Benefit Index Research Articles

The Innovative Integration of College Students’ Mental Health Education and Civic Education Paths in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract This article takes personalized education as the starting point, discusses the application in mental health education, and uses the plain Bayesian classification model to classify college students’ mental health in a refined way. The article proposes an evidential reasoning timeliness evaluation model for calculating the total assessment value of ideological and political education in colleges and universities and its actual effect to evaluate the ideological and political education quality. In addition, combining mental health education and ideological and political education, this study constructs an innovative collaborative parenting education model. The empirical analysis shows that the overall level of students’ mental health and Civic and Political learning quality in college L exceeds 2.5 points. By building a model of coupling and coordination degree of mental health and civic education, the study found that the integration benefit index of the two showed an upward trend in 10 years, growing to 0.97852. The coupling and coordination degrees in 2022 reached 0.996332 and 0.911752, respectively, which showed a reasonable level. Through the educational model proposed in this paper, the integration of mental health education and ideological education is more effective, which provides an effective educational method for colleges and universities to improve the overall quality of students.

The Distributional Implications of Pension Benefit Indexation

The Distributional Implications of Pension Benefit Indexation

A value-based healthcare model for initiating and switching psoriasis therapies-Results from the prospective multicentre IMPROVE study.

Little is known about the therapeutic benefits of a value-based healthcare model compared to a traditional activity-based incentive model in psoriasis (PsO). This prospective non-interventional study evaluated an outcome-based, patient-centred management model for patients with PsO. In total, 49 patients with a Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) ≥3 who were starting or switching between treatments were included. Patients were assessed at baseline, 3 and 9 months. The patient benefit index (PBI) was calculated using predefined questionnaires. An expected PBI was calculated and adjusted for risk factors known to complicate treatment, that is overweight and smoking. The model remunerated the department on whether the observed PBI exceeded the expected PBI to incentivize over-performance. In total, 40 patients (80%) completed all three visits; 32.7% were smokers and 73.5% were overweight. Mean PASI at baseline was 11.5 (SD 9.1); PASI improved significantly from baseline through 3 months: mean reduction, 8.0 (SD 9.2), p < 0.001 and was maintained until 9 months: mean further reduction, 0.1 (SD 3.3), p = 0.893. The mean PBI was 2.5 (SD 1.3) and 2.8 (SD 1.1) at 3 and 9 months, respectively. A PBI ≥1 was achieved by 87.8% at 3 and 95.1% at 9 months. Overall, the department was remunerated a mean 2721.1 DKK (SD 4472.8) per patient. In subgroup analysis, the department was remunerated a mean of, respectively, 2428.6 (SD 5089.5), 2636.6 (SD 4471.3) and 3196.5 (SD 4497.1) DKK for patients with none, 1 or 2 risk factors, that is smoking or/and overweight. The model evaluated herein is the first value-based model to calculate remuneration from patient reported outcomes and showed to successfully predict the expected PBI and remunerate treatment based on whether the expected treatment goal was met or exceeded. This can be utilized in the patient-centred management of PsO.

Multi-objective Collaborative Optimization Method for Intelligent Distribution Network Operation and Maintenance

Most of the conventional multi-objective coordination methods for active distribution network operation are designed based on the principle of weighted random algorithm, which has limited application scope and cannot simplify the algorithm and reduce the complexity of the solution process, resulting in poor stability of active distribution network lines and potential faults. Based on this, this algorithm is introduced to carry out multi-objective collaborative optimization for intelligent distribution network operation. Firstly, the node types for the intelligent distribution network are defined and the power flow of the distribution network is analyzed. Secondly, a multi-objective configuration model for the lower level of the operation is constructed to maximize the distribution network investment and operation benefit index. A multi-objective collaborative optimization algorithm based on an enhanced particle swarm optimization algorithm is designed to reduce the operation cost of the distribution network and enhance the security and stability of the distribution network system during operation. The simulation test results show that after the application of the new method, the intelligent distribution network voltage stability index Vm is always less than 1, and the line stability has been significantly improved.

