Validation of the efficacy of the NUTRISCORE for the nutritional screening of cancer patients in China

Abstract Background Malnutrition is common in cancer patients. The NUTRISCORE is a newly developed cancer-specific nutritional screening tool and was validated by comparison with the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) in Spain. We aimed to evaluate the performance of the NUTRISCORE, MST, and PG-SGA in estimating the risk of malnutrition in Chinese cancer patients. Methods Data from an open parallel and multicenter cross-sectional study in 29 clinical teaching hospitals in 14 Chinese cities were used. Cancer patients were assessed for malnutrition using the PG-SGA, NUTRISCORE, and MST. The sensitivity, specificity, and areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were estimated for the NUTRISCORE and MST using the PG-SGA as a reference. Results A total of 1000 cancer patients were included. The mean age was 55.9 (19 to 92 years), and 47.5% were male. Of these patients, 450 (45.0%) had PG-SGA B and C, 29 (2.9%) had a NUTRISCORE ≥5, and 367 (36.7%) had an MST ≥ 2. Using the PG-SGA as a reference, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve values of the NUTRISCORE were found to be 6.2, 99.8%, and 0.53, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve values of the MST were 50.9, 74.9%, and 0.63, respectively. The kappa index between the NUTRISCORE and PG-SGA was 0.066, and that between the MST and PG-SGA was 0.262 (P < 0.05). Conclusions The NUTRISCORE had an extremely low sensitivity in cancer patients in China compared with the MST when the PG-SGA was used as a reference.

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Validation of the Efficacy of the NUTRISCORE for Nutritional Screening of Cancer Patients in China

10.21203/rs.3.rs-531070/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Junren KANG ◽

Hailong LI ◽

Xiaodong SHI ◽

Enling MA ◽

Wei CHEN

Keyword(s):

Cancer Patients ◽

Screening Tool ◽

Clinical Teaching ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Reference Method ◽

Teaching Hospitals ◽

Lower Sensitivity ◽

Nutritional Screening ◽

Sensitivity Specificity

Abstract Background: Malnutrition is common in cancer patients. The NUTRISCORE was a newly developed cancer-specific nutritional screening tool and validated by reference to the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) in Spain. We aimed to evaluate the performance of NUTRISCORE, MST, and PG-SGA in estimating the risk of malnutrition in Chinese cancer patients.Methods: Data from an open parallel and multicenter cross-section study in 29 clinical teaching hospitals in 14 Chinese cities were used. Cancer patients were assessed for malnutrition using PG-SGA, NUTRISCORE, and MST. The sensitivity, specificity, and areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were estimated for NUTRISCORE and MST using PG-SGA as a reference.Results: A total of 1000 cancer patients were included. The mean age was 55.9 (19 to 92 years), and 47.5% were male. 450 patients (45.0%) had PG-SGA B and C, 29 patients (2.9%) had a NUTRISCORE ≥ 5, and 367 patients (36.7%) had MST ≥ 2. With PG-SGA as a reference method, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve values of the NUTRISCORE was 6.2 %, 99.8%, and 0.53, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve values of the MST were 50.9%, 74.9%, and 0.63, respectively. The kappa index between NUTRISCORE and the PG-SGA were 0.066 and 0.262 between MST and the PG-SGA (P < 0.05).Conclusions: NUTRISCORE was found a higher specificity and lower sensitivity compared with MST using PG-SGA as a reference method in cancer patients in China. Further studies are needed.

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Validation of the PHQ-9 depression scale in Ethiopian cancer patients attending the oncology clinic at Tikur Anbessa specialized hospital

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-020-02850-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mikyas Degefa ◽

Benyam Dubale ◽

Fikirte Bayouh ◽

Biniyam Ayele ◽

Yared Zewde

Keyword(s):

Cancer Patients ◽

Internal Consistency ◽

Gold Standard ◽

Screening Tool ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Diagnostic Interview ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Specialized Hospital ◽

Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital

Abstract Background Although depression is highly prevalent among cancer patients, it is often underdiagnosed and poorly managed particularly in developing nations. These shortcomings can have substantial adverse effects not only on the disease prognosis but also on patients’ quality of life. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 is a widely used depression screening tool but it has not been validated among patients with chronic illnesses such as cancer in Ethiopia. We aim to validate the PHQ-9 among Ethiopian cancer patients in an outpatient setting. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among cancer patients attending the oncology clinic at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH). We assessed criterion validity and performance of the PHQ-9 test against the gold standard Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) diagnostic tool among patients with cancer. The MINI was administered by psychiatric nurses who were blind to the initial PHQ-9 screening tool. Results A total of 163 patients completed the 2 stages of a diagnostic interview in the study. The majority (64%) of the participants were women, the mean age was 46 (13.5) years. Using the gold standard MINI test the prevalence of Major Depressive Episode (MDE) was 15%. The internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) for PHQ-9 was 0.78 suggesting good (acceptable) internal consistency for the reliability of the test scores. When the total PHQ-9 score was used to identify cases of MDE, the Area under the Curve (AUC) was 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88–0.97) on Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. This shows evidence for the excellent discriminating power of the PHQ-9 between cases and non-cases of MDE. At cutoff point ≥4, the PHQ-9 had a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 78.1% on the ROC curve to detect MDE. Conclusion PHQ-9 is a reliable and valid instrument to detect MDE among individuals with chronic conditions such as cancer patients in outpatient settings and it can be used in resource-limited settings for early diagnosis and proper therapy of such patients.

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Discriminating Malignancy in Thyroid Nodules: The Nomogram Versus the Kwak and ACR TI-RADS

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/0194599820939071 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 163 (6) ◽

pp. 1156-1165

Author(s):

Juan Xiao ◽

Qiang Xiao ◽

Wei Cong ◽

Ting Li ◽

Shouluan Ding ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thyroid Nodules ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Diagnostic Study ◽

Diagnostic Efficiency ◽

Training Set ◽

Multivariable Logistic Regression Model ◽

Predictive Values ◽

Validation Set ◽

Sensitivity Specificity

Objective To develop an easy-to-use nomogram for discrimination of malignant thyroid nodules and to compare diagnostic efficiency with the Kwak and American College of Radiology (ACR) Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS). Study Design Retrospective diagnostic study. Setting The Second Hospital of Shandong University. Subjects and Methods From March 2017 to April 2019, 792 patients with 1940 thyroid nodules were included into the training set; from May 2019 to December 2019, 174 patients with 389 nodules were included into the validation set. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to develop a nomogram for discriminating malignant nodules. To compare the diagnostic performance of the nomogram with the Kwak and ACR TI-RADS, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated. Results The nomogram consisted of 7 factors: composition, orientation, echogenicity, border, margin, extrathyroidal extension, and calcification. In the training set, for all nodules, the area under the curve (AUC) for the nomogram was 0.844, which was higher than the Kwak TI-RADS (0.826, P = .008) and the ACR TI-RADS (0.810, P < .001). For the 822 nodules >1 cm, the AUC of the nomogram was 0.891, which was higher than the Kwak TI-RADS (0.852, P < .001) and the ACR TI-RADS (0.853, P < .001). In the validation set, the AUC of the nomogram was also higher than the Kwak and ACR TI-RADS ( P < .05), each in the whole series and separately for nodules >1 or ≤1 cm. Conclusions When compared with the Kwak and ACR TI-RADS, the nomogram had a better performance in discriminating malignant thyroid nodules.

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Adaptation and Validation of the Mini-Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination in Dementia in Arabic Speakers in Egypt

Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders ◽

10.1159/000513411 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 49 (6) ◽

pp. 611-616

Author(s):

Tarik Qassem ◽

Mohamed S. Khater ◽

Tamer Emara ◽

Doha Rasheedy ◽

Heba M. Tawfik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Screening Tool ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Receiver Operator Characteristic Curve ◽

Cutoff Score ◽

Arabic Speakers ◽

Dementia Patients ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Sensitivity Specificity ◽

