A telephone survey of factors affecting willingness to participate in health research surveys.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, reduced participation has been encountered across all epidemiological study designs, both in terms of non-response as well as refusal. A low response rate may reduce the statistical power but, more importantly, results may not be generalizable to the wider community. METHODS: In a telephone survey of 1413 randomly selected members of the Australian general population and of 690 participants sourced from previous studies, we examined factors affecting people's stated willingness to participate in health research. RESULTS: The majority of participants (61 %) expressed willingness to participate in health research in general but the percentage increased when provided with more specific information about the research. People were more willing if they have personal experience of the disease under study, and if the study was funded by government or charity rather than pharmaceutical companies. Participants from previous studies, older people and women were the groups most willing to participate. Younger men preferred online surveys, older people a written questionnaire, and few participants in any age and sex groups preferred a telephone questionnaire. CONCLUSION: Despite a trend toward reduced participation rates, most participants expressed their willingness to participate in health research. However, when seeking participants, researchers should be concrete and specific about the nature of the research they want to carry out. The preferred method of recommended contact varies with the demographic characteristics.

Persisting arthralgia due to Mayaro virus infection in a traveler from Brazil: is there a risk for attendants to the 2014 FIFA World Cup?

The 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games will attract large groups of visitors to Brazil. These visitors will be at risk for different arboviral infections, some of which not well known outside endemic areas. We report a case of a 52-year-old Dutch woman who presented with persistent arthralgia due to a Mayaro virus (MAYV) infection which she contracted in the Amazon basin in Brazil. MAYV is a mosquito-borne alphavirus which primarily circulates in humid tropical forests of South America. Infections are rarely reported in travelers and are characterized by an acute febrile illness which is often followed by a prolonged and sometimes incapacitating polyarthralgia. Both travelers and physicians should be aware of the risk of these arboviral infections and the importance of mosquito bite prevention should be stressed.

Radiosensitivity study of cefazolin sodium.

The extent of physico-chemical changes induced by irradiation of cefazolin sodium was investigated. The methods used were potency determination, impurity profile, colour measurements and pH measurements. The potency of irradiated samples at 25 kGy was 4+/-2% lower than that of the non irradiated ones. The total amount of related substances increased from 0.72+/-0.01% in the non irradiated samples to 4.9+/-0.7% in the samples irradiated at 25 kGy. Most of the peaks showed trace amounts (<0.01%), the largest one represented 1.2+/-0.5% of the total related substances. Only two peaks were identified by chromatography: the methyl-1,2,3-thiazol-2 thiol-5 and the 7-aminocephalosporanic acid. The latter related substance is only produced by the irradiation of cefazolin sodium. The pH values of the samples were within the specifications of the European Pharmacopoeia. The colour of the cefazolin sodium powder changed from white to yellow upon irradiation. The yellow colour persisted after the dissolution of the powder. Most of the tests carried out met the Pharmacopoeia's specifications, except the one concerning the colour of the solution.