scholarly journals COVID-Q: validation of the first COVID-19 questionnaire based on patient-rated symptom gravity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Spinato ◽  
Cristoforo Fabbris ◽  
Federica Conte ◽  
Anna Menegaldo ◽  
Leonardo Franz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Principal Component ◽  
Symptom Assessment ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Parallel Analysis ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Everyday Clinical Practice ◽  
Item Fit ◽  
Irt Models ◽  
Multiple Symptoms

Objectives The aim of the present study is to develop and validate the COVID-Q, a novel symptom questionnaire specific for COVID-19 patients, to provide a comprehensive and standard clinical evaluation. A secondary goal of the present study was to evaluate the performance of the COVID-Q in identifying subjects at higher risk of being tested positive for COVID-19. Material and methods 460 subjects (230 COVID-19 cases and 230 healthy controls), answered the COVID-Q. Parallel Analysis and Principal Component Analysis were used to identify clusters of items measuring the same dimension. The IRT-based analyses evaluated the functioning of item categories, the presence of clusters of local dependence among items, item fit within the model and model fit to the data. Results Parallel analysis suggested the extraction of six components, which corresponded to as many clinical presentation patterns: asthenia, influenza-like symptoms, ear and nose symptoms, breathing issues, throat symptoms, and anosmia/ageusia. The final IRT models retained 27 items as significant for symptom assessment. The total score on the questionnaire was significantly associated with positivity to the molecular SARS-CoV-2 test. Subjects with multiple symptoms were significantly more likely to be affected by COVID-19 (p < .001). Older age and male gender also represented risk factors. None of the examined comorbidities had a significant association with COVID-19 diagnosis. Conclusion The application of the novel COVID-Q to everyday clinical practice may help identifying subjects who are likely to be affected by COVID-19 and address them to a nasopharyngeal swab in order to achieve an early diagnosis.

scholarly journals COVID-Q: validation of the first COVID-19 questionnaire based on patient-rated symptom gravity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Spinato ◽  
Cristoforo Fabbris ◽  
Federica Conte ◽  
Anna Menegaldo ◽  
Leonardo Franz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Symptom Assessment ◽  
Parallel Analysis ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Item Fit ◽  
Irt Models ◽  
Clinical Conditions ◽  
Negative Controls ◽  
Multiple Symptoms

Objectives The aim of the present study was to develop and validate the CoronaVirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) Questionnaire (COVIDQ), a novel symptom questionnaire specific for COVID19 patients, to provide a comprehensive evaluation which may be helpful for physicians. A secondary goal of the present study was to evaluate the performance of the COVIDQ in identifying subjects at higher risk of being tested positive for COVID19. Material and methods Consecutive not hospitalized adults who underwent nasopharyngeal and throat swab for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2) detection at Treviso Hospital in March 2020, were enrolled. Subjects were divided into positive (cases) and negative (controls) in equal number. All of them gave consent and answered the COVIDQ. Patients not able to answer the COVIDQ due to clinical conditions were excluded. Parallel Analysis and Principal Component Analysis were used to identify clusters of items measuring the same dimension. The Item Response Theory (IRT) based analyses evaluated the functioning of item categories, the presence of clusters of local dependence among items, item fit within the model and model fit to the data. Results Answers obtained from 230 COVID19 cases (113 males, and 117 females; mean age 55 years, range 20 to 99 years) and 230 controls (61 males, and 169 females; mean age 46 years, range 21 to 89) were analyzed. Parallel analysis led to the extraction of six components, which corresponded to as many clinical presentation patterns: asthenia, influenza symptoms, ear and nose symptoms, breathing issues, throat symptoms, and anosmia/ageusia. The final IRT models retained 27 items as significant for symptom assessment. The total score on the questionnaire was significantly associated with positivity to the molecular SARSCoV2 test: subjects with multiple symptoms were significantly more likely to be affected by COVID19 (p < .001). Older age and male gender also represented risk factors. Presence of breathing issues and anosmia/ageusia were significantly related to positivity to SARSCoV2 (p < 0.001). None of the examined comorbidities had a significant association with COVID19 diagnosis. Conclusion According to the analyses, COVIDQ could be validated since the aspects it evaluated were overall significantly related to SARSCoV2 infection. The application of the novel COVIDQ to everyday clinical practice may help identifying subjects who are likely to be affected by COVID19 and address them to a nasopharyngeal swab in order to achieve an early diagnosis.

