OBJECTIVE:To propose policy recommendations for China to solve medicines shortage fundamentally. METH-ODS:The causes of medicines shortage in China were analyzed. Chinese,American,Canadian and European literatures and the government website of typical countries about responses to medicines shortage since 2010 were searched and reviewed. RESULTS& CONCLUSIONS:Medicines shortage in China are due to regulation and policy changes and unfair competition. Both China and foreign countries face the problem of medicines shortage to some extent,either due to demand side or supply side. It is necessary to improve related laws and regulations to deal with medicines shortage,establish multi coordinative mechanism,shortage monitor-ing system and information and communication network platform with the patient-centered approach,leave reasonable profit for pharmaceutical production and distribution enterprises and crack down hoarding of raw materials. The experiences of typical coun-tries in defining clear responsibility for each stakeholder in the medicines supply chain,establishing comprehensive policies and co-ordinative mechanisms in response to medicines shortage are valuable for China to follow.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hair Diseases ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; complications ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; Recombinant Proteins ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical features and rate of natural viral clearance in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection acquired by blood transfusion from a single donor.

METHODSNinety-six patients who acquired HCV infection between January 1998 and December 2002, upon receipt of donated blood from a single infected individual in Guizhou,were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Patients were clinically assessed to determine levels of anti-HCV antibodies, HCV RNA and biochemical indicators of liver function,as well as features of liver structure (by abdominal B ultrasonography and elastography). HCV genetic testing was used to determine the virus genotype. Measurement data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Count data were analyzed by the x² test,with P less than 0.05 indicating statistical significance.

RESULTSAll 96 patients tested positive for antiHCV antibodies. The majority of patients (70%; 34:33 male:female) had HCV RNA more than or equal to 1.0 * 103 copies/ml. All patients carried the same HCV genotype as the single blood donor:genotype lb. The overall rate of natural HCV clearance was 30.2%. but males had a significantly lower rate (19.0% (8/42) vs. females:38.9% (21/54);x²=4.41,P=0.023) as did older patients (more than 40 years-old:16.1% (5/31) vs .less than or equal to 40 years-old:36.9% (24/65);x²=4.30,P=0.028). The overall rate of chronic HCV infection (CHC) was 69.8%,but the rate was significantly lower in younger patients (less than or equal to 40 years-old:63.1% (41/65) vs. more than 40 years-old:83.9% (26/31);x²=6.67,P=0.028). Among the 67 patients with CHC,12 had symptoms of mild weakness,anorexia and abdominal distention,11 had elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (116.25 +/- 24.65 U/L) and stage 3 or 4 fibrosis (liver elasticity values more than or equal to 5.1 kPa),and three had mildly abnormal serum bilirubin (32.56 ± 5.28 mumol/L). Fifteen patients showed signs of chronic hepatitis and one patient showed signs of cirrhosis by abdominal B ultrasonography. None of the patients showed signs of hepatocellular carcinoma.

CONCLUSIONThe course of blood transfusion acquired HCV infection is largely unknown and natural viral clearance rate may be associated with sex-and age-related factors.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Blood Donors ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepacivirus ; genetics ; physiology ; Hepatitis C ; epidemiology ; virology ; Hepatitis C Antibodies ; blood ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; epidemiology ; virology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Viral ; blood ; Remission, Spontaneous ; Retrospective Studies ; Transfusion Reaction ; Young Adult

To investigate the efficacy of interferon alpha 2 b plus ribavirin combination therapy in sixty-two patients with chronic hepatitis c (CHC) infection originating from a single blood donor. The 62 patients who developed CHC following blood transfusion from a known single infected donor were treated with interferon and ribavirin combination therapy for 48 weeks and followed-up for 96 weeks. The therapy regimen consisted of subcutaneous administration of 3-500 MIU interferon alpha 2 b every other day and daily oral administration of 0.6-1.0 g of ribavirin. Patients were monitored during treatment and in follow-up for sustained virological response (SVR), early virology response (EVR), treatment end virology response (ETVR), biochemical response of withdrawals, and side effects. The SVR rate was 83.9% (52/62). The EVR rate was 95.2% (59/62). The ETVR rate was 87.1% (54/62). The biochemical response rate after withdrawal of treatment was 100.0%. Eight patients developed mildly abnormal thyroid function as a result of the interferon therapy, but all were able to complete the antiviral treatment regimen under the care of endocrinologists. Younger age, relatively short course of disease, low viral load, and better compliance, but not sex, were correlated to curative effect of the combination therapy. Interferon alpha 2 b plus ribavirin combination therapy had a significant curative effect on a group of 62 CHC patients originating from a single case, with 52 of the patients showing SVR out to 96 weeks after therapy. Antiviral treatment is recommended for hepatitis C virus-positive patients to eradicate the virus and prevent disease progression.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Blood Donors ; Child ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepacivirus ; drug effects ; genetics ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; drug therapy ; virology ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Viral ; blood ; Recombinant Proteins ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Ribavirin ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Transfusion Reaction ; Treatment Outcome ; Viral Load ; Young Adult

