Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health articles from May 2002

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health archives from May 2002

Alvan R Feinstein. (The Jech Gallery).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Drawing from an inexhaustible source of clinical expertise, clinical research, and intellectual creativity, Alvan R Feinstein (1925-2001) became the founding father of clinical epidemiology. He was professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Yale...

Health and development: How are the G7/G8 doing? (Speaker's Corner).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... In recent years, the annual G7/G8 summit meetings of the world's most powerful nations have emerged as a major venue for important multilateral commitments that have an impact on health and development issues. Some of these commitments, such as...

The winding road towards evidence based diagnoses: Matching diagnostic research with the knowledge needed for an evidence based diagnosis. (Diagnostic Research).
May 1, 2002... Why are quality standards for therapeutic research so high in comparison with diagnostic standards? This difference has negative effects on the quality of diagnostic research and on its application to medical care. Various reviews dealing with...

Social influences on birth weight: Risk factors for low birth weight are strongly influenced by the social environment. (Birth Weight Symposium).
May 1, 2002... Birth weight, like growth, is determined by the complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. The proportional contribution of these influences is unclear. However, birth weight varies within genetically similar populations, (1-3)...

The teacher's teacher: A personal tribute to Alvan R Feinstein. (Obituary).
May 1, 2002... Alvan R Feinstein did not write extensively about the history of medicine. But in the 20th century he himself was a protagonist. He influenced the very meaning of clinical research. He eschewed the concept of the patient as merely the ultimate...

Misguided efforts and future challenges for research on "diagnostic tests": This paper was commissioned by the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, together with the accompanying commentaries. (Review).
May 1, 2002... A.R. Feinstein (+) At the end of the second world war, the prime scientific goal in clinical medicine was to make a correct diagnosis. Its importance was demonstrated by the attention it received in medical education. Students and house...

Improving standards of medical and public health research: The need for application and dissemination of best practices. (Diagnostic Research).
May 1, 2002... In his essay, Feinstein reiterates many of the themes he pursued over the past 20 years as he called for greater scientific rigour in the evaluation of clinical medicine. His call for the application of standard clinical epidemiological...

Future challenges for diagnostic research: Striking a balance between simplicity and complexity; The bridge from complex models to the clinicians' practice. (Diagnostic Research).
May 1, 2002... In this issue of the journal, Feinstein has provided great insight and correctly pointed out a number of problem areas in current research on diagnostic tests (1): dichotomising a disease state into yes and no, and a test result into positive...

Future challenges for research on diagnostic tests: Genetic tests and disease prevention: Evidence based assessments for new diagnostic strategies. (Diagnostic Research).
May 1, 2002... In his paper about possible ways to improve research on diagnostic testing, (1) Dr Feinstein observed that "the methodological problems are particularly noteworthy in the new era of molecular biology and genetic testing." Methodological issues...

Diagnostic studies as multivariable, prediction research: Patient outcomes in diagnostic research. (Diagnostic Research).
May 1, 2002... Dr Feinstein provides a topical overview of the history and current status of diagnostic research. (1) It addresses the various forms of bias that may occur in research aiming to evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic tests. Diagnostic accuracy is...

The need for expanding and re-focusing of statistical approaches in diagnostic research: Fitting statistical methodology to the need of diagnostic research. (Diagnostic Research).
May 1, 2002... In his contribution "Misguided efforts and future challenges for research on diagnostic tests" (1) Dr Feinstein has identified major gaps and shortcomings in previous and current diagnostic research. While we fully agree with most of his...

Challenges in dia-prognostic research: The relevance of design issues and new methods. (Diagnostic Research).
May 1, 2002... It is sad to comment on work of a founding father of clinical epidemiology, who so profoundly enjoyed the scientific debate, without him being able to respond. But it is not only sad, it is also a great honour to have the opportunity to discuss...

Origins and early history of the Society for Social Medicine in the UK and Ireland. (Public Health Policy and Practice).
May 1, 2002... This is a personal account of my recollections of the origins and early history of the Society for Social Medicine. Others may have different views of the significance of the events described or of the contributions of those concerned with its...

Society for Social Medicine 1977-1992. (Public Health Policy and Practice).
May 1, 2002... This paper continues the history of the Society for Social Medicine. The early history of the society is described in an accompanying paper by John Pemberton, which is published in this issue of the journal. By 1972 the society had 275...

Highly active antiretroviral treatment does not increase sexual risk behaviour among French HIV infected injecting drug users. (Public Health Policy and Practice).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Study objective: This study examined the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapies [HAART] on sexual risk behaviours of HIV infected injecting drug users (IDUs) included in the French MANIF 2000 cohort study. Design: Longitudinal...

Social class gradients in health during adolescence. (Research Report).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Study objective: To review existing data on social class gradients in adolescent health and to examine whether such gradients exist in new data concerning US adolescents. Design: Review of relevant publications and unpublished data;...

Migration and mortality: A 20 year follow up of finish twin pairs with migrant co-twins in Sweden. (Research Report).(mortality of Finnish twins who remained in Finland versus those who migrated to Sweden)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Study objective: Finland has a higher mortality overall and far major causes of death than Sweden, primarily in men. The objective of this study was to analyse mortality in migrants from Finland to Sweden. Design: A longitudinal study based...

Impact of hot temperatures on death in London: A time series approach. (Research Report).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Study objective: This study investigated the relation between heat and mortality in London to determine the temperature threshold at which death rates increase and to quantify the effect of extreme temperatures on mortality. Design: Daily...

Rurality, deprivation, and excess winter mortality: An ecological study. (Short Report).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... The reasons for the higher levels of excess winter mortality in Britain, compared with countries with colder winters, are unclear. Ecological studies suggest that both increased outdoor and indoor cold exposure relating to poor housing energy...

Trends in health inequalities by educational level in a Norwegian total population study. (Research Report).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Objective: To describe levels of inequality and trends in self reported morbidity by educational level in a total Norwegian county population in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Design: Two crass sectional health surveys at an interval of 10...

The internal validity of a dietary pattern analysis. The Framingham Nutrition Studies. (Research Report).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Study objectives: To examine the internal validity of a dietary pattern analysis and its ability to discriminate clusters of people with similar dietary patterns using independently assessed nutrient intakes and heart disease risk factors. ...

The relation between maternal work, ambulatory blood pressure, and pregnancy hypertension. (Research Report).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Study objective: The purpose of the study was to determine the relations between maternal work, ambulatory blood pressure in mid-pregnancy, and subsequent pregnancy outcome. Design: Data were studied on 933 healthy normotensive...

Influence of driver nationality on the risk of causing vehicle collisions in Spain. (Research Report).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Study objective: To estimate the association between driver nationality and the risk of causing a collision between vehicles in motion. Design: Retrospective, matched by collision, case-control study. Setting: Collisions that occurred...

Decreasing AIDS mortality rates among young adults in the city of Florence, 1987-1999. (Letters to the Editor).
May 1, 2002... In a recent paper Borrell and colleagues described mortality trends in young adults in three European cities. (1) The authors pointed out that in Barcelona, Bologna, and Munich, there was from 1986 to 1995, a statistically significant increase...

Human Frontiers, Environments and Disease: Past Patterns, Uncertain Futures. (Book Review).
May 1, 2002... T McMichael, Cambridge University Press, 2001. (Pp 413; price not stated). ISBN 0-521-803 1 1-X hardback; ISBN 0-521-00494-2 paperback. Human frontiers, environments and diseases goes beyond the alarm raised by Silent spring by R Carson and...