RESEARCH METHODS IN PUBLIC HEALTH

Research Methods in Public Health



Research Methods in Public Health

Question 1

By looking at the case study we can say that chickenpox which is a viral infection in which a person develops extremely itchy blisters all over the body. It used to be one of the classic childhood diseases. This can be understood by looking at this example of a person with chickenpox become contagious 1 to 2 days before their blisters appear. They remain contagious until all the blisters have crusted over. Most cases of chickenpox occur in children younger than 10. The disease is usually mild, although serious complications sometimes occur. Adults and older children usually get sicker than younger children. Children whose mothers have had chickenpox or have received the chickenpox vaccine are not very likely to catch it before they are 1 year old. If they do catch chickenpox, they often have mild cases. This is because antibodies from their mothers' blood help protect them. Children under 1 year old whose mothers have not had chickenpox or the vaccine can get severe chickenpox. Severe chickenpox symptoms are more common in children whose immune system does not work well because of an illness or medicines such as chemotherapy and steroids. The chickenpox rash occurs about 10 to 21 days after coming into contact with someone who had the disease. The average child develops 250 to 500 small, itchy, fluid-filled blisters over red spots on the skin. However, it has become much less common since the introduction of the chickenpox vaccine. Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, a member of the herpesvirus family. The same virus also causes herpes zoster (shingles) in adults. Chickenpox can be spread very easily to others. You may get chickenpox from touching the fluids from a chickenpox blister, or if someone with the disease coughs or sneezes near you. Even those with mild illness may be contagious.

Question 2

We have come to this point that magnesium sulfate may prevent eclampsia by reducing cerebral vasoconstriction and ischemia. Nimodipine is a calcium-channel blocker with specific cerebral vasodilator activity. Our objective was to determine whether nimodipine is more effective than magnesium sulfate for seizure prophylaxis in women with severe preeclampsia. Demographic and clinical characteristics were similar in the two groups. The women who received nimodipine were more likely to have a seizure than those who received magnesium sulfate (21 of 819 [2.6 percent] vs. 7 of 831 [0.8 percent], P=0.01). The adjusted risk ratio for eclampsia associated with nimodipine, as compared with magnesium sulfate, was 3.2 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 9.1). The antepartum seizure rates did not differ significantly between groups, but the nimodipine group had a higher rate of postpartum seizures (9 of 819 [1.1 percent] vs. 0 of 831, P=0.01). There were no significant differences in neonatal outcome between the two groups. More women in the magnesium sulfate group than in the nimodipine group needed hydralazine to control blood pressure ...