Search results for "Nonparametric"
showing 10 items of 427 documents
Gene-environment interaction as a predictor of early adjustment in first episode psychosis.
2017
Abstract Background This study aims to explore the gene-environment interaction hypothesis applied to pre-symptomatic neurodevelopmental phenotypes of first episode psychosis (FEP), that is, genetic factors might increase vulnerability to the effects of environmental adverse conditions occurring at later stages of development. Methods We constructed a schematic ‘two-hit’ model, with Val/Val homozygosity for the catechol- O -methyltransferase ( COMT ) Val158Met polymorphism as the ‘first hit’ and history of obstetric complications and parental socioeconomic status as ‘second hits’. Early adjustment, measured using the Premorbid Adjustment Scale, was considered the main outcome. The study pop…
Reduction of Interstitial Cells of Cajal (ICC) Associated With Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase (n-NOS) in Patients With Achalasia
2007
The etiology of achalasia is still unknown. The current theories of chronic inflammation leading to autoimmune response with destruction and loss of the inhibitory myenteric ganglion cells enlighten its pathogenesis in a limited way only. Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) have been shown to be involved in nitrergic neurotransmission of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES).To investigate the significance of ICC and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (n-NOS) in esophageal wall tissue of patients undergoing surgery for achalasia.In 53 patients with a median age of 45 (6-78) yr undergoing surgery for achalasia, the immunoreactivity of ICC (CD117/c-kit) and n-NOS was assessed. In 42 patients, biopsi…
Study of microcirculation in oral lichen planus by video-capillaroscopy.
2007
Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate “in vivo” the oral microcirculatory characteristics in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and to discover any differences in microcirculation in comparison with healthy patients. Study design Twenty patients with established diagnosis of OLP and 20 healthy patients were examined in our laboratory by means of contact optical probe videocapillaroscopy. The examined areas for each patient were the right and the left buccal mucosae. Capillary density and total capillary diameter, as well as afferent and efferent loop diameter were studied; the discovery of characteristic (tortuous, branched) loops was also investigated. Results The results wer…
Zonisamide in children and young adults with refractory epilepsy: an open label, multicenter Italian study
2009
Summary Purpose To report on the first multicenter Italian experience with zonisamide as an add-on drug for refractory generalised or partial epilepsy in children, adolescents and young adults. Methods The patients were enrolled in a prospective, add-on, open-label treatment study from eight Italian centres for children and adolescent epilepsy care. Eighty-two young patients (45 males, 37 females), aged between 3 and 34 years (mean 13.1 years), all affected by partial (47) or generalised (35) refractory epilepsy, were enrolled in the study. ZNS was added to the baseline therapy at a starting dose of 1 mg/kg/day twice daily. This dose was increased by 2 mg/kg every 1–2 weeks over a period of…
Levetiracetam during 1-year follow-up in children, adolescents, and young adults with refractory epilepsy
2004
Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of levetiracetam (LEV) in refractory crypto/symptomatic, partial or generalised epilepsy in children, adolescents and young adults. Methods: We performed a prospective open label add-on study in 99 patients (age 12 months to 32 years, mean 14 years) with partial or generalised, crypto/symtpomatic seizures. Levetiracetam was added to no more than two baseline AEDs and the efficacy was rated according to seizure type and frequency. Results: LEV was initiated at the starting dose of 10 mg/kg/day with 5-day increments up to 50 mg/kg/day, unless it was not tolerated. Concomitant therapy was generally not modified throughout the study. After a mean fol…
Diffusion-weighted MRI of the lung with hyperpolarized helium-3: A study of reproducibility
2005
Purpose To determine the reproducibility of several parameters of the ADC measurement by calculating the scan-to-scan intrasubject variability. Materials and Methods Measurements were performed using a gradient-echo sequence with a bipolar gradient for diffusion weighting (b = 3.89 sec/cm2). Five patients with pulmonary emphysema, and six healthy-lung volunteers were included in the study. Images were acquired after inspiration of 3He during a single inspiratory breath-hold. To assess the reproducibility, the measurement was performed twice (time between measurements = 20 minutes) without repositioning the subjects. Analysis was performed on the basis of region-of-interest (ROI) analysis an…
Periodontal Alteration of the Microcirculation and Hypercholesterolemia: A Possible Correlation?
2011
OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the morphological and parametric characteristics of the periodontal microcirculation in patients diagnosed as having hypercholesterolemia and high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). METHODS: Forty patients were recruited, 20 of whom were affected by hypercholesterolemia and 20 of whom were considered healthy. A videocapillaroscopic examination was carried out on the periodontal mucosa in the proximity of the frenulum (II, V sextant). RESULTS: The difference between the parameters of the hypercholesterolemia group and the control group was evaluated with the Mann-Whitney U-test for non-parametric ordinal data; the level of significance being P < 0.05. The videoc…
Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS): Optimal cut points for remission and response in a German sample
2017
The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) is the most frequently used instrument to assess social anxiety disorder (SAD) in clinical research and practice. Both a self-reported (LSAS-SR) and a clinician-administered (LSAS-CA) version are available. The aim of the present study was to define optimal cut-off (OC) scores for remission and response to treatment for the LSAS in a German sample. Data of N = 311 patients with SAD were used who had completed psychotherapeutic treatment within a multicentre randomized controlled trial. Diagnosis of SAD and reduction in symptom severity according to the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th editi…
Cognitive impairment is related to oxidative stress and chemokine levels in first psychotic episodes.
2011
Abstract Introduction This study measures the levels of various markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in blood samples from first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients, and examines the association between these peripheral biomarkers and cognitive performance at 6 months after treatment. Methods Twenty-eight FEP patients and 28 healthy controls (matched by age, sex and educational level) had blood samples taken at admission for assessment of total antioxidant status, superoxide dismutase (SOD), total glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase, lipid peroxidation, nitrites and the chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). A battery of cognitive tests was also app…
Subchronic haloperidol downregulates dopamine synthesis capacity in the brain of schizophrenic patients in vivo
2003
Udgivelsesdato: 2003-Apr The antipsychotic effect of neuroleptics cannot be attributed entirely to acute blockade of postsynaptic D(2)-like dopamine (DA) receptors, but may arise in conjunction with the delayed depolarization block of the presynaptic neurons and reduced DA synthesis capacity. Whereas the phenomenon of depolarization block is well established in animals, it is unknown if a similar phenomenon occurs in humans treated with neuroleptics. We hypothesized that haloperidol treatment should result in decreased DA synthesis capacity. We used 6-[(18)F]fluoro-L-dopa (FDOPA) and positron emission tomography (PET) in conjunction with compartmental modeling to measure the relative activi…