220,923 research outputs found
Strategic economic policy : Milan, Dublin and Toulouse
No full textThis chapter compares three European cities with well-established and successful creative and/or knowledge based economies - Milan, Dublin and Toulouse. However, each economy has different sectoral strengths and has different associated historical development paths and economic trajectories developed over varying time periods.Not applicabl
Evaluation of atlas-based segmentation of hippocampi in healthy humans
No full textIntroduction and aim: Region of interest (ROI)-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data analysis relies on extracting signals from a specific area which is presumed to be involved in the brain activity being studied. The hippocampus is of interest in many functional connectivity studies for example in epilepsy as it plays an important role in epileptogenesis. In this context, ROI may be defined using different techniques. Our study aims at evaluating the spatial correspondence of hippocampal ROIs obtained using three brain atlases with hippocampal ROI obtained using an automatic segmentation algorithm dedicated to the hippocampus.
Material and methods: High-resolution volumetric T1-weighted MR images of 18 healthy volunteers (five females) were acquired on a 3T scanner. Individual ROIs for both hippocampi of each subject were segmented from the MR images using an automatic hippocampus and amygdala segmentation software called SACHA providing the gold standard ROI for comparison with the atlas-derived results. For each subject, hippocampal ROIs were also obtained using three brain atlases: PickAtlas available as a commonly used software toolbox; automated anatomical labeling (AAL) atlas included as a subset of ROI into PickAtlas toolbox and a frequency-based brain atlas by Hammers et al. The levels of agreement between the SACHA results and those obtained using the atlases were assessed based on quantitative indices measuring volume differences and spatial overlap. The comparison was performed in standard Montreal Neurological Institute space, the registration being obtained with SPM5 (http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/spm/).
Results: The mean volumetric error across all subjects was 73% for hippocampal ROIs derived from AAL atlas; 20% in case of ROIs derived from the Hammers atlas and 107% for ROIs derived from PickAtlas. The mean false-positive and false-negative classification rates were 60% and 10% respectively for the AAL atlas; 16% and 32% for the Hammers atlas and 6% and 72% for the PickAtlas.
Conclusion: Though atlas-based ROI definition may be convenient, the resulting ROIs may be poor representations of the hippocampus in some studies critical to under- or oversampling. Performance of the AAL atlas was inferior to that of the Hammers atlas. Hippocampal ROIs derived from PickAtlas are highly significantly smaller, and this results in the worst performance out of three atlases. It is advisable that the defined ROIs should be verified with knowledge of neuroanatomy before using it for further data analysis
Liver transplantation for non-Milan HCC patients
No full textAim: Liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)beyond the Milan criteria is still controversial. We investigated whether a policy of selective tumor down staging (DS) and patient prioritization based on clinical predictors might help improve the results of LT for non-Milan patients.
Materials and methods: In January 1997 we set up a prospective trial on LT ± tumor down staging for consenting, adult patients affected with nodular-type HCC. Patients were down staged with either TACE, PEI, and/or RFA in the presence of: centrally-sited nodule(s), alpha-feto-protein serum levels ≥ 200 ng/ml, tumor grading ≥ G3, wait list times ≥ 3 months, and ineffective down staging while on wait list. Within the same UNOS status category patients were prioritized as follows: HCC > non-HCC; outside Milan > within Milan; centrally-sited > peripheral nodule(s), serum AFP levels, time on wait list, and ineffective > effective DS. Objective measures were: total patients enrolled; drop out rate; transplant rate; post-transplant recurrence rate, overall and disease-free survival rates. Data were analyzed within one year of last enrolment on an intent-to-treat basis.
Results: Until October 2004 a total of 198 patients (125 Milan; 73 non-Milan) were enrolled in the current trial and 161 (81.3%) were transplanted at a median of 139 days within wait listing (112 Milan; 49 non-Milan). One, 5, and 8-year patients’ survival rates (Kaplan-Meier) were 88.6%, 82.7%, and 74.5%, respectively. When censoring for unrelated deaths, 1, 5 and 8-year survival rates were 98.9%, 89.3%, and 89.3% in Milan patients versus 95.6%, 85.9% and 85.9% in non-Milan patients (Cox regression p = 0.4). One, 5, and 8-year disease-free survival rates were 97%, 87.5%, and 87.5% in Milan patients versus 90.7%, 67%, and 67% in non-Milan patients (Cox regression p = 0.02).
