The application of the propensity score matching method in stock prediction among stocks within the same industry.

Stock price prediction is crucial in stock market research, yet existing models often overlook interdependencies among stocks in the same industry, treating them as independent entities. Recognizing and accounting for these interdependencies is essential for precise predictions. Propensity score matching (PSM), a statistical method for balancing individuals between groups and improving causal inferences, has not been extensively applied in stock interdependence investigations. Our study addresses this gap by introducing PSM to examine interdependence among pharmaceutical industry stocks for stock price prediction. Additionally, our research integrates Improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) with long short-term memory (LSTM) networks to enhance parameter selection, improving overall predictive accuracy. The dataset includes price data for all pharmaceutical industry stocks in 2022, categorized into chemical pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals, and traditional Chinese medicine. Using Stata, we identify significantly correlated stocks within each sub-industry through average treatment effect on the treated (ATT) values. Incorporating PSM, we match five target stocks per sub-industry with all stocks in their respective categories, merging target stock data with weighted data from non-target stocks for validation in the IPSO-LSTM model. Our findings demonstrate that including non-target stock data from the same sub-industry through PSM significantly improves predictive accuracy, highlighting its positive impact on stock price prediction. This study pioneers PSM's use in studying stock interdependence, conducts an in-depth exploration of effects within the pharmaceutical industry, and applies the IPSO optimization algorithm to enhance LSTM network performance, providing a fresh perspective on stock price prediction research.

DRD4 VNTR 4/4 homozygosity as a genetic biomarker for treatment selection in patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: There seems to be an association between the DRD4 48-bp VNTR polymorphisms and antipsychotic treatment response, but there is a rare reference to confirm this finding. Hence, the present study tried to investigate the association between DRD4 48-bp VNTR polymorphisms and the treatment response of antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia in Taiwan, using a propensity score matching (PSM) method. METHODS: A total of 882 participants were enrolled in this study and completed informed consent, research questionnaires, including demographic information and the revised Chinese version Beliefs about Voices Questionnaire, and blood sampling. For descreasing of the selection bias and confounding variables, the PSM nearest neighbor matching method was used to select 765 paitents with schizophrenia (ratio of 1:8 between 85 persistent auditory hallucination and 680 controls) with matched and controlled the age and gender. RESULTS: Schizophrenia patients with DRD4 4 R homozygosity had a lower rate of good antipsychotic treatment response than the other DRD4 genotype carriers (DRD4 non-4/4). Among those 4 R homozygosity carriers, 60 cases of 503 (11.9%) retain persistent auditory hallucinations. Furthermore, this subgroup of patients is accounted for up to 70.6% of cases with poor neuroleptic treatment response. CONCLUSIONS: A poor treatment outcome for patients with the 4 R homozygosity had presented,that comparing with those DRD non-4/4 genotype carriers. DRD4 VNTR 4 R homozygosity could be a genetic biomarker to predict poor antipsychotic treatment response in schizophrenia. Patients with DRD 4/4 probably receive novel antipsychotic medications preferentially or in combination with alternative therapy, such as psychotherapy or milieu therapy.

Does marine ecological compensation policy have improved marine carbon emission efficiency? Evidence from coastal areas in China.

The marine ecological compensation (MEC) policy is a scheme for protecting and restoring marine ecology. The previous studies have verified that the policy has improved the marine environment, ignoring the comprehensive performance of the economy and environment. Is the MEC policy actually effective for reducing marine carbon emission considering resource input and economy output? To address the question, this paper evaluates the impact of MEC policy on marine carbon emission efficiency by introducing the multi-stage difference-in-difference with propensity score matching. The results show that the MEC policy significantly improves marine carbon emission efficiency, and the positive effects dynamically enhance over time. Low-carbon technology innovation is confirmed to play a mediating role by which the MEC policy improves marine carbon emission efficiency. Therefore, gradually popularizing the MEC policy and accelerating low-carbon technology innovation are crucial measures to improve marine carbon emission efficiency and achieve sustainable marine development.

