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oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/1852015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
Invited Commentary on "Herd Immunity: Basic Concept and Relevance to Public Health Immunization Practices"
Fine, Paul
ARTICLE
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/185
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Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/1872015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
HERD IMMUNITY: BASIC CONCEPT AND RELEVANCE TO PUBLIC HEALTH IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES
FOX, JOHN P.
ELVEBACK, LILA
SCOTT, WILLIAM
GATEWOOD, LAEL
ACKERMAN, EUGENE
HISTORICAL PAPER
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/187
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Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/1982015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
Ingested Arsenic and Internal Cancer: A Historical Cohort Study Followed for 33 Years
Tsuda, Toshihide
Babazono, Akira
Yamamoto, Eiji
Kurumatani, Norio
Mino, Yoshio
Ogawa, Takanori
Kishi, Yoshiki
Aoyama, Hideyasu
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
A historical cohort study was conducted to investigate the long-term effect of exposure to ingested arsenic. The 454 residents who had been identified in a list made in 1959 were followed until 1992. They lived in an arsenic-polluted area, called Namiki-cho, Nakajo-machi, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and used well water containing inorganic arsenic. The exposure period was estimated to be about 5 years (1955–1959). Death certificates for the people who died between 1959 and 1992 were examined, and a total of 113 of the 454 residents were estimated to have drunk well water containing a high dose of arsenic (≥1 ppm). The standardized mortality rate ratios of these 113 residents were 15.69 for lung cancer (observed/expected = 8/0.51; 95% confidence interval (CI) 7.38–31.02) and 31.18 for urinary tract cancer (observed/expected = 3/0.10; 95% CI 8.62–91.75). Cox's proportional hazard analyses demonstrated that the hazard ratios of the highest exposure level group (≥1 ppm) versus the background exposure level group (0.001 ppm) were 1.74 (95% CI 1.10–2.74) for all deaths and 4.82 (95% CI 2.09–11.14) for all cancers. The analysis according to the skin signs of chronic arsenicism in 1959 showed that they were useful risk indicators for subsequent cancer development. In the development of lung cancer, there was evidence of synergism between arsenic intake and smoking habit.
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/198
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/2102015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
Parental Exposures to Pesticides and Risk of Wilms' Tumor in Brazil
Sharpe, Colin R.
Franco, Eduardo L.
de Camargo, Beatriz
Lopes, L. Fernando
Barreto, J. Henrique
Johnsson, Rosanne R.
Mauad, Marcos A.
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Wilms' tumor is one of the most common abdominal childhood malignancies. Wilms' tumor rates in Brazil are among the highest in the world. This prompted the Brazilian Wilms' Tumor Study Group to conduct hospital-based, multicenter, case-control investigation of environmental risk factors for the disease. Between April 1987 and January 1989, the authors collected information on relevant occupational exposures by interviewing the parents of 109 Wilms' tumor cases admitted to hospitals in Sao Paulo, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, and Jau. Also interviewed were the parents of 218 age- and sex-matched control children who had been admitted for treatment of nonneoplastic diseases to the same or nearby hospitals. Odds ratios (ORs) adjusted for income and education were calculated by conditional logistic regression. Consistently elevated risks were seen for farm work involving frequent use of pesticides by both the father (OR = 3.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–9.0) and the mother (OR = 128.6, 95% CI 6.4–2,569). These risk elevations were restricted to cases diagnosed after 2 years of age (ORs>4), for paternal exposure, and after 4 years of age (OR 14.8, 95% CI 2.2–98.8), for maternal exposure. Risk elevations were also more pronounced among boys (paternal exposure OR = 8.56, 95% CI 2.1–35.1; maternal exposure OR = 4.60, 95% CI 0.8–26.4) than among girls (paternal exposure OR = 1.31, 95% CI 0.4–4.1; maternal exposure OR = 2.03, 95% CI 0.5–8.9).
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/210
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/2182015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
Tuberculosis in Relation to a History of Peptic Ulcer Disease and Treatment of Gastric Hyperacidity
Buskin, Susan E.
Weiss, Noel S.
Gale, James L.
Nolan, Charles M.
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Previous studies described an excess of tuberculosis among persons with a history of partial gastrectomy for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. It is unknown if any contemporary therapies for peptic ulcer disease, such as histamine type 2 antagonists and antacids, are also associated with elevated risks of tuberculosis. A case-control study was conducted during 1988–1990 In the Seattle-King County Tuberculosis Clinic to address these questions. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by 135 cases with active tuberculosis and 380 controls. A history of daily antacid use was reported by 11 cases (8%) and 23 controls (6%), corresponding to an adjusted odds ratio of 0.9 (95% confidence interval 0.4–2.0). A history of daily histamine type 2 antagonist use was reported by nine cases (7%) and 18 controls (5%) with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.8 (95% confidence interval 0.3–2.1). Our results, while based on a relatively small number of subjects, suggest that treatment for peptic ulcer disease has no influence on the occurrence of tuberculosis.
