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Diese Arbeit behandelt die statistische Auswertung von den möglichen Tumormarkern CA 19-9 in Blutproben, LYVE1, TFF1, REG1A, REG1B und Kreatinin in Urinproben für Bauchspeicheldrüsenkrebs. Unterschieden wurde zwischen den Diagnosegruppen Kontrolle (Negativ Kontrolle), gutartige hepatobiliäre Erkrankung und Pankreaskarzinom. Zusätzlich wurden innerhalb dieser Gruppen getestet, ob es eine mögliche Signifikanz zwischen dem Geschlecht und Altersgruppen der Proben gibt. Die Ergebnisse nach der Auswertung lassen aussagen, dass die Tumormarker, LYVE1, TFF1, REG1A und REG1B im Vergleich zur Kontrolle erhöht sind und sich diese statistisch als Marker eignen würden. Bei den Pankreaskarzinom Proben konnte man unterschiedliche Werte von LYVE1, Kreatinine und CA-19-9 zwischen den jüngeren Teilnehmer und den älteren Teilnehmer in dieser Studie statistisch bestimmen. Das Geschlecht könnte eine relevante Rolle bei Pankreaskarzinom spielen, worauf aber in dieser Studie nicht näher eingegangen wurde. This paper deals with the statistical evaluation of the possible tumor markers CA 19-9 in blood samples, LYVE1, TFF1, REG1A, REG1B and creatinine in urine samples for pancreatic cancer.Distinctions were made between the diagnostic groups of control (negative control), benign hepatobiliary disease, and pancreatic cancer. In addition, within these groups were tested whether there is a possible significance between the sex and age groups of the samples. The results after evaluation suggest that the cancer markers, LYVE1, TFF1, REG1A and REG1B are elevated compared to control and these would be statistically suitable as markers. In the pancreatic cancer samples, different levels of LYVE1, creatinine and CA-19-9 could be statistically determined between the younger participants and the older participants in this study. Gender might play a relevant role in pancreatic cancer, which was not addressed in this study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe burden of care related to monitoring patient vital signs of intensive care unit patients in a Swedish hospital. Setting: Data collected by “The Swedish Intensive Care Registry” from one general category II intensive care unit in a Swedish hospital was included in this study. Data from year 2014 to 2020 was analysed comprising a total of 3617 intensive care episodes and 29,165 work shifts. Research methodology: This is a retrospective database study. Descriptive statistics gave an overview of the dataset. To test for differences between variables related to burden of care for “Documentation of monitoring” Mann Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis test was performed using STATA. Results: “Documentation of monitoring” was reported to generate a prominent burden of care during intensive care. Nearly all patients had continuous monitoring. Comparison for burden of care related to “Documentation of monitoring” for sexes generated no statistically significant difference. Comparison for burden of care related to “Documentation of monitoring” among age groups, diagnose groups and time of day generated statistically significant differences. Conclusion: Monitoring patient vital signs was clearly present during intensive care, hence impacting intensive care nurses’ clinical practice. Further research is endorsed to improve and facilitate monitoring to keep improving patient safety. CC BY 4.0Correspondence Address: Romare, C.; Blekinge Institute of Technology, Attn: Charlotte Romare, Lumavägen 1, Sweden; email: charlotte.romare@bth.seThis work was funded by Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden. The funder had no role in any part of the study or preparation of the manuscript.Available online 17 February 2022

It is a known fact that diabetes can mostly be prevented or delayed with health-promoting and protective lifestyle changes in people at high risk of diabetes. In addition, awareness of the risk of diabetes in the relatives of individuals with diabetes may also contribute to the prevention of the disease. This study was carried out to determine the relationship between perceived and actual diabetes risk level with promotive and protective health behaviors in relatives of individuals with type 2 diabetes. This cross-sectional study included 596 individuals. Of the participants, 62.7% stated that they perceive their risk of developing diabetes at a high-very high level in the next 10 years. The participants had promotive and protective health behaviors at a moderate level. No significant difference was found between the perceived diabetes risk level and promotive and protective health behaviors. Health professionals should take more responsibility for risk identification and risk management. © 2022 by Author/s and Licensed by Modestum.

