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Better Assessment (good + assessment)
Selected AbstractsIncreased Bone Resorption Is Associated With Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Men: The MINOS Study,,JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 12 2009Pawel Szulc Abstract Better assessment of the association between cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis in older men may help identify shared etiologies for bone and heart health in this population. We assessed the association of BMD and bone turnover markers (BTMs) with risk of cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction or stroke) in 744 men ,50 yr of age. During the 7.5-yr prospective follow-up, 43 strokes and 40 myocardial infarctions occurred in 79 men. After adjustment for confounders (age, weight, height, smoking, education, physical activity, self-reported history of diabetes, hypertension, and prevalent ischemic heart disease), men in the lowest quartile of BMD at the spine, whole body, and forearm had a 2-fold increased risk of cardiovascular events. Men in the highest quartile of bone resorption markers (deoxypyridinoline [DPD], C-telopeptide of type I collagen) had a 2-fold increased risk of cardiovascular events (e.g., multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio [including additional adjustment for BMD] was 2.11 [95% CI: 1.26,3.56], for the highest quartile of free DPD relative to the lowest three quartiles). The results were similar for men without prevalent ischemic heart disease and for myocardial infarction and stroke analyzed separately. Our data suggest that men with low BMD or high bone resorption may be at increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke in addition to fracture. Thus, men with osteoporosis may benefit from screening for cardiovascular disease. Further study to elucidate the biological mechanism shared by bone and vascular disease may help efforts to identify men at risk or develop treatment. [source] Live/Real Time Three-Dimensional Transthoracic Echocardiographic Assessment of Pericardial DiseaseECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Issue 10 2009Carlos Martinez Hernandez M.D. We studied 19 patients with pericardial disease using two-dimensional and three-dimensional transthorathic echocardiography (2DTTE and 3DTTE, respectively) in order to determine whether 3DTTE provides incremental value on top of 2DTTE in the evaluation of these patients. With 3DTTE a more comprehensive assessment of pericardial effusion can be made and both the parietal and visceral layers of the pericardium can be visualized en face and examined for pathologies and fibrin deposits. In our series of patients, 3DTTE was superior to 2DTTE in uncovering mass lesions involving the pericardium such as tuberculous granulomas and metastatic disease. Furthermore, it provided a better assessment of the nature of pericardial lesions, such as pericardial and mediastinal hematomas, pericardial cysts, and metastatic disease to the pericardium by sequential cropping of the 3D data sets and visualizing the interior of the lesions in a manner not possible with 2DTTE. It was also valuable in determining the extent of pericardial calcification in pericardial constriction and in measuring the size of pericardial masses. These preliminary results suggest the superiority of 3DTTE over 2DTTE in the evaluation of pericardial diseases and that it provides incremental knowledge to the echocardiographer. [source] Landscape issues in plant ecologyECOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2002Sylvie De Blois In the last decade, we have seen the emergence and consolidation of a conceptual framework that recognizes the landscape as an ecological unit of interest. Plant ecologists have long emphasized landscape-scale issues, but there has been no recent attempt to define how landscape concepts are now integrated in vegetation studies. To help define common research paradigms in both landscape and plant ecology, we discuss issues related to three main landscape concepts in vegetation researches, reviewing theoretical influences and emphasizing recent developments. We first focus on environmental relationships, documenting how vegetation patterns emerge from the influence of local abiotic conditions. The landscape is the physical environment. Disturbances are then considered, with a particular attention to human-driven processes that often overrule natural dynamics. The landscape is a dynamic space. As environmental and historical processes generate heterogeneous patterns, we finally move on to stress current evidence relating spatial structure and vegetation dynamics. This relates to the concept of a landscape as a patch-corridor-matrix mosaic. Future challenges involve: 1) the capacity to evaluate the relative importance of multiple controlling processes at broad spatial scale; 2) better assessment of the real importance of the spatial configuration of landscape elements for plant species and finally; 3) the integration of natural and cultural processes and the recognition of their interdependence in relation to vegetation management issues in human landscapes. [source] Sampling Hubbell's neutral theory of biodiversityECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 10 2004David Alonso Abstract In the context of neutral theories of community ecology, a novel genealogy-based framework has recently furnished an analytic extension of Ewens' sampling multivariate