United states non-Hodgkin's lymphoma surveillance by occupation 1984-1989: A twenty-four state death certificate study

Death certificates from 23,890 male and female non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) cases and 119,450 noncancer controls from 24 states for the period 1984-1989 were used to generate hypotheses regarding occupational associations. Cases were frequency matched by age, race, and gender with five controls per case. Odds ratios were calculated for 231 industries and 509 occupations. Significant associations were observed for a variety of white-collar professionals (i.e., real estate agents, secretaries, bookkeepers, teachers, postal employees, business agents, engineers, chemists, and medical professionals) and blue-collar occupations (i.e., firefighters, farm managers, aircraft mechanics, electronic repairers, mining machine operators, and crane and tower operators). © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

广西武鸣华侨农场心血管病危险因素的调查研究

对广西武鸣华侨农场4158人进行基线普查,410人进行膳食调查和作8小时夜尿电解质测定,并将高血压低发区广西的资料与高发区的北京作对比.结果显示,体重指数高是高血压一个重要的危险因素,而体重过重又与膳食中摄入碳水化合物和总热量大有关.另一主要的危险因素是钠,膳食中摄入钠高,尿Na和Na/K比值高者,血压水平和高血压的患病率亦高.     

应用QQC活动提高儿科静脉穿刺成功率

目的提高静脉穿刺成功率，减少患儿因反复穿刺造成的痛苦及恐惧，减轻家长因担心穿刺困难而产生的焦虑，提高治疗和抢救的效率。方法详细介绍了QQC活动在提高儿科静脉穿刺成功率的应用，包括找出目前存在的问题，确定目标、采用流程图的方法分析问题存在的原因，制定相应的质量改进方案，并测量实施结果。结果实施QQC活动后静脉穿刺成功率比实施前明显提高。结论有效的QQC活动可以提高静脉穿刺成功率。     

Diuretic and hypotensive actions of torasemide in hypertensive models of rat

The diuretic and the antihypertensive actions of torasemide were examined in renal and genetic hypertensive rats and compared to the effects of furosemide. Oral administration of torasemide (1 and 3 mg/kg) elicited a dose-dependent increase in the excretion of urine and electrolytes and elevated the urinary Na/K ratio in both renal and genetic hypertensive rats. Torasemide and furosemide had a similar maximum diuretic effect in the normotensive Wistar rat and the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). However, the diuretic activity of furosemide was weaker in the renal hypertensive rat (RHR). Torasemide showed approximately 30 times greater diuretic potency than furosemide. Torasemide and furosemide demonstrated hypotensive action in hypertensive rat models, but not in the normotensive Wistar rat. Especially in the RHR, torasemide exhibited a more potent hypotensive action than furosemide. These results show that the diuretic and antihypertensive activities of torasemide are effective in various rat models of hypertension, while the diuretic activity of furosemide is weak in certain hypertensive rat models. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

不同类型精神分裂症患者脑脊液色氨酸及其与竞争性氨基酸比值对照研究

应用高压液相色谱（ＰＨＬＣ）对４２例阳性精神分裂症患者、２５例阴性精神分裂症患者及１０例健康正常对照组脑脊液中色氨酸（Ｔｒｙｔｏｐｈａｎ，ＴＲＰ）和酪氢酸（Ｔｙｒｏｓｉｎｅ，Ｔｙｒ）进行测试，其中ＴＲＰ／Ｔｙｒ被作为两者竞争指数，结果提示阳性、阴性精神分裂症患者脑脊液中Ｔｙｒ显著性降低，而ＴＲＰ则无显著性变化。但发现阳性精神分裂症患者的ＴＲＰ／Ｔｙｒ比值显著高于正常对照组，也显著高于阴性精神分裂症患者，本文结合ＴＲＰ／Ｔｙｒ的意义与价值进行了讨论。     

Evaluation of hypothesis testing for comparing two populations using NONMEM analysis

In a simulation study of inference on population pharmacokinetic parameters, two methods of performing tests of hypotheses comparing two populations using NONMEM were evaluated. These two methods are the test based upon 95% confidence intervals and the likelihood ratio test. Data were simulated according to a monoexponential model and, in that context, power curves for each test were generated for (i)the ratio of mean clearance and (ii)the ratio of the population standard deviations of clearance. To generate the power curves, a range of these parameters was employed; other pharmacokinetic parameters were selected to reflect the variability typically present in a Phase II clinical trial. For tests comparing the means, the confidence interval tests had approximately the same power as the likelihood ratio tests and were consistently more faithful to the nominal level of significance. For comparison of the standard deviations, and when the volume of information available was relatively small, however, the likelihood ratio test was more able to detect differences between the two groups. These results were then compared to results on parameter estimation in order to gain insight into the question of power. As an example, the nonnormality of estimates of the ratio of standard deviations plays an important role in explaining the low power for the confidence interval tests. We conclude that, except for the situation of modeling standard deviations with only sparse information, NONMEM produces tests of significance that are effective at detecting clinically significant differences between two populations.Partial support from the Upjohn Company, NIH-BRSG SO RR 07066, and the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation.     

