Chinese version of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey: cross-cultural instrument adaptation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tobacco smoking poses public health concerns because of its high risk for many chronic diseases. Most smokers begin using tobacco in their teens and recent reports indicate that smoking prevalence is climbing among youth. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) is a worldwide, school-based, tobacco-specific survey, but cross-cultural differences limit its effectiveness in international studies. Specifically, the GYTS assesses not only the prevalence of smoking, but also tobacco-related attitudes, school curricula, and advertisements, which are culturally influenced. Therefore, we conducted this study to develop a Chinese version of the GYTS for both national surveillance and international comparison.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The original English GYTS was translated and back translated using a cross-cultural adaptation process. The comprehensiveness and feasibility of using the Chinese-version GYTS were reviewed by a panel of 6 tobacco-control experts. The understandability and cultural relevance of the Chinese-version GYTS were discussed in a focus group of 5 schoolteachers and 8 students. The expert and focus group feedback was incorporated into a final Chinese version of the GYTS, which was administered to 382 students throughout Taiwan by multi-stage sampling from 10 randomly selected schools.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) for the GYTS subscales (smoking susceptibility, attitude toward smoking, and media messages about smoking) ranged from 0.70 to 0.94. The internal logical agreement of responses ranged from 85.3 to 99.2%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Chinese version of the GYTS has good reliability and validity and can serve as the foundation for international comparison and tobacco control in Chinese-speaking communities.</p

Modelling the Effect of Temperature on Respiration Rate of Fresh Cut Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Fruits.

A respiration rate (RR) model based on Peleg’s equation was developed for predicting RRs of fresh cut papaya. Respiration data for fresh cut papaya at 3/4 maturity were generated at temperatures 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C using a closed system. RRs was found to be significantly influenced by storage temperature and increased from 0.021 to 0.289 mL[O2]/kg·h and 0.063 to 0.393 mL[CO2]/kg·h as a function of O2 and CO2 gas concentrations, respectively. Peleg’s constant K 1 and K 2 were obtained from linear regression analysis using GraphPad Prism 5.0 software and regression coefficients have good fit with values close to unity. The model was verified to assess the capability of its predictability of the RRs over the temperatures. There was good agreement with the experimentally estimated RRs. Information derived from the model can contribute in the design of successful modified atmospheric systems for storage of fresh cut papaya

Assessing the impact of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity on the quality of life of cancer patients: The introduction of a new measure

Item does not contain fulltextPURPOSE: To investigate the impact of chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity on daily activities and quality of life (QoL) of cancer patients. METHODS: QoL of all patients visiting the oncological outpatient ward of the Maxima Medical Centre in the Netherlands from October 2006 until March 2007 treated with taxanes, vinca-alkaloids and/or platinum compounds (n = 88) was compared with the QoL of patients that did not receive these treatments yet (n = 43). Patient-reported neuropathy symptoms were evaluated with the newly developed Chemotherapy Induced Neurotoxicity Questionnaire (CINQ) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynaecologic Oncology Group/Neurotoxicity (FACT/GOG-Ntx) questionnaire. RESULTS: Patients treated with chemotherapy reported significantly more complaints of neuropathy (p < 0.001) and more paresthesias and dysesthesias in the upper (p < 0.001; p < 0.01) and lower extremities (p < 0.001) compared to those not treated with chemotherapy. They additionally experienced problems with fine motor function (e.g., getting (un)dressed, writing, and picking up small objects). Moreover, cold-induced paresthesias were frequently reported. Overall, patients indicated that their neuropathy had a negative effect on QoL. CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed CINQ and the FACT/GOG-Ntx results suggest a considerable negative impact of patient-reported neuropathy symptoms on daily activities and QoL in cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. However, further validation of the CINQ is needed

Peritoneal dialysis prescription in children: bedside principles for optimal practice

