简介:AbstractBackground:Continuing progress in the global pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) response depends on timely identification and care of infants with HIV. As countries scale-out improvements to HIV early infant diagnosis (EID), economic evaluations are needed to inform program design and implementation. This scoping review aimed to summarize the available evidence and discuss practical implications of cost and cost-effectiveness analyses of HIV EID.Methods:We systematically searched bibliographic databases (Embase, MEDLINE and EconLit) and grey literature for economic analyses of HIV EID in low- and middle-income countries published between January 2008 and June 2021. We extracted data on unit costs, cost savings, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios as well as outcomes related to health and the HIV EID care process and summarized results in narrative and tabular formats. We converted unit costs to 2021 USD for easier comparison of costs across studies.Results:After title and abstract screening of 1278 records and full-text review of 99 records, we included 29 studies: 17 cost analyses and 12 model-based cost-effectiveness analyses. Unit costs were 21.46-51.80 USD for point-of-care EID tests and 16.21-42.73 USD for laboratory-based EID tests. All cost-effectiveness analyses stated at least one of the interventions evaluated to be cost-effective. Most studies reported costs of EID testing strategies; however, few studies assessed the same intervention or reported costs in the same way, making comparison of costs across studies challenging. Limited data availability of context-appropriate costs and outcomes of children with HIV as well as structural heterogeneity of cost-effectiveness modelling studies limits generalizability of economic analyses of HIV EID.Conclusions:The available cost and cost-effectiveness evidence for EID of HIV, while not directly comparable across studies, covers a broad range of interventions and suggests most interventions designed to improve EID are cost-effective or cost-saving. Further studies capturing costs and benefits of EID services as they are delivered in real-world settings are needed.
简介:AbstractBackground:Though the utilization of traditional medicine has been proposed for modern drug research and development (R&D), limited research has discussed its feasible paths. In this commentary, we summarized key factors for new drug R&D under limited resources by reviewing China’s discovery of artemisinin, and raised suggestions to utilize traditional medicines in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).Main text:We suggested that systematic utilization of traditional medicine, outstanding synergy of research units at all levels and timely information-sharing mechanism should be achieved to establish a comprehensive and efficient R&D system, especially under low-resource settings. In the case of artemisinin discovery, Chinese scientists integrated documented traditional medicine experiences and modern approaches to develop drug candidates timely. Due to limited R&D resources, China adopted a collaborative way, motivating nearly all domestic research units at different levels, to develop antimalarial products. Moreover, the excellent synergy among all units through efficient information-sharing mechanisms greatly avoided work repetition and accelerated the R&D process.Conclusion:Traditional medicines inspires drug discoveries in LMICs, while a comprehensive and efficient R&D system could accelerate its R&D process and save investment. The discovery of artemisinin in China gave a reliable pattern to promote sustainable development of traditional medicines and a good example to realize R&D of traditional medicine under low-resource settings.
