Search results for " function"
showing 10 items of 9395 documents
Inflammation and endothelial activation are linked to renal function in long-term kidney transplantation
2006
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between inflammation and adhesion molecules in long-term kidney transplantation. We measured serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) and intercellular and vascular cell adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) in 35 renal transplant recipients (mean age of transplantation 5 +/- 3 years) and in 35 chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) patients; twenty-six healthy subjects were enrolled as controls. Transplanted showed higher values than controls of TNFalpha (P < 0.0001), ICAM-1 (P < 0.0001), and VCAM-1 (P < 0.0001). CRI group as well exhibited higher concentrations than controls of TNFalpha (P < 0.0001), ICAM-1 (P < …
Sports massage with ozonised oil or non-ozonised oil: Comparative effects on recovery parameters after maximal effort in cyclists
2013
Abstract OBJECTIVES: To study the effects of passive rest (PR) and sports massage with (SMOZO) and without (SM) ozonised oil on sports performance psycho-physiological indices in competitive amateur cyclists after 3 pre-fatiguing Wingate cycle and post-recovery ramp tests. DESIGN: An intra-subjects experimental design with repeated measures. SETTING: Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, University of Padua. PARTICIPANTS: Fifteen male competitive cyclists (age: 27 ± 3.5 years, body weight: 77.6 ± 8.3 kg, height: 178 ± 7.7 cm) were studied. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjects' power output (P), heart rate (HR), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score and blood lactate (BL) clearance in response …
Alveolar nitric oxide and asthma control in mild untreated asthma
2012
Background The role of the peripheral airways in asthma is increasingly being recognized as a potential target for the achievement of optimal control of the disease. We postulated that the inflammatory changes of the small airways are implicated in the lack of asthma control in mild asthma. Objective To test this hypothesis, we measured the alveolar fraction of exhaled NO (C alv NO) in patients with mild asthma with different levels of control of symptoms. Methods Seventy-eight patients with asthma (35 men, age, 37 ± 15 years; FEV 1 percentage of predicted, 100% ± 9%) were studied. Asthma control was assessed by using the Asthma Control Test (ACT). Measurements of exhaled NO at multiple con…
Endothelial function and other biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in frequent consumers of street food.
2012
Summary Background & aims Street food (SF) is defined as out-of-home food consumption, and generally consists of energy dense meals rich in saturated fats, and poor in fibers, vitamins and anti-oxidants. Though SF consumption may have unfavorable metabolic and cardiovascular effects, its possible association with endothelial function has not been considered. Methods Participants were recruited among those who took part in a previous study of ours, done in Palermo, Italy, which investigated the association between consumption of SF and health in 1002 people. In that study, a score of SF consumption was obtained by categorizing each of ten foods consumed less than or more than once a month (0…
Comparative neurocognitive effects of lithium and anticonvulsants in long-term stable bipolar patients
2015
Background: The aim of choosing a mood-stabilizing drug (lithium or anticonvulsants) or a combination of them with minimal neurocognitive effects is to stimulate the development of criteria for a therapeutic adequacy, particularly in Bipolar Disorder (BD) patients who are clinically stabilized. Method: Three groups of BD patients were established according to their treatment: (i) lithium monotherapy (n=29); (ii) lithium together with one or more anticonvulsants (n=28); and (iii) one or more anticonvulsants (n=16). A group of healthy controls served as the control (n=25). The following tests were applied: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Trail Making Test, Wechsler Memory Scale, Rey Comple…
Aerobic exercise for axial spondyloarthritis - its effects on disease activity and function as compared to standard physiotherapy: A systematic revie…
2019
Aim To evaluate the impact of an aerobic fitness program on disease activity, defined by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and on C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) in case of axial spondyloarthritis. Methods A systematic review of the literature, following the Prisma recommendations, was performed by two reviewers on the PubMed and Embase databases. Controlled trials assessing the efficacy of aerobic exercises compared to physiotherapy on axial spondyloarthritis disease activity were included. The diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis was meeting the New York criteria and/o…
Echocardiographic reference ranges for normal left ventricular layer-specific strain: results from the EACVI NORRE study
2020
Abstract Aims To obtain the normal range for 2D echocardiographic (2DE) measurements of left ventricular (LV) layer-specific strain from a large group of healthy volunteers of both genders over a wide range of ages. Methods and results A total of 287 (109 men, mean age: 46 ± 14 years) healthy subjects were enrolled at 22 collaborating institutions of the EACVI Normal Reference Ranges for Echocardiography (NORRE) study. Layer-specific strain was analysed from the apical two-, three-, and four-chamber views using 2DE software. The lowest values of layer-specific strain calculated as ±1.96 standard deviations from the mean were −15.0% in men and −15.6% in women for epicardial strain, −16.8% …
The relationship between functional disability and health-related quality of life in patients with a rotator cuff tear
2012
To determine the relationship between functional disability and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in rotator cuff tear (RCT) patients.In 67 RCT patients (mean age, 54 years; 57% males), functional disability was self-reported with the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES), HRQoL with the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), and pain by visual analogue scale. ASES results were divided into tertiles (12-38, 39-51, and 52-82).Mean ASES score was 48 (range, 12-82). Patients with the highest functional disability and highest pain level had the lowest HRQoL. For the highest, middle, and lowest ASES categories, respectively, mean SF-36 Physical Comp…
Two-dimensional echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular ejection fraction by the ellipsoid single-plane algorithm: a reliable method for ass…
1995
The reliability of two-dimensional (2D) echocardiographic estimation of left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) is commonly recognized, but no satisfactory data are available about the accuracy of low or very low EF values determined by 2D echocardiography (ECHO-EF). The purpose of our study was to assess the reliability of low ECHO-EF values obtained using a simple time-economical algorithm such as the ellipsoid single-plane area-length method. Radionuclide angiography (RAD-EF) was taken as the standard of comparison. We studied 59 consecutive patients (31 women and 28 men) referred to our echocardiographic laboratory. Both 2D echocardiography and radionuclide angiography were blindly perf…
Predictive factors of overall functioning improvement in patients with chronic schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder treated with paliperidone p…
2018
BACKGROUND Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics can improve medication adherence and reduce hospitalisation rates compared with oral treatments. Paliperidone palmitate (PAL) and aripiprazole monohydrate (ARI) LAI treatments were associated with improvements in global functioning in patients with schizophrenia. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess the predictive factors of better overall functioning in patients with chronic schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder treated with PAL and ARI. METHOD Enrolled were 143 (97 males, 46 females, mean age 38.24 years, SD = 12.65) patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, whom we allocated in two gr…