Novel combined pharmacological strategy to alleviate acute phase response following zoledronic acid treatment.

Brief rationale: Zoledronic acid treatment against osteoporosis is limited by APR. Main result: Combination therapy (hydrocortisone plus non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, and prednisolone) reduced intolerable APR levels and provided complete symptom relief in most patients. Significance of the paper: Combination therapy can enhance patient outcomes in osteoporosis management. PURPOSE: Osteoporosis is a common condition associated with high morbidity rates, often requiring treatment with bisphosphonates such as zoledronic acid. However, the persistence to zoledronic acid infusion is commonly limited by acute phase response (APR). This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a novel combination therapy in preventing APR symptoms. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was conducted on 931 patients who received their first zoledronic acid infusion between 2011 and 2021. We evaluated the efficacy of combination therapy comprising a single dose of hydrocortisone prior to the infusion and a 3-d oral regimen of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, and prednisolone following the infusion. Patients were divided into protocol (receiving combination therapy) and control groups (without treatment). Baseline characteristics, APR incidence, and the efficacy of symptom control were compared between groups using Fisher's exact test and Student's t-test. RESULTS: There was no difference in APR incidence between the protocol (n = 507) and control group (n = 407; p = 0.1442). However, the protocol group exhibited lower intolerable APR levels (3.72% vs. 16.71%; p < 0.0001) and complete symptom relief in 96.28% of cases. CONCLUSION: The combination therapy protocol effectively reduced intolerable APR and relieved symptoms in most patients following zoledronic acid infusion. This study highlights the importance of proactive management strategies for APR and emphasizes the potential of combination therapy in alleviating APR symptoms and reducing the occurrence of severe APR in patients undergoing osteoporosis management.

Cilostazol Ameliorates Motor Dysfunction and Schwann Cell Impairment in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.

This study investigated the effects of cilostazol on motor dysfunction, spinal motor neuron abnormalities, and schwannopathy in rats with diabetes. Diabetes mellitus (DM) was induced in rats via femoral intravenous streptozotocin (STZ) injection (60 mg/kg). After successful DM induction, cilostazol was administered on day 15 via oral gavage (100 mg/kg/day) for 6 weeks until sacrifice. Behavioral assays, including motor function, were performed weekly. The sciatic nerve, L5 spinal cord, and spinal ventral root were collected to evaluate the expression of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), myelin protein zero (P0), and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. DM rats displayed decreased running speeds, running distances, and toe spread but increased foot pressure. In addition, loss of non-myelinating Schwann cells and myelin sheaths was observed in the sciatic nerve and L5 spinal ventral root. Reduced numbers of motor neurons were also found in the L5 spinal ventral horn. Cilostazol administration significantly potentiated running speed and distance; increased hind paw toe spread; and decreased foot pressure. In the sciatic nerve and L5 spinal ventral root, cilostazol treatment significantly improved non-myelinated Schwann cells and increased myelin mass. ChAT expression in motor neurons in the spinal ventral horn was improved, but not significantly. Cilostazol administration may protect sensorimotor function in diabetic rats.

Pre- and Post-Operative Education and Health-Related Quality of Life for Patients with Hip/Knee Replacement and Hip Fracture.

Arthroplasty for the hip/knee and surgeries for hip fractures are increasing worldwide. The aims of this study were to investigate changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after surgery with an early mobility education program, and to explore their associations with pain and anxiety. Pain intensity and anxiety were assessed with the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and HRQOL was assessed with the Short Form-36 (SF-36). The physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) and eight subscales of the SF-36 were calculated. At pre-operation, the patients suffered from moderate pain and mild anxiety, and their HRQOL scores were low (4.9, 7.8, 35.4, and 48.2 for the VAS, BAI, PCS, and MCS, respectively). The pain, anxiety, and HRQOL improved after surgery and had moderate to large effect sizes at 6-month follow-up (Glass's delta = 1.23, 0.88, 0.81, and 0.67 for VAS, BAI, PCS, and MCS, respectively). Pain and anxiety were strongly correlated to HRQOL at each stage, with the maximum correlation (r = -0.34 to -0.93) reached at 6-month follow-up. The surgery effectively improves HRQOL, as the reduced pain and anxiety lead to better physical and mental HRQOL.

