Background:In recent years, there has been rapid growth in pharmaceutical spending in China. In addition, the country faces many challenges with regards to the quality, pricing and affordability of drugs. Pricing and reimbursement are important aspects of pharmaceutical policy that must be prioritised in order to address the man-y challenges. Methods:This review draws on multiple sources of information. A review of the academic and grey lit-erature along with official government statistics were combined with informa-tion from seminars held by China's State Council Development Research Center to provide an overview of pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement in China. Results:Pricing and reimbursement policy were analysed through a framework that incor-porates supply-side policies, proxy-demand policies and demand-side policies. China's current pharmaceutical policies interact in such a way to create dysfunction in the form of high prices, low drug quality, irrational prescribing and problems with access. Fi-nally, the country's fragmented regulatory environment hampers pharmaceutical policy reform. Conclusions:The pri-cing and reimbursement policy landscape can be improved through higher drug quality standards, greater market con-centration, an increase in government subsidies, quality-oriented tendering, wider implementation of the zero mark-up policy, through linking reimbursement with rational prescribing, and the promotion of health technology assess-ment and comparative effectiveness research. Addressing broader issues of regulatory fragmentation, the lack of trans-parency and corruption will help ensure that policies are created in a coherent, evidence-based fashion.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of radiation retinopathy, a common complication in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. METHOD:This is a case report. RESULTS:A 59-year-old Chinese man with a history of external beam irradiation for nasopharyngeal carcinoma presented with mild blurring of vision of the left eye.Examination revealed bilateral scattered cotton-wool spots, intraretinal hemorrhages, and microaneurysms.The left eye had peripapillary cotton-wool spots and hemorrhages, disc edema, and semimacular star.Funduscopic findings were similar to those of diabetic retinopathy except for the abundance of cotton-wool spots and the presence of macular star. CONCLUSION:Radiation retinopathy usually develops 6 months to 3 years after exposure.In this patient, it occurred 2 years after radiotherapy.Neovascularization at the disc developed 15 months after initial presentation, which required treatment with panretinal photocoagulation, resulting in regression of the new vessels.As severe late ocular complications frequently occur after radiation therapy, periodic ophthalmologic examinations should be considered.
Human ; Male ; Middle Aged ; NASOPHARYNGEAL NEOPLASMS ; RETINAL NEOVASCULARIZATION ; DIABETIC ANGIOPATHIES ; DIABETIC RETINOPATHY ; ;

BACKGROUND: Free flap reconstruction was first introduced in 1959 and has since been used for reconstruction of various defects in the head and neck. It has been shown to be the most reliable and efficient way of restoring tissue in the head and neck region secondary to surgical or traumatic defects. It has allowed single stage reconstruction of even complex defects with high flap viability rates. Here in the Philippine setting, free flaps have not been the reconstructive option of choice. It is viewed as a special option for selective cases not amenable to pedicled reconstruction. OBJECTIVE: To describe the experience of one microvascular team in head and neck reconstruction using free flaps from 1996 to March 2004. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent free flap reconstruction of head and neck defects from 1996 to March 2004 at six tertiary hospitals in Manila. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Atotal of 69 patients who underwent 71 free-flap reconstructions of the head and neck for various pathologies and with a range of bony and soft tissue defects from 1996 to March 2004 were included in the study. All free flap reconstructions were done by only one microvascular team. The success and viability of free tissue transfer, length of hospital stay, length of operation, complications and morbidities encountered and functional outcome based on length of time to removal of the nasogastric tube and decannulation were reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 71 free flap reconstructions that were performed, 64 flaps were viable leading to an overall success rate of 90 percent. The first 36 cases had a success rate of 86 percent while the subsequent 35 cases had a success rate of 94 percent. Average length of hospital stay was 24 days and the average length of operation was 13 hours 40 minutes. There were 6 mortalities secondary to medical problems and 7 patients had major surgical complications. Twenty-one patients (29 percent) did not have any complication post-operation. Average time post-operation to decannulation was 14 days while return to oral diet was noted at 17 days post-operation. There were 8 patients who were discharged with either a nasogastric tube or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. The results are at par with the review of literature reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: The success of the use of free flaps in head and neck reconstruction was demonstrated in this series. There were minimal complications noted. All patients were decannulated with majority able to return to an oral diet. (Author)
HEAD NECK

