rwg: An assessment of within-group interrater agreement.

F. L. Schmidt and J. E. Hunter (1989) critiqued the within-group interrater reliability statistic (rwg) described by L. R. James et al (1984). S. W. Kozlowski and K. Hattrup (1992) responded to the Schmidt and Hunter critique and argued that rwg is a suitable index of interrater agreement. This article focuses on the interpretation of rwg as a measure of agreement among judges' ratings of a single target. A new derivation of rwg is given that underscores this interpretation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prospective, randomized trial comparing blood and oxygenated crystalloid cardioplegia in reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting

OBJECTIVES: Reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting presents unique challenges for myocardial preservation. The purpose of this study was to compare oxygenated blood cardioplegia with oxygenated crystalloid cardioplegia during reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting using transesophageal echocardiography to assess regional wall motion of the left ventricle before and after cardiopulmonary bypass. METHODS: Sixty-one patients undergoing reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting were prospectively randomized to receive oxygenated blood cardioplegia or oxygenated crystalloid cardioplegia delivered with a combined antegrade-retrograde technique. Transgastric short axis views of the left ventricle were made with transesophageal echocardiography during the operation before cardiopulmonary bypass and immediately after cardiopulmonary bypass. Regional wall motion was graded by a blinded observer, and before cardiopulmonary bypass scores were compared with after cardiopulmonary bypass scores. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in the change in regional wall motion score from before cardiopulmonary bypass to after cardiopulmonary bypass between the blood and crystalloid cardioplegia groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study found blood and crystalloid cardioplegia to be equally efficacious for myocardial preservation during reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting.     

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in pancreas transplant recipients

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for symptomatic cholelithiasis. Since its introduction in 1987, this procedure has been employed with increasing frequency as its safety has been documented in numerous studies. Absolute contraindications to laparoscopic cholecystectomy have become relative contraindications, and patients previously felt to be at excessive risk for laparoscopic cholecystectomy are viewed as patients who may benefit from laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The use of this procedure in patients with comorbid medical conditions has the potential to decrease patient morbidity. Patients who have previously undergone solid organ transplantation and require immunosuppressive therapy are a group of patients who may benefit from laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We report four patients who have previously undergone combined renal and pancreas transplantation who underwent successful laparoscopic cholecystectomy.     

Forced oscillations in an exothermic chemical reaction

We study non-linear behaviour in a model chemical reaction scheme (proposed by Sal?nikov), in which a single chemical species undergoes a two-stage, first-order decay process. The second stage is exothermic and has a temperature-dependent rate, and as a result, spontaneous oscillations in the temperature and the concentration of an intermediate chemical are known to be possible. An additional oscillation is imposed on the system by varying the ambient temperature in a sinusoidal manner. Primary resonance occurs when the forcing frequency coincides with the frequency of the natural oscillations in this scheme and an infinite sequence of super-and subharmonic resonances is also present. Chaos is possible for appropriate parameter values and may result either from the Feigenbaum period-doubling cascade, or else as a result of the Ruelle-Takens approach through quasi-periodicity.     

Drafting a parenteral nutrition order form utilizing a physician assessment process

The utilization of a physician critique process in the design of a parenteral nutrition order form, encouraging a standard order option, is assessed. In the critique process, physicians from surgery, medicine, and medical intensive care teams were tasked to use the draft order form and guideline sheet to prescribe a parenteral nutrition order for a hypothetical patient. Prescriber recommendations and problems with the nutrition order form and guideline sheet directed editorial improvements. The physician assessment process is an effective means to measure utility of a draft parenteral order form and prescribing guideline sheet. By utilizing physician expertise, deficiencies inherent in such an order form may be corrected prior to implementation.     

Determination of total non-sulphonated aromatic amines in soft drinks and hard candies by reduction and derivatization followed by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Utilizing elements of methodology developed previously for food colours, total free and bound non-sulphonated aromatic amines (NSAA) were determined in commercial samples of soft drink beverages and hard candies. Bound amines in the samples were reduced using sodium dithionite, then total NSAA were extracted into chlorofom, transferred to aqueous acid solution and diazotized with sodium nitrite before coupling with 2-naphthol-3,6-disulphonic acid, disodium salt (R-salt). The coloured derivatives were analysed using reversed-phase ion pair high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and an absorbance detector set at 512 nm. Solid phase extraction cartridges were utilized for extraction and clean-up of the food colours present in the sample, and the concentration of each dye was determined quantitatively using HPLC and absorbance detector wavelengths of 426, 516 or 625 nm. Levels of total NSAA were compatible with those observed previously in food colours. Commercial soft drinks were found to contain (expressed in terms of total free plus bound NSAA in the beverage) 0.19-12.6 ng/ml of aniline, 0.83-8.25 ng/ml 1-naphthylamine and 0.62-1.12 ng/ml 2-naphthylamine. Levels of 0.66-9.15 ng/g of aniline and 2.48-10.6 ng/g 1-naphthylamine were found in commercial samples of hard candies. Bound NSAA in hard candies appeared to survive the manufacturing process. Recoveries averaged 96.9% for tartrazine and 89.6-97.2% for the bound amines when hard candies were prepared in the laboratory.     

Early childhood education for at-risk four-year-olds? Yes.

Extends E. F. Zigler's (see record 1987-23352-001) discussion of early childhood education, concluding, contrary to Zigler, that early childhood education for at-risk children is a positive step in helping them resist the harmful effects of poverty. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life stress and adjustment: Effects of life events experienced by young adolescents and their parents.

A longitudinal design was used to test the effects of life events experienced by young adolescents and their parents. The criteria were the adolescents' depression, anxiety, and self-esteem. The longitudinal analysis revealed a significant effect for the adolescents' controllable, but not uncontrollable, negative events. However, causal analyses revealed that this effect was the result of the significant relation between initial adjustment and the subsequent occurrence of controllable life stress (e.g., school suspension). The longitudinal analysis also revealed the stress-protective role of positive events, but only with respect to girls' self-esteem. There was no longitudinal support for the role of the parents' negative life events. These findings do not support the etiological importance of an accumulation of relatively discrete negative events experienced by early adolescents and their parents, but they do suggest the need (a) to conceptualize (controllable) life stress as a dependent variable in future research on developmental psychopathology; (b) to examine gender differences in early adolescent life stress; and (c) to develop more sophisticated measures of family life stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)