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Comparable Data (comparable + data)
Selected AbstractsComparing the anatomical consistency of the posterior superior iliac spine to the iliac crest as reference landmarks for the lumbopelvic spine: A retrospective radiological studyCLINICAL ANATOMY, Issue 7 2007J.M. McGaugh Abstract A palpation reference line coursing between the superior-most aspect of the iliac crests has been reported to cross the L4 spinous process or L4/L5 intervertebral space in ,80% of the population. Comparable data have not been defined for the line coursing between the posterior superior iliac spines (PSIS). The purpose of this study was to compare the anatomical consistency of the PSIS to the iliac crest as landmarks used for spinal palpation. One hundred computerized tomographic images were reviewed in a three-dimensional setting. Two horizontal lines were constructed on each image: Line 1 representing the superior-most aspect of the iliac crest and Line 2 representing the inferior margin of the PSIS. The vertical distance between each horizontal line and the inferior edge of its respective spinous process were measured. The PSIS corresponded to the S2 spinous process in 81% of subjects and the iliac crest to the L4 spinous process in 59% of subjects. Distance measures suggest that the PSIS was closer to S2 versus the iliac crest to L4 (t = 6.998; P < 0.01). The PSIS crossed S2 more frequently than the iliac crest crossed L4 (,2 = 12.719, P , 0.01). The study findings support the relationship between the PSIS, and the spinous process of S2 is more consistent when compared to the iliac crest and the spinous process of L4. The PSIS reference line may be used to find S2 as a reference standard in validity and reliability palpation studies in the lower lumbar spine. Clin. Anat. 20:819,825, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The adult sense of coherence scale is applicable to 12-year-old schoolchildren,an additional tool in health promotionACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 8 2006Päivi-Leena Honkinen Abstract Background: Two principal operationalizations of sense of coherence (SOC) for the study of adults have been developed, one consisting of 29 and another consisting of 13 items. According to these studies, SOC is associated with various aspects of perceived health. Also, a 16-item scale for determining SOC in young children (,10 y) is available. It is unclear from which age on SOC can be studied by using any of the scales for adults. Aim: To determine whether the 13-item SOC scale for adults is applicable to children 12 y of age. Methods: Comparable data of SOC had been collected by a mail survey directed to adults (mean age 36 y, n=706) in 1985. Twelve-year-old children filled in questionnaires in school class in 1997 (n=994). Results: SOC score range, mean, median and standard deviation (SD), and Cronbach alpha coefficients of the total SOC scale were almost identical in children and adults. Conclusion: The 13-item SOC scale aimed at adults is applicable to children of 12 y of age or older. The SOC scale could be a useful additional tool for identifying children with perceived health deficits potentially in need of supportive interventions. [source] A systematic review of structured group interventions with mentally disordered offendersCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2006Edward A.S. Duncan Background,Over the last 15 years, rehabilitation of offenders has been rigorously researched, resulting in new knowledge and understanding about factors decreasing recidivism amongst them. Typically, such interventions have been based on cognitive behavioural therapy. However, until recently, little research had been carried out on the rehabilitation of offenders with mental disorder. The authors present the first systematic review of the efficacy of structured group interventions with mentally disordered offenders. Aim,To evaluate structured group interventions with mentally disordered offenders through systematic review of the evidence for their efficacy and effectiveness. Methods,A standardized search strategy, with complementary methods of data retrieval to ensure a high degree of recall, was employed. Meta-analysis was not undertaken due to sample heterogeneity and lack of comparable data. Instead, effect sizes were calculated on all papers with sufficient data. Pooled effect sizes were calculated for groups of interventions with a similar focus. Results,Twenty studies were retrieved that fitted the inclusion criteria. It was possible to categorize these, predominantly British, studies into four main themes: problem-solving; anger/aggression management; self-harm; and other. The mean pooled effect sizes for the first two groups were suggestive of a moderate to high effect, but methodological variation means that these findings should still be treated as preliminary. Discussion and conclusions,Calculated effect sizes give optimism for the efficacy of structured group interventions with mentally disordered offenders. It is important now that more rigorous and consistent research methods be applied, even in secure hospital environments. Some suggestions towards achieving this are offered, drawing from the work to date, inclusive of the need for agreement on common outcome measures and development of networks to improve sample sizes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Explaining the differences in income-related health inequalities across European countriesHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 7 2004Eddy van Doorslaer Abstract This paper provides new evidence on the sources of differences in the degree of income-related inequalities in self-assessed health in 13 European Union member states. It goes beyond earlier work by measuring health using an interval regression approach to compute concentration indices and by decomposing inequality into its determining factors. New and more comparable data were used, taken from the 1996 wave of the European Community Household