The effect of pesticide exposure on time to pregnancy

The Ontario Farm Family Health Study provided data for examination of the effects of pesticide exposure on time to pregnancy. In this retrospective cohort study of farm couples in Ontario, Canada, the farm operator, husband, and wife completed questionnaires during 1991-1992. We asked about pesticides used on the farm and pesticide activities of the husband and wife for each month of trying to conceive. After exclusions, 2,012 planned pregnancies remained for analysis. We used an analog of the Cox proportional hazards model to calculate conditional fecundability ratios (conditional on pregnancy). There was no strong or consistent pattern of associations of pesticide exposure with time to pregnancy. During exposure intervals in which women participated in pesticide activities (during most of which the men also participated), however, 6 of 13 pesticide exposure categories were associated with a decrease in fecundability (conditional fecundability ratio range = 0.51-0.80). For exposure intervals in which only the men participated in pesticide activities or in which neither men nor women participated in pesticide activities but pesticides had been used on the farm, conditional fecundability ratios ranged from 0.75 to 1.50, with no apparent consistency among pesticide classes, chemical families, or active ingredients.     

Improving readiness and fitness of the active military force through occupational medicine tenets

The United States Military deploys its forces with minimal lead time. These forces must be medically qualified and physically fit for any locale and mission scenario. Historically, up to half of the force identified for deployment at any given time were not medically qualified. Matching individuals to specific occupations using validated medical and physical performance standards is an occupational medicine tenet that increases the effectiveness and efficiency of the workforce. To establish a cost-effective, valid medical program ensuring a fit and ready force, the military must: (1) develop validated physical fitness/occupational standards; (2) consolidate one fitness standard for males/females on the basis of workload requirements; (3) eliminate differing age standards; (4) provide statistically relevant medical screening, testing for health maintenance, and fitness for duty; and (5) mandate one joint medical standard for all military services.     

Using a spatial filter and a geographic information system to improve rabies surveillance data.

The design and coordination of antirabies measures (e.g., oral vaccine and disease awareness campaigns) often depend on surveillance data. In Kentucky, health officials are concerned that the raccoon rabies epizootic that has spread throughout the east coast since the late 1970s could enter the state. The quality of surveillance data from Kentucky's 120 counties, however, may not be consistent. This article presents a geographic model that can be used with a geographic information system (GIS) to assess whether a county has a lower number of animals submitted for rabies testing than surrounding counties. This technique can be used as a first step in identifying areas needing improvement in their surveillance scheme. This model is a variant of a spatial filter that uses points within an area of analysis (usually a circle) to estimate the value of a central point. The spatial filter is an easy-to-use method of identifying point patterns, such as clusters or holes, at various geographic scales (county, intraurban), by using the traditional circle as an area of analysis or a GIS to incorporate a political shape (county boundary).     

The impact of family planning service provision on contraceptive-use dynamics in Morocco

This article uses linked data from the 1995 Morocco DHS calendar and the 1992 Morocco DHS service-availability module to study the effect of service environment on contraceptive discontinuation, switching, and adoption of a modern method following a birth. The 1995 Morocco DHS also collected information on the source of supply for each episode of use of a modern method recorded in the calendar, allowing study of the association between the source of supply and discontinuation and switching rates. Multilevel event-history models are used to evaluate the impact of individual-level sociodemographic characteristics and community-level indicators of family planning service provision. The findings show that the presence of a nearby public health center is associated with higher modern-method adoption after a birth and lower method-failure rates; the presence of a pharmacy is associated with lower discontinuation due to side effects or health concerns. The degree of method-choice potential has a positive impact on both the rate of switching from the pill to another modern method and on modern-method adoption after a birth.     

Ondansetron is more effective than metoclopramide for the treatment of opioid-induced emesis in post-surgical adult patients. Ondansetron OIE Post-Surgical Study Group

Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of opioids administered for pain control. This double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study evaluated the anti-emetic efficacy and tolerability of single intravenous (i.v.) doses of ondansetron 8 mg, ondansetron 16 mg and metoclopramide 10 mg in the treatment of opioid-induced emesis. Adult patients undergoing low emetogenic surgical procedures, using a standardized anaesthesia regimen were assessed for 24 h following administration of study anti-emetic to treat established post-surgical opioid-induced emesis. A total of 4511 patients were enrolled of whom 1366 experienced opioid-induced emesis and received randomized study medication. Ondansetron 8 mg and 16 mg were significantly better than metoclopramide 10 mg (P < 0.05) for both complete control of emesis, complete control of nausea and other efficacy measures. There were no significant differences between the two ondansetron groups. All three treatments were well tolerated. In conclusion, this large, multicentre study demonstrates that ondansetron is more effective than metoclopramide in the treatment of opioid-induced emesis following administration of post-surgical opioids to control pain.     

Comparison of GENEHUNTER and MFLINK for analysis of COGA linkage data

We compared the NPLALL statistic from GENEHUNTER with two-point and three-point MALODs and MFLODs from MFLINK for all autosomal markers in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) data set. In general MFLINK produced more significant results than GENEHUNTER and implicated two regions containing candidate genes (ADH3 and DRD2). Many regions of interest identified in other studies reported at this workshop produced MALODs significant at p < or = 0.05, but these would not have been picked up by GENEHUNTER unless a less significant threshold were used.     

Back to the future for wound care?

The European Renaissance was a time of enormous change and rapid progress in the arts, sciences, and medicine. A glimpse of wound care in the last phase of the European Renaissance is provided by the analysis of work by Wilhelm Fabry, the "father of German surgery," as provided in his book De Combustionibus ("Burns") which details his range of treatments for the burn wound, as well as his approach to the later problems of scarring and contracture. We describe some of the historic events which may have stimulated Fabry's writings, in particular, the influences passed down from the medical school of Padua which thereby advanced the cause of wound care and surgery. Finally, we briefly explore the potential of such an approach to the works of our medical forefathers.