The medical journal publisher Elsevier announced today that it is strengthening and refocusing the scope of its long-standing relationship with China Science Publishing & Media Ltd. (CSPM) to create an international publishing platform for English-language medical journals that brings the expanding wealth of research originating from China to the world.
The announcement from Reed-Elsevier, which publishes medical journals such as The Lancet, comes at a time when China is emerging as a major contributor to the international scientific community, being the second most prolific publisher of research articles after the US and ahead of the United Kingdom.
Saturday, 7 December 2013
Friday, 6 December 2013
Smoking cessation drugs are not available in China
Clinics to help smokers kick the habit are facing medication shortages.
A combination of behavioral intervention and medication can significantly increase the chances of a person quitting cigarettes, health experts said.
"Many can quit through just intervention, such as consulting a doctor or calling a hotline," said Fu Dongbo, a specialist with the World Health Organization.
"But for those heavily dependant, medication is an option, including nicotine replacement therapy."
Not many opt for the latter, though, judging by the 2010 Global Adult Tobacco Survey of China.
Based on 13,354 interviews nationwide, the study found 36.4 percent had tried to stop smoking in the previous 12 months, but less than 9 percent of them had used assistance, such as medication.
Part of the reason could be that Chinese smokers do not fully understand cessation therapy, according to a report by the WHO Collaborating Center for Tobacco or Health, based at Beijing's Chaoyang Hospital.
A combination of behavioral intervention and medication can significantly increase the chances of a person quitting cigarettes, health experts said.
"Many can quit through just intervention, such as consulting a doctor or calling a hotline," said Fu Dongbo, a specialist with the World Health Organization.
"But for those heavily dependant, medication is an option, including nicotine replacement therapy."
Not many opt for the latter, though, judging by the 2010 Global Adult Tobacco Survey of China.
Based on 13,354 interviews nationwide, the study found 36.4 percent had tried to stop smoking in the previous 12 months, but less than 9 percent of them had used assistance, such as medication.
Part of the reason could be that Chinese smokers do not fully understand cessation therapy, according to a report by the WHO Collaborating Center for Tobacco or Health, based at Beijing's Chaoyang Hospital.
Maternity hospital staff accused of selling patient data to telemarketers
A hospital in Shangahi has suspended the head nurse of one of its maternity wards while it investigates suspicions that she has sold the personal information of new mothers, a senior official told the Global Times Thursday.
The suspension followed a Shanghai Television Station (STV) exposé that showed the nurse, who was not identified, considering a proposal to sell information about the new mothers to an undercover reporter posing as a company representative.
"We are not sure whether the nurse actually deals in information about new mothers," said the official, who works in the Party office of Shanghai Fengxian District Central Hospital. "We will release the results of our investigation soon."
The nurse told the STV reporter that she would like to make some money, but feared it was too risky to make such a deal at present, according to the hidden camera footage aired in the exposé Wednesday evening.
The suspension followed a Shanghai Television Station (STV) exposé that showed the nurse, who was not identified, considering a proposal to sell information about the new mothers to an undercover reporter posing as a company representative.
"We are not sure whether the nurse actually deals in information about new mothers," said the official, who works in the Party office of Shanghai Fengxian District Central Hospital. "We will release the results of our investigation soon."
The nurse told the STV reporter that she would like to make some money, but feared it was too risky to make such a deal at present, according to the hidden camera footage aired in the exposé Wednesday evening.
Sichuan doctor gets 11 years jail for taking kickbacks
A court in Chongqing sentenced a doctor to 11 years imprisonment for accepting bribes of more than 1 million yuan ($164,000), China News Service reported on Thursday.
Liang Fa, director of a medical department in a local hospital, was convicted of taking 1.07 million yuan in bribes from medical sales representatives from 2003 to 2013.
Doctors taking kickbacks has long been a problem for China's hospitals, as sales of medicine account for a large proportion of profit for many hospitals, and some doctors take bribes from medical companies to prescribe more of their products.
Source: China Daily
Liang Fa, director of a medical department in a local hospital, was convicted of taking 1.07 million yuan in bribes from medical sales representatives from 2003 to 2013.
Doctors taking kickbacks has long been a problem for China's hospitals, as sales of medicine account for a large proportion of profit for many hospitals, and some doctors take bribes from medical companies to prescribe more of their products.
