For the patient we report, common predisposing factors for melioidosis were not observed, and an inoculation event or definite exposure to contaminated soil or water were not identified.
If I'd been in Taiwan, as a "Level A"' quarantine (new arrival from SARS area, no definite exposure) I would have been allowed to do errands -- but only in a surgical mask.
The workers were divided into three exposure categories: definite exposure, possible exposure, and workplace without exposure.
The 3, 992 employees were divided into three exposure categories: definite exposure, possible exposure, and exposure not expected.
There were no marked differences between the results for definite exposure and definite or possible exposure, so results and discussion that follow are based on definite exposures alone.
Low reliability refers to "possible" exposure, medium reliability was interpreted as "probable" exposure, and high reliability corresponded to "definite" exposure.
In the latter analysis, if the chemist had coded the exposure as "possible" (vs. "probable" and "definite"), exposure was assigned to the "no exposure" category.
We later performed sensitivity analyses in which we estimated associations separately for women who reported definite exposure and those who reported probable exposure.
We also noted associations with fibroids for having a mother with gestational diabetes and DES use during pregnancy, although these associations were restricted to reporting probable rather than definite exposure.
In utero diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure was also associated with early fibroid diagnosis (RR = 1.42; 95% CI, 1.13 1.80), but this association was driven by women reporting probable rather than definite exposure.