Triple Vessel Coronary Artery Disease Needs a Consistent Definition for Management Guidelines

For over forty years, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been recommended to patients with triple vessel disease (TVD) with the aim of providing a survival benefit compared to medical therapy. Generally, the survival benefit of CABG is determined by (a) the volume of myocardium at risk of infarction according to the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD), (b) the impairment of coronary flow reserve according to severity of coronary stenoses, severity of symptoms, or objective evidence of regional ischemia, and (c) the impairment of myocardial reserve according to left ventricular function and viability. The most frequently used index of survival benefit is the extent of CAD as described by the terms of the left main coronary stenosis and TVD. However, TVD has been inconsistently defined in randomised controlled trials. Furthermore, international guidelines do not provide a specific definition of TVD. This impacts a substantially sized and high-risk population. Here, we argue that the definition of TVD should include diseases in the major artery in each of the three coronary territories in order to estimate the survival benefit provided by CABG.

Carbon emission reduction analysis of CHP system driven by biogas based on emission factors

The cogeneration system of heat, power, and biogas (CHPB) driven by renewable energy provides an effective solution for carbon emission reduction in rural China. Starting from fully meeting the energy demand of 17 new rural residential households in Lanzhou, considering the annual dynamic local climate change, energy consumption characteristics, and environment parameters, a model of environmental benefit index for the CHPB system is constructed. The concept of emission factor is used to quantitatively analyze the environmental benefits of the system. The equivalent CO2 emission factor is defined to connect emissions with energy output, evaluating the environment-friendly potential of energy supply system. Compared with the conventional systems of independent power and thermal generation, the year-round characteristics of CO2 emission and emission structure chart of the proposed system are analyzed. The results show that the total CO2 emission and the average equivalent CO2 emission factors of the conventional and CHPB system are 85.45t, 1.53 kg/kWh, and 308.46t, 0.22 kg/kWh, respectively. The maximum CO2 emission reduction ratio of the CHPB system is 113.47%. Anaerobic digestion technology is employed to consume biomass feedstock, which reduced CH4 emission (equivalent to 86.36t of CO2 emission reduction). Five typical cities were selected to study the regional adaptability of the system and analyze environmental benefits. The results indicate that the CHPB system has the best environmental performance in Guangzhou, where the average CO2 emission reduction rate is 103.52%.

An Improved Method for Optimizing the Timing of Preventive Maintenance of Pavement: Integrating LCA and LCCA

The optimal preventive maintenance timing of traditional asphalt pavement is based on the maximum benefit-cost ratio. For cost evaluation indicators, mainly agency cost and user cost, use life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) to determine. The environmental impact of pavement preventive maintenance activities is often overlooked. For the benefit evaluation index, only the new area under the performance curve is used to express the maintenance benefit, and the benefit evaluation index is single. This study proposes an integrated approach combining life cycle assessment (LCA) and LCCA to model preventive maintenance timing decisions considering economic, social, and environmental factors. In this paper, LCA is used to quantitatively analyze the energy consumption and emissions in the pavement operation and maintenance process, and the environmental costs are also included in the accounting scope of the costs. The costs that constitute pavement use are analyzed from three aspects: the agency cost, the user cost, and the environmental cost. At the same time, in the process of constructing the cost model, the costs caused by the maintenance construction process to users and the environment are also taken into consideration. Aiming at the benefit index and comprehensively considering the economic benefits, social benefits, and environmental benefits brought by maintenance, a comprehensive evaluation model of maintenance benefits was constructed based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). On the basis of accurately calculating the cost and benefit of maintenance in the life cycle, the model of the optimal preventive maintenance timing of asphalt pavement is constructed so as to calculate the optimal timing of preventive maintenance and provide certain information for the formulation of expressway pavement preventive maintenance programs. For reference. Taking a highway project in China as an example to verify the applicability of the model

Promoting alcohol treatment engagement post-hospitalization with brief intervention, medications and CBT4CBT: protocol for a randomized clinical trial in a diverse patient population