Objective: We aimed to develop and evaluate a mobile learning (m-learning) design for large group application learning based on flipped classroom approach within an integrated curriculum of medical faculty. Materials and methods: Totally 359 students enrolled in a two-credit course during the 2017-2018 academic year. An instructional design called 5-Lecture-5 (5L5) was implemented via mobile application. This design is a blend of m-learning and flipped classroom approaches, with pre-, during-, and post-lecture elements. Data were analysed using Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Open-ended questions and course observations were analysed thematically and reported together. Results: Of the participating students, 26.96% who saw the first announcement examined pre-lecture materials and 55.43% attended face-to-face lecture. Achievement test scores of those who attended lecture were significantly higher (p = 0.027). Correct response rates for each question were 99.30, 72.10, 58.70, and 94.40%, respectively. Consequently, students demonstrated positive attitude towards m-learning (M = 170.15 ± 28.48). The most preferred positive aspects were “active learning,” “interactive,” “entertaining,” “useful,” and “repeatable.” Conclusions: M-learning activities within a flipped classroom with instant feedback were found to increase participation and interaction levels of students in classroom setting, resulting in their increased enjoyment and engagement. © 2021 Yusuf Yilmaz et al., This is an expanded and revised version of a study entitled “Development of a mobile learning design model for medical students” presented at the third International Graduate Education Congress (Manisa Celal Bayar University, May 10-11, 2018).

Background: Corneal and lenticular optical properties are not well-documented in pediatric patients with inflammatory diseases. Here we aimed to evaluate corneal and lenticular optical density as well as corneal morphology in children with ocular and/or systemic inflammation by Scheimpflug imaging. Methods: Fifty-five eyes of 29 children with non-infectious uveitis, 56 eyes of 28 children with systemic inflammation without uveitis and 60 eyes of 31 healthy children were included. Corneal/lenticular optical density, corneal volume, central corneal thickness, keratometry were analyzed by Pentacam HR. Corneal endothelial cell density, hexagonal cell ratio and coefficient of variation were measured by specular microscope. Results: The mean age was 12.0 ± 3.1 years, 11.9 ± 4.0 years and 11.3 ± 3.4 years whereas the female/ratio was 15/14, 15/13 and 14/17 in uveitis, systemic inflammation and control groups respectively. Uveitis type was anterior uveitis in 16 (29.1%) eyes, intermediate uveitis in 32 (58.2%) eyes and panuveitis in 7 (12.7%) eyes. Twenty-two (40%) eyes had active uveitis whereas 33 (60%) eyes had inactive uveitis. Corneal optical density was greater in uveitis group compared with other groups (p = 0.001, Kruskal-Wallis test). Lenticular density and corneal parameters other than optical density were not different between the groups (p > 0.05). Corneal optical density was higher in active uveitis than inactive uveitis (22/33 eyes, p = 0.017). Conclusion: Children with uveitis had decreased corneal clarity compared with systemic inflammation group and healthy controls, while lenticular clarity was similar between the groups. Corneal endothelial parameters did not change significantly based on ocular/systemic inflammation. Scheimpflug imaging provides objective corneal and lenticular optical density measurements. © 2022

cited By 1; International audience; The correct characterisation of the articular disc of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is key to study the masticatory biomechanics. For the interval from extraction until testing, freezing is the most used preservation technique for biological tissues, but its influence on their behaviour is still unclear. An important error can be committed in the characterisation of such tissues if freezing has any effect on their mechanical properties. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether the freezing storage time causes any change in the mechanical properties of the TMJ discs. To check that, the specimens were stored in a −20 °C freezer during different time intervals: 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months. Fresh specimens, tested right after extraction, were used as the control group. Compressive stress relaxation tests were carried out on the specimens and a quasi-linear viscoelastic (QLV) model was used to fit the experimental curves. A statistical analysis detected significant differences among the groups. Post-hoc tests determined that freezing the specimens more than 30 days may lead to changes in the viscoelastic properties of the tissue. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

