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PubMed1991

Use of low molecular mass RNA profiles to identify lactic acid bacteria and related organisms associated with foods.

Fourteen strains of lactic acid bacteria and species of Brochothrix, Carnobacterium, Enterococcus, Erysipelothrix, Kurthia and Listeria were examined using low molecular mass RNA (5S rRNA and tRNA) profiles. These profiles were developed on denaturing polyacrylamide gels. Gel strengths between 9 and 14% were tested to improve resolution of distinct bands for densitometrical analysis. Profiles generated on 12% gels proved to be the best for scanning. Scans of class 2 tRNAs by densitometry showed a characteristic profile for each genus. In the case of Lactobacillus each species studied gave a unique profile. The technique of low molecular mass RNA profiling may provide a useful means for identifying different bacteria from ecosystems such as meats.

Culture Media↗
PubMed1989

Student profiling as a basis for continuous assessment of clinical progress during a registered mental nurse course (1988).

Interest in profiling of student progress has spread in recent years from general education. Nurse educationalists have been searching for alternative methods of monitoring continuous assessment schemes. The advantages, disadvantages and rationale for the introduction of student profiling of clinical progress into a mental health nursing course are discussed. The role, function and support required by clinical supervisors are considered in the operationalisation of a 'Profile Grids' format of student profiling. An example of a student profile document for a psychodynamic nursing elective experience is included, depicting statements of competence set out in profile grids format. Guidelines for completion of documentation and monitoring of the Central Manchester Health Authority scheme are also described.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1988

External beam profiles measured with film or ionization chamber.

Radiation therapy beam profiles measured with an ionization chamber in a scanning water phantom are compared with profiles measured with a standard film dosimetry technique. An 18 cm field was filmed with 4 MV photons in a polystyrene phantom at depths of 1, 7, and 13 cm. The film was scanned with a scanning densitometer and the resulting profiles were converted to dose profiles with a sensitometric curve. To determine the effect of backscatter on the film a special phantom was constructed to eliminate the backscatter from the film measurement. This provided a comparison with the solid film phantom where full backscattering was present. The beam profiles measured with the film differed by less than 3% from the ionization chamber profiles and there was less than 1% difference between the film techniques.

Film Dosimetry↗
PubMed2005

Acoustic reflectometry esophageal profiles minimally affected by massive gas ventilation.

Acoustic reflectometry can be used to distinguish between breathing tube placement in an esophagus vs the trachea via characteristic area-distance profiles for both cavities. In the cardiopulmonary resuscitation setting, capnography may be useless because the patient has little or no pulmonary circulation. With the breathing tube in the esophagus, can massive ventilation with a manual resuscitation bag, as might occur in the cardiopulmonary resuscitation setting, markedly alter the form of the obtained esophageal reflectometry profile? Nine hounds were induced, endotracheally intubated, mechanically ventilated, and anesthetized. Area-distance profiles were obtained with a 2-microphone acoustic reflectometer customized to measure areas up to 50 cm. Acoustic reflectometer profiles were obtained in intubated esophagi as follows: (1) baseline nonventilated state, (2) after aggressive 2-handed manual ventilation with high inspiratory pressures, rapid respiratory rates, and large tidal volumes for periods of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 minutes, upon detachment of the resuscitation bag, and (3) after esophagogastric decompression. We hypothesized that massive gas ventilation has no effect on the esophageal peak areas (null hypothesis), and used a paired t test for statistical significance (P < .05). For times of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 minutes, the ventilation volumes (mean +/- SD) were 25 +/- 7, 49 +/- 8, and 70 +/- 18 L. Massive gas ventilation caused minimal broadening and slight distal spread of the basal "hump". The mean peak area change was 0.18 +/- 0.35 cm2. For a paired t test (n = 9, df = 8), the corresponding t value was 1.54, with a P value of .16, which was incompatible with the null hypothesis. The experimental observations indicate a minimal effect of massive gas ventilation on the acoustic reflectometry esophageal profile. Hence, operator recognition of the altered canine acoustic reflectometer profile as that of an esophageal cavity is maintained, indicating that acoustic reflectometry may be useful in correctly identifying the site of breathing tube placement in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest situations despite massive esophageal ventilation.