BackgroundAlcohol use disorder (AUD) commonly causes hospitalization, particularly for individuals disproportionately impacted by structural racism and other forms of marginalization. The optimal approach for engaging hospitalized patients with AUD in treatment post-hospital discharge is unknown. We describe the rationale, aims, and protocol for Project ENHANCE (ENhancing Hospital-initiated Alcohol TreatmeNt to InCrease Engagement), a clinical trial testing increasingly intensive approaches using a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation approach.MethodsWe are randomizing English and/or Spanish-speaking individuals with untreated AUD (n = 450) from a large, urban, academic hospital in New Haven, CT to: (1) Brief Negotiation Interview (with referral and telephone booster) alone (BNI), (2) BNI plus facilitated initiation of medications for alcohol use disorder (BNI + MAUD), or (3) BNI + MAUD + initiation of computer-based training for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT4CBT, BNI + MAUD + CBT4CBT). Interventions are delivered by Health Promotion Advocates. The primary outcome is AUD treatment engagement 34 days post-hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes include AUD treatment engagement 90 days post-discharge and changes in self-reported alcohol use and phosphatidylethanol. Exploratory outcomes include health care utilization. We will explore whether the effectiveness of the interventions on AUD treatment engagement and alcohol use outcomes differ across and within racialized and ethnic groups, consistent with disproportionate impacts of AUD. Lastly, we will conduct an implementation-focused process evaluation, including individual-level collection and statistical comparisons between the three conditions of costs to providers and to patients, cost-effectiveness indices (effectiveness/cost ratios), and cost–benefit indices (benefit/cost ratios, net benefit [benefits minus costs). Graphs of individual- and group-level effectiveness x cost, and benefits x costs, will portray relationships between costs and effectiveness and between costs and benefits for the three conditions, in a manner that community representatives also should be able to understand and use.ConclusionsProject ENHANCE is expected to generate novel findings to inform future hospital-based efforts to promote AUD treatment engagement among diverse patient populations, including those most impacted by AUD.Clinical Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT05338151.

Commercial Level Analysis of P2P vs. Net-Metering Comparing Economic and Technical Indexes

As photovoltaics (PV), also known as solar electricity, has been growing over the years, the energy markets have been gradually moving toward decentralization. However, recent media accusations suggest that decentralized renewable energy is slowly becoming unpopular because of the hidden fees being charged to owners of installed PV systems. In response, this paper investigates the potential for alternative approaches to incentivize owners using peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing. This study provides an analytical comparison between the use of the P2P mechanism, the net-metering mechanism, and a combination of these in the commercial sector. Through the use of a simulation, this case study presents the possible outcomes of the implementation of these models in a microgrid. Using technical and economic indexes the comparison was made by looking at the following indexes: peak power, energy balance, economic benefit, and transaction index. Based on a microgrid of 28 commercial buildings, readings of consumption were taken at intervals of one hour, and a Python model was made to find PV size and compare trading mechanisms. It was found that the combination of P2P and net-metering had the best overall performance, followed by net-metering itself, with the best season being all for both, and summer for net-metering by itself. This shows that a P2P model implemented in a microgrid helps create more energy balance, although the combination would achieve the highest performance. This study can be used by policymakers for proposing renewable energy policies and regulations that are more beneficial to all prosumers and consumers.

Optimizing Landscape Structure of Hybrid Land Use in Ecological Corridors Based on Comprehensive Benefit Index in Metropolitan Area

As an inherent part of the landscape ecological network (LEN), the ecological corridor is the bridge between ecological sources and also the key to ensuring urban ecological security. Existing studies on ecological corridors mostly stay in the large scale of landscape patterns and lack guidance for corridor structure design or optimization at the land use level. To provide a reference for the internal landscape structure adjustment of the ecological corridor composed of hybrid land use in the rapidly urbanized areas, first, we constructed the “Comprehensive benefit index of ecological corridors I” by using the three indexes of “Ecological benefit enhancement potential”, “Economic input cost” and “Social coordination cost”. Second, with the goal of maximizing the comprehensive benefits of the three aspects of ecological corridor construction, we established a functional relationship between the converted agricultural land area A, constructed land area C, and index I to determine the optimal proportion of agricultural lands and constructed lands converted into ecological lands within the planning scope of the ecological corridors. The results show that (1) according to the conversion ratio, the ecological corridors in the study area can be divided into three degrees of conversion rate: low, moderate, and high. (2) Among the 66 ecological corridors, the agricultural lands in 26 ecological corridors and the constructed lands in 35 ecological corridors need to be converted into ecological land at a high ratio to ensure the comprehensive benefits of the corresponding corridors. We also put forward suggestions for landscape structure adjustment and optimization for ecological corridors with different conversion degrees. This method can help balance the benefits of different stakeholders in the city and implement the results of ecological corridor planning on a large spatial and temporal scale at the land use level.

