Detection of atypical response trajectories in biomedical longitudinal databases.

Many health care professionals and institutions manage longitudinal databases, involving follow-ups for different patients over time. Longitudinal data frequently manifest additional complexities such as high variability, correlated measurements and missing data. Mixed effects models have been widely used to overcome these difficulties. This work proposes the use of linear mixed effects models as a tool that allows to search conceptually different types of anomalies in the data simultaneously.

Perfil epidemiológico de los donadores de dientes humanos extraídos en establecimientos de Salud Pública, ubicados en Usulután, San Vicente, San Salvador y Cuscatlán en el año 2019 / Epidemiological profile of donors of human teeth extracted in Public Health facilities, located in Usulután, San Vicente, San Salvador and Cuscatlán in 2019

Determinar el perfil epidemiológico de los donadores de dientes humanos extraídos en cinco centros de salud pública. Metodología: Estudio de tipo descriptivo, observacional y transversal. Fue realizado durante el año 2019 a una muestra de 250 pacientes, 50 por cada investigador; cuatro en Unidades Comunitarias de Salud Familiar ubicadas en Usulután, San Vicente, San Salvador, Cuscatlán y uno en las clínicas de la Facultad de Odontología. Los datos fueron recolectados a través de una cédula de entrevista y una guía de observación. Resultados: La población predominante fueron adultos entre los 21 a 60 años, del sexo femenino y del área urbana. Dentro del historial médico la hipertensión arterial fue la de mayor porcentaje (22.80%). En cuanto a condición bucal se encontró bruxismo (31.60%), caries dental (89.20%) e higiene bucal regular (51.20%); siendo los motivos principales de extracción la caries dental y la enfermedad periodontal (40% cada uno). Las terceras molares superiores fueron las más extraídas seguidas de las segundas molares inferiores. Entre las características de los dientes donados predominaron la atrición, abfracción, abrasión y erosión (47.60%), caries cavitada (44%) y depósito de cálculo en corona (43.60%) y raíz (42%); dientes con raíces completas (94%). Conclusiones: El perfil epidemiológico de los donadores de dientes humanos extraídos en los cinco puntos de muestreo se caracteriza por ser adultos entre los 21 a 60 años de edad, del sexo femenino y con residencia urbana. Los dientes más extraídos fueron los posteriores y la principal causa caries y enfermedad periodontal.

To determine the epidemiological profile of donors of extracted human teeth in five public health centers. Methodology: Descriptive, observational and transversal study. It was performed in 2019 on a sample of 250 patients, 50 for each researcher; four in Units of Community Family Health located in: Usulutan, San Vicente, San Salvador, Cuscatlan and one in the clinics of the Faculty of Dentistry. The data was collected through an interview card and an observation guide. Results: The predominant population was adults between 21 and 60 years old, female gender from urban areas. In the medical history, arterial hypertension was the highest percentage (22.80%). Regarding oral condition, bruxism (31.60%), dental cavities (89.20%) and regular oral hygiene (51.20%) were found; the main reasons for extraction were dental cavities and periodontal disease (40% each). The upper third molars were the most extracted, followed by the lower second molars. Among the characteristics of the donated teeth, it was found that attrition, abfraction, abrasion and erosion predominated (47.60%), cavitated caries (44%) and calculus deposit in crown (43.60%) and root (42%); teeth with complete roots (94%). Conclusions: The epidemiological profile of the donors of extracted human teeth at the five sampling points is characterized by being adults between 21 and 60 years old, female gender and with urban residence. The most frequently extracted teeth were the posteriors and the main cause cavities and periodontal disease.

The K-SF-42.

The purpose of the present article is to propose an alternative short form for the 199-item Arizona Life History Battery (ALHB), which we are calling the K-SF-42, as it contains 42 items as compared with the 20 items of the Mini-K, the short form that has been in greatest use for the past decade. These 42 items were selected from the ALHB, unlike those of the Mini-K, making direct comparisons of the relative psychometric performance of the two alternative short forms a valid and instructive exercise. A series of secondary data analyses were performed upon a recently completed five-nation cross-cultural survey, which was originally designed to assess the role of life history strategy in the etiology of interpersonal aggression. Only data from the ALHB that were collected in all five cross-cultural replications were used for the present analyses. The single immediate objective of this secondary data analysis was producing the K-SF-42 such that it would perform optimally across all five cultures sampled, and perhaps even generalize well to other modern industrial societies not currently sampled as a result of the geographic breadth of those included in the present study. A novel method, based on the use of the Cross-Sample Geometric Mean as a criterion for item selection, was used for generating such a cross-culturally valid short form.

Considering the role of ecology on individual differentiation.

Our commentary articulates some of the commonalities between Baumeister et al.'s theory of socially differentiated roles and Strategic Differentiation-Integration Effort. We expand upon the target article's position by arguing that differentiating social roles is contextual and driven by varying ecological pressures, producing character displacement not only among individuals within complex societies, but also across social systems and multiple levels of organization.

Methodologically sound: Evaluating the psychometric approach to the assessment of human life history [reply to Copping, Campbell, and Muncer, 2014].

Copping, Campbell, and Muncer (2014) have recently published an article critical of the psychometric approach to the assessment of life history (LH) strategy. Their purported goal was testing for the convergent validation and examining the psychometric structure of the High-K Strategy Scale (HKSS). As much of the literature on the psychometrics of human LH during the past decade or so has emanated from our research laboratory and those of close collaborators, we have prepared this detailed response. Our response is organized into four main sections: (1) A review of psychometric methods for the assessment of human LH strategy, expounding upon the essence of our approach; (2) our theoretical/conceptual concerns regarding the critique, addressing the broader issues raised by the critique regarding the latent and hierarchical structure of LH strategy; (3) our statistical/methodological concerns regarding the critique, examining the validity and persuasiveness of the empirical case made specifically against the HKSS; and (4) our recommendations for future research that we think might be helpful in closing the gap between the psychometric and biometric approaches to measurement in this area. Clearly stating our theoretical positions, describing our existing body of work, and acknowledging their limitations should assist future researchers in planning and implementing more informed and prudent empirical research that will synthesize the psychometric approach to the assessment of LH strategy with complementary methods.