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Excellent Predictor (excellent + predictor)
Selected AbstractsOpinion-based group membership as a predictor of commitment to political actionEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Ana-Maria Bliuc Research on group identification has shown it to be a surprisingly weak predictor of intentions to take large-scale social action. The weak links may exist because researchers have not always examined identification with the type of group that is most relevant for predicting action. Our focus in two studies (one in Romania and one in Australia, both Ns,=,101) was on opinion-based groups (i.e. groups formed around shared opinions). We found that social identification with opinion-based groups was an excellent predictor of political behavioural intentions, particularly when items measuring identity certainty were included. The results provide clear evidence of the role of social identity constructs for predicting commitment to social action and complement analyses of politicised collective identity and crowd behaviour. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Positive Linear Growth and Bone Responses to Growth Hormone Treatment in Children With Types III and IV Osteogenesis Imperfecta: High Predictive Value of the Carboxyterminal Propeptide of Type I Procollagen,JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2003Joan C Marini MD Abstract Extreme short stature is a cardinal feature of severe osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), types III and IV. We conducted a treatment trial of growth hormone in children with OI and followed linear growth velocity, bone metabolism markers, histomorphometrics, and vertebral bone density. Twenty-six children with types III and IV OI, ages 4.5,12 years, were treated with recombinant growth hormone (rGH), 0.1,0.2 IU/kg per day for 6 days/week, for at least 1 year. Length, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I), insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP-3), bone metabolic markers, and vertebral bone density by DXA were evaluated at 6-month intervals. An iliac crest biopsy was obtained at baseline and 12 months. Approximately one-half of the treated OI children sustained a 50% or more increase in linear growth over their baseline growth rate. Most responders (10 of 14) had moderate type IV OI. All participants had positive IGF-I, IGFBP-3, osteocalcin, and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase responses. Only the linear growth responders had a significant increase in vertebral DXA z-score and a significant decrease in long bone fractures. After 1 year of treatment, responders' iliac crest biopsy showed significant increases in cancellous bone volume, trabecular number, and bone formation rate. Responders were distinguished from nonresponders by higher baseline carboxyterminal propeptide (PICP) values (p < 0.05), suggesting they have an intrinsically higher capacity for collagen production. The results show that growth hormone can cause a sustained increase in the linear growth rate of children with OI, despite the abnormal collagen in their bone matrix. In the first year of treatment, growth responders achieve increased bone formation rate and density, and decreased fracture rates. The baseline plasma concentration of PICP was an excellent predictor of positive response. [source] Creep dominates tensile fatigue damage of the cement,bone interfaceJOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 3 2004Do-Gyoon Kim Abstract Fatigue damage from activities of daily living has been considered to be a major cause of aseptic loosening in cemented total hip arthroplasty. The cement,bone interface is one region where loosening could occur, but to date the fatigue response of the interface has not been examined. Cement,bone specimens were prepared from fresh frozen human cadaver tissue using simulated in vivo conditions. Tensile fatigue tests to failure were performed in an environmental chamber. Loss of specimen stiffness (stiffness damage) and permanent displacement after unloading (creep damage) were found in all specimens. At failure, creep damage accounted for the majority (79.9 ± 10.6%) of the total strain damage accumulation at failure (apparent strain, , = 0.0114 ± 0.00488). A power law relationship between strain-damage rate and time-to-failure showed that the strain-damage rate was an excellent predictor of the fatigue life of the cement,bone interface. The S,N response of the interface was obtained as a function of the applied stress ratio and the initial apparent strain. The total motion between cement and bone (72.2 ± 29.8 ,m) prior to incipient failure due to both stiffness and creep fatigue damage may be sufficient to result in fibrous tissue formation and contribute to eventual clinical loosening. © 2004 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. [source] Around the world with the model for end-stage liver diseaseLIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 10 2003Richard B. Freeman Jr MD Background: Indices for predicting survival are essential for assessing prognosis and assigning priority for liver transplantation in patients with liver cirrhosis. The model for end stage liver disease (MELD) has been proposed as a tool to predict mortality risk in cirrhotic patients. However, this model has not been validated beyond its original setting. Aim: To evaluate the short and medium term survival prognosis of a European series of cirrhotic patients by means of MELD compared with the Child-Pugh score. We also assessed correlations between the MELD scoring system and the degree of impairment of liver function, as evaluated by the monoethylglycinexylidide (MEGX) test. Patients and methods: We