Reply to von Reyn and Horsburgh

The study by Muñoz et al [1] demonstrates that the need for treatment of healthy household contacts of active tuberculosis can be safely reduced by 20% when an interferon γ release assay is used to exclude false-positive tuberculin skin test (TST) results. Because the study was conducted in Spain, 28% of trial participants had been previously immunized with Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccine, a factor that seemed to be the predominant cause of false-positive TST results. The authors surmise that the remaining proportion of false-positive results may have been due to exposure to nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)

FIFA World Cup and climate change: correlation is not causation

Sports analytics is defined as the process that identifies and acquires knowledge and insight about players and teams’ performances. To do so, analysts use a wide variety of data sources coming from matches and individual players’ performances (O'Donoghue & Holmes 2014; Jayal, McRobert, Oatley & O’Donoghue, 2018). Nowadays, detailed data from different nature including technical skills, individual physiological performances, team formations, or injuries are analysed on a daily basis by the analytics departments belonging to sports clubs and professional franchises. Even private companies like STATS or OPTA generate important revenues offering their movement tracking values and advanced metrics to media and fans. In the emerging field of Sports Analytics, as in many others, analysts must be aware of spurious correlations. These can come up due to the size (not nature) of data, a common-causal variable or just due to serendipity. For this reason, we always must keep in mind the lessons of the statistician Stephen John Senn and his sharp quote on the matter: “Statistics is not just about merely warning that correlation is not causation. Sometimes correlation isn’t even correlation”. Thus, we will explain an example of how climate change can be affecting, or not, on the FIFA World Cup performance statistics

COVID19-world: a shiny application to perform comprehensive country-specific data visualization for SARS-CoV-2 epidemic

Background: Data analysis and visualization is an essential tool for exploring and communicating findings in medical research, especially in epidemiological surveillance. Results: Data on COVID-19 diagnosed cases and mortality, from January 1st, 2020, onwards is collected automatically from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). We have developed a Shiny application for data visualization and analysis of several indicators to follow the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic using ECDC data. A country-specific tool for basic epidemiological surveillance, in an interactive and user-friendly manner. The available analyses cover time trends and projections, attack rate, population fatality rate, case fatality rate, and basic reproduction number. Conclusions: The COVID19-World online web application systematically produces daily updated country-specific data visualization and analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic worldwide. The application may help for a better understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic worldwide

Reliability and validity of the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire to measure health related quality of life in the 8 to 18 year-old Argentinean population

Introduction. The KIDSCREEN questionnaire is an instrument to measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL). It allows to differentiate health levels or to assess the efficacy of interventions. The objective was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Argentine version of the questionnaire in the population aged 8-18 years-old in the city of Bahía Blanca. Population and Methods. Cross sectional study conducted in public and private schools in 2008 using a district-stratified sampling. The questionnaire was self-administered and included the KIDSCREEN questionnaire (52 items) and questions about age, gender and family socioeconomic level (SEL). Reliability was analyzed using standard psychometric analysis techniques and the item response theory. The analysis of the factorial structure was performed using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and that of the construct validity was conducted comparing dimension mean scores by age, gender and SEL. Results. Most dimensions had a Cronbach's alpha of >0.7 and 80% of items, and sufficient infit or outfit values (< 0.8). The CFA showed an adequate data adjustment to the ten-dimension structure. The mean values of the dimensions confirmed lower scores in adolescents than in children, and lower scores in females than in males, as expected in several of the HRQoL dimensions. Conclusions. The reliability and validity of the Argentinean version of the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire were acceptable; therefore its use can be recommended for the 8-18 year-old Argentinean population.Fil: Berra, Silvina del Valle. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Cordoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Tebé, Cristian. Agència d’Informació, Avaluació i Qualitat en Salut; España. CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública; EspañaFil: Esandi, María Eugenia. Academia Nacional de Medicina de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Carignano, Carlos. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Municipalidad de Bahia Blanca; Argentin

COVID19-Tracker: a shiny app to analise data on SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Spain

