How can environmental degradation and income disparities influence national health: an eye bird view on China's provinces.

Growing socio-economic disparity is a global issue that could disturb community health. Numerous case studies have examined the health influences of income disparities as well as the patterns that implicate those disparities. Therefore, this study attempts to examine the core determinants of mortality rate, which are environmental degradation, green energy, health expenditures, and technology (ICT) for the 25 provinces of China over the period of 2005-2020. This study uses a series of estimators to investigate the preferred objectives in which CS-ARDL and common correlated effect mean group (CCE-MG). Estimated results show the significant contribution of environmental deterioration and income inequality to the mortality rate. Furthermore, health expenditures, ICT, and green energy significantly reduce the mortality rate. Similarly, the moderate effect of income inequality on health expenditure, green energy, and ICT significantly reduces the mortality rate in selected provinces of China. More interestingly, the current study suggests policy implications to reduce the rising trend of mortality rate.

The influence and mechanism of health expenditures on investment of financial assets decisions: A case study of China's economy.

Policymakers worldwide have been actively involved in the past few decades to ensure that human diseases are kept to a minimum. A new econometric technique, dynamic ARDL simulations, was used in this study to estimate and model the influence of health expenditures on investment in non-financial assets in China from 1990 to 2019. An economic growth framework, gross capital formation, information and communication technologies, foreign direct investment, and carbon emissions are all considered in the empirical model-the analysis produced interesting results. First, the estimates show that health expenditures and foreign direct investment have a significant long-run decreasing impact on non-financial assets in China by 0.451 and 0.234%. Second, economic growth and gross capital formation significantly affect the economy's non-financial assets. Likewise, ICT and carbon emissions also positively correlate with an explained variable in China. The findings show that the economy is becoming less investment-intensive as health spending and foreign direct investment rise. The study develops important policy implications for the selected country to achieve desired targets based on the empirical results.

The value of angiogenic therapy with intramyocardial administration of basic fibroblast growth factor to treat severe coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was administered intramyocardially together with CABG to induce myocardial neovascularizaton and collateral growth in patients with ungraftable coronary arteries. Coronary angiographic and myocardial scintigraphic findings revealed that the effects of CABG were potentially confounding. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients in the bFGF group (n = 16) underwent angiogenic therapy using bFGF for ungraftable territory, and incomplete revascularization (IR) patients (n = 22) underwent only CABG. The magnitude of collateral development was assessed by the Rentrop score and collateral connection (CC) grade. Rentrop scores tended to increase among patients in the bFGF group (before vs. after surgery, 1.9 ± 1.2 vs. 2.3 ± 1.2, p = 0.05), but not in the IR group. The CC grade significantly increased among patients in the bFGF group (before vs. after surgery, 1.0 ± 0.9 vs. 1.4 ± 0.5, p <0.05), but not in the IR group. Myocardial perfusion in territories injected with bFGF improved in 13 patients (81%) of the bFGF group, and also in the nonbypassed territory in 4 IR patients (25%) (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: Angiogenic therapy with bFGF induced collateral development and improved myocardial perfusion in territories injected with bFGF.

Therapeutic angiogenesis with autologous hepatic tissue implantation and omental wrapping.

BACKGROUND: The liver produces various angiogenic and cytoprotective growth factors and the omentum has potent angiogenic properties that promote wound healing. The ability of hepatic tissue implantation plus omental wrapping to induce angiogenesis and restore cardiac function was investigated in a rat model of infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Myocardial infarction was induced in rats using coronary artery ligation. The omentum was wrapped (omentopexy group), hepatic tissue implantation was combined with omental wrapping (hepatic tissue implantation (H) group) or no other treatment was applied (control (C) group), and then ventricular function was evaluated by echocardiography 4 weeks later. Infarct size, ventricular remodeling, vascular density and collagen density were morphometrically and histologically evaluated. The expression of angiogenic growth factors in implanted tissues was examined using RT-PCR. The H group had thicker (p<0.05) and less expanded infarcts (p<0.001), as well as higher capillary (p<0.01) and arteriolar (p<0.05) density in the infarct border zone, than the C group. Hepatocyte growth factor was obviously expressed and the expression of both basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor was increased in the H group. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic tissue implantation combined with omental wrapping stimulated angiogenesis, attenuated left ventricular remodeling and improved cardiac function.

Effects of intramyocardial administration of slow-release basic fibroblast growth factor on angiogenesis and ventricular remodeling in a rat infarct model.

BACKGROUND: Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) stimulates neoangiogenesis. Incorporation into biodegradable gelatin hydrogels provides the sustained release of bFGF. The effects of intramyocardial injections of slow-release bFGF on neoangiogenesis in a rat model of infarction were investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Myocardial infarction was induced in rats using coronary artery ligation. A total of 124 rats received an intramyocardial injection of 20 microg of bFGF, the same amount of bFGF incorporated into gelatin hydrogel (bFGF + gel), gelatin hydrogel (gel) or saline. Ventricular function was evaluated by echocardiography 2 or 4 weeks later. Morphometric and histological analyses were used to evaluate infarct size, vascular density and myocardial apoptosis. Capillary density in the infarct border zone was higher in the bFGF and bFGF + gel groups than in the saline and gel groups at 4 weeks (p<0.001). Arteriolar density was higher in the bFGF + gel group than in the other 3 groups (p<0.05). The bFGF and bFGF + gel groups contained fewer apoptotic cardiomyocytes in the border zone than the saline and gel groups (p<0.01). The bFGF+gel group had thicker (p<0.05) and less expanded infarcts (p<0.01) compared with the saline group at 4 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporation of bFGF in gelatin hydrogels enhanced the effects of bFGF on arteriogenesis, ventricular remodeling and cardiac function.

Effects of sasanquasaponin on ischemia and reperfusion injury in mouse hearts.

We investigated effects of sasanquasaponin (SQS), a traditional Chinese herb's effective component, on ischemia and reperfusion injury in mouse hearts and the possible role of intracellular Cl- homeostasis on SQS's protective effects during ischemia and reperfusion. An in vivo experimental ischemia model was made in mice (weight 27-45 g) using ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery, and in vitro models were made in perfused hearts by stopping flow or in isolated ventricular myocytes by hypoxia. The in vivo results showed that SQS inhibited cardiac arrhythmias during ischemia and reperfusion. Incidence of arrhythmias during ischemia and reperfusion, including ventricular premature beats and ventricular fibrillation, was significantly decreased in the SQS-pretreated group (P<0.05). Results in perfused hearts showed that SQS suppressed the arrhythmias, prevented against ischemia-induced decrease in contract force and promoted the force recovery from reperfusion. Furthermore, intracellular Cl- concentrations ([Cl-]i) were measured using a MQAE fluorescence method in isolated ventricular myocytes in vitro. SQS slightly decreased [Cl-]i in non-hypoxic myocytes and delayed the hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced increase in [Cl-]i during ischemia and reperfusion (P<0.05). Our results showed that SQS protected against ischemia/reperfusion-induced cardiac injury in mouse hearts and that modulation of intracellular Cl- homeostasis by SQS would play a role in its anti-arrhythmia effects during ischemia and reperfusion.