SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “list randomization”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,261 records · Page 70Linked to original sources

PubMed2000

Panic in a general practice population: prevalence, psychiatric comorbidity and associated disability.

BACKGROUND: Panic disorder and simple panic are known to be common disorders associated with various physical and psychological difficulties, but their prevalence rates as reported in the literature vary widely. This paper is the result of a survey of panic in a general practice population, and discusses prevalence rates, screening for panic and psychiatric comorbidity. Comparisons are made between subjects with and without panic with regard to their self-reported disability. METHODS: A random sample of 2000 individuals from the patient list of a group general practice were sent a questionnaire screening for panic attacks and asking for levels of everyday functioning and disability. Patients who screened positive for panic were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM III R. RESULTS: A total of 1152 people responded to the questionnaire. In this sample, the lifetime prevalence of panic was 8.6%, and well over half of these had single or multiple additional psychiatric diagnoses. People with panic were found to perceive themselves as significantly less physically and psychologically healthy. It was found that screening questions that focussed on the psychological symptoms of panic missed a significant proportion of subjects with panic, particularly men. CONCLUSION: The level of psychiatric comorbidity in this study mirrors that found by other investigators. The amount of perceived disability suffered by individuals with panic is considerable. This study may contribute to the argument that people with panic should be identified at an early stage, to prevent unnecessary investigation and ensure adequate treatment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Comparison of European and U.S. results for cephalosporin versus penicillin treatment of group A streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis.

The outcome of cephalosporin versus penicillin treatment of group A streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis may differ between Europe and the USA. In the present study, Medline, Embase, reference lists, and abstract searches were used to identify randomized, controlled trials of cephalosporin versus penicillin treatment of group A streptococcal (GAS) tonsillopharyngitis. The outcomes of interest were bacteriologic and clinical cure rates from investigations conducted in Europe versus those conducted in the USA. Forty-seven trials involving 11,426 patients were included in the meta-analyses. For the comparison of 10 days of treatment with cephalosporins versus 10 days of treatment with penicillin, there were ten European and 25 U.S. trials, all involving pediatric subjects. The overall odds ratio (OR) favored cephalosporins more strongly in bacteriologic cure rate in Europe (OR=4.27, p<0.00001) than in the USA (OR=2.70, p<0.00001). Studies of 4-5 days of cephalosporin treatment versus 10 days of penicillin treatment were also analyzed. For nine European trials, the OR significantly favored cephalosporins (OR=1.30, p=0.03) in bacteriologic cure rates, but not as strongly as in the USA, (OR=2.41, p<0.00001). When results for 4-5 days of cephalosporin treatment were divided into pediatric versus adult populations, the differences in bacteriologic eradication rates obtained with cephalosporins were more pronounced in children. The likelihood of bacteriologic and clinical failure of GAS tonsillopharyngitis treatment in both European and U.S. patients is significantly less if a 10-day course of oral cephalosporin is prescribed, and is at least similar, if not significantly less, with a 4- to 5-day course of oral cephalosporin compared with a 10-day course of oral penicillin.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Osteoporosis medications used by older African-American women: effects of socioeconomic status and psychosocial factors.

This study examined the effects of socioeconomic status, knowledge and Health Belief Model variables on ever use of hormone therapy and other osteoporosis medications among older African-American women. One-hundred and two African-American women, 60 years old or older, randomly selected from Registers of Voters and a list of participants in educational activities of a university hospital, were interviewed in their homes. Data collected concerned knowledge of osteoporosis, Health Belief Model variables, and cues to action such as history of hysterectomy, personal and family history of cancer, bone mineral density testing, and discussion with a physician about osteoporosis. Socioeconomic status indicators included years of education and household income. The average respondent age was 71.1 years; 47% were current or previous users (ever users) of hormone therapy, and 11% were ever users of other osteoporosis medications. Knowledge of osteoporosis, (odds ratio = 1.4), Hormone therapy benefits, (odds ratio = 1.63), a hysterectomy (odds ratio = 4.35), and a family history of cancer (odds ratio = 4.0) increased the odds of ever using hormone therapy. Perceptions of susceptibility (odds ratio = 3.5) and discussion with a physician about osteoporosis (odds ratio = 6.4) increased odds of ever using other osteoporosis medications. Socioeconomic status mediated the effects of knowledge of osteoporosis on ever using hormone therapy. Efforts to promote bone health to older African-American women should focus primary efforts to increasing perceptions of susceptibility to fracture and persuading physicians to initiate discussions about fracture prevention with African-American patients before a fracture occurs.

