Feasibility of the current-duration approach to studying human fecundity.

Approaches for monitoring time trends in couples' fecundity and for studying its sensitivity to environmental factors are needed. Two approaches rely on the inclusion of a cross-sectional sample of couples currently "at risk" of pregnancy either with follow up (prevalent cohort) or without follow up (current-duration design). To illustrate the feasibility of the current-duration design, we contacted a random sample of 1204 French women age 18 to 44 years in 2004 and recruited those who were currently having unprotected sexual intercourse.

Cost-effectiveness of propofol anesthesia using target-controlled infusion compared with a standard regimen using desflurane.

The cost-effectiveness of propofol anesthesia using target-controlled infusion (TCI) versus a standard regimen using desflurane for anesthesia maintenance was analyzed. This observational study consisted of 100 inpatients 18 to 75 years old with an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of I or II who were scheduled for otological surgery lasting less than four hours. Patients received one of two treatments.