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Measurement of quality of life is crucial to assess the full impact of antiretroviral therapy on patient morbidity. No quality of life instruments have been validated in an Asian HIV-infected patient population, but it is important to do so given the increasing involvement of the region in clinical trials. We set out to validate the Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV) in HIV infected patients in Singapore. Clinically stable outpatients were asked to complete the 30-item MOS-HIV (English or Chinese translation). Patients were also asked about the frequency of selected disease symptoms, and clinical and demographic data were recorded from the case sheet. 163 patients (90% Chinese, 96% male, mean age 38 years, mean CD4 count 159 cells/mm(3)) participated in the study and completed the questionnaire to a satisfactory standard. The questionnaire showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha >0.7 in all cases). There were significant differences in quality of life scores between Centers for Disease Control disease stages, and significant correlations with CD4 count and symptom score, confirming the discriminant validity of the MOS-HIV. Factor analysis revealed two components corresponding to physical and mental health which were similar to those of studies in Western countries except that pain was more closely related to mental than physical health. Linear regression analysis identified symptom burden as the major predictor of physical and mental health. We concluded that the MOS-HIV is a valid measure of quality of life in this HIV patient population in Singapore, and is therefore likely to be useful in future clinical trials in the region. In the era of chronic HIV disease, close attention to symptoms (disease or drug-related) is warranted due to their major adverse influence on mental and physical aspects of quality of life.

Objective: To determine norms for assessing Health-related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in Singapore using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36)., Materials and Methods: Mean SF-36 scores were calculated for 24 population subgroups (categorised by age, gender, ethnicity and questionnaire language) and for subjects with self-reported co-morbid conditions using data from a community-based survey in Singapore., Results: The English and Chinese SF-36 was completed by 4122 and 1381 subjects, respectively, 58% (n = 3188) of whom had self-reported co-morbid conditions. SF-36 scores varied in subgroups differing in age, gender and ethnicity. In general, subjects with self-reported co-morbid conditions had lower SF-36 scores than those without these conditions, the magnitude of which exceeded 20 points in several instances. A method for calculation of SF-36 scores adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity and questionnaire language is described., Conclusion: We present norms for English and Chinese SF-36 versions in Singapore and describe potential uses for these data in assessing HRQOL in Singapore.

Background: It is not known if the inclusion of bilinguals affects the results of research using Quality-of-Life (QoL) scales., Objective: To determine the influence of bilingualism on responses to a QoL scale., Research Design: In this cross sectional study, a population-based, disproportionately stratified random sample of monolingual and bilingual ethnic Chinese completed the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) in English or Chinese (representing an alphabet and pictogram based language respectively). Cumulative logit regression models were used to assess the influence of bilingualism on SF-36 scores, while adjusting for the influence of questionnaire language and known determinants of QoL., Results: English or Chinese SF-36 versions were completed by 1331 and 1380 subjects respectively (49% female, aged 21-65 years, 1366 bilingual, 501 English monolingual, 844 Chinese monolingual), with response rates exceeding 85%. Fifty percent of subjects were bilingual. Bilinguals differed from monolinguals in known determinants of QoL, being younger, better educated, and having fewer chronic medical conditions, and had SF-36 scores up to 8 points higher than monolinguals. After adjusting for these differences, bilingualism did not influence scores for any of eight SF-36 scales, whereas questionnaire language influenced scores for four scales. Use of the English SF-36 was associated with higher scores for General Health, Vitality, Role Emotional and Mental Health Scales (odds ratios 1.35-1.41), though the magnitude of these odds ratios suggests this association may not be clinically important., Conclusion: Bilingualism did not influence responses to a QoL scale in this large, population-based study of subjects fluent in an alphabet and/or pictogram based language.

Tuberculin skin test (TST) interpretation in Singapore is confounded by universal BCG vaccination at birth and by a revaccination policy for schoolchildren who are tuberculin nonreactors (TST < 10 mm, using 1 TU PPD RT 23) at 12 or 16 yr old, with not more than two BCG vaccinations given to any child. School health records for birth cohorts 1978 to 1984 indicate that 82.8% were revaccinated at age 12 yr. By collation with the national database of tuberculosis (TB) notifications, we examined the risk of TB disease in these cohorts for the 4 yr subsequent to TST reading at ages 12 and 16 yr respectively, in intervals of 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-17, and >/= 18 mm. Receiver-operating curves (ROCs) were constructed to ascertain the optimum TST cutoffs in screening for the likelihood of development of TB disease. A cutoff of 10 mm performed best for the group tested at age 12 yr, whereas 16 mm was found to be optimum in those tested at age 16 yr (> 80% of whom were BCG revaccinated 4 yr earlier). We have extrapolated these findings to the screening of contacts, and utilized these cutoff points to guide the treatment of latent TB infection in this high-risk group.