[Effect of Health Poverty Alleviation Project on the Economic Burden of Disease Among Poor Households: Empirical Evidence from Sichuan Province].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of Health Poverty Alleviation Project on the economic burden of disease among poor families and to provide references for further improvement of the Health Poverty Alleviation Project. Methods: The difference-in-differences with propensity score matching method was used to analyze 48 counties in Sichuan Province. Propensity score matching was first carried out with data from the Sichuan Provincial Information System for Medical Care for Low-Income Population and the New Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance data to identify the non-poor population closest to the poor population. Then, difference-in-difference method was used to determine the effect of the Health Poverty Alleviation Project. Results: Health Poverty Alleviation Project reduced the total annual out-of-pocket (OOP) payments by 13.1% on average, the outpatient OOP payments by an average 2.4%, inpatient OOP payments by an average 19.5%, and the probability of incurring catastrophic health care expenditures by an average of 3.9% for low-income households. In addition, the program had a more significant effect in poverty-stricken counties than it did in non-poverty-stricken counties. Despite the significant effectiveness of the project, 12.1% of the low-income families still incurred catastrophic health expenditures after the program was implemented. Conclusion: Health Poverty Alleviation Project reduces the economic burden of disease for poor households, and it has a better effect on reducing the economic burden of poor households in poverty-stricken counties. However, a certain number of households still incurred catastrophic health expenditures. When consolidating and expanding the effects of Health Poverty Alleviation Project and monitoring medical expenses for poverty prevention, policymakers should focus on the households with catastrophic medical expenditures to prevent them from sinking back into poverty.

Immediate Prosthesis Breast Reconstruction: A Comparison Between Ambulatory Surgery Versus Traditional Hospitalization Based on the Propensity Score Matching Method.

BACKGROUND: The positive benefits of immediate prosthesis breast reconstruction (IPBR) are incontrovertible. During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care resources became scarce. The implementation of outpatient immediate prosthesis breast reconstruction (OIPBR) can improve the efficiency of medical care and reduce viral exposure. Very few studies have focused on OIPBR and this study aimed to fill this gap by evaluating outcomes of OIPBR compared with traditional hospitalization IPBR (THIPBR) in terms of complications and quality of life. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study enrolled patients undergoing IPBR at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital between January 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021. Outcomes were defined as postoperative complications and quality of life before reconstruction and at 3-month follow-up. Quality of life was assessed by BREAST-Q questionnaire. Inverse probability of treatment weighting and propensity score matching (PSM) were applied to adjust for confounders. RESULTS: A total of 135 patients were enrolled, including 110 with THIPBR and 25 with OIPBR. After matching, baseline characteristics were well balanced. Patients with OIPBR had lower rates of lymphedema on the surgery side (p = 0.041) and readmission (p = 0.040) than patients with THIPBR. No statistically significant differences in the quality of life metrics of psychosocial well-being, sexual well-being, satisfaction with breast and physical well-being of the chest were found between the two groups. CONCLUSION: OIPBR is a safe and efficient alternative to THIBPR during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is recommended when medical conditions allow to conserve medical resources. Accelerated technical training for the performance of OIPBR at the hospital level should be expedited. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Analysis of the application of nano-carbon lymphatic tracer technology in laparoscopic radical resection of colon cancer based on propensity matching / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To analyze the application effect of nano-carbon lymphatic tracer technology in laparoscopic colon cancer (CC) radical resection based on propensity matching.Methods:Retrospective case-control study was performed in this study. From January 2016 to April 2021, 714 cases of CC patients who underwent laparoscopic CC radical resection in Kunshan Second People′s Hospital were divided into groups according to whether or not the nano-carbon lymphatic tracing technique was applied. Seventy-eight cases in group A were applied with nano-carbon lymphatic tracing technique, while 636 cases in group B were not applied with nano-carbon lymphatic tracing technique. The initial data were matched 1∶3 by the propensity score matching method, and finally group A (73 cases) and group B (219 cases) were obtained. The detection of lymph nodes in the two groups after propensity score matching was compared.Results:By comparing the baseline data of the two groups after propensity score matching, it was found that there were no significant differences in gender, height, weight, body mass index, tumor T stage, tumor N stage, tumor TNM stage, preoperative chemotherapy, or tumor location ( P>0.05). The total number of lymph nodes in group A was higher than that in group B: (22.24 ± 7.08) pieces vs. (19.03 ± 6.29) pieces, and the difference was statistically significant ( t = 3.66, P<0.05); the number of positive lymph nodes and the degree of lymph node metastasis in group A were not significantly different from those in group B ( P>0.05). Tumor T stage T 3, tumor N stage N 0, tumor TNM stage Ⅱ, and preoperative chemotherapy, the total number of lymph nodes in group A was higher than that in group B: 23 (6, 60) pieces vs. 19 (4, 54) pieces , 20 (3, 62) pieces vs. 18 (3, 75) pieces, 23 (6, 59) pieces vs. 20 (7, 54) pieces, 22 (5, 45) pieces vs. 14 (4, 46) pieces, and the difference was statistically significant ( Z = 2.43, 2.70, 2.64 and 3.32; P<0.05); the number of positive lymph nodes and the degree of lymph node metastasis of tumor N stage N 2 in group A were lower than those in group B: 4 (4, 9) pieces vs. 6 (4, 25) pieces , 16 (10, 42) pieces vs. 32 (19, 100) pieces, and the difference between groups was statistically significant ( Z = -2.53 and -2.87, P<0.05). Followed up to April 2022, among the 292 patients, 5 were lost to follow-up, the 3-year disease-free survival rates of 72 patients in group A and 215 patients in group B were 83.33% (60/72) and 91.16% (196/215) respectively, there was no significant difference between two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The number of lymph nodes detected in laparoscopic CC radical resection increases after the application of nano-carbon lymphatic tracing technology.

