Reviewer agreement trends from four years of electronic submissions of conference abstract

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the inter-rater agreement between reviewers on the quality of abstract submissions to an annual national scientific meeting (Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians; CAEP) to identify factors associated with low agreement. METHODS: All abstracts were submitted using an on-line system and assessed by three volunteer CAEP reviewers blinded to the abstracts' source. Reviewers used an on-line form specific for each type of study design to score abstracts based on nine criteria, each contributing from two to six points toward the total (maximum 24). The final score was determined to be the mean of the three reviewers' scores using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: 495 Abstracts were received electronically during the four-year period, 2001 – 2004, increasing from 94 abstracts in 2001 to 165 in 2004. The mean score for submitted abstracts over the four years was 14.4 (95% CI: 14.1–14.6). While there was no significant difference between mean total scores over the four years (p = 0.23), the ICC increased from fair (0.36; 95% CI: 0.24–0.49) to moderate (0.59; 95% CI: 0.50–0.68). Reviewers agreed less on individual criteria than on the total score in general, and less on subjective than objective criteria. CONCLUSION: The correlation between reviewers' total scores suggests general recognition of "high quality" and "low quality" abstracts. Criteria based on the presence/absence of objective methodological parameters (i.e., blinding in a controlled clinical trial) resulted in higher inter-rater agreement than the more subjective and opinion-based criteria. In future abstract competitions, defining criteria more objectively so that reviewers can base their responses on empirical evidence may lead to increased consistency of scoring and, presumably, increased fairness to submitters

WormBase: better software, richer content

WormBase (), the public database for genomics and biology of Caenorhabditis elegans, has been restructured for stronger performance and expanded for richer biological content. Performance was improved by accelerating the loading of central data pages such as the omnibus Gene page, by rationalizing internal data structures and software for greater portability, and by making the Genome Browser highly customizable in how it views and exports genomic subsequences. Arbitrarily complex, user-specified queries are now possible through Textpresso (for all available literature) and through WormMart (for most genomic data). Biological content was enriched by reconciling all available cDNA and expressed sequence tag data with gene predictions, clarifying single nucleotide polymorphism and RNAi sites, and summarizing known functions for most genes studied in this organism

Pleasure and historical memory in Spanish Gothic film

This essay argues that scholars of Spanish culture are too ready to assume a reading of Gothic texts in terms of historical memory, or the rectification of injustices that occurred during the Franco era. It suggests that there has been a neglect of the question of the pleasures of reading or viewing the Gothic, even though these pleasures may well undermine the desire to do retrospective justice to the victims of Franco. Using as a case study the film Insensibles (Juan Carlos Medina 2012) this essay proposes some examples of pleasures that serve to disrupt the recuperation of historical memory, and calls for better awareness of the pleasures of genre in analysing relevant texts

WormBase: new content and better access

WormBase (), a model organism database for Caenorhabditis elegans and other related nematodes, continues to evolve and expand. Over the past year WormBase has added new data on C.elegans, including data on classical genetics, cell biology and functional genomics; expanded the annotation of closely related nematodes with a new genome browser for Caenorhabditis remanei; and deployed new hardware for stronger performance. Several existing datasets including phenotype descriptions and RNAi experiments have seen a large increase in new content. New datasets such as the C.remanei draft assembly and annotations, the Vancouver Fosmid library and TEC-RED 5′ end sites are now available as well. Access to and searching WormBase has become more dependable and flexible via multiple mirror sites and indexing through Google

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Up Exercise on Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction

. Purpose: Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) occurs when vigorous exercise induces bronchoconstriction. Preexercise warm-up routines are frequently used to elicit a refractory period and thus reduce or prevent EIB. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of preexercise routines to attenuate EIB. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed, with steps taken to avoid publication and selection bias. Preexercise warm-up routines were classified into four groups: interval high intensity, continuous low intensity, continuous high intensity, and variable intensity (i.e., a combination of low intensity up to very high intensity). The EIB response was measured by the percent fall in the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ) after exercise, and the mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are reported. Results: Seven randomized studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled results showed that high intensity (MD = j10.6%, 95% CI = j14.7% to j6.5%) and variable intensity (MD = j10.9%, 95% CI = j14.37% to j7.5%) exercise warm-up attenuated the fall in FEV 1 . However, continuous low-intensity warm-up (MD = j12.6%, 95% CI = j26.7% to 1.5%) and continuous high-intensity warm-up (MD = j9.8%, 95% CI = j26.0% to 6.4%) failed to result in a statistically significant reduction in bronchoconstriction. Conclusions: The most consistent and effective attenuation of EIB was observed with high-intensity interval and variable intensity preexercise warm-ups. These findings indicate that an appropriate warm-up strategy that includes at least some highintensity exercise may be a short-term nonpharmacological strategy to reducing EIB. Key Words: EXERCISE-INDUCED ASTHMA, SPIROMETRY, EXERCISE, ASTHMA, WARM-UP E xercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is defined as a transient narrowing of the lower airway after exercise in the presence or absence of clinically recognized asthma (25). In subjects who develop EIB, acute airflow obstruction, as measured by the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ), is typically most severe 3-15 min after exercise termination and then remits spontaneously within 20-60 min (11). In addition to pharmacological interventions, many athletes, trainers, and researchers advocate specific warm-up routines as a method to trigger a refractory period, that is, a period after warm-up exercise during which further vigorous exercise results in significantly less severe or no EIB. Approximately 40%-50% of individuals who have an initial episode of EIB experience a refractory period of diminished responsiveness that can last 1-4 h after the initial warm-up exercise (19). The cause of this refractory period is not fully understood but may be due to the depletion of catecholamines, increased circulation of prostaglandin, or degranulation of mast cell mediators (4). The use of a warm-up to induce a refractory period to limit the magnitude of EIB in subsequent vigorous exercise is appealing, as it could result in fewer symptoms, decreased medication use, and improved exercise performance. A variety of warm-up protocols have been used to elicit the refractory period, and the purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence on the effectiveness of each protocol to cause a refractory period. METHODS This review was part of a larger report (7) conducted for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (Bethesda, MD) that 1) assessed the diagnostic characteristics of six alternative tests for EIB, 2) examined the efficacy of a single prophylactic dose of four pharmacologic interventions and one nonpharmacologic intervention to attenuate EIB, and 3) determined whether regular daily treatment with short-acting or long-acting A-agonists causes patients with EIB to develop tachyphylaxis. Medicine (2006Medicine ( -2008, and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (2006Physiology ( -2008. We also hand searched the reference lists of included studies. Search Strategy Search terms included a combination of subject headings and text words: (exerc* OR train* OR fitness OR physical OR athlete* OR sport*) AND (bronchoconstrict* OR asthma* OR antiasthma* OR wheeze* OR ''Respiratory Sounds'' OR ''Bronchial Spasm'' OR bronchospas* OR ''Bronchial Hyperreactivity'' OR ''Respiratory Hypersensitivity'' OR (bronch* AND spasm*) OR (bronch* AND constrict*) OR (bronchial* OR respiratory OR airway* OR lung*) AND (hypersensitiv* OR hyperreactiv* OR allerg* OR insufficiency)) OR EIB OR exercise-induced asthma. We did not apply language or date restrictions. Study Selection We selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs; parallel or crossover) that included adults and children (Q6 yr) with confirmed EIB. Both recreational and elite athletes were eligible for inclusion. The intervention was a preexercise warm-up period compared with no treatment or placebo. Outcomes of interest were the maximum percent fall in FEV 1 from preexercise baseline, symptoms, presence or absence of EIB (complete protection), clinical protection, and adverse effects. Two reviewers independently screened the search results (titles and abstracts) to determine whether a study met broad inclusion criteria. Two reviewers independently assessed the full-text of potentially relevant studies using a standard inclusion/exclusion form. Disagreements were resolved through discussion or third-party adjudication, as needed. Data Extraction and Analysis Data extraction, methodological quality assessment (using the scale of Jadad et al. In all studies, the mean maximum percent fall in FEV 1 measured after a control exercise challenge test (ECT) of 5-10 min with no warm-up was compared with the percent fall in an identical challenge after a designated warm-up routine. In one study, only peak flow was reported, and the change in peak flow was assumed to be equivalent to the change in FEV 1 (6). The pooled results are presented as a mean difference (MD) in the maximum percent fall in FEV 1 between the two challenges. All results are reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Most RCTs used a crossover design; therefore, SEM differences were either computed exactly using individual patient data or imputed using an estimated within-patient correlation of 0.5. Random-effects models were used for analyses in Review Manager 5.0 (The Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen, Denmark). The I 2 statistic was used to assess heterogeneity (13). Where data were available, we also calculated the proportion of people who received complete protection from EIB with treatment compared with placebo. Results are reported as mean T 95% CI. RESULTS Literature Search The search identified 1653 citations from electronic databases and 8 citations through hand searching Study and Population Characteristics Six of the seven trials used a crossover design One study (6) included children only, three included adults only Overall, the methodological quality of the included studies was considered to be low with Jadad scores ranging from 1 to 2. No study described the randomization method. None stated that the assessors were blind. Concealment of allocation was unclear in all the trials. Quantitative Results Interval protocol. Four trials involving 52 patients compared the fall in FEV 1 in an ECT after an interval warm-up with the fall in an identical ECT with no previous warm-up (control challenge) Continuous low-intensity protocol. Three trials involving 13 patients compared the fall in FEV 1 in an ECT after a continuous low-intensity warm-up that ranged from 3 (18) to 30 min (20) with an identical control challenge with no prior warm-up. The exercise intensity for the warm-up was 60% of HR max (18), 60% of V O 2max (16), and reported as ''low intensity'' in the third study Continuous high-intensity protocol. Two trials involving 37 patients compared the fall in FEV 1 in an ECT after a continuous high-intensity warm-up with a control challenge with no warm-u

Increasing the use of anti-inflammatory agents for acute asthma in the emergency department: Experience with an asthma care map

PURPOSE: Acute asthma is a common emergency department (ED) presentation and variation in its management is well recognized. The present study examined the use of an asthma care map (ACM) in one Canadian ED to improve adherence to acute asthma guidelines, emphasizing the use of systemic corticosteroids (SCSs) and inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs)