BACKGROUND

Developing accurate and time-efficient tools to measure depressive symptoms in schizophrenia is important for research and clinical practice. This study tested the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR) in depressed schizophrenia patients.

METHODS

This study included 337 clinically stable patients with schizophrenia. The severity of depressive symptoms was assessed using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), QIDS-SR at baseline and 2 weeks later. Negative symptoms and extrapyramidal symptoms were measured with the negative symptom score of Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Simpson-Angus Scale of Extrapyramidal Symptoms (SAS), respectively.

RESULTS

Internal consistency (Cronbach׳s alpha) was 0.73 and 0.67 for QIDS-SR at the baseline and endpoint, respectively. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for test-retest reliability over the two weeks was 0.77. Two domains (involvement and energy) at baseline and one domain (energy) at endpoint had the highest item-total correlations. The QIDS-SR total score was significantly correlated with the MADRS total score at baseline (r=0.44, p<0.01). Weak correlations of the QIDS-SR score with the scores of the BPRS negative (r=0.18) and the SAS (r=0.05) indicate good discriminant validity. The QIDS-SR showed unidimensional measurement properties in exploratory factor analysis at both baseline. The main limitation of the study is that only clinically stable schizophrenia patients were included.

CONCLUSIONS

The QIDS-SR has acceptable psychometric properties in stable schizophrenia patients and may be useful in both research and clinical practice.

This study investigated the anterior ocular anatomic origin of high-order aberration (HOA) components using optical coherence tomography and a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor.

A customized system was built to simultaneously capture images of ocular wavefront aberrations and anterior ocular biometry. Relaxed, 2-diopter (D) and 4-D accommodative states were repeatedly measured in 30 young subjects. Custom software was used to correct optical distortions and measure biometric parameters from the images.