This study was aimed to explore differential effects of various sections of the velvet antler on promoting cell proliferation in vitro. The NRK-49F cell line from rat kidney fibroblasts was used as the cell model. The cell proliferation rates of the water extracts from the upper, middle and lower section of fresh velvet antler were measured by the MTT method. BCA method was used in the detection of protein concentration. The SDS-PAGE method was used in the analysis of difference composition of the sample protein. The results showed that soluble protein content of the upper, middle and lower section were 17.89, 16.04 and 6.89 mg·mL-1, respectively. From the top to the base, the soluble protein content of velvet antler was decreased. After 24 h treatment, when the protein concentration of the upper and middle section samples of the velvet antler were 800 μg·mL-1 and 600 μg·mL-1, the cell proliferation promoting rates reached the maximum, which were 66.76% and 64.36%, respectively. And when the lower section sample of the velvet antler was 1 000 μg·mL-1, the cell proliferation promoting rates reached the maximum, which was 58.87%. After 48 h treatment, when the upper and middle section samples of the velvet antler were 800μg·mL-1, the cell proliferation promoting rates reached the maximum, which were 219.56% and 215.86%, respectively. And when the lower section sample of the velvet antler was 1 000 μg·mL-1, the cell proliferation promoting rates reached the maximum, which was 169.20%. The velvet antler on the proliferation of cells was much better than the 10% fetal bovine serum. The figure of SDS-PAGE showed the slight difference in the protein composition of three part of the velvet antler. It was concluded that all samples had promoting effects on cell proliferation with concentration-depen-dent, and the main protein in different part of the velvet antler had minor differences.

Objective:To analyze the risk factors of pulmonary hemorrhage in very low and extremely low birth weight, and to provide reference for the treatment of pulmonary hemorrhage.Methods:The clinical data of very low and extremely low birth weight infants hospitalized in Qingdao Women and Children′s Hospital NICU from January 2017 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.Eighty-six infants who were diagnosed with pulmonary hemorrhage were selected as the pulmonary hemorrhage group, and two hundred and two infants without pulmonary hemorrhage were selected as the control group.The differences of the survival rates, complications and parameters of platelet between the two groups were compared, and the risk factors of pulmonary hemorrhage by multivariate Logistic regression were analyzed.Results:The survival rate of pulmonary hemorrhage group and control group were 65.1%(56/86) and 90.1%(182/202), respectively.The survival rate of control group was significantly higher than that in the pulmonary hemorrhage group( χ2=26.241, P<0.01). There was no significant difference in fluid intake between the two groups within three days after birth( t=0.936, 1.811, 1.840, P=0.350, 0.073, 0.069). The multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus( OR=2.304, 95% CI: 0.213~1.564, P=0.010), disseminated intravascular coagulation( OR=3.143, 95% CI: 0.061~2.521, P=0.028), thrombocytopenia( OR=0.991, 95% CI: -0.015~-0.005, P=0.001) and low mean platelet volume( OR=0.337, 95% CI: -1.657~-0.739, P=0.001) were the risk factors of pulmonary hemorrhage. Conclusion:Hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus, disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombocytopenia and low mean platelet volume were associated with increased risks for pulmonary hemorrhage in very low and extremely low birth weight.These risk factors should be actively monitored and treated, which is helpful to early identify and prevent pulmonary hemorrhage.

