pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Hetaryl Thioketones: Synthesis and Selected Reactions

A series of phenyl/hetaryl and bishetaryl thioketones have been prepared via oxygen/sulfur exchange of the corresponding ketones by treatment with Lawesson’s reagent. The nonsymmetrical ketones were conveniently accessible via the reactions of lithiated furan, thiophene, and selenophene with N,N-dimethylbenzamide and hetarylcarboxamides, respectively, whereas the symmetrical ketones were obtained by treatment of ethyl N,N-dimethylcarbamate with 2 equiv of lithiated heterocycles. Under typical conditions, selected examples of the hetaryl thioketones were oxidized selectively to give thiocarbonyl S-oxides (sulfines). Reactions with diazomethane at –65°C yielded 1,3-dithiolanes in a regioselective manner and hetero-Diels–Alder reactions of 2-thienyl substituted thioketones with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate yielded the corresponding 7H-thieno[2,3- c]thiopyran-4,5-dicarboxylates
A Case-Study on the Resolution of the 1-i-Butyl-3-methyl-3-phospholene 1-Oxide via Diastereomeric Complex Formation Using TADDOL Derivatives and via Diastereomeric Coordination Complexes Formed from the Calcium Salts of O,O’-Diaroyl-(2R,3R)-tartaric Acids

The resolution of 1-i-butyl-3-methyl-3-phospholene 1-oxide was studied applying TADDOL [(−)-(4R,5R)-4,5-bis(diphenylhydroxymethyl)-2,2-dimethyldioxolane], spiro-TADDOL \ud
[(−)-(2R,3R)-α,α,α',α'-tetraphenyl-1,4-dioxaspiro[4.5]decan-2,3-dimethanol], or the acidic and neutral Ca2+ salts of (−)-O,O’-dibenzoyl- and (−)-O,O’-di-p-toluoyl-(2R,3R)-tartaric acid as the resolving agent. The absolute configuration of the P-asymmetric center was determined by CD spectroscopy and related quantum chemical calculations. In one instance, the single crystal of the diasteromeric complex incorporating i-butyl-3-phospholene oxide and spiro-TADDOL was subjected to X-ray analysis which suggested a feasible hypothesis for the efficiency of the resolution process under discussion that may be an example for the “solvent inhibited” resolution.\u
Comparison of EQ-5D and SF-6D utilities in mental health patients

Various preference-based measures of health are available for use as an outcome measure in cost–utility analysis. The aim of this study is to compare two such measures EQ-5D and SF-6D in mental health patients. Baseline data from a Dutch multi-centre randomised trial of 616 patients with mood and/or anxiety disorders were used. Mean and median EQ-5D and SF-6D utilities were compared, both in the total sample and between severity subgroups based on quartiles of SCL-90 scores. Utilities were expected to decline with increased severity. Both EQ-5D and SF-6D utilities differed significantly between patients of adjacent severity groups. Mean utilities increased from 0.51 at baseline to 0.68 at 1.5 years follow-up for EQ-5D and from 0.58 to 0.70 for SF-6D. For all severity subgroups, the mean change in EQ-5D utilities as well as in SF-6D utilities was statistically significant. Standardised response means were higher for SF-6D utilities. We concluded that both EQ-5D and SF-6D discriminated between severity subgroups and captured improvements in health over time. However, the use of EQ-5D resulted in larger health gains and consequent lower cost–utility ratios, especially for the subgroup with the highest severity of mental health problems
Discounting in economic evaluations: Stepping forward towards optimal decision rules

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has recently changed its guidelines on discounting costs and effects in economic evaluations. In common with most other regulatory bodies it now requires that health effects should be discounted at the same rate as costs. We show that the guideline leads to sub-optimal decisions because it fails to account for the changing value of health. NICE (and other regulatory bodies) should either use differential discounting or stipulate how the changing value of health should otherwise be dealt with. We also show how binding health service budget constraints should be incorporated in evaluations. Copyrigh
Catastrophic payments for health care in Asia

Out-of-pocket (OOP) payments are the principal means of financing health care throughout much of Asia. We estimate the magnitude and distribution of OOP payments for health care in fourteen countries and territories accounting for 81% of the Asian population. We focus on payments that are catastrophic, in the sense of severely disrupting household living standards, and approximate such payments by those absorbing a large fraction of household resources. Bangladesh, China, India, Nepal and Vietnam rely most heavily on OOP financing and have the highest incidence of catastrophic payments. Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia stand out as low to middle income countries that have constrained both the OOP share of health financing and the catastrophic impact of direct payments. In most low/middle-income countries, the better-off are more likely to spend a large fraction of total household resources on health care. This may reflect the inability of the poorest of the poor to divert resources from other basic needs and possibly the protection of the poor from user charges offered in some countries. But in China, Kyrgyz and Vietnam, where there are no exemptions of the poor from charges, they are as, or even more, likely to incur catastrophic payments
Estimation of a preference based single index from the sexual quality of life questionnaire (SQOL) using ordinal data

