Sensitivity of a computer adaptive assessment for measuring functional mobility changes in children enrolled in a community fitness programme.

Objective: To examine the relative sensitivity to detect functional mobility changes with a full-length parent questionnaire compared with a computerized adaptive testing version of the questionnaire after a 16-week group fitness programme.

Design: Prospective, pre- and posttest study with a 16-week group fitness intervention.

Setting: Three community-based fitness centres.

Computerized adaptive testing for follow-up after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation: I. Activity outcomes.

Objective: To examine score agreement, precision, validity, efficiency, and responsiveness of a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) version of the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC-CAT) in a prospective, 3-month follow-up sample of inpatient rehabilitation patients recently discharged home.

Design: Longitudinal, prospective 1-group cohort study of patients followed approximately 2 weeks after hospital discharge and then 3 months after the initial home visit.

Setting: Follow-up visits conducted in patients' home setting.

Measuring patient-reported outcomes after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation settings.

Objective: To examine the sensitivity of the Short Form Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC) in comparison to the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) across a 12-month period after discharge from rehabilitation hospital.

Design: Prospective longitudinal study. Patients were recruited while receiving inpatient services from facilities in the north-east USA and interviewed 1, 6 and 12 months thereafter.

Long-term treatment with bevacizumab for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: case report.

Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor that has demonstrated increased overall survival when added to standard chemotherapy regimens for metastatic colorectal cancer. Herein we report the cases of 2 patients who demonstrated prolonged survival times of almost 5 and 6 years, respectively, on various chemotherapy regimens that also included bevacizumab. Throughout most of their disease course, these patients maintained a good quality of life, with some adjustments of chemotherapy doses because of side effects.

A physical performance measure for individuals with mucopolysaccharidosis type I.

The purpose of this article is threefold: (1) to describe the development, reliability, and validity of a revised physical performance measure for individuals with mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I); (2) to standardize the test on a normal sample; and (3) to compare results from a selected sample of individuals with MPS I with age-based centiles. The MPS Physical Performance Measure (MPS-PPM) is composed of eight timed functional tasks (FT-8) and two endurance tasks with a modified Energy Expenditure Index for comfortable walking (CW) and fast walking (FW) speeds. Age norms were derived from a convenience sample of 150 typically developing children and adolescents (75 males, 75 females; mean age 11y 2mo [SD 4y 5mo]; range 5-22y).

Is alpha-pinene a substrate for permeability-glycoprotein in wood rats?

alpha-Pinene is the dominant monoterpene in Juniperus monosperma. Wood rat species in the genus Neotoma that consume J. monosperma vary in their inclusion of it in their wild diet and in their tolerance of whole J.

Evaluation of a community-based group fitness program for children with disabilities.

Purpose: This study examined the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of a community-based group fitness program for children with disabilities.

Methods: Twenty-eight children with neuromuscular and developmental disabilities, 6 to 14 years of age, participated. The 16-week community-based program, held twice weekly, consisted of strengthening, aerobic conditioning, and flexibility exercises.

Interpreting change scores of tests and measures used in physical therapy.

Over the past decade, the methods and science used to describe changes in outcomes of physical therapy services have become more refined. Recently, emphasis has been placed not only on changes beyond expected measurement error, but also on the identification of changes that make a real difference in the lives of patients and families. This article will highlight a case example of how to determine and interpret "clinically significant change" from both of these perspectives.

Temperature Sensitivity and Efficacy of Wheat streak mosaic virus Resistance Derived from CO960293 Wheat.

Wheat yields often are limited by infection by Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV). Host plant resistance to WSMV can reduce losses. This study was conducted to characterize a new source of temperature-sensitive resistance found in CO960293 wheat.

Phosphorus scavenging in the unicellular marine diazotroph Crocosphaera watsonii.

Through the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen and photosynthesis, marine diazotrophs play a critical role in the global cycling of nitrogen and carbon. Crocosphaera watsonii is a recently described unicellular diazotroph that may significantly contribute to marine nitrogen fixation in tropical environments. One of the many factors that can constrain the growth and nitrogen fixation rates of marine diazotrophs is phosphorus bioavailability.

