Selection Of Instruments Research Articles

Analysis of the graduate and postgraduate courses demand on Feira de Santana industry

The municipality of Feira de Santana plays a pivotal role in the economic growth in the state of Bahia. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the municipality has approximately 624,000 inhabitants and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of around 15 billion Brazilian reais annually, ranking as the 3rd largest in Bahia and the 74th in Brazil. To ensure the continuous economic growth of the municipality, there is a pressing need for a qualified workforce. Therefore, the aim of this study is to systematically examine and analyze the demand for undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the industry of Feira de Santana. The methodology employed was based on data collection, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative approaches, from industries located in Feira de Santana and the microregion within the Portal do Sertão. The project's development encompassed six stages: 1 – selection of the data collection instrument; 2 – formulation of a questionnaire with closed-ended questions; 3 – creation of an electronic questionnaire; 4 – data collection; 5 – data analysis; 6 – presentation of the study’s results at technical and scientific events. Results indicate a demand for undergraduate programs in Engineering or Management and a postgraduate program in the field of Management in the form of MBA specialization. It is noteworthy that currently, the Center for Science and Technology (CETENS) at the Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia (UFRB) does not offer the community Management courses such as Administration, Accounting, or Economics, nor does it offer postgraduate courses in the same area. Thus, we identified two growth vectors in the project. The first is based on the ongoing expansion of Engineering/Technology courses, such as Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Automation, and Architecture. The second vector is focused on management courses, as mentioned earlier. A study was conducted to understand the problems and difficulties encountered during the project's execution using quality tools such as Brainstorming (BS), Ishikawa, 5 Whys, 5W2H, and PDCA. A proposed solution was put forth for the continuation of activities. An analytical study was carried out, stratifying the 627 industries in Feira de Santana, and a recommendation of 27 undergraduate courses was suggested to meet this demand. Nevertheless, the results indicate the strengthening of the relationship between CETENS and the industry, a potential improvement in the future employability of CETENS graduates, and the proposal of guidelines for the development and introduction of new undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the advanced campus of CETENS/UFRB.

Responsiveness and interpretability of the pain subscale of the Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis Outcome Scale (KOOS and HOOS) in osteoarthritis patients according to COSMIN guidelines.

The pain subscales of the Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores (KOOS and HOOS) are among the most frequently applied, patient reported outcomes to assess pain in osteoarthritis patients and evaluation of the results after Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) and Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA). For the evaluation of change over time it is essential to know the responsiveness and interpretability of these measurement instruments. Aim of this study is to investigate responsiveness and interpretability of the KOOS and HOOS pain subscales in patients with knee or hip OA and patients after TKA and THA as recommended by COSMIN guidelines. COSMIN stands for COnsensus based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments. COSMIN recommends methods for assessing responsiveness similar to those assessing validity, using extensive hypothesis testing to assess criterion validity and construct validity of the change score. This clinimetric study was conducted using data obtained from the Duloxetine in OsteoArthritis (DOA) trial. Primary knee or hip osteoarthritis patients were included. During the study, half of the participants received pre-operative targeted treatment with duloxetine, and all participants received TKA or THA. Patients filled out a set of patient-reported outcomes at several time points. Using the criterion validity approach the change scores of the KOOS and HOOS pain subscales directly after duloxetine treatment but before TKA and THA were correlated to the Patient Global Improvement anchor-question (PGI-I). Receiver Operating Characteristic curves (ROC curves) were obtained. Using the construct validity approach, hypothesis testing was conducted investigating the correlation between change scores in the KOOS and HOOS pain subscale with change scores in other questionnaires six months after TKA and THA. For interpretability, an anchor-based approach was used to consider the Minimally Important Change (MIC) of the KOOS and HOOS pain subscale. We compared the outcomes after duloxetine treatment and six months after TKA and THA in order to investigate any response shift. Ninety-three participants (53 knee patients and 41 hip patients) were included. Mean change was 4.3 and 4.6 points after conservative treatment for knee and hip OA patients respectively and 31.7 and 48.8 points after TKA and THA respectively. The KOOS and HOOS pain subscales both showed a gradual increase in change scores over the different categories of improvement on the PGI-I, with an Area Under the Curve of 0.72 (95% CI 0.527-0.921) and 0.79 (95% CI 0.588-0.983) respectively. Of the predefined hypotheses, 69% were confirmed for both subscales. The MICs were between 12.2 to 37.9 for the KOOS pain subscale, and between 11.8 to 48.6 for the HOOS pain subscale, depending on whether the PGI-I was administered after conservative treatment, or six months after TKA and THA. This study endorses the responsiveness of the KOOS and HOOS pain subscales in patients with knee or hip OA and patients after TKA and THA based on construct and criterion validity approaches. The KOOS pain subscale might be able to detect the MIC at an individual level after arthroplasty, but both the KOOS and HOOS pain subscales were not able to do so after conservative treatment. This study is the first to report a considerable response shift in MIC of the KOOS and HOOS pain subscales. This should be taken into consideration when evaluating MIC of the KOOS and HOOS pain subscale after conservative versus operative treatment. Future research should present more reference data regarding MIC scores after different treatments.

