Rac1 promotes the formation of heterotypic cell-in-cell structure / 生物工程学报

Heterotypic cell-in-cell structures (heCICs) are closely related to tumor development and progression, and have become a new frontier in life science research. Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) belongs to the classic Rho GTPase, which plays a key role in regulating the cytoskeleton and cell movement. To investigate the role and mechanism of Rac1 in the formation of heCICs, tumor cells and immune killer cells were labeled with cell-tracker, respectively, to establish the heCICs model. Upon treatment with the Rac1 inhibitor NSC23766, the formation of heCICs between tumor and immune cells was significantly reduced. The plasmid pQCXIP-Rac1-EGFP constructed by gene cloning was packaged into pseudoviruses that subsequently infect tumor cells to make cell lines stably expressing Rac1. As a result, the formation of heCICs was significantly increased upon Rac1 overexpression. These results demonstrated a promotive role of Rac1 in heCICs formation, which may facilitate treating cell-in-cell related diseases, such as tumors, by targeting Rac1.

Systemic analysis of tissue cells potentially vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection by the protein-proofed single-cell RNA profiling of ACE2, TMPRSS2 and Furin proteases

Single-cell RNA profiling of ACE2, the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, had proposed multiple tissue cells as the potential targets of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic. However, most were not echoed by the patients clinical manifestations, largely due to the lack of protein expression information of ACE2 and co-factors. Here, we incorporated the protein information to analyse the expression of ACE2, together with TMPRSS2 and Furin, two proteases assisting SARS-CoV-2 infection, at single cell level in situ, which we called protein-proofed single-cell RNA (pscRNA) profiling. Systemic analysis across 36 tissues revealed a rank list of candidate cells potentially vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2. The top targets are lung AT2 cells and macrophages, then cardiomyocytes and adrenal gland stromal cells, followed by stromal cells in testis, ovary and thyroid. Whereas, the polarized kidney proximal tubule cells, liver cholangiocytes and intestinal enterocytes are less likely to be the primary SARS-CoV-2 targets as ACE2 localizes at the apical region of cells, where the viruses may not readily reach. Actually, the stomach may constitute a physical barrier against SARS-CoV-2 as the acidic environment in normal stomach (pH < 2.0) could completely inactivate SARS-CoV-2 pseudo-viruses. These findings are in concert with the clinical characteristics of prominent lung symptoms, frequent heart injury, and uncommon intestinal symptoms and acute kidney injury. Together, we provide a comprehensive view on the potential SARS-CoV-2 targets by pscRNA profiling, and propose that, in addition to acute respiratory distress syndrome, attentions should also be paid to the potential injuries in cardiovascular, endocrine and reproductive systems during the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The Contributing Factors to Nurses' Behavioral Intention to Use Hospital Information Technologies in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Medical care facilities in both developed and developing countries around the world continue to invest in hospital information technologies (HITs). Nevertheless, it has been discovered that user acceptance of these technologies is one of the imperative issues during their implementation and management in developing countries such as Ghana. PURPOSE: Notably, the technology acceptance assessment of nurses is a timely one since they play a very important role in the medical sector. Based on the model of "Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology," this study explored the factors that affect Ghanaian nurses' acceptance of HIT.Design/Method/Approach: A descriptive nonexperimental research design was employed in this study to recruit 660 nurses (404 females and 256 males) from 3 teaching and 2 regional hospitals in Ghana. A standardized electronic platform questionnaire (based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model) was designed on smartphones and was self-administered, while the data collected were analyzed via the SmartPLS Structural Equation Modeling path analysis. The "Social Influence" (t = 3.656, p < .001), "Attitude towards the Use of Technology" (t = 5.861, p < .001), and "Facilitating Conditions" (t = 2.616, p < .001) were the main predictors of the nurses' behavioral intention to use HIT. The effects of the aforementioned constructs explained 60.7% (R 2 = 0.607) of the variance in the nurses' intentions to use the HIT systems. CONCLUSIONS: Precisely, HIT systems are essential in the quality and the enhancement of nursing services provision and in the effectiveness of the performance of nursing staff. This study, therefore, offers a piece of empirical evidence for hospital administrators in developing countries especially Ghana, to assess the success probability of new HITs before and after their implementation.

Study on Establishment of Index Evaluation System of the County-level Public Hospitals' Comprehensive Reform / 中国医院管理

Based on literature review determining evaluation dimensionality,and with the relevant policies,the original index system is determined.Through using two rounds of focus group discussion and two rounds of expert consultation method,a set of county hospitals comprehensive reform of index system,which consists of 3 primary,14 secondary indicators and 64 tertiary indexes,is established.The analytic hierarchy process is used to determine the weight of evaluation index.At the same time,the reliability and validity of index system are tested.This proves that the established evaluation index system can give scientific and reasonable assessment results for comprehensive reform of county-level hospitals.

Review and Prospect of Integrated Medical and Health Service System / 中国卫生经济

Objective:Based on the unreasonable structure,fragmentization and insufficient resources of medical and health service system in China,the literature review was conducted on the analysis of integrated medical and health service system.Methods:It sorted out and analyzed the existing related literature in the academic field.Results:The integrated health system was developed by their elements and methods,which lacked the evaluation and analysis on the responsibility among different stake holders and effects after the integration.Conclusion:Further research should be developed into the implementation of dual referral based on integrated health system;the responsibility relationship among different stakeholders in the integration progress,the integration and optimization of medical and health service system under the background of Internet+,etc.

