Costs of Immunization Programs for 10 Vaccines in 94 Low- and Middle-Income Countries From 2011 to 2030

ObjectivesUnderstanding the level of investment needed for the 2021-2030 decade is important as the global community faces the next strategic period for vaccines and immunization programs. To assist with this goal, we estimated the aggregate costs of immunization programs for ten vaccines in 94 low- and middle-income countries from 2011 to 2030.MethodWe calculated vaccine, immunization delivery and stockpile costs for 94 low- and middle-income countries leveraging the latest available data sources. We conducted scenario analyses to vary assumptions about the relationship between delivery cost and coverage as well as vaccine prices for fully self-financing countries.ResultsThe total aggregate cost of immunization programs in 94 countries for 10 vaccines from 2011 to 2030 is $70.8 billion (confidence interval: $56.6-$93.3) under the base case scenario and $84.1 billion ($72.8-$102.7) under an incremental delivery cost scenario, with an increasing trend over two decades. The relative proportion of vaccine and delivery costs for pneumococcal conjugate, human papillomavirus, and rotavirus vaccines increase as more countries introduce these vaccines. Nine countries in accelerated transition phase bear the highest burden of the costs in the next decade, and uncertainty with vaccine prices for the 17 fully self-financing countries could lead to total costs that are 1.3-13.1 times higher than the base case scenario.ConclusionResource mobilization efforts at the global and country levels will be needed to reach the level of investment needed for the coming decade. Global-level initiatives and targeted strategies for transitioning countries will help ensure the sustainability of immunization programs.     

Effect of Iron Supplementation on Oxidative Stress and Intestinal Inflammation in Rats with Acute Colitis

In this study, we investigated the effect of intraperitoneal iron dextran (100mg/100 g body weight) on oxidative stress and intestinal inflammation in rats with acute colitis induced by 5% dextran sulfate sodium. In both colitis and healthy animals, disease activity index, crypt and inflammatory scores, colon length, plasma and colonic lipid peroxides, and plasma vitamins E, C, and retinol were assessed. The results showed that iron-supplemented groups had moderate iron deposition in the colonic submucosa and lamina propria. In the colitis group supplemented with iron, colon length was significantly shorter; disease activity index, crypt, and inflammatory scores and colonic lipid peroxides were significantly higher; and plasma -tocopherol was significantly lower compared to the colitis group without iron supplementation. There was no intestinal inflammation and no significant increase in colonic lipid peroxides in healthy rats supplemented with iron. In conclusion, iron injection resulted in an increased oxidative stress and intestinal inflammation in rats with colitis but not in healthy rats.     

Clinical approaches to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)ranges from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH),leading to fibrosis and potentially cirrhosis,and it is one of the most common causes of liver disease worldwide.NAFLD is associated with other medical conditions such as metabolic syndrome,obesity,cardiovascular disease and diabetes.NASH can only be diagnosed through liver biopsy,but noninvasive techniques have been developed to identify patients who are most likely to have NASH or fibrosis,reducing the need for liver biopsy and risk to patients.Disease progression varies between individuals and is linked to a number of risk factors.Mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis are associated with diet and lifestyle,influx of free fatty acids to the liver from adipose tissue due to insulin resistance,hepatic oxidative stress,cytokines production,reduced very low-density lipoprotein secretion and intestinal microbiome.Weight loss through improved diet and increased physical activity has been the cornerstone therapy of NAFLD.Recent therapies such as pioglitazone and vitamin E have been shown to be beneficial.Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and statins may offer additional benefits.Bariatric surgery should be considered in morbidly obese patients.More research is needed to assess the impact of these treatments on a long-term basis.The objective of this article is to briefly review the diagnosis,management and treatment of this disease in order to aid clinicians in managing these patients.     

Standard of Care for Neuropsychological Monitoring in Pediatric Neuro‐Oncology: Lessons From the Children's Oncology Group (COG)