The Finite Sample Performance of Instrumental Variable-Based Estimators of the Local Average Treatment Effect When Controlling for Covariates

AbstractThis paper investigates the finite sample performance of a range of parametric, semi-parametric, and non-parametric instrumental variable estimators when controlling for a fixed set of covariates to evaluate the local average treatment effect. Our simulation designs are based on empirical labor market data from the US and vary in several dimensions, including effect heterogeneity, instrument selectivity, instrument strength, outcome distribution, and sample size. Among the estimators and simulations considered, non-parametric estimation based on the random forest (a machine learner controlling for covariates in a data-driven way) performs competitive in terms of the average coverage rates of the (bootstrap-based) 95% confidence intervals, while also being relatively precise. Non-parametric kernel regression as well as certain versions of semi-parametric radius matching on the propensity score, pair matching on the covariates, and inverse probability weighting also have a decent coverage, but are less precise than the random forest-based method. In terms of the average root mean squared error of LATE estimation, kernel regression performs best, closely followed by the random forest method, which has the lowest average absolute bias.

Genetic evidence for the causal association between type 1 diabetes and the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Accumulating observational studies have identified associations between type 1 diabetes (T1D) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Still, the evidence about the causal effect of this association is uncertain. We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to test for the causal association between T1D and PCOS using data from a large-scale biopsy-confirmed genome-wide association study (GWAS) in European ancestries. We innovatively divided T1D into nine subgroups to be analyzed separately, including: type1 diabetes wide definition, type1 diabetes early onset, type 1 diabetes with coma, type 1 diabetes with ketoacidosis, type 1 diabetes with neurological complications, type 1 diabetes with ophthalmic complications, type 1 diabetes with peripheral circulatory complications, type 1 diabetes with renal complications, and type 1 diabetes with other specified/multiple/unspecified complications. GWAS data for PCOS were obtained from a large-scale GWAS (10,074 cases and 103,164 controls) for primary analysis and the IEU consortium for replication and meta-analysis. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate heterogeneity and pleiotropy. Following rigorous instrument selection steps, the number of SNPs finally used for T1D nine subgroups varying from 6 to 36 was retained in MR estimation. However, we did not observe evidence of causal association between type 1 diabetes nine subgroups and PCOS using the IVW analysis, MR-Egger regression, and weighted median approaches, and all P values were > 0.05 with ORs near 1. Subsequent replicates and meta-analyses also yielded consistent results. A number of sensitivity analyses also did not reveal heterogeneity and pleiotropy, including Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO global test, leave-one-out analysis, and funnel plot analysis. This is the first MR study to investigate the causal relationship between type 1 diabetes and PCOS. Our findings failed to find substantial causal effect of type 1 diabetes on risk of PCOS. Further randomized controlled studies and MR studies are necessary.

Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS): A Systematic Review of Measurement Properties.

Negative symptoms are very important for the overall loss of functioning observed in patients with schizophrenia. There is a need for valid tools to assess these symptoms. We used the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) systematic review guideline to evaluate the quality of the clinical assessment interview for negative symptoms (CAINS) as a clinician-rated outcome measurement (ClinROM). The search strategy resulted in the retrieval of 13 articles, 11 of which were included in this evaluation. In terms of risk of bias, most articles reported on measures of internal consistency and construct validity, which were overall of good quality. Structural validity, reliability, measurement error, and cross-cultural validity were reported with less than optimum quality. There was a risk of bias in ClinROM development. According to the updated criteria of good measurement properties, structural validity, internal consistency, and reliability showed good results. In contrast, hypothesis testing was somewhat poorer. Results for cross-cultural validity were indeterminate. According to the updated GRADE approach from the COSMIN group the scale received a moderate grade. The COSMIN standard allows a judgment of the CAINS as an instrument with the potential to be recommended for use, but which requires further research to assess its quality, in particular in the domains of content validity, internal consistency, and cross-cultural validity.

Complement C3 as a potential drug target in periodontitis: Evidence from the cis-Mendelian randomization approach.

Evidence from a Phase IIa trial showed that a complement C3-targeted drug reduced gingival inflammation in patients with gingivitis. Using drug-target Mendelian randomization (MR), we investigated whether genetically proxied C3 inhibition alters the risk of periodontitis. We used multiple 'cis' instruments from the vicinity of the encoding loci of C3. Instrument selection was restricted to the drug target encoding loci (chromosome 19; 6,677,715-6,730,573 (GRCh37/hg19)). We selected three uncorrelated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs141552034, rs145406915, rs11569479) that were associated with serum C3 levels (p value <1 × 10-4 ) from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 5368 European descent individuals. We extracted association statistics from a GWAS of 17,353 clinical periodontitis cases and 28,210 European controls. Wald ratios were combined using inverse-variance weighted meta-analysis to estimate the odds ratio (OR) of the genetically proxied inhibition of C3 in relation to periodontitis. MR analysis revealed that the inhibition of C3 reduces the odds of periodontitis (OR 0.91 per 1 standard deviation reduction in C3; 95% confidence interval 0.87-0.96, p value = .0003). Findings from our MR analysis suggest a potential protective effect of C3 blockade against periodontitis.

Occupational Therapy Assessments of Cortical or Cerebral Visual Impairment: A Systematic Review.

Cortical or cerebral visual impairment (CVI), a leading cause of visual dysfunction in children across the globe, can result in delayed development of fine and gross motor skills, functional mobility, and socialization, which affects all areas of occupation. No assessments are recommended for occupational therapy practitioners working with children with CVI. To appraise the measurement properties and clinical utility of CVI assessments appropriate for use by occupational therapy practitioners. MEDLINE via PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. We followed the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidelines for systematic reviews of patient-reported outcome measures for relevant studies. A total of 590 records yielded 15 studies of the measurement properties of 12 assessment tools, 8 patient-reported outcome measures and 4 clinician-reported or performance-based outcome measures. We report on the quality of measurement properties of 10 of the 12 outcome measures. None had high-quality evidence of content validity, structural validity, or test-retest reliability. Most had indeterminate internal consistency as a result of a lack of confirmatory factor analysis. Three instruments demonstrated high quality and sufficient construct validity. On the basis of the COSMIN guidelines, all 12 outcome measures have the potential to be recommended but require further study before definitive recommendations can be made. What This Article Adds: This is the first systematic review of assessments of CVI feasible for use by occupational therapy practitioners. High-quality studies of measurement properties are lacking. Further examination of the measurement properties of outcome measures is required.

Instruments for measuring nursing research competence: a COSMIN-based scoping review

AimThe aim of this scoping review was to evaluate and summarise the measurement properties of nursing research competence instruments and provide a summary overview of the use of nursing research competence instruments.BackgroundIncreasing nursing research competence instruments have been developed. However, a systematic review and evaluation of nursing research competence instruments is lacking.MethodThis scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute updated methodology for scoping reviews and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. Reviewers searched articles in Eight English databases and two Chinese databases between April 1st, 2022, and April 30th, 2022. An updated literature search was conducted between March 1st and March 4th, 2023. The literature screening and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers, independently. A third reviewer was involved when consensus was needed. The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments methodology was used to evaluate the methodological quality and measurement properties of the nursing research competence instruments.ResultsTen studies involving eight nursing research competence instruments were included. None of the existing instruments have assessed all measurement properties. A total of 177 empirical studies have utilized a nursing research competence instrument with tested measurement properties.Conclusion‘Self-evaluated Nursing Research Capacity of Questionnaire (refined)’ was identified as the most appropriate nursing research competence instrument in existing instruments. However, reviewers need to conduct further measurement properties studies on the existing nursing research competence instruments.Implications for the nursing policyThis study could guide the selection of appropriate nursing research competence instruments which could help to evaluate the nursing research competence of nurses and inform the development of intervention plans to enhance nursing research competence.

