Search results for " Function"
showing 10 items of 9395 documents
Reference interval determination for N-terminal-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP): A study in blood donors
2005
We assessed reference values in a group of apparently healthy blood donors. A total of 1980 blood donors was recruited and tested for the presence of NT-proBNP using a newly developed electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) method. NT-proBNP clustered in all blood donors below the age of 50 years and an upper limit of normal (ULN) was found to be 84 pg/ml for males and 146 pg/ml for females. Mean NT-proBNP values increased with increasing age which was due to an increasing number of individuals exceeding the ULN. Age- and gender-appropriate NT-proBNP levels decreased with increasing hemoglobin levels. Hemoglobin but not creatinine levels influenced the NT-proBNP concentration in this c…
Cardiac output in single-lead VDD pacing versus rate-matched VVIR pacing.
1995
The importance of atrioventricular synchronous pacing compared with single-chamber rate-responsive pacing is still under discussion, especially for low-intensity workload representing daily life activities. We evaluated hemodynamics in single-lead VDD pacing versus VVIR pacing in 11 patients (8 men and 3 women, aged 58.6 +/- 13.8 years) with normal left ventricular function and a previously implanted single-lead VDDR pacemaker. A low-intensity steady-state treadmill test at 1 to 2.5 mph with a gradient of 2% to 4% was performed. Cardiac output was determined using a standard carbon dioxide rebreathing technique. Initially, the VDD mode was programmed, and after 5 minutes of exercise, cardia…
Repetitive TMS of cerebellum interferes with millisecond time processing
2007
Time processing is important in several cognitive and motor functions, but it is still unclear how the human brain perceives time intervals of different durations. Processing of time in millisecond and second intervals may depend on different neural networks and there is now considerable evidence to suggest that these intervals are possibly measured by independent brain mechanisms. Using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), we determined that the cerebellum is essential in explicit temporal processing of millisecond time intervals. In the first experiment, subjects' performance in a time reproduction task of short (400-600 ms) and long (1,600-2,400 ms) intervals, were evalua…
Are signs of ocular tilt reaction in patients with cerebellar lesions mediated by the dentate nucleus?
2008
A sensitive clinical sign of a vestibular tone imbalance in the roll plane is the ocular tilt reaction (OTR), a combination of skew deviation, ocular torsion and head and perceptual tilts such as tilts of the subjective visual vertical (SVV). Of these OTR components tilts of SVV are the most frequent. While these signs are regularly seen in patients with unilateral brainstem lesions, only a few case studies are available on their occurrence in patients with cerebellar lesions. Thus, the question arises whether cerebellar structures may be involved in contra- and/or ipsiversive tilts of the perceived vertical and other signs of OTR. We used lesion-mapping techniques in a total of 31 patients…
Increased facilitation of the primary motor cortex following 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the contralateral cerebellum in nor…
2005
Connections between the cerebellum and the contralateral motor cortex are dense and important, but their physiological significance is difficult to measure in humans. We have studied a group of 10 healthy subjects to test whether a modulation of the excitability of the left cerebellum can affect the excitability of the contralateral motor cortex. We used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) at 1 Hz frequency to transiently depress the excitability of the left cerebellar cortex and paired-pulse TMS testing of intracortical inhibition (ICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF) to probe the excitability of cortico-cortical connections in the right motor cortex. The cortical sile…
Overestimation of numerical distances in the left side of space
2004
Normal subjects presented with a middle number and two left- and right-sided outer numbers overestimate the numerical distance between the middle number and that positioned at its left side. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the right posterior parietal cortex specifically counteracts this bias, suggesting that the mental representation of space defined by numbers is shifted toward the left side depending on a greater activity of the right hemisphere.
Effects of extra-fine inhaled beclomethasone/formoterol on both large and small airways in asthma
2010
BACKGROUND: Airway inflammation in asthma involves both large and small airways, and the combination of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long acting beta-2 agonists (LABA) is the mainstay of therapy. Available inhaled combinations differ in terms of drug delivery to the lung and the ability to reach small airways. Aim: To evaluate whether treatment with an extra-fine inhaled combination provides additional effects vs a nonextra-fine combination on airway function. METHODS: After a 1- to 4-week run-in period, patients with asthma were randomized to a double blind, double dummy, 12-week treatment with either extra-fine beclomethasone/formoterol (BDP/F) 400/24 microg daily or fluticasone prop…
Failure to find association between childhood abuse and cognition in first-episode psychosis patients
2012
AbstractThis study investigated the relationship between severe childhood abuse and cognitive functions in first-episode psychosis patients and geographically-matched controls. Reports of any abuse were associated with lower scores in the executive function domain in the control group. However, in contrast with our hypothesis, no relationships were found amongst cases.
Executive functioning and serum lipid fractions in Parkinson’s disease—a possible sex-effect: the PACOS study
2022
AbstractThe association between dyslipidemia and cognitive performance in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients still needs to be clarified. Aim of the study was to evaluate the presence of possible associations between serum lipids fractions and executive dysfunction also exploring the sex-specific contribute of lipids level on cognition. Patients from the PACOS cohort, who underwent a complete serum lipid profile measures (total cholesterol-TC, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-LDL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol-HDL and triglycerides-TG) were selected. Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program were used to classify normal/abnormal lipid fracti…
Encoding, storage, and response preparation-Distinct EEG correlates of stimulus and action representations in working memory.
2019
Working memory (WM) allows for the active storage of stimulus- and higher level representations, such as action plans. This electroencephalography (EEG) study investigated the specific electrophysiological correlates dissociating action-related from stimulus-related representations in WM using three different experimental conditions based on the same stimulus material. In the experiment, a random sequence of single numbers (from 1 to 6) was presented and participants had to indicate whether the current number (N0 condition), the preceding number (N-1 condition), or the sum of the current and the preceding number (S-1 condition) was odd or even. Accordingly, participants had to store a stimu…