Parametric Tests for Two Population Means under Normal and Non-Normal Distributions

A simulation study was conducted to explore the performance of the independent means t-test, Satterthwaite’s approximate t-test, and the conditional t-test under various conditions. This study analyzed Type I error control and statistical power of these testing approaches and provided guidance on the proper selection among them

Rapid assessment of Hib disease burden in Vietnam

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several countries have applied the <it>Haemophilus influenzae </it>type b (Hib) rapid assessment tool (RAT) to estimate the burden of Hib disease where resources for hospital- or population-based surveillance are limited. In Vietnam, we used the Hib RAT to estimate the burden of Hib pneumonia and meningitis prior to Hib vaccine introduction.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Laboratory, hospitalization and mortality data were collected for the period January 2004 through December 2005 from five representative hospitals. Based on the WHO Hib RAT protocol, standardized MS Excel spreadsheets were completed to generate meningitis and pneumonia case and death figures.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found 35 to 77 Hib meningitis deaths and 441 to 957 Hib pneumonia deaths among children < 5 years of age annually in Vietnam. Overall, the incidence of Hib meningitis was estimated at 18/100,000 (95% confidence interval, CI, 15.1-21.6). The estimated Hib meningitis incidence in children < 5 years age was higher in Ho Chi Minh City (22.5/100,000 [95% CI, 18.4-27.5]) compared to Hanoi (9.8/100,000 [95% CI, 6.5-14.8]). The Hib RAT suggests that there are a total of 883 to 1,915 cases of Hib meningitis and 4,414 to 9,574 cases of Hib pneumonia per year in Vietnam.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In Hanoi, the estimated incidence of Hib meningitis for children < 5 years of age was similar to that described in previous population-based studies of Hib meningitis conducted from 1999 through 2002. Results from the Hib RAT suggest that there is a substantial, yet unmeasured, disease burden associated with Hib pneumonia in Vietnamese children.</p

Selective Persistence of HPV Cross-Neutralising Antibodies following Reduced-Dose HPV Vaccine Schedules.

The duration of cross-neutralising antibody responses (cross-NAb) following HPV immunisation is unknown. We compared cross-NAb responses in cohort of girls who were either unimmunised or had received immunisation with one, two or three doses of 4vHPV (Gardasil®,Merck Inc.) six years earlier, before and one month after a booster dose of 2vHPV (Cervarix®, GSK). NAb to potentially cross-reactive HPV genotypes 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58 were measured using a HPV pseudovirion-based neutralisation assay. Girls who had previously received at least one dose of 4vHPV had significantly higher NAb titres for HPV31 when compared with unimmunised girls, whereas no difference in NAb titre was observed for four other genotypes (33, 45, 52 and 58). Following a single further immunisation with 2vHPV, NAb titres to each of the five tested HPV genotypes were comparable for girls who previously received one, two or three doses of 4vHPV, and were significantly higher than for previously unimmunised girls. Immunisation with one, two or three doses of 4vHPV induced NAb to HPV31 that persisted for six years, but there was no persistence of NAb to HPV33, 45, 52 or 58. Our results suggest that one or two doses of 4vHPV may provide long-term protection against HPV31

Tyrosinase inhibitors and insecticidal materials produced by Burkholderia cepacia using squid pen as the sole carbon and nitrogen source

[[abstract]]Reports of tyrosinase inhibitors from microorganisms are rare. A tyrosinase inhibitor- and insecticidal materials-producing bacterium, strain TKU026, was isolated from Taiwanese soil and identified as Burkholderia cepacia. Among the tested chitin-containing materials, squid pen best enhanced the production of tyrosinase inhibitors and insecticidal materials. The tyrosinase inhibitory activity (5000 U/mL) and insecticidal activity (81%) against Drosophila larvae was maximised after cultivation on 1% squid-pen containing medium for three days. The tyrosinase inhibitory activity persisted even when the culture was treated with acidic or alkaline conditions of pH 3 or 11. The activities of both tyrosinase inhibitors and insecticide remained at 100%, even after treatment at 100℃ for 30 min. The culture supernatant after three days of cultivation also showed antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigatus and Fusarium oxysporum with maximal activities of 100% and 80%, respectively, but no antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli was observed. The tyrosinase inhibitors were assumed to be polyphenolic compounds according to the results of chromatography.[[notice]]補正完畢[[journaltype]]國外[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]紙本[[booktype]]電子版[[countrycodes]]NL

The Sudden Dominance of blaCTX–M Harbouring Plasmids in Shigella spp. Circulating in Southern Vietnam

Shigellosis is a disease caused by bacteria belonging to Shigella spp. and is a leading cause of bacterial gastrointestinal infections in infants in unindustrialized countries. The Shigellae are dynamic and capable of rapid change when placed under selective pressure in a human population. Extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBLs) are enzymes capable of degrading cephalosporins (a group of antimicrobial agents) and the genes that encode them are common in pathogenic E. coli and other related organisms in industrialized countries. In southern Vietnam, we have isolated multiple cephalosporin-resistant Shigella that express ESBLs. Furthermore, over two years these strains have replaced strains isolated from patients with shigellosis that cannot express ESBLs. Our work describes the genes responsible for this characteristic and we investigate one of the elements carrying one of these genes. These finding have implications for treatment of shigellosis and support the growing necessity for vaccine development. Our findings also may be pertinent for other countries undergoing a similar economic transition to Vietnam's and the corresponding effect on bacterial populations

Pancreaticoduodenectomy for the treatment of pancreatic neoplasms in children: A Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative study

Background: To better characterize short-term and long-term outcomes in children with pancreatic tumors treated with pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Methods: Patients 21 years of age or younger who underwent PD at Pediatric Surgical Oncology Collaborative (PSORC) hospitals between 1990 and 2017 were identified. Demographic, clinical information, and outcomes (operative complications, long-term pancreatic function, recurrence, and survival) were collected. Results: Sixty-five patients from 18 institutions with a median age of 13 years (4 months-22 years) and a median (IQR) follow-up of 2.8 (4.3) years were analyzed. Solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas (SPN) was the most common histology. Postoperative complications included pancreatic leak in 14% (n = 9), delayed gastric emptying in 9% (n = 6), marginal ulcer in one patient, and perioperative (30-day) death due to hepatic failure in one patient. Pancreatic insufficiency was observed in 32% (n = 21) of patients, with 23%, 3%, and 6% with exocrine, or endocrine insufficiencies, or both, respectively. Children with SPN and benign neoplasms all survived. Overall, there were 14 (22%) recurrences and 11 deaths (17%). Univariate analysis revealed non-SPN malignant tumor diagnosis, preoperative vascular involvement, intraoperative transfusion requirement, pathologic vascular invasion, positive margins, and need for neoadjuvant chemotherapy as risk factors for recurrence and poor survival. Multivariate analysis only revealed pathologic vascular invasion as a risk factor for recurrence and poor survival. Conclusion: This is the largest series of pediatric PD patients. PD is curative for SPN and benign neoplasms. Pancreatic insufficiency is the most common postoperative complication. Outcome is primarily associated with histology