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Biomedical subjects

D Oliva

Publications and source records attributed to D Oliva.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Evaluating the use of multiple microswitches and responses for children with multiple disabilities.

BACKGROUND: The present study assessed the feasibility of (1) establishing multiple microswitches and responses (some of which had not been used before) with two children with multiple disabilities, and (2) maintaining such microswitches and responses in the children's daily contexts. METHODS: The microswitches were introduced individually and then combined. During the last part of treatment and the follow-up, each child had three microswitches. RESULTS: The data show that both children learned to use all three available microswitches. Moreover, they retained fairly high levels of responding with the microswitches in their daily contexts during follow-up periods of 4 and 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: The personal and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Promoting functional activity engagement at appropriate times with people with multiple disabilities.

This study was aimed at teaching three persons with multiple disabilities to carry out functional activities at appropriate times independently. To this end, an electronic time system that produced vibratory alarms at preset times and a board with object-cues (instructions for the activities) were used. Data indicated that all three persons learned to perform the scheduled activities at the preset times independent of prompts from staff. Implications of the data and the combination of these activities with structured occupational periods were discussed.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

Standing optical phonons in finite semiconductor superlattices studied by resonant Raman scattering in a double microcavity.

We report optical double resonant enhancement of Raman scattering in a new double microcavity geometry. The design allows almost backscattering geometries, providing easy access to the excitations' in-plane dispersion. The cavity is used to study the phonon spectra of a finite GaAs/AlAs superlattice. A new type of "standing optical vibration" is demonstrated involving the GaAs confined phonons with a standing wave envelope determined by the superlattice thickness. A strong dispersion of the first order standing wave mode is observed, as well as its anticrossing with higher order confined modes of the same symmetry.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

A microswitch for vocalization responses to foster environmental control in children with multiple disabilities.

The present study assessed whether two children with multiple disabilities could learn to successfully operate a special microswitch through vocalization responses so as to obtain environmental stimulation. The study was carried out using a non-concurrent multiple baseline design across individuals. The treatment phase of the second child started after he had received twice the number of baseline sessions used for the first child. The results were positive, with both children increasing the frequencies of their vocalization responses during the treatment. The importance of using such responses (which do not require excessive efforts and are highly valued) for operating a microswitch with children with multiple disabilities is discussed.

Child↗
PubMed2001

Olanzapine as alternative therapy for patients with haloperidol-induced extrapyramidal symptoms: results of a multicenter, collaborative trial in Latin America.

Conventional antipsychotic agents can induce extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) that may be alleviated by switching patients to novel agents such as olanzapine. Patients with schizophrenia and related disorders (ICD-10) who were taking haloperidol (N = 94; mean dose = 12.7 mg/day) and had EPS (Simpson-Angus Scale [SAS] > 3) were directly switched to 6 weeks of open-label olanzapine treatment (mean dose = 11.4 mg/day). There were significant mean improvements (p <0.001 for all measurements) from baseline to endpoint on the SAS (-9.69+/-5.33; percentage change, 87.2%), the Barnes Akathisia Scale (-1.00+/-1.19; percentage change, 82.5%), and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (-1.48+/-2.89; percentage change, 81.1%), and anticholinergic use decreased from 47.9% to 12.8% (mean baseline to endpoint change: -1.52+/-1.91-mg equivalents of benztropine; p < 0.001). Significant mean baseline to endpoint improvements (p < 0.001 for all measurements) were observed on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS; -25.28+/-18.67; percentage change, 30.3%), the PANSS-extracted Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (0-6 scale, -13.41+/-10.16; percentage change, 54.4%), and the Clinical Global Impressions Severity scale (-1.16+/-1.19; percentage change, 26.4%). Spontaneously reported treatment- emergent adverse events with a greater than 5% incidence were somnolence (16.0%), increased appetite (14.9%), weight gain (11.7%), headache (8.5%), anxiety (7.4%), dizziness (6.4%), and insomnia (5.3%). Criteria for a successful switch were met by 90.5% of patients. Psychotic symptom exacerbation was experienced by 30.9% of patients at any time during the study and by 11.7% of patients at endpoint. Results suggest that a direct switch to olanzapine is a therapeutic option when patients with haloperidol-induced EPS are unable to tolerate a more gradual switch.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Indoor travel and simple tasks as physical exercise for people with profound multiple disabilities.

