Serological Investigation of Corynebacterium Pseudotuberculosis Infection in Sheep–Correlation between the Hemolysis Inhibition Test and the ELISA Test

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis causes caseous lymphadenitis in sheep and goats. The animals may be infected without showing clinical symptoms. Several serotests have therefore been employed to detect infected animals. Shen et al (1982) performed an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect antibodies against the organism using cell wall antigens. Maki et al (1985) found that the toxin of the bacterium was a better antigen for assessing infection in the ELISA test. They reported that the antitoxin ELISA appeared to be as sensitive as the antihemolysin inhibition test (Zaki 1968).     

Does education influence the results of the Amsterdam Dementia-Screening Test (ADS)?

The goal of this study was to explore the correlation between education and the results of five dementia screening tests. In a study of 551 consecutively enrolled psychogeriatric day care attendants individual differences in education explained only very small portions of variance (< or = 0.63%) in four tests (visual recognition memory, orientation, category fluency and alternating sequences) of the Amsterdam Dementia Screening Test, a standard neuropsychological battery. The only exception was graphical copying of two- or three-dimensional geometric designs, where education explained 6.25% of the variance in copying accuracy. The more education participants had (from incomplete or complete primary education, through extended primary education, lower technical and vocational training, and secondary to higher education), the better their copying performance was. There was however one exception, in that participants with secondary education copied designs significantly less accurately than participants with lower technical and vocational training. Differences in copying accuracy of subjects with higher versus lower educational attainment were largest for participants matched for high levels of cognitive function. More severe cognitive impairment attenuated education effects. Higher education did not protect against decline of copying performance as a consequence of increasing cognitive impairment. For each of three educational levels, premorbid copying performance was estimated by constructing a regression equation using an independent measure of cognitive functioning (in terms of visual recognition memory, orientation and category fluency) as the predictor variable. The results support the clinical utility of controlling for educational level when interpreting individual copying performance.     

Snijders-Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Test: useful for the elderly?

The feasibility of the SON-R 5 1/2-17, a non-verbal intelligence test for deaf children, was investigated in a group of older adults, with a view to the future use of the test in older neurological patients. In a group of 58 healthy elderly persons intelligence was measured with the SON, the Raven Progressive Matrices and a Dutch reading test. The subjects were also asked for their subjective judgements of the tests. The SON-R 5 1/2-17 appears to be a user-friendly test. The high correlations between the subtests, and between the SON and other measures of intelligence suggest that the SON is a valid test for measuring fluid intelligence in elderly persons. The existing norms are not suitable when the SON is used in elderly people, new norms for adults should therefore be developed.     

神经行为学实验Narrow-Alley Test及Corner Test改良: Narrow-Alley Corner Test

目的改良传统的Narrow-alley Test及Corner Test,增强实验的可操作性和结果的可靠性。方法用Narrow-alley Test、Corner Test及改良后的Narrow-alley Corner Test检测三组SD大鼠:脑出血 GCSF治疗组;脑出血 生理盐水安慰治疗组;正常对照组。结果(1)与Narrow-alley Test及Corner Test结果一致,正常大鼠在Narrow-alleyCorner Test实验装置中向左、向右"站立转身"的几率接近,而脑损伤大鼠则趋向沿损伤同侧作"站立转身"。(2)Narrow-alley Corner Test不须反复刺激大鼠,减少了人在实验现场对动物活动的影响,增强了实验的可操作性和结果的可信度。结论Narrow-alley Corner Test是一种可操作性强、结果可靠的神经行为学检测方法。     

REITER PROTEIN COMPLEMENT FIXATION TEST—A Preliminary Comparison of the TPI Test with the Complement Fixation Test Employing a Soluble Protein Antigen Derived from the Reiter Strain

A comparative study of the specificity of the Reiter protein complement fixation (RPCF) test and the Treponema pallidum immobilization (TPI) test on 180 sera showed that the results in 178 instances or 98.9 per cent were in agreement.The sensitivity of the RPCF test, when compared to the TPI test, on 189 sera from patients known to have syphilis was in agreement in 182 or 96.3 per cent, assuming a correlation exists between positive TPI and both the “reactive” or “weakly reactive” RPCF test results.As to reproducibility of results, the RPCF test results agreed in 84 of the 87 sera tested (95.4 per cent). The sera were tested at least three times on different days.Anticomplementary reactions were observed in three of 91 normal sera.     