Background: TNFα inhibitors are the first line biological treatment for patients suffering from rheumatic diseases (RD) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Limited information is available about long-term treatment patterns of patients starting a TNFα inhibitor and whether these differ between patients suffering from RD and IBD. Objectives: To compare treatment patterns of patients with RD and IBD starting a TNFα inhibitor. Methods: Included were all patients starting (i.e. no prior use of a biological) with aTNFα inhibitor (ATC code: L04AB) between 1 July 2012 and 1 July 2017 at a Dutch general teaching hospital (the Spaarne Gasthuis, Haarlem/Hoofddorp) and with a RD or IBD diagnosis. All patients were followed for at least one year. Outcomes at one year of follow-up were: continuous use of the first TNFα inhibitor, switch to a different TNFα inhibitor or to a biological with another mode of action, or discontinuation. In addition, median duration of first TNFα inhibitor treatment were compared for patients with RD and IBD using the Kaplan Meier method. Data were analyzed by Pearson's chi square and Kruskal Wallis test. Results: 646 patients were included (median age 46 years, 84% female), of which 63.9% (n = 413) received a TNFα inhibitor for RD and 36.1% (n = 233) for IBD. After 1 year, 60.1% of patients continuously used their first TNFα inhibitor, 13.4% switched to another biological and 26.5% discontinued treatment. Significantly less RD patients continued their TNFα inhibitor compared to IBD patients (54.4% versus 70.0%, RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.69-0.88) and RD patients discontinued treatment more frequently than IBD patients (33.0% versus 15.0%, RR 2.19, 95% CI 1.57-3.06). 12.6% of RD patients and 15.0% of IBD patients had switched, most patients (71.1% of RD switchers and 91.4% of IBD switchers) to a second TNFα inhibitor. The median treatment duration of the first TNFα inhibitor was significantly (p

The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the detection of different degrees of testicular torsion (TT) at the 8th hour and testicular salvageability at the 24th hour of torsion.31 rats were randomly classified into 4 groups. In Group 1 (sham-control group), the left testicle was kept outside and replaced. Left testicles were kept outside and twisted 360° in Group 2, 720° in Group 3 and 1080° in Group 4. Later, DWI was performed at 8th and 24th hours. After DWI, bilateral radical orchiectomy and histopathological examination were performed. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps were obtained with b-factors of 0 and 800 s mmSensitivity of DWI in the diagnosis of TT was 12.5% for 360° torsion, 100% for 720° torsion and 1080° torsion at the 8th hour of torsion. Mean ADC values of the left testicles increased significantly at the 24th hour of torsion in Groups 3 and 4. All testicles in Groups 3 and 4 were observed to be irrecoverable on histopathological examination.Increased ADC values in the affected testicle may represent irreversible tissue damage. So, immediate surgery is not required at this stage, which may reduce morbidity and mortality caused by immediate surgery and anaesthesia. Advances in knowledge: TT can be diagnosed easily by DWI without administrating any contrast material. DWI findings in the affected testicle may represent testicular salvageability.

