Search results for "techniques"
showing 10 items of 4426 documents
Accuracy of the water-siphon test associated to barium study in a high prevalence gastro-oesophageal reflux disease population: a novel statistical a…
2010
Abstract RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is 'a condition which develops when the reflux of gastric content causes troublesome symptoms or complications'. Instrumental diagnostic tests generally used for GORD are 24-hour pH-metry and upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy but barium study associated with provocative manoeuvres such as the water-siphon test (WST), has also been used for GORD. The aim of this paper was to estimate the accuracy of several tests in patients with GORD in a tertiary care setting, focusing on WST, which is rapid and non-invasive, simple to perform and well-tolerated by patients. METHOD: A total of 172 consecutive patients, sy…
Control of target cell survival in thyroid autoimmunity by T helper cytokines via regulation of apoptotic proteins
2000
After autoimmune inflammation, interactions between CD95 and its ligand (CD95L) mediate thyrocyte destruction in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). Conversely, thyroid autoimmune processes that lead to Graves' disease (GD) result in autoantibody-mediated thyrotropin receptor stimulation without thyrocyte depletion. We found that GD thyrocytes expressed CD95 and CD95L in a similar manner to HT thyrocytes, but did not undergo CD95-induced apoptosis either in vivo or in vitro. This pattern was due to the differential production of TH1 and TH2 cytokines. Interferon gamma promoted caspase up-regulation and CD95-induced apoptosis in HT thyrocytes, whereas interleukin 4 and interleukin 10 protected GD …
Monocular versus binocular pupillometry.
2004
Purpose To quantify differences between monocular and binocular pupil size measurement under scotopic and mesopic conditions. Setting Department of Ophthalmology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, and Department of Medical Biometry, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany. Methods Computerized dynamic pupillometry (P2000 SA, Procyon Instruments Ltd.) was used at 3 illumination levels: scotopic at 0.03 lux, mesopic low at 0.82 lux, and mesopic high at 6.4 lux. One hundred forty eyes of 70 healthy volunteers without ocular pathology were examined. The subjects were divided into 2 groups. In the first group, the pupil diameter was measured binocularly first. In the secon…
Ventricular Tachycardia and Early Fibrillation in Patients With Brugada Syndrome and Ischemic Cardiomyopathy Show Predictable Frequency-Phase Propert…
2015
[EN] Background¿ Ventricular fibrillation (VF) has been proposed to be maintained by localized high-frequency sources. We tested whether spectral-phase analysis of the precordial ECG enabled identification of periodic activation patterns generated by such sources. Methods and Results¿Precordial ECGs were recorded from 15 ischemic cardiomyopathy and 15 Brugada syndrome (type 1 ECG) patients during induced VF and analyzed in the frequency-phase domain. Despite temporal variability, induced VF episodes lasting 19.6±7.9 s displayed distinctly high power at a common frequency (shared frequency, 5.7±1.1 Hz) in all leads about half of the time. In patients with Brugada syndrome, phase analysis of …
Comparison of concomitant outcome achieved with fresh and cryopreserved donor oocytes vitrified by the Cryotop method
2008
Objective To evaluate the outcome of oocyte vitrification using the Cryotop method, observed in an egg donation program by simultaneously evaluating embryos derived from vitrified and fresh oocytes coming from the same stimulated cycle. Design Cohort prospective randomized study. Setting Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad (IVI) Valencia, Spain. Patient(s) Thirty oocyte donors and 30 recipients with informed consents. Intervention(s) Vitrification by the Cryotop method. Warming 1 hour after vitrification. Microinjection of surviving MII and fresh oocytes, evaluation of fertilization, embryo development, and clinical results. Main Outcome Measure(s) Survival, fertilization, and cleavage rat…
Clinical validation of embryo culture and selection by morphokinetic analysis: a randomized, controlled trial of the EmbryoScope.
2014
Objective To determine whether incubation in the integrated EmbryoScope time-lapse monitoring system (TMS) and selection supported by the use of a multivariable morphokinetic model improve reproductive outcomes in comparison with incubation in a standard incubator (SI) embryo culture and selection based exclusively on morphology. Design Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, controlled study. Setting University-affiliated private in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic. Patient(s) Eight hundred forty-three infertile couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Intervention(s) No patient intervention; embryos cultured in SI with development evaluated only by morphology (control …
Reactivity of isolated human chorionic vessels: analysis of some influencing variables
2003
The aim of the study was to determine whether 24 h of cold storage of samples, mode of delivery, and gestational age influenced in vitro human chorionic vascular reactivity (35 arteries and 34 veins). The following groups were compared: (i) fresh versus 24-h cold-stored (4 °C in Krebs–Henseleit solution) chorionic vascular rings from normal term placentas, (ii) fresh chorionic vascular rings from normal term placentas obtained after vaginal delivery versus those obtained after elective caesarean section, and (iii) fresh chorionic vascular rings from normal term placentas versus those obtained from preterm deliveries. Isometric recording of the concentration–response curve to KCl (5–120 mM)…
Temporal Trend in the Frequency of Ectopic Pregnancies in Lombardy, Italy
2012
<b><i>Background:</i></b> In recent years, epidemiological data showed that the incidence of ectopic pregnancies (EP) is decreasing, but few data are available on the time trend in Southern European populations. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Using data from the Lombardy Region Database, we calculated and standardized the EP rates/10,000 resident women and the ratios/1,000 pregnancies. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Data regarding 1,777,011 pregnancies and 17,028 cases of EP were recorded among women resident in Lombardy between 1996 and 2010, aged 15-50 years old. The age-adjusted EP rates increased from 4.4 in 1996 to 5.8 in 2010. Th…
Impact of preimplantation genetic diagnosis on IVF outcome in implantation failure patients
2003
Implantation failure (IF) is defined as three or more failed IVF attempts, and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is being used in these patients to improve IVF outcome. PGD was performed in 49 implantation failure patients with a mean number of 4.2 +/- 1.6 previous IVF failures, and in nine fertile controls. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) on blastomeres from biopsied day 3 embryos was performed for chromosomes 13, 16, 18, 21, 22, X and Y. There was a significantly higher rate of chromosomal abnormalities (67.4%) compared with controls (36.3%). In 57 cycles, a pregnancy rate of 34.0% and an implantation rate of 19.8% was observed in implantation failure patients compared wit…
Characterisation of indeterminate focal breast lesions on grey-scale ultrasound: role of ultrasound elastography.
2011
PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to evaluate the role of ultrasound (US) elastography in characterising focal breast lesions classified as indeterminate on B-mode US. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-four focal breast lesions, 64 benign and 20 malignant (mean diameter, 15.1 mm), detected but not characterised on B-mode US in 72 women, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) US category 3 (n=56) or category 4 (n=28), were studied with US elastography and classified in consensus by two radiologists according to a five-point colour scale. Sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) of US elastography compared with conventional US were calculated…