简介:AbstractPreeclampsia remains associated with an increased risk of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, and the burden of that excess risk is largely borne by pregnant women and their families in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Therefore, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded the PREeclampsia - Eclampsia Monitoring, Prevention, and Treatment (PRE-EMPT) initiative to accelerate progress. From PRE-EMPT, and related activity, have come a number of impactful findings. First, there is increasing global support for broadening the definition of preeclampsia to include women with hypertension and either significant proteinuria or evidence of target organ damage or fetoplacental compromise (including evidence angiogenic imbalance). Second, using blood pressure (BP) data from the Community-Level Interventions for Preeclampsia trials in India, Mozambique, and Pakistan, acquired on validated-for-pregnancy, semi-automated, low-cost BP devices, there are now population-level, rather than facility-based, estimates for the burden of pregnancy hypertension (sub-categorized into preeclampsia (4%-6%), gestational hypertension (7%-12%), and chronic hypertension (0.3%-0.6%)). Third, there is an identified need to understand biological pathways that underlie the causation of preeclampsia in LMICs. Fourth, the Community-Level Interventions for Preeclampsia trials have shown that providing at least eight antenatal contacts, in this case using digital health-supported community health workers, cost-effectively reduces the burden of maternal (by 60%), fetal (60%), and neonatal (40%) mortality. Fifth, what is the utility and cost-effectiveness of routine proteinuria screening of normotensive pregnant women? Sixth, clinical risk factor-based prediction of preeclampsia remains most relevant for most women in LMICs; calcium replacement (≥1 g/day) and low-dose aspirin (100-175 mg/day) are the most useful directly preventative interventions. However, achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) not directly related to health are more likely to reduce the global burden of preeclampsia and its consequences. Seventh, should a woman develop preeclampsia, personalized maternal time-of-disease risk estimates are available through the PIERS (Preeclampsia Integrated Estimate of RiSk) models, either with (fullPIERS) or without (miniPIERS) access to laboratory testing. Assessment of perinatal risks in LMICs is largely driven by gestational age; however, evidence of significant angiogenic imbalance may identify risk of intrauterine fetal death. Eighth, Control of Hypertension in Pregnancy Study trial data show that women with non-severe pregnancy hypertension (systolic BP 140-159 mmHg or diastolic BP (dBP) 90-109 mmHg) should receive an antihypertensive medication for a target dBP of 85 mmHg. Ninth, for women with severe pregnancy hypertension (systolic BP ≥160 mmHg or dBP ≥110 mmHg), oral antihypertensive management with either nifedipine, labetalol, or, less so, methyldopa will lower BP into the non-severe hypertension range. Tenth, magnesium sulfate remains the sole agent of choice for preventing and treating eclamptic seizures. Eleventh, corticosteroids should be administered to women at risk of delivery <35+0 weeks’ gestation. Twelfth, although delivery of the placenta initiates resolution of the maternal syndrome of preeclampsia, decisions to initiate delivery should be guided by gestational age and maternal and fetal status. Many women will experience significant postpartum deterioration; delivery should not be equated with "cure" . Thirteenth, whether the development of preeclampsia identifies women at increased risk for early-onset cardiovascular disease in LMICs must be determined.
简介:Thispaperexploresthemacroeconomicdeterminantsofnon-performingloans(NPL)in19Asiancountries(lowtohighincomeeconomies)usingtheGeneralizedMethodofMomentsestimationapproachbasedontheeconomicdatafortheperiodbetween1998and2015.ThecategorizationoftheeconomiesisbasedontheaveragegrossnationalincomepercapitaassetbytheWorldBank.Specifically,thepaperaimstoevaluateifthedeterminantsofNPLvarywiththeincomelevelsofthecountries.TheresultsindicatethattheNPLisstronglyinfluencedbytheinflationrate.Theeffectis,however,negativeinthehigh-incomeandthemiddle-incomecountriesandpositiveinthelow-incomecountries.TheGDPpercapitahasadynamicnegativerelationshipwiththeNPLinthehigh-incomeandthelow-incomecountries.Theremittancehasasignificantpositiveassociationinthehigh-incomeandasignificantnegativeassociationinthelow-incomecountries.Similarly,theunemploymentratehasapositiveeffectonNPLinthemiddle-incomeandthelow-incomecountries.Withtheriseintheofficialexchangerate,theNPLlevelincreasesinthelow-incomecountries.TheoverallestimationresultssuggestthattheNPLinAsianbankingsystemdependonsomekeymacroeconomicvariables,suchasunemploymentrate,inflationrate,officialexchangerate,remittancereceivedandgrossdomesticproductpercapita,andtheseassociationsvarywiththeincomelevelofthecountries.Therefore,economiclevelofacountryshouldbecarefullyconsideredwhileformulatingcreditpolicytominimizecreditrisksinthebankingsystem.
