Assessing the economic benefits of vaccines based on the health investment life course framework: A review of a broader approach to evaluate malaria vaccination

BackgroundEconomic evaluations have routinely understated the net benefits of vaccination by not including the full range of economic benefits that accrue over the lifetime of a vaccinated person. Broader approaches for evaluating benefits of vaccination can be used to more accurately calculate the value of vaccination.MethodologyThis paper reflects on the methodology of one such approach – the health investment life course approach – that looks at the impact of vaccine investment on lifetime returns. The role of this approach on vaccine decision-making will be assessed using the malaria health investment life course model example.ResultsWe describe a framework that measures the impact of a health policy decision on government accounts over many generations. The methodological issues emerging from this approach are illustrated with an example from a recently completed health investment life course analysis of malaria vaccination in Ghana. Beyond the results, various conceptual and practical challenges of applying this framework to Ghana are discussed in this paper.Discussion and conclusionsThe current framework seeks to understand how disease and available technologies can impact a range of economic parameters such as labour force participation, education, healthcare consumption, productivity, wages or economic growth, and taxation following their introduction. The framework is unique amongst previous economic models in malaria because it considers future tax revenue for governments. The framework is complementary to cost-effectiveness and budget impact analysis. The intent of this paper is to stimulate discussion on how existing and new methodology can add to knowledge regarding the benefits from investing in new and underutilized vaccines.     

基于学生需求的医学文献检索课教学改革

结合学生意见和建议,总结分析了医学文献检索课教学中存在的问题,针对这些问题提出了改进教学硬件设备、改变教学方式、开通多种课后答疑和辅导途径、强化学生的信息技能、完善课程考核形式等改革措施。     

基于xMOOC模式的校园公开课程参与者角色剖析

以目前国内外MOOC建设中存在的问题为切入点,结合校园公开课程在线学习的特殊性,采用文献综述及理论分析的方法对高校校园公开课程开展的xMOOC模式进行了探讨,重点剖析了学习者、教师、执行体系以及观察者这四种参与角色,发现存在角色定位不准确甚至缺失的情况,并对高校校园公开课xMOOC开展提出了建议。     

临床医学八年制信息检索课两段式教学探索

从教学内容、教学组织、教学模式、教材建设、考核方式等方面介绍了近年来针对临床医学专业八年制开设两段式信息检索课教学的实践情况,以卷面成绩、专题调研报告完成情况及小组回报情况和学生的反馈等角度分析了教学效果,并提出了要注重分阶段教学内容的有效衔接、检索课题的筛选和精炼、任课教师的选拔和培养等进一步提高课堂教学效果的措施。     

Neighbourhood disadvantage and individual adversities in adolescence and total alcohol consumption up to mid-life—Results from the Northern Swedish Cohort

This study tests if neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage and family social and material adversities during adolescence are independently related to total alcohol consumption from adolescence through to mid-life. Self-reports from the Northern Swedish Cohort (effective sample=950) at ages 16, 18, 21, 30 and 42 was combined with register data on the socioeconomic composition of neighbourhoods at age 16. Total volume of alcohol consumed between age 16–42 was estimated based on the five survey waves, and self-reported social and material adversities were computed as composite variables. Neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage at age 16 was associated with alcohol consumption age 16–42 for men but not for women. Social adversities at age 16 were associated with alcohol consumption age 16–42 for both women and men, but material adversity or parental class was not. In conclusion, neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage in adolescence has a significant relationship with later alcohol consumption among men, even independently from individual factors. On family level, social factors but not socioeconomic factors in adolescence independently predict later alcohol consumption.     

14例食管癌放疗后复发再程放疗的疗效观察

目的:观察食管癌放疗后复发再程放疗的疗效.方法:对14例再程放疗的食管癌患者采用Varian 23EX电子直线加速器适形放疗,1.2Gy/次,2次/日,总剂量DT33~62Gy,放疗2~3周.结果:10例病变消退(8例食道黏膜恢复,2例癌性狭窄,采用球囊扩张扩大食道,可正常进食),无效3例病灶扩大,1例发生呕血,死亡;未发生放射性脊髓炎,有不同程度放射性食管炎;1年存活率50.00%、2年存活率28.57%.结论:放疗后复发再程放疗,有助于消除食管癌复发症状,改善患者生存质量,安全可靠,但仍有部分患者难获显著疗效.     

Environmental exposures,breast development and cancer risk: Through the looking glass of breast cancer prevention

This review summarizes the report entitled: Breast Cancer and the Environment: Prioritizing Prevention, highlights research gaps and the importance of focusing on early life exposures for breast development and breast cancer risk.