997 resultados para Functional indicators
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Introduction: The high prevalence of disease-related hospital malnutrition justifies the need for screening tools and early detection in patients at risk for malnutrition, followed by an assessment targeted towards diagnosis and treatment. At the same time there is clear undercoding of malnutrition diagnoses and the procedures to correct it Objectives: To describe the INFORNUT program/ process and its development as an information system. To quantify performance in its different phases. To cite other tools used as a coding source. To calculate the coding rates for malnutrition diagnoses and related procedures. To show the relationship to Mean Stay, Mortality Rate and Urgent Readmission; as well as to quantify its impact on the hospital Complexity Index and its effect on the justification of Hospitalization Costs. Material and methods: The INFORNUT® process is based on an automated screening program of systematic detection and early identification of malnourished patients on hospital admission, as well as their assessment, diagnoses, documentation and reporting. Of total readmissions with stays longer than three days incurred in 2008 and 2010, we recorded patients who underwent analytical screening with an alert for a medium or high risk of malnutrition, as well as the subgroup of patients in whom we were able to administer the complete INFORNUT® process, generating a report for each.
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OBJECTIVE Interferon (IFN) signaling plays a crucial role in autoimmunity. Genetic variation in interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5), a major regulator of the type I interferon induction, has been associated with risk of developing several autoimmune diseases. In the current study we aimed to evaluate whether three sets of correlated IRF5 genetic variants, independently associated with SLE and with different functional roles, are involved in uveitis susceptibility and its clinical subphenotypes. METHODS Three IRF5 polymorphisms, rs2004640, rs2070197 and rs10954213, representative of each group, were genotyped using TaqMan® allelic discrimination assays in a total of 263 non-anterior uveitis patients and 724 healthy controls of Spanish origin. RESULTS A clear association between two of the three analyzed genetic variants, rs2004640 and rs10954213, and the absence of macular edema was observed in the case/control analysis (P FDR =5.07E-03, OR=1.48, CI 95%=1.14-1.92 and P FDR =3.37E-03, OR=1.54, CI 95%=1.19-2.01, respectively). Consistently, the subphenotype analysis accordingly with the presence/absence of this clinical condition also reached statistical significance (rs2004640: P=0.037, OR=0.69, CI 95%=0.48-0.98; rs10954213: P=0.030, OR=0.67, CI 95%=0.47-0.96), thus suggesting that both IRF5 genetic variants are specifically associated with the lack of macular edema in uveitis patients. CONCLUSION Our results clearly showed for the first time that two functional genetic variants of IRF5 may play a role in the development of macular edema in non-anterior uveitis patients. Identifying genetic markers for macular edema could lead to the possibility of developing novel treatments or preventive therapies.
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BACKGROUND Controversy exists concerning the influence of gender in the prognosis of patients with heart failure and no evidence is available from specific heart failure clinics. HYPOTHESIS Women with ambulatory heart failure are managed differently than men, although their prognosis might be better than men. METHODS AND RESULTS We analyzed the clinical characteristics, complementary test results, treatment, and prognosis in 4720 patients with chronic heart failure seen in 62 specialized clinics forming part of a multicenter registry during a mean follow-up of 40 months. The mean age was 65 +/- 12 years and 71% were men. The men were younger than the women and more often had a history of hyperlipidemia and ischemic heart disease. The men had a more advanced heart failure New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class (III-IV) than the women and a greater frequency of systolic ventricular dysfunction. The men more often received treatment with beta-blockers, vasodilators, and antiplatelet aggregators as well as higher mean doses as compared with the women. The overall survival after the follow-up was similar for both genders, although the women had lower rates of survival free of admission for heart failure. CONCLUSIONS Despite the mortality of women and men with heart failure being similar, the rate of readmission for heart failure is greater in women in specialized heart failure clinics. These results may be associated with the pharmacological treatment differences observed.
