a systematic review on sampling methods

PMCID: 4627393 PMID: 26518345BACKGROUND: In public health, hard-to-reach populations are often recruited by non-probabilistic sampling methods that produce biased results. In order to overcome this, several sampling methods have been improved and developed in the last years. The aim of this systematic review was to identify all current methods used to survey most-at-risk populations of men who have sex with men and sex workers. The review also aimed to assess if there were any relations between the study populations and the sampling methods used to recruit them. Lastly, we wanted to assess if the number of publications originated in middle and low human development (MLHD) countries had been increasing in the last years. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using electronic databases and a total of 268 published studies were included in the analysis. RESULTS: In this review, 11 recruitment methods were identified. Semi-probabilistic methods were used most commonly to survey men who have sex with men, and the use of the Internet was the method that gathered more respondents. We found that female sex workers were more frequently recruited through non-probabilistic methods than men who have sex with men (odds = 2.2; p < 0.05; confidence interval (CI) [1.1-4.2]). In the last 6 years, the number of studies based in middle and low human development countries increased more than the number of studies based in very high and high human development countries (odds = 2.5; p < 0.05; CI [1.3-4.9]). CONCLUSIONS: This systematic literature review identified 11 methods used to sample men who have sex with men and female sex workers. There is an association between the type of sampling method and the population being studied. The number of studies based in middle and low human development countries has increased in the last 6 years of this study.publishersversionpublishe

A case of equine multicentric lymphoma: Clinical, microscopical, and molecular findings

Background: Although relatively uncommon, lymphoma is the most prevalent haematopoietic neoplasia in horses, and multicentric lymphoma remains the most common presentation of the disease. The pathogenesis of equine lymphoma is still poorly understood and the diagnosis is usually confirmed at an advanced stage of the disease, compromising the prognosis. This study investigated the clinical, pathological, and molecular features of a case of equine multicentric lymphoma. Case description: An apparently healthy 5-year-old crossbreed mare hospitalized at the Centre of Animal Reproduction of Vairão, Portugal, suddenly presented clinical signs of supraorbital oedema and mandibular lymph node enlargement, developing fever, facial oedema, and generalized lymphadenopathy. The mare ended up dying twenty-four days after the first clinical signs due to multisystem organ failure. Haematological and biochemical analyses, necropsy, and microscopic and molecular evaluation of affected tissues were performed. At necropsy, the main findings were multiple multinodular lesions, distributed along the serous surface of oropharynx, trachea, pericardium, gastrointestinal tract, and mesentery. Microscopically, these consisted of solid proliferations of neoplastic round cells that exhibited immunopositivity for CD3 (T cells). Based on these findings, a medium-grade multicentric T-cell lymphoma was diagnosed. Conclusion: There is still very little research regarding the molecular characterization of lymphoma in horses. As an entity itself is quite heterogeneous, it is important to describe the interspecies particularities to understand its development and behaviour.GFS (2022.14765.BD) acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), for financial support. IPATIMUP integrates the i3S Research Unit, which is partially supported by FCT

Intermittent administration of parathyroid hormone improves the repairing process of rat calvaria defects: A histomorphometric and radiodensitometric study

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of intermittent treatment of parathyroid hormone (PTH (1-34)) on the bone regeneration of critically-sized rat calvarial bone defects.Material and MethodsThirty-two male rats were trephined (4mm fullthickness diameter), in the central part of the parietal bones and divided into 2 groups of 16. The PTH group received subcutaneous injections of PTH (1-34) at 40µg/kg, 3 times a week and the control (CTL) group received the vehicle in the same regimen. The rats were sacrificed at 4 weeks post-treatment regimen, the parietal bones were extracted and samples were evaluated through histomorphometry and radiodensitometry.ResultsThe histological observations showed that the PTH group presented more “island-like” new bone between the defect margins with fibrous tissues than did the CTL group. The PTH group significantly exhibited greater histologic bone formation than did the CTL group (1.5mm ±0.7; 1.9 mm ± 0.6, p<0.05/ for residual bone defect). The radiodensitometry analysis revealed significant differences among the PTH and CTL groups (2.1 Al eq. ±0.04; 1.8Al eq. ±0.06, p<0.05), demonstrating an increase in bone mineral density. The PTH treatment contributed to the bone formation with a higher amount of mineral and/or fibrous tissue when compared with the CTL group.ConclusionsThe results suggest that it was possible to increase the process of bone regeneration by accelerating the healing process in rat calvarial defects through intermittent administration of the PTH treatment. Key words: Bone, skull, rats, bone regeneration, bone density

Grupos de pesquisa em enfermagem no Brasil: comparação dos perfis de 2006 e 2016

RESUMO Objetivos Comparar o perfil dos grupos de pesquisa em Enfermagem cadastrados no Diretório do CNPq em 2006 e 2016. Métodos Estudo descritivo documental. A coleta de dados aconteceu em 2006 e 2016 a partir de consulta parametrizada com o termo Enfermagem no Diretório dos Grupos de Pesquisa, na página online do CNPq, sendo realizada a análise descritiva. Os dados foram organizados em planilha do Excel. Resultados O número de Grupos de Pesquisa aumentou de 251 em 2006 para 617 em 2016, com incremento no número de participantes. Houve redução do número de grupos sem estudantes, embora 22% permaneçam sem participação de alunos de graduação. Conclusões Os grupos de pesquisa em Enfermagem refletem avanços estruturais e políticos na geração de ciência, tecnologia e inovação da área, entretanto ainda deve ser incentivada a participação de alunos de graduação e pesquisadores estrangeiros, bem como a ampliação de recursos tecnológicos e das parcerias interinstitucionais

A mediation approach to understanding socio-economic inequalities in maternal health-seeking behaviours in Egypt.

BACKGROUND: The levels and origins of socio-economic inequalities in health-seeking behaviours in Egypt are poorly understood. This paper assesses the levels of health-seeking behaviours related to maternal care (antenatal care [ANC] and facility delivery) and their accumulation during pregnancy and childbirth. Secondly, it explores the mechanisms underlying the association between socio-economic position (SEP) and maternal health-seeking behaviours. Thirdly, it examines the effectiveness of targeting of free public ANC and delivery care. METHODS: Data from the 2008 Demographic and Health Survey were used to capture two latent constructs of SEP: individual socio-cultural capital and household-level economic capital. These variables were entered into an adjusted mediation model, predicting twelve dimensions of maternal health-seeking; including any ANC, private ANC, first ANC visit in first trimester, regular ANC (four or more visits during pregnancy), facility delivery, and private delivery. ANC and delivery care costs were examined separately by provider type (public or private). RESULTS: While 74.2% of women with a birth in the 5-year recall period obtained any ANC and 72.4% delivered in a facility, only 48.8% obtained the complete maternal care package (timely and regular facility-based ANC as well as facility delivery) for their most recent live birth. Both socio-cultural capital and economic capital were independently positively associated with receiving any ANC and delivering in a facility. The strongest direct effect of socio-cultural capital was seen in models predicting private provider use of both ANC and delivery. Despite substantial proportions of women using public providers reporting receipt of free care (ANC: 38%, delivery: 24%), this free-of-charge public care was not effectively targeted to women with lowest economic resources. CONCLUSIONS: Socio-cultural capital is the primary mechanism leading to inequalities in maternal health-seeking in Egypt. Future studies should therefore examine the objective and perceived quality of care from different types of providers. Improvements in the targeting of free public care could help reduce the existing SEP-based inequalities in maternal care coverage in the short term