The interrelationship among achievement patterns of activities of daily living for institutionalized dependent elderly

The purpose of the present study was to examine the interrelationship of achievement patterns between 74 activities by selecting nine ADL domains, including 27 items used in existing ADL index for the institutionalized disabled elderly (Disabled-ADL). For these 74 ADL items, 706 institutionalized dependent elderly were assessed using a dichotomous scale of "possible" or "impossible" by staff working at the subjects' institutions. The difficulty of each item was examined by calculating the proportion of "possible" responses. The interrelationships among activities were determined by calculating phi coefficients. Furthermore, the degree of agreement assessed between ADL items was calculated by dividing the total response by the number of "possible-possible" and "impossible-impossible" responses, in order to examine the similarity of the achievement pattern of ADL. The phi coefficient values were high among ADL items with comparable difficulty where the item proportions were within about 10%. Even if belonging to a different ADL domain, the relationship was high among ADL items with similar difficulty and kinds of activity. All of the 27 activities used in Disabled-ADL indicated high agreement of over 80% with one or more activities among the other 47 activities used in this study. Especially, three lower extremity activities of "putting on trousers while standing", "going up and down stairs" and "squatting down from a standing posture" agreed more than 90% with many other lower extremity activities. The possibility is suggested in determining lower extremity functional levels by assessing these three activities. The selection of ADL items considering these influences is necessary to comprehensively assess ADL ability of disabled elderly.     

Validation of a video-based motion analysis technique in 3-D dynamic scapular kinematic measurements

BackgroundCurrent non-invasive 3-D scapular kinematic measurement techniques such as electromagnetic tracking are subjected to restrictions of wired sensors and limited capture space. Video-based motion analysis provides greater freedom with relatively less movement restriction. However, video-based motion analysis was rarely used in and not validated for scapular kinematics.MethodsScapular kinematics of five subjects performing abduction, scaption, and internal/external rotation was captured simultaneously with video-based motion analysis and dynamic stereo X-ray, a gold standard for tracking scapular movements. The data from video-based motion analysis was correlated with the data from dynamic stereo X-ray for validity evaluation.FindingsStrong and significant correlations were identified in scapular protraction/retraction and medial/lateral rotation during abduction and scaption, and scapular medial/lateral rotation and anterior/posterior tilt during internal/external rotation.InterpretationVideo-based motion analysis is valid for evaluating a single subject's scapular movement pattern in protraction/retraction during abduction and scaption, and medial/lateral-rotation during internal/external rotation. Anterior/posterior-tilt during abduction and scaption should be investigated with caution. Video motion analysis is also valid for evaluating group average of scapular kinematics except for protraction/retraction during internal/external rotation. While acknowledging the inherent limitations, video-based motion analysis is an appropriate technique for tracking scapular kinematics.     

Occupational therapy for patients with problems in personal activities of daily living after stroke: systematic review of randomised trials

Objective To determine whether occupational therapy focused specifically on personal activities of daily living improves recovery for patients after stroke.Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.Data sources The Cochrane stroke group trials register, the Cochrane central register of controlled trials, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycLIT, AMED, Wilson Social Sciences Abstracts, Science Citation Index, Social Science Citation, Arts and Humanities Citation Index, Dissertations Abstracts register, Occupational Therapy Research Index, scanning reference lists, personal communication with authors, and hand searching.Review methods Trials were included if they evaluated the effect of occupational therapy focused on practice of personal activities of daily living or where performance in such activities was the target of the occupational therapy intervention in a stroke population. Original data were sought from trialists. Two reviewers independently reviewed each trial for methodological quality. Disagreements were resolved by consensus.Results Nine randomised controlled trials including 1258 participants met the inclusion criteria. Occupational therapy delivered to patients after stroke and targeted towards personal activities of daily living increased performance scores (standardised mean difference 0.18, 95% confidence interval 0.04 to 0.32, P=0.01) and reduced the risk of poor outcome (death, deterioration or dependency in personal activities of daily living) (odds ratio 0.67, 95% confidence interval 0.51 to 0.87, P=0.003). For every 100 people who received occupational therapy focused on personal activities of daily living, 11 (95% confidence interval 7 to 30) would be spared a poor outcome.Conclusions Occupational therapy focused on improving personal activities of daily living after stroke can improve performance and reduce the risk of deterioration in these abilities. Focused occupational therapy should be available to everyone who has had a stroke.     