The anterior ocular biometry changed during 2-D accommodation, in which central lens thickness, ciliary muscle thicknesses at 1 mm posterior to the scleral spur (CMT1), and the maximum value of ciliary muscle thickness increased significantly, whereas anterior chamber depth, CMT3, radius of anterior lens surface curvature (RAL), and radius of posterior lens surface curvature (RPL) decreased significantly. The changes in the anterior ocular parameters during 4-D accommodation were similar to those for the 2-D accommodation. \(\def\upalpha{\unicode[Times]{x3B1}}\)\(\def\upbeta{\unicode[Times]{x3B2}}\)\(\def\upgamma{\unicode[Times]{x3B3}}\)\(\def\updelta{\unicode[Times]{x3B4}}\)\(\def\upvarepsilon{\unicode[Times]{x3B5}}\)\(\def\upzeta{\unicode[Times]{x3B6}}\)\(\def\upeta{\unicode[Times]{x3B7}}\)\(\def\uptheta{\unicode[Times]{x3B8}}\)\(\def\upiota{\unicode[Times]{x3B9}}\)\(\def\upkappa{\unicode[Times]{x3BA}}\)\(\def\uplambda{\unicode[Times]{x3BB}}\)\(\def\upmu{\unicode[Times]{x3BC}}\)\(\def\upnu{\unicode[Times]{x3BD}}\)\(\def\upxi{\unicode[Times]{x3BE}}\)\(\def\upomicron{\unicode[Times]{x3BF}}\)\(\def\uppi{\unicode[Times]{x3C0}}\)\(\def\uprho{\unicode[Times]{x3C1}}\)\(\def\upsigma{\unicode[Times]{x3C3}}\)\(\def\uptau{\unicode[Times]{x3C4}}\)\(\def\upupsilon{\unicode[Times]{x3C5}}\)\(\def\upphi{\unicode[Times]{x3C6}}\)\(\def\upchi{\unicode[Times]{x3C7}}\)\(\def\uppsy{\unicode[Times]{x3C8}}\)\(\def\upomega{\unicode[Times]{x3C9}}\)\(\def\bialpha{\boldsymbol{\alpha}}\)\(\def\bibeta{\boldsymbol{\beta}}\)\(\def\bigamma{\boldsymbol{\gamma}}\)\(\def\bidelta{\boldsymbol{\delta}}\)\(\def\bivarepsilon{\boldsymbol{\varepsilon}}\)\(\def\bizeta{\boldsymbol{\zeta}}\)\(\def\bieta{\boldsymbol{\eta}}\)\(\def\bitheta{\boldsymbol{\theta}}\)\(\def\biiota{\boldsymbol{\iota}}\)\(\def\bikappa{\boldsymbol{\kappa}}\)\(\def\bilambda{\boldsymbol{\lambda}}\)\(\def\bimu{\boldsymbol{\mu}}\)\(\def\binu{\boldsymbol{\nu}}\)\(\def\bixi{\boldsymbol{\xi}}\)\(\def\biomicron{\boldsymbol{\micron}}\)\(\def\bipi{\boldsymbol{\pi}}\)\(\def\birho{\boldsymbol{\rho}}\)\(\def\bisigma{\boldsymbol{\sigma}}\)\(\def\bitau{\boldsymbol{\tau}}\)\(\def\biupsilon{\boldsymbol{\upsilon}}\)\(\def\biphi{\boldsymbol{\phi}}\)\(\def\bichi{\boldsymbol{\chi}}\)\(\def\bipsy{\boldsymbol{\psy}}\)\(\def\biomega{\boldsymbol{\omega}}\)\(\def\bupalpha{\unicode[Times]{x1D6C2}}\)\(\def\bupbeta{\unicode[Times]{x1D6C3}}\)\(\def\bupgamma{\unicode[Times]{x1D6C4}}\)\(\def\bupdelta{\unicode[Times]{x1D6C5}}\)\(\def\bupepsilon{\unicode[Times]{x1D6C6}}\)\(\def\bupvarepsilon{\unicode[Times]{x1D6DC}}\)\(\def\bupzeta{\unicode[Times]{x1D6C7}}\)\(\def\bupeta{\unicode[Times]{x1D6C8}}\)\(\def\buptheta{\unicode[Times]{x1D6C9}}\)\(\def\bupiota{\unicode[Times]{x1D6CA}}\)\(\def\bupkappa{\unicode[Times]{x1D6CB}}\)\(\def\buplambda{\unicode[Times]{x1D6CC}}\)\(\def\bupmu{\unicode[Times]{x1D6CD}}\)\(\def\bupnu{\unicode[Times]{x1D6CE}}\)\(\def\bupxi{\unicode[Times]{x1D6CF}}\)\(\def\bupomicron{\unicode[Times]{x1D6D0}}\)\(\def\buppi{\unicode[Times]{x1D6D1}}\)\(\def\buprho{\unicode[Times]{x1D6D2}}\)\(\def\bupsigma{\unicode[Times]{x1D6D4}}\)\(\def\buptau{\unicode[Times]{x1D6D5}}\)\(\def\bupupsilon{\unicode[Times]{x1D6D6}}\)\(\def\bupphi{\unicode[Times]{x1D6D7}}\)\(\def\bupchi{\unicode[Times]{x1D6D8}}\)\(\def\buppsy{\unicode[Times]{x1D6D9}}\)\(\def\bupomega{\unicode[Times]{x1D6DA}}\)\(\def\bupvartheta{\unicode[Times]{x1D6DD}}\)\(\def\bGamma{\bf{\Gamma}}\)\(\def\bDelta{\bf{\Delta}}\)\(\def\bTheta{\bf{\Theta}}\)\(\def\bLambda{\bf{\Lambda}}\)\(\def\bXi{\bf{\Xi}}\)\(\def\bPi{\bf{\Pi}}\)\(\def\bSigma{\bf{\Sigma}}\)\(\def\bUpsilon{\bf{\Upsilon}}\)\(\def\bPhi{\bf{\Phi}}\)\(\def\bPsi{\bf{\Psi}}\)\(\def\bOmega{\bf{\Omega}}\)\(\def\iGamma{\unicode[Times]{x1D6E4}}\)\(\def\iDelta{\unicode[Times]{x1D6E5}}\)\(\def\iTheta{\unicode[Times]{x1D6E9}}\)\(\def\iLambda{\unicode[Times]{x1D6EC}}\)\(\def\iXi{\unicode[Times]{x1D6EF}}\)\(\def\iPi{\unicode[Times]{x1D6F1}}\)\(\def\iSigma{\unicode[Times]{x1D6F4}}\)\(\def\iUpsilon{\unicode[Times]{x1D6F6}}\)\(\def\iPhi{\unicode[Times]{x1D6F7}}\)\(\def\iPsi{\unicode[Times]{x1D6F9}}\)\(\def\iOmega{\unicode[Times]{x1D6FA}}\)\(\def\biGamma{\unicode[Times]{x1D71E}}\)\(\def\biDelta{\unicode[Times]{x1D71F}}\)\(\def\biTheta{\unicode[Times]{x1D723}}\)\(\def\biLambda{\unicode[Times]{x1D726}}\)\(\def\biXi{\unicode[Times]{x1D729}}\)\(\def\biPi{\unicode[Times]{x1D72B}}\)\(\def\biSigma{\unicode[Times]{x1D72E}}\)\(\def\biUpsilon{\unicode[Times]{x1D730}}\)\(\def\biPhi{\unicode[Times]{x1D731}}\)\(\def\biPsi{\unicode[Times]{x1D733}}\)\(\def\biOmega{\unicode[Times]{x1D734}}\)\({\rm{Z}}_4^0\) decreased significantly during 2-D accommodation, and \({\rm{Z}}_3^{ - 1}\), \({\rm{Z}}_3^1\), \({\rm{Z}}_4^0\), and \({\rm{Z}}_6^0\) shifted to negative values during 4-D accommodation. The change in \({\rm{Z}}_4^0\) negatively correlated with those in CMT1, and the negative change in \({\rm{Z}}_3^1\) correlated with changes in RAL and CMT1.

HOA components altered during step-controlled accommodative stimuli. Ciliary muscle first contracted during stepwise accommodation, which may directly contribute to the reduction of spherical aberration (SA). The lens morphology was then altered, and the change in anterior lens surface curvature was related to the variation of coma.

