WorldWideScience

Sample records for diagnosis

  1. Clinical diagnosis versus autopsy diagnosis in head trauma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Velnic Andreea-Alexandra

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The correct and complete diagnosis is essential for the adequate care and the favourable clinical evolution of the patients with head trauma. Purpose: To identify the error rate in the clinical diagnosis of head injuries as shown in comparison with the autopsy diagnosis and to identify the most common sources of error. Material and method: We performed a retrospective study based on data from the medical files and the autopsy reports of patients with head trauma who died in the hospital and underwent forensic autopsy. We collected: demographic data, clinical and laboratory data and autopsy findings. To quantify the concordance rate between the clinical diagnosis of death and the autopsy diagnosis we used a 4 classes classification, which ranged from 100% concordance (C1 to total discordance (C4 and two classes of partial discordance: C2 (partial discordance in favour of the clinical diagnosis- missing injuries in the autopsy reports and C3 (partial discordance in favor of the necroptic diagnosis- missing injuries in the medical files. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 20.0. Results: We analyzed 194 cases of death due to head injuries. We found a total concordance between the clinical death diagnosis and autopsy diagnosis in 30.4% of cases and at least one discrepancy in 69.6% of cases. Increasing the duration of hospitalization directly correlates with the amount of the imaging investigations and these in turn correlates with an increased rate of diagnosis concordance. Among the patients with stage 3 coma who associated a spinal cord injury, we found a partial diagnosis discordance in 50% of cases and a total discordance in 50% of cases, possibly due to the need for conducting emergency imaging investigation and the need for surgical treatment. In cases with partial and total discordant diagnosis, at least one lesion was omitted in 45.1% of the cases. The most commonly omitted injuries in C2 cases were subdural hematoma, intracerebral

  2. [Definition of the Diagnosis Osteomyelitis-Osteomyelitis Diagnosis Score (ODS)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, H G K; Tiemann, A H; Braunschweig, R; Diefenbeck, M; Bühler, M; Abitzsch, D; Haustedt, N; Walter, G; Schoop, R; Heppert, V; Hofmann, G O; Glombitza, M; Grimme, C; Gerlach, U-J; Flesch, I

    2011-08-01

    The disease "osteomyelitis" is characterised by different symptoms and parameters. Decisive roles in the development of the disease are played by the causative bacteria, the route of infection and the individual defense mechanisms of the host. The diagnosis is based on different symptoms and findings from the clinical history, clinical symptoms, laboratory results, diagnostic imaging, microbiological and histopathological analyses. While different osteomyelitis classifications have been published, there is to the best of our knowledge no score that gives information how sure the diagnosis "osteomyelitis" is in general. For any scientific study of a disease a valid definition is essential. We have developed a special osteomyelitis diagnosis score for the reliable classification of clinical, laboratory and technical findings. The score is based on five diagnostic procedures: 1) clinical history and risk factors, 2) clinical examination and laboratory results, 3) diagnostic imaging (ultrasound, radiology, CT, MRI, nuclear medicine and hybrid methods), 4) microbiology, and 5) histopathology. Each diagnostic procedure is related to many individual findings, which are weighted by a score system, in order to achieve a relevant value for each assessment. If the sum of the five diagnostic criteria is 18 or more points, the diagnosis of osteomyelitis can be viewed as "safe" (diagnosis class A). Between 8-17 points the diagnosis is "probable" (diagnosis class B). Less than 8 points means that the diagnosis is "possible, but unlikely" (class C diagnosis). Since each parameter can score six points at a maximum, a reliable diagnosis can only be achieved if at least 3 parameters are scored with 6 points. The osteomyelitis diagnosis score should help to avoid the false description of a clinical presentation as "osteomyelitis". A safe diagnosis is essential for the aetiology, treatment and outcome studies of osteomyelitis. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  3. Diagnosis and Change or Change and Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cammann, Cortlandt

    Organizational consultation is often viewed as a four-stage process: entry, diagnosis, intervention, and evaluation. A fifth stage, preparation of organizations to conduct diagnosis and change, is frequently neglected. In the preparation stage, organizational consultants must deal with resistance by creating conditions for the consideration of the…

  4. Fault diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbott, Kathy

    1990-01-01

    The objective of the research in this area of fault management is to develop and implement a decision aiding concept for diagnosing faults, especially faults which are difficult for pilots to identify, and to develop methods for presenting the diagnosis information to the flight crew in a timely and comprehensible manner. The requirements for the diagnosis concept were identified by interviewing pilots, analyzing actual incident and accident cases, and examining psychology literature on how humans perform diagnosis. The diagnosis decision aiding concept developed based on those requirements takes abnormal sensor readings as input, as identified by a fault monitor. Based on these abnormal sensor readings, the diagnosis concept identifies the cause or source of the fault and all components affected by the fault. This concept was implemented for diagnosis of aircraft propulsion and hydraulic subsystems in a computer program called Draphys (Diagnostic Reasoning About Physical Systems). Draphys is unique in two important ways. First, it uses models of both functional and physical relationships in the subsystems. Using both models enables the diagnostic reasoning to identify the fault propagation as the faulted system continues to operate, and to diagnose physical damage. Draphys also reasons about behavior of the faulted system over time, to eliminate possibilities as more information becomes available, and to update the system status as more components are affected by the fault. The crew interface research is examining display issues associated with presenting diagnosis information to the flight crew. One study examined issues for presenting system status information. One lesson learned from that study was that pilots found fault situations to be more complex if they involved multiple subsystems. Another was pilots could identify the faulted systems more quickly if the system status was presented in pictorial or text format. Another study is currently under way to

  5. Plant diagnosis device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tozuka, Shin-ichi.

    1996-01-01

    Standard data approximately defined are inputted as 1:1 functional data between at least two or more plant data and each of plant data are inputted. Diagnosis data corresponding to each of process data are formed based on the functional data. Limit value data to be a threshold value which determines whether the diagnosis data are in a predetermined state or not are formed. The diagnosis data and the limit value data are displayed in a recognizable state. If diagnosis data of a plurality of plants are displayed simultaneously, all of the plant data are substantially the same value with one standard datum if the plant is in a normal state. When abnormality should occur in the plant, the difference between the diagnosis data and the standard data is remarkable, and the difference between the diagnosis data of other normal plant data and the standard data are also made remarkably, accordingly, the display of a plurality of diagnosis data is scattered thereby capable of diagnosing the abnormality of the plant. (N.H.)

  6. Celiac Disease: Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrne, Greg; Feighery, Conleth F

    2015-01-01

    Historically the diagnosis of celiac disease has relied upon clinical, serological, and histological evidence. In recent years the use of sensitive serological methods has meant an increase in the diagnosis of celiac disease. The heterogeneous nature of the disorder presents a challenge in the study and diagnosis of the disease with patients varying from subclinical or latent disease to patients with overt symptoms. Furthermore the related gluten-sensitive disease dermatitis herpetiformis, while distinct in some respects, shares clinical and serological features with celiac disease. Here we summarize current best practice for the diagnosis of celiac disease and briefly discuss newer approaches. The advent of next-generation assays for diagnosis and newer clinical protocols may result in more sensitive screening and ultimately the possible replacement of the intestinal biopsy as the gold standard for celiac disease diagnosis.

  7. Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of hydrocephalus in adults

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Langner, Soenke; Mensel, Birger; Kuehn, Jens Peter; Kirsch, Michael; Fleck, Steffen; Baldauf, Joerg

    2017-01-01

    Hydrocephalus is caused by an imbalance of production and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or obstruction of its pathways, resulting in ventricular dilatation and increased intracranial pressure. Imaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis and planning of treatment. This review article presents the different types of hydrocephalus und their typical imaging appearance, describes imaging techniques, and discusses differential diagnoses of the different forms of hydrocephalus. Imaging plays a central role in the diagnosis of hydrocephalus. While magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the first-line imaging modality, computed tomography (CT) is often the first-line imaging test in emergency patients.

  8. Importance of molecular diagnosis in the accurate diagnosis of ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    1Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida Konoecho, ... of molecular diagnosis in the accurate diagnosis of systemic carnitine deficiency. .... 'affecting protein function' by SIFT.

  9. Diagnosis of vulvovaginitis: comparison of clinical and microbiological diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esim Buyukbayrak, Esra; Kars, Bulent; Karsidag, Ayse Yasemin Karageyim; Karadeniz, Bernan Ilkay; Kaymaz, Ozge; Gencer, Serap; Pirimoglu, Zehra Meltem; Unal, Orhan; Turan, Mehmet Cem

    2010-11-01

    The purpose of the present study was to compare the current diagnostic clinical and laboratory approaches to women with vulvovaginal discharge complaint. The secondary outcomes were to determine the prevalence of infections in our setting and to look for the relation between vulvovaginal infections and predisposing factors if present. Premenopausal women applying to our gynecology outpatient clinic with vaginal discharge complaint were enrolled prospectively into the study. Each patient evaluated clinically with direct observation of vaginal secretions, wet mount examination, whiff test, vaginal pH testing and chlamydia rapid antigen test. Each patient also evaluated microbiologically with vaginal discharge culture and gram staining. Clinical diagnosis was compared with the microbiological diagnosis (the gold standard). Diagnostic accuracy was measured with sensitivity, specificity, positive (ppv) and negative predictive values (npv). 460 patients were included in the study. 89.8% of patients received a clinical diagnosis whereas only 36% of them had microbiological diagnosis. The sensitivity, specificity, ppv, npv of clinical diagnosis over microbiological culture results were 95, 13, 38, 82%, respectively. The most commonly encountered microorganisms by culture were Candida species (17.4%) and Gardnerella vaginalis (10.2%). Clinically, the most commonly made diagnoses were mixed infection (34.1%), bacterial vaginosis (32.4%) and fungal infection (14.1%). Symptoms did not predict laboratory results. Predisposing factors (DM, vaginal douching practice, presence of IUD and usage of oral contraceptive pills) were not found to be statistically important influencing factors for vaginal infections. Clinical diagnosis based on combining symptoms with office-based testing improves diagnostic accuracy but is insufficient. The most effective approach also incorporates laboratory testing as an adjunct when a diagnosis is in question or treatment is failing.

  10. Elementwise Business Diagnosis of Enterprise Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Skrynkovskyy Ruslan M.

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The article presents methodological and indicator apparatus for elementwise business diagnosis of enterprise activity directed at achieving such elementwise diagnostic objectives: diagnosis of return on assets; diagnosis of return on equity capital; diagnosis of production profitability; diagnosis of gross profit margin of product sales; diagnosis of operating margin of product sales; diagnosis of net margin of product sales; diagnosis of absolute liquidity; diagnosis of instant liquidity; diagnosis of overall liquidity; diagnosis of coverage; diagnosis of financial independence; diagnosis of equity capital maneuverability; diagnosis of financial leverage; diagnosis of the long-term investment structure; diagnosis of accounts payable turnover; diagnosis of the accounts payable repayment period, diagnosis of receivables turnover; diagnosis of receivables repayment period; diagnosis of assets turnover; diagnosis of inventories turnover; diagnosis of the inventories turnover period; diagnosis of equity capital turnover; diagnosis of fixed assets turnover (return on assets; diagnosis of capital coefficient; diagnosis of the ratio of output value to the materials cost; diagnosis of material consumption; diagnosis of the total production cost; diagnosis of enterprise market share; diagnosis of fixed assets wear; diagnosis of fixed assets renewal; diagnosis of fixed assets retirement; performance diagnosis; diagnosis of labor intensity, diagnosis of the capital-labour ratio; diagnosis of efficiency; diagnosis of conducting the business; diagnosis of business relations; diagnosis of administrative-legal relations; diagnosis of knowledge management. The elementwise diagnostic objectives of the enterprise system of diagnostic objectives are aimed at a narrow highly detailed diagnostics of individual indicators of the enterprise activity, i.e. the evaluation of specific analytical indicators,monitoring (research of their dynamics, comparison of the planned

  11. Autism: Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Information Publications Awards Partners Contact Us ¿Qué es Autismo? Donate Home What is Autism? What is Autism? ... Information Publications Awards Partners Contact Us ¿Qué es Autismo? Diagnosis Home / What is Autism? / Diagnosis Expand Medical ...

  12. Repeatability of Pulse Diagnosis and Body Constitution Diagnosis in Traditional Indian Ayurveda Medicine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waagepetersen, Rasmus; Toft, Egon; Prasad, Ramjee; Raturi, Lokesh

    2012-01-01

    In Ayurveda, pulse diagnosis and body constitution diagnosis have a long historical use; still, there is lack of quantitative measure of the reliability of these diagnostic methods. Reliability means consistency of information. Consistent diagnosis leads to consistent treatment and is important for clinical practice, education, and research. The objective of this study is to study the methodology to evaluate the test-retest reliability (repeatability) of pulse diagnosis and body constitution diagnosis. A double-blinded, controlled, clinical trial was conducted in Copenhagen. The same doctor, an expert in Ayurvedic pulse diagnosis, examined the pulse and body constitution of 17 healthy participants twice, in random order without seeing them. A metric on pulse and body constitution variables was developed. Cohen's weighted kappa statistic was used as a measure of intra-rater reliability. Permutation tests were used to test the hypothesis of homogeneous diagnosis (ie, the doctor's diagnosis does not depend on the subject). The hypothesis of homogeneous classification was rejected on the 5% significance level (P values of .02 and .001, respectively, for pulse and body constitution diagnosis). According to the Landis and Koch scale, values of the weighted kappa for pulse diagnosis (P = .42) and body constitution diagnosis (P = .65) correspond to “moderate” and “substantial” agreement, respectively. There was a reasonable level of consistency between 2 pulse and body constitution diagnoses. Further studies are required to quantify inter-subject and intra-subject agreement for greater understanding of reliability of pulse and body constitution diagnosis. PMID:27257530

  13. Diagnosis and Differential Diagnosis of Hydrocephalus in Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langner, Sönke; Fleck, Steffen; Baldauf, Jörg; Mensel, Birger; Kühn, Jens Peter; Kirsch, Michael

    2017-08-01

    Purpose  Hydrocephalus is caused by an imbalance of production and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or obstruction of its pathways, resulting in ventricular dilatation and increased intracranial pressure. Imaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis and planning of treatment. Methods  This review article presents the different types of hydrocephalus und their typical imaging appearance, describes imaging techniques, and discusses differential diagnoses of the different forms of hydrocephalus. Results and Conclusion  Imaging plays a central role in the diagnosis of hydrocephalus. While magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the first-line imaging modality, computed tomography (CT) is often the first-line imaging test in emergency patients. Key points   · Occlusive hydrocephalus is caused by obstruction of CSF pathways.. · Malabsorptive hydrocephalus is caused by impaired CSF absorption.. · The MR imaging protocol should always include sagittal high-resolution T2-weighted images.. · When an inflammatory etiology is suspected, imaging with contrast agent administration is necessary.. Citation Format · Langner S, Fleck S, Baldauf J et al. Diagnosis and Differential Diagnosis of Hydrocephalus in Adults. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2017; 189: 728 - 739. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  14. Laboratory Diagnosis of Carbohydrate Metabolism Disorders. Diagnosis Algorithm in Hyperglycemic States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V.I. Pankiv

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the laboratory diagnosis of disorders of carbohydrate metabolism. Presents criteria for diagnosis of diabetes, an algorithm for oral glucose tolerance test, determine type of diabetes based on clinical and laboratory data. The article also raised the issues of diagnosis of gestational diabetes and a diagnostic algorithm of hyperglycemia conditions during pregnancy.

  15. Prenatal Diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ozge Ozalp Yuregir

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Prenatal diagnosis is the process of determining the health or disease status of the fetus or embryo before birth. The purpose is early detection of diseases and early intervention when required. Prenatal genetic tests comprise of cytogenetic (chromosome assessment and molecular (DNA mutation analysis tests. Prenatal testing enables the early diagnosis of many diseases in risky pregnancies. Furthermore, in the event of a disease, diagnosing prenatally will facilitate the planning of necessary precautions and treatments, both before and after birth. Upon prenatal diagnosis of some diseases, termination of the pregnancy could be possible according to the family's wishes and within the legal frameworks. [Archives Medical Review Journal 2012; 21(1.000: 80-94

  16. Does the medical diagnosis of occupational asthma coincide with the legal diagnosis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Çelebi Sözener, Zeynep; Aydın, Ömür; Demirel, Yavuz Selim; Soyyiğit, Şadan; Çerçi, Pamir; Kendirlinan, Reşat; Bavbek, Sevim; Çelik, Gülfem Elif; Misirligil, Zeynep; Sin, Betül Ayşe; Keleşoğlu, Arif; Mungan, Dilşad

    2017-11-01

    The incidence of occupational asthma (OA) is increasing worldwide. In this study, we first aimed to document the rate of diagnosis of OA among patients who were referred to our clinic from the Social Security Institution and the factors that affected diagnosis; secondly, we aimed to assess the consistency of the medical and legal diagnoses. The study involved 132 consecutive patients who were referred to our clinic for the evaluation of OA between 2010 and 2015. Detailed workplace history, the tools used in the diagnosis such as peak expiratory flow (PEF) monitoring and bronchial provocation tests, and the final medical diagnosis were recorded from case files. Asthma was diagnosed in 75% (n = 99) of the patients. Among them, 22.2% were diagnosed as having OA. The diagnosis was confirmed by serial PEF measurements, non-specific bronchial hyperreactivity assessment or both of the tests both at work and off-work periods. OA diagnosis was mostly established in active workers (72.7%). The legal diagnosis period was completed in 54.5% of these 22 patients, and 50% (n = 11) were officially diagnosed as having OA with a 91.6% concordance with medical diagnosis. This study verifies the importance of diagnosing asthma correctly as a first step in the evaluation of OA. Diagnostic tests other than specific provocation tests could be preferential in patients who still work in the same field. We believe that cooperation with the patient's occupational physician and adequate recognition of the work environment will improve the consistency of legal and medical diagnoses.

  17. MAT FOR LEPTOSPIROSIS DIAGNOSIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esti Rahardianingtyas.

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Leptospirosis is a disease caused by bacterial infection leptospira interrogans.Leptospira bacteria is a spiral bacterium with solid strands with two flagella periplasmik.Septicaemic phase patient samples taken from the blood and cerebrospinal fluid, whereassamples taken at phase immune extracted from urine. The diagnosis of leptospirosis occurdirectly or indirectly. Diagnosis is done by directly isolate and identify the causative agents ofthe agent. Diagnosis is done indirectly by detecting specific antibodies from the patient's body.Gold Standard of the diagnosis of leptospirosis is MAT. Mat made by reacting antibodies toleptospira antigen. Positive results seen with clump formed.Key words: Leptospirosis, Leptospirosis Diagnostic, MAT (Microscopic Agglutination Test Leptospirosis merupakan penyakit yang disebabkan karena infeksi bakteri leptospirainterrogans. Bakteri leptospira merupakan bakteri spiral dengan untaian yang padat dengan duaflagella periplasmik. Sampel pasien pada fase septicaemic diambil dari darah dan cairanserebrospinal, sedangkan sampel yang diambil pada fase immune diambil dari urine. Diagnosisleptospirosis dilakukan secara langsung maupun tidak langsung. Diagnosis secara langsungdilakukan dengan cara mengisolasi agen penyebab dan mengidentifikasi agen tersebut. Diagnosissecara tidak langsung dilakukan dengan cara mendeteksi antibodi spesiflk dari dalam tubuhpasien. Gold Standart dari diagnosis leptospirosis adalah MAT. Mat dilakukan dengan caramereaksikan antibodi dengan antigen leptospira. Hasil positif dilihat dengan terbentuk gumpalanagglutinasiKata kunci: Leptospirosis, Leptospira, Leptospirosis Diagnosis.

  18. Electrical machines diagnosis

    CERN Document Server

    Trigeassou, Jean-Claude

    2013-01-01

    Monitoring and diagnosis of electrical machine faults is a scientific and economic issue which is motivated by objectives for reliability and serviceability in electrical drives.This book provides a survey of the techniques used to detect the faults occurring in electrical drives: electrical, thermal and mechanical faults of the electrical machine, faults of the static converter and faults of the energy storage unit.Diagnosis of faults occurring in electrical drives is an essential part of a global monitoring system used to improve reliability and serviceability. This diagnosis is perf

  19. Consistency between referral diagnosis and post-ENMG diagnosis in children

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Komur, M.; Okuyaz, C.; Makharoblidze, K.

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the degree of consistency between the referral diagnosis and that based on electroneuromyography. Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at the Paediatric Neurology Laboratory of Mersin University School of Medicine, Turkey, and comprised all electroneuromyographies carried out between January 2005 and December 2010. Demographic data, referral diagnosis and post-procedure diagnosis were recorded for each patient, and were classified into groups. Consistency between the two groups was compared using SPSS 13. Results: Of the total 294 patients, polyneuropathy was the reason for referral in 104 (35.4%), peripheral nerve injury in 54 (18.4%), brachial plexus injury in 52 (17.7%), myopathy in 52 (17.7%), hypotonia in 23 (7.8%), and facial paralysis in 9 (3.0%) patients. There was consistency between the two diagnoses in 179 (60.9%) patients. Conclusion: Electroneuromyography is an uneasy, painful and stressfull procedure for children, and, therefore, it should be recommended only in cases where the result may be beneficial in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of a patient. (author)

  20. Ileocecal endometriosis: diagnosis and management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana López Carrasco

    2017-04-01

    Conclusion: Variability in symptoms hinders diagnosis. The gold standard for diagnosis is MRI, but clinical suspicion optimizes imaging test diagnosis. Segmental resection should be indicated in the majority of the cases.

  1. DIAGNOSIS OF PITCH AND LOAD DEFECTS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2009-01-01

    The invention relates to a method, system and computer readable code for diagnosis of pitch and/or load defects of e.g. wind turbines as well as wind turbines using said diagnosis method and/or comprising said diagnosis system.......The invention relates to a method, system and computer readable code for diagnosis of pitch and/or load defects of e.g. wind turbines as well as wind turbines using said diagnosis method and/or comprising said diagnosis system....

  2. Radiological diagnosis in AIDS - associated diseases: survey and differential diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rademaker, J.; Frahm, C.

    1997-01-01

    Acute manifestations of illnesses in patients with HIV-infection or AIDS will benefit from rapid diagnosis. Radiologic examinations provide substantial information to narrow the differential diagnosis. This article reviews clinically important HIV-associated diseases for the radiologist. The braod spectrum of possible manifestations is illustrated by the accompanying case reports that typify the complexity of diagnoses in this growing problem worldwide. (orig.) [de

  3. Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of cerebro-vascular malformations by CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schumacher, M.; Stoeter, P.; Voigt, K.

    1980-01-01

    In 38 patients, the diagnosis of a cerebrovascular malformation (17 arteriovenous angiomas including one low-flow- and two venous angiomas; 10 aneurysms; 4 arteriovenous fistulae of the cavernous sinus, the tentorium and one of the Great Vein of Galen; 6 megadolical basilar arteries) was initially made by computertomographic (CT) examination, including contrast enhancement. The characteristic and pathognomonic CT findings are described and compared with those of cerebral angiography also done in these cases. The problems of differential diagnosis and the reasons for a false CT diagnosis in 5 other patients with a cerebro-vascular malformation are investigated; and the diagnostic value of cerebral angiography and CT is discussed and their complementary functions are being pointed out. (orig.) 891 MG/orig. 892 MKO [de

  4. Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE) for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of dementia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larner, A J

    2007-07-01

    The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE) is reported to be a highly sensitive and specific "bedside" test for the diagnosis of dementia, but large pragmatic studies of its use in day-to-day clinical practice are lacking. This study measured diagnostic accuracy of ACE in a large cohort of consecutive patients referred to a dedicated Cognitive Function Clinic. Consecutive new referrals over a 3.5-year period were administered the ACE (n=285). ACE scores and subscores (VLOM ratio) were compared to clinical diagnoses of dementia and dementia subtype, established on the basis of widely accepted diagnostic criteria and at least 12-month follow-up. ACE had good sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value for the diagnosis of dementia, with excellent diagnostic accuracy as measured by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. However, a lower cutoff than that used in the index paper was required for optimum test sensitivity and specificity. ACE VLOM ratio subscore for the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia proved less accurate. This study suggests that ACE is useful for the diagnosis of dementia in routine clinical practice but that other instruments may be required for the differential diagnosis of the dementia syndrome.

  5. Dual Diagnosis - Multiple Languages

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... National Library of Medicine Comorbidity or dual diagnosis - Opioid addiction, part 9 - English PDF Comorbidity or dual diagnosis - Opioid addiction, part 9 - español (Spanish) PDF Comorbidity or dual ...

  6. Diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma in the thoracic spine - problems in differential diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schaub, T.; Dittrich, H.M.; Gutjahr, P.; Antoniadis, A.; Wolff, P.

    1986-01-01

    Spinal Ewing's sarcomas are rare and cause problems in differential diagnosis. The radiologic, nuclear medicine and CT findings in two children with histologically proven Ewing's sarcoma are presented and problems in differential diagnosis discussed. Biopsy should be done early. (orig.) [de

  7. Microanalysis in cancer diagnosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tkacheva, G A [Akademiya Meditsinskikh Nauk SSSR, Moscow. Onkologicheskij Nauchnyj Tsentr

    1984-11-01

    An analysis of the diagnosis accuracy of malignant gastric, rectal, liver and prostatic tumors was performed with relation to the sensitivity and specificity of radioimmunological and immunoenzyme commercial kits of reagents manufactured by different companies and used to determine the concentration of the carcinoembryonic antigen, ..cap alpha..-fetoprotein and acid phosphatase of the prostate. With an increase of the test specificity its diagnostic sensitivity decreases, i.e. the percentage of false-negative results increases. The use of highly specific monoclonal antibodies in serological tests results in a marked decrease of the accuracy of tumor diagnosis. It is necessary to strictly determine indications for the use of the serological and immunodiagnostic kits: for the identification of risk populations, early diagnosis of tumors, differential diagnosis or the monitoring of patients.

  8. Laparoscopic diagnosis of endometriosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Carl; Kuhn, Raphael; Tsaltas, Jim

    2002-08-01

    To consider and explain the possibility of difficulties in diagnosis of endometriosis at previous laparoscopy Retrospective patient record review. The Endometriosis Care Centre of Australia and the private practices of authors. Two hundred and fifteen patients with clinical evidence of endometriosis examined laparoscopically between March 1999 and May 2001. Confirmation of endometriosis by histological biopsy. Endometriosis was confirmed in 168 of the 215 women. Of these women 38 had a previous negative laparoscopy within 12 months of the current laparoscopy. It is possible that in some of the patients, who previously had a negative laparoscopy, endometriosis was not recognised. Possible reasons for difficulty in diagnosis have been identified and techniques to improve diagnosis suggested. This retrospective study was performed to consider and explain the possibility of difficulties in diagnosis of endometriosis at previous laparoscopy.

  9. CT on diagnosis and differential diagnosis of adrenal neuroblastoma from nephroblastoma in children

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Jingtian; Shen Guoqiang; Yang Huayuan

    2000-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the effect of CT on diagnosis and differential diagnosis of children's adrenal neuroblastoma from nephroblastoma. Materials and Method: To analyse the CT manifestations on 36 cases of adrenal neuroblastoma and 32 cases of nephroblastoma both confirmed by postoperative pathologic diagnosis. Results: The adrenal neuroblastoma is a kind of extrarenal tumor, so the kidney kept its original form and showed some compressive features. The incidence of tumor calcification appeared mostly in rough and speckle-piece form was high. While the nephroblastoma is a renal tumor. The surrounding renal parenchyma showed a specific 'new-moon shape' intensification. Conclusion: CT is one of the most valuable and effective means of examination to diagnose adrenal neuroblastoma and differentiate it from nephroblastoma. It can provide important information for making correct diagnosis, planning proper therapy and assessing prognosis

  10. Radiological diagnosis of fractures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Finlay, D.B.L.; Allen, M.J.

    1984-01-01

    This book is about radiology of fractures. While it contains sections of clinical features it is not intended that readers should rely entirely upon these for the diagnosis and management of the injured patient. As in the diagnosis and treatment of all medical problems, fracture management must be carried out in a logical step-by-step fashion - namely, history, examination, investigation, differential diagnosis, diagnosis and then treatment. Each section deals with a specific anatomical area and begins with line drawings of the normal radiographs demonstrating the anatomy. Accessory views that may be requested, and the indications for these, are included. Any radiological pitfalls for the area in general are then described. The fractures in adults are then examined in turn, their radiological features described, and any pitfalls in their diagnosis discussed. A brief note of important clinical findings is included. A brief mention is made of pediatric fractures which are of significance and their differences to the adult pattern indicated. Although fractures can be classified into types with different characteristics, in life every fracture is individual. Fractures by and large follow common patterns, but many have variations

  11. Missed diagnosis-persistent delirium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aseem Mehra

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Delirium is in general considered as an acute short lasting reversible neuropsychiatric syndrome. However, there is some evidence to suggest that in a small proportion of cases delirium may be a chronic or persistent condition. However, making this diagnosis requires clinical suspicion and ruling other differential diagnosis. In this report, we present a case of a 55-year-old man who had cognitive symptoms, psychotic symptoms and depressive symptoms along with persistent hypokalemia and glucose intolerance. He was seen by 3 psychiatrists with these symptoms and was initially diagnosed as having depressive disorder and later diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder (current episode mania, and psychosis were considered by the third psychiatrist. However, despite the presence of persistent neurocognitive deficits, evening worsening of symptoms, hypokalemia and glucose intolerance diagnosis of delirium was not suspected.

  12. Discrete event systems diagnosis and diagnosability

    CERN Document Server

    Sayed-Mouchaweh, Moamar

    2014-01-01

    Discrete Event Systems: Diagnosis and Diagnosability addresses the problem of fault diagnosis of Discrete Event Systems (DES). This book provides the basic techniques and approaches necessary for the design of an efficient fault diagnosis system for a wide range of modern engineering applications. The different techniques and approaches are classified according to several criteria such as: modeling tools (Automata, Petri nets) that is used to construct the model; the information (qualitative based on events occurrences and/or states outputs, quantitative based on signal processing and data analysis) that is needed to analyze and achieve the diagnosis; the decision structure (centralized, decentralized) that is required to achieve the diagnosis. The goal of this classification is to select the efficient method to achieve the fault diagnosis according to the application constraints. This book focuses on the centralized and decentralized event based diagnosis approaches using formal language and automata as mode...

  13. Autism in Preschoolers: Does Individual Clinician’s First Visit Diagnosis Agree with Final Comprehensive Diagnosis?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gunilla Westman Andersson

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Comprehensive clinical diagnosis based on all available information is considered the “gold standard” in autism spectrum disorders (ASD. We examined agreement across independent assessments (clinical judgment of 34 young children (age 24–46 months with suspected ASD, assessed by a multidisciplinary team, and final comprehensive clinical diagnosis. Agreement across settings and between each clinician’s assessment and final diagnosis was moderate. The poorest fit was found at assessment in connection with psychological evaluation and the best with preschool observation and parent interview. Some individual clinicians had good and others had poor fit with final diagnosis. Disagreement across assessments was pronounced for girls. The findings suggest that multidisciplinary assessments remain important and that comprehensive clinical diagnosis should still be regarded as the gold standard in ASD.

  14. Dengue fever: diagnosis and treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiwanitkit, Viroj

    2010-07-01

    Dengue fever is a common tropical infection. This acute febrile illness can be a deadly infection in cases of severe manifestation, causing dengue hemorrhagic shock. In this brief article, I will summarize and discuss the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. For diagnosis of dengue, most tropical doctors make use of presumptive diagnosis; however, the definite diagnosis should be based on immunodiagnosis or viral study. Focusing on treatment, symptomatic and supportive treatment is the main therapeutic approach. The role of antiviral drugs in the treatment of dengue fever has been limited, but is currently widely studied.

  15. Skin-deep diagnosis: affective bias and zebra retreat complicating the diagnosis of systemic sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Chad S

    2013-01-01

    Nearly half of medical errors can be attributed to an error of clinical reasoning or decision making. It is estimated that the correct diagnosis is missed or delayed in between 5% and 14% of acute hospital admissions. Through understanding why and how physicians make these errors, it is hoped that strategies can be developed to decrease the number of these errors. In the present case, a patient presented with dyspnea, gastrointestinal symptoms and weight loss; the diagnosis was initially missed when the treating physicians took mental short cuts and used heuristics as in this case. Heuristics have an inherent bias that can lead to faulty reasoning or conclusions, especially in complex or difficult cases. Affective bias, which is the overinvolvement of emotion in clinical decision making, limited the available information for diagnosis because of the hesitancy to acquire a full history and perform a complete physical examination in this patient. Zebra retreat, another type of bias, is when a rare diagnosis figures prominently on the differential diagnosis but the physician retreats for various reasons. Zebra retreat also factored in the delayed diagnosis. Through the description of these clinical reasoning errors in an actual case, it is hoped that future errors can be prevented or inspiration for additional research in this area will develop.

  16. Differential diagnosis diphtheria adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu. I. Liashenko

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available A total of 1,824 human cases of diphtheria, treated at the Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital SP Botkin (St. Petersburg during 1993, as well as 19 deaths in 1994. It is known that early diagnosis of infectious diseases, especially diphtheria, contributes to the favorable outcome of the disease. The diagnosis of diphtheria at the prehospital stage is always difficult. Presented in detail the differential diagnosis of the disease, clinically similar to diphtheria: Lacunal angina, angina Simanovsky, infectious mononucleosis, angina Ludwig’s angina Dugue, syphilis, non-infectious with clinical «masks» of diphtheria and other. Diphtheria epidemic of 1993–1994 in Russia and, in particular, in St. Petersburg, showed that the late admission of patients with diphtheria infection in hospitals, usually associated with irregular differential diagnosis of this dangerous disease.

  17. Information Based Fault Diagnosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Niemann, Hans Henrik; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad

    2008-01-01

    Fault detection and isolation, (FDI) of parametric faults in dynamic systems will be considered in this paper. An active fault diagnosis (AFD) approach is applied. The fault diagnosis will be investigated with respect to different information levels from the external inputs to the systems. These ...

  18. Human prenatal diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filkins, K.; Russo, R.J.

    1985-01-01

    The multiauthor text is written as a ''guide to rationalize and clarify certain aspects of diagnosis, general counseling and intervention'' for ''health professionals who provide care to pregnant women.'' The text is not aimed at the ultrasonographer but rather at the physicians who are clinically responsible for patient management. Chapters of relevance to radiologists include an overview of prenatal screening and counseling, diagnosis of neural tube defects, ultrasonographic (US) scanning of fetal disorders in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy, US scanning in the third trimester, multiple gestation and selective termination, fetal echo and Doppler studies, and fetal therapy. Also included are overviews of virtually all currently utilized prenatal diagnostic techniques including amniocentesis, fetal blood sampling, fetoscopy, recombinant DNA detection of hemoglobinopathies, chorionic villus sampling, embryoscopy, legal issues, and diagnosis of Mendelian disorders by DNA analysis

  19. Study on diagnosis of HD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Shuran; Yang Yumei; Zhang Guangli

    1994-01-01

    The study suggests a three-step diagnostic method for diagnosing HD. The first step is to make TgA, TmA examination; the second step is to make differential diagnosis for the cases of negative TgA, TmA through FNAB examination; the third step is to make TgA, TmA and FNAB examination for dynamic observation of controversial cases left over in the former two steps to achieve accurate diagnosis. Differential diagnosis has been made with the method in 87 cases of HD (clinical diagnosis only). The result shows that 7 cases have been diagnosed as thyropathy through comprehensive evaluation; definite diagnosis of HD has been made in 62 cases through TgA, TmA and in 77 cases through FNAB; 3 cases of negative TgA and TmA failed to accept FNAB examination, and were later diagnosed as HD through operation pathology or clinical treatment

  20. Laboratory Diagnosis of Infective Endocarditis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liesman, Rachael M.; Pritt, Bobbi S.; Maleszewski, Joseph J.

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Infective endocarditis is life-threatening; identification of the underlying etiology informs optimized individual patient management. Changing epidemiology, advances in blood culture techniques, and new diagnostics guide the application of laboratory testing for diagnosis of endocarditis. Blood cultures remain the standard test for microbial diagnosis, with directed serological testing (i.e., Q fever serology, Bartonella serology) in culture-negative cases. Histopathology and molecular diagnostics (e.g., 16S rRNA gene PCR/sequencing, Tropheryma whipplei PCR) may be applied to resected valves to aid in diagnosis. Herein, we summarize recent knowledge in this area and propose a microbiologic and pathological algorithm for endocarditis diagnosis. PMID:28659319

  1. Repeatability of pulse diagnosis and body constitution diagnosis in traditional Indian Ayurveda medicine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kurande, Vrinda; Waagepetersen, Rasmus; Toft, Egon

    2012-01-01

    In Ayurveda, pulse and body constitution diagnosis have a long historical use; still there is lack of quantitative measure on e.g. reliability of this diagnostic method. Reliability means consistency of information. Consistent diagnosis leads to consistent treatment and is important for clinical ...

  2. Molecular Diagnosis of Tuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nurwidya, Fariz; Handayani, Diah; Burhan, Erlina; Yunus, Faisal

    2018-01-01

    Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of adult death in the Asia-Pacific Region, including Indonesia. As an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), TB remains a major public health issue especially in developing nations due to the lack of adequate diagnostic testing facilities. Diagnosis of TB has entered an era of molecular detection that provides faster and more cost-effective methods to diagnose and confirm drug resistance in TB cases, meanwhile, diagnosis by conventional culture systems requires several weeks. New advances in the molecular detection of TB, including the faster and simpler nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS), have resulted in a shorter time for diagnosis and, therefore, faster TB treatments. In this review, we explored the current findings on molecular diagnosis of TB and drug-resistant TB to see how this advancement could be integrated into public health systems in order to control TB.

  3. Energy systems Diagnosis in developing countries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Girod, J.

    1991-01-01

    Energy systems diagnosis is necessary to allow evaluation of energy balance by administration and political authorities of a country. First, the author describes the principle stages of energetic diagnosis. Then this work is divided into three parts: First part: Energy consumption diagnosis in several districts (families, utilities, agriculture, transport, industry) Second part: Energy supplies diagnosis (energy markets). Third part: Interactions between energy consumption and energy supply. 28 figs.; 52 tabs.; 107 refs

  4. Prenatal Diagnosis of Osteogenesis Imperfecta

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Özgür Özyüncü

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Skeletal dysplasias are a group of diseases with a wide spectrum related to bone and cartilage. Some forms are lethal whereas some forms have milder clinical progression. Prenatal diagnosis of skeletal dysplasias may be possible especially when there is an index case in the family. Ultrasonography plays the central role in prenatal diagnosis and most common sonographic features are angulation of long bones, bending of femur or bowing signin the long bones. We present a case whose follow up for fetal short extremities ended with termination of pregnancy. The differential diagnosis is hard and depend especially on the fetal x-ray. Final diagnosis was lethal type osteogenesis imperfecta.

  5. Laboratory Diagnosis Of Sarcoidosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dutta S.K

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available Sarcoidosis is not an uncommon disease. Unfortunately, the awareness amongst clinicians is lacking and due to overwhelming prevalence of tuberculosis, a disease with many similar features, the diagnosis is missed and often delayed. The gold standard investigation finding in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis is the presence of noncaseating tuberculoid granuloma, also known as sarcoid or sarcoid-like granuloma. Some classical chest X-ray findings, clinico-radiological dissociation. Suggestive organ lesions, negative Mantoux test (MT, development of MT site granuloma, hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria and raised serum angiotensin converting enzyme (SACE value and negative tests for tuberculosis are usually hekpful in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis.

  6. Five misconceptions in cancer diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, William

    2009-01-01

    Much investment has been put into facilities for early cancer diagnosis. It is difficult to know how successful this investment has been. New facilities for rapid investigation in the UK have not reduced mortality, and may cause delays in diagnosis of patients with low-risk, or atypical, symptoms. In part, the failure of new facilities to translate into mortality benefits can be explained by five misconceptions. These are described, along with suggested research and organisational remedies. The first misconception is that cancer is diagnosed in hospitals. Consequently, secondary care data have been used to drive primary care decisions. Second, GPs are thought to be poor at cancer diagnosis, yet the type of education on offer to improve this may not be what is needed. Third, symptomatic cancer diagnosis has been downgraded in importance with the introduction of screening, yet screening identifies only a small minority of cancers. Fourth, pressure is put on GPs to make referrals for those with an individual high risk of cancer — disenfranchising those with ‘low-risk but not no-risk’ symptoms. Finally, considerable nihilism exists about the value of early diagnosis, despite considerable observational evidence that earlier diagnosis of symptomatic cancer is beneficial. PMID:19520027

  7. Diagnosis as a social determinant: the development of prosocial behaviour before and after an autism spectrum diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russell, Ginny; Kelly, Susan E; Ford, Tamsin; Steer, Colin

    2012-11-01

    Jutel and Nettleton (2011) discuss diagnosis as not only a major classification tool for medicine but also an interactive social process that itself may have ramifications for health. Consideration of diagnosis as a social determinant of health outcomes led to the formulation of our research question: Can we detect a change in the development of prosocial symptoms before and after an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis? We examined the developmental trajectory of prosocial skills of children, as impairment in social skills is given as a core symptom for children with ASD. We used a validated scale measuring prosocial behaviour for a sample of 57 children where the measure was repeatedly recorded over ten years. We plotted the developmental trajectory of the prosocial trait in this sample who were enrolled in a longitudinal birth cohort study based in South West England. Multi-factorial fixed effect modelling suggests that the developmental trajectory of this measure of behaviour was not significantly altered by ASD diagnosis, or the consequences of diagnosis, either for better or worse. Further analysis was conducted on a subset of 33 of the children who had both pre-diagnosis and post-diagnosis information, and the same result obtained. The results indicate that prosocial behaviours may be resistant to typical 'treatments': provision of educational and specialist health services triggered by a clinical ASD diagnosis. The implications of this for considering diagnosis as a social determinant are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Molecular diagnosis and immunotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sastre, Joaquín; Sastre-Ibañez, Marina

    2016-12-01

    To describe recent insights into how molecular diagnosis can improve indication and selection of suitable allergens for specific immunotherapy and increase the safety of this therapy. As specific allergen immunotherapy targets specific allergens, identification of the disease-eliciting allergen is a prerequisite for accurate prescription of treatment. In areas of complex sensitization to aeroallergens or in cases of hymenoptera venom allergy, the use of molecular diagnosis has demonstrated that it may lead to a change in indication and selection of allergens for immunotherapy in a large proportion of patients when compared with diagnosis based on skin prick testing and/or specific IgE determination with commercial extracts. These changes in immunotherapy prescription aided by molecular diagnosis have been demonstrated to be cost-effective in some scenarios. Certain patterns of sensitization to grass or olive pollen and bee allergens may identify patients with higher risk of adverse reaction during immunotherapy. Molecular diagnosis, when used with other tools and patients' clinical records, can help clinicians better to select the most appropriate patients and allergens for specific immunotherapy and, in some cases, predict the risk of adverse reactions. The pattern of sensitization to allergens could potentially predict the efficacy of allergen immunotherapy provided that these immunotherapy products contain a sufficient amount of these allergens. Nevertheless, multiplex assay remains a third-level approach, not to be used as screening method in current practice.

  9. Diagnosis delay in Libyan female breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ermiah, Eramah; Abdalla, Fathi; Buhmeida, Abdelbaset; Larbesh, Entesar; Pyrhönen, Seppo; Collan, Yrjö

    2012-08-21

    To study the diagnosis delay and its impact on stage of disease among women with breast cancer on Libya. 200 women, aged 22 to 75 years with breast cancer diagnosed during 2008-2009 were interviewed about the period from the first symptoms to the final histological diagnosis of breast cancer. This period (diagnosis time) was categorized into 3 periods: 6 months. If diagnosis time was longer than 3 months, the diagnosis was considered delayed (diagnosis delay). Consultation time was the time taken to visit the general practitioner after the first symptoms. Retrospective preclinical and clinical data were collected on a form (questionnaire) during an interview with each patient and from medical records. The median of diagnosis time was 7.5 months. Only 30.0% of patients were diagnosed within 3 months after symptoms. 14% of patients were diagnosed within 3-6 months and 56% within a period longer than 6 months. A number of factors predicted diagnosis delay: Symptoms were not considered serious in 27% of patients. Alternative therapy (therapy not associated with cancer) was applied in 13.0% of the patients. Fear and shame prevented the visit to the doctor in 10% and 4.5% of patients, respectively. Inappropriate reassurance that the lump was benign was an important reason for prolongation of the diagnosis time. Diagnosis delay was associated with initial breast symptom(s) that did not include a lump (p diagnosis, the clinical stage distribution was as follows: 9.0% stage I, 25.5% stage II, 54.0% stage III and 11.5% stage IV.Diagnosis delay was associated with bigger tumour size (p Diagnosis delay is very serious problem in Libya. Diagnosis delay was associated with complex interactions between several factors and with advanced stages. There is a need for improving breast cancer awareness and training of general practitioners to reduce breast cancer mortality by promoting early detection. The treatment guidelines should pay more attention to the early phases of breast

  10. CT diagnosis of hepatoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Itai, Yuji [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Medicine

    1982-04-01

    In hepatocellular carcinoma, present status of CT diagnosis was discussed. Hepatocellular carcinoma is sometimes imaged in same concentration as that of surrounding tissues, and the detection rate ranged from 79 to 94%. The rate of differential diagnosis between primary and metastatic carcinoma was only 83% (includes 22% of false diagnosis) using contrast enhancement. The rates of detection of hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic one were also only 87% and 75%, respectively, even by the combined use of arterial infusion CT and dynamic CT. However, the CT images is reproducible, and is supplemented by the information of US. Thus, the combination of these methods is useful in diagnosing the presence, extension, and nature of liver carcinoma.

  11. Seasonal Allergies: Diagnosis, Treatment & Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Seasonal Allergies Diagnosis, Treatment & Research Past Issues / Spring 2015 Table of Contents Diagnosis Testing for Allergies Knowing exactly what you are allergic to can ...

  12. Diagnosis and pathology of endocrine diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shriver, B.D.

    1988-01-01

    This book contains 22 papers under the headings of Diagnosis and Pathology of endocrine diseases. Topics covered include: Laboratory tests in the diagnosis and management of thyroid disorders, Pathology of thyroid diseases, Diagnosis of adrenourtical disease, Radiologic techniques in evaluating endocrine disorders; and the Pituitary and adrenal glands

  13. Diagnosis and pathology of endocrine diseases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shriver, B.D.

    1988-01-01

    This book contains 22 papers under the headings of Diagnosis and Pathology of endocrine diseases. Topics covered include: Laboratory tests in the diagnosis and management of thyroid disorders, Pathology of thyroid diseases, Diagnosis of adrenourtical disease, Radiologic techniques in evaluating endocrine disorders; and the Pituitary and adrenal glands.

  14. General knowledge structure for diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steinar Brendeford, T.

    1996-01-01

    At the OECD Halden Reactor Project work has been going on for several years in the field of automatic fault diagnosis for nuclear power plants. Continuing this work, studies are now carried out to combine different diagnostic systems within the same framework. The goal is to establish a general knowledge structure for diagnosis applied to a NPP process. Such a consistent and generic storage of knowledge will lighten the task of combining different diagnosis techniques. An integration like this is expected to increase the robustness and widen the scope of the diagnosis. Further, verification of system reliability and on-line explanations of hypotheses can be helped. Last but not least there is a potential in reuse of both specific and generic knowledge. The general knowledge framework is also a prerequisite for a successful integration of computerized operator support systems within the process supervision and control complex. Consistency, verification and reuse are keywords also in this respect. Systems that should be considered for integration are; automatic control, computerized operator procedures, alarm - and alarm filtering, signal validation, diagnosis and condition based maintenance. This paper presents three prototype diagnosis systems developed at the OECD Halden Reactor Project. A software arrangement for process simulation with these three systems attached in parallel is briefly described. The central part of this setup is a 'blackboard' system to be used for representing shared knowledge. Examples of such knowledge representations are included in the paper. The conclusions so far in this line of work are only tentative. The studies of existing methodologies for diagnosis, however, show a potential for several generalizations to be made in knowledge representation and use. (author). 14 refs, 6 figs

  15. General knowledge structure for diagnosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Steinar Brendeford, T [Institutt for Energiteknikk, Halden (Norway). OECD Halden Reaktor Projekt

    1997-12-31

    At the OECD Halden Reactor Project work has been going on for several years in the field of automatic fault diagnosis for nuclear power plants. Continuing this work, studies are now carried out to combine different diagnostic systems within the same framework. The goal is to establish a general knowledge structure for diagnosis applied to a NPP process. Such a consistent and generic storage of knowledge will lighten the task of combining different diagnosis techniques. An integration like this is expected to increase the robustness and widen the scope of the diagnosis. Further, verification of system reliability and on-line explanations of hypotheses can be helped. Last but not least there is a potential in reuse of both specific and generic knowledge. The general knowledge framework is also a prerequisite for a successful integration of computerized operator support systems within the process supervision and control complex. Consistency, verification and reuse are keywords also in this respect. Systems that should be considered for integration are; automatic control, computerized operator procedures, alarm - and alarm filtering, signal validation, diagnosis and condition based maintenance. This paper presents three prototype diagnosis systems developed at the OECD Halden Reactor Project. A software arrangement for process simulation with these three systems attached in parallel is briefly described. The central part of this setup is a `blackboard` system to be used for representing shared knowledge. Examples of such knowledge representations are included in the paper. The conclusions so far in this line of work are only tentative. The studies of existing methodologies for diagnosis, however, show a potential for several generalizations to be made in knowledge representation and use. (author). 14 refs, 6 figs.

  16. Morquio syndrome: A radiological diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sadhanandham Shrinuvasan

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS are a family of inherited metabolic diseases that results from the deficiency of lysosomal enzymes involved in the degradation of the glycosaminoglycans (MPS. We report here a 7-year-old female child who presented with complaints of short stature, skeletal deformities, and difficulty in walking with normal intelligence. A clinical diagnosis with differential diagnosis of achondroplasia/rickets was considered. Skeletal survey showed radiological features characteristic of Morquio syndrome (MPS IV which lead to diagnosis in this case.

  17. Diagnosis of thyroid diseases. The diagnosis value of the various methods of examination

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pfannenstiel, P [Stiftung Deutsche Klinik fuer Diagnostik, Wiesbaden (Germany, F.R.). Fachbereich Nuklearmedizin

    1980-03-01

    The recommendations of the thyroid section of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Endokrinologie take account of practical requirements and serve as a basis for assessing the indications of the various diagnostic methods in view of their value, expenditure, and hazards. Progress in methodology and recent scientific findings have been taken into account as well as economic aspects and the available equipment. In spite of all the possibilities offered by modern laboratory diagnosis, the diagnosis and theory of thyroid diseases should always depend on a special anamnesis and a physical examination of the patient. The measured values must agree with the patient's complaints and with clinical findings. In diagnoses involving several steps, one should always start with simple in-vitro techniques in order to spare the patient stress. Functional diagnosis of thyroid diseases are supplemented by thyroid scintiscanning with short-lived radionuclides and by thyroid cytology. Experience and precise knowledge help to 'save expense and radiation'. Of course, uncertain diagnoses and untypical findings require a more extensive use of diagnostic means than diagnosis that are more or less clinically proved.

  18. [Microbiological diagnosis of HIV infection].

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Bernaldo de Quirós, Juan Carlos; Delgado, Rafael; García, Federico; Eiros, José M; Ortiz de Lejarazu, Raúl

    2007-12-01

    Currently, there are around 150,000 HIV-infected patients in Spain. This number, together with the fact that this disease is now a chronic condition since the introduction of antiretroviral therapy, has generated an increasing demand on the clinical microbiology laboratories in our hospitals. This increase has occurred not only in the diagnosis and treatment of opportunistic diseases, but also in tests related to the diagnosis and therapeutic management of HIV infection. To meet this demand, the Sociedad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clinica (Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology) has updated its standard Procedure for the microbiological diagnosis of HIV infection. The main advances related to serological diagnosis, plasma viral load, and detection of resistance to antiretroviral drugs are reviewed in this version of the Procedure.

  19. Diagnosis-Prescription in the Context of Instructional Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Besel, Ronald

    The usage of the terms "diagnosis" and "prescription" in the fields of medicine and electronic troubleshooting is reviewed, and a common structure for diagnosis-prescription is proposed. The diagnosis-prescription decision sequence is outlined. Prescription-without-diagnosis and diagnosis-without-prescription in education is discussed. The…

  20. Diagnosis delay in Libyan female breast cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ermiah Eramah

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Aims To study the diagnosis delay and its impact on stage of disease among women with breast cancer on Libya. Methods 200 women, aged 22 to 75 years with breast cancer diagnosed during 2008–2009 were interviewed about the period from the first symptoms to the final histological diagnosis of breast cancer. This period (diagnosis time was categorized into 3 periods: 6 months. If diagnosis time was longer than 3 months, the diagnosis was considered delayed (diagnosis delay. Consultation time was the time taken to visit the general practitioner after the first symptoms. Retrospective preclinical and clinical data were collected on a form (questionnaire during an interview with each patient and from medical records. Results The median of diagnosis time was 7.5 months. Only 30.0% of patients were diagnosed within 3 months after symptoms. 14% of patients were diagnosed within 3–6 months and 56% within a period longer than 6 months. A number of factors predicted diagnosis delay: Symptoms were not considered serious in 27% of patients. Alternative therapy (therapy not associated with cancer was applied in 13.0% of the patients. Fear and shame prevented the visit to the doctor in 10% and 4.5% of patients, respectively. Inappropriate reassurance that the lump was benign was an important reason for prolongation of the diagnosis time. Diagnosis delay was associated with initial breast symptom(s that did not include a lump (p  Diagnosis delay was associated with bigger tumour size (p Conclusions Diagnosis delay is very serious problem in Libya. Diagnosis delay was associated with complex interactions between several factors and with advanced stages. There is a need for improving breast cancer awareness and training of general practitioners to reduce breast cancer mortality by promoting early detection. The treatment guidelines should pay more attention to the early phases of breast cancer. Especially, guidelines for good practices in managing

  1. Network Fault Diagnosis Using DSM

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Jiang Hao; Yan Pu-liu; Chen Xiao; Wu Jing

    2004-01-01

    Difference similitude matrix (DSM) is effective in reducing information system with its higher reduction rate and higher validity. We use DSM method to analyze the fault data of computer networks and obtain the fault diagnosis rules. Through discretizing the relative value of fault data, we get the information system of the fault data. DSM method reduces the information system and gets the diagnosis rules. The simulation with the actual scenario shows that the fault diagnosis based on DSM can obtain few and effective rules.

