Cost-Effectiveness of Providing the Depression Care for People With Cancer Program to Patients With Prostate Cancer in the United States

ObjectivesThe Depression Care for People with Cancer program (DCPC) is a cost-effective depression care model for UK patients with cancer. However, DCPC’s cost-effectiveness in the United States is unknown, particularly for patients with prostate cancer in the United States. This study evaluates the health and economic impact of providing DCPC to patients with prostate cancer.MethodsDCPC was compared with usual care in a mathematical model that simulates depression and its outcomes in a hypothetical cohort of US patients with prostate cancer. DCPC was modeled as a sequential combination of universal depression screening, post-screening evaluations, and first-line combination therapy. Primary outcomes were lifetime direct costs of depression care, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Secondary outcomes included life expectancy, number of depression-free months and lifetime depressive episodes, duration of depressive episodes, cumulative incidence of depression, lifetime depression diagnoses/misdiagnoses, and the cumulative incidence of maintenance therapy for depression. Sensitivity analyses were used to examine uncertainty.ResultsIn the base case, DCPC dominated usual care by offering 0.11 more QALYs for $2500 less per patient (from averted misdiagnoses). DCPC also offered 5 extra depression-free months, shorter depressive episodes, and a lower chance of maintenance therapy. DCPC’s trade-offs were a higher cumulative incidence of depression and more lifetime depressive episodes. Life expectancy was identical under usual care and DCPC. Sensitivity analyses indicate that DCPC was almost always preferable to usual care.ConclusionCompared with usual care, DCPC may offer more value to US patients with prostate cancer. DCPC should be considered for inclusion in prostate cancer survivorship care guidelines.     

Antimicrobial Resistance: Is Health Technology Assessment Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem?

Antimicrobial resistance is a serious challenge to the success and sustainability of our healthcare systems. There has been increasing policy attention given to antimicrobial resistance in the last few years, and increased amounts of funding have been channeled into funding for research and development of antimicrobial agents. Nevertheless, manufacturers doubt whether there will be a market for new antimicrobial technologies sufficient to enable them to recoup their investment. Health technology assessment (HTA) has a critical role in creating confidence that if valuable technologies can be developed they will be reimbursed at a level that captures their true value. We identify 3 deficiencies of current HTA processes for appraising antimicrobial agents: a methods-centric approach rather than problem-centric approach for dealing with new challenges, a lack of tools for thinking about changing patterns of infection, and the absence of an approach to epidemiological risks. We argue that, to play their role more effectively, HTA agencies need to broaden their methodological tool kit, design and communicate their analysis to a wider set of users, and incorporate long-term policy goals, such as containing resistance, as part of their evaluation criteria alongside immediate health gains.     

精神病专科医院经济运行调查和建议

精神卫生专业机构既是我国精神卫生服务体系的重要组成部分,也是精神卫生防治工作的主体。精神障碍发病率逐年增加,已经成为严重威胁我国居民健康的一类疾病。在新冠疫情防控期间,精神病专科医院在维持社会稳定方面起到的作用不可或缺。与综合医院和其他专科医院相比,精神病专科医院无论是在运营成本还是运营能力上都有所欠缺。研究揭示了精神病专科医院运行存在的一系列问题,建议社会和政府在要求精神病专科医院"公益"服务的同时,应切实了解精神病专科医院的运行现状并给予足够的支持。     

西部大开发与南通经济发展

南通市近期发展经济的最大隐忧是发展的空间不大 ,后劲不足。西部大开发给我市经济发展带来绝好的机遇。我市具备参与西部大开发的明显优势。能否积极参与西部大开发 ,实际上是我市企业能否积极参与新一轮资源配置的问题。我市参与西部大开发应注重选择有利于发挥自身优势的领域 ,明确参与西部大开发的重点产业     

Projected Economic Burden of Periprosthetic Joint Infection of the Hip and Knee in the United States

BackgroundIn addition to the significant morbidity and mortality associated with periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), the cost of treating PJI is substantial. Prior high-quality national estimates of the economic burden of PJI utilize data up to 2009 to project PJI growth in the United States through 2020. Now in the year 2020, it is appropriate to evaluate these past projections and incorporate the latest available data to better understand the current scale and burden of PJI in the United States.MethodsThe Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2002-2017) was used to identify rates and associated inpatient costs for primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) and PJI-related revision TKA and THA. Poisson regression was utilized to model past growth and project future rates and cost of PJI of the hip and knee.ResultsUsing the most recent data, the combined annual hospital costs related to PJI of the hip and knee were estimated to be $1.85 billion by 2030. This includes $753.4 million for THA PJI and $1.1 billion for TKA PJI, in that year. Increases in PJI costs are mainly attributable to increases in volume. Although the growth in incidence of primary THA and TKA has slowed in recent years, the incidence of PJI and the cost per case of PJI remained relatively constant from 2002 to 2017.DiscussionUnderstanding the current and potential future financial burden of PJI for surgeons, patients, and healthcare systems is essential. There is an urgent need for efficacious preventive strategies in reducing rates of PJI after THA and TKA.     

