[SCREENING OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS AMONG ELDERLY PEOPLE AT FAMILY MEDICINE].

PubMed

Račić, M; Ivković, N; Kusmuk, S

2015-11-01

The prevalence of malnutrition in elderly is high. Malnutrition or risk of malnutrition can be detected by use of nutritional screening or assessment tools. This systematic review aimed to identify tools that would be reliable, valid, sensitive and specific for nutritional status screening in patients older than 65 at family medicine. The review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Studies were retrieved using MEDLINE (via Ovid), PubMed and Cochrane Library electronic databases and by manual searching of relevant articles listed in reference list of key publications. The electronic databases were searched using defined key words adapted to each database and using MESH terms. Manual revision of reviews and original articles was performed using Electronic Journals Library. Included studies involved development and validation of screening tools in the community-dwelling elderly population. The tools, subjected to validity and reliability testing for use in the community-dwelling elderly population were Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI), which includes DETERMINE list, Level I and II Screen, Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating, and Nutrition (SCREEN I and SCREEN II), Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), Nutritional Risk Index (NRI), and Malaysian and South African tool. MNA and MNA-SF appear to have highest reliability and validity for screening of community-dwelling elderly, while the reliability and validity of SCREEN II are good. The authors conclude that whilst several tools have been developed, most have not undergone extensive testing to demonstrate their ability to identify nutritional risk. MNA and MNA-SF have the highest reliability and validity for screening of nutritional status in the community-dwelling elderly, and the reliability and validity of SCREEN II are satisfactory. These instruments also contain all three nutritional status indicators and are practical for use in family medicine. However, the gold standard for screening cannot be set because testing of reliability and continuous validation in the study with a higher level of evidence need to be conducted in family medicine.

Screening for intellectual disability in persons with a substance abuse problem: Exploring the validity of the Hayes Ability Screening Index in a Dutch-speaking sample.

PubMed

To, Wing Ting; Vanheule, Stijn; Vanderplasschen, Wouter; Audenaert, Kurt; Vandevelde, Stijn

2014-11-12

There is an increasing interest in screening instruments to detect intellectual disability (ID) in a quick and accurate way in mental health services as well as in the criminal justice system in order to provide appropriate support for people with undetected needs caused by ID. An instrument that has been proven to be useful in both settings is the Hayes Ability Screening Index (HASI). This study assessed the validity of the Dutch version of the HASI in persons with a substance abuse problem residing in mental health services, whether or not mandated to treatment by court order. The HASI was conducted along with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III as the criterion for validity to 90 participants. Additionally, the influence of psychiatric disorder and medication use on the HASI result was examined. A significant positive relationship was found between the two instruments, demonstrating convergent validity. Using a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the discriminative ability of the HASI with a cut-off score of 85 was found to be adequate, yielding in a good balance between sensitivity and specificity. The HASI was not distorted by the presence of the substance abuse problem or other psychiatric illnesses and medication did not influence the HASI scores in this study. These findings indicate that the HASI provides a time-efficient and resource-conscious way to detect ID in persons with a substance problem, thus addressing a critical need in mental health settings. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Würzburg MIH concept: the MIH treatment need index (MIH TNI) : A new index to assess and plan treatment in patients with molar incisior hypomineralisation (MIH).

PubMed

Steffen, R; Krämer, N; Bekes, K

2017-10-01

This was to create a new easy-to-use index for the treatment of MIH. An international MIH working group developed a new MIH index as an epidemiological screening procedure for assessing MIH treatment needs (MIH-TNI), and also for the screening and monitoring of individuals by dental practitioners. The MIH TNI assesses in particular the extent of the destruction of tooth structure in combination with any hypersensitivity occurring in MIH. The MIH-TNI is suggested as a basis for individual dental examinations covering all MIH typical problems or treatment planning. In addition, this index shall be the basis for decision-making in any MIH therapy studies already planned. After the validation of the MIH TNI it may be possible to create a standardised approach for dental treatment for MIH.

Test-retest reliability of the Capute scales for neurodevelopmental screening of a high risk sample: Impact of test-retest interval and degree of neonatal risk.

PubMed

McCurdy, M; Bellows, A; Deng, D; Leppert, M; Mahone, E; Pritchard, A

2015-01-01

Reliable and valid screening and assessment tools are necessary to identify children at risk for neurodevelopmental disabilities who may require additional services. This study evaluated the test-retest reliability of the Capute Scales in a high-risk sample, hypothesizing adequate reliability across 6- and 12-month intervals. Capute Scales scores (N = 66) were collected via retrospective chart review from a NICU follow-up clinic within a large urban medical center spanning three age-ranges: 12-18, 19-24, and 25-36 months. On average, participants were classified as very low birth weight and premature. Reliability of the Capute Scales was evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficients across length of test-retest interval, age at testing, and degree of neonatal complications. The Capute Scales demonstrated high reliability, regardless of length of test-retest interval (ranging from 6 to 14 months) or age of participant, for all index scores, including overall Developmental Quotient (DQ), language-based skill index (CLAMS) and nonverbal reasoning index (CAT). Linear regressions revealed that greater neonatal risk was related to poorer test-retest reliability; however, reliability coefficients remained strong. The Capute Scales afford clinicians a reliable and valid means of screening and assessing for neurodevelopmental delay within high-risk infant populations.

Validity and sensitivity of the longitudinal asymmetry index to detect gait asymmetry using Microsoft Kinect data.

PubMed

Auvinet, E; Multon, F; Manning, V; Meunier, J; Cobb, J P

2017-01-01

Gait asymmetry information is a key point in disease screening and follow-up. Constant Relative Phase (CRP) has been used to quantify within-stride asymmetry index, which requires noise-free and accurate motion capture, which is difficult to obtain in clinical settings. This study explores a new index, the Longitudinal Asymmetry Index (ILong) which is derived using data from a low-cost depth camera (Kinect). ILong is based on depth images averaged over several gait cycles, rather than derived joint positions or angles. This study aims to evaluate (1) the validity of CRP computed with Kinect, (2) the validity and sensitivity of ILong for measuring gait asymmetry based solely on data provided by a depth camera, (3) the clinical applicability of a posteriorly mounted camera system to avoid occlusion caused by the standard front-fitted treadmill consoles and (4) the number of strides needed to reliably calculate ILong. The gait of 15 subjects was recorded concurrently with a marker-based system (MBS) and Kinect, and asymmetry was artificially reproduced by introducing a 5cm sole attached to one foot. CRP computed with Kinect was not reliable. ILong detected this disturbed gait reliably and could be computed from a posteriorly placed Kinect without loss of validity. A minimum of five strides was needed to achieve a correlation coefficient of 0.9 between standard MBS and low-cost depth camera based ILong. ILong provides a clinically pragmatic method for measuring gait asymmetry, with application for improved patient care through enhanced disease, screening, diagnosis and monitoring. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Screening emergency department patients for opioid drug use: A qualitative systematic review.

PubMed

Sahota, Preet Kaur; Shastry, Siri; Mukamel, Dana B; Murphy, Linda; Yang, Narisu; Lotfipour, Shahram; Chakravarthy, Bharath

2018-05-24

The opioid drug epidemic is a major public health concern and an economic burden in the United States. The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the reliability and validity of screening instruments used in emergency medicine settings to detect opioid use in patients and to assess psychometric data for each screening instrument. PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for articles published up to May 2018. The extracted articles were independently screened for eligibility by two reviewers. We extracted 1555 articles for initial screening and 95 articles were assessed for full-text eligibility. Six articles were extracted from the full-text assessment. Six instruments were identified from the final article list: Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain - Revised; Drug Abuse Screening Test; Opioid Risk Tool; Current Opioid Misuse Measure; an Emergency Medicine Providers Clinician Assessment Questionnaire; and an Emergency Provider Impression Data Collection Form. Screening instrument characteristics, and reliability and validity data were extracted from the six studies. A meta-analysis was not conducted due to heterogeneity between the studies. There is a lack of validity and reliability evidence in all six articles; and sensitivity, specificity and predictive values varied between the different instruments. These instruments cannot be validated for use in emergency medicine settings. There is no clear evidence to state which screening instruments are appropriate for use in detecting opioid use disorders in emergency medicine patients. There is a need for brief, reliable, valid and feasible opioid use screening instruments in the emergency medicine setting. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Home oximetry to screen for obstructive sleep apnoea in Down syndrome.

PubMed

Hill, Catherine M; Elphick, Heather E; Farquhar, Michael; Gringras, Paul; Pickering, Ruth M; Kingshott, Ruth N; Martin, Jane; Reynolds, Janine; Joyce, Anna; Gavlak, Johanna C; Evans, Hazel J

2018-05-14

Children with Down syndrome are at high risk of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and screening is recommended. Diagnosis of OSA should be confirmed with multichannel sleep studies. We aimed to determine whether home pulse oximetry (HPO) discriminates children at high risk of OSA, who need further diagnostic multichannel sleep studies. Cross-sectional prospective study in a training sample recruited through three UK centres. Validation sample used single-centre retrospective analysis of clinical data. Children with Down syndrome aged 0.5-6 years. Diagnostic multichannel sleep study and HPO. Sensitivity and specificity of HPO to predict moderate-to-severe OSA. 161/202 children with Down syndrome met quality criteria for inclusion and 25 had OSA. In this training sample, the best HPO parameter predictors of OSA were the delta 12 s index >0.555 (sensitivity 92%, specificity 65%) and 3% oxyhaemoglobin (SpO 2 ) desaturation index (3% ODI)>6.15 dips/hour (sensitivity 92%, specificity 63%). Combining variables (delta 12 s index, 3% ODI, mean and minimum SpO 2 ) achieved sensitivity of 96% but reduced specificity to 52%. All predictors retained or improved sensitivity in a clinical validation sample of 50 children with variable loss of specificity, best overall was the delta 12 s index, a measure of baseline SpO 2 variability (sensitivity 92%; specificity 63%). HPO screening could halve the number of children with Down syndrome needing multichannel sleep studies and reduce the burden on children, families and health services alike. This approach offers a practical universal screening approach for OSA in Down syndrome that is accessible to the non-specialist paediatrician. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

A Practical Standardized Composite Nutrition Score Based on Lean Tissue Index: Application in Nutrition Screening and Prediction of Outcome in Hemodialysis Population.

PubMed

Chen, Huan-Sheng; Cheng, Chun-Ting; Hou, Chun-Cheng; Liou, Hung-Hsiang; Chang, Cheng-Tsung; Lin, Chun-Ju; Wu, Tsai-Kun; Chen, Chang-Hsu; Lim, Paik-Seong

2017-07-01

Rapid screening and monitoring of nutritional status is mandatory in hemodialysis population because of the increasingly encountered nutritional problems. Considering the limitations of previous composite nutrition scores applied in this population, we tried to develop a standardized composite nutrition score (SCNS) using low lean tissue index as a marker of protein wasting to facilitate clinical screening and monitoring and to predict outcome. This retrospective cohort used 2 databases of dialysis populations from Taiwan between 2011 and 2014. First database consisting of data from 629 maintenance hemodialysis patients was used to develop the SCNS and the second database containing data from 297 maintenance hemodialysis patients was used to validate this developed score. SCNS containing albumin, creatinine, potassium, and body mass index was developed from the first database using low lean tissue index as a marker of protein wasting. When applying this score in the original database, significantly higher risk of developing protein wasting was found for patients with lower SCNS (odds ratio 1.38 [middle tertile vs highest tertile, P < .0001] and 2.40 [lowest tertile vs middle tertile, P < .0001]). The risk of death was also shown to be higher for patients with lower SCNS (hazard ratio 4.45 [below median level vs above median level, P < .0001]). These results were validated in the second database. We developed an SCNS consisting of 4 easily available biochemical parameters. This kind of scoring system can be easily applied in different dialysis facilities for screening and monitoring of protein wasting. The wide application of body composition monitor in dialysis population will also facilitate the development of specific nutrition scoring model for individual facility. Copyright © 2017 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validation of a screening tool for attention and executive functions (EpiTrack Junior) in children and adolescents with absence epilepsy.

PubMed

Kadish, Navah Ester; Baumann, Matthias; Pietz, Joachim; Schubert-Bast, Susanne; Reuner, Gitta

2013-10-01

Our prospective study aimed at the validation of EpiTrack Junior, a neuropsychological screening tool for attention and executive functions in children with epilepsy. Twenty-two children with absence epilepsy aged 8-17 years underwent comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation including EpiTrack Junior and measures of intelligence, verbal and nonverbal memory, word fluency and visuoconstructive organization. Concurrent and discriminant validity of EpiTrack Junior subtests and total score as well as sensitivity and specificity of the total score were analyzed. EpiTrack Junior total score was impaired in 59% of participants. Concurrent validity was demonstrated in 4/6 subtests and for the total score. Discriminant validity was shown with respect to verbal and nonverbal long-term memory. Sensitivity was higher than specificity and highest for the "working memory index". EpiTrack Junior is recommended as a sensitive and time-efficient screening tool for attention and executive functions in children with epilepsy. Impaired results should be followed up with detailed evaluation including information from the parents and school as well as counseling where indicated. © 2013.

Validation of periodontitis screening model using sociodemographic, systemic, and molecular information in a Korean population.

PubMed

Kim, Hyun-Duck; Sukhbaatar, Munkhzaya; Shin, Myungseop; Ahn, Yoo-Been; Yoo, Wook-Sung

2014-12-01

This study aims to evaluate and validate a periodontitis screening model that includes sociodemographic, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and molecular information, including gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), and blood cytokines. The authors selected 506 participants from the Shiwha-Banwol cohort: 322 participants from the 2005 cohort for deriving the screening model and 184 participants from the 2007 cohort for its validation. Periodontitis was assessed by dentists using the community periodontal index. Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α in blood and MMP-8, -9, and -13 in GCF were assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. MetS was assessed by physicians using physical examination and blood laboratory data. Information about age, sex, income, smoking, and drinking was obtained by interview. Logistic regression analysis was applied to finalize the best-fitting model and validate the model using sensitivity, specificity, and c-statistics. The derived model for periodontitis screening had a sensitivity of 0.73, specificity of 0.85, and c-statistic of 0.86 (P <0.001); those of the validated model were 0.64, 0.91, and 0.83 (P <0.001), respectively. The model that included age, sex, income, smoking, drinking, and blood and GCF biomarkers could be useful in screening for periodontitis. A future prospective study is indicated for evaluating this model's ability to predict the occurrence of periodontitis.

Vagal tone as an index of mental state

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porges, Stephen W.

1988-01-01

The utility of monitoring oscillations in the heart rate pattern as a window to the brain is discussed as an index of general central nervous system status. Quantification of the amplitude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia provides an accurate index of cardiac vagal tone. A number of studies have demonstrated the validity of this measure; the relationship between flight performance and vagal tone has also been studied. In general, the vagal tone index appears to monitor global states of the central nervous system and may be useful in screening the general state of pilots.

Evaluation of a clinical risk index for advanced colorectal neoplasia among a North American population of screening age.

PubMed

Ruco, Arlinda; Stock, David; Hilsden, Robert J; McGregor, S Elizabeth; Paszat, Lawrence F; Saskin, Refik; Rabeneck, Linda

2015-11-19

A clinical risk index employing age, sex, family history of colorectal cancer (CRC), smoking history and body mass index (BMI) may be useful for prioritizing screening with colonoscopy. The aim of this study was to conduct an external evaluation of a previously published risk index for advanced neoplasia (AN) in a large, well-characterized cohort. Five thousand one hundred thirty-seven asymptomatic persons aged 50 to 74 (54.9 % women) with a mean age (SD) of 58.3 (6.2) years were recruited for the study from a teaching hospital and colorectal cancer screening centre between 2003 and 2011. All participants underwent a complete screening colonoscopy and removal of all polyps. AN was defined as cancer or a tubular adenoma, traditional serrated adenoma (TSA), or sessile serrated adenoma (SSA) with villous characteristics (≥25% villous component), and/or high-grade dysplasia and/or diameter ≥10 mm. Risk scores for each participant were summed to derive an overall score (0-8). The c-statistic was used to measure discriminating ability of the risk index. The prevalence of AN in the study cohort was 6.8 %. The likelihood of detecting AN increased from 3.6 to 13.1 % for those with a risk score of 1 to 6 respectively. The c-statistic for the multivariable logistic model in our cohort was 0.64 (95 % CI = 0.61-067) indicating modest overlap between risk scores. The risk index for AN using age, sex, family history, smoking history and BMI was found to be of limited discriminating ability upon external validation. The index requires further refinement to better predict AN in average risk persons of screening age.

Validation of the Malay version of Berlin questionaire to identify Malaysian patients for obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Yunus, A; Seet, W; Mohamad Adam, B; Haniff, J

2013-01-01

To validate the Malay version of Berlin Questionnaire (BQ) as a tool to screen for patients at risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in primary care. Most patients with OSA are unrecognised and untreated. Thus, the BQ has been used as a tool to screen for patients at risk for OSA. However, this tool has not been validated in Malay version. A parallel back-to-back translation method was applied to produce the Malay version (Berlin-M). The Malay version was administered to 150 patients in a tertiary respiratory medical centre.  Concurrent validity of the Berlin-M was determined using the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) as the gold standard measure.  The test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the Berlin-M were determined. Most patients were males (64.0%) and majority of them were Malays (63.3%). Based on the sleep study test, 121 (84.0%) were classified as high risk while 23 (16.0%) as low risk using the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) ≥5 as the cutoff point. The test-retest reliability Kappa value showed a good range between 0.864 - 1.000. The Cronbach's alpha of BQ was 0.750 in category 1 and 0.888 in category 2. The sensitivity and specificity were 92% and 17% respectively. The BQ showed high sensitivity (92%) but low specificity (17%). Therefore, though the Berlin-M is useful as a screening tool, it is not a confirmatory diagnostic tool.

Validity of the Miller forensic assessment of symptoms test in psychiatric inpatients.

PubMed

Veazey, Connie H; Wagner, Alisha L; Hays, J Ray; Miller, Holly A

2005-06-01

This study investigated the validity of the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST), a brief measure of malingering, in an inpatient psychiatric sample of 70. Among those patients who also completed the Personality Assessment Inventory (N=44), Total M-FAST score was related in the expected directions to the Personality Assessment Inventory validity scales and indexes, providing evidence for concurrent validity of the M-FAST. With the PAI malingering index used as a criterion, we examined the diagnostic efficiency of the M-FAST and found a cut score of 8 represented the best balance of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power, and negative predictive power. Based on this cut-score of 8, 16% of the population was classified as malingering. The M-FAST appears to be an excellent rapid screen for symptom exaggeration in this population and setting.

The Pittsburgh sleep quality index as a screening tool for sleep dysfunction in clinical and non-clinical samples: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Mollayeva, Tatyana; Thurairajah, Pravheen; Burton, Kirsteen; Mollayeva, Shirin; Shapiro, Colin M; Colantonio, Angela

2016-02-01

This review appraises the process of development and the measurement properties of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), gauging its potential as a screening tool for sleep dysfunction in non-clinical and clinical samples; it also compares non-clinical and clinical populations in terms of PSQI scores. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and HAPI databases were searched. Critical appraisal of studies of measurement properties was performed using COSMIN. Of 37 reviewed studies, 22 examined construct validity, 19 - known-group validity, 15 - internal consistency, and three - test-retest reliability. Study quality ranged from poor to excellent, with the majority designated fair. Internal consistency, based on Cronbach's alpha, was good. Discrepancies were observed in factor analytic studies. In non-clinical and clinical samples with known differences in sleep quality, the PSQI global scores and all subscale scores, with the exception of sleep disturbance, differed significantly. The best evidence synthesis for the PSQI showed strong reliability and validity, and moderate structural validity in a variety of samples, suggesting the tool fulfills its intended utility. A taxonometric analysis can contribute to better understanding of sleep dysfunction as either a dichotomous or continuous construct. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a risk index for prediction of abnormal pap test results in Serbia.

PubMed

Vukovic, Dejana; Antic, Ljiljana; Vasiljevic, Mladenko; Antic, Dragan; Matejic, Bojana

2015-01-01

Serbia is one of the countries with highest incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer in Central and South Eastern Europe. Introducing a risk index could provide a powerful means for targeting groups at high likelihood of having an abnormal cervical smear and increase efficiency of screening. The aim of the present study was to create and assess validity ofa index for prediction of an abnormal Pap test result. The study population was drawn from patients attending Departments for Women's Health in two primary health care centers in Serbia. Out of 525 respondents 350 were randomly selected and data obtained from them were used as the index creation dataset. Data obtained from the remaining 175 were used as an index validation data set. Age at first intercourse under 18, more than 4 sexual partners, history of STD and multiparity were attributed statistical weights 16, 15, 14 and 13, respectively. The distribution of index scores in index-creation data set showed that most respondents had a score 0 (54.9%). In the index-creation dataset mean index score was 10.3 (SD-13.8), and in the validation dataset the mean was 9.1 (SD=13.2). The advantage of such scoring system is that it is simple, consisting of only four elements, so it could be applied to identify women with high risk for cervical cancer that would be referred for further examination.

Predictive validity of the identification of seniors at risk screening tool in a German emergency department setting.

PubMed

Singler, Katrin; Heppner, Hans Jürgen; Skutetzky, Andreas; Sieber, Cornel; Christ, Michael; Thiem, Ulrich

2014-01-01

The identification of patients at high risk for adverse outcomes [death, unplanned readmission to emergency department (ED)/hospital, functional decline] plays an important role in emergency medicine. The Identification of Seniors at Risk (ISAR) instrument is one of the most commonly used and best-validated screening tools. As to the authors' knowledge so far there are no data on any screening tool for the identification of older patients at risk for a negative outcome in Germany. To evaluate the validity of the ISAR screening tool in a German ED. This was a prospective single-center observational cohort study in an ED of an urban university-affiliated hospital. Participants were 520 patients aged ≥75 years consecutively admitted to the ED. The German version of the ISAR screening tool was administered directly after triage of the patients. Follow-up telephone interviews to assess outcome variables were conducted 28 and 180 days after the index visit in the ED. The primary end point was death from any cause or hospitalization or recurrent ED visit or change of residency into a long-term care facility on day 28 after the index ED visit. The mean age ± SD was 82.8 ± 5.0 years. According to ISAR, 425 patients (81.7%) scored ≥2 points, and 315 patients (60.5%) scored ≥3 points. The combined primary end point was observed in 250 of 520 patients (48.1%) on day 28 and in 260 patients (50.0%) on day 180. Using a continuous ISAR score the area under the curve on day 28 was 0.621 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.573-0.669) and 0.661 (95% CI 0.615-0.708) on day 180, respectively. The German version of the ISAR screening tool acceptably identified elderly patients in the ED with an increased risk of a negative outcome. Using the cutoff ≥3 points instead of ≥2 points yielded better overall results.

A Validated Clinical Risk Prediction Model for Lung Cancer in Smokers of All Ages and Exposure Types: A HUNT Study.

PubMed

Markaki, Maria; Tsamardinos, Ioannis; Langhammer, Arnulf; Lagani, Vincenzo; Hveem, Kristian; Røe, Oluf Dimitri

2018-05-01

Lung cancer causes >1·6 million deaths annually, with early diagnosis being paramount to effective treatment. Here we present a validated risk assessment model for lung cancer screening. The prospective HUNT2 population study in Norway examined 65,237 people aged >20years in 1995-97. After a median of 15·2years, 583 lung cancer cases had been diagnosed; 552 (94·7%) ever-smokers and 31 (5·3%) never-smokers. We performed multivariable analyses of 36 candidate risk predictors, using multiple imputation of missing data and backwards feature selection with Cox regression. The resulting model was validated in an independent Norwegian prospective dataset of 45,341 ever-smokers, in which 675 lung cancers had been diagnosed after a median follow-up of 11·6years. Our final HUNT Lung Cancer Model included age, pack-years, smoking intensity, years since smoking cessation, body mass index, daily cough, and hours of daily indoors exposure to smoke. External validation showed a 0·879 concordance index (95% CI [0·866-0·891]) with an area under the curve of 0·87 (95% CI [0·85-0·89]) within 6years. Only 22% of ever-smokers would need screening to identify 81·85% of all lung cancers within 6years. Our model of seven variables is simple, accurate, and useful for screening selection. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development, Validation, and Assessment of an Ischemic Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack-Specific Prediction Tool for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

PubMed

Sico, Jason J; Yaggi, H Klar; Ofner, Susan; Concato, John; Austin, Charles; Ferguson, Jared; Qin, Li; Tobias, Lauren; Taylor, Stanley; Vaz Fragoso, Carlos A; McLain, Vincent; Williams, Linda S; Bravata, Dawn M

2017-08-01

Screening instruments for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), as used routinely to guide clinicians regarding patient referral for polysomnography (PSG), rely heavily on symptomatology. We sought to develop and validate a cerebrovascular disease-specific OSA prediction model less reliant on symptomatology, and to compare its performance with commonly used screening instruments within a population with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Using data on demographic factors, anthropometric measurements, medical history, stroke severity, sleep questionnaires, and PSG from 2 independently derived, multisite, randomized trials that enrolled patients with stroke or TIA, we developed and validated a model to predict the presence of OSA (i.e., Apnea-Hypopnea Index ≥5 events per hour). Model performance was compared with that of the Berlin Questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Snoring, Tiredness, Observed apnea, high blood Pressure, Body mass index, Age, Neck circumference, and Gender instrument, and the Sleep Apnea Clinical Score. The new SLEEP Inventory (Sex, Left heart failure, ESS, Enlarged neck, weight [in Pounds], Insulin resistance/diabetes, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale) performed modestly better than other instruments in identifying patients with OSA, showing reasonable discrimination in the development (c-statistic .732) and validation (c-statistic .731) study populations, and having the highest negative predictive value of all in struments. Clinicians should be aware of these limitations in OSA screening instruments when making decisions about referral for PSG. The high negative predictive value of the SLEEP INventory may be useful in determining and prioritizing patients with stroke or TIA least in need of overnight PSG. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Novel high-resolution computed tomography-based radiomic classifier for screen-identified pulmonary nodules in the National Lung Screening Trial.

PubMed

Peikert, Tobias; Duan, Fenghai; Rajagopalan, Srinivasan; Karwoski, Ronald A; Clay, Ryan; Robb, Richard A; Qin, Ziling; Sicks, JoRean; Bartholmai, Brian J; Maldonado, Fabien

2018-01-01

Optimization of the clinical management of screen-detected lung nodules is needed to avoid unnecessary diagnostic interventions. Herein we demonstrate the potential value of a novel radiomics-based approach for the classification of screen-detected indeterminate nodules. Independent quantitative variables assessing various radiologic nodule features such as sphericity, flatness, elongation, spiculation, lobulation and curvature were developed from the NLST dataset using 726 indeterminate nodules (all ≥ 7 mm, benign, n = 318 and malignant, n = 408). Multivariate analysis was performed using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method for variable selection and regularization in order to enhance the prediction accuracy and interpretability of the multivariate model. The bootstrapping method was then applied for the internal validation and the optimism-corrected AUC was reported for the final model. Eight of the originally considered 57 quantitative radiologic features were selected by LASSO multivariate modeling. These 8 features include variables capturing Location: vertical location (Offset carina centroid z), Size: volume estimate (Minimum enclosing brick), Shape: flatness, Density: texture analysis (Score Indicative of Lesion/Lung Aggression/Abnormality (SILA) texture), and surface characteristics: surface complexity (Maximum shape index and Average shape index), and estimates of surface curvature (Average positive mean curvature and Minimum mean curvature), all with P<0.01. The optimism-corrected AUC for these 8 features is 0.939. Our novel radiomic LDCT-based approach for indeterminate screen-detected nodule characterization appears extremely promising however independent external validation is needed.

[Reliability and validity of warning signs checklist for screening psychological, behavioral and developmental problems of children].

PubMed

Huang, X N; Zhang, Y; Feng, W W; Wang, H S; Cao, B; Zhang, B; Yang, Y F; Wang, H M; Zheng, Y; Jin, X M; Jia, M X; Zou, X B; Zhao, C X; Robert, J; Jing, Jin

2017-06-02

Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of warning signs checklist developed by the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China (NHFPC), so as to determine the screening effectiveness of warning signs on developmental problems of early childhood. Method: Stratified random sampling method was used to assess the reliability and validity of checklist of warning sign and 2 110 children 0 to 6 years of age(1 513 low-risk subjects and 597 high-risk subjects) were recruited from 11 provinces of China. The reliability evaluation for the warning signs included the test-retest reliability and interrater reliability. With the use of Age and Stage Questionnaire (ASQ) and Gesell Development Diagnosis Scale (GESELL) as the criterion scales, criterion validity was assessed by determining the correlation and consistency between the screening results of warning signs and the criterion scales. Result: In terms of the warning signs, the screening positive rates at different ages ranged from 10.8%(21/141) to 26.2%(51/137). The median (interquartile) testing time for each subject was 1(0.6) minute. Both the test-retest reliability and interrater reliability of warning signs reached 0.7 or above, indicating that the stability was good. In terms of validity assessment, there was remarkable consistency between ASQ and warning signs, with the Kappa value of 0.63. With the use of GESELL as criterion, it was determined that the sensitivity of warning signs in children with suspected developmental delay was 82.2%, and the specificity was 77.7%. The overall Youden index was 0.6. Conclusion: The reliability and validity of warning signs checklist for screening early childhood developmental problems have met the basic requirements of psychological screening scales, with the characteristics of short testing time and easy operation. Thus, this warning signs checklist can be used for screening psychological and behavioral problems of early childhood, especially in community settings.

Screening for Adolescent Problematic Internet Use: Validation of the Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale (PRIUSS).

PubMed

Jelenchick, Lauren A; Eickhoff, Jens; Zhang, Chong; Kraninger, Kristina; Christakis, Dimitri A; Moreno, Megan A

2015-01-01

Problematic Internet use (PIU) is an emerging health concern that lacks screening measures validated for use with adolescents and young adults. This study aimed to validate the Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale (PRIUSS) for use with older adolescents and to increase its clinical utility by determining scoring guidelines and assessing the relationship between PIU and other mental health conditions. This cross-sectional survey study took place at a large, public Midwestern university among 330 older adolescents aged 18 to 25 years. Confirmatory factor analysis and Spearman's correlations were used to assess the PRIUSS' structural and construct validity, respectively. A risk-based scoring cutoff was estimated using a Bayesian latent class modeling approach to computing a receiver operating characteristic curve. The confirmatory factor analysis indices for the 3-factor model indicated an acceptable fit (goodness-of-fit index 0.89, root mean square error of approximation 0.07). A cutoff of 25 (sensitivity 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47-0.99; specificity 0.79, 95% CI 0.73-0.84) is proposed for identifying those at risk for PIU. Participants at risk for PIU were at significantly greater odds of also reporting symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (odds ratio [OR] 2.36 95% CI 1.21-4.62, P = .009), depression (OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.65-6.42, P = .008), and social anxiety (OR 3.77, 95% CI 2.06-6.89, P < .000). The PRIUSS demonstrated validity as a PIU screening instrument for adolescents and young adults. Screening for PIU may also help to identify those at high reciprocal risk for other mental health conditions. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Lung cancer in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Development and validation of the COPD Lung Cancer Screening Score.

PubMed

de-Torres, Juan P; Wilson, David O; Sanchez-Salcedo, Pablo; Weissfeld, Joel L; Berto, Juan; Campo, Arantzazu; Alcaide, Ana B; García-Granero, Marta; Celli, Bartolome R; Zulueta, Javier J

2015-02-01

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at high risk for lung cancer (LC) and represent a potential target to improve the diagnostic yield of screening programs. To develop a predictive score for LC risk for patients with COPD. The Pamplona International Early Lung Cancer Detection Program (P-IELCAP) and the Pittsburgh Lung Screening Study (PLuSS) databases were analyzed. Only patients with COPD on spirometry were included. By logistic regression we determined which factors were independently associated with LC in PLuSS and developed a COPD LC screening score (COPD-LUCSS) to be validated in P-IELCAP. By regression analysis, age greater than 60, body mass index less than 25 kg/m(2), pack-years history greater than 60, and emphysema presence were independently associated with LC diagnosis and integrated into the COPD-LUCSS, which ranges from 0 to 10 points. Two COPD-LUCSS risk categories were proposed: low risk (scores 0-6) and high risk (scores 7-10). In comparison with low-risk patients, in both cohorts LC risk increased 3.5-fold in the high-risk category. The COPD-LUCSS is a good predictor of LC risk in patients with COPD participating in LC screening programs. Validation in two different populations adds strength to the findings.

Evaluation of the nutrition screening tool for childhood cancer (SCAN).

PubMed

Murphy, Alexia J; White, Melinda; Viani, Karina; Mosby, Terezie T

2016-02-01

Malnutrition is a serious concern for children with cancer and nutrition screening may offer a simple alternative to nutrition assessment for identifying children with cancer who are at risk of malnutrition. The present paper aimed to evaluate the nutrition screening tool for childhood cancer (SCAN). SCAN was developed after an extensive review of currently available tools and published screening recommendation, consideration of pediatric oncology nutrition guidelines, piloting questions, and consulting with members of International Pediatric Oncology Nutrition Group. In Study 1, the accuracy and validity of SCAN against pediatric subjective global nutrition assessment (pediatric SGNA) was determined. In Study 2, subjects were classified as 'at risk of malnutrition' and 'not at risk of malnutrition' according to SCAN and measures of height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and body composition were compared between the groups. The validation of SCAN against pediatric SGNA showed SCAN had 'excellent' accuracy (0.90, 95% CI 0.78-1.00; p < 0.001), 100% sensitivity, 39% specificity, 56% positive predictive value and 100% negative predictive value. When subjects in Study 2 were classified into 'at risk of malnutrition' and 'not at risk of malnutrition' according to SCAN, the 'at risk of malnutrition' group had significantly lower values for weight Z score (p = 0.001), BMI Z score (p = 0.001) and fat mass index (FMI) (p = 0.04), than the 'not at risk of malnutrition' group. This study shows that SCAN is a simple, quick and valid tool which can be used to identify children with cancer who are at risk of malnutrition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Parameter screening: the use of a dummy parameter to identify non-influential parameters in a global sensitivity analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khorashadi Zadeh, Farkhondeh; Nossent, Jiri; van Griensven, Ann; Bauwens, Willy

2017-04-01

Parameter estimation is a major concern in hydrological modeling, which may limit the use of complex simulators with a large number of parameters. To support the selection of parameters to include in or exclude from the calibration process, Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA) is widely applied in modeling practices. Based on the results of GSA, the influential and the non-influential parameters are identified (i.e. parameters screening). Nevertheless, the choice of the screening threshold below which parameters are considered non-influential is a critical issue, which has recently received more attention in GSA literature. In theory, the sensitivity index of a non-influential parameter has a value of zero. However, since numerical approximations, rather than analytical solutions, are utilized in GSA methods to calculate the sensitivity indices, small but non-zero indices may be obtained for the indices of non-influential parameters. In order to assess the threshold that identifies non-influential parameters in GSA methods, we propose to calculate the sensitivity index of a "dummy parameter". This dummy parameter has no influence on the model output, but will have a non-zero sensitivity index, representing the error due to the numerical approximation. Hence, the parameters whose indices are above the sensitivity index of the dummy parameter can be classified as influential, whereas the parameters whose indices are below this index are within the range of the numerical error and should be considered as non-influential. To demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed "dummy parameter approach", 26 parameters of a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model are selected to be analyzed and screened, using the variance-based Sobol' and moment-independent PAWN methods. The sensitivity index of the dummy parameter is calculated from sampled data, without changing the model equations. Moreover, the calculation does not even require additional model evaluations for the Sobol' method. A formal statistical test validates these parameter screening results. Based on the dummy parameter screening, 11 model parameters are identified as influential. Therefore, it can be denoted that the "dummy parameter approach" can facilitate the parameter screening process and provide guidance for GSA users to define a screening-threshold, with only limited additional resources. Key words: Parameter screening, Global sensitivity analysis, Dummy parameter, Variance-based method, Moment-independent method

Assignment of Dental School Patients Using Periodontal Treatment Need Indices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mubarak, Ala

1990-01-01

The validity of the Periodontal Treatment Need System and the Community Periodontal Index for Treatment Need as screening tests for allocation of patients to dental students was assessed and compared. Sixty-one patients reporting to the Department of Periodontology at the University of Oslo were studied. (MLW)

Performance of a risk index for advanced proximal colorectal neoplasia among a racially/ethnically diverse patient population (risk index for advanced proximal neoplasia).

PubMed

Levitzky, Benjamin E; Brown, Colin C; Heeren, Timothy C; Schroy, Paul C

2011-06-01

Tailoring the use of screening colonoscopy based on the risk of advanced proximal neoplasia (APN) has been advocated as a strategy for reducing demand and optimizing effectiveness. A 7-point index based on age, sex, and distal findings at sigmoidoscopy has been proposed that stratifies individuals into low, intermediate, and high-risk categories. The aim of this cross-sectional analysis was to determine the validity of this index, which was originally derived and validated among mostly whites, for black and Hispanic patients. Data, including age, sex, colonoscopic findings, and pathology, were collected retrospectively from 1,481 white, 1,329 black, and 689 Hispanic asymptomatic, average-risk patients undergoing screening colonoscopy between 2000 and 2005. Cumulative scores ranging from 0 to 7 were derived for each subject and categorized as low, intermediate, or high risk. Rates of APN were assessed for each risk category after stratification by race/ethnicity. Index performance was assessed using the C-statistic and compared across the three racial groups. Rates of APN among patients categorized as low, intermediate, or high risk increased from 1.0 to 2.8 to 3.7% for whites, 1.0 to 2.2 to 4.2% for blacks, and 0.6 to 1.9 to 3.7% for Hispanics. The index performed similarly for all three groups, but showed limited ability to discriminate low from intermediate-risk patients, with C-statistic values of 0.62 for whites, 0.63 for blacks, and 0.68 for Hispanics. A risk index based on age, sex, and distal endoscopic findings has limited ability to discriminate low from intermediate-risk white, black, and Hispanic patients for APN.

Predicting the need for institutional care shortly after admission to rehabilitation: Rasch analysis and predictive validity of the BRASS Index.

PubMed

Panella, L; La Porta, F; Caselli, S; Marchisio, S; Tennant, A

2012-09-01

Effective discharge planning is increasingly recognised as a critical component of hospital-based Rehabilitation. The BRASS index is a risk screening tool for identification, shortly after hospital admission, of patients who are at risk of post-discharge problems. To evaluate the internal construct validity and reliability of the Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score (BRASS) within the rehabilitation setting. Observational prospective study. Rehabilitation ward of an Italian district hospital. One hundred and four consecutively admitted patients. Using classical psychometric methods and Rasch analysis (RA), the internal construct validity and reliability of the BRASS were examined. Also, external and predictive validity of the Rasch-modified BRASS (RMB) score were determined. Reliability of the original BRASS was low (Cronbach's alpha=0.595) and factor analyses showed that it was clearly multidimensional. A RA, based on a reduced 7-BRASS item set (RMB), satisfied model's expectations. Reliability was 0.777. The RMB scores strongly correlated with the original BRASS (rho=0.952; P<0.000) and with FIM™ admission scores (rho=-0.853; P<0.000). A RMB score of 12 was associated with an increased risk of nursing home admission (RR=2.1, 95%CI=1.7-2.5), whereas a score of 17 was associated to a higher risk of length of stay >28 days (RR=7.6, 95%CI=1.8-31.9). This study demonstrated that the original BRASS was multidimensional and unreliable. However, the RMB holds adequate internal construct validity and is sufficiently reliable as a predictor of discharge problems for group, but not individual use. The application of tools and methods (such as the BRASS Index) developed under the biomedical paradigm in a Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine setting may have limitations. Further research is needed to develop, within the rehabilitation setting, a valid measuring tool of risk of post-discharge problems at the individual level.

The development of a sleep disorder screening program in Australian community pharmacies.

PubMed

Tran, Adam; Fuller, Joanne M; Wong, Keith K; Krass, Ines; Grunstein, Ron; Saini, Bandana

2009-08-01

To develop, pilot and determine the feasibility of a sleep-specific screening and awareness program in community pharmacies. The screening was piloted in five Australian community pharmacies. The Pharmacy Tool for Assessment of Sleep Health was constructed by drawing on known relationships between sleep disorders, and lifestyle factors, medical conditions and medications. Four validated instruments were used in the screening tool: the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Multivariable Apnea Prediction Index (MAPI) and International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group Screening Criteria (IRLS). These instruments were used to predict the participant's risk of a sleep disorder and the results were compared with reported lifestyle, medical and medication factors. On-site training of consenting pharmacists was provided, followed by an eight week client recruiting and screening period. Feedback was elicited from participating pharmacists and clients. The feasibility of, and trends found from, the developed screening tool and protocol. Of 167 clients who requested or were invited to participate by pharmacists, 84 (50.3%) were screened. Analysis of collected data indicated that 33.3%, 21.4% and 27.4% of participants were at risk of having or developing insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and restless legs syndrome (RLS) respectively, while 38.1% were not at risk of any of the screened disorders. OSA odds increased 12.8 times (95% CI: 3.2-50.4) with diabetes and 4.9 times (1.2-20.9) with opioid use, while shift workers were 8.4 times (1.6-43.2) more likely to have insomnia. Participants and pharmacists reported the screening protocol and instrument was user friendly and feasible. The development and pilot of this screening tool was successful. The prevalence of sleep disorders in the sampled population was high but generally consistent with previous studies on the general population. Furthermore, associations found may form a foundation for a clinical algorithm to identify those at a higher risk of having or developing a sleep disorder. Further work is required to validate this screening tool in the community pharmacy context.

Validation of the Spanish version of the Index of Spouse Abuse.

PubMed

Plazaola-Castaño, Juncal; Ruiz-Pérez, Isabel; Escribà-Agüir, Vicenta; Jiménez-Martín, Juan Manuel; Hernández-Torres, Elisa

2009-04-01

Partner violence against women is a major public health problem. Although there are currently a number of validated screening and diagnostic tools that can be used to evaluate this type of violence, such tools are not available in Spain. The aim of this study is to analyze the validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA). A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2005 in two health centers in Granada, Spain, in 390 women between 18 and 70 years old. Analyses of the factorial structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity were conducted. Cutoff points for each subscale were also defined. For the construct validity analysis, the SF-36 perceived general health dimension, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Goldberg 12-item General Health Questionnaire were included. The psychometric analysis shows that the instrument has good internal consistency, reproducibility, and construct validity. The scale is useful for the analysis of partner violence against women in both a research setting and a healthcare setting.

The Hong Kong version of the Oxford Cognitive Screen (HK-OCS): validation study for Cantonese-speaking chronic stroke survivors.

PubMed

Kong, Anthony Pak-Hin; Lam, Pinky Hiu-Ping; Ho, Diana Wai-Lam; Lau, Johnny King; Humphreys, Glyn W; Riddoch, Jane; Weekes, Brendan

2016-09-01

This study reports the validation of the Hong Kong version of Oxford Cognitive Screen (HK-OCS). Seventy Cantonese-speaking healthy individuals participated to establish normative data and 46 chronic stroke survivors were assessed using the HK-OCS, Albert's Test of Visual Neglect, short test of gestural production, and Hong Kong version of the following assessments: Western Aphasia Battery, MMSE, MoCA, Modified Barthel Index, and Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale. The validity of the HK-OCS was appraised by the difference between the two participant groups. Neurologically unimpaired individuals performed significantly better than stroke survivors on the HK-OCS. Positive and significant correlations found between cognitive subtests in the HK-OCS and related assessments indicated good concurrent validity. Excellent intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities, fair test-retest reliability, and acceptable internal consistency suggested that the HK-OCS had good reliability. Specific HK-OCS subtests including semantics, episodic memory, number writing, and orientation were the best predictors of functional outcomes.

Screening for depression in adolescent paediatric patients: validity of the new Depression Screener for Teenagers (DesTeen).

PubMed

Pietsch, Kathrin; Allgaier, Antje-Kathrin; Frühe, Barbara; Rohde, Sabine; Hosie, Stuart; Heinrich, Martina; Schulte-Körne, Gerd

2011-09-01

Depression in adolescents is often hard to detect. In many cases paediatricians are the first point of contact. In order to increase recognition rates, screening instruments may be a helpful support for health care professionals. However, there is a lack of valid and economical screening instruments for primary care patients. Thus, the aim of the study was the development of the new Depression Screener for Teenagers (DesTeen) and its validation in a paediatric sample. 326 patients between 13 and 16 years old completed the DesTeen and a diagnostic interview, serving as gold standard. Prevalence rate for any depressive disorder (minor depression, major depression and dysthymia) was 12.6%. Psychometric properties were calculated. For validity measures, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) for any depressive disorder and the diagnostic subgroups was computed. DesTeen showed a high reliability (Cronbach's α=.87) and a high validity (AUC=.91). For the diagnostic subgroups AUC values did not significantly differ from overall accuracy of any depressive disorder (major depression: AUC=.95, p=.179; dysthymia: AUC=.88, p=.605; minor depression: AUC=.87, p=.327). The optimal cut-off point for any depressive disorder according to the Youden-Index yielded a sensitivity of .90 and a specificity of .80. An abbreviated 5-item version of DesTeen showed no loss in validity (AUC=.90, p=.695). Overall, DesTeen can be regarded as a valid screening instrument for adolescent paediatric patients. For practical use, the 5-item version is even more promising. A replication of these results is essential. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reliability and validity of the Bowel Function Index for evaluating opioid-induced constipation: translation, cultural adaptation and validation of the Portuguese version (BFI-P).

PubMed

Dueñas, María; Mendonça, Liliane; Sampaio, Rute; Gouvinhas, Cláudia; Oliveira, Daniela; Castro-Lopes, José Manuel; Azevedo, Luís Filipe

2017-03-01

The Bowel Function Index (BFI) is a simple and sound bowel function and opioid-induced constipation (OIC) screening tool. We aimed to develop the translation and cultural adaptation of this measure (BFI-P) and to assess its reliability and validity for the Portuguese language and a chronic pain population. The BFI-P was created after a process including translation, back translation and cultural adaptation. Participants (n = 226) were recruited in a chronic pain clinic and were assessed at baseline and after one week. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, responsiveness, construct (convergent and known groups) and factorial validity were assessed. Test-retest reliability had an intra-class correlation of 0.605 for BFI mean score. Internal consistency of BFI had Cronbach's alpha of 0.865. The construct validity of BFI-P was shown to be excellent and the exploratory factor analysis confirmed its unidimensional structure. The responsiveness of BFI-P was excellent, with a suggested 17-19 point and 8-12 point change in score constituting a clinically relevant change in constipation for patients with and without previous constipation, respectively. This study had some limitations, namely, the criterion validity of BFI-P was not directly assessed; and the absence of a direct criterion for OIC precluded the assessment of the criterion based responsiveness of BFI-P. Nevertheless, BFI may importantly contribute to better OIC screening and its Portuguese version (BFI-P) has been shown to have excellent reliability, internal consistency, validity and responsiveness. Further suggestions regarding statistically and clinically important change cut-offs for this instrument are presented.

Screening criteria for increased susceptibility to heat stress during work or leisure in hot environments in healthy individuals aged 31-70 years.

PubMed

Flouris, Andreas D; McGinn, Ryan; Poirier, Martin P; Louie, Jeffrey C; Ioannou, Leonidas G; Tsoutsoubi, Lydia; Sigal, Ronald J; Boulay, Pierre; Hardcastle, Stephen G; Kenny, Glen P

2018-01-01

Population aging and global warming generate important public health risks, as older adults have increased susceptibility to heat stress (SHS). We defined and validated sex-specific screening criteria for SHS during work and leisure activities in hot environments in individuals aged 31-70 years using age, anthropometry, and cardiorespiratory fitness. A total of 123 males and 44 females [44 ± 14 years; 22.9 ± 7.4% body fat; 40.3 ± 8.6 peak oxygen uptake (mlO 2 /kg/min)] participated, separated into the Analysis (n = 111) and Validation (n = 56) groups. Within these groups, participants were categorized into YOUNG (19-30 years; n = 47) and OLDER (31-70 years; n = 120). All participants performed exercise in the heat inside a direct calorimeter. Screening criteria for OLDER participants were defined from the Analysis group and were cross-validated in the Validation group. Results showed that 30% of OLDER individuals in the Analysis group were screened as SHS positive. A total of 274 statistically valid (p < 0.05) criteria were identified suggesting that OLDER participants were at risk for SHS when demonstrating two or more of the following (males/females): age ≥ 53.0/55.8 years; body mass index ≥29.5/25.7 kg/m 2 ; body fat percentage ≥ 28.8/34.9; body surface area ≤2.0/1.7 m 2 ; peak oxygen uptake ≤48.3/41.4 mlO 2 /kg fat free mass/min. In the Validation group, McNemar χ 2 comparisons confirmed acceptable validity for the developed criteria. We conclude that the developed criteria can effectively screen individuals 31-70 years who are at risk for SHS during work and leisure activities in hot environments and can provide simple and effective means to mitigate the public health risks caused by heat exposure.

Development of a brief parent-report risk index for children following parental divorce.

PubMed

Tein, Jenn-Yun; Sandler, Irwin N; Braver, Sanford L; Wolchik, Sharlene A

2013-12-01

This article reports on the development of a brief 15-item parent-report risk index (Child Risk Index for Divorced or Separated Families; CRI-DS) to predict problem outcomes of children who have experienced parental divorce. A series of analyses using 3 data sets were conducted that identified and cross-validated a parsimonious set of items representing parent report of child behavior problems and family level risk and protective factors, each of which contributed to the predictive accuracy of the index. The index predicted child behavior outcomes and substance abuse problems up to 6 years later. The index has acceptable levels of sensitivity and specificity as a screening measure to predict problem outcomes up to 1 year later. The use of the index to identify the need for preventive services is discussed, along with limitations of the study.

Screening for hypochondriasis with the Illness Attitude Scales.

PubMed

Weck, Florian; Bleichhardt, Gaby; Hiller, Wolfgang

2010-05-01

The Illness Attitude Scales (IAS; Kellner, 1986, 1987) may prove highly useful for the screening of hypochondriasis. We expected the IAS subscales to be equally as effective as the 7-item short version of the Whiteley Index (Whiteley-7; Fink et al., 1999), which has previously been shown to be useful in screening for somatoform disorders. We investigated participants of a German population (n = 1,575) and 61 patients with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) diagnosis of hypochondriasis. The Bodily Preoccupations (BP) subscale showed high sensitivity (.92) and specificity (.90) as well as demonstrating convergent and discriminant validity. We found evidence for the superiority of the BP subscale over the Whiteley-7 in the screening of hypochondriasis.

Clinical evaluation of the WOMAC 3.0 OA Index in numeric rating scale format using a computerized touch screen version.

PubMed

Theiler, R; Spielberger, J; Bischoff, H A; Bellamy, N; Huber, J; Kroesen, S

2002-06-01

The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index is a previously described self-administered questionnaire covering three domains: pain, stiffness and function. It has been validated in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip or knee in a paper-based format. To validate the WOMAC 3.0 using a numerical rating scale in a computerized touch screen format allowing immediate evaluation of the questionnaire. In the computed version cartoons, written and audio instruments were included in order facilitate application. Fifty patients, demographically balanced, with radiographically proven primary hip or knee OA completed the classical paper and the new computerized WOMAC version. Subjects were randomized either to paper format or computerized format first to balance possible order effects. The intra-class correlation coefficients for pain, stiffness and function values were 0.915, 0.745 and 0.940, respectively. The Spearman correlation coefficients for pain, stiffness and function were 0.88, 0.77 and 0.87, respectively. These data indicate that the computerized WOMAC OA index 3.0 is comparable to the paper WOMAC in all three dimensions. The computerized version would allow physicians to get an immediate result and if present a direct comparison with a previous exam. Copyright 2002 OsteoArthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Screening Questionnaires for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An Updated Systematic Review.

PubMed

Amra, Babak; Rahmati, Behzad; Soltaninejad, Forogh; Feizi, Awat

2018-05-01

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder and is associated with significant morbidity. We sought to present an updated systematic review of the literature on the accuracy of screening questionnaires for OSA against polysomnography (PSG) as the reference test. Using the main databases (including Medline, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Scopus) we used a combination of relevant keywords to filter studies published between January 2010 and April 2017. Population-based studies evaluating the accuracy of screening questionnaires for OSA against PSG were included in the review. Thirty-nine studies comprising 18 068 subjects were included. Four screening questionnaires for OSA had been validated in selected studies including the Berlin questionnaire (BQ), STOP-Bang Questionnaire (SBQ), STOP Questionnaire (SQ), and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). The sensitivity of SBQ in detecting mild (apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 5 events/hour) and severe (AHI ≥ 30 events/hour) OSA was higher compared to other screening questionnaires (range from 81.08% to 97.55% and 69.2% to 98.7%, respectively). However, SQ had the highest sensitivity in predicting moderate OSA (AHI ≥ 15 events/hour; range = 41.3% to 100%). SQ and SBQ are reliable tools for screening OSA among sleep clinic patients. Although further validation studies on the screening abilities of these questionnaires on general populations are required.

A screening questionnaire for convulsive seizures: A three-stage field-validation in rural Bolivia.

PubMed

Giuliano, Loretta; Cicero, Calogero Edoardo; Crespo Gómez, Elizabeth Blanca; Padilla, Sandra; Bruno, Elisa; Camargo, Mario; Marin, Benoit; Sofia, Vito; Preux, Pierre-Marie; Strohmeyer, Marianne; Bartoloni, Alessandro; Nicoletti, Alessandra

2017-01-01

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases in Latin American Countries (LAC) and epilepsy associated with convulsive seizures is the most frequent type. Therefore, the detection of convulsive seizures is a priority, but a validated Spanish-language screening tool to detect convulsive seizures is not available. We performed a field validation to evaluate the accuracy of a Spanish-language questionnaire to detect convulsive seizures in rural Bolivia using a three-stage design. The questionnaire was also administered face-to-face, using a two-stage design, to evaluate the difference in accuracy. The study was carried out in the rural communities of the Gran Chaco region. The questionnaire consists of a single screening question directed toward the householders and a confirmatory section administered face-to-face to the index case. Positive subjects underwent a neurological examination to detect false positive and true positive subjects. To estimate the proportion of false negative, a random sample of about 20% of the screened negative underwent a neurological evaluation. 792 householders have been interviewed representing a population of 3,562 subjects (52.2% men; mean age 24.5 ± 19.7 years). We found a sensitivity of 76.3% (95% CI 59.8-88.6) with a specificity of 99.6% (95% CI 99.4-99.8). The two-stage design showed only a slightly higher sensitivity respect to the three-stage design. Our screening tool shows a good accuracy and can be easily used by trained health workers to quickly screen the population of the rural communities of LAC through the householders using a three-stage design.

Validation of the Spanish Addiction Severity Index Multimedia Version (S-ASI-MV).

PubMed

Butler, Stephen F; Redondo, José Pedro; Fernandez, Kathrine C; Villapiano, Albert

2009-01-01

This study aimed to develop and test the reliability and validity of a Spanish adaptation of the ASI-MV, a computer administered version of the Addiction Severity Index, called the S-ASI-MV. Participants were 185 native Spanish-speaking adult clients from substance abuse treatment facilities serving Spanish-speaking clients in Florida, New Mexico, California, and Puerto Rico. Participants were administered the S-ASI-MV as well as Spanish versions of the general health subscale of the SF-36, the work and family unit subscales of the Social Adjustment Scale Self-Report, the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, the alcohol and drug subscales of the Personality Assessment Inventory, and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-90. Three-to-five-day test-retest reliability was examined along with criterion validity, convergent/discriminant validity, and factorial validity. Measurement invariance between the English and Spanish versions of the ASI-MV was also examined. The S-ASI-MV demonstrated good test-retest reliability (ICCs for composite scores between .59 and .93), criterion validity (rs for composite scores between .66 and .87), and convergent/discriminant validity. Factorial validity and measurement invariance were demonstrated. These results compared favorably with those reported for the original interviewer version of the ASI and the English version of the ASI-MV.

Combined detection of depression and anxiety in epilepsy patients using the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy and the World Health Organization well-being index.

PubMed

Hansen, Christian Pilebæk; Amiri, Moshgan

2015-12-01

To validate the Danish version of the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E), and compare it with the World Health Organization index for psychological well-being (WHO-5) as screening tests for depression and anxiety in epilepsy patients. Epilepsy outpatients filled out NDDI-E and WHO-5. A Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) as gold standard for psychiatric diagnoses was carried out with every patient. We included 124 epilepsy patients. According to MINI, 5% had depression without anxiety, 6% anxiety without depression, and 6% had both. For the detection of depression, NDDI-E was slightly better than WHO-5. With a score of more than 13, NDDI-E as a screening tool for depression had a sensitivity of 0.92, a specificity of 0.84, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.40, and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 0.99. In the detection of anxiety WHO-5 was better than NDDI-E. With a score below 50, WHO-5 as screening for anxiety had a sensitivity of 0.80, a specificity of 0.92, PPV 0.57, and NPV 0.97. When combining NDDI-E>13 and WHO-5<50, 95% of patients with depression and/or anxiety are identified, and in addition there are 17% false positives. NDDI-E in Danish is valid and slightly better than WHO-5 in the detection of depression in epilepsy patients. WHO-5 is valid for the detection of anxiety disorders. Combined use of NDDI-E and WHO-5 is recommended, since 95% of all epilepsy patients with depression and/or anxiety disorder are identified with only a modest number of false positives. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Adolescent Risk Screening Instruments for Primary Care: An Integrative Review Utilizing the Donabedian Framework.

PubMed

Hiott, Deanna B; Phillips, Shannon; Amella, Elaine

2017-07-31

Adolescent risk-taking behavior choices can affect future health outcomes. The purpose of this integrative literature review is to evaluate adolescent risk screening instruments available to primary care providers in the United States using the Donabedian Framework of structure, process, and outcome. To examine the literature concerning multidimensional adolescent risk screening instruments available in the United States for use in the primary care setting, library searches, ancestry searches, and Internet searches were conducted. Library searches included a systematic search of the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Academic Search Premier, Health Source Nursing Academic Ed, Medline, PsycINFO, the Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and PubMed databases with CINAHL headings using the following Boolean search terms: "primary care" and screening and pediatric. Criteria for inclusion consisted of studies conducted in the United States that involved broad multidimensional adolescent risk screening instruments for use in the pediatric primary care setting. Instruments that focused solely on one unhealthy behavior were excluded, as were developmental screens and screens not validated or designed for all ages of adolescents. In all 25 manuscripts reviewed, 16 screens met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. These 16 screens were examined for factors associated with the Donabedian structure-process-outcome model. This review revealed that many screens contain structural issues related to cost and length that inhibit provider implementation in the primary care setting. Process limitations regarding the report method and administration format were also identified. The Pediatric Symptom Checklist was identified as a free, short tool that is valid and reliable.

Development and validation of the Female Sexual Function Index adaptation for breast cancer patients (FSFI-BC).

PubMed

Bartula, Iris; Sherman, Kerry A

2015-08-01

Sexual dysfunction following breast cancer treatment is common and screening for this is recommended. This study determined the reliability, validity, and acceptability of a breast cancer-specific adaptation of the Female Sexual Function Index, the FSFI-BC. This new measure addresses limitations in the FSFI when assessing sexual dysfunction of women with breast cancer regarding applicability to non-sexually active women, measuring distress and changes after cancer. Female breast cancer survivors (n = 596; 429 sexually active, 166 non-sexually active) completed an online survey including demographic/medical information, the FSFI-BC, and scales measuring sexual functioning, fatigue, body image, physical and mental health, and relationship adjustment (Time 1). Three weeks later, 326 women (245 sexually active; 81 non-sexually active) completed the Time 2 survey including the FSFI-BC, and questions regarding its acceptability and perceived change in sexual functioning. Reliability, construct validity, and acceptability were examined using standard scale validation techniques. Exploratory factor analysis delineated seven factors: Changes after cancer, desire/arousal, lubrication, orgasm, pain, satisfaction, and distress, accounting for 79.98 % (sexually active) and 77.19 % (non-active) variance in responses. Acceptable internal consistencies (non-active: α = 0.71-0.96; sexually active: α = 0.89-0.96) and test-retest reliabilities (non-active: r = 0.63-0.86; sexually active: r = 0.71-0.88) were evident. Inter-scale correlations provided evidence for convergent and divergent validities of the FSFI-BC. Both sexually active and non-active women provided positive feedback about the FSFI-BC. The optional partner questions demonstrated clinical utility. With desirable psychometric properties and acceptability to participants, the FSFI-BC is suitable for screening for sexual dysfunction in women with breast cancer.

A scoring system for ascertainment of incident stroke; the Risk Index Score (RISc).

PubMed

Kass-Hout, T A; Moyé, L A; Smith, M A; Morgenstern, L B

2006-01-01

The main objective of this study was to develop and validate a computer-based statistical algorithm that could be translated into a simple scoring system in order to ascertain incident stroke cases using hospital admission medical records data. The Risk Index Score (RISc) algorithm was developed using data collected prospectively by the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi (BASIC) project, 2000. The validity of RISc was evaluated by estimating the concordance of scoring system stroke ascertainment to stroke ascertainment by physician and/or abstractor review of hospital admission records. RISc was developed on 1718 randomly selected patients (training set) and then statistically validated on an independent sample of 858 patients (validation set). A multivariable logistic model was used to develop RISc and subsequently evaluated by goodness-of-fit and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. The higher the value of RISc, the higher the patient's risk of potential stroke. The study showed RISc was well calibrated and discriminated those who had potential stroke from those that did not on initial screening. In this study we developed and validated a rapid, easy, efficient, and accurate method to ascertain incident stroke cases from routine hospital admission records for epidemiologic investigations. Validation of this scoring system was achieved statistically; however, clinical validation in a community hospital setting is warranted.

Development and preliminary psychometric properties of a well-being index for medical students.

PubMed

Dyrbye, Liselotte N; Szydlo, Daniel W; Downing, Steven M; Sloan, Jeff A; Shanafelt, Tait D

2010-01-27

Psychological distress is common among medical students but manifests in a variety of forms. Currently, no brief, practical tool exists to simultaneously evaluate these domains of distress among medical students. The authors describe the development of a subject-reported assessment (Medical Student Well-Being Index, MSWBI) intended to screen for medical student distress across a variety of domains and examine its preliminary psychometric properties. Relevant domains of distress were identified, items generated, and a screening instrument formed using a process of literature review, nominal group technique, input from deans and medical students, and correlation analysis from previously administered assessments. Eleven experts judged the clarity, relevance, and representativeness of the items. A Content Validity Index (CVI) was calculated. Interrater agreement was assessed using pair-wise percent agreement adjusted for chance agreement. Data from 2248 medical students who completed the MSWBI along with validated full-length instruments assessing domains of interest was used to calculate reliability and explore internal structure validity. Burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization), depression, mental quality of life (QOL), physical QOL, stress, and fatigue were domains identified for inclusion in the MSWBI. Six of 7 items received item CVI-relevance and CVI-representativeness of >or=0.82. Overall scale CVI-relevance and CVI-representativeness was 0.94 and 0.91. Overall pair-wise percent agreement between raters was >or=85% for clarity, relevance, and representativeness. Cronbach's alpha was 0.68. Item by item percent pair-wise agreements and Phi were low, suggesting little overlap between items. The majority of MSWBI items had a >or=74% sensitivity and specificity for detecting distress within the intended domain. The results of this study provide evidence of reliability and content-related validity of the MSWBI. Further research is needed to assess remaining psychometric properties and establish scores for which intervention is warranted.

Development and preliminary psychometric properties of a well-being index for medical students

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Psychological distress is common among medical students but manifests in a variety of forms. Currently, no brief, practical tool exists to simultaneously evaluate these domains of distress among medical students. The authors describe the development of a subject-reported assessment (Medical Student Well-Being Index, MSWBI) intended to screen for medical student distress across a variety of domains and examine its preliminary psychometric properties. Methods Relevant domains of distress were identified, items generated, and a screening instrument formed using a process of literature review, nominal group technique, input from deans and medical students, and correlation analysis from previously administered assessments. Eleven experts judged the clarity, relevance, and representativeness of the items. A Content Validity Index (CVI) was calculated. Interrater agreement was assessed using pair-wise percent agreement adjusted for chance agreement. Data from 2248 medical students who completed the MSWBI along with validated full-length instruments assessing domains of interest was used to calculate reliability and explore internal structure validity. Results Burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization), depression, mental quality of life (QOL), physical QOL, stress, and fatigue were domains identified for inclusion in the MSWBI. Six of 7 items received item CVI-relevance and CVI-representativeness of ≥0.82. Overall scale CVI-relevance and CVI-representativeness was 0.94 and 0.91. Overall pair-wise percent agreement between raters was ≥85% for clarity, relevance, and representativeness. Cronbach's alpha was 0.68. Item by item percent pair-wise agreements and Phi were low, suggesting little overlap between items. The majority of MSWBI items had a ≥74% sensitivity and specificity for detecting distress within the intended domain. Conclusions The results of this study provide evidence of reliability and content-related validity of the MSWBI. Further research is needed to assess remaining psychometric properties and establish scores for which intervention is warranted. PMID:20105312

Health literacy screening instruments for eHealth applications: a systematic review.

PubMed

Collins, Sarah A; Currie, Leanne M; Bakken, Suzanne; Vawdrey, David K; Stone, Patricia W

2012-06-01

To systematically review current health literacy (HL) instruments for use in consumer-facing and mobile health information technology screening and evaluation tools. The databases, PubMed, OVID, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library and Science Citation Index, were searched for health literacy assessment instruments using the terms "health", "literacy", "computer-based," and "psychometrics". All instruments identified by this method were critically appraised according to their reported psychometric properties and clinical feasibility. Eleven different health literacy instruments were found. Screening questions, such as asking a patient about his/her need for assistance in navigating health information, were evaluated in seven different studies and are promising for use as a valid, reliable, and feasible computer-based approach to identify patients that struggle with low health literacy. However, there was a lack of consistency in the types of screening questions proposed. There is also a lack of information regarding the psychometric properties of computer-based health literacy instruments. Only English language health literacy assessment instruments were reviewed and analyzed. Current health literacy screening tools demonstrate varying benefits depending on the context of their use. In many cases, it seems that a single screening question may be a reliable, valid, and feasible means for establishing health literacy. A combination of screening questions that assess health literacy and technological literacy may enable tailoring eHealth applications to user needs. Further research should determine the best screening question(s) and the best synthesis of various instruments' content and methodologies for computer-based health literacy screening and assessment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Health Literacy Screening Instruments for eHealth Applications: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Collins, Sarah A.; Currie, Leanne M.; Bakken, Suzanne; Vawdrey, David K.; Stone, Patricia W.

2012-01-01

Objective To systematically review current health literacy (HL) instruments for use in consumer-facing and mobile health information technology screening and evaluation tools. Design The databases, PubMed, OVID, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library and Science Citation Index, were searched for health literacy assessment instruments using the terms “health”, “literacy”, “computer-based,” and “psychometrics”. All instruments identified by this method were critically appraised according to their reported psychometric properties and clinical feasibility. Results Eleven different health literacy instruments were found. Screening questions, such as asking a patient about his/her need for assistance in navigating health information, were evaluated in 7 different studies and are promising for use as a valid, reliable, and feasible computer-based approach to identify patients that struggle with low health literacy. However, there was a lack of consistency in the types of screening questions proposed. There is also a lack of information regarding the psychometric properties of computer-based health literacy instruments. Limitations Only English language health literacy assessment instruments were reviewed and analyzed. Conclusions Current health literacy screening tools demonstrate varying benefits depending on the context of their use. In many cases, it seems that a single screening question may be a reliable, valid, and feasible means for establishing health literacy. A combination of screening questions that assess health literacy and technological literacy may enable tailoring eHealth applications to user needs. Further research should determine the best screening question(s) and the best synthesis of various instruments’ content and methodologies for computer-based health literacy screening and assessment. PMID:22521719

Exposing exposure: automated anatomy-specific CT radiation exposure extraction for quality assurance and radiation monitoring.

PubMed

Sodickson, Aaron; Warden, Graham I; Farkas, Cameron E; Ikuta, Ichiro; Prevedello, Luciano M; Andriole, Katherine P; Khorasani, Ramin

2012-08-01

To develop and validate an informatics toolkit that extracts anatomy-specific computed tomography (CT) radiation exposure metrics (volume CT dose index and dose-length product) from existing digital image archives through optical character recognition of CT dose report screen captures (dose screens) combined with Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine attributes. This institutional review board-approved HIPAA-compliant study was performed in a large urban health care delivery network. Data were drawn from a random sample of CT encounters that occurred between 2000 and 2010; images from these encounters were contained within the enterprise image archive, which encompassed images obtained at an adult academic tertiary referral hospital and its affiliated sites, including a cancer center, a community hospital, and outpatient imaging centers, as well as images imported from other facilities. Software was validated by using 150 randomly selected encounters for each major CT scanner manufacturer, with outcome measures of dose screen retrieval rate (proportion of correctly located dose screens) and anatomic assignment precision (proportion of extracted exposure data with correctly assigned anatomic region, such as head, chest, or abdomen and pelvis). The 95% binomial confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for discrete proportions, and CIs were derived from the standard error of the mean for continuous variables. After validation, the informatics toolkit was used to populate an exposure repository from a cohort of 54 549 CT encounters; of which 29 948 had available dose screens. Validation yielded a dose screen retrieval rate of 99% (597 of 605 CT encounters; 95% CI: 98%, 100%) and an anatomic assignment precision of 94% (summed DLP fraction correct 563 in 600 CT encounters; 95% CI: 92%, 96%). Patient safety applications of the resulting data repository include benchmarking between institutions, CT protocol quality control and optimization, and cumulative patient- and anatomy-specific radiation exposure monitoring. Large-scale anatomy-specific radiation exposure data repositories can be created with high fidelity from existing digital image archives by using open-source informatics tools.

A Decision Aid to Promote Appropriate Colorectal Cancer Screening among Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Lewis, Carmen L; Kistler, Christine E; Dalton, Alexandra F; Morris, Carolyn; Ferrari, Renée; Barclay, Colleen; Brewer, Noel T; Dolor, Rowena; Harris, Russell; Vu, Maihan; Golin, Carol E

2018-07-01

Concerns have been raised about both over- and underutilization of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in older patients and the need to align screening behavior with likelihood of net benefit. The purpose of this study was to test a novel use of a patient decision aid (PtDA) to promote appropriate CRC screening in older adults. A total of 424 patients ages 70 to 84 y who were not up to date with CRC screening participated in a double-blinded randomized controlled trial of a PtDA targeted to older adults making decisions about whether to undergo CRC screening from March 2012 to February 2015. Patients were randomized to a targeted PtDA or an attention control. The PtDA was designed to facilitate individualized decision making-helping patients understand the potential risks, benefits, and uncertainties of CRC screening given advanced age, health state, preferences, and values. Two composite outcomes, appropriate CRC screening behavior 6 mo after the index visit and appropriate screening intent immediately after the visit, were defined as completed screening or intent for patients in good health, discussion about screening with their provider for patients in intermediate health, and no screening or intent for patients in poor health. Health state was determined by age and Charlson Comorbidity Index. Four hundred twelve (97%) and 421 (99%) patients were analyzed for the primary and secondary outcomes, respectively. Appropriate screening behavior at 6 mo was higher in the intervention group (55% v. 45%, P = 0.023) as was appropriate screening intent following the provider visit (61% v. 47%, P = 0.003). The study took place in a single geographic region. The appropriate CRC screening classification system used in this study has not been formally validated. A PtDA for older adults promoted appropriate CRC screening behavior and intent. Clinicaltrials.gov, registration number NCT01575990. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01575990?term=epic-d&rank=1.

Screening for somatization and hypochondriasis in primary care and neurological in-patients: a seven-item scale for hypochondriasis and somatization.

PubMed

Fink, P; Ewald, H; Jensen, J; Sørensen, L; Engberg, M; Holm, M; Munk-Jørgensen, P

1999-03-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the internal and external validity of the Whiteley Index as a screening instrument for somatization illness. A 14-item version of the Whiteley Index for hypochondriacal traits was given to 99 of 191 consecutive primary care patients, aged 18-65 years, and to 100 consecutive patients, aged 18-60 years, admitted for the first time to a neurological ward. The primary care sample was, in addition, interviewed by means of the SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry) psychiatric interview. The GPs and the neurologists were asked to rate various characteristics of the patients that might indicate somatization. The internal validity of the Whiteley Index was tested by means of latent structure analysis. On this basis, a reduced seven-item scale (Whiteley-7 scale) and two subscales (i.e., an Illness Conviction and Illness Worrying scale, each with three items) were constructed. All three had a high internal validity fitting into the very restricted Rasch statistical model (p>0.05) and an acceptable transferability between most of the subpopulations investigated. In the primary care population, the Whiteley-7 and the Illness Conviction scales at cut-point 0/1 showed 1.00 and 0.87 sensitivity and 0.65 and 0.87 specificity, respectively, using as "gold standard" the fulfillment of criteria for at least one ICD-10 somatoform disorder, and 0.71 and 0.63 sensitivity and 0.62 and 0.87 specificity, respectively, as gold standard for the fulfillment of criteria for at least one DSM-IV somatoform disorder, excluding the NOS diagnostic group. The Illness Worrying subscale showed less impressive performance in this respect. The agreement between the Whiteley-7 scale including the two subscales and neurologists' rating and the GPs' rating and the somatization subscale on the SCL-90 was modest or worse. It may be concluded that the Whiteley-7 scale and the Illness Conviction subscale had acceptable psychometric profiles, and both seem to be promising screening tools for not only hypochondriasis but also for somatoform disorders in general.

[Application of the Children's Impact of Event Scale (Chinese Version) on a rapid assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder among children from the Wenchuan earthquake area].

PubMed

Zhao, Gao-feng; Zhang, Qiang; Pang, Yan; Ren, Zheng-jia; Peng, Dan; Jiang, Guo-guo; Liu, Shan-ming; Chen, Ying; Geng, Ting; Zhang, Shu-sen; Yang, Yan-chun; Deng, Hong

2009-11-01

To explore the reliability and validity of the Children's Impact of Event Scale (Chinese version, CRIES-13) and to determine the value and the optimal cutoff point of the score of CRIES-13 in screening posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), so as to provide evidence for PTSD prevention and identify children at risk in Wenchuan earthquake areas. A total of 253 children experienced the Wenchuan earthquake were tested through Stratified random cluster sampling. The authors examined CRIES-13's internal consistency, discriminative validity and predictive value of the cut-off. PTSD was assessed with the DSM-IV criteria. Area under the curve while sensitivity, specificity and Youden index were computed based on the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Optimal cutoff point was determined by the maximum of Youden index. 20.9% of the subjects were found to have met the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD 7 months after the Wenchuan earthquake accident. The Cronbach's coefficient of CRIES-13 was 0.903 and the mean inter-item correlation coefficients ranged from 0.283 to 0.689, the correlation coefficient of the three factors with the total scale scores ranged from 0.836 to 0.868 while the correlation coefficient among the three factors ranged from 0.568 to 0.718, PTSD cases indicated much higher scores than non-PTSD cases, the Youden index reached maximum value when the total score approached 18 in CRIES-13 with sensitivity and specificity as 81.1% and 76.5% respectively. Consistency check showed that there were no significant differences between the results of CRIES-13 score >/= 32 and clinical diagnosis (Kappa = 0.529) from the screening program. CRIES-13 appeared to be a reliable and valid measure for assessing the posttraumatic stress symptoms among children after the earthquake accident in the Wenchuan area. The CRIES-13 seemed to be a useful self-rating diagnostic instrument for survivors with PTSD symptoms as a clinical concern by using a 18 cut-off in total score. Consistency check showed that there was no significant difference between the screening result of CRIES-13 score >/= 32 and clinical diagnosis.

The prevalence and nature of intellectual disability in Norwegian prisons.

PubMed

Søndenaa, E; Rasmussen, K; Palmstierna, T; Nøttestad, J

2008-12-01

The objective of the study was to calculate the prevalence of inmates with intellectual disabilities (ID), and identify historical, medical and criminological characteristics of a certain impact. A random sample of 143 inmates from a Norwegian prison cross sectional sample was studied. The Hayes Ability Screening Index (HASI) was validated with the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). The prevalence of inmates with ID, IQ < 70, was 10.8%. Some essential characteristics of inmates with ID were more frequent medication for mental disorders, a higher number of imprisonments, less drug abuse and less education than the other inmates. The results indicated that the HASI is a valid tool for screening of ID for the Norwegian inmates. The prevalence of ID in Norwegian inmates is significant, measured by WASI and HASI. Identification, rehabilitation and care, concerning an intellectual handicap, are mostly absent in the Norwegian criminal justice system.

Development and Validation of a Safety Climate Scale for Manufacturing Industry

PubMed Central

Ghahramani, Abolfazl; Khalkhali, Hamid R.

2015-01-01

Background This paper describes the development of a scale for measuring safety climate. Methods This study was conducted in six manufacturing companies in Iran. The scale developed through conducting a literature review about the safety climate and constructing a question pool. The number of items was reduced to 71 after performing a screening process. Results The result of content validity analysis showed that 59 items had excellent item content validity index (≥ 0.78) and content validity ratio (> 0.38). The exploratory factor analysis resulted in eight safety climate dimensions. The reliability value for the final 45-item scale was 0.96. The result of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the safety climate model is satisfactory. Conclusion This study produced a valid and reliable scale for measuring safety climate in manufacturing companies. PMID:26106508

Lung cancer risk prediction to select smokers for screening CT--a model based on the Italian COSMOS trial.

PubMed

Maisonneuve, Patrick; Bagnardi, Vincenzo; Bellomi, Massimo; Spaggiari, Lorenzo; Pelosi, Giuseppe; Rampinelli, Cristiano; Bertolotti, Raffaella; Rotmensz, Nicole; Field, John K; Decensi, Andrea; Veronesi, Giulia

2011-11-01

Screening with low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) has been shown to significantly reduce lung cancer mortality but the optimal target population and time interval to subsequent screening are yet to be defined. We developed two models to stratify individual smokers according to risk of developing lung cancer. We first used the number of lung cancers detected at baseline screening CT in the 5,203 asymptomatic participants of the COSMOS trial to recalibrate the Bach model, which we propose using to select smokers for screening. Next, we incorporated lung nodule characteristics and presence of emphysema identified at baseline CT into the Bach model and proposed the resulting multivariable model to predict lung cancer risk in screened smokers after baseline CT. Age and smoking exposure were the main determinants of lung cancer risk. The recalibrated Bach model accurately predicted lung cancers detected during the first year of screening. Presence of nonsolid nodules (RR = 10.1, 95% CI = 5.57-18.5), nodule size more than 8 mm (RR = 9.89, 95% CI = 5.84-16.8), and emphysema (RR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.59-3.49) at baseline CT were all significant predictors of subsequent lung cancers. Incorporation of these variables into the Bach model increased the predictive value of the multivariable model (c-index = 0.759, internal validation). The recalibrated Bach model seems suitable for selecting the higher risk population for recruitment for large-scale CT screening. The Bach model incorporating CT findings at baseline screening could help defining the time interval to subsequent screening in individual participants. Further studies are necessary to validate these models.

TriGlycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio compared with homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance indexes in screening for metabolic syndrome in the chinese obese children: a cross section study.

PubMed

Liang, Jianfeng; Fu, Junfen; Jiang, Youyun; Dong, Guanping; Wang, Xiumin; Wu, Wei

2015-09-28

Metabolic Syndrome (MS) is prevalant in China, especially according to the pediatric obesity group. Based on the MS-CHN2012 definition for Chinese children and adolescents the need to explore and establish a convienent MS screening become imminent. This study aims to investigate the optimal cut-off values, compare the accuracy for the (TriGlycerides (TG) to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C)) (TG/HDL-C) ratio and Homeostasis Model Assessment Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) indexs to identify Metabolic Syndrome in obese pediatric population in China. A total sample of 976 children (female 286 male 690, BMI > = 95 percentile) aged from 6-16 years underwent a medical assessment including a physical examination and investigations of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, insulin, glucose, and oral glucose tolerance test to identify the components of Metabolic Syndrome. The validity and accuracy between TG/HDL-C ratio and HOMA-IR were compared by Receiver Operating Characteristics analysis (ROC). TG/HDL-C ratio achieved a larger ROC Area under Curve (AUC = 0.843) than HOMA-IR indexes (0.640, 0.625 for HOMA1-IR, HOMA2-IR respectively) to screen for Metabolic Syndrome. The cut-off values for MS were: TG/HDL-C ratio > 1.25 (sensitivity: 80%; specificity: 75%), HOMA1-IR > 4.59 (sensitivity: 58.7%; specificity: 65.5%) and HOMA2-IR > 2.76 (sensitivity: 53.2%; specificity: 69.5%). The results kept robust after stratified by gender, age group and pubertal stage. TG/HDL-C ratio was a better indicator than the HOMA-IR to screen for a positive diagnosis for MS. Furthermore, the TG/HDL-C ratio was superior to the HOMA-IR indexes even after the control of possible confusions from the gender, age group and puberty stage. TG/HDL-C ratio proved a better index than HOMA-IR in screening for MS in obese children and adolescents. TG/HDL-C ratio has a discriminatory power in detecting potential MS in the Chinese obese pediatric population.

Evaluation of Candidate Measures for Home-Based Screening of Sleep Disordered Breathing in Taiwanese Bus Drivers

PubMed Central

Ting, Hua; Huang, Ren-Jing; Lai, Ching-Hsiang; Chang, Shen-Wen; Chung, Ai-Hui; Kuo, Teng-Yao; Chang, Ching-Haur; Shih, Tung-Sheng; Lee, Shin-Da

2014-01-01

Background: Sleepiness-at-the-wheel has been identified as a major cause of highway accidents. The aim of our study is identifying the candidate measures for home-based screening of sleep disordered breathing in Taiwanese bus drivers, instead of polysomnography. Methods: Overnight polysomnography accompanied with simultaneous measurements of alternative screening devices (pulse oximetry, ApneaLink, and Actigraphy), heart rate variability, wake-up systolic blood pressure and questionnaires were completed by 151 eligible participants who were long-haul bus drivers with a duty period of more than 12 h a day and duty shifting. Results: 63.6% of professional bus drivers were diagnosed as having sleep disordered breathing and had a higher body mass index, neck circumference, systolic blood pressure, arousal index and desaturation index than those professional bus drivers without evidence of sleep disordered breathing. Simple home-based candidate measures: (1) Pulse oximetry, oxygen-desaturation indices by ≥3% and 4% (r = 0.87∼0.92); (2) Pulse oximetry, pulse-rising indices by ≥7% and 8% from a baseline (r = 0.61∼0.89); and (3) ApneaLink airflow detection, apnea-hypopnea indices (r = 0.70∼0.70), based on recording-time or Actigraphy-corrected total sleep time were all significantly correlated with, and had high agreement with, corresponding polysomnographic apnea-hypopnea indices [(1) 94.5%∼96.6%, (2) 93.8%∼97.2%, (3) 91.1%∼91.3%, respectively]. Conversely, no validities of SDB screening were found in the multi-variables apnea prediction questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, night-sleep heart rate variability, wake-up systolic blood pressure and anthropometric variables. Conclusions: The indices of pulse oximetry and apnea flow detection are eligible criteria for home-based screening of sleep disordered breathing, specifically for professional drivers. PMID:24803198

Psychometric properties of the Turkish versions of the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) and the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10) in the prison setting.

PubMed

Evren, Cuneyt; Ogel, Kultegin; Evren, Bilge; Bozkurt, Muge

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate psychometric properties of the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) and the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10) in prisoners with (n = 124) or without (n = 78) drug use disorder. Participants were evaluated with the DUDIT, the DAST-10, and the Addiction Profile Index-Short (API-S). The DUDIT and the DAST-10 were found to be psychometrically sound drug abuse screening measures with high convergent validity when compared with each other (r = 0.86), and API-S (r = 0.88 and r = 0.84, respectively), and to have a Cronbach's α of 0.93 and 0.87, respectively. In addition, a single component accounted for 58.28% of total variance for DUDIT, whereas this was 47.10% for DAST-10. The DUDIT had sensitivity and specificity scores of 0.95 and 0.79, respectively, when using the optimal cut-off score of 10, whereas these scores were 0.88 and 0.74 for the DAST-10 when using the optimal cut-off score of 4. Additionally, both the DUDIT and the DAST-10 showed good discriminant validity as they differentiated prisoners with drug use disorder from those without. Findings support the Turkish versions of both the DUDIT and the DAST-10 as reliable and valid drug abuse screening instruments that measure unidimensional constructs.

[Screening for intellectual disability among adults].

PubMed

Søndenaa, Erik; Linaker, Olav; Bjørgen, Tale Gjertine; Nøttestad, Jim Aage

2010-08-12

Instigation of proper measures in case of intellectual disability is often conditioned by a diagnosis. Our aim was to assess whether the Hayes Ability Screening Index (HASI) is a suitable screening instrument for intellectual disability among adults. The article is based on three former studies aimed at validating HASI for use among patients referred for neuropsychological examination, prison inmates and psychiatric inpatients in community mental health centres. The sample consisted of 264 persons. The HASI correlated with the more comprehensive scales of assessing intellectual functioning (Wechsler tests) (r = 0.73, p < 0.001). With a cut-off value of 85, HASI had a sensitivity of 0.97 and a specificity of 0.61 in relation to an IQ < 70. HASI is associated with few false negatives, but a large number of false positives. This implies that an intellectual disability is concluded in too many cases; a positive screening should be followed up with a more thorough assessment.

Sedentary Behavior Is Independently Related to Fat Mass among Children and Adolescents in South China.

PubMed

Xue, Hongmei; Tian, Guo; Duan, Ruonan; Quan, Liming; Zhao, Li; Yang, Min; Libuda, Lars; Muckelbauer, Rebecca; Cheng, Guo

2016-10-25

We aim to explore the independent associations of sedentary behaviors (SB) with body mass distribution among Chinese children. Data on the screen-based sedentary time (television viewing and computer use) and doing homework, physical activities and dietary intake of 1586 Chinese children (50.3% girls) aged 7-15 years were obtained through validated questionnaires. Skin-fold thickness, body height, and weight were measured to calculate percent body fat (%BF), fat mass index (FMI), and fat-free mass index (FFMI). Parental characteristics were collected by questionnaires. Among girls, time of SB (screen time or doing homework) was positively related to %BF, FMI, and FFMI ( p < 0.03) after adjusting for maternal overweight, the average annual income of family, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity energy expenditure, and energy intake: Girls in the highest tertile of screen time/homework had 16.7%/23.3% higher relative FMI and 2.9%/2.9% higher relative FFMI than girls in the lowest tertile. Among boys, screen time was positively associated with FFMI ( p < 0.003), but not related to %BF and FMI ( p > 0.09), while time of doing homework was positively related to %BF and FMI ( p = 0.03). Sedentary behaviors might be positively and independently related to fat mass among Chinese children, and were more pronounced in girls.

Psychometric and screening properties of the WHO-5 well-being index in adult outpatients with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Hajos, T R S; Pouwer, F; Skovlund, S E; Den Oudsten, B L; Geelhoed-Duijvestijn, P H L M; Tack, C J; Snoek, F J

2013-02-01

The 5-item World Health Organization well-being index is a commonly used measure of emotional well-being, but research on psychometric properties in outpatients with diabetes is scarce. We examined psychometric and screening properties for depression of this index in a large sample of Dutch outpatients with diabetes. Patients with Type 1 (n = 384) and Type 2 (n = 549) diabetes from three outpatient clinics completed the WHO-5 index, the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire, the Problem Areas in Diabetes survey and the Short Form-12 health survey. Internal consistency of the WHO-5 index was determined by Cronbach's alpha. The factor structure was tested by confirmatory factor analysis. Concurrent validity was assessed by correlations with the Patient Health Questionnaire, Problem Areas in Diabetes and the Short Form-12 mental component scores. Sensitivity and specificity of the WHO-5 index as depression screener were tested against two existing Patient Health Questionnaire cut-off scores for depression using receiver operating characteristic curves. A one-factor structure of the WHO-5 index was verified by confirmatory factor analysis for patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Moderate to strong correlations were observed between the WHO-5 index and the Patient Health Questionnaire scores, the Problem Areas in Diabetes scores and the Short Form-12 mental component scores (r = 0.55-0.69, P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curves showed that a WHO-5 index cut-off of < 50 performed best as an indication for likely depression, with sensitivity compared with a Patient Health Questionnaire score ≥ 10 and ≥ 12 of 79% and 88%, respectively, and specificity of 88% and 76%, respectively. The WHO-5 index is a short, psychometrically sound measure of emotional well-being that appears suitable for use as screening test for likely depression in outpatients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. © 2012 The Author. Diabetic Medicine © 2012 Diabetes UK.

Validation of a Dietary Screening Tool in a Middle-Aged Appalachian Population

PubMed Central

Ventura Marra, Melissa; Johnson, Elizabeth J.

2018-01-01

Proactive nutrition screening is an effective public health strategy for identifying and targeting individuals who could benefit from making dietary improvements for primary and secondary prevention of disease. The Dietary Screening Tool (DST) was developed and validated to assess nutritional risk among rural older adults. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility and validity of the DST to identify nutritional risk in middle-aged adults. This cross-sectional study in middle-aged adults (45–64 year olds, n = 87) who reside in Appalachia, examined nutritional status using an online health survey, biochemical measures, anthropometry, and three representative 24-h dietary recalls. The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) was calculated to describe overall diet quality. Adults identified by the DST with a nutrition risk had lower HEI scores (50 vs. 64, p < 0.001) and were much more likely to also be considered at dietary risk by the HEI (OR 11.6; 3.2–42.6) when compared to those not at risk. Those at risk had higher energy-adjusted total fat, saturated fat, and added sugar intakes and lower intakes of dietary fiber, and several micronutrients than those classified as not at risk by the DST. Similarly, the at-risk group had significantly lower serum levels of α-carotene, β-carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin but did not differ in retinol or methylmalonic acid compared with those not at risk. The DST is a valid tool to identify middle-aged adults with nutritional risk. PMID:29534543

A pictorial Sleepiness and Sleep Apnoea Scale to recognize individuals with high risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

PubMed

Edelmann, Cathrin; Ghiassi, Ramesh; Vogt, Deborah R; Partridge, Martyn R; Khatami, Ramin; Leuppi, Jörg D; Miedinger, David

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of a new pictorial form of a screening test for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) - the pictorial Sleepiness and Sleep Apnoea Scale (pSSAS). Validation was performed in a sample of patients admitted to sleep clinics in the UK and Switzerland. All study participants were investigated with objective sleep tests such as full-night-attended polysomnography or polygraphy. The pSSAS was validated by taking into account the individual result of the sleep study, sleep-related questionnaires and objective parameters such as body mass index (BMI) or neck circumference. Different scoring schemes of the pSSAS were evaluated, and an internal validation was undertaken. The full data set consisted of 431 individuals (234 patients from the UK, 197 patients from Switzerland). The pSSAS showed good predictive performance for OSAS with an area under the curve between 0.77 and 0.81 depending on which scoring scheme was used. The subscores of the pSSAS had a moderate-to-strong correlation with widely used screening questionnaires for OSAS or excessive daytime sleepiness as well as with BMI and neck circumference. The pSSAS can be used to select patients with a high probability of having OSAS. Due to its simple pictorial design with short questions, it might be suitable for screening in populations with low health literacy and in non-native English or German speakers.

Psychometric Adaptation of the Beck Hopelessness Scale as a Self-Rated Suicide Risk Screening Instrument Among Nigerian University Students.

PubMed

Aloba, Olutayo; Awe, Oluwatosin; Adelola, Aderopo; Olatunji, Philemon; Aloba, Tolulope

2018-03-01

Globally, suicide is the most important cause of mortality among adolescents and young adults. The factor that correlates most significantly with suicide is hopelessness. The aim is to explore the psychometric adaptation of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) as a suicide risk evaluation tool among Nigerian university students. A total of 554 Nigerian students completed the BHS and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS). Suicide risk level among them was determined by interviewing them with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Suicidality module. Cronbach's alpha for the 16-item BHS was 0.87. It exhibited satisfactory concurrent validity with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) Suicidality module and the subscales of the DASS among the students. The 2-factor model of the BHS-16 exhibited satisfactory indices of fitness (goodness of fit index = 0.930; parsimonious goodness of fit index = 0.601; comparative fit index = 0.934; incremental fit index = 0.936; Tucker-Lewis index = 0.910; root mean square error of approximation = 0.059; χ 2 / df = 1.9). Receiver operating characteristics curve indicated that the best cutoff score for those categorized as high suicide risk was 7 (sensitivity 0.700, specificity 0.908, AUC = 0.897). The BHS has satisfactory psychometric properties as a suicide risk screening tool among Nigerian university students.

Validity of Indian Diabetes Risk Score and its association with body mass index and glycosylated hemoglobin for screening of diabetes in and around areas of Lucknow

PubMed Central

Khan, Mohammad Mustufa; Sonkar, Gyanendra Kumar; Alam, Roshan; Mehrotra, Sudhir; Khan, M. Salman; Kumar, Ajay; Sonkar, Satyendra Kumar

2017-01-01

Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the validity of Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS) and its association with body mass index (BMI) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) for screening of diabetes and obesity. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was designed, and samples were randomly enrolled from Lucknow and its adjoining areas. Totally, 405 subjects were included in the study. We used diabetes risk factors (age, waist circumference, physical activity, and family history of diabetes) for screening of diabetes and abdominal obesity (AO) and BMI for screening of general obesity. HbA1c was used for confirming the diabetes patients in this population. Statistical analysis was applied to all data using SPSS software (version 20.0). P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: All 405 subjects were assessed for diabetic risk factors, BMI, and glycated hemoglobin. Of these, 56.3% subjects were aged ≥50 years. 1° and 2° AO was found in 47.9% and 40% subjects, respectively. About 27.1% subjects were found to have sedentary lifestyle, and 72.6% were found to have no family history of diabetes. According to IDRS, 272 subjects (67.2%) were found at high risk of diabetes (score ≥60). Based on BMI calculation, 198 subjects were obese, of which 79.3% were found at high risk for diabetes. A significant association was found between subjects with higher risk score and BMI (P < 0.001). Assessment of HbA1c showed that 97 (23.9%) were prediabetic and 204 (50.4%) were diabetic, of which 63.9% and 77%, respectively was at high risk for diabetes as per IDRS. A significant association was found between subjects with higher risk score and HbA1c (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Our study fully supports the validity of IDRS, as it can be used as a cost-effective tool for primary mass screening of diabetes. Moreover, its combination with BMI value and HbA1c can be used for strict monitoring for diabetes and obesity at primary health care centers to reduce the early development of diabetes complications and severe obesity comorbidities. PMID:29302549

Evidence-based occupational hearing screening II: validation of a screening methodology using measures of functional hearing ability.

PubMed

Soli, Sigfrid D; Amano-Kusumoto, Akiko; Clavier, Odile; Wilbur, Jed; Casto, Kristen; Freed, Daniel; Laroche, Chantal; Vaillancourt, Véronique; Giguère, Christian; Dreschler, Wouter A; Rhebergen, Koenraad S

2018-05-01

Validate use of the Extended Speech Intelligibility Index (ESII) for prediction of speech intelligibility in non-stationary real-world noise environments. Define a means of using these predictions for objective occupational hearing screening for hearing-critical public safety and law enforcement jobs. Analyses of predicted and measured speech intelligibility in recordings of real-world noise environments were performed in two studies using speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) and intelligibility measures. ESII analyses of the recordings were used to predict intelligibility. Noise recordings were made in prison environments and at US Army facilities for training ground and airborne forces. Speech materials included full bandwidth sentences and bandpass filtered sentences that simulated radio transmissions. A total of 22 adults with normal hearing (NH) and 15 with mild-moderate hearing impairment (HI) participated in the two studies. Average intelligibility predictions for individual NH and HI subjects were accurate in both studies (r 2  ≥ 0.94). Pooled predictions were slightly less accurate (0.78 ≤ r 2  ≤ 0.92). An individual's SRT and audiogram can accurately predict the likelihood of effective speech communication in noise environments with known ESII characteristics, where essential hearing-critical tasks are performed. These predictions provide an objective means of occupational hearing screening.

Development of the Sydney Falls Risk Screening Tool in brain injury rehabilitation: A multisite prospective cohort study.

PubMed

McKechnie, Duncan; Fisher, Murray J; Pryor, Julie; Bonser, Melissa; Jesus, Jhoven De

2018-03-01

To develop a falls risk screening tool (FRST) sensitive to the traumatic brain injury rehabilitation population. Falls are the most frequently recorded patient safety incident within the hospital context. The inpatient traumatic brain injury rehabilitation population is one particular population that has been identified as at high risk of falls. However, no FRST has been developed for this patient population. Consequently in the traumatic brain injury rehabilitation population, there is the real possibility that nurses are using falls risk screening tools that have a poor clinical utility. Multisite prospective cohort study. Univariate and multiple logistic regression modelling techniques (backward elimination, elastic net and hierarchical) were used to examine each variable's association with patients who fell. The resulting FRST's clinical validity was examined. Of the 140 patients in the study, 41 (29%) fell. Through multiple logistic regression modelling, 11 variables were identified as predictors for falls. Using hierarchical logistic regression, five of these were identified for inclusion in the resulting falls risk screening tool: prescribed mobility aid (such as, wheelchair or frame), a fall since admission to hospital, impulsive behaviour, impaired orientation and bladder and/or bowel incontinence. The resulting FRST has good clinical validity (sensitivity = 0.9; specificity = 0.62; area under the curve = 0.87; Youden index = 0.54). The tool was significantly more accurate (p = .037 on DeLong test) in discriminating fallers from nonfallers than the Ontario Modified STRATIFY FRST. A FRST has been developed using a comprehensive statistical framework, and evidence has been provided of this tool's clinical validity. The developed tool, the Sydney Falls Risk Screening Tool, should be considered for use in brain injury rehabilitation populations. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Detecting Initiation or Risk for Initiation of Substance Use before High School during Pediatric Well-Child Check-Ups

PubMed Central

Ridenour, Ty A.; Willis, David; Bogen, Debra L.; Novak, Scott; Scherer, Jennifer; Reynolds, Maureen D.; Zhai, Zu Wei; Tarter, Ralph E.

2015-01-01

Background Youth substance use (SU) is prevalent and costly, affecting mental and physical health. American Academy of Pediatrics and Affordable Care Act call for SU screening and prevention. The Youth Risk Index© (YRI) was tested as a screening tool for having initiated and propensity to initiate SU before high school (which forecasts SU disorder). YRI was hypothesized to have good to excellent psychometrics, feasibility and stakeholder acceptability for use during well-child check-ups. Design A high-risk longitudinal design with two cross-sectional replication samples, ages 9–13 was used. Analyses included receiver operating characteristics and regression analyses. Participants A one-year longitudinal sample (N=640) was used for YRI derivation. Replication samples were a cross-sectional sample (N=345) and well-child check-up patients (N=105) for testing feasibility, validity and acceptability as a screening tool. Results YRI has excellent test-retest reliability and good sensitivity and specificity for concurrent and one-year-later SU (odds ratio=7.44 CI=4.3–13.0) and conduct problems (odds ratios=7.33 CI=3.9–13.7). Results were replicated in both cross-sectional samples. Well-child patients, parents and pediatric staff rated YRI screening as important, acceptable, and a needed service. Conclusions Identifying at-risk youth prior to age 13 could reap years of opportunity to intervene before onset of SU disorder. Most results pertained to YRI’s association with concurrent or recent past risky behaviors; further replication ought to specify its predictive validity, especially adolescent-onset risky behaviors. YRI well identifies youth at risk for SU and conduct problems prior to high school, is feasible and valid for screening during well-child check-ups, and is acceptable to stakeholders. PMID:25765481

Screening for Malnutrition in Community Dwelling Older Japanese: Preliminary Development and Evaluation of the Japanese Nutritional Risk Screening Tool (NRST).

PubMed

Htun, N C; Ishikawa-Takata, K; Kuroda, A; Tanaka, T; Kikutani, T; Obuchi, S P; Hirano, H; Iijima, K

2016-02-01

Early and effective screening for age-related malnutrition is an essential part of providing optimal nutritional care to older populations. This study was performed to evaluate the adaptation of the original SCREEN II questionnaire (Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition, version II) for use in Japan by examining its measurement properties and ability to predict nutritional risk and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older Japanese people. The ultimate objective of this preliminary validation study is to develop a license granted full Japanese version of the SCREEN II. The measurement properties and predictive validity of the NRST were examined in this cross-sectional study of 1921 community-dwelling older Japanese people. Assessments included medical history, and anthropometric and serum albumin measurements. Questions on dietary habits that corresponded to the original SCREEN II were applied to Nutritional Risk Screening Tool (NRST) scoring system. Nutritional risk was assessed by the Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index (GNRI) and the short form of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF). Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the criteria of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. The nutritional risk prevalences determined by the GNRI and MNA-SF were 5.6% and 34.7%, respectively. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 13.3%. Mean NRST scores were significantly lower in the nutritionally at-risk than in the well-nourished groups. Concurrent validity analysis showed significant correlations between NRST scores and both nutritional risk parameters (GNRI or MNA-SF) and sarcopenia. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) of NRST for the prediction of nutritional risk were 0.635 and 0.584 as assessed by GNRI and MNA-SF, respectively. AUCs for the prediction of sarcopenia were 0.602 (NRST), 0.655 (age-integrated NRST), and 0.676 (age and BMI-integrated NRST). These results indicate that the NRST is a promising screening tool for the prediction of malnutrition and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older Japanese people. Further development of a full Japanese version of the SCREEN II is indicated.

A selected annotated bibliography of the core biomedical literature pertaining to stroke, cervical spine, manipulation and head/neck movement

PubMed Central

Gotlib, Allan C.; Thiel, Haymo

1985-01-01

This manuscript’s purpose was to establish a knowledge base of information related to stroke and the cervical spine vascular structures, from both historical and current perspectives. The scientific biomedical literatures both indexed (ie. Index Medicus, CRAC) and non-indexed literature systems were scanned and the pertinent manuscripts were annotated. Citation is by occurence in the literature so that historical trends may be viewed more easily. No analysis of the reference material is offered. Suggested however is that: 1. complications to cervical spine manipulation are being recognized and reported with increasing frequency, 2. a cause and effect relationship between stroke and cervical spine manipulation has not been established, 3. a screening mechanism that is valid, reliable and reasonable needs to be established.

Beside the Geriatric Depression Scale: the WHO-Five Well-being Index as a valid screening tool for depression in nursing homes.

PubMed

Allgaier, Antje-Kathrin; Kramer, Dietmar; Saravo, Barbara; Mergl, Roland; Fejtkova, Sabina; Hegerl, Ulrich

2013-11-01

The aim of the study was to compare criterion validities of the WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5) and the Geriatric Depression Scale 15-item version (GDS-15) and 4-item version (GDS-4) as screening instruments for depression in nursing home residents. Data from 92 residents aged 65-97 years without severe cognitive impairment (Mini Mental State Examination ≥15) were analysed. Criterion validities of the WHO-5, the GDS-15 and the GDS-4 were assessed against diagnoses of major and minor depression provided by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Subanalyses were performed for major and minor depression. Areas under the receiver operating curve (AUCs) as well as sensitivities and specificities at optimal cut-off points were computed. Prevalence of depressive disorder was 28.3%. The AUC value of the WHO-5 (0.90) was similar to that of the GDS-15 (0.82). Sensitivity of the WHO-5 (0.92) at its optimal cut-off of ≤12 was significantly higher than that of the GDS-15 (0.69) at its optimal cut-off of ≥7. The WHO-5 was equally sensitive for the subgroups of major and minor depression (0.92), whereas the GDS-15 was sensitive only for major depression (0.85), but not for minor depression (0.54). For specificity, there was no significant difference between WHO-5 (0.79) and GDS-15 (0.88), but both instruments outperformed the GDS-4 (0.53). The WHO-5 demonstrated high sensitivity for major and minor depression. Being shorter than the GDS-15 and superior to the GDS-4, the WHO-5 is a promising screening tool that could help physicians improve low recognition rates of depression in nursing home residents. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Validation of an automatically generated screening score for frailty: the care assessment need (CAN) score.

PubMed

Ruiz, Jorge G; Priyadarshni, Shivani; Rahaman, Zubair; Cabrera, Kimberly; Dang, Stuti; Valencia, Willy M; Mintzer, Michael J

2018-05-04

Frailty is a state of vulnerability to stressors that is prevalent in older adults and is associated with higher morbidity, mortality and healthcare utilization. Multiple instruments are used to measure frailty; most are time-consuming. The Care Assessment Need (CAN) score is automatically generated from electronic health record data using a statistical model. The methodology for calculation of the CAN score is consistent with the deficit accumulation model of frailty. At a 95 percentile, the CAN score is a predictor of hospitalization and mortality in Veteran populations. The purpose of this study was to validate the CAN score as a screening tool for frailty in primary care. This is a cross-sectional, validation study compared the CAN score with a 40-item Frailty Index reference standard based on a comprehensive geriatric assessment. We included community-dwelling male patients over age 65 from an outpatient geriatric medicine clinic. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of the CAN score. 184 patients over age 65 were included in the study: 97.3% male, 64.2% White, 80.9% non-Hispanic. The CGA-based Frailty Index defined 14.1% as robust, 53.3% as prefrail and 32.6% as frail. For the frail, statistical analysis demonstrated that a CAN score of 55 provides sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of 91.67, 40.32, 42.64 and 90.91% respectively whereas at a score of 95 the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 43.33, 88.81, 63.41, 77.78% respectively. Area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.736 (95% CI = .661-.811). CAN score is a potential screening tool for frailty among older adults; it is generated automatically and provides acceptable diagnostic accuracy. Hence, the CAN score may be a useful tool to primary care providers for detection of frailty in their patient panels.

Validation of the German version of the insomnia severity index in adolescents, young adults and adult workers: results from three cross-sectional studies.

PubMed

Gerber, Markus; Lang, Christin; Lemola, Sakari; Colledge, Flora; Kalak, Nadeem; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith; Pühse, Uwe; Brand, Serge

2016-05-31

A variety of objective and subjective methods exist to assess insomnia. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) was developed to provide a brief self-report instrument useful to assess people's perception of sleep complaints. The ISI was developed in English, and has been translated into several languages including German. Surprisingly, the psychometric properties of the German version have not been evaluated, although the ISI is often used with German-speaking populations. The psychometric properties of the ISI are tested in three independent samples: 1475 adolescents, 862 university students, and 533 police and emergency response service officers. In all three studies, participants provide information about insomnia (ISI), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and psychological functioning (diverse instruments). Descriptive statistics, gender differences, homogeneity and internal consistency, convergent validity, and factorial validity (including measurement invariance across genders) are examined in each sample. The findings show that the German version of the ISI has generally acceptable psychometric properties and sufficient concurrent validity. Confirmatory factor analyses show that a 1-factor solution achieves good model fit. Furthermore, measurement invariance across gender is supported in all three samples. While the ISI has been widely used in German-speaking countries, this study is the first to provide empirical evidence that the German version of this instrument has good psychometric properties and satisfactory convergent and factorial validity across various age groups and both men and women. Thus, the German version of the ISI can be recommended as a brief screening measure in German-speaking populations.

Reliability and validity of two self-report measures of impairment and disability for MS. North American Research Consortium on Multiple Sclerosis Outcomes Study Group.

PubMed

Schwartz, C E; Vollmer, T; Lee, H

1999-01-01

To describe the results of a multicenter study that validated two new patient-reported measures of neurologic impairment and disability for use in MS clinical research. Self-reported data can provide a cost-effective means to assess patient functioning, and can be useful for screening patients who require additional evaluation. Thirteen MS centers from the United States and Canada implemented a cross-sectional validation study of two new measures of neurologic function. The Symptom Inventory is a measure of neurologic impairment with six subscales designed to correlate with localization of brain lesion. The Performance Scales measure disability in eight domains of function: mobility, hand function, vision, fatigue, cognition, bladder/bowel, sensory, and spasticity. Measures given for comparison included a neurologic examination (Expanded Disability Status Scale, Ambulation Index, Disease Steps) as well as the patient-reported Health Status Questionnaire and the Quality of Well-being Index. Participants included 274 MS patients and 296 healthy control subjects who were matched to patients on age, gender, and education. Both the Symptom Inventory and the Performance Scales showed high test-retest and internal consistency reliability. Correlational analyses supported the construct validity of both measures. Discriminant function analysis reduced the Symptom Inventory to 29 items without sacrificing reliability and increased its discriminant validity. The Performance Scales explained more variance in clinical outcomes and global quality of life than the Symptom Inventory, and there was some evidence that the two measures complemented each other in predicting Quality of Well-being Index scores. The Symptom Inventory and the Performance Scales are reliable and valid measures.

Development and validation of the Polish version of the Female Sexual Function Index in the Polish population of females.

PubMed

Nowosielski, Krzysztof; Wróbel, Beata; Sioma-Markowska, Urszula; Poręba, Ryszard

2013-02-01

Unlike male sexual function, which is relatively easy to assess, female sexual function is still a diagnostic challenge. Although numerous new measurements for female sexual dysfunction (FSD) have recently been developed, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) remains the gold standard for screening. It has been validated in more than 30 countries. The FSFI has been used in several studies conducted in Poland, but it has never been standardized for Polish women. The aim of this study was to develop a Polish version of the FSFI (PL-FSFI). In total, 189 women aged 18-55 years were included in the study. Eighty-five were diagnosed with FSD as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM IV-TR) criteria; 104 women did not have FSD. All subjects completed the PL-FSFI at baseline (day 0), day 7, and day 28. Test-retest reliability was determined by Pearson's product-moment correlations. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's α coefficient. Construct validity was evaluated by principal component analysis using varimax rotation and factor analysis. Discriminant validity was assessed with between-groups analysis of variance. All domains of the PL-FSFI demonstrated satisfactory internal consistencies, with Cronbach's α value of >0.70 for the entire sample. The test-retest reliability demonstrated good-to-excellent agreement between the assessment points. Based on principal component analysis, a 5-factor model was established that explained 83.62% of the total variance. Domain intercorrelations of the PL-FSFI ranged from 0.37-0.77. The optimal PL-FSFI cutoff score was 27.50, with 87.1% sensitivity and 83.1% specificity. The PL-FSFI is a reliable questionnaire with good psychometric and discriminative validity. Therefore, it can be used as a tool for preliminary screening for FSD among Polish women. © 2012 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Exposing Exposure: Automated Anatomy-specific CT Radiation Exposure Extraction for Quality Assurance and Radiation Monitoring

PubMed Central

Warden, Graham I.; Farkas, Cameron E.; Ikuta, Ichiro; Prevedello, Luciano M.; Andriole, Katherine P.; Khorasani, Ramin

2012-01-01

Purpose: To develop and validate an informatics toolkit that extracts anatomy-specific computed tomography (CT) radiation exposure metrics (volume CT dose index and dose-length product) from existing digital image archives through optical character recognition of CT dose report screen captures (dose screens) combined with Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine attributes. Materials and Methods: This institutional review board–approved HIPAA-compliant study was performed in a large urban health care delivery network. Data were drawn from a random sample of CT encounters that occurred between 2000 and 2010; images from these encounters were contained within the enterprise image archive, which encompassed images obtained at an adult academic tertiary referral hospital and its affiliated sites, including a cancer center, a community hospital, and outpatient imaging centers, as well as images imported from other facilities. Software was validated by using 150 randomly selected encounters for each major CT scanner manufacturer, with outcome measures of dose screen retrieval rate (proportion of correctly located dose screens) and anatomic assignment precision (proportion of extracted exposure data with correctly assigned anatomic region, such as head, chest, or abdomen and pelvis). The 95% binomial confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for discrete proportions, and CIs were derived from the standard error of the mean for continuous variables. After validation, the informatics toolkit was used to populate an exposure repository from a cohort of 54 549 CT encounters; of which 29 948 had available dose screens. Results: Validation yielded a dose screen retrieval rate of 99% (597 of 605 CT encounters; 95% CI: 98%, 100%) and an anatomic assignment precision of 94% (summed DLP fraction correct 563 in 600 CT encounters; 95% CI: 92%, 96%). Patient safety applications of the resulting data repository include benchmarking between institutions, CT protocol quality control and optimization, and cumulative patient- and anatomy-specific radiation exposure monitoring. Conclusion: Large-scale anatomy-specific radiation exposure data repositories can be created with high fidelity from existing digital image archives by using open-source informatics tools. ©RSNA, 2012 Supplemental material: http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.12111822/-/DC1 PMID:22668563

Questionnaires that screen for multiple sleep disorders.

PubMed

Klingman, Karen J; Jungquist, Carla R; Perlis, Michael L

2017-04-01

The goal of this review was to identify, describe, and evaluate the existing multiple sleep disorders screening questionnaires for their comprehensiveness, brevity, and psychometric quality. A systematic review was conducted using Medline/PubMed, cumulative index to nursing & allied health literature, health and psychosocial instruments and the "grey literature". Search terms were "sleep disorders, screening, questionnaires, and psychometrics". The scope of the search was limited to English language articles for adult age groups from 1989 through 2015. Of the n = 2812 articles identified, most were assessment or treatment guideline reviews, topical reviews, and/or empirical articles. Seven of the articles described multiple sleep disorders screening instruments. Of the identified instruments, two questionnaires (the Holland sleep Disorders questionnaire and sleep-50) were evaluated as comprehensive and one questionnaire (the global sleep assessment questionnaire [GSAQ]) was judged to be both comprehensive and efficient. The GSAQ was found to cover four of the six core intrinsic disorders, sleep insufficiency, and daytime sequela with 11 questions. Accordingly, the GSAQ is the most suitable for application as a general sleep disorders screener. Additional work is required to validate this instrument in the context of primary care. Finally, the future development of multiple sleep disorders screening questionnaires should not only cover all six intrinsic sleep disorders but also acquire some basic demographic information (age, sex, body mass index, presence/absence of bed partner, work status and shift) and some limited data regarding sleep sufficiency and the daytime consequences of sleep disturbance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validity of the lower extremity functional movement screen in patients with chronic ankle instability.

PubMed

Choi, Ho-Suk; Shin, Won-Seob

2015-06-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to provide evidence of construct validity for the lower extremity functional movement screen (LE-FMS) based on hypothesis testing in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI). [Subjects] The subjects were 20 healthy subjects and 20 patients with CAI who had a history of ankle sprain with pain for more than 1 day. [Methods] All participants were measured using the Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI) and evaluated with the LE-FMS. The screen included the deep squat, the hurdle step (HS) and the in-line lunge (ILL). The symmetry ratios (RS) were accurately measured during the deep squat trial. [Results] Between the two groups, there were significant differences in scores on the LE-FMS, HS, ILL, RS, FADI, and FADI-sport. The FADI was strongly correlated with both LE-FMS score (r=0.807) and ILL score (r=0.896). There was a strong relationship (r=0.818) between LE-FMS score and FADI-sport. [Conclusion] These results suggest that the LE-FMS may be used to detect deficits related to CAI. Additionally, this instrument is reliable in detecting functional limitations in patients with CAI.

Validity of the posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) checklist in pregnant women.

PubMed

Gelaye, Bizu; Zheng, Yinnan; Medina-Mora, Maria Elena; Rondon, Marta B; Sánchez, Sixto E; Williams, Michelle A

2017-05-12

The PTSD Checklist-civilian (PCL-C) is one of the most commonly used self-report measures of PTSD symptoms, however, little is known about its validity when used in pregnancy. This study aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of the PCL-C as a screen for detecting PTSD symptoms among pregnant women. A total of 3372 pregnant women who attended their first prenatal care visit in Lima, Peru participated in the study. We assessed the reliability of the PCL-C items using Cronbach's alpha. Criterion validity and performance characteristics of PCL-C were assessed against an independent, blinded Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) interview using measures of sensitivity, specificity and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves. We tested construct validity using exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approaches. The reliability of the PCL-C was excellent (Cronbach's alpha =0.90). ROC analysis showed that a cut-off score of 26 offered optimal discriminatory power, with a sensitivity of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78-0.92) and a specificity of 0.63 (95% CI: 0.62-0.65). The area under the ROC curve was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.71-0.78). A three-factor solution was extracted using exploratory factor analysis and was further complemented with three other models using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In a CFA, a three-factor model based on DSM-IV symptom structure had reasonable fit statistics with comparative fit index of 0.86 and root mean square error of approximation of 0.09. The Spanish-language version of the PCL-C may be used as a screening tool for pregnant women. The PCL-C has good reliability, criterion validity and factorial validity. The optimal cut-off score obtained by maximizing the sensitivity and specificity should be considered cautiously; women who screened positive may require further investigation to confirm PTSD diagnosis.

Improving early detection of childhood depression in mental health care: the Children׳s Depression Screener (ChilD-S).

PubMed

Allgaier, Antje-Kathrin; Krick, Kathrin; Opitz, Ansgar; Saravo, Barbara; Romanos, Marcel; Schulte-Körne, Gerd

2014-07-30

Diagnosing childhood depression can pose a challenge, even for mental health specialists. Screening tools can aid clinicians within the initial step of the diagnostic process. For the first time, the Children׳s Depression Screener (ChilD-S) is validated in a mental health setting as a novel field of application beyond the previously examined pediatric setting. Based on a structured interview, DSM-IV-TR diagnoses of depression were made for 79 psychiatric patients aged 9-12, serving as the gold standard for validation. For assessing criterion validity, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated. Point prevalence of major depression and dysthymia was 28%. Diagnostic accuracy in terms of the area under the ROC curve was high (0.97). At the optimal cut-off point ≥12 according to the Youden׳s index, sensitivity was 0.91 and specificity was 0.81. The findings suggest that the ChilD-S is not only a valid screening instrument for childhood depression in pediatric care but also in mental health settings. As a brief tool it can easily be implemented into daily clinical practice of mental health professionals facilitating the diagnostic process, especially in case of comorbid depression. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reliability and Validity of the Diabetes Eating Problem Survey in Turkish Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

PubMed

Atik Altınok, Yasemin; Özgür, Suriye; Meseri, Reci; Özen, Samim; Darcan, Şükran; Gökşen, Damla

2017-12-15

The aim of this study was to show the reliability and validity of a Turkish version of Diabetes Eating Problem Survey-Revised (DEPS-R) in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus. A total of 200 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, ages 9-18 years, completed the DEPS-R Turkish version. In addition to tests of validity, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to investigate the factor structure of the 16-item Turkish version of DEPS-R. The Turkish version of DEPS-R demonstrated satisfactory Cronbach's ∝ (0.847) and was significantly correlated with age (r=0.194; p<0.01), hemoglobin A1c levels (r=0.303; p<0.01), and body mass index-standard deviation score (r=0.412; p<0.01) indicating criterion validity. Median DEPS-R scores of Turkish version for the total samples, females, and males were 11.0, 11.5, and 10.5, respectively. Disturbed eating behaviors and insulin restriction were associated with poor metabolic control. A short, self-administered diabetes-specific screening tool for disordered eating behavior can be used routinely in the clinical care of adolescents with type 1 diabetes. The Turkish version of DEPS-R is a valid screening tool for disordered eating behaviors in type 1 diabetes and it is potentially important to early detect disordered eating behaviors.

Sedentary Behavior Is Independently Related to Fat Mass among Children and Adolescents in South China

PubMed Central

Xue, Hongmei; Tian, Guo; Duan, Ruonan; Quan, Liming; Zhao, Li; Yang, Min; Libuda, Lars; Muckelbauer, Rebecca; Cheng, Guo

2016-01-01

We aim to explore the independent associations of sedentary behaviors (SB) with body mass distribution among Chinese children. Data on the screen-based sedentary time (television viewing and computer use) and doing homework, physical activities and dietary intake of 1586 Chinese children (50.3% girls) aged 7–15 years were obtained through validated questionnaires. Skin-fold thickness, body height, and weight were measured to calculate percent body fat (%BF), fat mass index (FMI), and fat-free mass index (FFMI). Parental characteristics were collected by questionnaires. Among girls, time of SB (screen time or doing homework) was positively related to %BF, FMI, and FFMI (p < 0.03) after adjusting for maternal overweight, the average annual income of family, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity energy expenditure, and energy intake: Girls in the highest tertile of screen time/homework had 16.7%/23.3% higher relative FMI and 2.9%/2.9% higher relative FFMI than girls in the lowest tertile. Among boys, screen time was positively associated with FFMI (p < 0.003), but not related to %BF and FMI (p > 0.09), while time of doing homework was positively related to %BF and FMI (p = 0.03). Sedentary behaviors might be positively and independently related to fat mass among Chinese children, and were more pronounced in girls. PMID:27792134

Psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Personal Experience Screening Questionnaire.

PubMed

Fidalgo, Thiago Marques; Silveira, Evelyn Doering da; Winters, Ken C; Silveira, Dartiu Xavier da

2016-11-01

The Personal Experience Screening Questionnaire (PESQ) is an instrument devised for assessing the magnitude of drug misuse among adolescents. However, its psychometric properties have not been evaluated in adolescent samples outside the United States. To assess the internal reliability and validity of the Brazilian version of the PESQ. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 84 adolescents from a clinical sample and a community-based sample. All of them answered the PESQ. Among adolescents from the community, the PESQ problem severity index, which can vary from 18 to 72, was 26.48±9.28, whereas the clinical sample scored 42.89±10.02 (p<0.001). Cronbach's alpha was 0.91. Factor analysis resulted in a four-factor solution. Furthermore, both samples also had different mean scores for the other distinct content areas measured by the instrument. Evidence to support the reliability and validity of the Brazilian version of the Personal Experience Questionnaire was found.

Validation of a multifactorial risk factor model used for predicting future caries risk with Nevada adolescents.

PubMed

Ditmyer, Marcia M; Dounis, Georgia; Howard, Katherine M; Mobley, Connie; Cappelli, David

2011-05-20

The objective of this study was to measure the validity and reliability of a multifactorial Risk Factor Model developed for use in predicting future caries risk in Nevada adolescents in a public health setting. This study examined retrospective data from an oral health surveillance initiative that screened over 51,000 students 13-18 years of age, attending public/private schools in Nevada across six academic years (2002/2003-2007/2008). The Risk Factor Model included ten demographic variables: exposure to fluoridation in the municipal water supply, environmental smoke exposure, race, age, locale (metropolitan vs. rural), tobacco use, Body Mass Index, insurance status, sex, and sealant application. Multiple regression was used in a previous study to establish which significantly contributed to caries risk. Follow-up logistic regression ascertained the weight of contribution and odds ratios of the ten variables. Researchers in this study computed sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PVP), negative predictive value (PVN), and prevalence across all six years of screening to assess the validity of the Risk Factor Model. Subjects' overall mean caries prevalence across all six years was 66%. Average sensitivity across all six years was 79%; average specificity was 81%; average PVP was 89% and average PVN was 67%. Overall, the Risk Factor Model provided a relatively constant, valid measure of caries that could be used in conjunction with a comprehensive risk assessment in population-based screenings by school nurses/nurse practitioners, health educators, and physicians to guide them in assessing potential future caries risk for use in prevention and referral practices.

Relationship of Hemoglobin to Arterial Oxygen Desaturation during Aeromedical Evacuation

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-02

consent was obtained, a portable pulse oximeter (Rad-57, Masimo Corp., Irvine, CA) was attached to the subject via an adhesive, disposable finger sensor...The oximeter noninvasively measured and recorded arterial SpO2, PR, Hgb, and pulse index every 2 seconds. The oximeter’s screen was covered so as...studied. For this study, subjects deemed safe to fly by the validating flight surgeon were monitored with pulse oximetry from the flight line until arrival

Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies in Afterschool Programs: Results from a Group-Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Kenney, Erica L.; Giles, Catherine M.; deBlois, Madeleine E.; Gortmaker, Steven L.; Chinfatt, Sherene; Cradock, Angie L.

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVE Afterschool programs can be health-promoting environments for children. Written policies positively influence nutrition and physical activity (PA) environments, but effective strategies for building staff capacity to write such policies have not been evaluated. This study measures the comprehensiveness of written nutrition, PA, and screen time policies in afterschool programs and assesses impact of the Out of School Nutrition and Physical Activity (OSNAP) intervention on key policies. METHODS Twenty afterschool programs in Boston, MA participated in a group-randomized, controlled trial from September 2010 to June 2011. Intervention program staff attended learning collaboratives focused on practice and policy change. The Out-of-School Time (OST) Policy Assessment Index evaluated written policies. Inter-rater reliability and construct validity of the measure and impact of the intervention on written policies were assessed. RESULTS The measure demonstrated moderate to excellent inter-rater reliability (Spearman’s r=0.53 to 0.97) and construct validity. OSNAP was associated with significant increases in standards-based policy statements surrounding snacks (+2.6, p=0.003), beverages (+2.3, p=0.008), screen time (+0.8, p=0.046), family communication (+2.2, p=0.002), and a summary index of OSNAP goals (+3.3, p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS OSNAP demonstrated success in building staff capacity to write health-promoting policy statements. Future research should focus on determining policy change impact on practices. PMID:24941286

A novel decision tree approach based on transcranial Doppler sonography to screen for blunt cervical vascular injuries.

PubMed

Purvis, Dianna; Aldaghlas, Tayseer; Trickey, Amber W; Rizzo, Anne; Sikdar, Siddhartha

2013-06-01

Early detection and treatment of blunt cervical vascular injuries prevent adverse neurologic sequelae. Current screening criteria can miss up to 22% of these injuries. The study objective was to investigate bedside transcranial Doppler sonography for detecting blunt cervical vascular injuries in trauma patients using a novel decision tree approach. This prospective pilot study was conducted at a level I trauma center. Patients undergoing computed tomographic angiography for suspected blunt cervical vascular injuries were studied with transcranial Doppler sonography. Extracranial and intracranial vasculatures were examined with a portable power M-mode transcranial Doppler unit. The middle cerebral artery mean flow velocity, pulsatility index, and their asymmetries were used to quantify flow patterns and develop an injury decision tree screening protocol. Student t tests validated associations between injuries and transcranial Doppler predictive measures. We evaluated 27 trauma patients with 13 injuries. Single vertebral artery injuries were most common (38.5%), followed by single internal carotid artery injuries (30%). Compared to patients without injuries, mean flow velocity asymmetry was higher for single internal carotid artery (P = .003) and single vertebral artery (P = .004) injuries. Similarly, pulsatility index asymmetry was higher in single internal carotid artery (P = .015) and single vertebral artery (P = .042) injuries, whereas the lowest pulsatility index was elevated for bilateral vertebral artery injuries (P = .006). The decision tree yielded 92% specificity, 93% sensitivity, and 93% correct classifications. In this pilot feasibility study, transcranial Doppler measures were significantly associated with the blunt cervical vascular injury status, suggesting that transcranial Doppler sonography might be a viable bedside screening tool for trauma. Patient-specific hemodynamic information from transcranial Doppler assessment has the potential to alter patient care pathways to improve outcomes.

A scoring model for predicting advanced colorectal neoplasia in a screened population of asymptomatic Japanese individuals.

PubMed

Sekiguchi, Masau; Kakugawa, Yasuo; Matsumoto, Minori; Matsuda, Takahisa

2018-01-22

Risk stratification of screened populations could help improve colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Use of the modified Asia-Pacific Colorectal Screening (APCS) score has been proposed in the Asia-Pacific region. This study was performed to build a new useful scoring model for CRC screening. Data were reviewed from 5218 asymptomatic Japanese individuals who underwent their first screening colonoscopy. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate risk factors for advanced colorectal neoplasia (ACN), and a new scoring model for the prediction of ACN was developed based on the results. The discriminatory capability of the new model and the modified APCS score were assessed and compared. Internal validation was also performed. ACN was detected in 225 participants. An 8-point scoring model for the prediction of ACN was developed using five independent risk factors for ACN (male sex, higher age, presence of two or more first-degree relatives with CRC, body mass index of > 22.5 kg/m 2 , and smoking history of > 18.5 pack-years). The prevalence of ACN was 1.6% (34/2172), 5.3% (127/2419), and 10.2% (64/627) in participants with scores of < 3, ≥ 3 to < 5, and ≥ 5, respectively. The c-statistic of the scoring model was 0.70 (95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.73) in both the development and internal validation sets, and this value was higher than that of the modified APCS score [0.68 (95% confidence interval, 0.65-0.71), P = 0.03]. We built a new simple scoring model for prediction of ACN in a Japanese population that could stratify the screened population into low-, moderate-, and high-risk groups.

Simple Nutrition Screening Tool for Pediatric Inpatients.

PubMed

White, Melinda; Lawson, Karen; Ramsey, Rebecca; Dennis, Nicole; Hutchinson, Zoe; Soh, Xin Ying; Matsuyama, Misa; Doolan, Annabel; Todd, Alwyn; Elliott, Aoife; Bell, Kristie; Littlewood, Robyn

2016-03-01

Pediatric nutrition risk screening tools are not routinely implemented throughout many hospitals, despite prevalence studies demonstrating malnutrition is common in hospitalized children. Existing tools lack the simplicity of those used to assess nutrition risk in the adult population. This study reports the accuracy of a new, quick, and simple pediatric nutrition screening tool (PNST) designed to be used for pediatric inpatients. The pediatric Subjective Global Nutrition Assessment (SGNA) and anthropometric measures were used to develop and assess the validity of 4 simple nutrition screening questions comprising the PNST. Participants were pediatric inpatients in 2 tertiary pediatric hospitals and 1 regional hospital. Two affirmative answers to the PNST questions were found to maximize the specificity and sensitivity to the pediatric SGNA and body mass index (BMI) z scores for malnutrition in 295 patients. The PNST identified 37.6% of patients as being at nutrition risk, whereas the pediatric SGNA identified 34.2%. The sensitivity and specificity of the PNST compared with the pediatric SGNA were 77.8% and 82.1%, respectively. The sensitivity of the PNST at detecting patients with a BMI z score of less than -2 was 89.3%, and the specificity was 66.2%. Both the PNST and pediatric SGNA were relatively poor at detecting patients who were stunted or overweight, with the sensitivity and specificity being less than 69%. The PNST provides a sensitive, valid, and simpler alternative to existing pediatric nutrition screening tools such as Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Pediatrics (STAMP), Screening Tool Risk on Nutritional status and Growth (STRONGkids), and Paediatric Yorkhill Malnutrition Score (PYMS) to ensure the early detection of hospitalized children at nutrition risk. © 2014 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

The Feasibility of Standardised Geriatric Assessment Tools and Physical Exercises in Frail Older Adults.

PubMed

Jadczak, A D; Mahajan, N; Visvanathan, R

2017-01-01

Geriatric assessment tools are applicable to the general geriatric population; however, their feasibility in frail older adults is yet to be determined. The study aimed to determine the feasibility of standardised geriatric assessment tools and physical exercises in hospitalised frail older adults. Various assessment tools including the FRAIL Screen, the Charlson Comorbidity Index, the SF-36, the Trail Making Test (TMT), the Rapid Cognitive Screen, the Self Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF) and the Lawton iADL as well as standard physical exercises were assessed using observational protocols. The FRAIL Screen, MNA-SF, Rapid Cognitive Screen, Lawton iADL and the physical exercises were deemed to be feasible with only minor comprehension, execution and safety issues. The TMT was not considered to be feasible and the SF-36 should be replaced by its shorter form, the SF-12. In order to ensure the validity of these findings a study with a larger sample size should be undertaken.

Development and validation of risk models to select ever-smokers for CT lung-cancer screening

PubMed Central

Katki, Hormuzd A.; Kovalchik, Stephanie A.; Berg, Christine D.; Cheung, Li C.; Chaturvedi, Anil K.

2016-01-01

Importance The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends computed-tomography (CT) lung-cancer screening for ever-smokers ages 55-80 years who smoked at least 30 pack-years with no more than 15 years since quitting. However, selecting ever-smokers for screening using individualized lung-cancer risk calculations may be more effective and efficient than current USPSTF recommendations. Objective Comparison of modeled outcomes from risk-based CT lung-screening strategies versus USPSTF recommendations. Design/Setting/Participants Empirical risk models for lung-cancer incidence and death in the absence of CT screening using data on ever-smokers from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO; 1993-2009) control group. Covariates included age, education, sex, race, smoking intensity/duration/quit-years, Body Mass Index, family history of lung-cancer, and self-reported emphysema. Model validation in the chest radiography groups of the PLCO and the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST; 2002-2009), with additional validation of the death model in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS; 1997-2001), a representative sample of the US. Models applied to US ever-smokers ages 50-80 (NHIS 2010-2012) to estimate outcomes of risk-based selection for CT lung-screening, assuming screening for all ever-smokers yields the percent changes in lung-cancer detection and death observed in the NLST. Exposure Annual CT lung-screening for 3 years. Main Outcomes and Measures Model validity: calibration (number of model-predicted cases divided by number of observed cases (Estimated/Observed)) and discrimination (Area-Under-Curve (AUC)). Modeled screening outcomes: estimated number of screen-avertable lung-cancer deaths, estimated screening effectiveness (number needed to screen (NNS) to prevent 1 lung-cancer death). Results Lung-cancer incidence and death risk models were well-calibrated in PLCO and NLST. The lung-cancer death model calibrated and discriminated well for US ever-smokers ages 50-80 (NHIS 1997-2001: Estimated/Observed=0.94, 95%CI=0.84-1.05; AUC=0.78, 95%CI=0.76-0.80). Under USPSTF recommendations, the models estimated 9.0 million US ever-smokers would qualify for lung-cancer screening and 46,488 (95%CI=43,924-49,053) lung-cancer deaths were estimated as screen-avertable over 5 years (estimated NNS=194, 95%CI=187-201). In contrast, risk-based selection screening the same number of ever-smokers (9.0 million) at highest 5-year lung-cancer risk (≥1.9%), was estimated to avert 20% more deaths (55,717; 95%CI=53,033-58,400) and was estimated to reduce the estimated NNS by 17% (NNS=162, 95%CI=157-166). Conclusions and Relevance Among a cohort of US ever-smokers age 50-80 years, application of a risk-based model for CT screening for lung cancer compared with a model based on USPSTF recommendations was estimated to be associated with a greater number of lung-cancer deaths prevented over 5 years along with a lower NNS to prevent 1 lung-cancer death. PMID:27179989

Development and Validation of Risk Models to Select Ever-Smokers for CT Lung Cancer Screening.

PubMed

Katki, Hormuzd A; Kovalchik, Stephanie A; Berg, Christine D; Cheung, Li C; Chaturvedi, Anil K

2016-06-07

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screening for ever-smokers aged 55 to 80 years who have smoked at least 30 pack-years with no more than 15 years since quitting. However, selecting ever-smokers for screening using individualized lung cancer risk calculations may be more effective and efficient than current USPSTF recommendations. Comparison of modeled outcomes from risk-based CT lung-screening strategies vs USPSTF recommendations. Empirical risk models for lung cancer incidence and death in the absence of CT screening using data on ever-smokers from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO; 1993-2009) control group. Covariates included age; education; sex; race; smoking intensity, duration, and quit-years; body mass index; family history of lung cancer; and self-reported emphysema. Model validation in the chest radiography groups of the PLCO and the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST; 2002-2009), with additional validation of the death model in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS; 1997-2001), a representative sample of the United States. Models were applied to US ever-smokers aged 50 to 80 years (NHIS 2010-2012) to estimate outcomes of risk-based selection for CT lung screening, assuming screening for all ever-smokers, yield the percent changes in lung cancer detection and death observed in the NLST. Annual CT lung screening for 3 years beginning at age 50 years. For model validity: calibration (number of model-predicted cases divided by number of observed cases [estimated/observed]) and discrimination (area under curve [AUC]). For modeled screening outcomes: estimated number of screen-avertable lung cancer deaths and estimated screening effectiveness (number needed to screen [NNS] to prevent 1 lung cancer death). Lung cancer incidence and death risk models were well calibrated in PLCO and NLST. The lung cancer death model calibrated and discriminated well for US ever-smokers aged 50 to 80 years (NHIS 1997-2001: estimated/observed = 0.94 [95%CI, 0.84-1.05]; AUC, 0.78 [95%CI, 0.76-0.80]). Under USPSTF recommendations, the models estimated 9.0 million US ever-smokers would qualify for lung cancer screening and 46,488 (95% CI, 43,924-49,053) lung cancer deaths were estimated as screen-avertable over 5 years (estimated NNS, 194 [95% CI, 187-201]). In contrast, risk-based selection screening of the same number of ever-smokers (9.0 million) at highest 5-year lung cancer risk (≥1.9%) was estimated to avert 20% more deaths (55,717 [95% CI, 53,033-58,400]) and was estimated to reduce the estimated NNS by 17% (NNS, 162 [95% CI, 157-166]). Among a cohort of US ever-smokers aged 50 to 80 years, application of a risk-based model for CT screening for lung cancer compared with a model based on USPSTF recommendations was estimated to be associated with a greater number of lung cancer deaths prevented over 5 years, along with a lower NNS to prevent 1 lung cancer death.

Long-term prediction of changes in health status, frailty, nursing care and mortality in community-dwelling senior citizens—results from the Longitudinal Urban Cohort Ageing Study (LUCAS).

PubMed

Dapp, Ulrike; Minder, Christoph E; Anders, Jennifer; Golgert, Stefan; von Renteln-Kruse, Wolfgang

2014-12-19

The detection of incipient functional decline in elderly persons is not an easy task. Here, we propose the self-reporting Functional Ability Index (FA index) suitable to screen functional competence in senior citizens in the community setting. Its prognostic validity was investigated in the Longitudinal Urban Cohort Ageing Study (LUCAS). This index is based equally on both, resources and risks/functional restrictions which precede ADL limitations. Since 2001, the FA index was tested in the LUCAS cohort without any ADL restrictions at baseline (n = 1,679), and followed up by repeated questionnaires in Hamburg, Germany. Applying the index, 1,022 LUCAS participants were initially classified as Robust (60.9%), 220 as postRobust (13.1%), 172 as preFrail (10.2%) and 265 as Frail (15.8%). This classification correlated with self-reported health, chronic pain and depressive mood (rank correlations 0.42, 0.26, 0.21; all p < .0001). Survival analyses showed significant differences between these classes as determined by the FA index: the initially Robust survived longest, the Frail shortest (p < .0001). Analyses of the time to need of nursing care revealed similar results. Significant differences persisted after adjustment for age, sex and self-reported health. Disability free lifetime and its development over time are important topics in public health. In this context, the FA index presented here provides answers to two questions. First, how to screen the heterogeneous population of community-dwelling senior citizens, i.e. for their functional ability/competence, and second, how far away they are from disability/dependency. Furthermore, the index provides a tool to address the urgent question whether incipient functional decline/incipient frailty can be recognized early to be influenced positively. The FA index predicted change in functional status, future need of nursing care, and mortality in an unselected population of community-dwelling seniors. It implies an operational specification of the classification into Robust, postRobust, preFrail and Frail. Based on a self-administered questionnaire, the FA index allows easy screening of elderly persons for declining functional competence. Thereby, incipient functional decline is recognized, e.g. in GPs' practices and senior community health centers, to initiate early appropriate preventive action.

Waist-to-height ratio is the best anthropometric predictor of hypertension

PubMed Central

Caminha, Tainá C.S.; Ferreira, Haroldo S.; Costa, Narithania S.; Nakano, Ricardo P.; Carvalho, Renata Elyonara S.; Xavier, Antônio F.S.; Assunção, Monica L.

2017-01-01

Abstract The WHO recommends the use of some anthropometric parameters as a screening resource for individuals under cardiometabolic risk. However, in the validation of these indicators, Brazilian women were not included. These women have different anthropometric profile compared to women who integrated the samples of the validation studies. We aimed to verify the accuracy of anthropometric indicators as a resource for the screening of women with hypertension. A cross-sectional study, with a probability sample of 3143 women (20–49 years) from the state of Alagoas (northeast of Brazil), was carried out. Hypertension was identified by systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mm Hg and/or regular use of antihypertensive drugs. The anthropometric indicators analyzed were BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), body fat percentage, and conicity index. The accuracy definition of the indicators and the identification of best cut-off points were carried out on the basis of ROC curve analysis and Youden index, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension was 21.8%. All indicators used in hypertension identification had area under the ROC curve (AUC) >0.5. The WHtR with cut-off point of 0.54 was the best performance indicator (AUC = 0.72; P < 0.05; sensitivity = 67%, specificity = 66%). The WHtR with cut-off point of 0.54 has constituted the most accurate indicator in the screening of women with hypertension. In the absence of specific studies and considering the largest ethnic proximity and environmental/epidemiological similarity, the findings now obtained can be extended to women of other Brazilian states, especially those in the Northeastern region. PMID:28079826

Sleep-disordered breathing in chronic heart failure: development and validation of a clinical screening score.

PubMed

Parisot, Juliette; Damy, Thibaud; Gellen, Barnabas; Covali-Noroc, Ala; Bodez, Diane; Rappeneau, Stéphane; Guellich, Aziz; Adnot, Serge; Bastuji-Garin, Sylvie; Hittinger, Luc; d'Ortho, Maria-Pia; Boyer, Laurent; Canouï-Poitrine, Florence

2015-09-01

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is highly prevalent and of adverse prognostic significance in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Polygraphy is used for diagnosing SDB but polygraphy resources fall short of needs. Here, our aim was to develop a score for SDB screening in patients with CHF. Consecutive patients with stable chronic CHF referred to our CHF clinic for a scheduled follow-up evaluation were included prospectively between 2000 and 2012. SDB was defined as an apnoea-hypopnoea index ≥ 5/h as assessed by routine polygraphy. A screening score was developed as a linear combination of factors independently associated with SDB by multivariate logistic regression. Calibration and discrimination were evaluated using the Hosmer-Lemeshow (HL) test and area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (AUC), respectively. Bootstrapping was performed to assess internal validity. Of 450 included patients (mean age, 59.5 ± 13.7 years), 397 (88%) had SDB. An easy-to-use score was based on age (2 points if ≥65 years), body mass index (2 points if ≥25 kg/m(2)), New York Heart Association (NYHA) class (2 points if ≥3 or 4) and male gender (3 points). A score cut-off of 5 was 78.9% sensitive and 61.5% specific for SDB. The final model exhibited adequate calibration (pHL ≥ 0.3) and discrimination (AUC, 0.737; 95% confidence interval, 0.663; 0.810). An easy-to-use clinical score combining age, body mass index, NYHA class, and gender may help to identify those CHF patients most likely to have SDB, thereby improving the allocation of scarce polygraphy resources and early diagnosis of SDB. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Telephone-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Screening for Frontotemporal Changes in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

PubMed Central

Christodoulou, Georgia; Gennings, Chris; Hupf, Jonathan; Factor-Litvak, Pam; Murphy, Jennifer; Goetz, Raymond R.; Mitsumoto, Hiroshi

2017-01-01

Objective To establish a valid and reliable battery of measures to evaluate frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in patients with ALS over the phone. Methods Thirty-one subjects were administered either in-person or telephone-based screening followed by the opposite mode of testing two weeks later, using a modified version of the UCSF Cognitive Screening Battery. Results Equivalence testing was performed for in-person and telephone-based tests. The standard ALS Cognitive Behavioral Screen (ALS-CBS) showed statistical equivalence at the 5% significance level when compared to a revised phone-version of the ALS-CBS. In addition, the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) and Center for Neurologic Study-Lability Scale (CNS-LS) were also found to be equivalent at the 5% and 10% significance level respectively. Similarly, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the well-established Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) were also statistically equivalent. Equivalence could not be claimed for the ALS-Frontal Behavioral Inventory (ALS-FBI) caregiver interview and the Written Verbal Fluency Index (WVFI). Conclusions Our study suggests that telephone-based versions of the ALS-CBS, COWAT, and CNS-LS may offer clinicians valid tools to detect frontotemporal changes in the ALS population. Development of telephone-based cognitive testing for ALS could become an integral resource for population-based research in the future. PMID:27121545

Telephone based cognitive-behavioral screening for frontotemporal changes in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

PubMed

Christodoulou, Georgia; Gennings, Chris; Hupf, Jonathan; Factor-Litvak, Pam; Murphy, Jennifer; Goetz, Raymond R; Mitsumoto, Hiroshi

Our objective was to establish a valid and reliable battery of measures to evaluate frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in patients with ALS over the telephone. Thirty-one subjects were administered either in-person or by telephone-based screening followed by the opposite mode of testing two weeks later, using a modified version of the UCSF Cognitive Screening Battery. Equivalence testing was performed for in-person and telephone based tests. The standard ALS Cognitive Behavioral Screen (ALS-CBS) showed statistical equivalence at the 5% significance level compared to a revised phone version of the ALS-CBS. In addition, the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT) and Center for Neurologic Study-Lability Scale (CNS-LS) were also found to be equivalent at the 5% and 10% significance level, respectively. Similarly, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the well-established Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) were also statistically equivalent. Equivalence could not be claimed for the ALS-Frontal Behavioral Inventory (ALS-FBI) caregiver interview and the Written Verbal Fluency Index (WVFI). In conclusion, our study suggests that telephone-based versions of the ALS-CBS, COWAT, and CNS-LS may offer clinicians valid tools to detect frontotemporal changes in the ALS population. Development of telephone based cognitive testing for ALS could become an integral resource for population based research in the future.

Rapid identification of iron deficiency in blood donors with red cell indexes provided by Advia 120.

PubMed

Radtke, Hartmut; Meyer, Tina; Kalus, Ulrich; Röcker, Lothar; Salama, Abdulgabar; Kiesewetter, Holger; Latza, Reinhard

2005-01-01

A new generation of automated hematology analyzers allows the rapid determination of various red cell (RBC) indexes, including the percentage of hypochromic mature RBCs (HYPOm) and the hemoglobin (Hb) content of reticulocytes (CHr). These indexes have not yet been validated as measures for the detection of iron deficiency in blood donors. Iron status was evaluated in a total of 1142 unselected prospective blood donors based on measurement of serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor, and Hb compared to RBC indexes provided by an automated hematology analyzer (Advia 120, Bayer HealthCare) including HYPOm and CHr. Assuming that the most precise measure for body iron storage is related to the logarithm of the ratio of soluble transferrin receptor to ferritin, the sensitivity of ferritin for the diagnosis of iron depletion was 89 percent compared to 57 percent for HYPOm and CHr, respectively, to 69 percent for the combination of both RBC indexes, and to 26 percent for Hb concentration. The RBC indexes HYPOm und CHr are significantly better screening measures for identification of iron depletion in blood donors than Hb.

Competing risks model in screening for preeclampsia by maternal factors and biomarkers at 11-13 weeks gestation.

PubMed

O'Gorman, Neil; Wright, David; Syngelaki, Argyro; Akolekar, Ranjit; Wright, Alan; Poon, Leona C; Nicolaides, Kypros H

2016-01-01

Preeclampsia affects approximately 3% of all pregnancies and is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and death. In the last decade, extensive research has been devoted to early screening for preeclampsia with the aim of reducing the prevalence of the disease through pharmacologic intervention in the high-risk group starting from the first trimester of pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to develop a model for preeclampsia based on maternal demographic characteristics and medical history (maternal factors) and biomarkers. The data for this study were derived from prospective screening for adverse obstetric outcomes in women who attended for their routine first hospital visit at 11-13 weeks gestation in 2 maternity hospitals in England. We screened 35,948 singleton pregnancies that included 1058 pregnancies (2.9%) that experienced preeclampsia. Bayes theorem was used to combine the a priori risk from maternal factors with various combinations of uterine artery pulsatility index, mean arterial pressure, serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A, and placental growth factor multiple of the median values. Five-fold cross validation was used to assess the performance of screening for preeclampsia that delivered at <37 weeks gestation (preterm-preeclampsia) and ≥37 weeks gestation (term-preeclampsia) by models that combined maternal factors with individual biomarkers and their combination with screening by maternal factors alone. In pregnancies that experienced preeclampsia, the values of uterine artery pulsatility index and mean arterial pressure were increased, and the values of serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and placental growth factor were decreased. For all biomarkers, the deviation from normal was greater for early than late preeclampsia; therefore, the performance of screening was related inversely to the gestational age at which delivery became necessary for maternal and/or fetal indications. Combined screening by maternal factors, uterine artery pulsatility index, mean arterial pressure, and placental growth factor predicted 75% (95% confidence interval, 70-80%) of preterm-preeclampsia and 47% (95% confidence interval, 44-51%) of term-preeclampsia, at a false-positive rate of 10%; inclusion of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A did not improve the performance of screening. Such detection rates are superior to the respective values of 49% (95% confidence interval, 43-55%) and 38% (34-41%) that were achieved by screening with maternal factors alone. Combination of maternal factors and biomarkers provides effective first-trimester screening for preterm-preeclampsia. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Screening for Peripheral Artery Disease and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment with Ankle Brachial Index in Adults

MedlinePlus

... Force Recommendations Screening for Peripheral Artery Disease and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment with Ankle Brachial Index in Adults ... on Screening for Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk Assessment with Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) ...

The Ability of Patient-Symptom Questionnaires to Differentiate PVFMD From Asthma.

PubMed

Ye, Jinny; Nouraie, Mehdi; Holguin, Fernando; Gillespie, Amanda I

2017-05-01

Goals of the current study were to (1) conduct initial validation of a new Paradoxical Vocal Fold Movement Disorder Screening Questionnaire (PVFMD-SQ); (2) determine if symptom-based questionnaires can discriminate between patients with confirmed PVFMD and those with diagnosed uncontrolled asthma without clinical suspicion for PVFMD; and (3) determine if a new questionnaire with diagnostic specificity could be created from a combination of significant items on previously validated questionnaires. This is a prospective, case-controlled study of patients with PVFMD only and asthma only, who completed five questionnaires: Dyspnea Index, Reflux Symptom Index, Voice Handicap Index-10, Sino-Nasal Questionnaire, and PVFMD-SQ. Factor analysis was completed on the new PVFMD-SQ, and the discrimination ability of selected factors was assessed by receiver operating characteristics curve. The factor with the greatest discriminatory ability was selected to create one diagnostic questionnaire, and scores for each participant were calculated to estimate how well the factor correlated with a PVFMD or asthma diagnosis. Mean scores on all questionnaires were compared to test their discriminatory ability. Patients with PVFMD showed greater voice handicap and reflux symptoms than patients with asthma. A 15-item one-factor questionnaire was developed from the original PVFMD-SQ, with a sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 73% for diagnosing asthma versus PVFMD. The combined questionnaires resulted in four factors, none of which showed discriminatory ability between PVFMD and asthma. This study represents the first time that a patient symptom-based screening tool has shown diagnostic sensitivity to differentiate PVFMD from asthma in a cohort of symptomatic patients. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Psychometric Properties of a Screening Instrument for Domestic Violence in a Sample of Iranian Women

PubMed Central

Azadarmaki, Taghi; Kassani, Aziz; Menati, Rostam; Hassanzadeh, Jafar; Menati, Walieh

2016-01-01

Background Domestic violence against women is regarded as an important health problem among women and a serious concern in issues related to human rights. To date, a few screening tools for domestic violence exist for Iranian married women, but they assess only some of the domestic violence components. Objectives The present study aimed to design and determine the validity and reliability of a screening instrument for domestic violence in a sample of Iranian women. Materials and Methods The present study was a cross-sectional psychometric evaluation conducted on 350 married women in Ilam, Iran, in 2014. The samples were selected through multistage sampling and the main method was cluster sampling. A 20-item, self-administered questionnaire was validated by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). An Eigen value > 1 and a loading factor > 0.3 for each component were considered as indices for extracting domestic violence components. Reliability was calculated by test-retest and Cronbach’s alpha. Also, the content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR) were used to measure content validity. The data were analyzed using SPSS-13 and LISREL 8.8 software programs. Results The self-administered instrument was completed by 334 women. The CFA and EFA methods confirmed embedding items and the three-factor structure of the instrument including psychological, physical, and sexual violence, which explained 66% of the total variance of the domestic violence. The ICC and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were > 0.7 for the components of the questionnaire. The test-retest also revealed strong correlations for each of the domestic violence components (r > 0.6). Conclusions The used instrument for measuring domestic violence had desirable validity and reliability and can be used as a suitable instrument in health and social researches in the local population. PMID:27331052

The malnutrition screening tool versus objective measures to detect malnutrition in hip fracture.

PubMed

Bell, J J; Bauer, J D; Capra, S

2013-12-01

The Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) is the most commonly used screening tool in Australia. Poor screening tool sensitivity may lead to an under-diagnosis of malnutrition, with potential patient and economic ramifications. The present study aimed to determine whether the MST or anthropometric parameters adequately detect malnutrition in patients who were admitted to a hip fracture unit. Data were analysed for a prospective convenience sample (n = 100). MST screening was independently undertaken by nursing staff and a nutrition assistant. Mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) was measured by a trained nutrition assistant. Nutritional risk [MST score ≥ 2, body mass index (BMI) < 22 kg m(-2) , or MUAC < 25 cm] was compared with malnutrition diagnosed by accredited practicing dietitians using International Classification of Diseases version 10-Australian Modification (ICD10-AM) coding criteria. Malnutrition prevalence was 37.5% using ICD10-AM criteria. Delirium, dementia or preadmission cognitive impairment was present in 65% of patients. The BMI as a nutrition risk screen was the most valid predictor of malnutrition (sensitivity 75%; specificity 93%; positive predictive value 73%; negative predictive value 84%). Nursing MST screening was the least valid (sensitivity 73%; specificity 55%; positive predictive value 50%; negative predictive value 77%). There was only fair agreement between nursing and nutrition assistant screening using the MST (κ = 0.28). In this population with a high prevalence of delirium and dementia, further investigation is warranted into the performance of nutrition screening tools and anthropometric parameters such as BMI. All tools failed to predict a considerable number of patients with malnutrition. This may result in the under-diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition, leading to case-mix funding losses. © 2013 The Authors Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics © 2013 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

Quick screening tool for patients with severe negative emotional reactions to chronic illness: psychometric study of the negative emotions due to chronic illness screening test (NECIS).

PubMed

Huang, Yun-Hsin; Wu, Chih-Hsun; Chen, Hsiu-Jung; Cheng, Yih-Ru; Hung, Fu-Chien; Leung, Kai-Kuan; Lue, Bee-Horng; Chen, Ching-Yu; Chiu, Tai-Yuan; Wu, Yin-Chang

2018-01-16

Severe negative emotional reactions to chronic illness are maladaptive to patients and they need to be addressed in a primary care setting. The psychometric properties of a quick screening tool-the Negative Emotions due to Chronic Illness Screening Test (NECIS)-for general emotional problems among patients with chronic illness being treated in a primary care setting was investigated. Three studies including 375 of patients with chronic illness were used to assess and analyze internal consistency, test-retest reliability, criterion-related validity, a cut-off point for distinguishing maladaptive emotions and clinical application validity of NECIS. Self-report questionnaires were used. Internal consistency (Cronbach's α) ranged from 0.78 to 0.82, and the test-retest reliability was 0.71 (P < 0.001). Criterion-related validity was 0.51 (P < 0.001). Based on the 'severe maladaptation' and 'moderate maladaptation' groups defined by using the 'Worsening due to Chronic Illness' index as the analysis reference, the receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0.81 and 0.82 (ps < 0.001), and a cut-off point of 19/20 was the most satisfactory for distinguishing those with overly negative emotions, with a sensitivity and specificity of 83.3 and 69.0%, and 68.5 and 83.0%, respectively. The clinical application validity analysis revealed that low NECIS group showed significantly better adaptation to chronic illness on the scales of subjective health, general satisfaction with life, self-efficacy of self-care for disease, illness perception and stressors in everyday life. The NECIS has satisfactory psychometric properties for use in the primary care setting. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Comparing a combination of validated questionnaires and level III portable monitor with polysomnography to diagnose and exclude sleep apnea.

PubMed

Pereira, Effie J; Driver, Helen S; Stewart, Steven C; Fitzpatrick, Michael F

2013-12-15

Questionnaires have been validated as screening tools in adult populations at risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Portable monitors (PM) have gained acceptance for confirmation of OSA in some patients with a high pretest probability of the disorder. We evaluated the combined diagnostic utility of 3 validated questionnaires and a Level III PM in the diagnosis and exclusion of OSA, as compared with in-laboratory polysomnography (PSG) derived apnea hypopnea index (AHI). Consecutive patients referred to the Sleep Disorders Clinic completed 3 testing components: (1) 3 questionnaires (Berlin, STOP-Bang, and Sleep Apnea Clinical Score [SACS]); (2) Level III at-home PM (MediByte) study; and (3) Level I in-laboratory PSG. The utility of individual questionnaires, the Level III device alone, and the combination of questionnaires and the Level III device were compared with the PSG. One hundred twenty-eight patients participated in the study (84M, 44F), mean ± SD age 50 ± 12.3years, BMI 31 ± 6.6 kg/m(2). At a PSG threshold AHI = 10, the PM derived respiratory disturbance index (RDI) had a sensitivity and specificity of 79% and 86%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for the other screening tools were: Berlin 88%, 25%; STOP-Bang 90%, 25%; SACS 33%, 75%. The sensitivity and specificity at a PSG AHI = 15 were: PM 77%, 95%; Berlin 91%, 28%; STOP-Bang 93%, 28%; SACS 35%, 78%. Questionnaires alone, possibly given a reliance on sleepiness as a symptom, cannot reliably rule out the presence of OSA. Objective physiological measurement is critical for the diagnosis and exclusion of OSA.

10 CFR 26.131 - Cutoff levels for validity screening and initial validity tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cutoff levels for validity screening and initial validity tests. 26.131 Section 26.131 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Licensee Testing Facilities § 26.131 Cutoff levels for validity screening and initial validity tests. (a) Each...

10 CFR 26.131 - Cutoff levels for validity screening and initial validity tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Cutoff levels for validity screening and initial validity tests. 26.131 Section 26.131 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Licensee Testing Facilities § 26.131 Cutoff levels for validity screening and initial validity tests. (a) Each...