Standardized activities of daily living in presence of sub-acute low-back pain: A pilot study

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate how sub-acute low-back pain (LBP) patients differed with respect to control in movements and muscle activation during standardized tasks representing daily living activities, and explore relationships between cognition and measured motor performance. Linear and nonlinear parameters were computed from kinetics, kinematics and muscle activity recorded for 12 sub-acute patients and 12 healthy matched controls during trunk flexion, sit-to-stand from a chair and lifting a box. Cognitive variables were collected to explore relationships with biomechanical parameters. For trunk flexion, left external abdominal oblique muscle activity level was lower for patients compared with controls (p < 0.05), whereas sample entropy (complexity) was higher (p < 0.05). Normalized mutual information was lower for patients compared with controls for left and right erector spinae (p < 0.05). Level of activity of left external abdominal oblique correlated negatively with cognitive ignoring and positively with catastrophizing (p ? 0.05), and catastrophizing also correlated positively with functional connectivity of abdominal muscles (p < 0.05). Signs of reorganization in muscle activation pointed towards different synergistic actions in trunk muscles in sub-acute LBP patients compared with controls. The interplay with maladaptive cognition suggested that in the subacute stage of LBP, both biomechanical and cognitive factors should be taken into account.     

AGATHE: A tool for personalized rehabilitation of cognitive functions based on simulated activities of daily living

Every year, tens of thousands of people fall victim to one of invalidating neurological pathologies. Acquired brain injury leads to cognitive impairment and heavy loss of autonomy. Rehabilitation interventions are needed to enable people to recover capacity and return to Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (iADL), such as grocery shopping. Unfortunately, the resources made available in cognitive rehabilitation are insufficient for the growing needs of victims of brain damage. The goal of the AGATHE project is to develop a tool that will provide therapists with an innovative means of dealing with cognitive rehabilitation and offer patients customized rehabilitation sessions, on the basis of simulated iADL. AGATHE fits into accessibility prospects of the tool (for everyone, everywhere and anywhere) and reduction of the cost of rehabilitation. AGATHE allows the strengthening and diversification of skills and expertise of the project's clinical and research partners as well as the opening of a new application field to the technology of the industrial partners. Initial tests of the AGATHE tool have been performed among therapists and patients after brain injury in order to validate usability issues. Perspective of efficacy trials has been identified and development projects are explored.     

2D与3D景观指数测定山区植被景观格局变化对比分析

植被和土地覆盖变化是环境变化的一个重要因素,同时也是引起景观和生态系统变化的重要原因。景观指数是定量分析植被和土地覆盖变化的重要研究方法之一。以滇西北高山峡谷区为案例区,比较分析传统2D景观指数和3D景观指数进行植被变化定量测定的差异。研究主要选取了基于斑块面积和周长几个常用指数来进行比较分析。研究结果表明在斑块层次上,除了分维数指数,其他指数的三维方法计算值显著地高于二维方法计算值;在类型层次上,三维的类型面积指数、平均斑块面积指数、平均最小邻近距离指数测定的变化值显著大于二维的相应指数测定变化值,但是二维和三维平均形状指数和分维指数测定的植被斑块的平均形状变化结果没有显著差异;在景观层次,只有三维的平均斑块面积和最小邻近距离指数测定的变化结果显著高于二维的平均面积和最小邻近距离指数测定的变化结果,其它指数如形状指数、分维指数、多样性指数和均一度指数等测定出两个不同时期的植被图格局变化结果均无显著差异,主要由于这些指数是采用面积和周长的对数或者比值计算得出,从而缩小了斑块表面面积与平面面积,表面周长与平面周长之间的差异。总体而言,利用二维景观指数在进行定量分析山区植被格局变化时,往往低估了其类型面积、平均斑块面积、斑块邻近距离等指数变化量,而三维景观指数得到相对较精确的变化值。     

Losing the ability in activities of daily living in the oldest old: a hierarchic disability scale from the Newcastle 85+ study

Objectives

To investigate the order in which 85 year olds develop difficulty in performing a wide range of daily activities covering basic personal care, household care and mobility.

Design

Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a cohort study.

Setting

Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside, UK.

Participants

Individuals born in 1921, registered with participating general practices.