Gentamicin is the preferred antimicrobial agent used in implant coating for the prevention of implant-related infections (IRI). However, the present heavy local and systemic administration of gentamicin can lead to increased resistance, which has made its future use uncertain, together with related preventive technologies. Fosfomycin is an alternative antimicrobial agent that lacks the cross-resistance presented by other classes of antibiotics. We evaluated the efficacy of prophylaxis of 10% fosfomycin-containing poly(D ,L -lactide) (PDL) coated K-wires in a rat IRI model and compared it with uncoated (Control 1), PDLcoated (Control 2), and 10% gentamicin-containing PDL-coated groups with a single layer of coating. Stainless steel K-wires were implanted and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 43300) suspensions (103 CFU/10 µl) were injected into a cavity in the left tibiae. Thereafter, K-wires were removed and cultured in tryptic soy broth and then 5% sheep blood agar mediums. Sliced sections were removed from the tibiae, stained with hematoxylin-eosin, and semi-quantitatively evaluated with X-rays. The addition of fosfomycin into PDL did not affect the X-ray and histopathological evaluation scores; however, the addition of gentamicin lowered them. The addition of gentamicin showed a protective effect after the 28th day of X-ray evaluations. PDL-only coating provided no protection, while adding fosfomycin to PDL offered a 20% level protection and adding gentamicin offered 80%. Furthermore, there were 103 CFU level growths in the gentamicin-added group, while the other groups had 105 . Thus, the addition of fosfomycin to PDL does not affect the efficacy of prophylaxis, but the addition of gentamicin does. We therefore do not advise the use of fosfomycin as a single antimicrobial agent in coating for IRI prophylaxis. © 2016 Gulcu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Objective: Arterial calcification is frequently encountered in mammography. The frequency of breast arterial calcification (BAC) increases with increasing age. Studies have shown that BAC is seen more frequently among the people who are under the risk of coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as diabetes and hypertension. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the arterial calcification detected in mammography and the CAD. Material and methods: Screening mammography was performed in 123 women above the age of 40 years who had been examined with coronary angiography for the evaluation of CAD. The presence of BAC, number of affected vessels, and the distribution of calcification in the vessel wall were evaluated in the mammography. Subjects were questioned in terms of the cardiovasculary risk factors. The severity of CAD was evaluated according to the Gensini scoring. In addition, the number of blood vessels with stenosis of more than 50% was used as the vascular score. The correlation between Gensini and the vascular scores, and BAC was statistically evaluated using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: Eighty (65%) of 123 patients had CAD. BAC was detected in the mammography of 49 (39.8%) subjects. The ages and duration of menopause of the cases with BAC were significantly higher than those without BAC (p < 0.001). There was an almost significant correlation between the BAC and Gensini scores (p = 0.059). There was a significant increase in the frequency of BAC among subjects with more than two vessels with stenosis (p = 0.033). Conclusion: Frequency of BAC increases with increasing age. BAC is also frequently seen in subjects having severe coronary artery disease. Although increasing age may be a factor increasing the frequency of BAC, BAC may also be an indicator of CAD. Therefore, the mentioning of arterial calcification in mammography reports may be important in warning the clinician in terms of CAD.

