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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
391

Novas informações sobre a história natural da maria-da-restinga (Phylloscartes kronei) (Aves, Tyrannidae) /

Gussoni, Carlos Otávio Araújo. January 2010 (has links)
Orientador: Marcos César de Oliveira Santos / Banca: Marco Aurelio Pizo Ferreira / Banca: Pedro Ferreira Develey / Resumo: A maria-da-restinga (Phylloscartes kronei) é uma espécie da família Tyrannidae descrita recentemente e considerada como globalmente ameaçada de extinção, cuja história natural é pouco conhecida. Visando preencher parte desta lacuna, o objetivo deste estudo foi de caracterizar o comportamento de forrageamento da maria-da-restinga, descrever os bandos mistos aos quais ela se associa, bem como descrever alguns outros aspectos de sua história natural como seus hábitos alimentares, o comportamento de dormir, insights sobre a biologia reprodutiva, o alcance de vôo, encontros agonísticos interespecíficos e a muda. No período de agosto de 2008 a julho de 2009 foram realizadas excursões mensais ao município de Ilha Comprida (~24º S), Estado de São Paulo. Aliado ao esforço anual mencionado, uma visita ao município de Guaraqueçaba (25º18'S e 48º19'W), Estado do Paraná, foi conduzida entre os dias 25 de julho e 1º de agosto de 2008. Foram coletadas 613 amostras de forrageamento, através de observações diretas com auxílio de binóculos com aumento de 10 vezes. Durante os períodos de coleta de dados sobre o forrageamento da espécie, para cada encontro com a mesma foi anotado se esta se encontrava só, aos pares, em grupos ou associada a bandos mistos de aves. Quando em bandos mistos, foram anotadas todas as espécies ocorrentes, visando caracterizar os bandos aos quais se associa. Para a descrição do hábito alimentar da espécie foram analisados os conteúdos estomacais de cinco exemplares coletados na década de 1990 no Estado do Paraná, tendo sido identificados 116 ítens alimentares. Através da análise dos dados obtidos, conclui-se que P. kronei captura suas presas principalmente em folhas verdes, entre 0,5 e 15m acima do solo, utilizando a manobra "investir-atingir". Alimenta-se predominantemente de artrópodes, sendo que os insetos das ordens Coleoptera... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The Restinga Tyrannulet (Phylloscartes kronei) is a recently described and globally threatened species of the family Tyrannidae, whose natural history is poorly known. In this study several information on the natural history of P. kronei were gathered such as several aspects on foraging behavior, association with mixed species bird flocks, feeding habits, the description of the roosting behavior, insights on the reproductive biology, the flying range, interespecific agonistic encounters and moulting. From August 2008 to July 2009, data on this species were collected on a monthly basis in Ilha Comprida (~24º S), São Paulo state, Brazil. In addition, a visit to Guaraqueçaba (25º18'S e 48º19'W), Paraná state, was conducted between 25 July and 01 August 2008. A total of 613 foraging maneuvers were gathered by direct observations with the aid of binoculars with 10x magnification. In all meetings with the species it was reported if individuals were alone, in pairs, in groups or associated with mixed species bird flocks. When mixed species flocks with Restinga Tyrannulets were observed, all species in the flock were identified. Five stomach contents collected in the 1990s in Paraná state were evaluated and 116 food items were identified. The Restinga Tyrannulet captures preys mainly with sally-strikes in green leaves between 0.5 and 15m above the ground. This species feeds mainly on arthropods, especially Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. The observed foraging behaviors and feeding habits were similar to the ones observed in other species of Phylloscartes, but new food items are described for this genus: Anobiidae (Coleoptera), Coccinelidae (Coleoptera), Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera), Microhymenoptera and two species of fruits (Clusia criuva and Ternstroemia brasiliensis). P. kronei is a sporadic follower of mixed species bird flocks, which had the inclusion of 25 species on their compositions... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre
392

Film and the production of knowledge at the Manchester Museum : a practice-based study

