자연주의적 탐구조사(Naturalistic Inquiry)

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(08)61690-6.pdf

Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health

We have produced a draft sequence of the rice genome for the most widely cultivated subspecies in China, Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica, by whole-genome shotgun sequencing. The genome was 466 megabases in size, with an estimated 46,022 to 55,615 genes. Functional coverage in the assembled sequences was 92.0%. About 42.2% of the genome was in exact 20-nucleotide oligomer repeats, and most of the transposons were in the intergenic regions between genes. Although 80.6% of predicted Arabidopsis thaliana genes had a homolog in rice, only 49.4% of predicted rice genes had a homolog in A. thaliana. The large proportion of rice genes with no recognizable homologs is due to a gradient in the GC-content of rice coding sequences.

/pdf/a-draft-sequence-of-the-rice-genome-oryza-sativa-l-ssp-5212kgt1ff.pdf

A draft sequence of the rice genome (Oryza sativa L. ssp indica)

Background A number of studies have computed the minimally important difference (MID) for health-related quality of life instruments. Objective To determine whether there is consistency in the magnitude of MID estimates from different instruments. Methods We conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify studies that computed an MID and contained sufficient information to compute an effect size (ES). Thirty-eight studies fulfilled the criteria, resulting in 62 ESs. Results For all but 6 studies, the MID estimates were close to one half a SD (mean = 0.495, SD = 0.155). There was no consistent relationship with factors such as disease-specific or generic instrument or the number of response options. Negative changes were not associated with larger ESs. Population-based estimation procedures and brief follow-up were associated with smaller ESs, and acute conditions with larger ESs. An explanation for this consistency is that research in psychology has shown that the limit of people's ability to discriminate over a wide range of tasks is approximately 1 part in 7, which is very close to half a SD. Conclusion In most circumstances, the threshold of discrimination for changes in health-related quality of life for chronic diseases appears to be approximately half a SD.

Interpretation of changes in health-related quality of life the remarkable universality of half a standard deviation

Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Measuring the whole or the parts?: Validity, reliability, and responsiveness of the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand outcome measure in different regions of the upper extremity

The development of a comorbidity index with physical function as the outcome.

Orthopaedic surgeons have always based their clinical care on evidence. Surgeons use evidence to make decisions tailored to an individual patient's needs and circumstances. The primary sources of evidence for clinicians are studies published in the medical and surgical literature, such as The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 

In June 2000, The Journal introduced the quarterly Evidence-Based Orthopaedics section 1. This section introduces orthopaedic surgeons to recent randomized trials relevant to the practice of orthopaedic surgery published in forty-two journals other than The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Structured abstracts of these studies are …

Introducing levels of evidence to the journal.

A B S T R AC T METHODS We conducted a multicenter study that included patients with typical indications for bracing due to their age, skeletal immaturity, and degree of scoliosis. Both a ran- domized cohort and a preference cohort were enrolled. Of 242 patients included in the analysis, 116 were randomly assigned to bracing or observation, and 126 chose between bracing and observation. Patients in the bracing group were instructed to wear the brace at least 18 hours per day. The primary outcomes were curve progres- sion to 50 degrees or more (treatment failure) and skeletal maturity without this de- gree of curve progression (treatment success). RESULTS The trial was stopped early owing to the efficacy of bracing. In an analysis that in- cluded both the randomized and preference cohorts, the rate of treatment success was 72% after bracing, as compared with 48% after observation (propensity-score- adjusted odds ratio for treatment success, 1.93; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08 to 3.46). In the intention-to-treat analysis, the rate of treatment success was 75% among patients randomly assigned to bracing, as compared with 42% among those ran- domly assigned to observation (odds ratio, 4.11; 95% CI, 1.85 to 9.16). There was a significant positive association between hours of brace wear and rate of treatment success (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Bracing significantly decreased the progression of high-risk curves to the threshold for surgery in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The benefit increased with longer hours of brace wear. (Funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and others; BRAIST ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00448448.)

/pdf/effects-of-bracing-in-adolescents-with-idiopathic-scoliosis-2qpv1sza6q.pdf

Effects of bracing in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis

Erratum: Development of an upper extremity outcome measure: The DASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand) (American Journal of Industrial Medicine (1996) 29:6 (602-608))

James G. Wright

Papers

Measuring the whole or the parts?: Validity, reliability, and responsiveness of the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand outcome measure in different regions of the upper extremity

The development of a comorbidity index with physical function as the outcome.

Introducing levels of evidence to the journal.

Effects of bracing in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis

Erratum: Development of an upper extremity outcome measure: The DASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand) (American Journal of Industrial Medicine (1996) 29:6 (602-608))