Background: Swaziland has the highest national incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the world, with treatment success rates well below the 85 % international target. Treatment support as part of comprehensive TB services is a core component of the Stop TB Strategy. This study investigated the effects of financial incentives for treatment supporters on TB treatment outcomes in Swaziland.
Methods: This was a controlled study that compared treatment outcomes for patients with a treatment supporter who received or did not receive a financial incentive.
Results: The intervention group had a higher chance of treatment success as compared with the control group: 73 % (95 % confidence intervals [CIs] 66-80 %) versus 60 % (95 % CIs 57-64 %), respectively, p = 0.003. This improvement remained significant when treatment success rates were adjusted for differences in baseline characteristics, with the effect of incentivised treatment supporters on treatment outcomes having an odds ratio (OR) of 1.8. There was also a significant improvement in the death rate in the intervention group, as compared with the control group (10.6 versus 23.5 %, p = <0.001).
Conclusion: Incentives provided to TB treatment supporters appear to significantly improve TB treatment outcomes. Incentivising treatment support may be appropriate as an effective addition to support and supervision measures (199 words).
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4456807 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40249-015-0059-8 | DOI Listing |
Sleep
January 2025
Sleep Research & Treatment Center, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Penn State University, College of Medicine, Hershey PA, USA.
Study Objectives: Although heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of cardiac autonomic modulation (CAM), is known to predict cardiovascular morbidity, the circadian timing of sleep (CTS) is also involved in autonomic modulation. We examined whether circadian misalignment is associated with blunted HRV in adolescents as a function of entrainment to school or on-breaks.
Methods: We evaluated 360 subjects from the Penn State Child Cohort (median 16y) who had at least 3-night at-home actigraphy (ACT), in-lab 9-h polysomnography (PSG) and 24-h Holter-monitoring heart rate variability (HRV) data.
Infect Dis Ther
January 2025
ViiV Healthcare, Madrid, Spain.
Introduction: Dolutegravir (DTG) + lamivudine (3TC) demonstrated high rates of virologic suppression (VS) and low rates of virologic failure (VF), discontinuation, and drug resistance in randomized trials. Real-world evidence can support treatment effectiveness, safety, and tolerability in clinical practice and aid in treatment decisions.
Methods: A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to identify studies using DTG + 3TC (January 2013-March 2024).
Jpn J Ophthalmol
January 2025
Department of Visual Science and Ophthalmology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Purpose: To review hospitalized patients with Acute Retinal Necrosis (ARN) and investigate factors associated with subsequent retinal detachment (RD).
Study Design: Retrospective.
Methods: The study included 40 patients (42 eyes), categorized into non-RD (23 eyes) and RD (19 eyes) groups.
Dig Dis Sci
January 2025
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
Objectives: As one of the most common complications of laryngopharyngeal reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease, dental erosion presents a significant association with laryngopharyngeal reflux. This study aimed to elucidate the role of laryngopharyngeal reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease on the severity and occurrence of dental erosion in adult populations.
Methods: A comprehensive search was performed in the databases of PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus for English literature published from July 1999 to June 2024.
Metab Brain Dis
January 2025
Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark.
Background & Aims: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE), one of the most serious prognostic factors for mortality in alcohol-related cirrhosis (ALD cirrhosis), is not recorded in Danish healthcare registries. However, treatment of HE with lactulose, the universal first-line treatment, can be identified through data on filled prescriptions. This study aimed to investigate if lactulose can be used as a surrogate marker of HE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!