Peripheral immune profile and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in progressive supranuclear palsy: Case-control study and meta-analysis.

Background And Purpose: Peripheral inflammation is probably involved in the pathogenesis of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and it may be a common feature with Parkinson's disease (PD). The peripheral immune profile in PSP remains unclear, as well as whether the inflammatory pathways differ from those in PD. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been proven to be a well-established biomarker of systemic inflammation.

The risk of revision is higher following shoulder hemiarthroplasty compared with total shoulder arthroplasty for osteoarthritis: a matched cohort study of 11,556 patients from the National Joint Registry, UK.

Background And Purpose: Total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and hemiarthroplasty (HA) are used in the management of osteoarthritis of the glenohumeral joint. We aimed to determine whether TSA or HA resulted in a lower risk of adverse outcomes in patients of all ages with osteoarthritis and an intact rotator cuff and in a subgroup of patients aged 60 years or younger.

Patients And Methods: Shoulder arthroplasties recorded in the National Joint Registry, UK, between April 1, 2012 and June 30, 2021, were linked to Hospital Episode Statistics in England.

Resource allocation in public sector programmes: does the value of a life differ between governmental departments?

Background: The value of a life is regularly monetised by government departments for informing resource allocation. Guidance documents indicate how economic evaluation should be conducted, often specifying precise values for different impacts. However, we find different values of life and health are used in analyses by departments within the same government despite commonality in desired outcomes.

CO and H Activation on Zinc-Doped Copper Clusters.

Here we systematically investigate the CO and H activation and dissociation on small Cu Zn (n=3-6) clusters using Density Functional Theory. We show that Cu Zn is a superatom, displaying an increased HOMO-LUMO gap and is inert towards CO or H activation or dissociation. While other neutral clusters weakly activate CO , the cationic clusters preferentially bind the CO in monodentate nonactivated way.

Clinical outcomes and antibody transfer in a cohort of infants with in utero or perinatal exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (Coronascope Study).

Unlabelled: We aimed to describe the outcomes, focusing on the hearing and neurological development, of infants born to mothers with COVID-19 during pregnancy and to evaluate the persistence of maternal antibodies in the first months of life. An observational, prospective study at a tertiary hospital in Madrid (Spain) on infants born to mothers with COVID-19 during pregnancy between March and September 2020 was conducted. A follow-up visit at 1-3 months of age with a physical and neurological examination, cranial ultrasound (cUS), SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR on nasopharyngeal swab, and SARS-CoV-2 serology were performed.

Hemorrhagic cystitis following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: experience in a pediatric oncological institution.

Objective: To analyze the risk factors associated with hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) severity and the treatment strategies available in HC patients following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT).

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study of medical records was carried out. Patients with HC following AHSCT treated from 2017 to 2021 were divided into two groups according to severity -mild and severe.

Natural history and mid-term neurodevelopmental outcome of fetuses with isolated mild ventriculomegaly diagnosed in the second half of pregnancy.

Introduction: Prenatal diagnosis and counseling of isolated ventriculomegaly (VM) represent a considerable challenge. We aimed to analyze the intrauterine evolution, associated anomalies, and neurodevelopmental outcome using the Battelle Development Inventory (BDI) of fetuses with an initial diagnosis of isolated mild VM.

Material And Methods: Retrospective cohort study of fetuses diagnosed with mild isolated VM (10 -12 mm) between 2012 and 2016 in a tertiary hospital.

Exploring genotype-phenotype correlations in glutaric aciduria type 1.

Glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1) is a rare neurometabolic disease caused by pathogenic variants in the gene encoding the enzyme glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH). We performed an extensive literature search to collect data on GA1 patients, together with unpublished cases, to provide an up-to-date genetic landscape of GCDH pathogenic variants and to investigate potential genotype-phenotype correlation, as this is still poorly understood. From this search, 421 different GCDH pathogenic variants have been identified, including four novel variants; c.

The cost-per-QALY threshold in England: Identifying structural uncertainty in the estimates.

Introduction: There are increasing numbers of estimates of opportunity cost to inform the setting of thresholds as ceiling cost-per-quality-adjusted life year (QALY) ratios. To understand their ability to inform policy making, we need to understand the degree of uncertainty surrounding these estimates. In particular, do estimates provide sufficient certainty that the current policy "rules" or "benchmarks" need revision? Does the degree of uncertainty around those estimates mean that further evidence generation is required?

Methods: We analyse uncertainty and methods from three papers that focus on the use of data from the NHS in England to estimate opportunity cost.

The Allocation of the Economic Value of Second-Generation Antipsychotics Over the Product Life Cycle: The Case of Risperidone in Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Objective: This article estimates the life-cycle value of risperidone as representative of second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) relative to haloperidol (first-generation antipsychotics).

Methods: We estimated the number of patients treated with risperidone in Sweden and the United Kingdom, from 1994 to 2017, using data of usage and volume sales. We collected data from the literature on the effectiveness (quality-adjusted life-years per patient per year), direct costs (health services), and indirect costs (productivity) of risperidone and haloperidol.

Estimating health system opportunity costs: the role of non-linearities and inefficiency.

Background: Empirical estimates of health system opportunity costs have been suggested as a basis for the cost-effectiveness threshold to use in Health Technology Assessment. Econometric methods have been used to estimate these in several countries based on data on spending and mortality. This study examines empirical evidence on four issues: non-linearity of the relationship between spending and mortality; the inclusion of outcomes other than mortality; variation in the efficiency with which expenditures generate health outcomes; and the relationship among efficiency, mortality rates and outcome elasticities.

