Deprecated: bp_before_xprofile_cover_image_settings_parse_args is deprecated since version 6.0.0! Use bp_before_members_cover_image_settings_parse_args instead. in /home/top4art.com/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5094
  • Hvidberg Jacobs posted an update 2 weeks, 5 days ago

    BACKGROUND Qualitative research is recommended in concept elicitation for patient-reported outcome measures to ensure item content validity, and those developing measures are encouraged to report qualitative methods in detail. However, in measure development for children and young people, direct research can be challenging due to problems with engagement and communication. OBJECTIVES The aim of this systematic review was to (i) explore the qualitative and adapted data collection techniques that research teams have used with children and young people to generate items in existing measures and (ii) assess the quality of qualitative reporting. METHODS Three electronic databases were searched with forward citation and reference list searching of key papers. Papers included in the review were empirical studies documenting qualitative concept elicitation with children and young people. Data on qualitative methods were extracted, and all studies were checked against a qualitative reporting checklist. click here RESULTS A total of 37 studies were included. The quality of reporting of qualitative approaches for item generation was low, with information missing on sampling, data analysis and the research team, all of which are key to facilitating judgements around measure content validity. Few papers reported adapting methods to be more suitable for children and young people, potentially missing opportunities to more meaningfully engage children in concept elicitation work. CONCLUSIONS Research teams should ensure that they are documenting detailed and transparent processes for concept elicitation. Guidelines are currently lacking in the development and reporting of item generation for children, with this being an important area for future research.INTRODUCTION While the EQ-5D-5L has been migrated to several electronic modes, evidence supporting the measurement equivalence of the original paper-based instrument to the electronic modes is limited. OBJECTIVES This study was designed to comprehensively examine the equivalence of the paper and electronic modes (i.e., handheld, tablet, interactive voice response [IVR], and web). METHODS As part of the foundational work for this study, the test-retest reliability of the paper-based, UK English format of the EQ-5D-5L was assessed using a single-group, single-visit, two-period, repeated-measures design. To compare paper and electronic modes, three independent samples were recruited into a three-period crossover study. Each participant was assigned to one of six groups to account for order effects. Descriptive statistics, mean differences (i.e., split-plot analysis of variance [ANOVA]), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated. RESULTS The test-retest results showed mean differences near zero and ICC values > 0.90 for both the index and the EQ VAS scores. For the electronic comparisons, mean difference confidence intervals (CIs) for the EQ-5D index scores and EQ VAS scores reflected equivalence of the means across all modes, as the CIs were wholly contained inside the equivalence interval. Further, the ICC 95% lower CIs for the index and EQ VAS scores showed values above the thresholds for denoting equivalence across all comparisons in each sample. No significant mode-by-order interactions were present in any ANOVA model. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our comparisons of the paper, screen-based, and phone-based formats of the EQ-5D-5L provided substantial evidence to support the measurement equivalence of these modes of data collection.PURPOSE Patients in acute care hospitals are often transferred to long-term care (LTC) when there is an expectation for a lengthy recovery. Prolonged non-thyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS) creates a state of hypothyroidism. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of NTIS in patients at LTC facilities. METHODS A cross-sectional study at University Hospitals and Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing facility was performed. Four groups control (n33), intensive care unit (ICU) (n34), long-term care hospital (LTCH) (n50), and long-term care on chronic ventilatory support (LTCVS) (n30). Serum levels of TSH, free T4 (FT4), free T3 (FT3), and interleukin 6 (IL6) measured at admission day in controls, within 48 h of admission in the intensive care group, between days 31 and 120 in the LTC hospital group and days 31 and 6 years in the LTC on chronic ventilatory support group. RESULTS Serum FT3 levels were lower in groups intensive care unit ICU, LTCH, and LTCVS than control. Low serum FT3 levels were observed in 80% ICU, 54% LTCH, 37% LTCVS, and 6% control patients. Low serum FT4 levels were observed in 32% ICU, 16% LTCH, and 20% LTCVS patients. Both low serum FT4 and FT3 levels were observed in 32% ICU, 16% LTCH, and 13% LTCVS patients. Serum IL6 and FT3 levels showed a negative correlation. CONCLUSIONS NTIS is highly prevalent in patients in LTC, creating a state of persistent hypothyroidism. The effects of thyroid hormone replacement in patients at LTC with non-thyroidal illness deserve further investigation.Nanobody-heavy chain (VHH-Fc) antibody formats have the potential to immunomodulate even highly accumulating proteins and provide a valuable tool to experimentally modulate the subcellular distribution of seed storage proteins. Recombinant antibodies often obtain high accumulation levels in plants, and thus, besides being the actual end-product, antibodies targeting endogenous host proteins can be used to interfere with the localization and functioning of their corresponding antigens. Here, we compared the effect of a seed-expressed nanobody-heavy chain (VHH-Fc) antibody against the highly abundant Arabidopsis thaliana globulin seed storage protein cruciferin with that of a VHH-Fc antibody without endogenous target. Both antibodies reached high accumulation levels of around 10% of total soluble protein, but strikingly, another significant part was present in the insoluble protein fraction and was recovered only after extraction under denaturing conditions. In seeds containing the anti-cruciferin antibodies but not the antibody without endogenous target, the amount of soluble, processed globulin subunits was severely reduced and a major part of the cruciferin molecules was found as precursor in the insoluble fraction. Moreover, in these seeds, aberrant vacuolar phenotypes were observed that were different from the effects caused by the depletion of globulins in knock-out seeds. Remarkably, the seeds with strongly reduced globulin amounts are fully viable and germinate with frequencies similar to wild type, illustrating how flexible seeds can retrieve amino acids from the stored proteins to start germination.

Facebook Pagelike Widget

Who’s Online

Profile picture of Moore Mendez
Profile picture of Wilcox Black
Profile picture of Sosa Guerra
Profile picture of Sexton Werner
Profile picture of Lundsgaard Dalsgaard
Profile picture of Eliasen Freeman
Profile picture of Harrison Devine