How does a bicycle work? A new instrument to assess mechanical reasoning in school aged children

This study demonstrated that a brief interview can reveal the mechanical reasoning that could not be assessed via the Bicycle Drawing Test. This study, conducted on 190 children (6 to 11 years old), shows that mechanical reasoning improves with age. It shows correlations with spatial reasoning and motor control, and with visual reasonin

Experimental aluminum pathology in rabbits: effects of hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds.

Aluminum lactate [Al(lact)3] (hydrophilic, hydrolytically unstable) and aluminum acetylacetonate [Al(acae)3] (lipophilic, hydrolytically stable) were tested as potential toxicants to rabbits upon IV administration both as aqueous solutions and as liposome suspensions. Both chemicals behaved as cardiotoxic agents when administered as aqueous solutions, but Al(acae)3 was at least two orders of magnitude more active than Al(lact)3. Al(acae)3, but not Al(lact)3, caused myocardial infarcts resembling those in humans (with contraction bands) at doses as low as 0.24 mg/kg body weight, as well as a prominent acanthocytosis. Al(lact)3, when administered as a liposome suspension, was about 300 times more toxic than in aqueous solution, although cardiac damage was not infarctual in character. Both chemical and physical speciation of aluminum(III) thus play an essential role in determining the toxicity of the metal

Compensación de la marcha en puntillas

La marcha en puntillas es una alteración bilateral comun de la marcha caracterizada por la ausencia de apoyo de talon considerándose normal hasta los 3 años de edad. Pasado este periodo y sin presentar una causa neurológica u ortopédica, se considera una marcha en puntillas idiopática o toe walking idiopatico (ITW). Este trabajo pretende definir la marcha en puntillas, dónde se abordara mas ampliamente la forma idiopática, así como la etiolo­gía, clasificaciones, características de la marcha y posibles compensaciones de la misma

Quantitative PCR Is Faster, More Objective, and More Reliable Than Immunohistochemistry for the Diagnosis of Cytomegalovirus Gastrointestinal Disease in Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease relies on the presence of GI symptoms and detection of CMV, mainly by immunohistochemistry (IHC), in GI biopsy specimens. Thus, in a symptomatic patient, a positive CMV-IHC result is accepted as a diagnosis of CMV disease. However, a positive CMV-PCR in GI tissue is considered "possible" CMV disease. Therefore, it would be very useful if, in practice, both techniques showed equal sensitivity and reliability. This is because PCR has many practical advantages over IHC for detecting CMV. The aim of this study was to compare quantitative PCR with IHC for the diagnosis of GI CMV disease. A total of 186 endoscopic GI biopsy specimens from 123 patients with GI symptoms after an allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT; 2004-2017) were analyzed by IHC and PCR on 113 paraffin-embedded and 73 fresh samples. The results were then compared. Of the patients with macroscopic lesions in the mucosa and CMV-IHC-positive biopsy specimens (eg, "proven" CMV disease, n = 28), all but 1 were CMV-PCR positive. Of the patients without macroscopic lesions in the mucosa and CMV-IHC-positive biopsy specimens (eg, probable CMV disease, n = 4), only 1 was CMV-PCR positive. Eight patients had CMV-IHC-negative/CMV-PCR-positive gut biopsy specimens. These cases fall within the current definition of possible CMV disease. In 6 of these 8 cases (75%), the viral load in GI tissue was very high (>10,000 copies/µg). Taken together, the results from the proven and probable cases revealed that CMV-PCR shows the same sensitivity (100%), specificity (98%), and positive (93%) and negative predictive value (100%) as CMV-IHC. Detection of CMV in fresh GI mucosa by quantitative PCR is as useful as IHC for the diagnosis of GI CMV disease. The results show that quantitative PCR has the same sensitivity, specificity, and positive/negative predictive value as IHC

Soft tissue mixed tumor of the hand

Mixed tumors are relatively common in the skin and salivary glands, but extremely rare in soft tissues, often resulting in diagnostic problems. The occurrence of these tumors in the hand is especially limited. In this article we report the clinical, radiological, and histological features of a mixed tumor of the hypothenar region of the right hand

