The state of Minnesota undertook a trial of the 2005 recommendations for blood lead testing in refugees developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New refugee children younger than 16 years of age receiving health screening at an urban clinic were tested for elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs) and nutritional status. Follow-up lead tests were obtained three to six months after ...

A whole-blood test for total cholesterol has been developed that is performed in a low-cost disposable flow device without user intervention (after sample addition). The device meters the sample, separates plasma from erythrocytes, and precisely times plasma flow into various reagent compartments, including a quality-assurance chamber. Test results are displayed as a well-defined and easily rea...

BACKGROUND Dust control is recommended to prevent children's exposure to residential lead hazards, but the long-term effect of dust control on children's exposure to environmental lead is unknown. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of dust control on children's exposure to lead, as measured by blood lead concentration at 48 months of age. DESIGN A randomized, controlled trial. Setting. Roche...

BACKGROUND We investigated the influence of pre-analytical factors on the results of clinical tests and thereby analyzed approaches to improve quality management in clinical laboratories. METHODS Unqualified clinical samples were selected from all the samples received at our clinical laboratory. The data were collected for 2009 and 2010, i.e., the years before and after the establishment of t...

Objective. The aim of this study is to describe and compare access and barriers to health services in three proximal yet topographically distinct communities in northern Honduras served by the nonprofit organization the Honduras Outreach Medical Brigada Relief Effort (HOMBRE). Methods. Study personnel employed a 25-item questionnaire in Spanish at the point of care during HOMBRE clinics in Coyo...

The aim of this cross sectional study was to investigate whether holding a private health plan affects the consumption of medical services (hospitalization and visits to a doctor) and use of medications by older adults. All residents in Bambuí town (Minas Gerais, Brazil) aged ≥ 60 years (n = 1,742) were selected. From these, 92.2% were interviewed and 85.9% were examined (blood tests and physic...

A logit model is used to estimate provider choice from six types by malaria patients in rural Nepal. Patient characteristics that influence choice include travel costs, income category, household size, gender, and severity of malaria. Income effects are introduced by assuming the marginal utility of money is a step function of expenditures on the numeraire. This method of incorporating income e...

Qatar is in the elimination phase of measles control which requires every suspected measles case to be notified and investigated immediately This cross-sectional study aimed to assess physicians' self-reported knowledge and practices concerning measles surveillance and the support they received. Of 290 physicians participating in the study, only 22.4% met the criterion for best practice in meas...