Integrative Bioinformatics Approaches to Uncover Hub Genes and Pathways Involved in Cardiovascular Diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent a significant global health challenge resulting from a complex interplay of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. However, the molecular pathways and genetic factors involved in the onset and progression of CVDs remain incompletely understood. Here, we performed an integrative bioinformatic analysis to highlight specific genes and signaling pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of 80 CVDs.

Prevalence of self-reported food allergy in Tunisia: General trends and probabilistic modeling.

Background: Food allergy (FA) has become a major public health concern affecting millions of children and adults worldwide. In Tunisia, published data on FA are scarce.

Methods: This study, was intended to fill the gap and estimate the frequency of allergy to different foods in the Sfax region, Tunisia, within self-reported FA.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed many dilemmas for policymakers, which sometimes resulted in unprecedented decision-making.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic evolved through five phases, beginning with 'the great threat', then moving through 'the emergence of variants', 'vaccines euphoria', and 'the disillusionment', and culminating in 'a disease we can live with'. Each phase required a different governance response. With the progress of the pandemic, data were collected, evidence was created, and health technology was developed and disseminated.

The Israeli Experience with the "Green Pass" Policy Highlights Issues to Be Considered by Policymakers in Other Countries.

In the first half of 2021, Israel had been ahead of other countries concerning the speed of its rollout and coverage of COVID-19 vaccinations. During that time, Israel had implemented a vaccine certificate policy, the "Green Pass Policy" (GPP), to reduce virus spread and to allow the safe relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in a time of great uncertainty. Based on an analysis of GPP regulations and public statements compiled from the Israeli Ministry of Health website, we describe the design and implementation of the GPP.

The effects of continuous glucose monitoring system on patient outcomes and associated costs in a real-world setting.

Aims: Continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) technologies may alert unaware hypoglycaemia or near hypoglycaemia events. However, costs are a significant concern in general CGMS use. This study describes the real-world effects of both clinical outcomes and associated costs in a major Health Maintenance Organization, 1 year following preauthorization of CGMS for each patient.

Risk sharing or risk shifting? On the development of patient access schemes in the process of updating the national list of health services in Israel.

: Agreements between payers and pharmaceutical/medical device companies are widely implemented to address financial and clinical uncertainties. We analyzed the main characteristics of these agreements in Israel from 2011-2018.: We reviewed all agreements implemented during the study period.

Inconsistencies Between Antiparkinsonian Drugs and ICD-10 Codes in Inpatients: A TOLBIAC Project Case Study.

In France, data derived from hospital information systems are adequate to feed the prospective payment system. The consistency between drugs prescribed to patients and their indications could solve difficulties related to the identification of ICD-10 undercoded chronic diseases as the Parkinson Disease. Our goal was to highlight patients' stays mentioning administration of antiparkinsonian drugs and not coded for Parkinson's disease.

PCSK9 inhibitors may improve cardiovascular outcomes-Can we afford them?

Background/objectives: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) can significantly lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. Early evidence suggests that use of PCSK9i also reduces the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Our objective was to determine preliminary economic implications of PCSK9i use to avoid MACE, based on the current data from major phase III clinical trials.

The association between adherence to cardiovascular medications and healthcare utilization.

Background: Poor adherence to medications for cardiovascular disease (CVD) is associated with adverse health outcomes, but little is known about its association with healthcare utilization (HCU).

Objective: To examine whether adherence is associated with a long-term decrease in HCU.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 1582 patients with CVD who enrolled in Maccabi Healthcare Services in Israel, initiating CVD medication therapy in 2006.

Overproduction of the Bacillus thuringiensis Vip3Aa16 toxin and study of its insecticidal activity against the carob moth Ectomyelois ceratoniae.

The vip3Aa16 gene of Bacillus thuringiensis strain BUPM95 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Optimization of Vip3A16 protein expression was conducted using Plackett-Burman design and response surface methodology. Accordingly, the optimum Vip3A16 toxin production was 170μg/ml at 18h post-induction time and 39°C post-induction temperature.

Determinants of Cost-Related Nonadherence to Medications among Chronically Ill Patients in Maccabi Healthcare Services, Israel.

Background: The effectiveness of value-based insurance design is based on nonadherence, which derives solely from patients' economic constraints.

Objective: Our objective was to examine the extent of cost-related nonadherence to chronic medications and to analyze its potential determinants.

Methods: We conducted a telephone survey among a representative sample of Maccabi Healthcare Services chronically ill patients aged 55 years or older (n = 522).

[Can linking co-payment for drugs to evidence on treatment value improve health outcomes and contain healthcare costs?].

Co-payment strategies are frequently used by health insurers as a measure of containing healthcare costs. However, co-payments may reduce the use of essential drugs in chronically-ill patients. Recently, value-based insurance designs, where co-payments rates are determined by the value of the treatment, have been introduced in the United States.

[Tetralogy of fallot with absent pulmonary valve].

Background: Absent pulmonary valve with ventricular septal defect is a rare cardiac malformation. The aim of our study is to specify the anatomic characteristics and the clinical and echocardiographic features of this cardiac malformation and to discuss its management.

Methods: We report 8 cases of absent pulmonary valve with ventricular septal defected collected over a period of 24 years.

[Mandibular Langerhans cell histiocytosis].

Introduction: Langerhan's cell histiocytosis is defined as an abnormal proliferation of Langerhans cells in various organs and tissues (bone, skin, lymph nodes...

C4d: a marker for hepatic transplant rejection.

Background: Acute rejection is still a common complication of hepatic transplantation. The diagnosis, based on the histological examination of the graft, may be difficult to confirm in the setting of combined hepatitis C virus infection. The presence of C4d in the portal capillaries could facilitate differentiation between acute rejection and relapsed hepatitis C.

[Cardiac multifocal hydatid cyst].

Hydatid cysts in the heart are rare, with an unpredictable outcome and numerous complications, requiring rapid surgical management. We report the case of a 19 year old female patient, who underwent surgery with extra corporeal circulation for a hydatid cyst of the interventricular septum of the heart, complicated by secondary pulmonary echinococcus infection, confirmed on CT and MRI. Resection of the cyst was performed via a right auriculotomy.