Sexual behavior, heterosexual transmission, and the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: a simulation study.

A stochastic simulation model has been used to assess the extent to which variation in sexual behavior and transmission characteristics can explain the striking spatial heterogeneity in the prevalence of HIV among different geographical locations in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the various parameters describing sexual behavior the most important determinant of the spread of HIV is the proportion of men engaging in sexual relationships with people other than spouses, including contacts with sex workers and short-term partners. Considering factors other than sexual behavior the model shows that this heterogeneity in HIV prevalence could be the result of differences in the transmission probability of HIV or in the prevalence of other sexuality transmitted diseases.

[Organization and quality control of a clinical database on intensive care medicine in central and suburban Paris].

Background: Epidemiology and medical care appraisal of intensive care medicine relies on the homogeneity of information systems. This work is about a collaborative database related to intensive care units in Paris and its suburb.

Methods: A college of intensivists defined a standard dataset about stays, outcomes, severity of illness, diagnoses and work load, which are collected and analysed by a data management center.

Estimation of direct cost and resource allocation in intensive care: correlation with Omega system.

Objective: An instrument able to estimate the direct costs of stays in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) simply would be very useful for resource allocation inside a hospital, through a global budget system. The aim of this study was to propose such a tool.

Design: Since 1991, a region-wide common data base has collected standard data of intensive care such as the Omega Score, Simplified Acute Physiologic Score, length of stay, length of ventilation, main diagnosis and procedures.