Source: China Daily
90% of Chinese people use medicines incorrectly
Up to 90 percent of Chinese people do not know how to use medicine correctly, according to a survey from the State Food and Drug Administration of China.
In 2012, the Network of State Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring received 1.2 million reports on incidents of adverse drug reactions.
"Chinese people need to update their knowledge not only on drug usage, but also on drug use concepts," said Ji Lianmei, a licensed pharmacist with the Beijing United Family Hospital. Ji has been disseminating medical knowledge via Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like social networking service in China.
In 2012, the Network of State Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring received 1.2 million reports on incidents of adverse drug reactions.
"Chinese people need to update their knowledge not only on drug usage, but also on drug use concepts," said Ji Lianmei, a licensed pharmacist with the Beijing United Family Hospital. Ji has been disseminating medical knowledge via Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like social networking service in China.
Woman advised to have abortion after being given wrong pill
A woman has been told she should have an abortion after a doctor mistakenly prescribed a contraceptive pill instead of the progesterone she needed.
There is a high possibility the fetus will be deformed, according to a report on jschina.com.cn yesterday.
Suzhou Municipal Hospital has admitted the error and offered to pay 26,600 yuan (US$ 4,290) compensation and to terminate the pregnancy.
But it has refused to accept responsibility if the 32-year-old, surnamed Chen, can't have another baby or if she suffers complications.
"There are many causes for infertility, which may not be related with taking the wrong medicine or receiving the abortion," said Chen Jian, a hospital vice president. "We can't give promises on uncertain things."
The couple criticized the hospital for its failure to accept responsibility.
Hospital officials said the couple can lodge a lawsuit if the two parties fail to reach an agreement.
The woman was one month pregnant when she was given the wrong medicine on November 20. She went back to the hospital five days later after feeling sick.
The doctor admitted his mistake right away, she said.
Experts asked by the hospital to do a group diagnosis suggested that she have an abortion because there was a high risk of deformity.
Source: Women of China
There is a high possibility the fetus will be deformed, according to a report on jschina.com.cn yesterday.
Suzhou Municipal Hospital has admitted the error and offered to pay 26,600 yuan (US$ 4,290) compensation and to terminate the pregnancy.
But it has refused to accept responsibility if the 32-year-old, surnamed Chen, can't have another baby or if she suffers complications.
"There are many causes for infertility, which may not be related with taking the wrong medicine or receiving the abortion," said Chen Jian, a hospital vice president. "We can't give promises on uncertain things."
The couple criticized the hospital for its failure to accept responsibility.
Hospital officials said the couple can lodge a lawsuit if the two parties fail to reach an agreement.
The woman was one month pregnant when she was given the wrong medicine on November 20. She went back to the hospital five days later after feeling sick.
The doctor admitted his mistake right away, she said.
Experts asked by the hospital to do a group diagnosis suggested that she have an abortion because there was a high risk of deformity.
Source: Women of China
Second rate Korean cosmetic surgeons use China as a training ground
How dare the so-called “gold medal doctors” from South Korea do plastic surgery without China’s medical certification? Recently, we found some Korean plastic surgeons working in Shenyang City. Korean doctors were organized by beauty salons to make plastic surgeries in China, some of them even have little clinical experience Some beauty salons work as intermediary to organize Korean doctors to practice as plastic surgeons in China.
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Resistant hypertension uncommon in China
by Michael Woodhead
The rate of resistant hypertension in China is much lower than previously thought, research from Beijing suggests.
Cardiologists from the Division of Hypertension, FuWai Hospital and Cardiovascular Institute, Peking Union Med College, made an analysis of resistant hypertension based on data from the Hypertension Optimal Treatment Study in China.
The study was conducted in 148 cities in mainland China in 2001- 2002 and included 54 590 hypertensive adult. Patients not achieving blood pressure (BP) target (<140/90 mmHg) within two weeks received preplanned additional drugs. Resistant hypertension was defined in the participants with uncontrolled hypertension after two weeks of treatment on Step 5.
The study found the rate of resistant hypertension was 1.9%. Patients with resistant hypertension tended to be male and younger than average be overweight and have metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and history of myocardial infarction or stroke.
