OBJECTIVES<p>Timely access to appropriate levels of care is essential for improving maternal, newborn,
and child health outcomes. To address persistent service delivery fragmentation and strengthen referral systems, the Philippine Department of Health issued Administrative Order 2020-0019 to guide the design of Health Care Provider Networks (HCPNs) under the Universal Health Care Act of 2019. This study assessed the extent to which sixteen municipalities across four provinces in Eastern Visayas comply with the HCPN service delivery guidelines in the context of maternal and newborn care.p>METHODS<p>The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional mixed-methods design, utilizing structured facility checklists to assess compliance with HCPN standards. Qualitative data were gathered through key informant interviews and focus group discussions with purposively selected stakeholders—decision makers, health personnel, and mothers—to contextualize findings. A three-lever framework for integrated care (policy, operational, and cross- cutting) guided the analysisp>RESULTS<p>The findings revealed significant gaps between the current capacities of study health facilities and the requirements outlined in the HCPN guidelines. Major gaps included (1) weak cooperative governance mechanisms to support network-wide coordination; (2) limited systematic linkages between facilities, including fragmented referral protocols and non-interoperable health information systems; (3) inadequate investments in infrastructure, health human resources, and medical commodities; and (4) absence of performance monitoring systems across HCPNs.p>CONCLUSION<p> 
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Human ; Information Systems ; Occupational Groups ; Referral And Consultation ; Universal Health Care ; Delivery Of Health Care

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES<p>Pelargonium sidoides DC. Root (PELARGO) 20 mg capsule is approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the symptomatic treatment of common cold. In compliance with FDA, this post-authorization safety study was conducted to determine the incidence of signs and symptoms of liver injury with PELARGO intake. It also aimed to look at symptom improvement and the incidence of other adverse events.p>METHODS<p>This non-interventional post-authorization safety study enrolled 300 adult patients with common cold, pre- scribed with Pelargonium sidoides DC. 20 mg capsule three times a day for seven days during routine clinical care from May 2023 to December 2023 in Cavite, Philippines. Demographic, clinical, and physical exam data were collected at baseline. Physical exam data, signs and symptoms of liver injury, symptom improvement, and other adverse events were determined post-treatment. Descriptive statistics were computed to characterize the participants at baseline (day 0) and end-study visit (day 8).p>RESULTS<p>There were 300 enrolled patients, 53% female and 60% single. The mean age was 36 years and the mean BMI was 26 kg/m2. Vital signs at baseline were mostly within normal limits and most had respiratory f indings. Two hundred ninety-eight (298) completed the study. Only a few had respiratory findings at end-study visit. There were no signs and symptoms of liver toxicity nor serious adverse events after seven days of PELARGO intake. Reported adverse effects with 2.0% to 1.3% incidence in seven days include dizziness, drowsiness, headache, and polyphagia. Others wereCONCLUSION<p>There is no evidence of liver toxicity after seven days of PELARGO intake for common cold among Filipino adults. The drug was well tolerated, and most patients experienced significant symptom improvement. Results should be interpreted with caution in the light of study limitations.p>
Human ; Pelargonium ; Common Cold

The rapid development of domestically produced high-end medical endoscopes, particularly those incorporating 4K ultra-high-definition and fluorescence imaging, has shown significant promise in minimally invasive thoracic surgery. This expert consensus systematically delineates the clinical applications and value of these advanced technologies in various thoracic procedures, including wedge resection, anatomical segmentectomy, and bronchial sleeve resection. Furthermore, it establishes a scientific, quantitative evaluation system for these domestic thoracoscopes. The proposed framework comprises four primary indicators (reliability, efficiency & cost-effectiveness, clinical performance, and service & support) and 14 secondary indicators, each with a defined weight. This consensus aims to provide technical guidance for clinicians, direct future research and development for manufacturers, and ultimately promote the widespread adoption of high-quality domestic medical endoscopes, thereby advancing the national medical equipment industry.

