Total Test Score Research Articles

ARE SHOULDER MOBILITY TEST SCORES RELATED TO THROWING PERFORMANCE OR ARE THEY AN INJURY SIGNAL

Throws branch is a sport that has the risk of injury due to the movement patterns consisting of excessive repetitions and the need for explosive power production. For this reason, it is important for the athlete's sports career to be able to determine the injury risks beforehand and to take protective measures. This study was aimed to evaluate the functional movement scores of young athletes competing in throwing branches. A total of 11 athletes (7 male and 4 female, aged 14-19), who participated in regional and national competitions and continued training regularly, were participated in the study. After analyzing the physical and anthropometric characteristics of the participants (height, body weight, body mass index and body composition parameters) Functional Movement Screen (FMS™) test measurements were applied. Trunk stability push-up test had the lowest average score of 2.18 in the test. In male participants, hurdle step, in-line lunge, trunk stability push up shoulder mobility test results demonstrated that was asymmetry. Active straight leg raise and shoulder mobility test results in asymmetry results in female participants are remarkable. The functional movement screening test total score average was found to be 17 for both genders. Also non-significant correlations between shoulder mobility and overhead medicine ball throwing tests. The results showed that shoulder mobility test scores cannot be used to predict throwing performance in young track and field thrower athletes. There is a need for studies with large participant groups evaluating both genders in sports that use repetitive movement patterns in future research.

Associations between prognostic index scores and plasma neurofilament light in Huntington's disease

IntroductionThe inclusion of premanifest Huntington's Disease (Pre-HD) subjects in clinical trials necessitates selecting those who are near transition to manifest Huntington's disease (Man-HD). We previously determined that plasma neurofilament light (NfL) levels are significantly correlated with predicted years to Man-HD onset, using established formulae. Recently, a new normalized prognostic index (PIN) score for predicting Pre-HD disease progression has been validated. Our objective was to determine whether plasma NfL levels are similarly associated with PIN score and PIN score-derived years to Man-HD onset (PIN-YTO). Method112 individuals (46 Pre-HD, 66 Man-HD) underwent blood sample collection and clinical assessment, inclusive of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test and Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale Total Motor Score. Plasma NfL levels were measured using a Meso Scale Discovery assay. ResultsPre-HD and Man-HD cohorts differed by age (p < .0001), and CAG repeat number (p = .004), but not education level or gender. Plasma NfL levels were significantly correlated with PIN scores (r = 0.69, p < .0001) and PIN-YTO (r = −0.69, p < .0001). Plasma NfL levels were similarly correlated with predicted years to onset scores determined using Langbehn and colleague's formula (r = −0.68, p < .0001). All significant correlations endured corrections for age and CAG repeat number. A plasma NfL cut-point of <45.0 pg/ml distinguished Pre-HD participants >10 predicted years from Man-HD onset, compared to those ≤10 predicted years. ConclusionsWe have extensively shown that plasma NfL levels are associated with predicted years to manifest HD onset in Pre-HD participants, and present a plasma NfL cut-point that may help exclude far-from-onset Pre-HD patients from clinical trials.

Bottom-Up and Top-Down Attention Impairment Induced by Long-Term Exposure to Noise in the Absence of Threshold Shifts.

ObjectiveWe aimed to assess the effect of noise exposure on bottom-up and top-down attention functions in industrial workers based on behavioral and brain responses recorded by the multichannel electroencephalogram (EEG).MethodIn this cross-sectional study, 563 shipyard noise-exposed workers with clinical normal hearing were recruited for cognitive testing. Personal cumulative noise exposure (CNE) was calculated with the long-term equivalent noise level and employment duration. The performance of cognitive tests was compared between the high CNE group (H-CNE, >92.2) and the low CNE group; additionally, brain responses were recorded with a 256-channel EEG from a subgroup of 20 noise-exposed (NG) workers, who were selected from the cohort with a pure tone threshold <25 dB HL from 0.25 to 16 kHz and 20 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and education. P300 and mismatch negativity (MMN) evoked by auditory stimuli were obtained to evaluate the top-down and bottom-up attention functions. The sources of P300 and MMN were investigated using GeoSource.ResultsThe total score of the cognitive test (24.55 ± 3.71 vs. 25.32 ± 2.62, p < 0.01) and the subscale of attention score (5.43 ± 1.02 vs. 5.62 ± 0.67, p < 0.001) were significantly lower in the H-CNE group than in the L-CNE group. The attention score has the fastest decline of all the cognitive domain dimensions (slope = −0.03 in individuals under 40 years old, p < 0.001; slope = −0.06 in individuals older than 40 years old, p < 0.001). When NG was compared with controls, the P300 amplitude was significantly decreased in NG at Cz (3.9 ± 2.1 vs. 6.7 ± 2.3 μV, p < 0.001). In addition, the latency of P300 (390.7 ± 12.1 vs. 369.4 ± 7.5 ms, p < 0.001) and MMN (172.8 ± 15.5 vs. 157.8 ± 10.5 ms, p < 0.01) was significantly prolonged in NG compared with controls. The source for MMN for controls was in the left BA11, whereas the noise exposure group's source was lateralized to the BA20.ConclusionLong-term exposure to noise deteriorated the bottom-up and top-down attention functions even in the absence of threshold shifts, as evidenced by behavioral and brain responses.

