SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “interpretive description”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,063 records · Page 59Linked to original sources

PubMed1998

Morphological study of adult male worms of Schistosoma mansoni Sambon, 1907 by confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Aiming to detail data obtained through brightfield microscopy (BM) on reproductive, excretory and digestive system, specimens of Schistosoma mansoni eight weeks old, were recovered from SW mice, stained with Langeron's carmine and analyzed under a confocal laser scanning microscope CLSM 410 (Carl Zeiss). The reproductive system presented a single and lobate testis, with intercommunications between the lobes without efferent duct. Supernumerary testicular lobe was amorphous and isolated from the normal ones. Collecting tubules (excretory ducts), followed by the excretory bladder, opening to the external media through the excretory pore, were observed at the posterior extremity of the body. In the digestive tract, a cecal swelling was noted at the junction that originates the single cecum. It was concluded that through confocal laser scanning microscopy, new interpretations of morphological structures of S. mansoni worms could be achieved, modifying adopted and current descriptions. The gonad consists of a single lobed testis, similar to that observed in some trematode species. Moreover, the same specimens can be observed either by BM or CLSM, considering that the latter causes only focal and limited damage in tissue structures.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Revival of Dobell's "chromidia" hypothesis: chromatin bodies in the amoebomastigote Paratetramitus jugosus.

Multiple fission of a mature Paratetramitus jugosus (approx. 10 micrometers long) resulted in the production of many small, roughly spherical (2-7 micrometers in diameter) amoebae. Our observation of live material and examination of over two hundred micrographs lead us to suggest that DNA-containing membrane-bounded chromatin bodies bud amitotically from the nucleus. DAPI-stained bodies of these were observed in the cytoplasm of amoebae, mastigotes, and cysts, and at least some of these chromatin bodies seemed to be released into the medium. This interpretation revives for P. jugosus the "chromatin hypothesis" of Dobell. Our data, consistent with the descriptions of Dobell, Hogue, and Wherry, indicate that encysting amoebae may reproduce by chromidia. Dobell's original chromidia concept was limited to amoebae. Others claimed for it far-reaching consequences: "chromidia" were touted as an explanation for embryogenesis and histogenesis of metazoa. Although there is no evidence for chromidia in animals, outright rejection of Dobell's chromidia hypothesis sensu stricto as an amitotic multiple fission process in amoebae is unjustified.

Amoeba↗

PubMed1975

Perceptions of emotionally disturbed male adolescents on the Thematic Apperception Test.

20 boys aged 13 to 16 yr. and in classrooms for educationally handicapped students were studied by the TAT for adaptive functioning. Scored for pAggression, pDominance, nAggression, nAchievement, and nAutonomy, responses indicated that interactions between these disturbed adolescents and their environment were most likely to involve aggression and dominance and least apt to deal with achievement. Although IQs for all boys were average or above (M: 106), typical responses to the pictures were descriptive rather than development of a complete story. Difficulty in the expression of prediction and interpretation of personal experience was indicated.

Achievement↗

PubMed2003

Transthoracic sonography of the lung and pleura in view of a suspected pulmonary embolism: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of transthoracic sonography of the lung in view of an acute suspicion of pulmonary embolism. METHODS: The diagnosis of pulmonary embolism was made within 48 hours of admission with the use of a validated strategy that combined a lung scan, lower limb sonography, helical computed tomography, and pulmonary angiography in 74 consecutive patients. All patients had a 3-month follow-up. Transthoracic sonography of the lung and pleura was performed in a blinded fashion by investigators unaware of the diagnostic process. It was interpreted as suggestive or not suggestive of pulmonary embolism on the basis of previously published descriptions. The results were kept apart from the patient files until the end of the study. RESULTS: Pulmonary embolism was confirmed in 31 (42%) of the 74 patients. None of the patients classified as pulmonary embolism-negative had a thromboembolic event during the 3-month follow-up. The diagnostic performance of transthoracic sonography was as follows: sensitivity, 71% (95% confidence interval, 52%-85%); specificity, 77% (95% confidence interval, 61%-88%); positive predictive value, 69% (95% confidence interval, 50%-83%); and negative predictive value, 79% (95% confidence interval, 63%-89%). The finding of an isolated pleural infarction was significantly more frequent in pulmonary embolism-positive patients compared with pulmonary embolism-negative patients (P = .0001). CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study suggest that transthoracic sonography of the lung does not fulfill satisfactory performance criteria in view of a clinical suspicion of pulmonary embolism.

Aged↗

PubMed1999

Probability description of ligand-receptor interactions. Evaluation of reliability of events with small and supersmall doses. I. Kinetics of ligand-receptor interactions.

