Measurement invariance between online and paper-and-pencil formats of the Launay-Slade Hallucinations scale-extended (LSHS-E) in the Chilean population: Invariance between LSHS-E formats.

Research on the multidimensionality of hallucination-like experiences (HLEs) can contribute to the study of psychotic risk. The Launay-Slade Hallucinations Scale-Extended (LSHS-E) is one of the most widely used tools for research in HLEs, but the correspondence of its paper and online formats has not been established yet. Therefore, we studied the factorial structure and measurement invariance between online and paper-and-pencil versions of LSHS-E in a Chilean population. Two thousand eighty-six completed the online version, and 578 students completed the original paper-and-pencil version. After matching by sex, age, civil status, alcohol and cannabis consumption, and psychiatric treatment received, we selected 543 students from each group. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of a four-factor model and a hierarchical model that included a general predisposition to hallucination, explaining the strong relationship between the different types of hallucinations. Both models showed a good fit to the data and were invariant between paper-and-pencil and online versions. Also, the LSHS-E has good reliability in both online and paper-and-pencil formats. This study shows that the online LSHS-E possesses psychometric properties equivalent to the paper-and-pencil version. It should be considered a valuable tool for research of psychosis determinants in the COVID-19 era. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02497-7.

Retrospective analysis of patients with locally advanced or metastatic gastric cancer in Argentina.

AIM: To assess patient and disease characteristics, treatment patterns and associated costs in patients with locally advanced or metastatic gastric cancer in Argentina, in the public and private sectors. METHODS: A historic cohort of patients who had received first-line chemotherapy treatment (platinum analog and/or a fluoropyrimidine) and were followed-up for at least three months after the last administration of a first-line cytotoxic agent were eligible. Case-report forms were prepared based on medical records from four Argentinian hospitals. Estimates of treatment costs were also calculated using the unit costs of the participating hospitals. RESULTS: Of 101 patients, more than three quarters (79.2%) were male, 41.6% were diagnosed with metastatic stage IV disease (mean age, 57.7years), and 27.7 % had a smoking history. Before locally advanced or metastatic gastric cancer diagnosis, 42.4% of the patients had received total gastrectomy. Ninety-seven percent of the patients received a doublet or triplet therapy, of which epirubicin in combination with oxaliplatin and capecitabine was the most common treatment (38%), followed by capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (29%). Around 36% of the patients responded to first-line treatment (complete and partial response). Out of the 76.2% of the patients who followed a second-line treatment, 37.7% were still administered a platinum analog and/or fluoropyrimidine. During the reported follow-up period, 50% of the patients progressed, and 32.8% had stable disease. The best supportive care consisted mostly of outpatient visits after last-line therapy (16.8%), palliative radiotherapy (16.8%), and surgery (30.7%). We observed significant differences between public and private hospital costs. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding treatment patterns in patients with locally advanced or metastatic gastric cancer may help address unmet medical needs for better patient management and improvement of their clinical outcome in Argentina.

OBJETIVO: Describir las características clínicas, los patrones de tratamiento y los costos asociados en pacientes con cáncer gástrico localmente avanzado o metastásico en Argentina, en los sectores público y privado. MÉTODOS: Una cohorte histórica de pacientes que recibieron tratamiento de quimioterapia de primera línea (análogo de platino y/o una fluoropirimidina) y fueron seguidos durante al menos tres meses después de la última administración de un agente citotóxico de primera línea fueron elegibles. Se extrajeron los datos a través de un cuestionario estructurado a partir de los registros médicos de cuatro hospitales argentinos. Las estimaciones de los costos de tratamiento también se calcularon utilizando los costos unitarios de los hospitales participantes. RESULTADOS: Entre los 101 pacientes, más de tres cuartas partes (79,2%) eran hombres, 41,6% fueron diagnosticados con enfermedad metastásica en estadio IV, la edad media fue de 57,7 años y el 27,7% tenían antecedentes de tabaquismo. Antes del diagnóstico de cáncer gástrico metastásico, el 42,4% de los pacientes habían recibido gastrectomía total. El 97% de los pacientes recibió una terapia doble o triplete, de los cuales el tratamiento más frecuente fue la epirubicina en combinación con oxaliplatino y capecitabina (38%), seguida de capecitabina + oxaliplatino (29%). Alrededor del 36% de los pacientes respondieron al tratamiento de primera línea (respuesta completa y parcial). Del 76,2% de los pacientes que siguieron un tratamiento de segunda línea, al 37,7% todavía se les administró un análogo de platino y/o fluoropirimidina. Durante el período de seguimiento, el 50% de los pacientes progresó y el 32,8% tenía enfermedad estable. La terapia de apoyo consistió principalmente en visitas ambulatorias después de la última línea de quimioterapia (16,8%), radioterapia paliativa (16,8%) y cirugía (30,7%). Se observaron diferencias significativas entre los costos de los hospitales públicos y privado. CONCLUSIONES: Comprender los patrones de tratamiento en pacientes con cáncer gástrico localmente avanzado o metastásico puede ayudar a abordar las necesidades médicas no satisfechas para un mejor manejo del paciente y la mejora de sus resultados clínicos en Argentina.

Retrospective analysis of patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer in Colombia.

Aims: To assess patient and disease characteristics, treatment patterns, and associated costs in patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer (A/MGC) in Colombia, in both the public and private hospitals. Materials and methods: A total of 145 patients who had received first-line chemotherapy treatment (platinum analog and/or a fluoropyrimidine) and were followed for at least 3 months after the last administration of a first-line cytotoxic agent were eligible for inclusion. Case-report forms were elaborated based on the patients' medical records from three Colombian hospitals. Estimates of treatment costs were calculated using unit costs from the participating hospitals. Results: Of the 145 patients, more than half (64.83%) were male, 79.56% were diagnosed with metastatic stage IV disease (mean age = 58.14 years). Prior to MGC diagnosis, 31.71% of the patients being operated on received a total gastrectomy; 66.9% of the patients received a doublet therapy, of which 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in combination with cisplatin was the standard treatment (14%), followed by combination with leucovorin (12%). Only around 10% of the patients responded to first-line treatment. Out of 41.38% of the patients who received a second-line treatment, 71.67% were still administered a platinum analog and/or fluoropyrimidine. During the follow-up period, 52% of the patients progressed and 20% achieved stable disease. Best supportive care mostly consisted of outpatient visits after last line-therapy (72.41%), palliative radiotherapy (18.6%), and surgery (37.2%). Limitations and conclusions: Gastric cancer is one of the main causes of cancer-related death in Colombia, as most of the patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, when prognosis is poor. Treatment patterns are highly heterogeneous. Second-line treatments were mostly initiated with paclitaxel, capecitabine, irinotecan, or cisplatin.

A Cross-National Investigation of Hallucination-Like Experiences in 10 Countries: The E-CLECTIC Study.

Hallucination-like experiences (HLEs) are typically defined as sensory perceptions in the absence of external stimuli. Multidimensional tools, able to assess different facets of HLEs, are helpful for a better characterization of hallucination proneness and to investigate the cross-national variation in the frequencies of HLEs. The current study set out to establish the validity, factor structure, and measurement invariance of the Launay-Slade Hallucinations Scale-Extended (LSHS-E), a tool to assess HLEs. A total of 4419 respondents from 10 countries were enrolled. Network analyses between the LSHS-E and the 3 dimensions of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) were performed to assess convergent and divergent validity of the LSHS-E. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test its measurement invariance. The best fit was a 4-factor model, which proved invariant by country and clinical status, indicating cross-national stability of the hallucination-proneness construct. Among the different components of hallucination-proneness, auditory-visual HLEs had the strongest association with the positive dimension of the CAPE, compared with the depression and negative dimensions. Participants who reported a diagnosis of a mental disorder scored higher on the 4 LSHS-E factors. Small effect size differences by country were found in the scores of the 4 LSHS-E factors even after taking into account the role of socio-demographic and clinical variables. Due to its good psychometric properties, the LSHS-E is a strong candidate tool for large investigations of HLEs.