Effect of beer consumption on levels of complex I and complex IV liver and heart mitochondrial enzymes and coenzymes Q9 and Q10 in adriamycin-treated rats

Background  

There is increasing evidence indicating that the dietary intake of food with high antioxidant capacity may protect mitochondria from damage and exert positive effects on different pathogenic processes.     

TRIPS, the Doha declaration and paragraph 6 decision: what are the remaining steps for protecting access to medicines?

Background  

The World Trade Organisation's Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health (known as the Doha Declaration) of 2001, and subsequent Decision on the Interpretation of Paragraph 6 reached in 2003, affirmed the flexibilities available under the Agreement on Trade Related Property Rights (TRIPS) to member states seeking to protect public health. Despite these important clarifications, the actual implementation of these measures to improve access to medicines remains uncertain. There are also concerns that so-called TRIPS-plus measures within many regional and bilateral trade agreements are further undermining the capacity of the poor to access affordable medicines.     

Using Rasch analysis to form plausible health states amenable to valuation: the development of CORE-6D from a measure of common mental health problems (CORE-OM)

Purpose  

To describe a new approach for deriving a preference-based index from a condition specific measure that uses Rasch analysis to develop health states.     

Valuation of scleroderma and psoriatic arthritis health states by the general public

Objective  

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and scleroderma (SSc) are chronic rheumatic disorders with detrimental effects on health-related quality of life. Our objective was to assess health values (utilities) from the general public for health states common to people with PsA and SSc for economic evaluations.     

Socio-economic differences and health seeking behaviour for the diagnosis and treatment of malaria: a case study of four local government areas operating the Bamako initiative programme in south-east Nigeria

Background  

Malaria is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in Nigeria. It is not known how user fees introduced under the Bamako Initiative (BI) system affect healthcare seeking among different socio-economic groups in Nigeria for diagnosis and treatment of malaria. Reliable information is needed to initiate new policy thrusts to protect the poor from the adverse effect of user fees.     

Effect of spatial resolution on cluster detection: a simulation study

Background  

Aggregation of spatial data is intended to protect privacy, but some effects of aggregation on spatial methods have not yet been quantified.     

Health state preferences are equivalent in the United States and Trinidad and Tobago

Purpose  

To derive preference weights in Trinidad and Tobago for Quality of Well-being Scale (QWB) health states in order to calculate QWB scores that can be compared to scores calculated from US-derived preference weights. The comparison was to determine whether the QWB scores from these different preference weights would lead to similar conclusions.     

Individual differences in the use of the response scale determine valuations of hypothetical health states: an empirical study

Background  

The effects of socio-demographic characteristics of the respondent, including age, on valuation scores of hypothetical health states remain inconclusive. Therefore, we analyzed data from a study designed to discriminate between the effects of respondents' age and time preference on valuations of health states to gain insight in the contribution of individual response patterns to the variance in valuation scores.     

Triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins derived from healthy donors fed different olive oils modulate cytokine secretion and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in macrophages: the potential role of oleanolic acid

Purpose  

Current evidence suggests that consumption of virgin olive oil (VOO) helps to protect against the development of atherosclerosis and that minor components such as oleanolic acid contribute to this effect. In this study, the effects of triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) derived from olive oil on inflammatory processes in macrophages and how they are modulated by oleanolic acid was investigated.     

To what extent does IQ 'explain' socio-economic variations in function?

Background  

The aims of this study were to examine the extent to which higher intellectual abilities protect higher socio-economic groups from functional decline and to examine whether the contribution of intellectual abilities is independent of childhood deprivation and low birth weight and other socio-economic and developmental factors in early life.     

Respirator fit of a medium mask on a group of South Africans: a cross-sectional study

Background  

In South Africa, respiratory protective equipment is often the primary control method used to protect workers. This preliminary study investigated how well a common disposable P2 respirator fitted persons with a range of facial dimensions.     

A qualitative analysis of environmental policy and children's health in Mexico

Background  

Since Mexico's joining the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 1994, it has witnessed rapid industrialization. A byproduct of this industrialization is increasing population exposure to environmental pollutants, of which some have been associated with childhood disease. We therefore identified and assessed the adequacy of existing international and Mexican governance instruments and policy tools to protect children from environmental hazards.     

Social relationships as a major determinant in the valuation of health states

Purpose  

To empirically determine the impact of the capacity to sustain social relationships on valuing health states.     

A probabilistic sampling method (PSM) for estimating geographic distance to health services when only the region of residence is known

Background  

The need to estimate the distance from an individual to a service provider is common in public health research. However, estimated distances are often imprecise and, we suspect, biased due to a lack of specific residential location data. In many cases, to protect subject confidentiality, data sets contain only a ZIP Code or a county.     

The remittances of migrant Tongan and Samoan nurses from Australia

Background  

Migration and remittances are of considerable importance in the small Pacific island states. There has been a significant migration of skilled health workers in recent decades to metropolitan fringe states, including Australia and New Zealand. This paper reports the findings of a re-analysis of survey of Samoan and Tongan migrants in Australia where the sample is split between nurse households and others.     

Drugs and herbs given to prevent hepatotoxicity of tuberculosis therapy: systematic review of ingredients and evaluation studies

Background  

Drugs to protect the liver are frequently prescribed in some countries as part of treatment for tuberculosis. The biological rationale is not clear, they are expensive and may do harm. We conducted a systematic review to a) describe the ingredients of "liver protection drugs"; and b) compare the evidence base for the policy against international standards.     

Evaluating the financial protection of patients with chronic disease by health insurance in rural China

Background  

A growing number of developing countries are developing health insurance schemes that aim to protect households, particularly the poor, from financial catastrophe and impoverishment caused by unaffordable medical care. This paper investigates the extent to which patients suffering from chronic disease in rural China face catastrophic expenditure on healthcare, and how far the New Co-operative Medical Insurance Scheme (NCMS) offers them financial protection against this.     

Toward estimating the impact of changes in immigrants' insurance eligibility on hospital expenditures for uncompensated care

Background  

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 gave states the option to withdraw Medicaid coverage of nonemergency care from most legal immigrants. Our goal was to assess the effect of PRWORA on hospital uncompensated care in the United States.     

Preference values associated with stage III colon cancer and adjuvant chemotherapy

Purpose  

To elicit preference values for health states associated with Stage III colon cancer (CRC) and to explore the effect of neuropathy associated with current adjuvant treatment.     

Targeting accuracy and impact of a community-identified waiver card scheme for primary care user fees in Afghanistan

Background  

User fees are a known common barrier to using health services, particularly among the poor. When fees are present, many facilities have waiver systems for poor patients to exempt them from paying. Targeting waivers to patients who need them most has been a challenge, especially in fragile states, where relevant data are limited and trust in institutions is low.