ABSTRACT
Gambling disorder behaviours, such as one's preoccupation with gambling and/or mood modification due to gambling, have been proposed to differ in their diagnostic weight/importance, especially when informing diagnostic scales. Such potential differences are imperative to be considered to improve assessment accuracy. The latter is particularly important in the light of the rapidly increasing gambling opportunities offered online. To contribute to this area of knowledge, the current study assessed an online adult community sample (N = 968, Mage = 29.5 years, SDage = 9.36 years) regarding their responses on the Online Gambling Disorder Questionnaire (OGD-Q). Item response theory (IRT) procedures examined the psychometric properties of the instrument, at both the item and the scale level. Results indicated that the OGD-Q demonstrated good capacity to reliably assess problem gambling and differentiate between individuals at similar levels of the trait, particularly between 1 and 3 SDs above the mean. The findings also showed OGD-Q components/items possess varying discrimination capacities, whilst they also differ in reliability across respondents with different levels of disordered gambling behaviours. Thus, it is supported that consideration is required regarding the differential weighting of one's item responses in the assessment procedure, taking concurrently into account their severity of disordered gambling behaviours.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: As the number of commercially available wound dressings is increasing rapidly, it is important for clinicians to understand the strengths and limitations of each and to recognise relationships between wound type and dressing properties to obtain optimal healing results. Our aim is to test the antimicrobial activity of two dressings. METHOD: A hydroconductive (HC) dressing and a silver-impregnated foam (SIF) dressing were compared for their potential to reduce the levels meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We also assessed MRSA-derived biologically active components in liquid or agar matrices, simplified models for heavily exuding or dry wounds respectively, and in an in vivo animal model with MRSA infected wounds. RESULTS: In the agar model (dry wounds) both dressings showed a strong reduction in MRSA activities within 24 hours post-application. The antibacterial effects of the SIF dressing were more pronounced in the liquid model, however, at an increasing cytotoxic cost. In agreement with these in vitro results, assessment of dressings using an MRSA-infected wound in an rat model showed a decrease in MRSA which was significant 7 days post-burn and inoculation, with more compromised viability of MRSA. Dressings showed a similar capability to reduced and eliminate toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST-1) at day 7 post-burn in the animal model but not at day 4, where the SIF dressing was more potent Conclusion: These results confirm the advantages of using silver in reducing bacterial load in wound treatment, except for conditions of highly exuding wounds where the cytotoxic properties of silver may offset these advantages and HC dressing use is more suitable.
