Identification and diversity of Y-chromosome haplotypes in Qinghai yak populations.

The aim of the present study was to perform a preliminary analysis of the characterization and diversity of Y-chromosome haplotypes/haplogroups in yak of Qinghai Province, China. A total of 322 male yaks from nine populations belonging to three officially recognized breeds (Gaoyuan, Huanhu and Datong) were sampled. Animals were genotyped using six previously reported Y-SNPs present in the SRY, USP9Y, UTY, AMELY and OFD1Y genes and four new Y-SNPs in the OFD1Y gene (g.569A>C, g.578A>C, g.608G>T and g.653G>C) identified in this study. Seven Y-chromosome haplotypes (H1-H7) were identified according to the combination of the 10 Y-SNPs. H1, H2 and H6 were the most common and shared haplotypes across all yak populations/breeds. Private haplotypes H3 and H7 were detected in the Datong breed; H4 in Guoleimude, Qumalai, Qilian, Tianjun and Ganglong populations; and H5 in Qumalai of Gaoyuan breed. Haplotype clustering and network analyses inferred two haplogroups, Y1 and Y2, indicating two divergent lineages of paternal origins of Qinghai yak. The analysis of molecular variance showed a significant difference among individuals (P < 0.0001) with more than 93% of the total genetic variation present within populations, suggesting a weak genetic structure among Qinghai yak populations. The overall Y-haplotype diversity was 0.538 ± 0.028, showing a relatively high diversity in Qinghai yak. The Gaoyuan and Datong breeds had similar haplotype diversities (0.547 ± 0.030 and 0.553 ± 0.083, respectively), which were higher than that of the Huanhu breed (0.441 ± 0.098). Our results support the conservation and sustainable use of unique yak genetic resources in Qinghai.

Development, implementation, and effects of an integrated web-based teaching model in a nursing ethics course.

BACKGROUND: Ethical competence, which is reflected in the ability to detect ethical challenges in clinical situations and engage in deliberate thinking on ethical actions, is one of the core competencies of nursing practice. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop and implement an interactive situational e-learning system, integrating nursing ethical decisions into a nursing ethics course, and to evaluate the effects of this course on student nurses' ethical decision-making competence. PROJECT DESIGN: The project was designed to be carried out in two phases. In the first phase, an interactive situated e-learning system was developed and integrated into the nursing ethics course. The second phase involved implementing the course and evaluating its effects in a quasi-experimental study. The course intervention was designed for 2h per week over one semester (18weeks). PARTICIPANTS: A total of 100 two-year technical college nursing students in their second year of the program participated in the study, with 51 in the experimental group and 49 in the control group. RESULTS: After completing the course, the students in the experimental group showed significant improvement in nursing ethical decision-making competence, including skills in "raising questions," "recognizing differences," "comparing differences," "self-dialogue," "taking action," and "identifying the implications of decisions made," compared to their performance prior to the class. After controlling for factors influencing learning effects, students in the experimental group showed superiority to those in the control group in the competency of "recognizing differences." The students in the experimental group reported that the course pushed them to search for and collect information needed to resolve the ethical dilemma. CONCLUSIONS: The interactive situational e-learning system developed by our project was helpful in developing the students' competence in ethical reasoning. The e-learning system and the situational teaching materials used in this study may be applicable in nursing and related professional ethics courses.

Association of IL-1 gene complex members with ankylosing spondylitis in Chinese Han population.

There are reports of IL-1 complex gene polymorphisms in ankylosing spondylitis (AS; MIM 106300), but the results have been inconsistent among populations. Moreover, few studies examine the association between IL-1 complex gene polymorphisms and clinical symptoms of AS patients. We investigated polymorphisms of IL-1 complex with AS in the Chinese Han population in this study. Chinese Han AS patients and ethnically matched healthy controls were genotyped for five single nucleotide polymorphisms (IL1beta+3953, beta-511, F10.3, RN.4, RN.6/1) and the IL1RN.VNTR of IL-1 gene cluster. Allele, Genotype and haplotype frequencies were compared between cases and controls by SHEsis software. The frequency of allele C of the marker IL1F10.3 was significantly increased in AS patients versus controls [p = 0.001, odds ratio (OR) = 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.19-1.20; p = 0.002, respectively]. Strong linkage disequilibrium was identified between IL1B-511, IL1B+3953 and RN4 in both patients and healthy controls (D' > 0.95). Haplotypes of pairs of these markers (6) were also significantly associated with AS. The strongest associations observed was between allele combination B-511-T/B+3953-C/F10.3-C/RN4-T/RN2VNTR-1/RN6.1-C and AS (p = 3.32 x 10(-5), OR = 4.41, 95% CI=2.1-9.3). Clinical manifestation showed week association between RN2VNTR A2 allele and risk of peripheral arthritis (OR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.07-0.91). The IL-1 gene cluster is associated with AS in Chinese population. This finding provides strong statistical support for the previously observed relationship and indicates possible association between clinical manifestation and genetic factor.

