Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Show Promise (show + promise)
Selected AbstractsO-13 ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMA DETECTED WITH SUREPATH LIQUID BASED CERVICAL CYTOLOGY: COMPARISON WITH CONVENTIONAL CERVICAL CYTOLOGYCYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 2006C. J. Patel Introduction:, Conventional Pap Smear (CPS) has had little impact on the detection of endometrial carcinoma (MC). Although Liquid Based Cytology (LBC) is replacing CPS in the UK, experience with identification of endometrial cancers with this is limited. A few studies of ThinPrep LBC show promise with reported increased detection rate, but to date, there has been no reported study of detection with SurePath LBC. Aim:, The purpose of this 2-year retrospective study was to compare the accuracy of the SurePath LBC with that of conventional smear in detecting endometrial cancers. Methods:, Our study group consisted of all SurePath cases of endometrial atypia/carcinoma diagnosed between 1st Jan 2004 and 31st Dec 2005, following 100% conversion of our laboratory to the SurePath system in 2001. Conventional smears reported over a 6-year period (1993,1998), comprised the control group. Histological follow up was obtained. Results:, Endometrial lesions were reported in 95 (0.07%) of 130352 SurePath LBC smears. These included 70 (0.053%) reports of endometrial atypia, 05 (0.003%) suspicious and 20 (0.015%) diagnostic of endometrial carcinoma. A total of 58 (0.014%) cases of 409495 CPS were diagnosed as endometrial carcinoma. Adequate histological follow up was available in 47 (49.5%) SurePath LBC and 52 (89.6%) conventional cases. In these, the positive predictive value (PPV) for endometrial carcinoma of SurePath LBC was 73.3% compared to 55.4% of CPS. The PPV for endometrial carcinoma of the atypical and suspicious LBC categories was 14.3% and 40% respectively. No categorisation as atypical or suspicious in the conventional study was available for comparison. The sensitivity of the SurePath LBC, calculated from retrograde analysis of histologically diagnosed endometrial cancers during the same period was 40%. Conclusion:, The SurePath LBC is at least an as accurate and sensitive method for detecting endometrial cancer as CPS. [source] Brief screening questionnaires to identify problem drinking during pregnancy: a systematic reviewADDICTION, Issue 4 2010Ethel Burns ABSTRACT Aims Although prenatal screening for problem drinking during pregnancy has been recommended, guidance on screening instruments is lacking. We investigated the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of brief alcohol screening questionnaires to identify problem drinking in pregnant women. Methods Electronic databases from their inception to June 2008 were searched, as well as reference lists of eligible papers and related review papers. We sought cohort or cross-sectional studies that compared one or more brief alcohol screening questionnaire(s) with reference criteria obtained using structured interviews to detect ,at-risk' drinking, alcohol abuse or dependency in pregnant women receiving prenatal care. Results Five studies (6724 participants) were included. In total, seven instruments were evaluated: TWEAK (Tolerance, Worried, Eye-opener, Amnesia, Kut down), T-ACE [Take (number of drinks), Annoyed, Cut down, Eye-opener], CAGE (Cut down, Annoyed, Guilt, Eye-opener], NET (Normal drinker, Eye-opener, Tolerance), AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test), AUDIT-C (AUDIT-consumption) and SMAST (Short Michigan Alcohol Screening Test). Study quality was generally good, but lack of blinding was a common weakness. For risk drinking sensitivity was highest for T-ACE (69-88%), TWEAK (71,91%) and AUDIT-C (95%), with high specificity (71,89%, 73,83% and 85%, respectively). CAGE and SMAST performed poorly. Sensitivity of AUDIT-C at score ,3 was high for past year alcohol dependence (100%) or alcohol use disorder (96%) with moderate specificity (71% each). For life-time alcohol dependency the AUDIT at score ,8 performed poorly. Conclusion T-ACE, TWEAK and AUDIT-C show promise for screening for risk drinking, and AUDIT-C may also be useful for identifying alcohol dependency or abuse. However, their performance as stand-alone tools is uncertain, and further evaluation of questionnaires for prenatal alcohol use is warranted. [source] Gene therapy in epilepsyEPILEPSIA, Issue 1 2009Véronique Riban Summary Results from animal models suggest gene therapy is a promising new approach for the treatment of epilepsy. Several candidate genes such as neuropeptide Y and galanin have been demonstrated in preclinical studies to have a positive effect on seizure activity. For a successful gene therapy-based treatment, efficient delivery of a transgene to target neurons is also essential. To this end, advances have been made in the areas of cell transplantation and in the development of recombinant viral vectors for gene delivery. Recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vectors in particular show promise for gene therapy of neurological disorders due to their neuronal tropism, lack of toxicity, and stable persistence in neurons, which results in robust, long-term expression of the transgene. rAAV vectors have been recently used in phase I clinical trials of Parkinson's disease with an excellent safety profile. Prior to commencement of phase I trials for gene therapy of epilepsy, further preclinical studies are ongoing including evaluation of the therapeutic benefit in chronic models of epileptogenesis, as well as