retrospectively evaluated survival of a cohort of 129 cirrhotic patients with a follow up period of at least one year. The Child-Pugh score was calculated and the MELD score was computed according to the original formula for each patient. All patients had undergone a MEGX test. Multivariate analysis was performed on all variables to identify the parameters independently associated with one year and six month survival. MELD values were correlated with both Child-Pugh scores and MEGX test results. Results: Thirty one patients died within the first year of follow up. Child-Pugh and MELD scores, and MEGX serum levels were significantly different among patients who survived and those who died. Serum creatinine, international normalized ratio, and MEGX60 were independently associated with six month mortality while the same variables and the presence of ascites were associated with one year mortality. MELD scores showed significant correlations with both MEGX values and Child-Pugh scores. Conclusions: In a European series of cirrhotic patients the MELD score is an excellent predictor of both short and medium term survival, and performs at least as well as the Child-Pugh score. An increase in MELD score is associated with a decrease in residual liver function. [source] Heterozygosity,fitness correlations and associative overdominance: new detection method and proof of principle in the Iberian wild boarMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 13 2009AURELIO F. MALO Heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFC) may result from a genome-wide process , inbreeding , or local effects within the genome. The majority of empirical studies reporting HFCs have attributed correlations to inbreeding depression. However, HFCs are unlikely to be caused by inbreeding depression because heterozygosity measured at a small number of neutral markers is unlikely to accurately capture a genome-wide pattern. Testing the strengths of localized effects caused by associative overdominance has proven challenging. In their current paper, Amos and Acevedo-Whitehouse present a novel test for local HFCs. Using stochastic simulations, they determine the conditions under which single-locus HFCs arise, before testing the strength of the correlation between the neutral marker and a linked gene under selection in their simulations. They used insights gained from simulation to statistically investigate the likely cause of correlations between heterozygosity and disease status using data on bovine tuberculosis infections in a wild boar population. They discover that a single microsatellite marker is an excellent predictor of tuberculosis progression in infected individuals. The results are relevant for wild boar management but, more generally, they demonstrate how single-locus HFCs could be used to identify coding loci under selection in free-living populations. [source] Composition, geographical affinities and endemism of the Iberian Peninsula orchid floraNORDIC JOURNAL OF BOTANY, Issue 3-4 2007Sonia Bernardos The orchid flora of the Iberian Peninsula is relatively well known, but its biogeographical and diversity patterns have until now remained unanalysed. This work compares the richness of this flora with that of 27 other territories in different continents and at different latitudes, with the aim of establishing whether it is richer or poorer than might be expected. Latitude was found to be an excellent predictor of regional orchid species richness. With 122 taxa, the orchid flora of the Iberian Peninsula is more or less as diverse as that of other Mediterranean areas of similar latitude (e.g. France, Greece or Italy), but more diverse than other European or indeed North African orchid floras. In this study, the Iberian orchid species were assigned to eight monophyletic clades and the global distribution of these are mapped to establish continental affinities between the floras. A recent floristic account on the Iberian orchids was also used to assign the orchid taxa to habitats, and the relationship between the number of endemisms and their habitats was analysed. The patterns of endemism differed in different habitats. Very high levels of endemism were found in habitats peculiar to the Mediterranean Basin, indicating the relict status of its orchid flora. [source] C4d in pediatric renal allograft biopsies: A marker for negative outcome in steroid-resistant rejectionPEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 4 2006Regina Vargha Abstract:, Recently, deposition of C4d, reflecting complement activation via the classical pathway, has been established as marker of antibody-mediated rejection. As C4d can be detected in paraffin sections, it allows for retrospective analysis in populations with low case loads, such as in pediatric transplantation. In this study we re-evaluated consecutive renal transplant biopsies obtained since 1990 in 36 children (18 boys, 18 girls) who had received their allograft (nine living, 27 cadaveric) at an age of 10.12±4.4 yr. Clinical indications for biopsy were 16 acute steroid resistant rejections (ASRs), 11 chronic rejections and nine other diagnoses. Overall, C4d deposition was found in nine cases (25%), eight of them with diagnosed ASR. Six out of these eight allografts were lost during 36 months of clinical follow-up, a significantly higher rate than in C4d-negative biopsies (p<0.05). C4d status therefore turned out to be an excellent predictor for inferior graft survival following ASR. None of the other histopathologic markers were sensitive for humoral rejections. In conclusion, the high prevalence of C4d-positive staining in ASR demonstrates the importance of the humoral part of the immune system in pediatric transplantation. The worse outcome of C4d-positive