Objective To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy for surgical treatments among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis in Gansu Province from 2006 to 2023, so as to provide insights into optimization of the diagnosis and treatment strategies against hepatic cystic echinococcosis. Methods The demographic and clinical data of all echinococcosis cases included in central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control and undergoing surgical treatments in Gansu Province from 2006 to 2023 were captured. Hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients with complete medical records and follow-up data were included in the study, and patients’ characteristics, including hospital where patients received diagnosis and treatment, methods of case identification, year of surgery, classification of lesions, number of lesions, size of lesions, course of disease, surgical methods, and post-surgical follow-up data. The cure and recurrence of hepatic cystic echinococcosis were evaluated according to the Guidelines for Management of Echinococcosis Patients in the Central Government Fiscal Transfer Payment Program, and the cure and recurrent rates were calculated. Results Data were collected from 1 686 surgical patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 1 222 hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients undergoing surgical treatments were included during the period from 2006 to 2022, including 1 166 cured patients (95.42%) and 88 patients with postsurgical recurrence (7.20%), and the cure rate of surgical treatments appeared a tendency towards a rise among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis from 2008 to 2022 (χ²_trend = 19.39, P < 0.05). The cure rates of hepatic cystic echinococcosis were 100% (177/177), 94.81% (128/135) and 94.62% (861/910) among patients detected through regular physical examinations, screened by the central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control, and those who passively sought healthcare services, respectively (χ² = 9.95, P < 0.05). The cure rates of hepatic cystic echinococcosis were 95.96% (1 046/1 090) among patients with a disease course of 2 years and less and 90.90% (120/132) among patients with a disease course of over 2 years (χ² = 6.87, P < 0.05), and there were significant differences in the cure rates among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis in terms of number of lesions (χ² = 24.44, P < 0.05) and surgical methods (P < 0.05). The cure rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients was significantly higher following initiation of the central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control (96.06%, 1 096/1 141) than before the program (86.42%, 70/81) (χ² = 16.06, P < 0.05), and the cure rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients was significantly higher in designated hospitals (96.48%, 741/768) than in non-designated hospitals (93.37%, 366/392) (χ² = 5.78, P < 0.05). The median follow-up period was 4 (interquartile range, 7) years among 1 222 hepatic cystic echinococcosis patients undergoing surgical treatments. The recurrent rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis appeared a tendency towards a decline from 2008 to 2022 (χ²_trend = 36.86, P < 0.05), with a reduction from 23.08% (9/39) in 2008 to 1.85% (1/54) in 2021, and the post-surgical recurrence rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis was lower following initiation of the central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control (5.87%, 67 / 1 141) than before the program (25.93%, 21/81) (χ² = 45.51, P < 0.05). In addition, the post-surgical recurrence rate of hepatic cystic echinococcosis was higher in non-designated hospitals (10.46%, 41/392) than in designated hospitals (5.60%, 43/768) (χ² = 9.12, P < 0.05), and there was a significant difference in the post-surgical recurrence rate among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis in terms of surgical methods (P < 0.05), with the highest recurrence rate (11.54%) seen among patients undergoing percutaneous fine-needle aspiration of cyst fluids-based surgical procedures (P < 0.05). Conclusion Since the initiation of the central government fiscal transfer payment program for echinococcosis control in Gansu Province in 2006, an increase in the surgical cure rate and a reduction in the recurrence of hepatic cystic echinococcosis had been found among patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis, indicating a high overall therapeutic efficacy.

