Skewed sex ratios at birth [SRB] are a familiar feature of many Asian populations. China currently has the highest national SRB in the world, fluctuating around 120 males per hundred females. 1 As in India, there are substantial provincial differences in China, with areas with the strongest traditional culture seeing extremely high SRBs (e.g. over 130 in three provinces Shaanxi, Anhui, and Jian...

BACKGROUND Public reports that compare hospital mortality rates for patients with acute myocardial infarction are commonly used strategies for improving the quality of care delivered to these patients. Fair comparisons of hospital mortality rates require thorough adjustments for differences among patients in baseline mortality risk. This study examines the effect on hospital mortality rate comp...

OBJECTIVES To assess the consequences of applying different mortality timeframes on standardised mortality ratios of individual hospitals and, secondarily, to evaluate the association between in-hospital standardised mortality ratios and early post-discharge mortality rate, length of hospital stay, and transfer rate. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of routinely collected hospital data to compar...

BACKGROUND Under natural circumstances, the sex ratio of male to female mortality up to the age of 5 years is greater than one but sex discrimination can change sex ratios. The estimation of mortality by sex and identification of countries with outlying levels is challenging because of issues with data availability and quality, and because sex ratios might vary naturally based on differences in...

OBJECTIVE We aimed to measure the mortality rate and excess general mortality as well as identify groups at high risk for mortality among a cohort of tuberculosis patients treated in Chennai Corporation clinics in south India. METHODS In this retrospective cohort study we followed up 2674 patients (1800 males and 874 females) who were registered and treated under the DOTS strategy in Chennai ...