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Second Sample (second + sample)
Selected AbstractsElevated serum interferon-, activity in juvenile dermatomyositis: Associations with disease activity at diagnosis and after thirty-six months of therapyARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 6 2009Timothy B. Niewold Objective Interferon-, (IFN,) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of juvenile dermatomyositis (DM). The aim of this study was to examine serum IFN, activity in a cohort of children with juvenile DM to determine relationships between IFN, and indicators of disease activity and severity. Methods Thirty-nine children with definite/probable juvenile DM were included in the study. Serum samples were obtained at the time of diagnosis from 18 untreated patients with juvenile DM. Second samples from 11 of these patients were obtained at 24 months, while they were receiving treatment, and third samples were obtained from 7 of these patients at 36 months. The remaining 21 children were studied 36 months after their initial diagnosis. Serum IFN, activity was measured using a functional reporter cell assay. Results Patients with juvenile DM had higher serum IFN, activity than both pediatric and adult healthy control subjects. In untreated patients, serum IFN, activity was positively correlated with serum muscle enzyme levels (P < 0.05 for creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, and aldolase) and inversely correlated with the duration of untreated disease (P = 0.017). The tumor necrosis factor , ,308A allele was associated with higher serum IFN, levels only in untreated patients (P = 0.030). At 36 months, serum IFN, levels were inversely correlated with muscle enzyme levels in those patients still requiring therapy and with the skin Disease Activity Score in those patients who had completed therapy (P = 0.002). Conclusion Serum IFN, activity was associated with higher serum levels of muscle-derived enzymes and a shorter duration of untreated disease in patients with newly diagnosed juvenile DM and was inversely correlated with measures of chronic disease activity at 36 months postdiagnosis. These data suggest that IFN, could play a role in disease initiation in juvenile DM. [source] Sex differences in school performance as a function of conscientiousness, imagination and the mediating role of problem behaviourEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 3 2008Filip De Fruyt The roles of Conscientiousness and Imagination in explaining sex differences in school performance were examined in two Flemish samples of school children using parental and teacher ratings of school performance (N,=,599) and school grades (N,=,448). Both personality domains predicted parental ratings of school performance and grades. In one sample, girls received slightly higher parental ratings of language achievement and overall performance ratings by teachers. However, controlling for Conscientiousness and Imagination facets, boys scored slightly higher for math and history. In this sample, lower externalising behaviour partially mediated the relation between Conscientiousness facets and school performance in girls but not in boys, but this pattern was not replicated in the second sample. We concluded that sex differences in school performance were small and many could be accounted for by personality traits. In some cases, however, personality traits acted to amplify sex differences in school performance. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Psychometric testing of the Leadership and Management Inventory: a tool to measure the skills and abilities of first-line nurse managersJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 7 2008BERNICE SKYTT MSc Aim, To estimate the validity and reliability of the Leadership and Management Inventory, a tool to measure the skills and abilities of first-line nurse managers. Background, The decision to develop an inventory reflects the need for an instrument that can measure the various skills and abilities first-line nurse managers should possess. Method, Factor analysis was conducted and internal consistency initially estimated on data from 149 registered nurses; a second sample of 197 health care personnel was used to test these results. Results, Principal component analysis of the first sample resulted in a preferred three-factor solution that explained 65.8% of the variance; Cronbach's alpha coefficient varied between 0.90 and 0.95. Analysis of the second sample also resulted in a three-factor solution that explained 64.2% of the variance; Cronbach's alpha coefficient varied from 0.88 to 0.96. For both samples, the factors were labelled ,interpersonal skills and group management', ,achievement orientation' and ,overall organizational view and political savvy'. Conclusion, Results indicate that estimates of validity and reliability for the Leadership and Management Inventory can be considered acceptable. Implications for nursing management, The Leadership and Management Inventory can be used when first-line nurse managers' leadership and management skills and abilities are to be measured. [source] A Self-Regulatory Model of Behavioral Disinhibition in Late Adolescence: Integrating Personality Traits, Externalizing Psychopathology, and Cognitive CapacityJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2010Tim Bogg ABSTRACT Two samples with heterogeneous prevalence of externalizing psychopathology were used to investigate the structure of self-regulatory models of behavioral disinhibition and cognitive capacity. Consistent with expectations, structural equation modeling in the first sample (N=541) showed a hierarchical model with 3 lower order factors of impulsive sensation seeking, antisociality/unconventionality, and lifetime externalizing problem counts, with a behavioral disinhibition superfactor best accounted for the pattern of covariation among 6 disinhibited personality trait indicators and 4 externalizing problem indicators. The structure was replicated in a second sample (N=463) and showed that the behavioral disinhibition superfactor, and not the lower order impulsive sensation seeking, antisociality/unconventionality, and externalizing problem factors, was associated with lower IQ, reduced short-term memory capacity, and reduced working memory capacity. The results provide a systemic and meaningful integration of major self-regulatory influences during a developmentally important stage of life. [source] The Language of Intoxication: Preliminary InvestigationsALCOHOLISM, Issue 3 2009Ash Levitt Background:, The extensive vocabulary individuals use to describe alcohol's subjective effects has largely gone unexamined in contemporary alcohol research. The present study examined the language drinkers use to describe their own intoxication. It is argued that this language can provide a more complete characterization of alcohol's subjective effects than is available from existing objective and subjective measures of alcohol use and can inform future self-report research. Method:, Toward this goal, a preliminary, cross-sectional, web-based study of the familiarity and usage of current intoxication-related words was conducted in 2 different samples (n = 290 and 146, respectively) of university undergraduates. Results:, Exploratory factor analyses using data from the first sample and confirmatory factor analyses using data from the second sample similarly showed that commonly used terms loaded onto 2 factors, which directly reflected the number of drinks required to be considered moderately or heavily intoxicated, respectively. Gender differences were also found in the familiarity and self-use of some terms across both samples. Conclusions:, The findings suggest that alcohol researchers include multiple intoxication-related terms in future self-report research, and to periodically assess current intoxication-related vocabulary considering demographic, generational, and socio-cultural differences. [source] Motor patterns in Parkinson's disease: A data-driven approach,MOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 7 2009Stephanie M. van Rooden MSc Abstract To identify patterns of motor disturbances in Parkinson's disease (PD) and evaluate their relation with other PD domains. A cohort of 399 PD patients was randomly divided into two samples. Factors within the motor section of the SPES/SCOPA were identified by exploratory factor analysis on data from the first sample and next tested by confirmatory factor analysis in the second sample. Relations with other PD domains were evaluated by regression analyses. A four factor model was found to be valid. This included a tremor, a bradykinetic-rigid, and two axial factors. One axial factor ("rise", "gait", "postural instability") was associated with age and cognition, while the other axial factor ("freezing", "speech", "swallowing") was related to dopaminergic medication and complications of therapy. Both other factors showed no relevant associations with demographic and clinical characteristics. The identification of motor factors and their relation with other domains of the disease may help to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for these associations and provide an objective base for further research on subtypes in PD. © 2009 Movement Disorder Society [source] Evaluation of a screening instrument for essential tremorMOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 7 2008Delia Lorenz MD Abstract To evaluate a screening instrument for essential tremor (ET) consisting of a seven-item questionnaire and a spiral drawing. A total of 2,448 Danish twins aged 70 years or more and a second sample aged 60 years or more (n = 1,684) from a population-based northern German cross-sectional study (PopGen ET) were screened for ET. Inclusion criteria were a previous diagnosis of ET, a positive answer to two or more questions of the questionnaire or a spiral rating >4 (range of scale 0,9). Three hundred thirteen of 380 positively screened and 321 negatively screened subjects were clinically examined. Definite or probable ET was diagnosed in 104 patients, possible in 86 and other tremors in 98 patients. The sensitivity of the screening instrument was 70.5%, the positive predictive value was 64.9%, the specificity was 68.2%, and the negative predictive value was 73.5%. Tremor severity correlated significantly with higher spiral scores and more positive items. More patients were identified by spiral drawing in all tremor groups. The interrater and intrarater reliability for spirals ranged from 0.7 to 0.8 using intraclass coefficient. A cluster analysis revealed that the questionnaire can be reduced to three items, about uncontrollable tremor in any body part, tremor while drinking or pouring and other family members with tremor, without loosing efficacy. We present an easy to use and reliable screening instrument that is effective to identify patients with ET but not able to exclude patients with other tremor forms. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society [source] The Development of the Negative Pain Thoughts QuestionnairePAIN PRACTICE, Issue 5 2008Ana-Maria Vranceanu PhD ,,Abstract Background: Cognitive processes play a pivotal role in the perception of pain intensity, pain-related disability, and response to medical treatments including surgeries. While various measures of dysfunctional pain coping exist in the literature, there is no instrument available to examine such negative cognitions in relation to perceptions of medical treatment in pain patients presenting to a surgical orthopedics practice. Aims: The purpose of this article is to report on the development and preliminary testing of the Negative Pain Thoughts Questionnaire (NPTQ). Methods: The NPTQ is an 11-item questionnaire assessing cognitions about pain and its treatment in patients presenting to orthopedics surgical practices. It was administered to 2 samples of patients with hand and arm pain seeking medical treatment in a hospital surgical practice. Patients in the second sample also completed a measure of depression and one of disability of hand, arm, and shoulder. Results: The NPTQ was found to be internally consistent, and unidimensional. The NPTQ total score was found to have a moderate to high positive correlation with perceived hand, arm, and shoulder disability, and a moderate positive correlation with depression. In multivariate analyses, high scores on the NPTQ significantly predicted high perceived hand, arm, and shoulder disability, even after controlling for depression. Conclusion: This short and easily administered measure of negative pain thoughts could potentially help surgeons identify at risk patients, and facilitate referrals to cognitive behavioral therapy. This, in turn, may prevent unnecessary surgeries, may decrease healthcare costs, and prevent transition toward costly chronic pain syndrome.,, [source] Double sampling hotelling's T2 chartsQUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2008Charles W. Champ Abstract Two double sampling T2 charts are discussed. They only differ in how the second sample is used to suggest to the practitioner the state of the process. An optimal method using a genetic algorithm is given for designing these charts based on the average run length (ARL). An analytical method is used to determine run length performance of the chart. Comparisons are made with various other control charting procedures. Some recommendations are given. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Preliminary validation of a Chinese version of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2ASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Jonathan P. Maxwell The increased globalization of psychology and related fields necessitates the availability of psychometric instruments in a number of languages, countries and cultures. Unfortunately, research on anger and aggression in Chinese populations has suffered from a lack of valid and reliable measurement instruments. Therefore, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2) was translated into Chinese (Chinese STAXI-2). Two samples of Hong Kong Chinese (N = 489 and N = 775) completed the Chinese STAXI-2. Participants in the second sample also completed measures of anger rumination and aggression. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of responses from the first sample resulted in the loss of nine items from the 57 original items due to misspecification. A second CFA, using responses from the second sample, supported the construct validity of the modified scale. Moderate correlations were observed with measures of aggression and anger rumination, and significant differences were found between males and females on three anger expression subscales (Anger Expression-In, Anger Control-Out, and Anger Control-In). The preliminary evidence suggests that the abbreviated inventory may be a useful measure of state and trait anger, and anger expression in some Chinese populations. [source] Chinese affect circumplex: I. Structure of recalled momentary affectASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2003Michelle S. M. Yik The structure of momentary affect among Cantonese-speaking Chinese was explored by developing questionnaire scales in four response formats. Scales can be scored for dimensions defined by Feldman Barrett and Russell; Thayer; Larsen and Diener; and Watson and Tellegen. In a study of recalled affect (N = 487), the newly translated scales were found to support all but Watson and Tellegen's structural model originating from English. Results cross-validated well in a second sample (N = 402). Affect