A Nonparametric Bayesian Approach to Estimating Malaria Prophylactic Effect After Two Treatments

Abstract: Two treatment regimens for malaria are compared in their abilities to cure and combat reinfection. Bayesian analysis techniques are used to compare two typical treatment therapies for uncomplicated malaria in children under five years, not only in their power to resist recrudescence, but also how long they can postpone recrudescence or reinfection in case of failure. We present a new way of analysing this type of data using Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques. This is done using data from clinical trials at two different centres. The results which give the full posterior distributions show that artemisinin-based combination therapy is more efficacious than sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. It both reduced the risk of recrudescence and delayed the time until recrudescence

Employment Status and Inequalities in Self-Reported Health

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of employment status on self-reported health in Gävleborg County.Methods: The study used data from the 2010 Health in Equal terms survey, a cross-sectional survey carried out in Gävleborg County in Sweden. A total of 4,245 individuals, aged 16–65 years were included in the analysis. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between employment status and self-reported healthResults: People who were outside the labour market had odds of poor health of 2.64 (Cl 2.28–3.05) compared to their employed counterparts. Controlling for other covariates reduced the risk slightly to 2.10 (1.69-2.60) but remained statistically significant. In addition, other variables were associated with self-reported poor health Conclusion: This study found a statistically significant association between being outside the labour market and poor self-reported health. The relation was explained partially by socio-economic and demographic variables. Further studies are needed to further investigate the observed relationships. Longitudinal studies are needed to further investigate the observed relationship. Policy-makers within the Gävleborg County need to pay attention to the health status of those out of work, especially during times of combined economic and labour market fluctuations.   Results of the study suggest the need to pay attention to the health status of those outside the labour market especially during times of economic hardship

Risk factors associated with asbestos-related diseases: results of the asbestos surveillance programme Aachen

The aim of this study was to examine the association between workplace exposure to asbestos and risk factors for developing related chronic respiratory diseases, using the analysis of a cohort of 8,582 formerly asbestos-exposed workers, as well as to assess the grade value of three risk categories used for a focused surveillance procedure. The results showed that the participants who were aged over 65 (OR and 95% CI: 11.47 [5.48-23.99]) and active smokers (OR and 95% CI: 9.48 [4.07-22.09]), were at a significantly high risk for developing lung cancer. The risk of developing benign lesions of the lung or pleura (BLLP) was almost 6-times higher (OR and 95% CI: 5.76 [4.7-7]) for the age group over 65. The risk of developing mesothelioma was influenced by exposure duration (OR and 95% CI: 4.36 [1-19.01]); and for the age group over 65 (OR and 95% CI: 4.58 [1.86-11.27]). The study has demonstrated that the use of risk categories based on a combination of risk factors (age, smoking status, and duration of exposure) could be advantageous for planning the target health surveillance programmes

Geographic Differentials in Mortality of Children in Mozambique: Their Implications for Achievement of Millennium Development Goal 4

In the light of Mozambique's progress towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 4 of reducing mortality of children aged less than five years (under-five mortality) by two-thirds within 2015, this study investigated the relationship between the province of mother's residence and under-five mortality in Mozambique, using data from the 2003 Mozambican Demographic and Health Survey. The analyses included 10,326 children born within 10 years before the survey. Results of univariate and multivariate analyses showed a significant association between under-five mortality and province (region) of mother's residence. Children of mothers living in the North provinces (Niassa, Cabo Delgado, and Nampula) and the Central provinces (Zambezia, Sofala, Manica, and Tete) had higher risks of mortality than children whose mothers lived in the South provinces, especially Maputo province and Maputo city. However, controlling for the demographic, socioeconomic and environmental variables, the significance found between the place of mother's residence and under-five mortality reduced slightly. This suggests that other variables (income distribution and trade, density of population, distribution of the basic infrastructure, including healthcare services, climatic and ecologic factors), which were not included in the study, may have confounding effects. This study supports the thought that interventions aimed at reducing under-five mortality should be tailored to take into account the subnational/regional variation in economic development. However, research is warranted to further investigate the potential determinants behind the observed differences in under-five mortality

Characterization of Aquifex aeolicus 4-diphosphocytidyl-2C-methyl-d-erythritol kinase – ligand recognition in a template for antimicrobial drug discovery

4-Diphosphocytidyl-2C-methyl-d-erythritol kinase (IspE) catalyses the ATP-dependent conversion of 4-diphosphocytidyl-2C-methyl-d-erythritol (CDPME) to 4-diphosphocytidyl-2C-methyl-d-erythritol 2-phosphate with the release of ADP. This reaction occurs in the non-mevalonate pathway of isoprenoid precursor biosynthesis and because it is essential in important microbial pathogens and absent from mammals it represents a potential target for anti-infective drugs. We set out to characterize the biochemical properties, determinants of molecular recognition and reactivity of IspE and report the cloning and purification of recombinant Aquifex aeolicus IspE (AaIspE), kinetic data, metal ion, temperature and pH dependence, crystallization and structure determination of the enzyme in complex with CDP, CDPME and ADP. In addition, 4-fluoro-3,5-dihydroxy-4-methylpent-1-enylphosphonic acid (compound 1) was designed to mimic a fragment of the substrate, a synthetic route to 1 was elucidated and the complex structure determined. Surprisingly, this ligand occupies the binding site for the ATP α-phosphate not the binding site for the methyl-d-erythritol moiety of CDPME. Gel filtration and analytical ultracentrifugation indicate that AaIspE is a monomer in solution. The enzyme displays the characteristic α/β galacto-homoserine-mevalonate-phosphomevalonate kinase fold, with the catalytic centre positioned in a deep cleft between the ATP- and CDPME-binding domains. Comparisons indicate a high degree of sequence conservation on the IspE active site across bacterial species, similarities in structure, specificity of substrate recognition and mechanism. The biochemical characterization, attainment of well-ordered and reproducible crystals and the models resulting from the analyses provide reagents and templates to support the structure-based design of broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents

On the Problem of Identification in Multiplicative Intensity-Rate Models with Multiple Interactions

intensity rate, baseline level, multiplicative intensity model, log-linear intensity model, multiple interactions, identification, complete independence, conditional independence,

Another Look at Chow's Test for the Equality of Two Heteroscedastic Regression Models

Chow test, inter-model heteroscedasticity, intra-model heteroscedasticity,

Developments in the enantioselective protonation of prostereogenic enolates under kinetic control

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo