Validation of a Complementary Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess infant nutrient intake

Dietary assessment in infants is challenging but necessary to understand the relationship between nutrition and growth and development. Currently no simple, validated methods exist to assess nutrient intake in New Zealand (NZ) infants. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the relative validity and reproducibility of a Complementary Food Frequency Questionnaire (CFFQ) to determine nutrient intakes of NZ infants. Ninety‐five parent–infant pairs (infant age 10 ± 1 months) completed the CFFQ twice (CFFQ‐1 and CFFQ‐2), 4 weeks apart (to assess reproducibility). A 4‐day weighed food record (4dWFR) was collected between CFFQ administrations (to assess validity). Validity and reproducibility were assessed for intakes of energy and 18 nutrients using Bland–Altman analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficients, cross‐classification, and weighted Kappa (κ). The CFFQ showed acceptable validity: Nutrients from the CFFQ were comparable with the 4dWFR (bias, 9–28%), correlation between methods ranged from r = .18 (saturated fat) to r = .81 (iron; mean r = .52), 54% (mean) of participants were correctly classified (range 39% to 67%), and 7.1% (mean) misclassified into opposite tertiles (range 2.1% to 14.7%). There was acceptable agreement between the CFFQ and 4dWFR (κ = 0.20–0.60). The CFFQ showed good reproducibility: Correlations ranged from r = .34 (folate) to r = .80 (zinc); for 16 nutrients, >50% of participants were correctly classified, and for all nutrients, <10% of participants were grossly misclassified. All nutrients showed acceptable to good agreement (κ > 0.20). The CFFQ has acceptable relative validity and good reproducibility for assessing nutrient intake in NZ infants aged 9–12 months, making it a useful tool for use in future research.     

Developmental validation of the ANDE™ rapid DNA system with FlexPlex™ assay for arrestee and reference buccal swab processing and database searching

A developmental validation was performed to demonstrate reliability, reproducibility and robustness of the ANDE System with the FlexPlex assay, including an integrated Expert System, across a number of laboratories and buccal sample variations. Previously, the related DNAscan™/ANDE 4C Rapid DNA System using the PowerPlex^®16 assay and integrated Expert System Software received NDIS approval in March 2016. The enhanced ANDE instrument, referred to as ANDE 6C, and the accompanying 6-dye, 27-locus STR assay, referred to as FlexPlex, have been developed to be compatible with all widely used global loci, including the expanded set of the CODIS core 20 loci.Six forensic and research laboratories participated in the FlexPlex Rapid DNA developmental validation experiments, testing a total of 2045 swabs, including those obtained from 1387 unique individuals. The goal of this extensive and comprehensive validation was to thoroughly evaluate and document the ANDE System and its internal Expert System to reliably genotype reference buccal swab samples in a manner compliant with the FBI’s Quality Assurance Standards and the NDIS Operational Procedures.The ANDE System, including automated Expert System analysis, generated reproducible and concordant results for buccal swabs when testing various instruments at different laboratories by a number of different operators. When testing a number of non-human DNAs, including oral bacteria, the ANDE System and FlexPlex assay demonstrated limited cross-reactivity. Potential PCR inhibitors were evaluated as part of the validation and no inhibition was detected. Reproducible and concordant profiles were generated from buccal swab samples collected with a limit of detection appropriate for buccal swab collections from arrestees. The precision and resolution of the System met industry standards for detection of microvariants and single base resolution.The integrated Expert System appropriately demonstrated the ability to correctly pass or fail profiles for CODIS upload without human review. During this comprehensive developmental validation, the ANDE System successfully interpreted over 2000 samples tested with over 99.99% concordant alleles. The data package described herein led to the ANDE System with the FlexPlex assay receiving NDIS approval in June 2018.     

The 2018 International Consensus Meeting Minor Criteria for Chronic Hip and Knee Periprosthetic Joint Infection: Validation From a Single Center

BackgroundRecently, a revised definition of the minor criteria scoring system for diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) was developed by the second International Consensus Meeting on musculoskeletal infection. The new system combines preoperative and intraoperative findings, reportedly achieving high sensitivity and specificity. We aimed to validate the modified scoring system at a high-volume center.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent a revision total hip or knee arthroplasty at our institution from May 2015 to August 2018. Serum C-reactive protein, synovial white blood cell count and polymorphonuclear percentage, leukocyte esterase test, alpha-defensin, microbiological and histologic results, and documented existence of sinus tract and intraoperative purulence were available for all patients. Cases with at least 1 major criterion were considered as infected. Using the new minor criteria, a score of ≥6 reflects PJI, while a score <3 can be considered as noninfected. Sensitivity, specificity, mean accuracy (ACC), positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were analyzed.ResultsA total of 345 cases were included. A cutoff score of ≥6 points had the following diagnostic performance: area under the curve (AUC) = 0.90; ACC = 0.88; sensitivity = 0.96; specificity = 0.84; PPV = 0.70; NPV = 0.98. Diagnostic performance was better for the hip (AUC = 0.92; ACC = 0.90; sensitivity = 0.96; specificity = 0.86; PPV = 0.81; NPV = 0.98) than the knee (AUC = 0.89; ACC = 0.85; sensitivity = 0.95; specificity = 0.83; PPV = 0.59; NPV = 0.98).ConclusionThe modified scoring system proposed by the 2018 International Consensus Meeting in diagnosing PJI showed high sensitivity and a good performance, especially as rule-out diagnostic criteria. The cutoff level seems to be different between the hip and knee. Further validation studies considering the acknowledged limitations are recommended.     