Potential Roles of Teamwork and Unmet Needs on Surgical Learning Curves of Spinal Robotic Screw Placement.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the learning curve of robotic spine surgery quantitatively with the well-described power law of practice. Methods: Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital set up a robotic spine surgery team by the neurosurgery department in 2013 and the orthopedic department joined the well-established team in 2014. A total of consecutive 150 cases received robotic assisted spinal surgery. The 150 cases, with 841 transpedicular screws were enrolled into 3 groups: the first 50 cases performed by neurosurgeons, the first 50 cases by orthopedic surgeons, and 50 cases by neurosurgeons after the orthopedic surgeons joined the team. The time per screw and accuracy by each group and individual surgeon were analyzed. Results: The time per screw for each group was 9.56 ± 4.19, 7.29 ± 3.64, and 8.74 ± 5.77 minutes, respectively, with p-value 0.0017. The accuracy was 99.6% (253/254), 99.5% (361/363), and 99.1% (222/224), respectively, with p-value 0.77. Though the first group took time significantly more on per screw placement but without significance on the nonlinear parallelism F-test. Analysis of 5 surgeons and their first 10 cases of short segment surgery showed the time per screw by each surgeon was 12.28 ± 5.21, 6.38 ± 1.54, 8.68 ± 3.10, 6.33 ± 1.90, and 6.73 ± 1.81 minutes. The first surgeon who initiated the robotic spine surgery took significantly more time per screw, and the nonlinear parallelism test also revealed only the first surgeon had a steeper learning curve. Conclusion: This is the first study to demonstrate that differences of learning curves between individual surgeons and teams. The roles of teamwork and the unmet needs due to lack of active perception are discussed.

A cross-sectional study of disability and quality of life in patients with low back pain: Focus on sex and gender.

BACKGROUND: Sex and gender affect responses to pain, but little is known about disability and quality of life. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of sex and gender on disability and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with low back pain. METHODS: Ninety-three patients with low back pain were included in this cross-sectional survey study. Disability, HRQOL and gender identity were respectively assessed with the Oswestry Disability Index, Short Form-36 and Bem Sex Role Inventory. The participants were classified into four gender role orientations (masculinity, femininity, androgyny and undifferentiated). One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze both the sex and the gender role orientation. RESULTS: Females had higher disability than males (p< 0.05), but in gender identity, no significant difference was found. Seven domains of HRQOL were lower than the healthy norms. Males experienced greater impacts than females on vitality and mental health (p< 0.05). For gender identity, five domains of HRQOL had significant differences (p< 0.05). Masculinity orientation had the least impact on four domains (p< 0.05), while undifferentiated orientation had the largest impact on all domains. CONCLUSION: Sex and gender effects can be used to analyze disability and HRQOL in patients with low back pain. Females have higher disability, while HRQOL is greatly influenced by different gender role orientations.

Intravenous Tranexamic Acid Reduces Blood Loss and Transfusion Volume in Scoliosis Surgery for Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Results of a 20-Year Retrospective Analysis.

Intravenous tranexamic acid (TXA) has been administered to reduce intraoperative blood loss in scoliosis surgery. However, the therapeutic effect of TXA on spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) scoliosis surgery is not well demonstrated. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the efficacy of intravenous TXA in SMA scoliosis surgery. From December 1993 to August 2020, 30 SMA patients who underwent scoliosis surgery (posterior fusion with fusion level of thoracic second or third to pelvis) were retrospectively enrolled and divided into the TXA group and non-TXA (control) group, with 15 patients in each group. Survey parameters were the amount of blood loss, blood transfusion, crystalloid transfusion volume, intubation time, and associated pulmonary complications (including pneumonia, pulmonary edema, and pulmonary atelectasis). The TXA group had significantly lesser blood loss than the control group (p = 0.011). Compared with the control group, the TXA group had significantly lower blood transfusion (p < 0.001), crystalloid volume (p = 0.041), and total transfusion volume (p = 0.005). In addition, the TXA group had fewer postoperative pulmonary complications, and patients with pulmonary complications were associated with a higher relative crystalloid volume and relative total transfusion volume (p = 0.003 and 0.022, respectively). In conclusion, TXA can be effective in reducing intraoperative blood loss and crystalloid fluid transfusions during scoliosis surgery in SMA patients, which may aid in reducing postoperative pulmonary complications.

