新生大鼠心肌细胞培养方法的改进

目的:建立便捷,成熟的新生大鼠心肌细胞体外培养方法。方法:本实验对常用的培养方法加以改进,采用胰蛋白酶及Ⅰ型、Ⅱ型胶原酶共同消化法,分离新生大鼠心肌细胞,并对体外培养的心肌细胞的存活率、活力及纯度进行鉴定。结果:分离的心肌细胞存活率为96%,培养3 d后有60%~80%的细胞开始搏动,搏动频率平均50次/min,心肌细胞纯度在75%以上。结论:本实验建立的新生大鼠心肌细胞体外培养方法是成熟,可靠的。     

Issues in cross‐cultural validity: Example from the adaptation,reliability, and validity testing of a Turkish version of the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire

Objective

Guidelines have been established for cross‐cultural adaptation of outcome measures. However, invariance across cultures must also be demonstrated through analysis of Differential Item Functioning (DIF). This is tested in the context of a Turkish adaptation of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ).

Methods

Internal construct validity of the adapted HAQ is assessed by Rasch analysis; reliability, by internal consistency and the intraclass correlation coefficient; external construct validity, by association with impairments and American College of Rheumatology functional stages. Cross‐cultural validity is tested through DIF by comparison with data from the UK version of the HAQ.

Results

The adapted version of the HAQ demonstrated good internal construct validity through fit of the data to the Rasch model (mean item fit 0.205; SD 0.998). Reliability was excellent (α = 0.97) and external construct validity was confirmed by expected associations. DIF for culture was found in only 1 item.

Conclusions

Cross‐cultural validity was found to be sufficient for use in international studies between the UK and Turkey. Future adaptation of instruments should include analysis of DIF at the field testing stage in the adaptation process.

     

Loving‐Kindness in the Treatment of Traumatized Refugees and Minority Groups: A Typology of Mindfulness and the Nodal Network Model of Affect and Affect Regulation

This article discusses how loving‐kindness can be used to treat traumatized refugees and minority groups, focusing on examples from our treatment, culturally adapted cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CA‐CBT). To show how we integrate loving‐kindness with other mindfulness interventions and why loving‐kindness should be an effective therapeutic technique, we present a typology of mindfulness states and the Nodal Network Model (NNM) of Affect and Affect Regulation. We argue that mindfulness techniques such as loving‐kindness are therapeutic for refugees and minority populations because of their potential for increasing emotional flexibility, decreasing rumination, serving as emotional regulation techniques, and forming part of a new adaptive processing mode centered on psychological flexibility. We present a case to illustrate the clinical use of loving‐kindness within the context of CA‐CBT.     

Characterization of the Apatite Crystals of Bone and their Maturation in Osteoblast Cell Culture: Comparison with Native Bone Crystals

Calcium phosphate crystals deposited in the organic matrix synthesized by chick bone osteoblasts in culture were studied by x-ray and electron diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and chemical composition. The amounts of mineral phase deposited with time and the extent of calcification (% of mineral phase in the tissue) were also determined as a function of time, as were the nature of the changes in the short range order of the crystals. The amount of mineral deposited and the extent of calcification increased with time; the tissue not only contained more crystals of apatite, but the extent of calcification also increased with time as it does in vivo. After 30 days of culture the extent of calcification in the cell culture matrix was similar to that in late chick embryonic and early postnatal chick tibiae. The nature of the CO₃ and HPD₄ environments were similar to those found in vivo although the concentrations of these ions and the changes in their concentrations with time appeared to develop more slowly in cell culture than they do in vivo. However, the general overall pathway of maturation was similar in cell culture to that observed in vivo.     

Should culture affect practice? A comparison of prognostic discussions in consultations with immigrant versus native-born cancer patients

Objective

Poor prognosis is difficult to impart, particularly across a cultural divide. This study compared prognostic communication with immigrants (with and without interpreters) versus native-born patients in audio-taped oncology consultations.

Methods

Ten oncologists, 78 patients (31 Australian-born, 47 immigrants) and 115 family members participated. The first two consultations after diagnosis of incurable disease were audiotaped, transcribed and coded. 142 consultations were included in the analysis.

Results

Fifty percent of doctor and 59% of patient prognostic speech units were not interpreted or interpreted non-equivalently when an interpreter was present. Immigrant status predicted few prognostic facts, and oncologist characteristics no prognostic facts, disclosed. Oncologists were significantly less likely to convey hope to immigrants (p = 0.0004), and more likely to use medical jargon (p = 0.009) than with Australian-born patients. Incurable disease status and a limited life span were commonly acknowledged, generally with no timeframe provided. Physical issues were discussed more commonly than emotional aspects.

Conclusions

While culture did not appear to influence doctor speech, interpreters filtered or blocked much prognostic communication.

Practice implications

Initiatives to empower all patients to attain needed information, optimise communication when an interpreter is present and train cancer health professionals in culturally appropriate care, are urgently required.     

Ethnic diversity in aging and aging services in the U.S.: Introduction

This collection on ethnic diversity in aging in the U.S. grew out of two symposia presented at the 1990 annual meetings of the Southwestern Anthropological Association. The papers in this volume focus on smaller and relatively little-known ethnic populations which are currently under-represented in the literature on minority aging. This collection begins to form the basis for cross-cultural comparisons which take into account population size, location and history. Topics include ethnography of aging, applied research, best practice models and policy analysis. Using varied methods and approaches, this collection (1) reports on the implications of a culturally diverse older population; and (2) recommends flexible programs and resource allocation to serve the needs of ethnic minority elderly.     

EDI results of Japanese and German women and possible sociocultural explanations

The goal of this study was to compare data for women with bulimia nervosa and for a healthy control group both in Japan and Germany. These data were obtained using the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI‐2). In Germany, EDI‐2 data and BMI values were collected from 102 nurses in training, 57 female medical students, and 29 patients with bulimia nervosa. In Japan, data were gathered from 243 female ‘short college’ students and 20 patients with bulimia nervosa. The Japanese non‐clinical control group showed significantly higher values on nearly all EDI scales than the German control group. They had a markedly higher drive for thinness, though their BMI values were lower. When the German and the Japanese bulimia nervosa patients were compared, the Japanese patients also showed higher values than their German counterparts on three EDI scales, but these differences were negligible. It is suggested that sociocultural factors in Japan, in particular a significant dependency on social norms, may contribute to the high EDI values. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.