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Although health and other benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child have been repeatedly shown, there is still a large proportion of women who do not initiate or continue breastfeeding. The aim of the current study is to analyze the contribution of the presentation of advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding in developing an attitude towards breastfeeding among Dutch and Flemish women of reproductive age. In a functional measurement experiment factorial combinations of advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding were presented to a group of women between 18 and 45 years. Women rated their attitude towards breastfeeding after each presentation of a combination of arguments. The results show that information on health related advantages produces the most positive attitude towards breastfeeding. Practical disadvantages were found to be the least important determinants of attitude. Three types of response patterns could be distinguished using cluster analysis. Although an averaging type integration rule was expected, the results suggest that some women do not take all information from the presented advantages and disadvantages into account to form an overall attitude towards breastfeeding. One cluster showed no main effect for advantages, only a small effect for disadvantages, but a main effect of attitude prior to the experiment. The second cluster showed a large main effect for advantages and only a modest effect for disadvantages. In the third cluster, both advantages and disadvantages impacted similarly on attitude. An averaging type integration rule could be discerned in the second and the third cluster. The current results imply that campaigns to promote breastfeeding should take into account differences between target populations. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

Studies in rodents suggest that flumazenil is a P-glycoprotein substrate at the blood-brain barrier. This study aimed to assess whether [11C]flumazenil is a P-glycoprotein substrate in humans and to what extent increased P-glycoprotein function in epilepsy may confound interpretation of clinical [11C]flumazenil studies used to assess gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptors. Nine drug-resistant patients with epilepsy and mesial temporal sclerosis were scanned twice using[11C]flumazenil before and after partial P-glycoprotein blockade with tariquidar. Volume of distribution, nondisplaceable binding potential, and the ratio of rate constants of [11C]flumazenil transport across the blood-brain barrier (K1/k2) were derived for whole brain and several regions. All parameters were compared between pre- and post-tariquidar scans. Regional results were compared between mesial temporal sclerosis and contralateral sides. Tariquidar significantly increased global K1/k2 (+23%) and volume of distribution (+10%), but not nondisplaceable binding potential. At the mesial temporal sclerosis side volume of distribution and nondisplaceable binding potential were lower in hippocampus (both ~-19%) and amygdala (both ~-16%), but K1/k2 did not differ, suggesting that only regional gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor density is altered in epilepsy. In conclusion, although [11C]flumazenil appears to be a (weak) P-glyco-protein substrate in humans, this does not seem to affect its role as a tracer for assessing gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(−)-OSU6162 is a dopamine stabilizer that can counteract both hyperdopaminergic and hypodopaminergic states. In this study, D2/D3 receptor occupancy of (−)-OSU6162 in the human brain was investigated using positron emission tomography (PET). Twelve male healthy volunteers underwent [11C]raclopride PET scanning before and 1 h after a single oral dose of (−)-OSU6162 (15-90 mg). Blood samples for determination of (−)-OSU6162 and prolactin plasma levels were collected at Tmax. Parametric images of [11C]raclopride binding potential relative to nondisplaceable tissue (cerebellar grey matter) uptake (BPND) at baseline and after (−)-OSU6162 administration were generated using the simplified reference tissue model. MRI-based regions of interest were defined for the striatum, composed of caudate nucleus and putamen, and projected onto the co-registered parametric [11C]raclopride BPND image. Furthermore, three striatal subregions, ie, anterior dorsal caudate, anterior dorsal putamen, and ventral striatum, were defined manually and additionally analyzed. Plasma concentrations of (−)-OSU6162, ranging from 0.01 to 0.9 μM, showed a linear relationship with prolactin levels, reflecting blockade of pituitary D2 receptors. A concentration-dependent increase in striatal D2/D3 receptor occupancy was observed, reaching a value of about 20% at an (−)-OSU6162 plasma level of 0.2 μM, and which for higher concentrations leveled off to a maximal occupancy of about 40%. Findings were similar in the striatal subregions. The present data corroborate the notion that (−)-OSU6162 binds preferentially to a subpopulation of D2/D3 receptors, possibly predominantly extrasynaptic, and this may form the basis for the dopamine-stabilizing properties of (−)-OSU6162. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although health and other benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child have been repeatedly shown, there is still a large proportion of women who do not initiate or continue breastfeeding. The aim of the current study is to analyze the contribution of the presentation of advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding in developing an attitude towards breastfeeding among Dutch and Flemish women of reproductive age. In a functional measurement experiment factorial combinations of advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding were presented to a group of women between 18 and 45 years. Women rated their attitude towards breastfeeding after each presentation of a combination of arguments. The results show that information on health related advantages produces the most positive attitude towards breastfeeding. Practical disadvantages were found to be the least important determinants of attitude. Three types of response patterns could be distinguished using cluster analysis. Although an averaging type integration rule was expected, the results suggest that some women do not take all information from the presented advantages and disadvantages into account to form an overall attitude towards breastfeeding. One cluster showed no main effect for advantages, only a small effect for disadvantages, but a main effect of attitude prior to the experiment. The second cluster showed a large main effect for advantages and only a modest effect for disadvantages. In the third cluster, both advantages and disadvantages impacted similarly on attitude. An averaging type integration rule could be discerned in the second and the third cluster. The current results imply that campaigns to promote breastfeeding should take into account differences between target populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major event in the human life course is the move to a care center. In order for this transition to be successful, it is important that a care center creates the right conditions to achieve that residents feel at home and satisfied. The aim of this study is to investigate which characteristics are important for this,  according to the employees of care centers in the Netherlands. First a limited list of 15 characteristics has been constructed on the basis of literature research. With the help of the Delphi method, in three rounds, employees of Dutch care institutions were then asked about the importance of these characteristics for a successful adaptation of residents to the new living environment and they were asked to provide additional comments. Based on this, characteristics have been reformulated, added or removed. The result after the third round was a high degree of agreement on the characteristics that were considered (very) important. The attribute 'respect', scored in all three rounds the highest, followed directly by the characteristics 'approach' and 'safety'. There was a high degree of agreement about the most important characteristics between the different job levels (such as employee care or supervisor).

