The policy of long-term prescription for chronic diseases in China is gradually being improved and implemented， and external long-term prescription dispensing is being encouraged. The long-term prescription policy runs through the links of drug supply， equipment， use and policy， involving government departments such as medical security and health， as well as stakeholders such as patients， medical institutions and designated detail pharmacies. There are still some problems in the external dispensing of long-term prescriptions， such as the disunity of drug catalogue and the need for coordination among regulatory parties in the policy link； the need to improve the participation enthusiasm and service ability in the equipment link； the increased difficulty of prescription management， the need to improve the circulation platform in the use link. The promotion of external long-term prescription policy requires health insurance， medical service， and the medicine industry co-development， multi-party participation， and policy coordination. Among them， the “dual channel” policy， the policy of centralized medicine procurement， and the pharmacy included in outpatient overall management policy have all played a positive role in promoting the implementation of external long-term prescription dispensing for chronic diseases. It is necessary to improve supporting policies and implement regulatory responsibilities in the policy link， promote drug classification and service capabilities in the equipment link， improve the electronic prescription circulation platform， and strengthen prescription management in use link， so as to promote the implementation of external long-term prescription dispensing.

It analyzes the development achievements of the construction of the basic medical security system and the key issues of its high-quality development in China,and puts forward the countermeasures of promoting the high-quality development of the basic medical security system.In recent years,China's basic medical security system has made remarkable development achievements,but it is still facing a series of problems in the areas of participation,financing,treatment guarantee security and fund supervision.The implementation of accurate participation and expansion,the improvement of the financing mechanism,and the promotion of synergistic development and governance of medical care,medical insurance and pharmaceuticals are the keys to meeting the residents'growing health needs and promoting the high-quality development of China's basic medical security system.

Objective:To explore the structural characteristics of the medical service price network in the Yangtze River Delta,and provide a new management perspective for the collaborative governance of medical service prices in the Yangtze River Delta.Methods:Taking the related medical security bureaus of some core cities in the Yangtze River Delta as samples,based on the social network analysis method,the structural characteristics of price linkage network are analyzed from the perspectives of network density and correlation,individual centrality and block model analysis.Results:Firstly,the price network is not tight and has poor stability;secondly,the price network is unbalanced,with the Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau playing different roles;thirdly,the price network has obvious spatial aggregation and spatial spillover.Conclusion:The overall situation of the medical service price linkage network is not optimistic,and the network advantages should be fully integrated to promote the coordinated development of medical service prices in the Yangtze River Delta Region.

Objective:To discuss how to construct the medical insurance access for medical service items based on Health Tech-nology Assessment(HTA)applicable to China.Methods:This study consolidated the current medical insurance access in some prov-inces and cities from China and identified deficiencies through the expert interview.We summarized the experience and indicators contained in the HTA report in UK and Singapore by using literature analysis.Results:In most regions of China,the management of medical services price is gradually moving from exclusion items based on certain conditions to access approach,lacking of tools for assessment.In UK and Singapore,the medical insurance access mechanism mainly consists of subject selection,scoping,HTA imple-mentation and decision-making,in the HTA report,with the data including clinical evidence,cost evidence and budget impact on health system,etc.Conclusion:Building an evidence-based health policy decision-making framework through multi-criteria deci-sion analysis and the construction of medical insurance access mechanism based on HTA can be achieved by developing national guidelines,multi-scenario HTA systems,and enhancing the supervision on the process of HTA.

Constructing a multi-tiered healthcare security system can meet the diverse and individualized healthcare service demand of the general public.Public hospitals,as the main providers of healthcare services in China,effectively integrate with commercial health insurance,which can accelerate the implementation of high-quality healthcare services,promote innovative development,and optimize product coverage and operational efficiency for commercial health insurance,achieving a win-win situation.Taking Shanghai as the research object,it analyzes the supply and demand status of multi-tiered healthcare security in Shanghai based on population characteristics,economic level,healthcare resources,and policy environment.It identifies the difficulties in the current collaboration between public hospitals and commercial insurance.Finally,it proposes exploring the expansion of independent development space for specialized services,improving the level of coordination between commercial insurance institutions and public hospitals in health management services,promoting the management and sharing of data,strengthening the protection of innovative medicines and devices by commercial insurance,in order to promote the coordinated development of commercial insurance and public hospitals.

