Use of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer multiple myeloma module (EORTC QLQ-MY20): a review of the literature 25 years after development.

The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Multiple Myeloma Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-MY20) was developed in 1996 to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with multiple myeloma. Since its development new therapies have prolonged survival in patients with myeloma and new combination agents are likely to impact HRQoL outcomes and its measurement.The aim of this review was to explore the use of the QLQ-MY20 and reported methodological issues.An electronic database search was conducted (1996-June 2020) to identify clinical studies/research that used the QLQ-MY20 or assessed its psychometric properties. Data were extracted from full-text publications/conference abstracts and checked by a second rater.The search returned 65 clinical and 9 psychometric validation studies. The QLQ-MY20 was used in interventional (n = 21, 32%) and observational (n = 44, 68%) studies and the publication of QLQ-MY20 data in clinical trials increased over time. Clinical studies commonly included relapsed patients with myeloma patients (n = 15, 68%) and assessed a range of combinations therapies.QLQ-MY20 subscales (disease symptoms [DS], side effects of treatment [SE], future perspectives [FP], body image [BI]) were defined as secondary (n = 12, 55%) or exploratory (n = 7, 32%) trial endpoints, particularly DS (n = 16, 72%) and SE (n = 16, 72%). Validation articles demonstrated that all domains performed well regarding internal consistency reliability (>0.7), test-reset reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient > =0.85), internal and external convergent and discriminant validity. Four articles reported a high percentage of ceiling effects in the BI subscale; all other subscales performed well regarding floor and ceiling effects.The EORTC QLQ-MY20 remains a widely used and psychometrically robust instrument. While no specific problems were identified from the published literature, qualitative interviews are ongoing to ensure new concepts and side effects are included that may arise from patients receiving novel treatments or from longer survival with multiple lines of treatment.

Feasibility and Acceptability of Computerised Cognitive Training of Everyday Cognition in Parkinson's Disease.

OBJECTIVES: We piloted a computerised cognitive training battery in a group of participants with Parkinson's disease without dementia to investigate the relevance of the training to daily life and the feasibility and the acceptability of the tasks. Previous studies of CT have had limited success in the benefits of training, extending to improvements in everyday function. By taking a pragmatic approach and targeting training to the cognitive skills affected by Parkinson's disease (planning, attention, and recollection), whilst using tasks that emulated real-life scenarios, we sought to understand whether participants perceived the training to be effective and to identify the elements of the training that elicited beneficial effects. METHODS: Four participants completed a cognitive training session comprising three distinct tasks 5 days a week over two weeks. Participants completed baseline questionnaires examining health-related quality of life, everyday cognition, and apathy before the training period, after the last session, and two weeks after the last session. An interview was held after participants had completed the training. RESULTS: The findings indicated that participants felt the training was acceptable, enhanced their awareness, and encouraged them to monitor their thinking abilities. The group interview indicated that the training was feasible; participants felt the tasks had potential to improve everyday performance, but more supporting information should be provided to facilitate this transfer. Responses to the questionnaires reflected these findings, indicating improvement for some participants' cognition and quality of life. Objective measures supported the subjective reports; there were improvements in some but not all domains. Performance on the planning and recollection tasks improved over the training period, and the evidence for improvement on the attention task was mixed. CONCLUSION: This study has found that pragmatic computer-based training with real-life outcomes is both feasible and acceptable and should be evaluated more extensively using controlled methods.

Heritability of sudden death syndrome and its associated correlations to ascites and body weight in broilers.

(1) Genetic parameters for the sudden death syndrome (SDS) were estimated in meat-type chickens. Data were collected over 11 generations of selection for body weight within two distinct breeds (Cornish and White Rock). (2) The animal model was used exclusively with linear methods (LM) to estimate genetic parameters. Heritability (h2) of SDS on the liability scale was 0.30 +/- 0.002 and 0.25 +/- 0.002 in the Cornish and White Rock breeds, respectively. (3) A positive genetic correlation (r(g)) with ascites (AS) was determined (approximately 0.3 +/- 0.006). However, it was not possible to estimate the rg of SDS with body weight because of the low prevalence of the defect trait studied (1.8% in the Cornish and 1-5% in the White Rock). (4) Heritability of SDS calculated using male records only was 0.45 +/- 0.009 and 0.35 +/- 0.009, and r(g) with body weight was 0.30 +/- 0.010 and 0.27 +/- 0.009, in the Cornish and White Rock breeds, respectively. (5) In conclusion, the heart defect investigated was heritable with a positive genetic correlation with AS and body weight.

