Effects of simplifying choice tasks on estimates of taste heterogeneity in stated-choice surveys

Researchers usually employ orthogonal arrays or D-optimal designs with little or no attribute overlap in stated-choice surveys. The challenge is to balance statistical efficiency and respondent burden to minimize the overall error in the survey responses. This study examined whether simplifying the choice task, by using a design with more overlap, provides advantages over standard minimum-overlap methods. We administered two designs for eliciting HIV test preferences to split samples. Surveys were undertaken at four HIV testing locations in San Francisco, California. Personal characteristics had different effects on willingness to pay for the two treatments, and gains in statistical efficiency in the minimal-overlap version more than compensated for possible imprecision from increased measurement error.     

Providence School Asthma Partnership: School-based Asthma Program for Inner-City Families

Over 3 years, 972 families participated in an after-school asthma program at their child's school. Parents and children attended concurrent 2¹/₂ -hour workshops. Parents were 74% Latino; 45% non-English speaking, with 77% of children on Medicaid. Asthma symptoms were significantly reduced, from multiple times per week to less than once per week on average. Oral steroid use decreased to one third of baseline use. Hospital days decreased from 11% to 2%; emergency visits decreased 35% to 4%; and school days missed decreased 48% to 20%. This program has now become sustainable with both private and Medicaid insurance coverage.     

Serum IgA and IgG functional antibodies and their subclasses to Streptococcus pneumoniae capsular antigen found in two aged‐matched cohorts of children with and without otitis media with effusion

Serum IgA and IgG functional antibodies and their subclasses to Streptococcus pneumoniae capsular antigen found in two aged‐matched cohorts of children with and without otitis media with effusion The relationship between acute otitis media and otitis media with effusion (OME) is uncertain and the aetiology of OME is multifactorial. Otitis media with effusion may be an inflammatory condition; both bacteria and viral infections could play a part in this inflammation. The four bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenza, Staphylococcus aureus and Branhamella catarrhalis cause 60% of the infections whereas S. pneumoniae accounts for up to 35%. IgA provides the dominant surface response to polysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide antigens, of which IgA₂ is the main subclass. Once the mucosa has been breached, most protection is provided by IgG. IgG₂ acts mainly against bacterial capsular antigens. This study looked at two groups of 50 children with and without OME who were aged between 3 and 10 years. The aims were to determine if, firstly, the levels of the serum immunoglobulins were different in the two groups, secondly whether these children made the appropriate antibody response to the capsular antigen to S. pneumoniae (PCP), and finally if there was a delay in the maturity of the IgA response. The total IgG, IgA and all subclass levels were measured using radial immunodiffusion. Levels of functional IgA and IgG were measured using ELISAs (25 patients in each group). The results were analysed with non‐parametric tests. The immunoglobulin levels were within the normal levels for both groups. There were very good correlations between the IgG total anti‐PCP and the IgG₂ anti‐PCP (R > 0.9, p = 0.001). There was a good correlation between the levels of both IgG total and IgG₂ anti‐PCP against IgA total anti‐PCP in both groups (R > 0.85, p > 0.01). This confirms a normal antibody response between both groups of patients. The ages of the controls and patients (50 samples) were correlated with increasing titres of circulating functional antibodies (P = 0.001). This is highly suggestive of a normal age‐related response. In conclusion, the findings were contradictory to our original hypothesis that there is a subtle difference in surface protection between children with and without OME. We believe that a previous history of recurrent acute otitis media is unrelated to the development of OME after 3 years of age.     

The clinical phenotypes of juvenile bipolar disorder: toward a validation of the episodic-chronic-distinction.

BACKGROUND: Recent research has addressed the issue of subtyping juvenile bipolar disorder (JBD). Accordingly, we set out to find out, in a naturalistic sample of bipolar children and adolescents with mania and mixed mania, whether the most useful subtyping should be based on clinical features (elated vs. irritable) or course (episodic vs. chronic). METHODS: We studied 136 patients, 81 male patients (59.6%) and 55 female patients (40.4%), mean age 13.5 +/- 2.9 years, meeting the DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar disorder, assessed by a structured clinical interview (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version [K-SADS-PL]). RESULTS: Regarding course, 77 patients (56.6%) had an episodic course and 59 patients (43.4%) had a chronic course. Patients with chronic course were significantly younger, had an earlier onset of JBD, and presented a more frequent comorbidity with disruptive behavior disorders. According to the prevalent mood disturbance, 75 patients (55.1%) showed an elated and 61 patients (44.9%) showed an irritable mood. Elated mood was more frequent in patients with episodic course, whereas irritable mood was more frequent in the patients with chronic course. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that chronic versus episodic course may be a putative differential feature. Further validation of such a distinction would require prospective studies, temperament evaluation, gender and neurobiologic approaches, and differential psychopharmacologic assignment and response.     

