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PubMed1988

Phase-transfer function of the human eye and its influence on point-spread function and wave aberration.

The bidimensional phase-transfer function (PTF) of the human eye has been computed from aerial retinal images of a point test. These images were previously determined by using a recently developed hybrid optical-digital method. Actual PTF data have been obtained directly without linear variations with spatial frequency and have shown great variations among individual subjects. The influence of the PTF on the determination of the point-spread function and the wave-aberration function for emmetropized and slightly astigmatic subjects has been also evaluated. Finally, the effect of pupil size on the PTF was determined by computing these functions from the wave aberration. These results allow us to give a more thorough description of the optical image quality of the human eye and can be used as actual data in subsequent psychophysical studies.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

From functional genomics to functional immunomics: new challenges, old problems, big rewards.

The development of DNA microarray technology a decade ago led to the establishment of functional genomics as one of the most active and successful scientific disciplines today. With the ongoing development of immunomic microarray technology-a spatially addressable, large-scale technology for measurement of specific immunological response-the new challenge of functional immunomics is emerging, which bears similarities to but is also significantly different from functional genomics. Immunonic data has been successfully used to identify biological markers involved in autoimmune diseases, allergies, viral infections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza, diabetes, and responses to cancer vaccines. This review intends to provide a coherent vision of this nascent scientific field, and speculate on future research directions. We discuss at some length issues such as epitope prediction, immunomic microarray technology and its applications, and computation and statistical challenges related to functional immunomics. Based on the recent discovery of regulation mechanisms in T cell responses, we envision the use of immunomic microarrays as a tool for advances in systems biology of cellular immune responses, by means of immunomic regulatory network models.

Biotechnology↗
PubMed2001

Congestive heart failure. Correlation between functional class and systolic and diastolic functions assessed by Doppler echocardiography.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of systolic or diastolic dysfunction, or both on congestive heart failure functional class. METHODS: Thirty-six consecutive patients with a clinical diagnosis of congestive heart failure with sinus rhythm, who were seen between September and November of 1998 answered an adapted questionnaire about tolerance to physical activity for the determination of NYHA functional class. The patients were studied with transthoracic Doppler echocardiography. Two groups were compared: group 1 (19 patients in functional classes I and II) and group 2 (17 patients in functional classes III and IV). RESULTS: The average ejection fraction was significantly higher in group 1 (44.84 % +/- 8.04 % vs. 32.59 % +/- 11.48 % with p = 0.0007). The mean ratio of the initial/final maximum diastolic filling velocity (E/A) of the left ventricle was significantly smaller in group 1 (1.07 +/- 0.72 vs. 1.98 +/- 1.49 with p = 0.03). The average maximum systolic pulmonary venous velocity (S) was significantly higher in group 1 (53.53 cm/s +/- 12.02 cm/s vs. 43.41 cm/s +/- 13.55 cm/s with p = 0.02). The mean ratio of maximum systolic/diastolic pulmonary venous velocity was significantly higher in group 1 (1.52 +/- 0.48 vs. 1.08 +/- 0.48 with p = 0.01). A predominance of pseudo-normal and restrictive diastolic patterns existed in group 2 (58.83 % in group 2 vs. 21.06 % in group 1 with p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Both the systolic dysfunction index and the patterns of diastolic dysfunction evaluated by Doppler echocardiography worsened with the evolution of congestive heart failure.

Diastole↗
PubMed2001

Function and functional groupings of the complex mouth apparatus of the squat lobsters Munida sarsi Huus and M. tenuimana G.O. Sars (Crustacea: Decapoda).