Designing trials to test the bioequivalence of diets for animal performance.

It is usually the desire of the researcher to demonstrate a difference in the comparisons made. This is certainly the case when an improved product is desired. However, in establishing the bioequivalence of a test product to a standard, the objective is usually to conclude, with reasonable justification, that no difference has been detected. In making such determinations, the probabilities of accepting false hypotheses or those of rejecting correct hypotheses of difference must be taken into account. Before beginning the trial, the researcher should have a good estimate of the power that will be associated with the detection of a given minimum acceptable difference. The required sample size for achieving the desired power for these tests depends on the coefficient of variation in the data collected and the minimum detectable difference between two groups that the study is meant to detect. It is important to determine the relative magnitudes of the sampling and the experimental errors in order to decide, for a given number of animals available for the study, how they might be best subdivided into groups within treatment. This paper addresses these points and others in an attempt to summarize some of the key items that researchers should consider when planning trials for the bioequivalence testing of new products.

Genetic effects of aging on fitness and nonfitness traits in laying hens housed three per cage.

Three White Leghorn strains, their two-way crosses, and two commercial lines were used to study the effects of aging on several parameters related to performance of fitness and nonfitness traits during the first laying cycle of hens housed three per cage. Egg number of the survivors (EPF) and egg number including mortality and morbidity (EPM) were divided into 12 periods of 28 d each, starting at age at sexual maturity. Egg weight (EW), specific gravity (SG), and albumen height (AH) were measured at 240, 350, and 450 d of age. Mean heterosis was significant over time, except for AH, increasing in magnitude with age for EPF, EPM, EW, and AH. Reciprocal effects were more important for egg quality than for egg production traits and were influenced by age. The age-related changes in additive, Z-chromosome, and heterotic effects varied among strains, showing that strains differ in their genetic schemes in response to aging. Nonadditive, environmental, and phenotypic variances increased with age for all traits. Additive variance increased with age for EPF, EW, and AH. Z-chromosome variance increased with age for EW and AH. Heritabilities decreased with age, except for EPF and AH. On average, genetic variance increased with advancing age. Improvement in lifetime performance may be obtained by selecting birds at older ages. As the relative increase with age in additive variance was larger for egg production than for egg quality traits, selection for the latter could be performed at early stages.

Genetic effects of aging on egg quality traits in the first laying cycle of White Leghorn strains and strain crosses.

Three White Leghorn strains, their two-way crosses, and two commercial lines were used to evaluate the effects of aging on heterosis (H), reciprocal effects, and additive (A), Z-chromosome (Z), and heterotic effects and their variances on egg quality traits during the first laying cycle. Egg weight (EW), specific gravity (SG), Haugh unit (HU), and albumen height (AH) were measured at 240, 350, and 450 d of age from hens housed one per cage in a randomized block design. The mean heterosis was significant over time only for EW. For EW, heterosis increased in magnitude with age. The mean heterosis for both HU and AH was also influenced by age. Reciprocal effects were significant, on average, across periods for all traits and were influenced by age. The age-related changes in additive, Z-chromosome, and heterotic effects varied significantly among strains, indicating differences by genetic group in response to aging for egg quality traits. The heterotic, environmental, and phenotypic variances increased with age for all traits, except for AH. The additive and Z-chromosome variances did not always increase with age. Their age trend varied, depending on the trait. Heritabilities decreased with advancing age, suggesting that selection to improve lifetime performance of egg quality traits can be done early in the cycle.

Patient information on phantom limb pain: a focus group study of patient experiences, perceptions and opinions.

Educating patients about their condition is regarded as a fundamental step in pain management. This study used focus groups with patients to explore their experiences and perceptions of the information on phantom pain that they received before and after amputation, and their views on improving this information. Thirty-one patients with a lower limb amputation attended one of seven focus groups. The majority reported phantom pain although there were individual variations in character, severity and persistence. There were wide variations in what people were told from occasional reports of good information to instances of people reporting little or no information from professionals. There were strong feelings that information should be given before or soon after amputation with a preference for verbal one-to-one explanations. Professionals, particularly nurses and surgeons, were regarded as the best source of information, although peer support was seen to be important. These findings indicate that people require timely up-to-date information on phantom pain which sensitively addresses the variability of the experience and provides the foundation for ongoing pain management. We propose that the information process could be improved by ensuring that professionals use standard information for patients derived from purposefully written sections in national guidelines.

