2,935 research outputs found
A Comparison of Stimulus Set Size on Tact Training for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Previous studies on skill acquisition have taught targets in stimulus sets composed of different numbers of stimuli. Although the rationale for selection of a stimulus set size is not clear, the number of target stimuli trained within a set is a treatment decision for which there is limited empirical support. The current investigation compared the efficiency of tact training in 4 stimulus set sizes, each of which included 12 stimuli grouped into (a) 4 sets of 3 stimuli, (b) 3 sets of 4 stimuli, (c) 2 sets of 6 stimuli, and (d) 1 set of 12 stimuli. Results of all 4 participants with autism spectrum disorder show tact training with larger (i.e., 6 and 12) stimulus set sizes was more efficient than training with smaller (i.e., 3 and 4) stimulus set sizes
Non-fermentative gram-negative bloodstream infection in northern Italy: a multicenter cohort study
Background: The management of non-fermentative gram-negative bloodstream infection (NFGN-BSI) offers numerous challenges. In this study the aim is to analyse a large cohort of patients with NFGN-BSI recruited in the northern Italy to describe epidemiology, etiological and susceptibility pattern, therapeutic management and outcome. Methods: Multicentre retrospective cohort study of patients hospitalised at three large teaching hospitals in northern Italy in a fourth year period. Results: 355 BSI episodes were analyzed, due to P. aeruginosa (72.7%), A. baumannii (16.6%), and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (10.7%). Overall, 21.4% of isolates were defined as DTR, highest rate among A. baumannii (64.4%). All-cause 30-day mortality rate was 17.5%. Rates of XDR or DTR A. baumannii isolation were significantly higher in non-surviving patients. Independent risk factors for 30-day mortality were: age (HR 1.03, 95%CI 1.00–1.04, p = 0.003), septic shock (HR 2.84, 95%CI 1.67–4.82, p < 0.001) and BSI due to Acinetobacter baumannii (HR 2.23, 95%CI 1.27–3.94, p = 0.005). Conclusion: The overall prevalence of DTR was high in the NFGN BSI cohort analyzied, mainly among Acinetobacter baumannii episodes (64.4%). Acinetobacter baumannii is showed to be an independent predictor of mortality. These evidences marked the urgent need of new therapeutic options against this pathogen. Trial registration number: 79/2017/O/OssN. Approved: March14th, 2017
Non-fermentative gram-negative bloodstream infection in northern Italy: a multicenter cohort study
BACKGROUND: The management of non-fermentative gram-negative bloodstream infection (NFGN-BSI) offers numerous challenges. In this study the aim is to analyse a large cohort of patients with NFGN-BSI recruited in the northern Italy to describe epidemiology, etiological and susceptibility pattern, therapeutic management and outcome. METHODS: Multicentre retrospective cohort study of patients hospitalised at three large teaching hospitals in northern Italy in a fourth year period. RESULTS: 355 BSI episodes were analyzed, due to P. aeruginosa (72.7%), A. baumannii (16.6%), and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (10.7%). Overall, 21.4% of isolates were defined as DTR, highest rate among A. baumannii (64.4%). All-cause 30-day mortality rate was 17.5%. Rates of XDR or DTR A. baumannii isolation were significantly higher in non-surviving patients. Independent risk factors for 30-day mortality were: age (HR 1.03, 95%CI 1.00–1.04, p = 0.003), septic shock (HR 2.84, 95%CI 1.67–4.82, p < 0.001) and BSI due to Acinetobacter baumannii (HR 2.23, 95%CI 1.27–3.94, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of DTR was high in the NFGN BSI cohort analyzied, mainly among Acinetobacter baumannii episodes (64.4%). Acinetobacter baumannii is showed to be an independent predictor of mortality. These evidences marked the urgent need of new therapeutic options against this pathogen. Trial registration number: 79/2017/O/OssN. Approved: March14th, 2017. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-021-06496-8
Multiple system atrophy is distinguished from idiopathic Parkinson's disease bythe arginine growth hormone stimulation test
Objective: Multiple system atrophy (MSA) may be difficult to distinguish from idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD). Our aim
was to evaluate the accuracy of the arginine growth hormone (GH) stimulation test in distinguishing between MSA and PD in
large populations of patients.
