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Comprehensive Coverage (comprehensive + coverage)
Selected AbstractsA national survey of the current state of screening services for diabetic retinopathy: ABCD,Diabetes UK survey of specialist diabetes services 2006DIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 12 2009D. K. Nagi Abstract The main aims were to ascertain the progress made in the implementation of retinal screening services and to explore any barriers or difficulties faced by the programmes. The survey focused on all the essential elements for retinal screening, including assessment and treatment of screen-positive cases. Eighty-five per cent of screening programmes have a coordinated screening service and 73% of these felt that they have made significant progress. Eighty-five per cent of screening units use ,call and recall' for appointments and 73.5% of programmes follow the National Screening Committee (NSC) guidance. Although many units worked closely with ophthalmology, further assessment and management of screen-positive patients was a cause for concern. The fast-track referral system, to ensure timely and appropriate care, has been difficult to engineer by several programmes. This is demonstrated by 48% of programmes having waiting lists for patients identified as needing further assessment and treatment for retinopathy. Ophthalmology service for people with diabetic retinopathy was provided by a dedicated ophthalmologist in 89.4% of the programmes. Sixty-six per cent of the programmes reported inadequate resources to sustain a high-quality service, while 26% highlighted the lack of infrastructure and 49% lacked information technology (IT) support. In conclusion, progress has been made towards establishing a national screening programme for diabetic retinopathy by individual screening units, with a number of programmes providing a structured retinal screening service. However, programmes face difficulties with resource allocation and compliance with Quality Assurance (QA) standards, especially those which apply to ophthalmology and IT support. Screening programmes need to be resourced adequately to ensure comprehensive coverage and compliance with QA. [source] Molecular typing of meningococci: recommendations for target choice and nomenclatureFEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS, Issue 1 2007Keith A. Jolley Abstract The diversity and dynamics of Neisseria meningitidis populations generate a requirement for high resolution, comprehensive, and portable typing schemes for meningococcal disease surveillance. Molecular approaches, specifically DNA amplification and sequencing, are the methods of choice for various reasons, including: their generic nature and portability, comprehensive coverage, and ready implementation to culture negative clinical specimens. The following target genes are recommended: (1) the variable regions of the antigen-encoding genes porA and fetA and, if additional resolution is required, the porB gene for rapid investigation of disease outbreaks and investigating the distribution of antigenic variants; (2) the seven multilocus sequence typing loci,these data are essential for the most effective national, and international management of meningococcal disease, as well as being invaluable in studies of meningococcal population biology and evolution. These targets have been employed extensively in reference laboratories throughout the world and validated protocols have been published. It is further recommended that a modified nomenclature be adopted of the form: serogroup: PorA type: FetA type: sequence type (clonal complex), thus: B: P1.19,15: F5-1: ST-33 (cc32). [source] Assessing horizontal equity in medication treatment among elderly Mexicans: which socioeconomic determinants matter most?HEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 10 2008Jürgen Maurer Abstract Many low- and middle-income countries are currently undergoing a dramatic epidemiological transition, with an increasing disease burden due to degenerative noncommunicable diseases. Inexpensive medication treatment often represents a cost-effective means to prevent, control or cure many of these health conditions. Using micro-data from the 2001 Mexican Health and Aging Study, we assess horizontal inequity in medication treatment among older Mexicans before the introduction of Popular Health Insurance in Mexico. In doing so, we investigate the role of various dimensions of socioeconomic status for obtaining indicated medication treatment within a comparatively fragmented health-care system that features relatively high out-of-pocket expenditures. Our empirical analysis suggests health insurance coverage as a key socioeconomic determinant of indicated medication use with large and statistically significant positive effects on take-up. The effects of insurance status thereby clearly dominate any other possible effects of socioeconomic status on medication treatment. Our results thus highlight the importance of access to reliable health care and comprehensive coverage for rational medication use in the management of degenerative diseases. In light of this evidence, we expect that recent Mexican health-care reforms, which expand health insurance coverage to the previously uninsured population, will alleviate socioeconomic gradients in medication treatment among older people in need. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Identifying sequence variants in the human mitochondrial genome using high-resolution melt (HRM) profiling,HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 6 2009Steven F. Dobrowolski Abstract Identifying mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variants in human diseases is complicated. Many pathological mutations are heteroplasmic, with the mutant allele represented at highly variable percentages. High-resolution melt (HRM or HRMA) profiling was applied to comprehensive assessment of the mitochondrial genome and targeted assessment of recognized pathological mutations. The assay panel providing comprehensive coverage of the mitochondrial genome utilizes 36 overlapping fragments (301,658,bp) that employ a common PCR protocol. The comprehensive assay identified heteroplasmic mutation in 33 out of 33 patient specimens tested. Allele fraction among the specimens ranged from 1 to 100%. The comprehensive assay panel was also used to assess 125 mtDNA specimens from healthy donors, which identified 431 unique sequence variants. Utilizing the comprehensive mtDNA panel, the mitochondrial genome of a patient specimen may be assessed in less than 1 day using a single 384-well plate or two 96-well plates. Specific assays were used to identify the myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) mutation m.3243A>G, myoclonus epilepsy, ragged red fibers (MERRF) mutation m.8344A>G, and m.1555A>G associated with aminoglycoside hearing loss. These assays employ a calibrated, amplicon-based strategy that is exceedingly simple in design, utilization, and interpretation, yet provides sensitivity to detect variants at and below 10% heteroplasmy. Turnaround time for the genotyping tests is about 1,hr. Hum Mutat 30,1,8, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Ultrathin Nanowires,A Materials Chemistry Perspective,ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 9 2009Ludovico Cademartiri Abstract The recent years have seen an explosive interest in one-dimensional nanostructures1, as testified by the number of citations this field has accrued; as customary, its blossoming was enabled by chemical breakthroughs that allowed the reproducible and affordable synthesis of such structures.2, 3 The limitations of those syntheses was in the diameter of the nanowires that it could produce (hardly,<,10,nm), and in the use of expensive and low-yield techniques, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD). This paper attempts to summarize the very recent chemical breakthroughs that have allowed the production of ultrathin nanowires, often in solution, and often in gram-scale quantities. By no means is this a comprehensive coverage of the field, which can in part be found in other excellent reviews1, 2, 4,6 but a selection of those contributions that we feel would most help put this emerging field in perspective. We will review the various synthetic strategies, their pros and cons, and we will give our best guesses as to the future directions of the field and what we can expect from it. [source] Development of the Bipolar Inventory of Symptoms Scale: concurrent validity, discriminant validity and retest reliabilityINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 4 2008Jodi M. Gonzalez Abstract Scales used in studies of bipolar disorder have generally been standardized with major depressive or hospitalized manic patients. A clinician rated scale based on a semi-structured interview for persons with bipolar disorder, with comprehensive coverage of bipolar symptomatology, is needed. We report concurrent, divergent and convergent psychometric reliability, discriminant validity and relationship to a measure of overall function for a new psychometric rating instrument. A primarily outpatient sample of 224 subjects was assessed using the Bipolar Inventory of Symptoms Scale (BISS). The BISS total score and depression and mania subscales were compared to the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF). Clinical mood states were also compared using the BISS. The BISS scores demonstrated good concurrent validity, with estimates (Pearson correlations) ranging from 0.74 to 0.94 for YMRS and MADRS and test,retest reliability from 0.95 to 0.98. BISS concurrent validity with the GAF was significant for four clinical states, but not mixed states. The BISS discriminated primary bipolar mood states as well as subjects recovered for eight weeks compared to healthy controls. In conclusion, the BISS is a reliable and valid instrument broadly applicable in clinical research to assess the comprehensive domains of bipolar disorder. Future directions include factor analysis and sensitivity to change from treatment studies. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS): Status and recommendationsMOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 7 2003Article first published online: 18 MAR 200 Abstract The Movement Disorder Society Task Force for Rating Scales for Parkinson's Disease prepared a critique of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Strengths of the UPDRS include its wide utilization, its application across the clinical spectrum of PD, its nearly comprehensive coverage of motor symptoms, and its clinimetric properties, including reliability and validity. Weaknesses include several ambiguities in the written text, inadequate instructions for raters, some metric flaws, and the absence of screening questions on several important non-motor aspects of PD. The Task Force recommends that the MDS sponsor the development of a new version of the UPDRS and encourage efforts to establish its clinimetric properties, especially addressing the need to define a Minimal Clinically Relevant Difference and a Minimal Clinically Relevant Incremental Difference, as well as testing its correlation with the current UPDRS. If developed, the new scale should be culturally unbiased and be tested in different racial, gender, and age-groups. Future goals should include the definition of UPDRS scores with confidence intervals that correlate with clinically pertinent designations, "minimal," "mild," "moderate," and "severe" PD. Whereas the presence of non-motor components of PD can be identified with screening questions, a new version of the UPDRS should include an official appendix that includes other, more detailed, and optionally used scales to determine severity of these impairments. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society [source] On Making Sense (and Nonsense) of HeideggerPHILOSOPHY AND PHENOMENOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2001TAYLOR CARMAN Herman Philipse's Heidegger's Philosophy of Being is an attempt to interpret, analyze, and ultimately discredit the whole of Heidegger's thought. But Philipse's reading of the texts is uncharitable, and the ideas he presents and criticizes often bear little resemblance to Heidegger's views. Philipse relies on a crude distinction between "theoretical" and "applicative" interpretations in arguing that Heidegger's conception of interpretation as a kind of projection (Entwurf) is, like the liar's paradox, formally self-defeating. But even granting the distinction, the charge of reflective incoherence is fallacious and question-begging. Finally, Philipse advances the astonishing "interpretive hypothesis" that the seemingly morbid existential themes in Being and Time were part of a deliberate "Pascalian strategy" to win converts to Heidegger's own idiosyncratic "postrnonotheist worship of Being." In short, notwithstanding its nearly comprehensive coverage of Heidegger's works, the book does not represent a sufficiently serious effort to understand the complexities and obscurities of Heidegger's thinking. [source] Collecting and preserving videogames and their related materials: A review of current practice, game-related archives and research projectsPROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2008Megan A. Winget This paper reviews the major methods and theories regarding the preservation of new media artifacts such as videogames, and argues for the importance of collecting and coming to a better understanding of videogame "artifacts of creation," which will help build a more detailed understanding of the essential qualities of these culturally significant artifacts. We will also review the major videogame collections in the United States, Europe and Japan to give an idea of the current state of videogame archives, and argue for a fuller, more comprehensive coverage of these materials in institutional repositories. [source] MINIMAL VALID AUTOMATA OF SAMPLE SEQUENCES FOR DISCRETE EVENT SYSTEMSASIAN JOURNAL OF CONTROL, Issue 2 2004Sheng-Luen Chung ABSTRACT Minimal valid automata (MVA) refer to valid automata models that fit a given input-output sequence sample from a Mealy machine model. They are minimal in the sense that the number of states in these automata is minimal. Critical to system identification problems of discrete event systems, MVA can be considered as a special case of the minimization problem for incompletely specified sequential machine (ISSM). While the minimization of ISSM in general is an NP-complete problem, various approaches have been proposed to alleviate computational requirement by taking special structural properties of the ISSM at hand. In essence, MVA is to find the minimal realization of an ISSM where each state only has one subsequent state transition defined. This paper presents an algorithm that divides the minimization process into two phases: first to give a reduced machine for the equivalent sequential machine, and then to minimize the reduced machine into minimal realization solutions. An example with comprehensive coverage on how the associated minimal valid automata are derived is also included. [source] Contribution to Promoting Cancer Epidemiology in Japan and to the Activities of the UICC and Others in Cancer Epidemiology and PreventionCANCER SCIENCE, Issue 7 2001Kunio Aoki On the occasion of being awarding the 5th Nagayo Mataro Prize for contributions to promoting cancer epidemiology and international involvement in the UICC (International Union against Cancer), the Monbusho Overseas Field Research (International Scientific Research)-Special Cancer Study and others, it is my pleasure to give a concise description of activities in which I have played a role. My achievements in administration and management are only a small part of the whole of what has been accomplished in cancer epidemiology and prevention, but I hope that a comprehensive coverage of the projects in which it has been my good fortune to participate may provide orientation and suggest priorities for research in the coming decades. I have taken part in many meetings that stimulated the interest of young scientists and physicians in epidemiology and prevention. It can be said that efficient administration and management are indispensable for modern scientific research in order to promote information collection and exchange. I, therefore, humbly hope that my experience may be illuminating. [source] Nitrilase and Its Application as a ,Green' CatalystCHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY, Issue 12 2006Ram Singh Abstract Hydrolase-catalyzed reactions have been widely applied in organic synthesis. Nitrilases are an important class of hydrolase that converts naturally occurring, as well as xenobiotically derived, nitriles to the corresponding carboxylic acids and ammonia. Because of their inherent enantio- and regioselectivities and other benefits, nitrilases are attractive as ,green', mild, and selective catalysts for setting stereogenic centers in fine-chemical synthesis and enantiospecific synthesis of a variety of carboxylic acid derivatives. In this review, the literature has been surveyed to provide a comprehensive coverage of the application of nitrilases in organic synthesis. Literature has also been cited to describe the isolation and/or characterization of nitrilases and related enzymes. [source] | ||||||||||||||||