2 to 4 30-min. periods of indoor travel and simple tasks were arranged daily as physical exercise for two women with profound mental retardation, deafness, and profound visual impairment. The questions were whether (a) the women could manage this fairly extensive exercise regimen (over about 9 and 4.5 mo.) with support technology and only minimal staff supervision and (b) the exercise could affect aspects of the women's physical condition. Data indicated that both women could successfully manage the exercise regimen with support technology, and the exercise seemed to have some beneficial effects on physical aspects such as bone metabolism and step width.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Using an orientation system for indoor travel and activity with persons with multiple disabilities.

PURPOSE: The study assessed the effectiveness of an orientation system, consisting of a programmable control device linked to acoustic and light sources, for facilitating independent indoor travel and activity in two persons with profound intellectual disability and blindness or severe visual impairment. METHOD: The control device was programmed to activate each destination the persons were to reach and the acoustic or light sources leading to it automatically (i.e. after a preset time from the persons reaching the previous destination). One person was exposed to two baseline phases without the system being alternated with two orientation phases with the system; the other person received only one baseline and one orientation phase. RESULTS: Data showed that during the orientation phases, both persons benefited from the use of the system and could reach the destinations successfully and carry out the activities. CONCLUSIONS: The possibility of promoting independent indoor travel and activity in persons with multiple disabilities may have important implications for the condition of these persons and for rehabilitation and care centres.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1998

Antineoplastic agents 393. Synthesis of the trans-isomer of combretastatin A-4 prodrug.

The (E)-stilbene isomer (2a) of the (Z)-combretastatin A-4 prodrug (1b) was efficiently prepared from (E)-combretastatin A-4 by a reaction sequence employing phosphorylation (dibenzyl chlorophosphite), cleavage (trimethyliodosilane) of the benzyl ester and reaction of the resulting phosphoric acid with sodium methoxide. The sodium phosphate product (2c) was also found to be an important side-product, presumably from iodine-catalyzed isomerization, when the analogous synthetic route was used to obtain the combretastatin A-4 prodrug (1b). The phosphoric acid precursor of prodrug 1b derived from (Z)-combretastatin A-4 (1a) was converted into a series of metal cation and ammonium cation salts to evaluate effects on human cancer cell growth, antimicrobial activities and solubility behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Accreditation manual for nephrology.

The IRS did not develop a new theory of accreditation but drew up a methodology for assessing public policies, which internalised accreditation philosophy and was based on a theory of the decision-making process. Two questions underlie this theory: 1) whether health is a professional organisation, a company or a public policy, 2) whether accreditation in the internationally accepted meaning of the term is the most effective system of continuous improvement for this sector as it is organised in Italy. According to the IRS, health is all three of these things and accreditation responds adequately to the complexity of the sector. In fact: a) internalises professional knowledge (and is therefore ideal for a professional organisation); b) it triggers a process of continuous improvement of the product/service supplied (and that is ideal for a company that must maintain the competitiveness of its product/service as high as possible); c) it uses a methodology which highlights the mechanisms of interaction between the actors (a methodology underlying decision making theory where there are actors who decide, knowing that they have to find a consensus and who exchange resources in a virtuous circle. The principal qualitative element identified by the IRS methodology was the internalisation by the health system of patients' expectations and patients' satisfaction in the welfare process. The main feature of the accreditation methodology designed by the IRS is that the assessment focuses neither on structures (which would have been useful to measure the degree of reliability) nor on the compilation of behaviour guidelines, but is centred on the assessment of a function, on the quality of the provision of a specialist health service. The decision to assess a specialist function (e.g. nephrology) and not a structure (e.g. a nephrology department or a hospital) gives maximum importance to the figure of the professional.

Accreditation↗
PubMed1997

Internalization and down-regulation of the prostacyclin receptor in human platelets.

