Furthermore, Del variation linked with low-repeat-number (TTTA)(n

Furthermore, Del variation linked with low-repeat-number (TTTA)(n) alleles are involved in enhanced genetic susceptibility to unexplained infertility (adjusted OR = 4.33, P = 0.039) and endometriosis (r = -0.88, P = 0.026) which corroborates evidence on the overlapping patient profiles of ovarian dysfunction in both types of female infertility.”
“Purpose of reviewPhysiology-based

evaluation in stable ischemic heart disease is transforming percutaneous cardiovascular intervention (PCI). Fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided PCI is associated with more appropriate and EX 527 order beneficial outcomes at lower costs. The surgical community can no longer ignore this development. We review evidence for the rationale, practicality and appropriateness of FFR-guided coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), as compared with the current conventional, anatomy-based strategy for surgical revascularization.Recent

findingsPhysiologic evaluation links the nature (anatomic or functional) selleck products of coronary stenoses to the perfused myocardium supplied by the target vessel and challenges the use of anatomy as the sole criterion for revascularization intervention. In CABG, a functional perfusion deficit/ischemia identifies myocardial territories that would physiologically benefit from revascularization by grafting beyond the functional stenosis. Conversely, deliberately not grafting beyond an anatomic stenosis would dramatically change the procedure of CABG. Recent studies of functionally guided revascularization (PCI or CABG) support this approach, while recent trials of PCI vs. CABG demonstrated a late survival advantage with anatomy-based CABG.

Finally, new intraoperative imaging technologies are elucidating the physiologic consequences of surgical revascularization in real time, yielding insights into resolving this dilemma.SummaryPhysiologic-based revascularization is challenging our thinking about the historic strategy for CABG. Understanding better the physiologic consequences of revascularization will drive the evolution of CABG in the future.”
“Patients with primary cutaneous melanoma underwent sentinel node (SN) mapping and biopsy at 25 facilities in Japan by the combination of radiocolloid with gamma probe and dye. Technetium-99m (99mTc)-tin colloid, 99mTc-phytate, 2% patent blue violet JIB-04 inhibitor (PBV) and 0.4% indigo carmine were used as tracers. In some hospitals, 0.5% fluorescent indocyanine green, which allows visualization of the SN with an infrared camera, was concomitantly used and examined. A total of 673 patients were enrolled, and 562 cases were eligible. The detection rates of SN were 95.5% (147/154) with the combination of tin colloid and PBV, 98.9% (368/372) with the combination of phytate and PBV, and 97.2% (35/36) with the combination of tin colloid or phytate and indigo carmine. SN was not detected in 12 cases by the combination method, and the primary tumor was in the head and neck in six of those 12 cases.

Results: All groups that received antibiotics

showed sign

Results: All groups that received antibiotics

showed significantly lower bacterial counts than the no-treatment control group (p < 0.0003). Local gentamicin treatment decreased the number of colony-forming-unit isolates by approximately two orders of magnitude as compared with the number in the group treated with systemic cefazolin (p = 0.00005) and five orders of magnitude as compared with the number in the control group (p = 0.00003). The combination of systemic cefazolin and local gentamicin decreased the bacterial count by approximately seven orders of magnitude as compared with the count in the no-treatment control group and significantly decreased the count as compared with that in the group treated with local gentamicin alone (p = 0.00006).

Conclusions: As we hypothesized, the combination of systemic cefazolin and local gentamicin proved to https://www.selleckchem.com/products/jph203.html be the most effective regimen. Local injection of gentamicin proved more effective than systemic administration

of cefazolin but was not as effective as the combination of both antibiotics. The initially high concentrations of locally applied antibiotic and the utilization of two different classes of antibiotics may have contributed to the observed efficacy.

