Synergistic Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Properties of Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt, Clerodendrum inerme (L.) Gaertn. and Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. Extracts and Their Potential as a Treatment for Xerosis Cutis.

Background: A common health condition among older persons is xerosis cutis. Topical corticosteroid treatments are -associated with side effects. There is an unmet need for her-bal treatment alternatives.

Interdisciplinary pharmacometrics linking oseltamivir pharmacology, influenza epidemiology and health economics to inform antiviral use in pandemics.

Aims: A modular interdisciplinary platform was developed to investigate the economic impact of oseltamivir treatment by dosage regimen under simulated influenza pandemic scenarios.

Methods: The pharmacology module consisted of a pharmacokinetic distribution of oseltamivir carboxylate daily area under the concentration-time curve at steady state (simulated for 75 mg and 150 mg twice daily regimens for 5 days) and a pharmacodynamic distribution of viral shedding duration obtained from phase II influenza inoculation data. The epidemiological module comprised a susceptible, exposed, infected, recovered (SEIR) model to which drug effect on the basic reproductive number (R ), a measure of transmissibility, was linked by reduction of viral shedding duration.

Prognostic predictors for ambulation in children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the prognostic predictors for ambulation in children with cerebral palsy using meta-analysis of observational studies.

Method: Electronic searches were conducted in PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, ProQuest, Ovid, Wiley InterScience, and ScienceDirect databases from their start dates to December 2015.

Results: Of the 1123 identified articles, 12 met the inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis, eight of which were deemed appropriate for meta-analysis.

Economic Evaluation of Intravenous Immunoglobulin plus Corticosteroids for the Treatment of Steroid-Resistant Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy in Thailand.

Background And Objective: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been recommended for steroid-resistant chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). The treatment, however, is very costly to healthcare system, and there remains no evidence of its economic justifiability. This study aimed to conduct an economic evaluation (EE) of IVIG plus corticosteroids in steroid-resistant CIDP in Thailand.

Healthcare Databases in Thailand and Japan: Potential Sources for Health Technology Assessment Research.

Background: Health technology assessment (HTA) has been continuously used for value-based healthcare decisions over the last decade. Healthcare databases represent an important source of information for HTA, which has seen a surge in use in Western countries. Although HTA agencies have been established in Asia-Pacific region, application and understanding of healthcare databases for HTA is rather limited.

Cost-utility analysis of intravenous immunoglobulin for the treatment of steroid-refractory dermatomyositis in Thailand.

Introduction: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been shown to be effective in treating steroid-refractory dermatomyositis (DM). There remains no evidence of its cost-effectiveness in Thailand.

Objective: Our objective was to estimate the cost utility of IVIG as a second-line therapy in steroid-refractory DM in Thailand.

Quality of reporting of randomised controlled trials of herbal interventions in ASEAN Plus Six Countries: a systematic review.

Background: Many randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of herbal interventions have been conducted in the ASEAN Communities. Good quality reporting of RCTs is essential for assessing clinical significance. Given the importance ASEAN placed on herbal medicines, the reporting quality of RCTs of herbal interventions among the ASEAN Communities deserved a special attention.

A cost-effectiveness study of intravenous immunoglobulin in childhood idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura patients with life-threatening bleeding.

Background: Although the international guideline recommends intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) as the first-line treatment for childhood idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP) with life-threatening bleeding, ITP patients may not be able to access IVIG because of the limitation in health benefit packages especially in developing countries. There remains an important policy question as to whether IVIG used as a first-line treatment is worth the money spent. Thus, the objective of this study was to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of adding IVIG to the standard treatment of platelet transfusion and corticosteroids, for the treatment of childhood ITP with life-threatening bleeding in the context of Thailand.

The effects of metformin on ovarian cancer: a systematic review.

Objective: The potential therapeutic effects of metformin on several cancers were reported. However, the evidence of the effects of metformin on ovarian cancer is still limited and inconclusive. This systematic review and meta-analysis study aim to summarize the existing evidence of the therapeutic effects of metformin on ovarian cancer.

In situ gelling hydrogels incorporating microparticles as drug delivery carriers for regenerative medicine.

Aqueous solutions of blends of biodegradable triblock copolymers, composed of poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with varied D,L-lactide to glycolide ratios, displayed thermosensitivity and formed a gel at body temperature. The gel window of the blend solutions could be tuned by varying the blending ratio between the two components. Furthermore, the storage modulus of the resultant hydrogel from the copolymer blends at body temperature was higher than that of each individual component.

A thermoreversible hydrogel as a biosynthetic bandage for corneal wound repair.

Ocular trauma and disorders that lead to corneal blindness account for over 2 million new cases of monocular blindness every year. A popular ocular surface reconstruction therapy, amniotic membrane transplantation, has been shown to aid corneal wound repair. However, the success rates of the procedure are variable.