Search results for " Function"
showing 10 items of 9395 documents
Quantitative analysis of emphysema in 3D using MDCT: Influence of different reconstruction algorithms
2008
Abstract Purpose The aim of the study was to compare the influence of different reconstruction algorithms on quantitative emphysema analysis in patients with severe emphysema. Material and methods Twenty-five patients suffering from severe emphysema were included in the study. All patients underwent inspiratory MDCT (Aquilion-16, slice thickness 1/0.8 mm). The raw data were reconstructed using six different algorithms: bone kernel with beam hardening correction (BHC), soft tissue kernel with BHC; standard soft tissue kernel, smooth soft tissue kernel (internal reference standard), standard lung kernel, and high-convolution kernel. The only difference between image data sets was the algorith…
Changes in Cerebello-motor Connectivity during Procedural Learning by Actual Execution and Observation
2011
Abstract The cerebellum is involved in motor learning of new procedures both during actual execution of a motor task and during observational training. These processes are thought to depend on the activity of a neural network that involves the lateral cerebellum and primary motor cortex (M1). In this study, we used a twin-coil TMS technique to investigate whether execution and observation of a visuomotor procedural learning task is related to modulation of cerebello-motor connectivity. We observed that, at rest, a magnetic conditioning pulse applied over the lateral cerebellum reduced the motor-evoked potentials obtained by stimulating the contralateral M1, indicating activation of a cerebe…
Diseño de una nueva prueba para medir la función de sensibilidad al contraste con iPad
2015
[EN] Purpose: To introduce a new application (ClinicCSF) to measure Contrast Sensitivity Function (CSF) with tablet devices, and to compare it against the Functional Acuity Contrast Test (FACT). Methods: A total of 42 subjects were arranged in two groups of 21 individuals. Different versions of the ClinicCSF (.v1 and .v2) were used to measure the CSF of each group with the same iPad and the results were compared with those measured with the FACT. The agreements between ClinicCSF and FACT for spatial frequencies of 3, 6, 12 and 18 cycles per degree (cpd) were represented by Bland---Altman plots. Results: Statistically significant differences in CSF of both groups were found due to the change…
Treatment of Fabry's Disease With Migalastat: Outcome From a Prospective Observational Multicenter Study (FAMOUS).
2019
Fabry's disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by the deficient activity of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-galactosidase A (alpha-Gal A) leading to intracellular accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3). Patients with amenable mutations can be treated with migalastat, a recently approved oral pharmacologic chaperone to increase endogenous alpha-Gal A activity. We assessed safety along with cardiovascular, renal, and patient-reported outcomes and disease biomarkers in a prospective observational multicenter study after 12 months of migalastat treatment under real-world conditions. Fifty-nine (28 females) patients (34 (57.6%) pretreated with enzyme replacement therapy) w…
Rationale and design of dal-VESSEL: a study to assess the safety and efficacy of dalcetrapib on endothelial function using brachial artery flow-media…
2011
Dalcetrapib increases high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels through effects on cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP). As part of the dalcetrapib dal-HEART clinical trial programme, the efficacy and safety of dalcetrapib is assessed in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients in the dal-VESSEL study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00655538), the design and methods of which are presented here. RESEARCH DESIGN AND STUDY METHOD: Men and women with CHD or CHD risk equivalent, with HDL-C levels50 mg/dL were recruited for a 36-week, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. After a pre-randomisation phase of up to 8 weeks, patients received dalcetrapib 600 mg/day or placebo in …
Relationships between maximal oxygen uptake and endothelial function in healthy male adults: a preliminary study
2010
Aerobic capacity, as indicated by maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2) max) has an important role in contrasting the traditional cardiovascular risk factors and preventing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. It is known that endothelial function, measured as flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery, is strictly linked to atherogenesis and cardiovascular risk. However, the relationship between VO(2) max and FMD has not been fully investigated especially in healthy non-obese subjects. This preliminary study cross-sectionally investigated the relationship between VO(2) max and FMD in 22 non-obese, healthy sedentary male subjects. Dividing the cohort in two subgroups of 11 subjects each …
Don't stop me now: Hampered retrieval of action plans following interruptions
2020
How can we retrieve action plans in working memory (WM) after being distracted or interrupted? The present EEG study investigated this question using a WM task in which a random sequence of single numbers (1-4 and 6-9) was presented. In a given trial, participants had to decide whether the number presented in the preceding trial was odd or even. Additionally, interfering stimuli were randomly presented in 25% of all trials, requiring the participants to either ignore a colored number (distraction) or respond to it (interruption) while maintaining the previously formed action plan in WM. Our results revealed a detrimental impact of interruptions on WM performance in trials after interrupting…
Combination of omalizumab and specific immunotherapy is superior to immunotherapy in patients with seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and co-morbi…
2008
Summary Background The treatment of allergic asthma by specific immunotherapy (SIT) is hampered by potential side-effects. Objective The aim of this study was to study the effect of omalizumab, a monoclonal anti-IgE antibody, in combination with SIT in patients with seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (SAR) and co-morbid seasonal allergic asthma (SAA) incompletely controlled by conventional pharmacotherapy. Methods A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-centre trial was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of omalizumab (Xolair®) vs. placebo in combination with depigmented SIT (Depigoid®) during the grass pollen season. Omalizumab or placebo was started 2 weeks befor…
Pulmonary emphysema in cystic fibrosis detected by densitometry on chest multidetector computed tomography.
2013
BackgroundHistopathological studies on lung specimens from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and recent results from a mouse model indicate that emphysema may contribute to CF lung disease. However, little is known about the relevance of emphysema in patients with CF. In the present study, we used computationally generated density masks based on multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) of the chest for non-invasive characterization and quantification of emphysema in CF.MethodsVolumetric MDCT scans were acquired in parallel to pulmonary function testing in 41 patients with CF (median age 20.1 years; range 7-66 years) and 21 non-CF controls (median age 30.4 years; range 4-68 years), and subj…
Evaluation of diastolic function by the Tissue doppler in children affected by non- compaction
2007
The Tissue doppler analysis is a new echocardiographic approach to evaluate the diastolic function. In this report we performed a Tissue doppler analysis in a series of 15 children affected by non-compaction. The bidimensional echo-cardiogram showed a systolic function which was reduced only in 8 patients. Alterations of the diastolic function were founded in 7 patients: in 2 cases, a reduction of the E tissue wave was present in all segments. In 3 patients the diastolic dysfunction was limited to apical and lateral segments. In the last 2 children a reduction of the E wave interested only the apical segments. There was a strong correlation between systolic and diastolic dysfunction: in fac…