Complementarity of Clinician Judgment and Evidence Based Models in Medical Decision Making: Antecedents, Prospects, and Challenges.

Early accounts of the development of modern medicine suggest that the clinical skills, scientific competence, and doctors' judgment were the main impetus for treatment decision, diagnosis, prognosis, therapy assessment, and medical progress. Yet, clinician judgment has its own critics and is sometimes harshly described as notoriously fallacious and an irrational and unfathomable black box with little transparency. With the rise of contemporary medical research, the reputation of clinician judgment has undergone significant reformation in the last century as its fallacious aspects are increasingly emphasized relative to the evidence based options. Within the last decade, however, medical forecasting literature has seen tremendous change and new understanding is emerging on best ways of sharing medical information to complement the evidence based medicine practices. This review revisits and highlights the core debate on clinical judgments and its interrelations with evidence based medicine. It outlines the key empirical results of clinician judgments relative to evidence based models and identifies its key strengths and prospects, the key limitations and conditions for the effective use of clinician judgment, and the extent to which it can be optimized and professionalized for medical use.

The effect of herd formation among healthcare investors on health sector growth in China.

BACKGROUND: China has become the world's second largest healthcare market based on a recent report by the World Health Organization. Eventhough China achieved universal health insurance coverage in 2011, representing the largest expansion of insurance coverage in human history achieved; health inequality remains endemic in China. Lessons from the effect of market crisis on health equity in Europe and other places has reignited interest in exploring the potential healthcare market aberrations that can trigger distributive injustice in healthcare resource allocation among China's provinces. Recently, many healthcare investors in China have become more concerned about capital preservation, and are responding by abandoning long term investments strategies in healthcare. This investment withdrawal en mass is perceived to be influenced by herding tendencies and can trigger or consolidate endemic health inequality. METHODS: Our study simultaneously employs four testing models (two state spaced models and two return dispersion models) to establish the existence of procyclical (herding) behavior among the stocks and its health equity implications. These are applied to a large set of data to compare and contrast results of herd formation among investors in fourteen healthcare sectors in China. RESULTS: The study reveals that apart from the cross sectional standard deviation (CSSD) model, the remaining two models and our augmented state space model yields significant evidence of herding in all subsectors of the healthcare market. We also find that the herding effect is more prominent during down movements of the market. CONCLUSION: Herding behavior may lead to contemporaneous loss of investor confidence and capital withdrawal and thereby deprive the healthcare sector of the much needed capital for expansion. Thus there may be obvious delay in efforts to bridge the gap in access to healthcare facilities, medical support services, medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, diagnostic substances, medical laboratory and advanced medical equipment across China. Moreover, a potential crash in the healthcare market is possible in the healthcare sector as a result of persistent herding tendencies among investors and that may have more damaging consequences for health inequality in China.

Study on evaluation index system of reform achievements at county-level public hospitals / 中华医院管理杂志

Literature review to build optional indexes pool,Delphi method to screen indexes,fuzzy model used to calculate the weight,for building such a system.An index system centering on public wellbeing is thus constructed,comprising three level 1 indicators,six level 2 indicators,40 level-3 indicators.The system can satisfactorily reflect the vision of county-level public hospitals reform,and showcase outcomes of such a reform.

Research on the Influences of the Implementing Essential Medicine System on Compensation Mechanism of Primary Medical Institutions：analysis on system dynamics / 中国卫生经济

Objective: To analyze the influences of implementing essential medicine system on primary medical institutions and give suggestions. Methods: Using system dynamics method to construct the compensation mechanism model for primary medical institutions. Compare the growth in revenue and expenditure of primary medical institutions before and after essential medicine system implementation. Results: After the implement of essential medicine system, the growth in total expenditure and total income of primary medical institutions is steadier; when the annual growth rate of government financial subsidies invested more than 13%, the growth in total receipts will keep balance. Conclusion: It’s better to guarantee the government financial subsidies invested in time, raise medical service price properly and establish comprehensive compensation mechanism for implementing compensation mechanism of primary medical institutions.

Analyzing Credit Level Appraisal on Designated Medical Instituions under New Rural Cooperative Medical System in Jiangsu / 中国卫生经济

Objective: Through evaluating the creadit level appraisal of designated medical institutions under new rural cooperative medical system ( NCMS) , effective method of standard management for NCMS designated medical institutions under was proposed. Methods:Use third-party evaluation to evaluate the 27 NCMS designed medical institutions in Jiangsu, divide the results into groups and make a comparative analysis based on the relevant properties of rated agencies. Results: Compared to 2011, the credit level appraisal on NCMS medical institutions in Jiangsu is higher in 2012; the score of public medical institutions, medical institutions with inpatient department and the general hospitals are higher. The relevant indexes of correlation have significant difference, P≤0.05. Conclusion:Some low-credit medical institutions have disordered charge and over-increasing medical cost. The medical service management needs to be completed. It needs to further implement the management system of NCMS, discover more efficient payment of NCMS, enhance the supervision on private medical institutions, improve the introduction and training of talents and promote the standard and method of evaluation, so as to improve the sustainable development of NCMS.

The Reform of Japan ’ s Long-term Care Insurance Policy and the References / 中国卫生经济

Through the reforming of public long-term care insurance, Japan has solved difficulties on the elderly care and provided positive experiences for the establishment of long-term care in China. The background , history and contents of long-term care insurance system are introduced. The establishment effects of the system are analyzed based on comparative method , reasonable suggestions of establishing long-term care insurance system in China are proposed combined with the national condition.