Cervical Cancer Screening and Associated Barriers among Women in India: A Generalized Structural Equation Modeling Approach.

Exploring the barriers and facilitators of cervical cancer screening (CCS) is essential to reduce the incidence and mortality, particularly in low and middle-income countries. The present study investigates the direct, indirect, and total effects of the barriers and facilitators on CCS in India through the generalized structural equation modeling using data from women files of the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4). Generalized structural equation models were used to quantify the hypothetical pathway via fitting a series of regression equations.

Genetic polymorphisms predict response to anti-tumor necrosis factor treatment in Crohn's disease.

Aim: To investigate genetic factors that might help define which Crohn's disease (CD) patients are likely to benefit from anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study. Patients were recruited from a university digestive disease practice database.

Phase 2 Randomized Controlled Trial of Radiation Therapy Plus Concurrent Interferon-Alpha and Retinoic Acid Versus Cisplatin for Stage III Cervical Carcinoma.

Purpose: Because a combination of retinoic acid, interferon-alpha, and radiation therapy demonstrated synergistic action and effectiveness to treat advanced cervical cancers in earlier studies, we designed this randomized phase 2 open-label trial to assess efficacy and safety of interferon alpha-2b (IFN) and 13-cis-retinoic acid (RA) administered concomitantly with radiation therapy (IFN-RA-radiation) to treat stage III cervical cancer.

Methods And Materials: Stage III cervical cancer patients were randomized to study and control groups in a 1:1 ratio. All patients were treated with radiation therapy; study arm patients received IFN (3 × 10(6) IU subcutaneously) 3 times a week for 4 weeks and daily RA (40 mg orally) for 30 days starting on day 1 of radiation, whereas control arm patients received weekly cisplatinum (40 mg/m(2)) for 5 weeks during radiation.

Comparison of coliform contamination in non-municipal waters consumed by the Mennonite versus the non-Mennonite rural populations.

Objectives: Mennonites reside in clusters, do not use modern sewage systems and consume water from non-municipal sources. The purpose of this study is to assess risk of Escherichia coli exposure via consumption of non-municipal waters in Mennonite versus non-Mennonite rural households.

Methods: Results were reviewed for non-municipal water samples collected by the local health department from Mennonite and non-Mennonite lifestyle households from 1998 through 2012.

The normal variant (18)F FDG uptake in the lower thoracic spinal cord segments in cancer patients without CNS malignancy.

Focal increased lower thoracic spinal cord (18)F FDG uptake is not infrequently observed as a normal physiological finding and may be confused for spinal cord metastases. This study was conducted to evaluate a possible correlation between the lower thoracic (T11-T12) spinal uptake and lower limb movements/ambulatory status of the patients as a surrogate. The primary endpoint was to identify the possible cause(s) of the normal variant focal increased thoracic spinal cord (T11-T12) (18)F FDG activity and correlate it with the lower limb movements/ambulatory status of the patients.

Test of treatment effect in pre-drug and post-drug count data with zero-inflation.

A procedure for testing for treatment effect in data similar to the data on premature ventricular contractions (PVC) is presented. We consider a zero-inflated beta-binomial model. Based on this model, we develop score tests to test for treatment effect in the data in which observations in the form of counts are recorded before and after applying a therapy.