Objective:To investigate the perinatal risk factors and correlation between bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 173 preterm infants born at less than 32 weeks' gestation with BPD who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Women and Children's Hospital of Qingdao University from June 2017 to July 2022. According to the diagnostic criteria for ROP, these preterm infants were divided into the ROP group ( n=64) and the non-ROP group ( n=109). Chi-square test, two independent samples t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare the general data, treatment, and the incidence of complications between the two groups. Multivariate logistic stepwise regression analysis was used to analyze the independent risk factors of ROP in preterm infants with BPD and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the predictive value of independent risk factors on ROP. The correlation between the severity of BPD and the incidence of ROP was analyzed. Results:The gestational age at birth [(28.0±1.1) vs. (28.8±1.2) weeks, t=4.01], the birth weight [(1 075.9±141.4) vs. (1 143.2±168.6) g, t=2.68], the partial pressure of carbon dioxide [42.5 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) (34.0-51.0 mmHg) vs. 47.0 mmHg (39.0-54.0 mmHg), Z=－2.31], and the total fluid intake on the first day of birth [80.0 ml (72.3-88.7 ml) vs. 83.6 ml (76.6-92.8 ml), Z=－2.28] in the ROP group were all lower than those in the non-ROP group (all P<0.05). While the prothrombin time [15.7 s (14.1-17.7 s) vs. 14.6 s (13.1-16.7 s), Z=－2.17], activated partial thromboplastin time [64.7 s (52.9-77.9 s) vs. 55.8 s (48.4-68.9 s), Z=－2.12], the proportion of patients treated with pulmonary surfactant [71.9% (46/64) vs. 49.5% (54/109), χ 2=8.25], the total duration of oxygen supplementation [50.5 d (40.0-64.0 d) vs. 45.0 d (37.0-52.0 d), Z=－2.77], the duration of invasive ventilation [5.0 d (1.0-11.0 d) vs. 1.0 d (0.0-5.0 d), Z=－4.03], the duration of noninvasive ventilation or high-flow oxygen therapy [(31.7±12.7) vs. (26.4±13.1) d, t=－2.59], and the incidence of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome [76.6% (49/64) vs. 57.8% (63/109), χ 2=6.22] were increased in the ROP group (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the proportion of BPD treated with corticosteroids between the ROP and non-ROP groups [60.3% (38/63) vs. 74.3% (81/109), χ 2=3.67, P=0.055]. Multivariate logistic stepwise regression analysis showed that smaller gestational age ( OR=1.599, 95% CI: 1.126-2.272, P=0.009), less fluid intake on the first day ( OR=1.033, 95% CI: 1.004-1.062, P=0.024), and longer duration of invasive ventilation ( OR=1.076, 95% CI:1.017-1.138, P=0.011) were independent risk factors for ROP in BPD infants, while glucocorticoid treatment was an independent protective factor ( OR=0.378, 95% CI:0.173-0.827, P=0.015). Most patients with mild or moderate BPD did not develop ROP [64.6% (73/113) and 66.7% (34/51)], while those with severe BPD were more likely to be complicated by ROP (7/9) ( χ 2=6.84, P=0.033). Conclusions:BPD infants with smaller gestational age, longer duration of invasive ventilation, and less fluid intake on the first day of birth are more likely to develop ROP, while glucocorticoid therapy can reduce the incidence of ROP in this population. Severe BPD may increase the risk of ROP in infants.

Objective: To observe the effects of swimming plus medication on the expressions of cytokines in rats with chronic abacterial prostatitis (CAP). METHODS: Forty healthy adult male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups of equal number, normal control, CAP model control, medication, exercise therapy, and exercise + medication. The CAP model was made by Xiaozhiling injection, and at 7 days after modeling, the rats in the medication and exercise + medication groups were treated intragastrically with Qianlie Shutong Capsules (0.016 g/ml) at 20 ml per kg of the body weight qd, those in the exercise therapy and exercise + medication groups were made swim at a regular time once a day, 35 minutes on the first day and 5 minutes more on the second until 50 minutes once, for 4 successive weeks, and those in the normal control, model control and exercise therapy groups received normal saline only. After 14 and 28 days of treatment, all the rats were killed and their prostates harvested for observation of histopathological changes and determination of the expressions of TNF- α, IL-1β and IL-6 in the prostatic tissue homogenate by ELISA. RESULTS: After 14 days of treatment, the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly elevated in the groups of CAP model control (［183.08±8.07］ pg/ml, ［57.55±3.53］ pg/ml and ［256.15±13.95］ ng/L), medication (［118.49±8.06］ pg/ml, ［42.64±4.64 ］ pg/ml and ［200.74±9.33］ ng/L), exercise therapy (［169.63±10.64］ pg/ml, ［50.45±5.71］ pg/ml and ［245.23±6.49］ ng/L), and exercise + medication (［107.82±7.81］ pg/ml, ［40.35±6.93］ pg/ml and ［187.04±10.85］ ng/L) as compared with those in the normal control (［20.36±1.82］ pg/ml, ［14.64±1.91］ pg/ml and ［70.58±2.09］ ng/L) (P<0.05). At 28 days, the levels of TNF- α, IL-1β, IL-6 were remarkably lower in the exercise + medication group (［29.30±3.78］ pg/ml, ［16.91±1.24］ pg/ml and ［ 88.65±6.74］ ng/L) than in the medication group (［39.67±3.19］ pg/ml, ［26.27±3.49］ pg/ml and ［110.26±6.33］ ng/L) (P<0.05) and close to those of the normal control group (［19.34±1.76］ pg/ml, ［13.68±1.06］ pg/ml and ［71.34±2.50］ ng/L). During the treatment, no obvious pathological changes were found in the prostate tissue of the normal control rats, while significant chronic prostatic inflammation was observed in the CAP models, and the inflammation was relieved in different degrees after intervention, most significantly in the exercise + medication group. CONCLUSIONS Swimming can relieve prostatic inflammation and swimming plus medication can effectively reduce the expressions of cytokines and alleviate histological damage in the prostatic tissue of CAP rats.
Animals ; Chronic Disease ; Combined Modality Therapy ; methods ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Male ; Physical Conditioning, Animal ; Prostatitis ; metabolism ; therapy ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Swimming ; Time Factors ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Objective To explore the effect of histologic chorioamnionitis(HCA)on clinical outcomes of preterm infants with a gestational age<34 weeks.Methods This retrospective study enrolled 497 cases of premature infants with a gestational age<34 weeks and their mothers who were hospitalized in the Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2022.According to whether the pathology of placenta was diagnosed as HCA or not,patients were divided into the HCA group(257 cases)and the control group(240 cases).The propensity score matching analysis was performed at a ratio of 1︰1.Ten items were matched,including gestational age,birth weight,gender,cesarean section,gestational diabetes mellitus,gestational hypertension,placental abruption,premature rupture of membranes,use of antenatal glucocorticoids and assisted reproductive technology.The differences of major complications and survival rate were compared between the two groups.Results A total of 156 pairs premature infants were successfully matched.Before matching,the incidences of early-onset sepsis(EOS)and bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)were higher in the HCA group than those of the control group(26.1%vs.7.5%,45.1%vs.25.8%,P＜0.01).The incidence of EOS was higher in the HCA group than that of the control group after matching(24.4%vs.7.7%,P＜0.01),and the incidence of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome(NRDS)was significantly lower in the HCA group than that in the control group after matching(34.0%vs.46.8%,P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in survival rate and the incidences of other complications between the two groups before and after matching(P>0.05).Conclusion Preterm infants exposed to HCA have a higher risk of EOS and a lower risk of NRDS after propensity score matching.HCA has no significant effect on survival rate and other complications of premature infants.

