A Negative Symptom Rating Scale

Renewed interest in the role of negative symptoms in "defect state" schizophrenia calls for the design of a standardized, easy to use, reliable, and valid instrument to assess these aspects of psychopathology. In order to measure negative symptoms, we developed the Negative Symptom Rating Scale (NSRS). We report on the design, interrater reliability, and construct-validation of NSRS against the most frequently used negative symptom scales or subscales. In summary, the NSRS is a short, sensitive, highly specific, reliable, and apparently valid instrument for measuring negative symptoms in schizophrenia.     

Factor analysis, causal indicators and quality of life

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) remains one of the standard and most widely used methods for demonstrating construct validity of new instruments. However, the model for EFA makes assumptions which may not be applicable to all quality of life (QOL) instruments, and as a consequence the results from EFA may be misleading. In particular, EFA assumes that the underlying construct of QOL (and any postulated subscales or factors) may be regarded as being reflected by the items in those factors or subscales. QOL instruments, however, frequently contain items such as diseases, symptoms or treatment side effects, which are causal indicators. These items may cause reduction in QOL for those patients experiencing them, but the reverse relationship need not apply: not all patients with a poor QOL need be experiencing the same set of symptoms. Thus a high level of a symptom item may imply that a patient's QOL is likely to be poor, but a poor level of QOL need not imply that the patient probably suffers from that symptom. This is the reverse of the common EFA model, in which it is implicitly assumed that changes in QOL and any subscales cause or are likely to be reflected by corresponding changes in all their constituent items; thus the items in EFA are called effect indicators. Furthermore, disease-related clusters of symptoms, or treatment-induced side-effects, may result in different studies finding different sets of items being highly correlated; for example, a study involving lung cancer patients receiving surgery and chemotherapy might find one set of highly correlated symptoms, whilst prostate cancer patients receiving hormone therapy would have a very different symptom correlation structure. Since EFA is based upon analyzing the correlation matrix and assuming all items to be effect indicators, it will extract factors representing consequences of the disease or treatment. These factors are likely to vary between different patient subgroups, according to the mode of treatment or the disease type and stage. Such factors contain little information about the relationship between the items and any underlying QOL constructs. Factor analysis is largely irrelevant as a method of scale validation for those QOL instruments that contain causal indicators, and should only be used with items which are effect indicators.     

含Ⅲ型纤连蛋白域蛋白5真核表达载体的构建及初步功能研究

目的 构建含小鼠FNDC5基因的绿色荧光蛋白表达载体pEGFP-C3-FNDC5,并初步探索其对C2C12肌细胞的线粒体能量代谢的影响。方法 应用反转录-聚合酶链反应法从小鼠腓肠肌和心脏组织中扩增出两端带有HindⅢ和EcoRⅠ酶切位点的FNDC5编码片段,经回收、纯化酶切后,依次连接到质粒PMD19-T和pEGFP-C3上,获得过表达载体后转染至C2C12肌细胞,48h后以激光共聚焦显微镜拍摄线粒体荧光强度,以荧光定量PCR检测与线粒体能量代谢相关的基因PGC-1β、ATPase6、ND1和ND6的表达情况。结果 PCR及测序结果表明:重组质粒pEGFP-C3含有FNDC5段,方向及大小正确,过表达FNDC5可以增强线粒体荧光强度,并增加线粒体能量代谢相关的基因PGC-1β、ATPase6、ND1和ND6的表达。结论 成功构建了小鼠真核表达载体pEGFP-C3-FNDC5,过表达FNDC5可以增强线粒体能量代谢。     

IMMUNIZATION OF MICE AGAINST ALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM USING DIFFERENT DNA PREPARATIONS

Groups of female BALB/c mice were given primary and booster injections of whole genomic DNA extracted from S. typhimurium, P. aeruginosa, or S. aureus. Other groups of mice were immunized in a similar manner with the 1.57kb fragment of the mouse virulence gene (mviA), pTargeT vector (plasmid DNA)/1.57kb construct, pTargeT vector, or saline. Mice in all groups were challenged intraperitoneally with 100 LD50 of S. typhimurium. The bacterial genomic DNA was extracted using the Pure Gene extraction kit. Specific primers were used to amplify the 1.57kb fragment by PCR. The pTargeT Mammalian Expression Vector System was used to prepare the plasmid/1.57kb construct. Bacterial genomic DNA extracted from P. aeruginosa and S. aureus appeared to induce non-specific resistance in mice. Specific, in addition to non-specific resistance appeared to be induced when genomic DNA from S. typhimurium was used. There was a prolongation of survival in the groups of mice that received either the 1.57kb fragment or the pTargeT vector/1.57kb construct and 16.67% and 33.34% respectively, of mice in each group survived at 40 days post challenge. None of the mice in the saline control group survived by day 7 post challenge.