Like all other decapods, the anomuran squat lobsters Munida sarsi and M. tenuimana have a mouth apparatus composed of six pairs of mouthparts plus labrum and paragnaths (upper and lower lips). To study the functional significance of this complexity, we examined the mouthparts with scanning electron microscopy and also observed their function directly, under laboratory conditions, using macro-video equipment. No differences were found between the two species. The movement patterns of the mouthparts are described in detail and illustrated as serial drawings. Proceeding from maxillipeds 3 towards the mandibles, the movement pattern gets increasingly stereotypical, with the mandibles performing but a single movement in a medio-lateral plane. From morphology, the mouthparts are subdivided into 20 parts, but from the functional analyses the 20 parts form 8 functional groups: 1, transporting mouthparts (maxilliped 2 endopod and maxilliped 3 endopod); 2, transporting-aligning mouthparts (maxilliped 1 basis); 3, sorting-aligning mouthparts (maxilla 1 basis and maxilla 2 basis); 4, current-generating mouthparts (flagella of maxilliped 2 and maxilliped 3 exopods); 5, cutting-crushing mouthparts (incisor and molar processes, labium, and mandibular palp); 6, ingesting mouthparts (maxilla 1 coxa, maxilla 2 coxa, and maxilliped 1 coxa); 7, respiratory mouthparts (scaphognathite, maxilliped 1 epipod, and maxilliped 2 and maxilliped 3 exopods); and 8, dorso-ventral mouthparts (maxilla 1 endopod, maxilla 2 endopod, maxilliped 1 endopod, and maxilliped 1 exopod). These groupings apply mostly to the processes of food handling and have little significance with respect to grooming. When comparing our results to the literature on other decapods, we found much resemblance to conditions in other anomurans.

Animals↗
PubMed2007

Assessing observer agreement when describing and classifying functioning with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

OBJECTIVE: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is used increasingly to describe and classify functioning in medicine without being a psychometrically sound measure. All categories of the ICF are quantified using the same generic 0-4 scale. The objective of this study was to assess observer agreement when describing and classifying functioning with the ICF. DESIGN: A second-level category of the ICF, d430 lifting and carrying objects, was used as an example. To the qualifiers of this category, clinically meaningful definitions were assigned. Data were collected in a cross-sectional survey with repeated measurement. We report raw, specific and chance-corrected measures or agreement, a graphical method and the results of log-linear models for ordinal agreement. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS: A convenience sample of patients requiring physical therapy in an acute hospital. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were assessed twice by 2 observers. Raw agreement was 0.52. Kappa was 0.36, indicating fair agreement. Different hierarchical log-linear models indicated that the strength of agreement was not homogeneous over all categories. CONCLUSION: Observer agreement has to be evaluated when describing and classifying functioning using the ICF Qualifiers'scale. When assessing inter-observer reliability, the first step is to calculate a summary statistic. Modelling agreement yields valuable insight into the structure of a contingency table, which can lead to further improvement of the scale.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1996

Assessment of sperm function and clinical aspects of impaired sperm function.

Fertility is dependent on a complex set of events, involving both male and female components. Normal sperm function involves many steps, including motility, capacitation, acrosome reactivity and, ultimately, fertilization of the oocyte. While male fertility is most often assessed by means of gross semen parameters, infertility may also be caused by abnormal sperm function, and only by performing specific tests of this function, may the reasons for infertility become evident. Specific tests which may be helpful include semen analysis, detailed sperm motility assessment, motility longevity, hypo-osmotic swelling test, mucus penetration assay, acrosome reactivity, antisperm antibody tests, sperm penetration assay and in vitro fertilization. Relatively well-defined syndromes of abnormal sperm function include immunologic infertility, immotile-cilia syndrome, anejaculation and nifedpine-associated infertility.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of Si-functional isocyanate on the stability of oil-in-water emulsion with and without a carbon functional isocyanate.

The effects of silicon-functional isocyanates on the stability of oil-in-water emulsions with and without a carbon functional triisocyanate in the oil phase were investigated. The oil component was di-n-butyl-phthalate (DBP) containing Aerosol OT as an emulsifier. It was found that only CH3Si(NCO)3 among the (CH3)nSi(NCO)4 - n's was effective to contribute additional stability for the emulsion without a carbon functional triisocyanate. It was also found that a reaction product of CH3Si(NCO)3 with water reacted with a carbon functional triisocyanate.

Dibutyl Phthalate↗
PubMed1997

Some physicochemical and functional properties of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) isoelectric protein isolate as a function of pH and salt concentration.