Study author Dr Ma Wenjun said the rate of resistant hypertension in China was much lower than the levels of around 20% previously reported by groups such as the AHA. This might be because the trial follow up period was relatively short and because a rigorous regimen of BP treatment and adherence was adopted. Neverthless, the finding that resistant BP was uncommon and occurred more in younger pateints deserves further attention, he said.
Full study: Journal of Hypertension
The rate of resistant hypertension in China is much lower than previously thought, research from Beijing suggests.
Cardiologists from the Division of Hypertension, FuWai Hospital and Cardiovascular Institute, Peking Union Med College, made an analysis of resistant hypertension based on data from the Hypertension Optimal Treatment Study in China.
The study was conducted in 148 cities in mainland China in 2001- 2002 and included 54 590 hypertensive adult. Patients not achieving blood pressure (BP) target (<140/90 mmHg) within two weeks received preplanned additional drugs. Resistant hypertension was defined in the participants with uncontrolled hypertension after two weeks of treatment on Step 5.
The study found the rate of resistant hypertension was 1.9%. Patients with resistant hypertension tended to be male and younger than average be overweight and have metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and history of myocardial infarction or stroke.
Study author Dr Ma Wenjun said the rate of resistant hypertension in China was much lower than the levels of around 20% previously reported by groups such as the AHA. This might be because the trial follow up period was relatively short and because a rigorous regimen of BP treatment and adherence was adopted. Neverthless, the finding that resistant BP was uncommon and occurred more in younger pateints deserves further attention, he said.
Full study: Journal of Hypertension
Hunan woman committed fraud to pay for dialysis
A young woman, who has uremia in Hengshan county, Hunan province, has
been sentenced to six years and fined 100,000 yuan ($16,400) for
cheating the new rural cooperative medical system out of more than
420,000 yuan to treat her kidney disease, Xiaoxiang Morning News
reported.
Nie Shuihua, 24, was not jailed because she has to receive frequent dialysis treatment. But 16 of her relatives and neighbors were given sentences of two to three years and fined 4,000 to 5,000 yuan each for helping her get the money.
Nie, a farmer, was diagnosed with uremia in July 2012. As it was expensive to treat the disease in a hospital in Changsha, the capital of Hunan, Nie bought fake hospitalization invoices to be reimbursed by the rural cooperative medical system.
Asked why Nie resorted to deception, Tang Qiulian, Nie's mother, said that her daughter wanted only to survive.
Source: ecns
Nie Shuihua, 24, was not jailed because she has to receive frequent dialysis treatment. But 16 of her relatives and neighbors were given sentences of two to three years and fined 4,000 to 5,000 yuan each for helping her get the money.
Nie, a farmer, was diagnosed with uremia in July 2012. As it was expensive to treat the disease in a hospital in Changsha, the capital of Hunan, Nie bought fake hospitalization invoices to be reimbursed by the rural cooperative medical system.
Asked why Nie resorted to deception, Tang Qiulian, Nie's mother, said that her daughter wanted only to survive.
Source: ecns
Independent practitioners change the face of China healthcare
Signs of progress among independent medical practitioners show possible direction of healthcare reform.Since opening his independent medical practice in Shanghai at the beginning of this year, Zhang Qiang, a cardiovascular surgeon, has adopted an entirely new lifestyle. Unlike most doctors in the country, who are employed by one public hospital at a time, he now works for several hospitals.
Zhang used to be head of the Vascular Surgery Department of East Hospital, which is affiliated with Tongji University in Shanghai. He resigned at the end of 2012 to pursue his new career path.
Zhang used to be head of the Vascular Surgery Department of East Hospital, which is affiliated with Tongji University in Shanghai. He resigned at the end of 2012 to pursue his new career path.
No, China's not privatising health care
by Shannon Tiezzi
China’s latest health care reforms aren’t as revolutionary as they first seemed.
Almost hidden within the lengthy decision of China’s recent Third Plenum, there was a brief plan for shoring up China’s healthcare system. Some of the provisions, especially a line about the government encouraging the growth of private medical institutions, raised hopes that China was seeking a revolutionary overhaul of the system. However, recent comments by ministers from China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) have put a damper on these expectations.