The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI): linguistic validation of the Italian version.

PubMed

Filocamo, Maria Teresa; Serati, Maurizio; Li Marzi, Vincenzo; Costantini, Elisabetta; Milanesi, Martina; Pietropaolo, Amelia; Polledro, Patrizio; Gentile, Barbara; Maruccia, Serena; Fornia, Samanta; Lauri, Irene; Alei, Rosanna; Arcangeli, Paola; Sighinolfi, Maria Chiara; Manassero, Francesca; Andretta, Elena; Palazzetti, Anna; Bertelli, Elena; Del Popolo, Giulio; Villari, Donata

2014-02-01

Although several new measurements for female sexual dysfunction (FSD) have recently been developed, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) remains the gold standard for screening and one of the most widely used questionnaires. The Italian translation of the FSFI has been used in several studies conducted in Italy, but a linguistic validation of the Italian version does not exist. The aim of this study was to perform a linguistic validation of the Italian version of the FSFI. A multicenter cross-sectional study conducted in 14 urological and gynecological clinics, uniformly distributed over Italian territory. We performed all steps necessary to determine the reliability and the test-retest reliability of the Italian version of the FSFI. The study population was a convenience sample of 409 Italian women. The reliability of the questionnaire was calculated using Cronbach's alpha, which was considered weak, moderate, or high if its value was found less than 0.6, between 0.6 and 0.8, or equal to or greater than 0.8, respectively. The test-retest reliability was assessed for all women in the sample by calculating Pearson's concordance correlation coefficient for each domain and for the total score, both at baseline and after 15 days (r range between -1.00 to +1.00, where +1.00 indicates the strongest positive association). Cronbach's alpha coefficients for total and domain score were sufficiently high, ranging from 0.92 to 0.97 for the total sample. The test-retest procedure revealed that the concordance correlation coefficient was very high both for FSFI-I total score (Pearson's P = 0.93) and for each domain (Pearson's P always >0.92). For the first time in the literature, our study has produced a validated and reliable Italian version of the FSFI questionnaire. Consequently, the Italian FSFI can be used as a reliable tool for preliminary screening for female sexual dysfunction for Italian women. © 2013 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Validation of the German version of the 'Hypogonadism Related Symptom Scale' (HRS) in andrological patients with infertility, HIV infection and metabolic syndrome.

PubMed

Alidjanov, J; Wolf, J; Schuppe, H-C; Weidner, W; Diemer, T; Linn, T; Halefeldt, I; Wagenlehner, F; Wiltink, J; Pilatz, A

2014-12-01

As commonly used self-reported screening instruments for male hypogonadism demonstrated lack of specificity, a Hypogonadism Related Symptom Scale (HRS) was developed in 2009 as a novel self-rating screening tool. As the questionnaire has not been validated, the purpose of our study was to perform a validation in patients presenting with different disorders (e.g. infertility, HIV infection or metabolic syndrome) and disease-related risk to develop hypogonadism. Two hundred and eighteen patients aged 19-71 years (40.1 ± 9.5) who completed the HRS and other common questionnaires [International Index Of Erectile Function (IIEF), National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), short form (SF)-12] were included. In all patients, blood levels of total testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, oestradiol and sex hormone-binding globulin were determined and free testosterone was calculated. Cronbach's α for the scale was 0.896, split-half 0.871 for the 1st half and 0.807 for the 2nd half. Spearman-Brown coefficient was 0.767, and Guttman split-half coefficient was 0.759. Consistent correlations were found between HRS and IIEF5 (ρ = 0.57, P < 0.001), and HADS (ρ = -0.6, P < 0.001). In addition, HRS was significantly correlated with total testosterone (ρ = 0.135, P < 0.05), free testosterone (ρ = 0.148, P < 0.05) and oestradiol (ρ = -0.134, P < 0.05). Our validation study confirms the data from the initial development of the HRS questionnaire. Clinicians might have an additional advantage from the HRS when investigating males with suspected hypogonadism. © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Contributions of the Computer-Administered Neuropsychological Screen for Mild Cognitive Impairment (CANS-MCI) for the diagnosis of MCI in Brazil.

PubMed

Memória, Cláudia M; Yassuda, Mônica S; Nakano, Eduardo Y; Forlenza, Orestes V

2014-05-07

ABSTRACT Background: The Computer-Administered Neuropsychological Screen for Mild Cognitive Impairment (CANS-MCI) is a computer-based cognitive screening instrument that involves automated administration and scoring and immediate analyses of test sessions. The objective of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the Brazilian Portuguese version of the CANS-MCI (CANS-MCI-BR) and to evaluate its reliability and validity for the diagnostic screening of MCI and dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. Methods: The test was administered to 97 older adults (mean age 73.41 ± 5.27 years) with at least four years of formal education (mean education 12.23 ± 4.48 years). Participants were classified into three diagnostic groups according to global cognitive status (normal controls, n = 41; MCI, n = 35; AD, n = 21) based on clinical data and formal neuropsychological assessments. Results: The results indicated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.77) in the total sample. Three-month test-retest reliability correlations were significant and robust (0.875; p < 0.001). A moderate level of concurrent validity was attained relative to the screening test for MCI (MoCA test, r = 0.76, p < 0.001). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor model of the original test, i.e., memory, language/spatial fluency, and executive function/mental control. Goodness of fit indicators were strong (Bentler Comparative Fit Index = 0.96, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.09). Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses suggested high sensitivity and specificity (81% and 73% respectively) to screen for possible MCI cases. Conclusions: The CANS-MCI-BR maintains adequate psychometric characteristics that render it suitable to identify elderly adults with probable cognitive impairment to whom a more extensive evaluation by formal neuropsychological tests may be required.

Global Sensitivity Analysis of Environmental Models: Convergence, Robustness and Validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarrazin, Fanny; Pianosi, Francesca; Khorashadi Zadeh, Farkhondeh; Van Griensven, Ann; Wagener, Thorsten

2015-04-01

Global Sensitivity Analysis aims to characterize the impact that variations in model input factors (e.g. the parameters) have on the model output (e.g. simulated streamflow). In sampling-based Global Sensitivity Analysis, the sample size has to be chosen carefully in order to obtain reliable sensitivity estimates while spending computational resources efficiently. Furthermore, insensitive parameters are typically identified through the definition of a screening threshold: the theoretical value of their sensitivity index is zero but in a sampling-base framework they regularly take non-zero values. There is little guidance available for these two steps in environmental modelling though. The objective of the present study is to support modellers in making appropriate choices, regarding both sample size and screening threshold, so that a robust sensitivity analysis can be implemented. We performed sensitivity analysis for the parameters of three hydrological models with increasing level of complexity (Hymod, HBV and SWAT), and tested three widely used sensitivity analysis methods (Elementary Effect Test or method of Morris, Regional Sensitivity Analysis, and Variance-Based Sensitivity Analysis). We defined criteria based on a bootstrap approach to assess three different types of convergence: the convergence of the value of the sensitivity indices, of the ranking (the ordering among the parameters) and of the screening (the identification of the insensitive parameters). We investigated the screening threshold through the definition of a validation procedure. The results showed that full convergence of the value of the sensitivity indices is not necessarily needed to rank or to screen the model input factors. Furthermore, typical values of the sample sizes that are reported in the literature can be well below the sample sizes that actually ensure convergence of ranking and screening.

[Validity of three methods for inmuno-diagnostic of neurocysticercosis: systematic review of the literature with meta-analysis 1960-2014].

PubMed

Cardona-Arias, Jaiberth Antonio; Carrasquilla-Agudelo, Yoneida Elena; Restrepo-Posada, Deisy Cristina

2017-02-01

The screening of neurocysticercosis is complex and immunological methods have varying validity. To evaluate the validity of ELISA for antigen and antibody, and EITB for antibody in the screening of neurocysticercosis. Meta-analysis of diagnostic tests with an ex-ante protocol implemented in five databases with 15 search strategies, ensuring reproducibility in the selection and extraction of information. Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios (LR), diagnostic odds ratio and ROC curve were estimated in MetaDiSc, and predictive values, and Youden index were estimated in Epidat. EITB presented sensitivity of 85.7% (95% CI 83.5-87.7), specificity 93.9% (95% CI = 92.7-95.0), PLR 19.6 (95% CI = 8,6-44.6), NLR 0.16 (95% CI = 0.12-0.21), OR diagnostic 136.2 (95% CI = 54.7-342.6) and area under the curve 0.926. In ELISA for antibody sensitivity was 87.5% (95% CI = 86.1-88.8), specificity 92.2% (95% CI = 91.4-93.0), PLR 11.3 (95% CI = 8.45-15.11), NLR 0.15 (95% CI = 0.13-0.18), diagnostic OR 87.4 (95% CI = 60.1-127.1) and area under the curve 0.950. ELISA for antigen showed low diagnostic validity. No differences were found in these parameters by sample, antigen or antibody type. ELISA for antibodies and EITB have a similar diagnostic value, detection of serum and CSF showed a similar validity.

Study protocol for a transversal study to develop a screening model for excessive gambling behaviours on a representative sample of users of French authorised gambling websites

PubMed Central

Hardouin, Jean-Benoit; Grall-Bronnec, Marie; Challet-Bouju, Gaëlle

2017-01-01

Introduction Since the legalisation of online gambling in France in 2010, gambling operators must implement responsible gambling measures to prevent excessive gambling practices. However, actually there is no screening procedure for identifying problematic gamblers. Although several studies have already been performed using several data sets from online gambling operators, the authors deplored several methodological and clinical limits that prevent scientifically validating the existence of problematic gambling behaviour. The aim of this study is to develop a model for screening excessive gambling practices based on the gambling behaviours observed on French gambling websites, coupled with a clinical validation. Methods and analysis The research is divided into three successive stages. All analyses will be performed for each major type of authorised online gambling in France. The first stage aims at defining a typology of users of French authorised gambling websites based on their gambling behaviour. This analysis will be based on data from the Authority for Regulating Online Gambling (ARJEL) and the Française Des Jeux (FDJ). For the second stage aiming at determining a score to predict whether a gambler is problematic or not, we will cross answers from the Canadian Problem Gambling Index with real gambling data. The objective of the third stage is to clinically validate the score previously developed. Results from the screening model will be compared (using sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve, and positive and negative predictive values) with the diagnosis obtained with a telephone clinical interview, including diagnostic criteria for gambling addiction. Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the local Research Ethics Committee (GNEDS) on 25 March 2015. Results will be presented in national and international conferences, submitted to peer-reviewed journals and will be part of a PhD thesis. A final report with the study results will be presented to the ARJEL, especially the final screening model. Trial registration number NCT02415296. PMID:28515192

Nanoliter microfluidic hybrid method for simultaneous screening and optimization validated with crystallization of membrane proteins

PubMed Central

Li, Liang; Mustafi, Debarshi; Fu, Qiang; Tereshko, Valentina; Chen, Delai L.; Tice, Joshua D.; Ismagilov, Rustem F.

2006-01-01

High-throughput screening and optimization experiments are critical to a number of fields, including chemistry and structural and molecular biology. The separation of these two steps may introduce false negatives and a time delay between initial screening and subsequent optimization. Although a hybrid method combining both steps may address these problems, miniaturization is required to minimize sample consumption. This article reports a “hybrid” droplet-based microfluidic approach that combines the steps of screening and optimization into one simple experiment and uses nanoliter-sized plugs to minimize sample consumption. Many distinct reagents were sequentially introduced as ≈140-nl plugs into a microfluidic device and combined with a substrate and a diluting buffer. Tests were conducted in ≈10-nl plugs containing different concentrations of a reagent. Methods were developed to form plugs of controlled concentrations, index concentrations, and incubate thousands of plugs inexpensively and without evaporation. To validate the hybrid method and demonstrate its applicability to challenging problems, crystallization of model membrane proteins and handling of solutions of detergents and viscous precipitants were demonstrated. By using 10 μl of protein solution, ≈1,300 crystallization trials were set up within 20 min by one researcher. This method was compatible with growth, manipulation, and extraction of high-quality crystals of membrane proteins, demonstrated by obtaining high-resolution diffraction images and solving a crystal structure. This robust method requires inexpensive equipment and supplies, should be especially suitable for use in individual laboratories, and could find applications in a number of areas that require chemical, biochemical, and biological screening and optimization. PMID:17159147

[Fool's gold standards in language screening. Sensitivity and specificity of the Hessian child language screening test (Kindersprachscreening, KiSS)].

PubMed

Neumann, K; Holler-Zittlau, I; van Minnen, S; Sick, U; Zaretsky, Y; Euler, H A

2011-01-01

The German Kindersprachscreening (KiSS) is a universal speech and language screening test for large-scale identification of Hessian kindergarten children requiring special educational language training or clinical speech/language therapy. To calculate the procedural screening validity, 257 children (aged 4.0 to 4.5 years) were tested using KiSS and four language tests (Reynell Development Language Scales III, Patholinguistische Diagnostik, PLAKSS, AWST-R). The majority or consensus judgements of three speech-language professionals, based on the language test results, served as a reference criterion. The base (fail) rates of the professionals were either self-determined or preset based on known prevalence rates. Screening validity was higher for preset than for self-determined base rates due to higher inter-judge agreement. The confusion matrices of the overall index classification of the KiSS (speech-language abnormalities with educational or clinical needs) with the fixed base rate expert judgement about language impairment, including fluency or voice disorders, yielded a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 78%, for just language impairment 84% and 75%, respectively. Specificities for disorders requiring clinical diagnostics in the KiSS (language impairment alone or combined with fluency/voice disorders) related to the test-based consensus expert judgment was about 93%. Sensitivities were unsatisfactory because the differentiation between educational and clinical needs requires improvement. Since the judgement concordances between the speech-language professionals was only moderate, the development of a comprehensive German reference test for speech and language disorders with evidence-based algorithmic decision rules rather than subjective clinical judgement is advocated.

Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Screening and New Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer (PCa)

PubMed Central

Rittenhouse, Harry; Hu, Xinhai; Cammann, Henning; Jung, Klaus

2014-01-01

Abstract PSA screening reduces PCa-mortality but the disadvantages overdiagnosis and overtreatment require multivariable risk-prediction tools to select appropriate treatment or active surveillance. This review explains the differences between the two largest screening trials and discusses the drawbacks of screening and its meta-analysisxs. The current American and European screening strategies are described. Nonetheless, PSA is one of the most widely used tumor markers and strongly correlates with the risk of harboring PCa. However, while PSA has limitations for PCa detection with its low specificity there are several potential biomarkers presented in this review with utility for PCa currently being studied. There is an urgent need for new biomarkers especially to detect clinically significant and aggressive PCa. From all PSA-based markers, the FDA-approved prostate health index (phi) shows improved specificity over percent free and total PSA. Another kallikrein panel, 4K, which includes KLK2 has recently shown promise in clinical research studies but has not yet undergone formal validation studies. In urine, prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) has also been validated and approved by the FDA for its utility to detect PCa. The potential correlation of PCA3 with cancer aggressiveness requires more clinical studies. The detection of the fusion of androgen-regulated genes with genes of the regulatory transcription factors in tissue of ~50% of all PCa-patients is a milestone in PCa research. A combination of the urinary assays for TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion and PCA3 shows an improved accuracy for PCa detection. Overall, the field of PCa biomarker discovery is very exciting and prospective. PMID:27683457

Can brief measures effectively screen for pain and somatic malingering? Examination of the Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire and Pain Disability Index.

PubMed

Crighton, Adam H; Wygant, Dustin B; Applegate, Kathryn C; Umlauf, Robert L; Granacher, Robert P

2014-09-01

Recent rise in fraudulent disability claims in the United States has resulted in psychologists being increasingly called upon to use psychological tests to determine whether disability claims based on psychological or somatic/pain complaints are legitimate. To examine two brief measures, Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire (MSPQ) and the Pain Disability Index (PDI), and their ability to screen for malingering in relation to the Bianchini et al. criteria for malingered pain-related disability published in The Spine Journal (2005). Examined brief self-report measures between litigating and nonlitigating pain samples. We compared 144 disability litigants, predominantly presenting a history of musculoskeletal injuries with psychiatric overlay, with 167 nonlitigating pain patients who were predominantly in treatment for chronic back pain issues and other musculoskeletal conditions. Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire, Pain Disability Index, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form, Test of Memory Malingering, Letter Memory Test, Victoria Symptom Validity Test, Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms-second edition, Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders somatoform disorders module. We examined a sample of 144 individuals undergoing compensation-seeking evaluations in relation to 167 nonlitigating pain patients. Group differences on both the MSPQ and PDI were calculated, as well as sensitivities, specificities, and positive and negative predictive powers for both measures at selected cutoffs. The results suggest that both the MSPQ and PDI are useful to screen for pain malingering in forensic evaluations, especially the MSPQ, which performed the best in differentiating between the groups. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development and evaluation of an automated fall risk assessment system.

PubMed

Lee, Ju Young; Jin, Yinji; Piao, Jinshi; Lee, Sun-Mi

2016-04-01

Fall risk assessment is the first step toward prevention, and a risk assessment tool with high validity should be used. This study aimed to develop and validate an automated fall risk assessment system (Auto-FallRAS) to assess fall risks based on electronic medical records (EMRs) without additional data collected or entered by nurses. This study was conducted in a 1335-bed university hospital in Seoul, South Korea. The Auto-FallRAS was developed using 4211 fall-related clinical data extracted from EMRs. Participants included fall patients and non-fall patients (868 and 3472 for the development study; 752 and 3008 for the validation study; and 58 and 232 for validation after clinical application, respectively). The system was evaluated for predictive validity and concurrent validity. The final 10 predictors were included in the logistic regression model for the risk-scoring algorithm. The results of the Auto-FallRAS were shown as high/moderate/low risk on the EMR screen. The predictive validity analyzed after clinical application of the Auto-FallRAS was as follows: sensitivity = 0.95, NPV = 0.97 and Youden index = 0.44. The validity of the Morse Fall Scale assessed by nurses was as follows: sensitivity = 0.68, NPV = 0.88 and Youden index = 0.28. This study found that the Auto-FallRAS results were better than were the nurses' predictions. The advantage of the Auto-FallRAS is that it automatically analyzes information and shows patients' fall risk assessment results without requiring additional time from nurses. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

Validation of Standardized Questionnaires Evaluating Symptoms of Depression in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: Approaches to Screening for a Frequent Yet Underrated Challenge.

PubMed

Englbrecht, Matthias; Alten, Rieke; Aringer, Martin; Baerwald, Christoph G; Burkhardt, Harald; Eby, Nancy; Fliedner, Gerhard; Gauger, Bettina; Henkemeier, Ulf; Hofmann, Michael W; Kleinert, Stefan; Kneitz, Christian; Krueger, Klaus; Pohl, Christoph; Roske, Anne-Eve; Schett, Georg; Schmalzing, Marc; Tausche, Anne-Kathrin; Peter Tony, Hans; Wendler, Joerg

2017-01-01

To validate standard self-report questionnaires for depression screening in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and compare these measures to one another and to the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), a standardized structured interview. In 9 clinical centers across Germany, depressive symptomatology was assessed in 262 adult RA patients at baseline (T0) and at 12 ± 2 weeks followup (T1) using the World Health Organization 5-Item Well-Being Index (WHO-5), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). The construct validity of these depression questionnaires (using convergent and discriminant validity) was evaluated using Spearman's correlations at both time points. The test-retest reliability of the questionnaires was evaluated in RA patients who had not undergone a psychotherapeutic intervention or received antidepressants between T0 and T1. The sensitivity and the specificity of the questionnaires were calculated using the results of the MADRS, a structured interview, as the gold standard. According to Spearman's correlation coefficients, all questionnaires met convergent validity criteria (ρ > |0.50|), with the BDI-II performing best, while correlations with age and disease activity for all questionnaires met the criteria for discriminant validity (ρ < |0.50|). The only questionnaire to meet the predefined retest reliability criterion (ρ ≥ 0.70) was the BDI-II (r s  = 0.77), which also achieved the best results for both sensitivity and specificity (>80%) when using the MADRS as the gold standard. The BDI-II best met the predefined criteria, and the PHQ-9 met most of the validity criteria, with lower sensitivity and specificity. © 2016, American College of Rheumatology.

Measuring Outcomes for Dysphagia: Validity and Reliability of the European Portuguese Eating Assessment Tool (P-EAT-10).

PubMed

Nogueira, Dália Santos; Ferreira, Pedro Lopes; Reis, Elizabeth Azevedo; Lopes, Inês Sousa

2015-10-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and the reliability of the European Portuguese version of the EAT-10 (P-EAT-10). This research was conducted in three phases: (i) cultural and linguistic adaptation; (ii) feasibility and reliability test; and (iii) validity tests. The final sample was formed by a cohort of 520 subjects. The P-EAT-10 index was compared for socio-demographic and clinic variables. It was also compared for both dysphagic and non-dysphagic groups as well as for the results of the 3Oz wst. Lastly, the P-EAT-10 scores were correlated with the EuroQol Group Portuguese EQ-5D index. The Cronbach's α obtained for the P-EAT-10 scale was 0.952 and it remained excellent even if any item was deleted. The item-total and the intraclass correlation coefficients were very good. The P-EAT-10 mean of the non-dysphagic cohort was 0.56 and that of the dysphagic cohort was 14.26, the mean comparison between the 3Oz wst groups and the P-EAT-10 scores were significant. A significant higher perception of QoL was also found among the non-dysphagic subjects. P-EAT-10 is a valid and reliable measure that may be used to document dysphagia which makes it useful both for screening in clinical practice and in research.

A symptom diary to assess severe premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

PubMed

Janda, Carolyn; Kues, Johanna N; Andersson, Gerhard; Kleinstäuber, Maria; Weise, Cornelia

2017-08-01

The differentiation between premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) has been widely discussed. PMDD is listed as a mental disorder in the DSM-5, whereas PMS is not considered as a mental disorder in any diagnostic manual. Consequently, PMS is operationalized in different ways. Keeping a symptom diary is required to diagnose PMDD but is also recommended for PMS. The aim of our study was, therefore, to operationalize PMS and PMDD within a DSM-5-based symptom diary. We developed a symptom-intensity-score (SI-score) and an interference-score (INT-score) to evaluate the symptom diary. Ninety-eight women (aged 20-45 years) completed a symptom diary over two menstrual cycles, a retrospective screening for premenstrual symptoms, and answered additional impairment questionnaires from August 2013 to August 2015. The scores revealed moderate to good reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.83-0.96). Convergent validity was shown by significant correlations with a retrospective screening, the Pain Disability Index, and the German PMS-Impact Questionnaire. Discriminant validity was indicated by low correlations with the Big Five Inventory-10. These scores may facilitate the evaluation of prospective symptom ratings in research and clinical practice. Future research should focus on continuing to validate the scores (e.g., in an ambulatory setting).

Validation of a Screening Risk Index for Serious Prescription Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression or Overdose in a US Commercial Health Plan Claims Database

PubMed Central

Zedler, Barbara K; Saunders, William B; Joyce, Andrew R; Vick, Catherine C; Murrelle, E Lenn

2018-01-01

Abstract Objective To validate a risk index that estimates the likelihood of overdose or serious opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD) among medical users of prescription opioids. Subjects and Methods A case-control analysis of 18,365,497 patients with an opioid prescription from 2009 to 2013 in the IMS PharMetrics Plus commercially insured health plan claims database (CIP). An OIRD event occurred in 7,234 cases. Four controls were selected per case. Validity of the Risk Index for Overdose or Serious Opioid-induced Respiratory Depression (RIOSORD), developed previously using Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patient data, was assessed. Multivariable logistic regression was used within the CIP study population to develop a slightly refined RIOSORD. The composition and performance of the CIP-based RIOSORD was evaluated and compared with VHA-based RIOSORD. Results VHA-RIOSORD performed well in discriminating OIRD events in CIP (C-statistic = 0.85). Additionally, re-estimation of logistic model coefficients in CIP yielded a 0.90 C-statistic. The resulting comorbidity and pharmacotherapy variables most highly associated with OIRD and retained in the CIP-RIOSORD were largely concordant with VHA-RIOSORD. These variables included neuropsychiatric and cardiopulmonary disorders, impaired drug excretion, opioid characteristics, and concurrent psychoactive medications. The average predicted probability of OIRD ranged from 2% to 83%, with excellent agreement between predicted and observed incidence across risk classes. Conclusions RIOSORD had excellent predictive accuracy in a large population of US medical users of prescription opioids, similar to its performance in VHA. This practical risk index is designed to support clinical decision-making for safer opioid prescribing, and its clinical utility should be evaluated prospectively. PMID:28340046

Age-related differences in recommended anthropometric cut-off point validity to identify cardiovascular risk factors in ostensibly healthy women

PubMed Central

Björkelund, Cecilia; Guo, Xinxin; Skoog, Ingmar; Bosaeus, Ingvar; Lissner, Lauren

2014-01-01

Aim: To investigate validity of widely recommended anthropometric and total fat percentage cut-off points in screening for cardiovascular risk factors in women of different ages. Methods: A population-based sample of 1002 Swedish women aged 38, 50, 75 (younger, middle-aged and elderly, respectively) underwent anthropometry, health examinations and blood tests. Total fat was estimated (bioimpedance) in 670 women. Sensitivity, specificity of body mass index (BMI; ≥25 and ≥30), waist circumference (WC; ≥80 cm and ≥88 cm) and total fat percentage (TF; ≥35%) cut-off points for cardiovascular risk factors (dyslipidaemias, hypertension and hyperglycaemia) were calculated for each age. Cut-off points yielding high sensitivity together with modest specificity were considered valid. Women reporting hospital admission for cardiovascular disease were excluded. Results: The sensitivity of WC ≥80 cm for one or more risk factors was ~60% in younger and middle-aged women, and 80% in elderly women. The specificity of WC ≥80 cm for one or more risk factors was 69%, 57% and 40% at the three ages (p < .05 for age trends). WC ≥80 cm yielded ~80% sensitivity for two or more risk factors across all ages. However, specificity decreased with increasing age (p < .0001), being 33% in elderly. WC ≥88 cm provided better specificity in elderly women. BMI and TF % cut-off points were not better than WC. Conclusions: Validity of recommended anthropometric cut-off points in screening asymptomatic women varies with age. In younger and middle-age, WC ≥80 cm yielded high sensitivity and modest specificity for two or more risk factors, however, sensitivity for one or more risk factor was less than optimal. WC ≥88 cm showed better validity than WC ≥80 cm in elderly. Our results support age-specific screening cut-off points for women. PMID:25294689

Age-related differences in recommended anthropometric cut-off point validity to identify cardiovascular risk factors in ostensibly healthy women.

PubMed

Subramoney, Sreevidya; Björkelund, Cecilia; Guo, Xinxin; Skoog, Ingmar; Bosaeus, Ingvar; Lissner, Lauren

2014-12-01

To investigate validity of widely recommended anthropometric and total fat percentage cut-off points in screening for cardiovascular risk factors in women of different ages. A population-based sample of 1002 Swedish women aged 38, 50, 75 (younger, middle-aged and elderly, respectively) underwent anthropometry, health examinations and blood tests. Total fat was estimated (bioimpedance) in 670 women. Sensitivity, specificity of body mass index (BMI; ≥25 and ≥30), waist circumference (WC; ≥80 cm and ≥88 cm) and total fat percentage (TF; ≥35%) cut-off points for cardiovascular risk factors (dyslipidaemias, hypertension and hyperglycaemia) were calculated for each age. Cut-off points yielding high sensitivity together with modest specificity were considered valid. Women reporting hospital admission for cardiovascular disease were excluded. The sensitivity of WC ≥80 cm for one or more risk factors was ~60% in younger and middle-aged women, and 80% in elderly women. The specificity of WC ≥80 cm for one or more risk factors was 69%, 57% and 40% at the three ages (p < .05 for age trends). WC ≥80 cm yielded ~80% sensitivity for two or more risk factors across all ages. However, specificity decreased with increasing age (p < .0001), being 33% in elderly. WC ≥88 cm provided better specificity in elderly women. BMI and TF % cut-off points were not better than WC. Validity of recommended anthropometric cut-off points in screening asymptomatic women varies with age. In younger and middle-age, WC ≥80 cm yielded high sensitivity and modest specificity for two or more risk factors, however, sensitivity for one or more risk factor was less than optimal. WC ≥88 cm showed better validity than WC ≥80 cm in elderly. Our results support age-specific screening cut-off points for women. © 2014 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

The Reliability and Validity of Prostate Cancer Fatalism Inventory in Turkish Language.

PubMed

Aydoğdu, Nihal Gördes; Çapık, Cantürk; Ersin, Fatma; Kissal, Aygul; Bahar, Zuhal

2017-10-01

This study aimed to conduct the reliability and validity study of the Prostate Cancer Fatalism Inventory in Turkish language. The study carried out in methodological type and consisted of 171 men. The ages of the participants ranged between 40 and 82. The content validity index was determined to be 0.80, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value 0.825, Bartlett's test X 2  = 750.779 and p = 0.000. Then the principal component analysis was applied to the 15-item inventory. The inventory consisted of one dimension, and the load factors were over 0.30 for all items. The explained variance of the inventory was found 33.3 %. The Kuder-Richardson-20 coefficient was determined to be 0.849 and the item-total correlations ranged between 0.335 and 0.627. The Prostate Cancer Fatalism Inventory was a reliable and valid measurement tool in Turkish language. Integrating psychological strategies for prostate cancer screening may be required to strengthen the positive effects of nursing education.

Development and validation of the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale - Brazilian version.

PubMed

Nunes, Ana Letícia Santos; Filgueiras, Alberto; Nicolato, Rodrigo; Alvarenga, Jussara Mendonça; Silveira, Luciana Angélica Silva; Silva, Rafael Assis da; Cheniaux, Elie

2017-01-01

This article aims to describe the adaptation and translation process of the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS) and its reduced version, the Bush-Francis Catatonia Screening Instrument (BFCSI) for Brazilian Portuguese, as well as its validation. Semantic equivalence processes included four steps: translation, back translation, evaluation of semantic equivalence and a pilot-study. Validation consisted of simultaneous applications of the instrument in Portuguese by two examiners in 30 catatonic and 30 non-catatonic patients. Total scores averaged 20.07 for the complete scale and 7.80 for its reduced version among catatonic patients, compared with 0.47 and 0.20 among non-catatonic patients, respectively. Overall values of inter-rater reliability of the instruments were 0.97 for the BFCSI and 0.96 for the BFCRS. The scale's version in Portuguese proved to be valid and was able to distinguish between catatonic and non-catatonic patients. It was also reliable, with inter-evaluator reliability indexes as high as those of the original instrument.

Validity and Reliability of the Filipino Reflux Symptom Index.

PubMed

Lapeña, José Florencio F; Ambrocio, Giancarla Marie C; Carrillo, Ryner Jose D

2017-05-01

This study aimed to establish validity and reliability of the Filipino Reflux Symptom Index (FRSI) and to test it among patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) before and after 6 months' trial of rabeprazole. A case-control study was carried out. There were 35 LPR patients and 30 controls who were twice-administered the FRSI and Filipino Voice Handicap Index (FVHI) for test-retest reliability, and videostroboscopy was performed to obtain baseline reflux finding scores (RFSs). Patients took rabeprazole 20 mg twice daily for 6 months. The FRSI and FVHI were readministered a third time, repeat videostroboscopy was performed, and repeat RFS was obtained. Reliability, validity, and internal consistency were computed. A total of 58 participants, 29 patients and controls each, aged 22-65 years completed the study. FVHI 2:1 and FRSI 2:1 significantly correlated with no significant differences between FRSI 2:1. FRSI had good item-total correlations indicating psychometrically sound items. There were significant differences between patients and controls for FRSI scores and mean scores. FRSI 3 scores were significantly lower than FRSI 1 scores, suggesting symptoms improved after treatment. There were no significant differences between RFS 2 and 1. Significant differences between FRSI 3 and 1, but not between FVHI 3 and 1, suggest the FRSI was more sensitive to changes in reflux after 6 months' intervention than the FVHI. The FRSI is a valid and reliable tool for assessing LPR symptoms and may be used for primary care screening among Filipinos. Initial response to a 2-week empirical proton pump inhibitor trial may support an impression of LPR; non-response warrants specialist referral for further investigation. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The reliability and validity of using the urine dipstick test by patient self-assessment for urinary tract infection screening in spinal cord injury patients.

PubMed

Duanngai, Krit; Sirasaporn, Patpiya; Ngaosinchai, Siriwan Surapaitoon

2017-01-01

The aim of this is to evaluate the reliability of the urine dipstick test by patients' self-assessment for urinary tract infection (UTI) screening and to determine the validity of urine dipstick test. Rehabilitation Department, Srinagarind Hospital, Thailand. A diagnostic study. This study compared the urine dipstick test (index test) with the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) criteria (gold standard test) in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. The urine dipstick test informed positive and negative results. Besides the NIDRR criteria classified as UTI and no UTI. The interrater reliability was measured in the sense of Kappa whereas the validity of urine dipstick test was reported in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR) (+LR), negative LR (-LR), positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). Out of the 56 participants, the kappa of urine dipstick test for leukocyte esterase, nitrite, and combined leukocyte esterase and nitrite were 0.09, 0.21, and 0.52, respectively. The nitrite urine dipstick test showed the highest sensitivity (90%). The combined leukocyte esterase and nitrite urine dipstick test gave the highest specificity (87%), PPV (60%), NPV (93%), and +LR (5.63). The interrater reliability of combined leukocyte esterase and nitrite urine dipstick test was moderate agreement. The combined leukocyte esterase and nitrite urine dipstick test showed high level of both sensitivity and specificity. The combined leukocyte esterase and nitrite urine dipstick test should be promoted for patients' self-assessment for UTI screening in SCI patients.

Development of Cardiovascular Quality Indicators for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results from an International Expert Panel Using a Novel Online Process

PubMed Central

Barber, Claire E. H.; Marshall, Deborah A; Alvarez, Nanette; John Mancini, G. B.; Lacaille, Diane; Keeling, Stephanie; Aviña-Zubieta, J. Antonio; Khodyakov, Dmitry; Barnabe, Cheryl; Faris, Peter; Smith, Alexa; Noormohamed, Raheem; Hazlewood, Glen; Martin, Liam O.; Esdaile, John M.

2016-01-01

Objective Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a high risk of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). We developed CVD quality indicators (QIs) for screening and use in Rheumatology clinics. Methods A systematic review of the literature on CVD risk reduction in RA and the general population was conducted. Based on the best practices identified from this review, a draft set of 12 candidate QIs were presented to a Canadian panel of rheumatologists and cardiologists (n=6) from three academic centers to achieve consensus on the QI specifications. The resulting 11 QIs were then evaluated by an online modified-Delphi panel of multidisciplinary health professionals and patients (n = 43) to determine their relevance, validity and feasibility in three rounds of online voting and threaded discussion using a modified RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Methodology. Results Response rates for the online panel were 86%. All 11 QIs were rated as highly relevant, valid and feasible (median rating ≥7 on a 1–9 scale) with no significant disagreement. The final QI set addresses the following themes: communication to primary care about increased CV risk in RA, CV risk assessment, defining smoking status and providing cessation counseling, screening and addressing hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes, exercise recommendations, body mass index screening and lifestyle counseling, minimizing corticosteroid use and communicating to patients at high risk of CVD about the risks/benefits of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Conclusion Eleven QIs for CVD care in RA patients have been developed and are rated as highly relevant, valid and feasible by an international multidisciplinary panel. PMID:26178275

Weak cation exchange magnetic beads coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry in screening serum protein markers in osteopenia.

PubMed

He, Wei-Tao; Liang, Bo-Cheng; Shi, Zhen-Yu; Li, Xu-Yun; Li, Chun-Wen; Shi, Xiao-Lin

2016-01-01

The present study aimed at investigating the weak cation magnetic separation technology and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) in screening serum protein markers of osteopenia from ten postmenopausal women and ten postmenopausal women without osteopenia as control group, to find a new method for screening biomarkers and establishing a diagnostic model for primary type I osteoporosis. Serum samples were collected from postmenopausal women with osteopenia and postmenopausal women with normal bone mass. Proteins were extracted from serum samples by weak cation exchange magnetic beads technology, and mass spectra acquisition was done by MALDI-TOF-MS. The visualization and comparison of data sets, statistical peak evaluation, model recognition, and discovery of biomarker candidates were handled by the proteinchip data analysis system software(ZJU-PDAS). The diagnostic models were established using genetic arithmetic based support vector machine (SVM). The SVM result with the highest Youden Index was selected as the model. Combinatorial Peaks having the highest accuracy in distinguishing different samples were selected as potential biomarker. From the two group serum samples, a total of 133 differential features were selected. Ten features with significant intensity differences were screened. In the pair-wise comparisons, processing of MALDI-TOF spectra resulted in the identification of ten differential features between postmenopausal women with osteopenia and postmenopausal women with normal bone mass. The difference of features by Youden index showed that the highest features had a mass to charge ratio of 1699 and 3038 Da. A diagnosis model was established with these two peaks as the candidate marker, and the specificity of the model is 100 %, the sensitivity was 90 % by leave-one-out cross validation test. The two groups of specimens in SVM results on the scatter plot could be clearly distinguished. The peak with m/z 3038 in the SVM model was suggested as Secretin by TagIdent tool. To provide further validation, the secretin levels in serum were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays that is a competitive inhibition enzyme immunoassay technique for the in vitro quantitative measurement of secretin in human serum.

BFH-OST, a new predictive screening tool for identifying osteoporosis in postmenopausal Han Chinese women

PubMed Central

Ma, Zhao; Yang, Yong; Lin, JiSheng; Zhang, XiaoDong; Meng, Qian; Wang, BingQiang; Fei, Qi

2016-01-01

Purpose To develop a simple new clinical screening tool to identify primary osteoporosis by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in postmenopausal women and to compare its validity with the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA) in a Han Chinese population. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted, enrolling 1,721 community-dwelling postmenopausal Han Chinese women. All the subjects completed a structured questionnaire and had their bone mineral density measured using DXA. Using logistic regression analysis, we assessed the ability of numerous potential risk factors examined in the questionnaire to identify women with osteoporosis. Based on this analysis, we build a new predictive model, the Beijing Friendship Hospital Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool (BFH-OST). Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to compare the validity of the new model and OSTA in identifying postmenopausal women at increased risk of primary osteoporosis as defined according to the World Health Organization criteria. Results At screening, it was found that of the 1,721 subjects with DXA, 22.66% had osteoporosis and a further 47.36% had osteopenia. Of the items screened in the questionnaire, it was found that age, weight, height, body mass index, personal history of fracture after the age of 45 years, history of fragility fracture in either parent, current smoking, and consumption of three of more alcoholic drinks per day were all predictive of osteoporosis. However, age at menarche and menopause, years since menopause, and number of pregnancies and live births were irrelevant in this study. The logistic regression analysis and item reduction yielded a final tool (BFH-OST) based on age, body weight, height, and history of fracture after the age of 45 years. The BFH-OST index (cutoff =9.1), which performed better than OSTA, had a sensitivity of 73.6% and a specificity of 72.7% for identifying osteoporosis, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.797. Conclusion BFH-OST may be a powerful and cost-effective new clinical risk assessment tool for prescreening postmenopausal women at increased risk for osteoporosis by DXA, especially for Han Chinese women. PMID:27536085

Accuracy of non-paralytic anthropometric data for nutritional screening in older patients with stroke and hemiplegia.

PubMed

Nishioka, S; Wakabayashi, H; Yoshida, T

2017-02-01

Although malnutrition commonly affects stroke patients, there are no validated screening tools. We verified the usefulness of non-paralytic anthropometric measurements for the nutritional screening of stroke. A cross-sectional study was conducted in consecutive stroke patients with hemiplegia aged ⩾65 years, with Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form score ⩽11. Diagnostic malnutrition criteria from the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism were the reference standards: body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m 2 or weight loss >10%+BMI <22 or 20 kg/m 2 . Non-paralytic anthropometric measurements (calf circumference (CC), arm circumference (AC), triceps skinfold (TSF) and arm muscle circumference (AMC)) and serum albumin concentration (Alb) at admission were the index tests. Cutoffs were determined by receiver operation curve and Youden index, and accuracy by area under the curve (AUC) and kappa value. Functional independence measures at discharge and discharge destination were collected. We included 488 patients (224 men and 264 women) with a mean age of 78.8 years and mean BMI of 22.0 and 21.1 kg/m 2 , respectively. Eighty-one men and 124 women had malnutrition. The AUC for CC, AC, TSF, AMC and Alb was 0.859, 0.825, 0.764, 0.745 and 0.670 for men, and 0.881, 0.843, 0.796, 0.742 and 0.658 for women, respectively. In both sexes, CC had the highest kappa (0.533, 0.608; both P<0.001) with cutoff values ⩽31 and ⩽30 cm. Patients with lower CC showed significantly worse functional outcomes and lower proportion of return to home (P<0.001). Non-paralytic CC indicated malnutrition with sufficient accuracy and good correlation with functional capacity; it may be a useful nutritional screening tool for stroke.

Validation of the Turkish version of the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Lehmann, Vicky; Makine, Ceylan; Karşıdağ, Cagatay; Kadıoğlu, Pinar; Karşıdağ, Kubilay; Pouwer, François

2011-07-26

Depression is a common co-morbid health problem in patients with diabetes that is underrecognised. Current international guidelines recommend screening for depression in patients with diabetes. Yet, few depression screening instruments have been validated for use in this particular group of patients. Aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in patients with type 2 diabetes. A sample of 151 Turkish outpatients with type 2 diabetes completed the CES-D, the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and the Problem Areas in Diabetes scale (PAID). Explanatory factor analyses, various correlations and Cronbach's alpha were investigated to test the validity and reliability of the CES-D in Turkish diabetes outpatients. The original four-factor structure proposed by Radloff was not confirmed. Explanatory factor analyses revealed a two-factor structure representing two subscales: (1) depressed mood combined with somatic symptoms of depression and (2) positive affect. However, one item showed insufficient factor loadings. Cronbach's alpha of the total score was high (0.88), as were split-half coefficients (0.77-0.90). The correlation of the CES-D with the WHO-5 was the strongest (r = -0.70), and supported concurrent validity. The CES-D appears to be a valid measure for the assessment of depression in Turkish diabetes patients. Future studies should investigate its sensitivity and specificity as well as test-retest reliability.

Modeling Liver-Related Adverse Effects of Drugs Using kNN QSAR Method

PubMed Central

Rodgers, Amie D.; Zhu, Hao; Fourches, Dennis; Rusyn, Ivan; Tropsha, Alexander

2010-01-01

Adverse effects of drugs (AEDs) continue to be a major cause of drug withdrawals both in development and post-marketing. While liver-related AEDs are a major concern for drug safety, there are few in silico models for predicting human liver toxicity for drug candidates. We have applied the Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) approach to model liver AEDs. In this study, we aimed to construct a QSAR model capable of binary classification (active vs. inactive) of drugs for liver AEDs based on chemical structure. To build QSAR models, we have employed an FDA spontaneous reporting database of human liver AEDs (elevations in activity of serum liver enzymes), which contains data on approximately 500 approved drugs. Approximately 200 compounds with wide clinical data coverage, structural similarity and balanced (40/60) active/inactive ratio were selected for modeling and divided into multiple training/test and external validation sets. QSAR models were developed using the k nearest neighbor method and validated using external datasets. Models with high sensitivity (>73%) and specificity (>94%) for prediction of liver AEDs in external validation sets were developed. To test applicability of the models, three chemical databases (World Drug Index, Prestwick Chemical Library, and Biowisdom Liver Intelligence Module) were screened in silico and the validity of predictions was determined, where possible, by comparing model-based classification with assertions in publicly available literature. Validated QSAR models of liver AEDs based on the data from the FDA spontaneous reporting system can be employed as sensitive and specific predictors of AEDs in pre-clinical screening of drug candidates for potential hepatotoxicity in humans. PMID:20192250

Development of a Body Condition Scoring Index for Female African Elephants Validated by Ultrasound Measurements of Subcutaneous Fat

PubMed Central

Morfeld, Kari A.; Lehnhardt, John; Alligood, Christina; Bolling, Jeff; Brown, Janine L.

2014-01-01

Obesity-related health and reproductive problems may be contributing to non-sustainability of zoo African elephant (Loxodonta africana) populations. However, a major constraint in screening for obesity in elephants is lack of a practical method to accurately assess body fat. Body condition scoring (BCS) is the assessment of subcutaneous fat stores based on visual evaluation and provides an immediate appraisal of the degree of obesity of an individual. The objective of this study was to develop a visual BCS index for female African elephants and validate it using ultrasound measures of subcutaneous fat. To develop the index, standardized photographs were collected from zoo (n = 50) and free-ranging (n = 57) female African elephants for identifying key body regions and skeletal features, which were then used to visually determine body fat deposition patterns. This information was used to develop a visual BCS method consisting of a list of body regions and the physical criteria for assigning an overall score on a 5-point scale, with 1 representing the lowest and 5 representing the highest levels of body fat. Results showed that as BCS increased, ultrasound measures of subcutaneous fat thickness also increased (P<0.01), indicating the scores closely coincide with physical measures of fat reserves. The BCS index proved to be reliable and repeatable based on high intra- and inter-assessor agreement across three assessors. In comparing photographs of wild vs. captive African elephants, the median BCS in the free-ranging individuals (BCS = 3, range 1–5) was lower (P<0.001) than that of the zoo population (BCS = 4, range 2–5). In sum, we have developed the first validated BCS index for African elephants. This tool can be used to examine which factors impact body condition in zoo and free-ranging elephants, providing valuable information on how it affects health and reproductive potential of individual elephants. PMID:24718304

Development of a body condition scoring index for female African elephants validated by ultrasound measurements of subcutaneous fat.

PubMed

Morfeld, Kari A; Lehnhardt, John; Alligood, Christina; Bolling, Jeff; Brown, Janine L

2014-01-01

Obesity-related health and reproductive problems may be contributing to non-sustainability of zoo African elephant (Loxodonta africana) populations. However, a major constraint in screening for obesity in elephants is lack of a practical method to accurately assess body fat. Body condition scoring (BCS) is the assessment of subcutaneous fat stores based on visual evaluation and provides an immediate appraisal of the degree of obesity of an individual. The objective of this study was to develop a visual BCS index for female African elephants and validate it using ultrasound measures of subcutaneous fat. To develop the index, standardized photographs were collected from zoo (n = 50) and free-ranging (n = 57) female African elephants for identifying key body regions and skeletal features, which were then used to visually determine body fat deposition patterns. This information was used to develop a visual BCS method consisting of a list of body regions and the physical criteria for assigning an overall score on a 5-point scale, with 1 representing the lowest and 5 representing the highest levels of body fat. Results showed that as BCS increased, ultrasound measures of subcutaneous fat thickness also increased (P<0.01), indicating the scores closely coincide with physical measures of fat reserves. The BCS index proved to be reliable and repeatable based on high intra- and inter-assessor agreement across three assessors. In comparing photographs of wild vs. captive African elephants, the median BCS in the free-ranging individuals (BCS = 3, range 1-5) was lower (P<0.001) than that of the zoo population (BCS = 4, range 2-5). In sum, we have developed the first validated BCS index for African elephants. This tool can be used to examine which factors impact body condition in zoo and free-ranging elephants, providing valuable information on how it affects health and reproductive potential of individual elephants.

Women's attitude towards routine human platelet antigen-screening in pregnancy.

PubMed

Winkelhorst, Dian; Loeff, Rosanne M; van den Akker-Van Marle, M Elske; de Haas, Masja; Oepkes, Dick

2017-08-01

Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia is a potentially life-threatening disease with excellent preventative treatment available for subsequent pregnancies. To prevent index cases, the effectiveness of a population-based screening program has been suggested repeatedly. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate women's attitude towards possible future human platelet antigen-screening in pregnancy. We performed a cross-sectional questionnaire study among healthy pregnant women receiving prenatal care in one of seven participating midwifery practices. Attitude was assessed using a questionnaire based on the validated Multidimensional Measurement of Informed Choice model, containing questions assessing knowledge, attitude and intention to participate. A total of 143 of the 220 women (65%) completed and returned the questionnaire. A positive attitude towards human platelet antigen-screening was expressed by 91% of participants, of which 94% was based on sufficient knowledge. Attitude was more likely to be negatively influenced by the opinion that screening can be frightening. Informed choices were made in 87% and occurred significantly less in women from non-European origin, 89% in European women vs. 60% in non-European women (p = 0.03). Pregnant women in the Netherlands expressed a positive attitude towards human platelet antigen-screening in pregnancy. We therefore expect a high rate of informed uptake when human platelet antigen-screening is implemented. In future counseling on human platelet antigen-screening, ethnicity and possible anxiety associated with a screening test need to be specifically addressed. © 2017 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Development of a Climate Resilience Screening Index (CRSI) and its potential for application in the U.S. - Conference Abstract

EPA Science Inventory

A Climate Resilience Screening Index is being developed that is applicable at multiple scales for the United States. Those scales include national, state, county and community. The index will be applied at the first three scales and at selected communities. The index was devel...

Development of a Climate Resilience Screening Index (CRSI) and its potential for application in the U.S.

EPA Science Inventory

A Climate Resilience Screening Index is being developed that is applicable at multiple scales for the United States. Those scales include national, state, county and community. The index will be applied at the first three scales and at selected communities. The index was devel...

Regional Differences as Barriers to Body Mass Index Screening Described by Ohio School Nurses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stalter, Ann M.; Chaudry, Rosemary V.; Polivka, Barbara J.

2011-01-01

Background: Body mass index (BMI) screening is advocated by the National Association of School Nurses (NASN). Research identifying barriers to BMI screening in public elementary school settings has been sparse. The purpose of the study was to identify barriers and facilitating factors of BMI screening practices among Ohio school nurses working in…

[Identification of adverse events in hospitalised influenza patients].

PubMed

Aranaz-Andrés, J M; Gea-Velázquez de Castro, M T; Jiménez-Pericás, F; Balbuena-Segura, A I; Meyer-García, M C; López-Fresneña, N; Miralles-Bueno, J J; Obón-Azuara, B; Moliner-Lahoz, J; Aibar-Remón, C

2015-01-01

To test the inter-observer agreement in identifying adverse events (AE) in patients hospitalized by flu and undergoing precautionary isolation measures. Historical cohort study, 50 patients undergoing isolation measures due to flu, and 50 patients without any isolation measures. The AE incidence ranges from 10 to 26% depending on the observer (26% [95%CI: 17.4%-34.60%], 10% [95%CI: 4.12%-15.88%], and 23% [95%CI: 14.75%-31.25%]). It was always lower in the cohort undergoing the isolation measures. This difference is statistically significant when the accurate definition of a case is applied. The agreement as regards the screening was good (higher than 76%; Kappa index between 0.29 and 0.81). The agreement as regards the accurate identification of AE related to care was lower (from 50 to 93.3%, Kappa index from 0.20 to 0.70). Before performing an epidemiological study on AE, interobserver concordance must be analyzed to improve the accuracy of the results and the validity of the study. Studies have different levels of reliability. Kappa index shows high levels for the screening guide, but not for the identification of AE. Without a good methodology the results achieved, and thus the decisions made from them, cannot be guaranteed. Researchers have to be sure of the method used, which should be as close as possible to the optimal achievable. Copyright © 2014 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

State of the art in the validation of screening methods for the control of antibiotic residues: is there a need for further development?

PubMed

Gaudin, Valérie

2017-09-01

Screening methods are used as a first-line approach to detect the presence of antibiotic residues in food of animal origin. The validation process guarantees that the method is fit-for-purpose, suited to regulatory requirements, and provides evidence of its performance. This article is focused on intra-laboratory validation. The first step in validation is characterisation of performance, and the second step is the validation itself with regard to pre-established criteria. The validation approaches can be absolute (a single method) or relative (comparison of methods), overall (combination of several characteristics in one) or criterion-by-criterion. Various approaches to validation, in the form of regulations, guidelines or standards, are presented and discussed to draw conclusions on their potential application for different residue screening methods, and to determine whether or not they reach the same conclusions. The approach by comparison of methods is not suitable for screening methods for antibiotic residues. The overall approaches, such as probability of detection (POD) and accuracy profile, are increasingly used in other fields of application. They may be of interest for screening methods for antibiotic residues. Finally, the criterion-by-criterion approach (Decision 2002/657/EC and of European guideline for the validation of screening methods), usually applied to the screening methods for antibiotic residues, introduced a major characteristic and an improvement in the validation, i.e. the detection capability (CCβ). In conclusion, screening methods are constantly evolving, thanks to the development of new biosensors or liquid chromatography coupled to tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods. There have been clear changes in validation approaches these last 20 years. Continued progress is required and perspectives for future development of guidelines, regulations and standards for validation are presented here.

Screening for obstructive sleep apnea in children with syndromic cleft lip and/or palate.

PubMed

Silvestre, Jason; Tahiri, Youssef; Paliga, J Thomas; Taylor, Jesse A

2014-11-01

Craniofacial malformations including cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) increase risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). While 30% of CL/P occurs in the context of underlying genetic syndromes, few studies have investigated the prevalence of OSA in this high-risk group. This study aims to determine the incidence and risk factors of positive screening for OSA in this complex patient population. The Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ) was prospectively administered to all patients cared for by the cleft lip and palate clinic at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia between January 2011 and August 2013. The PSQ is a 22-item, validated screening tool for OSA with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.83 and 0.87 in detecting an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) >5/hour in healthy children. The Fisher exact and Chi-square tests were used for purposes of comparison. 178 patients with syndromic CL/P completed the PSQ. Mean cohort age was 8.1 ± 4.4 years. Patients were predominately female (53.9%), Caucasian (78.1%), and had Veau Class II cleft (50.6%). Craniofacial syndromes included isolated Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) (29.8%), 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (14.6%), Van der Woude syndrome (6.7%), and other rare genetic abnormalities (28.8%). The overall incidence of positive OSA screening was 32.0%. Males were at increased risk for positive OSA screening (P = 0.030), as were non-Caucasians (P = 0.044). Symptoms with the highest positive predictive value for OSA were "others comment on child appearing sleepy" (76.2%) and "stops breathing during the night" (75.0%). Notably, patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome were at highest risk for positive screens (50.0%, P = 0.042). Nearly a third of our patients with syndromic CL/P screened positively for OSA (32.0%), highlighting the importance of screening in this at-risk population. Future work will correlate screening results with polysomnograms to help validate these findings. Diagnostic, III. Copyright © 2014 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

German translation, cross-cultural adaptation and diagnostic test accuracy of three frailty screening tools : PRISMA-7, FRAIL scale and Groningen Frailty Indicator.

PubMed

Braun, Tobias; Grüneberg, Christian; Thiel, Christian

2018-04-01

Routine screening for frailty could be used to timely identify older people with increased vulnerability und corresponding medical needs. The aim of this study was the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the PRISMA-7 questionnaire, the FRAIL scale and the Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI) into the German language as well as a preliminary analysis of the diagnostic test accuracy of these instruments used to screen for frailty. A diagnostic cross-sectional study was performed. The instrument translation into German followed a standardized process. Prefinal versions were clinically tested on older adults who gave structured in-depth feedback on the scales in order to compile a final revision of the German language scale versions. For the analysis of diagnostic test accuracy (criterion validity), PRISMA-7, FRAIL scale and GFI were considered the index tests. Two reference tests were applied to assess frailty, either based on Fried's model of a Physical Frailty Phenotype or on the model of deficit accumulation, expressed in a Frailty Index. Prefinal versions of the German translations of each instrument were produced and completed by 52 older participants (mean age: 73 ± 6 years). Some minor issues concerning comprehensibility and semantics of the scales were identified and resolved. Using the Physical Frailty Phenotype (frailty prevalence: 4%) criteria as a reference standard, the accuracy of the instruments was excellent (area under the curve AUC >0.90). Taking the Frailty Index (frailty prevalence: 23%) as the reference standard, the accuracy was good (AUC between 0.73 and 0.88). German language versions of PRISMA-7, FRAIL scale and GFI have been established and preliminary results indicate sufficient diagnostic test accuracy that needs to be further established.

Predicting risk and outcomes for frail older adults: an umbrella review of frailty screening tools

PubMed Central

Apóstolo, João; Cooke, Richard; Bobrowicz-Campos, Elzbieta; Santana, Silvina; Marcucci, Maura; Cano, Antonio; Vollenbroek-Hutten, Miriam; Germini, Federico; Holland, Carol

2017-01-01

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Background A scoping search identified systematic reviews on diagnostic accuracy and predictive ability of frailty measures in older adults. In most cases, research was confined to specific assessment measures related to a specific clinical model. Objectives To summarize the best available evidence from systematic reviews in relation to reliability, validity, diagnostic accuracy and predictive ability of frailty measures in older adults. Inclusion criteria Population Older adults aged 60 years or older recruited from community, primary care, long-term residential care and hospitals. Index test Available frailty measures in older adults. Reference test Cardiovascular Health Study phenotype model, the Canadian Study of Health and Aging cumulative deficit model, Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment or other reference tests. Diagnosis of interest Frailty defined as an age-related state of decreased physiological reserves characterized by an increased risk of poor clinical outcomes. Types of studies Quantitative systematic reviews. Search strategy A three-step search strategy was utilized to find systematic reviews, available in English, published between January 2001 and October 2015. Methodological quality Assessed by two independent reviewers using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for systematic reviews and research synthesis. Data extraction Two independent reviewers extracted data using the standardized data extraction tool designed for umbrella reviews. Data synthesis Data were only presented in a narrative form due to the heterogeneity of included reviews. Results Five reviews with a total of 227,381 participants were included in this umbrella review. Two reviews focused on reliability, validity and diagnostic accuracy; two examined predictive ability for adverse health outcomes; and one investigated validity, diagnostic accuracy and predictive ability. In total, 26 questionnaires and brief assessments and eight frailty indicators were analyzed, most of which were applied to community-dwelling older people. The Frailty Index was examined in almost all these dimensions, with the exception of reliability, and its diagnostic and predictive characteristics were shown to be satisfactory. Gait speed showed high sensitivity, but only moderate specificity, and excellent predictive ability for future disability in activities of daily living. The Tilburg Frailty Indicator was shown to be a reliable and valid measure for frailty screening, but its diagnostic accuracy was not evaluated. Screening Letter, Timed-up-and-go test and PRISMA 7 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) demonstrated high sensitivity and moderate specificity for identifying frailty. In general, low physical activity, variously measured, was one of the most powerful predictors of future decline in activities of daily living. Conclusion Only a few frailty measures seem to be demonstrably valid, reliable and diagnostically accurate, and have good predictive ability. Among them, the Frailty Index and gait speed emerged as the most useful in routine care and community settings. However, none of the included systematic reviews provided responses that met all of our research questions on their own and there is a need for studies that could fill this gap, covering all these issues within the same study. Nevertheless, it was clear that no suitable tool for assessing frailty appropriately in emergency departments was identified. PMID:28398987

Development and validation of a brief trauma screening measure for children: The Child Trauma Screen.

PubMed

Lang, Jason M; Connell, Christian M

2017-05-01

Childhood exposure to trauma, including violence and abuse, is a major public health concern that has resulted in increased efforts to promote trauma-informed child-serving systems. Trauma screening is an important component of such trauma-informed systems, yet widespread use of trauma screening is rare in part due to the lack of brief, validated trauma screening measures for children. We describe development and validation of the Child Trauma Screen (CTS), a 10-item screening measure of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms for children consistent with the DSM-5 definition of PTSD. Study 1 describes measure development incorporating analysis to derive items based on existing measures from 1,065 children and caregivers together with stakeholder input to finalize item selection. Study 2 describes validation of the CTS with a clinical sample of 74 children and their caregivers. Results support the CTS as an empirically derived, reliable measure to screen children for trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms with strong convergent, divergent, and criterion validity. The CTS is a promising measure for rapidly and reliably screening children for trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms. Future research is needed to confirm validation and to examine feasibility and utility of its use across various child-serving systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Development of a theoretical screening tool to assess caries risk in Nevada youth.

PubMed

Ditmyer, Marcia M; Mobley, Connie; Draper, Quinn; Demopoulos, Christina; Smith, E Steven

2008-01-01

One objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of caries among Nevada youth, subsequently comparing these data with national statistics. A second objective was to identify the risk factors associated with caries prevalence and severity in order to develop and tailor a theoretical screening tool for this cohort for future validation. Researchers computed the prevalence rates of dental caries (D-score) and severity rates of decayed, missing, and filled teeth indices in a cohort of 9202 students, 13 to 18 years of age, attending public/private schools in the 2005/2006 academic year. Multiple regression established which of the 13 variables significantly contributed to caries risk, subsequently using logistic regression to ascertain the weight of contribution and odds ratios of significant variables. Living in counties with no municipal water fluoridation, increased exposure to environmental smoke, minority race, living in rural communities, and increasing age were the largest significant contributors (respectively). Exposure to tobacco, being female, lack of dental insurance, increased body mass index risk, and lack of dental sealants were also significant, but to a lesser extent. Nonsignificant factors included socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and family history of diabetes. This study confirmed high caries prevalence and severity and identified significant risk factors for inclusion in a theoretical risk screening tool for future validation and translation for use in the early detection of caries risk in Nevada youth.

Incremental Value of Repeated Risk Factor Measurements for Cardiovascular Disease Prediction in Middle-Aged Korean Adults: Results From the NHIS-HEALS (National Health Insurance System-National Health Screening Cohort).

PubMed

Cho, In-Jeong; Sung, Ji Min; Chang, Hyuk-Jae; Chung, Namsik; Kim, Hyeon Chang

2017-11-01

Increasing evidence suggests that repeatedly measured cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors may have an additive predictive value compared with single measured levels. Thus, we evaluated the incremental predictive value of incorporating periodic health screening data for CVD prediction in a large nationwide cohort with periodic health screening tests. A total of 467 708 persons aged 40 to 79 years and free from CVD were randomly divided into development (70%) and validation subcohorts (30%). We developed 3 different CVD prediction models: a single measure model using single time point screening data; a longitudinal average model using average risk factor values from periodic screening data; and a longitudinal summary model using average values and the variability of risk factors. The development subcohort included 327 396 persons who had 3.2 health screenings on average and 25 765 cases of CVD over 12 years. The C statistics (95% confidence interval [CI]) for the single measure, longitudinal average, and longitudinal summary models were 0.690 (95% CI, 0.682-0.698), 0.695 (95% CI, 0.687-0.703), and 0.752 (95% CI, 0.744-0.760) in men and 0.732 (95% CI, 0.722-0.742), 0.735 (95% CI, 0.725-0.745), and 0.790 (95% CI, 0.780-0.800) in women, respectively. The net reclassification index from the single measure model to the longitudinal average model was 1.78% in men and 1.33% in women, and the index from the longitudinal average model to the longitudinal summary model was 32.71% in men and 34.98% in women. Using averages of repeatedly measured risk factor values modestly improves CVD predictability compared with single measurement values. Incorporating the average and variability information of repeated measurements can lead to great improvements in disease prediction. URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02931500. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Validation of the 4P's Plus screen for substance use in pregnancy validation of the 4P's Plus.

PubMed

Chasnoff, I J; Wells, A M; McGourty, R F; Bailey, L K

2007-12-01

The purpose of this study is to validate the 4P's Plus screen for substance use in pregnancy. A total of 228 pregnant women enrolled in prenatal care underwent screening with the 4P's Plus and received a follow-up clinical assessment for substance use. Statistical analyses regarding reliability, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive validity of the 4Ps Plus were conducted. The overall reliability for the five-item measure was 0.62. Seventy-four (32.5%) of the women had a positive screen. Sensitivity and specificity were very good, at 87 and 76%, respectively. Positive predictive validity was low (36%), but negative predictive validity was quite high (97%). Of the 31 women who had a positive clinical assessment, 45% were using less than 1 day per week. The 4P's Plus reliably and effectively screens pregnant women for risk of substance use, including those women typically missed by other perinatal screening methodologies.

Method for validating cloud mask obtained from satellite measurements using ground-based sky camera.

PubMed

Letu, Husi; Nagao, Takashi M; Nakajima, Takashi Y; Matsumae, Yoshiaki

2014-11-01

Error propagation in Earth's atmospheric, oceanic, and land surface parameters of the satellite products caused by misclassification of the cloud mask is a critical issue for improving the accuracy of satellite products. Thus, characterizing the accuracy of the cloud mask is important for investigating the influence of the cloud mask on satellite products. In this study, we proposed a method for validating multiwavelength satellite data derived cloud masks using ground-based sky camera (GSC) data. First, a cloud cover algorithm for GSC data has been developed using sky index and bright index. Then, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data derived cloud masks by two cloud-screening algorithms (i.e., MOD35 and CLAUDIA) were validated using the GSC cloud mask. The results indicate that MOD35 is likely to classify ambiguous pixels as "cloudy," whereas CLAUDIA is likely to classify them as "clear." Furthermore, the influence of error propagations caused by misclassification of the MOD35 and CLAUDIA cloud masks on MODIS derived reflectance, brightness temperature, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in clear and cloudy pixels was investigated using sky camera data. It shows that the influence of the error propagation by the MOD35 cloud mask on the MODIS derived monthly mean reflectance, brightness temperature, and NDVI for clear pixels is significantly smaller than for the CLAUDIA cloud mask; the influence of the error propagation by the CLAUDIA cloud mask on MODIS derived monthly mean cloud products for cloudy pixels is significantly smaller than that by the MOD35 cloud mask.

Internal Cluster Validation on Earthquake Data in the Province of Bengkulu

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rini, D. S.; Novianti, P.; Fransiska, H.

2018-04-01

K-means method is an algorithm for cluster n object based on attribute to k partition, where k < n. There is a deficiency of algorithms that is before the algorithm is executed, k points are initialized randomly so that the resulting data clustering can be different. If the random value for initialization is not good, the clustering becomes less optimum. Cluster validation is a technique to determine the optimum cluster without knowing prior information from data. There are two types of cluster validation, which are internal cluster validation and external cluster validation. This study aims to examine and apply some internal cluster validation, including the Calinski-Harabasz (CH) Index, Sillhouette (S) Index, Davies-Bouldin (DB) Index, Dunn Index (D), and S-Dbw Index on earthquake data in the Bengkulu Province. The calculation result of optimum cluster based on internal cluster validation is CH index, S index, and S-Dbw index yield k = 2, DB Index with k = 6 and Index D with k = 15. Optimum cluster (k = 6) based on DB Index gives good results for clustering earthquake in the Bengkulu Province.

Translated Versions of Voice Handicap Index (VHI)-30 across Languages: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

SEIFPANAHI, Sadegh; JALAIE, Shohreh; NIKOO, Mohammad Reza; SOBHANI-RAD, Davood

2015-01-01

Background: In this systematic review, the aim is to investigate different VHI-30 versions between languages regarding their validity, reliability and their translation process. Methods: Articles were extracted systematically from some of the prime databases including Cochrane, googlescholar, MEDLINE (via PubMed gate), Sciencedirect, Web of science, and their reference lists by Voice Handicap Index keyword with only title limitation and time of publication (from 1997 to 2014). However the other limitations (e.g. excluding non-English, other versions of VHI ones, and so on) applied manually after studying the papers. In order to appraise the methodology of the papers, three authors did it by 12-item diagnostic test checklist in “Critical Appraisal Skills Programme” or (CASP) site. After applying all of the screenings, the papers that had the study eligibility criteria such as; translation, validity, and reliability processes, included in this review. Results: The remained non-repeated articles were 12 from different languages. All of them reported validity, reliability and translation method, which presented in details in this review. Conclusion: Mainly the preferred method for translation in the gathered papers was “Brislin’s classic back-translation model (1970), although the procedure was not performed completely but it was more prominent than other translation procedures. High test-retest reliability, internal consistency and moderate construct validity between different languages in regards to all 3 VHI-30 domains confirm the applicability of translated VHI-30 version across languages. PMID:26056664

Validation of the Lollipop Test: A Diagnostic Screening Test of School Readiness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chew, Alex L.; Morris, John D.

1984-01-01

The validity of the Lollipop Test: A Diagnostic Screening Test of School Readiness was examined using the Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT), Level I, Form Q, as the criterion. Appreciable concurrent validity was found across test batteries. Implications for school readiness screening are discussed. (Author/BS)

Validation of a condition-specific measure for women having an abnormal screening mammography.

PubMed

Brodersen, John; Thorsen, Hanne; Kreiner, Svend

2007-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the validity of a new condition-specific instrument measuring psychosocial consequences of abnormal screening mammography (PCQ-DK33). The draft version of the PCQ-DK33 was completed on two occasions by 184 women who had received an abnormal screening mammography and on one occasion by 240 women who had received a normal screening result. Item Response Theories and Classical Test Theories were used to analyze data. Construct validity, concurrent validity, known group validity, objectivity and reliability were established by item analysis examining the fit between item responses and Rasch models. Six dimensions covering anxiety, behavioral impact, sense of dejection, impact on sleep, breast examination, and sexuality were identified. One item belonging to the dejection dimension had uniform differential item functioning. Two items not fitting the Rasch models were retained because of high face validity. A sick leave item added useful information when measuring side effects and socioeconomic consequences of breast cancer screening. Five "poor items" were identified and should be deleted from the final instrument. Preliminary evidence for a valid and reliable condition-specific measure for women having an abnormal screening mammography was established. The measure includes 27 "good" items measuring different attributes of the same overall latent structure-the psychosocial consequences of abnormal screening mammography.

Study protocol for a transversal study to develop a screening model for excessive gambling behaviours on a representative sample of users of French authorised gambling websites.

PubMed

Perrot, Bastien; Hardouin, Jean-Benoit; Costes, Jean-Michel; Caillon, Julie; Grall-Bronnec, Marie; Challet-Bouju, Gaëlle

2017-05-17

Since the legalisation of online gambling in France in 2010, gambling operators must implement responsible gambling measures to prevent excessive gambling practices. However, actually there is no screening procedure for identifying problematic gamblers. Although several studies have already been performed using several data sets from online gambling operators, the authors deplored several methodological and clinical limits that prevent scientifically validating the existence of problematic gambling behaviour. The aim of this study is to develop a model for screening excessive gambling practices based on the gambling behaviours observed on French gambling websites, coupled with a clinical validation. The research is divided into three successive stages. All analyses will be performed for each major type of authorised online gambling in France. The first stage aims at defining a typology of users of French authorised gambling websites based on their gambling behaviour. This analysis will be based on data from the Authority for Regulating Online Gambling (ARJEL) and the Française Des Jeux (FDJ). For the second stage aiming at determining a score to predict whether a gambler is problematic or not, we will cross answers from the Canadian Problem Gambling Index with real gambling data. The objective of the third stage is to clinically validate the score previously developed. Results from the screening model will be compared (using sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve, and positive and negative predictive values) with the diagnosis obtained with a telephone clinical interview, including diagnostic criteria for gambling addiction. This study was approved by the local Research Ethics Committee (GNEDS) on 25 March 2015. Results will be presented in national and international conferences, submitted to peer-reviewed journals and will be part of a PhD thesis. A final report with the study results will be presented to the ARJEL, especially the final screening model. NCT02415296. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Screening for prenatal substance use: development of the Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale.

PubMed

Yonkers, Kimberly A; Gotman, Nathan; Kershaw, Trace; Forray, Ariadna; Howell, Heather B; Rounsaville, Bruce J

2010-10-01

To report on the development of a questionnaire to screen for hazardous substance use in pregnant women and to compare the performance of the questionnaire with other drug and alcohol measures. Pregnant women were administered a modified TWEAK (Tolerance, Worried, Eye-openers, Amnesia, K[C] Cut Down) questionnaire, the 4Ps Plus questionnaire, items from the Addiction Severity Index, and two questions about domestic violence (N=2,684). The sample was divided into "training" (n=1,610) and "validation" (n=1,074) subsamples. We applied recursive partitioning class analysis to the responses from individuals in the training subsample that resulted in a three-item Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale. We examined sensitivity, specificity, and the fit of logistic regression models in the validation subsample to compare the performance of the Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale with the modified TWEAK and various scoring algorithms of the 4Ps. The Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale is comprised of three informative questions that can be scored for high- or low-risk populations. The Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale algorithm for low-risk populations was mostly highly predictive of substance use in the validation subsample (Akaike's Information Criterion=579.75, Nagelkerke R=0.27) with high sensitivity (91%) and adequate specificity (67%). The high-risk algorithm had lower sensitivity (57%) but higher specificity (88%). The Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale is simple and flexible with good sensitivity and specificity. The Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale can potentially detect a range of substances that may be abused. Clinicians need to further assess women with a positive screen to identify those who require treatment for alcohol or illicit substance use in pregnancy. III.

Comparison of the prevalence of malnutrition diagnosis in head and neck, gastrointestinal and lung cancer patients by three classification methods

PubMed Central

Platek, Mary E.; Popp KPf, Johann V.; Possinger, Candi S.; DeNysschen, Carol A.; Horvath, Peter; Brown, Jean K.

2011-01-01

Background Malnutrition is prevalent among patients within certain cancer types. There is lack of universal standard of care for nutrition screening, lack of agreement on an operational definition and on validity of malnutrition indicators. Objective In a secondary data analysis, we investigated prevalence of malnutrition diagnosis by three classification methods using data from medical records of a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center. Interventions/Methods Records of 227 patients hospitalized during 1998 with head and neck, gastrointestinal or lung cancer were reviewed for malnutrition based on three methods: 1) physician diagnosed malnutrition related ICD-9 codes; 2) in-hospital nutritional assessment summary conducted by Registered Dietitians; and 3) body mass index (BMI). For patients with multiple admissions, only data from the first hospitalization was included. Results Prevalence of malnutrition diagnosis ranged from 8.8% based on BMI to approximately 26% of all cases based on dietitian assessment. Kappa coefficients between any methods indicated a weak (kappa=0.23, BMI and Dietitians and kappa=0.28, Dietitians and Physicians) to fair strength of agreement (kappa=0.38, BMI and Physicians). Conclusions Available methods to identify patients with malnutrition in an NCI designated comprehensive cancer center resulted in varied prevalence of malnutrition diagnosis. Universal standard of care for nutrition screening that utilizes validated tools is needed. Implications for Practice The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requires nutritional screening of patients within 24 hours of admission. For this purpose, implementation of a validated tool that can be used by various healthcare practitioners, including nurses, needs to be considered. PMID:21242767

To Cough or Not to Cough? Examining the Potential Utility of Cough Testing in the Clinical Evaluation of Swallowing

PubMed Central

Watts, Stephanie A.; Tabor, Lauren

2016-01-01

Purpose The clinical swallowing evaluation (CSE) represents a critical component of a comprehensive assessment of deglutition. Although universally utilized across clinical settings, the CSE demonstrates limitations in its ability to accurately identify all individuals with dysphagia. There exists a need to improve assessment and screening techniques to improve health outcomes, treatment recommendations and ultimately mortality in individuals at risk for dysphagia. The following narrative review provides a summary of currently used validated CSE’s and examines the potential role of cough testing and screening in the CSE. Recent findings Recent evidence highlights a relationship between objective physiologic measurements of both voluntarily and reflexively induced cough and swallowing safety status across several patient populations. Although more research is needed across a wider range of patient populations to validate these findings; emerging data supports the consideration of inclusion of cough testing during the CSE as an index of airway defense mechanisms and capabilities in individuals at risk for aspiration. Summary The sensorimotor processes of cough and swallowing share common neuroanatomical and functional substrates. Inclusion of voluntarily or reflexively induced cough testing in the CSE may aide in the identification of dysphagia and reduced airway protection capabilities. PMID:28529824

Predicting risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer and premalignant skin lesions in renal transplant recipients.

PubMed

Urwin, Helen R; Jones, Peter W; Harden, Paul N; Ramsay, Helen M; Hawley, Carmel M; Nicol, David L; Fryer, Anthony A

2009-06-15

Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and associated premalignant lesions represent a major complication after transplantation, particularly in areas with high ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. The American Society of Transplantation has proposed annual NMSC screening for all renal transplant recipients. The aim of this study was to develop a predictive index (PI) that could be used in targeted screening. Data on patient demographics, UVR exposure, and other clinical parameters were collected on 398 adult recipients recruited from the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane. Structured interview, skin examination, biopsy of lesions, and review of medical/pathologic records were performed. Time to presentation with the first NMSC was assessed using Cox's regression models and Kaplan-Meier estimates used to assess detection of NMSC during screening. Stepwise selection identified age, outdoor UVR exposure, living in a hot climate, pretransplant NMSC, childhood sunburning, and skin type as predictors. The PI generated was used to allocate patients into three screening groups (6 months, 2 years, and 5 years). The survival curves of these groups were significantly different (P<0.0001). Jack-knife validation correctly allocated all patients into the appropriate group. We have developed a simple PI to enable development of targeted NMSC surveillance strategies.

Screening Tool to Determine Risk of Having Muscle Dysmorphia Symptoms in Men Who Engage in Weight Training at a Gym.

PubMed

Palazón-Bru, Antonio; Rizo-Baeza, María M; Martínez-Segura, Asier; Folgado-de la Rosa, David M; Gil-Guillén, Vicente F; Cortés-Castell, Ernesto

2018-03-01

Although 2 screening tests exist for having a high risk of muscle dysmorphia (MD) symptoms, they both require a long time to apply. Accordingly, we proposed the construction, validation, and implementation of such a test in a mobile application using easy-to-measure factors associated with MD. Cross-sectional observational study. Gyms in Alicante (Spain) during 2013 to 2014. One hundred forty-one men who engaged in weight training. The variables are as follows: age, educational level, income, buys own food, physical activity per week, daily meals, importance of nutrition, special nutrition, guilt about dietary nonadherence, supplements, and body mass index (BMI). A points system was constructed through a binary logistic regression model to predict a high risk of MD symptoms by testing all possible combinations of secondary variables (5035). The system was validated using bootstrapping and implemented in a mobile application. High risk of having MD symptoms (Muscle Appearance Satisfaction Scale). Of the 141 participants, 45 had a high risk of MD symptoms [31.9%, 95% confidence interval (CI), 24.2%-39.6%]. The logistic regression model combination providing the largest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.76) included the following: age [odds ratio (OR) = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.84-0.97, P = 0.007], guilt about dietary nonadherence (OR = 2.46; 95% CI, 1.06-5.73, P = 0.037), energy supplements (OR = 3.60; 95% CI, 1.54-8.44, P = 0.003), and BMI (OR = 1.33, 95% CI, 1.12-1.57, P < 0.001). The points system was validated through 1000 bootstrap samples. A quick, easy-to-use, 4-factor test that could serve as a screening tool for a high risk of MD symptoms has been constructed, validated, and implemented in a mobile application.

[Construction of a psychological aging scale for healthy people].

PubMed

Lin, Fei; Long, Yao; Zeng, Ni; Wu, Lei; Huang, Helang

2017-04-28

To construct a psychological aging scale, and to provide a tool and indexes for scientific evaluation on aging.
 Methods: The age-related psychological items were collected through literature screening and expert interview. The importance, feasibilityand the degree of authority for the psychological index system were graded by two rounds of Delphi method. Using analytic hierarchy process, the weight of dimensions and items were determined. The analysis for internal consistency reliability, correlation and exploratory factor was performed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scales.
 Results: By two rounds of Delphi method, 17 experts offered the results as follows: the coefficient of expert authorities was 0.88±0.06, the coordination coefficients for the importance and feasibility in second round were 0.456 (P<0.01) and 0.666 (P<0.01), respectively. The consistency was good. The psychological aging scale for healthy people included 4 dimensions as follows: cognitive function, emotion, personality and motivation. The weight coefficients for the 4 dimensions were 0.338, 0.250, 0.166 and 0.258, respectively. The Cronbach's α coefficient for the scale was 0.822, the reliability was 0.817, the content validity index (CVI) was 0.847, and the cumulative contribution rate for the 5 factors was51.42%.
 Conclusion: The psychological aging scale is satisfied, which can provide reference for the evaluation for aging. The indicators were representative and well-recognized.

Reliability and Validity of Bedside Version of Persian WAB (P-WAB-1).

PubMed

Nilipour, Reza; Pourshahbaz, Abbas; Ghoreyshi, Zahra Sadat

2014-10-01

In this study, we reported the reliability and validity of Bedside version of Persian WAB (P-WAB-1) adapted from Western Aphasia Battery (WAB-R) (1,2). P-WAB-1 is a clinical linguistic measuring tool to determine severity and type of aphasia in brain damaged patients based on Aphasia Quotient (AQ) as a functional measure. For the purposes of a quick clinical screening of aphasia in Persian, we adapted the bedside version of WAB-R to assess the performance of Persian aphasic patients. The data we reported on adaptation, validity and reliability of P-WAB-1 are based on faithful translation and criterion validity ratio (CVR) taken from the expert panel and the performance of 60 consecutive brain damaged patients referred to different university clinics for rehabilitation and 30 healthy subjects as norms and 40 age-matched epileptic patients as the control group. Based on the results of this study, P-WAB-1 has internal consistency (a=0.71) and test-retest reliability (r=.65 P<0.001) and the subtests are sensitive enough to contribute to Aphasia Quotient (AQ) as a functional measure of severity of aphasia in Iranian brain damaged patients. Based on AQ results, our aphasic patients were classified into four distinct groups of severity. P-WAB-1 is the first clinical linguistic test to determine severity of aphasia based on an operational index and can be considered as a valid baseline for screening and diagnosis of aphasia among Persian speaking brain damaged patients. This study is the initial step on adaptation of different versions of WAB-R to measure the severity of aphasia using AQ, LQ and CQ as operational measures and to classify Persian speaking aphasic patients into different types.

Psychometric properties of the Fibromyalgia Assessment Status (FAS) index: a national web-based study of fibromyalgia.

PubMed

Iannuccelli, C; Sarzi-Puttini, P; Atzeni, F; Cazzola, M; di Franco, M; Guzzo, M P; Bazzichi, L; Cassisi, G A; Marsico, A; Stisi, S; Salaffi, F

2011-01-01

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a generalized chronic pain condition that is often accompanied by symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, psychological and cognitive alterations, headache, migraine, variable bowel habits, diffuse abdominal pain, and urinary frequency. Its key assessment domains include pain, fatigue, disturbed sleep, physical and emotional functioning, and patient global satisfaction and health-related quality of life (HRQL). A number of evaluation measures have been adapted from the fields of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, and others such as the Fibromyalgia Assessment Status (FAS) index and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) have been specifically developed. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of FM on HRQL by comparing the performance of the FAS index, the FIQ and the Health Assessment Questionnaire [HAQ] in 541 female and 31 male FM patients (mean age 50 years; mean disease duration 7.7 years) entered in the database of a web-based survey registry developed by the Italian Fibromyalgia Network (IFINET). Tests of convergent validity showed that the FAS index and FIQ significantly correlated with each other (rho=0.608, p<0.0001), but there were also significant correlations between the FAS index and other clinical measures of disability, including the HAQ (rho=0.423, p<0.0001), anxiety (rho=0.138, p=0.0009), depression (rho=0.174, p<0.0001) and, especially, the number of comorbidities (rho=0.147, p=0.0004). The FAS index revealed a statistically significant difference between males and females (p=0.048), analysed using the Mann-Whitney U-test for all pair wise comparisons. The FAS index is a valid three-item instrument (pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances) that performs at least as well as the FIQ in FM patients, and is simpler to administer and score. Both questionnaires may be useful when screening FM patients, with the choice of the most appropriate instrument depending on the setting.

Objectifying Content Validity: Conducting a Content Validity Study in Social Work Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubio, Doris McGartland; Berg-Weger, Marla; Tebb, Susan S.; Lee, E. Suzanne; Rauch, Shannon

2003-01-01

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how to conduct a content validity study. Instructions on how to calculate a content validity index, factorial validity index, and an interrater reliability index and guide for interpreting these indices are included. Implications regarding the value of conducting a content validity study for…

Polish Translation and Validation of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and the Tinnitus Functional Index

PubMed Central

Wrzosek, Małgorzata; Szymiec, Eugeniusz; Klemens, Wiesława; Kotyło, Piotr; Schlee, Winfried; Modrzyńska, Małgorzata; Lang-Małecka, Agnieszka; Preis, Anna; Bulla, Jan

2016-01-01

Objective: The need for validated measures enabling clinicians to classify tinnitus patients according to the severity of tinnitus and screen the progress of therapies in our country led us to translate into Polish and to validate two tinnitus questionnaires, namely the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI). Design: The original English versions of the questionnaires were translated into Polish and translated back to English by three independent translators. These versions were then finalized by the authors into a Polish THI (THI-Pl) and a Polish TFI (TFI-Pl). Participants from three laryngological centers in Poland anonymously answered the THI-Pl (N = 98) and the TFI-Pl (N = 108) in addition to the Polish versions of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale as a measure of self-perceived level of depression, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale to assess self-perceived quality of life. Both were used to determine discriminant validity. Two Visual Analog Scales were used to measure tinnitus annoyance and tinnitus loudness in order to determine convergent validity. Results: Similar to the original version of the THI, the THI-Pl showed a high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.93). The exploratory factor analysis revealed that the questionnaire has a three-factorial structure that does not correspond to the original division for functional, catastrophic, and emotional subscales. Convergent and discriminant validities were confirmed. The TFI-Pl showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.96) with the reliability ranging from 0.82 to 0.95 for its different subscales. Factor analysis confirmed an eight-factorial structure with factors assigning all items to appropriate subscales reported in the original version of the questionnaire. Discriminant and convergent validities were also confirmed for the TFI-Pl. Conclusion: We translated and validated the Polish versions of the THI and the TFI to make them suitable for clinical use in Poland. PMID:27965609

Parent Reactions to a School-Based Body Mass Index Screening Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Suzanne Bennett; Pilkington, Lorri L.; Lamp, Camilla; He, Jianghua; Deeb, Larry C.

2009-01-01

Background: This study assessed parent reactions to school-based body mass index (BMI) screening. Methods: After a K-8 BMI screening program, parents were sent a letter detailing their child's BMI results. Approximately 50 parents were randomly selected for interview from each of 4 child weight-classification groups (overweight, at risk of…

A New Scoring System to Predict the Risk for High-risk Adenoma and Comparison of Existing Risk Calculators.

PubMed

Murchie, Brent; Tandon, Kanwarpreet; Hakim, Seifeldin; Shah, Kinchit; O'Rourke, Colin; Castro, Fernando J

2017-04-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening guidelines likely over-generalizes CRC risk, 35% of Americans are not up to date with screening, and there is growing incidence of CRC in younger patients. We developed a practical prediction model for high-risk colon adenomas in an average-risk population, including an expanded definition of high-risk polyps (≥3 nonadvanced adenomas), exposing higher than average-risk patients. We also compared results with previously created calculators. Patients aged 40 to 59 years, undergoing first-time average-risk screening or diagnostic colonoscopies were evaluated. Risk calculators for advanced adenomas and high-risk adenomas were created based on age, body mass index, sex, race, and smoking history. Previously established calculators with similar risk factors were selected for comparison of concordance statistic (c-statistic) and external validation. A total of 5063 patients were included. Advanced adenomas, and high-risk adenomas were seen in 5.7% and 7.4% of the patient population, respectively. The c-statistic for our calculator was 0.639 for the prediction of advanced adenomas, and 0.650 for high-risk adenomas. When applied to our population, all previous models had lower c-statistic results although one performed similarly. Our model compares favorably to previously established prediction models. Age and body mass index were used as continuous variables, likely improving the c-statistic. It also reports absolute predictive probabilities of advanced and high-risk polyps, allowing for more individualized risk assessment of CRC.

Valid screening questions useful to diagnose hand and forearm eczema are available in the Spanish language, a new tool for global research.

PubMed

Martí-Margarit, Anna; Manresa, Josep M; Herdman, Mike; Pujol, Ramon; Serra, Consol; Flyvholm, Mary-Ann; Giménez-Arnau, Ana M

2015-04-01

Hand eczema is an impacting cutaneous disease. Globally valid tools that help to diagnose hand and forearm eczema are required. To validate the questions to detect hand and/or forearm eczema included in the "Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire" (NOSQ-2002) in the Spanish language. A prospective pilot study was conducted with 80 employees of a cleaning company and a retrospective one involving 2,546 individuals. The responses were analysed for sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values. The final diagnosis according to the patients' hospital records, the specialty care records and the physical examination was taken as gold standard. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was also evaluated. Sensitivity and specificity, in a worst case scenario (WC) combining both questions, were 96.5% and 66.7%, respectively, and in a per protocol (PP) analysis, were 96.5% and 75.2%. The questions validated detected eczema effectively, making this tool suitable for use e.g. in multicentre epidemiological studies or clinical trials.

The STOP-BANG questionnaire shows an insufficient specificity for detecting obstructive sleep apnea in patients with atrial fibrillation.

PubMed

Abumuamar, Asmaa M; Dorian, Paul; Newman, David; Shapiro, Colin M

2018-04-22

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder associated with significant cardiovascular comorbidities, including cardiac arrhythmia. The STOP-BANG questionnaire is an eight-item self-report questionnaire designed to screen patients for OSA and was validated in preoperative surgical patients. The STOP items are snoring, daytime tiredness, observed apneas and high blood pressure. The BANG items are body mass index >35 kg/m 2 , age >50 years, neck circumference >40 cm and male gender. We aimed to determine the screening properties of the STOP-BANG questionnaire in patients with arrhythmia. Non-selected consecutive patients were recruited from arrhythmia clinics. Patients with previously diagnosed and/or treated OSA were excluded. The STOP-BANG questionnaire was self-administered. Patients underwent two consecutive nights of home sleep recording. OSA was defined as an apnea-hypopnea index score of ≥5/hr of sleep. The screening properties of the STOP-BANG questionnaire were analysed compared with the objective diagnosis of OSA by ambulatory testing. Ninety-five patients were included in the final analysis. Eighty-five percent were found to have OSA. The STOP-BANG score of ≥3 was 89% sensitive and 36% specific for diagnosis of OSA. The STOP-BANG questionnaire had fair performance, as indicated by an area under the curve of 0.74 (p = .004). In conclusion, the STOP-BANG questionnaire is sensitive; however, it has a low specificity with a high false positive rate. Given that a large number of atrial fibrillation patients need testing for OSA, we recommend the use of a level II sleep study regardless of the results of the screening questionnaire. This approach accurately identifies OSA and may limit the cost of unnecessary level-I sleep studies. © 2018 European Sleep Research Society.

The use of portable equipment for the activity concentration index determination of building materials: method validation and survey of building materials on the Belgian market.

PubMed

Stals, M; Verhoeven, S; Bruggeman, M; Pellens, V; Schroeyers, W; Schreurs, S

2014-01-01

The Euratom BSS requires that in the near future (2015) the building materials for application in dwellings or buildings such as offices or workshops are screened for NORM nuclides. The screening tool is the activity concentration index (ACI). Therefore it is expected that a large number of building materials will be screened for NORM and thus require ACI determination. Nowadays, the proposed standard for determination of building material ACI is a laboratory analyses technique with high purity germanium spectrometry and 21 days equilibrium delay. In this paper, the B-NORM method for determination of building material ACI is assessed as a faster method that can be performed on-site, alternative to the aforementioned standard method. The B-NORM method utilizes a LaBr3(Ce) scintillation probe to obtain the spectral data. Commercially available software was applied to comprehensively take into account the factors determining the counting efficiency. The ACI was determined by interpreting the gamma spectrum from (226)Ra and its progeny; (232)Th progeny and (40)K. In order to assess the accuracy of the B-NORM method, a large selection of samples was analyzed by a certified laboratory and the results were compared with the B-NORM results. The results obtained with the B-NORM method were in good correlation with the results obtained by the certified laboratory, indicating that the B-NORM method is an appropriate screening method to assess building material ACI. The B-NORM method was applied to analyze more than 120 building materials on the Belgian market. No building materials that exceed the proposed reference level of 1 mSv/year were encountered. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Single-Item Screening for Agoraphobic Symptoms: Validation of a Web-Based Audiovisual Screening Instrument

PubMed Central

van Ballegooijen, Wouter; Riper, Heleen; Donker, Tara; Martin Abello, Katherina; Marks, Isaac; Cuijpers, Pim

2012-01-01

The advent of web-based treatments for anxiety disorders creates a need for quick and valid online screening instruments, suitable for a range of social groups. This study validates a single-item multimedia screening instrument for agoraphobia, part of the Visual Screener for Common Mental Disorders (VS-CMD), and compares it with the text-based agoraphobia items of the PDSS-SR. The study concerned 85 subjects in an RCT of the effects of web-based therapy for panic symptoms. The VS-CMD item and items 4 and 5 of the PDSS-SR were validated by comparing scores to the outcomes of the CIDI diagnostic interview. Screening for agoraphobia was found moderately valid for both the multimedia item (sensitivity.81, specificity.66, AUC.734) and the text-based items (AUC.607–.697). Single-item multimedia screening for anxiety disorders should be further developed and tested in the general population and in patient, illiterate and immigrant samples. PMID:22844391

Brief screening for co-occurring disorders among women entering substance abuse treatment.

PubMed

Lincoln, Alisa K; Liebschutz, Jane M; Chernoff, Miriam; Nguyen, Dana; Amaro, Hortensia

2006-09-07

Despite the importance of identifying co-occurring psychiatric disorders in substance abuse treatment programs, there are few appropriate and validated instruments available to substance abuse treatment staff to conduct brief screen for these conditions. This paper describes the development, implementation and validation of a brief screening instrument for mental health diagnoses and trauma among a diverse sample of Black, Hispanic and White women in substance abuse treatment. With input from clinicians and consumers, we adapted longer existing validated instruments into a 14 question screen covering demographics, mental health symptoms and physical and sexual violence exposure. All women entering treatment (methadone, residential and out-patient) at five treatment sites were screened at intake (N = 374). Eighty nine percent reported a history of interpersonal violence, and 70% reported a history of sexual assault. Eighty-eight percent reported mental health symptoms in the last 30 days. The screening questions administered to 88 female clients were validated against in-depth psychiatric diagnostic assessments by trained mental health clinicians. We estimated measures of predictive validity, including sensitivity, specificity and predictive values positive and negative. Screening items were examined multiple ways to assess utility. The screen is a useful and valid proxy for PTSD but not for other mental illness. Substance abuse treatment programs should incorporate violence exposure questions into clinical use as a matter of policy. More work is needed to develop brief screening tools measures for front-line treatment staff to accurately assess other mental health needs of women entering substance abuse treatment.

High-throughput screening of inorganic compounds for the discovery of novel dielectric and optical materials

DOE PAGES

Petousis, Ioannis; Mrdjenovich, David; Ballouz, Eric; ...

2017-01-31

Dielectrics are an important class of materials that are ubiquitous in modern electronic applications. Even though their properties are important for the performance of devices, the number of compounds with known dielectric constant is on the order of a few hundred. Here, we use Density Functional Perturbation Theory as a way to screen for the dielectric constant and refractive index of materials in a fast and computationally efficient way. Our results constitute the largest dielectric tensors database to date, containing 1,056 compounds. Details regarding the computational methodology and technical validation are presented along with the format of our publicly availablemore » data. In addition, we integrate our dataset with the Materials Project allowing users easy access to material properties. Finally, we explain how our dataset and calculation methodology can be used in the search for novel dielectric compounds.« less

Adaptation and testing of instruments to measure cervical cancer screening factors among Vietnamese immigrant women.

PubMed

Nguyen-Truong, Connie K Y; Leo, Michael C; Lee-Lin, Frances; Gedaly-Duff, Vivian; Nail, Lillian M; Gregg, Jessica; Le, Tuong Vy; Tran, Tuyen

2015-05-01

Vietnamese American women diagnosed with cervical cancer are more likely to have advanced cancer than non-Hispanic White women. We sought to (a) develop a culturally sensitive Vietnamese translation of the Revised Susceptibility, Benefits, and Barriers Scale; Cultural Barriers to Screening Inventory; Confidentiality Issues Scale; and Quality of Care from the Health Care System Scale and (b) examine the psychometric properties. Cross-sectional study with 201 Vietnamese immigrant women from the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. We used a community-based participatory research approach and the U.S. Census Bureau's team approach to translation. Cronbach's alpha ranged from .57 to .91. The incremental fit index ranged from .83 to .88. The instruments demonstrated moderate to strong subscale internal consistency. Further research to assess structural validity is needed. Our approaches to translation and psychometric examination support use of the instruments in Vietnamese immigrant women. © The Author(s) 2014.

High-throughput screening of inorganic compounds for the discovery of novel dielectric and optical materials

PubMed Central

Petousis, Ioannis; Mrdjenovich, David; Ballouz, Eric; Liu, Miao; Winston, Donald; Chen, Wei; Graf, Tanja; Schladt, Thomas D.; Persson, Kristin A.; Prinz, Fritz B.

2017-01-01

Dielectrics are an important class of materials that are ubiquitous in modern electronic applications. Even though their properties are important for the performance of devices, the number of compounds with known dielectric constant is on the order of a few hundred. Here, we use Density Functional Perturbation Theory as a way to screen for the dielectric constant and refractive index of materials in a fast and computationally efficient way. Our results constitute the largest dielectric tensors database to date, containing 1,056 compounds. Details regarding the computational methodology and technical validation are presented along with the format of our publicly available data. In addition, we integrate our dataset with the Materials Project allowing users easy access to material properties. Finally, we explain how our dataset and calculation methodology can be used in the search for novel dielectric compounds. PMID:28140408

High-throughput screening of inorganic compounds for the discovery of novel dielectric and optical materials.

PubMed

Petousis, Ioannis; Mrdjenovich, David; Ballouz, Eric; Liu, Miao; Winston, Donald; Chen, Wei; Graf, Tanja; Schladt, Thomas D; Persson, Kristin A; Prinz, Fritz B

2017-01-31

Dielectrics are an important class of materials that are ubiquitous in modern electronic applications. Even though their properties are important for the performance of devices, the number of compounds with known dielectric constant is on the order of a few hundred. Here, we use Density Functional Perturbation Theory as a way to screen for the dielectric constant and refractive index of materials in a fast and computationally efficient way. Our results constitute the largest dielectric tensors database to date, containing 1,056 compounds. Details regarding the computational methodology and technical validation are presented along with the format of our publicly available data. In addition, we integrate our dataset with the Materials Project allowing users easy access to material properties. Finally, we explain how our dataset and calculation methodology can be used in the search for novel dielectric compounds.

Screening for Psychosocial Distress amongst War-Affected Children: Cross-Cultural Construct Validity of the CPDS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordans, M. J. D.; Komproe, I. H.; Tol, W. A.; De Jong, J. T. V. M.

2009-01-01

Background: Large-scale psychosocial interventions in complex emergencies call for a screening procedure to identify individuals at risk. To date there are no screening instruments that are developed within low- and middle-income countries and validated for that purpose. The present study assesses the cross-cultural validity of the brief,…

Validation of a Chinese Version of the Geriatric Anxiety Scale Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Mainland China.

PubMed

Lin, Xiao-Ling; Lu, Da-Li; Gottschling, Juliana; Segal, Daniel L; Tang, Si-Yuan

2017-03-01

The Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS) was developed as an international screening instrument for anxiety in older adults. The aims of the present study were to translate the GAS into Chinese and to subsequently evaluate the preliminary psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the GAS (GAS-C) among community-dwelling Chinese older adults. The translation of the GAS into Chinese was developed through a translation and back translation process. A sample of 206 community-dwelling older adults (51.9 % men, Mean age = 70.70 years, SD = 8.15 years) completed the GAS-C, the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the factor structure of the GAS-C. Internal consistency and convergent validity were used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the translated measure. The factor analyses were in support of a unidimensional factor model of the GAS-C in this Chinese sample, and the item-total correlations for all 25 items ranged from 0.40 to 0.83. The internal consistency for the GAS-C total score was excellent (α = 0.92). The GAS-C total score were significantly and strongly correlated with the BAI (r = 0.86), the GDS (r = 0.78) and the PSQI (r = 0.63), which indicated good convergent validity of the GAS-C. The GAS-C appears to be a reliable and valid screening instrument to assess anxiety symptoms among community-dwelling older adults in mainland China.

IDIOS: An innovative index for evaluating dental imaging-based osteoporosis screening indices.

PubMed

Barngkgei, Imad; Halboub, Esam; Almashraqi, Abeer Abdulkareem; Khattab, Razan; Al Haffar, Iyad

2016-09-01

The goal of this study was to develop a new index as an objective reference for evaluating current and newly developed indices used for osteoporosis screening based on dental images. Its name; IDIOS, stands for Index of Dental-imaging Indices of Osteoporosis Screening. A comprehensive PubMed search was conducted to retrieve studies on dental imaging-based indices for osteoporosis screening. The results of the eligible studies, along with other relevant criteria, were used to develop IDIOS, which has scores ranging from 0 (0%) to 15 (100%). The indices presented in the studies we included were then evaluated using IDIOS. The 104 studies that were included utilized 24, 4, and 9 indices derived from panoramic, periapical, and computed tomographic/cone-beam computed tomographic techniques, respectively. The IDIOS scores for these indices ranged from 0 (0%) to 11.75 (78.32%). IDIOS is a valuable reference index that facilitates the evaluation of other dental imaging-based osteoporosis screening indices. Furthermore, IDIOS can be utilized to evaluate the accuracy of newly developed indices.

Development and validation of a prediction model for adenoma detection during screening and surveillance colonoscopy with comparison to actual adenoma detection rates

PubMed Central

Crook, Julia E.; Thomas, Colleen S.; Siersema, Peter D.; Rex, Douglas K.; Wallace, Michael B.

2017-01-01

Objective The adenoma detection rate (ADR) varies widely between physicians, possibly due to patient population differences, hampering direct ADR comparison. We developed and validated a prediction model for adenoma detection in an effort to determine if physicians’ ADRs should be adjusted for patient-related factors. Materials and methods Screening and surveillance colonoscopy data from the cross-sectional multicenter cluster-randomized Endoscopic Quality Improvement Program-3 (EQUIP-3) study (NCT02325635) was used. The dataset was split into two cohorts based on center. A prediction model for detection of ≥1 adenoma was developed using multivariable logistic regression and subsequently internally (bootstrap resampling) and geographically validated. We compared predicted to observed ADRs. Results The derivation (5 centers, 35 physicians, overall-ADR: 36%) and validation (4 centers, 31 physicians, overall-ADR: 40%) cohort included respectively 9934 and 10034 patients (both cohorts: 48% male, median age 60 years). Independent predictors for detection of ≥1 adenoma were: age (optimism-corrected odds ratio (OR): 1.02; 95%-confidence interval (CI): 1.02–1.03), male sex (OR: 1.73; 95%-CI: 1.60–1.88), body mass index (OR: 1.02; 95%-CI: 1.01–1.03), American Society of Anesthesiology physical status class (OR class II vs. I: 1.29; 95%-CI: 1.17–1.43, OR class ≥III vs. I: 1.57; 95%-CI: 1.32–1.86), surveillance versus screening (OR: 1.39; 95%-CI: 1.27–1.53), and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity (OR: 1.13; 95%-CI: 1.00–1.27). The model’s discriminative ability was modest (C-statistic in the derivation: 0.63 and validation cohort: 0.60). The observed ADR was considerably lower than predicted for 12/66 (18.2%) physicians and 2/9 (22.2%) centers, and considerably higher than predicted for 18/66 (27.3%) physicians and 4/9 (44.4%) centers. Conclusion The substantial variation in ADRs could only partially be explained by patient-related factors. These data suggest that ADR variation could likely also be due to other factors, e.g. physician or technical issues. PMID:28957445

Assessing the risk of self-harm in an adult offender population: an incidence cohort study.

PubMed

Horton, Mike; Wright, Nat; Dyer, Wendy; Wright-Hughes, Alex; Farrin, Amanda; Mohammed, Zanib; Smith, Jamie; Heyes, Tom; Gilbody, Simon; Tennant, Alan

2014-10-01

Self-harm is common among prisoners, particularly female prisoners. In 2007, concerned about the rising incidence, the prison service introduced a care-planning system called Assessment, Care in Custody, and Teamwork (ACCT). To date, it does not incorporate a standardised diagnostic test to estimate the risk of future self-harm. To identify potential screening instruments, or items from those instruments, to predict the risk of self-harm among prisoners. Prisoners who had been assigned to an ACCT during the recruitment period. A multistage prospective cohort study. Following a pilot study, instruments were administered to prisoners by interview at baseline, and followed up for 6 months (or until point of release if this was sooner) to ascertain self-harm status. Instruments were assessed for unidimensionality, scalability (Mokken) and quantitative structure (Rasch). Area under the curve (AUC) analysis was used to examine the ability of instruments and/or their items to predict future self-harm. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to examine the multivariate predictive ability of the scales and various sociodemographic and sentencing factors. Three prisons (including one women's prison) in northern England. A set of standardised questionnaires, including the Prison Screening Questionnaire (PriSnQuest), Revised Borderline Symptom List-23 (frequency-based responses) (BSL-23-F), Self-Harm Inventory (SHI), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), together with sociodemographic and sentencing data. In total, 450 prisoners consented to participate in the study, of whom 26% were female. The mean age of participants was 31.2 years. Over half of male prisoners recruited were on remand, compared with just over one-fifth (22.6%) of female prisoners. The average tariff of those sentenced was 41 months, of which 14.7 months, on average, had been served. Just over one-third of ACCTs had been initiated because of a known self-harm event, and over one-quarter (27.8%) of participants self-harmed during the follow-up period. Thus, almost half (46.7%) of those entered into the study were reported to have self-harmed, either from their index ACCT, or subsequently, or both. Cutting was the most frequent behaviour (51%). All screening instruments showed some evidence of unidimensionality, and four out of five showed scaling criteria consistent with ordinal scaling, so verifying the validity of the cut points. However, many showed gender bias and failure to fit the Rasch measurement model. While a resolution was made in most cases, both ordinal raw scores and latent interval scale estimates failed to show predictive value when applied within AUC analysis (0.491-0.566) or adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. However, good predictive values were shown for gender-specific sets of items, thus providing easily applied screening indexes. While four out of five potential screening instruments were found to have acceptable psychometric properties within this setting, their predictive validity of all instruments was poor under AUC analysis. Gender-specific item sets were put together to form two screening indexes with formative indicators which gave reasonable AUC values, particularly so for females. The indexes provide identification of low-medium-high risk of self-harm, and so may help to inform potential care pathways and decisions to sign prisoners off from the ACCT. Future work should concentrate on refining a set of predictive screening items among different offender populations and investigating the time point at which this set of items should be administered. Future work may also look at the different magnitudes of risk as indicators for care pathways. The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

A factor analytic investigation of the Mercy Evaluation of Multiple Sclerosis.

PubMed

Merz, Zachary C; Wright, John D; Vander Wal, Jillon S; Gfeller, Jeffrey D

2018-01-23

Neurocognitive deficits commonly are an accompanying feature of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). A brief, yet comprehensive neuropsychological battery is desirable for assessing the extent of these deficits. Therefore, the present study examined the validity of the Mercy Evaluation of Multiple Sclerosis (MEMS) for use with the MS population. Archival data from individuals diagnosed with MS (N = 378) by independent neurologists was examined. Cognitive domains assessed included processing speed and attention, learning, and memory, visuospatial, language, and executive functioning. A mean battery index was calculated to provide a general indicator of cognitive impairment within the current sample. Overall performance across participants was found to be in the lower limits of the average range. Results of factor analytic statistical procedures yielded a four-factor solution, accounting for 67% of total variance within the MEMS. Four neurocognitive measures exhibited the highest sensitivity in detecting cognitive impairment, constituting a psychometrically established brief cognitive screening battery, which accounted for 83% of total variance within the mean battery index score. Overall, the results of the current study suggest appropriate construct validity of the MEMS for use with individuals with MS, as well as provide support for previously established cognitive batteries.

Validity, efficacy and reliability of 3 nutritional screening tools regarding the nutritional assessment in different social and health areas.

PubMed

Castro-Vega, Iciar; Veses Martín, Silvia; Cantero Llorca, Juana; Barrios Marta, Cristina; Bañuls, Celia; Hernández-Mijares, Antonio

2018-03-09

Nutritional screening allows for the detection of nutritional risk. Validated tools should be implemented, and their usefulness should be contrasted with a gold standard. The aim of this study is to discover the validity, efficacy and reliability of 3 nutritional screening tools in relation to complete nutritional assessment. A sub-analysis of a cross-sectional and descriptive study on the prevalence of disease-related malnutrition. The sample was selected from outpatients, hospitalized and institutionalized patients. MUST, MNAsf and MST screening were employed. A nutritional assessment of all the patients was undertaken. The SENPE-SEDOM consensus was used for the diagnosis. In the outpatients, both MUST and MNAsf have a similar validity in relation to the nutritional assessment (AUC 0.871 and 0.883, respectively). In the institutionalized patients, the MUST screening method is the one that shows the greatest validity (AUC 0.815), whereas in the hospitalized patients, the most valid methods are both MUST and MST (AUC 0.868 and 0.853, respectively). It is essential to use nutritional screening to invest the available resources wisely. Based on our results, MUST is the most suitable screening method in hospitalized and institutionalized patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Development and validation of the ORACLE score to predict risk of osteoporosis.

PubMed

Richy, Florent; Deceulaer, Fréderic; Ethgen, Olivier; Bruyère, Olivier; Reginster, Jean-Yves

2004-11-01

To develop and validate a composite index, the Osteoporosis Risk Assessment by Composite Linear Estimate (ORACLE), that includes risk factors and ultrasonometric outcomes to screen for osteoporosis. Two cohorts of postmenopausal women aged 45 years and older participated in the development (n = 407) and the validation (n = 202) of ORACLE. Their bone mineral density was determined by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and quantitative ultrasonometry (QUS), and their historical and clinical risk factors were assessed (January to June 2003). Logistic regression analysis was used to select significant predictors of bone mineral density, whereas receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the discriminatory performance of ORACLE. The final logistic regression model retained 4 biometric or historical variables and 1 ultrasonometric outcome. The ROC areas under the curves (AUCs) for ORACLE were 84% for the prediction of osteoporosis and 78% for low bone mass. A sensitivity of 90% corresponded to a specificity of 50% for identification of women at risk of developing osteoporosis. The corresponding positive and negative predictive values were 86% and 54%, respectively, in the development cohort. In the validation cohort, the AUCs for identification of osteoporosis and low bone mass were 81% and 76% for ORACLE, 69% and 64% for QUS T score, 71% and 68% for QUS ultrasonometric bone profile index, and 76% and 75% for Osteoporosis Self-assessment Tool, respectively. ORACLE had the best discriminatory performance in identifying osteoporosis compared with the other approaches (P < .05). ORACLE exhibited the highest discriminatory properties compared with ultrasonography alone or other previously validated risk indices. It may be helpful to enhance the predictive value of QUS.

Reliability and Validation of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire in Over Active Bladder to Persian Language.

PubMed

Sari Motlagh, Reza; Hajebrahimi, Sakineh; Sadeghi-Bazargani, Homayoun; Joodi Tutunsaz, Javad

2015-05-01

Overactive bladder syndrome is a common syndrome in the world in both men and women. Correct diagnosis and accurate measurement of symptoms severity and also quality of life of patients is necessary to ensure proper treatment and to facilitate sound relationships among patients, researchers and doctors. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire in Over Active Bladder (ICIQ-OAB) questionnaire is a concise and strong tool to evaluate the symptoms of OAB and their effects on patients' quality of life and treatment results. The objective of this study was to translate and validate a simple and strong tool that could be used in clinics and research. First, the original British English questionnaire was translated into Persian by two bilingual and originally Persian-speaking translators. Then the Persian version was back translated to English and a native English speaker studied and compared the questionnaire with the original version. At the end, the translated and corrected Persian version was finalized by a research team. Content validity of the items and ensuring that the questions could convey the main concept to readers was assessed through Modified Content Validity Index (MCVI). Reliability was calculated by Cronbach's α coefficient. Internal Consistency of the questionnaire with the calculation of Kendall correlation coefficient were evaluated by performing test-retest in 50 participants. The modified content validity index was > 0.78 for all of the questions. Cronbach's α coefficient was calculated 0.76 for all of the participants. Kendall correlation coefficient was calculated for test-re-test assessment 0.66. Both of which indicates the reliability of this questionnaire. Persian version of ICIQ-OAB questionnaire is a simple and strong tool for research, treatment and screening purposes. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Tracking and tracing of participants in two large cancer screening trials.

PubMed

Marcus, Pamela M; Childs, Jeffery; Gahagan, Betsy; Gren, Lisa H

2012-07-01

Many clinical trials rely on participant report to first learn about study events. It is therefore important to have current contact information and the ability to locate participants should information become outdated. The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) and the Lung Screening Study (LSS) component of the National Lung Screening Trial, two large randomized cancer screening trials, enrolled almost 190,000 participants on whom annual contact was necessary. Ten screening centers participated in both trials. Centers developed methods to track participants and trace them when necessary. We describe the methods used to keep track of participants and trace them when lost, and the extent to which each method was used. Screening center coordinators were asked, using a self-administered paper questionnaire, to rate the extent to which specific tracking and tracing methods were used. Many methods were used by the screening centers, including telephone calls, mail, and internet searches. The most extensively used methods involved telephoning the participant on his or her home or cell phone, or telephoning a person identified by the participant as someone who would know about the participant's whereabouts. Internet searches were used extensively as well; these included searches on names, reverse-lookup searches (on addresses or telephone numbers) and searches of the Social Security Death Index. Over time, the percentage of participants requiring tracing decreased. Telephone communication and internet services were useful in keeping track of PLCO and LSS participants and tracing them when contact information was no longer valid. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Validation of the International HIV Dementia Scale as a Screening Tool for HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders in a German-Speaking HIV Outpatient Clinic.

PubMed

Marin-Webb, Victor; Jessen, Heiko; Kopp, Ute; Jessen, Arne B; Hahn, Katrin

2016-01-01

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are widely present among people living with HIV. Especially its milder forms, asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment (ANI) and mild neurocognitive disorder (MND), remain highly prevalent worldwide. Diagnosing these conditions is subject to a time and resource consuming neuropsychological assessment. Selecting patients at a higher risk of cognitive impairment by using a simple but effective screening tool helps to organise access to further neuropsychological diagnosis. The International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS) has until now been a well-established screening tool in African and American countries, however these populations' demographics defer significantly from ours, so using the same parameters could be ineffective. To calculate the prevalence of this condition among people attending an HIV outpatient clinic in Berlin and to validate the use of the IHDS as a screening tool for HAND in a German-speaking population. We screened 480 HIV-infected patients using the IHDS, 89% of them were on a stable antiretroviral treatment. Ninety of them completed a standardised neuropsychological battery of tests and a specific cognitive complaints questionnaire. The same procedure was applied to a control group of 30 HIV-negative participants. HAND diagnosis was established according to the Frascati criteria. The overall prevalence of HAND in our cohort was 43% (20% ANI, 17% MND and 6% HIV-associated dementia). The optimal cut-off on the IHDS for detecting HAND cases was set at 11 and achieved both a sensitivity and a specificity of 80%. When specifically screening for the more severe form of HAND, HIV-associated dementia, a cut-off value of 10 offered an increase in both sensitivity (94%) and specificity (86%). The Youden Index for diagnostic accuracy was 0.6 and 0.8, respectively. The prevalence of HAND was comparable to the reported by recent studies performed in countries with a similar economic development. The study confirms the IHDS to be a useful HAND screening tool in primary care settings and establishes new recommendations for its use in German-speaking countries.

Increased risk for abnormal depression scores in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Dokras, Anuja; Clifton, Shari; Futterweit, Walter; Wild, Robert

2011-01-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and depression both have a high prevalence in reproductive-aged women. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of abnormal depression scores in women who meet currently recognized definitions of PCOS compared with women in a well-defined control group. The search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE Classic plus EMBASE, PsycINFO, Current Contents-Clinical Medicine and Current Contents-Life Sciences and Web of Science. Cochrane software Review Manager 5.0.24 was used to construct forest plots comparing risk of abnormal depression scores in those in the PCOS and control groups. Studies with well-defined criteria of women with PCOS and control groups of women without PCOS, with demographic information including age and body mass index (BMI), were included. Of 752 screened articles, 17 met the selection criteria for systematic review and 10 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Data were abstracted independently by three reviewers. All studies were cross-sectional and most used the Rotterdam criteria for the diagnosis of PCOS (n=10). The odds ratio (OR) for abnormal depression scores was 4.03 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.96-5.5, P<.01) in women with PCOS (n=522) compared with those in the control groups (n=475). A subanalysis showed that the odds for abnormal depression scores was independent of BMI (OR 4.09, 95% CI 2.62-6.41). Several validated tools were used to screen for depression; the common tool used was the Beck Depression Inventory. The results of our study suggest the need to screen all women with PCOS for depression using validated screening tools. Women with PCOS are at an increased risk for abnormal depression scores independent of BMI.

Validation of problem drinking screening instruments for DWI offenders

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-05-01

This document summarizes the results of a validation study for five adult screening instruments in use for preliminary screening of driving while intoxicated (DWI) offenders for problem drinking. The instruments were the Driver Risk Inventory (DRI), ...

A Two-Domain Self-Report Measure of Periodontal Disease Has Good Accuracy for Periodontitis Screening in Dental School Outpatients.

PubMed

Chatzopoulos, Georgios S; Tsalikis, Lazaros; Konstantinidis, Antonios; Kotsakis, Georgios A

2016-10-01

The assessment of periodontitis and treatment needs is primarily based on clinical and radiographic examinations. Albeit effective in predicting treatment needs, these examinations are costly, time-consuming, and impractical for assessing population-level needs. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate a two-domain self-report questionnaire for rapid periodontitis screening. Six hundred white adult individuals, dentate or partially dentate and seeking dental therapy at a university clinic, underwent oral examination utilizing the full-mouth Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN). To assess predictive value of self-reported periodontal measures (SRPMs) for periodontitis screening, four questions were formulated. Two questions aimed to assess "dentist-diagnosed periodontal disease" and two inquired about "self-assessed periodontitis." Multiple logistic regression models were used to construct receiver-operating characteristic curves, and predictor selection was performed via a forward stepwise selection process. Five hundred thirty-five volunteers with a mean age of 50.1 years elected to respond to SRPMs via telephone interview. After oral examination, 17.8% of participants were assessed as having CPITN = 4, representing compromised periodontal status. Sensitivity and specificity for correctly classifying compromised periodontal status ranged from 5.3% to 72.6%, and 87.8% to 99.5% for individual SRPMs. Sensitivity and specificity were increased when combining a measure of self-assessed periodontal disease and a measure of dentist-diagnosed disease as predictors. Addition of age and sex maximized sensitivity/specificity at 82.1%/82.2%. Diabetic status, smoking, and body mass index did not enhance the prediction. A two-domain self-report measure combining two self-report items with age and sex has good sensitivity and specificity for periodontitis screening in a white, university-based population. The proposed self-report measure can be valuable for periodontitis screening in resource-limited settings where gold standard clinical examination may not be pragmatic. Further validation studies are required to assess whether findings from this study are context-specific.

Perceived problems with computer gaming and internet use among adolescents: measurement tool for non-clinical survey studies

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Existing instruments for measuring problematic computer and console gaming and internet use are often lengthy and often based on a pathological perspective. The objective was to develop and present a new and short non-clinical measurement tool for perceived problems related to computer use and gaming among adolescents and to study the association between screen time and perceived problems. Methods Cross-sectional school-survey of 11-, 13-, and 15-year old students in thirteen schools in the City of Aarhus, Denmark, participation rate 89%, n = 2100. The main exposure was time spend on weekdays on computer- and console-gaming and internet use for communication and surfing. The outcome measures were three indexes on perceived problems related to computer and console gaming and internet use. Results The three new indexes showed high face validity and acceptable internal consistency. Most schoolchildren with high screen time did not experience problems related to computer use. Still, there was a strong and graded association between time use and perceived problems related to computer gaming, console gaming (only boys) and internet use, odds ratios ranging from 6.90 to 10.23. Conclusion The three new measures of perceived problems related to computer and console gaming and internet use among adolescents are appropriate, reliable and valid for use in non-clinical surveys about young people’s everyday life and behaviour. These new measures do not assess Internet Gaming Disorder as it is listed in the DSM and therefore has no parity with DSM criteria. We found an increasing risk of perceived problems with increasing time spent with gaming and internet use. Nevertheless, most schoolchildren who spent much time with gaming and internet use did not experience problems. PMID:24731270

An optimal search filter for retrieving systematic reviews and meta-analyses

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Health-evidence.ca is an online registry of systematic reviews evaluating the effectiveness of public health interventions. Extensive searching of bibliographic databases is required to keep the registry up to date. However, search filters have been developed to assist in searching the extensive amount of published literature indexed. Search filters can be designed to find literature related to a certain subject (i.e. content-specific filter) or particular study designs (i.e. methodological filter). The objective of this paper is to describe the development and validation of the health-evidence.ca Systematic Review search filter and to compare its performance to other available systematic review filters. Methods This analysis of search filters was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL. The performance of thirty-one search filters in total was assessed. A validation data set of 219 articles indexed between January 2004 and December 2005 was used to evaluate performance on sensitivity, specificity, precision and the number needed to read for each filter. Results Nineteen of 31 search filters were effective in retrieving a high level of relevant articles (sensitivity scores greater than 85%). The majority achieved a high degree of sensitivity at the expense of precision and yielded large result sets. The main advantage of the health-evidence.ca Systematic Review search filter in comparison to the other filters was that it maintained the same level of sensitivity while reducing the number of articles that needed to be screened. Conclusions The health-evidence.ca Systematic Review search filter is a useful tool for identifying published systematic reviews, with further screening to identify those evaluating the effectiveness of public health interventions. The filter that narrows the focus saves considerable time and resources during updates of this online resource, without sacrificing sensitivity. PMID:22512835

Screening for Offenders with an Intellectual Disability: The Validity of the Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKenzie, Karen; Michie, Amanda; Murray, Aja; Hales, Charlene

2012-01-01

The study assessed the validity of an intellectual disability screening tool, the Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire (LDSQ), in three forensic settings: a community intellectual disability forensic service; a forensic in-patient secure unit and a prison, using data for 94 individuals. A significant positive relationship was found between…

A Comparison between SRSS-IE and SSiS-PSG Scores: Examining Convergent Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Kathleen Lynne; Oakes, Wendy Peia; Common, Eric Alan; Zorigian, Kris; Brunsting, Nelson C.; Schatschneider, Christopher

2015-01-01

We report findings of a validation study comparing two screening tools: the Student Risk Screening Scale-Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE, an adapted version of the Student Risk Screening Scale) and the Social Skills Improvement System-Performance Screening Guide (SSiS-PSG). Participants included 458 kindergarten through fifth-grade…

Spontaneous Swallow Frequency Compared with Clinical Screening in the Identification of Dysphagia in Acute Stroke

PubMed Central

Crary, Michael A.; Carnaby, Giselle D.; Sia, Isaac

2017-01-01

Background The aim of this study was to compare spontaneous swallow frequency analysis (SFA) with clinical screening protocols for identification of dysphagia in acute stroke. Methods In all, 62 patients with acute stroke were evaluated for spontaneous swallow frequency rates using a validated acoustic analysis technique. Independent of SFA, these same patients received a routine nurse-administered clinical dysphagia screening as part of standard stroke care. Both screening tools were compared against a validated clinical assessment of dysphagia for acute stroke. In addition, psychometric properties of SFA were compared against published, validated clinical screening protocols. Results Spontaneous SFA differentiates patients with versus without dysphagia after acute stroke. Using a previously identified cut point based on swallows per minute, spontaneous SFA demonstrated superior ability to identify dysphagia cases compared with a nurse-administered clinical screening tool. In addition, spontaneous SFA demonstrated equal or superior psychometric properties to 4 validated, published clinical dysphagia screening tools. Conclusions Spontaneous SFA has high potential to identify dysphagia in acute stroke with psychometric properties equal or superior to clinical screening protocols. PMID:25088166

Spontaneous swallow frequency compared with clinical screening in the identification of dysphagia in acute stroke.

PubMed

Crary, Michael A; Carnaby, Giselle D; Sia, Isaac

2014-09-01

The aim of this study was to compare spontaneous swallow frequency analysis (SFA) with clinical screening protocols for identification of dysphagia in acute stroke. In all, 62 patients with acute stroke were evaluated for spontaneous swallow frequency rates using a validated acoustic analysis technique. Independent of SFA, these same patients received a routine nurse-administered clinical dysphagia screening as part of standard stroke care. Both screening tools were compared against a validated clinical assessment of dysphagia for acute stroke. In addition, psychometric properties of SFA were compared against published, validated clinical screening protocols. Spontaneous SFA differentiates patients with versus without dysphagia after acute stroke. Using a previously identified cut point based on swallows per minute, spontaneous SFA demonstrated superior ability to identify dysphagia cases compared with a nurse-administered clinical screening tool. In addition, spontaneous SFA demonstrated equal or superior psychometric properties to 4 validated, published clinical dysphagia screening tools. Spontaneous SFA has high potential to identify dysphagia in acute stroke with psychometric properties equal or superior to clinical screening protocols. Copyright © 2014 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A new predictive tool for the early risk assessment of gestational diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Capula, Carmelo; Chiefari, Eusebio; Borelli, Massimo; Oliverio, Rosa; Vero, Anna; Foti, Daniela; Puccio, Luigi; Vero, Raffaella; Brunetti, Antonio

2016-10-01

The Italian National Institute of Health has recently introduced a selective screening based on the risk profile of pregnant women, which while recommending against screening of women at low risk (LR) for GDM, it recommends an early test for women at high risk (HR) for GDM. Herein, we assessed the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of this screening and developed a new index that improves these requirements. We retrospectively enrolled 3974 pregnant women. GDM was diagnosed with a 2h 75-g OGTT at 16-18 weeks (early test) or 24-28 weeks of gestation, according to the IADPSG guidelines. 55.6% of HR women had GDM, although only 38.4% underwent early screening. Among 2654 women at medium risk, 20.9% had GDM; paradoxically, among 770 LR women, that would not have been screened, 26.6% received a GDM diagnosis. Based on these unsatisfactory results, we elaborated the Capula's index, that reduced both screening tests (p<0.001) and potentially undetected GDM cases (p<0.001), and corrected the paradoxical prevalence estimates of GDM obtained with the current Italian guidelines. Also, Capula's index improved correlation of GDM risk profile with obstetric and neonatal adverse events. Capula's index improves accuracy of selective screening for GDM. Copyright © 2016 Primary Care Diabetes Europe. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Community validation of the IDEA study cognitive screen in rural Tanzania.

PubMed

Gray, William K; Paddick, Stella Maria; Collingwood, Cecilia; Kisoli, Aloyce; Mbowe, Godfrey; Mkenda, Sarah; Lissu, Carolyn; Rogathi, Jane; Kissima, John; Walker, Richard W; Mushi, Declare; Chaote, Paul; Ogunniyi, Adesola; Dotchin, Catherine L

2016-11-01

The dementia diagnosis gap in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is large, partly because of difficulties in screening for cognitive impairment in the community. As part of the Identification and Intervention for Dementia in Elderly Africans (IDEA) study, we aimed to validate the IDEA cognitive screen in a community-based sample in rural Tanzania METHODS: Study participants were recruited from people who attended screening days held in villages within the rural Hai district of Tanzania. Criterion validity was assessed against the gold standard clinical dementia diagnosis using DSM-IV criteria. Construct validity was assessed against, age, education, sex and grip strength and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Internal consistency and floor and ceiling effects were also examined. During community screening, the IDEA cognitive screen had high criterion validity, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.855 (95% CI 0.794 to 0.915). Higher scores on the screen were significantly correlated with lower age, male sex, having attended school, better grip strength and improved performance in activities of daily living. Factor analysis revealed a single factor with an eigenvalue greater than one, although internal consistency was only moderate (Cronbach's alpha = 0.534). The IDEA cognitive screen had high criterion and construct validity and is suitable for use as a cognitive screening instrument in a community setting in SSA. Only moderate internal consistency may partly reflect the multi-domain nature of dementia as diagnosed clinically. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Validation of a school-based amblyopia screening protocol in a kindergarten population.

PubMed

Casas-Llera, Pilar; Ortega, Paula; Rubio, Inmaculada; Santos, Verónica; Prieto, María J; Alio, Jorge L

2016-08-04

To validate a school-based amblyopia screening program model by comparing its outcomes to those of a state-of-the-art conventional ophthalmic clinic examination in a kindergarten population of children between the ages of 4 and 5 years. An amblyopia screening protocol, which consisted of visual acuity measurement using Lea charts, ocular alignment test, ocular motility assessment, and stereoacuity with TNO random-dot test, was performed at school in a pediatric 4- to 5-year-old population by qualified healthcare professionals. The outcomes were validated in a selected group by a conventional ophthalmologic examination performed in a fully equipped ophthalmologic center. The ophthalmologic evaluation was used to confirm whether or not children were correctly classified by the screening protocol. The sensitivity and specificity of the test model to detect amblyopia were established. A total of 18,587 4- to 5-year-old children were subjected to the amblyopia screening program during the 2010-2011 school year. A population of 100 children were selected for the ophthalmologic validation screening. A sensitivity of 89.3%, specificity of 93.1%, positive predictive value of 83.3%, negative predictive value of 95.7%, positive likelihood ratio of 12.86, and negative likelihood ratio of 0.12 was obtained for the amblyopia screening validation model. The amblyopia screening protocol model tested in this investigation shows high sensitivity and specificity in detecting high-risk cases of amblyopia compared to the standard ophthalmologic examination. This screening program may be highly relevant for amblyopia screening at schools.

Construct Validation of Three Nutrition Questions Using Health and Diet Ratings in Older Canadian Males Living in the Community.

PubMed

Akhtar, Usman; Keller, Heather H; Tate, Robert B; Lengyel, Christina O

2015-12-01

Brief nutrition screening tools are desired for research and practice. Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition (SCREEN-II, 14 items) and the abbreviated version SCREEN-II-AB (8 items) are valid and reliable nutrition screening tools for older adults. This exploratory study used a retrospective cross-sectional design to determine the construct validity of a subset of 3 items (weight loss, appetite, and swallowing difficulty) currently on the SCREEN-II and SCREEN-II-AB tools. Secondary data on community-dwelling senior males (n = 522, mean ± SD age = 86.7 ± 3.0 years) in the Manitoba Follow-up Study (MFUS) study were available for analysis. Participants completed the mailed MFUS Nutrition Survey that included SCREEN-II items and questions pertaining to self-rated health, diet healthiness, and rating of the importance of nutrition towards successful aging as the constructs for comparison. Self-perceived health status (F = 14.7, P < 0.001), diet healthiness (ρ = 0.17, P = 0.002) and the rating of nutrition's importance to aging (ρ = 0.10, P = 0.03) were correlated with the 3-item score. Inferences were consistent with associations between these construct variables and the full SCREEN-II. Three items from SCREEN-II and SCREEN-II-AB demonstrate initial construct validity with self-perceived health status and diet healthiness ratings by older males; further exploration for criterion and predictive validity in more diverse samples is needed.

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Use in Clinical Trials and Clinical Practice in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

de Jong, Marin J; Huibregtse, Roxanne; Masclee, Ad A M; Jonkers, Daisy M A E; Pierik, Marie J

2018-05-01

Mucosal inflammation must be carefully monitored to improve the long-term outcomes of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are used increasingly to monitor disease activity in clinical practice and as endpoints in clinical trials. We performed a systematic review to provide an overview of the available PROMs on IBD activity and to evaluate their diagnostic value. A systematic search of the PubMed, Medline, Cochrane library, and Embase databases using defined keywords, identified 973 articles. These were screened by 2 independent reviewers, and 37 articles on development or validation of PROMs to assess IBD activity were identified for further analysis. Based on the recommendations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the following measurement properties were evaluated: content, construct, and criterion validity; reliability; and responsiveness to change. In addition, data on ease of use in clinical practice were collected. Seventeen articles presenting 20 different PROMs were included the final analysis, although none met all the FDA-recommended criteria. Only 2 PROMs (patient-reported Harvey Bradshaw Index and Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index scores) reported patient involvement during its development. Only 6 PROMs (patient-reported global assessment, patient assessment of disease activity, mobile health index for Crohn's disease, mobile health index for ulcerative colitis, patient-reported outcome derived from the Mayo score, and the 6-point Mayo score) were validated as markers of IBD activity, using findings from endoscopy as the reference standard; these PROMs identified patients with mucosal inflammation with area under the curve values of 0.63-0.82. The mobile health index for CD and UC scores had the best measurement properties for use in clinical practice and in clinical trials. In a systematic review, we identified more than 20 PROMS that have been developed and tested for their ability to determine IBD activity. Further studies are needed to determine their accuracy and whether they can be used effectively in routine practice, clinical trials, telemedicine systems, and value-based healthcare programs. Copyright © 2018 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relation of Dietary Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load to Coronary Artery Calcium in Asymptomatic Korean Adults.

PubMed

Choi, Yuni; Chang, Yoosoo; Ryu, Seungho; Cho, Juhee; Kim, Mi Kyung; Ahn, Younjhin; Lee, Jung Eun; Sung, Eunju; Kim, Boyoung; Ahn, Jiin; Kim, Chan-Won; Rampal, Sanjay; Zhao, Di; Zhang, Yiyi; Pastor-Barriuso, Roberto; Lima, Joao A C; Chung, Eun Chul; Shin, Hocheol; Guallar, Eliseo

2015-08-15

The relation between glycemic index, glycemic load, and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis is unknown. The aim of the study was to evaluate the associations between energy-adjusted glycemic index, glycemic load, and coronary artery calcium (CAC). This study was cross-sectional analysis of 28,429 asymptomatic Korean men and women (mean age 41.4 years) without a history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease. All participants underwent a health screening examination between March 2011 and April 2013, and dietary intake over the preceding year was estimated using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Cardiac computed tomography was used for CAC scoring. The prevalence of detectable CAC (CAC score >0) was 12.4%. In multivariable-adjusted models, the CAC score ratios (95% confidence intervals) comparing the highest to the lowest quintile of glycemic index and glycemic load were 1.74 (1.08 to 2.81; p trend = 0.03) and 3.04 (1.43 to 6.46; p trend = 0.005), respectively. These associations did not differ by clinical subgroups, including the participants at low cardiovascular risk. In conclusion, these findings suggest that high dietary glycemic index and glycemic load were associated with a greater prevalence and degree of CAC, with glycemic load having a stronger association. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Obstructive apnea hypopnea index estimation by analysis of nocturnal snoring signals in adults.

PubMed

Ben-Israel, Nir; Tarasiuk, Ariel; Zigel, Yaniv

2012-09-01

To develop a whole-night snore sounds analysis algorithm enabling estimation of obstructive apnea hypopnea index (AHI(EST)) among adult subjects. Snore sounds were recorded using a directional condenser microphone placed 1 m above the bed. Acoustic features exploring intra-(mel- cepstability, pitch density) and inter-(running variance, apnea phase ratio, inter-event silence) snore properties were extracted and integrated to assess AHI(EST). University-affiliated sleep-wake disorder center and biomedical signal processing laboratory. Ninety subjects (age 53 ± 13 years, BMI 31 ± 5 kg/m(2)) referred for polysomnography (PSG) diagnosis of OSA were prospectively and consecutively recruited. The system was trained and tested on 60 subjects. Validation was blindly performed on the additional 30 consecutive subjects. AHI(EST) correlated with AHI (AHI(PSG); r(2) = 0.81, P < 0.001). Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 85% and 92% for thresholds of 10 and 20 events/h, respectively, were obtained for OSA detection. Both Altman-Bland analysis and diagnostic agreement criteria revealed 80% and 83% agreements of AHI(EST) with AHI(PSG), respectively. Acoustic analysis based on intra- and inter-snore properties can differentiate subjects according to AHI. An acoustic-based screening system may address the growing needs for reliable OSA screening tool. Further studies are needed to support these findings.

Velocity Measurement by Scattering from Index of Refraction Fluctuations Induced in Turbulent Flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lading, Lars; Saffman, Mark; Edwards, Robert

1996-01-01

Induced phase screen scattering is defined as scatter light from a weak index of refraction fluctuations induced by turbulence. The basic assumptions and requirements for induced phase screen scattering, including scale requirements, are presented.

CRSI (Climate Resilience Screening Index) - Development and Application

EPA Science Inventory

We developed a Climate Resilience Screening Index that is applicable at multiple scales for the United States. Those scales include national, state, county and community. In order to explicitly include domains, indicators and metrics addressing environmental, economic and soci...

Screen time and adiposity in adolescents in Mexico

PubMed Central

Lajous, Martín; Chavarro, Jorge; Peterson, Karen E; Hernández-Prado, Bernardo; Cruz-Valdéz, Aurelio; Hernández-Ávila, Mauricio; Lazcano-Ponce, Eduardo

2014-01-01

Objective To assess the association of time spent viewing television, videos and videogames with measures of fat mass [body mass index (BMI)] and distribution [triceps and subscapular skin folds (TSF, SSF)]. Design Cross-sectional validated survey, self-administered to students to assess screen time (TV, videos and videogames) and lifestyle variables. Trained personnel obtained anthropometry. The association of screen time with fat mass and distribution, stratified by sex, was modeled with multivariable linear regression, adjusting for potential confounders and correlation of observations within schools. Subjects and setting 3519 males and 5613 females aged 11 to 18 years attending urban and rural schools in the State of Morelos, Mexico Results In males, ≥5 hr/day compared with < 2 hr/day of screen time, was significantly associated with a 0.13 (95%CI 0.04, 0.23) higher BMI z score, 0.73 mm (95% CI 0.24, 1.22) higher SSF and 1.08 mm (95% CI 0.36, 1.81) higher TSF. The positive association of screen time with SSF was strongest in males 11–12 yr. Sexual maturity appeared to modify the association in females; a positive between screen time and SSF was observed in those who had not undergone menarche (p-trend 0.04) but not among sexually mature females (p-trend 0.75). Conclusion Screen time is associated with fat mass and distribution among adolescent males in Mexico. Maturational tempo appears to affect the relationship of screen time with adiposity in boys and girls. Findings suggest obesity preventive interventions in the Mexican context should explore strategies to reduce screen time among youth in early adolescence. PMID:19232154

Screening Systems and Decision Making at the Preschool Level: Application of a Comprehensive Validity Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kettler, Ryan J.; Feeney-Kettler, Kelly A.

2011-01-01

Universal screening is designed to be an efficient method for identifying preschool students with mental health problems, but prior to use, screening systems must be evaluated to determine their appropriateness within a specific setting. In this article, an evidence-based validity framework is applied to four screening systems for identifying…

Prediction of future hepatocellular carcinoma incidence in moderate to heavy alcohol drinkers with the FIB-4 liver fibrosis index.

PubMed

Suh, Beomseok; Yun, Jae Moon; Park, Sehhoon; Shin, Dong Wook; Lee, Tae Hoon; Yang, Hyung-Kook; Ahn, Eunmi; Lee, Hyejin; Park, Jin Ho; Cho, BeLong

2015-11-01

Although heavy alcoholics are at heightened risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), there are no guidelines that recommend HCC screening for heavy alcoholics. This study investigated FIB-4, a noninvasive and easily applicable liver fibrosis index, as a risk factor for HCC incidence among alcohol drinkers without viral hepatitis. This retrospective cohort study included 6661 generally healthy adults who were 30 years old or older, did not have chronic viral hepatitis, and visited Seoul National University Hospital for a general, routine health evaluation. The future HCC incidence was determined from National Health Insurance medical service claims data (median follow-up, 6.2 years). With adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol, compared with subjects with FIB-4 values less 1.00, subjects with FIB-4 values greater than or equal to 1.75 and less than 2.10 and subjects with FIB-4 values greater than or equal to 2.10 had adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of 5.18 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-24.00) and 13.63 (95% CI, 3.77-49.33), respectively, for HCC incidence. This was heightened in subjects who drank more 30 g of alcohol per day: the aHRs were 8.39 (95% CI, 1.28-54.87) and 16.58 (95% CI, 3.87-71.04), respectively. FIB-4 was shown to have a higher predictive value for HCC incidence than ultrasonographically detected liver cirrhosis (C-index, 0.665 vs 0.527; P = .044). High FIB-4 is a risk factor with a high predictive value for HCC incidence, especially among moderate to heavy alcoholics (>30 g/d). FIB-4 is a readily available and probably cost-effective clinical tool with potential value for identifying subpopulations of alcoholics at particularly high risk who would benefit from regular HCC screening. Further investigations are warranted to validate our results; nonetheless, our study suggests that FIB-4 may be useful in HCC screening among alcoholics. © 2015 American Cancer Society.

Evaluating Shortened Versions of the AUDIT as Screeners for Alcohol Use Problems in a General Population Study.

PubMed

Nayak, Madhabika B; Bond, Jason C; Greenfield, Thomas K

2015-01-01

Efficient alcohol screening measures are important to prevent or treat alcohol use disorders (AUDs). We studied different versions of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) comparing their performance to the full AUDIT and an AUD measure as screeners for alcohol use problems in Goa, India. Data from a general population study on 743 male drinkers aged 18-49 years are reported. Drinkers completed the AUDIT and an AUD measure. We created shorter versions of the AUDIT by (a) collapsing AUDIT item responses into three and two categories and (b) deleting two items with the lowest factor loadings. Each version was evaluated using factor, reliability and validity, and differential item functioning (DIF) analysis by age, education, standard of living index (SLI), and area of residence. A single factor solution was found for each version with lower factor loadings for items on guilt and concern. There were no significant differences among the different AUDIT versions in predicting AUD. No significant DIF was found by education, SLI or area of residence. DIF was observed for the alcohol frequency item by age. The AUDIT may be used with dichotomized response options without loss of predictive validity. A shortened eight-item dichotomized scale can adequately screen for AUDs in Goa when brevity is of paramount importance, although with lower predictive validity. Although the frequency item was endorsed more by older men, there is no evidence that the AUDIT items perform differently in other groups of male drinkers in Goa.

Basic Scale on Insomnia complaints and Quality of Sleep (BaSIQS): reliability, initial validity and normative scores in higher education students.

PubMed

Allen Gomes, Ana; Ruivo Marques, Daniel; Meia-Via, Ana Maria; Meia-Via, Mariana; Tavares, José; Fernandes da Silva, Carlos; Pinto de Azevedo, Maria Helena

2015-04-01

Based on successive samples totaling more than 5000 higher education students, we scrutinized the reliability, structure, initial validity and normative scores of a brief self-report seven-item scale to screen for the continuum of nighttime insomnia complaints/perceived sleep quality, used by our team for more than a decade, henceforth labeled the Basic Scale on Insomnia complaints and Quality of Sleep (BaSIQS). In study/sample 1 (n = 1654), the items were developed based on part of a larger survey on higher education sleep-wake patterns. The test-retest study was conducted in an independent small group (n = 33) with a 2-8 week gap. In study/sample 2 (n = 360), focused mainly on validity, the BaSIQS was completed together with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). In study 3, a large recent sample of students from universities all over the country (n = 2995) answered the BaSIQS items, based on which normative scores were determined, and an additional question on perceived sleep problems in order to further analyze the scale's validity. Regarding reliability, Cronbach alpha coefficients were systematically higher than 0.7, and the test-retest correlation coefficient was greater than 0.8. Structure analyses revealed consistently satisfactory two-factor and single-factor solutions. Concerning validity analyses, BaSIQS scores were significantly correlated with PSQI component scores and overall score (r = 0.652 corresponding to a large association); mean scores were significantly higher in those students classifying themselves as having sleep problems (p < 0.0001, d = 0.99 corresponding to a large effect size). In conclusion, the BaSIQS is very easy to administer, and appears to be a reliable and valid scale in higher education students. It might be a convenient short tool in research and applied settings to rapidly assess sleep quality or screen for insomnia complaints, and it may be easily used in other populations with minor adaptations.

IDIOS: An innovative index for evaluating dental imaging-based osteoporosis screening indices

PubMed Central

Halboub, Esam; Almashraqi, Abeer Abdulkareem; Khattab, Razan; Al Haffar, Iyad

2016-01-01

Purpose The goal of this study was to develop a new index as an objective reference for evaluating current and newly developed indices used for osteoporosis screening based on dental images. Its name; IDIOS, stands for Index of Dental-imaging Indices of Osteoporosis Screening. Materials and Methods A comprehensive PubMed search was conducted to retrieve studies on dental imaging-based indices for osteoporosis screening. The results of the eligible studies, along with other relevant criteria, were used to develop IDIOS, which has scores ranging from 0 (0%) to 15 (100%). The indices presented in the studies we included were then evaluated using IDIOS. Results The 104 studies that were included utilized 24, 4, and 9 indices derived from panoramic, periapical, and computed tomographic/cone-beam computed tomographic techniques, respectively. The IDIOS scores for these indices ranged from 0 (0%) to 11.75 (78.32%). Conclusion IDIOS is a valuable reference index that facilitates the evaluation of other dental imaging-based osteoporosis screening indices. Furthermore, IDIOS can be utilized to evaluate the accuracy of newly developed indices. PMID:27672615

An adverse event screening tool based on routinely collected hospital-acquired diagnoses.

PubMed

Brand, Caroline; Tropea, Joanne; Gorelik, Alexandra; Jolley, Damien; Scott, Ian; Sundararajan, Vijaya

2012-06-01

The aim was to develop an electronic adverse event (AE) screening tool applicable to acute care hospital episodes for patients admitted with chronic heart failure (CHF) and pneumonia. Consensus building using a modified Delphi method and descriptive analysis of hospital discharge data. Consultant physicians in general medicine (n = 38). In-hospital acquired (C-prefix) diagnoses associated with CHF and pneumonia admissions to 230 hospitals in Victoria, Australia, were extracted from the Victorian Admitted Episodes Data Set between July 2004 and June 2007. A 9-point rating scale was used to prioritize diagnoses acquired during hospitalization (routinely coded as a 'C-prefix' diagnosis to distinguish from diagnoses present on admission) for inclusion within an AE screening tool. Diagnoses rated a group median score between 7 and 9 by the physician panel were included. Selection of C-prefix diagnoses with a group median rating of 7-9 in a screening tool, and the level of physician agreement, as assessed using the Interpercentile Range Adjusted for Symmetry. Of 697 initial C-prefix diagnoses, there were high levels of agreement to include 113 (16.2%) in the AE screening tool. Using these selected diagnoses, a potential AE was flagged in 14% of all admissions for the two index conditions. Intra-rater reliability for each clinician ranged from kappa 0.482 to 1.0. A high level of physician agreement was obtained in selecting in-hospital diagnoses for inclusion in an AE screening tool based on routinely collected data. These results support further tool validation.

[Validation of the Spanish parent satisfaction questionnaire with neonatal hearing screening programs].

PubMed

Núñez-Batalla, Faustino; Antuña-León, Eva; González-Trelles, Teresa; Carro-Fernández, Pilar

2009-01-01

Although measuring parent satisfaction has been recommended as one of the important outcome measures in assessing the effectiveness of neonatal hearing screening programs, there are few published studies investigating this issue. To validate the Spanish version of the Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire with Neonatal Hearing Screening Program (PSQ-NHSP). 112 parents whose children had received hearing screening participated in this study. High levels of satisfaction were reported with more than 90% of parents satisfied with all aspects of the program. The psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the PSQ-NHSP were analyzed and demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha=0.75). Construct validity was indicated by a significant positive relationship between overall satisfaction and the three specific dimensions in the questionnaire. The development of a valid and reliable parent satisfaction questionnaire is important for improving hearing screening programs.

Validity of a modified Parkinson's disease screening questionnaire in India: effects of literacy of participants and medical training of screeners and implications for screening efforts in developing countries.

PubMed

Sarangmath, Nagaraja; Rattihalli, Rohini; Ragothaman, Mona; Gopalkrishna, Gururaj; Doddaballapur, Subbakrishna; Louis, Elan D; Muthane, Uday B

2005-12-01

The prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) is low among Indians, except in the Parsis. Data for Indians come from studies using different screening tools and criteria to detect PD. An epidemiological study in India, which has nearly a billion people, more than 18 spoken languages, and varying levels of literacy, requires development and validation of a screening tool for PD. The objectives of this study are to (1) validate a modified version of a widely used screening questionnaire for PD to suit the needs of the Indian population; (2) compare the use of a nonmedical assistant (NMA) with the use of a medical person during screening; and (3) compare the effect of literacy of participants on the validity of the screening tool. The validity of the questionnaire was tested on 125 participants from a home for the elderly. NMAs of similar background and medical personnel administered the modified screening questionnaire. A movement disorder neurologist blind to the responses on the questionnaire, examined participants independently and diagnosed if participants had PD. The questionnaire was validated in the movement disorders clinic, on known PD patients and their family members without PD. In the movement disorders clinic, sensitivity and specificity of the questionnaire were 100% and 89%, respectively. Fifty-seven participants were included for analysis. The questionnaire had a higher sensitivity when NMAs (75%) rather than the medical personnel (61%) administered it, and its specificity was higher with the medical personnel (61%) than with NMAs (55% and 25%). The questionnaire had a higher specificity in literates than illiterates, whereas sensitivity varied considerably. The modified questionnaire translated in a local Indian language had reasonable sensitivity and can be used to screen individuals for PD in epidemiological studies in India. This questionnaire can be administered by NMAs to screen PD and this strategy would reduce manpower costs. Literacy may influence epidemiological estimates when screening PD.

The reliability, validity and feasibility of tools used to screen for caregiver burden: a systematic review.

PubMed

Whalen, Kimberly J; Buchholz, Susan W

The overall objective of this review is to quantitatively measure the psychometric properties and the feasibility of caregiver burden screening tools. The more specific objectives were to determine the reliability, validity as well as feasibility of tools that are used to screen for caregiver burden and strain. This review considered international quantitative research papers that addressed the psychometric properties and feasibility of caregiver burden screening tools. The search strategy aimed to find both published and unpublished studies from 1980-2007 published only in the English language. An initial limited search of MEDLINE and CINAHL was undertaken followed by analysis of the text words contained in the title and abstract and the index terms used to describe the article. A second search identified keywords and index terms across major databases. Third, the reference list of identified reports and articles was searched for additional studies. Each paper was assessed by two independent reviewers for methodological quality prior to inclusion in the review using an appropriate critical appraisal instrument from the Joanna Briggs Institutes' System for the Unified Management, Assessment and Review (SUMARI) package. Because burden is a multidimensional construct defined internationally with a multitude of other terms, only those studies whose title, abstract or keywords contained the search terminology developed for this review were identified for retrieval. The construct of caregiver burden is not standardized, and many terms are used to describe burden. A caregiver is also identified as a carer. Instruments exist in multiple languages and have been tested in multiple populations. A total of 112 papers, experimental and non-experimental in nature, were included in the review. The majority of papers were non-experimental studies that tested or used a caregiver burden screening tool. Because of the nature of these papers, a meta-analysis of the results was not possible. Instead a table is used to depict the 74 caregiver burden screening tools that meet the psychometric and feasibility standards of this review. The Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), in particular the 22-item version, has been examined the most throughout the literature. In addition to its sound psychometric properties, the ZBI has been widely used across languages and cultures. The significant amount of research that has already been done on psychometric testing of caregiver burden tools has provided a solid foundation for additional research. Although some tools have been well tested, many tools have published limited psychometric properties and feasibility data. The clinician needs to be aware of this and may need to team up with a researcher to obtain additional research data on their specific population before using a minimally tested caregiver burden screening tool. Because caregiver burden is multidimensional and many different terms are used to describe burden, both the clinician and researcher need to be precise in their selection of the appropriate tool for their work.

Heat index and adjusted temperature as surrogates for wet bulb globe temperature to screen for occupational heat stress.

PubMed

Bernard, Thomas E; Iheanacho, Ivory

2015-01-01

Ambient temperature and relative humidity are readily ava-ilable and thus tempting metrics for heat stress assessment. Two methods of using air temperature and relative humidity to create an index are Heat Index and Adjusted Temperature. The purposes of this article are: (1) to examine how well Heat Index and Adjusted Temperature estimated the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index, and (2) to suggest how Heat Index and Adjusted Temperature can be used to screen for heat stress level. Psychrometric relationships were used to estimate values of actual WBGT for conditions of air temperature, relative humidity, and radiant heat at an air speed of 0.5 m/s. A relationship between Heat Index [°F] and WBGT [°C] was described by WBGT = -0.0034 HI(2) + 0.96 HI - 34. At lower Heat Index values, the equation estimated WBGTs that were ± 2 °C-WBGT around the actual value, and to about ± 0.5 °C-WBGT for Heat Index values > 100 °F. A relationship between Adjusted Temperature [°F] and WBGT [°C] was described by WBGT = 0.45 Tadj - 16. The actual WBGT was between 1 °C-WBGT below the estimated value and 1.4 °C-WBGT above. That is, there was a slight bias toward overestimating WBGT from Adjusted Temperature. Heat stress screening tables were constructed for metabolic rates of 180, 300, and 450 W. The screening decisions were divided into four categories: (1) < alert limit, (2) < exposure limit, (3) hourly time-weighted averages (TWAs) of work and recovery, and (4) a caution zone for an exposure > exposure limit at rest. The authors do not recommend using Heat Index or Adjusted Temperature instead of WBGT, but they may be used to screen for circumstances when a more detailed analysis using WBGT is appropriate. A particular weakness is accounting for radiant heat; and neither air speed nor clothing was considered.

Validity of Self-Report Screening Scale for Elder Abuse: Women's Health Australia Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schofield, Margot J.; Mishra, Gita D.

2003-01-01

Examines the reliability and validity of the Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale (VASS) for the early identification of elder abuse. Results confirmed the VASS factor structure and construct validity. The Vulnerability and Coercion factors held the strongest face and construct validity for physical and psychological abuse. (Contains 52…

Enhanced backscatter of optical beams reflected in turbulent air.

PubMed

Nelson, W; Palastro, J P; Wu, C; Davis, C C

2015-07-01

Optical beams propagating through air acquire phase distortions from turbulent fluctuations in the refractive index. While these distortions are usually deleterious to propagation, beams reflected in a turbulent medium can undergo a local recovery of spatial coherence and intensity enhancement referred to as enhanced backscatter (EBS). Here we validate the commonly used phase screen simulation with experimental results obtained from lab-scale experiments. We also verify theoretical predictions of the dependence of the turbulence strength on EBS. Finally, we present a novel algorithm called the "tilt-shift method" which allows detection of EBS in frozen turbulence, reducing the time required to detect the EBS signal.

Screening for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Somali ex-combatants: A validation study

PubMed Central

Odenwald, Michael; Lingenfelder, Birke; Schauer, Maggie; Neuner, Frank; Rockstroh, Brigitte; Hinkel, Harald; Elbert, Thomas

2007-01-01

Background In Somalia, a large number of active and former combatants are affected by psychological problems such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This disorder impairs their ability to re-integrate into civilian life. However, many screening instruments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder used in post-conflict settings have limited validity. Here we report on development and validation of a screening tool for PTSD in Somali language with a sample of ex-combatants. Methods We adapted the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) to reflect linguistic and cultural differences within the Somali community so that local interviewers could be trained to administer the scale. For validation purposes, a randomly selected group of 135 Somali ex-combatants was screened by trained local interviewers; 64 of them were then re-assessed by trained clinical psychologists using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and the Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Results The screening instrument showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .86), convergent validity with the CIDI (sensitivity = .90; specificity = .90) as well as concurrent validity: positive cases showed higher SRQ-20 scores, higher prevalence of psychotic symptoms, and higher levels of intake of the local stimulant drug khat. Compared to a single cut-off score, the multi-criteria scoring, in keeping with the DSM-IV, produced more diagnostic specificity. Conclusion The results provide evidence that our screening instrument is a reliable and valid method to detect PTSD among Somali ex-combatants. A future Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Program in Somalia is recommended to screen for PTSD in order to identify ex-combatants with special psycho-social needs. PMID:17822562

Predictive Validity of the Beers and Screening Tool of Older Persons' Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) Criteria to Detect Adverse Drug Events, Hospitalizations, and Emergency Department Visits in the United States.

PubMed

Brown, Joshua D; Hutchison, Lisa C; Li, Chenghui; Painter, Jacob T; Martin, Bradley C

2016-01-01

To compare the predictive validity of the 2003 Beers, 2012 American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Beers, and Screening Tool of Older Persons' potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria. Retrospective cohort. Managed care administrative claims data from 2006 to 2009. Commercially insured persons aged 65 and older in the United States (N=174,275). Association between adverse drug events (ADEs), emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalization outcomes and inappropriate medication use using time-varying Cox proportional hazard models. Measures of model discrimination (c-index) and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated to compare unadjusted and adjusted models for associations. The prevalence of inappropriate prescribing was 34.1% for the 2012 AGS Beers criteria, 32.2% for the 2003 Beers criteria, and 27.6% for the STOPP criteria. Each set of criteria modestly discriminated ADEs in unadjusted analyses (STOPP criteria: hazard ratio (HR)=2.89, 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.68-3.12, C-index=0.607; 2012 AGS Beers criteria: HR=2.51, 95% CI=2.33-2.70, C-index=0.603; 2003 Beers criteria: HR=2.65, 95% CI=2.46-2.85, C-index=0.605). Similar results were observed for ED visits and hospitalizations. The c-indices increased to between 0.65 and 0.70 in adjusted analyses. The kappa for agreement between criteria was 0.80 for the 2003 and 2012 AGS Beers criteria, 0.58 for the 2012 AGS Beers and STOPP criteria, and 0.59 for the 2003 Beers and STOPP criteria. For the three outcomes, the 2012 AGS Beers criteria had the highest sensitivity (61.2-71.2%) and the lowest specificity (41.2-70.7%), and the STOPP criteria had the lowest sensitivity (53.8-64.7%) but the highest specificity (47.8-78.1%). All three criteria were modestly prognostic for ADEs, EDs, and hospitalizations, with the STOPP criteria slightly outperforming both Beers criteria. With low sensitivity, low specificity, and low agreement between the criteria, they can be used in a complementary fashion to enhance sensitivity in detecting ADEs. © 2016, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2016, The American Geriatrics Society.

