Search results for "DEC"
showing 10 items of 10327 documents
Age-dependent decline of steady state dopamine storage capacity of human brain: an FDOPA PET study.
2010
Conventional indices of the utilization of FDOPA in living human brain have not consistently revealed important declines in dopamine function with normal aging. However, most methods of kinetic analysis have assumed irreversible trapping of decarboxylated FDOPA metabolites in brain, an assumption that is violated even in PET recordings of short duration. Therefore, we have developed methods for the calculation of steady-state storage of FDOPA together with its decarboxylated metabolites (V(d), mlg(-1)), based upon improved kinetic analysis of 120-min emission recordings. In a group of 28 normal male subjects, of age ranging from 23 to 73 years, the magnitude of V(d) in the striatum and in e…
Simultaneous sodium lauryl sulphate testing improves the diagnostic validity of allergic patch tests. Results from a prospective multicentre study of…
2005
Summary Background There is evidence that a higher skin susceptibility may induce nonspecific erythematous or weak positive reactions to contact allergens in patch testing. Objectives To evaluate whether simultaneous application of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) along with diagnostic patch tests with contact allergens can provide information regarding skin irritability which may help to discriminate allergic from nonspecific irritant reactions to contact allergens. Methods Between July 2001 and June 2003, this prospective study collected patch test data of 5971 patients from 19 centres in Germany and Austria in the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK). In addition to co…
Role of the GALAD and BALAD-2 Serologic Models in Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Prediction of Survival in Patients.
2016
Background & Aims GALAD and BALAD-2 are statistical models for estimating the likelihood of the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in individual patients with chronic liver disease and the survival of patients with HCC, respectively. Both models use objective measures, particularly the serum markers α-fetoprotein (AFP), AFP-L3, and des-γ-carboxyprothrombin. We aimed to validate these models in an international cohort of patients with HCC and assess their clinical performance. Methods We collected data on cancer diagnosis and outcomes of 6834 patients (2430 with HCC and 4404 with chronic liver disease) recruited from Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong. We also collected data from 229 pati…
Skill-related differences between athletes and nonathletes in speed discrimination.
2008
This study examined differences in decision-making time and accuracy as attributes of speed discrimination between participants skilled and less skilled in ball games. A total of 130 men, ages 18 to 28 years ( M = 21.2, SD = 2.6), participated. The athlete sample (skilled group) comprised Estonian National League volleyball ( n = 26) and basketball players ( n = 27). The nonathlete sample (less skilled group) included 77 soldiers of the Estonian Defence Force with no reported top level experience in ball games. Speed-discrimination stimuli were images of red square shapes presented moving along the sagittal axis at four different virtual velocities on a computer (PC) screen which represent…
Franceschetti Hereditary Recurrent Corneal Erosion
2011
To describe new affected individuals of Franceschetti's original pedigree of hereditary recurrent erosion and to classify a unique entity called Franceschetti corneal dystrophy.Observational case series.Slit-lamp examination of 10 affected individuals was conducted. Biomicroscopic examinations were supplemented by peripheral corneal biopsy in 1 affected patient with corneal haze. Tissue was processed for light and electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry was performed. DNA analysis was carried out in 12 affected and 3 nonaffected family members.All affected individuals suffered from severe ocular pain in the first decade of life, attributable to recurrent corneal erosions. Six adult pat…
Opposite effects of suicidality and lithium on gray matter volumes in bipolar depression
2011
Background: Mood disorders are associated with the highest increase of attempted and completed suicide. Suicidality in major depressive disorder and in schizophrenia has been associated with reduced gray matter volumes in orbitofrontal cortex. Lithium reduces the suicide risk of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) to the same levels of the general population, and can increase GM volumes. We studied the effect of a positive history of attempted suicide and ongoing lithium treatment on regional GM volumes of patients affected by bipolar depression. Methods: With a correlational design, we studied 57 currently depressed inpatients with bipolar disorder: 19 with and 38 without a positive histor…
Dysfunctional decision-making related to white matter alterations in bipolar I disorder.
2015
Abstract Objective This study investigated how frontal white matter (WM) alterations in patients with bipolar I disorder (BD-I) are linked to motivational dysregulation, often reported in the form of risk-taking and impulsivity, and whether structure–function relations in patients might differ from healthy subjects (HC). Method We acquired diffusion data from 24 euthymic BD-I patients and 24 controls, to evaluate WM integrity of selected frontal tracts. Risk-taking was assessed by the Cambridge Gambling Task and impulsivity by self-report with the Barratt-Impulsiveness Scale. Results BD-I patients displayed significantly lower integrity in the right cingulum compared to HC. They also showed…
Improvement of wound healing after hemorrhoidectomy: a double-blind, randomized study of botulinum toxin injection.
2005
PURPOSE: Hemorrhoidectomy is usually associated with significant pain during the postoperative period. The spasm of the internal sphincter seems to play in important role in the origin of pain. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of intrasphincter injection of botulinum toxin after hemaorrhoidectomy in reducing the maximum testing pressure of the anal canal, accelerating wound healing, and decreasing postoperative pain when resting and during defecation. METHODS: Thirty patients with hemorrhoids of third and fourth degree were included in the study and randomized in two groups. Anorectal manometry was performed preoperatively and 5 and 30 days afterward ill all patients un…
Bovine pericardium for duraplasty: clinical results in 32 patients.
2001
Bovine pericardium has been widely used for grafts in cardiac surgery and seems to have suitable properties for use as a dural graft. We report on the use of solvent-preserved, gamma-sterilized Tutoplast bovine pericardium for dural grafts in 32 patients undergoing cranial and spinal operations with the objective of clinically assessing this material and technique by a retrospective analysis. All available records were reviewed and information regarding the indication for grafting, complications, and outcome were collected and analyzed for all patients. Indications for grafting included tethered cord myelolysis, closure of lumbosacral myeloceles, Chiari decompression, posterior fossa cranio…
Results of the Thyroid Cancer Alliance international patient/survivor survey: Psychosocial/informational support needs, treatment side effects and in…
2013
To comprehensively assess the experience of a large, diverse cohort and identify potential care improvements, the Thyroid Cancer Alliance, an international patient/survivor group coalition, surveyed thyroid cancer patients/survivors worldwide.English, German, French or Spanish versions of a self-developed 43-item questionnaire were completed, predominantly online, by 2398 respondents from the US (37.9%), Germany (21.3%), the UK (11.5%), Canada (11.4%), France (9%), and 35 other countries. Females and differentiated thyroid carcinoma patients each comprised ~87% of respondents. Diagnosis occurred at age 30-59 years in 71.8%, within1 (1-5) year(s) before survey completion in 16.4% (55%).At di…