EQ-5D in Central and Eastern Europe : 2000-2015

Objective: Cost per quality-adjusted life year data are required for reimbursement decisions in many Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. EQ-5D is by far the most commonly used instrument to generate utility values in CEE. This study aims to systematically review the literature on EQ-5D from eight CEE countries. Methods: An electronic database search was performed up to July 1, 2015 to identify original EQ-5D studies from the countries of interest. We analysed the use of EQ-5D with respect to clinical areas, methodological rigor, population norms and value sets. Results: We identified 143 studies providing 152 country-specific results with a total sample size of 81,619: Austria (n=11), Bulgaria (n=6), Czech Republic (n=18), Hungary (n=47), Poland (n=51), Romania (n=2), Slovakia (n=3) and Slovenia (n=14). Cardiovascular (20%), neurologic (16%), musculoskeletal (15%) and endocrine/nutritional/metabolic diseases (14%) were the most frequently studied clinical areas. Overall 112 (78%) of the studies reported EQ VAS results and 86 (60%) EQ-5D index scores, of which 27 (31%) did not specify the applied tariff. Hungary, Poland and Slovenia have population norms. Poland and Slovenia also have a national value set. Conclusions: Increasing use of EQ-5D is observed throughout CEE. The spread of health technology assessment activities in countries seems to be reflected in the number of EQ-5D studies. However, improvement in informed use and methodological quality of reporting is needed. In jurisdictions where no national value set is available, in order to ensure comparability we recommend to apply the most frequently used UK tariff. Regional collaboration between CEE countries should be strengthened

Advances in research on the use of biochar in soil for remediation: a review

Purpose: Soil contamination mainly from human activities remains a major environmental problem in the contemporary world. Significant work has been undertaken to position biochar as a readily-available material useful for the management of contaminants in various environmental media notably soil. Here, we review the increasing research on the use of biochar in soil for the remediation of some organic and inorganic contaminants.  Materials and methods: Bibliometric analysis was carried out within the past 10 years to determine the increasing trend in research related to biochar in soil for contaminant remediation. Five exemplar contaminants were reviewed in both laboratory and field-based studies. These included two inorganic (i.e., As and Pb) and three organic classes (i.e., sulfamethoxazole, atrazine, and PAHs). The contaminants were selected based on bibliometric data and as representatives of their various contaminant classes. For example, As and Pb are potentially toxic elements (anionic and cationic, respectively), while sulfamethoxazole, atrazine, and PAHs represent antibiotics, herbicides, and hydrocarbons, respectively.  Results and discussion: The interaction between biochar and contaminants in soil is largely driven by biochar precursor material and pyrolysis temperature as well as some characteristics of the contaminants such as octanol-water partition coefficient (KOW) and polarity. The structural and chemical characteristics of biochar in turn determine the major sorption mechanisms and define biochar’s suitability for contaminant sorption. Based on the reviewed literature, a soil treatment plan is suggested to guide the application of biochar in various soil types (paddy soils, brownfield, and mine soils) at different pH levels (4–5.5) and contaminant concentrations ( 50 mg kg−1).  Conclusions: Research on biochar has grown over the years with significant focus on its properties, and how these affect biochar’s ability to immobilize organic and inorganic contaminants in soil. Few of these studies have been field-based. More studies with greater focus on field-based soil remediation are therefore required to fully understand the behavior of biochar under natural circumstances. Other recommendations are made aimed at stimulating future research in areas where significant knowledge gaps exist

Comparison of Active and Passive Damping of Plate Vibration by Piezoelectric Actuators - FEM Simulation

Application of piezoelectric shunt elements, distributed in suitable configuration on the external surfaces of vibrating plate is one of the contemporary method of reduction of its vibroactivity. The two techniques are applied: passive one and active one. The aim of simulations was to compare the minimisation effect for the two attempts. The plate was excited by point harmonic force with constant amplitude. Vibrations for the first mode were considered

Intravascular ultrasound findings of the Fantom sirolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffold at six- and nine-month follow-up: The FANTOM II study

Aims: FANTOM II is a prospective multicentre trial assessing the safety and efficacy of the Fantom siroli-mus-eluting bioresorbable coronary scaffold (BRS). The present substudy focuses on the six- and nine-month IVUS findings. Methods and results: A total of 240 patients with de novo coronary artery lesions presenting with stable or unstable disease were included in two sequential cohorts (cohort A [n=117] and cohort B [n=123]) in which angiographic follow-up was performed at either six or nine months, respectively. Matched IVUS data were available for 35 paired cases in cohort A and 26 paired cases in cohort B. At six months, mean and minimum scaffold area (SA) decreased from 6.09±1.08 mm2 to 5.88±1.07 mm2, p=0.009, and 5.27±0.99 mm2 to 5.05±0.99 mm2, p=0.01, respectively. At nine months, no significant change in mean scaffold and minimum scaffold area was observed (6.46±1.11 mm2 to 6.38±0.96 mm2; p=0.35, and 5.45±1.00 mm2 to 5.36±0.86 mm2; p=0.32, respectively). Neointimal hyperplasia area was low at both six (0.11±0.12 mm2) and nine months (0.20±0.21 mm2), as was in-scaffold obstruction volume (1.94±2.25% at six months, and 3.40±4.11% at nine months). Conclusions: The use of the Fantom BRS in stable coronary artery disease was associated with low rates of neointimal hyperplasia volume and in-scaffold volume obstruction at both six and nine months

Personalizing antiplatelet therapies: What have we learned from recent trials?

Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and a P2Y12 receptor antagonist is currently the standard of care for the prevention of ischemic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Several studies have shown that not all patients benefit from the treatment to the same degree and demonstrated that high on-treatment platelet reactivity may be associated with an increased risk of thrombotic events, while low on-treatment platelet reactivity may be linked to a higher risk of bleeding. Personalized antiplatelet treatment strategies based on platelet function monitoring and genetic testing constitute a promising tool for the prevention of both stent thrombosis and bleeding events, but conclusive evidence that such approaches can improve clinical outcomes is lacking. This review presents the most recent studies on tailored antiplatelet therapy in the management of coronary heart disease, with a focus on the prognosis value of platelet function testing

Staminodial Nectary Structure in Two Pulsatilla (L.) Species

In plants belonging to the Ranunculaceae the floral nectaries may differ in origin, location in the flower, shape and structure. In many cases they are defined as modified tepals or modified stamens. The nectary organs in this family are frequently termed "honey leaves," and staminodial origin is attributed to them. Gynopleural and receptacular nectaries are rarely found in Ranunculaceae. To date there are no reports on the structure of the nectary organs in plants of the genus Pulsatilla. We used light and scanning electron microscopy to study the location and structure of the nectaries in Pulsatilla slavica and P. vulgaris flowers. The staminodial nectaries were found to be nectar-secreting organs. The number of stamens per flower (102-398) increases with plant age. The share of staminodes is 12–15%. The staminodes are composed of a filament and a modified head. They are green due to the presence of chloroplasts in the epidermal and parenchymal cells. The parenchymal cells are in a loose arrangement. Stomata (3–20), through which nectar exudation occurred, were found only in the abaxial epidermis of the staminode head. The stomata are evenly distributed and have well-developed outer cuticular ledges. Some of them are immature during nectar secretion, with their pores covered by a layer of cuticle. During the activity of the nectariferous organs in the flowers, primary (on the staminode surface) and secondary nectar (at the base of tepals) are presented. The staminodes of the two Pulsatilla species show similar structural features and have similar shares in the androecium