Everest, Sophie January 2018 (has links)
Non-fiction film shares a long and relatively uncharted history with the museum. Today, filmmaking is a widespread yet critically neglected area of modern museological practice. This practice-based PhD situates itself within these critical gaps to examine the knowledge producing potential of film archives and film practice at the Manchester Museum. Its primary historical sources are a group of taxidermy objects at the Manchester Museum, an archive of 16mm acetate films at the North West Film Archive and a collection of travel journals at Cheshire Archives and Local Studies. These diverse collections were generated by Maurice Egerton, the 4th Baron of Tatton in Cheshire during his travels in Africa in the first decades of the twentieth century. This thesis brings all three together for the first time since their moment of production. These collections recur throughout the thesis as I ask how film archives can complicate and enrich our understanding of collections and how filmmaking practice might continue to bring new types of knowledge into the museum and archive. Two research films are submitted with and discussed within the thesis. The first, 'Living Worlds at the Manchester Museum', adapts observational methods from visual anthropology to record objects and staff during the re-display of the mammal gallery at the Manchester Museum in 2011. The second, 'Articulating Archives' is the result of a creative collaboration in 2014 with Year 8 secondary school students and the institutions and archives named above. Within the production and analyses of these films I draw on diverse critical sources to suggest that film can illuminate properties of materiality, embodied knowledge and performed engagement that textual accounts fall short of capturing.
393

Síndrome hepatopulmonar (SHP): estudo prospectivo para avaliar a progressão da hipoxemia em pacientes candidatos ao transplante de fígado

Melo, Elisabete de 14 August 2006 (has links)
Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-26T12:51:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 elisabetemelo_tese.pdf: 1119413 bytes, checksum: 4be114b65ecba8ea4e5468dff03f2f12 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-08-14 / Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS), caused by abnormal intrapulmonary vasodilatation (IPVD), when associated with severe hypoxemia has been related to increased morbid-mortality in liver transplant candidates. The progression of hypoxemia in cirrhotic patients with IPVD is not well known. The aim of this study is to determine the probability of developing hypoxemia (Pa02 <70mmHg) in IPVD patients waiting for liver transplantation over two years. Thirty-two transplant candidates with IPVD detected by contrast-enhanced echocardiography (GI) were prospectively studied and the Pa02 of then was measured at the start and at the end of 12 and 24 months. Eleven patients without IPVD were taken as control group (GII). Paired t test showed that mean Pa02 was significantly lower at 24 months compared with basal mean at GI (78,5 ± 18,9 vs 94,05 ± 14,9; p=0,001). GI patients had significantly lower mean Pa02 at 12 months (84,6 ± 14,8 vs 95,7 ± 7,3; p=0,003) and at 24 months (78,5 ± 19,0 vs 88,7 ± 7,1; p=0,036) compared with GII patients. The Kaplan-Meier estimated ratio for the appearance of hypoxemia was approximately 10% ±5% at 12 months and 28% ± 10% at 2 years. The mean variation for Pa02 in GI patients was 4,6±13,4mmHg at 12 months and 15,5±15,5mmHg at the end of two years. There was no appearance of either hypoxemia or IPVD in GII patients. The variables: age, Child-Pugh score, smoking habit, pré-transplant Pa02 and PaC02 values did not discriminated patients who presented hypoxemia during the period of two years study. In conclusion, we demonstrate prospectively the progressive course of HPS, even on it s subclinical stage; the estimated risk for the appearance of hypoxemia in patients with IPVD was at least 30% at the end of 2 years. The identification of the early appearance of hypoxemia can lead to a better understanding of the hepatopulmonary syndrome natural history and may be helpful to optimize timing and to predict the outcomes of liver transplantation. / A síndrome hepatopulmonar (SHP) é causada por dilatação anormal da vasculatura intrapulmonar (DVP) em indivíduos com doença hepática, tendo como consequência graus variados de hipoxemia arterial. A hipoxemia grave aumenta a morbimortalidade em candidatos a transplante de fígado, e sua progressão na história natural da SHP não é bem conhecida. O objetivo deste estudo é determinar a probabilidade de desenvolvimento de hipoxemia (Pa02 <70mmHg) em pacientes com DVP em lista de espera para o transplante de fígado, em um período de dois anos. Foram estudados prospectivamente 32 pacientes com DVP (GI), detectada pela ecocardiografia com contraste e a Pa02 foi medida ao início, aos 12 e aos 24 meses do estudo. Como grupo controle (GII), foram incluídos 11 pacientes sem DVP. Os testes t de Student e exato de Fisher foram usados para comparação dos resultados. A curva de Kaplan-Meier foi empregada para verificar a probabilidade de hipoxemia nos dois grupos. A média da Pa02 aos 12 e 24 meses foi significativamente menor no GI quando comparada ao GII (84,6±14,8mmHg vs 95,7±7,3mmHg; p=0,003 e 78,5±19,0mmHg vs 88,7±7,1mmHg; p=0,036, respectivamente). No GI há evidência de que a média dos valores da Pa02 aos 24 meses é menor do que a média basal (78,5±18,9 vs 94,0±14,9; p=0,001). A razão estimada para o aparecimento da hipoxemia foi aproximadamente 10%±5% aos 12 meses e 28%±10% aos 24 meses (Curva Kaplan-Meier), para o GI. A média da variação da Pa02 no GI foi de 4,6&#61617;13,4mmHg aos 12 meses e de 15,5&#61617;15,5mmHg aos 24 meses. Nenhum paciente apresentou hipoxemia nem DVP no GII durante o período de estudo. Os parâmetros: idade, Child-Pugh, tabagismo, Pa02 e PaC02 iniciais, não identificaram os indivíduos com DVP que desenvolveram hipoxemia em dois anos de observação. Conclui-se que: Demonstramos o curso progressivo da SHP, mesmo em condições subclínicas; O risco estimado para hipoxemia em portadores de DVP foi de pelo menos 30% em dois anos; A identificação precoce do aparecimento da hipoxemia pode levar a um melhor entendimento da história natural da SHP e ser útil para a otimização da indicação do transplante de fígado e obtenção de melhores resultados.
394