assessment of safety in toxicological studies. [source] Isolating the root cause of propagated oscillations in process plantsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADAPTIVE CONTROL AND SIGNAL PROCESSING, Issue 4 2005Xiaoyun Zang Abstract Oscillations are a common type of propagated disturbance, whose sources might be attributable to a number of different phenomena such as poor controller tuning or actuator nonlinearity. A number of data-driven methods have already been proposed to isolate the source loop of nonlinearity induced plant-wide oscillations. Amongst these the bi-amplitude ratio index, correlation dimension, maximal Lyapunov exponent, nonlinearity index and spectral ICA show promise. The propagation of oscillations is first examined in order to gain an understanding of how this might affect the performances of the various techniques. The various methods are then described and their performance on a set of simulation generated data and two industrial case studies are compared. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Systematic review of current executive function measures in adults with and without cognitive impairmentsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED HEALTHCARE, Issue 3 2010Sabrina Pickens PhDc MSN ANP-BC GNP-BC Abstract Background, Executive function pertains to higher cognitive processes historically linked to frontal lobes. Several measures are available to screen for executive function; however, no gold standard exists. The difficulty in assessing executive function is the existence of its many subsets. Objectives, To evaluate the psychometric properties of executive function measures and determine the most effective measure(s) through a systematic review of the literature. Search strategy, The search strategy utilised a comprehensive literature review of articles written in the English language published from January 2003 to September 2009. The following electronic databases were searched: SCOPUS, PUBMED, Medline Ovid, PsychArticles and CINAHL Plus. Initial key words used were ,executive function', ,measures', ,reliability' and ,validity' followed by the addition of ,traumatic brain injury'. The initial search elicited 226 articles, of which 28 were retrieved. After further exclusion 19 were included in the review. Results, Eight measures underwent factor analysis and 18 underwent various forms of reliability and/or validity testing. Factor analysis showed different aspects of executive functions. According to preset evaluation criteria, only the Test of Practical Judgment performed all of the recommended reliability and validity testing. Reviewer's conclusion, Of the recently developed measures, several show promise for future use yet further validity and reliability testing is warranted. Future tool development should measure all subsets of executive function rather than only a few and include the recommended components of reliability and validity testing. [source] Control of Aspergillus growth and aflatoxin production using antioxidants at different conditions of water activity and pHJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2003A. Nesci Abstract Aims: The effect of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), trihydroxybutyrophenone (THB) and propyl paraben (PP) (at concentrations of 1, 10 and 20 mmol l,1) on germination, growth and aflatoxin B1 production by Aspergillus section Flavi was evaluated. Methods and Results: Studies on the percentage of spore germination, elongation rate, growth rate and aflatoxin B1 production were carried out in vitro in relation to water activity (aw) at 0·982, 0·937, 0·809 and 0·747 values. At 0·809 and 0·747aw values none of the isolates was able to germinate. Overall, PP and BHA were the antioxidants most effective at inhibiting germination of both species. In the presence of the lowest concentration of BHA and PP (1 mmol l,1) the conidial germination percentage ranged from 2 to 19% after 15 h of incubation at the highest water activity tested. BHA and PP at 10,20 mmol l,1 completely inhibited conidial germination. The antioxidants more efficient in controlling Aspergillus elongation rate were PP, BHT and BHA. All strains were much more sensitive to all antioxidants tested on the percentage of spore germination and growth rate at 0·937aw. The antioxidants PP and BHA completely inhibited aflatoxin B1 production by all strains when added at 1 mmol l,1. Decreased aflatoxin B1 levels in comparison with the control, were observed with BHT at 1, 10 and 20 mmol,1 with the strain T20 at 0·982aw. In contrast, stimulation was observed with the antioxidant THB at 10 and 20 mmol l,1 at 0·937aw with the strains T20 and T23. The effect of BHA and PP at 1 mmol l,1 on lag phase and growth rate was maintained in the pH range between 6 and 8. At all pH values the inhibitory effect of BHA was higher than PP. No aflatoxin B1 was detected at all pH values. Conclusions: The data show that BHA and PP could be considered as effective fungitoxicants for A. flavus and A. parasiticus. Significance and Impact of the Study: The information obtained show promise for controlling growth and aflatoxin B1 in stored maize. Futher studies should be carried out to examine the potential for antioxidants, such as BHA and PP to effectively control both growth and aflatoxin production. [source] Nursing Update on Retinopathy of PrematurityJOURNAL OF OBSTETRIC, GYNECOLOGIC & NEONATAL NURSING, Issue 3 2007Kristi Coe One of the problems that plagues premature infants is retinopathy of prematurity, a potentially blinding disease that occurs because