2,788 research outputs found
Economic evidence for the prevention and treatment of atopic eczema: a protocol for a systematic review
Background: Eczema, synonymous with atopic eczema or atopic dermatitis, is a chronic skin disease that has a similar impact on health-related quality of life as other chronic diseases. The proposed research aims to provide a comprehensive systematic assessment of the economic evidence base available to inform economic modelling and decision making on interventions to prevent and treat eczema at any stage of the life course. Whilst the Global Resource of Eczema Trials (GREAT) database collects together the effectiveness evidence for eczema there is currently no such systematic resource on the economics of eczema. It is important to gain an overview of the current state of the art of economic methods in the field of eczema in order to strengthen the economic evidence base further. Methods/design: The proposed study is a systematic review of the economic evidence surrounding interventions for the prevention and treatment of eczema. Relevant search terms will be used to search MEDLINE, EMBASE, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, Health Technology Assessment, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Econ Lit, Scopus, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Registry and Web of Science in order to identify relevant evidence. To be eligible for inclusion studies will be primary empirical studies evaluating the cost, utility or full economic evaluation of interventions for preventing or treating eczema. Two reviewers will independently assess studies for eligibility and perform data abstraction. Evidence tables will be produced presenting details of study characteristics, costing methods, outcome methods and quality assessment. The methodological quality of studies will be assessed using accepted checklists. Discussion: The systematic review is being undertaken to identify the type of economic evidence available, summarise the results of the available economic evidence and critically appraise the quality of economic evidence currently available to inform future economic modelling and resource allocation decisions about interventions to prevent or treat eczema. We aim to use the review to offer guidance about how to gather economic evidence in studies of eczema and/or what further research is necessary in order to inform this
Foci of Schistosomiasis mekongi, Northern Cambodia: II. Distribution of infection and morbidity.
In the province of Kracheh, in Northern Cambodia, a baseline epidemiological survey on Schistosoma mekongi was conducted along the Mekong River between December 1994 and April 1995. The results of household surveys of highly affected villages of the East and the West bank of the river and of school surveys in 20 primary schools are presented. In household surveys 1396 people were examined. An overall prevalence of infection of 49.3% was detected by a single stool examination with the Kato-Katz technique. The overall intensity of infection was 118.2 eggs per gram of stool (epg). There was no difference between the population of the east and west shore of the Mekong for prevalence (P = 0.3) or intensity (P = 0.9) of infection. Severe morbidity was very frequent. Hepatomegaly of the left lobe was detected in 48.7% of the population. Splenomegaly was seen in 26.8% of the study participants. Visible diverted circulation was found in 7.2% of the population, and ascites in 0.1%. Significantly more hepatomegaly (P = 0.001), splenomegaly (P = 0. 001) and patients with diverted circulation (P = 0.001) were present on the west bank of the Mekong. The age group of 10-14 years was most affected. The prevalence of infection in this group was 71.8% and 71.9% in the population of the West and East of the Mekong, respectively. The intensity of infection was 172.4 and 194.2 epg on the West and the East bank, respectively. In the peak age group hepatomegaly reached a prevalence of 88.1% on the west and 82.8% on the east bank. In the 20 schools 2391 children aged 6-16 years were examined. The overall prevalence of infection was 40.0%, ranging from 7.7% to 72.9% per school. The overalls mean intensity of infection was 110.1 epg (range by school: 26.7-187.5 epg). Both prevalence (P = 0.001) and intensity of infection (P = 0.001) were significantly higher in schools on the east side of the Mekong. Hepatomegaly (55.2%), splenomegaly (23.6%), diverted circulation (4. 1%), ascites (0.5%), reported blood (26.7%) and mucus (24.3%) were very frequent. Hepatomegaly (P = 0.001), splenomegaly (P = 0.001), diverted circulation (P = 0.001) and blood in stool (P = 0.001) were significantly more frequent in schools of the east side of the Mekong. Boys suffered more frequently from splenomegaly (P = 0.05), ascites (P = 0.05) and bloody stools (P = 0.004) than girls. No difference in sex was found for the prevalence and intensity of infection and prevalence of hepatomegaly. On the school level prevalence and intensity of infection were highly associated (r = 0. 93, P = 0.0001). The intensity of infection was significantly associated only with the prevalence of hepatomegaly (r = 0.44, P = 0. 05) and blood in stool (r = 0.40, P = 0.02). This comprehensive epidemiological study documents for the first time the public health importance of schistosomiasis mekongi in the Province of Kracheh, Northern Cambodia and points at key epidemiological features of this schistosome species, in particular the high level of morbidity associated with infection
Vectorial Loading of Processive Motor Proteins: Implementing a Landscape Picture
Individual processive molecular motors, of which conventional kinesin is the
most studied quantitatively, move along polar molecular tracks and, by exerting
a force on a tether, drag cellular cargoes, {\em in
vivo}, or spherical beads, {\em in vitro}, taking up to hundreds of
nanometer-scale steps. From observations of velocities and the dispersion of
displacements with time, under measured forces and controlled fuel supply
(typically ATP), one may hope to obtain insight into the molecular motions
undergone in the individual steps. In the simplest situation, the load force
may be regarded as a scalar resisting force, , acting
parallel to the track: however, experiments, originally by Gittes {\em et al.}
(1996), have imposed perpendicular (or vertical) loads, , while more
recently Block and coworkers (2002, 2003) and Carter and Cross (2005) have
studied {\em assisting} (or reverse) loads, , and also sideways (or
transverse) loads
Flexible Lipid Bilayers in Implicit Solvent
A minimalist simulation model for lipid bilayers is presented. Each lipid is
represented by a flexible chain of beads in implicit solvent. The hydrophobic
effect is mimicked through an intermolecular pair potential localized at the
``water''/hydrocarbon tail interface. This potential guarantees realistic
interfacial tensions for lipids in a bilayer geometry. Lipids self assemble
into bilayer structures that display fluidity and elastic properties consistent
with experimental model membrane systems. Varying molecular flexibility allows
