OBJECTIVE To assess the impact, in terms of statistical power and bias of treatment effect, of approaches to dealing with missing data in randomized controlled trials of rheumatoid arthritis with radiographic outcomes. METHODS We performed a simulation study. The missingness mechanisms we investigated copied the process of withdrawal from trials due to lack of efficacy. We compared 3 methods ...

In the literature on focus groups, far more attention has been devoted to how groups are organized and conducted than to issues of analysis. Although exploitation of group dynamics is touted as a virtue of focus groups, there is very little guidance in the literature with respect to how differences between group and individual discourse impact the analysis and interpretation of focus group data...

Researchers working with Aboriginal Australian partners are confronted with an array of historical, social, and political complexities which make it difficult to come to theoretical and methodological decisions. In this article, we describe a culturally safe and respectful framework that maintains the intellectual and theoretical rigor expected of academic research. As an Aboriginal woman and t...

The IDEAL framework describes the stages of evaluation for surgical innovations. This paper considers the role of observational studies in the exploration and assessment stages. At the exploration stage, the surgical intervention is usually more widely used, and observational studies should collect prospective data from multiple surgeons, deal with factors such as case mix and learning, and pre...

Joy is in a unique position to provide comments on this subject as we have been involved with Proximity Detection since the initial research project conducted in 2002 as documented in the Background information of this Information Request. In addition we have been involved to some level with each Proximity Detection manufacturer on every generation of design because of the interface to our cont...

BACKGROUND In prostate cancer, men diagnosed with low risk disease may be monitored through an active surveillance. This research explored the perspectives of men with prostate cancer regarding their decision-making process for active surveillance to identify factors that influence their decision and assist health professionals in having conversations about this option. METHODS Focus group in...

Several studies have suggested a matrilateral bias in allomaternal (non-maternal) infant and child caregiving. The bias has been associated with the allomother's certainty of genetic relatedness, where allomothers with high certainty of genetic relatedness will invest more in children because of potential fitness benefits. Using quantitative behavioral observations collected on Ngandu 8- to 12-...

Through a cross-sectional study design, 150 women attending public health centers with a history of stillbirths were examined for anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM antibodies in Durango City, Mexico. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the association of T. gondii seropositivity with the characteristics of the women with stillbirth history. Of the 150 women (mean age: 32.09...