The OCC provides material for in-depth analysis of environmental and genetic factors that are important for child health and disease. Registry data from non-participating women and infants are available which ensures a high degree of comparable data.
Compared with the weekly SMS questions, the self-administered questionnaires and the health visitors' reports resulted in a greater proportion of mothers with an unknown breastfeeding status, a longer duration of exclusive breastfeeding and later introduction to complementary foods, while the duration of any breastfeeding did not differ.
This study outlines methods that might be followed by future investigators conducting large-scale field studies of potential connections between various indoor environmental factors and selected health endpoints. Of particular note are (i) the two-stage design - a broad questionnaire-based survey followed by a more intensive set of measurements among a subset of participants who have been selected based on their responses to the questionnaire; (ii) the case-base approach utilized in the stage 2 in contrast to the more commonly used case-control approach; (iii) the inclusion of the children's daycare environment when conducting intensive sampling to more fully capture the children's total indoor exposure; and (iv) all clinical examinations conducted by the same physician. We recognize that future investigators are unlikely to fully duplicate the methods outlined in this study, but we hope that it provides a useful starting point in terms of factors that might be considered when designing such a study.
ABSTRACT.
Purpose: To compare the clinical and bacteriological effects of fucidic acid (FucithalmicA : 1.0%) and chloramphenicol (Minims A : 0.5%) eye drops in neonates with a clinical diagnosis of acute conjunctivitis of suspected bacterial origin. Methods: A total of 456 newborns with gestational age Ͼ 32 weeks with acute conjunctivitis of suspected bacterial origin acquired within the first 28 days of life were included in the study. They were randomly assigned to a 7-day treatment with eye drops using either fucidic acid (1.0%) (Fucithalmic A ) applied twice per day, or chloramphenicol (0.5%) (Minims A Chloramphenicol) applied six times per day. The subjects were followed up with two visits (on days 1 and 8) and by telephone 2 weeks after the end of treatment.
Results: Eighty-nine per cent of the neonates treated with FucithalmicA were cured, compared to 87.9% of those treated with Minims A Chloramphenicol (n.s). The drug was used as instructed in 90.7% of patients treated with Fucithalmic A and in 78.0% of those treated with Minims A Chloramphenicol (P ∞ 0.001). Conclusion: Treating neonatal conjunctivitis with fucidic acid is easier than with chloramphenicol and is equally effective.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.