Evaluation of Disease Burden by (Separate) Patient-reported, Clinical, and Laboratory Factor Scores in Patients With Established Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Factor Analysis Replication

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can cause significant burden to patients. Some of these aspects are directly related to disease activity and are manageable with antirheumatic drugs, whereas others require nonpharmacological interventions.

A new indicator to measure discordance between patient reported outcomes and traditional disease activity holds promise to advance care trajectories improve care in patients with early Rheumatoid Arthritis

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo unravel disease impact in early RA patients by separately quantifying patient reported (PRF), clinical (CF) and laboratory (LF) factors. We put forward a new indicator, the discordance score (DS), for early identification and prediction of unmet patient outcomes in terms of future achievement of sustained remission and RA-related quality of life (QoL).MethodsWe obtained factor scores via factor analysis in the CareRA trial, then calculated the DS between PRF and the mean of the other scores. We computed the improvement from baseline to week 104 (%) and area-under-the-curve (AUC) across time-points per factor score and compared these between patients achieving or not achieving sustained (week 16 to 104) remission (DAS28CRP<2.6) with ANOVA. Logistic and linear regressions respectively were used to predict SR based on previous factor and discordance scores, and QoL at year 1 and 2 based on DS at week 16.ResultsPRF, CF and LF scores improved rapidly within 8 weeks. In patients achieving SR; PRF improved 57%, CF 90% and LF 27%, compared to 32% PRF (p=0.13), 77% CF (p<0.001) and 9% LF (p=0.36) score improvement in patients not achieving SR. Patients achieving SR had an AUC of 15.7, 3.4 and 4.8 for PRF, CF and LF respectively, compared to 33.2, 10.1, and 7.2 in participants not achieving SR (p<0.001 for all). Early factor and discordance scores were associated with later stage factor scores as well as QoL and PRF scores predicted SR (p<0.005 for PRF and DS).ConclusionsAll factor scores improved rapidly, especially in patients achieving SR. Patient-reported burden improved less extensively. Discordance scores could help in predicting the need for additional non-pharmacological interventions to achieve SR and decrease disease impact.KEY MESSAGESWhat is already known about this subject?Early and intensive RA drug-treatment using disease activity as a target allows rapid disease control and prevents joint destruction.Including pain, fatigue and physical function when assessing patients with early RA broadens the evaluation of disease impact.What does this study add?Leveraging patient reported outcomes (pain, fatigue and physical function) and traditional disease activity measures, we introduce a new indicator (named discordance score) for unraveling disease impact and treatment efficacy.We show how the discordance score stands for current unmet patient reported outcomes and could be used to predict future sustained disease contol and quality of life (1 and 2 years after baseline).We demonstrate this effect both in patients with and without sustained remissionHow might this impact on clinical practice or future developments?The earlier detection of unmet needs despite good disease control could allow to perform timely interdisciplinary interventions other than medication adaptations and could promote psychosocial wellbeing for patients.

Mapping behavioural, cognitive and affective transdiagnostic dimensions in frontotemporal dementia

Two common clinical variants of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are the behavioural variant (bvFTD) presenting with behavioural and personality changes attributable to prefrontal atrophy, and semantic dementia (SD) displaying early semantic dysfunction primarily due to anterior temporal degeneration. Despite representing independent diagnostic entities, mounting evidence indicates overlapping cognitive-behavioural profiles in these syndromes, particularly with disease progression. Why such overlap occurs remains unclear. Understanding the nature of this overlap, however, is essential to improve early diagnosis, characterisation, and management of those affected. Here, we explored common cognitive-behavioural and neural mechanisms contributing to heterogeneous FTD presentations, irrespective of clinical diagnosis. This transdiagnostic approach allowed us to ascertain whether symptoms not currently considered core to these two syndromes are present in a significant proportion of cases and explore the neural basis of clinical heterogeneity. Sixty-two FTD patients (31 bvFTD, 31 SD) underwent comprehensive neuropsychological, behavioural, and structural neuroimaging assessments. Orthogonally-rotated principal component analysis of neuropsychological and behavioural data uncovered eight statistically independent factors explaining the majority of cognitive-behavioural performance variation in bvFTD and SD. These factors included Behavioural changes, Semantic dysfunction, General Cognition, Executive function, Initiation, Disinhibition, Visuospatial function, and Affective changes. Marked individual-level overlap between bvFTD and SD was evident on the Behavioural changes, General Cognition, Initiation, Disinhibition, and Affective changes factors. Compared to bvFTD, SD patients displayed disproportionate impairment on the Semantic dysfunction factor, whereas greater impairment on Executive and Visuospatial function factors was noted in bvFTD. Both patient groups showed comparable magnitude of atrophy to frontal regions, whereas severe temporal lobe atrophy was characteristic of SD. Whole-brain voxel-based morphometry correlations with emergent factors revealed associations between fronto-insular and striatal grey matter changes with Behavioural, Executive, and Initiation factor performance, bilateral temporal atrophy with Semantic dysfunction factor scores, parietal-subcortical regions with General Cognitive performance, and ventral temporal atrophy associated with Visuospatial factor scores. Together, these findings indicate that cognitive-behavioural overlap (i) occurs systematically in FTD, (ii) varies in a graded manner between individuals, and (iii) is associated with degeneration of different neural systems. Our findings suggest that phenotypic heterogeneity in FTD syndromes can be captured along continuous, multidimensional spectra of cognitive-behavioural changes. This has implications for the diagnosis of both syndromes amidst overlapping features as well as the design of symptomatic treatments applicable to multiple syndromes.

