Articles were eligible for inclusion if algorithms were developed to convert components from disease-specific measures into utility scores.
Of 1,029 articles identified, 50 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. The most frequent conditions where DSPMs were developed included Z-IETD-FMK supplier cancer (12 studies), coronary artery disease (4 studies), osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (3 studies of each), obesity, and stroke (2 studies of each). Most studies involved mapping items or scores from disease-specific non-preference-based measures onto a preference-based measure of health such as the EQ-5D. A substantial number of DSPMs appeared to include unique content
not covered by EQ-5D dimensions.
Several conditions were identified as potential areas where the richness of the EQ-5D descriptive system could be enhanced. It is yet unclear whether added dimension(s) would contribute unique explained variance to a utility score. Given the resources required to rigorously develop a utility measure, the need for such measures should be carefully vetted.”
“Background: The island of Timor lies at the south-eastern edge of Indonesia on the boundary of the Oriental and Australian faunal regions.
The country of Timor-Leste, which occupies Sotrastaurin cell line the eastern part of the island, is malarious but anopheline faunal surveys and malaria vector incrimination date back to the 1960 s. Over the last decade the malaria vectors of south-east Asia and the south-west Pacific have been intensely studied using molecular techniques that can confirm identification within complexes of isomorphic
species. The aim of this study is to accurately identify GSK-3 inhibitor the Anopheles fauna of Timor-Leste using these techniques.
Methods: The survey was carried out over the period February to June 2001. Standard entomological techniques human landing collections, larval collections and CO2 baited light traps – were used to collect anophelines from the main geographical regions: coastal plains, inland plains, and highlands. Specimens were processed for identification by morphology and genotyped for the ribosomal DNA ITS2 by restriction analysis and/or DNA sequencing. Phylogenetic relationship of Anopheles sundaicus and Anopheles subpictus individuals was also assessed using DNA sequences from the ITS2 and mitochondrial cytochrome-b. All specimens, other than those from larval surveys, were processed to detect the presence of the Plasmodium parasite circumsporozoite protein by ELISA for vector incrimination.
Results: Of 2,030 specimens collected, seven species were identified by morphology: Anopheles barbirostris, Anopheles aconitus, Anopheles annularis, Anopheles maculatus, Anopheles peditaeniatus, An. sundaicus and Anopheles vagus. These were confirmed by molecular analysis with the addition of Anopheles flavirostris and an unidentified species designated here as An. vagus genotype B.