As a vital resource, blood directly impacts the life and health of patients and the continuity of medical care. Given that it can only be obtained through voluntary donations from blood donors, its supply is susceptible to shortages due to various external factors. As the first article in a series introducing the " National Plan for NHS Blood and Transplant and Hospitals to Address Blood Shortage in the United Kingdom", this paper provides a detailed overview of the UK’s emergency management system, with a particular focus on its health emergency management framework. Regarding the UK’s emergency management system, this article elaborates on the regulatory and standards framework and institutional mechanisms for emergency management, non-statutory guidance documents offering preparation and implementation advice, the local resilience forums (LRFs) system enabling cross-departmental and multi-agency emergency coordination and collaboration, the UK government’s capacity-building efforts, as well as emergency response entities and command-and-control mechanisms. Supplementing the preceding review, the article further details the legal basis of the UK’s health emergency system and the core standards framework of national health service (NHS) emergency preparedness, resilience, and response (EPRR), with specific reference to relevant documents.

As the second installment in our series introducing the UK Blood Shortage Response Plan, this article outlines the UK's blood emergency management framework, including: Business Continuity Management (BCM) for healthcare institutions; Structure of emergency command coordination and participating organizations in the UK; Key components of blood emergency management guidelines. Simultaneously, by detailing the National Blood Transfusion Committee's component agencies, institutional responsibilities, operational requirements and operational remit, it provides deeper insights into the development and functioning of the UK's blood emergency management system, thereby delivering comprehensive foundational knowledge for understanding the implementation of the Blood Shortage Response Plan.

As the second installment in our series introducing the UK Blood Shortage Response Plan, this article outlines the UK's blood emergency management framework, including: Business Continuity Management (BCM) for healthcare institutions; Structure of emergency command coordination and participating organizations in the UK; Key components of blood emergency management guidelines. Simultaneously, by detailing the National Blood Transfusion Committee's component agencies, institutional responsibilities, operational requirements and operational remit, it provides deeper insights into the development and functioning of the UK's blood emergency management system, thereby delivering comprehensive foundational knowledge for understanding the implementation of the Blood Shortage Response Plan.

BACKGROUND: The FAVOR (Comparison of Quantitative Flow Ratio Guided and Angiography Guided Percutaneous Intervention in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease) III China trial demonstrated that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) lesion selection using quantitative flow ratio (QFR) measurement, a novel angiography-based approach for estimating fractional flow reserve, improved two-year clinical outcomes compared with standard angiography guidance. This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of QFR-guided PCI from the perspective of the current Chinese healthcare system. METHODS: This study is a pre-specified analysis of the FAVOR III China trial, which included 3825 patients randomized between December 25, 2018, and January 19, 2020, from 26 centers in China. Patients with stable or unstable angina pectoris or those ≥72 hours post-myocardial infarction who had at least one lesion with a diameter stenosis between 50% and 90% in a coronary artery with a ≥2.5 mm reference vessel diameter by visual assessment were randomized to a QFR-guided strategy or an angiography-guided strategy with 1:1 ratio. During the two-year follow-up, data were collected on clinical outcomes, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), estimated costs of index procedure hospitalization, outpatient cardiovascular medication use, and rehospitalization due to major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). The primary analysis calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) as the cost per MACCE avoided. An ICER of ¥10,000/MACCE event avoided was considered economically attractive in China. RESULTS: At two years, the QFR-guided group demonstrated a reduced rate of MACCE compared to the angiography-guided group (10.8% vs . 14.7%, P <0.01). Total two-year costs were similar between the groups (¥50,803 ± 21,121 vs . ¥50,685 ± 23,495, P = 0.87). The ICER for the QFR-guided strategy was ¥3055 per MACCE avoided, and the probability of QFR being economically attractive was 64% at a willingness-to-pay threshold of ¥10,000/MACCE avoided. Sensitivity analysis showed that QFR-guided PCI would become cost-saving if the cost of QFR were below ¥3682 (current cost: ¥3800). Cost-utility analysis yielded an ICER of ¥56,163 per QALY gained, with a 53% probability of being cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of ¥85,000 per QALY gained. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing PCI, a QFR-guided strategy appears economically attractive compared to angiographic guidance from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03656848.
Humans ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Coronary Angiography/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Coronary Artery Disease/surgery* ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years ; Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial/physiology*

