Electrochemical Measurement of Dopamine Release and Uptake in Zebrafish Following Treatment with Carboplatin

Post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment, also known as 'chemobrain,' is a neurological condition in which cognitive function is impaired as a result of cancer chemotherapy treatment. In this work, we used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) to measure electrically evoked dopamine release and uptake in whole brain preparations from zebrafish that have been treated with carboplatin, an agent associated with chemobrain. We administered carboplatin by addition to the fish's tank water or their food. One week of treatment with 100 μM carboplatin in the water was needed to significantly impair dopamine release (∼40 % of control); however, only one day of treatment through the zebrafish's food was needed to cause a similar impairment. Atomic absorption spectroscopy measurements suggested that administration through food resulted in higher initial levels of carboplatin compared to water administration, but water administration resulted in an increase over time. Uptake, determined by modeling stimulated release plots, was unaffected. These results are consistent with our previous findings of diminished neurotransmitter release in rats and support a role for zebrafish in chemobrain-related studies.

Venous but not skeletal muscle interstitial nitric oxide is increased during hypobaric hypoxia

Systemic hypoxia leads to peripheral vasodilation that serves to counteract the decrease in peripheral oxygen (O(2)) delivery. Skeletal muscle vasodilation associated with hypoxia is due to release of vasodilator substances such as adenosine and/or nitric oxide (NO). We hypothesized that skeletal muscle may act as a source of NO during exposure to hypoxia. Therefore, we measured NO in forearm venous plasma and in skeletal muscle interstitial dialysate in seven healthy young men during exposure to simulated altitude of 2,438 and 4,877 m (20 min at each level) in a hypobaric chamber. O(2) saturation (mean +/- SEM) fell from 98.0 +/- 0.2% at ambient conditions to 91.0 +/- 0.4% at 2,438 m and to 73.2 +/- 4.4% at 4,877 m (P < 0.05). While blood pressure remained unchanged, heart rate increased in a graded fashion (P < 0.05). Plasma NO (chemiluminescence method) rose from 11.6 +/- 1.3 to 16.9 +/- 2.9 microM at 2,438 m (P < 0.05) but remained similar at 16.4 +/- 2.3 microM at 4,877 m (NS). In contrast, skeletal muscle microdialysate NO levels were lower than plasma NO (P < 0.01) and did not change during simulated altitude. Thus, hypoxia produced by simulated high altitude exposure leads to an increase in plasma but not skeletal muscle interstitial NO. These data support an important role of NO in the peripheral vascular responses to hypoxia. The differential responses of plasma vs. interstitial NO during hypoxia suggest an endothelial or intravascular source of NO.

The Edmonton Functional Assessment Tool: preliminary development and evaluation for use in palliative care

The purpose of this article is to report the development and psychometric testing of the Edmonton Functional Assessment Tool (EFAT). The EFAT was developed as a functional outcome measure for use with a palliative care population. The assessment identified ten functional activities important to patients even in the terminal stage of their illness. In addition, a global performance status rating (PS) asked for an overall judgment of functional status after the ten EFAT functions were evaluated. Tests for interrater reliability and concurrent validity were conducted on a sample of 25 inpatients on the Palliative Care Unit (PCU) at the Edmonton General Hospital (EGH) who were evaluated independently by two raters. Interrater reliability of the EFAT expressed as an intraclass correlation (ICC) was established at 0.88. The interrater reliability of these two raters was 0.71 for the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) and 0.81 for the performance status measure of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). Concurrent validity of the EFAT was demonstrated by correlating the total EFAT score with the KPS (r = -0.79, P = 0.0001) and the ECOG (r = 0.85, P = 0.0001). The total EFAT score was also strongly correlated with the global PS rating scale (r = 0.90, P = 0.0001). Construct validity of the EFAT was tested with a sample of 101 patients admitted to the unit, which was later divided into the unit group (N = 88) and the home group (N = 13). Our findings provided initial evidence that the EFAT distinguished between the functional status of these two groups. The results of this preliminary study suggest that the EFAT requires further research and development, but shows potential to evolve as a useful clinical tool in palliative care.

Evaluating clinical competence of physical therapy students. Part 2: assessing the reliability, validity and usability of a new instrument

This study was conducted to establish the reliablity and validity of an instrument designed to evaluate the clinical competence of physical therapy (PT) students. A criterion-referenced evaluation instrument--the Evaluation of Clinical Competence (ECC)--was developed by the investigator according to the procedures recommended in the measurement literature. This behaviourally-anchored, four-point rating scale was tested on two groups of PT students from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. In order to obtain data by which to analyze and revise the ECC, the ECC was administered to fourth-year PT students (n = 29) during their clinical placement in November 1982, according to specified instructions. The revised ECC was administered to third-year (n = 23) and fourth-year PT students (n = 25) during their clinical placements in February and March of 1983. The same instructions were followed in order to collect the necessary data to establish inter-rater reliability, concurrent validity, and construct validity of the ECC. The results of the study suggest that the ECC is a fairly reliable, valid, and practical instrument with which to assess the clinical competence of PT students.

Evaluating clinical competence of physical therapy students. Part 1: the development of an instrument

The study of clinical competence in physical therapy (PT) to date has focused primarily on a definition of the knowledge, skills, judgements, and attitudes that must be acquired by PT students for a satisfactory performance on entry into professional practice. Concomitant with this emphasis on defining clinical competence is the need for an accurate evaluation of the students' clinical competence during clinical practice. This study was designed to develop a tool for the evaluation of the clinical competence of PT students and to contribute to the definition of a construct of clinical competence. Three steps were involved in developing the evaluation tool. First, the clinical competencies required for PT practice were identified from a survey of the PT literature and professional documents. The identified clinical competencies were then validated through the analysis of a questionnaire completed by 121 physical therapists working in Edmonton, Alberta. The questionnaire results also provided a basis for determining the standards of performance by which to assess these competencies. Subsequently, an Evaluation of Clinical Competence (ECC) was designed as a behaviourally-anchored rating scale to determine, according to four standards of performance, whether a PT student could adequately perform the clinical competencies necessary to practise the profession.