the retina is immature before 34 weeks gestation and must develop in a suboptimal environment when a baby is born early. Prevention by minimizing oxygen exposure has been somewhat effective, but survival of the tiniest babies has led to a recent resurgence in cases. Oxygen targeting and early surgery show promise to reduce the risk of blindness in the smallest premature infants. Nurses play an important role in oxygen management and parental support. JOGNN, 36, 288-292; 2007. DOI: 10.1111/J.1552-6909.2007.00151.x [source] Transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: The Milan criteria and beyondLIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue S2 2006Richard B. Freeman Jr. Key Concepts: 1Liver transplantation offers excellent results for selected candidates with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). 2Selection strategies have evolved but are mainly based on size and number of tumors, which are surrogates for vascular invasion. Newer techniques show promise for identifying patients at high risk for recurrence and selecting those with low risk, even though they may exceed currently established tumor size criteria. 3Evaluation of the effectiveness of liver transplantation for HCC requires an intent-to-treat approach that must include an accounting of the dropout rate of patients while waiting. 4Locoregional pretransplantation adjuvant treatments may have some role for downstaging and/or reducing the dropout rate before transplantation, but their posttransplantation effect on outcome remains undetermined. 5Liver allocation for HCC candidates in the context of increasing HCC prevalence requires better and evidence-based prioritization policies. Liver Transpl 12:S8,S13, 2006. © 2006 AASLD. [source] Testing candidate plant barcode regions in the MyristicaceaeMOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 3 2008S. G. NEWMASTER Abstract The concept and practice of DNA barcoding have been designed as a system to facilitate species identification and recognition. The primary challenge for barcoding plants has been to identify a suitable region on which to focus the effort. The slow relative nucleotide substitution rates of plant mitochondria and the technical issues with the use of nuclear regions have focused attention on several proposed regions in the plastid genome. One of the challenges for barcoding is to discriminate closely related or recently evolved species. The Myristicaceae, or nutmeg family, is an older group within the angiosperms that contains some recently evolved species providing a challenging test for barcoding plants. The goal of this study is to determine the relative utility of six coding (Universal Plastid Amplicon , UPA, rpoB, rpoc1, accD, rbcL, matK) and one noncoding (trnH-psbA) chloroplast loci for barcoding in the genus Compsoneura using both single region and multiregion approaches. Five of the regions we tested were predominantly invariant across species (UPA, rpoB, rpoC1, accD, rbcL). Two of the regions (matK and trnH-psbA) had significant variation and show promise for barcoding in nutmegs. We demonstrate that a two-gene approach utilizing a moderately variable region (matK) and a more variable region (trnH-psbA) provides resolution among all the Compsonuera species we sampled including the recently evolved C. sprucei and C. mexicana. Our classification analyses based on nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination, suggest that the use of two regions results in a decreased range of intraspecific variation relative to the distribution of interspecific divergence with 95% of the samples correctly identified in a sequence identification analysis. [source] Peripheral somatosensory fMRI in mouse at 11.7 TNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 5 2001Eric T. Ahrens Abstract The feasibility of performing extremely-high resolution somatosensory fMRI in anesthetized mice using BOLD contrast at 11.7,T was investigated. A somatosensory stimulus was applied to the hindlimb of an ,-chlorolose anesthetized mouse resulting in robust (p,<,4,×,10,3) BOLD changes in somatosensory cortex and large veins. Percentage modulation of the MR signal in cortex exceeded 7%. Experiments that artificially modulated the inspired oxygen tension were also conducted; the results revealed large, heterogeneous, BOLD contrast changes in the mouse brain. In addition, T1, T2, and T2* values in gray matter at 11.7,T were evaluated. Discussion of the sensitivity limitations of BOLD fMRI in the tiny mouse central nervous system is presented. These methods show promise for the assessment of neurological function in mouse models of CNS injury and disease. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Stigma and Self-Concept Among Adolescents Receiving Mental Health TreatmentAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2009Tally Moses PhD Although studies indicate that adolescents diagnosed with mental disorders are stigmatized by the American public, we know very little about the extent to which stigma is experienced by these youth and its effects on their well-being. This cross-sectional study utilizes interviews with 60 adolescents treated in a wraparound program to examine: (a) the extent to which adolescents diagnosed and treated for psychiatric disorders experience mental illness stigma and cope by using secrecy, (b) the extent to which stigmatization is associated with self-concept (self-esteem, mastery, future outlook) and morale (depression), and (c) which clinical and demographic characteristics are associated with perceived stigma. A