Summary The purpose of this study was to evaluate of shear bond strengths between two ceramic repair systems and different ceramic infrastructure materials. One hundred cylindrical specimens of ceramic infrastructure were fabricated with non precious metal alloy, zirconia, alumina, galvano, and glass ceramic: 20 non precious metal alloy (NP), 20 zirconia (Z), 20 alumina (A), 20 galvano (G), and 20 glass ceramic (GC). Specimens were divided into 2 subgroups. One half of the specimens were applied by Clearfil™ (CR) repair system and, another half of that were applied by Cimara&Cimara® Zircon (CZ) repair system. Bonded specimens were stored in 37°C distilled water for 24 h and were thermocycled at 5-55°C for 1,200 cycles with a 30-sec dwell time and 5-sec transfer time. Shear bond strengths were determined with a mechanical testing device. And mode of failure was recorded. Mann Whitney-U and Kruskal Wallis tests were applied to the data at 95% confidence interval level. Infrastructure groups displayed the following values in megapascals: NP = 10.70 ± 1.88; Z = 9.15 ± 0.80; A = 11.65 ± 0.70; GC = 10.95 ± 0.80; and G = 6.88 ± 0.88. The Mann Whitney-U test results showed no significant difference between the repair systems. The Kruskal Wallis test results demonstrated significant difference between the infrastructures. The lowest bond strength values were observed in G group. In conclusion, average bond strength values were in accordance with previously reported values, therefore it can be suggested that intraoral repair of ceramic restorations can be temporary, but a satisfying alternative for patients. SCANNING 37:300-305, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Amaç: Program geliştirme ve değerlendirme süreci öğrencilerin öğrenme stillerini, gereksinimlerini ve algılarının analizlerini içermelidir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, probleme dayalı öğrenme yöntemleri ve ortamı ile ilgili öğrencilerin değerlendirmelerini öğrenmek ve elde edilen sonuçları kendi öğrenme stilleriyle karşılaştırmaktır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu araştırma, mezuniyet öncesi eğitimin ilk üç yılında probleme dayalı öğrenim yönteminin uygulandığı Marmara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesinde yapıldı. Öğrencilere, öğrenci merkezli öğrenim ortamı ile ilgili bir değerlendirme anketi ve Öğrenme Biçimleri Ölçeği (Inventory of Learning Styles) uygulandı. İstatistik analizlerler için One-way ANOVA ve Kruskal-Wallis testleri kullanıldı. Bulgular: Bireysel ilgi yönelimli, öğrenme stratejilerinin dışarıdan düzenlenmesine ihtiyaç duyan, bilgiyi adım adım işleyerek öğrenmeye daha çok ve orta düzeyde eğilimli olan öğrenciler, bu öğrenme stillerine, daha az bağımlı öğrencilere göre probleme dayalı öğrenme ve diğer öğrenci merkezli yöntemlerden daha az memnun kaldılar. Dolayısıyla, bu öğrenciler aynı zamanda probleme dayalı öğrenim sisteminin organizasyonundan, içeriğinden, kazandırdığı bilgi ve becerilerden de daha az yararlanmaktaydılar. Sonuç: Öğrencilerin probleme dayalı öğrenim ve diğer öğrenci merkezli öğrenim aktivitelerinden daha fazla yararlanabilmeleri için kendi kendine öğrenmeyi düzenleme becerilerinin gelişmesi önemlidir. Aktif öğrenme stratejilerine uygun müfredat geliştirme ve program değerlendirme çalışmaları, öğrencilerin, kendi kendine düzenleme ve profesyonel beceri gelişimini dikkate almalıdır.

research Bireylerin vergiye ilişkin kurallara uyması ve vergiye ilişkin ödevlerini kendiliğinden yerine getirmesi önemlidir. Bu durum vergiye uyum olarak adlandırılmaktadır. Bireylerin vergiye uyumu, vergi algılarına ve vergi bilinçlerine bağlıdır. Bu çalışmada bir anket ile Hitit Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi öğrencilerinin vergiye ilişkin algıları ve vergi bilinçleri ölçülmeye çalışılmıştır. Çalışmaya ilişkin veri seti 330 öğrenciye uygulanan anketten elde edilmiştir. Amprik uygulamada öncelikle tanımlayıcı istatistikler cevapların sıklıkları ve yüzdeleri verilmiştir ve yorumlanmıştır. Sonra Mann-Whitney U ve Kruskal Wallis testleri hipotezlerin sınanması için kullanılmıştır. It is important that individuals reveal their tax rules and tax obligations voluntarily. It is named as tax compliance. Tax compliance of individuals depends on their tax perception and tax consciousness. This study aims to measure tax perception and tax consciousness. Also the study investigates tax perception and tax consciousness of Hitit University Faculty of Administrative and Economic Sciences students. The data set of the study obtained from the survey applied to 330 students. In empirical application first descriptive statistics, frequencies and percentage of answers are presented and interpreted. Then Mann Whitney U Test and Kruskal Wallis test are used to test the hypothesis.