OBJECTIVE: To design a cost effective, handy, easy to fabricate, ergonomic nasal speculum with a built-in light source. DESIGN: Instrumentation SETTING: Tertiary Government Hospital MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two 3cc syringes were mounted on each side of a nasal speculum to serve as battery cases for the two 1.5 volts battery. A laryngoscope bulb, connected to a metallic plate, made from the two long arms of a paper fastener, was then suspended from the speculum screw, with the bulb positioned in between the speculum blades. An electric wire connected the batteries and the metallic plate. The upper negative pole wire was connected to a ballpen spring and was glued near the fulcrum. The device illuminates automatically with opening of the speculum blades. RESULTS: Nasal speculite provided comparable visualization of the nasal cavity as that with a nasal speculum with head mirror and light source. The illumination was adequate and there was no more need for light focusing. There were no complaints of discomfort from the subjects. CONCLUSION: The Nasal speculite is a cost effective, handy, easy to fabricate ergonomic instrument that can be used by the ENT specialist at his/her own convenience, obviating the need for head mirrors and light source, in the examination of the nasal cavities. (Author)
NASAL CAVITY SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS

· AIM: To present the outcome of anterior single flap external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) in Sudanese patients. · METHODS: The data of 200 consecutive patients were retrospectively analyzed, who had anterior single flap external DCR with a minimum of one year follow-up. The surgeries were performed by the same surgeon (the first author) and patients were followed up for one year postoperatively. Presence of epiphora at the end of one year and no response to syringing and probing was considered failure. · RESULTS: The mean age of the study sample was 29.7 years (ranged 4-65 years), The ratio of male to female was 1: 2. The success rate was 98%. Failure was reported in 4 patients, two of them were traumatic cases with preexisting orbital disfigurement. · CONCLUSION: This study adds on to the evidence of the usefulness of anterior single flap DCR. Although it is simpler and easier to master the technique, this procedure showed a success rate comparable to that of the conventional method in literature.

Introduction: This study aimed to cross-culturally adapt a Malay version of Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and to evaluate its psychometric properties in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Materials and Methods: The English version KOOS was translated into a Malay version using forward and backward translation process, followed by face validity and content validity. Two hundred and twenty-six knee OA patients attending the Outpatient and Orthopaedic Clinics, Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital, completed the Malay version KOOS. Construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis and internal reliability assessment were performed. Results: The results showed that the original five-factor model with 42 items failed to achieve acceptable values of the goodness of fit indices, indicating poor model fit. A new five-factor model of 26 items demonstrated acceptable level of goodness of fit (comparative fit index= 0.929, incremental fit index= 0.930, Tucker Lewis fit index= 0.920, root mean square error of approximation= 0.073 and Chisquared/degree of freedom= 2.183) indices to signify a model fit. The Cronbach’s alpha value for the new model ranged from 0.776 to 0.946. The composite reliability values of each construct ranged between 0.819 and 0.921, indicating satisfactory to high level of convergent validity. Conclusion: The five-factor model with 26 items in the Malay version of KOOS questionnaire demonstrated a good degree of goodness of fit and was found to be valid, reliable and simple as an assessment tool for symptoms, pain activity of daily living, sports and recreational activity and quality of life for Malaysian adults suffering from knee osteoarthritis.