In an interview People’s Daily, NHFPC Vice Minister Sun Zhigang clarified some of the bureaucratic-speak found in the Third Plenum’s report. While the report mentions encouraging the growth of private healthcare, Sun makes it clear that the priority will be on non-profit healthcare organizations, and these will largely be encouraged only at the “grassroots” level. In other words, the Chinese government will seek to encourage non-profit organizations to extend basic healthcare and sanitation to small towns and villages in the Chinese countryside, rather than opening China’s busy urban hospital sector to competition from private healthcare providers. Sun makes it clear that China envisions for-profit healthcare only as a “supplement” to non-profit care provided by both public and private sources.
China’s latest health care reforms aren’t as revolutionary as they first seemed.
Almost hidden within the lengthy decision of China’s recent Third Plenum, there was a brief plan for shoring up China’s healthcare system. Some of the provisions, especially a line about the government encouraging the growth of private medical institutions, raised hopes that China was seeking a revolutionary overhaul of the system. However, recent comments by ministers from China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) have put a damper on these expectations.
In an interview People’s Daily, NHFPC Vice Minister Sun Zhigang clarified some of the bureaucratic-speak found in the Third Plenum’s report. While the report mentions encouraging the growth of private healthcare, Sun makes it clear that the priority will be on non-profit healthcare organizations, and these will largely be encouraged only at the “grassroots” level. In other words, the Chinese government will seek to encourage non-profit organizations to extend basic healthcare and sanitation to small towns and villages in the Chinese countryside, rather than opening China’s busy urban hospital sector to competition from private healthcare providers. Sun makes it clear that China envisions for-profit healthcare only as a “supplement” to non-profit care provided by both public and private sources.
China: Urban medical insurance scheme has surplus of US$125 bln
China's urban social medical insurance scheme reported an accumulated surplus of CNY764.4 billion (US$125.5 billion) at the end of 2012, a disclosure which has prompted calls for higher reimbursements for medical bills to be made from the fund or for the money to be used to subsidise commercial medical insurance premiums.
Mr Lei Haichao, the deputy director of the Beijing health bureau, speaking at a recent healthcare economics conference, said that except for 2010, the national-level urban basic medical insurance fund had reported a surplus rate of at least 20 percent since 1999. The peak rate to date is 35 percent which was attained in 2001. Of the accumulated surplus of CNY764.4 billion, CNY269.7 billion belonged to individual medical savings accounts with the remaining CNY494.7 billion maintained in a common pool.
Mr Lei Haichao, the deputy director of the Beijing health bureau, speaking at a recent healthcare economics conference, said that except for 2010, the national-level urban basic medical insurance fund had reported a surplus rate of at least 20 percent since 1999. The peak rate to date is 35 percent which was attained in 2001. Of the accumulated surplus of CNY764.4 billion, CNY269.7 billion belonged to individual medical savings accounts with the remaining CNY494.7 billion maintained in a common pool.
Medical ills thwart insurers in China
by Nichola Zamiska
For years the Chinese government tended to the health of its people, offering basic but near-universal coverage.
But as the country opened up to the outside world and embraced capitalism, that health-care safety net was all but dismantled. Now, most Chinese are left to fend for themselves, paying out of pocket when they get sick. Savings are regularly wiped out by illness.
The government is struggling to find a solution -- and may have a partial answer in private health-insurance coverage, for those who can afford it. The problem is that, as in other developing countries, a loosely regulated health-care system, marred by rampant overprescription and other shortcomings, is slowing the development of private medical insurance in China. That, in turn, is limiting Beijing's options as it strives to rebuild the system.
For years the Chinese government tended to the health of its people, offering basic but near-universal coverage.
But as the country opened up to the outside world and embraced capitalism, that health-care safety net was all but dismantled. Now, most Chinese are left to fend for themselves, paying out of pocket when they get sick. Savings are regularly wiped out by illness.
The government is struggling to find a solution -- and may have a partial answer in private health-insurance coverage, for those who can afford it. The problem is that, as in other developing countries, a loosely regulated health-care system, marred by rampant overprescription and other shortcomings, is slowing the development of private medical insurance in China. That, in turn, is limiting Beijing's options as it strives to rebuild the system.
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Chinese doctors still unable to work at more than one location
by Zhang Pinghui
Doctors in China hope reforms outlined in Third Plenum will give them greater freedom to operate.
It is 6.30am, but Liu Yinglong’s waiting room is already packed with anxious parents expecting the top cardiac surgeon at Beijing’s Anzhen Hospital to check on their babies.