Measurements

Detailed health assessment including 17 activities of daily living related to basic personal care, household care and mobility. Questions were of the form ‘Can you …’ rather than ‘Do you…’ Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to confirm a single underlying dimension for the items and Mokken Scaling was used to determine a subsequent hierarchy. Validity of the hierarchical scale was assessed by its associations with known predictors of disability.

Results

839 people within the Newcastle 85+ study for whom complete information was available on self-reported Activities of Daily Living (ADL). PCA confirmed a single underlying dimension; Mokken scaling confirmed a hierarchic scale where ‘Cutting toenails’ was the first item with which participants had difficulty and ‘feeding’ the last. The ordering of loss differed between men and women. Difficulty with ‘shopping’ and ‘heavy housework’ were reported earlier by women whilst men reported ‘walking 400 yards’ earlier. Items formed clusters corresponding to strength, balance, lower and upper body involvement and domains specifically required for balance and upper/lower limb functional integrity.

Conclusion

This comprehensive investigation of ordering of ability in activities in 85 year olds will inform researchers and practitioners assessing older people for onset of disability and subsequent care needs.     

Localization of molecules with restricted patterns of expression in morphogenesis: An immunohistochemical approach

Summary In a search for molecules with restricted patterns of expression during development, monoclonal antibodies were raised against different transitory structures of the chick embryo. Mice were immunized with cell suspensions from lightly homogenized embryonic tissues explanted from morphogenetically active regions. A convenient immunohistochemical assay was used to screen the hybridoma supernatants on a large scale. It relied on the use of poly(ethylene glycol) as embedding medium. Its water miscibility allowed, in a one-step incubation with antibody-containing supernatants, the dewaxing and rehydration of the tissue sections as well as antibody binding. We report here the usefulness of this approach in selecting monoclonals with unique patterns of immunoreactivity. In this study, cephalic neural crest cells in early or late phase of migration, together with their surrounding tissues, were used as immunogens. The monoclonal antibodies obtained have been classified into regional, cell-lineage, cell-cycle or extracellular material-associated markers. The information provided by the direct visualization of the immunoreactivity of the various monoclonal antibodies on tissue sections, as early as the first round of screening, allows rapid determination of the subsequent strategy to be followed for further characterization of the individual markers.     

3D spatial point patterns of bioluminescent plankton: a map of the minefield

As the open ocean environment lacks points of refuge from visualpredators, it has favored the evolution of extraordinary adaptationsfor optical concealment, such as vertical migration, transparencyand counterillumination. Bioluminescent plankton, which respondto a mechanical disturbance with a flash of light, are ubiquitousin the ocean and potentially a threat to any organism seekingdarkness as a means to evade detection. Estimating encounterprobabilities for organisms maneuvering through luminescent‘minefields’ requires characterization of the three-dimensionaldistribution patterns of the potential light emitters. In orderto measure nearest neighbor distances (NNDs) of bioluminescentbiota, we have developed a spatial plankton analysis technique(SPLAT) for 3D reconstruction and statistical analysis of thespatial point patterns of identified bioluminescent displays.Analysis of aggregations of bioluminescent biota in the Gulfof Maine (Wilkinson Basin) revealed that encounter probabilitieswere highest in the temperature minimum zone (temperature <5°C)where dinoflagellates (Protoperidineum depressum) exhibitedNNDs of 3.5–3.8 cm in a regular distribution pattern.This technique was also used to examine the internal organizationof thin layers of the bioluminescent copepod, Metridia lucens.Comparison of night-time surface (migrating) and deep (non-migrating)layers indicated complete spatial randomness in both populationsand no significant difference in spacing (NNDs: 9.5–13cm).     