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Lactotransferrin, also known as lactoferrin, is an iron binding glycoprotein that displays antiviral activity against many different infectious agents, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1. Lactotransferrin is present in the breast milk and in the female genitourinary mucosa and it has been hypothesised as a possible candidate to prevent mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission. To verify if two functional polymorphisms, Thr29Ala and Arg47Lys, in the lactotransferrin encoding gene (LTF) could affect HIV-1 infection and vertical transmission, a preliminary association study was performed in 238 HIV-1 positive and 99 HIV-1 negative children from Brazil, Italy, Africa and India. No statistically significant association for the Thr29Ala and Arg47Lys LTF polymorphisms and HIV-1 susceptibility in the studied populations was found. Additionally LTF polymorphisms frequencies were compared between the four different ethnic groups.
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ABSTRACTIn contrast to animals, plants cannot move from their place of birth and, therefore, need to adapt to their particular habitat in order to survive. Thus, plant development is remarkably plastic, making plants an ideal system for the isolation of genes that account for intraspecific natural variation and possibly environmental adaptation. However, to date, this approach mostly identified null alleles and missed mutations with subtle effects. For instance, BREVIS RADIX (BRX) has been isolated as a key regulator of root growth through a naturally occurring loss-of-function allele in the Arabidopsis thaliana accession Uk-1 and is the founding member of a highly-conserved plant-specific gene family.In this work, we show that a strong selective pressure is acting on the BRX gene family and dates back before the monocot-dicot divergence. However, functional diversification is observed mainly in dicotyledon BRX family genes and is correlated with acceleration in the evolutionary rates in the N-terminal regions. Population genetic data revealed that BRX is highly conserved across Arabidopsis accessions and presents signatures of adaptation. Interestingly, a seven amino acid deletion polymorphism in BRX sequence was found in a few accessions, which seems to be responsible for their enhanced primary root growth. Nevertheless, BRX might not only be active in the root, as suggested by its expression in the shoot. Indeed, leaves and cotyledons of brx mutants are significantly smaller than wild- type. This phenotype is a direct consequence of the absence of BRX function in the shoot rather than an indirect effect of an altered root system growth. Interestingly, cotyledons of brx plants reflect the same physiological defects as the root. Moreover, phenotypes in BRX gain-of-function plants, such as epinastic leaves and increased epidermal cell size, could be associated with an increase in leaf brassinosteroid content.Collectively, these results indicate that BRX contributes to local adaptation by ubiquitously regulating plant growth, probably through the modulation of brassinosteroid biosynthesis.RÉSUMÉContrairement à la plupart des animaux, les plantes ne peuvent se mouvoir et doivent ainsi s'adapter à leur environnement pour survivre. Pour cette raison, elles représentent un système idéal pour l'identification de gènes contribuant à la variation naturelle intra- spécifique, ainsi qu'à l'adaptation. Cependant, cette approche a, jusqu'à présent, surtout permis d'isoler des allèles nuls et non des mutations conférant des effets plus subtiles. C'est le cas du gène Β REVIS RADIX (BRX), un régulateur clé de la croissance racinaire, qui a été identifié grâce à un allèle non-fonctionnel présent dans l'accession naturelle d'Arabidopsis thaliana Uk-1. BRX et ses homologues des plantes mono- et dicotylédones forment une famille très conservée et spécifique aux plantes.Dans ce travail, nous démontrons que la famille de gènes BRX est soumise à une forte pression de sélection qui remonte avant la divergence entre mono- et dicotylédones. Cependant, une diversification fonctionnelle a été observée chez les gènes des dicotylédones et corrèle avec une accélération de la vitesse d'évolution dans leur région N- terminale. Une analyse génétique de différentes accessions naturelles d'Arabidopsis a révélé que BRX est hautement conservé et présente des signatures d'adaptation. Remarquablement, un polymorphisme de délétion de sept acides aminés a été détecté dans quelques accessions et a pour conséquence une plus forte croissance de la racine primaire. Néanmoins, il semble que le rôle de BRX ne se limite pas qu'à la racine, comme indiqué par son expression dans les parties aériennes de la plante. En effet, les mutants brx présentent des cotylédons et des feuilles significativement plus petits que le type sauvage, une conséquence directe de l'absence d'activité de BRX dans ces organes. Nous avons aussi noté que les cotylédons des mutants brx, à l'instar des racines, ont une perception altérée de l'auxine et peuvent être complémentés par l'application exogène de brassinostéroïdes. De plus, dans des plantes présentant un gain de fonction BRX, les feuilles sont épinastiques et les cellules de leur épiderme plus grandes. Ces phénotypes sont accompagnés d'une augmentation de la concentration de brassinostéroïdes dans les feuilles. Conjointement, ces résultats démontrent que BRX contribue à une adaptation locale de la plante par la régulation générale de sa croissance, probablement en modulant la biosynthèse des brassinostéroïdes.