Methods: We measured the GH response to arginine in 69 MSA (43 MSAp [parkinsonism as the main motor feature] and 26
MSAc [cerebellar features predominated]) patients, 35 PD patients, and 90 healthy control subjects. We used receiver-operating
curve analysis to establish the arginine cutoff value that best differentiated between MSA and PD.
Results: The GH response to arginine was significantly lower (p 0.01) in MSA than in either PD patients or control subjects.
At a cutoff level of 4g/L, arginine distinguished MSAp from PD with a sensitivity and specificity of 91% and MSAc from PD
with a sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 91%. The arginine test had a positive predictive value for MSA of 95%. The GH
response to arginine was not affected by disease duration or severity, MSA motor subtype, pyramidal signs, response to dopaminergic
therapy, or magnetic resonance imaging findings.
Interpretation: The GH response to arginine differentiates MSA from PD with a high diagnostic accuracy. The results suggest
an impairment of cholinergic central systems modulating GH release in MSA
The CRESST Experiment: Recent Results and Prospects
The CRESST experiment seeks hypothetical WIMP particles that could account
for the bulk of dark matter in the Universe. The detectors are cryogenic
calorimeters in which WIMPs would scatter elastically on nuclei, releasing
phonons. The first phase of the experiment has successfully deployed several
262 g sapphire devices in the Gran Sasso underground laboratories. A main
source of background has been identified as microscopic mechanical fracturing
of the crystals, and has been eliminated, improving the background rate by up
to three orders of magnitude at low energies, leaving a rate close to one count
per day per kg and per keV above 10 keV recoil energy. This background now
appears to be dominated by radioactivity, and future CRESST scintillating
calorimeters which simultaneously measure light and phonons will allow
rejection of a great part of it.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the CAPP2000 Conference, Verbier,
Switzerland, July, 2000 (eds J. Garcia-Bellido, R. Durrer, and M.
Shaposhnikov
The CRESST Dark Matter Search
The current status of CRESST (Cryogenic Rare Event Search using
Superconducting Thermometers) and new results concerning the detector
development are presented. The basic technique of CRESST is to search for
particle Dark Matter (WIMPS, Weakly Interacting Massive particles) by the
measurement of non-thermal phonons as created by WIMP-induced nuclear recoils.
Combined with the newly developed method of simultaneous measurement of
scintillation light, strong background discrimination is possible, resulting in
a substantial increase in WIMP detection sensitivity. The short and long term
perspectives of CRESST are discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
Differential DNA Methylation Encodes Proliferation and Senescence Programs in Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Adult adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) constitute a vital population of multipotent cells capable of differentiating into numerous end-organ phenotypes. However, scientific and translational endeavors to harness the regenerative potential of ASCs are currently limited by an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms that determine cell-lineage commitment and stemness. In the current study, we used reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) analysis to identify epigenetic gene targets and cellular processes that are responsive to 5′-azacitidine (5′-AZA). We describe specific changes to DNA methylation of ASCs, uncovering pathways likely associated with the enhancement of their proliferative capacity. We identified 4,797 differentially methylated regions (FDR < 0.05) associated with 3,625 genes, of which 1,584 DMRs annotated to the promoter region. Gene set enrichment of differentially methylated promoters identified “phagocytosis,” “type 2 diabetes,” and “metabolic pathways” as disproportionately hypomethylated, whereas “adipocyte differentiation” was the most-enriched pathway among hyper-methylated gene promoters. Weighted coexpression network analysis of DMRs identified clusters associated with cellular proliferation and other developmental programs. Furthermore, the ELK4 binding site was disproportionately hyper-methylated within the promoters of genes associated with AKT signaling. Overall, this study offers numerous preliminary insights into the epigenetic landscape that influences the regenerative capacity of human ASCs
Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at TeV with the ATLAS detector
This paper presents measurements of the and cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a
function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were
collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with
the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity
of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements
varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the
1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured
with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with
predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various
parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between
them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables,
submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at
https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13
Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector
A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13 TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV
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