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Biomedical subjects

J Perrone

Publications and source records attributed to J Perrone.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Rapid in vivo detection of chloroquine resistance by the Quantitative Buffy Coat Malaria Diagnosis System.

The use of the Giemsa-stained thick blood smear for the diagnosis of malaria has not been supplanted since the discovery of the parasite by A. Laveran in 1880. Recently, a new direct diagnosis technique, the Quantitative Buffy Coat (QBC)* Malaria Diagnosis System, has been developed. We compared this technique with the thick blood smear diagnosis in a study of the efficacy of chloroquine therapy in Zaire. A total of 815 subjects were screened; 71 participated in the trial. They were given chloroquine at a dose of 25 mg/kg of body weight over three days and were examined for parasitemia two and seven days after treatment. Chloroquine resistance was detected in 38% of the subjects by thick blood smear and in 45% by the QBC test. Of greater interest was the time required for each diagnosis: an average of 17 min was required to examine microscopic fields with 1,000 leukocytes by thick blood smear analysis compared with less than one min by the QBC system. In addition, we did not observe diminished attention from fatigue by microscopists using the QBC system despite the large number of tests conducted. We conclude that the QBC system is an important tool for studies of drug resistance.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Cost-effectiveness of routine and campaign vaccination strategies in Ecuador.

A national household coverage survey of 3697 Ecuadorean children, carried out in July 1986, provided an opportunity for a cost-effectiveness analysis of (1) routine vaccination services based in fixed facilities and (2) mass immunization campaigns. A major purpose of the campaigns was to complement the routine services and to accelerate immunization activities. Based on the coverage survey, the Program for Reduction of Maternal and Childhood Illness (PREMI) and earlier campaigns increased the proportion of children under 5 years who were fully vaccinated from 43% to 64%. In one year, the PREMI campaign was responsible for fully vaccinating 11% of children under one year, 21% of 1-2-year-old children, and 13% of all children under 5 years. The campaign also helped ensure that vaccinations were completed when children were still very young and at greatest risk. The average cost per vaccination dose (in 1985 US$ prices) was approximately $0.29 for fixed facilities and $0.83 for the PREMI campaign. Total national costs were $675,000 and $1,665,000 for routine and campaign services respectively. The cost per fully vaccinated child (FVC) was $4.39 for routine vaccination services and $8.60 for the campaign. The cost per death averted was about $1900 for routine vaccination services, $4200 for the PREMI campaign, and $3200 for the combined programme. Because of Ecuador's lower mortality rates, the costs per death averted in Ecuador from both vaccination strategies are not as low as those from studies of vaccinations in Africa. The campaigns, though less cost-effective than routine services, significantly improved the vaccination coverage of younger children who had been missed by the routine services. The costs per FVC of both the campaign and the routine services compare favourably with such programmes in other countries.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Adolescents with cancer: are they at risk for suicide?

When the threat of cancer is imposed during a period of intense developmental changes, it is difficult to envision that an adolescent has a strong enough sense of self to survive. Yet, adolescents with cancer tend to fight to live rather than succumb to death naturally or by suicide. Possible reasons for this fight to survive can be derived from Orbach, Grass, and Glaubman's (1981) model of children's attitudes toward life and death.

Adolescent↗