Objective: To compare the intervention effects of sitagliptin combined with metformin and insulin aspart combined with metformin among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), so as to provide the reference for optimizing blood glucose control strategies among patients with T2DM. Methods: T2DM patients admitted to the department of endocrinology of Jinhua Central Hospital from January 2018 to December 2024 were selected as the research objects. According to the propensity score matching, T2DM patients were divided into sitagliptin combined with metformin group and insulin aspart combined with metformin group at a ratio of 1∶1. The basic information, capillary blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin blood glucose (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of the two groups were collected by questionnaire survey, physical examination and laboratory test. The generalized estimating equation was used to analyze the changes of various indicators before and after treatment between the two groups of patients, and the intervention effect was compared. Results: There were 69 cases in the sitagliptin combined with metformin group. Among these 42 cases were males, accounting for 60.87%, and 27 cases were females, accounting for 39.13%.Forty-two cases were younger than 60 years, accounting for 60.87%. There were 69 cases in the insulin aspart combined with metformin group. Among these 47 cases were males, accounting for 68.12%, and 22 cases were females, accounting for 31.88%. Forty-five cases were younger than 60 years, accounting for 65.22%. There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, education level, smoking, drinking, vegetable and fruit intake, and disease duration between the two groups (all P>0.05). After 6 months of treatment, there was an interaction between group and time in capillary blood glucose and HbA1c in the two groups (all P<0.05), and the reduction of capillary blood glucose and HbA1c in the sitagliptin combined with metformin group was greater than that in the insulin aspart combined with metformin group. There were no statistically significant differences between groups and time in TC, HDL-C, TG, BMI, SBP, and DBP, and no interaction effect was found between groups and time (all P>0.05). Conclusion Sitagliptin combined with metformin is more effective than insulin aspart combined with metformin in controlling blood glucose among patients with T2DM.

Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.

Objective:By analyzing the curative cost of treatment for children in Beijing,it provided recommendations for further optimizing child health management policies in Beijing.Methods:The System of Health Accounts 2011(SHA 2011)was used to calculate the CCE of children in Beijing's medical institutions.Results:The CCE of children under the age of 15 in Beijing were 92.29 billion yuan,97.54 billion yuan,and 105.72 billion yuan in 2017-2019,with an average annual growth rate of 4.67%;the financing structure of children's CCE is dominated by family health expenditure,accounting for about 65%;children's outpatient and inpatient CCE primarily flew to secondary and tertiary hospitals;respiratory diseases account for the largest share of the disease categories of the CCE,with a share of 25.96%,followed by digestive diseases with a share of 10.26%.Conclusion:The financing structure needs to be optimized to lessen the financial burden of medical care on the families of child patients;the capacity of grass-roots pediatric services should be strengthened,and reasonably guide the flow of adolescent patients to institutions;financial investment should be increased for pre-pregnancy,prenatal screening and other preventive services.It needs to give careful consideration to children's safety education and encourage the implementation of children's commercial accidental injury insurance.

BACKGROUND:In recent years,increasing studies have focused on the abnormal proliferation and differentiation of acinous cells in the meibomian gland,suggesting that this process is closely related to the occurrence and development of dry eye.Structural and functional abnormalities such as blockage of the lumen of the meibomian gland and atrophy of the glands can cause or exacerbate dry eye.Therefore,the study of changes in the meibomian glands in dry eyes is important for understanding the pathogenesis of dry eyes in depth and finding new targets for the treatment and prevention of dry eyes. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the changes of the meibomian gland in a mouse model of aqueous deficient dry eyes. METHODS:Thirty-two female C57/B6 mice at 6-8 weeks were selected and randomly divided into experimental and control groups with 16 mice in each group.The mice in the experimental group were constructed by removing both the extra-orbital and intra-orbital lacrimal glands,while those in the control group were not treated.After 2 weeks of normal feeding,the corneal changes of both groups were observed under a slit lamp,and the tear secretion of both groups was measured.The meibomian glands of the two groups of mice were removed after decapitation.The changes in the gross morphology of the meibomian glands were observed and the meibomian glands were made into frozen sections.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the structure of the meibomian glands,oil red staining was used to evaluate the function of the meibomian glands,and immunofluorescence staining and RT-qPCR were used to observe the expression of cytokeratin 14,Ki67 and abnormally differentiated small proline-rich protein 1B in the meibomian glands of mice. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Two weeks after modeling,lamellar defects were seen in the corneas of the experimental mice,and neovascularization of the limbal corneal was generated and invaded the central cornea.(2)Tear secretion volume was significantly reduced in the experimental group compared with the control group(P<0.05).Microscopic findings showed that the ducts of the meibomian glands in the experimental group were interrupted and atrophied,and their arrangement was disorganized.Hematoxylin-eosin staining results showed a significant increase in lipid vacuoles in the meibomian glands of the experimental mice compared with the control group.Lipid deposition was seen in oil red staining in the experimental group.Immunofluorescence and RT-qPCR results showed a significant increase in the expression of cytokeratin 14,Ki67 and small proline-rich protein 1B in the meibomian glands of mice in the experimental group compared with the control group(P<0.05).To conclude,aqueous deficient dry eye can lead to compensatory hypertrophy,increased proliferation,and abnormal lipid metabolism in the meibomian gland,as well as abnormal differentiation of the meibomian gland.

