Psychometric properties of the volunteer functions inventory with Chinese students

The authors report an evaluation of the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the Volunteer Functions Inventory on a sample of university student volunteers. Reliabilities were high for four out of the six scales of the Inventory (Values, Career, Social, and Understanding) in terms of internal consistency. Items in these four scales also yielded a clean structure in an exploratory factor analysis. Making new friends was found to be a motive, which was separate from sustaining friendships and separate from other motives captured by the Inventory. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the superiority of a 6‐factor model over other measurement models such as unitary, bipartite, and second‐order factor models. Implications for the measurement of motives in volunteerism in general and refinement of the Inventory in particular, are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Cost Analysis of Vertical Deceleration Injury in the Acute Setting

Abstract Introduction: Vertical deceleration injury is a known but not well understood form of blunt injury in both the urban and rural environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the financial cost of treatment for this specific mechanism of injury in the acute care setting, and to continue to expand a fall prevention program from our unit. Method: This is a prospective review of vertical deceleration injuries admitted over a 2-year period to a Level I trauma center. Patients were followed until discharge to either home or rehabilitation facilities. Results: Ninety-nine patients who sustained a vertical deceleration injury from a height of ≥ 6 ft were identified from our Trauma Registry database. The length of hospital stay, including rehabilitation, ranged from 1 to 78 days (mean, 13.1 days). The mean injury severity score (ISS) was 16.4 (range, 4-75). The average height of fall was 19.5 ft (range, 6-110 ft) with a mean impact velocity of 23 mph (range, 13-58). The cost of hospitalization was significantly correlated to the ISS score (correlation = 0.558, p < 0.001); and as expected, higher ISS scores yielded higher costs (χ² = 34.7, p < 0.001). We found that the best predictor variable for the cost of treatment for vertical deceleration injury is the ISS score with a regression equation of: Cost = $19,578 + ($6,609 × ISS). The average cost per fall incident was $91,435 (range $5,006-$948,957) for vertical deceleration injuries. Conclusion: The cost of treatment of vertical deceleration injuries is very high. Hospital stays are prolonged and rehabilitation needs frequent. Overall, ISS is the best predictor of cost of treatment and length of hospital stay. First Place Winner, Resident and Fellows Trauma Paper Competition, Florida Committee on Trauma, American College of Surgeons, 4 November, 2005, Tampa, FL, USA.     

Blood donations, iron stores, and risk of Parkinson's disease.

Iron overload and systemic iron stores may be important in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). We therefore examined the association between blood donations, which reduce body iron stores, and risk of PD in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, a large cohort investigation of U.S. men. Our hypothesis was that blood donation reduces the risk of PD by lowering systemic iron stores. Although the number of blood donations was inversely related to the ferritin levels in a subsample of the study population, no association was found between the number of blood donations and risk of PD (P for trend = 0.6). Unexpectedly, the risk of PD was higher among men who reported recent multiple blood donations (P for trend = 0.05). The results of this study do not support the hypothesis that reduced systemic iron stores lower the risk of PD.     

Relationship between plasma insulin and blood pressure in South African black women in Johannesburg.

OBJECTIVE--To examine the relationship between fasting plasma insulin and blood pressure (BP) in 40 urbanized normotensive South African black women aged 24-60 yr, and to assess the effects of body mass index (BMI) and fasting plasma glucose on BP. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--The women comprised equal numbers of young nonobese nondiabetic subjects, middle-aged nonobese nondiabetic subjects, middle-aged obese nondiabetic subjects, and middle-aged obese newly diagnosed non-insulin-dependent diabetic subjects. Systolic and diastolic BPs were recorded (in duplicate) after 15 min of recumbency, and fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels were determined thereafter. The data were analyzed by simple and multivariate regression. RESULTS--There was a wide distribution of individual physical and biochemical features. With simple correlations, systolic BP correlated significantly with age, BMI, and fasting glucose but not with insulin. Diastolic BP correlated significantly with all four variables (r = 0.37, P less than 0.05). When adjusted for age, BMI, and glucose, however, the significant correlation between diastolic BP and insulin diminished (r = -0.04). CONCLUSIONS--As in other nonwhite communities, plasma insulin does not appear to play a major role in regulating the BP of South African black women.     

Antihypertensive treatment and US trends in stroke mortality, 1962 to 1980.

OBJECTIVES. This study examines the association between increases in antihypertensive pharmacotherapy and declines in stroke mortality among 96 US groups stratified by race, sex, age, metropolitan status, and region from 1962 to 1980. METHODS. Data on the prevalence of controlled hypertension and socioeconomic profiles were obtained from three successive national health surveys. Stroke mortality rates were calculated using data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Bureau of the Census. The association between controlled hypertension trends and stroke mortality declines was assessed with weighted regression. RESULTS. Prior to 1972, there was no association between trends in controlled hypertension and stroke mortality declines (beta = 0.04, P = .69). After 1972, groups with larger increases in controlled hypertension experienced slower rates of decline in stroke mortality (beta = 0.16, P = .003). Faster rates of decline were modestly but consistently related to improvements in socioeconomic indicators only for the post-1972 period. CONCLUSIONS. These results do not support the hypothesis that increased antihypertensive pharmacotherapy has been the primary determinant of recent declines in stroke mortality. Additional studies should address the association between declining stroke mortality and trends in socioeconomic resources, dietary patterns, and cigarette smoking.     

消旋棉酚拆分的研究——Ⅱ.手性α-甲基苯乙胺及α-甲基苄胺为拆分剂

本文报道用中压柱色谱快速分离S或R-α-甲基苯乙胺及S或R-α-甲基苄胺缩(±)-棉酚的方法,可得光学活性胺缩(+)或(一)-棉酚非对映体,经水解分别得到(+)或(一)-棉酚。并证明胺缩光学活性棉酚非对映体之间有互相转化的性质,此特性可利用于棉酚对映体的转化。     

甘草叶中两个新异戊烯基黄酮类化合物

自乌拉尔甘草(Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.)的干燥叶中分离到三个黄酮类化合物。经化学方法和光谱(UV,MS,¹HNMR)数据分析,分别确定为5,7,3′,4′-四羟基-3-甲氧基-5′-异戊烯基黄酮(Ⅰ),5,6,3′,4′-四羟基-3-甲氧基-6′-异戊烯基黄酮(Ⅱ)和槲皮素(Ⅲ)。Ⅰ和Ⅱ是新化合物,分别命名为乌拉尔醇-3-甲醚(uralenol-3-methylether)和乌拉尔素(uralene)。Ⅲ在本种植物中为首次报道。     

Five-year follow-up of family-based behavioral treatments for childhood obesity

This article presents the 5-year outcome of family-based behavioral treatment of obesity for 6- to 12-year-old children in 162 families across 4 treatment outcome studies. Results suggest that treatments that use (a) conjoint targeting and reinforcement of child and parent behavior or (b) reciprocal targeting and reinforcement of children and parents are associated with the best child outcomes. Predictors of child success include self-monitoring, changing eating behavior, praise, and change in parent percent overweight. Parental outcome is predicted by self-monitoring weight, baseline parent percent overweight, and participation in fewer subsequent weight control programs.