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In a systematic review of a diagnostic performance, summarizing performance metrics is crucial. There are various summary models in the literature, and hence model selection becomes inevitable. However, most existing large-sample-based model selection approaches may not fit in a meta-analysis of diagnostic studies, typically having a rather small sample size. Researchers need to effectively determine the final model for further inference, which motivates this article to investigate existing methods and to suggest a more robust method for this need. We considered models covering several widely-used methods for bivariate summary of sensitivity and specificity. Simulation studies were conducted based on different number of studies and different population sensitivity and specificity. Then final models were selected using several existing criteria, and we compared the summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) curves to the theoretical ROC curve given the generating model. Even though parametric likelihood-based criteria are often applied in practice for their asymptotic property, they fail to consistently choose appropriate models under the limited number of studies. When the number of studies is as small as 10 or 5, our suggestion is best in different scenarios. An example for summary ROC curves for chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) used in COVID-19 diagnosis is also illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to learn views from healthcare practitioners and the general public for housing communal amenities that could best support senior well-being for ageing in place. The literature review identified 30 popular communal amenities and was tested via a questionnaire survey conducted in Taiwan. Participants (N = 759) evaluated the importance level of the proposed amenities with five-point Likert scale. Data were analysed with Friedman Ranking Test and Kruskal–Wallis test. Results showed that both respondent groups placed outdoor open space, trail and garden with seat as top three important amenities, where outdoor and multifunction were the spatial and functional qualities. While the general public believed physical category amenities were more important, healthcare practitioners put emphasis on social and spiritual categories. Within the general public group, respondents aged 65 years and older had different views than younger respondents on dog run area, BBQ areas and video game room. Swimming pool and religious space were viewed as an important amenity by respondents from different regions. It was concluded that in Taiwan, views may differ with upbringing and cultural backgrounds, residing regions and age. The initial findings can assist policymakers, real estate developers and designers for decision-making in future housing projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new brominated polyunsaturated lipid, methyl (E,E)-14,14-dibromo-4,6,13-tetradecatrienoate (1), along with three known related analogues (2–4), were isolated from the Et2O-soluble portion of the acetone extract of Chinese marine spongeXestospongia testudinariatreated with diazomethane. The structure of the new compound was elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analysis and by comparison with literature data. Compound3exhibited significant inhibitory activity against protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), a key target for the treatment of type II diabetes and obesity, with an IC50value of 5.30 ± 0.61 μM, when compared to the positive control oleanolic acid (IC50 = 2.39 ± 0.26 μM). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Methyl tortuoate D (1), together with five other known related bis-cembranoids, was isolated from Hainan soft coral Sarcophyton tortuosum. The structure of methyl tortuoate D (1a), firstly isolated and reported by Li et al. from the title organism, was corrected as 1 by an extensive analysis of its one-dimensional and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance data and by comparison with those reported in the literature. In addition, lobophytone K (1b), recently isolated from Hainan soft coral Lobophytum pauciflorum by Lin et al., was proved to be the same compound as 1 and 1a. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by comparing its electronic circular dichroism curve with that of co-occurring ximaolide A (2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal fish consumption during pregnancy may affect children's asthma risk by modulating early-life immune development. Type of fish intake may be important because of differences in fatty acid content. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a nested case-control study, selecting subjects from the Children's Health Study, a population-based study of school-aged children in southern California. Cases had physician-diagnosed asthma and controls were asthma-free by age 5 years. Mothers or guardians provided information on fish consumption during pregnancy in telephone interviews. We computed odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) by using conditional logistic regression models that accounted for the sampling. In children born to mothers with a history of asthma, the OR of asthma was 0.20 (95% CI = 0.06- 0.65) when mothers ate oily fish at least monthly during pregnancy compared with no consumption ( ptrend = 0.006). Maternal oily fish consumption during pregnancy did not benefit children of non-asthmatic mothers. In contrast, fish stick (a source of trans-fats) consumption during pregnancy increased asthma risk in children (OR = 2.04; 95% CI = 1.18-3.51). Our results suggest that maternal oily fish intake during pregnancy may protect offspring from asthma; however, eating fish sticks during pregnancy may increase asthma risk in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]