Research Triangle Park

About: Research Triangle Park is a nonprofit organization based out in Durham, North Carolina, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Receptor. The organization has 24961 authors who have published 35800 publications receiving 1684504 citations. The organization is also known as: RTP.

Prevalence of Low Sexual Desire and Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder in a Nationally Representative Sample of US Women

Abstract: Background We sought to estimate the prevalence of low sexual desire and hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in US women, focusing on their menopausal status Methods We performed a cross-sectional study From a probability sample of households, 2207 US women aged 30 to 70 years and in stable relationships (≥3 months) were interviewed by telephone The analysis focused on 755 premenopausal women and 552 naturally and 637 surgically menopausal women Low sexual desire was defined using the Profile of Female Sexual Function desire domain, and HSDD was defined using the Profile of Female Sexual Function and the Personal Distress Scale Results Prevalence of low sexual desire ranged from 267% among premenopausal women to 524% among naturally menopausal women The prevalence of HSDD was highest among surgically menopausal women (125%) Compared with premenopausal women and adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, educational level, and smoking status, the prevalence ratios for HSDD were 23 (95% confidence interval, 12-45) for surgically menopausal women and 12 (05-28) for naturally menopausal women; the prevalence ratios for low sexual desire were 13 (09-19) and 15 (10-22) for surgically and naturally menopausal women, respectively Conclusions Prevalence of low sexual desire is elevated among surgically and naturally menopausal women vs premenopausal women Distress about low desire (HSDD) appears to be more than twice as prevalent among surgically menopausal women vs premenopausal women, although the estimate is fairly imprecise

Deficits in E2-dependent control of feeding, weight gain, and cholecystokinin satiation in ER-alpha null mice

Abstract: To test the role of gene expression of the classical ER (ER alpha) in the inhibitory effects of E on food intake and body weight, we ovariectomized and administered E2 benzoate (75 pg/d) or vehicle to wild-type (WT) mice and mice with a null mutation of ER alpha (alpha ERKO). Mice were ovariectomized at age 9 wk, at which time there was no significant effect of genotype on food intake or body weight. During an 18-d test after recovery from ovariectomy, vehicle-treated WT mice increased daily food intake and gained more body weight than E2-treated WT mice, whereas food intake and body weight gain were not different in E2- and vehicle-treated alpha ERKO mice. Carcass analysis revealed parallel changes in body lipid content, but not water or protein content. Because an increase in the potency of the peripheral cholecystokinin (CCK) satiation-signaling system mediates part of E2's influence on feeding in rats, the influence of ip injections of 250 microg of the selective CCK(A) receptor antagonist devazepide was then tested. Devazepide increased 3-h food intake in E2-treated WT mice, but was ineffective in both groups of alpha ERKO mice. Furthermore, ip injections of 4 microg/kg CCK-8 increased the number of cells expressing c-Fos immunoreactivity in the nuclei of the solitary tract of E2-treated WT mice more than it did in vehicle-treated WT mice, whereas E2 had no such effect in alpha ERKO mice. Thus, ER alpha is necessary for normal responsivity of food intake, body weight, adiposity, and the peripheral CCK satiation-signaling system to E2 in mice, and ER beta is not sufficient for any of these effects. This is the first demonstration that ER alpha gene expression is involved in the estrogenic control of feeding behavior and weight regulation of female mice.

Zidovudine treatment of the AIDS dementia complex: Results of a placebo-controlled trial

Abstract: The efficacy of two doses of zidovudine was examined for the treatment of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) dementia complex in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial conducted at nine study centers. For the initial 16 weeks, 40 subjects with mild to moderate AIDS dementia complex were randomized to one of three treatment arms: 400 mg of zidovudine five times daily, 200 mg of zidovudine five times daily, or placebo five times daily. After week 16, patients initially randomized to the placebo group were rerandomized to one of the two zidovudine treatment arms. The primary efficacy end point was improvement in performance on a battery of seven neuropsychological tests; the secondary end point was improvement on a protocol neurological evaluation directed at the cardinal features of the AIDS dementia complex. For the initial 16-week period, average z scores based on the neuropsychological test battery revealed a significant improvement in the combined treatment groups compared to the placebo group; however, when the two treatment groups were compared separately to the placebo group, only the group receiving the higher zidovudine dose exhibited significant improvement. After rerandomization of the placebo patients to one of the two treatment arms at week 16, this group also showed significant improvement in the average neuropsychological z score by week 32. These results extend previous observations that indicate a therapeutic benefit of zidovudine for the treatment of AIDS dementia complex.