Black or African American↗

PubMed1993

A FORTRAN program for the statistical analysis of incomplete time series data sets by a method of partition.

A program written in FORTRAN-77 which executes an analysis for periodicity of a time series data set is presented. Time series analysis now has applicability and use in a wide range of biomedical studies. The analytical method termed here a method of partition is derived from periodogram analysis, but uses the principle of analysis of variance (ANOVA). It is effective when used on incomplete data sets. An example in which a data set is made progressively more incomplete by the random removal of values demonstrates this, and a listing of the program and a sample output in both an abbreviated and a full version are given.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2005

Treatment outcomes in 4 modes of orthodontic practice.

BACKGROUND: This study is a continuation of a previously published report on the outcome of orthodontic treatment provided in offices representing different modes of practice. METHODS: The sample consisted of duplicate pretreatment (T1) and posttreatment (T2) dental casts of 348 patients from traditional private orthodontic practices (5 offices, 134 patients), company-owned practices (5 offices, 107 patients), offices associated with practice-management organizations (2 offices, 60 patients), and general dental practices (2 offices, 47 patients). Methods were used to obtain random, representative samples from each office, starting with lists of patients who were treated consecutively with full fixed orthodontic appliances. The dental casts were measured by 2 independent judges who used the unweighted PAR score. RESULTS: Good interjudge agreement was shown on the initial casts, but the agreement was not as strong on the final casts. CONCLUSIONS: The measurements showed that treatment outcomes were generally satisfactory, although some significant differences between offices and management modes were shown.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Control selection and pesticide exposure assessment via GIS in prostate cancer studies.

BACKGROUND: Pesticide exposures have recently been linked to prostate cancer, but accurate exposure assessment to date has been challenging. Additionally, historical exposures have rarely been examined. The utility of a geographic information system (GIS)-based model for assessing residential exposure to pesticides is examined in a population-based case-control setting among groups easily recruited as control subjects. METHODS: Historical pesticide and land-use data were used to generate exposure measures for two distinct pesticides previously linked to prostate cancer risk for control series and prostate cancer cases in three rural California counties. Simple estimates of residential exposures for different exposure periods are compared between case and control groups and the value of complete residential histories is examined. RESULTS: Residential exposure to methyl bromide based on current address resulted in an overestimation of exposure for distant exposure periods, whereas exposures to organochlorines were similar regardless of availability of historical residence information. A response bias was detected in Medicare controls such that unexposed elderly control subjects were characterized by a higher response rate. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency and amount of application of pesticides seem to affect the bias introduced into GIS-based exposure assessments. Inclusion of subjects' complete residential histories into the computation of exposure estimates seems to reduce bias from this source, but it may also introduce an additional bias through control self-selection. The use of randomly sampled controls from Medicare and residential parcels listings independent of subject response seems to result in the opportunity for relatively unbiased estimates of pesticide exposures.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Results and recommendations from the helicopter EMS pilot safety survey 2005.

