The Online Flow Questionnaire: an Item Response Theory examination

Online flow refers to the rate of an individual's absorbance in an Internet activity in which they are engaged. It has been implicated with both the effectiveness of cyberhealth and online education applications, as well as excessive Internet use. One way of assessing it is the Online Flow Questionnaire (OFQ). Consequently, this study investigated the optimum measurement of online flow, as well as OFQ cutoff points, using Item Response Theory (IRT). A large sample of high school students from Greece (N = 1579, Mage = 16.12, SDage = 0.85; 50.5 percent females) completed the OFQ and the data were analyzed using IRT procedures. The analysis indicated that items in the OFQ possess differing levels of discrimination and difficulty, although all items were generally within acceptable ranges. An OFQ cutoff score of 5 represented an extremely high level of online flow experiences. The findings suggest that the OFQ generally functions as an acceptable marker of overall online flow. However, the current format of the OFQ appears to inhibit its ability to detect variability at the extreme low and high ends of the latent trait in the population assessed. Future revisions (potentially employing computerized adaptive tests) of the OFQ response format may enhance its utility

Эффективность и безопасность эрибулина при различных подтипах рака молочной железы: данные из реальной клинической практики в России

The article presents a pooled experience of the use of eribulin in the real clinical practice of treatment of metastatic breast cancer in Russian oncological institutions. The effectiveness of the drug in monotherapy with HER2‑negative breast cancer was analyzed, groups of patients with most effective use of eribulin were identified depending on the localization of metastases, the most effective lines of therapy. The effectiveness of the drug in combination with trastuzumab in HER2‑positive breast cancer is described, as well as toxic reactions. В статье представлен обобщенный опыт применения эрибулина в реальной клинической практике онкологических учреждений РФ при метастатическом раке молочной железы. Проанализирована эффективность препарата в монотерапии при HER2-отрицательном раке молочных желез, выделены группы больных в зависимости от локализации метастазов, линии терапии, в которых препарат оказался максимально эффективным. Описана эффективность препарата в комбинации с трастузумабом при HER2-положительном раке молочной железы, а также токсические реакции. 

Genome-wide association study of germline variants and breast cancer-specific mortality

BACKGROUND: We examined the associations between germline variants and breast cancer mortality using a large meta-analysis of women of European ancestry. METHODS: Meta-analyses included summary estimates based on Cox models of twelve datasets using ~10

CLINICAL-DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF THE STUDY OF NEOPTERIN IN MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION ON THE BACKGROUND OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

Aim. To determine the significance of the study of neopterin as a marker of the endo-genetic toxicity syndrome in patients with myocardial infarction on the background of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Materials and methods. 64 patients with cardiovascular and respiratory pathology and 29 somatically healthy individuals of the Astrakhan region as the con-controlling group were examined. Patients were divided into 3 groups: the first 20 patients with myocardial infarction, the second group – 21 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the third 23 patients with a combination of these diseases.Results. In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in combination with infarction of myocardium revealed the highest values of neopterin in blood serum in comparison with patients with monoiodotyrosine and somatically healthy individuals. Comparison of the values of neopterin with a number of recognized clinical and laboratory markers of endogenous intoxication revealed a positive correlation with heart rate, lactic acid, leukocyte index of intoxication and the ratio of neutrophils/leukocytes.Conclusion. In the course of the study, the clinical diagnostic value of the study of neopterin as a marker of endogenous intoxication in patients in Parkton myocardial on the background of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been proved

The evaluation of С-terminal telopeptide of type-i collagen level in patients with chronic heart failure along with atrial fibrillation and postinfarction cardiosclerosis

C-terminal telopeptide of type-I collagen level was studied in 112 chronic heart failure (CHF) patients and in 30 patients without heart failure. As a result, in CHF patients with atrial fibrillation compared to patients with sinus rhythm increase of C-terminal telopeptide of type-I collagen level was revealed. Increase of C-terminal telopeptide of type-I collagen level was also revealed in CHF patients with postinfarction cardiosclerosis compared to patients with no myocardial infarctions history; it reflects the association of maladaptive remodeling of the myocardium in postinfarction cardiosclerosis with intensification of extracellular matrix disorganization and disintegration of interstitial collagen processes

Influence of Osmotic, Salt, and Combined Stress on Morphophysiological Parameters of <i>Chenopodium quinoa</i> Photosynthetic Organs

Chenopodium quinoa Willd. is an annual facultative halophytic pseudocereal widely studied for its physiology and grain yield owing to its great tolerance to unfavorable growing conditions. However, the morphophysiological and anatomical characteristics of plants’ photosynthetic organs under various and combined abiotic stresses during the early stages of development have not been thoroughly studied. Therefore, the current study compared the influence of osmotic, salt, and combined stress at different intensities on the morphology and anatomy of photosynthetic organs in young quinoa plants. The main findings demonstrate that salt stress at an intensity between 100 and 200 mM NaCl is not critical for the growth of young quinoa plants and that the young plants can withstand salt stress at an intensity of 300 mM NaCl. However, it can be concluded that some adaptation mechanisms of the plants were already violated at a salt stress intensity of 200 mM NaCl, while significant changes in the water balance of the plants were observed at an intensity of 300 mM NaCl, possibly caused by damage to the cell structures

The effect of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on the level of homocysteinemia and the condition of coronary vessels in patients with myocardial infarction

Objective: to study and compare the level of homocysteine with the results of coronary angiography in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and concurrent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Subjects and methods. 246 patients with MI were examined. In 137 (55.7%) people, MI developed on the background of COPD, while in 109 (44.3%) patients MI was a single condition. Comparison groups consisted of 55 somatically healthy individuals and 50 patients with COPD. Enzyme immunoassay was used for testing homocysteine levels in plasma samples.Results. Stenoses of only one coronary artery (CA) with hyperhomocysteinemia were rare in patients in both groups (3.5% in patients with myocardial infarction and 3% in patients with myocardial infarction and concurrent COPD), multivessel diseases of CA statistically significantly prevailed. Lesions of 3 vessels or more were detected statistically significantly more often in patients with hyperhomocysteinemia with myocardial infarction and concurrent COPD. Among patients with myocardial infarction with hyperhomocysteinemia, patients with CA narrowing by 50-75% prevailed, and among patients with myocardial infarction with COPD and hyperhomocysteinemia, patients with CA narrowing by 75-99% and complete occlusion were statistically significantly more frequent. That is, in patients with myocardial infarction, concurrent COPD and hyperhomocysteinemia, more pronounced lesion of CA was observed, which was manifested by multivascular lesions, greater severity of occlusion and higher frequency of complete stenosis of CA