The internalization of [3H]iloprost, a prostacyclin analogue, was studied in human platelets by binding studies. After incubation with [3H]iloprost at 37 degrees C, addition of unlabelled ligand at either 37 degrees C or 4 degrees C caused dissociation of 74% and 52% of the bound ligand respectively, suggesting that a portion had been internalized. The percentage of [3H]iloprost bound at equilibrium to the surface (evaluated by acid treatment) at either 37 degrees C or 4 degrees C was markedly different (80% versus 25%). Internalization was dependent on time and on the ligand nature and concentration. Energy-depleting agents (dinitrophenol and 2-deoxyglucose) completely inhibited internalization, whereas probenecid (inhibitor of organic anion transporters) did not affect it significantly. Subcellular fractionation indicated that, at 4 degrees C or in the absence of ligand, most of the receptor was present in membrane fractions (pellet at 27000 or 105000 g), whereas, when platelets were preincubated at 37 degrees C with iloprost, the receptor was found mainly in the cytosolic fraction. In platelets preincubated with iloprost at 4 degrees C, two classes of binding sites were present, whereas after preincubation at 37 degrees C only the lower-affinity sites were detected. After exposure to the agonist, iloprost-induced inhibition of platelet aggregation and activation of adenylate cyclase and cAMP production were significantly lower. Taken together, these data demonstrate that human platelets can internalize a high-affinity binding site for iloprost, presumably the prostacyclin receptor.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1997

Spoken messages as auditory cues for orientation in promoting indoor travel and activity by persons with multiple disabilities.

Spoken messages lasting about 2 sec. and occurring every 8 or 9 sec. were used as auditory cues for orientation to guide two persons with multiple disabilities to destinations for indoor activities. The use of spoken messages was alternated with buzzer-like sounds of the same duration and frequency of occurrence. The preliminary data indicated that both the spoken messages and the buzzer-like sounds were very effective as orientation cues. Staff found no difference in disturbance between them, yet, both were considered less disturbing than buzzer-like sounds of previous studies which had a higher frequency of occurrence.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1997

An unobtrusive system for helping a person with blindness and intellectual disability travel in indoor areas.

A system causing no environmental disturbance was employed for helping a woman with blindness and intellectual disability travel in indoor areas. The system provided encouragement and praise while the woman moved in the correct direction and a buzzer sound in the case of incorrect direction through earpieces. The results showed that the woman learned to use the system and traveled successfully.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1996

A visual orientation system for promoting indoor travel in persons with profound developmental disabilities and visual impairment.

A visual orientation system was employed for promoting independent indoor travel for two young adults with profound developmental disabilities and visual impairment. The system was a portable device subjects wore and light sources that marked the routes to the various destinations. Data showed that the system was useful in helping the subjects orient and move independently in their daily environment and in a new (generalization) setting. The visual orientation system is discussed in relation to other systems previously developed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Conserved alternative splicing in the 5'-untranslated region of the muscle-specific enolase gene. Primary structure of mRNAs, expression and influence of secondary structure on the translation efficiency.

We report here the isolation and characterization of cDNAs covering the 5'-end region of mouse and rat mRNAs that encode the beta or muscle-specific isoform of the glycolytic enzyme enolase. As previously determined for humans, two classes of beta-enolase transcripts with distinct sequences in their 5'-untranslated regions are present in both mouse and rat muscles. A mechanism of alternative splicing, conserved from mouse to man, generates the two forms of mRNA. Secondary-structure predictions indicated that, in all cases, a more stable secondary structure could exist in the 5' end of the message with the longer leader. In vitro transcripts containing defined human or mouse 5'-untranslated sequences were obtained by fusion of the different cDNA clones and tested for their relative translational efficiencies in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. Transcripts containing the human long and short leader sequences showed differences in the translational rate, suggesting a role for the 5'-untranslated region in the regulation of translation. No detectable difference was found between transcripts with the two distinct mouse leader sequences. In addition, both transcripts are bound to polysomes and are equally distributed along differently sized polysomes in C2C12 myogenic cells. The relative expression of the two spliced forms in developing and adult muscle tissues by means of reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction did not show a stage-specific or a tissue-type-specific pattern. A putative functional role for the 5'-untranslated sequences of beta-enolase transcripts is discussed.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1995

Comparison of two orientation systems for indoor travel of blind persons with mental retardation.

Two blind women affected by severe mental retardation were exposed to two previously developed orientation systems. One of the systems was based on acoustic cues, the other on vibratory feedback. The aim was to assess the relative effectiveness of the two systems. Data indicated that the acoustic system ensured a higher frequency of correct moves for one of the subjects and a more rapid performance of the moves for both subjects. The findings are reviewed in relation to the characteristics and applicability of the systems.

Adult↗