Estimating Heterogeneous Intra-class Correlation Coefficients in Dyadic Ecological Momentary Assessment

A method is described for estimating and testing predictors for influence on the variance of momentary behaviors in dyadic ecological momentary assessment data. Results show that the method allows intraclass correlations of momentary observations from two members of the same couple to vary by observation-level, individual-level and couple-level predictors

Issues in the reporting of epidemiological studies: a survey of recent practice.

OBJECTIVES: To review current practice in the analysis and reporting of epidemiological research and to identify limitations. DESIGN: Examination of articles published in January 2001 that investigated associations between risk factors/exposure variables and disease events/measures in individuals. SETTING: Eligible English language journals including all major epidemiological journals, all major general medical journals, and the two leading journals in cardiovascular disease and cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Each article was evaluated with a standard proforma. RESULTS: We found 73 articles in observational epidemiology; most were either cohort or case-control studies. Most studies looked at cancer and cardiovascular disease, even after we excluded specialty journals. Quantitative exposure variables predominated, which were mostly analysed as ordered categories but with little consistency or explanation regarding choice of categories. Sample selection, participant refusal, and data quality received insufficient attention in many articles. Statistical analyses commonly used odds ratios (38 articles) and hazard/rate ratios (23), with some inconsistent use of terminology. Confidence intervals were reported in most studies (68), though use of P values was less common (38). Few articles explained their choice of confounding variables; many performed subgroup analyses claiming an effect modifier, though interaction tests were rare. Several investigated multiple associations between exposure and outcome, increasing the likelihood of false positive claims. There was evidence of publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: This survey raises concerns regarding inadequacies in the analysis and reporting of epidemiological publications in mainstream journals

PerR Confers Phagocytic Killing Resistance and Allows Pharyngeal Colonization by Group A Streptococcus

The peroxide response transcriptional regulator, PerR, is thought to contribute to virulence of group A Streptococcus (GAS); however, the specific mechanism through which it enhances adaptation for survival in the human host remains unknown. Here, we identify a critical role of PerR-regulated gene expression in GAS phagocytosis resistance and in virulence during pharyngeal infection. Deletion of perR in M-type 3 strain 003Sm was associated with reduced resistance to phagocytic killing in human blood and by murine macrophages in vitro. The increased phagocytic killing of the perR mutant was abrogated in the presence of the general oxidative burst inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI), a result that suggests PerR-dependent gene expression counteracts the phagocyte oxidative burst. Moreover, an isogenic perR mutant was severely attenuated in a baboon model of GAS pharyngitis. In competitive infection experiments, the perR mutant was cleared from two animals at 24 h and from four of five animals by day 14, in sharp contrast to wild-type bacteria that persisted in the same five animals for 28 to 42 d. GAS genomic microarrays were used to compare wild-type and perR mutant transcriptomes in order to characterize the PerR regulon of GAS. These studies identified 42 PerR-dependent loci, the majority of which had not been previously recognized. Surprisingly, a large proportion of these loci are involved in sugar utilization and transport, in addition to oxidative stress adaptive responses and virulence. This finding suggests a novel role for PerR in mediating sugar uptake and utilization that, together with phagocytic killing resistance, may contribute to GAS fitness in the infected host. We conclude that PerR controls expression of a diverse regulon that enhances GAS resistance to phagocytic killing and allows adaptation for survival in the pharynx

Is acetabular osteoplasty always required in mixed impingement?

Background Mixed femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is typically managed with both femoral and acetabular rim osteoplasties, but it has not been reported if the rim osteoplasty is always required. Hypothesis/purpose We hypothesized that mixed FAI managed by femoral or combined femoral and acetabular osteoplasties will both attain satisfactory clinical results, provided intraoperative impingement-free functional motion is attained. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 30 hips (23 patients, mean age at surgery 24.3 years, mean follow-up time 1.6 years) with mixed FAI who underwent surgical dislocation of the hip and had femoral osteochondroplasty with rim trim (RT, n = 21) or no rim trim (NRT, n = 9). Physical examination results and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) scores were evaluated. Results Mean (±SD) WOMAC pain scores improved from 6.56 (±2.96) to 2.33 (±3.64) in the NRT group (p = .002) and from 6.86 (±4.15) to 3.86 (±3.95) in the RT group (p = .014). Function improved in both groups, but the difference was significant only for the NRT group (p < .001). Over 50 % of patients in both groups had resolution of impingement sign. Internal rotation increased from 8.6° (±11.8) to 20.0° (±10.4) in the NRT group (p = .043) and from 4.0° (±12.1) to 18.6° (±14.0) in the RT group (p < .001). Both groups had increased flexion post-operatively to normal range, but the change was only significant for the RT group (p = .02). Both groups had insignificant decreases in external rotation. Conclusion Satisfactory clinical outcomes were seen in hips with mixed impingement, regardless of whether RT was performed, provided impingement-free functional motion was attained and no severe cartilage damage was seen

