Search results for "CALCIFICATION"
showing 10 items of 176 documents
Bi-allelic LoF NRROS Variants Impairing Active TGF-β1 Delivery Cause a Severe Infantile-Onset Neurodegenerative Condition with Intracranial Calcifica…
2020
Negative regulator of reactive oxygen species (NRROS) is a leucine-rich repeat-containing protein that uniquely associates with latent transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF- β1) and anchors it on the cell surface; this anchoring is required for activation of TGF-β1 in macrophages and microglia. We report six individuals from four families with bi-allelic variants in NRROS. All affected individuals had neurodegenerative disease with refractory epilepsy, developmental regression, and reduced white matter volume with delayed myelination. The clinical course in affected individuals began with normal development or mild developmental delay, and the onset of seizures occurred within the first ye…
Cigarette Smoking is Associated with Decreased Bone Gla-protein (BGP) Levels in Hemodialysis Patients
2018
Background: Bone Gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)-protein (BGP or osteocalcin) is a vitamin K-dependent protein involved in the regulation of bone mineralization. Smoking is a risk factor for osteoporosis. Methods: We carried out a secondary analysis of the Vitamin K Italian (VIKI) study to investigate the association between cigarette smoking and BGP levels in patients with end stage renal disease. Data were collected in 370 haemodialysis patients, 37% (136) smokers (or ex-smokers) and 63% (234) nonsmokers. Vascular calcifications and vertebral fractures (quantitative morphometry) were identified on spine radiographs. Results: Smokers had significantly lower BGP levels (152 vs. 204 μg/L, p…
Influence of image reconstruction parameters on cardiovascular risk reclassification by Computed Tomography Coronary Artery Calcium Score
2018
Objective: To investigate the influence of different CT reconstruction parameters on coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) values and reclassification of predicted cardiovascular (CV) risk. Methods: CACS was evaluated in 113 patients undergoing ECG-gated 64-slice CT. Reference CACS protocol included standard kernel filter (B35f) with slice thickness/increment of 3/1.5 mm, and field-of-view (FOV) of 150â180 mm. Influence of different image reconstruction algorithms (reconstructed slice thickness/increment 2.0/1.0â1.5/0.8â3.0/2.0â3.0/3.0 mm; slice kernel B30f-B45f; FOV 200â250 mm) on Agatston score was assessed by Bland-Altman plots and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) ana…
Coronary artery calcium and physical performance as determinants of mortality in older age: The AGES-Reykjavik Study
2013
Background. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) and physical performance have been shown to be associated with mortality, but it is not clear whether one of them modifies the association. We investigated the association between the extent of CAC and physical performance among older individuals and explored these individual and combined effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and non-CVD mortality. Methods. We studied 4074 participants of the AGES–Reykjavik Study who were free from coronary heart disease, had a CAC score calculated from computed tomography scans and had data on mobility limitations and gait speed at baseline in 2002–2006 at a mean age of 76 years. Register-based mortalit…
Cross-clamping a porcelain aorta: an alternative technique for high-risk patients
2018
Background Aortic cross-clamping in patients with porcelain aorta is associated with high mortality and morbidity rates. The aim is to establish a new approach to improve the outcome in this high-risk population. Methods Between September 2007 and November 2012, 42 patients with an aortic (N.=33; 81.3±6.4 years) or mitral valve disease (N.=9; 80.3±5.7) combined with a porcelain aorta underwent aortic (AVR) or mitral valve replacement (MVR). After arterial cannulation via distal aortic arch or femoral artery, longitudinal aortotomy under total cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was performed. The aorta was slowly clamped, thus mobilized atherosclerotic material could leave the aorta through the op…
Choice of CTO scores to predict procedural success in clinical practice. A comparison of 4 different CTO PCI scores in a comprehensive national regis…
2021
Background We aimed to compare the performance of the recent CASTLE score to J-CTO, CL and PROGRESS CTO scores in a comprehensive database of percutaneous coronary intervention of chronic total occlusion procedures. Methods Scores were calculated using raw data from 1,342 chronic total occlusion procedures included in REBECO Registry that includes learning and expert operators. Calibration, discrimination and reclassification were evaluated and compared. Results Mean score values were: CASTLE 1.60±1.10, J-CTO 2.15±1.24, PROGRESS 1.68±0.94 and CL 2.52±1.52 points. The overall percutaneous coronary intervention success rate was 77.8%. Calibration was good for CASTLE and CL, but not for J-CTO…
A simple analytical method for heterogeneity corrections in low dose rate prostate brachytherapy
2015
In low energy brachytherapy, the presence of tissue heterogeneities contributes significantly to the discrepancies observed between treatment plan and delivered dose. In this work, we present a simplified analytical dose calculation algorithm for heterogeneous tissue. We compare it with Monte Carlo computations and assess its suitability for integration in clinical treatment planning systems. The algorithm, named as RayStretch, is based on the classic equivalent path length method and TG-43 reference data. Analytical and Monte Carlo dose calculations using Penelope2008 are compared for a benchmark case: a prostate patient with calcifications. The results show a remarkable agreement between …
Quantification of epicardial adipose tissue in coronary calcium score and CT coronary angiography image data sets: comparison of attenuation values, …
2016
The aim of the study was to compare epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) characteristics assessed with coronary calcium score (CS) and CT coronary angiography (CTCA) image data sets.In 76 patients (mean age 59 ± 13 years) who underwent CS and CTCA owing to suspected coronary artery disease (CAD), EAT was quantified in terms of density (Hounsfield units), thickness and volume. The EAT volume was extracted with a semi-automatic software.A moderate correlation was found between EAT density in CS and CTCA image data sets (-100 ± 19 HU vs -70 ± 24 HU; p 0.05, r = 0.55). The distribution of EAT was not symmetrical with a maximal thickness at the right atrioventricular groove (14.2 ± 5.3 mm in CS, 15.…
Accuracy of the estimation of dental age in comparison with chronological age in a Spanish sample of 2641 living subjects using the Demirjian and Nol…
2016
Age estimation is an important procedure in forensic medicine and is carried out for a number of reasons. For living persons, age estimation is performed in order to assess whether a child has attained the age of criminal responsibility, in scenarios involving rape, kidnapping or marriage, in premature births, adoption procedures, illegal immigration, pediatric endocrine diseases and orthodontic malocclusion, as well as in circumstances in which the birth certificate is not available or the records are suspect. According to data from the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), the number of people seeking refugee status continued to increase in the last years, driven by the w…
The Genome of the Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
2006
We report the sequence and analysis of the 814-megabase genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus , a model for developmental and systems biology. The sequencing strategy combined whole-genome shotgun and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) sequences. This use of BAC clones, aided by a pooling strategy, overcame difficulties associated with high heterozygosity of the genome. The genome encodes about 23,300 genes, including many previously thought to be vertebrate innovations or known only outside the deuterostomes. This echinoderm genome provides an evolutionary outgroup for the chordates and yields insights into the evolution of deuterostomes.