Panel. Significant inequalities in health (utility) favouring the higher income groups emerge in all countries, but are particularly high in Portugal and , to a lesser extent , in the UK and in Denmark. By contrast, relatively low health inequality is observed in the Netherlands and Germany, and also in Italy, Belgium, Spain Austria and Ireland. There is a positive correlation with income inequality per se but the relationship is weaker than in previous research. Health inequality is not merely a reflection of income inequality. A decomposition analysis shows that the (partial) income elasticities of the explanatory variables are generally more important than their unequal distribution by income in explaining the cross-country differences in income-related health inequality. Especially the relative health and income position of non-working Europeans like the retired and disabled explains a great deal of ,excess inequality'. We also find a substantial contribution of regional health disparities to socio-economic inequalities, primarily in the Southern European countries. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Synaptophysin protein and mRNA expression in the human hippocampal formation from birth to old age,HIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 8 2006Sharon L. Eastwood Abstract In the human neocortex, progressive synaptogenesis in early postnatal life is followed by a decline in synaptic density, then stability from adolescence until middle age. No comparable data are available in the hippocampus. In this study, the integral synaptic vesicle protein synaptophysin, measured immunoautoradiographically, was used as an index of synaptic terminal abundance in the hippocampal formation of 37 subjects from 5 weeks to 86 yr old, divided into 4 age groups (10 infants, 15 adolescents/young adults, 6 adults, and 6 elderly). In all hippocampal subfields, synaptophysin was lowest in infancy, but did not differ significantly between the older age groups, except in dentate gyrus (DG) where the rise was delayed until adulthood. A similar developmental profile was found in the rat hippocampus. We also measured synaptophysin mRNA in the human subjects and found no age-related changes, except in parahippocampal gyrus wherein the mRNA declined from infancy to adolescence, and again in old age. The synaptophysin protein data demonstrate a significant presynaptic component to human postnatal hippocampal development. In so far as synaptophysin abundance reflects synaptic density, the findings support an increase in hippocampal and parahippocampal synapse formation during early childhood, but provide no evidence for adolescent synaptic pruning. The mRNA data indicate that the maturational increases in synaptophysin protein are either translational rather than transcriptional in origin, or else are secondary to mRNA increases in neurons, the cell bodies of which lie outside the hippocampal formation. Published 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Rapid biodiversity assessment of spiders (Araneae) using semi-quantitative sampling: a case study in a Mediterranean forestINSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY, Issue 2 2008PEDRO CARDOSO Abstract. 1A thorough inventory of a Mediterranean oak forest spider fauna carried out during 2 weeks is presented. It used a semi-quantitative sampling protocol to collect comparable data in a rigorous, rapid and efficient way. Four hundred and eighty samples of one person-hour of work each were collected, mostly inside a delimited 1-ha plot. 2Sampling yielded 10 808 adult spiders representing 204 species. The number of species present at the site was estimated using five different richness estimators (Chao1, Chao2, Jackknife1, Jackknife2 and Michaelis,Menten). The estimates ranged from 232 to 260. The most reliable estimates were provided by the Chao estimators and the least reliable was obtained with the Michaelis,Menten. However, the behavior of the Michaelis,Menten accumulation curves supports the use of this estimator as a stopping or reliability rule. 3Nineteen per cent of the species were represented by a single specimen (singletons) and 12% by just two specimens (doubletons). The presence of locally rare species in this exhaustive inventory is discussed. 4The effects of day, time of day, collector experience and sampling method on the number of adults, number of species and taxonomic composition of the samples are assessed. Sampling method is the single most important factor influencing the results and all methods generate unique species. Time of day is also important, in such way that each combination of method and time of day may be considered as a different method in itself. There are insignificant differences between the collectors in terms of species and number of adult spiders collected. Despite the high collecting effort, the species richness and abundance of spiders remained constant throughout the sampling period. [source] The clinical effectiveness of nurse practitioners' management of minor injuries in an adult emergency department: a systematic reviewINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED HEALTHCARE, Issue 1 2009Anne Wilson PhD, FRCNA Abstract Background, The increasing cost of healthcare in Australia demands changes in the way healthcare is delivered. Nurse practitioners have been introduced into specialty areas including emergency departments. Specific interventions are known to include the treatment and management of minor injuries, but little has been reported on their work. Objectives, Examine the best available evidence to determine the clinical effectiveness of emergency department nurse practitioners in the assessment, treatment and management of minor injuries in adults. Inclusion criteria, For inclusion studies had to include adult patients treated for minor injuries by nurse practitioners in emergency departments. All study designs were included. Search strategy, English language articles from 1986 onwards were sought using MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase and Science Citation Index. Methodological quality, Two independent reviewers critically appraised the quality of the studies and extracted data using standardised tools. Data collection, Two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of each study for inclusion into the review and the study design used. Where any disagreement occurred, consensus was reached by discussion with an independent researcher. Data synthesis, Studies were assessed for homogeneity by considering populations, interventions and outcomes. Where heterogeneity was present, synthesis was undertaken in a narrative format; otherwise a meta-analysis was conducted. For each outcome measure, results were tabulated by intervention type and discussed in a narrative summary. Results from randomised controlled trials were pooled in meta-analyses where appropriate. Results, Nine studies from a total of 55 participants met the inclusion criteria. Two were randomised controlled trials. Metasynthesis of research findings generated five synthesised findings derived from 16 study findings aggregated into seven categories. Evidence comparing the clinical effectiveness of nurse practitioners to mainstream management of minor injuries was fair to poor methodological quality. When comparable data were pooled, there were no significant differences (P < 0.05) between nurse practitioners and junior doctors. Conclusions, The results emphasise the need for more high-quality research using appropriate outcome measures in the area of clinical effectiveness of nurse practitioners, particularly interventions that improve outcomes for presentations to emergency departments and address issues of waiting and congestion. [source] Effectiveness of arthroscopic versus open surgical stabilisation for the management of traumatic anterior glenohumeral instabilityINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED HEALTHCARE, Issue 2 2007Choong Ng BMedSci(Melb) Abstract Background, Anterior instability is a frequent complication following a traumatic glenohumeral dislocation. Frequently the underlying pathology associated with recurrent instability is a Bankart lesion. Surgical correction of Bankart lesions and other associated pathology is the key to successful treatment. Open surgical glenohumeral stabilisation has been advocated as the gold standard because of consistently low postoperative recurrent instability rates. However, arthroscopic glenohumeral stabilisation could challenge open surgical repair as the gold standard treatment for traumatic anterior glenohumeral instability. Objectives, Primary evidence that compared the effectiveness of arthroscopic versus open surgical glenohumeral stabilisation was systematically collated regarding best-practice management for adults with traumatic anterior glenohumeral instability. Search strategy, A systematic search was performed using 14 databases: MEDLINE, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), ISI Web of Science, Expanded Academic ASAP, Proquest Medical Library, Evidence Based Medicine Reviews, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, TRIP Database, PubMed, ISI Current Contents Connect, Proquest Digital Dissertations, Open Archives Initiative Search Engine, Australian Digital Thesis Program. Studies published between January 1984 and December 2004 were included in this review. No language restrictions were applied. Selection criteria, Eligible studies were those that compared the effectiveness of arthroscopic versus open surgical stabilisation for the management of traumatic anterior glenohumeral instability, which had more than 2 years of follow up and used recurrent instability and a functional shoulder questionnaire as primary outcomes. Studies that used non-anatomical open repair techniques, patient groups that were specifically 40 years or older, or had multidirectional instability or other concomitant shoulder pathology were excluded. Data collection and analysis, Two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of each study for inclusion into the review, the study design used and its methodological quality. Where any disagreement occurred, consensus was reached by discussion with an independent researcher. Studies were assessed for homogeneity by considering populations, interventions and outcomes. Where heterogeneity was present, synthesis was undertaken in a narrative format; otherwise a meta-analysis was conducted. Results, Eleven studies were included in the review. Two were randomised controlled trials. Evidence comparing arthroscopic and open surgical glenohumeral stabilisation was of poor to fair methodological quality. Hence, the results of primary studies should be interpreted with caution. Observed clinical heterogeneity in populations and outcomes was highlighted and should be considered when interpreting the meta-analysis. Authors also used variable definitions of recurrent instability and a variety of outcome measures, which made it difficult to synthesise results. When comparable data were pooled, there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) between the arthroscopic and open groups with respect to recurrent instability rates, Rowe score, glenohumeral external rotation range and complication rates. Conclusions, Statistically, it appears that both surgical techniques are equally effective in managing traumatic anterior glenohumeral instability. In light of the methodological quality of the included studies, it is not possible to validate arthoscopic stabilisation to match open surgical stabilisation as the gold standard treatment. Further research using multicentred randomised controlled trials with sufficient power and instability-specific questionnaires with sound psychometric properties is recommended to build on current evidence. The choice of treatment should be based on multiple factors between the clinician and the patient. [source] A comparison of two instrumental techniques used to discriminate the cooking quality of spaghettiINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2008Mike