Reliability Test Research Articles

Interpretation of pseudothrombocytopenia using platelet histograms and flags in a hematology autoanalyzer in a healthy child: a case report

Background. Pseudothrombocytopenia is a spurious thrombocytopenia caused mostly by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) use, and if detected early, unnecessary testing and treatment can be avoided. We present pseudothrombocytopenia caused by EDTA and citrate in an asymptomatic healthy child, as well as the value of using peripheral blood smear, platelet histogram, and flag data. Case. A previously healthy 13-year-old girl with thrombocytopenia who developed tonsillitis 12 days previously was referred to our hematology department. Laboratory tests revealed severe thrombocytopenia (17x103/µL) in EDTA samples. A peripheral blood smear revealed numerous platelet clumping. We hypothesized EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia and ordered a platelet count by citrate tube. A citrate tube revealed thrombocytopenia with a platelet count of 55x103/µL. The platelet count (175x103/µL) returned to normal with heparin tubing. All blood samples had a similar platelet histogram and flags in the autoanalyzer. The platelet histogram indicated a serrated/sawtooth curve containing the largest platelet aggregates. Platelet flags alert messages about platelet clumping. Conclusions. Peripheral blood smear is the most reliable test for pseudothrombocytopenia. If the physician has no experience with smear examination, both laboratory technician and physician should be aware of abnormal platelet histograms and platelet clumping messages in platelet flags, which indicate pseudothrombocytopenia.

Frictional Abrasion of Rubber: Transition from Sliding to Rolling

ABSTRACT To develop applicable friction and wear models on tire scale, reliable test data are required. Consequently, friction tests on block level are requested because the distribution of contact pressure as well as slip velocity is nearly homogeneous at the contact surface of the sliding rubber block. However, wear mechanism and energy intensity levels of sliding rubber blocks and rolling rubber wheels or tires differ significantly. Consequently, linking both sliding and rolling frictional abrasion is required; thus, a wear model for rubber material is introduced to consider both deformation slip and sliding. The model input for sliding friction and resulting wear rate is derived from linear friction test experiments using sliding rubber blocks at different loading. A unique and sophisticated re-mesh algorithm ensures proper mesh modification due to abrasion of the structure. A wear energy evolution approach is developed to consider low abrasion with small sliding distances to predict wear at rolling rubber wheels. The simulation framework of abrasion modeling is successfully validated using laboratory abrasion tests.

Self-rating scale in self-directed learning in workplace context: a case study of Thai operational employees in the petrochemical plant industry

PurposeThis study addresses the need for a validated tool to assess self-directed learning (SDL) behaviors among Thai operational employees in the petrochemical industry. Understanding SDL capabilities is essential for effective human resource development, given the complexity of plant operations and the need for continuous skill enhancement.Design/methodology/approachThis research adapts the self-rating scale of self-directed learning (SRSSDL) to the Thai workplace context. The SRSSDL was translated into Thai and adapted for the workplace. Five experts validated the content, and validity and reliability testing was conducted with 50 operational employees from Thai petrochemical plants. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Cronbach’s alpha were used to assess the instrument’s reliability and validity.FindingsContent validation confirmed that all SRSSDL items had an item-objective congruence (IOC) score above 0.5. CFA results showed a good model fit (comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.99, Tucker–Lewis index [TLI] = 0.98, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.02 and standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] = 0.02). Reliability analysis showed Cronbach’s alpha values from 0.91 to 0.96, indicating excellent internal consistency.Originality/valueThis research is the first study to assess and prove the content validity, construct validity and reliability of the SRSSDL in the context of Thai workplaces, particularly in the petrochemical industry. The SRSSDL is a reliable and valid tool for assessing SDL behaviors among Thai operational employees. It enhances human resource development by identifying SDL capabilities and fostering continuous improvement and SDL.

ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ONLINE REGISTRATION SYSTEM ON PATIENT SATISFACTION AT RATU AJI PUTRI BOTUNG HOSPITAL, PENAJAM PASER UTARA REGENCY

This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of the online registration system on patient satisfaction at Ratu Aji Putri Botung Hospital, Penajam Paser Utara Regency. This research uses a quantitative approach. The subjects of this study were patients of Ratu Aji Putri Botung Hospital and a sample of 83 people was taken as respondents. The data collection method used a questionnaire. The testing technique uses validity test, reliability test, classical assumption test and Regression Analysis test in which there are t test results, and the coefficient of determination. Based on the results of the t test regression analysis, it shows that the tcount value on the Online Registration System variable (X) on Patient Satisfaction (Y) is 5.775 and the significance value is 0.000. Then the significance value of 0.000 <0.05, while the comparison between tcount and ttable is 5.775> 1.989. This shows that the level of significance is smaller and also the comparison between tcount is greater than ttabel and is positive, it can be concluded that the Online Registration System (X) has a positive and significant effect on Patient Satisfaction (Y). The results showed that the utilization of information and communication technology applied to this Online Registration System will create an organized system and avoid the accumulation of more patients to come repeatedly to the service place, but customers only come according to the days and hours obtained from the Online Registration System website patients at a service place, so that the online registration system will increase patient satisfaction at Ratu Aji Putri Botung Hospital.

Investigation on the variations of dynamic characteristics of anchor bolts considering transverse inertia effects under tensile loads

Abstract In the case where tunnel anchor bolts are located in strata with limited surrounding rock boundaries, the response signals of the anchor bolts are affected by the tensile load and the transverse inertia effect, resulting in a decrease in the reliability of the non-destructive testing (NDT) results. To accurately assess the anchorage quality under these disturbances, a vibration energy loss model for anchor bolts after excitation was proposed. NDT experiments and numerical simulation studies were conducted on intact and defective anchor bolts under different conditions, analyzing the variation patterns of structural dynamic characteristics such as the the first-order natural frequency, the first-order damping ratio, and the vibration energy loss under the influence of tensile load and transverse inertia effect. The results show that during the gradual increase of the tensile load, the first-order natural frequency and the first-order damping ratio exhibit an overall trend of first increasing and then decreasing, while the rate of the energy loss initially decreases and then increases. The presence of anchorage defects leads to a reduction in the first-order natural frequency, the first-order damping ratio, and the energy loss of the anchor bolt. As the transverse inertia effect intensifies, the first-order natural frequency initially increases and then decreases, the first-order damping ratio decreases, and the energy loss initially decreases slightly before increasing. The numerical simulation verifies the applicability of the theoretical model and explores the influence of defect location on energy loss. The results indicate that the closer the defect location is to the free end, the less the vibration energy loss of the anchor bolt.

Clinical Tools to Assess Functional Capacity During Risk Assessment Before Elective Noncardiac Surgery : A Scoping Review.

Functional capacity is critical to preoperative risk assessment, yet guidance on its measurement in clinical practice remains lacking. To identify functional capacity assessment tools studied before surgery and characterize the extent of evidence regarding performance, including in populations where assessment is confounded by noncardiopulmonary reasons. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and EBM Reviews (until July 2024). Studies evaluating performance of functional capacity assessment tools administered before elective noncardiac surgery to stratify risk for postoperative outcomes. Study details, measurement properties, pragmatic qualities, and/or clinical utility metrics. 6 categories of performance-based tests and 5 approaches using patient-reported exercise tolerance were identified. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) was the most studied tool (132 studies, 32 662 patients) followed by field walking tests (58 studies, 9393 patients) among performance-based tests. Among patient-reported assessments, the Duke Activity Status Index (14 studies, 3303 patients) and unstructured assessments (19 studies, 28 520 patients) were most researched. Most evidence focused on predictive validity (92% of studies), specifically accuracy in predicting cardiorespiratory complications. Several tools lacked evidence on reliability (test consistency across similar measurements), pragmatic qualities (feasibility of implementation), or concurrent criterion validity (correlation to gold standard). Only CPET had evidence on clinical utility (whether administration improved postoperative outcomes). Older adults (≥65 years) were well represented across studies, whereas there were minimal data in patients with obesity, lower-limb arthritis, and disability. Synthesis focused on reported data without requesting missing information. Though several tools for preoperative functional capacity assessment have been studied, research has overwhelmingly focused on CPET and only 1 aspect of validity (predictive validity). Important evidence gaps remain among vulnerable populations with obesity, arthritis, and physical disability. None. (Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/ah7u5).

