THE POWER OF STRUCTURED DESIGNS AND MIXED MODELS IN A REAL WORLD EXPERIMENT

Justifications usually given for adopting an automated system pertain to a reduction in labor and an improvement in quality control. A manufacturer of a prototype instrument that automated some of the steps for culturing bacteria wanted to compare the automated system to the manual system. The manufacturer wanted to compare the two systems in 1) Total time needed to isolate the target bacteria, 2) Ability to isolate the target bacteria, 3) Amount of interference from background (non-target) bacterial growth, and 1) Extent of cross (sample to sample) contamination. This paper presents the experimental design used to make these comparisons and how the design helped discover some surprising results about laboratory quality control. The experiment presented illustrates the importance of a good experimental design, the power of current statistical tools, and that a thorough and appropriate analysis of a data set requires side-by-side good detective work by both statistician and client

'Concrete freedom' : C.L.R. James on culture and black politics

This article aims to provide a synoptic account of the cultural writings of the West Indian intellectual and activist C.L.R. James. I aim to make a case for greater recognition of his work among cultural sociologists. I go on to show how James’ original, historicising account of cultural forms relates closely to his wider political interventions including, specifically, his ground-breaking discussion of mid-twentieth century black politics in America

Chikungunya infection in pregnancy – reassuring maternal and perinatal outcomes: a retrospective observational study

International audienceOBJECTIVE: To evaluate pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, disease severity, and mother-to-child transmission of pregnant women with Chikungunya infection (CHIKV). DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Grenada. POPULATION: Women who gave birth during a Chikungunya outbreak between January 2014 and September 2015 were eligible. METHODS: This descriptive study investigated 731 mother-infant pairs who gave birth during a CHIKV outbreak. Women and infants underwent serological testing for CHIKV by ELISA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes: composite pregnancy complication (abruption, vaginal bleeding, preterm labour/cervical incompetence, cesarean delivery for fetal distress/abruption/placental abnormality or delivery for fetal distress) and composite neonatal morbidity. RESULTS: Of 416 mother-infant pairs, 150 (36%) had CHIKV during pregnancy, 135 (33%) had never had CHIKV, and 131 (31%) had CHIKV outside of pregnancy. Mean duration of joint pain was shorter among women infected during pregnancy (μ = 898 days, σ = 277 days) compared with infections outside of pregnancy (μ = 1064 days, σ = 244 days) (P < 0.0001). Rates of pregnancy complications (RR = 0.76, P = 0.599), intrapartum complications (RR = 1.50, P = 0.633), and neonatal outcomes were otherwise similar. Possible mother-to-child transmission occurred in two (1.3%) mother-infant pairs and two of eight intrapartum infections (25%). CONCLUSION: CHIKV infection during pregnancy may be protective against long-term joint pain sequelae that are often associated with acute CHIKV infection. Infection during pregnancy did not appear to pose a risk for pregnancy complications or neonatal health, but maternal infection just prior to delivery might have increased risk of mother-to-child transmission of CHIKV

Focal epilepsy features in a child with Congenital Zika Syndrome

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne, single-stranded DNA flavivirus that is teratogenic and neurotropic. Similar to the teratogenic effects of other TORCH infections, ZIKV infection during pregnancy can have an adverse impact on fetal and neonatal development. Epilepsy is detected in 48–96% of children with Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS) and microcephaly. Early epilepsy surveillance is needed in children with prenatal ZIKV exposure; yet, most ZIKV-endemic regions do not have specialist epilepsy care. Here, we describe the demographic, clinical, imaging, and EEG characteristics of a 2-year-old child with CZS and microcephaly who presented with focal epileptiform activity, suboptimal growth, and severe neurodevelopmental delays. Administration of a brief seizure questionnaire by allied health professionals to the patient’s caregiver helped to characterize the child’s seizure semiology and differentiate focal from generalized seizure features. A telemedicine EEG interpretation platform provided valuable diagnostic information for the patient’s local pediatrician to integrate into her treatment plan. This case illustrates that CZS can present with focal epilepsy features and that a telemedicine approach can be used to bridge the gap between epilepsy specialists and local care providers in resource limited ZIKV-endemic regions to achieve better seizure control in children with CZS