Is the Exact Test Better than the Asymptotic Test for Testing Marginal Homogeneity in 2 × 2 Tables?

McNemar test is commonly used to test for the marginal homogeneity in 2 × 2 contingency tables. McNemar test is an asymptotic test based either on standard normal distribution or on the chi‐square distribution. When the total sample size is small, an exact version of McNemar test is available based on the binomial probabilities. The example in the paper came from a clinical study to investigate the effect of epidermal growth factor for children who had microvillus inclusion diseases. There were only six observations available. The test results differ between the exact test and the asymptotic test. It is a common belief that with this small sample size the exact test be used. However, we claim that McNemar test performs better than the exact test even when the sample size is small. In order to investigate the performances of McNemar test and the exact test, we identify the parameters that affect the test results and then perform sensitivity analysis. In addition, through Monte Carlo simulation studies we compare the empirical sizes and powers of these tests as well as other asymptotic tests such as Wald test and the likelihood ratio test.     

Adjusting O'Brien's test to control type I error for the generalized nonparametric Behrens-Fisher problem

O'Brien (1984, Biometrics 40, 1079-1087) introduced a simple nonparametric test procedure for testing whether multiple outcomes in one treatment group have consistently larger values than outcomes in the other treatment group. We first explore the theoretical properties of O'Brien's test. We then extend it to the general nonparametric Behrens-Fisher hypothesis problem when no assumption is made regarding the shape of the distributions. We provide conditions when O'Brien's test controls its error probability asymptotically and when it fails. We also provide adjusted tests when the conditions do not hold. Throughout this article, we do not assume that all outcomes are continuous. Simulations are performed to compare the adjusted tests to O'Brien's test. The difference is also illustrated using data from a Parkinson's disease clinical trial.     

A Multivariate Goodness-of-Fit Test for Stochastically Ordered Distributions

There are a number of nonparametric procedures known for testing goodness-of-fit in the univariate case. Similar procedures can be derived for testing goodness-of-fit in the multivariate case through an application of the theory of statistically equivalent blocks (SEB). The SEB transforms the data into coverages which are distributed as spacings from a uniform distribution on [0,1], under the null hypothesis. In this paper, we present a multivariate nonparametric test of goodness-of-fit based on the SEB when the multivariate distributions under the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis are “weakly” ordered. Empirical results are given on the performance of the proposed test in an application to the problem of assessing the reliability of a p-component system.     

Testing for Poisson Zero Inflation in Disease Mapping

When analyzing mortality data due to rare diseases in small areas, it is common to find several health zones with no mortality cases. In these circumstances, the classical homogeneous model based on the Poisson distribution used to estimate the relative risks within each area may encounter lack of fit due to a disproportionately large frequency of zeros. To cope with these zeros, the zero inflated Poisson model can be used. In this paper, we propose a test for detecting zero inflation in the context of disease mapping which is based on bootstrap techniques. The test is illustrated using male mortality data due to brain cancer in Navarra, Spain. In addition, comparisons with other tests for Poisson zero inflation such as the score test and the likelihood ratio test are carried out in terms of empirical power and size using the brain cancer scenario. The proposed bootstrap test has good power and size and works well when detecting the excess of zeros in small area data sets. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Development of a validation protocol to determine the ability of screw-top containers to be watertight and to withstand impact damage from accidental dropping

Polypropylene screw-top containers are used to collect, transport and store a variety of tissues within tissue banks. These containers are validated for use by tissue banks but no standard validation protocol is used. We present here a protocol for testing screw-top containers for leakage, evaporation and the ability to withstand accidental impact damage. Three different containers were tested, MedFor S072, MedFor S277 and MacoPharma PROT0483. The validation can detect differences between different manufacturer’s containers and this protocol will be used in future validations of screw-top containers within National Blood Service Tissue Services.     

羟基磷灰石生物安全性试验研究

为了评价羟基磷灰石的生物安全性,依据相关的医疗器械行业标准和GB/T16886系列标准,对该材料进行了迟发型超敏反应试验、热原试验、急性全身毒性试验、细胞毒性试验等一系列生物安全性试验,并对试验数据进行了分析评价,结果表明,羟基磷灰石具有良好的安全性。     

Simultaneous Randomization Tests

Randomization analyses have been developed for testing main effects and interactions in standard experimental designs. However, exact multiple comparisons procedures for these randomization analyses have received little attention. This article proposes a general procedure for constructing simultaneous randomization tests that have prescribed type I error rates. An application of the procedure does provide for multiple comparisons in the randomization analyses of designed experiments. This application is made to data collected in a biopharmaceutical experiment.     

