Use of poisson regression and box-jenkins models to evaluate the short-term effects of environmental noise levels on daily emergency admissions in Madrid,Spain

The relationship between environmental factors and hospital admissions has usually been analysed without taking into account the influence of a factor closely related to traffic in big cities, that is, environmental noise levels. We analysed the relationship between environmental noise and emergency admissions, for all causes and specific causes in Madrid (Spain), for the study period 1995–1997, using two statistical methods for the analysis of epidemiological time series data: Poisson autoregressive models and Box–Jenkins (ARIMA) methodology. Both methods produce a clear association between emergency admissions for all and specific causes and environmental noise levels. We found very similar results from both methods for all and circulatory causes, but slightly different for respiratory causes. Around 5% of all emergency admissions can be attributed to high noise levels, with a lower figure for specific causes. Current levels of environmental noise have a considerable epidemiological impact on emergency admissions in Madrid. A reduction of environmental noise levels could be accompanied by a possible reduction in the number of emergency admissions.     

Family history and the risk of coronary heart disease: comparing predictive models

Family history is commonly used when evaluating coronary heart disease (CHD) risk yet it is usually treated as a simple binary variable according to the occurrence or non-occurrence of disease. This definition however fails to consider the potential components of a family history which may in fact exert different degrees of influence on the overall risk profile. The purpose of this paper is to compare different predictive models for CHD which incorporate family history as either a binary variable or different types of family risk indices in terms of their predictive ability. Models for estimating CHD risk were constructed based on usual risk factors and different family history variables. This construction was accomplished using logistic regression and RECursive Partition and AMalgamation (RECPAM) trees. Our analyses demonstrate the importance of using more sophisticated definitions of family history variables compared to a simple binary approach since this leads to a significant improvement in the predictive ability of CHD risk models.     

Socio-Demographic and Maternal Determinants of Low Birth Weight : A Multivariate Approach

A community based study was Conducted in the rural areas of Udupi taluk, Karnataka state of South India to identify the socio-demographic, maternal and obstetric determinants of low birth weight. All singleton live births that occurred in the study area during a one year period (October 1991 to September 1992) were included. A total of 2919 singleton child-mother pairs formed the basis of the analysis. Information about social, demographic and economic conditions of the families; maternal factors such as age, parity, quality of antenatal care and previous obstetric history were collected by interviewing the mothers and family members and verifying the available medical records through the field investigators especially recruited and trained for this purpose. Data was analyzed using multiple logistic regression model. Primis, elderly mothers and mothers who had not received good quality antenatal care were found to be more at risk of having low birth weight babies. Other significant determinants were family custom, socio-economic status and environmental sanitation.     

功能失调性子宫出血宫腔镜检查结果分析

目的：应用宫腔镜检查功能失调性子宫出血，以探明该项技术临床应用的价值和成果。方法：将我科收治的子宫疾病998例进行宫腔镜检查，逐一登记、分类、整理、计算并进行统计学处理。结果：宫腔镜检查的子宫疾病，按其构成比，居首位的是功能失调性子宫出血，依次是黏膜下子宫肌瘤、子宫内膜息肉、带环出血及子宫颈息肉。以上5种共占受检人数的90．2％。且比临床诊断更直观、快捷、准确。结论：通过临床应用表明宫腔镜技术是现代诊断和治疗功能性子宫出血的金标准和首选的外科微创治疗方法。     