Introduction: Renal dysfunction is common in chronic liver disease. The cause of this renal dysfunction is either multi-organ involvement in acute conditions or secondary to advanced liver disease. Objectives: The study was undertaken to assess the renal function in chronic liver diseases and find out the association of alteration of renal function with gradation of liver disease. (assessed by child-pugh criteria) and to find out the association of alteration of renal function among the cases of chronic liver disease of different aetiology. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, observational study was undertaken in Department of General Medicine, Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata during March 2012 to July 2013 with 50 admitted patients of chronic liver disease after considering the exclusion criteria. The patients were interviewed with a pre-designed and pre-tested schedule, examined clinically, followed by some laboratory investigations relevant to diagnose the aetiology of chronic liver disease, and to assess the severity of liver and renal dysfunction. Data was analysed by standard statistical method. Results: Eighty six percent of the patients were male and the mean age of study population was 43.58 y, 68% patients suffered from alcoholic liver disease, followed by 14% patients had chronic Hepatitis-B, 10% patients developed acute kidney injury, 20% had hepato renal syndrome and 14% had IgA deposition. The distribution of serum urea and creatinine across the categories of Child Pugh classification tested by Mann-Whitney test and the distribution was statistically significant. Conclusion: The present study has found significant association between severity of liver dysfunction and certain parameters of renal dysfunction.

Bu çalışmada İstatistiksel Paket Programları Kullanım Düzeyi'nin öğrencilerin istatistik öğrenimindeki başarısına etkisi araştırılmıştır. İstatistiksel Paket Programların yanısıra öğrencilere ait, başarılarına etki eden birtakım kişisel, sosyo-ekonomik ve eğitsel faktörlerde ele alınmıştır. Çalışma kapsamındaki verilerin analizinde SPSS-19 ve E-views istatistiksel paket programları kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada kullanılan veriler iki bölümden oluşan bir anket formu aracılığı ile toplanmıştır. Analiz sürecinde ?Pearson ve Spearman Korelasyon Katsayıları?, ?Tek Yönlü Varyans Analizi?, ?T Testi?, ?Kolmogorov Simirnov Testi?, ?Mann-Whitney U Testi?, ?Kruskall Wallis Testi?, ?Granger Nedensellik Analizi? gibi istatistiksel test yöntemleri kullanılmıştır., In this study, we investigated the effect of Usage Level of Statistical Package Programs on students? success of learning statistics. Some personal, socio-economic and educational factors are which affect the success of the students discussed as well as the Statistical Package programs. Within this study, SPSS-19 and E-views statistical package programs were used for data analysis. The data used in this study were collected through a questionnaire consisting of two parts. In the analysis process, statistical tests and methods were used such as "Pearson and Spearman Correlation Coefficients", "One-Way Analysis of Variance", "T Test", "Kolmogorov-Smirnov test", "Mann-Whitney U-test", "Kruskall Wallis Test", "Granger Causality Analysis,".

The organisation of degree programmes in European countries differs with duration of the programme, number and content of hours of courses. The aim of this study was to assess the degree of satisfaction with studying in students. 299 final-year students from 5 countries: 20 from Bulgaria (BG), 100 - Spain (ES), 21 - Latvia (LV), 58 - Turkey (TUR), and 100 - Poland (PL). An anonymous and voluntary questionnaire designed by the authors in national languages. The response rate: 86%. Statistica 9.0, the Kruskall-Wallis test, p < 0.05. While most students would choose to study Physiotherapy again, fewer PL would choose the same university (p < 0.05). 42%PL, 50%ES, 22% TUR stated that the number of class hours of practical courses was too low (p < 0.05). 39%PL, 58%ES, 22%TUR believed that the time of direct work with patients was too short (p < 0.05). TUR (4.13) declared a higher level of satisfaction with studying than PL (3.73) and ES (3.95) (p < 0.05). ES rated their competence in basic clinical areas as lower (p < 0.001) than PL and TUR. More ES (44%) than PL (24%) and TUR (37%) felt well-prepared to look for work (p < 0.05). Conclusion: 1 .The organization of a degree programme may influence the level of satisfaction with studying. 2. Regardless of the organization of a degree programme, it is necessary to increase the number of class hours of practical courses and the number of hours devoted to supplying students with qualified information about the latest methods in physiotherapy.