  2. Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder: stability and change in clinical diagnosis and symptom presentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guthrie, Whitney; Swineford, Lauren B; Nottke, Charly; Wetherby, Amy M

    2013-05-01

    Although a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) appears to be stable in children as young as age three, few studies have explored stability of a diagnosis in younger children. Predictive value of diagnostic tools for toddlers and patterns of symptom change are important considerations for clinicians making early diagnoses. Most findings come from high-risk samples, but reports on children screened in community settings are also needed. Stability of diagnosis and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – Toddler Module (ADOS-T) classifications and scores was examined across two time points in a sample of 82 children identified through the FIRST WORDS Project.Children received two comprehensive diagnostic evaluations at average ages of 19.39 (SD = 2.12) and 36.89 (SD = 3.85) months. Stability was 100% when confirming and ruling out a diagnosis of ASD based on a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation that included clinic and home observations,although diagnosis was initially deferred for 17% of the sample. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves revealed excellent sensitivity and acceptable specificity for the ADOS-T compared to concurrent diagnosis. Logistic regressions indicated good predictive value of initial ADOS-T scores for follow-up diagnosis. Finally, both ASD and Non-ASD children demonstrated a decrease in Social Affect scores (i.e.,improvement), whereas children with ASD demonstrated an increase in Restricted and Repetitive Behavior scores (i.e., worsening), changes that were accounted for by nonverbal developmental level in mixed model analyses. Short-term stability was documented for children diagnosed at 19 months on average, although a minority of children initially showed unclear diagnostic presentations.Findings highlight utility of the ADOS-T in making early diagnoses and predicting follow-up diagnoses. Children with ASD demonstrated improvement in social communication behaviors and unfolding of repetitive behaviors, suggesting that certain

  3. New technologies in diagnosis of preinvasive cervical lesions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. P. Aminodova

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Results of efficiency assessment of different diagnosis for preinvasive cervical lesions are represented in the article. During investigation the retrospective analysis of 353 patient histories of women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (primary and recurrent, who have been observed in Ivanovskiy regional oncological dispensary from 2002 to 2011, was performed. The accuracy rates of diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia for one or several methods including cytological study, colposcopy and fluorescence cystoscopy were compared. Fluorescence diagnosis was performed with drug fotoditazin (LLC «VETA-GRAND», marketing authorisation №LS 001246 at dose of 1,0 mg/kg body weight. The final diagnosis was determined by results of histological study. The accuracy of cytological study accounted for 67,5–80,7%. Using colposcopy the exact diagnosis was determined in 67,9–74,4% of cases. Combination of cytological study with colposcopy improved the accuracy of diagnosis up to 82.1–88.9%. The superior results were for concurrent use of cytological study with colposcopy and fluorescence diagnosis – in such case the diagnosis was correct in 92,0–96,7% of patients. The analysis of results showed that using all methods of diagnosis the accuracy of diagnosis for recurrent cervical intraepithelial neoplasia was lower than for primary lesions. The decrease of diagnosis accuracy is probably related to previous diagnosis and therapeutic manipulations on cervix. Thus, multimodal diagnosis investigation with methods of fluorescence spectroscopy allows to improve accuracy of diagnosis for preinvasive cervical lesions. 

  4. Echography in appendicitis acute diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ripolles Gonzalez, T.; Sanguesa Nebot, C.; Ambit Capdevila, S.; Lazaro y de Molina, S.

    1993-01-01

    Over an 18-month period, high resolution ultrasound was used to assess 220 patients with doubtful clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The ultrasonographic findings were correlated with the surgical results and the pathological results in 115 cases, and with clinical follow-up in the rest. This technique has been found to be effective in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, with a sensitivity of 90.4%, and similar specificity and reliability (90.2%). The positive predictive value of the test was 89% and the negative predictive value, 91%. The ultrasonographic criteria applied for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis was the detection of an understood appendix measuring over 6 mm. All cases with perforation were correctly diagnosed as acute appendicitis. The observation of an accumulation of fluid pooled in DIF in patients with ultrasonographic findings suggestive of appendicitis points to a diagnosis of perforation or complicated (gangrenous) appendicitis. A relationship between complicated appendicitis and the detection of appendicoliths within the enlarged appendix was also observed. The results obtained demonstrate that high resolution ultrasound is indicated in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in all cases in which the clinical findings are doubtful

  5. Nucleomedical diagnosis of lung cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ito, Yasuhiko [Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Okayama (Japan)

    1982-06-01

    /sup 67/Ga citrate is most often used in the diagnosis of lung cancer. As judged from reported cases, the accuracy rate was 90%, with a false negative rate being about 5%. Lung ventilation and blood flow scintigraphy are valuable in assessing the degree of damage to lung function and the therapeutic effect rather than in finding lung cancer. In aerosol scintigraphy, sup(99m)Tc labelled aerosols with different particle size depending on the purpose of diagnosis are used; the large particles deposit at the center of the trachea and small size aerosols on the periphery. Aerosol-inhaled scintigraphy is highly valuable for the diagnosis of hilus lung cancer. sup(99m)Tc methylene diphosphate is used in bone scintigraphy to detect bone metastasis. But it sometimes gives false positive results such as in the case of senile bone changes. Another valuable method of diagnosis is emission CT by which various substances having affinity for the tumor can be detected by labelling them with a proton emitting nuclear species such as 11 C, /sup 13/N, /sup 15/O and /sup 18/F. Some cases of lung cancer, and the radionuclide methods used in the diagnosis are shown.

  6. To evaluate the efficacy of ultrasonography compared to clinical diagnosis, radiography and histopathological findings in the diagnosis of maxillofacial swellings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pallagatti, Shambulingappa, E-mail: dr.shambulingappa@gmail.com [Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, M.M. College of Dental Sciences and Research, Mullana, Ambala, Haryana (India); Sheikh, Soheyl; Puri, Nidhi; Mittal, Amit; Singh, Balwinder [Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, M.M. College of Dental Sciences and Research, Mullana, Ambala, Haryana (India)

    2012-08-15

    Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of Ultrasonography compared to clinical diagnosis, radiography and histopathological findings in the diagnosis of maxillofacial swellings. Material and methods: The study was conducted on forty-five patients with maxillofacial swellings. The clinical diagnosis, radiographic diagnosis and ultrasonographic diagnosis were made which was compared to the histopathological diagnosis. The maxillofacial swellings included cystic lesions, benign swellings, malignant swellings, lymphadenopathies and abscesses and space infections. Results: The diagnostic accuracy and contingency coefficient was evaluated considering histopathology as gold standard. The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound was found to be 92.30% in the diagnosis of cystic lesions, 87.5% in benign tumors, 81.8% in malignant tumors, 100% in lymphadenopathies and 90% in space infections and abscesses. The contingency coefficient of 0.934 was obtained when ultrasonography was compared to the histopathology, which was highly significant. Similar significant results were obtained comparing ultrasonography with clinical diagnosis (0.895) and radiographic diagnosis (0.889). Conclusion: Ultrasonography provides accurate imaging of the head and neck region and provides information about the nature of the lesion, its extent, and relationship with the surrounding structures. As the conventional and digital radiography enable the diagnosis of the presence of the disease, but do not give any indication of its nature. So, together with clinical and histopathological examinations, real time ultrasound imaging works out as a valuable adjunct in the diagnosis of orofacial swellings.

  7. Diagnosis of antenatal Bartter syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narayan, R; Peres, M; Kesby, G

    2016-01-01

    Bartter syndrome is a rare heterogeneous group of autosomal-recessive salt-losing renal tubular disorders that can present in fetal life (antenatal Bartter syndrome; ABS) as "unexplained" early-onset polyhydramnios, often associated with growth restriction. Prenatal diagnosis of the condition involves assessment of amniotic fluid biochemistry in a setting of polyuric polyhydramnios; with elevated chloride levels considered a consistent and diagnostic finding. Other amniotic fluid biochemical markers have been described, notably increased aldosterone levels, and low total protein levels. NOVEL INSIGHT: Antenatal Bartter syndrome is a heterogeneous group of renal disorders. While certain biochemical features in amniotic fluid might heighten suspicion, final diagnosis can only be made in the postnatal setting. In the setting of unexplained severe polyhydramnios, clinicians should continue to entertain the diagnosis of antenatal Bartter Syndrome and maintain neonatal surveillance, even if amniotic fluid markers do not support the diagnosis.

  8. Fetal tachycardia : diagnosis and treatment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oudijk, Martijn Alexander

    2003-01-01

    Part I: Fetal tachyarrhythmias Diagnosis Fetal tachycardia is a serious condition warranting specialized evaluation. In chapter 2, methods of diagnosis of fetal tachycardia are described, including doppler and M-mode echocardiography and fetal magnetocardiography. The study presented in chapter 3

  9. [Prenatal diagnosis of sirenomelia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ladure, H; D'hervé, D; Loget, P; Poulain, P

    2006-04-01

    Sirenomelia sequence associates a fusion of inferior legs with renal anomalies until bilateral agenesis. It is a rare and lethal polymalformation. The purpose of the ultrasonographic study is to identify the sirenomelia as early as possible during pregnancy and to differentiate it from caudal regression syndrome. A case of sirenomelia diagnosed early is reported together with a review of the literature. The ultrasonographic diagnosis, associated defects, the interest of color Doppler study of abdominal vasculature are discussed. Antenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis should be obtained as early as possible, before 20th gestational week at the latest. Color Doppler is helpful to confirm the diagnosis in case of bilateral renal agenesis. The main differences between sirenomelia and caudal regression syndrome (which requires a very different genetic counselling) are summarized in a table.

  10. Computer tomographic diagnosis of echinococcosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haertel, M.; Fretz, C.; Fuchs, W.A.

    1980-08-01

    The computer tomographic appearances and differential diagnosis in 22 patients with echinococcosis are described; of these, twelve were of the cystic and ten of the alveolar type. The computer tomographic appearances are characterised by the presence of daughter cysts (66%) within the sharply demarkated parasitic cyst of water density. In the absence of daughter cysts, a definite aetiological diagnosis cannot be made, although there is a tendency to clasification of the occassionally multiple echinococcus cysts. The computer tomographic appearances of advanced alveolar echinococcosis are characterised by partial collequative necrosis, with clacification around the necrotic areas (90%). The absence of CT evidence of partial necrosis and calsification of the pseudotumour makes it difficult to establish a specific diagnosis. The conclusive and non-invasive character of the procedure and its reproducibility makes computer tomography the method of choice for the diagnosis and follow-up of echinococcosis.

  11. Anthrax: Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Diagnosis Language: English (US) Español (Spanish) Recommend on Facebook Tweet Share Compartir Doctors in the United States rarely see a patient with anthrax. CDC Guidance and case definitions are available to help doctors diagnose anthrax, take ...

  12. Arthroscopy in the diagnosis of chondromalacia patellae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leslie, I J; Bentley, G

    1978-01-01

    Chondromalacia patellae is difficult to diagnosis clinically with accuracy. In order to clarify the relevant symptoms and signs, 78 patients presenting with a clinical diagnosis of chondromalacia were examined by arthroscopy. In 49% of the knees no abnormalities were found. Presenting symptoms were similar in the normal and abnormal groups. Physical signs were more helpful in diagnosis and it is considered that the presence of an effusion, quadriceps wasting, and patello-femoral crepitus are the most important clinical findings in the diagnosis of chondromalacia patellae. The arthroscope is valuable instrument in establishing the diagnosis of chondromalacia patellae especially in the teenage female. Images PMID:749700

  13. Serological diagnosis of brucellosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, K; Yu, W L

    2010-01-01

    To present a review and to describe the most widely used laboratory tests for serology diagnosis of brucellosis along with their pros and cons. Review the recent literature on brucellosis serology diagnostic tests. The choice of the testing strategy depends on the prevailing brucellosis epidemiological situation and the goal of testing. The 'gold standard' for the diagnosis of brucellosis is isolation and identification of the causative bacterium, a member of Brucella sp. Isolation of Brucella sp. requires high security laboratory facilities (biological containment level 3), highly skilled personnel, an extended turnaround time for results and it is considered a hazardous procedure. Hence brucellosis is generally diagnosed by detection of an elevated level of antibody in serum or other body fluid. This is a presumptive diagnosis as other microorganisms and perhaps environmental factors can also cause increased antibody levels. A large number of serological tests for brucellosis have been devised over the 100+ years since its initial isolation, starting with a simple agglutination test and progressing to sophisticated primary binding assays available today. However, no test devised to date is 100% accurate so generally serological diagnosis consists of testing sera by several tests, usually a screening test of high sensitivity, followed by a confirmatory test of high specificity.

  14. Sonographic diagnosis of pneumothorax

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lubna F Husain

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Lung sonography has rapidly emerged as a reliable technique in the evaluation of various thoracic diseases. One important, well-established application is the diagnosis of a pneumothorax. Prompt and accurate diagnosis of a pneumothorax in the management of a critical patient can prevent the progression into a life-threatening situation. Sonographic signs, including ′lung sliding′, ′B-lines′ or ′comet tail artifacts′, ′A-lines′, and ′the lung point sign′ can help in the diagnosis of a pneumothorax. Ultrasound has a higher sensitivity than the traditional upright anteroposterior chest radiography (CXR for the detection of a pneumothorax. Small occult pneumothoraces may be missed on CXR during a busy trauma scenario, and CXR may not always be feasible in critically ill patients. Computed tomography, the gold standard for the detection of pneumothorax, requires patients to be transported out of the clinical area, compromising their hemodynamic stability and delaying the diagnosis. As ultrasound machines have become more portable and easier to use, lung sonography now allows a rapid evaluation of an unstable patient, at the bedside. These advantages combined with the low cost and ease of use, have allowed thoracic sonography to become a useful modality in many clinical settings.

  15. To what extent does diagnosis matter? Dementia diagnosis, trouble interpretation and caregiving network dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brossard, Baptiste; Carpentier, Normand

    2017-05-01

    Contemporary research into health and mental health treats diagnosis as a central step in understanding illness management and trajectory; consequently, in the last two decades, sociology of diagnosis has attained increasing influence within medical sociology. Deeply embedded in social constructionism, the set of research divides between those who focus on the social and historical construction of diagnoses as categories, and those who see diagnosis as a process. Regarding the latter, this approach explores the constitution of the medical production, highlighting how it constitutes a starting point for entering a 'sick role', for being labelled, for naming one's problem and by extension, for framing one's illness narrative. © 2016 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

  16. Pediatric Hypothyroidism: Diagnosis and Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wassner, Ari J

    2017-08-01

    Thyroid hormone has important physiologic functions in nearly every organ system. The critical role of thyroid hormone in growth and in physical and neurologic development lends particular importance to the prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment of hypothyroidism in infants and children. Congenital hypothyroidism is common and has potentially devastating neurologic consequences. While the approach to diagnosis and treatment of severe congenital hypothyroidism is well established, data continue to emerge about the genetic causes, clinical significance, and prognosis of the milder forms of congenital hypothyroidism that are increasingly being diagnosed by newborn screening. Similarly, the diagnosis and treatment of severe acquired hypothyroidism is straightforward and clearly of clinical benefit, but uncertainty remains about the optimal management of mild subclinical hypothyroidism. This review summarizes current knowledge of the causes, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of hypothyroidism in infants and children, with a focus on recent developments and areas of uncertainty in this field.

  17. Differential diagnosis of Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paterson, Ross W; Torres-Chae, Charles C; Kuo, Amy L; Ando, Tim; Nguyen, Elizabeth A; Wong, Katherine; DeArmond, Stephen J; Haman, Aissa; Garcia, Paul; Johnson, David Y; Miller, Bruce L; Geschwind, Michael D

    2012-12-01

    To identify the misdiagnoses of patients with sporadic Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease (sCJD) during the course of their disease and determine which medical specialties saw patients with sCJD prior to the correct diagnosis being made and at what point in the disease course a correct diagnosis was made. Retrospective medical record review. A specialty referral center of a tertiary academic medical center. One hundred sixty-three serial patients over a 5.5-year period who ultimately had pathologically proven sCJD. The study used the subset of 97 patients for whom we had adequate medical records. Other diagnoses considered in the differential diagnosis and types of medical specialties assessing patients with sCJD. Ninety-seven subjects' records were used in the final analysis. The most common disease categories of misdiagnosis were neurodegenerative, autoimmune/paraneoplastic, infectious, and toxic/metabolic disorders. The most common individual misdiagnoses were viral encephalitis, paraneoplastic disorder, depression, vertigo, Alzheimer disease, stroke, unspecified dementia, central nervous system vasculitis, peripheral neuropathy, and Hashimoto encephalopathy. The physicians who most commonly made these misdiagnoses were primary care physicians and neurologists; in the 18% of patients who were diagnosed correctly at their first assessment, the diagnosis was almost always by a neurologist. The mean time from onset to diagnosis was 7.9 months, an average of two-thirds of the way through their disease course. Diagnosis of sCJD is quite delayed. When evaluating patients with rapidly progressive dementia with suspected neurodegenerative, autoimmune, infectious, or toxic/metabolic etiology, sCJD should also be included in the differential diagnosis, and appropriate diagnostic tests, such as diffusion brain magnetic resonance imaging, should be considered. Primary care physicians and neurologists need improved training in sCJD diagnosis.

  18. Diagnosis in the Enterprise Management System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Skrynkovskyy Ruslan M.

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the article is to define the role and place of the diagnosis management system in the structure of the task system of the enterprise diagnosis. There suggested the essence of the concept of «diagnosis of the enterprise», which is understood as the process of identification, analysis and evaluation of the enterprise state and trends in its changes (changes of the state on the basis of relevant business indicators in order to develop recommendations on the elimination of problematic points and weaknesses in the functioning of the enterprise to ensure a qualitatively new level of its development and formation of prospects with consideration to the consequences of violation of the legislation in the field of economics and enterprise management and law (legal responsibility for the violation of the labor law, tax law, law on protection of economic competition, law on trade secret, etc.. It was found that the diagnosis in the system of enterprise management: 1 is a structural component (or a partial diagnosis task in a group of private diagnosis tasks in the system of diagnosis task of the enterprise activity; 2 as a sub-function of the control function (as a general function of management includes such components as: assessment (identification of key features, characteristics, parameters (indexes, indicators, properties; analysis (a thorough study of the structure, dynamics, trends, etc.; identification (involves determination of deviations of parameters from the criteria and/or standards, formulation of diagnosis. Prospects for further research in this direction are the development of methods for quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of the management system with the purpose of its introducing in practical activities of enterprises, namely in the processes of decision-making.

  19. Communication issues in migraine diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edmeads, John

    2002-06-01

    To examine the importance of good communication when informing the patient of the diagnosis of migraine; to review the essentials of successful communication between physician and patient on the aspect of diagnosis; to survey learning resources for physicians on communicating information to patients. This paper is based on observations made by the author of the successful interactions of numerous international "headache experts" with their patients, on a review of the medical education literature pertaining to the teaching of communication skills, and on 30 years of not always successful communication with patients. Communicating the diagnosis of migraine is an opportunity to educate and reassure the patient, to lay the foundation for rational treatment and to help establish the successful doctor-patient relationship which is essential for effective management. No matter how accurate the diagnosis, failure to communicate it effectively to the patient (and often to significant others) may impair interactions with the patient and compromise therapy. Effective communication of a diagnosis requires clarity, relevance to the patient, a positive attitude, and reinforcement through repetition, questioning and dialogue. In terms of using the diagnosis to lay a foundation for therapy, it is useful to explain the symptoms as transient physical dysfunction of normal tissues, to indicate that there are multiple mechanisms underlying the dysfunction of which only some may presently be susceptible to treatment and to stress the relevance of emotions as factors which may powerfully affect, for better or worse, the underlying disturbed physiology of migraine. Into this model can be "plugged" all the relevant therapies for migraine. This is the ideal, but every day experience in the headache consultant's office suggest that in both primary care and specialist practice, it is infrequently attained. There are scant resources other than example for physicians to learn communication of

  20. Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of hydrocephalus in adults; Diagnostik und Differenzialdiagnostik des Hydrozephalus beim Erwachsenen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Langner, Soenke; Mensel, Birger; Kuehn, Jens Peter; Kirsch, Michael [Univ. Medicine Greifswald (Germany). Inst. for Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology; Fleck, Steffen; Baldauf, Joerg [Univ. Medicine Greifswald (Germany). Dept. of Neurosurgery

    2017-08-15

    Hydrocephalus is caused by an imbalance of production and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or obstruction of its pathways, resulting in ventricular dilatation and increased intracranial pressure. Imaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis and planning of treatment. This review article presents the different types of hydrocephalus und their typical imaging appearance, describes imaging techniques, and discusses differential diagnoses of the different forms of hydrocephalus. Imaging plays a central role in the diagnosis of hydrocephalus. While magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the first-line imaging modality, computed tomography (CT) is often the first-line imaging test in emergency patients.

  1. SARS - Diagnosis

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    SARS - Diagnosis. Mainly by exclusion of known causes of atypical pneumonia; * X ray Chest; * PCR on body fluids- primers defined by WHO centres available from website.-ve result does not exclude SARS. * Sequencing of amplicons; * Viral Cultures – demanding; * Antibody tests.

  2. Content validation of the nursing diagnosis Nausea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniele Alcalá Pompeo

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to evaluate the content validity of the nursing diagnosis of nausea in the immediate post-operative period, considering Fehring’s model. Descriptive study with 52 nurses experts who responded an instrument containing identification and validation of nausea diagnosis data. Most experts considered the domain 12 (Comfort, Class 1 (Physical Comfort and the statement (Nausea adequate to the diagnosis. Modifications were suggested in the current definition of this nursing diagnosis. Four defining characteristics were considered primary (reported nausea, increased salivation, aversion to food and vomiting sensation and eight secondary (increased swallowing, sour taste in the mouth, pallor, tachycardia, diaphoresis, sensation of hot and cold, changes in blood pressure and pupil dilation. The total score for the diagnosis of nausea was 0.79. Reports of nausea, vomiting sensation, increased salivation and aversion to food are strong predictors of nursing diagnosis of nausea.

  3. failures diagnosis. Theory and practice for industrial systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zwingelstein, G.

    1995-01-01

    Failure diagnosis methods represent appreciable tools for the maintenance and the improvement of availability and safety in complex industrial installations. The industrial diagnosis can be assimilated to a deterministic causality relation between the cause and the effect. This book describes the methodology associated to the resolution of the diagnosis problem applied to complex industrial system failures, and evaluates the principles of the main diagnosis methods. The introduction presents the terminology and norms used in the industry to situate the diagnosis context in the possession cost of a product. After a formulation of the diagnosis in the form of the resolution of inverse problems, the author gives details about the inductive and deductive methods and about internal and external diagnosis methods. Each method is illustrated with examples taken in the industry with recommendations about their operating limitations. Finally, a guideline summarizes the principal criteria for the selection of an industrial diagnosis method according to the available informations. (J.S.). 168 refs., 294 figs., 22 tabs., 1 annexe

  4. Current approaches on non-invasive prenatal diagnosis: Prenatal genomics, transcriptomics, personalized fetal diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tuba Günel

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Recent developments in molecular genetics improved our knowledge on fetal genome and physiology. Novel scientific innovations in prenatal diagnosis have accelerated in the last decade changing our vision immensely. Data obtained from fetal genomic studies brought new insights to fetal medicine and by the advances in fetal DNA and RNA sequencing technology novel treatment strategies has evolved. Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis found ground in genetics and the results are widely studied in scientific arena. When Lo and colleges proved fetal genetic material can be extracted from maternal plasma and fetal DNA can be isolated from maternal serum, the gate to many exciting discoveries was open. Microarray technology and advances in sequencing helped fetal diagnosis as well as other areas of medicine. Today it is a very crucial prerequisite for physicians practicing prenatal diagnosis to have a profound knowledge in genetics. Prevailing practical use and application of fetal genomic tests in maternal and fetal medicine mandates obstetricians to update their knowledge in genetics. The purpose of this review is to assist physicians to understand and update their knowledge in fetal genetic testing from maternal blood, individualized prenatal counseling and advancements on the subject by sharing our experiences as İstanbul University Fetal Nucleic Acid Research Group.

  5. Unraveling Executive Functioning in Dual Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duijkers, Judith C L M; Vissers, Constance Th W M; Egger, Jos I M

    2016-01-01

    In mental health, the term dual-diagnosis is used for the co-occurrence of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) with another mental disorder. These co-occurring disorders can have a shared cause, and can cause/intensify each other's expression. Forming a threat to health and society, dual-diagnosis is associated with relapses in addiction-related behavior and a destructive lifestyle. This is due to a persistent failure to control impulses and the maintaining of inadequate self-regulatory behavior in daily life. Thus, several aspects of executive functioning like inhibitory, shifting and updating processes seem impaired in dual-diagnosis. Executive (dys-)function is currently even seen as a shared underlying key component of most mental disorders. However, the number of studies on diverse aspects of executive functioning in dual-diagnosis is limited. In the present review, a systematic overview of various aspects of executive functioning in dual-diagnosis is presented, striving for a prototypical profile of patients with dual-diagnosis. Looking at empirical results, inhibitory and shifting processes appear to be impaired for SUD combined with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or cluster B personality disorders. Studies involving updating process tasks for dual-diagnosis were limited. More research that zooms in to the full diversity of these executive functions is needed in order to strengthen these findings. Detailed insight in the profile of strengths and weaknesses that underlies one's behavior and is related to diagnostic classifications, can lead to tailor-made assessment and indications for treatment, pointing out which aspects need attention and/or training in one's self-regulative abilities.

  6. [Diagnosis: synovial fluid analysis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallo Vallejo, Francisco Javier; Giner Ruiz, Vicente

    2014-01-01

    Synovial fluid analysis in rheumatological diseases allows a more accurate diagnosis in some entities, mainly infectious and microcrystalline arthritis. Examination of synovial fluid in patients with osteoarthritis is useful if a differential diagnosis will be performed with other processes and to distinguish between inflammatory and non-inflammatory forms. Joint aspiration is a diagnostic and sometimes therapeutic procedure that is available to primary care physicians. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

  7. Knowledge-based diagnosis for aerospace systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atkinson, David J.

    1988-01-01

    The need for automated diagnosis in aerospace systems and the approach of using knowledge-based systems are examined. Research issues in knowledge-based diagnosis which are important for aerospace applications are treated along with a review of recent relevant research developments in Artificial Intelligence. The design and operation of some existing knowledge-based diagnosis systems are described. The systems described and compared include the LES expert system for liquid oxygen loading at NASA Kennedy Space Center, the FAITH diagnosis system developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the PES procedural expert system developed at SRI International, the CSRL approach developed at Ohio State University, the StarPlan system developed by Ford Aerospace, the IDM integrated diagnostic model, and the DRAPhys diagnostic system developed at NASA Langley Research Center.

  8. Diagnosis of adolescent polycystic ovary syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardy, Tristan S E; Norman, Robert J

    2013-08-01

    Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy affecting women of reproductive age and is increasingly recognized as a disorder manifesting in the peripubertal and adolescent period. Diagnosis in the adolescent is difficult due to the high background rate of menstrual irregularity, the high prevalence of polycystic ovarian morphology and hyperandrogenic features in this population. Recent guidelines suggest that menstrual irregularity for over two years, reduced reliance on ultrasound diagnosis of polycystic ovarian morphology, and accurate assessment of hyperandrogenic and metabolic features are suitable strategies for the diagnosis of PCOS in the adolescent. Accurate diagnosis is important given the long-term implications of the disorder, with increasing emphasis on metabolic sequelae. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. 38 CFR 4.125 - Diagnosis of mental disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... SCHEDULE FOR RATING DISABILITIES Disability Ratings Mental Disorders § 4.125 Diagnosis of mental disorders. (a) If the diagnosis of a mental disorder does not conform to DSM-IV or is not supported by the... substantiate the diagnosis. (b) If the diagnosis of a mental disorder is changed, the rating agency shall...

  10. Experimental mesenteric ischemia. Radioisotopic diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alberti, Carlos; Dallaglio, Juan; Sarra, Luis; Obiols, Eugenio; Rodriguez Santos, Emilio; Delgado, Eduardo; Castelleti, Luis

    1995-01-01

    A non-invasive radionuclide technique with 99-Tc-DMP for the early diagnosis of small bowel infarction due to mesenteric artery compression, was evaluated. The usefulness of 99-Tc-DMP and critical pressure of mesenteric artery were demonstrated. The diagnosis was performed before one hour had passed from the beginning of the ischemia

  11. Diagnosis of pediatric urinary tract infections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeng-Daw Tsai

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Urinary tract infection (UTI is the second common infection in children. The diagnosis of UTI in infants and children can be difficult. Good history taking and physical examination are corner stones of good care of UTI. In addition, this article reviewed current evident on the methods of urine specimen collection and various diagnostic criteria to reach the diagnosis of UTI. Asian Guideline for UTI in children is highlighted to increase consensus of the diagnosis of UTI.

  12. Diagnosis of pediatric urinary tract infections

    OpenAIRE

    Jeng-Daw Tsai; Chun-Chen Lin; Stephan S. Yang

    2016-01-01

    Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the second common infection in children. The diagnosis of UTI in infants and children can be difficult. Good history taking and physical examination are corner stones of good care of UTI. In addition, this article reviewed current evident on the methods of urine specimen collection and various diagnostic criteria to reach the diagnosis of UTI. Asian Guideline for UTI in children is highlighted to increase consensus of the diagnosis of UTI.

  13. Pathways to diagnosis: exploring the experiences of problem recognition and obtaining a dementia diagnosis among Anglo-Canadians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, Karen K; Finlay, Juli; Silvius, James L; Koehn, Sharon; McCleary, Lynn; Cohen, Carole A; Hum, Susan; Garcia, Linda; Dalziel, William; Emerson, Victor F; Pimlott, Nicholas J G; Persaud, Malini; Kozak, Jean; Drummond, Neil

    2011-07-01

    Increasing evidence suggests that early diagnosis and management of dementia-related symptoms may improve the quality of life for patients and their families. However, individuals may wait from 1-3 years from the onset of symptoms before receiving a diagnosis. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of problem recognition, and the process of obtaining a diagnosis among individuals with early-stage dementia and their primary carers. From 2006-2009, six Anglo-Canadians with dementia and seven of their carers were recruited from the Alzheimer's Society of Calgary to participate in semi-structured interviews. Using an inductive, thematic approach to the analysis, five major themes were identified: becoming aware of memory problems, attributing meanings to symptoms, initiating help-seeking, acknowledging the severity of cognitive changes and finally obtaining a definitive diagnosis. Individuals with dementia reported noticing memory difficulties earlier than their carers. However, initial symptoms were perceived as ambiguous, and were normalised and attributed to concurrent health problems. The diagnostic process was typically characterised by multiple visits and interactions with health professionals, and a diagnosis was obtained as more severe cognitive deficits emerged. Throughout the diagnostic pathway, carers played dynamic roles. Carers initially served as a source of encouragement to seek help, but they eventually became actively involved over concerns about alternative diagnoses and illness management. A better understanding of the pre-diagnosis period, and the complex interactions between people's beliefs and attributions about symptoms, may elucidate some of the barriers as well as strategies to promote a timelier dementia diagnosis. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  14. Laboratory Diagnosis of Pertussis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schellekens, Joop F. P.; Mooi, Frits R.

    2015-01-01

    SUMMARY The introduction of vaccination in the 1950s significantly reduced the morbidity and mortality of pertussis. However, since the 1990s, a resurgence of pertussis has been observed in vaccinated populations, and a number of causes have been proposed for this phenomenon, including improved diagnostics, increased awareness, waning immunity, and pathogen adaptation. The resurgence of pertussis highlights the importance of standardized, sensitive, and specific laboratory diagnoses, the lack of which is responsible for the large differences in pertussis notifications between countries. Accurate laboratory diagnosis is also important for distinguishing between the several etiologic agents of pertussis-like diseases, which involve both viruses and bacteria. If pertussis is diagnosed in a timely manner, antibiotic treatment of the patient can mitigate the symptoms and prevent transmission. During an outbreak, timely diagnosis of pertussis allows prophylactic treatment of infants too young to be (fully) vaccinated, for whom pertussis is a severe, sometimes fatal disease. Finally, reliable diagnosis of pertussis is required to reveal trends in the (age-specific) disease incidence, which may point to changes in vaccine efficacy, waning immunity, and the emergence of vaccine-adapted strains. Here we review current approaches to the diagnosis of pertussis and discuss their limitations and strengths. In particular, we emphasize that the optimal diagnostic procedure depends on the stage of the disease, the age of the patient, and the vaccination status of the patient. PMID:26354823

  15. [Autoimmune hepatitis: Immunological diagnosis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brahim, Imane; Brahim, Ikram; Hazime, Raja; Admou, Brahim

    2017-11-01

    Autoimmune hepatopathies (AIHT) including autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and autoimmune cholangitis (AIC), represent an impressive entities in clinical practice. Their pathogenesis is not perfectly elucidated. Several factors are involved in the initiation of hepatic autoimmune and inflammatory phenomena such as genetic predisposition, molecular mimicry and/or abnormalities of T-regulatory lymphocytes. AIHT have a wide spectrum of presentation, ranging from asymptomatic forms to severe acute liver failure. The diagnosis of AIHT is based on the presence of hyperglobulinemia, cytolysis, cholestasis, typical even specific circulating auto-antibodies, distinctive of AIH or PBC, and histological abnormalities as well as necrosis and inflammation. Anti-F actin, anti-LKM1, anti-LC1 antibodies permit to distinguish between AIH type 1 and AIH type 2. Anti-SLA/LP antibodies are rather associated to more severe hepatitis, and particularly useful for the diagnosis of seronegative AIH for other the antibodies. Due to the relevant diagnostic value of anti-M2, anti-Sp100, and anti-gp210 antibodies, the diagnosis of PBC is more affordable than that of PSC and AIC. Based on clinical data, the immunological diagnosis of AIHT takes advantage of the various specialized laboratory techniques including immunofluorescence, immunodot or blot, and the Elisa systems, provided of a closer collaboration between the biologist and the physician. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  16. Brazilian Medical Association guidelines for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of panic disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle Nigri Levitan

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To present the most relevant findings regarding the Brazilian Medical Association guidelines for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of panic disorder. Methods: We used the methodology proposed by the Brazilian Medical Association for the Diretrizes Project. The MEDLINE (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and LILACS online databases were queried for articles published from 1980 to 2012. Searchable questions were structured using the PICO format (acronym for “patient” [or population], “intervention” [or exposure], “comparison” [or control], and “outcome”. Results: We present data on clinical manifestations and implications of panic disorder and its association with depression, drug abuse, dependence and anxiety disorders. In addition, discussions were held on the main psychiatric and clinical differential diagnoses. Conclusions: The guidelines are proposed to serve as a reference for the general practitioner and specialist to assist in and facilitate the diagnosis of panic disorder.

  17. Penitentiary Diagnosis of Crime Offenders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wiola Friedrich

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available One of the basic standards of serving the punishment of imprisonment is its individualization, which means varying interactions consisting in adjusting them to the personality of the offender and the purposes of executing the sentence. A properly served psychological diagnosis, especially the penitentiary diagnosis, should describe the studied phenomenon well. The content of the penitentiary diagnosis should include a description of the clinical picture of an imprisoned person and basic social rehabilitation indications. The paper was written on the basis of literature on the subject, legislation and available research results. The aim of this paper is to characterize the diagnosis performed for the needs of justice, which is continuous and should be performed at every stage of imprisonment. The effect of a properly formed psychological and penitentiary decision should be the placement of a prisoner in a suitable type, kind of prison and appropriate system of serving imprisonment, followed by the correct selection of educational measures which may imply the efficiency and effectiveness of the punishment of imprisonment.

  18. FINANCIAL DIAGNOSIS OF A COMPANY’S ACTIVITIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SUCIU GHEORGHE

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Financial diagnosis consists of a number of instruments and methods which help to evaluate a company’s financial situation and performances. The financial diagnosis identifies the favourable and unfavourable factors which will affect the company’s future activity. The purpose of financial diagnosis is to draw a comparison with similar companies, in order to establish risk, profitability, and value parameters, by estimating the cost of capital (discount rate. The financial diagnosis helps to appreciate the past and present financial situation, and based on them to make projections for the future.

  19. [Diagnosis. History and physical examination].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez Martín, Álvaro

    2014-01-01

    Family physicians play a key role in the diagnosis and management of patients with osteoarthritis. Diagnosis is mainly clinical and radiological. A complete history should be taken with meticulous physical examination of the joints. The history-taking should aim to detect risk factors and compatible clinical symptoms. Pain characteristics should be identified, distinguishing between mechanical and inflammatory pain, and an exhaustive examination of the joints should be performed, with evaluation of the presence of pain, deformity, mobility restrictions (both active and passive), crepitus, joint effusion, and inflammation. A differential diagnosis should be made with all diseases that affect the joints and/or produce joint stiffness. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

  20. Early Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Stability and Change in Clinical Diagnosis and Symptom Presentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guthrie, Whitney; Swineford, Lauren B.; Nottke, Charly; Wetherby, Amy M.

    2013-01-01

    Background: Although a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) appears to be stable in children as young as age three, few studies have explored stability of a diagnosis in younger children. Predictive value of diagnostic tools for toddlers and patterns of symptom change are important considerations for clinicians making early diagnoses. Most…

  1. Diagnosis of venous disorders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minar, E.

    1993-01-01

    Limited accuracy in the clinic diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (VT) makes such diagnostic tests such as duplex sonography or venography necessary. Exact information on the age and extent of the thrombus are necessary for the clinician to optimize the therapeutric management. The correct diagnosis of calf vein thrombosis and of recurrent VT in patients with postphlebitis changes also has implications for treatment. After exclusion of thrombosis, the radiologist should evaluate the leg for other possible causes of symptoms besides VT. Investigation of the venous sytem also has a role in the diagnosis in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism. In patients with chronic venous insuffficiency the deep venous system should assessed for patency and venous valve function. The superficial veins should be differentiated in segments with sufficient or insufficient venous valves, and it is also necessary to look for insufficiency of the perforrating veins. In patients with superficial phlebitis there is risk of propagation into the deep venous system. (orig.) [de

  2. FINANCIAL DIAGNOSIS OF STOCKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SUCIU GHEORGHE

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Financial diagnosis is a part of a company’s general diagnosis. The role of the financial diagnosis is to establish the situation of the company at a given time, to see if it is viable, to help the decision-makers to take the best measures to continue or cease the activity, or to sell, buy or liquidate the company. Each entity is unique and arbitrarily applying some analysis models used by other companies can lead to significant errors. One cannot analyze in the same way a company that produces household products and a trade company. In the first one, the working capital must be positive, because permanent capitals must finance the fixed assets which have a high value, and the working capital will finance the operating cycle. In case of a trade company, a negative working capital might represent a positive activity, because the duration of the operating cycle is much shorter, and short term sources can also finance the company’s tangible assets.

  3. Creep-Fatigue Failure Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holdsworth, Stuart

    2015-01-01

    Failure diagnosis invariably involves consideration of both associated material condition and the results of a mechanical analysis of prior operating history. This Review focuses on these aspects with particular reference to creep-fatigue failure diagnosis. Creep-fatigue cracking can be due to a spectrum of loading conditions ranging from pure cyclic to mainly steady loading with infrequent off-load transients. These require a range of mechanical analysis approaches, a number of which are reviewed. The microstructural information revealing material condition can vary with alloy class. In practice, the detail of the consequent cracking mechanism(s) can be camouflaged by oxidation at high temperatures, although the presence of oxide on fracture surfaces can be used to date events leading to failure. Routine laboratory specimen post-test examination is strongly recommended to characterise the detail of deformation and damage accumulation under known and well-controlled loading conditions to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of failure diagnosis. PMID:28793676

  4. BRAIN DEATH DIAGNOSIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Calixto Machado

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Brain death (BD diagnosis should be established based on the following set of principles, i.e. excluding major confusing factors, identifying the cause of coma, determining irreversibility, and precisely testing brainstem reflexes at all levels of the brainstem. Nonetheless, most criteria for BD diagnosis do not mention that this is not the only way of diagnosing death. The Cuban Commission for the Determination of Death has emphasized the aforesaid three possible situations for diagnosing death: a outside intensive care environment (without life support physicians apply the cardio-circulatory and respiratory criteria; b in forensic medicine circumstances, physicians utilize cadaveric signs (they do not even need a stethoscope; c in the intensive care environment (with life support when cardiorespiratory arrest occurs physicians utilize the cardio-circulatory and respiratory criteria. This methodology of diagnosing death, based on finding any of the death signs, is not related to the concept that there are different types of death. The irreversible loss of cardio-circulatory and respiratory functions can only cause death when ischemia and anoxia are prolonged enough to produce an irreversible destruction of the brain. The sign of irreversible loss of brain functions, that is to say BD diagnosis, is fully reviewed.

  5. An intelligent system based on fuzzy probabilities for medical diagnosis – a study in aphasia diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid Moshtagh Khorasani

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available

    • BACKGROUND: Aphasia diagnosis is particularly challenging due to the linguistic uncertainty and vagueness, inconsistencies in the definition of aphasic syndromes, large number of measurements with  mprecision, natural diversity and subjectivity in test objects as well as in opinions of experts who diagnose the disease.
    • METHODS: Fuzzy probability is proposed here as the basic framework for handling the uncertainties in medical diagnosis and particularly aphasia diagnosis. To efficiently construct this fuzzy probabilistic mapping, statistical analysis is performed that constructs input membership functions as well as determines an effective set of input features.
    • RESULTS: Considering the high sensitivity of performance measures to different distribution of testing/training sets, a statistical t-test of significance is applied to compare fuzzy approach results with NN  esults as well as author’s earlier work using fuzzy logic. The proposed fuzzy probability estimator approach clearly provides better diagnosis for both classes of data sets. Specifically, for the first and second type of fuzzy probability classifiers, i.e. spontaneous speech and comprehensive model, P-values are 2.24E-08 and 0.0059, espectively, strongly rejecting the null hypothesis.
    • CONCLUSIONS: The technique is applied and compared on both comprehensive and spontaneous speech test data for diagnosis of four Aphasia types: Anomic, Broca, Global and Wernicke. Statistical analysis confirms that the proposed approach can significantly improve accuracy using fewer Aphasia features.
    • KEYWORDS: Aphasia, fuzzy probability, fuzzy logic, medical diagnosis, fuzzy rules.

  6. [Laboratory diagnosis of mucormycosis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia-Hermoso, Dea

    2013-03-01

    Mucormycosis are deep infections caused by ubiquitous filamentous fungi of the order of Mucorales. The disease occurs mostly in immunocompromised, diabetic or solid organ transplant recipients. There are currently no specific diagnostic guidelines for mucormycosis. The histological examination and culture of the clinical sample remain the most useful approaches for diagnosis. Furthermore, alternative methods to the fungal culture are yet to be standardized. Here we review the current microbiological approaches used for the diagnosis and identification of Mucorales. © 2013 médecine/sciences – Inserm / SRMS.

  7. Diagnosis Lost: Differences between Children who Had and who Currently Have an Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blumberg, Stephen J; Zablotsky, Benjamin; Avila, Rosa M; Colpe, Lisa J; Pringle, Beverly A; Kogan, Michael D

    2016-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses sometimes change due to misdiagnosis, maturation, or treatment. This study uses a probability-based national survey—the Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Services—to compare currently diagnosed (n=1420) and previously diagnosed (n=187) children aged 6–17 years based on retrospective parental reports of early concerns about their children’s development, responses to those concerns by doctors and other health care providers, the type of provider who made the first ASD diagnosis, and the ASD subtype diagnoses received (if any). Propensity score matching was used to control for differences between the groups on children’s current level of functioning and other current characteristics that may have been related to diagnosis loss. Approximately 13% of the children ever diagnosed with ASD were estimated to have lost the diagnosis, and parents of 74% of them believe it was changed due to new information. Previously diagnosed children were less likely to have parents with early concerns about verbal skills, nonverbal communication, learning, and unusual gestures or movements. They were also less likely to have been referred to and diagnosed by a specialist. Previously diagnosed children were less likely to have ever received a diagnosis of Asperger’s disorder or autistic disorder. PMID:26489772

  8. A dynamic integrated fault diagnosis method for power transformers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Wensheng; Bai, Cuifen; Liu, Tong

    2015-01-01

    In order to diagnose transformer fault efficiently and accurately, a dynamic integrated fault diagnosis method based on Bayesian network is proposed in this paper. First, an integrated fault diagnosis model is established based on the causal relationship among abnormal working conditions, failure modes, and failure symptoms of transformers, aimed at obtaining the most possible failure mode. And then considering the evidence input into the diagnosis model is gradually acquired and the fault diagnosis process in reality is multistep, a dynamic fault diagnosis mechanism is proposed based on the integrated fault diagnosis model. Different from the existing one-step diagnosis mechanism, it includes a multistep evidence-selection process, which gives the most effective diagnostic test to be performed in next step. Therefore, it can reduce unnecessary diagnostic tests and improve the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis. Finally, the dynamic integrated fault diagnosis method is applied to actual cases, and the validity of this method is verified.

  9. A Dynamic Integrated Fault Diagnosis Method for Power Transformers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Wensheng; Liu, Tong

    2015-01-01

    In order to diagnose transformer fault efficiently and accurately, a dynamic integrated fault diagnosis method based on Bayesian network is proposed in this paper. First, an integrated fault diagnosis model is established based on the causal relationship among abnormal working conditions, failure modes, and failure symptoms of transformers, aimed at obtaining the most possible failure mode. And then considering the evidence input into the diagnosis model is gradually acquired and the fault diagnosis process in reality is multistep, a dynamic fault diagnosis mechanism is proposed based on the integrated fault diagnosis model. Different from the existing one-step diagnosis mechanism, it includes a multistep evidence-selection process, which gives the most effective diagnostic test to be performed in next step. Therefore, it can reduce unnecessary diagnostic tests and improve the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis. Finally, the dynamic integrated fault diagnosis method is applied to actual cases, and the validity of this method is verified. PMID:25685841

  10. Cystic Fibrosis: Prenatal Screening and Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... your own sperm and eggs, and then use preimplantation genetic diagnosis to see if the fertilized egg has CF ... that can be passed from parent to child. Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: A type of genetic testing that can be ...

  11. Imaging diagnosis of chondromyxoid fibroma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Maofeng; Li Li; Xie Daohai; Zhang Wen

    2003-01-01

    Objective: To study the value of imaging diagnosis of chondromyxoid fibroma. Methods: Eight cases verified by surgery and pathology were respectively evaluated. Results: The important characters were as follows: (1) the age of incidence was in the 2nd decade of life; (2) the lesion located at the metaphysics of the long tubular bone (6/8); (3) the shape of lesion was round or geographic bone destruction, some had compartment (3/8); (4) the border of some cases had sclerotic rim (mainly the face close to morrow); (5) CT, MR were helpful in finding punctuate calcification and soft tissue mass. Conclusion: Authors' results suggest that pathological and imaging diagnosis combined with clinical diagnosis could be an ideal way to diagnose chondromyxoid fibroma in clinical practice

  12. Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of Graves' orbitopathy in MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daubner, D.; Spieth, S.; Engellandt, K.; Kummer, R. von

    2012-01-01

    Imaging of Graves' orbitopathy (GO) includes radiological and nuclear medicine procedures. Depending on the method used they provide information about the distribution and activity of the disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is not only a helpful tool for making the diagnosis it also enables differentiation of the active and inactive forms of GO due to intramuscular edema. The modality is therefore appropriate to evaluate the disease activity and the course of therapy. The disease leads to the typical enlargement of the muscle bodies of the extraocular muscles. The inferior rectus, medial rectus and levator palpebrae muscles are mostly involved. Signal changes of the intraconal and extraconal fat tissue are possible and a bilateral manifestation is common. The differential diagnosis includes inflammatory diseases and tumors, of which orbital pseudotumor (idiopathic, unspecific orbital inflammation), ocular myositis and orbital lymphoma are the most important. The specific patterns (localization, involvement of orbital structures and signal changes) can be differentiated by MRI. (orig.) [de

  13. CT diagnosis and differential diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiong Juxin; Yang Zenian; Luo Zhongyao

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To study the CT features of malignant pleural mesothelioma and improve diagnostic accuracy. Methods: The CT findings of 14 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma proven by surgery or histopathology were analyzed retrospectively. CT plain scan was performed in all cases, 9 cases received both CT plain scan and contrast CT scan. Results: All the cases demonstrated various pleural thickening including diffuse pleural thickening (n=10). Among all the cases, there were nodular pleural thickening (n=4), lumpy pleural thickening (n=7), ring-like pleural thickening (n=3). Pleural thickness which was more than 1.0 cm was found in 12 cases. Pleural effusion (n=10), mediastinum immobilization (n=10) and thoracic cavity stricture in the trouble side (n=10) were also revealed. Conclusion: Obvious characteristics in cases with malignant pleural mesothelioma was showed in CT examination, which plays an important role in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of this disease. (authors)

  14. Factors Affecting Age at ASD Diagnosis in UK: No Evidence That Diagnosis Age Has Decreased between 2004 and 2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brett, Denise; Warnell, Frances; McConachie, Helen; Parr, Jeremy R.

    2016-01-01

    Clinical initiatives have aimed to reduce the age at ASD diagnosis in the UK. This study investigated whether the median age at diagnosis in childhood has reduced in recent years, and identified the factors associated with earlier diagnosis in the UK. Data on 2,134 children with ASD came from two large family databases. Results showed that the age…

  15. Diagnosis of gastric cancers by CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Jianbing; Gong Jianping; Huan Jian

    1999-01-01

    Forty two cases of gastric cancers were reviewed. The cancer had been examined by CT and was confirmed by operation and pathology. The diagnostic results of gastric cancers obtained by CT were compared with that from GI and fibro-gastroscopy examination. The results showed that the preparation of gastrointestinal tract before CT examination was important in the CT diagnosis of gastric cancer. CT in diagnosis of focus of gastric cancer and organ invasion is better than Gl and Fibro-gastroscopy and accuracy in diagnosis of gastric cancers is near to that of GI examination

  16. [Perianal condylomes and diagnosis of syphilis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedersen, Anders Elm; Knudsen, Troels Bygum; Sand, Carsten

    2012-01-30

    Syphilis is still a serious disease with diagnostic difficulties. In the present clinical case a patient had a routine serology screen for syphilis and HIV at a venerology clinic. He had previously presented with anogenital tumors, but the diagnosis was uncertain. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis was performed in addition to serology, and the diagnosis of syphilis in the secondary stage was confirmed. This case demonstrates how PCR technology can assist in the diagnosis of syphilis at early stages and underlines the importance of syphilis screening in homosexual men presenting with anogenital complaints.

  17. Diagnosis of epitheliod leiomyoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tret'yakov, A.E.; Shevyakov, V.V.

    1992-01-01

    Epithelioid leiomyoma (EL) is unusual and rarely met tumor of the stomach. From International histological classification it belongs to benign tumors of smooth muscular tissue. As other nonepithelial tumors EL can grow endogastral, intramural and exogastral. Exogastral type of tumor growth presents difficulties for diagnosis as changes of mucous and sometimes muscular layers of stomach wall are absent. An observation was given of a patient with mentioned disease. Primary diagnosis was mechanical jaundice, chronic cholecystitis. Tumor formation (10x8x9 sm) was revealed in the stomach during operation

  18. Diagnosis of Pompe disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vissing, John; Lukacs, Zoltan; Straub, Volker

    2013-01-01

    The diagnosis of Pompe disease (acid maltase deficiency, glycogen storage disease type II) in children and adults can be challenging because of the heterogeneous clinical presentation and considerable overlap of signs and symptoms found in other neuromuscular diseases. This review evaluates some...... to identify late-onset Pompe disease often leads to false-negative results and subsequent delays in identification and treatment of the disorder. Serum creatine kinase level can be normal or only mildly elevated in late-onset Pompe disease and is not very helpful alone to suggest the diagnosis...

  19. Structural analysis for Diagnosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Izadi-Zamanabadi, Roozbeh; Blanke, M.

    2001-01-01

    Aiming at design of algorithms for fault diagnosis, structural analysis of systems offers concise yet easy overall analysis. Graph-based matching, which is the essential technique to obtain redundant information for diagnosis, is re-considered in this paper. Matching is re-formulated as a problem...... of relating faults to known parameters and measurements of a system. Using explicit fault modelling, minimal over-determined subsystems are shown to provide necessary redundancy relations from the matching. Details of the method are presented and a realistic example used to clearly describe individual steps...

  20. Structural analysis for diagnosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Izadi-Zamanabadi, Roozbeh; Blanke, M.

    2002-01-01

    Aiming at design of algorithms for fault diagnosis, structural analysis of systems offers concise yet easy overall analysis. Graph-based matching, which is the essential tech-nique to obtain redundant information for diagnosis, is reconsidered in this paper. Matching is reformulated as a problem...... of relating faults to known parameters and measurements of a system. Using explicit fault modelling, minimal overdetermined subsystems are shown to provide necessary redundancy relations from the matching. Details of the method are presented and a realistic example used to clearly describe individual steps....

  1. Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of omphalocele

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rio Romero, Luskenia del; Blanco Figueredo, Nadia; Rodriguez Dominguez, Zulay

    2014-01-01

    Omphalocele is an abdominal wall defect at the midline characterized by herniation of abdominal contents and covered by peritoneum and amnion. The aim of this paper is to present a case of omphalocele with gestational age of 23 weeks and prenatal diagnosis by ultrasonography. Using ultrasound diagnosis in a patient inquest made 40 years of age in the second trimester (gestational age 23 weeks) showed a level of the anterior fetal echogenic image that sticks through the abdominal wall and then locate the cord umbilical. Stomach is seen displaced and loss of normal anatomy of the abdominal circumference. Genetic counseling was conducted at the Municipal Center for Genetics of Manzanillo. Pathologically the fetus presented short and wide neck, low-set ears, defect omphalomesenteric of ductal closure, hernia sac occupied by the caudate lobe of the liver and gallbladder bed, wide base heart dissection showing cava-cava absence of interventricular septum was observed pulmonary valve stenosis most dilation of supravalvular pulmonary artery, large defect and aorta intraventricular septum ride, which speaks in favor of a heart rate troncoconal fallop trilogy over the omphalocele. Prenatal diagnosis by ultrasonography is an efficient and reliable method for prenatal diagnosis of omphalocele

  2. Knowledge-driven board-level functional fault diagnosis

    CERN Document Server

    Ye, Fangming; Chakrabarty, Krishnendu; Gu, Xinli

    2017-01-01

    This book provides a comprehensive set of characterization, prediction, optimization, evaluation, and evolution techniques for a diagnosis system for fault isolation in large electronic systems. Readers with a background in electronics design or system engineering can use this book as a reference to derive insightful knowledge from data analysis and use this knowledge as guidance for designing reasoning-based diagnosis systems. Moreover, readers with a background in statistics or data analytics can use this book as a practical case study for adapting data mining and machine learning techniques to electronic system design and diagnosis. This book identifies the key challenges in reasoning-based, board-level diagnosis system design and presents the solutions and corresponding results that have emerged from leading-edge research in this domain. It covers topics ranging from highly accurate fault isolation, adaptive fault isolation, diagnosis-system robustness assessment, to system performance analysis and evalua...

