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[Dietary management of phenylketonuria patients using a personal computer].

The communication between the responsible physician and the family of the phenylketonuric patient requires an extended period of time in the treatment centre. Computer software was developed for the centre to ensure individual treatment of all patients according to the dietary recommendations. The program is additionally able to document all clinical data and to handle the correspondence with the family of the patient.

Female↗

The Healthcare Administrator's Associate: an experiment in distributed healthcare information systems.

The Healthcare Administrator's Associate is a collection of portable tools designed to support analysis of data retrieved via the Internet from diverse distributed healthcare information systems by means of the InfoSleuth system of distributed software agents. Development of these tools is part of an effort to enhance access to diverse and geographically distributed healthcare data in order to improve the basis upon which administrative and clinical decisions are made.

Computer Communication Networks↗

[Development and evaluation of an educational software for pediatric nursing education].

Computer Science is being introduced in education at an accelerated pace, thus forcing educators and students to become familiarized with such technology. This study aimed at the development and evaluation of the educational software "Children and medication". The program utilizes multimedia resources in four topics: the child, medication, the person who administers and administration of medication. The evaluation showed a large acceptance of the program, with most of the items being rated as excellent. We emphasize the importance of the development of teaching strategies utilizing computer resources in nursing education and in the development of nurses for the new millenium.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗

Development of an automated human sperm quality system.

A computer-automated system, including hardware and software components, is developed for objective assessment of human sperm density and other characteristics, including morphological abnormalities and motility. The hardware component essentially consists of an IBM AT, a relatively low-cost image processing board and other inexpensive commercially available instruments. On the other hand, the software component is developed through the incorporation of image analysis, pattern recognition and modelling techniques with the knowledge of human reproduction from the available literature. The whole system is expected to produce a practical and cost-effective means for the routine assessment of human semen quality.

Computer Systems↗

[Basic and clinical aspects of modern perimetry].

Clinical perimetry has made a remarkable advance in the last 40 years and many new automated perimeters and sophisticated techniques are now available. We developed a Central Field Screener, O-II, an automated perimeter, ATS-85, and a central critical fusion frequency (CFF)-meter. First, reappraisal of the clinical significance of manual kinetic perimetry was made in comparison with automated light threshold perimetry in the diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa and chiasmal tumors. We concluded that manual kinetic perimetry was the basis of clinical perimetry and superior to automated static light threshold perimetry in some cases. Secondly, automated static flicker perimetry was performed with Octopus 1-2-3 and a software package developed by us. We found that automated static flicker perimetry was far superior to automated static light threshold perimetry in the detection of early changes of glaucomatous field defects, especially in cases of immature senile cataract. We also confirmed that measurement of CFF was essential in the diagnosis of optic neuritis and diseases of chiasmal syndrome. Dissociation of central vision and central CFF was observed in many cases of optic neuritis and inverse dissociation of central vision and central CFF was seen in some cases of Leber's disease.

Adult↗

Hollow-fiber assay for ligand-mediated cell adhesion.

BACKGROUND: The investigation of receptor-ligand interactions in the cellular context presents significant technical challenges, first, to immobilize the ligand in a manner that preserves functional properties and, second, to relate ligand properties to cell adhesion and other cellular processes. METHODS: Ligand-mediated cell adhesion was characterized by the development of a cellulose hollow-fiber adhesion assay in which ligand (protein A) was immobilized onto the cellulose membrane as a recombinant fusion protein containing a cellulose-binding domain affinity tag. Modules containing single cellulose hollow fibers were connected to a micro-flow system for cell deposition and detachment with fluid shear stress. The cell adhesion process that occurred inside a segment of hollow fiber was observed in real time by using an inverted microscope equipped with a CCD camera and digital frame grabber. Image analysis software was developed to count cells and record digital images. RESULTS: Cell adhesion strength was characterized by counting the number of cells that were detached by application of fluid shear stress with values that ranged from 2.3 to 185 dyne/cm2. The median shear stress of detachment of KG1a cells was directly related to the duration of membrane contact and the amount of immobilized monoclonal antibody (anti-CD34). CONCLUSIONS: The hollow-fiber assay provides a general method to determine functional properties of molecular domains that interact with cell surface receptors and markers.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

[Transparency in patient care -- survey of bedsores on communal level to promote quality assurance].

