Search results for "Probability."

Impact or No Impact for Women With Mild Knee Osteoarthritis: A Bayesian Meta‐Analysis of Two Randomized Controlled Trials With Contrasting Interventi…

2022

Objective We aim to predict the probability of a benefit from two contrasting exercise programs for a woman with a new diagnosis of mild knee osteoarthritis (OA). The short and long-term effects of aquatic resistance training (ART) and high-impact aerobic land training (HLT) compared with the control will be estimated. Methods Original data sets from two previously conducted randomised controlled trials (RCT) were combined and used in a Bayesian meta-analysis. Group differences in multiple response variables were estimated. Variables included cardiorespiratory fitness, dynamic maximum leg muscle power, maximal isometric knee extension and flexion force, pain, other symptoms and quality of l…

Guidelines for time-to-event end point definitions in sarcomas and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) trials: results of the DATECAN initiative (…

2015

ABSTRACT The DATECAN initiative (Definition for the Assessment of Time-to-event Endpoints in CANcer trials) aims to provide recommendations for definitions of time-to-event end points in cancer randomized controlled trials. We relied on a consensus method based on a multidisciplinary panel of experts to develop these guidelines for trials on sarcomas and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Background The use of potential surrogate end points for overall survival, such as disease-free survival (DFS) or time-to-treatment failure (TTF) is increasingly common in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in cancer. However, the definition of time-to-event (TTE) end points is rarely precise and lacks unif…

Mafia and psychopathy

2014

Background In popular culture, Mafia members are often portrayed as ruthless, callous and remorseless, but there is no empirical research on their personality traits. Aims The goal of this research was to examine levels of psychopathic traits among Mafia members who have been convicted of a criminal offence. Methods The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) rated 30 Italian adult male prisoners who had been convicted for Mafia-related crimes (86% resident in one 6-month period) and 39 next adjacent convicted men who were not enrolled in any criminal organisation. Results Mafia members obtained lower PCL-R total scores, interpersonal and affective (PCL-R factor 1) scores and lifestyle scores…

Experts' opinions on the role of liver biopsy in HCV infection: A Delphi survey by the Italian Association of Hospital Gastroenterologists (A.I.G.O.)

2005

Background/Aims: Liver biopsy represents the gold standard to establish a diagnosis in all liver patients, but its current position in chronic viral hepatitis is questioned. We aimed to create a consensus on best practice of use of liver biopsy in the management of chronic HCV infection. Methods: We applied the Delphi method to 12 clinical scenarios of chronic HCV infection, to assess the extent of agreement (consensus measurement) and to resolve disagreement (consensus development) on the appropriateness of liver biopsy. Results: Among 108 chosen hepatologists, 61 (56.5%) accepted to participate to the first-round survey. In four patients the majority of experts (from 61.4 to 86.2%) agreed…

Predicting sustained virological responses in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2a (40 KD)/ribavirin.

2005

Background/Aims: Prediction of sustained virological response (SVR) during treatment would allow clinicians to identify patients most likely to benefit from therapy. Methods: Retrospective analysis of data from 1121 adults with chronic hepatitis C treated for 48 weeks with peginterferon alfa-2a (40 KD) 180 mu g/week plus placebo or ribavirin (1000/1200 mg/day), or interferon alfa-2b 3 MIU three times/week plus ribavirin in a randomized, multinational, study. Results: 67% of patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2a (40 KD)/ribavirin with early virological responses (HCV RNA negative or >= 2 log(10) decrease) at week 12 had SVRs at week 72 (HCV RNA 80 % of the planned ribavirin dose. Concl…

In Reply to the Letter to the Editor Regarding “Females in Neurosurgery: from a Matter of Fortuitous Occasions Towards a Conscious Choice”

2021

A Multivariate Age-Structured Stochastic Model with Immunization Strategies to Describe Bronchiolitis Dynamics

2021

Bronchiolitis has a high morbidity in children under 2 years old. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common pathogen causing the disease. At present, there is only a costly humanized monoclonal RSV-specific antibody to prevent RSV. However, different immunization strategies are being developed. Hence, evaluation and comparison of their impact is important for policymakers. The analysis of the disease with a Bayesian stochastic compartmental model provided an improved and more natural description of its dynamics. However, the consideration of different age groups is still needed, since disease transmission greatly varies with age. In this work, we propose a multivariate age-struct…

Analysis of cardiac and pulmonary complication probabilities after radiation therapy for patients with early-stage breast cancer

2009

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiobiological implications of clinical use of respiratory-gated techniques for postoperative radiation therapy of early-stage left-sided breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery. Material and methods. Radiation therapy treatment plans of 80 patients with early-stage breast cancer (stage I–II), receiving whole breast irradiation after breast-conserving therapy, were analyzed. The control group consisting of 47 patients received standard radiation therapy, and the respiratory-gated group consisting of 33 patients received deep inspiration-gated radiation therapy. Normal tissue complication probabilities (NTCP) for cardiac mortali…

Diagnosis and Treatment of Lower Extremity Venous Thromboembolism

2020

Importance: Incidence rates for lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) range from 88 to 112 per 100 000 person-years and increase with age. Rates of recurrent VTE range from 20% to 36% during the 10 years after an initial event.Observations: PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched for English-language studies published from January 2015 through June 2020 for randomized clinical trials, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and observational studies. Risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE), such as older age, malignancy (cumulative incidence of 7.4% after a median of 19 months), inflammatory disorders (VTE risk is 4.7% in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 2.5% in those withou…

Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity screening with a new iPad application

2016

We present a new iPad application (app) for a fast assessment of Visual Acuity (VA) and Contrast Sensitivity (CS) whose reliability and agreement was evaluated versus a commercial screening device (Optec 6500). The measurement of VA was programmed in the app in accordance with the Amblyopia Treatment Study protocol. The CS was measured with sinusoidal gratings of four different spatial frequencies: 3, 6, 12 and 18 cpd at the same contrast values of the Functional Acuity Contrast Test (FACT) included in the Optec 6500. Forty-five healthy subjects with monocular corrected visual acuities better than 0.2 logMAR participated in the agreement study. Bland-Altman analyses were performed to assess…