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Biomedical subjects

G Francisco

Publications and source records attributed to G Francisco.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Prodrugs of CL316243: a selective beta3-adrenergic receptor agonist for treating obesity and diabetes.

CL316243 is a highly selective and potent beta3-adrenergic receptor agonist, and has been shown in rodent models to be an effective agent for treating obesity and Type II diabetes. To improve the oral absorption and pharmacokinetic profiles of CL316243, a number of prodrugs have been synthesized and evaluated. Several ester-type prodrugs show significant improvements in oral bioavailability in both rodent and primate models.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗
PubMed1998

Electromyogram-triggered neuromuscular stimulation for improving the arm function of acute stroke survivors: a randomized pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of electromyogram (EMG)-triggered neuromuscular stimulation (EMG-stim) in enhancing upper extremity motor and functional recovery of acute stroke survivors. DESIGN: A pilot randomized, single-blinded clinical trial. SETTING: Freestanding inpatient rehabilitation facility. PATIENTS: Nine subjects who were within 6 weeks of their first unifocal, nonhemorrhagic stroke were randomly assigned to either the EMG-stim (n = 4) or control (n = 5) group. All subjects had a detectable EMG signal (>5 microV) from the surface of the paretic extensor carpi radialis and voluntary wrist extension in synergy or in isolation with muscle grade of <3/5. INTERVENTION: All subjects received two 30-minute sessions per day of wrist strengthening exercises with EMG-stim (experimental) or without (control) for the duration of their rehabilitation stay. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Upper extremity Fugl-Meyer motor assessment and the feeding, grooming, and upper body dressing items of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) were assessed at study entry and at discharge. RESULTS: Subjects treated with EMG-stim exhibited significantly greater gains in Fugl-Meyer (27.0 vs 10.4; p = .05), and FIM (6.0 vs 3.4; p = .02) scores compared with controls. CONCLUSION: Data suggest that EMG-stim enhances the arm function of acute stroke survivors.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

HTLV infection in ELISA-negative blood donors.

Human T lymphotropic viruses (HTLVs) have a limited spread in the general populations of Western countries. Consequently, the transfusional risk for HTLV is consider to be low in Italy and the screening for anti-HTLV-I/II antibodies has not yet been introduced. In 1992, 1087 blood donors attending a transfusional center in northern Italy underwent anti-HTLV-I/II screening carried out by means of two different ELISA tests. Eleven individuals who were negative at the first test were borderline at the second, eight of them showing reactivity to Western blot (WB). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of HTLV DNA, subsequently performed on the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of these 11 subjects, was positive in the same 8 WB-reactive donors. Five of them were infected by HTLV-II, and three by HTLV-1. Our results confirm that the sensitivity of the ELISA tests actually used for the detection of HTLV-I/II antibodies is low, and that HTLV-infected blood donors may be frequently undetected. Moreover, in our study population, the prevalence of HTLV infection (0.73%) was greater than that which might be expected from the existing seroepidemiological data in Italy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

OBRA '90: the impact on pharmacists and patients.

Two separate studies were conducted in Georgia for this investigation. The first study measured by observation, pharmacists' compliance with the mandates of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA '90) before (December 1992) and after (June 1993) the law took effect in January 1993. The second assessed patient awareness, experience, and degree of cooperation with pharmacists in complying with OBRA '90. Eight chain and four independent pharmacies were recruited for the first study. For the second, a representative sampling of patients answered questions by telephone. Findings from the pharmacy study indicated more streamlined information gathering, more time devoted to prospective drug utilization review, and a 29% increase in counseling frequency in the post-OBRA '90 period. Some changes may be due to increased computer sophistication. The patient survey indicated a lower frequency of counseling than was reported in the pharmacy study. Patients appeared willing to supply information to pharmacists when patients viewed it as a way to improve the care they receive.

Georgia↗