The medical diagnosis of bedsores often applies to open wounds. These wounds are caused by constant pressure to the skin of seniors who cannot change their position in bed or wheelchair without help. In severe cases these wounds extend through all layers of the skin with involvement of muscle and underlying bone. These ulcers can be very painful, so the mobility and quality of life of seniors is thoroughly reduced. Treatment of ulcers costs annually millions of Euro in Germany alone. Primary prevention of bedsores has not yet been established neither in Germany nor in Europe. The first step to improve the situation in a scientific manner has been to set up a comparable database. In order to change that, the German community of Ostalbkreis (part of the German Federal state of Baden-Wurttemberg) developed a process of nursing quality assurance as a project of the local agenda 21, initiated and supported by the health office of the community. Annual networked and anonymous survey from 2001 to 2003, each lasting three months every year, proved that the rate of non stratified prevalence could be reduced. For example the rate of all day spent with bedsores within the community could be reduced from 1.96 % in 2001, to 1.74 % in 2002 and finally to 1.62 % in 2003. During the survey as an additional bonus cooperation of community-organized nursing was optimised and quality assurance in nursing became a pole position of the community. During the QM-process a software was developed to process the survey: it is internet-based, published in the nursing-guide of Ostalbkreis, easy to manage and to establish in any nursing institution or community.

Aged↗

An automated device for the preparation of complex reagent mixtures. The immunofluorescence tomograph.

A microcomputer-controlled device was built that automatically prepares small volumes of mixtures of up to eight reagents. The operation of the system is fast, flexible, and reliable, thus making possible the routine use of experimental protocols that require large numbers of small volume reagent samples, each having a different composition. In particular, the software we developed for this device handles the preparation of three-antibody staining solutions to be used in triple labeling immunofluorescent flow cytometry experiments that involve only two fluorochromes. In this role, the device is known as an "Immunofluorescence Tomograph."

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

BeetleBase: the model organism database for Tribolium castaneum.

BeetleBase (http://www.bioinformatics.ksu.edu/BeetleBase/) is an integrated resource for the Tribolium research community. The red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) is an important model organism for genetics, developmental biology, toxicology and comparative genomics, the genome of which has recently been sequenced. BeetleBase is constructed to integrate the genomic sequence data with information about genes, mutants, genetic markers, expressed sequence tags and publications. BeetleBase uses the Chado data model and software components developed by the Generic Model Organism Database (GMOD) project. This strategy not only reduces the time required to develop the database query tools but also makes the data structure of BeetleBase compatible with that of other model organism databases. BeetleBase will be useful to the Tribolium research community for genome annotation as well as comparative genomics.

Animals↗

REFERENCE UPDATE and REFERENCE MANAGER: personal computer programs for locating and managing references.

REFERENCE UPDATE (a trademark of Research Information Systems, Inc.) is a diskette-based service which provides subscribers with a weekly update on the latest publications in biology and medicine. REFERENCE MANAGER (a registered trademark of Research Information Systems, Inc.) is a microcomputer-based software package developed to manage selected references for quick retrieval and bibliography generation. These two systems allow scientists to build and update a personalized data base of references. The following article gives an overview of REFERENCE UPDATE and REFERENCE MANAGER and provides a description of the various functions each system offers.

Bibliographies as Topic↗

[Preprocessing programs of CT images for three-dimensional reconstruction].

Up to now three-dimensional reconstructions in computed tomography have been applied mainly to the skeleton. This limitation is due to technical difficulties when dealing with images of the soft tissues. In order to overcome these limitations three new softwares were developed, thus enabling the operator to pre-elaborate and modify the axial CT images. The first program allows the operator to isolate the lesion and/or the anatomical structures of interest from the surrounding areas. The second program eliminates the areas of isodensity with the lesion it is obtained by means of a trackball. The third program enables the operator to write the modified axial images on the original file. The lesion and/or the structures of interest can thus be processed more easily by the 3D reconstructive program. The new softwares have been applied to 3D reconstructions of brain lesions, and two significant cases are presented. Furthermore, since the new softwares can enhance the quality of 3D images of the skeleton, the programs were also tested in cases of acetabular traumas.

Acetabulum↗

[Homology and evolution of gene order: a simple method for testing a hypothesis on the nature of this evolution].

