The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) has been recommended as a cost-effective method to assess physical activity. Several studies validating the IPAQ-SF have been ...conducted with differing results, but no systematic review of these studies has been reported.
The keywords "IPAQ", "validation", and "validity" were searched in PubMed and Scopus. Studies published in English that validated the IPAQ-SF against an objective physical activity measuring device, doubly labeled water, or an objective fitness measure were included.
Twenty-three validation studies were included in this review. There was a great deal of variability in the methods used across studies, but the results were largely similar. Correlations between the total physical activity level measured by the IPAQ-SF and objective standards ranged from 0.09 to 0.39; none reached the minimal acceptable standard in the literature (0.50 for objective activity measuring devices, 0.40 for fitness measures). Correlations between sections of the IPAQ-SF for vigorous activity or moderate activity level/walking and an objective standard showed even greater variability (-0.18 to 0.76), yet several reached the minimal acceptable standard. Only six studies provided comparisons between physical activity levels derived from the IPAQ-SF and those obtained from objective criterion. In most studies the IPAQ-SF overestimated physical activity level by 36 to 173 percent; one study underestimated by 28 percent.
The correlation between the IPAQ-SF and objective measures of activity or fitness in the large majority of studies was lower than the acceptable standard. Furthermore, the IPAQ-SF typically overestimated physical activity as measured by objective criterion by an average of 84 percent. Hence, the evidence to support the use of the IPAQ-SF as an indicator of relative or absolute physical activity is weak.
Abstract
Background
The impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) on disease severity is unclear. In this retrospective study, we compared the outcomes of patients infected with B.1.1.7, ...B.1.351, and B.1.617.2 with wild-type strains from early 2020.
Methods
National surveillance data from January to May 2021 were obtained and outcomes in relation to VOCs were explored. Detailed patient-level data from all patients with VOC infection admitted to our center between December 2020 and May 2021 were analyzed. Clinical outcomes were compared with a cohort of 846 patients admitted from January to April 2020.
Results
A total of 829 patients in Singapore in the study period were infected with these 3 VOCs. After adjusting for age and sex, B.1.617.2 was associated with higher odds of oxygen requirement, intensive care unit admission, or death (adjusted odds ratio aOR, 4.90; 95% confidence interval CI: 1.43-30.78). Of these patients, 157 were admitted to our center. After adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and vaccination, the aOR for pneumonia with B.1.617.2 was 1.88 (95% CI: .95-3.76) compared with wild-type. These differences were not seen with B.1.1.7 and B.1.351. Vaccination status was associated with decreased severity. B.1.617.2 was associated with significantly lower polymerase chain reaction cycle threshold (Ct) values and longer duration of Ct value ≤30 (median duration 18 days for B.1.617.2, 13 days for wild-type).
Conclusions
B.1.617.2 was associated with increased severity of illness, and with lower Ct values and longer viral shedding. These findings provide impetus for the rapid implementation of vaccination programs.
In this retrospective cohort study we found an association between infection with B.1.617.2 (Delta) and increased disease severity. B.1.617.2 was also associated with higher viral loads and prolonged duration of viral shedding. Vaccination remained protective.
This paper describes the association between workplace violence and job satisfaction among physicians and nurses in Macau. Convenience sampling was sourced from six health centers under the Macau ...Health Bureau.
This study uses a cross-sectional self-administrative survey. The study used case studies research instruments for workplace violence in the health sector by country (from the ILO, ICN, WHO, PSI), the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire and Perceived Stress Scale. The data collection period spanned from August to December, 2014.
Multiple logistic regression examines levels of intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction in physicians and nurses and significant correlates affecting their job satisfaction.
A total of 720 (14.9% physicians) participants were recruited. 57.2% of participants reported physical and psychological workplace violence in the preceding year. The most common forms of workplace violence were verbal abuse (53.4%), physical assault (16.1%), bullying / harassment (14.2%), sexual harassment (4.6%) and racial harassment (2.6%). Nurses were at a significantly higher risk of physical assault and verbal abuse compared to physicians. Patients, patients' relatives, and colleagues were the main perpetrators. Worry about WPV, on-call duty and shift work, experience of bullying and verbal abuse and employment sector emerged as significant correlates affecting the intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction of physicians and nurses. Frontline staff, aged 30 and 39, coming from an ethnic minority, and perceived stress were significant correlates affecting nurses' job satisfaction.
WPV remains a significant concern in healthcare settings in Macau. Stakeholders should legally enforce a zero-tolerance policy towards WPV within healthcare workplaces. WPV is detrimental to healthcare professionals' mental wellbeing, risking irreversible physical and psychological harm for its victims.
Confounders can be identified by one of two main strategies: empirical or theoretical. Although confounder identification strategies that combine empirical and theoretical strategies have been ...proposed, the need for adjustment remains unclear if the empirical and theoretical criteria yield contradictory results due to random error. We simulated several scenarios to mimic either the presence or the absence of a confounding effect and tested the accuracy of the exposure-outcome association estimates with and without adjustment. Various criteria (significance criterion, Change-in-estimate(CIE) criterion with a 10% cutoff and with a simulated cutoff) were imposed, and a range of sample sizes were trialed. In the presence of a true confounding effect, unbiased estimates were obtained only by using the CIE criterion with a simulated cutoff. In the absence of a confounding effect, all criteria performed well regardless of adjustment. When the confounding factor was affected by both exposure and outcome, all criteria yielded accurate estimates without adjustment, but the adjusted estimates were biased. To conclude, theoretical confounders should be adjusted for regardless of the empirical evidence found. The adjustment for factors that do not have a confounding effect minimally effects. Potential confounders affected by both exposure and outcome should not be adjusted for.