Cowpea isoelectric protein isolate was prepared by alkali extraction followed by acid precipitation at pH 4.5. Physicochemical and functional properties of the isolate were determined at various combinations of pH (3-8) and NaCl concentrations (0.5-2.0 M). Results showed that at all NaCl concentrations, emulsifying activity index, heat coagulability, aromatic hydrophobicity (ARH) and fluorescence intensity (FI) were high at low pH and gradually decreased with increasing pH. Protein solubility and foam stability were low at low pH and high NaCl concentrations, but increased with increase in pH. The relationships of ARH, FI and UV-absorption maxima (Amax) with the functional properties were determined using multiple regression analyses. Significant (P < or = 0.05) equations describing the functional properties on the basis of ARH, FI and Amax were generated; however, the contribution of these parameters was low as indicated by the low correlation coefficients. Regression results suggest that other physicochemical properties (e.g. electrostatic interactions) were also important contributors to the functional properties examined.

Fabaceae↗
PubMed2003

Toward functional neuronavigation: implementation of functional magnetic resonance imaging data in a surgical guidance system for intraoperative identification of motor and language cortices. Technical note and illustrative case.

In recent years, surgical navigation systems have become equipped to allow incorporation of data such as functional neuronavigation data. Functional magnetic resonance (fMR) imaging is a noninvasive modality that demonstrates various brain functions. Although still in an experimental stage, fMR imaging is a promising tool for mapping of motor and language functions. One advantage is that it can be implemented in presurgical imaging protocols and is therefore potentially widely available in general neurosurgical practice. In this paper the integration of fMR imaging and surgical navigation is described, and the potential advantages and pitfalls of its application in clinical practice are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The relationships of motor function, education, age and cognitive function to the physical activities of daily living.

The physical activities of daily living are a final outcome of many functions and dependent on many factors. This study was aimed at exploring the relationships of motor function, dementia, education, age, and cognitive function to the physical activities of daily living in 67 elderly people residing in an institution in Taegu, Korea. Their mean ( +/- SD) age was 75.6 +/- 8.1 and 24 (35.8%) were men. Twenty-eight (41.8%) were classified as having definite cognitive impairment, 17 (25.4%) as having questionable impairment, and 22 (32.8%) as having no impairment by the Korean version of the mini-mental state examination. Of the aforementioned 5 variables, the Motoricity Index could account for 42% of the Barthel Activities of Daily Living variance. If the modified Blessed Dementia Rating Scale was included in the multiple regression, the accountable portion of the Activities variance increased by 4% only. Using the 2 variables, regression equation, y = 0.248 x chi 1-0.359 x chi 2-6.250 (y: Barthel Activities of Daily Living score, chi 1: Motoricity Index score, chi 2: modified Blessed Dementia Rating Scale score) could be produced. Conclusively, the physical activities of daily living of elderly people could be related mainly with motor function of the limbs and severity of dementia.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1997

[Autonomic nervous function in patients with vertigo--evaluation for static function, variation and dynamic change using power spectral analysis of RR intervals].

Power spectral analysis of RR intervals (PSA) of 94 vertiginous patients with associated autonomic nervous dysfunction (AND group), 31 patients with vertebro-basilar insufficiency (VBI group) and 25 controls were analyzed in supine and upright positions. In addition static function, variation from the supine to the upright position and dynamic change in autonomic nervous function (ANF) from the supine to the upright position were examined. Heart rate was recorded for 120 seconds in the supine and 40 seconds in the upright position. RR intervals for each 20-second period were computed using FFT (Fast Fourier Transformation), and the ratio of low frequency power (0.05-0.15 Hz) to high frequency power (0.15-0.4 Hz) (L/H) of PSA were analyzed as an index of sympathetic activity. The PSA was examined by the following three parameters; L/H at rest during the 80-second period from 20 to 100 seconds (static function), the L/H variation between each 20-second period from 0 to 160 seconds (variation) and the ratio of L/H to that in the upright position (dynamic change). The results of PSA were compared with those of pulse wave velocity (PWV) and the coefficient of variation of the RR interval (CVRR), and association between attacks of vertigo and ANF was determined. The results of static function of PSA and the results of PWV and CVRR were very similar, indicating that both methods are useful for evaluating ANF in vertiginous patients. In the AND group the variation in sympathetic activity tended to be larger in patients with sympathetic hyperfunction and parasympathetic hypofunction and in the patients with sympathetic hypofunction and parasympathetic hyperfunction resulting from PWV and CVRR, than in the controls. The dynamic change in patients with sympathetic hyperfunction and parasympathetic hypofunction resulting from PWV and CVRR was also significantly lower than that in the controls (p < 0.01). Some patients in the AND group already showed excessive sympathetic hyperfunction at rest, and changing the position from supine to upright might trigger sympathetic hypofunction, causing an attack of vertigo. The PSA results in the VBI group were similar to those in the controls, suggesting that sympathetic dysfunction did not affect VBI induced vertigo.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Molecular and functional characterization of NKG2D, NKp80, and NKG2C triggering NK cell receptors in rhesus and cynomolgus macaques: monitoring of NK cell function during simian HIV infection.

