Gel Agglutination Test: Its Application to Infertile Men

In a study involving 253 men attending the Male Fertility Clinic in Nottingham, the Gelatin Agglutination Test on serum gave a positive response in 14.2% of patients and a positive response at a dilution of 1/32 in 11.5% of patients. No correlation was found between a positive GAT response and increasing age or the major pathological entities causing infertility in the male. Of the positive GAT responses, 17% reverted to negative on second testing. The value and the diagnostic importance of this test as well as its reliability is questioned.     

Disease susceptibility genes for autism

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairment in social interaction accompanied by a delay or lack of language, restricted interests, stereotyped behavior, and repetitive movement. Genetic predisposition to autism is evident from family and twin studies, and heritability in idiopathic autism is estimated at over 90%. Frequency of the disorder is approximately 1:2000 with a male to female ratio of 4:1. Affected individuals look normal at birth, and the symptoms manifest at the first 2-3 years of life. The spectrum of clinical symptoms and the severity of the disorder are variable even among siblings. Family studies and several genome-wide linkage analyses support the hypothesis of complex inheritance with involvement of as many as 10-100 genes of moderate effect. Identification of genes responsible for the phenotype would help to understand the molecular mechanisms of the disorder. Several genes have been proposed to play a role in susceptibility to autism, and this paper will overview those genes and their potential role in the disorder.     

Qualities of a French version of the Wolf Motor Function Test: A multicenter study

IntroductionThere are currently a small number of standardized tools in French that measure and compare the effect of constraint-induced movement therapy, or other recent therapies promoting motor recoveryObjectiveTo create a French version of the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) and assess its reliability, minimal detectable change, and criterion validity.MethodProspective multicenter repeated-measure design with 44 patients with post stroke hemiparesis. A French Version of the WMFT was created; it was then assessed against the Fugl Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (French version) to establish its reliability, the minimal detectable change and its validity.ResultsInter-rater reliability was very good. Reproducibility of the scores was good. Cronbach α coefficients showed adequate internal consistency. The minimal detectable change (MDC_95%) for functional ability scores was below 10% of the highest possible score; the MDC_95% for performance time was very high at more than 90 seconds. Criterion validity was good.ConclusionThe French version of the WMFT is reliable and valid. The test shows promise for use as an objective outcome measure for people post stroke in French speaking countries.     

大学生色觉辨别能力与深度知觉的相关性分析

目的：评价色觉正常大学生的色觉辨别能力与深度知觉的关系。方法：选取巴什肯特大学医学专业学生52例,其中男性33例（63．46％）,女性19例（36．54％）,平均年龄21．18±2．52岁。参与学生视力正常（20／20）,且经Ishihara假同色测试法显示无先天性色觉缺陷。运用Gundogan方法确定主视眼（ DE ）。通过法－孟二氏100色度试验（FM100HT）检验色觉辨别能力,包括左右眼及双眼（TE）的总误差分（ TES ）、部分误差分（ LES ）。误差分分为三组：双眼、DE及非主视眼（ NDE ）。应用TNO检查双眼视觉与立体感,并根据480－15 arc／s范围的立体感水平分为四组。结果：FM100HT的误差分显示无性别差异的TES,蓝黄LES和红绿 LES 分别为61．22±30．32（58．50）[ mean ± SD],35．80±19.32（36．50）和25．42±14．65（24．00）。男性受试者（n＝31）分别为67．45±29．95（61．00）,40．25±18．83（39．00）和27．19±14．30（24．00）。女性受试者（n＝19）分别为51.05±28．84（47．00）,25．52±18．32（28．00）和22．52±31.13（23．00）。根据FM100 HT的误差分,得出女性颜色视觉辨别能力高于男性。通过FM100 HT将色觉辨别能力分为较高（6％,TES＝0～20）,中等（86％,TES＝20～100）和较低（8％, TES＞100）,中等水平最为常见（ P＜0.05）。 DE和NDE的红绿LES 分别为24．12±14．70和32．20±14．21, DE 和 NDE 的蓝黄 LES 分别为34．68±18.95和36．24±17．56。女性（ n＝19） DE和NDE的红绿色LES分别为21．89±15．06和31．00±22．42;男性（ n＝31）则为25．48±14．55和32．93±17．31。女性（ n＝19） DE和NDE 蓝黄色 LES 分别为29．63±18．62和33．42±17.38,男性（ n＝31）则为37．77±18．78和37．96±17．73。所有学生的TE,DE及NDE的TES和立体视觉水平均进行比较,差异均无统计学意义（P＝1）。研究表明色觉辨别能力和双眼深度知觉无关。结论：FM100 HT的TES显示：正常人不同个体立体视觉水平无差异,基于色觉分离的TNO检测的深度直觉与色觉辨别能力不相关。在之前的研究中, DE色觉辨别能力优于NDE。但目前研究表明在深度知觉方面DE并非优于NDE。     

