The reliability of shoulder range of motion measures in competitive swimmers

ObjectivesInvestigate reliability of shoulder internal and external rotation (IR, ER), abduction in internal rotation (ABIR) and combined elevation (CE) range of motion tests in competitive swimmers.DesignWithin participants, inter- and intra-examiner reliability.SettingPhysiotherapy Department, University of Melbourne, Australia.Participants17 competitive swimmers (aged 12–24 years) who participate in at least 5 weekly swimming sessions and two physiotherapy examiners.Main outcome measuresInter- and intra-examiner reliability of IR, ER, ABIR and CE.ResultsGood to excellent intra-examiner reliability across tests (ICCs: 0.85–0.96) with standard error of measurement (SEM)and minimal detectable change at 90% confidence interval (MDC₉₀) ranging from 2 to 5, and 5–12°, respectively. Good to excellent inter-examiner reliability for all tests (ICCs: 0.77–0.94) except left IR (ICC: 0.65). Inter-examiner SEM and MDC₉₀ ranged from 2 to 5° and 5–12°, respectively.ConclusionShoulder range of motion tests were reliable when applied by the same examiner. Inter-examiner reliability was acceptable for all tests except IR, which was affected by inconsistent manual scapula stabilisation between examiners.     

Validation and reliability of distress thermometer in Chinese cancer patients

Objective:To examine the validation and reliability of the distress thermometer(DT) recommended by National Comprehensive Cancer Network(NCCN) in Chinese cancer patients.Methods:A total of 574 Chinese cancer patients from Beijing Cancer Hospital completed the detection of DT,the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale(HADS) and Symptom Checklist 90(SCL-90),Receiver Operating Characteristic(ROC) curve and Area Under the Curve(AUC) were used to analyze the validation relative to HADS and SCL-90.The patients with DT≥4 and whose distress caused by emotional problems were interviewed with the MiNi International Neuro-psychiatric Interview(MINI)(Chinese Version 5.0).This version was used to analyze cancer patients’ psychological and Psychiatric symptoms during the cancer process;3.Another 106 cancer patients in rehabilitation stage and stable condition were asked to fill in DT two times,at the base time and after 7-10 days.Results:Data of ROC indicates that a DT cutoff score of 4 yielded AUC of 0.80 with a optimal sensitivity(0.80) and specificity(0.70) relative to HADS,and AUC of 0.83 with the greatest sensitivity(0.87) and specificity(0.72) against SCL-90.The DT also has acceptable test-retest reliability(r=0.800,P=0.000);According to the interview results,the most common psychiatric problems cancer patients have adjustment disorder,depression,and anxiety.Conclusion:The data suggest that DT has acceptable overall accuracy and reliability as a screening tool for testing distress severity and specific problems causing distress in Chinese cancer patients.It is worth being used in oncology clinic,the rapid screening and interview could help caregivers to identify psychological and psychiatric problems of cancer patients and provide useful information for further treatment.     

Intra- and inter-rater agreement of the Genital Injury Severity Scale

IntroductionThe Genital Injury Severity Scale (GISS) is a clinimetrically-tested tool in use for quantifying and qualifying external genital injury after sexual intercourse.PurposeTo evaluate inter- and intra-rater agreement of the GISS amongst examiner/raters in an urban, ethnically diverse, emergency department based sexual assault center.MethodsThe study was conducted in three phases. Six examiners with various years of experience rated their own cases and each others' cases greater than one year after the initial exam. They rated the photographs and documentation of each case at least one year apart. Another six raters utilized a combination of the photos and documentation simultaneously from the same cases. The evaluation method was the completion of the GISS for each phase.ResultsBased on the experience level of the rater, the differences in overall agreement were not significant. Strength of agreement was highest with the combination of photos and documentation with W ranging from 0.60501 (substantial) to 0.91056 (almost perfect). The GISS variables with the highest level of agreement were tissue break type and toluidine blue uptake type, both with photo evaluation alone and combination of documentation and photos (W = 0.72051 and 0.74599, respectively).ConclusionThe Genital Injury Severity Scale is a reliable tool to quantify and qualify the severity of external genital injury when used to evaluate a combination of photos and documentation utilizing midlevel providers trained as sexual assault forensic examiners with various years of experience.     

The reliability of clinical judgments and criteria associated with mechanisms-based classifications of pain in patients with low back pain disorders: a preliminary reliability study

Mechanisms-based classifications of pain have been advocated for their potential to aid understanding of clinical presentations of pain and improve clinical outcomes. However, the reliability of mechanisms-based classifications of pain and the clinical criteria upon which such classifications are based are not known. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the inter- and intra-examiner reliability of clinical judgments associated with: (i) mechanisms-based classifications of pain; and (ii) the identification and interpretation of individual symptoms and signs from a Delphi-derived expert consensus list of clinical criteria associated with mechanisms-based classifications of pain in patients with low back (±leg) pain disorders. The inter- and intra-examiner reliability of an examination protocol performed by two physiotherapists on two separate cohorts of 40 patients was assessed. Data were analysed using kappa and percentage of agreement values. Inter- and intra-examiner agreement associated with clinicians’ mechanisms-based classifications of low back (±leg) pain was ‘substantial’ (kappa  = 0.77; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.57–0.96; % agreement  = 87.5) and ‘almost perfect’ (kappa  = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.92–1.00; % agreement = 92.5), respectively. Sixty-eight and 95% of items on the clinical criteria checklist demonstrated clinically acceptable (kappa ⩾ 0.61 or % agreement ⩾ 80%) inter- and intra-examiner reliability, respectively. The results of this study provide preliminary evidence supporting the reliability of clinical judgments associated with mechanisms-based classifications of pain in patients with low back (±leg) pain disorders. The reliability of mechanisms-based classifications of pain should be investigated using larger samples of patients and multiple independent examiners.     