  3. Short Stature Diagnosis and Referral

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamad Maghnie

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The “360° GH in Europe” meeting, which examined various aspects of GH diseases, was held in Lisbon, Portugal, in June 2016. The Merck KGaA (Germany funded meeting comprised three sessions entitled “Short Stature Diagnosis and Referral,” “Optimizing Patient Management,” and “Managing Transition.” Each session had three speaker presentations, followed by a discussion period, and is reported as a manuscript, authored by the speakers. The first session examined current processes of diagnosis and referral by endocrine specialists for pediatric patients with short stature. Requirements for referral vary widely, by country and by patient characteristics such as age. A balance must be made to ensure eligible patients get referred while healthcare systems are not over-burdened by excessive referrals. Late referral and diagnosis of non-GH deficiency conditions can result in increased morbidity and mortality. The consequent delays in making a diagnosis may compromise the effectiveness of GH treatment. Algorithms for growth monitoring and evaluation of skeletal disproportions can improve identification of non-GH deficiency conditions. Performance and validation of guidelines for diagnosis of GH deficiency have not been sufficiently tested. Provocative tests for investigation of GH deficiency remain equivocal, with insufficient information on variations due to patient characteristics, and cutoff values for definition differ not only by country but also by the assay used. When referring and diagnosing causes of short stature in pediatric patients, clinicians need to rely on many factors, but the most essential is clinical experience.

  4. Diagnosis in Prader-Willi syndrome.

    OpenAIRE

    Chu, C E; Cooke, A; Stephenson, J B; Tolmie, J L; Clarke, B; Parry-Jones, W L; Connor, J M; Donaldson, M D

    1994-01-01

    Thirty one patients with the putative diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome were reassessed clinically and by DNA analysis. Eleven patients were judged not to have Prader-Willi syndrome and 20 to have the condition. This was confirmed by DNA analysis in all but one case. The diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome, especially in early infancy, should be made with caution unless confirmed by molecular genetic studies.

  5. Equipment monitoring and diagnosis of their mechanical condition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morel, J.; Monnier, B.

    1994-01-01

    The main objectives of reactor monitoring are reviewed and the three monitoring types are described: reception controls and alarms, periodical controls, and specific monitoring. The monitoring process is then presented: information acquisition, dysfunction detection and diagnosis, risk analysis and maintenance action determination. Diagnosis assistance is now automated with expert systems such as DIVA (shaft vibration diagnosis) and DIAPO (primary pump diagnosis). Several application examples at EDF are described: SEXTEN reactor containment tightness monitoring, large and small-size turbo-machine monitoring, reactor inner structure monitoring, loose part detection in the primary circuit. All these informations will be centralized in a general monitoring and diagnosis assistance station. 3 fig

  6. Procedures for mastitis diagnosis and control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sears, P M; González, R N; Wilson, D J; Han, H R

    1993-11-01

    Procedures for mastitis diagnosis and control include culturing individual cow and bulk tank milk samples, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and evaluation of somatic cell count reports and clinical mastitis treatment records. Integrated use of such procedures is necessary for effective mastitis diagnosis and control.

  7. Diagnosis and treatment of ampullary tumors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YIN Tao

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Ampullary tumors mainly manifest as obstructive jaundice and ampullary mass in clinical practice and are difficult to be identified in early stage due to a complex structure of the anatomical site, a deep location, and hidden symptoms. Sometimes a qualitative diagnosis cannot be made. Based on the experience in the treatment of ampullary tumors for many years in our center, this article summarizes the features of ampullary tumors from the aspects of clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, especially the issues regarding imaging evaluation of ampullary tumors, selection of surgical procedure, and prognosis. An early diagnosis is the key to the treatment of ampullary tumors, and early identification and treatment of lesions have great impacts on patients′ prognosis. Accurate preoperative imaging evaluation, a professional diagnosis and treatment team, accurate preoperative and intraoperative pathological analysis, and implementation of reasonable therapeutic strategy are the key to patients′ recovery.

  8. Diagnosis of human visceral pentastomiasis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dennis Tappe

    Full Text Available Visceral pentastomiasis in humans is caused by the larval stages (nymphs of the arthropod-related tongue worms Linguatula serrata, Armillifer armillatus, A. moniliformis, A. grandis, and Porocephalus crotali. The majority of cases has been reported from Africa, Malaysia, and the Middle East, where visceral pentastomiasis may be an incidental finding in autopsies, and less often from China and Latin America. In Europe and North America, the disease is only rarely encountered in immigrants and long-term travelers, and the parasitic lesions may be confused with malignancies, leading to a delay in the correct diagnosis. Since clinical symptoms are variable and serological tests are not readily available, the diagnosis often relies on histopathological examinations. This laboratory symposium focuses on the diagnosis of this unusual parasitic disease and presents its risk factors and epidemiology.

  9. Peran Pencitraan dalam Diagnosis Uveitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ratna Sitompul

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Uveitis merupakan penyakit inflamasi yang dapat melibatkan berbagai bagian mata seperti iris, badansiliar, pars plana, vitreus, koroid dan retina. Penyakit tersebut dapat disebabkan oleh inflamasi lokal di mataatau merupakan bagian dari penyakit inflamasi sistemik akibat autoimun, infeksi dan keganasan. Uveitisdapat menimbulkan gejala nyeri, fotofobia, penurunan tajam penglihatan hingga kebutaan. Oleh karenaitu, diagnosis harus segera ditegakkan agar tata laksana uveitis dapat dilakukan dengan cepat dan tepat.Diagnosis uveitis dapat ditetapkan berdasarkan anamnesis, pemeriksaan mata secara klinis, pemeriksaanlaboratorium dan pemeriksaan penunjang yaitu pencitraan. Slitlamp dan fotografi umum adalah teknikpencitraan sederhana yang dapat membantu menegakkan diagnosis uveitis. Pemeriksaan tersebut dapatdigunakan untuk melihat tanda inflamasi di bagian luar mata hingga ke bilik mata depan. Untuk menilai derajatinflamasi secara kuantitatif dapat digunakan laser flare photometry (LFP dan fotografi fundus berwarna dapatdigunakan untuk melihat bagian posterior bola mata. fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA, indocyaninegreen angiography (ICG, dan fundus autofluorescence (FAF bermanfaat untuk mengevaluasi integritasvaskular retina dan koroid. USG, optical coherence tomography (OCT, dan pencitraan multimodal merupakanteknik pencitraan non-kontak dan non-invasif yang dapat memperlihatkan gambaran retina, koroid, sarafoptik dan lapisan serat saraf retina dengan baik. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI dapat digunakan untukmengevaluasi kondisi inflamasi di mata. Berbagai teknik pencitraan tersebut dapat membantu dokter dalammenegakkan diagnosis uveitis serta memantau perjalanan penyakit dan keberhasilan terapi. Kata kunci: uveitis, slit lamp, fotografi fundus, LFP, FFA, ICG, FAF, USG, OCT, MRI   The Role of Imaging in Uveitis Diagnosis Abstract Uveitis is an inflammatory disease affecting iris, ciliary body, pars plana, vitreous, choroid and retina

  10. A declining CD4 count and diagnosis of HIV-associated Hodgkin lymphoma: do prior clinical symptoms and laboratory abnormalities aid diagnosis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Ravindra K; Marks, Michael; Edwards, Simon G; Smith, Katie; Fletcher, Katie; Lee, Siow-Ming; Ramsay, Alan; Copas, Andrew J; Miller, Robert F

    2014-01-01

    The incidence of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) among HIV-infected individuals remains unchanged since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). Recent epidemiological data suggest that CD4 count decline over a year is associated with subsequent diagnosis of HL. In an era of economic austerity monitoring the efficacy of cART by CD4 counts may no longer be required where CD4 count>350 cells/µl and viral load is suppressed (HIV outpatient cohort whether a CD4 count decline prior to diagnosis of HL, whether any decline was greater than in patients without the diagnosis, and also whether other clinical or biochemical indices were reliably associated with the diagnosis. Twenty-nine patients with a diagnosis of HL were identified. Among 15 individuals on cART with viral load symptoms had been present for a median of three months (range one-12) before diagnosis of HL. The CD4 count decline in the 12 months prior to diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma among HIV-infected individuals with VLsymptoms and/or new palpable lymphadenopathy, suggesting that CD4 count monitoring if performed less frequently, or not at all, among those virologically suppressed individuals with CD4 counts >350 may not have delayed diagnosis.

  11. Training for Skill in Fault Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, J. D.

    1974-01-01

    The Knitting, Lace and Net Industry Training Board has developed a training innovation called fault diagnosis training. The entire training process concentrates on teaching based on the experiences of troubleshooters or any other employees whose main tasks involve fault diagnosis and rectification. (Author/DS)

  12. Issues in practical model-based diagnosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bakker, R.R.; Bakker, R.R.; van den Bempt, P.C.A.; van den Bempt, P.C.A.; Mars, Nicolaas; Out, D.-J.; Out, D.J.; van Soest, D.C.; van Soes, D.C.

    1993-01-01

    The model-based diagnosis project at the University of Twente has been directed at improving the practical usefulness of model-based diagnosis. In cooperation with industrial partners, the research addressed the modeling problem and the efficiency problem in model-based reasoning. Main results of

  13. Infantile perforated appendicitis: A forgotten diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katherine W. Gonzalez

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Acute appendicitis in the infant is a rare surgical diagnosis despite its frequency in older patients. The clinical presentation is often vague and can be misleading. We present the successful diagnosis and treatment of a 3 month old female with perforated appendicitis.

  14. Advanced methods in diagnosis and therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-01-01

    This important meeting covers the following topics: use and optimization of monoclonal antibobies in oncology: - Tumor markers: Clinical follow-up of patients through tumor marker serum determinations. - Cancer and medical imaging: The use of monoclonal antibodies in immunoscintigraphy. - Immunoradiotherapy: Monoclonal antibodies as therapeutic vectors. Advanced methods in diagnosis: - Contribution of monoclonal antibodies in modern immunochemistry (RIA, EIA). - Interest of monoclonal antibody in immunohistochemical pathology diagnosis. - In vitro diagnosis future prospects: with receptors and oncogenes. - Immunofluoroassay: a new sensitive immunoanalytical procedure with broad applications. Recent advances in brachitherapy: - Interest of computer processing. Blood products irradiation: - Interest in transfusion and bone marrow transplantations [fr

  15. Disclosure of Diagnosis in Early Recognition of Psychosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blessing, Andreas; Studer, Anna; Gross, Amelie; Gruss, L Forest; Schneider, Roland; Dammann, Gerhard

    2017-10-01

    There is a debate concerning risks and benefits of early intervention in psychosis, especially concerning diagnosis disclosure. The present study reports preliminary findings on self-reported locus of control and psychological distress after the disclosure of diagnosis in an early recognition center. We compared the ratings of the locus of control and psychological distress before and after communication of diagnosis. The study included individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) (n = 10), schizophrenia (n = 9), and other psychiatric disorders (n = 11). Results indicate greater endorsement of the internal locus of control in individuals with ARMS after communication of diagnosis in contrast to the other groups. Our results suggest that disclosure of diagnosis in an early recognition center leads to a reduction of psychological distress and increased feelings of control over one's health. Persons with ARMS seem to particularly benefit from disclosure of diagnosis as part of early intervention.

  16. Closed central slip injuries--a missed diagnosis?

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Nugent, N

    2011-09-01

    The extensor apparatus of the finger is a complex structure and injury can lead to significant digital dysfunction. Closed central slip injuries may be missed or diagnosis delayed because of lack of an open wound and often no radiographic abnormality, and can result in boutonniere deformities if untreated. This study aimed to quantify the number of patients attending with closed central slip injuries and to ascertain if the initial diagnosis was correct. The number of patients presenting to us over a 6 month period was recorded. The original diagnosis, time to diagnosis of central slip injury and the presence\\/absence of a boutonniere deformity were recorded. Ten patients were included in the study. Seven (70%) injuries were due to sport. Eight (80%) had a delayed diagnosis of central slip injury. Six (60%) had previously presented to general practitioners or emergency departments. Seven (70%) had boutonniere deformities. Closed central slip injuries can be missed. Simple clinical tests can diagnose central slip disruption.

  17. Attitudes in Patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Toward Prenatal Diagnosis and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swift, Oscar; Vilar, Enric; Rahman, Belinda; Side, Lucy; Gale, Daniel P

    2016-12-01

    No recommendations currently exist regarding implementation of both prenatal diagnosis and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). This study evaluated attitudes in ADPKD patients with either chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages I-IV or end-stage renal failure (ESRF) toward prenatal diagnosis and PGD. Ninety-six ADPKD patients were recruited from an outpatient clinic, wards, and dialysis units. Thirty-eight patients had ESRF and 58 had CKD stages I-IV. Participants were given an information sheet on prenatal diagnosis and PGD and subsequently completed a questionnaire. The median age of participants was 51.5 years. Seventeen percent of ADPKD patients with CKD and 18% of ADPKD patients with ESRF would consider prenatal diagnosis and termination of pregnancy for ADPKD. Fifty percent with CKD would have opted for PGD (or might consider it in the future) were it available and funded by the UK National Health Service, compared to 63% in the ESRF group (p = 0.33). Sixty-nine percent in the CKD group and 68% in the ESRF group believed that PGD should be offered to other patients. There was a spectrum of attitudes among this cohort. A proportion of patients believe that PGD should be made available to prospective parents with this disease. The discrepancy between the low proportion (17% CKD, 18% ESRF) who would consider prenatal diagnosis and termination of pregnancy and the higher number who hypothetically express an intention or wish to access PGD (50% CKD and 63% ESRF) indicates far greater acceptability for diagnostic methods that occur before embryo implantation. It is not known how the development of methods to identify patients whose renal function is likely to decline rapidly and treatments altering the natural history of ADPKD will affect these attitudes.

  18. Diagnosis and management of Silver-Russell syndrome

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wakeling, Emma L; Brioude, Frédéric; Lokulo-Sodipe, Oluwakemi

    2017-01-01

    small for gestational age and those with SRS. However, many specific management issues exist and evidence from controlled trials remains limited. SRS is primarily a clinical diagnosis; however, molecular testing enables confirmation of the clinical diagnosis and defines the subtype. A 'normal' result......This Consensus Statement summarizes recommendations for clinical diagnosis, investigation and management of patients with Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS), an imprinting disorder that causes prenatal and postnatal growth retardation. Considerable overlap exists between the care of individuals born...... from a molecular test does not exclude the diagnosis of SRS. The management of children with SRS requires an experienced, multidisciplinary approach. Specific issues include growth failure, severe feeding difficulties, gastrointestinal problems, hypoglycaemia, body asymmetry, scoliosis, motor...

  19. Diagnosis delay in tuberculosis and its consequences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Habibullah, S.; Sheikh, M.A.; Sadiq, A.; Anwar, T.

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To find out the average duration from onset of symptoms to the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, reasons for diagnostic delay, its consequences, association of variables and formulation of recommendations. Results: In this study it was found that average time from onset of initial symptoms to diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis was 120 days. In 64% of the patients medical practitioners were responsible for delaying the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Loss of weight in 40% and haemoptysis is 21% were the consequences of diagnostic delay of tuberculosis. Delay in the diagnosis of tuberculosis was statistically significant in those patients who consulted private practitioners, and consequences of tuberculosis were severe in those patients who consulted late. (author)

  20. Organizational diagnosis: a six-box model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stahl, D A

    1997-04-01

    Six categories are used to perform an organizational diagnosis: purposes, structure, relationships, rewards, leadership and helpful mechanisms. A subacute care organization's diagnosis can determine the appropriateness and profitability of its current business, any gaps that must be rectified and the action plan that must be undertaken.

  1. Failure diagnosis and fault tree analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weber, G.

    1982-07-01

    In this report a methodology of failure diagnosis for complex systems is presented. Systems which can be represented by fault trees are considered. This methodology is based on switching algebra, failure diagnosis of digital circuits and fault tree analysis. Relations between these disciplines are shown. These relations are due to Boolean algebra and Boolean functions used throughout. It will be shown on this basis that techniques of failure diagnosis and fault tree analysis are useful to solve the following problems: 1. describe an efficient search of all failed components if the system is failed. 2. Describe an efficient search of all states which are close to a system failure if the system is still operating. The first technique will improve the availability, the second the reliability and safety. For these problems, the relation to methods of failure diagnosis for combinational circuits is required. Moreover, the techniques are demonstrated for a number of systems which can be represented by fault trees. (orig./RW) [de

  2. Grading of methods of thyroid diagnosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pfannenstiel, P [Stiftung Deutsche Klinik fuer Diagnostik, Wiesbaden (Germany, F.R.). Fachbereich Nuklearmedizin

    1980-09-24

    After anamnesis and physical examination, the first step in thyroid diagnosis is the determination of serum thyroxine, if necessary together with a parameter to determine the free thyroxine. If the findings are still unclear and if hypo- or hyperthyroidism are suspected, triiodothyronine determination, the TSH-TRH test, and in some cases also the two-phase radioiodine test are applied. The functional diagnosis is supplemented by thyroid scintiscanning, with the aid of short-lived radionuclides, e.g. /sup 99/sup(m)Tc-O/sub 4/ or /sup 123/I. If an autonomous transformation of part of the thyroid is suspected, scintiscanning is repeated after suppression of the thyroid by thyroid hormone. If scintiscanning has shown a cold area inside the thyroid, biopsy followed by a cytological evaluation of the aspirate is indicated. Depending on the suspected clinical diagnosis, the available tests should be used carefully and efficiently for the initial diagnosis as well as for course control of thyroid diseases.

  3. Diagnosis and Treatment of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Diagnosis and Treatment of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. ... by features of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia. ... Current knowledge in the etiopathogenesis, epidemiology, trends in the diagnosis and ...

  4. Molecular diagnosis of Haemorrhagic Septicaemia - A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ranjan Rajeev

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Pasteurella multocida is associated with hemorrhagic septicaemia in cattle and buffaloes, pneumonic pasteurellosis in sheep and goats, fowl cholera in poultry, atrophic rhinitis in pigs and snuffles in rabbits. Haemorrhagic septicaemia is caused by Pasteurella multocida type B:2, B:2,5 and B:5 in Asian countries and type E:2 in African countries. Pasteurella multocida have five types of capsular serotype i.e. type A, B, D, E and F. Diagnosis of the disease is mainly based on the clinical sign and symptom, post mortem findings. Confirmatory diagnosis is done by isolation and identification of causative agent. A variety of laboratory diagnostic techniques have been developed over the years for pasteurellosis and used routinely in the laboratory. Among these techniques molecular techniques of diagnosis is most important. This technique not only gives diagnosis but it also provides information regarding capsular type of Pasteurella multocida. Techniques which are used for molecular diagnosis of haemorrhagic septicaemia are PCR based diagnosis, Restriction endonuclease analysis (REA, Ribotyping, Colony hybridization assay, Filled alternation gel electrophoresis (FAGE, Detection of Pasteurella multocida by Real Time PCR. Among these techniques real time PCR is most sensitive and specific. [Vet. World 2011; 4(4.000: 189-192

  5. Bowel obstruction in obturator hernia: A challenging diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Conti

    2018-01-01

    Conclusion: Obturator hernia is a rare type of hernia due to his diagnosis, which is often unclear; a prompt suspect based for the non-specific symptoms is crucial for the diagnosis. Surgical management depends on early diagnosis and it is the only possible treatment for this pathology.

  6. Assessing the Impact of Imperfect Diagnosis on Service Reliability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grønbæk, Lars Jesper; Schwefel, Hans-Peter; Kjærgaard, Jens Kristian

    2010-01-01

    , representative diagnosis performance metrics have been defined and their closed-form solutions obtained for the Markov model. These equations enable model parameterization from traces of implemented diagnosis components. The diagnosis model has been integrated in a reliability model assessing the impact...... of the diagnosis functions for the studied reliability problem. In a simulation study we finally analyze trade-off properties of diagnosis heuristics from literature, map them to the analytic Markov model, and investigate its suitability for service reliability optimization....

  7. Plague: Clinics, Diagnosis and Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikiforov, Vladimir V; Gao, He; Zhou, Lei; Anisimov, Andrey

    2016-01-01

    Plague still poses a significant threat to human health and as a reemerging infection is unfamiliar to the majority of the modern medical doctors. In this chapter, the plague is described according to Dr. Nikiforov's experiences in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, and also a review of the relevant literature on this subject is provided. The main modern methods and criteria for laboratory diagnosis of plague are briefly described. The clinical presentations include the bubonic and pneumonic form, septicemia, rarely pharyngitis, and meningitis. Early diagnosis and the prompt initiation of treatment reduce the mortality rate associated with bubonic plague and septicemic plague to 5-50 %; although a delay of more than 24 h in the administration of antibiotics and antishock treatment can be fatal for plague patients. Most human cases can successfully be treated with antibiotics.

  8. Incidental radiological diagnosis of rickets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rennie, L M; Beattie, T F; Wilkinson, A G; Crofton, P; Bath, L E

    2005-08-01

    Rickets fortunately remains rare in the United Kingdom, although its actual incidence is currently undetermined.1 Many still consider it to be a disease of poverty prevalent during the Victorian era. However, a number of recent articles have highlighted concern among British health professionals about the number of cases still being diagnosed in this country. These cases have nearly all involved non-Caucasian children who are considered to be at high risk due to skin colour, prolonged breast feeding, and low maternal vitamin D levels. Their presentations are variable ranging from failure to thrive, bone deformities, seizures, and even stridor. The diagnosis is usually made in babies and toddlers.We present a series of patients attending our accident and emergency (A&E) department, over a five month period, where the diagnosis of rickets was primarily a radiological diagnosis.

  9. Misleading diagnosis of retroperitoneal actinomycosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berchtenbreiter, C.; Bruening, R.; Reiser, M. [Inst. of Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Grosshadern, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich (Germany); Auernhammer, A. [Medical Clinic II, Univ. Hospital Grosshadern, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich (Germany)

    1999-07-01

    A 34-year-old woman presented with a left-sided suprarenal space-occupying lesion on sonography. Culture of material obtained during sonographic-guided puncture of the retroperitoneal lesion yielded a mixed flora of Actinomyces and Peptostreptococcus. Initially, a misleading diagnosis of an adrenal pheochromocytoma was initiated by highly positive metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy after chemical chemistry vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) test showed elevated values for adrenaline and its derivatives. Retroperitoneal actinomycosis with yet unproven spread into thoracic and cervical compartments is a particular unusual presentation of an infection with these organisms. Because it may mimic subacute infections or malignant masses in terms of clinical and laboratory findings, radiological diagnosis of this entity may be difficult. The diagnosis was based on results of culture and the response of the patient to long-term penicillin-derivate therapy after surgical drainage of the suprarenal abscess formation. (orig.)

  10. DNA Sensors for Malaria Diagnosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hede, Marianne Smedegaard; Fjelstrup, Søren; Knudsen, Birgitta R.

    2015-01-01

    In the field of malaria diagnosis much effort is put into the development of faster and easier alternatives to the gold standard, blood smear microscopy. Nucleic acid amplification based techniques pose some of the most promising upcoming diagnostic tools due to their potential for high sensitivity......, robustness and user-friendliness. In the current review, we will discuss some of the different DNA-based sensor systems under development for the diagnosis of malaria....

  11. Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yau, Mabel; Khattab, Ahmed; New, Maria I

    2016-06-01

    Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) owing to 21-hydroxylase deficiency is a monogenic disorder of adrenal steroidogenesis. To prevent genital ambiguity, in girls, prenatal dexamethasone treatment is administered early in the first trimester. Prenatal genetic diagnosis of CAH and fetal sex determination identify affected female fetuses at risk for genital virilization. Advancements in prenatal diagnosis are owing to improved understanding of the genetic basis of CAH and improved technology. Cloning of the CYP21A2 gene ushered in molecular genetic analysis as the current standard of care. Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis allows for targeted treatment and avoids unnecessary treatment of males and unaffected females. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Stage at diagnosis and ovarian cancer survival

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maringe, Camille; Walters, Sarah; Butler, John

    2012-01-01

    We investigate what role stage at diagnosis bears in international differences in ovarian cancer survival.......We investigate what role stage at diagnosis bears in international differences in ovarian cancer survival....

  13. Diagnosis and understanding of chronic biofilm infections

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Trine Rolighed

    2016-01-01

    Title: Diagnosis and understanding of chronic biofilm infections. Name: Trine Rolighed Thomsen Aalborg University and Danish Technological Institute, Denmark Recent evidence suggests that the microbial community, its spatial distribution and activity play an important role in the prolongation......, anaerobic or unculturable bacteria living in biofilms. Thus, diagnosis of chronic infections is challenged by lack of appropriate sampling strategies and by limitations in microbiological testing methods. The purpose of this study was to improve sampling and diagnosis of chronic infections, especially...... considering the biofilm issue. Systematic and optimized sampling of various specimen types was performed. Extended culture, optimized DNA extraction, quantitative PCR, cloning, next generation sequencing and PNA FISH were applied on different types of specimens for optimized diagnosis. For further...

  14. Challenges to diagnosis of HIV-associated wasting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotler, Donald

    2004-12-01

    There is a wide variability in the clinical presentation of the protein energy malnutrition often characterized as wasting in patients infected with HIV. Moreover, the clinical presentation has evolved over time. Initially, protein energy malnutrition was characterized by profound weight loss and depletion of body cell mass (BCM). Recently, unrelated concurrent metabolic abnormalities, such as lipodystrophy, may complicate the diagnosis of HIV wasting. Although measures of BCM are relatively accurate for the diagnosis of HIV wasting, the optimal tools for assessing BCM are not necessarily available to the clinician. From the practical standpoint, HIV wasting may be a self-evident diagnosis in advanced stages, but effective interpretation of the early signs of HIV wasting requires familiarity with other complications included in the differential diagnosis.

  15. CT diagnosis and differential diagnosis of masses located in the junctional space adjacent to stomach, spleen and pancreas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu Xueling

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To study the CT diagnosis and differential diagnosis of masses located in the junctional space adjacent to stomach, spleen and pancreas, with analysis of cases in which misdiagnosis was made. Methods: CT manifestations were retrospectively investigated in 20 cases of masses located in the junctional space adjacent to stomach, spleen and pancreas. Lesions had been located with the images and then qualitative diagnosis had been made. All the cases were eventually confirmed by pathology. Results: The lesions were in round shape in 6 cases out of 20 irregular masses were revealed in 14 showed, unclear demarcated lesions were showed in 16 cases. Inhomogeneous enhancement of the masses was visualized when the contrast agent was given. The central spot and maximum plain of the mass were different among different pathology types of the masses. 6 of 20 were original from stomach, 7 of 20 from pancreas, 3 from spleen and 4 from peritoneal cavity. 6 of 20 were wrong located (30%), 8 of 20 (40%)were wrong pathological diagnosis. Conclusion: Location is more important than pathological character diagnosis. It is valuable to locate the maximum plain of the masses and shape changed of organs nearby. (authors)

  16. Culture and psychiatric diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis-Fernández, Roberto; Aggarwal, Neil Krishan

    2013-01-01

    Since the publication of DSM-IV in 1994, neurobiologists and anthropologists have criticized the rigidity of its diagnostic criteria that appear to exclude whole classes of alternate illness presentations, as well as the lack of attention in contemporary psychiatric nosology to the role of contextual factors in the emergence and characteristics of psychopathology. Experts in culture and mental health have responded to these criticisms by revising the very process of diagnosis for DSM-5. Specifically, the DSM-5 Cultural Issues Subgroup has recommended that concepts of culture be included more prominently in several areas: an introductory chapter on Cultural Aspects of Psychiatric Diagnosis - composed of a conceptual introduction, a revised Outline for Cultural Formulation, a Cultural Formulation Interview that operationalizes this Outline, and a glossary on cultural concepts of distress - as well as material directly related to culture that is incorporated into the description of each disorder. This chapter surveys these recommendations to demonstrate how culture and context interact with psychiatric diagnosis at multiple levels. A greater appreciation of the interplay between culture, context, and biology can help clinicians improve diagnostic and treatment planning. Copyright © 2013 APA*

  17. Imaging diagnosis of hepatoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashizawa, Tatsuto

    1984-01-01

    Nuclear medicine (NM), ultrasonography (US), and computed tomography (CT) were evaluated as screening methods for hepatoma, and the characteristics of each modality were compared. Qualitative diagnosis of hepatoma by measuring the quantitative time-lapse changes in 67 Ga-citrate accumulation was also investigated. A prospective analysis using the above modalities was conducted for 70 patients with hepatoma, with the following results: sensitivities of NM, US and CT were 91.1% ; 91.8% ; and 96.9% respectively. In comparing the characteristics of the three modalities, however, it was concluded that the combined use of NM and US was recommended for screening, and that CT should be used for more detailed examination of a tumor indicated by NM and/or US. In the diagnosis of hepatoma by 67 Ga-citrate, a sensitivity rate of 73.7% and a specificity rate of 92.5% were obtained, indicating 67 Ga-citrate's considerable significance for qualitative diagnosis of hepatoma. A decision tree was also made for those patients with chronic liver disease in whom positive hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was detected or in whom serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) showed an increasing tendency. (author)

  18. An analysis of multi-agent diagnosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roos, Nico; Ten Teije, Annette; Bos, André; Witteveen, Cees; Castelfranchi, C.; Johnson, W.L.

    2002-01-01

    This paper analyzes the use of a Multi-Agent System for Model-Based Diagnosis. In a large dynamical system, it is often infeasible or even impossible to maintain a model of the whole system. Instead, several incomplete models of the system have to be used to establish a diagnosis and to detect

  19. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bay, Bjorn; Ingerslev, Hans Jakob; Lemmen, Josephine Gabriela

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To study whether women conceiving after preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and their children have greater risks of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes compared with children conceived spontaneously or after IVF with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). DESIGN...

  20. Atrial Fibrillation: Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... of this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Atrial Fibrillation Atrial Fibrillation: Diagnosis Past Issues / Winter 2015 Table of Contents ... of your body's cells and organs. Read More "Atrial Fibrillation" Articles Atrial Fibrillation / Who Is at Risk for ...

  1. Endoscopic tissue diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Harewood, Gavin C

    2008-09-01

    The extremely poor outcome in patients with cholangiocarcinoma, in large part, reflects the late presentation of these tumors and the challenging nature of establishing a tissue diagnosis. Establishing a diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma requires obtaining evidence of malignancy from sampling of the epithelium of the biliary tract, which has proven to be challenging. Although endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration performs slightly better than endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in diagnosing cholangiocarcinoma, both endoscopic approaches demonstrate disappointing performance characteristics.

  2. Business processes in organizational diagnosis

    OpenAIRE

    Janićijević, Nebojša

    2010-01-01

    The paper points out why and how it is necessary to include business processes into organizational diagnosis as a first step in the process of organizational change management. First, the necessity of including business processes into diagnostic models which are used during the performing of organizational changes is proved in the paper. Next, the business processes’ components and characteristics which need to be included into organizational diagnosis are defined, and the way in which they a...

  3. [Etiological diagnosis of leg ulcers].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debure, Clélia

    2010-09-20

    Etiological diagnosis of leg ulcers must be the first step of treatment, even if we know that veinous disease is often present. We can build a clinical decisional diagram, which helps us to understand and not forget the other causes of chronic wounds and choose some basic examination, like ultrasound and histological findings. This diagnosis helps to choose the right treatment in order to cure even the oldest venous ulcers. Educational programs should be improved to prevent recurrence.

  4. MRI diagnosis for prostate cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamada, Tsutomu; Nagai, Kiyohisa; Imai, Shigeki; Kajihara, Yasumasa; Jo, Yoshimasa; Tanaka, Hiroyoshi; Fukunaga, Masao (Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Okayama (Japan)); Matsuki, Takakazu

    1998-01-01

    Recently, in Japan, both the Westernization of life styles and the advent of an aged-society have led to an increase in the incidence of prostate cancer. In making a localizing diagnosis of prostate cancer, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which has excellent contrast resolution, and transrectal ultrasonography, are used clinically, and their usefulness is being established. MRI is employed in the diagnosis of prostate cancer to detect tumors, and to determine the stage of such tumors. For the visualization of prostate cancer by MRI, T2-weighted axial images are used exclusively. After becoming familiar with normal prostate images, it is important to evaluate the localization of a tumor, and the invasion of the capsule and seminal vesicles. Future applications of new techniques for MRI will undoubtedly be found. In this paper, the present state of MRI diagnosis of prostate cancer at Kawasaki Medical School Hospital will be reviewed. (author)

  5. MRI diagnosis for prostate cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamada, Tsutomu; Nagai, Kiyohisa; Imai, Shigeki; Kajihara, Yasumasa; Jo, Yoshimasa; Tanaka, Hiroyoshi; Fukunaga, Masao [Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Okayama (Japan); Matsuki, Takakazu

    1998-12-31

    Recently, in Japan, both the Westernization of life styles and the advent of an aged-society have led to an increase in the incidence of prostate cancer. In making a localizing diagnosis of prostate cancer, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which has excellent contrast resolution, and transrectal ultrasonography, are used clinically, and their usefulness is being established. MRI is employed in the diagnosis of prostate cancer to detect tumors, and to determine the stage of such tumors. For the visualization of prostate cancer by MRI, T2-weighted axial images are used exclusively. After becoming familiar with normal prostate images, it is important to evaluate the localization of a tumor, and the invasion of the capsule and seminal vesicles. Future applications of new techniques for MRI will undoubtedly be found. In this paper, the present state of MRI diagnosis of prostate cancer at Kawasaki Medical School Hospital will be reviewed. (author)

  6. Celiac Disease Diagnosis and Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leffler, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    Celiac disease is one of the most prevalent autoimmune gastrointestinal disorders but as the case of Ms. J illustrates, diagnosis is often delayed or missed. Based on serology studies, the prevalence of celiac disease in many populations is estimated to be approximately 1% and has been increasing steadily over the last 50 years. Evaluation for celiac disease is generally straightforward, and uses commonly available serologic tests, however the signs and symptoms of celiac disease are nonspecific and highly heterogeneous making diagnosis difficult. While celiac disease is often considered a mild disorder treatable with simple dietary changes, in reality celiac disease imparts considerable risks including reduced bone mineral density, impaired quality of life, and increased overall mortality. In addition, the gluten free diet is highly burdensome and can profoundly affect patients and their families. For these reasons, care of individuals with celiac disease requires prompt diagnosis and ongoing multidisciplinary management. PMID:21990301

  7. Comparing Measures of Late HIV Diagnosis in Washington State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Saganic

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available As more US HIV surveillance programs routinely use late HIV diagnosis to monitor and characterize HIV testing patterns, there is an increasing need to standardize how late HIV diagnosis is measured. In this study, we compared two measures of late HIV diagnosis, one based on time between HIV and AIDS, the other based on initial CD4+ results. Using data from Washington's HIV/AIDS Reporting System, we used multivariate logistic regression to identify predictors of late HIV diagnosis. We also conducted tests for trend to determine whether the proportion of cases diagnosed late has changed over time. Both measures lead us to similar conclusions about late HIV diagnosis, suggesting that being male, older, foreign-born, or heterosexual increase the likelihood of late HIV diagnosis. Our findings reaffirm the validity of a time-based definition of late HIV diagnosis, while at the same time demonstrating the potential value of a lab-based measure.

  8. Delayed diagnosis of sarcoidosis is common in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauri Monteiro Rodrigues

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of and the factors related to delayed diagnosis of sarcoidosis in Brazil. METHODS: We evaluated patients with a biopsy-proven diagnosis of sarcoidosis, using a questionnaire that addressed the following: time since symptom onset and since the first medical visit; and the number and specialty of the physicians visited. We divided the patients by the timeliness of the diagnosis-timely (< 6 months and delayed (≥ 6 months-comparing the two groups in terms of systemic and pulmonary symptoms; extrathoracic involvement; spirometric data; radiological staging; level of education; income; and tuberculosis (diagnosis and treatment. RESULTS: We evaluated 100 patients. The median number of physicians consulted was 3 (range, 1-14. In 11 cases, sarcoidosis was diagnosed at the first visit. In 54, the first physician seen was a general practitioner. The diagnosis of sarcoidosis was timely in 41 patients and delayed in 59. The groups did not differ in terms of gender; race; type of health insurance; level of education; income; respiratory/systemic symptoms; extrathoracic involvement; and radiological staging. In the delayed diagnosis group, FVC was lower (80.3 ± 20.4% vs. 90.5 ± 17.1%; p = 0.010, as was FEV1 (77.3 ± 19.9% vs. 86.4 ± 19.5%; p = 0.024, misdiagnosis with and treatment for tuberculosis (≥ 3 months also being more common (24% vs. 7%, p = 0.032, and 20% vs. 0%; p = 0.002, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of sarcoidosis is often delayed, even when the imaging is suggestive of sarcoidosis. Delayed diagnosis is associated with impaired lung function at the time of diagnosis. Many sarcoidosis patients are misdiagnosed with and treated for tuberculosis.

  9. Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Cover Story: Leukemia/Lymphoma Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment Past Issues / Summer 2008 Table of Contents For an enhanced version of this page please turn Javascript on. Leukemia Symptoms Frequent infections Fever and chills Anemia Easy ...

  10. Alzheimer's and Dementia Testing for Earlier Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... for Earlier Diagnosis What if we could diagnose Alzheimer's before symptoms started? The hope is, future treatments ... diagnosis is among the most active areas in Alzheimer's science, and funding from the Alzheimer's Association has ...

  11. Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doihara, Hiroyoshi; Taira, Naruhito

    2008-01-01

    This paper explains the outline of the present diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer essentially based on its therapeutic guideline by the Japan Breast Cancer Society (2005) and on authors' experiences. The diagnosis item contains the medical interview of patients, observatory and palpating examinations, mammography (for this, Japan-Breast Imaging Recording and Data System), ultrasonography (guideline for sonographic diagnosis of mammary gland, 2004), fine needle aspiration (FNA) or aspiration biopsy cytology, bases of triple test (palpation, mammography and FNA) for the cancer diagnosis, core needle biopsy, and mammotome biopsy of non-palpable calcified lesion. The treatment item contains the surgery involving conservation, sentinel lymph node biopsy (for this, lymphoscintigraphy with Tc-phytate is illustrated), radiofrequency ablation, adjuvant chemotherapy essentially using anthracycline and taxane, endocrinological therapy using tamoxifen, LH-RH analogues and aromatase inhibitors, and molecular target therapy with HER2 monoclonal antibody like trastuzumab. Recent progress of systemic therapy with medicals is remarkable, and the educational promotion of experts and medicare circumstances are concluded to be important. (R.T.)

  12. Representation and Use of Knowledge in Automatic Fault Diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brendeford, Tor S.

    1996-01-01

    The report relates activities performed within the ongoing project on Integrated Diagnosis Systems (IDS). A unifying aspect of the activities is representation of knowledge applied in diagnosis. New ways of representing such knowledge can improve the diagnoses, enable reuse, and facilitate consistent integration with other operator support systems. The tasks of the diagnostic process, and the roles of domain knowledge, are discussed in relation to different methods of diagnosis. Two primary methods of diagnosis are recognised in the report, model-based and association-based. Distinct differences of these two methods are identified as focus for integration. A methodology for specifying the design of diagnosis systems is reviewed. This methodology seems to provide a good theoretical basis for understanding problems of fault diagnosis. Qualitative and functional modelling methods are studied by application to a common example domain. The two specific techniques are found to be promising in relation to diagnosis. A software setup for simulated diagnosis is presented. This setup is to be used in the activity on knowledge representation, where a blackboard system is the central module of the setup. Presentations of process domain knowledge show the capabilities of the blackboard architecture and suggest schemes for integrated use of the information. The object-oriented architecture is also shown to serve the needs for presentation of diagnostic reasoning, which is a vital aspect when integrating different diagnosis methods. (author)

  13. Radioisotopes for diagnosis in urology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galvan, G.

    1980-01-01

    A lecture, held on the occasion of the meeting, organized by the Austrian Company for Urology and the Bavarian Union of Urologists. Kidney diagnosis with means of nuclear medicine technology, scintigraphy of skeleton and candula suprarenalis as well as radioimmunological hormone determination are characterized by a non-invasive, valuable extension of the convential nephrourological diagnosis under a relatively low rate of radioactive emission. In the field of kidney diagnosis the specification of the function of each kidney by means of renography, sequence-scintigraphy and clearance must be regarded as an important factor, especially for the measurement of the degree of kidney damages. Therefore, it is also of a great pre-operative value in context with the determination of the functional capacity of a kidney, the control of prae-, -intra - and postrenal diseases, urological emergencies and the period after kidney-transplantations. The Tc-perfusion can be used for the diagnosis of kidney arterio-stenosis. In the field of skeleton scintigraphy with Tc-marked phosphates a very sensitive method for the discovery of metastasis is available. It can be applied as a screeningstest to the determination of the stage and to the control of the progress concerning the prostata carcinoma. The candula suprarenalis scintigraphy guarantees the differentiation of hormon producing tumors of the adrenalin gland in context with the determination of ACTH, cortisol, aldosteron, estrogens and testosteron. (F.R.)

  14. Factors Associated with Delayed Cancer Diagnosis in Egyptian Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E.R. Abdelkhalek

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background Despite tremendous importance of early cancer diagnosis in children, few studies on this topic have been conducted in Egypt. Early stage diagnosis can have a positive effect on prognoses and the quality of life of children with cancer. We investigated delays in the diagnosis of childhood cancers in Egypt and determined the factors associated with these delays. Methods This retrospective study included 172 children with cancer from two pediatric oncology units. The interval between symptoms onset and final diagnosis for each child was estimated and examined by univariate and multivariate analyses to determine correlations with the child's sex, age at diagnosis, type and site of malignancy, family residence, socioeconomic status, and parental educational level. Findings The median total diagnosis delay period was 47 days caused by patients and/or parents (8 days and diagnosis (28 days. Statistically significant patient factors associated with delayed diagnosis were age (<5 years, lower parental education, and socioeconomic status. Sex residence and family size were not significant. Malignancy type and tumor site significantly affected the time for diagnosis. The lowest median value was associated with germ cell tumors (GCTs and leukemia, and the highest value was in children with brain tumor. Missed diagnoses were initially recorded in 39.5% of the patients and were associated with patient and tumor factors. Interpretation Delayed diagnosis of childhood cancer is related to age, family, socioeconomic status and parental education, and cancer type and site. Efforts should be made to promote awareness, develop effective steps to eliminate possible contributing factors, and determine the best intervention method.

  15. Fuzzy fault diagnosis system of MCFC

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Wang Zhenlei; Qian Feng; Cao Guangyi

    2005-01-01

    A kind of fault diagnosis system of molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) stack is proposed in this paper. It is composed of a fuzzy neural network (FNN) and a fault diagnosis element. FNN is able to deal with the information of the expert knowledge and the experiment data efficiently. It also has the ability to approximate any smooth system. FNN is used to identify the fault diagnosis model of MCFC stack. The fuzzy fault decision element can diagnose the state of the MCFC generating system, normal or fault, and can decide the type of the fault based on the outputs of FNN model and the MCFC system. Some simulation experiment results are demonstrated in this paper.

  16. [The heuristics of reaching a diagnosis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wainstein, Eduardo

    2009-12-01

    Making a diagnosis in medicine is a complex process in which many cognitive and psychological issues are involved. After the first encounter with the patient, an unconscious process ensues to suspect the presence of a particular disease. Usually, complementary tests are requested to confirm the clinical suspicion. The interpretation of requested tests can be biased by the clinical diagnosis that was considered in the first encounter with the patient. The awareness of these sources of error is essential in the interpretation of the findings that will eventually lead to a final diagnosis. This article discusses some aspects of the heuristics involved in the adjudication of priory probabilities and provides a brief review of current concepts of the reasoning process.

  17. Ultrasonographic diagnosis of pyometra in bitches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nereu Carlos Prestes

    1995-06-01

    Full Text Available A B-mode ultrasonography (SCANNER 450 (5MHz, Pie Medical, Netherlands was used either alone or associated with laboratorial and radiographic examinations in 33 bitches with clinical diagnosis of pyometra. The increased uterus appeared as a well defined tubular structure with diameter ranging from 0.5 up to 4.0 cm. The uterine lumen was less echoic than the wall, with evident echoic shinings. There was an accordance between the increasing in the viscosity of the vaginal secretion and the echoigenicity. The ultrasonographic diagnosis was possible in 31 bitches (94% confirmed by laparotomy and autopsy. The B-mode ultrasonography can be used in the diagnosis of bitches with pyometra.

  18. CT diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the masses in lateral district of neck

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai Wenchong; Wei Zengcai; Li Huajie

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To analyze the CT findings and the corresponding anatomic basis of the masses arising in the lateral district of neck, and improve the diagnosis. Methods: CT findings in 52 patients with tumours in lateral district of neck, pathologically proved, were retrospectively studied on the size of the masses, morphology, density, margin, contrast enhanced characteristics, location and relationship with adjacent vessels and spaces. Results: Among the 52 cases, masses were located in the prestyloid space in 8 cases, in the parotid in 8, within the masticator space in 2, and in the carotid space in 31. In most of the cases, CT revealed the pathologic nature of the masses and adjacent anatomic structure. According to the displacement of the adjacent spaces muscles and vessels caused by the masses, the origin of the masses could be predicted. The origin of the masses was spatially related to the internal carotid artery and the jugular vein. Conclusion: CT is an effective modality for the positional diagnosis of the masses arising lateral district of neck. Considering the anatomical position and contrast enhanced characteristics and the involvement of the adjacent structure, the qualitative and differential diagnosis can be improved. (authors)

  19. Efficiency of clinical and combined diagnosis of breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solov'ev, I.E.

    1986-01-01

    Problems on clinical, instrumental, laboratory diagnosis of mammary glands cancer are described. Efficiency of clinical examination, mammography, cytological examination, ultrasonic, radioisotopic diagnosis, some biochemical tests are estimated. The conclusion concerning advisability of complex diagnosis of mammary glands cancer especially its early forms is made. Perspectivity of application of polyamine test in diagnosis of primary cancer of the mammary gland is mark to estimate efficiency of its treatment

  20. Glaucoma: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Latest Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... of this page please turn Javascript on. Feature: Glaucoma Glaucoma: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Latest Research Past Issues / Fall 2009 Table of Contents Symptoms and Diagnosis Glaucoma can develop in one or both eyes. Often ...

  1. Feature Hepatitis: Hepatitis Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Navigation Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Feature Hepatitis Hepatitis: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention Past Issues / Spring 2009 ... No appetite Fever Headaches Diagnosis To check for hepatitis viruses, your doctor will test your blood. You ...

  2. Differential diagnosis of disseminated periventricular calcifications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rieger, P.; Piepgras, U.

    1986-08-01

    Juvenile disseminated periventricular calcifications may occur in tuberous sclerosis, toxoplasmosis, cytomegaly, and in tuberculous meningitis. Cysticercosis, by contrast, does not result in corresponding intracerebral foci until an older age. Differential diagnosis is no problem if clinical findings are typical (tuberous sclerosis) or if serological verification is positive. However, any unclear clinical diagnosis can often be secured by CT.

  3. [Early diagnosis of autism: Phenotype-endophenotype].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotsopoulos, S

    2015-01-01

    Autism Spectrum Disorders have for some time been the focus of intense interest for clinicians and researchers because of the high prevalence of the disorders among children in the community (approximately 1%), their severity and pervasiveness. Particular attention has been paid to the early diagnosis of the disorder and to the intensive therapeutic intervention. Currently the best prognosis for autism lays in the early diagnosis and intervention. Postponing the diagnosis and the intervention beyond infancy is considered loss of precious time. The diagnosis of autism, which begins early in life, was until recently considered that could be reliability made at the age of 3 years. Recent follow up studies however on children at risk for autism (children who had an older sibling with autism) have shown that the clinical signs of autism emerge at the end of the first year and become distinct by the end of the second year when the diagnosis can reliably be made. From a clinical perspective it is noted that the early clinical signs of risk for autism are related to social communication (e.g. limited or absent response when calling his/her name and to joint attention), stereotype behaviours and body movements or unusual handling of objects (e.g. intensive observation of objects and stereotype movements of hands and tapping or spinning), incongruent regulation of emotions (reduced positive and increased negative emotion). There is also delay in developmental characteristics such as the language (both receptive and expressive) and motor (particularly in postural control - characteristic is the drop of the head backwards when the infant is held in horizontal position). Studies on various aspects of the endophenotype of certain clinical signs among infants at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders, such as avoidance of eye contact, delay in verbal communication and increase of the head circumference, may provide useful information and may assist the clinician on follow up in the

  4. Intelligent System for Diagnosis of a Three-Phase Separator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irina Ioniţă

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Intelligent systems for diagnosis have been used in a variety of domains: financial evaluation, credit scoring problem, identification of software and hardware problems of mechanical and electronic equipment, medical diagnosis, fault detection in gas-oil production plants etc. The goal of diagnosis systems is to classify the observed symptoms as being caused by some diagnosis class while advising systems perform such a classification and offer corrective remedies (recommendations. The current paper discuss the opportunity to combine more intelligent techniques and methodologies (intelligent agents, data mining and expert systems to increase the accuracy of results obtained from the diagnosis of a three-phase separator. The results indicate that the diagnosis hybrid system benefits from the advantages of each module component: intelligent agent module, data mining module and expert system module.

  5. Image diagnosis of parathyroid glands in chronic renal failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takagi, H.; Tominaga, Y.; Uchida, K.; Yamada, N.; Morimoto, T.; Yasue, M.

    1983-01-01

    Twenty-two out of 31 patients with chronic renal failure and secondary hyperparathyroidism who underwent parathyroidectomy before operation underwent non-invasive image diagnosis of parathyroid glands by computed tomography (CT), scintigraphy with 201 TlCl and /sup 99m/TcO 4+ , and/or ultrasonography. CT visualized 39 of 45 parathyroid glands (86.7%), weighing more than 500 mg. Scintigraphy with a subtraction method using a computer performed the diagnosis in 19 of 27 glands (70.4%). Ultrasonography detected 21 of 27 glands (77.8%). Image diagnosis was also useful in the postoperative follow-up study. The non-invasive image diagnosis of parathyroid glands in patients with chronic renal failure is thus valuable for 1) definite diagnosis of secondary hyperparathyroidism, 2) localization, and 3) diagnosis for effectiveness of conservative treatment

  6. Clinical application of noninvasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ZHU Chuanlong

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Hepatic fibrosis is the common outcome of chronic liver diseases of various causes. At present, liver biopsy is the “gold standard” for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis, but it has limitations and is invasive, which leads to the development of noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis. The article mainly introduces the technology and application of noninvasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis from the aspects of clinical manifestation, serology, and radiology. It has pointed out the clinical value of these noninvasive diagnosis techniques, and it discusses the progress in clinical research and its limitations for noninvasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis.

  7. Usefulness and limit of CT diagnosis on appendicitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuchiki, Megumi; Takanashi, Toshiyasu; Yamaguchi, Koichi.

    1997-01-01

    CT was performed in 104 patients with abdominal pain suspected appendicitis. CT showed positive finding (abnormal appendix, appendicolith, pericecal inflammatory change, fluid collection, LN swelling, abscess) and complication of appendicitis clearly. CT diagnosis showed high accuracy than clinical diagnosis. CT proved its usefulness especially only CT imaging showed the correct diagnosis. On the other hand, diverticulitis and terminal ileitis common diagnostic disease of appendicitis showed similar clinical appearance and CT image, caused to be difficult to diagnose correctly. In the cases showing similar image to appendicitis or atypical image, CT also proved its limit of the diagnosis on appendicitis. (author)

  8. Isotopic diagnosis of peripheral thrombosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cornu, Pierre; Scalet, Michel

    1975-01-01

    Radio-isotope diagnosis of peripheral venous thrombosis, using tracer doses of iodine-labelled fibrinogen, provides an important contribution to the solution of the worrying problem of pulmonary embolism due to latent phlebitis. This elegant and precise technique permits early diagnosis of venous thrombosis of the lower limbs at a subclinical stage. It has permitted determination of the frequency, both after surgery and after myocardial infarction, and above all, it provides an objective criterion for assessment of the efficacy of prophylactic measures proposed [fr

  9. Hygienic diagnosis in extreme conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sofronov, G.A.

    1997-01-01

    Review for book by M.P. Zakharchenko, S.A. Lopatin, G.N. Novozhilov, V.I. Zakharov Hygienic diagnosis in extreme conditions is presented discussing the problem of people health preservation under extreme conditions. Hygienic diagnosis is considered illustrated by cases of hostilities (Afghan War), earthquake response in Armenia (1988) and Chernobyl accident response. Attention is paid to the estimation of radiation doses to people and characteristics of main types of dosimeters. The high scientific level of the book is marked

  10. Diagnosis of liver, biliary tract and gastrointestine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aburano, Tamio

    1981-01-01

    The role of RI imaging in the diagnosis of lesions of the liver, biliary tracts and gastrointestinal tracts are reviewed, and representative cases are shown. Liver scintigraphy was of value for the diagnosis of lesions limitted to the liver such as primary and metastatic liver cancer and inflammatory liver diseases. However, RI methods were less useful in the diagnosis of lesions of the biliary tracts and stomach. RI scintigraphy was more sensitive than angiography in the detection of Meckel's deverticulum, Ballet's esophagus, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage. (Tsunoda, M.)

  11. The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanders, E.A.C.M.

    1982-01-01

    This thesis describes recently developed research methods for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. In Chapter X the use of the CT-scan in the detection of hemispheral or cerebellar lesions is discussed. In chapter XIII the results of the application of all methods to a group of 89 patients with definite, probable or possible multiple sclerosis and to a group of 25 purely optic neuritis patients are presented. With the aid of the CT-scan, hypo- or hyperdense areas in the white matter of the cerebral hemispheres were found in 52% of the 114 patients. Most reports ascribe these lesions to demyelinating cerebral plaques. The CT-scan showed no cerebellar or brainstem lesions. The CT-scan is independent of the duration of, and degree of incapacitation due to, the disease and can be helpful in giving a definite diagnosis in an early stage of the disease. The CT-scan will always play an important role for the differential diagnosis. (Auth.)