As the mortality of pediatric cancers has decreased, focus on neuropsychological morbidities of treatment sequelae have increased. Neuropsychological evaluations are essential diagnostic tools that assess cognitive functioning and neurobiological integrity. These tests provide vital information to support ongoing medical care, documenting cognitive morbidity and response to interventions. We frame standards for neuropsychological monitoring of pediatric patients with CNS malignancy or who received cancer‐directed therapies involving the CNS and discuss billing for these services in the United States in the context of clinical research. We describe a cost‐effective, efficient model of neuropsychological monitoring that may increases access to neuropsychological care. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Iron supplementation increases disease activity and vitamin E ameliorates the effect in rats with dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease is often associated with iron deficiency anemia and oral iron supplementation may be required. However, iron may increase oxidative stress through the Fenton reaction and thus exacerbate the disease. This study was designed to determine in rats with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis whether oral iron supplementation increases intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress and whether the addition of an antioxidant, vitamin E, would reduce this detrimental effect. Four groups of rats that consumed 50 g/L DSS in drinking water were studied for 7 d and were fed: a control, nonpurified diet (iron, 270 mg, and dl-alpha-tocopherol acetate, 49 mg/kg); diet + iron (iron, 3000 mg/kg); diet + vitamin E (dl-alpha-tocopherol acetate, 2000 mg/kg) and the diet + both iron and vitamin E, each at the same concentrations as above. Body weight change, rectal bleeding, histological scores, plasma and colonic lipid peroxides (LPO), plasma 8-isoprostane, colonic glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and plasma vitamin E were measured. Iron supplementation increased disease activity as demonstrated by higher histological scores and heavier rectal bleeding. This was associated with an increase in colonic and plasma LPO and plasma 8-isoprostane as well as a decrease in colonic GPx. Vitamin E supplementation decreased colonic inflammation and rectal bleeding but did not affect oxidative stress, suggesting another mechanism for reducing inflammation. In conclusion, oral iron supplementation resulted in an increase in disease activity in this model of colitis. This detrimental effect on disease activity was reduced by vitamin E. Therefore, the addition of vitamin E to oral iron supplementation may be beneficial.     

Pulmonary embolism: prospective comparison of iso-osmolar and low-osmolarity nonionic contrast agents for contrast enhancement at CT angiography

PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate contrast enhancement on pulmonary computed tomographic (CT) angiograms obtained by using an iso-osmolar versus a low-osmolarity contrast agent to exclude pulmonary embolism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Written patient consent was obtained on a form approved by the institutional review board, and the board approved the study. This prospective, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial included 47 patients referred for multi-detector row CT angiography to exclude pulmonary embolism over a 5-month period. Patients received either iohexol or iodixanol as an intravenous contrast agent. Three radiologists independently evaluated enhancement homogeneity and quality in designated pulmonary artery branches at four consecutive levels in the lower lobe of the left lung from lobar to subsegmental arteries. This evaluation was performed at a workstation separately for homogeneity and quality with two different three-level scales established with consensus. Percentages of each given score were compared with the chi2 test. The mean attenuation (expressed in Hounsfield units) for each contrast agent was compared with Student t test, and interobserver agreement (kappa value) was calculated. RESULTS: The percentages of arteries graded as excellent or not diagnostic were not statistically different (P >.05), with comparison of the two contrast agents at all levels. The intensity of enhancement (quantitative evaluation of enhancement by using mean attenuation of vessel lumen) was similar (P >.05) in the two groups. The kappa values varied from 0.35 to 0.56 among readers. CONCLUSION: Use of an iso-osmolar contrast agent at multi-detector row CT angiography to exclude pulmonary embolism did not significantly improve enhancement quality when this feature was compared with that of a low-osmolarity contrast agent.     

Ultrasonography and videobronchoscopy to assess the subglottic diameter in the paediatric population: a first look

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of ultrasonography and videobronchoscopy in measuring the subglottic diameter in the paediatric population. DESIGN: A double-blinded, prospective clinical study carried out at the Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University. METHODS: Children undergoing non-life-threatening bronchoscopy for various reasons had the subglottic diameters measured with ultrasonography, videobronchoscopy, and the traditional method of endotracheal tube sizing during the operative period. Ten patients were enrolled in the study. Parental consent was obtained prior to the procedure. RESULTS: Statistical analysis revealed that although ultrasonography was highly correlated with both videobronchoscopy and endotracheal tube sizing in measuring the subglottic diameter in the paediatric population, the measurements were not accurate in giving an exact value of the diameters in question. Videobronchoscopy was found to highly correlate with endotracheal tube sizing but had values that were slightly larger. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to examine the ability of ultrasonography and videobronchoscopy in evaluating the subglottic diameter in the paediatric population. Videobronchoscopy was shown to correlate highly with the present standard of measurement, namely, endotracheal tube sizing. The difference in measurement between the two was shown to be statistically significant, with videobronchoscopy being the consistently larger of the two. These results are in keeping with the limitations of measurement by the endotracheal tube. Similarly, ultrasonography was also correlated with both videobronchoscopy and endotracheal tube sizing. In contrast, ultrasonography was found to provide measurements that were significantly smaller than the other two methods. This suggests that ultrasonography may be a good technique to follow the change in lesions of the subglottis but may be poor for absolute measurements of this area as it always underestimated the size of the lumen.