Adherence issues related to sublingual immunotherapy as perceived by allergists

Objectives: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is a viable alternative to subcutaneous immunotherapy to treat allergic rhinitis and asthma, and is widely used in clinical practice in many European countries. The clinical efficacy of SLIT has been established in a number of clinical trials and meta-analyses. However, because SLIT is self-administered by patients without medical supervision, the degree of patient adherence with treatment is still a concern. The objective of this study was to evaluate the perception by allergists of issues related to SLIT adherence. Methods: We performed a questionnaire-based survey of 296 Italian allergists, based on the adherence issues known from previous studies. The perception of importance of each item was assessed by a VAS scale ranging from 0 to 10. Results: Patient perception of clinical efficacy was considered the most important factor (ranked 1 by 54% of allergists), followed by the possibility of reimbursement (ranked 1 by 34%), and by the absence of side effects (ranked 1 by 21%). Patient education, regular follow-up, and ease of use of SLIT were ranked first by less than 20% of allergists. Conclusion: These findings indicate that clinical efficacy, cost, and side effects are perceived as the major issues influencing patient adherence to SLIT, and that further improvement of adherence is likely to be achieved by improving the patient information provided by prescribers. © 2010 Scurati et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd

Where are we now with European forest multi-taxon biodiversity and where can we head to?

The European biodiversity and forest strategies rely on forest sustainable management (SFM) to conserve forest biodiversity. However, current sustainability assessments hardly account for direct biodiversity indicators. We focused on forest multi-taxon biodiversity to: i) gather and map the existing information; ii) identify knowledge and research gaps; iii) discuss its research potential. We established a research network to fit data on species, standing trees, lying deadwood and sampling unit description from 34 local datasets across 3591 sampling units. A total of 8724 species were represented, with the share of common and rare species varying across taxonomic classes: some included many species with several rare ones (e.g., Insecta); others (e.g., Bryopsida) were represented by few common species. Tree-related structural attributes were sampled in a subset of sampling units (2889; 2356; 2309 and 1388 respectively for diameter, height, deadwood and microhabitats). Overall, multi-taxon studies are biased towards mature forests and may underrepresent the species related to other developmental phases. European forest compositional categories were all represented, but beech forests were over-represented as compared to thermophilous and boreal forests. Most sampling units (94%) were referred to a habitat type of conservation concern. Existing information may support European conservation and SFM strategies in: (i) methodological harmonization and coordinated monitoring; (ii) definition and testing of SFM indicators and thresholds; (iii) data-driven assessment of the effects of environmental and management drivers on multi-taxon forest biological and functional diversity, (iv) multi-scale forest monitoring integrating in-situ and remotely sensed information

Cost-effectiveness and budget impact analyses of a colorectal cancer screening programme in a high adenoma prevalence scenario using MISCAN-Colon microsimulation model

This economic evaluation showed a screening intervention with a major health gain that also produced net savings when a long follow-up was used to capture the late economic benefit. The number of colonoscopies required was high but remain within the capacity of the Basque Health Service. So far in Europe, no other population Colorectal Cancer screening programme has been evaluated by budget impact analysis

Depression in Primary care: Interpersonal Counseling vs Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The DEPICS Study. A multicenter randomized controlled trial. Rationale and design

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Depression is a frequently observed and disabling condition in primary care, mainly treated by Primary Care Physicians with antidepressant drugs. Psychological interventions are recommended as first-line treatment by the most authoritative international guidelines but few evidences are available on their efficacy and effectiveness for mild depression.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This multi-center randomized controlled trial was conducted in 9 Italian centres with the aim to compare the efficacy of Inter-Personal Counseling, a brief structured psychological intervention, to that of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Patients with depressive symptoms referred by Primary Care Physicians to psychiatric consultation-liaison services were eligible for the study if they met the DSM-IV criteria for major depression, had a score ≥13 on the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and were at their first or second depressive episode. The primary outcome was remission of depressive symptoms at 2-months, defined as a HDRS score ≤ 7. Secondary outcome measures were improvement in global functioning and recurrence of depressive symptoms at 12-months. Patients who did not respond to Inter-Personal Counseling or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors at 2-months received augmentation with the other treatment.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This trial addresses some of the shortcomings of existing trials targeting major depression in primary care by evaluating the comparative efficacy of a brief psychological intervention that could be easily disseminated, by including a sample of patients with mild/moderate depression and by using different outcome measures.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12608000479303</p