INTRODUCTION This study combined data across four independent cohorts to examine the positive and negative predictive values of an Alzheimer's disease (AD) blood test if implemented in primary care. METHODS Blood samples from 1329 subjects from multiple independent, multiethnic, community-based, and clinic-based cohorts were analyzed. A "locked-down" referent group of 1128 samples was generat...

The objective of this study is to assess the value of postcone endocervical curettage, after conization of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or carcinoma as a predictive tool for residual lesions. This is a retrospective observational study. All data were obtained by the University Hospital of Zurich, Department of Gynaecology. One hundred fifty patients underwent hysterectomy within 12 months...

Many patients with Chagas disease live in remote communities that lack both equipment and trained personnel to perform a diagnosis by conventional serology (CS). Thus, reliable tests suitable for use under difficult conditions are required. In this study, we evaluated the ability of personnel with and without laboratory skills to perform immunochromatographic (IC) tests to detect Chagas disease...

AIM The aim of our study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of Nocturnal Oximetry (NO) as a diagnostic screening tool for obstructive sleep apnoea hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS), compared with polysomnography (PSG) as the gold standard. METHODOLOGY 63 patients with clinical suspicion of OSAHS and exclusion of respiratory disease underwent PSG and NO. We then determined NO sensitivity...

OBJECTIVES To describe the diagnostic value of selective extended cervical mediastinoscopy (ECM) in combination with video-assisted mediastinoscopic lymphadenectomy (VAMLA) in mediastinal staging of potentially resectable left-sided lung carcinoma. METHODS Institutional report on 110 ECM procedures indicated for enlarged lymph nodes within the aorto-pulmonary (AP) zone on computed tomography....

PURPOSE The validity of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for T1 or T2, clinically N0, oral cancer was tested by correlation of sentinel node pathologic status with that of nodes within the completion neck dissection. METHODS This prospective, cooperative group trial involved 25 institutions over a 3-year period. One hundred forty patients with invasive oral cancers, stage T1 and T2, N0 inclu...

BACKGROUND Müllerian anomalies are associated with infertility. Hysteroscopy as the gold standard for evaluating Müllerian anomalies is an invasive, expensive and risky procedure which requires enough experience. Transvaginal sonography (TVS) and hysterosalpingography (HSG) are less invasive procedures, but there is little known about the accuracy of these tests. The aim of this study was to ev...

STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine the test performance characteristics of transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA), transthoracic needle aspiration (TTNA), endoscopic ultrasound-guided needle aspiration (EUS-NA), and mediastinoscopy in staging non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Systematic search of MEDLINE, HealthStar, and Cochrane Library databases to July 2001 ...

In this paper, a novel nonlinear model predictive controller (MPC) is proposed based on an identified nonlinear parameter varying (NPV) model. First, an NPV model scheme is present for process identification, which is featured by its nonlinear hybrid Hammerstein model structure and varying model parameters. The hybrid Hammerstein model combines a normalized static artificial neural network with...

Five different combinations of fluorescent tubes (UV-B/UV-B, UV-B/UV-A, UV-A/ UV-A, UV-B/White, White/White) were used to determine relative effects of UV and visible light on the nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPV) of Helicoverpa zea and Spodoptera exigua. For both viruses, the greatest inactivation occurred with exposure to UV-B radiation. Both virus concentration and radiation exposure time influen...