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Immune protection from intracellular pathogens depends on the generation of terminally differentiated effector and of multipotent memory precursor CD8 T cells, which rapidly regenerate effector and memory cells during recurrent infection. The identification of factors and pathways involved in CD8 T cell differentiation is of obvious importance to improve vaccination strategies. Here, we show that mice lacking T cell factor 1 (Tcf-1), a nuclear effector of the canonical Wingless/Integration 1 (Wnt) signaling pathway, mount normal effector and effector memory CD8 T cell responses to infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). However, Tcf-1-deficient CD8 T cells are selectively impaired in their ability to expand upon secondary challenge and to protect from recurrent virus infection. Tcf-1-deficient mice essentially lack CD8 memory precursor T cells, which is evident already at the peak of the primary response, suggesting that Tcf-1 programs CD8 memory cell fate. The function of Tcf-1 to establish CD8 T cell memory is dependent on the catenin-binding domain in Tcf-1 and requires the Tcf-1 coactivators and Wnt signaling intermediates beta-catenin and gamma-catenin. These findings demonstrate that the canonical Wnt signaling pathway plays an essential role for CD8 central memory T cell differentiation under physiological conditions in vivo. They raise the possibility that modulation of Wnt signaling may be exploited to improve the generation of CD8 memory T cells during vaccination or for therapies designed to promote sustained cytotoxic CD8 T cell responses against tumors.
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Introduction: The quality of life assessment means investigating how patients perceive their disease. Malnutrition-specific characteristics make patients more vulnerable, so it is important to know how these factors impaction patients’ daily life. Aim: To assess the quality of life in malnourished patients who have had hospital admission, and to determine the relationship of the quality of life with age, body mass index, diagnosis of malnutrition, and dependency. Method: Multicenter transversal descriptive study in 106 malnourished patients after hospital admission. The quality of life (SF-12 questionnaire), BMI, functional independency (Barthel index), morbidity, and a dietary intake evaluation were assessed. The relationship between variables was tested by using the Spearman correlation coefficient Results: The patients of the present study showed a SF-12 mean of 38.32 points. The age was significantly correlated with the SF-12 (r= -0.320, p= 0.001). The BMI was correlated with the SF-12 (r= 0.251, p= 0.011) and its mental component (r= 0.289, p= 0.03). It was also reported a significant correlation between the Barthel index and the SF-12 (r= 0.370, p< 0.001). Conclusions: The general health perception in malnourished patients who have had a hospital admission was lower than the Spanish mean. Moreover, the quality of life in these patients is significantly correlated with age, BMI and functional independency.