There is no unique optimal peritoneal dialysis prescription for all children, although the goals of ultrafiltration and blood purification are universal. In turn, a better understanding of the physiology of the peritoneal membrane, as a dynamic dialysis membrane with an exchange surface area recruitment capacity and unique permeability characteristics, results in the transition from an empirical prescription process based on clinical experience alone to the potential for a personalized prescription with individually adapted fill volumes and dwell times. In all cases, the prescribed exchange fill volume should be scaled for body surface area (ml/m2), and volume enhancement should be conducted based on clinical tolerance and intraperitoneal pressure measurements (IPP; cmH2O). The exchange dwell times should be determined individually and adapted to the needs of the patient, with particular attention to phosphate clearance and ultrafiltration capacity. The evolution of residual kidney function and the availability of new, more physiologic, peritoneal dialysis fluids (PDFs) also influence the prescription process. An understanding of all of these principles is integral to the provision of clinically optimal PD

Meta-analysis of SHANK Mutations in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Gradient of Severity in Cognitive Impairments.

International audienceSHANK genes code for scaffold proteins located at the post-synaptic density of glutamatergic synapses. In neurons, SHANK2 and SHANK3 have a positive effect on the induction and maturation of dendritic spines, whereas SHANK1 induces the enlargement of spine heads. Mutations in SHANK genes have been associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but their prevalence and clinical relevance remain to be determined. Here, we performed a new screen and a meta-analysis of SHANK copy-number and coding-sequence variants in ASD. Copy-number variants were analyzed in 5,657 patients and 19,163 controls, coding-sequence variants were ascertained in 760 to 2,147 patients and 492 to 1,090 controls (depending on the gene), and, individuals carrying de novo or truncating SHANK mutations underwent an extensive clinical investigation. Copy-number variants and truncating mutations in SHANK genes were present in ∼1% of patients with ASD: mutations in SHANK1 were rare (0.04%) and present in males with normal IQ and autism; mutations in SHANK2 were present in 0.17% of patients with ASD and mild intellectual disability; mutations in SHANK3 were present in 0.69% of patients with ASD and up to 2.12% of the cases with moderate to profound intellectual disability. In summary, mutations of the SHANK genes were detected in the whole spectrum of autism with a gradient of severity in cognitive impairment. Given the rare frequency of SHANK1 and SHANK2 deleterious mutations, the clinical relevance of these genes remains to be ascertained. In contrast, the frequency and the penetrance of SHANK3 mutations in individuals with ASD and intellectual disability-more than 1 in 50-warrant its consideration for mutation screening in clinical practice

Predicting drug pharmacokinetics and effect in vascularized tumors using computer simulation

In this paper, we investigate the pharmacokinetics and effect of doxorubicin and cisplatin in vascularized tumors through two-dimensional simulations. We take into account especially vascular and morphological heterogeneity as well as cellular and lesion-level pharmacokinetic determinants like P-glycoprotein (Pgp) efflux and cell density. To do this we construct a multi-compartment PKPD model calibrated from published experimental data and simulate 2-h bolus administrations followed by 18-h drug washout. Our results show that lesion-scale drug and nutrient distribution may significantly impact therapeutic efficacy and should be considered as carefully as genetic determinants modulating, for example, the production of multidrug-resistance protein or topoisomerase II. We visualize and rigorously quantify distributions of nutrient, drug, and resulting cell inhibition. A main result is the existence of significant heterogeneity in all three, yielding poor inhibition in a large fraction of the lesion, and commensurately increased serum drug concentration necessary for an average 50% inhibition throughout the lesion (the IC50 concentration). For doxorubicin the effect of hypoxia and hypoglycemia (“nutrient effect”) is isolated and shown to further increase cell inhibition heterogeneity and double the IC50, both undesirable. We also show how the therapeutic effectiveness of doxorubicin penetration therapy depends upon other determinants affecting drug distribution, such as cellular efflux and density, offering some insight into the conditions under which otherwise promising therapies may fail and, more importantly, when they will succeed. Cisplatin is used as a contrast to doxorubicin since both published experimental data and our simulations indicate its lesion distribution is more uniform than that of doxorubicin. Because of this some of the complexity in predicting its therapeutic efficacy is mitigated. Using this advantage, we show results suggesting that in vitro monolayer assays using this drug may more accurately predict in vivo performance than for drugs like doxorubicin. The nonlinear interaction among various determinants representing cell and lesion phenotype as well as therapeutic strategies is a unifying theme of our results. Throughout it can be appreciated that macroscopic environmental conditions, notably drug and nutrient distributions, give rise to considerable variation in lesion response, hence clinical resistance. Moreover, the synergy or antagonism of combined therapeutic strategies depends heavily upon this environment