  12. Part 1: diagnosis and monitoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dorota Krasowska

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Systemic sclerosis is an immune-mediated disease characterized by a chronic and progressive course. It often leads to multiorgan failure and patient disability, and contributes to significant reduction in the quality of life. Systemic sclerosis affects the skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscles, osteoarticular system and internal organs. The complexity and diversity of clinical presentations require an individual approach and multidisciplinary collaboration both at the stage of diagnosis and treatment. Critical factors in systemic sclerosis include early diagnosis, assessment of internal organ involvement, identification of patients at potential risk of organ complications, assessment of disease dynamics and activity, and implementation of optimal therapy. Part 1 presents current recommendations for the diagnostics and monitoring of patients with systemic sclerosis. Attention is given to classification criteria, clinical forms of systemic sclerosis, assessment of skin thickness and systemic sclerosis microangiopathy, significance of antinuclear antibodies, diagnosis of interstitial lung disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension, renal crisis and cardiac abnormalities, and evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract and osteoarticular and muscular systems.

  13. Concussion diagnosis and management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mann, Aneetinder; Tator, Charles H.; Carson, James D.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Objective To assess the knowledge of, attitudes toward, and learning needs for concussion diagnosis and management among family medicine residents. Design E-mail survey. Setting University of Toronto in Ontario. Participants Family medicine residents (N = 348). Main outcome measures To describe relationships between awareness of concussion management and lifestyle, education background, and residency placement, t tests and 2 tests were used as appropriate. Linear regression was used to compare self-reported concussion knowledge with knowledge scores. Thematic analysis was used to interpret answers to the qualitative question asking residents to describe challenges they foresee physicians facing when diagnosing and managing concussion. Results The residents who responded (n = 73, response rate 21%) correctly answered an average of 5.2 questions out of 9 (58%) regarding the diagnosis and management of concussion. Postgraduate year, sex, personal history of concussion, and clinical exposure to concussion were not significant factors in predicting the number of correct answers. Several misconceptions and knowledge gaps were revealed. Of residents who responded, 71% did not recognize chronic traumatic encephalopathy and only 63% recognized second-impact syndrome as consequences of repetitive concussions. Moreover, 32% of residents did not think that every individual with a concussion should see a physician as part of management. Knowledge scores did not predict self-reported concussion knowledge. Thematic analysis revealed 4 themes related to the challenges of concussion diagnosis and management: the nonspecificity and vagueness of symptoms, lack of formal diagnostic criteria, patient compliance with management, and counseling patients with respect to return to play, work, or learning. Conclusion We found substantial gaps in knowledge surrounding concussion diagnosis and management among family medicine residents. This lack of knowledge should be addressed at

  14. Achalasia-an unnecessary long way to diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niebisch, S; Hadzijusufovic, E; Mehdorn, M; Müller, M; Scheuermann, U; Lyros, O; Schulz, H G; Jansen-Winkeln, B; Lang, H; Gockel, I

    2017-05-01

    Although achalasia presents with typical symptoms such as dysphagia, regurgitation, weight loss, and atypical chest pain, the time until first diagnosis often takes years and is frustrating for patients and nevertheless associated with high costs for the healthcare system. A total of 563 patients were interviewed with confirmed diagnosis of achalasia regarding their symptoms leading to diagnosis along with past clinical examinations and treatments. Included were patients who had undergone their medical investigations in Germany. Overall, 527 study subjects were included (male 46%, female 54%, mean age at time of interview 51 ± 14.8 years). Dysphagia was present in 86.7%, regurgitation in 82.9%, atypical chest pain in 79%, and weight loss in 58% of patients before diagnosis. On average, it took 25 months (Interquartile Range (IQR) 9-65) until confirmation of correct diagnosis of achalasia. Though, diagnosis was confirmed significantly quicker (35 months IQR 9-89 vs. 20 months IQR 8-53; p surgical myotomy. Endoscopic dilatation was realized significantly faster compared to esophageal myotomy (1 month IQR 0-4 vs. 3 months IQR 1-11; p achalasia was significantly faster in the past 15 years, it still takes almost 2 years until the correct diagnosis of achalasia is confirmed. Alarming is the fact that although esophageal manometry is known as the gold standard to differentiate primary motility disorders, only three out of four patients had undergone this diagnostic pathway during their diagnostic work-up. Better education of medical professionals and broader utilization of highly sensitive diagnostic tools, such as high-resolution manometry, are strictly necessary in order to correctly diagnose affected patients and to offer therapy faster. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. Initial diagnosis and treatment in first-episode psychosis: can an operationalized diagnostic classification system enhance treating clinicians' diagnosis and the treatment chosen?

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Coentre, Ricardo

    2011-05-01

    Diagnosis during the initial stages of first-episode psychosis is particularly challenging but crucial in deciding on treatment. This is compounded by important differences in the two major classification systems, International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). We aimed to compare the concordance between an operationalized diagnosis using Operational Criteria Checklist (OPCRIT) and treating clinician-generated diagnosis in first episode psychosis diagnosis and its correlation with treatment prescribed.

  16. Diagnosis and prognosis of primary breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robertson, J. F. R.; Evans, A. J.

    1997-01-01

    The diagnosis of breast cancer should be made in the context of a multidisciplinary team: preoperative diagnosis can be made in over 90 % of patients with symptomatic and screen-detected cancers. A preoperative diagnosis allows patients the opportunity to come to terms with the diagnosis of breast cancer and to consider their treatment options before progressing to therapeutic surgery. Surgery remains the primary therapeutic treatment for operable breast cancer with radiotherapy and systemic therapies as adjuvant treatments. Surgery in addition provides pathological specimens from which important prognostic information may be obtained. The traditional TNM classification in itself is no longer sufficient although there is still c considerable prognostic information to be gained in staging patients. Markers of tumour biology provide prognostic data independent of TNM staging. Both need to be considered in any overall assessment of patient prognosis

  17. Rhabdomyolysis: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres, Patrick A.; Helmstetter, John A.; Kaye, Adam M.; Kaye, Alan David

    2015-01-01

    Background Rhabdomyolysis is a complex medical condition involving the rapid dissolution of damaged or injured skeletal muscle. Methods This review focuses on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, causes, presentation, diagnosis, complications, management, and anesthetic considerations related to rhabdomyolysis. Results Any form of muscle damage––and by extension any entity that causes muscle damage––can initiate rhabdomyolysis. One of the most important treatment goals when rhabdomyolysis is suspected is avoiding acute kidney injury. Conclusion All clinicians should be aware of common causes, diagnosis, and treatment options. PMID:25829882

  18. Breast cancer: Diagnosis and treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ariel, I.M.; Clearly, J.B.

    1987-01-01

    This is a publication about the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer with an appeal for unified reporting of end results. Nine chapters cover historical reviews, risk factors, pathology-receptors-immunology, detection and diagnosis, treatment of the potentially curable patient, and treatment of the patient with advanced disease. The three concluding chapters discuss reconstruction, special clinical situations, and support for the patient. The role of radiation therapy is presented well. The current status of chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and combined therapies is also addressed by authoritative authors

  19. Developing Software For Monitoring And Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, S. J.; Caglayan, A. K.

    1993-01-01

    Expert-system software shell produces executable code. Report discusses beginning phase of research directed toward development of artificial intelligence for real-time monitoring of, and diagnosis of faults in, complicated systems of equipment. Motivated by need for onboard monitoring and diagnosis of electronic sensing and controlling systems of advanced aircraft. Also applicable to such equipment systems as refineries, factories, and powerplants.

  20. Differential diagnosis of disseminated periventricular calcifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rieger, P.; Piepgras, U.

    1986-01-01

    Juvenile disseminated periventricular calcifications may occur in tuberous sclerosis, toxoplasmosis, cytomegaly, and in tuberculous meningitis. Cysticercosis, by contrast, does not result in corresponding intracerebral foci until an older age. Differential diagnosis is no problem if clinical findings are typical (tuberous sclerosis) or if serological verification is positive. However, any unclear clinical diagnosis can often be secured by CT. (orig.) [de

  1. Sonographic diagnosis of lissencephaly

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Motte, J.; Morville, P.; Gomes, H.; Cymbalista, M.

    1987-07-01

    Lissencephaly is a developmental malformation characterized by absence of sulci in dysmorphic or epileptic infants. Real time ultrasonographic findings correlated with typical electroencephalographic abnormalities established the diagnosis.

  2. Autism Diagnosis and Screening: Factors to Consider in Differential Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matson, Johnny L.; Beighley, Jennifer; Turygin, Nicole

    2012-01-01

    There has been an exponential growth in assessment methods to diagnose disorders on the autism spectrum. Many reasons for this trend exist and include advancing knowledge on how to make a diagnosis, the heterogeneity of the spectrum, the realization that different methods may be needed based on age and intellectual disability. Other factors…

  3. Problem Diagnosis in Software Process Improvement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iversen, Jakob; Nielsen, Peter Axel; Nørbjerg, Jacob

    1998-01-01

    This paper addresses software process improvement. In particular it reports on action research undertaken to understand the problems with software processes of a large Danish company. It is argued that in order to understand what the specific problems are we may, on the one hand, rely on process...... to enable process improvement to effectively take place. It is argued that problem diagnosis a useful approach and that it has advantages over model-based assessment....... models like CMM or Bootstrap. On the other hand, we may also see the specific and unique features of software processes in this company through what we call problem diagnosis. Problem diagnosis deals with eliciting problems perceived by software project managers and with forming commitment structures...

  4. Ultrasonographic diagnosis of amebic liver abscess

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeon, Hae Jeong; Suh, Won Hyuck; Park, Ung Chae [Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1988-10-15

    Amebric liver abscess is the most common extraintestinal complication of amoebiasis. Radionuclide scan, computed tomography have helped ultrasound in making diagnosis of a amebic liver abscess, but sonography have made a remarkable contribution in the diagnosis and management. Sonographic features of proven amebic abscess of 17 cases in 16 patients were retrospectively analyzed. The abscess lesions were located in right lobe of the liver (14 cases), single in number (15 cases). There were 9 cases of pleural effusion. In one patient, colitis was present as a complication. Sonographic findings of amebic abscess were round inhomogeneous hypoechoic lesion; absence of definite wall echoes; posterior wall enhancement; progressive echolucent change with maturation. Ultrasound guided aspiration can make the microbiological diagnosis of amebic abscess.

  5. Fault tolerant control based on active fault diagnosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Niemann, Hans Henrik

    2005-01-01

    An active fault diagnosis (AFD) method will be considered in this paper in connection with a Fault Tolerant Control (FTC) architecture based on the YJBK parameterization of all stabilizing controllers. The architecture consists of a fault diagnosis (FD) part and a controller reconfiguration (CR......) part. The FTC architecture can be applied for additive faults, parametric faults, and for system structural changes. Only parametric faults will be considered in this paper. The main focus in this paper is on the use of the new approach of active fault diagnosis in connection with FTC. The active fault...... diagnosis approach is based on including an auxiliary input in the system. A fault signature matrix is introduced in connection with AFD, given as the transfer function from the auxiliary input to the residual output. This can be considered as a generalization of the passive fault diagnosis case, where...

  6. Diagnosis of faults in EDF power plants: From monitoring to diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joussellin, A.; Chevalier, R.

    1994-01-01

    Electricite de France is constantly in search of means to improve safety and availability in its nuclear power plants. To this end, EDF has designed new monitoring systems for the major components of its units: for turbogenerator and inlet valves monitoring, for reactor coolant pumps monitoring, for internal structures monitoring and for loose parts detection. New techniques for signal acquisition and processing for diagnosis are used and all these monitoring systems are designed with the same general concept on monitoring. Simultaneously, a workstation for monitoring and aid in diagnosis (PSAD) is under development. It will integrate every monitoring system and will constitute an indispensable tool for plant personnel, enabling them to diagnose the condition of plant equipment, and providing them with high efficiency and user-friendly tools. The PSAD will have a flexible architecture, guaranteeing optimum distribution of computing power to make it available where it is needed

  7. Proteomic Mass Spectrometry Imaging for Skin Cancer Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lazova, Rossitza; Seeley, Erin H

    2017-10-01

    Mass spectrometry imaging can be successfully used for skin cancer diagnosis, particularly for the diagnosis of challenging melanocytic lesions. This method analyzes proteins within benign and malignant melanocytic tumor cells and, based on their differences, which constitute a unique molecular signature of 5 to 20 proteins, can render a diagnosis of benign nevus versus malignant melanoma. Mass spectrometry imaging may assist in the differentiation between metastases and nevi as well as between proliferative nodules in nevi and melanoma arising in a nevus. In the difficult area of atypical Spitzoid neoplasms, mass spectrometry diagnosis can predict clinical outcome better than histopathology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Active fault diagnosis in closed-loop uncertain systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Niemann, Hans Henrik

    2006-01-01

    Fault diagnosis of parametric faults in closed-loop uncertain systems by using an auxiliary input vector is considered in this paper, i.e. active fault diagnosis (AFD). The active fault diagnosis is based directly on the socalled fault signature matrix, related to the YJBK (Youla, Jabr, Bongiorno...... and Kucera) parameterization. Conditions are given for exact detection and isolation of parametric faults in closed-loop uncertain systems....

  9. Sonographic diagnosis of lissencephaly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Motte, J.; Morville, P.; Gomes, H.; Cymbalista, M.

    1987-01-01

    Lissencephaly is a developmental malformation characterized by absence of sulci in dysmorphic or epileptic infants. Real time ultrasonographic findings correlated with typical electroencephalographic abnormalities established the diagnosis. (orig.)

  10. Family History of Early Infant Death Correlates with Earlier Age at Diagnosis But Not Shorter Time to Diagnosis for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anderson Dik Wai Luk

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundSevere combined immunodeficiency (SCID is fatal unless treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Delay in diagnosis is common without newborn screening. Family history of infant death due to infection or known SCID (FH has been associated with earlier diagnosis.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to identify the clinical features that affect age at diagnosis (AD and time to the diagnosis of SCID.MethodsFrom 2005 to 2016, 147 SCID patients were referred to the Asian Primary Immunodeficiency Network. Patients with genetic diagnosis, age at presentation (AP, and AD were selected for study.ResultsA total of 88 different SCID gene mutations were identified in 94 patients, including 49 IL2RG mutations, 12 RAG1 mutations, 8 RAG2 mutations, 7 JAK3 mutations, 4 DCLRE1C mutations, 4 IL7R mutations, 2 RFXANK mutations, and 2 ADA mutations. A total of 29 mutations were previously unreported. Eighty-three of the 94 patients fulfilled the selection criteria. Their median AD was 4 months, and the time to diagnosis was 2 months. The commonest SCID was X-linked (n = 57. A total of 29 patients had a positive FH. Candidiasis (n = 27 and bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG vaccine infection (n = 19 were the commonest infections. The median age for candidiasis and BCG infection documented were 3 months and 4 months, respectively. The median absolute lymphocyte count (ALC was 1.05 × 109/L with over 88% patients below 3 × 109/L. Positive FH was associated with earlier AP by 1 month (p = 0.002 and diagnosis by 2 months (p = 0.008, but not shorter time to diagnosis (p = 0.494. Candidiasis was associated with later AD by 2 months (p = 0.008 and longer time to diagnosis by 0.55 months (p = 0.003. BCG infections were not associated with age or time to diagnosis.ConclusionFH was useful to aid earlier diagnosis but was overlooked by clinicians and not by parents. Similarly, typical clinical features of

  11. Hints for Diagnosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Lars K

    2015-01-01

    /or caretakers. Based on this, a provisional decision to pursue a food allergy diagnosis may be made after carefully considering other possible reasons for an adverse reaction to a food: aversion, infection, intoxication, or an underlying metabolic disease. To respond to the next question, the anamnesis...

  12. [Splenic abscesses: From diagnosis to therapy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davido, B; Dinh, A; Rouveix, E; Crenn, P; Hanslik, T; Salomon, J

    2017-09-01

    Splenic abscess is septic collection which occurs after haematogenous spread or local dissemination. Splenic abscess is an uncommon and rare condition, more frequently affecting male and immunocompromised patients. There are no guidelines regarding its diagnosis and management. Computed tomography (CT) scan is highly sensitive and specific (95% and 92%, respectively) in the diagnosis of splenic abscess. Diagnosis is based on blood cultures which are positive in 24 to 80% of cases. Bacterial growth culture of abscess after drainage is more efficient (50-80%) and can be performed after surgery or percutaneous drainage under imaging, including CT scan. Microorganisms involved are frequently enterobacteriaceae, gram-positive cocci and anaerobes. This particular ecology leads to an empiric broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, with a variable duration, from 10days to more than one month. Management remains very close to the one applied in case of liver abscesses. The role of splenectomy in the prevention of recurrence remains controversial. We reviewed the literature regarding splenic abscesses, from diagnosis to therapy. Copyright © 2017 Société Nationale Française de Médecine Interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

  13. The CT diagnosis and differential diagnosis of malignant tumours of the paranasal sinuses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graber, H.R.; Zaunbauer, W.; Haertel, M.

    1986-01-01

    The CT appearances of malignant tumours of the paranasal sinuses are illustrated on the basis of 15 patients, and the differential diagnosis discussed. Malignant soft tissue tumours in the paranasal sinuses are characterised on CT by their non-homogeneous structure; they may destroy the bony margins of the sinus and infiltrate neighbouring regions in certain preferred directions, and they may enhance following the administration of contrast. Precise definition of the malignant tumour by CT permits their exact staging, may help to determine therapy and is valuable for serial observation. It remains to be seen, however, whether the improved radiological diagnosis results in improved prognosis of malignant tumours of the paranasal sinuses. (orig.) [de

  14. Failure diagnosis using deep belief learning based health state classification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamilselvan, Prasanna; Wang, Pingfeng

    2013-01-01

    Effective health diagnosis provides multifarious benefits such as improved safety, improved reliability and reduced costs for operation and maintenance of complex engineered systems. This paper presents a novel multi-sensor health diagnosis method using deep belief network (DBN). DBN has recently become a popular approach in machine learning for its promised advantages such as fast inference and the ability to encode richer and higher order network structures. The DBN employs a hierarchical structure with multiple stacked restricted Boltzmann machines and works through a layer by layer successive learning process. The proposed multi-sensor health diagnosis methodology using DBN based state classification can be structured in three consecutive stages: first, defining health states and preprocessing sensory data for DBN training and testing; second, developing DBN based classification models for diagnosis of predefined health states; third, validating DBN classification models with testing sensory dataset. Health diagnosis using DBN based health state classification technique is compared with four existing diagnosis techniques. Benchmark classification problems and two engineering health diagnosis applications: aircraft engine health diagnosis and electric power transformer health diagnosis are employed to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach

  15. Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: diagnosis and management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Offiah, I; McMahon, S B; O'Reilly, B A

    2013-08-01

    The bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a spectrum of urological symptoms characterised by bladder pain with typical cystoscopic features. Diagnosis and management of this syndrome may be difficult. There is no evidence-based management approach for the diagnosis or treatment of BPS. The objective of this study was to critically review and summarise the evidence relating to the diagnosis and treatment of the bladder pain syndrome. A review of published data on the diagnosis and treatment of the BPS was performed. Our search was limited to English-language articles, on the "diagnosis", and "management" or "treatment" of "interstitial cystitis" and the "bladder pain syndrome" in "humans." Frequency, urgency and pain on bladder filling are the most common symptoms of BPS. All urodynamic volumes are reduced in patients with BPS. Associated conditions include psychological distress, depression, history of sexual assault, irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia. Cystoscopy remains the test for definitive diagnosis, with visualisation of haemorrhage on cystoreduction. A multidisciplinary treatment approach is essential in the management of this condition. Orally administered amitriptyline is an efficacious medical treatment for BPS. Intravesical hyaluronic acid and local anaesthetic, with/without hydrodistension are among new treatment strategies. Sacral or pudendal neuromodulation is effective, minimally invasive and safe. Surgery is reserved for refractory cases. There remains a paucity of evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of BPS. We encountered significant heterogeneity in the assessment of symptoms, duration of treatment and follow up of patients in our literature review.

  16. Weight Changes following the Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olivarius, Niels de Fine; Siersma, Volkert Dirk; Køster-Rasmussen, Rasmus

    2015-01-01

    Aims: The association between recent and more distant weight changes before and after the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes has been little researched. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of patients’ weight history before diabetes diagnosis on the observed 6-year weight changes after...... diagnosis. Methods: A clinical cohort study combined with self-reported past weight history. In total 885 patients aged ≥40 years and newly diagnosed with clinical type 2 diabetes were included. Body weight was measured immediately after diabetes diagnosis and again at the 6-year follow up examination...... weight change after diagnosis. Conclusions: During the first on average 5.7 years after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, patients generally follow a course of declining average weight, and these weight developments are related primarily to recent weight changes, body mass index, and age, but not to the more...

  17. Ultrasonic Diagnosis of Fetal Ascites and Toxoplasmosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blaakær, Jan

    1986-01-01

    The ultrasonic diagnosis of fetal ascites caused by Toxoplasma Gondii is presented. When a diagnosis of fetal ascites without obvious etiological malformation is established, toxoplasmosis should be suspected. A serological test should be performed, in view of the possibility of antenatal treatme...

  18. [Practice guideline 'Prostate cancer: diagnosis and treatment'

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reijke, T.M. de; Battermann, J.J.; Moorselaar, R.J.A. van; Jong, I.J. de; Visser, A.P.; Burgers, J.S.

    2008-01-01

    --A national, multidisciplinary practice guideline was developed concerning diagnosis and treatment of patients with prostate cancer. Because of the lack of sufficient scientific evidence at this moment no practice guideline on screening is included. --The diagnosis of prostate cancer is made by

  19. Prenatal diagnosis of lissencephaly: A case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cerovac Nataša

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Lissencephaly (“smooth brain” forms a major group of brain malformations due to abnormal neuronal migration. It can cause severe intellectual and motor disability and epilepsy in children. The prenatal diagnosis of this malformation is rare. Case report. We presented a case of the prenatal diagnosis of lissencephaly. A 30-year old pregnant woman was reffered to the hospital at the week 35 of gestation for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI after an ultrasound examination demonstrated fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly. Fetal MRI of the brain showed “smooth”, agyrya cortex. The female infant was born at term with birth weight of 2,500 g and Apgar score 8, showing global developmental delay. Postnatal ultrasound and MRI confirmed classical lissencephaly. She is now 8 years old and has spastic quadriparesis, mental retardation and epilepsy. Conclusion. Confirmation of the ultrasound diagnosis with MRI is desirable for the prenatal diagnosis of lissencephaly.

  20. [Microbiological diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus infection].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Álvarez Estévez, Marta; Reina González, Gabriel; Aguilera Guirao, Antonio; Rodríguez Martín, Carmen; García García, Federico

    2015-10-01

    This document attempts to update the main tasks and roles of the Clinical Microbiology laboratory in HIV diagnosis and monitoring. The document is divided into three parts. The first deals with HIV diagnosis and how serological testing has changed in the last few years, aiming to improve diagnosis and to minimize missed opportunities for diagnosis. Technological improvements for HIV Viral Load are shown in the second part of the document, which also includes a detailed description of the clinical significance of low-level and very low-level viremia. Finally, the third part of the document deals with resistance to antiretroviral drugs, incorporating clinical indications for integrase and tropism testing, as well as the latest knowledge on minority variants. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

  1. Antenatal diagnosis of congenital deafness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isaacson, G

    1988-01-01

    Advances in the field of antenatal diagnosis have made possible the detection of profound sensorineural hearing loss prior to birth. Fetal motion in response to sound and auditory evoked potential testing can determine the presence of fetal hearing in the third trimester of pregnancy. Imaging modalities including ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging hold promise for the diagnosis of some forms of congenital deafness in the second trimester fetus. The methods by which congenital deafness soon may be diagnosed and the implications for the otologist are discussed.

  2. Diagnosis and Fault-tolerant Control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blanke, Mogens; Kinnaert, Michel; Lunze, Jan

    the applicability of the presented methods. The theoretical results are illustrated by two running examples which are used throughout the book. The book addresses engineering students, engineers in industry and researchers who wish to get a survey over the variety of approaches to process diagnosis and fault......The book presents effective model-based analysis and design methods for fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control. Architectural and structural models are used to analyse the propagation of the fault through the process, to test the fault detectability and to find the redundancies in the process...

  3. Psychiatric diagnosis in legal settings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alfred Allan

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available When asked to give a diagnosis in legal settings practitioners should be mindful of the tentative nature of psychiatric diag- noses and that courts require that such a diagnosis must have scientific credibility. South African courts are not explicit about the test they will apply to determine whether a diagno- sis is scientifically credible, but some guidance can be found in United States case law. This paper examines these criteria with reference to the disorders included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR.

  4. Diagnosis and management of prolactinomas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blackwell, R.E.

    1985-01-01

    A summary is presented of the contemporary view of the diagnosis and treatment of pituitary prolactinomas. The use of radiotherapy is discussed in detail. Radiation sources include radiocobalt teletherapy and 4-MEV linear accelerators. Complications following radiotherapy include epilation, optic nerve and chiasm injury, brain necrosis, and sarcoma formation. Additionally there is loss of trophic hormone secretion. In addition to conventional radiotherapy techniques, Bragg peak proton hypophysectomy has been used successfully and appears to have the lowest mortality rate. CAT scans are used for diagnosis and follow-up. 93 references, 8 figures

  5. Radiological diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huebsch, P.; Jenny, C.; Schwaighofer, B.; Seidl, G.; Burghuber, O.C.

    1987-01-01

    In 43 patients with obstructive and restrictive lung disease a catheterisation of the right heart with measurement of pulmonary artery pressure was performed. In a retrospective study several radiological parameters of pulmonary hypertension were evaluated on the chest radiographs of these patients. Considering those parameters on the p.a. and lateral chest radiograph, the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension in patients with elevated pulmonary artery pressure at rest can be made with great accuracy. When pulmonary artery pressure is elevated only during exercise, the accuracy of radiological diagnosis is much lower. (orig.) [de

  6. A survey of fault diagnosis technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riedesel, Joel

    1989-01-01

    Existing techniques and methodologies for fault diagnosis are surveyed. The techniques run the gamut from theoretical artificial intelligence work to conventional software engineering applications. They are shown to define a spectrum of implementation alternatives where tradeoffs determine their position on the spectrum. Various tradeoffs include execution time limitations and memory requirements of the algorithms as well as their effectiveness in addressing the fault diagnosis problem.

  7. Repeatability of pulse diagnosis in traditional Indian Ayurveda medicine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kurande, Vrinda; Waagepetersen, Rasmus; Toft, Egon

    2012-01-01

    Purpose In Ayurveda, pulse diagnosis is the unique diagnostic method that determines the proportion of diagnostic variables (vata, pitta and kapha); however, this is only justifiable if pulse diagnosis yields a consistent result. Though pulse diagnosis has a long historical use, still there is la...

  8. Ontology-Based Method for Fault Diagnosis of Loaders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Feixiang; Liu, Xinhui; Chen, Wei; Zhou, Chen; Cao, Bingwei

    2018-02-28

    This paper proposes an ontology-based fault diagnosis method which overcomes the difficulty of understanding complex fault diagnosis knowledge of loaders and offers a universal approach for fault diagnosis of all loaders. This method contains the following components: (1) An ontology-based fault diagnosis model is proposed to achieve the integrating, sharing and reusing of fault diagnosis knowledge for loaders; (2) combined with ontology, CBR (case-based reasoning) is introduced to realize effective and accurate fault diagnoses following four steps (feature selection, case-retrieval, case-matching and case-updating); and (3) in order to cover the shortages of the CBR method due to the lack of concerned cases, ontology based RBR (rule-based reasoning) is put forward through building SWRL (Semantic Web Rule Language) rules. An application program is also developed to implement the above methods to assist in finding the fault causes, fault locations and maintenance measures of loaders. In addition, the program is validated through analyzing a case study.

  9. Prototype diagnosis of psychiatric syndromes

    Science.gov (United States)

    WESTEN, DREW

    2012-01-01

    The method of diagnosing patients used since the early 1980s in psychiatry, which involves evaluating each of several hundred symptoms for their presence or absence and then applying idiosyncratic rules for combining them for each of several hundred disorders, has led to great advances in research over the last 30 years. However, its problems have become increasingly apparent, particularly for clinical practice. An alternative approach, designed to maximize clinical utility, is prototype matching. Instead of counting symptoms of a disorder and determining whether they cross an arbitrary cutoff, the task of the diagnostician is to gauge the extent to which a patient’s clinical presentation matches a paragraph-length description of the disorder using a simple 5-point scale, from 1 (“little or no match”) to 5 (“very good match”). The result is both a dimensional diagnosis that captures the extent to which the patient “has” the disorder and a categorical diagnosis, with ratings of 4 and 5 corresponding to presence of the disorder and a rating of 3 indicating “subthreshold” or “clinically significant features”. The disorders and criteria woven into the prototypes can be identified empirically, so that the prototypes are both scientifically grounded and clinically useful. Prototype diagnosis has a number of advantages: it better captures the way humans naturally classify novel and complex stimuli; is clinically helpful, reliable, and easy to use in everyday practice; facilitates both dimensional and categorical diagnosis and dramatically reduces the number of categories required for classification; allows for clinically richer, empirically derived, and culturally relevant classification; reduces the gap between research criteria and clinical knowledge, by allowing clinicians in training to learn a small set of standardized prototypes and to develop richer mental representations of the disorders over time through clinical experience; and can help

  10. Prevalence and associated factors of late HIV diagnosis in north ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Information regarding age, sex, WHO stage, type of opportunistic condition, HIV testing service and on diagnosis CD4 counts were all collected. On diagnosis CD4 counts <200cells/µl was coded as Late HIV diagnosis. The proportion of with Late HIV diagnosis was calculated and logistic regression modal was used to ...

  11. FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY IN TUMOUR DIAGNOSIS

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    drclement

    The advantages of FNAC are innumerable and these include cost effectiveness, rapid reporting and bedside diagnosis, minimal physical and psychological discomfort, elimination of a two-stage procedure for diagnosis and treatment, active participation of the patient in treatment planning, and serving as a therapeutic.

  12. Preoperative diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in thoracic esophageal cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eguchi, Reiki; Yamada, Akiyoshi; Ueno, Keiko; Murata, Yoko [Tokyo Women`s Medical Coll. (Japan)

    1996-10-01

    From 1994 to 1995, to evaluate the utility of preoperative CT, EUS (endoscopic ultrasonography) and US in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in thoracic esophageal cancer, 94 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy were studied clinicopathologically. The sensitivity of EUS diagnosis of upper mediastinal lymph node metastasis (85%), left-sided paragastrin lymph node metastasis (73-77%), and especially lower paraesophageal lymph node metastasis (100%) were good. But due to their low-grade specificity in EUS diagnosis, their overall accuracy was not very good. On the other hand, the overall accuracy of the CT diagnosis of lymph node metastasis was fine. However, sensitivity, the most important clinical factor in the CT diagnosis of lymph node metastasis was considerably inferior to EUS. The assessment of the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis around the tracheal bifurcation and the pulmonary hilum and the left para-cardial lesion by CT or EUS was poor. It was concluded that lymph node metastasis of these area must be the pitfall in preoperative diagnosis. The average diameter of the lymph nodes and the proportion of cancerous tissue in the lymph nodes diagnosed as metastatic lymph nodes by CT was larger than that of the false negative lymph nodes. However, the lymph nodes diagnosed as true positives by EUS showed no such tendency. This must be the reason the sensitivity of the EUS diagnosis and specificity of the CT diagnosis were favorable, but the specificity of the EUS diagnosis and especially the sensitivity of the CT diagnosis were not as good. (author)

  13. Preoperative diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in thoracic esophageal cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eguchi, Reiki; Yamada, Akiyoshi; Ueno, Keiko; Murata, Yoko

    1996-01-01

    From 1994 to 1995, to evaluate the utility of preoperative CT, EUS (endoscopic ultrasonography) and US in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in thoracic esophageal cancer, 94 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy were studied clinicopathologically. The sensitivity of EUS diagnosis of upper mediastinal lymph node metastasis (85%), left-sided paragastrin lymph node metastasis (73-77%), and especially lower paraesophageal lymph node metastasis (100%) were good. But due to their low-grade specificity in EUS diagnosis, their overall accuracy was not very good. On the other hand, the overall accuracy of the CT diagnosis of lymph node metastasis was fine. However, sensitivity, the most important clinical factor in the CT diagnosis of lymph node metastasis was considerably inferior to EUS. The assessment of the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis around the tracheal bifurcation and the pulmonary hilum and the left para-cardial lesion by CT or EUS was poor. It was concluded that lymph node metastasis of these area must be the pitfall in preoperative diagnosis. The average diameter of the lymph nodes and the proportion of cancerous tissue in the lymph nodes diagnosed as metastatic lymph nodes by CT was larger than that of the false negative lymph nodes. However, the lymph nodes diagnosed as true positives by EUS showed no such tendency. This must be the reason the sensitivity of the EUS diagnosis and specificity of the CT diagnosis were favorable, but the specificity of the EUS diagnosis and especially the sensitivity of the CT diagnosis were not as good. (author)

  14. Necrotizing fasciitis: strategies for diagnosis and management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taviloglu, Korhan; Yanar, Hakan

    2007-08-07

    Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is uncommon and difficult to diagnose, and it cause progressive morbidity until the infectious process is diagnosed and treated medically and surgically. The literature addressed NF contains confusing information, inaccurate bacteriologic data, and antiquated antibiotic therapy. A delay in diagnosis is associated with a grave prognosis and increased mortality. The main goal of the clinician must be to establish the diagnosis and initially treat the patient within the standard of care. This review is planned as a guide for the clinician in making an early diagnosis of NF and initiating effective medical and surgical therapy.

  15. Synthesis of new radiotracers for tuberculosis diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keskes, Badis

    2009-01-01

    Tuberculosis remains a worldwide health problem and its diagnosis presents a major challenge. The examinations currently employed are little appreciable and so far there is no reliable diagnosis test. These last years, the development of the new radiopharmaceuticals, referred to diagnosis, has revived interest in the search for new molecules with a tropism to a particular disease. Thanks to this field, which lies at the interface of organic and organometallic chemistry, nuclear medicine and biology, we have been led to synthesize a technetium radiotracer linked to isoniazid. For the identification of this radiotracer, we used its similar rhenium model. (Author)

  16. Necrotizing fasciitis: strategies for diagnosis and management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanar Hakan

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Necrotizing fasciitis (NF is uncommon and difficult to diagnose, and it cause progressive morbidity until the infectious process is diagnosed and treated medically and surgically. The literature addressed NF contains confusing information, inaccurate bacteriologic data, and antiquated antibiotic therapy. A delay in diagnosis is associated with a grave prognosis and increased mortality. The main goal of the clinician must be to establish the diagnosis and initially treat the patient within the standard of care. This review is planned as a guide for the clinician in making an early diagnosis of NF and initiating effective medical and surgical therapy.

  17. [Computer-aided Diagnosis and New Electronic Stethoscope].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Mei; Liu, Hongying; Pi, Xitian; Ao, Yilu; Wang, Zi

    2017-05-30

    Auscultation is an important method in early-diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and respiratory system disease. This paper presents a computer-aided diagnosis of new electronic auscultation system. It has developed an electronic stethoscope based on condenser microphone and the relevant intelligent analysis software. It has implemented many functions that combined with Bluetooth, OLED, SD card storage technologies, such as real-time heart and lung sounds auscultation in three modes, recording and playback, auscultation volume control, wireless transmission. The intelligent analysis software based on PC computer utilizes C# programming language and adopts SQL Server as the background database. It has realized play and waveform display of the auscultation sound. By calculating the heart rate, extracting the characteristic parameters of T1, T2, T12, T11, it can analyze whether the heart sound is normal, and then generate diagnosis report. Finally the auscultation sound and diagnosis report can be sent to mailbox of other doctors, which can carry out remote diagnosis. The whole system has features of fully function, high portability, good user experience, and it is beneficial to promote the use of electronic stethoscope in the hospital, at the same time, the system can also be applied to auscultate teaching and other occasions.

  18. Imprint cytology: A boon in tissue diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charusheela Rajesh Gore

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The technique of imprint cytology has provided great impetus to cytodiagnosis due to its simplicity, cost effectiveness, rapid results. It plays a significant role in the rapid diagnosis of the lesions. Objectives: To analyze the sensitivity and specificity of imprint cytology and thereby to evaluate its diagnostic utility. Materials and Methods: The prospective study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital. It included 105 cases. Both benign and malignant lesions from different organ systems were included in the study. Various techniques like touch imprints scrape cytology and squash preparations were used according to the nature of tissue sample. The cytodiagnosis was correlated with histopathological (HP diagnosis to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of imprint cytology. Results: Maximum lesions were of central nervous system (25.7% followed by breast, head, and neck. Imprint cytology diagnosis had sensitivity of 95.5% with 100% specificity for detection of benign and malignant lesions. Overall accuracy of detecting type of lesion was 98.1%. Total discordance with HP diagnosis was found in 1.9% of cases. Conclusion: The use of smear technique in intraoperative diagnosis provides a rapid and efficient means of pathological assessment which in experienced hand, is capable of obtaining a high degree of accuracy. Its use is highly recommended routinely.

  19. Memory Vulnerability Diagnosis for Binary Program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tang Feng-Yi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Vulnerability diagnosis is important for program security analysis. It is a further step to understand the vulnerability after it is detected, as well as a preparatory step for vulnerability repair or exploitation. This paper mainly analyses the inner theories of major memory vulnerabilities and the threats of them. And then suggests some methods to diagnose several types of memory vulnerabilities for the binary programs, which is a difficult task due to the lack of source code. The diagnosis methods target at buffer overflow, use after free (UAF and format string vulnerabilities. We carried out some tests on the Linux platform to validate the effectiveness of the diagnosis methods. It is proved that the methods can judge the type of the vulnerability given a binary program.

  20. Achieving diagnosis by consensus

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Kane, Bridget

    2009-08-01

    This paper provides an analysis of the collaborative work conducted at a multidisciplinary medical team meeting, where a patient’s definitive diagnosis is agreed, by consensus. The features that distinguish this process of diagnostic work by consensus are examined in depth. The current use of technology to support this collaborative activity is described, and experienced deficiencies are identified. Emphasis is placed on the visual and perceptual difficulty for individual specialities in making interpretations, and on how, through collaboration in discussion, definitive diagnosis is actually achieved. The challenge for providing adequate support for the multidisciplinary team at their meeting is outlined, given the multifaceted nature of the setting, i.e. patient management, educational, organizational and social functions, that need to be satisfied.

  1. Classification, disease, and diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jutel, Annemarie

    2011-01-01

    Classification shapes medicine and guides its practice. Understanding classification must be part of the quest to better understand the social context and implications of diagnosis. Classifications are part of the human work that provides a foundation for the recognition and study of illness: deciding how the vast expanse of nature can be partitioned into meaningful chunks, stabilizing and structuring what is otherwise disordered. This article explores the aims of classification, their embodiment in medical diagnosis, and the historical traditions of medical classification. It provides a brief overview of the aims and principles of classification and their relevance to contemporary medicine. It also demonstrates how classifications operate as social framing devices that enable and disable communication, assert and refute authority, and are important items for sociological study.

  2. SDG multiple fault diagnosis by real-time inverse inference

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Zhaoqian; Wu Chongguang; Zhang Beike; Xia Tao; Li Anfeng

    2005-01-01

    In the past 20 years, one of the qualitative simulation technologies, signed directed graph (SDG) has been widely applied in the field of chemical fault diagnosis. However, the assumption of single fault origin was usually used by many former researchers. As a result, this will lead to the problem of combinatorial explosion and has limited SDG to the realistic application on the real process. This is mainly because that most of the former researchers used forward inference engine in the commercial expert system software to carry out the inverse diagnosis inference on the SDG model which violates the internal principle of diagnosis mechanism. In this paper, we present a new SDG multiple faults diagnosis method by real-time inverse inference. This is a method of multiple faults diagnosis from the genuine significance and the inference engine use inverse mechanism. At last, we give an example of 65t/h furnace diagnosis system to demonstrate its applicability and efficiency

  3. SDG multiple fault diagnosis by real-time inverse inference

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang Zhaoqian; Wu Chongguang; Zhang Beike; Xia Tao; Li Anfeng

    2005-02-01

    In the past 20 years, one of the qualitative simulation technologies, signed directed graph (SDG) has been widely applied in the field of chemical fault diagnosis. However, the assumption of single fault origin was usually used by many former researchers. As a result, this will lead to the problem of combinatorial explosion and has limited SDG to the realistic application on the real process. This is mainly because that most of the former researchers used forward inference engine in the commercial expert system software to carry out the inverse diagnosis inference on the SDG model which violates the internal principle of diagnosis mechanism. In this paper, we present a new SDG multiple faults diagnosis method by real-time inverse inference. This is a method of multiple faults diagnosis from the genuine significance and the inference engine use inverse mechanism. At last, we give an example of 65t/h furnace diagnosis system to demonstrate its applicability and efficiency.

  4. Diagnosis of faults in EDF power plants: from monitoring to diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joussellin, A.

    1994-06-01

    Electricite de France is constantly is search of means to improve safety and availability in its nuclear power plants. To this end, EDF has designed new monitoring systems for the major components of its units: for turbogenerator and inlet valves monitoring, for reactor coolant pumps monitoring, for internal structures monitoring and for loose parts detection. New techniques for signal acquisition and processing for diagnosis are used and all these monitoring systems are designed with the same general concept on monitoring. Simultaneously, a workstation for monitoring and aid in diagnosis (PSAD) is under development. It will integrate every monitoring system and will constitute an indispensable tool for plant personnel, enabling them to diagnose the condition of plant equipment, and providing them with high efficiency and user-friendly tools. The PSAD will have a flexible architecture, guaranteeing optimum distribution of computing power to make it available where it is needed. (author). 5 figs., 4 refs

  5. Inclusion-Body Myositis: Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... for MDA Blog Donate Search MDA.org Close Inclusion-Body Myositis (IBM) Diagnosis As with other muscle diseases, a doctor diagnoses inclusion-body myositis (IBM) by considering the individual’s personal ...

  6. Radiological diagnosis and differential diagnosis of headache

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Langner, S.; Kirsch, M.

    2015-01-01

    Headache is very common and affects almost everyone at some point. It is one of the most common disorders that leads patients to see their physician. All different forms have the nociception via trigeminal nerve fibers in common. Beside the clinical course headaches are classified as either primary or secondary, with the latter having an identifiable structural or biochemical cause. Imaging has a low diagnostic yield in primary headache but play an important role in the differential diagnosis of secondary forms. An overview of different forms of secondary headache is given, outlining diagnostic procedures and the morphologic imaging features of each syndrome.

  7. Delayed diagnosis in a sight-threatening lesion.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    O'Neill, E

    2009-06-01

    Acute chiasmal compression has several aetiologies including pituitary apoplexy, a medical emergency caused by acute haemorrhagic or ischemic infarction in pituitary macroadenomas. Clinical diagnosis can often be difficult as the patient is frequently unaware of an existing adenoma. Delayed diagnosis may lead to increased morbidity and mortality.

  8. Organizational Diagnosis: Its Role in Organizational Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beer, Michael; Spector, Bert

    1993-01-01

    Sees diagnosis as process that helps organizations enhance their capacity to assess and change dysfunctional aspects of culture and patterns of behavior as basis for developing greater effectiveness and ensuring continuous improvement. Presents framework for understanding "learning diagnosis" in which diagnostic process is part of large-scale…

  9. Diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Demitrovicova, L.; Mikuskova, E.; Copakova, L.; Leitnerova, M.

    2012-01-01

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was the first cancer associated with the specific chromosomal aberration. Philadelphia chromosome due to translocation (9, 22) is present in 95% cases, fusion gene BCR/ABL is present in 100% cases at the time of diagnosis. Disease has its own characteristics detectable by physical examination, by the examination of blood count and differential and by cytomorhologic examination of bone marrow, however the diagnosis of CML is determined by cytogenetics and molecular genetics. If the diagnosis of Ph+ BCR/ABL positive CML is confirmed, the disease is treated by tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). TKI don´t affect formation of leukemic gene BCR/ABL, but they can stop the action of this gene. The target therapy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors markedly improved the survival of patients with CML by inhibition the proliferation of leukemic clone on the clinically safety level of minimal disease, although probably this treatment cannot cure the CML. Cytogenetics and molecular genetics are very important at the monitoring of residual disease with sensitivity 10"-"6. (author)

  10. Molecular diagnosis in haemophilia A.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pandey G

    2001-10-01

    Full Text Available Haemophilia A is the commonest cause of X-linked inherited bleeding disorder. Due to inadequate medical facility for management of the disease, the DNA based genetic diagnosis has assumed great importance. Ideally, the direct detection of mutations is the most accurate and reliable approach for carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis. However, mutation detection is possible only in limited number of cases. In majority of haemophiliacs, no common mutation is easily identifiable. The limitation has been over come by the use of linkage-based analysis using polymorphic DNA markers in the factor VIII gene. Some of these markers can be identified by restriction enzymes and are called RFLP markers. Other markers are a class of short tandem repeats sequences which result in differences in the number of CA repeats in different individuals. The combined use of these markers has made it possible to identify carriers and provide prenatal diagnosis in upto 95% of families having affected individuals. Therefore, the recurrence of the disease can be prevented to a great extent in the haemophilia A affected families.

  11. Accuracy of a heart failure diagnosis in administrative registers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kümler, Thomas; Gislason, Gunnar Hilmar; Kirk, Vibeke

    2008-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The incidence of heart failure is frequently reported using hospital discharge diagnoses. The specificity of a diagnosis has been shown to be high but the sensitivity of a reported diagnosis is unknown. PURPOSE: To study the accuracy of a heart failure diagnosis reported to the Danish...... a specificity of 99% and a sensitivity of 29% for all patients. The positive predictive value was 81%, the negative predictive value 90%. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of Heart Failure in the Danish National Registers is underreported, but very specific....

  12. Pediatric urinary tract infections: diagnosis and treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bitsori, Maria; Galanakis, Emmanouil

    2012-10-01

    Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common serious bacterial infection in childhood. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are required for the optimal clinical outcome and the prevention of long-term morbidity and sequelae. Diagnosis and treatment of UTI may seem to be easy tasks, but they remain among the most controversial issues in pediatrics. Consequently, children suspected for UTIs are investigated and treated differently in different settings. The absence of typical clinical presentation and the uncertainties in setting the index of suspicion, collecting appropriate urine samples and interpreting results, combined with different antibiotic policies in the face of increasing resistance of uropathogens, contribute to the controversy. Recently issued guidelines have attempted to settle several thorny aspects in diagnosis and treatment, but quite a few issues still remain controversial. In this review, the authors explore the current situation on diagnosis and treatment of childhood UTI in better understanding their pathogenesis and prevalence in different child populations, discuss recently evaluated diagnostic tests and the new management guidelines.

  13. Reflections on imaging diagnosis of sella masses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hernandez Yero, Jose Arturo; Jorge Gonzalez, Raquel

    2005-01-01

    Some reflections were made on imaging diagnosis of sella masses, specifying some characteristics of the main sella masses and their appearance in magnetic resonance imaging. The purpose was to call the attention on this important issue on the basis that modern imaging advances offer very useful distinctive elements in the diagnosis of a group of masses located in the sella turcica region. The paper underlined details of signal intensity in pituitary adenomas, craniopharyngiomas, Rathkes pouch cysts, hypophyseal hyperplasia and the so-called empty sella syndrome, among other causes of anatomical changes in sella region. It was concluded that magnetic resonance imaging would be the ideal method for a better diagnosis of sella masses, but if this technique was not available, then contrast-enhanced tomography would be useful in under 2 mm views. The importance of a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, endocrinologists, imaging specialists, neurosurgeons and anatomy pathologists to reach more accurate diagnosis and better therapeutic results was stressed

  14. Orthorexia nervosa: validation of a diagnosis questionnaire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donini, L M; Marsili, D; Graziani, M P; Imbriale, M; Cannella, C

    2005-06-01

    To validate a questionnaire for the diagnosis of orhorexia oervosa, an eating disorder defined as "maniacal obsession for healthy food". 525 subjects were enrolled. Then they were randomized into two samples (sample of 404 subjects for the construction of the test for the diagnosis of orthorexia ORTO-15; sample of 121 subjects for the validation of the test). The ORTO-15 questionnaire, validated for the diagnosis of orthorexia, is made-up of 15 multiple-choice items. The test we proposed for the diagnosis of orthorexia (ORTO 15) showed a good predictive capability at a threshold value of 40 (efficacy 73.8%, sensitivity 55.6% and specificity 75.8%) also on verification with a control sample. However, it has a limit in identifying the obsessive disorder. For this reason we maintain that further investigation is necessary and that new questions useful for the evaluation of the obsessive-compulsive behavior should be added to the ORTO-15 questionnaire.

  15. Computational Intelligence in Early Diabetes Diagnosis: A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shankaracharya; Odedra, Devang; Samanta, Subir; Vidyarthi, Ambarish S.

    2010-01-01

    The development of an effective diabetes diagnosis system by taking advantage of computational intelligence is regarded as a primary goal nowadays. Many approaches based on artificial network and machine learning algorithms have been developed and tested against diabetes datasets, which were mostly related to individuals of Pima Indian origin. Yet, despite high accuracies of up to 99% in predicting the correct diabetes diagnosis, none of these approaches have reached clinical application so far. One reason for this failure may be that diabetologists or clinical investigators are sparsely informed about, or trained in the use of, computational diagnosis tools. Therefore, this article aims at sketching out an outline of the wide range of options, recent developments, and potentials in machine learning algorithms as diabetes diagnosis tools. One focus is on supervised and unsupervised methods, which have made significant impacts in the detection and diagnosis of diabetes at primary and advanced stages. Particular attention is paid to algorithms that show promise in improving diabetes diagnosis. A key advance has been the development of a more in-depth understanding and theoretical analysis of critical issues related to algorithmic construction and learning theory. These include trade-offs for maximizing generalization performance, use of physically realistic constraints, and incorporation of prior knowledge and uncertainty. The review presents and explains the most accurate algorithms, and discusses advantages and pitfalls of methodologies. This should provide a good resource for researchers from all backgrounds interested in computational intelligence-based diabetes diagnosis methods, and allows them to extend their knowledge into this kind of research. PMID:21713313

  16. Computational intelligence in early diabetes diagnosis: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shankaracharya; Odedra, Devang; Samanta, Subir; Vidyarthi, Ambarish S

    2010-01-01

    The development of an effective diabetes diagnosis system by taking advantage of computational intelligence is regarded as a primary goal nowadays. Many approaches based on artificial network and machine learning algorithms have been developed and tested against diabetes datasets, which were mostly related to individuals of Pima Indian origin. Yet, despite high accuracies of up to 99% in predicting the correct diabetes diagnosis, none of these approaches have reached clinical application so far. One reason for this failure may be that diabetologists or clinical investigators are sparsely informed about, or trained in the use of, computational diagnosis tools. Therefore, this article aims at sketching out an outline of the wide range of options, recent developments, and potentials in machine learning algorithms as diabetes diagnosis tools. One focus is on supervised and unsupervised methods, which have made significant impacts in the detection and diagnosis of diabetes at primary and advanced stages. Particular attention is paid to algorithms that show promise in improving diabetes diagnosis. A key advance has been the development of a more in-depth understanding and theoretical analysis of critical issues related to algorithmic construction and learning theory. These include trade-offs for maximizing generalization performance, use of physically realistic constraints, and incorporation of prior knowledge and uncertainty. The review presents and explains the most accurate algorithms, and discusses advantages and pitfalls of methodologies. This should provide a good resource for researchers from all backgrounds interested in computational intelligence-based diabetes diagnosis methods, and allows them to extend their knowledge into this kind of research.

  17. Body imaging: Diagnosis

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Pfannenstiel incision for caesarean section was noted. No synchronous lesions were identified. Based on the location of the lesion, sonar features and MRI enhancement pattern, the principal radiological diagnosis was that of a desmoid tumour of the left rectus muscle. In fact, the initial sonar-guided core biopsy specimen ...

  18. Diagnosis of Child Maltreatment: A Family Medicine Physician's Dilemma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eniola, Kehinde; Evarts, Lori

    2017-05-01

    Cases of child maltreatment (CM) in the United States remain high, and primary care providers lack the confidence and training to diagnose these cases. This study provides recommendations to improve family medicine physicians' confidence in diagnosing CM. We e-mailed an electronic survey to family medicine residents and physicians practicing in the United States. Responses were collected during August and September 2015. Respondents were asked about their familiarity and competence level regarding the diagnosis of CM. They also were asked about the frequency of their correctly diagnosing CM, timeliness of diagnosis, barriers to a diagnosis or early diagnosis of CM, and receipt of adequate CM training. Of the 420 surveys emailed, 258 (61%) were completed. The majority of respondents stated their self-reported level of competence in diagnosing CM as average or below average, with few (8%) indicating a competence level of above average. A timely diagnosis of child maltreatment was reported by 46% of respondents, whereas 54% were either late (19.2%) in diagnosing or could not recall (34.6%). The barriers to diagnosis cited by responders were inexperience (58%), lack of confidence and certainty (50%), lack of diagnosis protocol (43.3%), lack of confidence in communicating with parents (38.3%), and inadequate training (34.9%). The introduction of CM training into the family medicine residency training curriculum, coupled with the development of a standardized CM diagnosis protocol, may improve self-reported family medicine physicians' confidence and competence levels in diagnosing CM.

