Real-Time Tele-Mentored Low Cost "Point-of-Care US" in the Hands of Paediatricians in the Emergency Department: Diagnostic Accuracy Compared to Expert Radiologists.

Background: The use of point-of-care ultrasonography (POC US) in paediatrics is increasing. This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of POC US in children accessing the emergency department (ED) when performed by paediatricians under the remote guidance of radiologists (TELE POC).

Methods: Children aged 0 to 18 years accessing the ED of a third level research hospital with eight possible clinical scenarios and without emergency/severity signs at the triage underwent three subsequent US tests: by a paediatrician guided remotely by a radiologist (TELE POC); by the same radiologist (UNBLIND RAD); by an independent blinded radiologist (BLIND RAD).

Mendelian breeding units versus standard sampling strategies: Mitochondrial DNA variation in southwest Sardinia.

We report a sampling strategy based on Mendelian Breeding Units (MBUs), representing an interbreeding group of individuals sharing a common gene pool. The identification of MBUs is crucial for case-control experimental design in association studies. The aim of this work was to evaluate the possible existence of bias in terms of genetic variability and haplogroup frequencies in the MBU sample, due to severe sample selection.

Pilot study on schizophrenia in Sardinia.

Objective: Based on a small sample of cases with schizophrenia and control individuals from an isolated population, a genome-wide association study was undertaken to find variants conferring susceptibility to this disease.

Methods: Standard association tests were employed, followed by newer multilocus association methods (genotype patterns).

Results: Individually, no variant produced a significant result.

COTS technologies for telemedicine applications.

Purpose: To demonstrate a simple low-cost system for tele-echocardiology, focused on paediatric cardiology applications.

Methods: The system was realized using open-source software and COTS technologies. It is based on the transmission of two simultaneous video streams, obtained by direct digitization of the output of an ultrasound machine and by a netcam showing the examination that is taking place.

AntiHunter 2.0: increased speed and sensitivity in searching BLAST output for EST antisense transcripts.

An increasing number of eukaryotic and prokaryotic genes are being found to have natural antisense transcripts (NATs). There is also growing evidence to suggest that antisense transcription could play a key role in many human diseases. Consequently, there have been several recent attempts to set up computational procedures aimed at identifying novel NATs.