Search results for "Diagnostics"
showing 10 items of 197 documents
Use of a comprehensive diagnostic algorithm for Anisakis allergy in a high seroprevalence Mediterranean setting
2020
Summary Background.Diagnosis of anisakis allergy (AA) is based on the skin prick test (SPT) and specific IgE (sIgE) determination. Anyway, false positivity cases are due to cross reactivity with numerous allergens. The aim of the study was to evaluate the reliability of a comprehensive diagnostic algorithm for the AA. Methods.An observational study was conducted on a sample of consecutive subjects accessing the allergology outpatient ambulatories of two hospitals located in Western Sicily. All the recruited outpatients were tested by Skin Prick Test performed using anisakis extracts by ALK-Abello (Madrid, Spain). Specific IgE dosage for anisakis extracts was then performed by using ImmunoCA…
Salivary MMP-9 in the detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma
2017
Background Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant tumour of the oral cavity. Detection of OSCC is currently based on clinical oral examination combined with histopathological evaluation of a biopsy sample. Direct contact between saliva and the oral cancer makes measurement of salivary metalloproteinase- 9 (MMP-9) an attractive alternative. Material and Methods In total, 30 OSCC patients and 30 healthy controls were included in this prospective study. Saliva samples from both groups were collected, centrifuged and supernatant fluid was subjected to ELISA for assessment of MMP-9. The median salivary MMP-9 values with interquartile range (IQR) of OSCC patients and the…
Reference Values for a Homogeneous Ferritin Assay and Traceability to the 3rd International Recombinant Standard for Ferritin (NIBSC Code 94/572)
1999
Abstract Reference values for two ferritin assays (Tina-quant®a Ferritin, Enzymun®, both Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany) were established (136 males and 139 females). To rule out inflammation as well as iron deficiency in the reference population, subjects with the C-reactive protein concentration < 5 mg/l, and zinc protoporphyrin < 40 µmol/mol heme and the soluble transferrin receptor < 3 mg/l were selected. Taking into account latent iron deficiency as well as hereditary hemochromatosis the 5–95 percentile range was as follows: male, 27–365 μg/l; female, 13–148 μg/l for Tina-quant®a and 12–151 μg/l for Enzymun®. The Tinaquant® a Ferritin assay showed a very good correlation…
Role of salivary anti-SSA/B antibodies for diagnosing primary Sjögren’s syndrome
2014
The diagnosis of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is complex, and the saliva test is a potential method to improve the existing diagnostic criteria. Objective: To estimate the diagnostic accuracy of salivary anti-SSA/B antibodies in primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), and to analyze their correlations with clinical and laboratory profiles. Study Design: This study enrolled 100 pSS patients and 140 non-pSS controls, including 40 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, 40 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, and 60 healthy controls. Unstimulated whole saliva and stimulated parotid saliva samples were collected from the subjects. Salivary anti-SSA/B antibodies were measured using an enzyme-l…
Combination of osteopontin and activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule as potent prognostic discriminators in HER2- and ER-negative breast cancer.
2010
Background: To analyse the discriminative impact of osteopontin (OPN) and activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM), combined with human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) and oestrogen receptor (ER) in breast cancer. Methods: Osteopontin, ALCAM, HER2 and ER mRNA expression in breast cancer tissues of 481 patients were analysed (mRNA microarray analysis, kinetic RT–PCR). Hierarchical clustering was performed in training cohort A (N=100, adjuvant treatment) and validation cohorts B (N=200, no adjuvant treatment, low-risk) and C (N=181, adjuvant treatment, high-risk). Results: Negative/low ER and HER2, high OPN and low ALCAM mRNA expression helped to identify patients at particularly h…
Personalized medicine for allergy treatment: Allergen immunotherapy still a unique and unmatched model
2021
International audience; The introduction of personalized medicine (PM) has been a milestone in the history of medical therapy, because it has revolutionized the previous approach of treating the disease with that of treating the patient. It is known today that diseases can occur in different genetic variants, making specific treatments of proven efficacy necessary for a given endotype. Allergic diseases are particularly suitable for PM, because they meet the therapeutic success requirements, including a known molecular mechanism of the disease, a diagnostic tool for such disease, and a treatment blocking the mechanism. The stakes of PM in allergic patients are molecular diagnostics, to dete…
Diagnostics for the knowledge: the case of the tower of Palazzo Termine Pietragliata in Palermo (Italy)
2015
[EN] Developing a methodological approach is crucial to assess the state of conservation of a monument, starting from the overall analysis, progressively moving from small to medium scale and reaching the grand scale at the end. Considering the territory, causes are investigated in order to understand the propensities, as well as considering a single monument, evidences are carefully read to assess the overall conditions, that will be lately detailed by the analysis on materials and their degradation. The object of this study is the tower of the Palazzo Pietragliata in Palermo, one of the most important examples of the late Gothic civil architecture in Sicily. The Palace, built in 1473 by P…
Determination of the number densities of argon metastables in argon-hydrogen plasma by absorption and self-absorption methods
2006
The number densities of Ar 3s23p54s levels have been measured by means of two methods: a self-absorption method with a mirror behind the discharge vessel and an absorption method with a high-frequency electrodeless discharge lamp. Concentrations ranging from 6 × 107–4 × 109 cm−3 were obtained for the Ar 3s23p54s levels, depending on the argon content (10–100% Ar) in Ar/H2 microwave plasma. The populations of various sublevels of measured resonant and metastable states coincide within the experimental errors. It was observed that values from measurements of both methods are in good agreement.
Diagnostics of Helium-Argon Arc Discharge Plasma Based on Spectral Line Shape Measurements
1999
Electron densities and ion (gas) temperatures on the axis of an arc discharge plasma, produced at atmospheric pressure in a gas mixture of 95% helium and 5% argon, are determined at two arc currents. The evaluation of both main plasma parameters is based on line shape measurements, the ion temperature on the Doppler broadening of selected ArII lines, while the electron density on the Stark broadening of the hydrogen Hp line which appear in the spectrum due to hydrogen traces in the applied gases. The significance of reliable plasma diagnostics for determination of atomic structure data is discussed.
Study of uniformity of plasmas produced in a wall-stabilized arc
2003
In this contribution the plasma of an arc discharge in a mixture of helium and argon is studied. The gas mixture is introduced uniformly along the arc column between each of the stabilizing plates. From the measured lateral distribution of radiation (HeI, HI, ArI, ArII, NI, FI line intensity and width measurements), after Abel inversion, the radial temperature distributions were obtained at various positions of the arc column. Beside the expected radial temperature gradients, a distinct temperature gradient along the arc column was found.