简介:Thereareabout1.27millionhaofuplandredsoilsderivedfromQuaternaryredclayfacingthedegradationinthelow-hillyregionofthemiddlesubtropicalChina.Fromtheaspectsofchemistry,physicsandmicrobiology,theprocessesofsoilfertilityrestorationinthesurfacelayer(0-20cm)underthreetypesoflandusepatterns(i.e.citursorchard,teagardenandupland)intwoprovinceswerestudiedinthiswork.Resultsshowedthatthereclamationoferodedwastealdnimprovedmostofsoilproperties.Soilorganicmatter,totalNandP,availablePandK,andexchangeableCaandMgincreased,butsoiltotalKandexchangeableAldecreasedSoilpHdecreasedby0.5unitinthepureteaplantationfor20years.Soilreclamationincreasedthepercentageofsoilmicreasedby0.5unitinthepureteaplantationfor20years.Soilreclamationincreasedthepercentageofsoilmicroaggregates(<0.25mm),especiallythosewithadiameterof0.02-0.002mm.Soiltotalporosityincreasedinthecultivatedlandswiththeincreaseofsoilaerationandcapillaryporosity,Thenumberofsoilmicroorganismsincreasedwithreclamationcausedmainlybythehugeincreaseofthetotalamoutofbacteria,Withthecultivation,theeativityofsoilureaseandacidphosphataseincreased.butthatofinvertasedropped.
简介:TheProgramofCocinasComunitariasinthestateofOaxaca,Mexicobenefitschildrenaged6to12whoattendprimaryeducationschoolsinlow-incomemunicipalities.Itishopedthatthisfoodassistanceprogramwillallowchildrentolearnbetteranddeveloplearningskills.Inthisway,asignificantreductioninthegradefailureratesanddropoutratesisexpected,whichwillbereflectedinahighergraduationefficiencyrates.Infact,thecontributionofthisworkconsistsofamethodologyfortheanalysisoftheimpactofthefoodsubsidyontheacademicperformanceoflow-incomeprimaryeducationstudents.Inthissense,amultivariatemodelwasconstructedtoanalyzetheinterrelationshipsbetweengradefailure,dropout,graduationefficiencyrates,foodsubsidy,andthesocio-demographiccharacteristicsofthepopulationthatattendsprimaryeducation.TheMexicangovernmentexpectsfromthisprogramthatthemorelow-incomechildrencompleteprimaryeducation,themorelikelythatahighernumberofadolescentswillcompletehighschooleducation.Thisschemeisveryimportantforthecountry’shalfpopulationlivinginpovertyandespeciallyinOaxacaStatewhichisoneofpooreststates.
简介:Toenlargethemiddle-incomegroupandconstructthe'olivary'incomedistributionbecomesoneoftheimportantissuesoftheeconomicdevelopmentandincomedistributionreforminChina.Theincomedistributionfunctionisestimatedwithkerneldensity,andtheincomedistributionM-curveisconstructedwithCHNSandCHIPdatatocalculatethemiddle-incomegroup.Furthermore,acomparativeanalysisiscarriedoutforthechangingtrendofthesizeandproportionofmiddle-incomegroup.Researchconclusion:itisdiscoveredaccordingtotheincomedistributionM-curvethatthekeytotheenlargementofurbanmiddle-incomegroupliesinthelowermiddle-incomegroup,whilethekeytotheenlargementofruralmiddle-incomegroupliesintheimprovementoftheuppermiddle-incomegroup.Therangeofmiddle-incomegroupisexpanding,butduetothesmallscale,lowproportion,andpoorstability,ithasnotdevelopedthe'olivary'incomedistributionstructureyet,andincomeinequalitytendstobedeepened.
简介:Inthispaper,anerrorsourceintheatmosphericcomponentoftheCZ(Cane-Zebiak)modelisdiscussed,whichismissingafreemodein“theexactsolutions”.However,theimprovedschemeisproposed,whichisthecomputationalschemewithadjustedwindorobserveduandvaslateralboundaries.Thesimulationsshowthatthesimulatedsurfacewindbytheimprovedschemestrong-lybearsresemblancetotheobservationexceptfortheareanearthewestandtheeastboundariesoftheintegratedarea.Theseresultssupporttheconclusionthatthewindstresssimulatedbytheim-provedschemewithlateralboundariesismuchbetterthanthatsimulatedbytheCZmodel,andshowthatinteractionbetweenlowandmiddlelatitudeshasanimportantinfluenceontheENSOvariabilityintheCZmodel.Therefore,consideringitsimpactontheCZmodelcanimprovecapa-bilityoftheCZmodelforsimulatingENSOvariability.