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/218
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/2252015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
Decreased Survival with Increasing Prevalence of Full-Body, Radiographically Defined Osteoarthritis in Women
Cerhan, James R.
Wallace, Robert B.
EI-Khoury, Georges Y.
Moore, Timothy E.
Long, Cynthia R.
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
The relation between full-body, radiographically defined osteoarthritis and survival was examined in a cohort of 296 women aged 42–76 years (mean age, 57.1 years). These women were a random sample of women with very low body burdens of radium who were part of a larger cohort of women first employed in the US radium dial-painting industry between 1915 and 1945. At entry into the study between 1957 and 1982, these women had a clinical examination, and full-body radiographs were taken. Fifty-five joints (18 joint groups) of the hands, feet, cervical spine, lumbar spine, petvis, and knees in each woman were graded for osteoarthritis by the method of J. H. Kellgren and J. S. Lawrence (Ann Rheum Dis 1957;16:494–502). Through 1985, 18.6% (<it>n</it> = 55) of the women died. Cox regression showed a decreased survival for women with an increasing number of joint groups affected with osteoarthritis after adjusting for age at examination (hazard ratio = 1.45 for each increase in 3.1 joint groups (1 standard deviation) affected with osteoarthritis, 95% confidence Interval 1.12–1.87). Further adjustment for a history of diabetes, smoking, alcohol use, and body mass index only slightly altered the risk. Similar results were obtained for the number of joints with osteoarthritis and the number of structures (e.g., left hand and right hand) with osteoarthritis. These results suggest that an increasing prevalence of full-body radiographic osteoarthrltis is associated with decreased survival independent of age and several comorbid conditions related to osteoarthritis.
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/225
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/2352015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
Birth Cohort and Familial Risk of Epilepsy: The Effect of Diminished Recall in Studies of Lifetime Prevalence
Ottman, Ruth
Lee, Joseph H.
Hauser, W. Allen
Risch, Neil
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
This study separated the effects of age, birth cohort, and generation (parents, siblings, and offspring) on familial risk of epilepsy. The study population comprised 9,741 parents, siblings, and offspring of 1,957 adult probands with epilepsy ascertained from 10 voluntary organizations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts between 1985 and 1988. Semistructured telephone interviews with probands and selected family members were used to collect data on the history of epilepsy in the relatives. The risk of epilepsy increased in successive generations (cumulative incidence to age 40: parents, 1.8%; siblings, 2.9%; offspring, 5.6%) but, with the exception of one subgroup (offspring of female probands), these differences disappeared after controlling for age and birth year of the relatives. With age and relationship controlled, the risk of epilepsy increased approximately 50% for each 20 advancing years of birth. Population-based data indicate that age-specific incidence rates of epilepsy have not increased during the age and time periods investigated here; thus, the most plausible explanation for the findings is that epilepsy is underreported in persons born in earlier time periods. These results illustrate a general phenomenon of underreporting in studies of lifetime prevalence, and they caution against interpreting apparent cohort effects in such studies as evidence of secular changes in incidence.
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/235
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/2422015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
Mortality Ascertainment in the Veteran Population: Alternatives to the National Death Index
Fisher, Susan Gross
Weber, Laura
Goldberg, Jack
Davis, Faith
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Veterans of the US military service constitute a dynamic cohort that is suitable for epidemiologic investigations. However, the ability to ascertain vital status is paramount to the value of this population in studies having mortality as a primary endpoint. The purpose of this study was to estimate and compare the mortality ascertainment obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs Patient Treatment File and Beneficiary identification and Record Locator System (GIRLS) with that obtained from the National Death Index on a cohort of 17,118 male veterans hospitalized in 1970 or 1971. Based on the 4,246 deaths identified in this cohort between 1979 and 1988, the sensitivities of BIRLS, the Patient Treatment File, and the National Death Index were 94.5%, 33.0%, and 96.7%, respectively. BIRLS was comparable with the National Death Index regarding mortality ascertainment and allowed for central acquisition of 89% of the death certificates from the Department of Veterans Benefits. There was no difference detected in the completeness of the BIRLS file before and after passage of the Omnibus Act in 1981. The Patient Treatment File served as a complement to BIRLS, providing additional mortality data and identification of hospitals for recall of medical records. The National Death Index provided the best mortality ascertainment, but acquisition of death certificates from individual states was extremely time consuming and expensive. The authors recommend greater consideration by Investigators of sampling the veteran population and utilizing available Veterans Affairs databases for large studies In which mortality Is the primary endpoint of Interest.