Clinical Relevance: If our findings are supported by those in clinical trials, the combination of local gentamicin and systemic cefazolin MDV3100 could prove valuable as a regimen for prophylaxis against surgical wound infection.”
“Radiopharmaceuticals are radiation-emitting substances used in medicine for radiotherapy and imaging diagnosis. Contemporary Epigenetic inhibitor datasheet view on safety emphasizes that safety critical facilities should be able to proactively evaluate

safety in their activities. This proactivity is related to organizational resilience and should be endorsed by the facility safety management system. Resilience is understood as the intrinsic ability of an organization to adjust its functioning prior to, during, or following changes or disturbances, so that it can sustain required operations under both expected and unexpected conditions. In this context, resilience engineering tools (RE) has fast become recognized as a valuable new complement to the existing approaches to safety management. In this direction, the study describes a leading indicators framework based on RE principles for safety management in a radiopharmaceuticals production facility located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The organizations that use leading indicators will be able to proactively evaluate and manage safety, enhancing the overall system resilience.”
“Surgical strategy for thoracic disc herniation (TDH) remains controversial. We have performed posterior thoracic interbody fusion (PTIF) by bilateral total facetectomies with pedicle screw fixation. The objectives of this retrospective study are to demonstrate the surgical outcomes of PTIF for TDH.

A broad

photoluminescence excitation (PLE) band of Yb3+ l

A broad

photoluminescence excitation (PLE) band of Yb3+ luminescence peaked at 390 nm corresponds to the absorption band and the photocurrent excitation band in the non-doped CeO2 crystal, which are also in accordance with the PLE band of Eu3+ luminescence in the Eu3+-doped CeO2. Judging from these results, the PLE band is attributed to the charge transfer (CT) band from O2- to Ce4+, but not to the CT from O2- to Yb3+. From the sintering atmosphere dependence of the PL and PLE, we found that the oxygen vacancies and Ce3+ impurities Vactosertib in vivo are not responsible for the 390 nm-absorption band but they work as a quenching center for the Yb3+ luminescence. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3642984]“
“Emergency response preparedness for radiological accidents involving wound contamination has become more important, considering the current extending tendency in the nuclear industry related to the nuclear fuel cycle. The US National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) proposed a biokinetic and dosimetric model for the intake of radionuclides through contaminated wounds in

2007. The present paper describes the implementation of this NCRP wound model for the prediction of systemic behaviour of some important radioactive elements encountered in workplaces related to the nuclear industry. The NCRP wound model was linked to the current ICRP systemic model at each blood compartment and simultaneous differential equations for the content of radioactivity in each compartment and excreta were solved with the Runge-Kutta method. The results of the calculation of wound, QNZ NF-��B inhibitor whole-body or specific organ retention and daily urinary or faecal excretion rate of some selected elements will be useful for the interpretation of bioassay data and dose assessment for cases of wound contamination.”
“Most endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESS) www.selleckchem.com/products/VX-809.html develop recurrent disease at pelvis and lung. Recurrent ESS in the cecum causing intussusception is a rare but emergent phenomenon.

After initial surgical treatment in 1997, a 41-year-old female developed recurrent

ESS in the cecum causing ileo-colic intussusception in 2008, which were operated with right hemicolectomy. The patient was then treated with progestin for 2 years to date. She has since been disease-free.

This case report emphasizes the importance of long-term follow-up and initial surgical treatment of ESS and suggests systemic hormonal therapy in case of recurrence.”
“Composites of isotactic polypropylene with various contents of white clay or titanium dioxide TiO2 were prepared by extrusion molding. The extruded composites were melt-pressed at two different temperatures, and, thereafter, either slowly cooled, or quenched to room temperatures. It is shown that the structure of all the samples, as revealed by wide-angle X-ray scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), depends on the processing conditions.

J Appl Polym Sci 114: 1426-1434, 2009″
“Background: Rupture

J Appl Polym Sci 114: 1426-1434, 2009″
“Background: Rupture of a saccular intracranial aneurysm (SIA) causes thunderclap headache but it remains unclear whether headache in general and migraine in particular are more prevalent in patients with unruptured SIA.

Methods: In a prospective case-control study 199 consecutive patients with SIA (103 females and 96 males, mean age: 43.2 years) received a semistructured face to face interview focusing on past headaches. All were admitted

to hospital mostly because of rupture (177) or for unruptured aneurysm (22). In parallel we interviewed 194 blood donors (86 females, 108 males, mean age: 38.4 years). Diagnoses were made according to the International Headache Society criteria. Aneurysms were diagnosed by conventional www.selleckchem.com/products/arn-509.html cerebral angiography.

