Search results for "INFORMATICS"
showing 10 items of 2542 documents
Evaluation of Record Linkage Methods for Iterative Insertions
2009
Summary Objectives: There have been many developments and applications of mathematical methods in the context of record linkage as one area of interdisciplinary research efforts. However, comparative evaluations of record linkage methods are still underrepresented. In this paper improvements of the Fellegi-Sunter model are compared with other elaborated classification methods in order to direct further research endeavors to the most promising methodologies. Methods: The task of linking records can be viewed as a special form of object identification. We consider several non-stochastic methods and procedures for the record linkage task in addition to the Fellegi-Sunter model and perform an e…
Mutual information-based feature selection for low-cost BCIs based on motor imagery
2016
In the present study a feature selection algorithm based on mutual information (MI) was applied to electro-encephalographic (EEG) data acquired during three different motor imagery tasks from two dataset: Dataset I from BCI Competition IV including full scalp recordings from four subjects, and new data recorded from three subjects using the popular low-cost Emotiv EPOC EEG headset. The aim was to evaluate optimal channels and band-power (BP) features for motor imagery tasks discrimination, in order to assess the feasibility of a portable low-cost motor imagery based Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) system. The minimal sub set of features most relevant to task description and less redundant to…
Strengths and Weaknesses of Cancer Pain Management in Italy: Findings from a Nationwide SIAARTI Survey
2022
Objectives: Despite guidelines, a large percentage of cancer patients continue to suffer from ineffectively treated pain. The authors undertook this survey to assess the strengths and weaknesses of cancer pain management in Italy. Design: This was a prospectively administered survey. Participants: The participants were anesthesiologists of the Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (SIAARTI). Intervention: A 58-item questionnaire covered the demographics and features of cancer pain management in the Italian context. Results: The authors received responses from 611 pain therapists of 279 centers. Only 22% of physicians are exclusively pain therapists. Seve…
Angiocardiographic digital still images compressed via irreversible methods: concepts and experiments.
1997
Abstract We defined, implemented and tested two new methods for irreversible compression of angiocardiographic still images: brightness error limitation (BEL) and pseudo-gradient adaptive brightness and contrast error limitation (PABCEL). The scan path used to compress the digital images is based on the Peano–Hilbert plane-filling curve. The compression methods limit, for each pixel, the brightness errors introduced when approximating the original image (i.e. the difference between the values of corresponding pixels as grey levels). Additional limitations are imposed to the contrast error observed when considering along the scan path consecutive pixels of both the original and the reconstru…
Variable-order reference-free variant discovery with the Burrows-Wheeler Transform
2020
Abstract Background In [Prezza et al., AMB 2019], a new reference-free and alignment-free framework for the detection of SNPs was suggested and tested. The framework, based on the Burrows-Wheeler Transform (BWT), significantly improves sensitivity and precision of previous de Bruijn graphs based tools by overcoming several of their limitations, namely: (i) the need to establish a fixed value, usually small, for the order k, (ii) the loss of important information such as k-mer coverage and adjacency of k-mers within the same read, and (iii) bad performance in repeated regions longer than k bases. The preliminary tool, however, was able to identify only SNPs and it was too slow and memory con…
Adolescents with Neuropsychiatric Disorders during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focus on Emotional Well-Being and Parental Stress
2022
(1) Introduction: The aim of our research was to explore emotional/behavioral changes in adolescents with neuropsychiatric conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and parental stress levels through a standardized assessment, comparing the data collected before and during the first months of lockdown. Moreover, an additional goal was to detect a possible relationship between emotional/behavioural symptoms of adolescents and the stress levels of their parents. (2) Methods: We enrolled 178 Italian adolescents aged between 12–18 that were referred to the Child Neuropsychiatry Unit of the University Hospital of Salerno with different neuropsychiatric diagnoses. Two standardized questionnaires w…
In vitro generation of CD4+CD25+ regulatory cells from murine naive T cells
2007
CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are crucial for the maintenance of immunological tolerance. Recent data indicate that Tregs not only develop in the thymus during ontogeny but can also differentiate from naive T cells in the periphery. The following protocol describes a method by which Tregs are generated in vitro by stimulation of naive T cells in the presence of transforming growth factor beta (Ti-Tregs). In vitro-induced regulatory T cells express markers of conventional Treg such as CD25 and the genetic program committing transcription factor FoxP3. Functionally the in vitro-generated Ti-Tregs suppress T-cell activation and proliferation while in vivo these cells have been proven t…
SOCS3 transactivation by PPARγ prevents IL-17-driven cancer growth.
2013
Abstract Activation of the transcription factor PPARγ by the n-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is implicated in controlling proinflammatory cytokine secretion, but the intracellular signaling pathways engaged by PPARγ are incompletely characterized. Here, we identify the adapter-encoding gene SOCS3 as a critical transcriptional target of PPARγ. SOCS3 promoter binding and gene transactivation by PPARγ was associated with a repression in differentiation of proinflammatory T-helper (TH)17 cells. Accordingly, TH17 cells induced in vitro displayed increased SOCS3 expression and diminished capacity to produce interleukin (IL)-17 following activation of PPARγ by DHA. Furthermore, naïve CD4…
Use of CD64 for the diagnosis of sepsis: a case-control study.
2010
CD64 is the high-affinity receptor of IgG. It is upregulated by inflammatory cytokines on neutrophils. The upregulation of CD64 is linked with PMN activation in SIRS or sepsis. Our aim is to verify these correlations.
Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and their remnants: metabolic insights, role in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and emerging therapeutic strat…
2021
Abstract Recent advances in human genetics, together with a large body of epidemiologic, preclinical, and clinical trial results, provide strong support for a causal association between triglycerides (TG), TG-rich lipoproteins (TRL), and TRL remnants, and increased risk of myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke, and aortic valve stenosis. These data also indicate that TRL and their remnants may contribute significantly to residual cardiovascular risk in patients on optimized low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-lowering therapy. This statement critically appraises current understanding of the structure, function, and metabolism of TRL, and their pathophysiological role in atherosclerotic cardiova…