scholarly journals Functional Rating Scales in Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Critical Appraisal of their Measurement Properties

Author(s):  
Agessandro Abrahao ◽  
LIANE PHUNG ◽  
Eliza Freitas ◽  
Cornelia M Borkhoff ◽  
Lorne Zinman

Tracking disease progression and treatment effect of spinal bulbar muscular atrophy, or Kennedy's disease, is challenging given its slowly progressive nature. To achieve success in SBMA clinical trials, a reliable, responsive, and validated patient-reported motor function scale must capture progression of SBMA-specific motor dysfunction. Here, we conducted a systematic review, meta-analysis, and appraisal of core measurement properties of the SBMA functional rating scale (SBMAFRS). We established that the SBMAFRS has satisfactory internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and construct validity for measuring progressive motor dysfunction over similar neurodegenerative motor function scales but inadequate sensitivity to change over time. Further development to validate and improve the SBMAFRS' ability to capture longitudinal responsiveness in larger cohorts is warranted.

Author(s):  
Clare Burgon ◽  
Sarah Elizabeth Goldberg ◽  
Veronika van der Wardt ◽  
Catherine Brewin ◽  
Rowan H. Harwood

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Apathy is highly prevalent in dementia and is also seen in mild cognitive impairment and the general population. Apathy contributes to failure to undertake daily activities and can lead to health problems or crises. It is therefore important to assess apathy. However, there is currently no gold standard measure of apathy. A comprehensive systematic review of the measurement properties of apathy scales is required. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A systematic review was registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42018094390). MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL were searched for studies that aimed to develop or assess the validity or reliability of an apathy scale in participants over 65 years, living in the community. A systematic review was conducted in line with the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments procedure for reviewing patient-reported outcome measures. The studies’ risk of bias was assessed, and all relevant measurement properties were assessed for quality. Results were pooled and rated using a modified Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation procedure. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Fifty-seven publications regarding 18 measures and 39 variations met the eligibility criteria. The methodological quality of individual studies ranged from inadequate to very good and measurement properties ranged from insufficient to sufficient. Similarly, the overall evidence for measurement properties ranged from very low to high quality. The Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) and Lille Apathy Rating Scale (LARS) had sufficient content validity, reliability, construct validity, and where applicable, structural validity and internal consistency. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Numerous scales are available to assess apathy, with varying psychometric properties. The AES and LARS are recommended for measuring apathy in older adults and people living with dementia. The apathy dimension of the commonly used Neuropsychiatric Inventory should be limited to screening for apathy.


2020 ◽  
pp. 108705472091683
Author(s):  
Anouck I. Staff ◽  
Jaap Oosterlaan ◽  
Saskia van der Oord ◽  
Pieter J. Hoekstra ◽  
Karen Vertessen ◽  
...  

Objective: To assess attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in the classroom, most often teacher rating scales are used. However, clinical interviews and observations are recommended as gold standard assessment. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the validity of teacher rating scales. Method: Twenty-two studies ( N = 3,947 children) assessing ADHD symptoms using teacher rating scale and either semi-structured clinical interview or structured classroom observation were meta-analyzed. Results: Results showed convergent validity for rating scale scores, with the strongest correlations ( r = .55–.64) for validation against interviews, and for hyperactive–impulsive behavior. Divergent validity was confirmed for teacher ratings validated against interviews, whereas validated against observations this was confirmed for inattention only. Conclusion: Teacher rating scales appear a valid and time-efficient measure to assess classroom ADHD; although validated against semi-structured clinical interviews, there were only a few studies available. Low correlations between ratings and structured observations of inattention suggest that observations could add information above rating scales.


2021 ◽  
Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer W. Wu ◽  
Laura Pepler ◽  
Bridget Maturi ◽  
Alexandria C. F. Afonso ◽  
Janice Sarmiento ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. e20200042
Author(s):  
Goris Nazari ◽  
Pavlos Bobos ◽  
Steve Lu ◽  
Stephanie Reischl ◽  
Pedro H. Almeida ◽  
...  

Purpose: This systematic review and meta-analysis identifies, critically appraises, synthesizes, and meta-analyses the reported psychometric properties of the Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) in patients with low back pain or pathology. Method: The MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases were searched from their inception to September 2019. We included prospective measurement studies that reported on the psychometric properties (reliability, validity, responsiveness) of the PSFS in people with low back pain or pathology. We followed the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments 2018 guideline for systematic reviews. We performed both quantitative and qualitative syntheses in which the results were summarized on the basis of the reported measurement properties and study quality. Results: Ten eligible studies were included. The pooled PSFS reliability measure was excellent (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.95). Validity measures displayed correlations that ranged from −0.47 to 0.69 when compared with other patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) or other tests. Eight studies had assessed the responsiveness of the PSFS. Effect sizes reported were large (≥ 0.91). Conclusions: The PSFS is a reliable, valid, and responsive PROM for patients with low back pain or pathology.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 415-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Solmi ◽  
Nicola Veronese ◽  
Nita Thapa ◽  
Silvia Facchini ◽  
Brendon Stubbs ◽  
...  

