BackgroundThis review aims to critically appraise and compare the measurement properties of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-specific health-related quality of life instruments.MethodsMedline, EMBASE and ISI Web of Knowledge were searched from their inception to May 2016. IBD-specific instruments for patients with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or IBD were enrolled. The basic characteristics and domains of the instruments were collected. The methodological quality of measurement properties and measurement properties of the instruments were assessed.ResultsFifteen IBD-specific instruments were included, which included twelve instruments for adult IBD patients and three for paediatric IBD patients. All of the instruments were developed in North American and European countries. The following common domains were identified: IBD-related symptoms, physical, emotional and social domain. The methodological quality was satisfactory for content validity; fair in internal consistency, reliability, structural validity, hypotheses testing and criterion validity; and poor in measurement error, cross-cultural validity and responsiveness. For adult IBD patients, the IBDQ-32 and its short version (SIBDQ) had good measurement properties and were the most widely used worldwide. For paediatric IBD patients, the IMPACT-III had good measurement properties and had more translated versions.ConclusionsMost methodological quality should be promoted, especially measurement error, cross-cultural validity and responsiveness. The IBDQ-32 was the most widely used instrument with good reliability and validity, followed by the SIBDQ and IMPACT-III. Further validation studies are necessary to support the use of other instruments.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12955-017-0753-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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BackgroundThe aim was to develop and validate the quality of life scale for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients, the QOL-NPC (version 2), a specific instrument to measure quality of life for NPC patients.MethodsThe QOL-NPC was developed and validated according to standard procedures. The patients were assessed using the QOL-NPC, FACT-G, and FACT-H&N. Classical test theory was used to evaluate the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the QOL-NPC.ResultsA total of 487 patients (97.4 %) completed the questionnaire. The QOL-NPC comprised four domains, as follows: physical function (eight items); psychological function (five items); social function (five items); and side effects (eight items). All of the items had a lower proportion of missing data. Cronbach's alpha values of the domains ranged from 0.72 to 0.84. The split-half reliability coefficients ranged from 0.77 to 0.84. All of the intra-class correlation coefficients were > 0.8. The normed fit index, non-normed fit index, and comparative fit index were >0.89. The root mean square error of approximation was 0.097, with a 90 % confidence interval (0.093, 0.100). The domain scores of the QOL-NPC were significantly correlated with the FACT-G and FACT-H&N (P < 0.05). All of the domain scores of patients using different amounts of radiotherapy were significantly different (P < 0.001). All domain scores decreased at the completion of radiotherapy, with effect sizes ranging from −0.82 to −0.22.ConclusionsThe QOL-NPC is valid for measuring QOL with good reliability, validity, and responsiveness. The QOL-NPC is recommended to measure the QOL for Chinese NPC patients.

ADA 160/80 was a safe and effective treatment for induction management of moderately to severely active UC, but the benefits of ADA 80/40 application were limited. ADA 40 mg EOW was effective for maintenance management of UC. Additional well designed RCTs are needed to confirm these results.

This meta-analysis included 14 randomized controlled trials involving 780 patients to compare phytotherapy with hormonal therapy in the treatment of postmenopausal bone loss. Current evidence suggests that phytotherapy may possess a similar effect on bone mineral density (BMD) values but clinically is not associated with a high incidence of uterine bleeding and breast pain as is hormonal therapy. Clinical trials indicate that phytotherapy may be a potential treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis. The objective of this meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy and safety of phytotherapy with that of hormonal therapy, to assess the quality of phytotherapy trials, and to identify herbs used commonly in the treatment of postmenopausal bone loss. A total of 43 electronic databases were searched. The quality of eligible trials was assessed using Jadad's scale. Outcome measures were BMD values and adverse events. Revman 5.0 software was used for data syntheses and meta-analyses. The database search revealed 14 randomized controlled trials involving 780 patients that met the inclusion criteria, and four trials were graded as high quality (score 3-5). There was no significant difference in lumbar, femoral or forearm BMD values between subjects treated with phytotherapy and those treated with hormonal therapy (P>0.05), but the incidence of uterine bleeding and breast pain was significantly lower in those treated with phytotherapy than in those treated with hormonal therapy (P = 0.002 and P = 0.01). The six most commonly used herbs in the included trials were identified. Phytotherapy may not show effects beyond hormonal therapy, but may be safer than hormonal therapy in the treatment of postmenopausal bone loss. Further trials with high-quality study designs should be conducted in this field.