Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease lacking effective therapy. Metformin, an antidiabetic medication, has shown promising therapeutic properties in preclinical fibrosis models; however, its precise cellular targets and associated mechanisms in fibrosis resolution remain incompletely defined. Most research on metformin's effects has focused on mesenchymal and inflammatory responses with limited attention to epithelial cells. In this study, we utilized Sftpc lineage-traced and Fgfr2b conditional knockout mice, along with BMP2/PPARγ and AMPK inhibitors, to explore metformin's impact on alveolar epithelial cells in a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis model and cell culture. We found that metformin increased the proliferation and differentiation of alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells, particularly the recently identified injury-activated alveolar progenitors (IAAPs)-a subpopulation characterized by low SFTPC expression but enriched for PD-L1. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed a reduction in apoptosis among mature AT2 cells. Interestingly, metformin's therapeutic effects were not significantly affected by BMP2 or PPARγ inhibition, which blocked the lipogenic differentiation of myofibroblasts. However, Fgfr2b deletion in Sftpc lineage cells significantly impaired metformin's ability to promote fibrosis resolution, a process linked to AMPK signaling. In conclusion, metformin alleviates fibrosis by directly activating AT2 cells, especially the IAAPs, through a mechanism that involves AMPK and FGFR2b signaling, but is largely independent of BMP2/PPARγ pathways.

Objective:To investigate the current status of implementing medical insurance performance evaluation in the hospitals of China under the background of China Healthcare Security Diagnosis Related Groups (CHS-DRG) and Diagnosis-Intervention Packet (DIP) payment reform, explore the perspectives and recommendations of key department leaders (e.g., health insurance, medical affairs, pricing, and performance evaluation departments) regarding health insurance performance evaluation, analyze the influencing factors in its implementation, so as to provide references for hospitals to develop and refine health insurance performance evaluation strategies.Methods:A questionnaire was designed and distributed to hospitals across 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China from December 1 to 31, 2023. The survey targeted secondary and tertiary general or specialized hospitals. The main responsible persons from four functional departments, including medical insurance, healthcare, pricing, and performance, were invited to participate in the survey. Descriptive analysis was conducted on the questionnaire data, and the chi-square test was used for differential analysis of unordered categorical variables, while the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for differential analysis of ordered categorical variables.Results:A total of 761 valid questionnaires were collected. Most respondents were health insurance department leaders (420, 55.19%). Among them, 741 respondents reported that their hospitals used CHS-DRG or DIP payment, with 258 indicating that their hospitals had already developed and implemented health insurance performance evaluation plans. A majority (685, 90.01%) expressed support for such initiatives. Influencing factor analysis revealed that hospital type, level, scope of health insurance management departments, and payment methods might impact the implementation of health insurance performance evaluation ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Few hospitals have currently adopted health insurance performance evaluation, underscoring the urgency to establish a scientific and reasonable evaluation plan as a robust tool for internal hospital management.

Various growth factors are key molecules in wound healing and exert regulatory effects at all stages of healing. Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), with their prominent pro-growth activity, play a crucial role in promoting proliferation during the proliferative phase of wound healing. By binding to fibroblast growth factor receptors, FGFs activate downstream signaling pathways to regulate wound inflammation, reduce oxidative stress, promote cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix remodeling. This facilitates the transition of wounds from the " inflammatory phase" to the " proliferative phase" and enhances proliferative healing. The clinical therapeutic value of FGFs in acute and chronic wounds has been widely confirmed, but their full efficacy is limited by issues such as short half-life and poor delivery efficiency. Research focusing on innovative FGF delivery materials and molecular modification strategies will become a key direction to break through current therapeutic bottlenecks and unlock their greater therapeutic potential.

