Search results for "Factual"
showing 10 items of 359 documents
Taking both sides: do unilateral anterior temporal lobe lesions disrupt semantic memory?
2010
The most selective disorder of central conceptual knowledge arises in semantic dementia, a degenerative condition associated with bilateral atrophy of the inferior and polar regions of the temporal lobes. Likewise, semantic impairment in both herpes simplex virus encephalitis and Alzheimer's disease is typically associated with bilateral, anterior temporal pathology. These findings suggest that conceptual representations are supported via an interconnected, bilateral, anterior temporal network and that it may take damage to both sides to produce an unequivocal deficit of central semantic memory. We tested and supported this hypothesis by investigating a case series of 20 patients with unila…
Effects of Heat Waves on Mortality
2013
Heat waves and air pollution are both associated with increased mortality. Their joint effects are less well understood.We explored the role of air pollution in modifying the effects of heat waves on mortality, within the EuroHEAT project. Daily mortality, meteorologic, and air pollution data from nine European cities for the years 1990-2004 were assembled. We defined heat waves by taking both intensity and duration into account. The city-specific effects of heat wave episodes were estimated using generalized estimating equation models, adjusting for potential confounders with and without inclusion of air pollutants (particles, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide). To …
Instantaneous Transfer Entropy for the Study of Cardiovascular and Cardio-Respiratory Nonstationary Dynamics
2017
Objective: Measures of transfer entropy (TE) quantify the direction and strength of coupling between two complex systems. Standard approaches assume stationarity of the observations, and therefore are unable to track time-varying changes in nonlinear information transfer with high temporal resolution. In this study, we aim to define and validate novel instantaneous measures of TE to provide an improved assessment of complex nonstationary cardiorespiratory interactions. Methods: We here propose a novel instantaneous point-process TE (ipTE) and validate its assessment as applied to cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory dynamics. In particular, heartbeat and respiratory dynamics are characteriz…
Lag-specific transfer entropy as a tool to assess cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory information transfer
2014
In the study of interacting physiological systems, model-free tools for time series analysis are fundamental to provide a proper description of how the coupling among systems arises from the multiple involved regulatory mechanisms. This study presents an approach which evaluates direction, magnitude, and exact timing of the information transfer between two time series belonging to a multivariate dataset. The approach performs a decomposition of the well-known transfer entropy (TE) which achieves 1) identifying, according to a lag-specific information-theoretic formulation of the concept of Granger causality, the set of time lags associated with significant information transfer, and 2) assig…
Incidence of cardiovascular events and risk markers in a prospective study of children diagnosed with Marfan syndrome
2018
Little is known about the incidence of cardiovascular events (CVEs) and their associated risk markers in children with Marfan syndrome (MFS).To assess the incidence of CVEs and determine risk markers in a cohort diagnosed with Marfan syndrome during childhood and followed for several years.From a French multicentre nationwide database, 462 patients with MFS diagnosed during childhood were included prospectively. Patients' files were screened for a period of 20 years (1993-2013). CVEs (e.g. death, aortic dissection, cardiac valve or aortic root surgery) were assessed during the prospective follow-up.Median (interquartile range) age at the end of follow-up was 17.2 (11.1-21.3) years. CVEs wer…
Quantitative sensory testing in the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (DFNS): Somatosensory abnormalities in 1236 patients with different n…
2009
Neuropathic pain is accompanied by both positive and negative sensory signs. To explore the spectrum of sensory abnormalities, 1236 patients with a clinical diagnosis of neuropathic pain were assessed by quantitative sensory testing (QST) following the protocol of DFNS (German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain), using both thermal and mechanical nociceptive as well as non-nociceptive stimuli. Data distributions showed a systematic shift to hyperalgesia for nociceptive, and to hypoesthesia for non-nociceptive parameters. Across all parameters, 92% of the patients presented at least one abnormality. Thermosensory or mechanical hypoesthesia (up to 41%) was more frequent than hypoalgesia (up…
Soft tissue recurrent ameloblastomas also show some malignant features: a clinicopathological study of a 15-year database
2015
Background To investigate the clinicopathological features of six cases of soft tissue recurrent ameloblastoma and explore the role of increased aggressive biological behavior in the recurrences and treatment of this type of ameloblastomas. Material and Methods In this study, we retrospectively reviewed recurrent ameloblastomas during a 15-year period; six cases were diagnosed as soft tissue recurrent ameloblastoma. The clinical, radiographic, cytological and immunohistochemical records of these six cases were investigated and analyzed. Results All the six soft tissue recurrent ameloblastomas occurred after radical bone resection, and were located in the adjacent soft tissues around the ost…
Strategy for Long-Term Surveillance at the German Childhood Cancer Registry - an Update
2011
Background The objective of this paper is to provide information about the quality (e.g. completeness, response) of long-term surveillance in German paediatric oncology and haematology based on the structures implemented by the German Childhood Cancer Registry (GCCR). Methods The GCCR contacts parents or patients to collect and update information on a minimal set of follow-up health status data (e.g. late relapses, subsequent neoplasms, current address) and exchanges this information regularly with the appropriate clinical trials. Results Between 2006 and 2010, GCCR approached a total of about 20,000 patients (contact at the age of 16 years, inquiry concerning the health status) in the cont…
Mean temperature and humidity variations, along with patient age, predict the number of visits for renal colic in a large urban Emergency Department:…
2012
Background: A marked geographic variability has been reported in stone disease, partially attributed to the Mean Annual Temperature (MAT), as well as to the seasonal fluctuations of climatic conditions. Accordingly, peaks in Emergency Department (ED) visits for renal colic are commonplace during the summer. Materials and methods: The aim of this study was to assess the influence of day-by-day climate changes on the number of visits as a result of renal colic in the ED (City of Parma, northern Italy, temperate continental climate). A total of 10,802 colic episodes were retrieved from the database during a period of 3286 days (January 2002 to December 2010). Results: The analysis of the data …
Clinical features, disease progression and use of healthcare resources in a large sample of 866 patients from 24 headache centers: A real-life perspe…
2021
Objective: To develop a dedicated Italian chronic migraine (CM) database (IRON project) to overcome disease misconceptions, improve clinical administration, reduce patients' burden, and rationalize economic resource allotment.Background: Proper CM management requires a comprehensive appraisal of its full clinical, social, and economic complexity.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, CM patients were screened in 24 certified headache centers with face-to-face interviews. Information on sociodemographic factors, medical history, characteristics of CM, and of prior episodic migraine (EM), and healthcare resource use was gathered using a semistructured web-based questionnaire.Results: A total…