Economia da natureza: a história natural, entre a teologia natural e a economia política (Portugal e Brasil, 1750-1822) / Economy of nature: natural history, between natural theology and political economy (Portugal and Brazil, 1750-1822)

Breno Ferraz Leal Ferreira 11 March 2016 (has links)
Esta tese versa sobre as diferentes funções para as quais a História Natural foi mobilizada em Portugal e na América Portuguesa entre 1750 e 1822. Defende-se aqui que esse domínio do saber se constituiu entre dois paradigmas ilustrados: o da Teologia Natural e o da ideia de utilidade da natureza para uso humano, sendo este segundo paradigma predominante a partir novos Estatutos da Universidade de Coimbra (1772). Para tanto, analisamos discursos de homens de ciência que fizeram parte do quadro de sócios da Academia Real das Ciências de Lisboa (1779). Em um primeiro momento, a questão é debatida por meio da análise dos novos Estatutos. Examinamos as concepções de História Natural na Ilustração e a opção dos legisladores de enfatizar um ensino voltado para a utilidade. Em seguida, atentamos para a maneira como a História Natural foi mobilizada pelo padre oratoriano Teodoro de Almeida e pelos frades franciscanos José Mayne e Manuel do Cenáculo com o intuito oferecer uma resposta pública às ideias radicais da Ilustração. Além disso, discutimos a maneira como Cenáculo apresentou uma reflexão sobre os usos que os homens poderiam tirar da natureza. Na sequência, esmiuçamos a importância de Domingos Vandelli no panorama da História Natural da segunda metade do século XVIII. Destacamos especialmente a maneira como mobilizou a Academia das Ciências para o seu projeto de inventariação \"física\" e \"econômica\" da natureza de Portugal e suas colônias, incorporando princípios da economia política. Por fim, abordamos as concepções de História Natural e o papel atribuído à providência divina no funcionamento da natureza por parte de dois naturalistas luso-brasileiros com claros vínculos aos projetos políticos do Estado português de finais do século XVIII e início do XIX: Frei José Mariano da Conceição Veloso e José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva. / This dissertation discusses the different roles of the concept of Natural History in Portugal and Portuguese America among 1750 and 1822. We propose here that this field of knowledge has been built up from two enlightened paradigms: Natural Theology and the idea of nature usefulness for human apropriation. This second paradigm prevails as from the publication of the Statutes of the University of Coimbra (1772). Therefore, we analyze the texts of men of science who integrated the board of members of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Lisbon (1779). In a first moment, this issue is debated through the analysis of the new Statutes. We examined the conceptions of Natural History in Enlightenment and the option to emphasize an education oriented by the idea of utility. Then, we attend to the manner how Oratorian priest Teodoro de Almeida and Franciscan friars José Mayne and Manuel do Cenáculo resorted to Natural History concepts, providing a public answer to the radical ideas of Enlightenment. Also, we discuss the way Cenáculo presented a reflection about the uses men could make from nature. After that, we debate the importance of Domingos Vandelli in the context of the Natural History studies in the second half of the XVIII century. We emphasize especially the way he mobilized The Royal Academy of Sciences around his project of creating an inventory of \"physics\" and \"economics\" of nature in Portugal and its colonies, incorporating principles of Political Economy. Lastly, we debated the conceptions of Natural History and the role attributed to divine providence in the working of nature by two Luso-Brazilian naturalists clearly identified to the Portuguese State\'s political projects of the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries: Friar José Mariano da Conceição Veloso and José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva.
395

