ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In clinical practice it is very difficult to determine a final weight that is the expression of normovolemia. In hemodialysis (HD), 'dry weight' is conventionally defined as the weight reached by the patient at the end of that hemodialytic session when the maximum quantity of fluids is removed without inducing any symptomatology. The determination of dry weight has been based on the application of clinical criteria. The use of artificial kidneys with blood volume (BV) sensors has allowed the determination of dry weight through the interpretation of changes in the intradialytic BV curve. Conventional bioimpedance analysis (BIA), or better, the vectorial BIA (BIVA) is a new method for determining dry weight. This study evaluated the use of the above-mentioned method for the proper governing of dry weight. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty HD patients were observed for 4 weeks. In the 1st week, the clinical symptomatology of every patient was monitored during both HD sessions and interdialytic periods. During the 2nd week, intradialytic changes in the BV of each patient were observed on artificial kidneys. In the 3rd week, a cardiologist monitored patients before and after hemodialytic treatments. In the 4th week, the body composition of each patient was analyzed through bioelectrical bioimpedance. RESULTS: Patients, who had clinically shown symptoms of hyperhydration, to the contrary at BIA were dehydrated. Conversely, patients who had dehydration symptoms presented signs of hyperhydration at BIA. CONCLUSIONS: BIVA is the diagnostic instrument that more accurately demonstrates the hydration state of hemodialytic patients. It contributes in defining dry weight more efficiently.
Subject(s)
Body Weight , Renal Dialysis , Adult , Electric Impedance , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Renal Dialysis/methodsABSTRACT
AIM: Several studies focus on the psychic development of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) preterm infants and highlight the presence of neurological, cognitive and relating disorders. Several contributions have in fact shown that in these subjects in school age disturbances of cognitive functions may be encountered; in particular, disturbances of specific neuropsychological functions, such as attention defects, impaired visuo-spatial function, memory and language have been reported in subjects with a globally normal intelligence quotient. METHODS: Forty-three school-aged children were studied (21 males and 22 females). They had a low birth weight (weight between 1,050-2,450 g), the gestation period was between 29 and 32 weeks and they were compared with a control sample whose birth weight was >2,500 g. Cognitive development was assessed by a test battery including WISC-R, Zazzo "deux Barrage" Test, Benton Visual Retention Test and Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception. Parents were also called in to evaluate how they had experienced the birth of their child and how long the mother had been kept in the clinic. RESULTS: The overall analysis of our study suggests normal cognitive development in these children. No significant diffences were detected in the 2 studied groups. The lack of differences could be associated with the criteria used to select our sample because no children with severe perinatal disorders were included in the study. In addition, a good mother-child relationship seems to have been established in these children and this has certainly contributed to cognitive development adequate to their age. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of these children is therefore closely related both to the birth weight and, especially, to the difficulties faced in the neonatal age (severe perinatal diseases).
Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/etiology , Developmental Disabilities/epidemiology , Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Infant, Premature , Infant, Very Low Birth Weight , Male , Neuropsychological Tests , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: To verify the reliability of the evaluation of the original thought through verbal tests, processed and standardised with reference to different socio-cultural contexts. In this respect we focused our attention on the Torrence Test on Creative Thought (TTCT), considering the trans-cultural studies carried out by Torrence. METHODS: The analyses were carried out on the linguistic output of 116 subjects attending the 4th and 5th years of primary school, responding to the first verbal activity of the TTCT. For the evaluation of the Italian output, pointing out the Type and Token, morphemes and phrases were considered as basic units. The authors calculated the percentage values of occurrence of phrases, morphemes and grammatical functions. Then they made cross comparisons between the resulting percentage values, found unique morphemes, morphemes recurring only twice, as well as phrases characterised by the presence of the aforesaid typology of words. RESULTS: TTCT prescriptive evaluation: the percentage (41.19%) is in favour of a widespread originality in the phraseological output of our sample. Evaluation of phrases/units according to their statistical frequency: 93.39 and 83.91% respectively of the type/phrases and of the overall phraseological output turned out to consist of unique phrases. Originality: Italian linguistic production is highly original. Analysis of phrases containing unique and double words: the evaluation of Originality according to Torrence's criteria was not adequately confirmed in our sample. Functional analysis: it showed that 23.17 and 41.67% of unique productions acted respectively verbs and as nouns; the only analogies in the comparison between American and Italian productions were pointed out by analyses carried out according to the criterion of the grammatical function of words. CONCLUSIONS: The data from this research bring forward the use of tests with verbal contents whose ideational solutions are articulate and complex linguistic propositions, validated on people that are different in terms of lexical structures and reference context, from those on whom the prescriptive criteria are identified and built. With reference to the higher levels of Originality noticed in the Italian linguistic output in comparison with American, the question is still open if they are linked to creative modes of thought or can be referred to specific cultural styles of the Italian language.