Epineural stitches are a means to avoid tension in a nerve suture. We evaluate this technique, relative to interposed grafts and simple neurorraphy, in a rat model. Method: Twenty rats were allocated to four groups. For Group 1, sectioning of the sciatic nerve was performed, a segment 4 mm long discarded, and epineural suture with distal anchoring stitches were placed resulting in slight tension neurorraphy. For Group 2, a simple neurorraphy was performed. For Group 3, a 4 mm long graft was employed and Group 4 served as control. Ninety days after, reoperation, latency of motor action potentials recording and axonal counts were performed. Inter-group comparison was done by means of ANOVA and the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: The mean motor latency for the simple suture (2.27±0.77 ms) was lower than for the other two surgical groups, but lower than among controls (1.69±0.56 ms). Similar values were founding in both group 1 (2.66±0.71 ms) and group 3 (2.64±0.6 ms). When fibers diameters were compared a significant difference was identified between groups 2 and 3 (p=0.048). Conclusion: Good results can be obtained when suturing a nerve employ with epineural anchoring stitches. However, more studies are needed before extrapolating results to human nerve sutures., Facultad de Ciencias Médicas

To quantitatively evaluate vertebral bone marrow fat content and investigate its association with osteoporosis with chemical-shift magnetic resonance imaging (CS-MRI). Fifty-six female patients (age range 50-65 years) with varying bone mineral densities as documented with dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were prospectively included in the study. According to the DXA results, the patients were grouped as normal bone density, osteopenic, or osteoporotic. In order to calculate fat content, the lumbar region was visualized in the sagittal plane by CS-MRI sequence. "Region of interest" (ROI)s were placed within L3 vertebral bodies and air (our reference point) at different time points by different radiologists. Fat content was calculated through "signal intensity (SI) suppression rate" and "SI Index". The quantitative values were compared statistically with those obtained from DXA examinations. Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for comparisons between groups. The reliability of the measurements performed by two radiologists was evaluated with the "intraclass correlation coefficient". This study was approved by an institutional review board and all participants provided informed consent to participate in the study. Eighteen subjects with normal bone density (mean T score, 0.39 +/- 1.3 [standard deviation]), 20 subjects with osteopenia (mean T score, -1.79 +/- 0.38), and 18 subjects with osteoporosis (mean T score, -3 +/- 0.5) were determined according to DXA results. The median age was 55.9 (age range 50-64 years) in the normal group, 55.5 (age range 50-64 years) in the osteopenic group, and 55.1 (age range 50-65 years) in the osteoporotic group (p = 0.872). In the CS-MRI examination, the values of "SI suppression ratio" and "SI Index" (median [min:max]) were calculated by the first and second reader, independently. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups with regard to vertebral bone marrow fat content (p > 0.05). According to the "intraclass correlation coefficient", the measurements were reliable (0.55 and 0.60). Vertebral bone marrow fat content calculated with CS-MRI is not a reliable parameter for predicting bone mineral density in female patients aged between 50 and 65 years.

Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues (vitorsrodrigues@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2014-05-27T11:24:37Z No. of bitstreams: 0Bitstream added on 2014-05-27T14:30:40Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 2-s2.0-78649661061.pdf: 195078 bytes, checksum: d695f17aedd3c871c0a8162415a0fb16 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-27T11:24:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-01-01 Objective: The objective of this study is to characterize the assistance and analyze patient's adherence to nutritional follow-up while in the waiting line for bariatric surgery in a multidisciplinary, secondary healthcare outpatient clinic. Methods: This retrospective study was based on the nutritional records of 59 patients subjected to bariatric surgery at the Hospital das Clinics de Botucatu, from 2001 to 2008. The population studied was distributed into 8 groups and analyzed according to follow-up duration. The analysis took into account the evolution of body weight and the number of follow-up visits in a given period. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare data between groups while Spearman's coefficient was used to test correlations. Results: Among the 59 studied patients, 42 (71.2%) returned to the clinic at least once in six months. Of these, 67.8% lost weight while in the waiting line and 27.1% of them lost more than 10% of their body weight. The greatest weight losses in the preoperative period were found in the groups that had more than six months of nutrition follow-up. There was a mean delay of three months between return visits, which could have contributed to the low adherence to follow-up. Conclusion: The patients in the waiting line for surgery analyzed in this study presented low adherence to the long-spaced return visits. The greatest weight losses were observed in groups that had been followed for more than six months. This shows that, to achieve the desired weight loss and an adequate education process before surgery, at least six months of follow-up and regular visits are necessary. Instituto de Biociências UNESP, Botucatu Serviço Técnico de Nutrição e Dietética Faculdade de Medicina UNESP, Botucatu Fundação para O Desenvolvimento Médico Hospitalar UNESP Departamento de Cirurgia e Ortopedia Faculdade de Medicina UNESP, Botucatu Instituto de Biociências UNESP, Botucatu Serviço Técnico de Nutrição e Dietética Faculdade de Medicina UNESP, Botucatu Fundação para O Desenvolvimento Médico Hospitalar UNESP Departamento de Cirurgia e Ortopedia Faculdade de Medicina UNESP, Botucatu

