Psychopathology in Dutch young adults: enduring or changeable?

This study reports on stability and change in emotional and behavioral problems in young adults over a 2-year time span. A sample of 528 18- to 22-year-olds from the general population was assessed using the Young Adult Self-Report (YASR) on two occasions. Stability coefficients for the total problem score of the YASR were 0.63 for males and 0.75 for females. Forty-nine percent of the subjects who were initially classified as deviant were still deviant at follow-up. Of all YASR syndromes, the highest stability was for the Anxious/Depressed scale

Inflammatory cytokines, goblet cell hyperplasia and altered lung mechanics in Lgl1+/- mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neonatal lung injury, a leading cause of morbidity in prematurely born infants, has been associated with arrested alveolar development and is often accompanied by goblet cell hyperplasia. Genes that regulate alveolarization and inflammation are likely to contribute to susceptibility to neonatal lung injury. We previously cloned <it>Lgl1</it>, a developmentally regulated secreted glycoprotein in the lung. In rat, O₂toxicity caused reduced levels of <it>Lgl1</it>, which normalized during recovery. We report here on the generation of an <it>Lgl1 </it>knockout mouse in order to determine whether deficiency of <it>Lgl1 </it>is associated with arrested alveolarization and contributes to neonatal lung injury.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An <it>Lgl1 </it>knockout mouse was generated by introduction of a neomycin cassette in exon 2 of the <it>Lgl1 </it>gene. To evaluate the pulmonary phenotype of <it>Lgl1</it>^+/-mice, we assessed lung morphology, <it>Lgl1 </it>RNA and protein, elastin fibers and lung function. We also analyzed tracheal goblet cells, and expression of mucin, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 as markers of inflammation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Absence of <it>Lgl1 </it>was lethal prior to lung formation. Postnatal <it>Lgl1</it>^+/-lungs displayed delayed histological maturation, goblet cell hyperplasia, fragmented elastin fibers, and elevated expression of T_H2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-13). At one month of age, reduced expression of <it>Lgl1 </it>was associated with elevated tropoelastin expression and altered pulmonary mechanics.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings confirm that <it>Lgl1 </it>is essential for viability and is required for developmental processes that precede lung formation. <it>Lgl1</it>^+/-mice display a complex phenotype characterized by delayed histological maturation, features of inflammation in the post-natal period and altered lung mechanics at maturity. <it>Lgl1 </it>haploinsufficiency may contribute to lung disease in prematurity and to increased risk for late-onset respiratory disease.</p

Three-dimensional kinematic motion analysis of a daily activity drinking from a glass: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Development of reliable and objective evaluation methods is required, particularly for natural and goal-oriented upper-extremity tasks. Three-dimensional imaging measurement techniques have turned out to be a powerful tool for a quantitative and qualitative assessment of multijoint movements. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a method of three-dimensional motion analysis for the activity "drinking from a glass" and describe the drinking task with kinematic variables in control subjects. METHODS: A protocol was developed for the drinking activity including the set-up of cameras and positions of the markers and the subject. The drinking task included reaching, forward transport with glass, drinking, back transport and returning the hand to the initial position. An optoelectronic system was used for the three-dimensional kinematic motion capture. Movement times, velocities, joint angles and interjoint coordination for shoulder and elbow were computed and analyzed for twenty control subjects. Test-retest consistency was evaluated for six subjects. RESULTS: The test protocol showed good consistency in test-retest. Phase definitions for the drinking task were defined and verified. Descriptive kinematic variables were obtained for movement times, positions, velocities and joint angles for shoulder and elbow joint. Interjoint coordination between shoulder and elbow joint in reaching phase showed a high correlation. CONCLUSION: This study provides a detailed description of the three-dimensional kinematic analysis of the drinking task. Our approach to investigate and analyze a goal-oriented daily activity has a great clinical potential. Consequently, the next step is to use and test this protocol on persons with impairments and disabilities from upper extremities

Engaging Undergraduates in Science Research: Not Just About Faculty Willingness.

