Hepatitis C virus-related policy-making in Iran: A stakeholder and social network analysis

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health challenge worldwide. Implementing policies to cope with this challenge requires commitment from all stakeholders at various levels, and all necessary resources should be mobilised. Support for various HCV-related stakeholders can reduce the challenges and obstacles that can be encountered during the programme implementation. The present study aims to identify all stakeholders involved with HCV-related policy-making in Iran at different steps (policy development, implementation and evaluation) and to characterise them in terms of interest, position, power and influence, in order to provide valuable information for appropriate decision-making and design. The present study can also serve as a case study for healthcare systems in other countries. Method: An approach based on social network analysis was utilised. Data collected included relevant document searches and in-depth interviews to a sample of 18 key informants. Results: Various stakeholders were found to be involved with HCV-related policies in Iran. The extent of their participation and support in policy-making varied. Specifically, international agencies had a high interest for HCV-related policy-making, whereas media and members of the private sector were characterised by a medium interest and governmental and non-governmental bodies by a highly variable interest, ranging from low to high, depending on the specific organism. Moreover, media and members of the private sector, non-governmental institutions and international agencies were rated low in terms of position, whereas governmental actors were rated low to high. Media were rated medium in terms of power, whereas international agencies and members of the private sector were respectively rated low to medium and low. Non-governmental actors were rated low, whilst governmental bodies were rated low to high. Finally, media, members of the private sector and international agencies were rated medium in terms of influence, whereas non-governmental and governmental actors were respectively rated low to medium and low to high. Conclusion: Policy-making involves trust, negotiation and integration of the different views of all stakeholders. Social network analysis was critical for identifying stakeholders and showing that, in Iran, involvement in HCV-related policy-making is generally low. This information is of practical implication for policy- and decision-makers regarding the adoption of more favourable and effective strategies. © 2019 The Author(s)

The impact of partially missing communities~on the reliability of centrality measures

Network data is usually not error-free, and the absence of some nodes is a very common type of measurement error. Studies have shown that the reliability of centrality measures is severely affected by missing nodes. This paper investigates the reliability of centrality measures when missing nodes are likely to belong to the same community. We study the behavior of five commonly used centrality measures in uniform and scale-free networks in various error scenarios. We find that centrality measures are generally more reliable when missing nodes are likely to belong to the same community than in cases in which nodes are missing uniformly at random. In scale-free networks, the betweenness centrality becomes, however, less reliable when missing nodes are more likely to belong to the same community. Moreover, centrality measures in scale-free networks are more reliable in networks with stronger community structure. In contrast, we do not observe this effect for uniform networks. Our observations suggest that the impact of missing nodes on the reliability of centrality measures might not be as severe as the literature suggests

Freezing of gait and fall detection in Parkinson’s disease using wearable sensors:a systematic review

Despite the large number of studies that have investigated the use of wearable sensors to detect gait disturbances such as Freezing of gait (FOG) and falls, there is little consensus regarding appropriate methodologies for how to optimally apply such devices. Here, an overview of the use of wearable systems to assess FOG and falls in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and validation performance is presented. A systematic search in the PubMed and Web of Science databases was performed using a group of concept key words. The final search was performed in January 2017, and articles were selected based upon a set of eligibility criteria. In total, 27 articles were selected. Of those, 23 related to FOG and 4 to falls. FOG studies were performed in either laboratory or home settings, with sample sizes ranging from 1 PD up to 48 PD presenting Hoehn and Yahr stage from 2 to 4. The shin was the most common sensor location and accelerometer was the most frequently used sensor type. Validity measures ranged from 73–100% for sensitivity and 67–100% for specificity. Falls and fall risk studies were all home-based, including samples sizes of 1 PD up to 107 PD, mostly using one sensor containing accelerometers, worn at various body locations. Despite the promising validation initiatives reported in these studies, they were all performed in relatively small sample sizes, and there was a significant variability in outcomes measured and results reported. Given these limitations, the validation of sensor-derived assessments of PD features would benefit from more focused research efforts, increased collaboration among researchers, aligning data collection protocols, and sharing data sets

Estimating economies of scale and scope with flexible technology

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11123-016-0467-1Economies of scope are typically modelled and estimated using a cost function that is common to all firms in an industry irrespective of their type, e.g. whether they specialize in a single output or produce multiple outputs. Instead, we estimate a flexible technology model that allows for type-specific technologies and show how it can be estimated using linear parametric forms including the translog. A common technology remains a special case of our model and is testable econometrically. Our sample, of publicly owned US electric utilities, does not support a common technology for integrated and specialized firms. Our empirical results therefore suggest that assuming a common technology might bias estimates of economies of scale and scope. Thus, how we model the production technology clearly influences the policy conclusions we draw from its characteristics

Ciprofloxacin-loaded calcium alginate wafers prepared by freeze-drying technique for potential healing of chronic diabetic foot ulcers

Calcium alginate (CA) wafer dressings were prepared by lyophilization of hydrogels to deliver ciprofloxacin (CIP) directly to the wound site of infected diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). The dressings were physically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), texture analysis (for mechanical and in vitro adhesion properties), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Further, functional properties essential for wound healing, i.e., porosity, in vitro swelling index, water absorption (Aw), equilibrium water content (EWC), water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), evaporative water loss (EWL), moisture content, in vitro drug release and kinetics, antimicrobial activity, and cell viability (MTT assay) were investigated. The wafers were soft, of uniform texture and thickness, and pliable in nature. Wafers showed ideal wound dressing characteristics in terms of fluid handling properties due to high porosity (SEM). XRD confirmed crystalline nature of the dressings and FTIR showed hydrogen bond formation between CA and CIP. The dressings showed initial fast release followed by sustained drug release which can inhibit and prevent re-infection caused by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The dressings also showed biocompatibility (> 85% cell viability over 72 h) with human adult keratinocytes. Therefore, it will be a potential medicated dressing for patients with DFUs infected with drug-resistant bacteria