重组乙型肝炎疫苗(CHO细胞)鉴别试验的方法研究

目的：建立重组乙型肝炎疫苗(CHO细胞)鉴别试验的方法。方法：取重组乙型肝炎疫苗(CHO细胞)以1：10比例加入lmol/L盐酸调节pH值,采用ELISA双抗体夹心法检测,同时设以氢氧化铝、未处理的重组乙型肝炎疫苗、狂犬疫苗、出血热疫苗,以及试剂盒的阴、阳性作为对照。结果：狂犬疫苗、出血热疫苗及氢氧化铝对照为阴性,直接检测重组乙型肝炎疫苗(CHO细胞)呈弱阳性,加入盐酸调节pH值后原倍样品呈弱阳性,10倍稀释后呈强阳性。采用该方法检测5批疫苗均呈强阳性。组内平行试验,组间重复试验。结论：将重组乙型肝炎疫苗(CHO细胞)调节pH值后10倍稀释,用ELISA双抗体夹心法检测呈阳性,而且稳定可靠,该方法可用于该疫苗的鉴别试验。     

两种Ames试验方法在槲皮素致突变试验中灵敏度的研究

目的:通过传统Ames试验与改进彷徨试验对槲皮素的致突变试验结果,比较两种试验的灵敏度。方法:Ames试验方法采用平板掺入法,选择3.2、16、80、400、2000μg/mL 5个剂量组的槲皮素在有或无代谢话化条件下处理鼠伤寒沙门氏菌株TA98和TA100 48小时后计数回复突变菌落数;改进彷徨试验采用96孔板法,选择0.128、0.64、3.2、16、80μg/mL 5个剂量组的槲皮素在有或无代谢活化条件下处理鼠伤寒沙门氏菌株TA98和TA100 24小时后计数变色孔数。结果:Ames试验结果显示槲皮素在80-2000μg/mL回复突变菌落数明显增加并超过对照2倍并有明显剂量反应关系,Ames试验结果阳性;改进彷徨试验结果显示槲皮素在0.64-80μg/mL变色孔数明显增加(P<0.01),并有剂量反应关系,结果为阳性;而在0.64-16μg/mL剂量下,改进彷徨试验能检测出阳性结果,而Ames试验未检测出阳性结果。结论:在较低浓度时,改进彷徨试验能检测出Ames试验检测不出的阳性结果,表明改进彷徨试验灵敏度较Ames试验高。     

A seroprevalence survey of Toxoplasma gondii in common wombats (Vombatus ursinus)

Serum was collected from 23 wild common wombats (Vombatus ursinus) on a pastoral property in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia (231N 616E) between 3rd August 2001 and 25th March 2002. The serum was tested using three serological methods for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii. Six animals (26.1%) were shown to have antibodies to T. gondii. The latex agglutination test proved to be less sensitive than the direct agglutination test or the modified agglutination test. This is the first serological survey of T. gondii in wombats. This is the first recorded use of the latex agglutination test on wombat serum. This study demonstrated the highest percentage of seropositive animals in any serological survey for T. gondii in marsupials.     

Trend Test for Overdispersed Proportions

The Cochran-Armitage test has commonly been used for a trend test in binomial proportions. The quasi-likelihood method provides a simple approach to model extra-binomial proportions. Two versions of the score and Wald tests using different parameterizations for the extra-binomial variance were investigated: one in terms of intercluster correlation, and another in terms of variance. The Monte Carlo simulation was used to evaluate the performance of the each version of the score test and the Wald test, and the Cochran-Armitage test. The simulation shows that the Cochran-Armitage test has the proper size only for the binomial sample data, and the test is no longer valid when applied to the extra-binomial data. The Wald test is more likely to exceed the nominal level than the score test under either intercluster correlation model or variance model. Both score tests performed very well even with the binomial data; the tests control the type I error and in the meantime maintain the power of detecting the dose effects. Based on the design considered in this paper, the two scores test are comparable. The score test based on the intercluster correlations model seems better controlling the Type I error but appears less powerful than that based on the variance model. An example from a developmental toxicity experiment is given.