Development of Critical Thinking Test Instruments for Elementary School Students in Ambon City

The ability to think critically is a skill that must be possessed by elementary school students in the era of globalization. This ability enables learners to analyze information, solve problems, and make informed decisions. This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable critical thinking test instrument to measure the critical thinking ability of elementary school students in Ambon City. This study is a type of research and development with the stages: needs analysis, instrument development, instrument validation, and instrument testing. The subject of the study is a 5

Blastomycosis: A Rare Cause of Pleural Effusion, Diagnosed on Cytology

ABSTRACT Among fungal infections, fungal empyema (FE) is rare and has significant mortality. Microscopic examination of the pleural fluid plays an essential role in its diagnosis. Since pleural fluid can be obtained easily as a bedside procedure, yielding significant diagnostic material, other invasive and expensive procedures can be avoided. The fungal elements identified in FE on microscopy can be yeasts, filamentous fungi, and dimorphic fungi. The morphology of spherical, thick-walled yeast cells showing broad-based budding is commonly seen in blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, and cryptococcosis. Though microbiological tests remain the gold standard, pleural fluid cytology with various special stains can be used as a rapid, reliable test for diagnosis. This has the advantages of prompt diagnosis, minimum expertise, and cost-effectiveness. We present a case of a 75-year-old male who presented with bilateral pleural effusion, the cytology of which revealed blastomycosis.

The Chinese version of the physical activity questionnaire for adolescents: a psychometric validity, reliability, and invariance study.

The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A) is one of the most commonly used questionnaires for assessing adolescents' levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA). Although a Chinese version of the PAQ-A (comprising nine items) exists, it has been assessed for only internal consistency coefficients, test-retest reliability, and correlations with the GT3X + accelerometer. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the PAQ-A among Chinese adolescents. This study included three samples of 1,101 secondary school students (12-19years old). The first sample consisted of 518 participants (50.4% males, 49.6% females) for correlation tests and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The second sample consisted of 227 participants (55.75% males, 44.24% females) for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), convergent validity, and sample size invariance tests. The third sample consisted of 356 participants (54.50% male, 45.50% female) for the internal consistency reliability test, invariance test (cross sample size, education level and gender), and t-test. Pearson correlation analysis of the PAQ-A indicated that all the total-item correlations exceeded 0.2, indicating good consistency across the items. Subsequent EFA of the Chinese version of the PAQ-A revealed a two-factor structure. CFA subsequently validated this structure. One of the items exhibited a standardized loading below 0.4 and was excluded. The exclusion of this item resulted in increased standardized loadings for the remaining items, ranging from 0.40 to 0.82, which indicates improved fit indices. This adjustment underscores the questionnaire's satisfactory convergent validity and robust discriminant validity. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.821, with the values for the first and second factors being 0.757 and 0.716, respectively. The questionnaire demonstrated stable invariance across sample sizes and education levels and additionally showed partial scalar invariance across genders. A t-test revealed a significant difference between males and females, which aligns with previous findings. These findings supported the construct validity of the questionnaire. This study validated the Chinese version of the PAQ-A for assessing adolescent PA in China, with a two-factor structure improved by removing one item.

Depictions of Strabismus in Children's Animated Films.

Strabismus is known to negatively affect patients' self-confidence and ability to interact with society. Strabismus is commonly depicted in animated films marketed to children, potentially influencing the perception of strabismus by young impressionable audiences. We reviewed all animated films released by Walt Disney Animation Studios from 1989 to 2022 and all films released by Pixar, DreamWorks, and Studio Ghibli before 2023 and identified all characters with strabismus. Five raters each independently performed a character trait analysis of all characters with strabismus, and a sample proportion test was used for statistical comparison of these traits. One hundred twenty five movies met inclusion criteria. We identified 46 characters with strabismus, with at least 1 character identified in 33 of the 125 films. These characters were more likely to be portrayed as unintelligent (30%) than intelligent (2%), villains (15%) than heroes (4%), and followers (41%) than leaders (7%). Twenty-six (58%) were either mute or did not speak, 24% were portrayed as frightening, 35% had other physical deformities, and 35% were clumsy. Inter-rater reliability testing demonstrated substantial agreement (Kappa 0.61-0.80) or moderate agreement (κ 0.41-0.60) among raters for most of the character traits. Characters with strabismus are common in animated films, where they are significantly more likely to be portrayed negatively than positively. These films are marketed to children, and their negative depictions of strabismus likely exacerbate the social stigma faced by children with strabismus.

