The Well-being Questionnaire: evidence for a three-factor structure with 12 items (W-BQ12).

Background. The Well-being Questionnaire (W-BQ) has been designed to measure psychological well-being in people with a chronic somatic illness and is recommended by the World Health Organization for widespread use. However, studies into the factor structure of this instrument are still limited and their findings are inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the factor structure of the Dutch version of the W-BQ. Methods. A cross-validation design was used. A total of 1472 people with diabetes completed the W-BQ and were randomly assigned to group A or B. In group A (N = 736), exploratory factor analyses were conducted. Group B (N = 736) was split up into four subgroups of male or female patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. In these subgroups, confirmatory factor analyses were employed to test the model(s) developed in group A and the two models described in the literature (four-factor model with 22 items and a three-factor model with 12 items). Results. Exploratory factor analyses yielded a three-factor model with 21 items (negative well-being, energy and positive well-being). In the subgroups of group B confirmatory factor analyses only accepted the three-factor model with 12 items. This factor solution was stable across gender, type of diabetes and level of education. Conclusions. The best description of the factor structure of the Dutch translation of the W-BQ was given by a three-factor solution with 12 items (W-BQ12), measuring positive well-being (four items), negative well-being (four items) and energy (four items)

Prediction of survival with alternative modeling techniques using pseudo values

Background: The use of alternative modeling techniques for predicting patient survival is complicated by the fact that some alternative techniques cannot readily deal with censoring, which is essential for analyzing survival data. In the current study, we aimed to demonstrate that pseudo values enable statistically appropriate analyses of survival outcomes when used in seven alternative modeling techniques. Methods: In this case study, we analyzed survival of 1282 Dutch patients with newly diagnosed Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) with conventional Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis. We subsequently calculated pseudo values to reflect the individual survival patterns. We used these pseudo values to compare recursive partitioning (RPART), neural nets (NNET), logistic regression (LR) general linear models (GLM) and three variants of support vector machines (SVM) with respect to dichotomous 60-month survival, and continuous pseudo values at 60 months or estimated survival time. We used the area under the ROC curve (AUC) and the root of the mean squared error (RMSE) to compare the performance of these models using bootstrap validation. Results: Of a total of 1282 patients, 986 patients died during a median follow-up of 66 months (60-month survival: 52% [95% CI: 50%-55%]). The L

Some Odonata from the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, Isabela, Luzon, Philippines

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Genetic characterisation of Echinocephalus spp. (Nematoda: Gnathostomatidae) from marine hosts in Australia

We genetically characterised larval and adult specimens of species of Echinocephalus Molin, 1858 (Gnathostomatidae) collected from various hosts found within Australian waters. Adult specimens of Echinocephalus were collected from a dasyatid stingray [Pastinachus ater (Macleay); n = 2] from Moreton Bay, Queensland and larvae from a hydrophiine sea snake [Hydrophis peronii (Duméril); n = 3] from Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, from an octopus (Octopus djinda Amor & Hart; n = 3) from Fremantle, Western Australia and from a lucinid bivalve [Codakia paytenorum (Iredale); n = 5] from Heron Island, Queensland Australia. All nematode samples were identified morphologically and genetically characterised using the small subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA (SSU). Some morphological differences were identified between previous studies of Echinocephalus spp. and those observed herein but the significance of these differences remains unresolved. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that larval Echinocephalus sp. from H. peronii and C. paytenorum in Australia were very similar (with strong nodal support) to larval Echinocephalus sp. infecting two fish species from Egypt, Saurida undosquamis (Richardson) (Synodontidae) and Pagrus pagrus (Linnaeus) (Sparidae). The SSU sequences of larval Echinocephalus sp. from O. djinda and adults from P. ater formed a well-supported clade with that of adult E. overstreeti Deardorff and Ko, 1983 from the Port Jackson shark, Heterodontus portusjacksoni (Meyer), as well as that of the larval Echinocephalus sp., from the common carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus) from Egypt. This study extends the intermediate host range of Echinocephalus larvae by including a sea snake for the first time. Findings of this study highlight the importance of genetic characterisation of larval and adult specimens of Echinocephalus spp. to resolve the current difficulties in the taxonomy of this genus