Digital mammography has been progressively introduced in screening centers and the concern is to achieve an image of diagnostic value which would be able to detect early changes in the breast tissue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the image quality of mammograms using quantitative and qualitative methods of two FFDM systems with variations in breast thickness and anode/filter combination. This study was done from January to April 2008 with two FFDM systems; Siemens Mammomat NovationDR at Diagnostic Imaging Department, Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Hologic Lorad Selenia at Breast Clinic, National Cancer Society. A CIRS012A tissue equivalent breast phantom (4, 5 and 6 cm) thickness was used to obtain images in the craniocaudal plane with 26-32 kVp and a combination of molybdenum/molybdenum (Mo/Mo) and molybdenum/rhodium (Mo/Rh) anode/filter. For the qualitative evaluation, two independent radiologist with a minimum of five years experience was used to score the images. Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test showed that there are no significant differences (p > 0.05) in image quality between both the FFDM systems. Kappa analysis had a poor agreement between the scores given by the two radiologists. The quantitative analysis using Mann-Whitney test showed that there are significant differences (p < 0.05) between the SNR values of both FFDM systems. Although the qualitative evaluation was similar, the study showed that Lorad Selenia had a significantly superior SNR value, hence would be a better tool to detect early changes in the breast tissue. This study also demonstrated that a lower kVp is more suitable with molybdenum filter and as the breast thickness is increased rhodium filter with higher kVp displayed better quality images.

In this review, I first provide relevant background information about normal epidermal barrier structure and function. I then update recent information about how inherited defects in either filaggrin and/or in the serine protease inhibitor, lymphoepithelial Kazal-type inhibitor 1, converge to stimulate the development of atopic dermatitis (AD). Next I explain the multiple mechanisms whereby a primary barrier abnormality in AD can lead to inflammation. Furthermore, I explore how certain acquired stressors, such as a reduced external humidity, high pH soaps/surfactants, psychological stress, as well as secondary Staphylococcus aureus infections initiate or further aggravate AD. Finally, and most importantly, I compare various therapeutic paradigms for AD, highlighting the risks and benefits of glucocorticoids and immunomodulators vs. corrective, lipid replacement therapy.
Dermatitis, Atopic ; Glucocorticoids ; Humidity ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Immunologic Factors ; Inflammation ; Intermediate Filament Proteins ; Risk Assessment ; Serine Proteases ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Stress, Psychological

Stem cell therapy, an evolving, progressive field of therapeutics has shown several successes in areas where classic treatments failed to prevent or stop disability. Starting in 2009, twenty two sequential patients with progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) courses were treated with Autologous Bone Marrow Mononuclear stem cells (BM-MNSCs). The cells were given both intravenously and intrathecally. Using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score for evaluation, our data indicates that the majority of the patients benefited on the average one point on the scale. This paper adds to the body of evidence suggesting the safety and efficacy of autologous BM-MNSCs in the treatment of MS and awaits validation through larger, randomized studies.
Bone Marrow* ; Humans ; Multiple Sclerosis* ; Stem Cells*

BRP-39 and its human homolog YKL-40 have been regarded as a prototype of chitinase-like proteins (CLP) in mammals. Exaggerated levels of YKL-40 protein and/or mRNA have been noted in a number of diseases characterized by inflammation, tissue remodeling, and aberrant cell growth. Asthma is an inflammatory disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and airway remodeling. Recently, the novel regulatory role of BRP-39/YKL-40 in the pathogenesis of asthma has been demonstrated both in human studies and allergic animal models. The levels of YKL-40 are increased in the circulation and lungs from asthmatics where they correlate with disease severity, and CHI3L1 polymorphisms correlate with serum YKL-40 levels, asthma and abnormal lung function. Animal studies using BRP-39 null mutant mice demonstrated that BRP-39 was required for optimal allergen sensitization and Th2 inflammation. These studies suggest the potential use of BRP-39 as a biomarker as well as a therapeutic target for asthma and other allergic diseases. Here, we present an overview of chitin/chitinase biology and summarize recent findings on the role of BRP-39 in the pathogenesis of asthma and allergic responses.
Airway Remodeling ; Animals ; Asthma ; Biology ; Breast ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Inflammation ; Lung ; Mammals ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Proteins ; RNA, Messenger