Using an 11-year panel of 156 Norwegian and Swedish patients with severe haemophilia, and including retrospective case-book data from birth, we compared the differences in the haemophilia-related resource use between on-demand and prophylactic treatment. Patients treated on-demand had more surgery (arthrodeses, prostheses implantations and synovectomies) and more days lost from work. Median ann...

OBJECTIVES To assess the validity, feasibility and acceptability of standard gamble (SG) and time trade-off (TTO) assessments in a multiethnic Asian population. METHODS Through in-depth interviews performed among Chinese, Malay, and Indian Singaporeans (education >or= 6 years), we assessed validity of SG/TTO methods for eliciting health preferences by hypothesizing that 1) SG/TTO scores for t...

The short-term behavioral responses of adult grasshoppers, Melanoplus sanguinipes (F.) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), were examined after they experienced changes in microclimate when beingforced to change positions in their habitat. It was also determined if and when behavioral tactics allowed adults to achieve body temperatures within their preferred range. The preferred or set-point range, here ta...

OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study are to develop a discrete-event simulation (DES) model for the Singapore Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and to demonstrate the utility of this DES model for the evaluation of different policy alternatives to improve ambulance response times. METHODS A DES model was developed based on retrospective emergency call data over a continuous 6-month period ...

The thermal environment experienced during embryonic development can profoundly affect the phenotype, and potentially the fitness, of ectothermic animals. We examined the effect of incubation temperature on the thermal preferences of juveniles in the oviparous lizard, Anolis carolinensis. Temperature preference trials were conducted in a laboratory thermal gradient within 48 hr of hatching and ...

Objective monitoring of cough sound for extended period is an important step toward a better understanding of this symptom. Because ambulatory cough monitoring systems are not commercially available, we prepared own monitoring system, which is able to distinguish between voluntary cough sound and speech in healthy volunteers. 20-min sound records were obtained using portable digital voice recor...

OBJECTIVES There are unique challenges to enrolling patients in emergency department (ED) clinical research studies, including the time-sensitive nature of emergency conditions, the acute care environment, and the lack of an established relationship with patients. Prolonged ED wait times have been associated with a variety of adverse effects on patient care. The objective of this study was to a...

OBJECTIVES To undertake a systematic review on structured violence risk assessment tools in individuals with schizophrenia. METHODS A systematic search was conducted from 1990 to 2011 to identify violence risk assessment tools and studies examining their predictive validity. Item content of the identified instruments was analyzed, and areas under the curve (AUC) from the studies were extracte...

Little is known about the pattern of genetic testing and frequency of genetic diagnoses among children enrolled in structured complex care programs (CCPs). Such information may inform the suitability of emerging genome diagnostics for this population. The objectives were to describe the proportion of children with undiagnosed genetic conditions despite genetic testing and measure the testing pe...

HIV infection is characterized by a gradual deterioration of immune function, mainly in the CD4 compartment. To better understand the dynamics of HIV-specific T cells, we analyzed the kinetics and polyfunctional profiles of Gag-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell responses in 12 subtype C-infected individuals with different disease-progression profiles, ranging from acute to chronic HIV infection...