Search results for "specificity"
showing 10 items of 2234 documents
Positron Emission Tomography for Staging Esophageal Cancer: Does It Lead to a Different Therapeutic Approach?
2003
Accurate preoperative staging is essential for the indication and selection of the appropriate surgical procedure in patients with esophageal cancer. The present prospective study was designed to determine if the preoperative use of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) increases the accuracy of staging esophageal cancer compared with computed tomography (CT) and if it thereby leads to a different therapeutic approach. A total of 58 patients, 46 men and 12 women (mean age 61 years), with histologic proof of esophageal carcinoma underwent FDG-PET of the neck, chest, and abdomen, as well as CT of the chest and abdomen, to determine tumor stage. FDG-PET and CT data we…
A risk score system for identification of patients with upper-GI bleeding suitable for outpatient management.
2004
Abstract Background The aim of this study was to develop a risk score system for identification of patients with upper-GI hemorrhage who are suitable for outpatient management. Methods From a prospective cohort of 983 consecutive patients with upper-GI hemorrhage not associated with portal hypertension, 581 cases that did not meet pre-established criteria for admission were selected, and a logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with two adverse outcomes: recurrent bleeding and/or the need for emergency surgery. The risk score system was developed by using the beta coefficients of the logistic model, and its performance was evaluated. The results of this mo…
Difference between Guinea Pig and Rat in the Liver Peroxisomal Response to Equivalent Plasmatic Level of Ciprofibrate
1996
Abstract Guinea pig was previously classified as a species nonresponsive to peroxisome proliferators. However, none of the previous reports was based on pharmacokinetic data. Here, after a comparative pharmacokinetic study between guinea pig and rat, we evaluate the guinea pig liver peroxisomal response to ciprofibrate, a hypolipemic agent and a potent peroxisome proliferator in rat. (1) Pharmacokinetic results show that plasmatic concentrations of ciprofibrate are equivalent in guinea pig and rat when guinea pigs are treated with ciprofibrate at 30 mg/kg twice a day and rats are treated at 3 mg/kg once a day. (2) The treatment of guinea pigs at 30 mg/kg twice a day for 2 weeks leads to a s…
Studies on the disposition, metabolism and hepatotoxicity of coumarin in the rat and Syrian hamster.
2002
The hepatotoxicity, metabolism and disposition of coumarin has been compared in male Sprague-Dawley rats and Syrian hamsters. The treatment of rats for 12, 24 and 42 weeks with diets containing 0.2 and 0.5% coumarin resulted in hepatotoxicity and increased relative liver weights. While levels of cytochrome P450 (CYP) and CYP-dependent enzymes were decreased, levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and activities of UDP glucuronosyltransferase, gamma-glutamyltransferase and GSH S-transferase were increased. In contrast, coumarin produced few hepatic changes in the Syrian hamster. Following a single oral dose of 25 mg/kg [3-14C]coumarin, radioactivity was rapidly excreted by the rat and Syrian ha…
Myocardial Mass Corrected CMR Feature Tracking-Based Strain Ratios are Different in Pathologies With Increased Myocardial Mass
2020
Acute myocarditis (AM) and hypertensive heart disease (HHD) have different pathophysiological backgrounds, thus potentially showing distinct patterns of altered myocardial deformation. Therefore, CMR left ventricular (LV) feature tracking (FT)- based strain parameters were indexed to myocardial mass index (LVMi) in order to evaluate potential additional value in the differentiation among AM, HHD, and healthy volunteers (HV) compared to non-indexed conventional strain.Patients with AM (n = 43) and HHD (n = 28) underwent CMR at 3T. 61 HV served as controls. Cine imaging-based FT-strain analysis was performed and natural strain (nStrain) values were evaluated for gender and age specific differ…
The distinct gene expression of the pro-hormone convertases in the rat heart suggests potential substrates
1995
The present study examined the distribution of the pro-hormone convertases PC1, PC2, furin, PACE4 and PC5 in the rat heart. Northern blot analysis of RNA extracted from cardiac tissues showed high levels of furin and PACE4 mRNA in the atria and ventricles, while PC5 mRNA was found to be expressed at high levels in the dorsal aorta. Although undetectable by Northern blot analysis, both PC1 and PC2 mRNA were detected by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in discrete regions of the intracardiac para-aortic ganglia. In situ hybridization studies also showed that furin mRNA was observed in all cardiac tissues and cells, consistent with the previously reported ubiquitous expression of…
Glutathione Peroxidase-1 Activity, Atherosclerotic Burden, and Cardiovascular Prognosis
2007
Recent findings suggest that erythrocyte intracellular glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPX-1) activity is related inversely to future cardiovascular events. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association of GPX-1 activity to extent of atherosclerosis, as well as its long-term prognosis in context with atherosclerotic burden. In a prospective study, we included 508 patients before coronary angiography. Atherosclerosis of carotid and leg arteries was documented using sonographic methods. Blood samples were drawn after an overnight fasting period, and GPX-1 activity was determined in washed erythrocytes. GPX-1 activity tended to decrease with increasing numbers of atherosclerotic vascular beds…
Structural dissimilarities in different regions of the pineal gland of Pirbright white guinea-pigs.
1982
In the present study, the proximal, intermediate and distal parts of dumbbell-shaped pineal glands of Pirbright White guinea-pigs were investigated with respect to structural dissimilarities. The most conspicuous difference was that while in the proximal part the pinealocytes were arranged in a random fashion, the intermediate and distal regions, except a small ventral area in the latter, exhibited a prominent follicular arrangement of the pinealocytes. Concretions were restricted to the subcapsular region of the intermediate part, whereas cells with hyperchromatic nuclei increased in number in an anterior-posterior direction. In males, pinealocyte nuclear size did not differ significantly …
Effect of observer experience in the differentiation between benign and malignant liver tumors after ultrasound contrast agent injection.
2009
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the observer level of experience on the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging (CEUS) for differentiation between benign and malignant liver tumors. METHODS: From a computerized search, we retrospectively identified 286 biopsy-proven liver tumors (105 hepatocellular carcinomas, 48 metastases, 7 intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinomas, 33 liver hemangiomas, and 93 nonhemangiomatous benign lesions) in 235 patients (140 male and 95 female; mean age +/- SD, 56 +/- 11 years) who underwent CEUS after sulfur hexafluoride-filled microbubble injection. The digital cine clips recorded during the arterial (10-35 seconds…