Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Hum Nutr Diet 2021 Mar 22. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Population Health Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Background: After ovarian cancer treatment, women report health issues that may be amenable to change with dietary support. The present study investigated how many women encounter a dietitian post-treatment and the factors associated with dietitian service use.

Methods: We used data from a cohort of women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer to identify socio-economic, clinical and personal factors associated with dietitian encounter after treatment completion. Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2020 Dec 29. Epub 2020 Dec 29.

Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.

Background: We investigated the prospective association between a brief self-report measure of engagement in HIV care (the Index) and suboptimal retention and viral suppression (VS) outcomes.

Methods: The CNICS cohort study combines medical record data with patient-reported outcomes from eight HIV clinics in the United States, which from April 2016-March 2017 included the 10-item Index. Multivariable logistic regression (LR) was used to estimate the risk and odds ratios of mean Index score on two outcomes in the subsequent year: 1) not keeping at least 75% of scheduled HIV care appointments, and; 2) for those with VS at Index, having viral load >200 copies/mL on at least one measurement. Read More

BMC Med Res Methodol 2020 06 11;20(1):152. Epub 2020 Jun 11.

Department of Population Medicine, College of Medicine, Qatar University, Al Jamiaa Street, P. O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.

Background: In meta-analyses of a binary outcome, double zero events in some studies cause a critical methodology problem. The generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) has been proposed as a valid statistical tool for pooling such data. Three parameter estimation methods, including the Laplace approximation (LA), penalized quasi-likelihood (PQL) and adaptive Gauss-Hermite quadrature (AGHQ) were frequently used in the GLMM. Read More

Int Urol Nephrol 2019 Dec 18;51(12):2149-2159. Epub 2019 Sep 18.

Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology and Urology, Loyola University Medical Center and Stritch School of Medicine Loyola University Chicago, 2160 S First Ave, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA.

Purpose: Probiotics may reduce risk of urinary tract infection by preventing colonization of uropathogens. We aimed to determine the change in the ratio between uropathogens:Lactobacillus (U/L) within the lower urinary tract in response to oral probiotic.

Methods: This was a double-blinded randomized controlled trial of healthy pre-menopausal female volunteers. Read More

Complement Ther Med 2019 Jun 15;44:116-122. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Psychology, Clemson University.

Introduction: Mindful walking is a meditation practice that combines physical activity and mindfulness practice. Some mindful walking interventions expect four weeks of attendance (as compared with the traditional 8-week models of mindfulness-based interventions, or MBIs), a practice that could make MBIs more accessible to working-age adults. This study examined whether a 4-week mindful walking intervention increased physical activity and improved mental health outcomes. Read More

BMC Med Res Methodol 2018 07 4;18(1):70. Epub 2018 Jul 4.

School of Computing Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK.

Background: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of binary outcomes are widespread in all areas of application. The odds ratio, in particular, is by far the most popular effect measure. However, the standard meta-analysis of odds ratios using a random-effects model has a number of potential problems. Read More

Resuscitation 2018 Jun 5;127:79-82. Epub 2018 Apr 5.

Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Neonatology, University Children's Hospital, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany. Electronic address:

Aim: Intraosseous (IO)-access plays an alternative route during resuscitation. Our study was performed to investigate the successful rate of IO-access in preterm and term stillborns using different devices and techniques.

Methods: The cadavers used were legal donations. Read More

Oecologia 2018 05 10;187(1):75-84. Epub 2018 Mar 10.

Animal Ecology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany.

Investigations of the interplay of organisms in an ecological community are a prerequisite to understanding the processes that shape the structures of those communities. Among several types of interactions, interest in the positive interactions of species that compete for the same resource has grown, as they may provide a mechanism enabling coexistence. In the laboratory experiment described herein, the effects of interspecific interaction on the population growth of two bacterial-feeding nematode species, Panagrolaimus cf. Read More

Clin Rheumatol 2018 Apr 18;37(4):955-962. Epub 2017 Dec 18.

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.

This study was conducted to assess the ability of the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group-2004 (BILAG-2004), the SLE Disease Activity Index-2K (SLEDAI-2K), the European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement (ECLAM), and the Revised Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM-R) to detect the need to treatment change in daily clinical practice. One hundred and two patients with SLE were enrolled and followed up for 2 to 8 months and visited at least 3 times. Physician Global Assessment, BILAG-2004, SLEDAI-2K, SLAM-R, and ECLAM, were calculated in every visit. Read More

Ecol Evol 2016 10 4;6(19):6817-6823. Epub 2016 Sep 4.

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 3-5-8 Saiwai Fuchu Tokyo 183-8509 Japan.

Vertical seed dispersal, which plays a key role in plant escape and/or expansion under climate change, was recently evaluated for the first time using negative correlation between altitudes and oxygen isotope ratio of seeds. Although this method is innovative, its applicability to other plants is unknown. To explore the applicability of the method, we regressed altitudes on O of seeds of five woody species constituting three families in temperate forests in central Japan. Read More

Am J Phys Anthropol 2016 10 17;161(2):367-73. Epub 2016 Jun 17.

UMR 5199 PACEA, CNRS, University of Bordeaux, Bâtiment B8, Allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire-CS 50023-F-33400, Talence, France.

Menarche is an indicator frequently used to study variation in growth, development, and related health conditions among members of living populations. As a life event, menarche is often associated with changes in an individual's social identity. The reproductive lifespan, which for females starts with menarche, is a paramount feature of palaeodemographic studies. Read More

R Soc Open Sci 2015 Jun 17;2(6):140460. Epub 2015 Jun 17.

