Evaluating clinical reasoning in first year DPT students using a script concordance test.

BACKGROUND: A script concordance test (SCT) provides a series of clinical vignettes to assess clinical reasoning in uncertainty. Appraised throughout health education literature, SCTs are cognitive assessments of clinical reasoning, though their use in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) entry-level education has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to develop and explore the reliability and validity of a SCT for first year DPT students. METHODS: The SCT was developed and implemented over four phases. During phases one and two, DPT program faculty consulted on course content from the first-year curriculum. Thirty clinical vignettes with three follow-up questions each were constructed. The SCT was pilot tested with five clinicians in phase three to assess question clarity. During phase four, the SCT was administered to students and a reference panel via Qualtrics. First year DPT students (n = 44) and reference panel physical therapists with at least two years of experience and advanced certification (n = 15) completed the SCT. Internal consistency was analyzed using Cronbach's Alpha. Differences between student and reference panel percent-correct scores were analyzed with a t-test. Relationships between student SCT scores and academic records were explored with Spearman's Rho. RESULTS: The SCT had an internal consistency of 0.74. A significant difference in scores was found between the students [mean 58.5 (+/-5.31)] and reference panel [65.8 (+/-4.88), p < .01]. No significant correlations between student SCT scores and academic records were found. CONCLUSIONS: The developed SCT was reliable and demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency among test items. The SCT successfully differentiated between groups, with the reference panel demonstrating statistically significant higher percent-correct scores compared to students. SCTs may provide means to measure clinical reasoning in DPT students and lead to novel pedagogical approaches to enhance clinical reasoning.

Controlled release of α-tocopherol, quercetin, and their cyclodextrin inclusion complexes from linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) films into a coconut oil model food system.

Polymer additive migration into a food product is dependent upon numerous factors including the original concentration of the additive in the polymer, its solubility in the food, its diffusion coefficient in the polymer, its partition coefficient between the polymer and food, temperature, and time. The limited solubility of quercetin in linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) did not allow release from the film due to phase segregation of the quercetin in the bulk polymer. Increasing the molecular weight of α-tocopherol by ß-cyclodextrin inclusion complexation can greatly reduce its diffusion coefficient in LLDPE. Ziegler-Natta and metallocene LLDPE contain different crystalline structure morphologies and diffusion path networking arrangements that allow for differences in additive release rates. Effective controlled-release packaging should combine ß-cyclodextrin complexation of additives and polymer morphology control to target delivery of an optimal antioxidant concentration to achieve prolonged activity, resulting in extended shelf life foods.

Hepatitis B virus genotypes and HBsAg subtypes in refugees and injection drug users in the United States determined by LiPA and monoclonal EIA.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotyping and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) subtyping were carried out on sera from 196 HBsAg-positive patients, including 151 refugees entering the United States and 45 injection drug users in Seattle. HBsAg subtyping was performed by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) using a panel of monoclonal antibodies and the HBV genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by detection of amplified HBV DNA by a reverse-phase hybridization line probe assay (LiPA) using genotype-specific probes. HBV DNA was detected by PCR in 155 (79%) of the 196 sera and all 155 were genotyped by LiPA. Samples from Southeast Asia were predominantly genotype B/subtype ayw1 and genotype C/adr; samples from the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe were mostly genotype D/ayw2 and genotype D/ayw3; samples from east Africa were mainly genotype A/adw2 and genotype D/ayw2; and samples from injection drug users were mostly genotype D/ayw3 and genotype A/adw2. Some strains of ayw3 gave atypical monoclonal antibody reactivity patterns in the subtyping assay due to a Val/Ala instead of a Thr at amino acid residue 118 and a Thr instead of a Met at residue 125. A strain of ayw2 also gave an atypical monoclonal antibody reactivity pattern due to an Ala instead of a Thr at amino acid residue 123. LiPA genotyping and monoclonal EIA subtyping can provide useful information for epidemiological studies.

Frequent fusion of the JAZF1 and JJAZ1 genes in endometrial stromal tumors.