There is increasing interest in using ordinal methods to estimate cardinal values for health states to calculate quality adjusted life years. This paper reports the estimation of models of rank data and discrete choice experiment (DCE) data to derive a preference-based index from a condition specific measure relating to sexual health and to compare the results to values generated from time trade-off valuation (TTO). The DCE data were analysed using a random effects probit model and the DCE predicted values were rescaled according to the highest and lowest predicted TTO values corresponding to the best and worst SQOL health states respectively. The rank data were analysed using a rank ordered logit model and re-scaled using two alternative methods. Firstly, re-scaling the rank predicted values using identical methods to those employed for DCE and secondly, re-scaling the rank model coefficients by dividing each level coefficient by the coefficient relating to death. The study raises some important issues about the use of ordinal data to produce cardinal health state valuations.
Does social capital determine health? Evidence from eight transition countries

This paper starts from an empirical assessment of different dimensions of social capital in the transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The level of social capital is lower in CEE-CIS countries compared to other countries in Europe and beyond. We then use a unique data source to carefully investigate the impact of social capital on individual self-reported health for eight countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine). We rely on three indicators for social capital – individual degree of trust, participation in local organisations, social isolation – and employ alternative procedures to consistently estimate the impact of social capital on health. We attempt to circumvent the endogeneity problems by using instrumental variable estimates. Our results show that, in the overall sample comprising all eight countries, the individual degree of trust is positively and significantly correlated with health, either in pooling estimation or when we rely on IV estimators with community fixed effects. Similarly, social isolation is negatively and significantly associated with health, irrespective of the procedure of estimation. On the other hand, the effect of being member of a Putnamesque organisation is more ambiguous and usually not significantly related to health. Finally, country-estimates suggest that the impact of social capital on health varies across the eight countries. We argue that the positive effect of membership on health is conditional on the quality of the political institutions and civil liberties, while trust and social isolation seem to influence health independently of those institutional factors.
Supplemental health insurance and equality of access in Belgium

The effects of supplemental health insurance on health-care consumption crucially depend on specific institutional features of the health-care system. We analyse the situation in Belgium, a country with a very broad coverage in compulsory social health insurance and where supplemental insurance mainly refers to extra-billing in hospitals. Within this institutional background, we find only weak evidence of adverse selection in the coverage of supplemental health insurance. We find much stronger effects of socio-economic background. We estimate a bivariate probit model and cannot reject the assumption of exogeneity of insurance availability for the explanation of health-care use. A count model for hospital care shows that supplemental insurance has no significant effect on the number of spells, but a negative effect on the number of nights per spell. We comment on the implications of our findings for equality of access to health care in Belgium. Copyrigh
The relationship between health and GDP in OECD countries in the very long run

This paper uses Johansen multivariate cointegration analysis to examine the relationship between health and GDP for 13 OECD countries over the last two centuries, for periods ranging from 1820-2001 to 1921-2001. A similar, long run, cointegrating relationship between life expectancy and both total GDP and GDP per capita was found for all the countries estimated. The relationships have a significant influence on both total GDP and GPD per capita in most of the countries estimated, with 1% increase in life expectancy resulting in an average 6% increase in total GDP in the long run, and 5% increase in GDP per capita. Total GDP and GDP per capita also have a significant influence on life expectancy for most countries. There is no evidence of changes in the relationships for any country over the periods estimated, indicating that shifts in the major causes of illness and death over time do not appear to have influenced the link between health and economic growth.Griffith Business School, Department of Accounting, Finance and EconomicsFull Tex
A uniform Time Trade Off method for states better and worse than dead: feasibility study of the ‘lead time’ approach

The way Time Trade Off (TTO) values are elicited for states of health considered ‘worse than being dead’ has important implications for the mean values used in economic evaluation. Conventional approaches to TTO, as used in the UK’s ‘MVH’ value set, are problematic because they require fundamentally different tradeoffs tasks for the valuation of\ud
states better and worse than dead. This study aims to refine and test the feasibility of a new approach described by Robinson and Spencer (2006), and to explore the characteristics of the valuation data it generates. The approach introduces a ‘lead time’ into the TTO, producing a uniform procedure for generating values either >0 or <0. We used this lead time TTO to value 10 moderate to severe EQ-5D states using a sample of the general public (n=109). We conclude that the approach is feasible for use in valuation studies, and appears to overcome the discontinuity in values around 0 evident in conventional methods. However, further research is required to resolve the issue of how to handle participants who ‘use up’ all lead time; to develop ways of controlling for individual time preferences; and to better understand the implications for valuations of states better than dead
The simple economics of risk-sharing agreements between the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry

The Janssen-Cilag proposal for a risk-sharing agreement regarding bortezomib
received a welcome signal from NICE. The Office of Fair Trading report
included risk-sharing agreements as an available tool for the National
Health Service. Nonetheless, recent discussions have somewhat neglected
the economic fundamentals underlying risk-sharing agreements.
We argue here that risk-sharing agreements, although attractive due to
the principle of paying by results, also entail risks. Too many patients may
be put under treatment even with a low success probability. Prices are likely
to be adjusted upward, in anticipation of future risk-sharing agreements between
the pharmaceutical company and the third-party payer. An available
instrument is a verification cost per patient treated, which allows obtaining
the first-best allocation of patients to the new treatment, under the risk
sharing agreement. Overall, the welfare effects of risk-sharing agreements
are ambiguous, and care must be taken with their use.
Evaluation of the impact of the Mother and Infant Health Project in Ukraine

This paper exploits a unique opportunity to evaluate the impact of the quality change in the labor and delivery services brought about by the Mother and Infant Health Project in Ukraine. Employing program evaluation methods, we find that the administrative units participating in the Project have exhibited greater improvements in both maternal and infant health compared to the control ones. Among the infant health characteristics, the MIHP impact is most pronounced for infant mortality resulting from deviations in perinatal period. As for the maternal health, the MIHP is the most effective at combating anemia, blood circulation and urinary-genital system complications, and late toxicosis. The analysis suggests that the effects are due to early attendance of antenatal clinics, lower share of C-sections, and greater share of normal deliveries. Preliminary cost-effectiveness analysis shows enormous benefit per dollar spent on the project: the cost to benefit ratio is one to 97 taking into account both maternal and infant lives saved as well as cost savings due to the changes in labor and delivery practices
Evaluating Innovative Health Programs: Lessons for Health Policy

The Global Development Network’s (GDN) project “Evaluating Innovative Health Programs” (EIHP), funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, seeks to inform policy on the effectiveness of health solutions that have the potential to improve health outcomes in developing countries. It evaluates the impact of nineteen programs from across developing and transition countries that focus on the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing child and maternal mortality, and halting and reversing the trend of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.  The policy implications of the diverse set of interventions are distinguished between programs that involved earmarking resources, changing incentives, and developing innovative methods of health care delivery.
Willingness-to-pay for predictive tests with no immediate treatment implications: a survey of US resident

We assessed how much, if anything, people would pay for a laboratory test that predicted their future disease status. A questionnaire was administered via an internet-based survey to a random sample of adult US respondents. Each respondent answered questions about two different scenarios, each of which specified: one of four randomly selected diseases (Alzheimer's, arthritis, breast cancer, or prostate cancer); an ex ante risk of developing the disease (randomly designated 10 or 25%); and test accuracy (randomly designated perfect or not perfectly accurate). Willingness-to-pay (WTP) was elicited with a double-bounded, dichotomous-choice approach. Of 1463 respondents who completed the survey, most (70-88%, depending on the scenario) were inclined to take the test. Inclination to take the test was lower for Alzheimer's and higher for prostate cancer compared with arthritis, and rose somewhat with disease prevalence and for the perfect versus imperfect test [Correction made here after initial online publication.]. Median WTP varied from $109 for the imperfect arthritis test to $263 for the perfect prostate cancer test. Respondents' preferences for predictive testing, even in the absence of direct treatment consequences, reflected health and non-health related factors, and suggests that conventional cost-effectiveness analyses may underestimate the value of testing
Quality of life lost due to non-fatal road traffic injuries

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the e§ect of a non-fatal road crash on the health-related quality of life of injured people. A new approach based on the cardinalization of categorical Self-Assessed Health valuations, is suggested. Health losses have been estimated by using di§erent Time Trade-o§ and Visual Analogue Scale tari§s, in order to assess the robustness of the results. The methodology is based on the existing literature about treatment e§ects. Our main contribution focuses on evaluating the loss of health up to one year after the non-fatal accident, for those who are non-institutionalized, which aids the appropriate estimation of the aggregated health losses in quality-of-life terms
Putting the cart before the horse. A comment on Wagstaff on inequality measurement in the presence of binary variables