Background Cornea astigmatism can be effectively corrected by implanting Toric intraocular lens (IOL) during cataract surgery and therefore improve visual acuity of patients.However,the decentration and rotation position errors were inevitable sometime.What's the difference of effect of position errors on quality of image between spherical IOL and Toric IOL needs further research.Objective This study was to evaluate the optical performance and wavefront with rotation and decentration of Toric IOL.Methods Different decentration for SN60AT IOL(spherical IOL) and Toric IOL in Hwey-Lan Lion model eyes was set with the role as follows:decentration 0.25 mm to 0.75 mm in a 5°-interval from 0° to 90°.Furthermore,Toric IOL was rotated at 5° and 10°,respectively.Then the image performances of SN60AT IOL and Toric IOL at different decentration distances and rotated degrees were evaluated with modulation transfer function (MTF) and value of wavefront aberration under all conditions.Results At the centration,the MTF curves of spherical IOL and Toric IOL were similar under 3,4 and 5 mm pupil diameter at each spatial frequency.Under the condition of 4 mm pupil diameter,when the decentration was 0.25 mm,the MTF values of SN60AT IOL at 6 c/d and 12 c/d were 0.581 087 and 0.411 960,respectively.T3 IOL were 0.454 259 and 0.382 313,T4 IOL were 0.426 020 and 0.360 490,T5 IOL were 0.425 606 and 0.359 877.When the decentration was 0.50 mm,the MTF values of SN60AT at 6 c/d and 12 c/d were 0.573 073 and 0.412 787,respectively.T3 IOL were 0.450943 and 0.379481,T4 IOL were 0.423 153 and 0.356 664,T5 IOL were 0.422 881 and 0.356 230.When the decentration was 0.75 mm,the MTF values of SN60AT at 6 c/d and 12 c/d were 0.560 038 and 0.413 624,respectively.T3 IOL were 0.445 597 and 0.374 322,T4 IOL were 0.418 522 and 0.350 087,T5 IOL were 0.418 468 and 0.349 976.When the IOL decentralized along 0°,5°,10°,90°meridian line,the MTF values were almostly same.The root mean square (RMS) of spherical IOL and Toric IOL was increased when the IOL decentralized from 0 mm to 0.75 mm,with the most increasing level in coma aberration and slight increase in trefoil aberration.When the T4 IOL decentralized from centre to 0.75 mm,the coma increased from 0 to C(3,-1)-0.049 79 μm,C (3,1)-0.037 59 μm and the trefoil aberration increased from 0 to C (3,3) 0.005 72 μm,C (3,-3) 0.004 64 μm.With the increase of rotation degrees (from 5°to 10°) of Toric IOL,the MTF was worse at high spatial frequency.Toric IOL rotation caused the increase of astigmatism and residual astigmatism and spherical error,but not high order aberration.Conclusions The tolerance of Toric IOL to decentration is very close to the spherical IOL,and optical performance is only associated with the amount of decentration but not direction.The aberration caused by Toric IOL decentration is mainly coma.The rotation of Toric IOL causes astigmatism error but not high order aberrations.