A growing number of studies endeavor to reveal periodicities in sensory and cognitive functions, by comparing the distribution of ongoing (pre-stimulus) oscillatory phases between two (or more) trial groups reflecting distinct experimental outcomes. A systematic relation between the phase of spontaneous electrophysiological signals, before a stimulus is even presented, and the eventual result o...

OBJECTIVES To assess the characteristics of skin perfusion pressure (SPP) measured using a thermostatic heating probe and whether a thermostatic heating probe improves SPP detection. METHODS We studied 8 feet of healthy young subjects and 31 feet of elderly patients suspected to have severe limb ischemia. We measured SPP at the dorsum and plantar aspects of each foot using a plain laser Doppl...

BACKGROUND In an era when an increasing amount of clinical information is available to health care professionals, the effective implementation of clinical practice guidelines requires the development of strategies to facilitate the use of these guidelines. The objective of this study was to assess attitudes towards clinical practice guidelines, as well as the barriers and facilitators to their ...

OBJECTIVES To test effectivity of a two-minute training consisting of a few key-points in ventilation using the self-inflating bag (SIB). STUDY DESIGN Experienced and inexperienced caregivers were asked to mask ventilate a leak free manikin using the SIB before and after the training. Mask leak and pressures were measured using respiratory function monitoring. Pressures above 35 cm H2O were c...

OBJECTIVE To examine spatial-temporal distribution and risk of suicide, as well as trends in suicide mortality rates, in the indigenous and non-indigenous population of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. METHODS Data were obtained from the Information Department of the Brazilian Unified Health System. Deaths recorded as voluntary self-inflicted injuries (ICD-10 codes X60.0 to X84.9) wer...

We consider the problem of testing for seasonal unit roots in monthly panel data. To this aim, we generalize the quarterly CHEGY test to the monthly case. This parametric test is contrasted with a new nonparametric test, which is the panel counterpart to the univariate RURS test that relies on counting extrema in time series. All methods are applied to an empirical data set on tourism in Austri...

We present phylogenetic analyses of both molecular and morphological data for the 23 major lineages of living turtles and seven key fossil taxa. Nearly 1 kilobase of cytochrome b sequence, 325 base pairs of 12S ribosomal DNA, and 115 morphological characters contained similar phylogenetic information, although each provided unique information on different nodes of chelonian history. A character...

AIMS To assess the construct validity of the incontinence severity index (ISI) by testing its correlation with two health-related quality of life measures, the short forms of the Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6) and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7), in women with urodynamic stress incontinence. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cohort of 170 women with the urodynamic stress incontinen...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the time spent for direct (DBB - direct bracket bonding) and indirect (IBB - indirect bracket bonding) bracket bonding techniques. The time length of laboratorial (IBB) and clinical steps (DBB and IBB) as well as the prevalence of loose bracket after a 24-week follow-up were evaluated. METHODS Seventeen patients (7 men and 10 women) with a mean ag...

In step with the need to develop statistical procedures to manage small-size environmental samples, in this work we have used concentration values of benzene (C6H6), concurrently detected by seven outdoor and indoor monitoring stations over 12 000 minutes, in order to assess the representativeness of collected data and the impact of the pollutant on indoor environment. Clearly, the former issue...