BACKGROUND Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are blood and bone marrow disorders that occur primarily in the elderly population, with 30% of all cases progressing to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Red blood cell transfusions--a conventional treatment of MDS--have been associated with high costs and decreased quality of life compared with transfusion independence. Phase III clinical trial data sugg...

The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) is the most introduced model in Spanish hospitals. The main target of this model is the internal and external client's satisfaction. The model of strategic management Balanced Scorecard (BSC) facilitates the alignment between management and the mission and vision of hospitals. For this reason, we propose a model of integrated management: EFQ...

BACKGROUND Topotecan is a relatively new drug for use as a second-line treatment in patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We performed a systematic review and economic evaluation of topotecan, and consider it here in relation to the NICE end of life criteria. METHODS Seventeen bibliographic databases (including Cochrane library, Medline and Embase) were searched from 1990 to F...

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) came to the fore following drawbacks from using financial measures only to measure company performance. Managers are using BSC to communicate their strategy, for planning and controlling, for getting feedback and, for performance monitoring. This study examines the factors that influence managers to use the BSC. Identifying the factors will help to explain why some ...

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a popular concept for performance measurement, because it focuses attention of management on just a few measures and bridges different functional areas (both financial and non-financial measures are included in the BSC). But, the BSC has also received some criticism. In this paper five limitations of the use of the BSC are discussed: BSCs focus on unidirectional ...

BACKGROUND There is considerable interest in investigating the role of the microbiota in various diseases, including transplant rejection. Germ-free (GF) and gnotobiotic mice are powerful models for this line of investigation, but performing surgery within the confines of a sterile housing isolator is exceptionally challenging. Development of rigorous protocols to be able to remove axenic mice ...

Business management is a complex task that can be facilitated using different methodologies and models. One of their most relevant purposes is to align the organization strategy with the daily functioning of the organization. One of these models is the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). In this paper, we propose a modeling strategy for the BSC implantation process. We will model it using UML Activity Di...

Activity-Based Costing (ABC) is a method of measuring the cost and performance of activities and cost objects. It helps identify problems or ways to take advantage of opportunities by providing financial and nonfinancial information about activities and cost objects. Balanced Scorecard (BSC) has been accepted by the business world, worldwide, as a very promising tool for the performance measure...

Kaplan and Norton introduced the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) which is based on a systems perspective of the business strategy and performance measurement. Many organizations around the world are using the BSC to define, implement and manage strategy. Nevertheless there exist studies that identify problems and limitations associated with the implementation and use of the BSC. Those studies show in ...

Leaf-chewing insects are commonly believed to be unable to crush the nutrient-rich bundle sheath cells (BSC) of C 4 grasses. This physical constraint on digestion is thought to reduce the nutritional quality of these grasses substantially. However, recent evidence suggests that BSC are digested by grasshoppers. To directly assess the ability of grasshoppers to digest C 4 grass BSC, leaf particl...