Estimating the genetic potential in stature [11]

published_or_final_versio

Apgar score and postnatal outcomes

published_or_final_versio

Modelling variation of lower leg length growth in early life

We consider the estimation of sources of variation for panel data with repeated measurements. With no repeated measurements and known measurement error, models for variation decomposition have been proposed when there are one or more types of measurements. Estimation was performed using the EM algorithm accompanied by model augmentation that demands more computational efforts. In this article we extend previous variation models and modify the estimation methods in order to estimate various variation components after eliminating the unknown effects of measurement error. Specifically, methods that dispense with model augmentation and estimation of time-dependent covariates are considered. A set of lower leg length data from Chinese infants is analysed by using the proposed model. Interestingly, our results are consistent with the well-accepted three-phase (infancy-childhood-puberty) growth transition proposition for human growth. Moreover, gender effect is found to be time-varying. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.postprin

Life science academic output in predominantly Chinese communities, 1990 to 2001: China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan

Cover title.February 2003--P. 6.published_or_final_versionCitation indexMedline listed journals with no impact factor 26Hong Kong total academic output 32Hong Kong area specific impact 38Area specific publication impact 38Summary of area specific publication impact 40Summary 48Cell biology 63Appendix 50Multidisplinary sciences 51Critical care medicine 70Clinical neurology 67Biochemistry and molecular biology 52Biotechnology and applied microbiology 58Cardiac and cardiovascular systems 61Toxicology 151Surgery 148Rheumatology 146Transplantation 154Urology and nephrology 156Virology 158Infectious diseases 91Immunology 88Hematology 86Genetics and heredity 81Gastroenterology and hepatology 79Endocrinology and metabolism 76Emergency medicine 74Dentistry, oral surgery and medicine 72Research impact given by the number of very high impact publicationsSurgery as an example of area adjusted journal impact factor 24Foreword 5Respiratory system 144Introduction 7Reproductive biology 142Radiology, nuclear medicine and medical imaging 139Public, environmental and occupational health 136Research output and research impact 10Psychiatry 133Physiology 130Pharmacology and pharmacy 126Peripheral vascular disease 124Pediatrics 121Pathology 118Otorhinolaryngology 116Global research impact given by the number of publications 12Orthopedics 114Ophthalmology 112Oncology 109Obstetrics and gynecology 107Nutrition and dietetics 105Neurosciences 103Microbiology 100Medicine, general and internal 97Research output and public health 14Asian research impact given by the number of publications 16Materials science and biomaterials 9

Study site standard operating procedures

published_or_final_versionICH GCP E6 guidelines 193Clinical proceduresAppendicesPreparation of clinical trial protocol and protocol amendments 1Quality assurancePre-study visit 9Study closureTrial operationReview and validation of clinical trial protocol 14Introduction vReview of protocol amendments 22Review of investigators brochure 26Review of case report form 31Contracts and budgets 35Study organisation and planning 40Study team : definition of responsibilities 58Pre studyRecruitment of subjects 62Pre-study planning of investigational products and devices 68Pre-study planning for laboratory investigations 73Independent ethics committee or institutional review board 78Investigator meeting and GCP training 86Pre-study checklist 89Site initiation visit 93Blinding : codes and code breaking 101Investigational products accounting and dispensing 104Case report form completion 110Obtaining written informed consent 114Adverse event and serious adverse event reporting 129Monitoring visits 134Data clarification 139Study closure visit 145Archiving of study data 149Independent data monitoring 155Audits 158Inspections 164Measurement of blood pressure 171Spirometry testing 175Measurement of body weight and height 178Venepuncture (adults) 182Preparation and approval of SOPs 187Format for investigators CV 188Declaration of Helsinki 19

Earthworm extract as a fibrinolytic agent in healthy men: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

published_or_final_versio

Do patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia respond differently to Helicobacter pylori eradication treatments from those with peptic ulcer disease? A systematic review

Aim: It is controversial whether patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) respond differently to Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) eradication treatment than those with peptic ulcer disease (PUD). To review the evidence for any difference in H pylori eradication rates between PUD and NUD patients. Methods: A literature search for full articles and meeting abstracts to July 2004 was conducted. We included studies evaluating the efficacy of a proton pump inhibitor (P) or ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC) plus two antibiotics of clarithromycin (C), amoxicillin (A), metronidazole (M), or P-based quadruple therapies for eradicating the infection. Results: Twenty-two studies met the criteria. No significant difference in eradication rates was found between PUD and NUD patients when treated with 7-d RBCCA, 10-d PCA or P-based quadruple therapies. When the 7-d PCA was used, the pooled H pylori eradication rate was 82.1% (431/525) and 72.6% (448/617) for PUD and NUD patients, respectively, yielding a RR of 1.15 (95%CI 1.01-1.29). However, the statistically significant difference was seen only in meeting abstracts, but not in full publications. Conclusion: There is no convincing evidence to suggest that NUD patients respond to H pylori eradication treatments differently from those with PUD, although a trend exists with the 7-d PCA therapy. © 2005 The WJG Press and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.published_or_final_versio

Continuous growth reference from 24th week of gestation to 24 months by gender

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Growth charts and child growth assessment have become prime global instruments in child health practice over the 30 years. An updated, continuous growth standard that bridges size at birth values with postnatal growth values can improve child growth screening and monitoring.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This novel growth chart was constructed from two sources of information. Size at birth (weight, length and head circumference) reference values were updated based on information of normal deliveries (i.e. singleton live births without severe congenital malformation, with healthy mothers and born vaginally) from the Swedish Medical Birth Registry, 1990–1999 (n = 810393). Weight was evaluated using logarithmic transformation as for postnatal weight. Standard deviations were estimated from data within the empirical mean ± 1.0 SD for each gestational week and gender. These values were smoothed by empirical curve-fitting together with values from our recently published postnatal growth reference including 3650 longitudinally followed children from birth to final height <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B9">9</abbr></abbrgrp>. Timescale and weight axes were made logarithmic in order to magnify the early time part of the graph.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>This study presents the first continuous gender specific growth chart from birth irrespective of gestational age at birth until 2 years of age for weight, length and head circumference. Birth weight at 40 weeks of gestation increased approximately 100 gram and length increased only 1 mm compared with earlier Swedish reference from 1977–81. The curve is now less S-shaped as compared with earlier curves and compared with 4 curves from other countries and with more constant variation over the whole range.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our values picture the unrestricted pattern of growth improving the detection of a deviating growth pattern, when the growth of an individual infant is plotted on the charts. Especially for very preterm infants age corrected growth can be more easily evaluated although it must be recognized that the early comparison is with what is estimated as normal growth in uterus. The reference values are useful in child health care systems for population screening, but also in research or in the clinic for evaluating various growth promoting interventions – either nutritional, surgical or therapeutic – that might affect a child in early life.</p