BACKGROUND Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) has recently become available for assessment of liver fibrosis. We aimed to develop a prediction model for liver fibrosis using clinical variables, including LSM. METHODS We performed a prospective study to compare liver fibrosis grade with fibrosis score. LSM was measured using magnetic resonance elastography in 184 patients that underwent liver r...

Purpose: Given the high prevalence of varus malalignment of the knee and the consequences of walking on different surfaces on this malalignment, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of walking inclination on knee angle in the frontal plane of patients with varus malalignment. Methods: 18 male subjects with varus malalignment classified at grade 3 bowleg, within the a...

We investigated the impact of pathologic differentiation (well or poorly differentiated) in metastatic grade 3 GEP-NEC patients receiving etoposide and platinum (EP)-based therapy, and evaluated a more exact Ki67 index cut-off point to select patients with grade 3 GEP-NEC who might benefit from EP-based therapy. A total of 31 patients with metastatic grade 3 GEP-NECs receiving EP-based therapy ...

A single-agent dose-escalating Phase I and pharmacological study of the polyamine synthesis inhibitor SAM 486A was performed. A dosing regimen of four weekly infusions followed by 2 weeks off therapy was studied. Fifty patients were entered into the study. Dose levels studied were 1.25, 2.5, 5, 8, 16, 32, 48, 70, 110, 170, 270, and 325 mg/m/week. Pharmacokinetic sampling was done on day 1, and ...

Although dystonia represents a major source of motor disability in Huntington's disease (HD), its pathophysiology remains unknown. Because recent animal studies indicate that loss of parvalbuminergic (PARV+) striatal interneurons can cause dystonia, we investigated if loss of PARV+ striatal interneurons occurs during human HD progression, and thus might contribute to dystonia in HD. We used imm...

Malignant gliomas are the most frequent primary brain tumors in adults. Temozolomide is an oral alkylating cytotoxic agent of second generation, used in the treatment of high-grade gliomas. It is indicated in newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiform as well as in recurrent or progressive malignant gliomas, such as glioblastoma multiform or anaplastic astrocytoma. However, temozolomide is also use...

the main objective of this article is to optimize the walking pattern of a 2d humanoid robot with heel-off and toe-off motions in order to minimize the energy consumption and maximize the stability margin. to this end, at first, a gait planning method is introduced based on the ankle and hip joint position trajectories. then, using these trajectories and the inverse kinematics, the position tra...

BACKGROUND School-based screening and prevention programs for adiposity generally target school children in grades 4 and 6 (age 9-11 years). The aims of this study were to evaluate the validity of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) in identifying abdominal adiposity in fifth-grade Japanese school children and to determine optimal cut-off values for...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a major concern during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Daily cranial ultrasonography has been used by many ECMO centers as a diagnostic tool for both detecting and following ICH while infants are on bypass. The purpose of this patient review was to look at the usefulness of performing daily cranial ultrasonography (HUS) in infants ...