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Biomedical subjects

R R Frerichs

Publications and source records attributed to R R Frerichs.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Saliva-based HIV-antibody testing in Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether saliva could serve as an alternative to serum for HIV-antibody testing in an ongoing sentinel surveillance program in Thailand. METHODS: Serum and saliva specimens were collected from 1955 individuals in four of the 73 sentinel sites of the national surveillance program in Thailand. Intravenous drug users, female prostitutes, and men attending sexually transmitted disease clinics were included as participants. All specimens were collected and tested anonymously. Saliva was gathered with the Omni-Sal collection device and analyzed for the presence of HIV antibodies using the immunoglobulin G antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (GACELISA) laboratory test, specially designed for low concentration body fluids. Our gold standard was serum, collected and analyzed independently from the saliva specimens, using an ELISA test for screening and Western blot for confirmation. Linkage between serum and saliva was blind to the laboratory. A set of HIV-positive and HIV-negative quality assurance samples for both serum and saliva were also analyzed blind. RESULTS: Findings are presented as observed in the field, and as quality assurance samples after the correction of various field and laboratory errors. The sensitivity of the GACELISA with saliva was 98.0% in the field (298 HIV-positive specimens), 100% after correction of errors (300 HIV-positive specimens), and 100% among the quality assurance samples (95 HIV-positive specimens). The specificity of the GACELISA was 99.4% in the field (1653 HIV-negative specimens), 99.6% after correction of errors (1654 HIV-negative specimens), and 100% among the quality assurance samples (96 HIV-negative specimens). CONCLUSION: Our findings support other published studies that also featured the GACELISA. We conclude that saliva is comparable to serum for assessing HIV antibodies in individuals for surveillance and screening purposes.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1991

Randomised, controlled trial of effectiveness of ampicillin in mild acute respiratory infections in Indonesian children.

The recommended treatment for mild acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children is supportive care only, but many physicians, especially in developing countries, continue to prescribe antibiotic treatment because they believe it prevents progression to more severe ARI. To find out whether ampicillin treatment conferred any benefit over supportive care alone, a randomised, controlled trial was carried out among 889 children (under 5 years) with mild ARI in Indonesia. 447 were randomly allocated ampicillin (25-30 mg/kg body weight three times daily for 5 days) plus supportive care (continued breastfeeding, clearing of the nose, and paracetamol to control fever); 442 were allocated supportive care only. The treatment groups were almost identical after randomisation in terms of age, sex, level of parental education, history of measles immunisation, and fever. After 1 week the percentages cured were nearly identical (204 [46%] ampicillin; 209 [47%] control), as were the percentages of cases progressing to moderate ARI (56 [13%] vs 53 [12%]). The effect of treatment was not modified by age, sex, measles immunisation status, or the educational level of the parents. At the 2-week follow-up, the percentages cured were 62% (277) in the ampicillin group and 58% (256) in the control group; 14% of both groups had progressed to moderate ARI; and 24% (107) and 28% (123), respectively, still had mild ARI. None of the differences in outcome between the ampicillin and control groups was statistically significant. Thus, ampicillin plus supportive care offers no benefit over supportive care alone for treatment of mild ARI in young Indonesian children.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1988

Personal health habits and symptoms of depression at the community level.

This investigation examined the relationship between lifestyle, as defined by common health habits, and symptoms of depression in a general community sample. The study was conducted using data from a longitudinal survey involving four interviews of 1,003 Los Angeles County adults. The survey focused on the epidemiology of depression and help-seeking behavior, which included questions about seven health habits identified in the Alameda County Study as predictive of health status. The group used for this analysis comprised 752 adults who participated in and had usable depression scores (as measured with the 20-item CES-D scale) at all interviews. Depression prevalence rates were higher for six of the seven "poor" health habits examined compared with the "good" health habit. Prevalence odds ratios were greater than 2.0 for poor sleeping and drinking habits (both sexes) and equaled 1.8, among women only, for poor physical activity and smoking habits. Multivariate regression analyses showed a simple sum of the total number of good habits to be a significant independent predictor of depression after controlling for prior depression and various sociodemographic factors. The finding of an independent contribution of health habits to depression status emphasizes that lifestyle may influence mental as well as physical health.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

On measures and models for the effectiveness of vaccines and vaccination programmes.

Smith, Rodrigues and Fine have discussed and linked different measures, models, and study designs for the assessment of vaccines. The present paper responds to a number of issues implicitly raised by these authors. In particular, it is argued that measures and models need to be considered independently, with choice of measure depending on evaluation objectives, and choice of model depending on consideration of both mechanism of administration and mechanism of action. Models in which a particular measure remains constant tend to be unrealistic for evaluating field effectiveness. Some technical issues arising in the design and analysis of case-control studies of vaccines are also addressed.

