Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of psychometric properties of foot function index in Urdu-speaking population with ankle and foot disorders.

BACKGROUND: Foot and ankle problems are frequently prevalent, especially among the elderly, ranging from 70 to 80%. In primary care, foot, and ankle complaints stand out as one of the most frequent reasons for orthopedic consultations. Patient-reported outcome measures are significant in the assessment burden of any condition on the effects of intervention as well as research. The Foot Function Index (FFI) is a region-specific tool that was identified as one of the most commonly used evaluation tools for foot complaints. This study aimed to translate, cross-cultural adapt, and test the psychometric properties of FFI in the Urdu language. METHODOLOGY: The FFI was translated into Urdu language (FFI-U) following Beaton et al. translation guidelines. The data were collected from 230 Urdu-speaking participants with different foot and ankle pathologies. Data collection started after the written informed consent from the participants. All participants completed the FFI-U, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), SF-36, and the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) at baseline while only 30 participants completed ULFI-U after one week for test-retest reliability. The psychometric properties involved reliability and validity testing. Reliability was assessed where internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability through the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). FFI-U was tested for face validity and construct validity (convergent and discriminant). Psychometric criteria were examined against priori hypotheses, and alpha level (p-value < 0.05) was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: FFI-U demonstrated good reliability with internal consistency (α = 0.86) and test-retest reliability with intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.845 (0.78-0.89). A moderate correlation was found using Pearson correlation between FFI-U total score and physical components of SF-36, VAS (pain, disability), and FAOS (γ= -0.65, 0.72, 0.71, -0.68) respectively, indicating convergent validity however, a weak correlation was found with mental components of SF-36 (γ=-0.25) demonstrating discriminant validity. Face validity was assessed at the pre-final testing stage by interviewing patients. There were no floor and ceiling effects found for FFI-U. CONCLUSION: The FFI-U has been found reliable, valid, and feasible tool to be used as a patient-reported outcome measure to assess functional levels with different foot and ankle disorders in Urdu speaking population.

Biosafety and toxicity assessment of transgenic cotton-harboring insecticide and herbicide tolerant genes on albino mice.

Introduction: Genetic engineering has revolutionized agriculture by transforming biotic and abiotic stress-resistance genes in plants. The biosafety of GM crops is a major concern for consumers and regulatory authorities. Methodology: A 14-week biosafety and toxicity analysis of transgenic cotton, containing 5 transgenes ((Cry1Ac, Cry2A, CP4 EPSPS, VIP3Aa, and ASAL)), was conducted on albino mice. Thirty mice were divided into three groups (Conventional, Non-transgenic, without Bt, and transgenic, containing targeted crop) according to the feed given, with 10 mice in each group, with 5 male and 5 female mice in each group. Results: During the study, no biologically significant changes were observed in the non-transgenic and transgenic groups compared to the control group in any of the study's parameters i.e. increase in weight of mice, physiological, pathological, and molecular analysis, irrespective of the gender of the mice. However, a statistically significant change was observed in the hematological parameters of the male mice, while no such change was observed in the female study group mice. The expression analysis, however, of the TNF gene increases many folds in the transgenic group as compared to the non-transgenic and conventional groups. Conclusion: Overall, no physiological, pathological, or molecular toxicity was observed in the mice fed with transgenic feed. Therefore, it can be speculated that the targeted transgenic crop is biologically safe. However, more study is required to confirm the biosafety of the product on the animal by expression profiling.