Acoustics↗
PubMed2004

Treatment outcomes of growing Class II Division 1 patients with varying degrees of anteroposterior and vertical dysplasias, Part 2. Profile silhouette evaluation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate pretreatment and posttreatment soft tissue profiles of 4 groups of growing Class II Division 1 patients treated with fixed orthodontic appliances and headgear. One hundred patients were grouped according to the severity of their initial retrognathia and vertical skeletal status. Standardized pretreatment and posttreatment profile silhouettes of each patient were randomized and projected for scoring by panels of lay persons and orthodontic residents. Statistical analysis consisting of nonparametric procedures showed that (1) as the initial skeletal discrepancies between the 4 groups worsened, the initial profiles were judged to be more unattractive (P <.001); (2) there was no perceived difference in the final profiles between the 4 groups; and (3) significantly greater improvement was measured for those with greater initial skeletal discrepancies (P <.05). This study demonstrated that, with appropriate and timely treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances and headgear, growing Class II Division 1 patients can undergo significant profile improvement, and, on average, even those more severely affected can achieve profile improvement so that they can be judged as attractive as those initially less severely affected.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Effects of xuezhikang, an extract of cholestin, on lipid profile and C-reactive protein: a short-term time course study in patients with stable angina.

BACKGROUND: Reduction of cholesterol and inflammation can be achieved by administration of a statin. Xuezhikang, an extract of cholestin, available from Chinese red yeast rice, could effectively modify the lipid profile. However, limited information is available regarding rapid effects of Xuezhikang on plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and the lipid profile in patients with stable angina. We evaluated the short-term time course effects of lipid profile and CRP by Xuezhikang in patients with stable angina. METHODS: Forty-eight consecutive patients with stable angina were randomly assigned to 1200 or 2400 mg/day of Xuezhikang. Blood samples were drawn at days 0, 1, 7 and 14 for lipid profile and CRP levels in all patients, and hepatic enzymes were also evaluated at days 0 and 14. RESULTS: Both doses of Xuezhikang induced significant reductions in median CRP levels and in mean CRP levels at day 1 (13.0% with 1200 and 16.6% with 2400 mg/day; 14.7% with 1200 and 18.4% with 2400 mg/day), and at day 7 (18.3% with 1200 and 20.2% with 2400 mg/day; 18.5% with 1200 and 22.6% with 2400 mg/day) as well as at day 14 (28.6% with 1200 and 30.4% with 2400 mg/day; 21.7% with 1200 and 24.8% with 2400 mg/day) compared with baseline without a dose-dependent effect but a time-dependent manner. In addition, no changes were found at days 1 and 7 regarding lipid profile. However, both doses of Xuezhikang induced significant reductions in total cholesterol (TC, 13% and 22%), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (23% and 32%) compared with baseline at day 14. The higher dose of Xuezhikang (2400 mg/day) resulted in significantly greater reductions in TC and LDL cholesterol compared with 1200 mg/day group (p<0.05, p<0.01, respectively). A less significant reduction was observed in triglycerides (TG) level (13% and 23%) compared with TC and LDL cholesterol. There was no significant difference in mean high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels compared with baseline in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Xuezhikang resulted in rapid reduction of CRP within 24 h and lipid profile within 2 weeks, which may be clinically important for patients with coronary artery disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Potential of fermentation profiling via rapid measurement of amino acid metabolism by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Monitoring amino acid metabolism during fermentation has significant potential from the standpoint of strain selection, optimizing growth and production in host strains, and profiling microbial metabolism and growth state. A method has been developed based on rapid quantification of underivatized amino acids using liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) to monitor the metabolism of 20 amino acids during microbial fermentation. The use of a teicoplanin-based chiral stationary phase coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry allows complete amino acid analyses in less than 4 min. Quantification is accomplished using five isotopically labeled amino acids as internal standards. Because comprehensive chromatographic separation and derivatization are not required, analysis time is significantly less than traditional reversed- or normal-phase LC-based amino acid assays. Intra-sample precisions for amino acid measurements in fermentation supernatants using this method average 4.9% (R.S.D.). Inter-day (inter-fermentation) precisions for individual amino acid measurements range from 4.2 to 129% (R.S.D.). Calibration curves are linear over the range 0-300 microg/ml, and detection limits are estimated at 50-450 ng/ml. Data visualization techniques for constructing semi-quantitative fermentation profiles of nitrogen source utilization have also been developed and implemented, and demonstrate that amino acid profiles generally correlate with observed growth profiles. Further, cellular growth events, such as lag-time and cell lysis can be detected using this methodology. Correlation coefficients for the time profiles of each amino acid measured illustrate that while several amino acids are differentially metabolized in similar fermentations, a select group of amino acids display strong correlations in these samples, indicating a sub-population of analytes that may be most useful for fermentation profiling.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2006

Detection of colorectal cancer using MALDI-TOF serum protein profiling.

