scholarly journals NaCl pellets for prospective dosimetry using optically stimulated luminescence: Signal integrity and long-term versus short-term exposure

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-702
Author(s):  
Lovisa Waldner ◽  
Christopher Rääf ◽  
Christian Bernhardsson
Keyword(s):  
Absorbed Dose ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Optically Stimulated Luminescence ◽  
Preheat Temperature ◽  
Luminescence Signal ◽  
Chronic Radiation ◽  
Short Term Exposure ◽  
Signal Fading ◽  
Signal Yield

Abstract Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signal properties of pellets from three types of NaCl (two household salts and one analytical grade salt) were investigated for their use in prospective dosimetry. Special attention was given to the OSL signal behaviour with time. The readout protocol was optimised in terms of preheat temperature, and the OSL signal yield of the NaCl pellet with time as well as the fading of the OSL signal with time was investigated. The effects of acute and chronic irradiations were compared. Irradiations and readout were performed using a Risø TL/OSL reader (TL/OSL-DA-15, DTU Nutech, Denmark). The optimal preheat temperature was determined to be 100 ºC, yielding OSL signals similar to a 1 h pause before OSL signal readout. There was no OSL signal fading observed as a function of time, but a decrease in the OSL signal yield of the NaCl pellets with time resulted in an apparent inverse fading when converting the OSL signal to an absorbed dose. For chronic radiation exposures of up to five weeks, the sensitivity of the NaCl pellets was found to be stable. The results of this study show that the use of NaCl pellets for prospective dosimetry is a promising, cost-effective, and accessible complement to commercially available alternatives for accurate absorbed dose determinations.

OSL PROPERTIES IN VARIOUS FORMS OF KCl AND NaCl SAMPLES AFTER EXPOSURE TO IONIZING RADIATION

2018 ◽  
Vol 184 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Majgier ◽  
Christopher L Rääf ◽  
Arkadiusz Mandowski ◽  
Christian Bernhardsson
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Dosimetry ◽  
Absorbed Dose ◽  
Test Dose ◽  
Optically Stimulated Luminescence ◽  
High Reproducibility ◽  
Signal Stability ◽  
Sensitivity Changes ◽  
Potential Use ◽  
Fading Phenomena

Abstract The aim of this work was to investigate the optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) properties of potassium chloride (KCl) and its potential use in radiation dosimetry. The optimal condition for OSL readout with blue light stimulation were designated using a commercially available Risø TL/OSL reader. KCl was studied in three sample forms: crystals, powder and pellets. The following OSL characteristics were determined: signal reproducibility, OSL measurement-induced sensitivity changes, temperature dependence of OSL and signal stability over time. The results show a high reproducibility of KCl samples and strong sensitivity changes, which can be corrected for by using a test-dose. The long-term OSL studies confirmed the occurrence of both inverse fading and fading phenomena in KCl. In addition, a comparison with corresponding measurements using sodium chloride (NaCl) were carried out. Although it was confirmed that NaCl is more suitable for dosimetry, there might be benefits of combining NaCl with KCl for more accurate absorbed dose determinations.

Physical and Psychological Benefits of Written Emotional Expression

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 242-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Éva Kállay
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Expressive Writing ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Cost Effective Treatment ◽  
Meta Analyses

Abstract. The last several decades have witnessed a substantial increase in the number of individuals suffering from both diagnosable and subsyndromal mental health problems. Consequently, the development of cost-effective treatment methods, accessible to large populations suffering from different forms of mental health problems, became imperative. A very promising intervention is the method of expressive writing (EW), which may be used in both clinically diagnosable cases and subthreshold symptomatology. This method, in which people express their feelings and thoughts related to stressful situations in writing, has been found to improve participants’ long-term psychological, physiological, behavioral, and social functioning. Based on a thorough analysis and synthesis of the published literature (also including most recent meta-analyses), the present paper presents the expressive writing method, its short- and long-term, intra-and interpersonal effects, different situations and conditions in which it has been proven to be effective, the most important mechanisms implied in the process of recovery, advantages, disadvantages, and possible pitfalls of the method, as well as variants of the original technique and future research directions.

Antithrombotic Therapy for DVT/PE

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (03) ◽  
pp. 161-162
Author(s):  
Thomas Hyers
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Low Molecular Weight Heparin ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Therapeutic Agents ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Term Therapy ◽  
Low Molecular Weight ◽  
Long Term Therapy

SummaryProblems with unfractionated heparin as an antithrombotic have led to the development of new therapeutic agents. Of these, low molecular weight heparin shows great promise and has led to out-patient therapy of DVT/PE in selected patients. Oral anticoagulants remain the choice for long-term therapy. More cost-effective ways to give oral anticoagulants are needed.