PCR amplification and sequence analysis of the major capsid protein gene of megalocytiviruses isolated in Taiwan.

Viruses belonging to the genus Megalocytivirus in the family Iridoviridae are one of the major agents causing mass mortalities in marine and freshwater fish in Asian countries. Outbreaks of iridovirus disease have been reported among various fish species in Taiwan. However, the genotypes of these iridoviruses have not yet been determined. In this study, seven megalocytivirus isolates from four fish species: king grouper, Epinephelus lanceolatus (Bloch), barramundi perch, Lates calcarifer (Bloch), silver sea bream, Rhabdosargus sarba (Forsskal), and common ponyfish, Leiognathus equulus (Forsskal), cultured in three different regions of Taiwan were collected. The full open reading frame encoding the viral major capsid protein gene was amplified using PCR. The PCR products of approximately 1581 bp were cloned and the nucleotide sequences were phylogenetically analysed. Results showed that all seven PCR products contained a unique open reading frame with 1362 nucleotides and encoded a structural protein with 453 amino acids. Even though the nucleotide sequences were not identical, these seven megalocytiviruses were classified into one cluster and showed very high homology with red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV) with more than 97% identity. Thus, the seven iridovirus strains isolated from cultured marine fish in Taiwan were closer to the RSIV genotype than the infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus genotype.

[Developing a scale of self-management behaviors of parents with asthmatic children in Taiwan through triangulation method].

The purposes of this study were to develop a scale of self-management behaviors for parents with asthmatic children by qualitative and quantitative methods. This research included two phases: (1) to explore the self-management behaviors of successfully managing parents with asthmatic children by in-depth interviewing method. (2) To examine the reliability and validity of self-management behaviors by the quantitative survey of 133 outpatient parents with asthmatic children. The results including four categories, 10 items and 23 self-management behaviors units were inducted from the 16 parents. The four categories are named as (1) Preventive behaviors: controlling environmental factors, taking drugs, avoiding the causes of allergy, improving the body's defenses; (2) Managing behaviors: making decision based on the severity, taking pharmacological management for attacks, and selecting non-pharmacological management for attacks; (3) Assessing behaviors: observing and comparing the symptoms/signs themselves; (4) Alternative treatment. The survey research was conducted with 21 self-management behaviors after refinement by 10 experts. Based on the survey of 133 parents with asthmatic children, the reliability of the scale was shown as Cronbach's alpha .88. The construct validity was established by factor analysis by rotation method with Varimax with Kaiser normalization. Three extracting components were named as preventing behaviors, managing behaviors and assessing behaviors. The cumulative percent of variance of 3 factors was 48.2%.

Performance characteristics of digital fundus photography as a screening test for diabetic retinopathy in a low-risk population.

The purpose of the present study was to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of reviewers' assessments of digital fundus photography (DFP) images, using the findings from comprehensive ophthalmologic examination as the criterion standard. One hundred and fifty-two patients with diabetes underwent comprehensive ophthalmologic examination by an active duty U.S. Air Force (ADAF) staff ophthalmologist, and the examination findings were used as the criterion standard for the present study. Eight other ophthalmologists (M.D.'s) and 10 optometrists (O.D.'s), all ADAF providers, each evaluated seven nonstereo standard field DFP images from the left and right eyes (14 images per patient) of the 152 diabetic patients, assessing each patient for evidence of diabetic retinopathy (yes, no, not sure). The sensitivity, specificity, and proportion of "not sure" responses were computed separately for MD and OD reviewers and then compared. O.D. reviewers gave "not sure" responses more frequently than M.D.'s. With "not sure" responses treated as correct (i.e., identical to the results of ophthalmologic examination), both types of providers had 100% sensitivity for cases that are usually treated and 83% sensitivity for cases that are not usually treated but require close follow-up. Specificity (for any diabetic retinopathy) was 92% for M.D.'s and 93% for O.D.'s. With M.D.'s as photographic reviewers, DFP-based screening required only 27 ophthalmologic examinations per 100 patients screened; with O.D.'s as photographic reviewers, 31 ophthalmologic examinations were required per 100 patients screened. Using either ophthalmologists or optometrists as photographic reviewers, DFP-based screening for diabetic retinopathy has very good sensitivity and excellent specificity.

