Epidemiology
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Much time is spent in traffic, especially during rush hours, when air pollution concentrations on roads are relatively high. Controlled exposure studies have shown acute respiratory effects of short, high exposures to air pollution from motor vehicles. Acute health effects of lower real-life exposures in traffic are unclear. ⋯ We found modest effects of 2-hour in-traffic exposure to air pollutants on peak flow, exhaled NO, and airway resistance.
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In studies of diagnostic accuracy, the performance of an index test is assessed by verifying its results against those of a reference standard. If verification of index-test results by the preferred reference standard can be performed only in a subset of subjects, an alternative reference test could be given to the remainder. ⋯ The Bayesian methods presented in this paper use a single model to (1) acknowledge the different nature of the 2 reference standards and (2) make simultaneous inferences about the population prevalence and the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the index test with respect to both reference tests, in relation to latent disease status. We illustrate this approach using data from a study on the accuracy of the elbow extension test for diagnosis of elbow fractures in patients with elbow injury, using either radiography or follow-up as reference standards.