Human erythrovirus is a minute, single-stranded DNA virus causing many diseases, including erythema infectiosum, arthropathy, and fetal death. After primary infection, the viral genomes persist in solid tissues. Besides the prototype, virus type 1, two major variants (virus types 2 and 3) have been identified recently, the clinical significance and epidemiology of which are mostly unknown. We examined 523 samples of skin, synovium, tonsil, or liver (birth year range, 1913-2000), and 1,640 sera, by qualitative and quantitative molecular assays for the DNA of human erythroviruses. Virus types 1 and 2 were found in 132 (25%) and 58 (11%) tissues, respectively. DNA of virus type 1 was found in all age groups, whereas that of type 2 was strictly confined to those subjects born before 1973 (P < 0.001). Correspondingly, the sera from the past two decades contained DNA of type 1 but not type 2 or 3. Our data suggest strongly that the newly identified human erythrovirus type 2 as well as the prototype 1 circulated in Northern and Central Europe in equal frequency, more than half a century ago, whereafter type 2 disappeared from circulation. Type 3 never attained wide occurrence in this area during the past >70 years. The erythrovirus DNA persistence in human tissues is lifelong and represents a source of information about our past, the Bioportfolio, which, at the individual level, provides a registry of one's infectious encounters, and at the population level, a database for epidemiological and phylogenetic analyses.epidemiology ͉ gene therapy ͉ parvovirus ͉ phylogeny ͉ single-stranded DNA

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No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

ABSTRACT.Purpose: This study aims to represent the epidemiologies, findings, treatments, use of resources, outcomes and protective-eyewear-use recommendations in sports-related eye injuries by sport type. Methods: The study population is comprised of all new eye injury patients in 1 year in Helsinki University Eye Hospital. Data were collected from patient questionnaires and hospital records. The follow-up period was 3 months. Results: 149/1151 (12.9%) of eye injuries were sports-related. Thirty two percent were related to floorball (type of hockey played on a mat with a stick and a ball); football, tennis and ice hockey were the next most common eye-injurycausing sports. Relatively, the most dangerous sports were rink bandy, (bandy played on ice hockey rink with a stick and a ball) (0.50 injuries in 12 months/ 1000 participants, CI 0.10-1.46), floorball (0.47, CI 0.34-0.62) and tennis (0.47, CI 0.26-0.77). Contusion was the primary diagnosis in 77% of cases; 41% of contusion patients had severe, mainly retinal findings. The number of outpatient visits was 459; inpatient days 25 and major surgeries 31. One hundred and eight patients were estimated to need life-long follow-up. Seventeen patients had a permanent functional impairment, 4 in ice hockey, 3 in floorball, 2 each in tennis and badminton. Conclusion: Compared to a previous study, ice hockey eye injuries are increasing and relatively severe, and a third of these injuries occurred despite visor use. Floorball eye injury incidence has significantly declined, mainly due to recently enforced mandatory protective eyewear for younger age groups. Based on these findings, we recommend, in floorball, that protective eyewear should be mandatory in all age groups. Universally in ice hockey, the proper use of a visor should be emphasised.

A typical ocular trauma patient was a man aged 31-45 with a minor trauma caused by a foreign body at work and a final visual acuity of 20/20. Most common serious injuries were contusion, OGI or fracture at home or at work and were caused by a body part, sport equipment or work tool. Factors causing common and serious eye injuries provide the targets for protective measures.

The objective of this study was to evaluate, in a controlled clinical trial, the costs of standardized one-stage ultrasound screening in pregnancy in relation to the reduction in perinatal mortality. A trial population of 9310 pregnant women was randomly allocated to ultrasound screening or a control group. Two obstetric hospitals and 64 recruiting antenatal health centers were involved. The costs included actually realized costs, i.e. positive costs, and gains, i.e. negative costs, resulting from lower health-care use. Cost-accounting data were obtained by a questionnaire to all attenders and measurements at the screening, and later complemented by a questionnaire to a random sample of 534 screened women. Internal accounting and other hospital data, national statistics and health-market sources were also used. The actually realized cost of each avoided perinatal death was FIM 84 378 ($21,938), while the net overall estimate combining all positive and negative costs showed a cost saving of FIM 65 680 ($17,077). The total positive unit cost of ultrasound screening was FIM 393 ($102). Longer ultrasound examination time and more numerous advanced examinations were rewarded by clearly fewer perinatal deaths and a better cost-effectiveness ratio. One-stage second-trimester ultrasound screening is cost-effective when all significant costs and effects are taken into account.

BackgroundIf decisions on health care spending are to be as rational and objective as possible, knowledge on cost-effectiveness of routine care is essential. Our aim, therefore, was to evaluate the cost-utility of routine cataract surgery in a real-world setting.MethodsProspective assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients undergoing cataract surgery. 219 patients (mean (SD) age 71 (11) years) entering cataract surgery (in 87 only first eye operated, in 73 both eyes operated, in 59 first eye had been operated earlier) filled in the 15D HRQoL questionnaire before and six months after operation. Direct hospital costs were obtained from a clinical patient administration database and cost-utility analysis performed from the perspective of the secondary care provider extrapolating benefits of surgery to the remaining statistical life-expectancy of the patients.ResultsMean (SD) utility score (on a 0–1 scale) increased statistically insignificantly from 0.82 (0.13) to 0.83 (0.14). Of the 15 dimensions of the HRQoL instrument, only seeing improved significantly after operation. Mean utility score improved statistically significantly only in patients reporting significant or major preoperative seeing problems. Of the subgroups, only those whose both eyes were operated during follow-up showed a statistically significant (p < 0.001) improvement. Cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained was €5128 for patients whose both eyes were operated and €8212 for patients with only one eye operated during the 6-month follow-up. In patients whose first eye had been operated earlier mean HRQoL deteriorated after surgery precluding the establishment of the cost per QALY.ConclusionMean utility gain after routine cataract surgery in a real-world setting was relatively small and confined mostly to patients whose both eyes were operated. The cost of cataract surgery per quality-adjusted life year gained was much higher than previously reported and associated with considerable uncertainty.