The impact of population aging on SME digital transformation: Evidence from China.

Many societies around the world are rapidly aging and this has implications for social and economic development. We collect data on NEEQ-listed enterprises from 2010 to 2021 in China and empirically test the effect of population aging on the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The findings show that population aging has a significant positive impact on SME digital transformation, and private enterprises and enterprises in eastern regions of China tend to benefit more than other regions. The mechanism studies find that population aging positively impacts SME digital transformation by increasing labor costs, facilitating human capital accumulation, and raising savings rates. Furthermore, the threshold effect analyses find that the marginal promotion effect of population aging will weaken with greater aging and will strengthen with a higher level of marketization. Finally, we provide policy recommendations for promoting digital transformation in SMEs against the background of population aging.

[Clinical classification of osteoradionecrosis of temporal bone and the treatment of massive osteonecrosis].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effective treatment regimen for osteoradionecrosis of temporal bone. METHOD: Twenty-seven patients with massive osteoradionecrosis in temporal bone were included and retrospectively analyzed, in which, 15 cases received surgery and the other 12 cases adopted non-surgical treatment. RESULT: In the surgery group, three cases died one year postoperatively and died of massive hemorrhage due to internal carotid blowout. One case died four years after surgery without clear cause of death, and two cases were lost to follow up. Out of the nine survivors, the follow up period ranged from four months to eight years (one was followed up eight years, one was followed up over four years, four were followed up two-three years, one was followed up over one year, one was followed up nine months, and one was followed up four months, respectively). Patients classified as the type III received best outcome, and patients of type V and IV without invasion of the internal carotid artery received good surgical effects, while patients classified as the type IV with internal carotid artery invasion presented low survival rate. Two cases in the non-surgical group died of internal carotid rupture, and the other ten cases presented with repeated infection and expansion of the osteoradionecrosis lesion. CONCLUSION: The new classification criteria is helpful in diagnosis of location of lesions,and can serve as a guide for clinical therapy. Massive osteoradionecrosis in temporal bone responded unfavorably to conservative treatment, compared to that, surgery can effectively control the expansion of the lesion and markedly improve patient quality of life. Long-term follow up is necessary because of the slow development of osteoradionecrosis after surgery.