Serum protein profiling is a promising approach for classification of cancer versus non-cancer samples. The objective of our study was to assess the feasibility of mass spectrometry based protein profiling for the discrimination of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients from healthy individuals. In a randomized block design, pre-operative serum samples obtained from 66 colorectal cancer patients and 50 controls were used to generate MALDI-TOF protein profiles. After pre-processing of the spectra, linear discriminant analysis with double cross-validation was used to classify protein profiles. A total recognition rate (92.6%), sensitivity (95.2%) and specificity (90.0%) for the detection of CRC were shown. The area under the curve of the classifier was 97.3%, and demonstrated the high, significant separation power of the classifier. Double cross-validation shows that classification can be attributed to information in the protein profile. Although preliminary, the high sensitivity and specificity indicate the potential usefulness of serum protein profiles for the detection of colorectal cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Effective injection in pulsed splitless mode for impurity profiling of methamphetamine crystal by GC or GC/MS.

Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) are commonly used for the impurity profiling of illegal drugs. For the impurity profiling of methamphetamine, it is very important to obtain information about impurities related to the manufacturing route and the precursor chemicals [B. Remberg, A.H. Stead, Drug characterization/impurity profiling, with special focus on methamphetamine: recent work of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, Bull. Narcotics LI (1999) 97-117 ]. There are many artifact impurities arising from the preparation of samples and conditions of GC. Moreover, some impurities pose a barrier to the statistical processing of methamphetamine profiling. We investigated capillary GC analysis using pulsed splitless (PS/L) injection to minimize the thermal decomposition of impurities at the injection port and improve the transfer of samples into the column. We confirmed that the optimal conditions of PS/L-mode are 230 degrees C (injection temperature), 50 psi (pulsed pressure) and 1.1 min (pulsed time) for the methamphetamine profiling. Based on the impurity profiles of 48 methamphetamine crystals in PS/L-mode, we can achieve very easy handling and obtained, good results.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Determination of the in vitro disintegration profile of rapidly disintegrating tablets and correlation with oral disintegration.

The assessment of the in vitro disintegration profile of rapidly disintegrating tablets (RDT) is very important in the evaluation and the development of new formulations of this type. So far neither the US Pharmacopoeia nor the European Pharmacopoeia has defined a specific disintegration test for RDT; currently, it is only possible to refer to the tests on dispersible or effervescent tablets for the evaluation of RDT's disintegration capacity. In the present study, we have evaluated the disintegration profile of RDT manufactured by main commercialised technologies, using the texture analyser (TA). In order to simulate as much as possible the oral disintegration of these dosage forms, a new operating structure was developed. This structure mimics the situation in the patient's mouth and provides a gradual elimination of the detached particles during the disintegration process. The obtained time-distance profiles or disintegration profiles enabled the calculation of certain quantitative values as the disintegration onset (t1) and the total disintegration time (t2). These values were used in the characterisation of the effect of test variables as the disintegration medium and temperature on the disintegration time of RDT. Moreover, the oral disintegration time of the same products was evaluated by 14 healthy volunteers. Results obtained when artificial saliva at 37 degrees C was employed as disintegration medium were used to correlate the in vitro (t2) and oral disintegration times. Excellent correlation was found and in addition, we were able to achieve a qualitative measure of the mouthfeel by comparing the thickness of the tablets and the penetration distance obtained from the disintegration profile. This method also permitted the discrimination between different RDT, where differences in the disintegration mechanism were reflected on the disintegration profile achieved for each tablet.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2006

Photorefractive keratectomy with aspheric profile of ablation versus conventional photorefractive keratectomy for myopia correction: six-month controlled clinical trial.