Endometrial stromal tumors are divided into three types: benign stromal nodules, endometrial stromal sarcomas, and undifferentiated endometrial sarcomas. A variety of cytogenetic abnormalities involving chromosome 7 have been reported in endometrial stromal sarcomas, including a recurrent t(7;17)(p15;q21). We have identified two zinc finger genes, which we have termed JAZF1 and JJAZ1, at the sites of the 7p15 and 17q21 breakpoints. Analyses of tumor RNA indicate that a JAZF1/JJAZ1 fusion is present in all types of endometrial stromal tumors; however, the fusion appears to be rarer among endometrial stromal sarcomas that would be considered high-grade according to certain classification schemes. These findings suggest that the less malignant endometrial stromal tumors may evolve toward more malignant types, but that some endometrial stromal sarcomas with relatively abundant mitotic activity may compose a biologically distinct group.

A microstructural finite element simulation of mechanically induced bone formation.

A finite element method to simulate the formation of an interconnected trabectular bone microstructure oriented with respect to applied in vivo mechanical forces is introduced and quantitatively compared to experimental data from a hydraulic bone chamber implant model. Randomly located 45 microm mineralized nodules were used as the initial condition for the model simulations to represent an early stage of intramembranous bone formation. Boundary conditions were applied consistent with the mechanical environment provided by the in vivo bone chamber model. A two-dimensional repair simulation algorithim that incorporated strain energy density (SED), SED gradient, principal strain, or principal strain gradient as the local objective criterion was utilized to simulate the formation of an oriented trabecular bone microstructure. The simulation solutions were convergent, unique, and relatively insensitive to the assumed initial distribution of mineralized nodules. Model predictions of trabecular bone morphology and anisotropy were quantitatively compared to experimental results. All simulations produced structures that qualitatively resembled oriented trabecular bone. However only simulations utilizing a gradient objective criterion yielded results quantitatively similar to in vivo observations. This simulation approach coupled with an experimental model that delivers controlled in vivo mechanical stimuli can be utilized to study the relationship between physical factors and microstructural adaptation during bone repair.

In vivo diffuse damage in human vertebral trabecular bone.

Accumulation of microdamage in vivo may lead to loss of bone quality. Until recently, linear microcracks were the only known form of in vivo microdamage, but through the use of confocal microscopy an additional level of damage (diffuse damage) has been identified. In this study, in vivo diffuse damage was characterized and quantified in human vertebral trabecular bone as a function of tissue morphology, age, race, gender, and previously quantified in vivo linear microcracks. Presence of diffuse damage in human vertebral tissue was confirmed and validated by simultaneous use of polarized, ultraviolet, and laser confocal microscopy. Diffuse damage was found to occur preferentially within trabecular packets rather than in interstitial bone (p < 0.05). It was consistently higher in men compared with women (p < 0.05), but was not different by race or age group. Diffuse damage did not correlate with linear microcracks, but both exhibited the same probability distribution in which the percentage of individuals having a particular amount of damage decreased exponentially as damage content increased. These findings suggest that diffuse damage accumulation and repair are governed by the same biological phenomena as microcracks, but diffuse damage contributes independently to the microdamage content of bone.

Diazoxide down-regulates leptin and lipid metabolizing enzymes in adipose tissue of Zucker rats.

We have previously reported that attenuation of hyperinsulinemia by diazoxide (DZ), an inhibitor of glucose-mediated insulin secretion, increased insulin sensitivity and reduced body weight in obese Zucker rats. These findings prompted us to investigate the effects of DZ on key insulin-sensitive enzymes regulating adipose tissue metabolism, fatty acid synthase (FAS), and lipoprotein lipase (LPL), as well as on circulating levels of leptin. We also determined the direct effects of diazoxide on FAS in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Seven-week-old female obese and lean Zucker rats were treated with DZ (150 mg/kg/d) or vehicle (C, control) for a period of 6 wk. Changes in plasma parameters by DZ include significant decreases in triglycerides, free fatty acids, glucose, and insulin, consistent with our previous reports. DZ obese rats exhibited lower plasma leptin levels (P<0.03) compared to their C animals. DZ significantly reduced adipose tissue FAS activity in both lean (P<0.0001) and obese (P<0.01) animals. LPL mRNA content was also decreased significantly in DZ-treated obese animals (P<0.009) as compared to their respective controls without a significant effect on lean animals. The possibility that DZ exerted a direct effect on adipocytes was further tested in cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Although diazoxide (5 microM) alone did not change FAS activity in cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes, it significantly attenuated insulin's effect on FAS activity (P<0.001). We demonstrate that DZ regulates key insulin-sensitive enzymes involved in regulation of adipose tissue metabolism. These findings suggest that modification of insulin-sensitive pathways can be therapeutically beneficial in obesity management.

