Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Results Comparison (result + comparison)
Selected AbstractsRapid differentiation of current infectious bronchitis virus vaccine strains and field isolates in AustraliaAUSTRALIAN VETERINARY JOURNAL, Issue 1-2 2006K. MARDANI Objective Rapid differentiation of vaccine strains of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) from wild type strains would enhance investigations of disease outbreaks. This study aimed to develop a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay to differentiate between Australian vaccine strains of IBV and field isolates. Procedure A fragment of 6.5 kilobases that contains the S, M and N genes was amplified by RT-PCR from ten different IBV strains, including vaccine strains and field isolates, and then sequenced. Results Comparison of the sequences of these strains revealed a deletion of 58 bases in the 3, untranslated region (UTR) of IBV vaccine strains but not in the field isolates. Two primers were designed to amplify a fragment of the 3, UTR that differed in size between the vaccine strains and field isolates. RT-PCR was performed using these two primers to screen 20 IBV strains, including field isolates and the vaccine strains. All strains were correctly identified as either vaccine strains or field isolates. Conclusion This procedure is a rapid, sensitive and inexpensive method for discrimination between most current Australian vaccine strains and field isolates of IBV. [source] Comparison of adjuvant and adjuvant-free murine experimental asthma modelsCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 8 2009M. L. Conrad Summary Introduction The most widely used protocol for the induction of experimental allergic airway inflammation in mice involves sensitization by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of the antigen ovalbumin (OVA) used in conjunction with the adjuvant aluminium hydroxide (alum). Although adjuvants are frequently used, there are questions regarding the necessity of alum for murine asthma studies due to the non-physiological nature of this chemical. Objective The objective of this study was to compare experimental asthma phenotypes between adjuvant and adjuvant-free protocols of murine allergic airway inflammation in an attempt to develop a standardized alternative to adjuvant use. Method An adjuvant-free OVA model of experimental asthma was investigated in BALB/c mice using i.p. or subcutaneous (s.c.) sensitization routes. For the s.c. sensitization, ,-galactosidase (,-gal) was also tested as an antigen. In addition, OVA adjuvant and adjuvant-free sensitization protocols were compared in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. Open-field testing was performed to assess the effect of alum on mouse behaviour. Results Comparison of adjuvant vs. adjuvant-free and i.p. vs. s.c. protocols revealed that both adjuvant use and route of antigen application significantly influenced OVA-specific antibody production. Comparison of adjuvant and adjuvant-free protocols in this study clearly demonstrated the non-requirement of alum for the induction of acute allergic airway inflammation, as both protocols induce a similar disease phenotype. BALB/c mice were significantly more susceptible than C57BL/6 mice to sensitization. Using the improved s.c. adjuvant-free protocol, it was demonstrated that alternative antigens such as ,-gal can also be utilized. Behavioural studies indicated severe distress in mice treated with alum. Conclusion The OVA s.c. adjuvant-free protocol used in this study generates a phenotype comparable to the benchmark adjuvant protocol widely used in the literature. The adjuvant-free alternative avoids the added complication of non-physiological adjuvants that may interfere with asthma treatment or prevention strategies. [source] Neuropsychological components of intellectual disability: the contributions of immediate, working, and associative memoryJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 5 2010Jamie O. Edgin Abstract Background Efficient memory functions are important to the development of cognitive and functional skills, allowing individuals to manipulate and store information. Theories of memory have suggested the presence of domain-specific (i.e. verbal and spatial) and general processing mechanisms across memory domains, including memory functions dependent on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the hippocampus. Comparison of individuals who have syndromes associated with striking contrasts in skills on verbal and spatial tasks [e.g. Down syndrome (DS) and Williams syndrome (WS)] allows us to test whether or not these dissociations may extend across cognitive domains, including PFC and hippocampal memory processes. Methods The profile of memory function, including immediate memory (IM), working memory (WM) and associative memory (AM), was examined in a sample of adolescents and young adults with DS (n = 27) or WS (n = 28), from which closely CA- and IQ-matched samples of individuals with DS (n = 18) or WS (n = 18) were generated. Relations between memory functions and IQ and adaptive behaviour were also assessed in the larger sample. Results Comparisons of the two matched groups indicated significant differences in verbal IM (DS < WS), spatial IM (DS > WS) and spatial and verbal AM (DS > WS), but no between-syndrome differences in WM. For individuals with DS, verbal IM was the most related to variation in IQ, and spatial AM related to adaptive behaviour. The pattern was clearly different for individuals with WS. Verbal and spatial AM were the most related to variation in IQ, and verbal WM related to adaptive behaviour. Conclusions These results suggest that individuals with these two syndromes have very different patterns of relative strengths and weaknesses on memory measures, which do not fully mirror verbal and spatial dissociations. Furthermore, different patterns of memory dysfunction relate to outcome in individuals with each syndrome. [source] Self-reported anti-social behaviour: prevalence and risk factors amongst adolescents with and without intellectual disabilityJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 11 2005K. Dickson Abstract Background Research has suggested increased risk of anti-social behaviour amongst individuals with intellectual disability (ID). Methods This study reports the results of a secondary analysis of data relating to self-reported anti-social behaviour, obtained from the 1999 Office for National Statistics (ONS) study of the mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain. Self-report data from 4174 adolescents was available. Within this group, a sub-group of 98 adolescents with ID was identified. Data covered a variety of sub-types of anti-social behaviour. Results Comparisons of individuals with ID and those without ID indicated a significantly higher prevalence of a number of types of self-reported anti-social behaviour in the ID sample. Further analyses indicated however, that these between group differences were accounted for by the higher rates of social deprivation and child mental health problems among the ID sample. Conclusions Rather than ID per se being associated with increased rates of anti-social behaviour, adolescents with ID may be more likely to experience risk factors (lower socio-economic status and mental health problems) known to be associated with anti-social behaviour. The clinical implications of this and possible future directions for research are discussed. [source] CLINICAL SCHOLARSHIP: Systematic Review of Educational Interventions for Improving Advance Directive CompletionJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 3 2010Christine R. Durbin RN Abstract Purpose: To systematically analyze evidence about the outcome and percent of newly completed ADs, focusing on the effectiveness of (a) types of educational interventions versus controls and (b) one educational intervention over another. Design: Systematic review of literature based on Cochrane review criteria. Methods: Twelve randomized and four nonrandomized studies were selected from the nursing, medical, and social work literature that met the following criteria: described educational interventions, provided information to calculate the percent of newly completed ADs as an outcome, and published between 1991 and 2009. The review focused primarily on randomized studies. Reviewers calculated the percent of newly completed ADs by determining the number of subjects per group without an AD at baseline and the percentage of those who then completed one by the end of the studies. Findings: Findings were inconsistent regarding all types of educational interventions studied versus controls. Sufficient evidence exists to conclude that combined written and verbal educational interventions were more effective than single written interventions in increasing the percent of newly completed ADs in adult clinic outpatients and hospitalized elderly. Conclusions: Calculating the percent of newly completed ADs was successful in allowing for study result comparisons. Overall, the evidence base regarding the effectiveness of single or combined educational interventions in increasing AD completion is weak. Randomized studies with diverse samples should be conducted against controls before more studies comparing interventions are undertaken. Clinical Relevance: This article provides nurses with a summary of research related to educational interventions and AD completion and identifies where future study is needed. [source] | ||||||||||