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Data utilization and analytical skills among NLEP managers. National Leprosy Elimination Programme.

Mid-level managers of the National Leprosy Elimination Programme, India were assessed regarding their ability to turn routine data received from primary units into tools for management, analysis and decision making. Sixty-two managers (25 District leprosy officers, 37 Medical officers) were administered a questionnaire containing 20 questions on calculations of rates, ratios, proportions, percentages as well as construction and interpretation of graphs. It was found that 11% of the study subjects scored very poor, 48% scored poor, 35% scored good and only 5% of the managers scored very good. Among the district leprosy officers, 8%, 40%, 48% and 4% were rated as performing very poor, poor, good and very good, respectively. Among the medical officers, the corresponding figures were 14%, 54%, 27% and 5%.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗

Data utilization and analytical skills among mid-level health programme managers in a developing country.

Mid-level health managers in a developing country were studied to examine the extent to which they are able to use and analyse data they receive from a new health information system. Among 168 managers filling out a self-administered questionnaire, 52% could compute a simple cost-effectiveness ratio and 27% were able to calculate proportions. Only 43% of the managers were able to construct a cumulative graph similar to the one recommended by WHO. Facility with these tasks was not related to levels of training or age. Twelve out of 25 programme managers interviewed in depth did not know how well their particular programme had performed in the previous year. Similarly, only six of these managers knew their best and poorest performing districts. The results of this study suggest; 1) Training managers in data analysis and use is critical if health information systems are to actually improve health care delivery. 2) Data intended for the use of programme managers need to be presented in simple ways. 3) Further social research is required to understand how managers perceive and use data. 4) Efforts to ensure the use of data should not be seen as something to be 'added on' after information systems are in place.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗

Multivesicular release at developing Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses: an analytic approach to describe experimental data.

We developed and analytically solved a simple and general stochastic model to distinguish the univesicular from the multivesicular mode of glutamate release. The model solution gives analytical mathematical expressions for average values of quantities that can be measured experimentally. Comparison of these quantities with the experimental measures allows one to discriminate the release mode and to determine the most probable values of model parameters. The model has been validated at glutamatergic CA3-CA1 synapses in the hippocampus from newborn (P1-P5 old) rats. Our results strongly support a multivesicular type of release process requiring a variable pool of immediately releasable vesicles. Moreover, computing quantities that are functions of the model parameters, the mean amplitude of the synaptic response to the release of a single vesicle (q) was estimated to be 5-10 pA, in very good agreement with experimental findings. In addition a multivesicular type of release was supported by the following experimental evidences: 1) a high variability of the amplitude of successes, with a coefficient of variation ranging from 0.12 to 0.73; 2) an average potency ratio a2/a1 between the second and first response to a pair of stimuli >1; and 3) changes in the potency of the synaptic response to the first stimulus when the release probability was modified by increasing or decreasing the extracellular calcium concentration. Our results indicate that at Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses of the neonatal rat hippocampus a single action potential may induce the release of more than one vesicle from the same release site.

Action Potentials↗

A PC data-base with analytical applications for evoked potentials.

Visual Evoked Potentials (VEPs) are gaining ground in the research for diagnosis of neurological disorders and visual defects, as a non-invasive diagnostic tool. Yet, the methods used towards these goals are not universal and far from able to provide a common ground among researchers in collecting, analyzing and comparing their results. This paper is an attempt to close the gap. We have developed a PC data-base and a set of analysis programs with graphic capabilities, frequency analysis, as well as an objective way of describing the signals obtained during VEP experiments.

Database Management Systems↗

[The content of selected minerals (Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu, Fe) in daily food rations of adolescents: comparison of analytical and calculated data].

The content of calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper and iron in daily food rations of adolescents served in two residential centres in Copper Basin Legnica region and two high schools in Poznań were studied. The content of minerals was determined by two independent methods: chemical analysis and calculation based upon food composition tables. It was found that the calculated results were markedly higher, suggesting that daily meals covered recommended allowances for minerals established for the adolescents group. However, the analytical results were 10% lower on average, but in the case of zinc and magnesium they did not even reach 50% of norms showing that the daily food did not provide sufficient amounts of minerals for adolescents. Moreover, analysis of regression showed a significant correlation for the magnesium, iron, zinc and copper content obtained by the two methods which allowed to calculate empirical formulae that may help to establish the content of these elements in daily food with the use of the FOOD computer program.