scholarly journals Direct antivirals working against the novel coronavirus: azithromycin (DAWn-AZITHRO), a randomized, multicenter, open-label, adaptive, proof-of-concept clinical trial of new antivirals working against SARS-CoV-2—azithromycin trial

Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwein Gyselinck ◽  
◽  
Laurens Liesenborghs ◽  
Ewout Landeloos ◽  
Ann Belmans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Ordinal Scale ◽  
Cytokine Signaling ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Abstract Background The rapid emergence and the high disease burden of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 have created a medical need for readily available drugs that can decrease viral replication or blunt the hyperinflammatory state leading to severe COVID-19 disease. Azithromycin is a macrolide antibiotic, known for its immunomodulatory properties. It has shown antiviral effect specifically against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and acts on cytokine signaling pathways that have been implicated in COVID-19. Methods DAWn-AZITHRO is a randomized, open-label, phase 2 proof-of-concept, multicenter clinical trial, evaluating the safety and efficacy of azithromycin for treating hospitalized patients with COVID-19. It is part of a series of trials testing promising interventions for COVID-19, running in parallel and grouped under the name DAWn-studies. Patients hospitalized on dedicated COVID wards are eligible for study inclusion when they are symptomatic (i.e., clinical or radiological signs) and have been diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 72 h through PCR (nasopharyngeal swab or bronchoalveolar lavage) or chest CT scan showing typical features of COVID-19 and without alternate diagnosis. Patients are block-randomized (9 patients) with a 2:1 allocation to receive azithromycin plus standard of care versus standard of care alone. Standard of care is mostly supportive, but may comprise hydroxychloroquine, up to the treating physician’s discretion and depending on local policy and national health regulations. The treatment group receives azithromycin qd 500 mg during the first 5 consecutive days after inclusion. The trial will include 284 patients and recruits from 15 centers across Belgium. The primary outcome is time from admission (day 0) to life discharge or to sustained clinical improvement, defined as an improvement of two points on the WHO 7-category ordinal scale sustained for at least 3 days. Discussion The trial investigates the urgent and still unmet global need for drugs that may impact the disease course of COVID-19. It will either provide support or else justify the discouragement of the current widespread, uncontrolled use of azithromycin in patients with COVID-19. The analogous design of other parallel trials of the DAWN consortium will amplify the chance of identifying successful treatment strategies and allow comparison of treatment effects within an identical clinical context. Trial registration EU Clinical trials register EudraCT Nb 2020-001614-38. Registered on 22 April 2020

scholarly journals The client satisfaction with device: a Rasch validation of the Arabic version in patients with upper and lower limb amputation

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadeel R. Bakhsh ◽  
Nilüfer Kablan ◽  
Walaa Alammar ◽  
Yaşar Tatar ◽  
Giorgio Ferriero
Keyword(s):  
Client Satisfaction ◽  
Item Difficulty ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Limb Amputation ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Reliability Indices ◽  
Arabic Speakers ◽  
Item Fit ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Local Item Dependency

Abstract Background The Client Satisfaction with Devices (CSD) module of the Orthotics and Prosthetics Users’ Survey is an extensively used questionnaire that measures patients’ satisfaction with orthosis and prosthesis. However, the validated version for Arabic speakers (CSD-Ar) is only applicable for orthosis users. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric proprieties of the CSD-Ar for prosthetics users. Methods The study used a convenience sample of prosthesis users from Saudi Arabia and Turkey (N = 183), who completed the CSD-Ar. The collected data were analysed using Rasch analysis to evaluate item fit, reliability indices, item difficulty, local item dependency, and differential item functioning (DIF) using WINSTEPS version 4.6.1. Results Based on the analysis, the four-response Likert-scale was acceptable, as shown by the category functioning test, All eight items did achieve a fit to the Rasch Model [(infit) and (outfit) mean-square 0.75 to 1.3]. Person separation reliability was 0.76, and item separation reliability was 0.94. A principal component analysis (PCA) showed satisfactory unidimensionality and no local item dependency. The DIF analysis showed no notable dependency among items on participant characteristics in terms of age, gender, duration of use, country, and level of amputation. Conclusion This study contributes to the confidence of using CSD-Ar to evaluate users’ satisfaction with different prostheses, affirming the need for further refinement of the quality of the outcome measure.

scholarly journals A Study On Financial Self-Efficacy During Covid-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (08) ◽  
pp. 472-483
Author(s):  
Sitangshu Khatua ◽  
◽  
Debdulal Dutta Roy ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
The Novel ◽  
The Great Depression ◽  
Online Mode ◽  
Personal Finances ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Financial Goal ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
And Control

Financial Self-efficacy is defined as a person’s observed capability to control his/her personal finances (Lapp, 2010; Postmus, 2011). It refers to one’s beliefs in the abilities to accomplish a financial goal or task. It is the “knowledge and ability to influence and control one’s financial matters” by Fox and Bartholomae (2008). Financial efficacy pattern of people during very critical moment is unknown. The world is experiencing one of the deepest recessions since the Great Depression in the 1930s owing to the novel coronavirus, World Bank President David Malpass has said, terming the COVID-19 pandemic a “catastrophic event” for many developing and the poorest countries. Aim of the study is to examine financial efficacy pattern of people during lockdown period for COVID-19. Data were collected through online mode using financial efficacy scale developed by authors for the study. Results of principal component analysis revealed that during lockdown, financial efficacy is more concerned with financial planning, planned payment and financial coping.

scholarly journals Preserved representations and decodability of diverse cognitive functions across the cortex, cerebellum, and subcortex

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoya Nakai ◽  
Shinji Nishimoto
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Functional Representations ◽  
Model Training ◽  
Task Representations ◽  
The Brain

Which part of the brain contributes to our complex cognitive processes? Studies have revealed contributions of the cerebellum and subcortex to higher-order cognitive functions; however it is unclear whether such functional representations are preserved across the cortex, cerebellum, and subcortex. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging data with 103 cognitive tasks and constructed three voxel-wise encoding and decoding models independently using cortical, cerebellar, and subcortical voxels. Representational similarity analysis revealed that the structure of task representations is preserved across the three brain parts. Principal component analysis visualized distinct organizations of abstract cognitive functions in each part of the cerebellum and subcortex. More than 90% of the cognitive tasks were decodable from the cerebellum and subcortical activities, even for the novel tasks not included in model training. Furthermore, we discovered that the cerebellum and subcortex have sufficient information to reconstruct activity in the cerebral cortex.

scholarly journals Clinical and Laboratory Profiles of 75 Hospitalized Patients with Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Hefei, China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zonghao Zhao ◽  
Jiajia Xie ◽  
Ming Yin ◽  
Yun Yang ◽  
Hongliang He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Treatment Effectiveness ◽  
Antiviral Treatment ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

AbstractThe outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection began in December 2019 in Wuhan, and rapidly spread to many provinces in China. The number of cases has increased markedly in Anhui, but information on the clinical characteristics of patients is limited. We reported 75 patients with COVID-19 in the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC from Jan 21 to Feb 16, 2020, Hefei, Anhui Province, China. COVID-19 infection was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR of respiratory nasopharyngeal swab samples. Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory data were collected and analyzed. Of the 75 patients with COVID-19, 61 (81.33%) had a direct or indirect exposure history to Wuhan. Common symptoms at onset included fever (66 [88.0%] of 75 patients) and dry cough (62 [82.67%]). Of the patients without fever, cough could be the only or primary symptom. The most prominent laboratory abnormalities were lymphopenia, decreased percentage of lymphocytes (LYM%), decreased CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts, elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Patients with elevated interleukin 6 (IL-6) showed significant decreases in the LYM%, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts. Besides, the percentage of neutrophils, CRP, LDH and Procalcitonin levels increased significantly. We concluded that COVID-19 could cause different degrees of hematological abnormalities and damage of internal organs. Hematological profiles including LYM, LDH, CRP and IL-6 could be indicators of diseases severity and evaluation of treatment effectiveness. Antiviral treatment requires a comprehensive and supportive approach. Further targeted therapy should be determined based on individual clinical manifestations and laboratory indicators.

scholarly journals Implementing Horn's Parallel Analysis for Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Dinno
Keyword(s):  
Principal Component Analysis ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Common Factor ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Component Analysis ◽  
Parallel Analysis ◽  
Common Factor Analysis

I present paran, an implementation of Horn's parallel analysis criteria for factor or component retention in common factor analysis or principal component analysis in Stata. The command permits classical parallel analysis and more recent extensions to it for the pca and factor commands. paran provides a needed extension to Stata's built-in factor- and component-retention criteria.

scholarly journals Measuring adolescent attitudes towards dementia: The revalidation and refinement of the A-ADS

2020 ◽  
pp. 135910532095347
Author(s):  
Nicolas Farina ◽  
Alys W Griffiths ◽  
Laura J Hughes ◽  
Sahdia Parveen
Keyword(s):  
Principal Component Analysis ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Concurrent Validity ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Single Factor ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Adolescent Attitudes ◽  
Good Internal Consistency

The A-ADS is one the first validated measures of attitudes of dementia in adolescents, though further validation is needed. 630 adolescents were recruited from secondary schools in England. A Principal Component Analysis was completed ( n = 230) followed by a Confirmatory Factor Analysis ( n = 400). Reducing the A-ADS into a single factor, 13-item measure (Brief A-ADS) improved the model fit of the measure (χ2 = 182.75, DF = 65, CMIN/DF = 2.81, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.07). The scale demonstrated good internal consistency, good predictive and concurrent validity. Building on the validation of the A-ADS, the Brief A-ADS is suitable to capture attitudes towards dementia amongst adolescents.

Cheese consumption culture in Central Spain (Madrid Region): drivers and consumer profile

2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 561-573
Author(s):  
José Luis Cruz Maceín ◽  
Maite Iriondo DeHond ◽  
Eugenio Miguel
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agricultural Industry ◽  
Consumption Culture ◽  
Phone Survey ◽  
Interesting Approach ◽  
Cheese Industry

Purpose The artisanal cheese industry in the Community of Madrid (CM) in Spain has recently experienced an increased development despite its traditionally limited cheese and milk production. The purpose of this paper is to explain this phenomenon by identifying the determinants of consumer attitudes towards cheese consumption in relation to the offer provided by recent artisan cheese producers. Design/methodology/approach A phone survey (n = 1,111 consumers) consisting of 17 questions was carried out to analyse cheese consumption culture in the CM. Principal component analysis was used to identify the factors that determine cheese-purchasing variance. Findings The first component was explained by hedonic (38 per cent of variance), followed by health aspects (24 per cent of variance) and price (15 per cent of variance). Price was identified as the most important criterion when purchasing cheese (67 per cent of consumers), followed by fat (57 per cent) and salt content (56 per cent). Results indicate a low cheese consumption culture in Madrid, as 48 per cent of consumers did not know exactly what kind of cheese they normally consumed. The type of milk used in cheese production was used to identify consumer profiles for market segmentation. Sheep and goat cheese consumers valued local production food quality and may be the driving force behind the expansion of artisanal cheese industry in Madrid. Research limitations/implications Madrid Region is one of the most important markets in Spain and Europe; however, local cheeses are not a traditional product in the market. Practical implications This paper offers a very interesting approach about how consumers’ culture can support a new local agricultural industry. Social implications Rural entrepreneurs can innovate focussing on new consumers demands. Local and handcrafted products are an opportunity in rural and periurban areas. Originality/value This paper shows consumer preferences and attitudes towards the novel artisan cheese sector that has expanded in the CM.

Psychometric properties of the self-efficacy for therapeutic mode use tool in a mixed sample of occupational therapists: a pilot study

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Yazdani ◽  
Tore Bonsaksen
Keyword(s):  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
The Self ◽  
Parallel Analysis ◽  
Therapeutic Practice ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
The Uk

Background/A Skills that enable the maintenance of productive relationships with clients are an essential aspect of therapeutic practice and include the use of therapeutic modes appropriate to clients' needs. The therapist requires a certain level of self-efficacy in order to use therapeutic modes in client–therapist interactions. Recently, a tool was developed to assess therapists' self-efficacy in the use of therapeutic modes. The structure of factors within and internal consistency of the self-efficacy for therapeutic mode use tool was examined. Methods Occupational therapists (n=51) from the UK and Iran completed the self-efficacy for therapeutic mode use assessment tool and provided sociodemographic information. The structure of factors was examined using principal component analysis and parallel analysis; internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's α and inter-item correlation. Results Parallel analysis suggested that the preferred structure has only one factor, explaining 55.2% of data variance. The items' factor loadings ranged between 0.67 and 0.80, and the scale had a Chronbach α of 0.83. Conclusions The sum of the scale scores can be useful in occupational therapy research and audits focusing on self-efficacy in the use of therapeutic modes in practice.

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