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Biomedical subjects

B Portnoy

Publications and source records attributed to B Portnoy.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of statistical packages for suitability for use by clinical investigators in medicine.

With the increased availability of personal computers and statistical software packages, it is inevitable that there will be increasing attempts by clinical investigators to perform data management and statistical analysis. Reviews of statistical packages are abundant in computer and statistical journals. However the majority of them were not written for clinical investigators in medicine. This paper presents an analytic approach to evaluate the suitability of statistical packages for use by clinical investigators for data-management and preliminary statistical-analysis purposes. The evaluation scheme addresses five areas of concern: availability of data-management features; availability of basic statistical-analysis features; ease of use; documentation; and quality of programs. Among six statistical packages reviewed by this process, CRISP is recommended as the most suitable package for clinical investigators to use for data-management and preliminary statistical-analysis purposes.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antigenicity and reactogenicity of influenza A/USSR/77 virus vaccine in children--a multicentered evaluation of dosage and safety.

Clinical trials of monovalent A/USSR/77 (H1N1) and trivalent A/USSR/77 (H1N1), A/Texas/77 (H3N2), and B/Hong Kong/72 inactivated influenza virus vaccines were carried out in 358 children and adolescents. Only split-virus vaccines were administered to children younger than 13 years of age. No serious local or systemic reactions were observed among the study participants. Two doses of vaccine containing 7-20 micrograms of the A/USSR/77 (H1N1) viral antigen were required to achieve serum titers of hemagglutinin-inhibiting (HA1) antibody greater than 1:40. However, single doses containing 7-20 micrograms of the A/Texas/77 (H3N2) or B/Hong Kong/72 antigens stimulated serum HAI antibody levels of 1:40.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Serum transaminase elevations in infants with rotavirus gastroenteritis.

Over a 6-week period, 35 (41%) of 86 infants admitted with diarrhea and dehydration were found to have human rotavirus (HRV) gastroenteritis, using the Rotazyme (RTZ) test. Serum transaminase levels were measured on 44 infants on admission and 72 infants during the first 3 days of hospitalization. On admission, RTZ-positive (RTZ+) infants had higher mean and median alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels [mean 87.5 U/L in RTZ+ vs. 50.0 U/L in RTZ-negative (RTZ-), p = 0.001; medium 60 U/L in RTZ+ vs. 41 U/L in RTZ- infants, p = 0.002], and higher mean and median aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels (mean 64.3 U/L in RTZ+ vs. 44.0 U/L in RTZ- infants, p = 0.008; median 67.5 U/L vs. 42.0 U/L, respectively, p = less than 0.05). On admission, 72% of RTZ+ vs. 19% of RTZ- infants had ALT levels greater than 50 U/L (p = 0.0004). Maximum ALT levels from the first 3 days were also higher in the RTZ+ group (67.7% of RTZ+ vs. 34.1% of RTZ- having levels greater than 50 U/L, p = 0.005). Transaminase elevations did not correlate with dehydration of any electrolyte abnormalities. These findings suggest that transaminase elevations are common in infants hospitalized with HRV enteritis.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Eat for health: a nutrition and cancer control supermarket intervention.

The growing evidence linking dietary patterns to the incidence and prevention of chronic disease has prompted a number of prominent health and scientific agencies to publish dietary guidelines for the public. Some dietary guidelines address specific diseases, such as cancer or heart disease; others focus on overall health promotion. This situation has created a demand for nutrition education and information programs for the public. Increasingly, supermarkets are seen as potential sites for effective consumer education. Eat for Health is a joint research study by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Giant Food Inc., a regional supermarket chain in the Washington-Baltimore area. The study's goal was to test the feasibility of supermarkets as a site for consumer nutrition education. Eat for Health's educational focus was diet and cancer control issues in the context of dietary patterns that promote health. Particular attention was paid to reduction of fat intake and increases in consumption of dietary fiber from grains, vegetables, and fruits. Analysis of program results is currently underway; data should be available in early 1990.

Advertising↗
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Maternal and child mortality along the U.S.-Mexico border.

This paper examines the maternal mortality and the age-specific mortality rates for the under 25 year olds in six border regions on the U.S. side of the U.S.-Mexico border and compares them with those of adjoining regions in Mexico. On the U.S. side of the border, the improvement in the general mortality status of maternal and child health from 1970 to 1980 was equal to or better than that of the nation as a whole. Despite this improvement, in 1980 five of the six border regions showed higher mortality rates due to external causes for the 1-4 age-group. On the Mexican side, maternal and child mortality was lower in the border region than in other parts of Mexico but much higher than in the United States. The 1-4 year olds in Mexico had the highest mortality rates among the three age-groups over 1 year of age.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

California's use of health statistics in child health planning.

The California Health Plan for Children, 1979, compiled by the Committee on Health Planning of California, District IX of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is an extensive report on health problems unique to the children of California. Since its publication, many local and state health agencies have been using it as a guide and source of data in their planning efforts for child and youth health. The creation of the plan demonstrated a successful working relationship between health care practitioners and biostatisticians, the acceptance by health professionals of the use of health statistics in planning, the different uses of health statistics in formulating recommendations, and an approach to organizing and summarizing large bodies of data. Nevertheless, our experience indicates that although collection systems for data on population, mortality, natality, morbidity, and health services statistics abound, their use in community health planning for subpopulations is still limited by problems in the definition, validity, and completeness of the data elements. The establishment of an individualized data system for the entire population, to be developed, coordinated, and controlled by one central agency, could be a significant step toward solving these long-standing problems in our data systems.

Adolescent↗