ABSTRACT
A new cresyl violet-based fluorescent off-on probe has been developed through a one-step synthesis for the detection of nitroreductase (NTR) and hypoxia. The detection mechanism is based on the NTR-catalyzed reduction of the probe to cresyl violet, accompanied with a large fluorescence enhancement at a long wavelength of 625â nm. The probe can detect NTR in aqueous solution with high selectivity and sensitivity, and the detection limit is 1â ng mL(-1) NTR. Most importantly, the probe has been successfully used to image not only NTR and hypoxia in living cells, but also the distribution of NTR in zebrafish in vivo.
Subject(s)
Benzoxazines/chemistry , Fluorescent Dyes/chemistry , Hypoxia/diagnosis , Nitroreductases/metabolism , Carbon-13 Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Humans , Limit of Detection , MCF-7 Cells , Microscopy, Fluorescence , Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray IonizationABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of life (QOL) and hostile mentality trend (HMT) of patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in China, and to identify their major concerns. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Short Form-36 (SF-36) was used to assess QOL, and seven items were developed to assess the HMT. In-depth interviews were conducted with patients and health workers. RESULTS: SF-36 had moderate reliability, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from 0.75 to 0.90 and test-retest correlation coefficients ranging from 0.54 to 0.80 for the eight domains. The item-subscale correlation coefficients ranged from 0.46 to 0.97. The QOL of patients with HIV/AIDS was significantly lower than the average QOL of the general population (P<0.01). Hostile mentality of patients was significant (mean scores of the seven items ranged from 2.87 to 4.32, and the mean sum of scores was 3.45 from a range of 1-5). Cronbach's alpha coefficient of HMT items was 0.75 and the test-retest correlation coefficient was 0.80. The major concerns of patients with HIV/AIDS were financial insecurity and family responsibilities, followed by the fear of death and no cure for HIV/AIDS. CONCLUSION: SF-36 is a reliable instrument for the assessment of QOL of patients with HIV/AIDS. The QOL of patients with HIV/AIDS in China is poor. The HMT is a valuable indicator to monitor the outcomes of care for patients with HIV/AIDS.
Subject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/psychology , Hostility , Quality of Life/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , China/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prejudice , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of life (QOL) and hostile mentality trend (HMT) of 299 patients living with HIV/AIDS (Human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired immune deficiency syndrome) in three provinces in China, and to understand the major concerns of the these patients. METHODS: The SF-36 (short form -36) was used for assessing the QOL among 299 HIV-infected patients in Sichuan, Hubei and Guizhou provinces. Reliability and validity of SF-36 were evaluated. Consulting with experts and professionals, seven additional items were developed to evaluate the HMT. Mean scores of the 8 scales were compared between the patients and general rural residents in Sichuan province. RESULTS: For SF-36, internal consistent coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) of the 8 scales were between 0.75 to 0.90, test-retest reliability coefficient ranged from 0.54 to 0.80. The item-subscale correlation coefficients ranged from 0.46 to 0.97. Mean scores of the 8 scales of the patients ranged from 28.50 to 77.87, and 70.27 to 91.87 for the general rural residents. The variations of the scales were tested by means of Mann-Whitney test with u value ranged from -17.43 to -23.87. The QOL of the patients living with HIV/AIDS were significantly inferior to those of general population (all P < 0.01). The mean scores of the seven items to evaluate HMT ranged from 46.21 to 82.89. The major concerns of the patients living with HIV/AIDS included financial insecurity and family responsibilities, followed by death threat and no cure of HIV/AIDS. CONCLUSION: The SF-36 is a reliable instrument for assessing QOL of patients living with HIV/AIDS. The QOL of the patients living with HIV/AIDS in China is poor.
Subject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/psychology , HIV Infections/psychology , Hostility , Quality of Life , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Educational Status , Female , Humans , Male , Marital Status , Middle Aged , Reproducibility of Results , Surveys and Questionnaires/standards , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To test the reliability and validity of the SF-36 in assessing the quality of life of people living with HIV in Sichuan province. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was undertaken in 114 people living with HIV in Dazhu and Zizhong county of Sichuan, which included the SF-36 for assessing quality of life and additional items for assessing the hostility mentality trend. A repeated survey was undertaken two weeks later in 40 out of the 114 respondents to evaluate the retest reliability of the questionnaire. The quality of life of the people living with HIV was assessed against the norm of 1604 rural residents in Sichuan. RESULTS: The internal consistent coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) of the eight scales of the SF-36 ranged from 0. 75 to 0. 92. The test-retest reliability coefficients of the eight scales of the SF-36 ranged from 0. 53 to 0. 83. The respondents who reported worse health scored significantly lower in all of the eight scales. The factor analysis extracted eight scales, with only four items without a dominant factor load on its corresponding scales. The average scores of the people living with HIV for the eight scales ranged from 21. 4 to 61. 0, significantly lower than the norm of the general rural residents. Age, gender, and length of infection were the major factors that impacted the quality of life of people living with HIV. It was common for the people living with HIV felt being stigmatized and dissatisfied with live. CONCLUSION: HIV infection deteriorates people's quality of life and the SF-36 is a valid instrument to assess the quality of life of people living with HIV.
Subject(s)
Asian People/statistics & numerical data , HIV Infections , Quality of Life , Surveys and Questionnaires , Adolescent , Adult , Age Distribution , China , Female , Hostility , Humans , Male , Reproducibility of Results , Sex Distribution , Stereotyping , Time Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To develop a specific quality of life (QOL) instrument for Chinese patients living with HIV/AIDS and to assess its reliability and validity. METHODS: A primary questionnaire was developed with reference to existing instrument and information through discussion with experts, front-line professionals and patients living with HIV/AIDS. This questionnaire was applied in 443 patients living with HIV/AIDS. Some items were removed through the results of responsive rate, factor analysis, correlation matrix,internal consistency and so on. Reliability and validity were assessed after items reduction. RESULTS: The developed instrument contained 44 items, including 10 scales and other 3 items used for the evaluation of curative effect and side effect of anti-virus drug. No substantial ceiling/floor effects existed. All scales' internal consistency coefficients were > or = 0.70 and the whole instrument was 0.90. The two week retest reliability coefficient of the whole instrument was 0.80, and there were 6 scales below 0.70 of this coefficient. Multitrait/multiitem assessment indicated scaling success rates were all 100% for all items. Spearman correlation coefficient of total score of this instrument with SF-36 was 0.69. CONCLUSION: It was the first time that the developed QOL-CPLWHA instrument introducing the scale of hostility regarding mentality trend as well as expressed its acceptable reliability and validity so could be used for the evaluation of Chinese patients living with HIV/AIDS.