Radiofrequency energy in the treatment of erectile dysfunction-a novel cohort pilot study on safety, applicability, and short-term efficacy.

The erectile mechanism depends, in part on the intactness of the collagen components in the penis. As such, impaired collagen may have a deleterious effect on erectile function. Radiofrequency energy has been shown to renew and restore spatial structural arrangement of collagen fibers; therefore, treatment of erectile dysfunction with radiofrequency could lead to anatomical and physiological changes at the penile tissue level and could lead to improvement in the erectile mechanism. We conducted this study to assess the effect of radiofrequency treatment on erection quality. We evaluated the safety, applicability, and efficacy of a self-applied, handheld, low-intensity radiofrequency device (Vertica®) in men with moderate and mild-to-moderate organic erectile dysfunction. The treatment protocol consisted of 12 treatments (twice a week during the 1st month, and once a week during the 2nd month), and each participant treated himself individually. Treatment outcomes were evaluated using the International Index of Erectile Function, Erection Hardness Scale, Erectile Dysfunction Index of Treatment Satisfaction, Benefit, Satisfaction & Willingness to continue, Quality of Erection Questionnaire, Sexual Quality of Life questionnaires and specific questions addressing side effects and ease of use. Twenty-eight out of 32 men (mean age 59.5 ± 9.8, range: 41-78 years) completed a one-month follow-up after treatment. Mean International Index of Erectile Function (43.7. ± 7.8 vs. 60.9 ± 10.8, p < 0.01), International Index of Erectile Function -Erection Function domain (16.8 ± 3.1 vs. 24.4 ± 4.4, p < 0.001), and Erection Hardness Scores (2.2 ± 0.8 vs. 3.2 ± 0.5, p = 0.01) were all significantly improved. Fifty percent of patients achieved normal erectile function parameters according to the International Index of Erectile Function -Erection Function domain score >25. High mean scores were achieved in the Erectile Dysfunction Index of Treatment Satisfaction (76.8 ± 20.3), Benefit, Satisfaction & Willingness to continue (4.83 ± 1.1), Quality of Erection Questionnaire (73.4 ± 23.8), and Sexual Quality of Life (67 ± 29.4) questionnaires. No side effects were reported and participants rated the device as very comfortable, simple, and easy to operate.

Land use impacts of the Conservation Reserve Program: An analysis of rejected offers

AbstractThe Conservation Reserve Program is the largest agricultural land retirement program in the United States, with more enrolled acreage entering the program through a competitive auction called the General Signup than any other component. In this study, we assess the land use impacts of the Conservation Reserve Program by observing the land use decisions of parcels following the 2016 General Signup. We estimate land use impacts using a regression discontinuity design based on the Environmental Benefits Index, the program's selection and ranking mechanism. Our estimates largely rely on the auction design of the General Signup, such that we observe the land use decisions of rejected offers. We also use information on the rental rates of these offers to understand what the program pays to retire land in different uses. We estimate that a marginal acre of land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program replaces 0.30 acres in cropland, 0.25 acres in mixed forage, 0.32 acres in grassland, 0.12 acres in idle or fallow land, and 0.01 acres in timberland. We also find that enrollments from newly offered fields are more likely to displace cropland and less likely to displace grassland than returning fields. Consequently, we estimate that new enrollments lead to 47% greater reductions in water‐driven erosion and 12% greater reductions in wind‐driven erosion, compared to fields with prior enrollment.