Tenghuang Jiangu Tablets Combined with Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs for Osteoarthritis of Knee： A Real-world Study / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical efficacy of Tenghuang Jiangu tablets （THJGT） combined with oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs （NSAIDs） in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee and its applicable stage based on real-world data， and provide a basis for the rational clinical use of THJGT. MethodA total of 218 cases treated with THJGT combined with oral NSAIDs included in the "THJGT for knee osteoarthritis case registry" from September 2019 to January 2021 were selected as the observation group， and 126 cases treated with oral NSAIDs alone as the control group （CG）. The data of gender， age， body mass index， Kellgren-Lawrence grading scale （K-L scale） score， visual analogue score （VAS score）， Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index （WOMAC） score， swelling grade， joint fear of cold score， back pain and weakness score， and occurrence of adverse events/reactions of the patients in both groups were used for the evaluation of efficacy with full analysis set. The propensity score matching method was used to exclude the influence of confounding factors between groups， and the sub-data sets were established， with which the repeated measures analysis of variance （ANOVA） was carried out to evaluate the efficacy. Visit points were at registration， 4 weeks and 8 weeks after registration. The data were statistically analyzed in Excel 2019 and SPSS 23.0. ResultThe proportion of females in the observation group was 66.06% （144/218）， which was higher than that （58.73%， 74/126） in the control group （χ2=1.846）. The average age in the observation group was （61.12±7.01） years， which was higher than that ［（59.38±5.99） years］ in the control group （W=19 918.50， P<0.05）. The remission rate in the observation group was 98.17% （214/218）. In the observation group， the proportions of the patients at K-L grades Ⅱ and Ⅲ were 64.22% （144/218） and 25.23% （55/218）， respectively. The effect analysis of the whole data set for enrollment and treatment for 8 weeks showed that the VAS score of the experimental group decreased by （3.27±1.24） points on average， which was better than that of the control group [（2.75±1.20）， W=34 179.00， P<0.05]. The average WOMAC score decreased （23.43±11.46） points， which was better than that of the control group [（16.71±8.86）， W=32 387.00， P<0.05]. The average swelling grade decreased （0.63±0.64）， which was better than the control group [（0.33±0.59）， W=33 847.50， P<0.05]. The average score of joint chills decreased （1.90±1.84）， points， which was better than that of control group [（1.40±1.28）， W=35 165.00， P<0.05]. The average lumbar acid fatigue score decreased by （2.02±1.64） points, which was better than that of the control group [（1.10±1.28）， W=32 986.50， P<0.05]. Efficacy analysis of subdata sets for enrollment， 4 weeks of medication and 8 weeks of medication showed that VAS scores of both groups showed a downward trend after treatment， and the improvement of experimental group was more significant than that of control group at 4 weeks， with statistical significance （P<0.05）. After treatment， the total WOMAC score of both groups showed a downward trend， and the improvement of experimental groups was more significant at 4 weeks and 8 weeks （P<0.05）. After treatment， swelling， cold fear grade and lumbar acid fatigue score of both groups showed a decreasing trend,， and the improvement of experimental group was more significant at 8 weeks （P<0.05）. The therapeutic effect analysis of patients in the attack stage and remission stage of the experimental group showed that the total WOMAC score of the two groups showed a downward trend after treatment， and the trend was basically the same， and there was no statistical difference between the two groups at enrollment， 4 weeks after treatment， and 8 weeks after treatment （t=1.675， t=2.068， t=2.364）. The total WOMAC score of the patients in remission stage in the experimental group with K-L grading between grade 0 and grade Ⅲ had statistical significance at 4 weeks after treatment compared with the time of entry （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Group of adverse event rate was 4.13% （9/218）， lower than the control group 10.32% （13/126） （χ2= 5.109， P<0.05）. ConclusionThe population receiving THJGT combined with oral NSAIDs is mostly female， old， in remission， and with K-L grades Ⅱ and Ⅲ. THJGT can enhance the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of oral NSAIDs and keep the drug effect in improving joint function and alleviating fear of cold， swelling， and back pain and weakness. The drug combination can be applied to patients in both attack and remission， and the clinical application should take patient's disease stage and degree of osteoarthritis into account. Furthermore， the combination has the potential to reduce the incidence of adverse events caused by NSAIDs.

