Search results for "case-control"
showing 10 items of 1685 documents
Abdominal pain and internal hernias after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: are we dealing with the tip of an iceberg?
2019
Background: Abdominal pain is the most frequent cause of hospital admission after Roux-en-y gastric bypass (RYGB). Among numerous possible underlying causes, internal hernias represent one of the most peculiar and insidious conditions, setting challenging diagnostic and therapeutic problems for the surgeon. The aim of this study is to analyze aspecific abdominal pain incidence and characteristics after RYGB, discriminating peculiar aspects suggestive of internal hernias. Methods: 13 patients submitted to internal hernia repair after laparoscopic antecolic RYGB and a group of 49 controls (non-complicated RYGB) have been assessed using a specific questionnaire. Overall aspecific abdominal pai…
Relationship between elastase and total antioxidant status in young subjects with recent myocardial infarction
2008
In a group of young subjects with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (68 men and 7 women; mean age 39.6 ± 5.7 years) we examined the plasma concentration of elastase, the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and the total antioxidant status (TAS) at the initial stage of AMI. In this group we found an increase of elastase (p <0.001) and TBARS (p < 0.001) and a decrease of TAS (p < 0.001). A statistical correlation was observed in the whole group of AMI patients between plasma elastase and TAS (p < 0.01) and this correlation was more statistically significant in patients with more risk factors and not in those with more involved vessels.
Vitiligo susceptibility and catalase gene (CAT) polymorphisms in sicilian population
2018
BACKGROUND Catalase gene (CAT) polymorphisms were analyzed as responsible for the deficiency of catalase enzyme activity and concomitant accumulation of excessive hydrogen peroxide in vitiligo patients. Catalase is a well-known oxidative stress regulator that could play an important role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. This study was conducted to evaluate three CAT gene polymorphisms (-89A/T, 389C/T, 419C/T) and their association with vitiligo susceptibility in Sicilian population. METHODS Sixty out of 73 Sicilian patients with vitiligo were enrolled and submitted to CAT gene analysis. RESULTS Contrary to the Northern part of Europe but likewise to the Mediterranean area, the frequency of …
Diagnosis and Classification of 17 Diseases from 1404 Subjects via Pattern Analysis of Exhaled Molecules.
2016
We report on an artificially intelligent nanoarray based on molecularly modified gold nanoparticles and a random network of single-walled carbon nanotubes for noninvasive diagnosis and classification of a number of diseases from exhaled breath. The performance of this artificially intelligent nanoarray was clinically assessed on breath samples collected from 1404 subjects having one of 17 different disease conditions included in the study or having no evidence of any disease (healthy controls). Blind experiments showed that 86% accuracy could be achieved with the artificially intelligent nanoarray, allowing both detection and discrimination between the different disease conditions examined.…
Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection in pregnant and nonpregnant women in Spain (2009-2010)
2014
The present study aimed to compare the main features of infection with pandemic influenza A virus in pregnant and nonpregnant women admitted to hospitals in Spain during the first waves of the 2009-2010 influenza pandemic. This was a prospective (November 2009 to June 2010), multicenter observational study. All cases were women of reproductive age who had not been vaccinated against seasonal or pandemic influenza A. Influenza infection was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The sociodemographic and clinical data of all cases were reviewed. A total of 219 inpatients, including 49 pregnant women and 170 nonpregnant women, were enrolled in the study upon adm…
Human papillomavirus antibody responses among patients with incident cervical carcinoma
1997
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is recognized as a major cause of cervical cancer precursor lesions. HPV serology is a key method in the continuing elucidation of the importance of HPV exposure for cancer development and in predicting HPV-associated diseases. To extend previous HPV serological studies on cervical cancer, serum samples from a consecutive series of 216 women with incident untreated cervical carcinoma and 243 age- and sex-matched healthy blood donors were evaluated for the presence of antibodies against HPV capsids, a marker of past or present HPV exposure, as well as against several cervical cancer-associated defined HPV epitopes. Among the capsid antibody responses, HPV type …
BRCA1 promoter methylation in peripheral blood is associated with the risk of triple‐negative breast cancer
2019
Methylation of the promoter of the BRCA1 gene in DNA derived from peripheral blood cells is a possible risk factor for breast cancer. It is not clear if this association is restricted to certain types of breast cancer or is a general phenomenon. We evaluated BRCA1 methylation status in peripheral blood cells from 942 breast cancer patients and from 500 controls. We also assessed methylation status in 262 paraffin‐embedded breast cancer tissues. Methylation status was assessed using methylation‐sensitive high‐resolution melting and was categorized as positive or negative. BRCA1 methylation in peripheral blood cells was strongly associated with the risk of triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC)…
Antibody microarray analysis of the serum proteome in primary breast cancer patients
2011
Noninvasive biomarkers are urgently needed for detecting breast cancer as early as possible since the risk of recurrence, morbidity, and mortality is closely related to disease stage at the time of primary surgery. There are currently no such biomarkers in clinical use as a diagnostic tool. Proteomic analysis of protein expression patterns in body fluids has potential for use in identifying biomarkers of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to compare protein expression levels in the sera of primary breast cancer patients and healthy controls. An antibody microarray tool with 23 antibodies immobilized on nitrocellulose slides was used to determine the levels of acute phase proteins, int…
Telomere length in leukocytes and cervical smears of women with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR HPV) infection
2019
Objective: Persistent high-risk HPV (HR HPV) infection leads to the development of squamous intraepithelial lesions, which in turn may progress to cervical cancer. Telomere elongation or shortening may indicate a carcinogenesis process. In the present study, we analyzed telomere length from blood and cervical smears of women without and with high-risk HPV infection. Materials and methods: Telomere length was quantified by real-time PCR in blood and cervical smears from 48 women with high-risk HPV infection and HGSIL or LGSIL, 29 women HR-HPV positive without SIL, and 11 HPV-negative women. Results: No correlation was found between age and telomere length in blood and cervical smears. Women …
Autoantibodies in breast cancer: their use as an aid to early diagnosis
2007
There is increasing evidence that the immune system produces a humoral response to cancer-derived antigens. This study assessed the diagnostic potential of autoantibodies to multiple known tumour-associated proteins.Sera from normal controls (n = 94), primary breast cancer patients (n = 97) and patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) (n = 40) were investigated for the presence of autoantibodies to p53, c-myc, HER2, NY-ESO-1, BRCA1, BRCA2 and MUC1 antigens by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Reproducibly elevated levels of autoantibodies were seen in at least one of the six antigens in 64% of primary breast cancer patient sera and 45% of patients with DCIS at a specificity of 85%. No …