The minimally clinically important difference in the 2-minute walk test for people in the subacute phase after a stroke

ABSTRACT Background The 2-Minute Walk Test (2MWT) is a simple and reliable test used by clinicians to assess gait function in people with stroke (pwST). No studies established the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the 2MWT. Objective To determine the MCID of the 2MWT in subacute pwST using data from a longitudinal cohort study. Methods PwST within 180 days of stroke onset were recruited from the Italian National Health System (NHS) rehabilitation services across the country. Participants underwent physical therapy to improve balance and gait according to their specific needs. The 2MWT was used to assess gait performance at the beginning (T0) and after a minimum of 10 rehabilitation sessions (T1). The Global Perceived Effect (GPE), Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) and the ABC_gait were used to assess balance confidence and the perceived effect of the intervention at T1. Results 51 pwST (69 ± 12 years; 66.7% males) were included in the analysis. Statistically significant improvements were observed in 2MWT, ABC, and ABC_gait scores after rehabilitation using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Using an anchor-based approach the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated to establish the MCID. The MCID of the 2MWT was 31 meters with an Area under the curve (AUC) = 0.74 [0.60–0.89], a specificity of 71% and a sensitivity of 63%. Conclusions An improvement of 31 meters on the 2MWT can be considered clinically significant in subacute pwST undergoing rehabilitation. This study provides valuable insights for clinicians to assess walking performance in pwST and determine clinically meaningful changes post-rehabilitation.

DNN Testing, Regression Testing and Software Reliability Prediction

DNN Testing, Regression Testing and Software Reliability Prediction

The Correlation Between Math Anxiety Level and Numeracy Skills of Fifth-Grade Students

This study aims to determine the correlation of math anxiety to numeracy skills. The sample in this study was one class, namely class V at 5 Elementary School Selong with a total of 27 people. The research design used is correlational with quantitative research type. The results of the validity and reliability tests stated that there were 17 valid and highly reliable math anxiety questionnaire statement items and there were 20 valid and reliable numeracy test items. To analyze the data, researchers used the Person Product Moment correlation which previously conducted a normality test manually with the help of excel using the Saphiro Wilk formula. Based on data analysis, the calculation of the variable relationship is -0.40. This means that math anxiety with numeracy skills is a negative correlation. Based on the interpretation of the correlation coefficient, the relationship between the two variables is in the moderate category. The amount of contribution of math anxiety variables to numeracy skills is 16% and 84% is determined by other variables. After that, the significance test is carried out with the T-test, then seen from the hypothesis testing criteria, namely obtained tcount = -2.17 while ttable (5%) = 2.06. From the calculation results, it can be seen that the result of tcount = -2.17 < ttable = -2.06. This shows that H0 is rejected and H1 is accepted. So it is concluded that "there is a significant correlation between math anxiety level and students' numeracy skills"

The Azerbaijani Adaptation of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale: Investigating Its Influence on Psychological Distress and Life-Job Satisfaction

Teacher well-being plays a vital role in fostering a positive and productive learning environment, as it directly impacts both their professional performance and the overall success of their students. Consequently, this study aimed to adapt the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for use among Azerbaijani school principals and to investigate the relationships between work and wellbeing, psychological distress, and life-job satisfaction. Data were gathered from 976 Azerbaijani school principals. The adaptation process involved confirmatory factor analysis, evaluations of criterion-related validity, and reliability testing. Additionally, the relationships between work and wellbeing, psychological distress, and life-job satisfaction were examined through mediational analysis. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the questionnaire consisted of 17 items, highlighted three factors, and demonstrated an acceptable model fit. The scale showed satisfactory reliability coefficients for both its individual factors and the overall score. Moreover, the results indicated that work and wellbeing was positively correlated with life-job satisfaction and negatively associated with psychological distress. Lastly, the findings revealed that psychological distress mediated the relationship between work and wellbeing and life-job satisfaction. These outcomes suggest that the Azerbaijani version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale possesses strong psychometric properties.

Adaptation of the Five-by-Five Resilience Scale in Indonesian

Resilience is the ability of individuals to be able to adapt and rise from difficult conditions or situations. The Five-by-Five Resilience Scale is a measurement tool developed by DeSimone et al (2016) to measure individual resilience. There are five protective factors of resilience, namely adaptation, emotional regulation, optimism, self-efficacy and social support. This research aims to adapt the Five-by-Five Resilience Scale into Indonesian. This research was conducted because there has been no testing of the Indonesian version of the Five-by-Five Resilience Scale. The subjects involved in the study were 267 subjects with an age range of 18 - 25 years who were domiciled in Indonesia. Based on the results of psychometric testing through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), 4 factors were obtained that build the Five-by-Five Resilience Scale. The results also show that the Five-by-Five Resilience Scale has a correlation with other measuring tools in convergence validity testing. The reliability test results show that the dimensions on the Five-by-Five Resilience Scale as a whole have a reliability > 0.7.