Humans↗
PubMed1985

Epidemiology of urinary tract infection: I. Diaphragm use and sexual intercourse.

In the present case-control study of college-aged women, we examined the associations of sexual intercourse and diaphragm use with primary and secondary urinary tract infection (UTI), and measured the treatment and functional costs of primary, secondary, and recurrent UTI. All of the cases but only half of the controls had engaged in sexual intercourse during the past four weeks. When compared to using oral contraceptives, diaphragm use was associated with both first attack UTI (when compared with controls) and second attack UTI (when compared to women with primary UTI) even after controlling for frequency of sexual intercourse (Primary UTI: RRMH = 3.5; 95% CI: 0.9, 13.0; Secondary UTI: RRMH = 2.2; 95% CI: 0.3, 15.4). Women with all types of UTI reported 6.1 symptom days, 2.4 restricted-activity days, 1.6 office visits and laboratory tests, and spent $62 for treatment of UTI, based on prices of a subsidized student health service.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Epidemiology of urinary tract infection: II. Diet, clothing, and urination habits.

Although several health habits and behaviors are commonly cited in medical and nursing textbooks as potential causes of urinary tract infection (UTI) in women, few have been studied in a systematic fashion. In a case-control study, we evaluated the associations between UTI and the most commonly mentioned risk factors: urination habits, diet, clothing, and soaps. Because sexual intercourse and diaphragm use increase the risk of UTI, we assessed the effect of health habits and behaviors controlling for these two risk factors. Women with initial UTI were compared with controls with no UTI history; women with a second UTI were compared to those with initial UTI. For the 25 initial cases, 19 secondary cases, and 181 controls enrolled in the study from a university health service, we found using tampons and drinking soft drinks to be moderately associated (RR greater than or equal to 1.4) with both initial and recurrent UTI. Although several other individual habits had only small associations with UTI, several of these behaviors together might substantially increase risk of initial or recurring UTI.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Epidemiologic monitoring of possible health reactions of wastewater reuse.

The possible health effects of consuming groundwater partially recharged with recycled wastewater were monitored in a long-term study of residents of several communities in eastern Los Angeles County, California. In three phases of ecologic studies, health measures were compared among residents of two recycled water areas (high and low concentration) and two control areas. Included were measures of mortality, reportable illnesses, adverse birth outcomes, and incident cases of cancer. While significant differences were noted among the four study areas when comparing several health outcomes, none of the differences were in a direction to suggest a dose-response relationship between reclaimed water consumption and disease. To supplement findings of the ecologic studies, a household survey was conducted of approximately 2,500 women, half residing in the high recycled water area and half in the control area. The survey provided increased information on reproductive outcomes and on excess effects after controlling for important potential confounding factors such as cigarette use and alcohol consumption. The results of both the ecologic studies and the household survey provide no indication that recycled water has a noticeable harmful effect on the health of a population exposed for nearly two decades.

Environmental Health↗
PubMed1984

Mortality due to all causes and to cardiovascular diseases among seven race-ethnic populations in Los Angeles County, 1980.

Mortality rates during 1980 in Los Angeles County are presented for Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Americans of Japanese, Chinese, Philippine, and Korean descent, seven groups with varying patterns of migration during the prior decade. For all causes of death, age- and sex-adjusted rates were highest among Blacks, intermediate among Whites and Hispanics, and substantially lower among Asians and Pacific Islanders. A similar observation was made for the major cardiovascular diseases and for diseases of the heart. In contrast, the mortality rates for cerebrovascular diseases exhibited a slightly different pattern, with Blacks again highest, Whites and Japanese being intermediate, and Hispanics, Filipinos, Chinese, and Koreans being lowest. The descriptive information suggests several areas for further research into the effect of various cultural or lifestyle patterns on the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Race, ethnicity, and depression: a confirmatory analysis.

This study addresses two questions: (a) Are depressive-symptom scales equally indicative of depression in different racial/ethnic groups and (b) are there mean differences between the groups in the underlying depressive disorder assessed by these scales? The data consist of interviews obtained from a large community survey of depression in Los Angeles County. Four racial/ethnic groups were considered: Anglos, blacks, English-speaking Hispanics, and Spanish-speaking Hispanics. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test both one-factor and two-factor models of depression. An invariant factor pattern was demonstrated. No significant mean differences on a factor of Depression were found, but the groups were found to differ on a Well-Being factor. Implications for survey research on psychiatric impairment among different racial/ethnic groups are discussed.

Black or African American↗