PURPOSE: To analyze ocular wavefront error and corneal asphericity (Q) in patients treated with aspheric profile photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) compared with patients having conventional PRK to correct myopia and myopic astigmatism and to evaluate the effect of postoperative corneal shape on visual performance. SETTING: Eye Clinic, University G. d'Annunzio, Chieti-Pescara, Italy. METHODS: Fifty eyes were treated with aspheric profile PRK using the MEL 80 flying-spot excimer laser, and 24 eyes were treated with standard PRK using the MEL 70 flying-spot excimer laser. RESULTS: Postoperative wavefront error increased in both groups. Six months after surgery, there was a smaller increase in root mean square (RMS) of total higher-order aberrations and spherical aberration (59% and 106%, respectively) in the aspheric profile PRK group than in the conventional PRK group (94% and 136%, respectively) (P<.01). The aspheric profile PRK group showed more prolate corneal asphericities (mean Q of 0.15 +/- 0.26) than the conventional group (mean Q of 0.45 +/- 0.26) (P<.001), with increasing oblateness for higher attempted corrections. A higher percentage of patients with better low-contrast uncorrected visual acuity and best corrected visual acuity was observed in the aspheric PRK group than in the conventional PRK group (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: Aspheric profile and conventional PRK were safe and efficient for the correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism. Moreover, aspheric profile PRK induced a smaller increment of total wavefront error, was related to a smaller increase in spherical aberration, and better maintained the physiology of the corneal surface than conventional treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Structure-based active site profiles for genome analysis and functional family subclassification.

In previous work, structure-based functional site descriptors, fuzzy functional forms (FFFs), were developed to recognize structurally conserved active sites in proteins. These descriptors identify members of protein families according to active-site structural similarity, rather than overall sequence or structure similarity. FFFs are defined by a minimal number of highly conserved residues and their three-dimensional arrangement. This approach is advantageous for function assignment across broad families, but is limited when applied to detailed subclassification within these families. In the work described here, we developed a method of three-dimensional, or structure-based, active-site profiling that utilizes FFFs to identify residues located in the spatial environment around the active site. Three-dimensional active-site profiling reveals similarities and differences among active sites across protein families. Using this approach, active-site profiles were constructed from known structures for 193 functional families, and these profiles were verified as distinct and characteristic. To achieve this result, a scoring function was developed that discriminates between true functional sites and those that are geometrically most similar, but do not perform the same function. In a large-scale retrospective analysis of human genome sequences, this profile score was shown to identify specific functional families correctly. The method is effective at recognizing the likely subtype of structurally uncharacterized members of the diverse family of protein kinases, categorizing sequences correctly that were misclassified by global sequence alignment methods. Subfamily information provided by this three-dimensional active-site profiling method yields key information for specific and selective inhibitor design for use in the pharmaceutical industry.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2004

X-ray scattering study of pike olfactory nerve: intensity of the axonal membrane, solution of the phase problem and electron density profile.

Synchrotron radiation X-ray scattering experiments were performed on unmyelinated pike olfactory nerves. The difference between the meridional and the equatorial traces of the 2-D spectra yielded the 1-D equatorial intensity of the macromolecular components oriented with respect to the nerve: axonal membranes, microtubules and other cytoskeletal filaments. These 1-D spectra display a diffuse band typical of bilayer membranes and, at small s, a few sharper bands reminiscent of microtubules. All the spectra merge at large s. The intensity of the axonal membrane was determined via a noise analysis of the nerve-dependent spectra, involving also the notion that the thickness of the membrane is finite. The shape of the intensity function indicated that the electron density profile is not centrosymmetric. The knowledge of intensity and thickness paved the way to the electron density profile via an ab initio solution of the phase problem. An iterative procedure was adopted: (i) choose the lattice D of a 1-D pseudo crystal, interpolate the intensity at the points sh = h/D, adopt an arbitrary set of initial phases and compute the profile; (ii) determine the phases corresponding to this profile truncated by the thickness D/2; (iii) repeat the operation with the updated phases until a stable result is obtained. This iterative procedure was carried out for different D-values, starting in each case from randomly generated phases: stable results were obtained in less than 10,000 iterations. Most importantly, for D in the vicinity of 200 A, the overwhelming majority of the profiles were congruent with each other. These profiles were strongly asymmetric and otherwise typical of biological membranes.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗
PubMed2006

How accurately can the diffusion profiles indicate multiple fiber orientations? A study on general fiber crossings in diffusion MRI.

