Search results for "Curve"

Tau protein as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

2020

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To test the hypothesis that total tau (tTau), tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (pTau) and pTau/tTau ratio in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we performed a retrospective observational study in a large cohort of ALS patients and controls. METHODS We enrolled 196 ALS patients and 91 controls, who included patients with ALS-mimicking diseases and those with non-neurodegenerative diseases. All patients underwent lumbar puncture for CSF analysis at the time of the diagnostic evaluation or to first referral. We measured tTau and pTau levels in the CSF by chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay. R…

Defining right ventricular dysfunction by the use of echocardiography in normotensive patients with pulmonary embolism

2020

Although the prognostic value of various echocardiographic parameters of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) was reported in normotensive patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE), there is no generally accepted definition of RVD.The aim of the study was to compare echocardiographic parameters for the prediction of an adverse 30‑day outcome and create an optimal definition of RVD.                                     Patients and methods: Echocardiographic parameters including the right ventricular to left ventricular diameter ratio (RV to LV ratio) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) to predict PE‑related mortality, hemodynamic collapse, or rescue thrombolysis within th…

Carotid ultrasound is useful for the cardiovascular risk stratification in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa.

2018

INTRODUCTION: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory cutaneous disease which has been associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. Adequate stratification of the CV risk is an issue of major importance in patients with HS. To analyze the usefulness of carotid ultrasound (US) assessment for the CV disease risk stratification compared with a traditional score, the Framingham risk score (FRS), in a series of patients with HS. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 60 patients with HS without history of CV events, diabetes mellitus or chronic kidney disease. Information on CV risk factors was collected and the FRS was calculated. Thus, the patients were…

Preliminary prediction model for identifying patients with the possibility of pharmacotherapy improvement

2010

Abstract Objective To develop a prediction model for identifying patients with the possibility of improving pharmacotherapy during the process of pharmaceutical validation of the prescription. Method Cross-sectional study over two months, performed in the Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease divisions. Detecting opportunities for improving quality of pharmacotherapy is done by means of a pharmacist's validation of the prescription. Based on the information we obtained through this process, we performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis using as prognostic factors the demographic, pharmacotherapy and clinical variables related to identifying any drug-related problems (DRPs) in …

CA125 but not NT-proBNP predicts the presence of a congestive intrarenal venous flow in patients with acute heart failure

2021

Abstract Background Intrarenal venous flow (IRVF) measured by Doppler ultrasound has gained interest as a potential surrogate marker of renal congestion and adverse outcomes in heart failure. In this work, we aimed to determine if antigen carbohydrate 125 (CA125) and plasma amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are associated with congestive IRVF patterns (i.e., biphasic and monophasic) in acute heart failure (AHF). Methods and results We prospectively enrolled a consecutive cohort of 70 patients hospitalized for AHF. Renal Doppler ultrasound was assessed within the first 24-h of hospital admission. The mean age of the sample was 73.5 ± 12.3 years; 47.1% were female, and…

2020

Background. Anticoagulant therapy, the cornerstone treatment in acute venous thromboembolism (VTE), strongly impacts thrombin generation (TG). Until now, the appearance of the TG curve in platelet rich plasma (PRP) from patients with acute VTE has not been investigated. Methods. We analyzed the shape of TG curves measured in PARP of 180 acute VTE patients. Results. Normal shape of TG curves was observed in 110 patients, 50 patients showed no TG and 20 patients showed biphasic TG curve. The linear regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, VTE clinical phenotypes and therapy showed that the appearance of biphasic curves is significantly associated with female sex, presence of cancer and the…

Prognostic value of balance performance for improvements of community ambulation among stroke patients: a cohort study

2022

Background Despite the positive impact of improving the level of community ambulation among stroke patients, little prognostic research has focused on this indicator. Aim To investigate the prognostic value of the side-by-side, semi-tandem, and tandem standing balance positions and the five-sit-stand (5STS) test for discriminating patients undergoing physical rehabilitation who improve level of functional ambulation and predicting transition time. Design A cohort study with assessments repeated monthly until discharge for classifying patients in a community ambulation class. Setting A neurological rehabilitation unit of a hospital in Spain. Population A consecutive sample of 109 stroke pati…

Predictive Score of Nodal Involvement in Endometrial Cancer Patients: A Large Multicentre Series

2021

Background: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is considered the standard of care in early-stage endometrial cancer (EC). For SLN failure, a side-specific lymphadenectomy is recommended. Nevertheless, most hemipelvises show no nodal involvement. The authors previously published a predictive score of lymphovascular involvement in EC. In case of a negative score (value 3–4), the risk of nodal metastases was extremely low. This multicenter study aimed to analyze a predictive score of nodal involvement in EC patients. Methods: The study enrolled patients with EC who had received comprehensive surgical staging with nodal assessment. A preoperative predictive score of nodal involvement was calculat…

Assessment of the production costs curve in micro-grids: a comparative analysis

2012

In micro-grids, due to their small scale, there is commonly only one power supplier. A competitive wholesale market hardly exists so the question about how to consider market issues for small producers within micro-grids arises. On the other hand, the specific features of micro-grids where load and generated power hardly find a balance, require that customers take part to regulation issues, maybe using demand response programs. In this paper, price responsive policies and its programs are discussed to answer this question. A case study of a micro-grid with one microturbine and two photovoltaic generators in Italy is analyzed to assess the overall production cost in order to build a price re…

Energy and economic assessment of a small domestic wind turbine in Palermo

2016

The cost effectiveness of micro-wind technology is closely linked to the annual energy production plants, which strongly depends on the wind characteristics and on the morphological properties of the installation site. The power curve of a wind turbine, supplied by manufacturers, characterizes the theoretical energy performance that it should have at a particular site. The behavior of a wind turbine in the field is affected by the speed but also by wind direction variations. At each change of direction and speed, the turbine will try to adapt to new conditions and the phase transition negatively influences the energy production. In order to experimentally confirm what above mentioned, the a…