Scoring the SF-36 in Orthopaedics: A Brief Guide Laucis, Nicholas C; Hays, Ron D; Bhattacharyya, Timothy
Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume,
2015-October-7, Letnik:
97, Številka:
19
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The Short Form-36 (SF-36) is the most widely used health-related quality-of-life measure in research to date. There are currently two sources for the SF-36 and scoring instructions: licensing them ...from Optum, Inc., or obtaining them from publicly available documentation from the RAND Corporation. The SF-36 yields eight scale scores and two summary scores. The physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores were derived using an orthogonal-factor analytic model that forced the PCS and MCS to be uncorrelated, and it has been shown to contribute to an inflation of the MCS in patients with substantial physical disability. Oblique scoring can reduce this inflation of the MCS in orthopaedic studies. Spreadsheets to score the SF-36, along with a copy of the questionnaire, are provided.
Over the past 3 decades, the status of sea turtles and the need for their protection to aid population recovery have increasingly captured the interest of government agencies, non-governmental ...organisations (NGOs) and the general public worldwide. This interest has been matched by increased research attention, focusing on a wide variety of topics relating to sea turtle biology and ecology, together with the interrelations of sea turtles with the physical and natural environments. Although sea turtles have been better studied than most other marine fauna, management actions and their evaluation are often hindered by the lack of data on turtle biology, human-turtle interactions, turtle population status and threats. In an effort to inform effective sea turtle conservation a list of priority research questions was assembled based on the opinions of 35 sea turtle researchers from 13 nations working in fields related to turtle biology and/or conservation. The combined experience of the contributing researchers spanned the globe as well as many relevant disciplines involved in conservation research. An initial list of more than 200 questions gathered from respondents was condensed into 20 metaquestions and classified under 5 categories: reproductive biology, biogeography, population ecology, threats and conservation strategies.
The ribosomal incorporation of nonnative amino acids into polypeptides in living cells provides the opportunity to endow therapeutic proteins with unique pharmacological properties. We report here ...the first clinical study of a biosynthetic protein produced using an expanded genetic code. Incorporation of p-acetylphenylalanine (pAcF) at distinct locations in human growth hormone (hGH) allowed site-specific conjugation with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to produce homogeneous hGH variants. A mono-PEGylated mutant hGH modified at residue 35 demonstrated favorable pharmacodynamic properties in GH-deficient rats. Clinical studies in GH-deficient adults demonstrated efficacy and safety comparable to native human growth hormone therapy but with increased potency and reduced injection frequency. This example illustrates the utility of nonnative amino acids to optimize protein therapeutics in an analogous fashion to the use of medicinal chemistry to optimize conventional natural products, low molecular weight drugs, and peptides.
Spectral line surveys are an indispensable tool for exploring the physical and chemical evolution of astrophysical environments due to the vast amount of data that can be obtained in a relatively ...short amount of time. We present deep, broadband spectral line surveys of 30 interstellar clouds using two broadband λ = 1.3 mm receivers at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. This information can be used to probe the influence of physical environment on molecular complexity. We observed a wide variety of sources to examine the relative abundances of organic molecules as they relate to the physical properties of the source (i.e., temperature, density, dynamics, etc.). The spectra are highly sensitive, with noise levels ≤25 mK at a velocity resolution of ∼0.35 km s−1. In the initial analysis presented here, column densities and rotational temperatures have been determined for the molecular species that contribute significantly to the spectral line density in this wavelength regime. We present these results and discuss their implications for complex molecule formation in the interstellar medium.
