scholarly journals Simplified binomial estimation of human malaria transmission exposure distributions based on hard classification of where and when mosquitoes are caught: statistical applications with off-the-shelf tools

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerry F. Killeen ◽  
April Monroe ◽  
Nicodem J. Govella

AbstractThe impacts and limitations of personal protection measures against exposure to vectors of malaria and other mosquito-borne pathogens depend on behavioural interactions between humans and mosquitoes. Therefore, understanding where and when they overlap in time and space is critical. Commonly used approaches for calculating behaviour-adjusted estimates of human exposure distribution deliberately use soft classification of where and when people spend their time, to yield nuanced and representative distributions of mean exposure to mosquito bites across entire human populations or population groups. However, these weighted averages rely on aggregating individual-level data to obtain mean human population distributions across the relevant behavioural classes for each time increment, so they cannot be used to test for variation between individuals. Also, these summary outcomes are quite complex functions of the disaggregated data, so they do not match the standard binomial or count distributions to which routine off-the-shelf statistical tools may be confidently applied. Fortunately, the proportions of exposure to mosquito bites that occur while indoors or asleep can also be estimated in a simple binomial fashion, based on hard classification of human location over a given time increment, as being either completely indoors or completely outdoors. This simplified binomial approach allows convenient analysis with standard off-the-shelf logistic regression tools, to statistically assess variations between individual humans, human population subsets or vector species. Such simplified binomial estimates of behavioural interactions between humans and mosquitoes should be more widely used for estimating confidence intervals around means of these indicators, comparing different vector populations and human population groups, and assessing the influence of individual behaviour on exposure patterns and infection risk. Also, standard sample size estimation techniques may be readily used to estimate necessary minimum experimental scales and data collection targets for field studies recording these indicators as key outcomes. Sample size calculations for field studies should allow for natural geographic variation and seasonality, taking advantage of rolling cross-sectional designs to survey and re-survey large numbers of separate study locations in a logistically feasible manner.

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-20
Author(s):  
Lia Kamila ◽  
Liawati . ◽  
Suci Lailani Alipah

ABSTRAK Indikator D/S di wilayah kerja Puskesmas Saguling Desa Cipangeran pada tahun 2016 menunjukkan masih rendahnya kunjungan balita dalam kegiatan posyandu dengan rata-rata hanya memcapai 41,5%, sedangkan target standar palayanan kota jumlah D/S yaitu 85%. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui keteraturan ibu dalam mengunjungi Posyandu dari faktor pengetahuan di Desa Cipangeran Kecamatan Saguling Kabupaten Bandung Barat tahun 2017. Metode penelitian ini menggunakan metode analitik dengan pendekatan cross sectional. Data yang digunakan adalah data primer. Populasi seluruh balita di wilayah kerja Puskesmas Saguling tahun 2016 sebanyak 424 ibu balita, besar sampel yang diambil 81 ibu balita, pengambilan sampel dengan menggunakan Sampel Random Sampling, pengumpulan data dengan hasil kuesioner berisi pertanyaan untuk mendapatkan data yang berkaitan dengan variabel yang diteliti. Hasil penelitian pengetahuan ibu balita didapatkan hampir setengah berada dikategori cukup yaitu 47 ibu balita (58%), namun masih ada ibu balita yang memiliki pengetahuan baik yaitu 18 ibu balita (22%), dan ibu balita yang memiliki pengetahuan kurang yaitu 16 ibu balita (20%). Kesimpulan dari penelitian didapatkan tingkat pengetahuan ibu balita yang tidak teratur dalam mengunjungi Posyandu di Desa Cipangeran Kecamatan Saguling Kabupaten Bandug Barat hampir setengah ibu balita berpengetahuan cukup. ABSTRACT The D / S indicator in the working area of ​​Saguling Public Health Center of Cipangeran Village in 2016 indicates that the low number of toddler visits in posyandu activities reaches an average of 41.5%, while the standard target for city / city is 85%. The purpose of this study is to determine the regularity of mothers in visiting Posyandu from knowledge factor in Cipangeran Village, Saguling District, West Bandung regency in 2017. This research method using analytical method with cross sectional approach. The data used is primary data.The population of all toddlers in the working area of Saguling Publich Health Center in 2016 were 424 mother, the sample size was 81 mother, using Random Sampling , data collection with questionnaires containing questions to obtain data related to the variables studied. The result of the research of the knowledge of the mother of the toddler is almost sufficient, namely 47 mothers (58%),but there are still mother who have good knowledge that is 18 mother of toddler (22%) and mother with less knowledge that is 16 mother of balita (20%). The conclusion of the research is the level of knowledge of irregular mother in visiting Posyandu in Cipangeran Village, Saguling, of West Bandung district, almost half of the toddler are knowledgeable enough.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-258
Author(s):  
Christian Benedict ◽  
Luiz Eduardo Mateus Brandão ◽  
Ilona Merikanto ◽  
Markku Partinen ◽  
Bjørn Bjorvatn ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions, such as stay-at-home-orders, have significantly altered daily routines and lifestyles. Given their importance for metabolic health, we herein compared sleep and meal timing parameters during vs. before the COVID-19 pandemic based on subjective recall, in an anonymous Swedish survey. Among 191 adults (mean age: 47 years; 77.5% females), we show that social jetlag, i.e., the mismatch in sleep midpoint between work and free days, was reduced by about 17 min during the pandemic compared with the pre-pandemic state (p < 0.001). Concomitantly, respondents’ sleep midpoint was shifted toward morning hours during workdays (p < 0.001). A later daily eating midpoint accompanied the shift in sleep timing (p = 0.001). This effect was mainly driven by a later scheduled first meal (p < 0.001). No difference in the timing of the day’s last meal was found (p = 0.814). Although our survey was limited in terms of sample size and by being cross-sectional, our results suggest that the delay in sleep timing due to the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by a corresponding shift in the timing of early but not late meals.


Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 437
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari ◽  
Shanika Boyce ◽  
Mohsen Bazargan

Intersectional research on childhood suicidality requires studies with a reliable and valid measure of suicidality, as well as a large sample size that shows some variability of suicidality across sex by race intersectional groups. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the feasibility of intersectionality research on childhood suicidality in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We specifically explored the reliability and validity of the measure, sample size, and variability of suicidality across sex by race intersectional groups. Methods: We used cross-sectional data (wave 1) from the ABCD study, which sampled 9013 non-Hispanic white (NHW) or non-Hispanic black (NHB) children between the ages of 9 and 10 between years 2016 and 2018. Four intersectional groups were built based on race and sex: NHW males (n = 3554), NHW females (n = 3158), NHB males (n = 1164), and NHB females (n = 1137). Outcome measure was the count of suicidality symptoms, reflecting all positive history and symptoms of suicidal ideas, plans, and attempts. To validate our measure, we tested the correlation between our suicidality measure and depression and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) sub-scores. Cronbach alpha was calculated for reliability across each intersectional group. We also compared groups for suicidality. Results: We observed some suicidality history in observed 3.2% (n = 101) of NHW females, 4.9% (n = 175) of NHW males, 5.4% (n = 61) of NHB females, and 5.8% (n = 68) of NHB males. Our measure’s reliability was acceptable in all race by sex groups (Cronbach alpha higher than .70+ in all intersectional groups). Our measure was valid in all intersectional groups, documented by a positive correlation with depression and CBCL sub-scores. We could successfully model suicidality across sex by race groups, using multivariable models. Conclusion: Given the high sample size, reliability, and validity of the suicidality measure, variability of suicidality, it is feasible to investigate correlates of suicidality across race by sex intersections in the ABCD study. We also found evidence of higher suicidality in NHB than NHW children in the ABCD study. The ABCD rich data in domains of social context, self-report, schools, parenting, psychopathology, personality, and brain imaging provides a unique opportunity to study intersectional differences in neural circuits associated with youth suicidality.


Author(s):  
Francesca Baratta ◽  
Giulio Mario Visentin ◽  
Lorenzo Ravetto Ravetto Enri ◽  
Marco Parente ◽  
Irene Pignata ◽  
...  

Pharmacists in the community and the essential requirement to safeguard their own health have become fundamental since the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The aims of this paper were (I) to analyze the directives provided to pharmacists in 2020 regarding preventative safety measures to be adopted; (II) to determine the number of pharmacists who came into contact with SARS-CoV-2 in North-West Italy and relate this to the adopted preventative measures. The first aim was pursued by conducting a bibliographic research, consulting the principal regulatory sources. The second one was achieved with an observational study by administering a questionnaire and performing a serological test. The various protection measures imposed by national and regional legislation were analyzed. Two hundred and eighty-six pharmacists (about 8% of the invited ones) responded to the survey. Ten pharmacists reported a positive result to the serological test. Of the subjects who presented a positive result, three declared that they had not used a hand sanitizer, while two stated that they had not scheduled the cleaning and decontamination of surfaces. Two interviewees had not set up a system of quota restrictions on admissions. In four cases, a certified cleaning company had decontaminated the premises. The results of our study show that during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the most pressing challenge for community pharmacists has been the protection of staff and clients inside the pharmacy; the challenge to be faced in the near future will probably be the management of new responsibilities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moses M. Ngari ◽  
Susanne Schmitz ◽  
Christopher Maronga ◽  
Lazarus K. Mramba ◽  
Michel Vaillant

Abstract Background Survival analyses methods (SAMs) are central to analysing time-to-event outcomes. Appropriate application and reporting of such methods are important to ensure correct interpretation of the data. In this study, we systematically review the application and reporting of SAMs in studies of tuberculosis (TB) patients in Africa. It is the first review to assess the application and reporting of SAMs in this context. Methods Systematic review of studies involving TB patients from Africa published between January 2010 and April 2020 in English language. Studies were eligible if they reported use of SAMs. Application and reporting of SAMs were evaluated based on seven author-defined criteria. Results Seventy-six studies were included with patient numbers ranging from 56 to 182,890. Forty-three (57%) studies involved a statistician/epidemiologist. The number of published papers per year applying SAMs increased from two in 2010 to 18 in 2019 (P = 0.004). Sample size estimation was not reported by 67 (88%) studies. A total of 22 (29%) studies did not report summary follow-up time. The survival function was commonly presented using Kaplan-Meier survival curves (n = 51, (67%) studies) and group comparisons were performed using log-rank tests (n = 44, (58%) studies). Sixty seven (91%), 3 (4.1%) and 4 (5.4%) studies reported Cox proportional hazard, competing risk and parametric survival regression models, respectively. A total of 37 (49%) studies had hierarchical clustering, of which 28 (76%) did not adjust for the clustering in the analysis. Reporting was adequate among 4.0, 1.3 and 6.6% studies for sample size estimation, plotting of survival curves and test of survival regression underlying assumptions, respectively. Forty-five (59%), 52 (68%) and 73 (96%) studies adequately reported comparison of survival curves, follow-up time and measures of effect, respectively. Conclusion The quality of reporting survival analyses remains inadequate despite its increasing application. Because similar reporting deficiencies may be common in other diseases in low- and middle-income countries, reporting guidelines, additional training, and more capacity building are needed along with more vigilance by reviewers and journal editors.


2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 389-397
Author(s):  
Nathalie Havet ◽  
Alexis Penot ◽  
Morgane Plantier ◽  
Barbara Charbotel ◽  
Magali Morelle ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThis article explores the impact of regulations on the implementation of collective protections in France to occupational exposure to carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) agents.MethodsIndividual data from the French national cross-sectional survey of occupational hazards conducted in 2010 were analysed. We investigated whether stricter regulations and longer exposures were associated with higher level of collective protection using multivariate logistic regressions.ResultsGeneral ventilation, for which effect is limited as collective protection for CMR products, was present in 19% of situations involving CMR agents while isolation chambers, the most effective form of protection, were only very rarely implemented. Multilevel logistic regressions show that exposure situations to products classified as category 1 or 2 by the European Union do not have a higher probability of benefiting from a collective protection measures. Exposures to products with a Binding Occupational Exposure Limit Value selectively benefited from a better level of protection. Exposures to agents entered on the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) list of proven or probable carcinogens benefited more from effective collective protections than products suspected to be carcinogens but not yet classified by IARC.ConclusionsThese results suggest that the dissemination of evaluations of carcinogens by the IARC translate into improved protective measures even though the IARC classification has no mandatory impact on regulations.


1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Scagel ◽  
Y. A. El-Kassaby ◽  
J. Emanuel

A multivariate extension of univariate sample size estimation is outlined that enables one to determine sample size for a multivariate study. The procedure is presented and illustrated by application to intraindividual and interindividual variation of cone morphology in a population of Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. The method involves the stabilization of a scalar estimate of the structure of the correlation matrix (the determinant) among variables for a given sample size. The sample-specific dependency of previously described methods is avoided by random selection of several replicates in nonstructured and structured (nested) models. The procedure is best applied in pilot studies where it can aid in the characterization of multivariate data prior to analysis. Additionally, repeatability estimates for cone scale morphology are presented.


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