A method of testing various hypotheses concerning the mechanisms of evolution of gene order is suggested. Estimating the possibility of constructing an evolutionary tree that reflects the observed similarity between gene orders studied is proposed, provided that the distances between gene orders correspond to estimations obtained on the basis of the hypothesis tested. The required IBM PC software was developed. It was found that gene orders of the mouse, rabbit, cow, cat, lemur, capuchin monkey, rhesus monkey, gorilla, chimpanzee, and man could be readily interpreted in terms of the simplest ("map") model of transformation of these orders.

Animals↗

Application of a unique server-based oligonucleotide probe selection tool toward a novel biosensor for the detection of Streptococcus pyogenes.

We developed a software program for the rapid selection of detection probes to be used in nucleic acid-based assays. In comparison to commercially available software packages, our program allows the addition of oligotags as required by nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) as well as automatic BLAST searches for all probe/primer pairs. We then demonstrated the usefulness of the program by designing a novel lateral flow biosensor for Streptococcus pyogenes that does not rely on amplification methods such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or NASBA to obtain low limits of detection, but instead uses multiple reporter and capture probes per target sequence and an instantaneous amplification via dye-encapsulating liposomes. These assays will decrease the detection time to just a 20 min hybridization reaction and avoid costly enzymatic gene amplification reactions. The lateral flow assay was developed quantifying the 16S rRNA from S. pyogenes by designing reporter and capture probes that specifically hybridize with the RNA and form a sandwich. DNA reporter probes were tagged with dye-encapsulating liposomes, biotinylated DNA oligonucleotides were used as capture probes. From the initial number of capture and reporter probes chosen, a combination of two capture and three reporter probes were found to provide optimal signal generation and significant enhancement over single capture/reporter probe combinations. The selectivity of the biosensor was proven by analyzing organisms closely related to S. pyogenes, such as other Streptococcus and Enterococcus species. All probes had been selected by the software program within minutes and no iterative optimization and re-design of the oligonucleotides was required which enabled a very rapid biosensor prototyping. While the sensitivity obtained with the biosensor was only 135 ng, future experiments will decrease this significantly by the addition of more reporter and capture probes for either the same rRNA or a different nucleic acid target molecule. This will lead to the possibility of detecting S. pyogenes with a rugged assay that does not require a cell culturing or gene amplification step and will therefore enable rapid, specific and sensitive onsite testing.

Biosensing Techniques↗

Macular segmentation with optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE: To develop a software algorithm to perform automated segmentation of retinal layer structures on linear macular optical coherence tomography (StratusOCT; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, CA) scan images and to test its performance in discriminating normal from glaucomatous eyes in comparison with conventional circumpapillary nerve fiber layer (cpNFL) thickness measurement. METHODS: Four layer structures within the retina were defined: the macular nerve fiber layer (mNFL), the inner retinal complex (IRC; retinal ganglion cell [RGC] layer + inner plexiform and nuclear layers), outer plexiform layer (OPL), and outer retinal complex (ORC; outer nuclear layer + photoreceptor layer). Normal and glaucomatous eyes underwent fast macular map and fast NFL OCT scans. Linear macular images were analyzed using the developed algorithm, and the results were compared with the cpNFL thickness measurement. RESULTS: Forty-seven subjects (23 normal and 24 with glaucoma) were analyzed. mNFL, cpNFL, IRC, and the total retinal thicknesses were significantly greater in normal than in glaucomatous eyes (P < or = 0.0002; Wilcoxon), whereas OPL thickness did not show a significant difference (P = 0.46). ORC thickness was significantly greater in glaucomatous than normal eyes (P = 0.035). Areas under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AROCs) for discriminating normal from glaucomatous eyes were highest with mNFL + IRC (0.97) and lowest with OPL (0.56). AROCs for OPL and ORC were significantly smaller than those for mNFL, IRC, mNFL+IRC, and cpNFL (P < or = 0.01). AROCs for IRC, mNFL + IRC, and cpNFL were significantly larger than for retinal thickness (P < or = 0.049). Among the best-performing parameters (mNFL, IRC, mNFL + IRC, and cpNFL) there was no significant difference in AROCs (P > or = 0.15). CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed macular segmentation algorithm described herein demonstrated its ability to quantify objectively the glaucomatous damage to RGCs and NFL and to discriminate between glaucomatous and normal eyes. Further algorithm refinement and improvements in resolution and image quality may yield a more powerful methodology for clinical glaucoma evaluation.

Algorithms↗

Polynomial neural network for linear and non-linear model selection in quantitative-structure activity relationship studies on the internet.