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Mapping the human auditory cortex with standard functional imaging techniques is difficult because of its small size and angular position along the Sylvian fissure. As a result, the exact number and location of auditory cortex areas in the human remains unknown. In a first experiment, we measured the two largest tonotopic areas of primary auditory cortex (PAC, Al and R) using high-resolution functional MRI at 7 Tesla relative to the underlying anatomy of Heschl's gyrus (HG). The data reveals a clear anatomical- functional relationship that indicates the location of PAC across the range of common morphological variants of HG (single gyri, partial duplication and complete duplication). Human PAC tonotopic areas are oriented along an oblique posterior-to-anterior axis with mirror-symmetric frequency gradients perpendicular to HG, as in the macaque. In a second experiment, we tested whether these primary frequency-tuned units were modulated by selective attention to preferred vs. non-preferred sound frequencies in the dynamic manner needed to account for human listening abilities in noisy environments, such as cocktail parties or busy streets. We used a dual-stream selective attention experiment where subjects attended to one of two competing tonal streams presented simultaneously to different ears. Attention to low-frequency tones (250 Hz) enhanced neural responses within low-frequency-tuned voxels relative to high (4000 Hz), and vice versa when at-tention switched from high to low. Human PAC is able to tune into attended frequency channels and can switch frequencies on demand, like a radio. In a third experiment, we investigated repetition suppression effects to environmental sounds within primary and non-primary early-stage auditory areas, identified with the tonotopic mapping design. Repeated presentations of sounds from the same sources, as compared to different sources, gave repetition suppression effects within posterior and medial non-primary areas of the right hemisphere, reflecting their potential involvement in semantic representations. These three studies were conducted at 7 Tesla with high-resolution imaging. However, 7 Tesla scanners are, for the moment, not yet used for clinical diagnosis and mostly reside in institutions external to hospitals. Thus, hospital-based clinical functional and structural studies are mainly performed using lower field systems (1.5 or 3 Tesla). In a fourth experiment, we acquired tonotopic maps at 3 and 7 Tesla and evaluated the consistency of a tonotopic mapping paradigm between scanners. Mirror-symmetric gradients within PAC were highly similar at 7 and 3 Tesla across renderings at different spatial resolutions. We concluded that the tonotopic mapping paradigm is robust and suitable for definition of primary tonotopic areas, also at 3 Tesla. Finally, in a fifth study, we considered whether focal brain lesions alter tonotopic representations in the intact ipsi- and contralesional primary auditory cortex in three patients with hemispheric or cerebellar lesions, without and with auditory complaints. We found evidence for tonotopic reorganisation at the level of the primary auditory cortex in cases of brain lesions independently of auditory complaints. Overall, these results reflect a certain degree of plasticity within primary auditory cortex in different populations of subjects, assessed at different field strengths. - La cartographie du cortex auditif chez l'humain est difficile à réaliser avec des techniques d'imagerie fonctionnelle standard, étant donné sa petite taille et position angulaire le long de la fissure sylvienne. En conséquence, le nombre et l'emplacement exacts des différentes aires du cortex auditif restent inconnus chez l'homme. Lors d'une première expérience, nous avons mesuré, avec de l'imagerie par résonance magnétique à haute intensité (IRMf à 7 Tesla) chez des sujets humains sains, deux larges aires au sein du cortex auditif primaire (PAC; Al et R) avec une représentation spécifique des fréquences pures préférées - ou tonotopie. Nos résultats ont démontré une relation anatomico- fonctionnelle qui définit clairement la position du PAC à travers toutes les variantes du gyrus d'Heschl's (HG). Les aires tonotopiques du PAC humain sont orientées le long d'un axe postéro-antérieur oblique avec des gradients de fréquences spécifiques perpendiculaires à HG, d'une manière similaire à celles mesurées chez le singe. Dans une deuxième expérience, nous avons testé si ces aires primaires pouvaient être modulées, de façon dynamique, par une attention sélective pour des fréquences préférées par rapport à celles non-préférées. Cette modulation est primordiale lors d'interactions sociales chez l'humain en présence de bruits distracteurs tels que d'autres discussions ou un environnement sonore nuisible (comme par exemple, dans la circulation routière). Dans cette étude, nous avons utilisé une expérience d'attention sélective où le sujet devait être attentif à une des deux voies sonores présentées simultanément à chaque oreille. Lorsque le sujet portait était attentif aux sons de