四种大宗常用中药饮片中黄曲霉毒素污染状况分布比较研究

目的 测定不同来源的4种大宗常用中药饮片中黄曲霉毒素（AFB₁、AFB₂、AFG₁和AFG₂）的含量，比较不同基质中药饮片中黄曲霉毒素的分布状况。方法 基于免疫亲和柱净化-高效液相色谱分离-荧光检测器（IAC-HPLC-FLD）方法，分析不同产地共75批中药样品。结果 柏子仁、薏苡仁、决明子及党参共计75批中药饮片中，阳性检出：26批柏子仁（AFs 1.22-46.67 μg·kg^-1，AFB₁ 1.22-31.40 μg·kg^-1）、4批薏苡仁（AFs 1.97-41.13 μg·kg^-1，AFB₁ 1.97-36.40 μg·kg^-1）、1批决明子（AFs 13.65 μg·kg^-1，AFB₁ 12.60 μg·kg^-1），阳性率41%，超标率15%。阳性样品经 LC-MS/MS确证，排除假阳性。4种大宗常用中药饮片柏子仁、薏苡仁、决明子、党参中黄曲霉毒素的污染水平依次降低，阳性检出率分别为77%、29%、7%、0%，表明中药材中黄曲霉毒素的污染状况与药材基质密切相关。结论 针对易污染AFs的中药品种，需进一步加强其污染状况的全面检测分析，为黄曲霉毒素的有效防控以及完善中药的质量标准提供科学依据，从而保障中药用药安全。     

Exploration of D022-Type Al3TM(TM = Sc,Ti, V,Zr, Nb,Hf, Ta): Elastic Anisotropy,Electronic Structures,Work Function and Experimental Design

The structural properties, elastic anisotropy, electronic structures and work function of D0₂₂-type Al₃TM (TM = Sc, Ti, V, Y, Zr, Nb, La, Hf, Ta) are studied using the first-principles calculations. The results indicate that the obtained formation enthalpy and cohesive energy of these compounds are in accordance with the other calculated values. It is found that the Al₃Zr is the most thermodynamic stable compound. The mechanical property indexes, such as elastic constants, bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and Vickers hardness are systematically explored. Moreover, the calculated universal anisotropic index, percent anisotropy and shear anisotropic factors of D0₂₂-type Al₃TM are analyzed carefully. It demonstrates that the shear modulus anisotropy of Al₃La is the strongest, while that of Al₃Ta is the weakest. In particular, the density of states at Fermi level is not zero, suggesting that these phases have metal properties and electrical conductivity. More importantly, the mechanisms of correlation between hardness and Young’s modulus are further explained by the work function. Finally, the experimental design proves that D0₂₂-Al₃Ta has an excellent strengthening effect.     

Kombucha tea ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mouse model of multiple sclerosis

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a mouse model for multiple sclerosis (MS), in which an inflammatory demyelination and axonal damage occurs. Kombucha tea is a fermented beverage made from kombucha mushroom, brewed tea, and sugar. In recent years kombucha tea has attracted interest due to its pharmacological properties like antioxidant effects. The aim of the present research was to test the therapeutic effect of kombucha tea in EAE. We induced EAE model in 18 female C57BL/6 mice by inoculation of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-35-55 (MOG_35-55) in complete Freund’s adjuvant emulsion. Then, in order to ameliorate EAE symptoms, we used kombucha tea. During the course of study clinical evaluation was assessed, and on the day 21 post-immunization, for evaluation of nitric oxide (NO), total antioxidants capacity and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), blood samples were taken from the heart of mice. The mice were sacrificed and brains and cerebellums of mice were removed for histological analysis. Our findings demonstrated that kombucha tea had beneficial effects on EAE by lower incidence, attenuation in the severity, and also a delay in the onset of disease. Histological analysis showed that inflammatory criteria including the number of infiltrated immune cells and plaques as well as demyelination in kombucha tea dosed mice were significantly lower than the control group. Also, in comparison with control mice, the serum levels of NO and TNF-α in kombucha tea-treated mice were significantly decreased. Kombucha tea with its potential therapeutic effects and immunomodulatory properties might be proposed, after additional necessary tests and trials, for treatment of MS.