Reliability and validity of the AGREE instrument used by physical therapists in assessment of clinical practice guidelines

BACKGROUND: The AGREE instrument has been validated for evaluating Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) pertaining to medical care. This study evaluated the reliability and validity of physical therapists using the AGREE to assess quality of CPGs relevant to physical therapy practice. METHODS: A total of 69 physical therapists participated and were classified as generalists, specialist or researchers. Pairs of appraisers within each category evaluated independently, a set of 6 CPG selected at random from a pool of 55 CPGs. RESULTS: Reliability between pairs of appraisers indicated low to high reliability depending on the domain and number of appraisers (0.17–0.81 for single appraiser; 0.30–0.96 when score averaged across a pair of appraisers). The highest reliability was achieved for Rigour of Development, which exceeded ICC> 0.79, if scores from pairs of appraisers were pooled. Adding more than 3 appraisers did not consistently improve reliability. Appraiser type did not determine reliability scores. End-users, including study participants and a separate sample of 102 physical therapy students, found the AGREE useful to guide critical appraisal. The construct validity of the AGREE was supported in that expected differences on Rigour of Development domains were observed between expert panels versus those with no/uncertain expertise (differences of 10–21% p = 0.09–0.001). Factor analysis with varimax rotation, produced a 4-factor solution that was similar, although not in exact agreement with the AGREE Domains. Validity was also supported by the correlation observed (Kendall-tao = 0.69) between Overall Assessment and the Rigour of Development domain. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the AGREE instrument is reliable and valid when used by physiotherapists to assess the quality of CPG pertaining to physical therapy health services

Mycorrhization of fagaceae forests within mediterranean ecosystems

Mediterranean Fagaceae forests are valuable due to their ecological and socioeconomic aspects. Some profitable plant species, such as Castanea (timber and chestnut), Quercus (timber and cork), and Fagus (timber), encounter in this habitat the excellent edaphoclimatic conditions to develop. All Fagaceae plants are commonly associated to ECM fungal species, which are found in these forests in quite stable communities, mainly enriched in Russulaceae and Telephoraceae species. Currently, the Mediterranean Basin is considered as one of the global biodiversity hotspots, since many of their endemic plant species are not found elsewhere and are now under threat. Due to climate changing and introduction of disease agents, Fagaceae forests are facing an adaptation challenge to both biotic and abiotic threats. Although ECM communities are highly disturbed by climate factors and tree disease incidence, they could play an important role in increasing water availability to the plant and also improving plant tree defense against pathogens. Recent advances, namely, on genomics and transcriptomics, are providing tools for increasing the understanding of Fagaceae mycorrhization process and stress responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Such studies can provide new information for the implementation of the most adequate management policies for protecting threaten Mediterranean forests.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Short-Lived Trace Gases in the Surface Ocean and the Atmosphere

The two-way exchange of trace gases between the ocean and the atmosphere is important for both the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere and the biogeochemistry of the oceans, including the global cycling of elements. Here we review these exchanges and their importance for a range of gases whose lifetimes are generally short compared to the main greenhouse gases and which are, in most cases, more reactive than them. Gases considered include sulphur and related compounds, organohalogens, non-methane hydrocarbons, ozone, ammonia and related compounds, hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Finally, we stress the interactivity of the system, the importance of process understanding for modeling, the need for more extensive field measurements and their better seasonal coverage, the importance of inter-calibration exercises and finally the need to show the importance of air-sea exchanges for global cycling and how the field fits into the broader context of Earth System Science

Asthma Prevalence and Severity in Arab American Communities in the Detroit Area, Michigan

Immigrant populations provide a unique intersection of cultural and environmental risk factors implicated in asthma etiology. This study focuses on asthma prevalence and severity in 600 Arab American households in metro Detroit, the largest immigrant reception zone for Arab Americans in North America. The survey method introduced a number of novel features: (a) a ranking scheme for the key environmental risk factors for asthma was used to derive an aggregated environmental risk index (ERI) for each household, and (b) an aggregate measure of asthma severity based on symptom frequency and intensity. Environmental risk factors and surrogates for socioeconomic status (SES) were found to be stronger predictors of asthma prevalence than asthma severity, while demographic variables such as English fluency and birth in the United States were better predictors of asthma severity than asthma prevalence. These results suggest that SES variables may be more reflective of environmental exposures in communities involved in this study, while English fluency and birth in the United States may be linked to health care access and utilization behavior that can influence the asthma management. We also found a significant relationship between asthma prevalence and degree of acculturation. Asthma prevalence was highest among moderately acculturated immigrants compared with new immigrants and those who were well acculturated, suggesting that among Arab Americans in the Detroit area, risk factors associated with new immigrant status are replaced by “western” risk factors as the population becomes more acculturated.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44945/1/10903_2005_Article_3673.pd