Early release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) during radiotherapy of thoracic cancers plays an important role in radiation pneumonitis, whose inhibition may provide lung radioprotection. We previously reported radiation inactivates Tristetraprolin (TTP), a negative regulator of TNF-α synthesis, which correlated with increased TNF-α release. However, the molecular events involved in radiation-induced TTP inactivation remain unclear. To determine if eliminating Ttp in mice resulted in a phenotypic response to radiation, Ttp-null mice lungs were exposed to a single dose of 15 Gy, and TNF-α release and lung inflammation were analyzed at different time points post-irradiation. Ttp-/- mice with elevated (9.5±0.6 fold) basal TNF-α showed further increase (12.2±0.9 fold, p<0.02) in TNF-α release and acute lung inflammation within a week post-irradiation. Further studies using mouse lung macrophage (MH-S), human lung fibroblast (MRC-5), and exogenous human TTP overexpressing U2OS and HEK293 cells upon irradiation (a single dose of 4 Gy) promoted p38-mediated TTP phosphorylation at the serine 186 position, which primed it to be recognized by an ubiquitin ligase (E3), beta transducing repeat containing protein (β-TrCP), to promote polyubiquitination-mediated proteasomal degradation. Consequently, a serine 186 to alanine (SA) mutant of TTP was resistant to radiation-induced degradation. Similarly, either a p38 kinase inhibitor (SB203580), or siRNA-mediated β-TrCP knockdown, or overexpression of dominant negative Cullin1 mutants protected TTP from radiation-induced degradation. Consequently, SB203580 pretreatment blocked radiation-induced TNF-α release and radioprotected macrophages. Together, these data establish the involvement of the p38-βTrCP-TTP-TNFα signaling axis in radiation-induced lung inflammation and identified p38 inhibition as a possible lung radioprotection strategy.

: The accumulation of lignin in fruit has a significant negative impact on the quality of fruit-producing trees, and in particular the lignin formation stimulates the development of stone cells in pear fruit. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are essential for lignin polymerization. However, knowledge of the RBOH family, a key enzyme in ROS metabolism, remains unknown in most fruit trees. In this study, a total of 40 RBOHs were identified from five fruit-producing trees (Pyrusbretschneideri, Prunuspersica, Citrussinensis, Vitisvinifera, and Prunusmume), and 10 of these sequences came from Pyrusbretschneideri. Multiple sequence alignments revealed that all 10 PbRBOHs contained the NADPH_Ox domain and the six alpha-helical transmembrane domains (TM-I to TM-VI). Chromosome localization and interspecies phylogenetic tree analysis showed that 10 PbRBOHs irregularly distributed on 8 chromosomes and 3 PbRBOHs (PbRBOHA, PbRBOHB, and PbRBOHD) are closely related to known lignification-related RBOHs. Furthermore, hormone response pattern analysis showed that the transcription of PbRBOHs is regulated by SA, ABA and MeJA. Reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and transcriptome sequencing analysis showed that PbRBOHA, PbRBOHB, and PbRBOHD accumulated high transcript abundance in pear fruit, and the transcriptional trends of PbRBOHA and PbRBOHD was consistent with the change of stone cell content during fruit development. In addition, subcellular localization revealed that PbRBOHA and PbRBOHD are distributed on the plasma membrane. Combining the changes of apoplastic superoxide (O₂.^-) content and spatio-temporal expression analysis, these results indicate that PbRBOHA and PbRBOHD, which are candidate genes, may play an important role in ROS metabolism during the lignification of pear stone cells. This study not only provided insight into the molecular characteristics of the RBOH family in fruit-producing trees, but also lays the foundation for studying the role of ROS in plant lignification.

School attendance problems negatively affect students' development. This study attempted to identify different school refusal behavior profiles and to examine their relationship with three dimensions of social anxiety (fear of negative evaluation, social avoidance and distress in new situations, and social avoidance and distress that is experienced more generally in the company of peers) and the perception of family functioning. Participants included 1842 Spanish adolescents (53% girls) aged 15-18 years (M = 16.43; SD = 1.05). The School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised (SRAS-R), the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A), and the Family APGAR Scale (APGAR: Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve) were administered. Latent class analysis revealed four school refusal behavior profiles: non-school refusal behavior, high school refusal behavior, moderately low school refusal behavior, and moderately high school refusal behavior. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) indicated that adolescents' with the profile of high school refusal behavior showed higher scores in all the subscales of social anxiety. In contrast, the non-school refusal behavior group revealed higher scores in the perception of good family functioning, whereas the high school refusal behavior profile obtained the lowest scores in this scale. These findings suggest that students who reject school are at a higher risk of developing social anxiety problems and manifesting family conflicts. These students should be prioritized in order to attend to their needs, promoting self-help to overcome social anxiety and family problems with the purpose of preventing school refusal behaviors.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent and economically costly source of lameness in the athletic horse. Previous studies investigating OA pathology have focused on localized trauma to the articular cartilage of a joint, largely ignoring the systemic immune status of the animal. In this study, yearling Quarter Horses were used to evaluate systemic cytokine gene expression and circulating leukocytes following a localized intra-articular inflammatory insult of the endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Treatments for the 35-d experiment included an intra-articular injection of 0.25 ng (n = 7) or 0.50 ng (n = 6) of LPS obtained from Escherichia coli O55:B5 or sterile lactated Ringer's solution (n = 6; control) into the radial carpal joint. Blood and synovial fluid samples were collected at pre-injection h 0 and 2, 6, 12, and 24 h post-injection. Synovial fluid was obtained for a companion study. Total RNA was isolated from plasma leukocytes and real-time PCR was used to determine relative gene expression of the cytokines interleukin (IL)-1beta (β), IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Total leukocyte subpopulations and differentials was performed using a cell counter. Data were analyzed using the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS. Gene expression of all cytokines were unaffected by intra-articular treatment. However, IL-1β increased above baseline beginning at h 6 and remained elevated to 24 h (P = 0.04). In contrast, IL-6 decreased from h 6 to 12 and then increased to 24 h (P = 0.02). Levels of TNF-α increased at 6 and 12 h (P = 0.01) post injection. Only IL-8 exceeded a 2-fold change in expression (P = 0.01), peaking at 12 h and indicating greater responsiveness to arthrocentesis when compared to other cytokines. No treatment effects on the leukocyte population were observed; however, total circulating leukocytes increased over time (P = 0.04), peaking at 6 h post-injection. Similarly, an increase over time was observed in monocytes (P = 0.02) and in platelets (P = 0.01) at 24 h post-injection. The results indicate that regardless of treatment, a mild immune response was elicited, that may be due to repeated arthrocentesis. Future experiments should consider the effects of arthrocentesis and potential systemic inflammatory response, even in control animals, when administering intra-articular LPS to young horses.

Methyl salicylate (MeSA) is a volatile organic compound synthesized from salicylic acid (SA) a plant hormone that helps to fight against plant disease. Seed treatment with MeSA, is an encouraging method to the seed industry to produce more growth and yield. The aim of our study is to find out the growth, development and disease tolerance of rice seed treated with different concentrations of MeSA. Also the seed treatments were studied to determine whether they directly influenced seedling emergence and growth in rice (Oryza sativa L) cultivars 'IR 20, IR 50, IR 64, ASD 16, ASD 19 and ADT 46' under greenhouse condition. MeSA seed treatments at 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/L significantly increased seedling emergence. Effects were stronger in IR 50, and IR 64 and the effects were dose dependent, although the relationship between dose and effect was not always linear. MeSA seed treated rice plant against bacterial blight were analyzed. Bacterial blight was more effectively controlled by the seed treated with 100 mg/L than others. These results suggest that seed treatment with MeSA alters plant physiology in ways that may be useful for crop production as well as protection.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to transculturally adapt the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire IUGA-Revised (PISQ-IR) into Spanish and to validate the new version.

METHODS

We carried out a two-stage observational cross-sectional study: translation and back-translation, followed by a validation stage in which the final version was administered to 268 consecutive women (118 not sexually active [NSA] and 150 sexually active [SA]) older than 18 from an Urogynecology Unit. Besides PISQ-IR, women also completed the following questionnaires: Incontinence Severity Index (ISI); Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI); Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20); and question #35 from the Epidemiology of Prolapse and Incontinence Questionnaire (EPIQ). Feasibility (percentage of valid cases), internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), and construct validity (structural, by factor analysis, and convergent validity by Spearman's Rho) were evaluated.

RESULTS

The sample was formed by 118 NSA and 150 SA women, with a mean age (SD) of 59.2 (11.5) years; mean body mass index (BMI) of 29.6 kg/m2 (5.6), and mean parity of 2.6 deliveries (1.2). PISQ-IR showed a high response rate (98.3% NSA and 94.7% SA), and elevated internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha for NSA and SA of 0.79 and 0.91 respectively). Factor analysis confirmed the structure of the original questionnaire and the convergent validity showed moderate to strong correlation between PISQ-IR and the ISI, PFDI-20, and FSFI scores, in addition to item #35 of the EPIQ.

CONCLUSIONS

The Spanish version of the PISQ-IR has adequate psychometric properties; therefore, it can be a useful tool for assessing sexual function in women with pelvic floor disorders.

The etiology of status asthmaticus (SA), a complication of severe asthma, is unknown. Fungal exposure, as measured by fungal atopy, is a major risk factor for developing asthma, but the relationship of fungi in SA per se has not previously been reported. In this five patient retrospective case series study, lower respiratory tract cultures were performed on bronchoalveolar lavage or tracheal aspirate fluid, comparing standard clinical laboratory cultures with a specialized technique in which respiratory mucus was removed prior to culture. We show that mucolytic treatment allows an increased detection of fungal growth, especially yeast, from the lower airways of all SA patients. We also demonstrate that inhalation of the yeast Candida albicans readily induces asthma-like disease in mice. Our observations suggest that SA may represent a fungal infectious process, and support additional prospective studies utilizing anti-fungal therapy to supplement conventional therapy, broad-spectrum antibiotics and high-dose glucocorticoids, which can promote fungal overgrowth.

