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[Epidemiologic methods and their application].

The first part of the paper pertains to the concept of the approach to investigations of health in relation to the living environment. It is based on the fact that man is exposed to the action of basic groups of factors: physical, chemical, biological and psychosocial. Attention is devoted not only to the specific action of individual factors or their groups to the health of man but also to certain general trends, i.e. the influence on the immunobiological status of the organism, the influence on the cardiovascular system and the influence on the genetic apparatus with all sequelae, in particular in the sphere of diseases of civilization. As these factors only rarely act isolated, a comprehensive approach to the problem is essential. In the main part of the paper the principles of the application of epidemiological methods in the sphere of investigations of the health status and living environment are analyzed. The following pattern is used: 1. Descriptive epidemiology (using mortality and morbidity statistics); 2. Analytical epidemiology (prospective and retrospective approach); 3. Experimental epidemiology. The key problem remains assessment of exposure and subsequent effect on health. In conjunction with it certain principles of assessment and monitoring are mentioned as well as advantages and limitation of the basic methods of approach.

Epidemiologic Methods↗

[The high autopsy rate in Vienna].

In 1983 34% of all persons who died in the Republic of Austria were autopsied. We examined the frequency of postmortem examinations in the capital city, Vienna, between 1983 and 1987 in view of this high overall autopsy rate. The annual autopsy rate in all 9 pathology institutes and the department of legal medicine of the University of Vienna was on average 51 to 53%. There was a slight statistically verifiable decline in 1987. The reason for this high necropsy rate is that Austrian law permits the autopsies without the consent of next of kin if it appears indicated for medical, scientific or educational reasons; further more the fact, that the chairman of the department is at the same time the coroner for the hospital. A high autopsy rate is necessary to maintain a high standard of diagnostic accuracy even in modern medicine. The diagnoses were inaccurate or incomplete in 15% of all cases. The high autopsy rate is the basis for extremely accurate mortality and morbidity statistics and provides the basis for long range public health planning. Medical students develop an insight in disease patterns, which cannot be gained in any other way. The pathology departments of Vienna introduce a new city-wide computer-supported diagnostic file system, which will provide a baseline for comparative scientific studies.

Austria↗

Longitudinal study on the health status of children in a rural Tanzanian community: comparison of community-based clinical examinations, the diseases seen at village health posts and the perception of health problems by the population.

Standardised household interviews among adults and children, open-ended questionnaires, and clinical examinations administered during cross-sectional health status surveys, as well as the registers of village health posts (VHP), were used to assess the pattern of health problems of a rural community in southeastern Tanzania, and their results compared. All four approaches gave very similar results for the two major health problems (fever/malaria and abdominal pain or discomfort) which were mentioned by both children and adults. The parasitological data from the cross-sectional surveys also revealed hyperendemic P. falciparum malaria and a high prevalence and incidence for infections with hookworm (N. americanus), Strongyloides, and G. lamblia. However besides consistently revealing the two major health problems, each approach showed a distinct pattern for the additional health problems: household interviews and open-ended questionnaires resulted in a higher ranking of problems that had not yet been solved by the health care facilities available in the community at the time of the interview. This view was further biased by the fact that the interviews were done by people representing the health professionals. The statistics from the registers of VHP clearly reflected the types of treatment provided by this service. Malnutrition and various eye problems only became evident during the clinical examination of the population. However, the clinical examination did not identify the importance of the abdominal problems in the community. The cross-sectional survey (questionnaires, clinical examination) chiefly showed the health problems affecting the population around the time of the surveys (end of the dry season). Interestingly, the registers of the VHP did not show marked seasonal variations in the morbidity statistics for this community. Both questionnaire approaches and the registers of VHP showed a change in both the morbidity and the disease perception pattern that may reflect the effects of interventions launched at community level (activities of village health workers, mass-treatment against hookworm and G. lamblia). The study indicated that the individual ranking of the major health problems matched with data from health status surveys. It also pointed to the possibility that disease perception patterns could become a tool for community diagnosis and for the monitoring of health care programs.

Abdomen↗

Complex coronary angioplasty in patients with prior coronary artery bypass surgery, in situations utilizing multiple coronary angioplasties, and in coronary occlusions.

Coronary artery bypass surgery not only provides symptomatic relief but also may prolong life in a significant percentage of patients. Repeat bypass surgery succeeds in providing symptomatic relief in a lesser number of patients, but it is associated with a higher morbidity and mortality than primary operations. Angioplasty, an interventional, therapeutic catheter technique, is applicable to a large number of patients who have undergone bypass surgery and who are sufficiently symptomatic to require consideration of another revascularization procedure. The gratifying results of successful lesion dilatation coupled with clinical improvement of the patient, the acceptable mortality and morbidity statistics, and the long-term symptomatic relief are comparable to those for repeat coronary bypass graft surgery. In addition, technologic advances in angioplasty equipment, as well as more knowledgeable interventionists, will enable more lesions to be successfully reached, traversed, and dilated with, it is hoped, a lower morbidity and mortality. We would estimate that 30 to 50 per cent of those patients requiring repeat revascularization operations today can undergo an angioplasty procedure with at least comparable clinical results and better morbidity and mortality statistics than those achieved with repeat bypass surgery. Selected patients underwent transluminal coronary angioplasty of varying combinations of arterial and/or vein graft stenoses. A multiple dilatation procedure was defined as successful when dilatation was achieved in all lesions in which it was attempted or when the considered-critical stenosis was dilated successfully and the patient was clinically improved. Angioplasty was successful in 93 per cent of all lesions in which it was attempted, and these successful dilatations produced a clinical improvement in 92 per cent of the patients. No complication whatsoever was experienced in 81 per cent of cases. The complications encountered included a 1.3 per cent mortality rate, a myocardial infarction rate of 6.9 per cent (3.0 per cent per lesion attempted), and an emergency surgery rate of 2.6 per cent (1.1 per cent per lesion attempted). Follow-up data show that a sustained clinical improvement was obtained in 96.8 per cent of the patients in whom the procedure was successful (with or without a repeat angioplasty). These data indicate that multiple coronary angioplasties can be performed during the same procedure, that clinical improvement can be achieved, and that the complication rate is acceptable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Angioplasty, Balloon↗