The demand for Liu’s expertise is so great he has to see about 30 patients before his official rounds start at 8am. Later in the day, his office is crowded once again with the sick and needy.
Liu, like many mainland doctors, has a huge workload, but his task has been made more even more complicated by the red tape restricting the work of medics on the mainland.
Liu said that only a fraction of the patients who ask for his help come from Beijing, but doctors are only allowed to register at one hospital or medical practice.
The result is that Liu spends his spare time treating patients in other parts of the country, but only as a ‘consultant’ as a way of getting round the regulations.
Doctors in China hope reforms outlined in Third Plenum will give them greater freedom to operate.
It is 6.30am, but Liu Yinglong’s waiting room is already packed with anxious parents expecting the top cardiac surgeon at Beijing’s Anzhen Hospital to check on their babies.
The demand for Liu’s expertise is so great he has to see about 30 patients before his official rounds start at 8am. Later in the day, his office is crowded once again with the sick and needy.
Liu, like many mainland doctors, has a huge workload, but his task has been made more even more complicated by the red tape restricting the work of medics on the mainland.
Liu said that only a fraction of the patients who ask for his help come from Beijing, but doctors are only allowed to register at one hospital or medical practice.
The result is that Liu spends his spare time treating patients in other parts of the country, but only as a ‘consultant’ as a way of getting round the regulations.
China's doctors under attack
by Huang Yanzhong
Practicing medicine in China has become an even more high-risk business. In ten days in October, China reported at least six attacks on healthcare workers.
In the most recent case, a man, unhappy with the results of an operation, fatally stabbed a doctor and wounded two others in a hospital of Zhejiang province. Rising violence against healthcare workers has not only discouraged doctors in China from adopting using medically necessary but risky procedures, but also—in conjunction with the problem of doctors’ low base salaries—provided strong disincentives for practicing medicine in China. According to a survey carried out by the Chinese Hospital Association (CHA), 29 percent of the healthcare workers prefer self-protecting medical procedures, 40 percent are considering changing professions, and 78 percent do not want their children to become a healthcare professional in the future.
Practicing medicine in China has become an even more high-risk business. In ten days in October, China reported at least six attacks on healthcare workers.
In the most recent case, a man, unhappy with the results of an operation, fatally stabbed a doctor and wounded two others in a hospital of Zhejiang province. Rising violence against healthcare workers has not only discouraged doctors in China from adopting using medically necessary but risky procedures, but also—in conjunction with the problem of doctors’ low base salaries—provided strong disincentives for practicing medicine in China. According to a survey carried out by the Chinese Hospital Association (CHA), 29 percent of the healthcare workers prefer self-protecting medical procedures, 40 percent are considering changing professions, and 78 percent do not want their children to become a healthcare professional in the future.
China's Struggle With Hepatitis B Discrimination
by Liu Shako
When Jack Wei graduated from college in 2006, he, unlike many of his classmates, decided not to apply for the big companies that he wanted to work for in Shanghai. His reasoning had little to do with a lack of courage, talent, or will, but rather something simpler: Wei was afraid of being rejected because he is a Hepatitis B carrier, and in China, this is a major obstacle to getting a job.
Wei then settled for work at a small company and stayed there for three years. In 2009, having found the courage to again apply for a major company, he received a job offer. But before he could begin, the company turned him away: He had tested positive for Hepatitis B. Discouraged and despaired, the then-26-year-old gave up job hunting.
“I felt like I fell into a hole and couldn’t get up,” Wei recalled. “It gradually pushed a normal person like me into depression.”
A combination of poor needle hygiene, a heavy reliance on injections and infusions in medical care, and a low vaccination rate have exposed a large number of Chinese people to Hepatitis B, and the virus’ victims are then often subject to employment discrimination. Despite a 2010 law banning Hep B tests in job and school admission applications, 61 percent of state-run companies continue to use the test as a part of their pre-employment screening process, according to the latest human rights report of the U.S. State Department. Companies collaborate with hospitals to test applicants in secret during the hiring process, and employees are fired if they test positive during annual physical checkups. As a result, victims struggle to obtain evidence and gain protection from laws.