Ciências naturais e econômicas na obra de Domingos Vandelli (1735-1816) / Natural and economic sciences in the work of Domingos Vandelli (1735-1816)

Costa, Ricardo Dalla 07 August 2017 (has links)
Submitted by Marlene Aparecida de Souza Cardozo (mcardozo@pucsp.br) on 2018-03-08T15:36:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Ricardo Dalla Costa.pdf: 1068461 bytes, checksum: dc45a379959dc7ca52c2dee8ec65fc8b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-08T15:36:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ricardo Dalla Costa.pdf: 1068461 bytes, checksum: dc45a379959dc7ca52c2dee8ec65fc8b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-07 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This work addresses the importance of natural and economic history in its different fields, in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, described through the writings of Domingos Vandelli. From the analysis of documents of the time, such as the Economic Memories of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Lisbon, in addition to unreleased and unpublished manuscripts of the author, the use of goods offered by nature was verified. In general, the close relationship between Portuguese State and science was observed. Certain concepts, such as 'political economy', 'political arithmetic' and 'physiocracy', helped to explore the seventeenth century environment. Vandelli was concerned about the needs of the Kingdom and its colonies. In his studies, he highlighted the mineral coal that, in Lusitanian soil, allowed advances in the reduction of external dependence and in the supply of factories and residences. Vandelli's writings, which were important to the understanding of this source of energy, were even extended in the analysis of the use of peat or charcoal as substitutes in times of great shortage of mineral coal of that period / Este trabalho aborda a importância da história natural e econômica em seus diferentes campos, no final do século XVIII e início do século XIX, descrita através dos escritos de Domingos Vandelli. A partir da análise de documentos da época, como as Memórias Econômicas da Academia Real das Ciências de Lisboa, além de manuscritos inéditos e não publicados do autor, verificou-se o aproveitamento dos bens ofertados pela natureza. De forma geral, observou-se a estreita relação entre Estado e ciência portugueses. Certos conceitos, como „economia política‟, „aritmética política‟ e „fisiocracia‟, ajudaram a explorar o ambiente setecentista. Vandelli preocupava-se com as necessidades do Reino e de suas colônias. Em seus estudos, destacou o carvão mineral que, em solo lusitano, permitiu avanços na redução da dependência externa e no abastecimento de fábricas e residências. Os escritos de Vandelli, importantes na compreensão dessa fonte de energia, prolongaram-se, inclusive, na análise do uso de turfa ou carvão de terra como substitutos nos momentos de grande escassez do carvão mineral daquele período
396