for tuning of elastic moduli and area/molecule over a range of values seen in
experimental systems.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Quasi-One-Dimensional Spin Dynamics in -Electron Heavy-Fermion Metal YScMn
Slow spin fluctuations ( s) observed by the muon spin
relaxation technique in YScMn exhibits a power law dependence
on temperature (), where the power converges
asymptotically to unity () as the system moves away from
spin-glass instability with increasing Sc content . This linear
dependence, which is common to that observed in LiVO, is in line with
the prediction of the "intersecting Hubbard chains" model for a metallic
pyrochlore lattice, suggesting that the geometrical constraints to t2g bands
specific to the pyrochlore structure serve as a basis of the -electron
heavy-fermion state.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
Spatial Patterns and Sequential Sampling Plans for Estimating Densities of Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Soybean in the North Central Region of the United States
Stink bugs are an emerging threat to soybean (Fabales: Fabaceae) in the North Central Region of the United States. Consequently, region-specific scouting recommendations for stink bugs are needed. The aim of this study was to characterize the spatial pattern and to develop sampling plans to estimate stink bug population density in soybean fields. In 2016 and 2017, 125 fields distributed across nine states were sampled using sweep nets. Regression analyses were used to determine the effects of stink bug species [Chinavia hilaris (Say) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and Euschistus spp. (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)], life stages (nymphs and adults), and field locations (edge and interior) on spatial pattern as represented by varianceâmean relationships. Results showed that stink bugs were aggregated. Sequential sampling plans were developed for each combination of species, life stage, and location and for all the data combined. Results for required sample size showed that an average of 40â42 sample units (sets of 25 sweeps) would be necessary to achieve a precision of 0.25 for stink bug densities commonly encountered across the region. However, based on the observed geographic gradient of stink bug densities, more practical sample sizes (5â10 sample units) may be sufficient in states in the southeastern part of the region, whereas impractical sample sizes (\u3e100 sample units) may be required in the northwestern part of the region. Our findings provide research-based sampling recommendations for estimating densities of these emerging pests in soybean
Working time flexibility components and working time regimes in Europe: using company-level data across 21 countries
Working time ?exibility comprises a wide variety of arrangements, from part-time,
overtime, to long-term leaves. Theoretical approaches to grouping these arrangements
have been developed, but empirical underpinnings are rare. This article investigates
the bundles that can be found for various ?exible working time arrangements, using the
Establishment Survey on Working Time and WorkâLife Balance, 2004/2005, covering 21
EU member states and 13 industries. The results from the factor analyses con?rmed that
working time arrangements can be grouped into two bundles, one for the employee-centred
arrangements and second for the employer-centred arrangements, and that these two
bundles are separate dimensions.Wealso tested the stability of the factor analysisoutcome,
showing that although we ?nd some deviations from the pan-Europe and pan-industry
outcome, the naming of the components as ?exibility for employees and ?exibility for
employers can be considered rather stable. Lastly, we ?nd three country clusters for the 21
European countries using the bundle approach. The ?rst group includes the Northern
European countries along side Poland and Czech Republic, the second group the
continental European countries with UK and Ireland, and lastly, the southern European
countries with Hungary and Slovenia
Relativistic quantum measurement
Does the measurement of a quantum system necessarily break Lorentz
invariance? We present a simple model of a detector that measures the spacetime
localization of a relativistic particle in a Lorentz invariant manner. The
detector does not select a preferred Lorentz frame as a Newton-Wigner
measurement would do. The result indicates that there exists a Lorentz
invariant notion of quantum measurement and sheds light on the issue of the
localization of a relativistic particle. The framework considered is that of
single-particle mechanics as opposed to field theory. The result may be taken
as support for the interpretation postulate of the spacetime-states formulation
of single-particle quantum theory.Comment: 9 pages, no figures: Revision: references adde
Modeling good research practices - overview: a report of the ISPOR-SMDM modeling good research practices task force - 1.
Modelsâmathematical frameworks that facilitate estimation of the consequences of health care decisionsâhave become essential tools for health technology assessment. Evolution of the methods since the first ISPOR modeling task force reported in 2003 has led to a new task force, jointly convened with the Society for Medical Decision Making, and this series of seven papers presents the updated recommendations for best practices in conceptualizing models; implementing stateâtransition approaches, discrete event simulations, or dynamic transmission models; dealing with uncertainty; and validating and reporting models transparently. This overview introduces the work of the task force, provides all the recommendations, and discusses some quandaries that require further elucidation. The audience for these papers includes those who build models, stakeholders who utilize their results, and, indeed, anyone concerned with the use of models to support decision making
Phase diagram of the metal-insulator transition in 2D electronic systems
We investigated the interdependence of the effects of disorder and carrier
correlations on the metal-insulator transition in two-dimensional electronic
systems. We present a quantitative metal-insulator phase diagram. Depending on
the carrier density we find two different types of metal-insulator transition -
a continuous localization for rs=<8 and a discontinuous transition at higher
rs. The critical level of disorder at the transition decreases with decreasing
carrier density. At very low carrier densities we find that the system is
always insulating. The value of the conductivity at the transition is
consistent with recent experimental measurements. The self-consistent method
which we have developed includes the effects of both disorder and correlations
on the transition, using a density relaxation theory with the Coulomb
correlations determined from numerical simulation data.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX + epsf, 5 figures. New comments on conducting phase
and on the conductivity. References updated and correcte
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