Functional Neural Correlates of Semantic Fluency Task Performance in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease: An FDG-PET Study.

Total score (TS) of semantic verbal fluency test (SVFT) is generally used to interpret results, but it is ambiguous as to specific neural functions it reflects. Different SVFT strategy scores reflecting qualitative aspects are proposed to identify specific cognitive functions to overcome limitations of using the TS. Functional neural correlates of the TS as well as the other strategy scores in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia using Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). Correlations between various SVFT scores (i.e., TS, mean cluster size, switching (SW), hard switching, cluster switching (CSW)) and cerebral glucose metabolism were explored using voxelwise whole-brain approach. Subgroup analyses were also performed based on the diagnosis and investigated the effects of disease severity on the associations. Significant positive correlation between TS and cerebral glucose metabolism was found in prefrontal, parietal, cingulate, temporal cortex, and subcortical regions. Significantly increased glucose metabolism associated with the SW were found in similar but smaller regions, mainly in the fronto-parieto-temporal regions. CSW was only correlated with the caudate. In the subgroup analysis conducted to assess different contribution of clinical severity, differential associations between the strategy scores and regional glucose metabolism were found. SW and CSW may reflect specific language and executive functions better than the TS. The SVFT is influenced by brain dysfunction due to the progression of AD, as demonstrated by the SW with larger involvement of temporal lobe for the AD, and CSW with significant association only for the MCI.

Effects of switching from a metered dose inhaler to a dry powder inhaler on climate emissions and asthma control: post-hoc analysis

ObjectiveTo compare the effects of switching from a pressurised metered dose inhaler (pMDI)-based to a dry powder inhaler (DPI)-based maintenance therapy versus continued usual care on greenhouse gas emissions (carbon...

Dupilumab achieves durable reduction in severity of symptoms rated most important by patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a predominantly type 2-mediated inflammatory disease with high symptom burden. Dupilumab significantly improved 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) total score vs placebo in SINUS-24 (NCT02912468) and SINUS-52 trials (NCT02898454). This post hoc analysis investigated dupilumab’s effect on the severity of the 5 most important SNOT-22 items from pooled SINUS-24/SINUS-52 populations.

Associations of Motor Performance and Executive Functions: Comparing Children with Down Syndrome to Chronological and Mental Age-Matched Controls.

Background. Children with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit lower motor and cognitive performance than typically developing children (TD). Although there is a relationship between these two developmental domains, only a few studies have addressed this association in children with DS compared to groups of the same chronological age (CA) or mental age (MA) within one study. This study aimed to fill this research gap. Method and Procedures. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 and the Trail-Making Test was used to assess motor and cognitive performances in 12 children (M = 10.5 ± 10.08) with DS, 12 CA-matched, and 12 MA-matched controls. Results. There are significant group differences in the motor dimension (total test score; p < 0.001, η2p = 0.734), for processing speed (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.396), and cognitive flexibility (p < 0.001, η2p = 0.498). Between TD-CA and both other groups, the differences in the magnitude of correlations for the motor dimension balance are also significant (compared to DS: z = −2.489; p = 0.006, and to TD-MA: z = −3.12; p < 0.001). Conclusions. Our results suggest that the relationships depend on the studied cognitive and motor skills. It seems crucial to select a wide range of tasks for both domains that are as isolated as possible for future studies, to better understand the relationships between cognitive and motor skills in children with DS.

Effectiveness of the Functional Movement Screen for assessment of injury risk occurrence in football players.