Accelerating Scientific Discovery Through Computation and Visualization.

The rate of scientific discovery can be accelerated through computation and visualization. This acceleration results from the synergy of expertise, computing tools, and hardware for enabling high-performance computation, information science, and visualization that is provided by a team of computation and visualization scientists collaborating in a peer-to-peer effort with the research scientists. In the context of this discussion, high performance refers to capabilities beyond the current state of the art in desktop computing. To be effective in this arena, a team comprising a critical mass of talent, parallel computing techniques, visualization algorithms, advanced visualization hardware, and a recurring investment is required to stay beyond the desktop capabilities. This article describes, through examples, how the Scientific Applications and Visualization Group (SAVG) at NIST has utilized high performance parallel computing and visualization to accelerate condensate modeling, (2) fluid flow in porous materials and in other complex geometries, (3) flows in suspensions, (4) x-ray absorption, (5) dielectric breakdown modeling, and (6) dendritic growth in alloys.

Breakpoints of the t(11;18)(q21;q21) in mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma lie within or near the previously undescribed gene MALT1 in chromosome 18.

Lymphomas arising in mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) are indolent B-cell tumors that have a predilection for epithelial sites and often develop in a setting of chronic inflammation or autoimmunity. As many as 50% of low-grade MALT lymphomas contain an (11;18)(q21; q21) chromosomal translocation. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization, we have analyzed the position of recombination within chromosome 18 DNA in three examples of MALT lymphoma bearing this translocation. In all three cases, the breakpoint maps to DNA in BAC b357H2, covering about 150 kb of sequence. A previously undescribed, ubiquitously expressed gene, which we refer to as MALT1, was identified within this sequence and was found to be broken in one case for which we have definitively located the position of recombination between chromosomes 18 and 11. The sequence of this gene indicates the presence of two immunoglobulin-like C2 domains and a region of partial homology to caspases, suggesting a possible role for MALT1 in the regulation of apoptosis.

Insulin enhances glucocorticoid receptor-mediated induction of gene expression independent of a specific insulin response element.

We have established a system in which we observe a synergistic interaction between insulin and glucocorticoids. This includes chimeric genes constructed to contain synthetic glucocorticoid-responsive elements, 5' of the HSV thymidine kinase promoter and the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene. The magnitude of induction of gene expression by glucocorticoid was dependent on the number of GREs. Insulin alone had virtually no effect on the expression of any of these genes but together with dexamethasone acted in a synergistic manner. This synergy diminished as the number of GREs in the promoter increased. The synergy is independent of promoter sequences other than the GREs and a functional TATAA box. Three different approaches demonstrate that the effect of insulin is not directly on the glucocorticoid signal transduction pathway. Insulin does not change the dose-response relationship for dexamethasone. The effect of insulin is independent of the intracellular concentration of glucocorticoid receptor. The effect is independent of any specific domain of the glucocorticoid receptor. The target of insulin action is likely to be part of the normal host cell transcriptional initiation complex or a putative adaptor molecule.

A fluorometric assay for pyridoxal kinase applicable to crude cell extracts.

We have developed an assay for pyridoxal kinase which takes advantage of the intense fluorescence yield of the oxime of pyridoxal or pyridoxal-5'-phosphate and the substantial difference in the rates of formation of these two oximes. Evidence is presented which demonstrates that the assay is linear with respect to time and amount of protein and is applicable to the activity in crude cell extracts as well as purified enzyme.

Detection of mutations by cleavage of DNA heteroduplexes with bacteriophage resolvases.

We have explored the application of the bacteriophage resolvases T4 endonuclease VII and T7 endonuclease I for detecting mutations in genomic DNA. Heteroduplex DNA fragments prepared by amplification from DNA containing known mutations were cleaved by one or both enzymes at nucleotide mismatches created by 3 of 3 short deletions and 13 of 14 point mutations in fragments as large as 940 basepairs. Heteroduplexes representing all four classes of possible single nucleotide mismatches were cleaved, and the sizes of the cleavage products generated correlated with the location of the mutation. We conclude that bacteriophage resolvases may be useful reagents for the rapid screening of DNA for mutations.

Insulin-mediated inhibition of the induction of tyrosine aminotransferase by dexamethasone.

