State University of New York System

About: State University of New York System is a education organization based out in Albany, New York, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 54077 authors who have published 78070 publications receiving 2985160 citations.

Fatigue associated with multiple sclerosis: diagnosis, impact and management.

Abstract: In patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) fatigue is the most common symptom and one of the most disabling features. As many as 40% have described it as the single most disabling symptom--a higher percentage than weakness, spasticity, motor problems, or bowel or bladder problems. The etiology and pathophysiology of MS-related fatigue remain unknown. Studies have failed to demonstrate an association between MS-related fatigue and the level of disability, clinical disease subtype, or gender, although recent data show an association between MS-related fatigue and depression and quality of life. Imaging studies using positron emission tomography suggest that fatigue in MS is related to hypometabolism of specific brain areas, including the frontal and subcortical circuits. The impact of fatigue on patient functioning and quality of life clearly warrants intervention. In addition to nonpharmacologic measures, such as exercise and energy conservation strategies, several pharmacologic agents have been evaluated for their ability to reduce MS-related fatigue, including amantadine, central nervous system stimulants (pemoline), and the novel wake-promoting agent modafinil.

Low magnitude mechanical loading is osteogenic in children with disabling conditions.

Abstract: The osteogenic potential of short durations of low-level mechanical stimuli was examined in children with disabling conditions. The mean change in tibia vTBMD was 6.3% in the intervention group compared with 11.9% in the control group. This pilot randomized controlled trial provides preliminary evidence that low-level mechanical stimuli represent a noninvasive, non-pharmacological treatment of low BMD in children with disabling conditions. Introduction: Recent animal studies have demonstrated the anabolic potential of low-magnitude, high-frequency mechanical stimuli to the trabecular bone of weight-bearing regions of the skeleton. The main aim of this prospective, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled pilot trial (RCT) was to examine whether these signals could effectively increase tibial and spinal volumetric trabecular BMD (vTBMD; mg/ml) in children with disabling conditions. Materials and Methods: Twenty pre-or postpubertal disabled, ambulant, children (14 males, 6 females; mean age, 9.1 4.3 years; range, 4 -19 years) were randomized to standing on active (n 10; 0.3g, 90 Hz) or placebo (n 10) devices for 10 minutes/day, 5 days/week for 6 months. The primary outcomes of the trial were proximal tibial and spinal (L2) vTBMD (mg/ml), measured using 3-D QCT. Posthoc analyses were performed to determine whether the treatment had an effect on diaphyseal cortical bone and muscle parameters. Results and Conclusions: Compliance was 44% (4.4 minutes per day), as determined by mean time on treatment (567.9 minutes) compared with expected time on treatment over the 6 months (1300 minutes). After 6 months, the mean change in proximal tibial vTBMD in children who stood on active devices was 6.27 mg/ml (6.3%); in children who stood on placebo devices, vTBMD decreased by 9.45 mg/ml (11.9%). Thus, the net benefit of treatment was 15.72 mg/ml (17.7%; p 0.0033). In the spine, the net benefit of treatment, compared with placebo, was 6.72 mg/ml, (p 0.14). Diaphyseal bone and muscle parameters did not show a response to treatment. The results of this pilot RCT have shown for the first time that low-magnitude, high-frequency mechanical stimuli are anabolic to trabecular bone in children, possibly by providing a surrogate for suppressed muscular activity in the disabled. Over the course of a longer treatment period, harnessing bone's sensitivity to these stimuli may provide a non-pharmacological treatment for bone fragility in children. J Bone Miner Res 2004;19:360 -369. Published online on January 27, 2004; doi: 10.1359/JBMR.040129

Image thresholding by indicator kriging

Abstract: We consider the problem of segmenting a digitized image consisting of two univariate populations. Assume a priori knowledge allows incomplete assignment of voxels in the image, in the sense that a fraction of the voxels can be identified as belonging to population II/sub 0/, a second fraction to II/sub 1/, and the remaining fraction have no a priori identification. Based upon estimates of the short length scale spatial covariance of the image, we develop a method utilizing indicator kriging to complete the image segmentation.