Too little,too much or just right: Injury/illness sensitivity and intentions to drink as a basis for alcohol consumer segmentation

Background: Although alcohol is the most socially accepted drug, little is known about the classification of alcohol consumers into clusters influencing drinking outcomes. Past research has demonstrated that injury/illness sensitivity predicts health protecting behaviors. Objectives: The present study explored whether alcohol consumers can be classified based on injury/illness sensitivity and intentions to reduce drinking, and whether the identified clusters exhibited meaningful differences in negative affect and drinking levels. Methods: Four-hundred and eighty-six participants (54.3% male; mean [SD] age?=?26.5 [7.2] years) completed online questionnaires between July and October of 2017. Questions were asked pertaining to injury/illness sensitivity, intentions to reduce drinking, negative affect, and heavy drinking behavior. A k-means cluster analysis was performed on illness/injury sensitivity and intentions to reduce drinking scores. We then examined whether clusters varied according to negative affect or drinking variables. Results: The k-means cluster analysis identified four clusters: Insensitive non-internalizers, Insensitive internalizers, Sensitive non-internalizers, and Sensitive internalizers. Sensitive internalizers reported the highest, whereas Insensitive non-internalizers reported the lowest, negative affect. Sensitive internalizers also had the lowest percentage of heavy drinkers. Conclusion/importance: Current findings add to the alcohol literature by indicating that high sensitivity to illnesses/injuries and the internalization of sensitivities via behavior change intentions may provide the best protection against high alcohol consumption levels.     

血站血液检验实验室质量管理问题及对策

由于我国人口数量的逐渐增加,随之而来的是临床医疗对血液需求量的上升,与此同时,血液质量安全问题也日益凸显,越来越被社会各界广泛关注。作为提供血液标本,并对血液质量合格与否进行检测的部门,血站血液检验实验室在各个供血环节中起着关键性作用,所以,有效管理血站血液检验实验室质量,确保血液质量安全具有十分重要的意义。     

Video head impulse in comparison to caloric testing in unilateral vestibular schwannoma

Conclusions: Although there was a statistically significant relationship between the results of the vHIT and the caloric test, the limited strength of this relationship suggests that, for unilateral vestibular schwannoma (UVS), caloric testing and vHIT may provide complementary information on vestibular function.

Objective: There is limited information that can be used to determine which of the video head impulse test (vHIT) and caloric test might be better used in the diagnosis and management of UVS. In this study, a group of participants with un-operated UVS was studied using both methods.

Methods: The subjects’ vestibular function was assessed using the vHIT and caloric testing. Tumour size was quantified using MRI and their balance disturbance assessed using the Jacobsen Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI).

Results: Twenty of 30 subjects had an abnormal canal paresis according to the Jongkees’ criterion (>?0.25); however, only 10/30 had an ipsilesional vHIT gain of <0.79. Canal paresis could be predicted from the ipsilesional and contralesional vHIT gains. Tumour size could also be predicted from the ipsilesional vHIT gain and canal paresis. However, DHI scores could not be predicted from the degree of canal paresis, vHIT gain, or the MRI measures.     

广东梅州地区性病门诊3824例支原体检测及药敏分析

目的 了解梅州地区性病门诊就诊患者支原体引起泌尿生殖道感染的状况及支原体感染的药敏情况.方法 2008年8月至2011年3月对性病门诊拟诊为尿道炎、阴道炎或宫颈炎的3 824例就诊者,采用珠海迪尔生物工程公司支原体培养、药敏一体化试剂盒进行支原体培养,并对阳性患者进行12种抗生素的药敏试验.结果 共培养出1 103例支原体感染者(阳性率28.24%),解脲支原体(Uu)743株(67.36%),人型支原体(Mh)24株(2.18%),两种支原体混合感染336株(30.46%).对Uu药敏感率最高的药物为交沙霉素,其次为多西环素和美满霉素;对Mh及Uu/Mh两种支原体混合感染药物敏感也呈同样趋势.对Uu耐药最高的是环丙沙星,其次是红霉素和氧氟沙星;对Mh耐药最高的红霉素,其次是阿奇霉素和克拉霉素,对Uu/Mh两种支原体混合感染耐药最高的是红霉素,其次是氧氟沙星和罗红霉素.结论 临床用药应该考虑该地区耐药株的流行情况,最好按照药敏试验结果合理用药.     

Differential sensitivity of von Willebrand factor (VWF) ‘activity’ assays to large and small VWF molecular weight forms: a cross‐laboratory study comparing ristocetin cofactor,collagen‐binding and mAb‐based assays

Summary. Background:  von Willebrand disease (VWD), the most common inherited bleeding disorder, is caused by deficiencies and/or defects in von Willebrand factor (VWF). An effective diagnostic and VWD typing strategy requires plasma testing for factor VIII, and VWF antigen plus one or more VWF ‘activity’ assays. VWF activity is classically assessed by using VWF ristocetin cofactor activity (VWF:RCo), although VWF collagen‐binding (VWF:CB) and VWF mAb‐based (VWF activity [VWF:Act]) assays are used by some laboratories. Objective:  To perform a cross‐laboratory study to specifically evaluate these three VWF activity assays for comparative sensitivity to loss of high molecular weight (HMW) VWF, representing the form of VWF that is most functionally active and that is absent in some types of VWD, namely 2A and 2B. Methods:  A set of eight samples, including six selectively representing stepwise reduction in HMW VWF, were tested by 51 different laboratories using a variety of assays. Results:  The combined data showed that the VWF:CB and VWF:RCo assays had higher sensitivity to the loss of HMW VWF than did the VWF:Act assay. Moreover, within‐method analysis identified better HMW VWF sensitivity of some VWF:CB assays than of others, with all VWF:CB assays still showing better sensitivity than the VWF:Act assay. Differences were also identified between VWF:RCo methodologies on the basis of either platelet aggregometry or as performed on automated analyzers. Conclusions:  We believe that these results have significant clinical implications for the diagnosis of VWD and monitoring of its therapy, as well as for the future diagnosis and therapy monitoring of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.     