Can the Red-Green Duochrome Test Be Used Prior to Correcting the Refractive Cylinder Component?

Purpose

A primary task of the eye care professional is determining the refraction, or optical correction, of a patient. The duochrome red-green test is a standard tool for verification of the final refraction. Traditionally, it is recommended for use both prior to and subsequent to determining the cylindrical or astigmatic component of the refraction. In order for it to be effective when used before correcting the cylinder it is necessary that the COLC (Circle of Least Confusion) be on the retina. This study examined whether it is necessarily true that the duochrome response in uncorrected astigmatism will be as trust-worthy as it is with corrected cylinders.

Methods

The red-green examination was performed monocularly under the following three conditions: a. fully corrected refraction for the subgroup of eyes that had spherical refractions and for the subgroup of eyes with sphero-cylindrical refractions. b. best sphere-only correction without cylinder correction in sphero-cylindrical eyes c. an induced cylinder error in spherical eyes. The interval between the last “red” response and the first “green” response for the right eyes as a group and separately for the physiological cylinder and induced cylinder correction sub-groups was calculated and compared using a paired, two-tailed t-test.

Results

The intervals between “red” and “green” responses were not significantly different in the population as a whole and in the uncorrected physiological cylinder and induced cylinder subgroups examined.

Conclusion

Based on the finding that the interval of red-green equality with fully corrected cylinder and without the cylindrical correction are not significantly different, the red-green duochrome test can indeed be used both before and after cylindrical correction.     

Test Study on the Excitation Spectrum of the CO ⃛Ar van der Waals Molecule

In the present contribution, we performed ab initio Møller-Plesset perturbation theory second-order (MP2) calculations in the framework of the supermolecule approach on the vertical excitation spectra of the weakly bound van der Waals CO-Ar molecule in its "near T-shaped" most stable ground state structure, as a guideline for future theoretical and experimental work. These test calculations indicate a ground CO ( X 1 D )- Ar ( 1 S ) interaction with R e =3.72 Å, D e =109 cm -1 and D o =92 cm -1 . They also indicate an excited CO ( A 1 @ )- Ar ( 1 S ) interaction with R e =3.55 Å, D e =141 cm -1 and D o =121 cm -1 . A red shift of 29 cm -1 for the CO ( X 1 D )- Ar ( 1 S ) M CO ( A 1 @ )- Ar ( 1 S ) vertical excitation energy, with respect to the corresponding CO ( X 1 D ) M CO ( A 1 @ ) excitation in the absence of Ar, can be obtained by comparing the corresponding D o values.     

Spirometry in Healthy Subjects: Do Technical Details of the Test Procedure Affect the Results?

Introduction

Spirometry should follow strict quality criteria. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) recommends the use of a noseclip; however there are controversies about its need. ATS also indicates that tests should be done in the sitting position, but there are no recommendations neither about position of the upper limbs and lower limbs nor about who should hold the mouthpiece while performing the maneuvers: evaluated subject or evaluator.

Objectives

To compare noseclip use or not, different upper and lower limbs positions and who holds the mouthpiece, verifying if these technical details affect spirometric results in healthy adults.

Methods

One hundred and three healthy individuals (41 men; age: 47 [33–58] years; normal lung function: FEV₁/FVC = 83±5, FEV₁ = 94 [88–104]%predicted, FVC = 92 [84–102]%predicted) underwent a protocol consisting of four spirometric comparative analysis in the sitting position: 1) maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) with vs without noseclip; 2) FVC performed with vs without upper limbs support; 3) FVC performed with lower limbs crossed vs lower limbs in neutral position; 4) FVC, slow vital capacity and MVV comparing the evaluated subject holding the mouthpiece vs evaluator holding it.