Insulin-mediated regulation of glucocorticoid-induced expression of the liver-specific gene tyrosine aminotransferase was studied in a clone of the Reuber rat hepatoma cells. Insulin inhibited dexamethasone-induced chloramphenicol acetyltransferase expression from approximately 4 kb of TAT 5' flanking sequence. The degree of this inhibition was comparable to the response of the endogenous gene. A construct of approximately 3 kbp of 5' flanking sequence exhibited no significant basal expression but retained sensitivity to glucocorticoids and to insulin inhibition of the glucocorticoid response. Results of further analysis of the insulin response in deletion constructs and constructs containing glucocorticoid responsive elements ligated to a heterologous promoter suggest that in addition to the glucocorticoid response elements a region close to the start site in the TAT promoter is necessary for insulin to inhibit glucocorticoid-mediated induction of expression.

Nanomolar cyclic adenosine and guanosine monophosphates stimulate macrophage colony-stimulating factor responsiveness by murine transitional progenitors.

Both 3':5' cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and 3':5' cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) stimulated colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1)-dependent colony formation by murine two-signal-dependent progenitors without influencing colony formation by committed CSF-1-responsive progenitors. The stimulatory effect was optimal at 10(-9) M and did not diminish with increasing concentrations of the cyclic nucleotides. The membrane-permeating analogs dibutyryl cAMP and 8-Br-cGMP similarly augmented colony formation by the transitional progenitors at 10(-9) M; however, with increasing concentration, enhancement diminished with eventual inhibition of total colony formation at micromolar concentrations. Stimulation by the two cyclic nucleotides was mutually incompatible. The results indicate that physiological levels of extracellular cyclic nucleotides may significantly influence myelopoiesis. Furthermore, the results introduce the interesting possibility that stimulation, unlike inhibition, may be initiated through an extracytoplasmic mechanism that does not require direct activation of cytoplasmic cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases.

Insulin-responsive tyrosine aminotransferase transcription requires multiple promoter regions.

This study used transient transfection analysis to determine the DNA regions which mediate basal and insulin-sensitive transcription from the gene encoding tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT; EC 2.6.1.5). Basal expression requires at least parts of two regions: a region at -3600 and a region from -208 to + 62. Insulin sensitivity requires at least one region of the promoter not required for basal expression. Thus, insulin cannot act solely by direct modification of any of the components required for basal transcription. Previous results from this laboratory suggest that the insulin effects on basal and glucocorticoid-induced TAT transcription require different regions of the proximal promoter.

An adaptive aortic pressure observer for the Penn State Electric Ventricular Assist Device.

This paper addresses the development of an aortic pressure observer for the Penn State Electric Ventricular Assist Device (EVAD). The observer estimates the aortic blood pressure by measuring the voltage of the electric motor and the pusher plate position. The estimated pressure is fedback to the EVAD's blood flow controller, which adjusts the beat rate of the device to accommodate the varying demand of cardiac output. The gains of the observer are deterministically optimized such that the optimal values are independent of the (often unknown) system state initial conditions. To improve the performance of the pressure observer an adaptation scheme is developed. In this scheme the initial pressure estimate of the succeeding systolic cycle is adjusted when the pressure does not match its corresponding second estimated value. In vitro test runs of the developed observer show that is is robust to parameter variations, and the error of the resultant estimated pressure is less than 5%.

Insulin-mediated regulation of tyrosine aminotransferase in rat hepatoma cells: inhibition of transcription and inhibition of enzyme degradation.

Insulin induces the enzyme tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) in Reuber H-35 rat hepatoma cells. A clone of these cells (KRC-7) was used to study the relationship between changes in enzyme activity and hybridizable mRNA, and rates of transcription for TAT in response to insulin. Our results indicate that enzyme activity is inducible by insulin in the presence of an inhibitor of RNA synthesis, suggesting that insulin functions post-transcriptionally to increase enzyme activity. Unexpectedly, insulin causes a decrease in the level of hybridizable TAT mRNA. Glucocorticoids cause an increase in TAT mRNA and insulin inhibits this increase when added either subsequent to or simultaneous with the addition of this agonist. Transcriptional runoffs demonstrate that insulin inhibits transcription of TAT to account for the aforementioned decrease in hybridizable mRNA. To examine the possibility that a post-translational mechanism is responsible for the increase in TAT activity caused by insulin, the rate of degradation of TAT protein was measured using polyclonal antibody. These experiments indicate that the rate of degradation of TAT is decreased about twofold in the presence of insulin, which suggests that part of the observed increase in TAT activity is due to selective post-translational stabilization of TAT. Therefore, insulin regulates TAT in KRC-7 cells by both transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms, the latter being responsible for the increase in activity.