The aim of the study was to determine whether the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) test carried out among young boys practising football training identifies previous injuries. Sixty-five boys aged 12–13 years, who had regularly practised football in an academy for at least 3 years, were recruited and divided into two groups: an injured group (IG), consisting of players who had experienced at least one injury in the past (n + 25, age 12.32 ± 0.48) and a non-injured group (non-IG), a control group, made up of athletes with no injuries to the musculoskeletal system (n = 40, age 12.25 ± 0.49). Seven FMS tests were used to rate the functional fitness level as a part of the FMS tool. Significant differences between the total scores of the FMS tests (p < 0.001, r = 0.54) were documented. Higher scores in the FMS test were observed in the control group (M = 16.58, SD = 2.04) than in the study group (M = 14.20, ± SD = 1.96). The FMS test is an effective diagnostic tool to identify previous injuries among young football players.

Reliability and Validity of the Multiple Mini Interview in the General Entrance Examination for Medical Schools at a National University

Introduction: Although MMI is considered an interview technique with good reliability and va-lidity in foreign countries, few universities have implemented it in admissions because of its high cost in Japan. In this study, we examined the reliability and validity of the MMI at a medicaleducation institution that introduced the MMI for general entrance examinations. Methods: Twenty-nine students who took the MMI in 2022 were included in the study. For reliability, G study and D study were conducted based on generalizability theory. For validity, the total score of the MMI and the total score of the achievement test were plotted as a scatter plot and compared with the currently known status. Results: G coefficient was 0.336. There was no significant cor-relation between MMI and test scores.Unwilling applicants had lower MMI scores. Discussion and Conclusion: Regarding reliability, we found that our MMI needs to be improved. The validity of the MMI needs further investigation, but the results suggest that the MMI may be related to factors important to university administration.

Validity and Reliability of the Pictures of Facial Affect (POFA) in Healthy People and Patients with Essential Tremor in the Turkish Population.

This study aimed to conduct the validity and reliability of the (Pictures of Facial Affect) POFA test for the Turkish population and contribute to increasing the number of tests that are still insufficient in our country. This descriptive, randomized controlled study was conducted in two steps, namely Step 1 (Pilot Study and Validity Studies) and Step 2 (Reliability Study Step). The number of participants was planned regarding the original study by which the POFA test was developed. The EYES test was also used for comparison. In the pilot study, the most widely identified emotions from 47 of 110 photos in the POFA test were chosen as the new POFA picture set to be used in the reliability and validity study under the name "POFA Test Short Form". A total of 100 participants, including 82 healthy volunteers and 18 essential tremor (ET) patients, were enrolled in the first step of the study. Another cohort of 22 healthy volunteers was enrolled in the second step of the study for test-retest reliability analysis. A significant positive correlation was found between the total POFA Test Short Form and EYES Test scores in the healthy volunteer group in terms of criterion-related validity (r=0.44, p<0.01). There were statistically significant differences between healthy volunteers and ET groups regarding EYES Total, POFA Total, POFA Sadness, POFA Anger, and POFA Neutral scores. It was observed that the 47-item POFA Test Short Form total score showed skewness and kurtosis, which demonstrated suitability for clinical use. The POFA Test Short Form was found to be a valid and reliable assessment tool in the Turkish population to be used in studies on emotion recognition and was shown to be beneficial for the discrimination of healthy individuals and ET patients.

Effects of Maths on the Move on Children’s Perspectives, Physical Activity, and Math Performance

ABSTRACT Purpose This study aimed to assess the impact of a 6-wk “Maths on the Move” (MOTM) physically active learning program on primary school children’s physical activity (PA) levels and math performance. Methods This was a randomized controlled trial. Year 5 children’s PA was assessed using accelerometry for 5 consecutive school days at baseline and during the final intervention week (final sample: n = 97; mean age = 9.61 ± 0.29 yr; 52.6% female). Two math performance tests were used, one assessing mathematical content taught during MOTM and one assessing math’s fluency (Maths Addition and Subtractions, Speed and Accuracy Test). Both tests were conducted at baseline and after the intervention (week 7). Focus groups were conducted in week 7 with intervention children (n = 12), randomly choosing an even split of children classified with preintervention low or high PA levels. Results On average, during a typical 45- to 49-min MOTM lesson, children obtained an additional 5 min of moderate-to-vigorous PA and 5.7 min of light PA counteracted by a reduction of 9.5 min of time spent sedentary compared with children who remained in the classroom (control condition). The math attainment test performance significantly improved over time for children in the MOTM compared with the control (+6.1 vs +0.9, P ≤ 0.0001, d = 1.507). No significant improvements were found in the Maths Addition and Subtractions, Speed and Accuracy Test total score. Seven emerging themes were derived from the child focus groups. Children felt the MOTM sessions resulted in social and environmental improvements, which improved learning during the sessions. Children described the MOTM sessions as enjoyable, fun, engaging, and invigorating—resulting in positive associations to learning and activity. Conclusions Collectively, the findings identify that the MOTM program improves pupil’s PA levels and academic outcomes and identifies pupil’s willingness, enjoyment, and engagement.