Murine mesenchymal stem cells exhibit a restricted repertoire of functional chemokine receptors: comparison with human

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are non-haematopoeitic, stromal cells that are capable of differentiating into mesenchymal tissues such as bone and cartilage. They are rare in bone marrow, but have the ability to expand many-fold in culture, and retain their growth and multi-lineage potential. The properties of MSCs make them ideal candidates for tissue engineering. It has been shown that MSCs, when transplanted systemically, can home to sites of injury, suggesting that MSCs possess migratory capacity; however, mechanisms underlying migration of these cells remain unclear. Chemokine receptors and their ligands play an important role in tissue-specific homing of leukocytes. Here we define the cell surface chemokine receptor repertoire of murine MSCs from bone marrow, with a view to determining their migratory activity. We also define the chemokine receptor repertoire of human MSCs from bone marrow as a comparison. We isolated murine MSCs from the long bones of Balb/c mice by density gradient centrifugation and adherent cell culture. Human MSCs were isolated from the bone marrow of patients undergoing hip replacement by density gradient centrifugation and adherent cell culture. The expression of chemokine receptors on the surface of MSCs was studied using flow cytometry. Primary murine MSCs expressed CCR6, CCR9, CXCR3 and CXCR6 on a large proportion of cells (73+/-11%, 44+/-25%, 55+/-18% and 96+/-2% respectively). Chemotaxis assays were used to verify functionality of these chemokine receptors. We have also demonstrated expression of these receptors on human MSCs, revealing some similarity in chemokine receptor expression between the two species. Consequently, these murine MSCs would be a useful model to further study the role of chemokine receptors in in vivo models of disease and injury, for example in recruitment of MSCs to inflamed tissues for repair or immunosuppression.     

Vitamin D3 supplementation during pregnancy and lactation for women living with HIV in Tanzania: A randomized controlled trial

BackgroundObservational studies suggest that vitamin D deficiency among people living with HIV is associated with a greater risk of disease progression and death. Low levels of vitamin D in pregnancy are also associated with poor fetal and infant growth. Therefore, vitamin D supplementation may improve clinical outcomes for pregnant women living with HIV and improve fetal and postnatal growth for their infants.Methods and findingsWe conducted a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial of vitamin D₃ supplementation among pregnant and lactating women living with HIV in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT02305927","term_id":"NCT02305927"}}NCT02305927). Participants were randomized with 1:1 allocation stratified by study clinic to receive either daily 3,000 IU vitamin D₃ supplements or matching placebo supplements from the second trimester of pregnancy (12–27 weeks) until 1 year postpartum. The primary outcomes were (i) maternal HIV progression or death, (ii) small-for-gestational-age (SGA) live births (<10th percentile), and (iii) infant stunting at 1 year of age (length-for-age z-score < −2). We also examined the effect of vitamin D₃ supplementation on secondary maternal and infant health outcomes, maternal and infant serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations, and maternal hypercalcemia. An intent-to-treat analysis was used as the primary analytic approach. We enrolled 2,300 pregnant women between June 15, 2015, and April 17, 2018, and follow-up of mothers and infants was completed on October 20, 2019. There were 1,148 pregnant women randomly assigned to the vitamin D₃ group, and 1,152 to the placebo group. The proportion of mothers lost to follow-up at 1 year postpartum was 6.6% in the vitamin D₃ group (83 of 1,148) and 6.6% in the placebo group (76 of 1,152). The proportion of children lost to follow-up at 1 year of age was 5.5% in the vitamin D₃ group (59 of 1,074 live births) and 5.2% in the placebo group (57 of 1,093 live births). There was no difference in the risk of maternal HIV progression or death, with 166 events during 1,461 person-years of follow-up in the vitamin D₃ group and 141 events during 1,469 person-years of follow-up in the placebo group (hazard ratio 1.21, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.52, p = 0.09). There was no difference in the risk of SGA birth between the vitamin D₃ (229 SGA births among 1,070 live births) and placebo groups (236 SGA births among 1,091 live births) (relative risk 1.03, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.22, p = 0.70). There was also no difference in the risk of infant stunting at 1 year of age between the vitamin D₃ (407 events among 867 infants) and placebo groups (413 events among 873 infants) (relative risk 1.00, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.10, p = 0.95). In terms of adverse events, no cases of maternal hypercalcemia were identified. One hypersensitivity reaction to the trial supplements occurred for a pregnant woman in the placebo group. A limitation of our study is that our findings may not be generalizable to HIV-negative pregnant women or contexts where severe vitamin D deficiency is prevalent.ConclusionsThe trial findings do not support routine vitamin D supplementation for pregnant and lactating women living with HIV in Tanzania.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT02305927","term_id":"NCT02305927"}}NCT02305927.

Christopher R. Sudfeld and colleagues, investigate the impact of vitamin D supplementation on clinical outcomes for pregnant women living with HIV, and growth outcomes for their infants.     

