Published: 01-10-2018

We update the heoro.com database every day with a systematic search of the PubMed database. Abstracts identified by the search are automatically indexed according to our ontologies for disease, intervention, study type, location and PRO instruments cited. Experts then check the indexing of key abstracts to ensure accuracy. 

In this blog, we summarise some of the key abstracts added during October 2018, sorted by study type. 

Studies reporting utility values

• Mean EQ-5D values in Chinese adults with chronic hepatitis C were 0.780 +/- 0.083 and mean EQ-VAS values were 77.2 +/- 14.8; disease profile and clinical depression were the main independent predictors. Huang 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-6D values were 0.83 at baseline in people with varicose ulcers and increased to 0.85 after 5.5 months of treatment with compression stockings in the USA. Chi 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 values were significantly lower in adults in Poland with nasal obstruction compared with those with no impaired nasal breathing. Galazka 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean utility values ranged from 0.635 to 0.880 for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma in Europe using Standard Gamble; values were lower in children than adults. Retzler 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D index utility values in women with breast cancer in China were 0.789 for stage I disease, 0.793 for stage II, 0.774 for stage III, 0.686 for stage IV. Wang 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Utility values in asthma were higher using AQL-5D than EQ-5D or SF-6D in patients in Greece; only AQL-5D discriminated between asthma severity and quality of life. Kontodimopoulos 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Utility values for 5 heart failure health states derived from the Korean general population ranged from 0.815 for stable chronic heart failure to 0.360 for hospitalisation using TTO, and from 0.871 to 0.215 using EQ-5D. Hong 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 MCS values correlated well with SRS-22 and ODI scores in adults with spinal deformity in Turkey, but did not predict outcomes after surgery. Mmopelwa 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D values varied in adults with chronic disease compared with the general population in Korea, with anxiety, depression and pain having the largest impact. Hong 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies validating a PRO instrument

•  A systematic review concluded that the best instruments to measure comfort in hospitalised patients are the Comfort Scale, the General Comfort Questionnaire, the Psychosocial Comfort Scale and the Incomfort des Patients de Reanimation. Lorente 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Otology Questionnaire Amsterdam (OQUA) was validated in patients with a range of ear disorders in the Netherlands. Bruinewoud 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Portuguese Women's Androgenetic Alopecia Quality of Life Questionnaire (WAA-QoL) was validated against the Dermatology Life Quality index (DLQI) in women with female pattern hair loss in Brazil. Shimizu 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Hong Kong Quality of Life Questionnaire (HKQ) was validated as a measure of cataract surgery outcomes in China. Khadka 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The ThyPRO was validated in patients with thyroid disorders in Greece. Mintziori 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The  Stress Perception Questionnaire of Rome (SPQR) was validated as a measure of stress at work in Italian adults. Cinti 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Portuguese WHOQOL-BREF was validated in patients and students from Brazil, Portugal and Mozambique.  Silva 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Chinese Severe Respiratory Insufficiency Questionnaire was validated against the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ) in patients with COPD in China. Guan 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that only the PSC PRO and National Institute of Diabetes Digestive and Kidney Diseases Liver Transplant (NIDDK-QA) questionnaires had been validated in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis, but the SF-36 and Chronic lLver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) were most commonly used. Isa 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13) was able to differentiate women with ovarian, endometrial or cervical cancer undergoing chemotherapy who were more likely to have adverse events, anaemia and thrombocytopenia due to frailty. Ferrero 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Hindi Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) was validated against the SF-36 in patients with chronic liver disease in India. Benjamin 2016 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Persian Lymphedema Life Impact Scale (LLIS) was validated against the SF-36 and the EORTC QLQ-C30 in Iranian patients with breast cancer. Haghighat 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Cervical Dysplasia (FACIT-CD) was validated against the SF-36 and Beck Anxiety and Depression Scores in Serbian women with cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions. Kesic 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The EORTC QLQ-C30 was validated against the DLQI and was able to differentiate different patient groups with non-melanoma skin cancer in Germany. Muller 2017 Go to paper on PubMed 
• The pulmonary tuberculosis scale of the Quality of Life Instruments for Chronic Diseases (QLICD-PT) was validated against the SF-36 in patients with TB in China. Sun 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review identified 5 PRO tools used in exacerbations of cystic fibrosis; of these, only the CF Respiratory Symptom Diary (CFRSD) met all the FDA Guideline criteria. Schmid-Mohler 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Italian pediatric PRO-CTCAE was validated in children with cancer aged 7 to 18 years and their caregivers in Italy. Zucchetti 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool (CSNAT) was validated in Swedish caregivers of patients receiving palliative care. Alvariza 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Patient-Reported Apnea Questionnaire (PRAQ) was validated in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea in the Netherlands. Abma 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Other PRO studies