Patients providing the answers: narrowing the gap in data quality for emergency care

Objective The authors examined the validity of documentation produced during paediatric emergency care to determine if a patient-driven health information technology called ParentLink produced higher-quality data than documentation completed by nurses and physicians. Design The authors analysed the quality of information across elements of allergies to medications and the history of present illness (HPI) collected during a quasi-experimental intervention study where control periods with usual care alternated with intervention periods when ParentLink was operational. Documentation by emergency department (ED) providers was abstracted and compared with information generated through ParentLink. The criterion standard for the history of allergies to medications was a structured telephone interview with parents after the ED visit. A valid report for a medication allergy was one that was both accurate and complete. Completeness of the HPI for acute head trauma was evaluated across seven elements relevant to an evidence-based risk assessment. Results Of 1410 enrolled parents, 1111/1410 (79%) completed the criterion standard interview. Parents' valid reports of allergies to medications were higher than those of nurses (parents 94%, nurses 88%, p<0.0001). Parents' valid reports of allergies to medications were greater than those of physicians (parent 94%, physicians 83%, p<0.0001). ParentLink produced more complete information on HPI for head trauma than the medical record for five of seven elements. Conclusion ParentLink provided electronic information that met or exceeded the quality of data documented by ED nurses and physicians.Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (grant R01 HS014947

Ultrasound Screening for Posterior Shoulder Dislocation in Infants with Persistent Brachial Plexus Birth Palsy.

BackgroundEarly detection of posterior shoulder dislocation in infants with brachial plexus birth palsy (BPBP) is essential, but it may be difficult to accomplish with physical examination alone. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of shoulder dislocation in patients with BPBP using ultrasound and to identify which physical examination measurements correlated most with dislocation in these patients.MethodsThis study was a retrospective review of data obtained in an ultrasound screening program of infants with BPBP born from January 2011 to April 2014. Physical examination included the use of the Active Movement Scale (AMS) and measurement of passive external rotation of the shoulder. Ultrasound measurements included PHHD (percentage of the humeral head displaced posterior to the axis of the scapula) and the alpha angle (intersection of the posterior scapular margin with a line tangential to the humeral head through the glenoid). Shoulder dislocation was defined as both a PHHD of &gt;0.5 and an alpha angle of &gt;30°.ResultsOf sixty-six infants who had undergone a total of 118 ultrasound examinations (mean, 1.8; range, 1 to 5), 19 (29%) demonstrated shoulder dislocation with the shoulder positioned in internal rotation; the dislocation was first detected between 2.1 and 10.5 months of age. Infants with a dislocated shoulder demonstrated significantly less mean passive external rotation in adduction (mean, 45.8° versus 71.4°, p &lt; 0.001) and a greater difference between internal rotation and external rotation AMS scores (mean, 5.5-point versus 3.3-point difference, p &lt; 0.001) than those without shoulder dislocation. Passive external rotation in adduction was a better measure for discriminating between dislocation and no dislocation (area under receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.89) than was the difference between internal and external rotation AMS scores (AUC = 0.73). A cutoff of 60° of passive external rotation in adduction (≤60° versus° &gt;60) yielded a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 69%.ConclusionsShoulder dislocation is common in infants with BPBP; 29% of the infants presenting to our tertiary care center had a dislocation during their first year of life. Ultrasound shoulder screening is appropriate for infants with BPBP. If passive external rotation in adduction is used to determine which infants should undergo ultrasound, ≤60° should be utilized as the criterion to achieve appropriate sensitivity.Level of evidenceTherapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence

Planar dGEMRIC Maps May Aid Imaging Assessment of Cartilage Damage in Femoroacetabular Impingement

