Search results for "Tests"

The capacity to consent to treatment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a preliminary report

2020

Background: Facing the relentless worsening of their condition, ALS patients are required to make decisions on treatments and end-of-life care. A cognitive impairment showed to be a negative prognostic factor in ALS patients, perhaps affecting the ability to make informed decisions. Notwithstanding its crucial role, the capacity to consent to treatment (CCT) has never been evaluated in these patients. Objectives: To assess the CCT in an ALS cohort in comparison to a control group, and to study the effects of demographic and clinical variables on this high-level cognitive function. Methods: 102 ALS patients and 106 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. CCT was assessed using the MacArthur Com…

Neuroanatomical changes in early Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment: a VBM study; the Parkinson’s Disease Cognitive Impairment Study …

2021

Introduction: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is common in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the underlying pathological mechanism has not been fully understood. Voxel-based morphometry could be used to evaluate regional atrophy and its relationship with cognitive performances in early PD-MCI. Patients and Methods: One hundred and six patients with PD were recruited from a larger cohort of patients, the Parkinson’s Disease Cognitive Impairment Study (PaCoS). Subject underwent a T1-3D MRI and a complete clinical and neuropsychological evaluation. Patients were divided into PD with normal cognition (PD-NC) and PD-MCI according to the MDS level II criteria–modified for PD-MCI. A subgroup of early …

Endothelial function testing and cardiovascular disease: focus on peripheral arterial tonometry

2014

During recent decades, a number of methods have been developed to assess endothelial function, contributing to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease. Recently, the advent of noninvasive, reproducible techniques for assessment of endothelial function has opened novel possibilities of application in the clinical setting. Peripheral arterial tonometry is a relatively novel, user-friendly technique measuring finger pulse volume amplitude changes induced by reactive hyperemia following 5 minutes of ischemia in the upper limb. Current evidence indicates that this technique has the potential to significantly impact the field of cardiovascular research and preventi…

Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy: Technical Advances and Clinical Applications

2010

Since its introduction in 2004, confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) has emerged as a valuable tool for gastrointestinal endoscopic imaging. Endomicroscopy enables the endoscopist to obtain real time in vivo histology during ongoing endoscopy thereby creating “optical biopsies.” To date, numerous studies have shown potential applications of endomicroscopy in the clinical setting, including in vivo diagnosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, Barrett’s esophagus, celiac disease, and colonic polyps. Moreover, recent data suggest the potential application of endomicroscopy in the field of molecular imaging. Additionally, in recent months new applications and developments in the field of con…

Nonceliac gluten sensitivity.

2014

During the past decade there has been an impressive increase in popularity of the gluten-free diet (GFD)—now the most trendy alimentary habit in the United States and other countries. According to recent surveys, as many as 100 million Americans will consume gluten-free products within a year. Operating under the concept that the GFD benefits only individuals with celiac disease, health care professionals have struggled to separate the wheat from the chaff; there are claims that eliminating gluten from the diet increases health and helps with weight loss, or even that gluten can be harmful to every human being. However, apart from unfounded trends, a disorder related to ingestion of gluten …

Minimal Lesions of the Small Intestinal Mucosa: More than Morphology

2020

Minimal lesions of the small bowel are mucosal changes characterized by an increased number of intraepithelial lymphocytes (with or without crypt hyperplasia) and normal villous architecture. Such changes are associated with a wide spectrum of conditions, ranging from food intolerances to infections, and from drugs to immune diseases, with different clinical profiles and manifestations, which complicates the formulation of a differential diagnosis. Patient history, symptom evaluation, and histopathology are the diagnostic features needed to establish a correct diagnosis. Physicians should assist pathologists in formulating a precise morphological evaluation by taking well-oriented small int…

Liver Function Test Abnormalities in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Hospital-based Survey

2014

Background and Aims Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are frequently associated with altered liver function tests (LFTs). The causal relationship between abnormal LFTs and IBD is unclear. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence and etiology of LFTs abnormalities and their association with clinical variables in a cohort of IBD patients followed up in a single center. Materials and Methods A retrospective review was undertaken of all consecutive IBD in- and outpatients routinely followed up at a single referral center. Clinical and demographic parameters were recorded. Subjects were excluded if they had a previous diagnosis of chronic liver disease. LFT abnormality was defined as …

The concentration of para-phenylenediamine (PPD) for routine patch testing in a standard series needs to be redefined

2005

The INMA INfancia y Medio Ambiente-(Environment and Childhood) project: More than 10 years contributing to environmental and neuropsychological resea…

2017

Background: In 2003 the INMA—INfancia y Medio Ambiente (Environment and Childhood) project, a Spanish national network of birth cohorts including more than 3500 participants, was set up with the aim to assess the health impacts of pre- and postnatal environmental exposures on children. The project has published more than 60 papers on maternal and environmental factors related to neuropsychological development in children, one of the main research interests within the project. With the present review, we evaluate the evidence provided by the INMA project on this topic and discuss how the data can contribute to cover the challenges that children’s environmental health research will face in th…

Newborn screening of inherited metabolic disorders by tandem mass spectrometry: past, present and future

2013

Inborn errors of metabolism are inherited biochemical disorders caused by lack of a functional enzyme, transmembrane transporter, or similar protein, which then results in blockage of the corresponding metabolic pathway. Taken individually, inborn errors of metabolism are rare. However, as a group these diseases are relatively frequent and they may account for most of neonatal mortality and need of health resources. The detection of genetic metabolic disorders should occur in a pre-symptomatic phase. Recently, the introduction of the tandem mass spectrometric methods for metabolite analysis has changed our ability to detect intermediates of metabolism in smaller samples and provides the mea…