Sissons Summary Pasta is a popular food whose quality can be measured by appearance, flavour and texture. Several instruments have been devised to measure texture but there is little comparative information. This study compared the TA.XT2i texture analyser with the viscoelastograph of thirty spaghetti samples. There was a high correlation between these instruments and good agreement in ranks. While both instruments provide comparable data it is not the same. Two laboratories used the texture analyser to measure cooked spaghetti firmness using their own procedures. There was good agreement in firmness, however; there were differences in the ranks for samples that fell between the extremes in firmness. We attributed these differences to variations in the instrument settings, cooking method and sample presentation used by the laboratories indicating the need to standardise the method. Using a standard method greatly improved the correspondence between the laboratories improving the r2 to 0.99 with excellent agreement in the ranking of ten samples. [source] Immigration Policy and Employment Conditions of US Immigrants from Mexico, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic1INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 5 2005Katharine M. Donato ABSTRACT Prior studies suggest that the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) in 1986 signalled a deterioration in the labour market conditions of Mexican migrants. In this paper, we examine whether and how labour market conditions worsened for Dominicans and Nicaraguans after 1986, and the extent to which these shifts were comparable to those experienced by Mexicans. Our analysis relies on a new source of data that offers comparable data across the three national origins. We estimate multivariate models that capture the effects of demographic attributes, human and social capital, migration-specific human and social capital, legal status, period of trip, national origin, and other controls on the hourly wages earned by household heads and whether they received cash wages on their last US trip. Models with interaction terms reveal significant pre- and post-1986 wage effects, but few differences in these effects between Mexicans and Dominicans or Nicaraguans. In contrast, group differences appear in the risk of cash receipt of wages. Dominicans and Nicaraguans experienced a greater increase in this risk relative to Mexicans pre- and post-1986. Together, these findings depict a broader, negative impact of IRCA on Latino migrant wages than has been documented elsewhere. [source] Evolution of cranial development and the role of neural crest: insights from amphibiansJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 5 2005James Hanken Abstract Contemporary studies of vertebrate cranial development document the essential role played by the embryonic neural crest as both a source of adult tissues and a locus of cranial form and patterning. Yet corresponding and basic features of cranial evolution, such as the extent of conservation vs. variation among species in the contribution of the neural crest to specific structures, remain to be adequately resolved. Investigation of these features requires comparable data from species that are both phylogenetically appropriate and taxonomically diverse. One key group are amphibians, which are uniquely able to inform our understanding of the ancestral patterns of ontogeny in fishes and tetrapods as well as the evolution of presumably derived patterns reported for amniotes. Recent data support the hypothesis that a prominent contribution of the neural crest to cranial skeletal and muscular connective tissues is a fundamental property that evolved early in vertebrate history and is retained in living forms. The contribution of the neural crest to skull bones appears to be more evolutionarily labile than that of cartilages, although significance of the limited comparative data is difficult to establish at present. Results underline the importance of accurate and reliable homology assessments for evaluating the contrasting patterns of derivation reported for the three principal tetrapod models: mouse, chicken and frog. [source] Incipient speciation of Catostylus mosaicus (Scyphozoa, Rhizostomeae, Catostylidae), comparative phylogeography and biogeography in south-east AustraliaJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2005Michael N Dawson Abstract Aim, Phylogeography provides a framework to explain and integrate patterns of marine biodiversity at infra- and supra-specific levels. As originally expounded, the phylogeographic hypotheses are generalities that have limited discriminatory power; the goal of this study is to generate and test specific instances of the hypotheses, thereby better elucidating both local patterns of evolution and the conditions under which the generalities do or do not apply. Location, Coastal south-east Australia (New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria), and south-west North America (California and Baja California). Methods, Phylogeographic hypotheses specific to coastal south-east Australia were generated a priori, principally from existing detailed distributional analyses of echinoderms and decapods. The hypotheses are tested using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) DNA sequence data describing population variation in the jellyfish Catostylus mosaicus, integrated with comparable data from the literature. Results, Mitochondrial COI distinguished two reciprocally monophyletic clades of C. mosaicus (mean ± SD: 3.61 ± 0.40% pairwise sequence divergence) that were also differentiated by ITS1 haplotype frequency differences; the boundary between the clades was geographically proximate to a provincial zoogeographic boundary in the vicinity of Bass Strait. There was also limited evidence of another genetic inhomogeneity, of considerably smaller magnitude, in close proximity to a second hypothesized zoogeographic discontinuity near Sydney. Other coastal marine species also show