Pooled Sputum for Xpert MTB/RIF Testing: A Cost-Saving Strategy in Mwanza, Tanzania

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics, such as Xpert MTB/RIF, is still limited by cost. Testing of pooled samples from presumptive TB patients has been thought as a cost-saving strategy to diagnose TB. We assessed the utility and cost-saving of pooled Xpert MTB/RIF testing strategy for the diagnosis of TB in Mwanza, Tanzania. Methods: Sputum samples from Presumptive TB patients were submitted to TB laboratory for routine diagnosis of TB using Xpert MTB/RIF. The TB results from the individual sputum samples were used as the reference standard and were concealed to the investigating laboratory technicians. The remainder of samples were collected serially and were pooled (5 samples per pool) for testing. The agreement of the results between individual sample testing against pooled sample testing and cost-savings was assessed. Results: A total of 250 sputum samples from presumptive TB patients were analyzed and 50 pools were made with each pool containing 5 samples. Of the 50 sputum pools made, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) was detected in 17 (34.0%) pools. Results from the individual sputum samples MTB/RIF testing were retrieved for all 250 samples and there were 28 (11.2%) samples in which MTB was detected whereas 222 (88.8%) samples had no MTB detected. Following re-analysis of positive pools, all 28 (100%) individual positive MTB samples were detected within the 17 positive pools, with 1 to 3 individual MTB positive samples per pool. The individual sputum samples were correctly identified by pooled sputum on Xpert MTB/RIF testing, with the sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 100%. Using pooling of sputum samples strategy, we saved 46.0% (115/250) of the cartridges. Conclusion: The pooled sputum testing strategy reduced cartridge costs by 46.0% and has the potential to increase the affordability of Xpert MTB/RIF testing in countries with limited resources, such as Tanzania.

A Pharmacist-Led Medication Use Evaluation of Proton-Pump Inhibitors

Objective： To determine whether patients maintain symptom control after discontinuation of PPI （proton-pump inhibitor） therapy through intervention of a pharmacist-led medication utilization program and determine annual clinic cost-savings per prescription. Design： The study was conducted as a prospective, medication use evaluation. Using an electronic medical record system at a clinic, reports generated all patients receiving PP1 therapy from January 2013-June 2015. Patients were encouraged to participate in a PPI discontinuation trial through a pharmacist-led educational session. Participants were followed-up three months post enrollment to assess their quality of life through a survey assessing severity and frequency of symptoms. Participants unable to maintain symptom control after the intervention were referred back to their primary care physician for further evaluation. Results： Of one hundred participants, 25% （n = 25） were able to discontinue the use of PPI by lifestyle modifications, 43% （n = 43） refused to discontinue PP1 therapy and lifestyle changes due to the severity of their symptoms, 17% （n = 17） switched to over-the-counter H2 receptor antagonist daily to control their symptoms, 9% （n = 9） used PPIs only as needed, and 6% （n = 6） of participants were dropped from the study after three failed communication attempts. The clinic saved approximately $11 thousand annually for every one prescription of PPI＇s. Conclusions： Discontinuation of PPI or step-down therapy was possible for patients with mild-moderate GERD （Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease） symptoms when mediated by pharmacist counseling and follow-up. Also, the annual PPI expenditure at this clinic will decrease due to participant＇s discontinuation of therapy.

Estimation of Costs-Savings and Improved Patient Outcomes of Implementing a Consultation-Liaison Service at Health Sciences North

Objective: The study was conducted to assess the implementation of a psychiatric consultation-liaison service (C-L) from the perspective of cost-savings, staff satisfaction, patient satisfaction and to assess the general features of patients referred to the C-L service. Methodology: Cost-savings were evaluated using a large cohort of referrals to the hospital were identified using data derived from the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences (N = 2246);these data were divided into pre and post periods with respect to imitation of the C-L service. To evaluate staff satisfaction, 170 nurses and physicians completed an online survey. Patient satisfaction was assessed through a survey assessing various aspects of their experiences with the C-L service that was completed by each patient (N = 40). Finally referrals to the C-L service (N = 445) were analyzed to discern indicators of the C-L service’s efficacy (i.e. reasons for referral, time to accommodate referral). Results: The data indicated: 1) a reduction in the number of re-admissions and length of stay after the initiation of the C-L service translating into significant cost-savings for the hospital, 2) that increased staff satisfaction was associated with providing confidence, support, and improved communication, and 3) that the C-L service accommodated approximately 90% of patients within 1 day. Conclusion: The results of this study support stakeholders’ decisions to implement C-L services and also indicate areas of improvement that may improve the quality of C-L services within other institutions.

Environmental protection versus economic growth

This paper presents and analyses the differences in the eco-models implemented worldwide （such as whether and how carbon taxes being ＂recycled＂）, or in their efficiency parameters （inconsistent parameter values that account for different results）. This is the assumption that a real tradeoff exists between the production of environmental goods. The present article empirically proves that something must be given up in order to gain something else, and once equations are specified to trace out the path of the economy over time, the natural economic formulation of such equations will embody the notion of economic and bio-tradeoffs.

Research on Optimizing the Distribution Path of Agricultural Cold Chain Logistics in Green Consumption Era

In recent years, with the rapid development of China's fresh market, cold chain logistics ushered in a new development opportunity. Because of the late start and slow development of cold chain logistics in China, it is difficult to achieve cross-regional and offseason sales activities, resulting in a situation of high output and small sales volume, which is also an important reason for the high price and poor quality of fresh agricultural products. With the passage of time, the characteristics of cold chain distribution of agricultural products have become an important direction for the future development of logistics industry. In this paper, aiming at the characteristics of agricultural cold chain distribution, the carbon emissions in the process of distribution were quantified as costs and added to the total cost, and an optimization model of agricultural cold chain logistics path with time window considering the minimum total cost as the objective function was constructed. The improved genetic algorithm was used to solve the problem. The simulation results show that the improved genetic algorithm is an effective method to solve the optimization problem of agricultural cold-chain logistics path considering carbon emissions, and has guiding significance for the selection of low-carbon and environmentally friendly distribution routes for agricultural cold-chain logistics distribution enterprises.