Search results for "Linea"
showing 10 items of 7724 documents
Detection of gamma-hydroxybutyrate in hair: Validation of GC–MS and LC–MS/MS methods and application to a real case
2012
A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method were validated for quantifying endogenous and exogenous hair concentrations of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). The GC-MS method is based on overnight extraction of 25 mg hair in NaOH at 56 °C, liquid/liquid extraction in ethylacetate and trimethylsylil derivatization; analysis is by electron ionization and single ion monitoring of three ions. The LC-MS/MS method entails a rapid digestion of 25 mg hair with NaOH at 75 °C for 40 min, liquid/liquid extraction in ethylacetate and reconstitution of the extract in the LC mobile phase; negative ion electrospray ionization and multiple…
Prenatal and postnatal insecticide use and infant neuropsychological development in a multicenter birth cohort study
2013
There is little evidence about exposure to currently used insecticides during early life periods and adverse effects on child neuropsychological development. The aim of this study is to examine the association between residential insecticide use during pregnancy and infancy, and the development of children.Study subjects were participants in the INMA (Environment and Childhood) Project, a Spanish multicenter birth cohort study. Prenatal and postnatal use of indoor insecticides and other variables were obtained from personal interview during pregnancy and infancy. Mental and psychomotor development was assessed around 14 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. The associations …
Therapy expectations and physical comorbidity affect quality of life in chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
2007
Summary. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with a significant reduction of health related quality of life (QOL), the causes and mechanisms of which are still unknown. To explore whether treatment history could affect QOL, we examined patients with detectable HCV viraemia who had a different therapeutic background. Two hundred sixty-four consecutive subjects with chronic HCV infection and detectable viraemia were enrolled. Of these, 163 were untreated patients, 43 were relapsers, 58 were nonresponders (NR) to nonpegylated interferon (IFN) therapy. To assess QOL, three self-report instruments were employed: the Short Form-36 (SF-36), the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLD…
Stretch-reflex mechanical response to varying types of previous muscle activities
2002
This study was designed to examine the effects of varying types of background muscle activity on the stretch-reflex mechanical response. A rapid stretch was applied to the calf muscles after an isometric (pre-ISO), shortening (pre-SHO) and lengthening contraction (pre-LEN) with several pre-contraction levels, respectively. The stretch perturbation was applied with the tibio-tarsal joint angle at 90 degrees. The ankle joint torque elicited by the stretch showed a first peak (non-reflex torque: NRT), a transient drop and a second peak (reflex torque: RT). The muscle activities before the stretch clearly influenced the stretch-reflex mechanical response. The NRT reached the largest peak with t…
Structure-function relationship between FDF, FDT, SAP, and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in glaucoma patients.
2012
Purpose Flicker defined form perimetry (FDF) and frequency doubling technology perimetry (FDT) are alleged to detect glaucoma at an earlier stage than standard automated perimetry (SAP). It is the purpose of this study to investigate the structure-function relationship between FDF, FDT, SAP, and confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO) in patients with glaucoma. Methods Seventy-six patients with glaucoma were included in the study. Patients were tested with SAP, Matrix-FDT, FDF perimetry, and cSLO. Structure-function relationships between global and sectoral cSLO parameters and global and sectoral mean sensitivity (MS) of SAP, Matrix-FDT, and FDF were calculated using Spearman's rank c…
Diagnosing fatigue in gait patterns by support vector machines and self-organizing maps
2009
The aim of the study was to train and test support vector machines (SVM) and self-organizing maps (SOM) to correctly classify gait patterns before, during and after complete leg exhaustion by isokinetic leg exercises. Ground reaction forces were derived for 18 gait cycles on 9 adult participants. Immediately before the trials 7-12, participants were required to completely exhaust their calves with the aid of additional weights (44.4±8.8kg). Data were analyzed using: (a) the time courses directly and (b) only the deviations from each individual's calculated average gait pattern. On an inter-individual level the person recognition of the gait patterns was 100% realizable. Fatigue recognition …
Dependence of Perceived Purity of a Chromatic Stimulus on Saturation Adaptation
2012
Background and Objective. The purpose of sensory adaptation of the visual system is to adjust sensitivity of the photoreceptors to optimize the dynamic range of response of the visual system. It has been shown in numerous research papers that chromatic adaptation influences both color appearance and color discrimination. However, there are almost no studies in which the influence of chromatic adaptation on perceived purity has been investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate how chromatic adaptation to stimuli with certain saturation influences perceived purity of test stimuli with the same hue but different saturation. Material and Methods. As the stimuli were modulat…
Molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis in Sicily, Italy: what has changed after a decade?
2014
Background We aimed to investigate the molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolates in the province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy, by characterizing 183 isolates identified in the years 2004-2012. A comparison with 104 MTBC strains identified in the same geographic area in the years 1994-2000 was also carried out. Methods One hundred eighty-three MTBC isolates identified in Palermo, Italy, in the years 2004-2012 were analyzed by spoligotyping and the 24 mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit (MIRU)-variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) method typing. Susceptibility testing to streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampin and ethambutol was also performed. Furthermore, the…
Studies on adaptation to complete dentures. Part II: Oral stereognosis and tactile sensibility
1995
High oral perception is thought to contribute to poor adaptation to new dentures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the oral stereognosis and tactile sensibility in edentate subjects and relate these to patient age and capability of adaptation to new prostheses. A total of 67 patients were provided with new complete dentures 2-3 weeks before the experiment. In 54 subjects, the oral stereognosis was evaluated by 12 different test-pieces, which were placed unseen on the tongue and had to be recognized. In 38 patients, the oral tactile sensibility was determined in the premolar area using copper foils. The capability of adaptation was evaluated by a questionnaire. Denture retention was ass…
Precision and Bias of Target-Controlled Prolonged Propofol Infusion for General Anesthesia and Sedation in Neurosurgical Patients
2018
The aim of this study was to determine the relationship, precision, and bias of a propofol target-controlled infusion (TCI) system during prolonged infusion in neurosurgical patients. We retrospectively included patients undergoing general anesthesia for elective neurosurgical removal of brain tumors and postoperative sedation in the intensive care unit over a period of 3 months. TCI of propofol (Diprifusor - Marsh model) and remifentanil were used for general anesthesia and sedation. We compared propofol blood concentration (Cmeas) measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy with predicted concentrations (Cpred) by the TCI system at 40 minutes (T0), 2 hours (T1), and 4 hours (T2) a…