Search results for "Medicine and Health Sciences"
showing 10 items of 1075 documents
Frequency of exposure of endangered Caspian seals to Canine distemper virus, Leptospira interrogans, and Toxoplasma gondii
2017
Canine distemper virus (CDV), Leptospira interrogans, and Toxoplasma gondii are potentially lethal pathogens associated with decline in marine mammal populations. The Caspian Sea is home for the endangered Caspian seal (Pusa caspica). In the late 1990s and early 2000s, CDV caused a series of mortality events involving at least several thousand Caspian seals. To assess current infection status in Caspian seals, we surveyed for antibodies to three pathogens with potential to cause mortality in marine mammals. During 2015-2017, we tested serum samples from 36, apparently healthy, Caspian seals, accidentally caught in fishing nets in the Caspian Sea off Northern Iran, for antibodies to CDV, L. …
European fitness landscape for children and adolescents: updated reference values, fitness maps and country rankings based on nearly 8 million test r…
2023
Objectives (1) To develop reference values for health-related fitness in European children and adolescents aged 6–18 years that are the foundation for the web-based, open-access and multilanguage fitness platform (FitBack); (2) to provide comparisons across European countries. Methods This study builds on a previous large fitness reference study in European youth by (1) widening the age demographic, (2) identifying the most recent and representative country-level data and (3) including national data from existing fitness surveillance and monitoring systems. We used the Assessing Levels of PHysical Activity and fitness at population level (ALPHA) test battery as it comprises tests with the h…
eNOS Activation by HDL Is Impaired in Genetic CETP Deficiency.
2014
Mutations in the CETP gene resulting in defective CETP activity have been shown to cause remarkable elevations of plasma HDL-C levels, with the accumulation in plasma of large, buoyant HDL particles enriched in apolipoprotein E. Genetic CETP deficiency thus represents a unique tool to evaluate how structural alterations of HDL impact on HDL atheroprotective functions. Aim of the present study was to assess the ability of HDL obtained from CETP-deficient subjects to protect endothelial cells from the development of endothelial dysfunction. HDL isolated from one homozygous and seven heterozygous carriers of CETP null mutations were evaluated for their ability to down-regulate cytokine-induced…
Beliefs and preferences regarding biological treatments for severe asthma
2020
Background: Severe asthma is a serious condition with a significant burden on patients' morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. Some biological therapies targeting the IgE and interleukin-5 (IL5) mediated pathways are now available. Due to the lack of direct comparison studies, the choice of which medication to use varies. We aimed to explore the beliefs and practices in the use of biological therapies in severe asthma, hypothesizing that differences will occur depending on the prescribers’ specialty and experience. Methods: We conducted an online survey composed of 35 questions in English. The survey was circulated via the INterasma Scientific Network (INESNET) platform as well as throu…
Influence of custom-made and prefabricated insoles before and after an intense run
2017
[EN] Each time the foot contacts the ground during running there is a rapid deceleration that results in a shock wave that is transmitted from the foot to the head. The fatigue of the musculoskeletal system during running may decrease the ability of the body to absorb those shock waves and increase the risk of injury. Insoles are commonly prescribed to prevent injuries, and both custom-made and prefabricated insoles have been observed to reduce shock accelerations during running. However, no study to date has included a direct comparison of their behaviour measured over the same group of athletes, and therefore great controversy still exists regarding their effectiveness in reducing impact …
Incidence of DAA failure and the clinical impact of retreatment in real-life patients treated in the advanced stage of liver disease: Interim evaluat…
2017
Background: Few data are available on the virological and clinical outcomes of advanced liver disease patients retreated after first-line DAA failure. Aim: To evaluate DAA failure incidence and the retreatment clinical impact in patients treated in the advanced liver disease stage. Methods: Data on HCV genotype, liver disease severity, and first and second line DAA regimens were prospectively collected in consecutive patients who reached the 12-week post-treatment and retreatment evaluations from January 2015 to December 2016 in 23 of the PITER network centers. Results: Among 3,830 patients with advanced fibrosis (F3) or cirrhosis, 139 (3.6%) failed to achieve SVR. Genotype 3, bilirubin lev…
Efficacy of a 12-Week Simeprevir Plus Peginterferon/Ribavirin (PR) Regimen in Treatment-Naïve Patients with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Genotype 4 (GT4) …
2017
Background HCV GT4 accounts for up to 20% of HCV infections worldwide. Simeprevir, given for 12 weeks as part of a 24- or 48-week combination regimen with PR is approved for the treatment of chronic HCV GT4 infection. Primary study objectives were assessment of efficacy and safety of simeprevir plus PR in treatment-naïve patients with HCV GT4 treated for 12 weeks. Primary efficacy outcome was sustained virologic response 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR12). Additional objectives included investigation of potential associations of rapid virologic response and baseline factors with SVR12. Methods This multicentre, open-label, single-arm study (NCT01846832) evaluated efficacy and safety of simepre…
Navigation accuracy after automatic- and hybrid-surface registration in sinus and skull base surgery.
2016
Objective Computer-aided-surgery in ENT surgery is mainly used for sinus surgery but navigation accuracy still reaches its limits for skull base procedures. Knowledge of navigation accuracy in distinct anatomical regions is therefore mandatory. This study examined whether navigation accuracy can be improved in specific anatomical localizations by using hybrid registration technique. Study design Experimental phantom study. Setting Operating room. Subjects and methods The gold standard of screw registration was compared with automatic LED-mask-registration alone, and in combination with additional surface matching. 3D-printer-based skull models with individual fabricated silicone skin were u…
EmoTIC: Impact of a game-based social-emotional programme on adolescents
2021
[EN] Introduction Technologies provide a brilliant opportunity to promote social-emotional competences, well-being and adjustment in adolescence. Game-based programmes and serious games are digital tools that pursue an educational goal in an attractive environment for adolescents. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the effectiveness of emoTIC, a game-based social-emotional programme designed according to Mayer, Caruso, and Salovey's model of emotional intelligence. Materials and methods The participants were 119 adolescents between 11 and 15 years, randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group. The adolescents completed questionnaires to assess their em…
Self-Efficacy, Planning, or a Combination of Both? A Longitudinal Experimental Study Comparing Effects of Three Interventions on Adolescents’ Body Fat
2016
Author(s): Luszczynska, Aleksandra; Hagger, Martin S; Banik, Anna; Horodyska, Karolina; Knoll, Nina; Scholz, Urte | Abstract: BackgroundThe superiority of an intervention combining two sets of theory-based behavior change techniques targeting planning and self-efficacy over an intervention targeting planning only or self-efficacy only has rarely been investigated.PurposeWe compared the influence of self-efficacy, planning, and self-efficacy+planning interventions with an education-based control condition on adolescents' body fat, assuming mediating effects of respective social cognitive variables and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The moderating role of the built environment…