ObjectiveOur aim was to perform an updated systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy and safety of adjunctive minocycline as a treatment of schizophrenia.MethodsWe conducted a PubMed/Scopus database search from inception to 3 February 2016 for randomized, placebo-controlled trials (RCTs), open non-randomized studies, and case reports/series evaluating minocycline in patients with schizophrenia. Random-effects meta-analysis of positive, negative, depressive, and cognitive symptom rating scales, discontinuation and adverse effects rates calculating standardized mean difference (SMD), and risk ratios±95% confidence intervals (CI95%) were calculated.ResultsSix RCTs were eligible (minocyclinen=215, placebon=198) that demonstrated minocycline’s superiority versus placebo for reducing endpoint Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total scores (SMD=–0.59;CI95%=[1.15, –0.03];p=0.04), negative (SMD=–0.76;CI95%=[–1.21, –0.31];p=0.001); general subscale scores (SMD=–0.44;CI95%=[–0.88, –0.00];p=0.05), Clinical Global Impressions scores (SMD=–0.50;CI95%=[–0.78, –0.22];p<0.001); and executive functioning (SMD=0.22;CI95%=[0.01, 0.44];p=0.04). Endpoint PANSS positive symptom scores (p=0.13), depression rating scale scores (p=0.43), attention (p=0.47), memory (p=0.52), and motor speed processing (p=0.50) did not significantly differ from placebo, before execution of a trim-and-fill procedure. Minocycline did not differ compared to placebo on all-cause discontinuation (p=0.56), discontinuation due to inefficacy (p=0.99), and intolerability (p=0.51), and due to death (p=0.32). Data from one open-label study (N=22) and three case series (N=6) were consistent with the metaanalytic results.ConclusionsMinocycline appears to be an effective adjunctive treatment option in schizophrenia, improving multiple relevant disease dimensions. Moreover, minocycline has an acceptable safety and tolerability profile. However, more methodologically sound and larger RCTs remain necessary to confirm and extend these results.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. e034286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samia Alamrani ◽  
Alison Rushton ◽  
Adrian Gardner ◽  
Deborah Falla ◽  
Nicola R Heneghan

IntroductionPhysical functioning (PF) is the ability to carry out the physical activity of daily living. It is an important outcome that provides a meaningful evaluation of individuals’ life. PF can be assessed using patient-reported outcome measures, performance-based outcome measures or body structure and function measure. Measures need to be valid, reliable and responsive to change to evaluate the effects of an intervention. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most common deformity among the paediatric population and impacts on individuals’ lives. This systematic review will appraise evidence on the measurement properties of PF tools in individuals with AIS.Methods/analysisA protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis informed by Cochrane guidelines is reported in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis-P. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, SPORTdiscus, Web of Science and PubMed will be searched in two stages, from inception until December 2019. Search 1 will inventory all studies that assessed PF in participants with AIS, without any limitations. The search terms will be scoliosis, adolescent and PF-related terms. Search 2 will include studies which investigated instrument measurement properties in the same population for measures identified in search one. Two reviewers will independently perform study selection, data extraction, risk of bias and overall quality assessment. The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) risk of bias and a modified Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines will be used. A meta-analysis will be conducted if possible, or the evidence will be synthesised and summarised per measurement property per outcome measure per measurement type.Ethics and disseminationThis review will provide recommendations for practice and future research, considering psychometric properties of outcome measures of PF in AIS. The results of this study will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentation.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42019142335.


SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A139-A140
Author(s):  
Janannii Selvanathan ◽  
Chi Pham ◽  
Mahesh Nagappa ◽  
Philip Peng ◽  
Marina Englesakis ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Patients with chronic non-cancer pain often report insomnia as a significant comorbidity. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is recommended as the first line of treatment for insomnia, and several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have examined the efficacy of CBT-I on various health outcomes in patients with comorbid insomnia and chronic non-cancer pain. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of CBT-I on sleep, pain, depression, anxiety and fatigue in adults with comorbid insomnia and chronic non-cancer pain. Methods A systematic search was conducted using ten electronic databases. The duration of the search was set between database inception to April 2020. Included studies must be RCTs assessing the effects of CBT-I on at least patient-reported sleep outcomes in adults with chronic non-cancer pain. Quality of the studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment and Yates quality rating scale. Continuous data were extracted and summarized using standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results The literature search resulted in 7,772 articles, of which 14 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Twelve of these articles were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis comprised 762 participants. CBT-I demonstrated a large significant effect on patient-reported sleep (SMD = 0.87, 95% CI [0.55–1.20], p &lt; 0.00001) at post-treatment and final follow-up (up to 9 months) (0.59 [0.31–0.86], p &lt; 0.0001); and moderate effects on pain (SMD = 0.20 [0.06, 0.34], p = 0.006) and depression (0.44 [0.09–0.79], p= 0.01) at post-treatment. The probability of improving sleep and pain following CBT-I at post-treatment was 81% and 58%, respectively. The probability of improving sleep and pain at final follow-up was 73% and 57%, respectively. There were no statistically significant effects on anxiety and fatigue. Conclusion This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that CBT-I is effective for improving sleep in adults with comorbid insomnia and chronic non-cancer pain. Further, CBT-I may lead to short-term moderate improvements in pain and depression. However, there is a need for further RCTs with adequate power, longer follow-up periods, CBT for both insomnia and pain, and consistent scoring systems for assessing patient outcomes. Support (if any):


Author(s):  
Junren Zhang ◽  
Wofhatwa Solomon Ndou ◽  
Nathan Ng ◽  
Paul Gaston ◽  
Philip M. Simpson ◽  
...  

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-021-06522-x


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