股静脉置管在小儿重症烧伤救治中的应用

目的:为保障MEBT／MEBO的疗效,探讨股静脉置管在小儿重症烧伤中的应用价值。方法:回顾接受MEBT／MEBO治疗的36例小儿重症烧伤患者,总结分析采用股静脉置管进行输液治疗的操作特点、穿刺结果、并发症及护理经验。结果:36例小儿重症烧伤均一次穿刺成功,迅速建立了静脉输液通道,满足了液体量补充。结论:股静脉置管能够有效维持小儿重症烧伤体液循环及静脉药物的供给,有助于MEBT／MEBO的顺利实施。     

Pediatric lupus versus adult lupus role of the laboratory

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the archetypical immunologic disease. Approximately 20% of patients present in the first two decades of life. This article highlights some of the differences between pediatric and adult onset lupus.Children are defined as different from adults on the basis of age. Lupus presents with different gender ratios based on hormonal or pubertal status with more significant skewing toward female patients in the childbearing years. Female patients in the childbearing years appear to have a higher relative risk for mortality. Despite this, children have greater disease severity at onset based on the number of patients who present with significant organ inflammation, the amount of corticosteroids required and the abnormalities in lupus serologies including autoantibodies and low complements. Children present frequently with congenital and acquired complement defects. Children have an increased risk of infections that can be confused with lupus. They have a higher risk of serious pneumococcal infection and may have less protection from vaccinations received at the time of disease onset.The clinical immunology laboratory is critical in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric SLE. The rapid analysis and transfer of laboratory results can be life saving for the child with suspected new onset lupus. The laboratory is also helpful in determining disease activity through analysis of immunologic trends over time in pediatric lupus patients. This is especially important in the noncompliant adolescent patient who has a correlation between disease activity and lupus serologic tests. Finally, the clinical immunology laboratory is an important tool for better understanding of the immunologic phenomena associated with lupus and of disease pathophysiology.     

不良生活方式与高血压病的流行病学调查分析

目的:调查不良生活方式对高血压发病的影响。方法:以国际通用血压测量方法对全区15 384人进行整群随机抽样调查,着重对有、无不良生活方式的两组人群进行高血压患病率调查,及相对危险度(RR)、归因危险度(AR)、人群归因危险度(ARp)、U检验等的检测,以及相关及多元回归分析。结果:食盐量≥12 g/d高血压患病率31.6％,<12 g/d的为 4.4％(P<0.001,RR 7.3,AR 27.3,ARp 57.2％,r=0.8517);BMI>24高血压患病率 23.2％,<24者 6.4％(P<0.001,RR 3.7,AR 16.9,ARp 37.2％,r=0.3215);肥胖患病率 34.7％,无肥胖8.1％(P<0.001,RR 4.3,AR 26.6％,ARp 19.7％,r=0.3529);油腻饮食高血压患病率14.8％,非油腻饮食8.7％(P<0.001,RR1.7,AR 6.1,ARp 13.9％,r=0.3853);吸烟高血压患病率 12.5％,非吸烟 9.2％(P<0.001,RR1.4,AR 3.3,ARp 8.3％,r=0.8403);饮酒患病率 12.7％,非饮酒 9.4％(P<0.001,RR1.35,AR 3.3,ARp6.7％,r=0.4650)。为进一步了解各危险因子与高血压患病率之间的数量关系和对高血压影响作用的大小,对所有对象用年龄(15～80岁)进行了分组,龄差1岁,共66组,多元回归结果为:偏相关系数0.3775～0.0809,建立的统计模型达到极显著水平(P<0.001),复相关系数0.9525。6个回归因子中按对高血压患病率影响(偏相关系数)大小排序: