Validity and test-retest reliability of field tests carried out by teleassessment of children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the rapid adoption of alternative evaluation methods for measuring functional capacity in people with cystic fibrosis, who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes. Teleassessment may be an alternative to conducting in-person field tests in this population. Objectives : To investigate the validity, reliability, and safety of field tests conducted by teleassessment in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis. Method(s): Participants underwent three functional tests: 3-min step test (3-min ST), 1-min sit-to-stand test (1-min StS), and a timed up-and-go (TUG) test performed in their homes with in-person and remote assessment, in random order. During the remote assessment, the physiotherapist was at the pulmonary rehabilitation center. The order of the tests was randomized and the same in both assessments. For validity, main outcomes were compared between in-person and remote supervision by Wilcoxon test for 3-min ST and TUG, expressed as median (IQR), and pair t -test for 1-min StS, expressed as mean (SD). For test-retest reliability (test 1 vs. test 2) of the remote tests, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 2,1) and Bland-Altman analysis were used. Result(s): Thirty-two participants (15 boys, 11 +/- 3 years, FEV 1 73 +/- 17% of predicted) were included. No significant difference was observed between in-person and remote supervision (3-min ST: 88 [83.5-90] vs. 88 [82.5-90] steps;1-min StS: 33(7) vs. 32(8) repetitions;TUG: 6.5 [5.6-8.0] vs. 6.6 [5.7-7.9] s). Test-retest of remote supervision demonstrated very good to excellent reliability for all field tests (ICC (95%CI) 3-min ST: 0.88 [0.65-0.95], 1-min StS: 0.86 [0.67-0.94], and TUG: 0.76 [0.41-0.89]). Mean difference (lower-upper limits of agreement) were 3-min-ST: -3.6 (-13.9-6.7) steps, 1-min StS: -1.9 (-8.6-4.7) repetitions, and TUG: 0.8 (-1.4-2.9) s. No adverse events were reported. Conclusion(s): In children and adolescent with cystic fibrosis, 3-min ST, 1-min StS, and TUG are valid, reliable and safe when carried out by teleassessment.

Validity and reliability of the Thai version of the Zoom Exhaustion and Fatigue Scale (ZEF-T)

Objective: Overuse of video conferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic may contribute to the new mental health problem called 'Zoom fatigue'. This study examined convergent validity, factor validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Thai version of the Zoom Exhaustion & Fatigue Scale (ZEF-T). Method(s): The participants were 386 medical students from Thammasat University. Convergent validity was based on comparing ZEF-T scores with the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was done to examine factor validity. Test-retest reliability was evaluated in 25 participants using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plot. Result(s): The ZEF-T demonstrated a positive correlation with emotional exhaustion of MBI-SS. (r = 0.42, p < 0.001). The CFA showed a satisfactory fit and supported the five-factor model with acceptable fit statistics. All items had factor loading of more than 0.7. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the total ZEF-T scores was excellent with the alpha of 0.93 and ICC 0.94 (p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion(s): The ZEF-T was shown to be a valid and reliable assessment for measuring zoom fatigue in Thai university students.Copyright © 2023 IACFS/ME.

Psychosocial and Health Requirements of Saudi Children During The COVID-19 Outbreak: A Questionnaire Study

Introduction: Psychological requirements are extremely important in the formation of a person's personality and conduct. During the COVID-19 epidemic in Jouf, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the goal of the current study was to determine the psychological and medical requirements of Saudi children. Method(s): The research received responses from 205 mothers in total, 90 of whom were the mothers of male children and 105 of whom were the mothers of female children. The investigation was carried out during the global COVID-19 epidemic that also afflicted the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study made use of a 42-item measure measuring psychosocial and health needs across four categories. Result(s): Whether the study's findings were based on the children's overall score or their academic, psychological, or health requirements, it was discovered that these needs were modest. From the perspective of their moms, neither gender nor class significantly affected the children's health or psychological requirements. Conclusion(s): This study suggests giving the kids family programs to take advantage of and manage their downtime and boost their levels of outdoor exercise.Copyright © 2022, Universidade de Sao Paulo. Museu de Zoologia. All rights reserved.

