Minimum clinically significant VAS differences for simultaneous (paired) interval serial pain assessments

We conducted two studies to determine whether the minimum clinically significant difference in the visual analog scale (VAS) for nearly simultaneous and brief-interval serial assessments of pain is less than that for pain assessment at 20- to 30-minute intervals, using a 10-cm VAS. The first study was a blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled paired trial comparing the pain of intravenous cannulation in both hands (20-minute application of a eutectic mixture of local anesthetics v placebo) of study subjects. The second study was a non-blinded, randomized, paired trial of different treatments for jellyfish stings. In the first study, 37 of 40 subjects indicated that one hand experienced more pain than the other. Eleven of these 37 subjects (30%) indicated differences in VAS values of 1.0 cm or less, with a minimum value of 0.5 cm. In the second study, for all the VAS-based pain comparisons, VAS differences of 相似文献   

Impaired CD8 T cell memory and CD4 T cell primary responses in IL-7R alpha mutant mice

Loss of interleukin (IL)-7 or the IL-7 receptor alpha (IL-7Ralpha, CD127) results in severe immunodeficiencies in mice and humans. To more precisely identify signals governing IL-7 function in vivo, we have disrupted the IL-7Ralpha Y449XXM motif in mice by knock-in mutagenesis (IL-7Ralpha(449F)). Thymic precursors were reduced in number in IL-7Ralpha(449F) mice, but in marked contrast to IL-7Ralpha(-/-) knockout mice, thymocytes and peripheral T cells developed normally. Strikingly, Listeria infection revealed that CD4 and CD8 T cells had different requirements for IL-7Ralpha signals. CD4 T cells failed to mount a primary response, but despite normal CD8 primary responses, maintenance of CD8 memory was impaired in IL-7Ralpha(449F) mice. Furthermore, we show that Bcl-2 is IL-7Ralpha Y449 independent and insufficient for IL-7-mediated maintenance of CD8 memory.     

Edge of endurance. A study of how climbers on Everest cope with low oxygen levels could benefit patients in intensive care

A team of scientists and technicians will spend three months near Everest researching human performance at extreme altitude. Nurse Kay Mitchell is helping run the pioneering study.