GGDP: A Better Measure of a Country's Economic Health

According to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), half of the world's GDP is dependent on nature, and Green GDP (GGDP), which takes into account all types of natural resource depletion, may be a better indicator of economic health. To determine whether GGDP can be a better measure than GDP, this paper firstly determines the accounting method of GGDP based on the SEEA accounting system and the research of scholars in the field, then constructs the Climate Benefit Index (CBI) to measure the global climate quality, and finally proposes a three-stage projection model to collect relevant data of the top 20 countries in terms of GDP from 2010 to 2021. The analysis found that the global climate quality improved significantly after GGDP replaced GDP as the accounting indicator. This suggests that GGDP is a better indicator of economic health.

Prediction and Analysis of Container Terminal Logistics Arrival Time Based on Simulation Interactive Modeling: A Case Study of Ningbo Port

This study is a driving analysis of the transfer data of container terminals based on simulation interactive modeling technology. In the context of a container yard, a model was established to analyze and predict the arrival time and influencing factors of container transportation through the data from the control center of the yard. The economic benefit index in the index system was determined through expert consultation, the automatic terminal can be obtained by acquiring the actual operating parameters of the terminal, and the terminal to be built can be acquired mainly through simulation modeling. Therefore, when determining the design scheme before constructing the automated container terminal, a terminal simulation model needs to be established that meets the requirements of loading and unloading operations and terminal production operations. In addition, an automated container terminal simulation model needs to be implemented to verify the feasibility of the evaluation model. The results reveal that the accuracy of the current prediction model is still limited—the highest accuracy is only 72%, whether there are continuous or discrete variables, traffic or weather variables. Moreover, the study denotes that the relationship between weather and specific time factors and the arrival time of containers is weak, even negligible. This study provides guidance and decision-making support for the construction of automated terminals.

Evaluation of the Seasonal Thermal Environmental Benefits of Urban Green Space in the Core Areas of Urban Heat Island

The core areas of the urban heat island (CAUHI) are the most concentrated and closely associated with humans, and they are key to managing the urban heat island (UHI). It is widely acknowledged that one of the best ways to reduce the risk of UHI is the creation of urban green spaces (UGSs). However, most of the current studies are based on the grid or block scale to explore the impact of UGS on UHI. The key to mitigating the urban heat environment is to plan urban UGS rationally in the CAUHI and explore the thermal environmental benefits of UGS. This paper provides an assessment model for the thermal environmental advantages of UGS and uses ten UGS metrics as explanatory factors for seasonal land surface temperature (LST). It quantitatively evaluates the potential differences in landscape characteristics between LST and UGS under different seasons, as well as the seasonal impact on CAUHI. This study found the following: (1) The overall distribution pattern of CAUHI shows a characteristic of spreading from the central part to the surrounding area. Most of the extremely significant CAUHI is dispersed in the center and southeastern regions of the city, where there is a much greater density of impermeable surfaces and essentially no distribution of CAUHI on the natural surface represented by forest land and water bodies. (2) Except for the aggregation index (AI), correlation analysis revealed that other metrics were highly connected with LST. Among the metrics used in this study, the largest patch index (LPI) and landscape division index (DIVISION) had the highest significant correlation with LST. Patch density (PD) was strongly negatively correlated with LST, indicating that fragmented and complex UGS patches could promote vegetation cooling. (3) The green environmental benefit index (GEBI) results showed a significant degree of spatial and temporal variability in the extracted CAUHI. This study found higher GEBI values in the larger thermal patches and lower GEBI in the surrounding smaller patches. The highest mean GEBI was found in winter, at 0.6083, and the largest distribution of large high-value patches. This study revealed the geographical and temporal variability of UGS and CAUHI, and with the help of the constructed scientific evaluation model, it offered suggestions for the optimization of urban greenery.

Machine learning to predict hemodynamically significant CAD based on traditional risk factors, coronary artery calcium and epicardial fat volume.

