Increasing diagnostic certainty: the clinical value of the likelihood ratio.

The LR has the potential to be a valuable tool to mitigate uncertainty in the diagnostic process for clinicians in any area of medicine. With more and more LRs being published in the literature and the ready availability of the likelihood nomogram, there has never been a better time to put this tool to work in both inpatient and outpatient settings. PA students can be exposed initially to LRs in their diagnostic medicine lectures, followed by application of the principles in case-based exercises in clinical medicine or as part of their evidence-based medicine curriculum.

Hospitalized patients with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in the United States--September-October 2009.

Given the potential worsening clinical severity of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus (pH1N1) infection from spring to fall 2009, we conducted a clinical case series among patients hospitalized with pH1N1 infection from September through October 2009. A case patient was defined as a hospitalized person who had test results positive for pH1N1 virus by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Among 255 hospitalized patients, 34% were admitted to an intensive care unit and 8% died.

Florida Epidemic Intelligence Service Program: the first five years, 2001-2006.

The Florida Epidemic Intelligence Service Program was created in 2001 to increase epidemiologic capacity within the state. Patterned after applied epidemiology training programs such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemic Intelligence Service and the California Epidemiologic Investigation Service, the two-year postgraduate program is designed to train public leaders of the future. The long-term goal is to increase the capacity of the Florida Department of Health to respond to new challenges in disease control and prevention.