Objective:To analyze the characteristics of elderly patients with moyamoya disease and clinical outcomes after combined revascularization, and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this method in elderly patients.Methods:Moyamoya disease patients aged 60 years or older who had undergone combined revascularization at the Neurosurgery Center of Aeronautical General Hospital from January 2016 to September 2021 were selected as study subjects.Then patients' clinical data and postoperative complications within two weeks of surgery were collected and a followed-up was conducted.The results were compared with those of previous reports.Results:A total of 46 combined revascularization procedures were carried out in 30 patients.The ages at surgery ranged between 60-75 years, with a mean age of(66.1±4.4)years.The rate of complications within two weeks after surgery was 37%, and the most common complication was speech dysfunction, followed by epilepsy and hyperperfusion.No serious complications such as cerebral hemorrhage and death occurred.The follow-up varied between 3-67 months, with an average follow-up time of(26.8±18.4)months.The MRS score was <3 at 3 months after surgery, and there was no death or severe disability.Conclusions:Perioperative complications in elderly patients with moyamoya disease have a higher incidence rate than in other populations, but patients can usually recover after close perioperative management for 2 weeks.The follow-up has demonstrated that outcomes at 3 months and in longer terms after surgery are satisfactory and clinical symptoms will improve significantly.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Over the past decades, transradial approach for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been increasingly adopted in clinical practice. Women represent a large population who will possibly benefit from PCI, but they are often under-represented in clinical studies. Therefore, the role of TRI in women remains to be further defined. This study sought to compare safety and efficacy for transradial intervention (TRI) and transfemoral intervention (TFI) in women undergoing PCI in China. METHODS: The study population consisted of 5,067 women undergoing PCI at Fuwai Hospital, Beijing, China between 2006 and 2011 (TRI: n=4,105, TFI: n=962). Incidence rates of clinical outcomes during hospitalization and at 1-year follow-up were compared between TRI and TFI. In order to minimize potential biases, a 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was performed. A total of 899 pairs were matched. RESULTS: Baseline and procedural characteristics were well-balanced between TRI and TFI groups after controlling for confounders using PSM. TRI was associated with reduced major post-PCI bleeding (odds ratio [OR], 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54–0.76; p < 0.001) and access site complications (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.61–0.74; p < 0.001) after PSM. There was no statistical differences in the incidence rates of major adverse cardiac events (a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization) both during hospitalization and at 1-year follow-up (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In this propensity score-based analysis of TRI versus TFI in Chinese women, TRI showed advantages of safety and feasibility over TFI. A wider adoption of TRI in women has the potential to improve outcomes in treatment of coronary artery diseases.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Beijing ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; China ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Death ; Female ; Femoral Artery ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Myocardial Infarction ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Propensity Score ; Radial Artery

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Over the past decades, transradial approach for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been increasingly adopted in clinical practice. Women represent a large population who will possibly benefit from PCI, but they are often under-represented in clinical studies. Therefore, the role of TRI in women remains to be further defined. This study sought to compare safety and efficacy for transradial intervention (TRI) and transfemoral intervention (TFI) in women undergoing PCI in China. METHODS: The study population consisted of 5,067 women undergoing PCI at Fuwai Hospital, Beijing, China between 2006 and 2011 (TRI: n=4,105, TFI: n=962). Incidence rates of clinical outcomes during hospitalization and at 1-year follow-up were compared between TRI and TFI. In order to minimize potential biases, a 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was performed. A total of 899 pairs were matched. RESULTS: Baseline and procedural characteristics were well-balanced between TRI and TFI groups after controlling for confounders using PSM. TRI was associated with reduced major post-PCI bleeding (odds ratio [OR], 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54–0.76; p < 0.001) and access site complications (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.61–0.74; p < 0.001) after PSM. There was no statistical differences in the incidence rates of major adverse cardiac events (a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization) both during hospitalization and at 1-year follow-up (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In this propensity score-based analysis of TRI versus TFI in Chinese women, TRI showed advantages of safety and feasibility over TFI. A wider adoption of TRI in women has the potential to improve outcomes in treatment of coronary artery diseases.