•  Quality of life, on the University of Washington QOL Questionnaire, was similar in patients with stage III/ IV laryngeal cancer treated with laryngectomy or organ preservation protocols in Colombia. Sanabria 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Quality of life and abdominal pain, measured on the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality of Life questionnaire, improved significantly more in middle-school children with IBS who received a health education program after an earthquake in China than those with no intervention. Zheng 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review of studies using the Sinonasal quality of life survey (SN-5) in children with chronic rhinosinusitis found mean improvements  in scores of 1.97 for balloon catheter sinuplasty, 1.83 for functional endoscopic sinus surgery and 1.15 for medical treatment. Ni 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• An RCT found no significant improvement in fatigue after 6 months in women with breast cancer who received a yoga intervention during adjuvant chemotherapy in the Netherlands, but more had returned to work than those receiving usual care. Jong 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Women with recurrent miscarriage in Iran had mean HADS anxiety scores of 10.6 and depression scores of 11.0 and had lower SF-36 scores, significantly worse than matched controls. Tavoli 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting costs and resource use

• 30-day readmission rate after parathyroidectomy in the USA was 5.6% and were higher in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism. Kravietz 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean cost of hospitalisation of patients with meningitis and encephalitis in the USA in 2011-2014 was $15,572±27,168, with antimicrobial medication cost of $1144±4052 and laboratory test cost of $210±244. Balada-Llasat 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Costs of treating head and neck cancer in a UK hospital between 2006 and 2011 were £309million; oropharyngeal cancer accounted for 37% of costs and the number of patients treated for this increased by 52% over the study period. Keeping 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Median hospitalisation costs for adults with type 2 diabetes in China were 9485 RMB for those with a myocardial infarction and 9104 RMB for those without MI. Yang 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Low adherence to medication for COPD was reported by 49% of patients in Turkey and Saudi Arabia and was associated with lower EQ-5D values, greater disease impact and higher HADS depression scores. Kokturk 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Rates of pneumococcal disease are increased by 3-4-fold in US adults with chronic or immunocompromising diseases vs healthy adults; cost per episode of pneumonia = $6534 for at-risk and $9168 for high-risk vs $4725 for healthy adults in 2013-14. Zhang 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• In 2008, 12% of patients with Alzheimer's disease in Brazil were taking anticholinesterases, increasing to 16.1% by 2014, a rise of 34% over 6 years. Moraes 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A review of reviews identified 11 medications with strong evidence that they reduce emergency hospital admissions in heart failure, CHD, asthma, COPD and schizophrenia. Bobrovitz 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that the direct costs of cholera were usually <$100 but increased to >$1,000 when indirect costs were added; cholera vaccines are likely to be cost-effective. Hsaio 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Survival rate for biologicals in psoriasis in Slovenia 2005 to 2015 was 83.2% for first-line and 79.1% for second-line therapy, and was significantly longer with ustekinumab than adalimumab, infliximab or etanercept. Lunder 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Annual direct and indirect costs of myocardial infarction in Brazil were USD$6.9bn in 2015, compared with $6.8bn for heart failure, $2.5bn for hypertension and $1.2bn for atrial fibrillation; telemedicine is cost-effective for improving management of heart failure. Stevens 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Deprivation scores were significantly and independently predictive of hospitalisation rate, duration and costs and mortality in UK adults with COPD.  Collins 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean costs of direct antiviral therapy in US adults with chronic hepatitis C were $140,283 in 2014-2016; 8.4% failed to show a sustained virological response 12 weeks after therapy completion. Pham 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 35.5% of US adults starting biological therapy for psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis were non-persistent in 2010-2015; total medical and pharmacy costs were similar to persistent patients, but pharmacy costs were lower, medical costs higher in non-persistent. Lee 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Economic evaluations

