Search results for "SELECTION"
showing 10 items of 1940 documents
Human cooperation in groups: variation begets variation
2015
Open Access Published: 04 November 2015 Human cooperation in groups: variation begets variation Pieter van den Berg, Lucas Molleman, Jaakko Junikka, Mikael Puurtinen & Franz J. Weissing Scientific Reports volume 5, Article number: 16144 (2015) Cite this article 383 Accesses 4 Citations 6 Altmetric Metricsdetails Abstract Many experiments on human cooperation have revealed that individuals differ systematically in their tendency to cooperate with others. It has also been shown that individuals condition their behaviour on the overall cooperation level of their peers. Yet, little is known about how individuals respond to heterogeneity in cooperativeness in their neighbourhood. Here, we presen…
Self-reported health versus biomarkers: does unemployment lead to worse health?
2020
Abstract Objectives This paper examines the relationship between unemployment and health using both subjective and biometric information on health status. Study design Longitudinal panel data. Methods We compare the results of regressions of unemployment on self-reported health with those of regressions of unemployment on health as measured with biomarkers (hypertension and levels of blood glucose and C-reactive protein). Using the panel structure of our data, we account for selection bias with respect to unemployment by controlling for health before exposure to unemployment. Results We observe a striking pattern. Using self-reported health as the outcome variable, we find a link between un…
Appropriateness guidelines and predictive rules to select patients for upper endoscopy: a nationwide multicenter study.
2010
OBJECTIVES: Selecting patients appropriately for upper endoscopy (EGD) is crucial for efficient use of endoscopy. The objective of this study was to compare different clinical strategies and statistical methods to select patients for EGD, namely appropriateness guidelines, age and/or alarm features, and multivariate and artificial neural network (ANN) models. METHODS: A nationwide, multicenter, prospective study was undertaken in which consecutive patients referred for EGD during a 1-month period were enrolled. Before EGD, the endoscopist assessed referral appropriateness according to the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) guidelines, also collecting clinical and demogra…
PATIENT SELECTION FOR LESS UROLOGICAL SURGERY
2012
Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) should theoretically improve perioperative results and cosmesis minimizing skin incision. LESS surgery is technically demanding and the result of any procedure depends on the surgeon skill and experience, on the condition to be treated and finally on careful patient selection. As cosmesis is the main advantage over standard laparoscopy, LESS is particularly indicated in young patients with low BMI. While at the beginning LESS surgery was limited to demolitive procedures, increasing experience lead to widen indications to reconstructive and more challenging conditions. New technologies and robotics may increase LESS indications in the next future.
How to predict a high rate of inappropriateness for upper endoscopy in an endoscopic centre?
2010
Abstract BACKGROUND: Inappropriateness of upper endoscopy (EGD) indication causes decreased diagnostic yield. Our aim of was to identify predictors of appropriateness rate for EGD among endoscopic centres. METHODS: A post-hoc analysis of two multicentre cross-sectional studies, including 6270 and 8252 patients consecutively referred to EGD in 44 (group A) and 55 (group B) endoscopic Italian centres in 2003 and 2007, respectively, was performed. A multiple forward stepwise regression was applied to group A, and independently validated in group B. A <70% threshold was adopted to define inadequate appropriateness rate clustered by centre. RESULTS: discrete variability of clustered appropriaten…
Optimal selection of individuals for repeated covariate measurements in follow-up studies
2016
Repeated covariate measurements bring important information on the time-varying risk factors in long epidemiological follow-up studies. However, due to budget limitations, it may be possible to carry out the repeated measurements only for a subset of the cohort. We study cost-efficient alternatives for the simple random sampling in the selection of the individuals to be remeasured. The proposed selection criteria are based on forms of the D-optimality. The selection methods are compared with the simulation studies and illustrated with the data from the East–West study carried out in Finland from 1959 to 1999. The results indicate that cost savings can be achieved if the selection is focuse…
Analysis of Safety and Tolerability Data Obtained from Over 1,500 Patients Receiving Topiramate for Migraine Prevention in Controlled Trials
2008
Objective. Topiramate is an effective and generally well-tolerated migraine preventive therapy, as shown in three large, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled registration trials. Based upon efficacy/tolerability, topiramate 100 mg/day (50 mg BID) is the recommended target dose for most patients with migraine. To further assess the safety and tolerability of topiramate for migraine prevention, we analyzed safety data from 1,580 patients who participated in the three pivotal registration trials or an earlier pilot, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Methods. The safety population consisted of all patients who took ≥1 dose of study medication during the double-blind …
The sigma rectum pouch (Mainz pouch II)
1996
A low-pressure reservoir for urine is created by antimesenteric splitting and side-to-side anastomosis of the rectosigmoid, the expectation being to obtain better continence rates and better protection of the upper tract than are achievable by ureterosigmoidostomy. Between 1990 and August 1993 the procedure was performed in 73 patients (59 adults and 14 children) whose mean age was 43.5 years. The indications were malignancy (n = 55), bladder exstrophy/epispadias (n = 14), trauma (n = 3), and sinus urogenitalis (n = 1). Of the 73 patients, 69 were followed for a mean period of 127 (range, 1-34) months. In all, 5 early complications were encountered (6.8%). In addition, 8 late complications …
Assessment of the implantation of day-2 human embryos by morphometric nonsubjective parameters
2014
Objective: To demonstrate the usefulness of image analysis in designing objective embryonic morphometric variables. Design: Retrospective study of 214 top-quality day-2 embryo photographs from 50 double-embryo transfers resulting in no pregnancy (group 0) and 57 resulting in twin pregnancy (group 1). Setting: Human reproduction unit. Patient(s): Study of 107 in vitro fertilization intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF ICSI) cycles in women age<36 years with doubleembryo transfer of top-quality embryos. Only the first cycle of IVF ICSI was included. Intervention(s): Standard IVF ICSI protocols. Main Outcome Measure(s): The embryo photographs were analyzed using the ImageJ program. The effect…
Antral follicle count (AFC) can be used in the prediction of ovarian response but cannot predict the oocyte/embryo quality or the in vitro fertilizat…
2007
To verify whether the antral follicle count (AFC) could predict ovarian response, oocyte/embryo quality, and IVF outcome.Prospective study.Instituto Universitario-Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad, Valencia, Spain.One thousand seventy-four donors and 975 oocyte recipient cycles.Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH), endometrial preparation, IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection, ET.COH and oocyte/embryo quality parameters and IVF outcome.We observed lower E(2) levels and fewer mature retrieved oocyte numbers among donors who showed an AFC that was10. These donors also showed significantly higher cancellation and no-donation rates; poor and/or insufficient response was the principal ca…