Objective:To investigate the current status of implementing medical insurance performance evaluation in the hospitals of China under the background of China Healthcare Security Diagnosis Related Groups (CHS-DRG) and Diagnosis-Intervention Packet (DIP) payment reform, explore the perspectives and recommendations of key department leaders (e.g., health insurance, medical affairs, pricing, and performance evaluation departments) regarding health insurance performance evaluation, analyze the influencing factors in its implementation, so as to provide references for hospitals to develop and refine health insurance performance evaluation strategies.Methods:A questionnaire was designed and distributed to hospitals across 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China from December 1 to 31, 2023. The survey targeted secondary and tertiary general or specialized hospitals. The main responsible persons from four functional departments, including medical insurance, healthcare, pricing, and performance, were invited to participate in the survey. Descriptive analysis was conducted on the questionnaire data, and the chi-square test was used for differential analysis of unordered categorical variables, while the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for differential analysis of ordered categorical variables.Results:A total of 761 valid questionnaires were collected. Most respondents were health insurance department leaders (420, 55.19%). Among them, 741 respondents reported that their hospitals used CHS-DRG or DIP payment, with 258 indicating that their hospitals had already developed and implemented health insurance performance evaluation plans. A majority (685, 90.01%) expressed support for such initiatives. Influencing factor analysis revealed that hospital type, level, scope of health insurance management departments, and payment methods might impact the implementation of health insurance performance evaluation ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Few hospitals have currently adopted health insurance performance evaluation, underscoring the urgency to establish a scientific and reasonable evaluation plan as a robust tool for internal hospital management.

Various growth factors are key molecules in wound healing and exert regulatory effects at all stages of healing. Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), with their prominent pro-growth activity, play a crucial role in promoting proliferation during the proliferative phase of wound healing. By binding to fibroblast growth factor receptors, FGFs activate downstream signaling pathways to regulate wound inflammation, reduce oxidative stress, promote cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix remodeling. This facilitates the transition of wounds from the " inflammatory phase" to the " proliferative phase" and enhances proliferative healing. The clinical therapeutic value of FGFs in acute and chronic wounds has been widely confirmed, but their full efficacy is limited by issues such as short half-life and poor delivery efficiency. Research focusing on innovative FGF delivery materials and molecular modification strategies will become a key direction to break through current therapeutic bottlenecks and unlock their greater therapeutic potential.

To analyze the factors affecting the cost of hospitalization for patients and provide insights using the intrauterine lesion surgery group (DRG code NE19) as an example.

