Search results for "VOLUME"
showing 10 items of 1932 documents
A preliminary PET radiomics study of brain metastases using a fully automatic segmentation method
2020
AbstractBackgroundPositron Emission Tomography (PET) is increasingly utilized in radiomics studies for treatment evaluation purposes. Nevertheless, lesion volume identification in PET images is a critical and still challenging step in the process of radiomics, due to the low spatial resolution and high noise level of PET images. Currently, the biological target volume (BTV) is manually contoured by nuclear physicians, with a time expensive and operator-dependent procedure.This study aims to obtain BTVs from cerebral metastases in patients who underwent L-[11C]methionine (11C-MET) PET, using a fully automatic procedure and to use these BTVs to extract radiomics features to stratify between p…
Direct and indirect effects of Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) on lung function in children: A mediation analysis
2018
Background: Studies on pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) children are lacking. The aims of this study were: (i) to investigate PFTs in GHD pre-pubertal children with respect to Controls, before starting Growth Hormone Therapy (GHT) (T0); (ii) to evaluate changes of PFTs in GHD vs Controls, after 1-year GHT (T1). Forboth aims the mediation analysis (MA) was applied to evaluate the extent to which the relationship between GHD and PFTs could be ascribed to a height-mediated (indirect) or a GH direct effect. Methods: 47 pre-pubertal GHD children (aged 5–14 years) underwent PFTs at T0 and T1. At T0, 47 healthy children matched for age and sex were enrolled as Contr…
Asthma control in elderly asthmatics. An Italian observational study
2014
SummaryBackgroundThe exponential increase of individuals aged >64 yrs is expected to impact the burden of asthma. We aimed to explore the level of asthma control in elderly subjects, and factors influencing it.MethodsA multicenter observational study was performed on consecutive patients >64 years old with a documented physician-diagnosis of asthma. Sixteen Italian centers were involved in this 6-month project.FindingsA total of 350 patients were enrolled in the study. More than one-third of elderly asthmatic patients, despite receiving GINA step 3–4 antiasthmatic therapy, had an Asthma Control Test score ≤19, with a quarter experiencing at least one severe asthma exacerbation in the previo…
Severe and uncontrolled adult asthma is associated with vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency
2012
Background Vitamin D has effects on the innate and adaptive immune system. In asthmatic children low vitamin D levels are associated with poor asthma control, reduced lung function, increased medication intake, and exacerbations. Little is known about vitamin D in adult asthma patients or its association with asthma severity and control. Methods Clinical parameters of asthma control and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) serum concentrations were evaluated in 280 adult asthma patients (mean ± SD: 45.0 ± 13.8 yrs., 40% male, FEV1 74.9 ± 23.4%, 55% severe, 51% uncontrolled). Results 25(OH)D concentrations in adult asthmatics were low (25.6 ±11.8 ng/ml) and vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency (vi…
Discriminative and predictive properties of disease-specific and generic health status indexes in elderly COPD patients
2008
Abstract Background The association between bronchial obstruction severity and mortality in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is well established, but it is unknown whether disease-specific health status measures and multidimensional assessment (MDA) have comparable prognostic value. Methods We analyzed data coming from the Salute Respiratoria nell'Anziano (Respiratory Health in the Elderly – SaRA) study, enrolling elderly people attending outpatient clinics for respiratory and non-respiratory problems. From this population we selected 449 patients with bronchial obstruction (77.3% men, mean age 73.1). We classified patients' health status using tertiles of the Saint George Respi…
High-resolution computed tomography quantitation of emphysema is correlated with selected lung function values in stable COPD
2012
<b><i>Background:</i></b> The literature shows conflicting results when high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scores of emphysema were correlated with different indices of airflow obstruction. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> We correlated HRCT scores of emphysema with different indices of airflow obstruction. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We performed HRCT of the chest in 59 patients, all smokers or ex-smokers, with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease of different severity [GOLD stages I–IV; mean age ± SD 67.8 ± 7.3 years; pack/years 51.0 ± 34.6; percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV<sub>1</su…
Decreased FOXP3 expression in small airways of smokers with COPD
2008
CD4+CD25+ FOXP3-positive T-regulatory cells have an important role in controlling immune and inflammatory reactions. The present authors hypothesise that these cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the present study was to characterise the expression of FOXP3 in large and small airways of nonsmokers, smokers with normal lung function and COPD patients. A total of 19 nonsmokers, 20 smokers with normal lung function and 20 smokers with moderate COPD, undergoing lung resection for a solitary peripheral nonsmall cell carcinoma, were enrolled in the study. Immunohistochemical methods were used to evaluate FOXP3 expression in large a…
Alterations of the beneficial effect of deep inspiration in scleroderma: relationships between lung function and imaging.
2007
<i>Background:</i> It has been postulated that the beneficial effects of deep inspiration are dependent on the magnitude of airway distension by virtue of airway to parenchyma interdependence. <i>Objective:</i> This study was designed to examine whether the changes that occur in pulmonary fibrosis affect the beneficial effect of deep inspiration. <i>Methods:</i> Thirty-one subjects with scleroderma underwent lung volume and diffusion capacity assessment as well as high-resolution computed tomography. To assess the effect of deep inspiration, each subject underwent methacholine provocations in the absence of deep breaths. When the targeted change in lung f…
The ‘real-life’ COPD patient in Germany: The DACCORD study
2016
Abstract Introduction DACCORD is an ongoing, longitudinal, non-interventional study within the German COPD National Prospective Registry. This manuscript describes the baseline characteristics of the first 5924 participants, recruited between November 2012 and November 2013. Methods The main inclusion criteria are a physician diagnosis of COPD, age ≥40 years, and initiating or changing COPD maintenance medication. Data collected included: Demographic and disease characteristics; prescribed medication; symptoms; COPD Assessment Test (CAT); modified Medical Research Council dyspnoea score (mMRC); exacerbations; comorbidities; and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ). Results Approximately…
Bronchodilatory Effect of Deep Inspiration Is Absent in Subjects With Mild COPD
2004
Study objectives To investigate whether the bronchodilatory effect of deep inspiration is impaired in subjects with COPD. Methods We measured deep inspiration-induced bronchodilation in 19 patients with COPD and 17 healthy subjects (mean age, 67.8 ± 7.1 years vs 62.5 ± 9.3 years, respectively [± SEM]). Each subject underwent a series of single-dose methacholine provocations to induce at least a 15% reduction in inspiratory vital capacity (IVC). When this was achieved, subjects were asked to perform four consecutive deep inspirations, after which the IVC measurement was repeated and the percentage of bronchodilation by deep inspiration was calculated. Results The percentage of reduction in I…