Results: During the year before rupture, 124 (62.3%) had one or more types of headache. These headaches included: migraine without aura (MO): 78 (39.2%), migraine with aura (MA): 2 (1%), probable migraine (PM): 4 (2%), tension-type headache (TTH): 39 (19.6%), cluster headache (CH): 2 (1%), posttraumatic headaches (PH): 2 (1%). 1-year prevalence of headaches in controls

was 32.5% (63 patients out of 194), they included: TTH: 45 (23.1%), MO: 17 (8.8%), PH: 1(0.5%). Only the prevalence of MO was significantly higher in patients with SIA (OR 6.7, 95% CI 3.8-11.9, p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Unruptured SIA cause a marked increase in the prevalence of migraine without aura but not in the prevalence of other types of headache.”
“Background: Accurate and practical malaria diagnostics, such as immunochromatographic rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), HIF-1�� pathway have the potential to avert unnecessary treatments and save lives. Volunteer community health workers (CHWs) represent a potentially valuable human resource for expanding this technology to where it is most needed, remote rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa with limited health facilities

and personnel. This study reports on a training programme for CHWs to incorporate RDTs into their management strategy for febrile children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a tropical African setting ravaged by human conflict.

Methods: TPX-0005 chemical structure Prospective cohort study, satisfaction questionnaire and decision analysis.

Results: Twelve CHWs were trained to safely and accurately perform and interpret RDTs, then successfully implemented rapid diagnostic testing in their remote community in a cohort of 357 febrile children. CHWs were uniformly positive in evaluating RDTs for their utility and ease of use. However, high malaria prevalence in this cohort (93% by RDTs, 88% by light microscopy) limited the cost-effectiveness of RDTs compared to presumptive treatment of all febrile children, as evidenced by findings from a simplified decision analysis.

Conclusions: CHWs can safely and effectively use RDTs in their management of febrile children; however, cost-effectiveness of RDTs is limited in zones of high malaria prevalence.

The FAD2-4 coding region was expressed in yeast and shown to enco

The FAD2-4 coding region was expressed in yeast and shown to encode a functional delta-12 desaturase, converting oleic acid (C18:1) to linoleic acid (C18:2) in recombinant yeast cells. In addition, both the FAD2-4 and the FAD2-3 genes were transferred into the Arabidopsis see more thaliana fad2-1 mutant background where they effectively restored wild type fatty acid composition and growth characteristics. Finally, the cotton FAD2-4 green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion polypeptide

appeared to be localized in the endomembrane system of transgenic Arabidopsis plants in the complemented fad2-1 mutant background, supporting a functional ER location for the cotton FAD2-4 polypeptide in this heterologous plant system. Thus, a new functional member of the FAD2 gene family in

cotton has been characterized, indicating a complex regulation of membrane lipid desaturation in this important fiber/oilseed crop. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights Selleck Vorinostat reserved.”
“About 5-10 % of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients show variant Philadelphia (Ph) translocations. The formation mechanisms and clinical significance of variant Ph translocations remain unclear. We report a CML case with a novel five-way complex translocation. Although the result of initial G-banding was 46,XY,t(7;11;9)(q22;q13;q34),t(9;22)(q34;q11.2), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) demonstrated t(7;11;9;22;9)(q22;q13;q34;q11.2;q34) consisting of sequential rearrangements involving five

chromosomes. The patient was successfully treated by imatinib AZD7762 and obtained a major molecular response. To our knowledge, this is the tenth CML case with a complicated Ph translocation involving five chromosomes and the third one treated by imatinib. Good response with imatinib therapy suggested that a single-event rearrangement was involved in the chromosomal changes.”
“A poroelastic medium, comprising a deformable solid with a saturating fluid, exhibits pressure-driven fluid transport that, via a solid/fluid coupling, generates stresses in the surrounding solid. In an elastically anisotropic solid, this coupling may lead to interactions between distant fluid elements and, therefore, to complex transport behavior. To examine the impact of elastic anisotropy on poroelastic transport, a simplified phase-field model of fluid imbibition in a weakly anisotropic poroelastic solid is studied. It is found that the rate of imbibition depends on the strength of the crystalline anisotropy as well as the orientation of the crystallographic axes relative to the direction of a propagating fluid front. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3204649]“
“In marine bacteria and some thraustochytrids (marine stramenopiles) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are produced de novo by PUFA synthases.