Analysis of BAC end sequences in oak, a keystone forest tree species, providing insight into the composition of its genome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>One of the key goals of oak genomics research is to identify genes of adaptive significance. This information may help to improve the conservation of adaptive genetic variation and the management of forests to increase their health and productivity. Deep-coverage large-insert genomic libraries are a crucial tool for attaining this objective. We report herein the construction of a BAC library for <it>Quercus robur</it>, its characterization and an analysis of BAC end sequences.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The <it>Eco</it>RI library generated consisted of 92,160 clones, 7% of which had no insert. Levels of chloroplast and mitochondrial contamination were below 3% and 1%, respectively. Mean clone insert size was estimated at 135 kb. The library represents 12 haploid genome equivalents and, the likelihood of finding a particular oak sequence of interest is greater than 99%. Genome coverage was confirmed by PCR screening of the library with 60 unique genetic loci sampled from the genetic linkage map. In total, about 20,000 high-quality BAC end sequences (BESs) were generated by sequencing 15,000 clones. Roughly 5.88% of the combined BAC end sequence length corresponded to known retroelements while <it>ab initio </it>repeat detection methods identified 41 additional repeats. Collectively, characterized and novel repeats account for roughly 8.94% of the genome. Further analysis of the BESs revealed 1,823 putative genes suggesting at least 29,340 genes in the oak genome. BESs were aligned with the genome sequences of <it>Arabidopsis thaliana</it>, <it>Vitis vinifera </it>and <it>Populus trichocarpa</it>. One putative collinear microsyntenic region encoding an alcohol acyl transferase protein was observed between oak and chromosome 2 of <it>V. vinifera.</it></p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This BAC library provides a new resource for genomic studies, including SSR marker development, physical mapping, comparative genomics and genome sequencing. BES analysis provided insight into the structure of the oak genome. These sequences will be used in the assembly of a future genome sequence for oak.</p

High-Throughput Sequencing of mGluR Signaling Pathway Genes Reveals Enrichment of Rare Variants in Autism

Identification of common molecular pathways affected by genetic variation in autism is important for understanding disease pathogenesis and devising effective therapies. Here, we test the hypothesis that rare genetic variation in the metabotropic glutamate-receptor (mGluR) signaling pathway contributes to autism susceptibility. Single-nucleotide variants in genes encoding components of the mGluR signaling pathway were identified by high-throughput multiplex sequencing of pooled samples from 290 non-syndromic autism cases and 300 ethnically matched controls on two independent next-generation platforms. This analysis revealed significant enrichment of rare functional variants in the mGluR pathway in autism cases. Higher burdens of rare, potentially deleterious variants were identified in autism cases for three pathway genes previously implicated in syndromic autism spectrum disorder, TSC1, TSC2, and SHANK3, suggesting that genetic variation in these genes also contributes to risk for non-syndromic autism. In addition, our analysis identified HOMER1, which encodes a postsynaptic density-localized scaffolding protein that interacts with Shank3 to regulate mGluR activity, as a novel autism-risk gene. Rare, potentially deleterious HOMER1 variants identified uniquely in the autism population affected functionally important protein regions or regulatory sequences and co-segregated closely with autism among children of affected families. We also identified rare ASD-associated coding variants predicted to have damaging effects on components of the Ras/MAPK cascade. Collectively, these findings suggest that altered signaling downstream of mGluRs contributes to the pathogenesis of non-syndromic autism