Current outcomes of patellofemoral arthroplasty for isolated patellofemoral arthritis – A narrative review

Patellofemoral (PFJ) arthritis can be primary, or secondary to underlying trochlea dysplasia and patellofemoral malalignment. Although primary PFJ osteoarthritis affects an older patient population, just like tibiofemoral arthritis, it is common for younger patients to present with isolated PFJ arthritis secondary to an abnormal PFJ.PFJ arthroplasty (PFJA) has many benefits including being less invasive, associated with lower blood loss, is more cost-effective, and leaves the kinematics of the tibiofemoral joint undisturbed. As a result, there are arguably better functional outcomes associated with PFJA, however the historical revision rate of this procedure is high.Although registry outcome data associated with the first generation of PFJ implants shows a higher revision rate compared to TKA, the comparison of PFJ outcomes with TKA is not always age-matched and there is limited comparison on functional and patient-reported outcomes, something which is more important and relevant in a younger patient cohort. Improvements in implant design, instrumentation, surgical technique, and better patient selection has now resulted in outcomes which are comparable to that of TKA, and in some cases even better.This narrative review outlines the current outcomes of PFJA including highlighting factors which need to be considered in optimising outcomes, as well as discussing advanced techniques of robotic assisted PFJA.

Quality of patient-reported outcome measures for primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review

PurposeTo conduct a systematic review of the quality of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for primary dysmenorrhea (PDys) using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) methodology, and to derive recommendations for use of the PROMs.MethodsWe searched PubMed and Web of Science for studies reporting on the development and/or validation of any PROMs for women with PDys. Applying the COSMIN Risk of Bias Checklist, we assessed the methodological quality of each included study. We further evaluated the quality of measurement properties per PROM and study according to the criteria for good measurement properties, and graded the evidence. Based on the overall evidence, we derived recommendations for the use of the included PROMs.ResultsData from seven studies reporting on four PROMs addressing different outcomes were included. Among those, the Adolescent Dysmenorrhic Self-Care Scale (ADSCS) and the on-menses version of the Dysmenorrhea Symptom Interference Scale (DSI) can be recommended for use. The Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale (ESCAS) and the Dysmenorrhea Daily Diary (DysDD) have the potential to be recommended for use, but require further validation. The off-menses version of the DSI cannot be recommended for use.ConclusionsThe ADSCS can be recommended for the assessment of self-care behavior in PDys. Regarding measures of impact, the on-menses version of the DSI is a suitable tool. Covering the broadest spectrum of outcomes, the DysDD is promising for use in medical care and research, encouraging further investigations. Further validation studies are indicated for all included PROMs.

Psychometric properties of ability to contribute measurements as a domain of functional ability of older persons: a COSMIN systematic review.

Older person's ability to contribute covers contributions divided into five subdomains: assisting friends and neighbours, mentoring peers and younger people, caring for family, engaging in the workforce and voluntary activity. To evaluate the psychometric properties of ability to contribute measurements as a domain of functional ability of older persons using Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) methodology for systematic reviews. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO databases, for observational studies published within the last 10 years. The measurement properties of these ability measures were evaluated against the COSMIN taxonomy. Risk-of-bias assessment was performed using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist. Of the 32,665 studies identified, we selected 19, of which the main purpose was to develop or validate an instrument or have related items that measure at least one of the subdomains. None of the instruments contained items that were fully related to the five subdomains, 60% (n = 12) were related to voluntary activities and 15% (n = 3) to mentoring peers and younger people. As for psychometric properties, two studies assessed content validity. Factor analysis was used to evaluate structural validity in 10 studies. Internal consistency was evaluated in 63% of the instruments and Cronbach's alpha ranges from 0.63 to 0.92. No study reported predictive validity. A very limited overview of their scope and limitations for their application was observed. We found no single instrument measuring all subdomains of ability to contribute. We found several instruments containing items that could indirectly measure some of the subdomains of the ability to contribute.

Development, Reliability, and Structural Validity of the Scale for Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice in Ethics Implementation Among AI Researchers: Cross-Sectional Study.