Objective By studying the changes in the institutional distribution of curative care expenditure(CCE)of the elderly population before and after the comprehensive reform medical-pharmaceutical separation and linkage of medical consumption,it provided data reference for the next step of accurately optimizing the elderly patients flow.Methods A multi-stage stratified whole-group sampling survey was used to select the sample.A System of Health Accounts 2011 was used to calculate the CCE of elderly patients in medical institutions.Results The CCE of medical institutions for the elderly population in Beijing increased from 60.457 billion yuan to 797.54 billion yuan,with an average annual growth rate of 6.83%,the fastest growth rate of 24.04%for community-based health treat-ment center.The percentage of CCE in the community increased from 11.31%to 17.71%,while the percentage of CCE in tertiary hospitals decreased by 4.39 percentage points.The flow of CCE for outpatient patients was obviously opti-mized.Younger elderly outpatient patients are more willing to seek treatment in the community,but the flow di-rection of outpatient treatment for elderly patients is more optimized.The CCE fpr elderly outpatient patients with chronic diseases such as endocrine,nutritional and metabolic diseases and nervous system diseases have been substantially transferred to the community-based health center.Conclusion The reform has different impacts on the treatment of elderly patients with different genders,ages and diseases.It is necessary to strengthen the service capacity building of primary medical institutions,highlight the development characteristics of secondary hospitals,and accurately improve the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system for elderly patients.

Objective:To investigate the prevalence of diabetes in the elderly aged ≥60 years in Liaoning Province from 2017 to 2019 and analyze the impact of blood glucose control on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.Methods:A survey was conducted in the elderly aged ≥60 years in Liaoning from 2017 to 2019 to collect the information about the prevalence of diabetes and other chronic diseases in the diabetes patients. The mortality of the enrolled subjects was investigated in September 2023. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the association between blood glucose control in the elderly with diabetes and the risks of all-cause mortality and CVD mortality.Results:The crude prevalence of diabetes in the elderly aged ≥60 years was 20.2% (2 014/9 958) in Liaoning from 2017 to 2019, and the standardized prevalence rate was 19.9%. The prevalence rates of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and overweight/obesity in the diabetes patients were 77.0%, 51.7%, and 67.5% respectively. The median follow-up time was 5.5 years, and the all-cause mortality and CVD mortality rates in the diabetes patients were 244.3/10 000 person-years and 142.9/10 000 person-years, respectively. The results of the Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis showed that compared with non-diabetic individuals, diabetes patients had an increased risk of all-cause mortality by 1.68 times [hazard ratio ( HR)=1.68, 95% CI: 1.44-1.94] and an increased risk of CVD mortality by 1.56 times ( HR=1.56, 95% CI: 1.29-1.89). The differences in risks of all-cause mortality and CVD mortality between the diabetes patients with normal fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels and people without diabetes were not significant (all P>0.05). The failure to meet either the FPG or HbA1c target increased the risk of all-cause mortality (all P<0.05). For individuals who failed to meet the HbA1c target, there was an increased risk of CVD mortality (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The comorbidity rate of chronic diseases was higher in the elderly with diabetes than in the elderly without diabetes in Liaoning. Elderly diabetes patients can benefit from good blood glucose control.