基于“病-药-量”探讨《中华医典》含竹沥中药方剂相应规律的数据挖掘

目的 分析《中华医典》中含有竹沥中药方剂“病-药-量”的相应规律,为竹沥的临床诊疗应用及深入研发提供参考。方法 收集整理《中华医典》中含有竹沥的中药方剂,录入Excel 2016构建临证方药数据库,对其病症、证型、药物使用频次、功效类别、性味归经、剂型及用量等进行统计分析,运用SPSS Statistics 22.0、IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0软件进行关联规则、聚类分析等数据挖掘。结果 共收集含竹沥方剂349首,主治病证分类共99种,其中高频病证（≥20次）主要为“中风”“痰饮”“咳嗽”,治疗“中风”证型以风痰瘀阻为主,“痰饮”以饮停胃肠为主,“咳嗽”以痰热郁肺为主;组方中使用频次≥50次的药物有19味,使用频次较高的有生姜、甘草、茯苓、陈皮等,药物功效种类以化痰止咳平喘药、补虚药、清热药为主;药性使用频次最高的为寒性药,其次为温性药,药味多选用甘、苦、辛味,药物归经以脾、胃、心经为主;高频病症剂型及药物用量分析显示,治疗“中风”时,剂型多为汤剂,竹沥用量多为100 mL,核心药物配伍重用防风以祛风化痰,改善脑络痹阻;治疗“痰饮”时,剂型多为丸剂,竹沥用量为200 mL...     

Economic evaluation methods used in home-visiting interventions: A systematic search and review

Home-visiting interventions are used to improve outcomes for families experiencing disadvantage. As scarce resources must be allocated carefully, appropriate methods are required to provide accurate information on the effect of these programmes. We aimed to investigate: economic evaluation/analysis methods used in home-visiting programmes for children, young people and families, study designs and methods suitable in situations where randomised-controlled-trials are not feasible, and type of costs included in analyses, including any implementation costs stated. A systematic search and review was conducted of existing full economic evaluation/analysis methods in home-visiting programmes for children, young people and/or families. We included studies published in English between January 2000 and mid-November 2020. Of the 4,742 papers sourced, 60 were retained for full-text review, and 21 included. Economic-analysis methods found in the included studies were: within trial economic evaluation, economic evaluation using decision analytic modelling (i.e. cost-utility, cost-benefit analysis), cost comparison and cost-consequence. Studies incorporating return on investment and budget impact analysis were also found. Study designs suitable when randomisation was not feasible included parallel cluster randomised trials and using pre-post intervention data. Costs depended mainly on study context and only one study reported implementation costs. We hope this information will help guide future economic evaluations of home-visiting interventions.     

重庆市新结防模式下MDR-TB患者治疗现状及经济负担调查研究

本研究评估重庆市在新结防模式下MDR-TB患者的治疗现状及经济负担,为MDR-TB控制提供决策依据。研究表明患者接受正规治疗的比例较高,医保覆盖率也较高,但也还存在相关卫生服务可及性差、治疗副反应普遍、患者经济负担较重等问题。后续应加强重点人群和弱势人群MDR-TB的筛查,提升相关卫生服务的可及性,同时需要加强对患者的经济支持。     

Behavioural analysis of the anorectic effects of fluoxetine and fenfluramine

Two sets of experiments were carried out to compare the effects of fenfluramine and fluoxetine on consummatory and operant behaviour. In food-deprived rats allowed access to a 35% sucrose solution, an initial period of sucrose consumption was followed by a short period of grooming and exploratory behaviour, later superceded by resting. This behavioural satiety sequence was advanced by fluoxetine, but disrupted bydl-fenfluramine, which suppressed post-prandial resting, even at sub-anorectic doses. Fluoxetine also elicited resting behaviour following water drinking. However, this did not appear to be a non-specific sedative effect, since fluoxetine increased post-prandial grooming. In rats performing on random interval schedules of food reinforcement, fluoxetine caused proportionally greater decreases in responding on a reinforcement-lean schedule (RI-300s), as compared to a reinforcement-rich schedule (RI-7.5s); this effect is similar to that of a reduction in level of food deprivation. By contrast, fenfluramine reduced responding equally on both schedules. In both paradigms, the effects of fluoxetine were compatible with an increase in postprandial satiety, but the effects of fenfluramine were not.