basses fréquences (250 Hz), la réponse neuronale relative à ces fréquences augmentait par rapport à celle des hautes fréquences (4000 Hz), et vice versa lorsque l'attention passait des hautes aux basses fréquences. De ce fait, nous pouvons dire que PAC est capable de focaliser sur la fréquence attendue et de changer de canal selon la demande, comme une radio. Lors d'une troisième expérience, nous avons étudié les effets de suppression due à la répétition de sons environnementaux dans les aires auditives primaires et non-primaires, d'abord identifiées via le protocole de la première étude. La présentation répétée de sons provenant de la même source sonore, par rapport à de sons de différentes sources sonores, a induit un effet de suppression dans les aires postérieures et médiales auditives non-primaires de l'hémisphère droite, reflétant une implication de ces aires dans la représentation de la catégorie sémantique. Ces trois études ont été réalisées avec de l'imagerie à haute résolution à 7 Tesla. Cependant, les scanners 7 Tesla ne sont pour le moment utilisés que pour de la recherche fondamentale, principalement dans des institutions externes, parfois proches du patient mais pas directement à son chevet. L'imagerie fonctionnelle et structurelle clinique se fait actuellement principalement avec des infrastructures cliniques à 1.5 ou 3 Tesla. Dans le cadre dune quatrième expérience, nous avons avons évalués la cohérence du paradigme de cartographie tonotopique à travers différents scanners (3 et 7 Tesla) chez les mêmes sujets. Nos résultats démontrent des gradients de fréquences définissant PAC très similaires à 3 et 7 Tesla. De ce fait, notre paradigme de définition des aires primaires auditives est robuste et applicable cliniquement. Finalement, nous avons évalués l'impact de lésions focales sur les représentations tonotopiques des aires auditives primaires des hémisphères intactes contralésionales et ipsilésionales chez trois patients avec des lésions hémisphériques ou cérébélleuses avec ou sans plaintes auditives. Nous avons trouvé l'évidence d'une certaine réorganisation des représentations topographiques au niveau de PAC dans le cas de lésions cérébrales indépendamment des plaintes auditives. En conclusion, nos résultats démontrent une certaine plasticité du cortex auditif primaire avec différentes populations de sujets et différents champs magnétiques.
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Soluble peptide/MHC-class-I (pMHC) multimers have recently emerged as unique reagents for the study of specific interactions between the pMHC complex and the TCR. Here, we assessed the relative binding efficiency of a panel of multimers incorporating single-alanine-substituted variants of the tumor-antigen-derived peptide MAGE-A10(254-262) to specific CTL clones displaying different functional avidity. For each individual clone, the efficiency of binding of multimers incorporating MAGE-A10 peptide variants was, in most cases, in good although not linear correlation with the avidity of recognition of the corresponding variant. In addition, we observed two types of discrepancies between efficiency of recognition and multimer binding. First, for some peptide variants, efficient multimer binding was detected in the absence of measurable effector functions. Some of these peptide variants displayed antagonist activity. Second, when comparing different clones we found clear discrepancies between the dose of peptide required to obtain half-maximal lysis in CTL assays and the binding efficiency of the corresponding multimers. These discrepancies, however, were resolved when the differential stability of the TCR/pMHC complexes was determined. For individual clones, decreased recognition correlated with increased TCR/pMHC off-rate. TCR/pMHC complexes formed by antagonist ligands displayed off-rates faster than those of TCR/pMHC complexes formed with weak agonists. In addition, when comparing different clones, the efficiency of multimer staining correlated better with relative multimer off-rates than with half-maximal lysis values. Altogether, the data presented here reconcile and extend our previous results on the impact of the kinetics of interaction of TCR with pMHC complexes on multimer binding and underline the crucial role of TCR/pMHC off-rates for the functional outcome of such interactions.
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During its life cycle Leishmania spp. face several stress conditions that can cause DNA damages. Base Excision Repair plays an important role in DNA maintenance and it is one of the most conserved mechanisms in all living organisms. DNA repair in trypanosomatids has been reported only for Old World Leishmania species. Here the AP endonuclease from Leishmania (L.) amazonensis was cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli mutants defective on the DNA repair machinery, that were submitted to different stress conditions, showing ability to survive in comparison to the triple null mutant parental strain BW535. Phylogenetic and multiple sequence analyses also confirmed that LAMAP belongs to the AP endonuclease class of proteins.