Research on the Impact of Rural Land Transfer on Non-Farm Employment of Farm Households: Evidence from Hubei Province, China.

Agricultural scale operations and industrialization promote the transfer of the rural labor force to the industry sector, and the non-farm employment of farmers plays a great role in increasing their income and reducing poverty. It is of great significance to explore the non-farm employment of farmers for the governance of relative poverty and the achievement of common prosperity. The propensity score matching (PSM) and generalized propensity score matching (GPSM) were used to analyze the impact of rural land transfer on farm households' non-farm employment. According to the PSM estimation, compared to the farmers' land not transferred, the rural land transfer significantly increased the proportion of non-farm employment personnel in farm households and the months of per year non-farm employment per person. The total land transfer, paddy land transfer and dry land transfer could significantly increase the proportion of non-farm employment personnel in farm households by 0.074, 0.029 and 0.085 units, respectively, and could significantly increase the months of per year non-farm employment per person by 0.604, 0.394 and 0.617 units, respectively. According to the GPSM estimation, different types of rural land transfer areas have significant positive effects on the proportion of non-farm workers and the months of per year non-farm employment per person, and show an obvious increasing trend of returns to scale, that is, the proportion of non-farm workers and the months of per year non-farm employment per person of farmers are higher than the increase in rural land transfer area. Additionally, the return to scale effect of dry land transfer area is more obvious. In order to raise the income of farm households and narrow the gap between urban and rural areas, the land transfer system can be further improved, urbanization with the county town as an important carrier can be vigorously promoted, the participation of farm households in non-farm employment in the local area can be promoted and the support policy system for non-farm employment of rural labor force can be improved.

Real-world Biapenem vs. Meropenem in the treatment of severe community-acquired pneumonia in children: A propensity score matching analysis.

Objective: To compare the real-world efficacy and safety of Biapenem and Meropenem for treating severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) in children. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 915 children with SCAP who were treated with Biapenem or Meropenem from August 2018 to June 2022. A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to reduce the actual baseline difference between groups. Results: 416 patients participated in the analysis after PSM (Biapenem: Meropenem = 1:1). For the Biapenem group and Meropenem group, the effective rates were 90.4% and 90.9%, respectively (p = 1.0) and the incidence of adverse reactions were 7.7% and 7.2%, respectively (p = 1.0). There were no statistical differences between Biapenem and Meropenem. Conclusion: In general, the efficacy and safety of Biapenem are comparable to Meropenem in the treatment of children with SCAP.