Investigation of Aerobic and Muscular Fitness and Concussion Among Service Academy Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy: Results from the CARE Consortium.

Concussion has become the signature injury facing the U.S. military. However, little is understood about the relationship between military fitness and concussion recovery. The current study examined the recoveries of cadets at a U.S. Service Academy to determine whether preinjury physical fitness improved recovery and whether recovery was associated with post-injury physical fitness measures. Participants were enrolled in a longitudinal study of concussion. Aerobic Fitness Test (AFT) and Physical Fitness Test (PFT) data were used to estimate cadet fitness. Survival analysis evaluated significant estimators of concussion recovery time. Linear regression models were used to explore the relationship between recovery duration and change in physical fitness scores. Between 2014 and 2017, 307 (n = 70; 22.80% Women) cadets who had sustained a concussion were enrolled. Preinjury physical fitness was not significantly associated with recovery duration (P > .05). Men and intercollegiate cadets took fewer days to reach recovery milestones. Compared to women, men had greater decrements in the Aerobic Fitness Test total score (P < .05) and increased 1.5-mile time postconcussion (P < .05). Women had greater decreases in push-ups postconcussion compared to males (P < .05). There was a trend for a negative association between days until asymptomatic and change in the Physical Fitness Test score (P = .07). Preconcussion physical fitness levels do not appear to impact concussion recovery time among a highly physically fit cohort. Possible methods to reduce the effect of symptom duration on strength-related physical fitness should be investigated along with evaluating reductions in strength as a possible mechanism for postconcussion injury risk.

The Effect of Winter Mountaineering Training on Athlete Success and Permanency of Learning

Introduction and Purpose: The aim of this research is to examine the effects of athlete success and permanency of learning the winter mountaineering training given by the Turkish Mountaineering Federation. The research group consists of a total of 105 participants, 21 women (20%) and 84 men (80%) who attended the winter mountaineering training course organized by the Turkish Mountaineering Federation. Materials and Methods: In this study, quasi-experimental design was used in the research. A multiple-choice achievement test of 25 questions which includes knowledge and practice issues related to winter mountaineering education was prepared. The reliability analysis of the achievement test was made with the “ITEMAN” program. The pre-test-post-test data of the study were collected on 20-27 January 2019 on Zigana Mountain, and 4 weeks later, the permanency test data was collected on 28 February 2019 on Erciyes Mountain. In data analysis, for correlated samples (repeated measures) one-factor ANOVA and for repeated measurements two-factor ANOVA analyzes were performed. Findings: There was a significant difference between the pre-test-post-tests-permanency test total, knowledge, and application scores of the athletes. It is seen that the achievement scores of male and female athletes before and after the training do not differ significantly. Results: According to the research results; It has seen that the winter mountaineering training given by the Turkish mountaineering federation has a positive effect on the knowledge and practice levels of the athletes and has an important contribution in the context of the permanency of learning. In addition, it was determined that the success scores of female athletes who received training were higher than male athletes.

Differences of Motor Proficiency in Preschool Girls Related to Organized Physical Activity

This study purpose was to determine the level of motor competence and differences in motor skills of preschool girls aged 5 to 7 from Serbia according to participation in organized physical activities. &#x0D; Materials and methods. Ninety-one girls aged 5-7 years (mean ± 6.4) were divided into three subsamples: control group, rhythmic gymnastics and sports school. Girls were assessed with the MABC-2 test. Descriptive statistics analyzed the basic characteristics of participants according to the level of motor competence. Furthermore, Pearson’s χ2 test for contingency tables, MANOVA and discriminant analysis were employed to find differences in motor proficiency among groups. &#x0D; Results. Significant differences have been found in girls attending rhythmic gymnastics in aiming &amp; catching on the upper bound of moderate effect size (p &lt; 0.001, η2 = 139), and total test score moderate effect size (p = 0.006, η2 = 0.105) compared to girls who did not participate in organized physical activity. The discrimination coefficient explained the differences in girls in aiming and catching, with a contribution of 41.4%, balance skills with 24%, and a total test score of 22.9%. According to the level of motor competence, 61% from the control group and 40% from the sports school group scored below average in aiming &amp; catching. The total test score of ≥ 50 percentile was achieved by 68.3% of girls in the control group, 84% in the sports school group, and 96% in rhythmic gymnastics. &#x0D; Conclusion. This study confirms that sports practice contributes to the development of motor capabilities and influences individual differences in children’s scores. Our findings can contribute to understanding how important it is to promote object control skills games for girls and older preschoolers generally.