Results Patients who did not require treatment for POTS before c

Results. Patients who did not require treatment for POTS before conception were less likely to have an exacerbation of symptoms

or need reintroduction of treatment. Exacerbations of POTS during pregnancy are variable. Of our patients with exacerbations of symptoms, increases in the existing pharmacologic treatments, such as increasing beta-blocker dosage, was effective in palliation of symptoms. There were seven vaginal deliveries. Two patients delivered without neuraxial anesthesia; the other five deliveries were done using epidural Selleckchem TGFbeta inhibitor anesthesia without associated complications. POTS does not seem to contribute to pregnancy-related complications. Importantly, there were no adverse intrapartum events attributable to POTS.

Conclusions. Pregnant women with POTS may undergo safe regional anesthesia and vaginal delivery. buy GDC-0068 This contradicts earlier reports in the literature recommending cesarean delivery.”
“The human aspartyl beta-hydroxylase (HAAH) is a highly conserved enzyme that hydroxylates epidermal growth factor-like domains in transformation-associated proteins. Previous studies showed that the gene of HAAH was overexpressed in many human malignancies. In the present study, the HAAH-specific single-chain variable fragment (ScFv) antibody was produced in recombinant Escherichia coli. The variable regions of the genes of the heavy chain (VH) and light chain (VL) cloned from the hybridoma cells G3/F11 were connected with a flexible linker

using an overlap extension polymerase chain reaction. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that

the anti-HAAH VH was a member of the VH V gene family and the VL gene belonged to the V kappa gene family VI subgroup. Extensive efforts to express the functional ScFv antibody in E. coli have been made by using two different prokaryotic expression vectors-pHEN1 and pET-16b-to compare the expression level and solubility of the antibody. selleckchem The recombinant pHEN1/E1-anti-HAAH vector could express soluble ScFv, although the yield was only 7.8% of the total cellular protein. However, the pET-16b/E2-anti-HAAH vector produced the ScFv as inclusion bodies inside the host cytoplasm, although the expression level of the antibody was quite high (28.5% of the total cellular protein). Soluble ScFv antibody produced by pHEN1/E1-anti-HAAH was characterized for its antigen-binding characteristics. Its antigen affinity as antibody was measured by indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay analysis and proved to have high binding activity to the antigen HAAH.”
“Background and Purpose: Histotripsy is a noninvasive, pulsed ultrasound technology that produces mechanically homogenized tissue within targeted volumes. Previous work has demonstrated prostatic tissue debulking in a canine model. The aim was to establish safety thresholds by evaluating histologic changes of urinary sphincter, neurovascular bundle (NVB), and rectum after targeted histotripsy treatment of these critical structures.

Patient distress was related to disease burden (standardized path

Patient distress was related to disease burden (standardized path coefficient=0.52) and patient social

relatedness (-0.32). Caregiver distress was related to caregiving burden (0.21) and caregiver social relatedness (-0.51). Caregiving burden was related to patient disease burden (0.43) and caregiver social relatedness (-0.37). Reciprocal pathways between patient and caregiver distress indicated that caregiver distress was influenced by patient distress (0.30) but not vice versa (0.12).

ConclusionsThese findings support the view that patients and caregivers constitute an interdependent relational system and interventions in this setting should take into account both interactions between patients and caregivers and the find more nature of their social relatedness. Copyright (c) 2013 John selleck inhibitor Wiley & Sons, Ltd.”
“Overwhelming evidence supports a central role for the amyloid beta-peptide (A beta) in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and the proteases that produce A beta from its precursor protein APP are top targets for therapeutic intervention. Considerable effort has focused on targeting gamma-secretase, which generates the C-terminus of A beta; however, gamma-secretase inhibitors cause serious toxicities due to interference with the Notch signaling pathway. We have been working toward compounds that directly alter gamma-secretase activity to reduce A beta production without affecting the