Application of microRNA in Human Osteoporosis and Fragility Fracture: A Systemic Review of Literatures.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) could serve as ideal entry points to the deregulated pathways in osteoporosis due to their relatively simple upstream and downstream relationships with other molecules in the signaling cascades. Our study aimed to give a comprehensive review of the already identified miRNAs in osteoporosis from human blood samples and provide useful information for their clinical application. A systematic literature search for relevant studies was conducted in the Pubmed database from inception to December 2020. We set two essential inclusion criteria: human blood sampling and design of controlled studies. We sorted the results of analysis on human blood samples according to the study settings and compiled the most promising miRNAs with analyzed diagnostic values. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo evidence for the mechanisms of the identified miRNAs was also illustrated. Based on both diagnostic value and evidence of mechanism from in vitro and in vivo experiments, miR-23b-3p, miR-140-3p, miR-300, miR-155-5p, miR-208a-3p, and miR-637 were preferred candidates in diagnostic panels and as therapeutic agents. Further studies are needed to build sound foundations for the clinical usage of miRNAs in osteoporosis.

Predictors for Deformity Progression in a Spinal Muscular Atrophy Cohort After Scoliosis Correction Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN: This was a single-center, retrospective study. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the risk factors for deformity progression after scoliosis correction surgery in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Moderate residual postoperative scoliosis curve is common in SMA populations; however, the acceptable postoperative scoliosis curve for preventing deformity progression remains uncertain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine SMA patients undergoing scoliosis correction surgery were included. Scoliosis progression was defined as an increase of 10 degrees in the major curve of Cobb angle (MCCA); pelvic obliquity (PO) or concave-side hip progression was arbitrarily defined as an increase of ≥1 grade after surgery. Risk factors for deformity progression were examined using Cox proportional hazard models. The cumulative incidence rate of deformity progression was performed by the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis RESULTS:: The mean age at surgery was 13.3 years (range: 8-25 y) and the mean follow-up time was 7 years (range: 2-22.9 y). The mean MCCA was corrected from 69 to 34.6 degrees at initial follow-up and 42.2 degrees at the final follow-up. Postoperative MCCA (P=0.002) and PO (P=0.004) at initial follow-up were the risk factors for scoliosis progression. Postoperative MCCA at initial follow-up (P=0.007) and age at the time of surgery (P=0.017) were the risk factors for PO progression. Different cutoff points of postoperative MCCA at initial follow-up were compared for predicting deformity progression. We found the patient with postoperative MCCA of <30 degrees at initial follow-up had a significantly less cumulative incidence rate of progression than their counterparts for scoliosis (P=0.005), PO (P=0.023), and concave-side hip progressions (P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: We recommended that MCCA should be corrected to <30 degrees to prevent postoperative scoliosis, PO, and concave-side femoral head coverage percentage progressions. Patients receiving surgery earlier had less postoperative MCCA at initial follow-up but with no increase in the risk of postoperative scoliosis progression.

Impact of orthogeriatric care, comorbidity, and complication on 1-year mortality in surgical hip fracture patients: An observational study.

After acute hip surgery, the 1-year mortality rate is high. Therefore, this study evaluated the risk factors for 1-year mortality. The purposes of this study was first to examine the effect of integrated care on 1-year mortality in surgical patients and secondly to explore magnitude of comorbidity and complication on mortality.This retrospective cohort study included 313 patients received surgery for hip fragility fracture. Patients with multiple fractures or combined trauma were excluded. The patients were grouping into integrated (n = 106) and non-integrated care group (n = 207) models. Univariate and multiple Cox regression were used to examine effect of care model, comorbidity, and complication event.One-year mortality in integrated and non-integrated patients was 4.7% and 14.0% respectively. After adjustments, patients in non-integrated care, have 2.89 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-7.81) likely to die 1-year after discharged.Patients had elevated comorbidity or postoperative complications contributed to the mortality. Our study found the effect of patients treated by integrated care models, compared with usual model, significantly reduced 1-year mortality rate. Appropriated treatment of comorbidities during hospitalization and after discharge is critical to post-surgical survival. The findings imply that the co-care for hip fracture of hip surgical patients with orthogeriatricians is strongly recommended, particularly for those with >3 comorbidities.

Factors affecting the health-related quality of life of caregivers of patients with muscular dystrophy.

Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of progressive muscle weakness diseases. The caregiver burden, increasing as the disease progresses, can be associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The aims of this study were to investigate the HRQOL in caregivers of patients with MD and identify the factors associated with HRQOL. A cross-sectional assessment of caregiver HRQOL was performed with the Short Form-36 and compared with norms. The factors affecting HRQOL were investigated by patient and caregiver characteristics. The Muscular Dystrophy Functional Rating Scale was used to assess the functional status (mobility, basic activities of daily living, arm function, and impairment) of patients. The demographic data and social interaction activities of caregivers were assessed. Caregivers (n = 62) had poor HRQOL. Caregiver HRQOL was associated with the patient's functional status, especially in the domains of Vitality and Mental Health. Numerous visits by neighbors and close friends of the caregiver family indicated better HRQOL (in the body pain, general health, vitality, role emotion and mental health domains). Caregiver HRQOL was associated with caregiver education level, while patient age, caregiver age, length of caregiving, and family income were not. These findings demonstrate that caregivers have poor HRQOL, and the mental domain of quality of life is associated with the patient's functional status, social interaction, and caregiver education level. We suggest that rehabilitation programs focus on caregiver HRQOL, promote the patient's functional status with assistive technology, enhance professional caring techniques, and encourage participation in social groups to improve caregiver HRQOL.

Development and Validation of Taiwanese Version of the Neck Disability Index.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-cultural adaptation and cross-sectional psychometric testing in a convenience sample of patients with neck pain. OBJECTIVE: To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Neck Disability Index (NDI) into a Taiwanese version and to assess the psychometric properties. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The Taiwanese NDI has not been developed or validated. METHODS: The NDI was first translated and culturally adapted to the Taiwanese version. The test-retest reliability within 1 week was examined (n = 32). The factor structure was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (n = 137). The construct validity was assessed by examining the relationship between the NDI and other well-known measures (n = 137). RESULTS: The Taiwanese version was successfully translated and cross-culturally adapted. The internal consistency was excellent, with Cronbach α = 0.89. High test-retest reliability was demonstrated with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.87. The minimal detectable change was 8.74. The two-factor model (pain and function factors) was better than the one-factor model, with higher factor loadings and better goodness-of-fit statistics. The convergent validity was supported by moderate correlation of the pain factor with the Visual Analogue Scale (|rho| = 0.45), and high correlation of the function factor with the physical component summary of the Short-From 36 (SF-36) (|rho| = 0.60). CONCLUSION: The Taiwanese NDI is a reliable and valid disease-specific measure for assessment of pain and functional status in patients with neck pain. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

The psychometric properties of the cervical nonorganic signs in patients with neck pain: an assessment of pain expression.

PURPOSE: Neck pain is a common cause of disability. This study investigated the psychometric properties of the cervical nonorganic signs (CNOS), a tool for assessing abnormal illness behaviors in patients with neck pain. METHODS: The CNOS was administered on patients with neck pain. Reliability and validity analyses were used to evaluate the psychometric properties. Exploratory factor analysis was used to investigate the dimensionality. Correlations with the Short Form-36 were used to investigate the convergent validity. RESULTS: The results supported the reliability (inter-rater reliability intra-class correlation: 0.920), validity (correlated with body pain (|ρ|=0.31) and vitality (|ρ| =0.30), and two-factor dimensionality (χ2= 5.904, p= 0.66; χ2/df = 0.738; RMSEA< 0.001; CFI = 1.000; TLI = 1.024; SRMR = 0.047) of the scale. The two factors were pain (severe pain) and vitality (poor vitality) expressed by the patients. CONCLUSION: The CNOS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing pain and vitality problems. It helps patients to express severe pain and lack of vitality. The rehabilitation discipline could use the scale to understand pain expression and to design proper rehabilitation programs. Implications for Rehabilitation The cervical nonorganic signs has two domains (pain and vitality). The scale is reliable and valid for patients with neck pain. Patients with high scores on the pain domain have severe body pain that may interfere with normal social activities. Clinicians should understand their suffering and try to help them to alleviate the pain.

The effect of scoliosis surgery on pulmonary function in spinal muscular atrophy type II patients.

