An Assessment of the Effect of Synthetic and Doping Conditions on the Processability and Conductivity of Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)/Poly(styrene sulfonic acid)

Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PEDOT/PSS) dispersions are synthesized via conventional oxidative polymerization under various synthetic (reaction times and formulations) and doping conditions (in situ and postpolymerization) with the introduction of dialysis as an additional purification step. Conductivities of films produced from these synthesized dispersions are one to three orders of magnitude higher than the equivalent commercial PEDOT/PSS reference film. In situ doped PEDOT/PSS dispersions give films that are more conductive than those doped postpolymerization. Optimum conductivity of 5.2 ± 0.7 S cm^?1 is obtained from PEDOT/PSS dispersions (1:2.5 EDOT:PSS mass ratio) synthesized for 12 h with doping efficiency of 73%. Under these synthetic conditions, the film most likely has the optimal microstructure, i.e., optimal PEDOT chain length and ideal distribution and balance of PEDOT/PSS segments and free PSS chains, favoring charge transport and processability. Capillary electrophoresis is presented here as a novel method for measuring free and doped PSS in PEDOT/PSS dispersions.

     

Budgeting based on need: a model to determine sub-national allocation of resources for health services in Indonesia

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Allocating national resources to regions based on need is a key policy issue in most health systems. Many systems utilise proxy measures of need as the basis for allocation formulae. Increasingly these are underpinned by complex statistical methods to separate need from supplier induced utilisation. Assessment of need is then used to allocate existing global budgets to geographic areas. Many low and middle income countries are beginning to use formula methods for funding however these attempts are often hampered by a lack of information on utilisation, relative needs and whether the budgets allocated bear any relationship to cost. An alternative is to develop bottom-up estimates of the cost of providing for local need. This method is viable where public funding is focused on a relatively small number of targeted services. We describe a bottom-up approach to developing a formula for the allocation of resources. The method is illustrated in the context of the state minimum service package mandated to be provided by the Indonesian public health system. METHODS: A standardised costing methodology was developed that is sensitive to the main expected drivers of local cost variation including demographic structure, epidemiology and location. Essential package costing is often undertaken at a country level. It is less usual to utilise the methods across different parts of a country in a way that takes account of variation in population needs and location. Costing was based on best clinical practice in Indonesia and province specific data on distribution and costs of facilities. The resulting model was used to estimate essential package costs in a representative district in each province of the country. FINDINGS: Substantial differences in the costs of providing basic services ranging from USD 15 in urban Yogyakarta to USD 48 in sparsely populated North Maluku. These costs are driven largely by the structure of the population, particularly numbers of births, infants and children and also key diseases with high cost/prevalence and variation, most notably the level of malnutrition. The approach to resource allocation was implemented using existing data sources and permitted the rapid construction of a needs based formula that is highly specific to the package mandated across the country. Refinement could focus more on resources required to finance demand side costs and expansion of the service package to include priority non-communicable services.     

Resveratrol represses YKL-40 expression in human glioma U87 cells

Background  

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant intracranial tumour that develops in both adults and children. Microarray gene analyses have confirmed that the human YKL-40 gene is one of the most over-expressed genes in these tumours but not in normal brain tissue. Clinical studies have shown that serum YKL-40 levels are positively correlated with tumour burden in addition to being an independent prognostic factor of a short relapse-free interval as well as short overall survival in patients with various cancers. Our previous study revealed that YKL-40 was closely correlated with the pathological grades of human primary astrocytomas and played a crucial role in glioma cell proliferation. Hence, YKL-40 could be an attractive target in the design of anti-cancer therapies.     

SOME INFLAMMATION-RELATED PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS FOLLOWING NORMO- AND HYPOTHERMIC CARDIO-PULMONARY BYPASS

Aims: One of the complications of Cardio-Pulmonary Bypass is the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. Cardio-Pulmonary Bypass can be performed under either normothermic or hypothermic conditions. The aim of this study was to compare some inflammation-related parameters of patients following normothermic and hypothermic bypass. Moreover, attempts were undertaken to detect endotoxin, an inflammatory agent that has been implicated in the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, in the serum of patients. Levels of serum anti-endotoxin antibodies were estimated since they have been reported to negate the effect of endotoxin in the inflammatory syndrome. Methods and Results: Seventeen normothermic and 20 hypothermic cases were studied. Blood specimens were collected pre-, off- and post-bypass. Pertinent clinical and surgical data were collected. Hematological parameters (leukocyte, neutrophil and platelet counts) and liver function tests were determined by standard procedures. Endotoxin was determined by the Limulus Lysate Assay and anti-endotoxin antibodies by an enzyme immunoassay. Complement (C3 and C4) levels were determined by radial immunodiffusion. There were increases in leukocyte and neutrophil, and a decline in platelet numbers in both groups of patients. There was a decline in C3 and C4 levels in both groups of patients. Endotoxin was not detected in sera, and anti-endotoxin antibody levels were similar, in both groups of patients. Conclusion: There were no significant differences in most of the altered inflammation-related parameters between the two groups of patients. Some of the findings might be partly due to hemo-dilution. The hydrophobic nature of endotoxin among other factors, might have hindered its detection in serum.     

Key findings from the WHO collaborative study on substitution therapy for opioid dependence and HIV/AIDS

Aims Opioid substitution treatment has been studied extensively in industrialized countries, but there are relatively few studies in developing/transitional countries. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of opioid substitution treatment (OST) in less resourced countries. Design Longitudinal cohort study. Setting Purposively selected OST sites in Asia (China, Indonesia, Thailand), Eastern Europe (Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine), the Middle East (Iran) and Australia. Participants Seven hundred and twenty-six OST entrants. Measurements Participants were interviewed at treatment entry, 3 and 6 months. Standardized instruments assessed drug use, treatment history, physical and psychological health, quality of life, criminal involvement, blood-borne virus (BBV) risk behaviours and prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C. Findings Participants were predominantly male, aged in their early 30s and had attained similar levels of education. Seroprevalence rates for HIV were highest in Thailand (52%), followed by Indonesia (28%) and Iran (26%), and lowest in Australia (2.6%). Treatment retention at 6 months was uniformly high, averaging approximately 70%. All countries demonstrated significant and marked reductions in reported heroin and other illicit opioid use; HIV (and other BBV) exposure risk behaviours associated with injection drug users (IDU) and criminal activity, and demonstrated substantial improvement in their physical and mental health and general wellbeing over the course of the study. Conclusions OST can achieve similar outcomes consistently in a culturally diverse range of settings in low- and middle-income countries to those reported widely in high-income countries. It is associated with a substantial reduction in HIV exposure risk associated with IDU across nearly all the countries. Results support the expansion of opioid substitution treatment.     

Update on the omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5

Several nations have recently begun to relax their public health protocols, particularly regarding the use of face masks when engaging in outdoor activities. This is because there has been a general trend towards fewer cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, new Omicron sub-variants (designated BA.4 and BA.5) have recently emerged. These two subvariants are thought to be the cause of an increase in COVID-19 cases in South Africa, the United States, and Europe. They have also begun to spread throughout Asia. They evolved from the Omicron lineage with characteristics that make them even more contagious and which allow them to circumvent immunity from a previous infection or vaccination. This article reviews a number of scientific considerations about these new variants, including their apparently reduced clinical severity.