Based on on-site research in Shanghai,it takes a supply-side perspective to examine the current status of cooperation between Private Health Insurance(PHI)and the pharmaceutical industry.It discusses the issues existing in the cooperation and proposes policy recommendations for their coordinated development.It identifies three main cooperation models and products,which are the public-private integrated product"Hui Min Bao",the special drug insurance led by insurance companies,and the disease insurance for patients led by pharmaceutical enterprises.However,these models commonly face challenges such as the limited policy support,a lack of standardized cooperation between the two sectors,insufficient information and data exchange,immature innovative payment models,and difficulties in the application of innovative drugs.It argues that the key to coordinated development lies in leveraging the strategic purchasing power of PHI,devising rational payment strategies and standards to achieve a win-win situation for insurers,enterprises,healthcare providers and patients.Therefore,policy recommendations are proposed from the perspectives of establishing mechanisms,breaking barriers,strategic procurement,and supporting measures.

Objective:To provide suggestions for exploring the ICER threshold's calculation method and reasonable estimation in China.Methods:It summarizes the consensus and analyze the disputes on thresholds in China based on theoretical and empirical research by literature review,compares the thresholds derived from willingness to pay versus opportunity cost methods.Results:Theoretical researches on threshold of China mainly focus on method for calculation,health output index,and health equity,etc.The controversy persists over the threshold's characteristics.The health care demand-side perspective willingness-to-pay method was the most widely used in the empirical studies,but the results of the thresholds measured by this method varied widely;the thresholds measured by the health care supply-side perspective opportunity cost method were lower than the thresholds obtained from the demand-side perspective.Conclusion:It is still essential to discuss the threshold's characteristics and establish the methods framework complementing both demand and supply side for Chinese health insurance,and to standardize and normalize the measurement methods,as well as to set up multi-level thresholds according to the preferences of the population,the severity of the disease,and so on,in order to take into account both economy and equity.

BACKGROUND:Mechanical stimulation has been confirmed to promote osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal stem cells,but the mechanism is unknown.Primary cilia are important mechanoreceptors and regulate various signaling pathways such as TGF-β1/BMP-2/SMAD.They are likely to be important targets for mechanical regulation of bone marrow stromal stem cells. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect and mechanism of fluid shear stress on osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal stem cells. METHODS:Rat bone marrow stromal stem cells were divided into control group,mechanical stimulation group(fluid shear mechanics intervention by shaking table),mechanical stimulation + IFT88 silencing group(mechanical stimulation + silencing IFT88 expression with siRNA).After 24 hours of intervention,qRT-PCR was utilized to determine the expression of transforming growth factor β1 and bone morphogenetic protein 2.Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of phosphorylated SMAD2/3 protein.Immunofluorescent staining of primary cilia was conducted and morphology was analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Shear stress stimulation could promote the transcriptional activity of transforming growth factor β1 and bone morphogenetic protein 2 genes,and increase the expression of phosphorylated SMAD2/3 protein.After siRNA interfered with primary cilia,this mechanical response effect was significantly reduced.There was a Spearman correlation between the change ratio of the primary cilium area of bone marrow stromal stem cells and the increased ratio of transforming growth factor β1 and bone morphogenetic protein 2 gene transcription.These findings indicate that primary cilia/intraflagellar transport mediates the activation of fluid shear stress-responsive transforming growth factor β1/bone morphogenetic protein 2/SMAD signaling pathway and promotes osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal stem cells.

