Predictors for Reporting of Dietary Assessment Methods in Food-based Randomized Controlled Trials over a Ten-year Period

The importance of monitoring dietary intake within a randomized controlled trial becomes vital to justification of the study outcomes when the study is food-based. A systematic literature review was conducted to determine how dietary assessment methods used to monitor dietary intake are reported and whether assisted technologies are used in conducting such assessments. OVID and ScienceDirect databases 2000–2010 were searched for food-based, parallel, randomized controlled trials conducted with humans using the search terms “clinical trial,” “diet$ intervention” AND “diet$ assessment,” “diet$ method$,” “intake,” “diet history,” “food record,” “food frequency questionnaire,” “FFQ,” “food diary,” “24-hour recall.” A total of 1364 abstracts were reviewed and 243 studies identified. The size of the study and country of origin appear to be the two most common predictors of reporting both the dietary assessment method and details of the form of assessment. The journal in which the study is published has no impact. Information technology use may increase in the future allowing other methods and forms of dietary assessment to be used efficiently.     

Fruit Polyphenols: A Review of Anti-inflammatory Effects in Humans

Underlying etiological factors in the development of obesity-related chronic diseases are long-term imbalances of oxidative and inflammatory stress leading to tissue dysfunction, damage, and ultimately failure. Poor dietary quality contributes significantly to the oxidative and inflammatory status of an individual. Conversely, various dietary approaches, including specific dietary factors can mitigate or prevent the occurrence of these risk-conferring imbalances brought about by modern lifestyle. Plant-derived polyphenolic compounds are well known for their antioxidant properties. Recent evidence indicates these compounds may confer anti-inflammatory and/or inflammatory response stabilizing activities, which would have important implications in health maintenance and disease risk reduction. Commonly consumed fruits, such as grapes, berries, and oranges/orange juice, contain polyphenolic compounds that have been studied for their effects on inflammation, but the nature and extent of their effects in humans remain unclear. Therefore, this article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of human clinical trials investigating the acute and chronic (feeding) effect of polyphenols from commonly consumed fruits or their derived products on inflammation.     

喷水压力和风速对靶式撞击流喷水室通用热交换效率的影响分析

应用双因素重复试验的方差分析方法,对靶式撞击流喷水室通用热交换效率进行研究。证明喷水压力和风速对喷水室通用热交换效率有显著影响,并用多元非线性回归分析得出三者之间的关系,为喷水室的节能研究奠定基础。     

The use of randomized clinical trials in rehabilitation psychology.

Purpose: This article provides rehabilitation psychology researchers and clinicians with a tutorial approach to randomized clinical trials (RCTs), their basic assumptions and requirements, and a discussion of their potential applications and limitations to their use in rehabilitation and, more specifically, in rehabilitation psychology. Research Method/Design: The authors begin by reviewing a brief history and development of RCTs, definitions and considerations for clinical trials, and ethical issues. An overview of methodological issues related to designing trials including randomization and blinding, subject selection, and protocol development is provided. Results: The authors emphasize the need to establish clear and concise study objectives and to explicitly define interventions and expected outcomes. Conclusions/Implications: A summary is provided of the main points made by those supporting the use of RCTs versus those who highlight their limitations. Taking these into account, recommendations are made regarding the use of RCTs in addressing relevant needs in clinical practice and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Can the Randomized Controlled Trial Literature Generalize to Nonrandomized Patients?

To determine the extent to which published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of psychotherapy can be generalized to a sample of outpatients, the authors matched information obtained from charts of patients who had been screened out of RCTs to inclusion and exclusion criteria from published RCT studies. Most of the patients in the sample who had primary diagnoses represented in the RCT literature were judged eligible for at least 1 RCT. However, many patients in the sample with substance use disorders or social anxiety disorder were not eligible for at least 2 RCTs. Common reasons that patients did not match with at least 2 published RCTs for psychotherapy included (a) patients were in partial remission, (b) patients failed to meet minimum severity or duration criteria, (c) patients were being treated with antidepressant medication, and (d) the disorder being studied was not primary (mostly for social anxiety patients). The implications of these findings for future research and clinical practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Probiotic spectra of lactic acid bacteria (LAB)