Phosphonate utilization by the globally important marine diazotroph Trichodesmium.

The factors that control the growth and nitrogen fixation rates of marine diazotrophs such as Trichodesmium have been intensively studied because of the role that these processes have in the global cycling of carbon and nitrogen, and in the sequestration of carbon to the deep sea. Because the phosphate concentrations of many ocean gyres are low, the bioavailability of the larger, chemically heterogeneous pool of dissolved organic phosphorus could markedly influence Trichodesmium physiology. Here we describe the induction, by phosphorus stress, of genes from the Trichodesmium erythraeum IMS101 genome that are predicted to encode proteins associated with the high-affinity transport and hydrolysis of phosphonate compounds by a carbon-phosphorus lyase pathway.

Long serial analysis of gene expression for gene discovery and transcriptome profiling in the widespread marine coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi.

The abundant and widespread coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi plays an important role in mediating CO2 exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere through its impact on marine photosynthesis and calcification. Here, we use long serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) to identify E. huxleyi genes responsive to nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) starvation.

The emerging role of the pediatric physical therapist in evaluation and intervention for individuals with lysosomal storage diseases.

Purpose: The purposes of this article are to describe the pathology, medical implications, and typical impairments of individuals with various lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs), summarize results of recent clinical trials on medical interventions relevant to physical therapy practice, report new advances in functional measurement, and suggest a framework for physical therapy management and intervention.

Summary Of Key Points: Medical and surgical interventions are enabling individuals with LSDs to not only survive but to improve their daily functioning and quality of life. This is likely to become an increasing area of emphasis in pediatric physical therapy, as the intervention emphasis for some individuals will shift from maintenance to restorative programs.

Comparison of Dn4- and Dn7-carrying spring wheat genotypes artificially infested with Russian wheat aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) biotype 1.

Genetic resistance is a useful control strategy for managing Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), in wheat, Triticum aestivum L. In 2003, a Russian wheat aphid population (denoted as biotype 2) identified in Colorado was virulent to genotypes carrying the Dn4 Russian wheat aphid resistance gene, necessitating the rapid identification and deployment of new sources of resistance. Although the Dn7 gene had shown excellent resistance to Russian wheat aphid biotypes 1 and 2 in evaluations in the greenhouse, no information is available on the amount of protection provided by Dn7 under field conditions.

Contemporary measurement techniques for rehabilitation outcomes assessment.

In this article, we review the limitations of traditional rehabilitation functional outcome instruments currently in use within the rehabilitation field to assess Activity and Participation domains as defined by the International Classification of Function, Disability, and Health. These include a narrow scope of functional outcomes, data incompatibility across instruments, and the precision vs feasibility dilemma. Following this, we illustrate how contemporary measurement techniques, such as item response theory methods combined with computer adaptive testing methodology, can be applied in rehabilitation to design functional outcome instruments that are comprehensive in scope, accurate, allow for compatibility across instruments, and are sensitive to clinically important change without sacrificing their feasibility.

Beyond function: predicting participation in a rehabilitation cohort.

Objectives: To monitor participation in a rehabilitation cohort and to identify determinants of change during a 12-month period posthospitalization following the onset of one of several major disabling conditions.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: Postacute care rehabilitation settings.

Central auditory processing and social functioning following brain injury in children.

Primary Objective: To describe the percentage of children with central auditory processing disorders (CAPD) and examine the recovery patterns of social functional skills in children with and without CAPD admitted to inpatient rehabilitation following an acquired brain injury (ABI).

Research Design: Retrospective, descriptive.

Methods And Procedures: Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to examine overall differences in social functioning between groups, within groups and interaction effects for the Paediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) Social Functional Skills and Caregiver Assistance scales for 31 children admitted to inpatient rehabilitation following ABI.

A fitness program for children with disabilities.

Background And Purpose: This case report describes a fitness program for children with disabilities and provides preliminary information about the safety and feasibility of the program.