Results

Different spirometric variables presented statistically significant difference (p<0.05) when analysing the four comparisons; however, none of them showed any variation larger than those considered as acceptable according to the ATS reproducibility criteria.

Conclusions

There was no relevant variation in spirometric results when analyzing technical details such as noseclip use during MVV, upper and lower limb positions and who holds the mouthpiece when performing the tests in healthy adults.     

Does the Refuge Availability Influence the Spawning Behavior of Mature Male Parr in Salmonids? A Test in the Miyabe Charr

In many salmon and charr, both 'migratory males' and 'precocious males' are maintained as alternative life-histories within a population. During breeding, precocious males gather around the mating pair of migratory fish and attempt to sneak in the spawning between larger male and female charr. Refuges such as debris and shallow areas may provide shelter from aggressive attacks and allow precocious males to hold positions closer to the pair (nest) and/or sneak more easily during the mating. Here we examine whether the availability of refuges influences the breeding behavior of precocious male parr of the Miyabe charr under experimental and natural conditions. Aggressive attacks directed toward precocious parr by the mating pair or other parr was not influenced by the refuge availability either under experimental conditions or in the wild. We did not find the effect of high refuge availability on the proximity of parr to the nest beyond the experimental conditions where the density of refuges was probably higher than in the natural stream. There were no effects of high refuge availability either on parr's attempts at sneak mating or on their success in spawning. Thus, our results provide little evidence that the refuge availability influences parr sneaking behavior. Other possible effects of high refuge availability, for example, the increase of fertilization success and the decrease of energy expenditure and risk taking, remain to be considered.     

Test of the efficacy of two chemical repellents in the control of Hermann’s tortoise nest predation

The survival of the tiny native population of the western Hermann’s tortoise Testudo hermanni hermanni at the Albera Nature Reserve is threatened by nest predation. The initial purpose of this work was to test the efficacy of a commercial chemical repellent aimed at carnivores in the control of this predation. A total of 128 artificial nests containing quail eggs were distributed among eight 625-m² plots. There were four control plots and four plots protected by repellent devices in a natural nesting area of the Albera; each plot contained 16 nests. All the nests, including the protected ones, were depredated after only 4 days. Due to the major role of the wild boar Sus scrofa as predator in this experiment, we decided to assess, by means of a second experiment (n = 160 artificial nests, 20 nests/plot), the efficacy of a specific repellent for this mammal combined with the initial repellent. The only noticeable effect of the combination of repellents was to delay predation, although after 4 days almost all protected nests had been depredated. We found both repellents unsatisfactory for reducing nest predation, necessitating the search for other methods of predator control.     

Hope for the Best or Prepare for the Worst? Towards a Spatial Cognitive Bias Test for Mice

Cognitive bias, the altered information processing resulting from the background emotional state of an individual, has been suggested as a promising new indicator of animal emotion. Comparable to anxious or depressed humans, animals in a putatively negative emotional state are more likely to judge an ambiguous stimulus as if it predicts a negative event, than those in positive states. The present study aimed to establish a cognitive bias test for mice based on a spatial judgment task and to apply it in a pilot study to serotonin transporter (5-HTT) knockout mice, a well-established mouse model for the study of anxiety- and depression-related behavior. In a first step, we validated that our setup can assess different expectations about the outcome of an ambiguous stimulus: mice having learned to expect something positive within a maze differed significantly in their behavior towards an unfamiliar location than animals having learned to expect something negative. In a second step, the use of spatial location as a discriminatory stimulus was confirmed by showing that mice interpret an ambiguous stimulus depending on its spatial location, with a position exactly midway between a positive and a negative reference point provoking the highest level of ambiguity. Finally, the anxiety- and depression-like phenotype of the 5-HTT knockout mouse model manifested - comparable to human conditions - in a trend for a negatively distorted interpretation of ambiguous information, albeit this effect was not statistically significant. The results suggest that the present cognitive bias test provides a useful basis to study the emotional state in mice, which may not only increase the translational value of animal models in the study of human affective disorders, but which is also a central objective of animal welfare research.     

