170,040 research outputs found
Validation of the German Day-to-Day Impact of Vaginal Aging (DIVA) Questionnaire in Peri- and Postmenopausal Women.
No full textBACKGROUND
The Day-to-Day Impact of Vaginal Aging (DIVA) questionnaire is a validated patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) capturing the impacts of vaginal symptoms in postmenopausal women.
AIM
We aimed to psychometrically validate the German version of the DIVA questionnaire.
METHODS
Data was collected online and by paper-pencil. We ran confirmatory factor analyses to confirm the a priori four-factor structure of the DIVA. Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's alpha. Correlations with other outcome measures such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), the SF-12 SOEP (socio-economic panel) version and self-created anchor questions were calculated regarding convergent validity. Known groups regarding age, home country and disease severity were analyzed. Test-retest reliability after 1 week and responsiveness after 4 weeks were only descriptively assessed due to low sample sizes.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The DIVA questionnaire, the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS II), the PHQ-4 and the SF-12 SOEP version were the main outcome measures.
RESULTS
185 postmenopausal women reporting vaginal complaints participated in the survey. The mode of administration did not influence the severity of vaginal symptoms. The four-factor structure of the DIVA could be confirmed and the model fit indicated sufficient structural validity. Furthermore, strong internal consistency in all of the DIVA domains was found. Regarding convergent validity, no hypothesis has failed completely. The results regarding known-groups validity were mostly in line with our a priori hypotheses. Descriptive evidence for sufficient test-retest reliability and responsiveness was given, however, the sample size for the assessment of those two measurement properties was low.
CONCLUSION
This study supports the excellent structural validity, internal consistency and construct validity of the German version of the DIVA questionnaire. It can be recommended for the assessment of the impacts of vaginal symptoms in postmenopausal women in future clinical GSM trials. Gabes M, Stute P, Apfelbacher C. Validation of the German Day-to-Day Impact of Vaginal Aging (DIVA) Questionnaire in Peri- and Postmenopausal Women. Sex Med 2021;9:100382
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Using routine data to analyse the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on cancer screening and treatment: a Scoping Review
No full textThis is a registration of a study protocol for a Scoping Review with the objective to provide a broad overview of international evidence regarding the usage of routine data to describe the impact of the the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer screening and treatment.
Authors:
Deckert, S.1, Ziegler, A. 1, Brushinski, E. 2, Walther, F. 1, Schoffer, O. 1, Apfelbacher, C. 2, Schmitt, J. 1
Affiliations:
1: Zentrum für Evidenzbasierte Gesundheitsversorgung, Universitätsklinikum und Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus an der Technischen Universität Dresden
2: Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Germany, Medizinische Fakultät, Institut für Sozialmedizin und Gesundheitsökonomi
Mitomycin C in highly myopic eyes - Author reply
No full textOphthalmology. 2005 Feb;112(2):208-18; discussion 219.
Mitomycin C modulation of corneal wound healing after photorefractive keratectomy in highly myopic eyes.
Gambato C, Ghirlando A, Moretto E, Busato F, Midena E.
SourceRefractive Surgery Service and Antimetabolite Therapy Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of topical mitomycin C in corneal wound healing (CWH) after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in highly myopic eyes.
DESIGN: Prospective, double-masked, randomized clinical trial.
PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-two eyes of 36 patients affected by high (>7 diopters) myopia.
METHODS: In each patient, one eye was randomly assigned to PRK with intraoperative topical 0.02% mitomycin C application, and the fellow eye was treated with a placebo. Postoperatively, mitomycin C-treated eyes received artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months), whereas the fellow eye was treated with fluorometholone sodium 2% and artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity, manifest refraction, and biomicroscopy. Contrast sensitivity was determined using the Pelli-Robson chart. Corneal confocal microscopy documented CWH.
RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 18 months (range, 12-36). No side effects or toxic effects were documented. At 12-month follow-up examination, UCVAs (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) were 0.4+/-0.48 and 0.5+/-0.53 (P = .03) in mitomycin C-treated eyes and corticosteroid-treated eyes, respectively. At 1 year, corneal haze developed in 20% of corticosteroid-treated eyes, versus 0% of mitomycin C-treated eyes. At 12, 24, and 36 months, corneal confocal microscopy showed activated keratocytes and extracellular matrix significantly more evident in untreated eyes (Ps = 0.004, 0.024, and 0.046, respectively).
CONCLUSION: Topical intraoperative application of 0.02% mitomycin C can reduce haze formation in highly myopic eyes undergoing PRK.
Comment in
Ophthalmology. 2006 Feb;113(2):357; author reply 357-8
COFAITH and COMFA: A Collective Roadmap for Past and Future Food Allergy Clinical Trials and Observational Research on Interventions
No full textDispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Patch testing sodium tetrachloropalladate is a better means to detect palladium sensitisation then palladium chloride—Results of a clinical–epidemiological study of the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology ( IVDK ) from 2003 to 2022
No full textMeasuring asthma-specific quality of life: structured review
No full textMeasuring quality of life (QoL) has become an increasingly important dimension of assessing patient well-being and drug efficacy. As there are now several asthma QoL questionnaires to choose from, it is important to appreciate their strengths and weaknesses. To assist in this choice, we have reviewed the existing questionnaires in a structured way. Information relating to the conceptual and measurement model, reliability, validity, interpretability, burden, administration format and translations was extracted from the published literature. The instruments differ in almost all criteria considered, and therefore it cannot be assumed that they measure the same thing. We recommend the selection of questionnaires that are designed only for asthma and that do not assess symptoms as part of QoL. Only two of the questionnaires reviewed fulfill these requirements: the Sydney Asthma QoL Questionnaire (AQLQ-S) and the Living with Asthma Questionnaire (LWAQ). However, for multinational studies, it may be convenient or practical to use questionnaires that have been linguistically validated in many languages (AQLQ-J, SGRQ). It remains unclear which of these questionnaires best reflects patient perceptions of QoL. Our review did not involve patients, so for the time being choosing from existing questionnaires requires a compromise based on the rigor of the development process and the target patient grou
Measurement properties of quality-of-life measurement instruments for infants, children and adolescents with eczema: a systematic review
No full textBackground: Quality of life (QoL) is one of the core outcome domains identified by the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative to be assessed in every eczema trial. There is uncertainty about the most appropriate QoL instrument to measure this domain in infants, children and adolescents. Objectives: To systematically evaluate the measurement properties of existing measurement instruments developed and/or validated for the measurement of QoL in infants, children and adolescents with eczema. Methods: A systematic literature search in PubMed and EMBASE, complemented by a thorough hand search of reference lists, retrieved studies on measurement properties of eczema QoL instruments for infants, children and adolescents. For all eligible studies, we judged the adequacy of the measurement properties and the methodological study quality with the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. Results from different studies were summarized in a best evidence synthesis and formed the basis to assign four degrees of recommendation. Results: 17 articles, 3 of which were found by hand search, were included. These 17 articles reported on 24 instruments. No instrument can be recommended for use in all eczema trials because none fulfilled all required adequacy criteria. With adequate internal consistency, reliability and hypothesis testing, the US version of the Childhood Atopic Dermatitis Impact Scale (CADIS), a proxy-reported instrument, has the potential to be recommended depending on the results of further validation studies. All other instruments, including all self-reported ones, lacked significant validation data. Conclusions: Currently, no QoL instrument for infants, children and adolescents with eczema can be highly recommended. Future validation research should primarily focus on the CADIS, but also attempt to broaden the evidence base for the validity of self-reported instruments
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