Longitudinal validation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale in a nationwide United States sample: An item response theory model across three inflection points of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic's global emergence/spread caused widespread fear. Measurement/tracking of COVID-19 fear could facilitate remediation. Despite the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S)'s validation in multiple languages/countries, nationwide United States (U.S.) studies are scarce. Cross-sectional classical test theory-based validation studies predominate. Our longitudinal study sampled respondents to a 3-wave, nationwide, online survey. We calibrated the FCV-19S using a unidimensional graded response model. Item/scale monotonicity, discrimination, informativeness, goodness-of-fit, criterion validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability were assessed. Items 7, 6, and 3 consistently displayed very high discrimination. Other items had moderate-to-high discrimination. Items 3, 6, and 7 were most (items 1 and 5 the least) informative. [Correction added on 18 May 2023, after first online publication: In the preceding sentence, the term 'items one-fifth least' has been changed to 'items 1 and 5 the least'.] Item scalability was 0.62-0.69; full-scale scalability 0.65-0.67. Ordinal reliability coefficient was 0.94; test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient 0.84. Positive correlations with posttraumatic stress/anxiety/depression, and negative correlations with emotional stability/resilience supported convergent/divergent validity. The FCV-19S validly/reliably captures temporal variation in COVID-19 fear across the U.S.

Fear and Empathy with COVID-19 Patients Among Medical Students

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has induced fear and mental health problems in the community and among healthcare workers. Empathy with patients may be difficult in such situations due to urgent conditions. Objective(s): We aimed to evaluate medical students' empathy and fear toward COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. Method(s): This cross-sectional study recruited 107 medical students from Shiraz Medical School in 2021. A Persian version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) was used to assess the participants' empathy toward COVID-19 patients. The internal validity of the Persian version of JSPE was 0.78, and its test-retest reliability after 14 days was 0.92 in a previous study. The participants were requested to fill out a fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S) previously developed to assess their fear of affliction with COVID-19. Since the normality of data distribution was not approved, we used nonparametric tests, namely, the Mann-Whitney U test and the Spearman correlation coefficient. Result(s): The mean empathy score based on the Persian version JSPE was 71.94 +/- 12.83 out of 140, which was higher in male students and those who resided in dormitories. The mean fear score was 24.93 +/- 6.16 out of 35. Participants living out of dormitories feared COVID-19 to a greater extent. No statistically significant association was found between the age of the participants and these two parameters. The Spearman correlation coefficient test showed that students with a history of COVID-19 had less fear and more empathy because of their experience with COVID-19 (r =-0.249, P-value = 0.02). Conclusion(s): This study highlights the impact of the pandemic on the interaction between medical students as healthcare professionals and patients by affecting medical students' fear and empathy. The study indicates ways to improve readiness for future pandemics. Our study showed that living far away from families in dormitories may influence students' fear and empathy. Moreover, empathy, unlike fear, was affected by gender. A reverse correlation existed between fear and empathy in students with a history of COVID-19, indicating that the more they had empathy, the less they experienced fear.Copyright © 2023, Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.

Reliability of the NACC Telephone-administered Neuropsychological Battery (T-cog) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment for participants in the USC ADRC.

Introduction: Restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote administration of neuropsychological testing. We assessed the test-retest reliability for a telephone-administered cognitive battery, recommended for use in the National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC). Methods: 64 participants in the University of Southern California ADRC clinical core underwent repeat telephone evaluation using the T-cog Neuropsychological Battery. Reliability was measured by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for continuous variables and weighted Kappa coefficient for categorical variables. Mean scores for Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) total and Craft Story 21 Immediate and Delayed Recall were compared using paired t tests. Results: Mean age was 74.8 (8.3 standard deviation); 73.4% were female. ICCs ranged from 0.52 to 0.84, indicating moderate test-retest reliability except for number span backward, which showed poor reliability. Weighted Kappa for MoCA items ranged from -0.016 to 0.734; however, relatively good observed agreement was seen across all items (70.3% to 98.4%). Although MoCA total scores did not significantly change, Craft Story 21 Immediate and Delayed Recall mean scores increased between first and second administrations (P < 0.0001). Discussion: Test-retest reliability for the T-cog Neuropsychological Battery is adequate. The variation seen in testing is similar to results seen from face-to-face testing, with Craft Story 21 recall showing modest and expected practice effects. Highlights: Moderate test-retest reliability is seen in most measures of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Neuropsychological Test Battery and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.52 to 0.84, except for number Span backward.Weighted Kappa for MoCA items varied, but good observed agreement was seen.MoCA total mean score did not change significantly between administrations.Craft Story 21 Immediate and Delayed Recall means increased on repeat testing (P < 0.0001).

Tracking cognition with the T-MoCA in a racially/ethnically diverse older adult cohort.

