Search results for " Sampling"
showing 10 items of 375 documents
Geographic Variations in Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Luxembourg
2017
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated behavioural and metabolic risk factors constitute a major public health concern at a global level. Many reports worldwide have documented different risk profiles for populations with demographic variations. The objective of this study was to examine geographic variations in the top leading cardio metabolic and behavioural risk factors in Luxembourg, in order to provide an overall picture of CVD burden across the country. The analysis conducted was based on data from the nationwide ORISCAV-LUX survey, including 1432 subjects, aged 18-69 years. A self-reported questionnaire, physical examination and blood sampling were performed. Age and sex-adjuste…
Prenatal diagnosis of a rhodopsin mutation using chemical cleavage of the mismatch
2002
Objective: Mutations of the rhodopsin gene are responsible for autosomal dominant or recessive retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The present study reports the first prenatal diagnosis performed on chorionic villi biopsy of a pregnant woman affected by a severe form of autosomal dominant transmitted RP, due to the Arg135Trp substitution. Methods: The rhodopsin gene was analysed by automated direct sequencing and, for the first time, by fluorescence-assisted mismatch analysis (FAMA). The latter is an inexpensive, rapid and particularly sensitive method, based on the chemical cleavage of the mismatch in heteroduplex DNA molecules marked with strand-specific fluorophores. Results: FAMA is a feasible p…
Root caries analysis in working population of 35-44 years of age (Spain)
2017
Background: The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of socio-demographic variables, toothbrushing frequency, frequency of snacking between meals, and tobacco and alcohol consumption, in root caries in the Spanish working population of Valencia and Murcia regions. Material and Methods: Cross sectional study of 458 workers 35-44 years of age, who underwent a routine work-related check-up, from June 2009 to April 2010, and were also examined, following the WHO methodology, by a calibrated dentist. Stratified random sampling. Participants fulfilled a questionnaire comprising demographic data, toothbrushing frequency, snacking frequency and tobacco and alcohol consumption. Results: Th…
Localization of sentinel lymph node in breast cancer. A prospective study
2014
Abstract Introduction Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (SLNB) is the standard of care for staging axillary lymph nodes in women with breast cancer and clinically negative nodes. It is associated with reduced arm morbidity, moderated or severe lymphoedema, and a better quality of life in comparison with standard axillary treatment. Unfortunately, skip metastases makes all minimally invasive approaches, such as axillary sampling, unreliable. The aim of the present clinical prospective study is to evaluate the position of SLN in an important number of cases and establish the real incidence of skip metastases in clinically node-negative patients. Patients and methods A cohort of 898 female patients w…
Maternal serum ghrelin levels in early IVF pregnancies: lack of prognostic value for viable pregnancy and altered post-prandial responses
2008
Background Ghrelin is a pleiotropic hormone, involved in the control of growth and metabolism, whose circulating levels fluctuate in relation to food intake and body mass index. Ghrelin has been detected in the decidualized endometrium, as well as in human and rat placenta. Methods A total of 106 patients undergoing IVF procedures were prospectively recruited. On Days 16 and 23 after oocyte retrieval, the patients were subjected to blood sampling after overnight fasting, for determination of serum ghrelin, hCGbeta and progesterone levels. In addition, ghrelin levels were assayed in these groups, 2 h after ingestion of a fixed-calorie meal. Results The subjects were divided according to whet…
Expression of aquaporins early in human pregnancy
2011
Abstract Background Aquaporins (AQPs) constitute a family of channel proteins implicated in transmembrane water transport. Thirteen different AQPs (AQP0–12) have been described but their precise biologic function still remains unclear. AQPs 1, 3, 4, 8, and 9 expression has been described in human chorion, amnion and placenta; however, AQP4 is the only that has been identified in the first trimester of human pregnancy. Objective To assess multiplicity of AQPs expression from 10th to 14th week gestation. Population and methods Chorionic villi samples (CVS) collected in pregnant women for prenatal diagnosis were analysed by real time-PCR to assess cDNA expression of AQPs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8…
Circulating miR-200–family micro-RNAs have altered plasma levels in patients with endometriosis and vary with blood collection time
2015
Objective To determine whether circulating micro-RNA (miR) 200a, miR-200b, and miR-141 have altered levels in patients with endometriosis compared with control individuals. Design Experimental laboratory study. Setting University. Patient(s) Patients with endometriosis (n = 61), laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis-free women (n = 35), and self-reported healthy women (n = 30) were included in the study. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Plasma miRNA levels in endometriosis patients and control subjects. Result(s) We found that the levels of studied miRNAs varied with blood collection time, being lower in the morning than in the evening. When blood collection time was taken i…
Thompson Sampling Guided Stochastic Searching on the Line for Non-stationary Adversarial Learning
2015
This paper reports the first known solution to the N-Door puzzle when the environment is both non-stationary and deceptive (adversarial learning). The Multi-Armed-Bandit (MAB) problem is the iconic representation of the exploration versus exploitation dilemma. In brief, a gambler repeatedly selects and play, one out of N possible slot machines or arms and either receives a reward or a penalty. The objective of the gambler is then to locate the most rewarding arm to play, while in the process maximize his winnings. In this paper we investigate a challenging variant of the MAB problem, namely the non-stationary N-Door puzzle. Here, instead of directly observing the reward, the gambler is only…
Environmental applications (air)
2020
Abstract The use of solid sorbent-based devices for the monitoring of contaminants in the air is a widespread trend due to its versatility, physicochemical stability, and high enrichment factor. Active and passive sampling strategies have been developed for air monitoring using different materials, such as carbon-based organic polymers and inorganic sorbents. It has been updated in the literature regarding the most recent applications of the use of solid sorbent-based samplers for the monitoring of air in different sites such as rural, urban, industrialized, and indoor areas, including workplace environments for the evaluation of occupational exposure risks.