Construct validity of four exercise stage of change measures in adults

Measuring readiness to exercise, or exercise stage of change (ESOC), is an important first step when counseling adults about exercise. However, minimal construct validity testing of ESOC measures has been reported. With a sample of 95 adults, we estimated the construct validity of four ESOC measures with commonly used response formats (true/false, ladder, 5 choice, interview). Participants completed all four ESOC measures in random order as well as six validation measures: physical activity performed, exercise self‐efficacy, decisional balance pros and cons, and behavioral and experiential processes of change. Few participants were in the earliest stage of change. The true/false measure demonstrated the strongest validity. Further studies are needed in diverse samples with more representation across the stages of change. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 33:254–264, 2010     

Identification of genetic alterations in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma in end‐stage renal disease patients

Clinical presentations of end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on dialysis with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UUT‐UC) are different from those with normal renal function. The pathogenesis remains unknown. We investigated the pathogenetic influence of chromosomal aberrations in patient on dialysis with UUT‐UC. The chromosomal aberrations of UUT‐UC specimens from seven dialysis patients were assessed by conventional comparative genomic hybridization (cCGH). Subsequently, we further investigated 20 cases by whole genome and fine‐tiling oligonucleotide array‐based CGH to demonstrate gains and losses, and compared with the clinicopathologic background. The chromosomal aberrations in UUT‐UC specimens from dialysis patients were more complex than in bladder urothelial carcinoma (B‐UC). Our data showed that gains at 5p, 7, 19q, and losses at 4q, 9p, and 15q are common in UUT‐UC of ESRD patients. Gains in regions associated with DNA repair genes were noted in this study. High‐stage and high‐grade tumors displayed more copy number variants. In addition, female ESRD patients with UUT‐UC had more frequent chromosomal aberrations than their male counterparts. In conclusion, unique chromosomal aberrations were indentified in UUT‐UC in ESRD patients. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Chronic aminophylline administration. Effect on diaphragm contractility and fatigue resistance in vitro

The effects of acute and chronic administrations of aminophylline (AM) on diaphragm contractility and fatigue resistance were examined in 42 rats. In acute experiments (n = 22), the animals received an intravenous bolus of either AM (14 mg/kg; n = 11) or saline (n = 11). Serum AM level was determined 30 min after the bolus (17.8 +/- 0.8 mg/L, SD). In chronic experiments (n = 20), either AM (n = 10) or saline (n = 10) was infused subcutaneously via an osmotic minipump at a constant pumping rate of 2.5 microliters/h. Serum AM level was measured after 2 wk of pump infusion (12.3 +/- 2.0 mg/L, SD). For each animal in both acute and chronic experiments, a muscle strip from the right midcostal diaphragm was placed in an in vitro chamber containing Krebs solution and 12 microM/L curare. For the AM-treated group, AM was added to the tissue bath in a concentration similar to that in the serum. No AM was added to the bath for the control group. Forces were measured isometrically during direct muscle stimulation at different frequencies and standardized to muscle weight. Muscle fatigue was induced by repetitive stimulation at 40 pps, delivered in 330-ms trains, with one train presented each second. With either acute or chronic AM administration, a significant increase in diaphragm contractility was observed (p less than 0.01). In contrast, AM did not affect the rate of force decline during fatigue run.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)