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Fungalysins are secreted fungal peptidases with the ability to degrade the extracellular matrix proteins elastin and collagen and are thought to act as virulence factors in diseases caused by fungi. Fungalysins constitute a unique family among zinc-dependent peptidases that bears low sequence similarity to known bacterial peptidases of the thermolysin family. The crystal structure of the archetype of the fungalysin family, Aspergillus fumigatus metalloprotease (AfuMep), has been obtained for the first time. The 1.8 Å resolution structure of AfuMep corresponds to that of an autoproteolyzed proenzyme with separate polypeptide chains corresponding to the N-terminal prodomain in a binary complex with the C-terminal zinc-bound catalytic domain. The prodomain consists of a tandem of cystatin-like folds whose C-terminal end is buried into the active-site cleft of the catalytic domain. The catalytic domain harbouring the key catalytic zinc ion and its ligands, two histidines and one glutamic acid, undergoes a conspicuous rearrangement of its N-terminal end during maturation. One key positively charged amino-acid residue and the C-terminal disulfide bridge appear to contribute to its structural-functional properties. Thus, structural, biophysical and biochemical analysis were combined to provide a deeper comprehension of the underlying properties of A. fumigatus fungalysin, serving as a framework for the as yet poorly known metallopeptidases from pathogenic fungi.
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PURPOSE: To review the literature on young people's perspectives on health care with a view to defining domains and indicators of youth-friendly care. METHODS: Three bibliographic databases were searched to identify studies that purportedly measured young people's perspectives on health care. Each study was assessed to identify the constructs, domains, and indicators of adolescent-friendly health care. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies were identified: 15 used quantitative methods, six used qualitative methods and one used mixed methodology. Eight domains stood out as central to young people's positive experience of care. These were: accessibility of health care; staff attitude; communication; medical competency; guideline-driven care; age appropriate environments; youth involvement in health care; and health outcomes. Staff attitudes, which included notions of respect and friendliness, appeared universally applicable, whereas other domains, such as an appropriate environment including cleanliness, were more specific to particular contexts. CONCLUSION: These eight domains provide a practical framework for assessing how well services are engaging young people. Measures of youth-friendly health care should address universally applicable indicators of youth-friendly care and may benefit from additional questions that are specific to the local health setting.
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Objective: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) developed Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) for use with ICD-9-CM data. Many countries have adopted ICD-10 for coding hospital diagnoses. We conducted this study to develop an internationally harmonized ICD-10 coding algorithm for the AHRQ PSIs. Methods: The AHRQ PSI Version 2.1 has been translated into ICD-10-AM (Australian Modification), and PSI Version 3.0a has been independently translated into ICD-10-GM (German Modification). We converted these two country-specific coding algorithms into ICD-10-WHO (World Health Organization version) and combined them to form one master list. Members of an international expert panel-including physicians, professional medical coders, disease classification specialists, health services researchers, epidemiologists, and users of the PSI-independently evaluated this master list and rated each code as either "include," "exclude," or "uncertain," following the AHRQ PSI definitions. After summarizing the independent rating results, we held a face-to-face meeting to discuss codes for which there was no unanimous consensus and newly proposed codes. A modified Delphi method was employed to generate a final ICD-10 WHO coding list. Results: Of 20 PSIs, 15 that were based mainly on diagnosis codes were selected for translation. At the meeting, panelists discussed 794 codes for which consensus had not been achieved and 2,541 additional codes that were proposed by individual panelists for consideration prior to the meeting. Three documents were generated: a PSI ICD-10-WHO version-coding list, a list of issues for consideration on certain AHRQ PSIs and ICD-9-CM codes, and a recommendation to WHO to improve specification of some disease classifications. Conclusion: An ICD-10-WHO PSI coding list has been developed and structured in a manner similar to the AHRQ manual. Although face validity of the list has been ensured through a rigorous expert panel assessment, its true validity and applicability should be assessed internationally.