Information Architecture for Data Disclosure.

Preserving confidentiality of individuals in data disclosure is a prime concern for public and private organizations. The main challenge in the data disclosure problem is to release data such that misuse by intruders is avoided while providing useful information to legitimate users for analysis. We propose an information theoretic architecture for the data disclosure problem.

Risk Model of Bacterial Coinfection in Children with Severe Viral Bronchiolitis.

 Among children with respiratory failure from viral lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), up to 39% will develop pulmonary bacterial coinfection, yet nearly all will receive antibiotics. We sought to identify patients with viral LRTI requiring mechanical ventilation at low risk of bacterial coinfection through the use of a risk prediction model.  We performed a retrospective cohort study identifying all patients admitted to the intensive care unit with laboratory-confirmed viral LRTI requiring invasive mechanical ventilation over a 2-year period and partitioned data in experimental and validation datasets.

Bayesian analysis of non-homogeneous Markov chains: application to mental health data.

In this paper we present a formal treatment of non-homogeneous Markov chains by introducing a hierarchical Bayesian framework. Our work is motivated by the analysis of correlated categorical data which arise in assessment of psychiatric treatment programs. In our development, we introduce a Markovian structure to describe the non-homogeneity of transition patterns.

Myocardial revascularization in patients with severe ischemic left ventricular dysfunction. Long term follow-up in 141 patients.

Objectives: The present study evaluates our experience with coronary bypass grafting in patients with EF < or =25%. Myocardial revascularization in this setting remains controversial because of concerns over operative mortality and morbidity and lack of functional and survival benefit.

Materials And Methods: One hundred and forty-one patients with coronary artery disease and left ventricular ejection fraction < or =25% underwent coronary artery bypass graft between January 1988 and December 1998.