secondary purpose was to explore the usefulness with adolescents of stigma measures created and adapted primarily from Link's adult stigma scales (Link et al., 1991, 1997). The results support both optimistic and pessimistic interpretations regarding stigma and its effects on adolescents diagnosed and treated for mental disorders. The scales developed for this study demonstrate good internal consistency and construct validity and show promise as tools for further research on stigma as experienced by youth. [source] Predictive Validity of the ASAM Patient Placement Criteria for Naturalistically Matched vs.THE AMERICAN JOURNAL ON ADDICTIONS, Issue 5 2003Mismatched Alcoholism Patients This study examined the predictive validity of the ASAM Patient Placement Criteria for matching alcoholism patients to recommended levels of care. A cohort of 248 patients newly admitted to inpatient rehabilitation, intensive outpatient, or regular outpatient care was evaluated using both a computerized algorithm and a clinical evaluation protocol to determine whether they were naturalistically matched or mismatched to care. Outcomes were assessed three months after intake. One common type of undertreatment (ie, receiving regular outpatient care when intensive outpatient care was recommended) predicted poorer drinking out comes. As compared with matched treatment, independent of actual level of care received. Overtreatment did not improve outcomes. There also was a trend for better outcomes with residential vs. intensive outpatient treatment, independent of matching. Results were robust for both methods of assessment. Corroboration by more research is needed, but the ASAM Criteria show promise for reducing both detrimental undertreatment and cost-inefficient overtreatment. [source] Disability and its treatment in bipolar disorder patientsBIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 1-2 2007Nancy Huxley Bipolar disorders (BPD) are major, life-long psychiatric illnesses found in 2,5% of the population. Prognosis for BPD was once considered relatively favorable, but contemporary findings suggest that disability and poor outcomes are prevalent, despite major therapeutic advances. Syndromal recovery from acute episodes of mania or bipolar major depression is achieved in as many as 90% of patients given modern treatments, but full symptomatic recovery is achieved slowly, and residual symptoms of fluctuating severity and functional impact are the rule. Depressive,dysthymic,dysphoric morbidity continues in more than 30% of weeks in follow-up from initial episodes as well as later in the illness-course. As few as 1/3 of BPD patients achieve full social and occupational functional recovery to their own premorbid levels. Pharmacotherapy, though the accepted first-line treatment for BPD patients, is insufficient by itself, encouraging development of adjunctive psychological treatments and rehabilitative efforts to further limit morbidity and disability. Interpersonal, cognitive,behavioral, and psychoeducational therapies all show promise for improving symptomatic and functional outcomes. Much less is known about how these and more specific rehabilitative interventions might improve vocational functioning in BPD patients. [source] Changes in parent-assessed oral health-related quality of life among young children following dental treatment under general anaestheticCOMMUNITY DENTISTRY AND ORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 2 2008P. E. Malden Abstract,,, Objective:, To estimate the nature and magnitude of changes in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among children having dental treatment under general anaesthetic (GA) and to examine the evaluative properties of the Child Oral Health-related Quality of Life Questionnaire (COHQOL©). Methods:, Data from a consecutive clinical sample of the parents/caregivers of children receiving dental treatment under GA at Wellington and Kenepuru Hospitals were collected from parents using the Parental-Caregivers Perception Questionnaire (P-CPQ) and the Family Impact Scale (FIS), which both form part of the COHQOL© Questionnaire. The first questionnaire was completed before treatment or while the participant's child was undergoing treatment. The follow-up questionnaire was completed 1,4 weeks afterward. Treatment-associated changes in OHRQoL were determined by comparing baseline and follow-up data for the mean scores and the prevalence of impacts. The discriminative properties of the instrument were confirmed and then its evaluative properties were assessed (by examining its test,retest reliability, responsiveness and longitudinal construct validity). The minimally important difference was determined for the overall scale and subscales. Results:, Complete baseline and follow-up data were obtained for 202 and 130 participants, respectively (64.4% follow-up rate). The evaluative properties of the P-CPQ and FIS were acceptable. There were substantial and highly statistically significant reductions in mean P-CPQ and FIS scores after treatment, with effect sizes ranging from moderate to large, depending on the subscale being examined. The minimally important difference was shown by almost two-thirds of the children treated. Conclusion:, The provision of dental treatment under GA for young children with severe dental caries experience is associated with substantial and highly significant improvements in both their OHRQoL and in the impact on their families. The P-CPQ and the FIS show promise as evaluative measures for use in dental health services research. [source] | |||||||||||||