Neuropsychological test for the detection of dementia in elderly individuals: the Nishimura Dementia Test

Background: Progression of the core and accessory symptoms of dementia can be slowed if drug therapies and psychosocial interventions are administered at an early stage. The aim of this study was to develop and standardize a neuropsychological test for the elderly that can detect dementia at an early stage with high sensitivity and can evaluate a wide range of severities of dementia based on assessments of various cognitive functions. Methods: A preliminary test consisting of 23 items and the Nishimura Mental State Scale for the Elderly (NM Scale), which evaluates the mental functions of elderly individuals by observing their actual behaviors in daily life, were administered to 448 elderly subjects. After applying Hayashi’s quantification theory type I to the results, we revised the preliminary test to construct a neuropsychological test for the elderly, which we named the Nishimura Dementia Test (ND Test), and standardized it. Then, we examined its validity and test–retest reliability. Results: Among the 448 subjects, there was a strong correlation between the ND Test scores and NM Scale scores. The ND Test showed a good general agreement rate for the discrimination of the severity of dementia, and good sensitivity and specificity of discrimination of dementia when compared with the actual NM Scale. Using different groups of elderly subjects, the ND Test showed validity and test–retest reliability, and the ND Test scores showed strong correlations with the Revised Hasegawa Dementia Scale scores and the Mini‐Mental State Examination scores. Conclusions: The ND Test is based on assessment of a variety of cognitive functions and can evaluate a wide range of severities of dementia with good validity and reliability.     

HIV抗体快速检测试剂的临床评估

目的:通过对HIV抗体快速检测试剂的临床评估,为HIV检测试剂的临床应用提供参考.方法:对快速试剂的使用性能进行比较,并采用美国输血协会(AABB)血清盘、临床样品血清盘、特性血清盘(阳性样品盘)、稀释系列血清盘评估快速试剂的敏感性和特异性.结果:三种快速试剂在检测AABB血清盘时,敏感性分别是86.4%、86.4%、100%,特异性皆为100%;三种快速试剂在检测临床样品血清盘时,敏感性分别是88.6%、91.4%、97.1%,特异性皆为100%.快速试剂具有很高的阳性预期值,对于低危人群(感染率很低人群)也具有很高的阴性预期值.快速试剂检测弱阳性的样品(酶联试剂s/co比值小于6～8的样品)存在漏检.快速试剂与ELISA参考试剂在分析灵敏度方面相差3个以上倍比稀释度.结论:快速试剂具有较好的使用特性,非常适用于样本量较少的实验室及对低危人群的HIV筛查,在对高危人群筛查时,可能有弱阳性样品漏检,同时快速试剂在分析灵敏度方面有待提高.     

儿童呼吸道苛养菌分离培养及药敏分析

目的：分析儿童呼吸道苛养菌的感染率及常用抗生素的耐药状况。方法：采用儿童呼吸道2050份咽拭子及痰标本进行苛养菌分离培养与鉴定，并对其中617株苛养菌做了药敏试验，结果：显示275株肺炎链球菌，耐药率较高的有红霉素81.1%，苯唑西林76.9%，复方磺胺甲恶唑76.9%，四环素65.4%；104株流感嗜血杆菌、184株副流感嗜血杆菌、54株卡他莫拉菌对氨苄西林耐药率分别为17.6%,28.9%,64.9%，对亚胺培南/西司他丁耐药率分别为16.4%，16.5%，0，同时复方磺胺甲恶唑的耐药率也分别高达56.7%，56.7%，64.9%。结论：提示苛养菌在儿童呼吸道感染中占有重要的地位，及时掌握这类细菌的耐药动态，对合理使用抗生素，延缓耐药株的产生有极其重要的临床意义。     

视场角设置对虚拟环境中目标判断的影响

目的探讨不同视场角参数对虚拟环境中目标判断的影响规律 ,找出最佳视场角参数。方法利用自行研制基于PC平台的虚拟现实 (VR)实验系统 ,选定 45名年龄在 2 3～ 5 8岁被试者并完成大小与角度判断的实验设计。首先进行 30 0人次的预实验 ,确定引起虚拟环境中目标判断差错的视场角及相应观察任务的差别等级 ,然后开始单因素、4水平的完全随机正式实验。结果方差分析表明 ,不同的虚拟环境视场角对目标判断的真实性有显著性影响 ,当视场角为 60°时 ,目标判断的正确率最大。结论利用VR技术进行载人航天器工效设计、操作训练或其它任务的研究时 ,应考虑视场角的作用 ,适合目标大小判断的视场角参数值宜取 60°,以便获得最大的工效     

A quantitative analysis of valgus torque on the ACL: a human cadaveric study.

