CVA3 Adherence to Hypertension Therapy: The Effect of Initial Drug Choice

Health-care case management places pressure on decision makers to adopt treatment strategies that promote economic efficiency and hence profitability. Traditional costeffectiveness analysis (CEA), where the objective is to calculate cost-effectiveness ratios, can better inform decision making in markets where prices and efficacy vary widely. However, the threshold at which a given therapy becomes economically efficient relative to competing therapies is not evident from cost-effictiveness ratios alone.
OBJECTIVE: To illustrate the use of spatial techniques for identifying efficient treatment options, using statin therapy in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) as a case study.
METHODS: We used a Markov model of CHD epidemiology and treatment to estimate cost-effectivness of 13 statin regimens versus no therapy in secondary prevention of CHD. Comparative efficacy was assessed using data from a recent trial (CURVES) that included these regimens. Patients were assumed to have a history of CHD with risk factors similar to those observed in the trial. CHD event risk was estimated using new subsequent-event risk equations from the Framingham Heart Study. Effectiveness was measured alternatively as gain in life expectancy and CHD events averted.
RESULTS: At usual starting doses, atorvastatin therapy provided the largest life expectancy gain and CHD event avoidance at the lowest cost per life-year gained ($12,900 and $23,400 for men and women, respectively), followed by simvastatin ($17,700 and $31,700), lovastatin ($18,800 and $33,700), pravastatin ($22,600 and $40,200), and fluvastatin ($23,800 and $42,000). Any desired level of effectiveness can be obtained at lowest cost with atorvastatin.
CONCLUSION: Economic efficiency is enhanced when atorvastatin is used to treat some or all patients requiring statin therapy in secondary prevention of CHD.     

Mesoatrial shunts for Budd-Chiari syndrome and inferior vena cava thrombosis: angiographic and hemodynamic evaluations

When inferior vena caval obstruction complicates the Budd-Chiari syndrome, conventional portosystemic shunts are not possible. The mesoatrial shunt has been devised to enable portal and sinusoidal decompression in these patients. Findings in 12 patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome and inferior vena caval obstruction in whom a mesoatrial shunt was performed are reported. Preoperative inferior vena cavography with pressure measurements is essential to determine the appropriate shunt procedure. Postoperatively, shunt patency is assessed with superior mesenteric arterial portography. Where possible, transvenous catheterization of the shunt is performed to confirm patency and assess hemodynamic function.     

Return to work of breast cancer survivors: a systematic review of intervention studies

Background  

Breast cancer management has improved dramatically in the past three decades and as a result, a population of working age women is breast cancer survivor. Interventions for breast cancer survivors have shown improvements in quality of life and in physical and psychological states. In contrast, efforts aimed at stimulating re-employment and return-to-work interventions for breast cancer survivors have not kept pace. The objective of this review was to study the effects and characteristics of intervention studies on breast cancer survivors in which the outcome was return to work.     

甲基强的松龙对嗅鞘细胞移植治疗受损视网膜神经节细胞的早期保护效应

目的:观察注射甲基强的松龙对嗅鞘细胞移植治疗受损视网膜节细胞的早期保护作用。方法:实验于2005-09/2006-09在北京大学医学部神经解剖实验室完成。实验动物分组:成年雄性SD大白鼠55只随机取出7只为正常对照组,不进行任何实验处理;其余48只为实验组,在手术显微镜下经动物的左侧眶上缘暴露视神经,然后将视神经鞘顺向划开,在距眼球后壁2mm处将视神经剪断。将实验组动物随机分成4组,每组12只:①损伤组。②静脉注射甲基强的松龙组,动物实施术后30min给予一次性尾静脉注射甲基强的松龙注射液(90mg/kg)。③嗅鞘细胞移植组,动物术后移植嗅鞘细胞组织层。④给药后嗅鞘细胞移植组,动物术后30min给予一次性尾静脉注射甲基强的松龙注射液(90mg/kg),然后移植嗅鞘细胞组织层。术后21d麻醉下处死各组大鼠。实验评估:通过视神经逆行荧光标记和蛋白免疫印迹方法观察视网膜神经节细胞存活状况以及热休克蛋白27表达情况。结果:55只SD大鼠均进入结果分析。①视网膜神经节细胞的存活数量:甲基强的松龙静脉注射组高于损伤组[(16.525±9.557),(9.889±5.585)个/视野,P<0.1],给药后嗅鞘细胞移植组明显高于甲基强的松龙静脉注射组和嗅鞘细胞移植组[(28.881±13.660),(16.525±9.557),(13.513±6.840)个/视野,P<0.1,<0.01]。②各组视网膜神经节细胞热休克蛋白27的表达:甲基强的松龙静脉注射组高于损伤组,给药后嗅鞘细胞移植组明显高于甲基强的松龙静脉注射组和嗅鞘细胞移植组。结论:早期注射甲基强的松龙使受损视网膜神经节细胞存活率升高,并使热休克蛋白27表达上调,同时亦表现出了对移植嗅鞘细胞移植治疗受损视网膜神经节细胞的显著保护效应。