Blood is an important reservoir for Pb storage in living organisms, and the storage of Pb in blood cells inhibits its discharge from blood. However, the mechanism and molecular targets of Pb entry ...and exit from blood cells have not been elucidated, which is the major barrier to reducing blood Pb levels in normal human beings. In this study, we explored the effect of Pb-binding proteins on blood Pb levels in rats at environmentally relevant concentrations (0.32 μg/g) by identifying the functions of Pb-binding proteins and validating them with inhibitors. The results showed that Pb-binding proteins in blood cells were mainly related to phagocytosis, while in plasma, they were mainly involved in the regulation of endopeptidase activity. Meanwhile, at the normal population Pb levels, endocytosis inhibitors, endopeptidase activity inhibitors, and coadministration of both can reduce the level of Pb in MEL (mouse erythroleukemia cells) cells by up to 50, 40, and 50%, respectively, while in rat blood, the reduction can reach up to 26, 13, and 32%, respectively. Collectively, these findings reveal that endocytosis increases blood Pb levels and provides a possible molecular target for Pb excretion at ambient concentrations.
We investigate the likelihood ratio test for a large block-diagonal covariance matrix with an increasing number of blocks under the null hypothesis. While so far the likelihood ratio statistic has ...only been studied for normal populations, we establish that its asymptotic behavior is invariant under a much larger class of distributions. This implies robustness against model misspecification, which is common in high-dimensional regimes. Demonstrating the flexibility of our approach, we additionally establish asymptotic normality of the log-likelihood ratio test for the equality of many large sample covariance matrices under model uncertainty. A simulation study and an analysis of a data set from psychology emphasize the usefulness of our findings.
Purpose
The KOOS questionnaire is used to assess the symptoms and function of patients with traumatic or degenerative knee pathology. The WOMAC score has been validated mainly in the context of knee ...osteoarthritis. The distribution of these scores in a non-diseased population is not known. The hypothesis was that KOOS and WOMAC scores were influenced by patients’ age, sex, and BMI. The primary objective of this study was to describe, for the first time, the distribution of KOOS and WOMAC scores in a healthy population based on age, sex, and BMI.
Methods
This was a pilot (innovative), cross-sectional, international, multicenter, descriptive study. Persons accompanying patients to our clinic were invited to participate in this study by filling out the KOOS questionnaire. These data were also used to calculate the WOMAC score. The study was designed according to guidelines on pilot studies and planned to enroll a minimum of 30 subjects in each age, gender, and BMI group. Expected KOOS and WOMAC scores by age, gender, and BMI were determined using a linear regression model.
Results
Seven hundred and fourteen subjects were included: 305 men (42.7%) and 409 women (57.3%). For the KOOS score, as age increases, there was a decrease in the “ADL” (
p
= 0.0001) and “sport” (
p
= 0.0001) items and an increase in the “symptoms” (
p
= 0.0025) and “QOL” items (
p
= 0.0001). Women had lower scores (
p
< 0.05) than men on all the KOOS items, except “QOL”. For the WOMAC, the “pain”, “stiffness”, and “function” items varied significantly based on age (
p
= 0.0203) and sex (
p
= 0.0121). The “stiffness” item varied significantly based on age (
p
= 0.0005) and sex (
p
= 0.0477). The “function” item varied significantly based on age (
p
= 0.0001) and sex (
p
= 0.0256). The expected value for the KOOS and WOMAC scores in a healthy population without any knee ailments were determined.
Conclusions
The KOOS and WOMAC scores vary significantly based on age, sex, and BMI in a healthy population. This study also provides KOOS and WOMAC values in a population without any knee issue. These scores can be used, in a daily practice, as a reference to assess functional outcomes after a surgical procedure.
Level of evidence
IV.
The extended psychosis phenotype, or the expression of nonclinical positive psychotic experiences, is already prevalent in adolescence and has a dose-response risk relationship with later psychotic ...disorder. In 2 large adolescent general population samples (n = 5422 and n = 2230), prevalence and structure of the extended psychosis phenotype was investigated. Positive psychotic experiences, broadly defined, were reported by the majority of adolescents. Exploratory analysis with Structural Equation Modelling (Exploratory Factor Analysis followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis CFA) in sample 1 suggested that psychotic experiences were best represented by 5 underlying dimensions; CFA in sample 2 provided a replication of this model. Dimensions were labeled Hallucinations, Delusions, Paranoia, Grandiosity, and Paranormal beliefs. Prevalences differed strongly, Hallucinations having the lowest and Paranoia having the highest rates. Girls reported more experiences on all dimensions, except Grandiosity, and from age 12 to 16 years rates increased. Hallucinations, Delusions, and Paranoia, but not Grandiosity and Paranormal beliefs, were associated with distress and general measures of psychopathology. Thus, only some of the dimensions of the extended psychosis phenotype in young people may represent a continuum with more severe psychopathology and predict later psychiatric disorder.
In this article, the inference on location parameter for the skew-normal population under dependent samples is considered. First, the Bootstrap test statistics and Bootstrap confidence intervals for ...the Behrens-Fisher-type problem are constructed, respectively, when the scale parameter or skewness parameter is known. Second, the Monte-Carlo simulation results indicate that the Bootstrap approach is better than the approximate approach in most cases. Finally, the above approaches are illustrated by using the real data examples of gross domestic product and stock closing price.
Smartphones are ubiquitous, but it is still unknown what physiological functions can be monitored at clinical quality. In medicine their use is cited in many fields (cardiology, pulmology, ...endocrinology, rheumatology, pediatrics as well as in the field of mental health).