Malnutrition Defined by Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index Predicts Outcomes in Severe Stroke Patients: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

Background: Malnutrition's prognostic impact in patients with severe stroke requiring ICU admission is not well known. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status of severe stroke patients using the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and examine the association of GNRI with mortality in that population. Methods: We identified 1145 severe stroke patients requiring ICU admission from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-III) database and divided them into low GNRI (≤98) or high GNRI (>98) groups. We used a propensity score matching (PSM) method to reduce confounding. Cox proportional hazards regression and restricted cubic splines were used to elucidate the association between GNRI and mortality. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results: A total of 397 (35%) patients were in the low GNRI group (at risk of malnutrition). After PSM, patients in the low GNRI group still suffered higher mortality compared with the high GNRI group at 28 days (27.9 vs. 20.8%), 90 days (35.5 vs. 25.7%), and 1 year (43.4 vs. 30.9%) (p < 0.05). A low GNRI was significantly associated with an increased mortality (HR: 1.38, 95% CI 1.03−1.86 in 28 days; HR: 1.45, 95% CI 1.11−1.89 in 90 days; HR: 1.51, 95% CI 1.19−1.92 in 1 year). Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent results. Restricted cubic splines showed a progressively decreasing risk of mortality with increasing GNRI scores up to 110, approximately. Conclusion: Severe stroke patients with malnutrition experienced an increased risk of death compared to those without malnutrition. GNRI, as a simple and practical nutritional screening tool, can be used as a routine approach to the nutritional status of stroke patients.

Measuring the impact of long-haul low-cost carriers on lowering fares: A quasi-experimental design to assess the pre-COVID market.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of the introduction of the long-haul low cost carrier in the North Atlantic market to present the competitive situation before the COVID-19. There are a number of challenges in estimating the incremental effect of LH LCC. Therefore, several strategies were taken. Firstly, a difference in differences estimation and propensity score matched methods were employed using six major routes in the North Atlantic market with IATA's ticket sale data from January 2015 to December 2019; a granulated data to present the characteristics of flight and economy class fares. The outcomes indicate that a 17.2-20.6% fare reduction in average on the routes where Norwegian operated during 2015 and 2019 after Norwegian's entry, compared to what it would have happened if they didn't operate. It implies the LH LCC entry lowered fares significantly, and the level of fare competition in the North Atlantic market before the COVID-19 was high. In addition, a certain level of viability as an LH LCC has been implicated. This output can be used for the airline's strategic implication and the policy proposition, particularly when LCC expands the longer routes after the COVID recovery. Frequent and specific (detailed) assessments by market and period are imperative.

Impact of assistive devices use on levels of depression in older adults: Evidence from China.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of assistive devices on the level of depression among older adults. Using data from the 2015 and 2018 waves of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Studies (CHARLS), we analysed this effect through the PSM-DID model and verified the mechanism of the effect through Hayes' mediating effect model. The results showed that assistive devices increased depression levels in older adults. Moreover, there were significant differences among different groups of older adults. The use of assistive devices in developed areas, women, people under 75 years old, and socially active older people had a deeper impact on the level of depression. Differences in the type and number of assistive devices used also affect the level of depression in older people. Furthermore, assistive devices use in older adults increases depression levels by decreasing health satisfaction. This study provides new evidence to explore the relationship between the use of assistive devices and depression levels in older adults. Meanwhile, our research illustrates the importance of developing products and services with age-friendly technology.

How Does Social Insurance Affect the Social Interactions of Rural Residents in China: Study on the Impact of Rural Formal Social Security System on Informal Social Security Mechanism.

With the increasing mobility of the rural population in China and the growing number of residents moving to the cities for work or study, rural society is forming a pluralistic, interest-centered, "open" social networks relations that follows the modern rule of law contract. Based on Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) data, the results of the empirical study finds that social insurance can significantly enhance the social interactions of rural residents in China, that is, formal social security system in rural areas promotes informal social security mechanisms such as social interactions. The results of the grouping test show that rural residents in China's different regions were affected by social insurance in different ways. Social insurance has a greater impact on the social interactions in the eastern region than in the middle and western regions. The propensity score matching method was used to reduce the sample selection bias, and the findings of the paper were found to be robust.

Policy shock effect of SDP on environmental total factors productivity: 53 coal cities versus 165 non-resource-based cities.

