Search results for "EIV"
showing 10 items of 833 documents
Kappa free light chains in cerebrospinal fluid as markers of intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis.
2004
Abstract Background: Intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis is observed in several inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system, but its detection by current laboratory tests is either tedious or relatively insensitive. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of an assay for κ free light chains (κFLC) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum, and compared it with traditional tests for intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis. Methods: κFLCs were measured by nephelometry in CSF/serum pairs from 112 patients. Samples were excluded if blood contamination of CSF as a result of traumatic lumbar puncture (n = 12) or monoclonal bands in both CSF and serum (n = 5) were present. The remaining sample pai…
Alterations in the tear proteome of dry eye patients--a matter of the clinical phenotype.
2013
PURPOSE. Previous studies demonstrated alterations in the tear proteome of dry eye patients. The aim of the present study was to analyze tear protein patterns of dry eye patients considering different clinical phenotypes in order to examine their influence on tear film protein composition. METHODS. We applied a surface-enhanced laser desorption/ ionization-time-of-flight (SELDI-TOF)/matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF)/TOF mass spectrometry (MS)‐based strategy to detect/identify candidate biomarkers. Tear samples of 169 patients, enrolled in two independent studies, were analyzed. Patients were subdivided into healthy controls (CTRL: N ¼ 39), aqueous-defici…
High psychosocial burden in relatives of malignant brain tumor patients
2018
Not only tumor patients suffer enormously from their disease, also the caregivers are massively affected by the disease of their relatives. In this study, we investigate the psychological burden in caregivers of outpatient malignant brain tumor patients.Fifty caregivers of patients with primary malignant brain tumors were included in our study. Study participants filled in a form with demographic details, a self-established questionnaire concerning general well-being and three established psychological questionnaires to assess anxiety, depression, stress and social support: The "Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale" (HADS), the "Perceived Stress Scale" (PSS-10) and the "Social Support Ques…
Early improvement as a predictor of remission and response in schizophrenia: Results from a naturalistic study
2009
AbstractObjectiveTo examine the predictive validity of early improvement in a naturalistic sample of inpatients and to identify the criterion that best defines early improvement.MethodsTwo hundred and forty-seven inpatients who fulfilled ICD-10 criteria for schizophrenia were assessed with the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at admission and at biweekly intervals until discharge from hospital. Remission was defined according to the recently proposed consensus criteria, response as a reduction of at least 40% in the PANNS total score from admission to discharge.ResultsReceiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses showed that early improvement (reduction of the PANSS total sco…
Clinical and prognostic value of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in restaging of pancreatic cancer
2018
Aim The aim of this retrospective multicentre study was to evaluate the clinical and prognostic effect of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG)-PET/computed tomography (CT) in the restaging process of pancreatic cancer (PC). Materials and methods Data from patients treated for primary PC, who underwent18F-FDG-PET/CT for suspicious of disease progression, were collected. Accuracy was assessed employing conventional diagnostic procedures, multidisciplinary team case notes, further18F-FDG-PET/CT scans and/or follow-up. Receiver operating characteristic curve and likelihood ratio (LR+/-) analyses were used for completion of accuracy definition. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall sur…
Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS): Optimal cut points for remission and response in a German sample
2017
The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) is the most frequently used instrument to assess social anxiety disorder (SAD) in clinical research and practice. Both a self-reported (LSAS-SR) and a clinician-administered (LSAS-CA) version are available. The aim of the present study was to define optimal cut-off (OC) scores for remission and response to treatment for the LSAS in a German sample. Data of N = 311 patients with SAD were used who had completed psychotherapeutic treatment within a multicentre randomized controlled trial. Diagnosis of SAD and reduction in symptom severity according to the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th editi…
Neurocognitive diagnosis and cut-off scores of the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP-S)
2009
To demonstrate the ability of the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP-S) to discriminate between cognitively-impaired individuals and those with adequate functioning in a sample of schizophrenic and bipolar patients, as well as in a control group.The SCIP-S, together with a full neuropsychological battery, was administered to three groups: patients with schizophrenia, patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder I, and controls. The battery scores were used to perform a standardization with respect to the control group and this served to determine the comparison groups (cognitively impaired versus unimpaired) for each of the subtests of the SCIP-S. A full analysis of decision va…
Duration of active psychosis and functional outcomes in first-episode non-affective psychosis.
2018
AbstractBackground:The duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) has been associated with negative outcomes in psychosis; however, few studies have focused on the duration of active psychotic symptoms after commencing treatment (DAT). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of DUP and DAT on functional long-term outcomes (3 years) in patients with early psychosis.Methods:We evaluated the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) at frequent intervals for 3 years after presentation to determine the DAT for 307 individuals with first-episode psychosis together with DUP and clinical variables. The functional outcomes were assessed using the Disability Assessment Scale (DAS) at th…
Well-being among Italian medical oncologists: An exploratory study
2013
<b><i>Background:</i></b> Recently, attention has been focused on physicians' stress and quality-of-life improvement. Due to their relationship with patients, oncologists in particular are overloaded physically, emotionally and psychologically. Previous studies showed that training of communication skills improves the satisfaction and well-being of physicians and patients. <b><i>Aims:</i></b> Our research investigates the relationship between work stress and engagement and personal well-being in physicians working in Italian hospitals. <b><i>Materials and Methods:</i></b> 176 physicians were included. Doctors filled out…
Virtual Unenhanced Images at Dual-Energy CT: Influence on Renal Lesion Characterization
2019
Background Dual-energy (DE) CT allows reconstruction of virtual noncontrast (VNC) images from a single-phase contrast agent-enhanced examination, potentially reducing the need for multiphasic CT to characterize renal lesions. However, data regarding diagnostic performance of VNC images for the characterization of renal lesions are limited. Purpose To determine whether renal mass CT performed by using VNC images allows for reliable identification of renal lesions and differentiation of contrast-enhanced from unenhanced lesions, compared with unenhanced images. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective study of 293 patients (105 women [mean age, 65 years; age range, 18-91 years] and 188 m…