Why Does Rhinopithecus bieti Prefer the Highest Elevation Range in Winter? A Test of the Sunshine Hypothesis

Environmental factors that affect spatiotemporal distribution patterns of animals usually include resource availability, temperature, and the risk of predation. However, they do not explain the counterintuitive preference of high elevation range in winter by the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti). We asked whether variation of sunshine along with elevations is the key driving force. To test this hypothesis, we conducted field surveys to demonstrate that there was a statistically significant pattern of high elevation use during winter. We then asked whether this pattern can be explained by certain environmental factors, namely temperature, sunshine duration and solar radiation. Finally, we concluded with a possible ecological mechanism for this pattern. In this study, we employed GIS technology to quantify solar radiation and sunshine duration across the monkey's range. Our results showed that: 1) R. bieti used the high altitude range between 4100-4400 m in winter although the yearly home range spanned from 3500-4500 m; 2) both solar radiation and sunshine duration increased with elevation while temperature decreased with elevation; 3) within the winter range, the use of range was significantly correlated with solar radiation and sunshine duration; 4) monkeys moved to the areas with high solar radiation and duration following a snowfall, where the snow melts faster and food is exposed earlier. We concluded that sunshine was the main factor that influences selection of high elevation habitat for R. bieti in winter. Since some other endotherms in the area exhibit similar winter distributional patterns, we developed a sunshine hypothesis to explain this phenomenon. In addition, our work also represented a new method of integrating GIS models into traditional field ecology research to study spatiotemporal distribution pattern of wildlife. We suggest that further theoretical and empirical studies are necessary for better understanding of sunshine influence on wildlife range use.     

Ethnomycology Among the Nuaulu of the Moluccas: Putting Berlin’s “General Principles” of Ethnobiological Classification to the Test

Ethnomycology among the Nuaulu of the Moluccas: Putting Berlin’s “General Principles” of Ethnobiological Classification to the Test. Berlin's (Ethnobiological Classification: Principles of Categorization of Plants and Animals in Traditional Societies. Princeton University Press, New Jersey, 1992) universal theories of ethnobiological classification have provided an indispensable common rubric to compare data from diverse sources. This paper examines these principles with respect to the naming of mushrooms by the Nuaulu on the eastern Indonesian island of Seram, a people for whom mushrooms have only marginal significance. Concordance to Berlin’s principles is noted in some respects, but the small proportion of overall mycological diversity that is treated, the lack of consistently labeled intermediate rankings, the conflation between specific and generic levels, and the importance of utilitarian considerations challenge Berlin's hierarchically ranked “general purpose” (i.e., natural) model of folk biological taxonomy. A comparative review of the literature on other, mostly tropical ethnomycological classifications, is also included.     

Diagnosing Adrenal Insufficiency: Which Test is Best—The 1-μG or the 250-μG Cosyntropin Stimulation Test?

ObjectiveTo review the available literature on the low-dose cosyntropin stimulation test (CST) for the diagnosis of primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency in both nonstressed and acutely ill patients.MethodsWe performed a MEDLINE search of all English-language literature, published between 1965 and 2007, in which the 1-μg and the 250-μg CSTs were compared in patients with primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency.ResultsThe majority of published evidence suggests that the 1-μg CST is more sensitive than the 250-μg CST for the diagnosis of secondary adrenal insufficiency in nonstressed patients. In patients with primary adrenal insufficiency, the low-dose CST is unlikely to add any diagnostic sensitivity to the high-dose CST. In critically ill patients, the 1-μg test is also likely to be more sensitive than the 250-μg test when an appropriate cutoff value is used (25 μg/dL).ConclusionThe 1-μg CST with a cortisol level determined at 30 minutes after stimulation, with use of a cutoff level of 18 to 20 μg/dL in nonstressed patients and less than 25 μg/dL or an increment of less than 9 μg/dL from baseline in critically ill patients, is the best test that is currently available for establishing the diagnosis of secondary adrenal insufficiency. (Endocr Pract. 2008;14: 233-238)     