proteolysis of Notch. Using purified enzyme and substrate, we have shown that gamma-secretase can be selectively inhibited in this way by naphthyl-substituted gamma-aminoketones and gamma-aminoalcohols. These early hits, however, suffered from chemical instability and/or poor potency. Iterative design, synthesis and evaluation have led to the discovery of Notch-sparing gamma-secretase inhibitors with substantially increased potencies

in biochemical and cellular assays. These compounds are of low molecular Selleckchem CX-6258 weight and are under evaluation for drug-like properties. The discovery and development of these compounds will be discussed.”
“The comorbid psychiatric disorders in patients with epilepsy have been neglected for a long time. And yet, epidemiological studies have demonstrated a relatively high prevalence of mood, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Furthermore, the relation between psychiatric disorders and epilepsy is complex, as illustrated by the relation between mood disorders and epilepsy. The aim of this article is to summarize the most relevant data oil the complex relation between mood disorders and epilepsy, which extends to anxiety disorders and which can be explained by the existence of common pathogenic mechanisms shared by these three conditions. The significance Of such a relation is not only theoretical, but has a marked impact on the response to pharmacological and surgical treatment of seizure disorders. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


“Background: We examined treatment-seeking overweight and


“Background: We examined treatment-seeking overweight and obese youths to better understand the gender, age, and treatment modality differences in generic and disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Methods: This multicenter study included 1,916 patients (mean = 12.6 years; 57% females; mean zBMI = 2.4) who started treatment for overweight and obesity in 48 treatment facilities between July 2005 and October 2006. The facilities offered either

inpatient treatment or outpatient programs. Prior beta-catenin cancer to treatment, all participants completed the generic KIDSCREEN-27 HRQOL-questionnaire, the self-perception subscale of the generic KIDSCREEN-52 and the disease-specific obesity module of the KINDL(R). The patients’ HRQOL was compared to the KIDSCREEN reference sample from the general ML323 cost population by one-way analyses of variance, adjusting for age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Independent t-tests were conducted to compare disease-specific HRQOL scores between patients by gender and age group. Significant mean differences in HRQOL between inpatients and outpatients were explored by one-way analyses of variance, adjusting for age, gender, and zBMI. Effect sizes ‘d’ were calculated employing the estimated marginal means and the pooled standard deviation (m(treatment)-m(norm)/SD(pooled)).

Results: The patients’ HRQOL scores were impaired relative to German norms, with effect

sizes up to d = 1.12. The pattern of impairment was similar in boys and girls as well as in children and adolescents. In each of the analyses, at least three of six KIDSCREEN subscales were affected. Regardless of gender and age group, the highest impairments were found in self-perception and physical well-being. Because of the strong decrease in HRQOL in the general population during adolescence, compared to age-specific norms, adolescents were less impaired than were children. However, overweight and obese adolescents (especially females) reported the lowest absolute HRQOL scores. HRQOL varied with the intensity of treatment.

Inpatients had significantly lower scores than did outpatients, even after adjusting for age, gender and zBMI.

Conclusions: The results Raf inhibitor suggest the presence of differences in HRQOL with regard to gender, age, and treatment modality in treatment-seeking overweight and obese youths. Research and clinical practice must consider the particular impairments of inpatients as well as the impairments of (especially female) adolescents.”
“Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, particularly numbing and hyperarousal symptoms, are related to poor physical health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Tobacco dependence is also associated with poor HRQoL, and individuals with PTSD may smoke at higher rates than the general population. Our study aimed to examine the impact of quitting smoking and changes in PTSD symptoms over time on changes in physical HRQoL.

A parameter eta = I(C=N)/[I(C=N) + I(C N)] was defined to evalua

A parameter eta = I(C=N)/[I(C=N) + I(C N)] was defined to evaluate the extent of cyclization in the stabilization process. The kinetic parameters, viz. activation energy (E) and pre-exponential factor (A) of the stabilization

reactions, were calculated by Kissinger method. FTIR analysis indicated that the cyclization of nitrile groups was initiated at room temperature Citarinostat ic50 by electron beam irradiation. The transformation of C N groups to C=N ones was accelerated in the process of stabilization. The extent of cyclization of the stabilized fibers was increased. SEM analysis indicated that irradiation could also decrease the internal and surface defects of the stabilized fibers treated at 300 degrees C. The activation energy of cyclization reaction was reduced from 302 to 280 kJ/mol and 260 kJ/mol through 100 and 200 kGy electron beam irradiation, respectively.

