A longitudinal analysis on pain treatment satisfaction among Chinese patients with chronic pain: predictors and association with medical adherence, disability, and quality of life

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New two-dimensional global longitudinal strain and strain rate imaging for assessment of systemic right ventricular function

Objectives: To determine the usefulness of new two-dimensional strain indices, based on speckle tracking imaging, for assessment of systemic right ventricular (RV) function after an atrial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Tertiary paediatric cardiac centre. Methods: 26 patients, mean (SD) age 21.0 (3.6) years at 19.9 (3.2) years after an atrial switch operation, and 27 age-matched controls were studied. Two-dimensional imaging at the four-chamber view was obtained with tracing of the entire RV endocardial border. The RV global longitudinal strain (GLS) and GLS rate were derived using automated software (EchoPAC, GE Medical) and correlated with tissue Doppler-derived RV isovolumic acceleration (IVA), and, in the patient cohort, with cardiac magnetic resonance-derived RV ejection fraction. Results: Intra- and interobserver variability for measurement of GLS, as determined from the mean (SD) of differences in two consecutive results from 20 studies, were 0.06 (1.39)% and 0.24 (1.77)%, respectively. Compared with controls, patients had lower RV GLS (17.1 (1.9)% vs 26.3 (2.9)%, p<0.001), a reduced GLS rate (0.78 (0.11)/s vs 1.33 (0.23)/s, p<0.001), lower RV IVA (1.10 (0.36) m/s 2 vs 1.56 (0.53) m/s 2, p<0.001) and increased RV myocardial performance index (0.52 (0.09) vs 0.38 (0.09), p<0.001). Both RV GLS and GLS rate correlated positively with RV IVA (r = 0.43, p = 0.001 and r = 0.46, p<0.001, respectively), and negatively with RV myocardial performance index (r = -0.65, p<0.001 and r = -0.57, p<0.001, respectively). In patients, the GLS rate correlated positively with RV ejection fraction (r = 0.62, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Two-dimensional RV GLS and GLS rate are new, potentially useful indices for assessment of systemic RV function.published_or_final_versio

Circulating microRNA expression profile and systemic right ventricular function in adults after atrial switch operation for complete transposition of the great arteries

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The Fear-Avoidance Model of Chronic Pain: Assessing the Role of Neuroticism and Negative Affect in Pain Catastrophizing Using Structural Equation Modeling

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Community nursing services for postdischarge chronically ill patients

Author name used in this publication: Susan K. Y. ChowAuthor name used in this publication: Frances K. Y. WongAuthor name used in this publication: Loretta Y. F. Chung2007-2008 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Fear of movement/(re)injury in Chinese patients with chronic pain: Factorial validity of the Chinese version of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia

Objective: To assess the factor structure of the Chinese version of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK). Design: Chinese patients with chronic pain attending either orthopaedic specialist services (n = 216) or multidisciplinary specialist pain services (n = 109) participated in this study. Methods: Subjects completed the Chinese version of TSK, The Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and questions assessing socio-demographic characteristics. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to compare hierarchical and correlated models of 5 different factor solutions previously reported in patients with chronic pain in the West. Results: Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated inequality of the TSK factor structure, in that the TSK11 for the orthopaedics sample was best represented by a two-factor correlated model (S-Bχ2 = 49.593; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.93; normed filt index (NFI) = 0.911; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.025) comprising 2 first-order factors, Somatic Focus (TSK11-SF) and Activity Avoidance (TSK-AA). The pain clinic sample showed a one-factor structure as best representing the TSK4’s underlying dimensions (CFI  = 0.971; NFI = 0.912; RMSEA = 0.048). There was no evidence to support a single overarching concept of kinesiophobia. Conclusion: The TSK appears to have utility in Chinese chronic pain populations. Elucidation of the TSK’s psychometrics properties in other Chinese/Asian pain populations with different diagnoses and presentations of pain problems is warranted