Adam Wagstaff's (2011) recent paper sends a strong reminder that binary variables occur frequently in health inequality studies and that it is important to examine whether the standard measurement tools can be applied without any modification when the health variable happens to be binary. In his note, he reconsiders what he wrote previously on the subject (Wagstaff, 2005), in the light of recent work on bounded variables (Clarke et al., 2002; Erreygers, 2009a, 2009b; Wagstaff, 2009; Erreygers and Van Ourti, 2011). Although Wagstaff's contribution undoubtedly enriches a much-needed debate, crucial aspects of his paper seriously misrepresent the positions and views set forth in Erreygers and Van Ourti (2011). In this note, we would like to put the record straight, focusing on five specific points
The Impact of Health Insurance for Children: Evidence from Vietnam

Although there are numerous studies on impact evaluation of overall health insurance, little is known on the impact of health insurance on health care utilization and out-of-pocket health care spending of children, especially in developing countries. This paper measures the impact of child health insurance on health care utilization and spending of children from 6 to 14 years old in Vietnam using two recent nationally representative surveys. Unlike previous empirical studies which found a positive effect of health insurance on health care utilization in Vietnam, we did not find a statistically significant effect of school health insurance as well as free health insurance for children on outpatient health care contacts. However, the school health insurance and free health insurance help the insured children decrease out-of-pocket spending per outpatient contact by around 14 and 26 percent, respectively.
Regional variation in the productivity of the English national health service

Variation in the provision of health care has long been a policy concern. We adapt the framework for productivity measurement used in the National Accounts, making it applicable for sub-national comparisons using cross-sectional data. We assess the productivity of the National Health Service (NHS) across regions of England, termed Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs). Productivity is calculated by comparing the total amount of healthcare output to total inputs for each region, standardised to the national average. Healthcare output comprises 6500 different categories, capturing the number and type of NHS patients treated and the quality of care received. Healthcare inputs include NHS and agency staff, supplies, equipment and capital. We find that productivity varies from 5% above to 6% below the national average. Productivity is highest in South West SHA and lowest in East Midlands, South Central and Yorkshire and The Humber SHAs. We estimate that if all regions were as productive as the most productive region in England, the NHS could treat the same number of patients with £3.2bn fewer resources each year. The methods developed lend themselves to investigate variations in productivity in other types of healthcare organisations and health systems
Peer Effects in adolescent BMI: evidence from Spain

This paper extends the recent literature on the influence of peers on adolescent weight on three new fronts. First, based on a survey of secondary school students in Spain in which peers are formed by nominated classmate friends, we find a more powerful positive and significant causal effect of friends' mean BMI on adolescent BMI than previous US-based research. These results are in line with international data which show that peer group contact tends to vary across countries. Our findings cover a large set of controls, fixed effects, the testing of correlated unobservables, contextual influences and instrumental variables. Second, social interactions are identified through the property of intransitivity in network relationships. Finally, we report evidence of a strong, positive effect of peer pressure on several subgroups of adolescents in an attempt to study their vulnerability to social influences
Consistent estimation of zero-inflated count models

Applications of zero-inflated count data models have proliferated in health economics. However, zero-inflated Poisson or zero-inflated negative binomial maximum likelihood estimators are not robust to misspecification. This article proposes Poisson quasi-likelihood estimators as an alternative. These estimators are consistent in the presence of excess zeros without having to specify the full distribution. The advantages of the Poisson quasi-likelihood approach are illustrated in a series of Monte Carlo simulations and in an application to the demand for health services
Social Contagion Of Mental Health: Evidence From College Roommates

From a policy standpoint, the spread of health conditions in social networks is important to quantify, because it implies externalities and possible market failures in the consumption of health interventions. Recent studies conclude that happiness and depression may be highly contagious across social ties. The results may be biased, however, because of selection and common shocks. We provide unbiased estimates by using exogenous variation from college roommate assignments. Our findings are consistent with no significant overall contagion of mental health and no more than small contagion effects for specific mental health measures, with no evidence for happiness contagion and modest evidence for anxiety and depression contagion. The weakness of the contagion effects cannot be explained by avoidance of roommates with poor mental health or by generally low social contact among roommates. We also find that similarity of baseline mental health predicts the closeness of roommate relationships, which highlights the potential for selection biases in studies of peer effects that do not have a clearly exogenous source of variation. Overall, our results suggest that mental health contagion is lower, or at least more context specific, than implied by the recent studies in the medical literature. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd