Comorbidity in an Older Population with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus: Identification of the Characteristics and Healthcare Utilization of High-Cost Patients.

Little is known about the specific comorbidities contributing to higher costs in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), particularly in older cases. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence, type, and cost of comorbidities occurring in older T2DM patients versus older non-T2DM patients, and the factors associated with high cost (HC) T2DM patients. Retrospective cohort study using information from the Campania Region healthcare database.

Rasch analysis of the living with chronic illness scale in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Neurologists play an essential role in facilitating the patient's process of living with Parkinson's disease (PD). The Living with Chronic Illness Scale-PD (LW-CI-PD) is a unique available clinical tool that evaluates how the patient is living with PD. The objective of the study was to analyse the LW-CI-PD properties according to the Rasch model.

Assessing the Pilot Implementation of the Integrated Multimorbidity Care Model in Five European Settings: Results from the Joint Action CHRODIS-PLUS.

Multimorbidity, the coexistence of several chronic conditions in a patient, represents a great challenge for healthcare systems and society. The Integrated Multimorbidity Care Model (IMCM) was recently designed within the Joint Action on chronic diseases and promoting healthy ageing across the life cycle (CHRODIS) to ensure the continuity of care for patients with multimorbidity. The IMCM was implemented in five European pilot sites in Spain, Italy, and Lithuania, within the Joint Action CHRODIS-PLUS.

Use of Sham Interventions in Randomized Controlled Trials in Neurosurgery.

Background:  The use of sham interventions in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is essential to minimize bias. However, their use in surgical RCTs is rare and subject to ethical concerns. To date, no studies have looked at the use of sham interventions in RCTs in neurosurgery.

HAE-AS: A Specific Disease Activity Scale for Hereditary Angioedema With C1-Inhibitor Deficiency.

Background And Objective: The activity of hereditary angioedema due to C1-inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-HAE) varies between patients and within individual patients. Objective: This study aims to develop a disease activity scale for C1-INH-HAE (HAE-AS) with sound measurement properties.

Methods: Eleven countries participated in a prospective multicenter cohort study.

Which Scale Best Detects Treatment Response of Tremor in Parkinsonism?

Background: Several scales are available for rating the severity of tremor at present. However, the sensitivity to change of these instruments has remained to be clarified.

Objective: To compare the sensitivity of the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale, the Part III of the Movement Disorder Society-sponsored Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) and the MDS-UPDRS Tremor Scale to the effects of various antitremor treatments.

Electronic search strategies fail to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in neurosurgery.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard studies to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Although they are frequently identified through open searches in electronic databases, no studies have evaluated how easy it is to identify RCTs in neurosurgery using electronic search strategies. The present study evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of different search strategies applied to commonly used databases to identify RCTs in neurosurgery.

Features and impact of missing values in the association of self-rated health with mortality in care homes: a longitudinal study.

Background: Self-rated health (SRH) is a health measure used in studies of older adults. The objective of this study is to analyze SRH as a predictor of mortality in the institutionalized older population and the characteristics of those who do not provide information about their SRH on health questionnaires.

Methods: This is a 15-year follow-up study of older adult residents in nursing or care homes in of Madrid, Spain.

The Disease Burden Morbidity Assessment in older adults and its association with mortality and other health outcomes.

The objective of this study was to assess how disease burden caused by chronic conditions is related to mortality (predictive validity) and other health outcomes (convergent validity). This was studied in 625 community-dwelling adults living in Spain aged 65 years and older. Disease burden was measured with the Disease Burden Morbidity Assessment (DBMA).

Scale invariance and longitudinal stability of the Physical Functioning Western Ontario and MacMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index using the Rasch model.

The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) measures the quality of life of patients with osteoarthritis (OA), and there is a specific scale for the physical functioning dimension, the short version with seven items WOMAC-pf. This study describes the application of the Rasch model to explore scale invariance and response stability of the WOMAC-pf short version across affected joint and over time. A sample of 884 patients with OA, from 15 hospitals in Spain, completed the WOMAC-pf before surgery (baseline) and at 3, 6 and 12 months post-surgery of hip or knee.

Disease burden morbidity assessment by self-report: Psychometric properties in older adults in Spain.

Aim: To carry out an analysis of the psychometric properties of the Disease Burden Morbidity Assessment (DBMA) according to the assumptions of the Classical Test Theory.

Methods: A sample of 707 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older, living in Spain, completed the DBMA. Psychometric properties of the scale (feasibility, acceptability, scaling assumptions, reliability and construct validity) were analyzed.

Proposing a Parkinson's disease-specific tremor scale from the MDS-UPDRS.

Background: This article proposes an International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS)-UPDRS tremor-based scale and describes its measurement properties, with a view to developing an improved scale for assessing tremor in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, multicenter study of 435 PD patients. Rasch analysis was performed on the 11 MDS-UPDRS tremor items.

Is the Parkinson Anxiety Scale comparable across raters?

The Parkinson Anxiety Scale is a new scale developed to measure anxiety severity in Parkinson's disease specifically. It consists of three dimensions: persistent anxiety, episodic anxiety, and avoidance behavior. This study aimed to assess the measurement properties of the scale while controlling for the rater (self- vs.

Which factors are associated with mortality in institutionalized older adults with dementia?

Residential facilities are increasingly used as a resource for dependent older adults and a high percentage of patients with dementia die there. Information about the leading medical causes and exposures to risk factors of mortality in institutionalized older patients with dementia could guide the development of clinical management interventions. The data of 387 institutionalized adults aged over 60, diagnosed with dementia, was analyzed retrospectively.