Yang 2019.

Study characteristics
Patient sampling	169 patients were recruited from the Department of Neurology, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu, China. Inclusion criteria were: Chinese speaking, aged over 60 years, reasonable vision, hearing, and ability to communicate. Exclusion criteria were: major depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy, significant head injury, substance abuse, alcoholism, or other disorders which might influence task performances. The sampling procedure was not well described and it was unclear if this was a consecutive or random sample.
Patient characteristics and setting	This study included 169 Chinese‐speaking participants over the age of 60, who were recruited from the Department of Neurology in Chengdu, China. The diagnosis of dementia was based upon demographic information, history or informant report, presentation at interview, general and neurological examination, neuropsychological examination, neuroimaging, screening blood tests. Daily and social function was evaluated using the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale. The Common Objects Memory Test was used to assess cognitive deficits. The diagnoses were based on the DSM‐V criteria for dementia, and Petersen criteria for MCI. The healthy group had no memory complaints, and normal activities of daily living. Diagnoses were made by 1 of 2 neurologists who checked each other's decisions, and disputes were resolved by consensus. All participants with dementia were classified as mild severity, defined as Clinical Dementia Rating Scale of 1. 54 patients had a diagnosis of dementia, 64 had a diagnosis of MCI, and 51 were healthy. The prevalence of dementia in the sample was 32%, and 37.8% for MCI. Of the patients diagnosed with dementia, 24 were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, 14 with vascular dementia, 10 with mixed dementia, 3 with Lewy body dementia, 2 with frontotemporal dementia, and 1 with Parkinson's disease dementia. There were no differences in age, sex, or years of education across the 3 groups. The mean ages were: healthy: 72.8 ± 6.4 years; MCI: 75.1 ± 6.4 years; and dementia: 75.1 ± 7.0 years. 39% of the healthy participants were female, compared to 43.8% of participants in the MCI group, and 48.1% of participants in the dementia group. The healthy group had a mean of 11.8 ± 4.0 years of education, compared to 11.1 ± 3.6 years in the MCI group, and 10.3 ± 3.7 years in the dementia group. The mean mini‐ACE scores were: healthy: 27.4 ± 1.8; MCI: 24.1 ± 2.4; dementia: 16.5 ± 4.8. The sources of referrals were not specified.
Index tests	The index test was the ACE‐III which was translated and adapted culturally for a Chinese‐speaking population using forward and backward translation methods. The translation and adaptation procedures were well described but there was no information on the training or expertise of the assessor. Test thresholds were not pre‐specified, and the authors calculated optimal thresholds based on their study data.
Target condition and reference standard(s)	Target condition: dementia and MCI Reference standards: DSM‐V (dementia), Petersen criteria (MCI), NINCDS/ADRDA (Alzheimer's disease), ICD‐10 (vascular dementia), DSM‐V (frontotemporal dementia) Lewy body dementia, and Parkinson's disease dementia.
Flow and timing	169 patients were recruited. Dropout rates were not reported The index test was completed within 1 week of the reference standard. Information on the true positive and negative values were not provided in the original publication and were calculated from sensitivity and specificity data reported in the publication.
Comparative
Notes
Methodological quality
Item	Authors' judgement	Risk of bias	Applicability concerns
DOMAIN 1: Patient Selection
Was a consecutive or random sample of patients enrolled?	Unclear
Was a case‐control design avoided?	Yes
Did the study avoid inappropriate exclusions?	Yes
		Unclear	Unclear
DOMAIN 2: Index Test All tests
Were the index test results interpreted without knowledge of the results of the reference standard?	Yes
If a threshold was used, was it pre‐specified?	No
Were sufficient data on ACE‐III or mini‐ACE application given for the test to be repeated in an independent study?	No
		High	Unclear
DOMAIN 3: Reference Standard
Is the reference standards likely to correctly classify the target condition?	Yes
Were the reference standard results interpreted without knowledge of the results of the index tests?	Yes
Were sufficient information on the method of dementia/MCI assessment given for the assessment to be repeated in an independent study?	Yes
		Low	Low
DOMAIN 4: Flow and Timing
Was there an appropriate interval between index test and reference standard?	Yes
Did all patients receive the same reference standard?	Yes
Were all patients included in the analysis?	Yes
Did all patients receive a reference standard?	Yes
		Low