The aim of this paper is to explain how the use of mobile application can help clients to improve the index of their focus, concentration and motor skills. Our original developed application on Android operating system, named “neurogame” is based on an open source platform to enable assessment and therapeutic stimulation, focus and concentration with the ability to monitor the progress of the results obtained in a larger number of participants (normal subjects as well as patients with different disorders) over a period of time.
Whilst nowadays the predominant focus is on the pharmacological treatments, there is a rapidly growing interest in research on alternative options that will offer help in many cases of disorder management in terms of mobile application games.
In order to have some kind of “norms”, we evaluated a group of healthy population. Obtained results will serve as a database for comparison the future results. This article displays the results obtained as database.
When the scale parameters and skewness parameters are unknown, we consider the problem of homogeneous test of location parameters in several skew-normal populations. First, the conditional test ...statistic is constructed and its approximate distribution is proved. Second, we estimate the unknown parameters based on the methods of moment and maximum likelihood estimation. Then we construct the Bootstrap test statistics and generalize the results of Xu from normal population to skew-normal population. Further, the Monte-Carlo simulation results indicate that in terms of controlling the Type I error probability, the Bootstrap test statistic based on the moment estimator performs better than that based on the maximum likelihood estimator. Finally, the above approaches are illustrated with two real examples of gross domestic product and turbine bearing performance.
Objective
MMP‐8 is a prominent collagenase in periodontal disease. This cross‐sectional study examined whether MMP‐8 levels in saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) are associated with ...periodontitis in a Swiss population.
Subjects and Methods
A total of 258 subjects (107 m, 151 f, mean age: 43.5 yr; range: 21–58 yr) acquired from the Swiss bone marrow donor registry participated in the study. Saliva and GCF samples were collected from subjects followed by a thorough dental and periodontal examination. MMP‐8 levels were determined with immunofluorometric assay. Associations of MMP‐8 levels with periodontal diagnosis, probing pocket depth (PPD) and bleeding on probing were statistically analysed with Pearson chi‐square test, Spearman's rho and logistic regression analysis.
Results
MMP‐8 in GCF correlated with MMP‐8 in saliva (p < .001). Periodontitis was more common (p < .001) among subjects with high levels of MMP‐8 in saliva and/or GCF compared with subjects with low levels of MMP‐8. Higher MMP‐8 levels in GCF and saliva were associated with any periodontal diagnosis (mild, moderate or severe), greater PPD, and bleeding on probing (p < .05). When age, gender, smoking, body mass index, number of medications and decayed, missing and filled teeth were adjusted for, all observed associations remained statistically significant. The area under curve of receiver‐operating characteristic was 0.67 for saliva and 0.71 for GCF.
Conclusion
Elevated MMP‐8 levels both in saliva and GCF are associated with periodontitis in a normal adult population.
The current study aimed to investigate the sagittal morphology of the spinopelvic complex and the components of the lumbar spine in the normal population. In total, 132 adult volunteers were ...retrospectively evaluated and divided into four groups according to the Roussouly classification. Statistical analysis of radiological parameters, including lumbar lordosis (LL), thoracic kyphosis (TK), pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), PI–LL, LL–TK, lumbar vertebral lordosis from L1 to L5 (L1L–L5L), the intervertebral angle from L1–L2 to L5–S1 (IVA1‐2–IVA5‐1), segmental lordosis from L1 to L5 (S1L–S5L), the proportion of L1–L5 (L1%–L5%), the proportion of the intervertebral angle from L1–L2 to L5–S1 (IVA1‐2%–IVA5‐1%), and proportion of segmental lordosis from L1 to L5 (S1L%–S5L%), was performed. Based on the classification, type II (n = 46) was the most common, followed by type I (n = 39), type III (n = 36), and type IV (n = 11). The quantitative values of the sagittal parameters of the four groups were obtained. Results showed a significant difference in terms of LL, PI, SS, and LL‐TK. Further, L1%, L2%, L3%, IVA1‐2%, IVA2‐3%, S1L%, S2L%, and S3L% had an increasing trend. PI was positively correlated with LL, S1L, S2L, S3L, S4L, S1L%, and S2L%, but not with S5L%. In conclusion, pelvic parameters had a significant effect on lumbar curvature and lordosis distribution. Further, the abovementioned results were beneficial for individual surgical decision‐making regarding targeted intervertebral angle, screw‐insertion dimension, and rod contouring.
Reports on the incidence of persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) in the normal population are limited to studies involving pacemaker implantation candidates and cadavers. The incidence in ...patients with congenital heart diseases (CHDs) is estimated to be higher than that in the normal population; however, the details are unclear. To investigate the incidence of PLSVC in the normal population and in patients with CHDs, subjects were examined prospectively using echocardiography. Normal subjects consisted of 2841 successive neonates without intra-cardiac or congenital anomalies born in Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center. Additionally, 1920 patients with CHDs were evaluated. The incidence of PLSVC in normal neonates was 0.21% (95% confidence interval 0.042–0.38%). A high incidence (more than 7.0 times the incidence in normal subjects) was observed in all CHD patients. The high incidence group included coarctation of the aorta (CoA) (23.7%) and double outlet right ventricle (DORV) patients (24.6%). The second group consisted of CHD patients with ventricular septal defect (VSD), with an incidence ranging from 5.1 to 6.1%. The low incidence group comprised patients with other CHDs, with an incidence between 1.5 and 3.1%. The incidence of PLSVC in trisomy 21 and atrial septal defect patients was significantly higher than that in normal neonates. The incidence of PLSVC in the normal population and in patients with CHDs was systematically evaluated for the first time. The incidence in CHD patients appeared to be positively influenced by the type of CHD, particularly by DORV, CoA, and VSD.
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