Search results for "Method"
showing 10 items of 13253 documents
Scoring Criteria for Electrodermal Habituation: Further Research
1988
In the context of Levinson and Edelberg's critique of scoring criteria for electrodermal habituation, the present study examined the question of whether trials-to-habituation scores based on two no-response trials are superior to scores based on three no-response trials. Male students (N=120) performed two identical habituation experiments on two consecutive days and their skin conductance responses based on a short latency window of 1–3 s were analyzed. In each experiment subjects received 20 presentations of a 1000 Hz tone at 65dB. Results showed that three-trials scores were higher overall and that the distributions of three- and two-trials scores differed. On the other hand, the twoscor…
Anti–Interleukin-12 Antibody for Active Crohn's Disease
2004
Crohn's disease is associated with excess cytokine activity mediated by type 1 helper T (Th1) cells. Interleukin-12 is a key cytokine that initiates Th1-mediated inflammatory responses.This double-blind trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of a human monoclonal antibody against interleukin-12 (anti-interleukin-12) in 79 patients with active Crohn's disease. Patients were randomly assigned to receive seven weekly subcutaneous injections of 1 mg or 3 mg of anti-interleukin-12 per kilogram of body weight or placebo, with either a four-week interval between the first and second injection (Cohort 1) or no interruption between the two injections (Cohort 2). Safety was the primary end point, an…
Mycophenolate plus methylprednisolone versus methylprednisolone alone in active, moderate-to-severe Graves' orbitopathy (MINGO): a randomised, observ…
2018
BACKGROUND: European guidelines recommend intravenous methylprednisolone as first-line treatment for active and severe Graves' orbitopathy; however, it is common for patients to have no response or have relapse after discontinuation of treatment. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of add-on mycophenolate to methylprednisolone in comparison with methylprednisolone alone in patients with moderate-to-severe Graves' orbitopathy.METHODS: MINGO was an observer-masked, multicentre, block-randomised, centre-stratified trial done in two centres in Germany and two in Italy. Patients with active moderate-to-severe Graves' orbitopathy were randomly assigned to receive intravenous methylprednis…
Interexaminer reliability of low back pain assessment using the McKenzie method.
2002
STUDY DESIGN A test-retest design was used. OBJECTIVE To assess interexaminer reliability of the McKenzie method for performing clinical tests and classifying patients with low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Clinical methods and tests classifying patients with nonspecific low back pain have been based mainly on symptom duration or extent of pain referral. The McKenzie mechanical diagnostic and classification approach is a widely used noninvasive, low-technology method of assessing patients with low back pain. However, little is known about the interexaminer reliability of the method, previous studies having yielded conflicting results. METHODS For this study, 39 volunteers with low b…
Unchanged H-reflex during a sustained isometric submaximal plantar flexion performed with an EMG biofeedback.
2008
The aim of this study was to assess H-reflex plasticity and activation pattern of the plantar flexors during a sustained contraction where voluntary EMG activity was controlled via an EMG biofeedback. Twelve healthy males (28.0+/-4.8 yr) performed a sustained isometric plantar flexion while instructed to maintain summed EMG root mean square (RMS) of gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) and gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscles fixed at a target corresponding to 80% maximal voluntary contraction torque via an EMG biofeedback. Transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the posterior tibial nerve was evoked during the contraction to obtain the maximal H-reflex amplitude to maximal M-wave amplitude ratio (…
A multicenter, site-independent, blinded study to compare the diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography using 1.0M gado…
2007
Abstract Purpose Prospective evaluation of diagnostic accuracy of single field-of-view contrast-enhanced MR Angiography (ceMRA) with 1.0 M gadobutrol compared to intraarterial DSA in body arteries. Materials and methods In an European multicenter study 179 patients underwent ceMRA and DSA. For each indication five prospectively defined vessel segments were evaluated by local investigators onsite and by three site-independent blinded readers (BR) independently. Results The agreement between ceMRA and DSA diagnosis was statistically significant in the onsite (96.6%) and blinded reader (86.6–90.2%) evaluation. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (N…
Diagnostic performance of gadobenate dimeglumine enhanced MR angiography of the iliofemoral and calf arteries: a large-scale multicenter trial
2007
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to compare gadobenate dimeglumine–enhanced MR angiography and unenhanced time-of-flight MR angiography for the detection of significant peripheral arterial occlusive disease using digital subtraction angiography as our reference standard. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Two hundred seventy-two patients underwent MR angiography and digital subtraction angiography of the iliofemoral arteries. MR angiography was performed before (2D time-of-flight acquisitions) and after (spoiled gradient-echo acquisitions) the administration of 0.1 mmol/kg of gadobenate dimeglumine at 1–2 mL/s. Contrast-enhanced MR angiography and digital subtraction angiography of the calf arte…
Effect of Kinesio Taping and balance exercises on postural control in amateur soccer players: A randomised control trial
2019
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of Kinesio Taping (KT), alone or together with balance exercises (BE), on parameters related to postural control, such as dynamic balance, static balance and flexibility. Forty-four male amateur soccer players (mean age 24.45 (4.79) years) were randomly allocated to 3 groups: KT+BE that received KT and BE (n = 16); KT
Effects of intraocular cefotaxime on the human corneal endothelium
2001
Abstract Purpose To ascertain whether 0.4 mL of cefotaxime 0.25% applied intracamerally causes toxic alteration of the human corneal endothelium. Methods In this prospective randomized masked study, 66 patients had cataract extraction using phacoemulsification, a frown incision, and implantation of a poly(methyl methacrylate) intraocular lens. This was followed by intraocular injection of 0.4 mL of cefotaxime 0.25% or balanced salt solution (BSS®). Contact specular microscopy and photography were performed preoperatively and 1 to 4 days and 3 months postoperatively. Results In the cefotaxime group, the mean endothelial cell count was 2729 cells/mm 2 ± 474 (SD) preoperatively, 2520 ± 462 cel…
Optimizing patient referral and center capacity in the management of chronic hepatitis C: Lessons from the Italian experience
2019
Abstract Aims In 2017 the Italian Drug Agency (Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, AIFA) revised the criteria for access to therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C as part of a three-year plan to eradicate HCV. We conducted a Delphi study to determine strategies to identify and treat patients with HCV and to develop through a shared pathway, a model to manage patient referral and optimize prescription center capacity with the overall aim of increasing access to therapy. Methods The process took place in two phases – Phase I (January 2017), before the criteria for treatment of HCV were revised and Phase II (May 2017) when AIFA developed a framework for the eradication of HCV infection in Ita…