Regression in autism: prevalence and associated factors in the CHARGE Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of regressive autism and associated demographic, medical, and developmental factors by using 2 different definitions of regression based on the Autism Diagnostic Interview, Revised. METHODS: Subjects were aged 2 to 5 years, with autism (AU) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) confirmed by standardized measures. Children with regression, defined as a) loss of both language and social skills or b) loss of either language or social skills, were compared with each other and to children with AU or ASD with no reported loss of skills on developmental and adaptive functioning. Parents reported on seizure, gastrointestinal, and sleep concerns. RESULTS: Fifteen percent (50/333) of the combined AU-ASD group lost both language and social skills; 41% (138/333) lost either language or social skills. No differences were found between the 2 samples of children with regression. Few developmental, demographic, or medical differences were found between the combined regression group and children without loss of skills, in both the larger AU-ASD sample and the more homogeneous AU-only sample. Children with regression had significantly lower communication scores than children without regression. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of regression in a large sample of young children with AU and ASD varies depending on the definition used; requiring loss of language significantly underestimates the frequency of developmental regression. Children with regression performed significantly less well than those without regression on 2 measures of communication, but the clinical meaningfulness of these differences is uncertain because of the small effect sizes.     

成都地区正常人前牙区咬痕相关参数测量研究

目的 为咬痕分析提供正常人前牙及前牙弓参数的依据.方法 随机抽取成都地区健康青壮年100例,采用扫描牙颌模型overlay技术-计算机辅助测量对咬痕相关的前牙区各形态学参数进行测量统计,运用偏最小二乘法(partial least squares,PLS)分析上下颌模型数据.结果 获得正常人前牙(牙切嵴厚度、牙切嵴宽度、牙切嵴面积及牙角度)和前牙弓(牙弓宽度、牙弓高度、牙弓角度、牙间角度)参数数据;PLS法分析模型中距离类参数预测误差值低于0.1.结论 在咬痕比对分析中只有尽可能多的找到特征点,才能提供较准确的判定结果.利用PLS法不仅可分析牙颌模型,还可对咬痕鉴定提供依据.     

气郁质个性特征研究

目的:探索气郁质的个性特征.方法:在临床流行病学调查的基础上,筛选气郁质24例及非气郁质26例,让其填写艾森克个性问卷(EPQ),以气郁质(0=否,1=是)为因变量,以性别及EPQ的4个维度为自变量进行二项分类Logistic回归.结果:仅EPQ的N维度进入回归方程.结论:气郁质者具有EPQ的N维度高分者的个性特征.     

CDFI检测异位妊娠子宫静脉血流动力学指标的临床价值

目的:探讨异位妊娠子宫血循环的特征性改变。方法:应用CDFI和PD检测了100例异位妊娠的子宫静脉流速、频谱形态,并与208例正常宫内早孕做了对照分析。结果:异位妊娠组子宫静脉流速平均高于对照组(P<0.001);频谱形态多为有起伏两峰波形;异位妊娠组附件区滋养静脉检出率为64%、特异性100%。结论:CDFI和PD各项指标结合停经史和β-HCG对异位妊娠的诊断与鉴别诊断有重要的临床价值。     

胃癌患者生存质量影响因素的累积比数模型分析

目的探讨胃癌患者生存质量的影响因素。方法从2000～2003年确诊的胃癌患者中选取居住在福州市存活满一年的胃癌患者183例,了解其治疗、疾病、康复情况及调查前两周的生存质量,采用累积比数模型对生存质量的影响因素进行分析。结果生存质量的影响因素为性别、年龄、医疗保健、经济情况、临床分期、肿瘤侵犯周围组织程度、手术方式和健身运动。结论完善医疗保障制度,尽可能采用根治性手术方式,积极参加健身运动,将有利于提高患者生存质量。     

精神分裂患者生命质量与经济负担关系

目的探讨精神分裂患者的生命质量和患者经济负担的关系。方法采用流行病学现场调查方法进行研究。结果调查69例患者,各影响因素中不同程度病情和起病形式导致的患者医疗总费用、不同居住地患者生命质量中环境领域和情感角色2项因子之间的差异均有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。逐步回归分析表明,患者医疗总费用与病程和病情程度呈正相关,与生存质量呈负相关。结论受多因素影响,精神病患者的经济负担较重,建议有关部门给予精神分裂症患者优惠政策,在减轻经济负担的基础上,提高患者的生命质量。