The trend of economic decline for coal cities is a serious threat to the high-quality development of China's economy, and how to improve the environmental total factor productivity (ETFP) has become an urgent issue. Based on the framework of data envelopment analysis (DEA), this paper estimates ETFP using the global Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index (GMLPI). We decompose GMLPI into environmental technical efficiency change (ETEC) and the best practice gap change (BPGC). Then, the difference-in-difference (DID) model combining propensity score matching (PSM) method is used to investigate the effect of the Sustainable Development Plan of National Resource-based Cities (2013-2020) (SDP) aiming to improve ETFP. The results indicate that (1) On average, the GMLPI and BPGC are rising, while the ETEC is decreasing in the observed sample period; the western regions have the biggest BPGC, while the eastern regions have the biggest ETEC; (2) The SDP significantly improves the GMLPI and BPGC but has little effect on the ETEC; Coal cities located in eastern and central regions have policy effect, while the western regions do not have. (3) The SDP affects ETFP through slowing down the economic growth rate and reducing population agglomeration, but promoting the optimization of industrial structure. Those findings have policy implications for improving ETFP and promoting the industrial upgrade of coal cities.

Correlation analysis between preoperative systemic immune inflammation index and prognosis of patients after radical gastric cancer surgery: based on propensity score matching method.

BACKGROUND: To explore the correlation between the preoperative systemic immune inflammation index (SII) and the prognosis of patients with gastric carcinoma (GC). METHODS: The clinical data of 771 GC patients surgically treated in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Qinghai University Affiliated Hospital from June 2010 to June 2015 were retrospectively analyzed, and their preoperative SII was calculated. The optimal cut-off value of preoperative SII was determined using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the confounding factors between the two groups were eliminated using the propensity score matching (PSM) method, and the correlation between preoperative SII and clinicopathological characteristics was assessed by chi-square test. Moreover, the overall survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier method, the survival curve was plotted, and log-rank test was performed for the significance analysis between the curves. Univariate and multivariate analyses were also conducted using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: It was determined by the ROC curve that the optimal cut-off value of preoperative SII was 489.52, based on which 771 GC patients were divided into high SII (H-SII) group and low SII (L-SII) group, followed by PSM in the two groups. The results of Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that before and after PSM, the postoperative 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates in L-SII group were superior to those in H-SII group, and the overall survival rate had a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). Before PSM, preoperative SII [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.707, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.074-3.533, P < 0.001] was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of GC patients. After 1:1 PSM, preoperative SII (HR = 2.669, 95%CI 1.881-3.788, P < 0.001) was still an independent risk factor for the prognosis of GC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative SII is an independent risk factor for the prognosis of GC patients. The increase in preoperative SII in peripheral blood indicates a worse prognosis.

Long-Term Incidence of Total Knee Arthroplasty after Open Reduction and Internal Fixation of Proximal Tibial and Distal Femoral Fractures: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Knee fractures often require open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) for knee function recovery. More than one fifth of patients with knee fractures subsequently develop posttraumatic arthritis, and over 5% of them need total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We conducted this nationwide retrospective cohort study using the data of 2,000,000 people in the general population who received TKA and were followed up in the 17-year period 2001-2017, through random sampling of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. We matched the ORIF and non-fracture groups by a propensity score, based on age, sex, index date of surgery, and comorbidities enrolled in CCI calculated at a 1:1 ratio. The average proportion of subjects receiving TKA after ORIF for distal femoral or proximal tibial fractures was 2.0 per 1000 person-years, which was significantly higher than that in the non-fracture group. Patients aged 20-65 years and males represented a significantly higher proportion of subjects receiving TKA after ORIF than that in the non-fracture group. The proportion of subjects receiving TKA for the 20-65-year subgroup of the ORIF group was 4%, and that for the male subgroup was 1.5%; both rates increased over the 17-year follow-up period. More aggressive intraoperative and postoperative adjuvant therapies may be necessary for these subgroups.