genetic divergences in the vicinity of Bass Strait, although they are not closely concordant with each other or with reported biogeographic discontinuities in the region, being up to several hundreds of kilometres apart. None of the species studied to date show a strong phylogeographic discontinuity across the biogeographic transition zone near Sydney. Main conclusions, Patterns of evolution in the Bass Strait and coastal New South Wales regions differ fundamentally because of long-term differences in extrinsic factors. Since the late Pliocene, periods of cold climate and low sea-level segregated warm temperate organisms east or west of an emergent Bassian Isthmus resulting in population divergence and speciation; during subsequent periods of warmer and higher seas, sister taxa expanded into the Bass Strait region leading to weakly correlated phylogeographic and biogeographic patterns. The Sydney region, by contrast, has been more consistently favourable to shifts in species' ranges and long-distance movement, resulting in a lack of intra-specific and species-level diversification. Comparisons between the Sydney and Bass Strait regions and prior studies in North America suggest that vicariance plays a key role in generating coastal biodiversity and that dispersal explains many of the deviations from the phylogeographic hypotheses. [source] Automated reprocessing pipeline for searching heterogeneous mass spectrometric data of the HUPO Brain Proteome Project pilot phasePROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 18 2006Christian Stephan Dr. Abstract The newly available techniques for sensitive proteome analysis and the resulting amount of data require a new bioinformatics focus on automatic methods for spectrum reprocessing and peptide/protein validation. Manual validation of results in such studies is not feasible and objective enough for quality relevant interpretation. The necessity for tools enabling an automatic quality control is, therefore, important to produce reliable and comparable data in such big consortia as the Human Proteome Organization Brain Proteome Project. Standards and well-defined processing pipelines are important for these consortia. We show a way for choosing the right database model, through collecting data, processing these with a decoy database and end up with a quality controlled protein list merged from several search engines, including a known false-positive rate. [source] Characteristics of non-fatal opioid overdoses attended by ambulance services in AustraliaAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 6 2004Paul Dietze Objective: To examine the feasibility of establishing a database on non-fatal opioid overdose in order to examine patterns and characteristics of these overdoses across Australia. Methods: Unit record data on opioid overdose attended by ambulances were obtained from ambulance services in the five mainland States of Australia for available periods, along with information or case definition and opioid overdose management within these jurisdictions. Variables common across States were examined including the age and sex of cases attended, the time of day and day of week of the attendance, and the transportation outcome (whether the victim was left at the scene or transported to hospital). Results: The monthly rate of non-fatal opioid overdose attended by ambulance was generally highest in Victoria (Melbourne) followed by NSW, with the rates substantially lower in the remaining States over the period January 1999 to February 2001. Non-fatal opioid overdose victims were most likely to be male in all States, with the proportion of males highes in Victoria (77%), and were aged around 28 years with ages lowest in Western Australia (m=26) and highest in NSW (m=30). Most of the attendances occurred in the afternoon/early evening and towards the later days of the working week in all States. The rates of transportation varied according to ambulance service practice across the States with around 94% of cases transported in Western Australia and around 18% and 29% of cases transported in Melbourne and NSW respectively. Conclusions: It is feasible to establish a database of comparable data on non-fatal opioid overdoses attended by ambulances in Australia. This compilation represents a useful adjunct to existing surveillance systems on heroin (and other opioid) use and related harms. [source] The quest for the mechanisms of lifeBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 7 2003Maria I. Klapa Abstract The genomic revolution, manifested by the sequencing of the complete genome of many organisms, along with technological advances, such as DNA microarrays and developments in high-throughput analysis of proteins, metabolites, and isotopic tracer distribution patterns, challenged the conventional ways in which questions are approached in the biological sciences: (a) rather than examining a small number of genes and/or reactions at any one time;, we can now analyze gene expression and protein activity in the context of systems of interacting genes and gene products; (b) comprehensive analysis of biological systems requires the integration of all cellular fingerprints: genome sequence, maps of gene expression, protein expression, metabolic output, and in vivo enzymatic activity; and (c) collecting, managing, and analyzing comparable data from various cellular profiles requires expertise from several fields that transcend traditional discipline boundaries. While researchers in systems biology have still to address difficult challenges in both experimental and computational arenas, they possess, for the first time, the opportunity to unravel the mechanisms of life. The enormous impact of these discoveries in diverse areas, such as metabolic engineering, strain selection, drug screening and development, bioprocess development, disease prognosis and diagnosis, gene and other medical therapies, is an obvious motivation for pursuing integrated analyses of cellular systems. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||