The influence of obesity on the motor coordination in children between 6 and 9 years of age

ObjectiveObesity is the most common childhood illness in developed countries and its prevalence continues to increase. The objective was to analyze the influence of obesity on the motor coordination of children between 6 and 9 years old.Equipment and methodsA number of 52 pupils of both genders participated for evaluation of the prevalence of obesity using the measurement of the abdominal perimeter and the Body Mass Index (BMI) categorized as Normal-Weighted, Excess Weight and Obesity. The assessment of motor coordination was performed by the KTK test. SPSS (version 19.0) was used for statistical purposes.ResultsGirls had lower levels of performance rather than boys, and the pupils presented worse levels of motor performance as the age progressed. Regarding the prevalence of obesity, the two-gender obtained high mean values for the Normal-weighted category, whereas 25% is overweight. Regarding the level of motor coordination, 57.7% of the pupils had Normal Coordination and 40.4% had coordinative difficulties. Pupils with higher values of BMI and abdominal perimeter obtains lower results of motor coordination.     

2014-2018年ICU真菌血症病原菌分布及抗菌药物敏感性分析

目的:研究我院ICU科室真菌血症病原菌的分布特点和药敏结果,为真菌血症的临床诊断和抗菌药物治疗提供依据。方法:对我院2014-2018年,5年间ICU科室血培养分离酵母样真菌且符合真菌血症诊断标准的临床资料进行回顾性分析,应用WHONET 5.6软件对菌株分布和药敏结果进行统计。结果:ICU确诊真菌血症患者共129例,致病菌主要为近平滑念珠菌（59株,45.7%）、白色念珠菌（22株,17.1%）、光滑念珠菌（14株,10.9%）和热带念珠菌（12株,9.3%）。真菌血症以男性患者（72.1%）居多,好发于65岁及以上老年（64.3%）;重症医学科（55.8%）和老年病房ICU（20.2%）分离率较高。所有菌株对5-氟胞嘧啶和两性霉素B敏感性较高,对唑类药物出现不同程度耐药。结论:我院真菌血流感染以近平滑念珠菌为多见。光滑念珠菌、热带念珠菌、红酵母属对唑类药物的敏感性相对较低。推广质谱、分子生物学等快速鉴定技术,了解真菌血症病原菌对抗菌药物的敏感性,对ICU真菌血流感染患者的早期诊治和预后有着重要意义。     

Validation of donor fraction cell-free DNA with biopsy-proven cardiac allograft rejection in children and adults

