Search results for "REF"
showing 10 items of 8690 documents
Immunohistochemical analysis of cellular adhesion molecules (ICAM-1, VCAM-1) and VEGF in fibrovascular membranes of patients with proliferative diabe…
2009
Abstract Purpose Diabetic fibrovascular membranes are the main pathological changes of proliferative diabetic retinopathy that can cause serious complications leading to blindness. Since the mechanism of fibrovascular membrane development is still unknown, the aim of our study was to identify potential biomarkers for this pathology. To this end, we analyzed the simultaneous expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and VEGF within tissues of diabetic fibrovascular membranes. Patients and methods Fibrovascular membranes were taken from nine diabetic patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The fibrovascular membrane specimens were analyzed by immunohistochemistry to determine ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and …
Neural correlates of working memory dysfunction in first-episode schizophrenia patients: an fMRI multi-center study.
2005
Working memory dysfunction is a prominent impairment in patients with schizophrenia. Our aim was to determine cerebral dysfunctions by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a large sample of first-episode schizophrenia patients during a working memory task. 75 first-episode schizophrenia patients and 81 control subjects, recruited within a multi-center study, performed 2- and 0-back tasks while brain activation was measured with fMRI. In order to guarantee comparability between data quality from different scanners, we developed and adopted a standardized, fully automated quality assurance of scanner hard- and software as well as a measure for in vivo data quality. After t…
Neural Architecture of Selective Stopping Strategies: Distinct Brain Activity Patterns Are Associated with Attentional Capture But Not with Outright …
2017
In stimulus-selective stop-signal tasks, the salient stop signal needs attentional processing before genuine response inhibition is completed. Differential prefrontal involvement in attentional capture and response inhibition has been linked to the right inferior frontal junction (IFJ) and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), respectively. Recently, it has been suggested that stimulus-selective stopping may be accomplished by the following different strategies: individuals may selectively inhibit their response only upon detecting a stop signal (independent discriminate then stop strategy) or unselectively whenever detecting a stop or attentional capture signal (stop then discriminate s…
Altered effective connectivity during working memory performance in schizophrenia: a study with fMRI and structural equation modeling
2003
The present study aimed to explore altered effective connectivity in schizophrenic patients while performing a 2-back working memory task. Twelve right-handed, schizophrenic patients treated with typical or atypical antipsychotics and 6 healthy control subjects were studied with fMRI while performing a "2-back" working memory task. Effective connectivity within a cortical-subcortical-cerebellar network for mnemonic information processing was assessed and compared between both groups. The path model included cortico-cortical connections comprising the parietal association cortex, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as well as a cortico-cere…
Single dose of l-dopa makes extinction memories context-independent and prevents the return of fear
2013
Traumatic events can engender persistent excessive fear responses to trauma reminders that may return even after successful treatment. Extinction, the laboratory analog of behavior therapy, does not erase conditioned fear memories but generates competing, fear-inhibitory "extinction memories" that, however, are tied to the context in which extinction occurred. Accordingly, a dominance of fear over extinction memory expression--and, thus, return of fear--is often observed if extinguished fear stimuli are encountered outside the extinction (therapy) context. We show that postextinction administration of the dopamine precursor L-dopa makes extinction memories context-independent, thus strongly…
[Esophageal digital videofluorography with water siphon test in the post-operative evaluation of the anti-reflux laparoscopic surgery].
2004
Background: In recent years digital videoefluorography (VFG) with water siphon test (WST) has been proposed just for diagnosing biatal bernia and/or gastroesophageal reflux. Patients and Methods: Fifteen patients undergone Laparoscopic Nissen (LN) for complicated GFRD associated to biatal bernia, were referred for VFG and WST in order to evaluate the functional results of surgery. At one- month videofluorographic control thirteen patients had just a minimal prolonged esophageal transit time hut only six of these had an early postoperative dysphagia, whereas at six montJh control the prolonged esophageal transit time was present in three patients two of which complained a very light dysphagi…
Long-term comparison of corneal aberration changes after laser in situ keratomileusis: mechanical microkeratome versus femtosecond laser flap creatio…
2010
Purpose To compute and compare visual acuity, refractive outcomes, and anterior corneal aberration changes after myopic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) with flap creation by a mechanical microkeratome and by a femtosecond laser. Setting Private practice refractive surgery center, Valencia, Spain. Design Comparative case series. Methods Patients were assigned to have LASIK flap creation with a mechanical microkeratome (Carriazo-Barraquer) or a femtosecond laser (IntraLase). The Visx S2 excimer laser was used for myopic ablation in all cases. Main outcome measures included uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuities and the defocus equivalent. Higher-order aberrations (HOAs) were …
Visual function after implantation of a diffractive aspheric trifocal intraocular lens
2016
Purpose To evaluate distance, intermediate, and near vision after bilateral implantation of a diffractive aspheric trifocal intraocular lens (IOL). Methods This study enrolled 204 eyes of 102 patients who had bilateral implantation of the AT LISA tri 839MP IOL. Monocular and binocular uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) (4 meters), monocular and binocular uncorrected near visual acuity (UNVA) and distance-corrected near visual acuity (DCNVA) (30, 40 centimeters), binocular uncorrected intermediate visual acuity (UIVA) and distance-corrected intermediate visual acuity (DCIVA) (50, 60, 70 centimeters), the defocus curve, and binocular photopic…
The big picture: effects of surround on immersion and size perception.
2014
Despite the fear of the entertainment industry that illegal downloads of films might ruin their business, going to the movies continues to be a popular leisure activity. One reason why people prefer to watch movies in cinemas may be the surround of the movie screen or its physically huge size. To disentangle the factors that might contribute to the size impression, we tested several measures of subjective size and immersion in different viewing environments. For this purpose we built a model cinema that provided visual angle information comparable with that of a real cinema. Subjects watched identical movie clips in a real cinema, a model cinema, and on a display monitor in isolation. Wher…
Release of premotor activity after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of prefrontal cortex
2008
In the present study we aimed to explore by means of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) the reciprocal influences between prefrontal cortex (PFC) and premotor cortex (PMC). Subjects were asked to observe on a computer monitor different pictures representing manipulations of different kind of tools. They had to produce a movement (go condition) or to keep the resting position (no-go condition) at the appearance of different cue signals represented by different colors shown alternatively on the hands manipulating the tools or on the picture background. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were collected at the offset of the visual stimuli before and after a 10 minute, 1 Hz rTMS tra…