Three-dimensional (3-D) delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) helps quantify biochemical changes in articular cartilage that correlate with early-stage osteoarthritis. However, dGEMRIC analysis is performed slice by slice, limiting the potential of 3-D data to give an overall impression of cartilage biochemistry. We previously developed a computational algorithm to produce unfolded, or "planar," dGEMRIC maps of acetabular cartilage, but have neither assessed their application nor determined whether MRI-based grading of cartilage damage or dGEMRIC measurements predict intraoperative findings in hips with symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). (1) Does imaging-based assessment of acetabular cartilage damage correlate with intraoperative findings in hips with symptomatic FAI? (2) Does the planar dGEMRIC map improve this correlation? (3) Does the planar map improve the correlation between the dGEMRIC index and MRI-based grading of cartilage damage in hips with symptomatic FAI? (4) Does the planar map improve imaging-based evaluation time for hips with symptomatic FAI? We retrospectively studied 47 hips of 45 patients with symptomatic FAI who underwent hip surgery between 2009 and 2013 and had a 1.5-T 3-D dGEMRIC scan within 6 months preoperatively. Our cohort included 25 males and 20 females with a mean +/- SD age at surgery of 29 +/- 11 years. Planar dGEMRIC maps were generated from isotropic, sagittal oblique TrueFISP and T1 sequences. A pediatric musculoskeletal radiologist with experience in hip MRI evaluated studies using radially reformatted sequences. For six acetabular subregions (anterior-peripheral [AP]; anterior-central [AC]; superior-peripheral [SP]; superior-central [SC]; posterior-peripheral [PP]; posterior-central [PC]), modified Outerbridge cartilage damage grades were recorded and region-of-interest T1 averages (the dGEMRIC index) were measured. Beck's intraoperative cartilage damage grades were compared with the Outerbridge grades and dGEMRIC indices. For a subset of 26 hips, 13 were reevaluated with the map and 13 without the map, and total evaluation times were recorded. There were no meaningful differences in the correlations obtained with versus without referencing the planar maps. Planar map-independent Outerbridge grades had a notable (p 0.5). For map-dependent Outerbridge grades, rho was moderate in AP, AC, and SC and strong in SP. Map-independent dGEMRIC indices had a rho with Beck's grades that was moderate in AP and SC (-0.3 > rho > -0.5) and strong in SP (rho < -0.5). For map-dependent dGEMRIC indices, rho was moderate in SC and strong in SP. Similarly, there were no meaningful, map-dependent differences in the correlations. When comparing Outerbridge grades and dGEMRIC indices, there were notable correlations across all subregions. Without the planar map, rho was moderate in AC and PC and strong in AP, SP, SC, and PP. With the map, rho was strong in all six subregions. In AC, there was a notable map-dependent improvement in this correlation (p < 0.001). Finally, referencing the planar dGEMRIC map during evaluation was associated with a decrease in mean evaluation time, from 207 +/- 32 seconds to 152 +/- 33 seconds (p = 0.001). Our work challenges the weak correlation between dGEMRIC and intraoperative findings of cartilage damage that was previously reported in hips with symptomatic FAI, suggesting that dGEMRIC has potential diagnostic use for this patient population. The planar dGEMRIC maps did not meaningfully alter the correlation of imaging-based evaluation of cartilage damage with intraoperative findings; however, they notably improved the correlation of dGEMRIC and MRI-based grading in AC, and their use incurred no additional time cost to imaging-based evaluation. Therefore, the planar maps may improve dGEMRIC's use as a continuous proxy for an otherwise discrete and simplified MRI-based grade of cartilage damage in hips with symptomatic FAI. Level III, diagnostic study

PedsQL correlates to PODCI in pediatric orthopaedic outpatient clinic

PURPOSE: Quality-of-life (QOL) measures can be a valuable tool to assess the general welfare across a spectrum of patients in a pediatric orthopaedic outpatient clinic and can be a simple way to assess patient-based outcomes particularly for quality initiatives. The Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) is validated for many orthopaedic conditions but typically takes around 20 minutes to complete (86 questions). The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) takes \u3c 4 minutes to complete (23 questions) but has not been assessed in an orthopaedic setting. We initiated this study to find the best method for assessing QOL in our outpatient clinic. A short pediatric QOL measure that is correlated to an established orthopaedic-specific QOL measure is needed; therefore, we compared the PedsQL to the PODCI in the outpatient orthopaedic clinic. METHODS: This was a quality initiative project and as such did not require a priori IRB approval. Families of patients 2 to 18 years old who presented for follow-up after upper or lower extremity fractures or brachial plexus injuries in the orthopaedic clinic from October 2010 through August 2011 were asked to fill out both the PODCI and the PedsQL. Patients aged 5 years and older filled out a patient-report PedsQL; patients aged 11 years and older filled out the patient-report PODCI. Parents/guardians completed questionnaires for children of all ages. Most fracture patients (and/or their parent/guardian) repeated the questionnaires after 6 to 12 weeks. Data were then assessed for correlation between the PODCI and PedsQL. RESULTS: A total of 428 parent/guardian reports for 283 patients and 172 self-reports for 104 patients were included. The correlation between the PODCI Global score and the PedsQL Total score for the parent/guardian-reported questionnaires for all injuries was 0.77 (95% confidence interval, 0.72-0.82). When categorized within domains and injuries, parent/guardian-reported correlations ranged from 0.23 to 0.79. In patients aged 11 years and older, the correlation between the PODCI and PedsQL for the patient-reported questionnaire for all injuries was 0.85 (95% confidence interval, 0.80-0.89). When categorized within domains and injuries, patient-reported correlations ranged from 0.30 to 0.99. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing the substantially shorter PedsQL in a high volume orthopaedic clinic as a substitute for the PODCI for quality improvement measures seems reasonable. Correlation between the PedsQL Global score and the PODCI Total score for orthopaedic patients is strong. Utilizing the patient-reported questionnaires when age appropriate is best. In this era of increased outcome reporting, PedsQL may be a valuable tool