Search results for " Methods"
showing 10 items of 4102 documents
Comparison of Methods for the Assessment of Nonlinearity in Short-Term Heart Rate Variability under different Physiopathological States
2019
Despite the widespread diffusion of nonlinear methods for heart rate variability (HRV) analysis, the presence and the extent to which nonlinear dynamics contribute to short-term HRV are still controversial. This work aims at testing the hypothesis that different types of nonlinearity can be observed in HRV depending on the method adopted and on the physiopathological state. Two entropy-based measures of time series complexity (normalized complexity index, NCI) and regularity (information storage, IS), and a measure quantifying deviations from linear correlations in a time series (Gaussian linear contrast, GLC), are applied to short HRV recordings obtained in young (Y) and old (O) healthy su…
Relationship between Meditative Practice and Self-Reported Mindfulness: the MINDSENS Composite Index
2014
Mindfulness has been described as an inherent human capability that can be learned and trained, and its improvement has been associated with better health outcomes in both medicine and psychology. Although the role of practice is central to most mindfulness programs, practice-related improvements in mindfulness skills is not consistently reported and little is known about how the characteristics of meditative practice affect different components of mindfulness. the present study explores the role of practice parameters on self-reported mindfulness skills. A total of 670 voluntary participants with and without previous meditation experience (n = 384 and n = 286, respectively) responded to an…
Fluorescence Microscopy as a Diagnostic Tool for Dermatophytosis.
2016
Dermatophytosis is a superficial fungal infection of keratinized tissues. Dermatophytes can cause discomfort but are not usually life threatening. However, the infection can spread and may lead to systemic fungal infections in immunocompromised patients. Currently available diagnostic methods include potassium hydroxide (KOH) testing and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining. However, most diagnostic techniques cannot be performed rapidly; days to weeks may be required for conclusive results. Certain dermatophytes autofluoresce and can be observed under fluorescence microscopy. The authors examined a series of 24 cases of hematoxylin and eosin-stained dermatophytoses using fluorescence micros…
Survival of Adults with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Germany and the United States
2014
BackgroundAdulthood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a rare disease. In contrast to childhood ALL, survival for adults with ALL is poor. Recently, new protocols, including use of pediatric protocols in young adults, have improved survival in clinical trials. Here, we examine population level survival in Germany and the United States (US) to gain insight into the extent to which changes in clinical trials have translated into better survival on the population level.MethodsData were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database in the US and 11 cancer registries in Germany. Patients age 15-69 diagnosed with ALL were included. Period analysis was used to estimate…
Incidence and risk factors in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: a prospective cohort study.
2001
Objective: To determine incidence of and risk factors for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Methods: Three epilepsy centers enrolled 4,578 patients and prospectively followed these patients for 16,463 patient-years. The cohort was screened for death annually. Deaths were investigated to determine whether SUDEP occurred. Potential risk factors were compared in SUDEP cases and in controls enrolled contemporaneously at the same center. Results: Incidence of SUDEP was 1.21/1,000 patient-years and was higher among women (1.45/1,000) than men (0.98/1,000). SUDEP accounted for 18% of all deaths. Occurrence of tonic-clonic seizures, treatment with more than two anticonvulsant medications…
Attrition and Use of Proxy Respondents and Auxiliary Information in the Sicilian Neuroepidemiologic Study
1994
Two-phase prevalence surveys with screening (phase 1) and examination (phase 2) are useful for some chronic diseases. Attrition, which may bias estimates, occurs in either phase because some eligible subjects die before contact, some refuse to cooperate, some are incapacitated, and some are unreachable. This investigation relates to a survey of neurologic diseases conducted in three municipalities of Sicily (prevalence date, November 1, 1987) and considers the attrition experienced and the use of proxy respondents in phase 1 and auxiliary information in phase 2 to offset, in part, this attrition. Regarding case finding, the salvage effort was more productive for decreased and incapacitated …
Self-care appraisal in nursing assistant students: Adaptation, validation and psychometric properties of the Spanish ASAS
2021
The core implication of nursing professionals’ labor is promoting self-care and foster well-being among healthcare service users. The beginning of the healing process starts with the provider, and self-care habits are needed to positively impact on patients’ care outcomes at different spheres. Overall, current literature supports the idea that nurses’ personal self-care should be a necessary skill to be expected in their professional role. In this regard, the Appraisal of Self-care Agency Scale (ASAS) is a worldwide known instrument aimed at assessing the ability to engage in self-care. However, it has never been tested in the Spanish context before, and much less in nursing practitioners o…
Is it possible to predict which patients with mild pneumonias will develop hypoxemia?
2009
SummaryUsually, mortality due to mild community-acquired pneumonias (CAP) (Pneumonia severity index (PSI) classes I–III) is low (<3%), but the appearance of hypoxemia significantly increases mortality. Our aim was to determine the clinical parameters associated with risk factors of developing hypoxemia in subjects with mild CAP (PSI I–III) and the clinical outcomes of the hypoxemic group.We analyzed clinical characteristics and the outcomes of patients with mild CAP and hypoxemia (PaO2/FiO2<300), in a prospective, multicenter cohort study of 1195 patients.Mild pneumonias (PSI I–III) were found in 645 cases (53.9%), of which 217 (33.6%) presented hypoxemia according to a PaO2/FiO2<300. Patie…
A comparison of the cheater detection and the unrelated question models: a randomized response survey on physical and cognitive doping in recreationa…
2016
PURPOSE:This study assessed the prevalence of physical and cognitive doping in recreational triathletes with two different randomized response models, that is, the Cheater Detection Model (CDM) and the Unrelated Question Model (UQM). Since both models have been employed in assessing doping, the major objective of this study was to investigate whether the estimates of these two models converge. MATERIAL AND METHODS:An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 2,967 athletes at two triathlon events (Frankfurt and Wiesbaden, Germany). Doping behavior was assessed either with the CDM (Frankfurt sample, one Wiesbaden subsample) or the UQM (one Wiesbaden subsample). A generalized likelihood-rati…
The Penile Plication Procedure: An Alternative Method for Straightening Penile Deviation
1991
AbstractThe number of reported cases of congenital and acquired penile deviation is evidently increasing. We describe our experience with the penile plication procedure, which we used to treat 40 patients with penile deviation. Postoperatively, all patients regained the ability for sexual intercourse, with potency remaining unimpaired. Of the patients 96% were completely satisfied with the result of the operation. Sustained complications have not been observed. To avoid major trauma the surgical intervention should not include removal of ellipsoids from the penile tunica albuginea as proposed by Nesbit. Since the penile plication method produces equally good results in terms of performance …