  19. Diagnosis of asthma: diagnostic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brigham, Emily P; West, Natalie E

    2015-09-01

    Asthma is a heterogeneous disease, encompassing both atopic and non-atopic phenotypes. Diagnosis of asthma is based on the combined presence of typical symptoms and objective tests of lung function. Objective diagnostic testing consists of 2 components: (1) demonstration of airway obstruction, and (2) documentation of variability in degree of obstruction. A review of current guidelines and literature was performed regarding diagnostic testing for asthma. Spirometry with bronchodilator reversibility testing remains the mainstay of asthma diagnostic testing for children and adults. Repetition of the test over several time points may be necessary to confirm airway obstruction and variability thereof. Repeated peak flow measurement is relatively simple to implement in a clinical and home setting. Bronchial challenge testing is reserved for patients in whom the aforementioned testing has been unrevealing but clinical suspicion remains, though is associated with low specificity. Demonstration of eosinophilic inflammation, via fractional exhaled nitric oxide measurement, or atopy, may be supportive of atopic asthma, though diagnostic utility is limited particularly in nonatopic asthma. All efforts should be made to confirm the diagnosis of asthma in those who are being presumptively treated but have not had objective measurements of variability in the degree of obstruction. Multiple testing modalities are available for objective confirmation of airway obstruction and variability thereof, consistent with a diagnosis of asthma in the appropriate clinical context. Providers should be aware that both these characteristics may be present in other disease states, and may not be specific to a diagnosis of asthma. © 2015 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

  20. Diagnosis of multiple system atrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palma, Jose-Alberto; Norcliffe-Kaufmann, Lucy; Kaufmann, Horacio

    2018-05-01

    Multiple system atrophy (MSA) may be difficult to distinguish clinically from other disorders, particularly in the early stages of the disease. An autonomic-only presentation can be indistinguishable from pure autonomic failure. Patients presenting with parkinsonism may be misdiagnosed as having Parkinson disease. Patients presenting with the cerebellar phenotype of MSA can mimic other adult-onset ataxias due to alcohol, chemotherapeutic agents, lead, lithium, and toluene, or vitamin E deficiency, as well as paraneoplastic, autoimmune, or genetic ataxias. A careful medical history and meticulous neurological examination remain the cornerstone for the accurate diagnosis of MSA. Ancillary investigations are helpful to support the diagnosis, rule out potential mimics, and define therapeutic strategies. This review summarizes diagnostic investigations useful in the differential diagnosis of patients with suspected MSA. Currently used techniques include structural and functional brain imaging, cardiac sympathetic imaging, cardiovascular autonomic testing, olfactory testing, sleep study, urological evaluation, and dysphagia and cognitive assessments. Despite advances in the diagnostic tools for MSA in recent years and the availability of consensus criteria for clinical diagnosis, the diagnostic accuracy of MSA remains sub-optimal. As other diagnostic tools emerge, including skin biopsy, retinal biomarkers, blood and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, and advanced genetic testing, a more accurate and earlier recognition of MSA should be possible, even in the prodromal stages. This has important implications as misdiagnosis can result in inappropriate treatment, patient and family distress, and erroneous eligibility for clinical trials of disease-modifying drugs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Overview of diagnosis and management of paediatric headache. Part I: diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozge, Aynur; Termine, Cristiano; Antonaci, Fabio; Natriashvili, Sophia; Guidetti, Vincenzo; Wöber-Bingöl, Ciçek

    2011-02-01

    Headache is the most common somatic complaint in children and adolescents. The evaluation should include detailed history of children and adolescents completed by detailed general and neurological examinations. Moreover, the possible role of psychological factors, life events and excessively stressful lifestyle in influencing recurrent headache need to be checked. The choice of laboratory tests rests on the differential diagnosis suggested by the history, the character and temporal pattern of the headache, and the physical and neurological examinations. Subjects who have any signs or symptoms of focal/progressive neurological disturbances should be investigated by neuroimaging techniques. The electroencephalogram and other neurophysiological examinations are of limited value in the routine evaluation of headaches. In a primary headache disorder, headache itself is the illness and headache is not attributed to any other disorder (e.g. migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headache and other trigeminal autonomic cephalgias). In secondary headache disorders, headache is the symptom of identifiable structural, metabolic or other abnormality. Red flags include the first or worst headache ever in the life, recent headache onset, increasing severity or frequency, occipital location, awakening from sleep because of headache, headache occurring exclusively in the morning associated with severe vomiting and headache associated with straining. Thus, the differential diagnosis between primary and secondary headaches rests mainly on clinical criteria. A thorough evaluation of headache in children and adolescents is necessary to make the correct diagnosis and initiate treatment, bearing in mind that children with headache are more likely to experience psychosocial adversity and to grow up with an excess of both headache and other physical and psychiatric symptoms and this creates an important healthcare problem for their future life.

  2. Hemorrhagic herpes encephalitis: A difficult diagnosis in computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neumann, N.U.; Albert, H.H. von

    1982-01-01

    Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) is the most common sporadically appearing encephalitis in Central Europe. Differential diagnosis to brain tumors or spontaneous intercerebral hemorrhage is difficult. There are CT scan findings which are characteristic of HSE but there are no pathognomonic patterns. These characteristic findings are helpful in differential diagnosis to neoplastic or vascular processes. Thus, other diagnostic procedures (i.e. brain biopsy) to confirm diagnosis of HSE and effective therapy may be carried out in time. The difficulties in differential diagnosis are shown by the presented case. (orig.) [de

  3. Recent advances in preimplantation genetic diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kahraman S

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Semra Kahraman, Çağri Beyazyürek, Hüseyin Avni Taç, Caroline Pirkevi, Murat Cetinkaya, Neşe Gülüm IVF and Reproductive Genetics Center, Istanbul Memorial Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey Abstract: Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD is an important method for the identification chromosomal abnormalities and genes responsible for genetic defects in embryos that are created through in vitro fertilization before pregnancy. As the list of conditions and indications for PGD testing is continuing to extend enormously, novel in vitro fertilization techniques and newly established genetic analysis techniques have been implemented in clinical settings in the recent years. Blastocyst-stage biopsy, vitrification techniques, time-lapse imaging, whole-genome amplification, array-based diagnostic techniques, and next-generation sequencing techniques are promising techniques for the accurate diagnosis of diverse genetic conditions and also for the selection of the best embryo that has the highest implantation capacity. The timing and technique used for biopsy, the amplification techniques, the genetic diagnosis techniques, and appropriate genetic counseling play important roles in establishing a successful PGD. In this review, those key points of PGD will be reviewed in detail. Keywords: preimplantation genetic diagnosis, array comparative genomic hybridization, single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays, next-generation sequencing, monogenic disorders, aneuploidy testing 

  4. Chondromalacia patellae: diagnosis with MR imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCauley, T R; Kier, R; Lynch, K J; Jokl, P

    1992-01-01

    Most previous studies of MR imaging for detection of chondromalacia have used T1-weighted images. We correlated findings on axial MR images of the knee with arthroscopic findings to determine MR findings of chondromalacia patellae on T2-weighted and proton density-weighted images. The study population included 52 patients who had MR examination of the knee with a 1.5-T unit and subsequent arthroscopy, which documented chondromalacia patellae in 29 patients and normal cartilage in 23. The patellar cartilage was assessed retrospectively for MR signal and contour characteristics. MR diagnosis based on the criteria of focal signal or focal contour abnormality on either the T2-weighted or proton density-weighted images yielded the highest correlation with the arthroscopic diagnosis of chondromalacia. When these criteria were used, patients with chondromalacia were detected with 86% sensitivity, 74% specificity, and 81% accuracy. MR diagnosis based on T2-weighted images alone was more sensitive and accurate than was diagnosis based on proton density-weighted images alone. In conclusion, most patients with chondromalacia patellae have focal signal or focal contour defects in the patellar cartilage on T2-weighted MR images. These findings are absent in most patients with arthroscopically normal cartilage.

  5. Laboratorial diagnosis of lymphocytic meningitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sérgio Monteiro de Almeida

    Full Text Available Meningitis is the main infectious central nervous system (CNS syndrome. Viruses or bacteria can cause acute meningitis of infectious etiology. The term "Aseptic Meningitis" denotes a clinical syndrome with a predominance of lymphocytes in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, with no common bacterial agents identified in the CSF. Viral meningitis is considered the main cause of lymphocyte meningitis. There are other etiologies of an infectious nature. CSF examination is essential to establish the diagnosis and to identify the etiological agent of lymphocytic meningitis. We examined CSF characteristics and the differential diagnosis of the main types of meningitis.

  6. Active fault diagnosis by controller modification

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stoustrup, Jakob; Niemann, Hans Henrik

    2010-01-01

    Two active fault diagnosis methods for additive or parametric faults are proposed. Both methods are based on controller reconfiguration rather than on requiring an exogenous excitation signal, as it is otherwise common in active fault diagnosis. For the first method, it is assumed that the system...... considered is controlled by an observer-based controller. The method is then based on a number of alternate observers, each designed to be sensitive to one or more additive faults. Periodically, the observer part of the controller is changed into the sequence of fault sensitive observers. This is done...... in a way that guarantees the continuity of transition and global stability using a recent result on observer parameterization. An illustrative example inspired by a field study of a drag racing vehicle is given. For the second method, an active fault diagnosis method for parametric faults is proposed...

  7. The FDG-PET diagnosis of head and neck malignant tumor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kada, Shinpei; Hayashi, Masahiko; Okazawa, Hidehiko

    2003-01-01

    We investigated the utility of whole body FDG-PET in patients with head and neck malignant tumor, retrospectively. Fifty four FDG-PET studies were performed in 45 patients. Regarding the primary tumor and nodal metastasis, we compared the diagnosis of only FDG-PET with diagnosis using CT, MRI, and physical examination without FDG-PET (diagnosis without FDG-PET). These FDG-PET images were evaluated with visual interpretation qualitatively. At the primary tumor, sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET diagnoses were 90% and 93%, and those of the diagnoses without FDG-PET were 95% and 100%, respectively; for nodal metastasis, sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET diagnoses were 90% and 84%, and those of the diagnoses without FDG-PET were 72% and 80%, respectively. In nodal metastasis, the diagnosis of FDG-PET was superior to the diagnosis without FDG-PET. However, it is important to be careful of false positive findings of FDG-PET such as inflammatory lymph nodes, and false negative findings such as very thin tumors. By combining the FDG-PET diagnosis with other examinations, we could achieve almost perfect diagnosis. Farthermore, we perform FDG-PET repeatedly to improve diagnosis accuracy. (author)

  8. Developing a semantic web model for medical differential diagnosis recommendation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammed, Osama; Benlamri, Rachid

    2014-10-01

    In this paper we describe a novel model for differential diagnosis designed to make recommendations by utilizing semantic web technologies. The model is a response to a number of requirements, ranging from incorporating essential clinical diagnostic semantics to the integration of data mining for the process of identifying candidate diseases that best explain a set of clinical features. We introduce two major components, which we find essential to the construction of an integral differential diagnosis recommendation model: the evidence-based recommender component and the proximity-based recommender component. Both approaches are driven by disease diagnosis ontologies designed specifically to enable the process of generating diagnostic recommendations. These ontologies are the disease symptom ontology and the patient ontology. The evidence-based diagnosis process develops dynamic rules based on standardized clinical pathways. The proximity-based component employs data mining to provide clinicians with diagnosis predictions, as well as generates new diagnosis rules from provided training datasets. This article describes the integration between these two components along with the developed diagnosis ontologies to form a novel medical differential diagnosis recommendation model. This article also provides test cases from the implementation of the overall model, which shows quite promising diagnostic recommendation results.

  9. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis to improve pregnancy outcomes in subfertility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simpson, Joe Leigh

    2012-12-01

    Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis provides prenatal genetic diagnosis before implantation, thus allowing detection of chromosomal abnormalities and their exclusion from embryo transfer in assisted reproductive technologies. Polar body, blastomere or trophectoderm can each be used to obtain requisite genetic or embryonic DNA. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis for excluding unbalanced translocations is well accepted, and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis aneuploidy testing to avoid repeated pregnancy losses in couples having recurrent aneuploidy is efficacious in reducing miscarriages. Controversy remains about whether pre-implantation genetic diagnosis aneuploidy testing improves take home pregnancy rates, for which reason adherence to specific indications is recommended while the issue is being adjudicated. Current recommendations are for obligatory 24 chromosome testing, most readily using array comparative genome hybridisation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Medical image diagnosis of liver cancer using artificial intelligence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kondo, Tadashi; Ueno, Junji; Takao, Shoichiro

    2010-01-01

    A revised Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH)-type neural network algorithm using artificial intelligence technology for medical image diagnosis is proposed and is applied to medical image diagnosis of liver cancer. In this algorithm, the knowledge base for medical image diagnosis are used for organizing the neural network architecture for medical image diagnosis. Furthermore, the revised GMDH-type neural network algorithm has a feedback loop and can identify the characteristics of the medical images accurately using feedback loop calculations. The optimum neural network architecture fitting the complexity of the medical images is automatically organized so as to minimize the prediction error criterion defined as Prediction Sum of Squares (PSS). It is shown that the revised GMDH-type neural network can be easily applied to the medical image diagnosis. (author)

  11. Plague Diagnosis and Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Search Form Controls Cancel Submit Search the CDC Plague Note: Javascript is disabled or is not supported ... message, please visit this page: About CDC.gov . Plague Home Ecology & Transmission Symptoms Diagnosis & Treatment Maps & Statistics ...

  12. Echocardiography diagnosis of myocardial infarction complications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N.D. Oryshchyn

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Diagnosis and management of myocardial infarction complications are discussed in this article. These complications are associated with high level of mortality and surgery is a main treatment method. High level of suspicion and early diagnosis are essential for appropriate treatment and improvement of prognosis. Echocardiography is a main diagnostic method. Analysis of literature about contemporary management of mechanical complications of myocardial infarction has been performed, case reports are presented.

  13. Recent developments in building diagnosis techniques

    CERN Document Server

    2016-01-01

    This book presents a collection of recent research on building diagnosis techniques related to construction pathology, hygrothermal behavior and durability, and diagnostic techniques. It highlights recent advances and new developments in the field of building physics, building anomalies in materials and components, new techniques for improved energy efficiency analysis, and diagnosis techniques such as infrared thermography. This book will be of interest to a wide readership of professionals, scientists, students, practitioners, and lecturers.

  14. Subsea Hydraulic Leakage Detection and Diagnosis

    OpenAIRE

    Stavenes, Thomas

    2010-01-01

    The motivation for this thesis is reduction of hydraulic emissions, minimizing of process emergency shutdowns, exploitation of intervention capacity, and reduction of costs. Today, monitoring of hydraulic leakages is scarce and the main way to detect leakage is the constant need for filling of hydraulic fluid to the Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU). Leakage detection and diagnosis has potential, which would be adressed in this thesis. A strategy towards leakage detection and diagnosis is given....

  15. Radioimmunoassays for tumor diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dressler, J.

    1983-01-01

    Aside from imaging techniques several (radio-)immunological analyses are used for tumor diagnosis. Oncofetal antigens, for instance the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), have become the most important substances for many malignancies. However, nearly all of the so-called tumor markers are not suitable for early diagnosis or screening either because of low sensitivity or low tumor specifity. On the other hand follow-up measurements give a very sensitive index of the success of treatment and may indicate tumor progression when other signs are still not present. In some carcinomas and under some clinical circumstances tumorspecific markers are available and mandatory for detection and/or staging: AFP in hepatoma, acid phosphatase in metastasizing carcinoma of the prostate and serum thyreoglobulin in differentiated thyroid cancer. (orig.) [de

  16. Diagnosis of adrenal tumors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Richter, E.I.; Loesch, H.

    1987-09-01

    Of 155 patients with adrenal disorders, 120 (77%) were correctly diagnosed as negative. There were no correlations between the results of computer tomography and phlebography or between computer tomography and laboratory tests. In 31 patients (20%) a correct diagnosis was obtained and these patients were sent to surgery. Four cases (3%) were shown to be false positive. In these cases (with one exception), both the computer tomography and phlebography results had been overinterpreted. Computer tomography was shown to be a method of high sensitivity and almost as great specificity. Tumors cannot be distinguished by phlebography; only pheochromocytoma shows a characteristic alteration of vessels in arteriograms. In general, an accurate diagnosis requires positive angiography (arterio- or phlebography) results and clear evidence of elevated hormone levels. Only then is surgery indicated.

  17. Diagnosis of adrenal tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richter, E.I.; Loesch, H.

    1987-01-01

    Of 155 patients with adrenal disorders, 120 (77%) were correctly diagnosed as negative. There were no correlations between the results of computer tomography and phlebography or between computer tomography and laboratory tests. In 31 patients (20%) a correct diagnosis was obtained and these patients were sent to surgery. Four cases (3%) were shown to be false positive. In these cases (with one exception), both the computer tomography and phlebography results had been overinterpreted. Computer tomography was shown to be a method of high sensitivity and almost as great specificity. Tumors cannot be distinguished by phlebography; only pheochromocytoma shows a characteristic alteration of vessels in arteriograms. In general, an accurate diagnosis requires positive angiography (arterio- or phlebography) results and clear evidence of elevated hormone levels. Only then is surgery indicated. (orig.) [de

  18. A study on diagnosis of Dysmenorrhea patients by Diagnosis System of Oriental Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    In Sun,Lee

    2007-02-01

    Full Text Available Purpose : This study was undertaken to make a diagnosis weakness and firmness (虛實 of Dysmenorrhea patients by diagnosis questionnaires system(Diagnosis System of Oriental Medicine-DSOM Methods : The subjects were 58 volunteers who was suffering for dysmenorrhea, employed using Measure of Menstrual Pain (MMP questionnaire. The had agreed to take part in this experiment, with didn't take any anodyne drugs. The MMP score by using 7 questions and the Menstrual Symptom Severity List(MSSL-D was measured before and after menstruation cycle. Results and Conclusions : The findings of this study were as follows; 1. We examined Pathogenic Factor's frequency of DSOM, Coldness(寒 was 45 persons 80.36%, Damp(濕 was 40 persons 71.43%, Heart(心 was 37 persons 66.07%, Heat syndrom(熱 was 9 persons 16.07%, insufficiency of Yang(陽虛 was 6 persons 10.71%. 2. We divided Dysmenorrhea patients into two groups(weakness and firmness by Results of DSOM, Firmness was 25 Persons 43.1%, Weakness was 23 persons 39.7%, Unknown was 10 persons 17.2%. 3. In estimation based on Measure of Menstrual Pain (MMP questionnaire Severe menstrual pain is weakness, Mild menstrual pain is Firmness. 4. In estimation of coldness and heat syndrom, Coldness was 40 persons 69.0%, Heat syndrom, was 2 persons 3.5%, Possess both coldness and heat syndrom was 9 persons 15.5%.

  19. Dementia: Diagnosis and Tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... our e-newsletter! Aging & Health A to Z Dementia Diagnosis & Tests If you or someone you care ... To determine whether an older adult might have dementia, a healthcare professional will: Ask about the person’s ...

  20. Detector design for active fault diagnosis in closed-loop systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sekunda, André Krabdrup; Niemann, Hans Henrik; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad

    2018-01-01

    Fault diagnosis of closed-loop systems is extremely relevant for high-precision equipment and safety critical systems. Fault diagnosis is usually divided into 2 schemes: active and passive fault diagnosis. Recent studies have highlighted some advantages of active fault diagnosis based on dual Youla......-Jabr-Bongiorno-Kucera parameters. In this paper, a method for closed-loop active fault diagnosis based on statistical detectors is given using dual Youla-Jabr-Bongiorno-Kucera parameters. The goal of this paper is 2-fold. First, the authors introduce a method for measuring a residual signal subject to white noise. Second...

  1. Harmonizing the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome--focusing on abdominal obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Valter; Stanton, Kenneth R; Grande, Antonio José

    2013-04-01

    In 2009, important health organizations met to construct a Joint Scientific Statement (JSS) intended to harmonize the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome worldwide. The JSS aimed to unify the diagnostic criteria of metabolic syndrome, particularly in relation to whether to include abdominal obesity as a criterion of diagnosis. A large part of the JSS is devoted to discussing the diagnosis of abdominal obesity. More specifically, 9 of the 16 papers focused on abdominal obesity. Continuing this emphasis, we discuss the harmonization of the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome worldwide, specifically focusing on the need to improve the diagnosis of abdominal obesity.

  2. ON DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS BETWEEN AUTISTIC DISORDER AND ASPERGER’S SYNDROME

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan Todorov

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The differential diagnosis between Autistic disorder (AD and Asperger’s syndrome (AS in most cases is quite difficult since most of the symptoms are clinically undistinguished. Several factors complicate the diagnosis of AS- an autism spectrum disorder (ASD. It is considered by some authors to be simply a milder version of autistic disorder. Problems in diagnosis include disagreement among diagnostic criteria, controversy over the distinction between AS and other ASD forms or even whether AS exists as a separate syndrome, and over- and under-diagnosis. Our paper is based on the diagnostic and differential diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV, ICD-10 and our clinical experience.In the process of diagnosis and differential diagnosis we, naturally, illustrate and discuss the similarities and differences between the two disorders.

  3. Hypopituitarism in Children. Modern Laboratory and Genetic Diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ye.V. Hloba

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The lecture presents the current international guidelines on the diagnosis of hypopituitarism in children, in particular the rules of stimulation tests for the diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency, secondary hypogonadism and hypocorticism. It is recommended to use the anti-Müllerian hormone and inhibin B to diagnose different forms of hypogonadism. Genetic methods are also recommended to make a correct diagnosis, to prescribe a proper treatment and to provide a medical and genetic counseling of family members.

  4. The missed diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bundy, A.L.

    1988-01-01

    One of the questions that haunts the radiologist as he shuffles through piles of films is ''What am I missing?'' This same question takes on even more meaning when the radiologist is pressed for time, when he reluctantly checks the night work of the resident, when the patient left before more or better films could be obtained; or when the radiologist is involved in a subspecialty in which he is not properly trained. According to Dr. Berlin's survey, the missed diagnosis category accounted for the largest number of radiology malpractice cases. We all know that many diagnoses are more easily made using the ''retrospectoscope.'' But is the plaintiff attorney also adept at using this instrument? Just how knowledgeable must the radiologist be in the use of the ''prospectoscope''? A familiarity with cases that have already been tried should at least alert radiologists to the chances of their own involvement in litigation. While the missed diagnosis is by no means peculiar to the radiologist, it is one of the principal reasons that he may find himself in court

  5. Hypothyroidism After a Cancer Diagnosis: Etiology, Diagnosis, Complications, and Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, Yvette; Sippel, Rebecca S.

    2014-01-01

    Hypothyroidism is a common disease that is easily treated in the majority of cases, when readily diagnosed; however, presentation of an aggregate of its symptoms is often clinically overlooked or attributed to another disease and can potentially be lethal. Already prevalent in older women, its occurrence in younger patients is rising as a result of radiation therapy, radioactive iodine therapy, and newer antineoplastic agents used to manage various malignancies. The presence of nonspecific constitutional symptoms and neuropsychiatric complaints in cancer patients can be attributed to a myriad of other diagnoses and therapies. Thyroid dysfunction can be easily overlooked in cancer patients because of the complexity of cancer’s clinical picture, particularly in the pediatric population. Underdiagnosis can have important consequences for the management of both hypothyroidism and the malignancy. At minimum, quality of life is adversely affected. Untreated hypothyroidism can lead to heart failure, psychosis, and coma and can reduce the effectiveness of potentially life-saving cancer therapies, whereas iatrogenic causes can provoke atrial fibrillation and osteoporosis. Consequently, the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism in cancer patients are pertinent. We summarize the history, epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical diagnosis, and management of hypothyroidism in cancer patients. PMID:24309982

  6. Hypothyroidism after a cancer diagnosis: etiology, diagnosis, complications, and management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, Yvette; Sippel, Rebecca S; Chen, Herbert

    2014-01-01

    Hypothyroidism is a common disease that is easily treated in the majority of cases, when readily diagnosed; however, presentation of an aggregate of its symptoms is often clinically overlooked or attributed to another disease and can potentially be lethal. Already prevalent in older women, its occurrence in younger patients is rising as a result of radiation therapy, radioactive iodine therapy, and newer antineoplastic agents used to manage various malignancies. The presence of nonspecific constitutional symptoms and neuropsychiatric complaints in cancer patients can be attributed to a myriad of other diagnoses and therapies. Thyroid dysfunction can be easily overlooked in cancer patients because of the complexity of cancer's clinical picture, particularly in the pediatric population. Underdiagnosis can have important consequences for the management of both hypothyroidism and the malignancy. At minimum, quality of life is adversely affected. Untreated hypothyroidism can lead to heart failure, psychosis, and coma and can reduce the effectiveness of potentially life-saving cancer therapies, whereas iatrogenic causes can provoke atrial fibrillation and osteoporosis. Consequently, the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism in cancer patients are pertinent. We summarize the history, epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical diagnosis, and management of hypothyroidism in cancer patients.

  7. Incorporation of Mobile Application (App) Measures Into the Diagnosis of Smartphone Addiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yu-Hsuan; Lin, Po-Hsien; Chiang, Chih-Lin; Lee, Yang-Han; Yang, Cheryl C H; Kuo, Terry B J; Lin, Sheng-Hsuan

    2017-07-01

    Global smartphone expansion has brought about unprecedented addictive behaviors. The current diagnosis of smartphone addiction is based solely on information from clinical interview. This study aimed to incorporate application (app)-recorded data into psychiatric criteria for the diagnosis of smartphone addiction and to examine the predictive ability of the app-recorded data for the diagnosis of smartphone addiction. Smartphone use data of 79 college students were recorded by a newly developed app for 1 month between December 1, 2013, and May 31, 2014. For each participant, psychiatrists made a diagnosis for smartphone addiction based on 2 approaches: (1) only diagnostic interview (standard diagnosis) and (2) both diagnostic interview and app-recorded data (app-incorporated diagnosis). The app-incorporated diagnosis was further used to build app-incorporated diagnostic criteria. In addition, the app-recorded data were pooled as a score to predict smartphone addiction diagnosis. When app-incorporated diagnosis was used as a gold standard for 12 candidate criteria, 7 criteria showed significant accuracy (area under receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] > 0.7) and were constructed as app-incorporated diagnostic criteria, which demonstrated remarkable accuracy (92.4%) for app-incorporated diagnosis. In addition, both frequency and duration of daily smartphone use significantly predicted app-incorporated diagnosis (AUC = 0.70 for frequency; AUC = 0.72 for duration). The combination of duration, frequency, and frequency trend for 1 month can accurately predict smartphone addiction diagnosis (AUC = 0.79 for app-incorporated diagnosis; AUC = 0.71 for standard diagnosis). The app-incorporated diagnosis, combining both psychiatric interview and app-recorded data, demonstrated substantial accuracy for smartphone addiction diagnosis. In addition, the app-recorded data performed as an accurate screening tool for app-incorporated diagnosis. © Copyright 2017 Physicians

  8. After Early Autism Diagnosis: Changes in Intervention and Parent-Child Interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suma, Katharine; Adamson, Lauren B; Bakeman, Roger; Robins, Diana L; Abrams, Danielle N

    2016-08-01

    This study documents the relation between an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis, increases in intervention, and changes in parent-child interaction quality. Information about intervention and observations of interaction were collected before diagnosis and a half year after diagnosis for 79 low-risk toddlers who had screened positive for ASD risk during a well-baby checkup. Children diagnosed with ASD (n = 44) were 2.69 times more likely to increase intervention hours. After ASD diagnosis, the relation between intervention and interaction quality was complex: although increases in intervention and interaction quality were only modestly related, the overall amount of intervention after diagnosis was associated with higher quality interactions. Moreover, lower quality interactions before diagnosis significantly increased the likelihood that intervention would increase post-diagnosis.

  9. Computer-assisted initial diagnosis of rare diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rui Alves

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Most documented rare diseases have genetic origin. Because of their low individual frequency, an initial diagnosis based on phenotypic symptoms is not always easy, as practitioners might never have been exposed to patients suffering from the relevant disease. It is thus important to develop tools that facilitate symptom-based initial diagnosis of rare diseases by clinicians. In this work we aimed at developing a computational approach to aid in that initial diagnosis. We also aimed at implementing this approach in a user friendly web prototype. We call this tool Rare Disease Discovery. Finally, we also aimed at testing the performance of the prototype. Methods. Rare Disease Discovery uses the publicly available ORPHANET data set of association between rare diseases and their symptoms to automatically predict the most likely rare diseases based on a patient’s symptoms. We apply the method to retrospectively diagnose a cohort of 187 rare disease patients with confirmed diagnosis. Subsequently we test the precision, sensitivity, and global performance of the system under different scenarios by running large scale Monte Carlo simulations. All settings account for situations where absent and/or unrelated symptoms are considered in the diagnosis. Results. We find that this expert system has high diagnostic precision (≥80% and sensitivity (≥99%, and is robust to both absent and unrelated symptoms. Discussion. The Rare Disease Discovery prediction engine appears to provide a fast and robust method for initial assisted differential diagnosis of rare diseases. We coupled this engine with a user-friendly web interface and it can be freely accessed at http://disease-discovery.udl.cat/. The code and most current database for the whole project can be downloaded from https://github.com/Wrrzag/DiseaseDiscovery/tree/no_classifiers.

  10. Pai syndrome: challenging prenatal diagnosis and management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blouet, Marie [Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Caen, Department of Radiology, Caen (France); University of Lower Normandie, Caen (France); Belloy, Frederique [Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Caen, Department of Radiology, Caen (France); Jeanne-Pasquier, Corinne [Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Caen, Department of Pathology, Caen (France); Leporrier, Nathalie [University of Lower Normandie, Caen (France); Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Caen, Department of Genetics, Caen (France); Benoist, Guillaume [University of Lower Normandie, Caen (France); Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Pole Femmes-Enfants, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Caen (France)

    2014-09-15

    Pai syndrome is a rare disorder that includes midline cleft lip, pericallosal lipoma and cutaneous polyp of the face. We report a case of prenatal diagnosis using sonography and MRI. We emphasize the importance of facial examination with prenatal association of midline cleft lip and pericallosal lipoma in making the diagnosis of Pai syndrome. (orig.)

  11. Differential diagnosis of Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease

    OpenAIRE

    Paterson, RW; Torres-Chae, CC; Kuo, AL; Ando, T; Nguyen, EA; Wong, K; DeArmond, SJ; Haman, A; Garcia, P; Johnson, DY; Miller, BL; Geschwind, MD

    2012-01-01

    Objectives: To identify the misdiagnoses of patients with sporadic Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease (sCJD) during the course of their disease and determine which medical specialties saw patients with sCJD prior to the correct diagnosis being made and at what point in the disease course a correct diagnosis was made. Design: Retrospective medical record review. Setting: A specialty referral center of a tertiary academic medical center. Participants: One hundred sixty-three serial patients over a 5.5-y...

  12. Epidemiologi dan Diagnosis Dengue di Indonesia

    OpenAIRE

    Zilhadia, Zilhadia

    2007-01-01

    Dengue fever/DF and dengue hemorrhagic fever/DHF is a global public health problem that occured in tropical and subtropical region. Epidemic dengue occurs every years, and it continues to be a major health problem in Indonesia. Due to its asymptomatic nature, a reliable, rapid and accurate dengue diagnosis is needed. Dengue diagnosis method based on molecular dengue virus properties and it will be developed by researcher. Dengue rapid test isnewly method. This article explaine about dengue ep...

  13. Imaging aspects of the diagnosis of sarcoidosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Spagnolo, Paolo [University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Center for Rare Lung Diseases, Respiratory Disease Unit, Department of Oncology Haematology and Respiratory Diseases, Modena (Italy); Sverzellati, Nicola [University of Parma, Department of Surgical Sciences, section of Radiology, Parma (Italy); Wells, Athol U. [Royal Brompton Hospital, Interstitial Lung Disease Unit, London (United Kingdom); Hansell, David M. [Royal Brompton Hospital, Department of Radiology, London (United Kingdom)

    2014-04-15

    Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disorder of unknown aetiology with a wide spectrum of radiological appearances and almost invariably pulmonary involvement. Lung involvement accounts for most of the morbidity and much of the mortality associated with sarcoidosis. Imaging contributes significantly to the diagnosis and management of patients with sarcoidosis. In typical cases, chest radiography may be sufficient to establish the diagnosis with little margin of error and CT is not necessary. However, CT can play a critical role in several clinical settings: atypical clinical and/or radiographic findings; normal or near-normal chest radiograph but clinical suspicion of sarcoidosis; and detection of complications. Moreover, in many patients, CT findings are atypical and unfamiliar to most radiologists (e.g. sarcoidosis mimicking other lung diseases and vice versa), and in these cases histological confirmation of the diagnosis is recommended. CT is also useful in assessing disease extent and may help to discriminate between reversible and irreversible lung disease, thus providing critical prognostic information. This review concentrates on the more difficult imaging aspects of sarcoidosis, in particular differential diagnosis and disease complications. (orig.)

  14. Syndrome Diagnosis: Human Intuition or Machine Intelligence?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braaten, Øivind; Friestad, Johannes

    2008-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate whether artificial intelligence methods can represent objective methods that are essential in syndrome diagnosis. Most syndromes have no external criterion standard of diagnosis. The predictive value of a clinical sign used in diagnosis is dependent on the prior probability of the syndrome diagnosis. Clinicians often misjudge the probabilities involved. Syndromology needs objective methods to ensure diagnostic consistency, and take prior probabilities into account. We applied two basic artificial intelligence methods to a database of machine-generated patients - a ‘vector method’ and a set method. As reference methods we ran an ID3 algorithm, a cluster analysis and a naive Bayes’ calculation on the same patient series. The overall diagnostic error rate for the the vector algorithm was 0.93%, and for the ID3 0.97%. For the clinical signs found by the set method, the predictive values varied between 0.71 and 1.0. The artificial intelligence methods that we used, proved simple, robust and powerful, and represent objective diagnostic methods. PMID:19415142

  15. Laboratory Diagnosis of Human Rabies: Recent Advances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mani, Reeta Subramaniam; Madhusudana, Shampur Narayan

    2013-01-01

    Rabies, an acute progressive, fatal encephalomyelitis, transmitted most commonly through the bite of a rabid animal, is responsible for an estimated 61,000 human deaths worldwide. The true disease burden and public health impact due to rabies remain underestimated due to lack of sensitive laboratory diagnostic methods. Rapid diagnosis of rabies can help initiate prompt infection control and public health measures, obviate the need for unnecessary treatment/medical tests, and assist in timely administration of pre- or postexposure prophylactic vaccination to family members and medical staff. Antemortem diagnosis of human rabies provides an impetus for clinicians to attempt experimental therapeutic approaches in some patients, especially after the reported survival of a few cases of human rabies. Traditional methods for antemortem and postmortem rabies diagnosis have several limitations. Recent advances in technology have led to the improvement or development of several diagnostic assays which include methods for rabies viral antigen and antibody detection and assays for viral nucleic acid detection and identification of specific biomarkers. These assays which complement traditional methods have the potential to revolutionize rabies diagnosis in future. PMID:24348170

  16. Ocular Tuberculosis II: Diagnosis and Treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sumru Önal

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Recent studies on the clinical importance of tuberculin skin tests (TST, interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs, chest computed tomography (CT and polymerase chain reaction have provided a new approach to diagnosing ocular tuberculosis (TBC. However, both TST and IGRAs cannot distinguish between latent TBC infection and active disease. Another corroborative test in the diagnosis of intraocular TBC is the evaluation of the lungs by either chest radiography or CT. Direct evidence for the diagnosis can be obtained by examination of smears and staining for acid-fast organisms, cultures of intraocular tissue/fluid for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and nucleic acid amplification analysis. In recent years, guidelines have been suggested for the diagnosis of intraocular TBC. The current treatment of intraocular TBC consists of use of four drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide taken for a long period of time (total 9-15 months. (Turk J Ophthalmol 2011; 41: 182-90

  17. Addison's disease - the difficulty of diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clara Preto

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Primary adrenal insufficiency is a rare disease, especially in pediatric age. Case report: We report the case of a teenager with astenia with four months’ evolution, causing repeated visits to the emergency department during the previous month due gastrointestinal symptoms and a ten kilograms weight loss. In admission the patient had a reasonable general condition, hydrated and without cutaneous hyperpigmentation. Laboratory results showed hyponatremia, increased levels of corticotropin with normal cortisol levels, increased levels of renin with decreased aldosterone levels and presence of antissuprarrenal antibodies, allowing the diagnosis of autoimmune primary adrenal insufficiency. The boy started treatment with hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone with favorable response. Discussion/conclusions: The diagnosis of Addison’s disease requires a high degree of suspicion due its unspecific symptomatology. This disease often presents gastrointestinal symptoms. Thus, towards a patient with hyponatremia accompanied by constitutional and gastrointestinal symptoms, we must always consider this diagnosis.

  18. Nurses' beliefs about nursing diagnosis: A study with cluster analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Agostino, Fabio; Pancani, Luca; Romero-Sánchez, José Manuel; Lumillo-Gutierrez, Iris; Paloma-Castro, Olga; Vellone, Ercole; Alvaro, Rosaria

    2018-06-01

    To identify clusters of nurses in relation to their beliefs about nursing diagnosis among two populations (Italian and Spanish); to investigate differences among clusters of nurses in each population considering the nurses' socio-demographic data, attitudes towards nursing diagnosis, intentions to make nursing diagnosis and actual behaviours in making nursing diagnosis. Nurses' beliefs concerning nursing diagnosis can influence its use in practice but this is still unclear. A cross-sectional design. A convenience sample of nurses in Italy and Spain was enrolled. Data were collected between 2014-2015 using tools, that is, a socio-demographic questionnaire and behavioural, normative and control beliefs, attitudes, intentions and behaviours scales. The sample included 499 nurses (272 Italians & 227 Spanish). Of these, 66.5% of the Italian and 90.7% of the Spanish sample were female. The mean age was 36.5 and 45.2 years old in the Italian and Spanish sample respectively. Six clusters of nurses were identified in Spain and four in Italy. Three clusters were similar among the two populations. Similar significant associations between age, years of work, attitudes towards nursing diagnosis, intentions to make nursing diagnosis and behaviours in making nursing diagnosis and cluster membership in each population were identified. Belief profiles identified unique subsets of nurses that have distinct characteristics. Categorizing nurses by belief patterns may help administrators and educators to tailor interventions aimed at improving nursing diagnosis use in practice. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Screening and preventive diagnosis with radiological imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reiser, M.F. [University Hospitals - Grosshadern and Innenstadt (Germany). Dept. of Clinical Radiology; Kaick, G. van [Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg (Germany); Fink, C.; Schoenberg, S.O. (eds.) [Univ. Hospital Mannheim (Germany). Dept. of Clinical Radiology

    2008-07-01

    Continuous technical developments have improved the potential of organ-based radiological diagnostics and have now also led to the use of dedicated whole-body examinations in the field of screening and preventive diagnosis. This book aims to provide clinicians with a broad understanding of screening and preventive diagnosis using radiological imaging. The first part of the book is dedicated to the fundamentals of screening and preventive diagnosis, and comprises chapters on epidemiology and pathology, technical and organizational aspects of radiological screening, legal and ethical issues, and cost-benefit analysis. The second part of the book discusses in depth the most important practical examples of radiological screening and surveillance, both for unselected populations and for individual risk groups. (orig.)

  20. Screening and preventive diagnosis with radiological imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reiser, M.F.; Fink, C.; Schoenberg, S.O.

    2008-01-01

    Continuous technical developments have improved the potential of organ-based radiological diagnostics and have now also led to the use of dedicated whole-body examinations in the field of screening and preventive diagnosis. This book aims to provide clinicians with a broad understanding of screening and preventive diagnosis using radiological imaging. The first part of the book is dedicated to the fundamentals of screening and preventive diagnosis, and comprises chapters on epidemiology and pathology, technical and organizational aspects of radiological screening, legal and ethical issues, and cost-benefit analysis. The second part of the book discusses in depth the most important practical examples of radiological screening and surveillance, both for unselected populations and for individual risk groups. (orig.)

  1. New insights into the diagnosis of hidradenitis suppurativa

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van der Zee, Hessel H; Jemec, Gregor B E

    2015-01-01

    Current classifications for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), such as the Hurley staging system, are not very specific. The absence of rigorous classifications is incongruous with the clinical variability of the condition. There is no pathognomonic sign for HS that leads to a diagnosis...... that is unquestionable. Consequently, diagnosis is made largely through clinical presentation of the condition. The use of several validated tools assists in confirming the diagnosis and the severity of the disease. In future investigations, the identification of phenotypes and clinical subtypes--taking into account...

  2. Support vector machine in machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widodo, Achmad; Yang, Bo-Suk

    2007-08-01

    Recently, the issue of machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis as a part of maintenance system became global due to the potential advantages to be gained from reduced maintenance costs, improved productivity and increased machine availability. This paper presents a survey of machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis using support vector machine (SVM). It attempts to summarize and review the recent research and developments of SVM in machine condition monitoring and diagnosis. Numerous methods have been developed based on intelligent systems such as artificial neural network, fuzzy expert system, condition-based reasoning, random forest, etc. However, the use of SVM for machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis is still rare. SVM has excellent performance in generalization so it can produce high accuracy in classification for machine condition monitoring and diagnosis. Until 2006, the use of SVM in machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis is tending to develop towards expertise orientation and problem-oriented domain. Finally, the ability to continually change and obtain a novel idea for machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis using SVM will be future works.

  3. Psychosocial approaches to dual diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drake, R E; Mueser, K T

    2000-01-01

    Recent research elucidates many aspects of the problem of co-occurring substance use disorder (SUD) in patients with severe mental illness, which is often termed dual diagnosis. This paper provides a brief overview of current research on the epidemiology, adverse consequences, and phenomenology of dual diagnosis, followed by a more extensive review of current approaches to services, assessment, and treatment. Accumulating evidence shows that comorbid SUD is quite common among individuals with severe mental illness and that these individuals suffer serious adverse consequences of SUD. The research further suggests that traditional, separate services for individuals with dual disorders are ineffective, and that integrated treatment programs, which combine mental health and substance abuse interventions, offer more promise. In addition to a comprehensive integration of services, successful programs include assessment, assertive case management, motivational interventions for patients who do not recognize the need for substance abuse treatment, behavioral interventions for those who are trying to attain or maintain abstinence, family interventions, housing, rehabilitation, and psychopharmacology. Further research is needed on the organization and financing of dual-diagnosis services and on specific components of the integrated treatment model, such as group treatments, family interventions, and housing approaches.

  4. [Pleural effusion: diagnosis and management].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pastré, J; Roussel, S; Israël Biet, D; Sanchez, O

    2015-04-01

    Pleural effusion management is a common clinical situation associated with numerous pulmonary, pleural or extra-pulmonary diseases. A systematic approach is needed to enable a rapid diagnosis and an appropriate treatment. Pleural fluid analysis is the first step to perform which allows a presumptive diagnosis in most cases. Otherwise, further analysis of the pleural fluid or thoracic imaging or pleural biopsy may be necessary. This review aims at highlighting the important elements of the work-up required by a pleural effusion. Copyright © 2014 Société nationale française de médecine interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

  5. Systematic Product Development of Control and Diagnosis Functionalities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stetter, R.; Simundsson, A.

    2017-01-01

    In the scientific field of systematic product development a wide range of helpful methods, guidelines and tools were generated and published in recent years. Until now little special attention was given to design guidelines aiming at supporting product development engineers to design products that allow and support control or diagnosis functions. The general trend to ubiquitous computing and the first development steps towards cognitive systems as well as a general trend toward higher product safety, reliability and reduced total cost of ownership (TCO) in many engineering fields lead to a higher importance of control and diagnosis. In this paper a first attempt is made to formulate general valid guidelines how products can be developed in order to allow and to achieve effective and efficient control and diagnosis. The guidelines are elucidated on the example of an automated guided vehicle. One main concern of this paper is the integration of control and diagnosis functionalities into the development of complete systems which include mechanical, electrical and electronic subsystems. For the development of such systems the strategies, methods and tools of systematic product development have attracted significant attention during the last decades. Today, the functionality and safety of most products is to a large degree dependent on control and diagnosis functionalities. Still, there is comparatively little research concentrating on the integration of the development of these functionalities into the overall product development processes. The paper starts with a background describing Systematic Product Development. The second section deals with the product development of the sample product. The third part clarifies the notions monitoring, control and diagnosis. The following parts summarize some insights and formulate first hypotheses concerning control and diagnosis in Systematic Product Development.

  6. Osteomyelitis diagnosis by 99mTc radiolabeled aptamers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, S.R.; Ferreira, I.M.; Andrade, A.S.R.; Barros, A.L.B.; Cardoso, V.N.; Diniz, O.F.

    2015-01-01

    Osteomyelitis, which is characterized by progressive inflammatory destruction and new opposition of bone, is still a difficult infection to treat. The clinical diagnosis in late stages is achieved easily, but an early diagnosis is more challenging. Staphylococcus aureus is a common agent found in osteomyelitis and bone prostheses infection. Diagnosis by scintigraphy has advantages because it is a non-invasive procedure and is able to perform an early diagnosis even before anatomic changes. Thus, nuclear medicine could contribute to an accurate diagnosis since specific radiopharmaceuticals were developed. In this study, aptamers selected to Staphylococcus aureus were labeled with 99m Tc and used for bacteria identification in an osteomyelitis experimental model. The aptamers selected to S. aureus were directly labelled with 99m Tc and were evaluated by biodistribution studies. Wistar rats with intraosseous infection in the right paw were used. A random aptamer labelled with 99m Tc was as control. Six animals were used in each group. The aptamers labeled with 99m Tc were able to identify the infection foci caused by S. aureus displaying a target/non-target ratio of 2,23 ± 0,20, after 3 h. The control group presented a target/non-target ratio 1,08 ± 0.23. The results indicated that the radiolabeled aptamers were able to identify specifically the infection foci and they should be further explored for infection diagnosis by scintigraphy. (author)

  7. DSS FOR ORGANIZATIONAL DIAGNOSIS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    FROWEIN, JC; POSTMA, TJBM

    1992-01-01

    Information technology in relation to organizational diagnosis and organizational change is the subject of extensive and increasing discussion. A condition for change is insight into organizational problems. This paper discusses the relation between the concepts ''problem'', ''decision making'' and

  8. Labaratory capacity of differential anemia diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. M. Meshсheryakova

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the laboratory values by which modern differential diagnosis of anemias can be performed. This takes into account a widerange of laboratory tests, including: serum ferritin, erythrocyte ferritin, serum iron, total serum iron binding capacity, iron transferrin saturation,transferrin, transferrin receptor, serum vitamin B12, erythrocyte vitamin B12, serum folate, erythrocyte folate, hepsidin, HIF-1 (hypoxiainducible factor-1, immunoglobulins on erythrocytes end others. The combination of these studies helps to accurate diagnosis and appropriate therapy.

  9. Labaratory capacity of differential anemia diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. M. Meshсheryakova

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the laboratory values by which modern differential diagnosis of anemias can be performed. This takes into account a widerange of laboratory tests, including: serum ferritin, erythrocyte ferritin, serum iron, total serum iron binding capacity, iron transferrin saturation,transferrin, transferrin receptor, serum vitamin B12, erythrocyte vitamin B12, serum folate, erythrocyte folate, hepsidin, HIF-1 (hypoxiainducible factor-1, immunoglobulins on erythrocytes end others. The combination of these studies helps to accurate diagnosis and appropriate therapy.

  10. Presentation and Diagnosis of Fournier Gangrene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voelzke, Bryan B; Hagedorn, Judith C

    2018-04-01

    Necrotizing fasciitis is a severe type of necrotizing soft tissue infection involving the superficial fascia and subcutaneous tissues. Fournier gangrene, a type of necrotizing fasciitis, affects the genitalia or perineum. Although a rare health condition, Fournier gangrene can result in significant morbidity and unnecessary mortality following delay in diagnosis and management. We provide a review of relevant presenting features to aid diagnosis and allow timely surgical management of this serious infectious condition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Analysis of operators' diagnosis tasks based on cognitive process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Yong; Zhang Li

    2012-01-01

    Diagnosis tasks in nuclear power plants characterized as high-dynamic uncertainties are complex reasoning tasks. Diagnosis errors are the main causes for the error of commission. Firstly, based on mental model theory and perception/action cycle theory, a cognitive model for analyzing operators' diagnosis tasks is proposed. Then, the model is used to investigate a trip event which occurred at crystal river nuclear power plant. The application demonstrates typical cognitive bias and mistakes which operators may make when performing diagnosis tasks. They mainly include the strong confirmation tendency, difficulty to produce complete hypothesis sets, group mindset, non-systematic errors in hypothesis testing, and etc. (authors)

  12. Diagnosis of pulmonary Kaposi's sarcoma in AIDS patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeyapalan, M; Steffenson, S

    1997-02-01

    Pulmonary Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is one of the many manifestations of AIDS. There are no specific tests for its early diagnosis. Because its symptoms may be similar to tuberculosis, it may be diagnosed incorrectly and treated as such. Consequently, by the time of the correct diagnosis, valuable time will have been lost for effective medical care that could positively impact prognosis. The discussion in this case study is focused on pulmonary KS with an interest in improving premorbid diagnosis that may lead to an earlier recognition and better treatment of the disease.

  13. Electric machines modeling, condition monitoring, and fault diagnosis

    CERN Document Server

    Toliyat, Hamid A; Choi, Seungdeog; Meshgin-Kelk, Homayoun

    2012-01-01

    With countless electric motors being used in daily life, in everything from transportation and medical treatment to military operation and communication, unexpected failures can lead to the loss of valuable human life or a costly standstill in industry. To prevent this, it is important to precisely detect or continuously monitor the working condition of a motor. Electric Machines: Modeling, Condition Monitoring, and Fault Diagnosis reviews diagnosis technologies and provides an application guide for readers who want to research, develop, and implement a more effective fault diagnosis and condi

  14. the microbiological diagnosis of tuberculosis in a resource

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ? *M.O. Odubanjo, and **H.O. Dada- ... The objective of this study is to audit the processes for the microbiological diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in our .... The current “gold standard” for the diagnosis of tuberculosis is mycobacterial culture.

  15. Imaging diagnosis of bronchial asthma and related diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakai, Fumikazu; Fujimura, Mikihiko; Kimura, Fumiko; Fujimura, Kaori; Hayano, Toshio; Nishii, Noriko; Machida, Haruhiko; Toda, Jo; Saito, Naoko

    2002-01-01

    We describe imaging features of bronchial asthma and related diseases. The practical roles of imaging diagnosis are the evaluation of severity and complications of bronchial asthma and differential diagnosis of diseases showing asthmatic symptoms other than bronchial asthma. (author)

  16. Opportunities and challenges in prenatal diagnosis : towards personalized fetal genetics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lichtenbelt, K.D.

    2013-01-01

    In this thesis we studied the efficacy and utilization of prenatal screening and prenatal diagnosis in the Netherlands and the increasing options for prenatal genetic diagnosis in general. In chapter 1 background information on prenatal screening and diagnosis in pregnancies conceived through

  17. A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PREOPERATIVE DIAGNOSIS AND PATHOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS IN ADRENAL SWELLINGS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saju P. R

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND The adrenal gland neoplasms include primary and metastatic malignant tumours. They can be functional or non-functional and also detected as incidentaloma lesions. Advanced imaging often reveals adrenal tumours and tumour-like conditions in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Even with the functional study and advanced imaging, preoperative diagnosis is always challenging. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective study of adrenal tumours performed during July 2014-April 2016 was done. Total 7 cases were included. Case records and histopathology reports were reviewed to collect data. RESULTS Majority were females (85% with mean age of 50 years. 71% patients presented symptomatically and incidentaloma was noticed in 29%. Functional tumours were found in 71%. 42% discrepancy were noted between the radiological and final histopathological findings. 28% noted in benign lesions and 14% in malignant conditions. CONCLUSION In the current era, even though imaging can aid in diagnosis, histopathology still remains as gold standard investigation in adrenal tumours.

  18. [Is the diagnosis 'depression' still useful?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terluin, Berend; Oud, Marian J T

    2012-01-01

    The DSM diagnosis of depression is based solely on the presence of symptoms, without taking into account the context in which these symptoms have occurred. For this reason, the DSM diagnosis does not distinguish between sadness as a normal reaction to a painful loss and pathologically depressive reactions that are disproportionate to personal life events and circumstances. According to a group of mental health expert general practitioners, a true depressive disorder is characterized by a depression that has acquired a life of its own and is hard to control. This depression is severe, and is recognized by the patient as alien to his or her character. Loss of the ability to experience pleasure in ordinary things (anhedonia) and thoughts about death as an alternative for the torment experienced are often present. We recommend the diagnosis of depression be reserved for clearly pathologically depressive reactions that are also recognized as such by the patient.

  19. Adolescents and Dual Diagnosis in a Psychiatric Emergency Service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matali, José Luis; Andión, Oscar; Pardo, Marta; Iniesta, Raquel; Serrano, Eduard; San, Luis

    2016-03-02

    In recent years, both the prevalence of drug use and related child and adolescent psychiatric emergencies have risen sharply. There are few studies about the impact on child and adolescent emergency services. This study has a twofold aim. The first is to describe the prevalence of substance use disorders, mental disorders and dual diagnosis (substance use problems plus mental disorder) in adolescents in psychiatric emergency service. The second is to analyze clinical and healthcare differences between patients with dual diagnosis and patients with a mental disorder without substance use disorder.We retrospectively reviewed 4012 discharge forms for emergencies treated at the psychiatric emergency department during the period 2007-2009. We obtained a sample of 1795 visits. This sample was divided into two groups: the dual diagnosis group (n = 477) and the psychiatric disorder group (n = 1318).The dual diagnosis group accounted for 26.5% of psychiatric emergencies analyzed. Compared to the psychiatric disorder group,the dual diagnosis group had significantly more conduct disorders, social problems, involuntariness in the visit, less hospital admissions and less connection with the healthcare network.Adolescents with a dual diagnosis account for a high percentage of visits at child and adolescent psychiatric emergency services. This patient group requires specialized care both at emergency services and in specific units. Accordingly, these units should play a triple role when handling dual diagnosis: detection, brief treatment and referral to a specialised unit.

  20. Point-of-Care Diagnosis of Tuberculosis - Past, Present and Future

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dheda, Keertan; Ruhwald, Morten; Theron, Grant

    2013-01-01

    Diagnosis represents only one aspect of tuberculosis (TB) control but is perhaps one of the most challenging. The drawbacks of current tools highlight several unmet needs in TB diagnosis i.e. necessity for accuracy, rapidity of diagnosis, affordability, simplicity, and the ability to generate same...

  1. Clinical diagnosis and treatment of thyroid microcarcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao Xuemei; Zhang Yajing; Gao Zairong

    2013-01-01

    Thyroid cancer is the most common malignant carcinoma in the endocrine system. With the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer, the incidence of thyroid microcarcinoma has been elevating gradually. But there is still a large ambiguity on thyroid microcarcinoma about the diagnosis and treatment. The epidemiology, clinical diagnosis, biological behavior and treatment programs of thyroid microcarcinoma were reviewed in this article. (authors)

  2. Training Changes Professionals’ Attitudes Towards Dual Diagnosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pinderup, Pernille

    2016-01-01

    Studies have shown that mental health professionals in many cases have counterproductive attitudes towards patients with mental illnesses and comorbid substance use disorders (dual diagnosis). This is problematic because professionals’ attitudes are important for both the therapeutic alliance...... and treatment outcome. This study tested whether providing training in dual diagnosis treatment to mental health professionals will affect their attitudes positively. Twenty-one professionals completed a questionnaire on attitudes towards working with dual diagnosis (Comorbidity Problems Perceptions...... Questionnaire, CMPPQ) pre-training and post-training. Results showed that there was a significant positive change in total CMPPQ scores and a positive change in all six subscales of the CMPPQ following training, indicating that the training resulted in more positive attitudes. The study suggests that training...