This article presents the research design and principal findings of the recent study " Structural basis for FGF hormone signalling" published in Nature. It highlights the study′s significance in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of fibroblast growth factor(FGF)23, FGF receptor(FGFR), Klotho, and heparan sulfate(HS) quaternary complex signalling. These findings offer crucial structural insights that could advance drug discovery for metabolic disorders like diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Purpose/Significance To analyze relevant patented technologies,and to provide experience for medical and commercial health insurance institutions to break through the data interaction blocking point and construct a multi-level medical security system.Method/Process The patentometrics method is used to analyze the data interaction patent technology between medical and health insurance institutions from four aspects:time trend,regional distribution,category distribution and text clustering.Result/Conclusion China should pay attention to the role of data interaction in deepening cooperation between medical and insurance institutions,improve the declaration,authorization,application and protection of high-quality patents,pay attention to cross-border integration and technology-driven,and innovate patent layout to meet technological development and social needs.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of ulnar Z-shaped shortening osteotomy combined with arthroscopic deep suture anchor repair of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) and ulnar Z-shaped shortening osteotomy alone in the treatment of ulnar impaction syndrome with moderate or severe distal radioulnar joint instability.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 30 patients with ulnar impaction syndrome accompanied by moderate or severe distal radioulnar joint instability, who were admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from January 2016 to June 2023, including 16 males and 14 females, aged 27-58 years [(42.4±9.9)years]. All the patients presented with positive ulnar variance and TFCC type IB injury, with the deep layer of TFCC affected. Fifteen patients were treated with Z-shaped shortening osteotomy of the ulna alone (osteotomy alone group), while the other 15 patients received Z-shaped shortening osteotomy of the ulna combined with arthroscopic suture anchor repair of the deep layer of TFCC (osteotomy combined with repair group). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and length of ulnar shortening were compared between the two groups. The forearm rotation, ulnar-radial deviation angle, palmar-dorsal flexion angle, grip strength, visual analogue scale (VAS), patient-rated wrist evaluation (PRWE) score, modified Mayo wrist score, and disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) questionnaire score were assessed preoperatively, at 6 and 12 months postoperatively, and at the last follow-up. The incidence of postoperative complications was recorded.Results:The patients were followed up for 6-24 months [(15.8±4.9)months]. The operation time in the osteotomy combined with repair group was 3.0 (2.3, 3.0)hours, longer than 1.5 (1.3, 2.0)hours in the osteotomy alone group ( P<0.01). There were no significant differences in intraoperative blood loss and the length of ulnar shortening between the two groups ( P>0.05). There were no significant differences in forearm rotation, ulnar-radial deviation angle, palmar-dorsal flexion angle, grip strength, VAS, PRWE score, modified Mayo wrist score, and DASH score between the two groups preoperatively ( P>0.05). At 6 and 12 months postoperatively, and at the last follow-up, the forearm rotation degrees in the osteotomy combined with repair group were (130.3±8.8)°, (135.2±7.9)°, and (141.9±6.9)°, greater than (120.5±9.4)°, (123.7±10.2)°, and (130.9±8.5)° in the osteotomy alone group; the ulnar-radial deviation angles in the osteotomy combined with repair group were 23.0 (23.0, 26.5)°, 33.0 (30.0, 36.0)°, and 36.0 (32.5, 41.5)°, greater than 22.0 (20.0, 23.0)°, 23.0 (23.0, 28.0)°, and 25.0 (23.0, 33.5)° in the osteotomy alone group ( P<0.05 or 0.01). In the osteotomy combined with repair group, the palmar-dorsal flexion angles at 12 months postoperatively and at the last follow-up were (125.8±10.8)° and (132.9±16.8)°, greater than those in the osteotomy alone group [(99.1±15.7)° and (121.2±17.4)°] ( P<0.01), while there was no significant difference in the palmar-dorsal flexion angle between the two groups at 6 months postoperatively ( P>0.05). In the osteotomy combined with repair group, the grip strength at 6 months postoperatively was (14.6±1.0)N, greater than (12.8±1.8)N in the osteotomy alone group ( P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in grip strength between the two groups at 12 months postoperatively and at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). At 6, 12 months postoperatively, and at the last follow-up, the VAS scores in the osteotomy combined with repair group were (4.3±1.9)points, (2.7±1.1)points, and (2.1±0.7)points, lower than (6.5±2.5)points, (4.7±1.4)points, and (4.3±0.9)points in the osteotomy alone group; the PREW scores were (57.6±4.1)points, (47.3±2.4)points, and (35.0±3.4)points, lower than (67.8±4.5)points, (53.1±4.4)points, and (43.5±4.1)points in the osteotomy alone group ( P<0.05 or 0.01). The modified Mayo wrist scores in the osteotomy combined with repair group at 6, 12 months postoperatively, and at the last follow-up were (78.3±2.9)points, (80.1±3.0)points, and (83.5±3.9)points, higher than those in the osteotomy alone group [(69.0±4.3)points, (75.5±2.9)points, (78.8±2.4)points] ( P<0.01). The DASH scores in the osteotomy combined with repair group at 12 months postoperatively and at the last follow-up were (35.8±4.6)points and (28.4±5.4)points, lower than (43.3±5.0)points and (34.2±4.4)points in the osteotomy alone group ( P<0.01), while there was no significant difference in DASH scores between the two groups at 6 months postoperatively ( P>0.05). In both groups, forearm rotation, ulnar-radial deviation angle, palmar-dorsal flexion angle, grip strength, and modified Mayo wrist scores at all time points postoperatively were all higher than the preoperative values ( P<0.05), while the postoperative VAS, PREW, and DASH scores were lower than the preoperative values ( P<0.05), with statistically significant differences among different time points postoperatively ( P<0.01). The incidence of postoperative complications in the osteotomy combined with repair group was 6.7% (1/15), lower than 46.7% (7/15) in the osteotomy alone group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with the ulnar Z-shaped shortening osteotomy alone, ulnar Z-shaped shortening osteotomy with arthroscopic suture anchor deep repair of TFCC has the advantages of increased wrist range of motion, reduced pain, improved function, and lower incidence of complications, etc in treating ulnar impaction syndrome with moderate or severe instability of the distal radioulnar joint.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGF) are a group of structurally related polypeptides which constitute an elaborate signaling system with their receptors. Evidence accumulated in the years suggests that the FGF family plays a key role in the repair of central nervous system injury. The main protective mechanisms include activating the expression of PI3K-Akt, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARγ) and other signals; inhibiting NF-κB-mediated inflammatory response, oxidative stress and apoptosis; regulating neuronal differentiation and neuronal excitability as well as participating in protection of neurovascular units and nerve function repair. This paper comprehensively summarizes the latest research progress in FGF signaling related to diseases of the central nervous system such as cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and depression, aiming to provide scientific basis and reference for the development of innovative FGF drugs for the prevention and treatment of neurological diseases.
Humans ; Fibroblast Growth Factors ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Central Nervous System/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction/physiology* ; Alzheimer Disease