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目的　探讨一种更精确而行之有效的测量甲状腺残留量的方法。方法　自 1996～ 2 0 0 1年对 15例原发性甲状腺功能亢进症病人于术前经CT对甲状腺进行体积测量 ,于双侧甲状腺次全切除术后 ,再用增强CT对上述病人残留甲状腺进行体积测量 ,并与术中测得残留量比较。结果　术中测得残留量 2 8～ 13 0 g ,术后CT测量为 3 4～ 16 6g ,二者之间有一定误差 (P =0 0 6 7) ,产生原因主要为术者对残留甲状腺背面气管旁沟处的不规则腺体测量不准确。体积切除率 83 1%～ 97 9% ,体积残留率 2 1%～ 17 9% ,活体组织相对体积质量 (1 0 5 4 8± 0 0 2 0 5 ) g/cm3 ,离体组织相对体积质量 (1 0 6 4 8± 0 0 188) g/cm3 。结论　CT测量更接近实际残留量 ,可重复性强 ,可比性强。体积残留率比腺体残留重量、手术切除率更具有个性化参考意义。     

Independent component analysis and clustering improve signal-to-noise ratio for statistical analysis of event-related potentials

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a new method of using Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and k-means clustering to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of Event-Related Potential (ERP) measurements while permitting standard statistical comparisons to be made despite the inter-subject variations characteristic of ICA. METHODS: Per-subject ICA results were used to create a channel pool, with unequal weights, that could be applied consistently across subjects. Signals derived from this and other pooling schemes, and from unpooled electrodes, were subjected to identical statistical analysis of the N170 own-face effect in a Joe/No Joe face recognition paradigm wherein participants monitored for a target face (Joe) presented amongst other unfamiliar faces and their own face. Results between the Joe, unfamiliar face and own face conditions were compared using Cohen's d statistic (square root of signal-to-noise ratio) to measure effect size. RESULTS: When the own-face condition was compared to the Joe and unfamiliar-face conditions, the channel map method increased effect size by a factor ranging from 1.2 to 2.2. These results stand in contrast to previous findings, where conventional pooling schemes failed to reveal an N170 effect to the own-face stimulus (Tanaka JW, Curran T, Porterfield A, Collins D. The activation of pre-existing and acquired face representations: the N250 ERP as an index of face familiarity. J Cogn Neurosci 2006;18:1488-97). Consistent with conventional pooling schemes, the channel map approach showed no reliable differences between the Joe and Unfamiliar face conditions, yielding a decrease in effect size ranging from 0.13 to 0.75. CONCLUSIONS: By increasing the signal-to-noise ratio in the measured waveforms, the channel pool method demonstrated an enhanced sensitivity to the neurophysiological response to own-face relative to other faces. SIGNIFICANCE: By overcoming the characteristic inter-subject variations of ICA, this work allows classic ERP analysis methods to exploit the improved signal-to-noise ratio obtainable with ICA.     

Digital computer analysis of dermatoscopical images of 260 melanocytic skin lesions; perimeter/area ratio for the differentiation between malignant melanomas and melanocytic nevi

BACKGROUND: Digital computer analysis of dermatoscopical images has been reported to facilitate the differential diagnosis of pigmented skin lesions in recent years. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to perform digital computer analysis of a set of different melanocytic lesions and compare the objective results. METHODS: The set of 260 melanocytic lesions (150 excised difficult cases (46 melanomas, 47 atypical nevi, 57 common nevi and 110 unexcised common nevi) was automatically analysed by the digital dermatoscopical system microDERM. We searched for differences in asymmetry, size, compactness and colour distribution. Perimeter/area ratio was calculated. RESULTS: The perimeter/area ratio was detected as the most important criterion for differentiation between malignant and benign melanocytic lesions (sensitivity 91.3% and specificity 90.7% for malignant melanomas vs. all benign nevi; sensitivity 91.3% and specificity 80.8% for melanomas vs. clinically atypical nevi). Differences in size of the lesion, shape and asymmetry of colour were found and statistically verified. Using step-wise logistic regression the formula for calculation of probability of malignant nature of every analysed lesion was constructed. CONCLUSION: The perimeter/area ratio is a simple parameter for the differential diagnosis of melanocytic skin lesions.     

Ventricular enlargement, clinical correlates and treatment outcome in chronic schizophrenic inpatients.

The ventricle-brain ratio (VBR) of 42 chronic schizophrenic patients was compared with that of 42 age-matched medical controls. For the schizophrenics, the relationship of various clinical parameters to the VBR was assessed, and the outcome of 12 weeks of double-blind treatment with either risperidone or haloperidol. The results confirm that schizophrenic patients have slightly enlarged lateral ventricles compared with medical controls. Only for schizophrenics, an effect of age, but not of duration of illness, was noticed. This study does not support the validity of a clinical subdivision of chronic schizophrenic patients on the basis of the VBR. Neither negative, positive nor general psychopathological symptoms, as measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia (PANSS), were related to the VBR, nor were abnormal involuntary movements or extrapyramidal symptoms. No association between season of birth or a family history of major mental disorder and VBR could be demonstrated. Treatment response was predicted by the total PANSS score and the PANSS general psychopathology subscale score at baseline. There was a trend for patients with higher VBR to have a more or haloperidol). or haloperidol).