Screening High School Students for Eating Disorders: Validity of Brief Behavioral and Attitudinal Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haines, Jess; Ziyadeh, Najat J.; Franko, Debra L.; McDonald, Julia; Mond, Jonathan M.; Austin, S. Bryn

2011-01-01

Background: Early identification can greatly impact the trajectory of eating disorders, and school-based screening is 1 avenue for identifying those at risk. To be feasible in a school setting, a screening program must use a brief, valid screening tool. The aim of this study was to assess how well brief attitudinal and behavioral survey items…

Comparison of the validity of direct pediatric developmental evaluation versus developmental screening by parent report

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

To compare the validity of direct pediatric developmental evaluation with developmental screening by parent report, parents completed a developmental screen (the Child Development Review), a pediatrician performed a direct developmental evaluation (Capute Scales), and a psychologist administered the...

Testing the construct validity of willingness to pay valuations using objective information about risk and health benefit.

PubMed

Philips, Zoë; Whynes, David K; Avis, Mark

2006-02-01

This paper describes an experiment to test the construct validity of contingent valuation, by eliciting women's valuations for the NHS cervical cancer screening programme. It is known that, owing to low levels of knowledge of cancer and screening in the general population, women both over-estimate the risk of disease and the efficacy of screening. The study is constructed as a randomised experiment, in which one group is provided with accurate information about cervical cancer screening, whilst the other is not. The first hypothesis supporting construct validity, that controls who perceive greater benefits from screening will offer higher valuations, is substantiated. Both groups are then provided with objective information on an improvement to the screening programme, and are asked to value the improvement as an increment to their original valuations. The second hypothesis supporting construct validity, that controls who perceive the benefits of the programme to be high already will offer lower incremental valuations, is also substantiated. Copyright 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Anger and postcombat mental health: validation of a brief anger measure with U.S. soldiers postdeployed from Iraq and Afghanistan.

PubMed

Novaco, Raymond W; Swanson, Rob D; Gonzalez, Oscar I; Gahm, Gregory A; Reger, Mark D

2012-09-01

The involvement of anger in the psychological adjustment of current war veterans, particularly in conjunction with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), warrants greater research focus than it has received. The present study concerns a brief anger measure, Dimensions of Anger Reactions (DAR), intended for use in large sample studies and as a screening tool. The concurrent validity, discriminant validity, and incremental validity of the instrument were examined in conjunction with behavioral health data for 3,528 treatment-seeking soldiers who had been in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Criterion indices included multiple self-rated measures of psychological distress (including PTSD, depression, and anxiety), functional difficulties (relationships, daily activities, work problems, and substance use), and violence risk. Concurrent validity was established by strong correlations with single anger items on 4 other scales, and discriminant validity was found against anxiety and depression measures. Pertinent to the construct of anger, the DAR was significantly associated with psychosocial functional difficulties and with several indices of harm to self and to others. Hierarchical regression performed on a self/others harm index found incremental validity for the DAR, controlling for age, education, military component, officer rank, combat exposure, PTSD, and depression. The ability to efficiently assess anger in at-risk military populations can provide an indicator of many undesirable behavioral health outcomes. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Validation of the Short Gambling Harm Screen (SGHS): A Tool for Assessment of Harms from Gambling.

PubMed

Browne, Matthew; Goodwin, Belinda C; Rockloff, Matthew J

2018-06-01

It is common for jurisdictions tasked with minimising gambling-related harm to conduct problem gambling prevalence studies for the purpose of monitoring the impact of gambling on the community. However, given that both public health theory and empirical findings suggest that harms can occur without individuals satisfying clinical criteria of addiction, there is a recognized conceptual disconnect between the prevalence of clinical problem gamblers, and aggregate harm to the community. Starting with an initial item pool of 72 specific harms caused by problematic gambling, our aim was to develop a short gambling harms scale (SGHS) to screen for the presence and degree of harm caused by gambling. An Internet panel of 1524 individuals who had gambled in the last year completed a 72-item checklist, along with the Personal Wellbeing Index, the PGSI, and other measures. We selected 10 items for the SGHS, with the goals of maximising sensitivity and construct coverage. Psychometric analysis suggests very strong reliability, homogeneity and unidimensionality. Non-zero responses on the SGHS were associated with a large decrease in personal wellbeing, with wellbeing decreasing linearly with the number of harms indicated. We conclude that weighted SGHS scores can be aggregated at the population level to yield a sensitive and valid measure of gambling harm.

Raman spectroscopy-based screening of IgM positive and negative sera for dengue virus infection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilal, M.; Saleem, M.; Bilal, Maria; Ijaz, T.; Khan, Saranjam; Ullah, Rahat; Raza, A.; Khurram, M.; Akram, W.; Ahmed, M.

2016-11-01

A statistical method based on Raman spectroscopy for the screening of immunoglobulin M (IgM) in dengue virus (DENV) infected human sera is presented. In total, 108 sera samples were collected and their antibody indexes (AI) for IgM were determined through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Raman spectra of these samples were acquired using a 785 nm wavelength excitation laser. Seventy-eight Raman spectra were selected randomly and unbiasedly for the development of a statistical model using partial least square (PLS) regression, while the remaining 30 were used for testing the developed model. An R-square (r 2) value of 0.929 was determined using the leave-one-sample-out (LOO) cross validation method, showing the validity of this model. It considers all molecular changes related to IgM concentration, and describes their role in infection. A graphical user interface (GUI) platform has been developed to run a developed multivariate model for the prediction of AI of IgM for blindly tested samples, and an excellent agreement has been found between model predicted and clinically determined values. Parameters like sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve for these tested samples are also reported to visualize model performance.

[Development and validation of the Family Vulnerability Index to Disability and Dependence (FVI-DD)].

PubMed

Amendola, Fernanda; Alvarenga, Márcia Regina Martins; Latorre, Maria do Rosário Dias de Oliveira; Oliveira, Maria Amélia de Campos

2014-02-01

This exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional, and quantitative study aimed to develop and validate an index of family vulnerability to disability and dependence (FVI-DD). This study was adapted from the Family Development Index, with the addition of social and health indicators of disability and dependence. The instrument was applied to 248 families in the city of Sao Paulo, followed by exploratory factor analysis. Factor validation was performed using the concurrent and discriminant validity of the Lawton scale and Katz Index. The descriptive level adopted for the study was p < 0.05. The final vulnerability index comprised 50 questions classified into seven factors contemplating social and health dimensions, and this index exhibited good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82). FVI-DD was validated using both the Lawton scale and Katz Index. We conclude that FVI-DD can accurately and reliably assess family vulnerability to disability and dependence.

Nutrition screening tools: an analysis of the evidence.

PubMed

Skipper, Annalynn; Ferguson, Maree; Thompson, Kyle; Castellanos, Victoria H; Porcari, Judy

2012-05-01

In response to questions about tools for nutrition screening, an evidence analysis project was developed to identify the most valid and reliable nutrition screening tools for use in acute care and hospital-based ambulatory care settings. An oversight group defined nutrition screening and literature search criteria. A trained analyst conducted structured searches of the literature for studies of nutrition screening tools according to predetermined criteria. Eleven nutrition screening tools designed to detect undernutrition in patients in acute care and hospital-based ambulatory care were identified. Trained analysts evaluated articles for quality using criteria specified by the American Dietetic Association's Evidence Analysis Library. Members of the oversight group assigned quality grades to the tools based on the quality of the supporting evidence, including reliability and validity data. One tool, the NRS-2002, received a grade I, and 4 tools-the Simple Two-Part Tool, the Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST), and Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)-received a grade II. The MST was the only tool shown to be both valid and reliable for identifying undernutrition in the settings studied. Thus, validated nutrition screening tools that are simple and easy to use are available for application in acute care and hospital-based ambulatory care settings.

Efficient selective screening for heart failure in elderly men and women from the community: A diagnostic individual participant data meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Kievit, Rogier F; Hoes, Arno W; Bots, Michiel L; van Riet, Evelien ES; van Mourik, Yvonne; Bertens, Loes CM; Boonman-de Winter, Leandra JM; den Ruijter, Hester M; Rutten, Frans H

2018-01-01

Background Prevalence of undetected heart failure in older individuals is high in the community, with patients being at increased risk of morbidity and mortality due to the chronic and progressive nature of this complex syndrome. An essential, yet currently unavailable, strategy to pre-select candidates eligible for echocardiography to confirm or exclude heart failure would identify patients earlier, enable targeted interventions and prevent disease progression. The aim of this study was therefore to develop and validate such a model that can be implemented clinically. Methods and results Individual patient data from four primary care screening studies were analysed. From 1941 participants >60 years old, 462 were diagnosed with heart failure, according to criteria of the European Society of Cardiology heart failure guidelines. Prediction models were developed in each cohort followed by cross-validation, omitting each of the four cohorts in turn. The model consisted of five independent predictors; age, history of ischaemic heart disease, exercise-related shortness of breath, body mass index and a laterally displaced/broadened apex beat, with no significant interaction with sex. The c-statistic ranged from 0.70 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64–0.76) to 0.82 (95% CI 0.78–0.87) at cross-validation and the calibration was reasonable with Observed/Expected ratios ranging from 0.86 to 1.15. The clinical model improved with the addition of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide with the c-statistic increasing from 0.76 (95% CI 0.70–0.81) to 0.89 (95% CI 0.86–0.92) at cross-validation. Conclusion Easily obtainable patient characteristics can select older men and women from the community who are candidates for echocardiography to confirm or refute heart failure. PMID:29327942

Efficient selective screening for heart failure in elderly men and women from the community: A diagnostic individual participant data meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kievit, Rogier F; Gohar, Aisha; Hoes, Arno W; Bots, Michiel L; van Riet, Evelien Es; van Mourik, Yvonne; Bertens, Loes Cm; Boonman-de Winter, Leandra Jm; den Ruijter, Hester M; Rutten, Frans H

2018-03-01

Background Prevalence of undetected heart failure in older individuals is high in the community, with patients being at increased risk of morbidity and mortality due to the chronic and progressive nature of this complex syndrome. An essential, yet currently unavailable, strategy to pre-select candidates eligible for echocardiography to confirm or exclude heart failure would identify patients earlier, enable targeted interventions and prevent disease progression. The aim of this study was therefore to develop and validate such a model that can be implemented clinically. Methods and results Individual patient data from four primary care screening studies were analysed. From 1941 participants >60 years old, 462 were diagnosed with heart failure, according to criteria of the European Society of Cardiology heart failure guidelines. Prediction models were developed in each cohort followed by cross-validation, omitting each of the four cohorts in turn. The model consisted of five independent predictors; age, history of ischaemic heart disease, exercise-related shortness of breath, body mass index and a laterally displaced/broadened apex beat, with no significant interaction with sex. The c-statistic ranged from 0.70 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64-0.76) to 0.82 (95% CI 0.78-0.87) at cross-validation and the calibration was reasonable with Observed/Expected ratios ranging from 0.86 to 1.15. The clinical model improved with the addition of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide with the c-statistic increasing from 0.76 (95% CI 0.70-0.81) to 0.89 (95% CI 0.86-0.92) at cross-validation. Conclusion Easily obtainable patient characteristics can select older men and women from the community who are candidates for echocardiography to confirm or refute heart failure.

Turkish translation and adaptation of Champion's Health Belief Model Scales for breast cancer mammography screening.

PubMed

Yilmaz, Meryem; Sayin, Yazile Yazici

2014-07-01

To examine the translation and adaptation process from English to Turkish and the validity and reliability of the Champion's Health Belief Model Scales for Mammography Screening. Its aim (1) is to provide data about and (2) to assess Turkish women's attitudes and behaviours towards mammography. The proportion of women who have mammography is lower in Turkey. The Champion's Health Belief Model Scales for Mammography Screening-Turkish version can be helpful to determine Turkish women's health beliefs, particularly about mammography. Cross-sectional design was used to collect survey data from Turkish women: classical measurement method. The Champion's Health Belief Model Scales for Mammography Screening was translated from English to Turkish. Again, it was back translated into English. Later, the meaning and clarity of the scale items were evaluated by a bilingual group representing the culture of the target population. Finally, the tool was evaluated by two bilingual professional researchers in terms of content validity, translation validity and psychometric estimates of the validity and reliability. The analysis included a total of 209 Turkish women. The validity of the scale was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis and criterion-related validity testing. The Champion's Health Belief Model Scales for Mammography Screening aligned to four factors that were coherent and relatively independent of each other. There was a statistically significant relationship among all of the subscale items: the positive and high correlation of the total item test score and high Cronbach's α. The scale has a strong stability over time: the Champion's Health Belief Model Scales for Mammography Screening demonstrated acceptable preliminary values of reliability and validity. The Champion's Health Belief Model Scales for Mammography Screening is both a reliable and valid instrument that can be useful in measuring the health beliefs of Turkish women. It can be used to provide data about healthcare practices required for mammography screening and breast cancer prevention. This scale will show nurses that nursing intervention planning is essential for increasing Turkish women's participation in mammography screening. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Validation Study of a Gatekeeping Attitude Index for Social Work Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tam, Dora M. Y.; Coleman, Heather

2011-01-01

This article reports on a study designed to validate the Gatekeeping Attitude Index, a 14-item Likert scaling index. The authors collected data from a convenience sample of social work field instructors (N = 188) with a response rate of 74.0%. Construct validation by exploratory factor analysis identified a 2-factor solution on the index after…

Validation of rapid suicidality screening in epilepsy using the NDDIE.

PubMed

Mula, Marco; McGonigal, Aileen; Micoulaud-Franchi, Jean-Arthur; May, Theodor W; Labudda, Kirsten; Brandt, Christian

2016-06-01

Standard mortality ratio for suicide in patients with epilepsy is three times higher than in the general population, and such a risk remains high even after adjusting for clinical and socioeconomic factors. It is thus important to have suitable screening instruments and to implement care pathways for suicide prevention in every epilepsy center. The aim of this study is to validate the use of the Neurological Disorder Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDIE) as a suicidality-screening instrument. The study sample included adult patients with epilepsy assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the NDDIE. A high suicidality risk according to the Suicidality Module of the MINI was considered the gold standard. Receiver operating characteristic analyses for NDDIE total and individual item scores were computed and subsequently compared using a nonparametric approach. The best possible cutoff was identified with the highest Youden index (J). Likelihood ratios were then computed, and specificity, sensitivity, positive, and negative predictive values calculated. The study sample consisted of 380 adult patients with epilepsy: 46.3% male; mean age was 39.4 ± 14.6; 76.7% had a diagnosis of focal epilepsy; mean age at onset of the epilepsy was 23.3 ± 17.5. According to the MINI, 74 patients (19.5%) fulfilled criteria for a major depressive episode and 19 (5%) presented a high suicidality risk. A score >2 (J = 0.751) for item 4 "I'd be better off dead" of the NDDIE displayed excellent psychometric properties with a good to excellent validity (area under the curve [AUC] 0.906; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.820-0.992; p < 0.001), sensitivity 84.21% (95% CI 60.4-96.6), specificity 90.86% (95% CI 87.4-93.6), likelihood ratio+ 9.21 (95% CI 6.3-13.5), likelihood ratio- 0.17 (95% CI 0.06-0.50). Item 4 of the NDDIE has shown to be an excellent suicidality screening instrument allowing the development of further care pathways for suicide prevention in epilepsy centers. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International League Against Epilepsy.

Association between cervical screening and prevention of invasive cervical cancer in Ontario: a population-based case-control study.

PubMed

Vicus, Danielle; Sutradhar, Rinku; Lu, Yan; Kupets, Rachel; Paszat, Lawrence

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of cervical screening in the prevention of invasive cervical cancer among age groups, using a population-based case-control study in the province of Ontario, Canada. Exposure was defined as cervical cytology history greater than 3 months before the diagnosis date of cervical cancer (index date). Cases were women who were diagnosed with cervical cancer between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2008. Controls were women without a diagnosis of cervical cancer on, or before, December 31, 2008. Two controls were matched to each case on year of birth and income quintile, as of the index date. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio for having been screened among those with cervical cancer. Cervical cancer screening performed between 3 and 36 months before the index date was protective against invasive cervical cancer in women aged 40 through 69 years. In women younger than 40 years, cervical cancer screening performed 3 to 36 months before the index date was not protective. Cervical screening is associated with a reduced risk for invasive cervical cancer among women older than 40 years. Cervical cancer resources should be focused on maximizing the risk reduction.

A three-dimensional refractive index model for simulation of optical wave propagation in atmospheric turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paramonov, P. V.; Vorontsov, A. M.; Kunitsyn, V. E.

2015-10-01

Numerical modeling of optical wave propagation in atmospheric turbulence is traditionally performed with using the so-called "split"-operator method, when the influence of the propagation medium's refractive index inhomogeneities is accounted for only within a system of infinitely narrow layers (phase screens) where phase is distorted. Commonly, under certain assumptions, such phase screens are considered as mutually statistically uncorrelated. However, in several important applications including laser target tracking, remote sensing, and atmospheric imaging, accurate optical field propagation modeling assumes upper limitations on interscreen spacing. The latter situation can be observed, for instance, in the presence of large-scale turbulent inhomogeneities or in deep turbulence conditions, where interscreen distances become comparable with turbulence outer scale and, hence, corresponding phase screens cannot be statistically uncorrelated. In this paper, we discuss correlated phase screens. The statistical characteristics of screens are calculated based on a representation of turbulent fluctuations of three-dimensional (3D) refractive index random field as a set of sequentially correlated 3D layers displaced in the wave propagation direction. The statistical characteristics of refractive index fluctuations are described in terms of the von Karman power spectrum density. In the representation of these 3D layers by corresponding phase screens, the geometrical optics approximation is used.

Establishing high resolution melting analysis: method validation and evaluation for c-RET proto-oncogene mutation screening.

PubMed

Benej, Martin; Bendlova, Bela; Vaclavikova, Eliska; Poturnajova, Martina

2011-10-06

Reliable and effective primary screening of mutation carriers is the key condition for common diagnostic use. The objective of this study is to validate the method high resolution melting (HRM) analysis for routine primary mutation screening and accomplish its optimization, evaluation and validation. Due to their heterozygous nature, germline point mutations of c-RET proto-oncogene, associated to multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2), are suitable for HRM analysis. Early identification of mutation carriers has a major impact on patients' survival due to early onset of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and resistance to conventional therapy. The authors performed a series of validation assays according to International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) guidelines for validation of analytical procedures, along with appropriate design and optimization experiments. After validated evaluation of HRM, the method was utilized for primary screening of 28 pathogenic c-RET mutations distributed among nine exons of c-RET gene. Validation experiments confirm the repeatability, robustness, accuracy and reproducibility of HRM. All c-RET gene pathogenic variants were detected with no occurrence of false-positive/false-negative results. The data provide basic information about design, establishment and validation of HRM for primary screening of genetic variants in order to distinguish heterozygous point mutation carriers among the wild-type sequence carriers. HRM analysis is a powerful and reliable tool for rapid and cost-effective primary screening, e.g., of c-RET gene germline and/or sporadic mutations and can be used as a first line potential diagnostic tool.

Validity of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Screener in Adolescents and Young Adults With and Without Congenital Heart Disease.

PubMed

Pike, Nancy A; Poulsen, Marie K; Woo, Mary A

Cognitive deficits are common, long-term sequelae in children and adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD) who have undergone surgical palliation. However, there is a lack of a validated brief cognitive screening tool appropriate for the outpatient setting for adolescents with CHD. One candidate instrument is the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) questionnaire. The purpose of the research was to validate scores from the MoCA against the General Memory Index (GMI) of the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning, 2nd Edition (WRAML2), a widely accepted measure of cognition/memory, in adolescents and young adults with CHD. We administered the MoCA and the WRAML2 to 156 adolescents and young adults ages 14-21 (80 youth with CHD and 76 healthy controls who were gender and age matched). Spearman's rank order correlations were used to assess concurrent validity. To assess construct validity, the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare differences in scores in youth with CHD and the healthy control group. Receiver operating characteristic curves were created and area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were also calculated. The MoCA median scores in the CHD versus healthy controls were (23, range 15-29 vs. 28, range 22-30; p < .001), respectively. With the screening cutoff scores at <26 points for the MoCA and 85 for GMI (<1 SD, M = 100, SD = 15), the CHD versus healthy control groups showed sensitivity of .96 and specificity of .67 versus sensitivity of .75 and specificity of .90, respectively, in the detection of cognitive deficits. A cutoff score of 26 on the MoCA was optimal in the CHD group; a cutoff of 25 had similar properties except for a lower negative predictive value. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (95% CI) for the MoCA was 0.84 (95% CI [0.75, 0.93], p < .001) and 0.84 (95% CI [0.62, 1.00], p = .02) for the CHD and controls, respectively. Scores on the MoCA were valid for screening to detect cognitive deficits in adolescents and young adults aged 14-21 with CHD when a cutoff score of 26 is used to differentiate youth with and without significant cognitive impairment. Future studies are needed in other adolescent disease groups with known cognitive deficits and healthy populations to explore the generalizability of validity of MoCA scores in adolescents and young adults.

Sensitivity and specificity of the Beck Depression Inventory in cardiologic inpatients: how useful is the conventional cut-off score?

PubMed

Forkmann, Thomas; Vehren, Thomas; Boecker, Maren; Norra, Christine; Wirtz, Markus; Gauggel, Siegfried

2009-10-01

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is widely used for depression screening in various patient populations. However, there are still insufficient data about its sensitivity and specificity in nonpsychiatric patients. Furthermore, some research suggests that somatic BDI items heighten its sum score artificially in physically ill patients. The aim of the present study was to validate the conventional BDI cut-off score by examination of its sensitivity and specificity in a mixed sample of cardiac inpatients and compare it to a modified "cognitive-emotional" BDI (BDI(c/e)) after exclusion of somatic items. A total of 126 cardiologic inpatients were assessed. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were calculated for total BDI (BDI(t)) and BDI(c/e). Screening performance of cut-off scores was evaluated using the Youden Index (Y). With the application of the conventional BDI cut-off score, ROC analysis revealed a moderate overall screening performance with Y=52.6 and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.83. In contrast, Y improved to 57.5 at a cut-off score of >9, but screening performance was still not optimal. BDI(c/e) showed also a moderate screening performance (AUC=.82); Y was maximized at a cut-off score of >8 (Y=0.53.5). Again, no cut-off score provided optimal screening performance. The BDI cannot be recommended as a formal screening instrument in cardiac inpatients since no cut-off score for either BDI(t) or BDI(c/e) combined both sufficiently high sensitivity and specificity. However, the shorter BDI(c/e) could be used as alternative to BDI(t) which may be confounded in physically ill patients. Generally, researchers should consider using alternative screening instruments (e.g., the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) instead.

Use of assisted reproductive technology treatment as reported by mothers in comparison with registry data: the Upstate KIDS Study.

PubMed

Buck Louis, Germaine M; Druschel, Charlotte; Bell, Erin; Stern, Judy E; Luke, Barbara; McLain, Alexander; Sundaram, Rajeshwari; Yeung, Edwina

2015-06-01

To assess the validity of maternally reported assisted reproductive technologies (ART) use and to identify predictors of reporting errors. Linkage study. Not applicable. A total of 5,034 (27%) mothers enrolled, from whom 4,886 (97%) self-reported information about use of infertility treatment, including ART, for the index birth. None. Four measures of validity (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values) and use of net reclassification improvement (NRI) methods to identify predictors associated with concordant/discordant maternal reporting. The Upstate New York Infant Development Screening Program (Update KIDS Study) was linked with the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System (SART CORS) using a defined algorithm for 2008-2010. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were high (0.93, 0.99, 0.80, and 1.00, respectively). The validity of maternal report was high, reflecting few differences by participant characteristics except for maternal age dichotomized at 29 years as identified with NRI methods. Maternally reported ART is valid, with little variation across various characteristics. No strong predictors of discordant reporting were found, supporting the utility of population-based research with SART CORS linkage. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Older adult mistreatment risk screening: contribution to the validation of a screening tool in a domestic setting.

PubMed

Lindenbach, Jeannette M; Larocque, Sylvie; Lavoie, Anne-Marise; Garceau, Marie-Luce

2012-06-01

ABSTRACTThe hidden nature of older adult mistreatment renders its detection in the domestic setting particularly challenging. A validated screening instrument that can provide a systematic assessment of risk factors can facilitate this detection. One such instrument, the "expanded Indicators of Abuse" tool, has been previously validated in the Hebrew language in a hospital setting. The present study has contributed to the validation of the "e-IOA" in an English-speaking community setting in Ontario, Canada. It consisted of two phases: (a) a content validity review and adaptation of the instrument by experts throughout Ontario, and (b) an inter-rater reliability assessment by home visiting nurses. The adaptation, the "Mistreatment of Older Adult Risk Factors" tool, offers a comprehensive tool for screening in the home setting. This instrument is significant to professional practice as practitioners working with older adults will be better equipped to assess for risk of mistreatment.

Psychometrics of the Fitness-to-Drive Screening Measure.

PubMed

Classen, Sherrilene; Velozo, Craig A; Winter, Sandra M; Bédard, Michel; Wang, Yanning

2015-01-01

We employed item response theory (IRT), specifically using Rasch modeling, to determine the measurement precision of the Fitness-to-Drive Screening Measure (FTDS), a tool that can be used by caregivers and occupational therapists to help detect at-risk drivers. We examined unidimensionality through the factor structure (how items contribute to the central construct of fitness to drive), rating scale (use of the categories of the rating scale), item/person-level separation (distinguishing between items with different difficulty levels or persons with different ability levels) and reliability, item hierarchy (easier driving items advancing to more difficult driving items), rater reliability, rater effects (severity vs. leniency of a rater), and criterion validity of the FTDS to an on-road assessment, via three rater groups (n = 200 older drivers; n = 200 caregivers; n = 2 evaluators). The FTDS is unidimensional, the rating scale performed well, has good person (> 3.07) and item (> 5.43) separation, good person (> 0.90) and item reliability (> 0.97), with < 10% misfitting items for two rater groups (caregivers and drivers). The intraclass correlation (ICC) coefficient among the three rater groups was significant (.253, p < .001) and the evaluators were the most severe raters. When comparing the caregivers' FTDS rating with the drivers' on-road assessment, the areas under the curve (index of discriminability; caregivers .726, p < .001) suggested concurrent validity between the FTDS and the on-road assessment. Despite limitations, the FTDS is a reliable and accurate screening measure for caregivers to help identify at-risk older drivers and for occupational therapy practitioners to start conversations about driving.

Validation of the Arab Youth Mental Health scale as a screening tool for depression/anxiety in Lebanese children

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Early detection of common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, among children and adolescents requires the use of validated, culturally sensitive, and developmentally appropriate screening instruments. The Arab region has a high proportion of youth, yet Arabic-language screening instruments for mental disorders among this age group are virtually absent. Methods We carried out construct and clinical validation on the recently-developed Arab Youth Mental Health (AYMH) scale as a screening tool for depression/anxiety. The scale was administered with 10-14 year old children attending a social service center in Beirut, Lebanon (N = 153). The clinical assessment was conducted by a child and adolescent clinical psychiatrist employing the DSM IV criteria. We tested the scale's sensitivity, specificity, and internal consistency. Results Scale scores were generally significantly associated with how participants responded to standard questions on health, mental health, and happiness, indicating good construct validity. The results revealed that the scale exhibited good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86) and specificity (79%). However, it exhibited moderate sensitivity for girls (71%) and poor sensitivity for boys (50%). Conclusions The AYMH scale is useful as a screening tool for general mental health states and a valid screening instrument for common mental disorders among girls. It is not a valid instrument for detecting depression and anxiety among boys in an Arab culture. PMID:21435213

Validity of the Microcomputer Evaluation Screening and Assessment Aptitude Scores.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janikowski, Timothy P.; And Others

1991-01-01

Examined validity of Microcomputer Evaluation Screening and Assessment (MESA) aptitude scores relative to General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) using multitrait-multimethod correlational analyses. Findings from 54 rehabilitation clients and 29 displaced workers revealed no evidence to support the construct validity of the MESA. (Author/NB)

Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Microcomputer Evaluation Screening and Assessment (MESA) Interest Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janikowski, Timothy P.; And Others

1990-01-01

Examined construct validity of Microcomputer Evaluation Screening and Assessment (MESA) Interest Survey. Administered MESA and United States Employment Service (USES) Interest Inventory to 74 volunteer rehabilitation clients. Evidence supported convergent and discriminant validity of MESA. Found fewer significant intercorrelations among MESA…

Validation of screening tools to assess appetite among geriatric patients.

PubMed

Hanisah, R; Suzana, S; Lee, F S

2012-07-01

Poor appetite is one of the main contributing factors of poor nutritional status among elderly individuals. Recognizing the importance of assessment of appetite, a cross sectional study was conducted to determine the validity of appetite screening tools namely, the Council on Nutrition Appetite questionnaire (CNAQ) and the simplified nutritional appetite questionnaire (SNAQ) against the appetite, hunger and sensory perception questionnaire (AHSPQ), measures of nutritional status and food intake among geriatric patients at the main general hospital in Malaysia. Nutritional status was assessed using the subjective global assessment (SGA) while food intake was measured using the dietary history questionnaire (DHQ). Anthropometric parameters included weight, height, body mass index (BMI), calf circumference (CC) and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC). A total of 145 subjects aged 60 to 86 years (68.3 ± 5.8 years) with 31.7% men and 68.3% women were recruited from outpatients (35 subjects) and inpatients (110 subjects) of Kuala Lumpur Hospital of Malaysia. As assessed by SGA, most subjects were classified as mild to moderately malnourished (50.4%), followed by normal (38.6%) and severely malnourished (11.0%). A total of 79.3% and 57.2% subjects were classified as having poor appetite according to CNAQ and SNAQ, respectively. CNAQ (80.9%) had a higher sensitivity than SNAQ (69.7%) when validated against nutritional status as assessed using SGA. However, the specificity of SNAQ (62.5%) was higher than CNAQ (23.2%). Positive predictive value for CNAQ and SNAQ were 62.6% and 74.7%, respectively. Cronbach's alpha for CNAQ and SNAQ were 0.546 and 0.578, respectively. History of weight loss over the past one year (Adjusted odds ratio 2.49) (p < 0.01) and thiamine intake less than the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) (Adjusted odds ratio 3.04) (p < 0.05) were risk factors for poor appetite among subjects. In conclusion, malnutrition and poor appetite were prevalent among the geriatric outpatients and inpatients. SNAQ was more reliable and valid as an appetite screening tool among this special group of population. There is a need to regularly include nutritional and appetite assessment for early intervention measures in order to prevent consequences of malnutrition.

Item validity vs. item discrimination index: a redundancy?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panjaitan, R. L.; Irawati, R.; Sujana, A.; Hanifah, N.; Djuanda, D.

2018-03-01

In several literatures about evaluation and test analysis, it is common to find that there are calculations of item validity as well as item discrimination index (D) with different formula for each. Meanwhile, other resources said that item discrimination index could be obtained by calculating the correlation between the testee’s score in a particular item and the testee’s score on the overall test, which is actually the same concept as item validity. Some research reports, especially undergraduate theses tend to include both item validity and item discrimination index in the instrument analysis. It seems that these concepts might overlap for both reflect the test quality on measuring the examinees’ ability. In this paper, examples of some results of data processing on item validity and item discrimination index were compared. It would be discussed whether item validity and item discrimination index can be represented by one of them only or it should be better to present both calculations for simple test analysis, especially in undergraduate theses where test analyses were included.

THE 6-MINUTE WALK TEST AND OTHER CLINICAL ENDPOINTS IN DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY: RELIABILITY, CONCURRENT VALIDITY, AND MINIMAL CLINICALLY IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES FROM A MULTICENTER STUDY

PubMed Central

McDonald, Craig M; Henricson, Erik K; Abresch, R Ted; Florence, Julaine; Eagle, Michelle; Gappmaier, Eduard; Glanzman, Allan M; Spiegel, Robert; Barth, Jay; Elfring, Gary; Reha, Allen; Peltz, Stuart W

2013-01-01

Introduction: An international clinical trial enrolled 174 ambulatory males ≥5 years old with nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (nmDMD). Pretreatment data provide insight into reliability, concurrent validity, and minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) of the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and other endpoints. Methods: Screening and baseline evaluations included the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), timed function tests (TFTs), quantitative strength by myometry, the PedsQL, heart rate–determined energy expenditure index, and other exploratory endpoints. Results: The 6MWT proved feasible and reliable in a multicenter context. Concurrent validity with other endpoints was excellent. The MCID for 6MWD was 28.5 and 31.7 meters based on 2 statistical distribution methods. Conclusions: The ratio of MCID to baseline mean is lower for 6MWD than for other endpoints. The 6MWD is an optimal primary endpoint for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) clinical trials that are focused therapeutically on preservation of ambulation and slowing of disease progression. Muscle Nerve 48: 357–368, 2013 PMID:23674289

Validity Tests of the Adolescent Domain Screening Inventory (ADSI) with Older Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corrigan, Matthew J.; Forte, James; Bulgaris, Sarah

2017-01-01

The purpose of this replication study is to test the validity of the Adolescent Domain Screening Inventory (ADSI) on an older adolescent population. This cross sectional study used a convenience sample to preliminarily test the validity of the ADSI. Concurrent validity correlations ranged from a high of 0.924 to a low of 0.760. The known…

Effect of Antiretroviral Therapy on the Diagnostic Accuracy of Symptom Screening for Intensified Tuberculosis Case Finding in a South African HIV Clinic

PubMed Central

Rangaka, Molebogeng X.; Wilkinson, Robert J.; Glynn, Judith R.; Boulle, Andrew; van Cutsem, Gilles; Goliath, Rene; Mathee, Shaheed; Maartens, Gary

2012-01-01

Background. Current symptom screening algorithms for intensified tuberculosis case finding or prior to isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were derived from antiretroviral-naive cohorts. There is a need to validate screening algorithms in patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Methods. We performed cross-sectional evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of symptom screening, including the World Health Organization (WHO) algorithm, to rule out tuberculosis in HIV-infected individuals pre-ART and on ART undergoing screening prior to IPT. Results. A total of 1429 participants, 54% on ART, had symptom screening and a sputum culture result available. Culture-positive tuberculosis was diagnosed in 126 patients (8.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.4%–10.4%). The WHO symptom screen in the on-ART compared with the pre-ART group had a lower sensitivity (23.8% vs 47.6%), but higher specificity (94.4% vs 79.8%). The effect of ART was independent of CD4+ count in multivariable analyses. The posttest probability of tuberculosis following a negative WHO screen was 8.9% (95% CI, 7.4%–10.8%) and 4.4% (95% CI, 3.7%–5.2%) for the pre-ART and on-ART groups, respectively. Addition of body mass index to the WHO screen significantly improved discriminatory ability in both ART groups, which was further improved by adding CD4 count and ART duration. Conclusions. The WHO symptom screen has poor sensitivity, especially among patients on ART, in a clinic where regular tuberculosis screening is practiced. Consequently, a significant proportion of individuals with tuberculosis would inadvertently be placed on isoniazid monotherapy despite high negative predictive values. Until more sensitive methods of ruling out tuberculosis are established, it would be prudent to do a sputum culture prior to IPT where this is feasible. PMID:22955441

Automated Pressure Injury Risk Assessment System Incorporated Into an Electronic Health Record System.

PubMed

Jin, Yinji; Jin, Taixian; Lee, Sun-Mi

Pressure injury risk assessment is the first step toward preventing pressure injuries, but traditional assessment tools are time-consuming, resulting in work overload and fatigue for nurses. The objectives of the study were to build an automated pressure injury risk assessment system (Auto-PIRAS) that can assess pressure injury risk using data, without requiring nurses to collect or input additional data, and to evaluate the validity of this assessment tool. A retrospective case-control study and a system development study were conducted in a 1,355-bed university hospital in Seoul, South Korea. A total of 1,305 pressure injury patients and 5,220 nonpressure injury patients participated for the development of a risk scoring algorithm: 687 and 2,748 for the validation of the algorithm and 237 and 994 for validation after clinical implementation, respectively. A total of 4,211 pressure injury-related clinical variables were extracted from the electronic health record (EHR) systems to develop a risk scoring algorithm, which was validated and incorporated into the EHR. That program was further evaluated for predictive and concurrent validity. Auto-PIRAS, incorporated into the EHR system, assigned a risk assessment score of high, moderate, or low and displayed this on the Kardex nursing record screen. Risk scores were updated nightly according to 10 predetermined risk factors. The predictive validity measures of the algorithm validation stage were as follows: sensitivity = .87, specificity = .90, positive predictive value = .68, negative predictive value = .97, Youden index = .77, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = .95. The predictive validity measures of the Braden Scale were as follows: sensitivity = .77, specificity = .93, positive predictive value = .72, negative predictive value = .95, Youden index = .70, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = .85. The kappa of the Auto-PIRAS and Braden Scale risk classification result was .73. The predictive performance of the Auto-PIRAS was similar to Braden Scale assessments conducted by nurses. Auto-PIRAS is expected to be used as a system that assesses pressure injury risk automatically without additional data collection by nurses.

Systematic review of systemic sclerosis-specific instruments for the EULAR Outcome Measures Library: An evolutional database model of validated patient-reported outcomes.

PubMed

Ingegnoli, Francesca; Carmona, Loreto; Castrejon, Isabel

2017-04-01

The EULAR Outcome Measures Library (OML) is a freely available database of validated patient-reported outcomes (PROs). The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive review of validated PROs specifically developed for systemic sclerosis (SSc) to feed the EULAR OML. A sensitive search was developed in Medline and Embase to identify all validation studies, cohort studies, reviews, or meta-analyses in which the objective were the development or validation of specific PROs evaluating organ involvement, disease activity or damage in SSc. A reviewer screened title and abstracts, selected the studies, and collected data concerning validation using ad hoc forms based on the COSMIN checklist. From 13,140 articles captured, 74 met the predefined criteria. After excluding two instruments as they were unavailable in English the selected 23 studies provided information on seven SSc-specific PROs on different SSc domains: burden of illness (symptom burden index), functional status (Scleroderma Assessment Questionnaire), functional ability (scleroderma Functional Score), Raynaud's phenomenon (Raynaud's condition score), mouth involvement (Mouth Handicap in SSc), gastro-intestinal involvement (University of California Los Angeles-Scleroderma Clinical Trial Consortium Gastro-Intestinal tract 2.0), and skin involvement (skin self-assessment). Each of them is partially validated and has different psychometric requirements. Seven SSc-specific PROs have a minimum validation and were included in the EULAR OML. Further development in the area of disease-specific PROs in SSc is warranted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validity and Reliability of the Persian Version of the Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI).

PubMed

Asadollahpour, Faezeh; Baghban, Kowsar; Asadi, Mozhgan

2015-05-01

The Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI) is one of the instruments used for measuring a dysphagic patient's self-assessment. In some ways, it reflects the patient's quality of life. Although it has been recognized and widely applied in English speaking populations, it has not been used in its present forms in Persian speaking countries. The purpose of this study was to adapt a Persian version of the DHI and to evaluate its validity, consistency, and reliability in the Persian population with oropharyngeal dysphagia. Some stages for cross-cultural adaptation were performed, which consisted in translation, synthesis, back translation, review by an expert committee, and final proof reading. The generated Persian DHI was administered to 85 patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia and 89 control subjects at Zahedan city between May 2013 and August 2013. The patients and control subjects answered the same questionnaire 2 weeks later to verify the test-retest reliability. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated. The results of the patients and the control group were compared. The Persian DHI showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficients range from 0.82 to 0.94). Also, good test-retest reliability was found for the total scores of the Persian DHI (r=0.89). There was a significant difference between the DHI scores of the control group and those of the oropharyngeal dysphagia group (P‹0.001). The Persian version of the DHI achieved Face and translation validity. This study demonstrated that the Persian DHI is a valid tool for self-assessment of the handicapping effects of dysphagia on the physical, functional, and emotional aspects of patient life and can be a useful tool for screening and treatment planning for the Persian-speaking dysphagic patients, regardless of the cause or the severity of the dysphagia.

Severity of illness index for surgical departments in a Cuban hospital: a revalidation study.

PubMed

Armas-Bencomo, Amadys; Tamargo-Barbeito, Teddy Osmin; Fuentes-Valdés, Edelberto; Jiménez-Paneque, Rosa Eugenia

2017-03-08

In the context of the evaluation of hospital services, the incorporation of severity indices allows an essential control variable for performance comparisons in time and space through risk adjustment. The severity index for surgical services was developed in 1999 and validated as a general index for surgical services. Sixteen years later the hospital context is different in many ways and a revalidation was considered necessary to guarantee its current usefulness. To evaluate the validity and reliability of the surgical services severity index to warrant its reasonable use under current conditions. A descriptive study was carried out in the General Surgery service of the "Hermanos Ameijeiras" Clinical Surgical Hospital of Havana, Cuba during the second half of 2010. We reviewed the medical records of 511 patients discharged from this service. Items were the same as the original index as were their weighted values. Conceptual or construct validity, criterion validity and inter-rater reliability as well as internal consistency of the proposed index were evaluated. Construct validity was expressed as a significant association between the value of the severity index for surgical services and discharge status. A significant association was also found, although weak, with length of hospital stay. Criterion validity was demonstrated through the correlations between the severity index for surgical services and other similar indices. Regarding criterion validity, the Horn index showed a correlation of 0.722 (95% CI: 0.677-0.761) with our index. With the POSSUM score, correlation was 0.454 (95% CI: 0.388-0.514) with mortality risk and 0.539 (95% CI: 0.462-0.607) with morbidity risk. Internal consistency yielded a standardized Cronbach's alpha of 0.8; inter-rater reliability resulted in a reliability coefficient of 0.98 for the quantitative index and a weighted global Kappa coefficient of 0.87 for the ordinal surgical index of severity for surgical services (IGQ). The validity and reliability of the proposed index was satisfactory in all aspects evaluated. The surgical services severity index may be used in the original context and is easily adaptable to other contexts as well.

Validating the Adolescent Form of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Risberg, Richard A.; And Others

1995-01-01

Tests validity of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) in detecting chemical dependency in adolescents (n=107), when compared to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) results. Further validation for the SASSI was obtained. Treatment implications and suggestions for further research are provided. (SNR)

49 CFR 1515.9 - Appeal of security threat assessment based on other analyses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., foreign air carriers, indirect air carriers (IACs), certified cargo screening facilities, or validation...'s reply and any accompanying information, and any other materials or information available to him or... operators, foreign air carriers, IACs, certified cargo screening facilities, or validation firms. [72 FR...

The Validity of IQ Scores Derived from Readiness Screening Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Telegdy, Gabriel A.

1976-01-01

The Screening Test of Academic Readiness (STAR) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) were administered to 52 kindergarten children to reveal the convergent validity of IQ scores derived from the STAR. The findings raise doubts about the validity of the deviation IQs derived from the STAR. (Author)

Validity of a novel computerized screening test system for mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Park, Jin-Hyuck; Jung, Minye; Kim, Jongbae; Park, Hae Yean; Kim, Jung-Ran; Park, Ji-Hyuk

2018-06-20

ABSTRACTBackground:The mobile screening test system for screening mild cognitive impairment (mSTS-MCI) was developed for clinical use. However, the clinical usefulness of mSTS-MCI to detect elderly with MCI from those who are cognitively healthy has yet to be validated. Moreover, the comparability between this system and traditional screening tests for MCI has not been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the mSTS-MCI and confirm the cut-off scores to detect MCI. The data were collected from 107 healthy elderly people and 74 elderly people with MCI. Concurrent validity was examined using the Korean version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K) as a gold standard test, and test-retest reliability was investigated using 30 of the study participants at four-week intervals. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value (NPV) were confirmed through Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis, and the cut-off scores for elderly people with MCI were identified. Concurrent validity showed statistically significant correlations between the mSTS-MCI and MoCA-K and test-rests reliability indicated high correlation. As a result of screening predictability, the mSTS-MCI had a higher NPV than the MoCA-K. The mSTS-MCI was identified as a system with a high degree of validity and reliability. In addition, the mSTS-MCI showed high screening predictability, indicating it can be used in the clinical field as a screening test system for mild cognitive impairment.

Additional Evidence of Convergent Validity between SRSS-IE and SSiS-PSG Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Kathleen Lynne; Oakes, Wendy Peia; Ennis, Robin Parks; Royer, David James

2015-01-01

We report findings of a validity study comparing two screening tools: the Student Risk Screening Scale-Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE) and the Social Skills Improvement System-Performance Screening Guide (SSiS-PSG; Elliott & Gresham, 2007). Participants were 1,680 kindergarten through sixth-grade elementary students from three…

Validating the Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire against the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKenzie, Karen; Sharples, Phil; Murray, Aja L.

2015-01-01

The Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire (LDSQ), a brief screening tool for intellectual disability, was originally validated against the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale, Third Edition (WAIS-III), which was superseded by the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) in the United Kingdom in 2010. This study examines the…

Cross-Validation of the Computerized Adaptive Screening Test (CAST).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pliske, Rebecca M.; And Others

The Computerized Adaptive Screening Test (CAST) was developed to provide an estimate at recruiting stations of prospects' Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) scores. The CAST was designed to replace the paper-and-pencil Enlistment Screening Test (EST). The initial validation study of CAST indicated that CAST predicts AFQT at least as accurately…

Development of a Breast Cancer Awareness Scale for Thai Women: Moving towards a Validated Measure.

PubMed

Rakkapao, Nitchamon; Promthet, Supannee; Moore, Malcolm A; Hurst, Cameron P

2016-01-01

Breast cancer is a major health problem among women around the world. Recent developments in screening and treatment have greatly improved the prognosis of patients with breast cancer in developed countries. However, in developing countries breast cancer mortality remains high.Breast cancer awareness is a first and important step in reducing breast cancer mortality. The development of a validated instrument to measure breast cancer awareness is crucial for the understanding and implementation of suitable health education programs to facilitate early deletion and minimize mortality. The objective of this study was to develop an instrument for the assessment of breast cancer awareness in Thai women. This methodological study was conducted in two stages: (1) literature searches and semi-structured interviews were conducted to generate items of the breast cancer awareness scale (B-CAS) which were subsequently examined for content and face validity, and (2) an exploration of the factor structure of the resulting instrument and an examination of its reliability. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire in Thai women aged 20-64 in August, 2015. A total of 219 women (response rate 97.4 %) participated in this validation study. The B-CAS contains five domains with 53 items on breast cancer awareness: 1) knowledge of risk factors, 2) knowledge of signs and symptoms, 3) attitude to breast cancer prevention, 4) barriers of breast screening, and 5) health behavior related to breast cancer awareness. Items with a content validity index <0.80 were excluded, and factor structure for the remaining items reflected the hypothesized five factor model. The scales based on all retained items was shown to have strongly internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α=0.86). The B-CAS provides good psychometric properties to assess breast cancer awareness in women. It can be used to examine breast cancer awareness in Thai women and it could lead to the development and evaluation of suitable educational interventions for raising breast cancer awareness. Future research should focus on further validating the B-CAS including an assessment of construct and criterion-based validity.

Detecting ongoing intimate partner violence in the emergency department using a simple 4-question screen: the OVAT.

PubMed

Ernst, Amy A; Weiss, Steven J; Cham, Elaine; Hall, Louise; Nick, Todd G

2004-06-01

We wanted to prospectively evaluate the use of a brief screening tool for ongoing intimate partner violence (IPV), the OVAT, and to validate this tool against the present Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA). The design was a prospective survey during randomized 4-hour shifts in an urban emergency department setting. The scale consists of four questions developed based on our previous work. The ISA was compared as the gold standard for detection of present (ongoing) IPV. Of 362 eligible patients presenting during 75 randomized 4-hour shifts, 306 (85%) completed the study. The prevalence of ongoing IPV using the OVAT was 31% (95% CI 26% to 36%). For the ISA, the prevalence was 20% (95% CI 16% to 25%). Compared with the ISA, the sensitivity of the OVAT in detecting ongoing IPV was 86%, specificity 83%, negative predictive value 96%, positive predictive value 56%, with an accuracy of 84%. In conclusion, four brief questions can detect ongoing IPV to aid in identifying the victim.

The Fatty Liver Index has limited utility for the detection and quantification of hepatic steatosis in obese patients.

PubMed

Borman, Meredith A; Ladak, Farah; Crotty, Pam; Pollett, Aaron; Kirsch, Richard; Pomier-Layrargues, Gilles; Beaton, Melanie; Duarte-Rojo, Andres; Elkashab, Magdy; Myers, Robert P

2013-06-01

Noninvasive tools for the detection of hepatic steatosis are needed. The Fatty Liver Index (FLI), which includes body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, triglycerides, and γ-glutamyl-transferase, has been proposed as a screening tool for fatty liver. Our objective was to validate the FLI for the detection and quantification of hepatic steatosis in an obese population. Patients with chronic liver disease and BMI ≥ 28 kg/m(2) underwent liver biopsy and FLI determination. FLI performance for diagnosing steatosis compared with biopsy was assessed using areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs), and a novel model for the prediction of significant steatosis (≥5 %) was derived. Among 250 included patients, 65 % were male, and the median BMI was 33 kg/m(2); 48 % had nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and 77 % had significant (≥5 %) steatosis. The FLI was weakly correlated with the percentage (ρ = 0.25, p = 0.0001) and grade of steatosis (ρ = 0.28, p < 0.00005). The median FLI was higher among patients with significant steatosis (91 vs. 80 with <5 % steatosis; p = 0.0001) and the AUROC for this outcome was 0.67 (95 % CI 0.59-0.76). At an optimal FLI cut-off of 79, the FLI was 81 % sensitive and 49 % specific, and had positive and negative predictive values of 84 and 43 %, respectively. A novel index including triglycerides, glucose, alkaline phosphatase, and BMI outperformed the FLI for predicting significant steatosis [AUROCs 0.78 vs. 0.68; p = 0.009 (n = 247)]. In obese patients, the FLI is a poor predictor of significant steatosis and has limited utility for steatosis quantification compared with liver histology. A novel index including triglycerides, glucose, alkaline phosphatase, and BMI may be useful, but requires validation.

A tool for prediction of risk of rehospitalisation and mortality in the hospitalised elderly: secondary analysis of clinical trial data

PubMed Central

Alassaad, Anna; Melhus, Håkan; Hammarlund-Udenaes, Margareta; Bertilsson, Maria; Gillespie, Ulrika; Sundström, Johan

2015-01-01

Objectives To construct and internally validate a risk score, the ‘80+ score’, for revisits to hospital and mortality for older patients, incorporating aspects of pharmacotherapy. Our secondary aim was to compare the discriminatory ability of the score with that of three validated tools for measuring inappropriate prescribing: Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions (STOPP), Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment (START) and Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI). Setting Two acute internal medicine wards at Uppsala University hospital. Patient data were used from a randomised controlled trial investigating the effects of a comprehensive clinical pharmacist intervention. Participants Data from 368 patients, aged 80 years and older, admitted to one of the study wards. Primary outcome measure Time to rehospitalisation or death during the year after discharge from hospital. Candidate variables were selected among a large number of clinical and drug-specific variables. After a selection process, a score for risk estimation was constructed. The 80+ score was internally validated, and the discriminatory ability of the score and of STOPP, START and MAI was assessed using C-statistics. Results Seven variables were selected. Impaired renal function, pulmonary disease, malignant disease, living in a nursing home, being prescribed an opioid or being prescribed a drug for peptic ulcer or gastroesophageal reflux disease were associated with an increased risk, while being prescribed an antidepressant drug (tricyclic antidepressants not included) was linked to a lower risk of the outcome. These variables made up the components of the 80+ score. The C-statistics were 0.71 (80+), 0.57 (STOPP), 0.54 (START) and 0.63 (MAI). Conclusions We developed and internally validated a score for prediction of risk of rehospitalisation and mortality in hospitalised older people. The score discriminated risk better than available tools for inappropriate prescribing. Pending external validation, this score can aid in clinical identification of high-risk patients and targeting of interventions. PMID:25694461

Validation approach for a fast and simple targeted screening method for 75 antibiotics in meat and aquaculture products using LC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Dubreil, Estelle; Gautier, Sophie; Fourmond, Marie-Pierre; Bessiral, Mélaine; Gaugain, Murielle; Verdon, Eric; Pessel, Dominique

2017-04-01

An approach is described to validate a fast and simple targeted screening method for antibiotic analysis in meat and aquaculture products by LC-MS/MS. The strategy of validation was applied for a panel of 75 antibiotics belonging to different families, i.e., penicillins, cephalosporins, sulfonamides, macrolides, quinolones and phenicols. The samples were extracted once with acetonitrile, concentrated by evaporation and injected into the LC-MS/MS system. The approach chosen for the validation was based on the Community Reference Laboratory (CRL) guidelines for the validation of screening qualitative methods. The aim of the validation was to prove sufficient sensitivity of the method to detect all the targeted antibiotics at the level of interest, generally the maximum residue limit (MRL). A robustness study was also performed to test the influence of different factors. The validation showed that the method is valid to detect and identify 73 antibiotics of the 75 antibiotics studied in meat and aquaculture products at the validation levels.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validity, and Reliability of the Persian Version of the Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire.

PubMed

Shafeei, Asrin; Mokhtarinia, Hamid Reza; Maleki-Ghahfarokhi, Azam; Piri, Leila

2017-08-01

Observational study. To cross-culturally translate the Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (OMPQ) into Persian and then evaluate its psychometric properties (reliability, validity, ceiling, and flooring effects). To the authors' knowledge, prior to this study there has been no validated instrument to screen the risk of chronicity in Persian-speaking patients with low back pain (LBP) in Iran. The OMPQ was specifically developed as a self-administered screening tool for assessing the risk of LBP chronicity. The forward-backward translation method was used for the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the original questionnaire. In total, 202 patients with subacute LBP completed the OMPQ and the pain disability questionnaire (PDQ), which was used to assess convergent validity. 62 patients completed the OMPQ a week later as a retest. Slight changes were made to the OMPQ during the translation/cultural adaptation process; face validity of the Persian version was obtained. The Persian OMPQ showed excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.89). Its internal consistency was 0.71, and its convergent validity was confirmed by good correlation coefficient between the OMPQ and PDQ total scores ( r =0.72, p <0.05). No ceiling or floor effects were observed. The Persian version of the OMPQ is acceptable for the target society in terms of face validity, construct validity, reliability, and consistency. It is therefore considered a useful instrument for screening Iranian patients with LBP.

Speeding Up Chemical Searches Using the Inverted Index: the Convergence of Chemoinformatics and Text Search Methods

PubMed Central

Nasr, Ramzi; Vernica, Rares; Li, Chen; Baldi, Pierre

2012-01-01

In ligand-based screening, retrosynthesis, and other chemoinformatics applications, one of-ten seeks to search large databases of molecules in order to retrieve molecules that are similar to a given query. With the expanding size of molecular databases, the efficiency and scalability of data structures and algorithms for chemical searches are becoming increasingly important. Remarkably, both the chemoinformatics and information retrieval communities have converged on similar solutions whereby molecules or documents are represented by binary vectors, or fingerprints, indexing their substructures such as labeled paths for molecules and n-grams for text, with the same Jaccard-Tanimoto similarity measure. As a result, similarity search methods from one field can be adapted to the other. Here we adapt recent, state-of-the-art, inverted index methods from information retrieval to speed up similarity searches in chemoinformatics. Our results show a several-fold speed-up improvement over previous methods for both thresh-old searches and top-K searches. We also provide a mathematical analysis that allows one to predict the level of pruning achieved by the inverted index approach, and validate the quality of these predictions through simulation experiments. All results can be replicated using data freely downloadable from http://cdb.ics.uci.edu/. PMID:22462644

Psychometric goodness of the Mini Sleep Questionnaire.

PubMed

Natale, Vincenzo; Fabbri, Marco; Tonetti, Lorenzo; Martoni, Monica

2014-07-01

The current study was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties and analyze the convergent validity of the Italian version of the Mini Sleep Questionnaire (MSQ). In addition, it was aimed to put forward cut-off values to be used in screening protocols. The MSQ was administered to 1830 participants (age range 18-87 years), of whom 1208 also completed the Sleep Disorder Questionnaire (age range 18-87 years). A subgroup of 187 (age range 18-71 years) participants was randomly chosen to test the test-retest reliability. A complete psychometric evaluation was performed on the MSQ. To study the validity of the tool, the Sleep Disorder Questionnaire was used as an external criterion to validate the MSQ. Using the Youden index, we calculated the cut-off values that performed best. Finally, we created receiver-operator curves to test the accuracy of each cut-off value identified. For the MSQ, Cronbach's alpha score was 0.77 while homogeneity was 0.26. Factorial analyses confirmed the presence of two dimensions: sleep (Cronbach's alpha 0.75; homogeneity 0.37) and wake (Cronbach's alpha 0.75; homogeneity 0.44). For each dimension, a cut-off value was identified (>16 and >14, respectively). Both cut-off values obtained an area under the curve higher than 0.80. Psychometric evaluation of the MSQ was satisfactory. The cut-off values analyzed in the present study showed good performance. On the whole, the results of this study suggest that the MSQ can be a useful screening tool. © 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Evaluating shortened versions of the AUDIT as screeners for alcohol use problems in a general population study

PubMed Central

Nayak, Madhabika B.; Bond, Jason C.; Greenfield, Thomas K.

2015-01-01

Background Efficient alcohol screening measures are important to prevent or treat alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Objectives We studied different versions of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) comparing their performance to the full AUDIT and an AUD measure as screeners for alcohol use problems in Goa, India. Methods Data from a general population study on 743 male drinkers aged 18 to 49 years are reported. Drinkers completed the AUDIT and an AUD measure. We created shorter versions of the AUDIT by a) collapsing AUDIT item responses into 3 and 2 categories and b) deleting 2 items with the lowest factor loadings. Each version was evaluated using factor, reliability and validity, and differential item functioning (DIF) analysis by age, education, standard of living index (SLI), and area of residence. Results A single factor solution was found for each version with lower factor loadings for items on guilt and concern. There were no significant differences among the different AUDIT versions in predicting AUD. No significant DIF was found by education, SLI or area of residence. DIF was observed for the alcohol frequency item by age. Conclusions/Importance The AUDIT may be used with dichotomized response options without loss of predictive validity. A shortened 8-item dichotomized scale can adequately screen for AUDs in Goa when brevity is of paramount importance, although with lower predictive validity. Although the frequency item was endorsed more by older men, there is no evidence that the AUDIT items perform differently in other groups of male drinkers in Goa. PMID:26549791

The Work Ability Index as a screening tool to identify the need for rehabilitation: longitudinal findings from the Second German Sociomedical Panel of Employees.

PubMed

Bethge, Matthias; Radoschewski, Friedrich Michael; Gutenbrunner, Christoph

2012-11-01

To evaluate the predictive value of the Work Ability Index (WAI) for different indicators of the need for rehabilitation at 1-year follow-up. Cohort study. Data were obtained from the Second German Sociomedical Panel of Employees, a large-scale cohort study with postal surveys in 2009 and 2010. A total of 457 women and 579 men were included. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the one-dimensionality of the WAI. Regression analyses showed that poor and moderate baseline WAI scores were associated with lower health-related quality of life and more frequent use of primary healthcare 1 year later. Subjects with poor baseline work ability had 4.6 times higher odds of unemployment and 12.2 times higher odds of prolonged sick leave than the reference group with good or excellent baseline work ability. Moreover, the odds of subjectively perceived need for rehabilitation, intention to request rehabilitation and actual use of rehabilitation services were 9.7, 5.7 and 3 times higher in the poor baseline WAI group and 5.5, 4 and 1.8 times higher in the moderate baseline WAI group, respectively. A WAI score ≤ 37 was identified as the optimal cut-off to predict the need for rehabilitation. The WAI is a valid screening tool for identifying the need for rehabilitation.

Accurate prediction of the refractive index of polymers using first principles and data modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afzal, Mohammad Atif Faiz; Cheng, Chong; Hachmann, Johannes

Organic polymers with a high refractive index (RI) have recently attracted considerable interest due to their potential application in optical and optoelectronic devices. The ability to tailor the molecular structure of polymers is the key to increasing the accessible RI values. Our work concerns the creation of predictive in silico models for the optical properties of organic polymers, the screening of large-scale candidate libraries, and the mining of the resulting data to extract the underlying design principles that govern their performance. This work was set up to guide our experimentalist partners and allow them to target the most promising candidates. Our model is based on the Lorentz-Lorenz equation and thus includes the polarizability and number density values for each candidate. For the former, we performed a detailed benchmark study of different density functionals, basis sets, and the extrapolation scheme towards the polymer limit. For the number density we devised an exceedingly efficient machine learning approach to correlate the polymer structure and the packing fraction in the bulk material. We validated the proposed RI model against the experimentally known RI values of 112 polymers. We could show that the proposed combination of physical and data modeling is both successful and highly economical to characterize a wide range of organic polymers, which is a prerequisite for virtual high-throughput screening.

Performance characteristics of the PTSD Checklist in retired firefighters exposed to the World Trade Center disaster.

PubMed

Chiu, Sydney; Webber, Mayris P; Zeig-Owens, Rachel; Gustave, Jackson; Lee, Roy; Kelly, Kerry J; Rizzotto, Linda; McWilliams, Rita; Schorr, John K; North, Carol S; Prezant, David J

2011-05-01

Since the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks on September 11, 2001, the Fire Department, City of New York Monitoring Program has provided physical and mental health screening services to rescue/recovery workers. This study evaluated performance of the self-report PTSD Checklist (PCL) as a screening tool for risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in firefighters who worked at Ground Zero, compared with the interviewer-administered Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). From December 2005 to July 2007, all retired firefighter enrollees completed the PCL and DIS on the same day. Sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and Youden index (J) were used to assess properties of the PCL and to identify an optimum cutoff score. Six percent of 1,915 retired male firefighters were diagnosed with PTSD using the DIS to assess DSM-IV criteria. Depending on the PCL cutoff, the prevalence of elevated risk relative to DSM-IV criteria varied from 16% to 22%. Youden index identified an optimal cutoff score of 39, in contrast with the frequently recommended cutoff of 44. At 39, PCL sensitivity was 0.85, specificity was 0.82, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.91 relative to DIS PTSD diagnosis. This is the first study to validate the PCL in retired firefighters and determine the optimal cutoff score to maximize opportunities for PTSD diagnosis and treatment.

Validity and Reliability of Psychosocial Factors Related to Breast Cancer Screening.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zapka, Jane G.; And Others

1991-01-01

The construct validity of hypothesized survey items and data reduction procedures for selected psychosocial constructs frequently used in breast cancer screening research were investigated in telephone interviews with randomly selected samples of 1,184 and 903 women and a sample of 169 Hispanic clinic clients. Validity of the constructs is…

The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST): A Statistical Validation Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laux, John M.; Newman, Isadore; Brown, Russ

2004-01-01

This study extends the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST; M. L. Selzer, 1971) literature base by examining 4 issues related to the validity of the MAST scores. Specifically, the authors examine the validity of the MAST scores in light of the presence of impression management, participant demographic variables, and item endorsement…

Optimizing the Use of the AUDIT for Alcohol Screening in College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeMartini, Kelly S.; Carey, Kate B.

2012-01-01

The screening and brief intervention modality of treatment for at-risk college drinking is becoming increasingly popular. A key to effective implementation is use of validated screening tools. Although the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) has been validated in adult samples and is often used with college students, research has not…

Analyzing Screening Policies for Childhood Obesity

PubMed Central

Yang, Yan; Goldhaber-Fiebert, Jeremy D.; Wein, Lawrence M.

2013-01-01

Due to the health and economic costs of childhood obesity, coupled with studies suggesting the benefits of comprehensive (dietary, physical activity and behavioral counseling) intervention, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended childhood screening and intervention for obesity beginning at age six. Using a longitudinal data set consisting of the body mass index of 3164 children up to age 18 and another longitudinal data set containing the body mass index at ages 18 and 40 and the presence or absence of disease (hypertension and diabetes) at age 40 for 747 people, we formulate and numerically solve – separately for boys and girls – a dynamic programming problem for the optimal biennial (i.e., at ages 2, 4, …, 16) obesity screening thresholds. Unlike most screening problem formulations, we take a societal viewpoint, where the state of the system at each age is the population-wide probability density function of the body mass index. Compared to the biennial version of the task force’s recommendation, the screening thresholds derived from the dynamic program achieve a relative reduction in disease prevalence of 3% at the same screening (and treatment) cost, or – due to the flatness of the disease vs. screening tradeoff curve – achieves the same disease prevalence at a 28% relative reduction in cost. Compared to the task force’s policy, which uses the 95th percentile of body mass index (from cross-sectional growth charts tabulated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) as the screening threshold for each age, the dynamic programming policy treats mostly 16 year olds (including many who are not obese) and very few males under 14 years old. While our results suggest that adult hypertension and diabetes are minimized by focusing childhood obesity screening and treatment on older adolescents, the shortcomings in the available data and the narrowness of the medical outcomes considered prevent us from making a recommendation about childhood obesity screening policies. PMID:23956465

Development of a Climate Resilience Screening Index (CRSI): An Assessment of Resilience to Acute Meteorological Events and Selected Natural Hazards

EPA Science Inventory

We developed a conceptual model of climate resilience (CRSI – Climate Resilience Screening Index ) designed to be sensitive to changes in the natural environment, built environment, governance, and social structure and vulnerability or risk to climate events. CRSI has been used ...

Validation of the content of the prevention protocol for early sepsis caused by Streptococcus agalactiaein newborns

PubMed Central

da Silva, Fabiana Alves; Vidal, Cláudia Fernanda de Lacerda; de Araújo, Ednaldo Cavalcante

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective: to validate the content of the prevention protocol for early sepsis caused by Streptococcus agalactiaein newborns. Method: a transversal, descriptive and methodological study, with a quantitative approach. The sample was composed of 15 judges, 8 obstetricians and 7 pediatricians. The validation occurred through the assessment of the content of the protocol by the judges that received the instrument for data collection - checklist - which contained 7 items that represent the requisites to be met by the protocol. The validation of the content was achieved by applying the Content Validity Index. Result: in the judging process, all the items that represented requirements considered by the protocol obtained concordance within the established level (Content Validity Index > 0.75). Of 7 items, 6 have obtained full concordance (Content Validity Index 1.0) and the feasibility item obtained a Content Validity Index of 0.93. The global assessment of the instruments obtained a Content Validity Index of 0.99. Conclusion: the validation of content that was done was an efficient tool for the adjustment of the protocol, according to the judgment of experienced professionals, which demonstrates the importance of conducting a previous validation of the instruments. It is expected that this study will serve as an incentive for the adoption of universal tracking by other institutions through validated protocols. PMID:26444165

Coronary heart disease index based on longitudinal electrocardiography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townsend, J. C.; Cronin, J. P.

1977-01-01

A coronary heart disease index was developed from longitudinal ECG (LCG) tracings to serve as a cardiac health measure in studies of working and, essentially, asymptomatic populations, such as pilots and executives. For a given subject, the index consisted of a composite score based on the presence of LCG aberrations and weighted values previously assigned to them. The index was validated by correlating it with the known presence or absence of CHD as determined by a complete physical examination, including treadmill, resting ECG, and risk factor information. The validating sample consisted of 111 subjects drawn by a stratified-random procedure from 5000 available case histories. The CHD index was found to be significantly more valid as a sole indicator of CHD than the LCG without the use of the index. The index consistently produced higher validity coefficients in identifying CHD than did treadmill testing, resting ECG, or risk factor analysis.

Validity and reliability of Chinese version of Adult Carer Quality of Life questionnaire (AC-QoL) in family caregivers of stroke survivors

PubMed Central

Li, Yingshuang; Ding, Chunge

2017-01-01

The Adult Carer Quality of Life questionnaire (AC-QoL) is a reliable and valid instrument used to assess the quality of life (QoL) of adult family caregivers. We explored the psychometric properties and tested the reliability and validity of a Chinese version of the AC-QoL with reliability and validity testing in 409 Chinese stroke caregivers. We used item-total correlation and extreme group comparison to do item analysis. To evaluate its reliability, we used a test-retest reliability approach, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), together with Cronbach’s alpha and model-based internal consistency index; to evaluate its validity, we used scale content validity, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) via principal component analysis with varimax rotation. We found that the CFA did not in fact confirm the original factor model and our EFA yielded a 31-item measure with a five-factor model. In conclusions, although some items performed differently in our analysis of the original English language version and our Chinese language version, our translated AC-QoL is a reliable and valid tool which can be used to assess the quality of life of stroke caregivers in mainland China. Chinese version AC-QoL is a comprehensive and good measurement to understand caregivers and has the potential to be a screening tool to assess QoL of caregiver. PMID:29131845

Eye-Tracking Provides a Sensitive Measure of Exploration Deficits After Acute Right MCA Stroke

PubMed Central

Delazer, Margarete; Sojer, Martin; Ellmerer, Philipp; Boehme, Christian; Benke, Thomas

2018-01-01

The eye-tracking study aimed at assessing spatial biases in visual exploration in patients after acute right MCA (middle cerebral artery) stroke. Patients affected by unilateral neglect show less functional recovery and experience severe difficulties in everyday life. Thus, accurate diagnosis is essential, and specific treatment is required. Early assessment is of high importance as rehabilitative interventions are more effective when applied soon after stroke. Previous research has shown that deficits may be overlooked when classical paper-and-pencil tasks are used for diagnosis. Conversely, eye-tracking allows direct monitoring of visual exploration patterns. We hypothesized that the analysis of eye-tracking provides more sensitive measures for spatial exploration deficits after right middle cerebral artery stroke. Twenty-two patients with right MCA stroke (median 5 days after stroke) and 28 healthy controls were included. Lesions were confirmed by MRI/CCT. Groups performed comparably in the Mini–Mental State Examination (patients and controls median 29) and in a screening of executive functions. Eleven patients scored at ceiling in neglect screening tasks, 11 showed minimal to severe signs of unilateral visual neglect. An overlap plot based on MRI and CCT imaging showed lesions in the temporo–parieto–frontal cortex, basal ganglia, and adjacent white matter tracts. Visual exploration was evaluated in two eye-tracking tasks, one assessing free visual exploration of photographs, the other visual search using symbols and letters. An index of fixation asymmetries proved to be a sensitive measure of spatial exploration deficits. Both patient groups showed a marked exploration bias to the right when looking at complex photographs. A single case analysis confirmed that also most of those patients who showed no neglect in screening tasks performed outside the range of controls in free exploration. The analysis of patients’ scoring at ceiling in neglect screening tasks is of special interest, as possible deficits may be overlooked and thus remain untreated. Our findings are in line with other studies suggesting considerable limitations of laboratory screening procedures to fully appreciate the occurrence of neglect symptoms. Future investigations are needed to explore the predictive value of the eye-tracking index and its validity in everyday situations.

Drug discovery for male subfertility using high-throughput screening: a new approach to an unsolved problem

PubMed Central

Martins da Silva, Sarah J.; Brown, Sean G.; Sutton, Keith; King, Louise V.; Ruso, Halil; Gray, David W.; Wyatt, Paul G.; Kelly, Mark C.; Barratt, Christopher L.R.; Hope, Anthony G.

2017-01-01

Abstract STUDY QUESTION Can pharma drug discovery approaches be utilized to transform investigation into novel therapeutics for male infertility? SUMMARY ANSWER High-throughput screening (HTS) is a viable approach to much-needed drug discovery for male factor infertility. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY There is both huge demand and a genuine clinical need for new treatment options for infertile men. However, the time, effort and resources required for drug discovery are currently exorbitant, due to the unique challenges of the cellular, physical and functional properties of human spermatozoa and a lack of appropriate assay platform. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Spermatozoa were obtained from healthy volunteer research donors and subfertile patients undergoing IVF/ICSI at a hospital-assisted reproductive techniques clinic between January 2012 and November 2016. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS A HTS assay was developed and validated using intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) as a surrogate for motility in human spermatozoa. Calcium fluorescence was detected using a Flexstation microplate reader (384-well platform) and compared with responses evoked by progesterone, a compound known to modify a number of biologically relevant behaviours in human spermatozoa. Hit compounds identified following single point drug screen (10 μM) of an ion channel-focussed library assembled by the University of Dundee Drug Discovery Unit were rescreened to ensure potency using standard 10 point half-logarithm concentration curves, and tested for purity and integrity using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Hit compounds were grouped by structure activity relationships and five representative compounds then further investigated for direct effects on spermatozoa, using computer-assisted sperm assessment, sperm penetration assay and whole-cell patch clamping. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Of the 3242 ion channel library ligands screened, 384 compounds (11.8%) elicited a statistically significant increase in calcium fluorescence, with greater than 3× median absolute deviation above the baseline. Seventy-four compounds eliciting ≥50% increase in fluorescence in the primary screen were rescreened and evaluated further, resulting in 48 hit compounds that produced a concentration-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i. Sperm penetration studies confirmed in vitro exposure to two hit compounds (A and B) resulted in significant improvement in functional motility in spermatozoa from healthy volunteer donors (A: 1 cm penetration index 2.54, 2 cm penetration index 2.49; P < 0.005 and B: 1 cm penetration index 2.1, 2 cm penetration index 2.6; P < 0.005), but crucially, also in patient samples from those undergoing fertility treatment (A: 1 cm penetration index 2.4; P = 0.009, 2 cm penetration index 3.6; P = 0.02 and B: 1 cm penetration index 2.2; P = 0.0004, 2 cm penetration index 3.6; P = 0.002). This was primarily as a result of direct or indirect CatSper channel action, supported by evidence from electrophysiology studies of individual sperm. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Increase and fluxes in [Ca2+]i are fundamental to the regulation of sperm motility and function, including acrosome reaction. The use of calcium signalling as a surrogate for sperm motility is acknowledged as a potential limitation in this study. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS We conclude that HTS can robustly, efficiently, identify novel compounds that increase [Ca2+]i in human spermatozoa and functionally modify motility, and propose its use as a cornerstone to build and transform much-needed drug discovery for male infertility. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) The majority of the data were obtained using funding from TENOVUS Scotland and Chief Scientist Office NRS Fellowship. Additional funding was provided by NHS Tayside, MRC project grants (MR/K013343/1, MR/012492/1) and University of Abertay. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. TRAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A. PMID:28333338

Drug discovery for male subfertility using high-throughput screening: a new approach to an unsolved problem.

PubMed

Martins da Silva, Sarah J; Brown, Sean G; Sutton, Keith; King, Louise V; Ruso, Halil; Gray, David W; Wyatt, Paul G; Kelly, Mark C; Barratt, Christopher L R; Hope, Anthony G

2017-05-01

Can pharma drug discovery approaches be utilized to transform investigation into novel therapeutics for male infertility? High-throughput screening (HTS) is a viable approach to much-needed drug discovery for male factor infertility. There is both huge demand and a genuine clinical need for new treatment options for infertile men. However, the time, effort and resources required for drug discovery are currently exorbitant, due to the unique challenges of the cellular, physical and functional properties of human spermatozoa and a lack of appropriate assay platform. Spermatozoa were obtained from healthy volunteer research donors and subfertile patients undergoing IVF/ICSI at a hospital-assisted reproductive techniques clinic between January 2012 and November 2016. A HTS assay was developed and validated using intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) as a surrogate for motility in human spermatozoa. Calcium fluorescence was detected using a Flexstation microplate reader (384-well platform) and compared with responses evoked by progesterone, a compound known to modify a number of biologically relevant behaviours in human spermatozoa. Hit compounds identified following single point drug screen (10 μM) of an ion channel-focussed library assembled by the University of Dundee Drug Discovery Unit were rescreened to ensure potency using standard 10 point half-logarithm concentration curves, and tested for purity and integrity using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Hit compounds were grouped by structure activity relationships and five representative compounds then further investigated for direct effects on spermatozoa, using computer-assisted sperm assessment, sperm penetration assay and whole-cell patch clamping. Of the 3242 ion channel library ligands screened, 384 compounds (11.8%) elicited a statistically significant increase in calcium fluorescence, with greater than 3× median absolute deviation above the baseline. Seventy-four compounds eliciting ≥50% increase in fluorescence in the primary screen were rescreened and evaluated further, resulting in 48 hit compounds that produced a concentration-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i. Sperm penetration studies confirmed in vitro exposure to two hit compounds (A and B) resulted in significant improvement in functional motility in spermatozoa from healthy volunteer donors (A: 1 cm penetration index 2.54, 2 cm penetration index 2.49; P < 0.005 and B: 1 cm penetration index 2.1, 2 cm penetration index 2.6; P < 0.005), but crucially, also in patient samples from those undergoing fertility treatment (A: 1 cm penetration index 2.4; P = 0.009, 2 cm penetration index 3.6; P = 0.02 and B: 1 cm penetration index 2.2; P = 0.0004, 2 cm penetration index 3.6; P = 0.002). This was primarily as a result of direct or indirect CatSper channel action, supported by evidence from electrophysiology studies of individual sperm. Increase and fluxes in [Ca2+]i are fundamental to the regulation of sperm motility and function, including acrosome reaction. The use of calcium signalling as a surrogate for sperm motility is acknowledged as a potential limitation in this study. We conclude that HTS can robustly, efficiently, identify novel compounds that increase [Ca2+]i in human spermatozoa and functionally modify motility, and propose its use as a cornerstone to build and transform much-needed drug discovery for male infertility. The majority of the data were obtained using funding from TENOVUS Scotland and Chief Scientist Office NRS Fellowship. Additional funding was provided by NHS Tayside, MRC project grants (MR/K013343/1, MR/012492/1) and University of Abertay. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. N/A. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

Validation of the Cepstral Spectral Index of Dysphonia (CSID) as a Screening Tool for Voice Disorders: Development of Clinical Cutoff Scores.

PubMed

Awan, Shaheen N; Roy, Nelson; Zhang, Dong; Cohen, Seth M

2016-03-01

The purposes of this study were to (1) evaluate the performance of the Cepstral Spectral Index of Dysphonia (CSID--a multivariate estimate of dysphonia severity) as a potential screening tool for voice disorder identification and (2) identify potential clinical cutoff scores to classify voice-disordered cases versus controls. Subjects were 332 men and women (116 men, 216 women) comprised of subjects who presented to a physician with a voice-related complaint and a group of non-voice-related control subjects. Voice-disordered cases versus controls were initially defined via three reference standards: (1) auditory-perceptual judgment (dysphonia +/-); (2) Voice Handicap Index (VHI) score (VHI +/-); and (3) laryngoscopic description (laryngoscopic +/-). Speech samples were analyzed using the Analysis of Dysphonia in Speech and Voice program. Cepstral and spectral measures were combined into a CSID multivariate formula which estimated dysphonia severity for Rainbow Passage samples (i.e., the CSIDR). The ability of the CSIDR to accurately classify cases versus controls in relation to each reference standard was evaluated via a combination of logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. The ability of the CSIDR to discriminate between cases and controls was represented by the "area under the ROC curve" (AUC). ROC classification of dysphonia-positive cases versus controls resulted in a strong AUC = 0.85. A CSIDR cutoff of ≈24 achieved the best balance between sensitivity and specificity, whereas a more liberal cutoff score of ≈19 resulted in higher sensitivity while maintaining respectable specificity which may be preferred for screening purposes. Weaker but adequate AUCs = 0.75 and 0.73 were observed for the classification of VHI-positive and laryngoscopic-positive cases versus controls, respectively. Logistic regression analyses indicated that subject age may be a significant covariate in the discrimination of dysphonia-positive and VHI-positive cases versus controls. The CSIDR can provide a strong level of accuracy for the classification of voice-disordered cases versus controls, particularly when auditory-perceptual judgment is used as the reference standard. Although users often focus on a cutoff score that achieves a balance between sensitivity and specificity, more liberal cutoffs for screening purposes versus conservative cutoffs when cost or risk of further evaluation is deemed to be high should also be considered. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A score to predict and stratify risk of tuberculosis in adult contacts of tuberculosis index cases: a prospective derivation and external validation cohort study.