dimensions were interrelated as found with English-speaking Canadians and they could be integrated into a two-dimensional bipolar space. [source] Inside Management Teams: Developing a Teamwork Survey InstrumentBRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2007Barbara Senior This article reports the development of a measure of teamwork for use with management teams. A five-stage process was followed. First, a model of teamwork including team processes was generated through empirical research involving the elicitation of 600 team performance constructs from members of management teams and from theoretical considerations. Second, items were written to operationalize the model. Third, data from 220 members of management teams working in private- and public-sector organizations were factor analysed in order to establish the scale structure of the instrument. Fourth, data from a second sample of 16 complete management teams were collected in order to assess within-team properties of the instrument. Lastly, convergent and criterion-related validity were assessed. The resulting ,Teamwork Survey', is a 7-scale, 36-item general-purpose questionnaire that can be used in further research and in consulting interventions. [source] Measuring Nausea in Emergency Department Patients via the Use of Exploratory Factor AnalysisACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 6 2010Robert L. Cloutier MD Abstract Objectives:, The objective was to evaluate the applicability of a previously studied multifactorial nausea scale in the emergency department (ED) setting via exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Methods:, Two studies evaluated the validity and factor structure of 18 nausea descriptors scored on 11-point Likert scales. Trained research volunteers administered the scale to 83 men and 123 women in the first sample and to 100 men and 230 women in the second sample. All patients were assessed at enrollment and again at 90 minutes to detect changes in symptom severity. An EFA in the first study used a maximum likelihood estimation method with a principal factor analysis. The second study narrowed the descriptors and evaluated the factor structure with a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results:, Two factors were retained in the solution; one contained five items with descriptors of physical symptoms, and a second contained five items with psychological symptoms. CFA determined that the two five-item scales were stable and reliable measures of patient nausea experience. Conclusions:, The scales measure both physical and psychological symptoms of nausea, indicating that the experience is multidimensional. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:e33,e39 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine [source] The contribution of the palmaris longus muscle to the strength of thumb abductionCLINICAL ANATOMY, Issue 4 2010Hope Gangata Abstract The palmaris longus muscle (PLM) is described as a weak flexor of the wrist and a tensor of the palmar aponeurosis, but not a thumb abductor. The PLM is believed to aid thumb abduction through its insertion onto the thenar eminence. Two groups, both right hand dominant, were selected from 1,200 sampled participants. The first group comprised of 38 subjects with unilateral presence of the PLM and was used to determine the strength of thumb abduction. The second group comprised of 30 subjects, with bilateral presence of the PLM, and it was used to calculate the effects of hand dominance. A significant number of subjects with bilateral absence of the PLM were observed and undocumented. Using a dynamometer in subjects with unilateral presence of the PLM, the force of thumb abduction was significantly greater on the hand with a PLM than the one without it (P = 0.014), irrespective of hand dominance. In the second sample with bilateral PLM, thumb abduction on the dominant hand was 10% stronger than on the nondominant hand and was similar to the universally accepted average of 10% increase in grip strength of the dominant hand. Thus, 10% was deducted from all the dominant hands, and the force of thumb abduction remained greater on the hand with PLM than the hand without it (P = 0.049). The results of this study demonstrated the PLM to be involved in thumb abduction, and the authors therefore recommend that this action of the muscle be universally accepted by anatomists and hand surgeons. Clin. Anat. 23:431,436, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Microbiologic Diagnostics at Titanium ImplantsCLINICAL IMPLANT DENTISTRY AND RELATED RESEARCH, Issue 4 2003Åsa Leonhardt DDS ABSTRACT Background: The microbiota found at periimplant lesions have been shown to contain putative periodontal pathogens as well as opportunistic species such as Staphylococcus spp, enterics, and Candida spp. Therefore, a microbiologic diagnosis may be of value as guidance before treatment of such lesions. Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of some putative pathogens associated with long-term fol-lowed-up cases using two different microbiologic procedures. Malerials and Methods: Fifteen subjects contributed with plaque samples from teeth and implants; these were analyzed with respect to 18 putative periimplant pathogens using cultural methods and a deoxyribonucleic acid DNA-DNA hybridization technique. Results: The number of individuals positive for the analyzed pathogens was similar in samples taken from teeth and implants when analyzed with the DNA-DNA hybridization technique. When comparing detection frequency by culture procedure and by "checkerboard" technique at implants, the number of individuals positive for these species was lower with the traditional culture technique than with the checkerboard analyses. Using a higher cutoff point (4) with the checkerboard technique, the number of positive individuals was generally lower than that found with the culture technique. When comparing the techniques on an implant site level, the prevalence obtained by culture was lower for all analyzed species. If the specific species were present in the samples analyzed by the checkerboard technique, they were present only in every second sample analyzed with the culture technique. The high specificity values showed that if the checkerboard technique did not detect any Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotla intermedia, Actinobadllus actinomycetem-comitans, or Fusobacterium nudeatum, the bacteria were also undetectable by the culture technique. The two methods therefore did not overlap but did supplement each other. Conclusions: Based on the current results it is recommended that the technique used when analyzing microbiota around titanium implants should be a combination of the two protocols mentioned as they seem to give the most comprehensive outcome when used together. [source] Isolation of yeasts and enteric bacteria in root-filled teeth with chronic apical periodontitisINTERNATIONAL ENDODONTIC JOURNAL, Issue 6 2001V. Peciuliene Abstract Aims The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence and role of yeasts, enteric gram-negative rods and Enterococcus species in root-filled teeth with chronic apical periodontitis, and the antimicrobial effect of iodine potassium iodide (IKI) irrigation. Methodology Forty symptom-free root-filled teeth with chronic apical periodontitis were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups. In group A the canals were filled with calcium hydroxide for 10,14 days after cleaning and shaping; in group B the canals were irrigated with IKI for 5 min after cleaning and shaping followed by a permanent root filling. Microbiological samples were taken from the canals before and after the chemomechanical preparation and after iodine irrigation (group B). Results Microbes were isolated from 33 of 40 teeth in the initial sampling. Yeasts were isolated from six teeth, three of them together with E. faecalis. Enteric rods (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis) were present in three teeth and E. faecalis was isolated from 21 of the 33 culture positive teeth, 11 in pure culture. Growth was detected in 10 teeth of the second samples. Six of the 10 cases were E. faecalis, with five being a pure culture. All third samples (after IKI) except one were negative. The number of microbial cells per sample did not correlate with lesion size. Two flare-ups were recorded, both in teeth with a mixed infection. Conclusion The high prevalence of enteric bacteria and yeasts in root-filled teeth with chronic apical periodontitis was established. IKI improved the antimicrobial effect of the treatment. [source] Activated coagulation times in normal cats and dogs using MAX-ACTTM tubesAUSTRALIAN VETERINARY JOURNAL, Issue 7 2009AM See Objective, To establish reference values for activated coagulation time (ACT) in normal cats and dogs, by visual assessment of clot formation using the MAX-ACTTM tube. Subjects, We recruited 43 cats and 50 dogs for the study; 11 cats and 4 dogs were excluded from the statistical analysis because of abnormalities on clinical examination or laboratory testing including anaemia, prolonged prothrombin time (PT) or activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), or insufficient plasma volume for comprehensive laboratory coagulation testing. Procedure, Blood samples were collected via direct venipuncture for MAX-ACT, packed cell volume/total solids, manual platelet estimation and PT/APTT measurement. Blood (0.5 mL) was mixed gently in the MAX-ACT tube at 37°C for 30 s, then assessed for clot formation every 5 to 10 s by tipping the tube gently on its side and monitoring for magnet movement. The endpoint was defined as the magnet lodging in the clot. The technique was tested with 10 dogs by collecting two blood samples from the same needle insertion and running a MAX-ACT on each simultaneously. Results, In normal cats the mean MAX-ACT was 66 s (range 55,85 s). In normal dogs the mean was 71 s (range 55,80 s). There was no statistical difference between the first and second samples collected from the same needle insertion. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance, In both cats and dogs, a MAX-ACT result >85 s should be considered abnormal and further coagulation testing should be performed. Additionally, failure to discard the first few drops of the sample does not appear to significantly affect results. [source] | |||||||||||||