Birth prevalence and characteristics of congenital toxoplasmosis in Sergipe,North‐east Brazil

Objectives To estimate, by neonatal screening, the birth prevalence of congenital toxoplasmosis among live‐born infants in Sergipe state, Brazil, and to investigate the clinical features of affected infants. Methods Dried blood spot specimens obtained from 15 204 neonates were assayed for the presence of anti‐T. gondii IgM antibodies. Duplicate retesting was done in infants with positive and borderline results. Confirmatory testing in peripheral blood samples consisted of testing for anti‐T. gondii IgG and IgM in infants and mothers. Those with possible congenital toxoplasmosis were evaluated and followed up to a median age of 20 months. Congenital infection was confirmed in the presence of persisting anti‐T. gondii IgG antibodies beyond 12 months of age. All infants with confirmed infection were treated with pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine and folinic acid for 1 year. Results Fifty‐three infants had detectable IgM in dried blood spot specimens. Confirmatory testing was reactive in 39/50, of which, 38 completed follow‐up. Six of 15 204 newborns were diagnosed with congenital toxoplasmosis, resulting in an estimated birth prevalence of four per 10 000 [CI 95% 1.4–8.0]. Four infants (67%) showed signs of congenital toxoplasmosis in their first year of life; three (75%) had retinochoroidal scars, and one had cerebral calcifications. Two infants remained asymptomatic until 20 months of age. Conclusions The birth prevalence of congenital toxoplasmosis is high in the Brazilian state of Sergipe, with most of the infants showing ocular lesions. Preventive measures are strongly warranted.     

In silico identification,synthesis and biological evaluation of novel tetrazole inhibitors of MurB

In the context of antibacterial drug discovery resurgence, novel therapeutic targets and new compounds with alternative mechanisms of action are of paramount importance. We focused on UDP‐N‐acetylenolpyruvylglucosamine reductase (i.e. MurB), an underexploited target enzyme that is involved in early steps of bacterial peptidoglycan biosynthesis. On the basis of the recently reported crystal structure of MurB in complex with NADP⁺, a pharmacophore model was generated and used in a virtual screening campaign with combined structure‐based and ligand‐based approaches. To explore chemical space around hit compounds, further similarity search and organic synthesis were employed to obtain several compounds with micromolar IC₅₀ values on MurB. The best inhibitors in the reported series of 5‐substituted tetrazol‐2‐yl acetamides were compounds 13 , 26 and 30 with IC₅₀ values of 34, 28 and 25 μm , respectively. None of the reported compounds possessed in vitro antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.     

Testing for Equivalence: An Intersection-Union Permutation Solution

The notion of testing for equivalence of two treatments is widely used in clinical trials, pharmaceutical experiments, bioequivalence, and quality control. It is essentially approached within the intersection-union (IU) principle. According to this principle, the null hypothesis is stated as the set of effects lying outside a suitably established interval and the alternative as the set of effects lying inside that interval. The solutions provided in the literature are mostly based on likelihood techniques, which in turn are rather difficult to handle, except for cases lying within the regular exponential family and the invariance principle. The main goal of the present article is to go beyond most of the limitations of likelihood-based methods, that is, to work in a nonparametric setting within the permutation frame. To obtain practical solutions, a new IU permutation test is presented and discussed. A simple simulation study for evaluating its main properties, and three application examples are also presented.     

Quantitative sensory testing of dentinal sensitivity in healthy humans

Objective The study was to provide information on quantitative sensory testing (QST) of normal teeth to establish a sensory profile and investigate the possible gender and regional differences. Materials and methods A modified QST protocol was applied on both left and right upper-jaw incisors and pre-molar sof 14 healthy men and 14 age-matched healthy women (18–25 years). Mechanical stimulus sensitivity (MSS), cold detection threshold (CDT), cold pain threshold (CPT), warm detection threshold (WDT), heat pain threshold (HPT), electrical detection threshold (EDT) and electrical pain threshold (EPT) were determined from the four teeth (labial side of incisor and buccal side of the first premolar). The QST parameters were analysed by ANOVA. Results The applied mechanical or thermal stimuli did not evoke any pain sensation. A normal tooth did not seem to be able to distinguish between the warm or cold stimuli applied. No significant differences were found between genders (p?>?0.099) or teeth (p?>?0.053) regarding mechanical and thermal stimuli. The EDT and EPT were significantly higher in the pre-molar compared with incisor (p?p?>?0.573). Conclusion: The established methods and results provided important information on diagnosis and treatment evaluation of dentinal hypersensitivity.