Psychometric evaluation and community norms of the PHQ-9, based on a representative German sample.

Background: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is a popular tool for assessing depressive symptoms in both general and clinical populations. The present study used a large representative sample of the German adult population to confirm desired psychometric functioning and to provide updated population norms.

Methods: The following psychometric properties were assessed: (i) Item characteristics (item means, standard deviations and inter-item correlations), (ii) Construct validity (correlations of the PHQ-9 sum-score with scores obtained from instruments assessing depression, anxiety and somatization (GAD-7, BSI-18), (iii) Internal consistency (coefficient omega), (iv) Factorial validity (via confirmatory factor analysis of the assumed one factorial model) as well as (v) Measurement invariance (via multi-group confirmatory factor analyses across gender, age, income and education).

Practice transformation starts in the classroom: Mapping practice change learning in a PharmD program.

Objective: As the profession of pharmacy continues to evolve, it is important to integrate pharmacy practice change learning into the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum. The objective of this project was to evaluate how pharmacy practice change was being taught within a PharmD curriculum and to identify strategies for improvement.

Methods: The College of Pharmacy's PharmD Curricular Leadership Committee (PDCLC) developed a definition for practice change learning and assembled a team of faculty experts to map practice change to the PharmD curriculum.

Intraoperative Acoustic Monitoring Using Threshold and Suprathreshold Pure Tone Audiometry during Cochlear Implantation Under Local Anesthesia: A Simple and Novel Method to Potentially Enhance Hearing Preservation Cochlear Implant Surgery.

Objective: To report the feasibility and potential utility of monitoring acoustic hearing on awake patients using intraoperative behavioral responses to threshold and suprathreshold stimuli while undergoing cochlear implantation (CI) under local anesthesia, without any form of sedation.

Study Design: Retrospective review of the first five cases performed by one surgeon.

Setting: Tertiary care academic medical center.

Evaluation of a Student Pharmacist-Driven Fall-Prevention Program for Older People.

There is limited research on the impact of fall prevention education for older community-living people led by student pharmacists, which includes a medication review to identify Fall Risk-Increasing Drugs (FRIDs). Study objectives were to first assess the knowledge and behavioral intentions of older people after attending a student pharmacist-led fall-prevention program (FPP) and secondly to quantify the number of FRIDs identified during a medication review. Between October 2022 and April 2023, four independent-living facilities and two senior centers served as programming locations.

Replicability of simulation studies for the investigation of statistical methods: the RepliSims project.

Results of simulation studies evaluating the performance of statistical methods can have a major impact on the way empirical research is implemented. However, so far there is limited evidence of the replicability of simulation studies. Eight highly cited statistical simulation studies were selected, and their replicability was assessed by teams of replicators with formal training in quantitative methodology.

Adjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel with "sandwich" method radiotherapy for stage III or IV endometrial cancer: long-term follow-up at a single-institution.

Objective: To evaluate disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) associated with adjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy interposed with radiation for advanced endometrial cancer.

Methods: This is a cohort study of adult women with stage III or IV endometrial cancer treated at a single institution, between April 2002 and October 2017. Tumor and treatment characteristics were recorded.

Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Breast Cancer: Ascent to Destiny and Beyond-A 2023 Review.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are revolutionizing cancer treatment, adding another important new class of systemic therapy. ADCs are a specially designed class of therapeutics that target cells expressing specific cancer antigens using directed antibody-drug delivery and release a cytotoxic chemotherapeutic payload. Over the past two decades, improvements in ADC design, development, and research, particularly in breast cancer, have led to several recent landmark publications.

Effect of Extraction Time on the Yield, Chemical Composition, and Antibacterial Activity of Hop Essential Oil Against Lactic Acid Bacteria (Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus casei) Beer Spoilage.

Hop essential oil (EO) generates interest for its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, in addition to the volatile compounds that are responsible for the hop aroma in beer. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition, EO yield, and antibacterial activity of hop essential oil from hops of the Chinook variety against lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus casei) at different times of extraction. EO extraction was performed by hydrodistillation at different times.

Comparison of likelihood penalization and variance decomposition approaches for clinical prediction models: A simulation study.