abundance distribution, which also applies to a random sample from a local community. Here, instead of taking a multivariate approach, we further develop the sampling theory of Hubbell's neutral spatially implicit theory and derive simple abundance distributions for a random sample both from a local community and a metacommunity. Our result is given in terms of the average number of species with a given abundance in any randomly extracted sample. Contrary to what has been widely assumed, a random sample from a metacommunity is not fully described by the Fisher log-series, but by a new distribution. This new sample distribution matches the log-series expectation at high biodiversity values (, > 1) but clearly departs from it for species-poor metacommunities (, < 1). Our theoretical framework should be helpful in the better assessment of diversity and testing of the neutral theory by using abundance data. [source] Conditioning Information and European Bond Fund PerformanceEUROPEAN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2003Florinda Silva G11; G12; G14 In this paper we evaluate the performance of European bond funds using unconditional and conditional models. As conditioning information we use variables that we find to be useful in predicting bond returns in the European market. The results show that, in general, bond funds are not able to outperform passive strategies. These findings are robust to whatever model (unconditional versus conditional and single versus multi-index) we use. The multi-index model seems to add some explanatory power in relation to the single-index model. Furthermore, when we incorporate the predetermined information variables, we can observe a slight tendency towards better performance. This evidence is consistent with previous studies on stock funds and comes in support of the argument that conditional models might allow for a better assessment of performance. However, our results suggest that the impact of additional risk factors seems to be greater than the impact of incorporating predetermined information variables. [source] Relevance of post-methionine homocysteine and lipoprotein (a) in evaluating the cardiovascular risk in young CAD patientsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 1 2005R. Marcucci Abstract Background, Aims of our study were to evaluate the prevalence of high lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] and homocysteine levels , both in the fasting state (FHcy) and post-methionine (PMHcy) , in young coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, and to investigate the role of genetic and environmental factors for hyperhomocysteinaemia. Materials and methods, We studied 140 patients with angiographically documented CAD (24 women , 55 years and 116 men , 50 years) and 140 healthy subjects as controls. Results, Both FHcy [13·2 (5·4,45·8) vs. 9·0 (5·1,24) µmol L,1); P < 0·0001] and PMHcy [(39·4 (9·0,66·4) vs. 25·2 (16·4,33·9); P < 0·0001] were significantly higher in patients than in controls. Lp(a) levels were significantly higher in patients than in controls (200 (3,1486) mg L,1 vs. 97 (10,412) mg L,1; P < 0·0001). At the multivariate analysis, adjusted for the classical cardiovascular risk factors and creatinine levels, the OR (95% CI) for CAD at young age significantly increased in the fourth quartile of the distribution of FHcy, PMHcy and Lp(a) levels [FHcy: 14·9 (4·1,58), P < 0·0001; PMHcy: 19·2 (4·0,86·3); P < 0·0001; Lp(a): 19·6 (4·7,78·6): < 0·0001]. Vitamin deficiencies were detected in 28/140 (20%) patients. The prevalence of the homozygous C677T (+/+) methylenetetrahydrofolatereductase genotype was higher, but not significantly different, in patients (22·8%) than in controls (18·6%). The allele frequency of the 844ins68 insertion variant in the cystathionine beta-synthase gene was 0·08 in the control group and 0·06 in the patient group. Conclusions, Results of the present study indicate the usefulness of including fasting and post-methionine Hcy, and Lp(a) determination in the diagnostic panels of young CAD patients, in order to obtain a better assessment of their cardiovascular risk profile. [source] Calcite and gypsum solubility products in water-saturated salt-affected soil samples at 25°C and at least up to 14 dS m,1EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2010F. Visconti Calcite and gypsum are salts of major ions characterized by poor solubility compared with other salts that may precipitate in soils. Knowledge of calcite and gypsum solubility products in water-saturated soil samples substantially contributes to a better assessment of processes involved in soil salinity. The new SALSOLCHEMIS code for chemical equilibrium assessment was parameterized with published analytical data for aqueous synthetic calcite and gypsum-saturated solutions. Once parameterized, SALSOLCHEMIS was applied to calculations of the ionic activity products of calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate in 133 water-saturated soil samples from an irrigated salt-affected agricultural area in a semi-arid Mediterranean climate. During parameterization, sufficiently constant values for the ionic activity products of calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate were obtained only when the following were used in SALSOLCHEMIS: (i) the equations of Sposito & Traina for the free ion activity coefficient calculation, (ii) the assumption of the non-existence of the Ca (HCO 3)+ and CaCO3o ion pairs and (iii) a