A systematic review of the methodological quality of economic evaluations in genetic screening and testing for monogenic disorders

PurposeUnderstanding the value of genetic screening and testing for monogenic disorders requires high-quality, methodologically robust economic evaluations. This systematic review sought to assess the methodological quality among such studies and examined opportunities for improvement.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science for economic evaluations of genetic screening/testing (2013-2019). Methodological rigor and adherence to best practices were systematically assessed using the British Medical Journal checklist.ResultsAcross the 47 identified studies, there were substantial variations in modeling approaches, reporting detail, and sophistication. Models ranged from simple decision trees to individual-level microsimulations that compared between 2 and >20 alternative interventions. Many studies failed to report sufficient detail to enable replication or did not justify modeling assumptions, especially for costing methods and utility values. Meta-analyses, systematic reviews, or calibration were rarely used to derive parameter estimates. Nearly all studies conducted some sensitivity analysis, and more sophisticated studies implemented probabilistic sensitivity/uncertainty analysis, threshold analysis, and value of information analysis.ConclusionWe describe a heterogeneous body of work and present recommendations and exemplar studies across the methodological domains of (1) perspective, scope, and parameter selection; (2) use of uncertainty/sensitivity analyses; and (3) reporting transparency for improvement in the economic evaluation of genetic screening/testing.     

DHS和PFNA固定治疗老年股骨粗隆间骨折的疗效

目的对比动力髋螺钉(dynamic hip screw,DHS)治疗和股骨近端抗旋髓内钉(proximal femoral nail anti-rotation,PFNA)固定治疗老年股骨粗隆间骨折疗效。方法纳入本院收治的45例采用PFNA固定治疗的老年股骨粗隆间骨折患者作为研究组,研究时间为2017年11月-2018年11月;回顾性分析2016年11月-2017年11月在我院采用DHS治疗的45例老年股骨粗隆间骨折患者的临床资料,作为对照组。记录两组的相关手术指标,观察手术并发症情况。结果研究组的手术时间和骨折愈合时间均短于对照组,术中出血量明显少于对照组,术后疼痛VAS评分均明显低于对照组(P<0.05)。对照组的并发症发生率高于研究组(P<0.05)。结论PFNA固定治疗比DHS治疗老年股骨粗隆间骨折更加安全有效,值得临床借鉴和应用。     

改良三点式重睑成形术的临床应用研究

目的:探讨改良三点式重睑术的临床应用疗效。方法:2012年6月-2019年6月,共165例单睑患者采用了改良三点式重睑术,沿术前标记线将三点处皮肤切开,剪刀将切口下唇的眼轮匝肌适当去除,同时将切口与切口在皮下层打通,剪除切口与切口之间的眼轮匝肌,6-0可吸收线挂睑板前筋膜或提上睑肌腱膜及切口下唇皮下组织缝合,三点切口各缝1针。再用6-0单丝尼龙线按照常规重睑线缝合方法挂切口下唇皮肤、睑板前筋膜或提上睑肌腱膜及切口上唇皮肤缝合打结,三点切口各缝1针。伴内眦赘皮者同时行内眦赘皮矫正术。结果:152例患者获得随访,随访患者大部分获得了比较满意的重睑,睁眼重睑流畅、自然,闭眼刀口痕迹不明显。2例患者出现内侧重睑线变浅,1例患者出现外侧重睑线变浅,所有患者均未出现重睑消失。5例患者双侧重睑线有轻度不对称。患者总体满意率为94.7%(144/152)。结论:改良三点式重睑术具有创伤小、并发症少、效果逼真、不易脱落、手术痕迹不明显等优点,值得推广应用。     

Assisting students with autism to cooperate with their peers to perform computer mouse collaborative pointing operation on a single display simultaneously

The purpose of this study was to provide students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) the chance to cooperate with their peers to perform computer mouse collaborative pointing operation. In this study, we adopted the Single Display Groupware (SDG) concept to develop the Multiple Cursor Collaborative Operating Program (MCCOP) software, which allows multiple users to operate a single computer simultaneously without interfering with each other. With the implementation of MCCOP software, users control their own cursors to perform a function in their respective cursor moving areas on a single display. A collaborative pointing test software (CPTS) program was designed in this experiment to evaluate participants’ collaborative pointing performance. This study adopted an ABAB design, and the experimental results show that all participants significantly increased their collaborative pointing performance during the intervention phase, compared to the baseline phase. Practical and developmental implications of the findings are discussed.     

Economic Status and Mortality in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease in Japan: The Longevity Improvement and Fair Evidence Study

ObjectivesAs more countries are implementing measures to address Alzheimer’s disease (AD), it is essential to update the available knowledge on the relationship between economic status and mortality in patients with AD. This study examined the influence of economic status on mortality in Japanese individuals with AD using a medical claims dataset.DesignThis was a retrospective cohort study.Setting and ParticipantsMedical claims data from April 2014 to March 2019 were obtained from 13 local cities participating in the Longevity Improvement and Fair Evidence study. The inclusion criteria were patients aged 65 years and older who were newly diagnosed with AD during the study period.MethodsThe outcome was death during the follow-up period. We assessed economic status by household income (middle to high income and low income); data were obtained from the use of the Medical Expenditure Ceiling Application and Standard Copayment Reduction Card (fee reduction card) when receiving an AD diagnosis, as an indicator of low-income status. We performed multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses to examine the relationship between economic status and mortality; the model was adjusted for age, sex, the Charlson comorbidity index, and antidementia drug use.ResultsWe identified 39,081 newly diagnosed patients with AD from the Longevity Improvement and Fair Evidence study database (mean age, 83.6 years; female, 67.1%). Of these, 3189 individuals were identified as having a low-income status. After adjusting for possible confounders, low-income status was associated with mortality (hazard ratio, 1.95; 95% confidence interval, 1.84–2.07).Conclusions and ImplicationsLow-income status was associated with substantially poorer prognoses in new AD cases, indicating a need for a thorough examination of medical and nursing care services utilized by low-income individuals with AD and to explore improvement strategies.     

T1~T2期乳腺癌保乳术后化疗后程同步大分割放疗前瞻性Ⅰ期临床研究

目的 前瞻性评估T1~T2期乳腺癌保乳术后化疗后程大分割放疗的不良反应和耐受性，以及在缩短治疗时间、减轻患者经济负担等方面的价值。方法 共入组20例T1~T2期乳腺癌保乳术后患者，所有患者于末次多西他赛化疗前开始大分割放疗。观察急性放射反应、治疗完成率及无病生存率、住院时间及住院费用等。结果 治疗完成率100%。主要不良反应为血液学毒性（白细胞减少）及皮肤反应，患者均可耐受。中位随访时间为30.1个月，随访率100%。美容效果良好率100%。平均总治疗时间为4周，总住院治疗费用节省约1万元。21个月无病生存率为100%。结论 T1~T2期乳腺癌保乳术后可耐受同步大分割放化疗，局部控制好，美容效果佳，且具有较高的卫生经济学价值。     

预见习在精神病学教学中的作用研究

目的探讨预见习在精神病教学中的作用。方法选取120名本科学生,随机分为预见习组(n=60)和对照组(n=60)。预见习组在学习精神病学理论课程前一学期开始实施带教老师带领学生预见习、见习、实习全程教学,对比两组学生实践操作、理论知识成绩和学生满意度。结果干预后,导师制预见习组实践操作和理论知识成绩显著高于对照组(P<0.05)。导师制预见习组学生满意度显著高于对照组(P<0.05)。结论预见习教学有助于学生全面发展,提高精神病学教学水平。     

保留足趾的自体复合第2足趾关节移植治疗手指关节炎

目的 探讨保留足趾的自体复合第2足趾关节移植治疗手指关节炎的临床疗效.方法 2016年2月至2018年6月,共收治创伤性手指关节炎9例,其中男7例,女2例;年龄19~53岁,平均31.7岁;示指3例,中指6例;掌指关节(MP)关节炎4例,近侧指骨间关节(PIP)关节炎5例;均为创伤后继发的手指关节炎.采用游离带血供的自体复合第2足趾跖趾或趾骨间关节移植进行治疗,同时将受区废弃关节(7例)或切取自体髂骨移植(2例)修复供区骨缺损保留足趾长度,供区创面均直接关闭.术后观察手指和足趾骨折愈合情况、外形、移植关节活动度(ROM)、术后供区愈合情况和行走功能及相关并发症.结果 本组术后9例移植关节全部成活,1例足部供区行髂骨植骨微型钢板固定,术后1周伤口不愈合,考虑为内固定物排异反应,予拆除钢板改克氏针交叉固定,2周后创口顺利愈合.术后随访6~30个月,平均16.3个月.手指骨折平均愈合时间7~10周,平均8.3周,手指外观及功能良好.移植后的MP活动度为50°~75°,平均65.3°,PIP活动度为10°~85°,平均60.6°.根据中华医学会手外科学分会上肢部分功能评定试用标准评价手指功能:优5例,良3例,可1例,优良率为88.9%.足趾骨折平均愈合时间9~12周,平均10.2周,所有患者足趾外形良好,行走功能正常.2例取髂骨患者供区仅残留一条线形瘢痕,无疼痛、麻木等不适.结论 游离带血供的自体复合第2足趾关节移植治疗手指关节炎,同时应用受区废弃关节或切取自体髂骨移植修复供区骨缺损保留足趾,不仅能恢复手指关节的正常结构,使关节具有良好的功能,而且能保留足趾外形与功能,减少供区损伤,具有良好的治疗效果.     

脾保留手术治疗创伤性脾破裂的临床探讨

目的：分析脾保留手术治疗创伤性脾破裂的疗效。方法选取该院2011年6月—2014年6月收治的创伤性脾破裂患者，共计56例，分为两组，各28例，对照组进行脾切除手术，研究组进行脾保留手术。结果研究组临床有效率为92.86%，对照组临床有效率为78.57%；术后并发症发生率研究组为10.71%、对照组为28.57%。结论脾保留手术治疗创伤性脾破裂的疗效显著，恢复快，并发症少，在患者伤情允许情况下优先选择脾保留术。     

Cost of postoperative complications: How to avoid calculation errors

Postoperative complications(PC) are a basic health outcome, but no surgery service in the world records and/or audits the PC associated with all the surgical procedures it performs. Most studies that have assessed the cost of PC suffer from poor quality and a lack of transparency and consistency. The payment system in place often rewards the volume of services provided rather than the quality of patients' clinical outcomes. Without a thorough registration of PC, the economic costs involved cannot be determined. An accurate, reliable appraisal would help identify areas for investment in order to reduce the incidence of PC,improve surgical results, and bring down the economic costs. This article describes how to quantify and classify PC using the Clavien-Dindo classification and the comprehensive complication index, discusses the perspectives from which economic evaluations are performed and the minimum postoperative follow-up established, and makes various recommendations. The availability of accurate and impartially audited data on PC will help reduce their incidence and bring down costs. Patients, the health authorities, and society as a whole are sure to benefit.