PURPOSE: Various results of the previous literature related to surgical effect on pulmonary function of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients might be due to different SMA type, different fusion level and technique. The aim of this study was to determine the value of scoliosis surgery for SMA type II patients with regard to pulmonary function, under the same fusion level, fusion technique and average long-term follow-up. METHODS: Ten SMA II patients who underwent spinal correction procedures from 1993 to 2010 were identified. Data on clinical features and pulmonary function, including forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1st second (FEV1), were collected. The data on pulmonary function were divided into preoperative, postoperative short-term (0-5 years), mid-term (5-10 years), and long-term (>10 years). Statistical comparisons were made using the Wilcoxon test for pulmonary function and body weight analysis. Questions were answered by parents on how surgery influenced the frequency of respiratory infection and the ability to sit at school. RESULTS: The average length of postoperative pulmonary function follow-up was 12.3 years (range 4.9-15.9 years). There was no significant difference in FVC or FEV1 between preoperative and each postoperative period. However, a significant decline from mid-term to long-term was observed (p = 0.028). Body weight increased significantly in all postoperative periods and was moderately correlated to pulmonary function (r = 0.526 for FVC). The answers to the questionnaire revealed that 80% of the patients had obvious improvement in the frequency of respiratory infection and 100% were tolerable sitting at school. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical correction for scoliosis in SMA II patients results in pulmonary function being maintained during long-term follow-up. In addition, the advantages of surgery also include body weight gain, better sitting tolerance, and reduced frequency of respiratory infection.

Quality of life of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: from adolescence to young men.

PURPOSE: This study investigated quality of life (QOL) in adolescent and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). METHODS: Health-related QOL and global QOL were assessed with the Short Form 36 (SF-36) and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Associations between functional status and QOL were assessed. RESULTS: All domains of the SF-36 were below Taiwan norms (effect size: -14.2 to -0.5), especially Physical Function, Role Physical, and Social Function. Three of the four domains of the WHOQOL-BREF were below Taiwan norms (effect size: -2.0 to -0.7). The Physical Function of the SF-36 was moderately correlated with functional status (mobility, basic activities of daily living, and arm function). The Social Function of the SF-36 and Social Relationships of the WHOQOL-BREF were also moderately correlated with functional status (impairment, basic activities of daily living, and arm function). CONCLUSION: The adolescent and young men with DMD had poor health-related and global QOL. Poor QOL was related to both physical condition and social health. We suggest that rehabilitation programs focus on using assistive devices to facilitate arm function and encouraging participation in social activities to improve the QOL of patients with DMD. Implications for rehabilitation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive muscle weakness disease that not only impacts physical health but also leads to poor quality of life in many domains. A valuable rehabilitation goal for patients with DMD is to encourage participation in social activities. Medical care and educational programs should plan a formal transition processes for patients with DMD from pediatric to adult care to maximum their quality of life. Arm function is associated with many domains of global quality of life, so a key element in improving quality of life may be to improve arm function.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire.

PURPOSE: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common hand problems and a major cause of work disability. The purpose of this study was to use confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess the factor structure of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) in patients with CTS. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-three patients with CTS were recruited from two hospitals. Each patient completed the functional status scale and the symptom severity scale of the BCTQ. CFA was used to assess the model fit between the data and pre-established theoretical measurement models. RESULTS: CFA showed that all three-factor models were better than the original two-factor model. Among the three-factor models, the simplified model, with 11 items assessing daytime pain, nocturnal numbness/tingling, and hand function was the best, for the model fit the data better than did the other models. Specifically, the Comparative Indices were larger than 0.95 (Tucker-Lewis Index and Comparative Fit Index values), and the Absolute Fit Indices and information-theoretic measures were the smallest. Moreover, all factor loadings were significant and high in magnitude (ranging from 0.66 to 0.99), the composite reliabilities exceeded 0.60 (ranging from 0.78 to 0.94), and the average variance extracted exceeded 0.50 (ranging from 0.61 to 0.89). CONCLUSION: The simplified model showed the highest reliability and validity, and the factor structure was the simplest/clearest one. The simplified model is recommended for clinical use due to its convenience and precision for assessing the problems of patients with CTS.

Validation of the Chinese version of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire.

PURPOSE: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common diagnosis occurring in the workplace when people experience hand or wrist symptoms and difficulty performing activities. This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) used to evaluate patients with CTS. METHODS: A convenience sample of patients with CTS was recruited from two hospitals. The Symptom Severity Scale (SSS) and Functional Status Scale (FSS) of the BCTQ were used to assess symptoms and functional status. Test-retest reliability within 1 week was evaluated (n = 51). Construct validity was assessed by examining the relationship between the BCTQ and other well known measures (n = 99). Responsiveness of the scale was examined pre- and post-operatively for patients undergoing carpal tunnel surgery (n = 23). RESULTS: High reliability was demonstrated through intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.81 and 0.83 for SSS and FSS, respectively. The minimal detectable change was 0.86 and 0.75 for SSS and FSS, respectively. Convergent validity was supported by high correlation of both scales with Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (|rho| = 0.63, 0.75 for SSS and FSS), and moderate to high correlation with the subscales of the Short-Form 36 for SSS(|rho| = 0.72 for Body Pain) and FSS (|rho| = 0.48 for Physical Function). Responsiveness was confirmed by moderate to high standardized response means for SSS (1.03) and FSS (0.62). CONCLUSION: The Chinese BCTQ is a reliable, valid and responsive disease-specific measure for assessment of symptoms and functional status in patients with CTS.

