BACKGROUND Many novel vaccines can cover only a fraction of all antigenic types of a pathogen. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) in the presence of interactions between vaccine strains and others is complicated by the interacting transmission dynamics among all strains. The present study investigated how the VE estimates measured in the field, based on estimated odds ratio or relative risks, are scale...

Achieving high coverage of HIV testing services is critical in many health systems, especially where HIV testing services remain centralized and inconvenient for many. As a result, planning the optimal spatial distribution of HIV testing sites is increasingly important. We aimed to assess the relationship between geographic distance and uptake of HIV testing services among the general populatio...

In this article, we discuss the most common epidemiological methods used for evaluating the ability of mammography screening to decrease the risk of breast cancer death in general populations (effectiveness). Case-control studies usually find substantial effectiveness. However when breast cancer mortality decreases for reasons unrelated to screening, the case-control design may attribute to scr...

BACKGROUND Caesarean delivery has increased worldwide, however, the effects on fertility are largely unknown. This systematic review aims to compare subsequent sub-fertility (time to next pregnancy or birth) among women with a Caesarean delivery to women with a vaginal delivery. METHODS Systematic review of the literature including seven databases: CINAHL; the Cochrane Library; Embase; Medlin...

. to conclude. Since it is so hurtful and dangerous to youth I wish that it might have the pernicious nature expressed in the name and that it were as well known by the name of youth's bane as by the name of tobacco' (E. D., 1606). Three and a half centuries were to pass before the use of epidemiological methods confirmed the statements that tobacco 'breedeth many diseases' and 'shorteneth life...

BACKGROUND Brazil has implemented systematic control methods for leishmaniasis for the past 30 years, despite an increase in cases and continued spread of the disease to new regions. A lack high quality evidence from epidemiological observational studies impedes the development of novel control methods to prevent disease transmission among the population. Here, we have evaluated the quality of ...

okyo is one of the world's great new metropolitan areas; when I first visited it, it reminded me powerfully of Fritz Lang's prescient classic Metropolis. Space is at an absolute premium and conducting the normal routines of everyday life can seem like a major challenge. The contemporary public health issues are mostly to be found there. Fortunately for Tokyo and its citizens, Takehito Takano an...