Establishment and characterization of an oral melanoma cell line (ME).

A new cell line, ME, has been established from a melanoma of the palatal mucosa. The cultured monolayer of cells was fusiform and melanin-producing. The cells were highly tumorigenic and metastatic in nude mice. The xenographic tumors resembled the original tumor in morphology, melanin production, and the expression of S-100 and HMB-45 antigens. The metaphase karyotype of ME indicated multiple aberrations of chromosomes 2, 3, 5, 7-11, 13, 19, 21 and X. A homozygous loss of the p16/MTS1 gene during the establishment of ME correlated with karyotypic evidence of chromosome 9 abnormalities. Absence of nm23 protein expression and elevated expression of CD44 protein (indicative of metastatic phenotypes) were demonstrated in primary and xenographic tumors. ME cells could be valuable in developing novel therapeutic strategies for oral melanoma.

Predictors of low physical fitness in a cohort of active-duty U.S. Air Force members.

BACKGROUND: Each branch of the U.S. armed forces has standards for physical fitness as well as programs for ensuring compliance with these standards. In the U.S. Air Force (USAF), physical fitness is assessed using submaximal cycle ergometry to estimate maximal oxygen uptake (VO2(max)). The purpose of this study was to identify the independent effects of demographic and behavioral factors on risk of failure to meet USAF fitness standards (hereafter called low fitness). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study (N=38,837) was conducted using self-reported health risk assessment data and cycle ergometry data from active-duty Air Force (ADAF) members. Poisson regression techniques were used to estimate the associations between the factors studied and low fitness. RESULTS: The factors studied had different effects depending on whether members passed or failed fitness testing in the previous year. All predictors had weaker effects among those with previous failure. Among those with a previous pass, demographic groups at increased risk were toward the upper end of the ADAF age distribution, senior enlisted men, and blacks. Overweight/obesity was the behavioral factor with the largest effect among men, with aerobic exercise frequency ranked second; among women, the order of these two factors was reversed. Cigarette smoking only had an adverse effect among men. For a hypothetical ADAF man who was sedentary, obese, and smoked, the results suggested that aggressive behavioral risk factor modification would produce a 77% relative decrease in risk of low fitness. CONCLUSIONS: Among ADAF members, both demographic and behavioral factors play important roles in physical fitness. Behavioral risk factors are prevalent and potentially modifiable. These data suggest that, depending on a member's risk factor profile, behavioral risk factor modification may produce impressive reductions in risk of low fitness among ADAF personnel.

Short term effects of cigarette smoking on hospitalisation and associated lost workdays in a young healthy population.

OBJECTIVE: There are relatively few published studies conducted among people of younger ages examining short term outcomes of cigarette smoking, and only a small number with outcomes important to employers. The present study was designed to assess the short term effects of smoking on hospitalisation and lost workdays. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Military population. SUBJECTS: 87 991 men and women serving on active duty in the US Army during 1987 to 1998 who took a health risk appraisal two or more times and were followed for an average of 2.4 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rate ratios for hospitalisations and lost workdays, and fraction of hospitalisations and lost workdays attributable to current smoking (population attributable fraction). RESULTS: Compared with never smokers, men and women who were current smokers had higher short term rates of hospitalisation and lost workdays for a broad range of conditions. Population attributable fractions (PAFs) for outcomes not related to injury or pregnancy were 7.5% (men) and 5.0% (women) for hospitalisation, and 14.1% (men) and 3.0% (women) for lost workdays. Evidence suggests that current smoking may have been under reported in this cohort, in which case the true PAFs would be higher than those reported. CONCLUSIONS: In this young healthy population, substantial fractions of hospitalisations and lost workdays were attributable to current smoking, particularly among men.

Establishment and characterization of a cell line (HCDB-1) derived from a hamster buccal pouch carcinoma induced by DMBA and Taiwanese betel quid extract.