We sought to establish an explainable machine learning (ML) model to screen for hemodynamically significant coronary artery disease (CAD) based on traditional risk factors, coronary artery calcium (CAC) and epicardial fat volume (EFV) measured from non-contrast CT scans. 184 symptomatic inpatients who underwent Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (SPECT/MPI) and Invasive Coronary Angiography (ICA) were enrolled. Clinical and imaging features (CAC and EFV) were collected. Hemodynamically significant CAD was defined when coronary stenosis severity ≥ 50% with a matched reversible perfusion defect in SPECT/MPI. Data was randomly split into a training cohort (70%) on which five-fold cross-validation was done and a test cohort (30%). The normalized training phase was preceded by the selection of features using recursive feature elimination (RFE). Three ML classifiers (LR, SVM, and XGBoost) were used to construct and choose the best predictive model for hemodynamically significant CAD. An explainable approach based on ML and the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was deployed to generate individual explanation of the model's decision. In the training cohort, hemodynamically significant CAD patients had significantly higher age, BMI and EFV, higher proportions of hypertension and CAC comparing with controls (P all < .05). In the test cohorts, hemodynamically significant CAD had significantly higher EFV and higher proportion of CAC. EFV, CAC, diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were the highest ranking features by RFE. XGBoost produced better performance (AUC of 0.88) compared with traditional LR model (AUC of 0.82) and SVM (AUC of 0.82) in the training cohort. Decision Curve Analysis (DCA) demonstrated that XGBoost model had the highest Net Benefit index. Validation of the model also yielded a favorable discriminatory ability with the AUC, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy of 0.89, 68.0%, 96.8%, 94.4%, 79.0% and 83.9% in the XGBoost model. A XGBoost model based on EFV, CAC, hypertension, DM and hyperlipidemia to assess hemodynamically significant CAD was constructed and validated, which showed favorable predictive value. ML combined with SHAP can offer a transparent explanation of personalized risk prediction, enabling physicians to gain an intuitive understanding of the impact of key features in the model.

Optimization Model of Regional Green Wave Coordination Control for the Coordinated Path Set

An optimization model of regional green wave coordination control for the coordinated path set is proposed based on the network’s directional and asymmetric actual coordination control demands. The model in this paper selects the coordinated path set as the optimization object and takes the best regional coordination control effect as the optimization objective. By selecting signal timing parameters, such as stage time, stage center point, offset, and cycle length, as optimization variables, the relationship between signal timing parameters and the effect of green wave coordination was established. The stage time of the coordinated stage at the upstream and downstream intersections is used to calculate the evaluation index of the coordination control benefit of the whole road network. The case study demonstrates that this model can optimize coordinated path chains with left-turn traffic flows under green wave coordination management. In terms of network performance, compared with Transyt and Synchro, the signal control scheme obtained by the proposed model can reduce the average delay by about 30% and the average number of stops by about 40%. To meet the requirements of regional green wave coordination control, the proposed model can optimize different signal timing parameters to obtain a wide range of applications of green wave coordinated control in road networks.

Economic evaluation and influencing factors of CCUS-EOR technology: A case study from a high water-bearing oilfield in Xinjiang, China

With economic and social development, more and more attention has been paid to energy-saving and carbon emission reduction. In the field of oil and gas exploration and development, the best way for achieving this purpose is to innovatively combine enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology. Based on investigations into global applications, this study elaborates on the technical and economic advantages of implementing CCUS-EOR projects in mature oil fields. A pilot experiment of an oilfield in Xinjiang is taken as an example to establish the economic evaluation model for this type of project, followed by analyses of the main factors affecting the economic benefit index of the project. Mature oil fields with good carbon source conditions are favorable for the deployment of CCUS-EOR projects, which can achieve significant economic and long-term social benefits. Nonetheless, the economic benefits of the project are more affected by fiscal and tax policies, oil price fluctuations, and carbon source costs. In the early stage of the project construction, it is necessary to carry out economic evaluation and analysis using the present value method, which can provide important support for the project’s decision-making. Four factors are crucial to the commercial development of CCUS-EOR projects, including improved fiscal and taxation policies, enhanced carbon sequestration subsidies, advanced technical means to reduce carbon source costs, and increased carbon source cost tolerance under low oil prices. These factors have to be seriously considered during the demonstration of the project’s feasibility.