Growth inhibition of Agaricus bisporus and associated thermophilic species by fungicides used in wheat cultivation

Eight fungicides used on wheat were checked for their toxic effect in vitro on the mycelial growth of 3 strains of the edible mushroom Agaricus bisporus and 3 isolates of thermophilic fungi active in mushroom composting. At concentrations < 2 ppm, captan, maneb and chlorothalonil were not found to be toxic. Only tebuconazol significantly limited the radial growth of A bisporus mycelium. The IC50 values of benomyl, carbendazim, flusilazol, prochloraz and tebuconazol on mycelial growth of thermophilic fungi ranged from 0.1-0.7 ppm. The presence of fungicide residues in wheat straw may therefore affect the process of mushroom composting.Inhibition de la croissance d'Agaricus bisporus et d'espèces thermophiles associées par des fongicides utilisés dans la culture du blé. La paille de blé est le constituant principal des composts qui servent de substrat de culture pour le champignon de Paris (Agaricus bisporus). L'utilisation de fongicides lors de la culture du blé peut avoir des conséquences sur la production de champignon de Paris si les résidus présents dans les pailles sont actifs. La toxicité de huit fongicides utilisés contre les maladies fongiques du blé a été testée in vitro pour trois souches d'A bisporus et pour trois isolats de champignons thermophiles utiles au compostage et à l'électivité du compost : deux Torula thermophila et un Humicola grisea var thermoidea. À des concentrations inférieures à 2 ppm le captane, le manèbe et le chlorothalonil n'étaient pas toxiques. La croissance radiale d'A bisporus n'a été fortement limitée que par le tébuconazole. Les valeurs de CI50 du bénomyl, du carbendazime, du flusilazole, du prochloraze et du tébuconazole pour la croissance mycélienne des champignons thermophiles étaient comprises entre 0,1 1 et 0,7 ppm. La présence de résidus de fongicides dans les pailles de blé peut donc avoir des conséquences sur le compostage, et donc indirectement sur la culture du champignon de Paris

Growth inhibition of Agaricus bisporus and associated thermophilic species by fungicides used in wheat cultivation

Eight fungicides used on wheat were checked for their toxic effect in vitro on the mycelial growth of 3 strains of the edible mushroom Agaricus bisporus and 3 isolates of thermophilic fungi active in mushroom composting. At concentrations < 2 ppm, captan, maneb and chlorothalonil were not found to be toxic. Only tebuconazol significantly limited the radial growth of A bisporus mycelium. The IC50 values of benomyl, carbendazim, flusilazol, prochloraz and tebuconazol on mycelial growth of thermophilic fungi ranged from 0.1-0.7 ppm. The presence of fungicide residues in wheat straw may therefore affect the process of mushroom composting.Inhibition de la croissance d'Agaricus bisporus et d'espèces thermophiles associées par des fongicides utilisés dans la culture du blé. La paille de blé est le constituant principal des composts qui servent de substrat de culture pour le champignon de Paris (Agaricus bisporus). L'utilisation de fongicides lors de la culture du blé peut avoir des conséquences sur la production de champignon de Paris si les résidus présents dans les pailles sont actifs. La toxicité de huit fongicides utilisés contre les maladies fongiques du blé a été testée in vitro pour trois souches d'A bisporus et pour trois isolats de champignons thermophiles utiles au compostage et à l'électivité du compost : deux Torula thermophila et un Humicola grisea var thermoidea. À des concentrations inférieures à 2 ppm le captane, le manèbe et le chlorothalonil n'étaient pas toxiques. La croissance radiale d'A bisporus n'a été fortement limitée que par le tébuconazole. Les valeurs de CI50 du bénomyl, du carbendazime, du flusilazole, du prochloraze et du tébuconazole pour la croissance mycélienne des champignons thermophiles étaient comprises entre 0,1 1 et 0,7 ppm. La présence de résidus de fongicides dans les pailles de blé peut donc avoir des conséquences sur le compostage, et donc indirectement sur la culture du champignon de Paris