PubMed

Saunders, Matthew J; Wingfield, Tom; Tovar, Marco A; Baldwin, Matthew R; Datta, Sumona; Zevallos, Karine; Montoya, Rosario; Valencia, Teresa R; Friedland, Jon S; Moulton, Larry H; Gilman, Robert H; Evans, Carlton A

2017-11-01

Contacts of tuberculosis index cases are at increased risk of developing tuberculosis. Screening, preventive therapy, and surveillance for tuberculosis are underused interventions in contacts, particularly adults. We developed a score to predict risk of tuberculosis in adult contacts of tuberculosis index cases. In 2002-06, we recruited contacts aged 15 years or older of index cases with pulmonary tuberculosis who lived in desert shanty towns in Ventanilla, Peru. We followed up contacts for tuberculosis until February, 2016. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to identify index case, contact, and household risk factors for tuberculosis from which to derive a score and classify contacts as low, medium, or high risk. We validated the score in an urban community recruited in Callao, Peru, in 2014-15. In the derivation cohort, we identified 2017 contacts of 715 index cases, and median follow-up was 10·7 years (IQR 9·5-11·8). 178 (9%) of 2017 contacts developed tuberculosis during 19 147 person-years of follow-up (incidence 0·93 per 100 person-years, 95% CI 0·80-1·08). Risk factors for tuberculosis were body-mass index, previous tuberculosis, age, sustained exposure to the index case, the index case being in a male patient, lower community household socioeconomic position, indoor air pollution, previous tuberculosis among household members, and living in a household with a low number of windows per room. The 10-year risks of tuberculosis in the low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk groups were, respectively, 2·8% (95% CI 1·7-4·4), 6·2% (4·8-8·1), and 20·6% (17·3-24·4). The 535 (27%) contacts classified as high risk accounted for 60% of the tuberculosis identified during follow-up. The score predicted tuberculosis independently of tuberculin skin test and index-case drug sensitivity results. In the external validation cohort, 65 (3%) of 1910 contacts developed tuberculosis during 3771 person-years of follow-up (incidence 1·7 per 100 person-years, 95% CI 1·4-2·2). The 2·5-year risks of tuberculosis in the low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk groups were, respectively, 1·4% (95% CI 0·7-2·8), 3·9% (2·5-5·9), and 8·6%· (5·9-12·6). Our externally validated risk score could predict and stratify 10-year risk of developing tuberculosis in adult contacts, and could be used to prioritise tuberculosis control interventions for people most likely to benefit. Wellcome Trust, Department for International Development Civil Society Challenge Fund, Joint Global Health Trials consortium, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Imperial College National Institutes of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Sir Halley Stewart Trust, WHO, TB REACH, and Innovation for Health and Development. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A Systematic Review of Instruments to Identify Mental Health and Substance Use Problems Among Children in the Emergency Department.

PubMed

Newton, Amanda S; Soleimani, Amir; Kirkland, Scott W; Gokiert, Rebecca J

2017-05-01

Specialized instruments to screen and diagnose mental health problems in children and adolescents are not yet standard components of clinical assessments in emergency departments (EDs). We conducted a systematic review to investigate the psychometric properties, accuracy, and performance metrics of instruments used in the ED to identify pediatric mental health and substance use problems. We searched seven electronic databases and the gray literature for psychometric validation studies, diagnostic studies, and cohort studies that assessed any instrument to screen for or diagnose mental illness, emotional or behavioral problems, or substance use disorders. Studies had to include children and adolescents with mental health presentations or positive screens for substance use. Two reviewers independently screened studies for relevance and quality. Diagnostic study quality was assessed with the four QUADAS-2 domains. Psychometric study quality was assessed with published criteria for instrument reliability, validity, and usability. We present a descriptive analysis of the reported psychometric properties and diagnostic performance of instruments for each study. Of the 4,832 references screened, 14 met inclusion criteria. Included studies evaluate 18 instruments for identifying suicide risk (six studies), alcohol use disorders (six studies), mood disorders (one study), and ED decision making (need for assessment, admission; one study). Nine studies include a psychometric focus but quality varies, with no studies fully meeting criteria for reliability, validity, and usability. Seven studies examine diagnostic performance of an instrument, but no study has a low risk of bias for all QUADAS-2 domains. The HEADS-ED instrument has good inter-rater reliability (r = 0.785) for identifying general mental health problems and modest evidence for ruling in patients requiring hospital admission (positive likelihood ratio [LR+] = 6.30). Internal consistency (reliability) varies for instruments to screen for suicide risk (α = 0.46-0.97), and no instruments have both high sensitivity and high specificity. The Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) is highly sensitive (98%) and has strong evidence for ruling out risk (negative likelihood ratio [LR-] = 0.04). Among screening instruments for alcohol use disorders, internal consistency is high for the consumption subscale of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (α = 0.83-0.88) and the Adolescent Drinking Index (α = 0.92). Both instruments also had sound internal validity. Diagnostically, a two-item instrument based on DSM-IV criteria is the most accurate in identifying patients with a disorder (area under the curve = 0.89) and has modest evidence for ruling in and out risk (LR+ = 8.80, LR- = 0.13). From available evidence, we recommend that ED clinicians use 1) the HEADS-ED to rule in ED admission among pediatric patients with visits for mental health care, 2) the ASQ to rule out suicide risk among pediatric patients with any visit type, and 3) the DSM-IV two-item instrument to rule in/rule out alcohol use disorders among pediatric patients currently using alcohol. These instruments require minimal to no training or time commitment. We also recommend that clinicians become familiar with each instrument's psychometric properties to understand the quality of the evidence base. In this review, however, we identify methodologic limitations in the evidence base. To develop a robust evidence base, additional research is necessary. © 2017 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Systematic Screening at the Middle School Level: Score Reliability and Validity of the Student Risk Screening Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Kathleen Lynne; Parks, Robin J.; Kalberg, Jemma Robertson; Carter, Erik W.

2007-01-01

This article presents findings of two studies, one conducted with middle school students (n = 500) in a rural setting and a second conducted with middle school students (n = 528) in an urban setting, of the reliability and validity of the "Student Risk Screening Scale" (SRSS; Drummond, 1994). Results revealed high internal consistency, test-retest…

Virtual Environment TBI Screen (VETS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

balance challenges performed on a modified Wii Balance Board . Implementation of this device will enhance current approaches in TBI and mild TBI (i.e...TBI) screen (VETS) device in measuring standing balance . This system consists of software, a Wii balance board , and a large screen television that...Validate Wii ™ Balance Board relative to NeuroCom forceplate ! Running Wii Balance Board validation protocol. ! Milestone Achieved:

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Preventive Health Model for Colorectal Cancer Screening: An Australian Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flight, Ingrid H.; Wilson, Carlene J.; McGillivray, Jane; Myers, Ronald E.

2010-01-01

We investigated whether the five-factor structure of the Preventive Health Model for colorectal cancer screening, developed in the United States, has validity in Australia. We also tested extending the model with the addition of the factor Self-Efficacy to Screen using Fecal Occult Blood Test (SESFOBT). Randomly selected men and women aged between…

Validation of the Finnish Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) for Clinical Settings and Total Population Screening

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattila, Marja-Leena; Jussila, Katja; Linna, Sirkka-Liisa; Kielinen, Marko; Bloigu, Risto; Kuusikko-Gauffin, Sanna; Joskitt, Leena; Ebeling, Hanna; Hurtig, Tuula; Moilanen, Irma

2012-01-01

We assessed the validity and determined cut-off scores for the Finnish Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ). A population sample of 8-year-old children (n = 4,408) was rated via the ASSQ by parents and/or teachers, and a subgroup of 104 children was examined via structured interview, semi-structured observation, IQ measurement, school…

Development and community-based validation of the IDEA study Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IDEA-IADL) questionnaire.

PubMed

Collingwood, Cecilia; Paddick, Stella-Maria; Kisoli, Aloyce; Dotchin, Catherine L; Gray, William K; Mbowe, Godfrey; Mkenda, Sarah; Urasa, Sarah; Mushi, Declare; Chaote, Paul; Walker, Richard W

2014-01-01

The dementia diagnosis gap in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is large, partly due to difficulties in assessing function, an essential step in diagnosis. As part of the Identification and Intervention for Dementia in Elderly Africans (IDEA) study, to develop, pilot, and validate an Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) questionnaire for use in a rural Tanzanian population to assist in the identification of people with dementia alongside cognitive screening. The questionnaire was developed at a workshop for rural primary healthcare workers, based on culturally appropriate roles and usual activities of elderly people in this community. It was piloted in 52 individuals under follow-up from a dementia prevalence study. Validation subsequently took place during a community dementia-screening programme. Construct validation against gold standard clinical dementia diagnosis using DSM-IV criteria was carried out on a stratified sample of the cohort and validity assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve analysis. An 11-item questionnaire (IDEA-IADL) was developed after pilot testing. During formal validation on 130 community-dwelling elderly people who presented for screening, the AUROC curve was 0.896 for DSM-IV dementia when used in isolation and 0.937 when used in conjunction with the IDEA cognitive screen, previously validated in Tanzania. The internal consistency was 0.959. Performance on the IDEA-IADL was not biased with regard to age, gender or education level. The IDEA-IADL questionnaire appears to be a useful aid to dementia screening in this setting. Further validation in other healthcare settings in SSA is required.

Development and validation of a screening procedure to identify speech-language delay in toddlers with cleft palate.

PubMed

Jørgensen, Line Dahl; Willadsen, Elisabeth

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a clinically useful speech-language screening procedure for young children with cleft palate ± cleft lip (CP) to identify those in need of speech-language intervention. Twenty-two children with CP were assigned to a +/- need for intervention conditions based on assessment of consonant inventory using a real-time listening procedure in combination with parent-reported expressive vocabulary. These measures allowed evaluation of early speech-language skills found to correlate significantly with later speech-language performance in longitudinal studies of children with CP. The external validity of this screening procedure was evaluated by comparing the +/- need for intervention assignment determined by the screening procedure to experienced speech-language pathologist (SLP)s' clinical judgement of whether or not a child needed early intervention. The results of real-time listening assessment showed good-excellent inter-rater agreement on different consonant inventory measures. Furthermore, there was almost perfect agreement between the children selected for intervention with the screening procedure and the clinical judgement of experienced SLPs indicate that the screening procedure is a valid way of identifying children with CP who need early intervention.

Predictive Validity of a Student Self-Report Screener of Behavioral and Emotional Risk in an Urban High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowdy, Erin; Harrell-Williams, Leigh; Dever, Bridget V.; Furlong, Michael J.; Moore, Stephanie; Raines, Tara; Kamphaus, Randy W.

2016-01-01

Increasingly, schools are implementing school-based screening for risk of behavioral and emotional problems; hence, foundational evidence supporting the predictive validity of screening instruments is important to assess. This study examined the predictive validity of the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 Behavioral and Emotional Screening…

Validity of the Student Risk Screening Scale: Evidence of Predictive Validity in a Diverse, Suburban Elementary Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menzies, Holly M.; Lane, Kathleen Lynne

2012-01-01

In this study the authors examined the psychometric properties of the "Student Risk Screening Scale" (SRSS), including predictive validity in terms of student outcomes in behavioral and academic domains. The school, a diverse, suburban school in Southern California, administered the SRSS at three time points as part of regular school…

Validating the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children in Rwanda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Betancourt, Theresa; Scorza, Pamela; Meyers-Ohki, Sarah; Mushashi, Christina; Kayiteshonga, Yvonne; Binagwaho, Agnes; Stulac, Sara; Beardslee, William R.

2012-01-01

Objective: We assessed the validity of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC) as a screen for depression in Rwandan children and adolescents. Although the CES-DC is widely used for depression screening in high-income countries, its validity in low-income and culturally diverse settings, including sub-Saharan…

The SASSI-3 Face Valid other Drugs Scale: A Psychometric Investigation (Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory-3)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laux, John M.; Perera-Diltz, Dilani; Smirnoff, Jennifer B.; Salyers, Kathleen M.

2005-01-01

The authors investigated the psychometric capabilities of the Face Valid Other Drugs (FVOD) scale of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory-3 (SASSI-3; G. A. Miller, 1999). Internal consistency reliability estimates and construct validity factor analysis for 230 college students provided initial support for the psychometric properties of…

Screening, cataloging and indexing of earth resource aircraft missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Data obtained from 30 earth resources aircraft missions, flown between September 1, 1973 and September 1, 1974, were screened, cataloged, and indexed using microfilm copy. The manhours required for completing the task are presented, and problems encountered during the project are reported. It is concluded that a cataloging and indexing report of remote sensor data can be prepared on a timely basis for a relatively low cost from microfilm. Recommendations are given in order to further facilitate the task.

Clinical Validity of hearScreen™ Smartphone Hearing Screening for School Children.

PubMed

Mahomed-Asmail, Faheema; Swanepoel, De Wet; Eikelboom, Robert H; Myburgh, Hermanus C; Hall, James

2016-01-01

The study aimed to determine the validity of a smartphone hearing screening technology (hearScreen™) compared with conventional screening audiometry in terms of (1) sensitivity and specificity, (2) referral rate, and (3) test time. One thousand and seventy school-age children in grades 1 to 3 (8 ± 1.1 average years) were recruited from five public schools. Children were screened twice, once using conventional audiometry and once with the smartphone hearing screening. Screening was conducted in a counterbalanced sequence, alternating initial screen between conventional or smartphone hearing screening. No statistically significant difference in performance between techniques was noted, with smartphone screening demonstrating equivalent sensitivity (75.0%) and specificity (98.5%) to conventional screening audiometry. While referral rates were lower with the smartphone screening (3.2 vs. 4.6%), it was not significantly different (p > 0.05). Smartphone screening (hearScreen™) was 12.3% faster than conventional screening. Smartphone hearing screening using the hearScreen™ application is accurate and time efficient.

A Simple Symptom Score for Acute HIV Infection in a San Diego Community Based Screening Program.

PubMed

Lin, Timothy C; Gianella, Sara; Tenenbaum, Tara; Little, Susan J; Hoenigl, Martin

2017-12-25

Treatment of acute HIV infection (AHI) decreases transmission and preserves immune function, but AHI diagnosis remains resource-intensive. Risk-based scores predictive for AHI have been described for high-risk groups, however symptom-based scores could be more generalizable across populations. Adults who tested either positive for AHI (antibody-negative, HIV nucleic acid test [NAT]-positive) or HIV NAT-negative with the community-based Early Test HIV screening program in San Diego were retrospectively randomized 2:1 into a derivation and validation set. In the former, symptoms significant for AHI in a multivariate logistic regression model were assigned a score value (the odds ratio rounded to the nearest integer). The score was assessed in the validation set using receiver operating characteristics and areas under the curve (AUC). An optimal cut-off score was found using Youden's index. Of 998 participants (including 737 men who have sex with men (MSM), 149 non-MSM men, 109 ciswomen and 3 trans women), 113 had AHI (including 109 MSM). Compared to HIV-negative cases, AHI cases reported more symptoms (median 4 vs 0, p<0.01). Fever, myalgia and weight loss were significantly associated with AHI in the multivariate model and corresponded to 11, 8 and 4 score points, respectively. The summed score yielded AUC of 0.85 (95%CI 0.77-0.93). A score of ≥11 was 72% sensitive, 96% specific with diagnostic odds ratio of 70.27 (95%CI 28.14-175.93). A 3-symptom score accurately predicted AHI in a community based screening program and may inform allocation of resources in settings that do not routinely screen for AHI. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Sarcopenia Screened by the SARC-F Questionnaire and Physical Performances of Elderly Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Rolland, Yves; Dupuy, Charlotte; Abellan Van Kan, Gabor; Cesari, Matteo; Vellas, Bruno; Faruch, Marie; Dray, Cedric; de Souto Barreto, Philipe

2017-10-01

Screening for sarcopenia in daily practice can be challenging. Our objective was to explore whether the SARC-F questionnaire is a valid screening tool for sarcopenia (defined by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health [FNIH] criteria). Moreover, we evaluated the physical performance of older women according to the SARC-F questionnaire. Cross-sectional study. Data from the Toulouse and Lyon EPIDémiologie de l'OStéoporose study (EPIDOS) on 3025 women living in the community (mean age: 80.5 ± 3.9 years), without a previous history of hip fracture, were assessed. The SARC-F self-report questionnaire score ranges from 0 to 10: a score ≥4 defines sarcopenia. The FNIH criteria uses handgrip strength (GS) and appendicular lean mass (ALM; assessed by DXA) divided by body mass index (BMI) to define sarcopenia. Outcome measures were the following performance-based tests: knee-extension strength, 6-m gait speed, and a repeated chair-stand test. The associations of sarcopenia with performance-based tests was examined using bootstrap multiple linear-regression models; adjusted R 2 determined the percentage variation for each outcome explained by the model. Prevalence of sarcopenia was 16.7% (n = 504) according to the SARC-F questionnaire and 1.8% (n = 49) using the FNIH criteria. Sensibility and specificity of the SARC-F to diagnose sarcopenia (defined by FNIH criteria) were 34% and 85%, respectively. Sarcopenic women defined by SARC-F had significantly lower physical performance than nonsarcopenic women. The SARC-F improved the ability to predict poor physical performance. The validity of the SARC-F questionnaire to screen for sarcopenia, when compared with the FNIH criteria, was limited. However, sarcopenia defined by the SARC-F questionnaire substantially improved the predictive value of clinical characteristics of patients to predict poor physical performance. Copyright © 2017 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The development, validity, and reliability of the Addiction Profile Index (API).

PubMed

Ögel, Kültegin; Evren, Cüneyt; Karadağ, Figen; Gürol, Defne Tamar

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to develop a practical questionnaire for multidimensional assessment of problems associated with alcohol and substance abuse that would also be useful for treatment planning. The Addiction Profile Index (API) is a self-report questionnaire consisting of 37 items and the following 5 subscales: characteristics of substance use; dependency diagnosis; the effects of subsance use on the user; craving; motivation to quit using substances. The study included 345 alcohol and/or substance abusers from 2 addiction treatment clinics and a prison addiction service. The validity of the questionnaire was assessed using the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), Readiness to Change Questionnaire (SOCRATES), Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS), Drug Craving Scale (DCS), Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), and Addiction Severity Index (ASI). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total API was 0.89 and for the subscales it ranged from 0.63 to 0.86. Item-total correlation coefficients ranged from 0.42 to 0.89. The Spearman Brown split-half method coefficient for the total API was 0.83. In all, 4 factors were obtained using explanatory factor analysis that represented 52.3% of the total variance. The API craving subscale was observed to be consistent with PACS and the API motivation subscale was consistent with SOCRATES. The API total score was strongly correlated with the mean MAST score, and the composite ASI medical status, substance use, legal status, and family social relations subscale scores. Based on ROC analyses, the area under curve was 0.90. With a total API cut-off score of 4, the scale's sensitivity and specificity 0.85 was 0.78, respectively. The findings show that the API is a valid and reliable questionnaire that can be used to measure the severity of different dimensions of substance dependency.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Voice Handicap Index into Thai.

PubMed

Jaruchinda, Pariyanan; Suwanwarangkool, Thadchai

2015-12-01

The voice handicap index (VHI) is one of the most utilized instruments for measuring a patient's self-assessment of voice severity. The VHI has been translated into several languages, but not in Thai. To examine the psychometric properties of a Thai translation of the voice Handicap Index (VHI) and assess the applicability in the screening diagnosis. After receiving permission from the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), the original VHI had been translated and adapted to Thai by forward and backward standard translation. Eighty-five patients with voice disorders, divided in four groups according to the etiology of the diseases (neurogenic, structural, functional, and inflammatory), and 30 asymptomatic subjects were included in the present study. Internal consistency was analyzed through Cronbach's a coefficient. For the VHI test-retest reliability analysis, the Thai VHI was completed twice by 22 patients and assessed through the intraclass correlation coefficient. For clinical validity evaluation, the VHI scores from the pathological group were compared with the control group and compared among the four different pathological groups. The cutoff point for distinguishing the normal from the patient group was assessed by ROC analysis. Effects of age and gender on VHI scores were also evaluated. The Thai VHI showed a significant high internal consistency and test-retest reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.96 and r = 0.843, respectively). Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the control group and pathological groups and revealed significant difference in total scores and its three domains scores (p < 0.001). ROC analysis demonstrated that a VHI score of 13 should be considered the threshold for revealing the impact of quality of life in voice disorder patients. Age and gender were not affect the VHI scores in both control and patient groups. The Thai VHI has high reliability and validity. The Thai version of VHI is considered to be a self-assessment tool for the severity of voice disorders in Thai patients.

Evaluation of neuromuscular activity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea using chin surface electromyography of polysomnography.

PubMed

Yin, Guo-ping; Ye, Jing-ying; Han, De-min; Wang, Xiao-yi; Zhang, Yu-huan; Li, Yan-ru

2013-01-01

It is believed that defects in upper airway neuromuscular control play a role in sleep apnea pathogenesis. Currently, there is no simple and non-invasive method for evaluating neuromuscular activity for the purpose of screening in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. This study was designed to assess the validity of chin surface electromyography of routine polysomnography in evaluating the neuromuscular activity of obstructive sleep apnea subjects and probe the neuromuscular contribution in the pathogenesis of the condition. The chin surface electromyography of routine polysomnography during normal breathing and obstructive apnea were quantified in 36 male patients with obstructive sleep apnea. The change of chin surface electromyography from normal breathing to obstructive apnea was expressed as the percent compensated electromyography value, where the percent compensated electromyography value = (normal breath surface electromyography - apnea surface electromyography)/normal breath surface electromyography, and the percent compensated electromyography values among subjects were compared. The relationship between sleep apnea related parameters and the percent compensated electromyography value was examined. The percent compensated electromyography value of the subjects varied from 1% to 90% and had a significant positive correlation with apnea hypopnea index (R(2) = 0.382, P < 0.001). Recording and analyzing chin surface electromyography by routine polysomnography is a valid way of screening the neuromuscular activity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. The neuromuscular contribution is different among subjects with obstructive sleep apnea.

Evaluation of a risk index for advanced proximal neoplasia of the colon.

PubMed

Ruco, Arlinda; Stock, David; Hilsden, Robert J; McGregor, S Elizabeth; Paszat, Lawrence F; Saskin, Refik; Rabeneck, Linda

2015-01-01

A clinical risk index that uses distal colorectal findings at flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) in conjunction with easily determined risk factors for advanced proximal neoplasia (APN) may be useful for tailoring or prioritizing screening with colonoscopy. To conduct an external evaluation of a previously published risk index in a large, well-characterized cohort. Cross-sectional. Teaching hospital and colorectal cancer screening center. A total of 5139 asymptomatic persons aged 50 to 74 (54.9% women) with a mean age (±SD) of 58.3 (±6.2) years. Between 2003 and 2011, all participants underwent a complete screening colonoscopy and removal of all polyps. Participants were classified as low, intermediate, or high risk for APN, based on their composite risk index scores. The concordance or c-statistic was used to measure discriminating ability of the risk index. A total of 167 persons (3.2%) had APN. The prevalence of those with APN among low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories was 2.1%, 2.9%, and 6.5%, respectively. High-risk individuals were 3.2 times more likely to have APN compared with those in the low-risk category. The index did not discriminate well between those in the low- and intermediate-risk categories. The c-statistic for the overall index was 0.62 (95% confidence interval, 0.58-0.66). Distal colorectal findings were derived from colonoscopies and not FS itself. The risk index discriminated between those at low risk and those at high risk, but it had limited ability to discriminate between low- and intermediate-risk categories for prevalent APN. Information on other risk factors may be needed to tailor, or prioritize, access to screening colonoscopy. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Applications of Biophysics in High-Throughput Screening Hit Validation.

PubMed

Genick, Christine Clougherty; Barlier, Danielle; Monna, Dominique; Brunner, Reto; Bé, Céline; Scheufler, Clemens; Ottl, Johannes

2014-06-01

For approximately a decade, biophysical methods have been used to validate positive hits selected from high-throughput screening (HTS) campaigns with the goal to verify binding interactions using label-free assays. By applying label-free readouts, screen artifacts created by compound interference and fluorescence are discovered, enabling further characterization of the hits for their target specificity and selectivity. The use of several biophysical methods to extract this type of high-content information is required to prevent the promotion of false positives to the next level of hit validation and to select the best candidates for further chemical optimization. The typical technologies applied in this arena include dynamic light scattering, turbidometry, resonance waveguide, surface plasmon resonance, differential scanning fluorimetry, mass spectrometry, and others. Each technology can provide different types of information to enable the characterization of the binding interaction. Thus, these technologies can be incorporated in a hit-validation strategy not only according to the profile of chemical matter that is desired by the medicinal chemists, but also in a manner that is in agreement with the target protein's amenability to the screening format. Here, we present the results of screening strategies using biophysics with the objective to evaluate the approaches, discuss the advantages and challenges, and summarize the benefits in reference to lead discovery. In summary, the biophysics screens presented here demonstrated various hit rates from a list of ~2000 preselected, IC50-validated hits from HTS (an IC50 is the inhibitor concentration at which 50% inhibition of activity is observed). There are several lessons learned from these biophysical screens, which will be discussed in this article. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

Nutrition screening tools: does one size fit all? A systematic review of screening tools for the hospital setting.

PubMed

van Bokhorst-de van der Schueren, Marian A E; Guaitoli, Patrícia Realino; Jansma, Elise P; de Vet, Henrica C W

2014-02-01

Numerous nutrition screening tools for the hospital setting have been developed. The aim of this systematic review is to study construct or criterion validity and predictive validity of nutrition screening tools for the general hospital setting. A systematic review of English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch articles identified via MEDLINE, Cinahl and EMBASE (from inception to the 2nd of February 2012). Additional studies were identified by checking reference lists of identified manuscripts. Search terms included key words for malnutrition, screening or assessment instruments, and terms for hospital setting and adults. Data were extracted independently by 2 authors. Only studies expressing the (construct, criterion or predictive) validity of a tool were included. 83 studies (32 screening tools) were identified: 42 studies on construct or criterion validity versus a reference method and 51 studies on predictive validity on outcome (i.e. length of stay, mortality or complications). None of the tools performed consistently well to establish the patients' nutritional status. For the elderly, MNA performed fair to good, for the adults MUST performed fair to good. SGA, NRS-2002 and MUST performed well in predicting outcome in approximately half of the studies reviewed in adults, but not in older patients. Not one single screening or assessment tool is capable of adequate nutrition screening as well as predicting poor nutrition related outcome. Development of new tools seems redundant and will most probably not lead to new insights. New studies comparing different tools within one patient population are required. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Technology-enabled examinations of cardiac rhythm, optic nerve, oral health, tympanic membrane, gait and coordination evaluated jointly with routine health screenings: an observational study at the 2015 Kumbh Mela in India

PubMed Central

Gupta, Otkrist; Patalano II, Vincent; Mohit, Mrinal; Merchant, Rikin; Subramanian, S V

2018-01-01

Objectives Technology-enabled non-invasive diagnostic screening (TES) using smartphones and other point-of-care medical devices was evaluated in conjunction with conventional routine health screenings for the primary care screening of patients. Design Dental conditions, cardiac ECG arrhythmias, tympanic membrane disorders, blood oxygenation levels, optic nerve disorders and neurological fitness were evaluated using FDA-approved advanced smartphone powered technologies. Routine health screenings were also conducted. A novel remote web platform was developed to allow expert physicians to examine TES data and compare efficacy with routine health screenings. Setting The study was conducted at a primary care centre during the 2015 Kumbh Mela in Maharashtra, India. Participants 494 consenting 18–90 years old adults attending the 2015 Kumbh Mela were tested. Results TES and routine health screenings identified unique clinical conditions in distinct patients. Intraoral fluorescent imaging classified 63.3% of the population with dental caries and periodontal diseases. An association between poor oral health and cardiovascular illnesses was also identified. Tympanic membrane imaging detected eardrum abnormalities in 13.0% of the population, several with a medical history of hearing difficulties. Gait and coordination issues were discovered in eight subjects and one subject had arrhythmia. Cross-correlations were observed between low oxygen saturation and low body mass index (BMI) with smokers (p=0.0087 and p=0.0122, respectively), and high BMI was associated with elevated blood pressure in middle-aged subjects. Conclusions TES synergistically identified clinically significant abnormalities in several subjects who otherwise presented as normal in routine health screenings. Physicians validated TES findings and used routine health screening data and medical history responses for comprehensive diagnoses for at-risk patients. TES identified high prevalence of oral diseases, hypertension, obesity and ophthalmic conditions among the middle-aged and elderly Indian population, calling for public health interventions. PMID:29678964

Toward the integration of optical sensors in smartphone screens using femtosecond laser writing.

PubMed

Lapointe, Jerome; Parent, Francois; de Lima Filho, Elton Soares; Loranger, Sébastien; Kashyap, Raman

2015-12-01

We demonstrate a new type of sensor incorporated directly into Corning Gorilla glass, an ultraresistant glass widely used in the screen of popular devices such as smartphones, tablets, and smart watches. Although physical space is limited in portable devices, the screens have been so far neglected in regard to functionalization. Our proof-of-concept shows a new niche for photonics device development, in which the screen becomes an active component integrated into the device. The sensor itself is a near-surface waveguide, sensitive to refractive index changes, enabling the analysis of liquids directly on the screen of a smartphone, without the need for any add-ons, thus opening this part of the device to advanced functionalization. The primary function of the screen is unaffected, since the sensor and waveguide are effectively invisible to the naked eye. We fabricated a waveguide just below the glass surface, directly written without any surface preparation, in which the change in refractive index on the surface-air interface changes the light guidance, thus the transmission of light. This work reports on sensor fabrication, using a femtosecond pulsed laser, and the light-interaction model of the beam propagating at the surface is discussed and compared with experimental measurement for refractive indexes in the range 1.3-1.7. A new and improved model, including input and output reflections due to the effective mode index change, is also proposed and yields a better match with our experimental measurements and also with previous measurements reported in the literature.

Parents of Elementary School Students Weigh in on Height, Weight, and Body Mass Index Screening at School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kubik, Martha Y.; Fulkerson, Jayne A.; Story, Mary; Rieland, Gayle

2006-01-01

School-based body mass index (BMI) screening and parent notification programs have been recommended as a childhood overweight prevention strategy. However, there are little empirical data available to guide decision making about the acceptability and safety of programs. A pilot study was conducted using a quasiexperimental research design. In fall…

Cost-effectiveness of screening high-risk HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) and HIV-positive women for anal cancer.

PubMed

Czoski-Murray, C; Karnon, J; Jones, R; Smith, K; Kinghorn, G

2010-11-01

Anal cancer is uncommon and predominantly a disease of the elderly. The human papillomavirus (HPV) has been implicated as a causal agent, and HPV infection is usually transmitted sexually. Individuals who are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive are particularly vulnerable to HPV infections, and increasing numbers from this population present with anal cancer. To estimate the cost-effectiveness of screening for anal cancer in the high-risk HIV-positive population [in particular, men who have sex with men (MSM), who have been identified as being at greater risk of the disease] by developing a model that incorporates the national screening guidelines criteria. A comprehensive literature search was undertaken in January 2006 (updated in November 2006). The following electronic bibliographic databases were searched: Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), BIOSIS previews (Biological Abstracts), British Nursing Index (BNI), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, NHS Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), NHS Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Database, PsycINFO, Science Citation Index (SCI), and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). Published literature identified by the search strategy was assessed by four reviewers. Papers that met the inclusion criteria contained the following: data on population incidence, effectiveness of screening, health outcomes or screening and/or treatment costs; defined suitable screening technologies; prospectively evaluated tests to detect anal cancer. Foreign-language papers were excluded. Searches identified 2102 potential papers; 1403 were rejected at title and a further 493 at abstract. From 206 papers retrieved, 81 met the inclusion criteria. A further treatment paper was added, giving a total of 82 papers included. Data from included studies were extracted into data extraction forms by the clinical effectiveness reviewer. To analyse the cost-effectiveness of screening, two decision-analytical models were developed and populated. The reference case cost-effectiveness model for MSM found that screening for anal cancer is very unlikely to be cost-effective. The negative aspects of screening included utility decrements associated with false-positive results and with treatment for high-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-AIN). Sensitivity analyses showed that removing these utility decrements improved the cost-effectiveness of screening. However, combined with higher regression rates from low-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia (LG-AIN), the lowest expected incremental cost-effectiveness ratio remained at over 44,000 pounds per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that no screening retained over 50% probability of cost-effectiveness to a QALY value of 50,000 pounds. The screening model for HIV-positive women showed an even lower likelihood of cost-effectiveness, with the most favourable sensitivity analyses reporting an incremental cost per QALY of 88,000 pounds. Limited knowledge is available about the epidemiology and natural history of anal cancer, along with a paucity of good-quality evidence concerning the effectiveness of screening. Many of the criteria for assessing the need for a screening programme were not met and the cost-effectiveness analyses showed little likelihood that screening any of the identified high-risk groups would generate health improvements at a reasonable cost. Further studies could assess whether the screening model has underestimated the impact of anal cancer, the results of which may justify an evaluative study of the effects of treatment for HG-AIN.

Long-term screening for sleep apnoea in paced patients: preliminary assessment of a novel patient management flowchart by using automatic pacemaker indexes and sleep lab polygraphy.

PubMed

Aimé, Ezio; Rovida, Marina; Contardi, Danilo; Ricci, Cristian; Gaeta, Maddalena; Innocenti, Ester; Cabral Tantchou-Tchoumi, Jacques

2014-10-01

The primary aim of this pilot study was to prospectively assess a flowchart to screen and diagnose paced patients (pts) affected by sleep apnoeas, by crosschecking indexes derived from pacemakers (minute ventilation sensor on-board) with Sleep-Lab Polygraphy (PG) outcomes. Secondarily, "smoothed" long-term pacemaker indexes (all the information between two consecutive follow-up visits) have been retrospectively compared vs. standard short-term pacemaker indexes (last 24h) at each follow-up (FU) visit, to test their correlation and diagnostic concordance. Data from long-term FU of 61 paced pts were collected. At each visit, the standard short-term apnoea+hypopnoea (PM_AHI) index was retrieved from the pacemaker memory. Patients showing PM_AHI ≥ 30 at least once during FU were proposed to undergo a PG for diagnostic confirmation. Smoothed pacemaker (PM_SAHI) indexes were calculated by averaging the overall number of apnoeas/hypopnoeas over the period between two FU visits, and retrospectively compared with standard PM_AHI. Data were available from 609 consecutive visits (overall 4.64 ± 1.78 years FU). PM_AHI indexes were positive during FU in 40/61 pts (65.6%); 26/40 pts (65%) accepted to undergo a PG recording; Sleep-Lab confirmed positivity in 22/26 pts (84.6% positive predictive value for PM_AHI). A strong correlation (r=0.73) and a high level of concordance were found between smoothed and standard indexes (multivariate analysis, Cohen's-k and Z-score tests). Pacemaker-derived indexes may help in screening paced pts potentially affected by sleep apnoeas. Long-term "smoothed" apnoea indexes could improve the accuracy of pacemaker screening capability, even though this hypothesis must be prospectively confirmed by larger studies. Copyright © 2014 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Maternal glucose level and body mass index measured at gestational diabetes mellitus screening and the risk of macrosomia: results from a perinatal cohort study.

PubMed

Liu, Jian; Leng, Junhong; Tang, Chen; Liu, Gongshu; Hay, John; Wang, Jing; Wen, Shiwu; Li, Zhenling; She, Ye

2014-05-20

To examine the impact of maternal blood glucose (BG) level and body mass index (BMI) measured at gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) screening on the risk of macrosomia. A perinatal cohort of women were followed up from receiving perinatal healthcare to giving birth. Beichen District, Tianjin, China between June 2011 and October 2012. 1951 women aged 19-42 years with valid values of BMI and BG level at GDM screening (24-28 weeks gestation), singleton birth and birth weight (BW)>2500 g. Primary outcome was macrosomia (BW>4000 g). BG level and BMI were measured at GDM screening. 191 (9.7%) newborns were macrosomia. The ORs (95% CIs) of macrosomia from multiple logistic regression were 1.14 (1.10 to 1.19, p<0.0001) for BMI and 1.11 (1.01 to 1.23, p=0.03) for BG. When BMI and BG levels (continuous) were modelled simultaneously, the OR for BMI was similar, but significantly attenuated for BG. Areas of receiver operating characteristics (ROC) were 0.6530 (0.6258 to 0.6803) for BMI and 0.5548 (0.5248 to 0.5848) for BG (χ(2)=26.17, p<0.0001). BG (mmol/L, <6.7, 6.7-7.8 or ≥7.8) and BMI in quintiles (Q1-Q5) were evaluated with BG <6.7 and Q2 BMI as the reference group. The ORs of macrosomia were not statistically different for mothers in Q1 or Q2 of BMI regardless of the BG levels; the ORs for ≥Q3 of BMI were elevated significantly with the highest OR observed in Q5 of BMI and BG levels ≥7.8 (6.93 (2.61 to 18.43), p<0.0001). High BMI measured at GDM screening was the most important determinant for risk of macrosomia. These findings suggest that GDM screening may be a critical gestational time point to initiate maternal weight control oriented intervention strategy to lower the risk. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

AB003. Validation of a two-stage screening model to predict moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in chronic tetraplegia

PubMed Central

Graco, Marnie; Cross, Susan; Thiyagarajan, Chinnaya; Shafazand, Shirin; Ayas, Najib; Schembri, Rachel; Booker, Lauren; Nicholls, Carmel; Burns, Patricia; Nash, Mark; Green, Sally; Berlowitz, David J.

2018-01-01

Background Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in people with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) is estimated at between 28% and 77%. Current guidelines recommend polysomnography (PSG) for all people with SCI and symptoms of OSA. However, PSG is a resource intensive and frequently inaccessible test, especially in SCI. A two-stage model of questionnaire followed by overnight oximetry has been found to accurately detect moderate to severe OSA in the able-bodied. To determine whether a similar two-stage model can detect moderate to severe OSA in chronic tetraplegia. Methods An existing dataset of 78 people with tetraplegia was examined to determine predictors of OSA for inclusion in a new questionnaire. Cut-offs for the model were estimated with receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. Model accuracy was evaluated prospectively in 100 participants with chronic, traumatic tetraplegia across four international SCI units. Results Multivariate analysis identified injury completeness, age, sleepiness, self-reported snoring and apneas for the new questionnaire [ROC area under curve (AUC) 0.87 (95% CI: 0.79–0.95)]. Oxygen desaturation index was also highly predictive [0.93 (0.87–0.98)]. The two-stage model had a sensitivity and specificity of 83% (66–93%) and 88% (75–94%) in the development group (n=78), and 77% (65–87%) and 81% (68–90%) in the validation group (n=100). Conclusions The two-stage screening model provides an accurate and translatable alternative to full PSG for identifying moderate to severe OSA in people with chronic tetraplegia. Implementation of this screening model could substantially increase the detection of OSA in tetraplegia and improve access to treatments.

Overnight dexamethasone suppression test: a reliable screen for Cushing's syndrome in the obese.

PubMed

Ness-Abramof, Rosane; Nabriski, Dan; Apovian, Caroline M; Niven, Mark; Weiss, Eliahu; Shapiro, Menachem S; Shenkman, Louis

2002-12-01

Reevaluation of the validity of the 1-mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test (ODST) as a screening test for Cushing's syndrome in obese patients. Eighty-six obese patients (body mass index, 30 to 53 kg/m(2)) that were referred to a general endocrine outpatient clinic for evaluation of simple obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, polycystic ovary disease, or pituitary tumor. One milligram dexamethasone was administered orally at 11:00 PM, and serum cortisol levels were measured the following morning between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM. Suppression of serum cortisol to <80 nM (3 micro g/dL) was chosen as the cut-off point for normal suppression. Patients with serum cortisol levels > or =80 nM were evaluated for Cushing's syndrome. Suppression of morning cortisol levels to <80 nM occurred in 79 of the 86 obese patients. Seven patients had serum cortisol levels higher than 80 nM; five were eventually diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome and two were considered false positive results in view of normal 24-hour free urinary cortisol and normal suppression on a low dose dexamethasone suppression test (0.5 mg of dexamethasone every 6 hours for 2 days). We found a false positive rate of 2.3% for the ODST using a cut-off serum cortisol of 80 nM. The ODST is a valid screening test for Cushing's syndrome in the obese population. The false positive rate was 2.3%, even when using a strict cut-off serum cortisol of 80 nM. Abnormal cortisol suppression in obese patients should be investigated and not be considered false positive results.

Measuring psychological well-being in South Asians with diabetes; a qualitative investigation of the PHQ-9 and the WHO-5 as potential screening tools for measuring symptoms of depression.

PubMed

Lloyd, C E; Roy, T; Begum, S; Mughal, S; Barnett, A H

2012-01-01

People from South Asian backgrounds living in the UK have a greatly increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Whether or not this patient group also experience high rates of depressive symptoms (known to be the case in Caucasian populations with diabetes) remains unknown, partly because it is unclear whether the screening tools used are culturally relevant. The aim of this study was to develop culturally competent translations (in both written and audio formats) of two screening tools used to measure symptoms of depression in languages with no written form and establish their face validity. Adults with Type 2 diabetes from two South Asian minority ethnic groups (from Bangladesh and Pakistan) whose main language is only spoken (Sylheti and Mirpuri) were recruited via the Birmingham Heartlands Hospital Diabetes Centre. Participants attended two focus group meetings to consider the content and method of delivery of two questionnaires measuring symptoms of depression, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the World Health Organization Well-being Index (WHO-5). Culturally equivalent content was achieved for both questionnaires in both languages. The Mirpuri men and women groups did not indicate a clear preference for either mode of questionnaire delivery; however, the Sylheti groups' preference was for independent audio-delivery in their spoken language. The face validity of the PHQ-9 and the WHO-5 was established for Sylheti and Mirpuri in an audio delivery format. Psychometric testing is now needed among minority ethnic populations so that the feasibility of wider use can be determined. © 2011 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine © 2011 Diabetes UK.

Screening for Prenatal Substance Use

PubMed Central

Yonkers, Kimberly A.; Gotman, Nathan; Kershaw, Trace; Forray, Ariadna; Howell, Heather B.; Rounsaville, Bruce J.

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVE To report on the development of a questionnaire to screen for hazardous substance use in pregnant women and to compare the performance of the questionnaire with other drug and alcohol measures. METHODS Pregnant women were administered a modified TWEAK (Tolerance, Worried, Eye-openers, Amnesia, K[C] Cut Down) questionnaire, the 4Ps Plus questionnaire, items from the Addiction Severity Index, and two questions about domestic violence (N=2,684). The sample was divided into “training” (n=1,610) and “validation” (n=1,074) subsamples. We applied recursive partitioning class analysis to the responses from individuals in the training subsample that resulted in a three-item Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale. We examined sensitivity, specificity, and the fit of logistic regression models in the validation subsample to compare the performance of the Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale with the modified TWEAK and various scoring algorithms of the 4Ps. RESULTS The Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale is comprised of three informative questions that can be scored for high- or low-risk populations. The Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale algorithm for low-risk populations was mostly highly predictive of substance use in the validation subsample (Akaike’s Information Criterion=579.75, Nagelkerke R2=0.27) with high sensitivity (91%) and adequate specificity (67%). The high-risk algorithm had lower sensitivity (57%) but higher specificity (88%). CONCLUSION The Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale is simple and flexible with good sensitivity and specificity. The Substance Use Risk Profile-Pregnancy scale can potentially detect a range of substances that may be abused. Clinicians need to further assess women with a positive screen to identify those who require treatment for alcohol or illicit substance use in pregnancy. PMID:20859145

The Use of a Dynamic Screening of Phonological Awareness to Predict Risk for Reading Disabilities in Kindergarten Children

PubMed Central

Bridges, Mindy Sittner; Catts, Hugh W.

2013-01-01

This study examined the usefulness and predictive validity of a dynamic screening of phonological awareness in two samples of kindergarten children. In one sample (n = 90), the predictive validity of the dynamic assessment was compared to a static version of the same screening measure. In the second sample (n = 96), the dynamic screening measure was compared to a commonly used screening tool, Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills Initial Sound Fluency. Results showed that the dynamic screening measure uniquely predicted end-of-year reading achievement and outcomes in both samples. These results provide preliminary support for the usefulness of a dynamic screening measure of phonological awareness for kindergarten students. PMID:21571700

Development of the SaFETy Score: A Clinical Screening Tool for Predicting Future Firearm Violence Risk

PubMed Central

Goldstick, Jason E.; Carter, Patrick M.; Walton, Maureen A.; Dahlberg, Linda L.; Sumner, Steven A.; Zimmerman, Marc A.; Cunningham, Rebecca M.

2017-01-01

Background Interpersonal firearm violence among youth is a substantial public health problem, and emergency department (ED) physicians require a clinical screening tool to identify high-risk youth. Objective To derive a clinically feasible risk index for firearm violence. Design 24-month prospective cohort study. Setting Urban, level 1 ED. Participants Substance-using youths, aged 14 to 24 years, seeking ED care for an assault-related injury and a proportionately sampled group of non–assault-injured youth enrolled from September 2009 through December 2011. Measurements Firearm violence (victimization/perpetration) and validated questionnaire items. Results A total of 599 youths were enrolled, and presence/absence of future firearm violence during follow-up could be ascertained in 483 (52.2% were positive). The sample was randomly split into training (75%) and post–score-construction validation (25%) sets. Using elastic-net penalized logistic regression, 118 baseline predictors were jointly analyzed; the most predictive variables fell predominantly into 4 domains: violence victimization, community exposure, peer influences, and fighting. By selection of 1 item from each domain, the 10-point SaFETy (Serious fighting, Friend weapon carrying, community Environment, and firearm Threats) score was derived. SaFETy was associated with firearm violence in the validation set (odds ratio [OR], 1.47 [95% CI, 1.23 to 1.79]); this association remained (OR, 1.44 [CI, 1.20 to 1.76]) after adjustment for reason for ED visit. In 5 risk strata observed in the training data, firearm violence rates in the validation set were 18.2% (2 of 11), 40.0% (18 of 45), 55.8% (24 of 43), 81.3% (13 of 16), and 100.0% (6 of 6), respectively. Limitations The study was conducted in a single ED and involved substance-using youths. SaFETy was not externally validated. Conclusion The SaFETy score is a 4-item score based on clinically feasible questionnaire items and is associated with firearm violence. Although broader validation is required, SaFETy shows potential to guide resource allocation for prevention of firearm violence. Primary Funding Source National Institute on Drug Abuse R01024646. PMID:28395357

Identifying barriers to and facilitators of tuberculosis contact investigation in Kampala, Uganda: a behavioral approach.

PubMed

Ayakaka, Irene; Ackerman, Sara; Ggita, Joseph M; Kajubi, Phoebe; Dowdy, David; Haberer, Jessica E; Fair, Elizabeth; Hopewell, Philip; Handley, Margaret A; Cattamanchi, Adithya; Katamba, Achilles; Davis, J Lucian

2017-03-09

The World Health Organization recommends routine household tuberculosis contact investigation in high-burden countries but adoption has been limited. We sought to identify barriers to and facilitators of TB contact investigation during its introduction in Kampala, Uganda. We collected cross-sectional qualitative data through focus group discussions and interviews with stakeholders, addressing three core activities of contact investigation: arranging household screening visits through index TB patients, visiting households to screen contacts and refer them to clinics, and evaluating at-risk contacts coming to clinics. We analyzed the data using a validated theory of behavior change, the Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation determine Behavior (COM-B) model, and sought to identify targeted interventions using the related Behavior Change Wheel implementation framework. We led seven focus-group discussions with 61 health-care workers, two with 21 lay health workers (LHWs), and one with four household contacts of newly diagnosed TB patients. We, in addition, performed 32 interviews with household contacts from 14 households of newly diagnosed TB patients. Commonly noted barriers included stigma, limited knowledge about TB among contacts, insufficient time and space in clinics for counselling, mistrust of health-center staff among index patients and contacts, and high travel costs for LHWs and contacts. The most important facilitators identified were the personalized and enabling services provided by LHWs. We identified education, persuasion, enablement, modeling of health-positive behaviors, incentivization, and restructuring of the service environment as relevant intervention functions with potential to alleviate barriers to and enhance facilitators of TB contact investigation. The use of a behavioral theory and a validated implementation framework provided a comprehensive approach for systematically identifying barriers to and facilitators of TB contact investigation. The behavioral determinants identified here may be useful in tailoring interventions to improve implementation of contact investigation in Kampala and other similar urban settings.

Assessing Predictive Validity of Pressure Ulcer Risk Scales- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

PARK, Seong-Hi; LEE, Hea Shoon

2016-01-01

Background: The purpose of this study was to present a scientific reason for pressure ulcer risk scales: Cubbin& Jackson modified Braden, Norton, and Waterlow, as a nursing diagnosis tool by utilizing predictive validity of pressure sores. Methods: Articles published between 1966 and 2013 from periodicals indexed in the Ovid Medline, Embase, CINAHL, KoreaMed, NDSL, and other databases were selected using the key word “pressure ulcer”. QUADAS-II was applied for assessment for internal validity of the diagnostic studies. Selected studies were analyzed using meta-analysis with MetaDisc 1.4. Results: Seventeen diagnostic studies with high methodological quality, involving 5,185 patients, were included. In the results of the meta-analysis, sROC AUC of Braden, Norton, and Waterflow scale was over 0.7, showing moderate predictive validity, but they have limited interpretation due to significant differences between studies. In addition, Waterlow scale is insufficient as a screening tool owing to low sensitivity compared with other scales. Conclusion: The contemporary pressure ulcer risk scale is not suitable for uninform practice on patients under standardized criteria. Therefore, in order to provide more effective nursing care for bedsores, a new or modified pressure ulcer risk scale should be developed upon strength and weaknesses of existing tools. PMID:27114977

Initial Evidence for the Reliability and Validity of the Student Risk Screening Scale for Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors at the Middle School Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Kathleen Lynne; Oakes, Wendy Peia; Carter, Erik W.; Lambert, Warren E.; Jenkins, Abbie B.

2013-01-01

We reported findings of an exploratory validation study of a revised universal screening instrument: the Student Risk Screening Scale--Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE) for use with middle school students. Tested initially for use with elementary-age students, the SRSS-IE was adapted to include seven additional items reflecting…

Screening for Elder Abuse among Turkish Older People: Validity of the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (H-S "East")

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özmete, Emine; Megahead, Hamido A.

2017-01-01

Objective: This study aims to adapt "The Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (H-S "East")" (Neale, Hwalek, Scott, Sengstock, & Stahl, 1991) to Turkish and to assess its validity and reliability while determining the factors that affect elder abuse. Method: The sample of the study is composed of 465 elderly women and…

Adolescent substance use screening in primary care: validity of computer self-administered vs. clinician-administered screening

PubMed Central

Harris, Sion Kim; Knight, John R; Van Hook, Shari; Sherritt, Lon; Brooks, Traci; Kulig, John W; Nordt, Christina; Saitz, Richard

2015-01-01

Background Computer self-administration may help busy pediatricians’ offices increase adolescent substance use screening rates efficiently and effectively, if proven to yield valid responses. The CRAFFT screening protocol for adolescents has demonstrated validity as an interview, but a computer self-entry approach needs validity testing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the criterion validity and time efficiency of a computerized adolescent substance use screening protocol implemented by self-administration or clinician-administration. Methods 12- to 17-year-old patients coming for routine care at three primary care clinics completed the computerized screen by both self-administration and clinician-administration during their visit. To account for order effects, we randomly assigned participants to self-administer the screen either before or after seeing their clinician. Both were conducted using a tablet computer and included identical items (any past-12-month use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs; past-3-months frequency of each; and six CRAFFT items). The criterion measure for substance use was the Timeline Follow-Back, and for alcohol/drug use disorder, the Adolescent Diagnostic Interview, both conducted by confidential research assistant-interview after the visit. Tobacco dependence risk was assessed with the self-administered Hooked on Nicotine Checklist (HONC). Analyses accounted for the multi-site cluster sampling design. Results Among 136 participants, mean age was 15.0±1.5 yrs, 54% were girls, 53% were Black or Hispanic, and 67% had ≥3 prior visits with their clinician. Twenty-seven percent reported any substance use (including tobacco) in the past 12 months, 7% met criteria for an alcohol or cannabis use disorder, and 4% were HONC-positive. Sensitivity/specificity of the screener were high for detecting past-12-month use or disorder and did not differ between computer and clinician. Mean completion time was 49 seconds (95%CI 44-54) for computer and 74 seconds (95%CI 68-87) for clinician (paired comparison p<0.001). Conclusions Substance use screening by computer self-entry is a valid and time-efficient alternative to clinician-administered screening. PMID:25774878

Screening for Sleep Reduction in Adolescents through Self-Report: Development and Validation of the Sleep Reduction Screening Questionnaire (SRSQ)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maanen, Annette; Dewald-Kaufmann, Julia F.; Oort, Frans J.; de Bruin, Eduard J.; Smits, Marcel G.; Short, Michelle A.; Gradisar, Michael; Kerkhof, Gerard A.; Meijer, Anne Marie

2014-01-01

Background: Sleep reduction, resulting from insufficient or poor sleep, is a common phenomenon in adolescents. Due to its severe negative psychological and behavioral daytime consequences, it is important to have a short reliable and valid measure to assess symptoms of sleep reduction. Objective: This study aims to validate the Sleep Reduction…

Patient-completed or symptom-based screening tools for endometriosis: a scoping review.

PubMed

Surrey, Eric; Carter, Cathryn M; Soliman, Ahmed M; Khan, Shahnaz; DiBenedetti, Dana B; Snabes, Michael C

2017-08-01

The objective of this review was to evaluate existing patient-completed screening questionnaires and/or symptom-based predictive models with respect to their potential for use as screening tools for endometriosis in adult women. Validated instruments were of particular interest. We conducted structured searches of PubMed and targeted searches of the gray literature to identify studies reporting on screening instruments used in endometriosis. Studies were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria that followed the PICOS (population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, study design) framework. A total of 16 studies were identified, of which 10 described measures for endometriosis in general, 2 described measures for endometriosis at specific sites, and 4 described measures for deep-infiltrating endometriosis. Only 1 study evaluated a questionnaire that was solely patient-completed. Most measures required physician, imaging, or laboratory assessments in addition to patient-completed questionnaires, and several measures relied on complex scoring. Validation for use as a screening tool in adult women with potential endometriosis was lacking in all studies, as most studies focused on diagnosis versus screening. This literature review did not identify any fully validated, symptom-based, patient-reported questionnaires for endometriosis screening in adult women.

Utility and applicability of the "Childhood Obesity Risk Evaluation" (CORE)-index in predicting obesity in childhood and adolescence in Greece from early life: the "National Action Plan for Public Health".

PubMed

Manios, Yannis; Vlachopapadopoulou, Elpis; Moschonis, George; Karachaliou, Feneli; Psaltopoulou, Theodora; Koutsouki, Dimitra; Bogdanis, Gregory; Carayanni, Vilelmine; Hatzakis, Angelos; Michalacos, Stefanos

2016-12-01

Early identification of infants being at high risk to become obese at their later childhood or adolescence can be of vital importance in any obesity prevention initiative. The aim of the present study was to examine the utility and applicability of the "Childhood Obesity Risk Evaluation (CORE)" index as a screening tool for the early prediction of obesity in childhood and adolescence. Anthropometric, socio-demographic data were collected cross-sectionally and retrospectively from a representative sample of 5946 children, and adolescents and were combined for calculating the CORE-index score. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the associations of the CORE-index score with obesity by gender and age group, and cut-off point analysis was also applied to identify the optimal value of the CORE-index score that differentiates obese from non-obese children. Mean CORE-index score in the total sample was 3.06 (sd 1.92) units (range 0-11 units). Each unit increase in the CORE-index score was found to be associated with a 30 % (95 % C.I. 1.24-1.36) increased likelihood for obesity in childhood or adolescence, while the optimal cut-off value of the CORE-index score that predicted obesity with the highest possible sensitivity and specificity was found to be 3.5. The present study supports the utility and applicability of the CORE-index as a screening tool for the early identification of infants that are potentially at a higher risk for becoming obese at their childhood and adolescence. This tool could be routinely used by health professionals to identify infants at high risk and provide appropriate counselling to their parents and caregivers so as to maximize the effectiveness of early obesity prevention initiatives. What is known? • Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. • Certain perinatal and socio-demographic indices that were previously identified as correlates of childhood obesity in children were combined to develop the CORE-index, a screening tool that estimates obesity risk in 9-13 year-old children. What is new? • The utility and applicability of the CORE-index as screening tool can be extended to the age range of 6-15 years. • The CORE-index is a cost-effective screening tool that can assist health professionals in initiating obesity preventive measures from early life.

Selection, application, and validation of a set of molecular descriptors for nuclear receptor ligands.

PubMed

Stewart, Eugene L; Brown, Peter J; Bentley, James A; Willson, Timothy M

2004-08-01

A methodology for the selection and validation of nuclear receptor ligand chemical descriptors is described. After descriptors for a targeted chemical space were selected, a virtual screening methodology utilizing this space was formulated for the identification of potential NR ligands from our corporate collection. Using simple descriptors and our virtual screening method, we are able to quickly identify potential NR ligands from a large collection of compounds. As validation of the virtual screening procedure, an 8, 000-membered NR targeted set and a 24, 000-membered diverse control set of compounds were selected from our in-house general screening collection and screened in parallel across a number of orphan NR FRET assays. For the two assays that provided at least one hit per set by the established minimum pEC(50) for activity, the results showed a 2-fold increase in the hit-rate of the targeted compound set over the diverse set.

Visual Impairment Screening Assessment (VISA) tool: pilot validation.

PubMed

Rowe, Fiona J; Hepworth, Lauren R; Hanna, Kerry L; Howard, Claire

2018-03-06

To report and evaluate a new Vision Impairment Screening Assessment (VISA) tool intended for use by the stroke team to improve identification of visual impairment in stroke survivors. Prospective case cohort comparative study. Stroke units at two secondary care hospitals and one tertiary centre. 116 stroke survivors were screened, 62 by naïve and 54 by non-naïve screeners. Both the VISA screening tool and the comprehensive specialist vision assessment measured case history, visual acuity, eye alignment, eye movements, visual field and visual inattention. Full completion of VISA tool and specialist vision assessment was achieved for 89 stroke survivors. Missing data for one or more sections typically related to patient's inability to complete the assessment. Sensitivity and specificity of the VISA screening tool were 90.24% and 85.29%, respectively; the positive and negative predictive values were 93.67% and 78.36%, respectively. Overall agreement was significant; k=0.736. Lowest agreement was found for screening of eye movement and visual inattention deficits. This early validation of the VISA screening tool shows promise in improving detection accuracy for clinicians involved in stroke care who are not specialists in vision problems and lack formal eye training, with potential to lead to more prompt referral with fewer false positives and negatives. Pilot validation indicates acceptability of the VISA tool for screening of visual impairment in stroke survivors. Sensitivity and specificity were high indicating the potential accuracy of the VISA tool for screening purposes. Results of this study have guided the revision of the VISA screening tool ahead of full clinical validation. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Reliability and validity of a combat exposure index for Vietnam era veterans.

PubMed

Janes, G R; Goldberg, J; Eisen, S A; True, W R

1991-01-01

The reliability and validity of a self-report measure of combat exposure are examined in a cohort of male-male twin pairs who served in the military during the Vietnam era. Test-retest reliability for a five-level ordinal index of combat exposure is assessed by use of 192 duplicate sets of responses. The chance-corrected proportion in agreement (as measured by the kappa coefficient) is .84. As a measure of criterion-related validity, the combat index is correlated with the award of combat-related military medals ascertained from the military records. The probability of receiving a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Commendation Medal and Combat Infantry Badge is associated strongly with the combat exposure index. These results show that this simple index is a reliable and valid measure of combat exposure.

Empirical evaluation demonstrated importance of validating biomarkers for early detection of cancer in screening settings to limit the number of false-positive findings.

PubMed

Chen, Hongda; Knebel, Phillip; Brenner, Hermann

2016-07-01

Search for biomarkers for early detection of cancer is a very active area of research, but most studies are done in clinical rather than screening settings. We aimed to empirically evaluate the role of study setting for early detection marker identification and validation. A panel of 92 candidate cancer protein markers was measured in 35 clinically identified colorectal cancer patients and 35 colorectal cancer patients identified at screening colonoscopy. For each case group, we selected 38 controls without colorectal neoplasms at screening colonoscopy. Single-, two- and three-marker combinations discriminating cases and controls were identified in each setting and subsequently validated in the alternative setting. In all scenarios, a higher number of predictive biomarkers were initially detected in the clinical setting, but a substantially lower proportion of identified biomarkers could subsequently be confirmed in the screening setting. Confirmation rates were 50.0%, 84.5%, and 74.2% for one-, two-, and three-marker algorithms identified in the screening setting and were 42.9%, 18.6%, and 25.7% for algorithms identified in the clinical setting. Validation of early detection markers of cancer in a true screening setting is important to limit the number of false-positive findings. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparing the validity of the K6 when assessing depression, anxiety, and PTSD among male and female jail detainees.

PubMed

Kubiak, Sheryl Pimlott; Beeble, Marisa; Bybee, Deborah

2012-12-01

A lack of a consistent and valid approach to screening within the jail often hinders identification and treatment. Furthermore, screening instruments developed for jail populations are often inadequate in detecting serious depression and anxiety disorders in women. While the remedy thus far has been the use of separate screening instruments for men and women, others have suggested that the K6, a six-item measure validated in large epidemiologic studies, may hold promise. Building on prior research, this study assesses the validity of the K6 in detecting depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and anxiety disorders among 494 male and 515 female jail detainees. The authors found that 15% of males and 36% of females meet criteria for serious mental illness on the K6, with receiver operating characteristics--area under the curve scores of .84 and .93, respectively. This study not only establishes the validity and efficiency of using the K6 for screening within jails but also suggests a need for adjusting scale cut points.

Validity and reliability of the Brazilian version of the Work Ability Index questionnaire.

PubMed

Martinez, Maria Carmen; Latorre, Maria do Rosário Dias de Oliveira; Fischer, Frida Marina

2009-06-01

To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Portuguese language version of a work ability index. Cross sectional survey of a sample of 475 workers from an electrical company in the state of Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil (spread across ten municipalities in the Campinas area), carried out in 2005. The following aspects of the Brazilian version of the Work Ability Index were evaluated: construct validity, using factorial exploratory analysis, and discriminant capacity, by comparing mean Work Ability Index scores in two groups with different absenteeism levels; criterion validity, by determining the correlation between self-reported health and Work Ability Index score; and reliability, using Cronbach's alpha to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire. Factorial analysis indicated three factors in the work ability construct: issues pertaining to 'mental resources' (20.6% of the variance), self-perceived work ability (18.9% of the variance), and presence of diseases and health-related limitations (18.4% of the variance). The index was capable of discriminating workers according to levels of absenteeism, identifying a significantly lower (p<0.0001) mean score among subjects with high absenteeism (37.2 points) when compared to those with low absenteeism (42.3 points). Criterion validity analysis showed a correlation between the index and all dimensions of health status analyzed (p<0.0001). Reliability of the index was high, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.72. The Brazilian version of the Work Ability Index showed satisfactory psychometric properties with respect to construct validity, thus constituting an appropriate option for evaluating work ability in both individual and population-based settings.

Establishing Concurrent Validity for a Brief PTSD Screen Among Women in a Domestic Violence Shelter.

PubMed

Symes, Lene; McFarlane, Judith; Maddoux, John; Levine, Lisa Beth; Landrum, Kimberly S; McFarlane, Cari Delgado

2018-06-01

There is a particular need for valid scales to screen for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among women who seek safe shelter from intimate partner violence. Screening to identify women who are at risk for PTSD can lead to early intervention that reduces the risk for PTSD-related outcomes such as poor decision making, inconsistent parenting, and behavior dysfunction among their children. The gold standard for diagnosing PTSD is the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) (CAPS-5). A seven-item PTSD screen has been used for in this population and has a well-established cutoff score but has not been validated against the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The study purpose was to establish concurrent validity for a seven-item screen for PTSD with the CAPS-5. Participants were 75 women, 18 years or older, who were residents of a 120-bed shelter in the southern United States. They spoke English or Spanish. They reported intimate partner physical or sexual violence within 4 months of their entry into the study. Following informed consent, data were collected in individual interviews, conducted in either English or Spanish. In addition to demographic data, the seven-item PTSD screen and the CAPS-5 were administered. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted to assess the concurrent validity of the seven-item PTSD screen with the CAPS-5. The seven-item PTSD screen results were significantly correlated with the CAPS-5 results in this sample (area under the curve [AUC] = .640, z = 2.670, p = .008). Sensitivity was 96.2, and observed specificity was 31.8. The seven-item PTSD screen demonstrates excellent sensitivity (e.g., 96% of true PTSD cases) and acceptable specificity (32% of non-PTSD cases) and can be used to quickly and accurately identify individuals for diagnostic assessment and intervention.

Preoperative Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening in Gynecologic Oncology Patients.

PubMed

Harrison, Ross F; Medlin, Erin E; Petersen, Chase B; Rose, Stephen L; Hartenbach, Ellen M; Kushner, David M; Spencer, Ryan J; Rice, Laurel W; Al-Niaimi, Ahmed N

2018-05-21

Women with a gynecologic cancer tend to be older, obese, and postmenopausal, characteristics that are associated with an increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea. However, there is limited investigation regarding the condition's prevalence in this population or its impact on postoperative outcomes. In other surgical populations, patients with obstructive sleep apnea have been observed to be at increased risk for adverse postoperative events. To estimate the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea among gynecologic oncology patients undergoing elective surgery and to investigate for a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and postoperative outcomes. Patients referred to an academic gynecologic oncology practice were approached for enrollment in this prospective, observational study. Patients were considered eligible for study enrollment if they were scheduled for a non-emergent inpatient surgery and could provide informed consent. Enrolled patients were evaluated for a preexisting diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. Those without a prior diagnosis were screened using the validated, 4-item STOP [i.e. Snore loudly, daytime Tiredness, Observed apnea, elevated blood Pressure] questionnaire. All patients who screened positive for obstructive sleep apnea were referred for polysomnography. The primary outcome was the prevalence of women with obstructive sleep apnea or those who screened at high risk for the condition. Secondary outcomes examined the correlation between body mass index (kg/m 2 ) with obstructive sleep apnea and assessed for a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and postoperative outcomes. Over a 22-month accrual period, 383 eligible patients were consecutively approached to participate in the study. A cohort of 260 patients were enrolled. A total of 33/260 patients (13%) were identified as having a previous diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. An additional 66/260 (25%) screened at risk for the condition using the STOP questionnaire. Of the patients who screened positive, 8/66 (12%) completed polysomnography, all of whom (8/8 [100%]) were found to have obstructive sleep apnea. The prevalence of previously-diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea or screening at risk for the condition increased as body mass index increased (p < 0.001). Women with untreated obstructive sleep apnea and those who screened at risk for the condition were found to have an increased risk for postoperative hypoxemia (OR = 3.5 [1.8-4.7]; p = 0.011) and delayed return of bowel function (OR = 2.1 [1.3-4.5]; p = 0.009). The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea or screening at risk for the condition is high among women presenting for surgery with a gynecologic oncologist. Providers should consider evaluating a patient's risk for obstructive sleep apnea in the preoperative setting, especially when risk factors for the condition are present. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Regional differences as barriers to body mass index screening described by Ohio school nurses.

PubMed

Stalter, Ann M; Chaudry, Rosemary V; Polivka, Barbara J

2011-08-01

Body mass index (BMI) screening is advocated by the National Association of School Nurses (NASN). Research identifying barriers to BMI screening in public elementary school settings has been sparse. The purpose of the study was to identify barriers and facilitating factors of BMI screening practices among Ohio school nurses working in suburban, rural, and urban public elementary schools. This descriptive study used focus groups with 25 school nurses in 3 geographic regions of Ohio. An adapted Healthy People 2010 model guided the development of semistructured focus group questions. Nine regional themes related to BMI screening emerged specific to suburban, rural, and/or urban school nurses' experiences with BMI screening practice, policy, school physical environment, school social environment, school risk/protection, and access to quality health care. Key facilitating factors to BMI screening varied by region. Key barriers to BMI screening were a lack of privacy, time, policy, and workload of school nurses. Regionally specific facilitating factors to BMI screening in schools provide opportunities for schools to accentuate the positive and to promote school health. © 2011, American School Health Association.

International Well-Being Index: The Austrian Version

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renn, Daniela; Pfaffenberger, Nicole; Platter, Marion; Mitmansgruber, Horst; Cummins, Robert A.; Hofer, Stefan

2009-01-01

The International Well-being Index (IWI) measures both personal and national well-being. It comprises two subscales: the Personal Well-being Index (PWI) and the National Well-being Index (NWI). The aim of this paper is to test the psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the translated scale in Austria. Convergent validity is assessed…

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF HEALTHY EATING INDEXES IN ADULTS AND ELDERLY: APPLICABILITY AND VALIDITY.

PubMed

Pinto de Souza Fernandes, Dalila; Queiroz Ribeiro, Andréia; Lopes Duarte, Maria Sônia; Castro Franceschini, Sylvia do Carmo

2015-08-01

The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) assesses a combination of different types of foods, nutrients and dietary components. It has been adapted in some countries, considering the local dietary habits. in this article, the Healthy Eating Indexes published to date were identified by means of a systematic review. Besides, issues relating to their validity, applicability and limitations were discussed. an electronic search was performed in the PUBMED, SCIENCE DIRECT, BVS and SciELO data base containing studies on the adaptation, review, update or validation of the HEI. The descriptors Healthy Eating Index, Index of Diet Quality, Quality of diet, Diet surveys were used, in different combinations. a total of 11 studies were described and critically analyzed. One of the studies dealt with the development of the index; six proposed adjustments; two assessed validity and reliability of the index, and the other two proposed revision and update. The Healthy Eating Indexes reveal the actual quality of the diet, but the absence of a methodological standard hinders the comparison of the results found in different populations. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Development and community-based validation of the IDEA study Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IDEA-IADL) questionnaire

PubMed Central

Collingwood, Cecilia; Paddick, Stella-Maria; Kisoli, Aloyce; Dotchin, Catherine L.; Gray, William K.; Mbowe, Godfrey; Mkenda, Sarah; Urasa, Sarah; Mushi, Declare; Chaote, Paul; Walker, Richard W.

2014-01-01

Background The dementia diagnosis gap in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is large, partly due to difficulties in assessing function, an essential step in diagnosis. Objectives As part of the Identification and Intervention for Dementia in Elderly Africans (IDEA) study, to develop, pilot, and validate an Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) questionnaire for use in a rural Tanzanian population to assist in the identification of people with dementia alongside cognitive screening. Design The questionnaire was developed at a workshop for rural primary healthcare workers, based on culturally appropriate roles and usual activities of elderly people in this community. It was piloted in 52 individuals under follow-up from a dementia prevalence study. Validation subsequently took place during a community dementia-screening programme. Construct validation against gold standard clinical dementia diagnosis using DSM-IV criteria was carried out on a stratified sample of the cohort and validity assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve analysis. Results An 11-item questionnaire (IDEA-IADL) was developed after pilot testing. During formal validation on 130 community-dwelling elderly people who presented for screening, the AUROC curve was 0.896 for DSM-IV dementia when used in isolation and 0.937 when used in conjunction with the IDEA cognitive screen, previously validated in Tanzania. The internal consistency was 0.959. Performance on the IDEA-IADL was not biased with regard to age, gender or education level. Conclusions The IDEA-IADL questionnaire appears to be a useful aid to dementia screening in this setting. Further validation in other healthcare settings in SSA is required. PMID:25537940

Neuropsychological screening as a standard of care during discharge from psychiatric hospitalization: the preliminary psychometrics of the CNS Screen.

PubMed

Levy, Boaz; Celen-Demirtas, Selda; Surguladze, Tinatin; Eranio, Sara; Ellison, James

2014-03-30

Cost-prohibitive factors currently prevent a warranted integration of neuropsychological screenings into routine psychiatric evaluations, as a standard of care. To overcome this challenge, the current study examined the psychometric properties of a new computerized measure-the CNS Screen. One hundred and twenty six psychiatric inpatients completed the CNS Screen, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Rated (QIDS-SR₁₆) on the day of hospital discharge. Statistical analysis established convergent validity with a moderate correlation between the self-administered CNS Screen and the clinician-administered MoCA (r=0.64). Discriminant validity was implicated by a non-significant correlation with the QIDS-SR₁₆. Concurrent validity was supported by a moderate, negative correlation with patients' age (r=-0.62). In addition, consistent with previous findings, patients with psychotic disorders exhibited significantly poorer performance on the CNS Screen than patients with a mood disorder. Similarly, patients with a formal disability status scored significantly lower than other patients. The CNS Screen was well tolerated by all patients. With further development, this type of measure may provide a cost-effective approach to expanding neuropsychological screenings on inpatient psychiatric units. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Child's Weight Status and Parent's Response to a School-Based Body Mass Index Screening and Parent Notification Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jiwoo; Kubik, Martha Y.

2015-01-01

This study examined the response of parents of elementary school-aged children to a school-based body mass index (BMI) screening and parent notification program conducted in one Minnesota school district in 2010-2011 and whether parent's response was moderated by child's weight status. Randomly selected parents (N = 122) of second- and…

Development and Validation of an Individualized Immune Prognostic Signature in Early-Stage Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

PubMed

Li, Bailiang; Cui, Yi; Diehn, Maximilian; Li, Ruijiang

2017-11-01

The prevalence of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is expected to increase with recent implementation of annual screening programs. Reliable prognostic biomarkers are needed to identify patients at a high risk for recurrence to guide adjuvant therapy. To develop a robust, individualized immune signature that can estimate prognosis in patients with early-stage nonsquamous NSCLC. This retrospective study analyzed the gene expression profiles of frozen tumor tissue samples from 19 public NSCLC cohorts, including 18 microarray data sets and 1 RNA-Seq data set for The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) lung adenocarcinoma cohort. Only patients with nonsquamous NSCLC with clinical annotation were included. Samples were from 2414 patients with nonsquamous NSCLC, divided into a meta-training cohort (729 patients), meta-testing cohort (716 patients), and 3 independent validation cohorts (439, 323, and 207 patients). All patients underwent surgery with a negative surgical margin, received no adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy, and had publicly available gene expression data and survival information. Data were collected from July 22 through September 8, 2016. Overall survival. Of 2414 patients (1205 men [50%], 1111 women [46%], and 98 of unknown sex [4%]; median age [range], 64 [15-90] years), a prognostic immune signature of 25 gene pairs consisting of 40 unique genes was constructed using the meta-training data set. In the meta-testing and validation cohorts, the immune signature significantly stratified patients into high- vs low-risk groups in terms of overall survival across and within subpopulations with stage I, IA, IB, or II disease and remained as an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analyses (hazard ratio range, 1.72 [95% CI, 1.26-2.33; P < .001] to 2.36 [95% CI, 1.47-3.79; P < .001]) after adjusting for clinical and pathologic factors. Several biological processes, including chemotaxis, were enriched among genes in the immune signature. The percentage of neutrophil infiltration (5.6% vs 1.8%) and necrosis (4.6% vs 1.5%) was significantly higher in the high-risk immune group compared with the low-risk groups in TCGA data set (P < .003). The immune signature achieved a higher accuracy (mean concordance index [C-index], 0.64) than 2 commercialized multigene signatures (mean C-index, 0.53 and 0.61) for estimation of survival in comparable validation cohorts. When integrated with clinical characteristics such as age and stage, the composite clinical and immune signature showed improved prognostic accuracy in all validation data sets relative to molecular signatures alone (mean C-index, 0.70 vs 0.63) and another commercialized clinical-molecular signature (mean C-index, 0.68 vs 0.65). The proposed clinical-immune signature is a promising biomarker for estimating overall survival in nonsquamous NSCLC, including early-stage disease. Prospective studies are needed to test the clinical utility of the biomarker in individualized management of nonsquamous NSCLC.

All That Glitters: A Glimpse into the Future of Cancer Screening

Cancer.gov

Developing new screening approaches and rigorously establishing their validity is challenging. Researchers are actively searching for new screening tests that improve the benefits of screening while limiting the harms.

Time-saving design of experiment protocol for optimization of LC-MS data processing in metabolomic approaches.

PubMed

Zheng, Hong; Clausen, Morten Rahr; Dalsgaard, Trine Kastrup; Mortensen, Grith; Bertram, Hanne Christine

2013-08-06

We describe a time-saving protocol for the processing of LC-MS-based metabolomics data by optimizing parameter settings in XCMS and threshold settings for removing noisy and low-intensity peaks using design of experiment (DoE) approaches including Plackett-Burman design (PBD) for screening and central composite design (CCD) for optimization. A reliability index, which is based on evaluation of the linear response to a dilution series, was used as a parameter for the assessment of data quality. After identifying the significant parameters in the XCMS software by PBD, CCD was applied to determine their values by maximizing the reliability and group indexes. Optimal settings by DoE resulted in improvements of 19.4% and 54.7% in the reliability index for a standard mixture and human urine, respectively, as compared with the default setting, and a total of 38 h was required to complete the optimization. Moreover, threshold settings were optimized by using CCD for further improvement. The approach combining optimal parameter setting and the threshold method improved the reliability index about 9.5 times for a standards mixture and 14.5 times for human urine data, which required a total of 41 h. Validation results also showed improvements in the reliability index of about 5-7 times even for urine samples from different subjects. It is concluded that the proposed methodology can be used as a time-saving approach for improving the processing of LC-MS-based metabolomics data.

Development and validation of Trivandrum Development Screening Chart for children aged 0-6 years [TDSC (0-6)].

