Analysis of factors influencing telephone call response rate in an epidemiological study.

Descriptive epidemiology research involves collecting data from large numbers of subjects. Obtaining these data requires approaches designed to achieve maximum participation or response rates among respondents possessing the desired information. We analyze participation and response rates in a population-based epidemiological study though a telephone survey and identify factors implicated in consenting to participate. Rates found exceeded those reported in the literature and they were higher for afternoon calls than for morning calls. Women and subjects older than 40 years were the most likely to answer the telephone. The study identified geographical differences, with higher RRs in districts in southern Spain that are not considered urbanized. This information may be helpful for designing more efficient community epidemiology projects.

Rate of gene sequence evolution and species diversification in flowering plants: a re-evaluation

Barraclough and co-workers (in a paper published in 1996) observed that there was a significant positive correlation between the rate of evolution of the rbcL chloroplast gene within families of flowering plants and the number of species in those families. We tested three additional data sets of our own (based on both plastid and nuclear genes) and used methods designed specifically for the comparison of sister families (based on random speciation and extinction). We show that, over all sister groups, the correlation between the rate of gene evolution and an increased diversity is not always present. Despite tending towards a positive association, the observation of individual probabilities presents a U-shaped distribution of association (i.e. it can be either significantly positive or negative). We discuss the influence of both phylogenetic sampling and applied taxonomies on the results.

Measurement of glomerular filtration rate in obese patients: pitfalls and potential consequences on drug therapy.

Epidemiological studies have shown that obesity is associated with chronic kidney disease and end stage renal disease. These studies have used creatinine derived equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and have indexed GFR to body surface area (BSA). However, the use of equations using creatinine as a surrogate marker of glomerular filtration and the indexation of GFR for BSA can be questioned in the obese population. First, these equations lack precision when they are compared to gold standard GFR measurements such as inulin clearances; secondly, the indexation of GFR for 1.73 m(2) of BSA leads to a systematic underestimation of GFR compared to absolute GFR in obese patients who have BSA that usually exceed 1.73 m(2). Obesity is also associated with pathophysiological changes that can affect the pharmacokinetics of drugs. The effect of obesity on both renal function and drug pharmacokinetics raises the issue of correct drug dosage in obese individuals. This may be particularly relevant for drugs known to have a narrow therapeutic range or excreted by the kidney.

Pédiatrie 1. Formule Quadratique: une nouveauté pédiatrique et pratique pour estimer le taux de filtration glomérulaire [Quadratic formula: a new pediatric advance for glomerular filtration rate estimation].

A new formula for glomerular filtration rate estimation in pediatric population from 2 to 18 years has been developed by the University Unit of Pediatric Nephrology. This Quadratic formula, accessible online, allows pediatricians to adjust drug dosage and/or follow-up renal function more precisely and in an easy manner.

Iowa Crime Rate Comparisons Report, Iowa Department of Public Safety,1999

This report describes how Iowa compares to other states in the nation. To promote consistency, the Iowa totals and the other states’ information have been taken entirely from the FBI’s national publication called Crime in the United States; 1999. The Iowa information in Crime in the United States; 1999 is based upon actual summary totals for selected reporting jurisdictions and produced by the U.S. Department of Justice, F.B.I. These Iowa totals cannot be compared to the 1999 Incident-Based Iowa Uniform Crime Reports, which are based on actual totals for all reporting Iowa law enforcement jurisdictions.

Iowa Crime Rate Comparisons Report, 2000

This report describes how Iowa compares to other states in the nation. To promote consistency, the Iowa totals and the other states’ information have been taken entirely from the FBI’s national publication called Crime in the United States; 2000. The Iowa information in Crime in the United States; 2000 is based upon actual summary totals for selected reporting jurisdictions and produced by the U.S. Department of Justice, F.B.I. These Iowa totals cannot be compared to the 2000 Incident-Based Iowa Uniform Crime reports, which are based on actual totals for all reporting Iowa law enforcement jurisdictions.