Age-Related Differences and Reliability of a Field-Based Fitness Test Battery in Young Trained Footballers: The Role of Biological Age

Background: the purpose of this study was to analyze the reliability of a field-based fitness test battery in young trained football players, according to biological age. Methods: 197 young trained football players (12–19 years old) participated in the study. We measured anthropometric measurements (i.e., height, sitting height, length leg, and body mass), a bilateral vertical jumping test (CMJ), a progressive loading test of squats and hip thrust, acceleration and speed tests (10 m and 30 m sprint tests), a change-of-direction ability test (V–cut test), and a cardiorespiratory fitness test (30–15 intermittent fitness test). Statistical data are shown as the mean ± standard deviation by PHV group in tests and retests. Test reliability was assessed through the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), with an ICC above 0.9 being considered high. To evaluate accuracy and repeatability, standard error of measurement, coefficient of variation, and minimum detectable change at 90% were determined and Bland–Altman diagrams were used, establishing a statistical significance of p < 0.05. Results: All of the tests showed non-significant differences between the test and retest in the pooled sample (p > 0.05). Furthermore, all of them presented a trivial effect size (<0.2) and high intraclass correlation coefficients (>0.9), which indicates the high reproducibility of the tests, despite some of them presenting a significant difference between trials (i.e., the CMJ, 10 m sprint, V–cut, and squat tests). Low measurement errors were found for all tests (coefficient of variation [CV] = 4.39–9.39), except for the CMJ and the progressive loading test for squat and hip thrust exercises (CV = 12.2–21.11). Similar results were found irrespective of biological age group. Conclusions: All tests were reliable for the pooled sample as well as for the biological age groups.

Validity and reliability testing of the Shatri Sinulingga psychosomatic test (SSPT) questionnaire as a screening instrument for psychosomatic disorders in Indonesia

The incidence of psychosomatic disorders is increasing in Indonesia, and therefore screening instruments that are culturally appropriate for the Indonesian population are needed. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Shatri Sinulingga psychosomatic test (SSPT) questionnaire as a screening instrument for psychosomatic disorders in Indonesia. An analytic descriptive cross-sectional study divided into two stages (questionnaire formulation and distribution through the Psikosom.id application) was conducted in 2023. The validity test was carried out using the product moment technique, and Cronbach's alpha assessment was carried out to evaluate the reliability of the questionnaire. A total of 372 participants were included, with a mean age of 39.24 years old. The SSPT questionnaire scores had strong correlations with the scores of hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) (r=0.668; p<0.001) and the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) (r=0.674; p<0.001); and moderately correlated with the score of fatigue severity scale (FSS) (r=0.505; p<0.001) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (r=0.492; p<0.001). The correlation coefficient (r) value of each SSPT question ranged from 0.389–0.726, and all r higher than r table with an overall Cronbach’s alpha of 0.744. The SSPT questionnaire's strong predictive performance: had a sensitivity of 75.6% and specificity of 71.4% with an area under the curve (AUC) of 81% (95%CI: 76.6–85.4%; p<0.001) to HADS; sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 58.6% with an AUC of 75.1% (95%CI: 70–80.2%; p<0.001) to FSS; sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 67.5% with an AUC of 71.2% (95%CI: 65.4–77%; p<0.001) to PSQI; and had sensitivity of 78% and specificity of 67.4% with an AUC of 80.9% (95%CI: 76.6–85.3%; p<0.001) to SCL-90. The study highlights that the SSPT questionnaire is valid and reliable to be used as a screening instrument for psychosomatic disorders in Indonesia.

Influence of Temperature Variability on the Efficacy of Negative Ions in Removing Particulate Matter and Pollutants: An Experimental Database

Cities globally must make urgent decisions to ensure a sustainable future as rising pollution, particularly PM2.5, poses severe health risks like respiratory and heart diseases. PM2.5’s harmful composition also impacts vegetation and the environment. Immediate government intervention is necessary to mitigate these effects. This study tackles the urgent problem of reducing PM2.5 levels in Medellín’s urban and indoor environments, where pollution presents serious health risks. To explore effective solutions, this research provides new data on the interaction between particulate matter from various pollutants and negative ions under different temperature conditions, offering valuable insights into air quality improvement strategies. Using a high-voltage system, ions bind to pollutants, accelerating their removal. Experiments measured temperature, humidity, formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, negative ions, and PM2.5 in a 40 cm3 chamber across various conditions. Pollutants tested included cigarette smoke, incense, charcoal, and gasoline at two voltage levels and three temperature ranges. The data, available in CSV format, were based on 36,000 samples and repeated tests for reliability. This resource is designed to support studies investigating particulate matter control in urban and indoor environments, as well as to improve our understanding of negative ion-based air purification processes. The data are publicly available and structured in formats compatible with leading data analysis platforms.