Intrusion detection routers: Design, implementation and evaluation using an experimental testbed

In this paper, we present the design, the implementation details, and the evaluation results of an intrusion detection and defense system for distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. The evaluation is conducted using an experimental testbed. The system, known as intrusion detection router (IDR), is deployed on network routers to perform online detection on any DDoS attack event, and then react with defense mechanisms to mitigate the attack. The testbed is built up by a cluster of sufficient number of Linux machines to mimic a portion of the Internet. Using the testbed, we conduct real experiments to evaluate the IDR system and demonstrate that IDR is effective in protecting the network from various DDoS attacks. © 2006 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Effectiveness of a game-based high-intensity interval training on executive function and other health indicators of children with ADHD: a three-arm partially-blinded randomized controlled trial

Background: Children with ADHD demand for effective intervention with minimum side effect to improve executive function (EF) and health well-being. Method: This study used a three-arm partially-blinded randomized controlled trial to test the effects of two different kinds of 8-week game-based training programs (game-based HIIT program, GameHIIT; and game-based structured aerobic exercise program, GameSAE) on EF and other health indicators of children with ADHD, which was compared with a non-treatment control group. Results: A total of 49 children with ADHD completed the program. Analyses of EF tests and parental survey indicated that (i) there is no significant intragroup difference among all measures between pre-/post-intervention tests for two game-based intervention groups. The only significant intergroup difference was observed in self-monitor score of parent-reported child's EF between GameSAE group and the control (large effect). Similarly, cerebral hemodynamic responses also found no significant group effect for all EF tests. However, the time effects were observed in several channels in the GameHIIT group in two EF tests (Color Words Stroop Test and Tower of London Test). No significant change of participants' overall ADHD symptoms was found in the pre-/post-tests for three groups. Nonetheless, further analyses revealed that both of two game-based training programs exhibited the significant positive effects on child's PA levels and the large effects on levels of physical fitness, when they were compared to the control. Conclusion: By this study, a significant enhancement in physical fitness and PA levels were found in both game-based PA interventions when they were compared with control group. However, the effectiveness of game-based PA interventions on improving EF or reducing ADHD symptoms remains unclear. This implies that a larger intervention dosage or a tailored intervention design may be warranted to improve the EF of children with ADHD

Oxidative stress in children late after Kawasaki disease: relationship with carotid atherosclerosis and stiffness

Background: Persistent arterial dysfunction in patients with a history of Kawasaki disease (KD) and an integral role of oxidative stress in the development of cardiovascular disease are increasingly recognized. We sought to test the hypothesis that oxidative stress is increased in KD patients and related to carotid atherosclerotic changes and stiffness. Methods: We compared the serum levels of oxidative stress biomarkers, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and carotid stiffness index among KD patients with coronary aneurysms (n = 32), those without coronary complications (n = 19), and controls (n = 32). Results: Compared with controls, patients with coronary aneurysms had significantly higher serum levels of malonaldehyde (2.62 ± 0.12 μM vs 2.22 ± 0.07 μM, p = 0.014) and hydroperoxides (26.50 ± 1.13 μM vs 22.50 ± 0.62 μM, p = 0.008). A linear trend of the magnitude of oxidative stress in relation to inflammatory damage was observed for malonaldehyde (p = 0.018) and hydroperoxides (p = 0.014) levels. Serum malonaldehyde and hydroperoxide levels correlated positively with carotid IMT (p < 0.001 and p = 0.034, respectively) and stiffness index (p = 0.001 and p = 0.021, respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis identified serum malonaldehyde level as a significant determinant of carotid IMT (β = 0.31, p = 0.006) and stiffness (β = 0.27, p = 0.008). Conclusion: Our findings suggestoxidative stress is increased in KD patients with coronary aneurysms and is associated with carotid intima-media thickening and stiffening. © 2008 Cheung et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.published_or_final_versio