Objective: To assess the reliability and validity of the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) as an outcome measure in Asian patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis (OA) in Singapore., Design: The WOMAC was administered twice 7 days apart to 66 consecutive English-speaking Chinese, Malay or Indian inpatients and outpatients with knee or hip OA seen at a tertiary referral centre through a structured interview, which also assessed demographic and other characteristics. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, reliability using Spearman's correlations, intraclass correlations and repeatability coefficients, and relationships between WOMAC domains and known determinants of function using Spearman's correlations and the Mann-Whitney U-test., Results: The WOMAC showed good internal consistency (alpha=0.70 to 0.93) and good reliability, with intraclass correlations of 0.83 to 0.90 and mean test-retest score differences of 0.02 to 0.13 points (possible range 4 points). Results of Likert scoring assessment supported the validity of the WOMAC when interpreted in the context of the close association between pain and physical function. Eight of nine a priori hypotheses relating WOMAC Pain and Physical Function scores to known determinants of function were present, supporting construct validity of this scale., Conclusion: The WOMAC is a valid and reliable outcome measure in Asian patients with OA in Singapore.

The objective was to validate a Chinese translation of the Medical Outcomes Study Family and Marital Functioning Measures (FFM and MFM) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Chinese-speaking SLE patients (n = 69) completed a self-administered questionnaire containing the FFM and MFM and assessing demographic and socio-economic status twice within a 2 week period. SLE activity, disease-related damage and quality of life were assessed using the BILAG, SLICC/ACR Damage Index and SF-36 Health Survey, respectively. Scale psychometric properties were assessed through factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, quantifying test-retest differences and known-groups construct validity. Factor analysis identified 1 factor corresponding to the FFM and 2 factors corresponding to the MFM. Internal consistency for the FFM was excellent (alpha = 0.92) while that for the MFM was acceptable (alpha = 0.62). Mean (s.d.) test-retest differences were 0.06 (1.54) points for the FFM and 0.03 (2.08) points for the MFM. 11 and 10 of 13 a priori hypotheses relating the FFM and MFM, respectively, to demographic, disease and quality of life variables were confirmed, supporting the construct validity of these scales. The Chinese FFM and MFM are valid and reliable measures of family and marital functioning in Chinese-speaking SLE patients, with psychometric properties very similar to the source English version.

We studied the reliability and validity of the Chinese Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) in a cross sectional study of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Sixty-nine consecutive subjects completed a questionnaire containing the Chinese SF-36 twice within 14 d. Disease activity and damage were assessed using the British Isles Lupus Activity Group (BILAG) and SLICC/ACR Damage Index (DI) scales, respectively. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, reliability using Spearman's correlation and repeatability coefficients, and relationships between SF-36, BILAG and DI scores using Spearman's correlation. The Chinese SF-36 showed high internal consistency (alpha = 0.72-0.91) and good reliability, with correlations exceeding 0.70 for 7 scales and mean scale score differences of < 2 points for 6 scales. SF-36 scores correlated weakly with BILAG scores (-0.27 to -0.41) and DI scores (-0.24 to -0.35), and subjects' mean SF-36 scores were 6-24 points lower than the general population, supporting construct validity of the SP-36. These data suggest that the Chinese SF-36 is a reliable and valid measure of quality of life in patients with SLE.

In a solution, cis-abscisic acid (ABA) isomerizes into the trans-isomer which is physiologically inactive, and this structural instability is regarded as a reason for insuitability of ABA in agricultural applications. The side chain of ABA, the 2-cis-4-trans-3-methyl-2,4-pentadienoic acid moiety, was replaced with various substituted phenyl groups to examine biological effects of the inflexibility of the part. Construction of the phenyl moiety was achieved by cyclizing the ionone derivatives and subsequent aromatization. Some of those new compounds showed ABA-like activity in both seed germination and transpiration assays.