The reaction temperature range was expanded, and the exothermic rate was slowed down in the process of stabilization, which was the reason why the stabilized fibers have improved cyclization degree and less internal defects. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 122: 90-96, 2011″
“Acute arterial thrombosis is an uncommon but potentially devastating consequence of kidney transplantation. Early recognition followed by thrombectomy may salvage the graft. We present this website a case of acute renal artery thrombosis after a living-related kidney transplant with successful treatment with operative thrombectomy and intraarterial infusion of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator.”
“The present study investigated the dipole-dipole interaction for finite 2D

arrays of ferromagnetic circular nanomagnets. Starting with two basic arrangements of coupled nanomagnets namely, longitudinal and transverse, different diameters, and CAL-101 in vivo thicknesses are studied. The phase plot results exhibit for longitudinal arrangements that the single domain state is pervasive over a large range of thickness values as compared to the transverse arrangement or isolated nanomagnet cases. The study is further extended to finite arrays (3 x 3 and 5 x 5) of circular nanomagnets. The magnetic force microscopy results show that arrays of nanomagnets favors antiferromagnetic ordering at remanence. We have correlated our experimental results with micromagnetic simulations. Based on our study, we can conclude that nanomagnets with 100 nm in diameter, 15 nm in thickness, and 20 nm in spacing have single domain states in an array configuration with one-step switching, which results in fast operation, a property ideal for computing. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3536795]“
“In this article, we describe electrically conductive nanoblends containing poly(aniline-co-3-aminobenzoic acid) (PANABA), poly(styrene-alt-maleic acid) (PSMAC), and polystyrene.

While this approach is found to have significant utility in gener

While this approach is found to have significant utility in general, small systematic biases

in the measurements due to the presence of the data logger are observed. Taking these biases into account enables more productive extrapolation of measured time/humidity profiles.”
“Extruded/injection-molded composites of excellent mechanical property were produced from plantain flour (PF) blended with ethylenevinyl alcohol (EVA) and glycerol. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that composites had a smooth surface, indicative of an excellent compatibility between PF, EVA, and glycerol. Generally, tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (%E), and the displacement (DM), all decreased with increased PF content in the composite accompanied by an increase in Young’s modulus (M). The composites with higher PF contents (60% or higher) had more stable SNX-5422 Cytoskeletal Signaling inhibitor mechanical properties. Selected composites (60% PF content) stored at -20 degrees C and 4 degrees C for 40 h showed only minor changes in mechanical properties

compared with controls (23 degrees selleckchem C). However, samples stored for a similar period at 80 degrees C were drastically altered in their mechanical properties resulting in huge increases in TS and M and a 10-fold decrease in the %E. Samples prestored at various relative humidities (RHs) for 40 h exhibited only slight decrease in TS and M and a concomitant increase in the %E with increased LY2835219 clinical trial RH. Interestingly, sample prestored at both -20 degrees C and 80 degrees C exhibited significantly higher rates and extents of degradation. SEM analysis of samples left in compost for 8 weeks showed a rapid surface erosion and material deterioration with time. Evaluation of the color produced during heat processing of starch in PF as a result of Maillard reaction showed an increase in the values of luminosity (L*), chroma (C*), and hue angle (h*) with decreased PF content

in the composite. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012″
“BioSense is a US national system that uses data from health information systems for automated disease surveillance. We studied 4 time-series algorithm modifications designed to improve sensitivity for detecting artificially added data. To test these modified algorithms, we used reports of daily syndrome visits from 308 Department of Defense (DoD) facilities and 340 hospital emergency departments (EDs). At a constant alert rate of 1%, sensitivity was improved for both datasets by using a minimum standard deviation (SD) of 1.0, a 14-28 day baseline duration for calculating mean and SD, and an adjustment for total clinic visits as a surrogate denominator. Stratifying baseline days into weekdays versus weekends to account for day-of-week effects increased sensitivity for the DoD data but not for the ED data.