[Electroacupuncture at Dong's Sanqixue combined with auricular point sticking in treatment of post-operative complications of complex anal fistula: a real world research].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at Dong's Sanqixue combined with auricular point sticking on post-operative complications of complex anal fistula. METHODS: The data of 318 patients undergoing anal fistula surgery were analyzed retrospectively. In accordance with whether accepted the combined treatment with EA at bilateral Dong's Sanqixue and auricular point sticking or not after operation, they were divided into an observation group (157 cases) and a control group (161 cases). At the ratio of 1︰1, the nearest neighbor matching method was adopted to match 125 pairs of patients. The score of visual analogue scale (VAS) on day 1, 7 and 14 after operation, the incidence of urine retention on day 1 and 3 after operation, the anorectal dynamical indexs (anal resting pressure, rectal resting pressure, anal maximum systolic pressure and rectal minimum sensitivity) before and after operation, as well as the clinical therapeutic effect were compared in the patients between the two groups separately. RESULTS: For VAS score, there was an interaction between therapeutic method and treatment duration (P<0.05); the main effect was significant for therapeutic method (P<0.05), while, it was not significant for treatment time (P>0.05). On day 7 and 14 after operation, VAS scores were lower than those on day 1 in the two groups (P<0.05), and VAS scores on day 7 and 14 after operation in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). On day 3 after operation, the incidence of urine retention in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (0.8% [1/125] vs 9.6% [12/125], P<0.05). On day 14 after operation, anal resting pressure, anal maximum systolic pressure and rectal minimum sensitivity in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05), and rectal resting pressure was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). In 1 month after operation, the total effective rate was 96.0% (120/125) in the observation group, higher than 80.8% (101/125) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture at Dong's Sanqixue combined with auricular point sticking therapy alleviates pain, reduces the incidence of urine retention, improves anal defecation function and clinical therapeutic effect in the patients after complex anal fistula surgery.

Effect of Short-term Complications After D2 Radical Gastrectomy on Long-term Survival Rate of Gastric Cancer Patients / 肿瘤防治研究

Objective To investigate the effect of short-term complications after D2 radical gastrectomy on long-term survival rate of gastric cancer patients. Methods A retrospective case-control study was conducted on 421 patients with gastric cancer who underwent D2 radical gastrectomy. According to the short-term postoperative complications, they were divided into experimental group (complication group, n=76) and control group (without complication group, n=345). In order to reduce the selection bias, the long-term survival rate of the two groups was tested by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis method after balancing the variables by propensity score matching (PSM). Log rank method was used for univariate analysis and Cox multivariate analysis was used for prognostic factors. Results There was no significant difference in long-term survival rate between the experimental group and the control group (P > 0.05). Histological type, lymph node metastasis rate and pTNM stage were independent risk factors for long-term survival. Conclusion The short-term complications after D2 radical gastrectomy have no significant impact on the long-term survival rate of gastric cancer patients, but it has certain clinical significance to actively prevent and control complications.

Electroacupuncture at / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the clinical therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at @*METHODS@#The data of 318 patients undergoing anal fistula surgery were analyzed retrospectively. In accordance with whether accepted the combined treatment with EA at bilateral @*RESULTS@#For VAS score, there was an interaction between therapeutic method and treatment duration (@*CONCLUSION@#Electroacupuncture at

The Spillover Influence of Household Waste Sorting on Green Consumption Behavior by Mediation of Environmental Concern: Evidence from Rural China.

The spillover effect of environmental behavior has been of wide concern in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of household waste sorting on green consumption (behavioral spillover) and the possible psychological mechanisms involved in such spillover of environmental concern. Though it is important, insufficient attention has been paid to exploring the relationship, and the process of its formation, between waste sorting and green consumption. To narrow this gap, survey data collected in 2018 from 688 rural households from Shaanxi Province in western China were used. The propensity score matching method was employed to measure the effect of waste sorting on rural households' green consumption. The mediating model was employed to investigate the path of influence in the relationship between waste sorting and green consumption. The results showed that waste sorting behavior positively spilled over into green consumption, with a net effect of 0.205. Environmental concern has a mediating effect on the relationship between waste sorting and green consumption behavior, with a mediating effect of 0.3177. In summary, household waste sorting behavior has a spillover effect on green consumption behavior as a result of the mediation effect of environmental concern. The results of this article fill in our knowledge on the spillover effects of waste sorting behavior in developing countries. Policy makers and regulators should vigorously advocate and implement waste sorting behavior, increase farmers' concern for the environment, and promote their participation in green consumption behavior, so as to maximize the spillover effect.