[Long-term clinical supervision of direct pulp capping (performed by the students of the School of Dentistry, Geneva)].

Of 123 teeth treated by direct pulp capping 110 could be rechecked clinically and radiographically after periods of 1 1/2 to 7 years, 4 on the average. In 25 cases a change in endodontic treatment has been recorded on the files: In 18 cases biopulpectomy was performed for symptomatic (pain) reasons considered as failure of the capping treatment; in 5 cases biopulpectomy was indicated for periodontal and prosthetic reasons (not considered as failure); in 5 cases of the 110 rechecked necrosis and periapical involvement was diagnosed. The rate of failure thus was 22 cases or 17%. This relatively high ratio of unfavorable results (Tab. VII) is in part due to lack of operative skill of the students while progressing tooth morbidity statistically established in the Genevan population also was taken into account. Advancing tooth ages according to graph figure 6 in accordance with other recent surveys were found to constitute no impediment for direct pulp capping. The success of this endodontic treatment is best ascertained by observing a strict selection of the case and the observance of an exacting operative procedure, namely: - Only accidentally exposed pulps without symptoms of previous spontaneous pain (Category I) are liable to successful conservation by direct pulp capping using calcium hydroxide. Previously painful pulps (Category II) according to Table VIII are either indirectly capped using corticosteroids particularly in young teeth or after exposure subject to coronal or radicular pulpotomy (Category III). Rigorous aseptical procedure and lasting hermetical sealing of the calcium hydroxide pulp dressing are additional prerequisites for success.

Adolescent↗

[An epidemiologic approach to psychoses].

This study is an epidemiological approach of psychoses based on morbidity statistics from french psyschiatric hospitals for the years 1968, 1971 and 1975. It compares some of the most interesting census and first admission data for the following categories: manic-depressive psychoses, chronic schizophrenia and paranoid states on the one hand, neurotic conditions, personality disorders and non-psychotic depressions on the other. Major trends are analysed. Two of them seem particularly interesting: 1) the decreasing number of cases classified as manic-depressive psychoses; 2) the diminishing proportion of females in most instances. Some explanatory hypotheses are suggested.

Adult↗

Comparison between two methods of hydrostatic weighing without head submersion in morbidly obese females.

This study compared two methods of hydrostatic weighing without head submersion to conventional hydrostatic weighting in morbidly obese females. We concluded that hydrostatic weighing without head submersion is a valid alternative to conventional hydrostatic weighing especially when subjects are apprehensive in the water. The use of anthropometric head measures (HWNS-A) did not significantly improve the accuracy of the body composition assessment; therefore, elimination of these time consuming measurements in favor of the direct correction of head above Db is recommended.

Body Composition↗

Autocategorization: a new technique for statistical comparisons of medical diagnoses.

Autocategorization is a new technique appropriate for studies involving relative frequencies of illness diagnoses using the International Classification of Diseases. It is ideally suited for emergency department illness patterns. The technique uses the standard chi-square statistical test, but is novel in objectively determining the aggregation of diseases into categories for analysis. The numbers of observed occurrences of the various diseases are used. without applying any a priori judgements, to decide whether a disease should be analyzed alone, or aggregated with others. This technique, because it is based on the ICDA code, will permit comparisons between various studies while retaining the statistical validity of the individual studies.

Computers↗

General right censoring and its impact on the analysis of survival data.

This paper concerns general right censoring and some of the difficulties it creates in the analysis of survival data. A general formulation of censored-survival processes leads to the partition of all models into those based on noninformative and informative censoring. Nearly all statistical methods for censored data assume that censoring is noninformative. Topics considered within this class include: the relationships between three models for noninformative censoring, the use of likelihood methods for inferences about the distribution of survival time, the effects of censoring on the K-sample problem, and the effects of censoring on model testing. Also considered are several topics which relate to informative censoring models. These include: problems of nonidentifiability that can be encountered when attempting to assess a set of data for the type of censoring in effect, the consequences of falsely assuming that censoring is noninformative, and classes of informative censoring models.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗

Detecting systematic errors in multi-clinic observational data.

In multi-clinic studies it is hard to maintain a uniformly high quality of measurement and coding. Systematic errors almost always occur, in spite of the best of intentions and the most rigid protocols. It is the statistician's responsibility to plan for the detection of these errors, as well as to try to avoid them and not be misled by them. The practice of examining the univariate and multivariate sample frequency distributions of the variables under study, with an eye open for anything that looks puzzling, can be very helpful in detecting and trying to correct systematic errors that would bias the analysis. Examples are given from a 21-clinic study on pregnancy and child development.

Humans↗