Search results for "Curve"

Mafia and psychopathy

2014

Background In popular culture, Mafia members are often portrayed as ruthless, callous and remorseless, but there is no empirical research on their personality traits. Aims The goal of this research was to examine levels of psychopathic traits among Mafia members who have been convicted of a criminal offence. Methods The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) rated 30 Italian adult male prisoners who had been convicted for Mafia-related crimes (86% resident in one 6-month period) and 39 next adjacent convicted men who were not enrolled in any criminal organisation. Results Mafia members obtained lower PCL-R total scores, interpersonal and affective (PCL-R factor 1) scores and lifestyle scores…

Predictors of self-reported heart failure - results from the Gutenberg Health study

2013

The deltoid muscle: an electromyographical analysis of its activity in arm abduction in various body postures

1992

We have carried out an electromyographical examination of the activity of five different regions of the deltoid muscle during abduction/adduction in various body postures with different biomechanical actions of arm gravity. The results show that the deltoid action is highly differentiated in its different regions and is not restricted only to the generation of an abducting moment in the shoulder joint. There is obviously a biomechanical contribution, mainly by its spinal and clavicular regions, to the stabilization of the glenohumeral joint and to the control of the selected plane of abduction.

Diabetes Antibody Standardization Program: evaluation of assays for autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase and islet antigen-2

2008

Aims/hypothesis Islet autoantibodies are important in diabetes classification and risk assessment, and as endpoints in observational studies. The Diabetes Autoantibody Standardization Program (DASP) aims to improve and standardise measurement of autoantibodies associated with type 1 diabetes. We report results for glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA) and islet antigen-2 autoantibodies (IA-2A) from three DASP workshops (2002–2005). Methods Up to 60 laboratories in 18 countries participated in each workshop. Participants received coded serum aliquots from 50 patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes (median age 18 years, range 9–35 years) and 100 blood donor controls. Results…

A structured training pathway to implement robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy: the learning curve results from a high-volume center

2019

ABSTRACTTo ensure safe implementation of robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE), the learning process should be optimized. This study aimed to report the results of a surgeon who implemented RAMIE in a German high-volume center by following a tailored and structured training pathway that involved proctoring. Consecutive patients who underwent RAMIE during the course of the program were included from a prospective database. A single surgeon, who had prior experience in conventional MIE, performed all RAMIE procedures. Cumulative sum (CUSUM) learning curves were plotted for the thoracic operating time and intraoperative blood loss. Perioperative outcomes were compared between…

Genotype-driven pharmacokinetic simulations of warfarin levels in Puerto Ricans.

2020

Abstract Objectives The inter-individual variability of warfarin dosing has been linked to genetic polymorphisms. This study was aimed at performing genotype-driven pharmacokinetic (PK) simulations to predict warfarin levels in Puerto Ricans. Methods Analysis of each individual dataset was performed by one-compartmental modeling using WinNonlin®v6.4. The k e of warfarin given a cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) genotype ranged from 0.0189 to 0.0075 h−1. K a and V d parameters were taken from literature. Data from 128 subjects were divided into two groups (i.e., wild-types and carriers) and statistical analyses of PK parameters were performed by unpaired t-tests. Results In the carrier group (n=6…

Trajectories of motor coordination in 4–7-years-old children: A latent growth curve analysis

2014

Introduction For being able to take part in physical activities typical to the given age, children need proficiency in several motor tasks. Gross motor coordination (MC) is a basis for executing motor tasks and for learning new movement patterns. This study aimed to identify different MC trajectories in children aged 4–7-years-old. Methods Motor coordination of children ( n  = 94, mean age 6.1 ± 1.3 years at baseline) was measured at 0, 6 and 12 months by KTK-test battery [1] . To identify different MC trajectories, developmental trend of the mean score of KTK was analyzed by using a latent growth curve and growth mixture analysis. Results In general, MC developed significantly over the yea…

Multidimensional Prognostic Index and Mortality in Intermediate Care Facilities: A Retrospective Study.

2021

Multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) is a frailty assessment tool used for stratifying prognosis in older hospitalized people, but data regarding older people admitted to intermediate care facilities (ICFs) are missing. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether MPI can predict mortality in older patients admitted to the ICFs. MPI was calculated using different domains explored by a standard comprehensive geriatric assessment and categorized into tertiles (MPI-1 ≤ 0.20, MPI-2 0.20–0.34, MPI-3 &gt

Postural Adjustments and Kinematic Index Finger Features in Frail Older Adults under Different Equilibrium Constraints

2021

Background: Anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) are significantly affected by age and may represent restrictions on functional independence. Previous studies in young adults have already highlighted that changing postural stability (i.e., seated vs. upright posture) affects the motor planning and APAs. In frail older adults (FOAs), the effect of these different conditions of postural stability have not yet been established, and the present study aimed to disentangle this issue. Methods: Participants executed an arm-pointing task to reach a diode immediately after it turned on, under different conditions of stability (seated with and without foot support and in an upright posture). A ki…

Automatic detection of lung nodules in CT datasets based on stable 3D mass–spring models

2012

We propose a computer-aided detection (CAD) system which can detect small-sized (from 3 mm) pulmonary nodules in spiral CT scans. A pulmonary nodule is a small lesion in the lungs, round-shaped (parenchymal nodule) or worm-shaped (juxtapleural nodule). Both kinds of lesions have a radio-density greater than lung parenchyma, thus appearing white on the images. Lung nodules might indicate a lung cancer and their early stage detection arguably improves the patient survival rate. CT is considered to be the most accurate imaging modality for nodule detection. However, the large amount of data per examination makes the full analysis difficult, leading to omission of nodules by the radiologist. We…