Microformats: Three Proposed Standards for Solving the Need for Standard Data Presentation

The continuous glucose monitor market is just starting to develop. Current trends in the availability of diabetes information tools highlight the need for standard data presentation for continuous glucose monitors. These trends and their implications are discussed. This article proposes a set of standards for blood glucose data presentation. If device manufacturers adopt these standards, they will ensure that their continuous glucose monitors meet both the short-term and the long-term needs of users. This should increase the demand for these monitors and enable future device developments that appeal to a wider range of users.     

One‐ and two‐stage design proposals for a phase II trial comparing three active treatments with control using an ordered categorical endpoint

Phase II clinical trials are performed to investigate whether a novel treatment shows sufficient promise of efficacy to justify its evaluation in a subsequent definitive phase III trial, and they are often also used to select the dose to take forward. In this paper we discuss different design proposals for a phase II trial in which three active treatment doses and a placebo control are to be compared in terms of a single‐ordered categorical endpoint. The sample size requirements for one‐stage and two‐stage designs are derived, based on an approach similar to that of Dunnett. Detailed computations are prepared for an illustrative example concerning a study in stroke. Allowance for early stopping for futility is made. Simulations are used to verify that the specified type I error and power requirements are valid, despite certain approximations used in the derivation of sample size. The advantages and disadvantages of the different designs are discussed, and the scope for extending the approach to different forms of endpoint is considered. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurement in clinical trials: A neglected issue for statisticians?

Biostatisticians have frequently uncritically accepted the measurements provided by their medical colleagues engaged in clinical research. Such measures often involve considerable loss of information. Particularly, unfortunate is the widespread use of the so‐called ‘responder analysis’, which may involve not only a loss of information through dichotomization, but also extravagant and unjustified causal inference regarding individual treatment effects at the patient level, and, increasingly, the use of the so‐called number needed to treat scale of measurement. Other problems involve inefficient use of baseline measurements, the use of covariates measured after the start of treatment, the interpretation of titrations and composite response measures. Many of these bad practices are becoming enshrined in the regulatory guidance to the pharmaceutical industry. We consider the losses involved in inappropriate measures and suggest that statisticians should pay more attention to this aspect of their work. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

护理本科生关爱能力调查分析

目的了解护理本科生关爱能力现状,为护理本科生关爱能力的培养提供依据。方法采用关爱能力评价表,对四川省4所医学院校579名护理本科生关爱能力进行问卷调查。结果护理本科生关爱能力评分为189.72±19.57,在各维度中耐心维度得分最高,勇气维度得分最低;不同性别、民族、是否独生子女关爱能力比较,差异无显著性意义（均P〉0.05）;四年级护理本科生关爱能力评分显著高于二、三年级（均P〈0.05）。结论护理本科生关爱能力仍需提高,建议从实践关爱和课程设置等方面提高护理本科生的关爱能力。     

Occupational injury and illness in the semiconductor manufacturing industry

Two thousand nine hundred and ninety-four reports of OSHA-reportable occupational injury or illness cases in 1984 from member companies of a national trade association of semiconductor manufacturing firms were analyzed. The 37 participating manufacturing facilities represented 16 companies employing over 95,000 persons, or approximately one-third of the U.S. work force for this industry in 1984. The annual incidence rate for all reportable injuries and illnesses was 2.7 per 100 full-time employees (FTE) for men and 3.7 per 100 FTE for women. Strains, sprains, or dislocations were the most frequently reported incidents (N = 956 [31.9%]), followed by cuts, lacerations, punctures, scratches, and abrasions (N = 445 [14.9%]), and chemical burns (N = 401 [13.4%]). Increased work-loss days per case were associated with manufacturing sites that did not have an employee health clinic on the premises, with custodial occupations, and with female gender.     

Factors leading to long-term hospitalization after laparoscopic appendectomy.

BACKGROUND: Randomized studies demonstrate that laparoscopic appendectomy yields better results compared with open techniques. We sought to identify factors that determine an extended hospital stay among patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy. METHODS: This was a prospective study including 669 patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy. We analyzed variables that can predict the length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Of 669 patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy, 141 stayed in the hospital for > or = 5 days (Group 1), and 97 stayed in the hospital for < or = 1 day after surgery (Group 2). The univariate analysis demonstrated that fever (P<0.0001), nausea and vomiting (P=0.060), leukocytosis (P<0.0001), gangrened or perforated intraoperative appearance of the appendix (P<0.0001), and appendix position behind the ileocecal junction (P<0.001) were related to a longer hospital stay. The multivariate analysis through logistical regression showed that the factors independently and significantly associated with an extended hospital stay were presurgical fever, appendix position behind the ileocecal junction, and intraoperative gangrened or perforated appearance of the appendix. CONCLUSION: Fever, appearance, and position of the appendix are factors related to an extended hospital stay.     

A highly variable STR at the D12S391 locus

A total of 103 fragments in the STR D12S391 locus were sequenced. 24 different alleles were found which can be grouped into 12 allelic classes based on the total number of repeats. The structure of this compund STR consists of blocks of (AGAT) and (AGAC) repeats with a consensus structure (AGAT)_8–l7 (AGAC)_6–10 (AGAT)_0–1. Whereas shorter alleles only have (AGAT) repeats, > 225 bp alleles are more complex, having two motifs (AGAT) and (AGAC). Population data showed that this to be a highly polymorphic STR with a heterozygosity of 0.9. This fact together with its simple structure make this STR very suitable for forensic and genetic purposes.     

基于实验均方误差F值的基因表达数据最佳聚类评判方法研究

目的 近年来产生了一些用于分析基因表达数据的聚类算法，却很少有关于评价聚类算法方法的研究。本研究的目的是尝试建立一个定量的评价基因表达数据聚类结果的方法。方法 本研究提供了一个系统的评价聚类结果的方法，利用我们提出的实验均方误差F值对几个常见的聚类算法进行比较。结果 利用F值对类质量的评价和利用已有的生物学知识对类进行分析的结果一致。结论 实验均方误差F值可以定量地评判用于基因表达数据的聚类算法。