Longitudinal comparison of direct medical cost, radiological and health-related quality of life treatment outcomes between traditional growing rods and magnetically controlled growing rods from preoperative to maturity.

Background: Magnetically controlled growing rods (MCGR) have replaced traditional growing rods (TGR) in the past decade, however, a comparison of their direct costs and treatment outcomes based on real longitudinal data is lacking. This study aims to compare the direct cost and treatment outcomes between TGR and MCGR, whilst incorporating complications, reoperations and changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) throughout the entire treatment course.

Methods: Patients with early onset scoliosis (EOS) who underwent initial growing rod surgery between 2003 and 2016 at a tertiary scoliosis clinic were studied with longitudinal data.

Factors associated with the acceptance of mass drug administration for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis in Agusan del Sur, Philippines.

Background: Mass drug administration (MDA) has been one of the strategies endorsed by the World Health Assembly for lymphatic filariasis (LF) elimination. Many factors, however, affect the acceptability of the MDA in the Philippines with acceptability defined as the ingestion of drugs -diethylcarbamazine and albendazole during MDA. These drugs were mainly distributed in fixed sites and mopping up activities were conducted through house-to-house visits to increase treatment coverage.