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Italian Version (italian + version)

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Medical Sciences	75%

Selected Abstracts

Italian validation of INQoL, a quality of life questionnaire for adults with muscle diseases

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 9 2010
V. A. Sansone
Background and purpose:, A quality of life (QoL) questionnaire for neuromuscular diseases was recently constructed and validated in the United Kingdom in a sample of adult patients with a variety of muscle disorders. Preliminary results suggested it could be a more relevant and practical measure of QoL in muscle diseases than generic health measures of QoL. The purpose of our work was: (i) To validate INQoL in Italy on a larger sample of adult patients with muscle diseases (ii) to compare INQoL to SF-36. Methods:, We have translated into Italian and applied language adaptations to the original UK INQoL version. We studied 1092 patients with different muscle disorders and performed (i) test,retest reliability (n = 80); (ii) psychometric (n = 345), known-group (n = 1092), external criterion (n = 70), and concurrent validity with SF-36 (n = 183). Results:, We have translated and formally validated the Italian version of INQoL confirming and extending results obtained in the United Kingdom. In addition to good results in terms of reliability, known-group and criterion validity, a comparison with the SF-36 scales showed a stronger association between INQoL total index and SF-36 physical (r = ,0.72) than mental (r = ,0.38) summary health indexes. When considering comparable domains of INQoL and SF-36 with respect to an objective measure of muscle strength assessment (MMRC), regression analysis showed a stronger correlation using INQoL rather than SF-36 scores. Conclusions:, INQoL is recommended to assess QoL in muscle diseases because of its ability to capture physical limitations that are specifically relevant to the muscle condition. [source]

Functional and prognostic relevance of the ,173 polymorphism of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene in systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 5 2003
Fabrizio De Benedetti
Objective To address the functional and prognostic relevance of the ,173 single-nucleotide G-to-C polymorphism of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) gene in patients with systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (systemic-onset JIA) by evaluating its association with serum and synovial fluid levels of MIF, with glucocorticoid requirement, and with the outcome of the disease. Methods A total of 136 patients with systemic-onset JIA were studied, including 98 patients from the British Paediatric Rheumatology Study Group's National Repository for JIA and 38 patients who were followed up at the IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo (Pavia, Italy) and the IRCCS G. Gaslini (Genoa, Italy). The MIF-173 polymorphism was genotyped using SnaPshot ddNTP primer extension and capillary electrophoresis. MIF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The evaluation of the association of the MIF-173 polymorphism with outcome was performed only in Italian patients who were followed up for >5 years, by analyzing retrospectively 1) the number of joints with active arthritis and the number of joints with limited range of motion; 2) the score, at the last visit, on the Italian version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (C-HAQ); and 3) data concerning the treatment regimens during the disease course. Results Systemic-onset JIA patients carrying a MIF-173*C allele had serum and synovial fluid levels of MIF significantly higher than those in patients with the GG genotype. The duration of glucocorticoid treatment on a daily regimen was significantly longer in patients carrying a MIF-173*C allele than in MIF-173 GG homozygous patients. Moreover, the duration of clinical response to intraarticular injection of triamcinolone hexacetonide was significantly shorter in patients carrying a MIF-173*C allele. At the last visit, the numbers of joints with active arthritis, the C-HAQ scores, and the numbers of joints with limited range of motion were significantly higher in patients carrying the MIF-173*C allele. Conclusion Our study shows the functional relevance of the MIF-173 polymorphism and suggests that the MIF-173*C allele is a predictor of poor outcome in systemic-onset JIA. [source]

Validation of Serbian version of the disease-specific myasthenia gravis questionnaire

ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2010
I. Basta
Basta I, Pekmezovi, T, Padua L, Stojanovi, V, Stevi, Z, Nikoli, A, Peri, S, Lavrni, D. Validation of Serbian version of the disease-specific myasthenia gravis questionnaire. Acta Neurol Scand: 2010: 122: 110,114. © 2009 The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Munksgaard. Aim,,, The aim of this study was to validate translated and cross-cultural adapted Italian version of myasthenia gravis-specific questionnaire (MGQ) in Serbian MG patients. Materials and Methods,,, The questionnaire was validated in 140 consecutive MG patients from Belgrade. In each patient association between the total MGQ score and form and severity of the disease was determined. Also, correlation between regional domain scores of MGQ and main clinical findings according to Besinger's clinical score was analyzed. Results,,, Patients' participation in the assessment was satisfactory with excellent internal consistency and reproducibility. Total MGQ score, as well as domain scores, correlated with highly significant inverse relationship with the disease severity and clinical status of patients at the moment of completing the questionnaire. Furthermore, the bulbar domain of the questionnaire appeared more specific and sensitive than clinical history and examination. Conclusion,,, We concluded that the Serbian version of the MGQ may be useful as a measure of clinical outcome in patients with MG. [source]

Metacognitive beliefs and strategies predict worry, obsessive,compulsive symptoms and coping styles: A preliminary prospective study on an Italian non-clinical sample

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 4 2007
Claudio Sica
Eighty undergraduate students completed the Italian versions of the Metacognition Questionnaire and Thought Control Questionnaire along with well-established measures of worry, obsessive,compulsive symptoms and coping styles on two occasions four months apart. A series of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that, after controlling the initial level of both worry and obsessionality, negative beliefs about worry focused on uncontrollability and danger appeared consistently associated with worry and obsessive symptoms at a four-month distance. In addition, positive beliefs about worry predicted maladaptive coping styles whereas cognitive self-consciousness and thought strategies aimed at distraction appeared to foster or facilitate adaptive coping styles. Results, implications and limitations are discussed according to Well's metacognitive model of emotional disorders.,Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]