In this study, the performance of various methods for generating quantitative parametric images of dynamic 11 C-phenytoin PET studies was evaluated. Methods: Double-baseline 60-min dynamic 11 C-phenytoin PET studies, including online arterial sampling, were acquired for 6 healthy subjects. Parametric images were generated using Logan plot analysis, a basis function method, and spectral analysis. Parametric distribution volume (V T ) and influx rate ( K 1 ) were compared with those obtained from nonlinear regression analysis of time-activity curves. In addition, global and regional test-retest (TRT) variability was determined for parametric K 1 and V T values. Results: Biases in V T observed with all parametric methods were less than 5%. For K 1 , spectral analysis showed a negative bias of 16%. The mean TRT variabilities of V T and K 1 were less than 10% for all methods. Shortening the scan duration to 45 min provided similar V T and K 1 with comparable TRT performance compared with 60-min data. Conclusion: Among the various parametric methods tested, the basis function method provided parametric V T and K 1 values with the least bias compared with nonlinear regression data and showed TRT variabilities lower than 5%, also for smaller volume-of-interest sizes (i.e., higher noise levels) and shorter scan duration., (© 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

(-)-OSU6162 is a dopamine stabilizer that can counteract both hyperdopaminergic and hypodopaminergic states. In this study, D2/D3 receptor occupancy of (-)-OSU6162 in the human brain was investigated using positron emission tomography (PET). Twelve male healthy volunteers underwent [(11)C]raclopride PET scanning before and 1 h after a single oral dose of (-)-OSU6162 (15-90 mg). Blood samples for determination of (-)-OSU6162 and prolactin plasma levels were collected at Tmax. Parametric images of [(11)C]raclopride binding potential relative to nondisplaceable tissue (cerebellar grey matter) uptake (BPND) at baseline and after (-)-OSU6162 administration were generated using the simplified reference tissue model. MRI-based regions of interest were defined for the striatum, composed of caudate nucleus and putamen, and projected onto the co-registered parametric [(11)C]raclopride BPND image. Furthermore, three striatal subregions, ie, anterior dorsal caudate, anterior dorsal putamen, and ventral striatum, were defined manually and additionally analyzed. Plasma concentrations of (-)-OSU6162, ranging from 0.01 to 0.9 μM, showed a linear relationship with prolactin levels, reflecting blockade of pituitary D2 receptors. A concentration-dependent increase in striatal D2/D3 receptor occupancy was observed, reaching a value of about 20% at an (-)-OSU6162 plasma level of 0.2 μM, and which for higher concentrations leveled off to a maximal occupancy of about 40%. Findings were similar in the striatal subregions. The present data corroborate the notion that (-)-OSU6162 binds preferentially to a subpopulation of D2/D3 receptors, possibly predominantly extrasynaptic, and this may form the basis for the dopamine-stabilizing properties of (-)-OSU6162.