Duffy Negative Antigen Is No Longer a Barrier to Plasmodium vivax – Molecular Evidences from the African West Coast (Angola and Equatorial Guinea)

Recent reports of Plasmodium vivax infections, the most widely distributed species of human malaria, show that this parasite is evolving and adapting, becoming not only more aggressive but also more frequent in countries where it was not present in the past, becoming, therefore, a major source of concern. Thus, it is extremely important to perform new studies of its distribution in West and Central Africa, where there are few reports of its presence, due to the high prevalence of Duffy-negative individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of P. vivax in Angola and in Equatorial Guinea, using blood samples and mosquitoes. The results showed that P. vivax seems to be able to invade erythrocytes using receptors other than Duffy, and this new capacity is not exclusive to one strain of P. vivax, since we have found samples infected with two different strains: VK247 and classic. Additionally we demonstrated that the parasite has a greater distribution than previously thought, calling for a reevaluation of its worldwide distribution

A cost-of-illness analysis of the economic burden of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the United Kingdom

Objectives: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and debilitating psychiatric condition, with diagnosed patients typically experiencing moderate or severe symptoms. This study evaluated the cost-of-illness (CoI) of OCD in the UK, capturing the annual costs accrued to the National Health Service (NHS) and Personal Social Services (PSS), people with OCD, caregivers and society. Methods: The UK OCD population was estimated and stratified by age group (children, adults, elderly), symptom severity (mild, moderate, severe) and treatment received (including no treatment). Costs for each subpopulation were estimated through a prevalence-based approach. Cost inputs were sourced from national databases, while additional inputs were informed by literature searches or expert clinician opinion. Scenario analyses explored other factors including comorbid depression treatment and presenteeism. Results: The base-case analysis estimated a total annual CoI of £378,356,004 to the NHS, rising to £5,095,759,464 when a societal perspective was considered. The annual cost of care per person with OCD increased with severity (mild: £174; moderate: £365; severe: £902) due to increasing healthcare resource utilisation. The largest contributor to healthcare costs was cognitive behavioural therapy, while societal costs were driven by lost productivity through absenteeism. The base-case results likely underestimated the true economic burden of OCD; including comorbid depression led to a 132% increase in treatment costs, while presenteeism in people with OCD and lost productivity in caregivers amplified indirect costs. Conclusions: The economic burden of OCD in the UK is substantial and extends beyond direct treatment costs, highlighting a need for research into alternative treatments with greater efficacy

A Review of RFID in Supply Chain Management: 2000–2015

This paper presents a systematic literature review of papers that were published in academic journals on the applications of radio frequency identification (RFID) in supply chain management between the years 2000 and 2015. As the literature on RFID is not confined to specific disciplines or repositories, this paper proposes a discipline-based framework for classifying RFID literature. Five main classification categories are used in this paper: technology, supply chain management, research methodology, application industries, and social aspects. The paper then focuses on the category of supply chain management and reviews 1187 articles that were published between 2000 and 2015 in rated journals. All the papers reviewed are further classified into eight subclasses under this category of supply chain management. The review yields useful insights into the anatomy of RFID literature in supply chain management, enhances evidence-based knowledge, and contributes to informing practice, policymaking and future research. The review reveals that even presently, despite technical and cost challenges, enormous potential exists for the application of RFID in several areas of supply chain management and the prospects are likely to grow into the future. Since RFID solutions have emerged primarily over only the past 20 years, significant research opportunities exist and would need to be addressed to continue to support the technology’s maturation, evaluation, adoption, implementation, and diffusion