Utility values associated with diabetic retinopathy in Chennai, India.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to estimate utility values associated with different severity stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in India by a direct elicitation method (time-trade off, TTO) and indirectly by questionnaire.

Methods: People with diabetes aged 40 years and over were recruited from an on-going DR epidemiology study and a laser clinic in Chennai, India. Utility values were elicited using the direct TTO method and indirectly through a validated questionnaire (EQ-5D).

Patient-reported outcome measures for chronic wounds with particular reference to pressure ulcer research: a systematic review.

Objectives: Pressure ulcers are a major health problem, affect patient psychological, physical and social functioning, and cause significant treatment burden. For comprehensive assessment of the benefits of an intervention, patient-reported evidence of the impact of an intervention on important patient outcomes should be made. We systematically reviewed the quality of life literature on chronic wounds to determine the suitability of generic and chronic wound-specific outcome measures for use in evaluating patient outcomes in pressure ulcer research.

The cost-utility of telemedicine to screen for diabetic retinopathy in India.

Purpose: To assess the cost-effectiveness of a telemedicine diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening program in rural Southern India that conducts 1-off screening camps (i.e., screening offered once) in villages and to assess the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of different screening intervals.

A comparison of the sensitivity of EQ-5D, SF-6D and TTO utility values to changes in vision and perceived visual function in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma.

Background: Economic viability of treatments for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) should be assessed objectively to prioritise health care interventions. This study aims to identify the methods for eliciting utility values (UVs) most sensitive to differences in visual field and visual functioning in patients with POAG. As a secondary objective, the dimensions of generic health-related and vision-related quality of life most affected by progressive vision loss will be identified.

The impact of rehabilitative services in the lives of adults and children with disabilities, in low-income and middle-income countries: an assessment of the quality of the evidence.

Purpose: To describe the methodological quality of the studies that assess the impact of rehabilitative services in the lives of adults and children with disabilities, in low- and middle-income countries.

Method: A literature search was conducted using the electronic databases: EMBASE, MEDLINE, Global Health and Web of Knowledge to identify eligible studies. Twenty-four studies were identified and reviewed against a set of quality criteria.

Indignity, exclusion, pain and hunger: the impact of musculoskeletal impairments in the lives of children in Malawi.

Purpose: To develop a conceptual model representing the impact of musculoskeletal impairments (MSIs) in the lives of children in Malawi.

Method: A total of 169 children with MSIs (CMSIs), family and other community members participated in 57 interviews, focus groups and observations. An inductive approach to data analysis was used to conceptualise the impact of MSIs in children's day-to-day lives.

Developing an algorithm to convert routine measures of vision into utility values for glaucoma.

Purpose: Measures of quality of life called utility values (UVs) are needed to deliver the most cost-effective health care for glaucoma patients. UVs are rarely measured in clinical research and practice whereas clinical outcomes such as visual field are routinely collected. The aim of this study was to develop an algorithm that calculates UVs directly from combinations of routine measures of binocular visual field, visual acuity, and contrast sensitivity.

Progression of Plasmodium berghei through Anopheles stephensi is density-dependent.

It is well documented that the density of Plasmodium in its vertebrate host modulates the physiological response induced; this in turn regulates parasite survival and transmission. It is less clear that parasite density in the mosquito regulates survival and transmission of this important pathogen. Numerous studies have described conversion rates of Plasmodium from one life stage to the next within the mosquito, yet few have considered that these rates might vary with parasite density.

Mosquito--malaria interactions: a reappraisal of the concepts of susceptibility and refractoriness.

This paper considers the available literature on the transmission of malaria by insects and concludes that, in contrast to the commonly held view (that implies mosquitoes are naturally vectors of malaria), it is more useful to consider that mosquitoes, like plants, normally express a variety of gene products, which together render the host resistant to infection. The consequences of this hypothesis upon current research are that when studying the passage of the malarial parasite through a competent vector it is relevant to ask either 'How have the natural innate defences of the insect failed?' or 'What mechanisms has the parasite used to overcome these defences?' At the population level, the hypothesis is consistent with the conclusions of Koella et al. that the evolutionary cost of maintaining defence mechanisms that can render the mosquito refractory (e.

Isonicotinic acid hydrazide: an anti-tuberculosis drug inhibits malarial transmission in the mosquito gut.

We studied the transmission-blocking effect of isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH), a widely used anti-tuberculosis drug, against Plasmodium gallinaceum and Plasmodium berghei. INH-treatment of infected animals did not inhibit parasite development in the blood of the vertebrate host, but did inhibit exflagellation, ookinete formation, and oocyst development in the mosquito. Oocyst development was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner.