Publications by authors named "Tom Vincent"
Regulatory bodies, health technology assessment agencies, payers, physicians, and other decision-makers increasingly recognize the importance of real-world evidence (RWE) to provide important and relevant insights on treatment patterns, burden/cost of illness, product safety, and long-term and comparative effectiveness. However, RWE generation requires a careful approach to ensure rigorous analysis and interpretation. There are limited examples of comprehensive methodology for the generation of RWE on patients who have undergone neuromodulation for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE).
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- - The study aimed to assess healthcare service usage and costs for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) prior to getting neurostimulators, using a large U.S. claims database from 2012 to 2019.
- - Out of 860 patients studied, many had comorbidities, significant hospitalizations, and multiple physician visits, resulting in high healthcare costs that increased dramatically in the two years leading to implantation.
- - The research highlights that the period before neurostimulator implantation is both lengthy and expensive, indicating a substantial financial burden on DRE patients and the healthcare system.
Purpose: This study examines the impact of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) as treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) on the use and cost of health care services and pharmacotherapy.
Methods: Using a large US health care claims database, we identified all patients with DRE who underwent VNS between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2019. VNS implantation date was designated as the index date, and patients had to be continuously enrolled for the 24-month period before this date (preindex period).
Article Synopsis
- - The study highlights that timely administration of appropriate antibiotics leads to better patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs compared to delayed treatment, particularly for patients with septic arthritis (SA).
- - Researchers analyzed data from 2017 to 2019 and found that out of 517 SA patients, only 5.0% received delayed appropriate therapy, which significantly impacted their hospital stay and costs.
- - Specifically, delayed therapy resulted in an average increase of 1.1 days of antibiotic use, 1.4 additional days in hospital, and an extra $3531 in costs, while timely therapy correlated with a higher likelihood of antibiotic de-escalation during admission.
Aim: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), responsive neurostimulation (RNS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS) all are options for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). However, little is known about how the choice of neurostimulation impacts subsequent healthcare costs.
Materials And Methods: We used a large US healthcare claims database to identify all patients with epilepsy who underwent neurostimulation between 2012 and 2019.
Strongly Absorbing Nanoscale Infrared Domains within Strained Bubbles at hBN-Graphene Interfaces.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces
December 2020
Graphene has great potential for use in infrared (IR) nanodevices. At these length scales, nanoscale features, and their interaction with light, can be expected to play a significant role in device performance. Bubbles in van der Waals heterostructures are one such feature, which have recently attracted considerable attention, thanks to their ability to modify the optoelectronic properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials through strain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAligned growth of transition metal dichalcogenides and related two-dimensional (2D) materials is essential for the synthesis of high-quality 2D films due to effective stitching of merging grains. Here, we demonstrate the controlled growth of highly aligned molybdenum disulfide (MoS) on c-plane sapphire with two distinct orientations, which are highly controlled by tuning sulfur concentration. We found that the size of the aligned MoS grains is smaller and their photoluminescence is weaker as compared with those of the randomly oriented grains, signifying enhanced MoS-substrate interaction in the aligned grains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCaprine tuberculosis is a major health problem for goats and a major zoonosis of veterinary public health interest. In order to prepare a response to and control of caprine tuberculosis, to evaluate the potential risks to public health, and to assess the prevalence of the disease in Katanga province, Democratic Republic of Congo, 656 goats that were slaughtered at the Kabasele abattoir of Mzee Laurent-Desire Kabila Market in Lubumbashi were subjected to rigorous veterinary inspection during June to August 2012. All goat specimens came from the Kasumbalesa, Kasenga, and Kipushi areas of Katanga province.
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- - Since its identification in 1976, Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has seen numerous outbreaks, but only a few have successfully identified an initial case.
- - Understanding the early emergence and spread of EVD is crucial to developing effective prevention strategies.
- - The recent outbreak in West Africa successfully identified a unique index case in Guinea, providing insights into EVD's emergence in Sierra Leone and informing future risk mitigation efforts.