Hindi version of the lower extremity functional scale: a study of translation, validation and cross-cultural adaptation

BACKGROUND: Lower Extremity Function Scale (LEFS) serves as a patient-reported outcome measure, used to evaluate the functional status of lower extremity in different musculoskeletal conditions. It was originally developed in English language (E-LEFS) and numerous translations in different languages are available to measure its usability among different cultures. OBJECTIVES: To translate the English version of the Lower Extremity Function Scale (E-LEFS) into Hindi language and to evaluate its content validity, cross-cultural adaptation along with the concurrent validity and reliability. METHOD: Process of forward and backward translation was carried out by two bilingual translators and a physiotherapist after obtaining developer’s approval, for which the Beaton guidelines were used. For the content validation, Delphi method of was employed in which 12 field experts of more than 5 years of experience participated. Cultural adaptation procedures were then carried out with 12 patients, who reported in out-patient department of the hospital through convenience sampling who were asked about whether the H-LEFS was well understood by the patients. Their responses were recorded as positive and negative responses. This process was followed by concurrent validation which was conducted by comparing the scores with the SF-36 scale, involving 30 patients with activity limitation in their daily life. Lastly, 50 patients were recruited for intra-rater reliability testing. RESULT: The scale was successfully translated and verified by the bi-lingual language experts. Content validity came out to be significant with each item scoring more than 0.92. Nearly all items, excluding item no. 8, 16, 17, 18, and 19 received universal agreement with a content validity ratio of 1. The average scale-level validity stood at 0.98, indicating excellent level of validity and the scale was found to be well adapted by the native people as out of 12 patients, 10 patients provided 100% positive response. Concurrent validation using Pearson’s correlation coefficient came out excellent with the values of 0.993 for E-LEFS and 0.890 for SF-36. Cronbach's alpha and ICC values were calculated as 1.00 for Intra-rater reliability. CONCLUSION: LEFS was well translated into Hindi language with an excellent content and concurrent validity and is found to be highly reliable. Hence, it is recommended for the usage of native Hindi speaking population.

Causal relationship between leukocyte telomere length and two cardiomyopathies based on a bidirectional Mendelian randomization approach.

This study aims to employ the Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to investigate the relationship between leukocyte telomere length (TL) and 2 prevalent forms of cardiomyopathies. Using R software (4.3.1) for MR study, independent genetic variants associated with leukocyte TL were extracted from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit database, while cardiomyopathies data were pooled from FinnGen and European Bioinformatics Institute databases. Analytical methodologies included inverse-variance weighting, MR-Egger regression, and weighted median methods. Further analyses involved MR-Egger intercept and MR-PRESSO for handling horizontal pleiotropy and Cochran Q test for study heterogeneity. Our forward Mendelian randomization study indicates a positive correlation between longer leukocyte TL and the risk of 2 forms of cardiomyopathies: the longer the leukocyte telomere, the higher is the risk of cardiomyopathies. Specifically, for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy the OR is 2.23 (95% CI: 1.19-4.14, P = .01), for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy the OR is 1.80 (95% CI: 1.14-2.85, P = .01), and for dilated cardiomyopathy the OR is 1.32 (95% CI: 1.01-1.71, P = .04). In contrast, our reverse Mendelian randomization showed that cardiomyopathies were not directly associated with TL, and the inverse-variance-weighted test was not statistically significant for any of the 3 (P > .05). The reliability tests for the forward Mendelian randomization, including both MR-Egger intercept and MR-PRESSO tests, show no evidence of horizontal pleiotropy, and Cochran Q test indicates no heterogeneity. The "leave-one-out" sensitivity analysis revealed no outlier genes. The reliability tests for the reverse Mendelian randomization, including both MR-Egger intercept and MR-PRESSO tests, also indicate no genetic pleiotropy. Despite the heterogeneity shown in our study between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and leukocyte TL, the sensitivity analysis did not identify any anomalies. Our Mendelian randomization study suggests that longer leukocyte TL is associated with an increased risk of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and dilated cardiomyopathy. However, the onset of these 2 kinds of disease does not directly lead to changes in leukocyte TL.