We have developed mathematical methods for describing ligand-receptor interactions (LRI) using Markov chains. Under some conditions, the mean value of ligand-receptor complexes obtained using Markov chains coincides with that obtained from the law of mass action. Using the calculated ratio of standard deviation to mean number of ligand-receptor complexes, we show that with small concentrations of ligand-receptor complexes LRI must be described using probability methods. Using data from the literature, we show that LRI description using the mass-action law under these conditions can cause significant errors in interpretation of experimental data.

Binding Sites↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Conceptual milestones in the history of protein-energy malnutrition].

Although the biblical horsemen of hunger, plague and war have proverbially ridden together, the consequences of these adversities, i.e. malnutrition and death, may have been secularly interpreted as natural as life itself. This may be the reason why the first clinical description of what is now known as protein-energy malnutrition, did not appear until the 19th century, in 1865 to be precise. The limited dissemination of this finding, originally written in Spanish, brought about a rediscovery and successful description of the disease in English in 1933. In 1949, one year after their creation, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) decided to unify their diagnostic criteria of malnutrition, and endorse further research. The present assay describes some of the major conceptual landmarks in the history of the scientific knowledge of this disease.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

New methods and techniques in anthropology.

Since the discovery of the Tyrolean Iceman in 1991, advanced imaging and post-processing techniques have been successfully applied to anthropological research. Among the specific techniques are spiral computed tomography and 3-dimensional reconstructions, which include stereolithographic and fused deposition modeling of volume data sets. The Iceman's skull was the first to be produced using stereolithography; subsequently, it has been successfully applied in preoperative planning. With the advent of high-end performance graphics workstations and biomedical image processing software packages, 3-dimensional reconstructions have become established as routine tools for analyzing volume data sets. These techniques enabled dramatically new insights to be gained in the field of physical anthropology. Computed tomography became the ideal research tool to access the internal structures of various precious fossils without even touching--let alone damaging--them. Among the most precious are specimens from the genus Australopithecus (1.8 Myr-3.5 Myr), as well as representatives of Homo heidelbergensis (200 kyr-600 kyr) and Homo neanderthalensis (40 kyr-100 kyr); such fossils have been CT-scanned during the last five years. The fossils often are filled with a stone matrix or other encrustations. During the post-processing routines, highly advanced algorithms were used to remove these encrustations virtually (the concrete fossils remain untouched). Thus it has been possible to visualize the morphological structures that are hidden by the matrix layer. Some specimens have been partially destroyed, but it has been possible for the missing parts were reconstructed on the computer screen in order to get estimations of brain volume and endocranial morphology, both major fields of interest in physical anthropology. Moreover, the data in computerized form allows new descriptions of morphological structures using geometric morphometrics. Some of the results may change aspects and interpretations in human evolution and approaches to long-standing questions in this field. We subsume the introduction of these new imaging and post-processing techniques into a new field of research: Virtual Anthropology.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Aesthetic clasp design for removable partial dentures: a literature review.

Removable partial dentures (RPD) are an effective and affordable treatment option for partial edentulism. If the main reason for seeking treatment is the need for improved aesthetics, treatment should be geared towards achieving this goal. This article is the result of a literature study on aesthetic clasp design for the conventional RPD. In this context, the position of the clasp on the tooth, clasp types, clasp material and alternative methods of retention are reviewed. Although published in reputable journals, the authors report that many articles published on this subject are of a descriptive nature and lack scientific evidence. Therefore, clinicians are encouraged to be critical in their interpretation of literature and the application of published information in their clinical practices.

Dental Clasps↗

PubMed2005

[Transesophageal and transthoracic ultrasound study of coronary arteries in diagnosis of atherosclerosis and assessment of coronary reserve].

The lecture deals with methodological aspects and diagnostic potential of the use of novel ultrasound technologies -- transesophageal and transthoracic doppler ultrasonography of coronary arteries for noninvasive assessment of coronary blood flow and coronary reserve. It contains detailed description of technique of visualization of coronary arteries from transesophageal and from transthoracic approaches and interpretation of dopplero-graphic parameters of laminar and turbulent coronary flows. Diagnostic role of the use of contrast echo imaging of coronary arteries is also discussed and dopplero-graphic criteria of occlusion and hemodynamically significant coronary artery stenosis as well as characteristics of normal and lowered coronary reserve are presented.

Coronary Artery Disease↗

PubMed2006

18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography for post-treatment evaluation of malignant lymphoma: a systematic review.