This article presents a self-organising multilayered iterative algorithm that provides linear and non-linear polynomial regression models thus allowing the user to control the number and the power of the terms in the models. The accuracy of the algorithm is compared to the partial least squares (PLS) algorithm using fourteen data sets in quantitative-structure activity relationship studies. The calculated data show that the proposed method is able to select simple models characterized by a high prediction ability and thus provides a considerable interest in quantitative-structure activity relationship studies. The software is developed using client-server protocol (Java and C++ languages) and is available for world-wide users on the Web site of the authors.

Internet↗

Differentiation of normal and disturbed sleep by automatic analysis.

The main purpose of the present study was to develop an automatic hybrid system and evaluate its performance in the differentiation of normal and disturbed sleep. The study was carried out in roughly the following steps: At the beginning the quantity of five EEG waveforms, delta, theta, alpha, sigma and beta were examined with respect to sleep stages and their temporal distributions and inter-relationships throughout the nights in young 20-22 year-old, healthy individuals. These data were used as a basis for the choice of parameters for a sleep stage scoring program. Secondly, the sleep stage scoring software was developed using as test material three subject groups: about 10 years older controls, anonymous alcoholics and chronic alcoholics in the withdrawal phase. The last group was examined on two occasions, first in the initial withdrawal and then after two weeks' abstinence between the recordings. The sleep stage scoring program was evaluated in comparison with a visual sleep stage determination and its performance was also tested on the young normals. Attention was paid to three main points: First, how well does an automatic system imitate the visual classification of a human subject, when both the human and the computer classifications are compared side by side at a 20 s epoch level? Second, even if this comparison did not show a satisfactory agreement, could the computer classification still replace the visual sleep stage scoring when the objective is to describe the neurophysiological characteristics of the human whole-night sleep process or differentiate between normal and disturbed sleep. For this purpose it was examined, whether the values for the sleep stage parameters obtained by visual classification corresponded to those obtained by computer scoring and whether the differences found between the groups by manual methods could also be obtained by computer classification. The third goal was to see whether other measures than parameters received by sleep stage classification could be used for the differentiation between normal and disturbed sleep. In the present work only EEG waveform parameters and body movement activity were studied with this in mind. It was found that sleep can satisfactorily be classified in stages by automatic analysis if it is not markedly disturbed. The percentage agreement obtained for the three groups having practically normal sleep (young normals appr. 80%, older normals 77% and anonymous alcoholics 75%) was satisfactory and sufficient for clinical and experimental work.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adult↗

Redox potential measurement as a rapid method for microbiological testing and its validation for coliform determination.

The redox potential is one of the most complex indicators of the physiological state of microbial cultures and its measurement could be a useful tool for the qualitative and quantitative determination of the microbial contamination. During the bacterial growth, the redox potential of the medium decreases. The shape of the redox potential curve is characteristic on the type of microorganism, and the rate of the change (dE/dt) is proportional to the living cell concentration. Defining the time required to reach a significant change in redox potential as Time to Detection (TTD), similarly to the impedimetric measurements, a strict linear correlation could be established between the TTD and the logarithm of the initial concentration of microorganisms. On the base of this calibration curve, the determination of living cell concentration could be simplified. For the experiments, a computer-controlled multi-channel measuring system and software was developed by the authors. The redox potential measurement method was tested and validated for the determination of coliform bacteria. The results have proved the high efficiency and reliability of the new method.

Area Under Curve↗

A software tool for the graphical visualization of large and complex populations.

Pedigree drawing is an essential tool in genetic and genealogical studies. A genetic analysis of a disease often starts with drawing a pedigree to show the overall population structure, the relationship among individuals, and gene flows from generation to generation. Such a graphical presentation of a pedigree is valuable for understanding the nature of the disease such as inheritance mode and familial trends and of the disease, for tracing the source of a detrimental gene, and for identifying the founders of the population. A genealogy study typically requires a pedigree drawing to show relationships among individuals. However, as the size and complexity of a pedigree increase, drawing a clear pedigree becomes a challenge. Pedigraph has been created to solve this problem. We developed a software tool named Pedigraph capable of creating artistic graphical pedigree drawings of large and complex populations with flexible options for pedigree analysis. Preliminary tests show that this software tool has great potential to be a useful tool for research in breeding, genetics and genomics in plants, animals, and zoo species, as well as a useful tool for studying history and human populations.

Computer Graphics↗