Strategic planning in grassland farming: Principles andapplications

1997 ◽  
pp. 191-197
Author(s):  
W.J. Parker ◽  
N.M. Shadbolt ◽  
D.I. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Strategic Plans ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Farm Business ◽  
Pastoral Farming ◽  
Financial Environment

Three levels of planning can be distinguished in grassland farming: strategic, tactical and operational. The purpose of strategic planning is to achieve a sustainable long-term fit of the farm business with its physical, social and financial environment. In pastoral farming, this essentially means developing plans that maximise and best match pasture growth with animal demand, while generating sufficient income to maintain or enhance farm resources and improvements, and attain personal and financial goals. Strategic plans relate to the whole farm business and are focused on the means to achieve future needs. They should be routinely (at least annually) reviewed and monitored for effectiveness through key performance indicators (e.g., Economic Farm Surplus) that enable progress toward goals to be measured in a timely and cost-effective manner. Failure to link strategy with control is likely to result in unfulfilled plans. Keywords: management, performance

Deep Controlled Source Electro-Magnetic Sensing: A Cost Effective, Long-Term Tool for Sequestration Monitoring

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas LaBrecque ◽  
◽  
Russell D. Brigham ◽  
Conny Schmidt-Hattenburger ◽  
Evan Um ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Magnetic Sensing ◽  
Controlled Source ◽  
Electro Magnetic

scholarly journals Anti-meningococcal B vaccination in Italian adolescents: a cost-effective health opportunity

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Panatto ◽  
P Landa ◽  
D Amicizia ◽  
P L Lai ◽  
E Lecini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Vaccination Strategy ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Dose Schedule ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Invasive Disease ◽  
International Setting ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Invasive disease due to Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) is a serious public health problem even in developed countries, owing to its high lethality rate (8-15%) and the invalidating sequelae suffered by many (up to 60%) survivors. As the microorganism is transmitted via the airborne route, the only available weapon in the fight against Nm invasive disease is vaccination. Our aim was to carry out an HTA to evaluate the costs and benefits of anti-meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination with Trumenba® in adolescents in Italy, while also considering the impact of this new vaccination strategy on organizational and ethics aspects. Methods A lifetime Markov model was developed. MenB vaccination with the two-dose schedule of Trumenba® in adolescents was compared with 'non-vaccination'. Two perspectives were considered: the National Health Service (NHS) and society. Three disease phases were defined: acute, post-acute and long-term. Epidemiological, economic and health utilities data were taken from Italian and international literature. The analysis was conducted by means of Microsoft Excel 2010®. Results Our study indicated that vaccinating adolescents (11th year of life) with Trumenba® was cost-effective with an ICER = € 7,912/QALY from the NHS perspective and € 7,758/QALY from the perspective of society. Vaccinating adolescents reduces the number of cases of disease due to meningococcus B in one of the periods of highest incidence of the disease, resulting in significant economic and health savings. Conclusions This is the first study to evaluate the overall impact of free MenB vaccination in adolescents both in Italy and in the international setting. Although cases of invasive disease due to meningococcus B are few, if the overall impact of the disease is adequately considered, it becomes clear that including anti-meningococcal B vaccination into the immunization program for adolescents is strongly recommended from the health and economic standpoints. Key messages Free, large-scale MenB vaccination is key to strengthening the global fight against invasive meningococcal disease. Anti-meningococcal B vaccination in adolescents is a cost-effective health opportunity.

Short-term exposure and long-term consequences of neonatal exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and ibuprofen in mice

2016 ◽  
Vol 307 ◽  
pp. 137-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaëtan Philippot ◽  
Fred Nyberg ◽  
Torsten Gordh ◽  
Anders Fredriksson ◽  
Henrik Viberg
Keyword(s):  
Neonatal Exposure ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Term Exposure ◽  
Long Term Consequences

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal associations of air pollutant concentrations, GP respiratory consultations and respiratory inhaler prescriptions: a 5-year study of primary care in the borough of Lambeth, South London