Does liquid-based technology really improve detection of cervical neoplasia? A prospective, randomized trial comparing the ThinPrep Pap Test with the conventional Pap Test, including follow-up of HSIL cases

OBJECTIVE: To compare the sensitivity, specificity and specimen adequacy of the ThinPrep Pap Test (TP) with the conventional Pap Test (CV) in a low-risk population with subsequent follow-up of HSIL cases. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, controlled design was chosen to compare the TP with CV. Cytologic diagnosis and specimen adequacy were evaluated and compared with histology data in high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) cases. Fifteen gynecologists in private practice, all trained in colposcopy, participated in the trial. Cytologic diagnosis, specimen adequacy and follow-up of the cytologic HSIL cases were compared in the two groups. In total, 1,999 patients were included, 997 in the TP group and 1,002 in the CV group. Randomization assignments were designated on cytology case report forms, which were placed in sealed envelopes. Each envelope had a sequential randomization number on the outside to allow tracking and authentication of randomization assignments. RESULTS: Comparison of results between CVs and TPs revealed no statistically significant differences in all diagnostic categories, ranging from "within normal limits" to HSIL. Specimen adequacy, however, was superior with CVs (P < .001). The cytologic diagnosis of HSIL correlated with the histologic diagnosis in 91% of the TP group and 100% of the CV group. CONCLUSION: Because there was no statistically significant difference in sensitivity and specificity of the two techniques, improved detection of cervical abnormalities and better specimen adequacy might not be a consequence of utilizing liquid-based preparations but of a better sampling technique. Removing mucus and cellular debris from the cervical surface with a cellulose swab before sampling cells with a proper sampling device results in the same sensitivity and specimen adequacy and is much less expensive than the liquid-based technique.     

Variability of the QuantiFERON?-TB Gold In-Tube Test Using Automated and Manual Methods

Background

The QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT-GIT) detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection by measuring release of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) when T-cells (in heparinized whole blood) are stimulated with specific Mtb antigens. The amount of IFN-γ is determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Automation of the ELISA method may reduce variability. To assess the impact of ELISA automation, we compared QFT-GIT results and variability when ELISAs were performed manually and with automation.

Methods

Blood was collected into two sets of QFT-GIT tubes and processed at the same time. For each set, IFN-γ was measured in automated and manual ELISAs. Variability in interpretations and IFN-γ measurements was assessed between automated (A1 vs. A2) and manual (M1 vs. M2) ELISAs. Variability in IFN-γ measurements was also assessed on separate groups stratified by the mean of the four ELISAs.

Results

Subjects (N = 146) had two automated and two manual ELISAs completed. Overall, interpretations were discordant for 16 (11%) subjects. Excluding one subject with indeterminate results, 7 (4.8%) subjects had discordant automated interpretations and 10 (6.9%) subjects had discordant manual interpretations (p = 0.17). Quantitative variability was not uniform; within-subject variability was greater with higher IFN-γ measurements and with manual ELISAs. For subjects with mean TB Responses ±0.25 IU/mL of the 0.35 IU/mL cutoff, the within-subject standard deviation for two manual tests was 0.27 (CI₉₅ = 0.22–0.37) IU/mL vs. 0.09 (CI₉₅ = 0.07–0.12) IU/mL for two automated tests.

Conclusion

QFT-GIT ELISA automation may reduce variability near the test cutoff. Methodological differences should be considered when interpreting and using IFN-γ release assays (IGRAs).     

