Evaluation of internal reliability in the presence of inconsistent responses

Background  

We aimed to assess the impact of inconsistent responses on the internal reliability of a multi-item scale by developing a procedure to adjust Cronbach's alpha.     

Waist Circumference Reference Values for Screening Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Chinese Children and Adolescents

Objectives To explore the optimal threshold values of waist circumference （WC） for detecting cardiovascular （CV） risk factors among Chinese children and adolescents. Methods Association of WC with CV risk factors was studied among 65 898 children aged 7-18 years whose data were pooled from nine previous studies in China. CV risk factors in this study included hypertension （blood pressure above 95 percentile levels）, dyslipidemia （with one or more of the following three indexes： TG ≥ 1.7 mmol/L, TC ≥ 5.18 mmol/L, and HDL-C ≤ 1.04 mmol/L） and elevated glucose level （fasting plasma glucose ≥5.6 mmol/L）. Receive-operating characteristic analysis （ROC） and logistic regression were employed to derive optimal age- and sex-specific waist circumference references for predicting CV risk factors. Results A slight increasing trend of CV risk factors was observed starting from the 75th percentile of waist circumference in the study population, while a remarkable increasing trend occurred from the 90th percentile. The optimal waist circumference thresholds for predicting high blood pressures were at the 75th percentile for both boys and girls, which was at the 90th percentiles for detecting at least two of the above three CV risk factors. In comparison with children with waist circumference below the 75th percentile, the odds ratio of two CV risk factors doubled among children with waist circumference between the 75th and the 90th percentile, and increased by 6 times among children with waist circumference above the 90th percentile. The trend of high blood pressure increasing with waist circumference remained significant after having been stratified by BMI category. Conclusion The 75th and the 90th percentiles of WC are the optimal cut-off points for predicting an increased and a substantially increased risk of CV factors in Chinese children and adolescents, respectively.     

褶合曲线分析法测定复方茶碱片中六种主要成分

应用柱分配色谱,将复方茶碱片分离出各含三个组分的两组混合物,然后分别应用褶合曲线分析法,同时定量测定了两组混合物。六个被测成分的平均百分回收率和相对标准差分别为:咖啡因101.6,1.46%;非那西丁99.7,0.10%;苯巴比妥100.9,1.31%;可可碱99.9,0.81%;茶碱100.2,0.81%;氨基比林100.8,0.48%。     

Prevalence of Schistosoma intercalatum and S. haematobium Infection among Primary Schoolchildren in Capital Areas of Democratic Republic Of S?o Tomé and Príncipe,West Africa

Background

A parasitological survey of Schistosoma haematobium and S. intercalatum infection among primary schoolchildren in capital area of Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe (DRSTP) was undertaken.

Methods

Subjects with positive infection were confirmed by the detection of S. haematobium ova in the urine or S. intercalatum ova in the stool by using centrifugation concentration or merthiolate-iodine-formalin concentration method. Totally, 252 urine and stool samples, respectively, were obtained from apparently healthy schoolchildren, of which 121 from boys (9.8 ± 1.4 yr) and 131 from girls (9.7 ± 1.3 yr).

Results

None of participating schoolchildren were found having S. haematobium ova in the urinary specimen. While, among 4 primary schools studied, only schoolchildren from Saint Marçal were detected with S. intercalatum ova in the fecal specimen, making the overall prevalence of S. intercalatum infection among schoolchildren was 2.4% (6/252) and girls had insignificantly higher prevalence (3.1%, 4/131) than that (1.7%, 2/121) in boys (χ² = 0.5, P = 0.5).

Conclusion

Water control and sanitation as well as snails eliminated by molluscicides are urgently needed to reduce S. intercalatum infection in DRSTP inhabitants.     