Addenbrooke’S Cognitive Examination

Background: The mini-Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (m-ACE) is a brief cognitive battery that assesses 5 subdomains of cognition (attention, memory, verbal fluency, visuospatial abilities, and memory recall). It is scored out of 30 and can be administered in under 5 min providing a quick screening tool for assessment of cognition. Objectives: We aimed to adapt the m-ACE in Arabic speakers in Egypt and to validate it in dementia patients to provide cutoff scores. Methods: We included 37 patients with dementia (Alzheimer’s disease [n = 25], vascular dementia [n = 8], and dementia with Lewy body [n = 4]) and 43 controls. Results: There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) on the total m-ACE score between dementia patients (mean 10.54 and standard deviation [SD] 5.83) and controls (mean 24.02 and SD 2.75). There was also a statistically significant difference between dementia patients and controls on all sub-score domains of the m-ACE (p < 0.05). Performance on the m-ACE significantly correlated with both the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-III (ACE-III). Using a receiver operator characteristic curve, the optimal cutoff score for dementia on the m-ACE total score was found to be 18 (92% sensitivity, 95% specificity, and 94% accuracy). Conclusions: We adapted the m-ACE in Arabic speakers in Egypt and provided objective validation of it as a screening tool for dementia, with high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy.

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UNRAVELLING DIABETIC RETINOPATHY THROUGH IMAGE PROCESSING, NEURAL NETWORKS AND FUZZY LOGIC – A REVIEW

Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research ◽

10.22159/ajpcr.2017.v10i4.17023 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 32

Author(s):

Srinivasan A ◽

Sudha S

Keyword(s):

Image Processing ◽

Fuzzy Logic ◽

Diabetic Retinopathy ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Computation Time ◽

Automated System ◽

Morphological Operations ◽

Advanced Stage ◽

Sensitivity Specificity

One of the main causes of blindness is diabetic retinopathy (DR) and it may affect people of any ages. In these days, both young and old ages are affected by diabetes, and the di abetes is the main cause of DR. Hence, it is necessary to have an automated system with good accuracy and less computation time to diagnose and treat DR, and the automated system can simplify the work of ophthalmologists. The objective is to present an overview of various works recently in detecting and segmenting the various lesions of DR. Papers were categorized based on the diagnosing tools and the methods used for detecting early and advanced stage lesions. The early lesions of DR are microaneurysms, hemorrhages, exudates, and cotton wool spots and in the advanced stage, new and fragile blood vessels can be grown. Results have been evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and receiver operating characteristic curve. This paper analyzed the various steps and different algorithms used recently for the detection and classification of DR lesions. A comparison of performances has been made in terms of sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve, and accuracy. Suggestions, future workand the area to be improved were also discussed.Keywords: Diabetic retinopathy, Image processing, Morphological operations, Neural network, Fuzzy logic.

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What Is the Prevalence of Measles Immunity among Pregnant Women?

American Journal of Perinatology ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1713817 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (01) ◽

pp. 016-022

Author(s):

Melissa T. Chu Lam ◽

Emily Schmidt-Beuchat ◽

Emma Geduldig ◽

Lois E. Brustman ◽

Katie Hyewon Choi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Private Insurance ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Patient Characteristics ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Vaccination History

Objective This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of measles immunity in a cohort of pregnant women in New York City and determine if there is a positive correlation of measles immunity with patient demographics, rubella immunity, number of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) doses received, and age at last vaccination. Study Design This is a cross-sectional study of pregnant patients seen at a single institution from January 2019 to May 2019. Patients were classified as measles and rubella immune or nonimmune using commercial immunoglobulin G (IgG) tests. Patient characteristics were compared using t-tests, Chi-square tests, or Fisher's exact tests as appropriate. The association of age at last vaccination with immunity status was assessed using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age at presentation. The utility of rubella IgG for distinguishing measles immunity was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results Serologic immunity for measles and rubella was obtained for 1,366 patients. Of these, 1,047 (77%) were measles immune and 1,291 (95%) were rubella immune. Patients born after 1989 were less likely to be immune to measles, while multiparity and private insurance were associated with increased measles immunity. Documentation of MMR vaccination was available for 140 (10%) patients. Of these, 44 (31%) were serologically nonimmune to measles and 9 (6.4%) were nonimmune to rubella. In patients known to have received one dose of MMR, 62% (24/39) were immune to measles with an improvement to 72% (69/96) among those who received two or more doses. Age at last vaccination was not associated with measles immunity. Rubella IgG level was a poor predictor of positive measles titer (area under the curve = 0.59). Conclusion Approximately one of every four pregnant patients is serologically measles nonimmune, even among women with documented MMR vaccination or documented rubella immunity. These findings raise concerns that relying on vaccination history or rubella immune status may not be sufficient to assure protection from infection with measles. If further suggests that measles serology should be added to routine prenatal laboratory testing to identify nonimmune patients that may benefit from postpartum vaccination. Key Points

