Validity and internal consistency of the thoracic outlet syndrome index for patients with thoracic outlet syndrome

Background: No validated scales exist specifically for measuring quality of life (QoL) and functioning level in patients with thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). This cross-sectional survey examined whether some items adopted from validated QoL scales could be suitable for patients with TOS.Methods: To find an optimal thoracic outlet syndrome index (TOSI), a panel of 14 specialists experienced in treating TOS independently evaluated the relevance of 19 items adopted from scales used in other upper-extremity syndromes. After undergoing surgery for TOS, 52 patients rated the relevance of those items found by experts to be relevant. Content validity was measured by a content validity index, content validity ratio, and modified κ. The internal consistency of 15 retained items was assessed with the Cronbach α, and its construct validity was assessed by an exploratory factor analysis.Results: Of the 19 items, 15 were considered relevant for TOS by the panelists, with an overall test content validity index of 0.93. The internal consistency of these 15 items was excellent. The exploratory factor analysis accompanied by a parallel analysis confirmed the uni-dimensionality of the TOSI. All 15 items that the panelists considered relevant were also items that the patients marked with scores over 7 points on an 11-point scale of relevance.Conclusion: The internally consistent, face- and content-valid TOSI scale is proposed for use in evaluating specifically the QoL in TOS patients, as well as improving future longitudinal studies comparing functioning before and after interventions or spontaneous recovery in TOS patients.</p

Acute and overuse injuries among sports club members and non-members: the Finnish Health Promoting Sports Club (FHPSC) study

BackgroundPhysical activity in adolescence is promoted for its multi-dimensional health benefits. However, too intensive sports participation is associated with an increased injury risk. Our aim was to compare the occurrence of acute and overuse injuries in Finnish sports club members and non-members and to report training and competing habits associated with a higher injury risk in sports club members.MethodsIn this cross-sectional survey targeted at 14-16-year-old adolescents, a structured questionnaire was completed by 1077 sports club members and 812 non-members. The main outcome measures were self-reported acute and overuse injuries, their location and type.ResultsAt least one acute injury in the past year was reported by 44.0% of sports club members and 19.8% of non-members (P<0.001). The sex-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for acute injury in sports club members compared to non-members was 3.13 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.54-3.87). Thirty-five percent of sports club members and 17.4% of non-members (P<0.001) reported at least one overuse injury during the past year. The overuse injury OR for sports club members was 2.61 (95% CI 2.09-3.26). Sports club members who trained 7-14h per week during training (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.21-2.12, P=0.001) or competition season (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.18-2.06, P=0.002) were more likely to report an injury compared to members who trained 3-6h per week. Those sports club members who participated in forty competitions or more compared to 7-19 competitions per year were more likely to report an acute injury (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.05-2.08, P=0.028) or for an overuse injury (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.02-2.30, P=0.038).ConclusionsBoth acute and overuse injuries are common among youth sports club members, and the number increases along with increasing amounts of training and competitions. More effective injury prevention is needed both for adolescents engaging in sports club activities and for other adolescents

Recent trends and developments in pyrolysis-gas chromatography: review

Pyrolysis-gas chromatography (Py-GC) has become well established as a simple, quick and reliable analytical technique for a range of applications including the analysis of polymeric materials. Recent developments in Py-GC technology and instrumentation include laser pyrolysis and non-discriminating pyrolysis. Progress has also been made in the detection of low level polymer additives with the use of novel Py-GC devices. Furthermore, it has been predicted that future advances in separation technology such as the use of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography will further enhance the analytical scope of Py-GC

Comprehensive evaluation of coding region point mutations in microsatellite-unstable colorectal cancer