Selection strategies for limiting the increase in ascites while increasing growth in broilers.

The objective of the current study was to compare the changes in a fitness trait when selection is performed for 5, 10, and 20 generations on a production trait that influenced its expression. Responses to single-trait selection for growth based on phenotype or animal model predictions were compared by computer simulation. Two-trait index selection was performed when a trait, related to the fitness trait, was included in the index with the production trait. The phenotypic expression of the fitness trait among the sibs was also considered as a selection factor for single-trait and two-trait index selection. For a fixed increase in the expression of the fitness trait, mass selection produced a larger increase in the production trait than did use of standard animal model best linear unbiased prediction under single-trait selection. The reduction in the genotypic mean of the fitness trait was accompanied by an increase in its phenotypic expression. The use of sib information and an indicator trait reduced the level of expression reached by the fitness trait.

Estimation of genetic parameters for ascites syndrome in broiler chickens.

Genetic parameters for the ascites syndrome (AS) were estimated for meat-type chickens. Data had been collected over 11 generations of selection for body weight and other traits within two distinct breeds (Cornish and White Rock). Linear methods (LM) were used to estimate genetic parameters and also to analyze a binary measure of survival. Survival analyses (SA) were also conducted to estimate the effects of various factors influencing the incidence of AS by evaluating the number of days that the birds survived. The animal model was used exclusively with linear methods. Heritabilities (h2) on the liability scale were 0.12 +/- 0.02 and 0.22 +/- 0.01 in the White Rock and Cornish breeds, respectively; however, the genetic correlation (r(g)) with body weight was not possible to estimate due to the low prevalence of the defect trait studied (1.5% in the Cornish and 1.1% in the White Rock). Because males are more prone to AS, the h2 using the male records only were 0.22 +/- 0.017 and 0.41 +/- 0.009, and the r(g) were 0.35 +/- 0.007 and 0.22 +/- 0.009 in the dam and sire populations, respectively. In conclusion, the heart defect investigated was heritable and had a positive genetic correlation with body weight.

Genetic effects of aging on egg production traits in the first laying cycle of White Leghorn strains and strain crosses.

Three White Leghorn strains, their two-way crosses, and two commercial lines were used to evaluate the effects of aging on mean heterosis, reciprocal, additive, Z-chromosome, and heterotic effects and their variances in two egg production traits during the first laying cycle. Egg number of the survivors (EPF) and egg number including mortality and morbidity (EPM) were evaluated from hens housed one per cage in a randomized block design. For analyses, egg number was divided into 12 periods of 28 d each. Synchronization of the records was achieved by starting recording at age at first egg. The mean heterosis was significant over time and increased with age for both traits (P<0.05). Reciprocal effects were not significant across periods but increased in magnitude with age for EPF. The pattern of age changes in additive, Z-chromosome, and heterotic effects varied among strains, indicating genotypic differences in response to aging. These differences increased, on average, with age. The additive, heterotic, environmental, and phenotypic variances increased with age for both traits. A decline with physiological age was observed in heritabilities, which was due to a faster increase in environmental variance than to an increase in additive variance. Genetic variance of egg production increased with age, indicating that improvement of lifetime performance of layers is possible. This improvement could be achieved by selecting animals at older ages or by favoring individuals with better DNA repair or those who had more genes turned on or off during the course of aging.

Genetic effects of ageing on fertility and hatchability in the first laying cycle of three white leghorn strains and their two-way crosses.

1. Fertility and hatchability of 3 White Leghorn strains and their 2-way crosses were examined in the 1st laying cycle to evaluate the effects of ageing on mean heterosis, reciprocal effects, additive (A), Z-chromosomne (Z) and heterotic effects (H), as well as on their variances. 2. Fertility and hatchability were evaluated at 37, 47 and 70 weeks of age for hens housed 1 per cage in a randomised block design. The mean heterosis was significant over time and increased with advancing age for both traits. Reciprocal effects were not significant across periods and did not show a consistent trend with age. 3. The pattern of age changes in A, Z and H effects varied among strains, indicating genotypic differences in response to ageing. The additive, heterotic, environmental and phenotypic variances increased at the end of the cycle for both traits, except for the additive variance of hatchability, which increased until 47 weeks of age but declined thereafter. 4. Heritability increased with age for fertility but did not show a consistent pattern across the cycle for hatchability. Genetic variance for fertility and hatchability increased at the end of the cycle, stggesting that improvement in performance during the 1st production cycle of layers could be achieved by selecting animals at older ages.