  3. Prenatal diagnosis of congenital paraesophageal hiatal hernia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min Jeng Cho

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstracts: Congenital paraesophageal hiatal hernia (CPEH is a rare condition. CPEH can cause important clinical problems such as gastric volvulus, hematemesis, vomiting, failure to thrive, and respiratory distress, it requires early diagnosis and prompt surgical treatment. In this paper, we describe a case of CPEH that was suspected in a prenatal ultrasound. Postnatal upper gastrointestinal contrast series confirmed a CPEH with intrathoracic gastric volvulus. An emergency operation was performed. The stomach was reduced, the hiatal defect was repaired by crural approximation, and a Nissen fundoplication was done. The prenatal diagnosis of CPEH is unusual, but prenatal detection is important because it allows planned neonatal surgery before the onset of complications and reduces long-term morbidity. Keywords: Congenital paraesophageal hiatal hernia, Antenatal diagnosis, Gastric volvulus

  4. Value of ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of appendicitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alonso, J.M.; Sandoval, E.

    1998-01-01

    To determine the utility of ultrasound in the diagnosis of diseases that can be confused with appendicitis or presenting with atypical clinical signs of appendiceal inflammation. Graded-compression ultrasound was performed in 226 patients presenting with pain in right iliac fossa. Twenty-three patients were excluded because of inconclusive examination. Appendicitis was confirmed intraoperatively in 98 cases. There was no appendiceal inflammation in 105 patients. A final diagnosis could not be reached in 26 cases (4.7%) and was considered to represent abdominal pain of unknown origin. Ultrasound provided the correct diagnosis in 72 of the 79 patients in whom a definitive diagnosis was reached (91.1%). A wide spectrum of pathologies was identified by ultrasound, including gastrointestinal complaints (n=51), gynecological disorders (n=10), bioliopancreatic abnormalities (n=4), urological diseases (n=3) and others (n=3). Ultrasound is useful in the differential diagnosis of patients with confusing clinical signs of appendicitis. (Author) 34 refs

  5. Technical Update: Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis and Screening.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahdouh, Elias M; Balayla, Jacques; Audibert, François; Wilson, R Douglas; Audibert, François; Brock, Jo-Ann; Campagnolo, Carla; Carroll, June; Chong, Karen; Gagnon, Alain; Johnson, Jo-Ann; MacDonald, William; Okun, Nanette; Pastuck, Melanie; Vallée-Pouliot, Karine

    2015-05-01

    To update and review the techniques and indications of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and preimplantation genetic screening (PGS). Discussion about the genetic and technical aspects of preimplantation reproductive techniques, particularly those using new cytogenetic technologies and embryo-stage biopsy. Clinical outcomes of reproductive techniques following the use of PGD and PGS are included. This update does not discuss in detail the adverse outcomes that have been recorded in association with assisted reproductive technologies. Published literature was retrieved through searches of The Cochrane Library and Medline in April 2014 using appropriate controlled vocabulary (aneuploidy, blastocyst/physiology, genetic diseases, preimplantation diagnosis/methods, fertilization in vitro) and key words (e.g., preimplantation genetic diagnosis, preimplantation genetic screening, comprehensive chromosome screening, aCGH, SNP microarray, qPCR, and embryo selection). Results were restricted to systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials/controlled clinical trials, and observational studies published from 1990 to April 2014. There were no language restrictions. Searches were updated on a regular basis and incorporated in the update to January 2015. Additional publications were identified from the bibliographies of retrieved articles. Grey (unpublished) literature was identified through searching the websites of health technology assessment and health technology-related agencies, clinical practice guideline collections, clinical trial registries, and national and international medical specialty societies. The quality of evidence in this document was rated using the criteria described in the Report of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. (Table 1) BENEFITS, HARMS, AND COSTS: This update will educate readers about new preimplantation genetic concepts, directions, and technologies. The major harms and costs identified are those of assisted reproductive

  6. Early diagnosis of the Spondyloarthropathies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalez Naranjo, Luis Alonso; Londono, John D; Valle, Rafael Raul

    2005-01-01

    Spondyloarthropathies are a cluster of chronic inflammatory diseases that primarily include ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis; arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel diseases and undifferentiated spondyloarthropathies. The most common subgroups of spondyloarthropathies are ankylosing spondylitis and undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy. The diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis is mainly based on unequivocal radiographic sacroiliitis of at least grade 2 bilaterally or grade 3 unilaterally. How ever, in the early phase of disease, conventional radiographs are often too insensitive to show sacroiliitis and it usually takes several years for definite radiographic sacroiliitis to evolve. Thus, the diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis is a commonly delayed by 8 to 11 years after the onset of symptoms. As a result, diagnosing axial spondyloarthropathy in the absence of radiographic sacroiliitis is very difficult to rheumatologists. In the early phase of disease, HLA B27 test and magnetic resonance imaging of sacroiliac joints may be helpful to the early diagnosis. In the presence of chronic low back pain the probability of axial spondyloarthropathy is about 5% and is about 14% if the back pain is inflammatory. The presence of = 3 features of spondyloarthropathy (heel pain, uveitis, dactylitis, positive family history, alternating buttock pain, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, asymmetrical arthritis, positive response to anti-inflammatory drugs) increase the probability of axial spondyloarthropathy to 90%. Both, the positive HLA B27 and magnetic resonance imaging with signs of sacroiliitis increase the probability of spondyloarthropathy, particularly in patients without spondyloarthropathies features or with only 1 or 2 features. Since ankylosing spondylitis in association with psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease is often HLA B27 negative, this test is of limited value under theses circumstances. Is important to consider that

  7. Diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hampel, H.; Padberg, F.; Koetter, H.U.; Teipel, S.J.; Ehrhardt, T.; Hegerl, U.; Stuebner, S.; Moeller, H.J.

    1997-01-01

    Alzheimer's disease is often diagnosed too late. Its etiology is still largely unknown and remains one of the big challenges in neurobiological fundamental research. Optimized early and differential diagnosis can be ensured by a dynamic concept of multidisciplinary diagnosis in cooperation between practitioners specializing in brain disorders, clinical psychogeriatric deprtments, and general practitioners. This, in turn, will enable individualized planning of further living conditions and care of Alzheimer patients and their relations as well as efficient and early pharmacotherapy and psychological intervention. (orig) [de

  8. 38 CFR 3.374 - Effect of diagnosis of active tuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... active tuberculosis. 3.374 Section 3.374 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS... Considerations Relative to Specific Diseases § 3.374 Effect of diagnosis of active tuberculosis. (a) Service diagnosis. Service department diagnosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis will be accepted unless a board of...

  9. Development of distributed plant monitoring and diagnosis system at Monju

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okusa, Kyoichi; Tamayama, Kiyoshi; Kitamura, Tomomi

    2003-01-01

    In a nuclear plant, it is required to detect an anomaly as early as possible and to inhibit adverse consequences. This requirement is especially important for a prototype Fast Breeder Reactor Monju. Therefore, a monitoring and diagnosis system is required to be developed for Monju plant equipments. In these days, such a monitoring and diagnosis system can be realized using Web technology with rationalized system resources due to the remarkable progress of computer network technology. Then, we developed a Web based platform for the monitoring and diagnosis system of Monju. Distributed architecture, standardization and highly flexible system structure have been taken account of in the development. This newly developed platform and prototype monitoring and diagnosis systems have been validated. Prototype monitoring and diagnosis systems on the platform acquire Monju plant data and display the data on client computers using Monju intranet with acceptable delay times. The prototype monitoring and diagnosis systems for Monju have been developed on the platform and the whole system has been validated. (author)

  10. How does information congruence influence diagnosis performance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kejin; Li, Zhizhong

    2015-01-01

    Diagnosis performance is critical for the safety of high-consequence industrial systems. It depends highly on the information provided, perceived, interpreted and integrated by operators. This article examines the influence of information congruence (congruent information vs. conflicting information vs. missing information) and its interaction with time pressure (high vs. low) on diagnosis performance on a simulated platform. The experimental results reveal that the participants confronted with conflicting information spent significantly more time generating correct hypotheses and rated the results with lower probability values than when confronted with the other two levels of information congruence and were more prone to arrive at a wrong diagnosis result than when they were provided with congruent information. This finding stresses the importance of the proper processing of non-congruent information in safety-critical systems. Time pressure significantly influenced display switching frequency and completion time. This result indicates the decisive role of time pressure. Practitioner Summary: This article examines the influence of information congruence and its interaction with time pressure on human diagnosis performance on a simulated platform. For complex systems in the process control industry, the results stress the importance of the proper processing of non-congruent information in safety-critical systems.

  11. Water quality diagnosis system for power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Igarashi, Hiroo; Fukumoto, Toshihiko

    1991-01-01

    An AI diagnose system for the water quality control of a BWR type reactor is divided into a general diagnosing section for generally classifying the water quality conditions of the plant depending on a causal relation between the symptom of the water quality abnormality and its causes, generally diagnosing the position and the cause of the abnormality and ranking the items considered to be the cause, and a detail diagnosing section for a further diagnosis based on the result of the diagnosis in the former section. The general diagnosing section provides a plurality of threshold values showing the extent of the abnormality depending on the cause to the causal relation between the causes and the forecast events previously formed depending on the data of process sensors in the plant. Since the diagnosis for the abnormality and normality is given not only as an ON or OFF mode but also as the extent thereof, it can enter the detailed diagnosis in the most plausible order, based on a plurality of estimated causes, to enable to find the case and take a counter-measure in an early stage. (N.H.)

  12. Transcranial Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aniley Martínez González

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and, since it is associated with aging, the probability of developing this disease increases with age. The diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease is based on clinical criteria; however, its differentiation from other forms of Parkinsonism can be difficult, especially in early stages of the disease. Transcranial ultrasound has become a tool for the diagnosis of this disorder, being very useful for its early diagnosis. Ultrasonographic findings characteristic of this disease include increased echogenicity of the substantia nigra in the midbrain measured through the temporal bone window. This paper discusses the usefulness of transcranial ultrasound for early diagnosis of patients with Parkinson's disease.

  13. Plant experience with an expert system for alarm diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gimmy, K.L.

    1986-01-01

    An expert system called Diagnosis of Multiple Alarms (DMA) is in routine use at four nuclear reactors operated by the DuPont Company. The system is wired to plant alarm annunciators and does event-tree analysis to see if a pattern exists. Any diagnosis is displayed to the plant operator and the corrective procedure to be followed is also identified. The display is automatically superseded if a higher priority diagnosis is made. The system is integrated with operator training and procedures. Operating results have been positive. DMA has diagnosed several hard-to-locate small leaks. There have been some false diagnosis, and realistic plant environments must be considered in such expert systems. 2 refs., 5 figs

  14. Otoscopic diagnosis of otitis media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isaacson, Glenn

    2016-12-01

    Accurate diagnosis of otitis media is important to prevent suffering and complications when infection is present, and unnecessary antibiotic use when infection is absent. The usual signs and symptoms of acute otitis media are unreliable guides in infants and young children. Similarly, middle ear effusions may present with little discomfort in older children. We therefore depend on examination of the tympanic membrane with an otoscope to make most diagnoses. This article aims to improve the accuracy of middle ear diagnosis by pneumatic otoscopy. It includes descriptions and photographs of the normal ear drum and illustrates the pathologic changes seen in acute otitis media, long-standing eustachian tube dysfunction and otitis media with effusion.

  15. Diagnosis of scrub typhus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janardhanan, Jeshina; Trowbridge, Paul; Varghese, George M

    2014-12-01

    Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness that, if untreated, can result in considerable morbidity and mortality. One of the primary reasons for delays in the treatment of this potentially fatal infection is the difficulty in diagnosing the condition. Diagnosis is often complicated because of the combination of non-specific symptoms that overlap with other infections commonly found in endemic areas and the poor available diagnostics. In the majority of the endemic settings, diagnosis still relies on the Weil-Felix test, which is neither sensitive nor specific. Other methods of testing have become available, but at this time, these remain insufficient to provide the rapid point-of-care diagnostics that would be necessary to significantly change the management of this infection by providers in endemic areas. This article reviews the currently available diagnostic tools for scrub typhus and their utility in the clinical setting.

  16. A Combined Fault Diagnosis Method for Power Transformer in Big Data Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Wang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The fault diagnosis method based on dissolved gas analysis (DGA is of great significance to detect the potential faults of the transformer and improve the security of the power system. The DGA data of transformer in smart grid have the characteristics of large quantity, multiple types, and low value density. In view of DGA big data’s characteristics, the paper first proposes a new combined fault diagnosis method for transformer, in which a variety of fault diagnosis models are used to make a preliminary diagnosis, and then the support vector machine is used to make the second diagnosis. The method adopts the intelligent complementary and blending thought, which overcomes the shortcomings of single diagnosis model in transformer fault diagnosis, and improves the diagnostic accuracy and the scope of application of the model. Then, the training and deployment strategy of the combined diagnosis model is designed based on Storm and Spark platform, which provides a solution for the transformer fault diagnosis in big data environment.

  17. Delayed diagnosis of imperforate anus: an unacceptable morbidity.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Turowski, Carmen

    2010-11-01

    Diagnosis of imperforate anus is usually made shortly after birth with physical examination. Nonetheless, a significant number of patients have presented beyond the neonatal period without recognition of anorectal malformation. We reviewed our experience of anorectal malformations, with particular emphasis on the timing of diagnosis.

  18. The diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea (Pickwickian syndrome)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stark, P.; Aguilar, E.A. Jr.; Robbins, K.T.

    1984-01-01

    Two patients with obstructive sleep apnoea are described and the value of computer tomography in the diagnosis and follow-up is stressed. Narrowing of the oro-pharynx is a major feature in the diagnosis of this condition and is best demonstrated by CT. (orig.) [de

  19. Towards a Framework for Evaluating and Comparing Diagnosis Algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurtoglu, Tolga; Narasimhan, Sriram; Poll, Scott; Garcia,David; Kuhn, Lukas; deKleer, Johan; vanGemund, Arjan; Feldman, Alexander

    2009-01-01

    Diagnostic inference involves the detection of anomalous system behavior and the identification of its cause, possibly down to a failed unit or to a parameter of a failed unit. Traditional approaches to solving this problem include expert/rule-based, model-based, and data-driven methods. Each approach (and various techniques within each approach) use different representations of the knowledge required to perform the diagnosis. The sensor data is expected to be combined with these internal representations to produce the diagnosis result. In spite of the availability of various diagnosis technologies, there have been only minimal efforts to develop a standardized software framework to run, evaluate, and compare different diagnosis technologies on the same system. This paper presents a framework that defines a standardized representation of the system knowledge, the sensor data, and the form of the diagnosis results and provides a run-time architecture that can execute diagnosis algorithms, send sensor data to the algorithms at appropriate time steps from a variety of sources (including the actual physical system), and collect resulting diagnoses. We also define a set of metrics that can be used to evaluate and compare the performance of the algorithms, and provide software to calculate the metrics.

  20. Diagnosis Of Inherited Neurometabolic Disorders : A Biochemical Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher R

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available The past two decades have witnessed a rapid increase in the knowledge of the inherited neurometabolic disorders. The precise diagnosis of these disorders which is a challenge to the physician can be best accomplished by biochemical methods. Screening of clinically selected patients with simple chemical urine tests and routine blood chemistry investigations followed by measurement of specific metabolites and assay of the relevant enzymes confirms the diagnosis in most cases. Biochemical diagnosis of inherited neurometabolic disorders although expensive is rapid and confirmatory and therefore aids in treatment and further prevention of these rare disorders.

  1. Reliability of visual diagnosis of endometriosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernando, Shavi; Soh, Pei Qian; Cooper, Michael; Evans, Susan; Reid, Geoffrey; Tsaltas, Jim; Rombauts, Luk

    2013-01-01

    To determine whether accuracy of visual diagnosis of endometriosis at laparoscopy is determined by stage of disease. Prospective longitudinal cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). Tertiary referral centers in three Australian states. Of 1439 biopsy specimens, endometriosis was proved in at least one specimen in 431 patients. Laparoscopy with visual diagnosis and staging of endometriosis followed by histopathologic analysis and confirmation. Operations were performed by five experienced laparoscopic gynecologists. Histopathologic confirmation of visual diagnosis of endometriosis adjusted for significant covariates. Endometriosis was accurately diagnosed in 49.7% of American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) stage I, which was significantly less accurate than for other stages of endometriosis. Deep endometriosis was more likely to be diagnosed accurately than superficial endometriosis (adjusted odds ratio, 2.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.50-4.18; p < .01). Lesion volume was also predictive, with larger lesions diagnosed more accurately than smaller lesions. In general, lesion site did not greatly influence accuracy except for superficial ovarian lesions, which were more likely to be incorrectly diagnosed visually as endometriosis (adjusted odds ratio, 0.16; 95% confidence interval, 0.06-0.41; p < .01). There was no statistically significant difference in accuracy between the gynecologic surgeons. The accuracy of visual diagnosis of endometriosis was substantially influenced by American Society of Reproductive Medicine stage, the depth and volume of the lesion, and to a lesser extent the location of the lesion. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Mitochondrial DNA diagnosis for taeniasis and cysticercosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamasaki, Hiroshi; Nakao, Minoru; Sako, Yasuhito; Nakaya, Kazuhiro; Sato, Marcello Otake; Ito, Akira

    2006-01-01

    Molecular diagnosis for taeniasis and cysticercosis in humans on the basis of mitochondrial DNA analysis was reviewed. Development and application of three different methods, including restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, base excision sequence scanning thymine-base analysis and multiplex PCR, were described. Moreover, molecular diagnosis of cysticerci found in specimens submitted for histopathology and the molecular detection of taeniasis using copro-DNA were discussed.

  3. Diabetes insipidus--diagnosis and management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Iorgi, Natascia; Napoli, Flavia; Allegri, Anna Elsa Maria; Olivieri, Irene; Bertelli, Enrica; Gallizia, Annalisa; Rossi, Andrea; Maghnie, Mohamad

    2012-01-01

    Central diabetes insipidus (CDI) is the end result of a number of conditions that affect the hypothalamic-neurohypophyseal system. The known causes include germinoma/craniopharyngioma, Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), local inflammatory, autoimmune or vascular diseases, trauma resulting from surgery or an accident, sarcoidosis, metastases and midline cerebral and cranial malformations. In rare cases, the underlying cause can be genetic defects in vasopressin synthesis that are inherited as autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive or X-linked recessive traits. The diagnosis of the underlying condition is challenging and raises several concerns for patients and parents as it requires long-term follow-up. Proper etiological diagnosis can be achieved via a series of steps that start with clinical observations and then progress to more sophisticated tools. Specifically, MRI identification of pituitary hyperintensity in the posterior part of the sella, now considered a clear marker of neurohypophyseal functional integrity, together with the careful analysis of pituitary stalk shape and size, have provided the most striking findings contributing to the diagnosis and understanding of some forms of 'idiopathic' CDI. MRI STIR (short-inversion-time inversion recovery sequencing) is a promising technology for the early identification of LCH-dependent CDI. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  4. Radiologic diagnosis of gastric cancer. A new outlook

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Portnoy, L.M.

    2006-01-01

    In our monograph we have tried to demonstrate the infeasibility of excluding radiological diagnosis, first and foremost the traditional X-ray examination, from the algorithm for diagnosing gastric cancer. We have produced convincing evidence and explanations for the indispensability of the X-ray, which should be used along with endoscopy. The current morphological and clinical characteristics of gastric cancer suggest that only the combined use of X-ray and endoscopy can change the discouraging situation with regard to relatively early diagnosis of the disease. Radical change is also very difficult without screening. Selective screening may become a reasonable alternative in countries with limited economic potential, Russia included. It is very important to attach greater importance to outpatient services in the attempt to improve the control of the disease. Diagnosis and treatment might thus be radically facilitated. Therefore, the tendency to minimize outpatient use of X-ray examinations works against improving the diagnosis of gastric cancer. All these aspects are discussed in detail in the monograph. Although the main purpose of the monograph is to describe the current role of the X-ray examination in the diagnosis of gastric cancer, the book also covers some problems related to the epidemiology and morphology of the disease in order to disprove the existing underestimation of X-ray potential in early diagnosis. While describing radiological diagnosis, we dwell on its methodological and semeiotic principles, as well as on the special importance of each method. These include the traditional radiological and ultrasonographic methods, computed tomography, and magnetic-resonance imaging. While we value these methods, above all MRI, unlike some other researchers, we rely not only on endoscopy but also on the traditional X-ray, because we believe it greatly increases the objective value of the findings and potentials of each separate method. A special chapter in the

  5. An Integrated Model-Based Distributed Diagnosis and Prognosis Framework

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Diagnosis and prognosis are necessary tasks for system reconfiguration and fault-adaptive control in complex systems. Diagnosis consists of detec- tion, isolation...

  6. Under-diagnosis of mood disorders in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelletier, L; O'Donnell, S; Dykxhoorn, J; McRae, L; Patten, S B

    2017-08-01

    Under-diagnosis of mood disorders occurs worldwide. In this study, we characterized and compared Canadians with symptoms compatible with a mood disorder by diagnosis status; and described the associated health impacts, use of health services and perceived need for care. Respondents to the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey - Mental Health, a nationally representative sample of Canadians age ≥15 years were assessed for symptoms compatible with mood disorders based on a Canadian adaptation of the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (n = 23 504). Descriptive and multivariate regression analyses were performed. In 2012, an estimated 5.4% (1.5 million) Canadians aged 15 years and older reported symptoms compatible with a mood disorder, of which only half reported having been professionally diagnosed. The undiagnosed individuals were more likely to be younger (mean age: 36.2 v. 41.8), to be single (49.5 v. 32.7%), to have less than a post-secondary graduation (49.8 v. 41.1%) and to have no physical co-morbidities (56.4 v. 35.7%), and less likely to be part of the two lower income quintiles (49.6 v. 62.7%) compared with those with a previous diagnosis. Upon controlling for all socio-demographic and health characteristics, the associations with age and marital status disappeared. While those with a previous diagnosis reported significantly greater health impacts and were more likely to have consulted a health professional for their emotional and mental health problems in the previous 12 months compared with those undiagnosed (79.4 v. 31.0%), about a third of both groups reported that their health care needs were only partially met or not met at all. Mood disorders are prevalent and can profoundly impact the life of those affected, however, their diagnosis remains suboptimal and health care use falls short of apparent needs. Improvements in mental health literacy, help-seeking behaviours and diagnosis are needed. In light of the

  7. Methods of rapid diagnosis for the etiology of meningitis in adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahr, Nathan C; Boulware, David R

    2014-01-01

    Infectious meningitis may be due to bacterial, mycobacterial, fungal or viral agents. Diagnosis of meningitis must take into account numerous items of patient history and symptomatology along with regional epidemiology and basic cerebrospinal fluid testing (protein, etc.) to allow the clinician to stratify the likelihood of etiology possibilities and rationally select additional diagnostic tests. Culture is the mainstay for diagnosis in many cases, but technology is evolving to provide more rapid, reliable diagnosis. The cryptococcal antigen lateral flow assay (Immuno-Mycologics) has revolutionized diagnosis of cryptococcosis and automated nucleic acid amplification assays hold promise for improving diagnosis of bacterial and mycobacterial meningitis. This review will focus on a holistic approach to diagnosis of meningitis as well as recent technological advances. PMID:25402579

  8. Diagnosis of Mood Disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seligman, Linda; Moore, Bonita Marcus

    1995-01-01

    Provides an overview of mood disorders according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (fourth edition) criteria and other relevant information. Differential diagnosis is facilitated through discussion of differences and similarities among mental disorders, age and gender-related patterns of mood disorders, and useful diagnostic tools. (Author)

  9. Tuberculous and brucellosis meningitis differential diagnosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Erdem, Hakan; Senbayrak, Seniha; Gencer, Serap

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The Thwaites and Lancet scoring systems have been used in the rapid diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). However, brucellar meningoencephalitis (BME) has similar characteristics with TBM. The ultimate aim of this study is to infer data to see if BME should be included in the dif......BACKGROUND: The Thwaites and Lancet scoring systems have been used in the rapid diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). However, brucellar meningoencephalitis (BME) has similar characteristics with TBM. The ultimate aim of this study is to infer data to see if BME should be included...

  10. Emphysematous and xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis: rare diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lya Duarte Ramos

    Full Text Available Pyelonephritis is a pyogenic infection of renal parenchyma that involves the renal pelvis. It is generally of easy diagnosis. The present case report aims to describe two different manifestations of this infection: xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis and emphysematous pyelonephritis, which have poor prognosis and require a more effective treatment. The two cases were women in the fiftieth and sixtieth decade of life, with diabetes mellitus and history of weight loss. The diagnosis of the renal infection was established through computed tomography and the treatment was based in surgical procedure, with favorable outcome.

  11. Vibrational spectroscopy in diagnosis and screening

    CERN Document Server

    Severcan, F

    2012-01-01

    In recent years there has been a tremendous growth in the use of vibrational spectroscopic methods for diagnosis and screening. These applications range from diagnosis of disease states in humans, such as cancer, to rapid identification and screening of microorganisms. The growth in such types of studies has been possible thanks to advances in instrumentation and associated computational and mathematical tools for data processing and analysis. This volume of Advances in Biomedical Spectroscopy contains chapters from leading experts who discuss the latest advances in the application of Fourier

  12. Stages of syphilis in South China - a multilevel analysis of early diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Ngai Sze; Huang, Shujie; Zheng, Heping; Chen, Lei; Zhao, Peizhen; Tucker, Joseph D; Yang, Li Gang; Goh, Beng Tin; Yang, Bin

    2017-01-31

    Early diagnosis of syphilis and timely treatment can effectively reduce ongoing syphilis transmission and morbidity. We examined the factors associated with the early diagnosis of syphilis to inform syphilis screening strategic planning. In an observational study, we analyzed reported syphilis cases in Guangdong Province, China (from 2014 to mid-2015) accessed from the national case-based surveillance system. We categorized primary and secondary syphilis cases as early diagnosis and categorized latent and tertiary syphilis as delayed diagnosis. Univariate analyses and multivariable logistic regressions were performed to identify the factors associated with early diagnosis. We also examined the factors associated with early diagnosis at the individual and city levels in multilevel logistic regression models with cases nested by city (n = 21), adjusted for age at diagnosis and gender. Among 83,944 diagnosed syphilis cases, 22% were early diagnoses. The city-level early diagnosis rate ranged from 7 to 46%, consistent with substantial geographic variation as shown in the multilevel model. Early diagnosis was associated with cases presenting to specialist clinics for screening, being male and attaining higher education level. Cases received syphilis testing in institutions and hospitals, and diagnosed in hospitals were less likely to be in early diagnosis. At the city-level, cases living in a city equipped with more hospitals per capita were less likely to be early diagnosis. To enhance early diagnosis of syphilis, city-specific syphilis screening strategies with a mix of passive and client/provider-initiated testing might be a useful approach.

  13. BlockLevel Bayesian Diagnosis of Analogue Electronic Circuits

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Krishnan, Shaji; Krishnan, Shaji; Kerkhoff, Hans G.; Doornbosch, Klaas D.; Brand, Rudi

    2010-01-01

    Daily experience with product designers, test and diagnosis engineers it is realized that the depth of interaction among them, ought to be high for successful diagnosis of analogue circuits. With this knowledge in mind, a responsibility was undertaken to choose a popular diagnostic method and define

  14. Block-level Bayesian diagnosis of analogue electronic circuits

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Krishnan, S.; Doornbos, K.D.; Brand, R.; Kerkhoff, H.G.

    2010-01-01

    Daily experience with product designers, test and diagnosis engineers it is realized that the depth of interaction among them, ought be high for sucessfull diagnosis of analogue circuits. With this knowledge in mind, a responsibility was undertaken to choose a popular diagnostic method and define a

  15. Diagnosis of cerebral disorders using computed tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kitamura, K [Tokyo Women' s Medical Coll. (Japan)

    1980-01-01

    Computed tomography (CT), which makes differential diagnosis of cerebral disorders possible, was applied in the diagnosis of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral thrombosis, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and cerebrovascular Moyamoya disease. CT findings of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage showed the localization, volume, and direction of hematoma, and the classification of hematoma according to CT findings was highly correlated to the clinical symptoms of the patients. CT findings of cerebral thrombosis showed the extension of the lesion to be a low density area, but there were many cases in which they did not show a low density area immediately after an attack. CT findings of subarachnoid hemorrhage were very useful in the diagnosis of intracerebral hematoma, ventricular hematoma, and intracranial hematoma secondary to this disease. However, it was very difficult to diagnose cerebrovascular Moyamoya disease by means of CT.

  16. Methods to isolate extracellular vesicles for diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Hyejin; Kim, Jiyoon; Park, Jaesung

    2017-12-01

    Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small membrane-bound bodies that are released into extracellular space by diverse cells, and are found in body fluids like blood, urine and saliva. EVs contain RNA, DNA and proteins, which can be biomarkers for diagnosis. EVs can be obtained by minimally-invasive biopsy, so they are useful in disease diagnosis. High yield and purity contribute to precise diagnosis of disease, but damaged EVs and impurities can cause confu sed results. However, EV isolation methods have different yields and purities. Furthermore, the isolation method that is most suitable to maximize EV recovery efficiency depends on the experimental conditions. This review focuses on merits and demerits of several types of EV isolation methods, and provides examples of how to diagnose disease by exploiting information obtained by analysis of EVs.

  17. Sonography in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Ryazi

    2003-09-01

    Full Text Available Graded compressive sonography may be useful as an adjuvant in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. To determine the role of sonography in the differential diagnosis of acute appendicitis, preappendectomy sonographic data of 164 consecutive cases in Fatemeh-Zahra Teaching Hospital were evaluated. Of 113 (68.9% patients who had acute appendicitis in histopathology, 64 (56.6% cases had preoperative sonographic diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Of 51 patients who had normal appendices, 40 (78.4% cases had normal appendices in sonographic evaluations. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of sonography for acute appendicitis were 56.7%, 78.4% and 0.63, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 85.3% and 44.49% respectively. As a result, sonographic evaluation is an additional diagnostic tool in acute appendicitis.

  18. Diagnosis of intestinal and extra intestinal amoebiasis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez, Myriam Consuelo; Quiroz, Damian Arnoldo; Pinilla, Analida Elizabeth

    2007-01-01

    The objective is to carry out a review of the national and international literature as of the XXth century in order to update the advances for the diagnosis of complex odd Entamoeba histolytic / Entamoeba dispar and that of intestinal and extra intestinal amoebiasis that may be of use to the scientific community. As well as to unify the diagnostic criteria of this parasitosis known as a public health problem, and as a consequence of that, optimize the quality of population care. Data source: there was a systematic search for the scientific literature Publisher in Spanish and English since 1960 until today, this selection started on the first semester of 2006 until 2007, in the development of the line on intestinal and extra-intestinal amoebiasis of the Medical School of the National University of Colombia. A retrospective search process was carried out, systematically reviewing the most relevant articles as well as the products of this research line. In deciding how to make this article, there was a continuous search in different data bases such as Medline, SciELO and other bases in the library of the National University of Colombia, as well as other classical books related to the subject. For that purpose the terms amoebiasis, odd Entamoeba histolytic, Entamoeba, diagnosis, epidemiology, dysentery, amoebic liver abscess, were used. Studies selection: titles and abstracts were reviewed to select the original publications and the most representative ones related to this article's subject. Data extraction: the articles were classified according to the subject, the chronology and the authors according to the scientific contribution to solve the problem. Synthesis of the data: in the fi rst instance, a chronological critical analysis was carried out to order and synthesize the progress made in the diagnosis until confirmation of the experts' agreements in the field of amoebiasis was obtained throughout the world. Conclusion: this article summarizes what has taken place

  19. Antenatal Diagnosis of a Rare Neural Tube Defect: Sincipital Encephalocele

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehdi Kehila

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Context. Fetal sincipital encephalocele is one of the most serious congenital neural tube defects with a high risk of mortality and neonatal morbidity. Prenatal diagnosis of this malformation is important in fetal medicine. Case Report. We report a case of prenatal diagnosis of sincipital encephalocele using ultrasound and MRI imaging. The diagnosis was done at 25 weeks of gestation by identifying an anterior cephalic protrusion through a defect in the skull. Conclusion. Through this case, we discuss the differential diagnosis, management, and prognosis of such lesions.

  20. Image processing for medical diagnosis of human organs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamura, Shin-ichi

    1989-01-01

    The report first describes expectations and needs for diagnostic imaging in the field of clinical medicine, radiation medicine in particular, viewed by the author as an image processing expert working at a medical institute. Then, medical image processing techniques are discussed in relation to advanced information processing techniques that are currently drawing much attention in the field of engineering. Finally, discussion is also made of practical applications of image processing techniques to diagnosis. In the field of clinical diagnosis, advanced equipment such as PACS (picture archiving and communication system) has come into wider use, and efforts have been made to shift from visual examination to more quantitative and objective diagnosis by means of such advanced systems. In clinical medicine, practical, robust systems are more useful than sophisticated ones. It is difficult, though important, to develop completely automatized diagnostic systems. The urgent, realistic goal, therefore, is to develop effective diagnosis support systems. In particular, operation support systems equipped with three-dimensional displays will be very useful. (N.K.)

  1. The diagnosis of skeletal dysplasias: a multidisciplinary approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mortier, Geert R.

    2001-01-01

    Skeletal dysplasias are heritable connective tissue disorders affecting skeletal morphogenesis and development. They represent a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders with more than 200 different entities being delineated to date. Because of this diversity, the diagnosis of a skeletal dysplasia is usually based on a combination of clinical, radiographic, morphologic, and, in some instances, biochemical and molecular studies. Tremendous advances have been made in the elucidation of the genetic defect of several of these conditions over the past 10 years. This progress has provided us with more insights into the genes controlling normal skeletal development. It also has opened new diagnostic perspectives. For several disorders, identification of the causal gene allows us now to confirm with a molecular test the diagnosis postulated on the basis of clinical, radiographic and/or morphologic studies. It also enables us to establish the diagnosis early in pregnancy. An accurate diagnosis is not only important for proper management of the affected individual but also the cornerstone for adequate genetic counseling

  2. The diagnosis of skeletal dysplasias: a multidisciplinary approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mortier, Geert R. E-mail: geert.mortier@rug.ac.be

    2001-12-01

    Skeletal dysplasias are heritable connective tissue disorders affecting skeletal morphogenesis and development. They represent a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders with more than 200 different entities being delineated to date. Because of this diversity, the diagnosis of a skeletal dysplasia is usually based on a combination of clinical, radiographic, morphologic, and, in some instances, biochemical and molecular studies. Tremendous advances have been made in the elucidation of the genetic defect of several of these conditions over the past 10 years. This progress has provided us with more insights into the genes controlling normal skeletal development. It also has opened new diagnostic perspectives. For several disorders, identification of the causal gene allows us now to confirm with a molecular test the diagnosis postulated on the basis of clinical, radiographic and/or morphologic studies. It also enables us to establish the diagnosis early in pregnancy. An accurate diagnosis is not only important for proper management of the affected individual but also the cornerstone for adequate genetic counseling.

  3. Thoracic splenosis as a differential diagnosis of juxtapleural nodules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Lopes

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Thoracic splenosis is rare and consists of ectopic implantation of splenic tissue into the chest after concomitant thoracic and abdominal trauma with diaphragm injury. It occurs in about 18% of cases of splenic ruptures. In almost all cases, diagnosis is given incidentally once patients are usually asymptomatic. Thoracic splenosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis in all patients with history of trauma presenting with juxtapleural nodules in chest computed tomography. However, malignant conditions should be ruled out firstly. Biopsy is not essential for the diagnosis once nuclear medicine can confirm splenosis in patients with pertinent history of trauma and suggestive tomographic image. We present a typical case of thoracic splenosis whose diagnosis was made by nuclear medicine and no invasive procedures were required.

  4. SENSORS FAULT DIAGNOSIS ALGORITHM DESIGN OF A HYDRAULIC SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matej ORAVEC

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This article presents the sensors fault diagnosis system design for the hydraulic system, which is based on the group of the three fault estimation filters. These filters are used for estimation of the system states and sensors fault magnitude. Also, this article briefly stated the hydraulic system state control design with integrator, which is important assumption for the fault diagnosis system design. The sensors fault diagnosis system is implemented into the Matlab/Simulink environment and it is verified using the controlled hydraulic system simulation model. Verification of the designed fault diagnosis system is realized by series of experiments, which simulates sensors faults. The results of the experiments are briefly presented in the last part of this article.

  5. New technologies in nuclear power plant monitoring and diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turkcan, E.; Verhoef, J.P.; Ciftcioglu, O.

    1996-01-01

    Several representative new technologies being introduce for monitoring and diagnosis in nuclear power plants (NPP) are presented in this paper. In Sec. 2, the Kalman filtering is briefly described and it relevance to conventional time series analysis methods are emphasized. In this respect, its NPP monitoring and fault diagnosis implementations are given and the important features are pointed out. In Sec. 3, the NN technology is briefly described and the scope is focused on the NPP monitoring and fault diagnosis implementations. In Sec. 4, the wavelet technology is briefly described and the utilization of this technology in Nuclear Technology is exemplified. In this respect, also the prospective role of this technology for real-time monitoring and fault diagnosis is revealed. (author). 33 refs, 6 figs

  6. Rule - based Fault Diagnosis Expert System for Wind Turbine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deng Xiao-Wen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Under the trend of increasing installed capacity of wind power, the intelligent fault diagnosis of wind turbine is of great significance to the safe and efficient operation of wind farms. Based on the knowledge of fault diagnosis of wind turbines, this paper builds expert system diagnostic knowledge base by using confidence production rules and expert system self-learning method. In Visual Studio 2013 platform, C # language is selected and ADO.NET technology is used to access the database. Development of Fault Diagnosis Expert System for Wind Turbine. The purpose of this paper is to realize on-line diagnosis of wind turbine fault through human-computer interaction, and to improve the diagnostic capability of the system through the continuous improvement of the knowledge base.

  7. New technologies in nuclear power plant monitoring and diagnosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turkcan, E; Verhoef, J P [Netherlands Energy Research Foundation (ECN), Petten (Netherlands); Ciftcioglu, O [Istanbul Technical Univ., Istanbul (Turkey). Nuclear Power Dept.

    1997-12-31

    Several representative new technologies being introduce for monitoring and diagnosis in nuclear power plants (NPP) are presented in this paper. In Sec. 2, the Kalman filtering is briefly described and it relevance to conventional time series analysis methods are emphasized. In this respect, its NPP monitoring and fault diagnosis implementations are given and the important features are pointed out. In Sec. 3, the NN technology is briefly described and the scope is focused on the NPP monitoring and fault diagnosis implementations. In Sec. 4, the wavelet technology is briefly described and the utilization of this technology in Nuclear Technology is exemplified. In this respect, also the prospective role of this technology for real-time monitoring and fault diagnosis is revealed. (author). 33 refs, 6 figs.

  8. Diagnosis of Feedwater Heater Performance Degradation using Fuzzy Approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hyeonmin; Kang, Yeon Kwan; Heo, Gyunyoung; Song, Seok Yoon

    2014-01-01

    It is inevitable to avoid degradation of component, which operates continuously for long time in harsh environment. Since this degradation causes economical loss and human loss, it is important to monitor and diagnose the degradation of component. The diagnosis requires a well-systematic method for timely decision. Before this article, the methods using regression model and diagnosis table have been proposed to perform the diagnosis study for thermal efficiency in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). Since the regression model was numerically less-stable under changes of operating variables, it was difficult to provide good results in operating plants. Contrary to this, the diagnosis table was hard to use due to ambiguous points and to detect how it affects degradation. In order to cover the issues of previous researches, we proposed fuzzy approaches and applied it to diagnose Feedwater Heater (FWH) degradation to check the feasibility. The degradation of FWHs is not easy to be observed, while trouble such as tube leakage may bring simultaneous damage to the tube bundle. This study explains the steps of diagnosing typical failure modes of FWHs. In order to cover the technical issues of previous researches, we adopted fuzzy logic to suggest a diagnosis algorithm for the degradation of FHWs and performed feasibility study. In this paper, total 7 modes of FWH degradation modes are considered, which are High Drain Level, Low Shell Pressure, Tube Pressure Increase, Tube Fouling, Pass Partition Plate Leakage, Tube Leakage, Abnormal venting. From the literature survey and simulation, diagnosis table for FWH is made. We apply fuzzy logic based on diagnosis table. Authors verify fuzzy diagnosis for FWH degradation synthesized the random input sets from made diagnosis table. Comparing previous researches, suggested method more-stable under changes of operating variables, than regression model. On the contrary, the problem which ambiguous points and detect how it affects degradation

  9. Diagnosis of Feedwater Heater Performance Degradation using Fuzzy Approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Hyeonmin; Kang, Yeon Kwan; Heo, Gyunyoung [Kyung Hee Univ., Yongin (Korea, Republic of); Song, Seok Yoon [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-05-15

    It is inevitable to avoid degradation of component, which operates continuously for long time in harsh environment. Since this degradation causes economical loss and human loss, it is important to monitor and diagnose the degradation of component. The diagnosis requires a well-systematic method for timely decision. Before this article, the methods using regression model and diagnosis table have been proposed to perform the diagnosis study for thermal efficiency in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). Since the regression model was numerically less-stable under changes of operating variables, it was difficult to provide good results in operating plants. Contrary to this, the diagnosis table was hard to use due to ambiguous points and to detect how it affects degradation. In order to cover the issues of previous researches, we proposed fuzzy approaches and applied it to diagnose Feedwater Heater (FWH) degradation to check the feasibility. The degradation of FWHs is not easy to be observed, while trouble such as tube leakage may bring simultaneous damage to the tube bundle. This study explains the steps of diagnosing typical failure modes of FWHs. In order to cover the technical issues of previous researches, we adopted fuzzy logic to suggest a diagnosis algorithm for the degradation of FHWs and performed feasibility study. In this paper, total 7 modes of FWH degradation modes are considered, which are High Drain Level, Low Shell Pressure, Tube Pressure Increase, Tube Fouling, Pass Partition Plate Leakage, Tube Leakage, Abnormal venting. From the literature survey and simulation, diagnosis table for FWH is made. We apply fuzzy logic based on diagnosis table. Authors verify fuzzy diagnosis for FWH degradation synthesized the random input sets from made diagnosis table. Comparing previous researches, suggested method more-stable under changes of operating variables, than regression model. On the contrary, the problem which ambiguous points and detect how it affects degradation

  10. Diagnosis as the First Critical Point in the Treatment Trajectory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Missel, Malene; Pedersen, Jesper H; Hendriksen, Carsten

    2015-01-01

    sociology. RESULTS: The findings are presented as themes that summarize and express the ways in which a diagnosis affects patients' daily lives: the cancer diagnosis comes as a shock, it changes everyday awareness; it presents the patient with an unfamiliar body, disturbs social relationships, forces......BACKGROUND: Significant advances have been made in the surgical treatment of lung cancer while patient experiences with diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation remain only sparsely researched. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate how the diagnosis affects the daily lives...... of patients with operable lung cancer in order to identify their needs for care interventions from the point of diagnosis to hospitalization. METHODS: We investigated patients' lived experiences from a longitudinal perspective at 4 critical time points during the treatment trajectory; we present here...

  11. Factors influencing diagnosis delay of advanced breast cancer in Moroccan women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maghous, A; Rais, F; Ahid, S; Benhmidou, N; Bellahamou, K; Loughlimi, H; Marnouche, E; Elmajjaoui, S; Elkacemi, H; Kebdani, T; Benjaafar, N

    2016-06-07

    Delay in the diagnosis of breast cancer in symptomatic women of 3 months or more is associated with advanced stage and low survival. We conducted this study to learn more about the extent and reasons behind diagnosis delay of advanced breast cancer in Moroccan women. A group of patients with advanced breast cancer were interviewed at the National Institute of Oncology in Rabat during the period from February to December 2014. Diagnosis delay was devised into patient delay and system delay. Patient delay was defined as time from first symptoms until first medical consultation. System delay was defined as time from first presentation to a health care provider until definite diagnosis or treatment. Prospective information and clinical data were collected on a form during an interview with each patient and from medical records. In all, 137 patients were interviewed. The mean age of women was 48.3 ± 10.4 years. The median of consultation time was 6[4,12] months and the median of diagnosis time was 1[1,3] months. Diagnosis delay was associated to a personal reason in 96 (70.1 %) patients and to a medical reason in 19 (13.9 %) patients. A number of factors predicted diagnosis delay: symptoms were not considered serious in 66 (55.9 %) patients; traditional therapy was applied in 15 (12.7 %) patients and fear of cancer diagnosis and/or treatment in 14 (11.9 %) patients. A use of traditional methods was significantly associated with rural residence and far away from basic health center (p = 0.000). Paradoxically, a family history of breast cancer was significantly higher in who report a fear of cancer diagnosis and/or treatment to diagnosis delay (p Diagnosis delay is very serious problem in Morocco. Diagnosis delay was associated with complex interactions between several factors and with advanced stages. There is a need for improving breast cancer information in our populations and training of general practitioners to reduce advanced breast cancer by

  12. ORIGINAL ARTICLE Prenatal diagnosis of aneuploidy among a ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    salah

    terphase cells. Patients and Methods: Prenatal diagnosis was performed on 40 high risk ... Prenatal diagnosis of aneuploidy among a sample of Egyptian high risk pregnancies ..... of medical genetics. 9th ed.: Churchill. Livingstone; 1995. p. 23-45. Edwards and Beard: FISH studies of. 2. pre-implantation embryos and PGD.

  13. Public Relations Manager Involvement in Strategic Issue Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauzen, Martha M.

    1995-01-01

    Reports on an exploratory study that seeks to build theoretical understanding of how public relations practitioner involvement in one type of strategic organizational decision making--strategic issue diagnosis--is related to shared values with top management, diagnosis accuracy, strategy pursued, and the power of the public relations function. (TB)

  14. Psychological impact of prenatal diagnosis and post procedure ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Prenatal diagnosis is associated with psychological challenges, which may affect the response of women before, during or after the procedure, as well as their decision on the future of an affected pregnancy. This prospective study was to evaluate the psychological impact of prenatal diagnosis, factors that may be ...

  15. [The diagnosis of COPD is recommendation dependent].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben Saad, Helmi; Ben Amor, Leila; Ben Mdella, Samia; Ghannouchi, Ines; Ben Essghair, Mejda; Bougmiza, Iheb; Garrouche, Abdelhamid; Rouatbi, Naceur; Rouatbi, Sonia

    2014-07-01

    Different spirometric criteria are recommended to diagnosis chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): -American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS), Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD): a post bronchodilator (PBD) ratio between the 1st second Forced Expiratory Volume and Forced Vital Capacity (FEV1/FVC) guidelines are used for defining the disease. This forms a barrier to early diagnosis, affects public health decisions and wrong planning strategies.

  16. A Multi-Model Approach for System Diagnosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Niemann, Hans Henrik; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Bækgaard, Mikkel Ask Buur

    2007-01-01

    A multi-model approach for system diagnosis is presented in this paper. The relation with fault diagnosis as well as performance validation is considered. The approach is based on testing a number of pre-described models and find which one is the best. It is based on an active approach......,i.e. an auxiliary input to the system is applied. The multi-model approach is applied on a wind turbine system....

  17. Delay in the Diagnosis of Stable Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosseinzadeh, Pooya; Iwinski, Henry J; Salava, Jonathon; Oeffinger, Donna

    2017-01-01

    Delays in the diagnosis of stable slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is common due to the vague symptomatology and the lack of awareness of this entity by healthcare providers. Delays in the diagnosis of this condition can lead to poor outcomes for the patients. This study was designed to identify factors that contributed to delays in the diagnosis or the treatment of patients with SCFE seen at our institution. A retrospective chart review of patients with the diagnosis of a stable SCFE who had undergone screw stabilization between 1989 and 2010 at our hospital was performed. For each patient, demographic data, the date of initial onset of symptoms, the date of the first visit to the medical provider, the type of provider seen initially (orthopaedic surgeon or not), the date of diagnosis of SCFE, the type of physician who made the diagnosis (orthopaedic surgeon or not), and the date of surgery were recorded. For each patient, the presenting symptom was recorded as hip, thigh, or knee pain. The effect of demographic data, presenting symptoms, and the type of initial provider seen on the delay to diagnosis was studied using 2 Cox models. A total of 149 patients with 196 stable SCFE were included. The average time from the first physician visit to diagnosis was 94 days in the group seen by a nonorthopaedic provider compared with an average of 2.9 days in the group seen by an orthopaedist (Pprovider versus 97% in the group seen by orthopaedic surgeons. It took significantly longer to be diagnosed with SCFE in patients who presented with initial knee pain (P=0.0097) compared with those who presented with hip pain at the initial visit. This study shows a significant delay in the diagnosis of SCFE in the United States, particularly in patients seen by nonorthopaedic providers initially. Level III-prognostic.

  18. Nailfold Capillaroscopy - Its Role in Diagnosis and Differential Diagnosis of Microvascular Damage in Systemic Sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambova, Sevdalina; Hermann, W; Muller-Ladner, Ulf

    2013-01-01

    In the nailfold area, specific diagnostic microvascular abnormalities are easily recognized via capillaroscopic examination in systemic sclerosis (SSc). They are termed "scleroderma" type capillaroscopic pattern, which includes presence of dilated, giant capillaries, haemorrhages, avascular areas, and neoangiogenic capillaries and are observed in the majority of SSc patients (in more than 90%). LeRoy and Medsger (2001) proposed criteria for early diagnosis of SSc with inclusion of the abnormal capillaroscopic changes and suggested to prediagnose SSc prior to the development of other manifestations of the disease. It is a new era in the diagnosis of SSc. At present, an international multicenter project is performed. It aims validation of criteria for very early diagnosis of SSc (project VEDOSS (Very Early Diagnosis of Systemic Sclerosis) and is organized by European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Scleroderma Trials and Reasearch. Very recently the first results of the VEDOSS project were processed and new EULAR/ACR (American College of Rheumatology) classification criteria have been validated and published (2013), in which the characteristic capillaroscopic changes have been included. Our observations confirm the high frequency of the specific capillaroscopic changes of the fingers in SSc, which have been found in 97.2% of the cases from the studied patient population. We have performed for the first time capillaroscopic examinations of the toes in SSc. Interestingly,"scleroderma type" capillaroscopic pattern was also found at the toes in a high proportion of patients - 66.7%, but it is significantly less frequent as compared with fingers (97.2%, p<0.05). In our opinion, the examination of the toes of SSc patients should be considered as it suggests an additional opportunity for evaluation of the microvascular changes in these patients although the observed changes are in a lower proportion of cases. Thus, capillaroscopic examination is a cornerstone for the very

  19. Application of ENN-1 for Fault Diagnosis of Wind Power Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meng-Hui Wang

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Maintaining a wind turbine and ensuring secure is not easy because of long-term exposure to the environment and high installation locations. Wind turbines need fully functional condition-monitoring and fault diagnosis systems that prevent accidents and reduce maintenance costs. This paper presents a simulator design for fault diagnosis of wind power systems and further proposes some fault diagnosis technologies such as signal analysis, feature selecting, and diagnosis methods. First, this paper uses a wind power simulator to produce fault conditions and features from the monitoring sensors. Then an extension neural network type-1- (ENN-1- based method is proposed to develop the core of the fault diagnosis system. The proposed system will benefit the development of real fault diagnosis systems with testing models that demonstrate satisfactory results.

  20. Early fault detection and diagnosis for nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berg, O.; Grini, R.; Masao Yokobayashi

    1988-01-01

    Fault detection based on a number of reference models is demonstrated. This approach is characterized by the possibility of detecting faults before a traditional alarm system is triggered, even in dynamic situations. Further, by a proper decomposition scheme and use of available process measurements, the problem area can be confined to the faulty process parts. A diagnosis system using knowledge engineering techniques is described. Typical faults are classified and described by rules involving alarm patterns and variations of important parameters. By structuring the fault hypotheses in a hierarchy the search space is limited which is important for real time diagnosis. Introduction of certainty factors improve the flexibility and robustness of diagnosis by exploring parallel problems even when some data are missing. A new display proposal should facilitate the operator interface and the integration of fault detection and diagnosis tasks in disturbance handling. The techniques of early fault detection and diagnosis are presently being implemented and tested in the experimental control room of a full-scope PWR simulator in Halden

  1. Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder: definitions and diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freeman, Ellen W

    2003-08-01

    Because of the prevalence, chronicity and distress caused by premenstrual symptoms (PMS), diagnosis and effective treatments are important information for clinicians. The DSM-IV requires at least five specified symptoms for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe dysphoric form of PMS, while the ICD-10 requires only one distressing symptom for a diagnosis of PMS. Many women who seek treatment fall between these two diagnostic approaches, and standard diagnostic criteria for clinically significant PMS are needed. A diagnosis of PMS consists of determining the timing of the symptoms in relation to menses, meaningful change between post- and premenstrual symptom severity and a clinically significant severity of the symptoms. A differential diagnosis to distinguish PMS from other medical and psychiatric conditions is important for appropriate treatment. No hormone or laboratory test indicates a PMS diagnosis. The current diagnostic standard requires confirmation of subjective symptom reports by prospective daily diaries. Diagnostic criteria for PMS must recognize the broad range of symptoms, the temporal pattern of the symptoms and the critical issue of symptom severity, which differentiates clinically significant PMS from normal menstrual cycle changes.

  2. Diagnosis of hydatidiform mole by hysterography through transabdominal injection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Chung Kyu; Park, Chang Yun; Choi, Byung Sook [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1972-03-15

    Molar pregnancy presents a pathologic condition requiring surgery of the uterus promptly as possible although hydatidiform mole itself is a benign disease. In order to remove the mole as quickly as possible, early diagnosis is desirable. In actual practice, however, definite preoperative diagnosis by clinical manifestation is impossible since which is vague or altogether absent symptoms especially in first trimester. Hysterography by transabdominal injection is very valuable and easy procedure for accurate diagnosis of hydatidiform mole which shows typical honey combed, moth eaten or sponge pattern on roentgenography. We have experienced 68 cases of hydatidiform mole during last five and half years. Among them hysterography by transabdominal route was done on 26 cases and shows 96% diagnostic accuracy. One missed case was turned out to be missed abortion. The absence of accidents indicates the harmlessness of the method. We feel the best approach in making diagnosis of hydatidiform mole among clinically borderline and in conclusive for mole pregnancy and its differential diagnosis is by use of transabdominal hysterography.