Conclusions: A policy of tumor down staging in association with patient prioritization based on clinical predictors may provide favorable results for HCC patients beyond the Milan criteria
Bilateral and unilateral arm training improve motor function through differing neuroplastic mechanisms: a single-blinded randomized controlled trial
No full textBACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
This randomized controlled trial tests the efficacy of bilateral arm training with rhythmic auditory cueing (BATRAC) versus dose-matched therapeutic exercises (DMTEs) on upper-extremity (UE) function in stroke survivors and uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine effects on cortical reorganization.
METHODS:
A total of 111 adults with chronic UE paresis were randomized to 6 weeks (3×/week) of BATRAC or DMTE. Primary end points of UE assessments of Fugl-Meyer UE Test (FM) and modified Wolf Motor Function Test Time (WT) were performed 6 weeks prior to and at baseline, after training, and 4 months later. Pretraining and posttraining, fMRI for UE movement was evaluated in 17 BATRAC and 21 DMTE participants.
RESULTS:
The improvements in UE function (BATRAC: FM Δ = 1.1 + 0.5, P = .03; WT Δ = -2.6 + 0.8, P < .00; DMTE: FM Δ = 1.9 + 0.4, P < .00; WT Δ = -1.6 + 0.7; P = .04) were comparable between groups and retained after 4 months. Satisfaction was higher after BATRAC than DMTE (P = .003). BATRAC led to significantly higher increase in activation in ipsilesional precentral, anterior cingulate and postcentral gyri, and supplementary motor area and contralesional superior frontal gyrus (P < .05). Activation change in the latter was correlated with improvement in the WMFT (P = .01).
CONCLUSIONS:
BATRAC is not superior to DMTE, but both rehabilitation programs durably improve motor function for individuals with chronic UE hemiparesis and with varied deficit severity. Adaptations in brain activation are greater after BATRAC than DMTE, suggesting that given similar benefits to motor function, these therapies operate through different mechanisms
Milano, un ecosistema universitario. Milan, a University Ecosystem
No full textIf the European university was born as an urban educational
and institutional model in the Middle Ages (Martinotti 2010),
the city represents historically the workshop and location
designated for the education and production of culture
(Bucci, Faroldi 2021).
In particular, universities, natural catalysts for populations
of young people, take the form of places in which knowledge,
passion and talent come together with an innate international
vocation, capable of generating innovation and at the same
time the exchange and cross-fertilisation of ideas (Dilorenzo,
Stefani 2015). This article is divided into four parts: the relatively recent history
of universities in Milan; universities, from enclosed areas to
permeable urban places; the universities and accommodation;
universities shape cities
Albert P. de Mirimonoe : L'iconographie musicale sous les Rois Bourbons, (Coll. «La Vie musicale sous les rois Bourbons ».) 1975
No full textEscudier Monique. Albert P. de Mirimonoe : L'iconographie musicale sous les Rois Bourbons, (Coll. «La Vie musicale sous les rois Bourbons ».) 1975. In: Dix-huitième Siècle, n°12, 1980. Représentations de la vie sexuelle. p. 477
Albert P. de Mirimonoe : L'iconographie musicale sous les Rois Bourbons, (Coll. «La Vie musicale sous les rois Bourbons ».) 1975
No full textEscudier Monique. Albert P. de Mirimonoe : L'iconographie musicale sous les Rois Bourbons, (Coll. «La Vie musicale sous les rois Bourbons ».) 1975. In: Dix-huitième Siècle, n°12, 1980. Représentations de la vie sexuelle. p. 477
Interconnected, statistically significant ROIs.
No full textGraphical representation of statistically significant ROIs and their overlapping. The direction of the arrow means that an element is included into another. Gene ROIs (light blue) can be part of pathway (green) or PPI (grey) ROIs, while domain ROIs (purple) can be part of gene ROIs.</p
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