Flinders University

About: Flinders University is a education organization based out in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 12033 authors who have published 32831 publications receiving 973172 citations. The organization is also known as: Flinders University of South Australia.

Geographical Variations in Sex Ratio Trends over Time in Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract: Background: A female/male (F/M) ratio increase over time in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients was demonstrated in many countries around the world. So far, a direct comparison of sex ratio time-trends among MS populations from different geographical areas was not carried out. Objective: In this paper we assessed and compared sex ratio trends, over a 60-year span, in MS populations belonging to different latitudinal areas. Methods: Data of a cohort of 15,996 (F = 11,290; M = 4,706) definite MS with birth years ranging from 1930 to 1989 were extracted from the international MSBase registry and the New Zealand MS database. Gender ratios were calculated by six decades based on year of birth and were adjusted for the F/M born-alive ratio derived from the respective national registries of births. Results: Adjusted sex ratios showed a significant increase from the first to the last decade in the whole MS sample (from 2.35 to 2.73; p = 0.03) and in the subgroups belonging to the areas between 83° N and 45° N (from 1.93 to 4.55; p<0.0001) and between 45° N to 35° N (from 1.46 to 2.30; p<0.05) latitude, while a sex ratio stability over time was found in the subgroup from areas between 12° S and 55° S latitude. The sex ratio increase mainly affected relapsing-remitting (RR) MS. Conclusions: Our results confirm a general sex ratio increase over time in RRMS and also demonstrate a latitudinal gradient of this increase. These findings add useful information for planning case-control studies aimed to explore sex-related factors responsible for MS development.

Characterization and evaluation of similarity measures for pairs of clusterings

Abstract: In evaluating the results of cluster analysis, it is common practice to make use of a number of fixed heuristics rather than to compare a data clustering directly against an empirically derived standard, such as a clustering empirically obtained from human informants. Given the dearth of research into techniques to express the similarity between clusterings, there is broad scope for fundamental research in this area. In defining the comparative problem, we identify two types of worst-case matches between pairs of clusterings, characterised as independently codistributed clustering pairs and conjugate partition pairs. Desirable behaviour for a similarity measure in either of the two worst cases is discussed, giving rise to five test scenarios in which characteristics of one of a pair of clusterings was manipulated in order to compare and contrast the behaviour of different clustering similarity measures. This comparison is carried out for previously-proposed clustering similarity measures, as well as a number of established similarity measures that have not previously been applied to clustering comparison. We introduce a paradigm apparatus for the evaluation of clustering comparison techniques and distinguish between the goodness of clusterings and the similarity of clusterings by clarifying the degree to which different measures confuse the two. Accompanying this is the proposal of a novel clustering similarity measure, the Measure of Concordance (MoC). We show that only MoC, Powers’s measure, Lopez and Rajski’s measure and various forms of Normalised Mutual Information exhibit the desired behaviour under each of the test scenarios.

Depression: An Important Comorbidity With Metabolic Syndrome in a General Population

Abstract: OBJECTIVE —There is a recognized association among depression, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to examine in a sample representative of the general population whether depression, anxiety, and psychological distress are associated with metabolic syndrome and its components. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —Three cross-sectional surveys including clinical health measures were completed in rural regions of Australia during 2004–2006. A stratified random sample ( n = 1,690, response rate 48%) of men and women aged 25–84 years was selected from the electoral roll. Metabolic syndrome was defined by the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults, Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III), and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Anxiety and depression were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and psychological distress by the Kessler 10 measure. RESULTS —Metabolic syndrome was associated with depression but not psychological distress or anxiety. Participants with the metabolic syndrome had higher scores for depression ( n = 409, mean score 3.41, 95% CI 3.12–3.70) than individuals without the metabolic syndrome ( n = 936, mean 2.95, 95% CI 2.76–3.13). This association was also present in 338 participants with the metabolic syndrome and without diabetes (mean score 3.37, 95% CI 3.06–3.68). Large waist circumference and low HDL cholesterol showed significant and independent associations with depression. CONCLUSIONS —Our results show an association between metabolic syndrome and depression in a heterogeneous sample. The presence of depression in individuals with the metabolic syndrome has implications for clinical management.