An involvement of innate immunity and of NK cells during the priming of adaptive immune responses has been recently suggested in normal and disease conditions such as HIV infection and acute myelogenous leukemia. The analysis of NK cell-triggering receptor expression has been so far restricted to only NKp46 and NKp30 in Macaca fascicularis. In this study, we extended the molecular and functional characterization to the various NK cell-triggering receptors using PBMC and to the in vitro-derived NK cell populations by cytofluorometry and by cytolytic activity assays. In addition, RT-PCR strategy, cDNA cloning/sequencing, and transient transfections were used to identify and characterize NKp80, NKG2D, CD94/NKG2C, and CD94/NKG2A in M. fascicularis and Macaca mulatta as well as in the signal transducing polypeptide DNAX-activating protein DAP-10. Both M. fascicularis and M. mulatta NK cells express NKp80, NKG2D, and NKG2C molecules, which displayed a high degree of sequence homology with their human counterpart. Analysis of NK cells in simian HIV-infected M. fascicularis revealed reduced surface expression of selected NK cell-triggering receptors associated with a decreased NK cell function only in some animals. Overall surface density of NK cell-triggering receptors on peripheral blood cells and their triggering function on NK cell populations derived in vitro was not decreased compared with uninfected animals. Thus, triggering NK cell receptor monitoring on macaque NK cells is possible and could provide a valuable tool for assessing NK cell function during experimental infections and for exploring possible differences in immune correlates of protection in humans compared with cynomolgus and rhesus macaques undergoing different vaccination strategies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

The cyclic AMP-Epac1-Rap1 pathway is dissociated from regulation of effector functions in monocytes but acquires immunoregulatory function in mature macrophages.

cAMP mediates its intracellular effects through activation of protein kinase A (PKA), nucleotide-gated ion channels, or exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac). Although elevation of cAMP in lymphocytes leads to suppression of immune functions by a PKA-dependent mechanism, the effector mechanisms for cAMP regulation of immune functions in monocytes and macrophages are not fully understood. In this study, we demonstrate the presence of Epac1 in human peripheral blood monocytes and activation of Rap1 in response to cAMP. However, by using an Epac-specific cAMP analog (8-CPT-2'-O-Me-cAMP), we show that monocyte activation parameters such as synthesis and release of cytokines, stimulation of cell adhesion, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and respiratory burst are not regulated by the Epac1-Rap1 pathway. In contrast, activation of PKA by a PKA-specific compound (6-Bnz-cAMP) or physiological cAMP-elevating stimuli like PGE(2) inhibits monocyte immune functions. Furthermore, we show that the level of Epac1 increases 3-fold during differentiation of monocytes into macrophages, and in monocyte-derived macrophages cAMP inhibits FcR-mediated phagocytosis via both PKA and the Epac1-Rap1 pathway. However, LPS-induced TNF-alpha production is only inhibited through the PKA pathway in these cells. In conclusion, the Epac1-Rap1 pathway is present in both monocytes and macrophages, but only regulates specific immune effector functions in macrophages.

Cell Adhesion↗
PubMed2002

Sensitivity and specificity of the functional hallux limitus test to predict foot function.

Functional hallux limitus is an underrecognized entity that generally does not produce symptoms but can result in a variety of compensatory mechanisms that can produce symptoms. Clinically, hallux limitus can be determined by assessing the range of motion available at the first metatarsophalangeal joint while the first ray is prevented from plantarflexing. The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of this clinical test to predict abnormal excessive midtarsal joint function during gait. A total of 86 feet were examined for functional hallux limitus and abnormal pronation of the midtarsal joint during late midstance. The test had a sensitivity of 0.72 and a specificity of 0.66, suggesting that clinicians should consider functional hallux limitus when there is late midstance pronation of the midtarsal joint during gait.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Multimodal imaging of residual function and compensatory resource allocation in cortical atrophy: a case study of parietal lobe function in a patient with Huntington's disease.