INTRODUCTION: In 2005, the Pilot Safety Study Group (PSSG), consisting of members of the Association of Air Medical Services Research Committee, wrote, distributed, and analyzed a survey of helicopter pilots regarding their knowledge, attitude, and perspectives on safety in the field of air medical transport. METHODS: The Pilot Safety Survey 2005 (PSS2005) was based on another survey--one that was sponsored by Helicopter Association International (HAI) and National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA) and administered to pilots in 2001. The PSS2005 pared questions down so that the survey could be completed in 15 minutes on the internet, and the answers were organized in a manner to simplify analysis. An electronic link to the survey was distributed in a non-randomized fashion to HEMS pilots using the mailing lists of various operators and HEMS programs. Questions were clustered into eight groupings of safety, with a majority of responses being categorical, lending themselves to cross-tabulations. RESULTS: The information gathered indicated that Helicopter EMS (HEMS) pilots are very experienced, with the average pilot logging 6,625 flight hours. Collectively, they took responsibility for HEMS accidents; with 92% of total respondents citing "pushing weather minimums" and 82% citing "pilot decision making" as the main reasons for crashes. Crew resource management (CRM) was well appreciated by the pilots; there appeared to be a positive correlation with programs that offer their employees CRM and the pilots' general perspective on safety. The survey was also clear that amongst 40% of the respondents, mission-oriented training needs improvement, and 74% responded that more realistic training in flight simulators would improve safety overall. Finally, 57% of the pilots both desired night vision goggles or devices (NVG/NVD) and believed that their usage would improve safety in the field of air medical transport (55% vs 45%, P = .0025). CONCLUSIONS: Although the recommendations from the PSS2005 are lacking in definite evidence for a decrease in HEMS crashes, we consider the direct input from pilots as critical in the absolute elimination of crashes in Helicopter EMS (Vision Zero). Pilots are, after all, the very ones held responsible for HEMS crashes. Based on these findings, the PSSG hopes that the HEMS community will incorporate the following recommendations into their standard practices. We recommend that all HEMS operators have annual and regular CRM training. We recommend that all HEMS pilots have annual and regular training in realistic flight simulators. Finally, we recommend that all HEMS aircraft be in possession of NVGs, and if this is not possible (eg, light pollution from a highly urbanized region or cost-benefit issues), then to have annual and regular mission-oriented nighttime training.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Oral cobalamin remains medicine's best kept secret.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in order to describe the use of oral cobalamin among geriatricians, hematologists, and general practitioners, and to explore factors related to its use. The study population consisted of all geriatricians (n = 138) and hematologists (n = 317) listed in the Canadian Medical Directory plus a random sample of 307 general practitioners. The overall response rate was 40%. Intramuscular and oral cobalamin was prescribed by 76 and 32% of the respondents, respectively. Twenty seven percent reported using both oral and intramuscular cobalamin and 6% reported using only oral cobalamin. Only 25% of respondents indicated they were aware of a RCT demonstrating the efficacy of oral cobalamin prior to reading a synopsis of the study in the survey. After multivariate adjustment, only the belief that oral cobalamin was effective and certainty about who carried oral preparations remained independently associated with oral cobalamin use. Oral cobalamin has been shown to be an efficacious, cost efficient and safe method of treating cobalamin deficiency. Nonetheless, it is not used by the majority of physicians treating this condition. Strategies to promote the use of oral cobalamin should be directed at educating physicians of its efficacy and providing them with prescribing information on where it can be purchased.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed2005

Does clinician treatment choice improve the outcomes of manual therapy for nonspecific low back pain? A metaanalysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to quantitatively compare outcomes for trials when treating clinicians did, or did not, have the discretion to decide on treatment technique. METHODS: CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database, the Cochrane Controlled Trials register, reference list searching, and citation tracking were investigated. Ten randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mobilization and manipulation for nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP) met the inclusion criteria. The effectiveness of manual therapy with and without clinician technique choice was assessed using descriptive statistics and metaanalysis for the outcomes of pain and activity limitation. RESULTS: In approximately two thirds of the included RCTs, clinicians had choice of treatment technique. There were no systematic differences favoring results for RCTs that did allow clinician choice of treatment technique. CONCLUSIONS: Few quality studies are available, and conclusions on the basis of these data need to be interpreted with caution. However, allowing clinicians to choose from a number of treatment techniques does not appear to have improved the outcomes of these RCTs that have investigated the effect of manual therapy for NSLBP. If tailoring manual therapy treatment to NSLBP patients does positively impact on patient outcomes, this is not yet systematically apparent.

Choice Behavior↗

PubMed2004

Nurse practitioner knowledge of chronic venous disease: a randomized survey of nurse practitioners in Missouri.