Introduction: We investigated the utility of the Telephone-Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA) to track cognition in a diverse sample from the Einstein Aging Study. Methods: Telephone and in-person MoCA data, collected annually, were used to evaluate longitudinal cognitive performance. Joint models of T-MoCA and in-person MoCA compared changes, variance, and test-retest reliability measured by intraclass correlation coefficient by racial/ethnic group. Results: There were no significant differences in baseline performance or longitudinal changes across three study waves for both MoCA formats. T-MoCA performance improved over waves 1-3 but declined afterward. Test-retest reliability was lower for the T-MoCA than for the in-person MoCA. In comparison with non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics performed worse at baseline on both MoCA formats and showed lower correlations between T-MoCA and in-person versions. Conclusions: The T-MoCA provides valuable information on cognitive change, despite racial/ethnic disparities and practice effects. We discuss implications for health disparity populations. Highlights: We assessed the comparability of Telephone-Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA) and in-person MoCA for tracking cognition.Changes within 3 years in T-MoCA were similar to that for the in-person MoCA.T-MoCA is subject to practice effects and shows difference in performance by race/ethnicity.Test-retest reliability of T-MoCA is lower than that for in-person MoCA.

Effects of online group art therapy on psychological distress and quality of life after family bereavement: In COVID-19 pandemic

This study examined the effects of online group art therapy on adults who lost family members using three instruments to measure depression, grief, and quality of life in a randomized controlled trial. Of the thirty-six participants who experienced the death of a family member, 20 were assigned to the experimental group participating in online group art therapy over eight sessions 1-hour once a week, and 16 were assigned to the control group with no intervention. In the experimental group, online group art therapy reduced depression and grief while improving the quality of life. The findings show the promise of online group art therapy in helping adults who have lost family members by relieving psychological distress and enhancing their quality of life. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

Stability of Stated Preferences: Vaccine Priority Setting before and during the First COVID-19 Lockdown.

BACKGROUND: Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are frequently used to study preferences and quantify tradeoffs in decision making. It is important to understand how stable their results are. OBJECTIVE: To investigate to what extent an extreme change in context, the COVID-19 pandemic, affected preferences for vaccine priority setting, as observed in an earlier DCE. METHODS: We replicated a DCE in which participants had to prioritize vaccination programs for public funding. The initial DCE was executed in Flanders (Belgium) right before the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (December 2019, N = 1,636). The replicated DCE was executed 6 months later when the population was in lockdown (April 2020, N = 1,127). A total of 612 respondents participated in both waves of the DCE. We used panel mixed logit models to quantify attribute and level importance and compared utility estimates for consistency. RESULTS: The number of vaccine-preventable deaths became less important during the pandemic than before, whereas the influential attributes, the vaccine's contribution to disease eradication and certainty about vaccine effectiveness became even more important. Respondents attached equal importance to the number of patients with transient or permanent morbidity, to the disease's economic impact as well as to its equity profile. CONCLUSION: Different preferences for vaccine priority setting were observed during the first COVID-19 lockdown as compared with before, although these differences were, given the extreme nature of the changing circumstances, relatively small. HIGHLIGHTS: We replicated a discrete choice experiment (DCE) about vaccine priority setting during the first COVID-19 lockdown and compared results with those from the original setting.The major attributes, contribution to disease eradication, and scientific certainty about vaccine effectiveness became even more important than they already were, whereas avoidable mortality became less important.Respondents attached equal importance to the number of patients with transient or permanent morbidity, to the disease's economic impact as well as to its equity profile.An extreme change in directly related context to the choice assignment led to changes in stated preferences, although these changes were relatively small, given the extreme change in context.Priorities in the second DCE were even less aligned with cost-effectiveness analysis than those observed initially.

The Psychometric Evaluation of the Immune Status Questionnaire in Indonesia

Immunity is one of the key factors in Covid-19 transmission, thus, assessments of immune status are essential for evaluating transmission risks. This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Immune Status Questionnaire (ISQ), a recently developed immune status measure, among Indonesian adults, during COVID-19 Pandemic. Online Indonesian translated version of the ISQ and the Short Form 12 (SF-12) for measuring health-related quality of life were completed by 296 Indonesian adults (58% female, mean age=45±19 years old). Out of those, 102 (34%) completed a second survey one week later for the test-retest reliability assessment. The internal consistency reliability was assessed in both surveys. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess the construct validity. Correlations among ISQ items and between ISQ with SF-12 component summary were computed to assess the instruments’ convergent and divergent validities. Acceptable internal consistency reliabilities for the ISQ were found in the first and second surveys ( a=0.87 and 0.82, respectively). Each ISQ item demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability, with intraclass correlations ranging from 0.70 to 0.88. A good fit of the data was found with a root mean square error of approximation of 0.069, after a model modification. Correlations among ISQ components and between ISQ with SF-12 components provided sufficient evidence for convergent validity of the scale while divergent validity was partially supported. The validity and reliability of the Indonesian translated version of the ISQ for use in Indonesian adults are sufficiently demonstrated. The algorithm for computing ISQ in Indonesian adults, however, warrants further investigation.