rejections despite massive immunosuppressive therapy clearly indicates the need for innovative therapies in this high-risk population. [source] The use of renal scintigraphy in assessing the potential for recovery in the obstructed renal tract in childrenBJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 9 2001A. Thompson Objective To assess the value of renal scintigraphy with 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) in predicting functional recovery after the surgical relief of obstructed kidneys in children. Patients and methods Forty-three children underwent surgery to relieve upper urinary tract obstruction; 37 had pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction and six had vesico-ureteric junction obstruction. The indication for surgery was a combination of an obstructed renogram with symptoms of either pain or pyelonephritis. Most children (41) had < 40% function on the affected side before surgery, with just two having hyperfunction (> 55%). In all patients intravenous urography before surgery showed hydronephrosis, and a micturating cystogram was used to exclude coexisting reflux in the presence of an associated megaureter. Diuretic renography (using 99mTc-mercaptoacetyl triglycine or 123I-hippuran) and DMSA scintigraphy were both carried out before surgery and the renography repeated 6 months afterward. Results The renographic drainage curves improved from obstructed to unobstructed or ,dilated unobstructed' on all postoperative studies. Regression analysis showed that preoperative DMSA scan was an excellent predictor of outcome (P < 0.001) whilst the preoperative renogram was a relatively poor predictor of the functional result. In four patients where the initial renographic function was < 10%, DMSA scintigraphy predicted correctly the capacity for recovery in three and the inability to improve in the fourth. Conclusion Before surgery, DMSA scintigraphy in children with upper urinary tract obstruction is a more useful estimate of probable long-term renal function than value from diuresis renography. If there is doubt about the desirability of reconstructive surgery, a DMSA scan may eliminate the need for more invasive methods of estimating recovery, e.g. a period of nephrostomy drainage. [source] Laparoscopic surgery impairs tissue oxygen tension more than open surgeryBRITISH JOURNAL OF SURGERY (NOW INCLUDES EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY), Issue 3 2007E. Fleischmann Background: Wound infection remains a common and serious complication after colonic surgery. Although many colonic operations are performed laparoscopically, it remains unclear whether this has any impact on the incidence of wound infection. Subcutaneous tissue oxygenation is an excellent predictor of surgical wound infection. The impact of open and laparoscopic colonic surgery on tissue oxygenation was compared. Methods: Fifty-two patients undergoing elective open and laparoscopic left-sided colonic resections were evaluated in a prospective observational study. Anaesthesia management was standardized and intraoperative arterial partial pressure of oxygen was kept at 150 mmHg in both groups. Oxygen tension was measured in the subcutaneous tissue of the right upper arm. Results: At the start of surgery subcutaneous tissue oxygen tension (PsqO2) was similar in both groups (mean(s.d.) 65·8(17·2) and 63·7(23·6) mmHg for open and laparoscopic operations respectively; P = 0·714). Tissue oxygen remained stable in the open group, but dropped significantly in the laparoscopic group during the course of surgery (PsqO2 after operation 53·4(12·9) and 45·5(11·6) mmHg, respectively; P = 0·012). Conclusion: Laparoscopic colonic surgery significantly decreases PsqO2, an effect that occurs early in the course of surgery. As tissue oxygen tension is a predictor of wound infection, these results may explain why the risk of wound infection after laparoscopic surgery remains higher than expected. Copyright © 2006 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Liver test patterns in patients with acute calculous cholecystitis and/or choledocholithiasisALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 9 2009M. S. PADDA Summary Background, Liver tests are utilized to determine the presence of biliary obstruction. Aim, To examine our hypothesis that liver tests aid in elucidating whether patients have simple calculous cholecystitis (ACC) or choledocholithiasis (CDL). Methods, We performed a retrospective study of patients admitted to two University of Texas Southwestern teaching hospitals with a clinical picture consistent with ,acute gallstone disease', i.e. cholecystitis ± choledocolithiasis. The presence of ACC and CDL was based on defined clinical criteria. Results, The cohort consisted of 154 patients meeting specific entry criteria, primarily with right upper quadrant pain; 62 ACC, 79 both ACC and CDL and 13 CDL alone. Approximately 30% of patients with ACC had abnormal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and/or bilirubin level and approximately 50% had abnormal aminotransferase levels. Among patients with ACC/CDL, 77% had abnormal ALP, 60% had abnormal bilirubin and 90% had abnormal aminotransferase levels. By multivariate analysis, increasing common bile duct size and an abnormal ALP and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were excellent predictors of having ACC with CDL. Conclusions, Liver test patterns can aid in elucidating CDL, including in ACC patients. Fundamentally, patients with CDL were more likely to have more abnormal liver tests, whether they had CDL only, or CDL and ACC. A dilated CBD, and abnormal ALP and ALT had modest sensitivity and high specificity for identification of patients with ACC and CDL. [source] | |||||||||||||