简介:AbstractBackground:Unawareness of stroke symptoms and low income are two barriers that affect the seeking of emergency medical service (EMS). This study aimed to assess the effect of unawareness and low income on seeking EMS and to investigate the regional distribution of the unawareness and low-income status and their associations with failing to call EMS in China.Methods:A total of 187,723 samples from the China National Stroke Screening Survey was interviewed cross-sectionally. Four status of awareness and annual income were identified: unaware and low-income, unaware-only, low-income-only, and aware and regular income. The outcomes were whether they intended to call EMS or not. The regional distribution of each status and their associations with not calling EMS were presented.Results:The status of unaware and low-income, unaware-only, and low-income-only accounted for 6.3 % (11,806/187,673), 11.9% (22,241/187,673), and 21.5% (40,289/187,673) of the total sample, respectively. Not calling EMS was significantly associated with the status of unaware and low-income (odds ratio [OR]: 3.21, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.07-3.35), unaware-only (OR: 2.38, 95% CI: 2.31-2.46), and low-income-only (OR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.63-1.71), compared with the aware and regular income status. The Midwest regions had higher percentages of people in the unaware and low-income status; the East, South, and Central had higher percentages of unaware-only status; the North and Northeast regions had a higher percentage of low-income-only status, compared with other regions.Conclusion:The existence of the regional difference in unawareness and low income justifies the specific stroke education strategies for the targeted regions and population.
简介:Inthispaper,five-yearsimulateddatafromalow-resolutionglobalspectralmodelwithtriangulartrunca-lionatwavenumber10areanalyzedinordertostudydynamicalfeaturesandpropagationcharacteristicsofintraseasonaloxillationsoverthemid-latitudesandthetropicalatmosphere.Thesimulationsshowthatthereisthe30-50dayperiodicoscillationinthelow-resolutionspectralmodelwithoutnon-seasonalexternalforcing,andspatialscaleoftheintraseasonaloscihationsisoftheglobe.Furtheranalysisfindsthatpropagationcharac-tersofintraseasonaloscillationsoverthemid-latitudesandthetropicsaredifferent.The30-50dayoscillationoverthetropicsexhibitsstructureofthevelocitypotentialwavewithwavenumber1inthelatitudinalandthecharacterofthetravelingwaveeastwardatspeedof8longitudes/day.However,the30-50dayoscillationsinmid-latitudeatmosphereexhibitphaseandamplitudeoscillationofthestandingplanetarywavesandtheyarerelatedtotransformofteleconnectionpatternsoverthemid-latitudes.Theenergyisnotonlytransferredbetweenthetropicsandthemiddle-highlatitudes,butalsobetweendifferentregionsoverthetropics.Basedontheanalysisof5-yearbandpassfiltereddatafroma5-layerglobalspectralmodelofJow-ordetwithtruncatedwavenumberl0,investigationisdoneofthesourceofintraseasonaloscillationsintheextratropicalmodelatmosphereanditsmechanism.Resultsshowthat(1)theconvectiveheattransferredeastwardalongtheequatorservesasthesourceoftheintraseasonaloxillationbothinthetropicalandtheextratropicalatmos--phere;(2)thevelocity-potentialwaveofazonalstructureofwavenumber1givesrisetooxillationindivergentandconvergentwindfieldsofadipole-formasseenfromtheequatorialIndianOceantothewesternPacificduringitseastwardpropagation,thusindicatingtheoscillationinthedipole-formheatsoure:e/sinkpattertl;(3)thetropicalheat-sourceoscillationisresponsibleforthe