Natural history and prognostic factors in localized prostate cancer

Andrén, Ove January 2008 (has links)
<p>The natural history of localized prostate cancer is not fully understood. In most patients the tumor will never progress to a lethal disease, while a subset of patients will ultimately die of the disease. Efficient tools to separate indolent from lethal disease is currently lacking which means that many patients will be offered treatment without any benefit, but still be at risk of experiencing treatment related side effects.</p><p>The aims of these studies were to get more insight into the natural history of untreated localized prostate cancer, to assess the prognostic value of established clinical parameters such as Gleason score, nuclear grade and tumor volume and, moreover, some new prognostic markers Ki-67, AMACR and MUC-1. We also aimed to study time trends in the detection of incidental tumors in Sweden.</p><p>Patients with localized disease (n=223) and no initial treatment were followed for 21 years. Most patients had a favorable outcome. However, a subset of patients developed lethal disease even beyond 15 years of follow-up and these patients define the group that may benefit most from treatment with curative intent. Patients with poorly differentiated tumors experienced a 9 time higher risk of dying in prostate cancer.</p><p>The studies on prognostic markers are based on a cohort of patients (n=253) with incidental prostate cancer detected by transurethral resection for presumed benign hyperplasia. All patients were left without initial treatment. Gleason grade, nuclear grade and tumor volume turned all out to be independent prognostic factors. MUC-1, AMACR and Ki-67 also carried prognostic information. However, after adjustment for Gleason grade, nuclear grade and tumor volume only MUC-1 and AMACR remained as statistically significant prognostic factors. When tested for sensitivity and specificity they all failed and, consequently, they seem to be of less value in daily practice for cancelling an individual patient regarding the choice of treatment.</p><p>Time trends in incidental prostate tumors in Sweden were analyzed in a cohort of patients with prostate tumors detected by transurethral resection (TUR-P). Through linkage of the national registration number (NRN) with several registers, e.g. the Swedish Cancer Registry, the National Inpatient registry and the Cause of Death Registry we identified, during the period 1970 through 2003, in total 23288 patients with incidental prostate cancer, who constituted the study group. As comparison group we choose all patients diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1970-2003 excluding those with incidental cancer, in total 112204 patients. Our result confirms earlier findings that there has been a dramatic change over time in incidence of incidental prostate cancers in Sweden, which parallels the introduction of prostate specific antigen. We also found that the cumulative incidence of prostate cancer death is high in the incidental group, opposing earlier findings that incidental tumours are a non-lethal disease.</p> / issn 1642-4063
397

Das volkssprachliche Naturbuch im späten Mittelalter Sachkunde und Dinginterpretation bei Jacob van Maerlant und Konrad von Megenberg /

Nischik, Traude-Marie. January 1986 (has links)
Th. : lett. : München. / Bibliogr.: p.441-487. Index.
398

Plants and Peoples: French and Indigenous Botanical Knowledges in Colonial North America, 1600 – 1760

Parsons, Christopher 14 August 2013 (has links)
As North American plants took root in Parisian botanical gardens and regularly appeared in scientific texts in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, they retained their connections to networks of ecological and cultural exchange in colonial North America. In this dissertation I study the history of French botany and natural history as it became an Atlantic enterprise during this time, analyzing the production of knowledge about North American flora and the place of this knowledge in larger processes of colonialism and imperial expansion in the French Atlantic World. I focus particular attention on recovering the role of aboriginal peoples in the production of knowledge about colonial environments on both sides of the Atlantic. Rather than integrating aboriginal collectors, chefs and healers into traditional histories of western science, I integrate familiar histories of science into larger histories of cultural contact in an Atlantic World with multiple centres of knowledge production and exchange. This dissertation develops two closely related arguments. First, I argue that French encounters with American environments and Native cultures were inseparable. Jesuit missionaries, for example, called both a plant and a native culture “wild rice,” conflating descriptions of local ecological and morphological features of the Great Lakes plant with accounts of indigenous cultural and moral attributes. Second, “Plants and Peoples” also analyzes the process by which the Paris-based Académie Royale des Sciences expanded its reach into North America and argues that French colonial naturalists drew on a vibrant conversation between diverse colonial and indigenous communities. Yet indigenous participation and the knowledges they provided were progressively effaced over the course of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This research therefore presents both a new understanding of the history of early modern and enlightenment botany and a lens through which to revisit and enrich familiar histories of cultural exchange in colonial North America.
399

Charge virale intégrée du papillomavirus de type 16 dans la maladie anale préinvasive

Alvarez Orellana, Jennifer Élisabeth 08 1900 (has links)
L’histoire naturelle de l’infection anale par le virus du papillome de type 16 (VPH-16) est mal définie pour les hommes ayant des relations sexuelles avec d’autres hommes (HARSAHs) VIH-séropositifs. Le but de cette étude était d’évaluer l’association entre la charge épisomale et intégrée du VPH-16 et la progression de la néoplasie intraépithéliale anale (AIN). Les charges épisomales et intégrées du VPH-16 furent mesurées par PCR quantitatif en temps réel sur 665 spécimens anaux obtenus de 135 hommes VPH-16-positifs participant à l’étude prospective HIPVIRG (Human Immunodeficiency and Papilloma VIrus Research Group). Le grade de l’AIN fut déterminé sur des biopsies obtenues lors des anuscopies à haute résolution périodiques. L’intégration du VPH-16 fut confirmée par DIPS-PCR pour démontrer la présence de jonctions virales-cellulaires. La charge épisomale du VPH-16 [ratio de cote (OR) 1.5, intervalle de confiance (IC) à 95%=1.1–2.1], le nombre de types de VPH [OR 1.4 (IC 95%=1.1–1.8)] et le tabagisme actuel [OR 4.8 (IC 95%=1.3–18.6)], mais non la charge intégrée, furent associés aux lésions de haut-grade (AIN-2,3) après ajustement pour l’âge et le décompte des lymphocytes CD4. La charge épisomale du VPH-16 était le seul facteur prédictif de progression de l’AIN de bas-grade (AIN-1) vers l’AIN-2,3 [OR 8.0 (IC 95%=1.2–55.4)]. Les spécimens avec une charge épisomale du VPH-16 élevée étaient moins susceptibles de contenir de l’intégration [OR 0.5 (IC 95%=0.3–0.8)]. L’intégration du VPH-16 fut détectée en absence d’AIN, dans l’AIN-1 et dans l’AIN-2,3. L’analyse des jonctions virales-cellulaires ne permit pas d’identifier un site d’intégration spécifique. / The natural history of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) anal infection is undefined among HIV-seropositive men having sex with men (MSM). The aim of this study was to assess the association between HPV-16 episomal and integrated viral loads and the progression of anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN). HPV-16 episomal and integrated loads were measured on 665 specimens from 135 HPV-16-positive men participating in the prospective HIPVIRG (Human Immunodeficiency and Papilloma VIrus Research Group) study. AIN grade was evaluated on biopsies obtained during periodical high-resolution anoscopies. HPV-16 integration was confirmed by DIPS-PCR to demonstrate the presence of viral-cellular junctions. HPV-16 episomal loads [odds ratio (OR) 1.5, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.1–2.1], burden of HPV infection [OR 1.4 (95% CI=1.1–1.8)] and current smoking [4.8 (95% CI=1.3–18.6)], but not integrated loads, were associated with high-grade lesions (AIN-2,3) after age and CD4 counts adjustment. A high HPV-16 episomal load was the only predictive factor of progression from low-grade AIN to high-grade AIN [OR 8.0 (95% CI=1.2–55.4)]. Specimens with higher HPV-16 episomal loads were less likely to contain integration [OR 0.5 (95% CI=0.3–0.8)]. HPV-16 integration was detected in the absence of AIN, in AIN-1 and in AIN-2,3. The analysis of the viral-cellular junctions did not allow identifying a specific site of integration.
400

Investigation of the origin of the coronary artery calcification process and its relationship to the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Koulaouzidis, George January 2013 (has links)
The objectives of this thesis are: a) To examine racial/ethnic differences in coronary artery calcification (CAC) and CAD, between symptomatic South Asians and Caucasians, matched for age, gender and conventional cardiovascular risk factors, b) To assess, using a meta-analysis model, the natural history of and stability of measurements of coronary artery calcium scoring (CACs) based on data collected from two large published trials: St Francis and EBEAT, c) To investigate the prevalence of coronary artery calcification in individuals with CT evidence for AVC, mitral valve calcification (MAC) or of both of them (AVC+MAC), d) To assess any potential association between premature CAD (&lt;55 years in first-degree male relatives and &lt;65 years in first-degree female relatives) and CAC in a large cohort of asymptomatic individuals. We found that coronary artery calcification is more extensive and diffuse in symptomatic patients of South Asian ethnic origin as compared to Caucasians, despite similar conventional risk factors for CAD. This is more evident in those &gt;50 years of age, suggesting potential genetic or other risk factors yet to be determined. The natural history of coronary artery calcification was overtime progression in the majority of subjects, irrespective of gender. The higher variability in RCA measurements could be related to the low baseline CACs or exaggerated movement of the right side atrioventricular ring, whereas those for LCA brances are influenced by the branch allocation of the CACs. Valve calcification is not isolated but involve also and the coronary arteries. The presence of calcification in the aortic valve or combined aortic and mitral valves predicted coronary artery calcification. Additionally patients in whom both valves have become calcified tend to have severe coronary artery calcification. And finally, there is no relationship between the prevalence and extent of coronary artery calcification and the presence of family history of coronary heart disease in asymptomatic individuals with none of the conventional risk factors for atherosclerosis.

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