Bayesian analysis of spatial data using different variance and neighbourhood structures

In disease mapping, the overall goal is to study the incidence or mortality risk caused by a specific disease in a number of geographical regions. It is common to assume that the response variable follows a Poisson distribution, whose average rate can be explained by a group of covariates and a random effect. For this random effect, it is considered conditional autoregressive (CAR) models, which carry information about the neighbourhood relationship between the regions. The focus of this paper was to explore and compare some CAR models proposed in the literature. An application with epidemiological data was conducted to model the risk of death due to Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis in the State of São Paulo – Brazil. Finally, a simulation study was done to strengthen the results and assess the performance of the models in the presence of various levels of spatial dependence.     

An example of a two-part latent growth curve model for semicontinuous outcomes in the health sciences

A new method of modeling coronary artery calcium (CAC) is needed in order to properly understand the probability of onset and growth of CAC. CAC remains a controversial indicator of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but this may be due to ill-equipped methods of specifying CAC during the analysis phase of studies reporting an analysis where CAC is the primary outcome. The modern method of two-part latent growth modeling may represent a strong alternative to the myriad of existing methods for modeling CAC. We provide a brief overview of existing methods of analysis used for CAC before introducing the general latent growth curve model, how it extends into a two-part (semicontinuous) growth model, and how the ubiquitous problem of missing data can be effectively handled. We then present an example of how to model CAC using this framework. We demonstrate that utilizing this type of modeling strategy can result in traditional predictors of CAC (e.g. age, gender, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), exerting a different impact on the two different, yet simultaneous, operationalizations of CAC. This method of analyzing CAC could inform future analyses of CAC and inform subsequent discussions about the nature of its potential to inform long-term CVD risk and heart events.     

Dirichlet process mixture models for unsupervised clustering of symptoms in Parkinson's disease

In this paper, the goal of identifying disease subgroups based on differences in observed symptom profile is considered. Commonly referred to as phenotype identification, solutions to this task often involve the application of unsupervised clustering techniques. In this paper, we investigate the application of a Dirichlet process mixture model for this task. This model is defined by the placement of the Dirichlet process on the unknown components of a mixture model, allowing for the expression of uncertainty about the partitioning of observed data into homogeneous subgroups. To exemplify this approach, an application to phenotype identification in Parkinson's disease is considered, with symptom profiles collected using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.     

老年人长期照护需求现状及趋势研究

伴随人口老龄化的加剧,老年人照护问题逐渐成为社会关注的热点。国内学者关于长期照护的研究大多是以失能老人为基础的,对失智者的研究较少涉及。本研究依照老年人的功能状态,将照护需求评估建立在对失能老人和失智老人分析的基础之上,分析我国老年人的长期照护需求及未来的变化趋势,以期对今后长期照护政策的制定提供参考。     

历史观念史:国病与身病--司马迁与扁鹊传奇

讨论中国史学的历史进程,应该包括历史观念史.困难在于,从史学史的角度,陈述历史观念史,与一般的中国思想史或中国哲学史的分工,如何体现?本文注意到,中国传统史学,常由传统医学那里借用某种经验型的权威理念,例如司马迁征引春秋晚期已流传的"上医医国,其次疾人"观念,直到清末还不断被以史论作政论的作者援用.司马迁意在批判汉武帝君臣滥用权力与民争利而导致"国病"不治的经济政策.然而它的历史效应,在易代之后的盐铁会议上便已凸显.因此本文通过司马迁将扁鹊传奇和仓公医案相结合的专门史的文本考察,尝试探讨作为史学史题中应有之义的历史观念史的研究方法,或为愚者一得.     

大学生网络成瘾症原因、可自愈性特点分析及防治对策

网络成癌症已有比较明确的定义和临床经验丰富的诊断标准。大学生身心发展的特殊性、父母的不良教养方式、大学生相对自由的生活方式与学校的问题教育方式、以及社会环境流行文化的感染,都有可能转成网络成瘾的内源性与外源性病因。鉴于网络成瘾多达70%可自愈性的临床病学统计,相关的预防治疗在于多方调动大学生的自身努力:包括科学确立规划人生目标;民主平等的家庭文化;学校的网络素质教育;政府的网络法规和伦理导向机制。     

鸡卡氏住白细胞原虫病的研究进展

鸡卡氏住白细胞原虫病在我国许多省市呈大规模爆发 ,引起鸡只大批死亡 ,造成巨大的经济损失 ,本文综述了近年来国内外对本病的病原、流行病学、临床症状和病理变化、诊断方法、防治等方面的研究进展     

Caregiving Youth Knowledge and Perceptions of Parental End-of-Life Wishes in Huntington’s Disease

Knowledge of patient end-of-life (EOL) wishes and discussions are vital for family caregivers, including children and youth who may be in caregiving roles (“young carers” or “caregiving youth”). However, little is known about caregiving youth awareness and perceptions of EOL issues. This study sought to explore caregiving youth knowledge of EOL wishes and their willingness for EOL discussions. Face-to-face interviews with 40 caregiving youth ages 10–20, who have a parent with Huntington’s disease (HD), provided information about their knowledge of the presence of their ill parent’s living will (LW) and durable power of attorney for health care (DPAHC), and willingness to talk with the parent about EOL choices and possibility of death. Less than one-half of the participants were aware of the parent’s LW or DPAHC. Content analysis revealed themes in reasons to want or not want EOL discussion with the parent: respect for the parent’s wishes, caregiving youths’ opinion not valued, and avoidance of EOL issues. Themes also included reasons to not want discussion with the parent about possibility of death: protecting the parent, parent in denial, parent not ready, and realization of the terminal outcome. Findings suggest HD patients and their caregiving youth need support for open EOL discussions, and could benefit from educational programs and support groups around EOL issues.     

Disability insurance risks: The Argentinian case

This article analyses the risk of disability facing workers who contribute to the Argentinian Integrated Social Security System (Sistema Integrado Previsional Argentino— SIPA). Using administrative records as our source of data for the period 2000‐2006, the results indicate that 1.46 workers per 1,000 became disabled annually during that period. The risk of disability rates were higher for men than for women, but increased with age for both sexes. The risk of disability rates have also been broken down by pathology and social security scheme, taking the effects of age and sex into account. To conclude, international comparisons are presented.     

论新时期女性文学对疾病主题的表现

文学与疾病有着源远流长的关系。如果从性别差异出发,我们会发现女性作家作品中的疾病主题与男作家有着本质的区别,它与患者的角色、自我意识发生关系。在女作家笔下,女性的疾病成了受害的隐喻,女性的疾病与女性的角色冲突、与女性性别紧密联系了起来。新时期女性文学对疾病主题的表现则主要集中在女性的生理疾病方面,病妇形象更多地患有生理意义上的疾病,遭受着身体病痛的折磨。在这些作品中,疾病变成了一个深刻地影响着我们思考生存方式的隐喻。