paradigm of total ion activity coefficients. The value of 4.62 can be assumed to be a reliable gypsum solubility product (pKs) in simple aqueous and soil solutions, while a value of 8.43 can only be assumed as a reliable calcite solubility product (pKs) in simple aqueous solutions. The saturated pastes and saturation extracts were found to be calcite over-saturated, with the former significantly being less so (p IAP = 8.29) than the latter (p IAP = 8.22). The calcite over-saturation of saturated pastes increased with the soil organic matter content. Nevertheless, the inhibition of calcite precipitation is caused by the soluble organic matter from a dissolved organic carbon threshold value that lies between 7 and 12 mm. The hypothesis of thermodynamic equilibrium is more adequate for the saturated pastes than for the saturation extracts. [source] Beyond stratigraphic noise: Unraveling the evolution of stratified assemblages in faunalturbated sitesGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 6 2006Eugène Morin This study explores the stratigraphic evolution of archaeological assemblages in faunalturbated sites. These sites are sometimes described as having limited archaeological value because of varying degrees of occupation mixing. It is argued here that the vertical distribution of assemblages is predictable in faunalturbated contexts. Understanding this vertical evolution may lead to a better assessment of the archaeological potential of a cultural sequence. In faunalturbated soils, the stratigraphic evolution of the assemblages is largely dictated by faunal activity. Tunneling by small animals tend to "sink" cultural remains through the deposits. Although objects sink at a relatively fast pace near the surface, the process slows down as the objects reach the bottom of the biomantle where the sediments are more compact. This process affects the shape of the artifact vertical distribution. The analysis of a multicomponent site from southern Québec is used to model how assemblages may evolve temporally in faunalturbated settings. At Station 3-avant, the stratigraphic distribution of the cultural remains appears to evolve from an upward-skewed distribution to a bottom-skewed distribution through time. This evolution is interpreted to result from the fact that objects are often too large and/or heavy to be moved upward by the pedofauna. In situations in which this stage of stratigraphic evolution is not yet reached, enough information about temporal successions may be retained for the site to be useful for investigating diachronic change. This may prove invaluable in regions in which faunalturbated sequences are common. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Cost,benefit analysis involving addictive goods: contingent valuation to estimate willingness-to-pay for smoking cessationHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2009David L. Weimer Abstract The valuation of changes in consumption of addictive goods resulting from policy interventions presents a challenge for cost,benefit analysts. Consumer surplus losses from reduced consumption of addictive goods that are measured relative to market demand schedules overestimate the social cost of cessation interventions. This article seeks to show that consumer surplus losses measured using a non-addicted demand schedule provide a better assessment of social cost. Specifically, (1) it develops an addiction model that permits an estimate of the smoker's compensating variation for the elimination of addiction; (2) it employs a contingent valuation survey of current smokers to estimate their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a treatment that would eliminate addiction; (3) it uses the estimate of WTP from the survey to calculate the fraction of consumer surplus that should be viewed as consumer value; and (4) it provides an estimate of this fraction. The exercise suggests that, as a tentative first and rough rule-of-thumb, only about 75% of the loss of the conventionally measured consumer surplus should be counted as social cost for policies that reduce the consumption of cigarettes. Additional research to estimate this important rule-of-thumb is desirable to address the various caveats relevant to this study. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Present and future therapeutic strategies for idiopathic oligozoospermiaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANDROLOGY, Issue 6 2000Dimitrios A. Adamopoulos The effectiveness of medical treatment for idiopathic oligozoospermia (IO) has been at best doubtful until now and a logical consequence of this unsatisfactory situation has been the partial displacement of this approach by assisted reproduction techniques. This state of affairs has resulted from insufficient investigation, inappropriately designed clinical trials and consistent disregard for the principles of evidence-based medicine. Protocol-related shortcomings and wrong interpretation of the data available have also been some of the all too frequent problems encountered in this therapeutic approach. In this rather misty situation, it appears that, of the therapeutic agents used so far, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) (mainly FSH-secretagogues) may exert some beneficial effects on a number of biological endpoints related to spermatogenesis and sperm maturation. The short and medium term prospects of medical treatment for IO rest mainly with improvement of investigative procedures