This study identified that the carcinogenesis of hamster buccal pouch (HBP) induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) was greatly enhanced (18 folds) by a combination treatment with Taiwanese betel quid (BQ) extract. A new cell line, HCDB-1, has been established from induced carcinomas. The cultured monolayer cells were epithelioid in shape with irregular nuclei. They demonstrated abundant cytokeratin and tonofilaments; however, ultrastructural well-organized desmosomes were lacking. The HCDB-1 cell exhibited population doubling in 19 h and was highly tumorigenic in nude mice. A C-->T transition at codon 141 (Ala to Val) of the p53 gene was detected in this cell. This mutation is equivalent to a specific temperature-sensitive mouse p53Ala135Val mutant that causes transformation by shifting to 37.5 degrees C. HCDB-1 is the first cell line established from the HBP model of oral carcinogenesis induced by DMBA/Taiwanese BQ extract. It might be valuable for exploring the molecular pathogenesis of oral cancer.

The experiences of Taiwanese women caring for parents-in-law.

The experiences of Taiwanese women caring for parents-in-law Using grounded theory, semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the experiences of Taiwanese women who were caregivers for their parents-in-law. Thirty-one Taiwanese women aged 23-58 participated in this study. 'Just doing' emerged as the core category and reflected the Taiwanese women caregivers' process of striving to continue to fulfil the demands of their role during the period of commitment to their parents-in-law's care. The related categories surrounding the core category in the paradigm for this study include: being called, caring for, holding up, keeping harmony, and maintaining filial piety. 'Being called' reflected the reasons that these women became caregivers to their parents-in-law under circumstances heavily influenced by cultural expectations. 'Caring for' provided the context for activities involved in providing daily comfort, keeping watch and seeking assistance when necessary. The category of 'holding up' reflected the caregiver's interpretation of her duty, the extent of the difficulties she experienced and her responses to those difficulties. A philosophy of life, which strongly emphasizes 'keeping harmony' influenced how the caregiver interpreted her caregiving role and her ability to ask for assistance or more resources to overcome difficulties posed by the situation. Maintaining filial piety was identified as a primary duty, a lifelong commitment and a desired outcome. However, striving to achieve this outcome resulted in differing caregiver perceptions, ranging from serenity to personal self-sacrifice. The findings clearly suggested that caregiving behaviours were influenced by cultural expectations when the parent-in-law was ill. This study of Taiwanese women caregivers' experiences may be beneficial in facilitating the development of a comprehensive policy for long-term care as well as suggesting possible intervention strategies for individual and family care. Recommendations for future research focus on cultural determinants of caregiving roles and coping strategies.

The possessive form for a plural compound noun.

These authors researched the correct way to make a plural compound noun into a possessive one. They describe the grammar rule for this and provide a sample for you to practice.

Measurement of the radiation doses absorbed by jaw bones during irradiation of nasopharyngeal cancers.

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) occurs more frequently for Chinese than for other ethnic groups. The most common treatment for NPC is radiotherapy, but there is no report of the doses of radiation absorbed by the mandibular and maxillary bones, although exposure to radiation is one of the most important references for those patients who need to have oral surgical treatments. METHODS: Thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) was used to measure radiation absorbed by a rando phantom and cancer patients. RESULTS: The results showed that the doses absorbed by the mandible and maxilla depend on the dose applied, field size, and field shape. In the rando phantom, the range of absorption in the mandible was, for the central incisor 1.89-3.36 Gy, canine 1.96-3.78 Gy, bicuspid 2.24-14.14 Gy, second molar 4.34-31.92 Gy, internal pterygoid muscle region 70 Gy. In the maxilla the range was, for the central incisor 2.17-2.94 Gy, canine 2.24-3.36 Gy, bicuspid 3.15-4.41 Gy, second molar 7.00-7.42 Gy. In nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, the mean radiation absorbed by the bicuspid vestibular region of the mandible was 3.09 Gy, by the bicuspid vestibule of the maxilla 3.35 Gy and by the midline vestibule 2.31 Gy. The radiation doses absorbed by maxilla and mandible from the incisor to the second premolars were less than 20% of the dose to the primary tumor. CONCLUSIONS: The doses absorbed by the mandible and maxilla are relatively low in NPC patients receiving radiation therapy.

Glutathione concentration in oral cancer tissues.

Glutathione (GSH) concentrations in human epidermoid carcinoma tissues were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. The mean glutathione content of 26 epidermoid carcinoma intratumor tissue specimens was 24.36 nmol/mg protein, which was significantly higher than that in adjacent non-tumor tissue parts (3.04 nmol/mg protein). The mean concentration found in normal oral mucosa was 4.80 nmol/mg protein. Tissue GSH levels were not correlated with the age of the patients or tumor size. Additionally, cellular GSH levels in nine different cell lines were found to spread over a wide range from 0.97 to 50.97 nmol/mg protein. Elevated GSH levels in cancer tissues were probably due to their abnormal proliferative activities. These results indicate that the glutathione level of oral tissues may be a useful marker for oral cancer, which is in agreement with findings from lung squamous cell carcinoma, cervical squamous cell carcinoma and other squamous cell carcinomas.