The 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting was held in Chicago. At the meeting, researches on the treatment of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) once again took the spotlight. Combination therapy strategies have demonstrated the potential to overcome resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) and prolong survival. Meanwhile, progress has also been made in individualized treatment strategies for young patients and those with fibrotic interstitial lung disease. However, the complexity of resistance mechanisms, special treatment considerations for different populations, and the impact of socioeconomic factors on treatment accessibility remain challenges in the field of EGFR-mutant NSCLC treatment. In the future, it is necessary to further explore more effective treatment regimens and expand the accessibility of precision medicine to maximize patient benefits.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a life-threatening infectious disease. Although histopathological examination remains the gold standard for definitive diagnosis, it is performed in only a minority of patients; thus, the diagnosis of IE continues to rely predominantly on clinical manifestations. However, IE presents with highly variable systemic symptoms that often lack cardiac-specific features, posing significant diagnostic challenges. To address this complexity, multiple diagnostic criteria have been developed, integrating clinical presentation, imaging findings, and microbiological evidence. Over the past three decades, substantial shifts in the microbiological and epidemiological profiles of IE, coupled with advances in imaging modalities and laboratory diagnostics, have profoundly influenced diagnostic approaches, driving continuous refinement of diagnostic criteria. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the major diagnostic criteria for IE, traces their historical evolution, evaluates recent updates and diagnostic performance, and offers theoretical insights and practical implications to guide future research.

Objective To investigate the feasibility, safety, and clinical value of endoscopic-assisted skin-sparing mastectomy combined with immediate implant-based breast reconstruction performed as day surgery for breast cancer, aiming to provide a reference for major hospitals seeking to implement a day surgery model for breast cancer treatment. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the patients who underwent endoscopic-assisted skin-sparing mastectomy combined with immediate implant-based breast reconstruction for breast cancer at West China Hospital of Sichuan University from June 2021 to December 2022, and they were divided into a day surgery group and a conventional inpatient group based on their admission model. The operative indicators, Breast-Q scores, preoperative waiting time, length of hospital stay, hospitalization costs and complications of the two groups were analyzed. Results Except for intraoperative bleeding (P=0.007), the difference between the two groups in comparison of the rest of the operative indicators was not statistically significant (all P>0.05); there was no significant difference between the two groups in preoperative and postoperative Breast-Q scores (all P>0.05); the preoperative waiting time and length of stay in hospital of the day surgery group were 4.0 (3.0, 11.0) days and 1.0 (1.0, 1.0) days, respectively, which were significantly shorter than that of the conventional inpatient group; the postoperative pain score in the day surgery group [1.0 (1.0, 1.0) points] was lower than that in the conventional inpatient group [3.0 (3.0, 3.0) points], with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.001). Additionally, the total hospitalization costs for the day surgery group and conventional inpatient group were 50 656.5 (48 145.3, 62 597.3) RMB and 53 689.3 (50 469.1, 64 826.5) RMB, respectively.The total hospitalization cost in the day surgery group was significantly lower than that in the conventional inpatient group, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P=0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in complications between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion Endoscopic-assisted skin-sparing mastectomy combined with immediate implant-based breast reconstruction in day surgery is feasible and safe. Without increasing postoperative complications, it effectively reduces hospitalization costs and shortens medical care time, demonstrating significant clinical value.

Objective To develop a predictive model for postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) following video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in lung cancer patients by integrating cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) parameters and machine learning techniques. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer who underwent CPET and VATS at Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital between October 2021 and July 2023. Patients were divided into a PPC group and a non-PPC group. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to select important features associated with PPC. Six machine learning algorithms were utilized to construct prediction models, including logistic regression, support vector machine, k-nearest neighbors, random forest, gradient boosting machine, and extreme gradient boosting. The optimal model was interpreted using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP). Results A total of 325 patients were included, with an average age of 60.36 years, and 55.1% were male. Significant differences were observed between the PPC and non-PPC groups in age, diabetes, coronary heart disease, surgical approach, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FVC% predicted, peak oxygen uptake (peak VO2), anaerobic threshold (AT), and ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide slope (VE/VCO2 slope) (P<0.05). In the predictive model constructed by selecting 7 key features using LASSO regression, the random forest model demonstrated the best overall performance across various metrics, with an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.930, an F1 score of 0.836, and a Brier score of 0.133 in the training set. It also exhibited good predictive ability and calibration in the test set. SHAP analysis ranked feature importance as follows: peak VO2, VE/VCO2 slope, age, FEV1, smoking history, diabetes, and surgical approach. Conclusion Integrating CPET parameters, the random forest model can effectively identify high-risk patients for PPC and has the potential for clinical application.