Iowa Crime Rate Comparisons Report, Iowa Department of Public Safety, 2001

This report describes how Iowa compares to other states in the nation. To promote consistency, the Iowa totals and the other states’ information have been taken entirely from the FBI’s national publication called Crime in the United States; 2001. The Iowa information in Crime in the United States; 2001 is based upon actual summary totals for selected reporting jurisdictions and produced by the U.S. Department of Justice, F.B.I. These Iowa totals cannot be compared to the 2001 Incident-Based Iowa Uniform Crime Reports, which are based on actual totals for all reporting Iowa law enforcement jurisdictions.

Iowa Crime Rate Comparisons Report, Iowa Department of Public Safety,1998

This report describes how Iowa compares to other states in the nation. To promote consistency, the Iowa totals and the other states’ information have been taken entirely from the FBI’s national publication called Crime in the United States; 1998. The Iowa information in Crime in the United States; 1998 is based upon actual summary totals for selected reporting jurisdictions and produced by the U.S. Department of Justice, F.B.I. These Iowa totals cannot be compared to the 1998 Incident-Based Iowa Uniform Crime Reports which are based on actual totals for all reporting Iowa law enforcement jurisdictions.

Fishery-induced selection on an Alpine whitefish: quantifying genetic and environmental effects on individual growth rate

Size-selective fishing, environmental changes and reproductive strategies are expected to affect life-history traits such as the individual growth rate. The relative contribution of these factors is not clear, particularly whether size-selective fishing can have a substantial impact on the genetics and hence on the evolution of individual growth rates in wild populations. We analysed a 25-year monitoring survey of an isolated population of the Alpine whitefish Coregonus palaea. We determined the selection differentials on growth rate, the actual change of growth rate over time and indicators of reproductive strategies that may potentially change over time. The selection differential can be reliably estimated in our study population because almost all the fish are harvested within their first years of life, i.e. few fish escape fishing mortality. We found a marked decline in average adult growth rate over the 25 years and a significant selection differential for adult growth, but no evidence for any linear change in reproductive strategies over time. Assuming that the heritability of growth in this whitefish corresponds to what was found in other salmonids, about a third of the observed decline in growth rate would be linked to fishery-induced evolution. Size-selective fishing seems to affect substantially the genetics of individual growth in our study population.

Twenty-four-hour energy expenditure and basal metabolic rate measured in a whole-body indirect calorimeter in Gambian men.

By use of a respiration chamber, 24-hour energy expenditure (EE), diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), and basal and sleeping EE were measured in 20 young rural Gambian men during the "hungry" season (weight, 60.8 +/- 1.4 kg) and in a group of 16 European men matched for body composition (weight, 66.9 +/- 1.9 kg). The 24-h EE was lower in Gambian than in European men (2047 +/- 46 vs 2635 +/- 74 kcal/d, p less than 0.001, respectively). Basal EE and sleeping EE were also lower in Gambian than in European men (1.05 +/- 0.02 vs 1.25 +/- 0.02 kcal/min and 1.0 +/- 0.02 vs 1.18 +/- 0.02 kcal/min, p less than 0.01, respectively). DIT was blunted in Gambian compared with European men (6.3 +/- 0.6% vs 12.1 +/- 0.5%, p less than 0.001 respectively). The net efficiency of walking was greater in Gambian than in European men (23.2 +/- 0.3% vs 20.1 +/- 0.4%, p less than 0.001, respectively). A low basal and sleeping EE, a reduced DIT, and a high work efficiency are important energy-sparing mechanisms in Gambian men, which allow them to cope with a marginal level of dietary intake during the hungry season.

