BACKGROUND/AIMS To illustrate the utility of causal models for research in genetic epidemiology and statistical genetics. Causal models are increasingly applied in risk factor epidemiology, economics, and health policy, but seldom used in statistical genetics or genetic epidemiology. Unlike the statistical models usually used in genetic epidemiology, causal models are explicitly formulated in t...

OBJECTIVES Behavioral intervention trials may be susceptible to poorly understood forms of bias stemming from research participation. This article considers how assessment and other prerandomization research activities may introduce bias that is not fully prevented by randomization. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING This is a hypothesis-generating discussion article. RESULTS An additivity assumption...

Selection bias is well known to affect surveys and epidemiological studies. There have been numerous methods proposed to reduce its effects, so many that researchers may be unclear which method is most suitable for their study; the wide choice may even deter some researchers, for fear of choosing a sub-optimal approach. We propose a straightforward tool to inform researchers of the most promisi...

STUDY DESIGN The two publications of the Quebec Task Force on Whiplash-Associated Disorders were evaluated by the authors of this report for methodologic error and bias. OBJECTIVES To determine whether the conclusions and recommendations of the Quebec Task Force on Whiplash-Associated Disorders regarding the natural history and epidemiology of whiplash injuries are valid. SUMMARY OF THE BAC...

service Email alerting box at the top left of the article Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article-sign up in the Topic collections (3909 articles) Clinical trials (epidemiology) Articles on similar topics can be found in the following collections Notes To order reprints follow the "Request Permissions" link in the navigation box Randomised controlled trials are used to ass...

This study was motivated by the use in air pollution epidemiology and health burden assessment of data simulated at 5 km× 5 km horizontal resolution by the EMEP4UK-WRF v4.3 atmospheric chemistry transport model. Thus the focus of the model–measurement comparison statistics presented here was on the health-relevant metrics of annual and daily means of NO2, O3, PM2.5, and PM10 (daily maximum 8 h ...

Clinical epidemiology is the science of human disease investigation. It has a broad scope, ranging from the study of disease occurrence and prognosis to diagnostic and management options. This series of articles will discuss general and specific issues related to the design, analysis and interpretation of studies using nephrology examples. This first paper introduces general issues of ‘definiti...

One home-developed assay and two commercial assays for the rapid identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were compared by use of a collection of clinical isolates displaying highly diverse genetic backgrounds. Our results suggest that users of orfX-staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec-based assays should repeatedly monitor the local epidemiology to minimize the ri...