Search results for "Tests"

Ceftazidime-avibactam use for klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing k. pneumoniae infections: A retrospective observational multicenter study

2021

Abstract Background A growing body of observational evidence supports the value of ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI) in managing infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Methods We retrospectively analyzed observational data on use and outcomes of CAZ-AVI therapy for infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase–producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) strains. Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify variables independently associated with 30-day mortality. Results were adjusted for propensity score for receipt of CAZ-AVI combination regimens versus CAZ-AVI monotherapy. Results The cohort comprised 577 adults with bloodstream infections (n = 391) or nonba…

Anterior chamber depth measurement in teenagers. Comparison of two techniques

2013

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the anterior chamber depth (ACD) in teenagers using two different devices: partial coherence interferometry IOLMaster (Carl Zeiss Meditec) and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (Visante TM OCT, Carl Zeiss Meditec) and to evaluate the degree of agreement between ACD measurements carried out by both instruments. Methods: In this prospective study 68 eyes of 34 emmetropic Caucasic patients (18 girls and 16 boys) were analysed. ACD was measured from the anterior corneal surface to anterior surface of the crystalline lens. For each age the ACD size was calculated and the difference between IOLMaster and Visante-OCT measurements was analy…

Intellectual ability in young adulthood as an antecedent of physical functioning in older age.

2016

Objectives: low cognitive ability is associated with subsequent functional disability. Whether this association extends across adult life has been little studied. The aim of this study was to examine the association between intellectual ability in young adulthood and physical functioning during a 10-year follow-up in older age.Methods: three hundred and sixty persons of the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study (HBCS) male members, born between 1934 and 1944 and residing in Finland in 1971, took part in The Finnish Defence Forces Basic Intellectual Ability Test during the first 2 weeks of their military service training between 1952 and 1972. Their physical functioning was assessed twice using the Sh…

Does angioedema influence the quality of life in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria?

2019

Choice of reference area in studies of Alzheimer's disease using positron emission tomography with fluorodeoxyglucose-F18

2007

At present, there is still no consensus on the choice of the reference area in positron emission tomography (PET) studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, PET scans with fluorodeoxyglucose-F18 were carried out in the following groups of subjects: 47 patients with probable AD, 8 patients with mild cognitive impairment, and 15 age-similar healthy subjects. Scans normalized to the cerebral global mean (CGM), cerebellum (CBL), and the primary sensorimotor cortex (SMC). We evaluated the effect of the different count normalization procedures on the accuracy of (18)F-FDG PET to detect AD-specific metabolic abnormalities (voxel-based group comparison) and to differentiate between patient…

Atypical perceptual narrowing in prematurely born infants is associated with compromised language acquisition at 2 years of age

2010

Abstract Background Early auditory experiences are a prerequisite for speech and language acquisition. In healthy children, phoneme discrimination abilities improve for native and degrade for unfamiliar, socially irrelevant phoneme contrasts between 6 and 12 months of age as the brain tunes itself to, and specializes in the native spoken language. This process is known as perceptual narrowing, and has been found to predict normal native language acquisition. Prematurely born infants are known to be at an elevated risk for later language problems, but it remains unclear whether these problems relate to early perceptual narrowing. To address this question, we investigated early neurophysiolog…

Validation of the simplified Animal Naming Test as primary screening tool for the diagnosis of covert hepatic encephalopathy

2019

Diagnosis of covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE) is time consuming in clinical practice. Recently, a new diagnostic tool - the simplified Animal Naming Test (S-ANT1) - was presented with promising results in an Italian cohort. The aim of the present study was to validate S-ANT1 in a cohort of cirrhotic patients from a German tertiary referral centre.143 cirrhotic patients and 37 healthy controls were enrolled. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) grade 1 (HE1) was clinically diagnosed according to the West-Haven Criteria. Critical flicker frequency and Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score were used to detect minimal HE (MHE). All participants were additionally examined by S-ANT1.58 (40.6%) pati…

Verbal suppression and strategy use: a role for the right lateral prefrontal cortex?

2015

Verbal initiation, suppression and strategy generation/use are cognitive processes widely held to be supported by the frontal cortex. The Hayling Test was designed to tap these cognitive processes within the same sentence completion task. There are few studies specifically investigating the neural correlates of the Hayling Test but it has been primarily used to detect frontal lobe damage. This study investigates the components of the Hayling Test in a large sample of patients with unselected focal frontal (n = 60) and posterior (n = 30) lesions. Patients and controls (n = 40) matched for education, age and sex were administered the Hayling Test as well as background cognitive tests. The sta…

Multiresistant waterborne pathogens isolated from water reservoirs and cooling systems

2008

Aims:  To determine the incidence of multiple antibiotic-resistant strains of the emergent human pathogens Legionella pneumophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and mesophilic Aeromonas species among those isolated from water reservoirs and industrial cooling systems. Methods and Results:  Water from four natural water reservoirs and four industrial cooling towers was sampled for 1 year period. The total heterotrophs, mesophilic Aeromonas, Pseudomonas spp. and Legionella spp. counts were performed as recommended by standard procedures, and the sensitivity of the isolates to 27 antibiotics was tested. A total of 117 Aeromonas, 60 P. aeruginosa and 15 L. pneumophila strains were isolated and identif…

Lipoprotein apheresis for Lp(a)-hyperlipoproteinemia with progressive cardiovascular disease--Additional particular aspects of the Pro(a)LiFe multice…

2015

Lipoprotein apheresis (LA) can lower LDL-cholesterol and Lp(a) by 60%-70% and is the final escalating option in patients with hyperlipoproteinemias involving LDL or Lp(a) particles. Major therapeutic effect of LA is preventing cardiovascular events. In Germany since 2008 a reimbursement guideline has been implemented accepting to establish the indication for LA not only for familial or severe forms of hypercholesterolemia but also based on Lp(a)-hyperlipoproteinemia associated with a progressive course of cardiovascular disease, that persists despite effective treatment of other concomitant cardiovascular risk factors. The Pro(a)LiFe-study confirmed with a prospective multicenter design tha…