Medical artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly contributed to decision support for disease screening, diagnosis, and management. With the growing number of medical AI developments and applications, incorporating ethics is considered essential to avoiding harm and ensuring broad benefits in the lifecycle of medical AI. One of the premises for effectively implementing ethics in Medical AI research necessitates researchers' comprehensive knowledge, enthusiastic attitude, and practical experience. However, there is currently a lack of an available instrument to measure these aspects. The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive scale for measuring the knowledge, attitude, and practice of ethics implementation among medical AI researchers, and to evaluate its measurement properties. The construct of the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice in Ethics Implementation (KAP-EI) scale was based on the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) model, and the evaluation of its measurement properties was in compliance with the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) reporting guidelines for studies on measurement instruments. The study was conducted in 2 phases. The first phase involved scale development through a systematic literature review, qualitative interviews, and item analysis based on a cross-sectional survey. The second phase involved evaluation of structural validity and reliability through another cross-sectional study. The KAP-EI scale had 3 dimensions including knowledge (10 items), attitude (6 items), and practice (7 items). The Cronbach α for the whole scale reached .934. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the goodness-of-fit indices of the scale were satisfactory (χ2/df ratio:=2.338, comparative fit index=0.949, Tucker Lewis index=0.941, root-mean-square error of approximation=0.064, and standardized root-mean-square residual=0.052). The results show that the scale has good reliability and structural validity; hence, it could be considered an effective instrument. This is the first instrument developed for this purpose.

Clinical trials of pneumonia management assess heterogeneous outcomes and measurement instruments

ObjectivesTo inform clinical practice guidelines, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the management of pneumonia need to address the outcomes that are most important to patients and health professionals using consistent instruments, to enable results to be compared, contrasted, and combined as appropriate. This systematic review describes the outcomes reported in clinical trials of pneumonia management and the instruments used to measure these outcomes. Study Design and SettingBased on a prospective protocol, we searched MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL and clinical trial registries for ongoing or completed clinical trials evaluating pneumonia management in adults in any clinical setting. We grouped reported outcomes thematically and classified them following the COMET Initiative's taxonomy. We describe instruments used for assessing each outcome. ResultsWe found 280 eligible RCTs of which 115 (41.1%) enrolled critically ill patients and 165 (58.9%) predominantly noncritically ill patients. We identified 43 distinct outcomes and 108 measurement instruments, excluding nonvalidated scores and questionnaires. Almost all trials reported clinical/physiological outcomes (97.5%). Safety (63.2%), mortality (56.4%), resource use (48.6%) and life impact (11.8%) outcomes were less frequently addressed. The most frequently reported outcomes were treatment success (60.7%), mortality (56.4%) and adverse events (41.1%). There was significant variation in the selection of measurement instruments, with approximately two-thirds used in less than 10 of the 280 RCTs. None of the patient-reported outcomes were used in 10 or more RCTs. ConclusionThis review reveals significant variation in outcomes and measurement instruments reported in clinical trials of pneumonia management. Outcomes that are important to patients and health professionals are often omitted. Our findings support the need for a rigorous core outcome set, such as that being developed by the European Respiratory Society.

H. Maiboroda National Honoured Bandura Choir of Ukraine: History of Functioning and Priority Principles of Creativity

The purpose of the article is to identify the leading trends in the activity of one of the oldest professional creative teams – the H. Maiboroda National Honoured Bandura Choir of Ukraine in the context of the development of academic folk vocal and instrumental art. The research methodology is determined by general philosophical, dialectical and historical principles, systematic and comparative approaches, as well as special musicological methods for the study of bandura instruments, concert and touring activities, repertoire formation trends, and personological aspects of musical creativity. The scientific novelty of the article is a systematic analysis of the creative activity of the H. Maiboroda National Honoured Bandura Choir through the prism of academicisation of folk vocal and instrumental art, development of ensemble bandura performance, selection and optimisation of bandura instruments, formation of repertoire principles, contribution of leading directors and conductors of the band to its professional formation, cooperation with composers and soloists, and the thematic principle in organising concert and touring programmes. Conclusions. The H. Maiboroda National Honoured Bandura Choir of Ukraine is a unique collective with a rich history, accumulation and synthesis of both folk music traditions – kobzarism and academic choral traditions. More than a century of the choir's functioning has become an expression of the cultural peculiarities of the time periods of bandura creativity and performance: at the level of improving the instrumentation, involving other folk and academic instruments in banduras, selecting male voices, choosing the texture of choral singing and instrumental playing, genre and thematic directions of the repertoire, collaborating with soloists and conductors, and a wide geography of concert and touring activities. The priority directions of the repertoire of the choir are folklore samples in a cappella and vocal-instrumental representation and composer's elaboration, original works and arrangements of Ukrainian and foreign composers, covering historical, Cossack, lyrical, humorous, riflemen's songs, Shevchenko's songs, UPA songs, and modern patriotic works.&#x0D; Keywords: bandura art, folk vocal and instrumental art, collective folk and instrumental art, bandura ensemble, bandura chapel, academisation, repertoire, composers' works, concert activity.

