategies used by older people, and demonstrates that enquiring into the strategies that older people devise and adopt into their own lives is a productive line of inquiry. The strategies described differ from those that occupational therapists recommend, and do not incorporate public health messages about the benefits of physical activity or recommendations about falls prevention. Conclusion: The findings suggest that asking older clients about the strategies that they use will uncover valuable information for therapists giving advice or issuing equipment to help older adults to manage in the community.

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