Showing papers by "Regenstrief Institute published in 1989"

Common problems experienced by adults with osteoarthritis.

Abstract: Functional status and noncompliance were assessed at baseline in 327 patients with osteoarthritis (OA), 96% of whom were interviewed again later either by telephone or at their next scheduled primary care visit. One-third of the sample reported noncompliance at baseline. During the follow-up interviews, commonly identified problems included having an inadequate supply of medicines to last until their next physician visit (47%), experiencing gastrointestinal complaints (36%), and reporting barriers to primary care (32%). For OA patients with hypertension or heart disease (N = 241), 75% reported clinically important symptoms. Patients with poorer functional status at baseline generally reported more subsequent problems. We conclude that patients frequently have correctable problems (e.g., medication noncompliance and side effects, barriers to care). These patients may be identified prospectively by their poor functional status. Arthritis health care professionals may wish to consider patient-oriented interventions to obviate these problems when evaluating functional status.

Diagnosis of mucopurulent cervicitis among women at risk for chlamydia trachomatis infection

Abstract: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the utility of a gram stain of endocervical secretions in the prediction of endocervical infection with Chlamydia trachomatis. Endocervical examinations, Gram stains and chlamydial cultures were performed on 214 women who were attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic and were at increased risk for chlamydial infection. Almost 24% of the Gram stains were judged inadequate because of the presence of ectocervical material. However, significantly higher isolation rates for C. trachomatis were found for those women with valid smears and 10 or more polymorphonuclear cells on their smear (44% vs 19%, P = .0008). This relationship was independent of the presence of gonococcal infection. Based on the results of this study, endocervical Gram stains appear to be a valuable screening tool for chlamydial infection, particularly among those without mucopurulent discharge.

Using clinical data to predict abnormal serum electrolytes and blood cell profiles.

Abstract: Objective: To identify clinical predictors of five abnormalities on the serum electrolyte panel and two abnormalities on the blood cell profile, to study which data elements carried predictive information, and to measure the predictive accuracy and stability of the resulting predictive equations.

Statistical Issues In A General-purpose Simulation Modeling Language

Abstract: INSIGHT, a general purpose discrete event simulation language, has been designed to be easy to learn and use, making simulation accessible to a community of users having little or no previous simulation or programming experience. Because the language also presumes that its users have minimal statistical expertise, considerable attention has been given to statistical issues within the language, so users can enjoy the benefits of sound statistical analysis without the burden of detailed specifications. A wide range of statistical input distribution types are provided, including a time-varying arrival process and the univariate and multivariate Johnson System. INSIGHT simulations automatically produce a summary report, designed to represent the behavior of the simulation from several perspectives. The experimental framework of INSIGHT promotes proper computation of the variance of means. Variance reduction using correlation induction can be easily invoked. A non-procedural method of extending summary statistics and producing statistics on arbitrary values is available. INSIGHT's attention to statistical issues makes sound statistical analysis a natural partner of modeling. The convenience of such statistics facilities promotes the routine use of statistical concepts in examining and constructing simulations.

A Comparison of Methods to Deteet Adulteration in Natural Products Under a Restricted Alternative

Abstract: Multivariate statistical tests used to assess purity of natural food products, such as fruit juices, do not assume prior knowledge about the most likely causes of adulteration. We describe a likelihood ratio test that has a directional alternate hypothesis so that prior knowlege about the most likely method of adulteration can be utilized. Critical regions for this statistic are based on a nonparametric tolerance interval, which makes it insensitive to an assumption of multivariate normality. This new test is compared to two tests currently used for identifying adulterated samples. It is shown that the new test will have increased power relative to the other tests in the direction of the predicted adulteration.