PubMed

Nair, M K C; Nair, G S Harikumaran; George, Babu; Suma, N; Neethu, C; Leena, M L; Russell, Paul Swamidhas Sudhakar

2013-11-01

To develop and validate a simple screening tool for identifying developmental delay among children of 0-6 y of age in the community. The 51-items of Trivandrum Development Screening Chart for children of 0-6 y [TDSC (0-6 y)], were carefully prepared from the norms in various existing developmental charts/scales, by experts keeping in mind the face validity and content validity. The criterion validity was assessed in a community sample of 1,183 children of 0-6 y with a mean age of 35.38 mo (SD of 19.25) including 597 (50.46%) boys and 586 (49.54%) girls. TDSC (0-6 y) was validated against Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) as the 'Reference Standard'. When one item delay in TDSC (0-6 y) was considered as 'TDSC delay' (test positive), the sensitivity and specificity of TDSC (0-6 y) was found to be 84.62% (95% CI: 71.92-93.12) and 90.8% (95% CI: 88.97-92.43) respectively with a Negative Predictive Value of 99.23% (95% CI: 98.48-99.67) and LR (negative) of 0.17(95% CI: 0.09-0.32). The test-retest and inter-rater reliability [an interclass correlation (ICC) of 0.77 for test-retest and ICC of 0.97 for inter-rater] were good and acceptable. TDSC (0-6 y) is a simple, reliable and valid screening tool for use in the community to identify children between 0 and 6 y with developmental delay, enabling early intervention practices.

The East London glaucoma prediction score: web-based validation of glaucoma risk screening tool

PubMed Central

Stephen, Cook; Benjamin, Longo-Mbenza

2013-01-01

AIM It is difficult for Optometrists and General Practitioners to know which patients are at risk. The East London glaucoma prediction score (ELGPS) is a web based risk calculator that has been developed to determine Glaucoma risk at the time of screening. Multiple risk factors that are available in a low tech environment are assessed to provide a risk assessment. This is extremely useful in settings where access to specialist care is difficult. Use of the calculator is educational. It is a free web based service. Data capture is user specific. METHOD The scoring system is a web based questionnaire that captures and subsequently calculates the relative risk for the presence of Glaucoma at the time of screening. Three categories of patient are described: Unlikely to have Glaucoma; Glaucoma Suspect and Glaucoma. A case review methodology of patients with known diagnosis is employed to validate the calculator risk assessment. RESULTS Data from the patient records of 400 patients with an established diagnosis has been captured and used to validate the screening tool. The website reports that the calculated diagnosis correlates with the actual diagnosis 82% of the time. Biostatistics analysis showed: Sensitivity = 88%; Positive predictive value = 97%; Specificity = 75%. CONCLUSION Analysis of the first 400 patients validates the web based screening tool as being a good method of screening for the at risk population. The validation is ongoing. The web based format will allow a more widespread recruitment for different geographic, population and personnel variables. PMID:23550097

Reliability and Validity of the Acanthosis Nigricans Screening Tool for Use in Elementary School-Age Children by School Nurses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Leslie K.; Hall, Lynne M.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of an acanthosis nigricans (AN) screening tool for use in elementary school-age children of different ethnic groups. Cross-sectional data were collected via observation of 288, 5- to 12-year-old school-age children. Three nurse clinicians used a 0-4 grade AN screening tool to rate…

Novel simple and practical nutritional screening tool for cancer inpatients: a pilot study.

PubMed

Zekri, Jamal; Morganti, Julie; Rizvi, Azhar; Sadiq, Bakr Bin; Kerr, Ian; Aslam, Mohamed

2014-05-01

There is lack of consensus on how nutritional screening and intervention should be provided to cancer patients. Nutritional screening and support of cancer patients are not well established in the Middle East. We report our systematic and practical experience led by a qualified specialist dietician in a cancer inpatient setting, using a novel nutritional screening tool. Ninety-seven consecutive inpatients underwent nutritional screening and categorised into three nutritional risk groups based on oral intake, gastrointestinal symptoms, body mass index (BMI) and weight loss. Nutritional support was introduced accordingly. Statistical tests used included ANOVA, Bonferroni post hoc, chi-square and log rank tests. Median age was 48 (19-87)years. Patients were categorised into three nutritional risk groups: 55 % low, 37 % intermediate and 8 % high. Nutritional intervention was introduced for 36 % of these patients. Individually, weight, BMI, oral intake, serum albumin on admission and weight loss significantly affected nutritional risk and nutritional intervention (all significant P values). Eighty-seven, 60 and 55 % of patients admitted for chemotherapy, febrile neutropenia and other reasons, respectively, did not require specific nutritional intervention. There was a statistically significant relationship between nutritional risk and nutritional intervention (P=0.005). Significantly more patients were alive at 3 months in low (91 %) than intermediate (75 %) than high (37 %)-risk groups. About a third of cancer inpatients require nutritional intervention. The adopted nutritional risk assessment tool is simple and practical. The validity of this tool is supported by its significant relation with known individual nutritional risk factors. This should be confirmed in larger prospective study and comparing this new tool with other established ones.

Paediatric nutrition risk scores in clinical practice: children with inflammatory bowel disease.

PubMed

Wiskin, A E; Owens, D R; Cornelius, V R; Wootton, S A; Beattie, R M

2012-08-01

There has been increasing interest in the use of nutrition risk assessment tools in paediatrics to identify those who need nutrition support. Four non-disease specific screening tools have been developed, although there is a paucity of data on their application in clinical practice and the degree of inter-tool agreement. The concurrent validity of four nutrition screening tools [Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Paediatrics (STAMP), Screening Tool for Risk On Nutritional status and Growth (STRONGkids), Paediatric Yorkhill Malnutrition Score (PYMS) and Simple Paediatric Nutrition Risk Score (PNRS)] was examined in 46 children with inflammatory bowel disease. Degree of malnutrition was determined by anthropometry alone using World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) criteria. There was good agreement between STAMP, STRONGkids and PNRS (kappa > 0.6) but there was only modest agreement between PYMS and the other scores (kappa = 0.3). No children scored low risk with STAMP, STRONGkids or PNRS; however, 23 children scored low risk with PYMS. There was no agreement between the risk tools and the degree of malnutrition based on anthropometric data (kappa < 0.1). Three children had anthropometry consistent with malnutrition and these were all scored high risk. Four children had body mass index SD scores < -2, one of which was scored at low nutrition risk. The relevance of nutrition screening tools for children with chronic disease is unclear. In addition, there is the potential to under recognise nutritional impairment (and therefore nutritional risk) in children with inflammatory bowel disease. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics © 2012 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

Instrument validation process: a case study using the Paediatric Pain Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire.

PubMed

Peirce, Deborah; Brown, Janie; Corkish, Victoria; Lane, Marguerite; Wilson, Sally

2016-06-01

To compare two methods of calculating interrater agreement while determining content validity of the Paediatric Pain Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire for use with Australian nurses. Paediatric pain assessment and management documentation was found to be suboptimal revealing a need to assess paediatric nurses' knowledge and attitude to pain. The Paediatric Pain Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire was selected as it had been reported as valid and reliable in the United Kingdom with student nurses. The questionnaire required content validity determination prior to use in the Australian context. A two phase process of expert review. Ten paediatric nurses completed a relevancy rating of all 68 questionnaire items. In phase two, five pain experts reviewed the items of the questionnaire that scored an unacceptable item level content validity. Item and scale level content validity indices and intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated. In phase one, 31 items received an item level content validity index <0·78 and the scale level content validity index average was 0·80 which were below levels required for acceptable validity. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0·47. In phase two, 10 items were amended and four items deleted. The revised questionnaire provided a scale level content validity index average >0·90 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0·94 demonstrating excellent agreement between raters therefore acceptable content validity. Equivalent outcomes were achieved using the content validity index and the intraclass correlation coefficient. To assess content validity the content validity index has the advantage of providing an item level score and is a simple calculation. The intraclass correlation coefficient requires statistical knowledge, or support, and has the advantage of accounting for the possibility of chance agreement. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessment of the accuracy of a new tool for the screening of smartphone addiction.

PubMed

Khoury, Julia Machado; de Freitas, André Augusto Corrêa; Roque, Marco Antônio Valente; Albuquerque, Maicon Rodrigues; das Neves, Maila de Castro Lourenço; Garcia, Frederico Duarte

2017-01-01

To translate, adapt and validate the Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI) in a Brazilian population of young adults. We employed the translation and back-translation method for the adaptation of the Brazilian version SPAI (SPAI-BR). The sample consisted of 415 university students. Data was collected through an electronic questionnaire, which consisted of the SPAI-BR and the Goodman Criteria (gold standard). The retests were carried out 10-15 days after the initial tests with 130 individuals. The SPAI-BR maintained semantic, idiomatic and conceptual equivalences from the original scale. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed the One-factor model of the SPAI with good fit indexes (x2 = 767.861, CFI = 0.913, TLI = 0.905, RMSE = 0.061, WRMR = 1.465). The Kuder-Richardson Coefficient showed good internal consistency. The analysis of the ROC curve established an area under the curve of 86.38%. The Intraclass-Correlation Coefficient of 0.926 between the test and the retest demonstrated an excellent temporal stability. The high correlation between SPAI-BR and the Goodman Criteria (rs = 0.750) established the convergent validity. The SPAI-BR is a valid and reliable tool for the detection of Smartphone Addiction in Brazilian university students.

Additional Evidence for the Reliability and Validity of the Student Risk Screening Scale at the High School Level: A Replication and Extension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Kathleen Lynne; Oakes, Wendy P.; Ennis, Robin Parks; Cox, Meredith Lucille; Schatschneider, Christopher; Lambert, Warren

2013-01-01

This study reports findings from a validation study of the Student Risk Screening Scale for use with 9th- through 12th-grade students (N = 1854) attending a rural fringe school. Results indicated high internal consistency, test-retest stability, and inter-rater reliability. Predictive validity was established across two academic years, with Spring…

An Extension Convergent Validity Study of the "Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders" and the Achenbach "Teacher's Report Form" with Middle and High School Students with Emotional Disturbances

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benner, Gregory J.; Uhing, Brad M.; Pierce, Corey D.; Beaudoin, Kathleen M.; Ralston, Nicole C.; Mooney, Paul

2009-01-01

We sought to extend instrument validation research for the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD) (Walker & Severson, 1990) using convergent validation techniques. Associations between Critical Events, Adaptive Behavior, and Maladaptive Behavior indices of the SSBD were examined in relation to syndrome, broadband, and total scores…

Screen for intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulae with carotid duplex sonography.

PubMed

Tsai, L-K; Yeh, S-J; Chen, Y-C; Liu, H-M; Jeng, J-S

2009-11-01

Early diagnosis and management of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVF) may prevent the occurrence of stroke. This study aimed to identify the best carotid duplex sonography (CDS) parameters for screening DAVF. 63 DAVF patients and 170 non-DAVF patients received both CDS and conventional angiography. The use of seven CDS haemodynamic parameter sets related to the resistance index (RI) of the external carotid artery (ECA) for the diagnosis of DAVF was validated and the applicability of the best CDS parameter set in 20 400 patients was tested. The CDS parameter set (ECA RI (cut-off point = 0.7) and internal carotid artery (ICA) to ECA RI ratio (cut-off point = 0.9)) had the highest specificity (99%) for diagnosis of DAVF with moderate sensitivity (51%). Location of the DAVF was a significant determinant of sensitivity of detection, which was 70% for non-cavernous DAVF and 0% for cavernous sinus DAVF (p<0.001). The above parameter set detected abnormality in 92 of 20 400 patients. These abnormalities included DAVF (n = 25), carotid stenosis (n = 32), vertebral artery stenosis (n = 7), intracranial arterial stenosis (n = 6), head and neck tumour (n = 3) and unknown aetiology (n = 19). Combined CDS parameters of ECA RI and ICA to ECA RI ratio can be used as a screening tool for the diagnosis of DAVF.

Adjusted hospital death rates: a potential screen for quality of medical care.

PubMed

Dubois, R W; Brook, R H; Rogers, W H

1987-09-01

Increased economic pressure on hospitals has accelerated the need to develop a screening tool for identifying hospitals that potentially provide poor quality care. Based upon data from 93 hospitals and 205,000 admissions, we used a multiple regression model to adjust the hospitals crude death rate. The adjustment process used age, origin of patient from the emergency department or nursing home, and a hospital case mix index based on DRGs (diagnostic related groups). Before adjustment, hospital death rates ranged from 0.3 to 5.8 per 100 admissions. After adjustment, hospital death ratios ranged from 0.36 to 1.36 per 100 (actual death rate divided by predicted death rate). Eleven hospitals (12 per cent) were identified where the actual death rate exceeded the predicted death rate by more than two standard deviations. In nine hospitals (10 per cent), the predicted death rate exceeded the actual death rate by a similar statistical margin. The 11 hospitals with higher than predicted death rates may provide inadequate quality of care or have uniquely ill patient populations. The adjusted death rate model needs to be validated and generalized before it can be used routinely to screen hospitals. However, the remaining large differences in observed versus predicted death rates lead us to believe that important differences in hospital performance may exist.

Adaptation and validation of Mandarin Chinese version of the pediatric Voice Handicap Index (pVHI).

PubMed

Lu, Dan; Huang, Mengjie; Li, Zhen; Yiu, Edwin M-L; Cheng, Ivy K-Y; Yang, Hui; Ma, Estella P-M

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to adapt and validate the English version of pediatric voice handicap index (pVHI) into Mandarin Chinese.
 METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed from May 2016 to April 2017. A total of 367 parents participated in this study, and 338 parents completed the translated questionnaire without missing data, including 213 parents of children with voice disorders (patients group), and 125 parents of children without voice disorders (control group). The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, contents validity, construct validity, clinical validity, and cutoff point were calculated. The most common voice disorder in the patients group was vocal fold nodules (77.9%), followed by chronic laryngitis (18.8%), and vocal fold polyps (3.3%). The prevalence for voice disorders was higher in boys (67.1%) than girls (32.9%). The most common vocal misuse and abuse habit was shouting loudly (n = 186, 87.3%), followed by speaking for a long time (n = 158, 74.2%), and crying loudly (n = 99, 46.5%). The internal consistency for the Mandarin Chinese version of pVHI was excellent in patients group (Cronbach α = 0.95). The inter-class correlation coefficient indicated strong test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.99). The principal-component analysis demonstrated three-factor eigenvalues greater than 1, and the cumulative proportion was 66.23%. The mean total scores and mean subscales scores were significantly higher in the patients group than the control group (p < 0.05). The physical domain had the highest mean score among the three subscales (functional, physical and emotional) in the patients group. The optimal cutoff point of the Mandarin Chinese version of pVHI was 9.5 points with a sensitivity of 80.3% and a specificity of 84.8%. The Mandarin Chinese version of pVHI was a reliable and valid tool to assess the parents' perception about their children's voice disorders. It is recommended that it can be used as a screening tool for discriminating between children with and without dysphonia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparing the accuracy of brief versus long depression screening instruments which have been validated in low and middle income countries: a systematic review.

PubMed

Akena, Dickens; Joska, John; Obuku, Ekwaro A; Amos, Taryn; Musisi, Seggane; Stein, Dan J

2012-11-01

Given the high prevalence of depression in primary health care (PHC), the use of screening instruments has been recommended. Both brief and long depression screening instruments have been validated in low and middle income countries (LMIC), including within HIV care settings. However, it remains unknown whether the brief instruments validated in LMIC are as accurate as the long ones. We conducted a search of PUBMED, the COCHRANE library, AIDSLINE, and PSYCH-Info from their inception up to July 2011, for studies that validated depression screening instruments in LMIC. Data were extracted into tables and analyzed using RevMan 5.0 and STATA 11.2 for the presence of heterogeneity. Nineteen studies met our inclusion criteria. The reported prevalence of depression in LMIC ranged from 11.1 to 53%. The area under curve (AUC) scores of the validated instruments ranged from 0.69-0.99. Brief as well as long screening instruments showed acceptable accuracy (AUC≥0.7). Five of the 19 instruments were validated within HIV settings. There was statistically significant heterogeneity between the studies, and hence a meta-analysis could not be conducted to completion. Heterogeneity chi-squared = 189.23 (d.f. = 18) p<.001. Brief depression screening instruments in both general and HIV-PHC are as accurate as the long ones. Brief scales may have an edge over the longer instruments since they can be administered in a much shorter time. However, because the ultra brief scales do not include the whole spectrum of depression symptoms including suicide, their use should be followed by a detailed diagnostic interview.

Concurrent validity of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and AUDIT zones in defining levels of severity among out-patients with alcohol dependence in the COMBINE study.

PubMed

Donovan, Dennis M; Kivlahan, Daniel R; Doyle, Suzanne R; Longabaugh, Richard; Greenfield, Shelly F

2006-12-01

To examine among alcohol-dependent out-patient clients the concurrent validity of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) total score and 'zones' suggested by the World Health Organization for defining levels of severity of alcohol use problems. Participants were classified into AUDIT zones (AUDIT total score = 8-15, 16-19, 20-40) and compared on measures of demographics, treatment goals, alcohol consumption, alcohol-related consequences, severity of dependence, physiological dependence, tolerance, withdrawal and biomarkers of alcohol use. Eleven out-patient academic clinical research centers across the United States. Participants Alcohol dependent individuals (n = 1335) entering out-patient treatment in the Combined Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Interventions (COMBINE) study. The AUDIT was administered as part of an initial screening. Baseline measures used for concurrent validation included the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition (DSM-IV) Disorders, the Alcohol Dependence Scale, the Drinker Inventory of Consequences, the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale, the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment, the Thoughts about Abstinence Scale, the Form-90, %carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and gamma-glutamyl transferase. Findings Indicators of severity of dependence and alcohol-related problems increased linearly with total score and differed significantly across AUDIT zones. The highest zone, with scores of 20 and above, was markedly different with respect to severity from the other two zones and members of this group endorsed an abstinence goal more strongly. The AUDIT total score is a brief measure that appears to provide an index of severity of dependence in a sample of alcohol-dependent individuals seeking out-patient treatment, extending its potential utility beyond its more traditional role as a screening instrument in general populations.

Television viewing and other screen-based entertainment in relation to multiple socioeconomic status indicators and area deprivation: the Scottish Health Survey 2003.

PubMed

Stamatakis, E; Hillsdon, M; Mishra, G; Hamer, M; Marmot, M

2009-09-01

Sedentary behaviour (sitting) is detrimental to health, independently of participation in physical activity. Socioeconomic position (SEP) is known to relate strongly to physical activity participation but we know very little about how SEP relates to sedentary behaviour. This study aimed to assess the relationships between SEP, neighbourhood deprivation and an index of sedentary time. Cross-sectional study of a representative sample of 7940 Scottish adults who participated in the 2003 Scottish Health Survey, which collected information on SEP (household income, social class and education), neighbourhood deprivation (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation), television and other screen-based entertainment time, and physical activity. The three indicators of SEP and deprivation index were independently of each other associated with daily times of television and other screen-based entertainment, even after adjustment for occupational and leisure-time physical activity, health status, smoking, alcohol drinking, car ownership and body mass index: income p = 0.002; social class p<0.001; education p<0.001, deprivation p<0.001. Also, there was a strong cumulative effect of SEP (a composite scale where 0 = lowest, 9 = highest SEP position) with those in the lowest SEP spending an additional 109 minutes each day on screen-based entertainment compared to those in the highest socioeconomic position (p<0.001 for linear trend). Adverse socioeconomic position is associated with a cumulative increase in the time spent on screen-based entertainment. Reducing inequalities would be expected to reduce exposure to sedentary behaviours, such as excessive screen-based entertainment times, and therefore reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Decomposing socio-economic inequality in colorectal cancer screening uptake in England.

PubMed

Solmi, Francesca; Von Wagner, Christian; Kobayashi, Lindsay C; Raine, Rosalind; Wardle, Jane; Morris, Stephen

2015-06-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second largest cause of cancer death in the UK. Since 2010, CRC screening based on Faecal Occult Blood testing has been offered by the NHS in England biennially to all persons age 60-69 years. Several studies have demonstrated a gradient in uptake using area-level markers of socio-economic status (SES), but few have examined the individual-level contributors to the gradient. We aimed to quantify the extent of SES inequality in CRC screening uptake in England using individual-level data, and to identify individual factors associated with this inequality. We used data from 1833 participants (aged 61-69) in Wave 5 (collected in years 2010/11) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) eligible for having been sent at least one CRC screening invitation. Uptake was defined by self-report of ever having been screened as part of the National Screening Programme. We assessed socio-economic inequality using the corrected concentration index of uptake against SES rank, which was derived by regressing a range of SES markers against net non-pension household wealth. Other demographic and health-related variables were included in the analysis. Factors associated with inequality were measured using concentration index decomposition. There was a significant pro-rich gradient in screening uptake (concentration index: 0.16, 95% CI:0.11-0.22), mostly explained within our model by differences in non-pension wealth (38.7%), partner screening status (15.9%), sickness/disability (13.5%), and health literacy (8.5%). Interventions aimed at reducing inequalities in CRC screening uptake should focus on improving acceptability of screening in populations with low levels of education and literacy barriers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Analytical Study on an Orthodontic Index: Index of Complexity, Outcome and Need (ICON)

PubMed Central

Torkan, Sepide; Pakshir, Hamid Reza; Fattahi, Hamid Reza; Oshagh, Morteza; Momeni Danaei, Shahla; Salehi, Parisa; Hedayati, Zohreh

2015-01-01

Statement of the Problem The validity of the Index of Complexity, Outcome and Need (ICON) which is an orthodontic index developed and introduced in 2000 should be studied in different ethnic groups. Purpose The aim of this study was to perform an analysis on the ICON and to verify whether this index is valid for assessing both the need and complexity of orthodontic treatment in Iran. Materials and Method Five orthodontists were asked to score pre-treatment diagnostic records of 100 patients with a uniform distribution of different types of malocclusions determined by Dental Health Component of the Index of Treatment Need. A calibrated examiner also assessed the need for orthodontic treatment and complexity of the cases based on the ICON index as well as the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). 10 days later, 25% of the cases were re-scored by the panel of experts and the calibrated orthodontist. Results The weighted kappa revealed the inter-examiner reliability of the experts to be 0.63 and 0.51 for the need and complexity components, respectively. ROC curve was used to assess the validity of the index. A new cut-off point was adjusted at 35 in lieu of 43 as the suggested cut-off point. This cut-off point showed the highest level of sensitivity and specificity in our society for orthodontic treatment need (0.77 and 0.78, respectively), but it failed to define definite ranges for the complexity of treatment. Conclusion ICON is a valid index in assessing the need for treatment in Iran when the cut-off point is adjusted to 35. As for complexity of treatment, the index is not validated for our society. It seems that ICON is a well-suited substitute for the IOTN index. PMID:26331142

Validating SPICES as a Screening Tool for Frailty Risks among Hospitalized Older Adults

PubMed Central

Aronow, Harriet Udin; Borenstein, Jeff; Haus, Flora; Braunstein, Glenn D.; Bolton, Linda Burnes

2014-01-01

Older patients are vulnerable to adverse hospital events related to frailty. SPICES, a common screening protocol to identify risk factors in older patients, alerts nurses to initiate care plans to reduce the probability of patient harm. However, there is little published validating the association between SPICES and measures of frailty and adverse outcomes. This paper used data from a prospective cohort study on frailty among 174 older adult inpatients to validate SPICES. Almost all patients met one or more SPICES criteria. The sum of SPICES was significantly correlated with age and other well-validated assessments for vulnerability, comorbid conditions, and depression. Individuals meeting two or more SPICES criteria had a risk of adverse hospital events three times greater than individuals with either no or one criterion. Results suggest that as a screening tool used within 24 hours of admission, SPICES is both valid and predictive of adverse events. PMID:24876954

Cost-Effectiveness of HIV Screening in STD Clinics, Emergency Departments, and Inpatient Units: A Model-Based Analysis

PubMed Central

Prabhu, Vimalanand S.; Farnham, Paul G.; Hutchinson, Angela B.; Soorapanth, Sada; Heffelfinger, James D.; Golden, Matthew R.; Brooks, John T.; Rimland, David; Sansom, Stephanie L.

2011-01-01

Background Identifying and treating persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection early in their disease stage is considered an effective means of reducing the impact of the disease. We compared the cost-effectiveness of HIV screening in three settings, sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics serving men who have sex with men, hospital emergency departments (EDs), settings where patients are likely to be diagnosed early, and inpatient diagnosis based on clinical manifestations. Methods and Findings We developed the Progression and Transmission of HIV/AIDS model, a health state transition model that tracks index patients and their infected partners from HIV infection to death. We used program characteristics for each setting to compare the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year gained from early versus late diagnosis and treatment. We ran the model for 10,000 index patients for each setting, examining alternative scenarios, excluding and including transmission to partners, and assuming HAART was initiated at a CD4 count of either 350 or 500 cells/µL. Screening in STD clinics and EDs was cost-effective compared with diagnosing inpatients, even when including only the benefits to the index patients. Screening patients in STD clinics, who have less-advanced disease, was cost-effective compared with ED screening when treatment with HAART was initiated at a CD4 count of 500 cells/µL. When the benefits of reduced transmission to partners from early diagnosis were included, screening in settings with less-advanced disease stages was cost-saving compared with screening later in the course of infection. The study was limited by a small number of observations on CD4 count at diagnosis and by including transmission only to first generation partners of the index patients. Conclusions HIV prevention efforts can be advanced by screening in settings where patients present with less-advanced stages of HIV infection and by initiating treatment with HAART earlier in the course of infection. PMID:21625489

Validation of the Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control Specialist Pre-Training Screen.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-02-01

Two formal validation studies of the Air Traffic Control Specialist Pre Training Screen (ATCS/PTS), a 5 day computer administered test battery, are described. The ATCS/PTS was designed to replace the 9 week US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Ac...

Validity of the AUDIT-C screen for at-risk drinking among students utilizing university primary care.

PubMed

Campbell, Clare E; Maisto, Stephen A

2018-03-22

Research is needed to establish the psychometric properties of brief screens in university primary care settings. This study aimed to assess the construct validity of one such screen, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C), for detecting at-risk drinking among students who have utilized on-campus primary care. 389 students recently seen in university primary care completed a confidential online survey in December 2014. Bivariate correlations between the AUDIT-C and measures of alcohol consumption and negative drinking consequences provided concurrent evidence for construct validity. Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analyses determined optimal cut-off scores for at-risk drinking. The AUDIT-C significantly correlated with measures of alcohol consumption and negative drinking consequences (p < .001). Analyses support optimal AUDIT-C cut-off scores of 5 for females and 7 for males. The AUDIT-C is a valid screen for at-risk drinking among students who utilize university primary care.

Sensitivity and specificity of the Akena Visual Depression Inventory (AViDI-18) in Kampala (Uganda) and Cape Town (South Africa).

PubMed

Akena, Dickens; Joska, John; Stein, Dan J

2018-05-01

Visual scales may be particularly useful in screening for depression in patients with low literacy. However, few have been validated and none are in common use.AimModification and validation of a visual scale to screen for depression in low literacy settings. We assessed the validity, reliability and factor loading of a 28-item visual depression inventory using pictorial items depicting depression signs and symptoms. We validated a revised scale comprised of 18 items known as the Akena Visual Depression Inventory (AViDI-18) against a structured diagnostic interview (Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Inventory) in 343 patients in Kampala (Uganda) and Cape Town (South Africa). The 18 pictorial items had acceptable validity and reliability. The area under the curve (AUC) score of the AViDI-18 was 0.9. AUC scores were not significantly associated with sociodemographic variables. The AViDI-18 is a valid screen for depression in patients with low literacy.Declaration of interestNone.

A Comprehensive Review of School-Based Body Mass Index Screening Programs and Their Implications for School Health: Do the Controversies Accurately Reflect the Research?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruggieri, Dominique G.; Bass, Sarah B.

2015-01-01

Background: Whereas legislation for body mass index (BMI) surveillance and screening programs has passed in 25 states, the programs are often subject to ethical debates about confidentiality and privacy, school-to-parent communication, and safety and self-esteem issues for students. Despite this debate, no comprehensive analysis has been completed…

Experimental Investigation of Inlet Distortion in a Multistage Axial Compressor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusu, Razvan

The primary objective of this research is to present results and methodologies used to study total pressure inlet distortion in a multi-stage axial compressor environment. The study was performed at the Purdue 3-Stage Axial Compressor Facility (P3S) which models the final three stages of a production turbofan engine's high-pressure compressor (HPC). The goal of this study was twofold; first, to design, implement, and validate a circumferentially traversable total pressure inlet distortion generation system, and second, to demonstrate data acquisition methods to characterize the inter-stage total pressure flow fields to study the propagation and attenuation of a one-per-rev total pressure distortion. The datasets acquired for this study are intended to support the development and validation of novel computational tools and flow physics models for turbomachinery flow analysis. Total pressure inlet distortion was generated using a series of low-porosity wire gauze screens placed upstream of the compressor in the inlet duct. The screens are mounted to a rotatable duct section that can be precisely controlled. The P3S compressor features fixed instrumentation stations located at the aerodynamic interface plane (AIP) and downstream and upstream of each vane row. Furthermore, the compressor features individually indexable stator vanes which can be traverse by up to two vane passages. Using a series of coordinated distortion and vane traverses, the total pressure flow field at the AIP and subsequent inter-stage stations was characterized with a high circumferential resolution. The uniformity of the honeycomb carrier was demonstrated by characterizing the flow field at the AIP while no distortion screens where installed. Next, the distortion screen used for this study was selected following three iterations of porosity reduction. The selected screen consisted of a series of layered screens with a 100% radial extent and a 120° circumferential extent. A detailed total pressure flow field characterization of the AIP was performed using the selected screen at nominal, low, and high compressor loading. Thermal anemometry was used to characterize the spatial variation in turbulence intensity at the AIP in an effort to further define inlet boundary conditions for future computational investigations. Two data acquisition methods for the study of distortion propagation and attenuation were utilized in this study. The first method approximated the bulk flow through each vane passage using a single rake measurement positioned near the center of the passage. All vane passages were measured virtually by rotating the distortion upstream by an increment equal to one vane passage. This method proved successful in tracking the distortion propagation and attenuation from the AIP up until the compressor exit. A second, more detailed, inter-stage flow field characterization method was used that generated a total pressure field with a circumferential resolution of 880 increments, or one every 0.41°. The resulting fields demonstrated the importance of secondary flows in the propagation of a total pressure distortion at the different loading conditions investigated. A second objective of this research was to document proposals and design efforts to outfit the existing P3S research compressor with a strain gage telemetry system. The purpose of this system is to validate and supplement existing blade tip timing data on the embedded rotor stage to support the development and validation of novel aeromechanical analysis tools. Integration strategies and telemetry considerations are discussed based on proposals and consultation provided by suppliers.

[Psychometric properties and diagnostic value of 'lexical screening for aphasias'].

PubMed

Pena-Chavez, R; Martinez-Jimenez, L; Lopez-Espinoza, M

2014-09-16

INTRODUCTION. Language assessment in persons with brain injury makes it possible to know whether they require language rehabilitation or not. Given the importance of a precise evaluation, assessment instruments must be valid and reliable, so as to avoid mistaken and subjective diagnoses. AIM. To validate 'lexical screening for aphasias' in a sample of 58 Chilean individuals. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. A screening-type language test, lasting 20 minutes and based on the lexical processing model devised by Patterson and Shewell (1987), was constructed. The sample was made up of two groups containing 29 aphasic subjects and 29 control subjects from different health centres in the regions of Biobio and Maule, Chile. Their ages ranged between 24 and 79 years and had between 0 and 17 years' schooling. Tests were carried out to determine discriminating validity, concurrent validity with the aphasia disorder assessment battery, reliability, sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS. The statistical analysis showed a high discriminating validity (p < 0.001), an acceptable mean concurrent validity with aphasia disorder assessment battery (rs = 0.65), high mean reliability (alpha = 0.87), moderate mean sensitivity (69%) and high mean specificity (86%). CONCLUSION. 'Lexical screening for aphasias' is valid and reliable for assessing language in persons with aphasias; it is sensitive for detecting aphasic subjects and is specific for precluding language disorders in persons with normal language abilities.

Genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 Knockout and Transcriptional Activation Screening

PubMed Central

Joung, Julia; Konermann, Silvana; Gootenberg, Jonathan S.; Abudayyeh, Omar O.; Platt, Randall J.; Brigham, Mark D.; Sanjana, Neville E.; Zhang, Feng

2017-01-01

Forward genetic screens are powerful tools for the unbiased discovery and functional characterization of specific genetic elements associated with a phenotype of interest. Recently, the RNA-guided endonuclease Cas9 from the microbial CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) immune system has been adapted for genome-scale screening by combining Cas9 with pooled guide RNA libraries. Here we describe a protocol for genome-scale knockout and transcriptional activation screening using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Custom- or ready-made guide RNA libraries are constructed and packaged into lentiviral vectors for delivery into cells for screening. As each screen is unique, we provide guidelines for determining screening parameters and maintaining sufficient coverage. To validate candidate genes identified from the screen, we further describe strategies for confirming the screening phenotype as well as genetic perturbation through analysis of indel rate and transcriptional activation. Beginning with library design, a genome-scale screen can be completed in 9–15 weeks followed by 4–5 weeks of validation. PMID:28333914

Genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout and transcriptional activation screening.

PubMed

Joung, Julia; Konermann, Silvana; Gootenberg, Jonathan S; Abudayyeh, Omar O; Platt, Randall J; Brigham, Mark D; Sanjana, Neville E; Zhang, Feng

2017-04-01

Forward genetic screens are powerful tools for the unbiased discovery and functional characterization of specific genetic elements associated with a phenotype of interest. Recently, the RNA-guided endonuclease Cas9 from the microbial CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) immune system has been adapted for genome-scale screening by combining Cas9 with pooled guide RNA libraries. Here we describe a protocol for genome-scale knockout and transcriptional activation screening using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Custom- or ready-made guide RNA libraries are constructed and packaged into lentiviral vectors for delivery into cells for screening. As each screen is unique, we provide guidelines for determining screening parameters and maintaining sufficient coverage. To validate candidate genes identified by the screen, we further describe strategies for confirming the screening phenotype, as well as genetic perturbation, through analysis of indel rate and transcriptional activation. Beginning with library design, a genome-scale screen can be completed in 9-15 weeks, followed by 4-5 weeks of validation.

Understanding Pediatricians' Views toward School-Based BMI Screening in Massachusetts: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pietras, Stefanie A.; Rhodes, Erinn T.; Meyers, Alan; Goodman, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

Background: Massachusetts (MA) mandated body mass index (BMI) screening in schools in 2010. However, little is known about pediatricians' views on school-based screening or how the pediatricians' perspectives might affect the school-based screening process. We assessed MA pediatricians' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices concerning BMI…

Body Mass Index and Cancer Screening in Older American Indian and Alaska Native Men

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muus, Kyle J.; Baker-Demaray, Twyla; McDonald, Leander R.; Ludtke, Richard L.; Allery, Alan J.; Bogart, T. Andy; Goldberg, Jack; Ramsey, Scott D.; Buchwald, Dedra S.

2009-01-01

Context: Regular screenings are important for reducing cancer morbidity and mortality. There are several barriers to receiving timely cancer screening, including overweight/obesity. No study has examined the relationship between overweight/obesity and cancer screening among American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). Purpose: To describe the…

Model-Free Conditional Independence Feature Screening For Ultrahigh Dimensional Data.

PubMed

Wang, Luheng; Liu, Jingyuan; Li, Yong; Li, Runze

2017-03-01

Feature screening plays an important role in ultrahigh dimensional data analysis. This paper is concerned with conditional feature screening when one is interested in detecting the association between the response and ultrahigh dimensional predictors (e.g., genetic makers) given a low-dimensional exposure variable (such as clinical variables or environmental variables). To this end, we first propose a new index to measure conditional independence, and further develop a conditional screening procedure based on the newly proposed index. We systematically study the theoretical property of the proposed procedure and establish the sure screening and ranking consistency properties under some very mild conditions. The newly proposed screening procedure enjoys some appealing properties. (a) It is model-free in that its implementation does not require a specification on the model structure; (b) it is robust to heavy-tailed distributions or outliers in both directions of response and predictors; and (c) it can deal with both feature screening and the conditional screening in a unified way. We study the finite sample performance of the proposed procedure by Monte Carlo simulations and further illustrate the proposed method through two real data examples.

[The Basel Screening Instrument for Psychosis (BSIP): development, structure, reliability and validity].

PubMed

Riecher-Rössler, A; Aston, J; Ventura, J; Merlo, M; Borgwardt, S; Gschwandtner, U; Stieglitz, R-D

2008-04-01

Early detection of psychosis is of growing clinical importance. So far there is, however, no screening instrument for detecting individuals with beginning psychosis in the atypical early stages of the disease with sufficient validity. We have therefore developed the Basel Screening Instrument for Psychosis (BSIP) and tested its feasibility, interrater-reliability and validity. Aim of this paper is to describe the development and structure of the instrument, as well as to report the results of the studies on reliability and validity. The instrument was developed based on a comprehensive search of literature on the most important risk factors and early signs of schizophrenic psychoses. The interraterreliability study was conducted on 24 psychiatric cases. Validity was tested based on 206 individuals referred to our early detection clinic from 3/1/2000 until 2/28/2003. We identified seven categories of relevance for early detection of psychosis and used them to construct a semistructured interview. Interrater-reliability for high risk individuals was high (Kappa .87). Predictive validity was comparable to other, more comprehensive instruments: 16 (32 %) of 50 individuals classified as being at risk for psychosis by the BSIP have in fact developed frank psychosis within an follow-up period of two to five years. The BSIP is the first screening instrument for the early detection of psychosis which has been validated based on transition to psychosis. The BSIP is easy to use by experienced psychiatrists and has a very good interrater-reliability and predictive validity.

The UCSF screening exam effectively screens cognitive and behavioral impairment in patients with ALS.

PubMed

Murphy, Jennifer; Ahmed, Fizaa; Lomen-Hoerth, Catherine

2015-03-01

The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Screening Battery provides clinicians with a uniquely tailored tool to measure ALS patients' cognitive and behavioral changes, adjusting for dysarthria and hand weakness. The battery consists of the ALS-CBS ( 1 ), Written Fluency Test ( 2 ), and a new revision of the Frontal Behavior Inventory (FBI-ALS) ( 3 ). The validity of each component was tested by comparing results with a gold standard neuropsychological exam (GNE). Consensus criteria-based GNE diagnoses ( 4 ) were assigned (n = 24) and concurrent validity was tested for each screening exam component. Results showed that each of the four cognitive and behavioral screening test components were significantly associated with diagnoses confirmed by GNE. GNE diagnoses were significantly associated with FBI-ALS negative score, written S-words score, and ALS-CBS cognitive score. The total FBI-ALS score and C-words tests were less predictive of GNE-diagnosed impairment. In conclusion, the UCSF Cognitive Screening Battery demonstrates good external validity compared with GNE in this modest sample, encouraging its use in larger investigations. These data suggest that this battery may provide an effective screen to identify ALS patients who will then benefit from a full examination to confirm their diagnosis.

A successful virtual screening application: prediction of anticonvulsant activity in MES test of widely used pharmaceutical and food preservatives methylparaben and propylparaben.

PubMed

Talevi, Alan; Bellera, Carolina L; Castro, Eduardo A; Bruno-Blanch, Luis E

2007-09-01

A discriminant function based on topological descriptors was derived from a training set composed by anticonvulsants of clinical use or in clinical phase of development and compounds with other therapeutic uses. This model was internally and externally validated and applied in the virtual screening of chemical compounds from the Merck Index 13th. Methylparaben (Nipagin), a preservative widely used in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutics, was signaled as active by the discriminant function and tested in mice in the Maximal Electroshock (MES) test (i.p. administration), according to the NIH Program for Anticonvulsant Drug Development. Based on the results of Methylparaben, Propylparaben (Nipasol), another preservative usually used in association with the former, was also tested. Both methyl and propylparaben were found active in mice at doses of 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg. The discovery of the anticonvulsant activities in the MES test of methylparaben and propylparaben might be useful for the development of new anticonvulsant medications, specially considering the well-known toxicological profile of these drugs.

A successful virtual screening application: prediction of anticonvulsant activity in MES test of widely used pharmaceutical and food preservatives methylparaben and propylparaben

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talevi, Alan; Bellera, Carolina L.; Castro, Eduardo A.; Bruno-Blanch, Luis E.

2007-09-01

A discriminant function based on topological descriptors was derived from a training set composed by anticonvulsants of clinical use or in clinical phase of development and compounds with other therapeutic uses. This model was internally and externally validated and applied in the virtual screening of chemical compounds from the Merck Index 13th. Methylparaben (Nipagin), a preservative widely used in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutics, was signaled as active by the discriminant function and tested in mice in the Maximal Electroshock (MES) test (i.p. administration), according to the NIH Program for Anticonvulsant Drug Development. Based on the results of Methylparaben, Propylparaben (Nipasol), another preservative usually used in association with the former, was also tested. Both methyl and propylparaben were found active in mice at doses of 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg. The discovery of the anticonvulsant activities in the MES test of methylparaben and propylparaben might be useful for the development of new anticonvulsant medications, specially considering the well-known toxicological profile of these drugs.

Early-onset restrictive eating disturbances in primary school boys and girls.

PubMed

Kurz, Susanne; van Dyck, Zoé; Dremmel, Daniela; Munsch, Simone; Hilbert, Anja

2015-07-01

This study sought to determine the distribution of early-onset restrictive eating disturbances characteristic of the new DSM-5 diagnosis, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) in middle childhood, as well as to evaluate the screening instrument, Eating Disturbances in Youth-Questionnaire (EDY-Q). A total of 1,444 8- to 13-year-old children were screened in regular schools (3rd to 6th grade) in Switzerland using the self-report measure EDY-Q, consisting of 12 items based on the DSM-5 criteria for ARFID. 46 children (3.2%) reported features of ARFID in the self-rating. Group differences were found for body mass index, with underweight children reporting features of ARFID more often than normal and overweight children. The EDY-Q revealed good psychometric properties, including adequate discriminant and convergent validity. Early-onset restrictive eating disturbances are commonly reported in middle childhood. Because of possible negative short- and long-term impact, early detection is essential. Further studies with structured interviews and parent reports are needed to confirm this study's findings.

Validation of the Korean Version of the Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire.

PubMed

Kwok, Cannas; Lee, Mi-Joung; Lee, Chun Fan

Korean immigrant women have been consistently reported as having low participation in breast cancer screening practices. A valid and reliable instrument to explore factors that affect their cancer screening behaviors is essential. The aim of this study was to report the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire (BCSBQ). A convenience sample of 249 Korean Australian women was recruited through a number of Korean community organizations in Sydney. Exploratory factor analysis supports a similar fit for the original 3-factor structure of our data set. A significant association was found between the attitudes of these women toward general health checkups and the frequency of their performance of the breast awareness practices and having mammograms. Furthermore, it was found that knowledge and perceptions about the breast cancer scales were significantly associated with education level and that barriers to mammographic screening were much less evident among women who engaged in the 3 screening practices. The results indicated that the Korean version of the BCSBQ had satisfactory validity and internal consistency. The Cronbach's α of the 3 subscales ranged between .80 and .88. The Korean version of the BCSBQ was confirmed to be a culturally appropriate, valid, and reliable instrument for assessing the beliefs, knowledge, and attitudes to breast cancer and breast cancer screening practices among women of Korean background living in Australia. The Korean version of the BCBSQ can provide nurses with insights into the development of culturally sensitive breast health education programs.

Systematic review of fall risk screening tools for older patients in acute hospitals.

PubMed

Matarese, Maria; Ivziku, Dhurata; Bartolozzi, Francesco; Piredda, Michela; De Marinis, Maria Grazia

2015-06-01

To determine the most accurate fall risk screening tools for predicting falls among patients aged 65 years or older admitted to acute care hospitals. Falls represent a serious problem in older inpatients due to the potential physical, social, psychological and economic consequences. Older inpatients present with risk factors associated with age-related physiological and psychological changes as well as multiple morbidities. Thus, fall risk screening tools for older adults should include these specific risk factors. There are no published recommendations addressing what tools are appropriate for older hospitalized adults. Systematic review. MEDLINE, CINAHL and Cochrane electronic databases were searched between January 1981-April 2013. Only prospective validation studies reporting sensitivity and specificity values were included. Recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Reviews have been followed. Three fall risk assessment tools were evaluated in seven articles. Due to the limited number of studies, meta-analysis was carried out only for the STRATIFY and Hendrich Fall Risk Model II. In the combined analysis, the Hendrich Fall Risk Model II demonstrated higher sensitivity than STRATIFY, while the STRATIFY showed higher specificity. In both tools, the Youden index showed low prognostic accuracy. The identified tools do not demonstrate predictive values as high as needed for identifying older inpatients at risk for falls. For this reason, no tool can be recommended for fall detection. More research is needed to evaluate fall risk screening tools for older inpatients. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Anger intensification with combat-related PTSD and depression comorbidity.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Oscar I; Novaco, Raymond W; Reger, Mark A; Gahm, Gregory A

2016-01-01

Anger is becoming more widely recognized for its involvement in the psychological adjustment problems of current war veterans. Recent research with combat veterans has found anger to be related to psychological distress, psychosocial functioning, and harm risk variables. Using behavioral health data for 2,077 treatment-seeking soldiers who had been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, this study examined whether anger disposition was intensified for those who met screen-threshold criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Anger was assessed with a 7-item screening measure previously validated with the study population. The study tested the hypothesis that anger would be highest when "PTSD & MDD" were conjoined, compared with "PTSD only," "MDD only," and "no PTSD, no MDD." PTSD and depression were assessed with well-established screening instruments. A self-rated "wanting to harm others" variable was also incorporated. Age, gender, race, military component, military grade, and military unit social support served as covariates. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to test the hypothesis, which was confirmed. Anger was intensified in the PTSD & MDD condition, in which it was significantly higher than in the other 3 conditions. Convergent support was obtained for "wanting to harm others" as an exploratory index. Given the high prevalence and co-occurrence of PTSD and MDD among veterans, the results have research and clinical practice relevance for systematic inclusion of anger assessment postdeployment from risk-assessment and screening standpoints. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of Task Index Variations On Transfer of Training Criteria. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mirabella, Angelo; Wheaton, George R.

The concluding series of a research program designed to validate a battery of task indexes for use in forecasting the effectiveness of training devices is described. Phase I collated 17 task indexes and applied them to sonar training devices, while in Phase II the 17 index battery was validated, using skill acquisition measures as criteria.…

EJSCREEN Version 1, Primary EJ Index

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The primary EJ index measures how much a particular place contributes to overall nationwide differences in environmental indicator values between demographic groups. This EJ index is a combination of a block group environmental factor, the population of the block group, and the demographic composition of the block group. In this index, the demographic composition of the block group is the difference between the block group??s composition and the national average, as measured by the primary demographic index. EJSCREEN is an environmental justice screening tool that provides EPA with a nationally consistent approach to screening for potential areas of EJ concern that may warrant further investigation. The EJ indexes are block group level results that combine multiple demographic factors with a single environmental variable (such as proximity to traffic) that can be used to help identify communities living with the greatest potential for negative environmental and health effects. The EJSCREEN tool is currently for internal EPA use only. It is anticipated that as users become accustomed to this new tool, individual programs within the Agency will develop program use guidelines and a community of practice will develop around them within the EPA Geoplatform. Users should keep in mind that screening tools are subject to substantial uncertainty in their demographic and environmental data, particularly when looking at small geographic areas, such as Census block group

Impact of Biological Feedback and Incentives on Blood Fatty Acid Concentrations, Including Omega-3 Index, in an Employer-Based Wellness Program.

PubMed

McBurney, Michael I; Bird, Julia K

2017-08-05

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n-3) are important fatty acids for the retina and brain. More than 95% of Americans have suboptimal EPA + DHA blood concentrations. This cross-sectional employer-based study assessed whole blood fatty acid levels of volunteers participating in an onsite wellness biometric screening program and was designed to determine if an incentive, a $5 coupon for a 90-day supply of fish oil supplement typically costing $18-30, stimulated incremental dietary behavior change relative to nutritional status assessment alone to increase EPA + DHA concentrations. Volunteers completed a dietary survey and finger stick blood samples were collected to be analyzed for fatty acid composition. In addition, 636 individuals participated in the initial onsite biometric screening. Three months later, and without prior knowledge, all employees were invited to a second screening. At the second screening, 198 employees volunteered for the first time and 149 employees had a second test (17.9%). At baseline, the average age ( n = 834) was 45 year and omega-3 index was 5.0% with 41% female. EPA + DHA concentration, i.e., omega-3 index, was significantly lower in men (4.8%) than women (5.2%), as were DHA and linoleic acid (LA) concentrations ( p < 0.05). Baseline omega-3 index was positively and linearly associated with omega-3 intake. Only 4% of volunteers had an omega-3 index >8% on initial screening. Among the 149 individuals with two measurements, omega-3 intake from supplements, but not food, increased significantly from 258 to 445 mg/d ( p < 0.01) at the second test as did the omega-3 index (+0.21, p < 0.02). In this employed population, only 1% redeemed a coupon for an omega-3 supplement.

Validity of brief screening questionnaires to detect depression in primary care in Ethiopia.

PubMed

Hanlon, Charlotte; Medhin, Girmay; Selamu, Medhin; Breuer, Erica; Worku, Benyam; Hailemariam, Maji; Lund, Crick; Prince, Martin; Fekadu, Abebaw

2015-11-01

Brief depression screening questionnaires may increase detection of depression in primary care settings but there have been few validation studies carried out in typical populations in low-income countries. Cultural validation of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9/PHQ-2), the 20-item Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and the Kessler scales (K6/K10) was carried out in 306 adults consecutively attending primary care facilities in small towns in Ethiopia. To assess criterion validity, the gold standard assessment for presence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) was made by Ethiopian psychiatric nurses using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. The prevalence of gold standard MDD was 5.9%, with irritability more common than depressed mood or anhedonia. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve indicated good performance of the PHQ-9, SRQ-20, K6 and K10 (0.83-0.85) but only fair for the PHQ-2 (0.78). No cut-off score had acceptable sensitivity combined with adequate positive predictive value. All screening questionnaires were associated with disability and the PHQ-9 and SRQ-20 were associated with higher health service contacts, indicating convergent validity. Construct validity of all scales was indicated by unidimensionality on exploratory factor analysis. Test-retest reliability was not assessed. Brief depression screening questionnaires were found to be valid in primary care in this low-income country. However, these questionnaires do not have immediate applicability in routine clinical settings. Further studies should evaluate utility of indicated screening embedded within health system changes that support MDD detection. Investigation of irritability as a core depression symptom is warranted. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

EJSCREEN Version 1, EJ Index Alternatives

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This map service displays alternative environmental justice (EJ) indexes used in EJSCREEN. The alternative EJ indexes combine each of the 12 environmental indicators and one of two demographic indexes using different methods than the Primary EJ Index. EJ Index Alternative 1 is a combination of a blockgroup environmental factor, the populaiton of the blockgroup, and the demographic index. This EJ Index measures how much a particular place contributes to the total burden faced by subpopulations highlighted by the demographic index. EJ Index Alternative 2 is a combination of a blockgroup environmental factor and the demographic index. Two options are presented for both EJ Index Alternative 1 and Alternative 2-- they are combined with the primary demographic index and alternative demographic index. EJSCREEN is an environmental justice screening tool that provides EPA with a nationally consistent approach to screening for potential areas of EJ concern that may warrant further investigation. The EJ indexes are block group level results that combine multiple demographic factors with a single environmental variable (such as proximity to traffic) that can be used to help identify communities living with the greatest potential for negative environmental and health effects. The EJSCREEN tool is currently for internal EPA use only. It is anticipated that as users become accustomed to this new tool, individual programs within the Agency will develop program use guidelines a

HIV-Risk Index: Development and Validation of a Brief Risk Index for Hispanic Young People.

PubMed

Ballester-Arnal, Rafael; Gil-Llario, María Dolores; Castro-Calvo, Jesús; Giménez-García, Cristina

2016-08-01

The prevalence of HIV risk behaviors among young people facilitates the spread of HIV, in particular regarding unsafe sex behavior, although this trend is different within this population. For this reason, identifying the riskier young population is required to prevent HIV infection. The main purpose of this study was to develop and validate a risk index to assess the different sexual HIV risk exposure among Hispanic Young people. For this purpose, 9861 Spanish young people were randomly distributed into two groups (derivation and validation group). According to the results, the factor analyses grouped the nine items of the HIV- risk index into two factors (factor 1, direct sexual risk indicators and factor 2, indirect sexual risk indicators) with an equal structure for men and women by a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. The variance explained was 54.26 %. Moreover, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient revealed high internal reliability (α = .79) and the convergent validity supported its evidence based on different HIV risk indexes. Therefore, the HIV-risk index seem to be a rigorous and valid measure to estimate HIV risk exposure among young people.

Development and Validation of the Work-Related Well-Being Index: Analysis of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

PubMed

Eaton, Jennifer L; Mohr, David C; Hodgson, Michael J; McPhaul, Kathleen M

2018-02-01

To describe development and validation of the work-related well-being (WRWB) index. Principal components analysis was performed using Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) data (N = 392,752) to extract variables representing worker well-being constructs. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to verify factor structure. To validate the WRWB index, we used multiple regression analysis to examine relationships with burnout associated outcomes. Principal Components Analysis identified three positive psychology constructs: "Work Positivity", "Co-worker Relationships", and "Work Mastery". An 11 item index explaining 63.5% of variance was achieved. The structural equation model provided a very good fit to the data. Higher WRWB scores were positively associated with all three employee experience measures examined in regression models. The new WRWB index shows promise as a valid and widely accessible instrument to assess worker well-being.

Development and Validation of the Work-Related Well-Being Index: Analysis of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS).

PubMed

Eaton, Jennifer L; Mohr, David C; Hodgson, Michael J; McPhaul, Kathleen M

2017-10-11

To describe development and validation of the Work-Related Well-Being (WRWB) Index. Principal Components Analysis was performed using Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) data (N = 392,752) to extract variables representing worker well-being constructs. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to verify factor structure. To validate the WRWB index, we used multiple regression analysis to examine relationships with burnout associated outcomes. PCA identified three positive psychology constructs: "Work Positivity", "Co-worker Relationships", and "Work Mastery". An 11 item index explaining 63.5% of variance was achieved. The structural equation model provided a very good fit to the data. Higher WRWB scores were positively associated with all 3 employee experience measures examined in regression models. The new WRWB index shows promise as a valid and widely accessible instrument to assess worker well-being.

A cell-based assay for aggregation inhibitors as therapeutics of polyglutamine-repeat disease and validation in Drosophila

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apostol, Barbara L.; Kazantsev, Alexsey; Raffioni, Simona; Illes, Katalin; Pallos, Judit; Bodai, Laszlo; Slepko, Natalia; Bear, James E.; Gertler, Frank B.; Hersch, Steven; Housman, David E.; Marsh, J. Lawrence; Michels Thompson, Leslie

2003-05-01

The formation of polyglutamine-containing aggregates and inclusions are hallmarks of pathogenesis in Huntington's disease that can be recapitulated in model systems. Although the contribution of inclusions to pathogenesis is unclear, cell-based assays can be used to screen for chemical compounds that affect aggregation and may provide therapeutic benefit. We have developed inducible PC12 cell-culture models to screen for loss of visible aggregates. To test the validity of this approach, compounds that inhibit aggregation in the PC12 cell-based screen were tested in a Drosophila model of polyglutamine-repeat disease. The disruption of aggregation in PC12 cells strongly correlates with suppression of neuronal degeneration in Drosophila. Thus, the engineered PC12 cells coupled with the Drosophila model provide a rapid and effective method to screen and validate compounds.

On various metrics used for validation of predictive QSAR models with applications in virtual screening and focused library design.

PubMed

Roy, Kunal; Mitra, Indrani

2011-07-01

Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) have important applications in drug discovery research, environmental fate modeling, property prediction, etc. Validation has been recognized as a very important step for QSAR model development. As one of the important objectives of QSAR modeling is to predict activity/property/toxicity of new chemicals falling within the domain of applicability of the developed models and QSARs are being used for regulatory decisions, checking reliability of the models and confidence of their predictions is a very important aspect, which can be judged during the validation process. One prime application of a statistically significant QSAR model is virtual screening for molecules with improved potency based on the pharmacophoric features and the descriptors appearing in the QSAR model. Validated QSAR models may also be utilized for design of focused libraries which may be subsequently screened for the selection of hits. The present review focuses on various metrics used for validation of predictive QSAR models together with an overview of the application of QSAR models in the fields of virtual screening and focused library design for diverse series of compounds with citation of some recent examples.

Validation of a quality-of-life instrument for patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer.

PubMed

Rhee, John S; Matthews, B Alex; Neuburg, Marcy; Logan, Brent R; Burzynski, Mary; Nattinger, Ann B

2006-01-01

To validate a disease-specific quality-of-life instrument--the Skin Cancer Index--intended to measure quality-of-life issues relevant to patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer. Internal reliability, convergent and divergent validity with existing scales, and factor analyses were performed in a cross-sectional study of 211 patients presenting with cervicofacial nonmelanoma skin cancer to a dermatologic surgery clinic. Factor analyses of the Skin Cancer Index confirmed a multidimensional scale with 3 distinct subscales-emotional, social, and appearance. Excellent internal validity of the 3 subscales was demonstrated. Substantial evidence was observed for convergent validity with the Dermatology Life Quality Index, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Lerman's Cancer Worry Scale, and Medical Outcomes Survey Short-Form 12 domains for vitality, emotion, social function, and mental health. These findings validate a new disease-specific quality-of-life instrument for patients with cervicofacial nonmelanoma skin cancer. Studies on the responsiveness of the Skin Cancer Index to clinical intervention are currently under way.

Survey of Neurological Disorders in Children Aged 9-15 Years in Northern India.

PubMed

Kumar, Rashmi; Bhave, Anupama; Bhargava, Roli; Agarwal, G G

2016-04-01

The prevalence of neurological disorders in resource-poor settings, although likely to be high, is largely unexplored. The prevalence and risk factors for neurological disorders, including epilepsy and intellectual, motor, vision, and hearing deficits, in children aged 9 to 15 years in the community were investigated. A new instrument was developed, validated, and used in a 2-stage community survey for neurological disorders in Lucknow, India. Screen-positives and random proportion of screen-negatives were validated using predefined criteria. Prevalence of different neurological disorders was calculated by weighted proportions. Of 6431 children screened, 221 were positive. A total of 214 screen-positives and 251 screen-negatives were validated. Prevalence of neurological disorders was 31.3 per 1000 children of this age group (weighted 95% confidence interval = 16.5, 46.4). The final model for risk factors included age, mud house, delayed cry at birth, and previous head injury. The prevalence of neurological disorders is high in this region. Predictors of neurological disorders are largely modifiable. © The Author(s) 2015.

[Steps to transform a necessity into a validated and useful screening tool for early detection of developmental problems in Mexican children].

PubMed

Rizzoli-Córdoba, Antonio; Delgado-Ginebra, Ismael

A screening test is an instrument whose primary function is to identify individuals with a probable disease among an apparently healthy population, establishing risk or suspicion of a disease. Caution must be taken when using a screening tool in order to avoid unrealistic measurements, delaying an intervention for those who may benefit from it. Before introducing a screening test into clinical practice, it is necessary to certify the presence of some characteristics making its worth useful. This "certification" process is called validation. The main objective of this paper is to describe the different steps that must be taken, from the identification of a need for early detection through the generation of a validated and reliable screening tool using, as an example, the process for the modified version of the Child Development Evaluation Test (CDE or Prueba EDI) in Mexico. Copyright © 2015 Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

Prescription opioid use: Patient characteristics and misuse in community pharmacy.

PubMed

Cochran, Gerald; Bacci, Jennifer L; Ylioja, Thomas; Hruschak, Valerie; Miller, Sharon; Seybert, Amy L; Tarter, Ralph

2016-01-01

Opioid pain medication misuse is a major concern for US public health. The purpose of this article is to: 1) describe the demographic and physical, behavioral, and mental health characteristics of patients who fill opioid medications in community pharmacy settings; and 2) describe the extent of opioid medication misuse behaviors among these patients. We recruited and screened a convenience sample of patients with the use of a tablet computer-based assessment protocol that examined behavioral, mental, and physical health. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated to describe respondents and their opioid medication misuse and health characteristics. Patients were screened in 2 urban and 2 rural community pharmacies in southwestern Pennsylvania. Survey participants were adult patients filling opioid pain medications who were not currently receiving treatment for a cancer diagnosis. None. Validated screening measures included the Prescription Opioid Misuse Index, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test C, Short Form 12, Drug Abuse Screening Test 10, Primary Care Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) screen, and the Patient Health Questionnaire 2. A total of 333 patients were screened (71.2% response rate). Nearly the entire population reported pain above and general health below national norms. Hydrocodone (19.2%) and morphine (20.8%) were found to be the medications with the highest rates of misuse-with hydrocodone having more than 4 times higher odds of misuse compared with other medications (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 4.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-17.4). Patients with positive screens for illicit drug use (AOR 8.07, 95% CI 2.7-24.0), PTSD (AOR 5.88, 95% CI 2.3-14.7), and depression (AOR 2.44, 95% CI 1.0-5.9) also had significantly higher odds for misuse compared with those with negative screening results. These findings provide important foundational data that suggest implementation of regular opioid misuse screening protocols within community pharmacies. Such screening activities could foster a culture of prevention and overall reduction for misuse among patients filling opioid medications in community pharmacies. Copyright © 2016 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PRESCRIPTION OPIOID USE: PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS AND MISUSE IN COMMUNITY PHARMACY

PubMed Central

Cochran, Gerald; Bacci, Jennifer L.; Ylioja, Thomas; Hruschak, Valerie; Miller, Sharon; Seybert, Amy L.; Tarter, Ralph

2016-01-01

Objective Opioid pain medication misuse is a major concern for U.S. public health. The purpose of this article is to: 1) describe the demographic and physical, behavioral, and mental health characteristics of patients who fill opioid medications in community pharmacy settings and 2) describe the extent of opioid medication misuse behaviors among these patients. Design We recruited and screened a convenience sample of patients using a tablet computer-based assessment protocol that examined behavioral, mental, and physical health. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated to describe respondents and their opioid medication misuse and health characteristics. Setting Patients were screened in 2 urban and 2 rural community pharmacies in southwestern Pennsylvania. Participants Survey participants were adult patients filling opioid pain medications who were not currently receiving treatment for a cancer diagnosis. Main Outcome Measures Validated screening measures included the: Prescription Opioid Misuse Index, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C, Short-Form-12, Drug Abuse Screening Test-10, Primary Care Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) screen, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2. Results A total of 333 patients were screened (71.2% response rate). Nearly the entire population reported pain above and general health below national norms. Hydrocodone (19.2%) and morphine (20.8%) were found to be the medications with the highest rates of misuse—with hydrocodone having higher odds for misuse by more than four times compared to other medications (AOR=4.48; 95% CI=1.1–17.4). Patients with positive screens for illicit drug use (AOR=8.07; 95% CI=2.7–24.0), PTSD (AOR=5.88; 95% CI=2.3–14.7), and depression (AOR=2.44; 95% CI=1.0–5.9) also had significantly higher odds for misuse compared to those with negative screening results. Conclusion These findings provide important foundational data that suggest implementation of regular opioid misuse screening protocols within community pharmacies. Such screening activities could foster a culture of prevention and overall reduction for misuse among patients filling opioid medications in community pharmacies. PMID:27053277

Psychometric properties of the Medical Student Well-Being Index among medical students in a Malaysian medical school.

PubMed

Yusoff, Muhamad Saiful Bahri; Yaacob, Mohd Jamil; Naing, Nyi Nyi; Esa, Ab Rahman

2013-02-01

This study evaluated the convergent, discriminant, construct, concurrent and discriminative validity of the Medical Student Wellbeing Index (MSWBI) as well as to evaluate its internal consistency and optimal cut-off total scores to detect at least moderate levels of general psychological distress, stress, anxiety and depression symptoms. A cross sectional study was done on 171 medical students. The MSWBI and DASS-21 were administered and returned immediately upon completion. Confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, ROC analysis and Pearson correlation test were applied to assess psychometric properties of the MSWBI. A total of 168 (98.2%) medical students responded. The goodness of fit indices showed the MSWBI had a good construct (χ(2)=6.14, p=0.803, RMSEA<0.001, RMR=0.004, GFI=0.99, AGFI=0.97, CFI=1.00, IFI=1.02, TLI=1.04). The Cronbach's alpha value was 0.69 indicating an acceptable level of internal consistency. Pearson correlation coefficients and ROC analysis suggested each MSWBI's item showed adequate convergent and discriminant validity. Its optimal cut-off scores to detect at least moderate levels of general psychological distress, stress, anxiety, and depression were 1.5, 2.5, 1.5 and 2.5 respectively with sensitivity and specificity ranged from 62 to 80% and the areas under ROC curve ranged from 0.71 to 0.83. This study showed that the MSWBI had good level of psychometric properties. The MSWBI score more than 2 can be considered as having significant psychological distress. The MSWBI is a valid and reliable screening instrument to assess psychological distress of medical students. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New non-invasive method for early detection of metabolic syndrome in the working population.

PubMed

Romero-Saldaña, Manuel; Fuentes-Jiménez, Francisco J; Vaquero-Abellán, Manuel; Álvarez-Fernández, Carlos; Molina-Recio, Guillermo; López-Miranda, José

2016-12-01

We propose a new method for the early detection of metabolic syndrome in the working population, which was free of biomarkers (non-invasive) and based on anthropometric variables, and to validate it in a new working population. Prevalence studies and diagnostic test accuracy to determine the anthropometric variables associated with metabolic syndrome, as well as the screening validity of the new method proposed, were carried out between 2013 and 2015 on 636 and 550 workers, respectively. The anthropometric variables analysed were: blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, waist-height ratio, body fat percentage and waist-hip ratio. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis and obtained receiver operating curves to determine the predictive ability of the variables. The new method for the early detection of metabolic syndrome we present is based on a decision tree using chi-squared automatic interaction detection methodology. The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 14.9%. The area under the curve for waist-height ratio and waist circumference was 0.91 and 0.90, respectively. The anthropometric variables associated with metabolic syndrome in the adjusted model were waist-height ratio, body mass index, blood pressure and body fat percentage. The decision tree was configured from the waist-height ratio (⩾0.55) and hypertension (blood pressure ⩾128/85 mmHg), with a sensitivity of 91.6% and a specificity of 95.7% obtained. The early detection of metabolic syndrome in a healthy population is possible through non-invasive methods, based on anthropometric indicators such as waist-height ratio and blood pressure. This method has a high degree of predictive validity and its use can be recommended in any healthcare context. © The European Society of Cardiology 2016.

Age, gender, neck circumference, and Epworth sleepiness scale do not predict obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): The challenge to predict OSA in advanced COPD.

PubMed

Soler, Xavier; Liao, Shu-Yi; Marin, Jose Maria; Lorenzi-Filho, Geraldo; Jen, Rachel; DeYoung, Pamela; Owens, Robert L; Ries, Andrew L; Malhotra, Atul

2017-01-01

The combination of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that predictors of OSA among patients with COPD may be distinct from OSA in the general population. Therefore, we investigated associations between traditional OSA risk factors (e.g. age), and sleep questionnaires [e.g. Epworth Sleepiness Scale] in 44 patients with advanced COPD. As a second aim we proposed a pilot, simplified screening test for OSA in patients with COPD. In a prospective, observational study of patients enrolled in the UCSD Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program we collected baseline characteristics, cardiovascular events (e.g. atrial fibrillation), and sleep questionnaires [e.g. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)]. For the pilot questionnaire, a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 and the presence of cardiovascular disease were used to construct the pilot screening test. Male: 59%; OSA 66%. FEV1 (mean ± SD) = 41.0±18.2% pred., FEV1/FVC = 41.5±12.7%]. Male gender, older age, and large neck circumference were not associated with OSA. Also, Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the STOP-Bang questionnaire were not associated with OSA in univariate logistic regression. In contrast, BMI ≥25 kg/m2 (OR = 3.94, p = 0.04) and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (OR = 5.06, p = 0.03) were significantly associated with OSA [area under curve (AUC) = 0.74]. The pilot COPD-OSA test (OR = 5.28, p = 0.05) and STOP-Bang questionnaire (OR = 5.13, p = 0.03) were both associated with OSA in Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis. The COPD-OSA test had the best AUC (0.74), sensitivity (92%), and specificity (83%). A ten-fold cross-validation validated our results. We found that traditional OSA predictors (e.g. gender, Epworth score) did not perform well in patients with more advanced COPD. Our pilot test may be an easy to implement instrument to screen for OSA. However, a larger validation study is necessary before further clinical implementation is warranted.

Age, gender, neck circumference, and Epworth sleepiness scale do not predict obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): The challenge to predict OSA in advanced COPD

PubMed Central

Marin, Jose Maria; Lorenzi-Filho, Geraldo; Jen, Rachel; DeYoung, Pamela; Owens, Robert L.; Ries, Andrew L.; Malhotra, Atul

2017-01-01

The combination of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that predictors of OSA among patients with COPD may be distinct from OSA in the general population. Therefore, we investigated associations between traditional OSA risk factors (e.g. age), and sleep questionnaires [e.g. Epworth Sleepiness Scale] in 44 patients with advanced COPD. As a second aim we proposed a pilot, simplified screening test for OSA in patients with COPD. In a prospective, observational study of patients enrolled in the UCSD Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program we collected baseline characteristics, cardiovascular events (e.g. atrial fibrillation), and sleep questionnaires [e.g. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)]. For the pilot questionnaire, a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 and the presence of cardiovascular disease were used to construct the pilot screening test. Male: 59%; OSA 66%. FEV1 (mean ± SD) = 41.0±18.2% pred., FEV1/FVC = 41.5±12.7%]. Male gender, older age, and large neck circumference were not associated with OSA. Also, Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the STOP-Bang questionnaire were not associated with OSA in univariate logistic regression. In contrast, BMI ≥25 kg/m2 (OR = 3.94, p = 0.04) and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (OR = 5.06, p = 0.03) were significantly associated with OSA [area under curve (AUC) = 0.74]. The pilot COPD-OSA test (OR = 5.28, p = 0.05) and STOP-Bang questionnaire (OR = 5.13, p = 0.03) were both associated with OSA in Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis. The COPD-OSA test had the best AUC (0.74), sensitivity (92%), and specificity (83%). A ten-fold cross-validation validated our results. We found that traditional OSA predictors (e.g. gender, Epworth score) did not perform well in patients with more advanced COPD. Our pilot test may be an easy to implement instrument to screen for OSA. However, a larger validation study is necessary before further clinical implementation is warranted. PMID:28510598

DEVELOPMENT, STANDARDIZATION AND VALIDATION OF THE MAMMALIAN IN VIVO ASSAYS IN THE PROPOSED TIER I SCREENING BATTERY FOR ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS

EPA Science Inventory

This research directly supports the development, standardization and validation of several Tier 1 screening mammalian in vivo assays. Through the development and use of many of these assays for testing specific hypothesis in their respective research programs, these investigato...

Estimating an area-level socioeconomic status index and its association with colonoscopy screening adherence.

PubMed

Wheeler, David C; Czarnota, Jenna; Jones, Resa M

2017-01-01

Socioeconomic status (SES) is often considered a risk factor for health outcomes. SES is typically measured using individual variables of educational attainment, income, housing, and employment variables or a composite of these variables. Approaches to building the composite variable include using equal weights for each variable or estimating the weights with principal components analysis or factor analysis. However, these methods do not consider the relationship between the outcome and the SES variables when constructing the index. In this project, we used weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression to estimate an area-level SES index and its effect in a model of colonoscopy screening adherence in the Minnesota-Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. We considered several specifications of the SES index including using different spatial scales (e.g., census block group-level, tract-level) for the SES variables. We found a significant positive association (odds ratio = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.15-1.19) between the SES index and colonoscopy adherence in the best fitting model. The model with the best goodness-of-fit included a multi-scale SES index with 10 variables at the block group-level and one at the tract-level, with home ownership, race, and income among the most important variables. Contrary to previous index construction, our results were not consistent with an assumption of equal importance of variables in the SES index when explaining colonoscopy screening adherence. Our approach is applicable in any study where an SES index is considered as a variable in a regression model and the weights for the SES variables are not known in advance.

Validation of DPOAE screening conducted by village health workers in a rural community with real-time click evoked tele-auditory brainstem response.

PubMed

Ramkumar, Vidya; Vanaja, C S; Hall, James W; Selvakumar, K; Nagarajan, Roopa

2018-05-01

This study assessed the validity of DPOAE screening conducted by village health workers (VHWs) in a rural community. Real-time click evoked tele-auditory brainstem response (tele-ABR) was used as the gold standard to establish validity. A cross-sectional design was utilised to compare the results of screening by VHWs to those obtained via tele-ABR. Study samples: One hundred and nineteen subjects (0 to 5 years) were selected randomly from a sample of 2880 infants and young children who received DPOAE screening by VHWs. Real time tele-ABR was conducted by using satellite or broadband internet connectivity at the village. An audiologist located at the tertiary care hospital conducted tele-ABR testing through a remote computing paradigm. Tele-ABR was recorded using standard recording parameters recommended for infants and young children. Wave morphology, repeatability and peak latency data were used for ABR analysis. Tele-ABR and DPOAE findings were compared for 197 ears. The sensitivity of DPOAE screening conducted by the VHW was 75%, and specificity was 91%. The negative and positive predictive values were 98.8% and 27.2%, respectively. The validity of DPOAE screening conducted by trained VHW was acceptable. This study supports the engagement of grass-root workers in community-based hearing health care provision.

49 CFR 1522.129 - Recordkeeping requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... VALIDATION FIRMS AND VALIDATORS TSA-Approved Validation Firms and Validators for the Certified Cargo Screening Program § 1522.129 Recordkeeping requirements. (a) Each validation firm must maintain records... operation as a validation firm, including the records listed below. (b) Each validation firm must retain the...

40 plus or minus 10, a new magical number: reply to Russell.

PubMed

Larrabee, Glenn J; Millis, Scott R; Meyers, John E

2009-07-01

Russell (2009 this issue) has criticized our recently published investigation (Larrabee, Millis, & Meyers, 2008) comparing the diagnostic discrimination of an ability-focused neuropsychological battery (AFB) to that of the Halstead Reitan Battery (HRB). He contended that our symptom validity test (SVT) screening excluding 43% of brain dysfunction and 15% of control patients using computations based on Digit Span inappropriately excluded patients with brain damage, due to the correlation of Digit Span with the Average Index Score (AIS). Our exclusion of 43% of brain dysfunction participants matches the frequency of invalid neuropsychological data of 40-50% or more reported by numerous studies for a wide range of settings with external incentive. Moreover, our study was not an investigation of malingering; rather, we screened our data to insure that only valid data remained, for the most meaningful comparison of the AFB to the HRB. Russell's argument that Digit Span is correlated with brain damage confounds the criterion, AIS (a composite cognitive score), with the predictor, Digit Span (another cognitive score), rather than employing a truly independent neurologic criterion. The fact that Digit Span is notoriously insensitive to brain dysfunction underscores the robustness of our findings, for if we inappropriately excluded brain-damaged patients for low Digit Span, as Russell claimed, this resulted in our sample reflecting more subtle degree of brain dysfunction, and the superiority of the AFB over the HRB was demonstrated under the most challenging of discriminative conditions.

Prediction of Adulthood Obesity Using Genetic and Childhood Clinical Risk Factors in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.

PubMed

Seyednasrollah, Fatemeh; Mäkelä, Johanna; Pitkänen, Niina; Juonala, Markus; Hutri-Kähönen, Nina; Lehtimäki, Terho; Viikari, Jorma; Kelly, Tanika; Li, Changwei; Bazzano, Lydia; Elo, Laura L; Raitakari, Olli T

2017-06-01

Obesity is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Early prediction of obesity is essential for prevention. The aim of this study is to assess the use of childhood clinical factors and the genetic risk factors in predicting adulthood obesity using machine learning methods. A total of 2262 participants from the Cardiovascular Risk in YFS (Young Finns Study) were followed up from childhood (age 3-18 years) to adulthood for 31 years. The data were divided into training (n=1625) and validation (n=637) set. The effect of known genetic risk factors (97 single-nucleotide polymorphisms) was investigated as a weighted genetic risk score of all 97 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (WGRS97) or a subset of 19 most significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (WGRS19) using boosting machine learning technique. WGRS97 and WGRS19 were validated using external data (n=369) from BHS (Bogalusa Heart Study). WGRS19 improved the accuracy of predicting adulthood obesity in training (area under the curve [AUC=0.787 versus AUC=0.744, P <0.0001) and validation data (AUC=0.769 versus AUC=0.747, P =0.026). WGRS97 improved the accuracy in training (AUC=0.782 versus AUC=0.744, P <0.0001) but not in validation data (AUC=0.749 versus AUC=0.747, P =0.785). Higher WGRS19 associated with higher body mass index at 9 years and WGRS97 at 6 years. Replication in BHS confirmed our findings that WGRS19 and WGRS97 are associated with body mass index. WGRS19 improves prediction of adulthood obesity. Predictive accuracy is highest among young children (3-6 years), whereas among older children (9-18 years) the risk can be identified using childhood clinical factors. The model is helpful in screening children with high risk of developing obesity. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Validation of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index in a Chinese Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siu, Andrew M. H.; Shek, Daniel T. L.

2005-01-01

Objectives: Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (C-IRI) for the assessment of empathy in Chinese people were examined. Method: The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) was translated to Chinese, and an expert panel reviewed its content validity and cultural relevance. The translated instrument…

Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program Reports to Congress

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page includes EPA reports to congress on pesticide licensing and endocrine disruptor screening activities, Endocrine Disruptor Methods Validation Subcomittee (EDMVS) progress, and Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) implementation progress.

Screening and Treatment for Alcohol, Tobacco and Opioid Use Disorders: A Survey of Family Physicians across Ontario

PubMed Central

Loheswaran, Genane; Soklaridis, Sophie; Selby, Peter; Le Foll, Bernard

2015-01-01

Introduction As a primary point of contact within the health care system, family physicians are able to play a vital role in identifying individuals with substance use disorders and connecting them to the appropriate treatment. However, there is very little data available on whether family physicians are actively screening for and treating substance use disorders. The objective of the current survey was to assess whether family physicians in Ontario are screening for alcohol, opioid and tobacco use disorders, using validated tools and providing treatment. Methods An online survey consisting of a series of 38 primarily close-ended questions was circulated to family physicians in Ontario. Rates of screening for alcohol, opioid and tobacco dependence, use of validated tools for screening, providing treatment for dependent individuals and the current barriers to the prescription of pharmacotherapies for these drug dependences were assessed. Results The use of validated screening tools was limited for all three substances. Screening by family physicians for the substance use disorders among adolescents was much lower than screening among adults. Pharmacotherapy was more commonly used as an intervention for tobacco dependence than for alcohol and opioid dependence. This was explained by the lack of knowledge among family physicians on the pharmacotherapies for alcohol and opioid dependence. Conclusions Findings from the current study suggest there is a need for family physicians to integrate screening for substance use disorders using validated tools into their standard medical practice. Furthermore, there is a need for increased knowledge on pharmacotherapies for alcohol and opioid use disorders. It is important to note that the low response rate is a major limitation to this study. One possible reason for this low response rate may be a lack of interest and awareness among family physicians on the importance of screening and treatment of substance use disorders in Ontario. PMID:25923976

Developing and validating a perinatal depression screening tool in Kenya blending Western criteria with local idioms: A mixed methods study.

