Search results for "DEC"
showing 10 items of 10327 documents
Family members’ experiences of being cared for by nurses and physicians in Norwegian intensive care units: A phenomenological hermeneutical study
2014
Summary Objectives When patients are admitted to intensive care units, families are affected. This study aimed to illuminate the meaning of being taken care of by nurses and physicians for relatives in Norwegian intensive care units. Research methodology/design Thirteen relatives of critically ill patients treated in intensive care units in southern Norway were interviewed in autumn 2013. Interview data were analysed using a phenomenological hermeneutical method inspired by the philosopher Paul Ricoeur. Results Two main themes emerged: being in a receiving role and being in a participating role. The receiving role implies experiences of informational and supportive care from nurses and phys…
Pituitary-adrenal responses to corticotropin-releasing factor in late onset 21-hydroxylase deficiency
1990
Intravenous corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) were administered in patients with adult onset 21-hydroxylase deficiency to compare their diagnostic capability as well as to investigate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function in this disorder. Responses of 17-hydroxyprogesterone, which were markedly elevated compared with controls, were identical with CRF and ACTH. However, intravenous ACTH resulted in higher androstenedione levels in comparison to CRF. Adrenocorticotropin hormone also resulted in decreased cortisol responses, confirming a defect in steroidogenesis, a finding that was not evident with CRF. Plasma ACTH responses to CRF were similar in …
Negative biopsy of focal hepatic lesions: Decision tree model for patient management
2019
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to investigate patient- and procedure-related variables affecting the false-negative rate of ultrasound (US)-guided liver biopsy and to develop a standardized patient-tailored predictive model for the management of negative biopsy results. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We retrospectively included 389 patients (mean age ± SD, 62 ± 12 years old) who had undergone US-guided liver biopsy of 405 liver lesions between January 1, 2013, and June 30, 2015. We collected multiple patient- and procedure-related variables. By comparing pathology reports of biopsy and the reference standard (further histology or imaging follow-up), we were able to categorize the biopsy r…
"Only Spinal Fixation" as Surgical Treatment of Cervical Myelopathy Related to Ossified Posterior Longitudinal Ligament: Review of 52 Cases.
2020
Background Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a hyperostotic condition resulting in a progressive narrowing of the spinal canal and subsequent neurologic deficits. Although systemic and local factors in combination with genetic abnormality have been considered in its etiopathogenesis, OPLL remains a poorly understood pathology. Surgical management of OPLL and the choice of the most appropriate treatment are still controversial issues. Here the authors report a series of OPLL-affected patients treated by “only-fixation” technique. Methods Between June 2012 and June 2019, 52 patients having OPLL were treated by a surgical strategy involving only spinal fixation with…
The leptin system during human endometrial receptivity and preimplantation development.
2004
The leptin system is implicated in the regulation of body weight and reproductive function, acting at endocrine and paracrine levels. This ligand-receptor system is mandatory for embryonic implantation in rodents. Here, we investigate the expression pattern of total leptin receptor (OB-R(T)), the long form (OB-R(L)) and short isoforms HuB219.1 and HuB219.3 in the human endometrium. Furthermore, we studied leptin and OB-R(T) mRNA during human embryonic preimplantation development and the embryonic regulation of the endometrial OB-R(L). Leptin receptor expression and its isoforms increase in the luteal phase and peak in the late part. Leptin receptor was localized at the epithelial and glandu…
Expression of properdin in human monocytes
1994
Properdin is the only known positive regulator of the alternative pathway of complement activation. Northern blot analysis of cell lines derived from fibroblasts, B-cells, hepatoma cells, and cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage revealed properdin expression only in the myelomonocytic cell line HL-60, in the monoblastic cell line U-937 and in the monocytic line Mono Mac 6. Culture of Mono Mac 6 cells for 24 h with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, bacterial lipopolysaccharide and the cytokines interleukin-1 beta and tumour necrosis factor-alpha enhanced mRNA abundance, with the strongest effect (tenfold) being observed with the lipopolysaccharide. In contrast, recombinant interferon-gamm…
Enzymatic modification of low-density lipoprotein in the arterial wall: a new role for plasmin and matrix metalloproteinases in atherogenesis.
2004
Objective— Functionally interactive proteases of the plasminogen/plasmin and the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) system degrade and reorganize the extracellular matrix of the vessel wall in atherosclerosis. Here we investigated whether such proteases are able to confer atherogenic properties onto low density lipoprotein by nonoxidative modification. Methods and Results— Similar to the recently described enzymatically-modified low-density lipoprotein (E-LDL), native LDL exposed to plasmin or matrix MMP-2 or MMP-9 and cholesterylester-hydrolase (CEH) showed extensive deesterification, with ratios of free cholesterol to total cholesterol rising to 0.8 compared with 0.2 in native LDL. When the …
Digital image analysis of collagen assessment of progression of fibrosis in recurrent HCV after liver transplantation
2013
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Histological assessment of fibrosis progression is currently performed by staging systems which are not continuous quantitative measurements. We aimed at assessing a quantitative measurement of fibrosis collagen proportionate area (CPA), to evaluate fibrosis progression and compare it to Ishak stage progression. METHODS: We studied a consecutive cohort of 155 patients with recurrent HCV hepatitis after liver transplantation (LT), who had liver biopsies at one year and were subsequently evaluated for progression of fibrosis using CPA and Ishak staging, and correlated with clinical decompensation. The upper quartile of distribution of fibrosis rates (difference in CPA or Is…
Hepatitis C virus genotypes: distribution and clinical significance in patients with cirrhosis type C seen at tertiary referral centres in Europe
2001
The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution and clinical significance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in European patients with compensated cirrhosis due to hepatitis C (Child class A) seen at tertiary referral centres. HCV genotypes were determined by genotype-specific primer PCR in 255 stored serum samples obtained from cirrhotics followed for a median period of 7 years. Inclusion criteria were biopsy-proven cirrhosis, absence of complications of cirrhosis and exclusion of all other potential causes of chronic liver disease. The proportion of patients with types 1b, 2, 3a, 1a, 4 and 5 were 69%, 19%, 6%, 5%, 0.5% and 0.5%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier 5-year risk of hepatocel…
Mortality risk according to different clinical characteristics of first episode of liver decompensation in cirrhotic patients: a nationwide, prospect…
2013
Abstract OBJECTIVES: The occurrence of decompensation marks a crucial turning point in the course of cirrhosis. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of mortality according to the clinical characteristics of first decompensation, considering also the impact of acute-on-chronic liver failure (AoCLF). METHODS: We conducted a prospective nationwide inception cohort study in Italy. Decompensation was defined by the presence of ascites, either overt or detected by ultrasonography (UD), gastroesophageal variceal bleeding (GEVB), and hepatic encephalopathy (HE). AoCLF was defined according to the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver criteria. Multivariable Cox proportion…