Measurement precision of the disability for back pain scale-by applying Rasch analysis.

BACKGROUND: The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is widely used for patients with back pain. However, few studies have examined its psychometric properties using modern measurement theory. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the ODI in patients with back pain using Rasch analysis. METHODS: A total of 408 patients with back pain participated in this cross-sectional study. Patients were recruited from the orthopedic, neurosurgery, rehabilitation departments and pain clinic of two hospitals. Rasch analysis was used to examine the Chinese version of ODI 2.1 for unidimensionality, item difficulty, category function, differential item functioning, and test information. RESULTS: The fit statistics showed 10 items of the ODI fitted the model's expectation as a unidimensional scale. The ODI measured the different levels of functional limitation without skewing toward the lower or higher levels of disability. No significant ceiling and floor effects and gaps among the items were found. The reliability was high and the test information curve demonstrated precise dysfunction estimation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the ODI is a unidimensional questionnaire with high reliability. The ODI can precisely estimate the level of dysfunction, and the item difficulty of the ODI matches the person ability. For clinical application, using logits scores could precisely represent the disability level, and using the item difficulty could help clinicians design progressive programs for patients with back pain.

The relative and absolute reliability of leg muscle strength testing by a handheld dynamometer.

To examine the relative and absolute interrater reliability of handheld dynamometers (HHD) for assessing the lower extremity muscle strength, maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) of 16 young adults for bilateral hip and knee muscles were tested using the break method. Three MVCs of each muscle group were required for obtaining the muscle strength. Participants' muscle strengths were tested by 2 raters. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and the smallest real differences (SRD) were used to examine the relative and absolute reliabilities, and the Bland-Altman analyses were used to check whether systematic bias exists. The results showed that the relative reliabilities of all muscle groups were excellent (ICCs = 0.83-0.92) except for the knee extensors (ICC = 0.60). The SRD represents the smallest difference that indicates a real change for a single subject. The SRD% of all muscle groups was acceptable (ranging from 8.4 to 22.8 %), with the hip extensors being the smallest and knee extensors being the largest. The reliability of the knee extensors was unsatisfactory because of poor relative and absolute reliabilities and systematic bias. In addition to assessing the relative reliability in strength measurement, the absolute reliability provides the data of the measurement error, which is useful information in clinical practice to know whether the change in strength of a subject is real. Hand-held dynamometer is a reliable tool for quantifying most of the hip and knee strength except for the knee extensors. Modifying the measuring technique for knee extension is needed in future studies to improve the reliability.

Correlations between quality of life and psychological factors in patients with chronic neck pain.

The purpose of this study was to investigate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and associated factors in patients with chronic neck pain (CNP). The HRQOL of patients with CNP was assessed by the Short Form-36 questionnaire in this cross-sectional study. To evaluate the psychological factors related to HRQOL, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Chinese Health Questionnaire, and Beck Anxiety Inventory were used. The scores for the eight subscales of Short Form-36 were all lower than the Taiwanese age-matched normative values (p < 0.001). The two most strongly affected subscales were the role-physical subscale and the bodily pain subscale; both scores were below half the score of the age-/sex-matched normative values. The physical components summary score, a summary measure, was moderately correlated with age (rho = -0.43), education level (rho = 0.37) and Beck Anxiety Inventory score (rho = -0.36). The mental components summary score was moderately to highly correlated with the Chinese Health Questionnaire score (rho = -0.72), the neuroticism domain of Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (rho = -0.52) and Beck Anxiety Inventory score (rho = -0.41). The HRQOL of patients with CNP was worse than that of normal subjects across all domains. Furthermore, patients with a neurotic personality, minor psychiatric morbidity and higher anxiety status showed poor mental health, as measured by the Short Form-36. We found that patients with CNP had multiple physical and mental health problems in terms of. The mental health of patients with CNP was strongly associated with various psychological factors. Comprehensive assessment of the physical and mental functioning of patients with CNP can improve the management and care of these patients.