Regulation of tyrosine aminotransferase by insulin and cyclic AMP: similar effects on activity but opposite effects on transcription.

Tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) is a liver-specific enzyme whose activity is subject to positive regulation by several agents including insulin and agonists that increase the intracellular concentration of cAMP. To further characterize the mechanism of insulin action and the interaction between cAMP and insulin several types of experiments were performed in a rat hepatoma cell-line. In the presence of the transcriptional inhibitor 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranoyslbenzimidazole, TAT enzyme activity remains inducible by insulin and to a lesser extent by the cAMP analog (Bu)2cAMP. This suggests that transcriptional events are not necessary for the insulin-mediated increase in TAT activity, and also suggests a dualistic mechanism for the cAMP-induced increase in TAT activity. Surprisingly, using a cDNA probe for mRNATAT, it was found that insulin causes a decrease in hybridizable mRNATAT, in addition to causing a partial inhibition of the increase of hybridizable TAT transcript caused by (Bu)2cAMP. Examination of the rate of transcription of the TAT gene by a nuclear run-off assay shows that insulin causes a decrease in the transcription of the TAT gene by greater than 50%, which is sufficient to account for the decrease in hybridizable mRNATAT. As expected (Bu)2cAMP increases the transcription of TAT, but combined with insulin a complete inhibition of the increase in TAT transcription caused by (Bu)2cAMP is observed. To address the possibility that insulin acts posttranslationally to increase TAT activity, the t1/2 of TAT protein was measured in the presence and absence of insulin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Neurotensin regulation of macrophage colony-stimulating factor-stimulated in vitro myelopoiesis.

Neurotensin, at less than or equal to 10(-9) M, in the presence of an optimal concentration of macrophage CSF (CSF-1), stimulated a dose-dependent enhancement of colony formation by murine marrow-derived mononuclear phagocyte progenitor cells. The additional colonies arose from the cell cycle and Ia Ag-positive subpopulation previously identified as two-signal-dependent progenitors. Two-signal colony formation diminished when the peptide was added at concentrations greater than 10(-9) M. Neurotensin binds specifically to two distinct receptors, a high affinity receptor (KD approximately 10(-9) M) and a lower affinity (KD approximately 10(-7) M) receptor identified as the tuftsin receptor. Rat liver ferritin and an inhibitory tuftsin analog. (ALA1)-tuftsin, which inhibit two-signal colony formation stimulated by tuftsin and tuftsin-like peptides in combination with CSF-1, did not inhibit colony formation stimulated by CSF-1 and 10(-9) M neurotensin. Both inhibitors, however, reversed the loss of two-signal colony growth in the presence of higher neurotensin concentrations. Neurotensin fragment 1-6, unlike ferritin and (ALA1)-tuftsin, inhibited two-signal colony formation stimulated by 10(-9) M neurotensin. However, like ferritin and (ALA1)-tuftsin, fragment 1-6 permitted full expression of two-signal colony formation in the presence of CSF-1 and 10(-7) M neurotensin. The data indicated that occupancy of both receptors at neurotensin concentrations greater than 10(-9) M might be responsible for the diminished progenitor response. The data further support a potential role for neurotensin as an inflammatory mediator. In addition to direct effects on mature phagocytic leukocytes, neurotensin, at least in vitro can influence the production of new mononuclear phagocytes.

Insulin and phorbol myristic acetate induce ornithine decarboxylase in Reuber H35 rat hepatoma cells by different mechanisms.

Reuber H35 rat hepatoma cells respond to insulin or to tumor promoting phorbol esters with an increase in ornithine decarboxylase enzyme activity. This occurs in a time- and dose-dependent manner with both types of agonist. We report here that the increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity with optimal concentrations of both agonists is additive. Furthermore, the initial increase is dependent on continued RNA and protein synthesis. We also find that both of these agonists cause an increase in mRNA coding for ornithine decarboxylase in a time- and dose-dependent manner which suggests that the increase in enzyme activity can be accounted for by the increase in transcript levels. The difference in the time course of induction by the agonists, the additivity of induction by the two agonists, the differential sensitivity of induction to cycloheximide and RNA synthesis inhibitors, and the observation that phorbol myristic acetate causes a further increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity and transcript levels in cells already maximally induced by insulin suggest that these two agonists act through separate mechanisms.