Climate change and overfishing may lead to ecosystem instability and may benefit nonexploited organisms such as jellyfish. In the Irish Sea, an increase in jellyfish abundance was evident (r²=0.29, ...P=0.03) in a 16-year time-series (1994-2009) collected during juvenile fish surveys. Jellyfish abundance correlated positively with sea surface temperature (SST) over the preceding 18 months (r=0.65, pACF<0.001) and copepod biomass in the previous year (r=0.56, pACF=0.03) and negatively with spring (February-May) precipitation (r=−0.57, pACF=0.02). Principal components regression indicated that climatic indices explained 68% of the interannual variability in jellyfish abundance (P=0.003), where the components were based on the North Atlantic Oscillation Index, SST and precipitation. The frequency of cnidarian material present in Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) samples has also increased since 1970, with a period of frequent outbreaks between 1982 and 1991. Before this period, the herring stock in the northern Irish Sea declined rapidly to a low level, potentially stimulating structural change in the ecosystem. In 1985, there was a step decrease in CPR copepod biomass and in 1989, a step increase in the phytoplankton colour index, suggesting a cascading regime shift during the 1980s. Subsequent overexploitation of gadids, coupled with warm temperatures and the poor recruitment of cod, led to the rapid decline in cod biomass from 1990. While the biomass of sprat has decreased in the last decade, the herring stock has recovered partially. Reductions in demersal fishing pressure since 2000, intended to stimulate cod recovery, appear to have facilitated further rises in haddock biomass. Since the 1980s regime shift, sea temperatures have increased, the fish community has altered and jellyfish abundance has risen such that jellyfish and haddock may now play an increasingly important role in the ecosystem.
Time-division multiplexing (TDM) is a mature scheme for the readout of arrays of transition-edge sensors (TESs). TDM is based on superconducting-quantum-interference-device (SQUID) current ...amplifiers. Multiple spectrometers based on gamma-ray and X-ray microcalorimeters have been operated with TDM readout, each at the scale of 200 sensors per spectrometer, as have several astronomical cameras with thousands of sub-mm or microwave bolometers. Here we present the details of two different versions of our TDM system designed to read out X-ray TESs. The first has been field-deployed in two 160-sensor (8 columns
×
20 rows) spectrometers and four 240-sensor (8 columns
×
30 rows) spectrometers. It has a three-SQUID-stage architecture, switches rows every 320 ns, and has total readout noise of 0.41
μ
Φ
0
/
√
Hz. The second, which is presently under development, has a two-SQUID-stage architecture, switches rows every 160 ns, and has total readout noise of 0.19
μ
Φ
0
/
√
Hz. Both quoted noise values are non-multiplexed and referred to the first-stage SQUID. In a demonstration of this new architecture, a multiplexed 1-column
×
32-row array of NIST TESs achieved average energy resolution of
2.55
±
0.01
eV at 6 keV.
A Paradigm Shift in the Trophic Importance of Jellyfish? Hays, Graeme C.; Doyle, Thomas K.; Houghton, Jonathan D.R.
Trends in ecology & evolution (Amsterdam),
November 2018, 2018-11-00, 20181101, Letnik:
33, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The past 30 years have seen several paradigm shifts in our understanding of how ocean ecosystems function. Now recent technological advances add to an overwhelming body of evidence for another ...paradigm shift in terms of the role of gelatinous plankton (jellyfish) in marine food webs. Traditionally viewed as trophic dead ends, stable isotope analysis of predator tissues, animal-borne cameras, and DNA analysis of fecal and gut samples (metabarcoding) are all indicating that many taxa routinely consume jellyfish. Despite their low energy density, the contribution of jellyfish to the energy budgets of predators may be much greater than assumed because of rapid digestion, low capture costs, availability, and selective feeding on the more energy-rich components. Feeding on jellyfish may make marine predators susceptible to ingestion of plastics.
Jellyfish are ubiquitous in the world’s oceans, can occur in very high densities and are increasing in abundance in some areas. Yet they have long been considered trophic dead ends that are ignored by most predators because of their low nutritional content.
New approaches are being used to examine the diet of marine predators including stable isotope analysis of predator tissues, animal-borne cameras, and DNA analysis of fecal and gut samples (metabarcoding). These new approaches have revealed that around the world’s oceans jellyfish are frequently consumed by a diverse range of marine predators including fish, birds, turtles, and various invertebrates including octopus, sea cucumbers, crabs, and amphipods.
