32 research outputs found
Biochemistry of scatchard-plot : advantages of the competition on hormonal receptor assay
No full text
Effects of low blood alcohol concentration on visual exploration
No full textIntroduction: Visual function is highly influenced by alcohol consumption in many different ways spanning from visual field to stereoscopic vision. In a previous study we investigated the effects of low alcohol concentrations on visual search function using an automatic and non-invasive tool (Tobii 1750). The aim of the present study was to investigate visual ability by a Slide Show task in an “ecological environment”. In the same time attentive function, concentration and memory were explored. These are cognitive and psychomotor functions high related to drive ability.
Materials and Methods: Twenty-four healthy volunteers, aged 18-65 years, were recruited. A single dose of alcohol (0.5 g/Kg) or placebo was administered according to a double-blind, cross-over design. Volunteers received the treatment to which they had randomly been assigned and performed the test 0, 30, 90 and 150 min from drinking the beverage. A Tobii 1750 automatic eye-tracker equipped with a proprietary management software was used. The following measures were considered in this study: “number of point of fixation”, “pupil diameter”, “position of the first fixation point”, “coincidence between the first fixation and the longer duration point”, and “extention of explorated area”. A double task (memory recall of words) was applied in the final part of each session.
Results: in the alcohol group at 30 min (T1) from drinking the alcoholic beverage we observed a reduction of number of points of fixation. Also the extension of visual area explored was limited at T1, with an increase of coincidence between the prolonged observation point and the area with greatest visual impact. Even the coincidence between time of first fixation and point of longer fixation was greater under the influence of alcohol. At 150 min (T3) from drinking the alcoholic beverage we observed a tendency to direct gaze in the central part of the visual field, particularly this happened for the first fixation point. Furthermore, at 150 min we registered a more pronounced miosis in the alcohol group, in according to our previous study.
Conclusions and Discussion: Results confirm that low alcohol levels impair some visual functions; this occurs in absorption phase and in elimination phase of alcohol metabolism. In particular, versus control group, alcohol causes a visual pattern characterized by reduced search ability, static gaze with a clear accommodative effort in last phase. These effects are more evident when the subject is required to perform an adjunctive task with partial distraction of attention from elaborative and cognitive resources. This is a kind of situation quite normal during driving
EFFICIENCY OF HUMAN OOCYTE SLOW FREEZING: RESULTS FROM FIVE ASSISTED REPRODUCTION CENTRES
No full textIt has been demonstrated previously that freezing oocytes within 2 h of retrieval increases the efficiency of cryopreservation via a slow-freezing/rapid-thawing protocol with 0.3 mol/l sucrose (SF/RT 0.3). The aim of this multicentre survey was to verify this observation on a larger scale. This was a retrospective study on the clinical outcome of 510 SF/RT 0.3 cycles divided into two groups: group A, freezing oocytes within 2 h of retrieval; group B, freezing oocytes more than 2 h after retrieval. The rate of best-quality embryos was significantly higher (33.24%) in group A than in group B (16.20%, P < 0.001). Pregnancy and implantation rates were 30.07% and 15.08% in group A versus 8.97% and 4.57% in group B (P < 0.001). Clinical pregnancy rates per thawed and per injected oocyte in group A were 5.53% and 10.41%, versus 1.46% and 2.77% in group B (P < 0.001). The overall yield from oocytes cryopreserved within 2 h of retrieval (group A) was 6.49 implantations per 100 oocytes thawed versus 1.74 for group B (P < 0.001). Embryo quality, pregnancy and implantation rates, and clinical efficiency of thawing cycles were all significantly improved when cryopreservation was carried out within 2 h of oocyte retrieval
La sindrome eclamptica
No full textGli AA analizzano le patologie più frequentemente osservate ed ii risultati clinici ottenuti nei primi 5 anni di attività del Centro di Rianimazione di Padova (1969-1974) che coincidono con la nascita ed i primi sviluppi della nostra Disciplina in Italia
What are the most suitable fetoplacental tests in the monitoring of the third trimester of pregnancy?
No full text( N031596 - E091840, ISSN 0392-9507