Despite the many benefits of involving undergraduates in research and the growing number of undergraduate research programs, few scholars have investigated the factors that affect faculty members' decisions to involve undergraduates in their research projects. We investigated the individual factors and institutional contexts that predict faculty members' likelihood of engaging undergraduates in their research project(s). Using data from the Higher Education Research Institute's 2007-2008 Faculty Survey, we employ hierarchical generalized linear modeling to analyze data from 4,832 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty across 194 institutions to examine how organizational citizenship behavior theory and social exchange theory relate to mentoring students in research. Key findings show that faculty who work in the life sciences and those who receive government funding for their research are more likely to involve undergraduates in their research project(s). In addition, faculty at liberal arts or historically Black colleges are significantly more likely to involve undergraduate students in research. Implications for advancing undergraduate research opportunities are discussed

Duration of exclusive breastfeeding; validity of retrospective assessment at nine months of age

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In cross sectional, case control and retrospective cohort studies, duration of Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) usually depends on maternal recall. Retrospective data are often subjected to recall bias and could lead to a potential for exposure misclassification. The purpose of the present paper is to assess the validity of maternal recall of EBF duration during infancy, after cessation of EBF and to evaluate the two methods to collect retrospective data on EBF.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cohort study was carried out in Naula Medical Officer of Health (MOH) area. Study cohort included all infants born during the months of February to April 2008 and currently residing in Naula MOH area. Baseline data collection was carried out using the pregnancy record, the child health development record and by using an interviewer administered structured questionnaire. Data extraction from the pregnancy record and the child health development record were carried out by public health midwives. The interviewer administered structured questionnaire was administered by the MOH during the follow-up visits. Duration of EBF was assessed in three ways; based on prospective data since birth: Retrospective data based on an event calendar: and the Mother reported EBF duration.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 114 mother-infant pairs were recruited and followed up. Proportion of infants receiving EBF up to the completion of the sixth month by the three methods were; data since birth (actual EBF rate) - 23.9%; mother reported data - 77.7% and event calendar method - 41.3%. Median duration of EBF reported in the three methods was 5, 6, and 5 respectively. A statistically significant difference was observed in these differences from Kaplan-Meire Survival analysis (Log rank test - Chi square-63.4, p < 0.001). Validity of retrospective methods was analysed using data since birth as the gold standard. Sensitivity of both methods to detect exclusively breastfed babies were 100.0%. Specificity of mother recall data was 26.2% (95%CI-17.9, 36.8%) compared to 75.0% (95% CI-64.5, 83.2%) in the event calendar method.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Retrospective evaluation methods systematically overestimate the duration of EBF. Maternal recall data provide highly unspecific data whereas use of an event calendar provided more valid data. Reporting of data accrual methods in breastfeeding studies will allow the readers to interpret findings accurately and the use of event calendars rather than direct questioning as a valid method of determining EBF is recommended.</p

Assessing the perceptions of a biostatistics and epidemiology module: Views of Year 2 medical students from a Malaysian university. A cross-sectional survey

Background In the era of evidence based medicine, biostatistics and epidemiology are considered as the main elements aiding the health professional to design a research study, understand the literature, and make decisions about patient care. The aim of the study is to explore students' perception about this subject because it plays an important role in determining educational outcome. Methods Data were collected from a self-administered questionnaire distributed among 164 Year 2 medical students. The 5-point Likert scale anchored by Strongly disagree = 1 and Strongly agree = 5 included 36 questions in four domains designed to assess the perception of a biostatistics and epidemiology module amongst students. Results 138 students with ages ranging from 20 to 24 years (Mean = 20.7; SD = 0.62) returned their responses to the questionnaire. This was a response rate of 84.14%. Of the 138 students, 80.7% realized the relevance of the subject to real health issues at the end of the module, while 89.8% believed the module focused on interpretation more than calculation. More than three quarters (78.1%) agreed that lack of practicing exercises was the cause for declining interest in the subject, while only 26.1% believed that lectures were not interesting. Another three quarters (75.4%) believed that there were too many lectures for one day of teaching activities, while 84.6% recommended practical sessions for designing research and data collection. Conclusions This study found that students perceived the relevance of biostatistics and epidemiology to real health issues. The major cause of poor interest in the subject was attributed to the short duration of the course, lack of practicing exercises, and the need for practical data collection sessions. Emphasis should be given to early introduction of projects for data collection and analysis