to a higher degree of sophistication, with emphasis placed on identifying the causes rather than the results of dysfunction so that a better selection of candidates can be made. Moreover, the introduction of prognostic indices for evaluation of the beneficial effects of a therapeutic agent may be of paramount importance. Finally, a better assessment of the preparations available and, possibly, the introduction of new more specific agents may also be an important step forward in this field. This type of large-scale effort should not be left to individual investigators or special centres working independently, but it may come under the auspices of a central regulating agency so that undisputed results from large, multicentre and uniform studies might be obtained, if medical treatment is to remain a good option. In this context, it may also be emphasized that andrology's main task should always be to treat the male with the problem rather than his healthy female partner, whenever this is possible. [source] The decommodified security ratio: A tool for assessing European social protection systemsINTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY REVIEW, Issue 4 2007Georges Menahem With a view to better assessment of the roles played by social security and social policy in determining well-being, this article introduces the "decommodified security ratio" (DSR), an instrument for evaluating an important duty of the social State, namely to maintain and improve people's economic security. To that end we describe the conventions for its use, analyse its main components in 20 European countries in 2002 and simulate the changes in it produced by ten variations in those components. From an analysis of the sensitivities of economic security we then demonstrate three different rationales. [source] Sonography of the shoulder after arthrography (arthrosonography): Preliminary resultsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL ULTRASOUND, Issue 1 2002Hak Soo Lee MD Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to verify whether arthrosonography improves diagnostic accuracy in diseases of the shoulder and provides additional information for therapeutic planning, compared with conventional sonography. Methods We prospectively studied 113 consecutive patients with chronic shoulder pain. Sonography was performed before and after arthrography, with the radiologist blinded to the results of arthrography. When a rotator cuff tear was detected sonographically, its type, location, and size were recorded; we also evaluated any changes in the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa and any abnormalities in the biceps tendon sheath. The diagnostic accuracy of conventional sonography and arthrosonography was compared with that of arthrography for rotator cuff tear. Changes in the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa and biceps tendon sheath seen on conventional sonography were also compared with those seen on arthrosonography. Results The sensitivity and specificity of conventional sonography in the diagnosis of rotator cuff tear were 86% (25/29) and 95% (80/84), respectively; for arthrosonography, the values were 97% (28/29) and 95% (80/84), respectively. The differences in sensitivity and specificity for the 2 sonographic techniques were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The accuracy in localizing the tear was also not significantly different between the 2 sonographic techniques. Synovial proliferation was more easily detected with arthrosonography than it was with conventional sonography in the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa (p < 0.01) and in the biceps tendon sheath (p < 0.0001). Conclusions Our preliminary results suggest that although arthrosonography was not superior to conventional sonography in the diagnosis of rotator cuff tears, it may provide a better assessment of the size of tears and additional information about synovial proliferation in the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa and the biceps tendon sheath. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 30:23,32, 2002. [source] Three-dimensional dynamic time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA using parallel imaging and a variable rate k -space sampling strategy in intracranial arteriovenous malformationsJOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 1 2009Mina Petkova MD Abstract Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness of three-dimensional (3D) dynamic time-resolved contrast-enhanced MRA (TR-CE-MRA) using a combination of a parallel imaging technique (ASSET: array spatial sensitivity encoding technique) and a time-resolved method (TRICKS: time-resolved imaging of contrast kinetics) and to compare it with 3D dynamic TR-CE-MRA using ASSET alone in the assessment of intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Materials and Methods Twenty consecutive patients with angiographically confirmed AVMs were investigated using both 3D dynamic TR-CE-MRA techniques. Examinations were compared with respect to image quality, spatial resolution, number and type of feeders and drainers, nidus size, presence of early venous filling and temporal resolution. Digital subtraction angiography was used as standard of reference. Results The higher temporal and spatial resolution of 3D dynamic TR-CE-MRA TRICKS ASSET allowed a better assessment of intracranial vascular malformations, namely better depiction of feeders, drainers and better detection of early venous drainage. There was no significant difference between them in terms of nidus size. Conclusion 3D dynamic TR-CE-MRA combining parallel imaging and a time-resolved method with subsecond and submillimeter resolution could become the first-line investigation technique in both diagnosis and follow-up of intracranial AVMs. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;29:7,12. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Pulmonary arterial hypertension in childrenPEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Erika Berman Rosenzweig MD Abstract Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a serious progressive condition with a poor prognosis if not identified and treated early. Because the symptoms are nonspecific and the physical findings can be subtle, the disease is often diagnosed in its later stages. Remarkable progress has been made in the field of pulmonary arterial hypertension over the past several decades. The pathology is now better defined, and significant advances have occurred in understanding the pathobiologic mechanisms. Risk factors have been identified, and the genetics have been characterized. Advances in technology allow earlier diagnosis as well as better assessment of disease severity. Therapeutic modalities such as new drugs, e.g., epoprostenol, treprostinil, and bosentan, and surgical/interventional options, e.g., transplantation and atrial septostomy, which were unavailable several decades ago, have had a significant impact on prognosis and outcome. Thus, despite our inability to cure pulmonary arterial hypertension, advances in medical treatments over the past two decades have resulted in significant improvement in outcomes for children with various forms of pulmonary arterial hypertension. This report is a review the current state of the art for pulmonary arterial hypertension in 2004, with an emphasis on childhood pulmonary arterial hypertension and specific recommendations for current practice and future directions. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2004; 38:2,22. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Occupational risk in health care and research,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2003Daniela Vecchio MS Abstract Background Working in the health care and research sectors has been linked to various hazards. Methods Studies published in the peer-reviewed literature that are pertinent to the exposures or diseases relevant to these fields were reviewed. Results The most important exposures include infectious agents, formaldehyde, anesthetic agents, antineoplastic drugs, and ethylene oxide. The best-documented evidence is that of infectious risk primarily among clinical personnel. Monitoring studies of persons occupationally exposed to anesthetics clearly demonstrate behavioral effects, possible risk of reproductive problems, as well as cytogenetic effects of unknown significance. The latter two impairments are also observed among those exposed to antineoplastic drugs and ethylene oxide. Exposure to formaldehyde appears to be associated with nasopharyngeal tumors. Whereas increased risk of cancer of certain sites, particularly the brain and lymphohematopoietic system, is found among research and health care personnel, no specific exposure has been linked to these neoplasms. Conclusions Although some results are inconsistent, continued environmental and biological monitoring will allow better assessment of exposures and of implemented protection measures. Am. J. Ind. Med. 43:369,397, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Assessment of the ecological status of north-eastern Adriatic coastal waters (Istria, Croatia) using macroalgal assemblages for the European Union Water Framework DirectiveAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 1 2009Ljiljana Ive Abstract 1.Based on the inclusion of macroalgae in the European Union Water Framework Directive as quality elements for the evaluation of the ecological status of coastal waters, the suitability of one (Ecological Evaluation Index, EEI) of several previously proposed evaluation methods in the particular ecological conditions of the northern Adriatic Sea was tested. 2.The EEI was assessed for 10 locations (polluted and putatively pristine) scattered along 60,km of the western Istrian coast. The sampling was performed seasonally at 1 and 3,m depth by destructive (determination of species cover and biomass) and non-destructive (determination of species coverage using digital photography) methods. 3.When assessed at 1,m depth the spatial scale weighted EEI for the west Istrian coast was 8.1, corresponding to an ecological status class (ESC) value of high. However, data for 3,m depth gave a spatial EEI of 6.72 which corresponds to an ESC value of good. Regressions of the ratio of ecological state group I (ESG I, i.e. thick leathery, calcareous and crustose species) over total algal abundance with the pollution gradient (obtained using principal components analysis (PCA) ordination of environmental variables) were significant at 3,m but not at 1,m depth. This was due to the high abundance of ESG I macroalgae Corallina elongata and Cystoseira compressa at 1,m depth at polluted stations. Similar regressions were obtained using cover, biomass and coverage. 