Body dysmorphic disorder and dermatologists.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) identified by Polish dermatologists and to evaluate the treatment modalities applied by them.

Methods: A specially designed questionnaire was distributed to 172 dermatologists. A total of 118 doctors responded (68.

Impact of HIV on novel therapies for tuberculosis control.

Objective And Design: The increased risk for tuberculosis in HIV-infected people has fueled a worldwide resurgence of tuberculosis. A major hindrance to controlling tuberculosis is the long treatment duration, leading to default, jeopardizing cure, and generating drug resistance. We investigated how tuberculosis is impacted by reducing treatment duration alone or combined with enhanced case detection and/or cure under different HIV prevalence levels.

Cost-effectiveness of cervical cancer screening with human papillomavirus DNA testing and HPV-16,18 vaccination.

Background: The availability of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing and vaccination against HPV types 16 and 18 (HPV-16,18) motivates questions about the cost-effectiveness of cervical cancer prevention in the United States for unvaccinated older women and for girls eligible for vaccination.

Methods: An empirically calibrated model was used to assess the quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), lifetime costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (2004 US dollars per QALY) of screening, vaccination of preadolescent girls, and vaccination combined with screening. Screening varied by initiation age (18, 21, or 25 years), interval (every 1, 2, 3, or 5 years), and test (HPV DNA testing of cervical specimens or cytologic evaluation of cervical cells with a Pap test).

Vulvar pruritus and burning sensation in women with psoriasis.

Approximately 80% of psoriatic individuals experience pruritus, of varying intensity. This study evaluated the frequency of vulvar itching and burning and its influence on well-being in women with psoriasis. A total of 93 women were included in the study.

The role of selected neuropeptides in pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease of a chronic course. The role of neuropeptides in pathogenesis of this disorder is probably not crucial; however, there is evidence that these substances influence the development and course of AD.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the plasma level of substance P, neuropeptide Y (NPY) and calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) in AD patients during exacerbation and remission of the disease.

Long-term outcome, growth and digestive function in children 2 to 18 years after intestinal transplantation.

Objective: Small bowel (SB) transplantation (Tx), long considered a rescue therapy for patients with intestinal failure, is now a well recognised alternative treatment strategy to parental nutrition (PN). In this retrospective study, we analysed graft functions in 31 children after SBTx with a follow-up of 2-18 years (median 7 years).

Patients: Twelve children had isolated SBTx, 19 had combined liver-SBTx and 17 received an additional colon graft.

Economic evaluation of hepatitis B vaccination in low-income countries: using cost-effectiveness affordability curves.

Objective: We sought to describe a method that explicitly considers both a health-care programmes cost-effectiveness and its affordability. For illustration, we apply the method to the programme to vaccinate infants against hepatitis B in the Gambia.

Methods: We synthesized selected data and developed a computer-based model from the societal and payer perspectives to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of routine infant vaccination against hepatitis B in the Gambia compared with no vaccination.

Evolution of antiretroviral drug costs in Brazil in the context of free and universal access to AIDS treatment.

Background: Little is known about the long-term drug costs associated with treating AIDS in developing countries. Brazil's AIDS treatment program has been cited widely as the developing world's largest and most successful AIDS treatment program. The program guarantees free access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for all people living with HIV/AIDS in need of treatment.

Modeling human papillomavirus and cervical cancer in the United States for analyses of screening and vaccination.

Background: To provide quantitative insight into current U.S. policy choices for cervical cancer prevention, we developed a model of human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer, explicitly incorporating uncertainty about the natural history of disease.

Do fungi play a role in psoriatic nails?

Onychomycosis is the most common disease of the nails and constitutes about a half of all nail abnormalities. Some factors like increasing age, male sex, repeated nail damage, genetic predispositions and underlying conditions, such as diabetes, immunodeficiency or peripheral arterial disease may predispose to develop onychomycosis. It is also suggested that abnormalities in nail morphology are the predisposing factors to onychomycosis.

Rapid and deep control of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis with infliximab and its correlation with acute-phase reactants.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease with predominant joint involvement and possible systemic compromise, which leads to a handicapped status and poor quality of life. An optimal approach to treat RA requires early and intensive intervention with close monitoring of treatment response. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers are recommended in cases of active RA after the unsuccessful use of effective disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs); even adding them to treatment or replacing these drugs.

Quantification of health states with rank-based nonmetric multidimensional scaling.

Objectives: An alternative methodology is introduced to generate cardinal valuations of health states. This methodology is based on the ranking of differences between health states combined with an associated scaling model that transforms the individual rank data into group values on the interval level.

