C. A. McGilchrist

Low fat, low cholesterol diet in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease.

Four hundred fifty-eight men with coronary heart disease participated in a trial of secondary prevention for 2 to 7 years. Overall five year survival was 81%. For those with first heart attacks it was 86%.

Estimation of cumulative illness using cross-sectional data.

Using cross-sectional data, a general method is given for assessing cumulative illness due to a particular disease. An application is given to estimating cumulative illness due to otitis media in Australian aborigines and contrasting these results to the non-aboriginal population.

Effect of differential mortality rate on risk-variable distribution

Abstract Where the mortality rate depends on a risk variable, those at higher risk tend to die earlier. Hence any alternation of the risk-variable distribution with age may be partially attributed to mortality. Models are suggested for such alteration and an example given.

Post-Data Two Sample Tests of Location

Abstract An approach to two-sample tests of location may be based on the conditional distribution of the sampling process given that the observations are known constants. Such theory may be developed from the theories of Dempster [2, 3, 4] or Fraser [5].

Variance components for discordances

Tests for biotyping isolates give a result that is classified as either positive or negative, indicative of growth or nongrowth of bacteria. The reproducibility of such tests is measured by the number of discordances in replicates of the same measurement. In this analysis the probability distribution of the number of discordances is estimated for each of several tests in the presence of possible random between-laboratory effects as well as random laboratory-test interactions, which are also estimated.

Hyperlipidaemia and Weight Gain After Maturity

In affluent western societies average weight gain in males over the two decades after maturity is of the order of 9–12 kg Increase in total plasma lipids over this period tends to parallel increase in body weight but whether there is a causal relationship is not clear. One approach to the problem is to use the tool of weight reduction; this is the subject of this paper.

Coronary Heart Disease Profile in Australian Men and Some Factors Influencing Survival

Australia is an affluent country with a high mortality from coronary disease. Before 1966 no systematic study of the coronary profile of Australians had been made. In that year our group began a study of the effect of dietary modification in secondary prevention. We present here data on entry characteristics and survival in relation to them.

Measures on qualitative variables in coronary heart disease studies

Abstract A qualitative variable such as ‘marital status’ may be recorded as single, married, widowed, divorced or separated. A procedure, relevant to coronary heart disease studies, is suggested for putting a measure on such a categorised variable. The advantages of such a procedure are discussed. Examples on cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and dyspnoea are also presented.

Discrete Distribution Estimators from the Recurrence Equation for Probabilities

Abstract A method is proposed for deriving an estimation procedure from the recurrence relationship between probabilities in a discrete distribution. It is limited to cases in which only one parameter occurs in the recurrence relationship. To find a confidence interval for the parameter we consider the estimating function obtained and this may be shown to be dependent on differences between the cumulative probability function and its estimated value.

Growth-variable distribution and mortality

Abstract The effect of differential mortality on growth-variable distribution is studied. Previous assumptions are relaxed to obtain a more general result, without restricting the distribution of the growth variable. Application of this result yields almost identical estimates of the effect of differential mortality on the distribution of serum cholesterol levels to those obtained under more restrictive assumptions.