4.It is concluded that the EEI method may be suitable for the classification of coastal waters in the northern Adriatic only in certain cases. A better assessment of ecological status using this method would require more realistic estimations based on the inclusion of data from several sampling depths. As all three abundance measures (cover, biomass, coverage) gave similar results, coverage (using digital photography) is suggested as being a preferred measure owing to the rapidity of sampling at several depths and less time-consuming laboratory work. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Die Novelle der Energieeinsparverordnung EnEV 2007 , Chancen für die bessere Bewertung von Nichtwohngebäuden und Einführung von EnergieausweisenBAUPHYSIK, Issue 6 2006Hans-Dieter Hegner Baudirektor Dipl.-Ing. Die EG-Richtlinie 2002/91/EG über die Gesamtenergieeffizienz von Gebäuden war bis zum Januar 2006 in nationales Recht umzusetzen [1]. Dazu will die Bundesregierung das Energieeinsparrecht (Energieeinspargesetz, Energieeinsparverordnung) umfassend novellieren. Der folgende Beitrag stellt den Stand der Überlegungen, insbesondere zu den technischen Möglichkeiten der Bewertung von Nichtwohngebäuden, dar. Das Zweite Gesetz zur Änderung des Energieeinspargesetzes [7] ist am 08. 09. 2005 in Kraft getreten. Der Referentenentwurf zu einer neuen weiterentwickelten Energieeinsparverordnung (EnEV 2007) wurde am 16. 11. 2006 durch die Bundesregierung vorgelegt [2]. Ein Inkrafttreten dieser Verordnung ist wegen der Befassung von Bundeskabinett und Bundesrat voraussichtlich erst Mitte 2007 zu erwarten. Der folgende Beitrag gibt eine Übersicht zu den vorgesehenen neuen Anforderungen beim energiesparenden Bauen. Amendment of the German Building Energy Conservation Ordinance (Energieeinsparverordnung , EnEV 2007) Opportunities for better assessment of non-domestic buildings and introduction of Energy Passports. EU member states were required to implement the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2002/91/EC) in their respective national law by January 2006 [1]. In this context the German Government proposed comprehensive amendments of the existing energy saving legislation (,Energieeinspargesetz' or Energy Conservation Law, ,Energieeinsparverordnung' or Building Energy Conservation Ordinance). This article describes the current status of the considerations, in particular with regard to technical assessment options for non-domestic buildings. The second amendment to the German Energy Conservation Law [7] came into force on 8 September 2005. The draft amendment of the Building Energy Conservation Ordinance (EnEV 2007) was presented by the German Government on 16 November 2006 [2]. However, due to the time required for consideration by the Federal Cabinet and the upper house of the German parliament it is not expected to come into force before mid 2007. This article provides an overview of the proposed new requirements for energy saving in buildings. [source] DNA Microarrays: Experimental Issues, Data Analysis, and Application to Bacterial SystemsBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 5 2004Yandi Dharmadi DNA microarrays are currently used to study the transcriptional response of many organisms to genetic and environmental perturbations. Although there is much room for improvement of this technology, its potential has been clearly demonstrated in the past 5 years. The general consensus is that the bottleneck is now located in the processing and analysis of transcriptome data and its use for purposes other than the quantification of changes in gene expression levels. In this article we discuss technological aspects of DNA microarrays, statistical and biological issues pertinent to the design of microarray experiments, and statistical tools for microarray data analysis. A review on applications of DNA microarrays in the study of bacterial systems is presented. Special attention is given to studies in the following areas: (1) bacterial response to environmental changes; (2) gene identification, genome organization, and transcriptional regulation; and (3) genetic and metabolic engineering. Soon, the use of DNA microarray technologies in conjunction with other genome/system-wide analyses (e.g., proteomics, metabolomics, fluxomics, phenomics, etc.) will provide a better assessment of genotype-phenotype relationships in bacteria, which serve as a basis for understanding similar processes in more complex organisms. [source] Iverya averyi gen. nov. and sp. nov., a New Triadotypomorphan Species from the Middle Triassic at Picton, New South Wales, AustraliaACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 4 2010Olivier BÉTHOUX Abstract: A new specimen assigned to the species Iverya averyi gen. nov. and sp. nov. is described. This species is considered as a triadotypomorphan insect, a poorly known group of Triassic stem-odonatans. Like other triadotypomorphans, this species exhibits an area between MA and MP that is comparatively broad, and a cubitoanal area involving an AA stem distinct from CuA + CuP + AA emitting several posterior branches. Diagnostic character states of the new species are listed. Although incomplete, the specimen provides new information on the wing morphology of triadotypomorphans. This discovery might contribute to better assessment of the phylogenetic position of triadotypomorphan species with respect to other stem-odonatans. [source] Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 change during chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic adenocarcinomaCANCER, Issue 12 2009Michele Reni MD Abstract BACKGROUND: Radiologic assessment of tumor response in pancreatic