Staphylococcus aureus causes a wide range of diseases from skin infections to life threatening invasive diseases such as bacteremia, endocarditis, pneumonia, surgical site infections, and osteomyelitis. Skin infections such as furuncles, carbuncles, folliculitis, erysipelas, and cellulitis constitute a large majority of infections caused by S. aureus (SA). These infections cause significant morbidity, healthcare costs, and represent a breeding ground for antimicrobial resistance. Furthermore, skin infection with SA is a major risk factor for invasive disease. Here we describe the pre-clinical efficacy of a multicomponent toxoid vaccine (IBT-V02) for prevention of S. aureus acute skin infections and recurrence. IBT-V02 targets six SA toxins including the pore-forming toxins alpha hemolysin (Hla), Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), leukocidin AB (LukAB), and the superantigens toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 and staphylococcal enterotoxins A and B. Immunization of mice and rabbits with IBT-V02 generated antibodies with strong neutralizing activity against toxins included in the vaccine, as well as cross-neutralizing activity against multiple related toxins, and protected against skin infections by several clinically relevant SA strains of USASASAS. aureus. Furthermore, vaccination with IBT-V02 not only protected mice from a primary infection but also demonstrated lasting efficacy against a secondary infection, while prior challenge with the bacteria alone was unable to protect against recurrence. Serum transfer studies in a primary infection model showed that antibodies are primarily responsible for the protective response.

Keywords: S. aureus; pore-forming toxins; skin infection; superantigens; toxoid vaccine.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the spectral power of the cortical bands in patients with first episode schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder at rest and during the performance of a mental arithmetic task.

METHODS

We analyzed EEG spectral power (SP) in the resting state and subsequently while counting down from 200 in steps of 7, in 32 first episode schizophrenia patients (SZ), 32 patients with first episode schizoaffective disorder (SA) and healthy controls (HC, n=40). Behavioral parameters such as accuracy and counting speed were also evaluated.

RESULTS

Both SZ and SA patients were slower in counting than HC, no difference was obtained in the accuracy and counting speed in the patient groups. In the resting state patients showed elevated midline theta power, off-midline anterior beta 2 power and decreased central/posterior alpha power. The SA group occupied an intermediate position between the schizophrenia patients and controls. In task performance patients lacked a typical increase of midline theta, left anterior beta 2, and anterior gamma power; however, schizoaffective patients demonstrated a growing trend of power in the gamma band in left anterior off-midline sites similar to HC. Moreover, alpha power was less inhibited in schizoaffective patients and more pronounced in schizophrenia patients indicating distinct inhibitory mechanisms in these psychotic disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with SA demonstrate less alteration in the spectral power of bands at rest than SZ, and present spectral power changes during cognitive task performance close to the controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study contributes to the present evidence on the neurophysiological distinction between schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Background and aims: Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is an accurate, patient-centered monitoring tool that objectively evaluates Crohn's disease (CD) activity. However, no current, widely accepted, reproducible activity index exists to facilitate consistent IUS identification of inflammatory activity. The aim of this study is to identify key parameters of CD inflammation on IUS, evaluate their reliability and develop an IUS index reflecting segmental activity.

Methods: There were 3 phases: 1) expert consensus Delphi method to derive measures of IUS activity; 2) an initial, multi-expert case acquisition and expert-interpretation of 20 blinded cases to measure inter-rater reliability for individual measures; 3) refinement of case acquisition and interpretation by 12 international experts, with 30 blinded case reads with reliability assessment and development of a segmental activity score.

Results: Delphi Consensus: Eleven experts representing 7 countries identified four key parameters including (1) bowel wall thickness (BWT) (2) bowel wall stratification (3) hyperemia of the wall [color Doppler imaging] and (4) inflammatory mesenteric fat. Blind Read: Each variable exhibited moderate to substantial reliability. Optimal, standardized image and cineloop acquisition were established. Second Blind Read and score development: intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for BWT was almost perfect 0.96 (0.94-0.98). All 4 parameters correlated with the global disease activity assessment and were included in the final International Bowel Ultrasound Segmental Activity Score with almost perfect ICC [0.97 (0.95-0.99, p<0.001)].

Conclusions: Using expert consensus and standardized approaches, identification of key activity measurements on IUS has been achieved and a segmental activity score has been proposed, demonstrating excellent reliability.

Keywords: activity index; monitoring; reliability; ultrasound.

