Validation and psychometric properties of Chinese version of SF-36 in patients with hypertension, coronary heart diseases, chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer.

BACKGROUND: The SF-36 is widely used as a significant health outcome or quality of life indicator and validated in many languages versions including Chinese. But the Chinese version of the SF-36 (CSF-36) is rarely used for those patients with hypertension, coronary heart diseases, chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer in China. Therefore, the CSF-36 needs to be validated in patients with chronic diseases. OBJECTIVES: This paper is aimed to validate the CSF-36 using an in-patient sample of four chronic diseases from mainland China, with focusing on psychometric properties. METHODS: The CSF-36 was used in a longitudinal study consisting of 534 patients in these four chronic disease groups. The psychometric properties of the scale were evaluated by indicators such as validity and reliability coefficients Cronbach α, Pearson r, standardized response mean employing correlational analyses, multi-trait scaling analysis, t-tests, factor analyses and structural equation models. RESULTS: Test-retest reliability coefficients for all domains were higher than 0.80 with a range of 0.83 to 0.96; the internal consistency (α) for most domains was higher than 0.70. Five of the eight domains as well as the Physical and Mental Health subscale summaries all had statistically significant changes after treatment with the SRM ranging from 0.18 to 0.28. CONCLUSION: The CSF-36 showed good validity and reliability but small responsiveness when used in patients. It is a good and useful instrument for patients with chronic disease at some situations.

It's the procedure not the patient: the operative approach is independently associated with an increased risk of complications after rectal prolapse repair.

AIM: This study compares 30-day outcomes following rectal prolapse repair, examining potential surgical and patient factors associated with perioperative complications. METHOD: Using the NSQIP database, patients with rectal prolapse were categorized by surgical approach to repair (perineal or abdominal) and abdominal cases were further subdivided by procedure (resection compared with rectopexy alone). Univariate and multivariate analyses compared major and minor complication rates between the groups. RESULTS: Of 1275 patients, the perineal group (n=706, 55%) was older, with more comorbidity, than those undergoing an abdominal procedure. There were fewer minor (odd ratio (OR)=0.35; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.20-0.60; P=0.0038) and major complications (OR=0.46; 95% CI, 0.31-0.80; P=0.0038) in the perineal compared with the abdominal cohort. There was a significant increase in major complications amongst patients undergoing a resection compared with rectopexy only (OR=2.15; 95% CI, 1.10-4.41; P=0.0299). There was no difference in major complications between abdominal rectopexy and a perineal approach, but the latter had a lower chance of minor complications (OR=0.47; 95% CI, 0.24-0.94; P=0.0287). CONCLUSION: A perineal approach is safer than an abdominal approach to the treatment of rectal prolapse. Regarding an abdominal operation, rectopexy has fewer major complications than resection.

A laparoscopic approach reduces short-term complications and length of stay following ileocolic resection in Crohn's disease: an analysis of outcomes from the NSQIP database.

AIM: Studies to date examining the impact of laparoscopy in resection for Crohn's disease on short-term morbidity have been limited by small study populations. The aim of this study was to establish the impact of the operative approach (laparoscopic or open) on outcomes after ileocolic resection for Crohn's disease. METHOD: Ileocolic resections for Crohn's disease were identified using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database (2005-2009). Complications were categorized as major (organ system damage and systemic sepsis) or minor (incisional and urinary infections). Multivariate 30-day outcomes and length of stay were determined using linear models adjusting for patient characteristics, comorbidities and operative approach. RESULTS: Of 1917 ileocolic resections, 644 (34%) were performed laparoscopically. At baseline, the open group was significantly older, had more comorbidities, higher American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) classes, and more intra-operative transfusions (all variables, P<0.05). On multivariate analysis, laparoscopic ileocolic resections were associated with a decrease in major (OR=0.629, 95% CI: 0.430-0.905, P=0.014) and minor (OR=0.576, 95% CI: 0.405-0.804, P=0.002) complications compared with open resections. Laparoscopy was associated with a significant reduction in adjusted length of stay compared with the open approach (-1.08±0.29 days, P=0.0002). CONCLUSION: After adjusting for comorbidities and perioperative factors, such as preoperative sepsis, higher ASA class and higher transfusion rates in the open group, laparoscopic ileocolic resection for Crohn's disease was found to be a safer choice than the open approach, resulting in fewer complications and length of stay. All other things being equal, such patients should be offered the laparoscopic approach as a first-choice option.

Health care costs decline after successful epilepsy surgery.

