Drug Calculation Errors in Anesthesiology Residents and Faculty: An Analysis of Contributing Factors.

BACKGROUND: Limited data exist regarding computational drug error rates in anesthesia residents and faculty. We investigated the frequency and magnitude of computational errors in a sample of anesthesia residents and faculty. METHODS: With institutional review board approval from 7 academic institutions in the United States, a 15-question computational test was distributed during rounds. Error rates and the magnitude of the errors were analyzed according to resident versus faculty, years of practice (or residency training), duration of sleep, type of question, and institution. RESULTS: A total of 371 completed the test: 209 residents and 162 faculty. Both groups committed 2 errors (median value) per test, for a mean error rate of 17.0%. Twenty percent of residents and 25% of faculty scored 100% correct answers. The error rate for postgraduate year 2 residents was less than for postgraduate year 1 (P = .012). The error rate for faculty increased with years of experience, with a weak correlation (R = 0.22; P = .007). The error rates were independent of the number of hours of sleep. The error rate for percentage-type questions was greater than for rate, dose, and ratio questions (P = .001). The error rates varied with the number of operations needed to calculate the answer (P < .001). The frequency of large errors (100-fold greater or less than the correct answer) by residents was twice that of faculty. Error rates varied among institutions ranged from 12% to 22% (P = .021). CONCLUSIONS: Anesthesiology residents and faculty erred frequently on a computational test, with junior residents and faculty with more experience committing errors more frequently. Residents committed more serious errors twice as frequently as faculty.

Modelling optimum use of attractive toxic sugar bait stations for effective malaria vector control in Africa.

BACKGROUND: The development of insecticide resistance and the increased outdoor-biting behaviour of malaria vectors reduce the efficiency of indoor vector control methods. Attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSBs), a method targeting the sugar-feeding behaviours of vectors both indoors and outdoors, is a promising supplement to indoor tools. The number and configuration of these ATSB stations needed for malaria control in a community needs to be determined. METHODS: A hypothetical village, typical of those in sub-Saharan Africa, 600 × 600 m, consisting of houses, humans and essential resource requirements of Anopheles gambiae (sugar sources, outdoor resting sites, larval habitats) was simulated in a spatial individual-based model. Resource-rich and resource-poor environments were simulated separately. Eight types of configurations and different densities of ATSB stations were tested. Anopheles gambiae population size, human biting rate (HBR) and entomological inoculation rates (EIR) were compared between different ATSB configurations and densities. Each simulated scenario was run 50 times. RESULTS: Compared to the outcomes not altered by ATSB treatment in the control scenario, in resource-rich and resource-poor environments, respectively, the optimum ATSB treatment reduced female abundance by 98.22 and 91.80 %, reduced HBR by 99.52 and 98.15 %, and reduced EIR by 99.99 and 100 %. In resource-rich environments, n × n grid design, stations at sugar sources, resting sites, larval habitats, and random locations worked better in reducing vector population and HBRs than other configurations (P < 0.0001). However, there was no significant difference of EIR reductions between all ATSB configurations (P > 0.05). In resource-poor environments, there was no significant difference of female abundances, HBRs and EIRs between all ATSB configurations (P > 0.05). The optimum number of ATSB stations was about 25 for resource-rich environments and nine for resource-poor environments. CONCLUSIONS: ATSB treatment reduced An. gambiae population substantially and reduced EIR to near zero regardless of environmental resource availability. In resource-rich environments, dispersive configurations worked better in reducing vector population, and stations at or around houses worked better in preventing biting and parasite transmission. In resource-poor environments, all configurations worked similarly. Optimum numbers of bait stations should be adjusted according to seasonality when resource availability changes.

Ethnicity, Household Food Security, and Nutrition and Activity Patterns in Families With Preschool Children.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the relationship between food security and child nutritional intake, sedentary behavior, and body mass index (BMI) and potential moderation by ethnic subgroup membership. DESIGN: Cross-sectional data analysis from baseline data of a preschool intervention trial. SETTING: Twenty-eight subsidized child care centers in Miami-Dade County, FL. PARTICIPANTS: Children ages 2 to 5 (n = 1,211) and their caregivers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The BMI percentile and the following 4 factors (via confirmatory factor analysis): food security, consumption of fruits/vegetables, consumption of unhealthy foods, and sedentary behaviors. ANALYSIS: Separate linear mixed models tested relationships between food security and main outcome measures with an interaction term to test for possible moderation by ethnicity. RESULTS: Results indicated a significant relationship (P < .05) between food security and child consumption of fruit/vegetables, consumption of unhealthy foods, and sedentary behavior, but not with BMI percentile. With greater food security, Haitians reported greater consumption of fruit/vegetables and sedentary behavior. With greater food security, Cubans and non-Hispanic whites reported less consumption of unhealthy foods, while Haitians reported greater consumption. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Results showed higher food security was associated with higher consumption of fruit/vegetables, consumption of unhealthy foods, and sedentary behavior, but this was moderated by ethnicity. Implications for healthy weight interventions among low-income preschoolers should focus on the importance of food security and tailor intervention strategies for diverse ethnic groups accordingly.

A spatial individual-based model predicting a great impact of copious sugar sources and resting sites on survival of Anopheles gambiae and malaria parasite transmission.

BACKGROUND: Agent-based modelling (ABM) has been used to simulate mosquito life cycles and to evaluate vector control applications. However, most models lack sugar-feeding and resting behaviours or are based on mathematical equations lacking individual level randomness and spatial components of mosquito life. Here, a spatial individual-based model (IBM) incorporating sugar-feeding and resting behaviours of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae was developed to estimate the impact of environmental sugar sources and resting sites on survival and biting behaviour. METHODS: A spatial IBM containing An. gambiae mosquitoes and humans, as well as the village environment of houses, sugar sources, resting sites and larval habitat sites was developed. Anopheles gambiae behaviour rules were attributed at each step of the IBM: resting, host seeking, sugar feeding and breeding. Each step represented one second of time, and each simulation was set to run for 60 days and repeated 50 times. Scenarios of different densities and spatial distributions of sugar sources and outdoor resting sites were simulated and compared. RESULTS: When the number of natural sugar sources was increased from 0 to 100 while the number of resting sites was held constant, mean daily survival rate increased from 2.5% to 85.1% for males and from 2.5% to 94.5% for females, mean human biting rate increased from 0 to 0.94 bites per human per day, and mean daily abundance increased from 1 to 477 for males and from 1 to 1,428 for females. When the number of outdoor resting sites was increased from 0 to 50 while the number of sugar sources was held constant, mean daily survival rate increased from 77.3% to 84.3% for males and from 86.7% to 93.9% for females, mean human biting rate increased from 0 to 0.52 bites per human per day, and mean daily abundance increased from 62 to 349 for males and from 257 to 1120 for females. All increases were significant (P < 0.01). Survival was greater when sugar sources were randomly distributed in the whole village compared to clustering around outdoor resting sites or houses. CONCLUSIONS: Increases in densities of sugar sources or outdoor resting sites significantly increase the survival and human biting rates of An. gambiae mosquitoes. Survival of An. gambiae is more supported by random distribution of sugar sources than clustering of sugar sources around resting sites or houses. Density and spatial distribution of natural sugar sources and outdoor resting sites modulate vector populations and human biting rates, and thus malaria parasite transmission.

Role modeling as an early childhood obesity prevention strategy: effect of parents and teachers on preschool children's healthy lifestyle habits.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a child care center-based parent and teacher healthy lifestyle role-modeling program on child nutrition and physical activity outcomes. METHODS: Child care centers (N = 28) serving low-income families were randomized to intervention or control arms. Intervention centers (N = 12) implemented (1) menu modifications, (2) a child's healthy lifestyle curriculum, and (3) an adult (teacher- and parent-focused) healthy lifestyle role-modeling curriculum. Control centers (N = 16) received an attention control safety curriculum. Nutrition and physical activity data were collected at the beginning (T1) and at the end (T2) of the school year. Exploratory factor analysis identified positive and negative nutrition and physical activity practices by children, parents, and teachers. RESULTS: Intervention parents' baseline (ß = .52, p < .0001) and school year consumption (ß = .47, p < .0001) of fruits/vegetables significantly increased their children's consumption of fruits/vegetables from T1 to T2. Intervention parents significantly influenced a decrease in children's junk food consumption (ß = -.04, p < .05), whereas control parents significantly influenced an increase in their children's junk food consumption (ß = .60, p < .001) from T1 to T2. Control children showed a significant increase in junk food consumption (ß = .11, p = .01) and sedentary behavior (ß = .09, p < .005) from T1 to T2. Teachers did not significantly influence preschool-age children's nutrition or physical activity patterns from T1 to T2. CONCLUSIONS: Parent nutrition and physical activity patterns significantly influence their preschool-age children's consumption of fruits/vegetables, junk food, and level of sedentary behavior. Future obesity prevention intervention efforts targeting this age group should include parents as healthy lifestyle role models for their children.

Determination of the safe range of graft size mismatch using body surface area index in deceased liver transplantation.

In live donor liver transplantation, rigorous standardized criteria for matching of liver volume between donor and recipient have prevented graft loss because of size mismatch. In deceased whole liver transplantation, the safe donor-recipient size mismatch range remains unknown. We developed a multivariate survival model (generalized additive model) to estimate hazard risk of body surface area index (BSAi) for 3-year graft survival using data derived from the national registry database between 2005 and 2010. BSAi was calculated by BSA of donor divided by BSA of recipient. 24 509 patients were included in the analysis. Small-for-size (SFS) grafts with BSAi less than 0.78 had a significant impact on graft dysfunction with progressive increase of hazard risk toward the lowest end and a higher incidence of primary graft nonfunction and vascular thrombosis. Large-for-size (LFS) grafts with BSAi greater than 1.24 had a significant impact on graft dysfunction with progressive increase of hazard risk toward the largest end. Our findings suggest that donor grafts with BSAi < 0.78 could be considered 'SFS' and donor grafts with BSAi > 1.24 could be considered 'LFS', with both extremes resulting in decreased graft survival. Therefore, BSAi > 0.78 and <1.24 appears to be a safe range to avoid adverse outcome associated with size mismatch.

Changes in youth cigarette use following the dismantling of an antitobacco media campaign in Florida.

We examined the association of the termination of a successful youth-targeted antitobacco media campaign ("truth") and changes in smoking rates among youths aged 12-17 years in Florida. Six telephone-based surveys were completed during the active media campaign (1998-2001), and 2 postcampaign surveys were completed in 2004 and 2006 (each n approximately 1,800). Prevalence of current smoking among youth observed during the campaign continued to decrease in the first postcampaign survey; however, by the second follow-up survey, youth smoking rates had increased significantly for youth aged 16 years or older. Our findings support the need for consistent antitobacco messaging to reduce the prevalence of youth smoking.