Taken together, there is now overwhelming evidence that jellyfish are integral components of marine food webs and warrant attention for reasons far exceeding their impacts on human enterprise. Armed with an array of cutting-edge techniques we now have the capacity to drive such investigations forward like never before.
Telemetry is a key, widely used tool to understand marine megafauna distribution, habitat use, behavior, and physiology; however, a critical question remains: “How many animals should be tracked to ...acquire meaningful data sets?” This question has wide-ranging implications including considerations of statistical power, animal ethics, logistics, and cost. While power analyses can inform sample sizes needed for statistical significance, they require some initial data inputs that are often unavailable. To inform the planning of telemetry and biologging studies of marine megafauna where few or no data are available or where resources are limited, we reviewed the types of information that have been obtained in previously published studies using different sample sizes. We considered sample sizes from one to >100 individuals and synthesized empirical findings, detailing the information that can be gathered with increasing sample sizes. We complement this review with simulations, using real data, to show the impact of sample size when trying to address various research questions in movement ecology of marine megafauna. We also highlight the value of collaborative, synthetic studies to enhance sample sizes and broaden the range, scale, and scope of questions that can be answered.
Background: EP0057 (formerly CRLX101) is an investigational nanoparticle-drug conjugate (NDC) of a cyclodextrin-based polymer backbone plus camptothecin, a topoisomerase-1 inhibitor. Prior studies ...showed efficacy in recurrent or persistent, epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer (EOC).
Methods: This phase Ib/2 trial assessed safety and efficacy of EP0057 Q2W plus weekly paclitaxel in patients with EOC. The recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) was identified using a 3+3 design. The single-arm phase 2 assessed overall response (ORR) per RECIST 1.1 in patients previously treated with bevacizumab. Secondary objectives included progression free survival (PFS) and duration of response.
Results: The RP2D was established as 15 mg/m2 EP0057 Q2W plus 80 mg/m2 paclitaxel administered 3 weeks on/1 week off. Nine patients enrolled on phase 1b, with no DLTs; 21 additional patients enrolled on phase 2. All completed >1 cycle. Median age was 62 (44-76) years, 57% ≥3 prior therapies. For the primary analysis, 6/19 patients with prior bevacizumab had confirmed responses (ORR=31.6% (95% CI: 15.4% to 54.0%)) including one complete response (CR). Median PFS was 5.4 months. Most common grade 3/4 adverse events attributed to treatment were decreased neutrophil count (13, 43%) and anemia (3, 10%).
Conclusions: Although the observed ORR was not statistically better than the historical control rate, EP0057 remains an interesting option for treatment of recurrent EOC. EP0057 exhibits high plasma drug retention, slow clearance, and controlled slow release of CPT from the polymer when administered alone and with paclitaxel. (NCT02389985) 242 words
•EP0057 is an investigational nanoparticle-drug conjugate (NDC) of a cyclodextrin-based polymer backbone plus camptothecin•EP0057 15 mg/m2 Q2W plus 80 mg/m2 paclitaxel administered 3 weeks on/1 week off is the well tolerated phase 2 dose•EP0057 exhibits high plasma drug retention, slow clearance, and controlled slow release of CPT from the polymer
New frontiers in biologging science Rutz, Christian; Hays, Graeme C.
Biology letters,
06/2009, Letnik:
5, Številka:
3
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The term 'biologging' refers to the use of miniaturized animal-attached tags for logging and/or relaying of data about an animal's movements, behaviour, physiology and/or environment. Biologging ...technology substantially extends our abilities to observe, and take measurements from, free-ranging, undisturbed subjects, providing much scope for advancing both basic and applied biological research. Here, we review highlights from the third international conference on biologging science, which was held in California, USA, from 1 to 5 September 2008. Over the last few years, considerable progress has been made with a range of recording technologies as well as with the management, visualization, integration and analysis of increasingly large and complex biologging datasets. Researchers use these techniques to study animal biology with an unprecedented level of detail and across the full range of ecological scales-from the split-second decision making of individuals to the long-term dynamics of populations, and even entire communities. We conclude our report by suggesting some directions for future research.
PDF