Association Between Childhood Adversity and Functional Outcomes in People With Psychosis: A Meta-analysis.

Background And Hypothesis: Despite the accepted link between childhood adversity (CA) and psychotic disorders, evidence on the relationship between CA and poor functional outcome remains less consistent and has never been reviewed quantitatively. The aim of this meta-analysis was to systematically examine the association between CA and functional outcomes in people with psychotic disorders.

Study Design: The study protocol was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42021254201).

Supply-Side Cost-Effectiveness Thresholds: Questions for Evidence-Based Policy.

There is growing interest in cost-effectiveness thresholds as a tool to inform resource allocation decisions in health care. Studies from several countries have sought to estimate health system opportunity costs, which supply-side cost-effectiveness thresholds are intended to represent. In this paper, we consider the role of empirical estimates of supply-side thresholds in policy-making.

EQ-5D-5L Health-State Values for the Mexican Population.

Objective: To generate a value set for the Mexican adult general population to support and facilitate the inclusion of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) into the health technology assessment process of the Mexican healthcare authorities.

Methods: A representative sample of the Mexican adult population stratified by age, sex and socio-economic status was used. Following version 2.

Brain activity in well-controlled perinatally HIV-infected young adults: a fMRI pilot study.

Introduction And Aim: Perinatal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (PHIV) is considered a chronic disease that has highlighted several cognitive deficits. From birth to early adulthood, cognition is known to play a fundamental role. However, although neurocognitive processes associated with PHIV have been extensively described by psychometric testing, data is scarce on neural activity from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) which provides in vivo physiological information.

Effects of perinatal HIV-infection on the cortical thickness and subcortical gray matter volumes in young adulthood.

Brain atrophy has been observed in perinatally HIV-infected patients (PHIV) despite initiation on combined antiretroviral treatment (cART), but neuroimaging studies are limited. We aimed to evaluate cortical thickness (CT) and subcortical gray matter (GM) volumes of PHIV youths with stable immunovirological situation and with a normal daily performance.A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted.

A Systematic Review of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies in Perinatally HIV-Infected Individuals.

Over the past few years, neuroimaging studies have been performed in young adults with perinatally acquired HIV (PHIV) to study the impact of HIV infection on the central nervous system (CNS), but no recent review have been published. This review aims to identify brain areas where PHIV eems to have greater impact taking into account demographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics in PHIV infected patients. For this purpose, PubMed and Medline searches were carried out which included studies from 2010 to April 2020.

Reconciling ACEA and MCDA: is there a way forward for measuring cost-effectiveness in the U.S. healthcare setting?

Background: The ISPOR Special Task Force (STF) on US Value Assessment Frameworks was agnostic about exactly how to implement the quality-adjusted life year (QALY) as a key element in an overall cost-effectiveness evaluation. But the STF recommended using the cost-per-QALY gained as a starting point in deliberations about including a new technology in a health plan benefit. The STF offered two major alternative approaches-augmented cost-effectiveness analysis (ACEA) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA)-while emphasizing the need to apply either a willingness-to-pay (WTP) or opportunity cost threshold rule to operationalize the inclusion decision.

Prevalence and Clinical Manifestations of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection in a Screening Program in Madrid (PICCSA Study).

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading cause of congenital infection worldwide. Up to 15%-20% of infected newborns will develop long-term sequelae such as hearing loss and neurologic abnormalities. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of congenital CMV infection (cCMV) and associated clinical abnormalities in Spain.

Examining the variation across acute trusts in patient delayed discharge.

Delayed transfers of care, or delayed discharges, adversely affect patient care and increase costs to England's National Health Service. The main objective of this paper is to explain variation in the probability of delayed discharge from an acute trust and patient perspective. A novel approach is employed in using the Adult Inpatient Survey over the period 2007-2014.

Significant differences between verbal and non-verbal intellectual scales on a perinatally HIV-infected cohort: from pediatrics to young adults.

Delayed neurodevelopment is a common outcome in perinatally HIV-infected children. Our aim was to assess the intellectual profile of our cohort, considering both the infection and socio-environmental related variables. A cross-sectional cohort study was undertaken at seven major hospitals in Spain belonging to the CoRISpeS cohort (n = 97).

Augmenting Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Uncertainty: The Implications for Value Assessment-Rationale and Empirical Support.

This study received unrestricted funding from the Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers of America. The authors also do consulting, personally or through their employment, with numerous pharmaceutical manufacturers, payers, and other stakeholders with a general interest in this subject matter.

Neurocognitive and quality of life study in perinatally HIV-infected young people and their peers. NeuroCoRISpeS study.

Background: Assessing the role of HIV and non-HIV related factors is essential for a better understanding of the neurocognitive outcomes in perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) young people. The aim of our study was to assess cognition and quality of life (QoL) of a PHIV+ cohort of young people and to compare it with a control group.

Methods: Thirty PHIV+ and 30 HIV(-) healthy young adults matched by age, sex and socioeconomic status completed a protocol that included neurocognitive tests, a psychosocial semi-structured interview and a QoL questionnaire (PedsQL).

The Value of Diagnostic Information in Personalised Healthcare: A Comprehensive Concept to Facilitate Bringing This Technology into Healthcare Systems.

Health systems around the world seek to address patients' unmet health needs for a range of acute and chronic diseases. Simultaneously, governments strive to keep healthcare spending sustainable, while providing equal access to high-quality care. This has fuelled debate around what constitutes a valuable healthcare intervention in a health system and the corollary consideration of what governments are willing to pay for a certain health intervention.