Adolescent↗

Evaluation of replication studies, combined data analysis, and analytical methods in complex diseases.

Due to genetic heterogeneity, phenocopies, incomplete penetrance, misdiagnosis, and unknown mode of inheritance, linkage studies of most complex diseases are unlikely to provide conclusive findings with unambiguously high lod scores. Typically, several marginally significant lod scores or elevated lod scores are observed in a genome-wide screen. However, it is usually difficult to differentiate these findings from false positives (type I errors). Two approaches are commonly used to guard against false positives: replication studies in independent samples and combined data analysis. In the current paper, we evaluated these two common approaches using simulated data where data from multiple groups were available and locations of disease genes were known. We found replication studies and combined data analysis performed similarly in terms of their ability to identify true and false positive linkages. Both approaches confirmed two true linkages and did not confirm any false positive linkages. The results also indicated that it is not appropriate to apply the criteria proposed for confirming significant evidence for linkage to confirm regions with only suggestive evidence for linkage. The current results support previous findings that parametric analysis using an incorrect genetic model can still identify a true linkage.

Environment↗

Fitting of normal tissue tolerance data to an analytic function.

During external beam radiotherapy, normal tissues are irradiated along with the tumor. Radiation therapists try to minimize the dose of normal tissues while delivering a high dose to the target volume. Often this is difficult and complications arise due to irradiation of normal tissues. These complications depend not only on the dose but also on volume of the organ irradiated. Lyman has suggested a four-parameter empirical model which can be used to represent normal tissue response under conditions of uniform irradiation to whole and partial volumes as a function of the dose and volume irradiated. In this paper, Lyman's model has been applied to a compilation of clinical tolerance data developed by Emami et al. The four parameters to characterize the tissue response have been determined and graphical representations of the derived probability distributions are presented. The model may, therefore, be used to interpolate clinical data to provide estimated normal tissue complication probabilities for any combination of dose and irradiated volume for the normal tissues and end points considered.

Humans↗

An evaluation of proposed frameworks for grouping polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congener data into meaningful analytic units.

BACKGROUND: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been associated with a variety of health outcomes. Enhanced laboratory techniques can provide a relatively large number of individual PCB congeners for investigation. However, to date there are no established frameworks for grouping a large number of PCB congeners into meaningful analytic units. METHODS: In a case-control study of serum PCB levels on breast cancer risk, measured levels of 56 PCB congener peaks were available for analysis. We considered several approaches for grouping these compounds based on 1) chlorination, 2) factor analysis, 3) enzyme induction, 4) enzyme induction and occurrence, and 5) enzyme induction, occurrence, and other toxicological aspects. The utility of a framework was based on the mechanism of biologic actions within each framework, lack of collinearity among congener groups, and frequency of detection of PCB congener groups in measured serum levels of 192 healthy postmenopausal women. RESULTS: Most participants had detectable levels for the proposed PCB congeners groups, using degree of chlorination as a grouping framework. In addition, the previously proposed grouping approach based on enzyme induction, occurrence, and other toxicological aspects was an applicable alternative to the crude approach of grouping by degree of chlorination. Grouping these congeners with respect to P450 enzyme induction activity, and the previously proposed framework based on enzyme induction and occurrence, did not fit these data as well, because only a small proportion of participants had detectable levels for the congener groups with the greatest toxicological potential. Statistical grouping did not result in an interpretable and meaningful clustering of these exposures. CONCLUSIONS: In these data, grouping with respect to degree of chlorination and the previously proposed framework based on enzyme induction, occurrence, and other toxicological aspects were the most useful approaches to reducing a large number of PCB congeners into meaningful analytic units. Factors affecting the utility of the proposed grouping frameworks are discussed.

Aged↗

Region growing method for the analysis of functional MRI data.

