BACKGROUND Kappa is commonly used when assessing the agreement of conditions with reference standard, but has been criticized for being highly dependent on the prevalence. To overcome this limitation, a prevalence-adjusted and bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK) has been developed. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the performance of Kappa and PABAK, and assess the agreement between hospital ...

PURPOSE To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for preoperative staging of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) using the 1997 TNM (tumor, node, metastasis) classification. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of MDCT in 57 consecutive patients with RCC performed for tumor staging before radical (n = 51) or partial nephrectomy (n = 6). The s...

BACKGROUND HER-2 status is generally determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Both methods are only semiquantitative, require a tumor sample, and can be difficult to reproduce. We compared these methods with 2 quantitative approaches, one measuring HER-2 gene copy number in tissue by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), and the other measuring shed HE...

OBJECTIVE Historically, drinking was described in terms of the binary state of drinking or abstinence. More recently, drinking is viewed as a dynamic process, a trajectory of multiple fluctuations between drinking and abstinence across time. Modeling that kind of dynamic requires measuring individuals' drinking longitudinally during extended periods at cadences that capture the oscillations. Re...

PURPOSE The subjective evaluation of aesthetic results in conservative breast cancer treatment has largely been used without questioning the observer's skills. The aim of this study was to evaluate interobserver agreement of the aesthetic results of breast cancer conservative treatment in three groups of observers with different levels of experience. METHODS AND MATERIALS Photographs were tak...

PURPOSE To assess the performance of a refined Web-based tool for documenting retinal hemorrhage characteristics in suspected abusive head trauma. METHODS Using a comprehensive tabular secure platform, with access to digital images in color, black and white, and 4-zone system schematic overlay, four pediatric ophthalmologists performed pilot testing with 80 images for tool refinement. In a se...

OBJECTIVES (1) To evaluate the intraobserver agreement related to image interpretation and (2) to compare the accuracy of 100%, 200% and 400% zoomed digital images in the detection of simulated periodontal bone defects. METHODS Periodontal bone defects were created in 60 pig hemi-mandibles with slow-speed burs 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm and 3.0 mm in diameter. 180 standardized digital rad...

Aims This aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity Unified Classification System (UCS) for postoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures (PFFs) around cemented polished taper-slip (PTS) stems. Methods Radiographs 71 patients with a PFF admitted consecutively at two centres between 25 February 2012 19 May 2020 were collated by an independent investigator. Six observers (thre...

OBJECTIVE To test the reliability and validity of the DIGS in Spanish population. METHODS Inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the Spanish version of DIGS was tested in 95 inpatients and outpatients. The resultant diagnoses were compared with diagnoses obtained by the LEAD (Longitudinal Expert All Data) procedure as "gold standard". The kappa statistic was used to measure concordance be...

The imported Harmonia axyridis ladybug infests homes in northern West Virginia from fall through spring, causing allergic disease. Retrospective single-practice chart reviews were performed: (1) all skin prick tests (1400 included ladybug) in a community allergy practice over 4 years and (2) clinical analysis of 400 randomly chosen patients. The usual adult aeroallergen skin test panel included...