Search results for "LTER"
showing 10 items of 3539 documents
Ventricular tachycardia in non-compaction of left ventricle: Is this a frequent complication?
2007
Background: Isolated left ventricular non-compaction is the result of incomplete myocardial morphogenesis, leading to persistence of the embryonic myocardium. The condition is recognized by an excessively prominent trabecular meshwork and deep intertrabecular recesses of the left ventricle. Whether these intertrabecular recesses are a favorable substrate for ventricular arrhythmias is unclear. Some reports have found that the fatal ventricular arrhythmias may occur in approximately half of the patients. In this report we investigated about this association. Methods and Results: In total we evaluated a continuous series of 238 patients affected by non-compaction. Periodic Holter monitoring w…
The autoantigen La/SS-B: Analysis of the expression of alternatively spliced La mRNA isoforms
1996
The gene for the nuclear autoantigen La/SS-B encodes two La mRNA isoforms. In order to study the function and expression of both La mRNA forms, an in situ hybridization procedure was developed allowing the selective identification of either exon 1 or exon 1'. For this purpose, digoxigenin-labeled exon-specific sense and anti-sense probes were prepared by in vitro transcription from plasmids that contained the respective exon sequence. Detection of the probes was carried out by using rhodamine-conjugated anti-digoxigenin antibody and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Both La mRNAs were found in the cytoplasm of endothelial cells but not in smooth muscle cells. In addition to the in situ te…
From the Big Five to the General Factor of Personality: a Dynamic Approach
2014
AbstractAn integrating and dynamic model of personality that allows predicting the response of the basic factors of personality, such as the Big Five Factors (B5F) or the general factor of personality (GFP) to acute doses of drug is presented in this paper. Personality has a dynamic nature, i.e., as a consequence of a stimulus, the GFP dynamics as well as each one of the B5F of personality dynamics can be explained by the same model (a system of three coupled differential equations). From this invariance hypothesis, a partial differential equation, whose solution relates the GFP with each one of the B5F, is deduced. From this dynamic approach, a co-evolution of the GFP and each one of the B…
Expression of properdin in human monocytes
1994
Properdin is the only known positive regulator of the alternative pathway of complement activation. Northern blot analysis of cell lines derived from fibroblasts, B-cells, hepatoma cells, and cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage revealed properdin expression only in the myelomonocytic cell line HL-60, in the monoblastic cell line U-937 and in the monocytic line Mono Mac 6. Culture of Mono Mac 6 cells for 24 h with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, bacterial lipopolysaccharide and the cytokines interleukin-1 beta and tumour necrosis factor-alpha enhanced mRNA abundance, with the strongest effect (tenfold) being observed with the lipopolysaccharide. In contrast, recombinant interferon-gamm…
Recombinations of chromosomal bands 10q24, 12q14-q15, and 14q24 in two cases of pulmonary chondroid hamartoma studied by fluorescence in situ hybridi…
2003
Abstract Pulmonary chondroid hamartomas (PCH) are benign mesenchymal tumors consisting of at least two cytogenetic subgroups. These subgroups are defined by chromosomal alterations at either 12q14∼q15 or 6p21. Cytogenetic analysis of short-term cultures from two PCHs revealed two different rearrangements with 12q14∼q15. One of these had a unique translocation t(12;14)(q14∼15;q24) with presence of two normal chromosomes 12 and a der(14), but missing the der(12). The other showed a complex rearrangement between chromosomes 10 and 12 with two different derivatives. Our data have been confirmed with fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis. These cases represent variant forms of the standard…
Are Asthmatics Enrolled in Randomized Trials Representative of Real-Life Outpatients?
2014
<b><i>Background/Objective:</i></b> This study was aimed at exploring to what extent populations enrolled in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of inhalation combination treatment for mild/moderate asthma in adults are fully representative of ‘real-life' populations. The following is a retrospective analysis of the clinical records of outpatient subjects with an ascertained diagnosis of asthma. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A retrospective analysis was performed. Stable conditions, such as smoking habit and chronic diseases other than asthma, were identified as exclusion criteria for RCTs. The selected criteria were then applied to asthmatic outpati…
Human voice pitch measures are robust across a variety of speech recordings: methodological and theoretical implications
2021
Fundamental frequency ( f o ), perceived as voice pitch, is the most sexually dimorphic, perceptually salient and intensively studied voice parameter in human nonverbal communication. Thousands of studies have linked human f o to biological and social speaker traits and life outcomes, from reproductive to economic. Critically, researchers have used myriad speech stimuli to measure f o and infer its functional relevance, from individual vowels to longer bouts of spontaneous speech. Here, we acoustically analysed f o in nearly 1000 affectively neutral speech utterances (vowels, words, counting, greetings, read paragraphs and free spontaneous speech) produced by the same 154 men and women, ag…
Optical noninvasive monitoring of skin blood pulsations
2005
Time-resolved detection and analysis of skin backscattered optical signals (remission photoplethysmography or PPG) provide rich information on skin blood volume pulsations and can serve for reliable cardiovascular assessment. Single- and multiple-channel PPG concepts are discussed. Simultaneous data flow from several locations on the human body allows us to study heartbeat pulse-wave propagation in real time and to evaluate vascular resistance. Portable single-, dual-, and four-channel PPG monitoring devices with special software have been designed for real-time data acquisition and processing. The prototype devices have been clinically studied, and their potential for monitoring heart arrh…
C4, BF, C3 Allele Distribution and Complement Activity in Healthy Aged People and Centenarians
1999
The aim of this study was to examine the complement system and the distribution of some human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class III alleles (C4, BF) in healthy aged people (77 centenarians and 89 elderly subjects). We have also studied the alleles of C3, a complement component genetically unrelated to HLA, the immunochemical levels of C4 and C3 and serum functional hemolytic activity for classical (CH50) and alternative (AP50) complement pathway. The levels of C3 and C4 and the CH50 and AP50 were found to be within the normal range. The frequencies of C3, BF, and C4A alleles were similar in the cohorts that have been studied. For C4B null allele (C4BQ0) a trend toward an increase in the older c…
Speed of sound measurements in mandibular and phalangeal bone during growth
2001
The micromechanical and elastic properties of bone, its structural maturity and, indirectly, mineral density are important factors for the planning and assessment of orthodontic and/or jaw orthopaedic treatment. This clinical study was undertaken to evaluate age-related changes in the anterior mandibular body. The speed of sound (SOS) has demonstrated age dependency in various peripheral bones and has been proposed as an alternative method for investigating bone parameters without the use of radiation. The ultrasound transmission velocity was measured in 184 healthy subjects (93 females, 91 males; mean age 17.6 +/- 13.7 years). According to the statistical analysis, the data did not reveal …