PubMed

Green, Eric P; Tuli, Hawa; Kwobah, Edith; Menya, D; Chesire, Irene; Schmidt, Christina

2018-03-01

Routine screening for perinatal depression is not common in most primary health care settings. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force only recently updated their recommendation on depression screening to specifically recommend screening during the pre- and postpartum periods. While practitioners in high-income countries can respond to this new recommendation by implementing one of several existing depression screening tools developed in Western contexts, such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) or the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), these tools lack strong evidence of cross-cultural equivalence, validity for case finding, and precision in measuring response to treatment in developing countries. Thus, there is a critical need to develop and validate new screening tools for perinatal depression that can be used by lay health workers, primary health care personnel, and patients. Working in rural Kenya, we used free listing, card sorting, and item analysis methods to develop a locally-relevant screening tool that blended Western psychiatric concepts with local idioms of distress. We conducted a validation study with a random sample of 193 pregnant women and new mothers to test the diagnostic accuracy of this scale along with the EPDS and PHQ-9. The sensitivity/specificity of the EPDS and PHQ-9 was estimated to be 0.70/0.72 and 0.70/0.73, respectively. This compared to sensitivity/specificity of 0.90/0.90 for a new 9-item locally-developed tool called the Perinatal Depression Screening (PDEPS). Across these three tools, internal consistency reliability ranged from 0.77 to 0.81 and test-retest reliability ranged from 0.57 to 0.67. The prevalence of depression ranges from 5.2% to 6.2% depending on the clinical reference standard. The EPDS and PHQ-9 are valid and reliable screening tools for perinatal depression in rural Western Kenya, the PDEPS may be a more useful alternative. At less than 10%, the prevalence of depression in this region appears to be lower than other published estimates for African and other low-income countries. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A new accurate and flexible index to assess the contribution of building materials to indoor gamma exposure.

PubMed

Nuccetelli, Cristina; Leonardi, Federica; Trevisi, Rosabianca

2015-05-01

The role of building materials as a source of gamma radiation has been recognized in the new EU Basic Safety Standards Directive which introduces an index I to screen building materials of radiological concern. This index was developed to account for average concrete values of thickness and density, the main structural characteristics of building materials that have an effect on gamma irradiation. Consequently, this screening procedure could be unfit in case of significantly different density and/or thickness of the building materials under examination. The paper proposes a more accurate and flexible activity concentration index, accounting for the actual density and thickness of building materials. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[ETAP: A smoking scale for Primary Health Care].

PubMed

González Romero, Pilar María; Cuevas Fernández, Francisco Javier; Marcelino Rodríguez, Itahisa; Rodríguez Pérez, María Del Cristo; Cabrera de León, Antonio; Aguirre-Jaime, Armando

2016-05-01

To obtain a scale of tobacco exposure to address smoking cessation. Follow-up of a cohort. Scale validation. Primary Care Research Unit. Tenerife. A total of 6729 participants from the "CDC de Canarias" cohort. A scale was constructed under the assumption that the time of exposure to tobacco is the key factor to express accumulated risk. Discriminant validity was tested on prevalent cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI; n=171), and its best cut-off for preventive screening was obtained. Its predictive validity was tested with incident cases of AMI (n=46), comparing the predictive power with markers (age, sex) and classic risk factors of AMI (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia), including the pack-years index (PYI). The scale obtained was the sum of three times the years that they had smoked plus years exposed to smoking at home and at work. The frequency of AMI increased with the values of the scale, with the value 20 years of exposure being the most appropriate cut-off for preventive action, as it provided adequate predictive values for incident AMI. The scale surpassed PYI in predicting AMI, and competed with the known markers and risk factors. The proposed scale allows a valid measurement of exposure to smoking and provides a useful and simple approach that can help promote a willingness to change, as well as prevention. It still needs to demonstrate its validity, taking as reference other problems associated with smoking. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Screening for personality disorder in incarcerated adolescent boys: preliminary validation of an adolescent version of the standardised assessment of personality - abbreviated scale (SAPAS-AV).

PubMed

Kongerslev, Mickey; Moran, Paul; Bo, Sune; Simonsen, Erik

2012-07-30

Personality disorder (PD) is associated with significant functional impairment and an elevated risk of violent and suicidal behaviour. The prevalence of PD in populations of young offenders is likely to be high. However, because the assessment of PD is time-consuming, it is not routinely assessed in this population. A brief screen for the identification of young people who might warrant further detailed assessment of PD could be particularly valuable for clinicians and researchers working in juvenile justice settings. We adapted a rapid screen for the identification of PD in adults (Standardised Assessment of Personality - Abbreviated Scale; SAPAS) for use with adolescents and then carried out a study of the reliability and validity of the adapted instrument in a sample of 80 adolescent boys in secure institutions. Participants were administered the screen and shortly after an established diagnostic interview for DSM-IV PDs. Nine days later the screen was readministered. A score of 3 or more on the screening interview correctly identified the presence of DSM-IV PD in 86% of participants, yielding a sensitivity and specificity of 0.87 and 0.86 respectively. Internal consistency was modest but comparable to the original instrument. 9-days test-retest reliability for the total score was excellent. Convergent validity correlations with the total number of PD criteria were large. This study provides preliminary evidence of the validity, reliability, and usefulness of the screen in secure institutions for adolescent male offenders. It can be used in juvenile offender institutions with limited resources, as a brief, acceptable, staff-administered routine screen to identify individuals in need of further assessment of PD or by researchers conducting epidemiological surveys.

Screening for personality disorder in incarcerated adolescent boys: preliminary validation of an adolescent version of the standardised assessment of personality – abbreviated scale (SAPAS-AV)

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Personality disorder (PD) is associated with significant functional impairment and an elevated risk of violent and suicidal behaviour. The prevalence of PD in populations of young offenders is likely to be high. However, because the assessment of PD is time-consuming, it is not routinely assessed in this population. A brief screen for the identification of young people who might warrant further detailed assessment of PD could be particularly valuable for clinicians and researchers working in juvenile justice settings. Method We adapted a rapid screen for the identification of PD in adults (Standardised Assessment of Personality – Abbreviated Scale; SAPAS) for use with adolescents and then carried out a study of the reliability and validity of the adapted instrument in a sample of 80 adolescent boys in secure institutions. Participants were administered the screen and shortly after an established diagnostic interview for DSM-IV PDs. Nine days later the screen was readministered. Results A score of 3 or more on the screening interview correctly identified the presence of DSM-IV PD in 86% of participants, yielding a sensitivity and specificity of 0.87 and 0.86 respectively. Internal consistency was modest but comparable to the original instrument. 9-days test-retest reliability for the total score was excellent. Convergent validity correlations with the total number of PD criteria were large. Conclusion This study provides preliminary evidence of the validity, reliability, and usefulness of the screen in secure institutions for adolescent male offenders. It can be used in juvenile offender institutions with limited resources, as a brief, acceptable, staff-administered routine screen to identify individuals in need of further assessment of PD or by researchers conducting epidemiological surveys. PMID:22846474

Association of positive responses to suicide screening questions with hospital admission and repeated emergency department visits in children and adolescents.

PubMed

Ballard, Elizabeth D; Horowitz, Lisa M; Jobes, David A; Wagner, Barry M; Pao, Maryland; Teach, Stephen J

2013-10-01

Although validated suicide screening tools exist for use among children and adolescents presenting to emergency departments (EDs), the associations between screening positive for suicide risk and immediate psychiatric hospital admission or subsequent ED use, stratified by age, have not been examined. This is a retrospective cohort study of a consecutive case series of patients aged 8 to 18 years presenting with psychiatric chief complaints during a 9-month period to a single urban tertiary care pediatric ED. Eligible patients were administered a subset of questions from the Risk of Suicide Questionnaire. Outcomes included the odds of psychiatric hospitalization at the index visit and repeated ED visits for psychiatric complaints within the following year, stratified by age. Of the 568 patients presenting during the study period, responses to suicide screening questions were available for 442 patients (78%). A total of 159 (36%) of 442 were hospitalized and 130 (29%) of 442 had 1 or more ED visits within the following year. The proportion of patients providing positive responses to 1 or more suicide screening questions did not differ between patients aged 8 to 12 years and those aged 13 to 18 years (77/154 [50%] vs 137/288 [48%], P = 0.63). A positive response to 1 or more of the questions was significantly associated with increased odds of psychiatric hospitalization in the older age group [adjusted odds ratio, 3.82; 95% confidence interval, 2.24-6.54) and with repeated visits to the ED in the younger age group (adjusted odds ratio, 3.55 95% confidence interval, 1.68-7.50). Positive responses to suicide screening questions were associated with acute psychiatric hospitalization and repeated ED visits. Suicide screening in a pediatric ED may identify children and adolescents with increased need of psychiatric resources.

SFN-SIQ, SFNSL and skin biopsy of 55 cases with small fibre involvement.

PubMed

Sun, Bo; Li, Yifan; Liu, Lizhi; Chen, Zhaohui; Ling, Li; Yang, Fei; Liu, Jiexiao; Liu, Hong; Huang, Xusheng

2018-05-01

Purpose/aim of the study: To date, there are no validated screening scales for small fibre neuropathy. This study investigated the small-fibre neuropathy and the symptom inventory questionnaire as well as the small fibre neuropathy screening list for small fibre neuropathy diagnosis. Fifty-five patients were divided into small fibre neuropathy and mixed fibre damage groups. Relevant scales, nerve conduction studies and skin biopsies were performed. Relationships between the intraepidermal nerve fibre density and different scales as well as the diagnostic and cut-off values (score at which Youden's index is largest) were determined. Compared with healthy Chinese participants, 20 patients were diagnosed with small fibre neuropathy. Intraepidermal nerve fibre density was moderately and highly correlated with the small fibre neuropathy-symptom inventory questionnaire and small fibre neuropathy screening list, respectively. The diagnostic values were moderate and high for the small fibre neuropathy-symptom inventory questionnaire (cut-off value = 5, sensitivity = 80%, specificity = 81.8%) and small fibre neuropathy screening list (cut-off value = 8, sensitivity = 94.1%, specificity = 90.9%), respectively. There were no significant differences in the visual analogue scale between the small fibre neuropathy group, mixed small and large fibre neuropathy group, pure large fibre neuropathy group and the normal group. Small fibre neuropathy-symptom inventory questionnaire and small fibre neuropathy screening list represent potential small fibre neuropathy screening tools. Abbreviations EMG electromyography ENA anti-extractable nuclear antigens ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate IENFD intraepidermal nerve fibre density IGT impaired glucose tolerance NCS nerve conduction studies NDS neuropathy disability score OGTT oral glucose tolerance test PGP protein gene product PN peripheral neuropathy ROC receiver operating characteristic curve ROC-AUC area under the ROC curve SFN small fibre neuropathy SFN-SIQ small-fibre neuropathy and symptom inventory questionnaire SFNSL small fibre neuropathy screening list VAS visual analogue scale WHO World Health Organization.

Association of Positive Responses to Suicide Screening Questions with Hospital Admission and Repeat Emergency Department Visits in Children and Adolescents

PubMed Central

Ballard, Elizabeth D.; Horowitz, Lisa M.; Jobes, David A.; Wagner, Barry M.; Pao, Maryland; Teach, Stephen J.

2013-01-01

Objectives While validated suicide screening tools exist for use among children and adolescents presenting to emergency departments (EDs), the associations between screening positive for suicide risk and immediate psychiatric hospital admission or subsequent ED utilization, stratified by age, have not been examined. Methods A retrospective cohort study of a consecutive case series of patients aged 8–18 years presenting with psychiatric chief complaints over a 9 month period to a single urban tertiary care pediatric ED. Eligible patients were administered a subset of questions from the Risk of Suicide Questionnaire. Outcomes included the odds of psychiatric hospitalization at the index visit and repeat ED visits for psychiatric complaints within the following year, stratified by age. Results Of the 568 patients presenting during the study period, responses to suicide screening questions were available for 442 patients (78%). A total of 159/442 (36%) were hospitalized and 130/442 (29%) had one or more ED visits within the following year. The proportion of patients providing positive responses to one or more suicide screening questions did not differ between patients aged 8–12 years and those aged 13–18 years [77/154 (50%) vs. 137/288 (48%), p = .63]. A positive response to one or more of the questions was significantly associated with increased odds of psychiatric hospitalization in the older age group [adj OR = 3.82 (95% CI 2.24–6.54)] and with repeat visits to the ED in the younger age group [adj OR = 3.55 (95% CI 1.68–7.50)]. Conclusions Positive responses to suicide screening questions were associated with acute psychiatric hospitalization and repeat ED visits. Suicide screening in a pediatric ED may identify children and adolescents with increased need of psychiatric resources. PMID:24076609

A new casemix adjustment index for hospital mortality among patients with congestive heart failure.

PubMed

Polanczyk, C A; Rohde, L E; Philbin, E A; Di Salvo, T G

1998-10-01

Comparative analysis of hospital outcomes requires reliable adjustment for casemix. Although congestive heart failure is one of the most common indications for hospitalization, congestive heart failure casemix adjustment has not been widely studied. The purposes of this study were (1) to describe and validate a new congestive heart failure-specific casemix adjustment index to predict in-hospital mortality and (2) to compare its performance to the Charlson comorbidity index. Data from all 4,608 admissions to the Massachusetts General Hospital from January 1990 to July 1996 with a principal ICD-9-CM discharge diagnosis of congestive heart failure were evaluated. Massachusetts General Hospital patients were randomly divided in a derivation and a validation set. By logistic regression, odds ratios for in-hospital death were computed and weights were assigned to construct a new predictive index in the derivation set. The performance of the index was tested in an internal Massachusetts General Hospital validation set and in a non-Massachusetts General Hospital external validation set incorporating data from all 1995 New York state hospital discharges with a primary discharge diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Overall in-hospital mortality was 6.4%. Based on the new index, patients were assigned to six categories with incrementally increasing hospital mortality rates ranging from 0.5% to 31%. By logistic regression, "c" statistics of the congestive heart failure-specific index (0.83 and 0.78, derivation and validation set) were significantly superior to the Charlson index (0.66). Similar incrementally increasing hospital mortality rates were observed in the New York database with the congestive heart failure-specific index ("c" statistics 0.75). In an administrative database, this congestive heart failure-specific index may be a more adequate casemix adjustment tool to predict hospital mortality in patients hospitalized for congestive heart failure.

Capturing health and eating status through a nutritional perception screening questionnaire (NPSQ9) in a randomised internet-based personalised nutrition intervention: the Food4Me study.

PubMed

San-Cristobal, Rodrigo; Navas-Carretero, Santiago; Celis-Morales, Carlos; Livingstone, Katherine M; Stewart-Knox, Barbara; Rankin, Audrey; Macready, Anna L; Fallaize, Rosalind; O'Donovan, Clare B; Forster, Hannah; Woolhead, Clara; Walsh, Marianne C; Lambrinou, Christina P; Moschonis, George; Manios, Yannis; Jarosz, Miroslaw; Daniel, Hannelore; Gibney, Eileen R; Brennan, Lorraine; Gundersen, Thomas E; Drevon, Christian A; Gibney, Mike; Marsaux, Cyril F M; Saris, Wim H M; Lovegrove, Julie A; Frewer, Lynn J; Mathers, John C; Martinez, J Alfredo

2017-12-11

National guidelines emphasize healthy eating to promote wellbeing and prevention of non-communicable diseases. The perceived healthiness of food is determined by many factors affecting food intake. A positive perception of healthy eating has been shown to be associated with greater diet quality. Internet-based methodologies allow contact with large populations. Our present study aims to design and evaluate a short nutritional perception questionnaire, to be used as a screening tool for assessing nutritional status, and to predict an optimal level of personalisation in nutritional advice delivered via the Internet. Data from all participants who were screened and then enrolled into the Food4Me proof-of-principle study (n = 2369) were used to determine the optimal items for inclusion in a novel screening tool, the Nutritional Perception Screening Questionnaire-9 (NPSQ9). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on anthropometric and biochemical data and on dietary indices acquired from participants who had completed the Food4Me dietary intervention (n = 1153). Baseline and intervention data were analysed using linear regression and linear mixed regression, respectively. A final model with 9 NPSQ items was validated against the dietary intervention data. NPSQ9 scores were inversely associated with BMI (β = -0.181, p < 0.001) and waist circumference (Β = -0.155, p < 0.001), and positively associated with total carotenoids (β = 0.198, p < 0.001), omega-3 fatty acid index (β = 0.155, p < 0.001), Healthy Eating Index (HEI) (β = 0.299, p < 0.001) and Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) (β = 0. 279, p < 0.001). Findings from the longitudinal intervention study showed a greater reduction in BMI and improved dietary indices among participants with lower NPSQ9 scores. Healthy eating perceptions and dietary habits captured by the NPSQ9 score, based on nine questionnaire items, were associated with reduced body weight and improved diet quality. Likewise, participants with a lower score achieved greater health improvements than those with higher scores, in response to personalised advice, suggesting that NPSQ9 may be used for early evaluation of nutritional status and to tailor nutritional advice. NCT01530139 .

Maximally efficient two-stage screening: Determining intellectual disability in Taiwanese military conscripts.

PubMed

Chien, Chia-Chang; Huang, Shu-Fen; Lung, For-Wey

2009-01-27

The purpose of this study was to apply a two-stage screening method for the large-scale intelligence screening of military conscripts. We collected 99 conscripted soldiers whose educational levels were senior high school level or lower to be the participants. Every participant was required to take the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) assessments. Logistic regression analysis showed the conceptual level responses (CLR) index of the WCST was the most significant index for determining intellectual disability (ID; FIQ ≤ 84). We used the receiver operating characteristic curve to determine the optimum cut-off point of CLR. The optimum one cut-off point of CLR was 66; the two cut-off points were 49 and 66. Comparing the two-stage window screening with the two-stage positive screening, the area under the curve and the positive predictive value increased. Moreover, the cost of the two-stage window screening decreased by 59%. The two-stage window screening is more accurate and economical than the two-stage positive screening. Our results provide an example for the use of two-stage screening and the possibility of the WCST to replace WAIS-R in large-scale screenings for ID in the future.

Maximally efficient two-stage screening: Determining intellectual disability in Taiwanese military conscripts

PubMed Central

Chien, Chia-Chang; Huang, Shu-Fen; Lung, For-Wey

2009-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study was to apply a two-stage screening method for the large-scale intelligence screening of military conscripts. Methods: We collected 99 conscripted soldiers whose educational levels were senior high school level or lower to be the participants. Every participant was required to take the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) assessments. Results: Logistic regression analysis showed the conceptual level responses (CLR) index of the WCST was the most significant index for determining intellectual disability (ID; FIQ ≤ 84). We used the receiver operating characteristic curve to determine the optimum cut-off point of CLR. The optimum one cut-off point of CLR was 66; the two cut-off points were 49 and 66. Comparing the two-stage window screening with the two-stage positive screening, the area under the curve and the positive predictive value increased. Moreover, the cost of the two-stage window screening decreased by 59%. Conclusion: The two-stage window screening is more accurate and economical than the two-stage positive screening. Our results provide an example for the use of two-stage screening and the possibility of the WCST to replace WAIS-R in large-scale screenings for ID in the future. PMID:21197345

A Genome-Wide Knockout Screen to Identify Genes Involved in Acquired Carboplatin Resistance

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-01

library screen to identify genes that when knocked out render human ovarian cells > 2.5-fold resistant to CBDCA; 2) Validate the ability of...a GeCKOv2 library screen to identify genes that when knocked out render human ovarian cells > 2.5-fold resistant to CBDCA; 2) validate the ability of...resistance in either cell lines or clinical samples. The CRIPSR-cas9 technology now provides us with a major new tool to introduce knock out mutations

Development and validation of a scoring index to predict the presence of lesions in capsule endoscopy in patients with suspected Crohn's disease of the small bowel: a Spanish multicenter study.

PubMed

Egea-Valenzuela, Juan; González Suárez, Begoña; Sierra Bernal, Cristian; Juanmartiñena Fernández, José Francisco; Luján-Sanchís, Marisol; San Juan Acosta, Mileidis; Martínez Andrés, Blanca; Pons Beltrán, Vicente; Sastre Lozano, Violeta; Carretero Ribón, Cristina; de Vera Almenar, Félix; Sánchez Cuenca, Joaquín; Alberca de Las Parras, Fernando; Rodríguez de Miguel, Cristina; Valle Muñoz, Julio; Férnandez-Urién Sainz, Ignacio; Torres González, Carolina; Borque Barrera, Pilar; Pérez-Cuadrado Robles, Enrique; Alonso Lázaro, Noelia; Martínez García, Pilar; Prieto de Frías, César; Carballo Álvarez, Fernando

2018-05-01

Capsule endoscopy (CE) is the first-line investigation in cases of suspected Crohn's disease (CD) of the small bowel, but the factors associated with a higher diagnostic yield remain unclear. Our aim is to develop and validate a scoring index to assess the risk of the patients in this setting on the basis of biomarkers. Data on fecal calprotectin, C-reactive protein, and other biomarkers from a population of 124 patients with suspected CD of the small bowel studied by CE and included in a PhD study were used to build a scoring index. This was first used on this population (internal validation process) and after that on a different set of patients from a multicenter study (external validation process). An index was designed in which every biomarker is assigned a score. Three risk groups have been established (low, intermediate, and high). In the internal validation analysis (124 individuals), patients had a 10, 46.5, and 81% probability of showing inflammatory lesions in CE in the low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk groups, respectively. In the external validation analysis, including 410 patients from 12 Spanish hospitals, this probability was 15.8, 49.7, and 80.6% for the low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk groups, respectively. Results from the internal validation process show that the scoring index is coherent, and results from the external validation process confirm its reliability. This index can be a useful tool for selecting patients before CE studies in cases of suspected CD of the small bowel.

The Student Risk Screening Scale for Early Childhood: An Initial Validation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Kathleen Lynne; Oakes, Wendy Peia; Menzies, Holly Mariah; Major, Rebecca; Allegra, Laurie; Powers, Lisa; Schatschneider, Chris

2015-01-01

We report findings of two exploratory validation studies of a revised instrument: the "Student Risk Screening Scale for Early Childhood" version (SRSS-EC). The SRSS-EC was modified to reflect characteristics of externalizing and internalizing behaviors manifested by preschool-age children. In Study 1, we explored the reliability of…

STANDARDIZATION AND VALIDATION OF ADENOVIRAL TRANSDUCTION OF AN ANDROGEN RECEPTOR POSITIVE CELL LINE WITH AN MMTV-LUC REPORTER FOR ENDOCRINE SCREENING

EPA Science Inventory

Standardization and Validation of Adenoviral Transduction of an Androgen Receptor Positive Cell Line with an MMTV-Luc Reporter for Endocrine Screening P. Hartig, K . Bobseine,
M. Cardon, C. Lambright and L. E. Gray, Jr. USEPA, Reproductive Toxicology Division, NHEERL, RTP, NC...

Investigating the Incremental Validity of Cognitive Variables in Early Mathematics Screening

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Ben; Shanley, Lina; Kosty, Derek; Baker, Scott K.; Cary, Mari Strand; Fien, Hank; Smolkowski, Keith

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the incremental validity of a set of domain general cognitive measures added to a traditional screening battery of early numeracy measures. The sample consisted of 458 kindergarten students of whom 285 were designated as severely at-risk for mathematics difficulty. Hierarchical multiple regression…

Effects of Task Training on Kindergarten Students' Performance on Early Literacy Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackiewicz, Sara Moore

2010-01-01

The use of early literacy screening measures helps determine which students are at risk for future reading difficulties. However, there has been some recent concern related to the classification validity of screening measures (Hintze, Ryan, & Stoner, 2003; Nelson, 2008). Low classification validity results in the identification of a large number…

A Longitudinal Study of the Predictive Validity of a Kindergarten Screening Battery.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilgallon, Mary K.; Mueller, Richard J.

Test validity was studied in nine subtests of a kindergarten screening battery used to predict reading comprehension for children up to five years after entering kindergarten. The independent variables were kindergarteners' scores on the: (1) Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test; (2) Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test; (3) Detroit Tests of Learning…

Validation of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire, Mandarin Chinese Version (CH-ASSQ) in Beijing, China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guo, Yan-Qing; Tang, Yilang; Rice, Catherine; Lee, Li-Ching; Wang, Yu-Feng; Cubells, Joseph F.

2011-01-01

Background: This study screened children in Beijing, China, in order to establish the validity of a Mandarin Chinese translation of the ASSQ. Methods: We recruited children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS) (DSM-IV diagnoses made independently by…

The Screening Test for Emotional Problems-Parent Report (STEP-P): Studies of Reliability and Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erford, Bradley T.; Alsamadi, Silvana C.

2012-01-01

Score reliability and validity of parent responses concerning their 10- to 17-year-old students were analyzed using the Screening Test for Emotional Problems-Parent Report (STEP-P), which assesses a variety of emotional problems classified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. Score reliability, convergent, and…

Validation of the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neale, Anne Victoria; And Others

Elder abuse is recognized as an under-detected and under-reported social problem. Difficulties in detecting elder abuse are compounded by the lack of a standardized, psychometrically valid instrument for case finding. The development of the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (H-S/EAST) followed a larger effort to identify indicators and…

Investigation of the Lollipop Test as a Pre-Kindergarten Screening Instrument.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chew, Alex L.; Morris, John D.

1987-01-01

The validity of the Lollipop Test: A Diagnostic Screening Test of School Readiness was examined for 129 pre-kindergarten subjects using the Developmental Indicator for the Assessment of Learning as the criterion. Concurrent validity was demonstrated across the test batteries. The Lollipop Test appears to be an attractive alternative…

A developmental screening tool for toddlers with multiple domains based on Rasch analysis.

PubMed

Hwang, Ai-Wen; Chou, Yeh-Tai; Hsieh, Ching-Lin; Hsieh, Wu-Shiun; Liao, Hua-Fang; Wong, Alice May-Kuen

2015-01-01

Using multidomain developmental screening tools is a feasible method for pediatric health care professionals to identify children at risk of developmental problems in multiple domains simultaneously. The purpose of this study was to develop a Rasch-based tool for Multidimensional Screening in Child Development (MuSiC) for children aged 0-3 years. The MuSic was developed by constructing items bank based on three commonly used screening tools, validating with developmental status (at risk for delay or not) on five developmental domains. Parents of a convenient sample of 632 children (aged 3-35.5 months) with and without developmental delays responded to items from the three screening tools funded by health authorities in Taiwan. Item bank was determined by item fit of Rasch analysis for each of the five developmental domains (cognitive skills, language skills, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and socioadaptive skills). Children's performance scores in logits derived in Rasch analysis were validated with developmental status for each domain using the area under receiver operating characteristic curves. MuSiC, a 75-item developmental screening tool for five domains, was derived. The diagnostic validity of all five domains was acceptable for all stages of development, except for the infant stage (≤11 months and 15 days). MuSiC can be applied simultaneously to well-child care visits as a universal screening tool for children aged 1-3 years on multiple domains. Items with sound validity for infants need to be further developed. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Discovering new PI3Kα inhibitors with a strategy of combining ligand-based and structure-based virtual screening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Miao; Gu, Qiong; Xu, Jun

2018-02-01

PI3Kα is a promising drug target for cancer chemotherapy. In this paper, we report a strategy of combing ligand-based and structure-based virtual screening to identify new PI3Kα inhibitors. First, naïve Bayesian (NB) learning models and a 3D-QSAR pharmacophore model were built based upon known PI3Kα inhibitors. Then, the SPECS library was screened by the best NB model. This resulted in virtual hits, which were validated by matching the structures against the pharmacophore models. The pharmacophore matched hits were then docked into PI3Kα crystal structures to form ligand-receptor complexes, which are further validated by the Glide-XP program to result in structural validated hits. The structural validated hits were examined by PI3Kα inhibitory assay. With this screening protocol, ten PI3Kα inhibitors with new scaffolds were discovered with IC50 values ranging 0.44-31.25 μM. The binding affinities for the most active compounds 33 and 74 were estimated through molecular dynamics simulations and MM-PBSA analyses.

Screening for depression in clinical practice: reliability and validity of a five-item subset of the CES-Depression.

PubMed

Bohannon, Richard W; Maljanian, Rose; Goethe, John

2003-12-01

Individuals with chronic disease are not screened routinely for depression. Availability of an abbreviated test with demonstrated reliability and validity might encourage screening so we explored the reliability and validity of a 5-item subset of the 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale among inner-city outpatients with chronic asthma or diabetes. Most patients were female (73.1%) and Hispanic (61.8%). Acceptable reliability was shown by Cronbach alpha (.76) for the subset of 5 items. Validity was supported by the high correlation of .91 between patients' scores on the 5-item subset and the full 20 items. The 5 items reflected a single factor (eigenvalue = 2.66). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified cut-points for the 5 items that were sensitive (> .84) and specific (> or = .80) in identifying patients classified as depressed by full 20 items. The reduced patient and clinician burden of the subset of 5 items, as well as its desirable psychometric properties, support broader application of this subset as a screening tool for depression.

EDRN Breast and Ovary Cancer CVC, Study 4: Phase 3 Validation of Ovarian Cancer Serum Markers in Preclinical WHI Samples — EDRN Public Portal

Cancer.gov

The WHI offers an opportunity to evaluate ovarian cancer markers and screening decision rules developed and validated in EDRN CVC Studies 2 and 3 in women who were not being screened. It is particularly well suited to validation of risk markers, since many serum samples were drawn well before clinical diagnosis of cancer in the WHI cohorts. A strategy is needed to identify from among the general population of women over the age of 50 those at high-risk for a diagnosis of ovarian/fallopian tube cancer so that they can be referred for appropriate surveillance, imaging or surgical consult. Tools to identify high-risk women will be investigated including serum markers CA125, HE4, MSLN, and MMP7 and epidemiologic risk factors. We will optimize decision rules using stored serum samples from the WHI OS and conduct a simulated prospective validation using stored serum samples from the WHI CT. Decision rules to select women for ovarian cancer screening will be investigated as well as decision rules for use in ovarian cancer screening.

49 CFR 1522.101 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SECURITY RULES FOR ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION TSA-APPROVED VALIDATION FIRMS AND VALIDATORS TSA-Approved Validation Firms and Validators for the Certified Cargo Screening Program § 1522.101 Applicability. This subpart governs the use of TSA-approved validation firms and validators to...

49 CFR 1522.119 - Training.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SECURITY RULES FOR ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION TSA-APPROVED VALIDATION FIRMS AND VALIDATORS TSA-Approved Validation Firms and Validators for the Certified Cargo Screening Program § 1522.119 Training. (a) Initial training. The validation firm must ensure that its validators and...

Validity of Arabic version of the two-question Quick Inventory of Depression (QID-2-Ar): Screening for multiple sclerosis in an Arab environment and during the Syrian war.

PubMed

Kubitary, A; Alsaleh, M A

2018-03-01

This study aimed to validate the Arabic version of the two-question Quick Inventory of Depression (QID-2-Ar) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients living in Syria during the war. A total of 100 Syrian MS patients, aged 18-60 years, were recruited at Damascus Hospital and Ibn Al-Nafees Hospital to validate the QID-2-Ar, including analyses of its screening test parameters and its construct validity. The QID-2-Ar screening parameters for depression tested very positively, and its construct validity was also favorable (P<0.01). The QID-2-Ar is a good screening test for detecting depression. Using a threshold score of ≥1 rather than 2 resulted in more depressed patients being correctly identified. The Arabic version of the QID-2-Ar also has highly favorable psychometric properties. It is valid for assessing depression, especially the two main depressive symptoms (depressive mood and anhedonia) listed in DSM-V. This is a useful tool for researchers and practitioners, and a threshold score of 2 on the QID-2-Ar is recommended to be more certain that all those with depression are detected without having to use a complete depression questionnaire such as the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-II. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Genome-wide RNAi Screening to Identify Host Factors That Modulate Oncolytic Virus Therapy.

PubMed

Allan, Kristina J; Mahoney, Douglas J; Baird, Stephen D; Lefebvre, Charles A; Stojdl, David F

2018-04-03

High-throughput genome-wide RNAi (RNA interference) screening technology has been widely used for discovering host factors that impact virus replication. Here we present the application of this technology to uncovering host targets that specifically modulate the replication of Maraba virus, an oncolytic rhabdovirus, and vaccinia virus with the goal of enhancing therapy. While the protocol has been tested for use with oncolytic Maraba virus and oncolytic vaccinia virus, this approach is applicable to other oncolytic viruses and can also be utilized for identifying host targets that modulate virus replication in mammalian cells in general. This protocol describes the development and validation of an assay for high-throughput RNAi screening in mammalian cells, the key considerations and preparation steps important for conducting a primary high-throughput RNAi screen, and a step-by-step guide for conducting a primary high-throughput RNAi screen; in addition, it broadly outlines the methods for conducting secondary screen validation and tertiary validation studies. The benefit of high-throughput RNAi screening is that it allows one to catalogue, in an extensive and unbiased fashion, host factors that modulate any aspect of virus replication for which one can develop an in vitro assay such as infectivity, burst size, and cytotoxicity. It has the power to uncover biotherapeutic targets unforeseen based on current knowledge.

[Validation of a nutritional screening tool for hospitalized pediatric patients].

PubMed

Lama More, R A; Moráis López, A; Herrero Álvarez, M; Caraballo Chicano, S; Galera Martínez, R; López Ruzafa, E; Rodríguez Martínez, G; de la Mano Hernández, A; Rivero de la Rosa, M C

2012-01-01

Malnutrition among hospitalized patients has clinical implications, and interest has arisen to find screening tools able to identify subjects under risk. At present, there is no consensus about the most suitable nutrition screening tool for pediatric patients. To validate STAMP (Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Pediatrics) pediatric screening tool in Spain. Descriptive cross-sectional study of patients admitted to a 3rd level children's hospital with both medical and surgical specialities. During the first 24 hours of admission, STAMP screening tool was applied. For its validation, results were compared with those obtained from a nutritional assessment performed by specialist staff, which included clinical, anthropometric and body composition data. A sample of 250 children was studied. Nutritional assessment identified 64 patients (25.6%) under risk, 40 of whom were malnourished (16%). STAMP classified 48.4% of the patients as being under nutritional risk. This tool showed 75% sensitivity and 60.8% specificity when identifying patients under risk according to nutritional assessment. It showed 90% sensitivity and 59.5% specificity when identifying malnourished patients. Malnutrition was less frequent than that reported in other European countries, although diagnosis technique was different. STAMP is a simple and useful tool for nutritional screening, avoiding the need to assess all patients on admission in order to identify those under nutritional risk.

Diagnostic Validity of High-Density Barium Sulfate in Gastric Cancer Screening: Follow-up of Screenees by Record Linkage with the Osaka Cancer Registry

PubMed Central

Yamamoto, Kenyu; Yamazaki, Hideo; Kuroda, Chikazumi; Kubo, Tsugio; Oshima, Akira; Katsuda, Toshizo; Kuwano, Tadao; Takeda, Yoshihiro

2010-01-01

Background The use of high-density barium sulfate was recommended by the Japan Society of Gastroenterological Cancer Screening (JSGCS) in 2004. We evaluated the diagnostic validity of gastric cancer screening that used high-density barium sulfate. Methods The study subjects were 171 833 residents of Osaka, Japan who underwent gastric cancer screening tests at the Osaka Cancer Prevention and Detection Center during the period from 1 January 2000 through 31 December 2001. Screening was conducted using either high-density barium sulfate (n = 48 336) or moderate-density barium sulfate (n = 123 497). The subjects were followed up and their medical records were linked to those of the Osaka Cancer Registry through 31 December 2002. The results of follow-up during 1 year were defined as the gold standard, and test performance values were calculated. Results The sensitivity and specificity of the screening test using moderate-density barium sulfate were 92.3% and 91.0%, respectively, while the sensitivity and specificity of the high-density barium test were 91.8% and 91.4%, respectively. The results of area under receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed no significant difference between the 2 screening tests. Conclusions Screening tests using high- and moderate-density barium sulfate had similar validity, as determined by sensitivity, specificity, and ROC curve analysis. PMID:20551581

A Comparison of Screening Instruments: Predictive Validity of the BESS and BSC

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Kathleen R.; Reschly, Amy L.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare two behavior screening instruments--the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System and the Behavior Screening Checklist. The sample consisted of 492 elementary school children from the southeastern United States. The psychometric properties of the screening instruments were evaluated in terms of…

The effect of Interaction Anxiousness Scale and Brief Social Phobia Scale for screening social anxiety disorder in college students: a study on discriminative validity.

PubMed

Cao, Jianqin; Yang, Jinwei; Zhou, Yuqiu; Chu, Fuliu; Zhao, Xiwu; Wang, Weiren; Wang, Yunlong; Peng, Tao

2016-12-01

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most prevalent mental health problems, but there is little research concerning the effective screening instruments in practice. This study was designed to examine the discriminative validity of Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS) and Brief Social Phobia Scale (BSPS) for the screening of SAD through the compared and combined analysis. Firstly, 421 Chinese undergraduates were screened by the IAS and BSPS. Secondly, in the follow-up stage, 248 students were interviewed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used, and the related psychometric characters were checked. The results indicated that the ROC in these two scales demonstrated discrimination is in satisfactory level (range: 0.7-0.8). However, the highest agreement (92.17%) was identified when a cut-off point of 50 measured by the IAS and a cut-off point of 34 by the BSPS were combined, also with higher PPV, SENS, SPEC and OA than that reached when BSPS was used individually, as well as PPV, SPEC and OA in IAS. The findings indicate that the combination of these two scales is valid as the general screening instrument for SAD in maximizing the discriminative validity.

Creation and preliminary validation of the screening for self-medication safety post-stroke scale (S-5).

PubMed

Kaizer, Franceen; Kim, Angela; Van, My Tram; Korner-Bitensky, Nicol

2010-03-01

Patients with stroke should be screened for safety prior to starting a self-medication regime. An extensive literature review revealed no standardized self-medication tool tailored to the multi-faceted needs of the stroke population. The aim of this study was to create and validate a condition-specific tool to be used in screening for self-medication safety in individuals with stroke. Items were generated using expert consultation and review of the existing tools. The draft tool was pilot-tested on expert stroke clinicians to receive feedback on content, clarity, optimal cueing and domain omissions. The final version was piloted on patients with stroke using a structured interviewer-administered interview. The tool was progressively refined and validated according to feedback from the 11 expert reviewers. The subsequent version was piloted on patients with stroke. The final version includes 16 questions designed to elicit information on 5 domains: cognition, communication, motor, visual-perception and, judgement/executive function/self-efficacy. The Screening for Safe Self-medication post-Stroke Scale (S-5) has been created and validated for use by health professionals to screen self-medication safety readiness of patients after stroke. Its use should also help to guide clinicians' recommendations and interventions aimed at enhancing self-medication post-stroke.

Screening for confabulations with the confabulation screen.

PubMed

Dalla Barba, Gianfranco; Brazzarola, Marta; Marangoni, Sara; La Corte, Valentina

2018-04-24

The objective of this work is to devise and validate a sensitive and specific test for confabulatory impairment. We conceived a screening test for confabulation, the Confabulation Screen (CS), a brief test using 10 questions of episodic memory (EM), where confabulators most frequently confabulate. It was postulated that the CS would predict confabulations not only in EM, but also in the other subordinate structures of personal temporality, namely the present and the future. Thirty confabulating amnesic patients of various aetiologies and 97 normal controls entered the study. Participants were administered the CS and the Confabulation Battery (Dalla Barba, G., & Decaix, C. (2009). "Do you remeber what you did on March 13 1985?" A case study of confabulatory hypermnesia. Cortex, 45(5), 566-574). Confabulations in the CS positively and significantly correlated with confabulations in personal temporality domains of the CB, namely EM, orientation in time and place and episodic plans. Conversely, as expected, they did not correlate with confabulations in impersonal temporality domains of the CB. Consistent with results of previous studies, the most frequently observed type of confabulation in the CS was Habits Confabulation. The CS had high construct validity and good discriminative validity in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Cut-off scores for clinical and research purposes are proposed. The CS provides efficient and valid screening for confabulatory impairment.

A screening model for low bone mass in elderly Japanese men using quantitative ultrasound measurements: Fujiwara-Kyo Study.

PubMed

Minematsu, Akira; Hazaki, Kan; Harano, Akihiro; Iki, Masayuki; Fujita, Yuki; Okamoto, Nozomi; Kurumatani, Norio

2012-01-01

Screening for low bone mass is important to prevent fragility fractures in men as well as women, although men show a much lower prevalence of osteoporosis than women. The purpose of this study was to establish a screening model for low bone mineral density (BMD) using a quantitative ultrasound parameter and easily obtained objective indices for elderly Japanese men. We examined 1633 men (65-84 yr old) who were subjects of the Fujiwara-Kyo Study. Speed of sound (SOS) at the calcaneus was determined, and BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine (LS), total hip (TH), and femoral neck (FN). Low BMD was defined as >1 standard deviation below the young adult mean, in accordance with World Health Organization criteria. We performed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to identify a better screening model incorporating SOS and determined the optimal cutoff value using Youden index. Prevalences of low BMD at the 3 skeletal sites were 27.8% (LS), 33.5% (TH), 48.6% (FN), and 43.3% at either LS or TH. The greatest area under the ROC curve (0.806, 95% confidence interval: 0.785-0.828) and smallest Akaike's information criterion were obtained in the multivariate model incorporating SOS, age, height, and weight for predicting low BMD at all skeletal sites. This model predicted low BMD at TH with the sensitivity of 0.726 and specificity of 0.739, whereas a similar model predicted low BMD at LS with much lower validity. We conclude that the multivariate model for TH could be used to screen for low BMD in elderly Japanese men. Copyright © 2012 The International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Screening obese children and adolescents for prediabetes and/or type 2 diabetes in pediatric practices: a validation study.

PubMed

Brar, Preneet C; Mengwall, Lisa; Franklin, Bonita H; Fierman, Arthur H

2014-07-01

Increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) makes it important for pediatricians to use effective screening tools for risk assessment of prediabetes/T2DM in children. Children (n = 149) who had an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were studied. American Diabetes Association recommended screening criteria-HbA1c ≥5.7% and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥100 mg/dL-were compared against OGTT. The homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), a mathematical index derived from fasting insulin and glucose, was compared with OGTT. We studied whether combining screening tests (HbA1c and fasting glucose or HbA1c and HOMA-IR) improved accuracy of prediction of the OGTT. HbA1c of ≥5.7% had a sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 57% when compared with the OGTT. Combining screening tests (HbA1c ≥5.7% and FPG ≥100 mg/dL; HbA1c ≥5.7% and HOMA-IR ≥3.4) resulted in improved sensitivity (95.5% for each), with the HbA1c-FPG doing better than the HbA1c-HOMA-IR combination in terms of ability to rule out prediabetes (likelihood ratio [LR]) negative. 0.07 vs 0.14). HbA1c of ≥5.7% provided fair discrimination of glucose tolerance compared with the OGTT. The combination of HbA1c and FPG is a useful method for identifying children who require an OGTT. © The Author(s) 2014.

The Rorschach Perceptual-Thinking Index (PTI): An Examination of Reliability, Validity, and Diagnostic Efficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hilsenroth, Mark J.; Eudell-Simmons, Erin M.; DeFife, Jared A.; Charnas, Jocelyn W.

2007-01-01

This study investigates the reliability, validity, and diagnostic efficiency of the Rorschach Perceptual-Thinking Index (PTI) in relation to the accurate identification of psychotic disorder (PTD) patients. The PTI is a revision of the Rorschach Schizophrenia Index (SCZI), designed to achieve several criteria, including an increase in the…

Measuring cervical cancer risk: development and validation of the CARE Risky Sexual Behavior Index.

PubMed

Reiter, Paul L; Katz, Mira L; Ferketich, Amy K; Ruffin, Mack T; Paskett, Electra D

2009-12-01

To develop and validate a risky sexual behavior index specific to cervical cancer research. Sexual behavior data on 428 women from the Community Awareness Resources and Education (CARE) study were utilized. A weighting scheme for eight risky sexual behaviors was generated and validated in creating the CARE Risky Sexual Behavior Index. Cutpoints were then identified to classify women as having a low, medium, or high level of risky sexual behavior. Index scores ranged from 0 to 35, with women considered to have a low level of risky sexual behavior if their score was less than six (31.3% of sample), a medium level if their score was 6–10 (30.6%), or a high level if their score was 11 or greater (38.1%). A strong association was observed between the created categories and having a previous abnormal Pap smear test (p < 0.001). The CARE Risky Sexual Behavior Index provides a tool for measuring risky sexual behavior level for cervical cancer research. Future studies are needed to validate this index in varied populations and test its use in the clinical setting.

A kinase-focused compound collection: compilation and screening strategy.

PubMed

Sun, Dongyu; Chuaqui, Claudio; Deng, Zhan; Bowes, Scott; Chin, Donovan; Singh, Juswinder; Cullen, Patrick; Hankins, Gretchen; Lee, Wen-Cherng; Donnelly, Jason; Friedman, Jessica; Josiah, Serene

2006-06-01

Lead identification by high-throughput screening of large compound libraries has been supplemented with virtual screening and focused compound libraries. To complement existing approaches for lead identification at Biogen Idec, a kinase-focused compound collection was designed, developed and validated. Two strategies were adopted to populate the compound collection: a ligand shape-based virtual screening and a receptor-based approach (structural interaction fingerprint). Compounds selected with the two approaches were cherry-picked from an existing high-throughput screening compound library, ordered from suppliers and supplemented with specific medicinal compounds from internal programs. Promising hits and leads have been generated from the kinase-focused compound collection against multiple kinase targets. The principle of the collection design and screening strategy was validated and the use of the kinase-focused compound collection for lead identification has been added to existing strategies.

Screening tests for aphasia in patients with stroke: a systematic review.

PubMed

El Hachioui, Hanane; Visch-Brink, Evy G; de Lau, Lonneke M L; van de Sandt-Koenderman, Mieke W M E; Nouwens, Femke; Koudstaal, Peter J; Dippel, Diederik W J

2017-02-01

Aphasia has a large impact on the quality of life and adds significantly to the costs of stroke care. Early recognition of aphasia in stroke patients is important for prognostication and well-timed treatment planning. We aimed to identify available screening tests for differentiating between aphasic and non-aphasic stroke patients, and to evaluate test accuracy, reliability, and feasibility. We searched PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, and PsycINFO for published studies on screening tests aimed at assessing aphasia in stroke patients. The reference lists of the selected articles were scanned, and several experts were contacted to detect additional references. Of each screening test, we estimated the sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio of a positive test, likelihood ratio of a negative test, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and rated the degree of bias of the validation method. We included ten studies evaluating eight screening tests. There was a large variation across studies regarding sample size, patient characteristics, and reference tests used for validation. Many papers failed to report on the consecutiveness of patient inclusion, time between aphasia onset and administration of the screening test, and blinding. Of the three studies that were rated as having an intermediate or low risk of bias, the DOR was highest for the Language Screening Test and ScreeLing. Several screening tools for aphasia in stroke are available, but many tests have not been verified properly. Methodologically sound validation studies of aphasia screening tests are needed to determine their usefulness in clinical practice.

Can Touch Screen Tablets be Used to Assess Cognitive and Motor Skills in Early Years Primary School Children? A Cross-Cultural Study.

PubMed

Pitchford, Nicola J; Outhwaite, Laura A

2016-01-01

Assessment of cognitive and motor functions is fundamental for developmental and neuropsychological profiling. Assessments are usually conducted on an individual basis, with a trained examiner, using standardized paper and pencil tests, and can take up to an hour or more to complete, depending on the nature of the test. This makes traditional standardized assessments of child development largely unsuitable for use in low-income countries. Touch screen tablets afford the opportunity to assess cognitive functions in groups of participants, with untrained administrators, with precision recording of responses, thus automating the assessment process. In turn, this enables cognitive profiling to be conducted in contexts where access to qualified examiners and standardized assessments are rarely available. As such, touch screen assessments could provide a means of assessing child development in both low- and high-income countries, which would afford cross-cultural comparisons to be made with the same assessment tool. However, before touch screen tablet assessments can be used for cognitive profiling in low-to-high-income countries they need to be shown to provide reliable and valid measures of performance. We report the development of a new touch screen tablet assessment of basic cognitive and motor functions for use with early years primary school children in low- and high-income countries. Measures of spatial intelligence, visual attention, short-term memory, working memory, manual processing speed, and manual coordination are included as well as mathematical knowledge. To investigate if this new touch screen assessment tool can be used for cross-cultural comparisons we administered it to a sample of children ( N = 283) spanning standards 1-3 in a low-income country, Malawi, and a smaller sample of children ( N = 70) from first year of formal schooling from a high-income country, the UK. Split-half reliability, test-retest reliability, face validity, convergent construct validity, predictive criterion validity, and concurrent criterion validity were investigated. Results demonstrate "proof of concept" that touch screen tablet technology can provide reliable and valid psychometric measures of performance in the early years, highlighting its potential to be used in cross-cultural comparisons and research.

Psychometric testing of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scale in an Iranian sample of family caregivers to newly diagnosed breast cancer women.

PubMed

Khanjari, Sedigheh; Oskouie, Fatemeh; Langius-Eklöf, Ann

2012-02-01

To translate and test the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scale. Research across many countries has determined quality of life of cancer patients, but few attempts have been made to measure the quality of life of family caregivers of patients with breast cancer. The Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scale was developed for this purpose, but until now, it has not been translated into or tested in the Persian language. Methodological research design. After standard translation, the 35-item Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scale was administered to 166 Iranian family caregivers of patients with breast cancer. A confirmatory factor analysis was carried out using LISREL to test the scale's construct validity. Further, the internal consistency and convergent validity of the instrument were tested. For convergent validity, four instruments were used in the study: sense of coherence scale, spirituality perspective scale, health index and brief religious coping scale. The confirmatory factor analysis resulted in the same four-factor structure as the original, though, with somewhat different item loadings. The Persian version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scales had satisfactory internal consistency (0·72-0·90). Tests of convergent validity showed that all hypotheses were confirmed. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis additionally confirmed the convergent validity between the total Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer score and sense of coherence (β = 0·34), negative religious coping (β = -0·21), education (β = 0·24) and the more severe stage of breast cancer (β = 0·23), in total explaining 41% of the variance. The Persian version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scale could be a reliable and valid measure in Iranian family caregivers of patients with breast cancer. The Persian version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer scale is simple to administer and will help nurses to identify the nursing needs of family caregivers. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

49 CFR 1522.113 - Withdrawal of approval.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SECURITY RULES FOR ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION TSA-APPROVED VALIDATION FIRMS AND VALIDATORS TSA-Approved Validation Firms and Validators for the Certified Cargo Screening Program... TSA-approved validation firm if the validation firm ceases to meet the standards for approval, fails...

Development and validation of a macroinvertebrate index of biotic integrity (IBI) for assessing urban impacts to Northern California freshwater wetlands.

PubMed

Lunde, Kevin B; Resh, Vincent H

2012-06-01

Despite California policies requiring assessment of ambient wetland condition and compensatory wetland mitigations, no intensive monitoring tools have been developed to evaluate freshwater wetlands within the state. Therefore, we developed standardized, wadeable field methods to sample macroinvertebrate communities and evaluated 40 wetlands across Northern California to develop a macroinvertebrate index of biotic integrity (IBI). A priori reference sites were selected with minimal urban impacts, representing a best-attainable condition. We screened 56 macroinvertebrate metrics for inclusion in the IBI based on responsiveness to percent urbanization. Eight final metrics were selected for inclusion in the IBI: percent three dominant taxa; scraper richness; percent Ephemeroptera, Odonata, and Trichoptera (EOT); EOT richness; percent Tanypodinae/Chironomidae; Oligochaeta richness; percent Coleoptera; and predator richness. The IBI (potential range 0-100) demonstrated significant discriminatory power between the reference (mean = 69) and impacted wetlands (mean = 28). It also declined with increasing percent urbanization (R (2) = 0.53, p < 0.005) among wetlands in an independent validation dataset (n = 14). The IBI was robust in showing no significant bias with environmental gradients. This IBI is a functional tool to determine the ecological condition at urban (stormwater and flood control ponds), as well as rural freshwater wetlands (stockponds, seasonal wetlands, and natural ponds). Biological differences between perennial and non-perennial wetlands suggest that developing separate indicators for these wetland types may improve applicability, although the existing data set was not sufficient for exploring this option.

Facilitating Factors and Barriers to BMI Screening in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stalter, Ann M.; Chaudry, Rosemary V.; Polivka, Barbara J.

2010-01-01

The National Association of School Nurses advocates for body mass index (BMI) screening. Little research describes school nurse practice of BMI screening. In this descriptive study, 25 Ohio school nurses participated in three focus groups. An adapted "Healthy People 2010" Determinants of Health Model guided the research questions. School…

A New MI-Based Visualization Aided Validation Index for Mining Big Longitudinal Web Trial Data

PubMed Central

Zhang, Zhaoyang; Fang, Hua; Wang, Honggang

2016-01-01

Web-delivered clinical trials generate big complex data. To help untangle the heterogeneity of treatment effects, unsupervised learning methods have been widely applied. However, identifying valid patterns is a priority but challenging issue for these methods. This paper, built upon our previous research on multiple imputation (MI)-based fuzzy clustering and validation, proposes a new MI-based Visualization-aided validation index (MIVOOS) to determine the optimal number of clusters for big incomplete longitudinal Web-trial data with inflated zeros. Different from a recently developed fuzzy clustering validation index, MIVOOS uses a more suitable overlap and separation measures for Web-trial data but does not depend on the choice of fuzzifiers as the widely used Xie and Beni (XB) index. Through optimizing the view angles of 3-D projections using Sammon mapping, the optimal 2-D projection-guided MIVOOS is obtained to better visualize and verify the patterns in conjunction with trajectory patterns. Compared with XB and VOS, our newly proposed MIVOOS shows its robustness in validating big Web-trial data under different missing data mechanisms using real and simulated Web-trial data. PMID:27482473

Development and validation of an automated delirium risk assessment system (Auto-DelRAS) implemented in the electronic health record system.

PubMed

Moon, Kyoung-Ja; Jin, Yinji; Jin, Taixian; Lee, Sun-Mi

2018-01-01

A key component of the delirium management is prevention and early detection. To develop an automated delirium risk assessment system (Auto-DelRAS) that automatically alerts health care providers of an intensive care unit (ICU) patient's delirium risk based only on data collected in an electronic health record (EHR) system, and to evaluate the clinical validity of this system. Cohort and system development designs were used. Medical and surgical ICUs in two university hospitals in Seoul, Korea. A total of 3284 patients for the development of Auto-DelRAS, 325 for external validation, 694 for validation after clinical applications. The 4211 data items were extracted from the EHR system and delirium was measured using CAM-ICU (Confusion Assessment Method for Intensive Care Unit). The potential predictors were selected and a logistic regression model was established to create a delirium risk scoring algorithm to construct the Auto-DelRAS. The Auto-DelRAS was evaluated at three months and one year after its application to clinical practice to establish the predictive validity of the system. Eleven predictors were finally included in the logistic regression model. The results of the Auto-DelRAS risk assessment were shown as high/moderate/low risk on a Kardex screen. The predictive validity, analyzed after the clinical application of Auto-DelRAS after one year, showed a sensitivity of 0.88, specificity of 0.72, positive predictive value of 0.53, negative predictive value of 0.94, and a Youden index of 0.59. A relatively high level of predictive validity was maintained with the Auto-DelRAS system, even one year after it was applied to clinical practice. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Between-Day Reliability of Pre-Participation Screening Components in Pre-Professional Ballet and Contemporary Dancers.

PubMed

Kenny, Sarah J; Palacios-Derflingher, Luz; Owoeye, Oluwatoyosi B A; Whittaker, Jackie L; Emery, Carolyn A

2018-03-15

Critical appraisal of research investigating risk factors for musculoskeletal injury in dancers suggests high quality reliability studies are lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine between-day reliability of pre-participation screening (PPS) components in pre-professional ballet and contemporary dancers. Thirty-eight dancers (35 female, 3 male; median age; 18 years; range: 11 to 30 years) participated. Screening components (Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28, body mass index, percent total body fat, total bone mineral density, Foot Posture Index-6, hip and ankle range of motion, three lumbopelvic control tasks, unipedal dynamic balance, and the Y-Balance Test) were conducted one week apart. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs: 95% confidence intervals), standard error of measurement, minimal detectable change (MDC), Bland-Altman methods of agreement [95% limits of agreement (LOA)], Cohen's kappa coefficients, standard error, and percent agreements were calculated. Depending on the screening component, ICC estimates ranged from 0.51 to 0.98, kappa coefficients varied between -0.09 and 0.47, and percent agreement spanned 71% to 95%. Wide 95% LOA were demonstrated by Foot Posture Index-6 (right: -6.06, 7.31), passive hip external rotation (right: -9.89, 16.54), and passive supine turnout (left: -15.36, 17.58). The PPS components examined demonstrated moderate to excellent relative reliability with mean between-day differences less than MDC, or sufficient percent agreement, across all assessments. However, due to wide 95% limits of agreement, the Foot Posture Index-6 and passive hip range of motion are not recommended for screening injury risk in pre-professional dancers.

Spanish-language screening scales: A critical review.

PubMed

Torres-Castro, S; Mena-Montes, B; González-Ambrosio, G; Zubieta-Zavala, A; Torres-Carrillo, N M; Acosta-Castillo, G I; Espinel-Bermúdez, M C

2018-05-09

Dementia is a chronic, degenerative disease with a strong impact on families and health systems. The instruments currently in use for measuring cognitive impairment have different psychometric characteristics in terms of application time, cut-off point, reliability, and validity. The objective of this review is to describe the characteristics of the validated, Spanish-language versions of the Mini-Cog, Clock-Drawing Test, and Mini-Mental State Examination scales for cognitive impairment screening. We performed a three-stage literature search of articles published on Medline since 1953. We selected articles on validated, Spanish-language versions of the scales that included data on reliability, validity, sensitivity, and specificity. The 3 screening tools assessed in this article provide support for primary care professionals. Timely identification of mild cognitive impairment and dementia is crucial for the prognosis of these patients. Copyright © 2018 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Development, reliability, and validity testing of Toddler NutriSTEP: a nutrition risk screening questionnaire for children 18-35 months of age.

PubMed

Randall Simpson, Janis; Gumbley, Jillian; Whyte, Kylie; Lac, Jane; Morra, Crystal; Rysdale, Lee; Turfryer, Mary; McGibbon, Kim; Beyers, Joanne; Keller, Heather

2015-09-01

Nutrition is vital for optimal growth and development of young children. Nutrition risk screening can facilitate early intervention when followed by nutritional assessment and treatment. NutriSTEP (Nutrition Screening Tool for Every Preschooler) is a valid and reliable nutrition risk screening questionnaire for preschoolers (aged 3-5 years). A need was identified for a similar questionnaire for toddlers (aged 18-35 months). The purpose was to develop a reliable and valid Toddler NutriSTEP. Toddler NutriSTEP was developed in 4 phases. Content and face validity were determined with a literature review, parent focus groups (n = 6; 48 participants), and experts (n = 13) (phase A). A draft questionnaire was refined with key intercept interviews of 107 parents/caregivers (phase B). Test-retest reliability (phase C), based on intra-class correlations (ICC), Kappa (κ) statistics, and Wilcoxon tests was assessed with 133 parents/caregivers. Criterion validity (phase D) was assessed using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves by comparing scores on the Toddler NutriSTEP to a comprehensive nutritional assessment of 200 toddlers with a registered dietitian (RD). The Toddler NutriSTEP was reliable between 2 administrations (ICC = 0.951, F = 20.53, p < 0.001); most questions had moderate (κ ≥ 0.6) or excellent (κ ≥ 0.8) agreement. Scores on the RD nutrition risk rating and the Toddler NutriSTEP were correlated (r = 0.67, p < 0.000). The area under the ROC curve for moderate and high RD risk ratings were 84.6% and 82.7%, respectively. Cut-points of ≥21 (sensitivity 86%; specificity 61%) (moderate risk) and ≥26 (sensitivity 95%; specificity 63%) (high risk) were determined. The Toddler NutriSTEP questionnaire is both reliable and valid for screening for nutritional risk in toddlers.

Validation of the 6-Item Cognitive Impairment Test and the 4AT test for combined delirium and dementia screening in older Emergency Department attendees.

PubMed

O'Sullivan, Dawn; Brady, Noeleen; Manning, Edmund; O'Shea, Emma; O'Grady, Síle; O 'Regan, Niamh; Timmons, Suzanne

2018-01-01

screening for cognitive impairment in Emergency Department (ED) requires short, reliable tools. to validate the 4AT and 6-Item Cognitive Impairment Test (6-CIT) for ED dementia and delirium screening. diagnostic accuracy study. attendees aged ≥70 years in a tertiary care hospital's ED. trained researchers assessed participants using the Standardised Mini Mental State Examination, Delirium Rating Scale-Revised 98 and Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly, informing ultimate expert diagnosis using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) criteria for dementia and delirium (reference standards). Another researcher blindly screened each participant, within 3 h, using index tests 4AT and 6-CIT. of 419 participants (median age 77 years), 15.2% had delirium and 21.5% had dementia. For delirium detection, 4AT had positive predictive value (PPV) 0.68 (95% confidence intervals: 0.58-0.79) and negative predictive value (NPV) 0.99 (0.97-1.00). At a pre-specified 9/10 cut-off (9 is normal), 6-CIT had PPV 0.35 (0.27-0.44) and NPV 0.98 (0.95-0.99). Importantly, 52% of participants had no family present. A novel algorithm for scoring 4AT item 4 where collateral history is unavailable (score 4 if items 2-3 score ≥1; score 0 if items 1-3 score is 0) proved reliable; PPV 0.65 (0.54-0.76) and NPV 0.99 (0.97-1.00). For dementia detection, 4AT had PPV 0.39 (0.32-0.46) and NPV 0.94 (0.89-0.96); 6-CIT had PPV 0.46 (0.37-0.55) and NPV 0.94 (0.90-0.97). 6-CIT and 4AT accurately exclude delirium and dementia in older ED attendees. 6-CIT does not require collateral history but has lower PPV for delirium. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

Telemedicine and Diabetic Retinopathy: Review of Published Screening Programs

PubMed Central

Tozer, Kevin; Woodward, Maria A.; Newman-Casey, Paula A.

2016-01-01

Background Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness worldwide even though successful treatments exist. Improving screening and treatment could avoid many cases of vision loss. However, due to an increasing prevalence of diabetes, traditional in-person screening for DR for every diabetic patient is not feasible. Telemedicine is one viable solution to provide high-quality and efficient screening to large number of diabetic patients. Purpose To provide a narrative review of large DR telemedicine screening programs. Methods Articles were identified through a comprehensive search of the English-language literature published between 2000 and 2014. Telemedicine screening programs were included for review if they had published data on at least 150 patients and had available validation studies supporting their model. Screening programs were then categorized according to their American Telemedicine Association Validation Level. Results Seven programs from the US and abroad were identified and included in the review. Three programs were Category 1 programs (Ophdiat, EyePacs, and Digiscope), two were Category 2 programs (Eye Check, NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Program), and two were Category 3 programs (Joslin Vision Network, Alberta Screening Program). No program was identified that claimed category 4 status. Programs ranged from community or city level programs to large nationwide programs including millions of individuals. The programs demonstrated a high level of clinical accuracy in screening for DR. There was no consensus amongst the programs regarding the need for dilation, need for stereoscopic images, or the level of training for approved image graders. Conclusion Telemedicine programs have been clinically validated and successfully implemented across the globe. They can provide a high-level of clinical accuracy for screening for DR while improving patient access in a cost-effective and scalable manner. PMID:27430019

Standardised alcohol screening in primary health care services targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.

PubMed

Islam, M Mofizul; Oni, Helen T; Lee, K S Kylie; Hayman, Noel; Wilson, Scott; Harrison, Kristie; Hummerston, Beth; Ivers, Rowena; Conigrave, Katherine M

2018-03-29

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) around Australia have been asked to standardise screening for unhealthy drinking. Accordingly, screening with the 3-item AUDIT-C (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption) tool has become a national key performance indicator. Here we provide an overview of suitability of AUDIT-C and other brief alcohol screening tools for use in ACCHSs. All peer-reviewed literature providing original data on validity, acceptability or feasibility of alcohol screening tools among Indigenous Australians was reviewed. Narrative synthesis was used to identify themes and integrate results. Three screening tools-full AUDIT, AUDIT-3 (third question of AUDIT) and CAGE (Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilty and Eye-opener) have been validated against other consumption measures, and found to correspond well. Short forms of AUDIT have also been found to compare well with full AUDIT, and were preferred by primary care staff. Help was often required with converting consumption into standard drinks. Researchers commented that AUDIT and its short forms prompted reflection on drinking. Another tool, the Indigenous Risk Impact Screen (IRIS), jointly screens for alcohol, drug and mental health risk, but is relatively long (13 items). IRIS has been validated against dependence scales. AUDIT, IRIS and CAGE have a greater focus on dependence than on hazardous or harmful consumption. Detection of unhealthy drinking before harms occur is a goal of screening, so AUDIT-C offers advantages over tools like IRIS or CAGE which focus on dependence. AUDIT-C's brevity suits integration with general health screening. Further research is needed on facilitating implementation of systematic alcohol screening into Indigenous primary healthcare.

Cutoffs and cardiovascular risk factors associated with neck circumference among community-dwelling elderly adults: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Coelho, Hélio José; Sampaio, Ricardo Aurélio Carvalho; Gonçalvez, Ivan de Oliveira; Aguiar, Samuel da Silva; Palmeira, Rafael; Oliveira, José Fernando de; Asano, Ricardo Yukio; Sampaio, Priscila Yukari Sewo; Uchida, Marco Carlos

2016-01-01

In elderly people, measurement of several anthropometric parameters may present complications. Although neck circumference measurements seem to avoid these issues, the cutoffs and cardiovascular risk factors associated with this parameter among elderly people remain unknown. This study was developed to identify the cutoff values and cardiovascular risk factors associated with neck circumference measurements among elderly people. Cross-sectional study conducted in two community centers for elderly people. 435 elderly adults (371 women and 64 men) were recruited. These volunteers underwent morphological evaluations (body mass index and waist, hip, and neck circumferences) and hemodynamic evaluations (blood pressure values and heart rate). Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to determine the predictive validity of cutoff values for neck circumference, for identifying overweight/obesity. Multivariate analysis was used to identify cardiovascular risk factors associated with large neck circumference. Cutoff values for neck circumference (men = 40.5 cm and women = 35.7 cm), for detection of obese older adults according to body mass index, were identified. After a second analysis, large neck circumference was shown to be associated with elevated body mass index in men; and elevated body mass index, blood pressure values, prevalence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension in women. The data indicate that neck circumference can be used as a screening tool to identify overweight/obesity in older people. Moreover, large neck circumference values may be associated with cardiovascular risk factors.

Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire: Psychometric properties assessment of the Arabic version.

PubMed

Kwok, Cannas; Endrawes, Gihane; Lee, Chun Fan

2016-02-01

The aim of the study was to report the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire (BCSBQ). A convenience sample of 251 Arabic-Australian women was recruited from a number of Arabic community organizations. Construct validity was examined by Cuzick's non-parametric test while Cronbach α was used to assess internal consistency reliability. Explanatory factor analysis was conducted to study the factor structure. The results indicated that the Arabic version of the BCSBQ had satisfactory validity and internal consistency. The Cronbach's alpha of the three subscales ranged between 0.810 and 0.93. The frequency of breast cancer screening practices (breast awareness, clinical breast-examination and mammography) were significantly associated with attitudes towards general health check-up and perceived barriers to mammographic screening. Exploratory factor analysis showed a similar fit for the hypothesized three-factor structure with our data set. The Arabic version of the BCBSQ is a culturally appropriate, valid and reliable instrument for assessing the beliefs, knowledge and attitudes to breast cancer and breast cancer screening practices among Arabic-Australian women. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment questionnaire for patients with musculoskeletal disorder.

PubMed

Jung, Kyoung-Sim; Jung, Jin-Hwa; In, Tae-Sung; Cho, Hwi-Young

2016-09-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to establish the reliability and validity of the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment questionnaire, which was translated into Korean, for patients with musculoskeletal disorder. [Subjects and Methods] Fifty-five subjects (26 males and 29 females) with musculoskeletal diseases participated in the study. The Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment questionnaire focuses on a limited range of physical functions and includes a dysfunction index and a bother index. Reliability was determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient, and validity was examined by correlating short musculoskeletal function assessment scores with the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) score. [Results] The reliability was 0.97 for the dysfunction index and 0.94 for the bother index. Validity was established by comparison with Korean version of the SF-36. [Conclusion] This study demonstrated that the Korean version of the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of musculoskeletal disorders.

Accuracy of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) in a community-dwelling oldest-old sample: the Pietà Study.

PubMed

Dias, Filipi Leles da Costa; Teixeira, Antônio Lúcio; Guimarães, Henrique Cerqueira; Barbosa, Maira Tonidandel; Resende, Elisa de Paula França; Beato, Rogério Gomes; Carmona, Karoline Carvalho; Caramelli, Paulo

2017-01-01

Late-life depression (LLD) is common, but remains underdiagnosed. Validated screening tools for use with the oldest-old in clinical practice are still lacking, particularly in developing countries. To evaluate the accuracy of a screening tool for LLD in a community-dwelling oldest-old sample. We evaluated 457 community-dwelling elderly subjects, aged ≥75 years and without dementia, with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). Depression diagnosis was established according to DSM-IV criteria following a structured psychiatric interview with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Fifty-two individuals (11.4%) were diagnosed with major depression. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.908 (p<0.001). Using a cut-off score of 5/6 (not depressed/depressed), 84 (18.4%) subjects were considered depressed by the GDS-15 (kappa coefficient = 53.8%, p<0.001). The 4/5 cut-off point achieved the best combination of sensitivity (86.5%) and specificity (82.7%) (Youden's index = 0.692), with robust negative (0.9802) and reasonable positive predictive values (0.3819). GDS-15 showed good accuracy as a screening tool for major depression in this community-based sample of low-educated oldest-old individuals. Our findings support the use of the 4/5 cut-off score, which showed the best diagnostic capacity.

A prediction model based on an artificial intelligence system for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Sun, Lei Ming; Chiu, Hung-Wen; Chuang, Chih Yuan; Liu, Li

2011-09-01

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a major concern in modern medicine; however, it is difficult to diagnose. Screening questionnaires such as the Berlin questionnaire, Rome questionnaire, and BASH'IM score are used to identify patients with OSA. However, the sensitivity and specificity of these tools are not satisfactory. We aim to introduce an artificial intelligence method to screen moderate to severe OSA patients (apnea-hypopnea index ≧15). One hundred twenty patients were asked to complete a newly developed questionnaire before undergoing an overnight polysomnography (PSG) study. One hundred ten validated questionnaires were enrolled in this study. Genetic algorithm (GA) was used to build the five best models based on these questionnaires. The same data were analyzed with logistic regression (LR) for comparison. The sensitivity of the GA models varied from 81.8% to 88.0%, with a specificity of 95% to 97%. On the other hand, the sensitivity and specificity of the LR model were 55.6% and 57.9%, respectively. GA provides a good solution to build models for screening moderate to severe OSA patients, who require PSG evaluation and medical intervention. The questionnaire did not require any special biochemistry data and was easily self-administered. The sensitivity and specificity of the GA models are satisfactory and may improve when more patients are recruited.

Developing a Brief Cross-Culturally Validated Screening Tool for Externalizing Disorders in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zwirs, Barbara W. C.; Burger, Huibert; Schulpen, Tom W. J.; Buitelaar, Jan K.

2008-01-01

The study aims at developing and validating a brief, easy-to-use screening instrument for teachers to predict externalizing disorders in children and recommending them for timely referral. The scores are compared between Dutch and non-Dutch immigrant children and a significant amount of cases for externalizing disorders were identified but sex and…

Structural Validity of the MACI Psychopathy and Narcissism Scales: Evidence of Multidimensionality and Implications for Use in Research and Screening

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penney, Stephanie R.; Moretti, Marlene M.; Da Silva, Kimberley S.

2008-01-01

This study investigated the psychometric properties and predictive validity of three self-report scales (the Psychopathy Content Scale, the Psychopathy-16 scale, and the Egotistic scale) derived from the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) to screen for the presence of psychopathic and narcissistic personality characteristics. Exploratory…

Validity Evidence for the Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Evelyn S.; Pool, Juli L.; Carter, Deborah R.

2011-01-01

An essential component of a response to intervention (RTI) framework is a screening process that is both accurate and efficient. The purpose of this study was to analyze the validity evidence for the "Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension" (TOSREC) to determine its potential for use within a screening process. Participants included…

Validation of Unsupervised Computer-Based Screening for Reading Disability in Greek Elementary Grades 3 and 4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Protopapas, Athanassios; Skaloumbakas, Christos; Bali, Persefoni

2008-01-01

After reviewing past efforts related to computer-based reading disability (RD) assessment, we present a fully automated screening battery that evaluates critical skills relevant for RD diagnosis designed for unsupervised application in the Greek educational system. Psychometric validation in 301 children, 8-10 years old (grades 3 and 4; including…

A Screening Tool to Measure Eye Contact Avoidance in Boys with Fragile X Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Scott S.; Venema, Kaitlin M.

2017-01-01

We examined the reliability, validity and factor structure of the Eye Contact Avoidance Scale (ECAS), a new 15-item screening tool designed to measure eye contact avoidance in individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS). Internal consistency of the scale was acceptable to excellent and convergent validity with the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second…

Experimental design methodologies in the optimization of chiral CE or CEC separations: an overview.

PubMed

Dejaegher, Bieke; Mangelings, Debby; Vander Heyden, Yvan

2013-01-01

In this chapter, an overview of experimental designs to develop chiral capillary electrophoresis (CE) and capillary electrochromatographic (CEC) methods is presented. Method development is generally divided into technique selection, method optimization, and method validation. In the method optimization part, often two phases can be distinguished, i.e., a screening and an optimization phase. In method validation, the method is evaluated on its fit for purpose. A validation item, also applying experimental designs, is robustness testing. In the screening phase and in robustness testing, screening designs are applied. During the optimization phase, response surface designs are used. The different design types and their application steps are discussed in this chapter and illustrated by examples of chiral CE and CEC methods.

Concurrent Validity of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales-Third Edition Index Score Short Forms in the Canadian Standardization Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lange, Rael T.; Iverson, Grant L.

2008-01-01

This study evaluated the concurrent validity of estimated Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales-Third Edition (WAIS-III) index scores using various one- and two-subtest combinations. Participants were the Canadian WAIS-III standardization sample. Using all possible one- and two-subtest combinations, an estimated Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), an…

Inequity of healthcare utilization on mammography examination and Pap smear screening in Thailand: Analysis of a population-based household survey

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Healthcare in Thailand is not equally distributed, and not all people can equally access healthcare resources even if they are covered by health insurance. To examine factors associated with the utilization of mammography examination for breast cancer and Pap smear screening for cervical cancer, data from the national reproductive health survey conducted by the National Statistical Office of Thailand in 2009 was examined. The survey was carried out on 15,074,126 women aged 30–59 years. The results showed that the wealthier respondents had more mammograms than did the lower-income groups. The concentration index was 0.144. The data on Pap smears for cervical cancer also showed that the wealthier respondents were more likely to have had a Pap smear than their lower-income counterparts. The concentration index was 0.054. Determinants of mammography examination were education, followed by health welfare and wealth index, whereas the determinants of Pap smear screening were wealth index, followed by health welfare and education. The government should support greater education for women because education was associated with socioeconomic status and wealth. There should be an increase in the number of screening campaigns, mobile clinics, and low-cost mammograms and continued support for accessibility to mammograms, especially in rural areas and low-income communities. PMID:28282430

Assessment of the accuracy of a new tool for the screening of smartphone addiction

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Objective To translate, adapt and validate the Smartphone Addiction Inventory (SPAI) in a Brazilian population of young adults. Method We employed the translation and back-translation method for the adaptation of the Brazilian version SPAI (SPAI-BR). The sample consisted of 415 university students. Data was collected through an electronic questionnaire, which consisted of the SPAI-BR and the Goodman Criteria (gold standard). The retests were carried out 10–15 days after the initial tests with 130 individuals. Results The SPAI-BR maintained semantic, idiomatic and conceptual equivalences from the original scale. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed the One-factor model of the SPAI with good fit indexes (x2 = 767.861, CFI = 0.913, TLI = 0.905, RMSE = 0.061, WRMR = 1.465). The Kuder-Richardson Coefficient showed good internal consistency. The analysis of the ROC curve established an area under the curve of 86.38%. The Intraclass-Correlation Coefficient of 0.926 between the test and the retest demonstrated an excellent temporal stability. The high correlation between SPAI-BR and the Goodman Criteria (rs = 0.750) established the convergent validity. Conclusion The SPAI-BR is a valid and reliable tool for the detection of Smartphone Addiction in Brazilian university students. PMID:28520798

Development and validation of an ICD-10-based disability predictive index for patients admitted to hospitals with trauma.

PubMed

Wada, Tomoki; Yasunaga, Hideo; Yamana, Hayato; Matsui, Hiroki; Fushimi, Kiyohide; Morimura, Naoto

2018-03-01

There was no established disability predictive measurement for patients with trauma that could be used in administrative claims databases. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a diagnosis-based disability predictive index for severe physical disability at discharge using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) coding. This retrospective observational study used the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database in Japan. Patients who were admitted to hospitals with trauma and discharged alive from 01 April 2010 to 31 March 2015 were included. Pediatric patients under 15 years old were excluded. Data for patients admitted to hospitals from 01 April 2010 to 31 March 2013 was used for development of a disability predictive index (derivation cohort), while data for patients admitted to hospitals from 01 April 2013 to 31 March 2015 was used for the internal validation (validation cohort). The outcome of interest was severe physical disability defined as the Barthel Index score of <60 at discharge. Trauma-related ICD-10 codes were categorized into 36 injury groups with reference to the categorization used in the Global Burden of Diseases study 2013. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed for the outcome using the injury groups and patient baseline characteristics including patient age, sex, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score in the derivation cohort. A score corresponding to a regression coefficient was assigned to each injury group. The disability predictive index for each patient was defined as the sum of the scores. The predictive performance of the index was validated using the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis in the validation cohort. The derivation cohort included 1,475,158 patients, while the validation cohort included 939,659 patients. Of the 939,659 patients, 235,382 (25.0%) were discharged with severe physical disability. The c-statistics of the disability predictive index was 0.795 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.794-0.795), while that of a model using the disability predictive index and patient baseline characteristics was 0.856 (95% CI 0.855-0.857). Severe physical disability at discharge may be well predicted with patient age, sex, CCI score, and the diagnosis-based disability predictive index in patients admitted to hospitals with trauma. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.