A pathophysiological model of gait captures the details of the impairment of pace/rhythm, variability and asymmetry in Parkinsonian patients at distinct stages of the disease

Locomotion in people with Parkinson’ disease (pwPD) worsens with the progression of disease, affecting independence and quality of life. At present, clinical practice guidelines recommend a basic evaluation of gait, even though the variables (gait speed, cadence, step length) may not be satisfactory for assessing the evolution of locomotion over the course of the disease. Collecting variables into factors of a conceptual model enhances the clinical assessment of disease severity. Our aim is to evaluate if factors highlight gait differences between pwPD and healthy subjects (HS) and do it at earlier stages of disease compared to single variables. Gait characteristics of 298 pwPD and 84 HS able to walk without assistance were assessed using a baropodometric walkway (GAITRite®). According to the structure of a model previously validated in pwPD, eight spatiotemporal variables were grouped in three factors: pace/rhythm, variability and asymmetry. The model, created from the combination of three factor scores, proved to outperform the single variables or the factors in discriminating pwPD from HS. When considering the pwPD split into the different Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stages, the spatiotemporal variables, factor scores and the model showed that multiple impairments of gait appear at H&Y stage 2.5, with the greatest difference from HS at stage 4. A contrasting behavior was found for the asymmetry variables and factor, which showed differences from the HS already in the early stages of PD. Our findings support the use of factor scores and of the model with respect to the single variables in gait staging in PD.

Understanding Rural Women’s Domestic Work Experiences (DWE) in Ibadan, Nigeria: Development of a Measurement Tool Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Gender norms prescribe domestic labor as primarily a female’s responsibility in developing countries. Many domestic tasks depend on access to water, so the physical, emotional, and time demands of domestic labor may be exacerbated for women living in water-insecure environments. We developed a set of domestic work experience (DWE) measures tailored to work in rural areas in developing countries, assessed rural Nigerian women’s DWE, and examined relationships among the measures. Interviewer-administered survey data were collected between August and September from 256 women in four rural Nigerian communities. Latent factors of DWE were identified by analyzing survey items using confirmatory factor analysis. Pearson’s correlation was used to examine relationships among latent factor scores, and multivariate linear regression models were used to determine if factor scores significantly differed across socio-demographic characteristics. The DWE measures consisted of latent factors of the physical domain (frequency of common domestic tasks, water sourcing and carriage, experience of water scarcity), the psychosocial domain (stress appraisal and demand–control), and the social domain (social support). Significant correlations were observed among the latent factors within and across domains. Results revealed the importance of measuring rural Nigerian women’s DWE using multiple and contextual approaches rather than relying solely on one exposure measure. Multiple inter-related factors contributed to women’s DWE. Water insecurity exacerbated the physical and emotional demands of domestic labor DWE varied across age categories and pregnancy status among rural Nigerian women.

Facial Hair Decreases Fit Factor of Masks and Respirators in Healthcare Providers

In response to the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers are using common surgical masks and filtering respirators in conjunction with the presence of facial hair, which could lead to a large number of particles passing into their respiratory system. The purpose of this study was to determine the fit factor effectiveness of filtering respirators and surgical masks in bearded versus non-bearded healthcare providers. A controlled randomized clinical trial (NCT04391010) was carried out, analyzing a sample of 63 healthcare providers. The fit factors of surgical masks and FFP3 filtering respirators for healthcare providers with (n = 32) and without (n = 31) facial hair were compared. Fit factors were measured during an exercises protocol in which healthcare providers wore surgical masks and FFP3 filtering respirators. Surgical mask fit factor comparisons did not show significant differences (p > 0.05) between healthcare providers with and without facial hair. In contrast, filtering respirator fit factor comparisons showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) between both groups, indicating that healthcare providers with facial hair showed lower fit factor scores, which implies a worse fit factor with respect to healthcare providers without facial hair. The fit factor effectiveness of filtering respirators was reduced in healthcare providers with facial hair. The authors of this paper encourage healthcare providers to trim their beards during filtering respirator use or wear full-mask filtering facepiece respirators, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Differences in prosocial and agonistic behaviours expressed by Colombian and Spanish children and youth during a game session