Objective:To develop a stoichiometric relationship between iohexol injection and its refractive index. Methods: Ru-dolph J257 and Mettler Toledo RE40D were adopted to determine the refractive index of iohexol injection produced by different facto-ries. The relationship between the refractive index and the concentration of iohexol determined by potentiometric titration was described as C=2.828R-3.769. Results:The relative deviation of simulated content calculated by the stoichiometric and titration content was less than 2%. Little contribution by excipients could be ignored. Conclusion:The proposed method shows simplicity,rapidity and ac-curacy,which can be applied in the process control and the market supervision of iohexol.

Objective To investigate the effect of nimodipine (ND) injecting into cisterna magna on the mitochondrial pathway in hippocampus in rabbit model of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods Eighteen New Zealand white rabbits were randomly allocated to Sham group, SAH group and ND group, six in each group. All the animals underwent operation under anaesthesia. One mL/kg autologous non-heparinized arterial blood was injected into cisterna magna in SAH group and ND group, and the same dosage of saline was injected into cisterna magna in Sham group. Thirty minutes after injection, 1 mg/kg nimodipine was injected into cisterna magna in ND group, and equal-volume of saline was injected into cisterna magna in Sham group and SAH group. All the animals were assessed for the grade of food intake and neurological impairment, and rats were killed 72 hours after SAH. Their hippocampus were processed for detecting the expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3 and Cyt-C mRNA by qRT-PCR. The protein expressions of Caspase-3 and Cyt-C were detected by Western blot assay. Results Compared with the Sham group, there were lower grade of food intake, varying degrees of neurological impairment and lower ratio of Bcl-2/Bax, while the mRNA levels of Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3 and Cyt-C and protein levels of Caspase-3 and Cyt-C showed elevated expressions in SAH group and ND group (P<0.05). Compared with SAH group, there were no significant differences in the score of food intake and neurological impairment in the ND group ( P>0.05). There were higher ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and expression levels of Bcl-2 mRNA and lower expression levels of Bax mRNA, Caspase-3 and Cyt-C mRNA and proteins in ND group than those in SAH group (P<0.05). Conclusion Nimodipine plays a protective role in inhibiting the activity of mitochondrial pathway in hippocampus after subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Objective To investigate the effects of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) on the myocardial cells of mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus combined with hyperuricemia (HUA), and clarify the mechanism thereof. Methods The mouse cardiac myocytes (MCM) cultured with 25mmol/L high glucose (HG) medium were divided into two groups: HG plus 300μmol/L sodium palmitate for 18 hours as high glucose and high fat (HG+HF) group, and HG+HF plus 1500μmol/L uric acid (UA) for 18 hours as HG+HF+HUA group. Then the myocardial cells in HG+HF+HUA group, by use or not use UCP2 inhibitor genipin, were further divided into two groups: vehicle group and genipin group. In order to verify the mechanism of UCP2 in myocardial cells injury caused by high glucose, high lipid and high uric acid, the myocardial cells were divided again into genipin group and genipin+N-acetylcysteine (NAC) group. Accordingly, the apoptosis of myocardial cells were measured by flow cytometry at specific time, the mRNA and protein expressions of UCP2 were determined by q-PCR and Western blotting, and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected by DHE staining and ELISA. Results The apoptosis rate of myocardial cells increased obviously, and the expression levels of UCP2 decreased and of ROS elevated significantly in HG+HF+HUA group than in HG+HF group (P<0.05). As the expression levels of UCP2 decreased by genipin intervention, the apoptosis rate of myocardial cells and ROS level in HG+HF+HUA group increased more obviously (P<0.05). In contrast, such an effect was reversed by the application of antioxidants NAC (P<0.05). Conclusion UCP2 can inhibit oxidative stress and alleviate the apoptosis of myocardial cells induced by high glucose, high fat and high uric acid.