BACKGROUND Fecal occult blood testing, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy are used to screen patients for colorectal cancer. OBJECTIVE To compare the cost-effectiveness of fecal occult blood testing, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy. DESIGN The cost-effectiveness of the three screening strategies was compared by using computer models of a Markov process. In the model, a hypothet...

The paper reveals structural and functional peculiarities of English occult discourse as a cultural phenomenon. research is based on the material explanatory etymological dictionaries texts manifesting Internet. uses comprehensive methodology involving general scientific special linguistic methods. identifies institutional forms types outlines ways to study them. term “occult discourse” denotes...

Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is defined as persistence of HBV DNA in liver tissues, with or without detectability of HBV DNA in the serum, in individuals with negative serum HBV surface antigen (HBsAg). Despite accumulating evidence suggesting its important clinical roles, the molecular and virological basis of occult hepatitis B remains unclear. In an attempt to establish new hepat...

Intraocular foreign bodies (IOFBs) can complicate globe trauma and are associated with a high incidence of severe vision loss. Occult IOFBs present a particular challenge as they are not diagnosed promptly and tend to present with advanced complications, including endophthalmitis and retinal detachment. In this report, we present three cases of occult nonmetallic IOFBs presenting as fulminant u...

Occult primary ovarian insufficiency (also known as incipient ovarian failure or diminished ovarian reserve) is defined as serum AMH level ≤1.1ng/mL in women under age 30. Limited data is available regarding the prevalence of occult POI, the preceding menstrual characteristics and its natural course in otherwise healthy young females. We aimed in this prospective observational study to determin...

BACKGROUND Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) is frequently reported in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. An association between OBI and more liver damage, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and reduced response to interferon therapy in patients with HCV infection is suggested. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of occult HBV,...

OBJECTIVES To establish the true prevalence of clinically recognisable and occult obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS). DESIGN Prospective interventional study. SETTING Busy district general hospital. SAMPLE Two hundred and fifty-four women having their first vaginal delivery over a 12-month period were invited. Two hundred and forty-one (95%) participated and 208 (86%) attended foll...

BACKGROUND Testing stool for occult blood at the time of digital rectal examination (DRE) has been discouraged because it is thought to increase the number of false-positive test results. OBJECTIVE To compare the diagnostic yield of colonoscopy and the cost per cancer detected in asymptomatic patients with a positive fecal occult blood test result obtained by DRE with that obtained from spont...

Meningitis developed in 3 of 14 children with occult pneumococcaemia; in 2 of them it developed while they were being treated with low doses of intravenous penicillin, in the third child it developed at a time when he was not being treated. All children with occult pneumococcaemia should be treated with intravenous penicillin as are those with pneumococcal meningitis.