Den belarusiske autoritarismens seiglivethet og debatten om lokalforvaltningen

In the literature on authoritarian regimes, there is a growing recognition that authoritarianism is not necessarily a transitional phenomenon, but a form of government that is sustained by a multifaceted selection of instruments and therefore able to survive crises. In Belarus, populism and regular welfare deliveries contribute to the tenacity of the country’s authoritarianism. The sub-state level of governance is important as Belarusians’ welfare primarily is delivered at the local level. However, the local elected bodies play a minimal role, and it is in practice local departments of the central administration that make decisions locally. This manifestation of the centralism of Belarusian authoritarianism is not only challenged by the opposition in the country. Systemic publications also advocate for less central management of local politics and more power for the local, elected councils. This article presents the distinctive features of Belarusian authoritarianism and provides a detailed overview of the local level of governance in the country. The reform debate – both from the side of the regime and the opposition – is presented. The possible importance of the local level for the survival of Belarusian authoritarianism is discussed in the light of the literature on the resilience of authoritarian regimes.

Psychometric properties of Autism Spectrum Disorders Screening Assessment Tools: Systematic Review.

Due to the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), these children must be screened as soon as possible and receive the necessary and appropriate treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine all the ASD screening tools and examine their psychometric properties in available languages. This was a systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to review the articles published between 2000 and 2023 and were published in PubMed, EMBASE, ProQuest, and Scopus databases. English keywords were as follows: autism spectrum disorders (ASD), screening/screen, tools, psychometric properties, validity, reliability, translations, pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), and children. The COnsensus -based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist were used to investigate the psychometric properties of the studies. Among the 476 primary studies, 35 ASD screening tools (132 articles related to the psychometric properties of 35 ASD screening tools in different languages) were identified based on our criteria, and their psychometric properties were examined. Various tools, including performance-based, direct observation, interactive play, and parent and teacher reports tools, were included in the list of tools. Considering that each of these tools has advantages and limitations, they need to be selected and used according to the goals of the researchers and the therapists. Another important point is that many of these tools still need more extensive studies in relation to their psychometric properties.

Validity of Actigraph for Measuring Energy Expenditure in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the validity of the Actigraph triaxial accelerometer device in measuring physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) in healthy adults, with indirect calorimetry (IC) serving as the validity criterion. A comprehensive search was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, and sportdiscuss databases, in addition to manual searches for supplementary sources. Search strategies were employed that involved conducting single keyword searches using the terms "gt3x" and "Actigraph gt3x". The literature search encompassed the timeframe spanning from 1 January 2010 to 1 March 2023. The methodological quality of the studies included in the analysis was evaluated using both the Downs and Black checklist and the Consensus-Based Criteria for Selection of Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist. The meta-analysis was conducted using the Review Manager 5.4 software. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was calculated and expressed as a 95% confidence interval (CI). The significance level was set at α = 0.05. A systematic assessment of the Actigraph's performance was conducted through the descriptive analysis of computed effect sizes. A total of 4738 articles were retrieved from the initial search. After eliminating duplicate articles and excluding those deemed irrelevant, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on a total of 20 studies, encompassing a combined sample size of 1247 participants. The scores on the Downs and Black checklist ranged from 10 to 14, with a mean score of 11.35. The scores on the COSMIN checklist varied from 50% to 100%, with an average score of 65.83%. The meta-analysis findings revealed a small effect size (SMD = 0.01, 95% CI = 0.50-0.52, p = 0.97), indicating no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). The meta-analysis revealed a small effect size when comparing the Actigraph and IC, suggesting that the Actigraph can be utilized for assessing total PAEE. Descriptive analyses have indicated that the Actigraph device has limited validity in accurately measuring energy expenditure during specific physical activities, such as high-intensity and low-intensity activities. Therefore, caution should be exercised when utilizing this device for such purposes. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between the activity counts measured by the Actigraph and the PAEE, indicating that activity counts can be utilized as a predictive variable for PAEE.