10项流调中心抑郁自评量表在中国中老人群中的信效度

目的:分析10项CES-D问卷在中老年人群中的信效度,以及该量表在中年和老年群体中的信效度差异。方法:使用中国健康与养老追踪调查2011年数据,样本人群年龄45岁以上,共14931人;首先,运用区分度分析量表各条目对不同水平被试的区分能力;其次,分别对整个人群、老年人群和中年人群进行内部一致性检验,并在3个不同因子结构的假定下(单因子结构;二因子结构:积极因子和消极因子;三因子结构:积极因子、消极因子和躯体因子)分别对3个人群进行验证性因子分析,并利用多组验证性因子分析检验两因子结构模型在中年人群和老年人群中的恒等性。结果:区分度分析发现,在总分百分位数27%的最高组和最低组之间各项目得分具有显著的差异,在整个人群中的科隆巴赫系数为0.815,两因子结构对整个样本人群拟合较好;在中年人群和老年人群中,内部一致性系数分别为0.814、0.813;两因子结构模型在4个嵌套模型的对比检验中显示,△CFI、△RMSEA和△SRMR的差异均满足横等性最低临界值要求。结论:10项CES-D量表具有较高的信效度,两因子结构模型在中年人群和老年人群具有恒等性,量表具有良好的区分效度,能有效地测量中老年人群的抑郁水平。     

Validation of a Korean Version of the Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaire

Objectives

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the tinnitus handicap questionnaire (THQ-K).

Methods

A total of 60 patients were included in this study. Patients responded to the THQ-K, the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), Beck''s depression index (BDI), and the visual analogue scale (VAS) for loudness and pitch, loudness match, and minimum masking level (MML) test were performed.

Results

Internal consistency of the THQ-K was examined using Cronbach coefficient alpha. Cronbach alpha was 0.96. The THQ-K showed a significant correlation with THI, BDI, VAS for distress, and VAS for loudness, but no significant correlation with psychoacoustic measurement of tinnitus, such as loudness match, pitch match, and MML.

Conclusion

The THQ-K is a reliable and valid test for evaluating the degree of handicap due to tinnitus for both research and clinical use.     

Validating the Psychometric Characteristics of the Perinatal Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Questionnaire (PPQ) in a Chinese Context

Background

Perinatal posttraumatic stress disorder (PPTSD) is a common stress-induced mental disorder worldwide. The Perinatal Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Questionnaire (PPQ) is an excellent questionnaire that measures the symptoms of PPTSD, but has not been translated into Chinese yet.

类风湿关节炎患者疼痛评估量表的汉化与信效度检验

目的 引入并汉化类风湿关节炎患者疼痛评估量表（Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Scale,RAPS）,并检验其信效度。 方法 2020年6月—10月,按照Brislin翻译模式进行翻译、回译、检译,进行文化调试,形成中文版RAPS量表。成立专家委员会检验其内容效度,对上海市某三级甲等医院的236例患者进行调查,测定量表信度。 结果 中文版RAPS共24个条目,各维度Cronbach’s α系数为0.881~0.954,总量表Cronbach’s α系数为0.969。内容效度指数为0.97,各条目均高于0.80,共析出3个公因子,分别为生理维度、感觉维度、情感认知维度,累计方差贡献率为73.582%。 结论 中文版的RAPS具有较好的信效度,适合中国文化背景下类风湿关节炎患者疼痛水平的评估与测量。     

A lifespan comparison of the reliability,test‐retest stability,and signal‐to‐noise ratio of event‐related potentials assessed during performance monitoring

The reliability, stability, and signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) of event‐related potentials (ERPs) were investigated in children, adolescents, younger adults, and older adults in performance monitoring tasks. P2, N2, P3, and P2‐N2 peak‐to‐peak amplitude showed high odd‐even split reliabilities in all age groups, ranging from.70 to.90. Multigroup analyses showed that test‐retest stabilities (across 2 weeks) of ERP amplitudes did not differ among the four age groups. In contrast, relative to adolescents and younger adults, SNRs were lower in children and older adults, with higher noise levels in children and lower signal power in older adults. We conclude that age differences in the SNR of stimulus‐locked ERPs can be successfully compensated by the averaging procedure with about 40 trials in the average. However, age differences in baseline noise and split‐half reliability should be considered when comparing age groups in single trial measures or time‐varying processes with ERPs.     

Peak individual alpha frequency qualifies as a stable neurophysiological trait marker in healthy younger and older adults

The individual alpha frequency (IAF) of the human EEG reflects systemic properties of the brain, is highly heritable, and relates to cognitive functioning. Not much is known about the modifiability of IAF by cognitive interventions. We report analyses of resting EEG from a large‐scale training study in which healthy younger (20–31 years, N = 30) and older (65–80 years, N = 28) adults practiced 12 cognitive tasks for ～100 1‐h sessions. EEG was recorded before and after the cognitive training intervention. In both age groups, IAF (and, in a control analysis, alpha amplitude) did not change, despite large gains in cognitive performance. As within‐session reliability and test‐retest stability were high for both age groups, imprecise measurements cannot account for the findings. In sum, IAF is highly stable in healthy adults up to 80 years, not easily modifiable by cognitive interventions alone, and thus qualifies as a stable neurophysiological trait marker.