Adult nurse practitioners (NPs) and family practice NPs were randomly sampled (N = 411) from the Missouri 2002 list of certified advanced practice nurses. These practitioners were sent a cover letter and the Diseases of Veins Explanation Survey, which was originally developed for assessing patients' explanatory model of the disease. The Diseases of Veins Explanation Survey was tested and revised with professionals (experts) to determine adequate knowledge of the disease. The survey has 5 sections focusing on chronic venous disease: causes, signs, results, treatments, and efficacy of treatments. Section scores and a total score for the participants were calculated by using the expert panel answer model. A total of 138 practitioners responded, with an additional 37 letters returned with an incorrect address, for a total usable response rate of 34%. Demographics of the participants are presented, as well as comparisons between the expert mean section scores and the mean section scores of the NPs. The section scores of the NPs were not significantly different than the section scores of the expert panel; however, the total score of the NPs was significantly different from that of the expert panel ( P =.05). This, plus individual item differences, has implications for NP education and practice.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Male complications of female genital mutilation.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is known to cause a wide range of immediate and long-term complications for women subjected to the practice. Male complications due to FGM have, however, not been described before. The objectives of this study were to explore male complications and attitudes with regard to FGM. A village in the Gezira Scheme along the Blue Nile in Sudan constituted the basis of the study. Interviews were carried out according to a pre-tested questionnaire, using structured questions with open-answer possibilities. Married men of the youngest parental generation and grandfathers were randomly selected from up-to-date election lists. All respondents except one agreed to be interviewed. A total of 59 men were interviewed, 29 young men and 30 grandfathers. Male complications resulting from FGM, such as difficulty in penetration, wounds/infections on the penis and psychological problems were described by a majority of the men. Most men were also aware of the female complications. More young than old respondents would have accepted a woman without FGM to become their daughter-in-law (p < 0.03). A majority of the young men would have preferred to marry a woman without FGM. This proportion was significantly higher than among the grandfathers (p < 0.01). Female genital mutilation can no longer be considered to be only an issue for women. The acknowledged male complications and attitudes described may open new possibilities to counteract the practice of FGM.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

[Complications of difficult tracheal intubations in a critical care unit] .

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed in order to evaluate the frequency of DI, the predictive factors of DI and to list the related complications. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective non randomized, open study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients intubated in the critical care unit during the five months of the study were included. The previous history and clinical setting of the patients, the conditions and the complications of intubation were collected. DI was defined when the procedure required more than two laryngoscopies. RESULTS: The study included 80 patients. The rate of DI was 22.5%. The Mallampati score (p < 0.001) was the only predictive factor. The frequency of complications was 25%. This rate was 55% for DI versus 16% for easy intubations (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study confirms the high incidence of DI and associated complications in critical care. We suggest the development of airway management protocols in critical care unit in order to reduce the rate of DI.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

The Cochrane Library: more systematic reviews on nutrition needed.

The knowledge and relevance of nutrition as well as the demand for well-funded advices increase. The Cochrane Collaboration plays a leading role within the evidence-based medicine and practice. We advocate therefore more specialized nutritional interest within the Cochrane Collaboration. In case 'Nutrition' needs more attention within the Cochrane Library, one of the first priorities is deciding about whether to include non-randomized studies into the Specialized Register and generating lists of journals to handsearch for such a Specialized Register. Preparatory to these activities an inventory of Nutritional content within the Cochrane Library is needed. We estimate that reviews directly related to nutrition and those of borderline interest to nutrition represent less than 4% of all published reviews in The Cochrane Library.

Databases, Bibliographic↗

PubMed2006

Call-related factors influencing output power from mobile phones.

Mobile phone use is increasing but there is also concern for adverse health effects. Well-designed prospective studies to assess several health outcomes are required. In designing a study of mobile phone use, it is important to assess which factors need to be considered in classifying the exposure to radiofrequency fields (RF). A pilot study was performed in Sweden and in the UK 2002 to 2003 to test the feasibility of recruiting a cohort of mobile phone users from a random population sample and from mobile phone subscription lists for a prospective study. As one part of this pilot study, different factors were evaluated regarding possible influence on the output power of the phones. By local switch logging, information on calls made from predefined subscriptions or dedicated handsets were obtained and the output power of phones during calls made indoors and outdoors, in moving and stationary mode, and in rural as well in urban areas were compared. In this experiment, calls were either 1, 1.5 or 5 min long. The results showed that high mobile phone output power is more frequent in rural areas whereas the other factors (length of call, moving/stationary, indoor/outdoor) were of less importance. Urban and rural area should be considered in an exposure index for classification of the exposure to RF from mobile phones and may be assessed by first base station during mobile phone calls or, if this information is not available, possibly by using home address as a proxy.

Cell Phone↗

PubMed1998

Associations of protein C and protein S with serum lipid concentrations.