Microsatellite instability (MSI) leads to accumulation of an excessive number of mutations in the genome, mostly small insertions and deletions. MSI colorectal cancers (CRCs), however, also contain more point mutations than microsatellite-stable (MSS) tumors, yet they have not been as comprehensively studied. To identify candidate driver genes affected by point mutations in MSI CRC, we ranked genes based on mutation significance while correcting for replication timing and gene expression utilizing an algorithm, MutSigCV. Somatic point mutation data from the exome kit-targeted area from 24 exome-sequenced sporadic MSI CRCs and respective normals, and 12 whole-genome-sequenced sporadic MSI CRCs and respective normals were utilized. The top 73 genes were validated in 93 additional MSI CRCs. The MutSigCV ranking identified several well-established MSI CRC driver genes and provided additional evidence for previously proposed CRC candidate genes as well as shortlisted genes that have to our knowledge not been linked to CRC before. Two genes, SMARCB1 and STK38L, were also functionally scrutinized, providing evidence of a tumorigenic role, for SMARCB1 mutations in particular. © 2018 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 licensePeer reviewe

Surface water ponding on clayey soils managed by conventional and conservation tillage in boreal conditions

Surface water ponding and crop hampering due to soil wetness was monitored in order to evaluate the effects of conservation tillage practices and perennial grass cover on soil infiltrability for five years in situ in gently sloping clayey fields. Thirteen experimental areas, each having three experimental fields, were established in southern Finland. The fields belonged to: autumn mouldboard ploughing (AP), conservation tillage (CT) and perennial grass in the crop rotation (PG). In the third year, direct drilled (DD) fields were established in five areas. Excluding PG, mainly spring cereals were grown in the fields. Location and surface area of ponded water (in the spring and autumn) as well as hampered crop growth (during June-July) were determined in each field by using GPS devices and GIS programs. Surface water ponding or crop hampering occurred when the amount of rainfall was clearly greater than the long-term average. The mean of the relative area of the ponded surface water, indicating the risk of surface runoff, and hampered crop growth was larger in the CT fields than in the AP fields. The differences between means were, however, not statistically significant. Complementary soil physical measurements are required to investigate the reasons for the repeated surface water ponding.;Etelä-Suomessa kartoitettiin 13 koealueella pintaveden ja kasvien kasvua haittaavan maan märkyyden esiintymistä viiden vuoden ajan. Tavoitteena oli arvioida kevennetyn muokkauksen ja monivuotisen nurmen vaikutusta veden imeytymiseen savimaahan käytännön viljelyssä olleilla peltolohkoilla. Jokaisella koealueella oli kolme lohkoa, joista yksi syyskynnettiin, toinen syyskultivoitiin ja kolmannella viljeltiin monivuotista nurmea viljelykierrossa. Kolmantena koevuonna viidellä koealueella seurantaan otettiin mukaan suorakylvölohko. Monivuotista nurmea lukuun ottamatta lohkoilla viljeltiin kevätkylvöisiä siemenkasveja. Lohkoilta määritettiin keväisin ennen kylvöä, kesällä ennen kasvuton tähkimistä ja syksyllä syysmuokkauksen jälkeen pintaveden peittämä ala ja kasvuston ala, joka oli kärsinyt märkyydestä, käyttämällä GPS -laitetta. Aineisto käsiteltiin GIS -ohjelmistolla, minkä jälkeen voitiin laskea pintaveden peittämän tai maan märkyydestä kärsineen alan suhde koko lohkon alaan. Pellolla oli pintavettä (lätäköitä) tai kasvusto kärsi maan märkyydestä, kun koealueella satoi selvästi enemmän kuin keskimäärin. Keskimäärin pintaveden peittämän tai märkyydestä kärsineen kasvuston alan osuus koko lohkon alasta oli syyssänkimuokattaessa suurempi kuin syyskynnettäessä. Keskiarvojen erot eivät olleet kuitenkaan tilastollisesti merkitseviä. Mittausten perusteella ei voitu päätellä syytä toistuvaan pintaveden esiintymiseen. Syyn selvittäminen edellyttää maan fysikaalisten ominaisuuksien määrittämistä

Musculoskeletal pain among Finnish orchestra musicians versus core workforce

Published: 11 August 202