In-House Marketing of Analytical Information Systems: Development of a Procedure Model

Albeit a given extensive availability of analytical information systems (AIS), acceptance and usage of these systems can be estimated as rather low. In order to increase the awareness level of AIS within corporations, to expand the user base, and to establish AIS as a central, enterprise-wide foundation for decision support, the responsible departments need to address the marketing of their services. This includes e.g. the definition and communication of their service portfolio and the identification and analysis of user groups. In this paper, we develop a procedure model for the in-house marketing of AIS. Theoretically well-grounded in service marketing and relationship marketing and practically substantiated through expert workshop and an empirical investigation, the procedure model offers a structured foundation for in-house marketing initiatives in the context of AIS. The procedure model consists of the four phases (analysis, planing, execution, and control) and twelve particular activities, which allow corrective returns in between the single activities

Management of biliary obstruction in patients with newly diagnosed alveolar echinococcosis: a Swiss retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Alveolar echinococcosis, an orphan zoonosis affecting the liver, is of increasing concern worldwide. Most symptomatic cases present at an advanced and inoperable stage, sometimes with biliary obstruction prompting biliary tract interventions. These are, however, associated with a high risk of infectious complications. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of conservative and interventional treatment approaches in patients with newly diagnosed alveolar echinococcosis and biliary obstruction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Alveolar echinococcosis patients treated at two referral centres in Switzerland, presenting with hyperbilirubinaemia (total bilirubin >1.5 Upper Limit of Normal) at diagnosis were included, unless another underlying aetiology, i.e. common bile duct stones or decompensated cirrhosis, was identified. Patients were divided into two groups, according to whether they initially received a biliary tract intervention. The primary endpoint was normalisation of bilirubin levels within a 6-month period. Secondary endpoints included, among others, the occurrence of early and late biliary complications, the need for biliary tract interventions during follow-up and overall duration of hospital stays for treatment initiation and for biliary complications. RESULTS: 28 patients were included in this study, of whom 17 received benzimidazole therapy alone and 11 additionally received a biliary tract intervention. Baseline characteristics did not differ between groups. All but one patient in each group achieved the primary endpoint (p=0.747). Biliary tract intervention was associated with faster laboratory improvement (t1/2 1.3 vs 3.0 weeks), but also with more frequent early biliary complications (7/11 vs 1/17, p=0.002) and longer initial hospital stay (18 days vs 7 days, p=0.007). CONCLUSION: Biliary obstruction in patients with newly diagnosed alveolar echinococcosis can be treated effectively with benzimidazole therapy alone. Biliary tract intervention, on the other hand, is associated with a high complication rate and should probably be reserved for patients with insufficient response to benzimidazole therapy

Surgical and Hardware-Related Adverse Events of Deep Brain Stimulation:A Ten-Year Single-Center Experience

INTRODUCTION: Although deep brain stimulation (DBS) is effective for treating a number of neurological and psychiatric indications, surgical and hardware-related adverse events (AEs) can occur that affect quality of life. This study aimed to give an overview of the nature and frequency of those AEs in our center and to describe the way they were managed. Furthermore, an attempt was made at identifying possible risk factors for AEs to inform possible future preventive measures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing DBS-related procedures between January 2011 and July 2020 were retrospectively analyzed to inventory AEs. The mean follow-up time was 43 ± 31 months. Univariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the predictive value of selected demographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: From January 2011 to July 2020, 508 DBS-related procedures were performed including 201 implantations of brain electrodes in 200 patients and 307 implantable pulse generator (IPG) replacements in 142 patients. Surgical or hardware-related AEs following initial implantation affected 40 of 200 patients (20%) and resolved without permanent sequelae in all instances. The most frequent AEs were surgical site infections (SSIs) (9.95%, 20/201) and wire tethering (2.49%, 5/201), followed by hardware failure (1.99%, 4/201), skin erosion (1.0%, 2/201), pain (0.5%, 1/201), lead migration (0.52%, 2/386 electrode sites), and hematoma (0.52%, 2/386 electrode sites). The overall rate of AEs for IPG replacement was 5.6% (17/305). No surgical, ie, staged or nonstaged, electrode fixation, or patient-related risk factors were identified for SSI or wire tethering. CONCLUSIONS: Major AEs including intracranial surgery-related AEs or AEs requiring surgical removal or revision of hardware are rare. In particular, aggressive treatment is required in SSIs involving multiple sites or when Staphylococcus aureus is identified. For future benchmarking, the development of a uniform reporting system for surgical and hardware-related AEs in DBS surgery would be useful

FALSE-NEGATIVE DENGUE CASES IN RORAIMA, BRAZIL: AN APPROACH REGARDING THE HIGH NUMBER OF NEGATIVE RESULTS BY NS1 AG KITS

Serum samples from 150 NS1-negative (Platelia ELISA) patients presumptively diagnosed with dengue were analyzed by the TaqMan probed real-time reverse transcription PCR (TaqMan qRT-PCR) method. The qRT-PCR positive samples were tested for serotype by semi-nested RT-PCR and a qualitative immunochromatographic assay for IgG and IgM. Molecular detection methods showed 33 (22%) positive samples out of 150 NS1-antigen negative samples. Of these, 72% were collected up to day 2 after the onset of symptoms, when diagnostic sensitivity of NS1-antigen test assays is significantly enhanced. Most of the cases were not characterized as secondary infection. Twenty-eight samples were successfully serotyped, 75% of which for DENV-4, 14% for DENV-2, 7% for DENV-3 and 4% for DENV-1. These findings reaffirm the hyperendemic situation of the state of Roraima and suggest a lower sensitivity of the NS1 test, mainly when DENV-4 is the predominant serotype. Health care providers should therefore be aware of samples tested negative by NS1 antigen assays, especially when clinical symptoms and other laboratory data results show evidence of dengue infection