ObjectivesDonor-specific cell-free DNA shows promise as a noninvasive marker for allograft rejection, but as yet has not been validated in both adult and pediatric recipients. The study objective was to validate donor fraction cell-free DNA as a noninvasive test to assess for risk of acute cellular rejection and antibody-mediated rejection after heart transplantation in pediatric and adult recipients.MethodsPediatric and adult heart transplant recipients were enrolled from 7 participating sites and followed for 12 months or more with plasma samples collected immediately before all endomyocardial biopsies. Donor fraction cell-free DNA was extracted, and quantitative genotyping was performed. Blinded donor fraction cell-free DNA and clinical data were analyzed and compared with a previously determined threshold of 0.14%. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, positive predictive value, and receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated.ResultsA total of 987 samples from 144 subjects were collected. After applying predefined clinical and technical exclusions, 745 samples from 130 subjects produced 54 rejection samples associated with the composite outcome of acute cellular rejection grade 2R or greater and pathologic antibody-mediated rejection 2 or greater and 323 healthy samples. For all participants, donor fraction cell-free DNA at a threshold of 0.14% had a sensitivity of 67%, a specificity of 79%, a positive predictive value of 34%, and a negative predictive value of 94% with an area under the curve of 0.78 for detecting rejection. When analyzed independently, these results held true for both pediatric and adult cohorts at the same threshold of 0.14% (negative predictive value 92% and 95%, respectively).ConclusionsDonor fraction cell-free DNA at a threshold of 0.14% can be used to assess for risk of rejection after heart transplantation in both pediatric and adult patients with excellent negative predictive value.     

Evaluation of the ICT Malaria Pf test for rapid post-mortem diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in corpses examined for forensic reasons

To test the diagnostic value of a rapid and simple immunochromatographic test (ICT) based on the detection of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2) for post-mortem examination, blood samples from 30 consecutive corpses were analysed by ICT and Giemsa-stained blood films. Compared to microscopy, ICT had 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity even after a considerable time had passed between the presumed time of death and testing or after prolonged storage of whole blood samples. The ICT yielded positive results for four travellers who had returned from Kenya and died from Pl. falciparum malaria. The ICT might therefore serve as an additional tool for rapid malaria diagnosis, especially in non-endemic countries where experience with microscopic malaria detection is limited. Received: 5 August 1999 / Received in revised form: 7 October 1999     

Assessment of the test–retest reliability of a foot placement accuracy protocol in assisted-living older adults

IntroductionThis study assessed the test–retest reliability of a foot placement accuracy protocol in a population of assisted-living elderly. The goal was to evaluate the execution of foot placement performance with increasing complexity of the walking condition.MethodsTwenty-five elderly participants (5 males, 20 females, 80.4 ± 8.6 years) were assessed by one observer in two sessions with 48 h between the measurements. Participants walked at self-selected pace along a pathway with three different walking conditions composed of two rectangular foam target locations and an obstacle on the walking surface. The main outcome measures were foot placement distance error, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), and the smallest detectable difference (SDD).ResultsMean absolute values of the foot placement distance errors were 14.0 ± 4.5 mm for medio-lateral deviation and 27.2 ± 2.1 mm for anterior–posterior deviation, respectively. ICC values for test–retest reliability showed ‘fair to good’ to ‘excellent’ reliability across all conditions with values ranging from 0.63 to 0.94. SDD values were between 3.6 and 37.3 mm.ConclusionThe protocol showed good reliability for test–retest measurements of foot placement accuracy, thus making this protocol a reliable and location-independent tool to assess performance of foot placement in elderly in assisted-living settings. In the future, measurements with elderly fallers and non-fallers should be conducted to assess validity of the protocol.     

对人脑执行功能激活区域间关系的因果分析研究

目的 探讨任务状态下注意网络中执行功能的脑激活状态,以及激活区域间的因果关系.方法 利用GE公司Signa1.5T磁共振成像系统,采用注意网络实验范式,对15例（男性8例,女7例）健康受试者在任务态下进行功能磁共振扫描,根据激活位置选取感兴趣区,利用系数Granger因果分析方法计算每两个感兴趣区之间的Granger因果关系,生成Granger因果数据,利用SPSS 18.0软件对所得数据进行统计分析.结果 被试的行为学数据符合实验需要,激活区域为前扣带回、背外侧前额叶皮质、右顶上小叶、右顶下小叶.Granger因果分析结果显示前扣带回与背外侧前额叶皮质构成因果关系,背外侧前额叶皮质、右顶上小叶、右顶下小叶构成因果关系并形成单向回路.结论 在注意网络实验范式下,执行功能是由前扣带回、背外侧前额叶皮质、右顶上小叶、右顶下小叶共同参与完成的,其中前扣带回主要功能为发现冲突,而背外侧前额叶及其所形成的单向环路主要功能为解决冲突.