Understanding measurements of vitality in patients with chronic kidney disease: connecting a quality-of-life scale to daily activities

Background

Many patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) suffer from fatigue caused by anemia, but that anemia can be reversed. Successful treatment can be measured as a decrease in fatigue and an increase in energy or vitality, particularly on the vitality (VT) subscale of the SF-36. Changes in VT scores are most commonly interpreted in terms of minimally important differences or standardized effect sizes, but neither a minimally important difference nor a standardized effect size provides information about how patients’ activities are affected. Therefore, we analyzed the association between differences in VT scores and a variable that is meaningful to patients and to society the frequency of going out.

Study Design

Questionnaire survey. Analyses of differences among participants at bseline, and analyses of differences within participants over time.

Setting and Participants

CKD patients who were not on dialysis and were involved in a study of anti-anemia therapy.

Predictor

VT scores.

Outcome

Frequency of going out.

Measurements

VT scores and the frequency of going out.

Results

At baseline, higher VT scores and younger age were associated with going out more often, while sex and the presence of diabetic nephropathy were not associated with the frequency of going out. Greater changes in VT scores over time were associated with greater changes in the frequency of going out, in univariate and multivariate analyses.

Conclusions

At baseline, VT was associated with the frequency of going out. Increases in VT were also associated with increases in the frequency of going out. These results show how VT scores can be linked to daily activities that are important to individual patients and to society.     

Locomotor disability in very elderly people: value of a programme for screening and provision of aids for daily living.

OBJECTIVE--To assess the prevalence of potentially reversible locomotor disabilities in elderly subjects and the cost effectiveness of providing aids for daily living. DESIGN--Population based randomised controlled trial of subjects aged greater than or equal to 85 living independently in an inner London borough. SETTING--21 Electoral wards of the London Borough of Hackney. SUBJECTS--1255 Subjects aged greater than or equal to 85 living in their own home whose names were obtained from general practitioner lists and cross checked against the electoral register, 511 of whom were subsequently found to be ineligible. Of the 744 remaining, those with disability on screening were randomised and allocated to an intervention group (36) or a control group (43), in which intervention was postponed until four weeks, after the follow up assessment. Subjects with aids supplied previously were excluded from the intervention phase. INTERVENTIONS--Provision of raised toilet seat, teapot tipper, tap turner, shoe horn and elastic laces, and double handled saucepan. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Degree of difficulty (grades 1-4) with specific tasks (getting on and off a toilet, pouring from a teapot into a cup, turning taps on and off, carrying a saucepan of standard weight, and putting on shoes) and time taken to perform them. RESULTS--545 (73%) Of the 744 eligible subjects assessed; 428 had no disability and 118 had difficulty with at least one task. Some had had their disability recognised before the study and already had aids, representing half of those with difficulty getting on and off the toilet but 24% for putting on shoes and 13% for pouring from a teapot and turning on a tap. The mean number of difficulties was similar between the groups (intervention group 1.7, control group 1.6). Time taken to complete the tasks corresponded with the observed grade of difficulty. All aids were associated with reduced difficulty according to observer assessment (% improvement intervention group v control group: raised toilet seat, 71 v 13 teapot tipper 100 v 33; tap turner 100 v 0; saucepan 88 v 0; shoe horn 50 v 13) and time taken to complete the tasks. A cost benefit analysis of this screening-intervention programme suggested a total cost of 32 pounds per individual benefit. CONCLUSIONS--Appreciable degrees of unrecognised locomotor disability are detected on screening of very elderly people living independently. Providing aids offers a feasible and cost effective means of improving function in such people.     

Up-regulation of the intestinal 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D receptor during hypervitaminosis D: a comparison between vitamin D2 and vitamin D3

Concentrations of intestinal 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D receptor were measured in rats receiving pharmacological amounts (25,000 IU/rat daily for 6 days) of either vitamin D2 or vitamin D3. The data showed that both hypervitaminosis D2 and hypervitaminosis D3 resulted in significant up-regulation of intestinal 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D receptor (fmol/mg protein) relative to controls (409 +/- 24, vitamin D2-treated; 525 +/- 41, vitamin D3-treated; and 249 +/- 19, control). The 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D receptor enhancement also was accompanied by elevated plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and hypercalcemia. These data suggest that increased target-tissue 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D receptor may play a role in enhancing target-tissue responsiveness and, thus, have a significant role in mediating the toxic effects of hypervitaminosis D.     