Versión preprint disponible en http://hdl.handle.net/10261/208211[ES] La visualización de datos es una herramienta relevante para explorar y comunicar resultados en la investigación médica, en especial cuando se trata de vigilancia epidemiológica. La aplicación web COVID19-Tracker analiza y produce de forma sistemática visualizaciones diarias de los datos de la epidemia de COVID-19 de casos diagnosticados y fallecimientos desde el 24 de febrero de 2020 en adelante. Se han desarrollado tres aplicaciones para: 1) análisis de la tendencia y proyecciones a corto plazo; 2) estimación de la tasa de letalidad; y 3) efecto del estado de alarma sobre la tendencia de datos incidentes. La aplicación online puede ser de utilidad para un mejor conocimiento de la epidemia de SARS-CoV-2 en España.[EN] Data visualization is an important tool for exploring and communicating findings in medical research, and specially in epidemiological surveillance. The COVID19-Tracker web application systematically produces daily updated data visualization and analysis of SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Spain. It collects automatically daily data on COVID-19 diagnosed cases and mortality, from February 24th, 2020 onwards. Three applications have already been developed: 1) to analyze data trends and estimating short-term projections; 2) to estimate the case fatality rate; and 3) to assess the effect of the lockdowns on the data trends. The application may help for a better understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic data in Spain.Peer reviewe

Setting priorities in clinical and health services research: properties of an adapted and updated method

Objectives: the objectives of this study is to review the set of criteria of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for priority-setting in research with addition of new criteria if necessary, and to develop and evaluate the reliability and validity of the final priority score. Methods: based on the evaluation of 199 research topics, forty-five experts identified additional criteria for priority-setting, rated their relevance, and ranked and weighted them in a three-round modified Delphi technique. A final priority score was developed and evaluated. Internal consistency, test-retest and inter-rater reliability were assessed. Correlation with experts' overall qualitative topic ratings were assessed as an approximation to validity. Results: all seven original IOM criteria were considered relevant and two new criteria were added ('potential for translation into practice', and 'need for knowledge'). Final ranks and relative weights differed from those of the original IOM criteria: 'research impact on health outcomes' was considered the most important criterion (4.23), as opposed to 'burden of disease' (3.92). Cronbach's alpha (0.75) and test-retest stability (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.66) for the final set of criteria were acceptable. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for overall assessment of priority was 0.66. Conclusions: a reliable instrument for prioritizing topics in clinical and health services research has been developed. Further evaluation of its validity and impact on selecting research topics is required

Adaptación y validación del cuestionario de susceptibilidad, beneficios y barreras ante el cribado con mamografía

ResumenObjetivosAdaptar una «escala de creencias» sobre el cáncer de mama al castellano, evaluando su validez y reproducibilidad.MétodosValidación de una escala de 3 dimensiones –susceptibilidad, beneficios y barreras– con respuestas tipo Likert, en un estudio de casos y controles, donde los casos eran las mujeres no participantes en un programa de cribado de cáncer de mama y los controles las participantes. Se realizó un proceso de traducción-retrotraducción y un comité técnico analizó las discrepancias. Se pilotó la comprensión en 17 mujeres. Participaron en el estudio 274 mujeres y a 32 de ellas se les repitió el cuestionario en el intervalo de un mes para valorar la reproducibilidad.ResultadosEl coeficiente de correlación intraclase fue de 0,89, 0,70 y 0,90, y el coeficiente alfa de Cronbach de 0,71, 0,48 y 0,57 para susceptibilidad, beneficios y barreras, respectivamente. Respecto a la validez de constructo, del análisis factorial exploratorio se extrajeron 3 factores, lo que explicaba un 34% de la varianza. El análisis factorial confirmatorio señala un ajuste al límite de los datos al modelo teórico. Las mujeres de más edad perciben menos susceptibilidad al cáncer de mama y declaran más barreras para hacerse una mamografía. Las de menor nivel de estudios perciben más barreras. La escala no ha mostrado su capacidad para predecir la participación en el programa.ConclusionesLa escala presenta problemas de validez y homogeneidad. Las dimensiones de beneficios y barreras necesitan un proceso de adaptación y validación profunda para su utilización.AbstractObjectivesTo adapt the «health belief model» on breast cancer screening to Spanish, and to asses its validity and reliability.MethodsWe assessed validation of a scale with 3 dimensions (susceptibility, benefits and barriers) with Likert responses in a case-control study. Cases were women not participating in a breast cancer screening program and controls consisted of participating women. A process of translation and back-translation was carried out and a technical committee analyzed discrepancies. Comprehension was tested in 17 women. Two hundred seventy-four women participated in the study. In 32 of these women, the questionnaire was administered twice after a 1-month interval to estimate its reliability.ResultsThe intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.89, 0.70 and 0.90, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.71, 0.48 and 0.57 for susceptibility, benefits and barriers, respectively. Construct validity: from the factorial analysis, 3 factors were obtained explaining 34% of the variance. The confirmatory factorial analysis indicated acceptable goodness-of-fit of the data to the theoretical model. Older women perceived less susceptibility to breast cancer as well as greater barriers to attending screening. Women with a lower educational level perceived greater barriers. The scale did not seem to predict adherence to the program.ConclusionsThe adapted scale presents problems of validity and internal consistency. The dimensions of benefits and barriers require thorough adaptation and validation before the scale is used in Spanish women

