Search results for "VARIATION"
showing 10 items of 2124 documents
Variable geographic distribution of Blastocystis subtypes and its potential implications.
2012
Blastocystis is a common intestinal micro-eukaryote found in both humans and non-human hosts and known to be genetically very diverse. It has been divided into numerous subtypes (STs), nine of which have been identified in humans to date. Surveys of ST prevalence have started to emerge over the past few years but to date no data are available for any African country except Egypt and Tanzania. In this study, we determined the prevalence of Blastocystis STs in populations from Libya, Liberia and Nigeria, as well as expanding the dataset available for the UK. A total of 356 Blastocystis STs were identified in this study, 271 from the UK, 38 from Libya, 25 from Liberia and 22 from Nigeria. SSU …
The shoulder medial rotation test: an intertester and intratester reliability study in overhead athletes with chronic shoulder pain.
2013
The purpose of this study was to examine intertester and intratester reliability of the shoulder medial rotation test (MRT) and reliability differences depending on examiner expertise.Seventeen athletes with chronic shoulder pain participated in the study. Four independent observers with different experience levels simultaneously rated MRT performance as "correct" or "incorrect," after a standardized assessment protocol, the same day (for intertester reliability) and in a 7-day interval (for intratester reliability).The intrarater reliability was admissible for 2 experts and one novice, with κ values ranging between 0.32 to 0.76 and poor for one novice (κ0). Interrater agreement for all 4 a…
The posterior talocalcaneal ligament: an MRI evaluation
2020
Purpose Awideinter-individualvariabilityintermsofsize,orientationandinsertionisobservedregardingankleligaments. The aim of this study is to identify and describe the anatomical features of the posterior talocalcaneal ligament (PTCL) observed through the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the ankle. Methods The study was retrospectively carried out on 893 ankle MRI’s exams. The exams have all been performed using a 1.5-T (T) MRI. The same scanning protocols and scan planes were carried out in all the exams. The first evaluated param- eter was the recognition of the PTCL. Subsequently, in all those cases where the ligament was present, its features such as insertion sites, length, and…
Hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia: contrast-enhanced ultrasound findings with emphasis on lesion size, depth and liver echogenicity
2010
To correlate contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) findings of hepatic focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) with lesion size, depth and liver echogenicity and to compare CEUS with baseline US. Two radiologists evaluated baseline US and CEUS examinations of 92 FNHs (mean size: 3.1 +/- 1.7 cm) in 71 patients (59 women and 12 men) to detect the "spoke-wheel" sign, central scar and feeding vessel. The FNHs were grouped and analysed by dimension, depth and liver echogenicity. At least one sign could be detected at CEUS in 27 out of 36 (75%) FNHs larger than 3 cm and in 17 out of 56 (30%) FNH measuring 3 cm or less (p 0.05) as well as between CEUS or baseline US/CD with regard to lesion size, depth or l…
Benefits of nonlinear analysis indices of walking stride interval in the evaluation of neurodegenerative diseases.
2021
Indices characterising the long-range temporal structure of walking stride interval (SI) variability such as Hurst exponent (H) and fractal dimension (D) may be used in addition to indices measuring the amount of variability like the coefficient of variation (CV). We assess the added value of the former indices in a clinical neurological context. Our aim is to demonstrate that they provide a clinical significance in aging and in frequent neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Indices assessing the temporal structure of variability are mainly dependent on SI time series length and algorithms used, making quantitative comparisons…
Stroop task performance across the lifespan: High cognitive reserve in older age is associated with enhanced proactive and reactive interference cont…
2020
Abstract Susceptibility to interference increases with age but there is large inter-individual variability in interference control in older adults due to a number of biological and environmental factors. The present study aims at analyzing behavior and ERPs in a Stroop interference task with increasing difficulty in a sample of 246 young, middle-aged and healthy old participants. The old age group was divided into three subgroups based on performance scores. The results show a gradual performance reduction with increasing age and task difficulty. However, old high performers reached a performance level comparable to middle-aged subjects. The contingent negative variation (CNV) reflecting pr…
Association of TaqIB polymorphism in the cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene with plasma lipid levels in a healthy Spanish population.
2000
Genetic variants at the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) locus have been associated with CETP activity and mass, as well as plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein A-I levels. We have examined allele frequencies and lipid associations for the common CETP TaqIB polymorphism in a sample of 514 healthy subjects (231 men, mean age 37.4 years, and 283 women, mean age 35.7 years) residing in Valencia (Spain). The frequency of the less common TaqIB2 allele (0.351; 95% CI: 0.322-0. 380) was significantly lower than those reported for Northern European populations. Consistent with previous studies, we found a significant association of the TaqIB polymorphism w…
Computed Virtual Chromoendoscopy for Classification of Small Colorectal Lesions: A Prospective Comparative Study
2007
Standard colonoscopy offers no reliable discrimination between neoplastic and nonneoplastic colorectal lesions. Computed virtual chromoendoscopy with the Fujinon intelligent color enhancement (FICE) system is a new dyeless imaging technique that enhances mucosal and vascular patterns. This prospective trial compared the feasibility of FICE, standard colonoscopy, and conventional chromoendoscopy with indigo carmine in low- and high-magnification modes for determination of colonic lesion histology.Sixty-three patients with 150 flat or sessile lesions less than 20 mm in diameter were enrolled. At colonoscopy, each lesion was observed with six different endoscopic modalities: standard colonosco…
Interexaminer reliability of low back pain assessment using the McKenzie method.
2002
STUDY DESIGN A test-retest design was used. OBJECTIVE To assess interexaminer reliability of the McKenzie method for performing clinical tests and classifying patients with low back pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Clinical methods and tests classifying patients with nonspecific low back pain have been based mainly on symptom duration or extent of pain referral. The McKenzie mechanical diagnostic and classification approach is a widely used noninvasive, low-technology method of assessing patients with low back pain. However, little is known about the interexaminer reliability of the method, previous studies having yielded conflicting results. METHODS For this study, 39 volunteers with low b…
Reliability of the Dynamic Gait Index (Finnish version) in individuals with neurological disorders
2012
To produce a Finnish version of the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) and establish its reliability in people with neurological disorders affecting balance.A consecutive sample of 33 participants in inter-rater and 30 participants in intra-rater sample were tested. The DGI was administered in two testing sessions 1-2 h apart. Reliability was assessed with the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement, coefficient of reproducibility (CR), and standard error of the mean (SEM).The instructions from the original DGI were preserved during the translation process with no need for cultural adaptations. The relative reliability of the total scores proved to be high in i…