Inter-observer agreement in the assessment of endoscopic findings in ulcerative colitis

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic findings are essential in evaluating the disease activity in ulcerative colitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate how endoscopists assess individual endoscopic features of mucosal inflammation in ulcerative colitis, the inter-observer agreement, and the importance of the observers' experience. METHODS: Five video clips of ulcerative colitis were shown to a group of experienced and a group of inexperienced endoscopists. Both groups were asked to assess eight endoscopic features and the overall mucosal inflammation on a visual analogue scale. The following statistical analyses were used; Contingency tables analysis, kappa analysis, analysis of variance, Pearson linear correlation analysis, general linear models, and agreement analysis. All tests were carried out two-tailed, with a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: The inter-observer agreement ranged from very good to moderate in the experienced group and from very good to fair in the inexperienced group. There was a significantly better inter-observer agreement in the experienced group in the rating of 6 out of 9 features (p < 0.05). The experienced and inexperienced endoscopists scored the "ulcerations" significantly different. (p = 0.05). The inter-observer variation of the mean score of "erosions", "ulcerations" and endoscopic activity index in mild disease, and the scoring of "erythema" and "oedema" in moderate-severe disease was significantly higher in the inexperienced group. A correlation was seen between all the observed endoscopic features in both groups of endoscopists. Among experienced endoscopists, a set of four endoscopic variables ("Vascular pattern", "Erosions", "Ulcerations" and Friability") explained 92% of the variation in EAI. By including "Granularity" in these set 91% of the variation in EAI was explained in the group of inexperienced endoscopists. CONCLUSION: The inter-observer agreement in the rating of endoscopic features characterising ulcerative colitis is satisfactory in both groups of endoscopists but significantly higher in the experienced group. The difference in the mean score between the two groups is only significant for "ulcerations". The endoscopic variables "Vascular pattern", "Erosions", "Ulcerations" and Friability" explained the overall endoscopic activity index. Even though the present result is quite satisfactory, there is a potential of improvement. Improved grading systems might contribute to improve the consistency of endoscopic descriptions

Quadriceps force generation in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and asymptomatic participants during patellar tendon reflex reactions: an exploratory cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: It has been postulated that muscle contraction is slower in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee than asymptomatic individuals, a factor that could theoretically impair joint protection mechanisms. This study investigated whether patients with osteoarthritis of the knee took longer than asymptomatic participants to generate force during reflex quadriceps muscle contraction. This was an exploratory study to inform sample size for future studies. METHODS: An exploratory observational cross sectional study was carried out. Two subject groups were tested, asymptomatic participants (n = 17), mean (SD) 56.7 (8.6) years, and patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, diagnosed by an orthopaedic surgeon, (n = 16), age 65.9 (7.8) years. Patellar tendon reflex responses were elicited from participants and measured with a load cell. Force latency, contraction time, and force of the reflex response were determined from digitally stored data. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for the between group comparisons in these variables. Bland and Altman within-subject standard deviation values were calculated to evaluate the measurement error or precision of force latency and contraction time. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the groups for force latency (p = 0.47), contraction time (p = 0.91), or force (p = 0.72). The two standard deviation measurement error values for force latency were 27.9 ms for asymptomatic participants and 16.4 ms for OA knee patients. For contraction time, these values were 29.3 ms for asymptomatic participants and 28.1 ms for OA knee patients. Post hoc calculations revealed that the study was adequately powered (80%) to detect a difference between the groups of 30 ms in force latency. However it was inadequately powered (59%) to detect this same difference in contraction time, and 28 participants would be required in each group to reach 80% power. CONCLUSION: Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee do not appear to have compromised temporal parameters or magnitude of force generation during patellar tendon reflex reactions when compared to a group of asymptomatic participants. However, these results suggest that larger studies are carried out to investigate this area further

Measurements of the transverse-momentum-dependent cross sections of J /ψ production at mid-rapidity in proton+proton collisions at s =510 and 500 GeV with the STAR detector

We present measurements of the differential cross sections of inclusive J/ψ meson production as a function of transverse momentum (pTJ/ψ) using the μ+μ- and e+e- decay channels in proton+proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 510 and 500 GeV, respectively, recorded by the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The measurement from the μ+μ- channel is for