Dental implants with moderately rough surfaces show enhanced osseointegration and faster bone healing compared with machined surfaces. The sandblasting and acid-etching (SA) process is one technique to create moderately rough dental implant surfaces. The purpose of this study was to analyse different commercially available implant systems with a SA-modified surface and to explore the widespread notion that they have similar surface properties regarding morphology and cleanliness. SA-modified surfaces of nine implant systems manufactured by Alpha-Bio Tec Ltd, Camlog Biotechnologies AG, Dentsply Sirona Dental GmbH, Neoss Ltd, Osstem Implant Co. Ltd, Institute Straumann AG, and Thommen Medical AG were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and examined for surface cleanliness. Six implants from three different lots were selected per each implant system. Mean particle counts for each implant and the mean size of the particles were calculated from three different regions of interest and compared using ANOVA and Tukey's test. SEM analysis showed presence of particles on the majority of analyzed implant surfaces, and EDX evaluations determined that the particles were made of Al₂O₃ and thus remnants of the blasting process. SPI®ELEMENT INICELL® and Bone Level (BL) Roxolid® SLActive® implant surfaces showed the highest mean particle counts, 46.6 and 50.3 per area, respectively. The surface of BL Roxolid® SLActive® implant also showed the highest variations in the particle counts, even in samples from the same lot. The mean size of particles was 1120±1011 μm², measured for USIII CA Fixture implants, while the biggest particle was 5900 μm² found on a BL Roxolid® SLActive® implant. These results suggest that not all manufacturers are able to produce implant surfaces without particle contamination and highlight that the surface modification process with the SA technique should be appropriately designed and controlled to achieve a clean and consistent final medical device.

BACKGROUND

Aerobic fitness seems to provide extra protection to the cardiovascular system beyond changing the traditional risk factors, a phenomenon referred to as the risk factor gap model. Aerobic fitness may possibly lead to improved autonomic regulation. The Task Force of the American Heart Association supports a national campaign to reach specific cardiovascular health goals considering various metrics, including recommended physical activity (PA) volumes. It may be clinically relevant to assess whether autonomic remodeling occurs in those who adhere to the PA recommendations.

METHODS

We studied 39 healthy subjects (22 males and 17 females), subdivided into two groups, according to whether they were meeting or not meeting PA recommendations (150 min/week of moderate aerobic activity, or 75 min/week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both). For each group, we evaluated aerobic capacity (VO2 Peak), body composition (Fat Mass) and autonomic nervous system profile, by way of mono and bivariate spectral analysis of cardiovascular beat by beat variability.

RESULTS

Subjects following PA recommendations show higher RR period, higher RR variance, greater absolute power of the respiratory component of RR variability (HFRR) and higher index alpha (a measure of spontaneous baroreflex). Moreover, as expected, the group that was meeting or exceeding current PA recommendations had higher VO2 peak, less fat mass and greater weekly energy expenditure.

CONCLUSIONS

Data show that subjects meeting current PA recommendations present a phenotype suggestive of enhanced parasympathetic drive to the SA node. This finding is compatible with the hypothesis that a more favorable autonomic profile is part of the mechanisms of the risk factor gap.

OBJECTIVE

Condition-specific sexual questionnaires are important patient-reported outcome measures. The aim of this study was to translate and validate the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-International Urogynecology Association Revised (PISQ-IR) into Dutch.

METHODS

The translated PISQ-IR was linguistically validated, followed by psychometrical validation among women presenting with symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction in urogynecology clinics. For analysis of the criterion validity, the Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Inventory-20 (PFDI-20) and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) were used. Descriptive statistics, floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and Pearson's and Spearman's correlations were calculated for all PISQ-IR subscales.

RESULTS

The PISQ-IR was completed by 220 women, of whom 61 (27.7%) considered themselves not sexually active (NSA) and 159 (72.3%) sexually active (SA). The mean age of participating women was 57 years; 49.5% reported symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), 66.8% urinary incontinence and 2.3% anal incontinence. The PISQ-IR subscales were analyzed separately for SA and NSA women with Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranging from 0.61 to 0.87. Moderate to high correlations were observed between PISQ-IR subscales and corresponding FSFI subscales and a moderate correlation between urinary distress and the condition impact (CI) subscale among NSA subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

The Dutch PISQ-IR demonstrated a good internal consistency and criterion validity compared with the FSFI, but criterion validity compared with the PFDI-20 was poor except for urinary distress in NSA women and needs further attention.

