Search results for "STANDARD"
showing 10 items of 3299 documents
Kappa free light chains in cerebrospinal fluid as markers of intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis.
2004
Abstract Background: Intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis is observed in several inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system, but its detection by current laboratory tests is either tedious or relatively insensitive. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of an assay for κ free light chains (κFLC) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum, and compared it with traditional tests for intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis. Methods: κFLCs were measured by nephelometry in CSF/serum pairs from 112 patients. Samples were excluded if blood contamination of CSF as a result of traumatic lumbar puncture (n = 12) or monoclonal bands in both CSF and serum (n = 5) were present. The remaining sample pai…
Mortality in patients with coeliac disease and their relatives: a cohort study.
2001
Summary Background Although previous studies have shown increased mortality in patients with coeliac disease and their relatives, no data are available in relation to different patterns of clinical presentation. We assessed mortality in patients with coeliac disease and their first-degree relatives. Methods We enrolled, in a prospective cohort study, 1072 adult patients with coeliac disease consecutively diagnosed in 11 gastroenterology units between 1962 and 1994, and their 3384 first-degree relatives. We compared the number of deaths up to 1998 with expected deaths and expressed the comparison as standardised mortality ratio (SMR) and relative survival ratio. Findings 53 coeliac patients …
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…
Cross validation of the 1-mile walking test for men with mental retardation.
1997
The purpose of this study was to cross validate the equation developed by Rintala et al. (1992) to estimate the cardiorespiratory efficiency of men with mental retardation (MR). Subjects were 19 healthy men (27 ± 8 yr) with MR (IQ = 58 ± 12). Following familiarization, a graded maximal treadmill test and two 1-mile walk tests (Rockport Fitness Walking Test, RFWT) were administered. The peak VO 2 value was the criterion measure used to cross validate the equation. The equation was: Peak VO 2 (ml.kg -1 .min -1 ) = 101.92 - 2.356 (MILE) -0.420 (WEIGHT). The mean differences were 2.04 (MILE 1 )(P = 0.02) and 2.43 (MILE 2 )(P = 0.004) ml.kg -1 .min -1 . A significant positive correlation was fou…
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…
Detection of Depression in Acute Schizophrenia: Sensitivity and Specificity of 2 Standard Observer Rating Scales
2006
Objective: To compare the psychometric properties of the Calgary Depression Rating Scale (CDRS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) for severity assessment of depression in acute schizophrenia. Method: During clinical routine treatment, we investigated 119 inpatients with acute schizophrenia, using the CDRS, the HDRS, and a global 4-point Depression Severity Scale (DEP-SEV). We compared CDRS and HDRS sum scores regarding their diagnostic accuracy, with global severity of depression as the criterion. We estimated sensitivity and specificity on the basis of receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: According to global clinical ratings (DEP-SEV), 31% of patients had no dep…
Monitoring changes in anti-tuberculosis treatment: associated factors determined at the time of diagnosis
2013
OBJECTIVES: To determine predictive factors for changes in standard anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy at the time of diagnosis. METHODS: A prospective study was performed among tuberculosis (TB) patients treated at specialised centres during 2008-2009. Treatment outcome was monitored per standard guidelines. Treatment was considered successful if the patient was cured or completed treatment. Factors associated with treatment modification were analysed at the bivariate and multivariate levels using logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 427 patients were included in the study. The initial standard treatment regimen was retained for 249 patients (58.3%), extended to 9 months for 36 (8.4%) and …
Effect of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin treatment in therapy-resistant chronic spontaneous urticaria
2010
Background Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) lasting more than 6 weeks is one of the most disabling types of urticaria and often results in severely impaired quality of life. Patients with CSU are often unsatisfied with the standard treatment. Another treatment option recommended for patients with so-called nonresponding CSU according to the newest guidelines is intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of high-dose IVIG as a treatment option in patients with therapy-resistant CSU. Methods Six patients with severe CSU unresponsive to other treatment options according to the newest guidelines for several weeks were treated with high-dose IVIG (2 g/kg ev…
Detection of gamma-hydroxybutyrate in hair: Validation of GC–MS and LC–MS/MS methods and application to a real case
2012
A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method were validated for quantifying endogenous and exogenous hair concentrations of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). The GC-MS method is based on overnight extraction of 25 mg hair in NaOH at 56 °C, liquid/liquid extraction in ethylacetate and trimethylsylil derivatization; analysis is by electron ionization and single ion monitoring of three ions. The LC-MS/MS method entails a rapid digestion of 25 mg hair with NaOH at 75 °C for 40 min, liquid/liquid extraction in ethylacetate and reconstitution of the extract in the LC mobile phase; negative ion electrospray ionization and multiple…
Non-compact myocardium assessment by cardiac magnetic resonance: dependence on image analysis method
2018
To compare image analysis methods for the assessment of left ventricle non-compaction from cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. CMR images were analyzed in 20 patients and 10 normal subjects. A reference model of the MR signal was introduced and validated based on image data. Non-compact (NC) myocardium size and distribution were assessed by tracing a single, continuous contour delimiting trabeculated region (Jacquier) or by one-by-one selection of trabeculae (Grothoff). The global non-compact/compact (NC/C) ratio, the NC mass, and the segmental NC/C ratio were assessed. Results were compared with the reference model. A significant difference between Grothoff and Jacquier approaches in…