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/242
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/2512015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
Is it Necessary to Transform Nutrient Variables prior to Statistical Analyses?
Millns, Helen
Woodward, Mark
Bolton-Smith, Caroline
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
The distributions of the intakes of many nutrients are skewed, yet this is often overlooked when standard statistical analyses are applied to nutrient data. The nutrient intakes of 5,123 men and 5,236 women, recorded by food frequency questionnaire in the Scottish Heart Health Study, were transformed to achieve approximately symmetric distributions. Power transformations were chosen using letter value analyses. A letter value analysis uses selected order statistics and their position around the median to assess symmetry. The effect that each transformation had on a comparison of nutrient intakes between those with and without prevalent coronary heart disease was determined from t tests on the untransformed and transformed variable. The effects of the logarithm and square root transformation and of the optimum Box-Cox transformation were also determined, and the results were compared with the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. The conclusion of whether or not to reject the null hypotheses often varied, depending on the transformation and test used. The nonparametric test usually gave a conclusion similar to that of the t test on the letter value-transformed data, the Box-Cox-transformed variable, and after either the logarithm or square root transformation of the data, but not always both. The results from the untransformed variable were sometimes very different. Failure to account for skewness in nutrient variables may thus lead to spurious conclusions.
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/251
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/2632015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
Bayesian Estimation of Disease Prevalence and the Parameters of Diagnostic Tests in the Absence of a Gold Standard
Joseph, Lawrence
Gyorkos, Theresa W.
Coupal, Louis
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
It is common in population screening surveys or in the investigation of new diagnostic tests to have results from one or more tests investigating the same condition or disease, none of which can be considered a gold standard. For example, two methods often used in population-based surveys for estimating the prevalence of a parasitic or other infection are stool examinations and serologic testing. However, it is known that results from stool examinations generally underestimate the prevalence, while serology generally results in overestimation. Using a Bayesian approach, simultaneous inferences about the population prevalence and the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of each diagnostic test are possible. The methods presented here can be applied to each test separately or to two or more tests combined. Marginal posterior densities of all parameters are estimated using the Gibbs sampler. The techniques are applied to the estimation of the prevalence of <it>Strongyloides</it> infection and to the investigation of the diagnostic test properties of stool examinations and serologic testing, using data from a survey of all Cambodian refugees who arrived in Montreal, Canada, during an 8-month period.
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/263
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/2732015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
RE: "MISCARRIAGES AMONG FEMALE PHYSICAL THERAPISTS WHO REPORT USING RADIO-AND MICROWAVE-FREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION"
Hocking, Bruce
Joyner, Ken
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/273
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/274-a2015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
RE: "MALARIA AND LOW BIRTH WEIGHT IN CENTRAL SUDAN"
Pittrof, Rudiger
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/274-a
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/2742015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
THE AUTHORS REPLY
Ouellet-Hellstrom, Rita
Stewart, Walter F.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/274
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/2752015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
TWO AUTHORS REPLY
Gray, Ronald H.
Taha, Taha El Tahir
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/275
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/276-a2015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
THE AUTHOR REPLIES
Wynder, Ernst L.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/276-a
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/276-b2015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
RE: "VALIDATION STUDIES USING AN ALLOYED GOLD STANDARD"
Mackerras, Dorothy
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/276-b
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Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/2762015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
RE: "INVITED COMMENTARY: STUDIES IN MECHANISM AND PREVENTION. STRIKING A PROPER BALANCE."
Hook, Ernest B.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/276
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/277-a2015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
RE: "ACCEPTING THE LIMITS OF ECOLOGIC STUDIES: DRS. GREENLAND AND ROBINS REPLY TO DRS. PIANTADOSI AND COHEN"
Cohen, Bernard L.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/277-a
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/277-b2015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
THE AUTHORS REPLY
Greenland, Sander
Robins, James M.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
text/html
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/277-b
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/2772015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
THE AUTHORS REPLY
Wacholder, Sholom
Hartge, Patricia
Dosemeci, Mustafa
Armstrong, Ben
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
text/html
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/277
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/276a1995-02-01HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
Re: "Invited commentary: studies in mechanism and prevention. Striking a proper balance"
Hook, EB
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
text/html
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/276a
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:141/3/276b1995-02-01HighWireOUPamjepid:141:3
Re: "Validation studies using an alloyed gold standard"
Mackerras, D
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1995-02-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
text/html
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/141/3/276b
en
Copyright (C) 1995, Oxford University Press