The results demonstrated that the ADL CAT is quick to administer, reliable, and valid in outpatients with stroke.

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Hierarchical generalized linear models (HGLMs) have been used to assess differential item functioning (DIF). For model identification, some literature assumed that the reference (majority) and focal (minority) groups have an equal mean ability so that all items in a test can be assessed for DIF. In reality, it is very unlikely that the two groups have an identical mean. If so, other model identification procedures should be adopted. A feasible procedure for model identification is to set an item that is the most likely to be DIF-free as a reference, so that the two groups can have different means and the other items can be assessed for DIF. In Simulation Study 1, several methods based on HGLMs in selecting DIF-free items were compared. In Simulation Study 2, those items assessed as DIF-free were anchored, and the other items were assessed for DIF. This new method was compared with the traditional method based on HGLMs in which the two groups are assumed to have an equal mean in terms of the Type I error rate and the power rate. The results showed that the new method outperformed the traditional method when the two groups did not have an equal mean.

Radiolabeled Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide analogs have been extensively studied for αvβ3 integrin-targeted angiogenesis imaging. According to recently presented evidence, the dodecapeptide GE11 has high affinity to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is overexpressed in many types of cancer. Dual-receptor molecular imaging probes with two different heterodimeric peptides exhibit improved cancer targeting efficacy. In the present study, the design and synthesis of a new RGD-GE11 peptide heterodimer for dual αvβ3 integrin/EGFR-targeted cancer imaging are described. The RGD-GE11 heterodimer was linked with 6-aminohexanoic acid (6-Ahx) and cysteine and conjugated with 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N,N',N″-triacetic acid (NOTA) to form NOTA-RGD-cys-6-Ahx-GE11. The monomeric peptides, NOTA-cys-6-Ahx-GE11 and c(RGDyK), were formed by a peptide synthesizer. The peptide heterodimer NOTA-RGD-GE11 was obtained by NOTA-cys-6-Ahx-GE11 and maleimidopropyl-c(RGDyK) conjugation with a thioether linkage. The NOTA peptide conjugate was labeled with freshly eluted (68)Ga and purified using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The (68)Ga-NOTA-RGD-cys-6-Ahx-GE11 was successfully prepared, in this study, with a radiochemical yield of 85% and a radiochemical purity of >98%. These results warrant further investigation of this heterodimeric peptide's binding affinity to the receptors.

The results provide strong evidence that the Balance CAT is efficient and has reliability and validity for patients with stroke.