Reporting odds ratio systems

A nested case-control study within a cohort of rubber workers in the United States was performed to examine the relationship between exposure to solvents and the risk of cancer (Checkoway et al., 1984 Wilcosky et al., 1984). The cohort consisted of 6678 male rubber workers who either were active or retired between 1964 and 1973. The cases comprised all persons with fatal stomach cancer (n = 30), respiratory system cancer (z7 = 101), prostate cancer ( = 33), lymphosarcoma (n = 9) or lymphocytic leukaemia (z7 = 10). These sites were chosen because they were those at which cancers had been found to be in excess in an earlier cohort analysis (McMichael et al., 1976). The controls were a 20% age-stratified random sample of the cohort (z = 1350). Exposure was classified from a detailed work history and production records. An association was observed between exposure for one year or more to carbon tetrachloride and lymphocytic leukaemia (odds ratio (OR), 15.3 / < 0.0001, based on eight exposed cases) and lymphosarcoma (OR, 4.2 p < 0.05, based on six exposed cases) after adjusting for year of birth. The relative risk associated with 24 solvents was examined and levels of exposure were not reported. [The Working Group noted that overlapping exposures limit the ability to draw conclusions regarding carbon tetrachloride.]... 

Hair Strontium hydroxide has been used as a depilatory [58 ], and it is not therefore surprising that there have been reports of alopecia in patients taking strontium ranelate. In a series of five cases reported to the Spanish pharmacovigilance system [59 ], the odds ratios (95% Cl) for the risks of alopecia in postmenopausal women taking various drugs were ... 

P. G. M. van der Heijden, E. P. van Puijenbroek, S. van Buuren and J. W. van deer Hofstede, On the assessment of adverse drug reactions from spontaneous reporting systems the influence of under-reporting on odds ratios, Stat. Med., 2002, 21, 2027-2044. 

A notable exception may be Sr-doped ceria. As reported by Liu and Wu, LSCF electrodes on 10 mol % Sr-doped ceria exhibit a significant high-frequency impedance arc in air at 650—750 °C, which is comparable in frequency (but somewhat smaller) to that observed for identically processed and tested LSCF electrodes on 8 mol % YSZ. One explanation may be found in the thermodynamic data for the Sr— Ce—O system, which shows that the solubility of SrO in Ce02 is less than 10 mol % at these temperatures.Thus, precipitation of SrCeOs at the LSCF/ceria interface is favored, depending on the exact firing conditions and A/B ratio of the perovskite. Oddly, the authors did not consider this possibility. 

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