Existing analytical techniques for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data always need some specific assumptions on the time series. In this article, we present a new approach for fMRI activation detection, which can be implemented without any assumptions on the time series. Our method is based on a region growing method, which is very popular for image segmentation. A comparison of performance on fMRI activation detection is made between the proposed method and the deconvolution method and the fuzzy clustering method with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methodology. In addition, we examine the effectiveness and usefulness of our method on real experimental data. Experimental results show that our method outperforms over the deconvolution method and the fuzzy clustering method on a number of aspects. These results suggest that our region growing method can serve as a reliable analysis of fMRI data.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

Analytic choices in economic models of treatments for rheumatoid arthritis: What makes a difference?

OBJECTIVES: To compare the analytic judgments, data, and assumptions of different models used in the economic evaluation of infliximab, one of a new class of drugs for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: A detailed assessment was made of 4 models, 1 submitted (in a reimbursement dossier) by the manufacturer, 1 produced by an independent academic group, and 2 recently published in the literature. Factors considered included the key data inputs, assumptions about the sequencing of treatments for RA, the methods used to calculate health utilities, and the estimation of cost offsets. RESULTS: Two of the 4 models, although embodying different methodological approaches, gave fairly similar results (approximately 25,000 pounds- 35,000 pounds cost per additional quality-adjusted life year [QALY] gained). The other 2 models, both by an independent academic group, gave much higher estimates, ranging from 50,000 pounds to 60,000 pounds to more than 100,000 pounds per additional QALY. The differences appeared to depend mainly on differences in model structure, the assumptions about the positioning of infliximab in the treatment sequence, and the relationship between Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) states and QALYs. CONCLUSIONS: Economic models of treatments for RA incorporate different key data inputs and analytic judgments. However, convergence was observed in some of the estimates produced by the models, particularly when adjustments were made for some of the differences in input parameters. Nevertheless, differences in the choice of model structure and in key assumptions also had a major impact on results. Therefore, more discussion is needed to reach a consensus on some of these methodological issues.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Laboratory quality control: using patient data to assess analytical performance.

Quality control plays a vital role helping to ensure the reliability of laboratory test results. The application of statistical quality control has been a component of laboratory medicine for approximately 50 years. Many of the control rules based on the early applications of statistical quality control have remained essentially unchanged since their initial introduction. Optimization of quality control rules can vary depending on the application for which a test is to be used. This review explores the various applications of laboratory quality control procedures and their role in identifying laboratory error. The ubiquitous use of computers in today's laboratories has enabled the development of more sophisticated means of assessing laboratory quality. The use of the Six Sigma technique and its adoption by the laboratory community is one example. Other examples include the use of patient-derived quality control procedures as a means of assessing laboratory performance. Early examples of these types of applications include use of Bull's algorithm, anion gap measurements, and delta checking. More recent applications include the correlation of laboratory test results, the average of normals procedure, and the Bhattacharya method.

Chemistry, Clinical↗

A comparison of alcohol ethoxylate environmental monitoring data using different analytical procedures.

Several analytical methods have been developed for analyzing alcohol ethoxylates (AE) in aqueous environmental samples. These methods differ widely in their selectivity and sensitivity for measuring the AE components; that is, they vary in their resolution of alkyl chain length homologs and ethoxymer distributions (degree of ethoxylation for each homolog). Given these differences, AE monitoring results from different studies often are inconsistent and, sometimes, are deemed to be incomparable. To address these differences, three currently available methods for determining AE concentrations in environmental matrices were compared among a common set of wastewater treatment plant samples. These methods included the detection of hydrogen bromide-derivatized homologs by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, the detection of aqueous homologs by high-pressure liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry, and the detection of pyridinium-derivatized homologs by high-pressure liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry. Results from the present study showed that all three methods responded differently in determining the complex suite of chemical species that comprise AE in the environment. The collective information, however, allowed a consistent comparison among the methods. This comparison was then used to reevaluate results from previous AE monitoring studies. Results from this reevaluation provided a more realistic profile of both historical AE removal during wastewater treatment as well as the occurrence of AE in U.S. surface waters.

Alcohols↗