Methods: Data were collected in a Dutch EuroQol EQ-5D valuation study, in which a representative sample (n = 212) of the Dutch population valued a set of 18 EQ-5D health states and death.

Familial occurrence of cat-scratch disease, with varying clinical expression.

Cat-scratch disease, primarily caused by Bartonella henselae, typically presents with regional adenopathy, and the role of antibiotics in the treatment is debatable. We present a report of B. henselae infection transmitted by the same kitten to 4 different individuals, each with different clinical characteristics, treatment, and evolution.

[Antiretroviral therapy in critically ill patients: a French national study].

Settings: The HIV-positive population is still increasing because the incidence of the disease remains high while the effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has dramatically reduced mortality. HIV infected patients have an increased life expectancy and are more readily admitted to intensive care units.

Method: We conducted a nation-wide comparative study in France of how these patients are managed by ICU specialists, on one hand, and HIV specialists, on the other, to better understand the use of antiretroviral therapy in critically ill patients.

[Urinary tract infection and neurogenic bladder].

One of the main complications of spinal cord injury is neurogenic bladder when the bladder fails to empty spontaneously. Urinary tract infection is the leading cause of morbidity and the second cause of mortality in these subjects. Patient education and personalized medical follow-up must ensure adapted management depending on the risk factors and the voiding mode.

Cost-effectiveness of HPV 16, 18 vaccination in Brazil.

We use an empirically calibrated model to estimate the cost-effectiveness of cervical cancer prevention in Brazil, a country with a high cervical cancer burden. Assuming 70% coverage, HPV 16, 18 vaccination of adolescent girls is expected to reduce the lifetime risk of cancer by approximately 42.7% (range, 33.

Evaluation of dietetic students' and interns' application of a lifestyle-oriented nutrition-counseling model.

Objective: To assess dietetic students' and interns' skills to effectively apply a lifestyle-oriented nutrition-counseling model.

Methods: Between 1999 and 2004, 121 dietetics students and interns (82% retained) were trained to provide nutrition counseling and certified using a standardized patient evaluation format. Supervising registered dietitians and students evaluated transcripts of their counseling sessions using a modified version of the Dietitian's Interviewing Rating Scale (DIRS).

[Priority setting for health interventions in Mexico's System of Social Protection in Health].

Explicit priority setting presents Mexico with the opportunity to match the pressure and complexity of an advancing epidemiological transition with evidence-based policies driven by a fundamental concern for how to make the best use of scarce resources to improve population health. The Mexican priority-setting experience describes how standardised analytical approaches to decision making, mainly burden of disease and cost-effectiveness analyses, combine with other criteria -eg, being responsive to the legitimate non-health expectations of patients and ensuring fair financing across households- to design and implement a set of three differentiated health intervention packages. This process is a key element of a wider set of reform components aimed at extending health insurance, especially to the poor.

Intestinal epithelial dysplasia (tufting enteropathy).

Intestinal epithelial dysplasia (IED), also known as tufting enteropathy, is a congenital enteropathy presenting with early-onset severe intractable diarrhea causing sometimes irreversible intestinal failure. To date, no epidemiological data are available, however, the prevalence can be estimated at around 1/50,000-100,000 live births in Western Europe. The prevalence seems higher in areas with high degree of consanguinity and in patients of Arabic origin.

Delusional parasitosis in dermatological practice.

Background: The accurate incidence of delusional parasitosis (DP) is difficult to assess. The aim of this study was to analyse the frequency of DP treated by dermatologists, and to evaluate the treatment modalities they applied.

Material And Methods: A specially designed questionnaire was distributed to 172 dermatologists.

A risk-based method for modeling traffic fatalities.

We describe a risk-based analytical framework for estimating traffic fatalities that combines the probability of a crash and the probability of fatality in the event of a crash. As an illustrative application, we use the methodology to explore the role of vehicle mix and vehicle prevalence on long-run fatality trends for a range of transportation growth scenarios that may be relevant to developing societies. We assume crash rates between different road users are proportional to their roadway use and estimate case fatality ratios (CFRs) for the different vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-pedestrian combinations.

Cost-effectiveness of treatment for hepatitis C in an urban cohort co-infected with HIV.

Purpose: Recent clinical trials have evaluated treatment strategies for chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Our objective was to use these data to examine the cost-effectiveness of treating HCV in an urban cohort of co-infected patients.

Methods: A computer-based model, together with available published data, was used to estimate lifetime costs (2004 US dollars), life expectancy, and incremental cost per year of life saved (YLS) associated with 3 treatment strategies: (1) interferon-alfa and ribavirin; (2) pegylated interferon-alfa; and (3) pegylated interferon-alfa and ribavirin.