The secular trend of intelligence test scores: The Danish experience for young men born between 1940 and 2000.

The present study investigated the Danish secular trend of intelligence test scores among young men born between 1940 and 2000, as well as the possible associations of birth cohort changes in family size, nutrition, education, and intelligence test score variability with the increasing secular trend. The study population included all men born from 1940 to 2000 who appeared before a draft board before 2020 (N = 1,556,770). At the mandatory draft board examination, the approximately 19-year-old men underwent a medical examination and an intelligence test. In the statistical analyses, the IQ mean and standard deviation (SD) were estimated separately for each of the included annual birth cohorts based on information from birth cohorts with available total intelligence test scores for all tested individuals (i.e. 1940–1958 and 1987–2000; the mean and SD were interpolated for the intermediate birth cohorts). Moreover, the possible associations with birth cohort changes in family size, height as a proxy for nutritional status, education, and IQ variability were investigated among those birth cohorts for whom a secular increase in intelligence test scores was found. The results showed that the estimated mean IQ score increased from a baseline set to 100 (SD: 15) among individuals born in 1940 to 108.9 (SD: 12.2) among individuals born in 1980, since when it has decreased. Focusing on the birth cohorts of 1940–1980, for whom a secular increase in intelligence test scores was found, birth cohort changes in family size, height, and education explained large proportions of the birth cohort variance in mean intelligence test scores, suggesting that these factors may be important contributors to the observed Flynn effect in Denmark.

A Ten-Week Motor Skills Training Program Increases Motor Competence in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a motor skills training program in children with DCD considering their gender. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-2) classified the children and assessed their skill changes over time. The study was implemented at four kindergartens in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan. In the study, all the children suffered from DCD (5.17 ± 0.70 years; 10 girls), and all the indicators of MABC-2 were less than 16%. The participants were divided into an experimental group (n = 17), receiving ten weeks of motor skills training program for 45 min twice per week; and a control group (n = 7), which proceeded with exercises of everyday living. The ANCOVA showed differences between the groups in the post-test concerning each domain: manual dexterity (F (1, 20) = 18.703, p < 0.001; η2 = 0.471); aiming and catching (F (1, 20) = 9.734, p = 0.005; η2 = 0.317); balance (F (1, 20) = 35.140, p = 0.000; η2 = 0.626); and total MABC-2 test score (F (1, 20) = 66.093, p < 0.001; η2 = 0.759), with all the children in the EG exhibiting better results. The Wilcoxon test revealed statistically significant differences for the EG between moments for all the variables (p < 0.001) but not for the CG (p > 0.050). The effectiveness of the intervention program was similar across both genders. The study suggests that a 10 week motor skills training program can increase the quality of children’s motor competence and represent a valuable procedure for physical education specialists to enhance motor competence for children with DCD.

Virtual dental teaching and its effect on test success - A cross-over study.

The aim of this cross-over investigation was to analyze the effect of virtual teaching using virtual reality (VR) within a dental learning environment by preclinical students with or without dental professional experience on test performance. Preclinical students (N=82) were randomly divided into two groups for cross-over testing of tooth morphology knowledge: (a) anterior VR-group (group 1) using the VR-glasses as an additional learning tool for the anterior tooth morphologies and (b) posterior VR-group (group 2) using it for the posterior tooth morphologies also in addition to conventional learning. All students used the VR-glasses for 1 week independent of time and location depending on group. The students had to recognize teeth (anterior or posterior within two separate tests after three [anterior test] and 6 weeks [posterior test] of practical course) and note the tooth number and characteristics in written form. Former dental experience (dental technician/assistance) was noted. Test results were analyzed to quantify the effect of virtual teaching on test scores. Data were analyzed with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Mann-Whitney U test (p=0.05). By differentiating the two student groups (use of VR glasses for anterior/posterior teeth) within the dental experience group, significantly better test results (p=0.040) were shown for group 1 in the total posterior teeth test score. Furthermore, no other significant differences, but a possible tendency, in the test results and thus no effect of the use of the VR glasses on both VR groups could be analyzed (p ≥ 0.051). Using the VR tooth learning environment predominantly did not lead to a significant improvement of test results. Anterior teeth test scores predominantly showed significantly better results than posterior teeth test scores.

