Isometric torso muscle endurance profiles in adolescents aged 15–18: normative values for age and gender differences

Objective: The aim of this study was to establish normative values for torso muscle endurance in adolescents aged 15–18 years. It was hypothesized that torso endurance profiles of adolescents differs between males and females and between adolescents and adults.

Background: Decreased torso muscle endurance has been identified as a potential personal risk factor for low back pain development in both adolescents and later years together with being detrimental for athletic performance.

Design: Measurement of torso muscle endurance, established through four tests performed in random order in a healthy adolescent population.

Setting: High school in Novi Sad, Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia.

Methods: Two hundred and ninety-four adolescents from one high school (178 males and 116 females) were grouped into four age strata. Selected isometric torso muscle endurance tests were: Biering-Sørensen test for extensor endurance; Flexor endurance test; right and left Side Bridge tests. The mean, ratio, standard deviation and 25th, 50th and 75th percentile scores were determined for each gender/age strata.

Results and conclusion: Males had higher lateral torso endurance than females. Adolescents in general demonstrate their peak lifetime endurance as they appear more endurable than children and comparable adult groups. These data of endurance times, their ratios and percentiles in healthy normal subjects form a database bridging existing data for children and adults that may be useful for guiding training and rehabilitation.     

Evaluation of automated basophil counting by using fluorescence-labelled monoclonal antibodies

The shortcomings of current methods of basophil enumeration detract from the clinical value of the basophil count. Moreover, sophisticated and costly techniques of automated basophil counting hardly can be validated for lack of a suitable reference method. We investigated whether a flow cytometric technique using double staining with fluorescence-labelled monoclonal antibodies (mAb) CD45-FITC and CD14-PE on a Coulter Epics Profile II could be used to evaluate basophil counting performance of hematology analyzers. The technique was compared with the 800-cell manual differential, the Coulter STKS, and the Cobas Argos 5 Diff. Precision: STKS, Argos and Profile II showed a precision analogous to a 2,173, 2,250-, and 14,705-cell differential, respectively, illustrating the superiority of automated methods. Accuracy (150 normal and abnormal samples): Using the Profile II as reference the STKS showed a notably weaker correlation than the Argos (r = 0.581 and 0.718, respectively), although this difference was nearly concealed when the imprecise manual differential served as reference (r = 0.517 and 0.562, respectively). The Profile 11 correlated relatively well with the manual differential (r = 0.730). Analyzing 137 healthy adult subjects, we obtained a reference range of 0.33 to 1.35% (0.020 to 0.102 × 10⁹, basophils/L) for the mAb-based method. These data would recommend mAb-based basophil counting as a valuable tool for instrument evaluation. However, an observed bias of 0.09% against the manual differential suggests that modifications are necessary before this technique can be considered as new reference method. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Identification of novel prognostic factors focusing on clinical outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer after stereotactic body radiotherapy

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has attracted extensive attention as an effective treatment for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. However, the factors affecting prognosis after SBRT have not been fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic factors associated with overall survival (OS) and local control (LC) after SBRT. Between March 2003 and March 2020, 497 patients with primary or oligo-metastatic lung cancer who underwent SBRT treatment were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate analysis was performed against various factors related to patient and tumor characteristics using Kaplan-Meier method. Furthermore, the factors with statistically significant differences identified via univariate analysis underwent a stratified Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. The median follow-up period for all patients was 26.17 months (range, 0.36-194.37), and the 5-year OS and LC rates were 66.3 and 86.0%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that surfactant protein-D (SP-D), tumor CT values (TCTV) and iodine density values (IDV) were independent prognostic factors for OS, and histology, TCTV and IDV were for LC. Although histology was not selected as a prognostic factor related to OS, it was indicated that patients with squamous cell carcinoma were associated with the SP-D high group compared with the SP-D normal group. In addition, TCTV was correlated to water density values, which tended to decrease with increasing IDV. From these findings, SP-D and TCTV were identified as potential new candidate prognostic factors after SBRT, and it is possible that combining SP-D and histology, and TCTV and IDV may improve the accuracy of prognostic prediction.     

间接白蛋白钴结合试验测定血清缺血修饰白蛋白

目的:采用国产试剂盒,利用间接白蛋白钴结合试验对血清缺血修饰白蛋白(IMA)进行自动分析测定.方法:用HITACHI公司7600-020全自动生化分析仪和国产试剂盒,用间接白蛋白钴结合试验测定100名正常人血清IMA含量.结果与结论:本法批内变异1.31%,批间变异3.30%,最低检出限10～18 ku/L,线性范围14～200 ku/L,白蛋白质量浓度在20～50 g/L范围内时与IMA浓度呈线性关系,Y=4.58X-30.8(r=0.999,P＜0.01).本法测定血清IMA正常值范围＜70.0 ku/L.     

Spirometric reference equations for Swedish adults

New spirometric reference equations for Swedish adults are required. Three different older sets of reference equations clinically used in Sweden have various drawbacks and the recently published ‘The Global Lung Function 2012 (GLI) equations’ have been shown not to be adequate for Swedish normal, healthy non‐smokers. We have recently concluded that a piecewise linear model presented by Lubinski and Gólczewski accurately describes the distribution of spirometric variables in a large Swedish random population sample. This piecewise linear model also offers the important advantage of implementing easily physiologically interpretable coefficients. The present study aimed at presenting piecewise linear reference equations for Swedish adults based on a random population sample of 6685 individuals aged 25–75 years. Predicted normal values by the piecewise linear reference equations and lower limit normal (LLN) were compared with the three reference equations frequently used clinically in Sweden and the GLI equations. We found predicted normal values according to the present piecewise linear reference equations close to 100% predicted normal as expected, whereas the other equations either overestimated or underestimated normal subjects. Concerning LLN, the present equations, i.e. 1·645 × RSD, showed the least deviation from the expected 5% and, e.g., the GLI equations systematically identified too few subjects below LLN. We conclude that the present piecewise linear reference equations, based on a relatively large general population sample, ought to be considered for clinical use in Sweden. Application of 1·645 × RSD below predicted value gave an acceptably accurate LLN.     

中国健康人群正常心率范围的调查

目的：调查中国健康人群心率的分布及其性别,年龄差异,评估传统的正常心率标准。方法：采集5360例（男3614例,女1746例）健康人心电图,并按性别分为5个年龄组,计算各年龄组心率的中位数,上限和下限值。结果：男性心率中位数为67－68次／min,随年龄波动很小;女性心率的中位数为67－73次／min,随年龄增长呈下降趋势。年轻女性心率的中位数,上限和下限值均比同年龄组男性快5－6次／min,性别差异随年龄增长而减低或消失。15％的人群心率小于60次／min。男性心率下限值为51次／min,而女性心率下限值50岁以前约为55次／min,50岁以后为51次／min。男,女心率上限值均随年龄增长逐渐降低,但在50岁以后再次增快;总体人群的心率上限值为95次／min,结论：传统的正常心率标准确有必要作适当调整。