  3. Diagnosis of hydatidiform mole by hysterography through transabdominal injection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Chung Kyu; Park, Chang Yun; Choi, Byung Sook

    1972-01-01

    Molar pregnancy presents a pathologic condition requiring surgery of the uterus promptly as possible although hydatidiform mole itself is a benign disease. In order to remove the mole as quickly as possible, early diagnosis is desirable. In actual practice, however, definite preoperative diagnosis by clinical manifestation is impossible since which is vague or altogether absent symptoms especially in first trimester. Hysterography by transabdominal injection is very valuable and easy procedure for accurate diagnosis of hydatidiform mole which shows typical honey combed, moth eaten or sponge pattern on roentgenography. We have experienced 68 cases of hydatidiform mole during last five and half years. Among them hysterography by transabdominal route was done on 26 cases and shows 96% diagnostic accuracy. One missed case was turned out to be missed abortion. The absence of accidents indicates the harmlessness of the method. We feel the best approach in making diagnosis of hydatidiform mole among clinically borderline and in conclusive for mole pregnancy and its differential diagnosis is by use of transabdominal hysterography

  4. Image diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morikawa, Mitsuru; Saga, Yuuji; Watabe, Yoshihiko; Fujisawa, Makoto; Kaneko, Shigeo; Tokunaka, Sohei; Yachiku, Sunao

    1989-01-01

    Between January, 1983 and January 1988, the diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism was made on 14 patients (8 primary and 6 secondary), and was identified operatively in all. The procedures for image diagnosis were computed tomography (CT), ultrasonography and scintigraphy. Scintigraphy was performed using Tc-99m and T1-201 by a subtraction technique. For primary hyperparathyroidism, the accuracy of localization was 100% by CT, 87.5% by ultrasonography, 100% by scintigraphy, and 100% by the combination of these three methods. For secondary hyperparathyroidism, it was 68% by CT, 68% by ultrasonography, 36% by scintigraphy and 84% by the combination of these three methods. Ultrasonography and CT were quite useful for imaging of small abnormal parathyroid glands. The accuracy of scintigraphy in secondary hyperparathyroidism was low. Because the swellings of glands do not occur equally in most secondary hyperparathyroidism cases, we consider that large glands absorb the majority of injected radionuclides. Some discussion on merits and demerits of each image procedure was done. (author)

  5. Allergy Diagnosis and Treatment | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... this page please turn Javascript on. Feature: Managing Allergies Allergy Diagnosis and Treatment Past Issues / Spring 2013 Table of Contents Diagnosis Testing for Allergies Knowing exactly what you are allergic to can ...

  6. X-ray diagnosis of gouty arthritis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quan Gaorong; Luo Jianyun; Huang Shaoying

    2008-01-01

    Objective: The X-ray findings of 38 cases with gouty arthritis were summarized. The X-ray diagnosis and differential diagnosis were discussed to improve the understanding and diagnostic accuracy of this disease. Methods: Combined with literatures, the X-ray findings, pathological and clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations of 38 cases pathologically proved with gouty arthritis were analyzed. Results: The gouty arthritis usually occurred in the small joints of limbs, especially in the first metatarsophalangeal joint. The X-ray findings were dissymmetric swellings of soft tissue, scattered calcified shadow; bony erosion in form of scuttling and honeycomb defect with sharp and hard edge, narrowed joint space and irregular articular surface, emergence of fiber stiffness, even joint malformations and subluxation or dislocation, associated with hyperosteogeny and nearby osteoporosis. Conclusion: Diversification was presented in X-ray findings of gouty arthritis, which can be easily confused with other single or multiple bone joint diseases. As a result, accurate diagnosis should be based on careful analysis about X-ray findings combined with clinical manifestations and laboratory examination. (authors)

  7. Diagnosis and management of vascular diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan Xindong; Zheng Lianzhou

    2011-01-01

    Vascular disorders mainly include hemangiomas and vascular malformations, and constitute some of the most difficult diagnostic and therapeutic enigmas that can be encountered in the clinical practice. The clinical presentations are extremely variable and can range from an asymptomatic birthmark to life-threatening congestive heart failure. Attributing any of these extremely varied symptoms that a patients may present with to a vascular malformation may be a challenge to the most experienced clinical. This problem is compounded by the extreme rarity of these vascular lesions. If a clinician meets such a patient once every few years, it will be extremely difficult for the physicians to gain a steep learning curve. In such circumstances, it is difficult to formulate a standard of diagnosis and treatment for these vascular disorders. This paper aims to make a comprehensive and detailed description of the classification and diagnosis of the vascular disorders, the common used embolization agents, the concepts of interventional diagnosis and management and the therapies of various hemangiomas and vascular malformations. (authors)

  8. Nuclear medicine diagnosis of pulmonary embolism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goebel, S; Magdsick, G; Stroetges, M W [Essen Univ. (Gesamthochschule) (Germany, F.R.). Abt. fuer Nuklearmedizin

    1978-11-01

    Pulmonary embolism is an emergency situation. The earlier therapy begins, the more effective it will be. This, however, asks for immediate diagnosis. At present the most effective method of diagnosing and localizing pulmonary embolism is perfusion scintiscan of the lung. It should be completed by chest radiography to exclude peripheral infiltration and/or central lung cancer. Generally, these two procedures ensure optimal diagnosis. In case of additional disease of the pleura, mediastinum and lung parenchyma, further measures may be necessary: especially in chronic obstructive lung disease ventilation perfusion ratio and outwash of xenon might be helpful. Scintiscan of the lung is suited for early diagnosis as well as for follow-up examinations. Only if thrombectomy is planned, pulmonary angiography should be preferred. Scintiscan of the lung with marked particle suspensions ensures a minimum of complications. There is only one incident in 10 000 examinations. According to Quinn (1964) and Felix (1971) pulmonary scintiscan might be harmful in patients with right heart failure. We made no such observation in 4000 cases.

  9. Mialgias: Approaches to differential diagnosis, treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Shostak

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Differential diagnosis in muscle pains often presents great difficulties so all existing signs of the disease should be carefully considered to make its diagnosis and to prescribe adequate therapy. The paper considers the causes of muscle pains, laboratory and instrumental studies (immunological tests, determination of the level of specific muscular enzymes, primarily creatine phosphokinase – CPK, etc., and the main reasons for enhanced plasma CPK activity. It also describes acute and chronic mialgias associated with enhanced plasma CPK activity, as well as diseases in which mialgias are related to the normal level of CPK, myofascial syndrome (MFS and fibromyalgia (FM in particular. The characteristic features of MFS are given in its diagnostic criteria. It is stated that a differential diagnosis should be made between MFS and major muscle pain-associated abnormalities, such as polymyalgia rheumatica, FM, etc. Diagnosticcriteria for polymyalgia rheumatica are given. A MFS treatment algorithm is presented. Local exposure methods applied to altered musculoligamentous structures in combination with myorelaxants and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs assume paramount importance in MFS.

  10. Clinical diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishi, Hideyuki; Washio, Kazuhiro; Mano, Masayuki

    2008-01-01

    We evaluated clinical and thoracoscopic findings of cases that underwent thoracoscopic biopsy for the diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma. We reviewed 32 cases suspected of having malignant pleural mesothelioma from 2003 to 2006. We made a diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma via thoracoscopic biopsy (19 cases). The cut-off level of hyaluronic acid in malignant effusions, selected on the basis of the best diagnostic efficacy, was 100 μg/ml. We can decrease the incidence of false negative cases by the combination of CT findings and the presence of hyaluronic acid in pleural effusion. In the pleural thickening type of thoracoscopic appearance, the parietal pleurae were thickened, and small nodules were rare. As for this type, tumor cells were histologically absent or confined to the submesothelial tissue. We considered that determinations of specific sites were difficult. Adequate tissue samples obtained via video-assisted thoracoscopy were necessary for diagnosis. We can decrease the incidence of false negative cases by the combination of the presence of hyaluronic acid in pleural effusion and thoracoscopic biopsy. (author)

  11. [Are schizophrenic patients being told their diagnosis today in France?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villani, M; Kovess-Masféty, V

    2017-04-01

    The progressive shifts in the legal and social contexts, along with major changes in information seeking habits with the development of the Internet, have placed patients' information at the core of medical practice. This has to be applied to the psychiatric fields as well, and to questions about how schizophrenic patients are being told their diagnosis nowadays in France. This paper is a national and international literature review about schizophrenia diagnosis disclosure practices, from 1972 to 2014, using French and English languages and various psychology and medical databases. The used key words were "diagnosis", "disclosure", "communication", "breaking bad news", "information", "schizophrenia" and "psychosis". Proportions of diagnosis announcement: our results show that the proportion of psychiatrists delivering schizophrenia diagnosis to their patients varies between countries. Although we must acknowledge that the questionnaires and samples are diverse, we have found that psychiatrists are in general less prone to deliver diagnosis information in France (from 13,5% to 39% given the studies), Germany (28%), Italy (30%), and Japan (30%), than in Anglo-Saxon countries. Thus, 70% of the psychiatrists in North America and 56% in Australia claim that they disclose their diagnosis to schizophrenic patients. In the United-Kingdom, a study targeting psychotic patients themselves has shown that 47% of them had been told their diagnosis by their doctor. Even in the countries where the proportion of diagnosis disclosure is the highest, there remains a substantial difference with other mental illnesses such as affective or anxiety disorders, which are almost always labeled as such in the information communicated to the patient (90% in North America). Diagnostic information about schizophrenia continues therefore to appear problematic for health professionals, which can seem a paradox given the recent social and legal evolutions, the therapeutic progress, the proved

  12. Anxiety disorders: diagnosis and treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jack, R A; Mathew, R J

    1985-07-01

    Pathologic anxiety, marked by inappropriate apprehension and/or fear, causes patients to seek help. Anxiety is associated with a wide variety of physical illnesses, and these must be initially considered when making a diagnosis. Similarly, anxiety associated with a wide variety of psychiatric syndromes must also be considered. Finally, the possibility of transient situational anxiety is ever present. Once it is determined that a primary anxiety disorder exists, then the presence or absence of phobias, panic attacks, and chronic "free-floating" anxiety will fully characterize the disorder. With an accurate diagnosis in hand, a multifaceted treatment approach can be designed. Effective treatments now exist for phobic and panic disorders, and more effective treatment for chronic generalized anxiety may be forthcoming.

  13. Imaging diagnosis of acute appendicitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vovc, Virgiliu

    2012-01-01

    The nontraumatic acute abdomen is one of the most common presentation to the emergency room, with appendicitis being one of the most common causes of the acute abdomen. Up to 30 % of patients suspected of having acute appendicitis will present with atypical signs and symptoms. There are many conditions that imitate acute appendicitis. The percentage of unnecessary appendectomies that result from a clinical false-positive diagnosis of appendicitis. The use of computed tomography (CT) before planned surgery has decreased the negative appendicectomy rate for patients with suspected acute appendicitis. Recognition of the typical and atypical CT signs of appendicitis is important to optimize the diagnosis yield of the examination. Visualization of an appendix with normal characteristics is the most important finding to exclude appendicitis. (author)

  14. Radiologic diagnosis of lung tuberculosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eisenhuber, E.; Mostbeck, G.; Bankier, A.; Stadler, A.; Rumetshofer, R.

    2007-01-01

    The radiologic knowledge of tuberculosis-associated lung disease is an essential tool in the clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis. Chest radiography is the primary imaging method, but the importance of CT is still increasing, as CT is more sensitive in the detection of cavitation, of hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathie, of endobronchial spread and of complications in the course of the disease. In addition, CT has been proven as a valuable technique in the assessment of tuberculosis activity, especially in patients where M. tuberculosis has not been detected in the sputum or in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Depending on the immune status of the patient, the morphologic spectrum of tuberculosis is quite variable. Early diagnosis of tuberculosis is essential to prevent further spread of the disease. (orig.) [de

  15. Radiographic caries diagnosis and restorative treatment decision making

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mileman, P.A.

    1985-01-01

    This thesis is concerned with a single diagnostic technique: the bitewing radiograph, and the way it is used by dentists to decide on patient treatment need for interproximal caries. The variation in caries diagnosis and treatment decisions using bitewing radiographs is described and the radiographic criteria of choice for minimizing over and undertreatment according to a norm are investigated. Three possible diagnostic strategies in interproximal caries diagnosis using a decision analysis approach are described and evaluated, and the effect of the reported diagnostic behaviour and knowledge of practicing Dutch dentists in their use of bitewing radiographs for the diagnosis and treatment of interproximal caries is described and analyzed. (Auth.)

  16. Specific phobias in older adults: characteristics and differential diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coelho, Carlos M; Gonçalves, Daniela C; Purkis, Helena; Pocinho, Margarida; Pachana, Nancy A; Byrne, Gerard J

    2010-08-01

    Differential diagnosis implies identifying shared and divergent characteristics between clinical states. Clinical work with older adults demands not only the knowledge of nosological features associated with differential diagnosis, but also recognition of idiosyncratic factors associated with this population. Several factors can interfere with an accurate diagnosis of specific phobia in older cohorts. The goal of this paper is to review criteria for specific phobia and its differential diagnosis with panic disorder, agoraphobia, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, while stressing the specific factors associated with aging. A literature search regarding specific phobia in older adults was carried out using PubMed. Relevant articles were selected and scanned for further pertinent references. In addition, relevant references related to differential diagnosis and assessment were used. Etiologic factors, specificity of feared stimulus or situation, fear predictability and the nature of phobic situations are key points to be assessed when implementing a differential diagnosis of specific phobia. First, age-related sensory impairments are common and interfere both with information processing and communication. Second, medical illnesses create symptoms that might cause, interfere with, or mimic anxiety. Third, cohort effects might result in underreporting, through the inability to communicate or recognize anxiety symptoms, misattributing them to physical conditions. Finally, diagnostic criteria and screening instruments were usually developed using younger samples and are therefore not adapted to the functional and behavioral characteristics of older samples.

  17. Use of functional tests in radioimmune diagnosis of endocrine diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slavnov, V.N.

    1988-01-01

    Radioimmunoassay for determining corticotropin (ACTH), somatotropin (STH), prolactin (LTH) and thyrotropin (TTH) concentration in blood for endocrine disease diagnosis are described. Reactions of earlier mentioned functional tests to specific stimulators and inhibitors for differential diagnosis of such diseases as Icenko-Cushing one, pituitary body and hypothalamus diseases, galactorrhea and amenorrhea syndrome are considered. The diagnosis reliability is underlined

  18. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology In Tumour Diagnosis | Obaseki ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), a technique for obtaining cellular material for cytological examination and diagnosis using a 21- gauge or smaller needle, is performed using a 5, 10, or 20ml syringe either freehand or using special syringe holders. It allows a minimally invasive, rapid diagnosis of tissue samples but

  19. Pitfalls in the diagnosis of carcinoid syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dorota Kaczmarska-Turek

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Background . Carcinoid syndrome (CS is a rare syndrome, most commonly associated with neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN s of the small intestine. Carcinoid syndrome consists of diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, cutaneous flushing, teleangiectasias, bronchoconstriction and increased perspiration. Diagnosis of carcinoid syndrome remains a challenge and it is often delayed. Objectives . The aim of this study was to characterize patients with CS and define the most sensitive, primary diagnostic tools for CS . Material and methods. 26 consecutive patients admitted to the Department because of carcinoid-like symptoms. Diagnosis of CS was based on clinical findings and laboratory data (levels of 5-hydroxyindoloacetic acid. Diagnosis of NEN was based on laboratory findings, imaging studies (US , CT , Gallium-68-DOTA TATE PET -CT and histopathological analysis. CS due to NEN was diagnosed in 16 subjects (NEN –CS . Results . The most common symptoms in non-NEN were increased perspiration, flushes and diarrhea. CgA was elevated (40%; n = 4 in this group. However, elevated levels of 5-HIAA and liver lesions were not presented. In the NEN –CS symptoms were reported more often: flush (93.7%; n = 15, diarrhea (87.5%; n = 14, abdominal pain and teleangiectasis (81.2%; n = 13. Elevated CgA and 5-HIAA were noted in 87.5% (n = 14 and 81.2% (n = 13 respectively. US and CT revealed liver metastases in all patients. The mean duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 28.6 months. Conclusions . The combination of several symptoms of carcinoid syndrome and liver lesion in easily available abdominal imaging (US and/or CT should prompt physicians to quick referral to centres specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of NEN.

  20. A fault diagnosis system for nuclear power plant operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohga, Yukiharu; Hayashi, Yoshiharu; Yuchi, Hiroyuki; Utena, Shunsuke; Maeda, Akihiko

    2002-01-01

    A fault diagnosis system has been developed to support operators in nuclear power plants. In the system various methods are combined to get a diagnosis result which provides better detection sensitivity and result reliability. The system is composed of an anomaly detection part with diagnosis modules, an integration part which obtains the diagnosis result by combining results from each diagnosis module, and a prediction part with state prediction and estimation modules. For the anomaly detection part, three kinds of modules are prepared: plant signal processing, early fault detection and event identification modules. The plant signal processing module uses wavelet transform and chaos technologies as well as fast Fourier transform (FFT) to analyze vibration sensor signals and to detect signal anomaly. The early fault detection module uses the neural network model of a plant subprocess to estimate the process variable values assuming normal conditions, and to detect an anomaly by comparing the measured and estimated values. The event identification module identifies the kind of occurring event by using the neural network and knowledge processing. In the integration part the diagnosis is performed by using knowledge processing. The knowledge for diagnosis is structured based on the means-ends abstraction hierarchy to simplify knowledge input and maintenance. In the prediction part, the prediction module predicts the future changes of process variables and plant interlock statuses and the estimation module estimates the values of unmeasurable variables. A prototype system has been developed and the system performance was evaluated. The evaluation results show that the developed technologies are effective to improve the human-machine system for plant operation. (author)

  1. A Learning Health Care System Using Computer-Aided Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cahan, Amos; Cimino, James J

    2017-03-08

    Physicians intuitively apply pattern recognition when evaluating a patient. Rational diagnosis making requires that clinical patterns be put in the context of disease prior probability, yet physicians often exhibit flawed probabilistic reasoning. Difficulties in making a diagnosis are reflected in the high rates of deadly and costly diagnostic errors. Introduced 6 decades ago, computerized diagnosis support systems are still not widely used by internists. These systems cannot efficiently recognize patterns and are unable to consider the base rate of potential diagnoses. We review the limitations of current computer-aided diagnosis support systems. We then portray future diagnosis support systems and provide a conceptual framework for their development. We argue for capturing physician knowledge using a novel knowledge representation model of the clinical picture. This model (based on structured patient presentation patterns) holds not only symptoms and signs but also their temporal and semantic interrelations. We call for the collection of crowdsourced, automatically deidentified, structured patient patterns as means to support distributed knowledge accumulation and maintenance. In this approach, each structured patient pattern adds to a self-growing and -maintaining knowledge base, sharing the experience of physicians worldwide. Besides supporting diagnosis by relating the symptoms and signs with the final diagnosis recorded, the collective pattern map can also provide disease base-rate estimates and real-time surveillance for early detection of outbreaks. We explain how health care in resource-limited settings can benefit from using this approach and how it can be applied to provide feedback-rich medical education for both students and practitioners. ©Amos Cahan, James J Cimino. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 08.03.2017.

  2. Experience on a BWR plant diagnosis system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanabe, A.; Kawai, K.; Hashimoto, Y.

    1981-01-01

    It is important to watch plant dynamics and equipment condition for avoiding a big transient or avoiding damage to a system by equipment failure. After the TMI accident the necessity of a diagnosis system has been recognized and such development activities have become of primary importance in many organizations. A diagnosis system has two kinds of function. One is the early detection of an anomaly before detection by a conventional instrumentation system. The other is appropriate instruction after alarm or scram has occurred. The authors have been developing the former system by a noise analysis technique and a feasibility study has been undertaken in recent years as a joint research programme of several electric power companies and the Toshiba Corporation. A prototype diagnosis system has been installed on a BWR plant in Japan. This diagnosis system concerns reactor core, jet pumps and three main control systems. Many data from normal operation have been accumulated using this system and a variation pattern of normal noise data is clarified. On this basis, anomally detection criteria have been determined using statistical decision theory. It is confirmed that this system performance is satisfactory, and that the system will be of great use for surveillance of core and control systems without artificial disturbances. (author)

  3. Diagnosis and management of Pneumocystis jirovecii infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, P Lewis; Backx, Matthijs; Barnes, Rosemary A

    2017-05-01

    Pneumocystis jirovecii is a ubiquitous fungus, which causes pneumonia in humans. Diagnosis was hampered by the inability to culture the organism, and based on microscopic examination of respiratory samples or clinical presentation. New assays can assist in the diagnosis and even aid with the emergence of resistant infections. Areas covered: This manuscript will provide background information on Pneumocystis pneumonia (PcP). Diagnosis, from radiological to non-microbiological (e.g. Lactate dehydrogenase) and microbiological investigations (Microscopy, PCR, β-D-Glucan) will be discussed. Recommendations on prophylactic and therapeutic management will be covered. Expert commentary: PcP diagnosis using microscopy is far from optimal and false negatives will occur. With an incidence of 1% or less, the pre-test probability of not having PcP is 99% and testing is suited to excluding disease. Microscopy provides a high degree of diagnostic confidence but it is not infallible, and its lower sensitivity limits its application. Newer diagnostics (PCR, β-D-Glucan) can aid management and improve performance when testing less invasive specimens, such as upper respiratory samples or blood, alleviating clinical pressure. Combination testing may allow PcP to be both diagnosed and excluded, and molecular testing can assist in the detection of emerging resistant PcP.

  4. Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Etiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellato, Enrico; Marini, Eleonora; Castoldi, Filippo; Barbasetti, Nicola; Mattei, Lorenzo; Bonasia, Davide Edoardo; Blonna, Davide

    2012-01-01

    Fibromyalgia syndrome is mainly characterized by pain, fatigue, and sleep disruption. The etiology of fibromyalgia is still unclear: if central sensitization is considered to be the main mechanism involved, then many other factors, genetic, immunological, and hormonal, may play an important role. The diagnosis is typically clinical (there are no laboratory abnormalities) and the physician must concentrate on pain and on its features. Additional symptoms (e.g., Raynaud's phenomenon, irritable bowel disease, and heat and cold intolerance) can be associated with this condition. A careful differential diagnosis is mandatory: fibromyalgia is not a diagnosis of exclusion. Since 1990, diagnosis has been principally based on the two major diagnostic criteria defined by the ACR. Recently, new criteria have been proposed. The main goals of the treatment are to alleviate pain, increase restorative sleep, and improve physical function. A multidisciplinary approach is optimal. While most nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids have limited benefit, an important role is played by antidepressants and neuromodulating antiepileptics: currently duloxetine (NNT for a 30% pain reduction 7.2), milnacipran (NNT 19), and pregabalin (NNT 8.6) are the only drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia. In addition, nonpharmacological treatments should be associated with drug therapy. PMID:23213512

  5. Ion beam diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strehl, P.

    1994-04-01

    This report is an introduction to ion beam diagnosis. After a short description of the most important ion beam parameters measurements of the beam current by means of Faraday cups, calorimetry, and beam current transformers and measurements of the beam profile by means of viewing screens, profile grids and scanning devices, and residual gas ionization monitors are described. Finally measurements in the transverse and longitudinal phase space are considered. (HSI)

  6. Diagnosis of Appendicitis with Left Lower Quadrant Pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sen-Kuang Hou

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Abdominal pain is one of the most common chief complaints of patients presenting to the emergency department and, among the diagnoses of abdominal pain, appendicitis is the most common surgical disorder. Traditionally, the diagnosis of appendicitis is based on well-established clinical criteria combined with physician experience. However, appendicitis presenting with rare and misleading left lower quadrant (LLQ pain may result in an initial false-negative diagnosis by the physician and even result in failure to order the subsidiary examination of computed tomography (CT or ultrasound, so increasing the risk of perforation/abscess formation and prolonged hospital stay. In this report, we present 2 cases of atypical appendicitis with LLQ pain where the correct diagnosis was not initially considered. One patient had right-sided appendicitis; the inflamed appendix was 12 cm in length and projected into the LLQ. Local peritonitis developed during observation. With the aid of CT, the diagnosis was established in time. The other patient had left-sided appendicitis with situs inversus totalis. Adverse outcomes with appendiceal rupture and abscess formation occurred due to inadvertent physical examinations and inadequate observation. Early clinical suspicion and adequate observation are indicated in patients with uncertain clinical features. However, in patients with unresolved clinical symptoms and/or local peritonitis that develop during observation, imaging studies play a significant role in preoperative diagnosis and determination of proper treatment.

  7. Spectroscopic Diagnosis of Arsenic Contamination in Agricultural Soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiezhu Shi

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the abilities of pre-processing, feature selection and machine-learning methods for the spectroscopic diagnosis of soil arsenic contamination. The spectral data were pre-processed by using Savitzky-Golay smoothing, first and second derivatives, multiplicative scatter correction, standard normal variate, and mean centering. Principle component analysis (PCA and the RELIEF algorithm were used to extract spectral features. Machine-learning methods, including random forests (RF, artificial neural network (ANN, radial basis function- and linear function- based support vector machine (RBF- and LF-SVM were employed for establishing diagnosis models. The model accuracies were evaluated and compared by using overall accuracies (OAs. The statistical significance of the difference between models was evaluated by using McNemar’s test (Z value. The results showed that the OAs varied with the different combinations of pre-processing, feature selection, and classification methods. Feature selection methods could improve the modeling efficiencies and diagnosis accuracies, and RELIEF often outperformed PCA. The optimal models established by RF (OA = 86%, ANN (OA = 89%, RBF- (OA = 89% and LF-SVM (OA = 87% had no statistical difference in diagnosis accuracies (Z < 1.96, p < 0.05. These results indicated that it was feasible to diagnose soil arsenic contamination using reflectance spectroscopy. The appropriate combination of multivariate methods was important to improve diagnosis accuracies.

  8. Magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of Fournier's gangrene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kickuth, R.; Adams, S.; Kirchner, J.; Simon, S.; Liermann, D.; Pastor, J.

    2001-01-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound are the imaging modalities recommended in the early diagnosis of Fournier's gangrene. Because of the high mortality of this inflammatory disease early diagnosis is essential to initiate adequate surgical and medical treatment. In the clinical literature only a handful of cases, in which diagnosis of Fournier's gangrene is based on MRI findings, have been reported; therefore, we report another case which shows the ability of MRI especially to determine the point of origin and extension of disease. (orig.)

  9. Diagnosis of cerebral disorders using computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitamura, Koichi

    1980-01-01

    Computed tomography (CT), which makes differential diagnosis of cerebral disorders possible, was applied in the diagnosis of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral thrombosis, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and cerebrovascular Moyamoya disease. CT findings of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage showed the localization, volume, and direction of hematoma, and the classification of hematoma according to CT findings was highly correlated to the clinical symptoms of the patients. CT findings of cerebral thrombosis showed the extension of the lesion to be a low density area, but there were many cases in which they did not show a low density area immediately after an attack. CT findings of subarachnoid hemorrhage were very useful in the diagnosis of intracerebral hematoma, ventricular hematoma, and intracranial hematoma secondary to this disease. However, it was very difficult to diagnose cerebrovascular Moyamoya disease by means of CT. (Nishio, M.)

  10. Early breast cancer: diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Meade, Elizabeth

    2013-01-11

    Breast cancer is the most common female cancer and globally remains a major public health concern. The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer continues to develop. Diagnosis is now more precise, surgery is less mutilating and women now have the option of breast conserving therapy with better cosmesis, and without sacrificing survival. Radiotherapy is more targeted and the selection of patients for adjuvant chemotherapy is based not only on prognostic and predictive factors, but also on newer molecular profiling that will ensure that chemotherapy is given to the patients who need and respond to it. These developments all provide a more tailored approach to the treatment of breast cancer. Management now involves a multidisciplinary team approach in order to provide the highest standard of care for patients throughout their cancer journey from diagnosis through treatment and into follow-up care.

  11. Performance based fault diagnosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Niemann, Hans Henrik

    2002-01-01

    Different aspects of fault detection and fault isolation in closed-loop systems are considered. It is shown that using the standard setup known from feedback control, it is possible to formulate fault diagnosis problems based on a performance index in this general standard setup. It is also shown...

  12. Diagnosis of cystic fibrosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    H.J. Veeze

    1995-01-01

    textabstractApplying the sweat-test as the first choice of test when a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis is suspected is still common practice and advisable. Since the cloning of the CFTR gene more than 400 different cystic fibrosis (CF) mutations have already been identified. The use of CF mutation

  13. Model-Based Methods for Fault Diagnosis: Some Guide-Lines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Patton, R.J.; Chen, J.; Nielsen, S.B.

    1995-01-01

    This paper provides a review of model-based fault diagnosis techniques. Starting from basic principles, the properties.......This paper provides a review of model-based fault diagnosis techniques. Starting from basic principles, the properties....

  14. Can Biomarkers Help the Early Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease?

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Weidong Le; Jie Dong; Song Li; Amos D.Korczyn

    2017-01-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease with progressive loss of dopamine neurons.PD patients usually manifest a series of motor and non-motor symptoms.In order to provide better early diagnosis and subsequent disease-modifying therapies for PD patients,there is an urgent need to identify sensitive and specific biomarkers.Biomarkers can be divided into four categories:clinical,imaging,biochemical,and genetic.Ideal biomarkers not only improve our understanding of PD pathogenesis and progression,but also provide benefits for early risk evaluation and clinical diagnosis of PD.Although many efforts have been made and several biomarkers have been extensively investigated,few if any have been found useful for early diagnosis.Here,we summarize recent developments in the discovered biomarkers of PD and discuss their merits and limitations for the early diagnosis of PD.

  15. Role of diagnostic laparoscopy in chronic abdominal conditions with uncertain diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amandeep S Nar

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Laparoscopy has proved to be an important tool in the minimally invasive exploration of selected patients with chronic abdominal disorders, whose diagnosis remains uncertain, despite exploring the requisite laboratory and imaging investigations like ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT scan, and the like. Materials and Methods: Diagnostic Laparoscopy was conducted on 120 patients, admitted to the Departments of Surgery and Gynecology, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, with an uncertain diagnosis after four weeks of onset of symptoms. Conclusion: With laparoscopy providing tissue diagnosis, and helping to achieve the final diagnosis without any significant complication and less operative time, it can be safely concluded that diagnostic laparoscopy is a safe, quick, and effective adjunct to non-surgical diagnostic modalities, for establishing a conclusive diagnosis, but whether it will replace imaging studies as a primary modality for diagnosis needs more evidence.

  16. A Survey of a Remote Diagnosis Center for Nuclear Power Plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Yoo Rark; Lee, Jae Cheol; Kim, Jae Hee

    2005-01-01

    Methodologies for remote diagnosis have been developed and applied to medical care and lots of industrial fields. Modern science technologies such as a fast network, high computing power, sensing technology and advanced robot engineering make it possible to diagnose remote targets. Nuclear power plant(NPP) has highly connected network enabling systems. The systems (accumulated data analysis systems, alarm systems, main control panel, NPP database systems and so on) are connected with each other through a network. But remote diagnosis researches for a NPP have been developed individually. Efficient monitoring power, convenient management and a costcutting of the diagnosis will be provided through integration of the remote diagnosis technologies. The result of the integration can be represented as a remote diagnosis center. We propose an architecture of the remote diagnosis center for a NPP in this paper

  17. Environmental diagnosis of the washing machine motor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Erichsen, Hanne K. Linnet

    1997-01-01

    An environmental diagnosis of the washing machine focusing on the motor is performed. The goal of the diagnosis is to designate environmental focus points in the product. The LCA of the washing machine showed impact potentials from the life cycle of the product (see: LCA of a washing machine). Th...... up 2%, Manually disassembling and recycling of metals, Reuse of motor in a new washing machine, aluminium wire instead of copper wire in the motor....

  18. Delayed radiographic diagnosis of osteoid osteoma in the lumbar spine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Louis-Ugbo, J.; Reddy, A.S.; Heller, J.G.

    1998-01-01

    Study design: Case report and literature review. Objectives: Describe a case of delayed diagnosis of osteoid osteoma of the spine due to misinterpretation of initial imaging studies within two months of onset of pain, and discuss the relevant imaging characteristics and their pitfalls. Summary of background data. Several cases of delayed diagnosis have been previously reported. Only one false negative bone scan has been reported; however other imaging modalities established the diagnosis. In our patient, all of the imaging modalities were initially interpreted as negative hence the delay in diagnosis. Methods: History, physical examination and imaging studies (x-rays, bone scan, MRI) of the patient were employed to evaluate the differential diagnosis of low back pain and sciatica in a 16 yr old. Repeat bone scan and CT scan were done six months after onset of symptoms because of persistent clinical suspicion of osteoid osteoma. Results: The repeat bone scan and CT scan confirmed-the diagnosis missed, during the first round of imaging. An osteoid osteoma of the L5 pedicle was removed without incident. Conclusion: Technetium bone scans remain the main stay of early diagnosis of osteoid osteoma when plain films and other imaging modalities are normal. However, when faced with persistent unexplained musculoskeletal pain in an adolescent, further follow-up and diagnostic efforts are indicated; possibly repeating a bone scan if initially interpreted as negative. (author)

  19. Usefulness of CT in the diagnosis and management of acute abdomen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Takuya; Matsumoto, Junichi; Funakubo, Masakatsu; Yamashita, Hirotaka; Ehara, Norishige; Minowa, Yoshiyuki; Nakajima, Yasuo

    2010-01-01

    We prospectively evaluated the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis and management of acute abdomen. Ninety-four patients with acute abdomen were enrolled. We compared the final diagnosis and management CT diagnosis and management. Then, we evaluated how many of the CT examinations were useful and the degree to which they were useful. In more than 90% of cases, CT was very useful for the diagnosis and management of acute abdomen. (author)

  20. Serological diagnosis of toxoplasmosis and standardization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Kuo; Lin, Guigao; Han, Yanxi; Li, Jinming

    2016-10-01

    Humans can be infected by the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis, a common parasitic disease. Although the infection is generally asymptomatic for most adults, severe complications may occur in some individuals, especially women in early pregnancy. Serologic diagnosis is used as a routine practice to determine the immune status for infection by T. gondii. In this review, we attempt to provide an overview of the serological diagnosis of toxoplasmosis, including diagnostic strategy, current problems in detection with specific antibodies, and the standardization of T. gondii serological detection. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Sigmoid volvulus. Diagnosis and interdisciplinary treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schoen, G.; Offer, C.; Glaser, K.

    1991-01-01

    Sigmoid volvolus is an emergency which requires rapid diagnosis and immediate adequate treatment. Diagnosis is primarily radiological. Emergency laparotomy carries a high mortality and should therefore not be the immediate treatment. In our opinion, detorsion by colonoscopy under radiological control is a promising form of treatment. Selective resection of the sigmoid, thereby removing the cause of the abnormality, should not be forgotten, since this prevents recurrences. For this method, mortality after adequate gut preparation is only 5.4%. An exception to the above is gangrene of the bowel, when an emergency laparotomy cannot be avoided. (orig.) [de

  2. Radiological diagnosis of skeletal tuberculosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Numberger, J.

    1982-01-01

    The general X-ray-symptoms follow one another or appear at the same time: Swelling of soft tissues by fungus; toxic perifocal and sometimes parafocal osteoporosis; osteolysis by specific granulation tissues; destruction of adjacent discs and articulation cartilages; formation of sequesters; cold abscess and formation of fistulas because of perforation of the corticalis by liquified tuberculous tissue; bone compression and deformation; amorphous calcifications; perifocal osteosclerosis as a repairing process. The spondylitis tuberculosis is the most frequent form with about 50%; usually narrowing of the discspace is the earliest X-ray-finding. On the second and third place follow the tuberculosis of the hip- and the knee-joint, the rest shows up at other locations of red bone marrow. Very often the perifocal osteoporosis is the earliest X-ray-symptom of joint tuberculosis. All X-ray-findings, even the earliest, in reality are late symptoms, because at that time the disease exists at least some months. Radiologically only the differential diagnosis can be made, final diagnosis is established by histologic examination only. Because the course of untreated skeletal tuberculosis usually is chronic and destructive and, on the other hand early antituberculous chemotherapy as well as surgical treatment show excellent results early radiological suggestion of tuberculosis is of great importance for initiating other diagnostic procedures to establish the diagnosis. (orig./MG) [de

  3. High yield of culture-based diagnosis in a TB-endemic setting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Demers, Anne-Marie; Verver, Suzanne; Boulle, Andrew; Warren, Robin; van Helden, Paul; Behr, Marcel A.; Coetzee, David

    2012-01-01

    Background: In most of the world, microbiologic diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is limited to microscopy. Recent guidelines recommend culture-based diagnosis where feasible. Methods: In order to evaluate the relative and absolute incremental diagnostic yield of culture-based diagnosis in a

  4. Magnetic resonance imaging for early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uhl, M.; Allmann, K.H.; Hauer, M.P.; Laubenberger, J.; Kempis, J. v.; Langer, M.

    1997-01-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance tomography (MRI) represents essential progress in the diagnostic means for evaluation of lesions of the muskuloskeletal system. The imaging of bone joints including material and structures like cartilage, tendons, ligaments, effusions, pannus, cortical bone and marrow offers essential advantages for diagnosis, differential diagnosis, follow-up control and detection of local complications in rheumatics radiology. The review article discusses the achievements of MRI for detection of early signs of rheumatoid arthritis and the current indications for MRI examination for early diagnosis. (Orig./AJ) [de

  5. Expert systems for real-time monitoring and fault diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, S. J.; Caglayan, A. K.

    1989-01-01

    Methods for building real-time onboard expert systems were investigated, and the use of expert systems technology was demonstrated in improving the performance of current real-time onboard monitoring and fault diagnosis applications. The potential applications of the proposed research include an expert system environment allowing the integration of expert systems into conventional time-critical application solutions, a grammar for describing the discrete event behavior of monitoring and fault diagnosis systems, and their applications to new real-time hardware fault diagnosis and monitoring systems for aircraft.

  6. FDG PET in the diagnosis of meningeal carcinomatosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guan, Y. H.; Zuo, C.T.; Zhao, J.; Hua, F.C.; Lin, X.T.

    2002-01-01

    Objective: Meningeal involvement is frequent in metastatic lymphoma, leukemia, and other metastatic tumor. Functional signs may be misleading and the neurological examination may be normal or non-specific. Certain diagnosis requires identification of tumor cells in the cerebrospinal fluid. CSF cytology is however sometimes negative and MRI maybe help in providing the diagnosis. The aim of our retrospective study was to assess the role of FDG PET in the diagnosis of meningeal carcinomatosis. Patients and Methods: The diagnosis of meningeal carcinomatosis was made in 5 patients between 1999 and 2001. Two of the patients were suffer from lymphoma, two were lung cancer patients, and another was a breast cancer patient. Cytology examination of the cerebrospinal fluid provided the diagnosis of meningeal carcinomatosis in these 5 patients. All the patients had signs of neurological function impairment, but the neurological examination cannot demonstrate the site of lesions. Therefore, All the patients had MRI examination, but only 1 case was diagnosis correctly (the MRI showing meningeal enhancement). 3 patients' MRI results show normal .Another MRI was suspicious of ischemic change. Results: A brain FDG PET using an ECAT HR + PET examined all the 5 patients. All the FDG PET results show the hypermetabolic foci respectively. The foci were diffused on the brain meninges. Their size is bigger than the foci detected by MRI . 3 of the patients repeated the FDG PET scan after treatment (chemotherapy and radiotherapy). The therapeutic effect can be reflecting by FDG PET (the foci dismissed as the neurological symptoms disappeared), although the simultaneity MRI shows no change before and after treatment. Conclusion: 5 patients proven meningeal carcinomatosis FDG PET has better sensitivity than brain MRI scans and other anatomic modality. The patients who suffer from metastatic lymphoma, leukemia, and other metastatic tumor with nonspecific neurological signs should be explored

  7. [Closed needle-biopsy in the diagnosis of neoplasms].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sforza, M; Perelli Ercolini, M; Beani, G

    1979-04-01

    The AA. demonstrate with this communication the validity of the needle biopsie for the diagnosis of neoplasms. They had used it for the breast, thyroid, flg and some other superficial tumefactions. In the mass-screening for the feminine neoplasms the clinical examination and the needle biopsy are very good method for a careful diagnosis.

  8. Diagnosis of bilateral adrenocortical hemorrhage by computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, L.; Haskin, M.E.; Rose, L.I.; Bemis, C.E.

    1982-01-01

    Adrenocortical hemorrhage has been diagnosed on the basis of the clinical presentation and response to steroids or autopsy findings. Prompt recognition of the disease has been difficult because of its similarity to other disorders. We report the diagnosis of a bilateral adrenocortical hemorrhage by computed tomography (CT), followed by biochemical confirmation of the diagnosis

  9. Problems of diagnosis and treatment of echinococcosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Тунзала Али кызы Велиева

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The lack of specificity of clinical and laboratory manifestations of echinococcosis allocates to the fore diagnostic tool methods of research, which are at present leading in identifying the disease.The widespread introduction into clinical practice of modern highly informative instrumental methods such as ultrasonography (US and computed tomography (CT, significantly improved the early detection of liver echinococcosis. In conjunction with the serological reactions to echinococcosis they allow in most cases the diagnosis of the disease. However, false-negative results of serological tests in more than 10–20 % of the patients and the difficulty of differential diagnosis with small brush size and "pseudotumoral" forms of ultrasound often lead to delayed diagnosis, and thus to a deterioration of treatment results. Moreover, failure to identify at an early stage of echinococcosis virtually eliminates the possibility of conservative treatment of echinococcosis without performing surgery.It is given the profound immune disorders in patients with echinococcosis, treatment should be complex and along with the surgical removal of hydatid cyst should be included in it and biostimulating. Immunocorrecting lechebnye event. Recent require further development.Methods. The work is based on an analysis of 25 cases operated on echinococcosis in the period from January 2013 to December 2014. To confirm the diagnosis using tools (ultrasound, computed tomography, X-ray, serology (detection of antibodies to echinococcus ELISA, histological (after removal of cysts methods. The data are processed by the method of variation statistics.Results. An analysis of 25 cases of echinococcosis showed that among the 15 cases dominated by women (60 % versus 10 (40 % men. Treatment – removal of cysts of 25 patients with echinococcosis is made surgically. Among the analyzed cases in 6 (20.4 % patients had the relapsing form of the disease. The factors leading to relapse of the

  10. The role of fluorescence diagnosis in clinical practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sieroń A

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Aleksander Sieroń,1 Karolina Sieroń-Stołtny,1 Aleksandra Kawczyk-Krupka,1 Wojciech Latos,1 Sebastian Kwiatek,1 Dariusz Straszak,1 Andrzej M Bugaj1,2 1Clinical Department of Internal Diseases, Angiology and Physical Medicine, Center for Laser Diagnostics and Therapy, Silesian Medical University, Bytom, 2College of Health, Beauty Care and Education, Poznan, Poland Abstract: Fluorescence diagnosis is a fast, easy, noninvasive, selective, and sensitive diagnostic tool for estimation of treatment results in oncology. In clinical practice the use of photodynamic diagnosis is focused on five targets: detection for prevention of malignant transformation precancerous changes, detection of neoplasmatic tissue in the early stages for fast removal, prevention of expansion and detection of recurrence of the cancer, monitoring therapy, and the possibility of excluding neoplasmatic disease. In this article, selected applications of fluorescence diagnosis at the Center for Laser Diagnostics and Therapy in Bytom, Poland, for each of these targets are presented. Keywords: autofluorescence, cancer, fluorescence, imaging, photodynamic diagnosis, photodynamic therapy 

  11. Ultrasound diagnosis of lower limb deep venous thrombosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fletcher, J P; Kershaw, L Z; Barker, D S; Koutts, J; Varnava, A

    1990-10-15

    Venous ultrasound imaging was compared with ascending contrast venography for the diagnosis of suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the femoral, popliteal and calf vein segments of 44 limbs in 44 patients. One femoral and one calf vein segment could not be imaged (1.5% of the segments examined), but during the same period venography failed in six patients because of an inability to cannulate a swollen limb. Ultrasound imaging compared with venography as a means of diagnosing DVT showed an overall sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 92%. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound imaging for the diagnosis of both femoral and popliteal vein thromboses were 100% and 97%, respectively, and for calf vein thrombosis were 85% and 83%, respectively. This study supports the recommendation that ultrasound imaging is now the investigation of choice for the diagnosis of DVT provided that the scan is performed by an experienced vascular technologist. Ultrasound imaging may also define other pathological conditions presenting in the differential diagnosis of DVT, such as superficial thrombophlebitis and Baker's cyst.

  12. Two-step Raman spectroscopy method for tumor diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakharov, V. P.; Bratchenko, I. A.; Kozlov, S. V.; Moryatov, A. A.; Myakinin, O. O.; Artemyev, D. N.

    2014-05-01

    Two-step Raman spectroscopy phase method was proposed for differential diagnosis of malignant tumor in skin and lung tissue. It includes detection of malignant tumor in healthy tissue on first step with identification of concrete cancer type on the second step. Proposed phase method analyze spectral intensity alteration in 1300-1340 and 1640-1680 cm-1 Raman bands in relation to the intensity of the 1450 cm-1 band on first step, and relative differences between RS intensities for tumor area and healthy skin closely adjacent to the lesion on the second step. It was tested more than 40 ex vivo samples of lung tissue and more than 50 in vivo skin tumors. Linear Discriminant Analysis, Quadratic Discriminant Analysis and Support Vector Machine were used for tumors type classification on phase planes. It is shown that two-step phase method allows to reach 88.9% sensitivity and 87.8% specificity for malignant melanoma diagnosis (skin cancer); 100% sensitivity and 81.5% specificity for adenocarcinoma diagnosis (lung cancer); 90.9% sensitivity and 77.8% specificity for squamous cell carcinoma diagnosis (lung cancer).

  13. Sensor fault diagnosis of aero-engine based on divided flight status

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Zhen; Zhang, Jun; Sun, Yigang; Liu, Zhexu

    2017-11-01

    Fault diagnosis and safety analysis of an aero-engine have attracted more and more attention in modern society, whose safety directly affects the flight safety of an aircraft. In this paper, the problem concerning sensor fault diagnosis is investigated for an aero-engine during the whole flight process. Considering that the aero-engine is always working in different status through the whole flight process, a flight status division-based sensor fault diagnosis method is presented to improve fault diagnosis precision for the aero-engine. First, aero-engine status is partitioned according to normal sensor data during the whole flight process through the clustering algorithm. Based on that, a diagnosis model is built for each status using the principal component analysis algorithm. Finally, the sensors are monitored using the built diagnosis models by identifying the aero-engine status. The simulation result illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  14. Sensor fault diagnosis of aero-engine based on divided flight status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Zhen; Zhang, Jun; Sun, Yigang; Liu, Zhexu

    2017-11-01

    Fault diagnosis and safety analysis of an aero-engine have attracted more and more attention in modern society, whose safety directly affects the flight safety of an aircraft. In this paper, the problem concerning sensor fault diagnosis is investigated for an aero-engine during the whole flight process. Considering that the aero-engine is always working in different status through the whole flight process, a flight status division-based sensor fault diagnosis method is presented to improve fault diagnosis precision for the aero-engine. First, aero-engine status is partitioned according to normal sensor data during the whole flight process through the clustering algorithm. Based on that, a diagnosis model is built for each status using the principal component analysis algorithm. Finally, the sensors are monitored using the built diagnosis models by identifying the aero-engine status. The simulation result illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  15. Continuation of lithium after a diagnosis of chronic kidney disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kessing, L V; Feldt-Rasmussen, B; Andersen, P K

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether continued lithium or anticonvulsant treatment after a first diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was associated with progression to irreversible end-stage kidney disease. METHODS: Nationwide cohort study including all individuals in Denmark in a period from...... 1995 to 2012 with a diagnosis of CKD and (i) a history of lithium treatment (N = 754, among whom 238 patients had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder) or (ii) a history of anticonvulsant treatment (N = 5.004, among whom 199 patients had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder). End-stage CKD was defined as chronic...... dialysis or renal transplantation. RESULTS: Continuing lithium (HR = 0.58 (95% CI: 0.37-0.90) and continuing anticonvulsants (HR = 0.53 (95% CI: 0.44-0.64) were associated with decreased rates of end-stage CKD. In the subcohorts of patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, continuing lithium...

  16. IMAGING AS AN AID TO THE DIAGNOSIS OF ACUTE APPENDICITIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lionel I Wijesuriya

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Acute appendicitis has been known as a disease entity for well over a century but a confident diagnosis before surgeryin all patients suspected of the condition is still not possible. Timely diagnosis is essential to minimise morbidity due topossible perforation of the inflamed organ in the event treatment is delayed; so much so that surgeons often preferredto operate at the slightest suspicion of the diagnosis in the past. This resulted in the removal of many normal appendixes.When the diagnosis of appendicitis is clear from the history and clinical examination, then no further investigation isnecessary and prompt surgical treatment is appropriate. Where there is doubt about the diagnosis however it is advisableto resort to imaging studies such as abdominal ultrasound or computed tomography to clear such suspicions beforesubjecting the patient to an appendicectomy. These studies would also help avoid delays in surgery in deservingpatients.

  17. Case management of malaria: Diagnosis

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    triggering control programme action, and detecting gametocyte carriers, who may ... clinical malaria does not generally apply to local-born populations, although it ... deficiencies in the quality of malaria diagnosis in routine laboratories. Quality ...

  18. Development of Plant Control Diagnosis Technology and Increasing Its Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kugemoto, Hidekazu; Yoshimura, Satoshi; Hashizume, Satoru; Kageyama, Takashi; Yamamoto, Toru

    A plant control diagnosis technology was developed to improve the performance of plant-wide control and maintain high productivity of plants. The control performance diagnosis system containing this technology picks out the poor performance loop, analyzes the cause, and outputs the result on the Web page. Meanwhile, the PID tuning tool is used to tune extracted loops from the control performance diagnosis system. It has an advantage of tuning safely without process changes. These systems are powerful tools to do Kaizen (continuous improvement efforts) step by step, coordinating with the operator. This paper describes a practical technique regarding the diagnosis system and its industrial applications.

  19. Osteomyelitis diagnosis by {sup 99m}Tc radiolabeled aptamers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santos, S.R.; Ferreira, I.M.; Andrade, A.S.R., E-mail: sararoberta7@hotmail.com, E-mail: imendesf@yahoo.com.br, E-mail: antero@cdtn.br [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Barros, A.L.B.; Cardoso, V.N.; Diniz, O.F., E-mail: brancodebarros@yahoo.com.br, E-mail: valbertcardoso@yahoo.com.br, E-mail: simoneodilia@yahoo.com.br [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Faculdade de Farmacia. Departamento de Analises Clinicas e Toxicologicas

    2015-07-01

    Osteomyelitis, which is characterized by progressive inflammatory destruction and new opposition of bone, is still a difficult infection to treat. The clinical diagnosis in late stages is achieved easily, but an early diagnosis is more challenging. Staphylococcus aureus is a common agent found in osteomyelitis and bone prostheses infection. Diagnosis by scintigraphy has advantages because it is a non-invasive procedure and is able to perform an early diagnosis even before anatomic changes. Thus, nuclear medicine could contribute to an accurate diagnosis since specific radiopharmaceuticals were developed. In this study, aptamers selected to Staphylococcus aureus were labeled with {sup 99m}Tc and used for bacteria identification in an osteomyelitis experimental model. The aptamers selected to S. aureus were directly labelled with {sup 99m}Tc and were evaluated by biodistribution studies. Wistar rats with intraosseous infection in the right paw were used. A random aptamer labelled with {sup 99m}Tc was as control. Six animals were used in each group. The aptamers labeled with {sup 99m}Tc were able to identify the infection foci caused by S. aureus displaying a target/non-target ratio of 2,23 ± 0,20, after 3 h. The control group presented a target/non-target ratio 1,08 ± 0.23. The results indicated that the radiolabeled aptamers were able to identify specifically the infection foci and they should be further explored for infection diagnosis by scintigraphy. (author)

  20. Does registration of serial MRI improve diagnosis of dementia?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnes, Josephine; Kennedy, Jonathan; Barker, Suzie; Lehmann, Manja; Nordstrom, R.C.; Smith, Joseph R.; Rossor, Martin N.; Fox, Nick C.; Mitchell, L.A.; Bastos-Leite, Antonio J.; Frost, Chris; Garde, Ellen

    2010-01-01

    We aimed to assess the value of a second MR scan in the radiological diagnosis of dementia. One hundred twenty subjects with clinical follow-up of at least 1 year with two scans were selected from a cognitive disorders clinic. Scans were reviewed as a single first scan (method A), two unregistered scans presented side-by-side (method B) and a registered pair (method C). Scans were presented to two neuroradiologists and a clinician together with approximate scan interval (if applicable) and age. Raters decided on a main and subtype diagnosis. There was no evidence that differences between methods (expressed as relative odds of a correct response) differed between reviewers (p = 0.17 for degenerative condition or not, p = 0.5 for main diagnosis, p = 0.16 for subtype). Accordingly, results were pooled over reviewers. For distinguishing normal/non-progressors from degenerative conditions, the proportions correctly diagnosed were higher with methods B and C than with A (p = 0.001, both tests). The difference between method B and C was not statistically significant (p = 0.18). For main diagnosis, the proportion of correct diagnoses were highest with method C for all three reviewers; however, this was not statistically significant comparing with method A (p = 0.23) or with method B (p = 0.16). For subtype diagnosis, there was some evidence that method C was better than method A (p = 0.01) and B (p = 0.048). Serial MRI and registration may improve visual diagnosis in dementia. (orig.)

  1. Diagnosis and treatment of abnormal dental pain

    OpenAIRE

    Fukuda, Ken-ichi

    2016-01-01

    Most dental pain is caused by an organic problem such as dental caries, periodontitis, pulpitis, or trauma. Diagnosis and treatment of these symptoms are relatively straightforward. However, patients often also complain of abnormal dental pain that has a non-dental origin, whose diagnosis is challenging. Such abnormal dental pain can be categorized on the basis of its cause as referred pain, neuromodulatory pain, and neuropathic pain. When it is difficult to diagnose a patient's dental pain, ...

  2. Single cell enzyme diagnosis on the chip

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Sissel Juul; Harmsen, Charlotte; Nielsen, Mette Juul

    2013-01-01

    Conventional diagnosis based on ensemble measurements often overlooks the variation among cells. Here, we present a droplet-microfluidics based platform to investigate single cell activities. Adopting a previously developed isothermal rolling circle amplification-based assay, we demonstrate...... detection of enzymatic activities down to the single cell level with small quantities of biological samples, which outcompetes existing techniques. Such a system, capable of resolving single cell activities, will ultimately have clinical applications in diagnosis, prediction of drug response and treatment...

