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Activity Assessment (activity + assessment)
Selected AbstractsContent validity and clinical applicability of the Irena Daily Activity assessment measuring occupational performance in adults with developmental disabilityOCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2003Irena Dychawy-Rosner MSc Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of the Irena Daily Activity (IDA) assessment which measures occupational performance in adults with developmental disabilities. The instrument's content validity was investigated by elucidating its general appropriateness, its clinical applicability and the feasibility of the measurement procedure. Data were collected from a multidisciplinary panel of clinical experts working in day activity centres. Each expert independently judged and reviewed the IDA instrument's content validity. The results show that the content validity index (CVI) values ranged from 0.8 to 1.0 for the instrument's general appropriateness and clinical applicability, and from 0.7 to 1.0 with respect to the significance of the IDA domains' clinical applicability. The applicability of the IDA items were judged as satisfactory (CVI , 80) with respect to their importance for planning treatment and intervention. The feasibility of the measurement procedure was estimated as satisfactory in relation to the items (CVI , 0.70) and satisfactory with respect to the time needed and material used, with CVI values ranging from 0.8 to 1.0. The results of this study support the use of the IDA as a feasible and time-efficient assessment that provides insights regarding the occupational performance of adults with developmental disabilities. A limitation of this study was that it could not illuminate all-important aspects of validity. In conclusion, the IDA has the potential to become a reliable and valid clinical assessment, but additional research on psychometric properties is still needed. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Vectorization of Harungana madagascariensis Lam. ex Poir. (Hypericaceae) ethanolic leaf extract by using PLG-nanoparticles: antibacterial activity assessmentDRUG DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, Issue 1 2005B. Moulari Abstract This study was undertaken to compare the in vitro and ex vivo antibacterial activity of an ethanolic Harungana madagascariensis leaf extract (HLE) incorporated into poly (D,L -lactide-co,glycolide) nanoparticles (HLE -PLG-NP). Two concentrations of HLE (500 and 1,000,µg/mL) for the in vitro study and one concentration (500 µg/mL) for the ex vivo study were compared using two gram-positive bacterial strains (Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus epidermidis), and one gram-negative bacterial strain (Moraxella sp.). The ex vivo antibacterial activity was evaluated on S. epidermidis CIP 55109 (SE) using an artificial contamination method. SE was inoculated for 12 h onto human skin fragment surfaces treated for 5,min either with HLE loaded, unloaded PLG-NP, or HLE solution. In vitro, the two preparations inhibited completely the growth of all bacterial strains at 1,000,µg/mL. However, the HLE -PLG-NP had a significant antibacterial activity against SE (18.4±1.8,0.4±0.2 CFU/mL, P<0.05), and a marked antibacterial effect against M. luteus (ML) and Moraxella sp. (Msp) compared to HLE solution at 500 µg/mL. Ex vivo, HLE -PLG-NP at 500,µg/mL reduced viable bacteria (6.3,4.8 log10), compared to the HLE solution (6.3,5.5 log10) after 4 h artificial contamination (P<0.05). A thin layer chromatography study of both HLE solution and HLE -PLG-NP showed that among the seven components found on the chromatogram of the HLE solution, only two were present on the nanoparticles, one including a flavonoid heteroside fraction responsible for the antibacterial properties. The incorporation of the HLE into a colloidal carrier improved antibacterial performance. Drug Dev. Res. 65:26,33, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Clinical use of physical activity measuresJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS, Issue 2 2009CRNP (Associate Professor), Lorraine M Reiser PhD Abstract Purpose:, To provide a review of physical activity measures and subjective and objective methods of its measurement. Considerations for the use of these measurements in research and practice will be discussed. Data sources:, The PubMed, CINAHL, and Health and Psychosocial Instruments databases, and the Centers for Disease Control Web site were searched using the search term "Physical Activity Measurement." Conclusions:, Physical activity is a lifestyle factor that is a key focus in chronic disease,related research, prevention, and interventions. Healthy People 2010 set goals of decreasing the prevalence of preventable diseases by encouraging healthier lifestyle patterns. Shifts toward more sedentary lifestyles have resulted in increases in life-limiting disease states, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. Physical activity measurements have been used widely in research studies but are less commonly used in primary care. Measuring individuals' physical activity levels as part of the health assessment will enhance the provider's ability to engage in health promotion and suggest health protection interventions. The strengths, weaknesses, and potential applications to practice of physical activity measures are summarized in an effort to familiarize nurse practitioners (NPs) with commonly used tools and encourage integration