BACKGROUND: Surgery is an effective, high-cost procedure used increasingly to treat refractory epilepsy. For surgery to be cost-effective, long-term cost savings from reduced health care use should provide some offset to the initial costs of evaluation and surgery. There is little information about how health care costs are affected by evaluation and surgery. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether health care costs change when seizures become controlled after surgery. METHODS: Health care costs for the 2 years prior to surgical evaluation and for 2 years afterward were calculated from medical records of 68 subjects with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) participating in a multicenter observational study. Costs were compared among patients who did not have surgery, patients who had persisting seizures after surgery, and patients who were seizure free after surgery. RESULTS: Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) accounted for more than half of the costs of care in the pre-evaluation period. Total costs for seizure-free patients had declined 32% by 2 years following surgery due to less use of AEDs and inpatient care. Costs did not change in patients with persisting seizures, whether they had surgery or not. In the 18 to 24 months following evaluation, epilepsy-related costs were $2,068 to $2,094 in patients with persisting seizures vs $582 in seizure-free patients. CONCLUSIONS: Costs remain stable over 2 years post-evaluation in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy whose seizures persist, but patients who become seizure free after surgery use substantially less health care than before surgery. Further cost reductions in seizure-free patients can be expected as antiepileptic drugs are successfully eliminated.

Effects of pioglitazone on fasting and postprandial levels of lipid and hemostatic variables in overweight non-diabetic patients with coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of pioglitazone on insulin sensitivity and levels of biomarkers associated with thrombotic risk in overweight and obese, non-diabetic subjects with coronary artery disease. BACKGROUND: Little information is available regarding the effects of thiazolidinediones in the absence of diabetes. Further, although postprandial hyperlipemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, there is limited information about the postprandial effects. METHODS: Twenty overweight and obese, non-diabetic patients with coronary artery disease were enrolled in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Subjects were on atorvastatin for the duration of the study and received either placebo or pioglitazone (45 mg day(-1)) for 12 weeks and then crossed over to the alternative therapy for an additional 12 weeks. Insulin sensitivity, fasting and postprandial levels of lipid, hemostatic, and inflammatory variables were measured, and endothelial function was assessed. RESULTS: Insulin sensitivity improved from 0.03 micromol kg(-1) x min pM(-1) on placebo to 0.04 on pioglitazone (P = 0.0002), and there were decreases in fasting levels of factor (F) VII:C (102 +/- 17% to 92 +/- 18%, P = 0.001), FVII:Ag (68 +/- 12% to 60 +/- 14%, P = 0.01) and in von Willebrand factor (VWF) (174 +/- 94% to 142 +/- 69%, P = 0.01). Pioglitazone lowered postprandial levels of FVII:Ag, FVII:C, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, VWF, and triglycerides, and increased high-density lipoproteins (+9%, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Pioglitazone improves insulin sensitivity and favorably modifies fasting and postprandial lipid, hemostatic and inflammatory markers of the metabolic syndrome in overweight and obese non-diabetic patients with coronary artery disease.

Validity and responsiveness of generic preference-based HRQOL instruments in chronic epilepsy.

Generic, preference-based instruments are recommended for assessing health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in cost-utility analyses (CUA). We aimed to determine which instrument is the most appropriate for CUA of epilepsy care, using established psychometric criteria. We compared validity and responsiveness of EQ5D (using both UK and US preferences), visual analog scale (VAS), Health Utilities Index Mark II (HUI-2) and Mark III (HUI-3) and SF6D in 165 adults evaluated for epilepsy surgery. SF6D had the strongest or next-strongest associations with seizure severity and seizure control. It was not associated with education or IQ. Only SF6D and HUI-3 discriminated between patients with and without seizures 2 years after baseline evaluation. SF6D was most or next-most responsive to being seizure-free for 2 years, in most responsiveness analyses. VAS was also responsive, but showed less evidence of validity. The QOLIE-89, an epilepsy-targeted profile instrument, had stronger evidence for validity and responsiveness than the preference instruments. SF6D has several key psychometric advantages over four other preference instruments in CUAs of epilepsy care. This may reflect better coverage of HRQOL dimensions affected by epilepsy, greater sensitivity at the upper end of the HRQOL continuum, or both. These findings may not generalize to other chronic conditions.