Case Description: Nine children, 5 to 9 years of age with physical or other developmental disabilities, participated in a 14-week group exercise program held 2 times per week followed by a 12-week home exercise program. Energy expenditure index, leg strength (force-generating capacity of muscle), functional skills, fitness, self-perception, and safety were measured before intervention, after the group exercise program, and again after the home exercise program.

Measuring physical function in patients with complex medical and postsurgical conditions: a computer adaptive approach.

Objective: To examine whether the range of disability in the medically complex and postsurgical populations receiving rehabilitation is adequately sampled by the new Activity Measure--Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC), and to assess whether computer adaptive testing (CAT) can derive valid patient scores using fewer questions.

Design: Observational study of 158 subjects (mean age 67.2 yrs) receiving skilled rehabilitation services in inpatient (acute rehabilitation hospitals, skilled nursing facility units) and community (home health services, outpatient departments) settings for recent-onset or worsening disability from medical (excluding neurological) and surgical (excluding orthopedic) conditions.

Olfactory specific chymotrypsin-like serine protease from the aesthetasc tegumental gland of the lobster, Homarus americanus.

Numerous proteases and protease inhibitors are expressed in the lobster olfactory organ. One of these proteases, olfactory enriched transcript 03 (OET-03), is particularly interesting because its mRNA is expressed only in one cell type of the olfactory organ of the American lobster, Homarus americanus. We have obtained a full-length cDNA clone of OET-03.

Parental perceptions of oral health-related quality of life for children with special needs: impact of oral rehabilitation under general anesthesia.

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to: (1) describe the symptoms, daily life problems and parental concerns related to oral health for children with special health care needs; and (2) examine the effectiveness of oral rehabilitation under general anesthesia at improving quality of life (QOL).

Methods: A single-group design measuring change over time was used. Family caregivers of 107 children with special needs, for whom oral rehabilitation under general anesthesia was recommended, completed a QOL survey upon dental examination.

Head circumference and chronic positive pressure ventilation in children: a pilot study.

Methods: We reviewed the cases of 11 children <12 years of age with complex medical conditions and respiratory failure requiring chronic positive pressure ventilation (CPPV). We conducted a within-group comparison of average head circumference (HC) percentiles with each child's age-expected 50th percentile value and a between-groups comparison with children with no history of ventilation. We examined the relationship between HC, peak levels of positive inspiratory pressure (PIP), and length of time on CPPV.

Protein kinase C betaII plays an essential role in dendritic cell differentiation and autoregulates its own expression.

Dendritic cells (DC) arise from a diverse group of hematopoietic progenitors and have marked phenotypic and functional heterogeneity. The signal transduction pathways that regulate the ability of progenitors to undergo DC differentiation, as well as the specific characteristics of the resulting DC, are only beginning to be characterized. We have found previously that activation of protein kinase C (PKC) by cytokines or phorbol esters drives normal human CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitors and myeloid leukemic blasts (KG1, K562 cell lines, and primary patient blasts) to differentiate into DC.

Assessing mobility in children using a computer adaptive testing version of the pediatric evaluation of disability inventory.

Objective: To assess score agreement, validity, precision, and response burden of a prototype computerized adaptive testing (CAT) version of the Mobility Functional Skills Scale (Mob-CAT) of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) as compared with the full 59-item version (Mob-59).

Design: Computer simulation analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal retrospective data; and cross-sectional prospective study.

Setting: Pediatric rehabilitation hospital, including inpatient acute rehabilitation, day school program, outpatient clinics, community-based day care, preschool, and children's homes.

Yield response and categories of resistance to Russian wheat aphid in four Dn4 hard red winter wheat cultivars.

A field experiment was conducted to determine whether resistance to Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), conferred by the Dn4 gene is affected by genetic background. This was done by comparing the yield responses to Russian wheat aphid-resistant wheat containing Dn4, derived through the backcross method, to those of the corresponding recurrent parents. Infested resistant cultivars had fewer Russian wheat aphids per tiller than infested susceptible cultivars at the Lamar and Fort Collins, CO sites but not at the Akron, CO site.