Search results for " controlled study"
showing 9 items of 19 documents
A randomised controlled study on the use of anti-inflammatory drugs in patients with cancer pain on morphine therapy: effects on dose-escalation and …
2002
The role of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in cancer pain has been well established in the treatment of mild pain and in association with opioids in the treatment of moderate to severe pain. The aim of this study was to verify the effects of NSAIDs on morphine escalation in advanced cancer patients with pain followed-up at home and to assess the pharmacoeconomic implications. A prospective randomised controlled study was carried out in 156 consecutive advanced cancer patients with pain followed-up at home in the period December 1999-December 2000. In this group of patients, 47 were selected with pain progression after 1 week of opioid stabilisation. Patients were randomly as…
Specific TP53 and/or Ki-ras mutations as independent predictors of clinical outcome in sporadic colorectal adenocarcinomas: results of a 5-year Grupp…
2005
BACKGROUND: Although Ki-ras and TP53 mutations have probably been the genetic abnormalities most exhaustively implicated and studied in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression, their significance in terms of disease relapse and overall survival has not yet clearly been established. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study was carried out on paired tumor and normal colon tissue samples from a consecutive series of 160 previously-untreated patients, undergoing resective surgery for primary operable sporadic CRC. Mutations within the TP53 (exons 5-8) and Ki-ras (exon 2) genes were detected by PCR-SSCP analyses following sequencing. RESULTS: Mutation analyses of exons 5 to 8 of the TP53 gene showe…
Polymorphism of immunoglobulin enhancer element HS1,2A: allele *2 associates with systemic sclerosis. Comparison with HLA‐DR and DQ allele frequency
2007
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of the polymorphic enhancer HS1,2 central to the 3' enhancer complex regulatory region (IgH3'EC) of the immunoglobulin heavy chain genes with systemic sclerosis (SSc) disease and compare it with HLA-DR and DQ associations. METHODS: A total of 116 patients with SSc were classified as diffuse (dSSc) or limited (lSSc), and as carriers of antitopoisomerase I (anti-Scl70) or anticentromere (ACA) antibodies. Allele and genotype frequencies were assessed in the population as a whole and in the two major subsets, dSSc and lSSc. The concentration of peripheral blood immunoglobulin levels was also determined and analysed according to the genotypes. RESULTS: …
Plantar flexor activation capacity and H reflex in older adults: adaptations to strength training.
2002
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the voluntary neural drive and the excitability of the reflex arc could be modulated by training, even in old age. To this aim, the effects of a 16-wk strengthening program on plantar flexor voluntary activation (VA) and on the maximum Hoffman reflex (Hmax)-to-maximum M wave (Mmax) ratio were investigated in 14 elderly men (65–80 yr). After training, isometric maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) increased by 18% ( P < 0.05) and weight-lifting ability by 24% ( P < 0.001). Twitch contraction time decreased by 8% ( P < 0.01), but no changes in half relaxation time and in peak twitch torque were observed. The VA, assessed by twitch …
Patterns of male-specific inter-population divergence in Europe, West Asia and North Africa
2000
summary We typed 1801 males from 55 locations for the Y-specific binary markers YAP, DYZ3, SRY "!)$" and the (CA)n microsatellites YCAII and DYS413. Phylogenetic relationships of chromosomes with the same binary haplotype were condensed in seven large one-step networks, which accounted for 95% of all chromosomes. Their coalescence ages were estimated based on microsatellite diversity. The three largest and oldest networks undergo sharp frequency changes in three areas. The more recent network 3‐1A clearly discriminates between Western and Eastern European populations. Pairwise Fst showed an overall increment with increasing geographic distance but with a slope greatly reduced when compared …
Diagnostic accuracy of computed tomographic colonography for the detection of advanced neoplasia in individuals at increased risk of colorectal cance…
2009
CONTEXT: Computed tomographic (CT) colonography has been recognized as an alternative for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in average-risk individuals, but less information is available on its performance in individuals at increased risk of CRC. OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of CT colonography in detecting advanced colorectal neoplasia in asymptomatic individuals at increased risk of CRC using unblinded colonoscopy as the reference standard. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional study. Individuals at increased risk of CRC due to either family history of advanced neoplasia in first-degree relatives, personal history of colorectal adenomas, or positiv…
Prevalence and severity of anaemia in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy and different degrees of chronic renal insufficiency.
2007
<i>Background/Aim:</i> Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the single most common cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD); however its real impact on renal anaemia has not been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether onset, severity, and prevalence of anaemia during the course of CKD is different between type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic patients. <i>Methods:</i> We enrolled 281 patients with: (1) type 2 diabetes and no CKD (n = 75); (2) type 2 diabetes plus CKD (n = 106), and (3) CKD without type 2 diabetes (n = 100). According to K/DOQI guidelines, the patients with renal insufficiency (i.e., those with a glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min) were subgr…
Smad7 controls resistance of colitogenic T cells to regulatory T cell-mediated suppression.
2008
Background & Aims Foxp3-expressing regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a key role in the maintenance of the gut immune homeostasis, and an intact transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling is required for their function. In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the TGF-β signaling is impaired because of high expression of the inhibitory molecule Smad7. Although no intrinsic defects in Tregs function have been shown in IBD, it is still unknown whether colitogenic T cells are susceptible to Treg-mediated suppression. In this study, we have investigated whether IBD mucosal CD4+ T cells are resistant to Tregs and whether Smad7 is involved in this process. Methods IBD lamina propria mononuclear cells …
Association between osteocalcin and cognitive performance in healthy older adults.
2016
INTRODUCTION: cognitive deterioration and reductions of bone health coincide with increasing age. We examine the relationship between bone composition and plasma markers of bone remodelling with measures of cognitive performance in healthy adults.METHODS: this cross-sectional study included 225 old (52% women, mean age: 74.4 ± 3.3 years) and 134 young (52% women, mean age: 23.4 ± 2.7 years) adult participants from the MyoAge project. Whole body bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Blood analyses included a panel of bone-related peptides (dickkopf-1, osteoprotegerin, osteocalcin (OC), osteopontin, sclerostin, parathyroid hormone and fibroblast growth factor …