title: The topical niacin sensitivity test: an inter- and intra-rater reliability study in healthy controls.
abstract: Topical application of nicotinic acid results in erythema, and in some cases oedema of the skin, supporting a strong relationship between niacin sensitivity and prostaglandin D2. The aim of this study was to examine the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of a 12-min niacin sensitivity test in healthy adults. Three raters assessed the skin reaction of 12 volunteers, over 3-min intervals across four niacin concentrations (0.1, 0.01, 0.001, and 0.0001), and over six sessions. Inter-rater reliability estimates ranged from 0.85 to 0.97 for the total niacin sensitivity score. Similar inter-rater reliability estimates were found for niacin sensitivity ratings by concentration and time. Intra-rater reliability estimates ranged from 0.63 to 0.93 for the total niacin sensitivity score. These data indicate that the 12-min topical niacin sensitivity test has excellent reliability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, ORYGEN Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10 (35 Popular Road), Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cotton
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Proffitt
authors.forename: Mirabel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McConchie
authors.forename: Connie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Markulev
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smesny
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McGorry
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berger
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000328:Adult; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009539:Nicotinic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015588:Observer Variation; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects*; D012882:Skin Tests / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D009539:Nicotinic Acids; C008473:methyl nicotinate