Evaluation of the Septifast MGrade Test on Standard Care Wards—A Cohort Study

Background

The immediate need for appropriate antimicrobial therapy in septic patients requires the detection of the causative pathogen in a timely and reliable manner. In this study, the real-time PCR Septifast M^Grade test was evaluated in adult patients meeting the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria that were treated at standard care wards.

Methods

Patients with clinical suspected infection, drawn blood cultures (BC), the Septifast M^Grade test (SF) and sepsis biomarkers were prospectively screened for fulfillment of SIRS criteria and evaluated using the criteria of the European Centre of Disease Control (ECDC) for infection point prevalence studies.

Results

In total, 220 patients with SIRS were prospectively enrolled, including 56 patients with detection of bacteria in the blood (incidence: 25.5%). BC analysis resulted in 75.0% sensitivity (95% confidence interval, CI: 61.6%– 85.6%) with 97.6% specificity (CI: 93.9%– 99.3%) for detecting bacteria in the blood. In comparison to BC, SF presented with 80.4% sensitivity (CI: 67.6%– 89.8%) and with 97.6% specificity (CI: 93.9%– 99.3%). BC and SF analysis yielded comparable ROC-AUCs (0.86, 0.89), which did not differ significantly (p = 0.558). A trend of a shorter time-to-positivity of BC analysis was not seen in bacteremic patients with a positive SF test than those with a negative test result. Sepsis biomarkers, including PCT, IL-6 or CRP, did not help to explain discordant test results for BC and SF.

Conclusion

Since negative results do not exclude bacteremia, the Septifast M^Grade test is not suited to replacing BC, but it is a valuable tool with which to complement BC for faster detection of pathogens.     

EDISON-WMW: Exact Dynamic Programing Solution of the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney Test

In many research disciplines, hypothesis tests are applied to evaluate whether findings are statistically significant or could be explained by chance. The Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney(WMW) test is among the most popular hypothesis tests in medicine and life science to analyze if two groups of samples are equally distributed. This nonparametric statistical homogeneity test is commonly applied in molecular diagnosis. Generally, the solution of the WMW test takes a high combinatorial effort for large sample cohorts containing a significant number of ties. Hence, P value is frequently approximated by a normal distribution. We developed EDISON-WMW, a new approach to calculate the exact permutation of the two-tailed unpaired WMW test without any corrections required and allowing for ties. The method relies on dynamic programing to solve the combinatorial problem of the WMW test efficiently. Beyond a straightforward implementation of the algorithm, we presented different optimization strategies and developed a parallel solution. Using our program,the exact P value for large cohorts containing more than 1000 samples with ties can be calculated within minutes. We demonstrate the performance of this novel approach on randomly-generated data, benchmark it against 13 other commonly-applied approaches and moreover evaluate molecular biomarkers for lung carcinoma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD). We foundthat approximated P values were generally higher than the exact solution provided by EDISONWMW. Importantly, the algorithm can also be applied to high-throughput omics datasets, where hundreds or thousands of features are included. To provide easy access to the multi-threaded version of EDISON-WMW, a web-based solution of our algorithm is freely available at http://www.ccb.uni-saarland.de/software/wtest/.     

When Are Random Data Not Random,or Is the PTP Test Useful?

Recently, empirical evidence was presented that the permutation tail probability (PTP) test has extremely low discriminatory power when assessing character covariance in phylogenetic data based on bootstrap measures of confidence. Here we are concerned with the problem of using one statistical approach, especially when applied to empirical data, to judge the performance of another. Applying an appropriate statistical approach, we statistically demonstrated that the PTP test is extremely weak in detecting the absence of character covariation. In addition, we show that PTP is highly dependent on the number of terminals and the proportion of character states in phylogenetic matrices. In conclusion, we advocate the use of simulation studies when testing the performance of statistical tools applied to phylogenetic data.