Objective:By analyzing the curative cost of treatment for children in Beijing,it provided recommendations for further optimizing child health management policies in Beijing.Methods:The System of Health Accounts 2011(SHA 2011)was used to calculate the CCE of children in Beijing's medical institutions.Results:The CCE of children under the age of 15 in Beijing were 92.29 billion yuan,97.54 billion yuan,and 105.72 billion yuan in 2017-2019,with an average annual growth rate of 4.67%;the financing structure of children's CCE is dominated by family health expenditure,accounting for about 65%;children's outpatient and inpatient CCE primarily flew to secondary and tertiary hospitals;respiratory diseases account for the largest share of the disease categories of the CCE,with a share of 25.96%,followed by digestive diseases with a share of 10.26%.Conclusion:The financing structure needs to be optimized to lessen the financial burden of medical care on the families of child patients;the capacity of grass-roots pediatric services should be strengthened,and reasonably guide the flow of adolescent patients to institutions;financial investment should be increased for pre-pregnancy,prenatal screening and other preventive services.It needs to give careful consideration to children's safety education and encourage the implementation of children's commercial accidental injury insurance.

Objective To investigate the correlation between somatosensory evoked potentials(SEP)of upper limbs,and sensory and motor functions in stroke patients in different stages. Methods From June,2021 to October,2023,177 stroke patients in Shijiazhuang People's Hospital were diveded into acute stage group(within 14 days,n=25),early recovery group(14 days to one month,n=110)and middle to late recovery group(one to six months,n=42)according to the duration of the disease.General information of the patients was recorded;SEP examination was performed,and N20 lantency and amplitude were recorded.Monofilament touch and two-point discrimination sensation of the patient's hands were tested using the monofila-ment and two-point discrimination tools,respectively;and motor function was assessed with Fugl-Meyer Assess-ment-Upper Extremities(FMA-UE).The correlation between SEP,and the sensory and motor scores in each group was analyzed. Results There was no significant difference in the monofilament tactile and two-point discrimination scores among the three groups(P>0.05).SEP was not correlated with sensory and motor functions in the acute stage group(P>0.05);in the early recovery group,N20 latency was negatively correlated with monofilament tactile sensation(r=-0.267,P=0.005)and positively correlated with two-point discrimination sensation(r=0.220,P=0.021),and N20 amplitude was positively correlated with monofilament tactile sensation(r=0.328,P<0.001)and FMA-UE score(r=0.418,P<0.001),and negatively correlated with two-point discrimination(r=-0.405,P<0.001);in the middle to late recovery group,the N20 latency was negatively correlated with FMA-UE score(r=-0.313,P=0.044),and N20 amplitude was positively correlated with monofilament tactile sensation(r=0.598,P<0.001)and FMA-UE score(r=0.393,P=0.010),and negatively correlated with two-point discrimination(r=-0.591,P<0.001).Multiple linear regression analyses showed that the score of monofilament tactile sensa-tion was negatively correlated with N20 latency(β=-0.510,P=0.046),and the FMA-UE score was positively correlated with N20 amplitude(β=0.313,P=0.026)in the middle to late recovery group;in the early recovery group,the two-point discriminative sensation score was negatively correlated with N20 amplitude(β=-0.270,P=0.039). Conclusion The correlation between SEP and sensory and motor functions becomes more significant with the prolonga-tion of disease.

Objective:By analyzing the curative cost of treatment for children in Beijing,it provided recommendations for further optimizing child health management policies in Beijing.Methods:The System of Health Accounts 2011(SHA 2011)was used to calculate the CCE of children in Beijing's medical institutions.Results:The CCE of children under the age of 15 in Beijing were 92.29 billion yuan,97.54 billion yuan,and 105.72 billion yuan in 2017-2019,with an average annual growth rate of 4.67%;the financing structure of children's CCE is dominated by family health expenditure,accounting for about 65%;children's outpatient and inpatient CCE primarily flew to secondary and tertiary hospitals;respiratory diseases account for the largest share of the disease categories of the CCE,with a share of 25.96%,followed by digestive diseases with a share of 10.26%.Conclusion:The financing structure needs to be optimized to lessen the financial burden of medical care on the families of child patients;the capacity of grass-roots pediatric services should be strengthened,and reasonably guide the flow of adolescent patients to institutions;financial investment should be increased for pre-pregnancy,prenatal screening and other preventive services.It needs to give careful consideration to children's safety education and encourage the implementation of children's commercial accidental injury insurance.