• The AS04-adjuvanted HPV16/18 papillomavirus vaccine was more cost-effective than the HPV-6/11/16/18 vaccine in 13 year-old girls in Malaysia over a lifetime, saving 18.50 million Malaysian Ringgits and 246 QALYs. Van Kriekinge 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Thromboprophylaxis is cost-effective in ovarian hyperstimulation symdrome, saving €19 to €23,192 per VTE event avoided per patient. Wormer 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Combination cisplatin, etoposide and irinotecan was not cost-effective in sensitive relapsed small-cell lung cancer in China compared with topotecan, with an ICER of $26,720/QALY. Zhou 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Screening women aged 65yr in the UK for abdominal aortic aneurysm using the same criteria as offered for men is unlikely to be cost-effective, with an ICER of £30,000/QALY, overdiagnosis rate of 33% and 3,900 invitations for screening to prevent 1 death. Sweeting 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Home-based Onco-Move exercise therapy is unlikely to be cost-effective, supervised higher-intensity OnTrack exercise program may be cost-effective for reducing fatigue but not fitness during adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancerin the Netherlands. van Waart 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that fidaxomicin is likely to be the most cost-effective treatment for initial Clostridium difficile infections and fecal microbiota transplant for recurrent infection. Heimann 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The most cost-effective strategy for melanoma screening in inflammatory bowel disease in the USA is 2-yearly screening from age 40yr; ICER = $143,959/QALY. Anderson 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A Zika vaccine could be cost-saving in Colombia at a cost <US$6 per person with no herd immunity or <$4/person with 8% herd immunity and would be highly cost-effective for vaccine costs up to $10/person. Shoukat 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Buprenorphine is likely to be cost-effective in elderly people with chronic pain in Sweden, but the ICER per QALY varies substantially depending on whether Swedish or UK EQ-5D weights were used. Norrlid 2015 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that bariatric surgery is likely to be cost-saving or cost-effective in overweight or obese adults with BMI above or below 35kg/m2, which may translate to an ICER <CHF50,000/QALY in Switzerland. Ademi 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that hepatitis B screening with catch-up vaccination may be cost-effective in low- and middle-income countries but evidence is still sparse.  Wright 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Adjuvant recombinant zoster vaccine is cost-effective in preventing herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia in elderly adults in the USA with an ICER of $11,863/QALY compared with no vaccine and cost-saving compared with live attenuated vaccine. Curran 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The cost-effectiveness of dupilumab for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis was $124,500/QALY gained in US adults compared with emollients alone. Zimmermann 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting mortality

•  Mortality is increased in patients assessed for coronary artery disease who also had type 1 diabetes (HR1.78 (1.60 to 1.99)) or type 2 diabetes (HR1.29 (1.21 to 1.27)) in Norway in 1999 to 2015; mortality fell over time in those with T2DM and no diabetes but did not fall in T1DM. Molstad 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• More than 50% of adults aged 45 to 64 years in the USA who had NSTEMI died in the following 8.4 years; mortality risk was 30% higher in those with NSTEMI than matched  community controls. Foraker 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality was 10.4% in 2 years after relapse of systemic light chain amyloidosis in the USA; mean monthly costs were $14,369/patient and proteasome-inhibitor-based regimens were the most widely used treatments. Hari 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The proportion of motor vehicle accidents caused by elderly drivers over the age of 65 years increased in Japan from 11.7% in 2004 to 23.8% in 2015; in-hospital mortality was 17.3% in the oldest drivers compared with 8% in younger adults. Matsuyama 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 13.7% of  breast cancer survivors in the SEER database developed lung or bronchus cancer between 1973 and 2014; HER2/HR triple negative status and advanced disease increase risk.  Liu 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Survival in infants weighing Go to paper on PubMed