We investigated behavioural patterns of school subjects from Colombia and Tenerife (Spain) of 10–12, 13–14 and 15–17 years old (150 per age group), during a crossed puzzle game. We video-recorded all sessions, elaborated an ethogram and classified behavioural patterns within functional categories (Empathy, Help Organizing, Agonistic, Cooperation, Selfishness and Tension-Distension); their frequencies were analyzed by Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM). Results showed significant differences between countries in Help Organizing, Cooperation, Agonistic and Tension-Distension; the same categories except Cooperation differed between age ranges, but no category significantly differed between sexes. GLMM of factor scores from a principal component analysis applied to behavioural categories showed subjects from Colombian schools had significantly lower PC1 factor scores (Empathy, Selfishness and Tension-Distension) than those from Tenerife; the contrary occurred for PC2 (Help Organizing and Cooperation) and no significant difference was found for PC3 (Agonistic and Selfishness). We discuss several potential causes of the differences found.

Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea are associated with less frequent exercise and worse subjective cognitive function across adulthood

Study Objectives To determine whether subjective measures of exercise and sleep are associated with cognitive complaints and whether exercise effects are mediated by sleep. Methods This study analyzed questionnaire data from adults (18-89) enrolled in a recruitment registry. The Cognitive Function Instrument (CFI) assessed cognitive complaints. Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale (MOS-SS) subscales and factor scores assessed sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, nighttime disturbance, and insomnia and OSA-like symptoms. Exercise frequency was defined as the weekly number of exercise sessions. Exercise frequency, MOS-SS subscales and factor scores were examined as predictors of CFI Score, adjusting for age, BMI, education, sex, cancer diagnosis, antidepressant usage, psychiatric conditions, and medical comorbidities. ANCOVA examined the relationship between sleep duration groups (short, mid-range, and long) and CFI Score, adjusting for covariates. Mediation by sleep in the exercise-CFI score relationship was tested. Results Data from 2,106 adults were analyzed. Exercise and MOS-SS subscales and factor scores were associated with CFI score. Higher Sleep Adequacy scores were associated with fewer cognitive complaints, whereas higher Sleep Somnolence, Sleep Disturbance, Sleep Problems Index I, Sleep Problems Index II, and factor scores were associated with more cognitive complaints. MOS-SS subscales and factor scores, except Sleep Disturbance and the insomnia factor score, mediated the association between exercise and cognitive complaints. Conclusions The relationship between exercise frequency and subjective cognitive performance is mediated by sleep. In particular, the mediation effect appears to be driven by symptoms possibly suggestive of obstructive sleep apnea which are negatively associated with exercise engagement, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and subjective cognitive performance.

A COMPARATIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF PROGNOSTIC FACTOR SCORES TO PREDICT MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN PATIENTS OF PERFORATED PEPTIC ULCER

Background: Perforation is one of the common complication of peptic ulcer disease which is associated with signicant morbidity and mortality. It is a disease which needs emergent surgical intervention. Accurate and early identication of high-risk patients with Perforated Peptic Ulcer is important for risk stratication. Here, we calculate the three prognostic factor scores, (i) The Boey Score, (ii) The Peptic ulcer perforation (PULP) score, and (iii) The quick sequential organ failure assessment (q-SOFA) score, preoperatively to predict postoperative outcome. Aims & Objective: The aim of the study is to identify patients with an increased risk of adverse outcome, so that we can target the level of perioperative monitoring and treatment in high-risk patients. Also, to determine and compare the ability of three prognostic factor scores to predict morbidity and mortality in patients of Perforated Peptic Ulcer. Methods: Aprospective comparative observational study was conducted comprising of 92 patients with conrmed perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) attending the emergency ward of Department of General Surgery between February 2019 to July 2020. After conrmation of diagnosis, risk stratication according to the three prognostic factor scores (Boey score, PULP score, and q-SOFA score) was done. Acomparison was made between each score through calculation of positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV). We used receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve in my study to estimate the predictive ability of each scoring system. Results: The study include 92 patients. Female 41.3% and Male 58.7%. The mean age was 45.38 years. The most common site of PPU was the rst part of duodenum - D1 (64.1%). The most common operative procedure done was the Grahm's patch repair. The morbidity rate was 28.3%. Overall mortality rate was 10.9%. The AUROC for morbidity prediction was 0.791 for Boey score, 0.918 for PULP score, and 0.61 for q-SOFAscore. The AUROC for mortality prediction was 0.829 for Boey score, 0.865 for PULPscore, and 0.602 for q-SOFAscore. Conclusion:Boey score and PULP score helps in accurate and early identication of PPU patients with an increased risk of adverse outcome. q-SOFA score cannot signicantly predict morbidity and mortality in PPU patients. Overall, PULP score performs best but Boey score is crude and simple to calculate and is used to assess the patient rapidly