Background: Caspase-cleaved cytokeratin 18 (CK18-Asp396) is released from hepatocytes during apoptosis. Recent studies have indicated that serum levels of CK18-Asp396 could be clinically useful biomarker of chronic liver disease. To shed more light on the rate of hepatocyte loss by apoptosis in chronic liver disease, serum levels of CK18-Asp396 were examined in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and chronic hepatitis C. Material/Methods: Apoptotic CK18-Asp396 levels were quantified in sera from 35 patients with nonalcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH), 21 patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV), and 18 healthy controls. Results: Analysis of serum CK18-Asp396 levels showed an increasing trend starting from healthy controls (median: 34.5 U/l), to HCV patients (80.1 U/l), to patients with NASH (144.1 U/l. Kruskall-Wallis test: P

Objective: Endothelial dysfunction is an early marker of atherosclerosis. Angiotensin II and nitric oxide have important roles in maintaining the vascular tone. The existence of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphisms has been known, and deletion (D) of the allele has been associated with coronary artery disease. As ACE genotype affects endothelial functions in the patients with risk factors for coronary artery disease, it may also be a determinant of atherosclerosis. In this study, the relationship between endothelial function and ACE gene polymorphisms was investigated in healthy young subjects. Methods: Forty-six healthy young subjects were included in this cross-sectional, randomized study. Participants were further divided into three groups according with ACE genotypes: DD genotype - 24 subjects, DI genotype - 13 subjects and II genotype - 9 subjects. All patients underwent brachial artery ultrasonographic examination. We analyzed ACE insertion (I) and D allele frequencies in all subjects. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare continuous variables, and the Chi-square test was used to compare proportions among groups. Results: Demographic features were similar except gender between the groups according to the ACE genotypes. Total cholesterol levels were lower in the DD genotype comparing with the others (p0.05). Endothelium independent dilatations were similar among different ACE genotypes. Conclusion: Our data showed that ACE genotype has no effect on endothelial functions in patients without risk factors for coronary artery disease.

Caspase-cleaved cytokeratin 18 fragments (M30 antigen) can be detected in the circulation of patients with carcinoma and are believed to reflect cell death of tumors of epithelial origin. M30 antigens cleaved at Asp396 are detected using an epitope-specific antibody (M30 antibody). We here measured the levels of such fragments in patients with lung cancer (n = 60), patients with benign lung disease (n = 22) and healthy control subjects (n = 32). A statistically significant difference was observed between these groups (p

Association among angiogenesis, survival and clinicopathologic parameters in endometrial carcinoma was evaluated. Sixty patients who had been diagnosed as endometrial carcinoma, from 1993 to 1998, were included in the study. All patients had been surgically staged with bilateral pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissection. All hysterectomy specimens were stained immunohistologically for factor VIII-related antigen. The area with the most intensified microvasculature was determined under low-power (×100) magnification, and the microvessel count of this area under high-power (×200) magnification was determined as the microvessel density (MVD) of the tumor. The mean MVD was 26.2 ± 13.0 (range 6–68), and it was considered as high (n = 24; 40%), moderate (n = 19; 31.7%) and low (n = 17; 28.3%) when the MVD was >30, between 15–30 and