The loads needed to elicit a positive pivot shift test in a knee with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture have not been quantified. The coupled anterior tibial translation (ATT), coupled internal tibial rotation (ITR), and the in situ force in the ACL in response to a valgus torque, an inherent component of the pivot shift test, were measured in 10 human cadaveric knee specimens. Using a robotic/universal force-moment sensor testing system, valgus torques ranging from 0.0 to 10.0 Nm were applied in nine increments on the intact and ACL-deficient knee in flexion ranging from 0 degrees to 90 degrees. At 15 degrees of knee flexion, the coupled ATT and ITR were significantly increased in the ACL-deficient knee when compared to the intact knee. Coupled ATT increased a maximum of 291% (6.7 mm, p<0.05), while coupled ITR increased a maximum of 85% (5.1 degrees, p<0.05). At 30 degrees, the increases in coupled ATT and ITR were significant at valgus loads of 3.3 Nm and greater with a maximum increase in coupled ATT of 137% (6.3 mm, p<0.05) and a maximum increase in coupled ITR of 38% (3.6 degrees, p<0.05). At 45 degrees, coupled ATT increased significantly (maximum of 69%, 4.4 mm, p<0.05), but only at torques > or =6.7 Nm. The in situ force in the ACL was less than 20 N for all flexion angles when a torque between 3.3 and 5.0 Nm was applied. Low valgus torque elicited tibial subluxation in the ACL-deficient knee with low in situ ACL forces, similar to a positive pivot shift test. Thus, application of a valgus torque may be suitable to evaluate ACL-deficient and ACL-reconstructed knees, since subluxation can be achieved with minimal harm to the ACL graft. This work is important in understanding one load component needed for the pivot shift examination; further studies quantifying other load components are essential for better comprehension of the in vivo pivot shift examination.     

马杜霉素渣抗球虫的效果

测定了马杜霉素渣中铅、砷、镉、铬的含量及对小白鼠的毒性和对鸡的抗球虫性能。试验结果：马杜霉素渣中铅含量１．０５ｍｇ／ｋｇ，砷含量小于１．０ｍｇ／ｋｇ，镉含量１．２ｍｇ／ｋｇ，铬含量２６ｍｇ／ｋｇ；马杜霉素渣对小白鼠的ＬＤ５０为３５４．６５ｍｇ／ｋｇ，比马杜霉素毒性大。马杜霉素渣的抗球虫指数为１７３～１７５．１，属中等强度抗球虫药。以上结果表明，马杜霉素渣可以作为抗球虫药应用，但应用时要防止中毒的发生。     

重氮乳胶反向凝集试验与乳凝试验在血吸虫病临床诊断中的应用研究

本文应用日本血吸虫虫卵单克隆抗体及虫卵可溶性抗原，分别致敏新型免疫微球载体重氮基聚苯乙烯乳胶，制备出血吸虫反向乳凝试剂与乳凝试剂，并用于检测血吸虫病患者血清标本中的相应抗原和相应抗体，以此试验检测１９７份急慢性血吸虫病患者血清标本。结果反向乳凝试剂检出率为９０．４％，乳凝试剂检出率为９５．２％，均高于反向间接血凝法的８５．０％。反向乳凝试验与乳凝试验联合应用，既可早期诊断，又可判断疗效。试验采用玻片凝集法，３ｍｉｎ内即出结果，方法敏感．特异、简便和快速。     

Improved sib-pair linkage test for disease susceptibility loci

An improved sib-pair test for linkage is introduced which is superior to the previously proposed tests. The test is derived from the standard chi-squared goodness of fit statistic by restricting the alternative hypothesis to the genetically possible. Critical values are given and exact power comparisons are made with the previously proposed tests. The new test is shown to be more powerful for finite samples as well as being asymptotically uniformly most powerful. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Going, going, gone . . . ? Implicit and explicit tests of conceptual knowledge in a longitudinal study of semantic dementia

Patients suffering from semantic dementia provide important constraints on theories of the structure and organisation of semantic memory. In this article we report one such patient, AM, whose progressive deterioration of semantics enables us to address the much-debated issue of whether conceptual structure is hierarchically organised. The hierarchical account predicts that brain damage should impair lower levels of the hierarchy (property information) before affecting higher level (category) information (Warrington and Shallice, Q. J. Exp. Psychol. 1975, 27, 635–657). We evaluate this prediction by repeated testing of AM in two studies—a semantic priming task and a verification task—over an 18 month period, contrasting the progressive deterioration of properties (functional and perceptual) and category relations (category co-ordinates and category labels). Properties were preserved longer than category information, arguing against a hierarchical account of semantic memory. In addition, functional properties were most robust to brain damage, supporting our claim that functional information plays a special role in semantic representations (Durrant-Peatfield et al., Proc. 19th Ann. Conf. of the Cognitive Science Society. Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ, 1997, pp. 193–198. Tyler et al., Cognitive Neuropsychol. 1997, 14, 511–545).