Pneumococcal Disease: A Systematic Review of Health Utilities, Resource Use, Costs, and Economic Evaluations of Interventions.

Background: Pneumococcal diseases cause substantial mortality, morbidity, and economic burden. Evidence on data inputs for economic evaluations of interventions targeting pneumococcal disease is critical.

Objectives: To summarize evidence on resource use, costs, health utilities, and cost-effectiveness for pneumococcal disease and associated interventions to inform future economic analyses.

A predictive method for estimating the late angiographic results of coronary intervention despite incomplete ascertainment.

Background: Investigations of coronary restenosis typically use late (4-6-month) angiographic end points. Since only 50-80% of patients generally undergo repeat angiography, however, restenosis for the population as a whole is usually estimated by assuming that nonrestudied and restudied patients are similar. If restudied and nonrestudied patients differ, incomplete angiographic follow-up can yield an erroneous estimate of restenosis.

Forskolin and prostaglandin E2 regulate the generation of human cytolytic T lymphocytes.

In this paper we examine the characteristics of human cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) generated in the presence of forskolin and PGE2. Forskolin and PGE2 suppressed the generation of class-I-specific CTL. The CTL generated in the presence of forskolin and PGE2 had different characteristics which included their ability to proliferate in response to the alloantigen and their lectin-mediated cytolytic activity.

Histamine regulates the generation of human cytolytic T lymphocytes.

Human cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) were generated in the presence and absence of histamine in order to define the role of this autacoid in immune regulation. Histamine (10(-8)-10(-4) M) suppressed the generation of class I specific CTL but, at 10(-4) M, actually increased class II specific cytolysis. Histamine acted at the level of CTL generation; histamine was not present in the cytolytic assay.

Enumeration of Treponema pallidum cells cultivated in vitro by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed to enumerate Treponema pallidum cells. The assay could detect from 2 X 10(7) to 4 X 10(8) treponemes per ml. Reactive rabbit serum and goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G (peroxidase conjugate) were used in the assay.