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Diagnostic Value of T-SPOT.TB Assay for Tuberculous Peritonitis: A Meta-Analysis

Frontiers in Medicine ◽

10.3389/fmed.2020.585180 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Author(s):

Ying Luo ◽

Ying Xue ◽

Liyan Mao ◽

Qun Lin ◽

Guoxing Tang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Likelihood Ratio ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Positive Likelihood Ratio ◽

Negative Likelihood Ratio ◽

Abdominal Tuberculosis ◽

Tuberculous Peritonitis ◽

Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽

Sensitivity Specificity

Background: Tuberculous peritonitis (TP) is a common form of abdominal tuberculosis (TB). Diagnosing TP remains challenging in clinical practice. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of peripheral blood (PB) T-SPOT and peritoneal fluid (PF) T-SPOT for diagnosing TP.Methods: PubMed, EmBase, Cochrane, Scopus, Google scholar, China national knowledge internet, and Wan-Fang databases were searched for relevant articles from August 1, 2005 to July 5, 2020. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata, Revman, and Meta-Disc software. Diagnostic parameters including pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were determined. Summary receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the area under the curve (AUC).Results: Twelve studies were eligible and included in the meta-analysis. The analysis showed that the pooled sensitivity and specificity of PB T-SPOT in diagnosing TP were 0.91 (95% CI, 0.88–0.94) and 0.78 (95% CI, 0.73–0.81), respectively, while the pooled PLR, NLR, and DOR were 4.05 (95% CI, 2.73–6.01), 0.13 (95% CI, 0.07–0.23), and 37.8 (95% CI, 15.04–94.98), respectively. On the other hand, the summary estimates of sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, and DOR of PF T-SPOT for TP diagnosis were 0.90 (95% CI, 0.85–0.94), 0.78 (95% CI, 0.72–0.83), 6.35 (95% CI, 2.67–15.07), 0.14 (95% CI, 0.09–0.21), and 58.22 (95% CI, 28.76–117.83), respectively. Furthermore, the AUC of PB T-SPOT and PF T-SPOT for TP diagnosis were 0.91 and 0.94, respectively.Conclusions: Our results indicate that both PB T-SPOT and PF T-SPOT can be served as sensitive approaches for the diagnosis of TP. However, the unsatisfactory specificities of these two methods limit their application as rule-in tests for TP diagnosis. Furthermore, the standardization of the operating procedure of PF T-SPOT is further needed.

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Comparison of revised EWGSOP2 criteria of sarcopenia in patients with cancer using different parameters of muscle mass

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0257446 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (9) ◽

pp. e0257446

Author(s):

Ana Paula Trussardi Fayh ◽

Iasmin Matias de Sousa

Keyword(s):

Cancer Patients ◽

Muscle Mass ◽

Handgrip Strength ◽

Lumbar Vertebra ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Kappa Test ◽

European Working ◽

Sensitivity Specificity

Calf circumference (CC) has been established as a marker of muscle mass (MM) with good performance for predicting survival in individuals with cancer. The study aims to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2) criteria and to evaluate the accuracy of sarcopenia using low CC relative to MM assessment by computed tomography (CT) at third lumbar vertebra level (L3) as a reference. Cross-sectional study with cancer patients aged ≥ 60 years. Data included socio-demographic, clinical and anthropometric variables. MM was assessed by CC and by CT images at the L3. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the EWGSOP2 criteria: a) low handgrip strength (HGS) + reduced MM evaluated by CT; and b) low HGS + low CC. Pearson’s correlation, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive value were analyzed. A total of 108 patients were evaluated, age of 70.6 ± 7.4 years (mean ± standard deviation). The prevalence of sarcopenia was of 24.1% (low MM) and 25.9% (low CC). The Kappa test showed a substantial agreement (K = 0.704), 81% sensitivity, and 92% specificity. Although the EWGSOP2 advises that we should use CC measures in the algorithm for sarcopenia when no other MM diagnostic methods are available, the findings allow the use of CC instead of MM by CT in cancer patients.

