OBJECTIVES To compare the cost-effectiveness of alternative methods of screening for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in the United Kingdom, including the existing method of indirect ophthalmoscopy by ophthalmologists and digital photographic screening by nurses. METHODS A decision tree model was used to compare five screening modalities for the UK population of preterm babies, using a health...

BACKGROUND Although glasses and bottles are frequently used as weapons in assaults, there is little knowledge on which prevention strategies can be based. DESIGN Scrutiny of a random sample of 1288 criminal injury compensation applications. OBJECTIVE To identify predictors and relative severity of glass and bottle injury. METHOD Injury site, severity, treatment, and demographic characteri...

BACKGROUND Musculoskeletal problems generate high costs. Of these disorders, patients with knee problems are commonly seen by GPs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee is an accurate diagnostic test, but there is uncertainty as to whether GP access to MRI for these patients is a cost-effective policy. AIM To investigate the cost-effectiveness of GP referral to early MRI and a provisio...

OBJECTIVES For people with dyspepsia who are receiving orthodox general practice care, what is the effect on outcome and on NHS costs of adding treatment by a choice of acupuncture or homeopathy? This paper describes and reflects upon a pilot study with user involvement. DESIGN A randomised pilot study. Patients chose between acupuncture and homeopathy and were then randomised to this prefere...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the annual cost of treating pressure ulcers in the UK. DESIGN Costs were derived from a bottom-up methodology, based on the daily resources required to deliver protocols of care reflecting good clinical practice. SETTING Health and social care system in the UK. SUBJECTS Patients developing a pressure ulcer. METHODS A bottom-up costing approach is used to estimate t...

OBJECTIVE To determine the short-term healthcare costs associated with intensive lipid lowering with atorvastatin initiated within 24-96 hours of the occurrence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients in the UK. METHODS Patient-level clinical outcome data from the Myocardial Ischaemia Reduction with Aggressive Cholesterol Lowering (MIRACL) trial and standard cost data were used to compar...

OBJECTIVE Leptin receptors are abundant in human skeletal muscle, but the role of leptin in muscle growth, development and aging is not well understood. Here we utilized a novel mouse model lacking all functional leptin receptor isoforms (POUND mouse, Lepr(db/lb)) to determine the role of leptin in skeletal muscle. METHODS AND FINDINGS Skeletal muscle mass and fiber diameters were examined in...

The intersection between 3D objects plays a prominent role in spatial reasoning, geometric modeling and computer vision. Detection of possible intersection between objects can be based on the objects’ triangulated boundaries, leading to computing triangle-triangle intersection. Traditionally there are separate algorithms for cross intersection and coplanar intersection. There is no single algor...

The question of extendability of the action of a cyclic group of automorphisms of a compact Riemann surface is considered. Particular attention is paid to those cases corresponding to Singerman's list of Fuchsian groups which are not nitely-maximal, and more generally to cases involving a Fuchsian triangle group. The results provide partial answers to the question of which cyclic groups are the...