Increased lymph node yield in colorectal cancer is not necessarily associated with a greater number of lymph node positive cancers

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in the elderly

The point prevalence and incidence of Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-sensitive and -resistant) carriage by inpatients on acute elderly care wards was estimated. The relationship to body site and to previous admissions to hospital or other institutions was determined. Fifty-five patients were included in the point prevalence study and 136 in the incidence study, which was performed over a two-month period. One in three patients carried S. aureus and 1 in 20 was infected. The incidence rate for MRSA was 2.9%. No endemic strain was found. Nostrils were significantly associated with carriage, and skin break isolates were significant in the point prevalence survey. Screening these sites alone would be most cost effective

Forecasting pharmaceutical expenditure in Europe : adjusting for the impact of rebates and discounts

European healthcare systems are under constant pressure to contain healthcare expenditure. Understanding future drug expenditure is an important consideration for payers when formulating policies. QuintileIMS publishes European forecasts that are underpinned by its audited volume data and publicly available list prices. With increasing price pressures, list to net price divergence is growing, although some of this information is commercially sensitive and thus not publicly available. The objective of this study was to further develop an established forecast to account for this divergence and explore its impact

The incidence of malignancy in the residual rectum of IBD patients after colectomy : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Acknowledgements The authors would like to kindly thank Mr. Rob Polson for his valuable assistance with the search strategy. Funding There was no funding provided for this study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Prognostic value of lymph node ratio and extramural vascular invasion on survival for patients undergoing curative colon cancer resection

There was no study funding. We are grateful to Tony Rafferty (Tailored Information for the People of Scotland, TIPs) for providing survival data.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The representation of voluntourism in search engines: The case of South Africa

© 2015, © 2015 Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC). This paper responds to the paucity of research on the linkages between voluntourism and digital technology and seeks to understand the online representation of the phenomenon in a developing context. In particular, the researchers investigate the so-called ‘online domain’ of voluntourism in South Africa. The researchers collected a series of web results from search engines and analysed the presence of traditional and social media websites, the most relevant presented topics, and the type of argumentation found. Results identify the context and representation of voluntourism as it transpires virtually. This will contribute to the understanding of the interplay between voluntourism and digital technology, with specific emphasis on web presence. Ultimately, results will shed light on how digitally accessible voluntourism is in South Africa and will set the basis for future investigations

Parts verification for multi-level-dependent demand manufacturing systems: a recognition and classification structure

This research has developed and implemented a part recognition and classification structure to execute parts verification in a multi-level dependent demand manufacturing system. The part recognition algorithm enables the parent and child relationship between parts to be recognised in a finite-capacitated manufacturing system. This algorithm was developed using SIMAN simulation language and implemented in a multi-level dependent demand manufacturing simulation model. The part classification structure enables the modelling of a multi-level dependent demand manufacturing between parts to be carried out effectively. The part classification structure was programmed using Visual Basic Application (VBA) and was integrated to the work-to-list generated from a simulated MRP model. This part classification structure was then implemented in the multi-level dependent demand manufacturing simulation model. Two stages of implementation, namely parameterisation and execution, of the part recognition and classification structure were carried out. A real case study was used and five detail steps of execution were processed. Simulation experiments and MRP were run to verify and validate the part recognition and classification structure. The results led to the conclusion that implementation of the recognition and classification structure has effectively verified the correct parts and sub-assemblies used for the correct product and order. No parts and sub-assemblies shortages were found, and the quantity required was produced. The scheduled release for some orders was delayed due to overload of the required resources. When the loading is normal, all scheduled release timing is adhered to. The recognition and classification structure has a robust design; hence it can be easily adapted to new systems parameter to study a different or more complex case