The Effectiveness of Net to Reduce the Entomological Indices iDengue-Endemic Areas in Balikpapan, Indonesia

BACKGROUND: Drums and cisterns are ubiquitous water storages in Indonesian households, seldom being drained and left open to create access for the rainwater, providing a favorable breeding site for dengue vector. The bigger the container, the more it produces immature mosquitoes that are soon to be mature, increasing the entomological indices and raising the potency of cases in the area. Previous studies revealed that the net covering the reservoir was able to effectively protect the water from mosquito oviposition;therefore, a modification of the net was made. AIM: The aim of this study is to discover whether the net as a cover for water containers is effective in reducing the entomological indices in dengue-endemic areas. METHODS: The quasi-experimental study with pretest and posttest control group design, involved 3 intervention and 3 control clusters, 150 houses which have 672 water-holding containers with 116 large containers were intervened with non-insecticide tulle nets for 3 months. The larval presence data were performed by larval survey. RESULTS: It revealed that net reduced the container index (CI) in intervened large containers 18%–84% as well as the environment entomological indices in general in study areas: CI decreased 75%–79%, house index decreased 65%–70%, and Breteau index decreased 75.5%–78.7%, while Free Larva Index rose 73.7%–88%. CONCLUSIONS: The nets had lowered the CI in the intervened large container and affected the entomological indices of the surrounding environment, by blocking the mosquitos-water contact and preventing the young mosquitos that had developed in the containers from flying out.

Effectiveness of an Educational Program on High School Females Students' Knowledge about Coronavirus Disease in Al-Diwanyia City

Objective(s): A quasi-experimental design, using one group, test-retest approach, is employed to determine the effectiveness of education program on high school female students' knowledge about coronavirus disease in Al-Diwanyia City from October10th2021 to April 2nd2022. Methodology: A non-probability, purposive sample of (30) high school female student, is selected for the purpose of the study. All subjects have signed consent form to present their agreement for participation in the study. The confidentiality of the data is also safeguard and they will be securely maintained during and after conducting the study. An education program and selfreport questionnaire are constructed for the purpose of the study through review of related literature. The program is comprised of (4) lectures and the questionnaire is consisted of (2) main parts;the high school female students' demographic characteristics and high school female students' knowledge about coronavirus disease questionnaire. Content validity is determined for the education program and the study instrument through panel of experts and test-retest reliability is obtained for the study instrument in a pilot study. Data are gathered through the use of the study instrument as mean of data collection and analyzed through the application of descriptive statistical data analysis and inferential statistical data analysis approaches. Results: The study results depict that all high school female students' knowledge about coronavirus disease has been improved as being exposed to the education program. Conclusion: The study concludes that the education program is confirmed to be an effective mean for improving high school female students' knowledge about coronavirus disease. Recommendation: The study recommends that the education program can be utilized as an educational mean for enhancing the high school female students' knowledge about coronavirus disease and further and a nation-wide research can be conducted with large sample size and wide-range scale of variables.