Insertion with long target duplication: a mechanism for gene mobility suggested from comparison of two related bacterial genomes

The complete genome sequences of two closely related organisms--two Helicobacter pylori strains--have recently become available. Comparison of these genomes at single base pair level has suggested the presence of a mechanism for bacterial gene mobility--insertion with long target duplications. This mechanism is formally similar to classical transposon insertion, but the duplication is much longer, often in the range of 100bp. Restriction and/or modification enzyme genes are often within or adjacent to the insertion. A similar process may have mediated insertion of the cag(+) pathogenicity island in H. pylori. A similar structure was identified in comparisons between Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae genomes. We hypothesize that this mechanism, as well as two other types of polymorphism linked with restriction-modification genes (insertion accompanied by target deletion and a tripartite structure composed of substitution/inversion/deletion), have resulted from attack by restriction enzymes on the chromosome.     

Celestial3D: a novel method for 3D visualization of familial data

Summary: Traditional two-dimensional (2D) software programsfor drawing pedigrees are limited when dealing with extendedpedigrees. In successive generations, the number of individualsgrows exponentially, leading to an unworkable amount of spacerequired in the horizontal direction for 2D displays. In addition,it is not always possible to place closely related individualsnear each other due to the lack of space in 2Ds. To addressthese issues we have developed three-dimensional (3D) pedigreedrawing techniques to enable clearer visualization of extendedpedigrees. Currently no other methods are available for displayingextended pedigrees in 3Ds. We have made freely available a softwaretool—‘Celestial3D’—that implements thesenovel techniques. Availability: Freely available to non-commercial users Contact: celestial3d{at}genepi.org.au Supplementary information: www.genepi.org.au/celestial3d Associate Editor: Martin Bishop ¹A more extensive list of software tools appears in the SupplementaryMaterial.     

Assessment of LV ejection fraction using real-time 3D echocardiography in daily practice: direct comparison of the volumetric and speckle tracking methodologies to CMR

Aims

This study is the first to directly compare two widely used real-time 3D echocardiography (RT3DE) methods of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and assess their reproducibility in experienced and less experienced observers.

Methods

Consecutive patients planned for CMR underwent RT3DE within 8 h of CMR with Philips (volumetric method) and Toshiba Artida (speckle tracking method). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) and end-systolic volume (LVESV) were measured using RT3DE, by four trained observers, and compared with CMR values.

Results

Thirty-five patients were included (49.7 ± 15.7 years; 55 % male), 30 (85.7 %) volumetric and 27 (77.1 %) speckle tracking datasets could be analysed. CMR derived LVEDV, LVESV and LVEF were 198 ± 58 ml, 106 ± 53 ml and 49 ± 15 %, respectively. LVEF derived from speckle tracking was accurate and reproducible in all observers (all intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) > 0.86). LVEF derived from the volumetric method correlated well to CMR in experienced observers (ICC 0.85 and 0.86) but only moderately in less experienced observers (ICC 0.58 and 0.77) and was less reproducible in these observers (ICC = 0.55). Volumes were significantly underestimated compared with CMR (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that both RT3DE methodologies are sufficiently accurate and reproducible for use in daily practice. However, experience importantly influences the accuracy and reproducibility of the volumetric method, which should be considered when introducing this technique into clinical practice.     

Validation of a technique for reconstructing daily patterns in the recruitment of coral reef damselfish

Counting growth increments in otoliths recently has become an accepted method of ageing tropical fishes, however, verification is essential for each new species. In this study, growth increments in otoliths of the juveniles of several coral reef damselfishes (Pomacentridae) were deposited daily and a distinct transition from wide to narrow increments coincided with settlement from the pelagic larval phase into the demersal habitat. Thus, the data of settlement for each individual fish could be calculated with acceptable accuracy. The daily pattern of recruitment to a coral reef was successfully reconstructed using the otoliths from a large sample of juvenile fish collected at the end of the breeding season. This was because the original pattern of settlement was preserved in the age distribution for at least 4 to 5 months. This application of otolith ageing techniques may be extended to reveal the temporal patterns of recruitment to many localities encompassing spatial scales larger than would be logistically possible using visual censuses.