Search results for "CIM"
showing 10 items of 1625 documents
PTK2 rs7460 and rs7843014 polymorphisms and exceptional longevity: a functional replication study
2014
Focal adhesion is critical for cell survival. The focal adhesion kinase (FAK, or PTK2) is an important component of the human interactome and thus is a potential longevity-related protein. Here we studied the association between two PTK2 gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs7843014, rs7460) and exceptional longevity (EL). In addition to gaining insight into their functionality by determining luciferase gene reporter activity, we studied the genotype/allele frequency of these two SNPs among three different cohorts: (1) Spanish centenarians (n=175, 100–111 years, 144 women) and healthy controls (n=355, 20–50 years, 284 women); (2) Italian centenarians (n=79, 100–104 years, 40 women)…
Noninvasive double confirmation of cocaine abuse.
2013
A double confirmation procedure, based on the combined application of Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) and Infrared Spectroscopy (IR), has been developed for the noninvasive unambiguous identification of cocaine consume. The use of nasal mucus as a biological specimen for cocaine abuse confirmation has been proposed as an alternative to the use of blood and urine due to its noninvasive character and the presence of the parent compound instead of its metabolites. Sampling conditions, interferences caused by cutting agents and other substances, and limits of identification (LOI) and confirmation (LOC) have been deeply evaluated. The procedure combines the high sensitivity of the IMS to identif…
Development and validation of a reliable method for studying the distribution pattern for opiates metabolites in brain
2012
Abstract Brain distribution pattern of “street” heroin metabolites (morphine and codeine) was investigated in two fatalities due to “acute narcotism”. A suitable sample pretreatment prior to solid-phase-extraction was developed to achieve a good recovery of the analytes and to eliminate the interfering species. After derivatization with MSTFA, samples were analyzed by GC/MS. Specificity, accuracy, precision and linearity of the method were evaluated; LOD and LOQ were, respectively, 10 ng/25 ng for morphine and 5 ng/10 ng for codeine. This method was applied to the analysis of six brain areas (hippocampus, frontal lobe, occipital lobe, nuclei, bulb and pons) coming from two cases of heroin-r…
Intraocular pressure after excimer laser myopic refractive surgery
2001
The aim of this study was to determine whether intraocular pressure (IOP), as measured by Goldmann applanation or non-contact tonometry, shows systematic changes in patients who have undergone photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) or laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). IOP was measured by central Goldmann and non-contact tonometry in 54 patients pre and post-PRK, and in 43 patients pre- and post-LASIK. An interval of 12 months was allowed after surgery. Patients were selected to have one of four specific initial values of refractive error (-2.5, -5.0, -7.5 and -10.0 D). Fellow unoperated eyes were used as controls. A paired Student's t-test and a one-way ANOVA test were used for statistical a…
Mass spectroscopic analysis of excimer laser ablated material from human corneal tissue.
1988
The clinical feasibility of photorefractive keratectomy depends on the surface structure of the ablated cornea. Two factors that influence the remodeled surface are the homogeneity of the energy distribution and the properties of the laser source (energy and wavelength). Currently, the homogeneity of the beam is difficult to control. The second factor, laser source properties, was the focus of this study. We investigated the effect of laser wavelength and energy by analyzing the reaction products of photoablation. We monitored the fragments produced by UV-laser ablation of human corneas using mass spectroscopy in the range of 0 to 100 atomic mass units. At 248 nm (KrF), average photon energ…
Relationship Between Regional Cerebral Blood Flow and Electrocorticographic Activities Under Sevoflurane and Isoflurane Anesthesia
2010
The aims of this study are (1) to assess the effects of volatile anesthetics on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and electrocorticography (ECoG), and (2) to investigate the relationship between rCBF and ECoG influenced by volatile anesthetics. The authors measured rCBF using laser Doppler flowmetry and ECoG simultaneously and continuously from the same cortex during craniotomy, using the specially arranged probe. Patients received intravenous anesthetics with nitrous oxide until craniotomy, and after opening of dura, volatile anesthetic, either isoflurane or sevoflurane, was started and was gradually increased for the measurement. Four of the nine cases (44.4%) of the sevoflurane group s…
Optical and Visual Simulation of Standard and Modified Spherical Aberration Implantable Collamer Lens Post Myopic LASIK Surgery
2013
To evaluate the visual quality achieved in patients undergoing standard or modified implantable Collamer lens (ICL) to correct residual myopic error after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery.The adaptive optics visual simulator was used to simulate LASIK surgery of moderate and high myopia with a myopic regression corrected by a standard and modified ICL. Visual acuity (VA) and contrast sensitivity (CS) were measured in 14 subjects at 3- and 4.5-mm pupil. Point spread function and simulated retinal images were calculated.Comparing LASIK plus standard ICL and LASIK plus modified ICL simulations, for moderate myopia, VA improvement was less than 1 line in all VA contrasts an…
Image quality and visual performance in the peripheral visual field following photorefractive keratectomy.
2002
ABSTRACT PURPOSE: A theoretical and experimental study was performed to assess the possible effects of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) on retinal image quality and thresholds in the peripheral visual field. METHODS: Simple optical calculations suggest that although the quality of the retinal image at the fovea of the postoperative PRK eye may be comparable to that in an emmetropic eye, images in the peripheral field may be markedly worse, since peripheral ray bundles may pass partly through ablated and partly through unablated cornea, giving a simultaneous-vision bifocal effect. This would be expected to create an annular zone of confusion, so that light from two different directions in o…
Intraoperative monitoring of cerebral microcirculation and oxygenation--a feasibility study using a novel photo-spectrometric laser-Doppler flowmetry.
2009
The present study assesses the utility of a novel invasive device (O2C-, oxygen-to-see-device) for intraoperative measurement of the cerebral microcirculation. CO2 vasoreactivity during 2 different propofol concentrations was used to investigate changes of capillary venous cerebral blood flow (rvCBF), oxygen saturation (srvO2), and hemoglobin concentration (rvHb) during craniotomy.Thirty-four patients were randomly assigned to a low propofol (4 mg/kg/h) versus a high propofol (6 mg/kg/h) group. A fiberoptic probe was applied on the cortex next to the surgical site. Measurements were performed during lower (35 mm Hg) and higher (45 mm Hg) levels of partial pressure of carbon dioxide (paCO2).…
Functional assessment of the quality of human hepatocyte preparations for cell transplantation.
2008
Hepatocyte transplantation is an alternative therapy to orthotopic liver transplantation for the treatment of liver diseases. Good quality freshly isolated or cryopreserved human hepatocytes are needed for clinical transplantation. However, isolation, cryopreservation, and thawing processes can seriously impair hepatocyte viability and functionality. The aim of the present study was to develop a fast and sensitive procedure to estimate the quality of hepatocyte preparations prior to clinical cell infusion. To this end, cell viability, attachment efficiency, and metabolic competence (urea synthesis and drug-metabolizing P450 activities) were selected as objective criteria. Viability of hepat…