  3. Reflection in Medical Diagnosis: A Literature Review

    OpenAIRE

    Mamede, Silvia; Schmidt, Henk G.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: Reflection in medical diagnosis has been said to prevent errors by minimizing flaws in clinical reasoning. This claim, however, has been much disputed. While some studies show reflective reasoning to improve diagnostic performance, others find it to add nothing. This paper presents a narrative review of the literature on reflection in medical diagnosis aimed at addressing two questions: (1) how reflective reasoning has been conceived in this literature; and (2) what is the effect of ...

  4. Preimplantation diagnosis of genetic diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adiga S

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available One of the landmarks in clinical genetics is prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders. The recent advances in the field have made it possible to diagnose the genetic conditions in the embryos before implantation in a setting of in vitro fertilization. Polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization are the two common techniques employed on a single or two cells obtained via embryo biopsy. The couple who seek in vitro fertilization may screen their embryos for aneuploidy and the couple at risk for a monogenic disorder but averse to abortion of the affected fetuses after prenatal diagnosis, are likely to be the best candidates to undergo this procedure. This article reviews the technique, indications, benefits, and limitations of pre-implantation genetic testing in clinical practice.

  5. [Diagnosis and surgical operation for fourth branchial cleft anomalies].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Ting; Hua, Qingquan

    2011-11-01

    To explore diagnosis and surgical operation through analyzing clinical features of the fourth branchial cleft anomalies. Clinical materials of 10 patients with the fourth branchial cleft anomalies were retrospectively analyzed, and literatures were studied to explore the diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment methods of surgical operation; lesions of 10 patients were completely removed by surgical operation, and internal sinus was properly handled. All 10 cases were cured, no recurrence were observed during a follow-up of 1-3 years. 1 patient appeared low voice, and drinking cough, back to normality after 2 weeks; 1 patient appeared paralysis of left hypoglossal nerves, back to normality after 3 months. Recurrent deep neck abscess and chronic sinus infections of anterior area in the lower part of neck should be considered with the diagnosis of the fourth branchial cleft anomalies. Enhanced neck CT scan and barium sulfate meal examination aid to diagnosis, pathological examination can be confirmed. Complete surgical removal of lesions is an effective treatment of fourth branchial cleft anomalies, knowing of the courses of internal sinus and spread of infection, and use of principle of selective neck dissection is the key to ensure complete removal of lesions.

  6. An accident diagnosis algorithm using long short-term memory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaemin Yang

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Accident diagnosis is one of the complex tasks for nuclear power plant (NPP operators. In abnormal or emergency situations, the diagnostic activity of the NPP states is burdensome though necessary. Numerous computer-based methods and operator support systems have been suggested to address this problem. Among them, the recurrent neural network (RNN has performed well at analyzing time series data. This study proposes an algorithm for accident diagnosis using long short-term memory (LSTM, which is a kind of RNN, which improves the limitation for time reflection. The algorithm consists of preprocessing, the LSTM network, and postprocessing. In the LSTM-based algorithm, preprocessed input variables are calculated to output the accident diagnosis results. The outputs are also postprocessed using softmax to determine the ranking of accident diagnosis results with probabilities. This algorithm was trained using a compact nuclear simulator for several accidents: a loss of coolant accident, a steam generator tube rupture, and a main steam line break. The trained algorithm was also tested to demonstrate the feasibility of diagnosing NPP accidents. Keywords: Accident Diagnosis, Long Short-term Memory, Recurrent Neural Network, Softmax

  7. Bearing Fault Diagnosis Based on Statistical Locally Linear Embedding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiang; Zheng, Yuan; Zhao, Zhenzhou; Wang, Jinping

    2015-07-06

    Fault diagnosis is essentially a kind of pattern recognition. The measured signal samples usually distribute on nonlinear low-dimensional manifolds embedded in the high-dimensional signal space, so how to implement feature extraction, dimensionality reduction and improve recognition performance is a crucial task. In this paper a novel machinery fault diagnosis approach based on a statistical locally linear embedding (S-LLE) algorithm which is an extension of LLE by exploiting the fault class label information is proposed. The fault diagnosis approach first extracts the intrinsic manifold features from the high-dimensional feature vectors which are obtained from vibration signals that feature extraction by time-domain, frequency-domain and empirical mode decomposition (EMD), and then translates the complex mode space into a salient low-dimensional feature space by the manifold learning algorithm S-LLE, which outperforms other feature reduction methods such as PCA, LDA and LLE. Finally in the feature reduction space pattern classification and fault diagnosis by classifier are carried out easily and rapidly. Rolling bearing fault signals are used to validate the proposed fault diagnosis approach. The results indicate that the proposed approach obviously improves the classification performance of fault pattern recognition and outperforms the other traditional approaches.

  8. Diagnosis and treatment of central diabetes insipidus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Pigarova

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Diabetes insipidus represents a serious disease that dramatically interferes with the everyday life of patients due to the need to constantly replenish of fluid lost in the urine, which comes amid shortage of synthesis, secretion or action of pituitary hormone vasopressin. The main difficulty is the differential diagnosis of types of diabetes insipidus in patients with the syndrome of polydipsia-polyuria as the correct differential diagnosis of these forms predetermine the safety and efficacy of further treatment. This lecture presents the current concepts of etiology, diagnosis and treatment of central diabetes insipidus (CDI. We give the comparative characteristics of various preparations of desmopressin for the treatment of the central form of the disease. We also consider the features of the management of selected patient populations with CDI: during pregnancy and lactation, pathology of the thirst sensation, after traumatic brain injury and neurosurgery.

  9. [Diagnosis and treatment characteristics of head-wind sha in She medicine].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, Guangyi; Xu, Xiangdong; Zheng, Songming; Yan, Lianhe; Lei, Houxing; Zhang, Qiao-ling; Xiang, Yingmei; Ye, Yiping; Song, Liwei

    2015-03-01

    The diagnosis and treatment characteristics of head-wind sha in She medicine were analyzed and summarized. By visiting She-nationality villages and towns in Zhejiang province and Fujian province and interviewing hundreds of doctors of She medicine, the sha diagnosis, sha differentiation, experience and theory of treatment were arranged, and a comprehensive summary on theory and application of head-wind sha in She medicine such as pathogeny, name of disease, mechanism, diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment was made. It is believed that the methods of diagnosis and treatment in She medicine for head-wind sha could effectively enhance curative effect, safety and patients' quality of life, and the further research should be carried out.

  10. A study on NMI report generation with computer aid diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Xiaona; Li Zhimin; Zhao Xiangjun; Qiu Jinping

    1994-01-01

    An expert system of intelligent diagnosis, computer aid diagnosis and computerized report generation and management for an nuclear medicine imaging (NMI) was performed. The mathematic model with finite set mapping for the diagnosis was evaluated. The clinical application shows, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of it was 85.7% ∼ 93.4% and 92% ∼ 95.6% respectively. Therefore, its application may be extended

  11. Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Clinical significance and future perspectives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buerger, K.; Teipel, S.J.; Hampel, H.

    2000-01-01

    Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease describes the recognition and diagnosis in patients with very mild dementia. Internationally accepted diagnostic criteria support the diagnosis based on clinical evaluation. Recent advances in structural and functional neuroimaging as well as studies on specific proteins in the cerebro-spinal fluid that are related to distinct pathophysiological disease processes are most promising approaches to defining biological markers of Alzheimer's disease. (orig.) [de

  12. Morbidity and risk of subsequent diagnosis of HIV

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Søgaard, Ole S; Lohse, Nicolai; Østergaard, Lars Jørgen

    2012-01-01

    Early identification of persons with undiagnosed HIV infection is an important health care issue. We examined associations between diseases diagnosed in hospitals and risk of subsequent HIV diagnosis.......Early identification of persons with undiagnosed HIV infection is an important health care issue. We examined associations between diseases diagnosed in hospitals and risk of subsequent HIV diagnosis....

  13. Computer modeling of lung cancer diagnosis-to-treatment process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ju, Feng; Lee, Hyo Kyung; Osarogiagbon, Raymond U; Yu, Xinhua; Faris, Nick; Li, Jingshan

    2015-08-01

    We introduce an example of a rigorous, quantitative method for quality improvement in lung cancer care-delivery. Computer process modeling methods are introduced for lung cancer diagnosis, staging and treatment selection process. Two types of process modeling techniques, discrete event simulation (DES) and analytical models, are briefly reviewed. Recent developments in DES are outlined and the necessary data and procedures to develop a DES model for lung cancer diagnosis, leading up to surgical treatment process are summarized. The analytical models include both Markov chain model and closed formulas. The Markov chain models with its application in healthcare are introduced and the approach to derive a lung cancer diagnosis process model is presented. Similarly, the procedure to derive closed formulas evaluating the diagnosis process performance is outlined. Finally, the pros and cons of these methods are discussed.

  14. A Structural Model Decomposition Framework for Hybrid Systems Diagnosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daigle, Matthew; Bregon, Anibal; Roychoudhury, Indranil

    2015-01-01

    Nowadays, a large number of practical systems in aerospace and industrial environments are best represented as hybrid systems that consist of discrete modes of behavior, each defined by a set of continuous dynamics. These hybrid dynamics make the on-line fault diagnosis task very challenging. In this work, we present a new modeling and diagnosis framework for hybrid systems. Models are composed from sets of user-defined components using a compositional modeling approach. Submodels for residual generation are then generated for a given mode, and reconfigured efficiently when the mode changes. Efficient reconfiguration is established by exploiting causality information within the hybrid system models. The submodels can then be used for fault diagnosis based on residual generation and analysis. We demonstrate the efficient causality reassignment, submodel reconfiguration, and residual generation for fault diagnosis using an electrical circuit case study.

  15. HYPERCORTISOLISM: CLASSIFICATION, PATHOGENESIS, CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS. DIAGNOSIS OF ENDOGENOUS HYPERCORTISOLISM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikonova L. V.

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The relevance of the study of Cushing's syndrome with different etiology as well as the states of hypercorticism, which is not associated with endogenous hypercortisolism, is due to the difficulty of the diagnosis of this disease. Accurate knowledge of the classification criteria for the diagnosis of hypercorticism enables subsequently to establish the correct diagnosis and to administer the appropriate treatment. It was found that the cause of hypercorticism can be endogenous and exogenous factors. There is a particular group of patients requiring screening for hypercorticism using special diagnostic tests. Only a clear understanding of etiopathogenesis of hypercorticism and its clinical manifestations by the specialist, the correct interpretation of diagnostic results make it possible to establish the diagnosis, to administer the appropriate treatment and significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality of patients of this profile and improve their quality of life.

  16. All Roads Lead to Fault Diagnosis : Model-Based Reasoning with LYDIA

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Feldman, A.B.; Pietersma, J.; Van Gemund, A.J.C.

    2006-01-01

    Model-Based Reasoning (MBR) over qualitative models of complex, real-world systems has proven succesful for automated fault diagnosis, control, and repair. Expressing a system under diagnosis in a formal model and infering a diagnosis given observations are both challenging problems. In this paper

  17. Improving diagnosis for congenital cataract by introducing NGS genetic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Musleh, Mohammud; Ashworth, Jane; Black, Graeme; Hall, Georgina

    2016-01-01

    Childhood cataract (CC) has an incidence of 3.5 per 10,000 by age 15 years. Diagnosis of any underlying cause is important to ensure effective and prompt management of multisystem complications, to facilitate accurate genetic counselling and to streamline multidisciplinary care. Next generation sequencing (NGS) has been shown to be effective in providing an underlying diagnosis in 70% of patients with CC in a research setting. This project aimed to integrate NGS testing in CC within six months of presentation and increase the rate of diagnosis. A retrospective case note review was undertaken to define the baseline efficacy of current care in providing a precise diagnosis. Quality improvement methods were used to integrate and optimize NGS testing in clinical care and measure the improvements made. The percentage of children receiving an NGS result within six months increased from 26% to 71% during the project period. The mean time to NGS testing and receiving a report decreased and there was a reduction in variation over the study period. Several patients and families had a change in management or genetic counselling as a direct result of the diagnosis given by the NGS test. The current recommended investigation of patients with bilateral CC is ineffective in identifying a diagnosis. Quality Improvement methods have facilitated successful integration of NGS testing into clinical care, improving time to diagnosis and leading to development of a new care pathway.

  18. Diagnosis of Swimming Induced Pulmonary Edema—A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grünig, Hannes; Nikolaidis, Pantelis T.; Moon, Richard E.; Knechtle, Beat

    2017-01-01

    Swimming induced pulmonary edema (SIPE) is a complication that can occur during exercise with the possibility of misdiagnosis and can quickly become life threatening; however, medical literature infrequently describes SIPE. Therefore, the aim of this review was to analyse all individual cases diagnosed with SIPE as reported in scientific sources, with an emphasis on the diagnostic pathways and the key facts resulting in its diagnosis. Due to a multifactorial and complicated pathophysiology, the diagnosis could be difficult. Based on the actual literature, we try to point out important findings regarding history, conditions, clinical findings, and diagnostic testing helping to confirm the diagnosis of SIPE. Thirty-eight cases from seventeen articles reporting the diagnosis of SIPE were selected. We found remarkable differences in the individual described diagnostic pathways. A total of 100% of the cases suffered from an acute onset of breathing problems, occasionally accompanied by hemoptysis. A total of 73% showed initial hypoxemia. In most of the cases (89%), an initial chest X-Ray or chest CT was available, of which one-third (71%) showed radiological signs of pulmonary edema. The majority of the cases (82%) experienced a rapid resolution of symptoms within 48 h, the diagnostic hallmark of SIPE. Due to a foreseeable increase in participation in swimming competitions and endurance competitions with a swimming component, diagnosis of SIPE will be important, especially for medical teams caring for these athletes. PMID:28912730

  19. Explaining differences in age at autism spectrum disorder diagnosis: A critical review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniels, Amy M; Mandell, David S

    2016-01-01

    The diagnosis of autism is often delayed, which translates into a missed opportunity to provide treatment during a critical developmental period. This study reviews studies that assessed factors associated with age at autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and provides recommendations on future research, programs, and policies to improve early detection. A search for all peer-reviewed articles containing the words autism, age, and diagnosis in either the title or abstract was performed. A total of 42 studies published from January 1990 through March 2012 were identified. Mean age at diagnosis for all autism spectrum disorders ranged from 38 to 120 months and has decreased over time. Factors associated with earlier diagnosis included greater symptom severity, high socioeconomic status, and greater parental concern about initial symptoms. Family interactions with the health and education systems prior to diagnosis also influenced age at diagnosis. Geographic variation in age at autism spectrum disorder diagnosis was identified in a number of studies, suggesting that community resources and state policies play a role in early identification. Early detection efforts should include enhanced parental and provider education on the early recognition of developmental problems, interventions aimed at streamlining the process from first concern to eventual diagnosis, and strategies that target underserved populations. PMID:23787411

  20. Design of a fault diagnosis system for next generation nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, K.; Upadhyaya, B.R.; Wood, R.T.

    2004-01-01

    A new design approach for fault diagnosis is developed for next generation nuclear power plants. In the nuclear reactor design phase, data reconciliation is used as an efficient tool to determine the measurement requirements to achieve the specified goal of fault diagnosis. In the reactor operation phase, the plant measurements are collected to estimate uncertain model parameters so that a high fidelity model can be obtained for fault diagnosis. The proposed algorithm of fault detection and isolation is able to combine the strength of first principle model based fault diagnosis and the historical data based fault diagnosis. Principal component analysis on the reconciled data is used to develop a statistical model for fault detection. The updating of the principal component model based on the most recent reconciled data is a locally linearized model around the current plant measurements, so that it is applicable to any generic nonlinear systems. The sensor fault diagnosis and process fault diagnosis are decoupled through considering the process fault diagnosis as a parameter estimation problem. The developed approach has been applied to the IRIS helical coil steam generator system to monitor the operational performance of individual steam generators. This approach is general enough to design fault diagnosis systems for the next generation nuclear power plants. (authors)

  1. The diagnosis of tuberculosis in dialysis patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hela Jebali

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The incidence of tuberculosis (TB is high in patients undergoing chronic dialysis than it is in the general population. The diagnosis of TB is often difficult and extrapulmonary involvement is predominant. This study investigates the spectrum of clinical presentations and outcome in dialysis patients during a nine-year period. TB was diagnosed in 41 patients. Anti-TB drugs, adverse effects of therapy, and outcome were noted. Thirty-eight patients (92.6% were on hemodialysis and three were on peritoneal dialysis (7.3%. The mean age at diagnosis was 50.8 years and the male/female ratio was 1.16. Four patients had a history of pulmonary TB. Extrapulmonary involvement was observed in 32 (78 % patients. The bacteriological confirmation was made in 41.46% and histological confirmation was made in 26.83%, and in the rest, the diagnosis was retained on the criterion presumption. Nineteen patients (46.34% developed adverse effects of antitubercular drugs. Eight patients (19.51% died during the study from TB or adverse effects of treatment. Low urea reduction ratio and female sex were associated with poor prognosis in our study. The clinical manifestations of TB in patients on dialysis are quite nonspecific, making timely diagnosis difficult, and delaying the initiation of curative treatment, which is a major determinant of the outcome.

  2. An integrated diagnosis strategy for congenital myopathies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johann Böhm

    Full Text Available Congenital myopathies are severe muscle disorders affecting adults as well as children in all populations. The diagnosis of congenital myopathies is constrained by strong clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Moreover, the majority of patients present with unspecific histological features, precluding purposive molecular diagnosis and demonstrating the need for an alternative and more efficient diagnostic approach. We used exome sequencing complemented by histological and ultrastructural analysis of muscle biopsies to identify the causative mutations in eight patients with clinically different skeletal muscle pathologies, ranging from a fatal neonatal myopathy to a mild and slowly progressive myopathy with adult onset. We identified RYR1 (ryanodine receptor mutations in six patients and NEB (nebulin mutations in two patients. We found novel missense and nonsense mutations, unraveled small insertions/deletions and confirmed their impact on splicing and mRNA/protein stability. Histological and ultrastructural findings of the muscle biopsies of the patients validated the exome sequencing results. We provide the evidence that an integrated strategy combining exome sequencing with clinical and histopathological investigations overcomes the limitations of the individual approaches to allow a fast and efficient diagnosis, accelerating the patient's access to a better healthcare and disease management. This is of particular interest for the diagnosis of congenital myopathies, which involve very large genes like RYR1 and NEB as well as genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity.

  3. Deductive Error Diagnosis and Inductive Error Generalization for Intelligent Tutoring Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoppe, H. Ulrich

    1994-01-01

    Examines the deductive approach to error diagnosis for intelligent tutoring systems. Topics covered include the principles of the deductive approach to diagnosis; domain-specific heuristics to solve the problem of generalizing error patterns; and deductive diagnosis and the hypertext-based learning environment. (Contains 26 references.) (JLB)

  4. Contribution of magnetic resonance imaging to the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seidl, Z.; Obenberger, J.; Vitak, T.

    1996-01-01

    The potential of magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) was confirmed on 52 patients. In 25 patients, MS was diagnosed as highly probable, in additional 8 patients this diagnosis was suspected. MR imaging supported the diagnosis in 21 (95%) patients where this disease had been diagnosed as highly probable, and in 3 (38%) suspect patients. Lesions were found most frequently paraventricularly in the white matter of the brain, but also in the deep structures of the white matter of the temporal lobe and below the tentorium (in the cerebellum, pons and mesencephalon). No lesions were found in the optic nerve despite the frequent diagnosis of retrobulbar neuritis. Computerized tomography (CT) was performed in 14 patients; this technique only supported the diagnosis of MS in 3 patients, in all of whom this diagnosis had also been suggested by MR imaging. It is concluded that MR imaging can fully supersede CT as a tool for diagnosing multiple sclerosis. 3 figs., 10 refs

  5. Variations in dementia diagnosis in England and association with general practice characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Ian F; Lord, Paul A; Farragher, Tracey M

    2017-05-01

    Improving dementia diagnosis rates in England has been a key strategic aim of the UK Government but the variation and low diagnosis rates are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore the variation in actual versus expected diagnosis of dementia across England, and how these variations were associated with general practice characteristics. A cross-sectional, ecological study design using secondary data sources and median regression modelling was used. Data from the year 2011 for 7711 of the GP practices in England (92.7%). Associations of dementia diagnosis rates (%) per practice, calculated using National Health Service England's 'Dementia Prevalence Calculator' and various practice characteristics were explored using a regression model. The median dementia diagnosis rate was 41.6% and the interquartile range was 31.2-53.9%. Multivariable regression analysis demonstrated positive associations between dementia diagnosis rates and deprivation of the population, overall Quality and Outcomes Framework performance, type of primary care contract and size of practice list. Negative associations were found between dementia diagnosis rates and average experience of GPs in the practice and the proportion of the practice caseload over 65 years old. Dementia diagnosis rates vary greatly across GP practices in England. This study has found independent associations between dementia diagnosis rates and a number of patient and practice characteristics. Consideration of these factors locally may provide targets for case-finding interventions and so facilitate timely diagnosis.

  6. Diagnosis of acute appendicitis: Current criteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez Fernandez, Zenen

    2009-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: The aim of present paper was to identify some features related to preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis, according the selected variables, as well as to establish comparisons with findings from other authors. METHODS: We made a prospective, descriptive and observational study of 560 patients operated on and discharged with the histopathology diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Patients were seen in General Surgery Service of the 'Saturnino Lora' Teaching Provincial Hospital of Santiago de Cuba during year 2006. RESULTS: Among the more significant results were the predominance of young males with a mean age of 25,2 years, and the preponderance of the clinical diagnosis. Mean time of preoperative course was greater in men, and there was a predominance of gangrenous and perforated varieties, although the primacy was for the suppurative appendicitis. In the deceased ones the more severe pathologic histology ways were detected, and these were elderlies presenting with atypical clinical manifestations of disease. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical method has nowadays is of capital significance, since thorough it is possible early to diagnose this so common urgency, and to reduce the preoperative course time, whose length is cause of a unnecessary morbidity and mortality. (author)

  7. CT diagnosis of neuroblastoma in childhood

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Xin; Zhang Liqun; Yang Zhiyong

    1997-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate CT in the diagnosis of neuroblastoma in childhood. Materials and methods: Analysis of CT manifestations in 26 cases proved by operation and pathology, including neuroblastoma 21 cases, ganglioneuroblastoma 5 cases. Thorax 7 cases (27%), adrenal gland 16 cases (62%), abdomen-pelvis paravertebral sympathetic chain 3 cases (11%). Bolus injection of contrast medium was given in all cases. Results: Adrenal gland and posterior superior mediastinum were the most common sites for neuroblastoma. 73% of neuroblastoma had calcifications. Neuroblastoma was more commonly calcified than ganglioneuroblastoma. Metastases were also calcified. Degree of enhancement was associated with the type of neuroblastoma. Tumor extension into the spinal canal was seen in 2 cases. 43% neuroblastoma of adrenal directly invaded the kidney in 7 cases. Right lobe of liver was involved in 3 cases, metastases to liver in 1 case, enlargement of lymph nodes 19 cases. Approximately 68% of patients showed increase of urinary Vanilly-mandelic acid (VMA). Preoperative diagnostic accuracy was 92%. Conclusion: CT is recognized as a useful technique for the diagnosis of neuroblastoma. The site of predilection, calcification, lymph node metastases and VMA increase in urine or serum are important basis for diagnosis

  8. An Event-based Distributed Diagnosis Framework using Structural Model Decomposition

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Complex engineering systems require efficient on-line fault diagnosis methodologies to improve safety and reduce maintenance costs. Traditionally, diagnosis...

  9. Decision tree and PCA-based fault diagnosis of rotating machinery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Weixiang; Chen, Jin; Li, Jiaqing

    2007-04-01

    After analysing the flaws of conventional fault diagnosis methods, data mining technology is introduced to fault diagnosis field, and a new method based on C4.5 decision tree and principal component analysis (PCA) is proposed. In this method, PCA is used to reduce features after data collection, preprocessing and feature extraction. Then, C4.5 is trained by using the samples to generate a decision tree model with diagnosis knowledge. At last the tree model is used to make diagnosis analysis. To validate the method proposed, six kinds of running states (normal or without any defect, unbalance, rotor radial rub, oil whirl, shaft crack and a simultaneous state of unbalance and radial rub), are simulated on Bently Rotor Kit RK4 to test C4.5 and PCA-based method and back-propagation neural network (BPNN). The result shows that C4.5 and PCA-based diagnosis method has higher accuracy and needs less training time than BPNN.

  10. A Genetic-Neuro-Fuzzy inferential model for diagnosis of tuberculosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mumini Olatunji Omisore

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Tuberculosis is a social, re-emerging infectious disease with medical implications throughout the globe. Despite efforts, the coverage of tuberculosis disease (with HIV prevalence in Nigeria rose from 2.2% in 1991 to 22% in 2013 and the orthodox diagnosis methods available for Tuberculosis diagnosis were been faced with a number of challenges which can, if measure not taken, increase the spread rate; hence, there is a need for aid in diagnosis of the disease. This study proposes a technique for intelligent diagnosis of TB using Genetic-Neuro-Fuzzy Inferential method to provide a decision support platform that can assist medical practitioners in administering accurate, timely, and cost effective diagnosis of Tuberculosis. Performance evaluation observed, using a case study of 10 patients from St. Francis Catholic Hospital Okpara-In-Land (Delta State, Nigeria, shows sensitivity and accuracy results of 60% and 70% respectively which are within the acceptable range of predefined by domain experts.

  11. Functional Modelling for Fault Diagnosis and its application for NPP

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lind, Morten; Zhang, Xinxin

    2014-01-01

    The paper presents functional modelling and its application for diagnosis in nuclear power plants.Functional modelling is defined and it is relevance for coping with the complexity of diagnosis in large scale systems like nuclear plants is explained. The diagnosis task is analyzed and it is demon...... operating modes. The FBR example illustrates how the modeling development effort can be managed by proper strategies including decomposition and reuse....

  12. Molecular Diagnosis of Phytoplasmas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Marzachì

    2004-08-01

    Full Text Available Phytoplasmas are wall-less prokaryotes associated with diseases in numerous plant species worldwide. In nature they are transmitted by phloem-sucking insects. Yellowing, decline, witches’ broom, leaf curl, floral virescence and phyllody are the most conspicuous symptoms associated with phytoplasmas, although infections are sometimes asymptomatic. Since phytoplasmas cannot be cultured in vitro, molecular techniques are needed for their diagnosis and characterization. The titer of phytoplasma cells in the phloem of infected plants may vary according to the season and the plant species, and it is often very low in woody hosts. Different DNA extraction procedures have therefore been tried out to obtain phytoplasma DNA at a concentration and purity high enough for effective diagnosis. DNA/DNA hybridization methods were reported in the nineties to be appropriate for the detection of phytoplasmas, but at present PCR is considered the most suitable. Universal and group-specific primers have been designed on the rRNA operon of the phytoplasma genome and on plasmid sequences. RFLP analysis of the obtained amplicons has classified these pathogens into major 16Sr RNA groups. Group-specific primers have also been designed on other genomic sequences. PCR is a very sensitive technique, but due to the low titre of phytoplasmas a further increase in sensitivity may be required for accurate diagnosis. This is routinely obtained with a second round of PCR (nested PCR. The drawback of nested PCR is that there is a greater chance of obtaining false positives due to contamination. Many authors have therefore developed protocols based on hybridization (PCR/dot blot or serological approaches (PCR/ELISA to increase the sensitivity and specificity of the direct PCR, reducing the risks due to nested PCR. Real time PCR protocols may also improve the sensitivity and specificity of the direct PCR assay.

  13. Phocomelia: Case report and differential diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osadsky, Captain Rasto

    2011-01-01

    While rarely seen in the present-day Western world, phocomelia is not uncommon in underdeveloped countries. Phocomelia is an abnormality in which the limbs are not fully formed. It may be inherited as an autosomal recessive or dominant disorder. This case concerns a 12-year-old Afghan boy with multiple skeletal anomalies, most prominently of his right arm, including aplasia of the entire proximal humerus, hypoplasia of the clavicle and scapula, and absence of the radial ray and thumb. A hypoplastic left thumb was also present. Other anomalies included thoracic scoliosis, upper thoracic hemivertebrae, and mild cardiomegaly. The differential diagnosis and likely diagnosis are discussed.

  14. Diagnosis of wind turbine rotor system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Niemann, Hans Henrik; Mirzaei, Mahmood; Henriksen, Lars Christian

    2016-01-01

    is based on available standard sensors on wind turbines. The method can be used both on-line as well as off-line. Faults or changes in the rotor system will result in asymmetries, which can be monitored and diagnosed. This can be done by using the multi-blade coordinate transformation. Changes in the rotor......This paper describes a model free method for monitoring and fault diagnosis of the elements in a rotor system for a wind turbine. The diagnosis as well as the monitoring is done without using any model of the wind turbine and the applied controller or a description of the wind profile. The method...

  15. Parkinson's Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... of this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Parkinson's Disease Parkinson's Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment Past Issues / Winter 2014 ... live productive lives and maintain mobility. How is Parkinson's Diagnosed? There are no blood or laboratory tests ...

  16. Image diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niimi, Akiko; Ueno, Keiko; Isobe, Yoshinori; Hirayama, Akira

    1987-01-01

    3 cases of malignant mesothelioma confirmed by pathological examination were reported. CT showed solid mass with moderate enhancement by contrast medium. CT appears to be a very useful tool to make a diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma. (author)

  17. Water quality diagnosis system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagase, Makoto; Asakura, Yamato; Sakagami, Masaharu

    1989-01-01

    By using a model representing a relationship between the water quality parameter and the dose rate in primary coolant circuits of a water cooled reactor, forecasting for the feature dose rate and abnormality diagnosis for the water quality are conducted. The analysis model for forecasting the reactor water activity or the dose rate receives, as the input, estimated curves for the forecast Fe, Ni, Co concentration in feedwater or reactor water pH, etc. from the water quality data in the post and forecasts the future radioactivity or dose rate in the reactor water. By comparing the result of the forecast and the setting value such as an aimed value, it can be seen whether the water quality at present or estimated to be changed is satisfactory or not. If the quality is not satisfactory, it is possible to take an early countermeasure. Accordingly, the reactor water activity and the dose rate can be kept low. Further, the basic system constitution, diagnosis algorithm, indication, etc. are identical between BWR and PWR reactors, except for only the difference in the mass balance. (K.M.)

  18. The diagnosis and treatment of the gummy smile.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levine, R A; McGuire, M

    1997-08-01

    The diagnosis and treatment of the "gummy smile" (altered passive eruption, excessive gingival display) help the periodontist to provide the most beautiful smiles possible for patients. This article describes diagnosis, surgical planning, and case reports that show the benefits of treatment of this common clinical problem for the patient and restorative dentist who can now provide ideal cosmetic results for their patients.

  19. Radionuclide diagnosis of splenic rupture in infectious mononucleosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vezina, W.C.; Nicholson, R.L.; Cohen, P.; Chamberlain, M.J.

    1984-01-01

    Spontaneous splenic rupture is a rare but serious complication of infectious mononucleosis. Although radionuclide spleen imaging is a well accepted method for diagnosis of traumatic rupture, interpretation can be difficult in the setting of mononucleosis, as tears may be ill-defined and diagnosis hampered by inhomogeneous splenic uptake. Four proven cases of spontaneous rupture are presented, three of which illustrate these diagnostic problems

  20. Pulse oximetry: a potential aid in endodontic diagnosis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caplan, Dan

    2010-06-01

    Pulse oximetry: review of a potential aid in endodontic diagnosis. Jafarzadeh H, Rosenberg PA. J Endod 2009;35(3):329-33. Dan Caplan, DDS, PhD. This article provided a description of pulse oximetry, its use in patient care settings, and its potential for use in endodontic diagnosis. Information not available. Comprehensive literature review. Level 3: Other evidence. Not applicable.

  1. Pulmonary lobar volumetry using novel volumetric computer-aided diagnosis and computed tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwano, Shingo; Kitano, Mariko; Matsuo, Keiji; Kawakami, Kenichi; Koike, Wataru; Kishimoto, Mariko; Inoue, Tsutomu; Li, Yuanzhong; Naganawa, Shinji

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVES To compare the accuracy of pulmonary lobar volumetry using the conventional number of segments method and novel volumetric computer-aided diagnosis using 3D computed tomography images. METHODS We acquired 50 consecutive preoperative 3D computed tomography examinations for lung tumours reconstructed at 1-mm slice thicknesses. We calculated the lobar volume and the emphysematous lobar volume volumetry computer-aided diagnosis system could more precisely measure lobar volumes than the conventional number of segments method. Because semi-automatic computer-aided diagnosis and automatic computer-aided diagnosis were complementary, in clinical use, it would be more practical to first measure volumes by automatic computer-aided diagnosis, and then use semi-automatic measurements if automatic computer-aided diagnosis failed. PMID:23526418

  2. Serological diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: challenges and opportunities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LU Fengmin

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Serological markers have the features of noninvasiveness and simple operation and thus have become a research hotspot in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. This article briefly introduces the role of the conventional serological marker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP in assisting the diagnosis and predicting the prognosis of HBV-related liver cancer, as well as the clinical value of new markers such as alpha-fetoprotein-L3 and abnormal prothrombin/des-γ-carboxy prothrombin. Based on literature review, the possibility of serum Golgi protein 73 used for laboratory auxiliary diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma has been denied. The results of the author′s experiment suggest that serum GP73 measurement can be used as a laboratory diagnostic index for progressive liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis.

  3. Nursing diagnosis Noncompliance to treatment in men with hypertension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Talliton Uchôa de Araújo

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective : to identify the frequency of occurrence of nursing diagnosis Noncompliance of treatment in men with high blood pressure, its defining characteristics, and related factors. Methods : a Cross-sectional study involving 44 men with hypertension by applying a validated instrument for identification of nursing diagnosis. Results : the diagnosis frequency of occurrence was 56.8%, the most present defining characteristics were the inadequate management of nonpharmacological treatment (p=0.000 and adherence failure of indicative behavior (p=0.000. The most common related factors were deficient knowledge for the monitor of the non- drug treatment regimen (p=0.000 and insufficient teaching ability of health staff (p=0.002. Conclusion : it was found a high frequency of diagnosis in men and the data point to the need for training of health professionals for the development of skills in promoting adherence of men to the treatment of hypertension.

  4. Diagnosis aids with artificial intelligence in the PSAD system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dourgnon-Hanoune, A.; Porcheron, M.; Ricard, B.

    1996-01-01

    To improve monitoring and diagnosis capabilities in nuclear power plants, Electricite de France (EDF) has designed an integrated monitoring and diagnosis assistance system: PSAD - Poste de Surveillance et d'Aide au Diagnostic. The development of this sophisticated monitoring and data processing system requires the addition of analysis and diagnosis assistance capabilities. Diagnostic knowledge based systems have thus been added to the functions monitored in PSAD: DIVA for turbine generators, and DIAPO for reactor coolant pumps. These systems rely on a representation of the diagnostic reasoning process of experts and of supporting knowledge. Diagnosis in both systems is performed through an abductive reasoning process applied to component fault models and observations derived from their actual behavior, as provided by the monitoring functions. The basic theoretical elements of this diagnostic model are summarized in a first part of this paper. In a second part, DIVA and DIAPO specific elements are described. (authors)

  5. Fault diagnosis methods for district heating substations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pakanen, J.; Hyvaerinen, J.; Kuismin, J.; Ahonen, M. [VTT Building Technology, Espoo (Finland). Building Physics, Building Services and Fire Technology

    1996-12-31

    A district heating substation is a demanding process for fault diagnosis. The process is nonlinear, load conditions of the district heating network change unpredictably and standard instrumentation is designed only for control and local monitoring purposes, not for automated diagnosis. Extra instrumentation means additional cost, which is usually not acceptable to consumers. That is why all conventional methods are not applicable in this environment. The paper presents five different approaches to fault diagnosis. While developing the methods, various kinds of pragmatic aspects and robustness had to be considered in order to achieve practical solutions. The presented methods are: classification of faults using performance indexing, static and physical modelling of process equipment, energy balance of the process, interactive fault tree reasoning and statistical tests. The methods are applied to a control valve, a heat excharger, a mud separating device and the whole process. The developed methods are verified in practice using simulation, simulation or field tests. (orig.) (25 refs.)

  6. CT diagnosis in diseases of the breast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Hongbin; Xie Jingxia

    1998-01-01

    Purpose: To study the CT signs of breast diseases, and discuss the value of CT in the diagnosis of breast cancer and the axillary lymph node (LN) metastases. Materials and methods: Fifty three cases were reported, including breast cancer 30 cases and benign diseases 23 cases. CT were performed in all patients, 44 also had mammography examination. Results: (1) The CT appearance of breast cancer: round or irregular mass, spiculate border, duct retraction, involved Cooper's ligament, deformed adipose space etc. Benign hyperplasia: Irregular mass and symmetrical thickening of breast glands. Cystic hyperplasia: typically multiple, round, liquid-density mass. (2) CT was comparable to mammography in terms of differential diagnosis, however with breast mass located near the axilla or for evaluation of the thoracic wall. CT was superior to mammography. CT was also helpful in detecting LN metastases. Conclusion: CT is valuable in detecting and differentiating breast diseases as well as in the diagnosis of LN metastases

  7. Diagnosis and Treatment of Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kubanov Alexey

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with clinical diagnosis and treatment of pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP. The authors analyze the diagnostic errors, present literature review, and their own observations. The clinical study included 23 patients with pityriasis rubra pilaris: 18 women and 5 men, average age of 54 ± 7.2. The clinical diagnosis of all examined patients was subsequently confirmed by histological analysis of the skin. The primary clinical diagnosis was psoriasis in 15 (65.2% patients, 6 (26% patients received treatment for toxic exanthema, and only 2 (8.8% patients were presumptively diagnosed with pityriasis rubra pilaris. In conclusion, pityriasis rubra pilaris was initially misdiagnosed in 91.2% of patients. Considering the great number of diagnostic errors, we analyzed the main diagnostic and differential diagnostic features of PRP. The most effective of all synthetic retinoids in PRP treatment is acitretin. Although symptomatic improvement in PRP occurs within a month, substantial improvement, even clearing is possible within 4 - 6 months.

  8. Computer-Aided Methodology for Syndromic Strabismus Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sousa de Almeida, João Dallyson; Silva, Aristófanes Corrêa; Teixeira, Jorge Antonio Meireles; Paiva, Anselmo Cardoso; Gattass, Marcelo

    2015-08-01

    Strabismus is a pathology that affects approximately 4 % of the population, causing aesthetic problems reversible at any age and irreversible sensory alterations that modify the vision mechanism. The Hirschberg test is one type of examination for detecting this pathology. Computer-aided detection/diagnosis is being used with relative success to aid health professionals. Nevertheless, the routine use of high-tech devices for aiding ophthalmological diagnosis and therapy is not a reality within the subspecialty of strabismus. Thus, this work presents a methodology to aid in diagnosis of syndromic strabismus through digital imaging. Two hundred images belonging to 40 patients previously diagnosed by an specialist were tested. The method was demonstrated to be 88 % accurate in esotropias identification (ET), 100 % for exotropias (XT), 80.33 % for hypertropias (HT), and 83.33 % for hypotropias (HoT). The overall average error was 5.6Δ and 3.83Δ for horizontal and vertical deviations, respectively, against the measures presented by the specialist.

  9. [Prevalence and diagnosis of depression in Mexico].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belló, Mariana; Puentes-Rosas, Esteban; Medina-Mora, María Elena; Lozano, Rafael

    2005-01-01

    To present the prevalence of depressive episodes, as well as the percentage of the population with medical diagnosis. The definition of depression was based on a schedule with DSM IV diagnostic criteria. Using data from the 2002-2003 National Assessment Performance Survey, the prevalence of depression was estimated at the national level, by sex, age, education, size of residence community, and state. The percentage of individuals with medically diagnosed depression and the percentage of those under treatment were also estimated. The national prevalence of depression was 4.5%: 5.8% in women and 2.5% in men. The prevalence of depression increased with age and decreased with higher education. Among males, the prevalence was higher in rural than urban communities. A large percentage of affected individuals have no medical diagnosis. Depression is a frequent disease in adults.A higher prevalence is associated with social vulnerability. The low percentage of diagnosis represents a challenge for mental health service planning and provision.

  10. Early Pregnancy Diagnosis in Bovines: Current Status and Future Directions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashok K. Balhara

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available An early and accurate diagnosis of reproductive dysfunctions or aberrations is crucial to better reproductive management in livestock. High reproductive efficiency is a prerequisite for high life-time production in dairy animals. Early pregnancy diagnosis is key to shorten the calving interval through early identification of open animals and their timely treatment and rebreeding so as to maintain a postpartum barren interval close to 60 days. A buffalo, the most important dairy animal in the Indian subcontinent, is known for problems related to high calving interval, late puberty, and high incidence of anestrus. Lack of reliable cow-side early pregnancy diagnosis methods further aggravates the situation. Several methods of pregnancy diagnosis are being practiced in bovine species, yet none qualifies as the ideal pregnancy diagnosis method due to the inherent limitations of sensitivity, accuracy, specificity, speed, and ease of performing the test. The advancement of molecular techniques like proteomics and their applications in animal research has given a new hope to look for pregnancy biomarker molecules in these animals. This review attempts to examine common pregnancy diagnosis methods available for dairy animals, while assessing the usefulness of the modern technologies in detecting novel pregnancy markers and designing future strategies for research in this area.

  11. Role of scrape cytology in the intraoperative diagnosis of tumor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kolte Sachin

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Background : Rapid diagnosis of surgically removed specimens has created many controversies and a single completely reliable method has not yet been developed. Histopathology of a paraffin section remains the ultimate gold standard in tissue diagnosis. Frozen section is routinely used by the surgical pathology laboratories for intraoperative diagnosis. The use of either frozen section or cytological examination alone has an acceptable rate (93-97% of correct diagnosis, with regard to interpretation of benign versus malignant. Aim : To evaluate the utility of scrape cytology for the rapid diagnosis of surgically removed tumors and its utilisation for learning cytopathology. Materials and Methods : 75 surgically removed specimens from various organs and systems were studied. Scrapings were taken from each specimen before formalin fixation and stained by modified rapid Papanicolaou staining. Results : Of the 75 cases studied, 73 could be correctly differentiated into benign and malignant tumors, with an accuracy rate of 97.3%. Conclusions : Intraoperative scrape cytology is useful for intraoperative diagnosis of tumor, where facilities for frozen section are not available. The skill and expertise developed by routinely practicing intraoperative cytology can be applied to the interpretation of fine needle aspirate smears. Thus, apart from its diagnostic role, intraoperative cytology can become a very useful learning tool in the field of cytopathology.

  12. The schizoaffective disorder diagnosis: a conundrum in the clinical setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Jo Ellen; Nian, Hui; Heckers, Stephan

    2014-02-01

    The term schizoaffective was introduced to describe the co-occurrence of both psychotic and affective symptoms. Overtime, as the diagnosis schizoaffective disorder was added to diagnostic manuals, significant concerns were raised as to the reliability and clinical utility of the diagnosis. We recruited 134 psychiatrically hospitalized subjects who had received a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder with psychotic features by their treating clinician. The subjects were also diagnosed by trained research personnel with the Structured Clinical Interview of the DSM-IV-TR, employing an explicit time threshold for criterion C of the schizoaffective disorder diagnosis. We found significant differences between the clinical and research diagnoses. Clinicians diagnosed 48 patients (36%) with schizophrenia, 50 patients (37%) with schizoaffective disorder and 36 patients (27%) with psychotic bipolar disorder. In contrast, researchers diagnosed 64 patients (48%) with schizophrenia, 38 patients (28%) with schizoaffective disorder and 32 patients (24%) with psychotic bipolar disorder. This was a statistically significant disagreement between the research and clinical diagnoses (p = 0.003) and indicates that clinicians choose the less severe diagnosis for psychotic patients. We conclude that a more stringent criterion C for the schizoaffective disorder diagnosis will address an implicit bias in clinical practice and will affect the prevalence of the psychotic disorder diagnoses.

  13. Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis in Pregnancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Umit Savasci

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Toxoplasmosis is a common worldwide parasitic infection that caused by Toxoplasma gondii. The clinical progress is generally asymptomatic in patient with normal immune system, on the other hand severe clinical presentations seen in patients with immune deficiency or pregnancy. Congenital toxoplasmosis can emerge due to contamination during pregnancy but 6-8 weeks prior to pregnancy are also at risk. Infants with toxoplasmosis have some clinical semptoms such as chorioretinitis, epilepsia, hypotonia, psychomotor disorders, mental retardation, encephalitis, microcephaly, hydrocephalus, intracranial calcifications, hepatosplenomegaly. Early diagnosis during pregnancy and subsequent treatment. may prevent malformations. Toxoplasmosis diagnosis during pregnancy is mostly based on IgM and IgG antibody screening tests. While IgM indicates the acute infection, it disappears in early period and can be detected in low consantrations through long ages. Therefore IgG avidity test takes more place in the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis during pregnancy. High avidity levels indicate acquired infection prior than 16 weeks, so that it is recommended to perform the test in the first trimester. Low IgG avidity level may indicate a newly onset infection. Amniotic fluid T.gondii PCR, anomaly screening with ultrasonography, Toxoplasma gondii cyst dying with Wright-Giemsa dye in plasental and fetal tissue are the other diagnostic tools can be performed during pregnancy. Avidity test methods during the 16 weeks of pregnancy reduce repeating serum analysis, amniotic fluid PCR reguirement, unnecessary antibiotic treatments and noncompulsory abortus. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2012; 11(6.000: 767-772

  14. Diagnosis of asthma - new theories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Löwhagen, Olle

    2015-01-01

    Recent studies have shown a remarkably high frequency of poorly controlled asthma. Several reasons for this treatment failure have been discussed, however, the basic question of whether the diagnosis is always correct has not been considered. Follow-up studies have shown that in many patients asthma cannot be verified despite ongoing symptoms. Mechanisms other than bronchial obstruction may therefore be responsible. The current definition of asthma may also include symptoms that are related to mechanisms other than bronchial obstruction, the clinical hallmark of asthma. Based on a review of the four cornerstones of asthma - inflammation, hyperresponsiveness, bronchial obstruction and symptoms - the aim was to present some new aspects and suggestions related to the diagnosis of adult non-allergic asthma. Recent studies have indicated that "classic" asthma may sometimes be confused with asthma-like disorders such as airway sensory hyperreactivity, small airways disease, dysfunctional breathing, non-obstructive dyspnea, hyperventilation and vocal cord dysfunction. This confusion may be one explanation for the high proportion of misdiagnosis and treatment failure. The current diagnosis, focusing on bronchial obstruction, may be too "narrow". As there may be common mechanisms a broadening to include also non-obstructive disorders, forming an asthma syndrome, is suggested. Such broadening requires additional diagnostic steps, such as qualitative studies with analysis of reported symptoms, non-effort demanding methods for determining lung function, capsaicin test for revealing airway sensory hyperreactivity, careful evaluation of the therapeutic as well as diagnostic effect of corticosteroids and testing of suggested theories.

  15. Radiological diagnosis of femoroacetabular impingement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mamisch, T.C.; Werlen, S.; Trattnig, S.; Zilkens, C.; Kim, Y.J.; Siebenrock, K.A.; Bittersohl, B.

    2009-01-01

    Femoroacetabular impingements (FAI) are due to an anatomical disproportion between the proximal femur and the acetabulum which causes premature wear of the joint surfaces. An operation is often necessary in order to relieve symptoms such as limited movement and pain as well as to prevent or slow down the degenerative process. The result is dependent on the preoperative status of the joint with poor results for advanced arthritis of the hip joint. This explains the necessity for an accurate diagnosis in order to recognize early stages of damage to the joint. The diagnosis of FAI includes clinical examination, X-ray examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The standard X-radiological examination for FAI is carried out using two X-ray images, an anterior-posterior view of the pelvis and a lateral view of the proximal femur, such as the cross-table lateral or Lauenstein projections. It is necessary that positioning criteria are adhered to in order to avoid distortion artifacts. MRI permits an examination of the pelvis on three levels and should also include radial planned sequences for improved representation of peripheral structures, such as the labrum and peripheral cartilage. The use of contrast medium for a direct MR arthrogram has proved to be advantageous particularly for representation of labrum damage. The data with respect to cartilage imaging are still unclear. Further developments in technology, such as biochemical-sensitive MRI applications, will be able to improve the diagnosis of the pelvis in the near future. (orig.) [de

  16. After Early Autism Diagnosis: Changes in Intervention and Parent-Child Interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suma, Katharine; Adamson, Lauren B.; Bakeman, Roger; Robins, Diana L.; Abrams, Danielle N.

    2016-01-01

    This study documents the relation between an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis, increases in intervention, and changes in parent-child interaction quality. Information about intervention and observations of interaction were collected before diagnosis and a half year after diagnosis for 79 low-risk toddlers who had screened positive for ASD…

  17. β-characterization by irreversibility analysis: A thermoeconomic diagnosis method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaleta-Aguilar, Alejandro; Olivares-Arriaga, Abraham; Cano-Andrade, Sergio; Rodriguez-Alejandro, David A.

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a reconciliation methodology for the diagnosis of energy systems. The methodology is based on the characterization of irreversibilities in the components of an energy system. These irreversibilities can be attributed to malfunctions or dysfunctions. The characterization of irreversibilities as presented here makes possible to reconcile the Actual Operating Condition (AOC) versus the Reference Operating Condition (ROC) of the energy system in a real-time manner. The diagnosis methodology introduces a parameter β, which represents the total exergy or useful work of a component in terms of its inlet and output streams at either design (full-load) or off-design (partial-load) conditions. The methodology is applied to the diagnosis of an actual Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) power plant. Data for the model is obtained directly from the plant by monitoring its performance at every time; thus, a real-time thermodynamic diagnosis for the system is obtained. Results show that the methodology presented here is able to detect and quantify the deviations on the performance of the NGCC power plant during its real-time operation. Based on the detection and quantification of these deviations, the user is able to make recommendations to schedule maintenance on the components where the irreversibilities are present. - Highlights: • A new methodology for thermoeconomic diagnosis of energy systems is presented. • A parameter β is defined for characterization of the components of an energy system. • The β characterization methodology is tested in a real 420 MW NGCC power plant. • Results show that the complexity of a diagnosis analysis is reduced substantially.

  18. Diagnosis of diabetes insipidus observed in Swiss Duroc boars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grahofer, Alexander; Wiedemar, Natalie; Gurtner, Corinne; Drögemüller, Cord; Nathues, Heiko

    2016-01-29

    Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a rare disease in humans and animals, which is caused by the lack of production, malfunction or dysfunction of the distal nephron to the antidiuretic effect of the antidiuretic hormone (ADH). Diagnosis requires a thorough medical history, clinical examination and further laboratory confirmation. This case report describes the appearance of DI in five Duroc boars in Switzerland. Two purebred intact Duroc boars at the age of 8 months and 1.5 years, respectively, with a history of polyuric and polydipsic symptoms had been referred to the Swine Clinic in Berne. Based on the case history, the results of clinical examination and the analysis of blood and urine, a tentative diagnosis of DI was concluded. Finally, the diagnosis was confirmed by findings from a modified water deprivation test, macroscopic examinations and histopathology. Following the diagnosis, three genes known to be involved in inherited DI in humans were analyzed in order to explore a possible genetic background of the affected boars. The etiology of DI in pigs is supposed to be the same as in humans, although this disease has never been described in pigs before. Thus, although occurring only on rare occasions, DI should be considered as a differential diagnosis in pigs with polyuria and polydipsia. It seems that a modified water deprivation test may be a helpful tool for confirming a diagnosis in pigs. Since hereditary forms of DI have been described in humans, the occurrence of DI in pigs should be considered in breeding programs although we were not able to identify a disease associated mutation.

  19. Breast cancer stage at diagnosis: is travel time important?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, Kevin A; Boscoe, Francis P; Johnson, Christopher J; Goldberg, Daniel W; Sherman, Recinda; Cockburn, Myles

    2011-12-01

    Recent studies have produced inconsistent results in their examination of the potential association between proximity to healthcare or mammography facilities and breast cancer stage at diagnosis. Using a multistate dataset, we re-examine this issue by investigating whether travel time to a patient's diagnosing facility or nearest mammography facility impacts breast cancer stage at diagnosis. We studied 161,619 women 40 years and older diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from ten state population based cancer registries in the United States. For each woman, we calculated travel time to their diagnosing facility and nearest mammography facility. Logistic multilevel models of late versus early stage were fitted, and odds ratios were calculated for travel times, controlling for age, race/ethnicity, census tract poverty, rural/urban residence, health insurance, and state random effects. Seventy-six percent of women in the study lived less than 20 min from their diagnosing facility, and 93 percent lived less than 20 min from the nearest mammography facility. Late stage at diagnosis was not associated with increasing travel time to diagnosing facility or nearest mammography facility. Diagnosis age under 50, Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Black race/ethnicity, high census tract poverty, and no health insurance were all significantly associated with late stage at diagnosis. Travel time to diagnosing facility or nearest mammography facility was not a determinant of late stage of breast cancer at diagnosis, and better geographic proximity did not assure more favorable stage distributions. Other factors beyond geographic proximity that can affect access should be evaluated more closely, including facility capacity, insurance acceptance, public transportation, and travel costs.

  20. Fault detection and diagnosis for complex multivariable processes using neural networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weerasinghe, M.

    1998-06-01

    Development of a reliable fault diagnosis method for large-scale industrial plants is laborious and often difficult to achieve due to the complexity of the targeted systems. The main objective of this thesis is to investigate the application of neural networks to the diagnosis of non-catastrophic faults in an industrial nuclear fuel processing plant. The proposed methods were initially developed by application to a simulated chemical process prior to further validation on real industrial data. The diagnosis of faults at a single operating point is first investigated. Statistical data conditioning methods of data scaling and principal component analysis are investigated to facilitate fault classification and reduce the complexity of neural networks. Successful fault diagnosis was achieved with significantly smaller networks than using all process variables as network inputs. Industrial processes often manufacture at various operating points, but demonstrated applications of neural networks for fault diagnosis usually only consider a single (primary) operating point. Developing a standard neural network scheme for fault diagnosis at all operating points would be usually impractical due to the unavailability of suitable training data for less frequently used (secondary) operating points. To overcome this problem, the application of a single neural network for the diagnosis of faults operating at different points is investigated. The data conditioning followed the same techniques as used for the fault diagnosis of a single operating point. The results showed that a single neural network could be successfully used to diagnose faults at operating points other than that it is trained for, and the data conditioning significantly improved the classification. Artificial neural networks have been shown to be an effective tool for process fault diagnosis. However, a main criticism is that details of the procedures taken to reach the fault diagnosis decisions are embedded in