of physical activity assessment into their current practice. Implications for practice:, NPs are in an ideal position to promote health by encouraging appropriate amounts of physical activity. Screening, health promotion, and disease prevention are part of the core competencies of NP practice established by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. Increased knowledge of physical activity measures will enhance the NP's ability to evaluate relevant physical activity research for use in evidence-based practice. Incorporation of simple yet appropriate physical activity measurements into practice will expand the NP's ability to identify and thus address sedentary lifestyles in their clientele. [source] Physical activity, physical exertion, and miscarriage risk in women textile workers in Shanghai, ChinaAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 5 2010E.Y. Wong PhD Abstract Background Strenuous occupational physical activity and physical demands may be risk factors for adverse reproductive outcomes. Methods A retrospective study in the Shanghai, China textile industry study collected women's self-reported reproductive history. Occupational physical activity assessment linked complete work history data to an industry-specific job-exposure matrix. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated by multivariate logistic regression for the first pregnancy outcome and utilized generalized estimating equations to consider all pregnancies per woman. Results Compared with women employed in sedentary jobs, a reduced risk of miscarriage was found for women working in jobs with either light (OR 0.18, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.50) or medium (OR 0.24, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.66) physical activity during the first pregnancy and over all pregnancies (light OR 0.32, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.61; medium OR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.80). Frequent crouching was associated with elevated risk (OR 1.82, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.93; all pregnancies per woman). Conclusions Light/medium occupational physical activity may have reduced miscarriage risk, while specific occupational characteristics such as crouching may have increased risk in this cohort. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:497,505, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Power doppler sonography: Improving disease activity assessment in inflammatory musculoskeletal diseaseARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 2 2003Richard J. Wakefield First page of article [source] The phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activity assessment of orange peel (Citrus sinensis) cultivated in Greece,Crete indicates a new commercial source of hesperidinBIOMEDICAL CHROMATOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2009Firas I. Kanaze Abstract The flavonoid content of several methanolic extract fractions of Navel orange peel (flavedo and albedo of Citrus sinensis) cultivated in Crete (Greece) was first analysed phytochemically and then assessed for its antioxidant activity in vitro. The chemical structures of the constituents fractionated were originally determined by comparing their retention times and the obtained UV spectral data with the available bibliographic data and further verified by detailed LC-DAD-MS (ESI+) analysis. The main flavonoid groups found within the fractions examined were polymethoxylated flavones, O- glycosylated flavones, C- glycosylated flavones, O- glycosylated flavonols, O- glycosylated flavanones and phenolic acids along with their ester derivatives. In addition, the quantitative HPLC analysis confirmed that hesperidin is the major flavonoid glycoside found in the orange peel. Interestingly enough, its quantity at 48 mg/g of dry peel permits the commercial use of orange peel as a source for the production of hesperidin. The antioxidant activity of the orange peel methanolic extract fractions was evaluated by applying two complementary methodologies, DPPH, assay and the Co(II)/EDTA-induced luminol chemiluminescence approach. Overall, the results have shown that orange peel methanolic extracts possess moderate antioxidant activity as compared with the activity seen in tests where the corresponding aglycones, diosmetin and hesperetin were assessed in different ratios. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Statistical Issues Arising in the Women's Health InitiativeBIOMETRICS, Issue 4 2005Ross L. Prentice Summary A brief overview of the design of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial and observational study is provided along with a summary of results from the postmenopausal hormone therapy clinical trial components. Since its inception in 1992, the WHI has encountered a number of statistical issues where further methodology developments are needed. These include measurement error modeling and analysis procedures for dietary and physical activity assessment; clinical trial monitoring methods when treatments may affect multiple clinical outcomes, either beneficially or adversely; study design and analysis procedures for high-dimensional genomic and proteomic data; and failure time data analysis procedures when treatment group hazard ratios are time dependent. This final topic seems important in resolving the discrepancy between WHI clinical trial and observational study results on postmenopausal hormone therapy and cardiovascular disease. [source] | ||||||||||