Duelundcalhoun2922

Illumina BeadChips are widely utilized in epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS). Several studies have reported that many probes on these arrays have poor reliability. Here, we compare different pre-processing methods to improve intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC). We describe the characteristics of ICC across the genome, within and between studies, and across different array platforms. Using technical duplicates from 128 subjects, we find that with raw data only 22.5% of the CpGs on 450 K array have 'acceptable' ICCs (>0.5). Data preprocessing steps, such as background correction and dye bias correction, can reduce technical noise and improve the percentage to 38.5%. Similar to previous studies, we found that ICC is associated with CpG methylation level such that 83% of CpGs with intermediate methylation (0.10.9) have acceptable ICCs. ICC is also correlated with CpG methylation variance; after mutual adjustment for beta-value and variance, only variance remains correlated. Many CpGs with poor ICCs ( less then 0.5) are located in biologically important regulatory regions, including gene promoters and CpG islands. Poor ICC at these sites appears to be a consequence of low biologic variation among individuals rather than increased technical measurement variation. ICCs quality classifications are highly concordant across different array platforms and across different studies. We find that ICC can be reliably estimated with 30 pairs of duplicate samples. CpGs with acceptable ICC have higher study power and are more commonly reported in published epigenome-wide studies.

Thoracic trauma results in multiple rib fractures (MRF), and surgical stabilisation of rib fractures (SSRF) can relieve fracture pain. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is reported to exhibit beneficial effects in bone-related metabolic and differentiation processes.

To study the clinical effect of EGCG on regional analgesia for pain relief in MRF patients after SSRF.

Ninety-seven MRF patients (61 males, 36 females) who were on epidural catheter analgesia after SSRF were recruited. They were randomly divided into oral EGCG 100 mg (oral grade) twice daily for 10 days and placebo groups. Pain scores, incentive spirometry (IS) volumes, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation (SpO

) were assessed day 10 after SSRF.

Comparing results from the placebo and EGCG group, in the 10-day intervention course, oral EGCG reduced pain score (8 at base line vs. 4 at end of intervention in EGCG group,

 < 0.05; 4 in EGCG group vs. 6 in placebo group at end of intervention,

 < 0.05), improved IS volume (713 at berstand the effect of EGCG in MRF patients that are undergoing SSRF.

To properly measure the effective noise exposure level of workers with hearing protection devices (HPD), the use of in-ear noise dosimeters (IEND) is increasing. Commercial IENDs typically feature one in-ear microphone that captures all noises inside the ear and do not discriminate the residual noise in the earcanal from wearer-induced disturbances (WID) to calculate the in-ear sound pressure levels (SPL). A method to alleviate this particular issue with IENDs and calculate the hearing protection level on-site is therefore proposed.

The sound captured by an outer-ear microphone is filtered with the modelled HPD transfer function to estimate the in-ear SPL, this way part of the WIDs mostly captured by the in-ear microphone can be rejected from the SPL. The level of protection provided by the earplugs can then be estimated from the difference between in-ear and outer-ear SPLs. The proposed method is validated by comparing the outcome of the proposed WID rejection method to a reference method.

The detailed methods are assessed on audio recordings from 16 industrial workers monitored for up to 4 days.

The merits of the proposed WID rejection approach are discussed in terms of residual SPL and hearing protection level estimation accuracy.

Based on the findings, a method to integrate the proposed WID rejection algorithm in future IENDs is suggested.

Based on the findings, a method to integrate the proposed WID rejection algorithm in future IENDs is suggested.

Home care case management (CM) is the main intervention for patients with severe mental disorders (SMDs) requiring outreach care. This study investigated the long-term mortality outcome and associated risk factors in patients who received home care CM.

This nationwide study enrolled patients who received home care CM (

 = 10,255) between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2010. read more Each patient was followed up from the baseline (when patients underwent home case CM for the first time during the study period) to the censor (i.e. mortality or the end of the study). We calculated the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and presented by age and diagnosis. Multivariate regression was performed to assess independent risk factors for mortality.

Among 10,255 patients who received home care CM, 1409 died during the study period; the overall SMR was 3.13. Specifically, patients with organic mental disorder had the highest SMR (4.98), followed by those with schizophrenia (3.89), major depression (2.98), and bipolar disorder (1.97). In the multivariate analysis, patients with organic mental disorder or dementia had the highest risk, whereas the mortality risk in patients with schizophrenia was comparable to that in patients with bipolar disorder or major depression. Deceased patients had a significantly higher proportion of acute or chronic physical illnesses, including cancer, chronic hepatic disease, pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and asthma.

This study presented the gap of mortality in patients with SMDs receiving home care CM in Taiwan. We highlight the need for effective strategies to improve medical care for this specified population.

This study presented the gap of mortality in patients with SMDs receiving home care CM in Taiwan. We highlight the need for effective strategies to improve medical care for this specified population.Homocysteine is one of the components of follicular fluid (FF), so that any disruptions in its concentration may affect oocyte development. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between FF homocysteine concentration and embryo quality, oocyte maturity, and pregnancy rate. Oocytes and embryos of 44 infertile women were categorised into different groups based on their maturity and quality, respectively. FF homocysteine levels, oocyte maturity, embryo quality, and pregnancy status were measured. A significant association was observed between the levels of FF homocysteine and oocyte maturation rate (p = .00). The concentration of FF homocysteine was higher than 9.8 µm/L in women with oocyte maturation less then 80%. Most of the good quality embryos belonged to homocysteine levels less then 9.8 µm/L. Decreased FF homocysteine concentrations can significantly improve the oocyte maturation rate and embryo quality. Aging may be an indirect factor contributing to decreased embryo quality and oocyte maturation through increasing FF homocysteine levels.