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Validation of SHOEBOX QuickTest Hearing Loss Screening Tool in Individuals With Cognitive Impairment

Frontiers in Digital Health ◽

10.3389/fdgth.2021.724997 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Andrew Frank ◽

Serena Goldlist ◽

Amy E. Mark Fraser ◽

Matthew Bromwich

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Screening Tool ◽

Hearing Threshold ◽

Pure Tone Audiometry ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hearing Ability ◽

Memory Clinics ◽

Hearing Test ◽

Sensitivity Specificity

Objectives: The aim of this study was to validate a novel iPad-based rapid hearing loss screening tool (SHOEBOX QuickTest) in individuals with cognitive impairment.Design: Cross-sectional validation study.Setting: Bruyère Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.Subjects and Methods: Twenty-five individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia from the Bruyère Memory Program were included in this study. The study consisted of two components: (1) SHOEBOX QuickTest hearing screener and (2) a conventional hearing test (pure tone audiometry).Measurements: Hearing was assessed at 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 Hz separately for each ear. The agreement between hearing ability groupings (good vs. reduced) from conventional hearing test and SHOEBOX QuickTest was determined. Specifically, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, as well as alignment between conventional thresholds and hearing threshold ranges.Results: An overall accuracy of 84% was observed for SHOEBOX QuickTest, and a sensitivity and specificity of 100 and 66.7%, respectively. 72% ([95% CI], 60.0–84.1%) of conventional audiometry thresholds were within the pre-established 10 dB SHOEBOX QuickTest.Conclusion: SHOEBOX QuickTest is a valid hearing loss screening tool for individuals with cognitive impairment. Implementing this iPad-based screening tool in memory clinics could not only aid in the timely diagnosis of hearing loss, but also assist physicians in providing a better assessment of cognitive impairment by ruling out hearing loss as a confounding variable.

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Validation of the Indonesian Version of Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers: a diagnostic study

Paediatrica Indonesiana ◽

10.14238/pi60.3.2020.159-65 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 60 (3) ◽

pp. 159-65

Author(s):

Hendra Salim ◽

Soetjiningsih Soetjiningsih ◽

I Gusti Ayu Trisna Windiani ◽

I Gede Raka Widiana ◽

PITIKA ASPR

Keyword(s):

Predictive Value ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Negative Likelihood Ratio ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Diagnostic Study ◽

Diagnostic Validity ◽

Dsm Iv ◽

Pediatric Outpatients ◽

Sensitivity Specificity

Background Autism is a developmental disorder for which early detection in toddlers is recommended because of its increased prevalence. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) is an easy-to-interprete tool that can be filled out by parents. It has been translated into the Indonesian language but needs to be validated. Objective To evaluate the diagnostic validity of the Indonesian version of M-CHAT in detection of autism spectrum disorder in Indonesia. Methods A diagnostic study was conducted at Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar, Bali, from March 2011 to August 2013. Pediatric outpatients aged 18 to 48 months were included. The Indonesian version of the M-CHAT tool was filled by parents. Autism assessment was done according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV-TR). The assessment results were analyzed with the MedCalc program software, in several steps: (i) reliability of M-CHAT; (ii) description, distribution, and proportion to determine the characteristics of the subjects of research; and (iii) validity of M-CHAT compared to the gold standard DSM-IV-TR by a receiver operating characteristic curve and several area under the curve cut-off points, in order to assess the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and positive and negative likelihood ratio, accompanied by the 95% confidence interval of each value. Results The Indonesian version of M-CHAT in toddlers had 82.35% sensitivity and 89.68% specificity, using the cut-off point of more than 6 failed questions. Conclusion The Indonesian version M-CHAT translated by Soetjiningsih has optimal diagnostic validity for detection of autism in toddlers.

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