生物膜与膨体聚四氟乙烯包裹治疗动脉瘤的效果对照

目的:比较生物膜与膨体聚四氟乙烯在动脉瘤包裹的远期治疗效果。方法:实验于2004-12/2006-10年在南方医院神经外科实验室与广东冠昊动物实验中心进行。取成年健康杂种犬10只,采用显微外科技术,将双侧的颈外静脉1.5cm嫁接双侧颈总动脉缺损1.5cm制作梭形动脉瘤模型20枚。左侧10枚应用生物膜(广东冠昊生物科技有限公司产品)包裹治疗,右侧10枚应用膨体聚四氟乙烯(美国戈尔公司周围血管补片)包裹治疗。术后第1,3,6,9,12个月行彩色多普勒超声血动态观察血流动力学变化,第12个月进行数字减影血管造影检测及解剖组织学观察。结果:10只犬全部进入结果分析。①血流动力学观察:生物膜包裹侧瘤腔消失、形态上趋于正常的颈总动脉,管腔均通畅,造影剂快速通过无滞留;血流恢复为层流,频谱特征与颈总动脉一致;1个月时生物膜与瘤壁存在微小间隙,3个月后间隙完全消失,12个月时血管顺应性、弹性与颈总动脉基本相匹配。膨体聚四氟乙烯包裹侧瘤腔消失、管腔通畅6枚,腔内为层流,频谱特征与颈总动脉相似,但速度明显高于远近端颈总动脉;瘤腔轻度缩窄,内壁出现轻度波状充盈缺损,包裹片长度轻度缩短;1个月和3个月各出现2枚血栓性闭塞,经主动脉弓照影不显像。6个月内膨体聚四氟乙烯与瘤壁存在清晰微小间隙,6个月后间隙消失。②组织学观察:生物膜包裹侧外表柔软类似颈总动脉,有较多毛细血管长入但维持原形,瘤腔内膜光滑无增厚,内皮细胞无增生、脱落,未见附壁血栓;生物膜与瘤壁融合、多层次降解,降解间隙内较多新生血管、组织长入,未见炎症细胞。膨体聚四氟乙烯外表僵硬、未见周围组织长入;内膜增厚、不光滑,内皮细胞核密集、部分脱落,薄层血栓附壁;4例见胶冻状长圆柱形杂色血栓。膨体聚四氟乙烯与瘤壁嵌入无降解,未看到明显的毛细血管长入;有极少的成纤维细胞伸入,散在的淋巴细胞浸润及少量巨噬细胞。结论:生物膜具有良好的理化性能与生物相容性,其效果优于膨体聚四氟乙烯,是动脉瘤包裹治疗的理想再生医学工程材料。     

重心移动式步行矫形器对截瘫患者步行功能的影响

目的:观察应用重心移动式步行矫形器配合系统康复对脊髓损伤后截瘫患者步行功能的重建效果。方法:①2003-03/2006-06,广东省工伤康复中心先后为15例T4～12节段完全性脊髓损伤患者安装自行研制的重心移动式步行矫形器,矫形器由一对髋关节、两个与髋关节连接的钢索作为其核心部分,外加与之相连接的上部躯干部分和下部大腿矫形器部分组成。②于安装前对其进行15～30d综合康复训练,包括关节活动度、肌肉力量、平衡转移、站立等;装配后再进行矫形器穿戴训练、站起与坐下训练、平行杠内训练、室内平地步行训练和室外步行训练,2次/d,1h/次,共训练2个月。③训练后对患者进行限时的步行功能检查和评价(包括平均步长,6min步行距离及10m步行时间);并对其在治疗后所达到的步行功能状态进行定性评估。结果:15例患者均进入结果分析。治疗后15例中12例达到功能性家庭内步行,其中5例达到功能性社区内步行,其余3例可作治疗性步行。其平均步长为(37.6±7.9)cm,6min平均步行距离为(75.3±8.4)m,10m平均步行时间为(54.9±4.6)s。结论:①重心移动式步行矫形器能帮助T4以下完全性截瘫患者实现功能性步行,提高生活质量。②综合系统的康复训练是影响使用效果的重要因素。     

Testosterone relaxes abdominal aorta in male Sprague-Dawley rats by opening potassium (K) channel and blockade of calcium (Ca) channel

Aim: To investigate the direct effect of testosterone and its precursor/derivative dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on isolated rat abdominal aortic rings. Materials and methods: 3 mm abdominal aortic rings that were obtained from 3 months old male Sprague-Dawley rats were suspended in organ baths containing Hepes buffered PSS bubbled with 100% oxygen. Relaxation response to testosterone and DHEA was studied in noradrenalin pre-contracted rings. The role of aromatase and androgen receptor was assessed by inhibition using aminogluthetemide and blockade using flutamide respectively. Relaxation responses of the rings to testosterone in the presence of l-NAME, indomethacin, barium chloride, apamin, charybdotoxin, iberiotoxin, and nifedipine were also determined. Results: Both aromatase inhibition and androgen receptor blockade did not block the relaxing effect of testosterone on rings from rat abdominal aorta. Also there was no significant difference between testosterone relaxation response in the presence or absence of l-NAME and indomethacin. However 3 μM, BaCl₂ almost completely abolished the aortic ring relaxation response to testosterone while 1 μM, nifedipine potentiated the vasorelaxing effect of testosterone. Conclusion: Testosterone relaxes abdominal aorta directly via a non-genomic pathway which is independent of endothelial derived vasoactive substances, but involves activation of inward rectifying potassium channel (K_IR) and blockade of l-type calcium channel.     

Interleukins in glioblastoma pathophysiology: implications for therapy

Despite considerable amount of research, the poor prognosis of patients diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) critically needs new drug development to improve clinical outcomes. The development of an inflammatory microenvironment has long been considered important in the initiation and progression of glioblastoma; however, the success of developing therapeutic approaches to target inflammation for GBM therapy has yet been limited. Here, we summarize the accumulating evidence supporting a role for inflammation in the pathogenesis of glioblastoma, discuss anti-inflammatory targets that could be relevant for GBM treatment and provide a perspective on the challenges faced in the development of drugs that target GBM inflammation. In particular, we will review the function of IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 as well as the potential of kinase inhibitors targeting key players in inflammatory cell signalling cascades such as JAK, JNK and p38 MAPK.