Point-of-care tests for urinary tract infections to reduce antimicrobial resistance: a systematic review and conceptual economic model.

Background: Urinary tract infections are diagnosed by general practitioners based on symptoms, dipstick tests in some and laboratory urine culture. Patients may be given inappropriate antibiotics. Point-of-care tests can diagnose urinary tract infection in near-patient settings quicker than standard culture.

Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) in Post-Weaning Calves with Different Prevention Strategies and the Impact on Performance and Health Status.

Our study aimed to compare Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) morbidity, mortality, and growth in dairy and dairy beef cross-bred calves during the commingle period, 81-120 days of age, using two different BRD prevention strategies. The calves (n = 1799) were randomly assigned into groups: (1) Control (CON; received no vaccine or metaphylaxis); (2) Tulathromycin metaphylaxis (TUL; Increxxa, Elanco Animal Health Inc., Greenfield, IN, USA); and (3) vaccine (VACC; Nuplura PH, Elanco Animal Health Inc.

Long-Term Cost-Effectiveness of Case Finding and Mass Screening for Celiac Disease in Children.

Background & Aims: Celiac disease (CD) is a common yet underdiagnosed autoimmune disease with substantial long-term consequences. High-accuracy point-of-care tests for CD antibodies conducted at youth primary health care centers may enable earlier identification of CD, but evidence about the cost-effectiveness of such strategies is lacking. We estimated the long-term cost-effectiveness of active case finding and mass screening compared with clinical detection in the Netherlands.

Randomised controlled trial of population screening for atrial fibrillation in people aged 70 years and over to reduce stroke: protocol for the SAFER trial.

Introduction: There is a lack of evidence that the benefits of screening for atrial fibrillation (AF) outweigh the harms. Following the completion of the Screening for Atrial Fibrillation with ECG to Reduce stroke (SAFER) pilot trial, the aim of the main SAFER trial is to establish whether population screening for AF reduces incidence of stroke risk.

Methods And Analysis: Approximately 82 000 people aged 70 years and over and not on oral anticoagulation are being recruited from general practices in England.

Cost-Effectiveness of Routine Monitoring of Long-Term Conditions in Primary Care: Informing Decision Modelling with a Systematic Review in Hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Long-term conditions (LTCs) are major public health problems with a considerable health-related and economic burden. Modelling is key in assessing costs and benefits of different disease management strategies, including routine monitoring, in the conditions of hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in primary care.

Objective: This review aimed to identify published model-based cost-effectiveness studies of routine laboratory testing strategies in these LTCs to inform a model evaluating the cost effectiveness of testing strategies in the UK.

Identifying the Optimum Strategy for Identifying Adults and Children With Celiac Disease: A Cost-Effectiveness and Value of Information Analysis.

Objectives: Celiac disease (CD) is thought to affect around 1% of people in the United Kingdom, but only approximately 30% are diagnosed. The aim of this work was to assess the cost-effectiveness of strategies for identifying adults and children with CD in terms of who to test and which tests to use.

Methods: A decision tree and Markov model were used to describe testing strategies and model long-term consequences of CD.

Clinical effectiveness of point of care tests for diagnosing urinary tract infection: a systematic review.

Background: Point of care tests (POCTs) have the potential to improve the urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnostic pathway, as they can provide a diagnosis quickly in near-patient settings, and some also identify causative pathogens/antimicrobial sensitivity.

Objectives: To assess the clinical impact, accuracy, and technical characteristics of POCT for diagnosing UTI.

Methods Of Data Synthesis: Narrative summary and bivariate random effects meta-analyses to estimate summary sensitivity and specificity.

Comparison of indirect treatment methods in migraine prevention to address differences in mode of administration.

Indirect treatment comparisons (ITCs) are anchored on a placebo comparator, and the placebo response may vary according to drug administration route. Migraine preventive treatment studies were used to evaluate ITCs and determine whether mode of administration influences placebo response and the overall study findings. Change from baseline in monthly migraine days produced by monoclonal antibody treatments (subcutaneous, intravenous) was compared using fixed-effects Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA), network meta-regression (NMR), and unanchored simulated treatment comparison (STC).

Cluster randomised controlled trial of screening for atrial fibrillation in people aged 70 years and over to reduce stroke: protocol for the pilot study for the SAFER trial.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia associated with 30% of strokes, as well as other cardiovascular disease, dementia and death. AF meets many criteria for screening, but there is limited evidence that AF screening reduces stroke. Consequently, no countries recommend national screening programmes for AF.

A network meta-analysis of immunotherapy-based treatments for advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer.

In the absence of head-to-head trials comparing immunotherapies for advanced nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NsqNSCLC), a network meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted to compare the relative efficacy of these treatments. A systematic literature review of randomized controlled trials evaluating first-line-to-progression and second-line treatments for advanced NsqNSCLC informed Bayesian NMAs for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) end points. Among first-line-to-progression treatments, pembrolizumab + pemetrexed + platinum showed the greatest OS benefit versus other regimens and a PFS benefit versus all but three regimens.

Network Meta-analysis on Disconnected Evidence Networks When Only Aggregate Data Are Available: Modified Methods to Include Disconnected Trials and Single-Arm Studies while Minimizing Bias.

Background: Network meta-analysis (NMA) requires a connected network of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cannot include single-arm studies. Regulators or academics often have only aggregate data. Two aggregate data methods for analyzing disconnected networks are random effects on baseline and aggregate-level matching (ALM).

A clinical tool to identify older women with back pain at high risk of osteoporotic vertebral fractures (Vfrac): a population-based cohort study with exploratory economic evaluation.

Background: osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) identify people at high risk of future fractures, but despite this, less than a third come to clinical attention. The objective of this study was to develop a clinical tool to aid health care professionals decide which older women with back pain should have a spinal radiograph.

Methods: a population-based cohort of 1,635 women aged 65+ years with self-reported back pain in the previous 4 months were recruited from primary care.

Efficacy and safety of first-line therapies in -mutated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a network meta-analysis.

To evaluate the comparative efficacy and safety of identified first-line therapies for patients with  mutation-positive (m+) advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with a focus on ramucirumab + erlotinib. In the absence of head-to-head studies, a Bayesian network meta-analysis was conducted using randomized clinical trial data to evaluate first-line systemic therapies with erlotinib/gefitinib as the reference treatment. For progression-free survival, ramucirumab + erlotinib was comparable to osimertinib and dacomitinib in the primary analysis.

Systematic Review of Cost-Effectiveness Models in Prostate Cancer: Exploring New Developments in Testing and Diagnosis.

Objectives: Recent innovations in prostate cancer diagnosis include new biomarkers and more accurate biopsy methods. This study assesses the evidence base on cost-effectiveness of these developments (eg, Prostate Health Index and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]-guided biopsy) and identifies areas of improvement for future cost-effectiveness models.

Methods: A systematic review using the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database, MEDLINE, Embase, Health Technology Assessment databases, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, and United Kingdom National Screening Committee guidance was performed, between 2009 and 2021.

Matching-Adjusted Indirect Comparison of Crisaborole Ointment 2% vs. Topical Calcineurin Inhibitors in the Treatment of Patients with Mild-to-Moderate Atopic Dermatitis.

Introduction: Crisaborole topical ointment, 2%, is a nonsteroidal, topical anti-inflammatory phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitor that is approved for the treatment of mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis (AD). The objective of the current analysis was to compare the efficacy of crisaborole 2% relative to pimecrolimus 1%, tacrolimus 0.03% and tacrolimus 0.