cancer is complicated by desmoplastic reactions within or around the tumor. The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between a decline in carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) and survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who received upfront chemotherapy. METHODS: CA 19-9 serum basal values were measured in 247 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who were enrolled in 5 consecutive trials between 1997 and 2007. Survival curves were compared among patients who had a predefined CA 19-9 nadir variation (<50%. Group 1; 50% to 89%, Group 2; or >89%, Group 3). To eliminate guarantee-time bias, survival analysis was repeated using the landmark method. RESULTS: In both univariate and multivariate analysis, the basal CA 19-9 value significantly predicted survival. The median survival was 15.5 months for 34 patients who had normal basal CA 19-9 values, 11.9 months for 108 patients who had basal values between 38 U/mL and 1167 U/mL, and 8 months for 105 patients who had basal values >1167 U/mL. At least 1 CA 19-9 follow-up value was available for 204 patients who had baseline values greater than normal. A significant difference in overall survival was observed in univariate and multivariate analyses between Groups 1 and 2, between Groups 1 and 3, and between Groups 2 and 3. The results were confirmed using the landmark method. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, baseline CA 19-9 was confirmed as an independent prognostic factor for survival, and it may be considered as a stratification factor in trials in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Biochemical response may be used as a complementary measure to radiologic response to provide a better assessment of chemotherapy activity and to drive treatment decisions in clinical practice. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society. [source] Epidemiology and stratification of risk for sudden cardiac deathCLINICAL CARDIOLOGY, Issue S1 2005Philip J. Podrid M.D. Abstract Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major cause of mortality in the United States. Approximately 65% of cases of SCD occur in patients with underlying acute or chronic ischemic heart disease. The incidence of SCD increases 2- to 4-fold in the presence of coronary disease and 6- to 10-fold in the presence of structural heart disease. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) precipitated by ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a common mechanism of cardiac arrest leading to SCD. Triggers for SCD include electrolyte disturbances, heart failure, and transient ischemia. Although a large percentage of patients with out-of-hospital SCD do not survive, successful resuscitation to hospitalization has improved in recent years. One of the challenges for preventing SCD lies in identifying individuals at highest risk for SCD within a lower-risk population. The progression from conventional risk factors of coronary artery disease to arrhythmogenesis and SCD can be represented as a cascade of changes associated with levels of increasing risk. At the first level is atherogenesis, followed by changes in atherosclerotic plaque anatomy, which may be mediated by inflammatory processes. Disruption of active plaque formed during a transitional state initiates the thrombotic cascade and acute occlusion, after which acute changes in myocardial electrophysiology become the immediate trigger for arrhythmogenesis and SCD. Each level of the cascade offers different opportunities for risk prediction. Among the classes of risk predictors are clinical markers, such as ECG measures and ejection fraction. Transient risk markers, such as inflammatory markers, are potentially useful for identifying triggers for SCD. In the future, genetic profiling is expected to allow better assessment of individual risks for SCD. [source] Effect of PCR amplicon size on assessments of clone library microbial diversity and community structureENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Julie A. Huber Summary PCR-based surveys of microbial communities commonly use regions of the small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene to determine taxonomic membership and estimate total diversity. Here we show that the length of the target amplicon has a significant effect on assessments of microbial richness and community membership. Using operational taxonomic unit (OTU)- and taxonomy-based tools, we compared the V6 hypervariable region of the bacterial SSU rRNA gene of three amplicon libraries of c. 100, 400 and 1000 base pairs (bp) from each of two hydrothermal vent fluid samples. We found that the smallest amplicon libraries contained more unique sequences, higher diversity estimates and a different community structure than the other two libraries from each sample. We hypothesize that a combination of polymerase dissociation, cloning bias and mispriming due to secondary structure accounts for the differences. While this relationship is not linear, it is clear that the smallest amplicon libraries contained more different types of sequences, and accordingly, more diverse members of the community. Because divergent and lower abundant taxa can be more readily detected with smaller amplicons, they may provide better assessments of total community diversity and taxonomic membership than longer amplicons in molecular studies of microbial communities. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||