Patients with schizophrenia activate behavioural intentions facilitated by counterfactual reasoning

Previous research has associated schizophrenia with an inability to activate behavioural intentions facilitated by counterfactual thinking (CFT) as a step to improving performance. Consequently, these findings suggest that rehabilitation strategies will be entirely ineffective. To extend previous research, we evaluated the influence of CFT in the activation of behavioural intentions using a novel sequential priming paradigm in the largest sample of subjects explored to date. Method: The main variables assessed were: answer to complete a target task (wrong or correctly), and percentage gain in the reaction time (RT) to complete a target task correctly depending on whether the prime was a counterfactual or a neutral-control cue. These variables were assessed in 37 patients with schizophrenia and 37 healthy controls. Potential associations with clinical status and socio-demographic characteristics were also explored. Results: When a counterfactual prime was presented, the probability of giving an incorrect answer was lower for the entire sample than when a neutral prime was presented (OR 0.58; CI 95% 0.42 to 0.79), but the schizophrenia patients showed a higher probability than the controls of giving an incorrect answer (OR 3.89; CI 95% 2.0 to 7.6). Both the schizophrenia patients and the controls showed a similar percentage gain in RT to a correct answer of 8%. Conclusions: Challenging the results of previous research, our findings suggest a normal activation of behavioural intentions facilitated by CFT in schizophrenia. Nevertheless, the patients showed more difficulty than the controls with the task, adding support to the concept of CFT as a potential new target for consideration in future therapeutic approaches for this illness

Population norms and cut-off-points for suboptimal health related quality of life in two generic measures for adolescents: the Spanish VSP-A and KINDL-R

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcome measures are complex and for further application in clinical practice and health service research the meaning of their scorings should be studied in depth. The aim of this study was to increase the interpretability of the Spanish VSP-A and KINDL-R scores.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A representative sample of adolescents aged 12 to 18 years old was selected in Spain. The Spanish VSP-A and KINDL-R, two generic HRQL measures (range: 0–100), were self-administered along with other external anchor measures (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Oslo Social Support Scale and self-declaration of chronic conditions) and sent by post. Percentiles of both HRQL questionnaires were obtained by gender, and age group and effect sizes (ES) were calculated. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves and related sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP) values were also computed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The Spanish VSP-A and KINDL-R were completed by 555 adolescents. A moderate ES was shown in Psychological well-being between younger and older girls (ES: 0.77) in the VSP-A and small ES in the KINDL (ES: 0.41) between these groups. A SE and SP value close to 0.70 was associated to a global HRQL score of 65 in the VSP-A and 70 in the KINDL-R, when compared to anchors measuring mental and psychosocial health. Adolescents with scores bellow these cut-off points showed a moderate probability of presenting more impairment in their HRQL.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results of this study will be of help to interpret the VSP-A AND KINDL-R questionnaires by comparing with the general population and also provide cut-off points to define adolescents with health problems.</p

Artroplàstia primària de maluc (2005-2012)

Artroplàstia; Maluc; HospitalitzacióArthroplasty; Hip; HospitalizationArtroplastia; Cadera; HospitalizaciónL’artroplàstia primària de maluc és un procediment quirúrgic en el qual l’articulació del maluc és substituïda per un implant protèsic. L'objectiu de l'atles és identificar i descriure la variabilitat en les hospitalitzacions per artroplàsties de maluc total i parcial