Validation of the Italian Version of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory, the Situational Vertigo Questionnaire, and the Activity-Specific Balance Confidence Scale for Peripheral and Central Vestibular Symptoms.

Neurophysiological measurements of the vestibular function for diagnosis and follow-up evaluations provide an objective assessment, which, unfortunately, does not necessarily correlate with the patients' self-feeling. The literature provides many questionnaires to assess the outcome of rehabilitation programs for disequilibrium, but only for the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) is an Italian translation available, validated on a small group of patients suffering from a peripheral acute vertigo. We translated and validated the reliability and validity of the DHI, the Situational Vertigo Questionnaire (SVQ), and the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) in 316 Italian patients complaining of dizziness due either to a peripheral or to a central vestibular deficit, or in whom vestibular signs were undetectable by means of instrumental testing or clinical evaluation.

Patient-reported outcomes measure for children born preterm: validation of the SOLE VLBWI Questionnaire, a new quality of life self-assessment tool.

Aim: This study was conducted to develop and validate a new self-report questionnaire for measuring quality of life (QoL), at school age, in children with a very low birthweight (VLBW).

Method: Through a focus group approach, children were involved directly in defining the questionnaire items, which were presented as illustrations rather than written questions. This preliminary validation of the questionnaire was conducted in 152 participants with VLBW (aged 7-11y) randomly selected from the five participating Italian centres.

Validation of the Besta Neurological Institute rating scale for myasthenia gravis.

Introduction: We validated the scale for myasthenia gravis (MG) developed at the Neurological Institute Foundation of Milan (INCB-MG scale).

Methods: A total of 174 patients were evaluated with the INCB-MG and compared with the MG Composite (MGC) as the gold standard. Dimensionality, reliability, and validity of the INCB-MG scale were studied by principal component factor analysis, Cronbach alpha, and Pearson correlation coefficients; interobserver reliability was calculated by the weighted Cohen K coefficient.

A new self-report quality of life questionnaire for children with neuromuscular disorders: presentation of the instrument, rationale for its development, and some preliminary results.

Improvement of quality of life in neuromuscular disorders is a primary objective, both in management of affected children and in the context of therapeutic trials. Quality of life is a subjective concept and it is crucial to gather information directly from patients. We created the SOLE Questionnaire for NMDs, a new instrument designed to investigate quality of life in children with neuromuscular disorders, and tested it in a study population of 78 patients and in 81 healthy children aged 5 to 13 years.

Duloxetine is effective in treating depression in multiple sclerosis patients: an open-label multicenter study.

Objectives: Duloxetine hydrochloride, a dual reuptake inhibitor of serotonin and norepinephrine, was evaluated for its therapeutic efficacy, safety, and tolerability in the treatment of depression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Lifetime depression prevalence approaches 50% in MS patients. The aim of the study was to assess the safety and efficacy of duloxetine for treatment of depression in MS patients.

Cross-cultural validation of a short form of the Oral Health Impact Profile for temporomandibular disorders.

Objectives: We set out to develop and validate an Italian version of the Oral Health Impact Profile Questionnaire (OHIP) that is appropriate for use in temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

Methods: At first, we had the questionnaire translated from English into Italian by three bilingual individuals whose mother tongue was Italian and thus had three different versions of the questionnaire. These were translated back into English by a native English speaker and the version closest to the original English OHIP was selected.

Asthma-like symptoms assessment through ECRHS screening questionnaire scoring.

The definition of asthma has always been a matter of discussion. The European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) is a multinational survey designed to compare the prevalence of asthma in subjects aged 20 to 44 years throughout European countries. In each center a representative sample completed a self-administered screening questionnaire composed of nine dichotomous items.