When Jack Wei graduated from college in 2006, he, unlike many of his classmates, decided not to apply for the big companies that he wanted to work for in Shanghai. His reasoning had little to do with a lack of courage, talent, or will, but rather something simpler: Wei was afraid of being rejected because he is a Hepatitis B carrier, and in China, this is a major obstacle to getting a job.
Wei then settled for work at a small company and stayed there for three years. In 2009, having found the courage to again apply for a major company, he received a job offer. But before he could begin, the company turned him away: He had tested positive for Hepatitis B. Discouraged and despaired, the then-26-year-old gave up job hunting.
“I felt like I fell into a hole and couldn’t get up,” Wei recalled. “It gradually pushed a normal person like me into depression.”
A combination of poor needle hygiene, a heavy reliance on injections and infusions in medical care, and a low vaccination rate have exposed a large number of Chinese people to Hepatitis B, and the virus’ victims are then often subject to employment discrimination. Despite a 2010 law banning Hep B tests in job and school admission applications, 61 percent of state-run companies continue to use the test as a part of their pre-employment screening process, according to the latest human rights report of the U.S. State Department. Companies collaborate with hospitals to test applicants in secret during the hiring process, and employees are fired if they test positive during annual physical checkups. As a result, victims struggle to obtain evidence and gain protection from laws.
Simple screening tool for OSA by Shanghai doctors
by Michael Woodhead
A new simple screening tool developed by Shanghai clinicians means the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) should no longer be time-consuming, labour-intensive and inaccessible for Chinese patients.
Dr Guan Jian and co-researchers at the Department of Otolaryngology, The Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Otolaryngology Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, evaluated the efficiency of Epworth Sleepiness Scale and a new established prediction model for screening OSA were in a test cohort of 2,032 participants.
The new screening model included factors such as age, waist circumference, Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, and minimum oxygen saturation (SaO2). In use it proved to have a high sensitivity (89%) and specificity (90%) It was also found to have significantly better overall performance than the Epworth Sleepiness Scale alone .
“A practical screening model comprising minimum SaO2 and other parameters could efficiently identify undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea from the high-risk patients,” the researchers said.
"The high sensitivity and specificity of the final screening model indicated a simple and practical method for screening adults at high risk of obstructive sleep apnoea. This will facilitate targeted initiation of preventive measures for minimizing the major health-related consequences in China."
Full study: PLOS One
A new simple screening tool developed by Shanghai clinicians means the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) should no longer be time-consuming, labour-intensive and inaccessible for Chinese patients.
Dr Guan Jian and co-researchers at the Department of Otolaryngology, The Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Otolaryngology Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, evaluated the efficiency of Epworth Sleepiness Scale and a new established prediction model for screening OSA were in a test cohort of 2,032 participants.
The new screening model included factors such as age, waist circumference, Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, and minimum oxygen saturation (SaO2). In use it proved to have a high sensitivity (89%) and specificity (90%) It was also found to have significantly better overall performance than the Epworth Sleepiness Scale alone .
“A practical screening model comprising minimum SaO2 and other parameters could efficiently identify undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea from the high-risk patients,” the researchers said.
"The high sensitivity and specificity of the final screening model indicated a simple and practical method for screening adults at high risk of obstructive sleep apnoea. This will facilitate targeted initiation of preventive measures for minimizing the major health-related consequences in China."
Full study: PLOS One
Guangzhou oncologists develop better staging method for colon cancer
Guangzhou oncologists have developed an improved staging method for colon cancer that accurately predicts the risk of disease recurrence and benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients who have had surgery for stage II colon cancer.
Researchers from the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, used expression patterns of multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) combined into a single model to improve postoperative risk stratification and prediction of chemotherapy benefit for these patients.
Using this tool, they were able to classify patients as at high risk or low risk of disease progression. Five year disease-free survival was was 85% for the low-risk group, and 57% for the high-risk group. The six-miRNA-based classifier was an independent prognostic factor for, and had better prognostic value than, clinicopathological risk factors and mismatch repair status.
Patients in the high-risk group were found to have a favourable response to adjuvant chemotherapy The clinicians developed two nomograms which combined the smiRNA-based classifiers and clinicopathological risk factors to predict which patients might benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery for stage II colon cancer.
“Our six-miRNA-based classifier is a reliable prognostic and predictive tool for disease recurrence in patients with stage II colon cancer, and might be able to predict which patients benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. It might facilitate patient counselling and individualise management of patients with this disease,” they concluded.