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their probio-active cellular substances exert many beneficial effects in the gastrointestinal tract. LAB prevent adherence, establishment, and replication of several enteric mucosal pathogens through several antimicrobial mechanisms. LAB also release various enzymes into the intestinal lumen and exert potential synergistic effects on digestion and alleviate symptoms of intestinal malabsoption. Consumption of LAB fermented dairy products with LAB may elicit antitumor effects. These effects are attributed to the inhibition of mutagenic activity; decrease in several enzymes implicated in the generation of carcinogens, mutagens, or tumor-promoting agents; suppression of tumors; and the epidemiology correlating dietary regimes and cancer. Specific cellular components in LAB strains seem to induce strong adjuvant effects including modulation of cell-mediated immune responses, activation of reticuloendothelial system, augmentation of cytokine pathways and regulation of interleukins, and tumor necrosis factors. Oral administration of LAB is well tolerated and proven to be safe in 143 human clinical trials and no adverse effects were reported in any of the total 7,526 subjects studied during 1961-1998. In an effort to decrease the reliance on synthetic antimicrobials and control the emerging immunocompromised host population, the time has come to carefully explore the prophylactic and therapeutic applications of probiotic LAB.     

Field trials for dynamic characteristics of railway track and its components using impact excitation technique

Assessment of condition of railway track is crucial for track design, repair, and effective maintenance operations. In-field dynamic testing in combination with track modelling represents an efficient strategy for identification of the current condition of railway track structure and its components. Field investigations for the dynamic characteristics of a railway track and its components were carried out and are presented in this paper. A non-destructive technique using impact excitation, so-called ‘modal testing’, was utilized in these trials. Integrated approach combining field measurements, experimental modal analysis, and finite element modelling to evaluate the dynamic parameters of the in situ railway track components are appended. A ballasted railway track site in Central Queensland managed by Queensland Rail (QR) was selected to perform the field tests. Six sleeper-fastening-rail assemblies were selected for dynamic testing. The frequency response functions (FRFs) were recorded by using Bruel & Kjaer PULSE vibration analyser in a frequency domain between 0 and 1600 Hz. The data obtained were best fitted using the least-square technique to determine the dynamic stiffness and damping constants of the tested track components. In addition, the experimentally determined resonance frequencies along with the dynamic properties of the track components can provide an important input for determining the maximum speed and axle load for the future track upgrades. This paper also points out on how to judge the dynamic responses (e.g. FRFs) together with the visual inspection of existing conditions from the field experience. Examples of testing results representing the deficient integrity are additionally highlighted. Based on the results, the impact excitation technique is an efficient method susceptible to the structural integrity of railway track structures.     

高精度海洋观测浮标运动测量系统设计与试验

海洋浮标受海洋动力环境影响产生运动,会对平台及仪器的可靠性产生影响,甚至会导致测量误差,影响海洋观测浮标 工作安全性和数据质量,因而浮标运动姿态的精确测量研究具有重要价值和意义。 本文通过搭建微型惯性测量单元(MIMU) 与全球导航卫星系统(GNSS)结合的硬件系统,获取浮标运动姿态相关数据,并采用载波相位平滑滤波模型进行数据预处理,融 合最小二乘降相关算法(LAMBDA)解算浮标姿态数据,获取高精度动态浮标姿态。 经过摇摆台模拟比对实验,系统姿态角均方 根误差小于 0. 5°,水平速度均方根误差小于 0. 05 m/ s。 通过实际海试实验,尤其是台风过境期间系统的测试结果,证明该系统 工作稳定可靠,无数据发散现象,整体有效数据达到了 95% 以上。     

控糖蛋糕对糖尿病患者血糖波动影响的临床试验

评估了以苦杏仁粉、罗汉果粉、抗性淀粉、聚葡萄糖等为主要原料加工而成的蛋糕对2型糖尿病患者的辅助降血糖作用。试验采用自身配对设计,在12周试验周期内受试者穿插摄食对照早餐和试验早餐,检测受试者空腹血糖、餐后2h血糖、糖化血红蛋白,观察安全性指标。结果显示:试验蛋糕可显著降低糖尿病患者餐后2h血糖(P≤0.01)和糖化血红蛋白(P≤0.01),不同试验蛋糕之间效果无明显差异,且未观察到试验蛋糕对健康存在不良影响。