RELIABILITY OF WEARABLE SENSORS FOR ASSESSING GAIT AND CHAIR STAND FUNCTION AT HOME IN PEOPLE WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital health technologies for remote monitoring of participants in clinical trials, including measuring physical function. For trials in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA), standardized measures of function such as gait and chair stand are considered important outcomes. Wearable sensors have the potential to monitor these outcomes remotely. However, the reliability of wearable sensor metrics of gait and chair stand in participants’ homes and agreement between these metrics collected in laboratory and at-home have not been reported to date. Hence, our objective was to assess the reliability of wearable sensors for remote monitoring of gait and chair stand in people with knee OA. Methods: We used data from a substudy (n=20) embedded within an ongoing, single-arm clinical trial of an exercise intervention in people with knee OA (clinicaltrials.gov NCT04243096). Key inclusion criteria were age ≥ 50, BMI ≤ 40 kg/m2, physician diagnosed knee OA, score ≥ 3 on weight-bearing questions from the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) Pain Subscale in the index knee, and ability to walk for 20 minutes without assistance. Key exclusion criteria included other major health conditions;prior, current, or planned major knee OA treatment;prior surgeries for knee OA;and contraindications to exercise. All assessments took place prior to initiation of the intervention. Participants completed two visits, an in-person lab visit and a remote at-home visit. The order of these visits was randomized across participants, with participants completing both visits between 1 and 20 days of each other. For the remote visit, participants were provided a wearable system consisting of three inertial sensors (Opal, APDM, Portland, OR, USA), two cones connected by a 7-meter rope, and an armless chair. Identical equipment was used during the in-person lab visit. During the remote visit, researchers guided the participants via video conference. Participants self-applied the sensors on each foot and on the lower back. They performed two trials each of a standardized gait task (self-selected walk for two laps of a 7-meter path defined by the cones and rope totaling 28 meters of walking) and chair stand task (five chair stands as quickly as possible with arms across the chest) in their home. Then, the participants removed the sensors, waited 15-minutes, re-applied the sensors, and performed two more trials of each task. At the end of the remote visit, participants completed a survey on their experience. During the in-person lab visit, participants performed two trials of the same tasks after a researcher placed the sensors on the participants. Spatiotemporal metrics of gait function and duration of chair stand were extracted from the sensor data using software (MoveoExplorer) provided by the sensor manufacturer. The mean of sensor metrics across each set of two trials were used in the analyses. We used Pearson’s correlation R2 and the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) to determine the correlation and the test-retest reliability of sensor metrics from the two repetitions of the tasks during the remote visit. We used ICCs and Bland-Altman plots and their 95% limits of agreement to examine agreement between sensor metrics from the remote (first two trials) and lab visits. Results: Participant characteristics are shown in Table 1. All ICCs were good to excellent (between 0.85 and 0.96) for the test-retest reliability during the remote visit and R2 ranged between 0.81 and 0.95 (Table 2, Figure 1). ICCs were moderate to excellent (between 0.63 and 0.91) for agreement between remote and lab visits (Table 2). Bland-Altman plots showed small bias in all metrics due to participants walking slightly faster during the lab visit compared to the remote visit (Figure 2). Participants were highly accepting of the remote visit (Table 3). Conclusions: In this cohort of people with knee OA who had moderate pain and disability, our method of estimating gait and chair stand fu ction remotely was found to be reliable, feasible, and acceptable. Wearable sensors could be used to remotely monitor gait and chair stand function in participant’s natural environments at a lower cost, reduced participant and researcher burden, and greater ecological validity overcoming many limitations of lab visits. Hence, our approach could be used in future clinical trials of people with knee OA. [Formula presented] [Formula presented] [Formula presented] [Formula presented] [Formula presented]

Validation of the local applicability of the 'TIB' Olfactory Test Device in the era of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity and test-retest reliability of the novel 'TIB' Olfactory Test Device (TIB) and to determine its normative values. METHODS: The study stratified the study subjects into normosmic, hyposmic and anosmic groups according to their olfactory function. The olfactory function of the subjects was evaluated using both the traditional Chinese version of the University of Pennsylvania of Smell Identification Test (UPSIT-TC) and the TIB. The normosmic group was used to retest with the UPSIT-TC and TIB at an inter-test interval of at least 7 days. The cut-off scores of TIB among the three different groups were determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: This study enrolled 180 subjects: 60 in each group. The mean scores of TIB were 44.1 for the normosmic group, 27.5 for the hyposmic group and 10.9 for the anosmic group. The TIB scores were significantly different across the three groups. There was a significant correlation between the first and second TIB tests (r = 0.506). The cut-off scores were 41 for normosmic subjects and 24 for hyposmic subjects. CONCLUSION: The validity and test-retest reliability results suggest that the TIB is an appropriate olfactory test for the Taiwanese population.

A test-retest analysis of stated preferences in uncertain times

In environmental valuation, the issue of the temporal stability of stated preferences to changes in environmental (dis)amenities is important because their results can be employed to inform decision-making. This includes cost–benefit analysis for large infrastructure projects such as coastal protection. A couple of studies have investigated stability of stated preferences over varying time periods. However, less evidence is available for temporal stability of stated preferences for (dis)amenities in uncertain times, i.e., times that are characterised by larger degrees of uncertainty regarding the (near) future. Using a choice experiment on coastal adaptation to climate change, this paper examines the test-retest reliability of individual preferences and resulting welfare estimates over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. We do so by surveying the same respondents at two points in time five months apart during the ongoing pandemic. Using a latent class model, we find similar preference heterogeneity patterns but different class sizes at the two points in time. While the welfare measure of an adaptation scenario that focuses on safety increases across survey waves, scenarios that centre on recreation or nature have decreasing welfare effects. This suggests that individuals set other priorities in uncertain times.

Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Post-COVID-19 Functional Status Scale

Background/aim: The post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) has recently been developed for functional outcomes of COVID-19 upon discharge and in long term. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity properties of the Turkish version of the PCFS in Turkish post-COVID-19 patients with hospitalized and nonhospitalized during infection. Materials and methods: One hundred participants with post-COVID-19 were included in this cross-sectional study. Test-retest reliability of the Turkish version of PCFS assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha was calculated for internal consistency. For construct validity, correlation coefficients between the Turkish version of PCFS developed by translation-back translation method and modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale (MMRC), London Chest Activities of Daily Living (LCADL) scale, Barthel Index (BI) were analyzed. Results: For test-retest reliability analysis, ICC ranged between 0.734 and 0.880. The total ICC score was 0.821, indicating excellent reliability. The Cronbach's alpha value of the PCFS test and retest scores were recorded as 0.821 indicating that the scale is quite reliable. The PCFS score was moderately correlated with the mMRC score (r = 0.534, p < 0.001) and weakly correlated with the LCADL self care (r = 0.311, p = 0.002), domestic (r = 0.277, p = 0.005), physical activity (r = 0.342, p < 0.001), leisure subscores (r = 0.434, p < 0.001) and total score (r = 0.399, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The Turkish version of the PCFS scale is reliable scale that reflects activity limitation and functional status after COVID-19. The Turkish version of the PCFS will be a guide for rehabilitation professionals to understand functional limitation after COVID-19 and to direct interventions accordingly to functional status of the patients at discharge and in long term.

Evaluation of a New Method to Track Changes in Vision at Home for Children Undergoing Amblyopia Treatment.

PURPOSE: A new amblyopia tracker app has been designed to provide parents with a method of monitoring a child's vision by presenting a single optotype size that the tester moves to identify the furthest distance the optotypes can be seen. The aim of this study is to evaluate this methodology in adults, comparing the findings to visual acuity (VA) measured with the iSight app and to determine the test retest variability. METHODS: Adults, aged 18-39 years, with no known eye condition and VA ≤ 0.7 logMAR were recruited. Bangerter filters were used to simulate amblyopia, where VA was reduced below 0.0 with an interocular difference of at least 0.2 logMAR. Testing for both apps was performed monocularly, with the test order being randomised. RESULTS: Data from 32 subjects were analysed. For the test retest variability analysis, paired t-tests showed no statistically significant difference between the tests for either eye, either app or the interocular acuity difference (p > 0.3 in all cases). Bland Altman plots showed similar limits of agreement between the two apps. When comparing measurements between the apps there was no statistically significant difference on the first or second test, either eye or the interocular acuity difference (p > 0.5 in all cases). CONCLUSION: The results support the theory that changing distance is a valid method of assessing VA as the measurements agree well with the standard approach of reducing optotype size. Test retest variability is similar between the two apps and there is good agreement between the measurements.

Kinocardiography Derived from Ballistocardiography and Seismocardiography Shows High Repeatability in Healthy Subjects.

Recent years have witnessed an upsurge in the usage of ballistocardiography (BCG) and seismocardiography (SCG) to record myocardial function both in normal and pathological populations. Kinocardiography (KCG) combines these techniques by measuring 12 degrees-of-freedom of body motion produced by myocardial contraction and blood flow through the cardiac chambers and major vessels. The integral of kinetic energy (iK) obtained from the linear and rotational SCG/BCG signals, and automatically computed over the cardiac cycle, is used as a marker of cardiac mechanical function. The present work systematically evaluated the test-retest (TRT) reliability of KCG iK derived from BCG/SCG signals in the short term (<15 min) and long term (3-6 h) on 60 healthy volunteers. Additionally, we investigated the difference of repeatability with different body positions. First, we found high short-term TRT reliability for KCG metrics derived from SCG and BCG recordings. Exceptions to this finding were limited to metrics computed in left lateral decubitus position where the TRT reliability was moderate-to-high. Second, we found low-to-moderate long-term TRT reliability for KCG metrics as expected and confirmed by blood pressure measurements. In summary, KCG parameters derived from BCG/SCG signals show high repeatability and should be further investigated to confirm their use for cardiac condition longitudinal monitoring.