Plasma calcium and phosphate concentrations and alkaline phosphatase activities were examined retrospectively in 50 patients with histologically proven osteomalacia and 50 age- and sex-matched control subjects with normal bone histology. An abnormal plasma alkaline phosphatase activity was more useful than an abnormal plasma calcium or phosphate concentration in distinguishing between normal an...

Results of Chagas' disease diagnosis show disagreement. The aim of this study was to compare commercial tests for Chagas' disease serodiagnosis in southern Brazil. A total of 161 samples were evaluated. Three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, one indirect hemagglutination and one indirect immunofluorescence were assessed. Trypomastigote excreted-secreted antigen-blot was a confirmatory method...

This paper centers on an asymmetry, or bias, in the accuracy of multi-criteria, conjunctive and disjunctive decisions, which originates from fundamental properties of the logical conjunction and disjunction operations. A series of Monte Carlo simulations demonstrates that, as we keep adding criteria to a multi-criteria satisficing decision rule, errors in the data produce decision errors asymme...