Despite the increasing number of publications concerning 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) for post-treatment evaluation of lymphoma and the increasing availability of this novel diagnostic modality, its exact role in response assessment after therapy is still unknown. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature regarding the diagnostic performance of dedicated FDG-PET in evaluation of first-line therapy of Hodgkin's disease and (aggressive) non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and to calculate summary estimates of its sensitivity and specificity. The databases of PubMed and Embase were searched for relevant studies up to January 2004. Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality of each study. As a valid reference test, histology or follow-up of at least 12 months were accepted. A meta-analysis of the reported sensitivity and specificity of each study was performed. Fifteen studies, involving 705 patients, met the inclusion criteria. The studies had several design deficiencies. The majority of studies did not describe whether the reference test was interpreted without knowledge of the FDG-PET findings. In all studies, there was a description of the spectrum of patients included, i.e. all patients for post-treatment evaluation or only patients with substantial residual masses post-treatment. Pooled sensitivity and specificity for detection of residual disease in Hodgkin's lymphoma were 84% (95% CI 71-9192%) and 90% (95% CI 84-9394%), respectively. For non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, pooled sensitivity and specificity were 72% (95% CI 61-82%), and 100% (95% CI 97-100%), respectively. FDG-PET showed reasonable sensitivity and high specificity for evaluation of first-line therapy in Hodgkin's and in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Standardization of procedures is required before implementation in clinical practice.

Fluorodeoxyglucose F18↗

PubMed1989

Aberrant course of the anterior interventricular part of the great cardiac vein in the human heart.

A rarely encountered aberrant course of the great cardiac vein was found during exploration of 250 human heart specimens in 1984 to 1987. Originating in the distal anterior interventricular groove, it leaves the sulcus to the right, passes the arterial conus, and crosses the right atrioventricular groove, and empties, together with the anterior cardiac veins, into the right atrium. So the great cardiac vein is not a tributary of the coronary sinus. This atypical variant can be explained phylogenetically as the result of an unusual development of the anterior cardiac vein system. Comparative anatomy demonstrates some birds and some mammalia showing large anterior cardiac veins and anterior conus veins, which drain the right lateral and anterior wall of the heart and empty into the right atrium or the superior vena cava. Our specimen may be interpreted as a remnant and as an enlarged conus vein. There is no known previous description of such a variation.

Aged↗

PubMed1987

[Possibilities and limits of determining central motor conduction latencies in the human].

It was the aim of the present study to define the normal range of latencies to muscle compound action potentials of different muscles in the upper and lower extremity elicited by transcranial cortex stimulation (see Tab. 1). It was demonstrated that parameters, such as voluntary background innervation (see Fig. 1) and stimulation strength (see Fig. 2) have great influence on both the latencies and the amplitudes of these responses (see Figs. 3 and 4). Thus, as a prerequisite for an interpretation of latencies to cortically evoked responses as being normal or abnormal is a detailed description of the conditions under which the responses have been obtained. Additionally the individual conduction distances along the central and peripheral motor pathways have to be taken into account (see Fig. 5). Furthermore it is shown that the combination of cortex stimulation and stimulation on spinal level with the aim of a fractionated determination of central motor conduction velocities suffers from several limitations. The main limitation arises from the observation that the excited parts of the motor system are non-congruent (see Fig. 6). Isolated high-cervical tract stimulation exciting motoneurones of the upper extremity frequently could not be performed since the excitation threshold of the motor roots is much lower than that of the descending motor tracts (see Fig. 6 and 7).

Body Height↗

PubMed1979

[Possibilities of the clinical comparison of diseases with a hereditary burden in the descendant generation using the model of "parents-children" ill with schizophrenia].

A special statistic method of confrontation of diseases with aggravation hereditary in the group "parents - children" is proposed. This method can be used under clinical formalization of the diseases. It is shown on a model group parents - children (118 pairs) suffering with schizophrenia, that statistical confrontation makes possible to work out group and individual prognoses in the descending generation. It is found that invariability in the descending generation is provided by a small number of stable indices, other symptoms being variable. Statistic description of the disease symptoms in the descending generation is of interest for planning genetic interpretation.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

[Use of radionuclide isotopes by cardiologists. Results of a French survey. Study group: "Nuclear Cardiology" of the French Society of Cardiology and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Biophysics].

The authors report the results of an enquiry carried out amongst French cardiologists to determine their opinion about radionuclide investigations in cardiological practice. Of the 5,050 cardiologists contacted, 1,431 (28.3%) replied. The cardiologists were attracted by the non-invasive nature (84%) of radionuclide techniques and their complementarity with other methods of investigation (74%) but regretted their cost (55%), their lick of availability in emergencies (35%) and, in general, their difficult of access (30%). Only 38% of the cardiologists who replied used radionuclide investigation on an everyday basis, this being impossible for some because of the distance to the nearest centre with these facilities (on average 32 km but exceeding 50 km in 29% of cases, and the delay before obtaining an appointment (average 13 days) which was often excessive, especially for myocardial scintigraphy (thallium or equivalent). Each cardiologist prescribed an average of 5 myocardial scintigraphies, 3 pulmonary scintigraphies and 2 radioisotopic ventriculography per month. These results seem to be an overestimation; in fact, radionuclide investigations are relatively underemployed, probably more because of the factors cited above than because of lack interest or quality, these latter two points being generally judged positively by the majority of cardiologists. Cardiologists require more from the conclusions of the investigation than a simple description of the images obtained. As with all other investigations that they perform themselves, the interpretation of the results must take the clinical context into consideration and form part of the diagnostic and therapeutic management of the patient.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cardiology↗