School of Mathematical Sciences , Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane, Queensland, Australia ; Cooperative Research Centres for Spatial Information , Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

With the rising incidence of type II diabetes mellitus (DM II) worldwide, methods to identify high-risk geographical areas have become increasingly important. In this comprehensive review following Cochrane Collaboration guidelines, we outline spatial methods, outcomes and covariates used in all spatial studies involving outcomes of DM II. A total of 1894 potentially relevant citations were identified. Read More

Appl Environ Microbiol 2015 Sep 26;81(17):6059-69. Epub 2015 Jun 26.

Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA Department of Food Science and Technology, Eastern Shore Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Virginia Tech, Painter, Virginia, USA

While rain and irrigation events have been associated with an increased prevalence of foodborne pathogens in produce production environments, quantitative data are needed to determine the effects of various spatial and temporal factors on the risk of produce contamination following these events. This study was performed to quantify these effects and to determine the impact of rain and irrigation events on the detection frequency and diversity of Listeria species (including L. monocytogenes) and L. Read More

J R Stat Soc Ser C Appl Stat 2015 Apr;64(3):433-449

Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, U.S.A.

In many epidemiological and clinical studies, misclassification may arise in one or several variables, resulting in potentially invalid analytic results (e.g., estimates of odds ratios of interest) when no correction is made. Read More

BMC Health Serv Res 2014 Oct 22;14:508. Epub 2014 Oct 22.

Background: Patient safety culture (PSC) has an important role in determining safety and quality in healthcare. Currently, little is known about the status of unit-level PSC in hospitals in Japan. To develop appropriate strategies, characteristics of unit-level PSC should be investigated. Read More

J Environ Manage 2014 Nov 9;144:51-7. Epub 2014 Jun 9.

Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014, University of Turku, Finland.

Wildlife passages are widely used mitigation measures designed to reduce the adverse impacts of roads on animals. We investigated whether road kills of small and medium-sized terrestrial vertebrates can be reduced by constructing dry paths adjacent to streams that pass under road bridges. The study was carried out in southern Finland during the summer of 2008. Read More

Artif Intell Med 2013 Sep 30;59(1):39-44. Epub 2013 Mar 30.

New York State Office of Mental Health, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 104, New York, NY 10032, USA.

Background: Training has been identified as an important barrier to implementation of clinical decision support systems (CDSSs), but little is known about the effectiveness of different training approaches.

Methods: Using an observational retrospective cohort design, we examined the impact of four training conditions on physician use of a CDSS: (1) computer lab training with individualized follow-up (CL-FU) (n=40), (2) computer lab training without follow-up (CL) (n=177), (3) lecture demonstration (LD) (n=16), or (4) no training (NT) (n=134). Odds ratios of any use and ongoing use under training conditions were compared to no training over a 2-year follow-up period. Read More

Gastric Cancer 2013 Apr 18;16(2):245-53. Epub 2012 Jul 18.

Division of Public Health, University of Zaragoza, C/Domingo Miral S/N, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain.

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) and rural factors have been shown to be associated with gastric cancer epidemiology. The aim of this study was to identify geographical variations in gastric cancer incidence in Zaragoza province (Spain) during the period 1993-2002, and their association with SES and rural factors.

Methods: Incident cases were extracted from the population-based Zaragoza Cancer Registry. Read More

S Afr Med J 2010 Nov 9;100(11):734-7. Epub 2010 Nov 9.

Dept of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa.

Objectives. We examined Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with gastric-related morbidities at Livingstone Hospital, Port Elizabeth, to determine the prevalence and risk factors for infection according to race, endoscopic diagnosis, age and sex. Methods. Read More

Comput Methods Programs Biomed 2010 Jul 16;99(1):49-56. Epub 2009 Dec 16.

Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.

Background: The low (LF) vs. high (HF) frequency energy ratio, computed from the spectral decomposition of heart beat intervals, has become a major tool in cardiac autonomic system control and sympatho-vagal balance studies. The (statistical) distributions of response variables designed from ratios of two quantities, such as the LF/HF ratio, are likely to non-normal, hence preventing e. Read More

Am J Public Health 2009 Nov 17;99(11):1988-95. Epub 2009 Sep 17.

School of Public Health, University of California, 50 University Hall, MC 7360, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, USA.

Objectives: We estimated the relative rate of highly credible gastrointestinal illness (HCGI) per year associated with active versus sham household water filtration devices among older adults in a community receiving tap water meeting current US standards.

Methods: We conducted a randomized, triple-blinded, crossover trial in 714 households (988 individuals), which used active and sham water filtration devices for 6 months each. We estimated the annual incidence rate ratio of HCGI episodes and the longitudinal prevalence ratio of HCGI days at population and individual levels with a generalized estimating equation (GEE) and generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs), respectively, adjusted for covariates associated with outcome. Read More

Genet Sel Evol 2005 Jan-Feb;37(1):31-56

Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1225, USA.

We propose a general Bayesian approach to heteroskedastic error modeling for generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) in which linked functions of conditional means and residual variances are specified as separate linear combinations of fixed and random effects. We focus on the linear mixed model (LMM) analysis of birth weight (BW) and the cumulative probit mixed model (CPMM) analysis of calving ease (CE). The deviance information criterion (DIC) was demonstrated to be useful in correctly choosing between homoskedastic and heteroskedastic error GLMM for both traits when data was generated according to a mixed model specification for both location parameters and residual variances. Read More