When using the change-in-estimate criterion, a cutoff of 10% is commonly used to identify confounders. However, the appropriateness of this cutoff has never been evaluated. This study investigated ...cutoffs required under different conditions.
Four simulations were performed to select cutoffs that achieved a significance level of 5% and a power of 80%, using linear regression and logistic regression. A total of 10 000 simulations were run to obtain the percentage differences of the 4 fitted regression coefficients (with and without adjustment).
In linear regression, larger effect size, larger sample size, and lower standard deviation of the error term led to a lower cutoff point at a 5% significance level. In contrast, larger effect size and a lower exposure-confounder correlation led to a lower cutoff point at 80% power. In logistic regression, a lower odds ratio and larger sample size led to a lower cutoff point at a 5% significance level, while a lower odds ratio, larger sample size, and lower exposure-confounder correlation yielded a lower cutoff point at 80% power.
Cutoff points for the change-in-estimate criterion varied according to the effect size of the exposure-outcome relationship, sample size, standard deviation of the regression error, and exposure-confounder correlation.
Protection of endothelial integrity has been recognized as a frontline approach to alleviating sepsis progression, yet no effective agent for preserving endothelial integrity is available. Using an ...unusual anti-angiopoietin 2 (ANG2) antibody, ABTAA (ANG2-binding and TIE2-activating antibody), we show that activation of the endothelial receptor TIE2 protects the vasculature from septic damage and provides survival benefit in three sepsis mouse models. Upon binding to ANG2, ABTAA triggers clustering of ANG2, assembling an ABTAA/ANG2 complex that can subsequently bind and activate TIE2. Compared with a conventional ANG2-blocking antibody, ABTAA was highly effective in augmenting survival from sepsis by strengthening the endothelial glycocalyx, reducing cytokine storms, vascular leakage, and rarefaction, and mitigating organ damage. Together, our data advance the role of TIE2 activation in ameliorating sepsis progression and open a potential therapeutic avenue for sepsis to address the lack of sepsis-specific treatment.
The current standard practice for measuring sleeping time with accelerometer is to ask the participants to wear it for 7 consecutive days and analysing data from participants who have provided at ...least 4 days of valid data. However, this standard lacks supporting evidence. This study aims to evaluate this standard of practice by examining the reliability of measuring total sleeping time in a representative sample of US adults using accelerometer data from the National Health and Nutritional Survey (NHANES) waves 2011–2012 and 2013–2014. The sample included a total of 14,676 participants, out of which only those who provided data for seven days (n = 9510) were included in the analysis. The results revealed that the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for a single day of measurement was 0.38 for weekdays and 0.27 for weekends. To achieve a reliability of 0.7, measurements for 4 and 7 nights were necessary for weekdays and weekends, respectively. Our simulation study found that the randomly-selected 3-day average of weekday sleeping time strongly correlated with the actual mean (ρ = 0.92), capturing at least 80 % of the variance. However, the randomly-selected 1-day average of weekend sleeping time only captured about 60 % of the variance. In conclusion, we recommend that future accelerometer research adopts a 9-day continuous measurement period, covering four weekend days, to reliably estimate both weekday and weekend sleeping time.
•It is common to measure sleep using 7-day period but its reliability remains unknown.•This study examined the number of days required to measure habitual total sleeping time.•Our results suggest using a 9-day measurement period covering 4 weekend days.
A direct decarboxylative strategy for the generation of aza‐o‐quinone methides (aza‐o‐QMs) by N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis has been discovered and explored. This process requires no ...stoichiometric additives in contrast with current approaches. Aza‐o‐QMs react with trifluoromethyl ketones through a formal 4+2 manifold to access highly enantioenriched dihydrobenzoxazin‐4‐one products, which can be converted to dihydroquinolones through an interesting stereoretentive aza‐Petasis–Ferrier rearrangement sequence. Complementary dispersion‐corrected density functional theory (DFT) studies provided an accurate prediction of the reaction enantioselectivity and lend further insight to the origins of stereocontrol. Additionally, a computed potential energy surface around the major transition structure suggests a concerted asynchronous mechanism for the formal annulation.
A direct decarboxylative strategy for the generation of aza‐o‐quinone methides (aza‐o‐QMs) by N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis has been discovered and explored. Aza‐o‐QMs react with trifluoromethyl ketones through a formal 4+2 manifold to access highly enantioenriched dihydrobenzoxazin‐4‐one products. Complementary dispersion‐corrected DFT studies provided insight to the origins of stereocontrol and suggested a concerted asynchronous mechanism for the formal annulation.
Purpose and methods
This study aimed to validate the single-item sleep duration question used in the National Health And Nutritional Survey (NHANES), “How much sleep do you usually get at night on ...weekdays or workdays (hours)?”, against a wrist-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X +) in waves 2011–2012 and 2013–2014 among an adult population aged 20 or above (
n
= 8,438, mean age 49.7, 48% male).
Results
The accelerometer-measured and self-reported sleep duration were 6.01 (SD 1.48) and 6.88 (SD 1.40) h/day, respectively, representing a 0.87 h/day of over-reporting (SD 1.90,
p
< 0.001). Such an over-reporting was observed in all subgroups, where the over-reporting ranged from 0.72 (those aged 41–50) to 1.13 h/day (those aged 71 or above). The correlation between accelerometer-measured and self-reported sleep duration was low (
ρ
= 0.14,
p
< 0.001).
Conclusions
The associations between sleep duration and other health outcomes identified using NHANES data should be further tested using more accurate and valid measures of sleep duration.
PDF