Tildrakizumab improves high burden skin symptoms, impaired sleep and quality of life of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis patients in conditions close to clinical practice.

Tildrakizumab (TIL) is an interleukin (IL)-23p19 inhibitor for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis with long-term efficacy and safety demonstrated in Phase III trials. Studies conducted in conditions closer to clinical practice are needed. The TRIBUTE study (open-label, Phase IV) assessed the efficacy and impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of TIL 100 mg in adult moderate-to-severe psoriasis patients (naïve to IL-23/Th17 pathway inhibitors) in conditions similar to clinical practice. Key efficacy measure was Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI). HRQoL was evaluated using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Skindex-16. Additional patient-reported outcomes included Pain-, Pruritus- and Scaling-Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Medical Outcome Study (MOS)-Sleep, Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI), Patient Benefit Index (PBI) and Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM). One hundred and seventy-seven patients were enrolled (six patients did not complete the study). After 24 weeks, the proportion of patients achieving PASI scores ≤ 3, PASI 75, PASI 90 and DLQI 0/1 was 88.4%, 92.5%, 74.0% and 70.4%, respectively. Skindex-16 overall score improved (mean absolute change from baseline, MACB [95%CI]: -53.3 [-58.1, -48.5]). Significant benefits (MACB [95%CI]) were found on pruritus-, pain- and scaling-NRS scores (-5.7 [-6.1, -5.2], -3.5 [-4.1, -3.0] and -5.7 [-6.2, -5.2], respectively), MOS-Sleep (-10.4 [-13.3, -7.4] Sleep problems Index II) and WPAI (-36.4 [-42.6, -30.2] activity impairment, -28.2 [-34.7, -21.7] productivity loss, -27.0 [-32.9, -21.1] presenteeism and -6.8 [-12.1, -1.5] absenteeism). 82.7% of patients reported PBI ≥ 3 and the mean (SD) global TSQM score was high (80.5 [18.5]). Only one serious treatment-emergent adverse event was reported (not-related to TIL). TIL 100 mg treatment after 24 weeks in conditions close to real clinical practice showed a quick and high improvement in psoriasis signs and HRQoL. Patient reported improvements in sleep outcomes and work productivity, relevant benefits and high treatment satisfaction. The safety profile was favourable and consistent with Phase III trials.

Development of a Specific Variant of Patient Benefit Index (PBI) Assessing Patient Needs, Goals and Benefits in Rosacea Treatment.

Evaluation of patient-reported outcomes including health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and perceived benefits from treatment has become a fundamental component of medical decision-making. Standardized evaluation of treatment benefits in rosacea based on patient preferences is still lacking. Development and validation of an instrument for recording patient-defined benefits in rosacea therapy based on the Patient Benefit Index (PBI) methodology. In an open survey of n = 50 patients, potential benefits of therapy from the patient's perspective were examined. The generated item pool was combined with pre-existing PBI items for other skin conditions and reviewed by an expert panel of dermatologists, psychologists and patients. Items were condensed to n = 25 and converted into a Likert-scaled questionnaire. The validity and feasibility of the resulting Patient Benefit Index for rosacea (PBI-RO) were tested on individuals with rosacea recruited from a German rosacea patient organization. N = 446 patients with rosacea completed the PBI-RO. The internal consistencies measured by Cronbach's alpha were high (Patient Needs Questionnaire [PNQ] 0.94). Mean PBI-RO was 1.9 ± 1.2 (scale from 0 = no benefit to 4 = maximum benefit), 23.5% of the patients experienced a PBI-RO < 1 (no clinically relevant benefit). The PBI-RO correlated with HRQoL, health state, current extent of rosacea lesions and treatment satisfaction. The highest correlation was found between PBI-RO and satisfaction with previous treatment (r = -0.59, p < 0.001); correlation with the extent of rosacea lesions was low (r = 0.16, p < 0.001). The PBI-RO shows satisfying internal consistency and construct validity. It offers the option of a patient-weighted evaluation of the therapeutic benefit of rosacea therapy and may add to more stringent goal orientation in therapy.