Laura Jean Podewils

Evaluation of a home-based exercise program in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: the Maximizing Independence in Dementia (MIND) study.

To determine the feasibility and efficacy of a home‐based exercise intervention program to improve the functional performance of patients with Alzheimers Disease (AD).

Projected Cost-Effectiveness of Rotavirus Vaccination for Children in Asia

BACKGROUND New rotavirus vaccines may soon be licensed, and decisions regarding implementation of their use will likely be based on the health and economic benefits of vaccination. METHODS We estimated the benefits and cost-effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination in Asia by using published estimates of rotavirus disease incidence, health care expenditures, vaccine coverage rates, and vaccine efficacy. RESULTS Without a rotavirus vaccination program, it is estimated that 171,000 Asian children will die of rotavirus diarrhea, 1.9 million will be hospitalized, and 13.5 million will require an outpatient visit by the time the Asian birth cohort reaches 5 years of age. The medical costs associated with these events are approximately 191 million US dollars; however, the total burden would be higher with the inclusion of such societal costs as lost productivity. A universal rotavirus vaccination program could avert approximately 109,000 deaths, 1.4 million hospitalizations, and 7.7 million outpatient visits among these children. CONCLUSIONS A rotavirus vaccine could be cost-effective, depending on the income level of the country, the price of the vaccine, and the cost-effectiveness standard that is used. Decisions regarding implementation of vaccine use should be based not only on whether the intervention provides a cost savings but, also, on the value of preventing rotavirus disease-associated morbidity and mortality, particularly in countries with a low income level (according to 2004 World Bank criteria for the classification of countries into income groups on the basis of per capita gross national income) where the disease burden is great.

Economic Costs of Rotavirus Gastroenteritis and Cost-Effectiveness of Vaccination in Developing Countries

BACKGROUND Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in children worldwide. We evaluated the economic burden of rotavirus and the cost-effectiveness of vaccination from the health care perspective. METHODS Estimates were based on existing epidemiological data, cost estimates, vaccine coverage, and efficacy data, as well as hypothetical vaccine prices. Outcome measures included health care and societal costs of rotavirus and benefits and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of vaccination. Sensitivity analyses evaluated the impact of estimate uncertainty. RESULTS Treatment costs increased with income level, and health burden decreased; however, burden varied across regions. On the basis of current vaccination coverage and timing, rotavirus vaccination would annually prevent 228,000 deaths, 13.7 million hospital visits, and 8.7 million disability-adjusted life-years, saving

Acute, infectious diarrhea among children in developing countries.

188 million in treatment costs and

A National Survey of Severe Influenza-Associated Complications among Children and Adults, 2003–2004

243 million in societal costs. At

Scaling Up Programmatic Management of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Prioritized Research Agenda

5 per dose, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio in low-, lower-middle-, and upper-middle-income countries was

Performance of the BACTEC MGIT 960 compared with solid media for detection of Mycobacterium in Bangkok, Thailand.

88,

Baseline estimates of diarrhea-associated mortality among United States children before rotavirus vaccine introduction.

291, and

Patterns of Treatment Interruption among Patients with Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR TB) and Association with Interim and Final Treatment Outcomes

329 per disability-adjusted life-year averted, respectively, and

Impact of community tracer teams on treatment outcomes among tuberculosis patients in South Africa

3,015,