Search results for "Case-Control Studies"
showing 10 items of 1567 documents
Competition between clonal plasma cells and normal cells for potentially overlapping bone marrow niches is associated with a progressively altered ce…
2011
Disappearance of normal bone marrow (BM) plasma cells (PC) predicts malignant transformation of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering myeloma (SMM) into symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM). The homing, behavior and survival of normal PC, but also CD34 hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), B-cell precursors, and clonal PC largely depends on their interaction with stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) expressing, potentially overlapping BM stromal cell niches. Here, we investigate the distribution, phenotypic characteristics and competitive migration capacity of these cell populations in patients with MGUS, SMM and MM vs healthy adults (HA) aged 60 years. Our result…
Motivational factors modulate left frontoparietal network during cognitive control in cocaine addiction
2020
Cocaine addiction is characterized by alterations in motivational and cognitive processes involved in goal-directed behavior. Recent studies have shown that addictive behaviors can be attributed to alterations in the activity of large functional networks. The aim of this study was to investigate how cocaine addiction affected the left frontoparietal network during goal-directed behavior in a stop-signal task (SST) with reward contingencies by correct task performance. Twenty-eight healthy controls (HC) and 30 abstinent cocaine-dependent patients (ACD) performed SST with monetary reward contingencies while undergoing a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. The results showed that the l…
Unexplained Elevated Serum Pancreatic Enzymes: A Reason to Suspect Celiac Disease
2006
BACKGROUND & AIMS: The frequency of elevated serum pancreatic enzymes in patients with celiac disease (CD) is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of pancreatic enzymes in CD patients. METHODS: Serum pancreatic isoamylase and lipase levels were assayed in 90 adult and 112 pediatric consecutive CD patients at diagnosis and after 12 months of gluten-free diet (GFD). Serum elastase and trypsin levels were assayed in a subgroup of adult CD patients. Pancreatic ultrasonography was also performed. RESULTS: Twenty-six adult (29%) and 29 pediatric (26%) CD patients exhibited elevated values of serum pancreatic amylase and/or lipase; trypsin was elevated in 69% and elastas…
Y chromosome microdeletions, sperm DNA fragmentation and sperm oxidative stress as causes of recurrent spontaneous abortion of unknown etiology.
2010
Background The aim of the present study was to evaluate the implication of male factor, in terms of sperm DNA oxidation and fragmentation, and Y chromosome microdeletions in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) of unknown origin in a strictly selected cohort. Methods A prospective cohort study was carried out in a private university-affiliated setting. Three groups, each comprised of 30 males, were compared. The first was formed by healthy and fertile sperm donors (SD) with normal sperm parameters (control group), the second by men presenting severe oligozoospermia (SO) without RSA history, and the third by men from couples who had experienced idiopathic RSA. Frequency of Y chromosome micro…
Gray matter alteration in dyslexia: converging evidence from volumetric and voxel-by-voxel MRI analyses.
2004
Affecting up to 4-10% of the population, dyslexia is a highly prevalent, childhood onset developmental disorder adversely influencing multiple domains of adaptive functioning throughout the lifespan. The present brain imaging study was conducted in order to investigate the neuroanatomical correlates of developmental dyslexia. The MRI brain scans of 10 males with dyslexia and 14 matched controls were analyzed with (1) a classical volumetric method measuring gray and white matter lobar volumes and (2) a voxel-by-voxel method. The voxel-by-voxel method identifies changes in tissue density and localizes morphologic alterations without limiting the analyses to predefined regions. Subsequent corr…
Requestioning depression in patients with cancer: Contribution of somatic and affective symptoms to Beck's Depression Inventory
2007
Background: Depressive symptoms are a major complaint reported by cancer patients. Somatic and affective symptoms can contribute to depression. Patients and methods: We investigated the prevalence of somatic and affective depressive symptoms with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in 213 hospitalized cancer patients prior to the start of chemotherapy. Results: Seventeen of 213 patients (8%) were screened positive for major depression; 40 (19%) had mild to moderate depressive symptoms. The corresponding figures for somatic and affective symptoms were 33.3% and 2.8% in the patients with major depression and 23.0% and 8.0% in those with mild to moderate depressive symptoms. Female patients, p…
Pulmonary emphysema in cystic fibrosis detected by densitometry on chest multidetector computed tomography.
2013
BackgroundHistopathological studies on lung specimens from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and recent results from a mouse model indicate that emphysema may contribute to CF lung disease. However, little is known about the relevance of emphysema in patients with CF. In the present study, we used computationally generated density masks based on multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) of the chest for non-invasive characterization and quantification of emphysema in CF.MethodsVolumetric MDCT scans were acquired in parallel to pulmonary function testing in 41 patients with CF (median age 20.1 years; range 7-66 years) and 21 non-CF controls (median age 30.4 years; range 4-68 years), and subj…
Less but better: cardioprotective lipid profile of patients with GCK-MODY despite lower HDL cholesterol level
2014
Patients with diabetes caused by single-gene mutations generally exhibit an altered course of diabetes. Those with mutations of the glucokinase gene (GCK-MODY) show good metabolic control and low risk of cardiovascular complications despite paradoxically lowered high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. In order to investigate the matter, we analyzed the composition of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and HDL subpopulations in such individuals. The LipoPrint(©) system (Quantimetrix, USA) based on non-denaturing, linear polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to separate and measure LDL and HDL subclasses in fresh-frozen serum samples from patients with mutations of glucokinase or …
Combined evaluation of resting IGF-I, N-terminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP) and C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collag…
2004
To verify whether combined measurements of GH-dependent parameters might be useful in detecting exogenous recombinant GH (rGH) administration in male athletes from different disciplines.Sixty-six athletes (control group) were sampled for the evaluation of resting IGF-I, N-terminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP) and telopeptide type I collagen (ICTP). Cut-off values (mean + 2 SD) for IGF-I, PIIINP and ICTP were calculated and arbitrary scores (1.5, 2.0) were assigned to abnormal parameters. By using the sum of individual parameter scores, positive (or = 3) or negative (3) scores were obtained. In addition, a subgroup of six athletes was treated for 3 weeks with rGH (0.09 IU/kg b…
Limitations of the trail making test part-B in assessing frontal executive dysfunction.
2015
AbstractPart B of the Trail Making Test (TMT-B) is one of the most widely used neuropsychological tests of “executive” function. A commonly held assumption is that the TMT-B can be used to detect frontal executive dysfunction. However, so far, research evidence has been limited and somewhat inconclusive. In this retrospective study, performance on the TMT-B of 55 patients with known focal frontal lesions, 27 patients with focal non-frontal lesions and 70 healthy controls was compared. Completion time and the number of errors made were examined. Patients with frontal and non-frontal lesions performed significantly worse than healthy controls for both completion time and the number of errors.…