Full study: Lancet Oncology
Researchers from the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, used expression patterns of multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) combined into a single model to improve postoperative risk stratification and prediction of chemotherapy benefit for these patients.
Using this tool, they were able to classify patients as at high risk or low risk of disease progression. Five year disease-free survival was was 85% for the low-risk group, and 57% for the high-risk group. The six-miRNA-based classifier was an independent prognostic factor for, and had better prognostic value than, clinicopathological risk factors and mismatch repair status.
Patients in the high-risk group were found to have a favourable response to adjuvant chemotherapy The clinicians developed two nomograms which combined the smiRNA-based classifiers and clinicopathological risk factors to predict which patients might benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery for stage II colon cancer.
“Our six-miRNA-based classifier is a reliable prognostic and predictive tool for disease recurrence in patients with stage II colon cancer, and might be able to predict which patients benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. It might facilitate patient counselling and individualise management of patients with this disease,” they concluded.
Full study: Lancet Oncology
Infant health improves after coal power station shuts down
The closure of a polluting coal-fired power plant in Tongliang, Sichuan, resulted in a marked improvement in the health of local babies, researchers have reported.
The power station was the major pollution source until its shutdown in 2004. Researchers from Chongqing Medical University measured prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other pollutants before and after the closure and found that reduced levels were associated with improvements in birth outcomes, neurodevelopment and early childhood growth rates.
“The findings of this study are encouraging in that direct governmental interventions to remove a polluting coal-burning source can have rapid and direct benefits to children's health. This in turn is a strong motivation for China to further invest in renewable and energy- efficient fuels, a necessity for its future.
Full study: Environmental Pollution
The power station was the major pollution source until its shutdown in 2004. Researchers from Chongqing Medical University measured prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other pollutants before and after the closure and found that reduced levels were associated with improvements in birth outcomes, neurodevelopment and early childhood growth rates.
“The findings of this study are encouraging in that direct governmental interventions to remove a polluting coal-burning source can have rapid and direct benefits to children's health. This in turn is a strong motivation for China to further invest in renewable and energy- efficient fuels, a necessity for its future.
Full study: Environmental Pollution
Integration of private hospitals faces problems with insurance and working hours
The Party's decision to increase support for private hospitals presents an opportunity but with challenges, experts say, starting with access to insurance money and limits on doctors' working hours.
The broad policy approved by the Third Plenary Session of the Communist Party of China's 18th Central Committee, which ended on Nov 12, states the government should encourage the growth of medical institutions run by private companies or other NGOs.
Private hospitals are thought to be capable of competing with government-funded hospitals by providing more choices to patients. They can also help relieve pressure on an overburdened government system.
Since 2009, when national health reforms began, the central government and authorities in cities such as Guangzhou and Beijing have called for equal treatment for private hospitals — and even favorable policies that will stimulate their growth.
"The latest decision reiterates and emphasizes this," said Zhu Hengpeng, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Economics.
He said the Party's decision shows the willingness to conduct market-oriented reform in a health sector dominated by government-funded hospitals.
The Party also said private hospitals should get a slice of public healthcare insurance money, just as government-funded hospitals do.
But a majority of private hospitals operate outside the insurance program, which means their service costs are higher than their government-funded counterparts, Zhu said.
The broad policy approved by the Third Plenary Session of the Communist Party of China's 18th Central Committee, which ended on Nov 12, states the government should encourage the growth of medical institutions run by private companies or other NGOs.
Private hospitals are thought to be capable of competing with government-funded hospitals by providing more choices to patients. They can also help relieve pressure on an overburdened government system.
Since 2009, when national health reforms began, the central government and authorities in cities such as Guangzhou and Beijing have called for equal treatment for private hospitals — and even favorable policies that will stimulate their growth.
"The latest decision reiterates and emphasizes this," said Zhu Hengpeng, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Economics.
He said the Party's decision shows the willingness to conduct market-oriented reform in a health sector dominated by government-funded hospitals.
The Party also said private hospitals should get a slice of public healthcare insurance money, just as government-funded hospitals do.
But a majority of private hospitals operate outside the insurance program, which means their service costs are higher than their government-funded counterparts, Zhu said.
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