Objective To explore a novel method for early lung cancer screening based on exhaled breath analysis. Methods This study enrolled patients with suspected pulmonary malignancies and healthy individuals undergoing physical examinations at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Qingchun and Qiantang campuses) from September 2023 to June 2024. Enrolled subjects were categorized into a lung cancer group, a benign nodule/tumor group, and a healthy control group. Exhaled breath samples were collected using a sensor array constructed from multiple graphene composite materials to capture breath fingerprints. Based on the collected data, screening and diagnostic models for lung cancer were developed and their performance was evaluated. Results A total of 4 580 subjects were included. Among them, 3 195 were pathologically diagnosed with pulmonary malignancies, including 1 394 males and 1 801 females with a mean age of (58.93±12.37) years, 599 were diagnosed with benign nodules/tumors including 339 males and 260 females with a mean age of (57.10±11.06) years, and 786 were healthy controls with no pulmonary nodules detected on chest CT including 420 males and 366 females with a mean age of (29.75±9.32) years. There were 4 031 patients in the training set and 549 patients in the external testing set. The screening model for high-risk populations (distinguishing patients with lung cancer/high-risk pulmonary nodules from healthy individuals) demonstrated excellent performance, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.926. At the optimal Youden’s index (cutoff threshold of 63.5%), the external testing set achieved a specificity of 85.2%, a sensitivity of 88.4%, and an accuracy of 86.8%. The diagnostic model (distinguishing patients with lung cancer/premalignant lesions from those with benign pulmonary nodules/healthy individuals) achieved an AUC of 0.818. At its optimal Youden’s index (cutoff threshold of 47.0%), the external testing set showed a specificity of 71.7%, a sensitivity of 77.3%, and an accuracy of 74.5%. Conclusion The non-invasive breath analysis platform based on a sensor array, developed in this study, can achieve rapid and relatively accurate lung cancer screening by analyzing breath fingerprints. This confirms the feasibility of this technology for early lung cancer screening and holds promise for facilitating the early detection and intervention of lung cancer.

Objective To explore the impact of number of positive regional lymph nodes (nPRLN) in N1 stage on the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods Patients with TxN1M0 stage NSCLC who underwent lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection from 2010 to 2015 were screened from SEER database (17 Regs, 2022nov sub). The optimal cutoff value of nPRLN was determined using X-tile software, and patients were divided into 2 groups according to the cutoff value: a nPRLN≤optimal cutoff group and a nPRLN>optimal cutoff group. The influence of confounding factors was minimized by propensity score matching (PSM) at a ratio of 1 : 1. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate overall survival (OS) and lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS) of patients. Results A total of 1316 patients with TxN1M0 stage NSCLC were included, including 662 males and 654 females, with a median age of 67 (60, 73) years. The optimal cutoff value of nPRLN was 3, with 1165 patients in the nPRLN≤3 group and 151 patients in the nPRLN>3 group. After PSM, there were 138 patients in each group. Regardless of before or after PSM, OS and LCSS of patients in the nPRLN≤3 group were superior to those in the nPRLN>3 group (P<0.001). N1 stage nPRLN>3 was an independent prognostic risk factor for OS [HR=1.52, 95%CI (1.22, 1.89), P<0.001] and LCSS [HR=1.72, 95%CI (1.36, 2.18), P<0.001]. Conclusion N1 stage nPRLN>3 is an independent prognostic risk factor for NSCLC patients in TxN1M0 stage, which may provide new evidence for future revision of TNM staging N1 stage subclassification.

Objective To investigate the impact of intraoperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion volume on the postoperative oxygenation index in lung transplant recipients. Methods This retrospective study analyzed the clinical data of patients who underwent lung transplantation at Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from 2021 to 2023. Patients were divided into a non-severe primary graft dysfunction (PGD) group and a severe PGD group based on whether their postoperative oxygenation index was>200 mm Hg at 0, 24, and 48 h. General patient data and intraoperative RBC transfusion volumes were compared between the two groups. A binary logistic regression model was constructed to explore the effect size (OR and its 95%CI) of RBC transfusion volume on postoperative oxygenation status at different time points (0, 24, and 48 h). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was calculated to evaluate the model's diagnostic performance. Results A total of 351 patients were included (260 males, 91 females), with ages ranging from 20 to 77 years. The OR for the effect of intraoperative RBC transfusion on poor oxygenation was 1.486 (95%CI 0.982 to 2.248, P=0.061) at 0 h postoperatively, 3.111 (95%CI 1.793 to 5.399, P<0.001) at 24 h, and 1.583 (95%CI 1.026 to 2.442, P=0.038) at 48 h. This indicated that as time progressed, the postoperative oxygenation status of lung transplant recipients was affected by the intraoperative transfusion volume. Furthermore, an RBC transfusion volume>975 mLhad a significant impact on patient oxygenation at 24 and 48 h postoperatively. Conclusion The volume of intraoperative RBC transfusion has a significant impact on the oxygenation status at 24 and 48 h postoperatively. Intraoperative RBC transfusion volume is associated with the occurrence of severe PGD after lung transplantation. Controlling the volume of RBC transfusion during lung transplantation may help reduce the incidence of severe PGD.