(<em>A</em>bstractText>The Department of Veterans <em>A</em>ffairs recently began requiring annual suicide ideation (SI) screening of all patients and additional structured questions for patients reporting SI. Related changes are under consideration at the Department of Defense. These changes will presumably lead to higher SI detection, which will require hiring additional clinical staff and/or developing a clinical decision support system to focus in-depth suicide risk assessments on patients considered high risk.</<em>A</em>bstractText>(<em>A</em>bstractText>To carry out a proof-of-concept study for whether a brief structured question battery from a survey of US <em>A</em>rmy soldiers can help target in-depth suicide risk assessments by identifying soldiers with self-reported lifetime SI who are at highest risk of subsequent administratively recorded nonfatal suicide attempts (<em>SAs</em>).</<em>A</em>bstractText>(<em>A</em>bstractText>Cohort study with prospective observational design. Data were collected from May 2011 to February 2013. Participants were followed up through December 2014. <em>A</em>nalyses were conducted from March to November 2018. <em>A</em> logistic regression model was used to assess risk for subsequent administratively recorded nonfatal <em>SAs</em>. <em>A</em> total of 3649 Regular <em>A</em>rmy soldiers in 3 <em>A</em>rmy Study to <em>A</em>ssess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (<em>A</em>rmy ST<em>A</em>RRS) surveys who reported lifetime SI were followed up for 18 to 45 months from baseline to assess administratively reported nonfatal <em>SAs</em>.</<em>A</em>bstractText>(<em>A</em>bstractText>Outcome was administratively recorded nonfatal <em>SAs</em> between survey response and December 2014. Predictors were survey variables.</<em>A</em>bstractText>(<em>A</em>bstractText>The 3649 survey respondents were 80.5% male and had a median (interquartile range) age of 29 (25-36) years (range, 18-55 years); 69.4% were white non-Hispanic, 14.6% were black, 9.0% were Hispanic, 7.0% were another racial/ethnic group. Sixty-five respondents had administratively recorded nonfatal <em>SAs</em> between survey response and December 2014. One additional respondent died by suicide without making a nonfatal <em>SA</em> but was excluded from analysis based on previous evidence that predictors are different for suicide death and nonfatal <em>SAs</em>. Significant risk factors were SI recency (odds ratio [OR], 7.2; 95% CI, 2.9-18.0) and persistence (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.0-6.8), positive screens for mental disorders (OR, 26.2; 95% CI, 6.1-112.0), and <em>A</em>rmy career characteristics (OR for junior enlisted rank, 30.0; 95% CI, 3.3-272.5 and OR for senior enlisted rank, 6.7; 95% CI, 0.8-54.9). Cross-validated area under the curve was 0.78. The 10% of respondents with highest estimated risk accounted for 39.2% of subsequent <em>SAs</em>.</<em>A</em>bstractText>(<em>A</em>bstractText>Results suggest the feasibility of developing a clinically useful risk index for <em>SA</em> among soldiers with SI using a small number of self-report questions. If implemented, a continuous quality improvement approach should be taken to refine the structured question series.</<em>A</em>bstractText>

Most nonfatal suicide attempts and suicide deaths occur among patients who deny suicidal ideation (SI) during suicide risk screenings. Little is known about risk factors for suicidal behaviors among such patients. We investigated this in a representative sample of U.S. Army soldiers who denied lifetime SI in a survey and were then followed through administrative records for up to 45 months to learn of administratively-recorded suicide attempts (SA). A novel two-stage risk assessment approach was used that combined first-stage prediction from administrative records to find the subsample of SI deniers with highest subsequent SA risk and then used survey reports to estimate a second-stage model identifying the subset of individuals in the high-risk subsample at highest SA risk. 70% of survey respondents denied lifetime SI. Administrative data identified 30% of this 70% who accounted for 81.2% of subsequent administratively-recorded SAs. A relatively small number of self-report survey variables were then used to create a prediction model that identified 10% of the first-stage high-risk sample (i.e., 3% of all soldiers) at highest SA risk (accounting for 45% of SAs in the total sample). We close by discussing potential applications of this approach for identifying future SI deniers at highest SA risk.

: Previous studies that examined the association between daily alcohol consumption and sickness absences (SA) were mostly retrospective and did not take into account the characteristics of SA. : A total of 9907 daily drinkers (8442 men and 1465 women) of the GAZEL prospective cohort were included. Daily alcohol consumption over the three previous years was self-reported at baseline and categorized as low, moderate, high or very high risk according to the World Health Organization. Duration of SA (short: ≤7 days; moderate: 8-28; long: >28) was collected from administrative records as well as causes for long SA. Negative binomial regression models were used to estimate Risk Ratios of SA according to alcohol consumption with low-risk category as reference. : Duration of follow-up (in years) for SA was 8.4 ± 3.7 in men and 11.2 ± 5.4 in women. Increasing alcohol consumption predicted increasing risk of SA with a dose-response relationship ( P < 0.01 for men; P = 0.01 for women). In men, strength of this association increased with SA duration [e.g. RRs from 1.41 (95% CI: 1.12-1.79) to 2.12 (95% CI: 1.49-3.00) in the very high-risk category, for short and long SA, respectively]. In men, even a moderate consumption predicted increased risk of SA whatever their duration (RR = 1.15; 95% CI: 1.07-1.23). In women, a moderate consumption predicted only long SA (RR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.00-1.50). Daily alcohol consumption was associated with almost all causes of long SA in men, and with respiratory diseases, digestive diseases and injury in women. : We found a dose-response relationship between daily alcohol consumption and the risk of SA. Even moderate consumption could increase this risk, particularly in men.

Acrylamide (ACR) is a neurotoxic industrial chemical intermediate, which is also present in food and water. We investigated the neuroprotective effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the most abundant polyphenol in green tea, on ACR-treated rat brain. Rats were pre-treated with EGCG for 4 d and then administered ACR and EGCG for 14 d. EGCG increased acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and the rate of Nissl-positive cells in ACR-treated rats. Senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining indicated that EGCG attenuated ACR-induced senescence. Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) protein expression indicated that EGCG inhibited ACR-induced inflammation. In addition, immunohistochemical analysis of nestin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) revealed that EGCG promoted brain regeneration in ACR-treated rats. Altogether, our results suggest that EGCG can attenuate ACR-induced brain damage and promote regeneration in the cerebral cortex of rats. Therefore, we hypothesized that EGCG may alleviate ACR-related nerve injury.

