Search results for " Variation"
showing 10 items of 1712 documents
Genetic Variation at the ApoA-IV Gene Locus and Response to Diet in Familial Hypercholesterolemia
1998
Abstract —Plasma lipid response to dietary fat and cholesterol is, in part, genetically controlled. The apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV protein; APOA4, gene) has been shown to influence the response to dietary changes in normolipidemic individuals. The response to diet in subjects with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is also variable, and no studies are available on the influence of APOA4 mutations on dietary response in these subjects. We studied the effect of 2 common apoA-IV genetic variants (Gln 360 →His and Thr 347 →Ser) on the lipid response to the National Cholesterol Education Program type I (NCEP-I) diet in 67 FH heterozygotes (43 women and 24 men). Subjects were studied at baseli…
Improvement of inter-rater reliability of PANSS items and subscales by a standardized rater training.
1998
The present evaluation focused on the inter-rater reliability of single items and subscales of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) before and after a standardized rater training. The results of two independent studies comprising n=23 (study I) and n=12 (study II) psychiatrists and videotaped interviews with schizophrenic patients were analysed. Chance-corrected coefficients of rating agreement with expert standards (weighted kappa) were computed for single items and subscales of the PANSS. The results clearly demonstrate the importance of rater trainings. After three training sessions, 90% of the PANSS items reached an acceptable level of reliability (kappa(w)>0.40) in both eva…
Intra and intersession repeatability and reliability of the S-Plate® pressure platform.
2017
Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to assess the repeatability and reliability of the S-Plate® pressure platform in a group of healthy subjects. Material and methods Forty subjects, free from physical conditions that would affect normal gait, walked along a five-meter corridor while data were recorded from the pressure platform. A total of 10 steps (five each side) were obtained as well as five static trials; the same measurements were repeated one week later. Peak and mean plantar pressures and contact area were recorded for both dynamic and static trials. Additionally, weight supported on each limb was documented during static trials. To assess intrasession and intersession repeatabil…
Transpalpebral tonometry: reliability and comparison with Goldmann applanation tonometry and palpation in healthy volunteers
2005
Background/aim: TGDc-01 is a new, portable, transpalpebral tonometry device. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of this method, including intraobserver and interobserver deviations, and to compare the results with those of Goldmann applanation tonometry and palpation of intraocular pressure (IOP). Methods: A total of 40 eyes of 20 healthy volunteers were included. Two independent parallel observers (1 and 2) performed three replicate measurements per eye, respectively, both using TGDc01 tonometry, one observer (3) performed three replicate measurements using Goldmann applanation tonometry, and one observer (4) measured the IOP via palpation. Intraindividual deviations…
Improved T2* assessment in liver iron overload by magnetic resonance imaging.
2009
In the clinical MRI practice, it is common to assess liver iron overload by T2* multi-echo gradient-echo images. However, there is no full consensus about the best image analysis approach for the T2* measurements. The currently used methods involve manual drawing of a region of interest (ROI) within MR images of the liver. Evaluation of a representative liver T2* value is done by fitting an appropriate model to the signal decay within the ROIs vs. the echo time. The resulting T2* value may depend on both ROI placement and choice of the signal decay model. The aim of this study was to understand how the choice of the analysis methodology may affect the accuracy of T2* measurements. A softwar…
Multislice multiecho T2* cardiac magnetic resonance for the detection of heterogeneous myocardial iron distribution in thalassaemia patients
2009
The present study investigated myocardial T2* heterogeneity in thalassaemia major (TM) patients by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), to determine whether is related to inhomogeneous iron overload distribution. A total of 230 TM patients consecutively referred to our laboratory were studied retrospectively. Three short-axis views (basal, medium and apical) of the left ventricle (LV) were obtained by multislice multiecho T2* CMR. T2* segmental distribution was mapped on a 16-segment LV model. The level of heterogeneity of the T2* segmental distribution, evaluated by the coefficient of variation (CoV), was compared with that of a surrogate data set, to determine whether the inhomogeneous segme…
Evaluation of the efficacy of oral deferiprone in beta-thalassemia major by multislice multiecho T2*.
2006
Objectives: Oral deferiprone (L1) appears to be promising in the treatment of beta-thalassemia major (TM) patients. T2* magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a single measurement in the mid-ventricular septum was validated as a quantitative evaluation of myocardial iron overload. Previous studies suggested a marked heterogeneity of iron distribution in the myocardium. We set up a multislice multiecho T2* MRI for the detection of this heterogeneity. The aim of our study was to investigate differences between the L1 vs. the subcutaneous desferrioxamine (DF)-treated patients using this new approach.Methods: Thirty-six beta-TM patients (age 29 +/- 8 yr) underwent MRI. Eighteen patients received…
(De-)Accentuation and the Processing of Information Status: Evidence from Event-Related Brain Potentials
2012
The paper reports on a perception experiment in German that investigated the neuro-cognitive processing of information structural concepts and their prosodic marking using event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Experimental conditions controlled the information status (given vs. new) of referring and non-referring target expressions (nouns vs. adjectives) and were elicited via context sentences, which did not – unlike most previous ERP studies in the field – trigger an explicit focus expectation. Target utterances displayed prosodic realizations of the critical words which differed in accent position and accent type. Electrophysiological results showed an effect of information status, maxi…
No association of alcohol dependence with HOMER 1 and 2 genetic variants.
2010
Several lines of evidence indicate that alterations of the central cortico-accumbens glutamate pathway are involved in the development and maintenance of alcohol- and substance-use disorders. The HOMER protein family is encoded by 3 genes HOMER (1–3) which are components of the excitatory postsynaptic density complex and function to modulate synaptic activity by the regulation of glutamate signaling. HOMER 1 and 2 have been reported to contribute to chronic alcohol-induced long-term neurochemical changes in the endogenous reward system. Data from animal models suggest a potential role of the Homer protein family in the development of alcohol and substance use. The aim of this study is to as…
Multislice multiecho T2* cardiovascular magnetic resonance for detection of the heterogeneous distribution of myocardial iron overload.
2006
Purpose To assess the tissue iron concentration of the left ventricle (LV) using a multislice, multiecho T2* MR technique and a segmental analysis. Materials and Methods T2* multiecho MRI was performed in 53 thalassemia major patients. Three short-axis views of the LV were obtained and analyzed with custom-written software. The myocardium was automatically segmented into 12 segments. The T2* value on each segment as well as the global T2* value were calculated. Cine dynamic images were also obtained to evaluate biventricular function parameters by quantitative analysis. Results For the T2* global value, the coefficient of variation (CoV) for intra-/interobserver and interstudy reproducibili…