PubMed1978

Murine Ia antigens: identification and mapping of Ia.23 and further definition of the I-E subregion.

The Ia.23 specificity is a private specificity of the H-2d haplotype which we have assigned to the I-E subregion. It is found on the same Ia molecule that bears Ia.7, a public specificity previously assigned to the I-C subregion of haplotypes H-2d, H-2k, H-2p and H-2r. We suggest a reassignment of specificity Ia.7 to the I-E subregion to simplify the interpretation of the data presented in this paper and elsewhere, and to permit an orderly description of that part of the I region to the right of I-J.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Using a meta-model to build a connection service in an object oriented medical application development environment.

Interoperability is a key issue in distributed health information systems. This paper presents the design and implementation of the Connection Service (CS) component of the HELIOS medical software engineering environment. An exchange message meta-model based on CEN TC251 recommendations and a message description language are proposed. Using this meta-model, the CS is able either to interpret messages expressed in a given syntax (e.g., EDIFACT, ASTM) and map them to the application objects or to automate the translation of the messages in another syntax. It is concluded that this meta-model approach contributes to the management of semantic heterogeneity.

Computer Communication Networks↗

PubMed1993

[New diagnostic possibilities in roentgen diagnosis of thoracic diseases].

New feasibilities of procedure for the assessment of chest X-rays. Chest X-rays of 2800 patients were performed in order to establish a standardized procedure of optimized findings for chest X-ray evaluation. The out and in-patients consisted of men and women ranging from 17 to 89 years of age, and they suffered from diseases of all thoracic organs, from traumata, postoperative situations, and they had implantations. All visual comprehensive abnormalities observed on the X-rays were registered without any interpretation. These detail findings were gradually more and more classified and respectively sublimated to a descriptive minimum. In this way 22 detail findings of description and their differentiations as well as characterizations could be determined which were localized in 6 regions of descriptions. For the first time the region of description foreign objects was created. In consideration of pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical data the diagnosis of diseases of the chest can be found out, and even as an objective and suitable way for data-processing. Particularly control examinations and interindividual comparisons of findings can be evaluated without any doubt.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Oxygen-deficient perovskites: linking structure, energetics and ion transport.

The present review focuses on links between structure, energetics and ion transport in oxygen-deficient perovskite oxides, ABO(3-delta). The perfect long-range order, convenient for interpretations of the structure and properties of ordered materials, is evidently not present in disordered materials and highly defective perovskite oxides are spatially inhomogeneous on an intermediate length scale. Although this makes a fundamental description of these and other disordered materials very difficult, it is becoming increasingly clear that this complexity is often essential for the functional properties. In the present review we advocate a potential energy barrier description of the disordered state in which the possible local (or inherent) structures are seen to correspond to separate local minima on the potential energy surface. We interpret the average structure observed experimentally at any temperature as a time and spatial average of the different local structures which are energetically accessible. The local structure is largely affected by preferences for certain polyhedron coordinations and the oxidation state stability of the transition metals, and the strong long-range electrostatic interactions present in non-stoichiometric oxides imply that only a small fraction of the local energy minima on the potential energy surface are accessible at most temperatures. We will show that models neglecting the spatial inhomogeneity and thus the local structure serve as useful empirical tools for particular purposes, e.g. for understanding the main features of the complex redox properties that are so crucial for many applications of these oxides. The short-range order is on the other hand central for understanding ionic transport. Oxide ion transport involves the transformation of one energetically accessible local structure into another. Thus, strongly correlated transport mechanisms are expected; in addition to the movement of the oxygen ions giving rise to the transport, other ions are involved and even the A and B atoms move appreciably in a cooperative fashion along the transition path. Such strongly correlated or collective ionic migration mechanisms should be considered for fast oxide ion conductors in general and in particular for systems forming superstructures at low temperatures. Structural criteria for fast ion conduction are discussed. A high density of low-lying local energy minima is certainly a prerequisite and for perovskite-related A(2)B(2)O(5) oxides, those containing B atoms that have energetic preference for tetrahedral coordination geometry are especially promising.

Calcium Compounds↗