Logistic regression is one of the most commonly used approaches to develop clinical risk prediction models. Developers of such models often rely on approaches that aim to minimize the risk of overfitting and improve predictive performance of the logistic model, such as through likelihood penalization and variance decomposition techniques. We present an extensive simulation study that compares the out-of-sample predictive performance of risk prediction models derived using the elastic net, with Lasso and ridge as special cases, and variance decomposition techniques, namely, incomplete principal component regression and incomplete partial least squares regression.

Imaging modalities for measuring body composition in patients with cancer: opportunities and challenges.

Body composition assessment (ie, the measurement of muscle and adiposity) impacts several cancer-related outcomes including treatment-related toxicities, treatment responses, complications, and prognosis. Traditional modalities for body composition measurement include body mass index, body circumference, skinfold thickness, and bioelectrical impedance analysis; advanced imaging modalities include dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography. Each modality has its advantages and disadvantages, thus requiring an individualized approach in identifying the most appropriate measure for specific clinical or research situations.

Body composition and endometrial cancer outcomes.

Background: Obesity is a known risk factor for developing endometrial cancer. However, the association of obesity with endometrial cancer (EC) outcomes has not been clearly established. This study examined how outcomes in women with early stage EC vary with body composition measured via computed tomography (CT).

Extraction of hops pelletized (Humulus lupulus) with subcritical CO and hydrodistillation: Chemical composition identification, kinetic model, and evaluation of antioxidant and antimicrobial activity.

Hop essential oil and hop extract using carbon dioxide (CO) are products with high added value because they have bioactive and sensory properties. In this context, the objective of this study was to obtain and characterize essential oil and extracts from pelleted hops of El Dorado, Polaris, Hallertau Blanc and Callista varieties using hydrodistillation and subcritical CO extraction methods. Extraction yield ranged from 0.

The Effect of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Domestic Violence in Germany: A Comparison of Three Representative Population Surveys.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound societal and economic effects. Concerns were raised that domestic violence might increase because of the enacted infection control measures. Previous findings on this issue have been contradictory.

It's time! Ten reasons to start replicating simulation studies.

The quantitative analysis of research data is a core element of empirical research. The performance of statistical methods that are used for analyzing empirical data can be evaluated and compared using computer simulations. A single simulation study can influence the analyses of thousands of empirical studies to follow.

The Futility of Futility Analyses in Adjuvant Trials in Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer.

An interim analysis is commonly used in phase III superiority trials to compare treatment arms, with the goal of terminating exposure of patients to ineffective or unsafe drugs or to identify highly effective therapies for earlier public disclosure. Traditionally, interim analyses have been designed to identify early evidence of extremely large benefit of the experimental approach, potentially leading to early dissemination of effective treatments. Increasingly, interim analysis has also involved analysis of futility, which may lead to early termination of a trial that will not yield additional useful information.

Association of Obesity With Breast Cancer Outcome in Relation to Cancer Subtypes: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Obesity at breast cancer (BC) diagnosis has been associated with poor outcome, although the magnitude of effect in different BC subtypes is uncertain. We report on the association of obesity or overweight at diagnosis of nonmetastatic BC with disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in the following defined subtypes: hormone receptor positive/HER2 negative (HR+HER2-), HER2 positive (HER2+), and triple negative (TNBC).

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and COCHRANE databases up to January 1, 2019.

The Effect of Metformin vs Placebo on Sex Hormones in Canadian Cancer Trials Group MA.32.

Background: Metformin has been associated with lower breast cancer (BC) risk and improved outcomes in observational studies. Multiple biologic mechanisms have been proposed, including a recent report of altered sex hormones. We evaluated the effect of metformin on sex hormones in MA.

Prognostic associations of plasma hepcidin in women with early breast cancer.

Purpose: Iron is essential to energy metabolism, cell proliferation and DNA synthesis, and sufficient iron availability may be required for tumor growth. The hormone hepcidin is a systemic regulator of iron concentration in plasma. Intra-tumor RNA expression of hepcidin has been linked to shorter metastasis-free survival in women with early breast cancer, but the prognostic implications of this inflammatory marker and iron-regulating plasma peptide in the blood are unknown.

Evaluation of the Universal Prevention Program Klasse2000 in Fourth Grade Primary School Children: Protocol for a Propensity Score-Matching Approach.

Background: Klasse2000 is the most widely adopted school-based prevention program in Germany. It addresses health promotion, addiction, and violence prevention in primary schools. As a universal prevention program, it has reached more than 1.