Is skin biopsy a predictor of transition to symptomatic HIV neuropathy? A longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether serially assessed epidermal nerve fiber (ENF) density and quantitative sensory thresholds (QSTs) are associated with the clinical transition from HIV infection with no neuropathy or asymptomatic neuropathy to symptomatic distal sensory neuropathy (SDSP). BACKGROUND: Identifying predictors of transition to SDSP would enable identification of subjects at enhanced risk for development of HIV-SDSP and facilitate intervention studies with the ultimate goal of disease prevention. Asymptomatic signs of sensory dysfunction in the feet have been shown to be weakly predictive of SDSP; however, bedside evaluation of small sensory fibers is limited. Abnormality of these fibers may play an important role in the genesis of SDSP. METHODS: Fifty-eight HIV-infected subjects underwent serial clinical, virologic, immunologic, skin biopsy, and QST assessments. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to examine the associations of serial ENF density and QST assessments with the risk of development of SDSP among the subset of 26 subjects who had asymptomatic or no neuropathy at study entry. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 2.9 years (range 6 months to 4.5 years) during which 19 of 26 subjects transitioned to SDSP. Using a model where ENF density and QST measures from the study visit before potential transition were examined, a lower leg ENF density, a higher cooling threshold, and a higher heat pain threshold for minimal pain (HP 0.5) were associated with a greater risk of SDSP in univariate analyses. In multiple regression analyses, leg ENF density but not QST measures were significantly associated with SDSP. A leg ENF density of 10 fibers/mm or less conferred a 14-fold greater risk of SDSP than a leg ENF density greater than 10 fibers/mm. CONCLUSIONS: Measures of small sensory fibers (leg epidermal nerve fiber density, cooling and heat pain thresholds) seem to be associated with transition to symptomatic HIV-associated distal sensory neuropathy 6 to 12 months later.

A clinical rating scale for Batten disease: reliable and relevant for clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Batten disease (juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis [JNCL]) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by blindness, seizures, and relentless decline in cognitive, motor, and behavioral function. Onset is in the early school years, with progression to death typically by late adolescence. Development of a clinical instrument to quantify severity of illness is a prerequisite to eventual assessment of experimental therapeutic interventions. OBJECTIVE: To develop a clinical rating instrument to assess motor, behavioral, and functional capability in JNCL. METHODS: A clinical rating instrument, the Unified Batten Disease Rating Scale (UBDRS), was developed by the authors to assess motor, behavioral, and functional capability in JNCL. Children with verified JNCL were evaluated independently by three neurologists. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to estimate the interrater reliability for total scores in each domain. Interrater reliability for scale items was assessed with weighted kappa statistics. RESULTS: Thirty-one children with confirmed JNCL (10 boys, 21 girls) were evaluated. The mean age at symptom onset was 6.1 +/- 1.6 years, and the mean duration of illness was 9.0 +/- 4.4 years. The ICCs for the domains were as follows: motor = 0.83, behavioral = 0.68, and functional capability = 0.85. CONCLUSIONS: The Unified Batten Disease Rating Scale (UBDRS) is a reliable instrument that effectively tests for neurologic function in blind and demented patients. In its current form, the UBDRS is useful for monitoring the diverse clinical findings seen in Batten disease.

Broad support sought for emerging specialty of orofacial pain.

The American Dental Association is considering giving the emerging field of orofacial pain full status as a new dental specialty. Many recent advances in the neuroscience of orofacial pain have lead to treatments by orofacial pain dentists that provide significant relief for patients with chronic disorders. However, access to this care has been limited, leaving many patients to continue to suffer. Recent efforts to improve this situation by developing the field into a specialty have received broad support among dentists and have increased awareness of the benefits this field can provide for dentists and their patients.

Arthrographically assisted splint therapy: a 6-month follow-up.

After repositioning splint therapy, 51 patients were evaluated for a minimum of 6 months. Forty-five (88%) of the patients were considered to have been treated successfully, whereas six (12%) patients required surgery to correct meniscal displacement. A detailed analysis of signs and symptoms before and after splint treatment is in progress.

Splint therapy evaluation with direct sagittal computed tomography.

Splint therapy is often the initial nonsurgical treatment selected to manage patients who have anterior displacement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) meniscus. It is usually effective if the splint restores normal meniscocondylar relationships. An accurate method for assessing meniscocondylar relationships by means of direct sagittal computed tomography (CT) is described. The precise protocol for this noninvasive CT method and the criteria used to interpret the CT images are presented.

Internal derangements of the temporomandibular joint evaluated with direct sagittal CT: a prospective study.

Direct sagittal computed tomography (CT) was performed in 454 patients thought to have internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Of 905 joints examined, 71 were subsequently studied using arthrography and/or surgery. Sensitivity was 91.8%, accuracy 87.3%, and the positive predictive value 93.3%. Degenerative joint disease was detected in 33.6% of joints with anterior meniscal displacement but no reduction, 15.3% of those with displacement and reduction, and 5.0% of those with no identifiable meniscal abnormality. It is concluded that direct sagittal CT is a sensitive and effective method of detecting and characterizing displacement of the TMJ meniscus as well as underlying degenerative joint disease.