The study of the distribution, incidence and eventual control of a disease
15
votes
3answers
289 views
How does the immune system “learn” from a vaccine?
According to Wikipedia:
A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing
microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the
microbe, its toxins or one ...
0
votes
1answer
78 views
What's the difference between life expectancy of cigarette smoker and general population?
Some say that smoking cigarettes will shorten lifespan. By how many years is the lifespan of a typical smoker shortened? What are the common cause(s) of death among smokers? Are there any known ...
9
votes
1answer
97 views
Have there been any positive public health effects due to UV lights?
Occasionally, in hospitals and in eating establishments in the US, they have industrial grade UV lights in sconces attached to the wall (though they seem to be less prominent as the years go by). I ...
17
votes
2answers
73 views
How is duration of efficacy estimated for vaccines?
Vaccines, especially those given in adulthood, usually have term limits attached, eg: 10 years for yellow fever or 3 years for typhoid. Since presumably the time course of an immune response is no ...
8
votes
2answers
449 views
What is the difference between naive and adjusted p-values in a GWAS study?
What is the difference between a naive p-value and an adjusted p-value in the results of a GWAS study? See from this paper:
After Bonferroni adjustment, a single gene, DCTN4 (encoding dynactin 4) ...
1
vote
3answers
80 views
Where can I find a list of diseases and their incidence?
Say I am studying a particular disease and I know that its incidence is 0.8 per 100000 children below the age of 18, how would I find the incidence of a whole bunch of other pediatric diseases (or ...
7
votes
1answer
80 views
obesity risk and single gene polymorphisms
I read a fairly recent meta-analysis of studies into the association between adult obesity and polymorphisms of the FTO gene (Peng et al., 2011). The paper looked at 59 studies and found that "FTO may ...
7
votes
1answer
81 views
Why doesn't yearly screening for lung cancer decrease mortality rates?
In a large trial, screening yearly for lung cancer hasn't reduced mortality rates. Why is this? Isn't cancer best treatable when caught early? Is this because lung cancer is hard to treat anyway, ...
7
votes
1answer
34 views
Downloadable worldwide database of disease statistics?
I am looking for a downloadable database of disease statistics. I have emailed the good folks over at HealthMap, but they haven't gotten back to me yet.
As far as I can tell, their data relevant to ...
7
votes
2answers
20 views
What data / tools exist for mapping of disease trends?
I was just looking at the Google Flu Trends map. Google Insight could be used to gain similar information for other trends in disease keyword searches.
I started wondering how valid are keyword ...
4
votes
4answers
203 views
Could someone recommend an introductory book on epidemiology? [closed]
I'm hoping to learn the basics of epidemiological methods, terminology, etc. I come from a background in statistical economics, and I'm moving into the economics of public health. I don't know if ...
9
votes
1answer
228 views
What causes a 'stuffy' or 'runny' nose when you have a cold?
When humans get the common cold, a common symptom is a stuffy or runny nose. Is that the body's immune response or is that the virus's doing?
13
votes
1answer
106 views
Are there animal models for Clostridium difficile that better replicate human infection than hamsters?
So I'm looking for some information on the infectious dose necessary to colonize a human with Clostridium difficile. There's no human challenge studies, and since it's not a foodborne pathogen, little ...