In a case of Huntington's disease (HD) with dementia and pronounced parieto-frontal atrophy, the functional state of the affected regions was investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). It was observed that although parietal areas showed extensive atrophy and reduced resting glucose metabolism, the patient performed with similar accuracy but with longer response time in a visuospatial task compared with healthy control subjects. At the same time, the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI signal in these areas, which are involved in visuospatial processing, showed a similar task-dependent modulation as in control subjects. The signal amplitude (signal percent change) of the task-dependent activation was even higher for the HD patient than in the control group. This residual functionality of parietal areas involved in visuospatial processing could account for the patient's performance in the task concerned, which contrasted with his poor performance in other cognitive tasks. The increased percent-signal change suggests that a higher neuronal effort was necessary to reach a similar degree of accuracy as in control subjects, fitting well with the longer reaction time. We propose that fMRI should be considered as a tool for the assessment of functionality of morphologically abnormal cortex and for the investigation of compensatory resource allocation in neurodegenerative disorders.

Atrophy↗
PubMed1999

Functional magnetic resonance imaging as a tool for investigating human cortical motor function.

Non-invasive functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) mapping techniques sensitive to the local changes of blood flow, blood volume, and blood oxygenation which accompany neuronal activation have been widely used over the last few years to investigate the functional organization of human cortical motor systems, and specifically of the primary motor cortex. Validation studies have demonstrated a good correspondence between quantitative and topographic aspects of data acquired by fMRI and positron emission tomography. The spatial and temporal resolution affordable by fMRI has allowed to achieve new important information on the distributed representation of hand movements in multiple functional modules, and on the intensity and spatial extent of neural activation in the contralateral and ipsilateral primary motor cortex in relation to parametric and nonparametric aspects of movement and to the degree of handedness. Neural populations with different functional characteristics have been identified in anatomically defined regions, and the temporal aspects of the activation during voluntary movement tracked in different components of the motor system. Finally, this technique has proved useful to deepen our understanding of the neural basis of motor imagery, demonstrating increased activity in the primary motor cortex during mental representation of sequential finger movements.

Brain Mapping↗
PubMed1999

[Functional MRI: brain plasticity, brain disease and functional recovery].

Brain plasticity may be defined as long-term alteration in behavior related activity of distributed neural systems. Functional imaging, and particularly functional MRI, allows to investigate the mechanisms underlying brain plasticity. Two aspects may be distinguished: one is learning in healthy subjects; the other is functional reorganization following or associated with acute or chronic brain injury. Because functional MRI is totally non invasive, it appears well suited to follow such reorganization over time. This theme will be developed in the following text.

Brain Diseases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Functional outcome of myositis patients: can a low-dose glucocorticoid regimen achieve good functional results?

OBJECTIVE: During the last few years, in an attempt to reduce the side effects of glucocorticoid (GC) therapy, we have been treating polymyositis-dermatomyositis (PM-DM) patients with a lower starting dose of GC than is classically recommended. In order to validate this approach, we performed a functional re-evaluation of these PM-DM patients. METHODS: A comprehensive protocol evaluating muscle strength, muscle function, CK levels, persistence of spontaneous activity on electromyography, disability in daily life activities and degree of dependence was applied in 25 non-cancer-associated biopsy-proven PM-DM patients, 15 of whom had been treated with a high-dose regimen (i.e. > 0.5 mg prednisolone/kg/day) and 10 with a low-dose regimen (i.e. < or = 0.5 mg prednisolone/kg/day). RESULTS: Our results indicate that the functional outcome of PM-DM patients given a low-dose starting regimen of GC does not differ from that observed in patients given higher doses. Interestingly, vertebral fractures were less common in patients treated with lower GC doses. CONCLUSIONS: Although our analysis has certain shortcomings, including the small number of patients investigated and their uncontrolled assignment to a low-dose or a high-dose GC regimen, the results of this retrospective study suggest that a low-dose starting regimen of GC can achieve a good functional outcome in PM-DM patients, with a reduction of treatment-related disability. This approach would be welcome as a step forward should it be validated by a longitudinal study.

Activities of Daily Living↗