The q-space imaging techniques and high angular resolution diffusion (HARD) imaging have shown promise to identify intravoxel multiple fibers. The measured orientation distribution function (ODF) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) profiles can be used to identify the orientations of the actual intravoxel fibers. The present study aims to examine the accuracy of these profile-based orientation methods by comparing the angular deviations between the estimated local maxima of the profiles and the real fiber orientation for a fiber crossing simulated with various intersection angles under different b values in diffusion-weighted MRI experiments. Both noisy and noise-free environments were investigated. The diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI), q-ball imaging (QBI), and HARD techniques were used to generate ODF and ADC profiles. To provide a better comparison between ODF and ADC techniques, the phase-corrected angular deviations were also presented for the ADC method based on a circular spectrum mapping method. The results indicate that systematic angular deviations exist between the actual fiber orientations and the corresponding local maxima of either the ADC or ODF profiles. All methods are apt to underestimation of acute intersection and overestimation of obtuse intersection angle. For a typical slow-exchange fiber crossing, the ODF methods have a non-deviation zone around the 90 degrees intersection. Before the phase-correction, the deviation of ADC profiles approaches a peak at the 90 degrees intersection, while after the correction the ADC deviations are significantly reduced. When the b factor is larger than 1000 s/mm2, the ODF methods have smaller angular deviations than the ADC methods for the intersections close to 90 degrees . QBI method demonstrates a slight yet consistent advantage over the DSI method under the same conditions. In the noisy environment, the mean value of the deviation angles shows a high consistency with the corresponding deviation in the nose-free condition.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2006

Characterization of Armillaria spp. from peach orchards in the southeastern United States using fatty acid methyl ester profiling.

Limited information is available regarding the composition of cellular fatty acids in Armillaria and the extent to which fatty acid profiles can be used to characterize species in this genus. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles generated from cultures of A. tabescens, A. mellea, and A. gallica consisted of 16-18 fatty acids ranging from 12-24 carbons in length, although some of these were present only in trace amounts. Across the three species, 9-cis,12-cis-octadecadienoic acid (9,12-C18:2), hexadecanoic acid (16:0), heneicosanoic acid (21:0), 9-cis-octadecenoic acid (9-C18:1), and 2-hydroxy-docosanoic acid (OH-22:0) were the most abundant fatty acids. FAME profiles from different thallus morphologies (mycelium, sclerotial crust, or rhizomorphs) displayed by cultures of A. gallica showed that thallus type had no significant effect on cellular fatty acid composition (P > 0.05), suggesting that FAME profiling is sufficiently robust for species differentiation despite potential differences in thallus morphology within and among species. The three Armillaria species included in this study could be distinguished from other lignicolous basidiomycete species commonly occurring on peach (Schizophyllum commune, Ganoderma lucidum, Stereum hirsutum, and Trametes versicolor) on the basis of FAME profiles using stepwise discriminant analysis (average squared canonical correlation = 0.953), whereby 9-C18:1, 9,12-C18:2, and 10-cis-hexadecenoic acid (10-C16:1) were the three strongest contributors. In a separate stepwise discriminant analysis, A. tabescens, A. mellea, and A. gallica were separated from one another based on their fatty acid profiles (average squared canonical correlation = 0.924), with 11-cis-octadecenoic acid (11-C18:1), 9-C18:1, and 2-hydroxy-hexadecanoic acid (OH-16:0) being most important for species separation. When fatty acids were extracted directly from mycelium dissected from naturally infected host tissue, the FAME-based discriminant functions developed in the preceding experiments classified all samples (n = 16) as A. tabescens; when applied to cultures derived from the same naturally infected samples, all unknowns were similarly classified as A. tabescens. Thus, FAME species classification of Armillaria unknowns directly from infected tissues may be feasible. Species designation of unknown Armillaria cultures by FAME analysis was identical to that indicated by IGS-RFLP classification with AluI.

Agaricales↗
PubMed2005

Profiling biochemical and hemodynamic markers using chronically instrumented, conscious and unrestrained rats undergoing severe, acute controlled hemorrhagic hypovolemic shock as an integrated in-vivo model system to assess new blood substitutes.

The aim of the present study was to assess several biochemical and physiological endpoint parameters alongside controlled hemorrhagic and recovery phases of chronically instrumented, conscious and unrestrained healthy rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (12-14 weeks; 430+/-20 g; n=22-18) were instrumented with a saline-perfused femoral arterial catheter and placed individually in a metabolic cage for up to 20 days, allowing instant assessments of the hemodynamic profile and blood and urine sampling for hematological profile and biochemical measurements to assess hepatic, renal and metabolic functions. In addition, body weight, food and water intake, and diuresis were monitored daily. After a 7-day stabilization period, the rats underwent severe and acute hemorrhagic shock (HS) (removal of 50% of total circulating blood volume), kept in hypovolemic shock for an ischemic period of 50 min and then resuscitated over 10 min. Gr. 1 was re-infused with autologous shed blood (AB; n=10) whereas Gr. 2 was infused 1:1 with a solution of sterile saline-albumin (SA; 7% w/v) (n=8-12). Ischemic rats recovered much more rapidly following AB re-infusion than those receiving SA. Normal hemodynamic and biochemical profiles were re-established after 24 h. Depressed blood pressure lasted 4-5 days in SA rats. The hematological profile in the SA resuscitated rats was even more drastically affected. Circulating plasma concentrations of hemoglobin (-40%), hematocrit (-50%), RBC (-40%) and platelets (-41%) counts were still severely decreased 24 h after the acute ischemic event whereas WBC counts increased 2.2-fold by day 4. It took 5-9 days for these profiles to normalize after ischemia-reperfusion with SA. Diuresis increased in both groups (by 45+/-7% on day 1) but presented distinct electrolytic profiles. Hepatic and renal functions were normal in AB rats whereas altered in SA rats. The present set of experiments enabled us to validate a model of HS in conscious rats and the use of an integrated in vivo platform as a valuable tool to characterize HS-induced stress and to test new classes of blood substitutes in real time, post-event, over days.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

Refining the biophysical profile with a risk-related evaluation of test performance.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine the ability of biophysical profile variables to predict bad perinatal outcome in high-risk third-trimester pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: The outcomes of 1146 fetuses were correlated with abnormal single or multiple variables occurring in biophysical profile done within 72 hours of delivery. Theoretic risks of poor outcomes for different combinations of abnormal variables, calculated with Shortlife's formula, were compared with the actual risks observed (chi 2 tests). RESULTS: Two hundred forty-six fetuses had at least one abnormal biophysical profile variable with the risk of bad outcome, for a single abnormal variable, ranging from 8% (body movements) to 100% (tone) and increasing from 14% (any variable abnormal) to 63% (all variables abnormal). In most (57%) observed combinations of biophysical profile variables, significant differences between theoretic and actual risks of bad outcomes were found. By stepwise logistic regression the best predictive model contained all variables except fetal movement. CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic biophysical profile variables appear to be interdependent. Not all combinations of abnormal variables occur and specific combinations improve prediction of poor outcome. Risk-related scales for biophysical profile outcomes might prove superior to more conventional scoring systems.

Biophysics↗
PubMed1999

Validity of the PULSES profile compared with the Functional Independence Measure for measuring disability in a stroke rehabilitation setting.

OBJECTIVES: To test the validity of the PULSES profile for measuring the disability of stroke rehabilitation patients and to compare it with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM); and to determine the ability of the PULSES score to predict discharge home from a stroke rehabilitation setting. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: A tertiary stroke rehabilitation unit. PATIENTS: One hundred ninety-seven patients admitted consecutively to a stroke rehabilitation unit from September 1992 to April 1995. METHODS: The PULSES profile was tested for internal consistency. Criterion validity was evaluated by comparing with the FIM. Construct validity was tested using the multimethod-multitrait matrix method and by performing logistic regression to determine if admission PULSES score was predictive of discharge home. RESULTS: Internal consistency of the PULSES profile was supported with a Cronbach's alpha of .74. There was a high correlation between the PULSES and FIM admission and discharge scores of -.82 and -.88, respectively. The multimethod-multitrait matrix correlations demonstrated good convergent and divergent validity for the correlation of the PULSES profile items and the FIM subcategories. Multivariate logistic regression determined the admission PULSES total score to be an independent variable in the model to predict discharge home. CONCLUSIONS: The PULSES profile is a valid measure for assessing disability in the stroke rehabilitation setting. The PULSES profile correlates highly with the FIM. The admission PULSES total score is predictive of discharge home from a stroke rehabilitation program.

Activities of Daily Living↗