A quasi-experimental study examining a nurse-led educational program to improve disease knowledge and self-care for patients with acute decompensated heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Nurse-led education can improve heart failure (HF) knowledge and self-care behaviors, and consequently lead to better patient outcomes. To assess the effectiveness of "The Weak Heart" educational model in enhancing the level of disease knowledge and self-care behaviors among patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). An evidence-based, standardized educational program was implemented for HF patients in Poland. We compared the initial level of HF knowledge - as rated using a self-developed questionnaire and self-care behaviors, evaluated according to the 9-item European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale (9-EHFScBS) - to the results obtained at the 3-month follow-up period with a sample of patients (n = 231) hospitalized with acute decompensated HF (ADHF). The results showed a significant increase in total score of HF knowledge test depending on the time of measurement (χ2 = 356.526, p < 0.001) and in all individual questions on HF. The significant change of the 9-EHFScBS self-care questionnaire was also found in total score (Z = -7.317, p < 0.001), in all domains: autonomous-based adherence (Z = -5.870, p < 0.001); consulting behavior (Z = -7.238, p < 0.001); provider-based adherence (Z = -4.162; p < 0.001) and in relation to all individual statements except statement 7 ("I eat a low salt diet") and statement 9 ("I exercise regularly"). Within 3 months of hospital discharge, 84% (193 out of 231) of participants visited their primary care physician and 79% (183 out of 231) visited a cardiologist in accordance with their individual treatment plan. "The Weak Heart" educational model is effective in enhancing the level of HF knowledge and self-care behaviors among patients with decompensation of HFrEF.

Social cognition provides early distinction between phenocopy syndrome of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia and behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia

AbstractBackgroundPatients displaying clinical features of bvFTD but lacking abnormalities on neuroimaging in the absence of clinical progression over time are considered to represent the phenocopy syndrome of bvFTD (phFTD). Clinical overlap between bvFTD and phFTD hampers their diagnostic distinction whereas it is essential to provide adequate treatment and prognosis. We aimed to assess whether there are differences in patient characteristics and caregiver‐reported symptoms between phFTD and bvFTD that can provide tools for early distinction.MethodWe compared phFTD with probable/definite bvFTD with respect to patient characteristics and caregiver‐reported symptoms, that comprised the domains behaviour, global cognitive functioning, social cognition and ADL. Total test scores were compared between groups followed by multiple logistic regression analysis. ROC curves were plotted to assess diagnostic value.ResultA total of 53 patients were included (n = 28 phFTD, n= 25 bvFTD). Compared to bvFTD, phFTD patients performed better in terms of social cognition yet had more behavioural symptoms and worse ADL performance reported by the caregiver. When combining social cognition, behavioural symptoms and ADL performance we found a sensitivity and specificity of 85.71% and 80.0% for a diagnosis of phFTD.ConclusionSocial cognition was spared in phFTD compared to bvFTD patients implying to be a valuable tool in distinguishing phFTD from bvFTD. Worse ADL performance and increased behavioural symptoms reported by caregivers in phFTD is remarkable and indicates further research is needed to asses if patient‐based tools are superior to caregiver‐based tools when suspecting phFTD.

Peer instruction versus conventional group work-based teaching in a laboratory exercise on respiratory physiology: a randomized study.

Collaborative teaching strategies such as peer instruction and conventional group work have previously been shown to enhance meaningful learning, but they have not previously been compared. In this present study, we compared the impact of solving quizzes with peer instruction and conventional group work on immediate learning in a laboratory exercise. A total of 186 second-year medical students were randomized to solve two quizzes by either a peer instruction strategy (n = 93) or conventional group work (n = 93) during a mandatory laboratory exercise on respiratory physiology, after which all students completed an individual test. There was no difference in total test scores between groups, but students randomized to peer instruction obtained the highest test scores in solving simple integrated questions. Conversely, students randomized to conventional group work provided the best evaluations of the overall assessment of the laboratory exercise. In conclusion, different collaborative teaching strategies implemented during a laboratory exercise appear to affect immediate learning and student satisfaction differently.