BACKGROUND:Cervical neutral position magnetic resonance imaging is widely used for the diagnosis and treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy.However,it is not possible for patients to maintain the exact same position of the head and neck during repeated cervical magnetic resonance imaging examinations.The cervical spine undergoes minor flexion and extension movements in the sagittal plane,and the head may have a certain degree of variation in flexion and extension.Whether these changes in the neutral position of the cervical spine affect the volume of cervical discs herniation and cervical curvature is unclear. OBJECTIVE:Using artificial intelligence-assisted measurement,this study aimed to analyze the accuracy and reliability of magnetic resonance imaging examinations for measuring the volume of cervical discs herniation and cervical curvature in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy undergoing two consecutive cervical neutral positions in the short term. METHODS:A retrospective study was conducted on patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy who underwent conservative treatment and underwent two consecutive cervical magnetic resonance imaging examinations within three months between June 2012 and June 2023.We proposed the use of occipital-thoracic distance and occipital-thoracic angle to evaluate the variation in flexion and extension of the head in the neutral position of the cervical spine.Based on the changes in occipital-thoracic angle,patients were divided into occipital-thoracic angle increase group and occipital-thoracic angle decrease group.Cervical discs herniation volume,C2-6 Cobb angle,and cervical(C3-C7)curvature were measured using artificial intelligence-assisted measurement software.Normal distribution data were represented by mean±SD,while non-normal distribution data were represented by the median(interquartile range).Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between changes in Cobb angle,cervical(C3-C7)curvature,and cervical discs herniation volume. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)A total of 104 patients and 326 cervical discs herniation were included in the study.There were 47 patients in the occipital-thoracic angle increase group and 57 patients in the occipital-thoracic angle decrease group.(2)Extension and flexion index of the head:There were no significant differences in occipital-thoracic distance and occipital-thoracic angle during the initial diagnosis and follow-up examination.The variation of occipital-thoracic distance was 0.035(3.23)mm,and the variation of occipital-thoracic angle was-0.31(3.28)°.The deviation range of occipital-thoracic distance and occipital-thoracic angle was small,and there was no significant correlation.(3)Cervical curvature index:There were no significant differences in C2-6 Cobb angle and C3-C7 curvature during the initial diagnosis and follow-up examination.There were no significant differences in C2-6 Cobb angle and C3-C7 curvature between the occipital-thoracic angle increase group and occipital-thoracic angle decrease group.(4)There was no significant difference in volume of cervical discs herniation during the initial diagnosis and follow-up examination.There was no significant difference in volume of cervical discs herniation between the occipital-thoracic angle increase group and occipital-thoracic angle decrease group.There was no significant correlation between the change of cervical discs herniation volume and the change of C2-6 Cobb angle and the cervical(C3-C7)curvature.(5)These results indicate that in the neutral position of the cervical spine,there were negligible minor flexion and extension movements in the sagittal plane,and the head was limited to a specific position.Although the head has a certain range of flexion and extension variation,it does not affect the accuracy and reliability of parameters including cervical discs herniation volume,C2-6 Cobb angle,and cervical(C3-C7)curvature.

Health technology assessment(HTA)is an important tool to inform health decision-making.Although highly related to ethical issues in the context of HTA,equity has attracted much attention from the academia,a consensus has not yet been reached on how to define and evaluate equity in China and abroad.It introduces the concept of equity,pointes out the necessity to realize health equity and the reflection of equity in healthcare sector,and further elaborates four ways to consider equity,and described the official practice of equity in HTA at home and abroad.It proposes several suggestions for China's HTA:considering equity in HTA and the discussion of equity should depend on specific decision-making scenarios;clarifying what health measurement perspective should be adopted before measuring health equity;paying attention to the value judgment of equity adopted by various stakeholders;conducting basic researches on the general population's preference for health measurement perspectives and value judgments of equity in China in a gesture to improve the evaluation system of equity in HTA.