Guest-Dependence on Spin Crossover and Thermal Expansion in Nanoporous Coordination Framework Materials

Coordination framework materials have attracted much interest in modern chemistry due to the plethora of properties that they may possess. The frameworks described in this thesis demonstrate the properties of spin crossover, anomalous thermal expansion, and nanoporosity, which enables guest-dependent studies into the material behaviour. The first frameworks described are the [Fe(bpac)M(CN)4]•x(bpac){guest} (M = Ni, Pd, Pt; bpac = 1,4-bis(4′-pyridyl)acetylene) family. The properties of the alcohol-solvated [Fe(bpac)Pd(CN)4]•x(bpac) (x = 0.4, 0.5) frameworks were studied, and the major guest influence on the resulting spin crossover behaviour was determined to be due to an internal pressure effect produced by the kinetic volume and compressibility of the guest. By obtaining a variety of EtOH adsorption isotherms and isobars, a Temperature-Pressure phase diagram of SCO was produced for the [Fe(bpac)Pd(CN)4]•0.4(bpac){EtOH} material. In addition to these frameworks, the behaviour of the [Fe(bpac)(Au(CN)2)2)]•{guest} framework material was also investigated. This framework demonstrated unprecedented multifunctional behaviour, with a synergistic interplay between the spin crossover, lattice structure and host–guest properties. The framework lattice was exceptionally flexible, and displayed a facile ‘scissor-type’ motion of the {Fe(Au(CN)2)2} (4,4) grids. Due to the extreme conformational flexibility of the {Fe(Au(CN)2)2} (4,4)-grids of this material, the [Fe(bpac)(Au(CN)2)2)]•{EtOH} sample displayed colossal uniaxial thermal expansion behaviour. Below the spin transition, the a parameter displayed a maximum thermal expansion coefficient of −1070 × 10−6 K−1, which is an order of magnitude greater than any yet reported for this quantity. Guest-dependent studies on this framework demonstrate the strong effect of guest properties on the conformation of the framework lattice and the spin transition behaviour

Abdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion in Donation After Circulatory Death: A Systematic Review and Critical Appraisal

Background: Abdominal normothermic regional perfusion (aNRP) for donation after circulatory death is an emerging organ preservation technique that might lead to increased organ utilization per donor by facilitating viability testing, improving transplant outcome by early reversal of ischemia, and decreasing the risk of unintentional surgical damage. The aim of the current review is to evaluate the recent literature on the added value of aNRP when compared to local standard perfusion technique.Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline for systematic reviews was used, and relevant literature databases were searched. Primary outcomes were organ utilization rate and patient and graft survival after 1 year. Secondary outcomes included delayed graft function, primary nonfunction, serum creatinine, and biliary complications.Results: A total of 24 articles were included in this review. The technique is unanimously reported to be feasible and safe, but the available studies are characterized by considerable heterogeneity and bias.Conclusions: Uniform reported outcome measures are needed to draw more definitive conclusions on transplant outcomes and organ utilization. A randomized controlled trial comparing aNRP with standard procurement technique in donation after circulatory death donors would be needed to show the added value of the procedure and determine its place among modern preservation techniques.Transplant surger

Preclinical models versus clinical renal ischemia reperfusion injury: a systematic review based on metabolic signatures

Despite decennia of research and numerous successful interventions in the preclinical setting, renal ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury remains a major problem in clinical practice, pointing toward a translational gap. Recently, two clinical studies on renal IR injury (manifested either as acute kidney injury or as delayed graft function) identified metabolic derailment as a key driver of renal IR injury. It was reasoned that these unambiguous metabolic findings enable direct alignment of clinical with preclinical data, thereby providing the opportunity to elaborate potential translational hurdles between preclinical research and the clinical context. A systematic review of studies that reported metabolic data in the context of renal IR was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. The search (December 2020) identified 35 heterogeneous preclinical studies. The applied methodologies were compared, and metabolic outcomes were semi-quantified and aligned with the clinical data. This review identifies profound methodological challenges, such as the definition of IR injury, the follow-up time, and sampling techniques, as well as shortcomings in the reported metabolic information. In light of these findings, recommendations are provided in order to improve the translatability of preclinical models of renal IR injury.Transplant surger