Evaluation of Measurement Properties of Supportive Environment Assessment Scales for Dementia Special Care Units: A COSMIN Systematic Review

ObjectivesTo identify, critically appraise, compare, and summarize the measurement properties of existing instruments that assess the supportive environment of dementia special care units (DSCUs). DesignSystematic review of measurement properties consistent with Consensus-based standards for the selection of health measurement instruments (COSMIN) guidelines. Settings and ParticipantsPubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed were searched from inception to July 21, 2023. Studies that (1) measured the supportive environment for DSCUs using any type of assessment instrument and (2) evaluated 1 or more psychometric properties of a DSCU's supportive environment assessment instruments were included. MethodsTwo reviewers independently screened, selected, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. ResultsFourteen studies were identified that reported the psychometric properties of 8 assessment instruments. The Therapeutic Environment Screening Survey for Nursing Homes (TESS-NH) exhibited relatively better results on methodological risk of bias and quality of the psychometric properties. None of the instruments reported the evaluations on hypothesis testing, cross-cultural validity/measurement invariance, measurement error, or responsiveness. Based on the summary of 32 dimensions from 8 assessment instruments, this review established 7 functional constructs for the supportive environment for DSCUs: safety maintenance, space design, external resources, sensory stimulation, humanistic care, residual function development, and professional care. In addition, this study also initially developed a conceptual framework for the supportive environment of DSCUs. Conclusion and ImplicationsTESS-NH received the rating of “best methodological quality” and outperformed other weakly recommended scales. Further studies should pay attention to developing or revalidating scales for assessing the supportive environment of DSCUs in large multicenter samples following the COSMIN methodology. Furthermore, the conceptual framework for the DSCU supportive environment will provide a theoretical reference for facilitating their hierarchical establishment and governance within diverse long-term care facilities by state authorities.

Chinese CSUQ: Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Evaluation of Measurement Properties

The Computer System Usability Questionnaire is one of the most popular standardized usability questionnaires used to assess the perceived usability of computer software, and it has been rigorously translated into multiple languages. This article aims to complete the cross-cultural adaptation of CSUQ in a Chinese environment and examine the psychometric characteristics. We used the forward–backward translation method to complete the initial translation, and designed the psychometric experiment according to the measurement properties required by the consensus-based standards for the selection of health measurement instruments (COSMIN). The COSMIN risk of bias checklist and updated criteria for good measurement properties were used to examine the Chinese CSUQ. The results demonstrated good performance of the Chinese CSUQ in content validity, internal structure and the remaining measurement properties. The results of the factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure, as well as any discrepancy between the Chinese CSUQ and its original version. Therefore, the Chinese CSUQ can be used confidently by Chinese usability practitioners and also serve as an effective alternative to other standardized usability scales.

Diagnostic value of magnetic resonance imaging for patients with periprosthetic joint infection: a systematic review

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to provide a critical systematic review of the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a noninvasive method to assess periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs).MethodsThe electronic databases PubMed and EMBASE were searched, since their inception up to March 27, 2022. The included studies evaluated the reproducibility and accuracy of MRI features to diagnose PJIs. The article quality assessment was conducted by the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) and Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2).ResultsAmong 1909 studies identified in the initial search, 8 studies were eligible for final systematic review. The included studies evaluated the reproducibility and accuracy of MRI features to diagnose PJIs. Seven of 8 studies showed good to excellent reliability, but only one article among them in which accuracy was evaluated had a low risk of bias. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cohen coefficient (κ) varied between 0.44 and 1.00. The accuracy varied between 63.9% and 94.4%. Potential MRI features, such as lamellated hyperintense synovitis, edema, fluid collection, or lymphadenopathy, might be valuable for diagnosing PJIs.ConclusionThe quality of the evidence regarding the role of MRI for PJIs diagnosis was low. There is preliminary evidence that MRI has a noteworthy value of distinguishing suspected periprosthetic joint infection in patients with total knee arthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty, but the definition of specific MRI features related to PJIs diagnosis lacks consensus and standardization. Large-scale studies with robust quality were required to help make better clinical decisions in the future.