The evaluation of the performance of a continuous diagnostic measure is a commonly encountered task in medical research.We develop Bayesian non-parametric models that use Dirichlet process mixtures and mixtures of Polya trees for the analysis of continuous serologic data.The modelling approach differs from traditional approaches to the analysis of receiver operating characteristic curve data in...

Prevalence of antibodies to Neospora caninum was determined in a cross-sectional consensus survey of 1029 bovines in a dairy herd with endemic Neospora-induced abortion. Sera were screened by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). The prevalence of N. caninum antibody in the IFAT was 17.9% in 107 neonates, 26.2% in 233 yearling heifers and steers, 39.07% in 218 mature heifers, and 26.9% in ...

BACKGROUND Countries of the Americas have been working towards rubella elimination since 2003 and endemic rubella virus transmission appears to have been interrupted since 2009. To contribute towards monitoring of rubella elimination, we assessed rubella seroprevalence among prenatal screening tests performed in Ontario. METHODS Specimens received for prenatal rubella serologic testing at the...

PURPOSE Measurement of serum ceruloplasmin level is the first step in screening for Wilson's disease (WD). Despite the rarity of WD in the general population, ceruloplasmin levels are routinely measured through hepatitis screening in both adults and children. Herein, we evaluated the diagnostic value of ceruloplasmin for the diagnosis of WD among children with hepatitis. METHODS We retrospect...

PURPOSE We previously reported a randomized phase II clinical trial combining a poxvirus-based vaccine encoding prostate-specific antigen (PSA) with radiotherapy in patients with localized prostate cancer. Here, we investigate whether vaccination against PSA induced immune responses to additional tumor-associated antigens and how this influenced clinical outcome. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Pretreatm...

BACKGROUND Although rural Latino migrant laborers have been identified as a group at-risk for acquiring HIV, few studies have examined transmitted diseases (STDs) in urban, Latino migrant laborers. GOAL To assess the prevalence of STDs in a sample of urban, migrant day laborers in San Francisco. STUDY DESIGN A convenience sample of participants in the Day Laborer Project of the San Francisc...

Pancreatic cancer often presents at an advanced stage that result in a very dismal five-year survival rates. Novel methods to detect tumors as early as possible are desperately needed. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against routine screening for pancreatic cancer in asymptomatic adults using abdominal palpation, ultrasonography, or serologic markers. The evidence fo...

Nucleic acid-amplification testing (NAT) is not routinely practiced in blood banks from most low-income countries. We did an exploratory comparison of the performance of the standard immunoassay-based screening tests for the hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses with that of NAT, in blood donors. From January 1999 to March 2005, 94,806 blood donors were screened for anti-HCV antibodies and for ...

I n 2014, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Transfusion Medicine Resource Committee (TMRC) reported the results of a survey of more than 3100 laboratories concerning their policies and procedures for testing serologic weak D phenotypes and administration of Rh immune globulin (RhIG). Among the findings of this survey is the observation that there is a lack of standard practice in the U...