Large fluctuations in the disassembly rate of microtubules revealed by atomic force microscopy.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) in situ has been used to observe the cold disassembly dynamics of microtubules at a previously unrealised spatial resolution. Microtubules either electrostatically or covalently bound to aminosilane surfaces disassembled at room temperature under buffer solutions with no free tubulin present. This process was followed by taking sequential tapping-mode AFM images and measuring the change in the microtubule end position as a function of time, with an spatial accuracy down to +/-20nm and a temporal accuracy of +/-1s. As well as giving average disassembly rates on the order of 1-10 tubulin monomers per second, large fluctuations in the disassembly rate were revealed, indicating that the process is far from smooth and linear under these experimental conditions. The surface bound rates measured here are comparable to the rates for GMPCPP-tubulin microtubules free in solution, suggesting that inhibition of tubulin curvature through steric hindrance controls the average, relatively low disassembly rate. The large fluctuations in this rate are thought to be due to multiple pathways in the kinetics of disassembly with differing rate constants and/or stalling due to defects in the microtubule lattice. Microtubules that were covalently bound to the surface left behind the protofilaments covalently cross-linked to the aminosilane via glutaraldehyde during the disassembly process. Further work is needed to quantitatively assess the effects of surface binding on protofibril disassembly rates, reveal any differences in disassembly rates between the plus and minus ends and to enable assembly as well as disassembly to be imaged in the microscope fluid cell in real-time.

Effect of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on a state highway patrol trooper's heart rate variability

BACKGROUND: On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the United States. By coincidence, a North Carolina highway patrol trooper was wearing an ambulatory ECG Holter monitor at this time as part of an air pollution study. METHODS: Heart rate variability parameters were analyzed: standard deviation of normal to normal beat intervals (SDNN) and percentage of interval differences >50 ms (PNN50). RESULTS: The trooper's heart rate variability changed immediately after learning about the terrorist attacks. Heart rate increased and PNN50 decreased, while SDNN increased strongly. CONCLUSIONS: These changes suggest strong emotional sympathetic stress associated with parasympathetic withdrawal in response to the news about the terrorist attack. [Authors]

Effects of propranolol on resting metabolic rate after severe head injury.

Postabsorptive resting metabolic rate (RMR), measured by indirect calorimetry, and the effect of iv propranolol administration were studied in 12 nonseptic patients with severe head injury by means of indirect calorimetry. Before propranolol RMR was moderately increased (126 +/- 10.4% of predicted values) whereas urinary excretion of catecholamines was markedly elevated (p less than .01 vs. normal values). RMR was significantly correlated with both resting heart rate (HR) (r = .72, p less than .01) and 24-h urinary N excretion (r = .85, p less than .001). The administration of iv propranolol (0.1 mg/kg) produced a rapid decrease in HR (-10 +/- 4%, p less than .001) and in RMR (-6.1 +/- 2.3%, p less than .001). Further administration of propranolol produced no additional reduction in either HR or RMR. We conclude that severely head-injured patients are moderately hypermetabolic in resting and postabsorptive conditions, and that acute iv propranolol administration induces a reduction of about one quarter of the resting hypermetabolism.

How did the Financial Crisis affect the Real Interest Rate Dynamics in Europe?

We investigate the effects of the financial crisis on the stationarity of real interest rates in the Euro Area. We use a new unit root test developed by Peseran et al. (2013) that allows for multiple unobserved factors in a panel set up. Our results suggest that while short-term and long-term real interest rates were stationary before the financial crisis, they became nonstationary during the crisis period likely due to persistent risk that characterized financial markets during that time. JEL codes: E43, C23. Keywords: Real interest rates, Euro Area, financial crisis, panel unit root tests, cross-sectional dependence.

Is it worth treating fever in intensive care unit patients? Preliminary results from a randomized trial of the effect of external cooling.

BACKGROUND: Antipyresis is a common clinical practice in intensive care, although it is unknown if fever is harmful, beneficial, or a negligible adverse effect of infection and inflammation. METHODS: In a randomized study, rectal temperature and discomfort were assessed in 38 surgical intensive care unit patients without neurotrauma or severe hypoxemia and with fever (temperature >/=38.5 degrees C) and systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Eighteen patients received external cooling while 20 received no antipyretic treatment. RESULTS: Temperature and discomfort decreased similarly in both groups after 24 hours. No significant differences in recurrence of fever, incidence of infection, antibiotic therapy, intensive care unit and hospital length of stay, or mortality were noted between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the systematic suppression of fever may not be useful in patients without severe cranial trauma or significant hypoxemia. Letting fever take its natural course does not seem to harm patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome or influence the discomfort level and may save costs.