Eosinophilic otitis media (EOM), which is characterized by the accumulation of eosinophils in middle ear effusion and the middle ear mucosa, is a refractory type of otitis media that is often associated with asthma. Although an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are necessary to prevent the progression of hearing loss in patients with EOM, there are currently no well-established treatments for this condition. We treated a 60-year-old male patient with asthma and EOM. The patient’s asthma was poorly controlled, despite the use of high-dose inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta-agonist treatment, and the regular use of systemic corticosteroids. Mepolizumab, an anti-IL-5 monoclonal antibody, was started to treat the patient’s refractory asthma. At 4 months after the initiation of mepolizumab treatment, the patient’s asthma, hearing, and middle ear effusion improved. The present case suggests that mepolizumab therapy can control EOM and asthma. 相似文献
Purpose: To cross-culturally translate the Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity Scale into Italian and to evaluate its psychometric properties in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Methods: The Italian version of Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity Scale was developed in accordance with international standards and subsequently administered to 232 Italian adults with multiple sclerosis. The following psychometric properties were analyzed: internal consistency through Cronbach’s α and item-to-total correlation, dimensionality with factor analysis, and convergent and criterion validity through hypotheses-testing, comparing the Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity Scale with other outcome measures (Fatigue Severity Scale, Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life, Modified Ashworth Scale, Barthel Index, and Expanded Disability Status Scale) and analyzing related constructs. Finally, we correlated the MSSS-88 subscales with each other.
Results: The final Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity Scale version was well-understood by all subjects. The internal consistency was good (Cronbach’s α ≥0.90). Factor analysis revealed that each subscale was unidimensional. Convergent and criterion validity were supported by acceptable correlations with other disease-specific questionnaires, according to the a priori expectations.
Conclusions: The final Italian Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity Scale version showed robust psychometric properties. Therefore, it can be recommended as an assessment tool for clinical and research use to evaluate spasticity in Italian patients with multiple sclerosis.
Implications for rehabilitation
The Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity Scale was developed to measure patients’ perception of the impact of spasticity on life of subjects with multiple sclerosis.
In a sample of Italian subjects with multiple sclerosis, the Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity Scale revealed good internal consistency and convergent and criterion validity.
Factor analysis demonstrated that each subscale was unidimensional.
Each subscale can be used to assess the impact of spasticity in Italian patients with multiple sclerosis.
Background The aim of this study was to produce a simplified questionnaire for evaluation of the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).Methods A total of 124 patients with an endoscopic diagnosis of GERD completed a 50-part questionnaire, requiring only yes or no answers, that covered various symptoms related to the upper gastrointestinal tract, as well as psychosomatic symptoms. The 12 questions to which patients most often answered yes were selected, and were assigned scores (never = 0; occasionally = 1; sometimes = 2; often = 3; and always = 4) to produce a frequency scale for symptoms of GERD (FSSG). Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the FSSG questionnaire were evaluated in another group of patients with GERD and non-GERD. The usefulness of this questionnaire was evaluated in 26 other GERD patients who were treated with proton pump inhibitors for 8 weeks.Results When the cutoff score was set at 8 points, the FSSG showed a sensitivity of 62%, a specificity of 59%, and an accuracy of 60%, whereas a cutoff score of 10 points altered these values to 55%, 69%, and 63%. The score obtained using the questionnaire correlated well with the extent of endoscopic improvement in patients with mild or severe GERD.Conclusions This new questionnaire is useful for the objective evaluation of symptoms in GERD patients. 相似文献
Non-adherence to medical plans is recognized as an important problem in dialysis patients, since it has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality, resulting in disproportionately high costs of care. The success of renal replacement therapy depends on the adherence of patients to the different aspects of the therapeutic strategy, which includes a complex drug regimen involving a wide variety of drugs and doses, several prescribed dialysis sessions with different durations, dietetic recommendations and restriction of fluid intake. In this work, we aimed to translate and validate a previously described self-reported end-stage renal disease questionnaire (ESRD-AQ) to the Portuguese language (PESRD-AQ). After ESRD-AQ translation, a validation was performed by experts and by using a cohort of 185 Portuguese dialysis patients. PESRD-AQ reliability analysis showed strong test–retest stability across all items, with an intra-class correlation of 0.931. The average of the item-level content validity index by experts for the 46 items was 0.98, ranging from 0.94 to 1. Moreover, we found that PESRD-AQ scores indicative of non-adherence were associated with alterations in some biological and biochemical markers of non-adherence, including interdialytic weight gain. In conclusion, our results showed that PESRD-AQ, which presented an acceptable reliability and validity, is a valid tool to be used for adherence evaluation by Portuguese-speaking dialysis patients. 相似文献