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) progresses from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, efficacious drugs for NASH treatment are lacking. Sodium alginate (SA), a soluble dietary fiber extracted from brown algae, could protect the small intestine from enterobacterial invasion. NASH pathogenesis has been suggested to be associated with enterobacterial invasion, so we examined the effect of SA on methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced steatohepatitis in mice (the most widely-used model of NASH). The mice (n = 31) were divided into three groups (mice fed with regular chow, MCD diet, and MCD diet premixed with 5% SA) for 4 and 8 weeks. The MCD diet increased lipid accumulation and inflammation in the liver, the NAFLD Activity Score and hepatic mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor- and collagen 11, and induced macrophage infiltration. Villus shortening, disruption of zonula occludens-1 localization and depletion of mucus production were observed in the small intestine of the MCD-group mice. SA administration improved lipid accumulation and inflammation in the liver, and impaired barrier function in the small intestine. Collectively, these results suggest that SA is useful for NASH treatment because it can prevent hepatic inflammation and fatty degeneration by maintaining intestinal barrier function.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to translate and validate a short-form of Quality of Life Inventory in Epilepsy-89 (QOLIE-89)-QOLIE-10 for use in the busy clinical setting.

METHODS

Accepted procedures were adopted to translate the QOLIE-10. Patients with epilepsy from two tertiary hospitals in China were asked to complete a standardized questionnaire including QOLIE-10, EQ-5D, QWB-SA and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Construct validity was assessed via factor analysis. Convergent validity was explored via the correlations between QOLIE-10 and other external measures. The ability of QOLIE-10 to differentiate between epilepsy-specific variables was tested to examine the discriminant validity. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to test the reliability. Additionally, HRQoL according to different epilepsy-specific variables was compared.

RESULTS

220 Respondents completed QOLIE-10 and EQ-5D, among which 141 subjects completed QWB-SA and MMSE. Two subscales were yielded in the factor analysis. The correlations between QOLIE-10 scores and EQ-5D, QWB-SA, MMSE were significant thus demonstrated the convergent validity. Furthermore, QOLIE-10 was able to differentiate patients with various seizure frequency, refractory epilepsy and antiepileptic treatment. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.853. In general, more predictive variables were identified to associate with QOLIE-10 scores than the other two instruments. Comorbidity (0.015), numbers of AEDs (0.037), seizure types (0.041) and refractory epilepsy (0.016) were potential predictors of HRQoLQOLIE-10, whereas there were fewer predictors for HRQoLEQ-5D or HRQoLQWB-SA.

CONCLUSIONS

QOLIE-10 appeared to be a reliable and sensitive instrument to assess the HRQoL for epilepsy patients. According to the MLR analyses, numbers of AEDs, refractory epilepsy, comorbidity depression, and cognitive function were demonstrated to be predictors of HRQoL dependent on different tools. Comparisons between the tools suggested epilepsy-specific instrument was more competent to discriminate HRQoL based on condition variables. However, a longitudinal study is still needed to examine the responsiveness of Chinese QOLIE-10.

Beyond the fundamental pathogenetic importance of Helicobacter Pylori a possible additional role of vagal innervation in favouring or modulating the clinical history of duodenal ulcer (DU) has been suggested by old studies employing invasive methodologies. Aim of this study was to assess whether vagal prevalence in autonomic modulation was present in healed DU patients (n=20) as compared to controls,(n=50), using a validated non-invasive methodology, based on spectral analysis of cardiovascular variability. This approach provides markers of the sympathetic and vagal modulations of the SA node, respectively by way of the normalized low frequency (LF(RR)) and high frequency (HF(RR)) components of RR interval variability; LF/HF ratio furnishes a marker of sympatho-vagal balance. In addition, sham feeding (SF) provided a means to assess, in DU patients, neurally mediated acid secretion, as the SF acid output (SAO) to basal acid output (BAO) ratio (SAO/BAO). Results showed that LF(RR) was smaller in DU patients than in controls (40.3+/-3.9 vs. 52.3+/-2.3 normalized units, nu; P<0.05). On the contrary, HF(RR) was greater (52.1+/-3.7 vs. 35.7+/-2.3 nu; P<0.05). Conversely the LF component of SAP variability, a marker of sympathetic vasomotor modulations, and the index alpha, a measure of baroreflex control of the SA node, as well as respiratory patterns, were similar in the two groups. SAO/BAO ratio was significantly correlated with markers of autonomic control of the SA node (r = -0.67, P<0.0083 with HF(RR)). In conclusion results suggest an enhanced vagal modulation of heart period in DU patients at rest, that appears linked to indices of neurally mediated gastric acid secretion response.