A bootstrap confidence interval for skewness and kurtosis and properties of t-test in small samples from normal distribution

Objectives: We examined the test properties about mean and mean differences, sampling distributions properties of mean and standard deviation, especially when the sample size is lower than 10 and the variable has normal distribution in population. In addition, we aimed to construct a 95% bootstrap confidence interval for skewness and kurtosis values in various samples sizes. Materials and Methods: In our simulation study, 10,000 samples with replacement were taken from the standard normal population. Various sample sizes were evaluated. Data which were obtained from an animal study were used for comparison of t-test's and Wilcoxon sign test's power in small sample. Results: According to our results, sampling distribution of skewness coefficients has normal distribution; however, kurtosis coefficients have positively skewed distribution. A bootstrap confidence interval for these coefficients by using these sampling distribution can be used for normality test. Moreover, it was shown that test statistic for the mean has t-distribution in all studied sample sizes. Conclusion: We can say that distribution shape of the variable plays a more important role than sample size in selection of appropriate test statistic. © Medical Journal of Trakya University. Published by Ekin Medical Publishing. All rights reserved

Accidents of the elderly living in Kocaeli Region (Turkey)

The accidents seen in the elderly have a remarkable impact on their family life and the society they live in. In this study, we have aimed to assess the prevalence, types and characteristics of the accidents seen among the elderly. We performed a cross-sectional study. The data was collected from 486 old people living in Kocaeli Region, in 2003. Demographic features, numbers and the variety of accidents were recorded after interviews. The data were also obtained from a questionnaire given after a physical examination. The ratio of accidents was found to be 9.5% (46 cases) in the study group; of those 71.7% were indoor and 28.3% outdoor accidents. The causes of the accidents were falls (69.6%), cuts (13.0%) and stings (10.9%). The distribution of the indoor accidents was 72.7% for falls, 12.1% for cuts, 9.1% for stings and 6.1% for other injuries. The distribution of the outdoor accidents was 61.5% for falls, 15.4% for cuts, 15.4% for stings and 7.7% for burns. Fall-induced injuries seem to be a major problem among the elderly. The results of our study indicate that the occurrence of indoor accidents is an important health problem in the geriatric population. Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Evaluation of cerebellar asymmetry with vertigo cases: a stereological study.

AIM: We aimed to evaluate the relevant methods of stereology to estimate cerebellar asymmetry according to gender in both adult right-handed vertigo cases and healthy cases

Morphometric Analysis of Hemicerebellar Asymmetry with Central Vertigo Cases: A Stereological Study

We aimed to evaluate the relevant methods of stereology to estimate hemicerebellar asymmetry according to sex in both adult right handed vertigo cases and comparing with healthy cases. The study included 14 adult control subjects and 18 patients with vertigo. The volumes of the cerebellar hemispheres were determined by MRI using the point-counting approach of stereological methods. The mean (+/- SD) of the right cerebellar hemispheres in the patients with vertigo were 52.49 +/- 5.42 cm(3) in males, 50.11 +/- 4.02 cm(3) in females. The mean ( SD) of the left cerebellar hemispheres in the patients with vertigo were 53.11 +/- 3.70 cm(3) in males, 49.73 +/- 4.69 cm(3) in females. There was not significant quantitative evidence detected in terms of cerebella asymmetry between sagittal plane estimates in the cases with vertigo in both genders (p>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences according to the genders between both vertigo and control subjects (p>0.05). There was only statistical significance between right and left hemispheres in male control subjects (p=0.039). There was no cerebella asymmetry between control and vertigo cases according to genders. The stereological evaluation of cerebella asymmetry or atrophy in humans correlate with gender is of importance for both clinicians and anatomists. The technique is simple, reliable, inexpensive and unbiased

Morphometric analysis of Hemicerebellar Asymmetry with Central Vertigo cases: A Stereological study Análisis morfométrico de la asimetría hemicerebelar en casos de vértigo central: Un estudio estereológico

We aimed to evaluate the relevant methods of stereology to estimate hemicerebellar asymmetry according to sex in both adult right handed vertigo cases and comparing with healthy cases. The study included 14 adult control subjects and 18 patients with vertigo. The volumes of the cerebellar hemispheres were determined by MRI using the point-counting approach of stereological methods. The mean (±SD) of the right cerebellar hemispheres in the patients with vertigo were 52.49±5.42 cm3 in males, 50.11±4.02 cm3 in females. The mean (±SD) of the left cerebellar hemispheres in the patients with vertigo were 53.11±3.70 cm3 in males, 49.73±4.69 cm3 in females. There was not significant quantitative evidence detected in terms of cerebella asymmetry between sagittal plane estimates in the cases with vertigo in both genders (p>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences according to the genders between both vertigo and control subjects (p>0.05). There was only statistical significance between right and left hemispheres in male control subjects (p=0.039). There was no cerebella asymmetry between control and vertigo cases according to genders. The stereological evaluation of cerebella asymmetry or atrophy in humans correlate with gender is of importance for both clinicians and anatomists. The technique is simple, reliable, inexpensive and unbiased

The Apolipoprotein E Gene and Taq1A Polymorphisms in Childhood Obesity

Obesity is a multifactorial disease that is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. The apolipoprotein E (Apo E) polymorphism has been reported to influence some lipid profile abnormalities associated with obesity in childhood. In this study, the relationship between the Apo E gene and Taq1A polymorphisms with childhood obesity has been studied. Regarding the Apo E genotypes, e3/4 was the most frequent in both the patient and control groups. Further, there was a significance between the Apo E genotypes with low density lipoprotein and total cholesterol levels. However, no relationship was found between the Taq1A polymorphism and obesity. In conclusion, polygenic inheritance should be kept in mind when dealing with childhood obesity