Is 'silent' myocardial ischemia really as severe as symptomatic ischemia? The analytical effect of patient selection biases.

BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of exercise-induced chest pain remains controversial, as reflected by sharply discordant clinical results within the medical literature. Thus, we developed a prospective study to compare the functional significance of silent versus symptomatic ischemia and to evaluate whether patient selection biases influence this analysis. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated 117 patients (mean age, 63 +/- 9 years) with ischemic ST-segment depression during treadmill testing. Each patient underwent Tl-201 myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) after exercise followed by 24-ambulatory ECG monitoring. Patients were divided into silent versus symptomatic cohorts and were compared for the degree of hemodynamic, exercise and ambulatory ECG, and thallium abnormalities during stress testing. Analyses were repeated as the patient population became increasingly restricted. Compared with the silent patients, patients with chest pain during exercise had a shorter exercise duration (P < .009), lower peak heart rate (P = .009) and double product (P = .005), lower heart rate threshold for ST depression (P < .05), more episodes of ambulatory ST-segment depression (P < .05), a higher frequency of ischemia abnormalities during Tl-201 SPECT (P = .02), and higher summed Tl reversibility scores (P = .002). As the population became increasingly restricted, the relative magnitude of differences in silent versus symptomatic cohorts diminished, whereas the absolute magnitude of ischemic abnormalities progressively increased in both cohorts. For example, within the restricted group having ischemia on both exercise and ambulatory ECG, 50% of the silent cohort had severe ischemia on Tl SPECT (five or more reversible defects) and more than one third demonstrated the ominous finding of transient left ventricular dilation after exercise. CONCLUSIONS: The induction of chest pain is associated with substantially more functional abnormalities when it is analyzed in a relatively "broad-spectrum" coronary artery disease population; by contrast, chest pain tends to lose its apparent value as a clinical test parameter when its analysis is restricted to coronary artery disease populations with a greater a priori likelihood of manifesting inducible ischemia. These findings may help resolve some of the previous discordant literature reports.

Shear bond strength of ceramic brackets with two bonding adhesives.

The shear bond strength of two adhesives (Concise and Dyna-Plus bonding system) with one type of ceramic bracket was determined in this study. There were statistically significant differences between the bond strengths, with Concise recording higher levels than Dyna-Plus. Failure sites of Dyna-Plus were revealed at the enamel/resin, resin/resin, and resin/bracket interfaces; that of the Concise was mainly at the resin/bracket interface.

Prevalence and functional significance of transient ST-segment depression during daily life activity: comparisons of ambulatory ECG with stress redistribution thallium 201 single-photon emission computed tomographic imaging.

To assess the prevalence and functional significance of ischemic ambulatory ECG responses, we prospectively performed ambulatory ECG monitoring in 244 patients (mean age 61 +/- 10 years) referred for stress redistribution thallium 201 myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. The prevalence of ST-segment depression during ambulatory ECG was 33% among patients with a positive exercise ECG, but prevalence varied in selected patient subgroups. Among three groups with coronary artery disease (CAD), the group with ambulatory ECG ischemia (group 1) had a greater frequency of ischemic thallium responses (p = 0.07), a greater median number of reversible thallium defects (p < 0.05), and a greater summed thallium "reversibility" score (p < 0.05) than did the group with a positive exercise ECG but negative ambulatory ECG response (group 2) or that with negative exercise and ambulatory ECG responses (group 3). Exercise ST depression in group 1 versus group 2 was significantly greater (p = 0.002), occurred at a lower heart rate threshold (p = 0.002), and lasted longer after exercise (p = 0.001). Notably, one third of group 1 patients also manifested evidence of transient ischemic dilation of the left ventricle after exercise (p < 0.01 vs groups 2 and 3), a sign of severe ischemia. However, although functionally less "sick" than group 1 patients, 66% of group 2 patients and 50% of group 3 patients still had an ischemic thallium response, which was sometimes severe. Thus transient ischemia during ambulatory ECG monitoring identifies a functionally sicker cohort of patients with CAD and occurs in approximately one third of CAD patients with positive results of exercise tests. A negative ambulatory ECG response, however, does not exclude functionally significant disease among CAD patients. These results imply that caution should be applied in the interpretation of a negative ambulatory ECG response for the purpose of patient risk stratification.