Prediction of lute acoustic quality based on soundboard vibration performance using multiple choice model

The vibrational performance of wood materials critical affects the acoustic quality of a lute. The purpose of this research was to apply a multiple choice model to predict the quality of musical instruments based on data on lute soundboard vibrational properties of Paulownia wood. In the lute production, lute material selection mainly depends on the subjective evaluation of technicians, which is not only inefficient, but inaccurate. In this study, nine lutes were fabricated. Using the multiple selection model, the lute tone quality was predicted by the soundboard wood vibration data. Compared with the actual value, the dependent value predicted by the count of observations with the maximum probability had 22 erroneous judgments. The model precision is 87.78%. The results confirmed that the prediction model can be used as a guideline for the selection of the soundboard wood in musical instrument plants.

Quality of life in end stage renal disease patients

AIM： To understand factors associated with quality of life （QOL）, examine types of QOL instruments, and determine need for further improvements in QOL assessment.METHODS： The method used databases （Pubmed, Google scholar） and a bibliographic search using key words QOL, end stage renal disease, Hemodialysis, Peritoneal dialysis, instruments to measure QOL, patients and qualitative/quantitative analysis published during 1990 to June 2014. Each article was assessed for sample size, demographics of participants, study design and type of QOL instruments used. We used WHO defnition of QOL. RESULTS： For this review, 109 articles were screened, out of which 65 articles were selected. Out of 65 articles, there were 19 reports/reviews and 12 question-naire manuals. Of the 34 studies, 82% were quantita-tive while only 18% were qualitative. QOL instruments measured several phenomenon such as physical/psychological health, effects and burdens of kidney dis-ease, social support etc. those are associated with QOL. Few studies looked at spiritual beliefs, cultural beliefs, personal concerns, as per the WHO defnition. Telemedicine and Palliative care have now been successfully used however QOL instruments seldom addressed those in the articles reviewed. Also noticed was that longitudinal studies were rarely conducted. Existing QOL instruments only partially measure QOL. This may limit validity of predictive power of QOL. CONCLUSION： Culture and disease specific QOL in-struments that assess patients’ objective and subjective experiences covering most aspects of QOL are urgently needed.

Responsiveness of the Chinese Quality of Life Instrument in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure

Objective： The Chinese Quality of Life Instrument （ChQOL） was developed as a valid generic health status instrument based on the well-established theory of health in Chinese medicine. Psychometric properties of the ChQOL were good. In the present study, the responsiveness of the ChQOL in patients with congestive heart failure （CHF） were investigated and compared with two generic questionnaires, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-item Health Survey （SF-36） and World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment （WHOQOL-BREF）, as well as one disease-specific questionnaire, the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire （MLHF）. Methods： Thirty-nine in-patients with CHF who had undergone treatment with integrative medicine were recruited. The health status measurements were performed at enrolment and after a 4-week treatment. The following responsiveness indices were used： the effect size （ES） and standardized response mean （SRM）. All patients were classified into those groups with stable measures and those groups with changes after a 4-week treatment, based upon both the doctor＇s global rating of changes in heart function tests, and the patient＇s global rating of changes in overall quality of life. Results： All domains of the ChQOL showed significant improvement. In the comparison of the responsiveness indices, the ChQOL was regarded as more responsive than the WHOQOL-BREF or SF-36 utility, but it was less responsive than the MLHF. Conclusions： The ChQOL was better in sensitivity and responsiveness for assessing congestive heart failure as a generic measure than the SF-36 and WHOQOL-BREF. The ChQOL is considered suitable as an outcome measure for clinical trials in patients with congestive heart failure.

121种罕见病特异性生命质量量表的研制与应用现状

以《第一批罕见病目录》121种疾病名称为基础,检索中英文数据库(中国知网、万方数据库、PubMed和Web of Science)和患者报告的临床结局和生存质量量表的数据库(PROQOLID),收集并评价罕见病特异性生命质量(quality of life,QoL)量表的研制、测量性能测评及应用文献。现有罕见病特异性生命质量量表50个,其中9个是汉化量表,仅1个量表为国内研制;大部分量表(86.0%)研究对象为成年患者;量表反应度和灵敏度测评较少。建议应加强罕见病生命质量量表尤其是未成年特异性生命质量量表的研制与应用,在量表测量性能评价时重视对反应度和灵敏度的研究。

Assessing the Quality of the First Batch of Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Objective: To assess the quality of the first batch of Chinese evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument. Methods: Evidence-based CPGs in TCM supported by the World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO/WPRO) and whose development was organized by the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences were identified and manually retrieved. CPGs were assessed using the AGREE instrument, and the data in each CPG were analyzed in terms of the six domains in the AGREE instrument: scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, rigor of development, clarity and presentation, applicability, and editorial independence. Results: Twenty-eight CPGs were identified, of which 26 were included in the study. The AGREE instrument rated the 26 CPGs in terms of the six domains. The assessment results showed the following average scores: for editorial independence, 84.16%; for rigor of development, 80.95%; for scope and purpose, 79.96%; for clarity and presentation, 70.88%; for stakeholder involvement, 61.28%; for applicability, the average score was only 27.09%. In summary, nine CPGs were rated as "strongly recommended", six as "recommended with provision or alternation", and 11 as "unsure". Conclusion: Most of the first batch of Chinese evidence-based CPGs in TCM had significant shortcomings in applicability. It is suggested that special attention be paid to enhancing the quality of applicability when developing evidence-based CPGs in TCM.