Search results for " method"
showing 10 items of 10455 documents
Characteristics of clinical trials in rare vs. common diseases: A register-based Latvian study.
2017
Background Conducting clinical studies in small populations may be very challenging; therefore quality of clinical evidence may differ between rare and non-rare disease therapies. Objective This register-based study aims to evaluate the characteristics of clinical trials in rare diseases conducted in Latvia and compare them with clinical trials in more common conditions. Methods The EU Clinical Trials Register (clinicaltrialsregister.eu) was used to identify interventional clinical trials related to rare diseases (n = 51) and to compose a control group of clinical trials in non-rare diseases (n = 102) for further comparison of the trial characteristics. Results We found no significant diffe…
The Value of Median Nerve Sonography as a Predictor for Short- and Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Prospective…
2016
Objectives To investigate the prognostic value of B-mode and Power Doppler (PD) ultrasound of the median nerve for the short- and long-term clinical outcomes of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Methods Prospective study of 135 patients with suspected CTS seen 3 times: at baseline, then at short-term (3 months) and long-term (15–36 months) follow-up. At baseline, the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve was measured with ultrasound at 4 levels on the forearm and wrist. PD signals were graded semi-quantitatively (0–3). Clinical outcomes were evaluated at each visit with the Boston Questionnaire (BQ) and the DASH Questionnaire, as well as visual analogue scales for the pat…
Mismatch negativity (MMN) in freely-moving rats with several experimental controls.
2014
Mismatch negativity (MMN) is a scalp-recorded electrical potential that occurs in humans in response to an auditory stimulus that defies previously established patterns of regularity. MMN amplitude is reduced in people with schizophrenia. In this study, we aimed to develop a robust and replicable rat model of MMN, as a platform for a more thorough understanding of the neurobiology underlying MMN. One of the major concerns for animal models of MMN is whether the rodent brain is capable of producing a human-like MMN, which is not a consequence of neural adaptation to repetitive stimuli. We therefore tested several methods that have been used to control for adaptation and differential exogenou…
All-Possible-Couplings Approach to Measuring Probabilistic Context.
2013
From behavioral sciences to biology to quantum mechanics, one encounters situations where (i) a system outputs several random variables in response to several inputs, (ii) for each of these responses only some of the inputs may "directly" influence them, but (iii) other inputs provide a "context" for this response by influencing its probabilistic relations to other responses. These contextual influences are very different, say, in classical kinetic theory and in the entanglement paradigm of quantum mechanics, which are traditionally interpreted as representing different forms of physical determinism. One can mathematically construct systems with other types of contextuality, whether or not …
Spectral characteristics of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural as a related substance in medicinal products containing glucose
2019
Objectives: To study 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) spectral characteristics aiming at their future application in analytical procedures and their validation for the determination of 5-HMF in liquid products containing glucose after sterilization.Method: Direct spectrophotometric method for the determination of 5-HMF using the molar absorption coefficient at the absorption maximum (284 nm).Results and discussion: aqueous 5-HMF solutions have strong absorption in the ultraviolet range below 310 nm and give two absorption maxima at wavelengths of 229–230 nm and 284 nm. An excellent linear relationship between absorbance and 5-HMF concentration was observed in the concentration range of 2.0–1…
The relation between human values and perceived situation characteristics in everyday life
2018
Values refer to abstract beliefs which serve as guidelines in peoples’ life and affect the way people and events are evaluated. Simultaneously, unlike attitudes, values transcend specific actions, and situations. While recent research showed that values are related to the attention and interpretation of situational information in standardized laboratory settings, up to date hardly any empirical work investigated how values relate to situation perception in daily life. In our study, we assessed the relation between the endorsement of human values and situation characteristics (i.e., the 8 DIAMONDS). Using the Day Reconstruction Method in two samples (German and US-American), we found that es…
La innovación educativa desde la metodología: Mejora de las actitudes y competencias científicas de los alumnos (Educational innovation in research m…
2010
A programme of educational innovation was implemented to improve the attitude toward research methods for psychology students. Students used real data to test their own hypotheses using different statistical methods. Specifically, they implemented two key methodological principles in research methods: sample size and ordinal claims (Frick, 1996). Students had to work in teams, using Internet data bases for developing the theoretical background of the study, the definition of the objectives, the definition of variables, data analysis, and discussion of results. We assessed the attitudes towards research methods before and after the study. Results showed that: 1) the students improved their s…
Dosimetric evaluation of internal shielding in a high dose rate skin applicator
2011
Purpose: The Valencia HDR applicators are accessories of the microSelectron HDR afterloading system (Nucletron) shaped as truncated cones. The base of the cone is either 2 or 3 cm diameter. They are intended to treat skin lesions, being the typical prescription depth 3 mm. In patients with eyelid lesions, an internal shielding is very useful to reduce the dose to the ocular globe. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the dose enhancement from potential backscatter and electron contamination due to the shielding. Material and methods: Two methods were used: a) Monte Carlo simulation, performed with the GEANT4 code, 2 cm Valencia applicator was placed on the surface of a water phantom in …
Challenges in dental statistics: data and modelling
2022
The aim of this work is to present the reflections and proposals derived from the first Workshop of the SISMEC STATDENT working group on statistical methods and applications in dentistry, held in Ancona (Italy) on 28th September 2011. STATDENT began as a forum of comparison and discussion for statisticians working in the field of dental research in order to suggest new and improve existing biostatistical and clinical epidemiological methods. During the meeting, we dealt with very important topics of statistical methodology for the analysis of dental data, covering the analysis of hierarchically structured and over-dispersed data, the issue of calibration and reproducibility, as well as some…
Challenges in dental statistics: survey methodology topics
2022

 This paper gathers some contributions concerning survey methodology in dental research, as discussed during the first Workshop of the SISMEC STATDENT working group on statistical methods and applications in dentistry, held in Ancona on the 28th September 2011.
 The first contribution deals with the European Global Oral Health Indicators Development (EGOHID) Project which proposed a comprehensive and standardized system of epidemiological tools (questionnaires and clinical forms) for national data collection on oral health in Europe. The second contribution regards the design and conduct of trials to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of toothbrushes and mouthrinses. Final…