Difficulties in the laboratory measurement of protein C and protein S levels cause problems in the diagnosis of deficiency states in individual patients and may complicate estimation of the prevalence of these states in the general population. Some difficulties may be due to unappreciated influences affecting the measured levels of proteins C and S. We measured protein C activity and antigen, total and free protein S antigen, and serum total cholesterol, high-density cholesterol and triglyceride in a community-based study of 150 adults (73 male, 77 female), age range 23-80 years. Participants were identified from the list of a single general practice by stratified random sampling within sex and decade of age. Protein C activity and antigen were strongly associated with serum lipids, mean levels increasing by approximately 0.25 u/ml as total cholesterol and triglyceride concentration each rose from the 5th to 95th centile. Total protein S antigen concentration was associated with total cholesterol, the mean rising by over 0.1 u/ml as total cholesterol increased from the 5th to the 95th centile, whilst a similar rise in triglyceride was associated with an increase in mean free protein S of more than 0.3 u/ml. Overall, physiological variation in total cholesterol and triglyceride concentration was associated with significant variation in protein C and protein S levels, independent of age and sex, suggesting that it is important to take serum lipids into account when investigating patients for protein C or protein S deficiency. Failure to do so may be misleading in some circumstances.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Attitudes and practices of doctors toward domestic violence victims in South Africa.

Our study intended to ascertain doctors' attitudes and practices toward domestic violence in a sample of 402 doctors randomly chosen for a mail survey from a list of registered medical practitioners in South Africa. We found that the mean number of patients treated for domestic violence per month was 11.4 (SD = 13.4); for White doctors 15.8, African Black 6.2, and for Asian doctors 5.3. The high frequency of domestic violence detected in this sample seems to reflect national surveys on domestic violence. Most doctors believed that they should play a role in prevention and treatment, and their attitudes toward victims of domestic violence were generally sympathetic and supportive. Male doctors and long-serving practitioners tended to have more conservative views of the causes and attitudes of spousal assault and of the doctors' role in prevention. Only 9.7% of the doctors had received any training on domestic violence. Further research is needed to establish the prevalence of domestic violence in women presenting to medical practitioners and to investigate how the problem currently is being addressed.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

The description of activities of daily living in five centres in England and Wales. Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study.

OBJECTIVES: the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study is a longitudinal study of health and well-being of the ageing UK population. We present the screening interview which assesses how this group copes with activities of daily living (ADL), and characteristic ranges for the total score of these activities by age and DESIGN: random sampling was from Family Health Service Authority lists in three urban and two rural areas, including institutions. Participants (n = 13,009) in their 65th year and over were interviewed between 1991 and 1994. The sample was stratified to provide equal numbers in the 65-74 and 75 years and over age groups. Each participant was asked about socio-demographic variables, cognitive function, physical health, medication and ADL (based on the nine items from the self-reported Townsend's disability scale). RESULTS: the scale shows good reliability and validity in this study. There is a high frequency of disability amongst the oldest old, and relationships between ability and age and between ability and sex and other sociodemographic variables: the risk of having difficulty increases with living away from home, with poorer eyesight and speech, with lower social class and with lack of further education. Projections of the number (and percentage) of severely disabled over-65-year-olds in the UK in 2011 and 2051 are 1.4 million (2.2%) and 2.3 million (3.9%) respectively.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2003

Prior history of allergies and pancreatic cancer in the San Francisco Bay area.

Data from a large population-based case-control study conducted in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1994 and 2001 were analyzed to examine the association between pancreatic cancer and history of allergic conditions. Pancreatic cancer cases (n = 532) had to be 21-85 years of age and were identified using rapid case ascertainment. Random digit dialing and Health Care Financing Administration lists (age, > or = 65 years) were used to obtain 1,701 controls who were frequency-matched to cases by sex and age within 5 years. In-person interviews were conducted and detailed allergy history data were obtained for all participants. Prior history of any allergy was associated with a reduced risk estimate for pancreatic cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63, 0.95). Inverse associations were observed for common allergens, including house dust (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.94), cats (OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.41, 0.85), plants (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.62, 0.96), and mold (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.75), and for all allergic symptoms, although some confidence intervals included unity. Trends were observed for decreased risks associated with increasing number of allergies (p = 0.0006) and severity of allergic symptoms (p = 0.003). These results provide support for the plausibility that immune function in relation to allergies may play a role in the etiology of pancreatic cancer.

Adult↗