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Ashworth ◽  
◽  
Antonis Analitis ◽  
David Whitney ◽  
Evangelia Samoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Respiratory Morbidity ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Term Exposure ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Abstract Background Although the associations of outdoor air pollution exposure with mortality and hospital admissions are well established, few previous studies have reported on primary care clinical and prescribing data. We assessed the associations of short and long-term pollutant exposures with General Practitioner respiratory consultations and inhaler prescriptions. Methods Daily primary care data, for 2009–2013, were obtained from Lambeth DataNet (LDN), an anonymised dataset containing coded data from all patients (1.2 million) registered at general practices in Lambeth, an inner-city south London borough. Counts of respiratory consultations and inhaler prescriptions by day and Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) of residence were constructed. We developed models for predicting daily PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and O3 per LSOA. We used spatio-temporal mixed effects zero inflated negative binomial models to investigate the simultaneous short- and long-term effects of exposure to pollutants on the number of events. Results The mean concentrations of NO2, PM10, PM2.5 and O3 over the study period were 50.7, 21.2, 15.6, and 49.9 μg/m3 respectively, with all pollutants except NO2 having much larger temporal rather than spatial variability. Following short-term exposure increases to PM10, NO2 and PM2.5 the number of consultations and inhaler prescriptions were found to increase, especially for PM10 exposure in children which was associated with increases in daily respiratory consultations of 3.4% and inhaler prescriptions of 0.8%, per PM10 interquartile range (IQR) increase. Associations further increased after adjustment for weekly average exposures, rising to 6.1 and 1.2%, respectively, for weekly average PM10 exposure. In contrast, a short-term increase in O3 exposure was associated with decreased number of respiratory consultations. No association was found between long-term exposures to PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 and number of respiratory consultations. Long-term exposure to NO2 was associated with an increase (8%) in preventer inhaler prescriptions only. Conclusions We found increases in the daily number of GP respiratory consultations and inhaler prescriptions following short-term increases in exposure to NO2, PM10 and PM2.5. These associations are more pronounced in children and persist for at least a week. The association with long term exposure to NO2 and preventer inhaler prescriptions indicates likely increased chronic respiratory morbidity.

scholarly journals Cost-effectiveness of a hybrid emergency room system for severe trauma: a health technology assessment from the perspective of the third-party payer in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro Kinoshita ◽  
Kensuke Moriwaki ◽  
Nao Hanaki ◽  
Tetsuhisa Kitamura ◽  
Kazuma Yamakawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Emergency Room ◽  
Healthcare Costs ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Severe Trauma ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Trauma Patients ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Third

Abstract Background Hybrid emergency room (ER) systems, consisting of an angiography-computed tomography (CT) machine in a trauma resuscitation room, are reported to be effective for reducing death from exsanguination in trauma patients. We aimed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of a hybrid ER system in severe trauma patients without severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods We conducted a cost-utility analysis comparing the hybrid ER system to the conventional ER system from the perspective of the third-party healthcare payer in Japan. A short-term decision tree and a long-term Markov model using a lifetime time horizon were constructed to estimate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and associated lifetime healthcare costs. Short-term mortality and healthcare costs were derived from medical records and claims data in a tertiary care hospital with a hybrid ER. Long-term mortality and utilities were extrapolated from the literature. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set at $47,619 per QALY gained and the discount rate was 2%. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. Results The hybrid ER system was associated with a gain of 1.03 QALYs and an increment of $33,591 lifetime costs compared to the conventional ER system, resulting in an ICER of $32,522 per QALY gained. The ICER was lower than the willingness-to-pay threshold if the odds ratio of 28-day mortality was < 0.66. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated that the hybrid ER system was cost-effective with a 79.3% probability. Conclusion The present study suggested that the hybrid ER system is a likely cost-effective strategy for treating severe trauma patients without severe TBI.

scholarly journals First-Line Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab versus Sorafenib in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 931
Author(s):  
Chi-Leung Chiang ◽  
Sik-Kwan Chan ◽  
Shing-Fung Lee ◽  
Horace Cheuk-Wai Choi
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Lifetime Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
First Line ◽  
First Line Therapy ◽  
Payer Perspective ◽  
Life Years ◽  
Using Data

Background: The IMbrave 150 trial revealed that atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (atezo–bev) improves survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (1 year survival rate: 67.2% vs. 54.6%). We assessed the cost-effectiveness of atezo–bev vs. sorafenib as first-line therapy in patients with unresectable HCC from the US payer perspective. Methods: Using data from the IMbrave 150, we developed a Markov model to compare the lifetime cost and efficacy of atezo–bev as first-line systemic therapy in HCC with those of sorafenib. The main outcomes were life-years, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), lifetime costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Results: Atezo–bev demonstrated a gain of 0.44 QALYs, with an additional cost of USD 79,074. The ICER of atezo–bev was USD 179,729 per QALY when compared with sorafenib. The model was most sensitive to the overall survival hazard ratio and body weight. If we assumed that all patients at the end of the IMbrave 150 trial were cured of HCC, atezo–bev was cost-effective (ICER USD 53,854 per QALY). However, if all patients followed the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data, the ICER of atezo–bev was USD 385,857 per QALY. Reducing the price of atezo–bev by 20% and 29% would satisfy the USD 150,000/QALY and 100,000/QALY willingness-to-pay threshold. Moreover, capping the duration of therapy to ≤12 months or reducing the dosage of bev to ≤10 mg/kg would render atezo–bev cost-effective. Conclusions: The long-term effectiveness of atezo–bev is a critical but uncertain determinant of its cost-effectiveness. Price reduction would favorably influence cost-effectiveness, even if long-term clinical outcomes were modest. Further studies to optimize the duration and dosage of therapy are warranted.

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