Annals of epidemiology
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Annals of epidemiology · Feb 2000
Review Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialDesign of Physicians' Health Study II--a randomized trial of beta-carotene, vitamins E and C, and multivitamins, in prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and eye disease, and review of results of completed trials.
To assess the balance of benefits and risks of supplementation with beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, and multivitamins on cancer, cardiovascular (CVD), and eye diseases. ⋯ PHS II is unique in several respects. PHS II is the only primary prevention trial in apparently healthy men testing the balance of benefits and risks of vitamin E on cancer and CVD. In addition, PHS II is the only primary prevention trial in apparently healthy men to test the balance of benefits and risks of vitamin C, multivitamins, as well as any single antioxidant vitamin, alone and in combination, on cancer, CVD, and eye diseases. Finally, PHS II is the only trial testing a priori the hypotheses that beta-carotene and vitamin E may reduce the risks of prostate cancer. Thus, PHS II will add unique as well as importantly relevant and complementary information to the totality of evidence from other completed and ongoing large-scale randomized trials on the balance of benefits and risks of beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, and multivitamins alone and in combination on prevention of cancer, CVD and eye diseases.
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The development and attributes of the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and the Injury Severity Score (ISS) are reviewed. The ISS was proved to be an excellent method for retrospective comparison of overall injury data between populations differing in time or space. Its strengths, purpose, and appropriate uses are emphasized, together with specific comments on statistical analyses and combined scales of anatomic and physiologic injury.
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There is a need for caution in measuring blood pressure in the obese. Problems related to adequate cuff-bladder size and shape are apparent from a review of the literature. Imperfections in experiments comparing intra-arterial/indirect blood pressure measurements remain. ⋯ The most important adjustment for measuring blood pressure in the obese derives from choosing the correct cuff width-arm circumference (CW/AC) ratio. Such action reduces the intersubject variability of blood pressure measurement in clinical and epidemiologic studies. Past studies probably overestimated blood pressure level in the obese and so underestimated the risk of elevated blood pressure in the obese.