Search results for "FN"
showing 10 items of 862 documents
Is local stiffness, as measured by radio frequency, more sensitive than intima-media thickness?
2013
Aim: The aim of our study was to explore the changes in common carotid arterial intima-media thickness (CCA IMT) and local arterial stiffness to evaluate, non-invasively, early vascular disease in patients with cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and "normal" carotid IMT (6.05 m/s better identified, among patients with IMT <0.9mm, those with cardiovascular risk factors (sensitivity 82.0 % specificity 62.0 %; AUC 0.73). Conclusion. Increased stiffness is a result of change both in quantity and quality of the arterial wall. Arterial functional changes and distention alterations may herald the onset of vascular disease before manifestation of symptoms or detection of preclinical atherosclerotic l…
Possible misclassification of cardiovascular risk by SCORE in antisynthetase syndrome: results of the pilot multicenter study RI.CAR.D.A
2020
Abstract Objectives To test the ability of an established traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk prediction score [Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE)] and its EULAR modified version (mSCORE) to identify antisynthetase syndrome (ASyS) patients at high CV risk and to examine for the first time associations of CV and cerebrovascular surrogate markers with clinical and immunological ASyS parameters. Methods SCORE/mSCORE and the gold standard marker of aortic stiffness [carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV)] were examined in ASyS patients and healthy controls. Moreover, sonography of the common- (CCA) and internal- (ICA) carotid arteries was performed in subsets of both groups, eval…
Genome-based in silico identification of new Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens activating polyfunctional CD8+ T cells in human tuberculosis.
2011
Although CD8(+) T cells help control Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, their M. tuberculosis Ag repertoire, in vivo frequency, and functionality in human tuberculosis (TB) remains largely undefined. We have performed genome-based bioinformatics searches to identify new M. tuberculosis epitopes presented by major HLA class I supertypes A2, A3, and B7 (covering 80% of the human population). A total of 432 M. tuberculosis peptides predicted to bind to HLA-A*0201, HLA-A*0301, and HLA-B*0702 (representing the above supertypes) were synthesized and HLA-binding affinities determined. Peptide-specific CD8(+) T cell proliferation assays (CFSE dilution) in 41 M. tuberculosis-responsive donors ide…
Suboptimal performance of APRI and FIB-4 in ruling out significant fibrosis and confirming cirrhosis in HIV/HCV co-infected and HCV mono-infected pat…
2018
Purpose: We aimed to assess the diagnostic reliability of two indirect biomarkers, APRI and FIB-4, for the staging of liver fibrosis using transient elastography (TE) as reference standard, among HIV/HCV co-infected and HCV mono-infected patients. Methods: This is an observational, retrospective study on subjects who had access to the RESIST HCV from October 2013 to December 2016, a regional network encompassing 22 hospitals and academic centers throughout Sicily. Sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy of indirect biomarkers for liver stiffness measurement (LSM) < 9.5 kPa (significant fibrosis) and LSM ≥ 12.5 kPa (cirrhosis) were determined by receiver operator characteristics …
Insulin resistance is a major determinant of liver stiffness in nondiabetic patients with HCV genotype 1 chronic hepatitis.
2009
BACKGROUND: In patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by transient elastography (TE), is closely related to the stage of fibrosis, but may be affected by necroinflammation. Other factors, such as insulin resistance (IR), might influence the performance of LSM. AIMS: To evaluate in a cohort of nondiabetic patients with genotype 1 CHC, whether IR and other anthropometric, biochemical, metabolic and histological factors contribute to LSM and to identify the best cut-off values of LSM for predicting different stages of fibrosis. METHODS: Nondiabetic patients with genotype 1 CHC (n = 156) were evaluated by liver biopsy (Metavir score), anthropometric, biochemi…
Serial combination of non-invasive tools improves the diagnostic accuracy of severe liver fibrosis in patients with NAFLD
2017
SummaryBackground The accuracy of available non-invasive tools for staging severe fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is still limited. Aim To assess the diagnostic performance of paired or serial combination of non-invasive tools in NAFLD patients. Methods We analysed data from 741 patients with a histological diagnosis of NAFLD. The GGT/PLT, APRI, AST/ALT, BARD, FIB-4, and NAFLD Fibrosis Score (NFS) scores were calculated according to published algorithms. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was performed by FibroScan. Results LSM, NFS and FIB-4 were the best non-invasive tools for staging F3-F4 fibrosis (AUC 0.863, 0.774, and 0.792, respectively), with LSM ha…
Peginterferon-Α_2B plus ribavirin is more effective than peginterferon-Α_2A plus ribavirin in menopausal women with chronic hepatitis C.
2012
Under-enrolment of women to randomized clinical trials, including chronic hepatitis C, has long been recognized. The aim of this study was to identify factors predictive of sustained virological response (SVR) to PEG IFN/Ribavirin antiviral therapy in relation to gender and reproductive status of female patients involved. Seven hundred and forty-six treatment-naïve patients (431 men, 315 women) treated with Peg-IFNα-2a (180 μg/week) or Peg-IFNα-2b (1.5 μg/kg/week) plus ribavirin (800–1400 mg/day) for 24 or 48 weeks were studied between 2006 and 2010. Differences in SVR rate, overall and by gender were assessed after adjustment and propensity score matching. SVR was obtained in 44.2% of Peg-…
Phonological-Lexical Feedback during Early Abstract Encoding: The Case of Deaf Readers.
2016
In the masked priming technique, physical identity between prime and target enjoys an advantage over nominal identity in nonwords (GEDA-GEDA faster than geda-GEDA). However, nominal identity overrides physical identity in words (e.g., REAL-REAL similar to real-REAL). Here we tested whether the lack of an advantage of the physical identity condition for words was due to top-down feedback from phonological-lexical information. We examined this issue with deaf readers, as their phonological representations are not as fully developed as in hearing readers. Results revealed that physical identity enjoyed a processing advantage over nominal identity not only in nonwords but also in words (GEDA-GE…
Changes in mechanical properties of human plantar flexor muscles in ageing
2003
Changes in contractile and elastic properties of human plantar flexor muscles in ageing, were investigated in 12 young (19-24 years, YG) and 11 old (61-74 year, OG) men. Maximal isometric and concentric voluntary torques, at several angular velocities, were measured to construct torque-angular velocity relationship. This led to the calculation of an index of maximal shorting velocity (VImax) at low torque. Two methods were then used to calculate musculotendinous (MT, quick-release movements) and musculoarticular (MA, sinusoidal perturbations) stiffness. In both cases, stiffness was linearly related to torque, leading to the calculation of a stiffness index (SI) as the slope of the stiffness…
Age-related muscle activation profiles and joint stiffness regulation in repetitive hopping
2011
Abstract It is well documented that increasing effort during exercise is characterized by an increase in electromyographic activity of the relevant muscles. How aging influences this relationship is a matter of great interest. In the present study, nine young and 24 elderly subjects did repetitive hopping with maximal effort as well as with 50%, 65%, 75% and 90% intensities. During hopping joint kinematics were measured together with electromyographic activity (EMG) from the soleus, gastrocnemius medialis, gastrocnemius lateralis and tibialis anterior muscles. The results showed that agonist activation increased in both age groups with increasing intensity. The highest jumping efficiency (E…