It is suggested that the non-specific resistance observed in this study might have been due to the adjuvant effect of the non-methylated CpG and other immunostimulatory motifs in bacterial DNA. Specific resistance obtained when genomic DNA from S. typhimurium was used might have been due to minute antigenic contamination, or virulence factor genes other than the mviA gene, might have been expressed in the host, which induced specific immunity.     

韦氏成人智力量表第四版中文版的信度和结构效度

目的:考察韦氏成人智力量表第四版(WAIS-Ⅳ)中文版的信度和结构效度.方法:以年龄、性别、受教育程度为主要变量按比例分层取样,全国16岁以上人口中的实际有效样本1757人,应用WAIS-Ⅳ中文版对样本进行个体智力测验,其中84名被试间隔22d后接受WAIS-Ⅳ中文版的重测.结果:WAIS-Ⅳ中文版的平均信度系数在分测验、过程分数、合成分数上分别为0.82 ～0.94、0.79 ～ 0.83,0.90 ～0.98.重测信度在分测验上为0.68～0.86,过程分数为0.61 ～0.72,合成分数上是0.78 ～0.91.内部相关性研究在言语理解各分测验间为0.65 ～0.71,知觉推理各分测验为0.49～0.57,工作记忆各分测验为0.61,加工速度各分测验为0.61.4个指数分数与全量表智商分数的相关为0.76～0.88.验证性因素分析表明量表的四因素结构拟合较好(RMSEA=0.05,NFI、NNFI、CFI、IFI、RFI、GFI、AGFI均＞0.90,SRMR=0.024).结论:韦氏成人智力量表第四版中文版具有良好的信度和结构效度.     

Correction of pelvic obliquity in neuromuscular spinal deformities using the “T construct”: results and complications in a prospective series of 60 patients

Background

We present the results of a prospective series of 60 patients treated for neuromuscular spinal deformities with an original spinopelvic construct using two sacral screws and two iliac screws. Clinical and radiological results obtained with this new surgical technique were studied and discussed according to the epidemiological data and relevant literature.

Methods

From January 2008 to June 2010, the clinical data of every patient who underwent spinopelvic fixation for treatment of a neuromuscular spinal deformity were recorded prospectively.

Results

Sixty patients were operated on during the study period. Spinal correction and fusion was performed by posterior approach. In six patients with a residual spinopelvic imbalance more than 15° on lateral preoperative bending films, an anterior release of the thoracolumbar junction was performed on the same day, before posterior correction. Preoperative pelvic obliquity (PO) ranged from 4° to 44° (mean 21.6°). Postoperative pelvic obliquity ranged from 0° to 14 (mean 4.6°). No significant loss of correction was noted at the last follow-up. One patient died 3 months after the initial procedure due to respiratory compromise. 11 patients had early postoperative infections of the posterior approach.

Conclusions

Despite a high rate of infectious complications, optimal correction of pelvic obliquity requires extension of spinal instrumentation to the pelvis. Spinopelvic fixation remains a difficult challenge in neurological patients with hypotrophy. We think that pelvic fixation with the “T construct” did provide effective and improved spinal stabilization in these patients, while reducing the need for a postoperative cast or brace. As a result, patients had a favourable postoperative course with early mobilization and return to a comfortable sitting position.     

《中国儿童发育量表》修订及效度研究

目的 研究“儿心量表”修订后《中国儿童发育量表》的结构效度及校标效度,为制定全国常模以及诊断性发育量表提供可行性依据。方法 在北京市地区抽样人群中,用《中国儿童发育量表》初始修订表进行测试;运用项目分析、探索性因素分析、验证性因素分析及结构方程模型分析方法确定量表的结构及结构效度;以Gesell发展量表为外在校标进行相关分析。结果 共测试0~84月龄儿童2 779名,男童1 468名,女童1 311名。男:女比为1.1∶1,按项目实际受试人次计,共测试77 329人次。具有鉴别力的(CR值,P<0.05)项目占99.2%(259/261)。将量表每3个月的项目为一个整体(子集)进行因素分析, 9个子集的KMO值分别为0.938、0.954、0.933、0.932、0.940、0.942、0.948、0.976、0.956;旋转后提取因子特征值大于1的累积方差贡献率分别为66.9%、 55.2%、57.6%、59.4%、50.5%、59.7%、61.0%、59.7%、59.2%。量表的5个维度与提取因子载荷匹配基本吻合。通过对以因素分析的9个子集进行强制性验证性因素分析,5个维度构想与实际数据的拟合度良好。考虑发展量表特点及验证性因素分析样本量要求,再将前后连续、相邻月龄项目进行组合即1月龄与2月龄,2月龄与3月龄之后以此类推,再进行验证分析,分析参数CFI及NNFI均大于0.9,RMSEA在0.08以下占79.2%(19/24),最大为0.98,仍提示五维度的构想合理。与Gesell量表的关系(Pearson)系数为0.637。结论 修订后《中国儿童发育量表》结构效度较高,测验项目鉴别力强,五维度的量表结构合理,符合诊断性发育评估量表参数,可作为制定全国常模的基础量表。